101 Things I Can Count On...

I've been working on this post for a long while, & it's been fun to think of new things to add!

101. Life is BeAutiful. (Even if it may not always seem that way-It is a Beautiful Disaster!)

100. The love of family.
99. I can do & be better. 98. I've been blessed with wonderful friends.

97. My puppy wanting to give (me) kisses.

96. You can't live life afraid.

95. Change is CONSTANT.

94. Reading old journals can bring back all the same emotions.

93. My friends being simply AMAZING!

92. People come for food.

91. Wanting to learn MORE.

90. Taking kids to a park is fun!

89. Falling in love is always a little bit scary.

88. Wanting to be a Mama.

87. Studying God's word brings answers & peace.

86. Kids saying the most wonderful things!

85. Learning more about myself.

84. When I pray, He hears me.

83. Always already Knowing at least part of the why when life feels CRazY.

82. Sunsets make me happy.

81. Seth & Croix make me SMILE.

80. Being "bold" can be uber scary.

79. Finding a new song that I LOVE.

78. Listening to old favorite songs brings those memories back.

77. Being an Auntie is one of life's great treasures.

76. Tomorrow will come.

75. I am awkward.

74. A good book reels me in.

73. Having "Besties" who I can talk to about anything.

72. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

71. The Temple bringing joy.

70. Wanting to eat that piece of Chocolate.

69. Loving some hot chocolate in a mug.

68. Enjoying cuddling.

67. Things will be funnier when I'm tired.

66. There will be more laundry to wash, fold, & put away.

65. Music speaks to my soul.

64. Loving to sing.

63. My hammock making me happy.

62. Catching a gorgeous sunrise is worth getting up that much earlier.

61. Occasionally finding that competitive streak in me.

60. Cheese is yummy.

59. Hours can be wasted online, if I'm not careful.

58. Addictinggames.com can actually be addicting, given the opportunity.

57. Reading other people's blogs helps me keep up with their lives.

56. If something's scary, it might not be if I try again.

55. Sometimes what I want & what I need are not the same thing.

54. Lindt Milk Chocolate with White Cream is the best chocolate I've ever had.

53. Prescott holds amazing Christmas traditions.

52. Christmas will feel more like Christmas if I go to the Courthouse Lighting & the Walk Through Bethlehem.

51. Family brings happiness.

50. Family relationships can be tricky.

49. Tastes change.

48. A picture can be worth a thousand words.

47. Painted toe nails make me feel girly.

46. A hug can make it all better, at least for a moment.

45. Sometimes I just need to cry.

44. Some things, & some people, may never change.

43. Feeling inadequate.

42. Needing to change for the better.

41. "I can do hard things." (Even if I don't always believe it in the moment...)

40. The urge to "straighten" that desert.

39. Being stronger than I thought I was.

38. Finding joy in the journey.

37. The continual realization that I am a "work in progress".

36. RandomNesS can be so fun & exciting! & it makes me happy!

35. It can be surprising who your best friends are.

34. The people who pass through my life touch me & leave an impression, whether they're there for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.

33. God's hand is in my life.

32. Moving is a lot of work.

31. After night comes day, always a new day full of promise.

30. Flowers can brighten up a room, or a difficult day/week.

29. Someone LOVES me.

28. Life will be full of the unexpected.

27. People are beautiful, no matter their "body type" or the color of their skin.

26. Beauty lies in who a person is, & not in what they look like.

25. "I need more chocolate in my life."

24. Time is one of life's very best gifts.

23. Wanting to hike/run/etc, even though I'll probably end up wodering (again) WHY I love it!

22. Time goes so quickly.... When it's running out.

21. Sometimes when a day feels like a week, weeks race by like days.

20. Finding friends in random/unexpected places.

19. Wondering where that bruise came from.

18. Trenton helping me out without complaining.

17. Finding miracles every single time I look for them.

16. Wanting to buy new shoes, but having a heck of a time finding shoes I like.

15. My phone will eventually give up on me.

14. Laughter is the best medicine. I love to laugh!

13. Fighting the shy in myself when I'm in new situations.

12. Being able to get by just fine without TV.

11. Drinking ice water in restaurants with ceiling fans = goosbumps.

10. Recognizing all the beauty in the world if I stop to look around.

9. Going to church each Sunday helps me face the coming week.

8. Distractions. (They don't have to be evil to be effective.)

7. Never getting enough sleep.

6. Wanting to capture the moment, to keep it forever.

5.Learning, growing, slipping, repeat.

4. Being me, & knowing that I am good enough because I'm doing the best I can.

3. I am a daughter of God, & have within me all the potential which that implies.

2. Jesus Christ is my Savior, He loves me, & will always welcome me with open arms.

1. God is my Father, & Loves Me more infinitely than I can understand.

Photoshop Application Assignment 3

This is my favorite of our assignments...

It's just a few of the pieces of me...

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Blah, Blah, Blog

Nothing I've posted recently has been very important, or much of an update. So... Little as it may be, here's an update.

I've been taking 3 college classes. One was in person through Yavapai College, & (YAY!), it's done! The other two are online, & are prooving to be a struggle, since I have to work with a child for tutoring sessions. The best time so far seems to be pulling her during specials to work with her, since her mom isn't being entirely helpful.

At this point I am still VERY unsure of my job for next school year. I'm still trying to be hopeful that I will be employed, but I'm also putting out applications, & even had a job interview today. It went pretty well, but I think they don't want me, because I need to be in a high-poverty school in Arizona, & will take a position in that kind of situation before I would stay with the preschool. They sounded like they might hire me for a sub, but I doubt I'd have much work that way.

Every single one of my kids hit (or well exceeded) their end of the year Benchmark goals for their testing! We're having a party tomorrow with pizza & ice-cream to celebrate! Our entire Kinder grade level is at 99% benchmarked kid-o's, with only one left to be tested! That's better than ... pretty much EVER! :D

School is coming to an end- only 15 more days of school! In the meantime, we've got our pizza/ice-cream party, more "Flat Stanley's" coming back, a tie-dye shirt project, swiming day, report cards, learning-learning-learning & Celebrating, before Kindergarten Graduation on June 4th. That's also the day I'm supposed to have my classroom empty. :( It will be a terribly sad day. My kids have grown up so much, & are really, pretty much Amazing!

Right after school ends, I'll be heading up to Flagstaff! Friday June 5 is Laurie's HS Graduation! (Congrats to Laurie!!) I'm excited to see Dutton's, since it's been FAR too long since I've been able to spend some time with that great family!

And in Flagstaff on the 6th I'm taking the Early Childhood AEPA... WISH ME LUCK! I'm a little bit terrified of all the technical things I may or may not know/remember! :P I think I need to figure out some way to study before I have to take that test!

Seth is adorable, though I don't get to see him much lately. He doesn't talk a lot, but he knows a few signs- (most especially please, & food... "food please"), & is very effective at communicating what he wants, where he wants you to come, & yes & no. If you want to see him nod "yes"... just ask him if he's hungry (especially after he's been with his mom.) Or, when his diaper's wet, ask if he needs a new diaper. He'll tell you. :D He's just about ready for potty training... or, really I guess I'd say he seems ready NOW, but I'm not sure his daddy's quite ready. ;)

Bear is loving having 2 other dogs to play with. He also loves raiding their food bowls & has gained back all the weight he lost & then some. If anyone has suggestions on putting a big, fat, black lab on a diet, please share! Last night I (FINALLY) bought him a nice, BIG, new bed from costco. No pics yet, but maybe if I can get him to lay on it & pose, I'll get one up here.

Well, for now, that's a little update. Hope you enjoyed it!

Money Song!

Here's another funny! (it has nothing to do with the cute picture of Chelsea & Seth, I just wanted to put up a recent, fun picture of my boy.)
Tonight as we were leaving the store, I decided to show my Mom & Chelsea the money song my kids are loving right now. (for them, it came song AND dance, but you just get the words & you can imagine the silliness)

to the tune of "Mama's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread"

"I like money. I use it at the store.
Money, money, money, I always want more!

Lincoln's on the 1 cent, Jefferson's on the 5.
Roosevelt's on the 10 cent. Washington's 25.

I like money, I use it at the store.
Money! Money! Money! I always want more!"

There are two more verses, but I'll spare you for tonight. ;)

My kids randomly start singing this throughout the day, or if I sing "I like..." they're in! Yay for learning $$!

A New Roommate!

So since I got the job, I'm moving to Prescott. And since I quit my illegal immigrant job, I'm ALREADY moving. It's change, & this one makes me sad & excited, but I still think it's good! With these changes... This is one of my new roommates in Prescott. I love him lots!

The Sweetest Baby

My nephew was born on December 1, 2007. Seth Lee Mcelmurry was welcomed to the world by friends & family, and especially by his proud Auntie Crystal-lynn. I just love this special, beautiful, baby boy. I've been dying to put pictures of him up here since I first started this blogging thing, but now I can. (Because today we celebrated Christmas, and I got a digital camera with computer connectors and everything!) These are pictures from this morning. Isn't he just the cutest!??

Almost done.

I really am. Almost done, that is. The semester is officially over-yesterday I watched my friends GRADUATE for crying out loud, yet I'm still trying to finish up, and deciding if I should still play catch-up. Today has been a pretty lazy day. I've been working on my professional portfolio- the final for one of my classes- which I need to complete and submit online. I've watched a movie, eaten poorly, and only left my apartment to take my roommie to work, and to bring something up from my car and check the mail.

Today started out on a sad note. I slept in, but only a little, because I didn't want to miss the chance to tell Melanie goodbye. My wonderful roommate left this morning to go home to California for Christmas break. We've had a really good semester sharing the downstairs room. I don't know that I can pinpoint exactly what made the semester so great, but we all have definately found friendship and fun times. I'm sad to leave, and that the leaving began today as Melanie left and Danelle headed home (at least she'll be back to visit next week before I leave! She's going to help me move and we're going to visit the Temple together). By the time that everyone else is gone home for Christmas and comes back, I'll be living in Mesa. Tomorrow could be my last Sunday in Flagstaff for now.

Saturday again. My wonderful little nephew is 2 weeks old now! I'm excited to see him again, hopefully real soon.

Okay, that's all for now.