Today, I am exhausted. And I feel defeated. I feel like a horrible teacher today. And I was about to write all about my horrible feelings and vent, but I decided to focus on the positive instead.
Today I want to write about why I teach. And it starts with my students.
Jace - Because you weren't sure if you liked me or English at first, but now you like both (I think)
Dontel - Because a lot of people have given up on you, but you're still trying.
Dakota - Because I taught your nightmare brother last year and you have shown me not to judge a book by it's cover, with your kind and funny spirit.
Abbi - Because you are amazing. And you don't need to hurt yourself to feel better.
Kaleb - Because you kind of smell after football, but you are the happiest kid I know.
Kyler - Because you were worried about your teachers liking you, and I was worried about my students liking me. Turns out, we both like each other.
Trinitee - Because everything about you is kind and good.
Trey - Because you care so much, about your grades and your friends.
Isalei - Because in a classroom full of crazies, you try to calm the storm.
Alix - Because you didn't get mad at me when I had to send you to the office for a dress code violation and I thought it would make you hate me for the rest of the year. Instead, we became friends.
Kennadie - Because you passed out in my class but acted like it was nothing; You amaze me.
Kalli - Because of your unwavering loyalty and affection, and because you can always make me feel better on a day like today.
Christian - Because of your kindness and your smile.
Alex - Because you play trashketball with me and think I'm cool sometimes (just a little)
I teach because of you. I teach because of the students. So even if I am a horrible teacher, at least I know I'm making a difference, even if it's just one life at a time. Right?
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Teaching, Adulting, and Kids
Today is Tuesday, December 15th. There are only 3 full school days left until the Winter Break.
And I thought the waiting was bad when I was the student! This year we are flying to Arizona to spend Christmas with Devin's family. We will also spend some time down in Mexico on the beaches of Rocky Point. I am very, very excited. I have got about 5 books begging me to read them right now so it will be the perfect time to catch up on them.
Also, I feel like I keep getting senioritis.... adult version. First it was with the new house, now it's with Winter Break. I thought time sped up when you became an adult? Right? Well it does, in fact I cannot believe I am halfway through my first year of teaching. Where did the time go? Yet, at the same time, the waiting just seems to get harder and harder. I have about 50 papers waiting to be graded right now and I'm instead typing during my prep..... oops.
Also, I decided that adulting is hard. Deciding to adult was the best and dumbest choice I ever made. It's really, really, really nice to be on your own, not dependent on anyone but yourself, but it can also be really, really, really hard sometimes.
Like, where the freak did all of these bills come from? And when did backyard fences start to cost over $5000? And what about the stupid washing machine that ate our linoleum floor. Someone else will fix that right? Also, I have to go to work tomorrow? And someone will make dinner if I don't right? WRONG. Okay, maybe Devin will.
I guess this rant is helping me realize the importance of family and friends. And the ability to rely on them. Because life is amazing but it can really suck at times. And they help learn how to adult the right way when it does suck. Speaking of family... Devin and I have a plan to wait to have kids for a few more years.... But recently my mind has been wandering to our future children and how freakin' adorable they will be. I really feel like we have NOTHING stopping us now, except that Devin needs to finish his degree. I'd also like to teach for a minimum of three years before we have kids. I plan to keep working when I have kids but I want to be able to have experience with teaching before I overwhelm myself with kiddos. And, while I want kids ASAP in some instances, in other instances I remember that kids are hard. They are amazing, but hard. Kind of like adulting, ha.
I just want to make sure we're ready. And I know people say "you'll never be ready for kids." But I'm calling Bullsh*t on that one! Three years ago, Devin and I would have been killing ourselves just to make enough money to pay formula. Now, we would be much more comfortable. We could have kids now, and be okay. But I don't want to just be okay. I want to make sure that Devin has his degree so he can be flexible with his future, and I want to make sure I have experience in my teaching field before I take on more things. Is that so bad?
No, no Kyle it's not. Thanks for letting me rant.
And I thought the waiting was bad when I was the student! This year we are flying to Arizona to spend Christmas with Devin's family. We will also spend some time down in Mexico on the beaches of Rocky Point. I am very, very excited. I have got about 5 books begging me to read them right now so it will be the perfect time to catch up on them.
Also, I feel like I keep getting senioritis.... adult version. First it was with the new house, now it's with Winter Break. I thought time sped up when you became an adult? Right? Well it does, in fact I cannot believe I am halfway through my first year of teaching. Where did the time go? Yet, at the same time, the waiting just seems to get harder and harder. I have about 50 papers waiting to be graded right now and I'm instead typing during my prep..... oops.
Also, I decided that adulting is hard. Deciding to adult was the best and dumbest choice I ever made. It's really, really, really nice to be on your own, not dependent on anyone but yourself, but it can also be really, really, really hard sometimes.
Like, where the freak did all of these bills come from? And when did backyard fences start to cost over $5000? And what about the stupid washing machine that ate our linoleum floor. Someone else will fix that right? Also, I have to go to work tomorrow? And someone will make dinner if I don't right? WRONG. Okay, maybe Devin will.
I guess this rant is helping me realize the importance of family and friends. And the ability to rely on them. Because life is amazing but it can really suck at times. And they help learn how to adult the right way when it does suck. Speaking of family... Devin and I have a plan to wait to have kids for a few more years.... But recently my mind has been wandering to our future children and how freakin' adorable they will be. I really feel like we have NOTHING stopping us now, except that Devin needs to finish his degree. I'd also like to teach for a minimum of three years before we have kids. I plan to keep working when I have kids but I want to be able to have experience with teaching before I overwhelm myself with kiddos. And, while I want kids ASAP in some instances, in other instances I remember that kids are hard. They are amazing, but hard. Kind of like adulting, ha.
I just want to make sure we're ready. And I know people say "you'll never be ready for kids." But I'm calling Bullsh*t on that one! Three years ago, Devin and I would have been killing ourselves just to make enough money to pay formula. Now, we would be much more comfortable. We could have kids now, and be okay. But I don't want to just be okay. I want to make sure that Devin has his degree so he can be flexible with his future, and I want to make sure I have experience in my teaching field before I take on more things. Is that so bad?
No, no Kyle it's not. Thanks for letting me rant.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
New Blog, New House, New Life
I can't tell you how many times I've started and stopped blogging.
It's an interesting predicament. I usually end up shutting down my blog or deleting it after a while because I begin to feel weird writing these silly posts that I try to make really exciting to a "supposed" audience that ""supposedly" reads what I'm writing with great anticipation and excitement. And then I realize that, realistically, probably no one reads these posts. So then I feel silly. And I tell myself, why don't I just keep a personal journal?
So then I shut down my blog.
And about 6-12 months later, I realize that I miss having a reason to write. I realize that blogging helps me continually write, even if no one reads what I write. And when I'm not blogging, I'm not recording what's happening in my life that's important. And I really want to. I want to record how I felt about Devin when we first met, or when we got married. I want to blog about our first house and new ward. I want to blog about my first year of teaching. I want to blog about our first baby. I want to record these amazing moments because, if I don't write them down, no one else is going to. And I want our kids to know about their mom and dad before they came along.
And on top of everything, especially as with previous blogs in the past, I felt like I was just an aspiring English major, Writer, or Teacher (not a real one). But now I am an English major, Writer, and Teacher. And I feel truly hypocritical when I tell my students to write creatively or assign them free writing assignments when I'm not even doing free writing myself.
So here I am again. And rather than deleting this blog and starting all over again, I'm keeping it. The old posts and everything. Just with a new mindset this time....
Speaking of new things....
WE BOUGHT A HOUSE. Well, not technically, yet. We close tomorrow morning at 8 am. It will record that day or early Tuesday morning so we will be moving in on Tuesday. Devin's mom (Char) and step-dad (Troy), and brother (Christian), and best friend (Chris), and his best friend's girlfriend (???) will be coming to help us move in and will get here Monday night. We still need a fridge and washer/dryer asap. We are planning to buy everything tomorrow (Monday) at RC Willey, and hopefully get it delivered Tuesday when we move in our own furniture. Wednesday we will relax. We will go to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday at my aunt Leslie's beautiful new house and then on Friday we will host our own Thanksgiving dinner. (We will see how that goes....... gulp)
We went to our new ward today and LOVED it. Our last ward was..... not the best. It was a weird mix where there was a bunch of old people, a bunch of really really poor people, and a bunch of really new young couples (also poor) that moved in and out of the ward fast. Because we were a young couple, we were kind of treated like we'd be gone the next month and weren't that important. I was called to Primary three times as teacher and secretary, (after I'd asked not to be called a third time to Primary), and served there for two years. Because of that, I didn't really get to know people in our ward, which didn't help the situation. And no joke, on our last day of church at that ward, the bishop's wife walked up to me and asked if I was new to the ward. I was stunned and shocked. So, after that day, we had no hesitations about leaving our ward and the area behind.
Our new ward is amazing. The neighborhood that we are in is newer, but a little more expensive than just starter homes, so most people are in their late 20s or 30's/40s. There are 150 kids in primary, and I'm pretty sure that Devin and I, along with only one other couple in the ward, are the only people that don't have kids yet. But I'm okay with that! I love that it's a young (not too young), energetic ward. In contrast to our last ward, when we went to church for the first time today, the bishop's wife came up to me and new my name. She apologized to me that ward might not be the most welcoming right now because there are a lot of people moving in or out right now. I almost laughed, though, thinking that she was joking, because already we had been welcomed more than we had in our entire two years at our last ward. We had people come up to us left and right, introducing themselves, asking who we were, wanting to meet us. Devin even came out of priesthood with about 10 people's phone numbers who had offered to help move us in on Tuesday. Basically, we love our new ward and can't wait to get more involved.
As for our house.... I don't have a ton of pictures of the inside yet or really any of the outside yet, but here's a picture from the MLS. We love our cute little house. It's located in Lehi, Utah, about 5 minutes from my school and 10 minutes from the freeway. We have a huge river with a running trail alongside it that is located directly behind our house. It is breathtaking. There are protected wetlands all around our neighborhood, so there are lakes, and willows, and migrating geese everywhere. It just feels like home.
Our house has 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a loft, a crawl space (no basement) and an office. It has more than enough room for us and we are so excited to move in. It's only 5 years old and is basically move-in ready (and the beautiful craftsman style that I love) except for a few small things we are going to add/change: putting up a fence in the backyard, re-tiling the master walk-in shower, and putting in high-end countertops. Devin has some great ideas for the backyard as well.
One of the most exciting parts of the new house is decorating... I have already spent hour scouring websites and stores looking for the perfect pieces of furniture for our house. It's one of my favorite things and I'm so happy Devin let's me take over decorating. I think he's just excited about the new big TV he thinks he's getting as an early Christmas gift..... We will see about that one.
But here will be more pictures to come when the house is decorated. And here's to a wonderful new neighborhood, ward, Thanksgiving, and blog. I couldn't be happier and more excited about what other great things are to come in life. <3
It's an interesting predicament. I usually end up shutting down my blog or deleting it after a while because I begin to feel weird writing these silly posts that I try to make really exciting to a "supposed" audience that ""supposedly" reads what I'm writing with great anticipation and excitement. And then I realize that, realistically, probably no one reads these posts. So then I feel silly. And I tell myself, why don't I just keep a personal journal?
So then I shut down my blog.
And about 6-12 months later, I realize that I miss having a reason to write. I realize that blogging helps me continually write, even if no one reads what I write. And when I'm not blogging, I'm not recording what's happening in my life that's important. And I really want to. I want to record how I felt about Devin when we first met, or when we got married. I want to blog about our first house and new ward. I want to blog about my first year of teaching. I want to blog about our first baby. I want to record these amazing moments because, if I don't write them down, no one else is going to. And I want our kids to know about their mom and dad before they came along.
And on top of everything, especially as with previous blogs in the past, I felt like I was just an aspiring English major, Writer, or Teacher (not a real one). But now I am an English major, Writer, and Teacher. And I feel truly hypocritical when I tell my students to write creatively or assign them free writing assignments when I'm not even doing free writing myself.
So here I am again. And rather than deleting this blog and starting all over again, I'm keeping it. The old posts and everything. Just with a new mindset this time....
Speaking of new things....
WE BOUGHT A HOUSE. Well, not technically, yet. We close tomorrow morning at 8 am. It will record that day or early Tuesday morning so we will be moving in on Tuesday. Devin's mom (Char) and step-dad (Troy), and brother (Christian), and best friend (Chris), and his best friend's girlfriend (???) will be coming to help us move in and will get here Monday night. We still need a fridge and washer/dryer asap. We are planning to buy everything tomorrow (Monday) at RC Willey, and hopefully get it delivered Tuesday when we move in our own furniture. Wednesday we will relax. We will go to Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday at my aunt Leslie's beautiful new house and then on Friday we will host our own Thanksgiving dinner. (We will see how that goes....... gulp)
We went to our new ward today and LOVED it. Our last ward was..... not the best. It was a weird mix where there was a bunch of old people, a bunch of really really poor people, and a bunch of really new young couples (also poor) that moved in and out of the ward fast. Because we were a young couple, we were kind of treated like we'd be gone the next month and weren't that important. I was called to Primary three times as teacher and secretary, (after I'd asked not to be called a third time to Primary), and served there for two years. Because of that, I didn't really get to know people in our ward, which didn't help the situation. And no joke, on our last day of church at that ward, the bishop's wife walked up to me and asked if I was new to the ward. I was stunned and shocked. So, after that day, we had no hesitations about leaving our ward and the area behind.
Our new ward is amazing. The neighborhood that we are in is newer, but a little more expensive than just starter homes, so most people are in their late 20s or 30's/40s. There are 150 kids in primary, and I'm pretty sure that Devin and I, along with only one other couple in the ward, are the only people that don't have kids yet. But I'm okay with that! I love that it's a young (not too young), energetic ward. In contrast to our last ward, when we went to church for the first time today, the bishop's wife came up to me and new my name. She apologized to me that ward might not be the most welcoming right now because there are a lot of people moving in or out right now. I almost laughed, though, thinking that she was joking, because already we had been welcomed more than we had in our entire two years at our last ward. We had people come up to us left and right, introducing themselves, asking who we were, wanting to meet us. Devin even came out of priesthood with about 10 people's phone numbers who had offered to help move us in on Tuesday. Basically, we love our new ward and can't wait to get more involved.
As for our house.... I don't have a ton of pictures of the inside yet or really any of the outside yet, but here's a picture from the MLS. We love our cute little house. It's located in Lehi, Utah, about 5 minutes from my school and 10 minutes from the freeway. We have a huge river with a running trail alongside it that is located directly behind our house. It is breathtaking. There are protected wetlands all around our neighborhood, so there are lakes, and willows, and migrating geese everywhere. It just feels like home.
Our house has 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a loft, a crawl space (no basement) and an office. It has more than enough room for us and we are so excited to move in. It's only 5 years old and is basically move-in ready (and the beautiful craftsman style that I love) except for a few small things we are going to add/change: putting up a fence in the backyard, re-tiling the master walk-in shower, and putting in high-end countertops. Devin has some great ideas for the backyard as well.
One of the most exciting parts of the new house is decorating... I have already spent hour scouring websites and stores looking for the perfect pieces of furniture for our house. It's one of my favorite things and I'm so happy Devin let's me take over decorating. I think he's just excited about the new big TV he thinks he's getting as an early Christmas gift..... We will see about that one.
But here will be more pictures to come when the house is decorated. And here's to a wonderful new neighborhood, ward, Thanksgiving, and blog. I couldn't be happier and more excited about what other great things are to come in life. <3
Thursday, January 1, 2015
New Year, New Life
Because it's the first day of the New Year, today was probably fitting to write a new blog post. This year was a fun one. While I thought it would be pretty constant and boring, boy was I wrong!
Some of the biggest highlights of the year: We went to Mexico on another cruise, Devin started a car dealership, and we adopted Zeus. My favorite part of the year was getting Zeus! He is the best dog in the world! This last semester was very challenging for me. I was burnt out and taking 18 credits with HARD classes. I actually ended up doing pretty good with my grades in the classes, but my sanity may have suffered a little instead. I am looking forward to this next semester where I will start student teaching! I am scared to death but also very excited. I know it will be challenging but at least it will be something new and exciting.
For early Thanksgiving this year we visited Chantelle and Greg again in Denver. Dave, Kristi, and Lizzie joined us. We brought Zeus along and he had SO much fun. From Denver we drove to Arizona and spent actual Thanksgiving with Charlene, Troy, and Christian. Chris also flew down from Vegas to hang out with us which made Devin the happiest kid in the world! We had a blast, but we are NEVER doing that road trip again. Driving from UT to CO to AZ and then back to UT again was miserable... we logged over 30 hours of driving--with a dog. Granted, Zeus was amazing--he didn't make a single sound and slept pretty much the whole time--but still. It was cramped and we were aching to stretch our legs.
For Christmas this year we took all of our presents over to my mom and dad's and spent the night doing a huge slumber party with my brothers. It was so fun! We made hot cocoa and chex mix and watched movies in the basement. The next morning we woke up together to see what Santa had brought us. I had forgotten how fun Christmas is when there are little kids celebrating it with you. Zeus had a blast as well. In fact, Devin and I are pretty sure he got more presents than we did... (spoiled grandpuppy). Devin got me a really nice DSLR camera and I got him the Xbox One. We spent the day after Christmas and the following weekend playing with our toys ALL day long. It was so nice not to have any homework or obligations and just be able to relax....
For New Years Eve, we had a little party at our place with some friends. We decorated, brought food, played Telestrations (such a fun game) and Pit and then celebrated the New Year with sparkling cider in champagne glasses. We had a blast and Zeus did too!
As for things coming up this year... I will graduate in April, which I am so happy about! Devin will graduate in the summer with his associates. I hope to plan a fun vacation with friends or family to California/Disneyland and possibly a bigger vacation to Ecuador (Devin's mission) or Europe. We will see though....
Anyway, here are some random photos from Christmas and New Years! I'm excited for this New Year and can't wait to see what it brings us!
Some of the biggest highlights of the year: We went to Mexico on another cruise, Devin started a car dealership, and we adopted Zeus. My favorite part of the year was getting Zeus! He is the best dog in the world! This last semester was very challenging for me. I was burnt out and taking 18 credits with HARD classes. I actually ended up doing pretty good with my grades in the classes, but my sanity may have suffered a little instead. I am looking forward to this next semester where I will start student teaching! I am scared to death but also very excited. I know it will be challenging but at least it will be something new and exciting.
For early Thanksgiving this year we visited Chantelle and Greg again in Denver. Dave, Kristi, and Lizzie joined us. We brought Zeus along and he had SO much fun. From Denver we drove to Arizona and spent actual Thanksgiving with Charlene, Troy, and Christian. Chris also flew down from Vegas to hang out with us which made Devin the happiest kid in the world! We had a blast, but we are NEVER doing that road trip again. Driving from UT to CO to AZ and then back to UT again was miserable... we logged over 30 hours of driving--with a dog. Granted, Zeus was amazing--he didn't make a single sound and slept pretty much the whole time--but still. It was cramped and we were aching to stretch our legs.
For Christmas this year we took all of our presents over to my mom and dad's and spent the night doing a huge slumber party with my brothers. It was so fun! We made hot cocoa and chex mix and watched movies in the basement. The next morning we woke up together to see what Santa had brought us. I had forgotten how fun Christmas is when there are little kids celebrating it with you. Zeus had a blast as well. In fact, Devin and I are pretty sure he got more presents than we did... (spoiled grandpuppy). Devin got me a really nice DSLR camera and I got him the Xbox One. We spent the day after Christmas and the following weekend playing with our toys ALL day long. It was so nice not to have any homework or obligations and just be able to relax....
For New Years Eve, we had a little party at our place with some friends. We decorated, brought food, played Telestrations (such a fun game) and Pit and then celebrated the New Year with sparkling cider in champagne glasses. We had a blast and Zeus did too!
As for things coming up this year... I will graduate in April, which I am so happy about! Devin will graduate in the summer with his associates. I hope to plan a fun vacation with friends or family to California/Disneyland and possibly a bigger vacation to Ecuador (Devin's mission) or Europe. We will see though....
Anyway, here are some random photos from Christmas and New Years! I'm excited for this New Year and can't wait to see what it brings us!
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