Latest Edition: Tender Mercies

(any and all Christmas-y goodness)

MoTab concerts

Lord of the Rings inspired gingerbread houses

visits with friends

delicious smelling/tasting gifts from my students

not dying on the exceptionally choppy airplane ride home

the "Polar Express"

brothers wearing sweaters

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Mariah Carey Christmas music

real Christmas trees

my mom's 40-some-odd nativities

the Christ-centered Christmas focus

Chuy's fajita chicken salad

Texas winter weather

(and missing the beginning of the Utah snow)

finding the perfect shirt for family pictures

Cousins, and cousin-in-laws, and cousin's babies

sweet grandparents;

and especially a kindred spirit in this grandma

the movie, Music of the Heart

seriously, wow! Juuust what I needed.

Also, Into the Woods;

and really,

pretty much any movie with Meryl Streep,

am I right??

And those people;

plus these besties;

A new apartment to come soon...

...and just a whole new year,

ready for all my New Years resolutions

#ilovethegym

#andveggies

#GradSchool ?

#scriptureseveryday

But most especially,

consistent realizations that life is good,

and I have been and always will be

helped in the direction that I need to go.

"We should certainly count our blessings,

but we should also make them count."

--Neal A. Maxwell

Because I've gotta keep track of them....

...lately tender mercies have come in the form of;

how much my parents really do love each other
#ThanksgivingAnniversary #29years

my sassy baby sister, Emma Grace

a coworker randomly stuffing two cough drops in her pocket

for no apparent reason one morning,
and she then just happened to have them available to give me

on the day I was the sickest this week

Nyquil

my dad making sure my car is in ship-shape

(this is literally one of my dad's love languages,

and it makes me feel so cared about)

words of gratitude

"temple trips" with my sister Sophie;
to temples a whoooole 25 minutes away!

Melty Way gluten free grilled cheese sandwiches

missionary stories

gospel doctrine lessons

Family

a new, closer teaching location

finding out that I'm known as the "tutor with

tiger glasses" by the kids at work

the mountains
(I know!!!!!
What's happening to me??)

Cousins

words of the Prophets and Apostles


"As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember, had allowed God to show me what He had done. More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers."
--Henry B Eyring

#ChristmasWish #TheTruth #DearSanta #CouldYouPlease #ThanksSoMuch

When the holiday season begins,

this is how I feel;

And then comes a little of this;

And eventually even this;

. . . . . . . . . .

But then I start thinking about 

having to find dates to take to all the inevitable parties,

and I'm like;

Sometimes I look forward to having a husband

just so I don't have to stress about if I'll have someone

to kiss at midnight on New Years Eve.

Frozen Eyelashes.

It doesn't snow in mid/south Texas.

We had a snow day only twice growing up;

one time it rained and then froze on the roads,

and the other time, it wasn't snow...

....it was sleet.

It melted before the end of the day,

but they closed school anyway.

Winter in Texas = 30 degree weather, and rain.

The first time I encountered snow

was during my first semester at BYU-Idaho.

And it was magical.

Like, really really magical;

please take note of my face.

It was like sparkly pixie dust falling from the sky.

And it stayed pretty magical for a while;

we'd even go build snow men in our pj's

late at night if it had just started snowing.

But then, 

after a few months,

instead of thawing quickly like it had initially,

the snow started to build on top of itself.

Layers and layers, and inches and inches of snow.

And it got colder and colder...

...and weird things started happening...

...like, my nose hairs would freeze....

...and people got frostbite if they wore earrings outside...

And then one day, I was late to my 7:45am class,

so I slapped on some mascara literally on my way out the door...

And this girl from Texas didn't factor all together

that because Rexburg is relentlessly windy,

gusts of wind would most certainly

be making my eyes water,

and I would be blinking instinctively...

and if one does such a thing with wet mascara

in -20 degree weather,

their eyelashes will freeze together.

After a thorough freak-out,

and rubbing my eyes to warm up the mascara,

so that I could open them again,

I arrived to class looking like a racoon,

and thought to myself,

"Why ON EARTH would anyone want to live here??"

"Why does anyone like the winter??!"

...

And that was roughly 8 years ago,

but it was pretty traumatic, so it stuck with me

and I've never reeeeally enjoyed winter since.

But a wise friend of mine told me recently

that although winter is not his favorite,

he's set a goal to enjoy each winter more than the last.

And I figure since I have been hating on winter for years,

it can only go up from here!

So here's to the best winter yet.

I do love scarves and jackets and boots,

so that's a start

PS-I recognize it's still technically fall,

but it's snowing outside, dangit.

It's winter.

Working On...

"To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.  Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. 

To love is to be vulnerable."

--C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

I love laughing, laughing's my favorite.

I recently heard from a coworker about this article,

and have to say, #5 on that list of

"Ten Things Supremely Happy People Do"

is probably up there with one of the wisest pieces of advice

I've ever heard

about being happy....

As a key to finding supreme joy and contentment,
the article suggests that;

"Happy people use laughter as a medicine.
A good old-fashioned chuckle releases lots of good neurotransmitters.
A study showed that children on average laugh 300 times a day
versus adults who laugh 15 times a day."

(And I think that is why I love working with kids;

thanks to them my daily average of laughs per day

is most definitely higher than the average adult.)

#iLOVEtolaugh

Plus, one of the biggest lessons I've learned 

about working with people, 

is that if you really want to impact them,

you've got to make them laugh.

It eases tension,

and lightens even the heaviest of situations.

And if you share a laugh with someone,

it increases their trust in you.

It sounds crazy, but believe me.

You can make friends everywhere you go
if you can make people laugh.

And nothing stops crying quicker,

or more effectively, than laughing.

So here's a few little treats to make you "LOL"...

(and not surprising at all, these are all videos of hilarious kids...

so you can share in a few of their "300 laughs of the day")

Ok, just kidding, there is one of a grown-up...

HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!!

"The only way to get through life 
is to laugh your way through it.
You either have to laugh or cry.
I prefer to laugh.
Crying gives me a headache."
--Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Too Fast!! Stop!

Someone please tell me how it's possible

that my youngest brother, Dylan,

turned 16 today!!!!

Man, I'm old.

Also, he might kill me for this,

but good glory he's just too cute...

I mean, wasn't he just supposed to stay like that forever??

Just sayin.

Happy Birthday my handsome brother!

Stop growing up now! Thanks!!

Love,

Mimi

It Makes Me Cry...

There are times in my life I think I'm super tough....

...and these are of course the times that I am the most exceptionally delusional.

I've realized lately how many things make me tear up--every time I see or hear them.  No other circumstances are necessary to cause this reaction; these things just have to exist.  And for some reason, they fill my heart so full of feelings of love and joy and sparkly goodness, that my body can't contain them, and it leaks out through my tear ducts.  So I guess they don't really make me cry... they just make my happiness overflow.

For example:

1) This Van Gogh painting.  Not the Sunflowers painting, not Starry Night.  This one.  I saw it in a museum once, and something about the brushstrokes and colors just got me! Haha, didn't see that coming.  Who knew "Sower at Sunset" would be the most evocative painting I've ever seen??

2) The last scenes of Mona Lisa Smile.  If you've ever taught in any capacity, this one will get ya.  (But just maybe, it's those Van Gogh paintings for me again...)

4) Conversations with my grandparents.  I sure love them, and they've each lived marvelously rich and inspiring lives.  All of their stories are wonderful.

5) This Maurice-Sendak-styled, 1986 version of the Nutcracker pas de deux.  Even though the quality of this video is awful, and the Nutcracker has a thin, creepy mustache, I cry every time.

6) The temple.  It always brightens my life with truth and simplicity.

I used to get embarrassed to wear my heart on my sleeve, but I've come around to being grateful to feel all those emotions (good and bad), deeply.  I mean, what a blessing to be so full of "happy", that my body just can't contain it!

#LifeIsBeautiful

Tinder Review

Tinder is my new favorite thing.

I mean, here's a little taste of the Tinder messages I've received throughout the last few days:


"Hey have you figured out our story so we don't say we met on Tinder?"
     Yes.  You send me that message, I never reply, and we never meet.
     If I do meet/date/marry someone from Tinder, I will label every picture with him #TinderLove

"We can always say we met in line at the grocery store lol."
     (I guess I could also use this as a reply to that first guy.)

"Hello gorgeous, will you be my tinderella?"
     This one might be my favorite.

"I'm in love with you, will you marry me?"

     Uh, yes.  Duh.

"So are you as beautiful in person as you are in all your pictures?  Because that's one amazing smile."
     I honestly don't know how to answer this one.

"I like your look :)"
     Does this refer to how attractive he finds me, or how my face appears when I gaze at something... ?

"You're gorgeous and from Texas! Win win."
     Ok, I revoke my initial acceptance of marriage--I'm marrying this guy!

"Pizza or sushi?"
     Clever.  I liked this one.

"Wow ur gorgeous!"
     And THIS is why Tinder is wonderful.

"You look like a gorgeous princess from a fairy tale."
     That was almost as good as the time a kid thought I was Rapunzel.

"How does Moses make tea... Hebrews it!"
     Hold on, can I marry this one??

"What if I fish like Brad Pitt in the movie A River Runs Through It?"
    Uh, I would prefer that you eat insatiably like Brad Pitt in Oceans 11.


In all seriousness though, in 4 days on Tinder I've had the opportunity (if I've wanted it) to go on over twice as many dates as I have had the chance to go on in a whole year of living in Utah.  I have yet to actually go on any of these dates, so I recognize we're talking quantity versus quality here, but that's a GINORMOUS difference.  I've decided Tinder is a great type of a wing-man... like you know how when you're interested in someone, and you want to get that confirmation from a trusted friend that they think the person you like, likes you back?  And you always secretly wish your friend would just straight up ask them... well Tinder is that friend, and it ALWAYS comes through.  You only get matched up with someone if you both say you're interested.  And then you start a text conversation.  Straightforward.  Simple.  Yes, dating made simpler.  I didn't think that was possible.

Now, the method of "matching up" with people is a fairly shallow one; you see a photo of someone and swipe the picture to the right if you're interested, and swipe left on the other hand if you're not.  You can take the time to read their "Tinder statement" that they've written about themselves, and look to see if you have friends or interests in common... but um, that takes a lot of extra time.  So mostly, you swipe right or left, if you find them attractive or not.  Therefore obviously, there are some creepers on there, and it's a "read the book by the cover" situation initially.

But again, it removes that long, arduous, monotonous, and frustrating period of time where you're figuring out if that person is even interested in dating first of all, and then second, interested in dating you.  They're on Tinder, they swiped right, so they're interested.  It's awesome.  And if you have decent social and conversational skills, from that point on, it's similar to "real life" dating.

If you want to meet and date people, I recommend it.


"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."
--Muhammad Ali

#TinderisaRisk
#worthitsofar
#steppingoutofmycomfortzone

Tender Mercies

"The Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ."

--Elder David A. Bednar

Life is hard.  It can be disappointing.  And it can be lonely.

And also at the same time it can be too full, and overwhelming.

And stress-filled.

Like all day.

Every day.  

But,

It is also undeniably FULL of those tender mercies.

Even for someone with quirky tastes 

and a weird sense of humor like me.

For example,

here are a few tender mercies I have enjoyed recently;

a haircut where my bangs weren't cut too short

glittery nail polish

royal babies

a random shuffle playing Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas"

hippie institute teachers who sometimes dress to match their lessons

discovering my friend and I have similar perspectives on life currently

unexpected kind words from my students' parents

the witty one-liners my students can't help but come up with,

ALL THE TIME,

that make me chuckle out loud

just  enough laundry detergent for all my clothes

Costa Vida quesadillas

the fact that my sister loves Costa Vida as much as I do

having my sister as my roomie

having my sister there all the time to talk about boys...

and such

mis-calculating this month's budget 10 times in a row,

and then because of the miscalculation, 

having an extra $60 left over after bills were paid

random calls from friends 

(which I'm exceptionally bad at returning if I miss them)

that come exactly  at the time I need them

to remind me of all the love I have right there with me all the time

invitations to come over for dinner

random hugs

uplifting, edifying, inspiring emails from my good dad

sweet voicemails, and Little Mermaid shirts from my mom

Barbara Streisand's impending Album

Also, the other night, I was home alone, and a little bummed that such was the situation, when someone came and knocked on my door.  They'd had a rough day, and simply needed to share that with someone, and were only over for 10 minutes, tops.  But when they left, they said "Thank you for being home."  

Uh, yeah, that was a tender mercy.

It knocked me off my feet.

#LifeIsGood

#FeelingLoved

#AndILoveYou

Reminded by the Unfamiliar

I looove the perspective that seeing unfamiliar places, and trying different foods, and meeting new people can bring.  It's enlightening and uplifting, and really quite freeing.  Those experiences have changed me.  I've said this a ga-jillion times before, but I've been super blessed to travel a lot and see a few of those different perspectives; and that chance has been undeniably influential in terms of shaping my view of life, and has taught me to find joy and really appreciate the glorious things that cross my path all the time.

For example, London showed me that every day occurrences 

should not be taken for granted.

Also, it was there that I acknowledged that nothing excites me more

than getting dressed up and going to musicals.

#MaryPoppins

#Chicago

And, most importantly,

that there is no more delicious food around

than a legit bowl of yellow chicken curry

Australia taught me to stop and smell the roses, 

and take time to admire the awe of all little breathtaking beauties,

and especially to recognize that they're always surrounding me.

Hawaii reminded me, that while beaches are so lovely,

friends that are kind and patient enough

to put up with my awful attempts at surfing

are even better.

And that the spirit from Temples

is as strong and pure and true

everywhere

and always.

The Netherlands jolted me to remember the freedoms I enjoy.

Belgium is where I learned that scarves are essential to a classy look.

Germany taught me that carbs are good,

but also that the church is true, and the spirit is moving

even if the gospel is being taught in a language I don't understand.

Paris taught me to life is meant to be lived gorgeously.

That I make the choice to fill my life with beauty,

and love.

NYC, with all its palpable energy,

showed me that life should be exciting...

...and that we all have a need for aesthetics to enhance our day to day existence.

And also that even in smack dab in the middle of such a vibrant city,

this most important place can stand waveringly.

Maybe quietly in comparison to its surroundings,

but still so immensely moving when you come upon it.

Life is bursting at the seams with goodness and light and happiness and beauty.  And while Paris, London, and NYC aren't necessarily at our disposal when we're in need of a reminder that life IS beautiful, there are endless venues of light to remind us what we do have to be grateful for.  Those roses are there for us to stop and smell all day everyday if we seek them out.

"Recently I stood on the north shore of the beautiful Pacific island gazing out to sea at daybreak... As I watched this magnificent scene in reverence, a window formed in the clouds; the glistening rays of the rising sun broke through the overcast sky, transforming everything with its luminescence, its color, its life.  It was as if the Lord wanted to share an additional blessing, a symbol of the light of His teachings that gives brilliance and hope to everyone it touches.  Tears of gratitute formed for this wondrous world in which we live, for the extraordinary beauty our Heavenly Father so freely shares with all who are willing to see.  Truly, life is beautiful."

--Elder Richard G. Scott Finding Joy In Life, 1996