OFFICIALLY AWKWARD HANDSHAKE

I just can't seem to keep karma on my side lately. I saw Corey (aka C2 from my post about my dating life) and his wife at the Temple tonight. I was trapped in a completely unavoidable situation because I work in the temple and couldn't just run away. He actually spoke words to me which was yucky in my stomach but the funny/awkward part came in the celestial room: he shook my hand. Yes, a handshake. I don't need a handshake from you brother, I'm totally okay without that. Mid-handshake he apologized for the fact that I had to see him and in such an awkward setting. He acknowledged the awkward! That's like Monica saying she's breezy to Richard, it negates all breeziness. It was super awkward! Almost as awkward as his facial expression when he tried to process what on earth I was doing in the grown up temple.

3 GENIE WISHES

Josh and I were driving back from Kaysville tonight and he just started rattling off the three wishes he would choose if he had a Genie. These were his wishes:

1. Have all current and future construction on I-15 done, finished, complete. Forever.
2. To have 2 Billion $$$ (which he gave me a long list of the things he would spend his $ on)
3. The ability to choose anyone to come back from the dead and be undead

This prompted me to think about my three genie wishes and this is what I came up with:

1. to have the border of Utah extended to include that remaining .01% of Lake Powell that is not (yet) in Utah
   
2. a cure for all cancers - so all people need is just a simple vaccine, like the MMR shots become the MMRC shots
3. unlimited travel money!!! literally, if I want to go somewhere, there is just beautiful amounts of money to do it

INSUFFICIENT FUNDS = FALL BREAK

UEA used to mean something in Utah for students and teachers. It was a time when kids gleefully played outside for two days before the weather turned cold and teachers sat in conferences. Thank the good karma in the world that UEA no longer exists and we do a little thing called fall break. This is the only time that the lack of funding has improved my life. There is no money to put together teacher conferences so we just get the days off. Let me show you what teachers like myself do with time off:

• breakfast at Kneaders with Allison
• shopping
• hang out with cute babies
• lunch with family
• stay up late
• sleep in
• Temple
• watch TV and/or movies
• learn to make cake pops
  
• nap
• make playlists on iTunes
  
• stay in pajamas past noon
• internet
• dance you ace off to Michael Jackson
• think about Grammy
• think about Patrick Swayze
• organize things
• clean things
• laundry
• eat. a lot.

Thank you funding. I am glad you went away. I needed a "vacation from my problems."

CAN'T SLEEP

I don't require a lot of sleep during the week. I usually get 5.5 - 6 hours every night. I do catch up on Friday and Saturday when I sleep about 8-9 hours each night. I am not doing as well as I used to on my normal weeknight hours. It has been about two weeks now that I just haven't felt rested. I think the week that Grammy was dying and the week after she passed made for some sleepless nights. I kind of self-inflict by staying up and looking at pictures of Grammy in the hours that I can't sleep. And I suppose that blogging about not sleeping because I think about Grammy isn't any better than looking at pictures her. What would be really cool is if I was productive in the wee hours of the night instead of sitting and wasting away time. I wish I had the ability my father has to tune out the world of thoughts and stress and force myself to sleep. Well here goes nothing, I am gonna give prayer a try. Honestly, that is usually the only source for a good sleep when I am wired at night. Goodnight....

LIFE

Today I attended my Grammy's funeral. Today I mourned. Today I cried. Today I grew.

I am not a very good example at coping with death. I take it hard and I don't like to move on from it because I feel like when I do, the person is really gone from my life. While trying to mentally, emotionally, and spiritually comprehend the events of the past two weeks I have learned of another tragedy. One of my students was killed in an accident today caused by another student of mine. Knowing the heartache I have been processing with my spiritual, mature brain makes me so sad for my students who will have to struggle through the loss of a friend and classmate with their tender, young souls.

Somehow I have to muster up the courage and strength tomorrow to discuss with my kids about the death of this student and how to cope with it. I need to teach them compassion for the student driving the vehicle. I only hope I can be an example in their life at this time and help them through this. Teenagers are so impressionable and I know this situation will be so hard on them but they will get through. They will get through just as I am getting through. Just as we all must get through and continue on in life.

THREE TIME FIGHTER

My reason for the cure lost her battle tonight.
Love you grammy!
I will still fight for your disease.
October 20, 1927 - October 2, 2010

PINKTOBER

It is time for the yearly post for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! I begged you in 2007, 2008, and 2009 to do something in October. This will undoubtedly be the hardest October/Breast Cancer Awareness Month of my life. Grammy has been trying to leave this world for a much better place for about a week now. She is too strong and way too social to will herself to leave her family. When the time finally comes that Grammy passes, I will actually be excited. I truly believe that she has been fighting the battle of death for so long because there is no other way that our family would willingly let her go. PLEASE do something this October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. On the right side of my blog is a list of great BC sites. For great BC paraphernalia, I especially love Cafe Press and The Breast Cancer Site. Happy October!