Find what you love

The past month I had the chance to do what I'm going to school for- I got to TEACH!!! I was in a
second grade class up in Heber, UT. I absolutely LOVED it!!!!! Not only did I learn a TON about teaching, but I fell in love* with 52 second graders!!! (*there was varying degrees of love :) ) I worked in a dual-immersion program, so we switched between teaching in English and in Spanish, which was a whole different challenge, but really great! Today was our last day and it was so hard to leave!! I am going to miss those crazy kids and doing what I really love! It feels so good to know what I want to do with my life! I had a rough period where I wasn't sure about teaching, which took me to Peru so I'm grateful that it happened, but I couldn't be happier to be back in teaching and doing what I love with the people....er, kids, that I love!!!!!!!!

I wanted to write down some funny things they've said so I don't forget them! Enjoy!


In a conversation talking about states, "I've been to Arizona!" "I've been to Idaho!" "I've been to Las Vegas!" Me-"ok, that's in Nevada!" Marianne solemnly looks at me and says "one time we had a dog and it got shot in the forehead and died." Me- "Oh my goodness! that's so sad!!" *serious / understanding head nod*

Me- "Ok, today I'm going to do an experiment, can anyone tell me what an experiment is?" Leilany-" OH ME! Its like when you have a fish and you catch it and its dead and you put the stuff on it and it comes back to life!" Me- "ummmmmmm..........not exactly what I was going for...."

Me- "El gatito es un callejero. Alguin puede decirme que es un callejero?" Cynthia- "Si! Es alguin que vive en los calles!" "Si, y como sabes esto?" "Porque mi mama siempre dice esto a mi papa!"
(Translation: The cat is "someone who lives in the streets", can anyone tell me what that is? Yes, someone who lives in the streets! How do you know that? Because my mom always says that to my dad!" )

"UH! That boy makes me so mad I just want to kill him!" Me and Daniel "Uh, that wouldn't be very nice! How about you kill him with kindness?" Zippy (TINY quiet little girl) "Yeah, take him DOWN!" ..... the next day.... "Miss Kate, I thought about what you said and I decided the next time he bugs me I won't kill him. I'll just walk away" "that sounds like a fabulous idea!"
One day we taught a virtual field trip and we thought it would be funny to have them walk around in the halls and come back for the field trip, but they were less than enthused when they found out we weren't actually leaving. The next day a little boy comes up to us "Do you remember that one time we went on the field trip but we didn't go anywhere?" "um, yesterday? Yeah I remember" :)

"Are we going to watch a long video? Like 12 minutes??"

Leilany "I might go to Mexico when I go home today." "Really? For how long??" "Like 20 days. I don't want to though. I hope we leave at the end of Christmas, no at the end of the school year. No! At the end of when I graduate!!" (she didn't leave, but a lot of the kids from our school just go to Mexico for weeks at a time!)

In the Library we got to listen to the Librarian's record player and she played a song about Christopher Columbus. "Who sailed across the sea in a boat called the Santa Maria?" the whole class- " CAPTAIN HOOK!!!" Apparently they haven't covered that period in history quite yet....

There was this book in their library about 10 snails that got picked off until they were two left and they had a picture of them like making out and then there were 10 more snails! Needless to say, we did NOT use that book to teach. That is a can of worms we did not want to open....

"AY! No puedo hablar!" Maestra Zelaya....We heard that A LOT :)

"I have 6 kids in my family" "My mom has 10 kids in her family!" "I have 8 people in my family counting my mom and my dad!" Weston- "I have 10 people in my family.......but I'm counting my fish and my dog." Poor kid trying to fit in in Utah ;)

From our friend's class whose teacher is pregnant: The teacher came in and said it kind of looks like I swallowed a basketball, huh? "my grandpa sometimes looks like he swallowed a basketball!" :)
AND
A kid lost her tooth and the whole class was looking for it and the teacher said last year they lost a tooth too and a little boy very seriously said "Like the evil tooth stealer from South England??!"

"what's that ring Mr. Daniel?" "its my wedding ring" "Miss Kate, is that your wedding ring?" "No, its on the wrong hand, I'm not married" *gasp!!* .....I'm not that old! Come on!!

"Mr. Daniel, Miss Kate, are you guys married?" "nooooooooo" next day "Mr. Daniel, Miss Kate, are you brother and sister?" "nooooo" do we have to be related to teach together? hahahaha

After Maestra Zelaya asked a question in Spanish, one of the boys responded in Spanish and everyone laughed, and stella tapped me on the shoulder and asked what he said, so I told her in Spanish, and she just looked at me with this blank stare and said "I don't speak Spanish."

Emmanuel "Mr. Daniel, you look good!" Me- "hey! what about me??" "You look ok." hahahahaha....someone's got a little man crush ;)

They threw us a surprise party our last day but our second graders are terrible at keeping secrets. Kensington- "are you coming to our party monday??" Colter- "Kensington!!" Kensington- "oops. it was supposed to be a secret" :)

Gracy- "open the gate, pick some flowers, how many did you pick?" "7" "you will miss us for 7 billion years!" -- You have no idea Gracy :)

These are all I can remember right now, but I might have to go back and add some later.

I feel so lucky to get to work with these cute and funny kiddos!!

I've changed my ways

So I've never been one of those people that listened to Christmas music in September or October.

I've seen the error of my ways folks. We started listening to Christmas music in my apartment the first week of October and I have loved every minute of it!! Even though it doesn't feel quite the same as listening to it in December, it just fills me with warm fuzzies!! I just love the Christmas season so much so its fun to get a taste for it in October!

So if you've always said you would never listen to Christmas music so early, you might want to reconsider your ultimatum.

Just sayin.

Oh yeah, I love life.

I can't get over this.....

VIEW!!!

Brimming

In order to accurately describe this period in my life, I really need a post dedicated to how incredibly blessed I feel. Because it's oh so true!

My semester thus far has been so utterly fabulous. I LOVE my classes. Its so fun to get into classes that apply to my profession, and feel good about being in my profession! This has just been such a testament to me of God's timing. I'm a believer you might say. Its so fun to me to be taught about teaching! Not to mention when that teaching includes watching Matilda, eating candy, drawing pictures, and acting on a regular basis. Its all so interesting and all feels very applicable, which is kind of intimidating, because there's no way I'm going to remember it all, but I want to! I cannot WAIT to get into the classrooms!! That's my absolute favoritest part!

My roommates are also quite fabulous, as usual. I am so grateful that I have been blessed every year with roommates who are so great, and balance me out with what I need, and just support me in everything. Its also very fun that 3 of the 4 girls are from St. Louis. (Kaitlin, Clarissa, and Kate) You know that's a winning team! And then you through in our Wyoming girl, (Kelsey) and we're pretty much unstoppable, not to mention a mouthful!

our first and only entire roommate picture thus far, so it'll have to do :)

I haven't super connected with my ward yet, but that's ok. I have some great friends from years past that have kept me busy, including my beloved past roommate Chelsea Campbell and Alice Rumney, my old peeps from the Spanish house, and some random get togethers with roommates from Freshman year.
And to be honest, I don't mind staying home all the time. Especially since this is the view from our living room:

breath taking.

I was just brimming with gratitude this evening and felt like writing it down. Never a bad thing to be grateful, now is it? I dare say not. :)

Is this awesome or what??

We read this scripture in Relief Society and I loved it!!! (D&C 138)

30 But behold, from among the RIGHTEOUS, he ^aorganized his FORCES and appointed ^bmessengers, ^cclothed with POWER and AUTHORITY, and ^dcommissioned them to go forth and carry the LIGHT of the gospel to them that were in DARKNESS , even to ^fall the spirits of men."

Doesn't that just sound like the climax to a really epic movie, where it seems like all is lost and then this elite force comes and saves the day and brings light into all the darkness and everyone ends up better off????

Sound familiar?

Oh yeah. Its life. Go winning team!!!
I love the gospel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you forgotten?

I remember 9/11/01.

I remember thinking I should remember the day because it would probably be a big deal later. I was in sixth grade and went to school like any other day. I sat in Mrs. Siesner's first period science class and was reading "Work and the Glory" and was pretty zoned to what was going on in class, I think because I had finished early. I was brought back to reality by a buzz of conversation about some tower falling down. I had never heard of the World Trade Centers but I didn't want to say so because everyone else seemed to know what they were, but I feigned concern because planes flying into buildings is never a good thing. I don't think any of my teachers were allowed to turn on the TV's and the principal told us to continue our day like a regular day. When I got home from school, my mom had a TV in our living room watching the footage of the planes crashing into the towers and the collapse of each playing over and over again. That's when I realized something major was happening; my mother was watching TV. In the living room. Something was not right. So different family members trickled home and we sat together and watched what was happening. I was only 12 and didn't really understand but I could feel the concern from my parents and teachers at school. That night when I went to bed, I asked my Mom if she thought they would try to bomb the arch next. She reassured me that we would be fine, but that was my little twelve year old heart worry!

Over the next couple days and years I realized what a monumental event it truly was in my lifetime! I thought how strange it would be that one day this would be just an event in a textbook, but it was very real to me and to so many people who lost loved ones in that tragic day! In many ways, that brought history alive for me. Reading about events from history wasn't just some words on a page anymore; real people had gone through those times of sadness just as I had done and experienced the tragedy and sadness that many events from our past carried.

And yet, ten years later, we look back to that day and remember for a moment what happened. But to what point do we remember? Do we go back to our normal lives and forget the sacrifices that happened that day? Or do we remember each day to be grateful for our loved ones and tell them how much we love them? Do we express our gratitude for our armed forces for their sacrifices in keeping our country safe? Do we live in tolerance of others so such destructive hate has no power to inflict such devastation again? Do we learn from our past so we don't repeat it?

I pray that the terrible events that occurred that day did not happen in vain. As the country begins to degrade morally, become more corrupt with hate, greed, and envy, and become more divided even among ourselves, I pray we do remember. Remember why those people died. Remember that hate caused such sadness. Remember the liberty that founded the ideals of our society and the God that made it happen. Remember those that continue to fight for our freedom. It is my hope that we can rise above ourselves and take part in something greater, something worth fighting for; rise up and protect our freedom.

We're gonna do it!

Tonight my roommates Clarissa and Kaitlin and I decided to run a half marathon on October 29th. I've never run more than 5 miles, but running a half has always been on my bucket list and the other girls want to do it too, so here we go! Wish us luck!