Majesty

Day 5- I love to see the temple, and I am so thankful for it! On my mission we watched a lot of Church movies-they are the best! One of my favorites is "Mountain of the Lord." It wasn't until I was in Clanton, AL and watching that movie that I came to appreciate the majesty and beauty of the Salt Lake City temple. So much time, sacrifice, blood, sweat, and many tears went into the building of this beautiful temple, and I am so grateful for it all! As I walked around Temple Square and over to the temple (I like to take the scenic route!) I could feel the cold air all around me, and as I breathed it in I got a thrill and felt like a giddy schoolgirl! I was about to walk into the temple, and there is no greater feeling in the world than knowing that you are walking into a house of the Lord, that you are worthy to do so, and that He wants you there. I love the spirit of the temple. I am so thankful to all who worked so hard to build it, and for all who keep it running today. I got a picture while I was there, so I'll post it tomorrow!

Days 3 & 4

Day 3- I am so thankful for the institute program that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints offers its young adults. Institute is a safe-haven where I get a chance to delve deeper into the gospel and hear other thoughts besides my own! Some of my best memories come from institute buildings!

Day 4- I am thankful for perfect timing. Tonight as I got in my car to leave a friend's house I discovered that it was snowing. Big, beautiful, sticky flakes were coming down and had already coated my car. I was a little upset by this arrival, but when I got in my car my attitude changed. I flipped the station to FM 106.5 to see what Christmas music they had going, and right at that moment "Winter Wonderland" started to play. It's one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, and it so perfectly fit the moment! Although there weren't any sleigh bells ringing as I drove I still got to enjoy my own winter wonderland! So thankful for that timing!

THANKSgiving

'Tis the season...to be thankful. That's right, THANKSgiving is right around the corner, and on fb I have noticed that a lot of people are doing a countdown to the big day by listing things that they are thankful for. Thus, you are getting a new post. I am going to make a goal to give you one thankful post everyday for the rest of the month! Won't that be a change!
Since I'm behind one day I have to play catchup, so...
Day 1-I am thankful for warm coats. I woke up to snow flurries, and as the morning progressed it started to stick. Since my mission I don't deal with the cold as well, so I was especially thankful to have a nice warm coat to protect me from the elements! Actually, I am thankful for all protective clothing!

Day 2-There are so many things to choose from today...but I want to say a BIG thank you to my cohort groupies, Teresa and Vivian. They are such a good sounding board when I need ideas, they help me with things that I don't understand, and they listen when I just need to talk. It's so nice to talk to people in your same field of work because they really understand what you're saying. They know exactly where I'm coming from, and they don't mind the tears I shed as I come to realize how hard it is to love what you do so much. So THANK YOU to them!

Stay tuned for more THANKSgiving!

Leap of Faith

As I was looking at my blog the other day I noticed two things: 1)I'm not very good at keeping up with things, and 2) I haven't written about some of my "Only in Amanda's world" kind of experiences. Oops! So here's to working on that!
First, let's get cozy and catch up with one another! I am officially pursuing my degree in Special Education through Utah State University-Tooele Campus. We are in our third semester of classes, and I am loving it! I've learned so much about what it takes to be a teacher, and I'm more and more sure everyday that this is absolutely that path that I am supposed to be on. I love working with children who have special needs-it is so rewarding for me! Over the summer I was required to complete a practicum, which means that I "volunteered" my time for 6 weeks and kept teacher hours. This meant that I had to quit my job. Ouch, right? Actually, no! It was a huge leap of faith, but I knew that I was doing what the Lord wanted me to do, and thus He would take care of me and provide the means for me to get through. And so I went forward with faith, quite my job, spent time pretending to be a teacher, and even squeezed in an extra trip to Alabama in the middle of it all! Guess what-it all worked out!
My practicum taught me so much! I spent the first three weeks in a 1st grade class and had the time of my life! My cooperating teacher was so amazing and helped me start "files" of activities and work for my future students. She taught me how to love students and always see the best in them. She believes in her students so much, and they can feel that. It is vital to believe in your students and their ability not only to learn, but also to make good behavioral choices, and to succeed in all things. I will never forget the lessons I learned from her! The next three weeks I spent in the 3rd grade-another amazing experience, and for completely different reasons. I didn't love my cooperating teacher's classroom management, but I still learned so much. She taught me what it's really like to be a teacher. She was great to let me teach the class-from planning the lesson, teaching, and following up. There were times that I had no idea what I was doing, or I could tell that the kids weren't getting it, and even a time or two when I had no idea what to do. She never let me fall, and was always there to help in those moments. We shed many tears together, and I grew so much as a teacher. Being a teacher isn't easy-something that I've always known, but now I understand. Such great experiences-I wouldn't trade this summer for any thing in the world-even an income. :)
Remember how I said that things worked out? Well they did, and it was one of those "Only in Amanda's World" moments. I was unemployed, but not too worried (yet) because it gave me time to stay with my sister who was expecting her second baby. During this stage of unemployment the ladies in my group from school told me that there were openings for paras in the school district and that I should apply. This was something that I had wanted to do, but figured that because of timing it would be next year before it would work out. I applied, used my group as my references, and waited. As I was chillin with the Turkey (nephew 1) waiting for little Arliss (nephew 2) to be born (literally-my sister was in labor at the hospital and Turkey and I were anxiously waiting at the house) I got a call asking if I could come in for an interview the next day. It was a little crazy and required a parking lot switch-off of the Turkey with Felicia (my new sis in law!) but I made the interview. They told me that they would let me know by Friday if I had a job, and this was Wednesday. Friday came and went with no word. On Monday morning I got a call asking if I was interested in a job starting the next day. Wow! I took it, and I now work as a paraeducator at an elementary school 20 minutes from my house. Life is good. I start work at 9 am (wonderful!) instead of 6 am with my last job, the commute is 20 minutes vs. 40 with the other job, and I get to hang out with kids all day and do what I love and what I'm meant to do.
Through all of this I can really see the hand of the Lord in my life. None of this could have worked out without him. It has all worked out even better than I could have imagined, and that it thanks to the Man who knows what I need so much better than I do. He is molding me into the person He wants me to be, and I am grateful to bend, shape, and sometimes even break to become what I know will be the best me.
Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Oh, and that new nephew of mine-he is wonderful. Truly a miracle, but that is a story for another day. For now here's a picture.

Who's Your Nanny?!

When I was on my mission we had these missionary trading cards that were part of package we used to deliver copies of the Book of Mormon. On your first night in the mission field they had you fill out this paperwork that had a generic, fill-in-the-blank questionaire of "about me." We did this as our last activity of a very long and physically/emotionally/spiritually draining day. One of the questions of the form I chose asked something about what my life's ambition was, or what I had been doing prior to going out to serve the Lord. I was all out of witty things to say, and the only thing that came to mind was what I had been doing just days before-nannying for a neighbor. So that's what I wrote. I didn't fully understand what this was going to look like until I got my trading cards, and it said that I had left my life's passion as a Nanny to come out and serve the Lord. That accompanied by my, er, stellar first day picture made for some awesome trading cards. Needless to say, I wasn't too anxious to hand those out...
Rewind a few years. Jolene and Nic had an adorable bull mastiff named Gimli. Gimli was a good sport and did almost everything with Jolene and Nic, but every now and then he had to stay home. On those rare occasions I would get to watch him. Before long I became known as the dog Nanny. And not long after that I became officially known as Nanny Manda. We always joked that someday when Jolene and Nic had kids I would be their official Nanny, taking care of the kids, dogs, and whatever/whoever else Jolene and Nic threw at me.
Fast forward, back to the mission. In the fall of 2008 I found out that I was a Nanny again-Jolene and Nic had gotten a new english mastiff named Gus. Once again, I was a Nanny! Then again in the spring of 2009 I found out that I was going to be a Nanny once again, this time to an actual person! I was so excited! Even though I woulnd't get to be there when my new charge made his entrance to the world, I would still get to be his Nanny. My little Turkey was born in the fall of 2009, and before he was even born he had his first outfit from his Nanny, just the first of what was to come. For my birthday that year I got a bag from Jolene, Nic, Turkey, Gimli, and Gus that had a pic of baby Turkey wearing a tie and surrounded by scriptures. The caption said "I hope they call me on a mission....so I can be cool like Nanny Manda!" Before Turkey even met me, he wanted to be like me! :)
As I was leaving my mission I handed out my missionary trading cards and at first thought that it was silly that they said that my life's passion is to be a Nanny, but I would soon find out that I had actually written a very true statement.
When I got home in February of 2010 I got to meet my little Turkey for the first time, and it was love at first sight. Even though he was asleep Nic got him out of his car seat and let me hold him. Man, that little boy stole my heart right away! Ever since that moment we have been the best of buds. I don't get to see my Turkey everyday, but when I do get to see him we spend plenty of time together! I've gotten to practice my Nannying skills with my little Turkey, and we have tons of fun! I always used to sing "twinkle twinkle little star" to Turkey when he was upset and I would make my fingers "twinkle." One day when I was singing Turkey started to "twinkle" his fingers too! It was a special moment for me! Other cute Turkey/Nanny moments include:
*First Kisses
*Hugs (he's the best hugger!)
*Hearing him say "Nanny! Nanny! Nanny!"
*The way his face lights up when he sees me.
*Turkey's first sucker (classic cuteness!)
*Turkey's first birthday
*And every other thing he does!

Turkey and I have had some really awesome times together. And now there's going to be another baby! Turkey and I are quite excited! (Well I am, he still isn't sure what's going on. He just pats his belly and says "baby, baby, baby!")
My goal is to be the best Nanny. Ever. How am I going to accomplish this, you ask? Well I'm buying lots of fun stuff, for the kids, of course! So far I've gotten a Cars snuggie, a Toy Story snuggie, a dinosaur shaped sandwhich cutter, and some really cute stuffed animals. I've started buying things in twos, one for each kid. I've also discovered that my little Turkey loves, and I mean loves fruit snacks, so I make sure to have a good supply on hand when he comes around. Turkey came and stayed at our house during spring break, and it was so hard for me to go to work each day and not get to stay home and play with him. It made coming home that much more fun. It seemed like every day when I got home poor little Turkey was upset and crying, but he would smile and crawl right to me as soon as he saw me. A hug and some snuggles usually did the trick to dry the tears, along with a snack! (I got to try out my dinosaur sandwhich cutter, and I promise, it made the PB&J taste even better!) Turkey and I have shared some fun snuggling moments. I love those times. I am looking forward to more special Nanny moments with Little Arliss (what we are calling the baby for the moment) and Turkey, and any other little ones that come my way!
So, who's your Nanny? I am! Nanny Manda to the rescue!

Reflections on mirrors...

One year ago...I was in Starkville, MS with my dear friend and companion, Jessica. It was a Thursday, so we were inside weekly planning, but Jessica still made sure that it was a special day for me. She made me a beautiful smiling breakfast, did my hair super cute, and even let me wear her sweater (which I later swapped for one of my sweaters...)! To top it off, Jessica even wrapped up some gifts that I had bought the night before with my birthday money and gave them to me at random times during the day. The day concluded with a wedding, fireworks, and a decorated room in our Eupora room. It was great day, and I was surrounded by so many people whom I love! It was a great birthday, my best to date, and it is all because of where I was and who I was.
This year I find myself looking back to that birthday, and I see some big differences. I was with people whom I dearly love, and they did a great job of making this a really special day! I got to choose what I wanted for lunch, there was singing and bugle-ing, I got a yummy cherry cheesecake, and my car is officially "legal" again. Oh, and I did get fireworks! Mama Gerri sent me a firework filled ecard, and as I pulled out into the road after I dropped Casey off, some people a few houses down set off a few fireworks, just for me as I passed. What a great birthday!
I am not the same person I was a year ago. My calling and responsibilities are different. I am different. People still ask me, ten months post-mission, if I am back to "normal" yet. That question makes me uncomfortable, because I don't want to be "normal" ever again, and I am saddened when I realize that I have done something "normal." Not that being "normal" is bad, but it would be turning my back on God to just put everything that I learned from my mission in a rubbermaid container, with my planners and random items I collected, and put it in the basement to collect dust, and only to be remembered randomly. My mission changed me, for good. Sometimes I regress from what I learn, and that is when the disappointment sets in. I know that I know better, and I feel bad for going against that.
Yesterday I celebrated my birthday with my family (a day early) and I wanted to look nice for the celebration. My plans didn't work out as well as I had wanted. My makeup was not what I wanted it to be, my hair was showing my roots from an ill-attempt at becoming a red head, plus it's growing out and looks funky some days, my face blessed me with a birthday present-a birthday breakout, my clothes don't fit the way I want them too...it all just added up to me not really being satisfied. That didn't take away from the fun I had with my family though-they love me and accept me no matter what. I really enjoy being with them! When we got home from our adventures I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I had just pulled my hair back to wash my face when I realized how dirty the mirror was. I cleaned it and was amazed at what a difference it had made. Then I realized that the other mirrors were dirty too, so dirty in comparison to the newly clean one, so I cleaned them too. As I was admiring how clean they were I noticed my reflection in the mirror, and what I saw surprised me. There standing before me was a beautiful woman. Her makeup was nice and flattering, her hairdo was cute (she even had a cute flower in it!) you couldn't really see the blemishes on her face, and her outfit was flattering. What had happened to the other girl from a few hours earlier?
It was then that I realized that life is all about perspective, and sometimes we are looking at life through a really dirty mirror, not even realizing how bad it has become. We just get used to it, and it becomes "normal." But once that mirror is clean, oh what a difference it makes! The next logical thought would be a question-how do I get the mirrors in my life clean again? The answer is one that I learned and knew so well a year ago-through our Savior, Jesus Christ. What happens if the mirror gets dirty again? Jesus Christ is still there to help us make it clean again. The best part is that we don't have to wait until the mirror is so dirty that we can't even see ourselves for who we really are-we can have a daily cleaning. Repentance is that process of cleaning, and it is ongoing. Everyday there will be things that come along and start to blur the image in our mirror, "normal, worldly" things, but they don't have to get the best of us. We are children of God, heirs to all that our Father has. We are divine in our nature, loved to the very core, and supported in all that we do. For these reasons and many more we don't have to have blurred, dirty mirrors. We can constantly and consistently have clean mirrors, allowing us to see who we really are. I am a daughter of God, and though the world may try to blur that imagine from time to time, I will always know that truth.
As I've reflected and written all of this out, I've come up with some ideas (goals, if you will) for how I can continue to be that beautiful girl in the mirror. Repentance is a big part of that, along with the daily work of keeping the mirror clean and continued work on the girl herself. They say that beauty radiates from the inside out, so that's what I want to work on-being a more beautiful person on the inside and letting that shine out. The churches in the South are known for the slogans they post on their signs in front of their churches, and one day I saw one that sticks in my mind. The church itself was undergoing some major construction and renovation. Their sign simple read "Please pardon our progress." I liked that because they were looking not at what they were right then, but what the church would be when it was completed. That's my motto too-please pardon my progress. I have character flaws and things that dirty up my mirror, but I'm working on them. I have a Savior to lead and guide me every step of the way, and together we will help that beautiful woman keep her mirror clean!

ps-pun totally intended on the title!

Star of Wonder, Star of Light

Here we are, December 20, and I am just now changing my background to a Christmas theme! I might be a bit behind in the decorating, but that doesn't mean that I'm not excited for Christmas! I chose this particular background because the wise men are one of my favorite parts of the Christmas nativity-actually they are tied for second with the star. I love that Heavenly Father created a new star to mark His Son's birth. Someone once told me that it wasn't likely that the Biblical account of a new star actually meant a new star, that it was more symbolic, and the star was probably just a bunch of angels or something like that. Now I like angles as much as the next person, and they play an important role in the Nativity story, but it crushed me to think that there wasn't a new star. I had always counted on that. I had always found hope, joy, peace, comfort and anticipation in that star.

I was so troubled by this that I talked with my sister about it one day. I am very blessed, and have a wonderful sister-and she has thoughts similar to mine! We decided that there absolutely WAS a new star. It doesn't matter that the other person had said that scientifically it wasn't possible for a new to show up that night, because it did happen. Yes, God has to abide by His own rules of creation, but who is to say that He didn't plan on that new star shining for the very first time on that holy night of His Son's birth? God knows all, the end from the beginning, and I believe that He started work on that star so that it would be ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I like to think of that star as a sort of birthday present for Jesus-He got his own star!

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world, and that is why the new star is so important to me. It is a beautiful symbol of the new Light that came into the world when Jesus was born. The wise men followed the light of that star and found the Christ child and were then able to worship Him. That light still shines today, and we too can follow that light to find Christ and worship Him. Truly, wise men still seek Him. The light of that new star shines in my heart every day, and the twinkling lights of Christmas remind me of that new star, that celebration of the birth of our Savior, our Brother. I am so thankful for that guiding light in my life! And this is why I love the wise men and the new star.

Barenaked Ladies "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"

"O star of wonder, star of night

star of royal beauty bright.

Westward leading, still proceeding,

guide us to that perfect light"