Teaching can be hard...

... Good thing I have a lot of support! I had an extremely long work meeting today but we went over so much valuable information! I am excited to start school in a week. Hopefully I can do better than this teacher...

The Science of Happiness

I found this gem the other day and I fully support the message. Enjoy!

Fourth of July

Yesterday was busy and I didn't get a chance to update this blog but I am going to take the time now... I am grateful for the freedom that we have in this great country, for the men and women who are serving and have served this country. I am grateful for the time that we have to celebrate, that we can take the time to spend with friends and family without worrying so much about life. I am grateful for fireworks, parades, smiles, and the Gospel that allows me to more fully understand my purpose. I am grateful for God and his hand in what happens to me on a personal level but also for his hand in what happens in this country. There is evil around us but if we put our trust in God we will not fail. I hope your Independence day celebrations were enjoyable.

I don't know that many people are aware that the Star-Spangled banner has more than one verse (because that is all that is ever sung) but the last verse is my very favorite. I love the message that it conveys. 

"O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

 Between their loved home and the war's desolation.

 Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land

 Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

 Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

 And this be our motto: "in God is our trust."

 And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

 O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

July is here!

Planning for my internship is swell! Yesterday I started planning math for the first few weeks and today I was working on the first day! 22 days until school starts!

I head this the other day... I am in love with her covers!

Yesterday I was able to go to the Provo Temple with my ward before they close for the Summer (For those of you who are wondering what the Temple is look here). My grandparents found out I was going and emailed me some family names that they found that needed to be done soon. I felt the spirit so strongly in the Temple, I love having that connection with my ancestors. I am grateful for this gospel and the blessings it brings me as well as the proximity of the temple to my house.

The weather today was just amazing! I love the warm wind and light rain of the Summer (The smell of fresh rain has to be my favorite!). While spending time outside in the rain (We played cops and robbers for FHE) I climbed a fence for the win, it was quite exciting!  I don't know that I have ever climbed a fence before, it was a new experience... Happy Monday!

This song keeps getting stuck in my head, but that's okay because it makes me happy! 

Today I was able to go to my parents ward and I ditched Sunday School for Primary (They have singing time, what's not to love?). The lesson today was about Baptism. To start off the lesson the teacher asked the kids what they knew about baptism. My favorite answer was "It washes all the bugs away". Later she had an object lesson. She asked the kids what they did that they know they should not do and for each thing she put more dirt onto her hand (to later immerse in the water and wash it away) here is some of that conversation...
Her: What do we sometimes do that our parents ask us not to do?
Kid 1: Slapping people in the face.
Kid 2: When I want to slap someone I just grab a pillow.
Kid 3: My parents told me not to pinch anyone.
Kid 4: Unless you are not wearing green!

I am so thankful for children and the humor that they bring to my life! I am also grateful for my earthly father and my Heavenly Father! Happy Father's Day!

Currently, this is my favorite song!

Some people just amaze me! I am so grateful for the opportunities in my life that I am able to perform and receive service. I know that by performing little acts of service we will become better friends and be more comfortable around others. I remember reading a study about the effects of service on friendship and it found that when you perform acts of service for others you are more invested in the friendship than when others perform a service for you. This makes sense to me but it is still impressive that there is such a connection between how you treat others and how you feel about them. Happy Sunday!!!

So my dear brother has lived through his first Hurricane!!! He is on his mission in Iowa (Well, Hannibal, Missouri right now) and they had a hurricane last week. They spent the next few days helping to clean everything up. I am grateful for my brother's safety as well as his example of service!

THUNDERSTORMS!!! There was a major sky-quaking, rain-drumming on the house storm today. It was so awesome! I definitely changed into shorts and a T-shirt and giddily ran outside to play in it even though it was freezing! (What better way to put off doing my internship things that are due in 2 days??)

Also - I am grateful for LIFE! :) My birthday was Saturday, and this whole weekend was so great! I am alive and get to live every day (the beautiful sunny ones, and the freezing cold rainy ones) with a smile! :) Or try to, at least. I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had lately. Life is wonderful, and my friends and family are amazing.

For my birthday I had a big group of friends come stay the night at my parents' house Friday night, and my parents made us food and everything! They are so great. :) Saturday I just hung out with family. Both sets of grandparents and my sister and her husband came over for a dinner of all my favorite things. Sunday I got 2 callings (relief society pianist - totally called it!.. and indexing committee, which I have purposefully and successfully avoided up until this point, so that is sort of one of those slap in the face ones. But... I am grateful for the opportunity for extra service. It will be really good for me.) After that I drove out to Liberty to spend the rest of that day and the next at another friends' house. We played lots of games, watched movies, didn't sleep nearly enough, and rode 4-wheelers. Life is beautiful, and it just keeps getting better! :)

- Meagan

I saw this the other day and though it made me sad it made me happy... I love the happiness that is shown throughout this little video and I encourage everyone to watch it!!!

And here is the video that is shown near the end...

Today I had the chance to go to the scholastic warehouse to find some books... The books at the warehouse are, for the most part, half off! I thought it would be a great place to get some books for the classroom and find a few new ones for myself... After my trip I now have quite the start on my classroom library all for under fifty dollars (The teachers at my school also gave me some books)!

When I got home I decided to read one of my new books (the ones I bought for myself). Sadly, I read the whole thing in four hours... meaning that I finished at 2:00. I am so happy that it is Summer and I can stay up late nights reading my books but, it is just a little bit sad that I don't even stay up so late (early?) for homework. 

And, in support of YouTube's humor week...

I am thankful for the church in my life. Today, church was just what I needed to hear. The whole time I was listening and learning from those around me as they shared their experiences. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows of me and knows how to help me to become the best I can be.

Today I saw one of the students from my fifth grade practicum... It was great! He came up and gave me a hug and then was talking to me for a few minutes. It made me smile when we had this little exchange concerning my internship:

Him: Miss. Fiso, they should have hired you at our school. All of the fifth grade teachers are leaving and you could do it.
Me: Well, they didn't and that can't be changed.
Him: I should have talked to the principal. (He said it with complete confidence that the principal would have listened to him. It was great!)

As odd as it sounds... YouTube makes me happy because it can make me smile! I know, from watching, that it is not only me who does stupid things and it is okay to just accept my idiosyncrasies.
 

It is great having a library down the street from my house. I love reading and the library being so close makes it easy for me to indulge... I may have read 3 books in the past 48 hours (Yeah, this Summer thing can be good and bad on my social life.)

Today I was able to go to the park with some friends... We played games, ate, and talked. It was great fun! Also... With Summer around the corner I would like to share this 'crucial' public service announcement from the Harvard Sailing Team

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

I am so grateful for the women in my life, especially my mother and my grandmothers. Today was my first mother's day without my Grandma Fiso. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation, it makes her death so much easier for me. My grandmother's have always been such good examples to me. It is rare to see either one of my grandma's in a bad mood and I hope someday that I can develop that trait. My own mother is amazing! I am so glad to have her as my mother and I love knowing that when I am having a hard day she will be there. Sure we have our off moments but I sure love my mom and I hope she knows that!

My Grandma's (Grandma Fiso on the left and Grandma Dickson on the right)

We went to England

Once upon a time. . .

I'm grateful for kind strangers... They make life much more interesting! Today I went to the library and one of the librarians came up to me and started a conversation. We talked about some books we read and liked and she made a few suggestions for me, great way to get my Summer reading started!

This video is not that new but I love it! I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who loves me and is always watching out for me. I am also grateful for the examples that I have in my life whether it be friends or family I am able to see in others these wonderful qualities and be inspired by them.

Today (well, yesterday) was great! I started off the morning, early, with a meeting for my internship. I am so thankful for the chance I have starting on July 25th to have my own class and be a teacher!!!! After the meeting I went to work. I was co-captaining of a 700 person banquet for all the fancy people (In attendance were Elder Holland, Elder Perry, President Samuelson) it was probably one of the best large banquets that I have participated in. Sure there were problems but I am so thankful that the event, which I was partly in charge of, went well. I am also grateful for the exercise I get at work... It keeps me tired. Carissa (My co-captain) said it perfectly "Sometimes I think, 'maybe I should Exercise more...' and then I remember that I work for BYU catering which comes with an entire regimen in and of itself. I am seriously sore, but the seven hour rack up I helped do for today's huge President's Dinner paid off as I proudly watch my gigantic crew pull it off seemingly effortlessly. It looked incredible thanks to helpers from all over dining services" She was completly right, we had an amazing crew and a lot of people who volunteered their time to come help us. It was wonderful!!!!

Now, for some exercise humor...

It may sound strange, but...

I'm thankful for adenovirus. When else but during a discussion about disease could you get references to the gospel, dancing, war, and fencing all in 10 minutes? I'm grateful for the smiles it brings.

Plus look how pretty it is!

I am grateful for the rain that we have received the past couple of days. I love the rain and water is good for everyone, right? But whenever it rains I think of this... Did you know they used milk in this scene?

I am thankful for simple miracles and modern conveniences! Today at work we had a table fall and a cart break (after coming loose in the truck on the drive over to the event, the door came clean off) but luckily we were able to use most of the food because it didn't fall out of the broken cart! We also had to do a lot of our dishes by hand because the water in the building was going to be shut off (It never actually got shut off but the dishwasher was turned off...). Luckily we got most of our dishes through and it was a crew of friends so even though the shift went long, we had fun!

By the way... Happy National Teachers Day! ;)

So today I was late to work, well... not late so much as I forgot about it completely! But luckily I got a phone call reminding me that I had a shift and I was able to get a ride to campus which made it so that I was able to get there in time to help get everything ready and stay on schedule... Also, we got to have Shirley's Rolls (You caterers understand!). I am so thankful for the quick communication and transportation that we have in the world today!

I am grateful for the accessibility Gospel. I am grateful for the knowledge that I don't have to be perfect and I don't have to know everything. The truths of the gospel are shared each Sunday in a way that allows me to learn from others what I need to learn. I am not expected to know everything I can learn as I grow and I can learn in layers. I learn what is important for me at the moment and those ideas can be strengthened over time. I love this church and I am thankful for it in my life.

I love Spring!!! It's one of my favorite seasons along with Fall, Summer, and sometimes Winter (Okay, I love them all!). One of my favorite things about Spring is the morning. This may sound weird but on a good spring morning I wake up feeling like I can do anything and maybe even the urge to go running! I don't know why but there is something special to me about a good spring morning! I'm hoping there are a lot more of those to come this spring...

And... In celebration of May the fourth although I haven't really seen the movies... I think I watched one. Here is one adorable child!

Tonight I went to the wedding of a friend in my ward. Her family lives out of the country and couldn't make it to the wedding so she needed a lot of help getting everything worked out. The members of the ward were so helpful in volunteering their time and talents. I am thankful for my wonderful ward and the opportunities I have to serve others. I am also thankful for the gift of love! I enjoyed tonight watching the newly married couple, as well as the other couples as they danced and talked... I just love love! Cheesy, I know.

By the way... I love this song and they played it at the reception tonight so here it is (Although it is a little depressing)!

I am grateful for videos that always make me laughing... Especially videos from Ellen ;)

I am thankful for dance and the role it plays in my life! My brother had a dance performance tonight (and then we went to eat) and I came home to look at some of my old dance videos... Here are a few of my favorites.

The Samba is always fun... This was taken during class one time.

Here is another taken during a class but this one is a Hawaiian dance.

And here is an amazing cabaret performance...

Today I would like to say how grateful I am for my fingers, specifically my pinky fingers! Yesterday at FHE I jammed my finger (I took some pictures but they are not so great) it swelled up pretty bad and has been quite tender the whole day. Never have I paid much attention to my pinky finger but it is so important in everyday life... It is so awkward trying to grab a pen or pencil to write a note without using my pinky. Typing is also quite a struggle. I have realized today that the pinky finger is important for many reasons and I am so glad that I have two working (usually) pinky fingers along with all the other fingers that help my small-motor skills to function.

If you can'r tell... the one on the right is injured. 

So sad...

 For a little bit of humor...

I went to a talent show for my YSA stake tonight, sat by a lonesome looking boy that I didn't know and struck up a conversation. I decided to be brave and social this summer. (You may laugh thinking that I already am, but it's harder back home for some reason.) Anyway... I talked to several people I didn't know, a few that I haven't seen since high school and a few that I already knew but haven't seen in a while. It is good to be home. :)

Also - when I got home afterward, there was homemade food waiting for me. Sweet and sour chicken and homemade fried rice! My little sister likes cooking, and is really good at it. Here I am sitting in the kitchen eating delicious food and writing about the wonderful things in my life. How can life get better? :)

Today I am grateful for all the great new people that I haven't met yet, and the courage to say hi to them. As well as delicious food that I don't have to make. ;)

I am grateful for the technologies available to me and the way they help me to share the gospel and my beliefs as well as hear from others. I have a good friend from high school who is going through a hard time right now. She recently gave birth to her first child at 25 weeks and her and her husband are such an example of faith to me. They started a Blog to keep people updated on their daughter Kennedy and each post recognizes the role of the Lord in our lives (Here is one post that I think everyone should read).

I also love having email. It is so convenient to get an email from my brother each week telling me of his life and sharing pictures like this one...

My little sister came to me a few nights ago and asked if I want to have nightly prayers and scripture study with her. I feel like I have been struggling to stay on top of both of these things lately. We have only been doing it for 2 nights now, but I love it! We read 1 Nephi chapters 3 and 4 tonight, where Nephi and his brothers go back to get their possessions from Laban.  I loved chapter 4 v. 3 where it says "Ye know that this is true;.... Wherefore can ye doubt?" I feel like a main theme in these chapters was about trusting in God and knowing that he won't give you anything you can't handle,as well as learning to not doubt Him.

Today was stake conference in my home YSA stake. Apparently there were over a thousand people there. It was sort of nuts. But I love seeing that many young people (that many people period!) all gathered in one place just for the Gospel! Love it! My stake president was talking about the scriptures and he said "I've had dark days, weeks, and even months. But each time I open the Book of Mormon, I am filled with light. I am so grateful to know the remedy for fear, loneliness, or anger. It cures me every time. If we truly want to be aligned with our Heavenly Father and feel that peace that He brings, we do it by praying and by reading the holy scriptures." That is so true, and such a wonderful reminder. I know that my new resolution to be better about consistent scripture reading will bless my life. I love this gospel, and I am grateful for the peace that it brings. And I love my little sister. I am grateful that she is such a good example to me. :)

I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of who I am. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who takes the time to listen to my worries and helps me to solve my problems... Happy Sunday!

I'm awful at this. Ok, so... Since I have written last, I have had a movie/hot tub night with a bunch of people from my ward (staying out way too late before an early meeting), gone to said meeting and learned more about my internship (yay!), been asked on a date (for this coming Friday), moved home and hung out with the family for the last couple of days, and thoroughly deep-cleaned my bedroom at home.

Also - I went to the school where I will be teaching and met my principal, facilitator, and the rest of the 3rd grade team. I picked a good day to go, because it was their "yard sale" day. Apparently towards the end of the school year every teacher in the school puts all of the stuff out in the hallway that they don't want anymore (some of it is really great, they are just switching grade levels and don't need it anymore or something like that). Anyway... All of the other teachers sort of just wander the school and take each other's stuff. So the 3rd grade teachers were loading my arms up with things that I may want, and even cleared off a shelf in the storeroom for me to keep it. They invited me to their Friday planning meetings, and one of them asked if I could come in and spend time with her while she is off track so that she can get me up to date. I also asked if I can come in and observe, and they said to drop by any time. They seem really friendly and helpful, and I am excited to be a part of the team. :)

I am grateful for this internship, as scary is it feels. I am grateful for good friends that gave me so many memorable times in Provo. I am grateful for clean, less cluttered spaces. And I am grateful for my family! I missed them. :)

GOOO COUGARS!!!!!! We won! Today was the Championship game against Long Beach and the Cougars won with a sweep! So exciting, I love to watch the games and I am sad that I have to wait another year for another home game but I am so glad I get the chance to go watch! I also went to the Tulip festival this week with some family friends and my family, of course. I am so grateful for the beauty that surrounds me and I loved the chance to go look at the different kinds of Tulips.

The greatest team ever! :)

These were my very favorite!

Joe feels a little too cool for this picture.

I love the bright colors of the Tulips.

Today I had a busy day at work! It was crazy and at times stressful but overall lots of fun. I am so grateful for the wonderful people I work with. I always enjoy making things look pretty and I absolutely love the fun we have together! I work with some of the best people ever, they are constantly making me laugh. Today we had an event where we used some of those pitchers that have a holder for the ice that separates it from the drink. We used two, one for water and one for lemonade...

Random Guy: (Pointing at the one with water) Well that is a cool holder, is it just to keep the drink from getting watered down?

Allie: Well water is naturally watered down but that is the general idea.

The creepy pinatas were not actually used...

One of my favorite Dessert arrangements we have done.

Fun in the break room

I love my co-workers!

I am so grateful for perfect days!!! Today was great... First, I had a meeting about my internship. I can't wait to start working on my classroom! Then I went to work for a while before heading to the BYU Volleyball game (The semi-finals of the championship). BYU won in the 5th set 15-10 it was much too close for comfort but it was so much fun! I love my volleyball boys!

For your pleasure... this clip that always makes me laugh and it seems fitting considering the date!

I am grateful for these girls in my life... The friendship we have and how 'adorkable' we are (Missy and Krichelle folding napkins in the restaurant)

I love having a Temple nearby and I am so thankful for the peace it brings me!

This picture was found here

Yesterday was a blast! I had good food, got a few silly pictures (which I love!), and fun times with friends.

I was also able to be productive and get all packed (with a little help from my friends), and moved out! I am grateful for friends who will stick with me even during the boring stuff.

Also, I did my cleaning checks. As small of a thing as it is, I am grateful for clean ovens!

And... I watched Soul Surfer. I am SO grateful to have 2 arms and never have been attacked by a shark. The simple things in life are the best... like having 2 arms. Life is just good all-around right now. :)

Today I got to spend some time with friends... We made some food and then went to campus and took some exciting pictures! I am so grateful for my friendships!

The Idea

I decided to start this blog to keep a Journal of things that make me happy in my life. In sense a gratitude journal...