right now...

It's raining a sweet summer-night rain.
I cracked the window open just enough to enjoy the wet air.
The smell makes me smile.
I love summer rain.
I am finishing up some procrastinated homework in between visits to Pinterest. Dang it is so addicting!
The events of this week are scribbled all over my calendar that is spread open on the floor next to me. I'm mentally walking my way through each day trying to not get to overwhelmed. Maybe I'll just close my planner for right now...
A full calendar is a good thing though, it means I do in fact have places to go and people to see.
Even with a million things to do with homework, stressing over tuition ($$$ouch!) and trying to get my classroom somewhat ready, I am trying my hardest to not forget how incredibly blessed and lucky I am to have this opportunity. The late nights of homework and the stress-filled tears may someday go away but the priceless things I will learn and the memories I will make throughout my first year of teaching will stay with me forever. I suppose it would be quite strange if I felt 100% confident in my level of readiness for the fast approaching school year, at least that's what I keep telling myself, but I know I still have a lot to learn and am more than anxious to do just that.
Life really is good.
Why do I seem to forget that some days?

just thinking...

I'm pretty sure the next time I'll get to sleep will be June of 2012.

So much to do.
Tests, lesson plans, projects, quilting, crafting, exercising.

So much to look forward to.
My own classroom, seriously? How crazy is that?

A very fun and busy summer semester with lots of friends.

So much to love.
Learning, teaching, friends, family, my life.


So much to feel.
Overwhelmed, blessed, nervous, excited, independent, loved, accomplished, anxious, grateful.
















That's all.

World of Words

In the middle of all of the hundreds of text book pages and endless articles I have been reading for school, I  decided to take a break to do some 

more enjoyable reading.

We read the first chapter of this book in my Literacy Methods class and I fell in love with it.

So I bought in on Amazon on Friday, it was delivered today and I read it in 45 minutes tonight.

It was a good reminder to read for enjoyment in addition to my information packed text books (like those gold plated ones that cost me too much money to mention again...)

When my bank account recovers from that painful bookstore visit, I will be purchasing the other books in this series.

Now it's back to some not-so-fun reading.

Bliggity Blog Birthday

Today is this blogs 1st Birthday.

A year ago today I sat in the massive hallway in the LA building @ UVU and posted my very first blog entry. After a month or so of toying with the idea of starting my blog, I got over my insecurities and questions of "What would I write?" and "Who would want to read my silly thoughts?" and decided to just go for it.

I am so very glad that I did.

Recently, I went back through all my posts and relived each of the moments that I wrote about. I love that each one has a meaning to it and nothing was posted out of obligation for having a blog. The small and silly moments that would probably be long forgotten by now are safe and secure in my little blog world where I can easily return to them when a smile is needed.

As for my original goal when I started this thing: to get healthy physically and feel more confident about myself, can definitely be checked off as a success.

In 2010 I went from the worst to the best physical state in my life. As I worked at being happier and healthier (loosing 25 pounds along the way) I found a new love for who I am and who I am working on becoming.

Having a place to but each milestone along the way was reason enough for having this blog. 

And now on to 2011...

I originally thought of having my word for the year to be ENDURE.

As I thought about more, I liked it less. 

I want to do so much more than endure through this next chapter in my life.

I want to love every moment and be excited for what comes next. 

Enduring through school, work and life in general sounds, to me, like I would just be merely scrapping by until it was all over. I don't like the sounds of that.

So as much as I wish I did, I guess I don't really have one word to focus on this year. 

Not yet. 

I will still work on it though.

For now I will just be loving each day, 

treasuring each letter from a certain missionary in Tucson, 

adoring each second with beautiful nieces,

absorbing as much knowledge as possible,

and being grateful for the amazing life I get to live.

So my trial run of having a blog has proved a success.

On to round 2!

just a thought....

I had my first Instructional Media class the other night. The Professor talked all about the current and future technologies that are and will be enhancing education, many of which are quite phenomenal! It only makes sense to include such technologies in the education of the students who will grow up in full of such gadgets and one day become the inventors and scientist who discover even more amazing products that haven't even been dreamed about yet. But I don't think that these high-tech computers, phones and software should replace  our current public education but should merely be used as tools to enhance it.

We watch a movie about the idea of an  "Ischool" where all subjects are taught, books are read, and teacher student communication all happens using Ipads and Iphones. We also learned that Kearns High School just started their school year with every student equipped with a Iphone and all the teachers an Ipad to do that very thing of conducting an Ischool.

As I thought about it, I felt almost sorry for future generations who will miss out on a part of education they will never get from a complete virtual education...

The part of elementary school when you get to spend 30 minutes a week wandering the library and reading the same old taped up, spine-broken books that your older brother read years before...

The part when you walk in to the library as a timid 1st grader and then triumphantly walk out having just checked out your very first library book...

The part of Junior high when you walk with your English class, then your Math class, then your Science class, and then your History class to the library to check out an overweight text book that smells funny and will probably sit in the bottom of your locker all semester...

The part of High school when you have to buy your own copy of "Cry, The Beloved Country" for your Honors English and spend weeks in class dissecting the book and gaining an appreciation for a book in other ways than another mindless book report...

The part of your education when you crack open the brand new book you bought at the Scholastic Book Fair and inhale its "new" smell then begin to read and can't put it down for hours...

It makes me sad to think there will be a time when students won't get those precious experiences because they will simply download everything onto their hand-held devices and virtually flip through pages then probably switch to some pointless game application on their Iphone.

To sum it up, real life doesn't happen on a screen that you hold in your hand. Technology is a tool for education, not a replacement. Students need to know how to interact with the real world in order to survive in it.

Okay, I'm done :)

Last night I watched NBC's latest show "Losing it with Jillian." Jillian Michael's from The Biggest Loser shows up at homes across America and helps families lose weight.
Jillian is a bit too much for me. I think it's great that she is helping people get motivated to change their lives and become healthier but I just wonder if she could do it with less... drama, weirdness, Jillian-ness?
I prefer Bob. He is nicer and helps people without trying too hard to be tough.
I had a funny thought: what if someone showed up at Jillian's house, tied her to the couch, took away her protein drinks and her Tred-Climber and fed her Krispy Kreme donuts all day.
What would she do?
Just a thought...

Love Song

We discussed poetry in my Children's Literature class and I fell in love with this poem and thought it was appropriate for the holiday.
Post Options
Love Song
Arnold Adoff

great goblets of pudding powder in milk
hot with marshmallows on a winter afternoon
syrup on vanilla ice cream frosting on a cake
a kind of cake dripping to dry on warm
doughnuts fresh from oven candy
candy bars
bars chunks thick and broken pieces squares
spoons and pots and lots
before brushing
fudge and milk
and german and sour cream
light and dark and bitter sweet and
even
white
you are no good
for me
your are no good

you are so good

Chocolate
Chocolate
i
love
you so
i
want
to
marry
you
and
live
forever
in the
flavor
of your
brown

Demotivator

ello!

It has been a fabulous week so far and I can't wait for it to continue on! Sunday was a brilliant day filled with naps, family, homework and some cricut-ing. Monday was the beginning of another busy school week with lots of class and homework. After work I ran/walked 2.34 miles. I went over thirty minutes because my running playlist is so good that I didn't want to stop. Tuesday started off with a good two hours of sweating my brains out! I stunk so so bad after Tae Bo and Kick boxing, but it was so worth it! All day today I have been feeling the pain from working so hard. I love it when my leg, arm and ab muscles hurt because I know I worked out good.
I went to bed with a headache and woke up with a migraine, not the best way to start the day. With a little medicine, my headache has been masked a little. I have been doing homework for two hours now and have one more hour left until my next class. I need to work on my speech for class tomorrow. 3-5 minutes of me talking about myself. No bueno? Is that right? I don't speak much Spanish other than EL TACO and EL CASIDILLA. Natalie taught me those. I consider myself fluent if I just add EL before every word. Back to EL homework-o.

really good idea

I think the library should be equipped with a twirly slide so I can just slide down 5 floors instead of walking down the boring staircase.
And on the days I'm feeling more adventurous I could slide down the long fireman pole. That would make my day.
Maybe we could have mini rock walls instead of so many stairs.
College wouldn't be so horrible if there were more exciting things to mix up my mundane routine.

defying gravity

New favorite song- Defying Gravity, originally from Wicked, but also from Glee. Lea Michelle has an amazing voice! This song is definitely going on my "Running" play-list. Speaking of running, I finally hit the 2 mile mark. Monday I ran 2.09 miles in 30 minutes. See...
I'm quite proud. Tuesday was aerobics, where we do Tea Bo. I loved it! It's so different to actually be in a workout class versus just buying a dvd and working out at home. It's a lot harder to just sit down and watch when you are in the front row by the instructor in a room with mirrors for walls. I like being able to just focus on myself and accept my flaws and be proud of the things I can do. I feel better about myself everyday. Realizing that everyone else in my class is only their for themselves helped me to make the conscious decision to not worry what any one else thinks of me. I'm getting healthier for myself and that what matters. Kick boxing is so so so fun! Tuesday we worked on technique and introduced new kicks and punches. It is awesome.

I didn't work out yesterday. Let me rephrase that: I didn't put on workout clothes and run or do yoga, but I'm SO counting the hike to the top of campus with 6 flights of stairs as a workout. Today Tea Bo was intense. Sweat was POURING off my face. YUM! Kick boxing was excellent as well. We got out the punching bags and Reilly and I BUSTED A MOVE!

This week I want to make some more fun stuff on my Cricut. Maybe another wall quote or name plaque. Saturday is the Car Show and I'm so excited for that! I have the cutest date ;)see...