California Home

Simi Valley is a quiet suburb in Ventura County, California. It's a unique city in Southern California because it is physically seperated from the other cities by hills on all sides so it has a distinct identity from other ciities. The hills are usually a yellow brown, but after a week of good rain they turn bright green--giving it a 3 week Irish makeover. Although the town is only a generation or two old (most of the tracks were built in the 70s), the people seem to stay. Most are middle class, but there are middle class move-ins that have bought homes up in the hills.

Even though the city has a population of about 120,000, when I moved to Simi, it seemed like a small town. Coming from LA, it was amazing to ALWAYS find a parking spot, to see the stars at night, and to (shockingly to me) run into people I knew at the grocery store.

"Welcome to Simi Valley. Relax and slow down," the sign says as you pull off the freeway. That pretty much sums it up.

My Mom

I meant to do this as a special tribute on Mother's Day, but I only got as far as uploading her picture. My mom is amazing! She has dedicated her whole life to raising her children and helping the community. Really I don't know where to even begin in praise of her. All I can say is that if every mother did her job like my mom, the world would not have any problems. I love you, Mom!

My Grandmas

I also want to pay tribute to the other moms in my life. My Grandma O is such a great mentor and friend to me. I'm so lucky to live so close to her and to work even closer. I usually get to visit a couple times a week. She always has food, family history facts, the update on world events, and the latest health research to share with us. I love her! This is a picture of her with my cousin, Naomi.


My Grandma Sheranian is my namesake and kindred spirit. My mom has always said I'm just like her. And pictures prove it. This is a picture of her in Hawaii on her honeymoon with my Grandpa in 1958. I was so lucky to grow up living right next door to Grandma Sheranian. I sat next to her in Church, ate at her table every Sunday, and learned from watching her serve. I love her!


I'm so lucky to have good, strong, faithful women in my life!

Screaming and Stomping for Speed Skating

I am very excited for the Olympics this year because it is the first time I can remember having a TV during the Olympics! I caught bits and pieces of the 2008 summer Olympics in a hotel room in Hawaii, I didn't see the one in 2006 because I was on my mission, and in 2004 . . . I don't even remember where it was or what I was doing! For 2002, I was in Washington D.C. on vacation with my mom and Becca and Maureen, and we watched it on TV every night. So really the only time I've been able to watch the Olympics is on vacation!

Well this year I watched most of the opening ceremonies (Did you notice how the commentators were silent as Iran entered the stadium?. . . but not for North Korea?) and my friends and I watched the main events on Saturday night. The highlight of course was the 1500 with Apolo Ono. I was worried w might have disturbed our neighbors underneath us, because we couldn't handle the suspense. Just picture 5 girls screaming and stomping to the finish line. Worse than the Superbowl!

Make the Call!

So I learned a big lesson today: making a phone call does not hurt. If you think it might help- do it! This seems obvious, but I think a lot of times we avoid simple tasks for silly reasons. . . and then answer the consequences.

For example, over a year ago, I was driving home from my Christmas vacation to California when the back light on the faceplate of my car's sound system went out. I looked up the problem online and read a message board with lots of posts from people with my same car (year, make, and model) who had the same problem. A lot of posts were years old, but they wrote about how they had to pay $400 + to get their systems replaced. I figured it wasn't worth it to me to pay that much to fix a luxury feature my car. I could still listen to music; I just couldn't see my clock or radio stations unless the afternoon sun hit it just right.

My dad said I should call the dealership, but I really don't like dealerships (or at least I had unfriendly feelings at that time) and didn't think it would do any good. So I didn't call. Instead I had a friend check my fuses just in case-- and no problem was found. So since then I have just dealt with the problem and figured I wouldn't worry about it.

Then, last week my battery died--completely died. Luckily, my good friend Bryce not only tested it for me, but also bought a new battery at a discount AND installed it for me! Yay! However, a few days later when I tried to turn on my radio, it didn't work and I could see that it showed "CODE" on the screen. It turns out my sound system has an anti-theft mechanism that is enabled if it is disconnected from the battery.

Long story short, I called the dealership to get the code, which they gladly gave me (not what I was expecting-- ha ha!). I then took the opportunity to ask about my backlight problem. And voila! the guy on the phone told me that the problem is under warranty because there is a factory recall on the part!!

Now I have an appointment on Monday to get it fixed for FREE. No money to end a problem I've been dealing with for over a year! I wonder what other problems I've been avoiding in my life that have easy solutions? Really, it's not worth it to deal with something when it can be fixed!

Reflections on Life

With the earthquake in Haiti, I've been thinking a lot about how life on earth is so different depending on where you are born. Some people seem to live through unending tragedy and suffering, while others live lives of comfort and opportunity. Of course there are challenges in life no matter where you live--and there is plenty of suffering (particularly emotional suffering) even in my own community. But I've been wondering about what it will be like when this life is over and we all have time to talk about what happened. What will I say to a woman who never learned how to read, who lost child after child because of poor living conditions and lack of medical help, who lived in fear of her violent community? Will I be uncomfortable talking about my life? Will I feel embarrassed even though I had as little control over where I was born as she did?

Inequality has always been somewhat troubling to me. I have never liked the statement "Life's not fair," even though I know to a certain extent this is true. I'm the type of person who thinks that if you chew a piece of gum, you should offer a piece to everyone around you. If you have a party, you need to invite everyone you know. This is a very superficial definition of equality, but you know what I mean. If I were calling the shots, I would want everyone in the world to have a comfortable place to live, a loving family, a great education, and the chance to develop a talent. . . every blessing I have. But I know that's not the point. If we were handed everything, there would be nothing to work for, nothing to learn. The truth is, I would want everyone to have the opportunity to create happy, successful lives for themselves.

In my class, we're talking about themes in literature that center around "the human spirit" and the potential for individuals to rise above their circumstances and achieve the impossible. This is in preparation to read a play based on The Diary of Anne Frank. And although Anne did not survive, she still did acheive the seemingly impossible--as a 14-year-old, recording a very personal witness of the holocaust for the world to read. And perhaps the even more impossible-- maintaining hope and life through her months and months of hiding.

Recently I also read a passage in the Book of Mormon which had new meaning for me. Two verses from Jacob 5, which is part of an allegory about a master (Jesus Christ) and servant (prophet or follower of Christ) who are grafting trees (groups of people): "And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit"
(Jacob 5: 21-22).

What I learn from this scripture is that God knows that some of His children are born in "poor spots " of the world. But that does not mean he does not love these less. Quite the contrary; He "nourishes" and remembers and cares for these people even more. And he knows that they, just like everyone else, have the ability to grow, love, and do good with their lives.

So, maybe it doesn't matter where we are born after all. Life really is different for each of us. And life truly is harder for some. But God loves us all, and hopes that whatever our lot in life, we will choose to do good with what we have. And for those of us with more, the task is ours to do more.

Bread Pizza?

Directions:
Chop some onion.
Chop some green peper.
Chop a few mushrooms.
Slice some sausage (hot dogs in reality).
Spread ketchup on a slice of bread.
Put all the ingredients on top.
Scatter chopped cheese on the top.
Microwave for 7 minutes.
And what do you get? A Korean English class delicacy! (gag)

Snow Canyon Half

Finishing the Snow Canyon Half Marathon was probably one of the most surprising accomplishments of my life. I never thought I would run a half marathon-- let alone WANT to run one. And I doubt I would have done it on my own.

In fact, when my roommate Annika (the one in orange) told me about the race, I thought, "No way." But when she mentioned it again, this incredible feeling came over me: you can do it! And I committed before I could stop myself.

Training was hard. I looked up a schedule online: three 4 miles runs, two days of cross training, one long run, one rest day. Every week. I didn't follow the schedule exactly, but I did run about 4 times a week. And I did four long runs before the race (6 miles, 6 miles, 7 miles, and 9.5 miles). Some days, I thought, "Why am I doing this?" My mom wondered the same thing. I told her that I felt like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. One part of me really wanted to do it and the other part did not.

The truth is, I didn't really realize much I wanted to run it, until I thought I couldn't. On the Tuesday before the race, I hurt my foot. I'm not really sure how, but it was bad enough that I limped around Wednesday and Thursday. I was so upset about it, I refused to even talk about whether or not I would run the race. But I thought I probably wouldn't be able to. On Friday, I decided I would go down to St. George prepared to run and just see. After talking to Georgia and Becca I thought I probably wouldn't do it. I didn't want to injure myself. One race is not worth months of injury.

It wasn't until 10 o'clock Friday night that I decided what I would do. I went for a grandma run up and down the street in front of Annelies's grandma's house where we were staying. And my foot felt okay. I decided that I would talk to the race officials in the morning, and ask them what they thought. But really in the back of my mind I knew I had to start that race. There was no way I could get this far without at least trying.

So the next morning, we woke up at 6 am, ate breakfast, drank tons of water and gatorade, and stretched out. At 7:30 we left for the high school, which was conveniently only 4 blocks away. I talked to the race officials, and they said that if I couldn't finish the race, they could pick me up at an aid station in a golf cart. Sounded good to me. So, we got on the bus that drove us to the starting line.

Driving 13 miles is not a good feeling when you know you will be running the whole thing back. But we tried not to think about that. And to be honest, at that point, I still kind of thought I wouldn't have to worry about it. Ha!

When we got to the top, there was a 1/4 mile long line for the port-a-potties and we all had to GO! So it was only as the gun went off that I made it to the start. No time to think, just time to start. Annika ran the first mile with me--down, down, down hill. And my foot felt okay, so I told her she could take off. And she did-- and finished 30 minutes before me! Yeah Anni!

The second mile was good too, and so was the third. By the first aid station, I knew I could finish the race. The two miles uphill were even fine because I was focused on looking for Julianne, Annika, and Allison who were ahead of me coming back down the other direction. I got to high-five all three!

It was the best run of my life: red cliffs, blue sky, and lots of endorphins! I crossed the finish line happy and strong at 2:31:27.

Painting for Grandma

A year ago Grandma O asked me to paint a picture of barn that is near her house in Springville. It only took me a year to get around to it! (sorry grandma) I like this painting because that is the same mountain I can see from Diamond Fork Jr. High where I teach.

Classroom Dynamics

Something that I've learned since becoming a teacher is that you can't judge a teacher based on one class. Some of my classes go so well... and others do not. The mix of personalities in a classroom really makes a difference. So if there is a teacher you hate, take a look around. It might be more than just the teacher's fault.