Quote of Inspiration

"Often doors have closed before you that seemed to lead to the opportunities you thought you had to have. You may have assumed that the closed door was a reflection of some inadequacy in yourself; but perhaps the closed door had nothing to do with whether you were good or bad or capable or incompetent. Rather, even now a loving Father shapes your path according to a prearranged, premortal covenant; the opening or the closing of these various doors is dependent on the Lord's perfect perception of your developmental needs..."

President Monson

"When you know your life is in line with the Lord's wishes, you become content with yourself and accepting of those around you; you gain a clearer sense of your situation in life and what direction to take. You learn that many of the seemingly important things you stubbornly hang on to are not so critical after all. And when you finally let go of them, you feel a burden lifted."

"A person can spend a lifetime asking the whys and whatifs of an experience. But placing life's events in God's hands helps us keep an eternal perspective that gives meaning to even the most senseless experiences."

Richard Paul Anderson

Parents Indoctrinating Children

Wow! That's all I can say to the BYU/Utah Rivalry. I thought it would be fun to wear my BYU shirt on Friday, the day before the big game, to show support for my Cougars. Well, I was rudely awakened when I had to almost take my shirt off because it was causing so much craziness at my school. Kids were fighting before school over the rivalry. Almost every child was either wearing BYU or Utah gear and each parent that brought their child to school was as well. And I must say that it was dominately Ute. These kids don't even know anything about the schools, they just hear their parents. These parents indoctrinate their children with ideas about their school of choice and the children support it to the death. Kids were telling me they hated my shirt and that Utah was going to kick butt...which they did. All I know is that people need to teach their kids more important things like math facts and reading instead of so much time indoctrinating them with ideas about their college teams.

Sometimes you need people to believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself. I have been feeling very burnt out and unmotivated by teaching the last couple of weeks. I was really loving it for a while, but now I think I just need a good break...yeah for Christmas. But anyway, so I just started telling myself that I am not meant to do this, or not cut out for it. But I have had my principal tell me otherwise as well as my BYU instructor.
My principal saw one of my math lessons..aagh..I struggle to teach math. She came in afterwards and told me she wasn't supposed to talk to me about it yet, but that it was one amazing lesson and perfectly linear. I couldn't believe this..it was like someone else was teaching one thing and I was on the sidelines seeing something completely different.
Then my BYU instructor saw one of my lessons and said that I just looked like a teacher and had some of the best plans she had ever seen.
So even though I struggle to know this is my life-long path, I have cheerleaders on the sidelines telling me that I can. They tell me I was born to do this job...I just need to believe it myself...but for now, I can lean on their beliefs.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Stewart Falls in November

Halloween With My Students

So this is a picture of my principal. This outfit fits her perfectly. She really is like a Mother Goose nurturing under her wings. Sorry it's kind of blurry.



This is a picture of some of my most trying boys...yet they are the most fun. It's weird how that happens. Oh, and I am not really supposed to put their pics up, so don't tell!



Sorry it published wrong and won't turn around, but I just had to put this picture on to show how scary some of their costumes were. Halloween is my favorite...they had the best costumes!

Only the kids in Utah...

The other day my second graders were learning about plants, and there is always that kid that has to ask questions about everything. Well, in my class it is the one that is a bit on the chubby side, the one that thrives on attention, and loves to tell jokes. The other day he started asking where plants come from-which came first, the flower or the seed? The type of 'which came first, the egg or the chicken' sort of question. It's a hard question to answer to a second grader. The question was kind of avoided. My second grader gets all serious and you can tell that he is thinking really hard. The whole class is listening to every word...what is he going to say? He puts his hands together and says, "Well I think Jesus made the first flower." The class erupts and everyone talks about how Jesus was the one..of course, because they all grew up learning that... And of course, this discussion not being allowed in school, is ended by "Well some of us believe that, but not everyone." And moving on....

Conference Weekend-ADHD In the Conference Center

Chaz's fine finger in our picture...



Scary, random women behind us...

"After" Stages of My Classroom

Here it is.. the 'after' stages of my classroom. It is a jungle theme.

My Classroom Uncut

This is my classrom in the 'before' stages-when the walls were bare. Stay tuned for the 'after' stages...

Is this what I was born to do....

So my mom tells me that I don't ever update my blog and so I guess I will write something to please her. That's not really the reason, but I guess it gives me extra motivation. I haven't written since I have started teaching. Now it is eight weeks in and I am pretty much a pro at this whole teaching thing..not really. Everything I have known since I was a wee little one has been questioned the last couple of weeks concerning my life long goal to become a teacher.
I have found that I don't really enjoy teaching. That is flat out how it is. I haven't really come to love the children as fast as I thought I would, but I am hoping that that will come with time. It is sad to admit this, but it is the honest truth. Do I really care if they know how to read well by the end of second grade? Do I really have their best interest at mind? I have noticed that I have really been selfish in my desires. I always think "I just want to go out and play instead of planning a really amazing lesson for my students." I realize that while I can't spend every minute with teaching stuff, I need to have their best interest at heart instead of the next thing on my social calendar.
President Monson really put it in perspective for me today when he asked everyone to give him a gift for his birthday. He wanted everyone to find someone who needed help in their lives and be there for them and help them out. I thought about this and figured that I could really do a lot of good for my students if I put them first and try to get out of that 'me, me' mindset that is plaguing our society these days.
I think that the best way to learn to love someone is to serve them and so I have decided to make a concentrated effort to serve my students so that I can learn to love them more. And I just need to smile more. My kids don't see that enough with all the stress of being a first year teacher. But i have noticed that their behavior reflects my attitude towards them.
Anyhow, while I have tossed around the idea of going back to get my Masters, I think I am going to try these strategies for a while and see if it gets better...I will keep you posted...

Changes

It seems that just when you think your life is in a good place and you are moving along fine, content in what you are doing, that that is when it suddenly gets turned upside down. I have learned over the years that life does not turn out the way that you plan. I always thought I would finish college but that I would get married at about the same time. Well here I am about to embark on several new journeys and all by myself. It is a scary thing. Why do changes (or as I see them, trials) always seem to come in multiples. I have to make some decisions in my life very soon and it is terrifying me. Yeah, it's not life or death, but it may affect my future. I am going to be teaching second grade in the fall...a very scary journey all in itself. I don't even know what I am going to teach them. I have to grow up and become an adult. I remember my teachers and they seem like they were so much older than I am now. I don't feel old enough to be a teacher-sometimes I feel like I am not much older than the second graders. So now I have to go out in the work force and have a real job with a real salary.
I also have to think about my living arrangements. I have been content in Provo for five years. I have only known home in Idaho and Provo. There has been nothing else. So the thought of moving to an unknown city with roommates that I have never met is terrifying. I would have to leave all my five years of friends so that I could be closer to where I am teaching. It only makes sense to move up there since gas is astronomical these days. But it would take an amazing leap of faith. But I suppose that you have to jump and take the risk or you will never grow. It would be an amazing growing experience for me. I think that when we are content in our lives we are not growing and gaining in experience. The Lord always makes sure that we are put in circumstances to get us out of our ruts..hence, change in our lives. So I guess I have to make these decisions even though I am not sure that I am up to it. Well we'll see what happens...I'll keep ya updated.

Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies

My mom gave me this recipe and she said it would make my roommates love me if I made it for them. So while I haven't tried it yet, it does sound yummy!

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. white sugar
1 egg
2 Tabl. milk
1 C. butter or margarine, melted
2 C. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x13 inch baking pan (glass works best.) In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 C. white sugar, 1 egg, and milk until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, 2 C. white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the remaining 3 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; mix into the batter. Stir in chocolate chips. Remove 1 C. of the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Spread the peanut butter filling over the top. Drop the reserved chocolate batter by teaspoonful over the filling. Using a knife, gently swirl thru the top layers for a marbled effect.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely, then cut into bars.
Serve with milk or ice cream!

C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A

The Coit Tower at night.


Lombard Street sign...yes, we drove down
the famous Lombard Street


This was me trying to get a picture of Lombard Street
in the dark..not successful.


For those of you who don't know what Lombard Street is,
it is the curviest street in the country or something like that.
It was pretty dang steep..and people lived right off of the road..crazy!


There were these crazy publics toilets everywhere around
San Francisco. Most of them you had to pay to use but not
this one. They looked like spaceships. Scott kindly posed for
the pic.


The beaauutiful skyline of San Francisco at night.
My camera doesn't quite do it justice...


Just as the sun was setting on San Francisco.


I was most excited for this part. We got to see the "Full House"
house...or at least where it was filmed. It looked just like it.


This is me trying to get a good picture of the Full
House in the dark...yeah, i don't know how to work
my camera.


Case in point...


The Lombard Street sign.



The view of the ocean on the bay.


The Bay Bridge is in the distance...


Gorgeous view of the sun setting over the ocean
in Frisco.


The four of us went on an insider's tour of Frisco
while the couples visited with mission people. I
think we had way more fun...he he.


One more gorgeous view.





This was at the visitor's center at the Oakland Temple,
where all four of the guys served. This is the whole group
of us.


This sign was posted outside of the Oakland Temple.
I thought it was hilarious and random.


View over the bay.


I love the boats in the distance...


San Francisco skyline when it was still light outside.





The Oakland Temple is gorgeous. I love the
palm trees.


Oakland Temple


Man in my way at the Oakland Temple.


The four guys, Seth, Brian, Scott, Derric, all
served in this area.


It was funny because the temple is so pretty that
there were a lot of random brides there taking pictures
in dresses that were definately not temple appropriate.






Tracy acting like a goober.


I love this pic. It looks so tropical..like Hawaii.


Pics at the temple.


More pics at the temple.


I don't know why they were all looking at me..
Guess I stood out from the crowd.


This was a cool tower at Fisherman's Wharf.


The view right outside the mission president's
home. Lucky. This property is worth millions
because of the view..


Tracy and Jen posing by force in front of
the view.


Oakland Temple


Oakland Temple at a distance.



Random beat boxer at Fisherman's Wharf.
We all thought how sad it was that this was
their day job. It was pretty cool..he only moved
when you paid.


This guy was pretty cool. He was all glittery
and he stood on high shoes. I wondered how
long it took him to get into that costume.





Alcatraz. I really wanted to go tour it, but
there was not enough time or money.


Fisherman's Wharf


Pacifica Beach. Foggy but very pretty.


I loved the waves at this beach. There were
lots of surfers because the waves were so big!


Pacifica Beach


The pictures didn't do it justice. It was
really pretty.


Loved the beach..i could be a beach bum!


I volunteered to be buried...


I don't know why!?!


They decided to make me into a very large
sumo man.


Here is the finished product. That sand was
heavy on my stomach and it was hard to
breathe.


Seth decided to hug the sumo very
awkwardly..


Frisco skyscrappers.


More beach..


and more beach..


Digging the hole for Scott to be buried and
later made into a beautiful woman.


Jen at the beach..it was cold but way fun..
and yet some of the whity tighties still
got sunburned.