#my27by27

I DID IT!!!!!!

I'll start off by saying I am so proud of all that I accomplished this year. I am not a fan of New Year's Resolutions... Not because I don't see the importance but because I feel like the focus is on making them, not accomplishing them. My27by27 was different because I had every intention of meeting each goal on my list.

When I started this 27by27 I wasn't completely sure what I was in for but I have loved every minute. It seemed so simple when I started the year but there was so much I learned through this year. When I was first creating my list I tried to create a well-rounded list that would help me grow in all areas of my life and I feel like my goal was met! There were a couple of goals that were unrealistic (at this point) and they got changed but I accomplished all the other goals (and those last two will be completed in the future... Baby steps!).

1. Picture a Day- I loved this goal! I'm sure people got sick of my pictures but I had so much fun finding a bright spot each day for my picture! Some days were harder than others but I learned that there really is so much going on in my life, sometimes I don't realize it.
2. Family History (3 Names)- I love taking names to the temple and I thought it would be amazing to find some names to take. I actually ended up with more than three names but I was happy to take the, all the way through!
   
3. Temple (Three times a month)- This was another one of my favorite goals. I love going to the temple and it was nice to rotate through the different ordinances each time I went.
   
4. Scripture Journal- I ended up keeping the scripture journal online. There were a few times I got tired and my log for the day was a quick sentence but there is definitely something to be said for writing down your thoughts. I ended up with 111 pages of a google doc (Consider me proud)!
5. Learn 10 hymns on the piano and be ready to play them- This was a hard one for me. I love playing the piano and I can do really well with the left hand or the right hand but putting them together tends to be a D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R! I am happy to say that I did accomplish this goal, they may not all be perfect when played but people can sing while I play them and that's good enough for me. This goal was made easier by my temporary acquisition of a piano.
   
   In case you are wondering here are the songs...
1. Come Follow Me (116)
2. Let the Holy Spirit Guide (143)
3. God Be with You Till We Meet Again (152)
4. Father in Heaven, We Do Believe (180)
5. That Easter Morn (198)
6. Silent Night (204)
7. God Speed the Right (106)
8. Choose the Right (239)
9. Should You Feel Inclined to Censure (235)
10. Nearer, My God, To Thee (100)
6. Go to two plays- This one was great because I love going out to plays and I felt like I hadn't taken the time for quite a while. I actually ended up going to three plays through the year. I went to see Newsies, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Matilda.
   
   
   
7. Audition for something- This one I feel like wasn't completely finished but I'm going to cheat and say it was done because I unofficially auditioned for an auditioned choir so I've been told to accept it...
8. 5 Runs- This one was another one that was really good for me and ended up being a lot of fun. I found some great runs and had friends join me for most of them.
1. Temple to Temple 5K- This run happens on July 24th and was my first run of the year. It is always a blast and I am excited to do it again next week.
2. Color Me Miner Run- This run was a good one. It was on September 11 as a memorial for 9/11. I really enjoyed doing this run and the little devotional they had after the run.
3. Sugar Rush- This run was in BYU and the money raised from the run goes to diabetes research. Kerstin joined me for this one! I even won a prize from the raffle at the end.
4. JEF Obstacle Course- The money raised for this run went toward teacher grants. This was probably one of the funner runs I did this year. There were some great obstacles including a mud run, a slip-n-slide, and a blow up course at the very end.
5. SoJo Color Run- This color run was a last minute run but it also turned out to be great fun. This was the only one that I ran by myself but I didn't even mind!                                       
9. Travel somewhere I've never been- Jess and I took a trip to Boston for Spring Break, it was fantastic! I loved the history and the feel of Boston, I would love to go back!
   
10. Memorize the Living Christ- I had to remember all my memorization skills for this one but I ended up getting it memorized (I passed it off three times). There are so many things in this inspired document that I love but one of my favorite lines comes near the end, the last paragraph. It says, "He is the great King Immanuel who stands today on the right hand of His Father," I love the clarification of "today". He lives and can lead us, "to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come." The testimony of the apostles in The Living Christ is so special to me, I am glad I added this to my list.
11. Get a Passport- The paperwork was turned in earlier this week and I should be receiving my passport sometime next month!!!
12. Drive the Nebo Loop in the fall- Jess joined me for this one, it was beautiful and ended up as one of my favorite things I did this fall.
    
13. Try something new (two times a month)- This one was fun but it was hard because it was so general so sometimes I felt like I was stretching it.
14. Two new temples- I went to both the Cedar City temple and the Boston temple. Both were amazing!
    
    
15. Finish a journal- I am proud of what I did for this one. I had never before finished a journal. Not even one of those small ones you get as a kid. I was so proud when I finally finished my journal but I did it and I'm even getting close to finishing a second one.
    
16. Blog once a month- Honestly not one of my favorites... I did it but I feel like I'm not a good enough writer and I don't have enough to say. If I had to pick a least favorite this would be it.
17. Make a memory quilt- I was so excited about this one and I am so proud of the finished product. I got the top all sewn and then asked my aunt to help me with the tying and binding. We set a time to get together and then I broke my hand. I was running out of time to finish and still wanted to try to finish my quilt so my mom, aunt, grandma, and I all got together to tie and bind my quilt. Thanks to some amazing work we got it all done in one day! I wasn't much help but I did try. I love my new memory quilt and I have been enjoying time outside with my quilt quite often.
    
    
    
18. Fly Somewhere- This was accomplished with Jess on our trip to Boston.
19. Attempt a dating app (for one month)- I did it and nothing came of it. I have a problem swiping and then further problems when no one responds... Long story short, App dating is not for me.
20. Be Belle for Halloween- I added this one because I have always wanted to be Belle for Halloween and other things kept getting in the way. I was off-track most of October and used that time to create my costume. I am quite proud of what I came up with. I even sewed the dress, without a pattern, with only minor injury.
    
21. Go Ziplining- I ended up at the Provo Canyon Adventures Zipline with Kim and Lindsay. It was a blast!
    
22. Finish the Standard Works (Seminary Version)- This one took a lot of dedication but I am so proud of myself for finishing and the experience was amazing. It has been a while since I have focused on each book so it was great to review and remember.
23. Make a crayon picture- This was another fun one that I had wanted to do for a while and it ended up being really fun. My mom and I decided to do this one day when we had some time to spend. I love how mine turned out.
    
24. Read Five Classics- I think my favorite of the five was Gone With the Wind but each of the books had some great qualities!
1. Gone With the Wind
2. A Christmas Carol
3. Persuassion
4. I Capture the Castle
5. Twelfth Night
25. Graduate with Masters- This was one of the ones that was changed from the original goal but I really am proud of myself for all the work done on my masters that I felt it was an acceptable change.
    
26. Do something I've always wanted to do- This is the other one that was changed from the original goal but I ended up buying a Lagoon pass and convincing 6 friends to do so with me. Growing up I always wanted to have a Lagoon pass and I have loved having it this summer. I love roller coasters!
    
27. One act of service each week- This one was kind of like the try new things goal. It was a great goal but sometimes it felt less purposeful and more of a stretch. I didn't always think of the service I wanted to perform beforehand. Though that would have made this goal better.

Here's my list for #my28by28 (If you have any ideas for my last two let me know!)

1. Memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World
2. Go Shooting
3. Play piano for church
4. Learn to do a Backbend Kickover
5. Run a Mile
6. Paint Night
7. One month of taking NO work home
8. Session in the Vegas Temple
9. Craft something
10. Visit the Good Move Cafe
11. Go to a concert
12. Sing at Carnegie Hall
13. Do something out of my comfort zone
14. Study from the Book of Mormon every day
15. Write down a tender mercy each day
16. Visit an Idaho temple
17. Try five new Recipes
18. Read Grandpa Dickson's Book
19. Use my passport
20. Do at least one Pull up
21. Learn five songs on the guitar
22. Go to an escape room
23. Visit the temple three times a month
24. Go Horseback Riding
25. Take a class on something new
26. Go on three new hikes
27. ????
28. ????

Dear Children

I have a friend that does a 'Dear children' post every year and I love the thought and I wanted to steal it for this year. I've been thinking about it a lot and I feel like sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the little things that we forget what is important. I've been thinking about what I've learned from my children this year and what I'd like to remember so here goes...

Dear children,

I've learned that "One More Day" can feel like an eternity when you are looking forward to something.

I've learned that band-aids are always in style.

I've learned that parents need love too.

I've learned sometimes a hug is what you need.

I've learned that 'yes' is not always an easy answer but neither is 'no'.

I've learned that some projects need extra explanations and some students need extra love.

I've learned that we are all readers, we just need to find our own adventure.

I've learned that with few directions creativity shows up and I am blown away by what you create!

I've learned that when you truly need help you don't know how to ask.

I've learned that when you take time to work through problems you can come up with some amazing solutions.

I've learned that change is the only constant.

I've learned that technology always chooses the worst time to act up.

I've learned that I am stronger than I think.

I've learned I am surrounded by wonderful supports.

I've learned a heartfelt note is the best gift you can receive.

I've learned how much I grow each year as I am blessed to have such wonderful children in my classroom!

Windy Times

Let me just say, I am so grateful to have the friends I have. There are some amazing people in my life and they bless me greatly! 

Last weekend a group of friends headed to Bear Lake for the long weekend. Saturday night, well Sunday morning, I was headed to bed at about 12:00. I opened the door to the tent and realized something was wrong. The wind was so strong the tent was caving in. My students would call it a concave shape... There were three people already asleep in the tent and I was worrying about what to do. I went outside and grabbed the tent pole and pulled it back into place so the tent looked normal but that was a VERY temporary solution. It was while I was standing there thinking that another friend came by and he came to the rescue! He started trying to figure out new sleeping situations. He got people up and out of their tents and eventually he organized efforts to get all of our stuff out of the tent so we could transport it to a new location (Yep, he even found us a new location). We got our tent moved and got all resettled. The wind was no longer a big problem and the tent ended up okay!

Us after our midnight move...

I stayed awake thinking of how lucky we were to have such a great friend there who was willing to step in and help improve our situation. That is what a friend does. That is why we need friends. We all need a support system that will help us when things get rough. When those winds bear down on us we need people who will help us come out okay. That is one of the things I love most about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We have people to care for us, to minister to us, and to help us through those difficult times!

Other than the tent mishap and a few minor problems we had a fantastic getaway weekend!!!! I couldn't stop taking pictures of the lake... It was gorgeous!

He's Hitched!

Saturday my little brother (okay younger brother) beat me to it and got married (Don't worry, we weren't really competing)! I am so excited for him and his bride! It was such a long day, but everything was beautiful and I loved seeing all the family that came together for the wedding. In the sealing the sealer emphasized the importance of temple ordinances and of continuously returning to the temple. I think it is so important to recognize the light the temple brings into our lives. Temple work is for the dead but it is also for us. Without the opportunity to return to the temple often I would struggle. I love that I can go to the temple for myself as well as for the dead. The temple is a blessing because it brings families together. Families are forever and the temple is what creates those favorable circumstances!

Let go of the egg!

This month has been more than I bargained for. There have been some highs and some lows but through it all one thing has been ever present: CHANGE!!!

I've always thought myself a fan of change. I love the change in the seasons, the change of years, the change of schedules. I love the feel of something new, the chance to make changes for myself to help me improve. I even talked about change in December and how we grow through change.

But this month I've learned that, regardless of my love for change, there comes a point when things get overwhelming. I feel like this image from despair.com says it well...

Right now, the idea of one more change might just push me over the edge. I've already had enough changes that there have been tears and that's not something that happens often.

I like to think of myself as a calm person. I take pride in the fact that I am very flexible when it comes to new things so it shocked me but there was too much this month, it ended up being difficult.

This morning session of conference helped a lot! One major theme I noticed was the focus on how God knows what we need and when we have our divine identity in mind other things fall into place. I needed that. It's important to recognize that the Lord has perspective on what we need! I love the following quote attributed to C.S. Lewis: "It may be hard for an egg to turn it into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad." I have been very resistant to new things recently and I have, by my own making, created some of the problems I have been struggling with. I need to let the egg crack and recognize that something new is coming and it will be good!

Instead of relying on myself, I need to rely more on the Lord and accept the changes he has in store for me. He loves me and will not do anything to hurt me. When I accept His will I will be strengthened and grow.

Life is about...

This month I have been a little on edge, especially at work. As much as I love my students I definitely have times when they drive me crazy. What teacher doesn't!? But this month I have been less patient with my students than usual. I had an experience today that reminded me they are just kids! Sometimes I expect so much of my students and most of the time they surpass my expectations but when they don't I feel disappointed with them but also myself and it makes me sorrowful (We did shades of meaning today and that word was a class favorite).

A few weeks ago we were working on a little assignment. It wasn't something I was going to grade (Yes, it's true not everything gets graded). But it was a fun Valentine's math worksheet I was having my students work on. I have one student who really struggles despite how hard she tries. Student 16 came up to me after a while of working and told me she was doing it wrong and she needed a new paper. I told her it was fine, don't worry about the mistakes and to just do her best on what she had left. I didn't have any extras and it wasn't a good time to go make a copy. The students worked on it for a little while longer and then I asked everyone to put it away.

As the students were putting it away I noticed student 16 sitting with her head on her desk, crying. Student 16 is one of my happiest students and I was surprised to see her crying. It turns out another student had seen her paper and told student 16 that she was going to get a bad grade. This sweet girl was crying because she was worried about having a bad grade. I reminded student 16 that we had talked and she was fine but she was still really worried. I didn't think any more of it until this afternoon.

Today I had a sweet student bring in a gift along with a note saying how great I am. Sometimes a nice note is all you need... Anyway, the gift was a little decorative plaque that said, "Life is about using the whole box of crayons." It was bright and happy and that is all I thought until later when I walked over to the mailboxes.

As I was passing out a few papers (Not something I usually do) I saw an envelope labeled to me from student 16. I opened it up and the letter inside really shook up my emotions and helped me to realize that I need to be more positive and loving to these sweet kiddo's that I get to work with! Apparently the situation with the Valentine's math page was weighing heavily on her because she wrote me the sweetest apology letter.

"Hi Miss Fiso I am trying say sorry doing that to you I always be mad because I did mistakes on math and am to sorry Miss Fiso"

As I looked at this letter it struck me that, to me the math page wasn't a big deal but it was a big deal to her. She was devastated because of her mistakes and having another student bring attention to it didn't help. As I worried about the situation I thought of how student 16 is amazing! Yes, she struggles at school with academics but she is the most cheerful student with such a wonderful attitude. She is always willing to try and is such a sweet student and hard-worker. I am happy to have her in my class this year!

It is true that everyone has something they can contribute, it's what makes our world so colorful. As stressful as some colors, or people, can be it is important to recognize every single one for what they are. They are Children of God with eternal potential and we need to love them for who they are! When we can do that our lives become so much brighter because we are filled with love for those around us!

I know I've posted it before but this video really is one of my favorites!

Halfway There

Today marks my half-birthday and, though it doesn't look like I've accomplished much, I feel proud of myself! I have been sticking to this #27by27 so well, I thought it would be fun to do an update as to where I'm at with my year goals! Green (Done), Yellow (In Progress), Red (Not started)

1. Picture a day- I haven't missed one yet!
2. Family History (3 Names)- I really need to devote more time to this one but I have some leads.
3. Temple (3 times a month)- Going strong and I often take my friends with me!

4. Scripture buddy/study- This has been going well I've filled almost 60 pages on my study google doc
5. Learn 10 hymns on piano and be ready to play them- I have learned five so I'm halfway there
6. Go to two plays- I went to see Newsies at Tuacahn!

7. Audition for something- I'm still waiting on this one I figured I'll finish my Master's first... So! Close!

8. Five Runs- I have done  three: Temple to Temple run, Color Run, BYU Sugar Rush

9. Travel somewhere new- I still need to work on this anyone have any ideas??? I have some time in April
10. Memorize the Living Christ- I have over half of it memorized, I just need to devote more time to it.
11. Get a Passport
12. Drive the Nebo loop in the Fall- I went with Jessica and it was gorgeous!

13. Try something new (2 a month)- I have been doing this each month, it's been nice to try some new things and expand my comfort zone.
14. Two new temples- I need road trip buddies for this one!

15. Finish a journal- I finished my journal!!!! It was a happy day.

16. Blog once a month- I've averaged this one but my post for November was forgotten and posted instead on the 1st of December...
17. Make a memory quilt
18. Fly somewhere
19. Attempt a dating app for a month- This is the one that scared me most. I've started it but it's about as lively as my real dating life which is a thing only in name...
20. Be Belle for Halloween- Check! I even sewed my dress!

21. Go Zip-lining- I think I'll wait for warmer weather.

22. Finish the Standard Works (Seminary version)- I have officially completed the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament. The really cool thing about the Old Testament is we are studying it this year so I have an advantage because it is fresh in my mind! I'm excited to start working through the New Testament and D&C.

23. Make a Crayon Picture- I did this for a girls night with my mom, it was so fun.

24. Read 5 Classics- So far I've read Gone With the Wind and The Christmas Carol. I'm still looking for ideas, if you have a fantastic idea let me know.
25. Back handspring- I'm working on it but this may have been too ambitious of a goal.
26. Pull-ups (2)- I'm working on strengthening my arm strength but this is another one that's going to take lots of work. 

27. One act of service each week- This is one I am getting better at planning in advance.