Update on Life...

I realized recently that I have not actually written a blog that was about ME. (Part of this has happened because my camera recently went out of commission after it was stepped on by some unknown person in my house.) I've only written blogs about my thoughts on life and the world. While these things are all fine and dandy, I'd like to share a little about what I've been up to.

1. Teaching German- Some days are EXCELLENT, some days are mediocre. All teachers have both good and bad days depending on many factors. All in all, I love teaching and feel very grateful to be where I'm at. AND... only 5 months until my month-long trip to Germany!


2. Family & Friends- I feel very blessed to have very supportive family and friends! Evan and I get to go on fun adventures and be with people we love and enjoy. We're definitely both grateful to be back in Washington and closer to those we love. Side note: If any Washingtonians want to hang out, let us know! We're always looking for fun people to spend time with. It keeps us busy and out of trouble. :)


3. Reading- I love reading and I'm trying to do it more. Sadly, I get tired after school is done and sometimes don't do enough. I'm slowly, but surely, working on doing more of it. Check out my Good Reads widget on my sidebar to keep up with what I'm reading. Some interesting books I've read recently: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Church of the Dog, Christmas Jars, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

4. Saturday Trip- Last weekend, Evan and I went up to Bellingham (near Canada) for a day trip to go to a German Student Convention. I'd never been and wanted to see what it was all about so I could bring students next year. Evan was kind enough to agree to go with me. He took pictures, which are on HIS camera. Hopefully I can get a hold of it soon to upload pictures and talk about our trip!



That's it... in a nutshell, other than church and my calling (RS Teacher), that's what has been going on in my life.

An Example Our Country Should Follow

I love reading the "Oddly Enough" news articles on Reuters. Most of them make me laugh while simultaneously being informative. Today I read an article about how 80,000 Russian people in debt were barred from going on vacations abroad. The Russian Government Bailiffs recovered millions of rubles from deliquent borrowers, who couldn't pay their debts, yet could miraculously go on expensive, foreign vacations.



Somehow this scenario makes me think that our country could learn a lesson from this. The lesson we should learn is not that we should stop those accruing major debt from going on vacations or buying expensive items, but that we need to police ourselves and be more cautious with our own spending. If you don't have money to afford a brand, new house, don't buy it. If you can't comfortably buy a new car and still afford the insurance and gas, then don't buy it. Go cheaper. It's more important to get out of debt than to buy things that we don't need.

Sadly, the current state of our nation's economy became the way it is through those borrowing money from various lenders and not being able to pay it back. Yet, some of these same people who "can't" pay their debtors can miraculously get a flat screen TV and a new Tahoe. Okay, so that's a gross generalization, but I'm sure you get where I'm coming from. Some of the problems MAY have been caused by the leaders of our country, but we can also add to the problem with our poor spending choices. Either way, I'm suggesting we all work towards spending a little less and saving a little more.

Never Purchase from Buy.com

I just want to take this time to caution anyone against purchasing products from Buy.com. For Christams, I bought Evan a Plantronic headset which ended up not fitting correctly. Once I realized the problem, the day after Christmas I had the item shipped back. It's been the biggest hassle ever since.



First of all, Buy.com has NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT other than automated email messages. There are no contact numbers given to ask questions about products, returns, or exchanges, only a FAQ with which to refer. I've been so frustrated at not having my questions answered. I even searched the internet searching for answers in regards to Buy.com. All that came up was a bunch of angry people who'd been in my same predicament urging others to also take their business elsewhere. One website I found actually gave the corporate numbers for the president, CFO, vice president of operations, etc. The man suggested calling to bug them because of their lack of customer support. I laughed initially, but then highly considered taking it to the top to get my questions answered. I refrained.

Yet, I digress... Buy.com now has had my returned headset for nearly 4 weeks and I still haven't received my money back. And after several attempts to contact Buy.com regarding this, I still have no idea why it has taken so long.

On the upside: I did receive an email this evening from Google Checkout (I used their service to purchase through Buy.com) saying that I will be refunded my money, minus $6.45. I'm not sure why Buy.com thinks that it's okay to not give me a full refund for a product I clearly no longer own. This bothers me greatly because I already had to pay shipping and handling 2 ways now for a product I cannot use.

This whole scenario has left me with a greater appreciation for those online stores that are smart enough to provide you with a prepaid return label just in case you want to return the item. I want to continue to buy from companies such as these that support positive customer relations.

Economy's Effects

I have this panicked feeling in my heart right now. Our nation's (and world's) economy is beginning to affect more and more people. Sadly, education according to our state's governor, isn't as important as it should be. She gave herself and other legislators a payraise before she cut important spending to education and health care (among other things- don't get me started on the amount of money she has wasted on foolish projects my boyfriend's company is working on). So, what does this have to do with Sarah? You ask.

Well, I am an educator in Washington State and my job (and many other teacher's jobs) may be on the line. Some school districts are even talking about getting rid of schools to curb their spending, albeit causing teachers to cope with HUGE classroom sizes and a cut in costs, among other things. On the selfish side, I don't want to lose my job. On the unselfish side, can you imagine what will happen to the education system in my (your) state and our country if we so drastically cut education spending?

I know that the education system in our country is not perfect. I understand that our country and our world are in a state of economic crisis right now, but education is something that is important to our country's future. Hopefully legislatures can implement a plan to simultaneously help education and curb spending. If you feel so inclined, email your legislatures about your feelings on the recent House Bill 1410 and Senate Bill 5444, which do nothing to address the most basic needs of kids and schools. To read more about this problem, go HERE.

High School Then, High School Now

As I walked across campus during lunchtime, I spotted a group of kids hacky-sacking. And it made me think: This high school sure hasn't changed much since I graduated.* The same types of kids are playing hacky-sack, there still are those kids who are über excited about band, sports, choir, and German. There are still those kids who try to annoy teachers and classmates just to get the attention they long for more than anything. There are still those kids seeking to do extra credit even though they have 100% in class, and those who come up with every excuse in the book on EVERY assignment to explain why they don't have it in on time. Some kids still cheat off each other's papers, some kids still are honest and kind, almost all kids still are annoyed with their parents and families.

High school still has those "easy" teachers who let kids slack off, and the "hard" teachers who make you work to earn any sort of decent grade. And high school students are still very aware of who those students are.

High school relationship drama hasn't ended either. Whether it's between two people who are dating, or between two friends who now hate each other for some dumb reason, that drama is still there.



Teen angst is also still a part of the equation. An obscene amount of hormones still rage through the body of every high school student causing an entire slew of different results.

Here is what has changed... electronic devices are more prevalent than we would ever have imagined when I was in high school. From laptops to mp3 players to cell phones (which kids now put on a high-pitched ring tone that some teachers can't hear... I can, though!), there are electronic devices everywhere. Teachers who care have to police more than ever to make sure kids aren't texting or calling or listening to music, etc.

Another thing that has changed is that kids are slightly more disrespectful than when I was in high school. Not much, because we were teens too, but kids still are slightly more disrespectful to themselves, teachers, and peers. Maybe this has to do with the last way that high school as changed: many more students come from divorced and broken families. These issues do affect their school work and success in all classes. It's sad how many students have to deal with this issue.

Overall, though, high school is still high school. There are the same problems, the same types of people, and the same type of life. The cycle repeats itself.

*For those who are unaware, I currently teach at my former alma mater.
**Read interesting take on how high school is like life HERE.

Two Paths, Two Choices

Post from Sarah's Scripture Study:

3 Nephi Chapters 5-6 are rich with missionary work, true repentance and ultimate conversion. Sadly, however as the people begin to be righteous and to prosper in chapter 6, we read, "And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression" (3 Nephi 6:5). And fall into transgression they did... within a year, some people began to be prideful because of their wealth "even unto great persecutions" (3 Nephi 6:10). Eventually, the church was broken up because of riches and class distinctions, except for "a few of the Lamanites who were converted to the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord" (3 Nephi 6:14).



And then in verse 15, we find out the reasons for the iniquities and problems,

"Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this -- Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world."

And this, friends, is the clencher: "Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they KNEW the will of God concerning them, for it had been brought unto them; therefore they did willfully rebel against God" (3 Nephi 6:18). They knew that they were going against God's will for them. How many of us do the same?

We have a choice to make: we can either allow constant advertisement of Satan's temptations to influence us and follow down that path of iniquity (which ultimately leads to unhappiness), or we can follow the soft-spoken voice of our Heavenly Father and Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Satan wraps his empty promises in a huge package with lots of bows and ribbons. Satan's package is empty: He wants us to spend eternity in misery with him. Satan seeks to take away our agency and choice.

While on the other hand, Heavenly Father will NEVER take away our choices. His package appears to be subtle and humble, but it contains the greatest gift of all: the opportunity of eternal life spent with our Father in Heaven and our family and friends.

So, which path will YOU follow? There are only two choices.

Obeying God's Commands

New blog post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Obeying God's Commands

The Impact We Have

Post from Sarah's Scripture Study:



In our own way, we all impact those around us. Sometimes people will tell us what something we said or did meant to them. And sometimes we will never know the impact we had on a life. That doesn't mean that we should get discouraged or give up. You never know what you've done to help someone else.

I bring this up courtesy of Samuel, the Lamanite. He is a good example to us of doing what Heavenly Father asked of him, without knowing what the effect of his actions would be. Samuel was told to preach to the Nephites, even though it could cost him his life (they were very angry at him for preaching to them and were seeking to kill him as a consequence). Although it was difficult, he did so and was protected. As soon as he was finished preaching, the scripture says that he got off the wall, walked out of the land, and "He was never heard of more among the Nephites" (Helaman 16:8). Samuel did what he was asked to do and never was able to see the fruit of his labors. He converted many people unto the gospel of Jesus Christ. Chapters later in 3rd Nephi, Samuel, the Lamanit is mentioned again when the prophecies he made came to pass. The people remembered Samuel and his preachings. He had an impact on the people, even though he was never aware of the impact he had.

Has that happened to us? Have we helped someone without even knowing it? Or, have we been helping without letting that person know what he/she has done for us?

I want to strive to help those around me a little more, to be a little bit more Christlike in my actions. I also want to remember to say thank you to those who have helped me, even in small ways. Showing gratitude helps people to know the impact that they have had in our lives.

Lessons Learned from the Lamanites

New blog post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Lessons Learned from the Lamanites

Have you heard? Porn Industry wants a Bail Out

Interesting that just days after my post on how much I loathe pornography, I find out that the porn industry is requesting a $5 BILLION bail out. The creator of Girls Gone Wild, Joe Francis, and Larry Flynt, creator of the Hustler magazine are responsible for this bail out request. After reading about the life of Larry Flynt on Wikipedia, I am so incredibly disgusted. He began the first nude bars in the world and began widespread circulation of porn magazines. Excuse me while I go throw up on his picture.

In response to why the bailout is important, Flynt said in a statement, "People are too depressed to be sexually active. This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex." Both Flynt and Francis concede that the industry itself is in no financial danger — DVD sales have slipped over the past year, but Web traffic has continued to grow. Once again, I am so disgusted by this media ploy to get more recognition for their industry. I wonder if they even wanted the money to begin with (considering their industry is in no danger) or whether they are doing all of this for some more media coverage.

I am incredibly embarrassed and disgusted that I live in a nation where people believe that this behavior is okay. You don't hear about the pornography industry in Germany, Great Britain, India, China, or really any other parts of the world pulling stunts such as this... it's embarrassing that our country gets such bad media coverage and that citizens of our nation allow it by their addictions to the "products" this industry is offering. So help our nation if congress agrees to bail out an industry that is not only not suffering, but is causing many Americans and American families to suffer in the wake of the addictions and problems it causes.

Read more about it HERE and HERE.

Strength as Samuel the Lamanite

New blog post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Strength as Samuel the Lamanite

Some Days...

Some days you laugh
And some you cry
Some days you try so hard for so long and it doesn’t seem to matter
And then some days it all works out effortlessly
There are those days when you wish they’d be over almost before they’ve begun
And those that you take a mental picture and hope to keep it for all time
Some days you feel that as much as you’re trying to go forward, you’re sliding back in spite
And those where your progress almost seems measurable, that this one day is a turning point
Some days are just days, nothing more and nothing less
Some you wish that the sun would stay a little longer or go a little sooner
Sometimes days run into sleepless nights that run into more days
And there are ones that start out so bad, but end up so well
And those that start out so well and up so bad
We can never tell what is in a day that makes it so
But it is a collaboration of all days that makes up one life
Laughs of joy
Moments of pain and sadness
Silently prayed epiphanies
Moment by moment
Day by day
Journeying through life
Learning without even trying

Sex Sells: Pornography in Our Media

Tonight as I saw the title for a recent movie that has come out ("Zack and Miri Make a Porno"), I was reminded how disgusted I am with pornography. I hate the way that it has infiltrated our society. From sexually explicit books, to lude pop-up ads online to the music that flows on the radio waves to Television shows, commercials and movies... pornography is all around us and we've become desensitized to it. And whether we realize it or not, it does effect us and our views on sexuality.

Over the course of the last 5 or so years, I've had many friends confide in me that they were addicted to pornography. Most of them got started on pornography in a seemingly innocent way, perhaps with a movie that was too sexually explicit. That led to sexual curiosity that was further explored, which eventually led to a pornographic addiction. We are angered when an addiction to pornography ruins our self esteem, relationships and marriages, yet we are unwilling to look at where it starts. Pornography is all around us. When we voluntarily allow all types of pornography into our lives, it is no wonder that the amount of addictions to pornography are increasing.

Pornography is not just lude pictures. Pornography can be defined as "obscene writings, drawings, photographs, or the like, esp. those having little or no artistic merit" (dictionary.com). We need to look at the world around us with a new set of eyes. What about that girl in a bikini trying to sell a car on TV? What about a WIDE variety of sexually explicit novels? And those music lyrics explicitly discussing various sexual activities and liaisons? Are those also not forms of pornography that poison our minds and our hearts?

As we begin to observe the world around us and realize the negative amount of sexually-explicit media that is out there, we have a choice to make. Do we allow ourselves to become further desensitized by allowing filth piece by piece into our lives? Or, do we make necessary changes to shield ourselves and others from desensitization and further sin?

In my mind, we should remove all forms of media that pollute our minds and dull our senses. We need to be careful about those images, scenes, words, songs, etc. we allow into our minds. Not only should we be watchful for ourselves, but for our (future) children and loved ones. Being the example now of virtue and not allowing anything pornographic into our homes can decrease the likelihood of children and other family members becoming involved later in pornography.

Time

Time is an ambiguous word that seems fitting for a variety situations. It's TIME to wash the car. I don't have time to get everything done. I need more time to sleep. The time is 11:26. Time. Time. Time.

Time is not a lost and found. You can never get back time you've deliberately lost or wasted. All of us are allotted a given amount of time. What we choose to do with that time determines whether we're happy or sad; whether we've lived life to the fullest, or wasted away this most precious gift.

At some point in our lives, we all hope for time. When we're young, we hope for time to go by quickly so we can be older and more mature. When we're old, we wish for our youthful years again for the time of no wrinkles, gray hair, and youthful energy. Sometimes we even wish for more time with a loved one before his or her passing. Time can be a hope.



But, what do you do with your time? Do you appreciate the time you've been given? Do you make the most of every day? Are you deserving of more time because you fully use what you already have? We are all given the same 24 hours every day. How is it that some people can get much more use out of those 24 than others? Some even wish for MORE time everyday than the 24 they've been given, promising to achieve grand feats with those few more hours. Would they use it better than the 24 they already have?

I know that I wouldn't. Sometimes I don't show my gratitude to time because I waste what I've been given. Although I do many things to live life to the fullest, I know that there are many more that I could do. The biggest way that I waste my time is in my use of the internet. I always think I'm going to be online a short amount of time writing back to a parent email from school, when before I know it, I've spent an hour online reading blogs and researching various topics inspired by reading said blogs. I would like to better manage my time. I am an organized person. I have created schedules for myself before, but did not stick to those schedules.

Because of this, I have decided rather that I will set an internet time limit for myself that cannot be used until I have accomplished other goals. I really do think that this will work for me. I want to show Heavenly Father that he means more to me than anything else. By rearranging when I participate in certain activities (e.g. reading scriptures in the AM versus the PM), I will feel better about taking time to use the internet.

Snow in Washington

Yesterday morning I woke up and saw this out my back door.



The snow and ice from the two weeks prior just barely melted within this last week. Needless to say, despite it's beauty, I wasn't too pleased to see more snow. Thankfully, the roads weren't icy and were thawed by today (which is my main concern with snow and ice). What's with all the snow in Washington?


(View from my upstairs window)

Humility Brings Blessings

New blog post at Sarah's Scripture Study: Humility Brings Blessings

Happy New Year!

Last night, Evan and I headed up to Seattle with our friends Garrin and Melissa to celebrate the last day of the year in a big way. And by big, I mean going out to dinner at a fancy alehouse and then walking 4-5 miles (roundtrip) to see the fireworks and festivities the Space Needle had to offer. Here are some pictures we took:

For some reason, I love the Seattle Macy's star


Garrin & Melissa froze for a picture at the base of the Space Needle


The group at the base of the Space Needle


I told Evan his brain would get sucked out if he went under that thing. Too bad he didn't listen. (It turned out to be a bird listening device fed by solar power.)


Some picketers at the base of the Space Needle trying to help us get saved!


Evan's new best friend (He saw a lot of these types of people on his mission in Florida.)


We randomly saw one of Evan's old roommate's from Hawaii. Small world!


Happy NEW YEAR! Firework show...