Well hello! It has been awhile. The only problem with the private blog is there is 0 accountability. I don't really know what to write about, but I have to write consistently! So here's a list of life lately:
I found out I will be teaching 4th grade at Spring Creek Elementary in Provo. So excited, and so nervous! This will be my first experience in upper grades with the 'tudes.
My best friend Kim Engle is getting married in 2 weeks!!! I'm so excited for her and so excited to attend my first sealing in the Salt Lake Temple. Temples are special and sealings always remind me of my own special day.
We have been making a lot of yummy things around here! Sweet Potato Canelloni, (which we had at a restaurant in Park City and recreated) pumpkin curry, chicken diapers, homemade pizza, chicken pesto sandwiches. A lot of my friends, single and married, say that they don't have time for cooking. Well, you have to eat! I just feel like taking that one hour to make an actual balanced meal is not only a break and stress reliever from homework, but its also way more nutritious and it's fun to at least get that time to spend with Ty. So we are fans of cooking, busy or no!
I got to catch up with my dear friend Missy today. It is always a joy to talk to her, we laugh and laugh at the silliest things and have remembering all of the good times when we were roomies. She is such a good person and always leaves me with a positive attitude and a smile.
Well, that's my thoughts for now. We actually had a super fun weekend, maybe I will blog about that next with some pics. Although are weeks are filled with a lot of homework, work, and just business, we always try to save time on the weekends to just have fun and be together. Weekends are the best!!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Of Fall and Wedding Cakes
I have absolutely loved these past couple of days. It feels like Fall!!! I can finally break out my sweaters and jackets and eat delicious pumpkin flavored treats. Sooo excited for Fall. I have many plans in this season such as taking beautiful fall drives, collecting leaves, corn mazes, carving pumpkins, making yummy soups, celebrating the marriage of my dear friend Kim and turning 23! Wow. I can hardly wait. :) Even though I usually love this season, it somehow seems even more exciting than usual because it is my first Fall married. I feel so excited to start new traditions with Ty and do all of these festive holiday things together.
This weekend I had to do a creativity project for class. Basically, our teacher recognized that our major this semester is sucking the life and creativity out of all of us. The assignment was to do anything creative-anything we love to do or want to try or just something random that brings us joy. What a breath of fresh air for an assignment! I thought about a lot of different things but finally decided to make a wedding cake. I feel like it is a cool skill to have and I was super impressed by the lovely cake my wedding cake maker made for me out of her own home! So Ty and I went to the store and got all of the ingredients to make a scumptious two layer pumpkin choc-chip and red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting. :)
It was a LOT harder than I anticipated. I spent 7 or 8 hours over the weekend baking, cutting, frosting, freezing, refrosting, constructing, and finally decorating. Oh and eating. Lots and lots of eating took place after it was all documented. :) First the most part, it was a success! Only two major errors: for the first batch of frosting I used regular sugar instead of powdered which made for some crunchy texture, and then while decorating my frosting got all melty and didn't look so hot. Oh well. The project itself was a success-I really really enjoyed those hours not worrying about regular homework or life, just creating something I had never done before and taking pride in my work. What do you think? Do I have a future career in the wedding cake business?
It might take some work. I think I'll stick to just baking and cooking for fun and for my inner joy and creativity. :) Ty and I love to cook together and have tried out some really good recipes. Can't wait to make all the yummy pumpkin food and soups I'm craving now!
This weekend I had to do a creativity project for class. Basically, our teacher recognized that our major this semester is sucking the life and creativity out of all of us. The assignment was to do anything creative-anything we love to do or want to try or just something random that brings us joy. What a breath of fresh air for an assignment! I thought about a lot of different things but finally decided to make a wedding cake. I feel like it is a cool skill to have and I was super impressed by the lovely cake my wedding cake maker made for me out of her own home! So Ty and I went to the store and got all of the ingredients to make a scumptious two layer pumpkin choc-chip and red velvet cake with cream cheese filling and buttercream frosting. :)
It was a LOT harder than I anticipated. I spent 7 or 8 hours over the weekend baking, cutting, frosting, freezing, refrosting, constructing, and finally decorating. Oh and eating. Lots and lots of eating took place after it was all documented. :) First the most part, it was a success! Only two major errors: for the first batch of frosting I used regular sugar instead of powdered which made for some crunchy texture, and then while decorating my frosting got all melty and didn't look so hot. Oh well. The project itself was a success-I really really enjoyed those hours not worrying about regular homework or life, just creating something I had never done before and taking pride in my work. What do you think? Do I have a future career in the wedding cake business?
It might take some work. I think I'll stick to just baking and cooking for fun and for my inner joy and creativity. :) Ty and I love to cook together and have tried out some really good recipes. Can't wait to make all the yummy pumpkin food and soups I'm craving now!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
On Serving
This week has been crazy. Literally everyday is jam packed with places to be and things to do. However, I made a goal last Sunday that no matter how crazy things got, I would stop and serve if I saw a need. I'm happy to report that I did really well! I really feel like making that goal and then being on the lookout for opportunities made a big difference. Here are some ways I served others this week:
I helped a classmate with homework she didn't understand.
I drove my visiting teachee to the bishops storehouse and helped her haul food to her house.
I cleaned all of the dishes Sunday morning so we could have a clean house.
I made dinner for my sister and drove her home when we went to the gym.
I got a birthday present for a friend and surprised her at home.
I cooked dinner and made breakfast for my husband.
I helped a classmate with homework she didn't understand.
I drove my visiting teachee to the bishops storehouse and helped her haul food to her house.
I cleaned all of the dishes Sunday morning so we could have a clean house.
I made dinner for my sister and drove her home when we went to the gym.
I got a birthday present for a friend and surprised her at home.
I cooked dinner and made breakfast for my husband.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
On Becoming
2 journal posts in a week? That has got to be some kind of record. I am really loving this blog journal thing...it's so nice to be just able to type what I am thinking. Whenever I go to write in the blank pages of a real journal I feel so much pressure. Like what I write about has to be so wonderful and profound that all of my posterity will be so inspired and enlightened! Too much pressure for me. Doing a journal online makes me feel like I can say what I want, without too much eternal significance. :)
Life is a tad crazy this week...and probably this whole semester. This is my last real semester of classes on campus. After this it will be student teaching, and then...a real job! It's weird to think that this is what I have been working up to for so long, but now that it's almost here...it's a little scary! BYU is my safe place. It's familiar, comfortable, and I love it here. But, the way our teachers are working us in the EL ED program, it may be a welcome relief by that time.
I've been feeling a little discouraged this semester. Our teachers keep saying this will be the hardest semester, the hardest practicum, and it has been a lot just to keep up with my homework for the next day. I am taking all of my methods classes; science, social studies, math, literacy...all of the classes that will hopefully make me competent in teaching all of those subjects. Some days I get really scared about being a teacher! It is not an easy job. In fact, in may be one of the hardest things I will do in this life. I have to be absolutely commited and hard working, which intimidates me at times. I'm scared that in my older grades practicum that I won't be able to relate to the kids and that they won't like me. I'm scared that they will have sassy attitudes and won't care about learning or my lessons. While these are legitimate fears, I have to remind myself that this is exactly how I felt 6 months ago when I was starting my practicum in first grade. I felt scared, nervous, anxious, and inadequate. But it ended up being amazing! I bonded so well with those twenty first graders. They loved and respected me. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. I spent hours planning lessons and getting to know my students and learning classroom policies and procedures. In fact it was just when I was feeling confident that it was time to go. But I learned fast by doing. I gained so much confidence when my teacher would tell me I taught a good lesson, or a student I was working with finally understood the concept, or when I got the highest scores on my evaluations than any other pracitcum students at my school. So while I am faced with another hard semester, and potentially even harder classroom experience, I know that I have the potential and capacity to be able to work hard and do this.
One thing that I was so grateful for happened when I was leaving my first practicum classroom. My teacher told me, "Not everyone that comes here should be a teacher. You should be a teacher. Thank you for how kind you have been to my students and how you have taken care of them." I still have a long way to go learning content, curriculum, and best practices for teaching. But one thing I do have is a love for children. A love for learning, and for helping them be excited about learning new things. I think there is something really special about inspiring a child, when you do that, you never know what great things they may accomplish in life or how they may improve their own situation. Although I may not be the perfect teacher yet, I know I have all the attributes to become a great teacher.
Life is a tad crazy this week...and probably this whole semester. This is my last real semester of classes on campus. After this it will be student teaching, and then...a real job! It's weird to think that this is what I have been working up to for so long, but now that it's almost here...it's a little scary! BYU is my safe place. It's familiar, comfortable, and I love it here. But, the way our teachers are working us in the EL ED program, it may be a welcome relief by that time.
I've been feeling a little discouraged this semester. Our teachers keep saying this will be the hardest semester, the hardest practicum, and it has been a lot just to keep up with my homework for the next day. I am taking all of my methods classes; science, social studies, math, literacy...all of the classes that will hopefully make me competent in teaching all of those subjects. Some days I get really scared about being a teacher! It is not an easy job. In fact, in may be one of the hardest things I will do in this life. I have to be absolutely commited and hard working, which intimidates me at times. I'm scared that in my older grades practicum that I won't be able to relate to the kids and that they won't like me. I'm scared that they will have sassy attitudes and won't care about learning or my lessons. While these are legitimate fears, I have to remind myself that this is exactly how I felt 6 months ago when I was starting my practicum in first grade. I felt scared, nervous, anxious, and inadequate. But it ended up being amazing! I bonded so well with those twenty first graders. They loved and respected me. It wasn't easy, that's for sure. I spent hours planning lessons and getting to know my students and learning classroom policies and procedures. In fact it was just when I was feeling confident that it was time to go. But I learned fast by doing. I gained so much confidence when my teacher would tell me I taught a good lesson, or a student I was working with finally understood the concept, or when I got the highest scores on my evaluations than any other pracitcum students at my school. So while I am faced with another hard semester, and potentially even harder classroom experience, I know that I have the potential and capacity to be able to work hard and do this.
One thing that I was so grateful for happened when I was leaving my first practicum classroom. My teacher told me, "Not everyone that comes here should be a teacher. You should be a teacher. Thank you for how kind you have been to my students and how you have taken care of them." I still have a long way to go learning content, curriculum, and best practices for teaching. But one thing I do have is a love for children. A love for learning, and for helping them be excited about learning new things. I think there is something really special about inspiring a child, when you do that, you never know what great things they may accomplish in life or how they may improve their own situation. Although I may not be the perfect teacher yet, I know I have all the attributes to become a great teacher.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Why My Husband is the Best Husband in the World!
After badgering him to help name the blog, this was his input. Since I shot it down, I thought it as least merited its own blog post. So yes, this is one of those sappy newlywed blog posts that everyone says they dislike but secretly loves to read. But since so far this blog is just for me, I can be as sappy as I want. :)
First, he is so loving. He is always writing and sending me cute messages telling me how much he loves me. He tells me often too, and makes me feel loved and wanted. He gives me good hugs and kisses and he lets me feel his scruff because he knows I love it. I was promised that in my marriage there would be a rich outpouring of love, and I have truly felt that the three and a half months we have been married.
He is funny! We are so goofy together and are always laughing and joking. He always has a positive and happy attitude and helps me laugh. On Saturday we went to the football game, which ended up being delayed about two hours. I instantly started stressing about all the homework I had to do and started to get cabin fever being so closed in. Ty took a walk with me and when I started getting grumpy, he made me laugh and reminded me to have a good attitude in less than ideal situation. Life is not always going to go as planned, and I'm grateful I married someone who faces situations with humor and a good attitude.
Ty is caring and selfless. This summer I had to get up really early for work each week. Even though Ty didn't have work until later, he would always get up with me. He would make me breakfast, make sure I had snacks and a water bottle and then drive me to work so I didn't have to walk. This meant so much to me! I wish I could say I do the same when he has early work and school. He is always concerned for my well-being and making sure I am okay. He is also always looking for ways to help and serve others around him. I was also promised that I would marry a noble man of God and that is truly what he is.
I love being with Ty. He makes people around him feel good and I feel uplifted when I'm around him. He makes me feel valued and important. He is romantic, fun, spiritual, helpful, compassionate, smart, hardworking, and everything I ever wanted in a husband. People say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I think they're wrong! It is a transition, but I have never been happier than these past three months. Marriage is happy when you are married to your best friend, the person you are most comfortable with and can talk about anything. I am so grateful for all the time Ty spent with me this summer! One of my love languages is quality time and I'm grateful we were able to do so many fun things together and make so many memories. Life is wonderful, I love you Ty!!
First, he is so loving. He is always writing and sending me cute messages telling me how much he loves me. He tells me often too, and makes me feel loved and wanted. He gives me good hugs and kisses and he lets me feel his scruff because he knows I love it. I was promised that in my marriage there would be a rich outpouring of love, and I have truly felt that the three and a half months we have been married.
He is funny! We are so goofy together and are always laughing and joking. He always has a positive and happy attitude and helps me laugh. On Saturday we went to the football game, which ended up being delayed about two hours. I instantly started stressing about all the homework I had to do and started to get cabin fever being so closed in. Ty took a walk with me and when I started getting grumpy, he made me laugh and reminded me to have a good attitude in less than ideal situation. Life is not always going to go as planned, and I'm grateful I married someone who faces situations with humor and a good attitude.
Ty is caring and selfless. This summer I had to get up really early for work each week. Even though Ty didn't have work until later, he would always get up with me. He would make me breakfast, make sure I had snacks and a water bottle and then drive me to work so I didn't have to walk. This meant so much to me! I wish I could say I do the same when he has early work and school. He is always concerned for my well-being and making sure I am okay. He is also always looking for ways to help and serve others around him. I was also promised that I would marry a noble man of God and that is truly what he is.
I love being with Ty. He makes people around him feel good and I feel uplifted when I'm around him. He makes me feel valued and important. He is romantic, fun, spiritual, helpful, compassionate, smart, hardworking, and everything I ever wanted in a husband. People say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. I think they're wrong! It is a transition, but I have never been happier than these past three months. Marriage is happy when you are married to your best friend, the person you are most comfortable with and can talk about anything. I am so grateful for all the time Ty spent with me this summer! One of my love languages is quality time and I'm grateful we were able to do so many fun things together and make so many memories. Life is wonderful, I love you Ty!!
