Holy cow I blinked and 2 weeks went by! Time flies when you're having fun I guess. I'm excited to write because I've been so happy lately. But it's not going to be nearly as good as it was last time because this isn't Dallin. Lol I read that post and giggled the whole time.
(oh, about the title, Dallin's the #1 player in his game at a player called Blitzcrank so I think he deserves the 'Dr.' title for that. And the students at my school call me Mrs. Giraffe lol and I like having a nickname)
Our Happy Place
It's funny because it's really not anything special. It's just a building with a waterfall in front of it and big grass field on the side of it, but we love it! The dogs go crazy running around and we bring a blanket and sit there when the sun is setting and play with them. It's perfect. This time we tried to get a video because Jakey always likes to run up to the birds and scare them. Sometimes he scares like a hundred at a time and it's so cool to watch.
I wish we had this in slow motion because it's so funny to watch their ears flop when they run. And Josie has such a funny little waddle.
After a bath!
They look a lot different when they're not fluffy! The tradition after baths is Josie cuddles in a towel and Jakey runs laps around the house like a psycho. It's his way of blow drying himself I guess.
Our Date #1
We tried something new! We went to a mexican restaurant here in PG that we hadn't been to before. It was pretty good! (I've been slacking on making the dates creative lately because I've been so busy) So it was an F for creativity but an A for fun level and an A+ for the company. Dallin always makes me laugh so hard, and I always say I'm going to remember the funny things he says and put them on here, and then I can't remember for the life of me. I'm seriously starting a note on my phone of "Dallinisms" so that I can remember his weird sayings.
A summary of my time so far...
The reader's digest version is I LOVE MY JOB! It's so interesting the difference your job can make in your life. Even if everything else is perfect, (money, relationships, hobbies, etc.) having a job with no level of fulfillment sucks the life out of you. I've noticed such a huge difference in my happiness level, the way I treat people, my patience level, and what I think about when I'm alone since I've started teaching. It's easy to get up in the morning and do what I have to for work because it's intellectually and socially stimulating, and extremely fulfilling.ANYWAY,
Here's a breakdown of all the things I'm teaching this semester.
This one's the easiest one for me because I have the most experience with it. Most of my lessons were already made so I don't have to do anything except make copies sometimes. There's a lot in health that they still don't know, so they're all really interested and ask a lot of questions.
My favorite thing about it is still seeing them light up when I say something that they find interesting.
PE was the hardest for me at first. I'll be honest- the first day was a train wreck. But after that I quickly learned what it takes. The first day I was thinking, "Oh crap. What have I gotten myself into?" Put 12 and 13 year olds in a loud echoey gym with balls and you have a recipe for disaster. It's the trickiest management situation because they can't always hear you and everything is always so exciting. Basically after I figured out that they weren't trying to ruin my life and I just had to channel all that energy, we were good. I have to constantly keep them occupied and change it up like 4 times throughout the lesson. But it works so far lol
Anyway what started out being my most hated class is now my favorite. The students who were driving me crazy ended up joining the cross country team and they talk about how awesome I am all the time now. I'm so happy how it all turned out.
I had heard other teachers complain about this class so I was expecting the worst, but it's really not bad at all. I teach them study skills for the first 20 minutes or so, and then they do their homework for the rest of the time. I can get my work done too, so it's sortof like another prep, and I actually like teaching them the study skills. I taught a couple classes for the high school, and they were so apathetic and full of attitude, but the 7th and 8th graders genuinely don't know this stuff. They're all interested in it still because they just came from elementary and having 8 classes is hard for them still. I wish I would have had something like this when I was in school because I struggled with the same things they struggle with. And I think the students all relate to me because I tell them about my learning disability issues and what I did to get better in school. It feels really important because stuff like this will get them through college!
Yearbook is so fun! I was so stressed about it a couple days before school started when the panic of the un-known set in. And I still don't really know what I'm doing, but I'm learning just like they are, and what we do is so interesting to me. It's perfect for me because I wanted to be a journalist before but ended up changing majors because I didn't want to live that lifestyle. Now I'm able to basically teach it and do the same things in a much more fun environment. I'm so excited to be ultra involved in everything, and create the FIRST EVER yearbook for the middle school since it's brand new! My favorite part about it is that we're really all a team in that class. You can say you are in other classes but you're really not. In yearbook we make every decision together about what goes in, and they're all so mature for their age. They think about others' feelings and what the parents would want. It's amazing.
This was our brainstorm for pages to include.
I don't feel like it's a job at all to be there. I drive home from practice smiling every single day. I think that's what life should be like, so I feel lucky that I found it at Summit Academy.
They ran for office and voted this last week. It's such a different experience at a small school because everyone knows everyone. I was so proud of them, and amazed again, at how nice they are to each other. They cheered for everyone (more than just clapping) at the speeches, and when I heard them talking about it, no one was saying anything negative about anyone. It was so cool to see the shy students conquering fears. They announced the winners today, and after I saw the winners talking to the others who ran and then we all did the macarena. lol This all sounds stupid I'm sure but it's the happiest I've ever been at a job by far.
Summit is so different than other schools, and although I could have taught other places, I'm so glad I chose Summit. It's so different when the class is only 18 people (I actually have one class with only 8 people!). You're able to really get to know each person, and see them all several times a day. It's much different than at PGJR where I student taught because I knew their name and maybe one other thing about them and that is it. This is going to sound cliche but I promise you, bullying doesn't exist at all there. It's crazy. Since it's an academically rigorous school, they wear uniforms, and they all have to choose to go there, the attitude is much different. They all care, and that is a rare thing for a 13 year old! Everyone is so positive, and there are so many truly gifted students. Their math and science programs go to higher levels than anyone in the state (they offer higher than calculus!), they have the best stem program in the western states, and they all take foreign languages, and the sports teams are great. They're a different kind of student than anywhere else.
Teacher Life
Look how freaking cute my lunch box is. lol
I think another reason I'm so happy is that younger people are a lot more uplifting to be around than adults because they notice things and don't have as much of a social filter. For example, adults will stand in an elevator and stare at the door instead of talk to each other. 12 year olds don't have any reservations about telling someone they look like the guy from "True Blood," complimenting your earrings, or asking why you're in a bad mood. I like that. I wish people didn't lose that as they aged because that's what makes life exciting. I always thought it was weird that adults would rather stare at a computer screen with headphones on than talk to the human being sitting next to them. The students have already noticed that my favorite color is pink based off what I wear! Haha you don't get questions like that by going to an office and working in a cubicle with adults all day.
I'm so official, I even have my own box!
I check it a little too frequently because it's so exciting when theres something in there. (by the way, "Porter" is Julie Porter and she was actually our wedding planner. Small world. she teaches theater there)
I made a review ball by writing questions on a beach ball. They throw it around and where ever their thumb lands when they catch it they have to answer that question.
I'm becoming rather resourceful- the other PE teacher laughed at my makeshift sit & reach box. I just put a ruler on a stool and had them reach lol It works great!
The Man of the Hour
He leaves me notes on paper towels on the bathroom mirror lol (cue the "awww")
We finished Chuck...
Chuck has a terrible ending. I absolutely hated it. I'm still really bitter about it so I won't go into it. Anyway, Michelle and Brian told us to start watching white collar and so far we love it!
Dallin's blog post
He's so funny. He was too embarrassed to talk about my picture with the rose from our anniversary. Trenden did a rose ceremony while he was marrying us, and he told us to give each other a single rose every year we're married. The rose is supposed to remind us of the love we felt on our wedding day anytime we fight or become complacent. I think it's a really romantic and important symbol to have, and it meant a lot to me that he got the single rose. Twenen did such an impeccable job as our minister, and I can't imagine anyone else doing it better. (And everyone said at the reception "your brother's a surprisingly good dancer! lol) Thanks trendy yer the best.
Movie with the other Graffs
We went and saw this movie with Brian and Michelle, and I thought it was okay. Dallin loved it. I think since we've been watching so many spy shows lately it's getting old for me (chuck, mission impossible, white collar, hawaii 5-0, and now this). He's even hoping for a sequel.
This is where it gets cheesey.
I saw this on Pinterest the other day...
So it made me wonder what Dallin's "look" was with me. I was so pre-occupied with staying with the music, my dress being too long, and everyone staring at me to notice. So I went searching through our wedding pictures to find it. And I think it's pretty good. He's such a genuine person, and he only sees the best in me. Even when I'm a stressed, pre-occupied bride who's supposed to be enjoying a romantic moment.
I branched out for some red lipstick
because everyone's doing it. The only problem is I feel like a 6 year old playing dress up when I try to wear it. Idk if you can pull it off when you're a teacher in Bluffdale, Utah instead of a model in New York. This picture is mostly of my nostrils because I was sending it to Michelle and I think she loves my nostrils.
More Wildlife in PG
There is an eentsy-weentsy spider that instead of going up the water spout, goes to work making intense webs every night. There's always a huge web between my car and a tree or my car and the car next to it every morning when I come outside. You can't see it very well in the picture, but it's crazy huge, only to be destroyed every day when I leave. I feel bad for the poor little fella cuz he clearly tries so hard.
I got a grown-up decoration
to replace my pitiful attempt in the downstairs bathroom. I think it looks much better. Nails nails nails. (I'm already excited about how I'm going to do them this weekend)
I figured out my mom's hidden life calling.
She should have been a teacher! I ran over to my mom's house to grab something I knew she had for an object lesson for Health and I was in a panic because I still had no idea what I was going to do for PE that day. (This was during my overwhelmed-with-PE day after the first-day-tragedy.) Within minutes she pulled out two big exercise balls, and 25 die and told me a lesson plan. It was brilliant! The students all got a dice and had to roll. Each number on the dice was a different exercise that they had to do. Then we did lots of other cool games with the dice and exercise balls. It might have been the entire reason that PE turned around for me because the students thought it was fun and it engaged them because it was different.
I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was for her, and I don't get why she says she wanted to be an architect. Why be an architect when you could have a fun job and be good at it? lol (I'm not biased at all about which jobs are fun of course ;)
Oh well, for now I will keep her as my secret resource for when I get writer's block.
Dallin hung something in our room!
The downstairs is all decorated but upstairs still looks like a dorm room. I use a stool for my nightstand and our curtains are held up by thumb tacks. It's a little embarrassing because we moved in like a really long time ago. It just takes forever for us to get around to things. My table still isn't done. I'm starting to think I'll never have a kitchen table because I'm such a horrible procrastinator. Granted, I have zeal for starting projects and that's great, but I lack dedication to finish them....
so there's your #sharetherealmovement.
Dallin's favorite song at the moment!
I like it too!
Wudy and Jake.
They love each other. They came over for dinner one night and it was so funny watching them interact because Rudy thought that Jake was so funny. I used a generic picture from the internet because I forgot to take a picture. And my phone wouldn't' let me take pictures actually because I used up all the memory. Shocker, I know.
Cute Kids.
Josie was bent over backwards cuddling so I had to get a picture.
They are fighting over this toy recently and I think it looks hilarious when they carry it around.
The end of an era
Kim Harris, my miss orem director, has decided to step down. She gave a good 11 years of service to the program and she worked so hard. She made a positive difference in the lives of all the girls and was so involved in the community. We definitely butted heads at times, but in the end I am so grateful for her influence in my life because I would be very different had I never done Miss Orem. Kim's the salt of the earth and gets to know each contestant and royalty individually. Thank you kim for your selfless years of hard work, I will always look up to you and remain close. Whoever joins the Miss Orem gang has big shoes to fill, but I know it will turn out great. I've thought about helping out, and Dallin has thought about judging pageants because we both know the incredible difference it makes in the lives of those girls.
Connie turns the big 7-0!
Can you believe the woman in the picture with me is 70 years old? She doesn't look like it at all. The Johnsons have been good friends of the family my whole life, and I've never actually known how they met my dad until I went to this birthday party last saturday! Apparently he was introduced to Connie by an ex girlfriend in college. (Who we also got to meet) lol kindof funny.
Dallin spotted a cool car
He took this video because he loved this car he saw on the road.
Date Night #2
We went to Red Lobster after the birthday party, and again, Dallin said so many things that I wish I had written down.
He's happy for football season!
And I am in a way too. I like pumpkin spice flavored everything, the fall leaves, the excitement and food of seeing live games or having company to watch football games, and picking out halloween costumes. And I love that first time you get to turn the heater on and light a fall scented candle. Plus the sweaters and boots of course.
But football is what we're talking about. Gotta stay on track here.
I don't know if he's doing fantasy football again this year, but the last few years he's done it and gotten really into it and won. So he probably will.
My dad would hurl and hate us if he knew this but he refuses to read this blog anyway so I'll just say it. The other day Dallin suggested we become Utah fans since UVU doesn't have a football team yet. I said yes because I don't really have a reason to be a BYU fan. The only reason I ever was was because my dad was so we went to games. But the U is good and I think I would enjoy going to their games and tailgate parties. I've been before and it was fun! Nobody tell my dad or he'll disown me.
"That's the way the cookie crumbles."
First year of teaching...or sailing lessons :)
