With Gratitude...

My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable; to enact gratitude is generous and noble; but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." President Thomas S. Monson

I'm grateful for so many things. I am never able to cover all of them. Here are a few some simple...some not so simple..all make me incredibly blessed:

*The gospel and the way that it directs my life and brings me peace.

*My home. It's warm and safe. It feels like home and I feel so blessed to have it for myself.

*My family. They are kind, supportive, and unique. I feel so blessed to be part of my family. I apologize that I sometimes take you guys for granted.

*Mal. He is loyal and excited about life and loves us. He listens. He cuddles. He makes us laugh. Plus, he is FREAKIN' CUTE!
*My job. I love it. I feel passionately about what I do and what I want to change. I have a principal who is supportive of my decisions. I get to work with kids all day long and they are SO much better than adults. I love my team of teachers. I love my job. It pays bills.

*Zach. I love him. I love being married. It's been the best year. Zach has surprised me in so many ways. He is the ultimate man. He is pretty amazing, kind, smart, funny, and so so good to me. I love having a home and Mal with him. I love having him to tell stories to about my job when I come home at night. I love everything about being married to him.

*Friends. My friends are so good to me. I can count on them for support and advice. I can occassionally look for a break from the ordinary with a movie night, a Starbucks stop, a poker game, a game night, or a simple phone call.

*Hot chocolate

*Christmas Music

*Going to Church on Sunday

*Lie to Me, Damages, and Burn Notice (Netflix)

*Good Books to Read

*Laughter

*Fresh Air

*Cars that get us to and from work (some that barely do that).

*Warm Food

*Hugs

*Blankets

*The sounds of machines cleaning my clothes or dishes

*Getting fun mail

*Randy Travis

*Board Games
*A Hand to Hold

*Heat

*Sparkling Cider (just because)

*Sunday Naps

*Pictures

*Memories

*Smells

*Our monthly Idaho Pizza date

*Kisses

*My Callings

*My health

*A body that keeps me able

Happy Thanksgiving!

Letters--A Letter To Someone Who Has Caused A Lot of Pain During My Childhood

Are there people I could write to? Yes. I have been hurt--unquestionably. Do I want to? Not so much. So here's what I came up with:

You Know Who You Are,

Yes, you hurt me. All of you did. The effects of your choices came later in life...as I realized how little I was cherished. How unwilling you were to protect me. It still hurts at times. I love you, though. I am grateful for you. I am so blessed to have still had the rich upbringing that I did.

I turned out quite alright. I am proud of who I am. I would be proud of who I am no matter how many blemishes my childhood may or may not have had. Given the situation, I am extremely proud. I am humbled, though, too. As I realize there are so many who are not so lucky. So many who have far more reason that I do to lash out.

How did I get so lucky? I don't know. How come Heavenly Father chose to let me know who I was and how much He loved me so early on-I will never know. I am grateful for it every day. I share this knowledge with the world because I know there are others who may not know their worth and perhaps they could benefit from it. That's why I so often share...that and I am just overwhelmingly grateful.

I am blessed. I have learned to forgive and to love. I may not have perfected the act of forgiving (there are times I still get angry and yell about this and there are times I still cry). I try, though. I know that we are all children of a loving Father in Heaven. I know that we have an Elder Brother who loves us and makes it possible to recover from tragic events. I know that we are watched over constantly.

Some people question my forgiveness. Some may even judge it. I know it is the right thing to do. For it is not in me to remain so bitter or angry. I know that is not my purpose in life. I know I was made to love. I am so grateful for a Savior who makes it possible to heal, forgive, and love. I am also grateful for a Savior who makes it possible to repent and be forgiven. Trust me, I've had need of forgiveness many a time...and I know how it feels to feel unworthy. I would never wish that feeling on any of you. I would rather you knew you were loved.

The only thing I ask of you is to embrace this knowledge. I promise that when you do you will find peace and happiness in a unique form. I know this. I have experienced it for myself. It has guided me to where I am today.

"A child, a child, sleeping in the night. He will bring us goodness and light."

When You've Had A Week from...You Know Where

My week has been horrible.
Stressful.
BUSY.
Overwhelming.
Stressful.
Stressful.
Stressful.
I've been angry, mad, frustrated.
I've yelled, I've cried. I've stayed up way too late.

When you have a week like that...and then a day like today...you realize how blessed you are for the things that make you feel good, warm, happy, and whole.
Today I'm so thankful for:
*My home. The way it feels to walk into it. It's warm. It's inviting. It's ours.
*A husband to come home to. To kiss me at the door and hug me. To reassure me that "everything is going to be alright." To make dinner while I'm out on visits for church.
*Mal. Who greets me so eagerly and with such enthusiasm. And who, I'm fairly certain, loves our home like I do to. I can tell in the way that he curls up and rests in our house. He feels warm, cozy, and safe here, too!:)
*My students. Today they were so kind, thoughtful, and FUNNY. They are learning. They are soaking up what I teach them. They are fun. We are having a blast. I love them.
*My calling. Having that to keep me grounded and on track. I love being with the Young Women and I love being a Ward Missionary. This week, both of those things have left me with a heart full of gratitude.
*Food. Warm food on a cold night, makes me feel so very fortunate.
*Last but not least, this line from one of my current favorite songs:
"Baby if you're in the mood and you can settle for a one night rodeo,
You can be my tan-legged Juliet,
I'll be your redneck Romeo."

It cheers me up! Beyond words. Every time!

Letters--A Letter to Each of Your Parents

This blog may seem one-sided. I already know it. I love both of my parents. I love them equally. I just have a very different relationship with my mom than I do with my dad (who doesn't, right?) So here goes!


Dear Daddy,

I love you so much. I know you like to pretend that this surprises you, but you know it! I will tell you why I love you. I love you because you have shown me that men are faithful. You work hard. You stand up for yourself. I love you because you have changed so much over the past few years and I am SO proud of you. I love you because you are so good to Zach. I love you because you were interested in my relationship with him from the beginning. I love you because when I was little you used to pick up our breakfast at the gas station when it was your turn to take us to Grandma's. I love you because I am so much like you.

Although, I am a self-proclaimed MAMA'S GIRL. I want to be like mom so bad--I am still so proud of some of the traits I have from you. I am proud to come from you and from your family. I am proud to be your mother's granddaughter.

I am proud that I am tall and dark "like my dad." I am proud that my eyes squint when I smile. I am proud of being a lefty like you. I am proud that sometimes I boss other people around like you do. I laugh at myself when I tell mom what to do and she says something like, "Oh my gosh. When did your dad get here?" I actually laugh really hard at that kind of thing.

I love to make fun of you...for a plethora of things. I know you take this a little hard at times but making fun of you is hilarious. As I write this right now I am absolutely laughing to myself as I think about Shane and I telling each other about you listening to your girly music with your headphones on! HAAHAHAHA! You and your Hallmark channel, Enya, Little House on the Prairie, Oliver! Oh my goodness, Dad, you are hilarious!

I have lots of good memories with you. Some very recent. I love you and I am so proud to be your daughter. I am so grateful Heavenly Father sent me to you to show you the way.
Love,

Shar

Dear Mom,

I love you so much. I know that you know it and you don't pretend not to. You do think you don't deserve it--which is the furthest thing from the truth. I adore you! I want to be like you in so many ways.

There are so many things that I wish I had let myself learn from you--things that I love about you. I love that you laugh at things, even when bad things happen, you find humor in them. I love how selfless you are. I love how hard-working you are. I think I got SOME of this from you and dad, but not as much as I'd like. I think you are quite possibly the most amazing woman in the world.

Dramatic, yes, I have a flair for drama and we both know it! However, I do believe it. I had such a wonderful and rich childhood because of YOU. We have so many amazing memories. I have an even greater appreciation for all you did now. When I see the parents of my students sometimes failing miserably at the thing you did so flawlessly. I laugh when I remember and then I usually cry, of course--that I did get from you. I cry because I am so blessed and you are so good.

I know I tell you this all the time but thank you! Thank you for taking time to be a mom. Thank you for assuming that role with your whole heart. You never acted like being a mom was an inconvenience..a time in your life to endure. Sadly, I see SO SO many women that do. You weren't like that. How you had the strength to work full time, come home and listen to us and spend time with us, help us with homework, keep a VERY clean house, and make dinner--without a complaint I will never know. I do know that I don't know any other woman who does that. You truly did do it all.

You kept a very clean house. You cooked decent food (to this day I will always argue that you NEVER should have made me eat things I didn't want to eat :) And you excelled as a mother. You made up fun things for us to do. You would stay home for a week and we would wake up in the morning and pull out the couch bed and watch a movie while drinking hot chocolate. You taught us how to play a few board games and some car games. You took us to the mall and got us delicious cinnamon rolls. You took us on a vacation every year...usually without dad. Yet you never complained about road tripping with us in the car. And believe me (and I know you know) I would've heard you if you did. I heard everything.

I'm far more sensitive than you are, yet you handled me perfectly. You made me feel SO very loved. You did little cute things for Shane and I. You loved us perfectly. I have such a deep appreciation and gratitude for you. I owe so much of the woman I am to you. You have always been everything for us, our accountant, our advisor, our counselor, our doctor (sort of :), our cook, our Google, our secretary, our chauffeur, our best friend. Truly mom, there isn't enough to say about you.

Thank you for loving me like you did. I grew up a very happy healthy individual because I was so loved. I believe that is what I owe everything I am to...the love I had in my home growing up. Thank you for being my friend. I think I made good choices for a number of reasons, but one of them is that I always went to you. I never wanted to disappoint you. Thank you for teaching me strength by example. Thank you for teaching me to keep a clean house. Thank you for making me a little OCD about needing to open windows, turn on lights, and tidy up. :) I love that I take after you that way. There are so many times I utter the words, "This is how my mom did it, so this is how I do it!" You are a constant topic of conversation in our home.

I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for sending me to you! (Sound a little familiar:) I love you, Mom.

Love,

Shar

Note to Gram and Gramps

I think this picture has been on this blog A LOT. But it's the last picture I took with my grandparents...and it's a great memory.

Gram has been on my mind a lot lately.

It's almost been two years.

I had a moment the other day, where it seemed like I just lost her all over again.

My phone was stolen on our anniversary and I had ONE message my Grandma had left me before she passed saved onto my phone in a file.

I thought it was gone.

Then I remembered that Zach had saved it on his phone (his broken phone) too.

I asked him if he could find it.

He did.

I listed to it...only twice...and I cried and cried and cried.

I miss her still, so so much.

I will never stop missing her.

I was cleaning today. I happen to have a few notes that I would color and leave for my grandparents.

The rest are still at their house.

They are supposed to be treasured :)

They are mostly, "I love you so much!" type notes.

But I found this one today.

It sure made me cry.

Grandpa and Grandma:

I love you AND

1. Aunt Deanne called--they're going to their reunion today, but she'll call about church tomorrow :)

2. Your juice is in the fridge.

3. I'll be spending the night again :)

4. I LOVE YOU!!!!

Love,

Shar

And that's it.
That's the note.

I'm so sad on so many levels.

I am also so blessed.

I am blessed to have had them--the two of them together--for as long as I did.

I miss you, Gram.

My Job Rocks

"Mrs. Hatch is the coolest teacher ever!"

These are the words I just heard uttered by one of the 4 cutest BOYS ever sitting in the back of my classroom enjoying their lunch.

First of all I have to explain the situation. On a given students' birthday week (and yes, I do summer birthday's, too). That student gets a 25 cent popcorn treat on Friday from me...and they get to invite 3 friends to eat in the room and play games. That's how we do birthdays in room 123!
These boys enjoyed a very relaxed lunch. They all sat around the table together and chatted for seriously a good 20 minutes! How cute is that?

I turned to thank them for the comment and they said I'm the only teacher who's ever let them eat lunch in the room. Well, if that's what it takes? I have no problem.

Best part of my job. I CAN eat lunch with my students. Kids. The best people in the world.
Let's see. Who would I rather have lunch with?
Them.
Or other teachers?

Hmmmmm...

And in case you didn't catch it, since I realize that kids are cooler.
I want them in my room.

That makes me, ladies and gentleman, the coolest teacher in the world!
I do not lie!

A Soldier

A Soldier

There is discipline in a soldier

you can see it when he walks,
There is honor in a soldier
you hear it when he talks.
There is courage in a soldier
you can see it in his eyes,
There is loyalty in a soldier
that he will not compromise.
There is something in a soldier
that makes him stand apart,
There is strength in a soldier
that beats from his heart.
A soldier isn't a title any man
can be hired to do,
A soldier is the soul of that man
buried deep inside of you.
A soldier's job isn't finished after
an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week,
A soldier is always a soldier
even while he sleeps.
A soldier serves his country first
and his life is left behind,
A soldier has to sacrifice what
comes first in a civilian's mind.
If you are civilian -
I am saying this to you.....
next time you see a soldier
remember what they do.
A soldier is the reason our land
is 'Home of the free',
A soldier is the one that is brave
protecting you and me.
If you are a soldier -
I am saying this to you.....
Thank God for every soldier
Thank God for what you do.
Summer Sandercox

Thank you veterans!

Letters--Letter to My Future Child

This is by far the most difficult letter so far. I thought these letters would be fun, but they're actually quite a bit of work for me. I was torn between just trying to be funny or should I be "sappy?" I am sappy and I am funny (at least I think so and so does my mom) so maybe it will be neither or maybe it will be both. Oh and by the way...Crystal is doing such a better job with these than I am. She is further along and I started a little before she did...and her letters are REALLY good.

Dear ____________,

Whether you are a boy or a girl, your dad and I already have your name picked out. However, your name is a secret from most people until we all meet you. I think you will like it.

I have no idea when you will join our home. I do look forward to the day that I meet you. I am so excited for that time! I will be honest, though, I am also terrified. I have the potential to be a good mother. I know I do. I want to be the best--I want you to love me the way that I love my mom. I hope I can be as good a mom as my mom. (You'll understand when you meet her. She's unbelievable.)

Your dad and I talk about you a lot. We've been talking about you since before we ever even kissed!! That's crazy, I know, but it's true.

We bought a house when we got married (a month before actually). We have two extra bedrooms. One of the bedrooms is designated your room. We talk about that. What it will be like when you're in there. That room feels different. I told your dad that just the other day. I feel different when I walk into it. I know that sounds very strange or weird but it's true.

I wonder what you will look like. Who will you look like? I hope you have your dad's eyes and his hair, too! I want you to have long limbs like me (it's just better that way:). I wonder if you will be tall. I hope you (and all of your siblings) are left handed (it's just better that way, too :) No matter what, though, I know I will love you so very much.

There are other things I wonder as well. Will you be emotional like me, or logical like your dad? How will I handle you if you are logical--especially if you are a girl? Will you be naturally smart like your dad or will I have to spend extra time tutoring you in math and teaching you study skills? Who will you act like? What will you want to be when you grow up? There is so much I cannot wait to learn about you!

I want to hear you laugh. I want to play with you. I want to make you breakfast and pack your lunches. I want to do your hair and take pictures of you. I look forward to planning birthday parties and doing cute things for you like my mom did for me. I hope to make you feel so so loved.

Your dad and I want to have sleep-overs in the living room. We want to make forts. We want to take fun vacations with you. We have so much planned.

I want to teach you where you come from and who you are a child of God. I want you to know that to your very core...I am so fortunate that I was taught that as a child.

I want to love you and I want you to know it. I don't ever want you to feel for a second like I want you gone, grown up, or that I need a break from you. I want you to know how much you are loved at all times.

As much as I love you I will tell you what I would prefer. I would prefer that you do not ever get seriously injured (meaning: no trips to the hospital). No throwing up (baby throw up is fine...after about 2....please no more). I would prefer you to be angelic (like I was :) Please be healthy, strong, and happy. And above all else...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have brown hair.

I know that when I do meet you it will be the right time. There will be a purpose for us being brought together. We will learn from each other. I already know that I love you. When the time is right, we have a spot for you.

Love,

Your Mom

Marriage Is...

Marriage Is...*Taking Walks
*Holding Hands
*Laughing
*A kiss when he walks through the door every night
*Singing in the car
*Having my door opened for me all the time
so much so that I expect it from other people when he's not around...oops! :)
*Cuddling to sleep every night
*Praying together
*Playing games
*Cooking dinner together
*Texts every morning after he gets to work
*Going to bed together (every night after 1 year...)

In other words, marriage is...
*Love
*Bliss
*Happiness
*Friendship
*Fun
*Not as much work as people seem to think or say

Marriage is a blessing.
Every. Single. Day.

Favorite Memories

Marriage is a lot of things
Fun is definitely one of them
We have had a LOT of fun this year...here are some of our favorites from year 1:

*The day after our wedding when we went out to lunch with Zach's family and dinner with my family. We had everyone over for our amazing cake and there was a lot of laughter in our house...immediately. It was such a cool experience for us. Our home. Our family.

*Our month-long hiatus. Pure bliss.

*Our first Thanksgiving. It was just the two of us and all of the food was perfect.

*Our first Christmas. We woke up and exchanged a few presents. We said a prayer and I cried as Zach headed off to work. I remember crying again as he walked through the door no more than an hour later!

**The memory very early on when our smoke detector went off in the middle of the night.
Zach got up and was very groggy (but not grumpy...neither one of us are morning people but he is far less grumpy than I am when he wakes up...I love that about him). He gets on this stool and is trying to take apart our smoke detector--still half asleep--I think he got down three or four times thinking he had stopped it and then it would go off again. He uttered a few choice words (still not actually pissy though). I laughed really hard! It still makes me laugh just to think about it! :)

*The time we fell asleep on the bed after playing games at Ken and Misty's. We were going to watch Burn Notice but just lay down for a second. I woke up at 3 a.m. We were still on top of the covers and in our clothes. I shook Zach awake and the first words out of my mouth were, "Zach! We didn't watch Burn Notice!"

*The day I came back from Girls Camp this summer. It was a perfect evening!

*Going camping for the first time together...EVER! That was fun. Especially bringing Mal! :)

*Having a "snow day" from church. We blew up the air mattress, watched a movie, and drank hot cocoa! :)

*Our poker tournament and black jack playing (and winning...losing...and then winning AGAIN) in Reno!

*Our snow chain experience in Lake Tahoe on our honeymoon..hahahaha

* A more recent memory: I think it was a combination of the creepy/morbid presentation of Damages and the fact that we had my Grandpa's birthday party at my grandparents' house. I had a horrible dream that left me missing my grandma so badly, I couldn't breathe. I woke up crying. I woke Zach up. I could not stop crying (I was pretty much half-alseep)He was so good to me, I seriously can't even tell you. SOO good to me. I still tear up when I think about it.

I love writing down our favorite memories--these are just a few. I never want to forget this first year. I never want to forget this feeling. Being married is just incredible. I love everything about it.

Our Favorite Television Shows

We watch a lot of television...I will admit it,
but we watch it together.
We rarely ever watch anything without the other person.
Because we like each other.
We like cuddling on the couch.

In our first year of marriage...we've seriously had a blast finding common ground
via Netflix and we've become fans of quite a few different shows

1. Friends
It all started here. I own the series and so we started watching them together when we were first married...Zach loves Chandler. I still love Ross. I will occasionally quote Friends
and Zach will laugh. Which helps when I'm missing Sarah. :)
2. After Friends it was Zach's turn. He had seen the Pilot of Burn Notice
and had liked it. I bought him the first two seasons before we got married with the promise to watch them with him in our new home. I wasn't looking forward to it. (Truth be told that's why I started him on Friends first:) but I fell in love with this show! It is incredible. Amazing. It has everything...action, principles, love, family, friends, comedy, intensity...EVERYTHING! We are truly obsessed. (We were Michael and Fi for Halloween. )

And then one day I found myself playing on Netflix and found this show...
Lie to Me
Talk about killer. We love this show as well. These people are human lie detectors...great story lines, great base, great show!

Just recently we stumbled upon this (again...Netlflix + Sharlee =match made in heaven)
Damages
This show is crazy. Seriously. We found it just in time for Halloween. We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night curled up on the couch watching this show. It is seriously ridiculous. It is almost too intense. I have to turn my head sometimes. It has given me bad dreams. It is SO much more than another lawyer show. We love it.

So there you have it. Our shows. It may seem lame but we love our nights in. We usually make every night a night "in" before going to bed. I sit on the couch with my legs draped over Zach's lap (Mal chews a bone on the floor next to Zach's feet) and we watch a show. Right now with Damages, I bury my head in his shoulder and he tells me when I can look again. I stomp around the kitchen yelling at the TV. Yelling about how crazy the show is and Mal cocks his head to the side. (We take walks between episodes or after sitting for one.) Last night on our walk I was telling Zach that I think it's neat how we've found so much common ground. We like similar things...that was not the case when we met. We have a small house so we had to find ways to share it and enjoy it together...this is just one of the ways we have.

Best Dates

For the most part we're (maybe I'm) homebodies...

We go out occassionally, but we really like staying in together...at least I hope we do :)

But we've had some pretty fun date nights I guess you could say

**Although, right now, life pretty much feels like a date night every night**

*Tim McGraw Concert (Dinner before)

*Los Betos for dinner and then Northern Lights Cinema Grill to see Robin Hood

*Inception

*Temple...although we have one not so great experience but it's funny to look back on it now. We were trying to go to dinner before the temple and everywhere we went had a horrendously long wait. We went to the temple first and the people tell say, "You're looking at at least a 1/2 hour wait."

*Toy Story 3

*Day Trip to Idaho City with My Mom