Self Improvement & Popcorn Shortages

So there I was...

After just getting home, Jakey & Josie were running back and forth through the house barking, and Dallin was singing "Let it go" in falsetto while taking his clothes off. It's times like that where I wonder if we're weird or if that's how it goes for everyone after work. 

Other weird things the last 2 weeks

According to Dallin....
"Jakey's just like his daddy. You gotta put on weight for the winter or else you shake and die." (I wish that was my problem lol I have to keep myself from eating everything in sight during the winter)

According to my mom....
"Jason Bourne'll kill ya with a pen or a gun... he's not racist."
(We have very in depth conversations about ways Jason Bourne could kill you, hosting dinner parties where everyone has to talk in English accents, and how she has to where old lady shoes from SAS now) Mother, these are in your future.

PE Dance Day

Part of the PE curriculum from the state involves dance, and I was very scared about how the guys in the class would react, but we combined with the dance class and taught this hip hop dance to them. It was absolutely hilarious to watch, and they had so much fun!

I'm keeping this idea for next year, because it's accessible to both genders. 

http://www.pecentral.com/lessonideas/ViewLesson.asp?ID=12795#.VkQ0i2SrTR0

Prayers for Paris

I cannot even imagine what the family members of those who died are going through right now. What a horrific event. Dallin read some articles from survivors and we were blown away. When the "prayers for paris" slogan blew up on social media, I couldn't help but think that the belief or hope for some higher power may be what unites us all. The beauty of humans caring about other humans they don't even know and praying for their families- all in different languages and religions, is amazing. (Although this is a total tragedy and I can't believe it happened.)

Health Class Lately

We learned about communicable diseases and pathogen transmission, and they all ended up thoroughly freaked out. (Success! lol) We watched this video and then none of them touched doorknobs for the rest of the day lol

After the mental and emotional health unit, I assigned them to do a service project that would help any someone dealing with any of the topics we discussed. It was really cool to see them get into it, and read their reflections on it afterward. In some small way, I hope we made a difference some how to someone. 

Dating it Up

Last weekend we went to see Spectre for our date because we used a gift card to cinemark that we had. In my professional opinion, it sucked. But if you enjoy watching bizarre, dramatic, music video-type stuff in a theater, by all means you should go. They decided to put the credits 10 minutes into the movie- accompanied by scantily clad women and a strange octopus looking thing. But hey, it was free!

This is me on Friday after work

Hahahaha I laughed so hard watching this music video. This is how me and Dallin dance when we're just being funny, and I can't believe someone actually made a music video out of it! We coulda been famous! Anyway, enjoy. It's even better if you imagine Dallin doing the moves. And you're welcome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRh_vgS2dFE

More school pics.

One of my eyes is half-closed. That's how you know it was taken by Lifetouch.

Dining Room/Gaming Area

After being all excited that I finally have a table, we've actually used it for it's intended purpose twice. Other than that dallin's taken over lol 

Jakey hearts Peanut Butter

One of these days he's going to get his head stuck in one of these and suffocate I swear. He just keeps going even if that means his head is all the way in the jar!

Here's a video of it!

Minor amount of motivation

This may still look like a mess to you, but trust me, it's still an improvement. I got a little bit of motivation the other night (not enough to actually go through the boxes and get rid of what we don't need) but enough to stack things so there's a little floor space in the garage. There was a minor gas leak from a leaf blower and I'm lucky I got outa there alive- but it was worth it right?

The Magical Season has Begun

We had our first snow last week! I absolutely loved it! It's so beautiful. It stayed for a couple days but it's all melted away by now :( It was really cool to wake up to though!

Sunday Stroll #1

Last sunday we went up to Tibble Creek Reservoir (I think that's what it's called) in AF canyon and walked around with the dogs. It was so beautiful. We decided we're going to try to do that every weekend because we live so close to these cool trails and never use them. Dallin got some really cool pictures. The water was blue and green because of algea, and in some places it looked striped!

(This was before the snow storm came)

I wish Hogwarts was a real place.

Our Harry Potter craze has continued. We're almost done with the first book that we've been slowly reading together, and we watched the 4th video. Now we're getting to the scary part! (I think. I've never seen past the 4th one). 

Anxiety & Disappointments Happen.

To #sharetherealmovement, I get anxious a lot. Having tea, baths, and watching shows helps to relax me. And we had a disappointment that has to do with Dallin's work last week. So it was one of those times where being an adult really sucks. There was nothing I could do about it, but I really wanted a situation to go a certain way. So we ended up being bummed for a few days and now we're back to being happy/content again. I read an article about quarter-life crises and as cheesey as it sounds, I totally think I had one! It said after you're out of school and get to the monotony of settling down and working every day, you start to miss the things that made you happy as a kid. So I'm taking the advice of the article and trying to be more mindful of what I do outside of work to make me feel fulfilled. My job is already really fulfilling, but I think I need to make sure I also have some time outside, exercising, and also some kind of creativity. The articles I've read on this topic are really good, and I couldn't find all of them, but here's one. I like the idea that it's not about reaching any kind of extrinsic reward, it's just about self-actualization. 

http://www.careercontessa.com/conversations/beyond-9-5-passion/

This was Jo-Jo while I was watching TV during my disappointed time last weekend. It's kindof amazing how dogs can pick up on our emotions and reciprocate them or try and comfort us.

Guys Night

Brothers, Xbox, and Sonic. What more do you need?

Dallin's Alarming Shoulder Problem

On the 4th of July it had been about 8 months since he hurt his shoulder, and the doctor said "just rest it for a month and you'll be fine." We thought that didn't make any sense because he already had been resting it for a long time before that, but he tried it anyway. Now that it's been 4 months since then, we've both decided that dude was an idiot, and he needs to go to a specialist. That doctor said that he just separated his AC joint, but if that were the case he would've been using his arm a year ago. So we finally made an appointment because he can't raise his arm or lift anything heavy. We're really hoping that it's not anything serious or surgery, but we have no idea.

Chris & Crystal Moved!

On monday Tom, Jim, and I helped Chris move to a new apartment. It was really cold out, but luckily it had stopped snowing for us to move. Just like usual, tom hurt himself in the process, and my mom fed me dinner. 

PD day

On the 6th we didn't have school and all the teachers had meetings and stuff and then time to work on stuff for the next week. Not much to report about that besides the fact that I like normal teaching days better lol 

Slowly Purging the Junk

We are slowly getting rid of stuff we don't need. We sold some stuff last week but still have more we need to get rid of. I'm hoping to do that this week. 

I was telling Dallin, Brian and Ben that I wanted to do that to get more money and I want to get another part time job. The conversation with them reminded me that it's all a matter of perspective. Brian said that it's not as exciting to be able to buy stuff if you always have the money to buy it, and Ben said something to the effect of us not having to pay tuition. It just helped me to realize that money isn't everything, and I need to majorly adjust my attitude. Every once in a while I get the gimmes and I need to stop doing that and instead just be grateful for what I have. (I still might get a little babysitting gig, but only once or twice a week.)

 Happy Veterans Day!

For veterans day we had an assembly, and the most interesting veteran spoke. It was another one of those humbling experiences where you realize how all your worries are really so trivial.  I made this picture ultra small to protect identities. 

 Teacher Perks!

We got a ton of free greeting cards the other day! This is a FULL box! So don't be surprised if you get a card from us in the mail soon, I'm excited to use them!

 Friday Night = Nails, TV, doggie cuddles, & junk food

That's my usual friday ritual. However, it hasn't been working out for me as well lately. For some reason I've been having a real problem lately with forgetting at least 5 things we need at the grocery store when I go. So this week, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY POPCORN!!! "gasp!" I don't know if I'm losing my mind or if I'm getting old, but this has happened for the past month or so. I'll wake up and realize we have nothing for breakfast, or I go to make something and realize we don't have it. It's infuriating. Anyway, if you know me, you know about my irrational addiction to popcorn, so you know this has been a major struggle for me. 

Also, I'm kindof over my ritual. There aren't any shows I'm that into now, sometimes I get sick of doing my nails, so I'm looking into getting a different Friday night thing. lol

The Art Contest was a Success!

We did an art contest for yearbook and the winners got to be in the yearbook itself. I was nervous about what we'd get, but it turned out pretty great! Our theme is red, black and white, and we're going with a newspaper theme. They were very creative!

The Kids are Bald Now

The most bald I've ever seen them actually. I've never seen their ears! They got shaved yesterday and now they're going through another ugly phase. But that's okay because my love is unconditional lol

 Sunday Stroll #2

Today we went up Provo canyon and walked next to a river on a trail. It was really pretty and the kids had fun. They were so good off-leash! They didn't even try to get into the water (probably because they were so cold. I made them wear their long-johns in public for that reason.) It's so relaxing, and we live in a really pretty place. 

 Yesterday's Date Night

We went out to the Grizzlies game! It was really fun. Hockey is a really fast-paced sport so it's fun to watch. We ended up seeing like 3 fights too! lol They lost though :(

 The nail pictures that go in here every time that no one cares about but me.

There they are!

Choosing to be a better me

I've decided to improve myself in all the ways that I can. I'm sick of being lazy, so I'm learning the piano again and making sure that I exercise every day. Although it's childish, it's really helped me to have a paper where I have to report what I did. And even though some days I've only exercised for 15 minutes, I can tell it's really helping me. 

Wanna see my piano skillzz?

I'm pretty much a budding mozart. I know. (P.s. see how many bobby pins it takes just for me to have a pony tail with this hair cut? I'm getting annoyed with it so I decided to grow it back out. lol it was a short-lived phase but now I can say I've tried it!)

Dallin has helped me a lot with reading the notes. I think he knows them from singing. Here's our little duet!

The insecurities of a 1st year teacher

I'm getting evaluated next week, and I'm a little nervous. I just have to remind myself that my best is all I can do and worrying isn't going to change anything. Dallin's been a sweetheart about it and he gives me advice and listens to my lesson plans to tell me what he thinks. I kinda like him.

So that's what I'm going to do this week. Work on (as my grampa would say) "cool yer jets bebe," and trusting in my dope teaching skills :)

Really though, why do we all compare ourselves and stress over things we can't control? We should just stop that. There's my eloquently stated wise advice for you this next week. Have a good one!

-Sydney

The Many Hats of Sydney Graff

2 Words. Long week. 

For this post I was feeling a little writer's block so I took my own advice! In yearbook I tell the students to get another angle when their pictures are boring, and in Health class I did a lesson on personal identity and how the various roles that you have in life contribute to who you are. So, I took on a different angle; all the hats I wear or all the roles I have. That will make the writing less boring. I do enjoy writing, but sometimes this gets monotonous.  

(This dude is hilarious on Parks & Rec. So although I'm not a man, I chose this picture because I've watched a couple episodes of that show recently.)

The Worrier

Our disposal was broken, and after Dallin's car situation I was worried about money. When I saw this when I got home I immediately started worrying about how much it was going to cost. According to Dallin, "He said it was completely broken and it would cost about 400 dollars to fix. Then he called his boss just to make sure and his boss suggested something else. After that he was able to fix it, and he said since he didn't do much he didn't feel right about charging us." So we went from it being 400 to nothing all because this technician was such a nice guy. 

The Driver

Dallin didn't have a car for the last 2 weeks, so I became a professional chauffeur. It really wasn't that much of an inconvenience though. I think we got lucky because some days he could go to work with Brian and other days he could drop me off or my mom could take me to work. But when I had to sit outside and wait for him to get a haircut it made me realize how different guys lives are from girls. (Okay I'm not dumb, I know they're different. I guess I just mean the amount of time spent doing things.) Girls can go years without getting their hair cut! I would think it would be so annoying to have to go every 2 weeks like that! And also, having to shave your face so often! Girls have to shave their legs, but not as often, and sometimes you can hide it. Anyway, I'm just saying I'm glad I don't have to do that lol.

Video Game Audience Member

Dallin got an Xbox at work. So I watched him try out this shooting game thing. I didn't think it was nearly as entertaining as he did, but he also didn't play long because he lost pretty bad lol

Furniture Refurbisher

I never thought I'd say it but, THE TABLE IS FINALLY DONE!!! I don't consider myself good at it yet, but I think that the mistakes just stick out to me more because I know where they are. If anyone else were to look at it....well I don't know. You can see for yourself below. This was my grandma's table and chairs that I wanted to update somehow, so I wanted it to match my cabinets.

Throughout the process I lost my love of DIY and vowed to never do something like this again.

You can see our cute little bonsai tree here too!

Step-Sister/Friend, Video Editor, Cleaning Personnel

Last weekend Dallin was gone for the annual Clearlink trip to Vegas. While he was gone I cleaned, watched TV, did my nails, read Harry Potter, hung out with Jake & Josie, and had lunch with Topher. I forgot to get a picture so here's a pic of us from like 6 years ago haha 

It was so good to see him- he's such a down-to-earth guy, so he's so easy to talk and relate to. 

I also worked on the table to finish it, and edited film of me teaching. For professional development we've been using a program called Edivate where you get ideas from videos, and then you try them and video yourself. It makes it easier so that other teachers don't have to make time to come to your class to watch you, they can just watch your video. The video was so long that I had to condense it down using imovie. 

Wife of a Sales Manager

Dallin said Vegas was fun! The pic in the lower right corner is Rob dancing on the sidewalk to a street performing band. He said it was so funny to watch rob dance like crazy- he's a typical Utah husband and father, but apparently loves to dance! They got a free gambling allowance and Dallin spent his betting on the Utah/USC game and lost it all of course. They got the best food, and they watched the game in a suite thing. They also had a cabana out by the pool on Saturday. He said it was really nice. I definitely missed him, but that's part of having a spouse in sales I think. They need their incentives to work toward because it's such a demanding, stressful job. I'm proud of him and how far he's come in the company. 

 
I'm proud of how committed Dallin is to his work. He is such a hard worker and sees the value in arriving early and staying late. So one night last week I brought in dinner and we ate with Kevin in his office. (It was clearly a home-cooked meal that I slaved over.) Kevin's dreads are pretty legit now!

Junior High Cross Country Coach

The last xc meet is over. Sad/happy. We had 3 qualify for state, 2 girls and 1 boy. Since it's the best of the best from the whole state, it's a big deal and there are at least 100 runners in boys and girls. I was so proud of how they did. Our boy got like 15th I think, and our girls placed 7th and 30th. They did so well! They gave medals to the top 10, so one girl got a medal. It was so cold out that day, and look how ominous the clouds looked! This was after the race when they were tabulating the results. 

The course brought me back because it was the exact same course we ran for regionals back in the day. This was me when I did cross country in 2006! haha

Junior High Teacher

A student gave me this note lol how sweet.

Another student brought me cookies randomly. See? I'm telling you, pre-teens have their struggles, but there's definitely perks with working with them too!

We started 2nd quarter, and I decided I need to be a bit more strict. So I made a behavioral contract for PE, and all the other classes just reminded them of expectations and started a class incentive. It's going a lot better. I think that at this age group they definitely need a strong structure, or they'll walk all over you. Even just a small reminder at the beginning of a quarter makes a big difference because they are a lot better.

This was the lesson I've learned about offering my own belongings at school. At the beginning we had 3 full containers full of markers, crayons, and colored pencils, and now we're down to one. I didn't think it would happen, but ppl steal stuff. lol needless to say I'm less generous now with my stuff.

Some of the students made this for my door!

Sister-in-law & Friend

We had a girls night and went to the movies! Me, Sophie, Shanna, and Michelle. It was the first time shanna and Sophie had met but they got along great. We saw the Intern, and it was okay. Not the best movie I've ever seen and not the worst. I used my gift card and refill mug and it ended up only costing me 4 bucks for a movie, popcorn, and a drink! Steal of a deal. It was really good to see them and hang out. They're funny too. I'm so glad I remembered to take a picture this time!

Spirited Red Ribbon Week Supporter!

This last week was Red Ribbon Week and so the school had a different thing to wear for each day. Mustache monday (those things are annoying to have on your face all day), Tie Tuesday, Wear Red Thursday, and Hat Friday. On wednesday the Utah Grizzlies came and had the students try out hockey and did an assembly with their mascot. They gave us all free tickets too!

Darth Vader Lover

haha Dallin wore his costume to work on Friday and brought back "vadering." 

The kids of employees could come in and trick or treat in the office. This is him with Rob's son.

School Dance Chaperone

It was soooooo funny and cute to see the social interactions of the students. I was so proud of the boys who got over their fears and asked girls to dance. It was a lot more successful than my middle school dances used to be- they had fancy lights, candy, costume contest, photo booth, games. They got to request songs and they stayed dancing pretty much the whole time! I was a circus ring master person. (I reused my opening number costume from Miss Utah lol) Don't worry the kids are playing in this picture, not killing each other.

Dog Mom

On Halloween day, we went to breakfast, took the kids to our field, and laid there for a long time because it was such beautiful weather. The kids loved it.

This is the kids on Halloween night all dressed up as Yoda and Princess Leah. :) 

Speaking of that, I don't remember if I put up the pictures of the cute clothes Jake and Jo got from their grandparents in Virginia! Dallin's dad Dave was so thoughtful that when he came to visit, he brought clothes for all the grandchildren, including Jakey and Josie! haha they both look adorable. And Jake loves his socks because they give him traction on the wood when he tries to run lol Thank you!

Candy Distributor

I thought there would be more kids coming to the door on Halloween, but we really only got like 6. So we have a lot of left over candy! We thought it was weird that only 1 of them even said "Trick or Treat." They all just held out their bags and stood there. They should've said thank you too. There's our next generation for ya! lol

 Party Animal

After we handed out candy we went to a Halloween Party. They had a costume contest, nachos, wings, and other apps, and good music. We danced and had a good time with Racheal & Randy. We had to wear different costumes because we thought they didn't allow masks or hats, but they apparently did anyway lol. There were some really cool costumes there! One guy was on stilts dressed up as the dude from Halloween town movie. (The character's name is "Jack" I think?)

Costume Collector

So this was our "official" family costume for this year. (Even though I ended up wearing 3 costumes total this Halloween weekend! lol ) We are now racking up quite the selection of costumes. I'm thinking if we can keep this up then we can rotate and not have to buy costumes every year. (Oh jeez I'm starting to sound like my mother.) Had I known what would've ended up happening this year I would've just worn this costume everywhere instead of 3! 

Dishwasher

Our dishwasher has decided to break. So we spent a few hours washing dishes that the dishwasher wouldn't wash and the others filling up the sink. Now we've just decided to get over it and just hand wash everything because it's just a waste of time to put it through the washer if it's not going to work. Plus we don't really want to buy a new one right now. So that sucks. I can already tell this is going to get old real quick.

Life Coach/Teacher/Counselor

The school's had some issues recently with self-harm. The suicide rate in teens is also alarming. So I did a lesson on suicide prevention. I put this song on in the background and had the students go around the room reading quotes and looking at pictures and statistics, and then put their post-it note on the one that meant the most to them. I called it a classroom museum. It was good because it got them thinking introspectively, which doesn't happen often with 13 year olds. I'm glad I was able to get through to them because this subject is so, so important. No one (especially these students I care about so much) should ever feel like ending their life is even an option. There's always hope. I think it's great that Rascal Flatts made this song to help decrease the stigma and increase the awareness. 

TV Watcher

I'm not proud of it but I'm watching this show called Jane the Virgin. (I'm not proud of it because it's basically a Mexican Soap Opera.) But it's kindof interesting because it's about a girl who gets accidentally inseminated, there's murder, intrigue, romance, and she's a teacher! haha

  

Family Visitor/Birthday Celebrator

We went to my mom's because she always does a birthday dinner, and Dallin missed his. So he got to choose what we ate and what we did. We had steak, potatoes, and candied carrots with angel food cake and strawberries for dessert. Then we played "Name 5" (the girls lost unfortunately) and it was really fun!

 Nail Technician

Of course when we took family pics my nails weren't done yet :(

Interior Decorator

Today I took down the Halloween stuff and put up the Thanksgiving stuff! I don't know why but I really enjoy doing that. There's something very fulfilling about it, and once you have them, it doesn't cost you a thing!

 Family Picture Poser

I always liked looking at my friends houses growing up who took a family picture every year. It was cool to see the kids growing up and the parents and styles changing and whatnot. (Amy Dymock's basement is full of the 27 pictures they have!) Anyway, we have our engagements from last year.. So I wanted to keep it going. My mom was really nice to do it for us so we didn't have to pay, and Dallin's phone takes good enough pictures. I think I'm going to enjoy looking back on each year and having a picture with everyone in it. 

We wanted to remember the big parts of the year, and since we bought our first home we took a picture with the key. 

Insured Driver

That one's a stretch, I know. But we got Dallin's car back finally so now he can drive places and all is well. It turned out wonderfully because the insurance covered everything! We didn't have to pay a dime! USAA is great.

And of course.... blogger

I take pictures of stuff that doesn't matter out of habit. And when I forget to take pictures because I'm having too much fun, I'm annoyed about it later. lol 

This is to document that day-light savings occurred on Halloween night!

Cookie Connoisseur

I fully agree with this quote.

 

Have a great week wearing the various hats that you wear! -Sydney