Teenagers and Ice Cream

Teenagers should not be teachers. I'm telling you - in my experiences in the education world - teenagers aren't the best at explaining things clearly and getting things done. I would have to say the fine arts classes are the ones that test my patience the most. Like today - watching the "team captains" try to get the kids started on their new dance was like watching a group of people who have never ice skated, step onto the ice for the first time.

Also-my husband is amazing. While driving home, we were chatting about my upcoming birthday plans, which will include a trip over for some delicious Thrifty ice cream. To which he asks "does that sound good right now?" I said heck yes. And then we missed out turn to our house and went to get ice cream as a spontaneous date day! Oh delightful. And I got Bubble Gum flavor. Because as a kid Lord's Ice Cream parlour had it and it was so delightful. Except I don't like the gum balls in it so I ask for as much ice cream and as little gum balls as possible. And they oblige. And it is delightful every time.

Happy Monday.

Hot Chocolate & Toast

I've been thinking about hot chocolate and toast recently. Weird I know, but being that the temperature of my house equals the temperature of the average refrigerator, anything hot seems delightful. Hence the thought.

So I had some for lunch today. And, as I always do, I dipped my toast into my chocolate. And I was reminded; I grew up with this delicious combination and it has only recently come to my attention that this is not accepted as generally as I thought.

As a younger kid, I remember our babysitter making fun of our family because we did this. Later, my roommates in collage thought I was super weird. And when I married Mark and ate my little snack this way-he too was surprised.

Which made me think it was about time I was public about this. Seriously, dip your toast into your hot chocolate. It is so good. Thats all.

Six Tid Bits

1. I am super excited about my new year's resolutions. People who are not resoultion makers I do not understand. It is one of my greatest passions. One of my goals is to tidy up every night before bed. I realize this is a common practice among most family oriented ladies in the blog world. Not so much in the Morrell house. But now my friends - we are new people. Dishes clean and put away, blankets not strewn all over the couches, leftovers actually put away rather than left to spoil. Its going to be a steller year.

2. This time next year I will have completed the Walt Disney World Marathon! Probably not in the 2:40 that the female winner this year did, but I tell you what, me and Katie, and maybe Michelle if I can lie to her about how fun it is going to be enough to make her think I'm right. (cuz lets be honest, the disney part will be smashing fun, the vacation part irreplaceable, but the running part, eh...not so much)

3. My job is AWESOME! I am like a "filler" sub. I go to the high school campus every day, and then fill in whatever holes they may have. And when they have no holes, which is often, I sit in the teachers lounge and scrapbook, read, craft, play games, sleep and get paid. Its awesome.

4. I love the Duggars. Seriously - love their show. I asked for their book for Christmas, and my superman husband got it for me. And I cried. Do you think I've crossed a line?

5. I started bringing my calculator to the grocery store - product of another resolution. And TWICE I had the total bill not only under budget but EXACT! That was a pretty proud moment for me. I've said before, I LOVE grocery shopping, and I am really good at filling up a cart. So - to show some self control and then to be right on the price, it was a big moment.

6. My older brother is kind of my personal rock start. I just love spending time with him. Cuz he is just that amazing.

New Year: New Everything

I can't really say I have a reason for my neglected blog this year. I just...didn't do it as much as I wanted to. So-I'm going to make it better.

If you were hoping for me to "catch up" on all our going and doings, I'm sorry to let you down. But let it be known that with this new year - I'm going to increase my blogging by at least double. This doubled increase will most definitely include several random thoughts, quick quips, boring rants, and a few tid-bits accompanied with delightful photos of our faces. You can bet it won't all be interesting, but at least 2012 will be documented twice as good as 2011.

Its going to be a good year. I love New Years. I love new calendars. I love new year resolutions. I love renewed commitments. I love fresh, clean, full-of-promise new years!

Happy 2012 World.

We're moving

Only because its for sale. Opportunities like this don't happen twice. You can come and visit.

Way behind

Somewhere between New Years and today I've lost control of my life. My laundry is just now being done after more weeks then I care to mention. I've been living out of the dryer for more days then are acceptable in any country. We've been eating frozen pizza and cereal for dinner for almost a full week now. My house hasn't been picked up, let alone cleaned, and I've been out of milk for several days. I've almost stopped blogging entirely - thus forgetting all the funny things I had planned to jot down and eventually share. I'm mad at the 8th graders and wish science wasn't a subject. I'm mad at the school district and their empty promises. My New Years resolution to eat healthier and loose a few inches has been re-set about 5 times. I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick. And the cold sore on my lip is at it's peak of annoyance.

Other then that, I attend a swimming class in the evenings, coach the YW volleyball team, and got a new pulsating toothbrush which is a step up according to the packaging. I am a juicing manic - pretty much juicing everything possible. Fruit mixes are always winners, stay away from beets for sure! Bleh.

So there you go. That's why I haven't been blogging. I do have a few thoughts - maybe tomorrow I'll get them posted.

Just Because

i am disappointed that disney raised the prices of their caramel apples. i feel it was sort of a stab against humanity. as if disney isn't expensive enough already. ten dollars for a big of goodness is overpriced. i enjoy cooking. i havn't been doing a lot of it lately, but i do like to do it and feel a sence of accomplishment when i put a well rounded meal on the table; slightly sad that there are not more people to show off my balanced meal to. flash mobs make me cry. don't ask me why, but when i watch them on youtube, i get a little misty. somthing about humanity coming together. tender. i've used the word humanity twice now. odd. i am on a serious sour patch kid crave. it is so bizzare. it has been extremely cold here recently. i realize it's not as cold as many parts of the world but 28 F this morning is too cold for me. i sometimes think about opening my own preschool. you know, be a teacher at home. ideal. then i think of the kids and realize it is probably not for me. i desperatly miss teaching. last night i dreamed about how much i missed it. i can't imagine this economy ever turning and there ever being a demand for my profession again. we're going christmas decor shopping tonite. with a new house and only apartment size decorations, no better time then now eh?

.the end.

Day 4: List of faves

So-obviously I've failed at the consecutive thing - but what can I say. Its not like the public is dying for posts anyway. So here it is - current faves.

--Fall: gosh I love this season. Never gets old.
--That pair of black pants: They're not to small, but not to big. Work for "business casual" and comfortable to boot.
--Those big hoop earrings: belong to Tessa. I'm holding them ransom and will only return when I see her again.
--Weekend Trips: for obvious reasons
--Spaghetti: with Ragu original or mushroom sauce. in college I ate this everyday. Thus resulting in the added pounds. Still love it to this day.
--New Recipes: I love trying out new things. Kraftfoods.com has a plethora of new things to try and I love that.
--Birthdays: Specifically mine. I love getting messages and phone calls from distant friends. A perfect excuse for a hello.
--WinCo: reason #2 for moving here. WinCo is just a drive away.
--Safeway's "Just 4 U" program: Seriously genius. I suspect Vons is doing it too. Now I can get the benefit of clipping coupons without having to actually clip them. Bonus.
--Mom's piano. While we wait for the new house to close, we get to keep mom's piano. I've always loved it so now that it is in my home; life is good.
--Disneyland: no list is true or complete without it.
--Ruby's diner: Two words-fish tacos. Wow!
--The Oakland Temple: (see: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) I love how I feel when I attend, and the joy that comes the whole week after. Such a blessing to have one so close to our home.
--Our home: a definite work in progress, but it is ours.
--Digi Scrapbooking: my sister-in-law Julie got me started on this and I haven't turned back. I wish I took fancy pictures like so many bloggers out there, and I wish I was more creative like those artists who make the kits; but I'm not. But I do love what my point-and-shoot gets and the pages I create.
--And on that note: i love Free Scrapbooking Kits. A blessing in my life.
--Flavored Tootsie rolls: I like tootsie rolls in general, but the flavored ones are just so good. I can have 20 of them in one sitting and not even blink. (for mark: "Twenty. 20?...Fifty! 50?!!!)
--My sister: Obviously. she is just an amazing support in all my life. She has the perfect advise, the best laugh, the funniest stories, the deepest concern, and the truest sympathy - exactly when I need it. Love her.
--Spell check button: Saves. My. Life.

Day Two: 15 Things about me

It may seem like I skipped on day 1 of the 30 day challenge but alas my friends, I did not. I used my mother's move and the bathroom story as my first post. However, i created it on Wednesday night and finished it Thursday - thus the skipped day. Anyway, I have done this type of blog post several times so to come up with new things might be a bit of a challenge. But I like the lists and reading back on them later in life usually is nice too.

1-All of the grandchildren on both sides are boys (except the first who is now 16). A total of 11 of 12 grand kids are boys. So-there is definitely an unspoken race to get the first girl in the family. I am pretty sure we won't win but I am a part of the "race" none the less. Sort of like when I register for a marathon. I know I'm not going to win per say, but I eventually do finish. Maybe way behind the rest, but I do finish.

2-I first heard my dad had died from my uncle. Who I hadn't spoken to in years. Who called to confirm we could still get he and his daughter into Disneyland the next day despite the event. It was weird.

3-Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Except when it's oatmeal for days on end. But I certainly love me a good french toast, or crepes, or bagels and schmere, or waffles with strawberries and whipped cream with a smoothie on the side. Delish.

4-I never planned on being a teacher. Teaching just sort of happened to me. In college I majored in history; planning on marrying rich and inheriting a vacation home in Bora Bora. When I hit the end of my Junior year, I figured I needed a back up plan. Hence teaching; cuz what else do you do with History right? So I enrolled in the program and finished with the internship and vowed I'd never teach again. 4 years later, I cried when I left and I miss it terribly. Not to mention my blog was so much more interesting when I was teaching.

5-I have had 37 different roommates before my husband. That's a lot of girls! Most of them I've lost touch with but a few have blogs I enjoy following, others I talk to still on a regular basis, and some are life long friends despite how brief our living together was.

6-I. love. sweets. To a fault. This isn't new information but a stark reality that I must get control of. The only reason I work out is so I can enjoy all kinds of sugary goodness. I wish I was one of those people that didn't care for the taste of it. Like red vines or black licorice. I wish all desserts tasted like red vines or black licorice. Then I would never feel the need to eat it. But clearly it doesn't and so my situation stands. I. love. sweets.

7-I think about taking trips constantly. Literally all. the. time. Some people are perfectly content homebodies and find little need for seeing anything outside their 15 mile radius. My dad was one of these people. Very strange. This tendency of mine can be very expensive considering all the places I want to go. If I could take a trip once a month; that would be splendid.

8-I am reading again. Thanks to my Laurel. I AM NOT a reader. It took me 2 years to finish Harry Potter 7. I don't remember ever reading an assigned book in ALL my schooling. (except Night which is about the Holocaust so it doesn't count cuz it was history goodness and I was sucked into it by default) I can probably count on one hand the books I have read all the way through. Ok-you get the point. So you can imagine my reaction when Miss M hands me this hunk of a book and tells me to read it. So, I started, and I liked it. So I'm now reading an 11 book series called Wizard's First Rule. Not to say I'll get through all 11 books; being they are over 800 pages each; but I'm half way through #1 and it seems to be going good.

9-I am not a speller. If I joined the spelling bee I'd be out on round 1. I inherit this trait from my dad. If spelling is a trait you can inherit. Which it probably isn't but I use it as an excuse. I can hear in my head my dad yelling out "Di-how do you spell..." That is me. I am pretty amazed that I spelled licorice right the first try.

10-I play the organ for my ward. More as a sub then a calling. But my sub job has been going on for several months now. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a ward organist. And I AM NOT good at it. Some are born musicians and their music is beautiful all the time. I have to practice all week and then fake it on Sunday. I do pretty well some days and really terribly on others. But they haven't asked me to stop yet, so I keep showing up.

11-I like to think of myself as a good decision maker. Not that I make good decisions, but that I can make a decision in a fairly quick amount of time. As my cruise buddy once said, if you see it and you like it; buy it. No-I'm kidding. I threw that in for my cruising ladies. Not that they read my blog but...anyway. I digress.

12-I use YNAB-Personal Budget Software. And I seriously love it. If they needed a spokeswoman I would volunteer. And I feel sort of special because I knew the guy who invented it (his sister was a roommate) and got it when it was a mere excel file for 10 bucks (its now a windows program for $60). I could spend hours every day starring at it and re figuring it all and watching it all fit. Is that weird? It totally is. But at least I can say I know where all my money is being spent. #1 category-housing. #2-restaurants. ok-so I exaggerate, but it is interesting to see how much money we spend eating out.

13-My office is in a very business savvy part of town. This means there is no street parking and most everybody parks in the parking garage down the street and then walks in. Which is a bummer when it is windy/rainy. Except-there are about 8 street spots right outside the building that are not metered or timed or anything. On a very rare occasion, I get here early enough to snag one of these coveted spots. Not to mention it makes going home 5 minutes faster too because I don't have to wind around all the one way streets and traffic lights to get headed in the right direction. Today was one of those days. Happy Friday.

14-I have only recently acquired a taste for avocados. All my life I didn't want anything to do with avocados. Which in hindsight is really quite a shame because they are really quite good. And pomegranates; and mangoes. Didn't like them before. Now I do.

15-I type way faster then average. Pat on the back to me. (according to one typing website). The average is about 34 or so. I tested above 70WPM each time I tested. One time even as fast as 94WPM (but that was on my 3rd test of the same text so I sort of knew what words to expect) So I guess 4 years in computer class with Mrs. McClure wasn't such a bad idea eh? I may not be the fastest texter, or very iPhone savvy, but I've got the typing thing down!

A Challenge Miss Sara? I accept!

30 Days of Blogging. As presented by this blogger. To help with my bloggers block - I am embarking on the challange with a few other fellow bloggers. Scattered with some other updates I've been meaning to post. A few topics may include; but are not limited to:


- 15 Facts about me.
- A photo of me and a description of how your day was.
- Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
- 20 of my favorite things
- A photo of me two years ago.
- A song to match my mood, and why.
- A recipe
- A photo of the item I last purchased.
- A photo and description of what's in your makeup bag?
- A photograph of the town you live in.
- A TV show you're currently addicted to.
- Something you don't leave the house without.
- A photo of something that makes you happy.
- Something you crave a lot.
- What's in your purse?
- A photo of something that means a lot to you.
- A photo of somewhere you've been to.
- A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
- Your worst habit
- 5 of your biggest pet peeves
- Your celebrity crush.
- Something you could never get tired of doing.
- Your favourite book
- A photo that makes you happy
- A photo that makes you angry/sad
- Your dream house
- A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

I've been thinking

-- Why is it that whenever I get a little bit of money, I start planning what vacation I'm going to take?

-- I think I should just accept that my bathroom will never be done. We may never have blinds on our windows, the screen door will always be too expensive, the smell from under the sink will always be there, and the toilets will never flush properly.

-- How does one get the motivation to continually get to the gym? I am good for about a week, then go 10 days with nothing. Back again for 3 days then another week with nothing. Where does that constant stamina to "get out there" come from?

-- My love of Ice Cream is overwhelming. It will never fade. I have tried to supress it but to no avail.

-- Drinking enough water in a day is like another project. I have to make an effort to think about getting a glass and stay hydrated.

-- My commute to work is typically 1 hour. Freeway or side street. Doesn't matter. And I've found that taking the side street that parallel's the freeway is slower then the stop & go freeway.

-- I finally brought home my wedding dress from my inlaws. I reminds me how beautiful it is. I don't have it preserved in any special way, so to just hang it in the back of the closet seems a waste. I'm contemplating selling it...but the going rate for used dresses is insulting. I'd rather keep it; even if it does turn yellow.

-- Remember that time in your life when "everyone" was getting married. Why is it that "everyone" has stopped getting married and now "everyone" is having babies?

-- I have this pesky -- pounds that I have been trying to loose for a year now. Grr.

-- Our office desk was installed last week. It looks beautiful. I've repainted the wall from the light not so nice green to a bright (maybe too bright) green. Will I ever be happy? But the desk is AWESOME and I am excited to put it to use. And can't wait to get the pictures/shelves on the wall.

did you think this was going somewhere interesting? sorry!

Current Favorite

I am currently working on our wedding photo album. It's been a constant project forever! There are just so many pictures, I can't choose which ones to include and which to toss.

Anyway-my point is, this is my current favorite. The tulips were beautiful; I couldn't have ordered a better flower to be planted. And I think it just encompases what I was feeling perfectly. Such joy.

Lunch

I feel like Lunch is the worst meal of the day. At home I usually want to skip the meal entirely and go straight to snack. Why you ask-No good food. I have never been real good at the packing lunch bit either. Ever. At work, I'm sort of afraid to use the community fridge for weird reasons, and not too keen on using the microwave in the kitchen. Nothing germ-aphobe like; more like don't-talk-to-me-I-want-to-still-be-in-my-cubical like. Don't ask.

Consequently, I pack fairly boring lunches in an effort to be healthy and yet satisfied yet not re-heating or having to be chilled. Then, lunch time hits and what I've packed sounds not so good anymore or isn't enough to fill up a fly.

This usually results in my craving kicking in. This is another weird thing about me. I'll go through craving phases. I remember each of them so distinctly. When I was a teacher I went through the Jack in the Box phase, the Vons Bagel phase, the Taco Bell phase followed shortly by the Sweet n' Salty Almond bars. Recently it has been the Baskin Robin phase and now the BofA cafe Panini phase.

Then the worst thing happens. The crave stops tasting good and I'm back to boring useless lunches; like oatmeal; or a yogurt and a piece of fruit. Sure it fills me up but I wish something better was sitting in my stomach. Sadly I am at that junction now. I need to be excited about my lunch. I need something delicious yet convenient. What I need is a lunch revolution where there is good healthy packing food for lunches only.

The End.

And for the record, have I mentioned I miss teaching yet. Because I really do. I think about it everyday. I loved my job. And I miss it terribly.

The End. For Real.

Next Blog>>

Have you ever found yourself sitting at your computer reading every blog link you have? Then clicking on the blog links of friends friends' thinking maybe you ran into them once and now you want to follow up with their lives too. AND THEN finding you still have time to kill so you resort to reading friends of your friends blogs that you have no relation or connection to but really don't care. AND THEN...reaching an all time low, you start clicking the Next Blog>> button found at the top of each blog which randomly throws you into cyberspace? Which then makes you wish you had cool things to blog about too; so you end up blogging about what you've just done?

...yeah...me neither. I'm far to busy for that.

Boycott

I am boycotting Ali's season of the Bachelorette! However, like any good picket-er; I am making sure I am informed about what I am boycotting. So as a purely educational need, I tuned into the ghastly episode last night with my sister-in-law (whom I just love).

I can't stand her facial expressions. And her voice is super buggy, just like I remember. *PUKE*

The episode didn't disappoint with the common phrases "Thanks Jake for passing her up" (as I remember it was SHE who passed up Jake) and being here "for the right reasons" (and what exactly ARE the right reasons? Nobody has really defined that yet). Its good to know that Ali has put her whole life into this by quitting her job (the one she HAD to have back with Jake) and moving out of her apartment. (So when the episode is over...then what? Back to moms? That's real adult of you.) Shame on those boys for using ABC as a catapult for their own careers. (As the Entertainment Wrestler is clearly doing?) This is a LOVE show right? Because we all don't remember Wes and his slimy attitude therefore we keep people like Craig who clearly is the villain of the season.

As a part of my study to support my boycott I dove deeper into research by reading the profiles of these gentlemen who claim to want Ali's affection. I guessed that our Colorado man whose profession is "outdoorsman" wouldn't make it far but was a fan and in support of the scrapbook fellow whats-his-name. Roberto seems a little but much for me and Frank is a die hard addict to Ali's attention which is interesting. I thought he should be a finalist there at the beginning but now I'm not so sure. And as a completely unrelated side note: WHEN did ABC decide to send the Bachelorette around the WORLD? Seriously, I need a job there. I'd love to be with my man around the world!

I feel more research is necessary so that as I proclaim my die hard boycott antics I am informed enough to actually know what it is I am boycotting. Rest assured, I am completely against Ali as the Bachelorette as she is so annoying and am tired of the Bachelor Reject seasons. Bring on some fresh faces and I'll tune in again.

I could eat the whole bag!

I am currently in the Chex-Mix-Bold-flavor-phase. These things are so good. If I didn't give myself a little bag worth for lunch, I'd eat the entire bag. I'm just saying: when I'm in need of a good snack fix, these hit the spot 100%!

**For the record, my bag reports 60% less fat then potato chips. Which actually doesn't really matter since I don't like potato chips. I'd like to know the comparision to fruit roll ups or ice cream. That would be a valuable measurement for me.**

Happy Tax Day.

Strawberry Season

I simply LOVE this season. When strawberries are less then a dollar a pound. And I can eat them until I overdose on my fiber intake. They are simply the best. You can Guarantee that I will be planting strawberry patches in my future garden.

Perhaps I should have a strawberry party one year. Yes, done and done!

Mr. James

Being the celebrity fiend that I am, I am horrified at the current devastation of Sandra Bullock and her ex-man.

I just want to say: Jesse James is an alumni of the high school I currently work. Some of these veteran teachers had him as as student. I could be teaching in the very room he sat. We looked him up in the old yearbooks today. Its truth!

I don't care about Jesse. What this really means is:

I'm totally connected to Sandra. Its like we were destined to be the dearest friends. I'm basically famous too.

A Subtle Reminder

Lately, as Kaylinn and I have been frantically searching for a house, and realizing that it just probably won't happen right now, it is easy to get into the "woe is me" mindset. Tonight as I was sitting with Kaylinn's family, we were discussing how God has a way of watching over his children. I remembered this talk by Elder David A Bednar, and found this link (The-Tender-Mercies-of-the-Lord). A flood of emotions rushed over me as I realized that God and His Son have not forgotten me. I would like to share some of my tender mercies as of recent:

1) I have the most amazing wife in the entire world. I have been away from her for not even 24 hours and my whole being yearns for her. The Lord knew exactly who I needed, and He led me through some very wavery and rough roads, but He led me to her. I am so grateful for a loving Father who knew of this perfect match, long before I did. Thank you Kaylinn for helping me be the man I am today.

2) I have an amazing opportunity to be in control of my future. I never would have guessed that my life would lead me to such a great opportunity. I have never even realized that I could get to this point where I will have the freedom to spend time with my family. I will forever be grateful for the man who made this all possible.

3) I have amazing parents and siblings. I know that mom and dads advice, whatever it may be, is direct inspiration from above. They have always been willing to drop everything, and I mean everything, for me. I will never be able to express my appreciation for them. My siblings are one in the same...always willing to give up everything to help each other.

4) I have amazing in-laws. I am so lucky to have married into a family that has taken me in as one of their own. Every time I am with them, I am humbled and desire to be better then I am. I truly have a Christ centered family to look up to.

4) I have amazing friends. I don't know why I have been so blessed to have the friends that I do. The Andersons, Sullivans, Richards, Warrens, Gregersons, Marcums, Wallaces, Gibbons, Lamms, and anyone I may have missed. A true blessing from heaven.

5) I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, and a loving brother in Jesus Christ. I know that they are constantly vested in seeing my grow, succeed, progress, and become all that I can be. I know that God lives, as does his Son and that I will live witht them again.

My heart is over-flowing with gratitude. Thank you all for being my personal tender-mercies.