Happy Now--Feb. 16

I know that we are more than half way through February, and it is pretty late to be making New Year's Resolutions, but I have made a new one.  Looking back through old blog posts this week, I realized how much I enjoyed doing my weekly Happy Now posts (click here for the history on how these posts got started) and how good they were for me.  The posts encouraged me to look for the simple joys in my life each week and made me better appreciate the blessings that otherwise would have gone unnoticed (or at least undocumented).  After a brief attempt at a revival in 2012, the posts slowly petered out.  This time I am committed!  This Happy Now post will cover the past two weeks in February, but then I plan on making weekly posts.

1.  Sugar Cookies--After a rather disastrous first attempt at making sugar cookies in high altitude earlier this month, I called a good friend, Kristal, to get her advice on sugar cookie recipes.  She was kind enough to invite me over and share her secret family recipe for sugar cookies that turn out soft and fluffy, even in Pinedale!  The cookies we made together turned out perfectly.  I returned home with recipe-in-hand and a resolve to make a successful batch on my own.  Success!  Darren and I were quite pleased.

Sugar cookies ready to go in the oven

2.  Baking with Broadway--Let's start with a semi-well known fact about Kate: cooking isn't a strength of which I can boast.  Another lesser-known fact: out of necessity, cooking and baking have become much more frequent occurrences in the Myler household since moving to Pinedale.  New information: broadway playlists make the above mentioned fact much more enjoyable and less stressful for this girl.  It all started several months ago when I decided to put on a genius playlist of broadway songs while preparing dinner.  I started singing along and, before I knew it, dinner was about done.  Though still strictly recipe-bound, I hadn't panicked once about how the meal was turning out.  I even started a load of dishes just to stay in the kitchen and keep the playlist going.  This was a real breakthrough.  Since then, I play broadway soundtracks almost any time I find myself alone in the kitchen.  One of the most recent experiences was when making the sugar cookies mentioned in #1 above.  I can honestly say I look forward to baking now.  Cooking is slowly growing on me, too.  ;)

3.  Favorite Cookie Cutter--One more about sugar cookies and then I'll stop.  I just need to give a shoutout to whoever invented this cookie cutter.  True genius, am I right?

4.  Long-Term Sub Possibility--Since moving to Pinedale and receiving my Wyoming subbing license, I have enjoyed the opportunity to have new teaching experiences in elementary, jr. high, and high school classes.  Earlier this month, I received a call from the high school principal wondering if I could be a long-term sub for a social studies teacher going on maternity leave for the last month of school.  Darren and I have talked about my teaching full-time as a secondary teacher at some point if I ever wanted to try something other than elementary school.  And loving history as I do, I thought being a high school social studies teacher would be right up my alley.  So, to receive this call and the opportunity to try my hand at something I was considering doing full-time was really exciting for me.  Last week, I had the chance to sub for this teacher and really enjoyed the subjects and the students (mostly juniors and seniors).  I'm excited!

5.  Cross Country Skiing--Darren and I took advantage of the fresh snow two Saturdays ago and decided to go cross country skiing.  It had been several years since I had been, and it was Darren's first time.  He was a natural!  We had a great time.

6.  Persephone's Bakery--Back in September while my parents were visiting, we took a trip to Jackson and discovered Persephone's Bakery.  Not only are the sandwiches great and the cookies amazing, but the whole atmosphere of the little bakery is so charming.  Darren had last Tuesday off so we decided to go to Jackson and celebrate our Valentine's a little early.  We decided to have lunch at Persephone's and, once again, it didn't disappoint.  I wanted to capture the feel of the bakery in a picture, but found I was a little embarrassed to be taking pictures, so I just snapped a quick one of our table.  If you're ever in the area, though, I recommend grabbing lunch, or just a cookie and hot chocolate, at Persephone's.

7.  Valentine from Darren--One thing that has always impressed me about Darren is how thoughtful he is when it comes to giving gifts.  I tend to be the type to ask people what they want and then get them exactly that.  No surprises.  Darren, however, is sneaky, and that is part of what makes his gifts so great.  He remembers things I mention once that I would like and then buys them without me knowing.  Or he comes up with creative gift ideas on his own that are perfectly suited for the recipient (like the creative writing course he gave me two Christmases ago).  For Valentine's Day this year he surprised me with a beautiful soap dish and bird-shaped soaps for our bathroom that I had previously seen in a store in Jackson and loved.  It was perfect.  Love him.

8.  CTR4 Class--A few weeks ago I received a calling to teach two little girls and two little boys in my ward's CTR4 class on Sundays.  These kids are so cute.  Today in church, one usually pretty serious little guy was all giggles.  He was so full of hugs and smiles it made my heart melt.  The lesson today was on the birth of Christ.  As the lesson suggested, I turned off the lights in the classroom, had the kids close their eyes, and asked them to imagine that they were shepherds in the field the night Christ was born.  I asked them to imagine the stars in the sky, the grass beneath them, and the sheep around them.  Just as I was reaching the story's climax when the angel appears to announce the Savior's birth, this little guy jumped up (with his eyes still closed) and started walking around the other students acting something out.  I couldn't tell what he was doing, so I asked.  He told me that he was worried about his sheep and was putting up a fence to keep them safe.  The cuteness about killed me.  Since his eyes were closed through the entire episode, I decided it was best for all involved if I directed him back to his seat, but it sure made my day.

9.  Book Talk with Dad--Several posts ago I mentioned that I have weekly "book talks" with each of my parents.  I have loved our conversations.  My Dad and I have moved onto the book Literary Genius by Joseph Epstein.  The book gives a brief biography of 25 men and women who have created significant works of literature in English and an attempt to capture each person's genius.  Yesterday, Dad and I discussed the chapter on William Wordsworth.  It was one of my favorite conversations we've had since starting these book talks.  It may have been because we both love Wordsworth's poetry, or the insights my Dad shared, or the memories it brought back from a study abroad trip to the Lake District, but something about our discussion left me feeling so light-hearted and happy.  It was the highlight of my day.

10.  Gratitude Jar--Along with deciding to start up Happy Now posts again this week, I finally got around to putting together a little Gratitude Jar for me and Darren.  I found the idea on Pinterest, and am excited to read through the little tender mercies we have written about over the year on December 31, 2014.  The fact that "Count Your Blessings" was the opening hymn in Sacrament meeting today doesn't seem like a coincidence.  I am getting the message loud and clear that I need to start making gratitude more of a focus in my life.  I'm excited to get started!

Not very fancy, but this 2014 Gratitude Jar should do the job.

13 Highlights from 2013

Happy New Year!  2013 was a year of growth, changes, and adventures ... and we made sure to have a little fun, too. ;) Although this post is several days late, I wanted to take the chance to reflect on 13 highlights from 2013.

1.  Celebrating Papa John's 90th--My Mom's dad, Papa John (not his formal name ;), turned 90 on January 7, 2013.  Darren and I were able to join other family members to celebrate that special day with him.  I'm so glad we made it!  We lost Papa John on December 1, 2013, which made this last opportunity I had to spend with him very special and a real highlight.  There is so much I admired about Papa John, including his sense of humor, kindness, organization, and his way with words (fitting since he spent his career as a journalist and author).  I sure will miss him!

Papa John, Chris, Me, Dustin, Nick, Gabe, Darren

2.  Growing as a teacher--In 2013, I finished my fourth year as a fifth grade teacher.  While I anticipated that each passing year in fifth grade would become easier and feel more routine, a new school and a few very challenging students made last year unique.  I learned more about myself as a classroom teacher and how to handle difficult situations in the classroom last year than I probably did in all the three previous years combined.  I grew a lot, and I now have several more tools in my teacher tool belt.  Looking back on that year, I feel that in many ways it has been my most rewarding as a teacher.  In Pinedale in 2013, I began substitute teaching.  For a while, I only received calls to sub in the Pinedale Middle School, which also brought new teaching experiences.  Most recently, I subbed in a middle school Chinese class--talk about stepping outside of my comfort zone!  I am happy to report, however, that I now know how to say hello, goodbye, hamburger, and pizza in Mandarin. ;)

3.  Reunions with friends--Any opportunity I have to visit with old college friends and roommates is always a highlight.  In 2013, I had the chance to reunite with some of my closest on the east coast and in Utah.  I am so grateful for friends like these ladies in my life!

Getting to know the two cuties below was definitely a highlight!

No one ever said we don't know how to pamper ourselves. ;)

4.  Exploring Arizona--I am so glad that we had the chance to live in AZ, if only for a year.  It is a beautiful state, and we enjoyed the chance to get to know it in 2013!

Bearizona

Native American ruins near Flagstaff 

Grand Canyon

Famous Root Beer Float at Joe's Barbecue in Gilbert

39 Steps at the Hale Centre Theater thanks to a Christmas gift from Chris

5.  Family Reunions--2013 was filled with family reunions.  Darren and I had the opportunity to attend the Hubbard, Myler, Sonne, and Wintch reunions.  Growing up, family reunions were like holidays that I anticipated with growing excitement ... and I still do!

The Hubbard Clan: Nick, Gabe, Tad, Catrine, Dad, Mom, Me, Darren, Elizabeth, Jim, Sue, Ron

Visiting the Myler Farm in Idaho

Meeting Hudson Hyde at the Sonne Reunion 

How cute is the little guy in the lower left?  He loved it up there!

6.  Church Callings--I am grateful for the opportunity I've had to work with the kids in our wards in 2013.  In Gilbert, I had the chance to return to the Young Women Program and feel of the strength and testimony of those girls.  In Pinedale, I am excited for the opportunity to work with fifteen 8-9 year old girls in Activity Days.  Getting to know the youth of the Church sure makes one optimistic for the future!

7. Turning 30--I turned the big 3-0 in 2013.  It happened in the middle of a busy summer and our preparations to move to Pinedale, but we still made sure to celebrate.  I wasn't sure how I would feel when the day actually came, but I can say now that I have a great feeling about this new decade in my life.  Bring it on 30s!

My parents sent flowers to our Pinedale hotel.

Birthday gondola ride and steak dinner in Jackson :)

8.  Moving to Pinedale--I have written several recent posts on our experiences moving and adjusting to life in Pinedale, so I will keep this short.  While there were/are challenges to working and living here, we are both so happy to be living in Pinedale at this time in our lives.  The future may hold further changes, but we are soaking up all of the beautiful countryside, outdoor activities, warm friendships (if not weather), and simple life as we can while we have the chance to live here!

Leaving Arizona--The 950 miles we drove in this baby is a trip I will not soon forget!

Driving down our new street.

Moving into our second (!) Pinedale apartment

It's easy to see why they call this "Big Sky" country!

9.  Parents Visiting in Pinedale--When my parents visited Pinedale in September, Darren and I had a great time showing them around!  There is something about having parents visit a new place that immediately makes it feel more like home.

10.  New Friends--Since I can't have my parents close in Pinedale all of the time, I am so grateful for the new friends that we have been able to make here.  Dinners, game nights, bonfires, movie days/nights, and trips to the lakes have all been made possible by some young families that have befriended us.  These new friends have made the transition to Pinedale so much more fun and comfortable.  I know we will continue to be friends for a long time!

11.  Old/New Hobbies--In March of 2013, I had the chance to attend a one-day writing class at Stanford thanks to a Christmas gift from Darren.  Writing is a hobby/talent I have wanted to develop for years.  The opportunity to attend this class was a highlight that I will always remember.  Since moving to Pinedale, I have started a new hobby that has also interested me for a while ... quilting!   There is something so neat, I think, about having handmade quilts to snuggle up in or put at the end of a bed.  While my quilt teacher takes me through every step, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't recreate a single square on my own, I have loved the process every Saturday.  I can't wait to see what it looks like when it all comes together!

Ready for the writing class

A few quilt squares

12.  Anniversary Trip to NYC--In celebration of our 3rd wedding anniversary and to cross another item off of our bucket list, Darren and I traveled to NYC at the end of November/beginning of December last year.  I have written a recent post about this trip, as well, so suffice it to say we had a great time!  One of the best moments for me may have been when we were getting on the plane to fly home and Darren leaned over and said, "So, where are we traveling to next?"  I'm so glad he has been bitten by the travel bug, since I have been infected for years. ;)

13.  CA Christmas--No Christmas season would be complete without the opportunity to visit family.  Darren and I celebrated Christmas day in Pinedale, and then were able to leave for CA on the 26th.  My family was kind enough to hold off on our Christmas traditions until we arrived.  We celebrated our Sonne Christmas on the 27th, and it was wonderful.  We loved being able to visit with family and warm up in the sunny 75 degree weather!

CA Christmas (I may have gotten a little carried away with a collage app I recently discovered ;)

Writing this post has reminded me how blessed I am to have had the experiences, family, and friends that have filled 2013.  I am looking forward to the adventures to come in 2014!

A few more ...

I had forgotten that Angie already texted me several of her pictures, so here are a few more to add to the previous post.  Thanks, Ang!

Inside the Empire State Building

Susan Boyle performing on the Today Show

Today Show

Dinner at Lombardi's