Prepare Yourself. It's Long and May Be My Last

It's spring break. Unfortunately I have commitments that are keeping me from going out of town. So here I am, sitting at home in my pajamas on a Thursday afternoon. A small part of me feels like I should do something more with myself on this sunny afternoon. The rest of me feels like I should enjoy this laziness. After all, I have been mostly productive the last few days. I spent Monday and Tuesday planning pretty much my whole wedding. That's enough productivity for one week. Right?

Wait. What? Wedding? Oh yeah. This is probably why I shouldn't zone out of the blog world for so long. So much goes on and I don't feel like taking the time to explain it all. Hence, nothing ever gets written. But as I sit here on this lazy afternoon, I realize that it is probably a good idea to document my thoughts on everything that has gone on as of late. So world, here they are... thoughts on the story of my new life:

Mostly as I ponder on the events that have transpired over the last 6 months I can't help but smile as I see God's hand in ALL of it. Just one month before meeting "Mr. Right" I felt like I needed to go through the temple. I felt strongly that God didn't intend for me to get married for a long while and I had been feeling these impressions for quite some time. I wasn't really sure how long a long while was but I felt that I needed to stop looking and start living my life by myself. At 23, I wasn't sure how my bishop would respond to this because 24 seems to be the earliest they let you start going through. I remember sitting in his office and pouring out all my thoughts to him and waiting for his reaction. It was simple and I will always remember it because it brought so much peace to my confused spirit. "I don't usually feel this way about amazing girls like you so I know it must be coming from someone else, but I feel like marriage isn't in your near future either. It's between you and God but I think you're ready to go through the temple." He confirmed everything I had been feeling and doubting.

Going through the temple for the first time was an unforgettable experience. I still wasn't sure why I felt the need to go through at that time but those reasons soon became very clear during that day. Most of the events are too intimate to share but I can tell you that by the end of the experience I had a firm confirmation that I needed to stop focusing on dating and prepare myself to live life independently for now. I also felt very strongly that I needed the blessings from my covenants to help me pass through the trials that would come with this new focus in life. There was much confusion and uncertainty in my future but the temple helped me find peace among it all.

Fast forward two weeks: I find myself in Roosevelt, UT. Some foreign part of Utah I have never visited before and, until just months before, I did not even know was in existence. It's Sunday. I'm sitting in the bishop's office to introduce myself and get to know him a little better. He proceeds to ask me questions and the topic is brought up about my recent trip through the temple for the first time. He asked me if I expected to find my husband out here. I told him no. "I know the Lord wants me for something out here. I know it's not to get married, so I'm anxious to find out what it is." Pretty much my exact words. He smiled and stated that he was also anxious to discover my purpose for being here.

The next day was F.H.E. I was committed to not being lonely out here so I dragged my roommate along and made her attend the closing summer social with me. We pleasantly talked with everyone we could but lost interest in exhorting effort seeing as 90% of the ppl we talked to were moving away to college that week. Well, end of the night and I went to go sit by the fire pit. A place with no need for conversation and there was a tall, blonde, good-looking guy sitting there as well. I don't remember how or when but at some point a not-so-tall, not-so-blonde friend of his joined our conversation that night. He and I got into some type of discussion over whether or not mountains existed in the Basin and he promised to show them to me sometime. That's about all I remember. 

Next Sunday. Same not-so-tall, not-so-blonde friend comes in late for church and opts to sit by me and my roomies. At the end of sacrament mtg, he asks if I would like to drive around with him later that night to drop some chemicals off for work. His thoughts: "I can show her around the area a little bit." My thoughts: "He works on Sunday and wants me to go with him? I feel super uncomfortable about this." After the block of mtgs I searched frantically to find him so that I could tell him I didn't really feel like going. He was nowhere to be found. So I went home feeling a little bad for not being very polite.

Next Day. F.H.E. I dragged along the same roommate as part of my plan to be more social and less lonely. Right away, I spotted the same young man from before and went to go talk to him and let him know that I didn't blow him off and I had actually looked for him after church. He told me it was fine and then sat down at a table with a bunch of girls and left me to work alone on that night's project. Not gonna lie, that kinda irked me a little bit because I could hear them laughing all night long. I didn't like being brushed off as a 'no big deal'. So, when my roommate later told me she was headed home I told her to leave without me cuz I had a ride (he just didn't know it yet). As everything got cleaned up, I approached him again and told him my roommate had left without me and I needed a ride home. He agreed to take me home and invited me to join the after party with pizza at a friend's house. Maybe someday I'll document the rest of the detailed story, but for now let it be known that Gregory George Page and I soon started dating a few weeks later. 

Dating Greg made complete sense and absolutely no sense all at the same time. With every relationship I've had, within a few days I always knew that it just wasn't meant to be. Some I let last a while just to see what it would be like, but I always knew it wouldn't work out. So I guess it would make sense that after dating for only a week I had a feeling that this was the one. 

Questions and concerns went rattling through my brain for months to come. What about all the revelations and confirmations that it was in the plan for me to be single for a long while? Other things about Greg and our relationship worried me and seemed like a bad idea. Every night my prayers went something like this: "God, I'm so confused. This feels so right. This feels like it is what you want for me, but at the same time I thought you wanted me to have something different. So many things don't line up with what I always thought it would be. Please help me understand what you want from me." Day by day I would receive small answers to calm me down for a little while but nothing to really, really put me at rest. By December Greg and I both knew we wanted to get married but we knew it wasn't the right time. I wanted so bad for this confusion to be replaced with peace so that it could be the right time. 

My answer came. It came so simply I can't believe I had to hear it from someone else. I was sitting in relief society in my parent's ward over Christmas break. I don't remember what the lesson was about and I'm not really sure this sister's comment applied to the lesson, but I needed to hear it. "Sometimes I have this plan in my head of how I'm going to live the gospel perfectly and do things the right way and then Heavenly Father reminds me that it is His plan, not mine." I realized that was exactly what I had been trying to do. Fit my relationship with Greg into how I always pictured my "Perfect Mormon Marriage" would be. That was my plan, not God's plan. 

I am so grateful for God's plan. His plan involves me getting to spend eternity with my best friend. Together, my best friend and I have built a relationship that is better than anything I could have ever dreamed for myself. I ask myself everyday, "Can it really get better than this? Does everyone get to be this happy?" I always imagined myself with this perfect guy but worried my whole life that I was setting my expectations too high and that I would realize that there is no such thing. Well, it turns out I was setting my expectations too low. I never expected to have someone that makes me laugh and understands my humor. I never expected to have someone who can be romantic or sappy at just the right moment. I never expected to have someone that pushes me to new limits of adventure. Mostly, I never expected to have someone that would be so much fun to be with. It's so hard to be grumpy when I'm with him. He just knows how to make me smile.

Last week I sat in the bishop's office again. This time to tell him I was getting married. We both laughed as he reminded me of the last conversation we had had just six months previously. It seems to me that the Lord knows best. I don't doubt the impressions I had about going to the temple and the inspiration I received in the temple. At the time, it was what I needed to hear to help me be on the right path so that everything could work together for my good. The temple has been my rock through all of this. It has refocused everything I do. That is why I am so grateful that Greg and I are making commitments for eternity in the House of the Lord. 

The New Story of My Life

I have slipped from the realm of blogging. Sorry.

Quick update: I moved. It pretty much changed everything. 

Thus, this is the new story of my life...

New town, new terrain, new job, new school, new grade level, new house, new roommates, new friends, new boy, new ward, new callings, pretty much new everything.

I hate change. I really do. It throws me off and upsets me. It takes me way too long to adjust to it. I avoid it as much as possible and at all costs. This may or may not be why I have lived most of my life within a ten-mile radius and only moved twice during college. So amongst all this 'new' I have decided to find joy in the simple pleasures of the 'old' that I can take with me: holiday traditions being one of those.

It's Christmas time. With this joyous holiday season comes one of my most favorite traditions of all: Christmas trees! You should know by now that I have a tree this year, and it has a name. Cuz that's how it always is. What you don't know is that I got help chopping it down this year and I let someone else have the honor of naming it. My nearest and dearest friend, Gregory George II (pronounced 'the second'), hiked across miles and miles of treacherous mountain terrain to get this tree for me and dubbed him Sir An"fir"ny. Well, okay. Not really miles and miles, but that's what it felt like. It was actually just a ten minute wandering through the hillside. Anyways, thanks to Greg, An"fir"ny now rests safely adorned in my living room. And even though he lacks a certain thickness about him, he more than compensates for it with height. Gosh, he is tall! We're talking well over 8 feet. So tall, in fact, that he had to be placed in the center of the house where the slanted roof is at its peak. Putting lights on him was quite the adventure.

Better picture will be posted soon! 

An"fir"ny would be the one in the back

I guess all the 'new' in my life will have to wait for another time. For now, I just need to add An"fir"ny to my list of trees that have been a traditional part of my holiday seasons.

Life Lessons From a Four Year Old

This afternoon I went over to the Haymore's to babysit for my sister. As I was getting dinner on, the boys were deciding which one would be saying the prayer. Garrett (2) and Benjamin (4) were discussing who said what for which previous meal. Benjamin whipped around to look at me. "Did you say your prayer for lunch today Aunt Teesa? I did. And did you say your prayer for breakfast? Cuz I did too?" he stated proudly. I was touched to see his familiarity with prayer and responded, "Yes." Then I stopped. I thought for a moment. I was wrong.

As a single young adult I don't really eat breakfast or dinner. I simply pop in snacks throughout the day when I feel like it. I do eat lunch but that meal is snarfed down in the faculty room among the other teachers. Needless to say, I don't really pray before eating my lunch. I was wrong. My response quickly changed to a 'No, but I will now.'

I am grateful for little boys that remind me in simple ways what is important in life. Benjamin, I will do better at saying my prayers.

Here is my favorite picture of the boys. 

We were playing F.B.I. agents and this was their 'tough-guy' pose.

Nothing Short of a Miracle

I woke up this morning hoping and praying that I might get a job. I am now going to bed trying to decide which of the five jobs I was offered to take?

Let's just say my Duchesne County School District interviews went a lot better than I thought they would. My jaw dropped numerous times today and I still can't believe it all. I feel so lucky and blessed to be in this situation. I don't know why Heavenly Father thinks I need these blessings but I am sure grateful he has given them to me.

I'm Spoiled

I was not looking forward to my birthday this year because I was spending half the day at a job fair at BYU. I would rather be teaching my class. Now if I would have stopped complaining and looked for silver linings I would have realized this was the best way to spend my birthday.

The first half of the day was spent at the job fair. Sounds boring, right? That's what I thought. It turned out to be very informative and exciting to talk to school districts from all over Utah and a whole bunch from out of state. I was worried there would be no rural districts and it would be a waste of time. However, half the districts there were exactly what I was looking for! I interviewed with Duchesne, Page (Arizona), and Jefferson (Rigby, ID). Afterwards I was able to leisurely make my way up the canyon back to school and enjoy the fabulous weather.

I couldn't have asked for a better day at school. Really. Quite seriously. I got there 45 minutes before my kids would be back from computers so I ran to Smith's next door to grab a healthy birthday treat (remember the sugar fast?) I got bananas and oranges. :) As luck would have it I ran into the mother of one of my students. How embarrassing! What could she possibly be thinking as she sees her son's teacher during school hours at the grocery store. I couldn't ignore her so I went over to say hello and explain myself. "I promise I didn't ditch my class in the middle of the day. I am on my way back from Provo and stopped real quick to get a birthday treat for my class. Promise." She responded by laughing and telling me we were there for the same purpose. Can you believe it? She was shopping for a treat to bring my class for my birthday. (I seriously work with the best bunch of parents ever!) We collaborated. She brought cupcakes and I brought the fruit.

I got back to school to find my desk covered in birthday mayhem. I panicked only for a second about having a mess on my desk and then enjoyed the sight of so many birthday wishes from the people that mean the most to me: my students. There were bouquets of flowers, muffins, cupcakes, chocolates, balloons, and cards. Cards, cards, cards, and cards. They were everywhere!

I snapped a few pictures of a couple to show you just how lucky I am to be teaching such a great group...

(Dear Miss Wood, Happy birthday! I hope you have a good day today. Sincerely, Matthew)

I love that my students are always asking about Mailani.

The previous three were favorites seeing as we just finished a unit on how to write/format letters.

This is from my artsy student. I don't think I even have the brain power to figure out how to make a pop-up cake and have the chairs pop up at the right place. Ingenious I tell ya!

I loved how excited they were to give me the cards, this girl in particular.

As if all the cards, goodies, and birthday treat weren't enough the second my students walked in from computer class I was attacked by 23 pairs of arms. All my students came running up to give me a hug, including the one boy who I am sure is determined to make my life as hard as possible. That right there was the best birthday present ever! The rest of the day was relaxed as we watched the Disney assembly put on by the third grade and returned to class to enjoy our treats. (They surprisingly gobbled up all the bananas and oranges that I purchased, and I bought a lot!) An enjoyable day at school and I didn't have to teach a single lesson!

I can't forget to mention the extreme thoughtfulness of my family. I didn't want to do cake and ice cream for this reason so my family indulged me in a birthday breakfast. Everyone woke up extra early and gathered around the old folk's kitchen table for my mother's scrumptious breakfast casserole (which had been bedazzled with candles).

All in all the day left me feeling like the luckiest girl alive.

Sugar-Free

A few years ago, I tried to stop eating sweets and desserts for a month. Steff (my roommate at the time) did it with me and it was pretty tough. You can read more about it here and here. At the approach of this new year, I decided to try it again.

Last time I did it, I struggled in the beginning but it got easy quite quickly. This time was so different. Three weeks into it I was still struggling and having bad cravings but pushed forward. I told myself I would do it until it was no longer hard to do. It worked! It got easy and I stopped just in time for V-Day. It worked so well that I was having a hard time making myself eat all the sweets I got from my lovely kiddos.

During this time back on sugar, my face broke out more than it has in a loooooong time and I felt so yucky. I was not happy, so I'm back on again. Let's see how long I can make it last this time. Who knows, maybe forever!

Limited sweets has brought about so many unexpected benefits. A cleared-up face is just the start!

Typically when I over eat salty foods I counteract it with sweets. Without sweets, my appeal for salty foods has diminished and I crave good, healthy foods! Also, those impulse buys at the grocery store have ceased. Seeing as I can't eat the food I typically impulsively buy, I don't buy them and I''m saving money. I lost three pounds the first two weeks I did this. What a fast way to lose a couple pounds!

Remember What's Important

I had a humbling moment the other day. Let me share.

My day began like every other day. Students enter somewhat louder than I would like but quickly quiet themselves as they sit at the carpet. Lunch counts are put in, backpacks are put away, homework is turned in, and several students so kindly remind me of EVERYTHING I have forgotten (the schedule on the board, the calendar, adding a straw to our counting bags, changing the date on the board, handing out the table prizes from the day before, etc.) If it's possible to forget it, I've forgotten it. Fortunately for me, I have 23 voices in my head mercilessly reminding me. This particular morning I had forgotten to switch the calendar from January to February and apparently it was everyone's responsibility to let me know because one person telling me just isn't enough. Before my patience could be worn thin from endless reminders, I took the time to tell my students that February happens to be one of my favorite months. I told them it is the month of my favorite holiday: Valentine's Day. We talked for a few moments (enough to calm me down) about what makes Valentine's Day so great, and the day continued from there.

Lesson one from teaching: If your students are driving you crazy, tell them a little something about yourself and they instantly become engaged and you calm down. I promise. It works.

Reading time ensued soon after and my patience was almost worn through once more.

You see, during reading time my students have a list of things they have to get done while I read with small groups of students. If they finish everything on the list there are some 'Can-Dos' for them. For those of you that are visual learners, said reading ticket is shown below.

Lately I've had a problem with them playing around with the 'Can-Do' materials instead of actually doing them. Yesterday was no different. I looked over at my desk to see a noisy group of students all huddled together with my magnet letters. My first instinct was to send them back all to their seats. They were noisy and there was no way they could all be using my one set of letters. Yes, students, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on over there. I know that even though you look busy you aren't staying on task. You can't fool me. I was just about to send them all back to their desks but I decided I just didn't feel like fighting them today so I continued teaching my small group. Reading time soon ended and my class cleaned up and headed out to recess.

Knowing these students weren't on task I knew they probably didn't get all cleaned up either. I trudged over to my desk to pick up the forgotten magnets on the floor. To my humbling surprise I found no magnets on the floor. Instead I found just this:

(Happy Valentine's Day Miss Wood

love

the class)

Here I was ready to get upset with them and they were working together to write me this love note.

Upon returning from recess, those students all came up to ask if I had found their secret note for me. Ha! I couldn't help but smile and tell them it was the best surprise I had ever found. I think that note will be staying up for a while. Not just because it isn't Valentine's Day yet but as a reminder to myself to trust my students a little more and lighten up on them a little. Leave it to kids to teach all the important lessons of life.

Christmas Trees... Past and Present

As an update to my last post let me just say that the Lord is always there for you. I think I wrote that post in a last measure of desperation to make the pain go away and it worked! I'm happy for him and haven't really given him much thought in the past week or two. There has been too much going on. Everything is hunky dory and life is kinda fantastic right now, minus the fact that I haven't seen my students in almost a week. Darn you Thanksgiving break. I miss them!!!.

Now onto the newest chapter of the Story of My Life. This past week was Thanksgiving (obviously) and so the next day inevitably involved...

Putting up the Christmas tree!

If you thought I was going to say shopping then you must not know me very well. I am not against the whole Black Friday thing, I'm just not an avid participator.
Back to the Christmas tree... I have been the owner of a REAL Christmas tree every year since living on my own. Said Christmas trees have also been named and loved like a pet. Let's go back and reminisce...

ALEXANDER '08

This fella came from the side of a mountain near Holden, Utah. Kaylie and I stomped through mud for hours to find him and chop him down. And then we epically got lost carrying him down the mountain and came out of the clearing a mile too far. It was a lot of work but sooo worth it. He turned our house into a home.

JAMES (JIMMY) '09

My new roommates and I couldn't find a time to go tree huntin' all together so we decided to hunt for one at a nearby lot instead of the mountains. It was only fitting that since our house was the Peach Palace, we name him James (as in James and the Giant Peach). But just for kicks and giggles we called him Jimmy. He was quite the looker. You can read more about him here.

DARLA '10
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Darla :'( This is due to the fact that some young men (I will allow them to remain anonymous) decided to break into our apartment, kidnap her, and drag her across the parking lot into their own apartment, ornaments and all. They didn't even have the decency to water her. Needless to say she didn't survive very long. We still kept her until Christmas but she was dead as a doornail.

HAROLD '11

Harold (Hark, the 'Harold' Angels Sing) is my smallest tree yet and most expensive (darn you rising prices) but I still love him. For the first time every I am reusing decorations. These were all from Darla but seeing as she didn't use them much, I decided to save some money and reuse them. The finishing touch on this little guy would be the Welcome sign. The Lehi Reams is closing :'( and I found it on sale for $5. I had to get it. It has been sitting in my room with nowhere to go for a while now. After Harold was decorated my roommate and I began the search for a tree topper. What to my wandering eyes should appear, but a welcome sign ready to sit up top here. It works perfect and adds the perfect western touch. I love it!
Yes, he doesn't have lights on him yet, but don't you worry. I'll get those on once my parents bring out their decor and excess lights. I know, it's backwards. But when do I ever do anything in the right order? :)

Yay for Christmas lights, Christmas smells, Christmas sounds, and Christmas trees!!!

I'm Going To Be Obnoxiously Open About My Life

I'm writing this not because I want pity, not because all I ever talk about is the drama of my love life (because thus far, I've steared clear of that topic). I'm writing this because unfortunately it has been the story of my life for the past little while.

The Summary:
I dated a guy pretty seriously for the past 5 months. Serious enough that we were talking about getting married. The more we talked about it, the more I felt Heavenly Father's disapproval and my own disapproval stronger and stronger. So right before Halloween I ended it. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. How do you explain to someone that you love them but you get a bad feeling about being with them. Those are two contradicting statements! Amazingly however, I felt really good afterwards. As much as I missed him, I finally felt the peace in my life that I had been missing for so long. Note to self: Your first year of teaching is the wrong time to decide to get rid of your only social life. You don't get much of a chance to meet new people when you spend all day with second graders and all night with your laptop planning lessons and such. Needless to say, I've been a loner for the past little while.
I thought I was going to get lucky and would squeak by with a somewhat easy post-break up. The peace I felt made everything so easy. Then I found last week (3 weeks later) that said old boyfriend is now engaged to the girl of his dreams. My life has been a wreck ever since. Remember when I said I loved him? That didn't just go away because I didn't feel right about us. I still love him. At first, I was upset because I was in love with someone who was engaged to someone else. That felt so wrong! Then I was upset that I was still in love with this guy and it was affecting me. I'm an independent person and I hate admitting that something or someone can bother me. So here I am world, admitting that something is affecting me and I'm not as strong as I wanted to be. It sucks. Big Time. Luckily for me, I have some great family and friends who have helped me ignore everything that I have been feeling inside lately.

The Cure
My biggest distraction: School. I am loving it more and more. My students are starting to give me proof that I am actually teaching them something!!! The average score on our last math test was 8 out of 9!!!
I have also learned the application of the following quote:
“When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be. ”
― Thomas S. Monson, Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson
One day I wondered why I didn't seem to have any of those sweet, angelic students I hear about and then this quote came to mind. So I have been treating my students as if they are angels and it's working! They have turned into the sweetest little class ever!
I have another meeting with the other interns all day tomorrow and I am seriously depressed. I don't get to see my students AND I had to write sub plans. Seriously, the worst.
Can I tell you how glad I am that I chose this profession? It's the best! The teachers I work with are so much fun and the students are adorable. A few precious examples:
- Last week I had a little girl bring a figurine of a woman she made with beads. "Miss Wood" she said, "It's you! I made it for you!" Yep, it made my day!
- I also had a parent come in last week to pick up his child and told me that his son never stops talking about how much he LOVES his teacher. How cute!
- Today, I was finally organized enough to send math homework home for the first time in a week and one student said, "Miss Wood! Do we have math homework tonight?" "Yes," I replied. Her response: "Yay! I love math homework!" Three students nearby heartily agreed with her.
I think I just might be doin' something right :)

Some Thoughts on the First Day of School...

After the shortest month of August I can ever remember, school started up yesterday. I wish I could explain the anxiety and anticipation I was feeling Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but I don't think it's possible. Let me just say this: imagine every knot you have felt in your stomach, every important job interview you have had, and every twist and lurch in your stomach as you entered the world's wildest roller coaster. Times that by ten and you come close to what I was feeling.

I have never put my life so wholly into something before. It finally feels good to see it start paying off. Let me just say, even after two days it has started paying off. I have already received four thank-you/love notes from students and numerous small gifts and hugs from them as well.

It hasn't come easy. That's for sure. Before school even started I had a couple emotional breakdowns over silly things as some of my accumulation of anxiety and stress revealed itself.
No sane person breaks out in tears because they forget about cleaning checks or because their car overheats for the first time.

One of the hardest parts about the first day of school is most definitely back-to-school night. I had numerous parents enter my classroom and give me 'the look', the look that means they think I am way too young to be teaching their child and they want to know why their child got stuck with the teacher that doesn't even look old enough to be done with high school. For most interns this isn't a problem because they are married and they have the pleasure of sticking a Mrs. before their name. For Lauren and I (the other 2nd grade intern) we are stuck with the youthful Miss in front of our name leading parents to believe that we aren't old enough or experienced enough to be their child's teacher. Lucky us. (I had some students ask me today if I was in high school or college. I asked them why they thought that and they said it was because I wasn't married. They said if I was done with college then I should be married and have kids. I told them my mom sometimes tells me the same thing).

Having said that I must say that I love the parent community of Heber City! ALL of the parents are involved in their child's education. They all want to help out in any way possible and they want to help you help their child. Not in a pushy, hovering way but in a "let's work together to help Johnny succeed" kind of way. It's soooooo helpful and encouraging. I have a great group of kids and an even better group of parents.

Halfway through the first day of school, I finished reading a story to my class and looked around the room for their teacher to let her take over teaching her class. Then I realized I was the teacher. A little frightening and intimidating? Yes. But do you know what brought me back to reality? 22 little faces staring at me like I held all the answers to the universe.

Note to self: Sometimes hot is too hot. Our school doesn't have an efficient A/C. By 10:00 a.m. we are all sweating even with the fan on. By 3:20, no one has any energy to move. I never thought I'd say this but autumn, please come soon!!!

Many people have asked my why I am working in Heber and still living in Provo. Long commute they say, scary winter driving they say, but I say THERAPY. Driving through Provo Canyon is therapeutic and it's only going to get better as the fall comes and brings it's blankets of red, orange, and yellow. All summer while driving up, Lauren and I have discussed stopping to smell the daisies. K, really it's the wild sunflowers (or whatever they're called) and we don't want to smell them, just take pictures with them. So we decided our first day of school was the perfect day to do so.

My Classroom:
It doesn't look like I did much, but this, my friends, is three weeks worth of spending all day decorating, laminating, cutting, stapling, designing and everything else in between.

Morning Calendar

Library

Desks

Star Student Board/My Desk

Birthdays/Job Chart

Please Excuse My Absence

I have done some back-to-school shopping like you've never seen it done before. I would love to tell you all about it, but every time I sit down at a computer my to-do list runs through my mind and I get deterred from my blog because school starts in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS!!!

Who knows when I'll have time again. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

Some Folks to Share My Summer With

The 4th of July was so much fun to celebrate with the Haymore's again. Last time they were here Garrett was just a few weeks old.

What is my favorite part about my neice and nephews? The fact that they are so darn stinkin' cute! My sister really knows how to dress her kids. Here is Evelyn sporting her independence outfit during the parade.

With the upcoming school year approaching, my to-do list has been getting bigger and bigger and so the time came for me to quit my job to allow for more time. I have never been so sad to leave a job. I have been working at MultiLing for over three years now (which is a lot for a college job) and have been so blessed. It was the perfect student job: professional, flexible, non-stressful (most of the time), and a decent salary. I count my lucky stars (k, really I just give thanks to my Heavenly Father) for blessing me so much. Here are a few of the lovely ladies that have been my support and friends during my time there. Thank you MultiLing!

Speaking of jobs, Christi stopped in Utah for a little bit and so we got together with Charisse at the good 'ol Creamery! Can't believe that was three summers ago that we all worked together. Unfortunately Jacqui has dropped off the face of the planet (moved to Minnesota) and could not join us but it was good to catch up on all of the good times the four of us had not only while working but also at our weekly Girls' Nights.

Remember how my dad and I go to country concerts more and more often? We decided to go to some more. The Scera Shell is the best place to find good country concerts for way cheap! Last year we went and saw John Michael Montgomery. This year there are/were two fantastic concerts lined up: Mark Wills/Mark Chesnut and Sawyer Brown.
Since the tickets are so cheap we got some amazing ones: second row, front and center (I know, amazing, right?) What a night! Ugh, I hate trying to blog about concerts because there are no words that can describe a good country concert and what it makes you feel. I'm not going to even try so let me just direct you to the words of Kendra (who was so kind enough to join my pops and I on such an enjoyable evening) to help explain what a good country concert can do... click here. Okay, really. You have to click there so that you can read about the awesome picture we got that could only happen if you were on row 2!

Mark Chesnut & Mark Wills

Mark Wills

Me & Kendra LEANING ON THE STAGE!!!

Some things I have loved about having the Haymores back in Utah: EVERYTHING!!!
I'm so sorry that none of you can have nieces and nephews as cute as mine because they ARE the cutest. We are all enjoying being able to play with them again including Grandpa (my dad). He is Garrett's favorite toy. My dad was always a tough guy when it came to raising kids. Bedtime was bedtime. No exceptions. Unless your name is Garrett. Now my dad turns into a big soft marshmallow around bedtime and would do anything for that little boy.
The other day he got his four-wheeler out and became the boys' new best friend as he took them around for a ride.

What else do we love about having the Haymores back? Messy faces.
This particular afternoon's artwork was a conglomeration of Cheetos and cotton candy. Yum!



Oh, and this is a random picture I took of the sky on campus because it was just too blue to not get a picture of it. No photoshop folks, that was really what the sky and mountains looked like.

Reflections

My bestest friend, Lindsay, invited me to go wedding dress shopping with her yesterday. It was so much fun and caused me to reflect on how we had gotten to this point...

Let me explain.

There are 6 of us...

Lindsay - Kaija - Amelia - Kaylie- Steffanie - Me

These girls are my heart and soul.

I met Lindsay first. The second semester of my sophomore year of high school we had P.E. and dance together right after each other. I distinctly remember Amanda Bench introducing me to her friend Lindsay. On the first day, Lindsay came up to me and said, "Hey! You're Amanda's friend! We have two classes together right after each other! We are going to be great friends!" At the time I thought she was the craziest, friendliest person ever. I was right. She is. :) What a girl! She has been there and listened to every boy story I have ever lived through. She was there listening and understanding when things between my dad and I would get rough. She asked me to do a duet with her and invited me to be in my first piano recital ever. And together we conquered the wild on a camping trip that will go down in history. Every day she urges me on to new limits. I love her!

Next came Kaija. I don't remember the moment I met Kaija. She was just always there! I think she had a ballroom class with my friend, Katelyn, and that's when I started to get to know her better. But then there was that moment I found out her favorite movie was "Spirit", she had the soundtrack, and her room was decorated with horses. Yep, we became instant friends. Her dedication and organization in life amazes me. She is literally the person that has kept us sane all these years and kept us out of trouble. She is the mastermind behind planning everything we do. I don't know how she puts up with us, but I'm glad she does. Kaija was the one who inspired me to finally move out. She offered me a room in her house in Provo where I made some of my best college memories that will never be forgotten. When I found out a close friend had passed away, she was the first one there to hug, comfort, and listen to me cry and cry and cry. Kaija is also my fellow cougar. She saved my life freshman year when she took time out of her schedule to meet up and eat lunch with me. I love her!

Amelia came next. We had P.E. together with Katelyn my junior year. It was a class of 20 guys and about 5 girls and I remember how all she talked about was boys. Haha, that is still all she talks about. We got along great but didn't become close friends until Kaylie started dating her cousin during our senior year. That's when she became the last missing piece to our sisterhood of the six. Amelia is never afraid to meet new people. In fact, she loves it and she's so good at it! Amelia is my fellow dancer: Always willing to go to zumba or dance classes together and willing to spend nights cramped in our front room choreographing a duet just for the fun of it. Amelia knows what she wants and doesn't settle for less. I love it! She is dedicated to her family and the gospel. She has been the best example of attending the temple on a consistent, regular basis no matter what. I love her!

Kaylie. What can I say about Kaylie. I had never met someone so friendly, so caring, and so dedicated to the gospel. Even though she is the youngest she was always the mom of the group. Taking care of us, feeding us, and making sure we were alright. But she has the sense of adventure of a four year old. Everything was exciting to her. Oh, how I miss those days driving around in the green van all over town. And our days together at the peach palace? They were epic. Including (but not limited to) puddle jumping, tree climbing, late night pudding snacks, all-nighters and so much more. Kaylie is a great listener. She will listen and will sympathize with you but then will always tell you what she thinks. I love her! Kaylie suffered through summers of 7 peaks supervisor responsibilities with me and who can forget our Friday night sleepovers? Every Friday for a year. Yep, she's the best. I love her!

Last, but certainly not least, comes Steff. To be honest, Steff and I were good friends but I never got really close with her until we were roommates. Then, I discovered what I had been missing out on for so long. In her quiet, sweet way, Steff lived and loved the gospel in a way I had never witnessed before. She has been a better example of Christ-like love for others than anyone I have ever met. She also taught me what it means to be clean. She put up with so much from me and with the biggest heart ever. She stood by my side through everything, and was always there for me even in the trials that seemed minuscule and pointless to everyone else (and most likely were minuscule and pointless). She is a great example of staying healthy and being self-reliant. She motivated and trained me to do my first triathlon-ish. She even helped my mom start training and getting into running (My mom just ran a marathon). Steff loves learning and is always trying to better herself however she can. Learning doesn't come easy to her and yet she still does all she can to learn as much as she can. What a girl. I love her!

I can't even think of mentioning these girls without mentioning their parents. Truly and literally I have 6 sets of parents. How lucky am I? This was actually super beneficial in high school when I got sick of my own parents. These 6 sets of parents have loved me, guided me, and supported me in the choices I make.

Really, could anyone ask for more? I look back at the moments in my life where I was frustrated and feeling down because things weren't going my way and I was feeling like I deserved more blessings than I was getting and I think to myself, "HELLO!!! You are so blessed!!!" Because of these girls, I will never feel alone. I will always have someone there for me and I will always belong somewhere. I had a recent discussion with someone about whether or not it is possible to have more than one best friend. He debated that it was not possible. That you may enjoy your friends a lot, but you can only have one that you are more close to than anyone else. I disagreed. I feel like together, the 6 of us make one complete person. I can't love one more than the other. Yeah, there are times when I see some of them more than others but we are all still just as close to each other.

So where are we all now?

Lindsay just graduated from USU with a bachelor's in Elementary Education and will be getting married in November.

Kaija has been married for two and half years now. (Wow, that flew by fast!) Her and Josh have a little (sorta) German Shepherd named Maya.

Amelia just got married in May to Nate Riske. (our friend from high school whom she hadn't met til this January). Except for the summer time, she teaches preschool.

Kaylie has been married for a year and half to her high school sweetheart, Spencer and they now have a little baby boy, Sterling. What a cutie pie!

Steffanie is serving an ASL mission in Nauvoo, IL. She gets back mid September and will be studying deaf studies at UVU.

In a nutshell... these girls are my heart and soul.

Visitors!

Joseph came into town for a couple days to do some job searching and test taking. We were so excited to have him come but realized we would be even happier if he could bring one of the kids with him! Garrett is still young enough to be a lap rider and old enough to handle life without mom so the two of them packed their bags and headed to Utah!

They came right in the middle of midterms and projects so unfortunately I didn't get to see them as much as I would have liked. I did, however, get to pick them up from the airport so I got to see them on Sunday! I didn't even recognize Garrett when I saw him. He has grown so much since I last saw him in July!

In even better news, Joseph's army paperwork went through faster than expected. THEY ARE MOVING BACK IN A WEEK!!!! Steph, I can't wait to go shopping with you again, and come babysit the little ones, and talk about life, and do everything else that we haven't been able to do for a year and a half!

Garrett's slam-dunk (with a slight assistance from Dad)

Garrett's favorite toy at Grandma's was still there... the old truck

And as a side note, I can't help but show the amazing talent that my sister, Becca, has. She 'doodled' this on the drive down to Holden this weekend.

Garrett and Joseph Are Coming!!!

I just found out and I'm at work so I can't scream out loud. This is me screaming out loud:
YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joseph is coming out for a job test/interview of sorts this Sunday and HE IS BRINGING GARRETT WITH HIM!

I just can't wait!!!!!

That is all.
:)

System Overload

I had my first intern meeting last Friday and I'm so excited!

Pretty much they just dumped everything on us that we need to have done by August.

A little overwhelming? Most Definitely!

A little exciting? Most Definitely!

I met with all my advisers for next year and they are sweethearts! I love them all! I can't wait to work with them some more and get to know them real well.

I was a little nervous about being an intern next year and not being prepared or ready for it. After meeting with everybody, I feel so much more prepared and equipped to do this. They are going to be there every step of the way and they are going to make sure I am prepared. To start me off on the right foot they even sent me home with all this stuff!!! I feel just a little bit more than blessed right now.

A couple good reads for new teachers,
example writer's workshop notebook,
ideas for classroom community, and notebook/pen gift


File folder holder AND all the teaching resources
you could ever ask for all filed away!


Compliment/concern buckets (that we got to make),
talking stick (that we get to decorate),
big eraser (for really big mistakes),
and sticky notes (you can never have enough)


A pre-made literacy game to be used for centers!!!

I definitely feel a lot more prepared and ready to handle this internship now. I still have A LOT to do this summer and A LOT to learn, but I feel ready to take on the challenge.

For the first time ever I will also be spending my summer on campus. I am going to school full time both semesters and thus far I am swamped with too much to do and not enough time to do it. Oh well, I guess that's the story of life and I've heard it doesn't get much better. Might as well learn to cope with and enjoy it now.

On a side note, I just had to include this picture. I came home from school the other day to find that all my horses had been stolen right out of my room! (Yes, I still decorate my room in horse figurines) That night, these girls came riding through our front door to Rascal Flats returning the items that they had taken to 'play' with. Oh how I love my neighbors!!!

please note that they ARE wearing my
smaller horses tied around their necks

New Favorite Radio Station

I don't know how I stumbled upon it but I happened upon the church's new radio station: radio.lds.org. I love listening to it at work! It has all kinds of music, programs, and good thoughts that help lighten my day at work. They do a lot of interview programs that involve interviewing people about things they do or experience in their life that can encourage us (the listeners) in our lives. It has done so much to draw me closer to my Savior and constantly help me refocus my life. What a great blessing it is to be able to have so much at our fingertips!

Cool Story:
While listening to the program, "Enduring It Well", I heard them begin to tell the life summary of their next guest for the program: Harold Wood, born in Holden, taught math, son of a postman, works in the Jordan River temple... and I thought to myself, "Hey! I know that guy! It's my Great-Uncle Allen! (My grandpa's brother) How cool is that!?! So I listened to the program as they interviewed him about coping with loneliness. It was great to be able to hear him talk about being single and elderly and staying involved in the gospel. He's such a great example.

For those of you that would like to listen to his interview, you can find it here.
It is Episode 13 - We Travel Not Alone - Harold Wood

Ready To Be Done

Today was the last day of classes.

For some of the girls in my cohort it was their last day of classes. Ever.

Oh, how I long to be in their shoes. Unfortunately, I still have 13 credits worth of classes to take care of during the spring/summer :(

While my fellow cohorts are closing up their last semester of classes, I look forward to two more terms during the summer :(

Isn't life miserable?

No, not really.

As I was pondering upon why I have to go to school spring and summer while my peers are done I thought back to the classes that I have taken. Do you know what I discovered? While my friends were all taking care of flex classes (classes to be taken any time during the El Ed program) I was busy taking dance classes. That's right. My extra semester of school in the summer has been caused by the opportunity I had to do something I LOVE. Looking back now as I face one more semester of school, I am glad I made the choice to continue in dance. I don't regret it and I would have done it again in a heartbeat.

Oh, how I wish I could dance still. Darn you, busy schedule! :(

So thus are my ponderous thoughts as another semester comes to a close.

George and Reba (Oh yeah, Lee Ann too)

I GOT TO SEE THEM!!!

I really have no words to describe the awesomeness of this concert. All I can say is if you took every possible moment of good music and extended it to be four hours long. that might come close to what my Saturday night was like.

The entire show was perfect. Reba is quite the character. You can tell she loves performing and she is soooo good at it. She plays around as she sings and enjoys herself. I loved it! For "Does He Love You" she brought Lee Ann back onto stage to sing it with her and it was indescribable, sooo incredible, and unrepeatable. Right before singing "Survivor" (the theme song for the show 'Reba') Barbara Jean came running onto the stage wearing a George Strait shirt and a Utah Jazz cape. It was HILARIOUS. They interacted with each other on stage just like on the show and it had everyone laughing. Reba's ultimate shining moment was her last song. She left the stage quite abruptly without warning while the beginning of the "Fancy" music video played. All of a sudden a big, plastic taxi was driving towards the stage and out stepped Reba in her red dress. I couldn't believe she was able to change so fast! It was the perfect ending to a perfect performance.
Then came King George!!! Augh!!! It was just ________________ (no words to describe it). Couple things about this concert compared to the last:
1. He seemed in a better mood tonight. Two years ago he stood on the stage and sang the songs. Saying only enough to introduce the next song. Saturday night he was joking and laughing and being a lot more animated when he sang. I can't decided which version of him I like better. Oh wait, I know. BOTH! No matter how entertaining he feels like being, his music is just down right AWESOME!!!
2. He spent a lot more time singing songs from his new album. In fact, he sang all but four of them, I think. Sorry, not really important info. Just goes to show that all of his songs, new and old, are the classics! His all-time best song, hands-down is from the movie, Pure Country: I Cross My Heart. It's a favorite in our family, so as soon as he struck the first chord of it, I called up my mom (it was 11:00 at night) and everyone back home gathered round as they all listened in on speaker phone. They were all waiting up to hear it. I hope everyone enjoyed listening.

So I can't continue talking about my weekend without mentioning General Conference.

It was kinda incredible to have two of my favorite events going on during one weekend. This conference was just as great as the others. Although there were a lot of good talks, my favorite part of conference was just the spirit that comes with it. I have to admit that it was a little difficult to go to the G&R concert because I knew the spirit wouldn't be there (NOT saying it was a dark and scary place, just saying that listening to G&R is a different spirit then listening to GC). Up in Salt Lake, my dad and I ran into a lot of priesthood-meeting-goers and it made me remember how incredible the spirit is when you are walking around temple square during conference.

Do you know what the absolute best part about conference is? Unlike, the G&R concert, I can go back and listen to it anytime I want to! I love that the very next day, the entire conference is posted on lds.org and I can listen to it all over again while I am at work or doing anything else. It is a good feeling to be able to go and listen to anything I missed or didn't get the chance to really appreciate.

Introducing.... Miss Wood

Hello Friends,

This is a photo of my new home for next year. Say hello to JR Smith Elementary in Heber, UT. Guess what folks, I GOT AN INTERNSHIP!!!

I'm so excited and nervous that I don't know whether to shout for joy or hide in a hole so that they cant' find me. Can you believe it? Me, a teacher, in my own classroom, with my own students, listening to their new teacher, me. AUGH!!!! I'm only slightly afraid of ruining these kids lives permanently but the other side of me is so excited to finally have my own classroom where I can figure things out for myself and just love the kids.

So here's the story:

After learning that I wouldn't be able to teach in Orderville, my life became full of questions and options. What do I do now? I could still apply for an internship or I could do student teaching. Here's the difference: an internship is teaching your own classroom all year long earning half of a teacher's salary. Student Teaching is, well, being a student teacher. You are in another teacher's classroom for a term learning how to be a teacher and then you go to another teacher's classroom and do it again for another term.

There were so many factors going into this decision. There were finances, graduation dates, transportation, housing, student loans, ability to work, and other things. Way too many to process at one point. So, I hit my knees and I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. I didn't think I was getting any answers and my time was getting short. I had to sign up for an interview on Monday and still no answer. I figured I would just interview and then decide afterwards. Now came the question as to which district. I had two mind: Nebo and Wasatch. As I was flipping through the district information packet, something about Wasatch just felt like home. So I signed up for an interview there.

Last night I started to get sick with anxiety. I have never been more nervous in my life. Why was I nervous? I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do an internship yet. Here's why I was nervous: I am afraid of failure. My whole life I have made up excuses to avoid admitting to people that I have failed at something. I was afraid of admitting to people that I wasn't as good as my peers who got internships. Ridiculous, right?

So there I was, sick to my stomach (which was empty because it couldn't hold anything down) and sitting at the end of a long table with four principals smiling back at me and asking me questions about my strengths and weaknesses of teaching. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good about how it went. But that was just my opinion. I could have been talking gibberish the whole time and getting weird looks from them and would have had no idea because I was so nervous!

After leaving the building, I should have regained my nerves, right? WRONG!!! All of a sudden, the thought ran through my head: "What if they actually gave me an internship? That would make me a teacher. Am I ready to be a teacher? What if I fail as a teacher and they are stuck with me all year?" The nerves came right back and I wanted to throw up again.

Around 3, I got the call. My phone rang and it was a '435' number. My stomach did about ten flips and I answered the phone. It was Mr. Brown, a principal, asking me questions about what kind of horses I like to ride. Seriously!?! Now was not the time to be talking to me about horses, now is the time to put my stomach at ease!!! (Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate his efforts to be friendly and interested in my life) Finally, he got to the point of the phone call. He told me that he wanted to offer me a position teaching at his elementary school, J. R. Smith Elementary!!!! It was at this point that I realized that my prayer had been answered. I definitely knew that I couldn't have done what I did during my interview on my own and I would never have picked Wasatch so quickly on my own.

So that's it folks, that is the story of me and my new teaching career. Actually, there are more details to the story but I realize that my engagement level at this point is quite low so I'll leave you with just this.