Christmas music, oh how I love thee...

Since December hit...wait, make that November, a certain local radio station has been playing Christmas music. Sick of being brainwashed with Katy Perry, Pink, Bruno Mars and Sarah Bareilles and their most recent hits played over and over again, I have found myself listening to that station on a fairly regular basis. And in so doing I've noticed how much calmer I feel when I'm singing along to my favorite Christmas songs. They carry a message of hope, of love, of faith.

Sunday was a Christmas music festival for me. I had the privilege of singing several beautiful and touching Christmas hymns and arrangements with my ward choir and stake choir. My calculated Christmas hymn singing time on Sunday summed a total of 5 hours! FIVE! And it was entirely rewarding.

One of the most simple yet most spiritual and touching songs for me was "Silent Night."As I reflected on the birth of the Savior, I sensed the sacredness of that night. I am so grateful for all that He has done for me. His birth and life on this earth comprise the true hope that I have in my heart that I can make it home one day to live with my Heavenly Father again. I know that Jesus Christ made it possible for me to repent and become clean of every sin, to become whole despite my many weaknesses, to be healed from the many difficult challenges and trials I continue to experience.

Here are a few videos that help me to feel the Christmas Spirit:
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Remember the reason for the season. Spend time serving others, spend time with family, spend time pondering on the birth and the life of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I know he Lives. I know he loves us. I'm so grateful for all he has done for me and for my loved ones. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Lamericks

I had some time to kill today while waiting for a meeting in the JFSB. So, I decided to take a little stroll down the 4th floor. And I began reading a bulletin board that read: Lamericks. Feel free to add your own lame limerick to the board. As I perused the hand-scratched limericks, I felt inspired to write a few of my own.

Liverick:
Have you heard of Old Man Quiver
Who lives down by the river?
They say that his van
Is stocked full of cans
Of preserved onion and liver!

Smellerick:
There once was a foot with six toes.
The sixth one resembled a nose.
It sniffed in a shoe,
And then turned quite blue
From smelling a smell that it loathed.

Limericks...a wonderful way to waste time and still feel semi-productive.

The Paper Cuts Were Worth It!

Living off student loans and any job that fits between classes, I've worked many random jobs during my time at BYU. Here's a list:
-Deseret Towers custodian (These dorms no longer exist...that's how long ago I was as freshman. I cleaned S Tower. I chose not to live in the dorms my freshman year, but ironically I ended up cleaning them.)
-Elementary school speech tutor (The little kids I worked with were adorable. I loved teaching this one little boy named Remington how to say the letter "X". The whole "ecks" sound was a daily challenge for weeks. Then one day, he got it!)
-ESL teacher for Koreans using Skype (I now love S. Korea. And most if not ALL S. Koreans love Americans. They must be some of the sweetest people on earth.)
-Bindery worker (I worked in a gigantic paper factory for 3.5 yrs. My favorite task was jumping in the huge paper bin to smash down the shreds of paper and make room for more...word to the wise: empty your pockets before entering paper bin. You just might lose your tiny ipod and spend precious time diving and searching through the horrific mass of paper to find it.)
-EFY counselor (I loved it!)
-Door to door pest control saleswoman (This was the longest summer of my life. I discovered quickly that I am not into selling people...nor am I a huge fan of being sold by a salesman. If I want it, I'll buy it. Don't pressure me.)
-Call center representative (I called people and signed them up for online college. I also spoke to several angry people who did NOT want to go to college.)
-Sales company translator/claims/collections/dispatch/customer service person (This is the job I just put in my 2 weeks notice at today! Let's just say I'm not a fan of sales companies.)

And so...after years of working these types of jobs...I am incredibly excited to begin my student teaching in January. I received my assignment yesterday: Riverton High School in Riverton, Utah. It is there that I will embark on my journey to becoming a Spanish Teacher! I love teaching. I love Spanish. And I love working with the youth. I know it will be a challenge, but I'm up for it. With all this random experience under my belt, I can handle anything! Bring it on!

Facebook...virtue or vice?

One of my friends recently deleted his Facebook account. He didn't say why. And it's caused me to wonder what would happen if I deleted MY Facebook account. Let's examine the pros and cons of Facebook:

Pros:
Facebook is great for...
-Networking
-Sharing pictures
-Inviting friends and family to important and recreational events/activities
-Keeping in touch with people.

Cons:
-It's addictive for many people.
-Can become a time waster.
-Gives people access to your information (granted, there are security settings for preventing this)
-People can post ugly pictures of you. (this one really isn't too important, yet it happens frequently)
-It's an easy way for people to digitally stalk you. (ex-boyfriends/girlfriends, creepers, other people)

That's all I can really think of for now. I guess I can add to that list later. Feel free to comment and I'll add yours to the list too.

So, what good things would I be missing out on if I were to delete my Facebook Account?
-Status updates that tell me how my friends/family are doing.
-I'd probably miss a lot of peoples' birthdays.
-People might find it more difficult to contact me since most have become so dependent on Facebook.

I know these aren't really life-altering things. But, they do affect my social life. It's kind of nice to see how my friends who have moved away are doing.

In conclusion, I think I will keep my Facebook Account for now.