Whole Brain Teaching

Whole Brain Teaching...love it. I will be doing this when I teach this Wednesday!

My last first day of school...as a student!

Hello all. Happy Sunday. I love Sunday. I get to sleep in until 7 (how is 7 sleeping in? I will explain...) and I love church. I seriously do! I love our ward so much. We have great teachers and I really liked the Sacrament meeting talks on marriage and family. And every week our ward executive secretary and his wife make homemade bread for the sacrament. It's the best. I am free from any and all homework, and I get to spend almost the entire day with Justin! The Sabbath Day is a tremendous blessing!

Before the end of summer Justin and I wanted to get out one last time. He played in a frisbee tournament the Saturday before school started, and after that we stayed the night in a hotel. We went swimming and enjoyed a little romp away from home.

Monday morning at 6:00 I reported to my first class: Military Physical Fitness! The class has at least 100 people in it. It's crazy! We went over basic formations, and it's not called military physical fitness just because of the exercise...the sergeants yell at us a lot, but I just laugh to make it funny so I don't cry...haha. I am too sensitive. Wednesday I did the P-test. We had two minutes to do as many pushups as we could, two minutes to do as many sit ups as we could, and then we had to run two miles. I did 23 pushups, 34 situps, and ran two miles in 16:26. I was disappointed in my pushups and situps, but that's okay: I have lots of room to improve. The two miles was really hard because we ran them on the track outside (which makes NO sense to me because we have an indoor track!) and it was very cold that morning with lots of wind. Hopefully we move inside soon. That class is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I get up just as early and go swim for 30 minutes and then get ready for my 7:45 class. I really like this routine. For one, it gets me to bed EARLY (9:30, 10:00 at the latest) and with my crazy classes it makes me feel like I have a jump start on everything...like I'm one step ahead of the game. Justin's boss invited us to dinner that night, and Justin and James helped him put up a fort he built for his kids.

After military class I head to Madison Junior High for my teaching practicum. I teach a class this Wednesday out of a book called "The House of Scorpion." I'm supposed to find something earth science related in the book and teach that. I have an hour and five minutes to teach. It will be interesting.

I'm also in Family Foundations. I have Brother Bolingbroke, and he is great! I really enjoy it so far and I have a strong testimony of eternal, happy families. The family is the central unit of the church, and when all is said and done, family is what will bring us the most happiness. My mom and dad have both expressed to me the blessing it is to have children who live the gospel and teach it to their children. My brothers and sisters are great examples to me. Unfortunately, families can also be the source of great sorrow. My classmates have expressed that they don't want to get married and have children because they are afraid to raise kids in the wicked world we live in. I say the children are going to come one way or the other, so they might as well come to my home! But truly, ESPECIALLY in the crazy times we live in, living the gospel as valiantly as we can is the only way I think my children -- and myself -- will make it. It's a good thing I picked the best dang husband to do it all with me. =]

Health and Science teaching methods are two different classes that seem pretty chill. They're both three credits but they won't be really hard three credits. On the other hand, my Mineralogy class is three credits and it should be six. We spend three hours twice a week in class, and we have tests, quizzes, and labs like crazy. In the geology department, it's the hardest class you can take. I think it's ridiculous I'm required to take it. I'm NEVER going to teach 8th graders about ANY of this stupid stuff. So I have a bad attitude about it, and I'm already struggling. Our teacher is new and she's a Nazi. She refuses to post her power points, she lectures impossibly fast, and she requires us to pass every test with 90% or higher. If we don't get 90% or higher, we have to retake it, and every time we retake it, she docks 10% off the final grade. So if it takes me three times to get a 90%, my grade will be a 70%. Dumb.

I'm also in a special ed class. We talked about Tourette's Syndrome and our teacher showed us a video that flat out scared me. The child had a very severe case where his "ticks" forced him to bite himself beyond his control. As he got older his condition worsened. My teacher finally had to stop the video because we were all shaken. Talk about being afraid to have children....having a child with special needs would be SO HARD. I would check myself into a mental home before I watched my child hurt him/herself like that.

I also have a meteorology class. It goes from 4:30 - 8:30 every Tuesday afternoon...GAG! I am so upset! What the heck kind of class goes for four hours right during dinner time?? 8:30 is nearly my bed time! Nevertheless, that's what I get for taking 19 credits! Here's what the sky looked like after class...very fitting.

I also work 20 hours a week. Luckily, my supervisor LOVES me (literally) so when I asked her to do the Kurzweil desk she obliged. This basically means I sit at a desk and do my homework until someone has a question about the Kurzweil programs on our computers. Hallelujah! I'm also in charge of training new tutors, so I'm not totally useless. Heaven knows we need all the money we can get as we try to save to buy a car this winter...which seems nearly impossible when my cost of books was over $500 and I lost my full ride scholarship....I still have half scholarship which is great but I'm still annoyed that they changed the requirements. Lame.

I sold a lot of Mary Kay this week which was so fun! I also rented my dress out again so here and there we bring in an extra few hundred dollars. I almost forgot to pick up the dress from the dry cleaners to get to her grandparents on time. That would have been a disaster! The next time I rent it out I will actually make a profit because the money so far has paid off what it cost me to buy it. Awesome!

So between work and school I see Justin like, three hours a day. He is such an amazing guy. He is my biggest support. He makes me lunch and dinner everyday, complete with love notes! Ahh to be in the first years of marriage. If I didn't have him, I'd be eating oatmeal three times per day.

Other than all that I had an assignment where I had to be in a wheel chair for half a day. We had to complete several tasks like opening a door without help/with help, using the rest room, drinking from a drinking fountain, going up and down a hill, and getting in and out of a car. It was pretty hard. I am determined to ask if I can help push fellow students to class if I see them rolling around campus.

It would be impossible to get in and out of a car without help. Justin ended up having to lift me into the seat. Bless him.

I really did get the hang of it by the end of the day. It really made me appreciate having two functional legs.

Saturday we finally had some time together, so we went to the temple in the morning, and then after finishing a few homework assignments we went golfing with Trisha and Travis and Keaton! It was SO FUN! I missed the balls A LOT but on the 9th hole I actually drove the ball the farthest! Travis is hecka good. Justin impressed me at his skills (everything he touches turns to gold....he's good at EVERYTHING he tries) and Keaton and Trisha were also impressive! I was definitely the worst but I had a huge thrill anytime I hit it remotely decent. Travis said to Trisha that I was "my own cheerleader" which is so true. When I would hit it well I would yell and cheer. Woot woot! Trisha and Travis were generous enough to take us all out to dinner after! That was so awesome! We went to The Hickory which is the new BBQ place in town. We quite liked it. Thanks again Trisha and Travis!

Today we did our ward reorganization which made for 6 hours of meetings today. Woof! But it was really good and I'm excited to have all the callings filled again. For our lesson today we just had everyone introduce themselves, and then at the end my counselors and I bore our testimonies. This calling has its challenges but it's rewarding when you see the spirit working its magic through you, and we saw that today.

 In other news, Justin is working on a business he's considered for a few years now. It's called "Dates to Go" and he's got some clever ideas. It will be exciting to see if it takes off. He's working on it with his brother James, so it's pretty cool.

That's all our news! Until next time.

One Year Anniversary and More!

Before our exciting weekend two weeks ago, Justin and I had a few other things happen I want to write about. First: last week my friend Emily needed a babysitter so I babysat her 3 month old for two days. Her husband dropped baby Eddilyn off at 7:30 every morning and Emily picked her up every afternoon around 5:00. Eddilyn was such a good baby, and for payment Emily gave us tons of garden vegetables! I can't tell you how much I've missed coming home from a volleyball practice to have some of my mom's potatoes, onions, carrots, and corn from the garden! Yum! While I babysat I froze all the food I could and we had some crockpot potatoes that night. Thanks Emily for all the food!

Chase left Rexburg for Oklahoma and Justin and I helped him move some stuff into his truck and Uhaul. Trisha threw a last minute get-together for him where she served us delicious sweet pork! We got to hang out with Mom and Dad and Keaton as well so it was great. I'm definitely going to miss having him around, and Justin and I are going to miss hanging out with him and Rachel. 

I can't believe Justin and I have been married one year! He is the best decision I've ever made. I know we still have zero experience and all, but I think we are a dang good match and it has been a tremendous blessing having him paired with me. He is so easy going it is incredible making it so we rarely disagree. I love his strong testimony and his commitment to the gospel. He is a very genuine person making him easy to love. I have a lot of hope for our future together because of his determination to provide for, preside over, and protect me and our future kids! love love love him.

My handsome man

We had quite the adventurous one year anniversary celebration. Justin had been planning it a while and several times he wanted to tell me what was happening so we could decide what would be best but I begged him to keep it secret because I wanted the surprise. He only told me what to pack -- some hiking clothes, a swimming suit, and pajamas! So Friday after work we headed south from Rexburg and I tried to guess where we were going. At first I thought maybe Jackson Hole because I'd mentioned it would be fun to do a trip there sometime, but then I started to think maybe Heise since we were driving near there (my stomach dropped at that thought: I didn't have a sleeping bag!). After we drove past that area my only other guess was Swan Valley, but there's no way Justin knew about that hidden treasure -- he's from Washington! right?

Wrong! We pulled into Irwin to get some firewood and square ice cream and then pulled into this wooded area that opened up to a camp ground. At first I was annoyed -- I didn't pack warm clothes and we were camping?? But Justin assured me we were NOT camping - we were glamping (for those of you that saw Project Runway the week before). A lady met us to show us where we were staying and we saw a large tent with a treehouse next to it right on the Snake River. The lady showed us inside the tent and we saw a very nice queen sized bed. The treehouse had an area underneath it for cooking that was lit by Christmas lights. There was an outdoor shower that had a water heater attached to it. There was also a cabin and a tepee you could rent, but we got the luxurious tent. We spent the rest of the day swinging on the hammock, reading, playing bocce ball, and wading in the river. We saw ospreys fly toward and water and come up with a fish! So cool. We split a steak and baked potatoes in the microwave for a delicious dinner! We had a fire and roasted starbursts. I burnt my index finger really bad on melted starburst! The Milky Way was so bright out there. The bed was very warm and I didn't get cold at all that night. 

Huckleberry Cream ice cream

the tree house!

Food station

I gave Justin three gifts for our anniversary. I wrote the gifts and painted over them so he had to "scratch to reveal" his prize. Thank you Pinterest!

We made steak and baked potatoes for dinner....mmm

Our room by night -- I love that the tent had electricity!

Next morning we had breakfast in bed and showered. The outdoor shower was having difficulties so the lady let us use her shower. She offered us a discount the next time we stop by! The plan for the day was to do a 4 mile hike, but then I found out it was 4 miles in and 4 miles out, and we saw the road was closed where we assumed the trail was, so after driving around the reservoir and the dam for a while we headed for Idaho Falls. We ate Sushi for a late lunch/early dinner (my favorite!) and then drove home. Saturday night we went to the cheap theater and saw "Now You See Me" which we enjoyed. 

I had at least three bowls of lucky charms for breakfast! Loooove cold cereal.

View of the Snake River

SUSHI! My favorite food on this planet

Sunday morning we slept in and planned to hit church somewhere and then head to Arco. Justin knew I've been wanting to visit the farm for a while, but for the next two weekends my parents are doing a double shift (Friday and Saturday) so it didn't seem like we could do any weekend before school started. Well, Saturday when we got back Justin asked if I wanted to go for Labor Day. We were unable to find a Sacrament meeting anywhere at between 10:00 and 11:00(really?) so we called it a fail and drove home. Mom had garden vegetables and pork for dinner, and in the afternoon Justin, Keaton, and I played crocket and bocce ball. We watched The Blind Side that night.

Monday morning I got up and helped Mom with her garden. I told her I missed manual labor (I've just been working at a desk all day every day this summer), so I helped her dig onions, rip out the pumpkin patch, haul corn stalks, and husk and prepare corn for Mom's freezer. She let us take some home. Yum! While we did the corn we watched Gone With the Wind which Justin had never seen! Crazy! I love that movie. After the movie we went to Elbow Canyon. I enjoyed the drive up visiting with my parents. The canyon was beautiful with some really cool rock. When we couldn't drive up anymore in the pickup we got out and walked thinking the meadow would be right around the next hill but it ended up taking another 1/2 mile or so to get to it. Mom and I made plenty of noise to alert the wildlife! Mom had Justin and Keaton haul some white rock for her drive way and we drove home. 

We had some last minute peaches and ice cream, Justin helped Keaton with his email account and his virus protection, and Justin and I drove back to Rexburg. We played frisbee that night. Justin's club team is playing in Sectionals and they're hosting them in Rexburg! Pretty cool. If they win they will play in Washington. It's so far north it's practically Canada!

This last Sunday Justin and I were invited to dinner by the Brownings-- a close family friend. James and his new girlfriend came and James has been staying with us this week until he can move in to his new apartment. I'm nervous for next week when the semester starts and things get crazy in Rexburg again. However I'm going to soak up every minute because our last days in Rexburg are ticking down and I know when it's time to leave for Vegas in January I am going to miss this place so much! 

More recently I've done something kind of crazy, but super exciting! I just started my new business with Mary Kay! Today in fact I made my first inventory order. I did my first party last Saturday and sold my first product! I have two parties this week, one thanks to Trisha who is hosting for me tomorrow! I'm so excited -- I love it all so much! My goals are to have two parties a week and to make $1,000 by Christmas. I"ll probably be in contact with some of the Boise ladies and my Washington family to see if they'd like to host a party if ever Justin and I are in Boise in the next few months. I'm so grateful for my supportive husband who is excited for me and wants me to succeed! AHHH I'm so excited. Wish me luck!