Pandora~new meanings

So in June 2011 I found out I would be leaving the school I had worked at for 5 years and begin a new position at a new school in the fall. I was upset, scared, afraid, excited, anxious...you name it I think I felt it. It was time. I knew it was time but I didn't want to leave my comfort zone. I didn't want to leave my friends and co workers. I had made many good friends and good
memories at St. Boniface. As a going away present the staff gave me a "Pandora" bracelet and charm. The charm they chose for me was a small angel. It was such a generous and kind gift. I so love the thoughtfulness and meaning that it gave. It was also a source of comfort for me to wear during the first weeks at my new school in September. I love my new school, I love the new friends I've made and I love my new student. It has had its challenges and times of stress and frustration but I've truly had a wonderful school year.
The end of June I received another charm from my student and his family. He gave me the charm called "forget me knot". I also received a wonderful and touching card from his parents. It's so refreshing and rewarding to hear appreciation and love for doing a job I love. I love looking at the charm and the significance it has to me. I feel truly blessed to be able to work with "P" and have learned many lessons from him. I will never forget the things he has taught me and shown me. I think the charm has the perfect name!
At Christmas, Britt and Makayla added to my charms. They gave me a heart with my birthstone, a red one with hearts, and one that is called "intertwined". I fell more in love with my bracelet. I love thinking about what "intertwined" meant for me, I love thinking of Makayla choosing one just for me and how excited she was for
me to know she choose the red one with hearts.

I'm so grateful for the little reminders and wonderful memories that come to
me when I look at my charms.

Emotional Lately

I've been a bit emotional lately. Everything seems to be coming down on me and I've feel super overwhelmed. I've been trying to get it together but totally feel like a basket case. EVERYTHING has been making me cry...everything it so crazy. So I decided I needed to count my blessings and try not to be so hard on
myself. These are a few of the things I reflected on tonight...
1. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that knows me personally and wants me to be happy. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve on the compassionate service committee in our ward. I am so thankful for the relief society organization and the ability it gives us to get to know people and serve others.
2. I am grateful for the ability to work and help support my family.
3. I have great friends I can lean on and who are always there for me when I need them.
4. Even though things seem SO bad right now, they could always be worse.
I'm so thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and the peace it gives me in my time of need. I can't imagine where I would be without out it.

Re-run

So I decided to search all my sister emails and put them on my blog...here are many posts about life in 2011. Feel free to skip them!

Always thinking...

October 4, 2011
I sent La to wash her hands when my visiting teachers were here last week...she was taking a very long time and apparently mid way through washing her hands, she decided she had too much soap and was going to give herself a bath in the sink...complete with washing her own hair with the hand soap! She was so proud of herself and well I wasn't so happy about the flood in my bathroom! She had fun and it's only water right!

Lion king 3D

October 4, 2011We took La to the lion king in 3 D!



Don't let the smile fool you...she was not into the movie at all once her chocolate was gone...let's just say we won't be going to another one any time soon!

Stylish La!

August 10, 2011



It started with wanting to wear unmatched socks (like Auntie Tasha) and now it's mismatched shoes! What next? Good things she so dang cute and funny!



I much prefer this look over the one she pulled out last week! (which I neglected to get a picture of)...one purple flip flop and one purple rubber boot! It was pretty awesome! And her reasoning was they match the same purple! How could I argue with that?!

High chair trouble!

July 28, 2011
So as I'm preparing supper today La begins crying and crying "help me". And this is what I saw...

Yes that is a doll high chair, yes her head is STUCK, yes I left her there long enough to get a picture, and yes I had to get a screw driver to take the tray off and get her out. I was laughing so hard...it diffused the trauma of being wedged into something.
Man it's never a dull moment around these parts!

Kids!

August 3, 2011
She found a swimming suit she really like and HAD to try it on immediately. She sat down in the middle of an aisle and here is the results! She refused to take it off once she decided that it fit! We completed our shopping, paid for it and she wore it home....here's hoping that she'll take it off to go to bed tonight!

Blast from the Past!

October 4, 2011

Look what La found this weekend! She wore it for two days straight! And her favorite part was that she could spin and the skirt flew out!
Just a small blast from the past!

Fibromyalgia sucks!

I found out in January of 2010 that I have fibromyalgia. It sucks! It's so exhausting to be in constant pain...I don't know a lot about it, there isn't a lot of information out there about it and sometimes it seems like a cop out diagnosis...but other times it's very real.
It has made me realize my limitations and made me be more aware of what my body is telling me...it makes
Life so difficult and causes so much frustration when I can't do the things I want to because I'm in too much pain or discomfort. It's hard to explain to people how I feel, it's hard to keep it all in, it's hard to deal with. But I just keep taking day by day and doing the best I can!

Trying again!

I'm going to give this blogging thing another go! I have so much going on lately I feel the need to write...I'm going to try to keep up with it. I was doing a good job of emailing my sisters once a week for a while but have fallen off that wagon too! I'm thinking of turning those emails into posts too...it was fun to look back on what's been happening when life seems to be work, sleep, work!