Whinney Side Up

January...check!

2012-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that January is over. It seems like yesterday we were coming back from Christmas break. Before you know it, it will be Spring break. I am super excited for Spring break.

I finished up the last of the hard things this week. My scores have been turned in for testing, all tests have been administered, SEPs are done, and my SET is finished. A SET is when you get observed by the principal and your score goes on your record. Now all I have to do is figure out grad school and a credit card and I will be home free!

I played lots of catch up this week. There were things that got put on hold for SEP conferences. I was able to go to a birthday party for a friend and then I was able to spend time in the apartment cleaning and getting organized. It is amazing how things build up.

Zzzz....

2012-01-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

I made it through the week. It has been a long week with SEP conferences, but the time passed quickly. I couldn't believe how fast each night went. I enjoyed speaking with the parents, and I gained a lot of perspective. I'm super tired, but glad I was able to talk with almost all my parents.

My week revolved around SEP conferences. I also officially finished up the DRA, which is a reading assessment that we have to give. The kids did well and I am pleased with them. My morning class also did the NWEA test, which a computer based tested, which we have never given before in kindergarten. I will get back to you on my thoughts on that one.

I was pretty beat by Friday, so Carolyn and I got dinner at our favorite place...Costa Vida. Their disclaimer is so true on their bags...Warning, this product my be habit forming. I am definitely addicted. We also watched a movie. Saturday was a full day of running errands and catching up on things that I wasn't able to do during the week.

Kind of boring, but that was my week.

One more week!

2012-01-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

I have decided that January is one of the busiest months as a teacher. This month we will have two major assessments administered, one of which was one on one, parent teacher conferences, and for Title 1 schools we have to get started on collecting information to see if we qualify for our funding. Then there is everything else that comes up that one has to take care of. Thank goodness there is only one more week left in January.

This week was a lot of testing, but it was all made much better by the awesome parents that come in the classroom to help out. I would be lost without them. I think I have been really lucky as far as parent volunteers. As well, I am working on getting things ready for parent teacher conference. I am excited to meet with parents again. Their kids have made so much progress in a few short months. Most of these kids weren't reading when we last met, but they sure are now.

Monday was a holiday, so a large group of us went to do a hike. It was a lot of fun and I was able to catch up on all the happenings of some that I haven't had the chance to talk with in a while. I also discovered that I am not nearly as out of shape as I thought I was. This weekend we wanted to go up in the mountains to have a bonfire, but mother nature had other plans. We ended up staying at the complex and doing s'mores over the stove and playing games. I think it went quite well.

Next week will be busy with parent teacher conferences and the last of our testing. Pray that the kids don't get thrown for a loop!

Sweet!

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

This week I began DRA testing, which is a really, really, big stressful test that teachers have to give. Personally, I wish we didn't have to make such a big deal about it, but that's the way it is. I have finished testing most of my kids, thanks to all the help from parents that come in, which aloud me to focus. I have been really nicely surprised by the results. I can already tell that I am doing a better job. The kids are much further ahead this year, than where they were last year. So, I am excited to see what first says next year about where they come in at the beginning of first grade.

January will continue to be a difficult month, because we have to finish the DRA testing, but we also have parent teacher conference. I love meeting with parents, but there are a lot to get through (44 parents) and I only have ten minutes each. I wish I had more time with them, but it's the way it is. As well, at the end of this month we will begin a new test, NWEA. We have never had a test like this in kindergarten; it's a standardized test on the computer. It should be interesting to see how the kids do on it. On the up side I have turned in applications for grad school. That is a huge relief.

Socially this week, the roommates and I had a movie night. We watched the new BBC production of Emma. I highly recommend this movie. It is probably the best version I have seen. On Saturday, we had a ward activity that was actually fun and then a group of us went and got ice cream at Macey's and watched a Jason Bourne movie in honor of our spy themed ward activity. Monday is a day off and I am not sure exactly what I will be doing. I think there is a group that is going hiking and I may tag along with them, but we will have to see.

Happy MLK Day!

First week back...and I'm still kickin'!

2012-01-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Monday was a day off for us because of the holiday. So, we started school on Tuesday. They kids were really good the first couple of days and then they started to get tired of school, because they are used to all the free time. By Friday we were all ready for a break. Some highlights for the school week were a sewer line breaking, the bell system going on the fritz, and the heater going out. The sad, sad result of the heater going out is one of my classroom fish couldn't handle the cold over night and died. Very sad.

Teaching was great and things were very quiet around the apartment. I almost finished up both my graduate applications, which is a great relief. I also had the chance to practice my domestic skills by hemming a pair of pants. It's not often that I have the chance to do that.

Next week should be busy because I will be starting the big reading test and gearing up for parent teacher conference which is coming up at the end of the month. Oh, and I must share this...I learned what a Tim Tam is and I also discovered that this particular cookie is a seasonal cookie that is only made and sold in November and December...and now you know.

Hope all is well.

...And a Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:05:00.000-08:00

My week was split between Enoch and Provo. Some of the of the highlights of the week were posting pigs with dad, having BBQ not once, but twice, and bringing in the New Year. I have to say that going on farm visits is always interesting, I'll let you ponder on that one. I do enjoy spending time at the farms and just listening to everyone talk. I did make it back to Provo in one piece. This time last year the truck had some issues and I ended up driving back with a car instead of a truck.

Provo was really very quiet. I had the apartment to myself until Friday evening when two roommates got back. I like having things to myself, but I always like it when there are others around too. I spent my time working on graduate applications. It is a little stressful, but I have good parents to help me through. I finished my endorsement for BYU, so I am pretty much finished with that and I have just one other school I need to finish things up for and then I will be all done.

To bring in the New Year, the roommates and I had some good food, watched a movie, and said Happy New Year to each other when the clock struck midnight. We then went to bed, because it was late...you know your old when...

I have Monday off, because it is a holiday and then work will start back up on Tuesday. It should be interesting coming back in a structured environment with the kids. We also are starting our big reading testing and that is always stressful on the teachers, so wish me luck!

Have a great beginning to the year 2012!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! It was a quiet week. I didn't have to teach, so I read some, watched some movies, cleaned (of course), and went home. When I got home I helped mom make Christmas goodies. We tried to go to the cannery, but because of new government regulation, you can't just volunteer. The whole family went to the temple, which was a really nice experience.

The biggest news for me was that I bought a new phone. Why is this big new you ask? Well, Whitney has found that she can't make big decisions on her own. So, with the support of Erin, I ventured out and purchased a new phone. It's a smartphone...and it is currently smarter than I am. Hopefully, I will be able to figure it out.

Christmas has been spent with family. We will get to talk to Brian. I can't believe that he has already been out for almost a year. It's quite exciting!

Well, I hope that everyone has/had a very Merry Christmas!

My apologies!

2011-12-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

I did have my update written, but I did not push publish. It has just been waiting. Thanks mom!

Sigh

2011-12-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

It ended up being a really long week. All the teachers where feeling it. I am not sure how it happens, but the more energy the kids have the less a teacher has. Learning happened, just not at the normal pace.

The week began with the power going out. It made me think of just how much we rely on power. My whole classroom runs on power from the projector that I use all the time to the lights the kids need to use to see. Surprisingly, they handled it well. The lights went out about five minutes before school started and where off for about an hour and half.

As the week progress the kids got more excited and our schedule was a little more off each day. We fit in carolers from the high school, two Christmas programs, and a class party for each class. The school wide Christmas program was really interesting. First of all it was an hour and half...way too long for kindergarteners and their teacher! :) Right in the middle of the program...yep you guessed it...the power went out again. Imagine, 500 students packed into the gym and the power going out. No teacher, not even combined forces could yell over the noise. Thank goodness the power was back on in 15 minutes this time. I am pretty sure it was a principles worst nightmare. After this I was talking with the principle and she said that she was surprised that when she went around to check on the classes how calm it was. My suggestion...maybe we should have lights out hour. One the kids would be calmer and two we would save on the electric bill. I thought it was a great idea.

The class parties were so cute. I am not sure I could be a room mom in charge of coming up with ideas, but I know that I will be able to help out. I have some super creative and fun mom!

I ended the week with a trip to the airport to drop off a

One week to go!

2011-12-11T14:14:00.001-08:00

It was quite the week, because of this I think I will post in bullet format.

Monday: I taught all day and when I checked my phone I had a text from a member of the Bishopric to call him as soon as possible. Yep...you guessed it. I was asked to speak on Sunday on the Christmas Spirit. It was totally unexpected, because in the past they have left Sunday School Teachers alone because they teach every couple of weeks. Not the new bishopric. I attended the Baroque Ensemble at the Orem Public Library. It was a lot of fun. It was there that I found my focus for my talk...so thanks!

Tuesday: I worked all day again and then went to institute and made some great progress on my talk.

Wednesday: I decided to curl my hair a little bit, it's different from what I normally do (don't worry this has to do with a funny quote). I get to school and my morning class was sitting on the carpet and one of the boys calls out and says, "Miss Kluber, your hair's all crazy!" I had to laugh at that one. By this time in the week I was starting to get really frustrated with the kids. Christmas does funny things to them, like makes them bounce off the walls, talk nonstop, and generally forget everything behavior wise that I have taught them. I am also going to make note of the fact that I was able to get a lot of done ahead, because I had to leave early on Friday. It was a blessing also because I had a talk to prepare. I was able to spend some time with an old roommate and we watched the movie The Help. I loved the book and the movie stayed pretty true to the overall feel and story line. The downside is that I didn't get to bed until after 12:00, which is much later than I usually go to bed.

Thursday: This day started off sad. I received a text at about 6:30 in the morning telling me that a friend passed away. It was sad, but happy. He had been fighting cancer since I was a senor in college. Later in the evening I attended the funeral service for him. It was really sad because his family didn't understand the plan of salvation and that they would have the chance to see him again, and that he was happy and in a better place. It made me grateful for the knowledge that I have and that I will be able to be with my family forever. A student also had a really funny moment. I was super tired and I started talking in an accent to my kids in the afternoon. They started giggling and then I called the name of a student (who has great facial expressions) and asked him a question and looked at me tilted his head, pursed his lips and raised his eyebrow at me like I was crazy. I couldn't keep it in, so I started to laugh out loud. It was just so funny.

Friday: The day passed quickly and I made it out on time to watch the nieces. We had great fun making mac and cheese. I got them to try a couple of new things. They really liked, well two of them, ants on a log, minus the ants. I also made them some Italian bread and they really like it. We finished up with some desert, but not before we cleaned everything up. They were great helps. I washed and they rinsed and dried the dishes. We then got ready for bed, played a game, and watch Beauty and the Beast. I really like watching movies with little kids, because they get into it. There were some parts that were a little scary and the middle one turned to me with a horrified look on her face and said that she was scared. She came and sat on my lap and I tried to cover her eyes so she couldn't see, but every time I did she would move my hands and watch it...even thought she was scared. Go figure. Perhaps my favorite part was at the very end when the Beast turned into a handsome prince and the youngest who doesn't really have a concept of personal space, had her arms around my neck and face right next to mine. I don't mind and I am glad she did, because the effect was great. So she is there, right, next to me and the Beast and Belle start kissing and she says in a soft whisper, "Dats her boyfiend." It was so funny. Shortly there after the girls went to bed and so did I, I ended up falling asleep until they go home.

Saturday: It was filled with the normal stuff, but a small group of us went up to SLC to do a session at the Temple and to look at the lights. It ended up being fun, especially since I was able to sleep all the way down and back.

Sunday: My talk went well, but I realized that I needed to make more eye contact. It is just so hard in that kind of setting. After church I came home and we have been working in the kitchen for the past several hours working on lunch for the Bishopric, food for dinner group, and food for school next week. I will end the evening with a ward fireside and call it a weekend.

I am posting some pictures of our Christmas Devotional and Tracks adventure as well as the ward formal.

Carolyn and Whitney getting the Tracks adventure started.

Carolyn, Katherin, Becky, Gwen, Me, Dan before the Christmas Devotional

The gang met some other people in our ward after the devotional.

Roommate picture time!

Waiting for Tracks and doing silly poses.

Me trying to stay warm.

Roommate picture before the formal.

My date and I.

Two weeks and counting!

2011-12-04T12:03:00.001-08:00

The kids started off the week doing well, but as usual they became increasingly more loud and like a normal 5 year olds as the week progressed. Things are progressing well educationally. I just finished testing for math and I realized something ironic. I really hate math...I have never liked learning math because I always found it so hard, but this year I am rocking up teaching math. My kids did so well with their testing, even my ones that struggle a little in math made progress that I wasn't expecting. Oh, the irony.

On Monday, our FHE group went and watched a hand bell choir, nothing like a few bells to get you in the Christmas spirit. While I was there, I saw one of my former students. It was fun to see him and his reaction seeing me out of a school setting. Nothing else really happened until Friday. I left work at a quarter to five, which has never happened on a Friday. I was super excited about that. When I got home, my roommates were leaving for Divine Comedy. There were a little shocked to see me, because I am never home. So, I had some time to myself and then I went some friends' soccer game. Saturday was busy, because I finished my Christmas shopping. It only took me a few hours, but it is done. That evening we had a ward formal dance that was fun. I don't have any pictures yet, but there a some somewhere. I will find them and try to post them. The exciting news for today is I'm going the the Christmas Devotional in Salt Lake. It will be a lot of fun, because we get to see the prophet and the lights and ride Tracks! I have never been on anything like Tracks, so I a happy!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T14:08:00.001-08:00

It was quite the week. It is always kind of a waste to be at school on such short weeks. Monday was a shortened day as it always it and Tuesday was the day we celebrated Thanksgiving in my class...basically it is a party day. On Wednesday, I went to the dentist and received high praise for the cleanliness of my teeth. That's always exciting. Later in the day Cameron (cousin) and I left for Enoch. We spent the next couple of days helping a little here, reading a little there, and basically enjoying some time away for the normal routine. Because of the GRE, I told myself that I wouldn't read anything except for GRE or church related material. Now that is over with...the books have come out. I made the mistake of purchasing several books that were on my "GET NOW AND READ" list just before I signed up for the GRE. Out of the goodness of Carolyn's heart, she hid them for me until after the completion of the test. I finished all of them in a week. I do love reading books.

Some of the highlights of the break were zero problems with the truck, eating turkey covered in bacon and lots of other good food, shooting a handgun, finishing several books, and giving a successful Sunday School lesson. I never thought I would actually start to enjoy teaching, but I am. I still get a pit in my stomach every time I have to teach, but I guess it keeps you humble.

We have three short weeks until Christmas break and so much to do in between. This weekend should be fun, because we have another ward formal and my roommate procured great tickets to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional...so keep an eye out for me because I will be up close and personal!

It is finished!

2011-11-20T11:24:00.001-08:00

It was a crazy week! I had a mini panic attack on Monday, when I realized all that I had to do this week. The biggest thing that happened was the completion of the GRE. I am so glad it is finished. In the words of Carolyn, "You were happier last night then I have seen you in a long time."

On top of this, I also needed to finished assessing my kids for report cards, because they were due on Saturday. Luckily, they were finished and in the computer before I came home on Thursday. I also needed to start a one on one math assessment that we turn into the district. So, there was lots happening. All things come to an end, and I am ready to go home and enjoy time with family and be thankful for them and not having a nasty exam hanging over my head.

This was my life. Nothing else to report, except that it snowed and it actually stayed for a while.

One week and counting!

2011-11-13T12:40:00.001-08:00

I have one week until I take the GRE. I will be so glad when it is all over with. I don't like all the studying and the waiting. It's not good for my nerves. My week was mostly spent studying and doing the normal school stuff. We are getting close to the first wave of testing for school, so I am gearing up for that. Teachers have to give a one on one math and literacy assessment to all the kids. It is time consuming and stressful, because you have a window to get it all done. On the bright side, Thanksgiving break is coming up and Christmas.

We recently change bishops. It has been interesting to see the change and how he is different from the last bishop. He spoke to us today and he reminded me a lot of President Eyring. He really has a way with words. I am also glad to see that it doesn't matter who is leading us as our Bishop...the church is true and members back him just as they did with the old bishop.

This weekend a friend taught me to swing dance. It was a lot of fun, but I discovered that I am not very good at following. If you have ever seen the Princess Diaries I am a lot like Mia when her grandma asks her if she can dance and she starts doing her own thing...that's me!

Pretty mundane week. Next weekend will be the GRE and then life should be a little more exciting...maybe.

Best idea ever!

2011-11-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a success! I figured my princess costume would either be a really good idea or a really bad idea. Thank goodness it was the first. The kids loved it. The girls in particular really liked the dress. It was fun to see the kids that I had last year and the older kids that I was able to get to know and their reaction. All around it was the best! I don't have any pictures, because all of them are with the kids and I don't post pictures of my kids (for safety). In thinking about next year, I am not sure how I am going to top it. So, if you have any ideas that would be awesome.

Surprisingly, the kids were very calm the next day. I thought for sure they would be bouncing off the walls. We did have some chatter about all the awesome candy, but overall they were great. Really, this week they were some much better than last week. I hate having to get on the kids about the rules, but I guess it's like being a parent...you set the boundaries and then spend the rest of your life trying to keep them within the bounds. I am pretty sure I have said this before, but the kids are so smart. I have done a lot of assessing this week, because of report cards and their progress in 45 days is AMAZING! They are flying! It is probably the best part of my job, to see the light go on and they finally get it. I probably have at least 10 mini parties in my brain to celebrate their awesomeness.

I continue to study for the GRE. My current status is still, "Getting my trash kicked," but I have come to the conclusion the I will get what I get and if it isn't good enough, then it was a growing experience...a rather painful one. I have two weeks left of studying and then I will take the exam.

I had another "man I never thought I would enjoy this" experience this week. I remember as a child having to rake the yard every fall and being sent out again, and again, and again to rake, because we didn't do a good enough job. I was raking Holly's yard I was actually having fun. It was especially great when I got to shake my fist at Mother Nature as I put the last of the leaves away as the wind kicked up and it started to rain. Unfortunately, Mother Nature got the last laugh, because as the wind kicked up I watched more leaves fall from the trees and I thought to myself...bummer.

Saturday, was a good day. I slept in, went shopping, made a special birthday dinner for a roommate, studied for the GRE, and got to clean up the kitchen with my music way too loud, and there was no one to complain. It was a great day.

There isn't much happening this coming week. I will have a couple more groups of first year kindergarten teachers coming in to watch me teach, but that is all. Hope you have a safe and happy week.

Another first!

2011-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today I attended Mass. A roommate is taking and world religions class at BYU and part of her requirement is attending a service of another faith. I have never been to any other service besides that of my own. It was interesting to see how other people worship and to see them in action. It is very different from what I am used to and I have to say that I have grown to appreciate my faith and those that investigate the church.

This weekend is also Stake Conference, hence the ability to attend morning Mass. We meet in a building on campus, but was delayed a half an hour due to technical difficulties. We had no microphone system. The Stake President finally decided to get the meeting started, so he came off the podium and started shouting his talk (we were in the gym). I was grateful to have gotten their early, so we were up close and had no problems. I loved a comment my roommate made about attending the Saturday session. "I love the fact that it isn't a question of are we going; we just go." I do have amazing roommates and I am grateful for their example.

School was a little hard this week. I had to put on my mean boots more than I like. We just got back from Fall break and any time we come back from a break the kids tend to forget what we have learned behavior wise. It isn't how I like to be, but I have learned in the past, that sometimes you have to come down a little more forcefully, so they understand that they must follow the rules. Once they know how to play in the bounds that I have set then I can be more like myself. I am hoping that this coming week will be better and that things will be back to normal. On the up side, I was so pleased this week with how the kids are doing. We are really starting to pick up our learning pace. We have started teaching site words and writing sentences and it is so amazing to see how their little brains are sponges and just pick things up so fast. I wish I was like that...I'm not sure I have ever been like that even when I was a kid.

This week in particular, I wished that I could step out of time and be a silent observer. I have been able to do a little interacting with my kids from last year. It is fun to talk with them after school or to wave at them in the hall and to see what they have learned in school that day. I just can't believe how big them have gotten. They were so small when they came to me, but now they are bigger and more confident and SMART!

Monday is Halloween. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I have been so excited for this, because I am going to dress up. Last year I dressed up as a Greek and this year it is a princess. I have the works and I am excited to see the reaction of the kids. I haven't told them what I am going to be. I am curious to see what they will say. It will either be lots of fun or a really bad idea, because my dress is a full skirt and yes...it is a twirlsy dress.

I think that is about all from me. I will try to post pictures of the costume! Have a Happy Halloween!

I was lost, but now I am found!

2011-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

It was a great week. We had a short week at school due to Fall break. Monday and Tuesday were teaching days and Wednesday was a field trip to a place called Hee Haw Farms. It has a corn maze, tractor rides, and other fun activities for the kids. They always love going and it is a lot of fun for me. Not to mention the fact that I got the rest of the afternoon to myself to work on things. All of my kids come in the morning, so I had 45 little ones together. It makes for some loud times. They listened and followed instructions well, so it wasn't that stressful. Because of the extra time, I was able to leave earlier than expected. To make things even better, I only brought home a little bit of school work. I may stay late at work still, but I am getting so good at not bringing home work with me.

Thursday, Carolyn and I went up to the Salt Lake Temple and did a live endowment session. It was a lot of fun and it puts a different perspective on things. Friday was a good day filled with getting ready for the "surprise" birthday party for mom. Saturday, started off at the temple again. When we go home it was time for the family to come in. We went to lunch first and then waited a bit for the cousins to come in and then we had cake. Erin and I spent some sister time together. I made her watch Mega Mind. All I have to say is..."Fist pump!"

Sunday, I woke up early to take Erin to the airport. We made great time in getting there, with no problems. There aren't a lot of people on the roads at 6:30 in the morning. Coming back was an adventure, hence the title of today's post.

I always have trouble getting to and from the airport. I don't know how many times I have driven it, but I always have trouble. So, I was really watching out, because I know it is a problem. I discovered/rediscovered that my stress, tension, and confusion levels are directly proportional to the number of orange cones, blinking arrows, and detour signs on the road...and there where lots. Let's just say that Whitney took a wrong turn. About the time that I hit Magna, I figured I needed to ask for directions and so I stopped at a gas station and the lady said that I was on the right track and that I needed to get back on the road that I was on. I failed to hear the part about turning right instead of left, but I didn't figure it out until I saw a sign for I-80 West and I figured that I was still going the wrong way. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the early morning lights reflecting off a large body of water and I thought to myself, "Hmmm...water. What the...that's the Great Salt Lake. I need to call someone. I am so lost." I called mom who, once again confirmed that I was lost and going in the wrong direction. She sent me to someone else and finally I got turned around and headed in the right direction. I got back to where I needed to be and made it home safely. I ended up taking almost an hour loop detour. I guess next time I will know better.

In other news, our ward has a new Bishop who seems really nice. And I am posting some pictures from the Alpine Loop adventure last Sunday.

Fall in Provo!

2011-10-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

We were blessed to have great weather this week. The kids had lots of energy they needed to get rid of so, it was nice to send them outside where they couldn't destroy anything (not that anything has been destroyed). We are getting into the fun part of the school year where we see lots of progress. I always enjoy seeing how they learn and make jumps in their knowledge. Oh, to have their little brains!

The GRE is slow and steady (maybe not so steady). I finished up the math section, which was a little depressing. I frequently had feelings that I was back in school. Those are days I do not miss. I am told that the more practice tests I take the better I will be, so that is my plan from now until I take the exam.

I was able to help out at the Rocky Mountain BYU Marching Band Invitational. Both of my roommates are in the marching band at BYU and one of them was in charge of it. I was what they called a judge runner. They flew in judges to judge the schools that choose to come and play. They would put their scores down and then I would run them up to the booth to be calculated. It was fun to listen to their comments, but I also had great seats and was able to watch some really good bands. I learned that all bands are definitely not created equally!

I also went up into the canyon hiking to enjoy some of the Fall colors and it was amazing. Everything is so pretty in the Fall. I was able to collect lots of leaves for my class project on Monday. It should be lots of fun. I wish that I could take the kids up into the mountains and show them first hand.

Next week will be a good week. We have a short week in school and one of those days is a field trip. I am excited for some time off and I think this year I am actually going to get some time off instead of working. The parents are going to come up for a short visit so that will be fun as well. That's all from me...until next time.

Who knew a five year old cared so much!

2011-10-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is what I heard from a table, while they were working on an activity. "Hey you guys, Twilight and New Moon are pretty good shows." A couple of minutes later. "I also love to watch the Broncos, they are my favorite team." They proceeded to name several more of their favorite teams. I just started to laugh, because I never would have thought I would have heard that stuff coming from a five year old.

It was an incredibly busy week. I had three days where I was up at five in the morning. Part of the reason for it is, SEP conferences. Also know as parent teacher conferences. It is always crazy for me, because I have so many kids to get through. I was back to back for three and a half hours straight, two days in a row. I was very happy that my voice did not give out on me. I think that they went well. I didn't have any mad parents, they all seemed very chill and nice. I again wished that I could speak Spanish, because I had so many parents that I needed to talk to and I wished that I could convey my words in their language. Thank goodness for interpreters.

Surprisingly, I left work at about 5:30 on Friday, which is amazing because I lost so much of my normal prep time due to conferences. I went ice skating with a friend and it was a lot of fun. I really wished that I had Brian there to teach me how to stop; it wasn't working out so well for me. I am happy to say that I didn't fall and I was able to watch some a hockey game, which I had never seen before. BYU was playing at the rink and we watched them go at it, literally. It's no wonder they have to wear so much padding, because all they did was smash each other into the side and trip each other. We were right by the goalie and several times we saw up close and personal faces being smashed into the wall, it was funny to watch their faces.

Saturday, I was able to watch the nieces. It was fun to play with them for a while, but I felt much like I do when I send the kids home at school, "Wow, I'm tired." Oh, to have the energy of a young person again. I was also able to make it to the math section in my GRE study manual. My goal is to get through that section this week and then start taking practice tests so that I know where I need to go back and study. I am thinking I will have more luck studying this week, because I am planning for a three day week at school in two weeks and one of those days is a field trip. Super. Excited.

That's all from me. Until next Sunday.

General Conference Weekend!

2011-10-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

I made specific goals this week not to have school work over the weekend, so that I could enjoy conference. I think I deserve a big check for this goal, because I have managed to do very little school work. It was touch and go a bit, because I am also preparing for SEP (a.k.a parent teacher conference) this coming week. We do ours after school for two days. I have the unfortunate task of getting through 45 sets of parents. I love talking with them and getting to know them better, but it sure makes for some long days. I am hoping that I have prepared enough that I won't have to stay too late on conference days.

The kids are doing well. I have been assessing to see how far they have come with their letters and sounds and so many of them have passed all of them off, when they started with so little. It is always amazing to me to see their little minds pick things up so fast. I am excited to see where I will be able to get them this year.

General Conference is officially over and I am kind of sad. It was so good to hear all the wonderful messages that have brought a lot of comfort and hope. I never would have thought that I would enjoy conference so much, but I think the older I get the more their words mean to me and the messages they have help answer questions that I have.

My funny story of the week, that confirmed to me once again why I should not pull pranks. I should only nudge people to do them. Some friends in the ward wanted to prank another apartment. They needed some help to do this, because they wanted to web their front room with yarn and they only had two hours to do it during the Priesthood session of conference. We thought we were doing awesome because they left their front door unlocked, so it was so easy to get in. About an hour into it someone walked into the apartment. They had come home early from the meeting and we were caught in the act. It was rather humorous, because we all stopped and looked at each other. He finally asked, "What are you doing?" Response, "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Just go to the back and take a nap." Fun times!

Boys, boys, boys!

2011-09-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

This week I realized just how many boys I have in my morning class. Of the 22 kids in my morning class, 14 of them are boys. I am not sure how it all worked out, but I am blessed with tons of boys in my morning class. They are kind of crazy sometimes and they need lots of reminding to sit quietly and to not use pretend guns at school. They are OBSESSED!

Despite this...things are progressing. I have given most of the kids our assessment for parent teacher conferences and they have done so well. Most of them have picked up their letters and sounds in the five weeks we have been together. So awesome! I am already counting down the days to our first break; maybe this year I will actually get a break, instead of working on all my extra projects.

Big things this week for me consisted of hiking Squaw Peak. It is the second time this year that I have hiked it. The first time I hiked this year I ended up ripping something in both my legs. I am happy to report that I feel great and I am not too sore. I even got to run down...so...much...fun!

Thanks to my sister-in-law, I was able to attend the General Relief Society meeting at the Conference Center. It was a little crazy getting in, because of all the constructions, but we weren't the only ones that had trouble. Most of the women showed up about a quarter till six. They were still seating people ten minutes after the meeting began. I felt that it was a wonderful meeting and I came away with several things that I need to work on.

That's all from me...hope you are enjoying the first days of fall.

You know when the honeymoon is over when...

2011-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

This week officially ended the honeymooning period of my school year. They are all completely comfortable with one another and are super chatty. Everything we have talked about so far this year is almost out the window. On most days this week we I felt like a broken record repeating myself a million times reminding the kids how it sounds when we do different activities and to not touch their neighbor. On the plus side, I remember being a lot more frustrated last year with the kids, but this year I know what to expect and that in about 20 more days they will chill out and things will improve.

Despite all of this, I have been please with how well they are picking up the routines and really general progress. It is always fun to see the light come on and to see them make other connections. I have made some personal goals this year, especially with my literacy teaching, that will help me help them better. The first grade is picking up some things that I lacked last year, so I am going to try to fix it.

I officially started to study for the GRE. There are some sections that I a worried about, because I haven't even thought about certain subjects in years. It's a good thing I live in a college town surrounded by individuals that are majoring in some of the areas, so I can ask lots of questions. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to do my best, and if my best isn't good enough to get into BYU then there are other options.

This week was really a week for reunions. I met up with three different friends, two of which recently returned from serving a mission. It is so nice to catch up with people and to remember why you liked them in the first place.

I fear my life is much less interesting with school starting up. I am planning on hiking Squaw Peak again before the weather turns really bad. Hopefully, that will happen next week.

Spiderman....spiderman...

2011-09-11T11:27:00.001-07:00

This weeks title is brought to you by one of my students. They are all still very calm, but the honeymoon period is coming to an end. I can't wait until their real personalities start emerging!

Case and point. A student was waiting for their mom to come and pick them up. We have been working on waiting until the car is stopped before running out to meet them and this is why. I luckily was standing next to them to remind them to wait and as soon as the car stopped they ran out and literally jumped onto the hood of the car and did a Spiderman pose. I thought to myself, "Wow, if only I had sweet moves like that...wait...it's a good thing I was standing here or that could have ended very differently." I don't have anyone that is really silly/funny, or at least their true selves have yet to show.

I have been very pleased with the progress that has been made in the class in the seven days that we have been together. I think we will be able to go places with these kids, which is exciting for me as a teacher. I have agreed to do what is called Double Dose for the afternoon kids. It is thirty minutes of math and reading help for those that need it. It is an exciting opportunity, but I am a little worried that I will get sucked in and spend more time than I need to preparing. I am sure everything will work out great.

In other education news, I decided to take the GRE. And by that I mean I have paid the incredible amount of money to take a four hour test and begin a masters program. I didn't think I would be going back to school this soon, but here we are.

My sad story of the week is as follows. We had a ward activity scheduled for this Friday at the Bishop's house. It rained and they decided to cancel. Only I work in Pleasant Grove and was planning on going there right after work. So, I waited and left at the right time and braved Friday, construction, rush hour traffic to get to Lehi only to find out that it was canceled and moved to the ward building in Provo. So, I ended up being an hour late and sad that no one told me it was canceled.

My happy story of the week was being able to go to a birthday party where a bunch of little girls were dressed up as Princesses and then a real Princess showed up and the girls were so cute and loved her.

Well...onto next week.

Week one...check!

2011-09-04T10:46:00.001-07:00

I have officially made it through the first week of school. I always forget how much I dislike the first week of school. Not because of the children, but there is so much work to be done and deadlines. The most stressful moment of my week happened at 8:55 Friday morning. We realized that test scores were due to the district that day. I have two classes to do and I wouldn't be able to get to it until after school, can you say pressure. Most of you know that I do not wait until the last minute to do things for this very reason. I do not like feeling pressure. So, Friday was a late, late day at school. Bummer!

Besides that the kids are really good. I have already had two move in to my morning class. So I have 23 in my morning and 22 in my afternoon. I have some real characters. I have some stories to share. Story one is about a little hispanic boy. He doesn't speak any English and has the most amazing long, thick black hair that he loves. He has lots of energy and so I try to keep an eye on him because some kids can't handle his kind of energy. I watched him run at recess and noticed while he runs that he purposely shakes his head so that his hair swirls and swishes in his face. So funny!

I have some bashful students in my class as well that are SO CUTE! I like to use a sock puppet named Sego at the beginning of the year to help introduce how we handle and treat the books. Sego came to visit and she is loud and southern. I would put her in front of them to talk to them and they would hide behind their hands and be so shy. It was so adorable.

I have some great parents this year. I think I have just been blessed with good parents every year that are content to help their child progress and to help me. I have yet to have a parent that scares me, which is a good thing, because so parents are terrifying.

My week revolved around school and I haven't done much else except try to catch up and get ahead. I am going to try to finish things for my class early on Monday so I can have a little bit of break. Other than that the school year has begun, as well as, my school routine.

Exciting News!

2011-08-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

The biggest thing that happened this week was getting to hire a third kindergarten teacher. It is so exciting to not have to teach almost 30 kids in each class. Instead, we are down to 22. That is a number I can live with. All week, myself and the other kinder teacher were testing the kids. We have been pleasantly surprised at how far ahead the students are. They have a great foundation, which helps us as teachers! There are also some funny personalities that I think I will have some fun with.

We hired the new teacher on Friday afternoon, so she has the weekend to set up her class. I count myself lucky to have had the start that I did, because I had almost the whole summer to get prepared. Since it is my second year teaching I have been able to pull a lot of things for her that will help her out as she is getting started. I think it will be a stressful start, but in the end she will do just fine.

School hasn't started for kinder yet. That will be on Tuesday. This week was all testing and getting things ready. I think I am almost ready to go. Most of the time I feel like I am forgetting something, which is probably a good thing. Things are so much easier.

As far as fun things...I went laser tagging for the first time. I realized that I am not a good shooter and I am not aggressive enough for it. In short...I'm not cut out for war! I also went up into the canyon and had a bonfire with some friends. It was a beautiful evening and it was storming a little bit and lighting up the sky. BEAUTIFUL! It makes me long for home and seeing the night sky without the city lights blocking everything.

I taught today in Sunday school. Funny story. I was heading out to my classroom when the Sunday School President came up to me and asked if I would teach both classes. With the semester starting there is only one class, until things get organized. So, I taught well over 100 people. The lesson went okay, but it is so hard to teach so many people. I don't know how professors do it. After class, I turned to the President and said, "Let's not do that again." He responded by agreeing.

Next week will be a whirlwind of a week with school starting. I am sure I will have some first day of school stories to share!

Here we go!

2011-08-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

As promised from last weeks post, I will confirm or deny the following activities.

1. Meetings for school. (Confirmed)

2. Mona Rope Swing. (Confirmed)

3. Reception. (Confirmed)

My meetings weren't as bad as I thought they would be. The one that I was a little disgruntled about was on Friday, when I had to be to work at 7:30 am in Pleasant Grove (not a problem because that when I usually get to work) so I could be at Utah Valley University for our District celebration at 8:00 am. I had to drive 20 minutes north, just so I could drive 15 minutes south. I just do what I am told.

The rope swing was a lot of fun. It is a small lake/pond that is open to the public. They keep a rope swing there and it is a fun little spot to go to. I jumped a couple of times off, but opted to stop and just swim a little bit. It was kind of scary, although the jump is not that high.

The wedding reception was very nice. I was extremely happy to see this couple FINALLY get married. It was rocky for a while and I wasn't sure if it was going to work out, but I am convinced now there are happy endings.

I spent the majority of my week in my classroom getting things ready and I have to say that I am getting a little excited for it. Monday will mark the first day of testing for the incoming kindergartners. We will test all week and then place them in their classes on Friday in time for them to come to school on Tuesday. It will be a whirlwind of a week.

In other news...I am happy to say that I knocked off one more thing on my buck list. I went skydiving! So. Much. Fun! It was the most exilerating, yet peaceful thing. You are falling at about 140 to 160 miles an hour and then you pull the shoot and are just hanging out with the angels. Now for the nerves of mom and dad, I was hooked to another person that was very experienced. For those of you who don't believe...here is some proof!

So, here's the scoop on skydiving. You have to be hooked to someone until you are certified. The guy that I was hooked to was named Fish and he was from Australia. He ended up being really funny. We got into a little plane that didn't have a real door it just rolled up and down. Our flight was about 15 minutes and in that time they start hooking you to them and giving you instructions on how you are to get out the plane and fall. Our time came and went and sat on the edge and then we just scooted out the plane and did a flip and started to fall. I have to say that I was less nervous to jump out of a plane at 12,000 feet than I was to jump off a 12 foot platform at the rope swing. Kinda crazy!

The fall happened fast. Obviously, because we were moving over 150 miles and hour. Your ears hurt really bad. Then they pull the shoot and you get some time to just glide. The guy I was with did some quick turns and so we were spiraling really fast. But, it was so cool! Then we got close to the ground and slid in for a landing. I think everybody should do and you can't say that you can't, because I talked to a 70 year old woman that did it for her birthday.

And that was my week!

Carolyn's graduation and other things...

2011-08-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

I figure I would give an update on my life at a day by day, so here we go.

Monday: I made snack for FHE. I decided to make cookies and put ice cream in the middle, reminiscent of my childhood. It was a hit. I don't think too many people had seen regular homemade cookies with ice cream in the middle. I have seen other apartments doing it...so thanks mom.

Tuesday: I dedicated my day to reading...literally. I woke up and went running and got ready for the day an then I read a new book that I bought at Borders from an author that I was introduced to by Holly. It's called the Warrior Heir. Wonderful book!

Wednesday: I decided to use a gift card to Kohl's and get some things from school. My achievement...I made made three dollars! Yep, that's right dad, I came away with three extra dollars.

Thursday: I made a quick trip to Filmore to meet mom to have lunch and make the switch with the truck. So far so good with the truck. I also went to Carolyn's graduation dinner with her family. It was nice to catch up with people and eat some good food.

Friday: This was the day she actually walked. I think the time to graduate is in August. Her ceremony was an hour on the dot. Just the way I like it...short, sweet, and hard to beat. That evening I went to a Relief Society activity, which was fun.

Saturday: We had a cartoon breakfast and then I went to take care of the yard and do laundry. A quick word about the yard. Let's just say Whitney 'owned' the hedge on the fence. A couple of times a summer it gets so overgrown (it all comes over from the neighbors yard) that it needs to be hacked back in order to mow. That evening I went to a wedding reception (number 2 of 3 if you are keeping count, just one more this month). Right after I went to a ward temple trip. So, it was a busy day.

Sunday: I sat in church with all of my roommates. That hasn't happened for almost two months, because everyone has either been gone for work or visiting family. I also taught the Sunday School lesson. I think it went well. I had some really good comments and people actually participated, which is nice.

Future plans include, starting meetings next week for school, maybe going to the Mona rope swing, and going to yet another reception.

Next week I will confirm or deny above said activities.

The final count down!

2011-08-07T12:18:00.001-07:00

With my last class finished and most of my lamination cut out I know that we are getting down to the wire. I cut out another 56 feet or so of lamination between classes and went into the classroom and got things looking like it's time to go back to school. Honestly, I am ready for school to start, because I have started waking up at six again which is the time that I normally wake up during the school year. I have also had several back to school dreams, which has happened every year. They aren't the good kind...sad.

Thursday I spent most of the day in the Salt Lake area for a wedding. I was asked to do little people duty at the Temple. It was so crazy finding a place to park. Thank goodness I had my temple recommend, because I ended up going through underground of the temple. It is crazy. There is a reason why they have all those little old ladies on every corner...someone may get lost. I went to the wedding dinner, which was very classy. Friday, Carolyn and I went to Borders which is going out of business (great for teachers) and then to Michael's to get more yarn because the both of us are making blankets. Saturday was a bridal shower for a friend that will be getting married soon.

Next week is my last full week of freedom. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I will make it count!

Start your engines!

2011-07-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

August is upon me and there is so much to do before school starts. I have worked throughout the summer in my classroom, so I am not too worried about that, but there are several projects that have been postponed because the District Media center was closed for most of the Summer. Note to self for next year. I am going to try to get all of that done soon. Before school starts I have three weddings, a bridal shower, and a graduation to go to. So, my weekends are full. Not to mention end of the Summer activities. Everyone is trying to get their fun in before school starts.

My last class will be next week. So, during the Summer I earned six college credits. I am please with it. Hopefully they continue to offer good classes.

Fun this week included two BBQ's, Captain America (movie), celebrating a friend's birthday, trying to start a water balloon fight (unsuccessful, but still fun), and teaching Sunday School (ranked slightly lower on the fun scale).

That's about all. I should have some things to report next week!

A new record!

2011-07-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

I believe I have a new record this week. I went into school to work on some things and part of what I needed to do was laminate material for next year. The grand total...156 feet. Yep that's right 1...5...6. I am not done yet. I ran out of lamination on the machine so I had to stop. I am going to try to have it done soon, because August is around the corner and all the other teachers will be coming back to work on things.

I planned quite a few fun things this week, because I realized that my freedom is coming to an end. On Thursday, a sister came over and we made shaved ice for the ward. Friday, I went to a bridal shower. Saturday, we had a ward activity that was a blast. We had massive slip and slide. They took pictures, but I haven't been able to get them yet. They should be good. Then in the evening we went DISCO SKATING! So much fun. We ended the night with Slurpees. The perfect end to a great day.

That is pretty much my week. The first of my last two classes begin tomorrow. It will be nice to have everything taken care of and ready to start the year.

Enjoy Pioneer day!

Toothpicks are dangerous!

2011-07-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

I failed to mention an "experience" that recently happened to me. It was at the end of the ward dance and I had kicked off my shoes because they were rubbing on my heals. I didn't feel it would be bad because were inside in a building on campus.

We were gathering to leave and I felt something like a rock and I moved my foot because it hurt. I put my foot down again and it hurt just the same. So, I lifted up my foot to see what was going on and low and behold there was a toothpick sticking out of my foot. I had no idea they were sharp enough to go through skin, but they are. And so...toothpicks are dangerous...watch out!

A rose by any other name...

2011-07-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

The week started off with a bang! I went down to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. It took a day or two to get used to our schedule, but it was worth it. I was able to see all six plays, which means I saw two plays a day Monday through Wednesday. I saw The Music Man, Richard the III, The Glass Menagerie, Romeo and Juliet, Noises Off, and A Midsummer Nights Dream. May favorites where the last two, because of the costuming and how funny they were. So, if you are in the area you should swing by and see a play or six!

I spent the rest of the week catching up on all the things that I didn't do, because I was out of town. I finally finished up melting down all the broken crayons from last year. I went to Ikea with Erin and found a good mold. I am excited to see how it will with out with the kids. I also started working on another baby blanket. I now know how to do two different patterns. Nothing fancy, but it is still two patterns. Saturday we had a ward activity. It was supposed to be a 50's dance, but it ended up being more of a Stake dance type deal. It started off really slow and then it picked way up and was a lot of fun. I haven't been able to dance like that in a long time and it was great. So, great that it took me forever to calm down enough, so that I could fall asleep. I ended the week with teaching for Sunday School, which is always a learning experience.

I am posting below some pictures for my recent adventure to Goblin Valley with Carolyn.

New motto...Go BIG, or go home.

2011-07-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

This week was extremely busy. It started off in Idaho for the 4th. There ended up being about thirty people that went to watch the fireworks. The fireworks in Idaho Falls were pretty good. They were done to music, but the whole display was really long. And by really long I mean 45 minutes long. It was kinda intense! Our car left right after they finished and managed to beat most of the traffic out and we headed back to Provo. We got back at three in the morning, safe and sound.

Tuesday was my day with Erin. We went to the temple in the morning, to lunch, and then to Ikea. I have fallen in love with that store. I found the coolest mold (not the bacteria kind) for my crayons. I decided instead of wasting all the small pieces of crayons that the kids break to melt them and put them in a mold. I found one that will be perfect and three colors later I think it was a very good purchase. Now I just need to figure out how to make the clean up easier.

Wednesday was a reading day. I finished a book and a half. I will miss not being able to just plop down on the couch and read to my hearts content when school starts again...it's coming up fast. Thursday was my day to cook for dinner group and I got in a little over my head, but it turned out really good. I spent most of the day making this.

1. Salsa

2. Green Dressing

3. Seasoned chicken

4. Peanut Chocolate Parfait (Goodness in the form of a frozen dessert)

5. Green rice

6. Flour Tortillas

Lots of flavor, lots of cilantro...

Friday I tried to finish everything I normally do on Saturday because Carolyn and I had our Summer adventure in Southern Utah. We woke up at 5:30 and went to a fun place called Goblin Valley. It is a small valley filled with cool rock structures to climb all over. Basically, a little boy's dream come true. We got back in time for me to go on a date. We ended up doing more hiking, which made for a day full of hiking. The weather turned off rainy. You would think it would be miserable, but I decided that it is more adventurous and fun in the rain, and a lot cooler. The only downside to the hike was that we had to go downhill and I still have a torn muscle or something in my leg, so every time I stepped going downhill it hurt. Oh well, no pain, no gain.

Today (Sunday) I am heading back down South, but in a different direction to go to Cedar. I will be staying with the parents while I attend the Shakespeare festival. I will be going to six plays and a lots of classes to get a back ground on the stories, production and costuming. It will be a busy three days, but from what I hear, totally worth it.

And that was my, Go BIG, or go home week!

The 4th!

2011-07-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

It was a busy week with finishing up summer collaboration at school. Now all that I have left is to finish my summer list, which consists mostly of laminating everything and cutting it out. Thank goodness for willing hands to help.

It was quite the weekend. The roommates and I decided to pack it full of all the fun things that we could possibly do. Provo has what is call the Freedom Festival, which is really cool. We started the weekend with pizza and movie. We also went to Macey's and pretty much bought them out. Between the three of us we filled the trunk of the car and filled up half of the back seat. Why so much food...well, all three of us are cooking for dinner group this coming week and we had a BBQ on Saturday (I'll get to that soon).

Saturday was extremely busy. It started with the balloon launch at 6:30 in the morning. I have never been so close to hot air balloons, and it is really cool. There was a Cocoa Cola, pig, Smokey the Bear, and my personal favorite...Darth Vader. It also included Storm troops, a general, a Sith, and come pilots. It was the cool just to see them walking around. After that we came home and had muffins and juice and then took a nap. We left shortly after the naps for Center Street where all the action was happening. We stopped and looked at some stores on the way down to the fair. While at the fair we looked a bunch of cool booths and then to the Colonial tents. They always have an area where they show you Colonial things like a blacksmith and things you would find in a period home. We also stopped by two small museums. One had the Utah history and the other was a print museum, which had printing presses and apparently had the largest Gutenberg collection of material in the US. Kind of cool. After that we came home and got ready for a BBQ, that included homemade root beer and grilled pineapple. It was really fun; we ended it with swimming. We all ended up with some funny tans. Apparently we didn't put it on very well. We ended the day with the Stadium of Fire Fireworks show. It was really good. They out did themselves this year.

On Monday I am going to run (not literally) up to Idaho with some friends and watch the display up there and have some fun.

I guess I just want to end with a quick thought. While I was watching the fireworks, it got very loud. I couldn't help but think that some people around the world would shrink in fear because of the noise, because it wouldn't mean pretty, bright lights, but death and war. I am very grateful for the country that I live in and for those that have served and do serve in the military (thanks to both grandpas!). We owe the chance that we have to live without fear, because they are willing to put their lives on the line to protect us.

One more thing!

2011-06-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is my stupid moment of the week. I went to the temple and everything was fine and dandy. I went to put my key in the locker so I could change and went to turn it and it wouldn't turn. I tried and tried and it still wouldn't turn. I was starting to worry about it and I checked to make sure that it was the right locker, before I went to the lady to ask her what to do. So...she came over and checked the key to make sure I was in the right one and then she tried to turn the key in the lock. She couldn't get it either and she said she was going to go and ask what they do when this happens. By this time Carolyn comes out all changed and the lady comes back and Carolyn gives me the funniest look and says, "Weren't you over there?" Apparently, it's a good thing that I am still in Kindergarten, because I can't read. I was at the right locker, but the wrong isle...go figure.

So ends the month of June.

2011-06-26T11:47:00.001-07:00

I realized this week that June is almost over and I have wondered where the time has gone. I spent most of this week in school redoing things for next year. The other kindergarten teacher and I have feel very confident and happy with all of the changes that we have made. Hopefully this will take away a lot of the time that I would be using during the school year, which means that I can leave earlier...maybe.

Next week we will hopefully finish up everything we wish to accomplish and then be able to finish the little projects we each have. While at work this week, I hear a knock at my door and opened it to find one of my students at the door. It was nice to be able to talk to him. It is amazing how much kids change in a short amount of time. I think he has grown some since school let out three weeks ago.

Because of being back at work I really didn't do anything social until the weekend, and by the weekend I mean Saturday. I started the day with a ward temple trip, then went to a bridal shower, hit up Macey's for some groceries, went to a ward social, made chocolate peanut butter shakes, and ended the day with a date to a comedy show this was actually really funny. That pretty much sums up my week.

With the 4th coming up the roommates and I are planning to do a cookout with homemade root beer, super excited for that one! Oh...I almost forgot. My wedding count just went up for the month of August. Another really good friend just got engage to a lovely young lady (sorry mom and dad). So, that makes three weddings in August and a Graduation. Busy...busy!

Squaw Peak...again!

2011-06-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

This was my first official week off from school. I read lots, slept like a bear, and played! Monday and Tuesday were fairly routine. I was able to finish most of the Ranger's Apprentice series. I had forgotten how it is to have time to read. It is one thing I miss during the school year.

Wednesday I went to the movies with some friends. It was a last minute thing, but it ended up being fun. Thursday a few of us did the annual hike to Squaw Peak. We started in the evening and by the time we go to the top the sun was starting to set. It was also getting really cold. Last year we ran down the mountain, so we decided to do it again. It was just as fun this time as it was last time, except I hurt a lot more than I remember. It's Sunday and I am still walking funny. The water was also flowing really fast. In some part of the trail up the water was starting to flow over the banks. Friday I went to another movie and then spent the rest of the day getting ready for cleaning checks...it was a good day.

Saturday was the Columbus reunion. It was really cool to see everyone. It was funny to see all the little kids running around and to recognized their grown up faces, or even to figure out who they belong to, because they have been born in the past six years since I left Columbus. Wow...time flies! I also went to a wedding reception of a good friend. We used to live in the ward and it was just good fun to see her so happy.

Next week I will be back in the schools working on stuff for next year. I am kind of excited to have more a routine.

Until next week!

The first week of SUMMER!

2011-06-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

My first week of summer was spent in classes. Kind of funny...but teachers spent a lot of time in class learning. We are never done. I didn't have class on Friday, so I went running. I did six miles. Funny story that happened while running...

I was minding my own business running along the street, when I happened to run by some innocent birds sitting on a telephone line. Not so. Suddenly right behind my head I hear a chirping sound and then a fast, flying mass of black swoop by. I was very confused! Then not 20 seconds later I hear another chirping sound behind my head and it repeats five or six other times. On my way back there was a runner heading north and the birds were attacking him too. And then I was running past them and they attacked again! I think they were having a little too much fun, tormenting the runners.

Besides classes, I took the teacher exam, so hopefully I pass and I won't have to take any tests any time in the near future. I also started reading lots of books. I haven't been able to read like this in a very long time. It is so nice. Yeah. Nothing else to say there.

The end has arrived!

2011-06-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

The last day of school was on Friday. It was sad to see the kids go. I am not one for saying good-byes, so I didn't really say good-bye, but see you next year. The kids were so ready for the break, and really so am I.

We had a lot of the end of the year events happen. On Tuesday, we had dance festival practice and kindergarten field day. I had a lot of fun at field day and really wan't that stressful, because we only were outside for an hour and a half. Wednesday was the actual dance festival in front of the parents. I think the moms and dads really enjoyed it. Thursday was graduation. There really isn't anything quite like it. I have never experienced a graduation for kindergarteners. I was really surprised at how many people actually showed up to support. Far more than I was expecting. Friday was the last day of school. The kids were only there for a few hours and then they left.

Luckily, I have been able to do a little cleaning every day for the past several weeks. So, on the last day of school I was able to leave at 1:30. It was so nice!

The weekend was filled with running around to birthday parties, delivering gifts, and studying for the lovely Praxis, which I have to take next weekend.

Next week I will be starting some of my classes. I am excited to take these, because they are ones that I am interested in. I am not sure what else I will be doing, maybe soaking up some sun!

Any who...enjoy the summer!

The end is in sight!

2011-05-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

This last week was a little crazy. Everyone is ready to be done with school. I feel so bad for the kids because we have been working on graduation and dance festival practice and there hasn't been a lot of teaching. It is kind of hard too, to teach when you have to turn in materials for inventory. With what we have been doing, it is interesting to see the progress they are still making even with school being out in a week.

The official count is four days. It is kind of sad to see them go, and to know that I will have to do it all over again with a new batch of kids. But, it is so fun to watch how their little minds have grown and how they have become so much more curious about the world.

On Friday I made a quick trip home. I have decided that mom and dad are kind of like a fine wine, they get better with age, except in their case they get funnier. I always enjoy going home for a good laugh!

Monday is a holiday, so no teaching. I am going to run up to my class and get some cleaning done, so I won't have to do it after school is out. I think I am also going to go to the movies with some friends, and then FHE. It should be a nice productive day!

Love to all!

Rain, rain go away...

2011-05-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

It rained for most of the week and as a result the kids were a little crazy. The official count is 9 days left of school. Everyone is so ready for school to be out. I just hope that things are sunny next week, because I owe the kids an extra outside recess!

As promised I have posted a couple of extra pictures. The first one is of the baby chicks that were in the class. The dark one was my favorite!

This picture is from the birthday party at school. One of the moms, who is a very talented at cake decorating, made a Tangled rice crispy treat cake. The dress was completely made of fondant.

I was able to babysit the nieces on Saturday. The highlight for me was practicing our princess walks up and down the stairs. They were so cute as they practiced gracefully walking and little do they know they were being tricked into burning off energy! Let's just keep that our secret...

So that's about all. Enjoy sunny weather when you can!

Best Birthday Ever!

2011-05-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

I wish that I remembered to bring home my camera, because I took lots of pictures of my birthday. I have some wonderful room mothers who decided to come and celebrate my birthday with the kids. They were so excited to eat treats and have fun. So...I had not one, but two birthday parties...basically I rock (with the help of some great moms).

Some highlights of the party:

1. Balloons for all the kids

2. Sugar in a variety of forms

3. An amazing Rapunzel birthday cake (this is why I wish that I had my camera)

4. Smiling children

5. Fun games

6. Beautiful flowers/gifts

After the party Carolyn and I left for Logan. I had never been to Logan and it reminded me a lot of Provo, but it is smaller and surrounded by farms, which doesn't sound like Provo at all, so you'll just have to trust me. Driving through Sardine Canyon was a little scary, not like driving through Provo Canyon. The wedding was on Friday morning. Carolyn and I did Amy's hair, which was hard, and I am not sure that I will do it again.

I went to my first real sealing, and it is nothing like the "worldly" wedding. I think I like temple weddings better, it obviously has morning meaning, but I feel that it is so much more special. Below is a picture of Carolyn and I at the wedding.

We came home on Friday, and swung by my school to get my classroom ready for next week and to go to the school carnival. It is always fun to see the kids out of a school setting!

The weekend was filled with putting grades in the computer. I only have two other assessments to put in the computer and then I will be done. Putting grades in the computer is probably the worst part of teaching, I'm glad that I was able to put on a movie and finish it. I also signed up for several classes this summer, so I will have things to keep me busy during the summer.

With school finishing up there really isn't too much to say. Maybe I will be able to start blogging about summer adventures!

Glad that's over with!

2011-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Everything in school has been leading up to this week. Testers came and tested most of our kids for the DRA, which is a reading assessment test. So, on Friday the kids went down to be tested and they did a really good job. I was surprised by many and for the most part the fact that they were being tested didn't seem to make much of a difference to them. I was worried that they would be nervous. Besides the reading assessment, I was giving the math post assessment and assessing for report cards. Most of that is finished, so all that is left is the kindergarten post assessment, which begins next week. I am all assessed out!

On a lighter note...I do have a funny story to share. The kids were working in their small groups and I happened to turn around and see this...

Girl sitting down next to boy and doing something...I am not sure what.

Boy: This is my grouchy face. (Gives a great grouchy face. I would liken it to the teacher look. Maybe he has a future in teaching!)

Girl: In a very serious voice. I am so sorry; I didn't mean to.

Me (in my head): Wow...maybe I should try that with the kids and then laughing out loud, because it was really funny.

The rest of the class asked why I was laughing, and I told them the truth. They are really funny to me!

And that is my story. For all the parents from my class that read my blog...hope you enjoy the little stories! :)

In other news running is going well. We are up to six miles and I think I am ready to up the miles. I never thought that I would be able to do something like this, but here I am. I am hoping to be ready to run a half marathon here pretty soon. The weather has been so nice lately, that it makes running all the enjoyable.

At school, it was teacher appreciation week. I had never even heard of it until this year. I have to say it was lots of fun to get those letters from parents and kids. A room mom decorated my door and there was lots of love in my class!

As far as the social scene, there was a bi-ward Cinco de Mayo party, which was fun. On Friday evening I finished up a book that I have been working on for a while. I stayed up late almost every night last week. Far later than I should be considering the time I get up every morning. But, it is finished and I no longer have the compulsion to finish it. On Saturday, I went to the chapel to clean, had Saturday morning breakfast and cartoons with the gang. There was about 17 people present, which I think is a new record. Unfortunately, I burned half a pan of magic bacon, so we were down some bacon. After that, I went up to do laundry and MOW! It was a lot of fun to be back in the yard. I think I got a little soft over the winter, because I have a blister on my finger. Go figure!

Well, to all you mothers out there Happy Mother's Day! Next week I am heading to Logan to go to a very good friends wedding. Carolyn and I will be driving up, so it will be an adventure!

The weather and I are not on good terms!

2011-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

It was a roller coaster of a week with the kids. The weather has been so crazy with snow and warm weather that the behavior in my class has been nuts. I am hoping that soon things will get better, because I don't think I can do five more weeks of it!

The biggest thing that happened this week was baby chicks. I went home last weekend and picked up some baby chick eggs, because we were talking about Spring this week in my class. They were all very excited to have them in class. Most of them have never been to a farm or had the chance of seeing real live baby animals. It was kind of cool to watch them. Sometimes I think the teachers were more excited than the kids. On one of the days when they were first hatching, I put the document camera over the eggs and the kids were able to watch one of them hatching on the big screen. It couldn't have been better timing. The only problem is that they are smelly! My poor classroom smelled like a barn and I had to subject my roommates to the smell over the weekend because there were a couple still hatching. This is after I cleaned them out twice!

We have also begun our end of the year testing, which is really out of control for kindergarten. They have to take three different assessments/tests in a four week period all of them require them to do really hard things that is difficult for five and six year olds to do, even if we have been talking about it all year long.

Socially for me this week was kind of dull, but I did do stuff. I was able to go to Monday Family Home Evening, which was nice because I usually go to Sunday, just because of my work schedule. Things are quieting down at work so I am only staying until about five. Then on Friday Carolyn and I went to Brick Oven (an Italian place) to eat dinner with a group of people. We had about fourteen people there eating with us, so it was a good time.

Other big news this week has to do with running. I have started running more with Carolyn and we did almost 6.5 miles on Wednesday. We are almost half way to our goal of running a half marathon. It is super exciting for me, because I enjoy running a lot, but Winter is so hard for me to run, because of time and bad weather.

Next week should be a quiet week. There are some activities happening in the ward that should be fun, so maybe I will have adventures to report on.

One down, six to go!

2011-04-24T13:01:00.001-07:00

The week went by quickly. The kids did suprisingly well, after having been gone for so long. There were a couple of kids that forgot all of the rules, but that is to be expected. The district started testing our kids this week, so it was a little stressful. I am handling it well. I have decided that whatever happens, happens and the kids are going to do great because I have done all that I can to prepare them.

The biggest thing that happened this week, was moving apartments. Carolyn and I are now in the same apartment, which is nice. We both switched to a new apartment, so instead of being in apartment 3, I am in 5, which happens to be cousin Steph's old apartment. Our new roommates are nice. We really haven't had the chance to get to know them that well, but they seem to be on top of things.

This coming week Carolyn and I are going to celebrate the end of the semester by going to Brick Oven. It is a tradition that we have had since we were freshman. We are going to get a group together to go and it should be lots of fun. We are also planning another shaving cream fight. Those are the best!

Any who...that is all from me! I hope you have/had a great Easter!

Retraction...

2011-04-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

I know that I said that I was excited for Spring break and that it was going to be so much fun, well I need to retract that and make a correction. Spring break was actually kind of boring and not very fun. I had planned to do a bunch of stuff and I did all of it...but on Monday. That left many hours to find something to do. Lesson learned: over plan an extended break and have lots of projects and not the five minute kind.

As previously stated about my list was all but completed by the end of Monday. On Tuesday, I went to the dentist. I really like my dentist. He said that I was doing a really good job brushing my teeth and that I was one of the easiest cleans he has had. Too bad you don't get clean teeth discounts. I spent most of Wednesday with the Johnson girls. Periodically we have girl's night/day where we do fun stuff. A little background...the Johnson girls are Carolyn's sisters. Oddly enough Carolyn has never been to one of these, and there have been several. Thursday was pretty eventful. Carolyn and I made a nice breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Afterwards we went to the temple. I have now found the secret to staying awake...smell like bacon. The entire time I smelled bacon, and it was lovely. In the evening I went to cousin Steph's bridal shower. It was lovely! Afterwards Carolyn and I decided to go on a jog/walk. I decided that I wanted to get back to running long distance (13 miles) and needed to go on a four mile run. Well, we ended up going over five. it was awesome, but my back was so sore in the morning. Friday was a bonfire, and Saturday was movie night.

So, that ends the recap of my week. Next Spring break maybe I will go somewhere, just so that I am not so bored. Any who, for those of you who had children home for Spring break, I am sorry and will gladly take your children back! :)

It has arrived!

2011-04-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

SPRING BREAK!!!! I tell you, it was touch and go for a little bit this week. Everyone was feeling a break. But, by Friday it was smooth sailing. This coming week is kind of up in the air. I know for sure I am getting my hair cut and getting the truck fixed.

Funny story of the week. So, I like to manage with my eyes. I will either give them a way to go look, or a you better knock that off thirty seconds ago. Well, I was looking at one of the girls in my class, who is a doll. She is just a sweet little girl. I gave her the keep going look and then I turned away and I glanced back and she had her two fingers up to her eyes giving me the I'm watching you look. I started to laugh, which made the rest of the class laugh. It was just a really funny time.

Friday, as usual I was really tired, so I got a pizza and watch Mega-mind with Carolyn. If you haven't seen it...I really think you should get on it and see it. I am sure you would love it! On Saturday, I went to the temple with the ward. Then Carolyn and I had a gift card adventure. This is when we open up our wallets and see what we have inside. This time we went to Target and got a candle for our new apartment, silly socks, and the movie Tangled.

Next week, perhaps I will have some fun stories to tell.

Seven days...seven days.

2011-04-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

In considering what I should title this week's blog, I decided on seven days. This is a significant, because it means seven days until Spring break. I am super excited to have that time off. There are some things that I need to get done that have been put on hold because I don't get off work in time to get it taken care of. I also plan on reading some books. My pile has been growing taller and I need to take care of it (hard life, I know).

I think my biggest accomplishment this week is surviving not one, not two, but three district meetings. I am all meetinged out! This required me to change from my normal schedule, which was a little concerning because of Conference coming up and needing to dedicate time to Conference. I am happy to say that yes...miracles really do happen.

In other big news, I decided to run another half marathon. So, starting Monday I am going to get on my big running schedule again. I ran about 3 miles on Saturday in the lovely rain, and I didn't do too bad. So, it may not be as painful this time working up to the longer distances.

Other than what is a mentioned above...Carolyn and I made an amazing Sunday breakfast consisting of magic bacon, pumpkin pancakes, and scrambled eggs. We are currently making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It has been a good day!

Spring break...oh how I wish you were already here!

2011-03-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

It was one of those weeks where you wish you could send the kids home for mom and dad to deal with. For some reason they were off the walls again. It was like everything we have learned and practice all year long did not exist. Thankfully we ended the week with a field trip to the museum. Hopefully the kids will be able to hang on for two more weeks, because that's when our real Spring break begins.

My week days are much the same every week. This weekend I was so tired by Friday, that all I could manage was a guacamole and movie party with Carolyn. Saturday I was able to get my hands dirty! If felt so good to be working again in the yard. I went up to Holly's house and cleaned up some of the beds to get out all the winter build up. Saturday evening I went to the temple with Carolyn and then we went to a friend's birthday party. Afterwards, we came home and looked up Stonehenge mythology (I know...of all the things to look up on a Saturday night...) and decided to call it a night.

Hopefully this week will go smoother, so that I don't feel so flustered by conference time. Super excited for that one!

Until next week!

A great beginning and an even better ending!

2011-03-20T11:40:00.001-07:00

I began the week with the day off from school. I found myself being very productive. I was able to get things done at home and at school that have been bothering me, but I haven't had the time to fix it.

Tuesday brought an unexpected car problem that was fixed by a quick trip to the mechanic on Thursday. Wednesday and Thursday went really fast. On Thursday I went to the temple with Carolyn. I was a little nervous; thank goodness nobody gets mad at you for forgetting.

Friday was a busy day. The kids were a little crazy, because of all the good weather and I was happy to send them home for the weekend. When I got home I changed quickly into my princess dress, because a group of us went to watch the movie Tangled dressed as princesses and princes. It was a lot of fun, especially all the funny looks that we got. Afterwards, we went to get something to eat, which got a few more funny looks. One thing I did learn is that it is really hard to drive when your arms are restricted and you have a poofy dress between you and the steering wheel.

Saturday I finished up my Sunday School lesson and went to a ward activity. I spent maybe five minutes working on school stuff, which is a miracle and then I spent then rest of the evening working on a baby blanket. I have one more ball of yarn to use and I am hoping to finish that up in the next week, so I can send off the blanket. I did fit in an awesome parking garage dance party. It was sweet!

Two weeks until Spring Break...not that I am counting. ;)

It's getting better and better!

2011-03-13T09:13:00.001-07:00

I am super excited about how my schedule is getting better. I left by five o'clock, three out of the five days last week. Things continue to get better with my schedule, which makes me happy, because I am working in the fifty hours a week range. WHOOT!

I started working on another baby blanket. I finished the green and blue one for a boy and I was nicely surprised at how using the "baby" yarn changed the texture and feel of the blanket. The one I am working on now is mostly pink, but there are green and white sections that give it a cook effect.

Carolyn and I did a quick trip down to Enoch to visit the family and to go to the temple in St. George. It was a lovely experience. We came right back up to Provo, because we have stake conference. Usually we meet in the Provo Tabernacle, but since it burned down, we will be attending in the indoor track building. That building was the first place Carolyn and I had stake conference at, at BYU. It makes me smile. I am looking forward to stake conference and hearing what our leaders have to say to us. I am glad that there is no school on Monday, because after a whirlwind weekend like this, I need a breather...just a little one. :)

The weeks just keep flying by...

2011-03-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

I had a moment this week were I realized that we were almost done with school. I was driving home with the windows down and it was so lovely outside that it made me want summer all the more. I felt like it had been so long since we had, had summer, but time has passed by so quickly. I have enjoyed all the 50 degree weather we have had this week, my kids are starting to feel it too. They just want to be outside playing!

Socially this week it was busy. I didn't do much on the week days, but on Friday I had a manflick movie night. We watch the Bourne Ultimatum and ate steak...without knives. Best I idea ever. But...I think that it will be topped by my new best idea ever. If it happens I will tell you about it. On Saturday, I went to Ashlynn's birthday party and then I had a date. I made it a goal not to talk negatively about dating. So, while I wasn't interested in the guy and would have much rather been crocheting, it was nice because I got to see the Carl Bloch pieces at the MOA. I didn't realized just how many of his paintings we use in the church, like the Sermon on the Mount and his resurrection. All of the paintings were very pretty and so life like.

Speaking of crocheting...I finished another blanket. it is a beautiful blue and green one for a boy and I started another one for a girl. I a excited to see how this one will turn out.

I think that is about all from me. Over and out!

Beach Party!

2011-02-27T11:53:00.001-08:00

The best part of the week was on Monday, when we hosted a beach party in our apartment, because we are so tired of the winter. And...here is proof...

The holiday on Monday was nice, to not have to teach, but I spent the rest of the week working to catch up. The kids were pretty good this week, especially since I lost my voice and wasn't really able to communicate with them. No voice and teaching five year olds really doesn't work very well, which I am pretty sure I have already said once.

The second highlight of my week was leaving work by six on Friday, which is becoming more and more regular. The third highlight of my week was the purchase of Dr. Seuss books. You may be wondering why the excitement...well, it's because March 3rd is his birthday, and I am going to celebrate with my kids. Sometimes teaching is so much fun!

Well, that is about all from me. Perhaps next week will bring some more excitement.

Three parties and I am still alive...

2011-02-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

It was a crazy week with parties. I love having class parties and doing fun things in class, but it gets a little crazy. I had my Valentine's Day party for both of my classes and then later in the week I had a Macey's party for my afternoon class because we collected the most Macey's receipts. This is our second time winning. So, we are rockin' it up!

I did survive all of the parties and managed to teach a little bit as well. It's always nice when that happens!

The big news this week was Brian going into the MTC. It is crazy to think that he is in the MTC and getting ready to serve the Lord. I can't wait to hear from him and how it is going. While I was preparing to meet Brian to say good bye, I received a text from Erin saying call me ASAP. I was so surprised when I returned her phone call and heard our nieces in the background. I was able to spend time with her and have some good laughs. It was so nice to catch up and to make some memories.

This weekend is a long one...so I am going to play a little on Monday. My apartment feels that the winter is too long and that we need to warmth. We are going to decorate out apartment with a tropical theme and crank the heat to 90 and have a beach party. I am super excited!

That's about all for me. I will try to post pictures of the parties!

What a week!

2011-02-13T12:09:00.001-08:00

It was an extremely busy week. So...I will give you a day by day.

Monday: It was a short day on top of an already shorter day. It was we what we like to call a "Minimal" day. All of the teams presented in front of the parent association to get extra money. I think ours went well.

Tuesday: Because I am still a new teacher I have to have evaluations by my principal. For some reason I decided to sign up to be observed this week. The observation went well. So, I am excited that there will be a good evaluation on my record.

Wednesday and Thursday: We had parent teacher conferences these days after school. I put in 12.5 hours both days. I don't mind it, but after three hours straight talking to parents, without breaks gets a little long.

Friday: Normal! Whoot!!

Saturday: Because all of my week was dedicated to other stuff I needed to use Saturday as a catch up day and I was able to get everything that I wanted to done. And I fit in the ballet. Yes...it was a date. And no...there is nothing there. I did however have an intense desire to do ballet again!

Well, that's it!

Some of my favorite things...

2011-02-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

I decided that these are some of my favorite things. Number one favorite thing is roast. I love the smell and taste of it. Not to mention how easy it is to cook. Throw it in a crock pot with some spices and vegetables, and BAM...you're done. I decided to make roast this week and use up the amazing garden vegetables courtesy of the garden of mom and dad.

Number two favorite thing is mini-golfing. Carolyn and I went with some friends to mini-golf. It was crowded inside, so we went outside. It was extremely cold, but I could not club the ball as hard as I did inside. I might have hurt someone.

Number three favorite thing is the Ensign. I think I found more insights and answers to things that have been on my mind this week as I was reading the Ensign than any other time I have read the Ensign, which is every month. It made me so happy!

And that my friends is what I have decided some of my favorite things are!

Two weeks in a row!

2011-01-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am now going on two weeks in a row, where I am leaving work by 6:30 on a Friday night. It may not sound cool to you, but it is a major win for me. In classroom news, my little class clown is rocking it up with his new "special" spot. He just takes his things to his spot and does his work. It is a miracle really.

Carolyn and I went down to Enoch for Brian's unfarewell. It was nice to be home and to have amazing food. To quote Carolyn, "I just got back from the City of Enoch, there's not much to see, but the food is pretty good." I agree whole heartedly!

While we were at home, I was able to have a dance party with the little ones (Eddie's girls). They have the makings of some amazing disco dancers. I was very pleased.

This coming week I am going to try to get as ahead as possible, because in two weeks I have my second evaluation, a class party, Brian leaving for his mission, and parent teacher conferences. It's going to be a busy one.

Hope you all had a good week! Until February!

A true update.

2011-01-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

So...I realized that I have failed to truly update you on some things that have happened. So...I pulled out my calendar and daily planner to aid me this time.

School: The kids are making awesome progress. There for a couple of weeks after being back they were a little crazy and I was beginning to wonder if they forget everything they learned. This week I finished one classes reading assessment and I am very happy to say that everyone passed bench mark, which is awesome. Now if it will only stay that way for the second round in two months.

I have yet another new student. That means that since the start of the new year, two students have moved in and two have moved out. I think my longest stretch of not having a class change is three weeks.

Story of the week. This is more a story were you just shake your head and say really. My dear little boy who is the class clown had a really hard day on Friday. He tends to not get his work done because he is talking and being silly. Well, I told him that he needed to sit with my aid and finish his work. Well, he didn't like that. So, he started to cry. My aid tried to calm him down, without any luck, so when our reading buddies came I took a crack at it. These were some of the things he said, "I am just really having a hard time today. I just want to call my mom and she can come and sign me out. I just want to switch schools. If I switch school and then all my problems will be solved." I was laughing on the inside because of how he was saying everything. Our conversation ended with him coming to the conclusion that his problem was him talking to others around him. So I gave him the choice to either stay at his spot or we could find him another spot somewhere else in the room. He responded with, "I don't like either of these choices. They aren't good ones."

Immediately after he started to cry again, at which point I walked away to let him calm down and because 40 minutes had passed and I needed to start teaching again. He proceeded to cry for another 40 minutes, until he went outside to recess and then calmed down a little bit. This story comes to an end at the end of the day when I had to call him over to me to sit, because he was being silly and goofy. He sat down and finished his work, turned to me and showed me what he had done and said, "You know...I think I like this spot."

Glad he finally saw the light!

Social: On Monday I made a big breakfast with Carolyn and didn't do any work! Whoot for me! Friday Carolyn and I helped each other with cleaning checks and went to bed, because the following morning was the Ward temple trip that I am in charge of. The temple was a success and I spent the rest of the day running errands and working on school work, until I ran out of things to do (that never happens) and decided to go visit some friends. It ended up being one of the funniest night of my life. Just picture three grown men performing ballet...yeah it was a riot!

Church: The big thing there is that I am no longer in charge of planning temple trips, I get to teach again. I am the new Sunday School Teacher. Today was my first day teaching. I think it went okay. It could have been better pulled together. In my defense teaching grown adults is very different from teaching five and six year olds.

And now you have it...the rest of the story!

Let's get down to business!

2011-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

The week was another busy one. I continued to test the kids in reading. It is kind of stressful to have to give it because the district will be looking at the scores. I have been very happy as I have given the tests and found that most of the kids have already met benchmark, where they are supposed to be at the end of the year.

Besides working a lot and being very busy, something that I think is humorous is some of my kids came back using colorful language. I have had to talk to a couple of kids about not using certain words...out of the mouth of babes.

I am continually working on my schedule to make it less busy and I have yet to succeed. I did manage to fit in some fun. There was a ward party on Saturday that I went to, which was fun. On Monday, Carolyn and I are going to make a big breakfast and have our friends over. It should be fun to spend time with people.

Hope you all enjoy your Monday off!

The first week back!

2011-01-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week back. I ended up spending about 57 hours at work, which is a few hours more than what I normally do. I keep getting closer to not having to do major projects, because there aren't too many things that the kids need to learn. From the above mentioned information, you can tell it was a dead week socially, but that's okay. The first week back in school for college kids is busy any way, so not much happened.

My kids did alright. They did forget a few of the rules, but by far I think they did a great job. I have also starting giving the DRA, which is a reading assessment. It is kind of exciting for me to see just how far they have come in a few short months. They have gone from not reading at all to being able to read independently, simple texts.

This weekend I was more grateful than ever to have Carolyn. I don't know anyone that would stick around so long to help cut out 140 feet of lamination. We ended up making it through three Star Wars movies. I think we may try to also watch the most recent ones as well. Perhaps we will try it without lamination!

Hope your new year is starting off well!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

Most of my week was spent in Enoch with the family. We didn't do much in the way of activities. Mostly we did things around the house, in the garden, and the driveway (shoveling). Well, dad and Brian did the shoveling. I worked on school stuff. The biggest project was cutting out 41 feet, yep that's a four and one, of lamination. Thanks to the help of Brian and Grandma the project only took about four hours.

Friday I headed home with a coworker who lives in the area. Most of you probably know this, because family updates have already been sent out, but on our way home we had a small problem. We were heading past Filmore and the truck threw a rod. So I morn the loss of my longest relationship. We had been together since high school and I guess some things just weren't meant to be.

Friday just wasn't my day for driving, because that same night Carolyn (a.k.a Lizzle) and I went to friend of a friend's house to celebrate the New Year. The house is behind the Provo Temple, and for those of you who don't know once you pass the temple you start heading up into the mountains. To make a long story short the last hill that we needed to get up was tricky. Too tricky for me to make, because right at the top we started spinning and sliding down the hill. We ended up in the middle of the road blocking part of the other lane. Thank goodness the one car that passed us was a small one. Lizzle's brother came to our rescue and had the car down and back up the hill in nothin' flat. So dad...I rest my case about you being my good luck charm when driving in bad weather!

Saturday was not quite as exciting (insert sigh of relief). I made breakfast with Carolyn, did things in town like shopping for food, and then we chilled the rest of the day. I ended my Saturday with card throwing with another friend.

I hope you all had a safe New Year and happy goal setting for 2011!

Christmas!

2010-12-26T17:42:00.000-08:00

Good roads...

Good family...

Good food...

Good laughs...

What more can a person ask for?!

Christmas Break!

2010-12-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

The week leading up to Christmas break is always crazy. Sometimes I wonder why as teachers we put ourselves through it every year. I think this year was particularly crazy. Monday is always an early out day, so it is very short for both my morning and afternoon kids. Tuesday I was there, but not there because I was pulling kids out to test. Wednesday started the crazy schedule of assemblies. They normally aren't longer than thirty minutes, but when you only have your kids for three hours, it seriously puts a kink in your schedule. There was an assembly Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Friday one was a marathon. The poor kids sat there for an hour and a half. I felt so sorry for them.

Friday was also our class Christmas party. Both were a lot of fun. The one for my afternoon kids was particularly fun, because it was a polar express theme. I have never heard of a party themed like that. One of the dad's in my class is a professional clown. He offered to make balloon creations for the kids. I thought it would be fun thing, but boy howdy he really went all out. He not only made amazing elves, Santas, Christmas trees, and snowmen, but when I came in the classroom after recess, this is what I saw...

I think it is really cool and so does everyone else that has seen it!

Friday evening it took it easy, because I was tired and that usually doesn't happen. Saturday I woke up and worked until about 1 and then played the rest of the day. Carolyn and I went to see the new movie Tangled. So cute! There was a row of high schoolers in front of us and I thought we would have to deal with the annoying high schoolers, but I ended up being the annoying one making my comments like, "Why, that dirty, rotten..." Carolyn thought it was funny. After than we went home made dinner. After dinner we were bored and then we had the great idea of starting a tradition of puzzle making on Sunday. We ended up going to Barnes and Noble to find an awesome puzzle. We also stopped by Michaels to plan our blanket making adventure and Best Buy to use another gift card that I had. It sounds boring, but it was so much fun.

I plan on going to work on Monday for a couple of hours and then leaving for home on Tuesday. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas filled with family, fun, and the Savior!

Basketball?

2010-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

Probably the highlight of my week was the fact that I went to a Jazz game. Honestly...the only way to watch a game is to watch it from a box seat. I ended up going the Jazz game in Salt Lake. They played the Miami Heat. There was more booing Labron James than cheering for the teams. No one really seemed to like him much. The food was awesome as well.

I am super excited that we only have one week left until the break. It is hard to believe that I have had my students for half the year. It is kind of scary to think that we have a few short months to teach them everything they need to know to be ready and pass the end of the year exams. Crazy!!

On Thursday our ward had a Christmas dinner and talent show. I had the honor of watching my cousin perform an amazing rap. On Friday I watched a movie with Carolyn and cut out lamination. It is becoming a Friday night tradition for us to cut out stuff while we watch a movie.

On Saturday I did almost all of my Christmas shopping. It is nice to have almost all of it done. In the evening Carolyn and I hosted a bonfire and marshmallow roasting. It is was a lot of fun. We ended the night with curlers and a sleepover. It was nice to have her so close and it will be even nicer to have in the complex.

Have an awesome last week of school and shopping before the holidays!

It's December!

2010-12-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

It was quite the week getting the kids back into a routine. We did have some amazing weather this week, which was so nice just to let the kids play outside. I believe the general theme among teachers and students alike, is that it is time for a break.

I had a major win with one of my students. He struggles to focus and because of this he is getting behind. Well, last week I was working with him and he finally mastered a skill that the other kids mastered months ago. When he started doing it, I really wanted to jump up and shout for joy. The kids also did some funny things this week.

The first story involves my special needs boy and and another girl in the class. She came up to me after school and said (imagine this being said by a fiver year old with a valley girl accent),"Miss Kluber, Nelson burped in my face, and I almost barfed." I started laughing out loud, just because I had never heard anything quite like it. The second story comes from one of my boys. He has a speech problem and so a lot of what he says comes out wrong. We were sitting down in a small group and I was working with him and he was trying to show Tragan something. This is what I heard, "Satan, Satan..." I looked at him and could not figure out what he was doing. I really just couldn't believe he was saying Satan. Then I saw where he was looking and figured he was trying to say Tragan.

This weekend was actually filled with social things. On Friday night a group of us used our Pass of all Passes to go mini golfing. We decided to go on the outside course, which was covered is snow, but so much fun. On Saturday was the ward temple trip. I am in charge of planning them. We had a really go turn out and it is always fun to go with people you know. After that Carolyn and I proceeded to spend the rest of the day together. We decided that we wanted to have a Twilight marathon in honor of the newest movie coming out on DVD. We made a rule that we had to keep all of our comments positive snarky, instead of negative. We did well with the first two, but by the last one we were loosing it, because it was so bad. We decided that we would never have a Twilight marathon again. It's just too much! Sorry all you Twilight fans.

Well, that is about all...oh, there is 10 school days until Christmas break...just in case you were wondering.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

There is a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Personally, I feel that I have been greatly blessed. A good friend made an excellent point that we should be grateful even for the things that we would not necessarily be grateful for like a heating bill, because at least you have a home to heat and you actually have heat.

It was a short week at school, so it was kind of worthless when it comes to teaching. We did have a Thanksgiving feast in our class and both went well, with relatively little mess, thank goodness! There weren't any funny stories, so sorry.

Brian and I didn't leave for home until Thursday. We made it in great time, even with the crazy, end all snow storm. We had a good time with family and friends celebrating. Friday, I was left to myself while everyone else went to St. George. When I am left to myself that usually means I find some sort of cleaning...and I did.

Saturday I was able to watch the children of a family that I used to watch when I was still in high school. They were really quite funny. That evening the family, minus dad, went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I really liked it and can't wait for the last one to come out.

Brian and I left today, Sunday, for home. We were a little worried about the snow, but ended up making it in good time with all things considered.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and found lots to be grateful for!

I'm not proud...just ask me.

2010-11-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I am going to start off with a funny story, well, because I can.

This happened on Friday as my morning class was leaving.

Class Clown: "I can do a back flip...you want to see it?"

Me: "Umm...that sounds kind of dangerous...let's not."

Class Clown: "Okay...I can do a somersault really good...you want to see it?"

Me: "Okay...let's see it."

Class Clown proceeds to do a crooked somersault that was very off balance. He stands up and says this: "I...AM SO...AWESOME!"

Yes...yes you are.

Once again I worked a lot of hours this week, but the good news is that I didn't spend nearly so much time at home with school work. I think things are slowing down a little bit...now that I have said that, things will get really busy again.

Carolyn and I spent time together on Tuesday. We went to institute together. On Friday we watch a chick flick that wasn't very good. We both agreed that we had no desire to see it again. It was really cheesy. The good thing that came out of it was we were able to cut out over twenty feet of lamentation. She is such a trooper, because lamentation isn't very fun to cut out.

On Saturday Carolyn and I went and had lunch with an old roommate. It is so nice to have people to spend time with that are positive and good.

That was pretty much my week. Have a great Thanksgiving!

You know it's going to be one of those days when...

2010-11-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

So...I am going to dedicate this blog to Friday. Partly because nothing of note happened before Friday, except for a French talent show that I went to, and did not understand anything. Oh the things we do for our friends.

Well, on to Friday. I always love Fridays because they go quickly and it means the weekend is here. I always open up the door to great the kids. When I opened the door I heard crying. I guess she fell down and hurt herself. I got her in and the rest of the kids. While I was working to get the other kids settled in another came up to me and said I don't feel very good. I looked at him and thought to myself, "Hmmm." I told him to go sit down at his seat and lay his head down. Then I see another boy coming in crying with his mom, because he tripped outside. After getting him settle down the aching boy comes up to me and says I still don't feel very good. I told him to lay his head down for a little bit longer and I turn to take attendance quickly before getting started. When I hear from behind me this choking sound. I turn and see the sick boy and say if you think you need to go to the bathroom then go. He hightailed it to the bathroom in which I heard him throwing up in the bathroom.

Keep in mind this all happened within the first five minutes of class. Sometimes you just have to shake your head. A little while later as we were coming in from recess I saw a couple of boys who should never be together in a line together. They were picking on each other and I stopped the line to get them under control. When one of them yelled teacher at the top of his lungs. I guess it is a new way to summon me.

Despite all of these things the day ended up great. In my afternoon class the kids earned a party because we collected more Macey's receipts than anyone else. We were playing a game that required the kids to be very quiet. Out of the corner of my eye I say a boy rolling on the ground. I started to watch him and found that he was taking the game very seriously. He was being very sneaky and being a GI Joe as he was trying to not get caught. It was the coolest and cutest thing ever!

And that was my Friday!

Weather Patterns

2010-11-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

I really wish the weather would make up it's mind and stop changing so much. This week was a little crazy at school. The weather was so up and down, which means my kids were up and down as well. My new student finally showed up. We discovered that she doesn't speak any English and she has never been to school before. It should be interesting to see how that one turns out. I was really shocked this week with how much the kids have learned in the 45 days that we have been together. Some of them came in knowing nothing and now they are beginning to read simple texts. Their little brains are so smart!

This week my best friend Carolyn got home from her mission. It was super exciting to see her and to be able to talk to her face to face. We have spent time talking with each other, we watched a movie, baked, and visited some of our mutual friends. She has only been home for four days. It will be even nicer to have her live in the complex.

I am still getting over my cold. Three weeks is a long time to be sick. I am hoping to make a full recovery soon, because I am tired of sounding funny when I sing in class.

Hope all is well for you!

Halloween Week!

2010-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

It was quite the week. Halloween tends to be very exciting for the kids. On Friday I made it through not one, but two Halloween parties. I am very happy to say that I made it through and am excited for next year. Also, this week was the first snow. The kids love the snow, but mom and dad don't send them to school with the right clothes and they are so cold.

I have been working very hard to have lighter schedule. I discovered that I am a workaholic and need to stop. I am proud to say that I only did a couple of hours of work this weekend and spent the rest of the weekend healing up. I have had a bad cold all week, which doesn't mix well with five year olds.

Some funny stories...

**I came in part way on this conversation about girlfriends.

Cute Boy 1: "...girlfriend."

Me: "You have a girlfriend?"

Cute Boy 2: "He has two girlfriends (he tells me their names), but they aren't seeing each other any more."

Me: To Cute Boy 2. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Cute Boy 2: Looking down forlornly, "No."

**It was red ribbon week at school, so we were having a conversation on staying away from drugs.

Shy Girl: Raising her hand, "My sister does drugs."

Me: Silence. Okay...but we need to make sure weeeee don't take drugs. (Honestly...how does one respond to that.)

**This happened out at recess. The kids love to share their tricks.

Cutie Pie: "Look Miss Kluber." She is getting up on bar. "I'm sitting." She sits on the bar. "I'm standing." She stands up on the bar and then lifts her hands and gives me a wide eyed serious face while shaking her head. "No hands." The icing on the cake is that she has the cutest lisp.

Well those are my stories. Hope you had an enjoyable week! Now on to Thanksgiving!

Fall is officially here!

2010-10-24T10:58:00.001-07:00

It rained for the better part of the week. Luckily, we were able to send the kids outside to play. I don't look forward to the day when we have to start keeping the kids inside for recess, because the weather is so bad. Is school this week we started our true Writer's Workshop, were the kids get to start writing stories (which is really a five word sentence of something the did the day before). Writing is my favorite part of the day, because it is the time were everything we learn in literacy comes together and we start to see some real progress with the kids. It is so fun to see the light go on as they start making those connections.

We also took the kids on their first field trip. I had all forty-one students in my class at the same time. It was kind of crazy. Thank goodness for some good parents who came in and helped. The field trip was to a place called Hee Haw Farms where they have a corn maze and hay ride and lots of other fun things to do.

On Thursday I went to a Volleyball game for a girl that I used to babysit back in Nebraska. I felt so old, because I asked what grade she was in and I was told, "Oh, she's a senior." Man time flies by. This weekend we had our ward Halloween Party. I decided to go as a Roman/Greek and it turned out well. Next, week is the Stake Halloween Party and that should be lots of fun. Well, really that is all from my week. Until next week.

Fall break!

2010-10-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

It was a very short week at school, because of Fall break. I was so happy to just have some time work in my classroom without interruptions or lesson planning. I think if I have one or two more times were I can go in uninterrupted I will finally be able to organized everything how I want it to be.

Some highlights of my break are as follows:

-Getting so much done in my classroom.

-Finally having time to clean out the truck.

-Getting 9 hours and forty-five minutes of sleep on Thursday night.

-Going to the movie theater.

-Going to the dentist (I love my dentist!)

-Visiting a friend that I had not seen in a long time and going to the Hogle Zoo.

-Having a play-date with Carolyn's sisters.

-Starting another blanket.

That is pretty much my break. Pretty sure next week will not top it, but it is worth a try!

Zzzz......

2010-10-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I decided that this week was the longest week of my life, and I am going to have two more weeks like this over the next year. This week was SEP Conferences (a.k.a. parent teacher conferences). In two days I made it through about 35 sets of parents. All of the conferences were done after school. It made for some really long days. I was grateful that the parents were very nice and I only had a couple parents that I am afraid of.

Besides the extremely long hours every day this week, the only exciting thing that happened was disco skating. It had been while since I went and it was so much fun!! I decided that I have secretly (not so secretly now) love the DJ for his amazing disco moves! It has been the same one for the past several years. I have been working on skating backwards and I think that I am finally getting it down. It is so much fun to go backwards, now I just need to figure out how to look behind me as I am skating!

What a weekend!

2010-10-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

My week was busy as usual with school. We hit that magic number of 21, when the kids finally get into a routine and aren't as crazy. I have felt that this week I have been able to finally start teaching them.

Mostly this week I lived for the weekend. My roommates and I planned a girls night! We all are so extremely busy with life that we hardly ever see each other. At 9:30 on Friday, we were all home and we made some tasty food and an awesome fort, in which we watched a movie. It was so nice just to relax and not do school work, which I do entirely too much of.

Saturday was filled with listening to Conference, eating amazing garlic chicken (made by Chef Holly), and doing yard work. This time I took Brian to help and it is amazing how much more you can get done with an extra pair of hands, especially when it is a guy pair of hands.

Sunday we had a big breakfast before Conference, which was a success. I really love cooking for the masses! It is so much fun to see the smiles of joy!

Next week will be very busy as well, because I have parent teacher conferences after school on Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully, things will go well and I won't have too many disgruntled parents! If I don't post next week then I probably didn't make it through! ;)

Like father...like daughter!

2010-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is a tradition to hike a trail called Squaw Peak once a year. Well, this Saturday was the day that we decided to go. The hike was lovely and I discovered a new hobby, trail running. It took us about an hour and forty minutes to climb up and about an hour to get down. We all felt like we were in the Lord of the Rings. While at the top this happened...

I find that I can fall asleep just about anywhere just like dad! It is so nice!

My life is still incredibly involved with school. I continue to make progress in getting organized and in understanding what it is that I need to me doing. I have two funny stories that I would like to share. The first is when we were talking about the weather, because it was raining outside. One child said, "I think I see a rainbow." A boy proceeds to stand up and say, "I need to tell you something; it's important." He then gives the class a lecture on why we have rainbows. It was the Noah story. We can't talk religion in school, so all I could do was smile and say thanks for sharing, while laughing inside. This same boy randomly tells my aid this information. "So, in my family we have this game. We have a picture of Obama, and we see who can throw darts at his face. It's a great game; we like it." Can you guess what political party their family is? We had a good laugh at that one.

Enjoy the beautiful Fall weather!

So cute!

2010-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

I think the highlight of my week happened on Thursday afternoon when Cute Boy comes up to me and says, "Miss Tuber, you look tute today." He was just so adorable and he jumped to the top of my favorite student list. The kids are slowly moving along in their learning of routines. It is exhausting to try to help them all and most days I leaving feeling drained.

Monday was a holiday and a roommate/friend invited a bunch of us to go boating with her family. Well, I tried my hand at water skiing and it is didn't go so well. It was really hard to stand up and go. So, I actually didn't stand up at all, but I did come close. We also did went tubing. I was so sore for most of the week. It is amazing how many muscles we have in our body. I guess it was all in the quest for fun!

It sounds really lame but, that is all that happened. I wake up before the sun and come back home as the sun is setting. There really isn't much time for anything else. I am hoping to change that soon, as things calm down and I can get into a routine.

Ummm...what was I thinking?

2010-09-05T11:10:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was the first day of Kindergarten and it was crazy. I am not used to having to train the kids that way I am having to. They are so high energy and you have to keep things moving quickly. The first day of school I had three criers and one of them turned into a runner. The runner went out the door and was half way to the street before I caught up with her. She proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs for thirty minutes. Day two went much smoother, and by Friday I was ready for the weekend.

Despite the issues with the first week of school there are some positives.

1. The kids are super cute.

2. They actually like me.

3. They are really funny.

4. I get hugs all day long with out a reason!

I really didn't do much else this week besides eat, breathe, and dream school. I will update you more about the class and how things are going next week.

One week down!

2010-08-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

What a week! On Monday I started testing students. They are so cute! Most of them I just wanted to put in my bag and bring home. It was interesting to meet the parents and kids. There are some interesting ones out there. We think testing is completed, but we may have some late enrollers that we need to test on Monday. As of right now I have 21 in my morning and in my afternoon class. I think it is very doable considering the rest of the district is at about 25-30 per class. I am glad we don't start kindergarten until Wednesday. That means I have two more days to prepare.

My life revolved round teaching. I didn't do much else during the week. Brian is officially in school and it is nice to have him close. I was able to spend some time with him taking him to the local hangout spots (Macey's and the Dollar Theater). I look forward to hearing how he likes the college life.

Next, week will be busy with school and having parent night. There is a long week and I do plan on going boating with some friends...so it should be a good break from the stress of teaching.

One other quick note. It is so weird to go to church and see your boss there. Kind of random!

The end is here!

2010-08-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

This week marked the end of my summer freedom. I spent many hours in my classroom working on things and trying to get it looking presentable enough to have parents bring their kids in for testing. It look clean, but bare. I think that will be a constant problem, because I have a ten foot ceiling and lots of white in between the floor and the ceiling. I start testing kids on Monday. It is kind of sad that we have to test these kids so young, but that is the way it goes.

Friday was my play day. My roommates and I decided to go camping. We ended up going to Rock Canyon and found a nice spot that looks out over the valley. It was so nice to be out in nature and hear the birds and the insects...perhaps not the insects.

I am most excited that I have my first week of teaching almost planned. I am noticing that I have to do a lot less research to figure out how to teach, because everything is so basic. I think in the long run it will make planning so much easier, and I am excited about that!

My week has been pretty slow, just school work and meetings. Maybe I will start having some funny stories from the kids!

And so it begins...

2010-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

This past week has been hot and heavy with the teacher meetings. I feel so much more prepared after going to them. I have more meetings this week, which will be just as informative (I hope). I try to work in my classroom as much as possible, but it just doesn't look like I am making much progress, though I am. I am not stressed yet...I am sure that will come.

Here are some of the highlights of my week. We do not have a family home evening group that formally meets, because we are in between semesters and nobody is here, so few of us from the group still got together and went to this place called Sliding Rock. I is up a ways in the mountains and you climb up and then slide down. It's super cold, but super fun! Tuesday the sisters in our ward went up to Sister Gaskins's and had a girls night. She helps train the sisters in the Relief Society Presidencies, because most of them have never served in a leadership position. She is one of the chillest people I know and I aspire to be like her in my older age. Thursday was exciting as well, because I went fishing for the first time in years. I really enjoyed it, but I don't think that I could do it for long periods of time, just because I get restless and want to keep moving. I am definitely going again. That same evening I got a taste of my first BYU soccer game. It was fun, but I like going to see the big boys up in Salt Lake better. Friday I had a date, and Saturday after having a wonderful time taking care of the yard...I took the most amazing nap EVER! And that concludes the highlights from my week.

Until next week!

This week in the life of me!

2010-08-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

It was kind of hard to transition back into "mainland" life. I started off the week with meetings for school. The other kindergarten teachers and I have been meeting together planning all the things that we need to in order to be on the same page. I happy to say that we have all of the planning done and all that is left is getting the kids tested and organized into classes. My classroom is coming along. I am getting closer all the time. I am starting to get the management stuff done instead of organizing and decorating the class.

It was very busy socially this week. I guess when it rains socially it pours. I was able to have a sleepover a couple of nights this week with a friend/old roommie. It was so nice to relive the old days, unfortunately that means we did not get to bed at a reasonable time. I was also able to get ice cream with an old roommate that is leaving for her mission very soon. It will be sad to see her go, but I know that she will be awesome. Thinking about it, I currently have five female friends and several more acquaintances that are or will be going on missions. It's kind of crazy to think about.

Friday was a fun filled day, because it was probably my last day for the rest of the summer that I would have to devote completely to play. So, I slept in, worked on my Relief Society lesson, went hiking to a beautiful waterfall, went to the movies, came home and made dinner, went running, and last but not least I was invited to go watch another movie at another apartment. In all it was a busy day.

Saturday was a therapy day, because I spent several hours in my favorite yard, cleaning out flower beds, mowing, and weed-eating. I never would have thought, but mom and dad...thanks for teaching me to work!

My lesson went well in Relief Society. I have come to really enjoy my time with the sisters and having good discussions rather than just teaching little minds that don't really know how to discuss.

Next week, my first meetings with the district start up. I am excited and not excited because I will finally be learning exactly what they want me to do, but that means my summer is coming to and end. Until next week!

Hawaii!

2010-08-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hawaii is the best...and here is why.

1. Hawaiians are the happiest people on the face of the planet!

2. The weather is the best. Even though it is humid it really doesn't feel hot.

3. The beaches are beautiful.

4. They have volcanoes.

5. You get to call everyone either cousin, uncle, or aunt even though there is no relation.

6. The sunsets are beautiful.

7. There are cool things on the side of the road like lava tubes.

8. The seafood is great and the fruit is even better.

9. Everything is very relaxed and you don't feel pressured.

10. If something goes wrong nobody worries about and everything will be alright.

11. Waving is okay, but giving the hang loose sign is the bomb!

12. You get to kiss people on the cheek.

13. Hawaiians know how to par-tay!

14. They have brown, white, and black sand beaches.

15. There are cool things to do like parasailing and play with sea animals.

16. There is so much history so close.

17. Hawaii is a bilingual state.

18. At one point they had royalty.

19. Ocean is like glass.

20. BEAUTIFUL flowers that smell like heaven!

And that my friends is why Hawaii is the best. I had a wonderful time meeting new people and enjoying the rich culture. Before I put in all my pictures I have a funny story to tell. It goes like this.

My friend and I went to the Kona temple and met a very nice temple worker. He is a native Hawaiin and had the best accent ever. He ended up inviting us to luau. Of course we said yes, because how often do you have the chance to attend a real luau. The appointed time rolled around and we showed up to find and beautifully decorated gym. We thought it was amazing. Then we were directed to the kitchen. On the way to the kitchen my friend spotted what looked liked a wedding cake. Well, it turned out to be a wedding cake. We were then escorted behind the tables to help serve the food! We were totally underdressed and not expecting to serve food. It turned out to be an amazing experience. We were able to watch traditional singing and dancing and eat amazing food like lau lau, squid lau lau, and poi with the salmon and tomatoes to go with it. And don't forget the pork smoked all night! Everything was so tasty and good!

So here are a few pictures!

Last and most beautiful sunset.Kona Temple.Flowers that just grow and are amazing.By a steam vent in a volcano at Volcano National Park.Hawaiian military cemetery and monument.The Arizona Memorial.Just after parasailing!

A broken window...

2010-07-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

So...the window in our front room is boarded up, because it was broken. These are some of the stories floating around to explain the broken window.

1: Boy...when my roommate hits a high C...she hits and high C.

2: We're redecorating.

3: We just got so angry that we hit the window.

4: Batman came through the front window.

Stay posted for the real story!

I am writing today, because I will be in Hawaii for the next two Sundays and I wanted to make sure that something got posted.

Work has been good but challenging. The kids are really testing the limits and trying to get away with things that they know better than to try to pull, especially with me. We continue to work with them in the hopes that they will improve and learn something

. It will be my last day of working with them this Friday and it is kind of bitter sweet. I do enjoy working with them.

I finished my second blanket yesterday. It is much lighter than the first one. I think I almost like this one better. There is a picture of it below. My nex

t project will be to work on the bandage that I started years ago in Young Womens. I think I am going to send a picture to my old Young Women's President to let her see.

I made some real progress in my classroom this week. All of the walls are covered with paper and I am almost ready to hang posters on the walls and put up the boarders. It's looking more and more like a classroom. It is my hope to get everything up before the end of the month, which means this Friday.

Other than work, institute, and my classroom nothing else has happened. EXCEPT, for the amazing broken window story. So, here it is. My roommates and I were sitting in the front room chilling. We had the front windows and blinds open to let as much air in as possible, because we don't have any A.C. It was dark out and we couldn't see anyone outside. Well, a male friend came up to the window and tried to scare up by slapping the window. You would think that wouldn't be so bad, but boy, did we get a scare. We all screamed and then sat silently as we contemplated the fact that we were covered in tiny glass shards. He didn't mean to break the window, but he did. No one was seriously hurt, only minor, minor injuries (you can breathe easier mom) and a massive whole in our front window. So, it is boarded up with lovely plywood!

Hopefully, I will have lots of good Hawaii pictures for you the next time I write!!!

One week and counting!

2010-07-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Not to brag or anything...but I am going to Hawaii in less than a week! Plans are set in stone and we will be leaving next Sunday evening.

Now that I have told you about next week, let's talk about this week. I continue to make good progress on my next blanket. My goal is to finish it in the upcoming week. My classroom coming along and this week my goal is to get the walls decorated. I am excited to have things organized and set up. Running has become a routine again. I am really happy that running is becoming a routine. As well, I had a swim party with a good friend.

Probably the biggest thing this week was the good-bye BBQ we held for some friends that will be going to George Mason for grad school. We had a BBQ and then went swimming and after swimming we held and early birthday party for one of them who is having a birthday shortly after they get to school.

Other than that... it was a routine week. I will be late next week, because I will be getting back on Sunday evening. So, look for pictures and an update on Monday.

A tear is shed for the end of softball...

2010-07-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was the last game for the team. The boys played well...I was so excited to see them following through and hitting the ball so well. I played third base coach (it's my favorite) and happily sent several boys running home from second.

I continue to make progress in the classroom. It may not look at if from first glance, but I am slowing getting everything organized. I am super excited to finally start decorating the classroom. I think it will look so much better and more like a classroom with something on the walls.

Socially this week, it was a movie week. I went to see two different movies with different groups. I was also able to spend some time with a good friend who just got back from a six week internship in New York. Probably, the biggest thing I did this week was go canoeing and kayaking. I was excited to go and spend time with people, but not be near the water. I almost didn't go in, but some of them offered to be very careful and not tip. I am happy to say that we did not tip, where as the other group did several times. I also went kayaking. I think I would enjoy kayaking on a cold morning in an area with no people. It is very peaceful.

Because I am sure you are all wanting to know...I have fourteen days until I will be in Hawaii. And on that note...until next week!

If you could "hi" to Kolob...

2010-07-04T13:44:00.001-07:00

It was a relatively routine week. I did make it up to the Timpanogos Temple to do family names. I usually go to the Provo Temple, but it is closed for cleaning. I really like that temple...it is very pretty. Work was good, but the honeymooning period is over. The kids are starting to push the buttons of the staff to see what they can get away with. Some of the staff are not used to working with children with disabilities and are finding it difficult.

There is only one practice and one game left for softball. I am kind of sad, but glad because I will have a little more free time. It has been a great experience. Also, this week I went to a midnight showing of a new movie. I realized that I am getting too old to be staying out late. My body just does not like it any more. Oh, well...the joys of getting older.

Because of the holiday, I went home to Enoch. We decided to go hiking in Kolob Canyon, hence the title of the this weeks post. It is very beautiful. Every national park I have been to in Utah is very different, but I am learning to appreciate them for their individual beauty. Though there are some that I like better than others. The hike was great and there was very nice weather.

Next week will pass quickly...until then.

Great news!

2010-06-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

I am very happy to announce that I have found a position in the Alpine School District teaching kindergarten for next year. Alpine is a great school district and after meeting with the other kindergarten teachers and principle, I believe the school will be just a wonderful.

Compared to finding a job for next year, everything else that happened this week is small stuff. We only have one more practice and game before the season is over with, which is kind of sad. I enjoyed being able to help out. I also went to Jump on it! which is a giant building filled with trampolines. I jumped for about an hour and a half and paid for it for the next few days. I was sore in places I didn't know could be sore.

I have also been working hot and heavy in my classroom trying to get things organized. Part of the joy of being a new teacher is that you get the classroom that all the junk is put, so I have been going through and cleaning stuff out. As well, there are things that I need to do to prepare for the new year that take a lot of time.

Many of you are aware that the World Cup is happening. Well, a couple of my friends are HUGE soccer fans, so I have been introduced to the world of soccer. I had the chance to go to a Salt Lake Real game on Friday night with some of them. I think I like soccer better than football (sorry to all the football fans I have offended). I can follow what is happening better in the soccer game and there aren't as many calls. It is highly unlikely that I will ever become a die hard fan of anything unless it involves some sort of dancing.

I also went to a friend's house and had dinner and watched a movie. That pretty much wraps up my week. I hope all is well with you!

It is finished!

2010-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

A special shout out to all you fathers out there...you are AMAZING!

It was a busy week. I think I will start out with what I was most proud about. I decided that I needed to learn to be more domestic, so I had a fried teach me how to crochet. Well, I jumped right in a made a small blanket. I used to different color of yarn together so, it is extra thick. I really like how it turned out. Now I am working on a blanket the same size with just one color.

This was also my first full week at my summer job working with disabled children. I love those kids so much! We have several that are back from last year, so it is nice to have built that foundation with them. The funniest thing of my week happened while at camp. We were doing an activity that required the kids to make and decorate a fish. One of the kids holds up his fish and says, "Look he had a nose job...this is a Michael Jackson fish." He then proceeded to add a glittering glove on his fin and then create Michael Jackson hair. The staff had good laugh.

As far as the social scene I went to the movies with a group of friends that I had not seen in a while and I was able to spend time with Carolyn's family. Periodically, her sisters and I will go on a playdate. We went and saw movie they had not seen and then roasted marshmallows at their house. I love spending time with her family. For those of you that are thinking this is kind of weird...where is Carolyn? Well, she is serving an mission, so she is there in spirit.

So...that was my week. Simple and hard to beat!

They call me Princess.

2010-06-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

It was a good week. I started my Summer job working with handicap children. It is just as fun as I remembered it last Summer. We have some new kids with us this year, which means it brings interesting challenges. We have a repeat camper who found herself in hard spot because two new campers (twin sisters) started picking on her. As the adult it is hard to help everyone understand how to be nice and that we use nice words. I am hoping that we can get them to be nice to each other by the end of camp.

I spent the weekend with a good friend at an Institute Summit. We went together last year, and had a great time. This year was no exception. This year they had a variety of speakers come and talk to us about anything from financial to spiritual. My favorite workshop talked about using your journal as you study the scriptures to help you better study the scriptures and receive personal revelation. After the speakers we had a luau with real polynesian dancers. My new goal in life is to learn polynesian dancing. They are so cool! There was also a concert and comedians. We decided to leave before the dance and have a little party of our own.

We went to Red Robin and had dinner. And now comes the story that explains the title. We decided that we wanted to have a princess night where we dressed up in princess dresses and watched a movie. For my dress I had a tiara. Well, I decided to wear it into the restaurant, because I can. It was about 10 at night so there weren't too many people. Our waitress comes up to us and starts taking our order. When she got back she asked what was up with the tiara. We told you that we were having a princess night and I am sure she thought we were 16. The next time she came out to give us stuff she said, "Here you go Princess." I was on cloud nine, because it's not every day you are sitting in a restuarant with a tiara on being called Princess. After dinner we went and changed and watched our movie and had a fabulous time.

I don't have any pictures because we only had one camera. Perhaps, I will be able to get some and post them. Until next week.

Disneyland Adventures!

2010-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late post. I was traveling most of the day on Sunday and did not have a chance to update you on the happenings of my life.

For starters...I do love the summer break. My first official week off has been delightful. I spent the first half of the week getting things cleaned up in the classroom and getting things organized. By Thursday I was ready to begin the Disneyland adventure.

We left on Thursday evening to drove all the way to Las Vegas, were we spent the night. We left early the next morning to get to the beach. We made it to the beach in good time. We got turned around a couple of times and had to back track, but we made it in one piece. We spent the next several hours at the beach playing and having a grand old time.

Kelp Roping

The Gang after a good long swim.

After the beach we headed for our hotel and dinner. It had been long day so we went to bed after getting a Disneyland teaser. Our hotel we less than a mile from Disneyland and we were able to see some of the fireworks. They were amazing from the hotel, but even better from the park. But, I digress. We woke up early and headed to the park. We picked an amazing time to go, because the lines where short for Disneyland standards and we were able to make it to lots of rides before the crowds came.

Yes...he is talking on his cell (some of the gang tried to take funny pictures).

To make a long story short the rides were awesome (they all worked this time), the food was pricey, and the night show was AMAZING! The total number of hours spent in the park...10. I was ready for bed! We left early Sunday morning and drove to Vegas for church and lunch, Enoch for dinner, and then home by 11.

You can't see it well, but there is an evil witch on stage and fire on the lake...soooo cool!

I would say that it was a great weekend!

Oh...one last thought...most interesting thing in the park to was was their garbage cans. Yes their garbage cans! Instead of saying trash or garbage, it said "Waste Please." I thought that as kind of cool.

Always an adventure...always!

2010-05-30T17:02:00.001-07:00

I have to say coaching is so much fun! The kids are really cute and really funny. I think my favorite thing that happened was while I was working with the kids on their technique in catching grounders. One of the boys hollers, "Okay...I'm ready ( as he turns around backwards and tries to catch the ball through his legs)." Sorry dude...it just doesn't work that way.

I also finished teaching my first year. It was a fun last day of school. We celebrated with a water party. Of course I got wet and wasn't prepared with an extra pair of clothing.

Right after school got out for the Summer, I left for home because Brian graduated from high school. While there watching the happenings, it took me back to the days when I was in high school. All I have to say is that I am really glad to have finished that part of my life. But...congrats Bubby for finishing strong!

I am also proud to say that I can check off another thing on my list of things to do before I die. Behold the glory!!

You can't read the small print on the hood of the car, but it say"Cuda." Which means it is a really fast, cool car.

Unfortunately, the car I normally drive did not have such a successful weekend. Duchess has sprung a leak and has a nail in a tire. So, she is staying at home to see the doctor. No worries though, I have the van. Woot, for the mom mobile!

Next week is the Disney trip, until then!

The final countdown (in more ways than one)...

2010-05-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

This summer will be a AWESOME! I decided to post things in the form of a countdown so here we go...

5 months: Carolyn (best friend who is serving a mission) will be home.

63 days: Hawaii trip...need I say more!

42 days: Avatar: The Last Airbender hits theatres.

21 days: Amazing Institute Summit!

15 days: Summer job working with children with disabilities begins. I shall be tan once again.

12 days: Disneyland! Here I come Mickey!!

4 days: Officially finish my first year of teaching.

5 days: Brian graduates. It's weird because I used to change his diapers.

2 days: I begin helping coach a softball team of first and second grade boys. They sound like a ton of fun.

I think I am forgetting a few things, but these are the main things. Sorry I don't have more pictures from the Cinderella Ball. I am working on it.

A week to remember!

2010-05-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Another week has passed and time just slips by. We have only one more full week of school left before the school lets out and I am so excited. I am glad I picked a profession that lets me have a three month break EVERY year!

Again, I am going to give you a play by play of my week by day, but the kicker is that I am going to do it out of order...you'll see why!

So, on Monday we met with our new FHE group. They seem to be a lot of fun. Hopefully we can make it work, because we only have a few months to get it right.

Tuesday was a normal day up until 4pm when I went shopping for a formal dress. I went with a very good friend and I am glad that I took her because I needed help. We went looking at several stores and struck out every time, until we got to one store and within 10 minutes I had my dress. Now you may be wondering what this is for...well let me tell you. For a ward activity we had a Cinderella Ball. Each girl gave one shoe to be put in a pile to be chosen by "prince charming." The ball was held on Saturday, and so we will skip to that day.

Saturday, of course, was my birthday. I celebrated at 12 am with a roommate because her birthday was the day before. The party was great. We did the cupcake challenge, where you have to stuff a cupcake in your mouth as neatly as possible. I think I am loosing my touch, because I did terrible. After that we brought out the glowsticks again and had a another party. We woke up early on Saturday morning and headed up to Bountiful to see a friends house, have breakfast, go on a short hike above the Bountiful Temple and then to see Gilgal gardens. Then I came home to get ready for the ball. After much effort on my part this is how it all came together!

I was very happy with it and the best part is, is it's a twirlsy dress!! At the ball we had some dance instruction to learn how to do the cha cha and the basic waltz. I was extremely lucky that "prince charming" new what he was doing and was an excellent teacher because I started to get the hand of it! Yes Brian...be proud, very proud! After the ball the roommates and I did a grocery store run because we needed to get few things. Of course we went in our fancy dresses, and boy did we get some looks. It was the best!

Basically, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday did not hold a candle to the rest of the week, so I am really not going to talk about it.

Thanks for all thing birthday wishes!

Busy week!

2010-05-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

I would just like to start off this post with a big salute to all of you mothers out there (and those of you wanting to be mothers)!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

The week started off busy. On Monday we had a ward BBQ that was a lot of fun. I relived my youth by swinging on swings. As a result of this BBQ, found a fishing buddy. Because of this I am now a proud owner of a Utah fishing license. So...if anyone wants to go fishing in the next year...let me know!

Institute was great...as usual on Tuesday. I also went on 5 and half mile run. I timed myself and I now have a 8 minute and 40 second pace time. Not bad! I was super excited about it!

Wednesday we had a ward temple trip. It was fun to go with people, because usually I go by myself. As I am sure you are aware, Wednesday was Cinco de Mayo. We can home and made 7 layer bean dip, which was super tasty. Somehow we ended up having a glowstick techno dance party. I know you are thinking super cool, but that isn't the coolest part. We cut open the glowsticks and put it on our hands and face and then turned the lights out. THAT was super, super cool!

Thursday was movie and smoothy night and marked three weeks left of teaching. Friday was Jamba with one friend, movie with another, and then PF Changs with another group. Busy day and soooo much fun!

Saturday started before with sun with helping a friend. I ended with day with a stir fry and movie party. Lots of fun! I don't get to seen that gang in a while, so it was good to see them.

I also taught in Relief Society. I think this is one of the first times I have felt good teaching adults. I wish that we could have a better discussion...I haven't quite figured that one out with adults yet, but it was good!

Until next week!

May!

2010-05-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe it is May. The countdown is three weeks and four days until I have officially finished my first year of teaching. I was thinking about it this week and I am not the same type of teacher that I was when I graduated a year ago. I continue to wait patiently for things to come up. I have applied at several schools in the area, but I am not sure if anything will come of it. I have my fingers crossed.

Probably the biggest thing I did this week was run a 5k. I haven't done a road race since last year, and it was fun. About half way through we started to get pelted with tiny, sharp hail. Despite that it was still and good experience and they made us french toast at the end that was really good. My time improved by almost a minute, which was kind of cool for me. I decided that I needed to work on my pace to see if I can improve it to a better time. Easier said than done.

I also went to volunteer at a crisis nursery. It was a lot of fun to play with the kids, but sad, because I knew that all of them came from troubled homes and would have a hard future ahead of them.

After careful thought and consideration I have decided that I would like to live in the Provo Library. I spent some time on Saturday browsing through vast selection of books and came home with a nice stack that will keep me occupied for the next couple of weeks. I am not an impulse shopper, but when it comes to library books I am extremely impulsive!

This next week should be easy at school and hopefully the weather will be nicer, so that I can do more outside running.

Until next week!~

Fun in the sun!

2010-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome week at school. Monday to Wednesday we had beautiful weather. I was so happy to have them outside playing instead of inside where they couldn't run. We also had some really fun lessons where the kids got to pretend to be paleontologists. I bought some chocolate chip cookies for them to try to dig the chips out. They loved trying to pick them out carefully. They were so funny. I hear a lot of, "Man this is hard to be a paleontologist." I thought it was cute. Our poetry unit has been lots of fun. They didn't really have any prior knowledge of poetry, so everything is new to them. We will be doing haiku on Monday...it should be interesting.

With the lovely weather we have had I manage to run three times this week, which is really good, because I am running another 5k on Saturday. I hear it is a fun one...which is nice. I hope to get back into the swing of things, so that I can run longer distances.

Thursday was also our traditional Festivus Meativus. This has been going for about three years now and it happens at the end of Winter semester before everyone leaves. People dig through their freezers and find all the unlabeled meats and bring them to the grill at which time we season them up and grill tons of meat. We had everything from bacon wrapped chicken to steak and pork. It was great!

Saturday was another fun filled day. There is always a Saturday in Provo were every complex has checkouts and cleaning checks. In the morning I did that and then shortly after we went on a hike to a fall called Stewart Falls. We made it there almost and then we ran into a slight problem.

If you look closely it says area closed because of possible avalanche. It also says something like $1,000 fine and six months in prison. We decided to turn back and not take the risk.

Later in the evening I was able to spend some time with a good friend that I hadn't seen in a while. With most of the same people that I went hiking with in the morning...we had a late night adventure. We walked to the local grocery store and bought a kite and glow sticks. We bought the glow sticks to cut open and put it on the kite. Unfortunately the kite did not last as long as we had hoped...actually it was a failed attempt. It didn't even get into the sky. On the upside I discovered that a had looks really cool when it glows in the dark! We ended the evening with pie and smoothies and went to bed happy.

There was a homecoming of a good friend who just got back from Chile. It was exciting to see the change in her and how much she has grown spiritually. It also made me feel a little bit old.

Any who...perhaps next week I will have some racing pictures.

Spring Time!

2010-04-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful. I am so glad...it seems like Spring is here to stay. Now that I have said that, we will probably get more snow.

Teaching went well this week. The kids did well after being gone for a whole week. Usually they need to be reminded of class rules. We went to the BYU Dinosaur Museum. The kids enjoyed looking at each of the dinosaurs and different fossils. We also have a new class member. Her name is Tibbles.

She is a dwarf hamster. It took me about two days to warm up to the idea of touching her. I am proud to say that I have held her and she is really kind of cute.

In other news I have a Summer job. It will be with the same Summer camp that I worked at last year. It was very nice to walk in and basically be given a job. It should be fun to work with the kids and get paid to get a tan. Perhaps I will be as dark as I was last year!

I am also excited to have started mowing for Holly. I mowed and took the weed-eater to the tall grass. It was quite the experience to weed-eat, because it was gas and it had a lot of power behind it. My arms hurt by the end and it didn't take me too long. Perhaps I should find some where to lift!

I hope you are all enjoying the weather and having a good beginning to Spring!

Mission accomplished!

2010-04-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

The end count by Saturday was three. I think that is a good amount of books read consider each was over 300. Besides reading a lot, I also finished a couple of units for school, which leaves me with very little to actually plan for the last seven weeks of school. It is hard to believe that we have so little time left in the school year. In a couple of weeks I will have officially been graduated for one year. Makes me feel old!

I spent the weekend in Ogden. It is a way up there. I did see the Ogden temple, which means I have another temple off my list of temples to see. The reason for the trek was to visit a friend that moved up there at the beginning of the year. We had a grand time cooking and watching Horatio Hornblower and Princess and the Frog.

So besides a short trip, running three mornings (whoot for me!), and lesson planning that was all that happened this week.

Have a great week!

Spring break here I come!

2010-04-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have the upcoming week off, because of Spring break and I am so excited. It is really hard from when we come back from Christmas to the end of the year because there are so few breaks. After the break I have six and half weeks left and then I will be officially finished with my first year of teaching!

We had an exciting beginning of the week. I came to school on Monday to find two inches of water on the floor and it wasn't the nice rainy smelling kind...it with the stinky sewer kind. We spent two hours cleaning up the mess. When the kids got to school the floors were still wet, so we had the first half of the day outside. I felt like a pioneer teaching on the plains. I am grateful that the weather was so nice. Despite all of this it was business as usual. The kids present their reports on their countries and we had dishes from around the world. When we come back from break we will start our last project on dinosaurs.

Socially this week it was the same as always. Family home evening on Monday, Institute on Tuesday, and the temple on Wednesday. I was able to go to the Sunday afternoon session of conference in Salt Lake. I love attending the live session and see the prophet and apostles. It is something that I will never tire of. While in Salt Lake I saw my first protester. Honestly I was not impressed with what they were saying. I don't think their reasoning was very sound and it really didn't make sense. It was a little sad to see them.

Any who...the coming week should be relaxing with lots of book reading!

Spring is here...or maybe not!

2010-03-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

The weather has been taunting me all week. The sun is out and shinning yet there is a bitter chill in the air. On Friday I walk out of the apartment and felt the cold wind and considered going back and getting something a little heavier, but I decided against it. A few short hours later I regretted it deeply as the snow started to fall. Hopefully, once April hits the weather will officially get warm and stay warm.

While at school this week we had another funny quote. One day while they kids were playing basketball on of the boys said, "I'm a manly man," as he was shooting the basketball. I chuckled a little and the other kids laughed. We made reference to it a couple of times during the rest of the week. My favorite reference was on one occation this same boy dropped something and made an unusually high scream. Another girl said, "I don't think manly men scream like that." Perhaps you had to be there, but I thought is was funny.

This week in my life I did the normal routine of family home evening on Monday, Institute of Tuesday, and the temple on Wednesday. School was really busy. We had a field trip to the local Krispy Kreme shop, read stories they created to preschoolers, and had a bake sale to raise money to buy a new pet. I have been trying to get back into the routine of running again and haven't been too successful, but this week I made it twice. A good friend also had a birthday party, which was a so fun to go to and see people that I haven't seen for a while.

Another thing that I am excited about is the fact that a group of us finally say down and planned our trip to Disneyland. We have talked about it, but now it is something that is pretty much set in stone.

That is all from my end. I hope you are had a good week!

Whinney Side Up

January...check!

Zzzz....

One more week!

Sweet!

First week back...and I'm still kickin'!

...And a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

My apologies!

**Sigh**

One week to go!

Two weeks and counting!

Thanksgiving!

It is finished!

One week and counting!

Best idea ever!

Another first!

I was lost, but now I am found!

Fall in Provo!

Who knew a five year old cared so much!

General Conference Weekend!

Boys, boys, boys!

You know when the honeymoon is over when...

Spiderman....spiderman...

Week one...check!

Exciting News!

Here we go!

Carolyn's graduation and other things...

The final count down!

Start your engines!

A new record!

Toothpicks are dangerous!

A rose by any other name...

New motto...Go BIG, or go home.

The 4th!

One more thing!

So ends the month of June.

Squaw Peak...again!

The first week of SUMMER!

The end has arrived!

The end is in sight!

Rain, rain go away...

Best Birthday Ever!

Glad that's over with!

The weather and I are not on good terms!

One down, six to go!

Retraction...

It has arrived!

Seven days...seven days.

Spring break...oh how I wish you were already here!

A great beginning and an even better ending!

It's getting better and better!

The weeks just keep flying by...

Beach Party!

Three parties and I am still alive...

What a week!

Some of my favorite things...

Two weeks in a row!

A true update.

Let's get down to business!

The first week back!

Happy New Year!

Christmas!

Christmas Break!

Basketball?

It's December!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm not proud...just ask me.

You know it's going to be one of those days when...

Weather Patterns

Halloween Week!

Fall is officially here!

Fall break!

Zzzz......

What a weekend!

Like father...like daughter!

So cute!

Ummm...what was I thinking?

One week down!

The end is here!

Sigh