2015 in review

I was going through my belongings and I found a journaling jar that I did back in 2015. It was really fun to read through all of the notes, but takes up a lot of room so I wanted to put it on a digital platform. 

January

1.1 I started the drive to Las Vegas today, visiting Kaylee and Dylan in Blackfoot, and I saw Chelsea Bowen at Cafe Rio. I spent the night at Emily's (cousin) house. 

1.2 I arrived in Las Vegas! I also met Kelsey and Sabrina, who stopped by to meet all the student teachers.

1.5 First day of student teaching at Wiener Elementary. Feeling overwhelmed but excited. There are 600 job openings in Vegas...

1.7 Found out I work at Wiener Elementary with the mascot being a whale. So I am a "Wiener Whale"....

1.13 Students were so excited for the Science lesson, and talking about it all day. Love these kids so much!

1.15 Mario was wearing knee high "Groot" socks from Guardians of the Galaxy today.

1.17 I went to visit Mikaela (from BYUI) in Arizona this weekend. I got to ride a horse and even trollop! I am hoping next time I will gallop. The sunset was beautiful.

1.18 Bagdad (Arizona) is beautiful, and it was great to be in a small town and hear about the amazing school that Mikaela works at.

1.19 I went out to dinner with Uncle Michael at the Venetian. We ate macaroons that were delicious. We also ate steaks, fancy drinks, and a diet coke from a swanky bottle. 

1.20 It was a GREAT day! My first observation by Shannon went great, I am feeling so positive about being a teacher. I also went to the Las Vegas temple, and grocery shopping with Sarah Ricks.

1.22 Roman, a little boy with Autism, made me laugh SO many times today- I love that kid so much!

1.23 A little fart snuck out of me while teaching clocks. Mario and Ethan said "Eew it stinks" and " who farted?" and Ryder smiles, almost proudly, and says "I did it". They saw me laughing even though I tried so hard to hide it.

1.24 I feel more like I have a place here in Vegas! I played ultimate frisbee with some people, then finished up my Social Studies Unit. I played Cards Against Humanity with a bunch of new guys- I think I have finally found a new group of friends!

February

2.2 It is Abby's birthday! Some girls at church found out I like longboarding/went to China and they think I'm cool. I also got a sweet note from Brie. Overall a great day!

2.5 Went on a date with Alec Parker, we went to a candy/soda shop.

2.6 Taylor's mom just offered to buy me a ticket into Disneyland! This time next week I will be there! Also I am so close to finishing my resume which will be a relief to be done with. 

2.7 We went hiking at night. We saw the stars out at Boulder City. We went to China town! It was great, now I know where to go to get legit Chinese food. We even hit up a grocery store where I found white rabbit candy.

2.10 I bought pretty pens and made my valentines for my kids. I also passed my 2nd observation with Shannon! I am working on organization. 

2.12 Awesome day. Valentine's Day party with lots of cute valentines and feeling love. Bound for CA tomorrow to see Taylor!

March

- Hanging out with Lara Dill! And hearing all about her awkwardness with a boy that every girl has an awkward moment with 

3.5 I was in the classroom alone for the first time finally! It felt good, and I loved it!

3.14 Mini road trip to Utah! Janessa, Masey and I spent the night in St George at Janessa's uncles house.

3.15 Today I hiked Zion National Park with Janessa and Masey. It was AWESOME. We hiked 9.5 miles, doing 5 hikes. I love Utah. Much less hot than Vegas. I am very tired and sunburnt but very happy.

 

3.17 I am 23! It was a great day. Keli Yohannes got me a birthday cake and had all the kids sign a card. Later I went to Red Robin with Sarah and Caren. Sarah even woke up early and got me donuts form Krispy Kreme!

3.19 I went to a job fair in Provo and interviewed with a few places. I am feeling really excited for my future!

3.21 I went to a concert with Masey, Caren, and Megan.Canaan Smith and Dan + Shay. It was FANTASTIC. I am such a hopeless romantic for a country boy. It felt great to get out and enjoy where I live in the moment!

3.27 Texas! Jane is Pregnant! Whataburger, and just hanging out with Jane and Joe. 

3.28 Food Fest! My first food truck experience. We walked through French Quarters of New Orleans. It is an area with so much history and culture. And I got to cross off another state off the bucket list :) I love the south! 

Quotes from students: 

When I get out of the shower, I like to wipe the mirror. " Ah, now I have something pretty to look at" -Seria 

"You're half flash woman!"

" Last week your hair was curly, this week it's smooth"- Alex

May

5.18 Dallas- we went to see Pitch Perfect 2 at the movie theaters and later went longboarding being the YMCA. 

5.20 I moved to Mt Carmel Junction Utah to work at Zion Mountain Ranch. I am feeling a little terrified at the moment!

5.21 I made a fire at Clearcreek (where I live) with Megan, Allora, and Jonathan and just talked. Excellent night sky.

5.25 After work I went ziplining with Alorra and saw some of the locals. It was really pretty and fun to go in between all the trees. 

5.28 One of the campers who has been here a few days (Jett) called me spunky last night. It was kind of fun and a random compliment.

June

6.3 A German lady paid for a pop with a 2$ bill. I exchanged it and am going to send it to Mom! Also, there was a wicked moon tonight, hanging low over the mountains and a brilliant shade of orange.

6.5 Met a guy from New Zealand who had a wicked accent. He is moving to WA! And he gave me a tip which was cool.

6.17 Went to my first teacher training today! I became better friends with the first grade team. I am so excited to teach with these ladies. They even added me on Facebook, they all seem so friendly.

6.19 

An adorable couple from West Virginia bought me a popsicle today- it was SO hot! I loved them, they were so nice.

6.29 Nick, Allora, Bobbi and I went to the pond and went swimming, jumping off the dock. Then we watched a movie on the deck under the stars. 

July

7.5 Bobbi, Brandt and I went fishing and I caught my first fish!I caught three at the upper pond!  

7.7 Bobbi and I sat outside on the front porch and read. Beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. I read about WWII brides.

7.10 Brandt went after some buffalo and I got a pic of me pretty close with no fence! It was kind of scary because they started walking towards us, but so cool!

7.26 I went to Seattle with Taunie and her girls. I just love hanging out with them. After dinner and walking around downtown we drove to Anacortes. We ended up not having reservations so stayed in this mildly sketch hotel that night and went whale watching the next day. I saw minky whales- it was so cool!

7.30 I went to Applebees with the CO-AG crew. It was so much fun!Bryson, Dylan, Jonathan, Mariah, Brandi, and Brandon sat by me. Afterwards I spent the night at Brandi's. 

August 

8.2 I went to Abby's house and watched Frozen with Peyton and Callie. Then we played Five Crown, after eating a delicious dinner. 

Aaaaand I definitely peetered off after that point. But I love the days that I did record!I may do this in the future, it was fun. 

The Sky's Littered With Stars Close Enough to Touch

Currently listening to: Night's on Fire by David Nail

I've become that person... That doesn't blog for months... And then there is too much to update people on and its too overwhelming! Oh no!

Wellllllll I guess I better just give the highlights then, so I don't bore everyone to tears (myself included).

Basically since May I have:
Accepted a teaching position at Draper Elementary

 

Worked at Zion National Park

Hiked in the Grand Canyon

Worked my last year of harvest in Washington (my dad let me drive the combine!)

  

Went to Seattle with my cousins. We went whale watching in Anacortes after we watched Papertowns and walked around downtown.

   

Moved to Salt Lake City, Utah

Started said teaching position on August 19

And I've done a bunch of hiking and goofing off in-between because let's face it... you shouldn't take life too seriously. 

  

I've had some highs and lows... I've gone on a lot of fun adventures, but am trying to figure out this whole adulthood thing... which is more difficult then I thought... No wonder I shunned it for 23 years...

Vegas Baby

The last few weeks in a nutshell.

From sunflowers to butterflies, we are learning all about life cycles.

Shenanigans at Hoover Dam 

Away from Las Vegas about an hour, close to a ghost town that I found while exploring with my good friend Kelsey!

I had the wonderful opportunity to have Sarah as a roommate during my time in Vegas. She is married and through unfortunate circumstances had to be a part from her husband. I love Sarah! She kept me organized (or tried to atleast) and listen to my woes of the dating scene in Vegas.

I had to. Everyone was embarrassed, but I had to be a cheesy tourist.

Midnight steak and eggs at South Point for 5.00

I have had some incredible high's and some awful lows, which include:

• Playing Cards Against Humanity with new friends
• Going to a Dan + Shay concert 
• Walking down the strip and looking at all the lights
• Accepting my job offer in Draper!
• Exploring with Kelsey, always in pursuit of the stars
• Roadtrippin' to AZ and riding horses with my good friend Mikaela Gist
• Going to Disneyland with my old roommate Taylor! ( who should totally move to Draper Utah with me... hint hint)
• Helping my little second graders learn and become more prepared for third grade
• Going to the casino on Tuesdays and watching the latest released movies for 5.00
• Chipotle
• Ultimate frisbee at the Silverado Park on Saturday
• Going to the temple with friends
• Trying different flavors of Blue Bell ice cream from Winco with Sarah
• Legit Chinese food from China town ( So legit the guy didn't speak English and I brought out trusty Pleco and lots of pointing)

Along with the fun times there were also some bad times...

• Getting my car towed for the first time in my life 
• Some awkward dates...
• The heattttttt
• Being observed by my supervisor that no one liked...
• Freaking out about finding a job
• Deciding which job to take which would determine my future...
• Getting into my car and burning my hand on the steering wheel from the heat

Overall it has been great and I am glad that I was able to live in Las Vegas for a few months! Now off to find another adventure.

I will be home for a few weeks then I am heading down to Zion National Park to work for the summer! I am so so so excited. Then in August I will move to Draper so I can get ready to be a first grade teacher at Draper Elementary!

I had an interesting experience today at school, that I don't want to forget. I have to take a shower and get to bed so this will be brief.

For privacy sake, we will call this student Ben. Ben is a student that caused a lot of drama for me and my mentor teacher, which I don't need to go into detail about right now. The main point is that it caused some hate in my heart. I am not using this word lightly, I genuinely had a hard time working for this child because I thought the situation he put us teachers in was so unfair. I am a little embarrassed to admit, I was perhaps a little harder on Ben that I needed to be in the weeks following. The kid is rambunctious, and always getting into trouble so it wasn't a huge stretch that I had to discipline him. Well today an experience changed me, and the way I view Ben and other students like Ben.

Ben and Kami (name changed again)  are partners in a group that should have 4 students, but due to absences only has the two of them. This seating arrangement has been in place for about a month, and we are due to change it again any day. Well Ben and Kami do not get a long at allllllll. Sometimes it is exhausting listening to them complain about each other. Today in particular was a particularly rough day. I finally had to sit the two of them down individually, and in private. My instinct was to reprimand Ben, and send Kami back to work (glory child with rules and homework). I decided randomly " No. Listen Ben out. Maybe there is something more that's going on here than you are seeing." I am so glad I did. Long story short again, Ben was not feeling included in the group work, and Kami was taking over the project and so he was feeling frustrated.

I took a minute before I responded to Ben. I acknowledged his feelings and reminded him that in our class, we are all friends and we all work together. I also acknowledged that it was probably hard for him to work with Kami for so long, and we already had planned for the desks to be moved soon. When I was about to send him back to his seat, he gave me the biggest hug I have ever received from a student. In that moment I was stunned. And my heart of ice melted. By no means is Ben a saint, that boy is a troublemaker at heart. But he is a student, and he needs my love too. People mess up, and I was holding this thing over his head for weeks, not giving him a chance for a fresh start and try again. Being a teacher is so rewarding and exhausting at the same time because you have to put your whole heart in it. Every student.

I am going to do a better job of forgiving, and not just in the classroom. Everyone messes up, and I would be heartbroken if I wasn't given another chance. That'd be a double standard if I didn't extend that same forgiveness to my fellow man, whether that be a roommate, coworker or student.

Anyways... enough with the late night ramblings of a tired student teacher.


Goodnight ya'll.

"We'll go fishing in a craw fish hole"

I recently had Spring Break, and I got to visit Jane and Joe! I hung out with them for a few days in Texas, and a few days in Louisiana. so.much.fun. I am pretty sure I was meant to live in the South. Everyone is so friendly, they call you "ma'am", "sweetheart", or " suga'. "

And you see people who just randomly pulled over on the side of the highway because they decided to go fishing. This song was stuck in my head the whole weekend 

"You get a line, I get a pole. We'll go fishing in a craw fish hole."

This was delicious. Definitely worth the wait. I loved the whole atmosphere. There was the bustle of people getting in to their seats, and this old dude was singing his own version of "Let It Be" and the sun was shining. 

Eatin' my way through New Orleans... one delicious melts-in-your-mouth praline at a time

 Inside this beautiful church right there in the French Quarter. It was really quiet and peaceful, which was a big change from the jazz music being played outside.

i'm such a creeper. but oh wells. 

 Oooh Ihad my first food truck experience, and it was fantastic. The smell alone grabbed my attention. Tennessee knows their barbeque. It got even better. While I stood there licking my fingers between bites, there was this high school band playing jazz music. It was one of those moments where i was just content with life. the sun was shining, my tummy was filled with delicious food, and i was dancing to some fun music. needless to say, I am a fan of food trucks. If any of my Vegas friends are interested, the foodie fest is coming to Vegas! April 30th - May 3rd.

After my delicious food truck experience, we went walking down Bourbon street. We didn't get particularly far because it was a little more crazy then what we were looking for, but it was fun to people watch.


On our way back to Texas, we stopped at oak alley plantation. That was cool, it gave a different perspective of the south, other than Bourbon street (aka party central).

Along the sidewalk where 300 year old Oak trees are planted

 totally random yet interesting facts:
the daughter of the man who owned this plantation in the 1900's had to have her leg amputated. she tripped on the stairs, her hoop skirt (made of whale bone) punctured her leg and caused an infection. in those days, amputating was the easiest thing to do.

another fact: this is how father's gave their approval while their 14 yr old daughter was courting. if the candle was bigger, they can have longer to talk. if the candle was shorter... bye bye suitor.

view from the top porch

Yummm

 Overall it was a fantastic trip, a nice vacation that I needed. More to come soon, I just need to get back to job applications and enjoying the rest of my Spring Break!

(shout out to my awesome brother in law Joe for letting me steal some of his photos he took)