It matters

Life has been kind of hectic here lately, and I have felt so swamped. I have a big research paper due on Tuesday; the following Tuesday I have a presentation that I have to give; I had a paper due on Wednesday; I had 12 questions over one the the most boring books I have ever had to read on Tuesday.(I do not recommend Virginia Wolfe's Mrs. Dalloway); Finals are coming up... Just one thing after another, or so it seems. I was supposed to go visiting teaching on Thursday, but since I was feeling so swamped, I told Jared that I was just going to call and cancel because it was just too much for me right now.

On the way to class on Tuesday night, I realized that I had a voicemail, and it was from one of the sisters on my route. I had written her a letter last month because I did not have time to go visit her in person. She is the only member in her family, and she is getting married and sealed in June to a member who lives in Utah. She is facing all sorts of problems with moving and preparing. She is a single mother of two kids; she works; she is graduating in May from MSU; she has her plate full, needless to say. She is also getting no support from her family either. In fact, they are creating more problems for her.

I really like going visiting teaching. I will say that I am not ever excited about the preparation that it takes to actually get to visit teach: the calling, scheduling, the reading (not that it is a lot)and all the rest of that mess. It is just kind of hard to coordinate everything, and it always seems to come at a time when I just don't feel like doing it, but when I go, I always come home happy and glad that I went. Anyways to the point...

The message that was left on my voicemail was so sweet. The sister, with tears and gratitude in her voice, told me how my letter came at just the right time, and that my words had touched her and helped her. She told me about all that she was going through and how getting a letter that was just for her meant so much to her.

I have to say that most times when I go visiting teaching or write a letter to one of the sisters that I visit, I feel like that it is all just a nice gesture. I feel like I don't really do a whole lot of good. Sometimes I feel like I don't have much to offer because I have not been a member that long, and the people that I visit teach have been members for years and years. But this sister let me know that what I did for her mattered.

After hearing the message, I texted Jared and told him that I had changed my mind. Yesterday, I got to go visiting teaching, and both the sisters that we got to see thanked us so much for taking our time to come see them. One of those sisters was the woman who left me that message on my phone. We just helped her pack because she has to have her house ready to sell by next week. She was so grateful for our help, and while we were packing she told me again how much my letter meant to her. She told me that she had read it to her fiance', and she said she cried through the whole letter with him.

The whole point to my long lengthy story is that the things that we do matter, even when we do not think so.

About 10 pounds lighter or so it seems...

So yesterday I cut my hair. Not just a trim, more like a chop... It is barely touching my shoulder, and I have layers in it. I will have to put the before and after pictures on here when I get a chance, but don't hold your breath on that one. I really like it, and even Jared likes it, which is a huge surprise. I thought he would hate it because it is short, or at least it is short compared to what I had. Super short actually. I have these little bang things that get in my face. Seriously how can people stand it have their dadgum hair in their face. It drives me nuts.

After I got my hair cut, I stopped by Target to get some clips because I can't put it all up without them, and it was really windy. So I am trucking along, walking to the car, and the hair goes in the face. Well, I kind of toss my head over to the side, like normal people do, but my head is about ten pounds lighter, and I nearly break my neck. I have done it twice more today, and I know people must be thinking I have turrets or something.

I was also told that I look more sophisticated and polished, and it makes me wonder how bad, I looked before. It is drastic in my opinion, but I like it. I think short haired Jessica will hang out for a while... Maybe...

New Distraction

So this past week I got an IPod, and I am addicted. It is pretty pathetic. In October I got Jared one for his birthday, and every so often I would listen to it when I was bored. According to Jared, I have embarrassing taste in music, and he said that it would ruin his reputation if someone found out that he had certain songs on his IPod, so he decided I needed on. My question was who would be looking at his IPod, but anyways... I thought that I would never use the IPod, and it would be yet another wonderful toy that I look at and think "Wow... I actually spend money on that!" But Jared talked me into it, and now I have this adorable pink IPod. It is the coolest thing. It will even let me rewind the radio! How cool is that? I also have over 600 songs at my finger tips, so whatever mood I randomly adopt, I have the song to go along with it.

The best part it that I have all the music from when I was younger on it, and I can cruise down memory lane and giggle at what a dork I was... Or am rather, but I cool with that. It is wonderful.

I am even finding reasons to incorporate music into my lessons at school, so that I can use it. My students are loving it too. Today we watched movie clips about Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Beyonce, Tupac, and Brad Paisley to practice note taking skills. They ate it up! On Thursday, I am bringing in my amazing little music machine to allow them to hear a couple songs from Bob Dylan and David Bowie as our opening exercise because they did not know what music they played. The movie clips were biographical. They are excited about learning the material too, so that is a bonus. Technology is awesome.

I love my new little toy...

Why I teach...

So I have this little girl, well she is 17, but a little girl none the less, and I have been working with her for about a month now on reading skills. She absolutely hated reading when we started!!! Hated it, and even got emotional about it because she felt she was terrible at reading, and I have to say that it was pretty bad.

Wednesday she comes up to me and tells me that she went to the library and found a book that she is really enjoying. She also told me that she had gone to the library and tried two other books before getting a book she could read on her own, but she never gave up! Today she comes up to me and tells me that she had finished reading the book and is looking for another. She was so proud of herself for being able to read the book by herself, and I am super proud of this little girl too!!! She has come such a long way in just a month. I think this is the first book that she has ever read on her own. I didn't assign it, and I didn't make her get the book. She did it all on her own!

I asked her what she thought about reading now that she has some skills to help her through, and she told me that she really likes reading now! She was so excited to get another book! It is a simple thing, but I can say if I don't have any other successes this year, I know I am where I am supposed to be. That young lady, although she doesn't know it, has given me such a wonderful gift. I was just hoping to help her struggle less, but now she has a love for books, which is like gold to an English teacher! I am so grateful that I am where I am!

Why am I blogging?

I was told some time ago that I needed to start blogging to keep my family in the loop as to what is going on with Jared and me. I, like the "good" person I am, have not done this... until now... I suppose better late than never! I think it was over a year ago that Ryann, or Susan, or someone else said that they never knew what was going on with us, and God knows I have no clue as to what they go through on a daily basis. It has been pressing on me for some time now how much I do not get to see my family, and frankly it sucks! I miss so much. It seems like it has been longer and longer between visits to see everyone, and I can say that it has definitely taken a great affect on me. I don't know who is doing what and what is happening. Then when I do find out it is irrelevant, so this is my effort to remedy that.

I honestly do not know when I will blog or what I have that I think is so amazing to "write down," but I at least made the attempt to be more connected. (Or that is what I am going to tell myself!)

For those who read this know that I am a very boring person, so please do expect anything spectacular. I don't have kids (other than my 35 babies that I teach who are juniors in high school. Yes they are babies, and there are times when I am gladly not their mama, so I won't be able to put anything cute about them, and all in all Jared and I are couch potatoes, although we actaully got off our butts and went to work out yesturday, and we bought all healthy foods when we went shopping. We will see how long that lasts...

So for whoever told me to blog here is! Finally...