An Unexpected Gift from My Mom

For those of you who are not aware, my mother died 17.583 years ago in a tragic car accident. This Christmas I received a present from her.

Over 25 years ago, when my mother was pregnant with my younger sister, she stitched and embroidered a gift for me she assumed would hang in my nursery. Apparently, she never got around to framing it or hanging it up.

Fast forward 25+ years: My older sister, Nicole, was looking through the garage for some of her Halloween decorations when she stumbled upon a pattern for a baby announcement stitchery project. Hoping that there was an actual project to go along with the pattern, she searched and found at the bottom of the box just such a project my mom had created for me.

Christmas morning it was the last present anyone opened. My sister's gift was to pay to have it professionally-framed. I cried for nearly 2 hours after receiving the gift. I couldn't believe that my mom had taken the time to make something so beautiful for me and for none of my other siblings. (My sister also found MY precious baby book years ago. I am also the only one of my 4 siblings to have a baby book. I am also the only one of my 4 siblings whom my mother nursed.) I'm not sure why she did all of these things for me and not for the other children. I am, however, grateful to have received such a precious gift from my mother this Christmas. Tears still come to my eyes to think about it and to know that my mother (and father) are still thinking about me. I love you Mom and Dad!


(Photo has been edited to block out personal information from floating around the internet.)

My Holidays in a Nutshell, Part 1

A few things Evan and I did to celebrate the holidays: snow day fun (I got 3 days off of school), decorating Grandma's Christmas tree while making German cookies at Grandma's (Evan & my sister's husband, Shane, were newcomers at the cookie-making marathon event), spent 3 days making a 2008 video for my sister with her kids (SHE LOVED IT!), Christmas Eve at Grandma's house with my mom's side of the family (our yearly Christmas tradition), Christmas day with my family and Christmas afternoon/evening with Evan's family, and a White Elephant Christmas Party hosted my our good friends, Elliot & Rachel Rutt.

Watching the video we made them (my sister cried)


My sister and my only living grandparent or parent (I love my Oma!)


Non-photogenic picture of Evan & I at grandma's


Emma contemplating the meaning of Christmas (or all the presents)


Best buds: Evan & Emma







My sister got me a ring for Christmas since she said I wasn't getting one from anyone else (EVAN!)



Winter snow fun at Evan's house:

Before You Know It...

New blog post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Before You Know It...


See also "Beware of Pride" by President Ezra Taft Benson, circa 1989

Gardens D'Lights

Last night my family went to the Bellevue Botanical gardens to witness the "Garden D'Lights." I never even knew that there was a botanical garden in Bellevue, Washington! So, I thought I better check this out for myself.

I had initially planned to go get cupcakes at this cupcake cafe in the area I've been DYING to try out, but they closed before we got there. (I waited 45 minutes to do my tithing settlement, which meant that we didn't make it to the cupcake cafe in time.) Instead, we stopped at the A&W restaurant at Evan's urging to get a chilled mug of rootbeer on tap. The boy loves his A&W rootbeer.


Afterwards, we headed up to the gardens. Although I had warned Evan to dress appropriately for outdoor weather, he realized when we got there that the temperature had dropped significantly since we left his house. We kind of speed-walked through a majority of the garden of lights, but it was still enjoyable. Essentially, the entire garden is made out of flower lights and plants, sometimes strewn on trees, but sometimes stuck into the ground. Here and there you will see butterflies, squirrels, monkeys, parrots, peacocks, etc. all made of lights. My favorite things was a pretty blue and white dragonfly by a waterfall and these grapevines hanging on a pergola over my head. The grapevines were beautiful and so life-like!

As we were leaving, Evan gave me a piggy-back ride. Unfortunately, from all of the bouncing around, my camera fell out of my pocket! The sweetest girl saw it fall out and ran in order to catch up with us and give it back to me. Thank you, kind girl! Here are a few fun pictures courtesy of that nice girl (and our stellar camera skills). And no, I'm not as big as I look in the pictures. I was wearing a 2-inch thick down coat to stave off the winter chill.

Light fountain and flowers


Parrot in a tree


I love Asian laterns, so this ball of lights in the Asian section was aesthetically-pleasing to me.


Just a taste of the grapes made of lights.

Happy (belated) Holidays!

I had a wonderful Christmas season with family and friends. I have yet to upload all of the pictures yet, but here is a photo collage of 2008 memories.

Secrecy, Deception & Lies

The following is a posting from my scripture blog. I thought it appropos to post here as well:

People are hurt by lies, deception, and secrecy. Whether it is in a family or as an individual, secrecy and deception eat away at our very core. When we are not open with other people about those things we should be, it hurts. Sometimes the hurt is only within, but sometimes the hurt is felt more keenly by others.

Recently, I've been dealing with a situation where secrecy was involved. The person kept a secret thinking that it would spare me from unnecessary hurt. But, because the secret was kept for so long, it hurt me worse than if I had known from the get-go. Time and again I've seen over the years that it is better to be open and deal with the consequences, then to wait. When you do, the situation seems to amplify to a much higher level.



This morning, I was reminded of this pain I'm dealing with as I was reading in Helaman chapter 1. Chapter 1 begins with the death of Pahoran, the current chief judge of the land. Because of jealousy, power-seeking, and greed, three of his sons seek after the office of chief judge. Rather than being unified, they cause a rift among the people. The people became angry and one of the brothers was sentenced to death for rebellion against the government. Eventually, the brother elected was murdered by Kishkumen and his followers, who took a secret oath to never tell the secrets. This secret hurt those followers as it did the society they eventually plundered. This deception caused such a problem and temptation and led to even more deception and temptation.

As Sir Walter Scott so aptly wrote, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

I know that sometimes we get caught in a situation where we have been keeping a secret from someone. If you are in that situation, don't make it worse for yourself. Do your best to be honest and get out of that situation. I know that a burden will be lifted from your shoulders. You'll feel better and the people around you will also be bettered from your honesty. I know it's not always easy to get out of the "tangled web" we create for ourselves. But, I do know that life will be better once you do work to get out of that situation!

117 Unread Posts

I hadn't gotten online in a few days due to the hustle and bustle of pre-Christmas, Christmas, and after-Christmas celebrations. When I did get online this morning, I saw in my Google Reader account that I had 117 unread posts from the past week. Apparently I have a LOT of catch-up reading to do!

In other news, I hope that you had a WONDERFUL holiday season with family and friends! I know that I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with the ones I love. Update forthcoming...

Quirky Minutiae

Last night, after I was settling in for the night, I couldn't get my mind to stop thinking of quirks about myself. (I believe this is may actually satisfying some type of "tag" asked of me months and months ago.) Here are a few I had the energy to type out before I hit the hay:



For several years now, I have kept a word dictionary of words I like, don't know and want to learn. These words are usually found while reading. The dictionary is typed and alphabetized. Some of my favorites are omphaloskepsis, sagacious, cataglottism, bombastic, and inimitable.

I'm hoping someday to write a book for writers about adjectives. It may sound boring, but I have a creative idea to make it fun and interesting. I'm not telling, though, in case someone tries to steal it. :)



I like having my email inbox clean, which means that I must write back to all emails before I can archive them. Sometimes I can be a little obsessive about it. But, I feel best with a clean inbox.

This also carries on into my life. I have a hard time concentrating in my classroom when my desk and classroom is not perfectly organized. Sometimes I have to stop grading to straighten up a few things, move furniture, or put a different poster on the wall. I know it's ridiculous, but having my workspace uncluttered helps my mind to also be uncluttered. It's all about the feng shui.

I love reading. I really do, mostly novels. Although, I must admit that I do read almost every sign (and word) I encounter (which has been hard for me when I've been in foreign countries... trying to pronounce French words in my head without knowing pronunciation rules has been difficult for me. Italian, not so difficult.) When I'm eating, I like to keep my mind occupied with mindless reading. Whether it's a cereal box, junk mail, or a random homework assignment from my 9-year-old nephew, my mind enjoyies staying occupied.



I either have to pace or play a computer game when I'm talking on the phone (this does not, of course, include driving). I know it sounds crazy, but playing Freecell while talking on the phone actually helps me to focus better on the conversation. Sometimes, however, I have to get up mid-Freecell game to go pace around before I sit back down for another round of Freecell.

That's all for now. Have a good night!

Snow Days Galore!

So, I have to be honest that in some ways I dread snow. After living in FREEZING Rexburg, Idaho for at least 4 years, I feel like I've seen my share of snow and cold. I also don't love the fact that Evan and I live 15 miles apart with several icy hills in between. Although we both had work off today, we didn't get to see each other because of poor road conditions. He said if the roads look a little better, he'll brave his way to my house tomorrow.

Aside from that fact, Washington is beautiful when it snows! I love the white and how it turns dying plants into works of art. Snow can make almost anything look amazing. I love it.



Because of the snow (and the anticipation of snow), we received two days off of school this week. Tomorrow we will not be going to school either, meaning that Christmas break has begun! I feel like I accomplished so much today, even though I never left the house. It's amazing what you can get done when you don't have to work. I really am grateful for online shopping. I did not want to go out to brave the cold, icy, wind-swept roads, so instead I shopped online for a few last minute gifts. Online shopping is SO easy. No crowds. No driving. No hassle. Easy/quick comparisons with other vendors. It's the way to go! Especially if you can find the "free shipping" deals. I'm just saying.

I hope that this blog posting finds each of you bundled and warm in your house. Sip some hot cocoa and enjoy the Christmas season! Amidst all of the comings and goings, don't forget that Christmas is about family and friends and celebrating the birth and life of our dear Savior, Jesus Christ.

P.S. The pictures in this blog posting were not done by me, but they are taken where I live. Isn't it beautiful? I'll take some snow pictures tomorrow and post them.

Children Named for Nazi Affiliates

This evening, I read an article that I found distressing. It was about a grocery chain in New Jersey that refused to make a birthday cake with a child's FULL name on it. The child full name of course is Adolf Hitler Campbell (whose sisters are consequently named Jocelynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, a girl named for Schutzstaffel head Heinrich Himmler).

I am at a loss to understand WHY parents in their RIGHT MINDS would name their children after anything to do with the Nazi party and the holocaust. These parents say that they're "just names" and that these names don't mean anything. (Well, then why did you name your children that if they don't mean anything?!) Yet these same parents have swastikas and Nazi paraphernalia in their house and say it is a symbol for peace. I know the swastika only came to be known as a negative symbol once the nazi party adopted it, but when a family names their child after Adolf Hitler and then denies that the swastika they have refer to the nazi party, I have a hard time believing that.

Sometimes people truly shock me with their behavior that is so very different than mine. I suggest reading the article HERE. Walmart ended up making the cake for the little boy for his birthday. Poor kid with that name. He'll be damaged for life.

4 AM Book Making

So, it's nearly 4 AM and I just barely finished and ordered a project I started for Evan on Blurb.com. I have purchased several presents for Evan for Christmas, but I have really been feeling like I wanted to make him something personal. So, I did. And, since I haven't had much time lately to do it, I had to work on it for the past six hours (not including time spent on it over the weekend!) until 4 AM. I hope I'm not going to be DEAD tired at school tomorrow!

If you want to see a preview of the book (AKA cover, dust jacket and 15/22 pages), click HERE. Here is the cover photo:

27 Years Ago Today...

I was born 27 years ago today. (Because I was born SO close to Christmas, they brought me home in a stocking.)



As I lay in bed this morning, I just kept thinking of what has made my 27 years of life so special. First of all, I'm indebted to my mother and father for raising me up right. They blessed the lives of myself and my siblings. If it wasn't for them and lessons they taught me, I would not be the same today.



My Interpersonal Communications teacher once told our class that every person that we meet has had some effect on us. He said that we give a small part of ourselves to those with which we interact and they give a part of themselves to us. I know that I have learned so much from all of the people that have come and gone (and STAYED!) in my life. So, this birthday, I choose to thank YOU. Yes, you. Thank you for caring enough to read what I write on good days as well as on the bad. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and example. I learn so much from my wonderful family and friends! Thank you for helping celebrate (my) life everyday and not just on my birthday.

Okay, so that was a little cheesy. Sorry about that, but I really do mean it. As for my birthday... it was pretty chill and low-key. On Friday night, Evan found out that he was going to have to work not only on Sunday (he's never had to work on Sunday at this job), but ON MY BIRTHDAY. I know this is ridiculous, but I started crying when I found out! I was so sad that I wasn't going to be able to see him on my birthday. Well, even though I was loathing the snow and ice last night, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Evan's boss cancelled work TODAY and he came over and made me the most wonderful breakfast. He even made me a chocolate cake complete with three different types of holiday sprinkles. He seriously went all out to make my birthday special! :)


My family also made my birthday special by agreeing to throw a big family party/dinner. We had 20+ people over and it was really great to catch up with family. I enjoyed my cheesecake (FAVORITE DESSERT!) and the company of great family. Thanks family for making my 27th birthday special!

(SIDE NOTE: The roads are SO icy here. I am a little bit perturbed about that. Not only did Evan have to leave the party early due to poor road conditions, BUT I'm REALLY hoping that school does not get cancelled tomorrow. This week will already be jam-packed as it is with one week before the holidays. ALSO... I really want that snow make-up day in mid-march. I'm going to be needing a three-day weekend about then! Below is not a picture I took, but it gives you the general idea of what the roads here are looking like with more ice and less slush and snow.)

They Call It Snow...

This morning I woke up to this which steadily progressed as the day wore on.


This time last year, I was surfing in Hawaii.



Nope, don't miss it at all. (Just kidding! With this kind of weather... how could I NOT?!)

A Christmas Carol

Although I've read three or four books by Charles Dickens, I never did take the chance to read one of his most well-known stories: "A Christmas Carol." Last night, however, Evan and I got the chance to see a play adaptation of the book.

Tuesday afternoon, I noticed 2 tickets being offered on the teacher email forum for the play "A Christmas Carol" at the ACT Theater in Seattle. I was suprised that even though I waited an hour, I was the only one who emailed interested in them! 3-5 years ago I saw this same production of "A Christmas Carol." I remember being impressed by what I had seen. Thus, when I saw the chance to go again, I jumped at it! After checking online at tickets prices, I realized that I saved myself $70 on the show. And Evan bought dinner. All in all not a bad deal for me.

Let me first "set the stage" for you so you can appreciate the talent that went into this production... The ACT Theater in Seattle is a round theater, meaning there is seating on every side of the stage. (See image below)



For anyone who knows about acting, you know that it is challenging to keep your body naturally open to audience view. It is even more difficult to do this with theater in the round. Additionally, this also poses a believability issue. Because you can see other audience members across from you rather than the backdrop of a play, the actors and scenery (minimal as it is) must be impeccably done. The fact that these elements were in place provide a few reasons why this production was so powerful.

To be honest, I was even more impressed with this show than I was the last time I saw it. I couldn't believe how flawless and believable the acting and scene transitions were. As the show began, I was immediately caught up in Dickens' world of the infamous Ebeneezer Scrooge. Scene to scene, I held my breath waiting for the familiar story to play out in the way I expected it would. It did play out perfectly, even better than I hoped with humorous twists and turns mixed in.

The climax of the play was exceptional. The lighting, sound effects, actors, fog, and music truly made Scrooge's nightmare seem exactly that to those in the audience. I felt tears sting my eyes as Scrooge called out wishing he had not made the choices he did. I felt keenly his sadness and regret. Similarly, I felt his happiness and Christmas joy when he awoke the next morning realizing he had another chance at life. What a remarkable story that Charles Dickens created. These actors protrayal of it inspired me even more to want to live life to the fullest.

Christmas Presents

So, I'm going to be honest... Christmas is 2 weeks from tomorrow and I have not done ONE BIT OF SHOPPING! I am super stressed out about it. I have been SO busy with school I haven't had a second to think about purchasing Christmas presents.

This is my dilemma: I want to give gifts that are not expensive (my pay was cut in half compared to last year when I was teaching in Hawaii... not to mention I have a more expensive car payment), but I want them to be personal. Any ideas?

I'm also struggling with to whom I should give gifts. I would LOVE to afford giving gifts to everyone I know! However, money and time will not allow that. To whom do you generally give gifts?

Hopefully I'll get a little bit of time tonight to go shopping for Christmas. Although I LOATHE shopping, it must be done! I wish I were more creative and had more time to plan out super cool gifts that I could make myself. Once again, if you have ANY IDEAS... HELP! Send them my way.

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

"If Ye Are Not One Ye Are Not Mine"

New Blog Post at Sarah's Scripture Study: "If Ye Are Not One Ye Are Not Mine"

Weaknesses and Strengths

New Blog Post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Weaknesses and Strengths

Beschäfigt mit der Schule...

Translation: busy with school


The past month or so I have been INCREDIBLY busy with school! It all began one fateful week in the end of October. We were in the process of finishing up the Entertainment Book fundraiser from hell and then we had to put together Oktoberfest for 300+ people. Every year the German Program at our high school(currently my colleague and I) puts on Oktoberfest. This year we did it to benefit those students participating in the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) exchange we're taking our students on this coming summer 2009. Wow, was it a lot of work, although it turned out really well. Our commons was decorated as a best as a school cafeteria can be to look like Bavaria, we had a Bavarian folk band, Schuhplatteln (special Bavarian dance my Bavarian cousins can do... see video HERE), and wonderful German food for dinner. Many people came from the community (and some even dressed up Bavarian style!). My family and Evan also supported me in this HUGE undertaking and enjoyed themselves at the event. It was definitely a success, but definitely had a gigantic ripple effect on my classroom!

Since then, it's been one thing after another. We finished two German Club fundraisers besides Oktoberfest. We've ALMOST successfully completed matching our students going on the GAPP trip with their German partners. We've dealt with crazy half-day schedules in the midst of Thanksgiving while trying to finalize Advent Calendar sales. Needless to say, it's been CRAZY around here! I feel like I have so much to do and not enough time to do it. In the midst of all of the craziness that goes along with planning a German/American exchange trip for 20 people, I also am a first-time German teacher! I'm trying to sort through all of the materials I have (and receive daily from the American Association of Teachers of German to which I belong) and put together a healthy curriculum for my classroom. Yes, I've been busy. None of this includes normal staff meetings or meetings and work for the two other campus organizations to which I belong. Sometimes I'm not sure how I get it all done. And sometimes I just force myself to leave school even though it's not all done.

In fact, sometimes I think about teachers in general. We are a busy people! And many teachers, like me, are perfectionists who are constantly working on fine-tuning and improving curriculum and teaching methods. Teachers work so hard. And you have to. In order to be ANY good at your job, you have to put in the time and effort to get there. Even veteran teachers still work to improve the goings-on in their classroom. Teaching is such a fluid profession where immediate flexibility is required for success.

This is why I enjoy teaching: It makes me a better person. I am constantly on my toes thinking of how to respond to this comment made in class, or creating an activity to help that ONE student who is struggling to belong. If I were not improving, then I would not be a good teacher.

Even though teaching is challenging, I'm glad that I get to work with students, who are really just people in the middle of their growing up years. I hope that I can help my students to succeed at Germand and at life.

Decisions & Consequences

For the second time this week (the first being last Sunday), I've been confronted with the consequences of some decisions I made earlier this year. When I made the decisions, I knew there would be consequences. I felt bad for the decisions I made and wished I hadn't made them. Several times since then have I been reminded of said decisions and my regrets for having made them. However, it wasn't until this week that the full weight of my decisions hit me smack in the face. And I mean one of those stinging smacks that leaves a red mark and lingers. A smack so hard it hurt and immediately caused tears to well up in my eyes.

It happened so suddenly. I didn't expect in the middle of a conversation with a perfect stranger to be reminded of my negative choices and the fact that these choices are still hindering me now. I was reminded that although we may make a choice, we may NOT choose the consequence. There was a consequence assigned to that choice long before the choice was made. As Newton said, "To every action there is an opposite and equal reaction." Although Newton was talking about the Laws of Motion when he said that, I believe that also applies to our choices. There are consequences for our actions. Some call it karma. Others call it God's laws. No matter what you call it, we all must succumb to the consequences of the choices we make.

I apologize for being so cryptic. I'm purposely being ambiguous because I really don't want to delve into my decisions. I do, however, want to remind you to make sure you think about your decisions before you make them. I know that because of this experience, I will definitely be more careful and deliberate in the choices I make in my life.

Hiking at Night...

Evan is a mountain climber. I have a dream of one day climbing Mt. Rainier. This is another reason why our relationship works. We're hoping that this coming summer we'll be able to strap a rope crew together and climb to the top of Mt. Rainier. For me, this will be a first-time experience. For Evan, it's something he's already done and wants to keep doing as many times as he can every summer.

In order to prepare for this colossal climb, I purchased climbing boots a few months ago (they were only $60 for what normally would cost $300). Additionally, we have decided to climb Mt. Peak (a local "mountain") wearing our climbing boots as often as we can during the winter time to prepare for future mountain climbing adventures.

(Mt. Peak is the farthest hill on the left in the picture.)

Last night Evan called me up at 4:45 just as the sun was setting and asked if I wanted to climb Mt. Peak. I get cold being outside during daylight hours, so I hesitated somewhat in my consideration. I also hesitated because I knew that we wouldn't be leaving for another 1.5 hours or more and it would be INCREDIBLY dark by the time we went. Evan told me to have faith and he'd be there in 1.5 hours.

We went and right as we began it started raining on us. Evan took this time to mention that he knew I "wouldn't regret going." :) We actually did have fun and made it up at a faster pace than the day before. Hiking at night truly helps to conceal the fact that you're climbing up a mountain. All in all it was an enjoyable experience, one which I wouldn't mind repeating.

Evan and I two years ago at the "special spot" on Mt. Peak

If Ye Prepare, Ye Shall Not Fear

New Blog Post at Sarah's Scripture Study: If Ye Prepare, Ye Shall Not Fear