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.

This is Bliss

I took my second final last night and am currently at my favorite part of the semester: the time between finals being over and grades being posted. For right now there is nothing more to be done, nothing more to worry about; the tests are over, my part is finished, and there is no reason to lament a grade.

This is bliss.

Getting a Bit Busy

I have finals next week - one in Accounting (35% of my final grade) and one in Marketing (the only test of the term). I sure hope I pass.

I have Inventory this weekend.

And for the record, I have a wonderful husband.

Happy Birthday!

TJ's birthday was on Tuesday but because we were gone at work/school from 7:30 AM - 11:00 PM, we pushed it back to Sunday so we could actually celebrate. :)

In my home growing up, birthdays were always a big deal and it was so fun. Birthday celebrations are a tradition I definitely want to carry on. It was the small things that made a big difference: the decorations on the mantle, the presents, being able to pick all three meals, deciding what kind of a cake you want, and choosing who says the prayers. I started asking TJ 4 weeks ago which meals he wanted today - I think he was a bit confused, but finally threw something out for me. :)

Let me help you understand my excitement for today: I have been shopping for his birthday since July. :) Since we have limited funds, I shopped carefully, looking for the perfect gifts, hoping to find things that would make him smile without breaking the bank. I added, slowly but surely, to the small group of gifts for several months.


This past week I wrapped all the presents and thought they turned out just darling. But how to decorate? The mantle decorations are such a fun touch, but none of the 4 sets of decorations I have matched the wrapping paper. So...I cut out the wrapping paper (something I've watched my mom do many times) to make it all match!


I may have gone a little overboard with the decorations. I cut out the letters "H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y" and went to the store to find matching cardstock. Then I glued all the letters onto the cardstock and cut again. After spending so much time, I didn't want to just throw them away, so I had them laminated and cut one last time! I'm happy with how they turned out.


For breakfast (which I'll make after I finish here) we're having eggs with green peppers and onions on top of toast. His lunch request is cookie sandwiches. :) And his family is coming over for dinner tonight - enchiladas, corn and bean salad, rice, and green salad. Instead of cake we're doing brownies for banana splits.

We have to wait until tonight for him to open his presents but I CAN'T WAIT. There is one that he will just be so, so happy about (though I think all of them will be fun for him). (Ha. Right now he just got out of bed and walked into the room with me yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He told me the decorations were cute. I told him to shake his presents. :) Clearly one of us loves celebrating today more than the other.)

Present results to come!