School

The school year is well underway, and I think I might have my head on straight...it only took 2 months! I currently have 30 students in my class, but who knows how many will be there tomorrow. I have lost two and gained two...and the whole new student thing is no fun for me! I made one extra copy of most things so the first new student wasn't that bad, but the second was a TON of extra work. I am finally able to leave the school at 4 or a few minutes after (thank goodness for an hour prep!) The kids are fun and I am absolutely loving teaching. I feel so happy!

One funny story...so the kids went into the computer lab to do some research on Rattlesnakes. I had them write their research on a piece of paper, and the next day they worked on organizing their research into an outline or some form that would be easier to read! This boy raises his hand and said, "What state is PMS in"
Me: "PMS? Are you sure its a state?"
Boy: "Yeah, what state is PMS in?"
Me: "Do you mean PA for Pennsylvania?"
Boy: "It says PMS."
Me: "Are you sure you wrote it down right?"
Boy: "Yeah, it says PMS."
Me: "I don't know a state that has PMS in it!"
Boy: Shrugs his shoulders
Me: "Well I have no idea what state you are talking about."
Boy: "Just look at what I wrote down then."

PAPER: "This rattlesnake is in a constant state of PMS and will almost always attack anyone near."

I about died laughing! I just looked at the poor boy and explained that it just meant that they were grumpy or angry all the time! He had no clue, and I had no clue until I read the whole sentence! It gave me my daily giggle! Needless to say, I am really enjoying teaching!

Can I have your number?

Friday was my last day teaching, and throughout the day I had almost every girl in my class come up to me and ask me for my number....I haven't had that many people ask for my number in well EVER!! They were all so cute! Even the little boy that drives me crazy and I always thought hated me because I send red cards home with him said that he wished that I could stay until they finished 2nd grade. This next week I observe in other classrooms Monday-Wednesday, and on Thursday I get to spend the day with my class. We are going on a field trip to a polar exhibit at the mall and then out to lunch at a restaurant called Chevy's. Then we will go back to the school and have a party! They have been such a fun class and I am going to miss them!

On another note....I will be home in Rexburg in 5 days!

Temple Trip

I went to the Temple again this weekend. Ashley went with me this time and when we pulled off the exit to the Temple, Ashley remembered that she didn't have her recommend. We decided to just go to the Temple (since its about a 20 minute drive). We got there, took some pictures and then headed in. They tried to call Ashley's bishop, but didn't have any luck so I went to the baptistery and she waited in the lobby. I was the ONLY person there to do baptisms, and that was weird! I am so used to Rexburg where it is always busy!

I finished with my baptisms and started to leave when Ashley met me on the stairs...they had finally reached a member of her bishopric so I sat in the chapel and watched while she got to do baptisms. Another fun trip!

Tractors

So this post is to show that I still keep a piece of Idaho with me always! This is what I drive past as I go to school each day. I finally took the time to drive through their little circle driveway and this is what I found...

Aftermath

Let's just say that for the last few days I have felt like I was dropped 225 feet at 95 mph with only a lap belt on...

I'M SORE!?!

Buffalo Bill's

I checked another amazing weekend off my bucket list! Brynn, Ashley, Aulora, and I made an amazing trip to Buffalo Bill's. It is about 30 minutes from where I live...out in the middle of no where! We started our Saturday with the shopping outlets! There were lots of great stores and it made for a great morning! After shopping all the outlets, we headed over to the Desperado Roller Coaster...

"Get a breathtaking view of the valley from 209 feet upright before you plunge at tremendous speed into a succession of twist, turns and unexpected surprises. Ranking among the top ten roller coasters in North America and one of the tallest and fastest in the U.S., the Desperado is 2.43 minutes of pure heart pounding fun."

And that is exactly what we got! This ride was crazy! We started off inside the casino and it takes you up to the highest point right out of the casino wall. Then it drops straight down and turns and twists you everywhere! When we got off we were all so dizzy that we had to hold on to the railings when we were leaving so we wouldn't tip over! It told us we would travel at speeds up to 95 mph and make a 225 ft drop! Awesome!



After the roller coaster fun, we headed back to Vegas and got some lunch/dinner at BJ's Restaurant. The food was absolutely amazing! We all shared a pizza, some mozzarella sticks, and a Pizooki (like a Cookie Monster). We had a great time laughing and making memories! Turned out to be one of the best weekends yet!

Off the Ground!

Our countdown chain is no longer dragging on the ground! It has been a celebration every night now that it is actually HANGING! As of today we have 16 more teaching days and 30 days total! YAY!

California

Last weekend, I was able to visit the Graham family in Hanford, California. I left right when school got out and arrived at their home around 9:30. I had a wonderful weekend relaxing and catching up with their family! I can't believe how much all of their kids have grown! On Saturday, we spent the day relaxing by their pool. I also got a mini tour of all the vineyards and fields in Hanford...it is such a beautiful place! There is something growing on every piece of land in that area. After dinner, we visited "Superior Dairy." They have amazing icecream! We sat and enjoyed that together and then returned to their home to watch "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." That is one of the goofiest shows I have ever seen! : ) On Sunday, I went to Sacrament meeting with their family and then started the LONG drive home. I forgot about my camera so I didn't get very many pictures, but here are a few! I found some pictures of Superior Dairy online so I posted them!

I drove over a few mountain passes to get there and the area was amazing! I came around one of the turns and windmills covered the whole side of the mountain...here is just one example of all the windmills.

Egg Experiment

The students in my class are counting down the last days of school with the alphabet. For "E" we decided to do an experiment. I was interested to see if we could cook an egg on the asphalt! The weather here had been at least 110 for a few days so I figured we would have no problem...except that on "E" day we didn't even hit 95! But, we tried anyway after a discussion with the class that experiments don't ALWAYS work. We set out to the asphalt with our tin foil, eggs, mirrors, and spatula.


After waiting for 15 minutes and seeing no change, we decided to leave our eggs outside and check on them later...they didn't cook all that much, but the wind definitely dried them out! The biggest success was that they CHANGED so the kids were satisfied!

Count Down

On Sunday evening, Brynn and I started to get bored so we decided to make a paper chain to count down our days here in Vegas. We were pleasantly surprised with how small the chain was and with the fact that we only had 40 more days!

The District

Brynn and I decided to do a little exploring on Saturday. We started our journey at the Galleria Mall...we did A LOT of looking and NO buying! It is a very ritzy mall with many, many expensive stores! The mall experience didn't last long so we decided to explore a place called "The District." My Cooperating Teacher had told me about it, but I didn't really know what to expect! Here are some pictures....


All the buildings are similar in color and structure...and inside of those buildings are really fancy restaurants and stores! However, we were surprised and happy to find a DownEast Outfitters! Who would have dreamed we would find one of those in Vegas? In the middle of this little "Town Square" there was a live band playing....



Needless to say, we had a great time PEOPLE WATCHING! And yes, the trees were spraying mists to cool the visitors off! (Look real close near the bottom of the tree)

The Temple

I went to the Las Vegas Temple for the first time on Saturday. It was amazing! It took about 40 minutes to get there from where I am living. So I set out a little before 7 AM and got there for my appointment at 7:45. The Temple was about 4 miles off the Interstate. Once I got off the Interstate I saw at least 5 policeman...needless to say the Temple is located in North Vegas...NOT a very safe place! All of the houses and stores were so old and rundown that I was concerned if I was even going in the right direction...but I had Bessy (GPS) with me, and she led me there! When I got to the Temple, it looked beautiful! The grounds actually had grass, trees, and flowers! (If you have seen North Vegas...their yards have dead weeds and rocks) I entered the front doors and they have a huge waiting area with couches and chairs. As you enter, they have a little outside courtyard in the middle of the Temple. It was a patio type area with benches and flowers and trees...beautiful! I then was escorted to the Baptismal Font. I waited for the first assigned ward to get there so I could join them. I was lucky enough to get to join a Spanish Branch. They did all the Temple ordinances in Spanish and it was very neat. As I was being baptized and confirmed my eyes filled with tears because I was thinking how special it was to have this opportunity...and I kept thinking of my brothers...Kyle has and Jake will have the opportunity to baptize and confirm our brothers and sisters in this language. It was a very special opportunity for me. I forgot my camera, but I definitely plan on returning before I head home so I will get more pictures then.

Lion King

So we got a great deal on tickets to the Lion King...I couldn't pass them up! I am so glad that I didn't because the show was absolutely amazing! From the costumes to the singing....it was fabulous! I think my favorite costumes were the elephants, giraffes, and hyenas...and Timon and Pumba...ok I LOVED them ALL!

Hoover Dam

Today Ashley and I took a hike to the Hoover Dam. There isn't really anything spectacular to see, but it is evidently a great monument of the United States....lots and lots of tourists! The Hoover Dam gives power to all of Nevada and Arizona and parts of California. So even though you can't see any of that happening, it is very important.

There were lizards everywhere along the trail...this is small compared to others that we saw! Lake Mead was beautiful and busy!


This is the new bridge they are building near the dam...