Sledding!

It's been awhile since I've had time to post because things have been so crazy. My family (from Louisiana) came to town last weekend so we played all weekend and then I had Parent-Teacher Conferences at school this week. One day my students asked why they had to work quietly and I said, "Because I worked eleven hours yesterday and I'm tired!" They didn't have much to argue with about that!

I kept forgetting my camera, so these fun pictures are thanks to my sister Katie. On Saturday we went sledding (Chris couldn't come because he was studying for a big test on Monday - I'll be so glad when his night classes are over in April!). At first we looked at the hill and wondered if we should just go home (it looked pretty small), but my little sister Lauren jumped on a sled and had quite a ride down the hill so we decided to give it a try:

All lined up and ready to go!

My sister Lauren racing my dad. (The dangerous part of races was
that this hill led everyone to the same spot so it usually meant
a small collision at the bottom of the hill!)

My parents getting ready for a run. I love that they have always
been willing to have fun with us! Friends were always amazed that
my dad would play Nintendo with us when we were growing up.

My sister and I going for a run. What Katie missed was the time
we were each onour own sleds racing to the bottom. There's a
steep slope at the bottom to stop you from going any further, but
someone we went right over the top to the other side - a freezing
river! We laughed giddily when we were able to stop before
falling into the river. Others tried to repeat our adventure,
but none of us could!My dad and me getting ready for a run. I wondered if I should
publish this crazy picture, but we all make funny faces, right?

My little brother and sister taking a "Superman" run!

Go Jazz!

Chris got free tickets from work for another Jazz game. He was really excited because they were playing the Lakers, so we knew it would be a tough game. (I would have pictures, but the big sign out front says no cameras - Argh!) Chris really wanted to see Kobe Bryant play - I was not really impressed even if he is a high scorer. But the game was awesome, intense, and they won!

We’re Approved! (and even published!)

We’re finally approved for adoption! This is our collage (that Katie pretty much put together for me and I helped her pick things out!):

You can find our profile on itsaboutlove.org or beta.itsaboutlove.org by searching for Chris and Jamie (they're working on a new website). There’s another Chris and Jamie on there, but you’ll know by the pictures which one is us!

It’s been crazy, but a good growing experience. I have such a great respect for birth mothers. There’s a girl who recently moved into our ward who is having her baby any day and will probably place for adoption - I admire her courage so much. One of her biggest fears is that her daughter will think she didn’t love her, but anyone who has ever talked to a birth mother knows that is not true! It’s probably therapeutic for both of us to talk and think about things since we’re on opposite sides of the situation. Adoption is close to my heart – I have family members who were adopted and my parents’ friends adopted their four children (and obviously we hope to adopt!). It’s a difficult process, but what a blessing for those involved!

Happy Birthday Alisa!

So this picture is a little old (our brother is now graduating from high school!),
but I thought it was such a fun picture.

Isn't she a good sport for letting me post this picture?
I love it because it reminds me of our fun times as roommates in college.

And this is how she got covered with flour!
We were playing a silly game where you had to
dig the quarter out of the flour with your teeth.

Happy Birthday Katie and Mom!

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was fun! These are some fun old pictures I found to celebrate my sister's and mom's birthdays (I'm only a few weeks late).

Katie after running a marathon - she looks great!

Mom with my sister outside of the theater before we saw "Mousetrap" in London.

My cute parents in Switzerland.

Power of Pink

Today in Young Women's we had a great lesson titled "The Power of Pink." We talked a lot about how wonderful it is to be a righteous daughter of God. We had a few women come speak to the girls about making good choices and doing what's right. One talked about how we all have our dreams of what our perfect life will be like, but it often doesn't come true; we have to trust in the Lord's time line and his plan for us - and it often isn't what we would chose, but life can still be wonderful. As I looked around the room at these wonderful women I work with, I realized that none of us have the life we would have planned, but we're all happy and trying to do what is right.

One woman referenced Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley's talk "How Can I Become the Woman of Whom I Dream?" I will share a quote from it: "You are creatures of divinity; you are daughters of the Almighty. Limitless is your potential. Magnificent is your future, if you will take control of it."

She also referenced the song "Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God," one that I fell in love with as a youth becuase it spoke to my heart. Here is the pdf file (this is included with another song, so just scroll down) and on this page is a link to the mp3 that you can download. I love the chorus:
"Walk tall, you're a daughter, a child of God.
Be strong; please remember who you are.
Try to understand; you're part of His great plan.
He's closer than you know. Reach up; he'll take your hand."
(Words by Jamie Glenn)

Congratulations Chris

Congratulations to Chris! He was recently accepted to BYU for graduate school (his MBA). We're both excited, but know it's a huge step to go back to school.

Hopefully soon we'll be doing the graduation thing again!
(The lighting was really bad - this was the best editing job we could do!)