We Did Something Crazy!

There is so much to write about. Last Wednesday I had my student teaching portfolio review. In the morning I was expected to teach a regular lesson and I was told that some random BYUI faculty would eventually show up to watch me teach. In the morning one of my students came in to get some missing assignments and she had a friend with her that I didn't know. I asked her what her name was and she told me and then she said, "Everyone talks about how awesome you are." I said, "That is very kind of them," but inside I was like WAAAAAAAA!!!!! That made my life. The BYUI faculty didn't show up until 3rd period but I was ECSTATIC when I saw who walked through the door! I have three top favorite professors from school and one of my top three walked through my classroom door! Ahhhh! I almost started laughing on the spot I was so happy! He and two other faculty with my supervisor sat in the back of the classroom and watched me teach the next hour. I had the kids doing stations so I was able to chat with my teacher and he had so many positive things to say. I left after 3rd period to meet with the other student teachers at a nearby church building where we waited for our turn to be interviewed. They have been known to ask questions like "How did you plan to get all your students to 100% understanding?" within the unit we showcased to which I'd like to respond, "How do YOU plan to get all YOUR students to 100%?" because lesbehonest the answer is "It's impossible to get 100% of my students to 100% understanding," but I had prepared to come up with some "fluffy" answer anyway...well I go in for my interview and they didn't ask me ANY hard questions. It was the easiest thing ever. They loved my portfolio. They thought it was immaculate and that ALL student teacher portfolios should be based off of mine for reference (WOOOOOOT!!!!!!). They were "effusive" (to use one of their vocabulary words) in their approval of my performance so far. They were very complimentary and it was very encouraging. Go me! #totallyrockingstudentteaching

After the portfolio review my fellow student teachers and I went to Cafe Rio to celebrate. It's weird because we've proved ourselves to the school so we've "passed" student teaching... but we still have seven more weeks of teaching to complete...so it's weird but whatever. I went to get my hair done after Cafe Rio. I used my birthday groupon gift card to get my hair styled and highlighted. I love my new style and color, but I wanted more blonde...so I may go in again in a month to put more in but we'll see. After getting my hair done I taught a lesson with the missionaries to an 11 year-old who is very excited about going to church and learning more about the gospel! I love going out to teach with the sisters. It is such a fulfilling experience to share my testimony with so many people!

Before...

During!...

After! I love the layers; they add so much.

Friday we went out to dinner with Trisha and Travis. That was fun to see them for the evening while they spent their weekend in our neighborhood. That was all we saw of them as they were busy with their own adventures but we were grateful we got to see them while they were here.

Saturday I spent the day driving the missionaries around to meetings they needed (they were at the end of their miles for the month) and then we attended the General Women's Conference that evening. Oh my goodness....it was so amazing! The meeting was incredible; the spirit was so strong! I don't know if I've ever enjoyed a women's meeting so much in my life! I saw that Mom went with Shae and it made me miss going to events like that with family. Seeing the mothers with their arms wrapped around their daughters in the choir made the whole congregation teary. Priceless!

Sunday we had an interesting 5th Sunday combined 3rd hour meeting. Some "guest teachers" came and taught about depression. They referenced Elder Holland's talk last October Conference "Like a Broken Vessel." Based on what they taught it sounds like there are plenty of people out there who have depression but they are not diagnosed! That's sad because it's very treatable. The lady that taught was great because she currently treats her depression to the best of her ability but she still has hard days so she is very relatable to those who struggle. She also recommended some books that I wrote down for that day when I have kids and they are making me a crazy person in which case I could very well go through a spell of depression. It's good stuff to know and nothing to be ashamed of! I'm grateful that our society is becoming more aware that mental illness is metal illness the same as a person with cancer or diabetes has illness. Thanks to modern medicine 80% of people who seek treatment for their depression find reprieve. Anyway...just good to know. 

Sunday night we did some visits to people in our ward. We visited my visiting teacher Rachel just because we felt like seeing their family and we noticed they are in a similar situation we were in a few months ago...they moved here the same time we did and had to leave everything behind just like us! Their sweet family of seven children was there enjoying the TV but having to sit on the floor. Well...Justin and I found a free couch just a week ago, so the next day I asked her if we could give her family our sectional! She said they were looking to get a couch in the near future but until they upgrade they agreed to use it for the next little while. They need it more than us! We got done with work on Monday and helped our friends Christine and Todd Brooks move into their new apartment. We worked hard for two hours moving furniture out of the storage unit into their upstairs apartment. After we were done moving we went out to eat at Red Robin and then used The Brook's trailer to take our sectional over to Rachel's house. Their family was SO HAPPY. It was such a good feeling seeing those sweet kid's faces light up that they didn't have to sit on the floor anymore! They are so sweet...and they are basically the Von Trapp family. Every one of them can sing very well and each is talented in ballet, cross country, music, and the like! They are performing in stake conference in a few weeks. 

So now we are enjoying our free couch that we've moved in from the back porch along with a little more space since the sectional is gone. My supervisor observed me today and gave me all 4's out of 4! Oh, and yesterday I started my first day running girl's basketball open gym. Only a few girls showed up so as it continues throughout the next seven weeks or so I'll get a better turn out. Tonight I'm going out with the sisters again to teach another lesson to another investigator. Justin and I look forward to general conference this weekend. Both our families did special food for it so we're going to make some fun food. That's it for an update!

Prepping for some skills and drills.

Our couch for now