Taking Risks

I saw the most amazing example of taking risks last night at a halftime show during a basketball game. (Normally, the halftime show is little girls dancing in ways that I wouldn't dance like). Ladies from the age of 50 to 92 came out and provided a little show/dance. It was clean and fun. The 92 year old woman did her own little dance which included a high kick (higher than mine) and a perfect spilt on the floor. WOW!

I wonder if I would be brave enough to take risks when I get older, then I realized why I am not taking risks while I am young. What is holding me back? I am afraid of what people will think of me? Why do I care what so many people think? Why am I a coward? Am I scared of being hurt or rejected? Am I scared to let people see the real me? Is there something wrong with the real me?

Taking risks just doesn't apply to putting yourself out there like this 92 year old women. I think it applies to standing up for ourselves and speaking out against things that are not right. I don't want to be scared to tell someone to put away a porn magazine or stop smoking or cussing if my nieces and nephews are around and can see or hear it. I am protecting them. Why am I afraid to offend others with my beliefs? I have been trained to not offend others and be careful, which is some situations is great. Other times, I need to take a stand. I stand for something, do my actions speak what I stand for?

Hoofed or Hooved Animals

I have to share the most interesting thing I learned last night at my class. We were doing an activity about previews and our sample reading was about Hoofed Animals. I have to share what I learned because it is most intriguing and is going to be a jeopardy questions one day.
Hoofed animals:
-examples are horses, camels, rhinos, unicorns, reindeer, hippos, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, elephant, wildebeests, water buffalo, zebra, and giraffes.
-Two main groups: Odd-toed and even-toed
-Most are plant eaters and have cheek teeth to help chew the veggie material also have a stomach that has several chambers for digesting.
-Some have cud chewers, which means they chew some food and it goes to the stomach and then it returns to the mouth to be chewed more thoroughly.
-Most travel in family groups. Elephants travel in groups of about 40 and are all related. When a mother elephant is giving birth, the other lady elephants will encircle her.
-Pregnancy lasts a few months and non-domesticated animals are in heat only once a year.
-Seacows are considered hoofed animals because they have front legs with flattened horny nails (hoofs are nails).
So instead of getting a pedicure, they get hooficures.

What is your tooth fairy's name?

I heard the greatest idea in the world last week. (ok, maybe not the greatest, but pretty cool). One of my teachers started a tradition with her children. Everyone has a tooth fairy, but the teacher gave her daughter's tooth fairy a name and life. Bethany is her daughter's tooth fairy name. She leaves little notes wrap with a gold string. The notes talk about what she is doing and how busy she is. The daughter is always wondering what Bethany is doing and how things affect her. (great for developing questioning skills) She doesn't understand why other kids don't get notes from their tooth fairy. Maybe, these other tooth collectors should try to establish a relationship the person's whose teeth they collect.

100th post

I can't believe I have posted a 100 times. Can I get a Woot! Woot! (don't forget to emphasis the t's)

Anyway, here is the quote of the week-

"Research is sexy."

My "Intro to research and design" teacher really loves research, it is what turns her on. It is a good thing her husband enjoys research as well. Now my cohort and I have been giggling because we are thinking "What are really passionate about it our studies? or really love learning about?"

It is no longer a brick!

Cell phones have really changed over the past ten years. It is really amazing.

It is no longer a brick, my cell phone. My first cell phone was a donation from my father's company. I wish I could have a found a picture for you. Let me describe it. Nextel phone, 2 inches thick and could have been run over my a tank and still worked. It had been dropped a few times (by my dad), when we was working on the roofs of some building (3 stories at least). It was still working. That phone lasted me a couple of years, 3 years I think.

I was lucky to have a friend (Thanks, Holly) donate me a new phone 4 years ago. It was only a 1 inch thick and it was a flip phone. I had the batman ring tone. That phone lasted me 4 years. This past week, I had to retire that phone.

Both cell phones, I have had have been laughed at and mocked because of their size (both being referred to as a brick.) I loved them and cared for them. Even once the cell company laughed that I was still using an old cell phone, that was 1 year ago. I finally made the decision to join the "rest" of the world and get a slick new phone. Actually, I was not swayed by the world, my old phone was dying and my brother in law had an old phone(newer for me). It is so little and tiny, what to do. Oh, thanks to my brother in law for helping to bring me to the exciting world of a slicker cell phone. Whoo hoo.

Don't Understand

I know that many fads come and go. Sometimes, you wish they would go faster and others slower, because they make you look good. One fad, that I am not fond of, is writing on clothes that appear on the bum. It has been a fad for awhile and I am not a fan of attracting attention to the bum in this way. Writing on the bum can make things appear larger. Many sweat pants tote a logo on the bum or words like "Cute" or "Pink." Also, basketball shorts are putting a little logo right in the middle of the bum. In what world is this great? It now gives us an acceptable reason to stare at people's bums, because we are trying to read, what is written on the clothing. this fads reminds me of a license plate on a car. Hopefully, this fad wears out.

Tough Decision

I finally made a tough decision, that I had been avoiding for quite some time. Many people have been asking me,
"What are you going to do after you graduate?"
I had a couple of options:

1. Move back to North Carolina- I have half of my family there, including the parental units. I have an established repoire and awesome friends with my home/family ward. I would be able to save my money and build a cottage by the pond. It would be easy to find a job teaching. I miss the beach, lighthouses, and ACC basketball. I would buy season tickets to my alma mater.

2.Stay in Utah- It would be easy to stay in my ward with the established friends I have made and keep some stability in my life. I have a great place to live(great roommate and cheap rent in a great location.) I have family members here. It would not be difficult to find a teaching job, although the pay would be cheaper than #1 and #3 areas.

3.Move Back to Washington State- I have an established relationship with some people in that area. Some of them have been my fake family and I miss them, because they took care of me, when I lived there with no family. I have a job waiting for me at a school, I love, and students, I love. I miss feeling needed. Yes, I get attached very quickly. I will be close to the ocean, my lighthouses, and Seattle (including my Mariners.)

4. Move to somewhere new-Yeh, that is not really an option. I don't think I can fincially, emotionally, and mentally pick up and move at this time.

What did I decide? I will not lose sleep over it anymore or avoid answer the questions about my future life.

I picked option #2.