So, I'm not going to lie, I've had a pretty rotten week. Without going into detail, I have to say that this has probably been the worst week since I've started teaching. Let's just say I have been giving some serious thought to what else I could do with my degree. Haha. (Even to the extent of thinking of going back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and trying to work my way up the Totem Pole). But within all this, there have been a few things that have made this week (and last week) slightly better. They are as follows:
1- One of my students who normally has terrible handwriting and difficult behavior was an angel all of last week and used his very best handwriting in every subject area. Success!
2- One of my students is always on task, always looking to me to follow what I want him to do. We were walking in the hall, and, as always, he was following all of our rules for walking in the hall. I gave him a thumbs up, he smiled, and winked at me. I almost busted up laughing because it was so cute and funny! This same boy has walked past my classroom and said goodbye to me the past few days about 5 minutes after the bell has rung. Definitely a good way to end my day.
3- One of my hardest students is on a behavior contract now, and his behavior improved immensely last week. In fact, twice last week he came and gave me a big hug and said thank you for the scores that I gave him for various parts of the day. Then, yesterday, he brought in a bag of salt water taffy for us to use as our "mystery prize" this week. He told me that he earned 2 dollars, and he wanted to use it to get something for our class, so he bought the taffy for a prize. He said that it was very generous of him. :)
4- I have been sick this week. I started to lose my voice on Monday, and one of my little girls gave me a couple of hugs during the day, and told me that she was sorry that I was losing my voice. Yesterday, she gave me a hug before recess again, and told me that she was sorry that I was sick. So sweet!
Because I have no voice, I have a substitute today. I'm not going to lie, it's kind of nice to have the day off, especially because I have strained my voice at work the past couple of days. So, I slept in (until 8:05), and then took a hot (or at least as hot as I can get at my apt. complex...) bath. Now I am reclining on the couch with vicks on my chest and feet, eating lipton noodle soup, drinking water and sprite, blogging, and watching Pride and Prejudice (the 5 hour version). I have to admit that I have also been talking to myself this morning. Not so much because I'm lonely, but because I've been trying to gauge how my voice is doing. This is kind of how it's been going: *cough, cough* "Oh, do I have my voice back now? Oh...not really," or "Can you hear me now? Uh...nope, it's still gone!" or trying to sing along with music....let's just say it's incredible how many wrong notes you can hit in a row when you are trying to sing along with Pandora when you have no voice.
Well, I think that's about all I can think of to "say" right now. I guess typing will have to be my way of expressing myself for now, because I sure can't do it through talking. Haha!
Adios!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Once upon November
Once upon a time, November seemed really far away. But, here we are over halfway through November already! It is super crazy how time can seem to be moving so quickly, but so slowly at the same time. But perhaps that's because I'm a bit of an impatient person. It is moving super quickly in that I have so much that I need to do and I feel like there is never enough time to do it. But then again, can you believe that it's already NOVEMBER? It's only 37 days until Christmas, which is just enough time to get all excited and ready for it. But, before Christmas I have so very much to do, including: finishing out my last semester at UVU (projects, portfolios, evaluations, the works), one final teaching evaluation by my intern coach, teaching my students a song for the school Christmas program, having my students make a Christmas craft to give to their families as a gift the night of the Christmas concert, planning games for our faculty Christmas party, not to mention trying to teach my kids all the material for math second term so we can take the district test BEFORE they go on Christmas break where they would forgot all the math they had learned due to sugar and presents and fun overload. (I know, that was a terribly long Christmas and not grammatically correct, but since this is not a paper or anything formal for that matter, I feel like I can do as I please. :) ).
One funny story that happened a couple of weeks ago in class: We were watching The Magic School Bus and one of my students pipes up and says, "Miss Hansen, these are really old!" To which I responded that they were kind of old. He then said, "Yeah, I used to watch them when I was a kid." So, apparently being a "kid" is now redefined as being under the age of 7. (I just have to add a little disclaimer that this is the first time that I have shown my kids The Magic School Bus or any longish movie. But, my elbow started to hurt almost as soon as I got to school and I was without painkiller--what a great start to my Friday! I was just going to try to tough it out, but it kept hurting all day, and I was starting to feel kind of icky. On top of that, one of my girls sprayed perfume of sorts in the classroom, and it gave me a headache. So, on my lunch break, I went to the office and begged--okay I just asked-- for some painkiller. My request was satisfied with some tylenol, and I went back to work. But, my energy was kind of low, so we just watched Magic School Bus, and it was great! The kids loved it, and I think they learned something too, which is an added bonus!)
That is about all I have to say, other than I am super excited for this week to be over, as cynical as that sounds, because I am super excited for a break! And, what else could you ask for in a break other than spending time with friends and family, eating great food, relaxing, and playing some games! Sounds pretty wonderful to me!
Well adios, y'all!
One funny story that happened a couple of weeks ago in class: We were watching The Magic School Bus and one of my students pipes up and says, "Miss Hansen, these are really old!" To which I responded that they were kind of old. He then said, "Yeah, I used to watch them when I was a kid." So, apparently being a "kid" is now redefined as being under the age of 7. (I just have to add a little disclaimer that this is the first time that I have shown my kids The Magic School Bus or any longish movie. But, my elbow started to hurt almost as soon as I got to school and I was without painkiller--what a great start to my Friday! I was just going to try to tough it out, but it kept hurting all day, and I was starting to feel kind of icky. On top of that, one of my girls sprayed perfume of sorts in the classroom, and it gave me a headache. So, on my lunch break, I went to the office and begged--okay I just asked-- for some painkiller. My request was satisfied with some tylenol, and I went back to work. But, my energy was kind of low, so we just watched Magic School Bus, and it was great! The kids loved it, and I think they learned something too, which is an added bonus!)
That is about all I have to say, other than I am super excited for this week to be over, as cynical as that sounds, because I am super excited for a break! And, what else could you ask for in a break other than spending time with friends and family, eating great food, relaxing, and playing some games! Sounds pretty wonderful to me!
Well adios, y'all!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Every Day's an Adventure
To quote one of my favorite movies, "Adventure is out there!" Some may have to look for adventure. For others, adventures simply come. I would say that in second grade, adventures simply just come.
My most eventful day this week was Thursday. Whoever planned the schedule for this day did a very poor job- it was make-up picture day, pajama day, and reflections assembly day. So, we had kids that came in normal clothes to get their pictures taken, and then they brought pajamas to change into afterwards. Not that this would ever cause chaos or confusion in a second grade class...
So, pretty much, my kiddos were having a pretty fun day. Well, to add to the excitement, I decided to do and activity with M&Ms in math regarding odd and even numbers and making equations. I made it quite clear that they were not allowed to eat their M&Ms until they were told, so that wasn't much of an issue. The lesson went fairly smoothly and the kids seemed to have fun and understand it. (I later had a girl ask me if we were going to do math today, and I told her that the M&M activity was math. She said that it was so fun that she didn't even notice she was doing math. :)).
I finally let my kids eat their M&Ms while they finished their math and science work. I put on some Disney music to help them focus while they worked and to make things fun. I seriously turned my back for 2 seconds, and one of the boys in my class is standing backwards on his chair "dancing" (a.k.a. shaking it) and pulling his pajama pants down. Needless to say I had to stop him before his pants were all the way off.
About 2 minutes later, I look at a different student, and he has a green M&M up his nose. I told him to get it out of his nose immediately (which he proceeded to do by pushing in his other nostril and forcefully blowing). I then told him to go throw it away and wash his hands. While he was washing his hands, a girl in my class came up to me and told me that he licked his hand before washing it. Yep. I am definitely teaching second graders going on preschoolers.
I did have a good laugh about both of these afterwards though! I guess things like these spice up life, and you just have to learn to love the spices.
In closing, I would just like to leave a little joke that I came up with. I think it's quite funny, but I may be a little biased.
What does a minion dance at the ball?
A minionuet.
My most eventful day this week was Thursday. Whoever planned the schedule for this day did a very poor job- it was make-up picture day, pajama day, and reflections assembly day. So, we had kids that came in normal clothes to get their pictures taken, and then they brought pajamas to change into afterwards. Not that this would ever cause chaos or confusion in a second grade class...
So, pretty much, my kiddos were having a pretty fun day. Well, to add to the excitement, I decided to do and activity with M&Ms in math regarding odd and even numbers and making equations. I made it quite clear that they were not allowed to eat their M&Ms until they were told, so that wasn't much of an issue. The lesson went fairly smoothly and the kids seemed to have fun and understand it. (I later had a girl ask me if we were going to do math today, and I told her that the M&M activity was math. She said that it was so fun that she didn't even notice she was doing math. :)).
I finally let my kids eat their M&Ms while they finished their math and science work. I put on some Disney music to help them focus while they worked and to make things fun. I seriously turned my back for 2 seconds, and one of the boys in my class is standing backwards on his chair "dancing" (a.k.a. shaking it) and pulling his pajama pants down. Needless to say I had to stop him before his pants were all the way off.
About 2 minutes later, I look at a different student, and he has a green M&M up his nose. I told him to get it out of his nose immediately (which he proceeded to do by pushing in his other nostril and forcefully blowing). I then told him to go throw it away and wash his hands. While he was washing his hands, a girl in my class came up to me and told me that he licked his hand before washing it. Yep. I am definitely teaching second graders going on preschoolers.
I did have a good laugh about both of these afterwards though! I guess things like these spice up life, and you just have to learn to love the spices.
In closing, I would just like to leave a little joke that I came up with. I think it's quite funny, but I may be a little biased.
What does a minion dance at the ball?
A minionuet.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Life
"My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can." ~ Cary Grant
Let's just say that somehow, I manage to get up every morning, and I definitely go to bed at night. Occupying myself the best that I can in between consists of: work, teaching prep, teaching, more prep, more teaching, more working, eating something, more prep, something for my calling, and trying to have a social life. I also try to sneak in things such as personal hygiene. Ok, I lied. That is a top priority, because who like to be stinky? I try to find time to do things that I would like to do such as: working out, cooking, watching a movie, doing my nails, laughing with Laura, and just being silly! Luckily, I can multitask, so being silly can often be worked in with other things in my in between.
This teaching game is hard! Right now, I'm not sure if I'm winning, but it's an unpredictable game. It's only about 1/4th of the way through, so there is still plenty of time to be the victor. But seriously, who thought up the job of being a teacher..."You know what would be really funny? Sticking one adult in a room with 20+ children ages 7 and 8 who are all at different emotional, social, and academic levels and watching what happens. Let's take bets on how long they last!" That's what it feels like sometimes.
But, if there is one thing I have learned in life, it's that feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with your situation gets you absolutely nowhere. So, I am sticking my oars back in the water and am rowing against the current in the attempt to turn the situation around. Once I get turned around, I'm sure that rowing will become much easier. Granted, I will still have to row, but my muscles can have a little break here and there.
There are also things that happen while I'm teaching that make my job so fun! For example, when I picked up my kiddos from art the other day, one little girl came and gave me a note that said, "I like you being my teacher. I wish you were my mom." Day made. Also, yesterday during science, we watched a little 2 minute video on the life cycle of a frog. After the video, I had a page with picture and arrows for my kids to color, cut out, and glue in their science notebook that outlined the life cycle of a frog. My kids were little angels. They all followed instructions and got right to work. They were so quiet that I put some Disney music on while they were working. They even did their best work. My kids who usually rush through things took their time and had quality coloring, cutting, and gluing. Success.
Well all, ta-ta for now. Enjoy this beautiful October weather!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
A Year of Firsts
In life, there are many firsts. Your first step, the first day of school, the first time you go swimming, the first time you go to Disneyland. There are many firsts to look forward to, such as your first kiss, the first day of summer vacation, or your first sleepover. There are also many firsts that you don't look forward to such as: your first cavity, your first funeral, or your first car wreck.
This year, I have had many firsts--and most of them have been wonderful! Here are some of these firsts:
1- First time working 2 jobs.
2- First time working 2 jobs and going to school.
3- First time being a teaching intern.
4- First time having my own car.
5- First time having a calling in the Relief Society.
6- First time setting up a classroom.
7- First time going to Bear Lake.
8- First time having all of my roommates get married. (Don't worry I never ever felt even a little bit left out.)
9- First time having a sibling leave on a mission.
10- First time eating pretzels with peanut butter. (Seriously, I am eating it right now and it is so good. I mean I've had the peanut butter filled pretzels before, but I think this is even better! And, I am getting some protein.)
11- First time moving to private housing.
12- First time I went to the Stadium of Fire.
13- First time I hiked to bridal veil falls.
14- First time I have played sand volleyball with 11 guys.
15- First time I have had a broken heart. (Metaphorically speaking. My heart was not literally broken, but... And, I may have a touch of the melodramatic side to me, because it wasn't really that serious. I didn't even cry. I am a rock.)
16- First time locking my key and my spare key in my car.
17- First time locking myself out of my apartment via my balcony.
18- First time I had a cool shark noodle that I took swimming with me.
19- First time I went Latin Dancing and didn't get home until like 2:00 in the morning. (And, yes, I did have work the next day at 9:00--and yes, I was on time to work.)
20- First time I haven't gone camping with my family.
Here are twenty "firsts" that I have had this year. I thought that was appropriate, because it will be my twenty-first year of life this year. It amazes me how many "firsts" there are out there to do, even as we get older. Here is to another wonderful week of firsts!
On a completely unrelated side note, I was sent an email with a picture that says, "My life is like a romantic comedy, except there's no romance and it's just me laughing at my own jokes." This seriously is my life right now!
This year, I have had many firsts--and most of them have been wonderful! Here are some of these firsts:
1- First time working 2 jobs.
2- First time working 2 jobs and going to school.
3- First time being a teaching intern.
4- First time having my own car.
5- First time having a calling in the Relief Society.
6- First time setting up a classroom.
7- First time going to Bear Lake.
8- First time having all of my roommates get married. (Don't worry I never ever felt even a little bit left out.)
9- First time having a sibling leave on a mission.
10- First time eating pretzels with peanut butter. (Seriously, I am eating it right now and it is so good. I mean I've had the peanut butter filled pretzels before, but I think this is even better! And, I am getting some protein.)
11- First time moving to private housing.
12- First time I went to the Stadium of Fire.
13- First time I hiked to bridal veil falls.
14- First time I have played sand volleyball with 11 guys.
15- First time I have had a broken heart. (Metaphorically speaking. My heart was not literally broken, but... And, I may have a touch of the melodramatic side to me, because it wasn't really that serious. I didn't even cry. I am a rock.)
16- First time locking my key and my spare key in my car.
17- First time locking myself out of my apartment via my balcony.
18- First time I had a cool shark noodle that I took swimming with me.
19- First time I went Latin Dancing and didn't get home until like 2:00 in the morning. (And, yes, I did have work the next day at 9:00--and yes, I was on time to work.)
20- First time I haven't gone camping with my family.
Here are twenty "firsts" that I have had this year. I thought that was appropriate, because it will be my twenty-first year of life this year. It amazes me how many "firsts" there are out there to do, even as we get older. Here is to another wonderful week of firsts!
 |
| Bear Lake with one of my besties, Taylor. :) |
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Greetings from Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru!
Here is tonight's dinner, which turned out very well, if I do say so myself. :) It's all because I have a cooking addiction, which is difficult to shake, really. So, I just do my best to live with it. Luckily, I also have an eating addiction. They balance each other out quite nicely.
This is my dinner (please pardon my attempts at Espanol):
 |
| This is the whole meal. |
 |
| This is Green Rice (Peru). This is my own recipe, and it turned out. Hooray! This is my attempt at Spanish: Arroz verde con pollo (It sounds authentic, right?) |
 |
| These are platanos, cooked Ecuadorian style. |
 |
| These are platanos, served Mexican style. Platanos con lechera. (A.k.a sweetened condensed milk :) ) |
So, everything went like clockwork, until I was peeling the avocado. There was a piece of the skin that was rock hard and stuck to the fruit, so I tried to get it off with the knife. Bad idea. I now have a cut on my thumb that is a good inch to inch-and-a-quarter long. Oh well. Such is life. At least I have my dinner to enjoy!
Chow! Hasta luego.
Friday, July 5, 2013
A Week of Summer
Due to all of the crazy stuff going on in my life, I have been rather busy and summer has sometimes been put on the back burner. I am getting really good at squeezing some summer in with the crazy though, especially this week. So far this week I have done things every day that make it really feel like I am getting a summer vacation.
Monday: I played sand volleyball for FHE with my pink and white volleyball. GLORIOUS!
Tuesday: I got the keys to my classroom and got to start arranging things. I have a TON of stuff left from the previous teacher that I have to go through though. All I really want to do is decorate my room and get things like welcome letters, newsletter, a website, and lesson plans prepared, but I have to go through all of the stuff. It will save me a lot of money in the long run, though.
I had the opportunity to play sand volleyball again--but with guys I didn't really know (a couple of them I recognized, and some of them recognized me, but they are in a different ward then me). They invited me to play as I was chatting with a couple of girls in my ward, but I needed to finish some visits first. None of the people I needed to visit were home, so I joined their game a couple minutes later. At that point, there were 5 guys playing and I joined, becoming the only girl playing. Their numbers grew throughout the night, eventually reaching a peak of 10 guys and me playing. We played 3 games, and I had a lot of fun! And then I went and ran a mile.
Wednesday: I got my hair trimmed (seriously- just a trim. She said that she only took off about 1/4 inch.). Then, I saw Despicable Me 2 with Laura. We had these awesome seats that were just off by themselves. We laughed for a good majority of the movie. It was kind of predictable, but very entertaining! Then we came back to our apartments and went swimming at the pool in the dark with our awesome seahorse and shark noodles (see picture below). Then, we went and got food at JCW's (YUM!). After that we "watched" Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I slept through most of it, but the parts that I saw were just as good as ever.
Thursday: I was able to sleep in, which is actually pretty unusual. I generally can't sleep in even on the weekends because I work Saturday mornings, and I have meetings Sunday mornings. I was then able to go shopping for some Fourth of July appropriate attire. I did some productive things in the afternoon (like 3 science responses, my ESL observation paper, and lesson prep for my lesson that I'm teaching on Sunday). Then, I got ready for my date! Pretty much, the whole night was fantastic. It was a double/group date. We had dinner at their apartment around 7:00, and then walked over to the stadium around 7:50 for the Stadium of Fire. Stadium of Fire was amazing! There was a variety of entertainment. I knew most of the songs that were sung, so that was fun. And the fireworks were spectacular! (Even if I did get showered in ash-like particles from the fireworks. I may or may not have gotten some in my eye. Either that or I got emotional from the incredible bursting-light display in the sky and one of my eyes starting watering. You can be the judge.) After it was over, we walked back to their apartment to wait out the crazy traffic. We watched some funny YouTube videos and talked. We finally braved the traffic at about 12:15, because he had to work early the next morning, but it was still pretty bad. All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable evening. Hands down a million times better than my Fourth of July last year!
Friday: Well, that's today and nothing terribly exciting has happened yet. I'm sure something will though, because my Fridays always have elements of fun.
Happy summer, y'all!
Monday: I played sand volleyball for FHE with my pink and white volleyball. GLORIOUS!
Tuesday: I got the keys to my classroom and got to start arranging things. I have a TON of stuff left from the previous teacher that I have to go through though. All I really want to do is decorate my room and get things like welcome letters, newsletter, a website, and lesson plans prepared, but I have to go through all of the stuff. It will save me a lot of money in the long run, though.
I had the opportunity to play sand volleyball again--but with guys I didn't really know (a couple of them I recognized, and some of them recognized me, but they are in a different ward then me). They invited me to play as I was chatting with a couple of girls in my ward, but I needed to finish some visits first. None of the people I needed to visit were home, so I joined their game a couple minutes later. At that point, there were 5 guys playing and I joined, becoming the only girl playing. Their numbers grew throughout the night, eventually reaching a peak of 10 guys and me playing. We played 3 games, and I had a lot of fun! And then I went and ran a mile.
Wednesday: I got my hair trimmed (seriously- just a trim. She said that she only took off about 1/4 inch.). Then, I saw Despicable Me 2 with Laura. We had these awesome seats that were just off by themselves. We laughed for a good majority of the movie. It was kind of predictable, but very entertaining! Then we came back to our apartments and went swimming at the pool in the dark with our awesome seahorse and shark noodles (see picture below). Then, we went and got food at JCW's (YUM!). After that we "watched" Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I slept through most of it, but the parts that I saw were just as good as ever.
 |
| (Please excuse the ridiculous look on my face) |
(This is one of my favorite videos that we watched. I've seen it before, but it makes me laugh!)
Friday: Well, that's today and nothing terribly exciting has happened yet. I'm sure something will though, because my Fridays always have elements of fun.
Happy summer, y'all!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Sunday Soliloquy (Not really, but I can pretend, right?)
This is how I spent my Sunday after church:
• Presidency meeting
• Coordinating for meetings later in the week/planning out my week
• 20 minute nap
• Watching some "I'm a Mormon" videos (There are some really cool ones out there!)
• Playing with bouncy balls outside with Laura
• Trying out my artistic skills with chalk on the sidewalk (see pictures below)
• Watching an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show
• Writing a letter with Laura to one of the girls we visit teach
• Going to ward prayer (Where I found out that my fhe group is playing sand volleyball for our activity tonight!- Can you say EXCITED!!!)
• Preparing food for class the next day (1 kiwi, 1 mango, 1 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 3/4 cucumber, 2 stalks celery, baby carrots, wheat thins, 2 cheese blocks, and pretsels)
• Getting ready for bed
• Sleep!
Here are some samples of our chalk art:
• Presidency meeting
• Coordinating for meetings later in the week/planning out my week
• 20 minute nap
• Watching some "I'm a Mormon" videos (There are some really cool ones out there!)
• Playing with bouncy balls outside with Laura
• Trying out my artistic skills with chalk on the sidewalk (see pictures below)
• Watching an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show
• Writing a letter with Laura to one of the girls we visit teach
• Going to ward prayer (Where I found out that my fhe group is playing sand volleyball for our activity tonight!- Can you say EXCITED!!!)
• Preparing food for class the next day (1 kiwi, 1 mango, 1 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper, 3/4 cucumber, 2 stalks celery, baby carrots, wheat thins, 2 cheese blocks, and pretsels)
• Getting ready for bed
• Sleep!
Here are some samples of our chalk art:
Here are a couple of jokes to leave you with:
What musical instrument is found in the bathroom?
A tuba toothpaste.
What is the best kind of thing to eat in the bathtub?
Sponge cake
Friday, June 28, 2013
A (Small) Look into the life of this Intern :)
So, here are a couple of pictures that show a couple of things that I have been up to lately. This first one is a little sneak peak into the stuff that I have for my classroom. It is a sign to go above the classroom library/reading area. This is just one of the things that I have made for my class. I will take pictures of the rest of the stuff once it is actually in my classroom. :)
In this next picture is a plaster mold of a Bobcat track.
This last picture shows a little seed activity that we did. This is one way that you can plant seeds in your yard. It helps with the spacing of your plants. Based on the guidelines given in class, I divided the paper towel into 12 different segments and glued (with Elmer's non-toxic stick glue) a pea into each segment. If I were to continue the growing process, I would cover each pea with enough soil to match its' size.
We also did an activity with a GPS and army men. As a partnership, we got to hide an army man within certain predetermined parameters, and then "mark" the location with our GPS devices. We then switched our GPS devices with another partnership and found their army man. Another activity we did dealt with electricity. We had a battery with wires and then different things that we could attach to the wires. For example, there were a couple of things that we could hook up that made a beeping sound. We could also hook up a propeller-like thing that would start spinning when the wires were connected. There were also lightbulbs that we could light-up. My group was able to get all of the things to happen simultaneously. (And, they even had 5 different colors of lightbulbs lighting up while everything else was going on). The last activity that we did was with wood blocks. We had to build some sort of structure with 150 of these blocks. We could try and build the tallest, the most intricate, etc. building. The only condition was that when we were done, our structure had to be able to support a little smurf dude. The tower that my group built was the tallest. It was also pretty stable. Some of the other groups in my class created really intricate and neatly designed buildings.
All-in-all, I had a pretty fun class today! I really hope that I can think of fun, interactive- but meaningful- activities to do with my students during science.
P.S. I get the keys to my classroom on Tuesday!!!!!! I'm only a little excited! :)
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Once Upon a Time...I promise that I can Tell a Normal Fairytale
This afternoon while I was sorting through the MOUNTAINS of papers and folders and binders, etc. that have accumulated for the past couple of semesters I came upon this "treasure." It is a little story that I wrote for a mini-lesson that I did in my literacy class in which my fellow classmates had to pick out a sight word from the passage. Attached to each of the passages was a package of sprees or sweetarts. This will make sense by the end of the story, I promise.
"This is the story of Chicken Big. One fine evening, Chicken Big entered his house of straw and said, 'The ground is rising, the ground is rising!' Just as he said this, Goldilocks huffed and puffed and pushed his front door open. She had a magic bean for Chicken Big to put under his bed. If he was truly a chicken, he would not have any dreams about the bean that night. If he did have dreams about the bean then the dish would run away with the fork and the moon would fall out of the sky. As a token of gratitude for reading this silly, little tale, I have included a sweet little treat."
On a side note, I worked with the cutest little girl today at my tutoring job. I hope she becomes a regular for me to work with!
I heard a new joke today: How much does a hipster weigh?
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
An instagram.
"This is the story of Chicken Big. One fine evening, Chicken Big entered his house of straw and said, 'The ground is rising, the ground is rising!' Just as he said this, Goldilocks huffed and puffed and pushed his front door open. She had a magic bean for Chicken Big to put under his bed. If he was truly a chicken, he would not have any dreams about the bean that night. If he did have dreams about the bean then the dish would run away with the fork and the moon would fall out of the sky. As a token of gratitude for reading this silly, little tale, I have included a sweet little treat."
On a side note, I worked with the cutest little girl today at my tutoring job. I hope she becomes a regular for me to work with!
I heard a new joke today: How much does a hipster weigh?
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
An instagram.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Because Today, as you must know, is Tuesday
"Here's my day so far: went to jail, lost the girl of my dreams and got my [rear ] kicked pretty good. Still, things could be a lot worse. Oh, that's right...I'm falling to my death. Guess they can't How did it all come to this? Well, my end starts at the beginning...The very beginning!"
So, here's my day so far: Went to work, went to a meeting, got my teacher badge, ran errands, talked with my sister, and went running. Still, things could be a lot worse! What a wonderful day I've had. I'll try to keep this post short and sweet.
Here are some things that made my day so good:
1. Starting my tutoring job again. Kids are funny, and somehow I always seem to get to work with the little ones that have attitudes, opinions, and personalities larger than them!
2. I am all set up for life insurance and a retirement plan starting in the fall. I feel so grown up! (And, although I understand that it is necessary, it seems rather funny that in one of the first meetings for my career, we are already talking about retirement.)
3. Eating HEALTHY!!! It is truly wonderful. Although, I am finding that I need to make more frequent trips to the grocery store because I am eating so much fresh produce and way less junk. But since grocery shopping could be considered a hobby of mine, I really don't mind.
4. I got my teacher badge! And, I actually like my picture on it--good thing too, because I will be wearing it every day.
5. I printed off a behavior clip chart for my class, and laminated it on my own personal laminator. I am starting to feel like a teacher for real.
6. Exercising! I am starting to see a tiny improvement in my endurance while running, and I always feel great afterwards.
7. Having enough discipline to eat healthy AND exercise. They definitely go hand in hand.
8. Over-hearing a comment made by a little boy in a yard I was walking by during the "cool-down" phase of my workout. And I quote, "Dude, remember? A woman acts as a reflection of her man!" I had to chuckle over that one. (And I had to wonder who I am a reflection of, seeing as how I don't have a man.)
And that, my friends, just about sums up my day.
In conclusion, here are some lyrics from one of my new favorite songs "When I was your Man" by Bruno Mars. It seems fitting seeing as how a woman is a reflection of her man.
"I hope he buys you flowers, I hope he holds you hand,
Give you all his hours when he has the chance
Take you to every party cause I remember how much you loved to dance
Do all the things I should have done, when I was your man."
So, here's my day so far: Went to work, went to a meeting, got my teacher badge, ran errands, talked with my sister, and went running. Still, things could be a lot worse! What a wonderful day I've had. I'll try to keep this post short and sweet.
Here are some things that made my day so good:
1. Starting my tutoring job again. Kids are funny, and somehow I always seem to get to work with the little ones that have attitudes, opinions, and personalities larger than them!
2. I am all set up for life insurance and a retirement plan starting in the fall. I feel so grown up! (And, although I understand that it is necessary, it seems rather funny that in one of the first meetings for my career, we are already talking about retirement.)
3. Eating HEALTHY!!! It is truly wonderful. Although, I am finding that I need to make more frequent trips to the grocery store because I am eating so much fresh produce and way less junk. But since grocery shopping could be considered a hobby of mine, I really don't mind.
4. I got my teacher badge! And, I actually like my picture on it--good thing too, because I will be wearing it every day.
5. I printed off a behavior clip chart for my class, and laminated it on my own personal laminator. I am starting to feel like a teacher for real.
6. Exercising! I am starting to see a tiny improvement in my endurance while running, and I always feel great afterwards.
7. Having enough discipline to eat healthy AND exercise. They definitely go hand in hand.
8. Over-hearing a comment made by a little boy in a yard I was walking by during the "cool-down" phase of my workout. And I quote, "Dude, remember? A woman acts as a reflection of her man!" I had to chuckle over that one. (And I had to wonder who I am a reflection of, seeing as how I don't have a man.)
And that, my friends, just about sums up my day.
In conclusion, here are some lyrics from one of my new favorite songs "When I was your Man" by Bruno Mars. It seems fitting seeing as how a woman is a reflection of her man.
"I hope he buys you flowers, I hope he holds you hand,
Give you all his hours when he has the chance
Take you to every party cause I remember how much you loved to dance
Do all the things I should have done, when I was your man."
Thursday, June 13, 2013
So Close, and Still So Far!!!
"We're so close to reaching that famous happy end, almost believing this was not pretend. Let's go on dreaming for we know we are so close, so close, and still so far."
This describes my feelings so well at the moment. I have one assignment left for the first block of summer classes. I am so close to being done...and yet, still so far! And, on a larger scale, I only have 19 credits left until I am officially done with my college classes! (That should only be one semester, right?) But, unfortunately, it spreads between second block summer classes and fall classes. But then I am all the way done with classes forever!!! So close, and still so far! Oh, but I can't graduate until the end of the NEXT semester. Spring 2014, here I come! Again, so close, and still so far!
But on the bright side, if I finish my assignment today, I have the rest of today, and all of tomorrow and Saturday homework free! Freedom is so close, and still so far. (And still so temporary!)
On a completely unrelated side note, I have an anniversary coming up! Sunday, June 16th (Father's Day) will be my 7 year anniversary of breaking my toes. I have not had any broken bones since, so I am in pretty good shape.
Until we meet again, blogging world!
This describes my feelings so well at the moment. I have one assignment left for the first block of summer classes. I am so close to being done...and yet, still so far! And, on a larger scale, I only have 19 credits left until I am officially done with my college classes! (That should only be one semester, right?) But, unfortunately, it spreads between second block summer classes and fall classes. But then I am all the way done with classes forever!!! So close, and still so far! Oh, but I can't graduate until the end of the NEXT semester. Spring 2014, here I come! Again, so close, and still so far!
But on the bright side, if I finish my assignment today, I have the rest of today, and all of tomorrow and Saturday homework free! Freedom is so close, and still so far. (And still so temporary!)
On a completely unrelated side note, I have an anniversary coming up! Sunday, June 16th (Father's Day) will be my 7 year anniversary of breaking my toes. I have not had any broken bones since, so I am in pretty good shape.
Until we meet again, blogging world!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Oh! So That's why Gas is so Expensive...
Most people are not aware of how my brain works, and sometimes I'm not quite so sure either. It's a little unpredictable. So, I was thinking today about gas prices, and this was my thought process: Wow, gas is like $3.68 a gallon. That's even more expensive than a gallon of milk. That's weird, because milk comes from a living, viable creature. Gas is just what is left from the dinosaurs after their dead bodies underwent extreme heat and pressure and probably had some sort of change in the number of carbon molecules, etc., etc., (I'm definitely not a scientist, can you tell?). So why is some dead-dinosaur-body juice so much more expensive than living-animal-white-liquid that is supposed to be good for you? And then it clicked. It's because it's so old! You know, if you go to an antique show, everything is super expensive because it has historic or cultural value. Now, we all know (or really hope) that the milk we drink is not older than the gas that we put in our cars. That must be why gas costs so much--there is some sort of historic value to it. Major lightbulb! I hope I have enlightened you as well! ;)
P.S. I even made the font green in honor of dinosaurs. Don't you think of green and blue for dinosaurs like the brontosaurus? And red for dinosaurs like the tyrannosaurus rex?
P.S. I even made the font green in honor of dinosaurs. Don't you think of green and blue for dinosaurs like the brontosaurus? And red for dinosaurs like the tyrannosaurus rex?
Thursday, June 6, 2013
You MATTER!
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. " ~ Thomas Edison
This week, I have been bombarded by homework. Buried, covered, smothered, up-to-my-neck (oh, dreck!), etc. in homework. You get the picture. So, naturally, I am working on a blog post instead of my homework. Go figure. In my defense, I needed a break from homework and decided to work on a blog post instead of taking a nap. As is becoming the norm with my blog posts, I am once again going to highlight the good things that have happened so far this week.
1. Going running and figuring out a (safe) route that I can go running in the future. Tonight, maybe?
2. Going temple- it was wonderful and just what I needed.
3.Helping my sister and her sister-in-law paint a basement.
4. Seeing my sister three times this week (so far).
5. Preparing and teaching a super cute and fun math lesson- but I may be just a little biased. :)
6. Listening to my younger brother open his mission call- he being the first of the children to serve a mission in my family. (I'm just a little proud of him! :) )
7. Still successfully following my gluten-free diet. (Don't ever try gluten free nut & rice crackers- you will be hooked and they are kind of -or really- expensive!!!)
8. Starting a new book- I'm sold already, and I've only read the first few chapters. (It's pure torture, because it is sitting about two feet away from me just asking to be read. It's a good thing it can't talk, because I don't think I would be able to turn a deaf ear to it!)
9. Almost running into an automatic door because it was opening more slowly than I was walking- that would have been embarrassing!
10. Finding a Megamind coloring book at D.I. that hasn't been used at all yet! I can't wait for some free time so I can color!
11. Flying an airplane out of the Provo airport. Just kidding. I just couldn't think of anything else to write, so I though I'd spice up my blog a little with a nice fabricated adventure.
How does Batman's mom call him for dinner?
Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, BATMAN!
Oh, and I saw this on facebook and thought it was funny! Enjoy! :)
Credit for the quote goes to: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html#tt0isYWHAKXFvrTe.99
This week, I have been bombarded by homework. Buried, covered, smothered, up-to-my-neck (oh, dreck!), etc. in homework. You get the picture. So, naturally, I am working on a blog post instead of my homework. Go figure. In my defense, I needed a break from homework and decided to work on a blog post instead of taking a nap. As is becoming the norm with my blog posts, I am once again going to highlight the good things that have happened so far this week.
1. Going running and figuring out a (safe) route that I can go running in the future. Tonight, maybe?
2. Going temple- it was wonderful and just what I needed.
3.Helping my sister and her sister-in-law paint a basement.
4. Seeing my sister three times this week (so far).
5. Preparing and teaching a super cute and fun math lesson- but I may be just a little biased. :)
6. Listening to my younger brother open his mission call- he being the first of the children to serve a mission in my family. (I'm just a little proud of him! :) )
7. Still successfully following my gluten-free diet. (Don't ever try gluten free nut & rice crackers- you will be hooked and they are kind of -or really- expensive!!!)
8. Starting a new book- I'm sold already, and I've only read the first few chapters. (It's pure torture, because it is sitting about two feet away from me just asking to be read. It's a good thing it can't talk, because I don't think I would be able to turn a deaf ear to it!)
9. Almost running into an automatic door because it was opening more slowly than I was walking- that would have been embarrassing!
10. Finding a Megamind coloring book at D.I. that hasn't been used at all yet! I can't wait for some free time so I can color!
11. Flying an airplane out of the Provo airport. Just kidding. I just couldn't think of anything else to write, so I though I'd spice up my blog a little with a nice fabricated adventure.
How does Batman's mom call him for dinner?
Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner, BATMAN!
Oh, and I saw this on facebook and thought it was funny! Enjoy! :)
Credit for the quote goes to: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html#tt0isYWHAKXFvrTe.99
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Adjusting my Sails :)
"We...can choose to have a positive attitude. We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. In other words, we can choose to be happy and positive, regardless of what comes our way." ~ President Monson
I am learning more and more in life that there are many things that influence us, for good or for bad, but those things really can't determine our happiness. The situations that we face in life do not have the power to "make" us happy or mad. We are the only ones who have that power- the power to decide how to feel- due to the gift of agency that has been bestowed upon us. While we do not have the power to determine what will happen to us- this would jeopardize the agency of others- we do have the power to determine how we will react. I wish that I could say that I have mastered this quality in my life, but I haven't. Sometimes, I really like playing the "woe is me card," but I am finding that doing so doesn't make me feel any less "woe." In fact, it just fans the fire of anger or hurt that I am feeling. This reminds me of a favorite quote by Elder Holland, "No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse." Today, I am making a resolve to change how I approach the winds in my life, whether they be a light breeze or a hurricane. Instead of hoping that the wind will stop blowing, I will pull myself up by my bootstraps, adjust my sails, and smile. :)
To start off, I am going to pull out the highlights out of this past week:
• Spending Memorial Day with my family and doing some of my favorite things- cooking, playing games, and laughing!
• Bringing my car to Provo- what a lifesaver it has been this week!
• Feeling the Spirit very strongly in my institute class.
• Spending the last two days of my tutoring job with my favorite little boy.
• Hiking the 'Y'.
• Finishing (kind of) one of my classes.
• Turning my math project in on time- I still had like 20 minutes to spare. :)
• Playing sand volleyball- and actually hitting the ball over the net sometimes, and having every serve make it over the net. That is success in my books.
• Spending a few hours with one of my best friends after class on Friday.
• Going to Wal-Mart Friday and Saturday evening with my cousin- I am seriously living the dream!
• Having time to study my scriptures between Ward Council and Sacrament meeting.
• Hearing just what I needed to hear from the Stake Relief Society President's spiritual message.
• Being invited to go to the temple by a sweet girl in my ward so that neither of us need to go alone.
• Getting a text message that brightens my day.
• Taking meal planning to a whole new level.
• Getting paid to sit and watch a video at work.
• Participating in the coolest "last-day-of-class" activity ever! My group sang a round in four groups and sounded awesome!
• Being asked by my younger brother if I would be his first date when he turns sixteen. :)
I'm sure that there are many more things I could add to this list, but I feel like that's a good start!
P.S. Don't make the same resolve as me unless you want to be tested! I had just typed a beautiful introduction and started on my list of things that happened last week when the page I was typing on closed and didn't save any of it. At first I was tempted to be a little upset, but I realized how ironic that was, so I just had to laugh!
P.P.S., by the time I'm done with him, he's gonna be begging for mercy. (Name that movie!)
I am learning more and more in life that there are many things that influence us, for good or for bad, but those things really can't determine our happiness. The situations that we face in life do not have the power to "make" us happy or mad. We are the only ones who have that power- the power to decide how to feel- due to the gift of agency that has been bestowed upon us. While we do not have the power to determine what will happen to us- this would jeopardize the agency of others- we do have the power to determine how we will react. I wish that I could say that I have mastered this quality in my life, but I haven't. Sometimes, I really like playing the "woe is me card," but I am finding that doing so doesn't make me feel any less "woe." In fact, it just fans the fire of anger or hurt that I am feeling. This reminds me of a favorite quote by Elder Holland, "No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse." Today, I am making a resolve to change how I approach the winds in my life, whether they be a light breeze or a hurricane. Instead of hoping that the wind will stop blowing, I will pull myself up by my bootstraps, adjust my sails, and smile. :)
To start off, I am going to pull out the highlights out of this past week:
• Spending Memorial Day with my family and doing some of my favorite things- cooking, playing games, and laughing!
• Bringing my car to Provo- what a lifesaver it has been this week!
• Feeling the Spirit very strongly in my institute class.
• Spending the last two days of my tutoring job with my favorite little boy.
• Hiking the 'Y'.
• Finishing (kind of) one of my classes.
• Turning my math project in on time- I still had like 20 minutes to spare. :)
• Playing sand volleyball- and actually hitting the ball over the net sometimes, and having every serve make it over the net. That is success in my books.
• Spending a few hours with one of my best friends after class on Friday.
• Going to Wal-Mart Friday and Saturday evening with my cousin- I am seriously living the dream!
• Having time to study my scriptures between Ward Council and Sacrament meeting.
• Hearing just what I needed to hear from the Stake Relief Society President's spiritual message.
• Being invited to go to the temple by a sweet girl in my ward so that neither of us need to go alone.
• Getting a text message that brightens my day.
• Taking meal planning to a whole new level.
• Getting paid to sit and watch a video at work.
• Participating in the coolest "last-day-of-class" activity ever! My group sang a round in four groups and sounded awesome!
• Being asked by my younger brother if I would be his first date when he turns sixteen. :)
I'm sure that there are many more things I could add to this list, but I feel like that's a good start!
P.S. Don't make the same resolve as me unless you want to be tested! I had just typed a beautiful introduction and started on my list of things that happened last week when the page I was typing on closed and didn't save any of it. At first I was tempted to be a little upset, but I realized how ironic that was, so I just had to laugh!
P.P.S., by the time I'm done with him, he's gonna be begging for mercy. (Name that movie!)
Friday, May 24, 2013
A Slice of my Piece of Life
These last few weeks have been quite stressful with many ups and many downs. This past week has added many additional challenges that became the cherry on top of my pile of stressors. With all of this, I have a had to choose to be happy or upset. I wish I could say that I just pulled myself up by my bootstraps and kept on smiling, but unfortunately, I have had my grumpy face on more than I wish to admit.
Luckily, there have also been many wonderful things that have happened this week that just brighten up my entire day. Here are some of those things:
1. We watched this hilarious clip in my Literacy Methods course. I dare you not to laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxoUUbMii7Q
2. One of my favorite bus drivers waves quite enthusiastically every time he sees me (this is when I am waiting for a different bus.) He also drops me off at a special, non-designated bus stop closer to my apartment-he even told me that he would like to drive me right to my apartment complex, but he thinks he would get fired if he did...I have no idea how I earned this measure of devotion from this bus driver, but I'll take it!
3. My favorite little boy that I tutor (who had an entire post written about him already) agreed to work with me one day on the condition that it was his last time working with me because he has worked with me "like 10 times!" Naturally, I was sad, but what can you do? So the next day, I asked him who he would like to work with and he told me not me, because yesterday was the last time. Then, when the person in charge told him that he had 10 seconds to choose who he was going to work with or he would choose for him, he came running for where I was sitting on the couch and chose me to work with him. I feel loved. It was really fun...except for his little nose-picking incident, which was just gross.
4. Talking to an old friend again.
5. Seeing my sister, even if it was only for like 4 minutes.
6. Being able to see my best friend everyday, and sometimes laugh so hard that I am almost crying. (That definitely happened today).
7. Having wonderful institute classes that cover just what I need at this point in my life.
8. My cute new roommate who is really fun to talk to...and who likes black and white movies and musicals. I have a feeling we will continue to get along!
9. Signing a housing contract for the fall in the ward I want, the type of room I want, and with the roommate I want! :)
10. A guy in my ward giving me a ride to the mall when he saw me waiting for the bus. Sweet, right?
11. Helping with 6th grade graduation at the school that I tutor at. It was fun seeing all of the 6th graders that I have been working with for the past 2 months "graduate." Their speeches were entertaining!
12. Laughing with one of the other tutors I work with. We have become quite good friends over the past few months, and I'm going to miss seeing her everyday!
13. Flying by the seat of my pants and helping my group come up with an impromptu "great goodbye" meeting in class the day we were conducting the meeting. Don't worry. It turned out beautifully. We played a fun group game that had everybody laughing and said goodbye in Dory-version-whale-talk. Elementary school here I come.
14. I was reminded of how keenly aware our Heavenly Father is of his children.
I know that there were many other things that made me smile or laugh this week, but these are some of my favorites. I will end this very long blog post with a quote that came to mind in retrospect of what has occurred this past week, and looking ahead to what is coming next week.
"...the only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." - Sister Hinckley
Luckily, there have also been many wonderful things that have happened this week that just brighten up my entire day. Here are some of those things:
1. We watched this hilarious clip in my Literacy Methods course. I dare you not to laugh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxoUUbMii7Q
2. One of my favorite bus drivers waves quite enthusiastically every time he sees me (this is when I am waiting for a different bus.) He also drops me off at a special, non-designated bus stop closer to my apartment-he even told me that he would like to drive me right to my apartment complex, but he thinks he would get fired if he did...I have no idea how I earned this measure of devotion from this bus driver, but I'll take it!
3. My favorite little boy that I tutor (who had an entire post written about him already) agreed to work with me one day on the condition that it was his last time working with me because he has worked with me "like 10 times!" Naturally, I was sad, but what can you do? So the next day, I asked him who he would like to work with and he told me not me, because yesterday was the last time. Then, when the person in charge told him that he had 10 seconds to choose who he was going to work with or he would choose for him, he came running for where I was sitting on the couch and chose me to work with him. I feel loved. It was really fun...except for his little nose-picking incident, which was just gross.
4. Talking to an old friend again.
5. Seeing my sister, even if it was only for like 4 minutes.
6. Being able to see my best friend everyday, and sometimes laugh so hard that I am almost crying. (That definitely happened today).
7. Having wonderful institute classes that cover just what I need at this point in my life.
8. My cute new roommate who is really fun to talk to...and who likes black and white movies and musicals. I have a feeling we will continue to get along!
9. Signing a housing contract for the fall in the ward I want, the type of room I want, and with the roommate I want! :)
10. A guy in my ward giving me a ride to the mall when he saw me waiting for the bus. Sweet, right?
11. Helping with 6th grade graduation at the school that I tutor at. It was fun seeing all of the 6th graders that I have been working with for the past 2 months "graduate." Their speeches were entertaining!
12. Laughing with one of the other tutors I work with. We have become quite good friends over the past few months, and I'm going to miss seeing her everyday!
13. Flying by the seat of my pants and helping my group come up with an impromptu "great goodbye" meeting in class the day we were conducting the meeting. Don't worry. It turned out beautifully. We played a fun group game that had everybody laughing and said goodbye in Dory-version-whale-talk. Elementary school here I come.
14. I was reminded of how keenly aware our Heavenly Father is of his children.
I know that there were many other things that made me smile or laugh this week, but these are some of my favorites. I will end this very long blog post with a quote that came to mind in retrospect of what has occurred this past week, and looking ahead to what is coming next week.
"...the only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache." - Sister Hinckley
Sunday, May 19, 2013
A Wedding! A Wedding! We're Going to Have a Wedding!
Well recently in my family, we've actually had two. Within a 5-month time frame, both of my older sisters have been sealed for time and all eternity. It's wonderful, and I am truly happy for them. That being said, it doesn't mean that change, as wonderful as it may be, is easy-- a principle that I am learning in many areas of my life right now.
These are some of my favorite memories of time spent with my sisters:
1. Late night giggles
2. Crazy dance parties (with me often being both the dance and the party ;) ).
3. Friday night activities
4. Doing pedicures in our bedrooms
5. The Very, Un-merry Un-birthday party we had for Amanda
6. Creating very original poetry while camping
7. Pulling Andrea around the neighborhood in an old red wagon with an "Oversized Load" sign attached to the back. (To be fair, my brothers were involved in this one too)
8. Telling them all of my funny, crazy, embarrassing life stories and having a good laugh about them
9. The countless of hours of laughing so hard that we cry while playing games with Grandma Walker.
10. Putting together and performing our very own "Bar S Ranch" show for Father's Day
I am looking forward to many more fun memories in the future, as our family continues to grow and change. There are many new chapters waiting to be written in my book of life, some of them closer and newer than I would have imagined And, no, I am not secretly engaged or anything-- my new chapters are composed of very different material than the chapters unfolding for my sisters at present.
Just as a side-note, I made sure that my parents were on the same page as me as far as expectations go now that both of my sisters are married. I just wanted to make sure that they understood that I am expecting some serious spoiling now that I am their only single daughter. :) I didn't hear any rejections to that idea, so I guess that I have their implied consent and agreement. Let the spoiling begin!
These are some of my favorite memories of time spent with my sisters:
1. Late night giggles
2. Crazy dance parties (with me often being both the dance and the party ;) ).
3. Friday night activities
4. Doing pedicures in our bedrooms
5. The Very, Un-merry Un-birthday party we had for Amanda
6. Creating very original poetry while camping
7. Pulling Andrea around the neighborhood in an old red wagon with an "Oversized Load" sign attached to the back. (To be fair, my brothers were involved in this one too)
8. Telling them all of my funny, crazy, embarrassing life stories and having a good laugh about them
9. The countless of hours of laughing so hard that we cry while playing games with Grandma Walker.
10. Putting together and performing our very own "Bar S Ranch" show for Father's Day
I am looking forward to many more fun memories in the future, as our family continues to grow and change. There are many new chapters waiting to be written in my book of life, some of them closer and newer than I would have imagined And, no, I am not secretly engaged or anything-- my new chapters are composed of very different material than the chapters unfolding for my sisters at present.
Just as a side-note, I made sure that my parents were on the same page as me as far as expectations go now that both of my sisters are married. I just wanted to make sure that they understood that I am expecting some serious spoiling now that I am their only single daughter. :) I didn't hear any rejections to that idea, so I guess that I have their implied consent and agreement. Let the spoiling begin!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Are you Sleepy? No....
So, I have the best job in the world, hands down, no competition. I get to work with children in grades K-6 and help them with their homework. I have recently started working with a little boy in 1st grade. He is an obstinate little fellow and tries everything to get out of his homework. These are the things that I love about him the most:
1. He calls every tutor who works with him teacher
2. He has the most adorable smile. :)
3. When he looks at his homework packet or sees anything that is a mess (or is told to do anything that he doesn't want to do) he says, "Oh! What a headache!" in the cutest Spanish accent ever.
Naturally, I look forward to working with him and his adorable personality. Today, he didn't have a homework packet, but I still made him read. Maybe I should mention that he HATES reading. It kind of turns into me reading to him, but I feel like he is still getting some literacy benefits. I try my best to make him help me read, but it is to no avail. I will point to an easy word (today it was to), and ask him what it says. He says, "Teacher- you know what it says!" So, then I try the "I forgot what that word is" technique. To this he responds, "Sound it out!" Well, I am not to be out-smarted, so I tell him that I don't know how to sound it out, and ask if he can tell me what sound the first letter says. He finally gets so fed up with me that he just says the word. I eventually give up, because he focuses much better if I can get him to listen to the story.
One of the books that we read today was based on The Lion King, and he was actually paying attention. As I read, I would look over at him to make sure that he was still listening. About half-way through the book, every time I looked over at him, he would give me one of his heart-melting smiles, but he looked super sleepy. His personality seemed quite subdued, so finally I asked him if he was tired, and he said that he wasn't, so I kept reading. A couple of times, I actually thought that he was about to fall asleep. He kept insisting that he wasn't tired at all. Somehow, his half-shut eyes did not have me convinced.
All in all, it was a fantastic day at work!
1. He calls every tutor who works with him teacher
2. He has the most adorable smile. :)
3. When he looks at his homework packet or sees anything that is a mess (or is told to do anything that he doesn't want to do) he says, "Oh! What a headache!" in the cutest Spanish accent ever.
Naturally, I look forward to working with him and his adorable personality. Today, he didn't have a homework packet, but I still made him read. Maybe I should mention that he HATES reading. It kind of turns into me reading to him, but I feel like he is still getting some literacy benefits. I try my best to make him help me read, but it is to no avail. I will point to an easy word (today it was to), and ask him what it says. He says, "Teacher- you know what it says!" So, then I try the "I forgot what that word is" technique. To this he responds, "Sound it out!" Well, I am not to be out-smarted, so I tell him that I don't know how to sound it out, and ask if he can tell me what sound the first letter says. He finally gets so fed up with me that he just says the word. I eventually give up, because he focuses much better if I can get him to listen to the story.
One of the books that we read today was based on The Lion King, and he was actually paying attention. As I read, I would look over at him to make sure that he was still listening. About half-way through the book, every time I looked over at him, he would give me one of his heart-melting smiles, but he looked super sleepy. His personality seemed quite subdued, so finally I asked him if he was tired, and he said that he wasn't, so I kept reading. A couple of times, I actually thought that he was about to fall asleep. He kept insisting that he wasn't tired at all. Somehow, his half-shut eyes did not have me convinced.
All in all, it was a fantastic day at work!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
How my Blog Came to get its Name
One of the first things that comes to mind when I say balcony is Romeo and Juliet. My balcony scene differs greatly from their's, however, and is in no way romantic. Last Sunday, the weather was very nice, and I thought that I should spend some time outside. I contemplated a walk, but dared not venture on the dreaded Provo Trail alone, so I reverted to the next best thing- my balcony. Before long, a neighbor saw me sitting there and came over and chatted with me for a few minutes and left for a walk.
After a while, I called my sister and tried to go back inside my apartment so that I could hear her (the A.C. was waaaay too loud outside). The key word here is tried, and try I did. While my balcony door was very much unlocked when I went outside (because I was able to open the door to get out) it was definitely locked now. Pull as I might, it would not budge. Not only was I locked out by my balcony, I was locked out by my front door...and I was the one who locked both of them. Just then, my neighbor returned from her walk, and came over to see what the problem was. I had to explain how I locked myself out of my apartment, and after we stopped laughing, we tried to think of how to get me out of this mess. She tracked down our RA's phone number and called them to see if they could come help us out and got an answering machine. (So glad that they are there to help when needed...).
We eventually realized that the clubhouse would be open, because there were ward prayer meetings going on. I climbed over the railing of my balcony, stepped onto the narrow ledge of my porch, and climbed over another railing. This is no small feat, considering that I have to stand on my tip-toes, and swing my legs up over the railing, not to mention the 3-foot gap between my balcony and porch that I could fall through. But, since I have been wanting to increase my flexibility, I really can't complain. We walked through the clubhouse- did I mention that I was barefoot?- trying to sneak quietly past a ward prayer meeting and obtained a master key to let myself into my apartment. (I only had to explain my situation a few times before they understood that it really IS possible to lock oneself out of your apartment, and for a balcony door to magically lock itself behind you). It was quite the adventure for a quiet Sunday evening.
Now, you would think that I would have learned my lesson the first time, but apparently not. If I had, my blog would have been titled "Once Upon a Balcony." Today, I made myself a delicious, healthy lunch, which I decided to enjoy outside in the sunshine. I was not totally trusting of my balcony after my incident last week, so I grabbed my key as I went out. I also made sure that it was very much unlocked before I went out. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard a click and became very suspicious. I gave my door a little tug, which soon turned into a rip-your-shoulder-out-of-your-socket pull, but it was all in vain. My door did it again. But, since I had my back-up plan in place, I didn't worry about it and enjoyed my lunch. :) I then embarked in my flexibility training and climbed over the railings and let myself back into my apartment. Moral of the story? Don't trust balcony doors. They don't play by the rules.
And thus, my blog has received a name. :)
After a while, I called my sister and tried to go back inside my apartment so that I could hear her (the A.C. was waaaay too loud outside). The key word here is tried, and try I did. While my balcony door was very much unlocked when I went outside (because I was able to open the door to get out) it was definitely locked now. Pull as I might, it would not budge. Not only was I locked out by my balcony, I was locked out by my front door...and I was the one who locked both of them. Just then, my neighbor returned from her walk, and came over to see what the problem was. I had to explain how I locked myself out of my apartment, and after we stopped laughing, we tried to think of how to get me out of this mess. She tracked down our RA's phone number and called them to see if they could come help us out and got an answering machine. (So glad that they are there to help when needed...).
We eventually realized that the clubhouse would be open, because there were ward prayer meetings going on. I climbed over the railing of my balcony, stepped onto the narrow ledge of my porch, and climbed over another railing. This is no small feat, considering that I have to stand on my tip-toes, and swing my legs up over the railing, not to mention the 3-foot gap between my balcony and porch that I could fall through. But, since I have been wanting to increase my flexibility, I really can't complain. We walked through the clubhouse- did I mention that I was barefoot?- trying to sneak quietly past a ward prayer meeting and obtained a master key to let myself into my apartment. (I only had to explain my situation a few times before they understood that it really IS possible to lock oneself out of your apartment, and for a balcony door to magically lock itself behind you). It was quite the adventure for a quiet Sunday evening.
Now, you would think that I would have learned my lesson the first time, but apparently not. If I had, my blog would have been titled "Once Upon a Balcony." Today, I made myself a delicious, healthy lunch, which I decided to enjoy outside in the sunshine. I was not totally trusting of my balcony after my incident last week, so I grabbed my key as I went out. I also made sure that it was very much unlocked before I went out. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I heard a click and became very suspicious. I gave my door a little tug, which soon turned into a rip-your-shoulder-out-of-your-socket pull, but it was all in vain. My door did it again. But, since I had my back-up plan in place, I didn't worry about it and enjoyed my lunch. :) I then embarked in my flexibility training and climbed over the railings and let myself back into my apartment. Moral of the story? Don't trust balcony doors. They don't play by the rules.
And thus, my blog has received a name. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)