Merry Christmas Everyone!!

So there hasn't been much snow, but it is still a beautiful December! There is more to come of course, but we have already had some really good times. December is my favorite. One of the reasons is because three years ago in December I fell in love with my sweetheart, Russell Clark. We fell for each other while helping spread Christmas cheer. :D We chose a family to do secret santa for. We went out shopping for the whole family. We wrapped the gifts. (Russ is incredibly particular about wrapping presents.) And then one night we delivered the HUGE bag of Christmas in secret. We hid behind his truck as the happy grandmother discovered the bag of Christmas presents and shouted, "Thank you! Thank you!"

I recount this story not to glory in a good deed past, but to reflect on the moments I began to fall for this amazing man I now call my husband.

I have learned that the best Christmas times happen when we are giving of ourselves. Russ and I have continued this tradition and have even been "secret santa-ed" ourselves! There is so much to be grateful for as we think of our Savior coming to the world. We are so thankful for his sacrifice and love for us.
We are grateful for our dear friends and loving families especially this holiday season.
Merry Christmas Everyone!! Hope yours is Merry and Bright!

Halloween Hit!

I was worried that my class Halloween Party would be lame. I had ZERO parent volunteers and NO idea what to do. Then of course like most things, I went to my mother about it. My Mom suggested stations and she even came up with most of them. We had a mini golf station, donut on a string, play dough, mummy wrap.. It was a blast! I played spooky music and served chips and salsa and cookies. My mom, my brother, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and Russ all came to help out. It was a hit! The kids had SOOO much fun.

I LOVE THIRD GRADE!

It took a few weeks till I got the key to my classroom. The first thing I noticed when I walked into my portable was that it smelled awful and was very dusty. I liked that I had tables instead of desks and the size was perfect. However, the wood paneled walls kind of put a damper on things. My Mom saved the day by taking me to IKEA. We got things for organizing, things for a little library and even a comfy teacher chair. (yay) It took several helpers and three weeks to clean and set up my classroom. It was totally worth it. :D I feel super lucky to have such an spiffy place to teach these amazing kids. The students LOVE the library corner the best I think. Everyday we have a "star" of the day. The star gets to be the line leader and run any errands. The star of the day and the other three people at his or her table get to be library friends and sit in the library during silent reading or any story time.

I wish I could post pictures of these seriously CUTE kids! :D They are sweet and a whole lot of fun! I never go through a day without laughing with them.

Orange Lilies

I decided that I wanted to be a teacher about four years ago. With the change of major and transfer of universities, it took much longer to graduate than I anticipated. So when I found out that it was going to be challenging to find a job teaching I was frustrated with myself. Why not just graduate all those years ago in whatever? I could have saved a ton of money and I would surely have found a job. I applied for about 20 jobs. I interviewed six times. I heard there were almost 100 applicants for most jobs. Despite the competition I was SURE I would get each of the jobs I interviewed for. It was one disappointing letter/e-mail after another. Finally two weeks ago, I went to an interview during girl's camp. I went down the mountain everyday to check my phone.. and on the last day of camp I found out.. NO. Not hired. A really nice e-mail, like the rest, saying that I was at the top, but just not who they chose. I felt terrible for disappointed Russ too. He was supposed to go to school this fall. I felt like a failure. This job opportunity I didn't get felt like the last chance.

I went back up to girl's camp, trying to hide my frustration. Focusing on our AWESOME girlies. We had such a great time, I almost forgot I was supposed to be feeling bad. At the fireside that night, my sweet friend Andrea Tesch came with her best friend Hannah. Hannah has cerebral palsy and spoke to us about her daily life and her testimony of the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Her words rang true to me and as I listened to her, I felt foolish for even having dwelt a little bit on the pain of rejection. What beautiful perspective! When i came home from camp, my husband had orange lilies for me on the kitchen table (as well as an ice cold diet coke.) He told me that he could never be disappointed in my efforts. He knew I only did what I thought I should. Six days later I was getting ready to go visiting teaching and I got a phone call from a principal in Ogden City. She had received my application and was interested in interviewing me. . . THAT DAY. As soon as we finished our visits, I rushed home, changed clothes, and rushed to the interview.

The principal was friendly and the interview went well. I interviewed for a 4th grade teaching position at T.O. Smith Elementary. (five minutes from my house) That afternoon, before Russ even got home from work, I was called with the news... I GOT THE JOB!!! I am a new third grade teacher at T.O. Smith Elementary School. (unless they change it to fifth.) There are at least three other girls from my classes who will be teaching at this school this year. (SO FUN!)

It has been a long summer, filled with interviews and stress.

Now time to prepare for an exciting year at a great school!
Did I mention that my lilies are still in bloom? :)

She said YES!! A new sister!!

About a month ago the seven of us (Anna, Cecilia, Spencer, Lorne, Emma, Russ, and I) decided to go up to Idaho to spend time with our grandparents. We love going to the farm. The boys helped Grandpa with the animals and the fence. We got to pick strawberries, work in the garden and we girls even went shopping in Pocatello.

Lorne decided to take Emma up to a place we used to play as kids, "The Crick" and propose. All of us headed up there before dinner. We had to cross the creek on a bridge the boys made for us and then Lorne took Emma on a hike while the rest of us stayed below and waited for them to return. When they FINALLY came back they were ENGAGED! Lorne found out later that our parents and our grandparents got engaged in Pocatello. Also.. added bonus.. My sweetie asked my Dad for permission to marry me out on the farm in good old Pocatello.

"Baby You're A Firework"

My cute husband LOVES Katy Perry's music. :) One of our favorite tunes this summer has been her "firework" song. Speaking of fireworks.. we had a fantastic Independence Day! It began with an "Awful Waffle" at Bea and Rich's and ended with fireworks in Kaysville with my siblings. (Except for two... Jessica lives in North Carolina and Anna was in Hawaii)

Pre School!

I spent the first chunk of the summer co-teaching.. PRE SCHOOL! This is my adorable nephew, Gage. He was in our class. I enjoyed spending my days with these sweet children. I learned a lot about classroom management and I believe these cuties are ready for KINDERGARTEN!! :D Good luck! I will miss you! Look out Club Heights! Here they come!

California Trip

Russell's Papa passed away earlier this summer. We were heartbroken because we will miss him so much and because we know Nana will miss him too. The most beautiful part of the service to me, was after family prayer, before the funeral. Nana kissed Papa goodbye on the cheek. It was so simple. She was dressed in white and looked like an angel. I know that they will see each other again. Papa lived a good life; full of service to the church, family, and hard work. He left us a beautiful legacy. Until we meet again Papa!

While we were in town for the funeral, Russell's family visited some of their old houses. It was so much fun to go there with Russ and see the places lived and went to school.

Oh yeah, In April I graduated...

The Sun Shines Again

My sweet former mission companion, Aimee writes a lot of inspiring stuff in her blog.

Her testimony shines through with each post. Today is her birthday and I have decided to (as I did on the mission) follow her excellent example. She has inspired me to indulge in sharing some feelings from my heart...
During church today, I sat thinking about life lately. We have experienced some dark times the past few months. Through all of the tricky times, there is this constant beacon of hope. We trust in our God. Russ and I know that as we trust in God, all will be well. As challenging as it can be to hold on tight when the winds come, we do.

Then one day, we wake up and the sun is shining. The sky is clear and life feels good again. Somehow we are changed. We are stronger for having survived the storm. We go throughout our days with a stronger stride because we have confidence that He is here. God is on our side. We will follow Him. We will build up His kingdom. We will serve Him. We have a desire to share with other people this peace and truth we have found. We want our brothers and sisters to be happy and to live with us and God again... So we live our lives. We share the gospel when we can. We try to be sweet examples of love, humility, truth, and goodness. In Young Women today, we discussed eternal marriage. Isn't it amazing that families can be together forever? That a husband and wife will continue their relationship after death? These things ring true to me. There could be no other way. Jesus is our Savior and through the enabling power of the Atonement we can get through these dark times. With Him by our side, we will come off conquerers.



Thank you Aimee for your words and your inspiration. :) Mannheim will always be a cherished memory for me.

VEGAS Road Trip!!

This spring, my sister, Cecilia, our cousin Franchesca, Mom, and Aunt Carla all went to Vegas. We had so much fun. My favorite parts of the trip were shopping at H&M, and just hanging with my cousins. Gotta love Vegas! :)

Pepsi Max - Interview

Student Teaching

I am such a lucky girl. I am absolutely LOVING my student teaching experience. I am with two amazing teachers this semester. I started out in first grade and I move over to fifth grade later in February. I learn so much every day from my Cooperating Teacher and other teachers in the school. Uintah Elementary is a great place to student teach. The faculty and staff are so helpful and kind. I feel like they are all on my "team." The students are fabulous and adorable. Next week I am beginning my unit on Antarctica. I will be taking over the whole class. This makes me nervous, but I also feel ready for this challenge.