The Best 2nd Grade Christmas Present.

For Christmas this year in our 2nd grade class, my students wanted to do something different. So I was researching what we could do, and found this website from another teacher that gave me a great idea. We made these "Holiday Hope Chests" for boys and girls who will be spending Christmas at Primary Childrens. My students were SO excited about this. I was nervous, because the students had to donate some unopened toys and empty shoe boxes-and I hate asking parents for donations. Well, I was surprised by the amount of toys and boxes that were donated. The parents got involved and helped where they could. We wrapped the shoe boxes and the kids decorated them. My students then wrote individual letters to the kids in the hospital and placed them in their holiday boxes. I was overwhelmed by the amount of help and support I recieved for this service project. My students were thrilled to do this and I was so happy to see that they were so willing to help others during this Christmas season.

Mexico.

I had such an amazing experience in Tijuana this year. We went again to build homes with Builders without Borders. I was so hesitant to go to Mexico because people tend to dwell on the negative and all I was hearing were things that would make a person nervous. I got a blessing from Logan because I needed some comfort. It was great. I love the priesthood.

We started our trip and stopped in Vegas. The next morning, we got up early and headed to TJ. We got to the border around 2 and sat for an hour or so. We had to get all the trailers through. After Logan did a lot of chatting with the border patrol in spanish, we got through. As soon as we got into TJ, I forgot how much I love the people there. They are so sweet and simple. We got the stake center and unpacked all the donations and got settled.

Sunday was an incredible day. We were able to attend 3 sacrament meetings- one of which was a primary program. It was so sweet to hear all the songs that I was working on as Primary Chorister in my ward all in spanish. It was great. That night, we did a fireside. I had the chance to speak on education. We did a musical number, and people seemed to enjoy it. The spirit was so strong.

Monday we made it to the job site. The first impression I got from the site was one of fear. The home next to the job site was a drug house. Automatically, my thoughts went to those negative things people were telling me back home. I dismissed them as soon as I met the wonderful family we were able to build a house for. They made the whole trip worth it.

The Soel family were the sweetest, kindest people I've ever met. Even though there was a language barrier, it didn't matter. You could tell they really were so grateful and gracious. I became friends with their little ninos. It was so cool. I had so many great experiences.

Towards the end of the trip, the whole thing became worth it when the family were able to move their stuff in (when I say stuff, I mean... the clothes on their back, plus a few blankets, and a mattress.) We were able to furnish the house somewhat with bunkbeds, a couch, fridge, stove, oven, microwave, and some other small things. The spirit that was in that home was incredible. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. I love serving. I love forgetting myself. I love the Soel family. They taught me so much about love and that worldly items are not needed to be happy. It's a choice. I was so grateful for them. Here we come TJ 2011!

P90X

So Logan and our friend Justin just started P90 X. I'm debating in starting it myself... what are the pros and cons??? Should I or shouldn't I? Log can't walk too well because he's so blasted sore. I've heard that it's KILLER. What do you think?

warren miller.

I love ski movies. Especially this one. I'm so excited to go see this with Logan tonight!!!! I feel like kind of a poser because I'm not the greatest skier ever. Oh well. A girl can dream right?

Happy Anniversary!

10/10/10

I'm 2 days late, but that's okay. I just wanted to write about my husband. He is my soul-mate through and through. I have been so blessed to meet him and be married to him. Here's some things that we've been through together for this year we've been married:

October 10- We were able to be sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple by my Grandpa Jack. It was such a sweet day. The emotions were running high. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon to Mexico. It was amazing.

November- Logan and I got to take a trip to Mexico again to do service. It was such a great experience.

December- Christmas was such a fun time for us. Being married for the holidays is the greatest. We were able to share Christmas with each other and our families.

January- We both had to get back to "reality". We were both busy working and going to school.

February- I tore my ACL and Logan was a sweetheart to help me out through this.

March- I had knee surgery, and Logan was still going to school and working. Oh yeah, and my sis got married so we went to her gorgeous wedding too.

April- Still mending from the surgery. Logan was so patient and kind and took such great care of me. I was so lucky he was there to help me out!

May- School was out for both of us, and we were able to focus a little bit more on eachother. It was so nice. We got to go on a great trip to St. George.

June- We went to Moab and got to do some hiking and jeeping.

July- Logan was still working at the hospital and we both got to do a lot of boating and outdoors-y stuff!

August- For my birthday, Logan got me a beach cruiser and took me to the Homestead for a nice week! He was so thoughtful!

September- We were back into school again. For Logan's birthday, we went to the Cliff Lodge at Snowbird and went to Oktoberfest. It was so great spending so much time together.

October 10, 2010- It's our 1 year anniversary! It's been the best year of my life. I have a husband that puts up with all my flaws and seems to love me anyway! He's my best friend and I'm so excited to spend eternity with him. I love you baby!!!

Today's Five...

Five good things that happened this week:

1. My class was GREAT! I love my new students.

2. Logan and I helped out with a Ward 5k. It was way fun.

3. My family got to put a new roof on my grandpa's house.

4. I'm getting a new classroom and I got to see it on Friday!

5. I got to see some great friends that I went to Tijuana with last year. I'm so excited to go again this year!!!

Good week.

Thankful

I'm thankful for a bunch of stuff. Here are some things...

- My husband
- My dog PJ
-My family
- Church
- Heavenly Father
- The Atonement
- Work
- Sleep
- Swimming
- Friends
- Toilets
- Beds
- Sunglasses
- Warm weather
- Shoes
- Music
- Bikes
- Doctors
- Prayer
- Lotion
- Animals
- Mountains
- Lakes
- Oceans

Try it yourself. You'll realize how many more things your grateful for when you start thinking about it.

Top 10 Summer Activities.... So Far.

1. Smith family went on vacation to Texas.

2. Logan and I went to Moab with Kristin and Justin. We jeeped, went to Ken's Lake, hiked Corona and Bowtie Arch, and swam in the Colorado. AMAZING trip!

3. We went to Yuba lake for a weekend trip. Kendall, Gregor, and Collin came with us. We camped in the hot weather, and boated. I finally got to surf! Whitney and Tom joined us on Saturday!!!

4. Going to the balloon festival was pretty stellar. The Smith family does that every year on the 4th of July. It was great.

5. The Petersons took a trip to Delta. We got to see the Demolition Derby! YES! They literally shut down the whole town for that unforgettable experience!

6. Logan and I went to Ben Folds. It was awesome. He played with Utah Symphony. Love him! That was my 2nd time at his concert!

7. WORLD CUP! I probably spent too much of my time watching the soccer games, but it's okay. It only happens once every 4 years!

8. We went to St. George with Ken and Gregor and got to hang out at Grandma Jane's place down there. We swam, and went to Zions National Park. We did a little hiking there.

9. Finishing my math endorsement. Sounds boring. It was a 2 year program and I finished in June!!! FINALLY!

10. Our extended family on my moms side started monthly FHE's. We rotate from house to house, and it's been such a fun night! Last month, it was at our townhome. We barely all fit, but we made it! Those have been fun to look forward to!

Summer's not over yet!! :)

TEXAS!

So school. Yes, school. It got out. (Thank Heavens!). The next day, Logan and I and my family took a road trip to Abeline, Texas for Kendall and Gregor's Wedding reception. I've only been to Texas once, so I was pretty excited to go. We got to see lots of great sights (I hope you can sense the sarcasm..) including Billy the Kid's resting place, and we drove past the Carlsbad Caverns. It was quite interesting. Then, we went to New Mexico and stayed there a night... I know. You all are starting to get jealous.

We drove and drove. It was great. 20 hours later, we finally made it to Abeline. We stayed with the Greiner family, which were extremely generous to let us stay there.

After resting up a day, we took off again to see some more of Texas. We went to Killeen-which was where my daddy grew up. We saw his house and his schools... it was really cool to see that. Then we went up to Austin. I fell in love. I really loved Austin... it was such a cool city.

We headed back to Abeline to go to the reception. It wasn't actually a reception though... it was a Breii. (br-y). Sort of like a big b-bq. Gregor's family is from Namibia which is in Africa in case you didn't know... because I didn't know where that was. They decorated their backyard and it was a great night. The next day we braved up for the long drive home. By this point we wished we could have been beemed home. We eventually made it home and were happy we went. Next time we go to Texas, we'll be the first to catch a flight.

SCHOOL'S OUT! (almost!)

Well, today was the last full day of school for the year. I LOVE teaching. It's such a privilege to teach my kids. They make me happy.

Things that I'll miss about this year:

1. My students making me laugh

2. The friends that I work with (I'll see most of you next school year!)

3. The funny comments I get during class discussions

4. The hilarious items that students bring in for show-and-tell

5. The sweet notes and pictures that get left on my desk for me.

Things that I won't miss so much:

1. WHINING

2. 2nd grade drama... (who knew?)

3. School lunch

4. Grading papers

5. My stinky satallite classroom

This year's been great, and my kids have been troopers with all the subs they've had due to my marriage, service trips, and knee surgery. It's been a pleasure teaching them! I wish them all best of luck in the future!!!

Mother's Day

I'm really late... by almost 2 weeks... but I just had to write about my mom. She's the best in the world! I really do have the greatest mom ever. She's the busiest woman in the world, but has always made her family the number 1 priority. I couldn't ask for better! I love you mom!

My mom-in-law is pretty awesome as well! She has just welcomed me into the Peterson family with open arms. I have been blessed so much!

SUMMER!

I can't wait to do...

this...

Or this...

Or this...

Or.... this...

Or this...

Or this..

Or even... this.

OH Summer!!!! Hurry please!!!

Life Update

Lately, I've had some crazy events happening, so I thought I'd blog about them. The end of February, Logan and I went skiing to Deer Valley. We were there for a few hours. I wasn't wearing my normal ski boots and skis. I didn't think it'd be a big deal. I ended up crashing, and I found out that my boots and bindings weren't adjusted the right way. The skis didn't pop off and my legs twisted and I heard and felt a loud pop in my knee. Immediately, there was pain I'd never felt before. The next week I got an MRI and found out I tore my ACL, MCL, and miniscus. I ended up having surgery on March 24 and have been recovering ever since. Talk about not being able to do anything. I can't even swim. Oh well. In 3-6 months, I'll be able to do lots of fun stuff!!!! I've learned a lot of patience during this whole process. Logan has been the best husband ever during all this. He's so sweet and loving. I feel like he's my nurse. He rubs my legs out and gets up with me in the night when I'm in pain. I couldn't ask for anyone better. I'm grateful for the experience, but hope that it never happens to anyone ever.

Today's 5

Sometimes I forget how much I have, so I'm going to start posting 5 things I'm grateful for... when I remember. So here goes.

1. I'm grateful for my husband. He's my best friend and keeps me sane. I LOVE HIM!

2. I'm grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don't know what I'd do without it.

3. I'm grateful for my family. My parents are incredible along with my brothers and sisters.

4. I'm grateful for my job. I get to teach the cutest little 2nd graders ever.

5. I'm grateful for my ability to walk. After getting hurt, it made me realize how blessed I am to have a healthy body.

The Small and Simple Things

I love my students. Sometimes some days more than others. It's a challenging career, but a very rewarding one as well. The days especially pay off when you get little notes like this on your desk:

(Written in exact spelling)

Dear, Miss Petersin

you are the best techer in the wrold because you are the best techer is you are far you mack me smart you help me know how to rite. I will be good today.

from, braxton

to, miss petersin =)

So Sweet!!!

My Love, My Sweet, Sweet Love

Logan is perfect for me. He is kind, romantic, athletic, and has a great sense of humor. I am SO grateful for his patience and willingness to put up with me! I love that boy... a lot. I had been having a rough week and I got home from a long day of work yesterday and forgot that we had been married for 4 months. Logan remembered, and bought me this beautiful bouquet of roses, and wished me happy 4 month anniversary! I have the best husband ever.... period! Happy Valentines Day Baby!!!! Love you!

Life

So... January was a rough month for my new in-law family. Lots of hard trials and unexpected things. During all of this, I have realized how much I have been blessed, and how much my family means to me. I'm grateful for my new amazing family. They are such a light to me. Always so optimistic and positive- a quality that I need to work on. I am grateful for trials and experiences that are put our lives, and the hidden blessings that we receive from them. I love you family!!!

2009 in Review

January:

I started officially dating Logan.

February:

I probably had the best Valentines Day ever. Logan was so sweet. We had a photo shoot even though we weren't getting married yet. I went to Oklahoma City to watch Candice swim at Mountain West Conference. BYU was Conference Champs!!!!

March:

Logan and I were dating pretty seriously now. I was in my last semester of school at BYU doing at internship teaching 2nd grade.

April:

Graduated from BYU!!! Bachelors and all. I went to California with my family for Spring Break. We stayed in Temecula with Kendall. I flew home early to go to Moab with Logan and do some serious jeeping. Probably the best spring break ever.

May:

Pulled out the boat. Logan and I were dying for some serious wakeboarding even though it still was a little cold outside. That's what wetsuits are for!!! Logan started Wildland Firefighting for the state and I pretty much didn't see a whole lot of him after that.

June:

Went to Moab again without Logan. (He had to work.) Massive Moab Trip #2 for me wasn't as fun as the previous years. Hiked Delicate Arch and Left Hand, went shopping, and visited some great friends. I started working as an Assistant Coach for swimteam.

July:

For graduation, Amy and I went to Kona, Hawaii. We stayed with her Auntie and Uncle. We saw everything. It was amazing. Then we flew over to Honolulu and went to Lae'e and saw some other cool stuff. So fun.

August:

On my birthday (3rd), Logan proposed in the morning. He got called on a fire at 2:00pm and had to leave. It sucked but I was engaged so I didn't mind. I had a big birthday party that night. Wedding plans were underway. We went crazy with stuff to do. Lydia and I also did our first triathlons. We did the Jack and Jill Tri-Utah sprint Tri. We both won our age groups!!!

September:

Wedding plans were still crazy. Logan was still firefighting. Kendall and I both ran our first 10K. I did mine without too much training. I don't recommend that.

October:

The week before the wedding, Logan gets called on a fire. He goes, and a few days later I have to go pick him up in Cedar City so that he will make it back in time. Logan gets swine flu 3 days before the wedding. The wedding planner cancels on us the day before our wedding. DON'T WORRY! With a lot of re-arranging Friday night, we still got married. BEST DAY of my life. We went on a cruise to Mexico. Then, we both had to get back to reality and go back to work.

November:

Thanksgiving was great. We went to Mexico to build homes for people in need. Kyle, my brother came along with Logan's whole family. It was an amazing experience.

December:

Our first Christmas together!!! It was great. Went to Logan's grandma's and my house and his house and back and forth all day. It's a good thing our parents live so close to eachother.

It was an amazing year!!! Thanks to all you friends for being so great!! We love you!