Sometimes I Wish I Tweeted

I think I would have a funny twitter feed; however, since I'm morally opposed to new technologies (that's code for "too lazy" and "can't remember my username/password to my twitter account because I had to set one up for my 'technology in the classroom' class." Plus I don't actually know how to tweet) I am just going to pretend I have a twitter account and make a list on my blog. As of late I also cannot mentally handle anything bigger than a list.

So here are my student-teacher tweets:

Life makes you a better teacher. Perhaps I have not lived enough. Time to change that.

1st hour someone wants to be an event planner. Made me think of J-Lo. And her booty.

Wednesday: I accidentally fell in love with my students. Especially 5th hour.

Thursday: I died. Cause of death? Student Presentations. Shot in the heart over a thousand times with "likes," "ums," and "yeahs."

Me: "Hey I bought Cliff Bars this week."
Cooperative Teacher: "As your mentor, I have succeeded. My job is done."
(My cooperative teacher believes that the breakfast of champions includes a Cliff Bar and a Paradise Mango Pepsi. Next week I plan on bringing Pepsi to guarantee an excellent recommendation from him to future employers. Hopefully he'll say I'm a champion)

Man I love chapstick.

Welcome Fall Weather.

Thank you Danny Kaye, for reminding me that life could not better be. And making me giggle relentlessly for two hours.

Speaking of giggling. 6th hour practically in tears from crying. Thank you Wall-E.

Empty. Just Like My Gas Tank

Recently I feel like I have been running low on things much faster than I usually would. The first and most expensive being gas. Instead of filling up whenever I go home (which was like once a month), I now find myself purchasing a tank of gas a week. I've also been running low on groceries and find myself at the store at least three times a week. To go along with this I think I'm always starving, but I'm fairly certain I'm gaining weight. Lovely. So I've compiled a list of things I am running low on.

Gas

Food

Patience. I feel bad for 6th hour, because by that point I just want to yell at them. Really it's no their fault at all.

Energy. Along with patience I am lacking energy. 5th hour probably suffers the most from this because it's right after lunch. Those kids get a nearly comatose teacher.

Sleep. Even though I have now started going to be earlier and earlier, I am still perpetually tired. I went to bed around 9:15 last night (Saturday night in case you were wondering) and didn't even feel bad about it; although, I might have felt like a little bit of a loser.

Food goes on here twice

Toothpaste. Maybe I'm brushing my teeth more because I am acutely aware of how often I am speaking to people.

Voice. I'm running low on voice cause talking all the time does that. I don't expect it will last through the rest of the week. Talking non-stop is not my favorite thing to do.

Socks. I don't have enough of the little hide-y socks to wear with dress shoes.

Social life. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have much of this to begin with. I am happy that my roommate is content to watch a movie with me while I grade mounds of papers and she does homework. Thanks Brooke, I'm glad we can be friends when I'm actually awake and we're in the same room.

Emotional capacity. I think this is running low because I am being pulled so many different directions within the day. Each student loves when I stop and give them my undivided attention. However, this becomes and impossibility when you times that by 35 students per class, and four classes a day. By the end of the day I feel stretched thin and emotionally this is a hard thing I think.

I think that's all that I thought of to put on this list. Now to complete my lesson plan for tomorrow. Yes I am only one day ahead of my students. Hopefully they don't realize this...

Things I've learned from Student Teaching: A Series of Comments

So the first week of actually being in front of my classes went well. On Tuesday I attended a seminar class that will count for two credits this semester. From what I gather it's mostly a support group for student teaching. At the end the teacher shared some sound advice. She told us to write this phrase on our mirror so we could see it daily: "Just keep telling yourself that you will pass student teaching and you will probably get a job. So relax." This sounds great, right? It should be reassuring, however, my scumbag brain decided to follow that statement with this from The Hunger Games: "Embrace the probability of your imminent death, and know in your heart that there's nothing I can do to save you." Thanks Haymitch for turning an inspirational quote into feelings of imminent death.

I will say that even though after my first day I really did feel like I was going to die (mostly because I was just completely physically drained) I have enjoyed my classes. Some of these kids really do just want you to get to know them, and once you do that they will try their hardest to learn from you. So far I think it's great. It really is true though, no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

On Student Teaching

I just finished reading over a hundred ninth grade introductory essays and at the end I couldn't help but think, what was the point? Then I was reading over old blog posts and found this: "... at the end of all those 'ands' and 'buts' there's a piece of hidden treasure where the child tells us something that we never knew about him up to now. And good teachers use that piece of hidden treasure as a key to unlock motivation and to bring the child back into the classroom work..." -Jonathan Kozol.

Yeah, I still want to be a teacher. Even though it took me over five hours to read all of these student's papers, and by the end my eyes were ready to fall out of my head it was worth it. I want these students to become whatever it is they want to become, because I think they really can become whatever they want to become. And really that's all I've thought about so far. That's mostly because I have only observed so far in this class. Tuesday's the day I actually get up in front of them. For an hour. Four different times. Please bless that they don't tear me apart.

Winning Deal

So recently my family has gotten really into solitaire. Mostly my parents; they may or may not call dibs on who gets to play on my Mom’s Kindle Fire. Most often my little brother and I will hover over their shoulders and obnoxiously tell them where to place the appropriate card. While doing this obnoxious hovering, I observed my mom start a new game. It gives you the option of “Random Deal” or “Winning Deal” and my mom, flustered, clicked on the winning deal so she could go to bed on a happy note.

I thought about this for a while. I kept thinking that clicking on the Winning Deal was pretty much the same as cheating. Who wants to play a game where they are handed a win? I don’t know why, but this really and truly bugged me for a long time; however, as things usually do in my mind (thank you literary analysis) seemingly small and insignificant instances seem to take on a bigger meaning. And so this bigger meaning blossomed in my head.

We are all given a winning deal in life. Heavenly Father clicked on that first and foremost. In fact, with Heavenly Father there is no “Random Deal” there are only Winning Deals. Now, this might not seem like the case. Even when clicking on a winning deal you still get stuck. Sometimes you get stuck to the point where you think you absolutely couldn’t win with the hand that you were dealt. When it comes to Heavenly Father, though, you are always dealt a winning deal. I think we fail to see that though because we get stuck. All you need is that freaking 6 of Hearts and it would be smooth sailing, right? You’d win and you’d feel great because it was just like bing bang boom. But, instead you have to rearrange a whole bunch of other cards just to get it to work, but it works nonetheless. So the point of my rambling, and my overuse of commas is this: we have been dealt a winning hand. Even if we can’t see it. Even if the game would be so much easier if that 6 of Hearts wasn’t the last card that we pull. Heavenly Father knows what cards we need, and in the end we have a winning hand. I guess that’s comforting, and not at all cheating. Why not play the game if you know you’re going to win?

Twenty-Two

So I just changed the little blurb about me on here from "twenty-one year old girl" to "twenty-two year old girl." That was weird. I was really looking forward to that, but somehow it was just odd. Everyone has asked me who it feels to be twenty-two, and all I can think is that it's way different than turning twenty-one. Twenty-two seems so much more legit, like there's no turning back: You are getting old! It might be that thought combined with the fact that I am going to student teach in the Fall and graduate college in December, which are both pretty grown up things, right? So twenty-two freaks me out. Or maybe grown-up things freak me out. Needless to say I'm kind of freaked out. Woot for growing up?

Wicked!

I've been thinking for the last couple days that I need to report on the fabulous production that I got to see in Salt Lake. I just couldn't figure out the right way to do it. I could go on about how Elphaba was amazing, the dancing, the set, costumes, and the fact that Glinda stole the show with her airheaded blonde comments; however, as I revisited the music I decided to list a few of the lyrics from different songs that I loved.

You really don't have to do that... I know, that's what makes me so nice.

Wishing only wounds the heart.

And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free!

I believe I have been changed for the better. And because I knew you I have been changed for good.

So it was either quote everything, or only quote a few things so I'm going with the latter and not spoil it for you if you plan on seeing it sometime. It really was a blast to be able to go and see this with my family. Kudos to Lisa for getting us all together! Loved it :)

Home

So you're probably super sick of hearing about my family, but this is my blog. So get over it. I have an awesome family. Usually I would write this out in a list; however, today is a spotlight moment.

Stanley Morgan is my mom's dad. LuJean Despain is his wife. And they are my grandparents. I realized this weekend that I haven't heard much about their lives. My dad's parents have a knack for going over their own history, and it's a great one. My mom's side is a little more reserved. I had the opportunity to hang out with my grandpa for a little while the other day and it just made me realize just how wonderful these two are. My grandpa gave me a short history. He told me how he met my grandmother, when they were 15. He was going on a date with her cousin, and she was with his friend. The couples ended up doing a little switch-a-roo and that was that. My grandpa also told me how he and my grandma were married in Hawaii and had a 30 day honeymoon on the Hawaiian Islands, can you say dream come true? I told him that I wanted to hear more about his history and I'm bound and determined to help him record it. My grandpa loves finding his ancestors and timelining their lives. I think I would love to help him do this with his own life, his and his wife's. There is so much to be learned from the past, and what better way to learn it than from someone who loves you?

Old Friends, New Friends

Today I had the opportunity to hang out with an old friend that I haven't seen in a very long time. I loved being able to catch up and talk, reminisce about high school and things that we can now laugh about. I kept thinking that it was so great to talk about the past. And then we started talking about our current lives. As I watched her beautiful baby boy blow raspberries and smile hugely at us I was even happier to have a friend to talk about our current lives. We said a few times that high school was fun and we loved every minute that we were in it; however, we were much happier with how life was turning out to be. It didn't matter that she and I are in different points in our lives, or that really our lives were very different. We sat and talked for hours. I liked it. A lot. And it made me realize a few things... Just a small list guys. It's been a while.

1. I really like to talk. And laugh. This was satisfied with talking and laughing for three hours.

2. I really like my life. I got to talk about the past, talk about the present, and talk about the future and it surprised me how happy I am with where I am now. Ultimately I have bigger and hopefully better plans, but I like where I am and I like who I am. I also liked hearing that my friend is happy in those same capacities in her own life.

3. The future is looking bright. I came home this weekend only to be bombarded with worries about the future. Car troubles (always), wondering how exactly to pay for college, and worries about things completely out of my control (coughdatingcoughboyscoughsocializingingeneralcoughcough). Despite these random things that I can't really control, I know things are going to work out. I know I will make it through my final semester of college, financially and all. I know that cars break, but cars can also be fixed. And regardless of how I feel, I know I will someday be much less socially awkward. Or I'll just find a way around that. Although barring ordering a spouse off the internet, I'm not sure how I will do that.

Anyway, I said this would be short, so I am cutting myself off. I think I like coming home and having old friends to talk to, and I especially like talking to those old friends only to realize that they are new friends too... If that makes sense haha.

Maybe I Needed to Hear This

"That is the risk of Faith, Mack. Faith does not grow in the house of certainty." The Shack by William Paul Young

"Growth means change and
change involves risk, stepping
from the known to the unknown."
-Author Unknown

"Because of my faith I approach the unknown, unseen, and unexplained with unquestioning assurance... Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism."
-Richard C. Edgley

Rafting in Paradise

So I stole this title from a blog written by a bunch of river guides on the Snake River. When I first saw it I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration; however, after this past weekend I will admit that it is pure truth. This weekend I was able to go up to Jackson, Wyoming and have a weekend to remember. There are a few things that I learned from this trip. And who woulda thought I would share these things in a list? Hehe

First, the phrase "taking a trip down memory lane" was coined for this excursion. I took the same route that I took on my first voyage up to Jackson, and boy were there a lot of memories going through my head.

Not all cars are made for camping. My sister's Kia Sentra proved that.

It's ok to set up your tent a mere 15 feet away from the road as long as the road is dirt and it's in the mountains... right?

Having the right amount of food for a trip makes everyone happier.

Rafting in Paradise is something I want to make an annual thing. I didn't get to go on a rafting trip last summer and that made me realize that I love and miss it.

If you are sitting on the raft, about to go through a big wave and all you can think is "Man, I don't feel particularly stable in this particular spot" you should probably move so as to avoid being plunged into the water in Big Kahuna.

I am not one who enjoys cliff jumping. Found this out from the baby cliff that I jumped off of into the Snake River. I am not a fan of the free falling sensation. Everyone kept saying the climb was way worse than the jump. I would have taken the climb three times over instead of the jump.

It's amazing how much you can fall in love with a place. This trip made me realize that I miss Jackson a lot more than I thought I did.

I also re-learned that potentially awkward situations surround me daily.

So once again, Jackson has made my summer that much better :)

Random

"Look at your life through heaven's eyes."

"So I learned from you, do do do dododo dodah do do."

"'It's not you it's me?' I invented 'it's not you it's me!' If it's going to be anyone, it's going to be me!"

"One more stupid love song I'll be sick."

"Butt-faced miscreant?"

Maybe I just had a weird kind of random day? But this is what has been going in my head, and at this point I can't sleep so documenting it was all I could think of to do.

Yesterday was Plain Awful

Actually, it was Monday that was plain awful, but I had that song stuck in my head the whole day. And while Monday really was awful, what with incredibly rude adults from youth conferences, and kids I wanted to literally hang, the sun indeed came out the next day. Tuesday's group was fantastic. This group restored my faith in humanity. You might ask me why that is the case, and I will gladly answer. With a list.

First, Tuesday's group, the great group, got there about 15 minutes before I did. This gave me one of those mini-heart attacks because the group from Monday, the awful group, disrespectful group also arrived earlier than the facilitators. If my co-worker hadn't gotten there a little earlier than planned on Monday, I am fairly certain there would have been a thousand injuries; however, Tuesday's group was playing a round of Big Booty and politely waiting for us to arrive, instead of throwing rocks down the hole in the port-a-potty while the leaders talked on their phones.

Another reason Tuesdays group was so great? They listened. They had respect, even for just a 21 year-old-girl who, despite her size, really does know what she's doing.

In my mind the very best thing about this group was their enthusiasm. While explaining the commands for the high elements we instruct them to say "Belay" and then the belayers say "Belay On" and then "Climb" with the response of "Climb On" and then we said: "And then the climber says 'Rock' and the belayers say...?" This group answered with a resounding "PAPER!" I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at the ropes course. Rock, Paper...? We were expecting the phrase Rock On, which followed the pattern. So for the rest of the day we had a leader who, instead of yelling just "On" in response to "Rock," would yell "Paper, scissors, lizard, spock ON!" It made for a fantastic energy that made the whole day simply great.

So thanks goes out to Tuesdays group :) And even though yesterday was plain awful, the sun will come out.

In honor of Troy (the leader who thought the phrase was Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock)

That's Who I Am

Thanks goes out to Jessica Andrews for this song for inspiring the title of this post. This thought is actually on my mind quite a bit. It pops up at random times, like when buying clothes; am I really that girl that can pull off bright purple skinny jeans? Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm that girl. Am I the girl that holes up and watches all three Lord of the Rings in one day? Yes I am. Sometimes I'm the girl that will go out of her way to make you smile, especially if that smile is adorable and perfect. And then sometimes I'm the girl that gives you the "man you're an idiot" face without realizing it. Now, I don't think this would make a good song, Jessica Andrews can continue being the lyricist, but it has been good food for thought. And if we're being honest I think about this all the time, some times more than other times. Like when I met with my cooperative teacher, for instance, he just kept telling me to be myself and I had a mini panic attack. What if I'm not sure of who I am to be myself? The truth of the matter is that I feel like I'm never quite sure of who I am exactly because I never stop changing.

Now, I'm going into rambling mode so buckle up or click out, but I remember my first big realization that I was a very dynamic and changing being. It was the beginning of my sophomore year in high school. One of my best friends from 9th grade was extremely frustrated with me because she wanted to be friends with the Megan from our 9th grade year. I realized that I couldn't be that friend because I was different. She and I had spent most of the summer apart and I had changed. This was so amazing to me. I had changed and there was no going back. I have had many of those realizations since then, but it still amazes me. I have changed, and there's no going back. I suppose I am just made up of change and changes. That's who I am :)

Sometimes I'm Dumb

But really, I am. Remember that one time that I told myself that having two jobs during the summer meant little to no time for anything else? Like sleeping or breathing? Yeah, I did too; however, this summer I was like "Oh, I won't have school so it will be fine." But you know what is way worse than taking two classes in the summer while working two jobs? Planning four classes that you have to teach in the fall while working two jobs. I'm so dumb. I have proof telling myself that this was a dumb idea. I will never learn.

My Life is Awesome

Sometimes I just think that my life is awesome, and here are a few reasons why...

Yesterday was the epitome of a summer day: Slept in, made lunch with a friend, set up hammock and then hammocked for hours. Ate some amazing trail mix, and then watched one of my favorite movies... Megamind!

And then there was today. Today I woke up and looked up my grades. Who has two thumbs and a 4.0 this semester? This girl. (That will be the first and last time I will use that phrase, but I wanted to use it so don't judge). Then I got paid to play on the quad for four hours. I am now off to end it with dinner with another friend-- cause I have those! YES! Great summer. No more stress.

And Love Like Crazy

I heard this song on my drive back from South Jordan and it just made me think of a few things that I love like crazy. Oh you knew it was coming... A list!

I love asking my Grandpa Morgan how he is doing and having him answer with "Oh, pretty good for an old guy." Sometimes I ask just to hear him say it.

I love that my Grandpa Leavitt slips me a twenty to pay for gas to get back to Logan. I also love that he sometimes gets a little teary when he tells me to drive safe.

I love that my dad would rather round up the kids and create a birthday spanking machine than hang out in the house with the grown ups.

I love that my mom would rather help her youngest granddaughter fall asleep than eat dinner.

I love that my brother-in-law can win over any of his nieces and nephews. Carlie refused contact with anyone except her parents and uncle Jed. I also noticed that he passed this ability on to his kids, Logan was so sweet with Carlie also.

I love that the phrase "Megan, you look so cute-just like Mindy" is bandied around. Mostly cause it's true. Cute is equivalent to Mindy. Mindy synonymous to cute.

Really, I just love my family a lot.

Ready. Set. Go?

There are a few things I'm ready for:

School to be over

Summertime

Being Tan

Having hair as long as it was my senior year of high school

Hammocking

Ropes Course

Blue Skies and Sunshine

Stargazing

Summertime Fireworks

Barbecues

New Adventures

There are a few things I'm not ready for:

I don't think I'm ready to move. This is the longest I've lived in the same place in college and now... I'm pretty attached to it.

I'm not ready to give up my awesome roommate. Chelsea is so great and I don't think I'll ever get another roommate quite like Little Miss Giggles :D

The beginning of this summer also means the eventual beginning of student teaching. I think I'm holding off a huge panic attack about this.

Hopefully the summer will help me be ready for more grown up things :)

My Life Today

"Oh no really, I insist... Let me go out of my way to make a fool of myself. I love feeling stupid. All the time." -Me

Also, the new blogger bugs me. I can't decide if I'm flattered or creeped out that more people look at my blog than I thought. Maybe I'll hold off on the creeped out feeling for a while. And if people really are looking at my blog, I feel like they should comment. Unless you don't know me, cause that freaks me out.

In addition it's a sunny beautiful day and all I can manage to do is sneeze and glare. Customers at work were not super happy with me about that.

I had more to say about the Old Navy, but the new blogger set up made me realize that my blog is pretty much open to the world so I'll keep it to myself. And all the poor random people that get to hear me rant about Old Navy.

Anyway, I have some quality time to spend with the couch and possibly some homework.

Dear Professional Teaching Portfolio,

I no longer care how these ten artifacts have "helped me to become a better teacher." I also don't think that I care that I have done a billion lesson plans, and now my reward is to reflect on how they help students and bla bla bla. Mostly I'm just sick of reflecting on artifacts. I've also heard that very few schools who are looking to hire you actually look at this portfolio. Needless to say my motivation to finish this is rapidly declining.

Sincerely,

I'd rather be outside

Distracted

So this is the second time that I have sat down to do homework today. I have a annotated bibliography of thirty texts due in a week, as well as a book talk to go along with that. Not to mention my professional teaching portfolio and probably two or three other things that I am forgetting. But the minute I sit to a computer, what do I do?

I listen to this song a billion times...

It's a great song. I hope that you see right through my walls.

I've also been on a Dr. Pepper kick. I'm not sure what it is about the last few weeks of school, but ever since my second semester I crave Dr. Pepper the last month of school. Maybe so I can stay awake? I don't think it's been working this semester. I've just increased my intake of sugar by like a billion. You know how some foods advertise on the label something like "Good Source of Calcium"? I think Dr. Pepper should say "Good Source of Calories. And nothing else."

I've also been doing this cool thing where I will get halfway through one thing and then suddenly have the overwhelming urge to start something else. So I have all of my homework started, but I have little to no faith in my ability to follow through on them.

In other news, my roommate and I really want to go to California for a kind of senior trip. Disneyland is calling my name.

Anyway, I'm off to start something else without actually finishing it. Woot woot.

Looking Back

I feel like the last month has gone by really quickly, and I've found myself looking back to where I was even just two months ago and honestly there's only one thing that comes to mind as I've been looking back.

Freak, I'm glad I'm not there anymore!

I think the last month has flown by mostly because I have felt happy. Now don't get me wrong, I get tired n grumpy like the rest of the world; however, comparatively speaking this last month has been exceptionally happier than the six previous ones. I still feel like I'm gaining new friendships and no longer spending quality time with my couch and Lil Heaty (who, by the way, might be on his last leg. I would cry harder [note that I say harder, not in the first place] except for the fact that he has slowly been phased out of my life. R.I.P Lil Heaty. Maybe you represent a bigger, sadder, former life that I have now left behind). Anyway, what I really mean to say is that things are looking up. I am excited for the summer and the List of Things to Do Summer 2012 (I capitalize it because it will soon be an actual document, it's in the works). I am ready to be happy full time. And to the past, once again: FREAK, I am glad I'm not there anymore! :D

A Challenge to Be

I have a professor in the eduction department that always tells us to have our students become, rather than just do a subject area. She tells us to have students be scientists if you are teaching science, to be mathematicians in math, and in English to be writers and critical readers. In my opinion this is a good way for students to learn a subject. This approach teaches children to find passion in a subject and to make connections; however, I don't think my main goal with teaching is to create writers, but to create real thinking feeling people in the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I am a proponent of reading and writing, but I would rather have a student discover something vital about themselves or the world around them than have them remember how to use a semi-colon correctly.

Often times in the public eduction system I see tests being administered and all I can think is that we are creating robots. We put information into these students and expect them to reproduce it. I don't want to create robots, the Apple store is doing enough of that on its' own. I want to create humans: critical thinking, question asking, ever wondering, discovering humans.

Sometimes I think we (teachers) forget that students still have life and they have real things to deal with. This came abruptly to my view as I was observing in a Psychology class for my clinical hours. In the course of two class periods during an opener entitled "Free Advice Friday" we discussed what one would do when faced with a degenerative hip disorder as an athlete. We also talked about how one might confront a friend who might be causing themselves bodily harm (also known as cutting). This made me wonder how we (again as teachers) are preparing students to cope with life, instead of just memorizing the parts of the brain. These instances, along with other conversations and thoughts lead me to believe that in my classroom I want to create people who can discover and think, be compassionate and self aware, as well as see beyond themselves to look through another's eyes. If they happen to learn how to properly use a semi-colon, that'd be cool too.

What Happens in Nevada...

Ends up on my blog.

This past week I had my first ever out of state Spring Break Adventure, which is kinda sad considering I'm a senior in college. I guess better late than never. Anyway, I went to the illustrious town of Panaca, Nevada. Never heard of it? Odd... Well it is a quaint town about an hour Southwest of Cedar City. Still not sure where it is? That's ok, suffice it to say it's small (Population of 4016, Elevation 1000 according to Gwen). This was definitely a magical place where time does weird things and phones (at least T-mobile phones) cease to function. You are probably begging for some highlights at this point so I will gladly oblige. How will I do this? A list of course!

Day 1

The drive up was definitely excellent, full of stimulating conversation and bunnies.

"You have really straight teeth for not having braces. You also have a really nice gum line" -Preston

"Scipio!? I think there is a petting zoo at scipio... or a gas station. I'm pretty sure it's a petting zoo though." -Preston

"Hey Dad, we made it to Arizona." -Me
"I thought you were going to Nevada?" -My Dad
"Oh, yeah. We made it to that one." -Me

Hiking was a big part of this trip. We spent the vast majority of Monday in the car and then at Cathedral Gorge where we climbed over, through, and around dried mud piles.

"I've just got these bodacious hips!" -Amy

Day 2

"What time is it? My phone doesn't know." -Me

Pioche, which sounds like a swear.

"Stop your piochin'."
"You're such a Pioche!"
"Ok, I should probably stop saying that cause it really does sound like a swear word" -Preston

We found a couple little shops that were fun to look around. Most of them had a lot of weird porcelain dolls.

"There's a girl in our ward who collects coke bottles" -Preston
"Uh... Yup" -Me

"'Paradise Found.' Are they quoting something or is it a joke?" -Gwen

"I still don't know what time it is... It's driving me crazy!" -Me

"Carol Mathews" -Preston
"What?" -Me
"Carol Mathews"
"What...?"
"CAROL... MATHEWS"
"What!?"
"She owns the bed and breakfast..."

The Drive home was mostly a compilation of repeating CD's over and over again, as well as a pit stop in Richfield, Ut. Overall this was a great trip. If I get more technologically advanced in the next few weeks I will post pictures (along with the fact that I will have to steal them off of someone else's computer). I hope you enjoyed the recap of the trip as much as I enjoyed writing it. Have a great day!

More Stuff From My Head

Again, I've thought of too many things in one day that I figure I should write down. The only medium I can think of to get my thoughts out there? A list! On my blog of course. You knew it was coming.

Cars are so annoying; however, parents are the greatest thing that were ever created. Especially when your car breaks down again and all you can think to do is call and cry to them about the fact that you hate cars, and then they tell you everything is going to be all right and they will help pay for the second clutch your car needs after only a two year old one breaks. Parents are the greatest, mine are the greatest of the great.

I'm a kid, and I like kid kind of explanations. For instances, a seven-year-old explains love this way: "'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." I think that is great :D

Things really do work out. Doesn't matter how much you stress about any given thing, they always work out well. I've been doing a lot of the "what if-ing" this week and suddenly I had the thought "Yeah, and what if the sky fell right on top of my head right now!?" and then I stopped playing that game because I know things are going to work out just the way they are supposed to. Having that knowledge is really helpful, even though I forget it all the time, it's good to know.

Generally, life is good. Regardless of missing class, and not feeling well for a couple days, turns out life is still great.

I'm happy to report happiness. I have good friends and the amazing opportunity to live, learn and grow. I think it's great.

I Still Want to Be a Teacher?

The news in the last couple of days had me nearly convinced that I should change my profession. What with Utah wanting to pay teachers based on student performance, and three Ohio student's deaths. But then I went to a high school classroom and remembered that I really like teaching. I love what my friends term my "teaching voice." I love how lively high school students are, I once had a teacher exclaim "I love teaching high school! I get to suck the life out of you guys every day!" (Yes that was Ms. Pratt for those of you wondering). It's true though, there's an energy that can easily feed into a great learning experience. I love watching students go from "I don't know and I don't care" to "Show me more." I don't like adults, because I don't think I'm ever going to be one. Adolescents on the other hand, I'll probably relate with them until the day I die. I love that these students are so smart, they are always smarter than I am in one way or another and I look forward to learning from them daily.

So despite the fact that Utah is crappy for teaching (the English teachers at Sky View have a little poster that says "Utah: First in pavement, last in Education") and despite the fact that I was taught how to react to a student bringing a weapon to school (for instance how to position myself physically and what to say to try to keep calm) I still want to teach. So once again I return to the realization that I would love to be a teacher.

Enjoyment Deferred

For a while now I have just thought that I have been in a point in life where I would simply have to accept the fact that, for a moment, enjoyment was being deferred. I figured that I would have to enjoy life when this period was over. It's been this way for longer than I am willing to admit; however, I think this mind-set has come to and end. Don't get me wrong, I have had great enjoyment in the past year and a half. So many great things have happened, but I've just felt like I've been in a rut. Happiness has eluded me, at least lasting happiness.

I am happy to say that I think this rut has ended. The last week my face has hurt from how much I've laughed and smiled, I've met lots of new people, explored forgotten joys, and continued new ones. I think I am scared and excited for this :) Stay tuned for the happier adventures of my life of enjoyment.

Fun Loving

Anyone else as fun loving as I am?

Chances are I'm just going to buy this album.

Montage

So I think I've had a lot of thoughts rolling around in my head and I have no better way of getting them out than on my blog, and in a list. So here is a montage of my thoughts in the last couple weeks (don't worry, it's better than my rant from my last post).

Sometimes the two hour drive home is just what the doctor ordered. Good music, time to think, and almost a detox. It had a very calming effect and I'm glad I went home for my dad's birthday.

Wall-E. Yes I'm talking about the Disney movie that is about a little robot. The main thought I had: Wall-E just wants to hold Eva's hand. All Eva cares about is her "directive." It's not until after Wall-E seems to be broken beyond repair that Eva realizes that she is missing out on getting to know a great little robot, and she's especially missing out on holding this little guy's hand... er metal plates that act as hands. Anyway, moral of that story is that you really don't know what you have until it gets slightly crushed and beaten and then reverts back to the manufacturers drone without a personality. Don't take things for granted.

The best singers in my mind all have enormous mouths. Case in point:
Bon Jovi (Ok, his mouth isn't really that big, but whenever I think of big mouthed singers his name still comes to mind).
Steven Tyler (Who legitimately has the biggest mouth I have ever seen).
Nate Ruess (Lead singer of Fun [formerly known as lead singer of The Format] whom I may or may not have a big crush on after listening to their album "Some Nights").

It's better to look up. This is a talk from the October 2011 General Conference. It can be found in its' entirety here (and I highly recommend you read the whole thing) but in essence it discusses how we should look towards God in all things. I like it immensely.

Socializing (in any form of the word) = Exhaustion.

Waiting to hear back about a job interview = Exhaustion.

Chocolate Milk. Probably the best thing that anyone ever thought of. I think that's all I had yesterday just for lack of anything better to consume.

I kind of like clothes. This new realization almost goes against my whole being; however, I'll admit it. I have a thing for clothing. As of late if I like something I want to buy it in every color.

I'm sure there is more rolling around my head, but I think this list is sufficient for now. I hope your Friday is great!

Petulant #4

I am throwing a tantrum. Full on. Flat on my stomache, face down, fists balled, arms and legs flailing, screaming at the top of my lungs. And I am absolutely refusing to move.

And I know there is a paternal figure waiting patiently for me to stop so he can tell me that I can't have what I want right now, but it's not the end of the world; however, I am not done screaming and flailing. I am not quite done being mad about the fact that I can't have exactly what I want, in the manner that I want it, right this very second. I'm angry about the fact that I know that this tantrum is fruitless and won't get me anywhere, but it's cathartic and I'll continue until it is out of my system.

Just so you know.

My Life

More of these can be found here (and some may or may not also describe my life).

Who Needs Friends...

When you have siblings?
So I may or may not have written this and then forgot to actually put it on my blog, but it's still pertinent. My siblings are awesome, and literally have become my best friends. So here it is, you guessed it, a list.

Over the break I got...
A new beautiful niece.
To just sit and read with my siblings. I dont think there are very many people who would do that, but I love it.
Watch movie after movie with them.
Talk endlessly with them.
Five words: Silly string New Years Eve.
To play Scategories.
Ice skate till my ankles were about to fall off.
Laugh every time Gavin would say something funny at the very moment that liquid entered Mindy's mouth.
To plan a trip with Mindy.
To contemplate moving in with Mindy next semester. We'd definitely be the cutest set of sisters in Provo.
To have good conversations about the books we were all reading. Or just scratch each other.
To just enjoy the fact that I really am friends with the people I was forced to live with for the first 18 years of my life. Turns out I really do like them and we can get along. Love it.

Paisley Sue Noelle

This is the newest member of my family. Paisley Sue Noelle Crookston was born December 30, 2011 at 1:09 PM at the Riverton Hospital. She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 ounces and was 19.75 inches long. This little miracle has been greatly anticipated as the third niece/granddaughter and much anticipated sister. I was privileged enough to be able to spend an exceptional amount of time with this beautiful little girl (my mom, aka the grandma, would say that I got more than my fair share, but I'm ok with that). I loved begin able to simple hold this tiny piece of heaven and watch. Something that I have learned from this little one is that children really are precious. They are so pure and innocent, I think they even smell like heaven, but that's just my own opinion haha. Anyway I thought I would brag a little about how cute my family is :)