"learning differences"

I feel like I learn new things every day. Being still in school, after all these years sometimes I get cocky, thinking I know it all, and there is nothing left to teach me. I can't believe I admitted that one out loud... :) However, every single day I sit in my classes absorbing it all like a dry sponge. I feel like my perspective shifts every day. Yesterday we learned about people who have learning differences. Dyslexia, and other learning "disabilities." My perspective shifted when I realized that just because someone doesn't learn the same way as most people in a classroom, doesn't mean they don't have the scholastic potential everyone else does have. As a teacher, my responsibility will not only be to believe in all of my students, but to provide them with the abilities and tools they will need in the future. It's exciting really. The stuff they teach us these days.

30

Yesterday I got to talking to a mother of some of the kids at the after school program. She is turning 30 in a few months and said she's really freaking out about it. It got me to thinking. If I turned thirty this year, I'd really freak out too. The health class I am in required me to fill out a survey on health. One of the questions was, "Are you comfortable with growing old?" Honestly, as happy as I am right now, there are a lot of things I want to do with my life before I am "old." So I decided to make a list for myself a few years ahead. Some guidelines to live by so that by the time I am a few months away from turning 30, I will not be in freak out mode. I will be in, "My life is great mode." Here goes...

- Before I turn 30

Healthy - Habits

· Exercise

· Scriptures

· Prayer

· FHE

· Healthy Food

Money

· Live within means

House

· Downstairs bathroom

· Flooring

· Organize Pantry

· Bedroom Closet

· Spare Room organized

School & Career

· GRADUATE

· Get a Job (Work as an elementary school teacher)

FAMILY

· a Kid?

· Have fun with Russ all the days

Travel

· Euro-trip

· Florida (family)

· Idaho (family)

· CA (Disneyland) (Russ' grandparents)

Want to:

· Learn to sew

· Learn to cook more yummy/healthy things

· Keep my house clean and organized

· Keep in contact with my best friends and family

· Hike

· Stay active in the church

o I get to work with the Beehives right now, and I am LOVING it. I hope I still get to be with them for a few more years!

sChoOl bEgiNs aGaIN

It's school. Level 2 at Weber State. I am loving it... I feel like last semester was Kindergarten though, and this is fifth grade. Yikes. There is a lot of work ahead, but I'm up for it. I realize that if I would have just figured out I wanted to teach from day 1 at College, I'd be teaching for a while now. na ja. It's been a fun journey to this major. HOpefully I will be teaching Fall 2011. My sister Cecilia has transferred to Weber State and is also in the Ed program. We even have a class together. Most of my favorite Weber State memories have to do with my sister. We took some classes together a few years ago (we've both been to other universities since then) and I never loved a class more. So this semester is expected to be AWESOME.

Christmas with the Clarks

We had so much fun this Christmas. We got to spend time with my family Christmas morning early and then went to a yummy brunch at Russell's parents' house. We had fun with gifts, food, played wii, apples to apples, and watched movies with the Family. (Russell took a THREE HOUR nap Christmas Day with his daddy.) One of my favorite things about Christmas is the visits we get from far away family and friends. We have been blessed this Christmas to spend time with Russell's Grandmother Clark. My sister Jessica flew in from North Carolina. Russ' brother, Robb and his awesome family are currently visiting from Colorado. We are super stoked to spend time with them this week.

Russell Cooks

From the time we started dating, Russell has always liked to cook for me. His green chili enchiladas are to die for and I love his chicken tacos. I also love to cook. It's been fun trying out new recipes and figuring out what we like the best. But, when Russell announced that he was going to make a turkey pot pie, I had my doubts. Not going to lie.. However, that was the cutest and best tasting Turkey-Pot-Pie I have EVER tasted. Way to go Russy!

Merry Christmas!!

Thanks for the Christmas cards! :)

Can you find yours?






Now that I am going to try to keep my blog updated, I might actually take some pictures. This is our first Christmas as "the Clarks." And it's been so much fun to try to come up with little traditions and to decide how we are going to do things. I decorated the day after Thanksgiving. Wallmart had a pre-lit Christmas tree for $35.00. So, of course, we were all over that. Russell thought we should have a theme, and I agreed. So it is this brown and bronzy with gold theme. Lots of fun.

been a while--pIcTuReS!!

I need to remember to buy AA batteries to upload all of our pictures to our computer.. and I need the internet in my home so I can work on this super fun blog in my spare minutes. Because I have neither, this blog is pretty bare. Every time I go to the store, and I get to the check out line, I know that there is something I am missing.. And I never remember that it's AA Batteries. Oh well! Next time I'm at Macy's or Wall-Mart, picking up tortillas and milk, hopefully I'll remember.

So I got those batteries... Time for some picture updates!!