Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong...

Ahem.

I am excited to say that Steve and I are up and moving to Fort Worth Texas next summer- Steve got accepted to medical school at UNTHSC in Fort Worth. WOOOT WOOOOT!!!

He got accepted to three schools, but after weighing them all out and trying to choose we just keep coming back to Texas. This school is it.

No, it's not because one of my life goals is to buy a belt buckle in texas.

or because there is a cowgirl museum/hall of fame two blocks from his school.

or because my heart has longed for the twang of Texas since my younger years.

or because Fort Worth is known as "The City of Cowboys and Culture".

or because I found this little blurb on a travel sight about it:

"One focal point, the Fort Worth Stockyards, named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, is composed of 15 blocks where visitors can experience the authentic American West. It is a one-of-a-kind location with a variety of attractions that make history come alive. The Stockyards is home to the Fort Worth Herd, the world's only daily cattle drive, where Texas Longhorns are driven down East Exchange Avenue by cowhands in period dress. Rodeo action and Wild West shows take place year-round in the Cowtown Coliseum and live music is featured at Billy Bob's—the largest honky-tonk in the world. "


but seriously, do we need any more reasons? Is there anything better?

Ok, ok. So, besides being a Cowboy wannabe's paradise, this medical school is perfect for Steve.
They have a huge anatomy cadaver program (Steve is a total anatomy nerd), incredible technology in their labs, they have their classes set up "systems based" which means that they study one system at a time- like circulatory, lymphatic, endocrine, etc. They first study the regular systems, then abnormalities that can occur in that system. It's really cool when Steve describes it- and the day he came home from interviewing from that school his face looked like it was Christmas- He was so excited about that place.

They start July 22nd, so we'll probably move out the beginning of July. We already have tickets to fly out and look at possible apartments in February.

So here's some perks to this place:

• Steve is in love with this school
• The people there are super friendly and he felt really welcome there
• Texans really know how to BBQ, Steve's excited about that.
  
• My heart longs to be a cowgirl. and Fort Worth is calling to me.
• Housing is so cheap!
  
• Steve's parents live 4 hours away. Fun weekend trips right?
  
• Tuition is really cheap there too, a lot less than the other schools.
• The Fort Worth School District pays really well and they say they have the most employees of any district in Texas. So I have a better chance of getting a job and getting paid better than in Utah.
  
• We can help strengthen a ward out there. I'm really excited to live somewhere where we have so many more opportunities to spread the gospel.
  
• It doesn't snow- it's warm. Ya hear that Utah, It's warm when it's supposed to be!!!!

We both feel really good about it, and unless something crazy happens, we're like 99.9 % sure this is where we are going. :) Look at us. We're so grown up, doing grown up things like moving to Texas. Woah.

I wish humans had a month for hibernation.

I slept for ten hours last night.
I just pooped out on the couch at 9:30pm while I was reading and woke up at 8am. Just in time to be late for school.

But I still feel like my eyes are going to fall off my face.
I think I have an idea why. I think I have 27 little reasons why. 17 of them are little boys and 10 of them are little girls. And like two of them can pay attention for more than 3 minutes. That's why.

My mentor teacher amazes me. I don't know how she does it. I have been at it for a few weeks and I feel like I'm melting.

Some days teaching is fun. Some days I want to duct tape half of their little bums to their chairs and threaten to melt their crayons if they don't just finish a worksheet. Just ONE worksheet! Write the words that go in the blank! Or trace the letter R! Come on! That's all I ask!!! But of course that would be cruel, so I let them have their crayons, and keep the duct tape to the posters instead of using it on little first grade booties.

So, the other day one girl kept coming up to me to tattle on people, so I told her to go back to her chair and glue her bottom to it so that when her legs wanted to get up she could say to them, "sorry legs! I'm stuck to my chair!". She gave me a funny look and then I saw her go get her gluestick-ha she thought I was serious. I stopped her in time and explained. I didn't even think that she would take it seriously! That was a funny day. :)

It's just so exhausting harping on little six year olds all day to hold still or listen or do their work or not talk. And knowing that the little chatty kid in the back isn't gonna know a darn thing when it comes to practicing what you just taught. It makes you so sad to know that the kids that need to learn this stuff most are the ones that won't listen or hold still or stop talking.

Every once in a while during a really great activity, or when they just barely get to the rug, or on a really good day you have a few precious minutes with all of their attention and you have to use and abuse those few minutes for all they are worth. Stick as much knowledge in it's simplest form into those little heads fast as you can and pray that they will find it valuable and give it priority over the fact that they are about to remember that their neighbor's cat died, or the girl sitting next to them has a rock in her shoe, or that they are going to be a cowboy for halloween.

It feels like trying to get caffeinated spaghetti noodles to learn and recite Shakespeare. Sometimes it feels bleak.

But sometimes they get it! and that feels so good. And sometimes this one little boy will be understanding his math and say "Oh man, that's all? this is easy peasy!". And this one little hispanic boy will come show me his journal and have five nicely written sentences with capitals and periods and all. That makes ya feel great. There is hope for these little spaghetti noodles. :)

Another thing about first grade- it's a bacteria paradise. They all have coughs and sneezes and "accidents" and you just wonder what else is going in your ear when the girl that was just out sick for three days whispers in your ear that sarah has a crush on isaac. lots of germies that's what. I carry hand sanitizer in my pocket. Is that a little overboard? Maybe. But it comes in handy quite a bit.

I really do love them, I'll be so sad to go, but sometimes they drive ya nuts. There is opposition in all things right? Overall though, I love it. Don't let me convince ya otherwise. But don't be one of those people that thinks teaching is just what girls do if their bored. It's really really tough. You really can't realize how tough until you do it. Especially with the little kids. I feel like the 6th graders were way easier that the 6 year olds.

Go thank a teacher you know. They probably work stinkin hard and wonder sometimes if it's worth it. I am sure thankful for all my teachers growing up. And I have a new found appreciation for all they did for me.

Really?

So here's a little snapshot from my life for ya.


I came home from Parent Teacher conferences Thursday night and started working on a lesson plan. I was doing some stuff on the internet and noticed there was a tab already open. Steve had been using my computer since it gets better internet.

Here is what steve was doing on my computer:


If you can't see it too well it's a bunch of fancy pants equations and words from chemistry.



Here is what I was doing on my computer:


If you can't see that very well it's a bunch of leaves. and the words "We can write sentences!".


Sometimes doing 1st grade things while Stevey does college student chemistry pants things makes me feel ridiculous. But different is good. Different brings balance. :)

Camp Kesem 2011

This is what I did for the week of August 15-20th. It was awesome. Take a look!







What is all this you may ask?
This may explain....



This camp was incredible, it's something I feel passionate about supporting. It changed my life, and the lives of these kids. If you ever want to be a part of it or donate let me know! Or check out www.campkesem.org/byu

Life in First Grade

First grade is fun. Lots of letters, and sounds, and songs, and the teacher whose classroom I'm in is EXCELLENT with capital letters. She just has a way with them, and she knows how to explain things. I hope I can get her habits to rub off on me.

So being in first grade brings it fair share of randomness...Here's a few of my favorite things spoken by my class so far.

"Hold on! (mid lesson he jumps up and runs to the sink in the back and spits)...I had a lougey."

"TEACHER!!!"

"Teacher he said I was a grandma."

"Teacher he said he was going to kick me after school"

"Teacher, she was talking to me when you said to be quiet." and she was totally talking back to her. we have a tattle tale issue, but sometimes it makes ya laugh.

"Oh, wow teacher, you have beautiful earrings."

"I lost a tooth! look!"

"My cat had kittens"

her: "I have a dog, and a snake, and two cats." me: "Oh what are their names?" her: "I don't know"

talking about me to the teacher in front of the class, "Well she is old and knows more stuff than us, so it's almost like she is a teacher."

In the middle of a story about animals (this boy pulls out the most random stuff at the most random times), "Teacher! I am going to be a jail bird for halloween." Later that same day he raised his hand and said, "Teacher, I want to be a cowboy for halloween instead."

When the class was raising fingers depending on their answer, one little girl was getting so frustrated cause she just wanted to raise her three middle fingers, but couldn't figure out how to keep her ring finger up and her pinky finger down at the same time. She kept trying to hold them where she wanted, but to no avail. I wanted to just tell her, but it was too funny.

I'm catching on to the system of how the school runs and everything, and starting to get used to the schedule, so I'd say it's going well. :) Yay school.

WOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is a monumental day! I finished my last class EVER at BYU! All I have now is student teaching for fall semester and I'm DONE!!!! FINISHED!!!! wooooo!!!! But no more coordinating homework for 8 classes, and tests and finals. I survived. Oh man. And now I get one sole focus: Student teaching. Yessss. I now have two and a half weeks before I have any more school obligations-the longest break I've had since last august. I've gone straight through fall, winter, spring, summer, and now I'll have fall as my grand finale.

I told Kyle I was done with class and tests and homework, and he texted me back- "congrats! Now you have the rest of your life to inflict those things on other people". Ha, I couldn't put it better.

Student teaching will still be madness, and the teacher work sample will be lots of work, but it will be doing what I love, and all about teaching kids.

Let's pray to high heaven that I get placed in a close school...that would be awesome since we're doing the whole one car thing. I love riding my bike, but it would be a wee bit difficult if I am wearing skirts every day.

Next week is Camp Kesem too-that will be awesome. It's a camp for kids whose parents have, or have had cancer. They come up to Camp Kastopolus in Salt Lake, cost free to them, and get to just play and have fun with other kids in similar situations who are dealing with the same things. Their parents get a week to themselves, and the kids get to play their hearts out-and we get to help them have fun! Lorren and I are in charge of arts and crafts- I'm pumped. I'll stick some pics up of our beautiful creations.

Oh ya we moved! It's AWESOME!!!! I have not killed one earwig yet! And the sink comes out of the counter, not the wall. And get this- THERE ARE WINDOWS!!! WOOO!! You wake up in the morning to NATURAL light coming in through the blinds. It's like the sun saying "hello! I've missed you! Let me just kiss you good morning old friend!". I love it. I'm so happy with it.

Also, I am pleased to announce that today I have my first sunburn of the summer! Ya, I'm a little behind, it's mid-august, but I've been kind of dominated by classes-not much time for sunburns ya know? We went to seven peaks finally, and it was a blast. and my shoulders are screaming for aloe vera. No matter how much sunscreen you put on, they still get the brunt of the burning. It symbolizes the start of summer vacation for me though- I have two and a half precious weeks to fit in a summer's worth of party, and the season's first sunburn is the kickoff! WOO!!!! I'll think I shall go eat some ice cream now. or an otter pop. or both. and wear shorts. life is wonderful.

Tidbits.

Hello!

Wow, it's been a while. Summer has been crazy. I've been in classes and working, so it's been unlike any other summer. I admit I do enjoy getting to do my homework while sitting outside in the sun, or going to the library and there are actually tables and computer vacant! AH! LOVE that! BYU is a lovely place with so few people. I'm a fan cause I like being able to find a chair or table where you can eat lunch and feel like you're by yourself. That probably stems from my dislike of eating with other people...I just feel awkward sometimes eating food with other people. I've gotten over it a lot since being married, but I used to HATE eating lunch around random people at BYU. I guess I'm just self conscious. Anyway, back to summer. I've been learning lots of cool things, and doing lots of fun things, it's been really nice. I have a few thoughts to share...


I got a 4.0 for Spring term. My first 4.0 ever at BYU, and one of my goals on my life goals list that I get to cross off. YESSSS!!!!! I worked stinkin hard for that.


I'm in love with pinterest. So in love. I've never used the word "cute" in my life as much as I have in the past few weeks with my discovery of pinterest.

Did you know that poinsettias are poisonous to cats and dogs?

We are moving in August. I am SO excited. Our little shire/basement/bombshelter/cave is great, but it's time to live in a place where the faucet doesn't come out of the wall, where steve doesn't hit his head on our light fixtures, and where the windows next to the front door aren't made of thick plastic...And we will have two bedrooms for pretty much the same price. I'm stoked.

I'm averaging about 4 otter pops a day. The most so far in a day has been 7, but that was the night I had a lot of reading...I needed something to chew on. Have you ever eaten just ONE otter pop? No. no one does. that's ridiculous. Speaking of otter pops, I think this totally applies to them.


How perfect is that? :)

I have killed about 18 ear wigs in the past two weeks. And we had an ant attack. They were EVERYWHERE! and during out softball game steve got about 25 mosquito bites, and I had somewhere in the teens- Needless to say, I hate bugs right now. I love summer, but I hate bugs.


Steve, Syl, Sabrinna and tanner are in town and we raced boats down the BYU stream on the south part of campus. I would recommend that activity highly...

I made my first batch of homemade strawberry jam! I made the freezer kind, and it's delicious. I thought it was all complicated and hard to make, but It's totally not. It's like three ingredients.

For anyone attending BYU I have two things to recommend. One- SFL 345: Religion in the Home from Dollahite. I'm in it right now and it is awesome. It's about other religions and how they practice it in their homes. I knew none of these things before, but it's so great to realize how other religions are so similar to us, and I have learned to really admire their devotion and dedication to what they believe in. Two- Lisa Hale. She teaches English, and she's one of the best teachers I've had at BYU. I have Eng 313 with her and it's a lot of work, but so so awesome. If you have the chance, take a class from her. She is fabulous.

welp, I think that's it. Happy Summertime :)