City Beautiful!

Last week I had 2 days off (YAY!!!!) from school to go to the state teachers' conferences if I wanted to. Obviously I didn't and I convinced Kurtis to take me to Nauvoo. It took A LOT of convincing but we got there. It's about a 5 hour drive through small towns and beautiful countryside. We stayed in a small family-style hotel and enjoyed every minute of it.

When we first arrived, it was already dark and rainy. We dropped off our stuff at the hotel and changed to go to the temple. I was so amazed by the beauty of that temple! It has so much symbolism and history behind it, I couldn't help but drop my jaw whenever I looked at it. Our session was small, which was nice, and the sweet couple missionaries showed us some special bits of history inside the temple including Joseph Smith's sword and the Assembly Hall. It was a special experience to be there and to remember the extreme faith the early Saints had to build their temple only to leave it a week later when they were driven from the state.

The next day we bundled up to tour the original downtown Nauvoo. We took wagon rides through the town and heard stories about the Saints who once lived there. We got our infamous Nauvoo brick and hugged some oxen. I think Kurtis' favorite part was the gunsmith house. He was in heaven to be surrouned by so many guns!

It was so peaceful in Nauvoo and beautiful too. I told Kurtis I was too wimpy to be a pioneer and was glad I was born with the luxuries of this day. What made me realize this was when our tour guide told us that 9 babies were born on the frigid morning the first group of Saints crossed the Mississippi River, only 1 survived the journey to SLC. He agreed (that I was wimpy, haha!) but that he was grateful for what we had. I am so grateful for the sacrifices from those who came before me. They paved the way for me to be as happy as I am today and for me to be able to live with my family forever.

Apple of my eye

A few weekends ago we returned to the best orchard nearby. We didn't do the corn maze this time because we didn't have time (or the cash on-hand sadly) but we got our apples and walked around. We wanted to pick but then I found the "2nds" apples for half price!! Hello!!! They have little bruises or hail damage yet are still yummy to eat and PERFECT for an apple pie. We also got a massive pumpkin and saw the animals. I absolutely love the fall here. I've never seen so many colors in the trees. It also hasn't been that cold, although the temperature is slowly dropping. PS, not my best hair day so don't judge. :)

Rules, Rules, Rules

It is now the end of the 2nd week of my job teaching 6th grade ESL. I am really liking my job and getting to know the students one by one, some more then others because of their 'outstanding' behavior and neediness. After many days of craziness and gathering ideas, opinions, and curriculum, I realized that I needed to give my students a more structured environment. My hour with the students was sinking into an arguing match over doing homework or learning new concepts with a mean comment thrown in here or there among the students. One of my girls was so frustrated with the class that she didn't want to be in there anymore. I didn't blame her. I thought back on my experience student teaching in DC where the students suffered from a lack of structure. They didn't have the self-discipline or skills to be able to work independently, take notes or complete assignments. We had to go step-by-step with them and give them very structured lessons and instructions. Only then did we have success with them.

This principle of structure made me think of having rules or set boundaries in our lives. Why should we have them? I know I often ask. Why can't I just do it the way I want to? The beauty of this life is that we really don't have to do anything if we don't want to. We have the agency or ability to choose whatever we want to. Of course, with this agency comes unavoidable consequences, good and bad. Following Godly commandments results in promised blessings and visa versa.

I think of a quote I heard once relating to a violin's strings. Some may say the strings are tied down, restricted from their full potential. But if you loosened them they wouldn't produce any sound at all. It is only when they are tied down and tightened that they are able to produce beautiful music. It is the same with us in our lives. Actually, I think it is nice to have someone tell me what to do! Rules, commandments, structure or whatever you want to call it is what allows us to reach our full potential. They also keep us safe along our journey.

I gave my students some struture during our hour together and they thrived! Of course I met with some resistance but they loved the more positive atmosphere I had set in the room. (My bribing them with positive reinforcing tickets I call 'Wow's' and a drawing for prizes every week helped a bit too..) But I'm optimistic that this structure will help everyone and will allow us to get some things done! So the next time I'm feeling like I'm 'tied down' and am frustrated from the happenings of life.. I'll just have to remember this simple parable of the violin string.