Mormon Lessons From Disney

With General Conference this weekend, I am so so very excited to hear the direction and guidance of our apostles and prophet! But this Disney video does have some good reminders, so here's a few until after Conference.

• "When You Need Help Pray"- And pray when you're grateful, and when you're happy. Pray when you're sad and hurt. Pray for understanding and for strength. Pray not because our Heavenly Father doesn't know what we are going through or what we need (because He does), but pray to show obedience and willingness to turn to Heavenly Father.
• "Remember Your Parents Love You"- Your earthly parents and your heavenly parents.
• "Put on the Whole Armor of God"- I love how she says 'these weapons of righteousness will triumph over evil". Ephesians 6:13-17 details all the armor.
• "Give of Yourself to Help Others"- To sacrifice is to give up something valuable or precious, often with the intent of accomplishing a greater purpose or goal.
• Don't Judge Others By Their Appearance"- Or solely on any one aspect of their person ( their religion, politics, career, etc). Yes, judgements need to sometimes be made regarding how we interact with someone, but it should never be with condemnation or judgement.
• "Don't Forget Who You Are and Don't Forget Who Your Father Is"- We are all children of a loving, eternal Heavenly Father. We each have a divine nature and the potential to become like our Father.
• " When Someone Dies That Doesn't Mean They're Gone" - See previous post. I Know I will see my entire family again.
• "Never Trust the Adversary Because They're Always Something He's Not Telling You"- He will make promises upon promises, telling you all the great things you will get to do, all the "freedom" you will have. Yet he will only further limit your ability to choose after certain choices (drugs, alcohol, etc) because of the consequences.
• "Don't Give Into the Treasure of the World"- Like I said, the things of the world are alluring and promise "freedom" and riches, but they will distract us from those things of eternal value.
• Endure to the End and You Will Recieve A Far Greater Reward"- Eternal life with our Heavenly Father and the opportunity to progress to become like Him is the greater gift we can be given.
• " No Matter How Bad Things Look...The Bad Guys Always Lose"- We need to keep an eternal perspective. Sometimes it seems that wicked people are wealthy, popular, successful, and beautiful. But that is only in terms of the world and with material/secular things and the judgement that really counts is that of Heavenly Father.
• "And the Good Guys Always Get Their Happy Ending"- Again, eternal perspective. On the reverse side, good people often go through trials and hardships that make a happy ending seem so far away. We need to have faith and remember that Heavenly Father will bless us eternally, though sometimes not right here, right now.

Lots of Disney love! But more importantly I can't wait to hear from the prophet today!.

Would You Like Wasabi With That?

After leaving my glamorous day job of inspiring deep connections in the minds of today's youth, I change into all black for my secret spy work. OK, only a little bit kidding. I waitress at the best sushi place in the midwest- Umi Grill and sometimes it feels like I'm a secret agent. For about an hour I get a glimpse into couples, families, business meetings, awkward first dates, and I even see what some people don't remember from their intoxicated evening. No, seriously. From the drinks to the edamame, from the Red Dragon roll to the sauteed seafood, you can learn a lot about someone.

1.) People are crazy. Not just the other people--yeah, you too.

2.) Only a few people are particular about an order due to allergies. Most people are picky because they like bossing someone else around!

3.)Remembering a name, a preference, a previous comment can make all the difference. To most of my customers I'm a stranger that they get to see for less than two hours of their week. Even for the regulars, I'm a stranger. But to have a relative stranger remember and care about who you are...well, it reminds you that you are important.

4.)Few customers notice the little kind things you do for them-i.e. making sure their glass is full, quietly clearing dishes between each course, gauging correctly when they want certain things including the check, bringing dessert for a celebration without being told. Few notice, but I will keep doing it anyway.

5.)Seeing people eat wasabi in scary amounts never fails to amuse me. And the tricks people play on each other to get them to eat lots of wasabi are hilarious.

6.)With the other servers you can choose to be helpful and work together or not, but the choice is yours alone. Everyone else will manage just fine without you, but helping builds something more valuable than a meal.

7.) I was born to serve (and not just raw fish) <3

Adventures of Ms.K

I never expected to change my major from International Relations and Political Science to Biological Sciences Education and English Teaching, but I did. My first week in college I was asked to teach a Sunday school lesson on Helaman's Stripling Warriors (one of my favorites) and from there I was called as a teacher in that ward. One of my favorite callings of all time! I learned different techniques and lesson patterns to more effectively teach and was grateful for the experience. Then, in my next two wards, I received the same calling. Hint. Hint. I really loved preparing each lesson, applying the principles throughout the week, and connecting to the class. When I hit a wall with my previous major, teaching immediately came to mind. But then I wanted to teach everything! But I finally narrowed it down to all the sciences : ) and english.

And while I have a few more requirements before the ink is dry on my teaching certificate, I have been substitute teaching in the local school district. Though being a sub is different from a legitimate teacher I've learned many valuable lessons.
* The teachers who make a real difference are those who listen because
* Students are really seeking somehow who will listen. Listen to their worries and fears, hopes and dreams- listen without trying to be in control. And more often than not, that listening happens in a classroom rather than the counselor's office.
* There is a time for everything, even in Biology and Lit class. A time for laughter and music, a time for quiet studying, a time for disciplining and a time for compassion.
*Students complain to subs all the time- "What's the point of_____? When will I ever use this?" I've learned that as a teacher I want to help them make those connections. Make biology class relate to Shelley's Frankenstein, to their modern art class, and back to European History. I want to help them see that the real education is in connections.
* I learned that as a teacher I could have students at four or five different levels in a class. I've met high school students who can barely read and middle school students who can do calculus in circles around me. There is no uni-level class which is both an obstacle and a challenge to rise to.
* The teacher's lounge is much less cool and mysterious now than when I was a student : (
* School can be a place of wonder and magic- sometimes when you know where to look and sometimes when you learn to create it.
* All class pets should have names, even 6 inch poisonous spiders. It makes it easier to call them when they hide under the desk!!!
* If you are excited and enthusiastic about a topic, it is much easier to interest the students. Just don't go fanatic- then they think I am a hermit scholar who has no social life ( actually not that far from the truth).
* And finally, students think they can shock you by swearing or by telling you outrageous things. The teacher can shock the students by listening, with kindness, with generousity, and by creating an interactive learning environment.

Playing It Safe

We all do it. Yes, even you. Sometimes we play it safe. Of course we pretend that we don't, we avert our eyes, hold our breath, and hope that no one saw us do that in a world that promotes risk and passion. The optimist call it prudence, caution, or careful planning- which all sound great and organized until a realist calls you out on being guarded, uptight and down right scared. But who really wants to admit that they are scared? Sometimes it's being selfish, even a bit utilitarian, as we maximize our gains while minimizing our losses. Playing it safe is occasionally about doing what you want to do, regardless of what you think you should do because that sounds harder and probably is. And maybe it's not that we lack the courage for jumping, but the plain truth is that we've jumped many times before, as everyone else said we should, landed on the rocks and broken every bone, even shattered our heart.

The sad sad truth is that we do it more often than we think. In our education, our career, our relationships, in our everyday decision making. We tell only part of the truth because we think that they won't listen to it all, even though they really should hear it. We make dozens of back-up plans because we're terrified of being rejected so it ends up that we don't put all our efforts into Plan A. We keep our opinion to ourselves in a discussion or problem-solving chats because we're afraid people will think we're too bossy, know-it-all, stupid, mundane, or *insert your own adjective here. We keep people at arms length rather than letting them get inside our hearts because while proximity allows support and help, it makes us vulnerable to attack. Even the obvious one- picking the safe guy over the passionate one. And then we avert our eyes, hold our breath, and hope that no one was paying attention to your pansy decision making. Because in books, and television and movies, no one is ever safe. They blurt it all out, fight with their bosses, run after the bus, kiss their best friends, and get into their first choice schools or jobs. But if we step back- back into reality- we see that there is still a safety net there. It's not real. It will end and usually happily so it can make more money in the box office. But the consequences of risk are very real- unpaid bills, destroyed relationships, and sometimes lots of pain. As I'm sure you can tell by now- I don't know if I'm advocating playing it safe or risking it all. Someone once said, "A ship is safe in the harbor, but that is not what ships are for." And a wise person answered back, "If you don't jump, you won't fall. But if you don't jump, you'll never soar."

I guess what I'm saying is that I need to take a leap of faith, be bold and daring, even just a little bit more. And keep building on that. And I think I'm saying that there is a time to hold your cards close to your chest, to pull back and put on all your armor. There is nothing wrong with being strong, independent, and wanting to protect yourself. But I think I will miss more of life if I don't open up, shout out my opinions, let people in, and fail miserably sometimes. So here's to figuring out when to do which!

Finding Mr. Right?

This article made me laugh so hard I just had to share. Because, in all honesty, dating is much much harder than they make it look! (Fyi-to my missionary friends just returning home- I have not just been going on dates and partying these past two years!) Written July of 2009 here is Michael Moran with....

Finding Mr Right: 7 Tips from the Movies
If you're looking for romance, Hollywood has all the answers

There’s a lot of talk about what the meaning of life might be, but everyone really knows it’s romance: Finding Mr (or Miss) Right and raising a few kids is the principal motivation for every living thing from mushrooms to monarchs.Sometimes,though, it’s hard to find the right partner. Sometimes it’s hard to find any partner. Naturally the geniuses of cinema are on hand to show us how it’s done.

1. FIRST FIND YOUR TERRORIST

Far and away the best method of building a lasting relationship is to be involved in some kind of hostage drama or dangerous cross-country chase. From The 39 Steps through to Speed – indeed as far as Speed 2 – young men and women have been finding their true love at the point of a gun. Gunfire and peril is such a reliable relationship builder, in fact, that it can reunite estranged couples just as well as it can forge new ones: Just take a look at the most recent Indiana Jones film. Or Die Hard. Or Die Hard 2.

2. LOSE YOUR SCRUPLES

If you’re serious about romance, there’s no place for morals(excuse me! I think it's the perfect place for morals!). Sham weddings are a great way to kick-start a marriage. Sandra Bullock’s top relationship tip is to order a subordinate to marry you. She’s demonstrating that one right now in current cinema release The Proposal. It’s by no means a new idea: Gerard Depardieu and Andie McDowell first hit on the fake marriage ploy way back in 1990 with Green Card. It’s as sound a foundation for lasting love as it was then.

Don’t be coy, either, about underhand tactics to eliminate a potential rival. Back in 1937 The Awful Truth showed how shabby acts can ease the way for true love. It also featured a really sweet dog. In the classic Howard Hawks comedy His Girl Friday Cary Grant repeatedly gets his ex-wife’s fiancé arrested on trumped-up charges until the poor chap sees reason and withdraws from the fray. If you’re serious about settling down with your dream man or woman, make sure you enlist a few corrupt cops.

3. PLAY HARD TO GET

The grass is always greener on the other side, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest and,(although it’s not strictly relevant) a stitch in time saves nine. Nobody wants love handed to them on a plate, it’s unsanitary for one thing, and Hollywood has shown this time and time again. From the firecracker bickering of classic screwball comedies such as It Happened One Night or The Lady Eve to the tongue-tied predictability of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days . Julia Roberts proved in I love Trouble that even irascible bears like Nick Nolte can fall for a girl as long as she’s rude enough.

4. DON’T BE FUSSY

We’re conditioned by stories like Cinderella and Snow White to believe that there’s one true love out there for us all. Unfortunately, as the manufacturers of moisturising creams the world over like to remind us, we won’t look this good forever. Sooner or later it’s time to settle. When Harry Met Sally is a perfect lesson in how to win at romantic musical chairs: try to find The One but always keep your backup spouse close to hand.

If you still haven’t dated anyone by the time you’re 40 don’t hold out for perfection – learn from The 40 Year Old Virgin and hook up with the first person that shows even halfway willing. Best advice of all comes from the latest Katherine Heigl effort The Ugly Truth. He may be an ill-mannered misogynistic boor but he’s still a man, dammit and once you’ve passed thirty that’s good enough.(Wow....really?!!!!)

5. BE A NERD

Of course romance comes easily to nerds. The movies tell us that again and again. We’ve already discussed The 40 Year Old Virgin, where a dysfunctional shut-in with minimal cool marries super-groovy Catherine Keener. Bridget Jones’s Diary extols the irresistible appeal of the female klutz. Annie Hall ups the ante by bringing two entirely different grades of nebbish together in one majestic loser romance.(Or start out like Barrymore in Never Been Kissed and bam!, transform into the It girl)

6. BE LUCKY

If you can’t be a nerd, be lucky. Whether it’s something as unlikely as winning a lottery (It Could Happen To You) or an everyday piece of good fortune like being selected to write the lyrics for a guaranteed Number One single even though you’re just a gardener (Music & Lyrics) there really is no substitute for sheer good fortune. If you don’t have luck, make some – pitch up at a stranger’s wedding. Never fails.

7. WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST, GET A PROFESSIONAL IN

You wouldn’t dream of rewiring your own house. Unless you’d eaten a lot of cheese before bedtime or something. So why organize your own relationships? If we’ve learned anything from Pretty Woman, it’s that common street prostitutes are generally wholesome, marriageable young women. Experts in leaving home (Failure To Launch) and relationship counselors (Hitch) will definitely marry you as long as you pay them a lot of money first.

You should engage your professional with caution though: if The Wedding Planner has a message for us it’s this: the woman you hire to help you pick out some flowers will probably run off with the groom.

Thanks a lot, Hollywood!!