Snowies!

Charlene, Zoey, Bella, Harrison, Merlin, and then of course there is my shadow! LOL

I decided to get the kids out of the house. We went over to Wal-Mart and got Snowies. The boys had fun jumping over the red barriers in the front of the store. (the girls aren't quite as tall so they just ran AROUND them... lol) Oh the things kids find entertaining! :)

School's Out For Summer!

What an amazing experience it has been to go back to school! Today was my final exams in both of my classes! Last night I had a really hard time knowing what to study. I felt like I knew most all of the photography review questions by heart and the ones that I didn't know I could figure out pretty quickly. I also did not know how to study for my College Essentials class because of the way the class is, I did not really have a study guide and I only had a vague idea of what questions would be asked. Daniel just assured me that I already had everything in my head. So between the two classes I did not study for more than a half hour.... SCARY!

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So my photography final went great. I am unsure on only about five of the answers out of fifty and I answered five bonus questions. I really feel like I will get all of the points for this test, and I got all the points possible on my Photo Essay. (See Previous Post) In my College Essentials class we did a group final and just basically played a game. And guess what? We all passed! I am so glad I did not spend a lot of time studying! lol

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I am so excited to be out of school for three weeks! I am excited to spend time with all of the kids before they go back to school! Thank you for everyone that has found a way to support me through this journey! And a special thanks to Daniel (my rock) and to my Dad.

Photo Essay

I am actually sad to say that tomorrow is my last day in my photography class. So this is my last assignment. I am sure that I will continue to take pictures. Daniel suggested that I complete a photo essay once a week or so. I am sure I will continue to take pictures because it is a creative outlet for me that I have very much enjoyed! :) Here is my final project for Photography. :)

What a Day!!

Christina and Steve came and picked up Charlene, Zoey and Bella. They got Caricatures done! They are so cute!

Princess Zoey

Bella and Charlene "under the sea"

After they dropped the girls off they took Merlin to a baseball game. Harrison was feeling a bit left out because he did not get to go out and do something. I assured him that he was not forgotten about and that I understood how crappy it can feel even when that is not the intention. So we went and got some dinner and we went to Kmart and got our pictures taken. I am grateful for the opportunity to bond with this young man. I love him very much!

Me and The Cheeseball! (his words, not mine! :) )

What is the Accountable Version?

Today was our final presentation for my College Essential class. I just wanted to share cause I really enjoyed writing and presenting it. :) Our assignment was a one page paper on something that would help us become better students. I choose Accountability as my topic.

As a student it really seems that excuses for behaviors come up a lot. Some excuses include, my alarm didn’t go off, I was never told when the paper was due, or I am late because I got pulled over on the way to school. I am sure we have heard it all, and not just from classmates, but in our own heads as well. I know when I am not able to make it to class, I think of all of the good reasons that I can not make it rather than focusing on how I could have chosen differently. When I am accountable for my own actions it opens up a world of solutions that I wouldn’t see if I was blaming the issue on someone else. When I have more solutions to any given obstacle I will be more successful as a student.

It was my choice not to set up a back up alarm, it was my choice to speed and that is why I got pulled over, I did not check the syllabus or the class website, that is why I didn’t know when the paper was due. These were all choices that I made. These things did not happen to me at random to “make” me have a bad day. This was definitely a new way of thinking for me, to look at my world and acknowledge that everything in my life is my own creation. Whether good or bad, it was my choice to be in the situation that I am in. The simple act of being aware of the choices that I have made to create the situation that I am in, gives me the power to change my situation instead of being victim to my circumstances. I alone have the power to create the life I want. I alone have the power to create the grades I want. If I get a grade that I am not happy with I get to ask myself, “What did I do to create that grade? And how can I choose differently next time?” If I feel that I did not get a good grade because of the teacher, or the subject matter I will feel no responsibility to do something differently. It is not an easy way to view the world. When I am really down about something that is happening in my life, the last thing I want to do is take responsibility for it. Being accountable for my situation and circumstances should not make me feel badly about myself. It is simply a tool to learn from previous choices that got me what I did not want, to making new choices to give me what I do want.

When I am telling a story about something that is happening to me, even if I am talking to myself, if I start to blame someone or something for what is happening to me, I will ask myself, “What is the accountable version?” For everything in my life that makes me unhappy I know that I made the decision to be in the situation that led to those things. Once I stop blaming my circumstances for my circumstances, only then will I be able to change them. When one of my children tells me that another child hit them, I always ask them what they did to deserve it. Although hitting is never okay, I also know that children don’t normally hit unprovoked. We are taught from a young age to be accountable for our own actions. If you don’t want to get hit, then don’t hit. It is a simple concept that if you don’t like where your choices have led you, then make different choices. I think the hard part is acknowledging that your actions and choices are what led to the circumstances that you are in. Just like the child that just got hit, the last thing they want to admit is that it was because of what they did. The way that we speak is a powerful tool. Whenever I catch myself saying that I “have to” do something, I just smile to myself and acknowledge that everything is a choice. If I feel like I “have to” study for a test, I just adjust my attitude and remember that I have chosen to get an A in that class. Once my attitude has changed I can say that I “get to” or I “choose to” study for this test. This makes the experience of studying much better for me.

I will become a better student by perfecting this type of thinking. I will become a powerful and creative creator of my circumstances rather than be victim to them. I will have good grades because it is in my control and I create the reality I live in.

Blessed, Honored Pioneer!

I just want to acknowledge my appreciation for the men and women that had the courage to settle this land I get to call home. Anyone that knows me, knows I think of these mountains as my mountains and I have expressed how much I would miss the beauty here if I ever left. I realize without the sacrifice of the pioneers i would not be enjoying the beauty of this valley. I also am so grateful for the preservation of our church. I am blessed and I am reflecting on just how many of those blessings came from these brave men and women!

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Blessed, Honored Pioneer!

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They, the builders of the nation,

Blazing trails along the way;

Stepping-stones for generations

Were their deeds of ev’ry day.

Building new and firm foundations,

Pushing on the wild frontier,

Forging onward, ever onward,

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Blessed, honored Pioneer!

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Service ever was their watch-cry;

Love became their guiding star;

Courage, their unfailing beacon,

Radiating near and far.

Ev’ry day some burden lifted,

Ev’ry day some heart to cheer,

Ev’ry day some hope the brighter,

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Blessed, honored Pioneer!

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As an ensign to the nation,

They unfurled the flag of truth,

Pillar, guide, and inspiration

To the hosts of waiting youth.

Honor, praise, and veneration

To the founders we revere!

List our song of adoration,

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Blessed, honored Pioneer!

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I also want to acknowledge my big brother for running the 10k this morning! It was my plan to run with him and Daniel in the race this year. Due to Daniel's surgery we did not make it to the race. It was so much fun to run with Daniel last year and see Christina and Robert at the starting line. Next year we will be there to run. Maybe it will be all four of us again!

Can you say Harassment?

At the beginning of April I got a new manager at work. Since I worked at home the only communication I had with him was through instant message. We started off on the wrong foot because the first thing he said to me was that he would be coming out to my house. That creeped me out. I talked to some people at the call center that knew him and they told me that he is really cool and that I shouldn't be creeped out. It took me a little while, but I let it go.

At the end of June, I had a technical issue with my computer. Technically I am supposed to drive into the call center if my computer is down, but I asked my manager if I could just clock out and make the hours up the next day. He said yes, but you owe me lunch. I ignored the comment because I thought he was joking. He asked if that was a yes to lunch. I declined lunch (still thinking he was joking) and he said then I could forget about clocking out, that I needed to come into the call center. That good old creepy feeling came back, and I was really upset. I ended up calling an HR representative and told her about the situation in confidence. Less than an hour later she called back with the call center director on the line and he had already spoken to my manager. (They need to work on the confidentiality thing...) They basically swept the whole thing under the rug, said that it was just a misunderstanding. Since I would be getting a new manager a couple of days later, I did not press the issue. I work at home so I would never have to see the creep anyway.

If life were just that simple. I thought the situation was settled. When I first spoke with my newest manager he was pretty cool. I was relieved since my previous manager had been such a winner. Within just a few days his attitude toward me COMPLETELY changed. It was VERY apparent that he knew what had happened. The call center director actually told him (when I confronted him about that he said that he did not give him details, just told him the gist of things so he could look out for me.... WHATEVER!!)

When I was able to start working from home, I signed a contract that said that if my quality was not meeting goal that I would come back into the call center to work. So this is where they decided to go after me. Quality is supposed to be picked randomly. HA! My scores started to go down drastically although I was not doing anything differently. They gave me zero's on calls when I was having technical problems with my computer. They started monitoring less calls so that they only had to find one bad call. Every week I was getting a call that was near perfect and then one that they could find a million things wrong with. Hmmmm..... Once they got my quality low enough to force me back into the call center they had a new quality representative grade my calls and she pulled two almost perfect calls. Hmmmm........ Looking just a little suspicious are we?

So when my manager told me that I had to come into the call center or else I was terminated I wasn't quite sure what to think. I spoke with the HR representative about it and she called me the next day with the call center director and someone from the corporate office on the phone. They proceeded to tell me that they had done everything they could to make me feel better about the harassment issue (HA) and that they could not let me continue to work from home. They did not really address the issue of not being monitored fairly (guess they had no defense). I am sure they are trying to get out of paying unemployment. However I told them that I am not ok with working in a hostile working environment so they were able to force me to resign by telling me I had to work from the call center.

I have really adopted the idea that we all get to create our reality and that nothing is done "to" us. So in looking at this situation I suppose I should tell the accountable version as well. :) When I started going back to school I put it out there that I did not want to keep working at this job. I did not perform as well, I was not a star employee. Although I did not ask to be mistreated at work and to be forced to resign my position, I did ask to not have to work at that job..... And the Universe delivered.

Contrast and Harmony

This is my latest photography assignment. I thought they turned out really fun so I thought I would share them. :) Harmony

Contrast

Super Mom!

Today the kids were home for the last two hours of my shift. Oh my word! They would have had a hard time being worse than they were! I was so frustrated with them by the time I was done working. Merlin came upstairs a half an hour later and started asking for different things, a treat, a movie, things like that. I told him that I was really unhappy and unless they could find a way to make me happy, they weren't going to get much out of me. He disappeared for a little while and then him and Charlie came back with this note. Up at the top, Charlie wrote the words to Barney's theme song. Underneath those words Merlin wrote, "Super Mom, S. M. is cool. This is true" I thought it was great and of course it made me smile. The kids are well aware of my blog and asked me to put a picture of their note on the blog. How could I resist when they are so proud of what they did?

THANKS GUYS, YOU MADE MY DAY!

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight came out today and I had the pleasure of going to see it with Daniel. I thought that Heath Ledger did a Phenomenal job! It is sad that we will not get to see him grow as an actor, although I doubt he would have ever been able to top that performance! There were a few things that I did not like about the movie, it felt like there were too many story lines going on at once and there weren't enough lose ends to make you excited for the next one. Over all I really enjoyed it! The ending monologue actually made the movie for me. And what can I say... it has Christian Bale in it... Of course I liked the movie! (lol)