By Popular Demand

I was requested to put up pics of the other windows I made. Here you go:

This is where they are hanging:
My principal:
Adam:
Garrett:

Stained Glass

I've had some people ask me about the picture I currently have up on my facebook page so I will explain...

Every year at Christmas time, my principal has the 5th graders at our school do a stained glass window project involving cutting out a picture and then filling in the holes with tissue paper to make a stained glass effect. It's a pretty big project and ends up being hung up in the windows of the entry way of our school (it's very pretty). This year, since my co-workers and I have had student teachers, we have been given odd jobs around the school including hanging up the stained glass artwork. The principal asked us to pick out a few of the really nice looking pieces to hang in his office windows. As we were hanging up the windows, we noticed there were some spaces in between and I made a remark that our pictures would fit nicely in those spaces. A few months ago, we had school picture day and each year the photographer gives the teachers and staff a free packet of photos and it's always the largest package which includes an 8 x 10. What are we supposed to do with an 8 x 10 photo of ourselves...sign, frame, and place them in your principal's office, duh! since then we have been looking for ways to incorporate our faces into our principal's office or daily happenings.

What my co-workers weren't expecting was that I would go home and actually map out stained glass images of our faces. Once I had made the suggestion about hanging our pictures up, my mind started working and eventually evolved into stain glass artwork. I cut out the black outlines and then Adam and Garrett filled in their own faces. We eventually snuck into the office and hung up our masterpieces and then hung around to see how long it would take him to notice. We had a good laugh.

We found out that our principal expected that we were up to no good as we were way too quiet in the faculty room that day and kept to ourselves when he walked through the room. After hanging up our faces, we noticed that there was a 4th window that needed something so a couple of days later, I made a window of our principal.

We have too much free time on our hands...don't worry, it ends this Friday as that is our student teachers' last day.

100 Things

Last year, about this time, I was challenged to make a list of things I was thankful for in my life. After listing what I thought was a fairly decent number, I was challenged to come up with at least 40 things for my list in a matter of minutes. I was somewhat surprised, but not entirely, that I was able to come up with 40 different things I was thankful for. After a brief thought/message, I was then challenged to come up with 100 things I was thankful for by the end of the week. I was thinking about this challenge earlier in the week and decided to challenge myself to think of 100 things I am thankful for this year. What a better way to use my 100th post?

So, in no particular order, I am sharing with you, my list:

1. My family
2. My friends
3. My job
4. My co-workers—I’ve worked with quite a few people, but have never gotten along with most as I do with my current co-workers
5. My home
6. My health
7. My car—It gives me problems from time to time, but it gets me to work and other places I want to go
8. My time
9. Food
10. Pam
11. Steven and Randi
12. Diane and Aaron
13. Michael
14. My nieces and nephews
15. Mom
16. Dad
17. Trials—they may be difficult in the moment, but they help me to learn and grow
18. Blessings
19. The Gospel
20. My testimony
21. Scents
22. Patterns in the wood grain
23. Blankets
24. Chocolate
25. Airborne
26. Airplanes
27. Holidays—Breaks from school and provides time to see my family
28. Bacteria—Weird, I know, but as I learn more about it and how they help in our world, I am thankful
29. My education--
30. Movies
31. Books
32. Being able to read
33. Math and numbers in general
34. Turkey—because it’s not chicken
35. Socks
36. Technology
37. My phone
38. Words—how else would we be able to communicate so easily?
39. Love
40. Opposition—without it, we wouldn’t be able to truly enjoy what we have
41. Rain
42. Sunshine
43. My bed
44. Hot water—imagine taking a shower without it
45. Flowers
46. Saturdays
47. The Book of Mormon
48. The Bible
49. General Conference
50. Friendship
51. Gravity
52. Mercy
53. The Atonement
54. Joseph Smith
55. The Holy Ghost
56. Prayer
57. Running
58. Laura and Dirk
59. Doctors
60. Teachers
61. A clean house
62. A house that smells clean
63. My students
64. Challenges
65. Root beer
66. Yellow—It’s such a happy color
67. Understanding
68. Hoodies
69. Home
70. Sounds
71. Ears that hear
72. Eyes that see
73. So many different flavors
74. Humor
75. Personalities
76. My toothbrush
77. Water
78. Fresh air
79. Refrigeration
80. Cobbler
81. The opportunity to help others
82. Rules and guidelines
83. Instructions
84. Pot holders
85. Bread and crackers
86. Honesty
87. Laughter
88. Vacations
89. Someone to go on vacation with
90. My grandparents
91. Paying off debt
92. Faith
93. The temple
94. The chance to get to know my co-workers better and them me
95. The chance to get to know myself better
96. Good choices
97. Learning new things
98. Hobbies
99. My choices—They’ve made me who I am
100.Someone to talk to

What are you thankful for?

It's Been Quite Awhile

I guess I have been somewhat busy, but not really, but that's the excuse I will give for not posting for awhile. Let's see, what has happened since my last post?

*I went to California for my birthday!
I took a few days off of work right before our Fall Break so I had just over a week to play in California. I started off by spending a couple of days in LA with my older brother. It had been awhile since I got to spend some time with him, so it was nice to just visit with him. While I was there, he set me up on a date with one of his friends, we had fun building a couch fort. We then met up with our sister and her family in Anaheim to spend two days at Disneyland. It was her kids' first time going so it was fun to see it through their eyes. I wish I had pictures to post, but my sister has them all. After Disneyland, I drove up north with my sister to spend a couple of days with my parents. Even though I had seen my family over the summer, I had not been home since Christmas, so it was nice to just be home for a couple of days.

*I have a student teacher.
The two other teachers in 6th grade and I decided to all have student teachers in our classes this year. They will spend a total of 6 weeks in our classes, 2 of which they do their solo teaching where we're not even supposed to be in the room. As of today, we are almost halfway through the solo teaching experience which means my co-workers and I have had nothing to do. We asked our principal for a list of things we could do for the school and so everyday we have had some kind of excursion including the following places: Home Depot, Sam's Club, the grocery store, and the junior high school. I have also taken it upon my self to help the 5th grade teachers at our school and wherever else. For the most part, it has been a good break from the norm, but also a slough of new experiences.

*I dressed up as a co-worker for Halloween.
Last year, as a 6th grade, we dressed up like the janitors and a lunch lady at the school so we had to have costumes that were just as hilarious this year. I ended up dressing up as our school's facilitator (she mostly helps with the new teachers and student teachers and cohorts from the local college) while Garrett was the principal (whose name is Dwight) and Adam was Dwight from The Office. It was good fun, too bad the one I was dressed up like was home sick with the swine flu. For Halloween night, I went to a barn dance with a group of friends, but I figured no one would understand my costume of my co-worker so I had to come up with another so I threw on my old winter formal dress and a tiara and...BAM, instant princess! I realized later I should have topped it off with my "Miss California" sash I made for a costume a few years ago.

*I watched the meteor shower last week.
So crazy me decided it would be a good idea to stay up way past my bedtime with some friends to watch the meteor shower last Monday. We did our normal Monday night movie/TV shows and then packed up the truck and headed up the canyon. By 1 am we were situated in the back of the truck covered in jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags while holding onto some hot chocolate and waited for things to zoom across the sky. It got pretty interesting as I got my second wind around 1:30. We told ourselves we would head back to town at 2 am so I got home and into bed around 3 am. Just enough time to fall asleep and wake up again at 6 am! I was not very lively at work the next day, it's a good thing I have a student teacher!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday is on Monday, but I am going out of town and taking time off next week so my co-workers celebrated today. I was expecting a little show as we just celebrated Adam's birthday last week and I was in charge of the cake so I had a little fun.

Today started with the following:


It was taped outside my classroom door, in the faculty room and office.

I then had my class against me after a little encouraging from some fellow teachers. They decided to do the opposite of everything I said today, it was entertaining until part of my class chickened out and so no matter what I said there were 3 or 4 things happening some what I wanted, others the opposite, so it didn't work out.

Garrett was leading the assembly today so he had me come up to the front and had the entire school sing to me. That was interesting.

At lunch we had a cake. I didn't get a picture of the cake before we started eating it so this is the center. In case you can't tell, it's a picture of Keanu Reaves. It used to say something along the lines of "Happy 27th...He's not as good looking as Adam and Garrett"


I then got the following bag of presents:


A man, a candlelight dinner, some kisses and some dates.

It was a fun day and I can't wait for Garrett's birthday!

I'm too tired to think of a title...

The sound of people chewing and swallowing annoy me. There, I said it. I guess I don't mind the regular chews and swallows of daily life, but there are some people who somehow magically magnify the sound of their eating and it drives me bonkers! I have gotten better, not that it annoys me less, but in that I don't react so much now. There are still times I want to leave the room or plug my ears, but I'll know it will continue, I guess people still have to eat, but couldn't they take classes on the proper ways to consume food? I would appreciate it.

New Couches

Here they are!

Well, Let's See...

I haven't said much lately so here is a brief update on my life:

*I have been in school for about a month now. I really enjoying my class this year and especially enjoying that I am not taking classes this year as I am done with my degree! (I had the opportunity to take some ESL endorsement classes, but decided to take the year off!) I do have a few students that are bringing new challenges to me this year. I am learning more about patience and trying to find new ways to do things.

*I have a new calling in my ward. I am now the ward temple coordinator/genealogy person co-chair. I have little to no idea of what to do with this calling, but I'm working on it. I still have yet to meet with my co-chair to make some decisions though.

*My cousin moved in with me a few months ago, I don't remember if I've said that yet or not. It's been good getting to know her better and to have someone new around the apartment.

*I'm getting new couches tomorrow. Yes, I just got new couches 6 months ago, but they've had a few problems and the store was going to reupholster them except the new fabric didn't match and they didn't have the same couches to replace them so they gave me a store credit for the same amount I purchased them for, so I picked some new ones out while the Labor Day sale was on. They are to be delivered tomorrow morning sometime. I haven't found a picture online so i will take pictures when they are in my living room.

*I burned my foot on the iron yesterday morning. I'm sure most of you already saw my Facebook status about this, but let me explain...I was in a hurry to iron my shirt before going to school so I threw a towel on the floor to iron on. I moved a little too quickly and went off the towel and stopped on my foot. It was just the very edge that touched my foot so I have a fine line down my big toe. I tried to take a picture, but you can't see the line. My first thought after the initial burn was how funny the situation is.

That's me.

Amazing Giveaway!

I found out about an amazing offer from Diane Conn Photography! Click on this link to learn more! Diane is an amazing photographer and anyone would be lucky to win this giveaway!

Awesome!

My school district gave out flu shots today so I got one. My students all felt sorry for me as the secretary made an announcement to the teachers to not forget to go to the clinic today for the shot. As school was getting out, I had a student yell out not to look while I was getting my shot. I'm glad they're looking out for me.

The best part, check out the band aid the nurse gave me. I didn't think our conversation about if this would be my first flu shot not was too odd until she gave me the band aid...now I wonder how old she thinks I am.

Welcome Back to School!

School started last week. The group I taught in 3rd grade are now in 6th, but when I saw my list, I didn't recognize a majority of the names. I was a little worried about how my class would turn out, but I am quite excited about my students now that I know them a little better. It has been a good week despite the fact that we don't have a regular schedule yet. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

Other than teaching...I seem to be baking a lot lately. Tonight I made muffins. Very yummy muffins! I got a recipe online from Mimi's Cafe for their buttermilk spice muffins. I highly recommend...just don't overcook them, they'll be a little dry but still yummy.

I May Have Found the Answer!

Come home in a huff, without saying a word, quickly and abruptly rinse out a few pieces of tupperware that you just had to run out and purchase because someone else has misplaced all of your other tupperware so you need to get new somethings to put your leftovers in, take out the trash late at night, and then get in the shower. When you come out, the roommate that never cleans anything might just be washing the dishes in the sink that she probably would have left there if the happenings mentioned above had not happened. After that, she may even tidy up her room a bit.

By the way, you might also have to give said person a lesson on when it is colder outside than what you have the thermostat set for (which is even cooler than what it is normally set for), open a window!

Today...

Today was a good day overall...

I slept in a little (even though I am trying to get myself used to my school day wake up time, so really, I set my alarm to go off at the school day time and I do get up but just long enough to turn it off and get back in bed).

I enjoyed a yummy bowl of cereal...yummy because of the fresh berries that I put on top. I went berry picking with some friends earlier this week and got several pounds of blackberries and a small basket of raspberries. I have already used a majority of the blackberries in a cobbler that has been mostly consumed.

I spent some time with a really good friend of mine and my sister-in-law. Laura and Dirk are in town so I've been able to see them a couple of times so far. Laura is a Mary Kay consultant so we played with make up today.

I finished reading a book. I have decided to work on reading more classics as my reading list generally consists of 6th grade reading. The latest book that I finished is The Hobbit. Next on the list to read is The Wind in the Willows.

I finally went to a rodeo. I live in Utah and work in Spanish Fork and somehow have never been to a rodeo. I guess I've always been out of town when they normally happen. This week is the county fair so Steven, Kevin, Randi, Randi's sister, and I went tonight as they were holding a rodeo as part of the fair. We got to see some roping and a little bronc riding and then it started raining so we went to look at the legos and sheep inside.

I ate yummy food. We stopped at Wingers on the way home. Part of the meal was a slice of Asphalt Pie, yummy!

I helped with a drug bust. After eating, we went back to Steven and Randi's as my car was parked there, while walking in to their apartment, Randi and I could smell a very strong incense smell trying to cover up the smell of pot so we called the police. They came over and found and confiscated some that they found inside the apartment.

Now, I am sitting here trying to put off the inevitable by not going to bed. I only have two days left before I have to go back to work. If I don't go to bed then those days won't pass by, right? I've finally gotten into the swing of things for summer, plus most of my friends have just started their summer break as BYU is out for a couple of weeks. Why do my breaks never match up with anyone else's?

Don't Worry!

I've had a few people say they were sad they missed the Price is Right I was attending...don't worry, they only taped the show last week, it won't air until Nov. 2nd, so there is still a chance for you to look for me and my friends. We're in white shirts that say "Drew is my Homeboy." My friend was the 2nd person called to "come on down!" and I am sitting right behind her.

Home Again!

I spent this last weekend in sunny California and I had a blast! A girl from my ward invited me to come along on a trip to Southern California so we could all go to the Price is Right.

Thursday:
We left Thursday evening with 4 boys, 4 girls, and 2 cars. We got about an hour south of home and one of the cars ran out of gas. The other car came to the rescue with a gas can but then the car wouldn't start. We got to hang out on the side of the road for a couple of hours for the whole fiasco and ended up getting the car towed back up north. The two owners of the car could no longer come with us and one of the boys volunteered to stay behind. So, 5 of us squished into the remaining car and continued on our way.

Friday:
We drove all night and drove straight to the beach. We spent most of Friday on Newport Beach playing in the water and sand. I got a bit of reading in and a very interesting sunburn. Even though I put sunblock on and reapplied, I ended up with my yearly odd sunburn. This one consisted of stripes across the backs of my knees, a very splotchy burn all over my back, and a white stripe on my shoulder. That night we camped at a state park where we had an interesting run in with power ranger girl and her fire regulating abilities. I guess you kind of had to be there for that one.

Saturday:
Saturday morning we headed to a local Starbucks to charge our phones for a bit and to try and use the internet. We then went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. We were there from basically opening to closing. We wanted to hit all of the rides in the park but the lines were much too long to meet our goal. I really enjoyed the rides we went on especially Tatsu (you're parallel to the ground doing all sorts of loops and curls, it feels like you are flying) and Dejavu (you basically do the ride twice, the second time backwards). That night, we stayed with the family of a guy that was in our ward. The boys slept downstairs in the living room and the girls shared a king sized bed upstairs. It was a little cramped but we were so tired and it was much more comfortable than the sleep we had the night before.

Sunday:
We attended church in Santa Clarita in the single's ward our friend attends. We only went to the first two hours as we had to get moving along. We were able to announce that we had extra tickets to the Price is Right and got a few very excited people that asked to go along with us. We then headed down towards LA and to our hotel. We spent the rest of the evening driving and walking around Hollywood. I now have a new boyfriend...some creepy guy said, "Goodbye, Love" to me as we walked past him...it was interesting.

Monday:
We woke up early and headed to CBS studios. We got there early and waited for the rest of our group to show up. We had to have at least 15 people show in order to use our guaranteed tickets to get in. We got really nervous as it was getting closer for the deadline and we still had a few people left to show. We did get in. It took forever to go through all of the processing. they had us fill out information cards, take our pictures, and interview each person before we went in. The studio is really tiny. On TV it looks huge with tons of people when really only 325 people are sitting in the audience and the stage is slightly larger than what you might find in a high school auditorium where there were always at least five to ten people on stage but off camera at all times. You can't hear any of what Rich Fields is saying so when they call people down they have to hold up cue cards with their names on them to let them know who they are calling down. My friend who organized the whole trip ended up being called down and got on stage to win a trip to Florida. It was fun. After the show, we quickly grabbed a bite to eat then headed toward home. We rolled into town just before 3 am. Let's just say that I was very happy I did not have to work the next day so I slept in until 1 pm.

I had a great time and am so glad I decided to go. I wish I could go on roadtrips with friends more often.

Of course, this is also the second time I was within 4-5 hours of home this summer and I haven't made it home yet. I do plan on extending a trip to get me there this October, so I just have to wait until then!

Argh!

Frustration!

There's a certain someone I just want to tell to grow up, but I never have the chance to do so.

I'm tired of dealing with all that's not being done and all the hinting, suggestions, and niceties are not working. So it's down to being blunt but I rarely see this person anymore so I can't be blunt in person, but I don't want to leave this to notes and emails.

Argh!

Crazy Dreams

So I've had a couple of crazy, not so fun dreams lately...

Last night I dreamed that my principal made me teach first grade with only a day or two notice. I couldn't get them to listen and they kept wandering off. Not only was I teaching 1st grade but I also still had to teach 6th grade math so I didn't get a prep time as I had to go to another class. I was very relieved when the school day was over so I left and was getting on the freeway when I glanced down at my clock and noticed that it was only 10:30 so school wasn't out yet so I had to turn around and go back, but before I did, I got out of my car to take a breather and let out some frustration and my car kept going at freeway speed so I started running after it. I thought it was going to run into something so I was somewhat relieved that I would be able to catch it but it went around and kept going. I couldn't find my car, it was no where to be found. It was quite traumatizing but I can't decided which was worse, losing the car or teaching 1st and 6th grade.

Last week, my dream had my principal looking for a new teacher to hire for 5th grade at the school (he really was by the way, but also in my dream). He couldn't find anyone that would mesh with the teachers already in 5th grade so he made me teach 5th and put the new teacher in my current position.

So, can you tell that school is starting next month and I have it on the brain right now trying to get ready? I never dream about school this much!

Done!

I have finished my final paper and it is submitted! I have now finished everything I need to do for my master's degree! To make things even better, my house is clean thanks to the procrastination that led up to my papers being done. Now I just need to figure out how to spend the rest of my time.

Nothing Much

School has been out for almost a month and a half now and I can almost have a break. I finished my three weeks of master classes and my week of workshop from you know where. I've written four out of five papers to finish up my master classes with a plan to finish the last paper tomorrow. Everyone keeps asking me what my plans for my summer are and so far my response is "what summer?" I would love to feel like I am on break so I can actually plan for one. I have had a few days here and there without classes, workshops, or assignments but those days have been filled with cleaning that has been neglected for quite awhile. The only thing I really have left to deep clean is my room and that is scheduled for all day Friday. As for the rest of my summer...I need to paint my front door (it has needed it since I moved in three years ago and this summer it is going to happen!), I would like to go home (but I don't want to drive and I haven't had any killer plane tickets come up), I want to go visit some friends (but that is looking like it won't happen either), I have plans to go visit my brother in LA and see The Price is Right, other than that, I don't know. I have to be back at work in a month and in that month, i need to get ready to go back to work.

On another note, my cousin, Natalie, moved in with me this week. I'm not sure how long she will be sticking around, but it's nice to have backup again. I don't know her as well as i do other cousins so maybe this will be my chance to get to know her better.

I also had a dream/nightmare that my principal couldn't find a teacher to hire for the 5th grade position at our school so he made me go to 5th grade and put the new person in my slot of 6th. I wasn't very happy when I woke up.

As of Today...

I'm tired. The last two weeks have been very busy and I am now looking forward to things slowing down a little.

I got a week of break from school which i spent helping my brother get his apartment ready to move into. We painted everything, cleaned carpets, watered the lawns (by hand, the sprinklers should be fixed soon though), moved a whole bunch of stuff, etc. Within that week I also started getting into the habit of sleeping in and going to bed late, which is no big deal except I had to start getting up early again the next week and totally threw myself off last year with my sleeping schedule.

Last week, family started coming into town for my brother's wedding, starting with my parents on Sunday morning. I also had classes start for me to finish my master's degree on Monday. Every day after class, I would have to call Mom to see where I was needed to help with something. My sister and her family arrived on Wednesday morning before I went to class. They stayed at my house so I had quite a full house the last few days.

Friday was my brother's wedding. It was very nice and the weather decided to cooperate for all of the outdoor plans. I'll probably post pictures later to show a few highlights. I'm really excited that I have a new sister and that I now have a little sister! I like her and am glad to call her my sister :)

My parents and my sister's family both left this morning. It's been awhile since I have had a clean front room what with housing others' belongings and then small children. It will still be a few days before I get everything back in order though but that's ok, I've enjoyed being able to help and also having the company of my family.

Portfolio is No More!

That's right, the portfolio is done! I turned it in this morning! WOO HOO!!! YEAH!!! I'm done until they find something wrong and send it back to me to fix...yeah. But at least, I won't have to try and guess what they want. Three and a half weeks from now, I will even be done with my classes and will officially be a master! You may all refer to me as either Master Julie, or Educated One, or maybe even Education Master, or possibly Master Educator. Whichever you prefer.

A Wonderful Family !

I got the news today that an old roommate of mine and her husband are looking to adopt. These are the BEST and most FANTASTIC people I know and I want you to know about them and tell people about them because they are truly AMAZING and will be STUPENDOUS parents.

Please take a look at Nathan and Emily's blog and pass it along.

http://www.nathanandemilyadopt.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday, Steven!

Yesterday was Steven's birthday so we celebrated by going to Tucanos for his free birthday meal. For those of you who aren't familiar with Tucanos, it's basically a Brazilian style all-you-can-eat meatery. There is a salad bar for all the salady things, but the best part is the meat. A bunch of guys roam the room with swords filled with meat of sorts, they cut pieces off for you as they go around. I can tell that I am nearing done when I can feel the outline of my stomach from the outside. I usually out-eat my brother and cousin...they like taking me to tucanos.
After filling ourselves, we wandered around town, mostly looking for new mattresses. It was pretty tempting to fall asleep as our stomachs were full and the beds were very comfortable. We also stopped by Bed Bath and Beyond to stop and see a friend who works there.



The day before this, Steven, Randi, and I went for a hike up Rock Canyon. Our goal was to get to Squaw Peak but we started out too late and had to turn back early so we wouldn't be hiking back in complete darkness. It was a good workout and my body keeps telling me that especially the last two mornings as I've tried to roll out of bed or when i've been heading down some stairs. I have been reminded of some muscles that have not been used as much lately.





Today, we attended the homecoming of a cousin who just returned from her mission to Korea. It was very nice getting to spend some time with extended family. After we returned home, we cleaned out my freezer. I believe if you refer to a previous post (in January, I believe), you will find a similar picture regarding my refrigerator. Half of what you see belongs to one person and it is not me. Needless to say, I am not happy. I will be having a chat with said person as soon as she comes home today...which should be soon.

Graduation again

We didn't get any photos together with our large group at graduation so we all brought our caps and gowns to school today and took pictures in the library. We got some weird looks walking down the hallway at the school.

Happy Graduation!

I traveled down to Cedar City this week to take part in my graduation from SUU. I'm technically not quite done with everything I need to be done with to graduate--I have three more classes in June and a portfolio to finish--but we were allowed to walk early because we'd have to wait until next May if we didn't walk this year. Mom and Dad came down to watch me parade across campus and then across the stage. It was a really good experience, I'm glad I went. I think this commencement meant more to me than when I graduated with my bachelor degree as I have been attending classes with my co-workers.



To top off a great weekend, I got to meet President Monson and shake his hand! We were staying in a hotel the night before graduation and Mom and I were just coming back from dress shopping and picking up a pizza for dinner and we noticed that the person waiting for the same elevator was President Monson and his entourage. We shook his hand and then chatted in the elevator about my graduation and education. I mentioned that I teach 6th grade and Mom made a comment about how all of my students are taller than me and Pres. Monson said, "she can handle them!" so I guess I have the prophet's approval :) We ended up running into him once more in the parking lot that night and we chatted again there. I just wish I had gotten a picture.

I Don't Wanna!

SO, I have a portfolio that I need to put together/write to finish up my masters degree. I got a third of it done when I had my student teacher in my classroom a few months ago. I haven't even looked at the thing since then. I told myself that I would work on it during Spring Break which is why I haven't pulled it out since then. Well, Spring Break was this week and I have today left to work on it "during" Spring Break and I really don't want to do it. I have used many excuses and diversions to keep me from working on the thing this week and now I have run out of excuses rather than just I don't want to. Now I'm going to have to use one or two of my Saturdays or a couple of days after school. I really don't want to work on it. It won't take too long, I just have to sit down and do it.

Coconut Cream Pie

I just got home from a date. A blind date. The girl who cuts my hair decided to set me up with a guy whose hair she also cuts. He is a nice guy. We went to the Museum of Art on campus and wandered around looking at paintings and artwork, I don't think he was really all that interested in the actual art though which is okay. I could have gone off about the different pieces if he wanted me to, but no questions were asked. Afterwards, we went for dessert, I ordered a slice of coconut cream pie, one that I don't normally order but I figured I should try something new. We had the normal first date type conversations.

I've been set up on a few blind dates by friends, co-workers, and acquaintances in the last few years. I appreciate their thoughts but I usually question their thought process as to why they want to set me up with a particular person. I have found a similar characteristic with just about all of the guys that I have been set up with and every time that I find that this is the reason for the set up, I am not usually very happy or ecstatic about the date. People, personality is not based on height. Just because I am short does not mean that I should be set up with someone because they are short as well. If you want to have me go out with a friend of yours, please make sure you are wanting to set us up because our personalities would go well with each other and not just because of our height.

Now, I do appreciate the thoughts and going out every once in awhile is nice to meet new people and to just get out so thank you.

I've also figured out a little bit more about myself and dating. I like to listen, I feel comfortable in silence, I also like to talk about just about anything, but I feel weird if I'm the only one talking. I feel weird typing all of this out, but it's something I've been thinking about lately so why not? I'm very easy going so I go along with just about anything. If I'm not saying anything, I think it worries people, I've been trying lately to not be so quiet, I'm doing well, but then I deal with the opposite problem in I feel like I'm talking too much.

Ok, that's enough random info about me.

Noses

I was looking through some pictures today and realized that noses just look kind of weird. Not thinking of anyone's nose in particular but noses in general are just somewhat odd looking. Of course, we would all look pretty funny without them but if we never had them in the first place, we really wouldn't know that they were missing now would we?

Fourth Photo

The rules of this "tag" are to post the fourth picture in the fourth photo folder (say that 10x fast) on your computer. Then tag four friends.

(I have so many files inside my files, I had to keep counting to four until I wound up with this one)


June 21, 2005: A picture of me, taken by my sister.

People tagged: Pam, Diane, Steven, Laura

Great Opportunity!

My sister is coming into town to take my brother's engagement photos and she says she has some time available to take photos for other people as well! She has pretty much all of this Friday and most of this Saturday available. She won't be charging any sitting fees, you would only have to pay for any pictures you would like to buy. Check out her website and let me know if you think you would like some pictures taken.

My House, My Couch

Here is a picture of my couch in my house. One problem I have now is that the pictures I hung above my old couch are now no longer centered over my new couch as the new couch is a bit longer. I try not to pay attention to it, but it bothers me...I just notice too many small details like that, but especially when it comes to symmetry.

Not my House

So I have had a few comments and emails about my red walls...they're not my walls. I don't get the couch until tomorrow. I took the photo from the store's website as I had so many people asking to see a picture :) I'd like to redo my living room completely but not right now. Plus, those red walls would definitely clash with my pink countertops :)

New Purchase

I've noticed that the couches I originally bought for my condo 2 1/2 years ago are starting to look a little worn. Keep in mind that I did buy them at DI for a whopping $70.


Today I ventured out with the idea to take another look around for new couches to see what's out there. I have had an idea in mind in what I would like to have in my living room and today I found it so I bought it! Here is my new couch (the picture does not do it justice).

Why I Like February 2009

There is one thing that I always look forward to every February, well, not EVERY February (every 4 years it tends to be messed up). One of my favorite things about February is that it has 28 days (except for those messed up years). I know, odd. Let me explain. I like that there are 28 days because 28 is divisible by 7...the number of days in a week, so that means that there is the same number of each day for every day of the week...4 of everything! Not that I'm trying to be fair to all of the days of the week, it's not like they even notice the equal portions in the month. 28 days also means that March is like a February repeat...March 1st will land on the same day of the week as Feb. 1st as well as all the other days of the month corresponding to the previous month's day of the week. The reason why I like February 2009 in particular is the fact that the calendar is a perfect rectangle (as long as the calendar starts with a Sunday and ends with a Saturday for each week). Now, I really don't think about this all that much, it's just something I've noticed and it just looks like a lot of thought as it takes a lot of words to describe what I'm thinking. I've noticed that I don't always explain my thought process and that generally leaves a lot of people confused as to where my comments come from, so I'm doing better at explaining myself.

If your life was a movie...

I had an interesting question develop in my mind today. If your life were made into a movie, what section in Blockbuster would it be sitting in?

Right now, I feel like my life should be in a section labeled as "Irony" or "Ironic Comedy." I know they don't have those sections, so I created a new one for Blockbuster. I have a list of things I said I would never do in my life and I have found that I have done pretty much all of them so far. This list included the following:

-I would never go to BYU
-I would never live in Utah
-I would never get my masters degree

It just so happens that:

-I graduated from BYU
-After graduating, I decided to teach in Utah for awhile and have now lived here for 7, almost 8, years and don't see myself leaving the state any time soon
-I will be done with my masters degree this June

Along with these few examples of irony in my life, I also have a list of things that I would like to do and plan to do and have not yet accomplished them. The good news is that I am laughing about this whole idea and am trying to remember what else I have said that I would never do so that I can prepare myself for whatever is next.

Happy Wednesday!

Just thought I should give a quick update on what's been happening lately.

I have a student teacher in my class right now. Of all the cohorts and student teachers I have had, this one is the best, she's really on top of things, listens and asks for suggestions, and knows her stuff. Not only is she a pretty good teacher, she and I have some good conversations about non-school stuff as well. She has been in the class for 3 weeks now (I think) and is slowly taking over more and more of the teaching day. This week I am only teaching writing and that is the last 45 minutes to an hour of the day. I have been bored out of my mind having nothing to do. Next week she will take over the entire class next week and I should also be out of the room so I will be hanging out in the faculty room for two weeks. When I'm in the faculty room I will be able to work on my masters portfolio so I should get most of it done.

On another note: My little brother is engaged! He proposed two weeks ago and they will be getting married in June. I'm going bridesmaid dress shopping tomorrow with my future sister-in-law.

Back in Utah

Well, I am now back in Utah and trying to prepare myself to go back to work tomorrow. Christmas Break was really good for me. Here are a few things that happened (in no particular order):

We worked in the garden/jungle:

We sat by the fire (her toes were freezing and she wouldn't put socks on and usually copies what I do so I started to warm my feet by the fire and she did the same):

We texted Randi quite a bit:

Played games:

And when I got back to my apartment, I started cleaning everything. One of my roommates moved out and left huge stains on her bedroom carpet and broke the shelf in the closet. I cleaned out the fridge, I had no idea that this much food could fit in our fridge. I threw away a whole garbage can of food: