School is OUT!

It's such a nice feeling when school is out for the semester. I love it! PLUS my Lia Sophia stuff came today. It felt like Christmas. You'd think with the extra time I would have gotten the house clean. NOPE. Tomorrow. Today I relish in freedom of yet ANOTHER semester completed. Closer to the goal. MOving on to Level 3 in the teaching program. (after a math class this May)

Go Lakers!

Last night Kera, Natalie, and I took our Young Women to go see Bonneville's version of Les Miserables. It was really fantastic. I teared up three times. I have always loved that play but there was something really special about it being put on by a bunch of (EXTREMELY) talented high school students.

Standing in the foyer, waiting to take pictures with our girlies, I looked over at the gym, and then down the hall at the Junior lockers. High school smells, thoughts, and feelings started rushing back. Natalie (Dixon Stephens) turned to me and said, "This is weird. I feel self conscious again, like I did in high school." It was funny, I got the feeling I used to get on the way to PE with Burg? Can't remember the coaches name.

It's funny to think back on how the world looked and felt back then, and then to see how far we've all come. On the walk to the car, Natalie told me how she thought her life would turn out and how happy she is that it is different than what she had planned. All I could think was... ME TOO. ME TOO.

I don't think I could have imagined Russell if I tried. I love our life, even the daily struggle of it all. Happy times. Interesting the perspective you can get from attending a high school play.

the ROOM

Wow. It's already March. And close to April. The past few months have really flown by. I am pulling through level two and it looks as if I am on schedule for graduation next Spring. I will be taking Math 2020 this summer to make Level three a bit easier in the fall and so that I can do well on the Praxis. School has been my main focus. I feel that I have neglected so much! The "study/junk room/spare room/Anna's room" is a disaster area. It seems to be the place I pour out my backpack, YW bag, and throw all my coats, gloves, and scarves. I might take a picture and post it with this tomorrow... if you are lucky. Or if I have the guts. I feel like this little room is my room because of all the time I have spent at this computer with school work. I went over my transcript today. I have a TON of credits. With how hard I am working now that I finally know how much I am doing... I regret not being so focused before.

New Ambition.. This weekend I will clean the spare room. I will have a focused and organized working space for the rest of the semester... And next...

"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.