Updates and Random Thoughts

I realized today that I haven't posted anything in awhile...

The school situation ended up getting worse but now it's better.

I had 42 people in my house on Thursday night, it was really fun and interesting.

Other than that, there isn't much to report, so here are a few random thoughts...

Have you ever thought about the power of a smell?  I notice the way things smell.  There are definitely some interesting scents out there, some are much better than others.  Some of my favorites may surprise you, others not so much of a surprise...
*Bread stores--Growing up, I would go to the Hostess store with my mom to buy our bread.  We would buy several loaves at the same time and then throw most of them in the big freezer in the back room.  The Hostess store has lots of bread and goodies like Suzy Qs and macaroon cookies.  Truthfully, I was kinda weirded out when I went to college and had to buy bread from the grocery store.
*Motor oil and grease--I didn't realize how much I loved the smell of motor oil and grease until I was at work with my grandpa one day and he wanted me to take a chainsaw home to my parents so he put it by my chair so I wouldn't forget it.  The rest of the time at work, I kept smelling something that I recognized and thought was good, I realized it was the chainsaw.  The connection there is that my grandpa works on small engines so he usually smells like chainsaws and lawn mowers so their smell reminds me of him.
*Books--Books just smell good.  In starting a new book, I generally pause and take a whiff while reading...my students think I'm odd sometimes, but some of them understand.  I have to admit that I have read books that do not smell good in any way, it usually takes away from my reading experience.
*Home Depot--It has lumber.
Smells are interesting.  There are scents that immediately bring to mind people, places, and situations.  I would be sad if I couldn't smell things any more.

Quotes

The last few days have been pretty crappy with school (more has happened since parent conferences).  I'll admit that I've shed quite a few tears over the matters.  Really, I just want to say that some parents are just plain mean (actually, I really want to say some other things, but I shouldn't).

In trying to get lost in other thoughts, I ran across the following...

A good reminder.  I know I can do it.

I always tell people that I love trials and adversity...I'm pretty sure that they think I'm crazy.  I don't necessarily love the fact that they're hard, frustrating, sometimes painful, etc., but I love how much I learn and grow from them.  I've had some pretty rough times in life, but looking back, I'm so much better off and so much stronger and even happier than before.

This is just true of me.  I think it can even go back to my post about relationships with others.  People around me think they might know me, but really there's so much more to me that you just have to get to know.  I have found that people don't try very hard to get to know me because they think it will be too hard.  I had a friend tell me recently that I come off as closed so people don't ask me questions because they feel I won't say much...that's so not true.  I can talk your ear off if you get talking to me and I'll tell you just about anything if you ask the right question.

I'm happy to say that I already do most of these and am working on others.  I especially like #3...that's just me.  I like to give.  Whether it's a physical item, service, or time...it doesn't matter.  I find that people freak out sometimes when others do things for them.  Why can't I just do something nice for you?

Patience

Apparently I need to keep working on having patience (especially with other adults), but at the same time I'm thinking it would have just been better if I hadn't gone to school today.

Get Out of the Way!

The last few days I've had the opportunity to focus on and discuss how people get in their own ways.  We all do it one way or the other, I do it all the time.  I tend to over-think a lot of things in life.  The main focus this week was how we get in our own ways when we are dealing with having any sort of interest in someone.

Our ward has had several conversations (both formal and informal) on the matter in both small and large groups and we all tend to come to the same conclusions...get to know people, if you're interested in getting to know them better ask them out, keep asking them out until one or both are no longer interested, if you're not interested in the other person and they are in you then you should tell them.  Signals don't work, use open communication.  Open communication can be scary, but it sure is a lot easier than hoping the other person figures it out and then reciprocates and then hopes you figure it out as well.  We all know it, so why do we keep doing it?

So this is how it usually happens...a girl likes a guy, so she tells her friends and roommates, but not the guy...you can't just tell the guy!  At the same time, she wants the guy to know that she likes him so she has to leave hints, but not too many, that would be telling the guy that she likes him and she can't let him figure that out because what if he doesn't like her?  So she does little things here and there and then backs off to see how he responds and then she freaks out because he's not doing anything, but at the same time, he is doing things but they're little things because he can't have her figure out that he likes her even though he does.  This goes on back and forth for awhile until everyone is frustrated and either they both abandon ship or some miracle occurs and they finally figure it out.

So why don't I take my own advice?  Easier said than done unless I were to get out of my own way.

Parent Conferences

I have spent most of the day today trying to forget last night.  Last night was our second term's parent teacher conferences.  On these days, I put in twelve hours at work, not counting all of the extra time I spend getting ready the weeks before they happen.  I not only came home exhausted, I came home feeling like I got a slap to the face all because of one parent.  It didn't matter that I had at least three other parents tell me how much their children love me and that they enjoy my class or that I was able to tell so many success stories to a majority of the others, it was this one parent who cut me deep.  I can't talk specifics with you, but I can say that the parents who go straight to the principal with "problems" really, really bug me.  The parents who can't act like parents also really bug me.  When you put the two together, bad news.  The good news is that I have an amazing principal who knows I'm a fabulous teacher and knows how parents can be at times.

Today, a friend posted the following video on her Facebook page and I then did the same.  It was something I needed to hear today.

Favorite Things

I don't know why, but I just started thinking about one of my favorite things today.  I'm not much into flowers, but I do have a favorite.

This is a batchelor button, also known as a cornflower.  They just make me happy.  I love the blue color and the fact that they just look so spunky, but also sweet.  I was introduced to them when I was ten years old.  I had gone to stay with my grandma for a week in Oregon.  She showed them to me growing wild on the sides of the road and also transplanted by her house.  I think that's one reason why they're my favorite, my trip to Grandma's house.  Also, when I was ten, I realized that they kind of match my personality.  

I love finding them growing randomly as they aren't all that common.  You can find their seeds at any Home Depot or Lowes.  They just make me smile.

Christmas 2011

Now that I'm a week into the new year I figure I should finally post about my Christmas break.

I had to work the Wednesday before Christmas but it was only a half day of school so it wasn't too bad.  My principal takes the whole school to the movies every Christmas so we loaded up the whole school on buses and headed up to Provo to see the movie Rio.  School was out at noon and I was home by 12:30.  I got to see a friendly face before taking off for home as Mr. T. stopped in and chatted with me as I put a few things in order before leaving.  My cousin, Kevin, and I headed out just after 1:00.  We stopped overnight in Reno.  We took our time waking up and leaving the next morning as the rest of our family was in Oregon at the beach and driving home that day, we knew we'd be beating them home...it's a good thing I have a copy of Mom's house key.  We meandered into California and even stopped at a Denny's for "breakfast" as it was afternoon and no one else was still serving breakfast.  The rest of the day was spent just hanging out at my parents' house waiting for everyone to get home.

Steven had to work until Friday so he and Randi arrived on Saturday, just in time to help put the house together for Christmas Eve festivities with the family.  Christmas Eve is when the extended family gets together so we had all sorts of cousins and second cousins running around.  We had a nice dinner and a little program.  It was a smaller group so I got my piece from the chocolate box...that hasn't happened in a few years.

Christmas morning was nice.  We went to church as a family and then went to visit our neighbor, Shirley.  Santa came to the house while we were gone so we then opened presents.  I finally own my own waffle iron!  I also was really excited to give these little fish purses to my nieces.  It had been awhile since I'd sewn anything and this was the perfect project.

With so many people sleeping at the parents' house, we had to blow up a few air mattresses.  It's a good thing Dad got his new leaf blower, bet you didn't know that Black and Decker works so well to blow up air mattresses.  So fast!

A couple days after Christmas, the whole family went to spend a day in San Francisco.  We spent the first few hours at the Exploratorium...pure awesomeness!  It's too bad we don't have one of these in town because I would take my class in a heartbeat!

I'm not sure who had more fun, Steven or the kids.

Sarah used a swinging table to draw a really cool design.

Randi and I explored sound with the Theremin.

Maybe Aaron has a better understanding of how I feel when I sit down now.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz

Laura and Dirk were going to drive down from Oregon to visit me since I was a lot closer to them while in California, but their car broke on the way out of town so they weren't able to make it.  I spent the next day just hanging out with my mom running errands for Grandpa.

I drove home that Thursday with Steven and Randi.  We decided to do the drive all in one day so I got a lot of reading done as we drove across Nevada.  Colette came home on the same day, I beat her home by ten minutes.  The rest of the weekend was spent with people in our ward including pizza and dancing for New Years Eve, dinner on Sunday, games at our house on Monday, watching a movie on Tuesday, and laser tag on Wednesday after institute class.

The Final Verdict

I realized this week that I haven't told you how much money our school raised this year with Warm the Soles.  We did fairly well, just not as good as last year which makes sense as our enrollment numbers went down.  This year we were able to raise $722!  The credit union is always so excited to see how much our school gets involved in the program and it's something I love being a part of each year.  Maybe this next year we'll kick it up a notch!

Don't You Hate it When...

Don't you hate it when you're trying to make a decision and you finally get it all figured out and you think it's the best thing for you and everything will work out and then you get into it and realize that your head and your heart just don't agree with each other and no matter how logical your decision is and how much your decision makes sense, it just isn't going to work?  Yeah, me too.

Hello 2012

So now that 2011 is gone, 2012 is here along with all sorts of new people and adventures to come!  Every year I get people asking what goals I have set for myself in the new year, I figure I might as well continue the goals I have set for myself throughout the year because they’re usually things that don’t ever come to an end.  Overall, my goal not just for 2012, but also for life is to be better.  That includes being a better person all together but also to be better at the things I do in my every day and in my life. 

• I want to be a better teacher.  Yes, I have accomplished many things in my teaching career including two degrees, two endorsements, being a finalist for the PAEMST, teaching and influencing hundreds of students and co-workers, and being an example, but I know that I could also be better.  I want to get to know my students better.  I want to find new ways to teach concepts.  I want to be better at teaching literacy.  I want to be better at enjoying my career.
• I want to be a better friend.  I’ve gotten a lot better at getting to know others, but not so much at letting them get to know me.  I love to help others and to do things for people, but I want to be better at searching for things to do to help.  I’m better at putting my fear aside to open up and introduce myself to others, but I also still let it take control at times.
• I want to be better at my calling.  I can do the list items that need to be done each month or week…meetings, reports, lessons, etc., but I want to be better at getting to know the people in my ward and knowing their needs. 
• I want to be a better light of Christ.  I’d like to think that I’m a good example to others and that I teach others, but I also hold back in doing what I know I need to do and be.  I want to be better in reading my scriptures and saying my prayers.  I want to be better at attending the temple.  I want to be better in recognizing, listening to, and acting with the spirit.

So now that 2012 is here, bring it on!  

Goodbye 2011

So it’s day one of the year 2012…I feel as though I should be blogging about something but I don’t know what.  I’d love to sit and tell you about my Christmas break adventures, but I don’t have photos uploaded yet and that would be pretty lame to blog without the pics.  I’d tell you about my oh so exciting weekend, but it wasn’t all that exciting (it was a good one and I stayed busy, but it wouldn’t be much of a blog).  I’d tell you about all of my goals, hopes, and dreams for the year, but I haven’t solidified all those just yet.  So, that leaves me with…

The highlights of 2011:

• Two banquets for being a finalist for the PAEMST
• Finally finishing the front bedroom
• Finally redoing the front bathroom
• Helping the USOE develop math curriculum guides for 6^th grade teachers
• Finishing my ESL endorsement
• Finishing one school year and starting a new one
• Getting three new roommates
• Taking time off to go home at Easter time
• Finishing training the 6^th grade teachers in the district
• Sleepover with friends in the ward (don’t worry, we kicked the boys out)
• Trip to Delta
• First demolition derby
• Writing my 200^th blog post
• Starting to play racquetball
• Two plant marble fights
• Buying a new car
• Being released from teaching Sunday School to be a ward missionary
• Being released from ward missionary to be Relief Society president
• Finding out about the new nephew on the way
• Becoming better friends with people in my ward
• Going to the aquarium with roommates
• Breaking stereotypes
• Training another student teacher
• Going to see Christmas Around the World
• Going home for Christmas
• Read 50 different, new books
• Read 40 inches of books toward reading my height in books
• Having many epiphanies, insights, trials, and lessons learned

It was a good year.