Sweet Summer of Freedom

Has it really been 9 days since I have posted? Wow! I am somewhat proud of myself because for a while there, I thought I was addicted to blogging! Well, I have to say that after my last post, someone granted my wish and I have been sleeping successfully through this FINALS week of school, so I am extremely grateful! I took one final this morning and have two to go (luckily I have through Friday to study so that I can spread things out a bit), and then after that, Hello Sweet Freedom from school for a few months! I have quite the to do list for this summer which includes Sisters Weekend in Colorado, taking advantage of the warm weather, an extensive Movie List (see my new "Movie or Two of the Week" section), getting organized (cleaning & dejunking) and catching up on my scrapbooking (without the mess, I'm digital now!)! I'm looking forward to reading books that have nothing to do with school and re-learning my camera because it has been ages since I have used it and I feel a little guilty that I have neglected it for so long, so if anyone is looking for family pics, just give me a jingle, I'm always in need of willing subjects! So, I've got a lot to look forward to and a lot of things that I want to do - and not for a grade!! Anyway, speaking of grades, got some studying to do and then off to work for the rest of the afternoon, so I'll see ya lata!

Sleep like a Cat?!?

Sometimes I wish that I were a cat. I am looking at our cat, Rascal, right now, and she has such an enviable ability to sleep any time of day and on any surface that she deems fit. How would it be? I have been having trouble sleeping lately, just because of all the school stress, and find myself to be exhausted at the end of the day, and it is so frustrating to lay there awake when you are on the brink of collapsing... so, if I could be anything for a day the day after finals, I would be a cat! (More specifically, I would be my cat! I would be loved and spoiled and get to sit in the windowsill and sleep in the sun all day long!) So, if any of you can grant that wish - it's just for one day - just enough so that I can catch up on what I haven't gotten over the last couple of weeks, I'd be grateful!

Reminder to Self

So, after spending a good ten hours between school and work today, I was walking to my car (at about 7:00 tonight) from a semi frustrating meeting for a final project, listing everything that is on my plate in my head, and all of the sudden I looked to my left and saw beautiful daffodils coming up out of the ground and all of my frustration and stress temporarily melted. I will never cease to be amazed at the small and simple things that are sent to us in our time of need from our loving Heavenly Father. The fact that it is Spring and that beautifully colored flowers are starting to bloom were a much needed reminder to me that I will never be given more than I can handle and that I can find joy in the stress that comes with life.

Thursday Nights are Back Baby!

I remember, once upon a time in a time long, long ago, having freedom on my Thursday evenings. Those were much simpler times, full of high school drama, bad hair and ugh... braces... but, that all changed for me when I found a group of twenty something friends who were living the high life in NYC! I soon found myself opening up my Thursday evenings for laughter and every Thursday since then (excluding the last four months) have been set aside for our favorite characters and witty comedy! How can you not help but giggle at Michael's bum foot - that's why you don't keep kitchen appliances in your bedroom, or JD's random thoughts!?!
We have missed the well written laughter, but tonight, in approximately 47 minutes, they're back! We are setting aside our to do lists (because I am obviously working so hard on mine right now), and will succumb to the silliness that is Thursday night TV on NBC!

 

A Look Inside...

Prepare for a random blog! 

My mind is reeling with so many pieces of information 

and a large to do list that I have "put it on paper" 

so that I can focus on the thing that is most important right now at this time of night ...

 Sleep! 

So, without further adieu, here is a look into my brain!! 

*Meet tomorrow at 7:30 to prepare Practicum teaching

*Prepare section for Sign Presentation - be ready for run through on Thursday

*Study for Energy Test TOMORROW 

*Figure out lesson plan for MUSC 3260 - Due Wednesday

*Call Brynn to find out when I can visit her class

*Get ticket for CO

*Clean bathroom

*SLEEP

*Finish MUSC 1010 Lessons

*Fold laundry

*Visiting Teaching

*Down East with Ollie

*DI

*Wash Car

*Write paper on Ecological Footprint - due Thursday

*Write Interaction Paper

*Prepare ASL Poem

*Did I mention sleep?

*Exercise

*Pay Bills

*Work out summer schedule

*Check out FCHD PIP Program

*Remind myself that I will never be given more than I can handle although at times (tonight) it may feel differently

*Remind Nate that I am his wife and I do love him even though these next few weeks will turn me, quite possibly, into a crazy woman

*Visit G&G

*Thank You Cards

*Buy more Dr. Pepper to get me through the next few weeks

*Go to Work

*Play? Please? Can I play for just a few minutes?

*Set alarm clock for 6:15 - way too early for me but starting to get used to it

And I'm getting depressed but my brain feels a little more clear, so I'm going to stop at this point and remind myself that I LOVE going to school and I am GRATEFUL to be able to go to school and that I WILL BE A BETTER PERSON for going to school and that I CAN DO THIS! The next three weeks are just that... three weeks that are like every other three weeks I have ever had - they just need a little more attention than normal weeks!

As one of my teachers used to tell us before every test

"I am calm. I am confident. I can do this." 

Good night!

Good Food, Good Feelings... Not Village Inn!!

 

What is better than a Saturday with no agenda? A Saturday agenda filled with friends! The VZ's came up, down, over???... to the valley... for the weekend and as always, we ate good, we laughed good, and we felt good! We are so blessed to have the bestest friends ever and that we have grown so close with them over the years! We have truly been through a lot together and and are grateful for all that we have shared and will continue to share!!

Multicultural Messiah

So, those of you who know me well know that as of late, I have been... 

addicted (for lack of better word)... to American Sign Language!

 I think in ASL, I have been dreaming in ASL, and at times I find myself talking to myself in ASL. 

Well, every year for the past 7 years USU, in addition to other sponsors and performers

 have put on the Multicultural Messiah. 

Being in the field of Deaf Education I was excited to attend because,

 hopefully next year, I will be performing as an interpreter in the Multicultural Messiah. 

We were both very moved by the complete performance 

but I have to admit that I couldn't take my eyes off of the interpreters. 

They did a wonderful job in depicting the life of Christ and although we were at a public place 

that had nothing to do with Church, I was able to feel of God's love for His children. 

We are grateful that we were able to attend and can't wait to be a part of this wonderful event!

 If you want to learn more about the Multicultural Messiah or to see some video clips from the production, 

visit this link: www.multiculturalmessiah.org

Happy Easter

 

We hope that you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday and that you were able to spend it with the ones you love! We were fortunate to get to hang out with our cute nephews (and their parents) and some of our cute nephews friends! Throughout the day we got our sugar fill from caramel popcorn, rice krispie treats, jell-o jigglers, and of course, Easter Candy! We had a wonderful Hawaiian Haystack filled dinner that filled our tummies and a great day that filled our hearts. We are grateful for this time of year and for the Spirit that it brings!

Havin' A Little Fun

Saturdays with no agenda are my favorite! So far today I have played a little computer, downloaded a bunch of CD's, did quite a bit of homework and now I am catching up on my Ellen! I never thought that I'd be a person who "has" a talk show - but once again this shows how well I know myself! The Ellen show never fails to crack me and make me smile! I think that Ellen is witty and is a great entertainer and I can't wait for the evenings or weekends so that I can catch up on my Ellen! (I also have to give a shout out to our Tivo as well - for which without I wouldn't be able to catch up on my Ellen!) Anyway, there is really no reason for this blog - just that I am having a wonderful Saturday and that I love to laugh along with Ellen! May you all have a Saturday with no agenda and a little happiness - wherever you may find it!!

Spring Break

Doesn't this picture just make your heart swell with joy and warmth and lack of snow! I would love to say that I took it somewhere completely exotic on a big trip during spring break - but it was actually found online thanks to the National Geographic website! Nevertheless, my spring break was perfect and exactly what I needed! Sunday - Tuesday Nate & I tucked ourselves away at a hotel to celebrate Anniversary # 8 and the fact that we could actually spend a couple of weekdays together with no school or work! On Wednesday I got ahead on a little homework and watched my adorable nephews S & J for a few hours! S enlightened me about our Rascal when he told me that she was cleaning her "leg pit." Thursday & Friday I worked all day long to make up for my hours and to give my co-worker a little break as well! It was extremely restful and exactly what I needed to get me through my last few weeks of school!!!

8 Years!!

As of this morning, we have officially been married for spectacular 8 years!! We have been together for 12 years, but today is our technical anniversary!! We are celebrating by spending a couple of nights at a hotel and a couple of days off of work - so far it has been restful and wonderful!! I just want to take a minute to tell Nate that I love him "more than life itself" and I am so grateful to be his wife! He is my best friend and he is so good to me - even on days when I am grumpy! I love you babe! Happy Anniversary!!

Klutz

A klutz is a person who is clumsy, foolish, inept, or accident-prone. Or, you could just stick my name in there. Klutz = Clar. I was walking up on campus today, minding my own business along with the other hundreds of people who were just getting out of class, and all of the sudden, I am on the ground. My feet hit a patch of ice and down I went. (If I could see you all in person and sign this story to you it would be much more interesting - facial expressions are key!) Some nice people stopped to see if I was ok and after I assured them that I was, I stood up, brushed off any ground that I had acquired, and walked to the library with my head hung in shame and embarrassment. Now, a few hours and sprained shoulder later, I am preparing to go back up to campus to conquer walking (which apparently I don't know how to do), I find it quite comical - but that doesn't mean that I won't be taking extra careful steps!

QUESTIONS???

So, my mom has started sending out weekly questions to my sisters & I, and we, in turn, answer them & send them to everyone else so that we can stay in touch in spite of the miles that separate us. They have been pretty entertaining to read, so I decided to post some of our favorite answers on our blog, just for fun! So, without further adieu, here is the first batch!

QUESTION 1: What are four places that you want to see? He says: Australia, Mayan Ruins, Alaska (in the summer), Rome & Egypt. She says: New Zealand, Ireland, Niagara Falls, Hawaii.

QUESTION 2: What are some foods you strongly dislike? He says: cottage cheese, most pastas, sprouts & processed meats. She says: most meat, vinegar, raw eggs, raw onions

QUESTION 3: If you could be someone famous, who would you be? They say: someone who is recognized for making the world a better place.

QUESTION 4: What are your favorite things to do? He says: Spend time with Clar, watch movies & snuggle (with Clar - this is not an open invitation!), play racquetball & play video games. She says: Spend time with hot hubby, take photos, surf the world wide web & hang out with family and friends.

QUESTION 5: What are some things you detest doing? He says: cleaning, paying bills, mowing the lawn & explaining computers to people who should never have one in the first place. She says: eating (it takes so long & you just poop it all out anyway), cleaning the toilet, taking out the litter box & waking up to an alarm clock.

QUESTION 6: What are your four biggest wishes? He says: to have some kids, "ten MILLION dollars," world peace & to live in a beach house. She says: to be a mommy, to be forever financially secure, to cure Nate of his headaches for FOREVER & to make it through school with my sanity still intact.

QUESTION 7: What are your favorite candy bars? He says: Baby Ruth, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix & a Symphony Bar with toffee bits! She says: Snickers (in small doses) and recently Chocolate Covered Cinnamon Bears.

QUESTION 8: What is your favorite sandwich? He says: It's a toss up between the Turkey, Bacon, Guacamole from Quiznos or the Spicy Italian sandwich from Logan's Heroes. She says: Turkey sandwich from Old Gristmill!

QUESTION 9: What are your favorite cereals? He says: Captain Crunch, Fruity Pebbles & Honey Nut Shredded Wheat. She says: Honey Bunches of Oats, Life, & Yogurt Covered Cheerios.

That's the end of the questions for now, but we'll be back with more soon!

Digital Scrapbooking

There was once a time when all I wanted to do was Scrapbook! I dreamed about it, I had notebooks full of page ideas, I had more pictures than... well... I don't know who but it was a lot of pictures, and I had the time.
Now, I still have my notebooks, I still have my pictures (although they are all digital) but I don't have the time that it takes to pull out my boxes and boxes of Scrapbook Supplies (which I can't seem to get rid of no matter how many times I let our nephews & nieces go through).
Then, one wonderful day, Nate surprised me with a Digital Scrapbooking Program! He even downloaded it for me! I then spent hours looking for free digital scrapbook downloads and I now have a pretty good collection of papers & embellishments!!
Now, I all I have do is turn on my computer and wah-lah - I can expend my creative juices with half the stress and mess. How can a person not love the convenience of computers??

Waiting for the Washer

It is 10:30 p.m. We have been up and going since 6:30 this morning. I'm tired and I want to go to bed, however, the washing machine just keeps on running. My eyes are droopy, my brain is shutting down for the evening but the washer just won't stop. You would think that it would respect the necessity of sleep, but it doesn't seem to care. So, we are watching a little "Still Standing" and just listening for that glorious moment so that we can put Nate's work shirt in the dryer & go to sleep!! That's it! No deep thoughts, just killing some time!!