Walking now

I had a problem with my ankle brace because, I've gained some weight. My GB will be so happy. She always tells me that I need to. My lateral malleolus was rubbing against it and caused a scab to form, so every time that I'd go to step, it would tare off. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Thankfully, I got it fixed only to find out that my last appointment was over three years ago. I should keep up on it better than that. When I went to PT, I was excited to tell my therapists about my pain-free walking. They are now trying to help me keep it that way by preventing my knee from hyper-extending. that is a long-term goal that I'm excited to be working on prevention and not just survival."Baby Steps."

Relapse

My in-laws are serving a service mission in the women's prison. They shared with us that the Branch President told them that if they saw some of the women that they were teaching return and relapse, that they were there because they "needed to learn something."He counseled them to treat them the same way that we teach our children to walk, we know they will fall as part of the process.What they and all of us need is encouragement. I continue to get so much loving support:
Matt, my brother,  cheers me on when he sees me walking and is sure to point out any progress that I make. Mikey, my therapist at Neuroworx does the same. Lex is ever reassuring me to take the next step, asking me to please put the milk away, when I motion that I have to hold my hiking pole with my good hand she asks me if I am able to walk without it at therapy, and cheers me on when I reproachfully attempt to do so. I love the image of our Heavenly Father treating us with the same compassion in our individualized life's therapy. My in laws have also shared the story of Sister Rogers who was in and out of prison 24 times. She said that the turning point in her life came when she was ordered to rehab and her mother had to drive her everyday from her home to the center within the same city. Her mother always told her that she loved her. That love helped her know that she was worth something and gave her the courage to change. I know that this is a lesson learned in an extreme circumstance, but in our everyday experiences with relapses with our own weaknesses, we need the same reassurance to give us the courage to continue forward.
My assigned friend in the ward, President Myers keeps telling me that I need to believe that I can do it. We just had lunch together and chatted about the last lesson in Elder's Quorum that he gave and my feedback of shutting down and getting defensive if I am feeling like someone is trying to motivate me by guilt. He assured me that, that wasn't his intentions and after thanking me for fulfilling my calling as an instructor in the quorum. I felt that the only real way to influence others for good is to love them.

Seussical

I went and saw Hale Center Theater's production with my Abbers. This was a quote in their program from Dr. Seuss, "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It is a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope. Which is what I do." No wonder He's one of my heroes. I'm grateful that I work in a place that I can display this quote and explain it to everyone. Along with: READ: "This is the way."

Charlie Brown's Christmas

It's Christmas in the library too. We read How The Grinch stole Christmas and this week we're watching Charlie Brown's Christmas. I ask these questions before the show that I found online athttps://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/free-charlie-brown-christmas-movie-lessons-activities/:
Pre-Show questions
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a made for TV special that some families have a tradition of watching every holiday
season. What are some traditions you have with your family? Can you think of a new tradition to try this year?
2. Charlie Brown can't seem to catch the holiday spirit. What do you do to get you in the holiday mood?
3. Charlie Brown doesn't think the true meaning of Christmas can be bought at a store. What do you think is the true
meaning of Christmas?
4. Charlie Brown is feeling down and out, and his friends try to cheer him up. How do you help cheer up friends when
they are feeling blue?

and these at the end, again thanks to https://homeschoolsuperfreak.com/free-charlie-brown-christmas-movie-lessons-activities/ :
POST-SHOW QUESTIONS
1. At the beginning of the show, Charlie Brown says he doesn’t understand Christmas. Do you think he understands
it better at the end of the show? How would you explain Christmas to someone like Charlie Brown?
2. Commercialization means to exploit or manage something to make a profit. What other holidays are commercialized? What is lost when people commercialize things?
3. Linus says that the tree Charlie Brown got ‘just needed a little love.’ What have you made better by giving a little
love? What other things that don’t cost money can you give during the holiday season, and the rest of the year?
4. All the kids work together at the end to give Charlie Brown a Christmas gift. When have you worked together with
others? How is working as a team different than doing something by yourself? How does cooperation and teamwork make you feel?

Thanks to a coworker, we read The Quilter's Gift earlier this month too. I love finding books that I've never heard of as well as ones that I remember from my childhood.

It was short lived. We were asked not to show this when our administration walked through at the part where Linus is giving the true meaning of Christmas. When I got home and told my family, they ageed that it would be better if there was more holidays celebrated, not less.

CHAMPION Happy Halloween

I found this(It was in my Google Drive because my Amazingly Marvels Aunty Maureen sent it to me a few years ago. She deserves all the credit.) and printed it out for my Mommsy to use in Activity Day and I ended up sharing it in my testimony in testimony meeting this month. I almost talked myself out of it. Telling myself that I was dumb and everyone had probably hear it already and that it wasn't appropriate for church, but after the meeting, a few people asked me for a copy. Life Lesson: Listen to the promptings of the Spirit.

New Pics

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yVLm4PZqfgL_gv
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwYvJlWz2rzAcjRCNm5WSU4tUWg3YTE3MlBHTFVjVlByMENj

Are you stuck?

This morning I got up earlier than normal because my parents are out of town so that meant that I needed to make my own breakfast and my lunch too(I'm so spoiled).When I was on my way over to the school, I'd forgotten something so I went to turn around and got stuck on the park strip. My brother in-law flipped around to make sure that I was alright and my stake president stopped too. I'm grateful to live where others are looking out for me. I should've told President Taylor the truth: that I'm more stuck than I'd like to admit.

This made me smile today.

What's made you smile?

H.O.P. E.

In ARP I learned that hope stands for:
H: Hold
O: on
P: pain
E: ends
Thankfully, I know this to be true because of my Savior Jesus Christ.

Eatting an Elephant

I am learning what it means to take it "one bite at a time." Of course, life teaches me this lesson in multiple ways:

My most recent experience was when my pa told me to come with him to help my sister clean up her spring cleaning debris from pruning her trees and then again to help with her basement remodel project. CHAMPION Thx my Maymers(My nickname for Amy) for more than one opportunity to give back. You're always around to help me. I was frustrated that I could only do it one hand-full at a time and everyone kept raking more of it to me to pick up and put into a garbage can to be thrown in the green waste trailer that they'd rented, but I kept working, even when my 3 year old nephew, Bryce, asked me, "Why are you helping us?"
I continue to get taught this lesson. Something about a "Soul Echo?" Other "elephants" that I continue to "eat:"

-I want to back to school for a Masters Degree in either Speech and/or Spanish.I love learning and working one-on-one with kids, but I'll need to take the GRE to get into a program . . .
_I'm in a 100 mile challenge with my twin bro, Matt; his miles are running and mine are on a reccumbant bike. The first one to the goal, buys Cafe Rio for the other. So, either way I win.
-I told my therapists at Neuroworx that I wanted to do a double or nothing no matter who wins the 100 mile challenge and do a challenge of 200 push ups and pull ups. They're CHAMPION excited and are helping me do modified push-ups and pull-ups, but when I first told my President Pa Baugh about this, he said, "Let's see if you can do one first." Oh, ye of little faith.
-Weekly ARP Meetings
-My "Dailys" of prayers, scripture study and recently added journal entries.
-Weekly temple attendance(I've got two weeks under my belt and love the focus of the "Lord's University" gives me.
-Doing stairs at my parent's one foot on every step instead of stepping on every stair with both feet. It actually feels like i get some where now.