Gratitude Day #20: Flashback

I know I'm flashing back out of order, but "today" marks two months with my wonderful thoughtful, funny and kind boyfriend. Gabriel, I love you babe. Thanks for being you and for making our first two months so great!

Gratitude Day #21: Troy Cox

I would never have gotten this far, and I will never finish my thesis without this man. Troy Cox, you are my assessment hero.

Gratitude Day #19

Today I'm grateful for the sacrifice of time that others make on my behalf. I have amazing friends and family who will drop everything to help me, comfort me, or just listen when I need to talk. I don't deserve the great people I have around me, but I sure am grateful to have them!

Gratitude Day #17: Telephones

What a blessing the telephone is. It allows us to communicate immediately with people all over the world. If they go to the grocery store and we need something, we can quickly call and ask them to grab what we need. If they live in another state or country and we just need to say hello, or we need to bawl for awhile, we can do so instantaneously. What a blessing!

As a missionary, making phone calls to people world wide was a part of my calling. We were able to share the Gospel with people from any part of the world simply by picking up that simple invention and punching a few buttons. What a miraculous thing to spread the Gospel to all God's children in a quick and simple way. My testimony reached people I will never meet. All because of the telephone.

Gratitude Day #16: So many things!

Well, I've been absent for the last few days, so I think today gets to fill in for a lot of unspoken gratitude.

Today I'm grateful for sleep. I am always grateful for sleep, but especially so when I don't get any. Since I didn't get any two nights ago because I was in the office all night, I am super grateful for it now that I'm in the process of catching up. My students and I have been studying sleep and its purposes. At this point, I'm just glad I get it because I am one messed up zombie when I don't.

I'm also grateful for functioning inner-ear fluid. I'm running on lack of sleep so I can't remember what it's called or what it does exactly, but I know it helps you with your balance. I'm had some serious dizziness going on the last two days (probably stemming from my lack of sleep, exercise, water, food and medicine intake, and stable life situation), so I'll be glad when my inner ear is back to normal.

Another grateful shout-out? Lights. The lights went out in my office building for a night and a day, and I was working in a room without windows by the light of the computer for awhile. So I'm glad to have the lights back!!

Gratitude Day #10: Un Desconocido

I started writing my post, "Today I'm grateful for washing machines."  As I wrote it, I felt a strange sense of deja vu. I went back to my blog and sure enough, I said that on day 2. Really? Only 10 days and I'm already repeating? I think I must be REALLY grateful for washing machines.

So I guess today I'll be grateful for something else-- Jang So Young. Jang So Young, I have no idea who you are. I don't even know if you're a man or a woman (I've been guessing woman all this time, but I guess I'm not sure). But I am grateful for you and the work you did on your dissertation. That dissertation has been the bane of my day, but the saving grace of my literature review. If I can plow through it, I can write my own second chapter of a thesis. And for that, I thank you for all your hard work and research to guide my own hard work and research.

Gratitude Day #9: Choice and Work

Today I'm grateful for the freedom to choose. I don't always make the best decisions, but it's wonderful to know that I get to make them. Be it mistake or brilliance, I get to choose how to move forward. Sometimes it's a big responsibility and sometimes I don't want it, but it's a blessing to know I can do it.

I think this moment of gratitude is brought to you by a rather depressing conversation about the direction of our country which took place between my beautiful roommates and me last night. We were discussing the downfall of capitalism brought about by the changes in direction of our government within recent and coming years, and Hailei put forth an intriguing and beautiful question. We were discussing the realities of how the rewards of success are to be weakened, lessening peoples' desires to succeed and be great in their businesses. Hailei asked, "But if we as individuals choose to continue to be hard-working at strive to achieve in spite of the lack of rewards, could we shove it in the face of the welfare state?" While the answer in my mind is, sadly, no, I found the sentiment inspiring. Simply because the social mobility and rewards of capitalism will be weakened in our country moving forward does not imply that I cannot continue to work my hardest, avoid the trap of entitlement, and choose to be the hardest and best worker that I know how. Unfortunately for me, that will not result in the desired effect (lots of money and upward mobility), but I can choose to let it define me; I can choose to be a hardworking dedicated person and not allow entitlement to damage and degrade my life.  Go choice!

Gratitude Day #7: Modern Medicine

I love drugs. I've always loved drugs. I distinctly remember a time when Tylenol was a part of my regular diet. I also remember when it stopped working for me, either because I used it too much or because it is actually a placebo-- I'm not sure. But anyway, I've always been more than happy to take advantage of modern medicine, and that has not changed. I like medicine. It removes unpleasantness from life. Lately, I was informed that I can no longer use one of my favorite medications due to other medical ailments. I'm still a little traumatized. But it just reminds me how grateful I am for the modern medicine I can take advantage of when my body decides to stage an uprising.

Day #6 of Gratitude: War, Peace, and Freedom

Today I'm super grateful for the war chapters in the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon. I know how strange that may sound to some, but I LOVE the war chapters. They remind me of how ready and prepared we need to be, constantly vigilant and preparing for the future. They teach me dedication and drive even in times of peace and comfort, and remind me that each day of freedom is a precious gift, only granted to those who are willing to rely on the Lord and show Him gratitude for their deliverance. And on the note of freedom, I want to take a moment to mention my gratitude for the freedoms we have here in the USA, and how much I love my country. Yay for voting! Yay for democracy! Yay for freedom and the sacrifices that have been made to provide us with that freedom!

Day #5- Change

Today I'm grateful for CHANGE. I know it seems silly, but it actually stems from the fact that I missed posting my gratitude yesterday. I would normally have gone to the effort of creating a post for yesterday today, but I'm trying to be less OCD about the things that just don't matter. While this is an excellent exercise, I don't have time to spend on it, so I'm trying to keep it as minimal as possible. Just as I haven't written in my journal or on my blog in months because I don't have time to play "catch-up" but I don't want anything to be passed over, so I just don't even try. It's not exactly the best solution....

So today I'm grateful that I can turn over a new leaf and just try to keep moving forward (a quote I learned from one of my favorite Disney movies....) When there's something we don't like about ourselves or our current place in life-- we change.

Day #3 Inpatient Care

Grandma Ardy has not been doing very well lately. Last night she was checked into inpatient care for physical and occupational therapy. I'm grateful for doctors and nurses who will give her their full attention and help my favorite lady get feeling better!  I love you Grandma!!!

Day #2 of Gratitude

Since I cannot allow this little venture to overtake my time spent working on my thesis, these posts will mostly be short.

Today I am grateful for washing machines. I cannot imagine what a time-suck laundry would be in my life if it were not for that wonderful invention. I'd like to take a moment to say thank you to all the people throughout history who contributed to the creation of the now almost-perfected invention designed to keep me clean and save me time.  Yay for clean clothes!

Month of Gratitude!

It's November! As I sat in my office trying to focus myself on my thesis, my office-mate Carrie reminded me of a great tradition: writing down one thing I'm grateful for every day this month. I decided it's a great way to get into the holiday spirit and remember all my blessings.

Let's be real honest, it might not happen everyday, but I'm going to try to at least write some thoughts once a week.

Today, November 1st, I am grateful for CREATIVITY. There are so many things in the world that we would miss out on if it weren't for creativity. Yesterday, being Halloween, provided the opportunity for me to see some of the creativity of those around me. From costumes to pumpkin carvings, I found how creative people can be.

Back to my darling office-mate, Carrie, she's the queen of creativity. She is always looking for new and better ways to do things and to make them more fun. I'm so grateful for her fun influence in my life. For Halloween she dressed up as Barbie and even created a Barbie box and a Ken box and held Ken Auditions. She encouraged me to make a more creative costume, so I pulled something easy but creative together (see below)

After the fun of being a little creative, I started pondering on the creativity of others. Yesterday was the 500 year anniversary of the completion of the Sistine Chapel. What an amazing display of creativity and talent!! So many beautiful (and practical!) things come from creativity. The music that moves me and changes my mood on a dime comes from the creativity of others. So if you have some deep gift for creativity, don't suppress it! Don't let it fall to the side while you focus on the "practical" side of life. Think! Dream! Create!

If you need more inspiration, see below:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng&query=uchtdorf+%22the+desire+to+create+is+one+of+the+deepest%22

Mortification Much?

So, I can't decide if this is hilarious or traumatic. Thoughts?

Warning: this post contains reference to "female problems." If you're uncomfortable with that, you may want to skip this one...

As you may know, I teach ESL to college age students.  Twice a semester (midterm and final) I get feedback on how I'm doing as a teacher, and what can be improved in my classes.

I'm not the most forgiving person when it comes to myself, I tend to judge myself rather harshly. So these reviews can be a difficult time for me; I usually disregard all the positive things and focus purely on the negative. In my own defense (to you judgmental readers) I will include many of the positives mentioned in my review this midterm.  So in answer to the question "What do you like about the class," here are some gems:

"The teacher is cool"  "MS. Greer's class is SO MUCH FUN!!!!!:)"  "she is very patient and teaches really well."  "It is dynamic, fun"  "It is really fun, and interactive"  "She is awesome and teaches us very well"  "She is fun, easy to understand"  "mThe teacher.  She is funny and knows how to teach."  "that she m akes us im prove our speaking in a funny way."

K, so after that ego boost, I will share one and only one answer to the question, "What don't you like about the class?"

When the teacher is on her period.  She be stressed and is not funny =(

Awkward much? Like, seriously, first of all, you think you know? Secondly, you were willing to write that on a review? I mean, I know there are cultural differences regarding what's appropriate to discuss, but come on. From the moment I read it I've been torn between laughter and horror. I think I keep leaning toward the horror end of the spectrum....

TESOL Conference 2012

I went to my first conference!  And I even presented in the Graduate Student Forum (Lena let me tag along with her :)  We went to Philadelphia, then to NYC for a few days after. It was wonderful! We saw all sorts of cool historical things, and ate at yummy places.

 Lena and I in front of our presentation room.  Woo hoo!

 "Smile like a dork!"  "I've got this."

 Aw, they're cute. Erin and Marisa

 The first courtroom

 The signing room.

 Some blue stairs ;)

 A draft of the declaration

 We have it in our power to begin the World over again.  And so they did.

 Marisa getting sworn in as President of the U.S. in the same spot where George Washington stood.

 One of these two is not like the other.

Peekaboo. Creepy much?  Thanks Lydia... :)

 Some bell with a crack in it. I tried to take a picture of me gluing it back together, but I look terrible; so you'll never see it. Plus, the cops were getting pretty close by the time we took the picture, and it's not flattering of them either....  They're weird about you trying to fix stuff.

 Go Lydia!

 These things were really yummy. I wasn't brave enough to try the Cheese Whiz that's supposedly the best, but I did get mine pizza style with mushrooms.... It was awesome.

 "On this spot stood Sylvester Stallone filming the great motion picture ROCKY.  Nov 21, 1976"

 The instructions for ordering. "Step 4" is repeatedly listed at many of the famous restaurants in Philly.

 Two dueling Philly Cheesesteak places just across the street from one another.

 Iiiiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised; on the playground is where I spent most....

  So, one of the coolest parts of the city was Reading Market just outside the convention center. It was packed full of amazing little booths/shops with beautiful glorious food.  Yummy!

 State capitol building

 BEST CHURRASCARIA EVER.  So yummy.

 An original copy of the Book of Mormon. Second one I've held and seen in my life. Wonder how many I'll get to handle?

 "Pretend I'm holding a bow..."

 Best line of the trip: "He's got hunting and fishing covered. He must be the patron saint of rednecks" -Marisa

 The view from the Museum of Art

 Runnin' like Rocky...

 I am the thinking man.  And don't worry, there's the po-po.

 Here's where we went to make our phone calls, outside the hotel.

And then, NYC.

 I called up Paul Lambson and asked him to show us a hole in the wall restaurant that tourists didn't know about.  The Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridian is where he took us. You walk into this 6 star hotel, swerve behind what appears to be the wall covered in lush red curtains, and you appear at the end of a hallway leading to the picture (below) of a burger. Upon which you enter a tiny graffittied room (above)

 It was exactly what I was hoping for. We all loved it. Amazing. Thanks Paul!!!

 We went to see Mary Poppins in a really old theater with a ton of history. The little aisle guy told us all these wild stories about how it was abandoned so there was a tree growing out of the orchestra pit.  Then someone turned it into a movie theater and he was here one night when someone in the front stood up then people in the back started shooting at him.  All in all, it taught me I was glad I never came to NY in the 80s....

 Oh, and the restored version of the theater was beautiful.

 HI! MY NAME IS BRITTNEY AND I'M ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE!

 That's America for ya, being held together by duct tape.... :)

 Walk like an Egyptian..... (in the MET)