Oceans

I went to see the new movie OCEANS last night. It was spectacular! I was amazed at the film and footage they were able to capture. I can't imagine the countless hours spents waiting and hoping for just the right shot. Or having to be in just the right location on the planet, in the water to get the migration of a specific kind of crab. Or the feeding frenze off the coast of South Africa. Or the shot of a mama seal coaxing her baby into the water for the first time. The things you find under the ocean... let's just say there's a reason I don't swim in it! But it was beautiful to see. How can you watch something like that and see the imagination and detail and precision of it all and then turn around and say there's no God? What a vivid and all knowing creative person He is! Simply stunning.
I wasn't able to catch Earth last year but I'm sure I can find it somewhere and watch it. I hear the new show LIFE is pretty spectacular, as well, and I should start watching it. I've just got to find out time and channel.

Some days... my job... *sigh*

Reader alert! Sad thoughts ahead!
They never train you when you're in college how to deal with some of the things you deal with as a public education teacher. What to do when you have a student who farts incessantly because he doesn't have the social skills NOT to. What to do when a parent refuses to take responsibility for their child's lack of effort. What to do when the lightbulb on your overhead goes out in the middle of class and the librarian isn't around to change it and get a new one. What to do when kids ask you for more advice than they do their parents. What do to when kids take their own life. What do to when the parent of a kid decides to take their own life. Its been that kind of year- death has been present most of the year. We had a 9th grader decide to take his own life a couple months ago. Never saw that coming. Then last week we had a mom decide to do the same thing. And then THIS week, a father make the same choice. The kids are, well, quite frankly they seem to be doing alright. But it still doesn't make any sense. I've had lots of kids ask about it and why, why, why? I don't know and they don't tell you the answer to that in college.
So I turned to Mormon Doctrine, the book by Elder Bruce McConkie. Here's what he said: Suicide: Suicide consists in the voluntary and intentional taking of one's own life, particularly where the person involved is accountable and has a sound mind. Mortal life is a gift from God; it comes according to the divine will, is appointed to endure for such time as Diety decrees, and is designed to serve as the chief testing period of man's eternal existence. It is the probationary state or time during which man is tried and tested physically, spiritually, and mentally. No man has the right to run away from these tests, no matter how severe they may be, by taking his own life. Obviously persons subject to great stresses may lose control of themselves and become mentally clouded to the point that they are no longer accountable for their acts. Such are not to be condemned for taking their own lives. It should also be remembered that judgment is the Lord's. He knows the thoughts, intents and abilities of men; and he in his infinite wisdom will make all things right in due course.
I can't judge why a parent would do that. I can't explain why a parent would do that. I don't know that it provided many answers to WHY so much as just to say that you don't have the right to run away from your tests, regardless of how hard they are. You don't have the right to leave your kids and provide them with the memory of you like that. Its selfish. Its senseless. And you will be accountable for it. But the last line... his infinite wisdom will make all things right in due course. That's the comfort to find there.

Mobile Mechanics

Many years ago, my mom's car broke down. My dad was at work and couldn't come home. So she looked in the phone book (I believe that's how this story goes) and found a mechanic who comes to you. Mobile Mechanics. Farrel has been around ever since. He's a good man who is honest and knows pretty much everything there is to know about cars. He can tell you exactly what's wrong and why and not try to get more money out of you because you're female. Heaven knows with some of the "amazing" cars we've had over the years, Farrel could have milked our family for A LOT!
He does things like this: while my parents were on their mission, I had to call him to look at my car. He shows up to my work, takes it for a spin, tells me where and what he adjusted and what was wrong, and then didn't charge me a dime for it because he was just lookin' out for me.
My car has been sick this week. Its creaking. Farrel said it sounds like him getting out of bed! haha Apparently the rubber casing around my struts is getting hard and so it creaks. Nothing wrong. Its not hurting anything other than making an annoying noise when I go over a bump. Most mechanics would tell me to spend the $400-500 to get new struts. Farrel just tells me that its fine and if I can live with the noise, then call him when I'm tired of it and have an extra couple hundred bucks. How lovely is that?! An honest mechanic. And while I know he'll never read my blog and know how grateful I truly am for his quality and work ethic, I just thought I'd give him a little shout out! Thanks!

Conference and Easter Weekend :)

Ever since we were little kids, my mom found ways to entertain us while conference was on. Conference bingo was played with homemade cards and kidney beans. Years went by and the tradition grew and grew. Before you knew it, we had 4 tvs going, all radios in and out of the house and more people than we knew what to do with. Neighborhood kids would come over for scones and PB Cap'n Crunch. Roommates came up for the weekend. It was literally a biannual extravaganza.

Since then its toned down a little bit. Now its just back to our family...but that doesn't mean that its any less people! The kids have their conference packets to do and there's more food that you can manage. And its still one of my favorite times to get together with my family.

The messages this weekend were phenomenal. You'll just have to go read them all! I plan on it.

After Sunday afternoon session, we had an Easter egg hunt for some of the kids. The two oldest nieces got to hide the eggs outside. Then it was every child for themselves and their specifically colored eggs! Good luck!

Behind the Shield

With soccer season underway, our first homegame is next Saturday. Can't wait! With that in mind, my friend just sent me an email with something funny on it. Last fall we attended the watch parties for the playoff games. SO FUN! Apparently we had so MUCH fun, that they posted us on their blog... haha please go check us out! click on Behind the Shield You can only see one of our faces, but those other three heads are us! LOL I'm in the orange.

Sleepover with Nancy and Beth

My two oldest nieces, Nancy and Beth, slept over the night after Cinderella and Lily were here. Its been a busy week with Aunt Amy! whew! And I just have to add- all these blog alias names? I can barely keep their real names straight, much less their blog names so yes, I know Beth is not really Beth but it is NOW on my blog :)

Anyway, here's the highlights:

• Being the only three people in the theater for Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief
• McDonald's chocolate shakes... they would BE a highlight but we forgot them in my freezer so I now have 3 small shakes waiting patiently for me haha
• Leverage episodes
• Breakfast waffles
• Shoe shopping- obviously! They know I love shoes and I'm helping them love shoes, too! So we always have to spend some time trying on the most ridiculous ones and walking around in them! We almost rolled a couple ankles but we made it! Nancy actually found a really cute pair of clogs. Beth found some darling purple wedges but they were still a little out of price range (bummer). Me? Just a pair of standard white keds for summer.
• The Last Song- the girls really loved it. I thought it was your typical Nicholas Sparks movie where someone has to die and it has to be tragic. But I liked it more than his others.

Thanks, girls, for a great time! Can't wait til we can do it again!