Either that or my shower hates me.
Clearly I'm back in the land of the hellish heat. Hiding out in my apartment with two fans blowing directly on me at the same time. I wound up eating banana chips and grape tomatoes for dinner yesterday because it was too hot to go to the grocery store. Yup, feels like home.
The rest of my Washington trip was delightful. There is something inherently therapeutic about spending time in a farm town. Especially since I spent most of it curled up in the recliner in my parents room watching movies with my mom in my pjs. Yeah, good times. Once I walked into their room to find them watching Gladiator. So I sat down to join them. Then my mother started fast forwarding, but not through the gory scenes. Turns out we were only watching the battle scenes. That's how awesome my vacation was. I went to Spokane to see my brother, his wife and their new baby. My brother plays a game called "Where's Duncan?" Basically I close my eyes, he hides the baby and then I look for him. In case you are wondering how this works, here is a video of what I turned the corner and saw once while playing said game:
Yup, that's a baby under a coffee table. My mother felt the need to rescue him while I felt the need to take a video of his freaking adorable kicking legs.
In other kid news, my niece loves to be filmed. I took what felt like 100 videos of her telling stories about cowboys and pirates and something that lives in the tree at Grandma's house. In the end though, my questions about who was who in the family was my favorite video.
Sadly, I asked her this the first time without a camera and after she declares that I have no boyfriend she adds "you just have your mom." Good thing my mom is awesome.
Work starts again next Tuesday. It's both tragic and exciting. Tragic in the sense that I can no longer stay up until midnight or later on a weekday watching 30 Rock and Project Runway and exciting in the sense that I get to go back to teaching, which I love. Also, crazy things my students say. I got a little preview this week at Freshmen Orientation. A student told me that I look like an evil vampire when I laugh. Not the first time I've heard this, I am unfazed. I also threw a packet of A&D ointment at a kid who said I was old (I was in the nurses office, I don't have packets of burn/diaper ointment in my classroom, but I'm thinking now it's a good idea). My new year's resolution, as always, is to write more bloggy posts, so look forward to that.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
No More Secrets
I've had a secret for about 6 months, and it was fun to have, but the cat's out of the bag now, so it's safe to blog about.
Right after my birthday this year I decided it was time for some life changes, so I started meeting with a dietitian. Turns out I don't mess around with this stuff and now a little more than six months later, I've lost almost 80 pounds.
This picture was taken on my birthday weekend, a week before I started my diet and about 10 minutes before eating the best chocolate napoleon I've ever had. I highly recommend the chocolate shop in the Bellagio, just saying.
For good measure, here is the picture of me eating said chocolate dessert.
For the record, I thought this was a crazy flattering picture of me.
And here are the after shots:
This is me on Monday with my newest nephew Duncan, who I affectionately call D-dubs.
I love that kid. Seriously. And here is my face, just for fun:
It's strange, most of the time I don't think I've changed much, but then sometimes I see a picture like this or see myself in the mirror and stop and stare. Who is that?
I've been traveling lately, the above picture was taken in New Orleans, a place that I now love. I should have taken more pictures there but I was busy falling in love with the city. Now I am visiting Washington, staying busy with activities such as:
Dragon hunting with my niece, she takes this stuff seriously, as indicated by her face, and she is 100% certain that this rock is really a dragon.
And baking cookies for my mother's achievement day's activity.
Because nothing says vacation like being told that you need to make 100 star cookies. By the end of this venture the star shape looked very strange to me.
I love spending the 4th of July with my family in Ephrata. There are no city fireworks so we buy some from a sketchy looking guy at a booth that has the word "Discount" displayed prominently one too many times to bring comfort (seriously, why would I want to buy something that could blow my arm off at a discount price?) and then sit on our porch and watch the men in the family put on a show for us. The porch sitting continues as we watch the neighbors light all their fireworks late into the evening. It's low-key and calm and everything that I love in life. This year my mother and I sat on the porch and talked and would occasionally point in one direction or the other hoping the other would catch the firework that had just gone off. You never know where the next one will be, it's part of the fun.
This weekend I am heading to Seattle to see the little sister and the guy she currently spends her time with. I hear there is promise of Thai food and a pedicure. What else does a lady need in life? I'm sure I'll be blogging all about it.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
That One Time My Sister Got a Job
My little sister Megan graduated from The University of Washington with a degree in Molecular Biology. I thought that her only option for a job with a science degree was working at Crate and Barrel, but I am proud to say that she got a real-life grown up, full-time job with benefits. Now this post isn't really about her, although I am proud of her. It's about these people:
My parents are by far the most amazing people I've ever met. I know everyone says that about their parents, but seriously, mine are extra special. The two of them managed to raise four children who all served missions, graduated from college and got jobs that didn't require a food handlers permit. On Sunday we were talking in Relief Society about raising children to make good choices and the teacher asked if anyone had advice on how to accomplish that task. I racked my brain trying to find a succinct way to convey the kind of parents that mine were but instead it brought tears to my eyes and I sat missing my wonderful family.
So here's to my parents, people who raised their children to have faith, to be educated, and not to live in their basement forever. And here's to hoping that some other parents did that so I can find a man who is a functioning adult.
My mother is the kind of woman who would do anything for her kids. I know this because I have watched her do anything for us. She is the kind of lady who will fly down here when I am having surgery to take care of me for a week, clean my entire house while I am in a drug induced coma and make sure that I am fully stocked in a year's supply of m&ms when she leaves. She is the one who helped me study science terms in college late into the evening. I still remember her saying "ribosomes are bumpy" and laughing over and over again. I have no idea what ribosomes do, but I will never forget that they are bumpy. She is the one who I run to when my heart is broken, who will let me cry for hours and who makes the world's best pancakes. Through her example, she taught me to be graceful, beautiful, spiritual, loving and compassionate. She taught me to be a woman of faith and dignity, to respect myself and to live up to my heritage.
My father is the best example of love I have. He's the kind of person I can talk to for hours, who will listen to me whine and complain about life's ails, sit quietly for a moment then throw down an amazing piece of advice. He is the one I go to for advice and support. He is the one who during my senior year of college when I was panicking about my chosen profession gave me the best advice I'd ever received. He's the one who sent me awesome emails my entire mission. His entire life has been about his wife and children. He's the kind of father that would do anything to make my mother happy. I have cravings for his smoked turkey and hamburgers on a regular basis. He's the kind of person that I would never want to let down, because you just don't let down the people who love you that much. He taught me to be smart, witty, thoughtful, and firm. He taught me how to love someone while demanding that they give you their best, a trait that I use daily in teaching. He taught me how to communicate effectively. He taught me how to carve a turkey and change a tire. He taught me that some things in life are worth giving your all for.
They are the kind of people who shared their testimonies, who gave 100% to their causes, who showed me what hard work was and what it felt like to be successful. They gave me a perfect example of what I what to be when I grow up.
My parents are by far the most amazing people I've ever met. I know everyone says that about their parents, but seriously, mine are extra special. The two of them managed to raise four children who all served missions, graduated from college and got jobs that didn't require a food handlers permit. On Sunday we were talking in Relief Society about raising children to make good choices and the teacher asked if anyone had advice on how to accomplish that task. I racked my brain trying to find a succinct way to convey the kind of parents that mine were but instead it brought tears to my eyes and I sat missing my wonderful family.
So here's to my parents, people who raised their children to have faith, to be educated, and not to live in their basement forever. And here's to hoping that some other parents did that so I can find a man who is a functioning adult.
My mother is the kind of woman who would do anything for her kids. I know this because I have watched her do anything for us. She is the kind of lady who will fly down here when I am having surgery to take care of me for a week, clean my entire house while I am in a drug induced coma and make sure that I am fully stocked in a year's supply of m&ms when she leaves. She is the one who helped me study science terms in college late into the evening. I still remember her saying "ribosomes are bumpy" and laughing over and over again. I have no idea what ribosomes do, but I will never forget that they are bumpy. She is the one who I run to when my heart is broken, who will let me cry for hours and who makes the world's best pancakes. Through her example, she taught me to be graceful, beautiful, spiritual, loving and compassionate. She taught me to be a woman of faith and dignity, to respect myself and to live up to my heritage.
My father is the best example of love I have. He's the kind of person I can talk to for hours, who will listen to me whine and complain about life's ails, sit quietly for a moment then throw down an amazing piece of advice. He is the one I go to for advice and support. He is the one who during my senior year of college when I was panicking about my chosen profession gave me the best advice I'd ever received. He's the one who sent me awesome emails my entire mission. His entire life has been about his wife and children. He's the kind of father that would do anything to make my mother happy. I have cravings for his smoked turkey and hamburgers on a regular basis. He's the kind of person that I would never want to let down, because you just don't let down the people who love you that much. He taught me to be smart, witty, thoughtful, and firm. He taught me how to love someone while demanding that they give you their best, a trait that I use daily in teaching. He taught me how to communicate effectively. He taught me how to carve a turkey and change a tire. He taught me that some things in life are worth giving your all for.
They are the kind of people who shared their testimonies, who gave 100% to their causes, who showed me what hard work was and what it felt like to be successful. They gave me a perfect example of what I what to be when I grow up.
Friday, May 13, 2011
And so it begins, and ends.
It's the last Friday of the year, the very last Friday I will look out at these particular little faces and tell them to shut up or wake up or listen up. Next week I will only see them for one day. I get mixed emotions about this, part of me is really really excited that it's summer and I get more free time and can work on my killer tan. But part of me is sad that I won't get to wake up every morning and wonder what craziness will ensue that day. Luckily for me, I'm teaching summer school this year, so I get an extra month of this insanity, only with kids who failed this class before and therefore will be SUPER happy to be taking a class again during their summer, AND I have them from 8-12 in my classroom. I'm imagining this will be pretty epic. So while I won't get to teach these kids, there will be kids to teach, and torture, and laugh with. Because seriously, laughing is the only way to survive this business. Luckily they make it easy by giving me things like this:
I'm also going back to school in the fall to get my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. Whatever that means. I'll be heading to ASU, and not that I have ever had any kind of school loyalty or spirit, but I will be a Sun Devil. I have mixed feelings about that. I went to my very first official meeting last night to meet and greet with the cohort of teachers from my district that got the same scholarship as me and will be taking these classes with me. My co-worker Nick and I are clearly the cool kids. My two favorite things about this program are:
1. The downtown campus where all my classes are is 2 minutes from my new apartment
2. I get a free membership to the YMCA
Be jealous.
And I know, when I get discouraged, I can look to my students for support. Because they give me things like this:
 |
| Yup, that's a space dog-cow-hamster with an f'd up star. |
1. The downtown campus where all my classes are is 2 minutes from my new apartment
2. I get a free membership to the YMCA
Be jealous.
And I know, when I get discouraged, I can look to my students for support. Because they give me things like this:
 |
| Please ignore the your/you're error. They are working on it. Sort of. |
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Lists
Things I've Learned in the Past 4 Days:
1. I do not want to date someone who gives me a hug, smells his fingers and says, "Man! You smell so good, I could smell you all night long."
2. Sometimes, the best thing for your mental health is to skip Sunday School, find a nice grassy spot beneath and orange tree, sit, and drink a Diet Dr. Pepper.
3. In a moment of total despair, a well timed hug from two gangly, awkward, teenagers accompanied by the words "we love you Ms. Walker, everything will be ok" is one of the most comforting things that can happen. It will also make me cry a little.
4. It's good to have friends who love you enough to kick your trash every so often. It's even better if they tell you that you have impeccable lunging form. It's not as great the next day when your thighs are on fire.
5. Zin Burger has the best burgers around.
6. If you walk into your classroom and they have cleaned the carpets, it isn't because they love you and want you to have nice floors. They are going to try to take your classroom away for a fancy three day training.
7. I'm alarmingly possessive of my classroom.
8. If you shake a little dog enough, he will barf on you.
9. Apples from Trader Joe's are mealy and gross.
Things I'm Excited About:
1. I'm moving to a darling studio apartment.
2. The school year ends in 3 weeks. Summer school starts in 3 weeks and 4 days, but we are ignoring that fact.
3. Flying home and eating fresh fruit from my parents trees.
4. Starting my Masters program in the fall, for free!
1. I do not want to date someone who gives me a hug, smells his fingers and says, "Man! You smell so good, I could smell you all night long."
2. Sometimes, the best thing for your mental health is to skip Sunday School, find a nice grassy spot beneath and orange tree, sit, and drink a Diet Dr. Pepper.
3. In a moment of total despair, a well timed hug from two gangly, awkward, teenagers accompanied by the words "we love you Ms. Walker, everything will be ok" is one of the most comforting things that can happen. It will also make me cry a little.
4. It's good to have friends who love you enough to kick your trash every so often. It's even better if they tell you that you have impeccable lunging form. It's not as great the next day when your thighs are on fire.
5. Zin Burger has the best burgers around.
6. If you walk into your classroom and they have cleaned the carpets, it isn't because they love you and want you to have nice floors. They are going to try to take your classroom away for a fancy three day training.
7. I'm alarmingly possessive of my classroom.
8. If you shake a little dog enough, he will barf on you.
9. Apples from Trader Joe's are mealy and gross.
Things I'm Excited About:
1. I'm moving to a darling studio apartment.
2. The school year ends in 3 weeks. Summer school starts in 3 weeks and 4 days, but we are ignoring that fact.
3. Flying home and eating fresh fruit from my parents trees.
4. Starting my Masters program in the fall, for free!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Not a Date
I often start discussions with friends by saying "What is wrong with Mormon boys?" These discussions often lead to further head scratching and general dismay in the dating department, but they are therapeutic to have anyway.
Last week I ran into someone I haven't seen in awhile, let's call him Collin (because most of my silly romantic notions come from a Collin Firth movie). So Collin and I chatted up a bit and he mentioned that we should get together and do such-and-such this week. I was a fan, mostly because I've always been intrigued by Collin and because, hey, it's spring break so why not? It was only after the activity was fully underway that I remembered, while I am interested in Collin, I very much hate Mormon dating. I left the evening wondering if it was a date at all, and as my wonderful roommate pointed out, if you have to guess the answer is no. Boy's shouldn't be allowed to blur the lines between dating and not and if he wants to date then he should make it clear. So on behalf of Collin and I, I present the great date debate:
Facts that point to a date:
-He planned an event
-He paid
-He suggested more activities after the initial activity was over
-He made dinner
-We spent 11 hours together, which he said was "really fun"
-He remembered inconsequential details about me that I told him 2+ years ago
Facts for Not a Date
-He talked about some 24 year old who "is probably too young, but is there as an option" and other odd dating comments
-He regularly checked his email and facebook on his phone
-Never actually used the word date
The evening ended with a hug, a "that was really fun," and a "drive safe." He stood in the driveway and watched me head down the street.
Here's the thing, I like Collin, I would like to get to know him better, I think he is a genuinely wonderful person. But I don't want to invest in something that isn't real. So, my 10 dear readers, I ask you, date or not a date?
Last week I ran into someone I haven't seen in awhile, let's call him Collin (because most of my silly romantic notions come from a Collin Firth movie). So Collin and I chatted up a bit and he mentioned that we should get together and do such-and-such this week. I was a fan, mostly because I've always been intrigued by Collin and because, hey, it's spring break so why not? It was only after the activity was fully underway that I remembered, while I am interested in Collin, I very much hate Mormon dating. I left the evening wondering if it was a date at all, and as my wonderful roommate pointed out, if you have to guess the answer is no. Boy's shouldn't be allowed to blur the lines between dating and not and if he wants to date then he should make it clear. So on behalf of Collin and I, I present the great date debate:
Facts that point to a date:
-He planned an event
-He paid
-He suggested more activities after the initial activity was over
-He made dinner
-We spent 11 hours together, which he said was "really fun"
-He remembered inconsequential details about me that I told him 2+ years ago
Facts for Not a Date
-He talked about some 24 year old who "is probably too young, but is there as an option" and other odd dating comments
-He regularly checked his email and facebook on his phone
-Never actually used the word date
The evening ended with a hug, a "that was really fun," and a "drive safe." He stood in the driveway and watched me head down the street.
Here's the thing, I like Collin, I would like to get to know him better, I think he is a genuinely wonderful person. But I don't want to invest in something that isn't real. So, my 10 dear readers, I ask you, date or not a date?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Love Note to my Students
Someone was asking me the other day if all the teachers at my school have stories like mine. The truth is, probably not. It seems like the other freshmen English teachers don't have the stories I do. Which begs the question: Do I foster an environment where crazy things get said? Perhaps at the beginning of the year when the first crazy thing is said and I just look at them and smile I am encouraging the continuance of the insanity. Perhaps the other teachers are better at keeping a straight face and correcting their students without added sarcasm. I am not. My classroom is generally orderly, the students know what they should be working on and, for the most part, are respectful of me, the classroom and the other students. On my last evaluation I was told that I have a special way of joking with the students, but still showing them that I am there to teach and I mean business. It was one of the best compliments I could get. Maybe my joking, relaxed attitude allows them to feel comfortable enough to be themselves, and since they are 15, being themselves means saying crazy stuff. I don't really know, but I do know that I love it. I wouldn't change a thing.
I love hearing students talk about Hot Cheetos being the best Valentine's Day gift, or how they want to be a pony so they can fly, or how the Mexican version of the zoo is a front yard full of chickens (all conversations from today). I love teaching the freshmen. I love how they think it's funny when I do the running man (even though they think I'm crazy). I love planning silly dances that involve helium tanks and streamers for them. I love watching them learn something.
Perhaps it's the extra dose of patience the Lord blessed me with (but for the record Lord, I have enough, no need for more!) that makes it possible to smile at the end of every day. I've discovered that if I put my heart into teaching I will feel just about every emotion every day. It's a regular roller coaster of happiness, joy, sadness, and love.
Sometimes I think about what it would be like to teach in an upper-class, or heck even middle-class, neighborhood. To have students who don't wonder where their next meal is coming from. It got cold in Phoenix a few weeks ago (like in the 30's! Every one was freaking out!) and students came to school wrapped in blankets because they don't have coats. But these are the kids who face their trails with a smile. The jock talked about how chicks dig his blankie because he is ready to cuddle at any time and my 3rd period had an entire discussion about how one girl in my class was Dora the Explorers twin (she was on the blanket). I'd like to see an upper-class kid wear a Dora the Explorer blanket with pride. I'm exactly where I want to be.
On another note, Valentine's Day is insane at school. Soooo much sugar. I had two kids running sprints in the back of my classroom 7th period because they couldn't sit still. Several others stood the whole time. Sometimes you just can't fight it and you have to adapt. But no worries, I was making sure they were listening, they answered my questions perfectly. Maybe there is something to this running thing.
I love hearing students talk about Hot Cheetos being the best Valentine's Day gift, or how they want to be a pony so they can fly, or how the Mexican version of the zoo is a front yard full of chickens (all conversations from today). I love teaching the freshmen. I love how they think it's funny when I do the running man (even though they think I'm crazy). I love planning silly dances that involve helium tanks and streamers for them. I love watching them learn something.
Perhaps it's the extra dose of patience the Lord blessed me with (but for the record Lord, I have enough, no need for more!) that makes it possible to smile at the end of every day. I've discovered that if I put my heart into teaching I will feel just about every emotion every day. It's a regular roller coaster of happiness, joy, sadness, and love.
Sometimes I think about what it would be like to teach in an upper-class, or heck even middle-class, neighborhood. To have students who don't wonder where their next meal is coming from. It got cold in Phoenix a few weeks ago (like in the 30's! Every one was freaking out!) and students came to school wrapped in blankets because they don't have coats. But these are the kids who face their trails with a smile. The jock talked about how chicks dig his blankie because he is ready to cuddle at any time and my 3rd period had an entire discussion about how one girl in my class was Dora the Explorers twin (she was on the blanket). I'd like to see an upper-class kid wear a Dora the Explorer blanket with pride. I'm exactly where I want to be.
On another note, Valentine's Day is insane at school. Soooo much sugar. I had two kids running sprints in the back of my classroom 7th period because they couldn't sit still. Several others stood the whole time. Sometimes you just can't fight it and you have to adapt. But no worries, I was making sure they were listening, they answered my questions perfectly. Maybe there is something to this running thing.
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