Day 59 – Something you could never get tired of doing.

Walks around Daybreak.


Sitting in front of a fireplace.


Road trips with friends.


Stargazing.


Sleeping (oh the irony).

Day 58 – A quote you try to live by.

Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance.

Taken from THIS talk by Neal A. Maxwell (I believe it's around the 11th paragraph)


I love this quote because of the imagery and alliteration.  I've never forgotten it since a companion on the mission shared with me.  Gracias H' King.


I try to live by this quote, but I have to say that I think I will have reached any amount of perfection I could accomplish in this life when I can fulfill this quote on a daily basis.  In other words, I would love to just pause for a moment anytime I feel a measure of frustration/discouragement/impatience and just appreciate the "unfolding purposes of God" and His timing (as opposed to feeling trapped by what I can't control).

Day 57 – Five words or phrases that make you laugh.

SOME PHRASES


Dead meat


Necking/Petting


Making eyes at someone


Potent Potables


Some Words


Yowzas


Jiggle


Dipthong


Niblet


Cahoots


Comeuppance


Bromance

Something else that made me smile.

I was teaching this class of 22 sixth grade boys (don't ask me how I ended up with a class without a single girl).  JG raises his hand and says, "I'm a little concerned that we will be competing against the 9th graders with this christmas carol.  I believe are voices are a little less consistent than the older kids...if you know what I mean?"  Picture him with a furrowed brow and his hand on his chin like the thinker.

Day 56 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.

This is a place called El Volcan.  It's in San Luis, Argentina.  I spent 2 or 3 p-days there on the mission.  Of course, I had to go back and visit with the Navarro's when I was in Argentina in '09.  These are not my personal pictures, I never could seem to capture what I was seeing on a camera.  But this place has always had a little magic for me.  I often think of THIS (read verse 30 in particular).

What Makes Me Smile Today? Seventh. Graders.

How cute are they????

All this when we are trying to learn Jingle Bells in Spanish.  We didn't get very far.  It's amazing what you can do with some tape, string, gold tissue paper and some ADHD.

Day 55 – What’s in your purse?

This is a post I've been waiting for/dreading for awhile.  My purse is usually chock full of every random thing you could possibly expect.  It's nice because I always end up having something that someone else needs.  But today actually wasn't so bad.  Here ya go, have a looksie...

On purse (l-r) pen, bombilla (straw for drinking mate) and wallet.
On desk (l-r) hand sanitizer spray pen, cell phone, cocount lotion, receipt, lip gloss, pencil, glasses, 2 chapsticks, eyelash wand, mint lotion, forever sunshine lotion.

Day 54 – Things you like/dislike about yourself.

I like that people come to me for advice and I like that people tell me things.


I like that I can laugh and (when the occasion permits) cry.


I dislike that I have such a hard time sleeping.


I like that I usually have a good perspective and outlook on life.


I like my sense of style.


I like that I'm a likable person.


I dislike that sometimes I lack the patience I need to not get discouraged when disappointing things happen.


I dislike that sometime I can be a real airhead.


I like that I can be an entertainer.


I like that I can handle being a middle school teacher.  We are a saintly breed.  I really do think.

Day 53 – What you wore today.

My favorite red coat!  And who care about the rest.  I live in this coat all winter.  It's been really good to me.

Day 52 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

In case you haven't figured it out.  I'm really trying to crank out the blog entries so that I can meet my goal of answering all 60 journaling prompts by the end of the year.


DISCLAIMER:  This "letter" is a little on the negative side, so you may want to skip this one.


Dear ____________,




Let me be brutally honest.  


I have no more patience for you.  And...I'm done being annoyed at you all the time.


One thing I've learned about myself is that if someone no me cae bien, I just need distance.  Physical distance.  It's the only way I can get perspective.  It's the only way I can feel safe around you again.

Day 51 – A photo of something that makes you happy.

Riding really fast on the back of a motorcycle (I wouldn't actually drive one myself even if you paid me, but it's fun to hold on tight and let someone else do the driving).

PS.  I don't recommend googling "girl riding on the back of motorcycle".  It ain't pretty.

Day 50 – Who gave you your name and why?

I'm actually not sure why my mom and dad chose Amanda.  I think they told me at one point that they really liked the name Sarah too.  My middle name is Joy and that's because my mom's middle name is Joy too.  I didn't like this name as much when I was younger but it has really grown on me.  Plus, when people say to me, "Well, aren't you just super happy today?" I can respond, "it makes sense because Joy is my middle name!"

Day 49 – Something you always think “what if” about.

What if I just up and moved to Argentina?  Where would I live?  How would I make money?  Could I really just pull it off?  Would I really be happy living so far away from friends and family?  I usually conclude that I couldn't possibly pull it off until all of my student loans are paid for.  But it's fun to contemplate.  And hey, only 9,000 more dollars to go.  Soon it won't be "what if" but rather "why not".

Day 48 – Something you feel strongly about.

I get very passionate about the way that Latinos (and other darker skinned people) are often treated/misjudged/generalized in this country.  I feel like skeezy human beings come from all races, religions, cultures and countries.  And yet people in this country show a disproportionate amount of mistrust towards darker skinned people.


And while I'm at it, let me say this: I get tired of constantly hearing illegal immigrants get blamed for every problem this country has.  What power do these people have?  The illegal immigrants that I know are good people who are completely powerless to do anything to change their situation.  People who are dishonest and cheat the system will continue to do so whether they are legal or illegal citizens.  Let's talk about the lack of integrity and fiscal responsibility of those people in positions of power for a change.  Not that I think placing blame on anyone actually helps any bad situation.


Did you know we educate ALL children in this country regardless of their citizenship?  Unfair?  Not really.  Whatever children are in this country, will most likely grow up to be adults in this country.  I think we can all agree that it would be nice to have better educated adults throughout society.


I don't like ANYONE who lives off the government.  BUT I don't have a problem if my taxes go to help ANYONE who really needs it.  I don't like welfare leaches whether they're citizens of this country or not.  I don't like people who steal things, whether it's social security numbers or skeezy business practices.  


I guess I get mad when people say that illegal immigrants are sucking up all of our money.  I don't see how anyone can honestly determine that.  Don't even get me started on how impossible/expensive the process to gain citizenship is.  


Ok.  I've ranted enough.  I'm done.

Day 47 – A photo of you and your family.

Joel is missing from this one, he had to work that day.  This was on my 28th birthday at Silver Creek Falls in Oregon.  A pretty great place to picnic and hike.

Day 46 – Something you’re proud of.

Well, I guess if I can only choose one thing to mention it would be this:


I'm proud of the way that I was raised.  I think my parents are pretty great people.  They allowed me/trusted me to do my own thing and be as independent as I could be as early as possible.  They let me make my own decisions (and in many cases, make my own mistakes).  My mom would write me sweet notes and tell me how much she loved me (and still does).  My dad taught me how to laugh and play and enjoy the simple stuff in life.  Additionally, I'm proud of where I was raised.  I think Oregon was a great place to grow up.

Day 45 – Five items you lust after.

1.  Okay, I mostly lust after clothes...and comfort items.

2.  It's just that I love dresses.  So much.  So so much.

3.  A bed with this kind of frame/headboard.  Please oh please.  It's like a couch.  But it's a bed.

4.  I own this makeup and I still lust after it.  Is that possible?

5.  I love all the Ralph's.  It's so much more that just another perfume, I say.