Happy Now-Jan. 15

I am excited to share my Happy Now 10 for this week!  Unfortunately, this past week has found me a little under the weather, but there's nothing like being sick to really make you appreciate the small things that are often taken for granted.  I spent last weekend lying low (hence no blog post) and then took Friday off to give myself a longer weekend this weekend and finish recuperating.  Here are my top 10 moments from the past couple of weeks.

1. More Law School News:  In the past couple of weeks, Darren has received two more law school acceptances and has been put on one school's wait list (at our top-choice school, so we are keeping our fingers crossed!).  It feels like such a blessing to have choices.  So far, we have been accepted to a school in Michigan, Arizona, and North Carolina.  Can you guess which school this sun-loving, CA girl is rooting for?

2.  Student's Morning Question:  I have one particularly active student in my classroom who bounces into my room every morning and doesn't stop bouncing until he leaves that afternoon.  This student has started greeting me with a question each morning that never fails to make me smile.  Our conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: Good morning, (student).  How are you doing this morning?
Student:  I'm great!  How are you Mrs. Myler?  How did you sleep?

Now it may not seem like much, but it's his last question that always makes me laugh a little inside.  He holds still for just a moment to hear my response to his questions before moving on.  I try to answer his questions as sincerely as possible.  Maybe it's because I think of it as a question a mother would ask her child, but it always seems so unexpected and cute every time he asks.

3.  E-mails from Chris:  I've received a few e-mails from my brother over the past couple of weeks.  I love it every time I see his name in my inbox.  His sense of humor cracks me up, and I love hearing about what he's up to and his song recommendations. :)  Thanks, bud!

4.  Pajama Days:  I mentioned earlier that I took Friday off from school because I wasn't feeling well.  What I didn't mention was that I spent the WHOLE day in my pajamas.  I definitely started to get antsy toward the end of the day and it was great to get out and about a little yesterday, but staying in comfy clothes all day certainly has its up sides.

5.  Indoor Plants:  I love nature.  For Christmas this year, the other fifth grade teachers at my school and I decided to exchange classroom plants as gifts.  I was so excited!  While Darren and I were shopping for the gift plant, we also bought a few plants for our home.  Staying indoors and getting plenty of rest recently has definitely been good for me, but when I started to miss seeing some greenery, these little house plants sure brightened my day.

6.  Breakfast in Bed:  I woke up Friday morning to see my husband carrying in a tray of eggs, toast, fruit, and water.  What a great start to a day!

7.  Couple Crochet:  Darren and I decided that we wanted to start learning new things together.  I got to choose our first activity ... and I chose crocheting. :)  I remember learning once for a Young Women's project for which I planned to make a baby's blanket, and it turned into a pot holder.  I now remember why the once-planned blanket ended up so much smaller.  Crocheting takes me a really long time!  I'm not ready to give up on it, but I do know that if I ever finish a baby's blanket that thing will be more rare and precious than gold!

This is how far I got before I decided to take a break.

Darren made it much farther--I think he's found a hidden talent.

8.  Austen Book--We're reading Sense and Sensibility for our book club right now.  I LOVE Austen and I'm so excited we're reading one of her books.

9.  Primary Class--Darren and I started teaching a new group of kids in our Primary class.  We loved our last class, but the group of girls we have right now are little angels.  It's such a pleasure to teach them.

10.  RedHeadedHostess--I recently came across this website: www.theredheadedhostess.com.  She has some great scripture study tips and other insights that I have loved reviewing.

Here's to a week of improved health and continued happiness!

Happy Now-Jan. 1

Happy New Year!  I have a great feeling about 2012.  So far, we are off to a great start!  This post is several weeks overdue, but I have my top ten Happy Now moments from the last few weeks of 2011.

1.  Dinner with the Chaffees--On our last Sunday in Utah before the Christmas Break, Darren and I were invited to dinner with the Chaffees.  It is always wonderful to see them, and I feel like I am meeting with family rather than friends whenever I am with them.  While there, the Chaffee women recommended the TV series "Downton Abbey" to me.  Darren and I just finished watching the first season via Netflix, bless Darren's heart.  We both really enjoyed it, though, and can't wait to start watching Season 2 next week!  Thank you for the wonderful meal, evening, and recommendations, Chaffee family!

2.  Holiday Farewells to Students--Every now and then, I think about a scene from the movie "Mr. Holland's Opus" in which Mr. Holland is teaching his first day of a high school music class.  At the end of the day, Mr. Holland says something about how he never imagined as a student that his teachers looked forward to the final bell as much as he did.  I certainly felt that way on the last day of teaching before the holiday break.  I was as giddy as the students at the prospect of having a week and a half off.  I expected the students to rush out the door without a backwards glance when the final bell rang, and most of them did.  A few students turned back, however, with some very kind words.  Their expressions of gratitude and holiday wishes made me pause in my attempt to follow the students quickly out the door with a much-needed reminder of why I love to teach and why the classroom is a pretty great place to be after all.

3.  Road Trip--I have many fond memories of the road trip between Utah and California, most often made with my family while I attended BYU.  The trip has come to represent excitement as I am either driving home or returning back to an academic adventure.  These most recent trips with Darren have been no different.

4.  Family Gatherings--The holidays are all about family, aren't they?  Over this holiday break, Darren and I were not only able to spend some wonderful quality time with my immediate family, but with extended family, as well.  I look forward to every opportunity I have to get together with my cousins, aunts, and uncles.  I felt fortunate to be able to see my Dad's side of the family over the holiday since Darren and I had missed seeing them at Thanksgiving.  Here's to a 2012 with many more family gatherings!

5.  Christmas Eve Chili--I love holiday traditions.  One of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions is eating a bowl of my mom's Christmas Eve chili.  It smells and tastes like Christmas to me more than anything else.

6.  Christmas Morning Wake-up Calls--I am 28 years old, but I still find it absolutely necessary to get an early start to the festivities on Christmas morning.  One may think this should fall to the youngest sibling, but alas it has fallen upon me over the past few years to wake my brother, parents, and now husband when the agreed upon time has come to begin opening stockings.

On a slightly unrelated topic, I wanted to share a Christmas day picture of me and Darren before we left for church.  We had taken several, but I didn't like any as much as the impromptu dip Darren did at the end. :)

7.  Wedding Cake--I previously mentioned loving holiday traditions.  Truth be told, my love of traditions is not limited to holidays.  My parents agreed to save part of the top layer of our wedding cake in their freezer for the past year so that Darren and I could have a bite on our 1st anniversary.  Despite some hesitation on Darren's part to eat a year-old piece of cake, I was bound and determined to carry out this tradition.  It was about a month after our first anniversary, but we ate (and enjoyed!) a piece of our wedding cake.  I was surprised by how good it still was!  Darren and I both had more than the anticipated small bite.  My mom, who did not get the chance to try any at our reception, also had a taste.  I would definitely recommend this tradition!

Chris, our photographer for the evening, got artistic with our rings before we took bites out of the red velvet piece of wedding cake.

We're about to take our first bite.

8.  Zumba with Mom--Several weeks ago I mentioned how much I enjoyed taking a Zumba class with some teachers at my school.  When I found out that a local gym in CA would be hosting two Zumba class while I was in town, I immediately proposed the idea to my mom.  While the music and steps were different than my experience with Zumba in Utah (but still confirmed that I have ABSOLUTELY NO Latin blood in my veins), we still had a great time.  What a fun way to work up a sweat!

9.  New Year's Resolutions--Every year, I love making New Year's Resolutions.  There's something about starting fresh with a clear image of how you want to improve certain areas of your life that is invigorating.  Many years ago, my dad used a scriptural reference (Luke 2:52) which talked of Christ growing in "wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" to suggest that we make resolutions in four main categories of our lives: intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social.  I have my resolutions set and am ready to put them into action.

10.    Midnight Fireworks--Darren and I started driving back to Utah yesterday afternoon, on New Year's Eve.  Once we were on the road, we set the goal of trying to be back to Springville by midnight so that we could ring in the New Year in our little apartment.  We were about 20 minutes late, but it worked out for the best.  When the clock struck midnight, our car was cresting a hill on the freeway from which we could see surrounding communities for quite a distance.  Our first moments of 2012 were greeted by several fireworks displays in the Utah valley.  We counted nine in all.  It was a magical moment and a great way to start off a new year.

A very happy New Year to you all!

Happy Now-Dec. 11

1. December 1st Tradition:  I'm starting off my Happy Now 10 this week with a happy moment that actually belonged in last week's post.  As I was getting into bed after writing my post last week, I realized that I had left out one of the happiest moments of the week.  I couldn't just leave it out, so I'm leading off with it tonight.  Ever since I can remember, my family has had a holiday tradition of celebrating Dec. 1st in order to kick off the Christmas season.  Growing up, we would have a nice dinner and my brother and I would receive Christmas pajamas and an advent calendar.  While Darren and I couldn't be gathered around the table with my family this December 1st, we were still able to celebrate thanks to my parents who sent us pajamas in the mail and e-mailed us a beautiful Jacquie Lawson London Advent calendar for our computer.  I love this tradition and am so glad that we have been able to keep it up despite the distance that separates our family members.

2.  Darren's help with trees: I mentioned last week that I was making a set of paper trees for a decoration exchange I had been invited to attend.  The trees ended up taking much longer than I expected, but I was fortunate enough to have Darren to help cut circles and come up with creative solutions.  When the trees were too top heavy to stand up in the thread spools as the directions said they would, I was about ready to throw in the towel.  Darren saved the day (and the trees), however, by suggesting we glue the spools to an extra square of green card stock and then anchor the trees with some extra Christmas saltwater taffy we had.  Here's how they turned out:

3.  Decoration Exchange:  Sara did an amazing job of organizing the decoration exchange and preparing a lovely setting and delicious food in her apartment for the event yesterday.  As much work as I had put into my decorations, I still felt like they looked like popsicle stick ornaments compared to the other crafts that had been prepared.  I would not blame the other girls for depositing my paper trees in the nearest trash receptacle, but I am grateful for the crafts I got from them that I can, and currently do, use.  Here is what I received:

From left to right: felt Christmas tree wreath, snowflake ornament, "Silent Night" musical note ornament, Santa belt ornament, homemade carmel apple dip and an apple, "Let It Snow" painted mug, flower coat pin

Our "family room" with our new wreath and tree ornaments

I wore the flower pin on my coat to church today.

4.  Christmas Pillowcases:  Darren and I have been meaning to put these festive pillowcases on our pillows since we returned home from Thanksgiving.  This week we finally added them!  We received the pillowcases for our wedding last year and I love how it brings a little Christmas into our bedroom.

5.  Dinner with Whitney and Kelly:  My parents knew Whitney's parents before we were born.  Whitney and I have grown up together and then moved to Utah together as she started college at the University of Utah and I went to BYU.  She has been a great friend.  Darren, my mom, and I were able to attend her wedding to Kelly in Salt Lake last August.  Last night we got together with the Whites for dinner and had a great time catching up with these two.  I'm so glad to know that this friendship will continue to grow as we meet together as couples and future families.

6.  Warm(ish) Winter Weather:  A few weeks ago I mentioned being grateful for a thin layer of snow outside.  Now, any sunny, relatively warm day can make me immediately smile.  Today it was 45 degrees outside when we left for church.  That's not exactly balmy, but it's definitely warmer than it has been.  Did I mention that we will be spending our Christmas holiday in CA where it stays in the 60s during the winter?  Can't wait!

7.  Christmas shopping:  I LOVE Christmas shopping.  I love trying to find the right gift for loved ones and anticipating their reaction on Christmas morning.  Yesterday, Darren and I had a fun time walking around the mall and finding little gifts for some family members.

8.  Visiting Barnes and Noble:  Darren and I go into the Orem Barnes and Noble any time we are in the area.  We rarely buy anything, but there's just something about bookstores that we both love.  Maybe it's the smell of the books or being surrounded by other people (kids and adults) who find joy in reading.  We have even talked about how fun it would be to own our own bookstore a la The Shop Around the Corner from "You've Got Mail."  I may even have a name picked out for our little bookstore and a sketch with what the inside would look like. :)

9.  Chats with Parents:  I've had some great chats with my parents over the phone recently.  I feel like I've hit the jackpot when I can have both of my parents on the line at the same time.  We've shared quite a few laughs and have had some inspiring talks about the future this week.  Thank you, Mr. Graham Bell!

10.  Family History:  This week, Darren created an account on ancestry.com and was able to trace part of his lineage back to the 1300s.  So cool!  I wanted to have a share in the fun so I jumped on and started doing some research on my family tree.  I only read names and dates, but I immediately started to wonder about the personalities and lives associated with those names.  Genealogy is such an exciting work, and I am looking forward to learning more about my heritage on-line and through conversations with family members.

Happy Now-Dec. 4

Here are my Happy Now 10 from this week:

1. Wedding Album Proofs--On Monday we received the first proof of our wedding album, which we were able to approve later this week.  We should have our copy shortly after Christmas.  Yippee!

2.  Awesome Article--I read THIS article shared by a friend on Facebook.  I could completely identify with falling into the trap of talking to little girls about the societal "girly" things (clothes, hair, etc.).  I loved this article for encouraging us to think about a girl's mind and less about her appearance and the message we send by the topic of conversation we choose.

3.  Compliment from a Parent--Every now and then, a parent will say something kind to me as their student's teacher.  This week I had a parent of one of my students from last year pay me a compliment as a teacher.  I will never get over how much that kind of feedback means to me.

4.  Crafty Moment #2--As you may recall, crafty moment #1 came last week after about a 15-year hiatus when I sewed 4 pieces of fabric together.  Well, since then, I have been on a crafting roll.  On Thursday, I got together with some other women in our Relief Society to make some projects as gifts or for our own home decor.  I made this sign with lines from Primary Songs, which I think will be fun in a future little boy's room.  The project only required sanding, painting, and applying a big sticker, but that still left a large margin of error (for me) and I was pretty happy with how it turned out. :)

5.  Crafty Moment #3--I was invited by a friend to participate in a Christmas decoration exchange next weekend.  After scouring the "easy Christmas crafts" websites, I found a guide for making some cute paper Christmas trees. I started on the craft this week and have had a lot of fun.  Stay tuned for some finished products next week.

6.  Guest Speaker--This week I finished teaching the Amelia Earhart unit to my Reading Class.  I found out about an awesome opportunity to have a female pilot from the local aviation program at UVU come speak to my class about Earhart's contributions to aviation and about her own experiences as a pilot and a woman.  My students were really excited to hear her present and to ask her their questions.  Our guest speaker was raised to superhero status, however, when she handed out a poster, t-shirt, and model airplane from UVU for each student.  It was a complete surprise to me and, while I could appreciate the marketing motives behind such a generous gift, I was so excited for my students and appreciative of this woman who brought so much excitement into my classroom.  About half of my class is now considering a future career in aviation. :)

7.  New babies--Yesterday, Darren and I had the opportunity to visit a young couple in our ward who had their first son this week.  He is absolutely adorable and I am so happy for Kareena and Chris.  What a sweet thing to have a newborn baby around Christmas time.  It reminds me of the excitement we had about this time last year when little Parker Hyde joined our extended family.  Such happy times!

8.  Homemade Bread and Jam--We were given a gift of homemade bread and jam this week.  Few things taste and smell as good as homemade bread.  Unfortunately, Darren agrees.  We have tried making the little loaf last as long as possible between the two of us.  It is almost gone but, boy oh boy, have we enjoyed it!

9.  Sunday Dinners at Mary's--My Dad's cousin, Mary Wintch, lives in Springville and has been kind enough to host me and many others over the past several years for Sunday dinners.  Darren and I have been lucky enough to have frequent dinners with her recently, and I am grateful for the time and effort she puts into hosting us.  We ate with her again tonight and she made a family favorite--a Danish recipe for Frikadellers.

10. First Presidency's Christmas Devotional--After eating dinner with Mary, she served us some ice cream and sat us down on her couch to watch the annual First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.  I love gathering on the first Sunday of December every year to hear Christmas messages from the leaders of my Church and to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the beautiful and familiar Christmas Carols.  It is a wonderful way to kick off the Christmas season and is a great reminder of the true reason behind this festive time.

Happy Now-Nov. 27th (1st Anniversary!)

This has been such a fun week!  I had my Happy Now 10 for last week all written out in my journal, but time got away from me before I could make the post.  I am excited to pick up with this week, however, and share some of the very happy moments we've had over the past seven days.

1. The Wiz--On Monday, Darren and I had the opportunity to see a production of The Wiz at Highland High School in Salt Lake.  Katie, who started teaching choir at Highland this year, was the musical director of the show.  She got us front row seats next to her parents, sister, and Krista.  They were such great seats and we had a lot of fun watching this creative adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.  The students were wonderful, and Katie had obviously used a lot of her time and talent to put on such a fantastic show.  Here is a picture of me with Krista and Katie:

2.  1st Anniversary Part I--After I finished teaching on Tuesday, Darren and I drove up to Park City (where we had spent our honeymoon the year before).  Thanks to the generous anniversary gifts we received from both sets of parents, we were able to have dinner and spend the night there before heading up to Idaho for Thanksgiving.  I had started having a lot of wedding deja-vu the week before, and spending time in a wintery Park City just added to those wonderful wedding memories.

On Main Street in Park City--November 2011

3.  Tree Hunt--When we arrived in Idaho on Wednesday, Darren and I were invited to go find a Christmas tree with Angie, Scott, and their two beautiful girls, Annalyse and Natalie.  This was unlike any tree-buying experience I had had, though.  Scott and Angie bought a tree-cutting permit and went into the woods near their home to cut down their own tree.  We joked about feeling like the Griswalds from "Christmas Vacation", but in reality it was so beautiful and easy!  If Darren and I ever live by a wooded area we will definitely need to copy this tradition!

The whole crew (minus Angie who was taking the picture) before heading out to look for a tree: Annalyse, Darren, Me, Scott, Natalie

The tree has been found and is (apparently) about to be conquered.

4.  Thanksgiving Holiday--I am so grateful for an entire holiday dedicated to remembering the things for which we are grateful.  We even get an amazing feast to eat while we reflect on our blessings.  Angie and Scott made a wonderful turkey dinner complete with mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, salad, corn, rolls, and jello pudding.

5.  Black Friday--I had my first Black Friday shopping experience this year.  While I'm not sure that I'll be going out again at midnight next year, it was pretty exciting to see the deals that were available.

6.  Cute Nieces--I have really enjoyed becoming "Aunt Kate" over the past year.  I was sorry that Cindy and Brent's family couldn't join us for the holiday, but I had a lot of fun spending time with Annalyse and Natalie this week.  They are such polite, talented girls.  Coming home from dinner last night, Darren and I were riding in the back seat with Natalie.  I decided to play a game with Natalie that we have played before: I take out my iPhone camera, give her an emotion, and then snap her interpretation of that emotion.  I thought that I would share a few photos of this cutie:

The "stare down" look 

"It's Christmas morning and you just got the present you've always wanted."

"You've just seen Uncle Darren after not seeing him for a really long time."

"Bored"

"I'm hungry!"

7.  Anniversary Breakfast--Mr. and Mrs. Myler were kind enough to fix the family a pancake, eggs, and bacon breakfast yesterday morning and today.  When we arrived for breakfast this morning, we were greeted by an anniversary sign and handmade anniversary purse from Natalie.

Breakfast table with sign

Close-up of sign

Anniversary purse :)

8.  Craft time--I don't consider myself a crafty person.  I remember taking a sewing class in Jr. High, but I haven't touched a sewing machine since then.  This weekend, however, Angie helped me start a quilt for which I measured and tore fabric squares and sewed four squares together.  Four whole squares!  Thanks for the opportunity to be crafty, Angie!

9.  Christmas Music and Decorations--Fortunately, Darren and I agree on not listening to Christmas music nor decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  Helping the Cornelison's start decorating their home for Christmas, however, really made me excited to bring out the few decorations Darren and I have.  We listened to Christmas music the entire way home from Idaho and, as soon as we had unpacked, we got out our decorations and got to work.  Here's what we did:

The spoons on the far left and the table runner below came from  the Quarinos (ma famille francaise) last year for our wedding.

10.  1st ANNIVERSARY-Part II--It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I became Mrs. Kate Myler.  When I look back on this past year, all I can feel is gratitude for the man I have married and the life that we have.  It is not perfect, but it is one that we are making together and in which I trust and have faith.  Darren and I have looked at the clock several times today and have tried to remember exactly what we were doing at that specific time a year ago.  Our wedding day was the most happy and perfect day I can remember, and I have loved remembering the details of that day.

I consider myself a romantic, but when it came time to discuss the gifts that we wanted to give each other it was Darren who told me that the 1st Anniversary is the Paper Anniversary.  So, we went to a beautiful stationary store we recently discovered in Salt Lake, Tabula Rasa, and got some handmade paper and a wax seal.  For our gift exchange today, Darren and I wrote letters to each other on the paper we had bought, shared the letters with each other, and then sealed them to open again next year on our second anniversary.  Here's to a great second year of marriage!

Happy Now-Nov. 13

Here are my Happy Now 10 from last week:

1.  History's mysteries--This month in my reading class we are focusing on biographies.  I was talking to my parents a few weeks ago about choosing a biography that all of the students in my class could read together.  Based on their input, I ended up choosing a biography on Amelia Earhart.  I remember being fascinated by her life and disappearance when I was in elementary school, and I have loved sharing her story with my students.  Whether we are discussing Roanoke Island in Social Studies or Earhart in Reading, discussing historical "mysteries" with my students is so fun.  Their eyes become wide and their minds start racing and for a few moments keeping their attention requires absolutely no effort on my part.

2.  Law school letters--On Wednesday morning during my math class I looked through my classroom door window to see Darren standing in the hallway.  He had a big smile on his face.  I stepped out into the hall to discover that he had received his first law school acceptance letter.  What a happy moment that was!  I am so proud of the work he has put into applying to law school and am looking forward to the changes these next few months may bring us.

3.  Student for a day--I took another professional day on Friday to cram a month's worth of studying into one day for the Praxis II teaching exam, which I took Saturday morning.  While the test itself caused me some anxiety, I have to admit I LOVED being a "student" again for a day.  I loved waking up, fixing myself breakfast, and reviewing educational theories all day.  Dorky, I know.  I enjoy being the teacher, but I realized I also really miss being the student.

4.  College campuses--The above mentioned teaching test was given on the BYU campus.  Again, I loved walking around this familiar campus and feeling collegiate all over again.  It really is a beautiful campus, especially this time of year, and I am a proud cougar alumna.

5.  Love story--I read this love story on Sara's blog this week.  It's so beautifully written.  Thanks for sharing, Sara!

6.  Cleaning day--Cleaning is typically not one of my favorite things, but this past weekend I got the cleaning bug and just couldn't stop.  It felt so good to scrub and clean and throw away and light candles.  I turned up the music and just got to work.  Now if it can just stay this way for a little while until I get the cleaning urge again ...

7.  First year flashbacks--On Friday night Reagan Academy hosted a fund-raiser Art and Basket Auction at the school.  I took a couple-hour break from studying and went down to distribute my raffle tickets.  While I didn't win a thing, seeing students from my first year of teaching (who are now in 7th grade and were back visiting their old elementary school) definitely made me happy.  Seeing them and hearing them call me "Miss Sonne" brought back so many happy memories from my first year.

8.  Tickling the ivories (kind of :)--Our neighbors were out of town for a few days and asked us to take care of their bird.  They own a piano and, knowing I used to take lessons, told me that I was welcome to play a few tunes while I was over feeding "Jerry".  I have known some amazing pianists and my musical talent is mediocre at best, but it was so fun to play!  I miss having instruments around and I wanted to immediately sign up for lessons again.  What was my favorite part about playing?  A rousing duet of "Heart and Soul" with Darren!

9.  Wedding pics--As our 1st Anniversary quickly approaches, Darren and I have been looking at wedding pictures again and deciding on some prints we want to order.  I love re-living that day.  I am so grateful for the friends and family who made such an effort to be there and helped make it the day that it was.  Thank you!

10.  Girls' Night Out--Speaking of amazing friends, I was SO excited for a girls' night dinner over the weekend.  Brie was back in town for a few days with her darling daughter, Emmaline.  I met up with Katie, Celeste, and the two Weir girls at Buca di Beppo on Saturday night.  We talked and ate and talked some more.  Oh, how I wish that we were all neighbors and could have evenings like this much more often!

Brie and Celeste

Miss Emmaline--just one of the girls!

Me and Katie

Happy Now-Nov. 6

Here are 10 things that made me happy last week:

1. Halloween--elementary students + costumes + candy = A very festive (if not a bit chaotic) holiday!

2.  Making Halloween cupcakes for some neighbors--What is it about this time of year that makes baking so much more fun than usual?

3.  Teaching conference--Last Thursday I got a substitute for my class and went to a "Motivating Unmotivated Students" conference in Salt Lake City with some other teachers at my school.  While the conference wasn't everything for which I had hoped, it was so nice to have a change of pace and get a chance to bond with some lovely fellow educators.

4.  Mornings in bed--On both Saturday and Sunday I woke up around 6:30 a.m. feeling rested and unable to fall back asleep.  So ... I fluffed up my pillow, grabbed a book and my computer, and read and wrote e-mails for the first couple hours of my day.  I have to admit, there are definitely worst ways to spend quiet weekend mornings.

5.  Fall Daylight Savings Time--I remember telling Darren not too long ago that I just need a few more hours in my day.  Well, yesterday we got one. :)

6.  Snowy weather--I know what some of you are thinking: being grateful for snow is not typical behavior for Mrs. Kate Myler.  Maybe it was the mornings I spent in bed, waiting for the sun to rise, and knowing that there was a THIN layer of snow outside while I was safe and warm under my comforter that actually made me smile at the thought of there being snow on my doorstep.

7.  Finishing a book--There are few things as sweet as finishing a good book.  There is a feeling of accomplishment and time to relish the purpose behind the author's writing.  Love it!

8.  Starting a new book--The excitement I find in starting a new book rivals the satisfaction I feel in finishing a great one.  I'm always intrigued by what an author chooses to write as the first and last lines of a book.  I read the first sentence, especially of a book that comes recommended from those I know and love, with all the anticipation of meeting a potential life-long friend.

9.  Beautiful writing--My dad has taught me the beauty that can come from clear, simple writing.  Occasionally, however, I come across some very flowery writing that is nothing short of delicious.  This was the case in the new Book Club book I started reading Saturday morning: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman.  I LOVE her detail!  Her first paragraph completely drew me in:

"At dawn in an outlying district of Warsaw, sunlight swarmed around the trunks of blooming linden trees and crept up the white walls of a 1930s stucco and glass villa where the zoo director and his wife slept ... Oriental rugs warmed the parquet floor, where strips of wood slanted together as repeating feathers, and a birch armchair squared one corner of the room.  When a breeze lifted the voile curtain enough for grainy light to spill in without casting shadows, barely visible objects began anchoring Antonina to the sensible world."

Amazing!

10.  Friends having babies--A few weeks ago, I found out that a good friend is pregnant with her first baby due this May.  Yesterday morning, I received a text from another great friend announcing the birth of her first--a precious baby boy.  I am so excited for my friends and their new little families.  I can't help thinking how lucky these little kids are to have such amazing parents.  Congratulations, Tessa (and Paul) and Shelley (and Nick)!!