Cord and I

First of all, I apologize that I haven't updated my blog for a bit. I've been doing quite a bit of traveling the past few weeks, so I will be posting many blogs to come on those!
This blog is dedicated to my car, Cord. He is a 2001 Honda Accord that I bought the day I graduated from Utah State , over 4 years ago. He and I have embarked on a lot of wonderful adventures together, and we hit a major milestone together two weeks ago: The 100,000 mile mark!! As I was approaching that mile, driving back to Utah from Colorado, in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming, I reflected on what Cord and I have done together the past 4 years of our relationship. Here are a few of the many, many highlights:

• Driving to San Diego and back with a bunch of co-workers from YMCA Camp
• Replacing the bumper, driver's side door and like 10 tires after some minor incidents that would take hours to tell. :) But they are great stories if you want to ask me about them sometime!
• Carpooling from Logan to Tremonton for work with Jackie, Kelsy, Lyndsie, Melissa, and Katie. These were great girls, and I had a lot of fun with them! Sure will miss doing that, and passing the construction workers. There was one I called Smiley. Everyday we drove past, he was holding that stop sign with a huge smile on his face. It always made me happy!
• Driving to YMCA Camp for two summers. It was a two hour drive from camp to Tremonton, so whenever I went home for the weekend, it was a 4 hour round trip. But it was a beautiful drive through the mountains!
• Mini road trips to Boise, Salmon, Provo, etc.
• Doing Relief Society visits and all of us going in my car. We had some great chats, and a lot of fun trying to find random addresses of girls in the ward. I miss doing those...
• I've had a lot of different people in my car, and a lot of great conversations where we would just sit for hours in Cord and chat. Those are some of my most favorite memories.
• Cord and I alone time: Driving together, playing the radio loud, and singing at the top of my lungs. Whenever I needed time for myself to reflect or think, I would get in my car and drive, sometimes for hours, and just talk to myself, and think. It's one way that I relieve stress, but it's also a way for me to have time with God, to pray, to reflect, to ponder. I've had some cool experiences from doing that.

Cord got its name, obviously from bein an Ac"Cord" but it also has another meaning for me. I student taught in a first grade classroom, and one of the students was Courd. Courd and I had a trying but amazing relationship. He was a difficult student, pushing me to the extreme most days. But Courd and I gained a relationship where we understood each other. He taught me so much, not just about teaching and classroom management, but about life. Over time, I came to know him better. I began to underestand where he came from, and deep down, what he needed was to know that someone loved and cared about him. So everyday I gave him that love and care, I gave it with all that was in me. I came home tired and mentally exhausted, but also renewed and happy. I think of Courd a lot, and hope that he is doing well. So whenever I think of my car, or encourage my car when there is some tough hills to climb, I say, "Come on Cord, you can do it, we can do it together!" I think of my other Courd, and how he taught me that I can do it, that I can do all that I need to accomplish. Cheesy I know, but it's true. That kid changed the way I taught, and the way I dealt with children. I have a deep love for them, I will miss teaching this next year, but I look forward to returning to it. It is my passion and love to work with children.

Here are the pics. from the milestone! Enjoy! Love you Cord!