The Ghosts of Christmas Past

Another Christmas has come and gone (so has my camera, apparently, although I still have hope it will miraculously turn up...but I digress). This year, my sister and her family came to stay with my parents and I for Christmas, and consequently, the last couple of days have been much more adventurous than usual. Some of the following may sound familiar to you with your own festivities:

4 girls so excited for Christmas morning that 2 of them couldn't get to sleep until after midnight...
a living room full of torn paper, electronic toys, books, plastic toys, new clothes, 4 kids and 6 adults...
donuts and scrambled eggs for breakfast....
playing wii games...
random things wrapped up and given to everyone by the 5-year-old because she wanted to share more in the wrapping and giving...
a Christmas Eve nativity pageant complete with an angel, a shepherd, a wisegirl, a pianist, 2 stuffed sheep, and a 6'2" tall Joseph who had to walk around on his knees (my brother was a good sport)...
toys and dress-up clothes spread throughout the house...
a lot of candy and some regular food...
a new Nintendo DS...
a visit from another sister and HER family (bringing the adult count to 8 and the kids to 6)...
Christmas music....
and much more.

(I would have added pictures to illustrate, but, well....the missing camera thing I mentioned before...)

I found myself cleaning and preparing the house for my family's arrival yesterday and ruminating, as we adults often do, on the magic of my childhood Christmases, wondering why it just doesn't feel the same anymore.

The dollhouse my grandpa made me one Christmas when I was about 7 or 8 is the gift I remember most, and it resides now in my home, played with occasionally by nieces and nephews. In my straightening of the toys in the playroom, I discovered a tiny kitchen chair I recognized as one of the pieces of furniture my grandpa constructed so many years ago.

I sat down and allowed some memories to wash over me for a few moments. My own excitement that night so long ago when I couldn't fall asleep next to my older sister on the floor of my grandparents' bedroom in Mesa. How we whispered to each other late into the night. How I slept a little, then woke when all was quiet and dark, tiptoeing out into the living room and spying a large dollhouse shape. Hurrying back to my bed on the floor and shaking my sister awake to tell her what I'd seen. Making a pact to not tell anyone and act surprised the next morning when I walked into the room (a pact I kept until this year when I asked my mom if she ever knew I was faking it - she didn't.) Eating sugar cereal for breakfast on Christmas morning (my mom admitted that was not the best idea she ever had). My grandpa ringing "Santa's" sleigh bells outside.

Unfortunately, I have allowed some of the magic of Christmas to slip away from me since then. There are many reasons for this, which I won't go into, but this weekend my nieces and nephews brought the magic back, just with their presence. And I am content.

What DO Snowmen do at night?

The most current art project completed by my 3rd graders revealed a little about their creativity and the perhaps little-known diversity of snowpeople. I really enjoyed them, as I do the personalities of my little kiddos, so I wanted to share a bit of my everyday world with you. Here are a few of my favorites - I hope they bring a smile to your face as they did to mine.

Can't figure out if this one's a woodcutter or straight out of a horror movie.

Smoking like a chimney. Now, why do we associate pipes with snowmen? I doubt this child has ever seen a real pipe in his/her life. 

Your typical basketball playing snowman - notice the tall, thin build.

"Ahhh! I'm melting! I'm melting...I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

"Uh....which way did he go? I can't see nothin' in this storm!" (doesn't he have a great worried look?)

The Pessimist
"AHHHH!!!  The sky is falling!"

Girly Snowperson
Do you like the scarf? It's new...

In a fog.

This one better stop telling lies!

The End of Kind of a Yucky Week

What does it take to cheer you up after a few tough days?

That's what! (:

My Four Birthdays

I absolutely LOVE my birthday, and this year, due to extenuating circumstances, I was able to have 4 days of birthday celebration. Woo hoo! It began with a party on Saturday night with a few friends, then Sunday, as the actual day of my birthday, was celebrated mostly by going to church and talking on the phone. On Monday, I celebrated with my students, then tonight, with my parents home from Hawaii, we had a family birthday celebration.

Look at this amazing cake my friend made! I hated to have her cut into it. And yet, the red-velvet of the cake was so appropriate...

Dinner was amazing Italian fare.

Band Heros!

Our newly-formed Girl Band takes a few minutes to get off the ground...

Church ready

Nature's surprise birthday present. Blah - take it back, I don't want it!

Ready to venture into the snow to get to church....I guess.

My birthday dinner on Sunday.

I have great students! (I think this mural was done after they were sugared up on Twinkies.)

The danger of wandering into the bathroom while your aunt is blow-drying her hair - a new hairdo!

Christmas tree helpers.

Dinner with the family - Papa Murphy's Gourmet Vegetarian - one of the best pizzas ever invented!

My sleep-deprived, sugar-filled nephews and I had a crazy time with the leftover birthday cake and new candles. 

I think my mom got out the wrong number candles....could've sworn I was 29....but I guess she would know.

Being Thankful

So every year my birthday rolls around right before Thanksgiving. This year, my birthday is on a Sunday. And, as most of you know, birthday = party/presents/friends & family/cake/general rowdiness and fun. Doesn't jive too well with a calm, peaceful Sunday, know what I mean?

However, as I sat this morning reading birthday greetings from many friends and family on Facebook, and contemplated a quiet birthday of church and.....well....just hanging out at home.... I realized that this is a great opportunity for reflection. That is a natural thing for me at this time of year. So many important days come at me in quick succession - birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day. This time of year is MADE for contemplating life and how another precious year has gone by. What have I accomplished in the past year? What  is truly important in my life? What am I thankful for? (and of course, what is missing in my life? why does my age sound so old when I feel so young??....but I won't bore you with the negativity.) :P

I just read a blog someone wrote about how she loves Thanksgiving because it gives her an opportunity to remind her to think of all she is thankful for. I just realized - isn't it interesting that the season of thankfulness comes right before the season of giving? Truly being thankful SHOULD inspire us to act in a certain way.

So, I am going to list some things I am grateful for. In no particular order and by no means an exhaustive list, but one I feel compelled to "write down" while I am in this contemplative mood. Some of these I think to thank the Lord for daily in prayer, but some I haven't been overtly thankful for in awhile.

I am thankful for....
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Being born into the church. My testimony. The Book of Mormon and other scriptures. Prophets and leaders. My mission. The callings and experiences I have had over the years.
My amazing, selfless parents who support me in all I do and allow me to live in their home.
Two nephews who live close enough that I can spend lots of time with them.
A sister who lets me "steal" her kids from her sometimes and who is the kindest, most patient & loving person I know.
Times when my two sisters and I are together, enjoying each other as adults.
All of my brothers & sisters, my brothers-in-law & sisters-in-law, and their children who I love with all my heart (and miss all the time!)
How my family gets along and cares about each other and doesn't fight and bicker. All 24 of us! (well, ok, the kids bicker sometimes, but that doesn't really count).
Being a "favorite aunt" and being called "Aunt Nellie". It's the sweetest name in the world.
My many friends. But most especially those who have laughed with me, cried with me, and shared my life for many years.
Friends who are like sisters (you know who you are).
My grandparents and other relatives.
A grandma who was also one of my best friends. Who believed in me and was my confidante and cheerleader.
A roof over my head, a warm comfortable house, furniture, my bed.
Great tenants who live in my townhome, love and take care of it, and pay their rent on time.
A beautiful area to live in - (yes, I actually mean Spanish Fork).
A car that runs well (knock on wood) and gets me to and from work every day.
The ward that I belong to.
A job that is meaningful and challenging and a work day that flies by because of the fast pace of elementary school life - and the paycheck that comes with it every month.
Students who love me and who place their trust in me. It's a huge responsibility I don't always deserve.
Colleagues who are also friends.
A school that is like a "home away from home" (not just because I spend more time there during the week than I do at home, either).
Health insurance I don't have to pay for (thank you Alpine School District!).
A great, caring, down-to-earth, personable doctor.
My relatively good health.
Food to eat.
Being able to eat what I want, when I want (one perk of being single).
Shopping.
Clothes, jewelry, fun shoes, flowers, and all things "girly".
Books & movies and the freedom to read and watch what I want to.
Being able to travel.
All the people in my life who have influenced me for good.
Music, singing, dancing.
My talents and the abilities I have been blessed with.
Being able to try and experience new things.
Hugs.
Holding hands with children.
The sun.
And, yes, even the trials, heartaches, disappointments, fears, and mistakes - they have a part in making me who I am today.

I am sure I will think of more things as soon as I stop typing. But it is time to get ready for church. And enjoy my birthday.

Loves to you all! I am sure if you are reading this you are one of the many people I am thankful for!

Thoughts on Grandma's Enchiladas

My great-grandmother made the best pork enchiladas in the Southwest. She grew up in one of the Mormon colonies in Mexico, and she learned to cook authentic Mexican food. In fact, the enchiladas may just have been part of the reason my grandpa married my grandma. He loved her family, but he REALLY loved her mom's enchiladas!

My grandma carried on the tradition by making her mother's enchilada recipe for every special family occasion. I remember anticipating an enchilada dinner every time we visited my grandparents in Arizona. Each time, the special ingredients were added and the enchiladas were magical. They were never spicy enough for Grandpa, who would add chili powder, but were always just a little too spicy for me, and I would add sour cream and shredded lettuce. I had no idea how much work went into them.

For a few months after I graduated from BYU, I lived with my widowed grandma. One Saturday, we made enchiladas together so she could show me how to make them just right. After all, it's not just following a recipe. Although I have rarely made the enchiladas since then, this is one of my treasured memories from that time with Grandma.

Today I made Grandma's enchiladas for a friend's 40th birthday party. Despite the bacon grease and hot oil for the tortillas spitting all over my kitchen, the red sauce simmering and spraying a fine mist over the stove, the smoke filling my little apartment and continually setting off the smoke alarm, and the hour it took me to clean up the kitchen afterward, I was bombarded with the good memories this particular process evoked. I miss Grandma. I am grateful for her legacy and for the legacy of my great-grandmother, represented by a recipe for pork enchiladas.

Halloween 2010

I've always wanted to be a pirate queen...plus, I had the hat...

And I care....why?

The dragons enjoy a view of the witches' brew.

My sister's creative genius at work on her family.

Trick-or-treating held a few surprises - like a dancing ghost. 

Mmmm...delicious "octopus"!

Worms in the dirt...yum!

Watch out for me voodoo ways!

The Road Less Traveled

About 4 years ago, I hit the teacher burn-out wall. After much deliberation, I decided to take a leave of absence and spend some time exploring other career options. Luckily, when the school year ended, I still had a couple of months to look for a job before my teaching paychecks would stop coming. I looked into everything related to teaching that I was remotely qualified for. But about mid-July, I began to get worried I would soon be unemployed. So when a friend forwarded a posted job opening to me, the words "No experience necessary" jumped out at me and I applied immediately.

It was a few weeks and about 3 interviews later that I was offered the job of a software trainer for BrainStorm, Inc. I was woefully under-qualified and under-prepared for this new position. But I found out later that my manager, after interviewing me, told the boss she wanted to hire me even though I knew nothing about software - she just liked me. It was a small miracle I got the job at all - due in large part to her persuasion, of course. I kept it because I worked my tail off. :P

Nothing about learning all the ins and outs of various software programs came easily to me, and traveling around the country to train professional adults was miles out of my comfort zone. But I enjoyed the people at the small company and I gained a lot of experience and confidence in my ability to do incredibly difficult things. I also learned to rely more on the Lord in my job.

But the most incredible thing I gained from this unlikely pathway was lifelong friendship with two of the women I worked with. They are now an important part of my life and I trust their judgement and loyalty. We don't see each other often, but last weekend we were able to spend an evening together, catching up and reaffirming our relationship. I admire these women and I am blessed to know them.

Don't they look fun? They are!

These are the Moments

Logan, Utah temple

Today, I drove 2 1/2 hours to be with a friend for her wedding.

I have always loved the songs from musicals. Especially the epic, life-defining, power-filled ballads. As I sat down tonight to attempt to capture some of my feelings from the day, a song from "Jekyll & Hyde" kept playing through my mind-
"This is the moment, this is the day- when I send all my doubts and demons on their way.
Every endeavor, I have made ever- is coming into play, is here and now- today!
This is the moment, this is the time, when the momentum and the moment are in rhyme...
Give me this moment, this precious chance-
I'll gather up my past, and make some sense at last!"

There are "moments" in our lives that stand out as those that are most defining. Today was one of those.

Melis and I have been close for several years now, through various dates and boyfriends, a husband and annulment (hers, not mine), unemployment, change of employment, agonizing singles activities, family drama, chocolate shakes at Chiles, heartbreaks and triumphs. She is an amazing woman who has great insight into life and relationships. She is beautiful, compassionate, and fun (and the true "dancing queen"!) I treasure her friendship and she is truly like a sister to me. I was grateful to be part of her "family" for her special day.

This has been a contemplative day for me. There is nothing quite like the moments in the temple sealing room. I am prompted to consider what is most important to me and I am reminded of family ties and to look at things through an eternal perspective. These times bring loved ones together, connecting them on a deeper level. And that is really what this life is all about.

Family Fun

A couple of years ago, my sisters and I took their kids to visit the Hee Haw farm in Pleasant Grove during their October "tourist" activities. All the kids enjoyed this experience so much that they have been asking to go back ever since. Last weekend we took the opportunity to visit again and, despite the steep cost (we tried to find coupons, without success), had a great time. Unfortunately, darkness fell before we got to see the animals. But we were able to do just about everything else. I'll let the images speak for themselves.

A great swing - here are half of all my nieces and nephews - the Utah half. 

Me and the girls.

Cool swings made out of tires into horse and tractor shapes.

The jump into the hay.

Action shot!

The cutest farmer I've ever seen!

Not necessarily the smoothest slide...

These cool pedal-motored tractors were a little difficult for the kids to power - so we had to help out a little.

Yeah! We made it through the corn maze!