we will never forget.

Today, I'm taking a minute to remember the heroes and the victims of the September 11th tragedy. I can't believe it's already been 11 years since one of the most humbling, saddening events in our nation's history. It's even stranger to think that none of my 4th or 5th graders remember the events of that day. Only a few were even alive.

I am so grateful to live in such a strong, resilient country. I am grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, and the brave men and women who keep those freedoms safe. Especially my father-in-law, who is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

We will never forget.

Dear Elder.

I'm kind of freaking out today. My little brother Steven recently got his mission call to Tempe, Arizona speaking Spanish! He's reporting to the MTC on July 5th - just two short days away. I'm feeling pretty sad that I don't get to see this guy for two whole years. 

Steven, you and I have had some great memories together over the years - sharing a room when we were little, playing Settlers of Catan, driving to high school together in the Weasel every day, picking you up from hospital when you broke your foot, jam sessions in the car, going to the temple with you, and many more.  Recently, one of my favorite memories is staying up half the night while you patiently taught me how to play Minecraft. I will also never forget how you were there for me when I had a really rough year.

Steven, I want you to know how much I love you! Things will be a lot different without you around, but I'm so proud of you and the decision you've made. You're going to be a totally awesome missionary! Those great people in Tempe, Arizona don't know how lucky they are.

Love you, Steve-O! We're gonna miss ya!

Your "Little Big Sister",

Mandy

...

Confessions of a Teacher-in-Training: That time I survived student teaching!!

I can hardly believe I am sitting here, writing a post about how I actually finished student teaching. I can still remember exactly how I felt just a few days before I met my students. And so much has changed since that day in April when we met the "survivors" of last year's cohort to discuss the wild ride we were in for. I remember looking at them and thinking: "Wow. These people are amazing. What was their secret to getting through this so successfully? They must know so much more then me." They were my pretty much my idols. I wanted to be them someday. And now, it's surreal to think that I am. 

Were there moments I thought I wouldn't make it? 

Yes. 

Did I feel like giving up sometimes? 

Definitely. 

But overall, was it worth all of the time and hard work I put into it?

Without a doubt.

On a different note, I am going to miss my students so much. The photos above are from the "photobooth" I set up for my going-away party on my last day. Let me tell you - it was a blast! The students thought it was the greatest thing ever. I bought a bunch of props from the dollar store, and set up my camera on a tripod. I loved this idea even more after I saw all the pictures. It was the perfect way for me to remember each of my students and their unique personalities. I had a truly amazing class this year. In some ways, I feel like they taught me far more than I taught them. And I won't ever, ever forget them.

So watch out world...I'm going to be a teacher!!

P.S. Remember how excited I was when I found out what grade I would be student teaching? Also, here's a post about my first two days of student teaching, a mid-semester update, and a couple of funny stories along the way here and here.

P.P.S Stay tuned to see the little craft I made for my students to say goodbye! I'll give you a hint - it involves owls!

a month of mini miracles!

This is so crazy, I just have to blog about it.

D and I have been having a lot of car problems lately. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Since my last car issues post, there have been some serious (and expensive) brake issues on D's car, and some new tires plus an alignment issue on my car. So when D called me the other day to let me know his power steering had mysteriously gone out...it about sent me over the edge. We took it to a shop to get it diagnosed and they told us how much it would cost to fix it. It was...um...too much. So we drove the car home (sans power steering) to do some thinking.

This is where the miracle comes in.

I was, of course, complaining to my brother and my mom the other day about how many car issues we have had this year, and gave them the latest installment about D's poor car. My brother Tommy (who is about to win the brother-of-the-year award because of this story) reminded me that he is taking an auto shop class at Highland, and he offered to take the car there and see if they could fix it for free. We'd only have to pay for the part! I was excited. I told Tommy what was wrong so he could do some research, but what he found turned out to be even better than I imagined. While he was searching for information, he found out that there had been an unpublicized recall on several of Saturn Ion models that had the EXACT same issue that D's car had! Tommy compared the specs of D's car to those listed on the recall, called the dealership, and figured out all the details for us. The best news? Our car ended up qualifying for the recall, so they fixed the entire issue completely for free.

The way I see it, there are two morals to this story.

1. My little brother Tommy is the best person ever.

2. Miracles are real, but you can only experience them during the times when you actually need a miracle.

Lately, I've been thinking about how all of our trials are really just blessings in disguise. For example, if we hadn't had this car problem, we wouldn't have experienced a "mini miracle" that strengthened our testimonies and our faith. The things we go through, big or small, shape us into better people. We become more thankful, more prayerful, and more humble than we were before.

Other "mini miracles" from this month include:

Getting sick (twice!), and somehow not having to miss a single day of work or school. I'm also now thankful every single day that I can eat things without feeling sick, and that I can breathe out of my nose! I didn't appreciate those things enough before.

Having more homework than hours in the day, but somehow getting it finished on time. And even getting good scores! That's a miracle if I've ever seen one, but I wouldn't have experienced it if I hadn't had a ridiculous amount homework.

Buying 200ft of brown kraft paper (to wrap Christmas gifts this year) the very day before our candle incident. We needed that brown paper so badly to help us clean up the wax! I have no idea what we would have done without it. Coincidence? Nope. Mini miracle.

Waking up late on the day of an extremely important exam because my alarm didn't go off, but somehow making it to school in record time. If you live in Holladay, you know it's unheard of to leave your house at 7:17, and be parked at the U by 7:28. It hasn't happened to me again before or since.

So this month, we are grateful for mini miracles. Now that they've been on my mind lately, I keep seeing them everywhere. So look for mini miracles in your life! I'm sure you'll find more than you think :)

Spiritual Directory Assistance

I don't do a whole lot of spiritual posts on my blog, but when I saw this on a friend's blog, I thought it was worth posting. Just in case someone might need it. Sometimes life is really hard. We all need a little bit of "directory assistance" sometimes.

Whatever you're going through, just know that you can do it.

You aren't alone, even if it seems like it sometimes.

He is always there.

All we need to do is ask.

thoughts.

I'm way behind on blogging, but here are a few thoughts for your Thursday just to let you know I'm still alive over here.

1. This post I wrote a few semesters ago is so relevant to my life right now. I think look like that walking around campus, and the seatbelt thing happens every day.
2. Speaking of campus, I've realized I definitely prefer night classes.
3. Water balloon volleyball with my 6th graders this week was the most fun ever.
4. I am so grateful for my mom this week. She is so good to me.
5. Daniel left town for a week to go elk hunting, and I pretty much don't know what to do with myself.
6. Speaking of elk hunting, you do not want to know how they get the giant elk back to the truck after they shoot it. That is the last time I listen in on conversations between Daniel and his father.
7. Kimi and I are going to the Spa tomorrow! Hooray!
8. My apartment is a general disaster right now.
9. I just got off the phone with Lauren, and she is probably the most adorable person ever.
10. Lots of people think home cold remedies are sketchy, but I am a total believer! This worked for me the past three times I've had a cold, including this week: Drink TONS of liquids (especially water and drinks with vitamin C), eat vitamin C tablets, eat everything you can get your hands on that also contains vitamin C, and actually go to bed early. My colds are much less severe, and they go away in like three days. No lie!

Top 5 things on my mind tonight.

1. We threw a bachelorette party for the lovely Mel Nash this weekend, and it was beyond epic. We ate treats, exchanged racy gifts, and had conversations that will never leave my living room. It was a good old fashioned sleepover (minus the sleeping part.) I even made a breakfast casserole, you guys. What a great group of girl friends I have.

2. A sunbeam told me something very wise on Sunday that I keep thinking about. We were talking about Faith in sharing time and he tapped me on the shoulder and whispered "I have that. All the good guys have it."

3. I have tried so hard to do school this week, and it's the last thing on my radar. In fact, I'm supposed to be doing an assignment right now. Pretty sure I just diagnosed myself with ADD.

4. Most random car trouble to date occurred this evening - D's car keys got stuck in the ignition of his car and wouldn't come out. Oh, and did I mention the car was still running? It wouldn't turn off. I'm not even kidding. I was very disappointed because Google pretty much failed us in our time of greatest need. However, we can always count on John Lawrence to come up with something. Thanks J, for rescuing us. (And no, we didn't get they keys out. They did some dangerous-sounding engine maneuver and shut the car off that way.)

5. I love my husband more and more every day.