I am going to be moving my blog.

I love wordpress, but since I have slowed down on my blogging, I don’t think it is good that I pay for server space every month.

So, here is my new blog address:

http://thestepfordchild.blogspot.com

(not that different)

You can find me over there.

The last five months of my life have all been filled with new things.  I’m 30 – I shouldn’t have all this newness in my life, but then again, I chose all this newness.

First, I haven’t been blogging.  Why?  Mostly because I’m busy – so busy.  I wonder how a person like me, someone who doesn’t know very many people can be just so overwhelmed with life.

Reason #1: My new job.

You would think teaching English in Utah wouldn’t be much different than teaching in Wyoming, but there you would be wrong.  Would you ever be wrong.  I feel like a brand new, first year teacher all over again.  I’m teaching seniors and sophomores.  But here is the real kicker – I’m only .7 time – not even full time.  But I’m creating everything from scratch and learning the state testing, district assessments, and even trying to get down how they grade here.  It is all so new and different.

In September I went on a school trip to Jackson Hole to an Art Festival.  Imagine being a chaperone for kids you don’t even know.  It was fun and we got to see cool art like this:

Old Faithful:

And the Tetons – of course:

Reason #2 – New Calling.

I was called to be the YW First Counselor about 4 weeks after I moved in.  I love it.  I really love working with the girls.  We have a small Young Womens – only about 7, but not a small ward.  But YW is one of those callings that you have activities every week, sometimes 2x a week (not including Sunday meetings), so it can be a tad overwhelming.

But how can you not LOVE working with girls like this?

Reason #3 – New Town.

You would think I would be traveling around, taking pictures, and enjoying the Wild Wyoming scenery.  But no.  I’m distracted by all the wildlife.  I really should bring my fancy camera with me everywhere.  But here are a few shots from my iPhone.

The sunrises and sunsets here are beautiful! I think it is because of the clouds, but I can’t decide.

Deer right in my back alleyway. Weird. And there are whole herds that live in the fields on the side of the rode. My car insurance actually went up because Sheridan County has a really high rate of deer/car collisions. In fact, I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t see a dead deer on the side of the road Sad.

These are across the street from my friend’s house:

Wild Turkey crossing people – and this on a road where the speed limit is 55 mph.

And believe me – they move at their own pace!

They really aren’t very pretty.

Reason #4 – New Hobbies.

I’ve started quilting.  Initially I started so that I would have something to do, but now I can see that if I had only waited a few weeks, I would have had way more to do and wouldn’t need quilting.  But you know what?  I love it!  Really.  I’m the youngest women in my quilting group.  (hee hee)

I got adventurous and I am taking a class to make this quilt:

Here is my progress:

Organizing all my pieces of fabric – all 272 different strips in 272 different colors.

Putting all of it together:

Now I start on a color gradation in the checkerboard border where I have to label and number every piece. Whew!

So, there is a very brief update.  I will try and blog more, but no promises.

As you know from Thursday’s post, Teresa and I went hiking at Mill Hollow over the weekend. While I chose the hike we went on more for the distance and the view, I couldn’t help but remember my first kiss. I thought I would share the story – it is funny. And since there is no way that the boyfriend in the story reads this blog, I feel rather safe in sharing it with you.

I worked at Mill Hollow just after my senior year in high school. I had never had a boyfriend or been kissed, but that was all about the change that summer. I met Jeff at camp. I didn’t like him at all, not at first. He dressed really nicely and all the girls fawned all over him and his truck. I’m not the type of girl to go after someone that other people like and so I tried my hardest to ignore him. This is until one weekend when schedules changed and we were going to have to work together. I thought, “Oh great, we don’t like each other and we’re supposed to work together.” I just couldn’t see how it would work. So I did was any red-blooded American teenage girl does to get something she wants: I flirted. I flirted big time! I flirted so much that I actually started to like the kid and he started to like me. Amazing what happens when you let your guard down and get to know people.

Fast forward a few weeks. We were “officially” dating. But we still hadn’t kissed. We had held hands, snuggled, gone on dates, watched TV late at night (way late into the night – I even fell asleep once and woke up at 4 am. Oops!) I even think we might have said, “I think I might be falling in love with you” by this point. But still no kiss. I was getting frustrated.

Well, unbeknownst to me, Jeff had a master plan to kiss me for the first time at this beautiful view on the trail they were making that summer. Here is the view courtesy of my iPhone and a panoramic app I have:

He kept asking me to go on a hike with him, but I don’t really like hiking. Then one Friday night, while I was chasing a pot gut squirrel out of the kitchen/cafeteria, I slipped on some water and sprained my knee. So I single-handedly ruined Jeff’s incredibly romantic plans to kiss me on this beautiful vista. Sigh!

By the next week I was just so dang frustrated and ready to be kissed that I kissed him first one afternoon while we were watching a movie. Well, I kissed his chin and then didn’t move my face. He took the bait like any red-blooded American male would and that was that. I do have to say that it was a splendid first kiss. When it was time to go, we stood up, kissed some more, and my knees even got a little bit weak. Yes, wonderful first kiss.

Too bad the relationship didn’t last.

But when my knee healed, that fall we went back to Mill Hollow to hike the trail. We made it up to Makeout Point and we, well . . . made out. It wasn’t as romantic as I thought it would be. Maybe because I was hot and sweaty from hiking. Maybe because I was worried about my breath. Maybe because it wasn’t our first kiss. But it was a beautiful view none-the-less.

Since Jeff worked at Mill Hollow for several more years, I’ve always wondered . . .

How many other girls Jeff has taken up there and kissed?

I guess I’ll never know.

If you know me at all, then you know that I love soda.  Here or here is proof, just in case you needed it.  I have always said that I have drank it since a child and it doesn’t affect me.  I also was “that” girl at BYU who deliberately always had a 12 pack of soda in the fridge, even though her roommates were ashamed of it.  I didn’t really care if they were personally offended by having caffeine in their fridge.  But I am now reformed.  Not that I have any moral obligations to caffeine, mind you.  I just have discovered that I am really, truly, seriously affected by caffeine.

It all started out like this . . .

I went about 1 month in February and March without being able to sleep more than 4 hours a night.  It was the normal 2 hours or more to fall asleep, but I would wake up at 3 or 4 am and couldn’t fall back asleep.  Then I would stumble through my day.  After a month I finally said “Enough is Enough!”  I called the school nurse and asked her what she suggested.  (BTW our school nurse is certified genius and she saved my life last year when I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the emergency room.  Okay, okay, she didn’t save my life, but she let me cry on her shoulder and then very firmly told me I had to go to the emergency room even if I didn’t want to or was scared to go.)  Nurse Kim told me that I should give up caffeine, try eating a banana right before bed (to relax the muscles), and go see my doctor (to get sleeping meds).  I hate doctors and bananas so I decided to finally give up and try giving up the caffeine.

I finished my last 12 pack of Diet Pepsi and stocked up on Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi and Diet Sierra Mist.  I was ready. I thought I was also ready for the withdrawal headaches, but not so.  Man!  I had headaches for about 2 weeks.  In the morning and at night.  Not-so-coincidentally just when I would normally drink my soda.  But I dutifully took some ibuprofen and didn’t succumb to the temptation.  I took ibuprofen instead of Excedrin because Excedrin has caffeine in it and then what would be the point of going caffeine-free?

Well, I can now report that I am not having headaches any more.  Zip.  Zilch.  And totally worth the pain I went through for one good reason – I am sleeping.  Here is a list of just my sleeping benefits:

1. I can fall asleep in about 15 minutes – not hours.  I never used to believe that other people could actually fall asleep that fast.
2. I sleep through the night – not wake up 4 or 5 times.
3. I wake up feeling like I have actually slept.
4. I sleep about 8.5 hours and then I’m up and ready to go.  Even on vacation this week at my mom’s house, I woke up Monday morning at 6:20 am because I had slept about 8 hours.  I texted my friend Melissa and she about died that I was actually awake.
5. I am actually tired when it comes time to go to bed.  Before, probably because I drank caffeine at night, I would feel tired, or rather feel like I should be tired and go to bed, but my mind and body weren’t tired enough to go to sleep.

I always used to tell people that I didn’t like soda for the caffeine, but that I like the carbonation.   An interesting side fact is that I don’t think that is true.  At home I haven’t even gone through 12 sodas in the weeks since I gave up carbonation.  In Washington, I bought a 6-pack of bottles of Diet Caffeine-Free Coke and I have only drank 3.  Just at Christmas, I would have had all six of these bottles drank within 3 or 4 days.  So obviously the draw for me isn’t the carbonation.  That just isn’t enough for me to drink it as much as I used to.

I do have to say that the hardest part is going out to eat.  I’ve never been much of a water drinker, although I drink a ton now that I don’t drink Diet Pepsi.  So when I eat out, I either have to drink water or Sprite or Root Beer and they never have anything diet and caffeine-free.  So, I’m drinking my calories and heaven knows that I certainly don’t need to do that.  But if that means I drink more water at restaurants, then that isn’t too much of a bad thing.

Do I think everyone should go caffeine-free?  No.  It is totally up to you and your body.  But I will say that I was 100% addicted and I vehemently denied it for years.  And addictions are bad things.  Maybe in a few months I’ll have a Diet Pepsi once in a while, but I am going to be very careful from now on to not ever get hooked again.

This accidentally published a few weeks ago. Sorry if it is a repeat for some of you who have my blog on a reader.  I wrote and finalized a poem for this post that is at the bottom.

A few weeks ago, I was finishing Fahrenheit 451 with my honors class and we were discussing this scripture, which is quoted in the book:

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

My students were literally leaning forward in their desks.  This scripture really influenced and affected them.  Only one had heard the scripture before (but once I played the song by The Byrds “Turn! Turn! Turn!” they recognized it).  They all wanted a copy of it to keep for themselves.

As I’ve thought about this since, I realized that they have never been taught the principal of “This too shall pass.”  They live their lives in the now, in the moment, without any thought to the future and often the past.  So when things are bad, they are really bad.  They have a hard time thinking that this will change soon.

As a child when I was upset my mother would always say to me, “Go to sleep.  You’ll feel better in the morning.”  Now, I do love sleep, but what I think my mother was trying to teach me was distance.  To allow myself to calm down, get some distance, and with distance you gain perspective.  Perspective is all about seeing something in the grand scale of things – seeing everything around it in relation to your object.

This was also a lesson for myself.  To gain perspective and distance.  I need to remember that when I’m teaching the students that I teach.  Too often I feel hopeless at the end of the day.  Too often I wonder what I’m doing there.  Too often I don’t see the forest because I’m staring at one stubborn, rude, little leaf.

There is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

Maybe, just maybe, that also applies to my current state of singleness – although, to be honest, some days it just doesn’t feel like it will ever be my time and season and I certainly don’t see the purpose of it.  As I have been thinking about this all, I wrote a poem about it.

There is a Season and a Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

A season to mourn, a season to rejoice.
A time to laugh, a time to cry.

My time to work, cook, clean, grade, drive, teach and dream.

A time to sleep
just a little bit longer.
A time to relax
and read just for fun.
A time to study light,
looking into the heavens wondering.

There is a plan,
or so I’ve been told.
There is a direction,
but I don’t know where to head.
There is a purpose,
but I don’t have one.

Is it the fall of my life?
Things beginning to age.
Did I just skip over summer?
Where was my June?
Weddings and Bells.
Children playing, running, red-faced by the sun?

Or is it still Spring?
Am I still stuck in
April showers, waiting for
the first tulip
buried in darkness
to reach for the sky.

Some days it feels like winter,
cold and dark.
Waiting for the sun rays
to greet me,
taking me to the New Years
A new cycle
A new beginning.

There is a season
Which one am I in?
Summer, Winter, Fall, Spring
There is a time
Night and day, light and dark
Dusk and dawn of life.
There is a purpose.
I’m trying to find mine.
It wasn’t where I thought it would be.

So, I’ve been doing some family history lately.  And when I login to the new Family Search website of the LDS church it will show me and my ancestors all lined up.  But this is what I see . . .

Apparently I can add or find a husband here!  Whoo Hoo!  My prayers have been answered.

The problem is, when I click on it nothing happens.

Oh, well.

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Lesli Joe-oooooo, happy birthday to me.

I’m not much of a birthday person, but this year it felt as though my 30th birthday was a great whale, waiting to swallow me whole. Seriously. I freaked out. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside I was F-REAK-ING out.

This is part of the reason that I stopped blogging. Honestly. I just didn’t know where my life was headed and what I was going to do. Not that I do now, but I’m much more calm about the whole thing.

I even tried an on-line dating site, which was a disaster.

The one guy who emailed me called me stuck-up by his 2nd email, because he didn’t understand when I was joking. And then I emailed a bunch of guys who never emailed me back. The worst thing about that is that you can see when they look at your profile, what time and day, and you know that they didn’t email you back because of your profile. Not interested in me. Really, I only did it for about 2 weeks, but the rejection through digital means was brutal! Just brutal! Don’t think I’ll be doing that again any time soon. My fragile ego just can’t handle it.  People are much more nice in person.

I am still planning on applying for teaching jobs in Wyoming. I actually already have. So, we will see what happens with that.

Depending on what happens with Wyoming will depend on where I go this summer for vacation.

I’ll be honest.  I’m still freaking out about being 30.  Just writing this post is freaking me out.  So this will be the last time I mention it.  I don’t want to make it even bigger than I already have.  (I’m prone to a little exaggeration – just a bit.)

Okay, okay. I’ve been freaking out a little bit about turning 30. I honestly never thought I would, but I did. So, I set 30 goals for me to accomplish this year. Goals are good. They give you direction and a path to follow in life.

(At least that I what I keep telling myself. Because sometimes if feels like the road goes on forever now doesn’t it?)

Without further ado . . .

1. Read the Book of Mormon
2. Read the Doctrine and Covenants
3. Read the Pearl of Great Price
4. Read the Old Testament
5. Read the New Testament
(I know, I know. I could have put those all together, but I wanted the credit of doing all of them. There are 1554 chapters to read, which = about 4.25 chapters a day. I started already, but who cares?)
6. 30 pictures a month – either artsy or what I’m doing.
7. 1 Journal entry a week
8. Swim the mile
9. Volunteer somewhere on a regular basis (I’m going to start this next fall)
10. Take a photography class
11. Take a family history class (doing, check)
12. Complete Lent – no cheating (starts 3/9/2011)
13. Learn to play 5 new hymns
14. Go to a museum
15. Create my recipe book (started)
16. Make Boston DVD
17. Make Florida DVD (yeah, that is from 2009)
18. Year in Pictures DVD for 2010
19. Year in Pictures DVD for 2011
20. Travel somewhere I have never been (any suggestions?)
21. Gather best poems into collection and print as a book
22. Research the life of one ancestor
23. Get the photo store up and running on this here blog
24. Take a community ed class (will start this week – a writer’s workshop)
25. Gather best photos into an album and print
26. Haiku-a-day for 1 month
27. Photo-a-day for 1 month
28. Try 25 new recipes
29. Go to the Family History Library in Salt Lake
30. Be a “tourist in my own backyard” for one day

Well, there you go.

In my self-imposed exile from this blog, I realized some simple truths about myself.

1. I really, really do love blogging and I missed it.

I don’t keep a journal, though I should.  Not that my deepest, darkest secrets are held here on The Stepford Child, but the major events in my life are here.  I share them with you and I trust you to take them in and give them a place to be heard.

2. I really do want to become a professional writer.

Over the weeks, I’ve been searching for ways and ideas to keep the blog going.  And almost everything I read gave the same advice – keep writing.  Write daily, write prolifically, write in a journal, rewrite, review, respond.  Write, write, write – then edit.  Now, I teach writing and I give the same advice to my students, why aren’t I following it?  So, for me, part of writing and becoming a writer is going to be writing on this blog.

3. My favorite posts are my controversial ones.

I wrote a post about dating advice from Summit students.  It wasn’t exactly a “family-friendly” post.  And I loved writing the post.  I thought it was funny and completely true.  I worried about posting it, but in the end I loved it so much.

4. My most commented posts . . .

Interestingly enough, you, my readers, also loved my non-family-friendly post about dating advice from Summit students.  Imagine that!  I worried so much over it and you liked it, you really liked it.  I went back and the posts that people commented on the most were the more “iffy” of my posts.

5. I write this blog because I want people to read it.

This isn’t my journal.  I’m not writing in a cave, staring at shadows.  I am out in the world and I want to interact with the people who read me.  Please leave comments.  Follow me on twitter.  Comment on facebook.  Anything!  I want to hear from you.  Do you love it, hate it, have a different opinion, just like to say “hi.”

So, to wrap it all up . . . I’m going to continue writing, probably writing more, and hold onto your seats.

Updated —  Zach won the calendar.  Congratulations!

I appreciate all the kind words from all the people who commented.  Thank you for your support and when I start blogging again, I’ll be sure to let you know!

~Lesli

————————————–

Have you noticed I haven’t blogged much.  Yeah, me too.  Actually I’ve thought a lot about blogging, but just haven’t sat down to do it.  I’ve thought about blogging about:

• My new car.  The dealer sent me a cool calendar with a picture of me the day I bought it.  That was fun.
• Thanksgiving.
• A student calling me a whore, my big mouth, and the miracle of forgiveness because it really is a miracle and the Lord that helped me forgive this student.
• My aunt Betty – she is a saint and she has taught me what true charity is.
• Some new cooking recipes.
• These cookie jars I’m making for Christmas gifts.
• My new kindle reader.

But I haven’t blogged about any of them.  In fact, I’ve been thinking of getting rid of my blog.  But Mandy and Russ have suggested that I just keep the blog, but take a little break.  I don’t know how long the break will be, but I’m sure that after a little while I’ll start blogging again.  I’m going to keep writing and taking pictures, so I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share when I return from this hiatus.

While I don’t know why I haven’t felt like blogging lately, I do feel like I need to unplug for a little bit.  So, I’m going to slow down on the facebook and twitter.  I also am not interested in reading very many blogs anymore.  Today I had 209 blog posts in my google reader that I hadn’t read.  I worked my way through them, but ended up skipping a bunch.

Lately, I’ve been wondering where I’m going and what I’m doing with my life.  I’m turning 30 in a few months and I don’t have much to show for it.

Okay, enough introspection and melancholia.

——–

For some Christmas gifts I made 2011 Calendars of my favorite photo’s that I took this last year.

Here is the cover:

Here is what March will look like:

I’m really happy with how they turned out and the quality of them.

So, I’m going to give one away – TO YOU!

If you want one of these lovely calendars, then just post a comment on this post.  I don’t care what you say.  Maybe you can tell me a holiday tradition.  Or, maybe you can tell me whether or not you set New Year’s Resolutions.  Anything.

But make sure to put your email in the email box so that I can contact you.

Contest will close Friday, December 17 at 5 pm.

Why?  Because I fly home on Saturday and I want to mail it before I go to Washington.

Good Luck!