A Year in Review

What is one fact about the last person who texted you?
He is married to one of the coolest women I've ever met.

Can you use chopsticks?
Ummmm...if only I liked Asian food....


Last time you were on the phone?
Earlier tonight Kandi called to tell me where the money for the field trip tomorrow is since she isn't going to be able to come.

Ever been to the Statue of Liberty?
Nope. 


How many e-mail addresses do you have?
Five that I check on at least a semi-regular basis. 


Who will you be sleeping with tonight?
Ryan.


Do you like Oreos?
Have I ever turned down a cookie?  Noooooo!


Do you send out thank you cards?
It depends on what it is.


Can you ice skate?
I used to be able to.  But I need hockey skates instead of figure skates.  And it takes a while to break the feet back in.



Do you have a brother?
I have a brother-in-law.  Does that count?  I miss my brudder!


Do you know how to change a diaper?
I think I could if I had to...


Do you like to grocery shop?
NO!  I absolutely HATE it.  All Ryan and I do is fight when we shop.


What kind of mood are you in?
Content.


Do you do your own laundry?
Either Ryan or I do it.


Has someone close to you passed away this year?
Hmmm...not SUPER close.


Showers or baths?
I like both, but showers are more convenient.


Do you take out the trash?
Usually.


Do you watch "The Hills"?
Ick.  No.

Last CD you played?
It was a reading CD in class earlier today.


What did you do Saturday night?
Jack crap, man.


What are you thinking about right now?
Tomorrow is going to blow goats.


Wearing any bracelets?
I wear one piece of jewelry on a daily basis, and it is not a bracelet.

Last thing someone bought for you?
Wendy buys me Diet Cokes every now and then.

What are you doing right now?
Thinking about sinking into a very soft cool bed.  Mmmmmmm.


Has a boy put their arm around you in the past five days?
Lots of boys touch me on a regular basis.  Of course, most of them are eight. :)  As for adults, my principal does on occasion (it's a little weird...he's lucky I like him), and my husband does, too.


Last thing you drank?
Water.


What were you doing at midnight last night?
Dreaming about a cruise ship on the Mississippi.  Weird, I know.


What was the first thing you did when you woke up?
Went to the bathroom, checked my blood sugar, pottied, and checked my weight.



Are you taller than your mom?
Yes.


Have you ever kissed anyone whose name starts with an L?
Hmmmmm....I don't know.  Doubt it.  And if I did, it definitely wasn't romantically.


Do you want to get married and have children one day?
I got married, but I'm REALLY not sure about the kids.


Any plans today?
No...tomorrow is crazy though.  Field trip.


What's your favorite number?
14


What did you eat last?
Chocolate.  Bad Marcie. :(


How is the weather right now?
It's BEAUTIFUL for mid-November.  I went for a walk tonight in short sleeves.  The stars are all out.


Is your bathroom clean?
Is there a room in my house that DOESN'T need cleaning?


How are you feeling today?
Okay.  My new meds make me feel "electric"--I call it BZZZZZZZT.  Is that weird?


Dog or cat person?
I like both.  Cats are much easier though.


Have you ever gone to a beach?
Yes.  Ocean, lake, and river beaches.


What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Cake batter from Cold Stone.


Favorite place to shop?
The Fat Girl Store or Fashion Bug.


Do you have any bruises?
Nope.



How long does it take you to get ready?
It depends on what I do with my hair.  If I leave it curly, it might take 30 minutes total.  If I blow dry my hair, straighten it, and put make up on, it takes over an hour.



What are you wearing?
Sweatpants and my Green River track shirt.



If you had to eliminate a single type of animal forevermore, which would you?
Are you serious?  I'm from Minnesota, and the animal is a: MOSQUITO!


Ever open a bag of chips in the grocery store and eat them before paying?
No, a drink, maybe, though.

Currently Reading Out of Mormonism: A Woman's True Story By Judy Robertson see related

Prayer Requests

Hi friends:

I have a couple of prayer requests, if you don't mind.

1.  Ryan's grandma died earlier this morning.  Ryan's doing okay, and his mom is doing okay.  This wasn't entirely unexpected.  Grandma hasn't had a clear mind for years now, so this really was a freeing from a mind and a body.  Ryan's "uncle" Steve is having a hard time, however.  Steve is a horrid alcoholic, and he's taken "care" of Grandma for a long time.  All I know is he's not taking it well.  I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he's going to be lonely.  Please just pray for Ry's family.

2.  Some of my students and their families have been weighing heavily on my mind lately.  I've been doing a lot of reading about Mormonism lately.  The more I read, the more I realize how these people's souls are in jeopardy.  Their doctrine is NOT biblically based.  I thought they were much more like regular Christian sects than they actually are.  Many of the staff at my school are Mormon, and many of my students and their families are Mormon as well.  I love them, and I'm praying that their hearts and minds will be open to the ONE true Gospel.  Mormons have the family values and compassion that regular Christian sects need to have, but...the rest is completely off track.  Please join me in lifing these people that I love up in prayer.

Thanks, girls.  I love you!

A Survey and Update

If something was wrong, who is the first boy you would go to?
Ryan.  Duh?

Who is the first girl you go to?
Karen or Kandi.  Just because of their proximity.

If someone liked you right now, would you want them to tell you?
No. 

Do you prefer to take showers at night or in the morning?
Morning.

Do you think you have made a difference in anyone's life?
I hope so.

Which grade has been the best so far?
Hmmm...sixth grade with Mrs. Windschitl was pretty good.  Maybe 8th grade?

Last time you laughed really hard?
I don't know.  I bet tonight I will at BUNCO, though.

How many kids do you want to have?
I don't know.  I'm not going to worry much about it.  It's in God's hands.

What color are your eyes?
Blue.

Did anyone watch you the last time you kissed someone?
Nope.

Do you believe that if you want something bad enough you'll get it?
No.

Would you ever get a belly piercing?
Ummm...no.  Who would be able to find it?

What's the next vacation you'll go on?
Minnesota for Christmas.

Do you like to spend time with people?
Depends on the people.

Are you talking to anyone while doing this?
Nope.

Three feelings at the moment?
Boredom, overwhelmed, excited.

Are you thinking of anything right now?
Taking a little nap.

Who's your best guy friend?
My husband.

Do you miss any boys in your past?
Not any boyfriends, because I don't have any.  But I miss my dad, grandpa, uncle, and cousin.

Is there someone that you believe you will always be attracted to?
My husband.

Does anything hurt on your body?
My foot, but I'm sitting on it weird.

Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?
Karen and Ronna.

Do you wear your feelings all over your face?
Are you serious?  I'm AWFUL.  I'd be a horrible competitive poker player.

Do you think you'll be married in 5 years?
I hope so.

Who was the last person you cried in front of?
My husband.  Because I got a horrible, nasty emaill from a parent.

Honestly, what would you rather be doing right now?
Sleeping?

Have you ever been called a bitch?
Duh?

Do you believe everyone has a soul mate?
No.  But I believe people can choose mates who are suitable or unsuitable.

Do you like your life?
It's pretty good.

Is there a guy that knows everything about you?
I doubt my husband knows everything.

What are you most excited about?
Bunco.

Do you like pancakes?
I don't know that I've turned one down.

Have you told anyone you loved them today?
Yes--Ry.

What are you doing for your next birthday?
I don't know yet.  It's a long ways away.

Do you like surprises?
Not really.

When is the next time you'll see your closest friend?
Tonight.

Did you have a good day?
It was pretty good.  Not over yet!

Do you currently have a hickey?
No.  I think they're gross and trashy.

Have you ever had a boy best friend?
Currently.

Where was your default picture taken?
My living room?

Did you date anyone this summer?
I went out with my husband several times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi everyone!

Life has been crazy busy.  All I have left of my master's degree is to finish up my portfolio.  Unfortunately, I only have 8 more days to get it done.  I'm going to have to get crack-a-lackin'.  That's for sure.

Last night I had parent-teacher conferences.  I think they went really well.  I had gotten an email from a parent accusing me of being a bigot racist on Tuesday, but even that conference went well.  My students' have amazing parents.  They want their kids to succeed, they're involved, and they WANT to work with me.  My students are equally amazing.  I have just really good, sweet kids this year.  They work hard, and for the most part, they're really good to each other.

I'm getting really excited to come home for Christmas.  I'm not has homesick as I was last year at this time.  Maybe it's because I'm a little bit busier or something.  I've taken on lots more responsibilities at school this year.  But I think it's positive.  I love my school.  They have to open up another elementary school because our enrollment keeps on climbing.  I'm up to 22 students.  The most I had last year was 19.  I know its only three more kids difference, but in my tiny space, its huge.  Along with the workload, since I'm trying to address the individual needs of each of my kiddos.  My principal told me I'm not allowed to leave and go to the new school.  I wouldn't want to.  I am the low-man on the second grade totem-pole, though, so if there's no choice, one of us is going to have to skedaddle, and that will probably be me.

Okay, well, I have bunco tonight and I want to take a little nap before then.  Take care, my friends.

Hating Halloween and Other Notes

I hate Halloween.  I loved it when I was a kid, but now it's just annoying.  I suppose that's wrong, considering I teach primary kids, but I just really do.  I'm no fun on Halloween day, that's for sure.  I make the kids work, allthough we did have a party the last hour of the day.  We had our tasting party (my school has a grant so that kids have fresh fruits and vegetables for snack each day) so that students could try a rainbow of fruits and veggies.  We played bingo, and then one of my moms came in and did a craft, and then the kids got to make mummies out of each other with cheapy toilet paper.  I thought it was okay fun anyway.  I hope the kids did.

One of my students doesn't get enough to eat at home, I don't think.  He eats breakfast at school, and he gets free and reduced lunches, but I think the poor thing is starving.  He took like three or four plates full of fruit and vegetables today.  I packed him a huge bag of leftovers to take home, and gave him two bags left over from snack this morning.  They're probably already gone, poor little guy.  I'm going to see if our cafeteria lady can package him up some leftovers so I can send them home with him. 

I have three other students that I'm very concerned about.  Two of them are ELL students.  They were both in the same class last year, and their teacher was very concerned about them.  She was told that she couldn't hold them back because they were ELL students.  Now, I'm sorry, but I think that it's much easier to hold a struggling student back when they're younger.  I think it makes much more sense to give a student the basics so that when they do get into middle school and high school, they know the vocabulary, and such.  So now these students are in my room, and second grade is much harder than first grade.  So they're strugglilng.  Conferences are going to be mighty interesting, that's for sure.

The other student just struggles...I think she'll qualify for special education under response to intervention...she's not responding.  I hate it...it's like the kids that work the hardest struggle the most.  I don't know why that's fair.  I guess it's not.  Life isn't though, so I guess I shouldn't expect it to be.

Okay.  I'm watching "Urban Legend" because it's Halloween and I'm supposed to be scared or something.  In all actuality, I'm completely beat, and I think I'm going to go with Ryan on his route to Idaho tomorrow.  Grades are due on Monday, and I think I've got most of them in.  Just need to finish reading and language arts, and put comments in, and I'm done.  Yippee.  Now that I'm done with my master's program, I'll have more time to keep up with that crap.  Thank heavens for my awesome para's...they did lots of testing and grading for me this week.  They really took a load off.

I think I'm going to bed.  I love you!  Take care, my friends!