I have been an LDS temple worker for the past year. I've made some very dear friends. Some my age and some not even close to my age. But they have become my temple family. I love them dearly. Since I am moving in the next few weeks, I will no longer be able to work in my current temple. I'm saddened by that fact but excited for the adventure ahead of me. I am grateful for the wonderful sisters who have served with me and taken the time to be my friend.

I am grateful I got all my laundry done yesterday. It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I did laundry and it was nice to be able to get it all done in one sitting.

I am grateful for the ability to multi-task. Here is my setup from the other night as I watched a new tv series, worked on one computer, and finished a project on another. #Nerdalert.

Today I am grateful that I can access the internet while flying. Who would have thought that ten years ago? I was able to redesign my blog, catch up on the news of the day, and answer a few emails, which made my 4 1/2 hour flight home much more bearable. I'm also grateful for my MacBook that has a battery life to support said flight. The image below is from my blog tracker on my flight a few days ago. It says we were over Texas at the time I visited my blog (I'm pretty sure we were over the Gulf of Mexico at the time). Right now it reads Atlanta, GA. I am definitely not over Atlanta right now. Looks more like Wyoming or Eastern Colorado. Love my technology!


I am grateful that I don't have to travel for work for a while. I enjoy traveling but for pleasure only. I have a few more vacations planned the next few months, but nothing that requires me to work. Actually I'm pretty sure all forms of technology would be confiscated if I tried.

I am grateful that everything went well for work this week. It takes time and effort to get everything ready for a trade show. Then the actual show can be emotionally exhausting. All-in-all everything went well. Glad to have another one completed.

Gratitude Day 5

1- Good friends. Some of my best friends don't live near me. They live in New York, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, California, Texas, and other places in the country. No matter where they live, they are always there for me and eager to be part of my life. I love my friends!

2- Video messages. Nothing like having a long day and having a video message in your Inbox.

3- Frugality. My mother taught me to be frugal and I am grateful for her example. Toy Story 3 came out the other day. I went to Wal-mart, saw the price, and walked out. I knew I could get a better deal than that. Did some research and found Target had it cheaper. I needed to pick up something there tomorrow and now I get to add Toy Story 3 to that list.

Gratitude Day 3

1- Cell Phones. My grandparents corresponded with letters back and forth. Phone calls were quite the rarity. When people did call one another, apparently the whole town could listen in on the conversation (or maybe it was just the operator). I'm grateful for the ability to talk with those I love whenever I want.

2- Afternoon naps. Though I had other work to do, this just hit the spot today.

3- Folded laundry. Yes, I know that I am the one responsible for completing this task, but it feels so nice when it is finally all put away after sitting for more days than I should admit.

Gratitude Day 2

1- Opportunity to vote.

2- Working from home. I like that I can be wrapped in a blanket on my couch working. I still go to campus a couple of times a week but I love that I'm not required to work in a non-existent office.

3- Musicnotes.com. Great website where I can download and print sheet music. If you want a $6 credit, let me know and I'll send you an invite.

AOG - Day 16

1- I am grateful for the successful installation of Windows 7 and my friend who spent time on the phone helping me.

2- I am grateful for the Book of Mormon challenge our bishop gave us. As a ward we started our reading on November 1st and should finish by December 24th.

3- I am grateful for my bull-headed, risk taking, no regrets personality. I believe I have lived a better life because of it.

AOG - Day 11

1- I am grateful for warm blankets. I love cuddling up in a blanket and falling asleep on the couch. All I need now is a warm fire and Christmas music.

2- I am grateful for the five years I was a teacher. It has been so useful in many aspects of my life. I really hope I can find a job that combines education with business.

3- I am grateful we live in a technology age. It makes it easy to keep in touch with friends in Arizona, Japan, California, Ohio, Virginia, and England. So much fun!

AOG - Day 4

1- I am grateful for google documents which allows my team to work on a project without being in the same room. Project completed!

2- I am grateful for MBA friends and the good memories I have with them. Today it was disrupting all the students in the Blue Line as we sang Happy Birthday to four women in our program.

3- I am grateful for a good roommate who supports me even when she doesn't entirely understand why I do what I do. She is considerate and kind and wonderful!

Discover All That is Human

I read this article this morning and felt it had a profound message for all of us. I highlighted the areas that struck me.


PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The head of the world's most popular search engine urged college graduates on Monday to step away from the virtual world and make human connections.

Speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement, Google chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt told about 6,000 graduates that they need to find out what is most important to them — by living analog for a while.

"Turn off your computer. You're actually going to have to turn off your phone and discover all that is human around us," Schmidt said. "Nothing beats holding the hand of your grandchild as he walks his first steps."

He also urged graduates not to lay out a rigid path for themselves. Rewards will gravitate to those who make mistakes and learn from them, Schmidt said.

"You can't plan innovation or inspiration, but you can be ready for it, and when you see it you can jump on it and you can make a difference," he said.

The Class of 2009 is graduating in a tough economic climate, but such downturns can be a time for innovation, Schmidt said. He noted that Rice Krispies, Twinkies and beer cans were all products of the Great Depression — not to mention staples of college life.

He playfully compared today's "Google and Facebook generation" to his own: cell phones vs. phone booths, Wii vs. Pong, blogs vs. newspapers, Red Bull vs. Tang.

Perhaps most notably, Schmidt said, members of his generation spent all their time trying to hide their most embarrassing moments. Today's generation records and posts all those moments on YouTube, he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"And I am looking forward to watching these for the next 30 or 40 years," Schmidt said.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Gratitude - Day 27

1. I am grateful I had a successful shopping day. I don't really care to go shopping for myself. Unfortunately I have a pair of church shoes that squeak every time I walk (4 years old), a pair of brown shoes that are falling apart (5 years old), and most of my clothes would be tossed if Stacy and Clinton showed up at my house (okay...not really). The point is I needed to go shopping, but I don't like searching for the perfect outfit, I dislike having to wear five or six layers, I refuse to spend full price knowing if I am patient I can get an item on sale, I find it pointless to buy something that is ruined with a camisole underneath, etc., etc., etc. So I was really excited yesterday when I found things I actually liked, that were on sale, and didn't require me to layer for modesty sake. Such a nice feeling!

2. I am grateful for Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's. I indulged myself while living in Phoenix. Last year my aunt brought two boxes from Oregon. Most of the year, I don't miss Trader Joe's, but at Christmas time my heart gives a sigh knowing I'm missing out on one of the good things in life. I bought Oreo's Candy Cane variety, but was sadly disappointed. Next year, I will pre-order my boxes of Joe-Joe's from you who live near Trader's Joe.

3. I am grateful for Google Reader. With so many friends out there with blogs, it is so nice to visit one page that updates all of you for me. Thanks for sharing your blogs with me and thanks to Google Reader for keeping them all organized.

Gratitude - Day 16

1. I am grateful for the Wall Street Journal's daily quotes. Usually these are taken out of context or connect to a random memory of mine which makes them quite humorous. Here is today's quote: "You fill out a job application and you can’t write ‘long-range reconnaissance and sniper skills.’"
Here is the context: Andrew Spurlock, an Army infantryman who was disabled in the Iraq war, on his search for a job that paid better than delivering pizzas.

2. I am grateful when I can escape technology. Yesterday my phone died and my computer was unable to connect to the internet (okay it was actually turned off, but I really was away from an internet connection for a while). Well, I was completely exhausted! So, I crawled into bed knowing I would not be disturbed. When I woke up, my voice mail was full and I had a bunch of emails that were waiting for me. But, for a brief moment, I had escaped the demands of technology.

3. I am grateful for my twin niece and nephew. I had such a fun time juggling the two, bouncing one with my leg while cradling the other. Just when I had one calmed down the other started squawking so I would re-adjust their positions. Very time consuming and emotionally draining, but I had such a good time hanging out with the little ones.

Gratitude - Day 9

On Day 2 of this gratitude chain, I mentioned that my dreams help me with my homework. This really does happen but negative consequences also exist as was the case last night. I was supposed to finalize my team's HR case but kept hitting a roadblock with my thoughts. I decided going to bed early and waking up early would be more beneficial than sitting in front of my computer with elementary thoughts. In my dream, I finished 2/3 of the case! Subconsciously I even thought that it will be easy to finish the case when I wake up. You can't even imagine my disappointment when I woke up and realized I still had the entire case to write. Oh well.

1. I am grateful for the ability to work well under deadlines. I love when I budget three hours to write a case but finish in 2 1/2. Of course years in writing papers have helped and trained me in this habit. One semester in my undergrad year I wrote over 20+ papers, with five of those being from one class and 8-10 pages long.

2. I am grateful for heaters and air conditioners. I can't even imagine living through summers without AC and winters without heat. I have fond memories sitting next to my parents gas fireplace, wrapped in a blanket, drinking hot chocolate. In the summers you could find me with a pillow next to an AC vent sleeping. Good memories!

3. I am grateful for good roommates. I have had some really difficult roommates with multiple problems. However, I have also had some stellar roommates (many of you reading this blog). Two roommates who I have recently thought about are Mel and Cheryl. Half-way through the year, our apartment was re-carpeted and we decided to have all three of us sleep in the same room. Every night we turned on the same cd and fell asleep underneath our glow-in-the dark stars. We were also frequent visitors at the hot tub, especially during winter time. At least a few times a week you would hear one of us yell, "Cute girls at the hot tub!" We always got someone to join us. Thanks to all of you who have been my roommates. You are amazing!

Gratitude - Day 6

1. I am grateful for the laughter of little children. Yesterday I brought my sister's two oldest children to the park. Her daughter spent the whole time on the swings. Every time I pushed my niece higher, she would cackle and giggle! Such an innocent sound of pure enjoyment.

2. I am grateful the church posts general conference talks online in mp3 format. I download them and am able to listen in the car while I drive. It is a great way to start my day.

3. I am grateful for the night sky. Last night, the sky was so clear and the stars so bright. Next new moon, I plan to take a drive away from the city lights, wrap myself in a blanket, and watch for shooting stars.