Thankful Thursday

Last week i had a lesson in Relief Society and the teacher talked about gratitude. She said on her blog she does a "Thankful Thursday" post ever Thursday and i thought it was a good idea, and especially today since it is Thanksgiving.

SO, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

I have so very much to be thankful for in my life. I am truly blessed. 

This year i am so blessed to live with some pretty great girls. One that im especially grateful for today is Kenz. She has become one of my very best friends. She makes me better each and every day. I am so comfortable around her and i tell her everything. We laugh and cry over everything. We try to work out, we love food way too much, and we are absolutely crazy. We love life and just try to make the most of everything! This year would really suck without her. 

So i don't know if i have mentioned this but i get to work at a middle school with students with learning disabilities three days a week as a volunteer. Some days i absolutely love it and i love my students. Other days i hate what im doing and wonder why on earth i would ever choose to be a teacher (my wonderful mother has answered countless phone calls where i am in tears and she has to calm me down). It has definitely been a patience test for me that's for sure but i know it is making me a better person. I am thankful for the opportunity i have to learn and grow from these kids that i have grown to love. At the end of semester i think i am going to cry when i am done working there and have to move on to a new class with new students. I am one proud momma when they do well in school and i get frustrated and upset when they don't. I love to hear "Miss. Melanie" called across the room, it kinda has a nice ring to it and i love that i can help these students.

The other day i was in the class alone with my students and we needed to get our math homework done. My girls were really giggly and just wanted to talk. They kept trying to ask me about my boyfriend and who i was dating. I told them that i don't have a boyfriend and so they asked if after math they could make me something. I said sure, just trying to shut them up and get them going on their math homework. To my surprise they rushed through their math so they could get done and make me a present. I found this after class. Dating Steps by sixth grade girls. Awesome. Ha i couldn't help but to laugh and wonder how on earth they thought about all of this. I think they have a few of the steps a little out of order but it definitely made my day.

I am so very thankful for a wonderful, warm, nice car that works and transports me to all the places i need to be and especially allows me to drive home! I have a wonderful daddy who spoils me and bought me a car for college (i think my mom would have been upset if he wouldn't have) but i am one lucky girl!

I am thankful for the opportunity i have to be home with a wonderful family that i am able to spend eternity with. I am thankful for a wonderful mother and a best friend that loves me and enjoys having me home. She does my laundry when im home, buys me groceries, and spoils me rotten. She made all my favorite meals, including chicken Alfredo with an Italian soda - delicious!

I am thankful for a cute little sister that also loves having me home. She always seems to rope me into just dancing with her and playing games and i can never refuse some good fun! I love her and can't wait for her to be all grown up so we can be the best of friend!

I am thankful for this little terd. Hes pretty much the best kid in the world with the biggest heart of anyone i know. I love him so very much. He came to the late night showing of Twilight with my mom and I just to be with me and i love him more than he will ever know. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity i have to work. Not only do i have a job, but its the best job in the world. I don't have to have a job at college because i can come home and work at A.M.I. on the weekends and over my breaks to make money while still being home with my family. My dad has always said that if he can teach his kids how to work and to have a testimony he will have succeeded as a parent. I am grateful for a dad that took the time to teach me these qualities. I think it helps me to really appreciate what i have. I work all summer so i can pay for my schooling and housing and i honestly am grateful for this too. It sounds funny but i think i appreciate it way more then if my parents just gave it to me. I feel like school is more important because i had to work hard for it so i want to go and be there and make the most of it. I am thankful for the opportunity i have to go to school and to better myself to be able to have a job some day doing what i love! I have been given so much in my life an am truly blessed.

My very favorite song right now is Hymn 219, Because I Have Been Given Much. I tear up every time it is played and love the words and message it has.

Because I have been given much i too must give.

I hope this holiday season i can give back because i have been truly blessed in my life. I am the luckiest girl in the whole wide world and am so happy! Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm a Scardy Cat

I HATE Halloween. 

It's probably the worst holiday ever invented.

I think we have had like three halloween parties in my ward this last month and i am just a wee bit burnt out.

Don't get me wrong, i loved getting to see my friends and spend time with them at the haunted house and we had a ton of fun peeing our pants and laughing the night away, but the scary stuff is not for me. 

Ya i love that everywhere you go there is always tons of free candy since its Halloween, but I'm also trying to diet and loose weight and that is not helping one bit.

But what i hate the most is all the scary creepy things that go along with halloween. And this year, it got to me pretty dang bad.

At the beginning of the week my crazy neighbor painted my nails for Halloween and let me just tell you, i was a real hit at school the next day. The kids i tutor were loving them and they couldn't get enough of looking at every single nail. Lets just say i felt like the cool kid for sure!

 Chrissy and i dressed up for Halloween as babies for FHE Monday night and when we walked in we found we weren't the only one with this grand idea.

Love my roommates! :]

I absolutely love my ward this year. Everyone is fantastic and i feel so at home here!

Good ole Josh showed up as Obama!

For school on Wednesday (Halloween) i got all ready for school and completely forgot what day it was. I had completely forgotten my cute Halloween sweater and so in between classes i ran home to change. This cute girl was a cupcake and i think shes the cutest dang cupcake i have ever seen! Sure love miss Karlie to pieces!!

These darling kids sent me some pictures from their fun parties at school! Id say they are some pretty good looking cave people!! 

Halloween night my roommates and i were feeling adventurous and wanted to watch a scary movie. The best we came up with was Monsters Inc. and by about 9:00 everyone was in bed. I didn't want to go to bed quite yet, i mean come on i wanted to celebrate this horrible holiday all night. I have no clue what i was thinking because this ended up being one of the worst nights of my life. I went to the neighbors and we watched a scary movie that gave me nightmares for two nights straight. I wasn't able to sleep and have been legitimately scared. I know that the spirit leaves in those situations and i felt completely lost without having that peaceful calming feeling. I was sick to my stomach and couldn't eat anything. I learned that i am no longer scary movie material and will steer clear from those from now on.

Thursday i had one of the worst days of my entire life. Nothing seemed to be going right and i can quite honestly say it started from that awful movie. I was about to burst into tears about seven times that day so i decided i needed a little therapy to help calm my nerves and settle me down. I settled on a run to the temple and that was just the trick. Running helped me to just think and calm down and being on temple grounds is always such a spiritual experience. My day started to get better and with a little talking to and some ice cream from one of the best roommates and friends a girl could have i was a little less frightened and able to calm down. 

This is totally a great insentive to run and i thought it was absolutly beautiful. I couldn't help singing to my self, "I love to see the temple, I'll go inside someday." I know that some day ill be lucky enough to find some amazing guy to take me to my castle, this castle, so i am able to spend eternity with him. 

Seeing this beautiful lady today also helped a lot. She has no idea how much i appreciate her each and every day. The little texts and conversations and how she is always there even being two hours apart. It's hard, i hate to be away from her, but i do know this is where i need to be. She is my role model and my inspiration for life. Some day i hope to be half the woman my mother is. She calmed my nerves and knew exactly what i needed to hear today. She has the best advice and i am so thankful for her!

 We tried to take a picture after Ridge's game but we got photo bombed by this goober. Sure love them both so much!

After they left, i have some pretty amazing friends who took me to the temple to just walk the grounds and feel the sweet spirit that is felt there!

Some darling old lady tried really hard to get a good picture and this is the best we got!

It was a crazy rough week, but i know for certain that the gospel is true and that i am so thankful for it in my life. I have no idea where i would be without it. I have some amazing friends and family that i am so thankful for for helping me make it through a crazy week. Now i know to stay away from scary shows. I am way to old to handle them any more, so not worth the nightmares!!