thanks.

thank you mr.President for the studentLoanForgiveness program.  now please approve my application.
thank you to the brilliant man from church who is insanely smart with money who walked me through said application. and for the sweet smart friend who was wise enough to connect me with him.

thank you to my students for being so engaged right now and really interested in learning.  and for making things so fun for me at work everyday. 

• this week we bird-sat a giggling white dove.  no really....she giggles!  and hilariously enough she giggled at all the right (wrong) times to make any moment funny.  when the littles earned getting our new dove friend out of her cage to fly around the room she immediately flew onto one of their heads!  i wish so badly i thought to have my camera out ahead of time.  we were all laughing so hard (the totally in control teacher as well). it was by far one of my favorite moments this year. 
• another favorite moment (maybe my most favorite of the year) was this week at our big rally celebrating the end of the 9weeks.  as a school right now we are trying to raise money for the fight against cancer.  we had the idea to have each class try to raise $25 for a guest appearance of our assistant principal dressed as JustinBieber (no seriously) coming to perform for them in their classroom.  there's been a little momentum in the fundraising, but Friday "theBiebs" came to see the kids and sing Baby for them at the rally.  OH My WORD.  the teachers knew to act like fans and be oober excited, but i don't think we anticipated how awesome it would be and how genuinely pumped we'd all be about it.  there is no way to describe all that happened during that song that made it so fun, so unifying, and so uh-ma-zing!  seriously, no way.  i will add that theBiebs sported my own teenager's clothing and his transformation was incredible!!  he seriously looked the part.  so fun.  so so so so fun.  i've not been able to stop thinking about it.  coming up soon we have a school family dance and a group of teachers usually do a special performance (yes, you know i do;).  so naturally, we're dancing with bieber this year, oh yeah!

thank you forever21 for being so blasted cheap.  i just got myself an easter dress that i also happen to be wearing to a wedding next week and that will then turn into work clothes all wrapped into one for one of your crazy cheap prices.  gracias!!

thank you to the teenager's grandma (and to myself for my patience) for finally getting tired of one of your garage sale treasures i've been coveting for months (years?).  i couldn't be happier to see it happily rocking in my living room every single day.  it makes me smile.  more than smile, it makes my insides all warm and fuzzy.

thank you teenager for being so beautiful.  for being a good friend to the people around you.  for trusting me with the life i'm giving you.  for having faith and trusting that there really is a Father in Heaven to know and pray to.  and even an older brother who showed you the things you should do on earth, and for helping us to know what kind of person to be.  for actually diligently trying to be that kind of person.  for the example you are to so many, and for having your eye on a few good examples to follow.  for not complaining when we read our scriptures.  for being willing to pray for our family.  for your relationships with your youth leaders.  for being brave enough to tell your friends about being a mormon.  for your obsession with $4 solid color tshirts from walmart.  for your braveness in letting me be the one to cut your hair every few weeks.  for your strong capable mind and discipline that earns you all those As, and even that B in algebra.  for your plans of med school or anything else you may decide on that allows you to use that nurturing heart of yours.  for telling me every morning if something i'm wearing is good-weird or too-weird.  for your own collection of converse.  for your desire to be an eagle scout, and for the eminent path you are on to earn it. for the spirit you bring to my life and for accepting me even with all of my shortcomings.  and thank you for being excited to pick out colorful bowls at anthro today so i could use my gift cards, even if you were pretending and never showed it;)

thank you for general conference (held twice a year by my church for members all over the world).  this afternoon began with Lead Kindly Light, one of my most favorite hymns that my missionaries sang to me about 12 years ago.  the first talk was about a verse in the Book of Mormon that was so powerful it led to my decision to be baptized.  and then the talk after that was specific for single parents.  i feel like i've been taken care of by Heavenly Father all day!

i'm also really thankful to have a song written about me.  doesn't that just sound cool?  we listened to it about a hundred times this morning on repeat while we cleaned.  i know it's significant for me to have it, and for the words to seep into my being.

so much to be thankful for.  happy weekend!

how fantastically committed i am that we trudged through another 4hours in the boys room the other night, mainly his closet?!  i was a tad emotional about it.  i mean we're weeding out toys and little boy things that aren't going to come back.  my boy is a teen.  and likely will be my only child.  of course the sentimentals are stashed for my grandkids, but it still felt a little overwhelming and just plain sad. 
but he's so awesome about it that i didn't let on to my desires to just put his giant self on my lap and rock him, and i was very open to storing, selling, giving whatever and so we made it through. 
we even added some more practical, fun tweaks to his room and that feels grand for us both.  even since the last tweak there have been many many boys migrating over to our pad and into that room.  it's amazing how the space in which you live and function can have such an effect on your life.  i think he likes his space a lot.

so now i'm in my room.  i can see the floor already!  once i move the yard sale items out it will be quite a dramatic change.  just my closet left to go and my hope is that i will have the nerve to make the contents of it decrease drastically. 

i will tell myself things like:
no, you will not wear that as a costume someday
no, you will not save that for when you lose weight
no, you probably won't get that hemmed or taken in
just because it fits good, doesn't mean that print, or pattern, or design should be worn
and so on...

please tell me you rationalize all the items in your closet too. 

tomorrow is Dday.  the actual yard sale.  the boy is on track to make some dough by the contents of his toy/game pile.  and my word do i hope to do the same!
happy friday!

well, yeah, okay so it's wedensday and i finally finished my first project of spring break.  it was actually my smallest project and on my list LAST week, so i kind of feel like halle-stinkin-lujah! 

thank goodness the boy began in his room already and now i just get to go empty one of his closets.  it's his stuff so he's totally forced to help:)

last will be the awful space that occupies my personal self....my room.  and it's only awful because of the condition it's in, otherwise it's lovely.

tomorrow = storage unit (again)

i'm purging and selling and giving away.

it's in preparation for my july move/my need to declutter myself because i feel a bit like i'm suffocating in THINGS/and because dave ramsey has requested that i do so....and he's the boss.

so back up off the couch and off the computer and into the closet. ugh.

side note: as i was typing i had my eye on the most ginormous fly. i eyed him on my wall watching for when the perfect swat could go down.  and that guy crawed right into the hole of my electric outlet!  how disgusting.  seriously.

i've honestly been feeling a lot like my goal picture lately.  on the inside of course:)  today i've let someone else tend to the 20.  in fact, one of my PARENTS is subbing for my class.  even more specifically, a parent of one of my "tricky" friends.  a dad.  he's awesome so i know they are in good hands and i'm not even a smidge worried about them. (and i'm crazy happy he gets to feel my day)  which all means i am feeling grand to...

take care of my home
sort my clothes
do my laundry
put away my dishes
scrub my tubs
visit the chiropractor
make vegetable soup
bake banana bread
and grade, grade, grade


the boy has an early out and i'm super tempted to go fly kites til mutual.
bliss i tell ya. 
today feels like bliss.