Something quick and thought provoking tonight. Love you all and I hope you enjoy this video. It really shows that Science doesn't always discount that we were all created by Heavenly Father. I think it is amazing what God has taught men.



Have a wonderful day!

Caught!!!

So the other day I shared that I am slightly obsessive about silly things. Today I share another one, I am paranoid about Cops....Soo here is tonight's scoop. I am headed home after running a few errands and such, and I haven't had dinner, so I pop on into Burger King and pick up a meal. As I am heading out of the Parking lot I am trying to cross over into the far lane and I realize there is this dude walking across the street right where I need to pull out. Well you know how you can judge how fast a person walks? It is fairly simple to judge that in 3 seconds they can cross X number of feet. Well I assumed the dude had moved at a reasonably human speed, and had at least crossed to the far side of the turn lane. So I very carefully pull out and head for the turn lane, OBVIOUSLY watching for the dude, and all of the sudden he is stopped, and backing up, and there is traffic coming at me on the right and I have to get out to the turn lane or cause a wreck...So I gently maneuver my way to the dudes left, and slowly pulled into the turn lane so I could wait for the traffic to pass in the far lane and I could get in....I made sure I pulled in slowly because I was close to the dude who just stopped and decided to back up in the middle of the street at 10 pm. Well I get to the turn lane and am safe from harm (as well as the dude) and I know there is traffic coming, so I turn to watch and wait and realize that the guy has stopped and backed up because he realized that there were cars coming (yes he had PLENTY of time to cross, he must have been surprised by me, or something I don't know) and he decided not to cross, but rather to stand in the middle of the road waiting to get hit. Well lucky day for me, while I was paying attention to the dude and the oncoming traffic and getting into the turn lane, a COP stops and turns his lights on, and the dude looks confused for a minute and then realized the COP just stopped to help him cross safely. So I think, well I don't want to get myself in trouble, and since the COP technically has the right of way I decide to wait for the dude to pass the Cop and let the Cop go before I pull into traffic...(there was probably 10 ft between our cars) well the dude walks slowly (nervous about the other cars heading for him) and finally is across. Well the cop still has his lights on and WONT go, and the traffic is backing up behind him, so I figure the Cop is pulling me over for the whole maneuver I just performed....So I cross the two lanes of traffic and pull into the gas station across the way to wait for the cop. YA, THIS IS THE FUNNY PART....The cop guns it and it takes me a few to realize that he wasn't pulling me over, he was being courteous and stopping the oncoming traffic not only for the dude, but for me too. So I feel like a dufus, and I pull out and go on my merry way. So here's my question.....Why me? I guess I am very relieved that I didn't get pulled over, it is not my favorite thing in the world to have happen. It has been a few years and I am not ready for that to come full circle again. Lets just say if you have a speeding problem, want to fix it, and have absolutly NO Money, go to Vegas and speed in a School Crossing Zone, they really nail you big time for that....MORE THAN DRIVING DRUNK!!!!! What happens in Vegas DEFINITELY stays in Vegas!

Para que sepas! (Just so you know!)

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, other wise known as the Mormons, or the LDS people.


Today was Sunday. Today was wonderful. I can't imagine my weeks without the refill of spiritual strength. It never ceases to amaze me that there are inspired people everywhere and that the Lord knows just how to find me with those specifically inspired people. He always sends a specific "Jen I am your Heavenly Father and I love You Soooo Much that..." message, and generally on Sundays He sends a couple. I always want to come home and immerse myself in the scriptures or some other inspired and approved church appropriate media.

It is Sunday and I always start my Sunday's with inspiring music. I carry it with me all the time on my phone just in case I don't have any other way to start my day. I love listening to hymns especially. Some people are really touched and emotionally connected to music, and some people aren't. Music is precious to me because not only is it music that is beautiful, but it is music inspired by the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Music has a way of filling your whole heart, soul, and mind with messages of hope, happiness, faith, strength, or just plain pure love. How can anyone listen to the messages shared through music or heartfelt testimony and doubt that they are loved by a Heavenly Father.

Sundays are precious, they refocus my life, my desire, and my attitude. The longer I live, the more I appreciate the establishment of the Sabbath Day in ancient times, and the remembrance of that doctrine that some may believe to be ancient or out of date. I appreciate that I have parents who spent so many Sundays teaching me the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. I love that I don't have the stress of the rest of the week when Sunday comes around. It is a special day, a day set aside to worship the Lord. Above all, it is a day for us to remember Him and rededicate areas of our lives to improvement.

Amo al Padre con todo mí corazón, fuerza, y mente. Todos mís días le honrarare. Es mí fuerza y mí roca.

As we go on, We remember, all the times we, spent together....

Tonight the class of 2010 graduated from the Broadview and Lavina schools. It was the first graduation ceremony I have attended representing the students as their teacher. I got nostalgic tonight, somehow I find the silliest things I will miss about the people and then those are the things that really get me. Tonight I realized how much I will miss a few of this years seniors....a lot, and realizing the little things I am going to miss made me tear up and cry. I cried a lot in fact and couldn't do anything other than hug the kids and say good luck. I realized how mushy I get when it comes to goodbyes and I realized my goal since the mission has been to avoid them. I avoid saying goodbye because I have said goodbye too often to people I will more than likely never see again in this life and it hurts too much. It is somehow easier to avoid the Goodbye altogether, then you don't invest precious emotion into the people you have learned to love and lean on.

I wonder how it was when I was preparing to come to my family, when I knew what the journey entailed and what the risks ahead of me would be. I wonder if it was as hard for me then as it seems to be now. I am emotionally linked to the people I know, without trying I form these deep rooted bonds with them and then, I have to let them go. I know the day I leave this home to return back to my Eternal home will be a day of rejoicing because I will know that the end of separation from those I love will have arrived.

To those of you who haven't heard it in a while,or if you don't know this I Love you, I miss you, and I pray for you. I never make friends with someone just to make friends, I make friends to keep them dear for life.

So as we go on, we must remember, as our lives change, come whatever, we will still be friends forever.....Thanks for the lyrics Vitamin C.

Nos vemos en algunas horas!!!!

Compulsive.....and Cute

So I am posting from my blackberry because there was an emergency and I am in town babysitting for my Aunt. It has been a good day.

Sooooo, as I went about a normal routine today I noticed some things I never payed attention to. We know that humans are creatures of habit and tend to lean towards comfortable things. I have often taken things beyond what other people do and I have self diagnosed myself as "slightly Obsessive Compulsive". Today I noticed I always pull two napkins at lunch and inevitably (because they are single fold napkins) one is folded up and the other is folded down. So if you know me you know I ALWAYS turn one over and then I nestle them together, fold in my silverware and head on my way. Here is a list of some of the other funny things I do....and who knows why? YO NO SE!

I flush toilets with my toe/ shoe.
I open bathroom doors with my elbow, my forearms, my sleeve, a towel, or I catch it with my foot as someone else goes before me.
I clean my house Entirely every time I know someone is coming to visit.
I count my steps.
I count the Tar strips in the highways in sets of three or four as I drive/ride (you know, the ones where they fixed a crack and then they stick that toilet paper stuff on it)
I have to step on every crack in the sidewalk OR half way in between them OR if they are too long or uneven I split them and make sure it is evenly divided where I step.
My Hair has to look a certain way (except at home) and I always know what I will do with it in the morning and I plan how I will sleep so that it turns out that way.
Pictures have to hang straight, in fact everything must be placed in exact positions....2/3 wall height and parallel to the ground, evenly spaced, in the middle or in exact fractions of the space....this includes food, I organize my food even when I am alone.

This news just in: Jen wants a family!

So I am babysitting tonight and I had a blast with Abigail and Remmington. I taught Abigail to play Phase 10 and then Remington joined us and just drew and discarded to throw the game in the air. Then we went out and I showed them some things about soccer....how to run and kick the ball as you go, how to kick with the instep unless you are Air kicking, how you can't use your hands, and best of all how to score a goal by "being sneaky". I had them practice being the "bolie" (Abigails word for Goalie) and kicking. The one would stand ready while the other had to run clear out and then jog the ball in winding back and forth and hesitate and score. Abigail picked up quick (she is older) and Remington decided he really liked it when I would grab him under the arms and put his feet on mine to run the ball and make a goal. Also he liked being on my shoulders for goalie because he got a kick out of closing my eyes Right when Abigail would bring in the Goal. After I it was bed time and we read a book. The best part of the day by far though is seeing them tucked tight in their.beds and to give goodnight hugs and kisses. Then to see them asleep and so calm. I really enjoyed my night with them and I am sooo grateful I had the evening to spend with them.

Laughter for 60 years and counting

So ever since I was old enough to know who Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were I was marvelled at their comedy. I have always been able to laugh so hard that I cried, or so hard that I couldn't breath....and learning about "I love Lucy" re-runs really amped up my laughter.

I think I laugh so hard at Lucy and Ricky because they are so real and I can totally see myself doing some of the funny things they do (naturally and not acting of course).

Last week in class I asked my students what they knew about the show and the actors, and I was amazed at how much they know....that's like over sixty AMAZING years of reruns and people still love Lucy!!!!!! I watched the following three clips in class with my Spanish students 5 different times in one day and every time I laughed to the point of tears.(Why in Spanish class? DUHH!!! Ricky aka Desi was Cuban) (The 4th grade teacher actually saw me and said "don't cry about it" and then later worried that perhaps I really was crying....lucky for her, I was laughing to the point of tears...and the incident led to even more laughter....Heheheh)

I really think that laughter is medicine for the soul, so take a moment and watch the following clips from "I Love Lucy". Your day is always better when you laugh and smile, so take a load off and enjoy, but don't get caught up....I will post more "I love Lucy" videos another day.

On that note, if you are not yet a fan of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, I hope you find the comedy and energy in their show that brings laughter to my life time and time again.


Chicken and Rice for Ricky's Mother


Ricky says Lucy has to save money so she decides to make herself a dress and give herself a home permanent.


Lucy and Ethyl, another failed attempt at working in the chocolate factory.

Blog Fever

Confession: I am getting serious blog fever. From the looks of things there seem to be three types of bloggers: bloggers who are interesting, bloggers who have something to say/show/do, and people who think they want to be bloggers but never blog. I wonder where I will fit in...

I was awake absurdly late last night setting up that last post, and here it is 12:10 and I am typing. I dreamed last night of what to blog about today! This is crazy!

I am loving my home, I finally think this quirky little town is charmingly cute and that it has some true beauty, I like my silly brown trailer in the parking lot of the school, and I am happy to be me. I will figure out what I want my blog to be about I am sure. For right now, I want it to be about me!

I felt the urge today to walk to the US Post Office and get my mail rather than drive. The weather has been increíble and I have been cooped up in my classroom all day. As I sauntered pensivly accross the parking lot, between the buildings, through the play ground, and across the highway, I thought to myself of the things I want to do with my life. As I was returning I had the overwhelming desire to set myself on one of those swings out on the school yard and sit to think a while. (There is a smell in the air when all the world in refreshed and anew with Springtime....the smell permeates your senses and opens your mind to endless possiblities. It is no wonder that Winter blues are quickly replaced when the flowers show their delicate petals.)


Although the urge to sit came, I carefully sidestepped it and meandered my way on home, wilst I thought of everything I love about springtime. I haven't closed my Bedroom window in days and the joy I feel when I wake up to the smell of a renewed day is sin comparación! It is like the feeling you get after waking up in your very own tent on a camping trip in the mountains. The smell of the morning dew mixed with the fresh gentle breezes nearly takes my breath away and I have a hard time starting my day without a gentle bounce in my step. I feel inspired. I feel clean. I feel hope and love and peace. There is something about those kinds of mornings that makes me want every day to be that way. So if I can help it, I plan to leave that window open, as long as the weather cooperates....I hope it does till the end of next week, then I can shut it.....

One Fine Day

Today truly was One Fine Day. I realize more and more each day how much I really love life. There are moments when I really fail to see the beauty around me and then along comes a day or an event and everything is put back into perspective.

I went to the temple today (well technically yesterday since it is 12:40 am). I always tell my closest friends that I have temple induced narcolepsy, and I often think I do. For several years I would go to the temple and sit through the session and pay attention. Now my eyes can't be persuaded to stay open, no matter how many Heaven sent prayers I send up or how much I try to change positions, come well rested, or have someone jab me if I start nodding. I often wonder why and tonight I believe I realized a little part of me is not doing everything I can to stay awake. I realized I am not "partaking" in the experience. I wondered about the word "partake" after the session today and I opened up to the Topical Guide and found that it also means to inherit. I cannot possible expect to go to the temple unprepared spiritually and learn something new. I have to invest in my inheritance, I have to "partake" of the fruit of the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been offered me. I have to work to find purpose in my temple visits.

We often hear that we have to be "anxiously engaged" and that there are three levels of participation, "good, better, and best". It became apparent to me this evening that my participation at "best" is engaged. What a thought! It never ceases to surprise me that I am learning the little things still, that simple things hit me like a ton of bricks.

There is one part of my life right now that really scores big for me....it is the fact that we are in the most inspiring and rejuvenating part of the year. Heavenly Father knew we needed to see things dull and dreary with cold and darkness in order to appreciate the goodness he has created for our benefit and enjoyment. I refer now to the simplicity of "The Sound of Music" and the song about favorite things.

My favorite things include the simple things like rain drops, freshly mowed grass, gentle spring breezes, subtle sunrises and sunsets, quiet anticipation of summer and vacation, and the thought of God painting a beautiful canvas to remind us that He is always near and that He loves us. I cannot think of a better way to be spending my life than living each day to its potential. I pray that I can begin living my days with full potential and that I recognize the hand of the Lord in all I do.

Lately I have giggled a bit at the simple things the Lord has done for me. One day I felt impressed to have a personal fast. It was neat that in the middle of the week that was what I felt was important to do. I began a fast and things that had been frustrating me were gently worked out one by one as if by small miracles, then one student asked what was for lunch and I realized the biggest tender mercy of all was that the Lord knew I couldnt bear the thought of eating what was on the lunch menu for the day. I began to giggle and sent a few silent prayers upward. Spaghetti is my worst enemy when it comes to food these days and kindly enough the Lord prompted me to fast fittingly on the day that Spaghetti was served in the lunch room. I know it is silly, but to me it means a lot to know that I have a Lord who may just possibly have a sense of humor and a tender spot in His heart for me. Here is a video link (haven't figured out embedding yet) to President Bednars talk on Tender Mercies. He really is a wonderful man and I am glad to have met and associated with him prior to my mission to Chile and his mission in the Quorum of the 12.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&vgnextoid=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&channelId=bd163ca6e9aa3210VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&sourceId=262b2899e7127210VgnVCM100000176f620a____

In its own way Montana really stands out. I know there arent a lot of people (when you think about large urban populations) but nearly all the people I care about are here. Montana is ever changing and ever the same....I love its unpredictability in weather patterns (see top ten weather events of Montana attached below) I love the consitancy of the kind generous people, and I still get excited about the small things....green grass, wide open spaces, luscious amber fields of grain, green potato plants and their purple blossoms. I love the wide variety of color and texture in the landscape. Most of all I love the feeling I get when I look anywhere in Montana and see how much my Father in Heaven loves me. The beauty that surrounds me day to day makes me marvel at the incredible ingenuity and love that our Father in Heaven used to create such a place for us. I think that these marvelous places and feelings are to help us remember Him and find the strength within our souls to keep us moving strong and steady with an eye single to the Plan of Salvation and the Glory of God. Montana symbolizes my true potential and I love being here.

I thought this was kind of interesting.....we say in Montana that weather forcasters really aren't important because the weather can and will change in the blink of an eye....so see for yourself and remember....if you come to Montana ALWAYS come prepared for any variety of weather. LOVE YA!!!

Top Ten Montana Weather Events of the 20th Century

#10). July 5, 1937. The temperature topped out at 117F at Medicine Lake in northeastern Montana. This tied the all-time high temperature for Montana previously established at Glendive on July 20, 1893. Combined with the -70F at Roger's Pass in 1954 (#6), this makes the all-time temperature range recorded in Montana 187F. This is the most extreme temperature range experienced in any of the 50 United States.
#9). January 11, 1980. The temperature at the Great Falls International Airport rose from -32F to 15F in seven minutes as warm, Chinook winds eroded an Arctic airmass. This 47 degree rise in seven minutes stands as the record for the most rapid temperature change registered in the United States.
#8). December 14, 1924. The temperature at Fairfield, Montana (about 20 miles WNW of Great Falls), dropped from 63F at noon to -21F at midnight. This 84 degree change in 12 hours still stands as the greatest 12 hour temperature change recorded in the United States.
#7). April 25-26, 1969. A late season storm brought a drastic change in weather to eastern Montana. A day after numerous stations registered their highest temperature for the month (many in the 80s), a cold front swept through Montana bringing blizzard conditions to much of the eastern half of the state. Temperatures fell more than 50 degrees in 24 hours with wind chill readings well below zero for nearly 48 hours.

Snowfall amounts of over 1 foot were widespread with higher amounts including a 32 inch tally reported near Sonnette. Wind whipped the fresh snow into drifts reported to be over 20 feet high in places. Power and phone lines were knocked out. Utility lines downed over a 12 county area resulted in losses of nearly $2 million (1998 dollars). Some residents of southeastern Montana were without power for two weeks and without telephone service for over a month. Over 100,000 sheep, horses and cattle were lost with cost in today's dollars tallying well over $10 million.
#6). January 20, 1954. The temperature at Roger's Pass, Montana, (about 25 miles NW of Helena) dropped to -70F (not a wind chill). This still stands as the coldest temperature ever recorded in the lower 48 United States.
#5). January 23, 1916. An Arctic cold front slammed through Browning, Montana, dropping the temperature from 44F to -56F in 24 hours. This 100 degree change stands as the most dramatic temperature change ever recorded in 24 hours in the United States.
#4). January 30 through February 4, 1989. A bitterly cold Arctic air mass invaded the northern Rockies bringing record cold temperatures and extreme wind chills to Montana. Ahead of the front, on January 30th, downslope winds gusted to 100 mph at Shelby, 102 mph at Cut Bank, 114 mph in Augusta, 117 mph at Browning and 124 mph at Choteau. Twelve empty railroad cars were blown over in Shelby. Elsewhere, roofs were blown off homes, mobile homes were rolled over or torn apart and numerous trees and power lines were blown down.

With the passing of the Arctic front on the 31st, temperatures dropped dramatically. In Helena, the temperature remained colder than -20F for 84 hours (three and a half days) including a record low, -33F, on the fourth. Wind chill values during this period dropped to -75F. The cold caused the brakes to fail on a freight train. The train then rolled, uncontrolled, into Helena and exploded causing extensive damage to Carroll College.

In Billings, record lows were established for 5 consecutive days. Bozeman set record lows for four consecutive days. In Missoula, record lows of -22F and -23F were established on the 2nd and the 3rd, respectively. Wisdom, Montana, saw the mercury drop to -52F on February 3rd.

As the cold front moved through Great Falls on January 31st, the temperature dropped from 54F to -23F (a 67F change) and did not rise to above -20F until February 4th. This included two record low temperatures (-35F and -33F) on the 3rd and 4th.

Between January 30th and February 5th, four people lost their lives with damage estimates well into the tens of millions of dollars.
#3). June 22, 1938. Torrential rain-producing thunderstorms caused flash flooding on the Yellowstone, Musselshell and Sun Rivers. But, the worst flooding occurred downstream of the Bear's Paw Mountains near Havre.

More than 5 inches of rain fell in the Gravelly Coulee watershed in one hour creating a wall of water which rushed out of the foothills, traveled 10 miles and still managed to erode two miles of Great Northern Railroad track near Laredo. Farther east, nearly $500,000 damage (nearly $4.5 million in today's dollars) occurred in Havre as the normally dry Bull Hook Creek spread a half mile wide on its route through the center of town. Two inches of rain fell in Zurich in one hour with 3.55 inches falling during the early part of the night. At least 8 people lost their lives as a consequence of the flash flooding. Farther south, in Fort Benton, 27 small bridges were washed out. The Carter Ferry was swamped and sank near the banks of the Missouri River.
#2). 12:34 A.M. June 19, 1938. Tremendous rains over the Prairie County Highlands north of Terry, Montana, produced a flash flood which roared down Custer Creek and into the Yellowstone River. The wall of water weakened or destroyed a railroad trestle just before an 11-car passenger train of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul Railroad Company known as the "Olympian," crossed.

The train, moving at full speed, ran head-on into the far bank of Custer Creek. Of the 140 people on board, 49 perished and 65 were injured. Some of the bodies were carried 130 miles downstream to Sydney, Montana.
#1). Saturday June 6, 1964. A slow moving line of thunderstorms brought torrential rains to the Rocky Mountain Front of western Montana. Record 24 hour rainfall amounts of 8 to 14 inches fell along the east slopes of the Continental Divide. Near the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Gibson Reservoir received enough inflow to fill it two and a half times. The dam is 195.5 feet tall and contains 99,057 acre-feet of water when full. Water flowing out of Gibson Dam flows into the Sun River. The Sun River runs southeast toward Great Falls where it empties into the Missouri. Typically, the flow of the Missouri would cause a backwater on the Sun River. On June 9th and 10th, however, the flood wave of the Sun caused the Missouri to back up, flooding the Meadowlark Golf Course and the Country Club Addition. Nearly 3000 people were evacuated from western Great Falls as 10 to 12 feet of water spread over the area. Advance warning, however, helped prevent any loss of life.

Farther north, the rain continued through Sunday, June 7th. In Glacier National Park, the torrents caused Divide Creek to spill its banks. Logjams were releasing periodic flash floods. Scores of tourists were stranded in campgrounds and lodges as all communications and power were knocked out. Downstream, more than 30 people lost their lives on the Blackfoot Reservation.

Tributaries of the Marias River saw several irrigation dams breech. Along Birch Creek, a flood wave devastated the Birch Creek Valley with a 20 foot high wall of water destroying any buildings and bridges in its path. 19 people lost their lives there.

The dam on Lower Two Medicine River also failed releasing a flood wave which claimed 9 more people.

At least 58 people were killed by the torrential rain and the resultant flooding and flash flooding.

Two roads diverged and I, I took the one less traveled by

Ladies and Gents, I am pleased to announce that 2010 is wonderful. I guess it seems silly for a single lady to have a personal Blog to tell you all about herself, but I am kinda jealous that everyone has these cute blogs and I don't have cute baby pics of my kids or beautiful Wedding pics. Well here is the deal, I want to share with those of you who don't see me very often and let you know what I am doing. I will not attempt to make up for lost time, but I will share with you the events that have happened since my last post on this Blog WAAAYYY back when in 2008.

What happened is that I did actually stay in Vegas. At first it was because I felt the compelling need to be a part of something bigger and I felt that the Lord had things for me to learn there (and I was probably a bit blinded by the flashing lights and the nostalgia of living in VEGAS). I went home for Graduation, got the diploma and set out on my journey to discover who Jen Maughan really is.














I set up base in a little apartment just off Silverado Ranch Blvd, Las Vegas Blvd, and next to I-15. I spent a lot of time that summer searching...searching for a job, for a teaching position, for a reason for my frustrations, etc. I finally found a part time summer job (would have been full time but I refused to work Sundays and they really wanted to have me be their manager, but Sundays were out!). I liked my job but it was way out of my way and it didnt hardly pay enough to drive to work and back.







One fine day my friend Lola called me with some news. She gave me personal "insider information" about this great school and program that I had previously been to, and I jumped on it. Within two weeks I had a teaching Job secured and I gave up on living in the blasted heat of Vegas for the rest of the summer, so I kept my apt and drove home for the rest of the summer. August came and I was back to Vegas and that blasted heat. I started my Job at Las Vegas High School and I thought life was good......

Well things started to cause me problems, it took me 30 minutes to drive to work, and the heat was sooo terrible (110 on a good day) that my car would overheat and I would end up sitting on the side of the interstate or pumping up my heat and driving home while cooking my body.... Within the school year I lived in three different places with three different sets of roomates. I kept trying to fix my problems that way....Don't misunderstand.....things were nice at Las Vegas High, I had everything a Foods teacher could ever want, it was a well supplied well thought out class and I basically had to step into the shoes of the teacher who came before me.

It is strange though, as the days and weeks passed it became apparent that even stepping into her shoes would not be enough to make things work in Vegas. I feel like I did above and beyond what a new teacher should ever be expected to do, and I really honestly feel like I gave it my best work, but the end of the year coudn't come quick enough for me. After a whirlwind of a Christmas I realized how it was too much and how alone I felt and I resigned from my position teaching there (effective the last day of school) and promptly prayed to know where to go. An answer came to me that both shocked and amazed me while bringing me peace... GO HOME!

So I began looking for a job within driving distance of home. It is a shock to realize that Vegas didnt work out and the saddest part is that the money is good there. Montana pays far below what Vegas does and so I thought I would look in Wyoming and Montana. Unlike Montana, Wyoming actually develops their resources and places a large amount of time and money into their education system. The pay scale is Night and Day difference and that is a shocker! Well somewhere along the way I sent my interest to a tiny place in "no where" MT.
After a series of somewhat "tender mercied" events, I was offered a full time position teaching mainly Spanish and on the side adding in a few FCS classes (home ec for you old folks who don't know the new "politically correct" acronym.) So now my life is in Tiny Town "no-where" MT. I live in the parking lot of the school in a brown trailer that is from sometime in the seventies. I drive 40 minutes to church, and I live 40 minutes from the temple. I was the Mission Prep teacher, but currently teach Gospel Doctrine. I have great friends, have developed a wonderful relationship with two of my aunts (Michele and Pam) and am genuinely happy being here.

I recently looked at the list I made of things that influenced my decision to stay or leave Vegas, and I can honestly share that of my whole list of things (pros and cons of vegas) I have all but one of them here, this town is not full of lush trees and streams and lakes etc, but I am close enough to those to compensate...I have everything I wanted here. I can confidently say that even thought my paycheck is less than half what it was in Vegas, there are no potential marraige prospects (to date), and I am 40 minutes from social life, that My life is very wonderful and that I am happier than I have been in two years at this moment!

It is interesting thought to note the changes that Vegas brought about in my life...I am now sure of who I am, confident of my life and who I want to be, and I have a lot of experience that stems from my time in Vegas. I know my priorities, I know my desires, and I know what is not important to me. I am happy, confident, focused, and ready for whatever life brings next. I am not concerned about a lot of things that I used to worry about, I know I am in a good place and that has made all the difference.