Christmas!!

Christmas is three days away!! I am so excited. Coll finally finished his Christmas shopping last night, which means we are officially done! I don’t like cutting it this close to Christmas, but I can’t do anything about it now. I just have to make some treats for family dinners and I will be set for the holidays.

On with my Christmas week at school….

Day one of Elf on the Shelf:

 

We read the book and Ralph sat by my desk. I didn’t let them name him because he is my elf! I know I am acting like a child, but they liked his name. I had one student ask if he was named after Wreck it Ralph (maybe that’s why I had that name in my head.)

Day two of Elf on the Shelf:

Ralph started a naughty and nice list. He hung upside down and started writing someone’s name. It was fun to see who they thought it was.

Day three of Elf on the Shelf:

Someone touched Ralph! I was so mad. He put everyone on the naughty list, and left a note explaining why he wasn’t able to come. I almost made one kid cry because he was on the naughty list. I know it’s horrible, but I laughed. I did tell him if the class was good he could make it off the naughty list.

P.S. I purposely misspelled my name. I was trying to throw off the kids about who was moving Ralph.

Day four of Elf on the Shelf:

 

 

 

Ralph was able to come back to the class. He put everyone on the nice list. He hid by the TV at the beginning of the day, but got tangled in our math wrap ups during prep. Silly Ralph!

Day five of Elf on the Shelf:

 

It was the last day of school before winter break. It was a half day, which made it even better. Ralph took a picture with our webcam and yes, he is picking his nose. He then hung back by my desk for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

Now Ralph moves around the house for Coll to find. He acts like it’s lame, but he moves him too and eats the treats Ralph leaves him. He is such a weirdo.  

 

Weekend

Blogging from a computer is soooo much easier than an iPad. I can actually order the pictures the way I want, and it’s faster; anyway on with this weekend. This weekend has been awesome! I graduated from college! YAY! The day finally came. To celebrate I went out to dinner with my family. I hope my family knows how thankful I am for all they do. Their company was more than enough, but they went even farther and gave me very thoughtful gifts. I was completely spoiled! THANK YOU Family!

 
Coll let me get an Elf on the Shelf. I named him Ralph! Isn’t he so cute?

I’ve been hiding him places with notes for Coll, but the real fun starts tomorrow. My co-teacher is letting me bring him into class. It will be way fun to see how the kids react to Ralph.

Coll had his work party last night. We ended up with a DVD player instead of the camping oven I originally had. Stupid gift swapping poems! The guy who ended up with the oven wanted to trade, but his beast of a wife wouldn’t let him. Stupid wives ruin everything! It’s okay though, we traded it in for a gift card, which helped buy Coll’s big gift for Christmas. Without that card he wouldn’t have gotten what he wanted so, I guess it worked out for the best.

My running hasn't been going so well. It's been three days :( The cold weather isn't helping my motivation. This week I will do better!!!

 

 

Running

I have set a running goal for myself. I hate running, which is why this is a big deal. I have 90 days to be able to run for 40 minutes straight. Yes, this does seem like a long time for this goal, but I will need it. Hopefully I will love to run at the end of this.

My first week goal:10 min each day
Monday: 8 min :(
Tuesday: 10 min while Coll and Cooper ran circles around me. I am a very slow runner, but I made it the whole 10 min!

I am determined to do this. Translation: I will do it!

Update!

It's been a crazy couple of months. Between work, school, and the holidays it's been overwhelming! I haven't blogged in forever and have a goal to be better at it.

I have exciting news! I will graduate from Utah State on the 14th! The day has finally come. Thanks to my awesome sister I was able to mail out graduation announcements. They turned out great! This really helped with my stress. Thanks Sister!!

This month was my nephews birthday. He turned 4! I was so excited to give him his present. I ordered trolls off of eBay. My picture didn't turn out all that great, but I think he was excited.

My cousin got married last month. We went shooting at my uncle's house and had a lot of fun. I will need to practice shooting some more, but I think I was meant to be a cowgirl ;)

Coll and I went to a USU basketball game last month. I ate delicious nachos. I didn't share, which didn't make Coll happy. We left at half time because we were tired (yes we are old people!) Even though we left early, we still support the team and have them in our prayers!

Halloween

I can't believe how fast October went! This Halloween I was Belle. Most of my fourth graders thought I was Cinderella. I was a bit offended, but they are only children. I wasn't able to bring my tutu home so I couldn't dress up for trick-or-treaters :( It's okay because we only had ten.

This year Coll and I carved a really cool pumpkin. Coll carved a small one and I carved a big one that ate his :) I was pretty impressed with my mad carving skills!

Maximizing My Brain

I have been reading a lot of health books lately. While reading I have learned that having a healthy brain is just as important, if not more important than exercising. Your brain does everything! I already knew this, but I forget because my brain just naturally does what it does. To help better my brain I need to reflect on what I'm thankful for. Since I've been bad at it the past couple days I'll list ten today :)
I'm thankful for:

1. Snow! It snowed yesterday and I was so excited!
2. My nephews. Those crazy boys make me laugh. They also make me feel loved. Mateo carried my picture around because he missed me. It's hard not being close to them.
3. Substitute teachers who tell me I look like Ann Hathaway. I don't see the resemblance, but it was a nice compliment :)
4. Being raised in the real world and not LaLa land. I was walking on campus and heard two girls talking about how they shouldn't fight in a relationship. Um.... enough said
5. Socks! I love socks! It's crazy sock day on Friday, and I'm so excited :)
6. My husband, but I'm always thankful for him. Who else would be able to put up with me?
7. Cooper. You are probably thinking "what?!" Well, he is a special dog and does some pretty funny stuff. He makes me laugh all the time.
8. Boots. It is that season again, which means I get to wear boots!
9. Parents who care. My dad sprained his ankle and my mom had a lot to finish for the Quilted Bear, but they still came up to help with the car. We would be lost without them.
10. For a crafty sister. I am not crafty whatsoever. My sister helped me make a Belle costume for Halloween. I can't wait to wear it :)

I hope this will help maximize my brain. If it doesn't it's still fun to think about what I'm thankful for.

New Goals for October

Today was a good day! (Minus writing on the smart board with a dry erase marker.) I got many positive comments on my outfit. As you can see from the photo below, my outfit was super cute! Of course my outfits are cute everyday ;) I also started my day with a delicious pumpkin spice cappuccino! Those are my favorite! It only comes the month of October, which is why it totally made my day :)

This day pushed me into getting back on track with eating healthy! Of course Halloween week doesn't count! This month I only want to focus on eating more veggies and working out everyday. I really want to get into a routine I will do. Waking up at five is really hard. I might try doing two mini-workout sessions, but we'll see how that goes.

I also want to try to keep up with my menu calendar. I have planned my meals for the entire month. I've tried this before, but I generally never follow it. This month I am determined. I need some structure to keep me sane!

Hopefully I will be able to fulfill these goals. If not I'll just try again next month :)

Time

I have been crazy busy with my internship. I'm generally there at seven, and I leave the school around four, to head home to plan lessons! Coll keeps asking what I'm doing. I don't think he realizes how much teaching entails.

I finally found some time to spend with Coll. We went and roasted marshmallows yesterday. I realized how much I love the outdoors and fire! It was very relaxing, which is something I needed :) We also had a surprise happen while we were there. Cooper played fetch! He actually brought the stick back! We are so proud of him. We thought he was broken. Below are our pictures and documentation of Cooper bringing the stick back :)

I also have been really bad with my health goals. I am a stress eater. In one day I ate two cupcakes, a giant pumpkin cookie, a crap load of candy, and soda. Plus, that night I ate half a pizza and graham crackers with frosting. I still feel guilty for that day :( It is soooo hard to choose an apple over sweets. I am going to work on my stress eating. I decided this because Coll took frosting away and told me I needed to stop or it will become a bad habit. I slapped him for that one and took the frosting anyway. However, he is right, this is a very bad habit! This will be my new focus for the month. Hopefully I will be able to fulfill this goal!

Marriage

Coll and I have been married a year! This year has taught us a lot and has brought us closer together. Hopefully people will stop considering us newlyweds because that term makes me want to vomit.

What we have learned:
1- We are both bed hogs
2- We both hate the dishes
3- We have learned to compromise. Like when I clean the house and Coll does the dishes :)
4- Marriage isn't easy, but it's totally worth it!

Fun Facts:
1- We love the outdoors
2- Pasta is our food of choice
3- We want to live in Montana

I can't wait to see where the next year takes us :)

Health

I have been obsessed with being healthy. That was a goal for the year and I think I'm on the right track. I have lost some weight and want to lose a little more, but then I got to thinking, "Do I want to be skinny or healthy?"

We live in a society where people are obsessed with being skinny. I don't think people realize that skinny doesn't mean healthy. We are all drilled to think that skinny means pretty, skinny means success, skinny is what everyone needs to be. So, do I want to be skinny or healthy?

I have people in my life who have made comments about my weight. I have never been overweight, but smaller girls have made comments that I am bigger. I actually dated someone smaller than me and he would comment about my size. I have also had people ask if I eat or not because I am skinny. I do eat. I actually eat a lot! These comments have gotten in my head and have made me believe I need to be a size two in order to be considered "pretty." That size will never happen since I have a naturally big butt. I need to come to terms with this because I have been obsessing about my weight.

I count my calories and I work out. This is healthy, right? Well it is but, I weigh myself six times a day. That is NOT healthy. I think I need to be anorexic skinny in order to be healthy. This is NOT true. Being too skinny causes health problems too!

I struggle because I have an athletic build, which doesn't fit the "skinny" girls aim for. I look bigger then some girls my height, but I'm at a healthy weight and that's all that matters!

I have decided I want to be healthy! I want to live a long life. I want to do all I can to prevent diseases.I want to be healthy inside and out. I don't need to be skinny, but I do need to be healthy!

Hobby

I have learned a lot about myself this summer. I have learned that I need a hobby! I have been off for two weeks and I'm going crazy! I pace the house waiting for my husband to get home. I honestly don't know what to do with myself!

The first week I was off we did a lot with our families. We went to West Yellowstone with Coll's family and went camping with mine. We had a lot of fun! (Below are the fun pictures from the week)

Now I sit at home wondering what to do with all this free time. I thought about cooking more, but I absolutely hate dishes! I thought about painting, but I don't have the patience. So, what do I do? Maybe by the time I start school I will have chosen my hobby or maybe I'll just go crazy with boredom!

NASA

This past year has made me question if teaching was the right path for me. The stress teachers deal with isn’t worth the pay they receive. They take on twenty + kids and have to bring them up to grade level. It isn’t an easy job. I have been praying lately and have been asking if this is really the career path I should be on. I have been on a health kick, which has made me question if I should be a dietician. This past summer has shown me that teaching is where I need to be right now. I know this because of two reasons:
1. NASA PSTI Program
2. Paid internship
I had to apply for these two opportunities and I was accepted by both! When this happened all I could think was, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This is from my favorite book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I realized then that this is where I am meant to be.

My experience at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas:
#1 This is what you see when you first walk in the space center.
#2 It was like Disneyland here! This is the Space Center Star. He was funny. There was a moon, but I didn't get a picture. :(
#3 This was a robotic hand made out of cardboard. It was so cool to see. The cute old man who showed us this spent time cutting all the cardboard for us. I haven't made mine yet but it's on my to-do list!
#4 This is what I would look like if I was an Astronaut :)
#5 Owlbert and I with a space suit.
#6 Owlbert on a rocket. Sam was worried I was sending him to space and Coll thought I was going to blow him up. I am happy to say he is safe on earth :)
#7 I learned how how they go to the bathroom on the ISS. It was especially funny to hear Clay Anderson tell us his experience!
#8 Owlbert with a rocket
#9 Christopher Kraft was so cute! I wanted to take him home with me. He really expressed how important it is to inspire future generations to participate in NASA programs.
#10 This is Clay Anderson and he is a real astronaut!! He was freaking hilarious!

I am also certified to handle lunar and meteorite samples! This means I can borrow these samples for two weeks and show my class :)

I’m thankful for…..

Dads

My dad is Mr. Fix It. He can pretty much do anything and if he can’t he’ll figure it out. He was kind enough to fix my car, as well as, drive up to my house to put in an air conditioner. He didn’t get home till late, but was willing to help us out. I’m proud to say he is my dad. He sets an example of how we should be. He works hard all day and still finds the time to help those around him.

Air Conditioning

We have air conditioning, but our room gets soooooo hot. My parent’s neighbor was nice enough to give us an air conditioning unit. I must say it is heaven to sleep now J

My Health

I was talking to a friend from high school and she was telling me about the health problems she has been having. I feel bad for the pain she has to go through, but she is getting better (we just need to put her in a bubble for the future.) This made me start to realize how lucky I am for my health. I do have a thyroid problem that is easily fixed by taking a pill, which I hate taking, but I would much rather have that then multiple surgeries involving needles. I hate needles!!

Nephews

I was able to hang out with my three crazy nephews this week. They have me laughing over crazy things they say. I love when they give me hugs and kisses and tell me they love me. I know they mean it because kids tell you what they are thinking. It was nice to spend some time with them since I don’t get to see them as often as I would like. I thought it was funny that they had me flustered over ice cream. How can a five year old like mint ice cream? Why did the guy at Culver’s lie to me about not having any mint ice cream? Luckily we found an Oreo that was filled with mint ice cream.

July!

Thank the Lord July is here! This month will be crazy for me, but it will be fun. I go to Houston next week and I’m SO excited. I get to tour the NASA center and learn about incorporating science into my classroom. It will be so much fun. This will be the first time I ride on an airplane, which I’m nervous about. I go to Yellowstone the week after I get home from Houston. I am going camping the weekend after Yellowstone. AND……I’m QUITING!!!! Goodbye graveyards!! I am so excited to start sleeping like a normal person. Coll told me maybe I will go back to normal, but have I ever been normal?

A little bit about graveyards…

• I don’t sleep. I get like three hours of sleep then have to pull a twelve hour shift.
• I don’t eat regularly because my body is use to eating at 3 A.M.
• I’m sick a lot! I don’t think I’ve ever been this sick in my life. I am easily prone to the flu and colds, but maybe this will help me fight of germs from school.
• I never see my husband. I’m generally asleep before he gets home from work.
• The stress on my body has caused serious pain in my knees and shoulders. I am hoping that it will go away when I quit.
• I am exhausted all the time. Even if I sleep twelve hours on my nights off I still am so tired the next day.
• I almost cried when I was offered my internship because it was a relief to know I don’t have to work through my student teaching.

Garden Gnomes!

I absolutely love garden gnomes! I have had my eye on these little guys for a couple months and yesterday they were on sale! I wanted to buy all four, but my husband said he doesn’t care if they are a happy little family, which is why I only have two L

Here is a cute gnome I already had.

Gnome Facts:

1- They are a fairytale creature that lives underground and come up at night to help gardeners

2- If they are caught by the sun they turn into stone

3- They originated in Germany in the 19^th century

4- They are believed to provide protection from evil sorcery

5- Common prank: People release them back into the “wild” by stealing them and traveling to places

(hence Travelocity’s roaming gnome)

6- Believed to be a good luck charm for your garden

7- Believed to make your plants healthy

8- They were originally made of terracotta clay

I just like Gnomes because they make me giggle. I think they are cute and they put a smile on my face.

Why I Love this Guy

Reason #1: His Smile

His smile and laugh are contagious. He makes his surroundings better just by smiling. When he smiles or laughs I can’t help but feel the same type of joy.

Reason#2: His Sense of Humor

 Not many people get the chance to see how funny this guy really is. He is absolutely hilarious! He makes me laugh all the time. He tries to find the humor in everything, which makes life a lot more fun. His sense of humor is what made me fall in love with him. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t come home to a face like this every day.

Reason #3: He is Caring

He is the most caring person I know. He would give the shirt off his back for a stranger. I look at his example and wish more people were like him, including myself. His caring personality makes him great with kids. The way he interacts with his little sister and my nephews shows he will be a great father someday.



Reason #4: He is My Best Friend

He is the friend I have always needed in my life. He makes me laugh, listens when I need to vent, and hugs me when I need to cry. We always have fun together even if we are simply sitting on the couch. He is honest when I’m being a brat or when I need to change my outfit. This is the type of friend you know has your back.

Reason #5: He Makes Me Happy

 I have never been happier in my life and I owe it all to him. He really brings out the best in me by putting me in my place tactfully. He is patient with my stubborn ways, which shows he really loves me. He has taught me the importance of admitting when I’m wrong and using the three simple words “I am sorry.” He has helped me by simply being there for me.

I am so lucky to have Coll in my life. The fact he even agreed to marry me is a miracle in itself. Let’s be honest I am a difficult person and at times I can’t even put up with myself. I know my family is grateful that he took me off their hands, and I’m pretty sure men worship him for taking me off the market. Sometimes I don’t know why he chose me, but I am sure glad he did.