He Gave Me the Sun

For Christmas, TJ gave me the sun - in the form of a pass to the tanning salon. I am ecstatic. My intention is not to get tan but rather to feel the sun - it makes such a difference with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I went yesterday for 8 minutes and it was so, so wonderful. It was a very thoughtful gift and one that I will certainly enjoy for a long while.

Stress

1. One of my employees is out all week.
2. My second employee is working half their normal hours this week.
3. I have a 10 page paper due on Thursday night.
4. I have a final in Stats tonight.
5. I have about 120 pages of textbook reading to do by Thursday night.
6. I have a group of people coming to the house tomorrow night.
7. For those of you who know the Christmas presents I'm making, you understand why this is on the list.

I have the accompanying headaches, stomachaches, and tears that come with it all. Cross your fingers for us - TJ has finals too.

A Few of My Favorites

My husband
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies
Newbery books
The piano - especially the full grand pianos that can explode with sound
The chidwinks - BuMu, Bopper, and my Little T
My little man - Clark
School
Business
Elder Holland
Cards - the kind you make and read
General Conference
Thurn and Taxis
Authentic Spanish accents
Clean sheets
Sunshine
A good workout
Christmas
Shopping for other people
New clothes
Sunsets
People that make me feel wonderful
The Cosby Show
Ross
All my family. My Milar family and my Morris family. Every one of them (over 40 and counting).
My Management class
Being with Emily
Sally Zollinger
Diane Petersen
BYU
My dear Tamara

Emily and Kiri, You'll Never Believe This

We are only 12 hours in of about 72 hours of expected snowfall and look at this: a full foot of snow! Because we are surround by fields, it looks like we are covered in a real blanket of white. It's very beautiful and suddenly Christmas feels very near.

Learn to Write Well

I adore Elder Holland. To fill a spiritual craving I've had, I've reverted to listening to his speeches on my commute to and from school; today is featuring "Nailing Our Colors to the Mast," from 1985. It is filled with powerful phrases about the opportunities that are ours and the obligation we have to make our predecessors proud, but one part that really stuck out to me was the following paragraph (pulled from speeches.byu.edu, one of BYU's greatest websites):

"Please learn to write well and to speak the language with some precision...If I have one overwhelming disappointment in my professional life as an educator it is the general inability I find in college-educated people to write well. Edward R. Murrow once said that Winston Churchill won the Second World War by "mobiliz[ing] the English language and send[ing] it into battle" (Edward R. Murrow, I Can Hear It Now [1933­1945], Columbia Records). Perhaps it will help you win your battles, or get a job, or change a nation. The prophets of God have known that the impact of the inspired, compelling word, spoken or written, is among the most powerful forces on earth. You should discover that too."

I hate to harp, but I am frequently disappointed by the inability of my colleagues and coworkers to coherently express their thoughts in written form. One of my professors once said, "The people with the words are the people who have the power" and I couldn't agree more: here's to all of us pushing to practice and improve our writing, one of our most powerful tools of persuasion.

A Touching Teacher

Every once in a while I feel lucky enough to have a fabulous teacher - you know the kind, the ones that can hold your attention for a 4-hour lecture (literally), that have you watching every step they take as they wander the room and that make you laugh between the moments of silent thoughfulness. Perhaps the greatest sign, for me, of an impressive professor is one that still has me mulling over the material when I leave the classroom.

Last night I started my "Managing and Leading in High Performance Organizations" class with Dr. Abe Bakhsheshy - he is an absolutely fabulous professor. His dialogue is rich, his passion for teaching and knowledge runs deep, and he is truly a subject-matter expert. He carries the class with him through anecdotes, research, and examples. He calls every student by name, though there are 70 of us, and asks probing, thoughtful questions. He taught us about true leaders last night and kept me thinking long after I left the classroom.

I admire fabulous teachers. I love being able to soak up all that they have to give; professors like Dr. Abe remind me how lucky I am to be in school.

Finding Reasons to be Thankful

The morning after Halloween I took all the decorations down - actually, it was Halloween morning. Ha - I was that excited to be done. I pulled out all my Thanksgiving decorations (there aren't many yet) and set them up. (Um, I just love the turkey.)



The mantle:



My mother-in-law bought me this cute pumpkin. It's supposed to go outside, I think, but since I never look at my front porch, I wanted it right here. :)



Growing up my mom really emphasize the importance of Thanksgiving. She doesn't like when people skip straight from Halloween to Christmas and taught us to give thanks before asking, like we do when we pray. I want Thanksgiving to be important in my family too.

"The habit of saying thank you is the mark of a cultivated mind."
-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Days like today I struggle to find reasons to be thankful: it was a very rough day at work and though I held up at the office, I broke down in tears as soon as I got to the car. I'm thankful for a loving husband, whose patience and encouragement is endless, and for a wonderful friend who always takes the time to listen and care. For today, that's enough.