Not quite sure how this last one fits as a "tractor." It's an Argo, if anyone knows what that is. But I guess they use it on their farm, so it counts?
Friday, February 27, 2009
FFA Week
FFA is a big deal in the town where I teach, and today was the best day of FFA week - Drive your tractor to school Day! There were 7 of them lined up in front of the school today, and I just had to document it for those of you who would never believe it without hard proof. Keep in mind, the school is only about 15 miles from a metropolitan city...
Not quite sure how this last one fits as a "tractor." It's an Argo, if anyone knows what that is. But I guess they use it on their farm, so it counts?
Not quite sure how this last one fits as a "tractor." It's an Argo, if anyone knows what that is. But I guess they use it on their farm, so it counts?
Friday, February 20, 2009
Mormon Messages on YouTube
The Church has just launched a new YouTube channel with videos. See http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages. Read an explanation of additional video sites at http://ldsmediatalk.com/2009/02/07/church-videos-for-blogs-and-web-sites/
Mormon Messages is a channel with video clips from the Mormon Church. Each week, Mormon Messages provides short video segments about the Church's basic beliefs, as well as inspiring stories and messages of hope. ...
Mormon Messages is a channel with video clips from the Mormon Church. Each week, Mormon Messages provides short video segments about the Church's basic beliefs, as well as inspiring stories and messages of hope. ...
Contest!
The LDS author Anne Bradshaw is having a contest to win an autographed copy of Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack. Go to her blog to see how to enter to enter the contest!
http://www.annebradshaw.blogspot.com/
http://www.annebradshaw.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tag - Pay It Forward!
This is such an awesome tag!!! I got it from my good friend/ex-roommate Krista.
Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
1. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift - anything! - for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
2. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the spirit and the thought that count!
3. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate linky love! If you are not one of the first three commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!
SO, REMEMBER...Pay it forward!
Please leave a comment when you first see this post, even if three people have already commented.
Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
1. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift - anything! - for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
2. The gift that you send to your 3 friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the spirit and the thought that count!
3. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate linky love! If you are not one of the first three commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!
SO, REMEMBER...Pay it forward!
Please leave a comment when you first see this post, even if three people have already commented.
Clearing up misconceptions
I had a great conversation with a co-worker yesterday. It began during lunch, and extended through my entire planning period. This friend admitted to me that the only thing she knew about Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), before meeting me, was that the Osmonds were Mormon.
She had the idea, like many people do, that we are ultra-conservative and very strict. I explained to her that while the Church may seem to put many restrictions on its members, we have our agency. And while the church does give us many guidelines, ultimately it is up to us to choose how we live. Here are just a few of the topics we discussed...
Dancing
Yes, Mormons are allowed to dance. And we do so quite frequently!
Missions
Yes, "good Mormon boys" are supposed to go at age 19, for 2 whole years! And we don't get to choose where we go, and we have missionaries all over, not just in 3rd world countries. My brother served in Salt Lake City. She thinks it is great that they have this opportunity to "grow up" and come back as men. I would have to agree with that.
Polygamy
THEN: When the Church began the practice of polygamy in the 1800's, there were many women and children who had been left without husbands and fathers. Without a man to provide for them, they would have been left destitute. So during this difficult time, men took on more than one wife to help provide for the widows and orphans.
NOW: When Utah became a state and polygamy became illegal, the LDS church abandoned the practice. Those who practice polygamy today are NOT affiliated with our church.
While we didn't talk much about doctrine, it was a positive discussion and helped to dispel some of the rumors or misconceptions that float around about our Church and our beliefs. And hopefully she will continue to ask questions.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Check out my new blog!
I have created a new blog all about my life as a high school Spanish teacher. Please stop by and check it out! Rants of a high school Spanish teacher
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Progress report
First of all, here's a big shout out to my baby brother who finally started a blog, and who is being very responsible as he makes big decisions about his future. I'm so proud of you!
Next, I would like to report on a few of my goals. I am proud to say that I worked out more in January than I think I did in all of 2008. I'm still not quite to my goal, I've missed a few times, but I'm making progress. I've also made some changes to my diet and have noticed a difference. I might have taken a step backwards by going out to pizza buffet for lunch today, but oh well. Everyone has a slip-up every now and then, right?
I have been spending some time researching volunteer organizations in my community, and I think I have found some promising prospects. I am looking into BirthRight, CASA and the Women's Y in Leavenworth, as well as Big Brother Big Sister. I also found out that you can do volunteer genealogical indexing from home (http://www.familysearchindexing.org/), so I am checking into that as well. I also plan to attend the family history library at my ward building at least once this month and get back into my family history work.
Despite the economic situation, I am feeling better about my own finances. I'm counting on my tax refund to replenish my savings to start off the year, and I visited http://www.providentliving.org/ and used the debt calculator to make a plan to pay off my credit card debt in 3 years or less. And if I can get a decent job this summer, I might be able to cut that time in half. Hooray!
I'm attending Institute regularly this semester, and we are studying the second half of the New Testament. Of course this is not the first time I have had this class, but I am determined to study and ponder to learn more this time around. I am thankful that they started a class at the Leavenworth building, so that it is not so far for me to drive. I also am glad that we have a decent teacher, and a small class, which allows for much more participation and discussion. I've gone back and forth with the whole institute thing, seeing as how I graduated from BYU with all the religion credits that I needed, and then continued to attend institute because I am still single, even though it is technically for college-aged young adults, which I am not anymore. And I might stop going after this semester, but for now I really think I can use the spiritual uplift.
With my busy work and church schedule, it's taking me a little bit longer to get started on some of my goals, but I feel like I am making good progress so far. But I'm anticipating some changes in the next month or so that will hopefully free up some time for me to work on the rest of my goals. I'm finally leaving the singles branch, and moving on to a family ward. This is a decision that has been a long time coming, and I feel really good about it. I will still attend the occasional activity with the younger singles, but I am going to focus most of my time with my family ward and midsingles group from now on. I'm excited to see what is ahead... I'll keep you posted!
Next, I would like to report on a few of my goals. I am proud to say that I worked out more in January than I think I did in all of 2008. I'm still not quite to my goal, I've missed a few times, but I'm making progress. I've also made some changes to my diet and have noticed a difference. I might have taken a step backwards by going out to pizza buffet for lunch today, but oh well. Everyone has a slip-up every now and then, right?
I have been spending some time researching volunteer organizations in my community, and I think I have found some promising prospects. I am looking into BirthRight, CASA and the Women's Y in Leavenworth, as well as Big Brother Big Sister. I also found out that you can do volunteer genealogical indexing from home (http://www.familysearchindexing.org/), so I am checking into that as well. I also plan to attend the family history library at my ward building at least once this month and get back into my family history work.
Despite the economic situation, I am feeling better about my own finances. I'm counting on my tax refund to replenish my savings to start off the year, and I visited http://www.providentliving.org/ and used the debt calculator to make a plan to pay off my credit card debt in 3 years or less. And if I can get a decent job this summer, I might be able to cut that time in half. Hooray!
I'm attending Institute regularly this semester, and we are studying the second half of the New Testament. Of course this is not the first time I have had this class, but I am determined to study and ponder to learn more this time around. I am thankful that they started a class at the Leavenworth building, so that it is not so far for me to drive. I also am glad that we have a decent teacher, and a small class, which allows for much more participation and discussion. I've gone back and forth with the whole institute thing, seeing as how I graduated from BYU with all the religion credits that I needed, and then continued to attend institute because I am still single, even though it is technically for college-aged young adults, which I am not anymore. And I might stop going after this semester, but for now I really think I can use the spiritual uplift.
With my busy work and church schedule, it's taking me a little bit longer to get started on some of my goals, but I feel like I am making good progress so far. But I'm anticipating some changes in the next month or so that will hopefully free up some time for me to work on the rest of my goals. I'm finally leaving the singles branch, and moving on to a family ward. This is a decision that has been a long time coming, and I feel really good about it. I will still attend the occasional activity with the younger singles, but I am going to focus most of my time with my family ward and midsingles group from now on. I'm excited to see what is ahead... I'll keep you posted!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)