How Embarrassing!

From looking at the previous posts, it seems like Karli has taken over! Not true, I'm here to prove it. Updates? Yes I think so:

• I'm still the only Senior in my Freshman level classes
• I'm super social due to my calling: Activities Co-Chair
• Karli got a boyfriend and I gained a roommate--btw I like him a lot, especially those two together :)
  
• It happened, I finally committed to change certain things in my lifestyle. I'm healthier and happier and life is great!
• I learned to parallel park
• I get to hold my new nephew often now :)
• Zach Bybee left on his mission today-I'm gonna miss him at family stuff!
• I make my bed regularly (hard? yes, I like messy covers)
• I'm done working at CUE in December, and so sad. My students told me today that I'm better than Santa Claus! (they have disabilities and still believe in Santa, quite a compliment I thought)
• Two words: I run. For fun. Never thought I'd say that.
• I learned I like to look at the ground when I walk. Not to avoid eye contact, but to prevent the possibility of stepping in grossness.
• I almost collided with a deer yesterday walking off of campus. I took a picture of bambi up close.

Life is busy as usual, but I like it this way. I'm super stoked for student teaching in January. Change is hard, but the past weeks have involved lots of change and it's a good thing! I'm ready and excited for new experiences come Winter semester.

~ash~

25 Unpredictable 1st Graders

I've been doing field experience for a week now. It has a totally different feel that it did in the past. I think this is because this is the class that I am going to be doing student teaching with, and I'm by myself this semester so I feel more responsiblity. It is also so much more scary. I'm there all day this semester and I don't think I've ever come home feeling more exhausted so many days in a row in my life! But it is so much fun and I'm learning a lot. I conquered my fear of parents this week by calling a bunch of parents about a field trip and sitting in on 3.5 hours of parent teacher conferences today. Wow! What a learning experience!

I'm getting to know and love the students and their crazy personalities.
~ One girl, I swear she is going to be an actress when she grows up will frequently raise her hand and ask to come to the front of the class so she can share something. Today when asked how she thought she was doing in school she exclaimed, "Well I LOVE to learn!" She had the class stop dancing during music and did a solo. She is quite the 1st grader.

~ I also had a student today who refused to eat lunch. No matter my coaxing, or my bribing, or me trying to convince her that she would pass out from exhaustion if she didn't, or not be able to think during math, she just refused to eat. When I asked her what she DID want to do she said, "Walk home and eat." Well I was afraid that she would follow through on her threat so we spent the next 30 min staring at each other in the classroom, her getting her way and not eating anything. And it was her BIRTHDAY!

~Well I haven't started teaching yet so all the students think I'm good for so far is following them around (one girl told me that), but I think they are getting used to having me there, and maybe even like me :) I start teaching tomorrow SCARY!!!

Gotta Love Teaching!!

~Karli

Pumpkin Carving!

On Saturday my family had our annual pumpkin carving day. Mom made a really good lunch and then we headed to the pumpkin patch. Everyone picked the perfect pumpkin. The kids (and Garret) had a great time playing in the haystack maze. Then we went back home and carved pumpkins.

VEGAS!!!

Two weeks ago my work took me to Vegas for a convention. We learned more about how to make our office, particularly the billing end, run more smoothly. Two of the girls that I work with and my boss went. We went to the meetings during the day, and definitely played at night! I had never really been to Vegas besides just sleeping there so it was a new adventure for me. We ate at some REALLY good places, shopped our hearts out, got our exercise walking the strip, and saw PHANTOM! It was SO good! The theatre is only used for Phantom so they had some amazing special effects, including the chandelier flying right over our heads. So Good!!!

This was dessert at our Luncheon one day. See what I mean about amazing food?

The theme of the conference was Thrill of Brazil. When we came in the first day they had a mask like this one that Jacquel is wearing, shakers, and beads for all of us.

Emily and I at the Volcano!

The amazing Bellagio hotel. They had just decorated the inside with Fall decorations. These were huge pumpkins. Some were 900 pounds!

Emily, Jacquel, Kathie, and Me
We found a really cool purse store in our hotel and all bought new purses! We were all so excited you may have thought it was the highlight of our trip.

~~Karli

Yikes!!!

Talking about.... Thinking about.... Preparing for... GRADUATION!!!! It just stresses me out! We talk about it everyday in my classes. I'm now registering for my last semester of classes, preparing my senior porfolio, getting reading to student teach, and applying for graduation next month. Ready or not... (And I'm pretty sure I'm not) Here it comes!!

~Karli

Guys and Dolls

For our opening social, we had a Guys and Dolls theme. Ash did an amazing time planning it since she is now the Activities co-chair. She taught us how to swing dance and we dressed up in our 20's outfits (or as close as we could get by shopping at D.I :)

I've Been Bit and it's Spreading Fast!!!

The previous post was by Karli bug. After I noticed no name signed at the bottom, I realized I should clarify any confusion. Yes, I am a senior as well. I will also be student teaching in January just like Karli. We both have our teaching assignments and basically got our first choices. Karli is at Rock Canyon Elementary teaching 1st grade and I'm at Timpanogos High School. Life is so busy for both of us, working 20-30 hours a week, a full school schedule, ward callings, family business, and much too much desire to party all the time :) But we realize graduation will be in April, so time to buckle down and get to work. It's going to be crazy!

I did my college schedule backwards. As my final semester before student teaching and graduation, I am taking: Bio 100, Psych 111, New Testament 211, and English 313, all of which are general courses! Yes, that means I have yet to meet a Senior in any of my classes. I feel like the momma.

If any of you were wondering, I AM infected with Senioritis!! (have been since April). The main symptom of Senioritis is lack of motivation. Procrastinating homework is a major side effect. Luckily all the youngins in my classes keep me going. Although it wasn't in the plans, maybe this whole major classes switched with general classes will save my GPA and get me to graduation day....

~ash~

Senioritis?

I've started my Senior year of college! I think I'm supposed to feel some anticipation to be done now. But I don't. When I tell people that it is my senior year they get so excited and start to plan for me, "O that's great and then you'll start teaching and . . ." I don't think that SENIORITIS has hit me yet. I've decided that as stressful, busy, and crazy that school makes my life, I can't really picture my life without it. I've kind of only planned up to this point. I always said, "I'll graduate from high school and go to college." Oops, what about after? So for now I'm enjoying this moment (and trying to remember that when school is really stressful). :)

This Is Life!

Life is so crazy and fun, it feels like once you finish one thing it's time to start another adventure! Don't get me wrong, I love down time and taking a break, but after this past week of having nothing to do, or anywhere to be, I was anxious to get some structure back in my life! Here are some things I've been up to lately:

• Yesterday was my first day back at CUE, and I loved it! I work for a special ed transition school (college-age students) in Provo School District. This year things are changing a little bit and I'm very excited. I get to teach set classes everyday! Twice a week I will teach Beginning Dance and Aerobics (I know, I'm not really fit out to teach either of those but I will make it work!), Functional Technology (ps I broke the copy machine today, it's an omen), Microwave Cooking (I'm way good at this), and Daily Living Skills (I'm pretty good at this too, I've survived on my own 3 years now!). On top of this, I think I'll be the Student Government Adviser again this year. I'm excited!
• Books will cost me $300 this Fall semester if I buy them ALL used or online. Ridiculous!
• I got a new calling: Activities Co-Chair!
  
• I got a new roommate (she's a sweetheart!), and another on the way!
  
• I've gone to Seven Peaks 6 times this summer! Trying to use my summer pass as much as possible :) One of the best trips was when I took Rakel and Raulito (two darling kids I babysit, I worked with their parents at Golden Corral). Seeing their faces light up felt like Christmas. Another good trip was yesterday, I went with my aunt Cassi and uncle Kevin, aunt Brenda, and their kids, and Kayzer, and it was super sweet!
  
• I've been able to visit my family a lot lately! In the past week I went home three times (and slept over twice)! It's nice because this fall will be very busy and I won't have time to go often.
• Mom's birthday was August 11, we went to the Thai place in Sandy (delicious), I finished finals August 12 (and passed!), and then had a week off.
• I saw Harry Potter 6, and I highly recommend it.
• I FINISHED PRACTICUM!!! And passed, with flying colors might I add (if this list were in order of importance, this would be first. Biggest accomplishment of the summer)
• I went to Lake Powell with the family for a week. A week of relaxation! It was great, and when I have pictures I will post them.
• My roommates and I went to the temple last night-I was so thankful because I've been wanting to go!
• I quit Golden Corral!!! 3 years of working there, I will definitely not miss it, except the money part was good...
  

Here are some realizations I've come to recently:

• Family is the best! When it comes down to it, they're the people that care the most about you and love you no matter what.
  
• I will never be able to repay my mom for everything she does for me. She is always there for me and has done so much (besides birthing me and raising me) and is the most patient person ever! If I'm half as good a mom as she is, my family will be lucky!
• The best medicine is service.
• Roommates are heaven-sent. Late night ice cream parties, redbox runs, sleepovers, and chick flicks never get old and are necessary in life. My roommates especially are amazing, they will drop anything they are doing (including boyfriends!) if needed.
  
• Primary answers are still the basis of the gospel and work at every stage of life.
• It's important to take people's advice, especially if they care about you. They're always right...
• Everything in life is for our experience! D&C 122: 7-9
• I have a passion for teaching. When I'm teaching, everything else seems to disappear and all I care about is my student's success.
• Small and simple decisions make us who we are.
• This was a summer of accomplishment for me. I did things I never thought I would achieve...and I survived it all.
• I have great friends.

~ash~

First Day--First Grade

Yesterday, was my first day of student teaching! UVU's program is set up so that we go on a teacher prep day to see how the teacher sets up her classroom, and then on the first day of school to see how she begins school. I am in a first grade classroom with a teacher named Mrs. Niccoli. I also got to go to Back to School Night and meet all of the parents and students. It was a little intimidating, but so much fun! It made teaching feel more real and exciting!

The highlights (or memorable parts :)
*During back to school night one little girl came running in she exclaimed "I LOVE first grade!!!" She said her mom was still in the car. But she was so excited! Then the kids were making visors. I asked her if she was ready to go take her picture, she said, "No! I need to put more designs on my hat. I LOVE art!" She is really spunky and cute.

* I stayed with the kids while they were eating lunch. As I was walking out the door to leave, there was a girl standing there bawling. She said that the lunch lady told her she had to go to recess and she wanted to go find her teacher. I tried to reassure her that recess would be fun, but she wouldn't hear it, so I walked her out to the playground and found some of the other kids from her class and convinced her to play with them. Who knew a kid who didn't want to go to recess?

*So the scariest part of my day was after lunch time. When the bell rang, I decided to walk outside so I would be there when the teacher got out there. But the teacher never came. The kids all started to come over to me, but I didn't have a whistle to call the rest of them. The recess patrol lady came over to me and asked, "Aren't you going to call your class." Um, 1) they weren't my class. 2) How was I going to call them, 3) What was I going to do with them after I called them? Well, I couldn't leave them outside forever so the lady called them for me, and I lined them up and walked them inside. I had them start reading, but after surveying the class I realized that there were 2 students missing. Should I leave the students in the class and go find them? It was a little nerve racking!!! I was a little concerned that they wouldn't know where to go, it was their first dayof school! Finally, they came running down the hall. I decided to start reading to the students and then the teacher walked in. She had been with the principal. Relief!

*There is a girl with spina bifeda. She wears braces on her legs and has crutches that she uses, but then she also has a walker. The class walked around the school a lot taking tours so I spent a large portion of my time walking behind with her. After walking a little bit she got tired and said, "You should carry me, I'm tired and then it hurts." So I carried her and by the end of the day I think we were both pretty tired. I was glad though because she said, "I was really nervous at the beginning of the day, but I'm not anymore." I was amazed at the love the other students had for her. They were curious, but they wanted to be her friend. Another student stuck by her most of the day and wanted to play with her at recess. They were so unjudgemental.

I realized you have to keep first graders entertained all the time. I don't know how many times I heard them ask when lunch was going to be, or the response that something was boring after only a few minutes. This experience definitely made me feel a little inadequate and underqualified. It was a good thing though because it made me want to go back to school and never forget anything. Because I know that I'm going to use it. I don't get to go back and see these kids again until November, but I'm so excited!

~Karli

Some Perspective

At work we complain about really mean or onery patients. Lots of people like to find something to be upset about. But it's interesting because when we encounter a nice patient, everyone in the office notices it. We had a patient last week that I have coined as my favorite patient.

He is an old man who always comes in smiling. He usually makes some joke about all of us girls up front and how he really came to see us rather than the doctor. I was sitting at checkout when he was done with his appointment. As he came past, he grabbed my hand where my CTR ring is and said, "I hope he treats you well!" I told him I wasn't married and he realized that it was the wrong hand. He then pulled a picture out of his pocket, that I could tell he carries around with him often because the edges were worn and it was wrinkled, and said, "This is my sweet wife. She died a couple of years ago. Isn't it just wonderful to love people?" He talked with us for a couple more minutes leaving us with, "Isn't it just wonderful to be happy and to make other people happy?"

When he left the office we all had smiles on our faces. We talked about him for a while, and how just by his upbeat attitude how happy he had made our office. I was amazed at the influence of one person! He definitely made my day a lot brighter and made me want to somehow impact people in the way that he is able to.

~Karli

Roommate Pictures

Since our Roommate Tara is leaving on Wednesday on her mission we have been taking a lot of pictures lately, and it is tradition to take roommate pictures. Here are some fun ones!

4th of July

For the Fourth of July this year, Kathryn and I went with Marci and her kids, and Chari, Mike and Tyson to the Parade. Then we went up the Canyon and had a BBQ and played games with everyone and went wading in the creek. After Kathryn and I came back and went swimming and then went and watched the fireworks with a group of people from our ward at a park in Provo. It took over and hour to drive home after watching the fireworks!

Finally!

So I've finally decided to blog... Not that I haven't thought about it before. It's just everytime I sit down to write about what has been going on I never know what to write. So I'm going to put lots of pictures!

I know it was forever ago.. but since my last post I drove down to St. George for my friend Rachel's wedding. Crazy that she's married! But it was so fun to be a bridesmaid at her wedding.

On June 29-- Cassy had her baby Lucy! So now I have 8 nieces and nephews! Emma calls her goosy goosy.
Other than that I've just been loving not being in school. We've been bowling, to the driving range (Kathryn, my roommate, golfed in high school so she's going to try and teach me :), Provo's freedom festival--where I had my first funnel cake, and opening night of Harry Potter 6-- ya, I fell asleep. But it was really late, or really early in the morning. When the movie started, I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than curl up in my chair and take a nap and I ended up doing it. :)

Kathryn, Me, and Andrea Bowling

At Provo's Freedom Festival--With our Funnel Cakes!

Waiting for the movie theatre to let us in for Harry Potter. We waited a couple of hours outside so that we would be able to get good seats!

Last weekend we went to the Secondhand Serenade Concert at Thanksgiving Point!

Working Hard for the (future) Money

I know I'm the worst blogger in the entire world! Oh well, it's fun when there's time :) I will just update what's been going on lately. And there's a lot!!! First of all I've been so so busy. For the past 5 weeks I've been doing Practicum. Practicum is practice for student teaching. So, for 5 intense weeks I've been teaching summer school (for special education) to the cutest little first graders and kindergartners!! It's been a blast, but lots of work! I leave my apartment around 7 am every morning, and finish teaching/mentoring around 1 or 2 pm. It's hard because I'm not being paid for this (in fact I paid BYU $1,000 to take school from them for summer term), but it is also good practice! I am in charge of preparing daily math, writing, and reading lessons, as well as occasional social skills and art lessons. It takes a lot of time, but has been lots of fun! The first week was a disaster. I was doing about 6 hours of lesson planning a day! Some days I worked on around 8 hours of homework. I've never worked with such a young age group, so it's been challenging, but enjoyable at the same time. The good news about all the work is that it paid off! I only have one week left, and have passed all of my formal observations, so all I'm required to do is continue showing up and teaching :) It's been a relief the past few days!

I don't deal very well with stress, so my family and roommates have put up with a lot of emotions lately! Sometimes it just feels good to cry, and when I'm finished dry my tears, and move on. So sorry to anyone who's crossed my path in the past 5 weeks, I promise I'll be back to normal in a week or so. But everyone's been great and very encouraging. Karli even bought me flowers to cheer me up at the beginning. And it worked, look how bright they are! :)So my summer has been pretty busy and the hardest I've ever worked in my life! On top of practicum, I have class 6 hours a week, and work about once a week (cause I gotta eat). But I've done some fun things as well! Like Seven Peaks, Lagoon, and fireworks to name a few. Oh and Tara Vawdrey, my roommate, is going on a mission so she's getting ready to leave and we've been trying to play hard before she leaves forever :( So thus far, the summer has been quite eventful and crazy! Sorry to those of you wishing the summer would never end...I've been counting down the days!

~ash~

Summer Life!

So I know that I'm a slacker when it comes to blogging. And I've decided that, like Ashlee, instead of putting everything that I have been up to in separate posts I would just make one really long one.

First of all I got my student teaching assignment! I'm so EXCITED! I'm going to be teaching at Rock Canyon Elementary in the first grade. I already know the teacher that I am going to be with and have spent time in her classroom so I am really excited! It's weird that I'm going to be graduated in a year. But I'm really excited to spend more time in a classroom teaching next semester!

I love Summer! It has been so much fun to not have to worry about school. I forgot what it's like to not be in school. I love just getting to come home after work and not have to worry about homework. But even though I thought that summer would be less busy, it has seemed jam packed. I went camping, to a family reunion in Aurora, and disco skating. We've built forts, had bridal showers, and birthday parties. Our ward has had a lot of fun activities like bon-fires, Olympics, and a ropes course. There is always something going on!

Since Tara's, Kelsi's, and my birthday are all within a few days of each other, Ashlee threw us a combined suprise birthday party. We just thought we were going to dinner, but she had other ideas. Haha. Thanks Ash! That was the start of my birthday celebration. Then on my birthday I got to go to the temple, breakfast with Tara, Kelsi, and Rachel. And then to see Up. My family had a Barbeque that night which was so much fun! And then Kristina had a fondue party. It was quite the day. I'm 21 now. Woo Hoo!

Well here are some pictures of these adventures to make this post a little more exciting.

Camping

Happy Hour at Sonic

Disco Skating... We didn't all stay up the whole time. But it was fun!

Our really cool fort! Our FHE brothers helped us build it and then Tara and I slept it in that night.

FHE~ What started out as fingerpainting turned into a paint-war. I went through more than one shirt in the evening. But we all looked pretty good in the end.

Birthday dinner at Brick Oven. This is the first of three times that I received free birthday dessert at a restaurant. 2- Denny's on my birthday. The third I wasn't even eating, I just went along for the ride and I was sung to and got a shake.

Enrichment activity at the Clas Ropes Course. We played Unity building games. We were even hoisted up in the air in a swing and let go!

Birthday Cake!

Summer time, and the livin' is easy...

Whoa!! Hey all, it's summer time! I know it's been awhile and I have a terrible habit of getting caught up with life and not updating my blog, so here is a recap of what's been happening the past couple months! I finished a semester of school, turned 21 (legal!), moved to the Colony after having dedicated almost 3 years of my life to the wonderful Raintree, started another school term, visited both Grandpa's graves including both sides of the family, finished my job at CUE for the summer, went to CUE graduation and Nikki's graduation, visited Linsi Jp and Easton in DC, crossed some items off of my 'Spontaneity List,' went rock climbing indoor for the first time, finished another school term, and spent lots of time with Mike. (And in case you were wondering, I'll save you some time, we are not engaged. I know, if we were true zoobies we would be married by know and probably expecting our first child). Well, here are some fun pictures and updates to go along with them!

This picture is super cute. Not only cause Easton's in it, but read his

shirt and then look at his face. I think he's nervous to be a big

brother :)

~*~Brandi's Wedding~*~

This is Brandi's new nephew, he's so cute!

Here are the bridesmaids! The colors came together nicely :)

Cake Date! We decorated our own cakes and then had a competition.

Only problem is we didn't have a judge, but we didn't really need

one right? Of course Mike couldn't focus long enough to get

a good picture, but this is half decent.

Here are the cakes!! Obviously mine is on the right, cause

mine is better. Mike's is like a black hole and mine's a happy

island with a starfish and a shark...definitely cooler.

We visited Grandpa's grave, we brought flowers and a coke :)

We had a Lu'au in Tropic over Memorial weekend.

Morgy Dog-Pile!

Kayzer got creative with the lawn while my parents were gone

to Hawaii for two weeks. They got home on Mother's Day so

we had to have a surprise.

This was at the Special Ed Lu'au awhile ago. You haven't danced

until you've been to a party with my students!

Here are Mary and Jon doing 'the face.' Mary is Mike's sister.

We flew airplanes! Little guys, anyway. Here's Mike getting instructions

from his brother-in-law Jon. Mike was pretty awesome, he didn't

even crash the plane.

'The Face'

We're all in this together! (Their theme song) This is CUE where I've

worked for the past year and the graduating class.

I met el Presidento

We had to stop and play in the pool

Easty Babe

We're so elegant

Arlington Cemetery

Me and Lins in front of Washington Memorial

This sign was just pretty sweet

Nikki's graduation, congrats!!!

~Ashbadash~