P.S.

So, I meant to mention this in my last blog, and I guess I forgot.  This is for all of you who read Dane's post about winning the trip to Disneyworld...um, did you watch the movie?  Cheers to all of you who figured out it was a hoax.  Yeah, the trip is too.  Sorry to burst any bubbles out there.  I wish it were true also!

Hello blog, long time, no see!

Dearest family, friends and blog, this is Bridget? Do you remember me? Yeah, it has been a while.  Now, I am not going to make any promises that I can be perfect at this, but I hope now that school is over, I should be better at this.  (yup that's right, school really is over...) I have so much to catch you up on and I am going to do my best to fill you in while not making this post a novel:

So, I finished student teaching, I am almost officially a certified art teaching in the state of Utah, I just need a few forms to be filled out online.  I love it!  I had no idea how much I would love being a teacher.  The hours are long, but I come home from the day happy and laughing from all that has gone on.  Thank you to all who supported me!  

I was called to jury duty, well this was my third time, but the first time the trial has actually gone through all the way and I got to sit in the jury box and feel like I was in a movie while they selected the jury.  I, unfortunately, was not selected, but it was a good experience.  And to be honest it felt a little like an experience Dane and I had a few weeks before that:

We went to a murder-mystery party put on through BYU.  It was so fun!  We went up to Springhaven Lodge in Hobble Creek and were assigned to be "ambassadors" from Germany.  Each person in the audience was an ambassador from somewhere, we interacted with the characters, and then at the end got together with our countrymen to figure out who did what in the murder.... Guess what?  We figured it out! Yeah, that's right, go Germany!  So, they gave each person a bottle of Martinellie's sparkling cyder as a reward.  We felt cool.

For some reason, I couldn't help but remember the counceling that went on during the murder-mystery party when I was sitting on the stand waiting for jury selection....he he.  I know, it really would not have been anything like that, but what can I say, my imagination was going wild :).

Well, that is it for now...mostly because I don't have anymore pictures to make this interesting, but don't worry, there is more to come!

We have some amazing news!!!

Bridget and I entered a contest at a gas station a few weeks ago, and we got a call today that we won!!! They told us that they would send us an e-mail, and that I (Dane) was the person who won! Bridget and I entered separately to increase our chances of winning, and I won! We will be going to Disney World In Florida on January 9th to witness all the changes they've made for me!!

Taking pleasure in the little things in life....part 2

So, I just wanted everyone to know how happy I was today to fill up my car for $18 today.  Yup, that is right, $18.  It felt so great.  It is hard to believe that only a few months ago we were paying more than twice that.  It makes me want to go for a drive, and be grateful that I won't have to sell my first child to cover gas costs.  

Auction for Mia!!....don't miss it!

So, here is a little update on the fundraising for Mia.  FIRST of all I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been helping out and pitching in, even if it is just a little bit.  

This week, my sister-in-law, Abbie, is hosting an auction of donated items to raise money for Mia and her family.  I have donated several items including a hand bound book, watercolor paintings and also custom painted shoes.  There are tons of other great things like Swiss chocolate, hand made greeting cards, a doll, baby accessories, and more!  Please take a few minutes to check it out!  It will be up only for this week.  Instructions on how to place bids are listed on the blog.  

For those of you who read the Daily Universe, (I am not sure how many of you there are out there....) and for those of you who don't, I would like to draw your attention to today's first page. This article was written about my amazing sweetheart and the efforts that he has decided to take to make a difference in the life of a baby who we don't even know.

A few weeks ago, we were introduces to the story of a 3 month old baby, Mia, the daughter of a family friend. She was in need of a new heart with lack of funds to get her there. Abbie, Dane's sister, has really been the front-runner of the family and really helped us all get excited to help out Mia. Although we gratefully found out that baby Mia has gotten a heart, her parents are still in great need of funds to cover medical costs. Several blogs have been started and other efforts are being made to help raise money for her, Abbie is going to do a run-a-thon to collect money, and Dane was so inspired to ride his bike! He has started a Facebook group: "The 'Help baby Mia' bike-a-thon."

I am so touched every time I think about her story and the miracles that have taken place so far to preserve her life. I am even more moved by the love that people have shown in their desire to help. The people in this world amaze me sometimes!

Abbie is planning on having an auction, and I will be donating some painted shoes to be auctioned. Stay tuned at wehelpmia.blogspot.com for more updates on the auction!

The Election and it's aftermath...

Now that the election is over, I feel a slight degree of relief. I have felt confusion and sometimes frustration to hear people's misconceptions, unkindness and lack of tact. People that I have respected have essentially made fools of themselves trying to make their opinions known. At times though, a ray of sunlight has shown through this darkness. People have kindly expressed their opinions, even if they expressed opinions I didn't agree with. Others have tried to bring out the kindness in others by asking them to say one nice thing about the Presidential Candidate that they weren't voting for.

My intention in this post is to tell of the good that has come from the campaigns. 

Today in my American History class, my teacher allowed fifteen minutes to discuss the election from the day before. I love this teacher, and I admire her for her ability to convey history without coming across as biased. She started the conversation by telling of her upbringing in rural Mississippi. She is now likely between 55 or 60, so she grew up in the thick of segregation. She told horrifying stories of lynchings, and told of the day to day life in a segregated world. Then, without telling us which candidate she leaned towards, she told our class of the magnitude it is that America had just elected an African-American president. This was highlighted by the fact that we are in the middle of the slavery lectures in our class. She told of Jesse Jackson (A man I don't entirely respect and who also wasn't of the greatest help to Senator Obama in his race) and how he was in the heart of the Civil Rights movement and how he was present when MLK Jr. was assassinated. Then she told us how he was weeping at Senator Obama's acceptance speech, and what that must have meant to him.

She told of the humility it took for John McCain to concede and give the speech he did. If you haven't heard his Conceding speech, please watch it. She told how important it is to do what both candidates made clear in the speeches Tuesday night...we need to unite as Americans. Our voice can still be heard. She emphasized that it is time to abandon the "adolescent tendencies" that a lot of people adopt. (I couldn't agree more with that statement!) She also made it clear that as students of history, we (and this includes all who are reading this post) need to rely on RELIABLE news sources. NOT youtube, and definitely not biased news sources. She referred us to watch the Lehrer news hour, and stated it as a reliable, non-biased news source that uses respectful Political Analysts that respect other peoples opinions. 

Lastly, she called on us as her students to support the man that has been voted in as our new President. To transition to my opinion now, I whole heartedly believe Barack Obama's promise "to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too." I also appreciated when he said "I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree." In my personal opinion, Senator Obama made a great speech with a lot of promises to every American. Most importantly, he promised to listen to us. I hope that every American sees that Senator Obama intends to listen. What an important thing to have in this free country of ours. 

May I say "hats off" to both candidates for excellent Election Day speeches. Hopefully we will see more of the respect among the American people that was shown to us by Senators Obama and McCain tuesday evening.