Summer!

So I had this crazy notion that things would slow down as soon as I finished my Master's Degree ~ well it didn't!  I finished on April 20th and what a great feeling it created in my heart!  I was so happy and so free!  That freedom and complete happiness lasted until I realized that I had less than a month to be moved out of my classroom.  The happiness remained, but the spare time was never existent.   I began packing boxes, putting together final portfolios, creating class DVD's, completing inventories on my classroom library, filling out school check-out forms, and gathering new information for next year!  To say the least, I honestly felt like I lost time when I graduated!  The weekends, however, have been very nice! 

Well now "school" is technically out for the summer.  Life has slowed down, but I am still not moved into my new classroom at Burton Elementary.  I have a few boxes emptied and about 15 more to go!  I am hoping that I can get things sorted and organized this next week.  What a roller coaster ride it has been to leave my classroom and my friends at the Middle School.  I have met so many amazing people, and I truly am sad to leave.  But at the same time, I am overjoyed and excited to make many new friends at Burton.

I will spend this next week moving in and getting everything set for next fall.  The schools are on lock down during the summer months, so I will bring home some curriculum to review, but I will mostly sit back and relax! What a thought that is! And I definitely hope it lasts! Many people have asked me what I will do during my summer break...I usually just stare at them blankly because for the last year I have only worried about surviving through the next week (which is unusual for me "The Planner")! So for now I don't know what I will do after I have moved into my new classroom, and I guess only time will tell!  

Spring Cleaning

I have now officially started to pack up and clean out my classroom. You may ask why, and I will simply tell you that I must be crazy! In December, talk in the middle school was about lots of changes with scheduling and teachers. The talk was about allowing teachers to specialize by teaching two subjects in a day instead of six. This is a great idea! However, my masters degree is in reading and mathematics and I have committed to a science grant for the next 2 years. I couldn't even imagine not using all the knowledge that I have paid for with time and money. I got this crazy thought that I would be teaching 4th grade next year...well it was a crazy thought so I put it out of my mind! Well the crazy thought kept coming back. After several weeks, I decided to email principals and ask about openings. At that point there were no 4th grade positions open, so the thought left and it didn't come back for several months.

In March I started getting that weird feeling again. This time it was TOTALLY crazy because the teachers and principals at the middle school had decided to keep the schedule the same - no changes. Well I finally decided to talk to the principal about these feelings and he was great to offer me anything and everything to keep me teaching at his school. After several days of praying and a visit to the temple, I decided the best thing would be to stay at the middle school. The day that I planned to tell the principal, he came into my room to inform me that the schedule would be changing, and to tell me that I wouldn't like it. He encouraged me to call the same principal I had previous contact with. I proceeded to tell him that she didn't have any openings - and he kindly said, "Well, you might want to try again."

So I tried again. She still didn't have any 4th grade positions, but was willing to make some changes so I could join her staff. Again, the thought left my mind and I started searching elsewhere for jobs. After a few days, I received a call from Burton Elementary offering me a 4th grade job. I couldn't have been more excited and happy! I thought I was at my last string of options and then this showed up out of nowhere!

I accepted, and now I get to start packing up ALL my goods and junk! I guess you don't realize how much you have until you have to move every bit of it! I am excited to join the staff at Burton Elementary. They are great teachers, and I have a lot to learn. I, at the same time, hope they are ready for me...I am a young, nontraditional teacher with lots of unique and sometimes crazy ideas! But I love it! That's what makes teaching so enjoyable and exciting - I never know what I will come up with! : )

So here goes spring cleaning in a huge classroom - trying to fit all that junk into a classroom about half the size! And trying to do this with students around so I don't have to pack all the boxes myself. It's a good thing that I have two papers and six days until I can say I have officially EARNED every inch of my masters degree!

Count Down

Let the count down begin! Every now and again I see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Some days the light completely disappears and other days I can barely see it. I officially have 4 weeks - 28 days - until I finish my Masters Degree! Every morning and night I pray that my mind and body can last until April 21st. This task has pushed me so hard and so far past my limits. I know that Heidi Dexter didn't do this without constant help from a higher source, and I am eternally grateful.

California Dreamin'

I spent last weekend with Kyle, Deidre, and their girls in California. I took my camera with every intention to take lots of pictures, but that just didn't happen. Deidre has a few on her camera from the beach and I don't have any. But that just goes to show I was so busy having fun that I forgot about my camera!

My trip started on Friday - I flew into L.A. and from the airport we grabbed some lunch and then headed to the beach. It was an overcast day, so we just walked down the pier and then along the beach for several hours. Mia and Kenley loved riding in the stroller and didn't make a peep the whole time we were there. Deidre and I loved the time just relaxing and watching crazy people! Mia and I rode on the carousal, and she absolutely loved it! After a few hours we decided to head back to Bakersfield. The traffic was terrible so it took awhile, but we made it!

On Saturday we went to a Bug Museum...we thought it was going to be this cool museum with different rooms and everything. We walked in and asked the guy where we were supposed to start and he gave us a crazy look and said, "Well most people start on that side of the room and then just make their way around." It was basically a store with a few bugs around the outside...but what they had was pretty cool! Mia sat herself down in a bug chair and watched a movie while Deidre and I explored! We went to a hockey game on Saturday night and that was quite the adventure! I have never been to a hockey game before. The people were more excited over the fights than over the teams actually scoring goals. It was funny! On the way home from the hockey game, Mia started doing a pee-pee dance in her car seat. I asked her if she needed to go potty and she nervously said, "Yes." So I told Kyle that he needed to stop soon and let her go. Well after several minutes he finally pulled over and they set up her portable toilet in someone's front yard. They couldn't find the baggies that go in the toilet so Mia got to go potty on someone's front yard...Well it just so happened that while Mia was taking care of business, the neighbor's pulled in! It was hilarious!

Sunday was a fun day to play with the girls and enjoy being with Kyle and Deidre. We went to church and then had a delicious dinner in the afternoon. I enjoyed just visiting with them and playing with Mia and Kenley. Monday was a travel day so I woke up, said my good-byes, and then headed to the airport. Words cannot express how much I miss all of them! I can't wait for the first of May to come when they get to come home to Rexburg.

Gratitude...

With a new year and new experiences I figured I would set goals and try to be better. So...now that one month and eleven days have passed since the new year and new experiences I guess I better get started! I have so much in my life to be grateful for, and I feel blessings each day of my life. One goal I am working toward is to journal my precious experiences; a second goal is to show and portray my gratitude.

I have ten more weeks until I will officially earn my Master's Degree. Each day I cringe at the thought of more homework and more staring at a computer screen, but then I go to school and I implement ideas and I feel like I become better and smarter every single day. When I get to the point that I don't think I can finish one more paper or wake up and give another 18 hour day nonstop, I receive tender mercies that cannot be explained other than blessings from Heaven. As I think about what I have been able to accomplish in the last year, I can't make sense of it...because I haven't done it alone.

I am blessed to work with 31 wonderful children. They give me headaches and they sometimes make my heartache, but they teach me so much. They teach me how to learn, they teach me how to laugh and have fun, and most importantly they teach me how to love. As I spend time with these sweet 10 year olds, my burden is lightened. They are great!

I am so blessed to live at home with my parents and little sister. As I think of the relationships that have developed and the memories that have been created, I couldn't ask for more. They are a tender mercy sent to me each and every day. My whole family is a great blessing to me. I am blessed to have siblings that I enjoy being with...they truly are my best friends!

My life is crazy, but I am grateful for the quiet moments when I can stop to be grateful and recognize the many blessings I receive. Without the gospel, I can't begin to imagine where I would be. I have seen blessings beyond what I deserve, and unconditional love. My hope is that I can be conscious enough to bless another person's life in this next year.

Busy, Busy

It has been awhile since I last posted, and all I can say is that life is not slowing down yet. I have 11 more weeks in my Master's program and then I am finished! I can hardly wait to have my evenings and Saturdays back. I feel like every spare minute is being consumed by work or school. However, I couldn't be happier. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to work on my Master's Degree at this ideal time in my life. Because I am living at home, I have not had to take out any loans, and I seem to always have enough time to get the essentials finished (and even a few hours of play each week)!?! I am blessed!