Finding Krissi

I'm not even going to look to see when I last posted. I know it has been awhile. A long while. I have no excuses. Well I have a few. For example: We went to Cali for Easter. Spent some much needed time with family and friends. Celebrated the holiday  with a little frosting. After Easter I started applying and interviewing for jobs. Then.... Yup... So excited to be a third grade teacher next year at Quest Academy. Big smiles and grins! A few days after accepting the job it was my big day. It was an awesome day shared with my family, parents, in-laws, and the great people I travelled the road to my degree with. I still can't believe how fun it was to wear that silly hat. Before graduation Al performed in her last elementary school play. She played the part of Colonel Hathi in Jungle book. She was awesome of course. While watching Al's last performance my very cool friends gave me a graduation gift. A necklace that I wore on the day of gr...

Student teaching, student teaching, student teaching, my whole life is wrapped around student teaching. All I can say is it has been awesome!  Yesterday on my way home I was thinking about how worried I was about student teaching. The list of concerns was long and at the very top of the list was the question, "what if I hate teaching?". Since then I have come to realize that I love teaching. I have also learned that when you are doing what you love you are filled to the brim with happiness. Follow your passion use to seem like cheesy statement. Now I know that when you find that thing that matches up with who you are life is full of potential. This journey has been amazing and I couldn't have done it without Brent. I have come to realize that he is essential to my life. He is literally my other half. He completes my life. Over the past six weeks he has taken on the roll of mom like a trooper. The house is clean, dinners made, and kids are taken care of. It ...

I am currently ignoring a very long to do list. A list, that no matter how many things I am able to check off as done, continues to grow. It is exciting and exhausting all at once. Today, I was asked by the Young Men's President how I was adjusting to my calling. I stopped for a second, thought, and started to laughing. I told him I have so much going on I haven't really thought about how I felt. Everyday is just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and getting done everything that needs to be done. Not to say I haven't learned anything from my calling. I am learning lots and lots. In fact, here is a short list of some of the things I have learned. #1 People think that when you are the head of the organization you are at the top. I have learned that in truth you are at the bottom. The bad thing about being on bottom is all the crud runs down to you. All the negative feelings, complaints, injustices, and not fairs land on top of your head. Sometimes it ...

I think by now we all know that these thanks giving posts did not go quite as I expected. I just want you to know that it isn't because I don't have a lot to be thankful for. Because I have ALOT to be thankful for. It has more to do with time management and the inability to make a day longer than 24 hours.  Im sure there are a lot of moms out there who know exactly what I mean. That being said here in all their glory are the last 10 thanks givings. November 14: I am thankful that my 11 year old has a cell phone. I have to be honest and let you know that I fought Brent on this one. I didn't think she needed a phone yet. I thought a year or two more would be soon enough. However, he won the fight and she got a phone. To tell you the truth she is the only one out of the three that makes me glad they have a phone. She is the queen of sending me totally random text that make me laugh. She shares random moments and I can count on her for a giggle every thursday night ...

It is the 28th! Do I give you the whole spill about not being behind? NO! Because we all know I'm behind. I'm not even going to ask where the heck this month went. I'm not giving up there will be 23 Thanks on this blog by Wednesday night! before I post one Christmas post. Here we go.... November 8th I am thankful to have this opportunity to be in school. I love learning and I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment as I near the end. I'm a little older than I thought I would be when I graduated from college but I wouldn't change a thing. November 9th I don't know if I have ever mentioned how grateful I am to have a handy husband. He spent an entire day off of work, with no kids, no plans, PAINTING! Yes, my front room is now a beautiful shade of green that I LOVE, due to a very handy not to mention handsome hubby. November 10th Laughter! Not to long ago I posted about not remembering the last time I laughed so hard I cried. Well just the other nig...

There are good points and there are bad points in living in a state like Utah. I personally feel that the majority of bad centers around one person. Mother Nature! It seems that she is always in a state of constant change here in Utah. One day we have awesome sunny weather. The next day we are in midst of buckets and buckets of snow. I kind of wish she would make up her mind. Although, I have to admit Mother Nature delivers some spectacular images. Today, I am thankful for falling leaves. I know that the leaves changing and falling means only one thing, winter is coming! I know that winter means only one thing, snow is coming! I'm learning that these are not  necessarily bad and evil things they are just the seasons making their presence known. I also learned last weekend that there is a reason and a order to everything. Snow coming before the leaves have fallen not necessarily a good thing. (This picture was taken November 5th. The picture above was taken Nov...

Thursday night was another ending to another class. It was a rather stressful week with a rather stressful ending. I would tell you the story if I thought the story was even a tiny bit interesting. When the grades posted last night I was relived and yes THANKFUL for this particular ending. There is nothing more enjoyable than the ending to a more than stressful situation. Next Thursday I begin my last class before student teaching. My life is changing yet again. Some days I can hardly wait for all that this next year will hold for me. Other times I'm not quite sure I'm ready for all the change that is coming. Although, I have to admit that life would get pretty boring if nothing ever changed. So today I am thankful for endings and beginnings. I wonder if that is why sunrises and sunsets are so beautiful? Sunsets are saying goodbye to all the day's blessings and challenges. Sunrises are saying hello to all the wonderful opportunities of a new day. ...

We both knew that there was no way I was going to post daily. Just like Thanksgiving day itself these post will come fast and binge style. :) I think a lot of women dream of a maid to come and clean their houses or a chef to come and cook their meals. I on the other hand dream of a master scheduler  who would create a schedule just for me. A schedule that allows me to get everything done that I want to get done. Unfortunately the only person who can create that schedule is me. Additionally, the only way I can get everything done that I want to get done is to give up sleep and turn a 24 hour day into 27. A master scheduler would probably tell me to prioritize or something in those regards. Oh dear considering this is a gratitude post I am not off to a good start. Thanksgiving thanks number three is "traditions." Our lives are full of traditions. Things that we always do to celebrate life. Traditions can be grand and traditions can be small. Traditions are what we l...

I suppose I should have mentioned that the likely hood I post daily is pretty low. Like you my schedule and routines have their good days and their bad days. There are days that I look like one of those bobbly head dolls. Other days I manage to hold my head on a little tighter. My goal is to post 24 blessings even if that means on Thanksgiving eve I am writing 23 posts. :) Last night was our youth activity night and the activity that was planned was a little out of my comfort zone. As I sat there and listened to the instructions for the activity my stomach began to turn. I really, really do not want to do this was the thought running thru my mind. However, the girls seemed pretty excited and I knew that I didn't want to be the wet blanket on a fun activity. So I put on my sense of humor hat and participated with a smile. I quickly discovered that life is handled better with a sense of humor. Everything does not have to be serious or within my comfort zone to be fun. In ...

Often when we pray we thank our Heavenly Father for our blessings. I can't help to think that frequently our thanks is a statement we utter in thoughtless repetition. Not to say we are not thankful. Of course we are thankful. No matter our circumstances we can think of blessings in our life. The silver lining in the clouds. I am thinking more about the thanks we feel. Those moments where in quiet reflection we feel peace and happiness. An overwhelming thanks for all of our blessings. I have thought a lot about my blessings, and the things I consider blessings. I have decided that blessings come in all kinds of packages. Over the past couple years I have even learned that blessings do not always come in pretty packages. Sometimes those things that we have to be the most thankful for come at the end of a long trial. Trials are the most unwanted yet most needed blessings. Trials humble us humans. Trials make us look past ourselves. Trials change our perspective. Have you ever ...

I have every intention to get to the braggy post that I promised. However, in the meantime you are going to have to bear with me through a not so merry post. Each year we send out Christmas cards to friends and family far away. I love sitting down, reviewing the year, and having a chance to say hello to people we don't see nearly enough. It is also a time for me to remember how blessed we are to have so many people in our lives. Over the years my husband has collected a eclectic group of friends. Most of his friends are old enough to be his grandfather. A couple of years ago, after sending out Christmas cards, we had a Christmas card come to us from the widow of one his friends. It was sad to learn of his passing. We spent sometime remembering our friend Smokey. Who was the nosiest neighbor a person could ask for. However, he made us laugh and he loved our little babies. Even if he did tease Brent that maybe someone should explain to Brent how babies are born because we see...

Recently there has been many posts of gratitude. Bloggers have been listing all that they are thankful for this holiday season. I have enjoyed reading all of the blessings that you have in your life. Big and small. One of my friends posted that he was thankful for his pinkie toe. He then proceeded to post all of the pinkie toes usefulness. It goes to show you that there is not much that we shouldn't be thankful for. As we prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving day with family I felt I couldn't let the day pass without expressing my own gratitude. In a recent talk given by my church leader President Thomas S. Monson he said, "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." I know that when I truly recognize all that I have I can't help to recognize God's love. I can't even begin to count my blessings. The past couple of years I have even learned the bles...

In the seven years that we have lived in Utah, I have yet to adjust to the winter. I really do not like the cold and the gloom of the winter months. I could almost forgive the winters if they were quick. However, they just drag on and on through the months. With a certain amount of dread I look at the calendar and think winter is coming, YUCK!! Today, as I was riding my bike I started thinking about my century ride. It is kind of funny when you are stuck on a bike for a certain amount of time your brain just starts wandering your thoughts tripping over one another. I was thinking how at one point in the ride the rain started to sprinkle, then it started to pour, and soon I was soaked and the wind was blowing. It really sucked and it was hard to keep going when all I wanted to do was quit. It was especially hard watching others quit and trying not to follow their example. As I was thinking about this experience and the winter months that are looming in front of me I started thin...

There use to be this blog that I read daily. The blog was cute, witty, and fun. The writer of the blog was a mom of three boys, christen and had built her dream house. I liked the blog. I enjoyed reading the blog. Then one day the blog became a .com. At first I wasn’t crazy about the new format because I don’t do change. However, after a little bit I adjusted and continued to read. Except for the tone of the blog/.com was changing. It wasn’t nearly as cute and witty. Also, it was definitely moving away from fun. I kept reading because sometimes a writer just has a bad streak. One day the cute, witty, fun writer would return. Except that one day dawned and she became an atheist. I read her a few days more after she became an atheist. I kind of understood where she was coming from. Bad things happen and it is hard not to question God. Faith in a greater deity should protect us from all the horrific things that happen. Only it doesn’t. It is the whole faith, freedom to choose, and balan...

We were two kids, really nothing more than two, really young, naïve, kids. Then time began to march. Today it is 15 years. No longer two young kids.  We are a little older, a tiny bit wiser, and a bit more round. However, it seems like just yesterday that he said, “Will ya?” and I said, “Sure”.

Sometimes our blessings are obvious.

This life is short. Time passes by in a blink of an eye and before we know it we have lived the life we are going to live. I guess that is one of the reasons I have been thinking about the idea of a Bucket List. Off and on I will get an idea of something I want to do and I will get all excited about the idea and before I know it I have forgotten my great idea. Frustrates me to no end. So I have decided to create a post in which I can create my Bucket List. I know that most of you are probably familiar with the concept of a Bucket list but just incase your not I will tell you that a Bucket List is a list of things you want to do before you die. I can't decide if this post is depressing or not? In true Krissi fashion my Bucket List will have rules. Your not surprised are you? My first rule, this is my Bucket List and while I have hopes and dreams for my family these are things that only I can accomplish. My second rule, no being a wuss if I think it, if I get excited about it, put i...

This is going to be one of those braggy, braggy post just thought I would warn you. Life has gotten to the point that it is completely out of control. I’m not really sure what we were thinking when we had four children in the span of six years. I also don’t know why I thought it was difficult when they were small because life now is, as I said, completely out of control. Everyone is at the age that they are involved or doing something. Our nights have become logistic nightmares. Pick up here, drop off here, go here, and stop here. It is craziness. Added to this insanity is the fact that we are currently a one-vehicle family. A couple of months ago as I was signing Al. up for basketball I was desperately trying to talk H. out of playing basketball. He has only wanted to play since he was four and every year he would remind me how many more years until he could play. Why, oh Why did I not say he had to be 16? Eventually, I gave in and signed him up knowing it was going to be tough to fit...

Have you ever been driving down the street or walking in the park and looked up and saw something beautiful? Then without even thinking you start smiling. Then you start thinking, "You know I'm pretty lucky." "My life is pretty good." A list of blessings runs through your mind and you feel your heart fill up. So many times I am so busy running through life that I forget to stop and look up. Then one day I will catch a glimpse of pink and purple out of the corner of my eye and I will find myself looking up. Then as I look up I remember I'm pretty lucky. I have come to the conclusion that Heavenly Father made the sky so pretty so that we will look up towards him. Maybe, we will even remember as we stare at the pink and purple whispy sky that he loves us. It is a beautiful day today and that means that it is going to be a beautiful sunset. Just thought you should know. Alma 18:30-32 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his ho...

This year I have decided that the 52 Blessings challenge will go hand in hand with scripture. Haven't you ever read a scripture and it touched your heart? Even if you read that same scripture several times there is that one time where it was exactly the words you needed to hear. That is exactly how I feel about the following scripture. I know that I complain more than anyone when it comes to time. There is never enough, it moves too fast, I never feel like I am caught up. Well, when I read the following scripture it suddenly dawned on me that time is not my enemy. There is a season for everything a time for all that I do. In the end it isn't the lack of time that is my enemy it is what I do with the time I have. Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Our lives are full of seasons. Our youth a time to grow, blossom and del...