Michele got married!

Michele and Joe tied the knot! I have seen their relationship develop since day 1, so their wedding was extra special. What made it even better was seeing all of my old DC peeps in Utah. I have missed my dear friends! So it was great to spend 2 days with them!

Kathryn, Allison, and I at the dinner the night before

Beautiful bride! Handsome groom with their lovely families.

The old Grove Street roommates. So much change has happened in the last year. Only Melissa remains at the Grove Street house.

Another girl I miss!

With the bride! I love Michele. She is such a dear, loyal, loving, and fun friend. I miss this girl.

And I miss Allison too. What a friend!

And here's my latest "friend." He was my hot date to the wedding. :)

Congrats to Joe and Michele! So glad I got to be at your wedding! Loves. 

Timing IS everything

When I was a sophomore at BYU my best bud, Diane, and I had a lot of discussions about boys and the lack thereof. We often quoted our wonderful mothers who often told us--when frustrated about our marriage prospects--that "it's just not your time." We eventually made that one of our inside jokes and admittedly, hearing that statement made me become more aggravated as the years passed by.

It's been about 10 years since I first heard that statement and I'm still single. But yet, in the last few months, with some exciting new experiences and opportunities, I recognize the wisdom in my mother's words: Timing IS everything.

I think back to my 20s and I recognize that all of the friends, work experiences, travel opportunities and heart ache was not for nothing. I grew as an individual and learned some very valuable nuggets of wisdom along the way. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, even though at 21, 24, and 27 I would have given an arm and a leg to be married.

Well, as things have turned out, this move to Utah has worked out very nicely…like, really nicely. So nice that I am in awe of how things have fallen into place and ultimately how timing has played a huge role in my experiences and my happiness now. Knowing what I know now, I see God's hand so clearly in my life and to be cheesy (if this post wasn't cheesy enough), that Rascal Flats song, "God Bless the Broken Road" has a whole new meaning to my current life situation.

I am grateful for God's timing. That's a hard one to spit out but it's true. God knows best. It's good to remember that again.

ps. If you can't figure out my cryptic message in all of this, the bottom line is I am dating someone and he makes me happy. TBC...

Back to Cali

I had a great weekend a few weeks back in California. It was quite simple actually. I visited old friends and had a grand time reminiscing, laughing, and playing catch up. Besides the lovely ladies pictured below, I also saw my 2 high school friends Kathleen and Ashleigh (not pictured) who are now first time mothers. I am grateful for all of the friendships that I have cultivated throughout the years.

My DC ladies--Kelly and MDG. So many laughs and silliness

Joanna and Katie. Friends since birth. They are now mothers of 3!

We even "ran" a race together on a beautiful California morning.

Got to attend a session in the Oakland temple. This place holds so many memories. 

It was short. It was sweet. I love my peeps. I love California. But I'm also glad to be where I'm at now.

30, flirty, and thriving!!

Well this post is long overdue. A month, in fact. But I did have an incredible birthday thanks to so many people--most especially my family. 

It all started with the BYU game the night before my birthday. My brothers even bought my football ticket for me so we could cheer on the Cougs in style. I love our silliness!

And yes, I am that teacher who shamelessly told her students that it was her birthday 5 days before it was my actual birthday. And they came through with some pretty awesome treats for me. Check out the "Uh-mason" jar of M&M's. Good ole' Utah. 

That evening my 5 siblings and my mom and I ventured to Park City for a little get away. Even my sister Kathryn flew down from NYC and surprised me! It was awesome! They got me a chocolate cake, of course.

Oh and 30 presents with 30 notes attached saying why they love me. They totally captured my love language! Here I am with the bros.

And here I am with my sisters. They are so thoughtful!

The next morning we took a gondola up to the mountains and even did a little hike. This is my attempt at a family selfie. 

On the other side...

About half way through our hike. 

A scenic view of Park City...

And here we are, a decent picture of all of us.

I am so grateful for my family. They totally came through with showering me with love on that day. Thank you to all who made my 30th a wonderful day/weekend!

Here's to being 30, flirty, and thriving. It's going to be a good year, I can feel it! :)

Refreshing

This has been the most used word in my vocabulary within the last 2 months. I moved back to Utah almost 2 months ago and Utah is simply refreshing and here's why:

1. The mountains and wide open spaces. There's room to breath.

2. Easy East/West/North/South coordinates. I can find places without GPSing them!

3. Plenty of parking spaces and no tolls or ridiculous fees when you live in a certain county…ahem, Arlington.

4. Lots of options for eating out with no hassle parking. I really love the parking bit, can you tell?

5. Friendly people who have a cute twang in their Utah accent.

6. Neighborhood walks "where everybody knows your name."

7. An organized school district/school that is on top of their game. Whoever knew that someone making my copies at work could be such a de-stresser to my already hectic profession of teaching?

8. Being close to family. Being able to be in the know about my nieces and nephews and their daily life. Seeing my mom on a daily basis and my siblings on a weekly basis…at least!

9. Life in the slow lane. I'm able to breathe a bit and not feel so rushed about life or pressured about my life plans and goals.

10. Social life. Whoa. I don't miss the lake trips or the group activities to the Nats games. I have been able to spend some time with friends and catch up when I want to, but my social life has taken a back seat with group activities and a front seat with dating boys…ok, boy. Now, that's been refreshing!

I definitely miss DC a lot. But I have to admit that Utah has provided some amazing miracles and experiences so far. I am meant to be here. It's so…refreshing!

Compare and Contrast

I have now been at my new school in Utah for a few weeks and whoa the difference! It has been a nice change to be in a new venue for several reasons. I definitely loved my school in DC and miss certain things about it, but being in Utah has been incredibly refreshing. Here's just a list of some of the major things that have stood out to me as differences in my 2 schools so far…

Class Rosters. I posted the following on Facebook a week ago or so…

DC Class Roster: Diamond, Shaniqua, DeAndre, Tyrone, Monet, Marquis, Ebony, Malik, Deja, Chanté.

Utah Class Roster: Abigail, Emma, Caroline, Jack, Hunter, Caden, Ethan, Bailey, Moroni...and have I said Abigail?

#AWholeNewWorld

Enough said, right?

Teaming: This year I am on a team with 4 other teachers in the English, Math, Science, and Special Ed. We all teach the same kids and we have weekly team meetings to discuss concerns and how we can align our curriculum together. It's definitely more time at school but it forces me to be much more organized and on top of my lesson plans which is good.

Technology: We have some great access to technology. Not only do I have my own laptop and iPad but we have apple TV in the classroom as well. We have an "Ed Tech" in our school that helps us with our technology needs and also teaches us about new apps and features, etc. It's really quite amazing. Now I just need to get on my technology A game.

The Administration: They have been very helpful, humorous, responsible, and organized. They are on their game so teacher buy in is actually there. They expect a lot from us, but I think that's what makes the school run with much more efficiency.

The Bell System: They play dance music during transitions like "Cotton Eyed Joe" and "We Will Rock You" and "Everybody Dance Now." It's fun to dance along in the hallways as kids are coming to class.

Co-Workers: It's not DCPS. I miss the diversity for sure but everyone is super nice. It's weird being a Mormon in a state where the majority is Mormon. Sharing the Gospel is different now. I almost feel like I am defending my faith a bit more as the non-LDS population can be critical of Utah culture. However, I have appreciated their kindness and their differences. I'm glad not everyone is LDS. It's refreshing.

The Students: It has only been a few weeks but these kids are blowing my mind. They are not perfect but they are overall very well-behaved, helpful to other students, and engaged in the learning process. I have been floored. If I ask them to "think-pair-share" they actually do it. If I ask them to take out their planners, they do it and ask questions about upcoming assignments. Students tell me thank you after the lesson, they triple check with me about their homework assignment, they ask if they can help a fellow student, and they all want to answer my really awesome questions. I feel like I get to teach. Classroom management has been a breeze (so far).

This has been such a good change. I know I'm supposed to be here. Cheers for change!

"There is beauty all around"

About 11 years ago, I graced the campus of BYU for the first time as a student. At that time I had just moved from California to Utah and it was an indefinite move for mom moved too. As a typical teenager with the typical California girl attitude I thought to myself "No place will EVER compare to California in awesomeness." Then I got to BYU. One of my first FHE activities was hiking the Y. We got to the top as the sun was setting. And then I had an epiphany. Utah was beautiful too. It had its advantages and disadvantages but I could find beauty there. I feel like this has been a theme of my life. "There is beauty all around" because so many places provide different types of beauty.

I have been in Utah for about 3 weeks now and I have been reminded almost everyday of this sentiment that I adopted as an 18 year old. I am reminded, once again, that there is beauty that lies in Utah if I just choose to see it--a good plug for joy in the journey, right? So although I miss DC and my beloved monuments and the history at my finger tips, I can't help but be constantly in awe of the beauty of Utah. DC was a beautiful time and Utah Part 2 will also be beautiful...for it is all around.