Homework Friends

I'm not a huge fan of homework. I would much rather blog, facebook, watch a movie, play rock band, even clean dishes! I know homework is good because then you're prepared and stuff, but it's not really that awesome.

I got the desk this semester. Jason had online stuff, so he was able to go wherever his computer could go. Since his battery is shot, that wasn't very far, but he still didn't need the space on the desk. You've seen pictures of it before with all of my candy friends. I like those friends. Always there for you. :) This one is more sentimental to me.

The paper on the wall is the lullaby my mom used to sing to me at night. I hope I'll be able to sing it to my kids when I have them instead of crying at the thought! :)

The willow-tree is from my mom as well. I got it my first semester at college. Underneath is a note from my mom that still makes me cry every time I read it. Very sweet.

Then, there's the warmth of the Scentsy warmer. J's family really is into Scentsy. I really like it too. It's a very welcoming thing. The scent I have in it right now is very nice and soothing for me.

I like this spot on my desk. It doesn't ever get covered in papers while I'm trying to figure out where to put things. It's always a place I can find friends.

May have a problem here

So I'm about to do my homework and schoolwork and I look at my desk and think "oh man! I have to clean it off AGAIN! Where does all of this stuff come from?" I proceeded to look at my desk and plan out where to put things. This is what I saw.

I was slightly astonished and ashamed of myself. You see this? FOUR things of candy on my desk. That isn't including the pile of valentine suckers I got from my 1st graders sitting on my right hand side!
Sadly, days later, they have only moved off of the desk and onto another place in which they take up space and tempt me.

Cards and Memories

Tonight, J and I are trying out a local band in Caldwell. I'm hoping it will be pretty easy since it's non-tryout and I have student teaching to work on. I decided to pull out the old clarinet and make sure I could still play. When I opened my case, lo and behold, I still have a deck of cards in it.

I love cards. I have a ton of them! (see picture below) I love playing lots of different games. My favorites are pounce, shanghai, 3 to kings, and good old fashioned speed. ERS is fun too, but in the right company.
In high school, cards were a necessity. We played almost every day...no...EVERY day.... in my AP European History class. ( I learned a TON in that class! ;) ) I made sure I had a deck of cards in my purse, in my clarinet case, and I think even one in my car.
Cards were also always there at girls' camp. We loved signs. That's a fun one. Janet shared the best trick. So far, no one knows the sign who wasn't told!

Finding my deck of cards in my case brought back so many memories, I thought I would share!

What was your favorite pastime in high school?

My kids

I have a lot of kids....

No, not my own, but kids I call my own and love like my own.

I am usually talking about a child that isn't my own when I say "my kids" in a sentence.

One possibility is my Primary kids (last summer, but still were my kids). They were so cute! I loved it! It was always fun to tell stories about them.

Then, I might be talking about my students. I LOVE teaching. It's my life. I love being there and learning from these crazy kids!
Then, there are the little loves of my life. My nieces and nephews. I miss them so much! I have a screensaver that makes me miss them so much!! It's not a healthy screensaver sometimes. It can provoke tears and then I'm crying about things I wasn't crying about or worried about beforehand. It can be a mess.

Last week, that happened to me. It wasn't a splendid day. I got lots of things wrong, I made lots of mistakes, but I was surviving and then boom! In comes my screensaver to interrupt my recovery and whacks me with my kids who I don't know when I'll see next. It wasn't fair. I've mostly recovered... I think a video chat this weekend will help a lot. I miss those adorable children!

Forever

Forever is a loooooong time. 

For my 1st graders, forever is about....ohhhh.....3 minutes. When they're doing their fluoride wash, it's one minute that is FOREVER! But when they're doing an experiment with water and sounds and vibrations, forever isn't even in their minds.

I haven't posted in forever. I apologize. I've been trying to figure out a routine for myself. Yet again, this is a week which will not produce a routine. I've had a spur-of-the-moment FHE, a 2 hour Relief Society Activity, another spur-of-the-moment activity, tonight is a last minute notice of a birthday party, and tomorrow is pants shopping. I'm not complaining, but I need a night for figuring things out, soon! 

I started Student teaching on January 6th in 1st grade at Lake Ridge Elementary in Nampa. I LOVE it!!! They are such cuties! There are the funny ones, the smart ones, the ones that drive you crazy, and the just plain hilarious ones! Most of the time, all of them are funny. There's one boy who has the most expressive eyebrows I have ever seen. I get a kick out of them every day! There's one girl who hugs me whenever she goes anywhere-bathroom, backpack, recess, her desk...you name it! There's a boy who is so bright and knows every answer there is! There's a girl who plays the "Mrs. Curtis, where's my backpack" game every day after school (and hides it in the same spot every day.) There's a boy who beat my SOUNDLY at tether ball the first time I played against him. I looked like the pathetic girl. I should practice and give the kid a fight next time! ;)

Oh, I could go on and on. They are my loves right now!

I love my cooperating teacher. She is a lot of fun and really easy to ask questions, give opinions to, and to run ideas by. My principal is really nice and really friendly. I like the girls I eat lunch with every day. One reminds me of home. She just moved from Oklahoma. :) 

J and I are pretty much moved in. Sometimes, I forget where I've put things, but I usually remember where eventually. There aren't many places to put things. It's a small, but very cute house that we're renting. I love it! J had to kill a huge spider last night. gives me chills just thinking about it.... ew. (quarter size=gross=J has to kill it)

My ward here is really wonderful. They are extremely nice and welcoming, very friendly, and quite talented! Our RS activity this week was a great time! we did a get to know you game where you put 5 things in a bag that represent you and everyone has to guess who it is. My items were my Harry Potter wand, a deck of cards to represent my love of games, a Beauty and the Beast pin to represent my love of disney, a picture of my students from last year to represent being a teacher, and a package of Arkansas stickers. That one was the dead giveaway. :)

This is a really long post, but it has been a really long time! :)

Love you all!