Teenagers

I am thankful for teenagers.
HOLD UP! Did I just say that? Yes, yes, I did. Maybe I should say it this way, I am thankful for the chance I have had to spend time with my sister Chanel's three teenagers while she is gone.
To be quite truthful, I have always wondered how I would manage when I have children and they become teenagers. I know that stage in life is so distant I can't even imagine it, but I have wondered about it. IT SCARES ME JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. Here's why:
1.Hand me a baby, toddler, small child-easy peasy (most of the time) I've read countless books on them, had nieces and nephews in this stage of life since, well, I was in that stage of life, and am entering a career that will give me some practice.

2.I hate to admit it but when I was a teenager I think I embodied everything adults can't stand about that stage in life. I believe there were many contributing factors to my "condition" ie: absolute sleep deprivation, maybe some anxiety issues, and dust from all those files I handled at the dealership. I swear they clouded my reasoning abilities ;)

ANYWAY
Once kids hit about ten, well, beats me what you do with them! So teenagers... I wasn't to sure about those strange creatures. Luckily, my sister Chanel has raised hers right and it has been a blast being here with them. There have been some teenage moments, but they made me realize we really don't change very much no matter what age we are. We are always going to test our limits! Whether it be seeing how many times our mom will pick our bottle up if we keep throwing it on the ground, how late we can get our parents to agree to let us stay out, or how little exercise we can do and how mush more we can eat without ballooning (still working on that formula) Life is all about boundaries, pushing them, learning, and finding independence.
So for the subject of teenagers...Piece of cake...as in you'll need one everyday to survive

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Can you believe it? It was one year ago we were flitting around Israel, pretending we were just BFF's. In fact, exactly one year ago I was faced with the same dilemma. A crazy day with every last minute scheduled, and no good way to celebrate you. In a desperate attempt to make you feel special, I asked everyone to find random things through out our tours and give them to you. I believe you got sea shells, bones, a rock that we told you fell off a roman statue (sorry, but it really didn't) and from me, a half empty bottle of vodka. Oh the things you can find on a tour of holy sites! I remember sneaking off with only one other person(a sin when you are supposed to be in 3's), to try and find you a gift in Nazareth. All I could find were postcards of Mary. Oh! and that little bakery where we convinced the men to make us jelly filled donuts. I may have started with intentions of getting you one but I don't believe it ever made it out of my field of vision until it entered my mouth. Now that I think back on it, your birthday was one of my favorite days in Israel (and not just because of that jelly filled donut).
I wish I could say we were somewhere fabulous this year and I could do something spontaneous and thoughtful for you,but this post and your super practical gift this weekend will have to do for now.
So Happy Birthday Nathan. To the only boy that can say that I chose over an adventure (oh the stories living in Vegas could have made). I wish I could be with you on this celebration of your birth. I really want to crack a joke about you being adopted but I save it for a day that isn't your birthday. XOXOxxoOxo

Thank you for putting up with me. Even letting me put Victorias Secret lip plumping Lip gloss on you

And letting me obsess over strange things like your ears and chin. (Don't worry, he didn't pose for this picture. I snapped it and set it as the wallpaper on my computer)

And being just a little bit less ornery than me.
(I hate peeling oranges because then my hands smell like oranges so I would always make him peel mine. Some days he decided he would only sort of peel it)

Sick Day

I am taking my first sick day. Last week of school and I am taking a sick day for a job I don't even get paid for so I don't feel one bit bad. I spent the weekend in Rexburg taking the last of my test to become a full blown, certified teacher. I couch surfed at Emma's place this weekend. It turned out quite perfectly. She had a date Friday night, and I had a date with my text book. I studied for a couple of hours, took a break to grab a hot cocoa at my favorite place in Rexburg...The Cocoa Bean, and then hit the books again. I read a 70 page chapter from an old text book that I heard was helpful for the Special Ed. portion of my testing. Best thing I could have done! It helped me SO much. At the end of the night my friend Craig came over to visit. Sitting and chatting with him reminded me why I loved going to school in Rexburg. The people. Sure, there isn't much to do in the little town, but doing not much of anything is better than doing a whole lot of something if you are in good company.
I took my tests the next morning (7:30 am-1:30 pm) and then headed back to Emma's place to decompress from all the stress and anxiety standardized tests give me. The rest of the day was filled with friends, Craigos pizza, playing sardines at the school, and games at a new found friends place. I can't think of a batter way to end my time in Rexburg than by having a very typical night in Rexburg. That town sure was good to me. I am not going to say that I never questioned my existence there, but if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

Three thing are amazing about this photo: 1. No snow 2. I took it from the hood of my car. Timer button, run, smile, check the photo. 3. I Actually took this on my way home from Idaho. Thank you emergengy turn arounds
Last night I stayed up most of the night with the Three Musketeers playing sword fight in my stomach. About the time my alarm was going off this morning is when I decided I wouldn't be a very good teacher today anyway, so i might as well call in sick. Boy am I glad I did! I have had time to sit in silence and just be happy. I am excited to get home and gear up for the holidays and Christmas with the whole fam damily! I can't wait to kiss of chubby toddler cheeks and torment the nieces and nephews that are now teenagers. I discovered (much later than just about every other blogger) the Pioneer Woman's blog. I am in love. I have almost read her entire love story of how she met her husband. She was an adventurous city girl, on her way to do big things when a cowboys swept her off her feet and carried her out to the country in a diesel truck. Can you hear my heart pitter pattering? Sorry Nathan, but when wranglers and a diesel truck are involved I get a little carried away. So let's have three cheers for cowboys, two cheers for Ramen Noodles, and one half hearted cheer for sick days.

I did it!

Well, I did it. I passed my work sample review (which turned out to be a breeze). I recieved my third and final letter of recommendation from my student teaching experience. I have almost finished teaching a full week all by my lonesome. Yep, this is coming to a close and the wind of change are blowing my way. Hopefully for the richer.
Now I am on my way to Rexburg to take my Praxis and say my farewells. Wish me luck!
Now, you have to check out my sisters FABULOUS gifts on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/scarycute
Too Cute!

The things that keep me going...

I am tired. Yes, very tired. But I love what I do. And days where I think I am screwing it all up I get a cute surprise from one of my students

I complimented him on a little turkey he drew in his planner the other day, so he showed up to school with this for me. It reminds me that the things I say to my students really do matter and they take it pretty seriously. It makes me love them even more!
And what about this cutey! I could kiss him until his cheeks fell off! Is he not the cutest!

You know what else keeps me going? The wonderment of kids. I know I shouldn't have been teaching them to poke that sick mouse. But look how interested they are!

And of course, delicious food. There is a woman who works at our school who is from India. I invited myself over with some of the other teachers to learn how to cook Indian food. It turned out to be more like standing around and talking while Neela cooked for us and let us eat. It was SO yummy!


SO, to sum it up, hand me a baby or a bowl full of food. These are the things that keep me fat and happy

In case you didn't know...

Teaching is hard. Yes, and as I type those words I keep thinking how I really should be typing lesson plans instead, but those will still be there in five minutes and these profound (ha ha) thoughts may not. I finished up my "time" in Resource and now am in third grade. Everyday in resource I would think "Just a little while longer and I will get a break in third grade." Ha! Was I wrong or what! Resource was difficult, as in your brain gets so overloaded with multitasking and walking on legal egg shells. I love resources and I could really tell if I was making a difference or not, if I was doing a good job, and if the children were learning. Enter the world of regular education. It is a whole new kind of multitasking and egg shells. Now I have to keep tight control of 24 little kiddos at the same time as teaching them, and thinking about what I will be doing in five minutes. And egg shells- mostly dealing, I mean, cooperating constructively with other teachers...and bulletin boards. The person who decided to put those up in school surely is burning in hell. Just one more way for Artistic people to be better than me.
So what makes teaching worth it? Kids say the darnedest things. Like my student who I swear is a shrunken down version of Reese Witherspoon. Today as we walked to class she told me, "Miss Webb, I know why you wear brown everyday, because your hair is brown." I look down at myself and see a brown sweater paired with brown pants. I realize she is very right and am suddenly angry with myself because I vowed to myself months ago I would wear less brown. So I turn back to her and tell her "Shhh. We are silent in the hall." Now that it is many hours later and I am in my PJ's and can't help but laugh at just how right she is.
And then there is one little boy in my class who is so thoughtful and such a hard worker. Things might take him a little longer but he works very hard and gets it done right. He reminds me a lot of my nephew Noah. As I walked the kids out to the door when school ended, I gave them high fives and some of the girls always give hugs. I turned the corner to walk back to the classroom and he came flying around. I put my hand out to give him a high five but he ignored it and gave me a big hug. I love those hugs!
So even when i doubt that I am doing a good job or feel like I am jipping the students from their real teacher, I remember this is a learning process for me to and they seem to like me anyway.
Now, if only I could get paid to do this...

Help For JJ

Tug ont the heart strings- These a relatives of some close family friends of mine. Please pass this along
I just wanted to pass on an opportunity to help for anyone that is interested. JJ was born with the liver out of his body in like a bubble or sac. They were unable to fix it until this summer, when he was able to go to Seattle and have it put back inside. He has recently turned three, and you can imagine how hard it has been for them to keep him from falling on or hurting his tummy for the last 3 years. Amy has had to stay home with him, and has been unable to work because he needs constant care. He can not go to a sitter or day care because his immune system is horrible and an cold or flu usually puts him into the hospital, not to mention the typical wrestling of a child could kill him because of the placement of his liver. They really struggled to get enough money to do the 1st surgery, but thanks to many friends and family they were able to raise the funds to go and have the procedure done. Unfortunately they found out that they would still need another surgery. JJ's has hernias that were not able to be fixed then, but need to be now. The hernias mean that he has a hole in the abdominal wall that causes his intestines to fall out into his scrotum, making it about the size of a small grapefruit.. as you can imagine, this is very painful for him. Since the surgery his liver is still protruding alot in his belly since they couldnt close the muscle wall all the way around it.. every day he has constant tummy aches and has not been able to gain ANY weight since the surgery, but now they need to check things out and decide if maybe he needs a permanent feeding tube surgically placed. They are supposed to go up to Seattle in November for the surgery, however they are having a hard time raising the funds to get there and get it done. They were at first denied Medicaid, but after an appeal Medicaid agreed to pay part of it. As you can imagine, this kind of surgery is an expensive ordeal. Poor Amy has said that she is so humiliated to have to beg for help, but that for the sake of her child she will do whatever it takes to make him well. I can not imagine how hard it must be. She must come up with the rest of the money by the end of the month (yes- the end of this week) or the hospital will postpone it until next spring when the flu season is over. As a family we like to try to find someone in need at Christmas and help them out. If they do not get enough $ to do the surgery now, they will be that much further ahead in the spring. I thought I would pass along the information in case anyone else is looking for someone to help and has not found that someone yet. If you want to read some more about JJ or look at the pictures (found at the bottom of his blog) his blog is http://teamhelpjj.blogspot.com . Amy was thinking about starting a business before he was born, and had invested in some materials to make bows and watch bands. She is so tired of just asking for help that she would like encourage people to donate and she will send them one of the items, or you can buy some from her ( I think her bows are really cute). If you are interested take a look.

Skype-aholic

It is true, I have joined the ranks of the proud who love the web cam. I never thought I would say it, but I love a good web cam conversation.
My history with web cams has been one of disgust and confusion. I was first introduced into the world of video chatting my freshman year of college. On of my roommates had a dangerous love with her computer and taking pictures of herself with her web cam. My thoughts were, "Whoopty freakin doo! A picture of you sitting in your room!" (I guess I can't really rant too much because the picture above is from my web cam of my roommates and me in the library) I preferred getting out and interacting with people I could actually see, feel, touch, smell, and if I was lucky, taste. Just kidding! I never quite understood what the big deal was about web cams.
Fast forward to this year. My big brother Andrew flew off to the Middle East to supply out war heroes with tanks and airplane rides. And his good looks of course. I was at his house when he Skyped his wife. It was so much fun to hear AND see him and for him to be able to see his kids. My heart began to soften.
Last week I downloaded Skype and am now able to video chat with Nathan instead of our nightly phone calls. It is SO much more fun to talk to him when I can see his mannerisms and what he is really doing when I talk to him. Yep, I'm a Skype-Junkie!

Did you know I love surprises?

What a busy/long week it has been already and it is only Wednesday. This is my transition week into teaching 3rd grade so knowing my schedule has been hard. Nathan had his first big test in Econ with a professor that is infamous for failing half of BYU. With our lives a bit crazy and a crazy weekend coming up, it didn't look like we were going to see each other for over a week, which seems silly since we only live 30 miles apart. I wasn't too happy about the idea but decided to try and be positive anyway.
After school I ran to the store and then went home to make dinner. I heard banging on the front door and my roommate yelled "Come in!" A deep voice then yelled back, "Special delivery for a Michael Webb!" My first thought was "Ooo! Surprise package! I knew my mom loved me." and then I thought, "Ok, why can't anyone say my name right." So I stomped to the door and opened it up and there was Nathan smiling. What a wonderful surprise! I guess he was trying to do a Sean Connery voice and it worked...I had no idea it was him. That is why I put the photo of him above. I think it expresses him pretty well. Plus I love the story behind the picture. We had been walking through the old city and Nathan was sharing much of his... random knowledge... with me about the island of Vanuatu and how it is disappearing into the ocean. I could have cared less thinking that nobody cared about it but the people on the island and him. Then he found this pen in the old city. Why it was in Jerusalem who knows! Probably just to prove to me that Nathan's information isn't always useless. Oh you know I am kidding Nathan.

Day one in Grade three

Yep, today was my first day in Third Grade. Don't get too excited. I mostly sat in my little makeshift desk in the corner and tried to memorize names and take notes on how my cooperating teacher runs her clasroom and manages behavior. It will be quite the switch over from Resource. My biggest group for resource was four children, so 24 is going to seem like a ton. I am also used to being very in control of how each child is behaving, but with six times the number of students I am going to have to let a lot of things slip. The big unit I will be planning and teaching is on Native Americans. My cooperating teacher gave me the things she uses adn she let me look over them to see if I might want to use them. I think I will pass. Here is what the first sheet says..."Once there were many tribes of native Americans living in our country. A tribe is a group of people living together like a large family. The people all had black hair and red-brown skins." WOW! Where do I start with how horrible that is? So I will start from scratch and make it not quite so offensive of a unit. I just wish I were going home sometime soon so I could grab everything off my parents walls so show the class that Native Americans didn't just once live in our country but still do and have a beautiful culture! I am excited to teach this unit. It is jsut a shame that I will only get to teach it when math and reading don't take up ther rest of our day. I hate that science, social studies, and art are things you add to the day if time permits.
Okay, enough of my ranting, how about a story or two? My teacher introduced me to the class about 2/3 through the day and allowed them to ask me questions. One student asked me how long I had been student teaching. I told her 7 weeks. The next student asked "Do you do this often?" I had to smile as I told her I will only have to student teach once and then hopefully get a classroom of my own." At recess I went outside to watch the kids play. I made the mistake of wearing a skirt on a windy day. Not only was I feeling a little self conscience about how white my legs were in the natural light and that truth about how long it had been since I last shaved was glaringly noticable, but a big gust a wind came and blew my skirt right up. Hello Kids! Meet Miss Webb!

My Cousin Cameron

Cameron passed away yesterday and I just wanted to write down some of the things down that I loved about him. Cameron and my oldest brother Perry were the same age and were up to who knows what together as teenagers. I was always jealous of Cameron's beautiful bright blue eyes and perfect smile. Even the times he has a scruffy beard on his face, his smile peeked its way through and shone brighter than any other smile in the room. If I hadn't seen Cameron in a while and wasn't quite sure what to talk to him about, I couldn't help but start up any conversation with him just so I could try and make him smile. With Cameron's passing, I have become more determined to become much more than acquaintances with my cousins. I love the Rogers/Smith family and hope that they know of all the love many have for them in this difficult time.

Old Age

Is it just me, or am I getting old? I have to pee at least 20 times more than I used to. Nothing sounds better than going to bed early. Getting to bed by midnight used to be early not too long ago. While I still stop by the shoe section each time I go in a store, I usually find myself in the bath section imagining a nice long bath instead of a super cute outfit out on the town. I just want a huge tub with hot, hot water and a million bath things...soaps, salts, scrubs, oils, bubbles, you name it I want it. Since Johnathon has gotten home from his mission I feel so much more complete. I have someone to boss around and he allows me to pretend to be the mother hen again.
This week I am observing classes again before I move to teaching 3rd grade. To get a better idea of what I want to do I have been peeking in on some of the classrooms around school. I sat in on a Diagnostic Kindergarten (all the students have special needs) and I absolutely fell in love. I can't get my mind off of how much I want to teach that class. I told my cooperating teacher and she just about died when I told her I would probably have dreams about it because I loved it so much. She told me I was sick. Then she told me she would talk to the lady over Special Ed. for the district and ask if there are any positions opening up in any of the other diagnostic kindergartens. I sure hope so!
Am I not the most exciting person you ever met?
P.s. I must apologize to any one who has had to cross paths with me in the past two weeks. My periods have never really effected me much and i never knew what the big deal was about PMS because I had never really experienced it. Well it caught up with me this month. I believe I cried everyday for no good reason, yelled at or shot death looks to every person I love, and felt so tired and loopy that I acted like i was on drugs. So to all that had to endure my presence, I am sorry.

Fall has arrived

I used to hate fall. It meant winter was coming. I still hate winter, but I am learning to love fall. I LOVE fall fashion. Not that I am great at wearing it, but I do have a think for coats and jackets. Dark colors and earth tones start to appear everywhere. I love the slight chill in the air and adding another blanket to my bed. And SOUP! Glorious soup! Mmmm. Yay for fall.

Miss Webb

I love being called Miss Webb. I love seeing students get excited... or embarassed, depends on the students, when I yell out thier name and wave at them in the hall. Sometimes I will even make a face. I love hearing from parents that thier son or daughter talks about me at home and how much they love coming to my class. Especially when that particular student asks when they get to go back to their other class the whole time they are with me. I struggled with loving resource at first but now that I am completely immersed in it I love it! The progress is slow, but it is worked for. Now I am right in the middle of my last week teaching in resource before switching to 3rd grade and wondering where the time went! I am not ready to leave my munchkins that test my patience each and every day. Right as I am getting a hang of things I have to let go and move on. WIsh me luck as I get ready for a whole new baptism by fire...3rd grade.

Sick

I've tried to be careful now that I am at school everyday with sick children to make sure I sanitize my hands often, wipe the tables down after school, and take vitamins everyday, but I still got sick. Towards the end of last week I started feeling like I was getting allergies, but soon realized it was much more than that. I tried pretending all week at school, that even though I sounded awful and needed kleenex by my side, that I felt just fine. My teaching probably didn't hide it well. When this weekend finally came I was excited to get some real sleep and quit pretending I wasn't sick. I started feeling better so I got up and going and didn't really take it too easy. Now it is Sunday and I am wishing I had taken it a little easier yesterday. The cold that just won't go away made sure I knew it is still here, so I am filling the day with naps and soup so that my last week teaching Special Ed. is a good one and I can give it all I've got. Besides, I don't want to be remembered as Miss Webb, the teacher with a gross booger nose.

BUD

I just wrote an amazing post about how excited I am for Johnathon to get home from his mission next week and it didn't save or post. Let me sum it up for you...I'm pretty dang excited. Here are some pictures of me and my bud not too long before he left.

Teaching = sexy

It is true. Teaching has made me sexier. How you ask? No, it is not the added rolls on my body. Bigger is better though right? It is not my sweet name tag. It is really sweet though. Magnetic. White. It says Ms. Webb...Student Teacher in really big letters.
My voice is what has gotten sexier. I come home everyday with a little rasp in my voice. Sexy, right? Talking all day long should not be anything new for me but man my voice is tired by the end of the day. Today I caught myself yelling. I quickly turned my volume down when I realized what I was doing. No wonder the students looked scared. Ok, they didn't. They all secretly think I am the best in the world. There just isn't any evidence of those little thoughts yet. Someday, someday.

Small Victory

I know this is totally stupid and childish but I totally cheated the system and love it. I sent off my last utilities check to provo a few weeks ago and realized after I slipped it into the little slot that I forgot to put a stamp on the envelope. I have been waiting for it to come back so I can slap a stamp on it and move on with life. I checked my bank account and apparently the letter made it to Provo because the check was cashed! I know, I know, I owe the USPS 40-some-odd cents to be a completely honest christian, but I am sure I will place too many stamps on a package someday and repay them. I guess I can quit checking my mail.

Why I am dating Nathan Paskett again

The boy is persistant. I would have given up on my a LONG time ago. In fact, it hasn't taken many in the past too long to give up either. ie:
Isaac W.- came to visit me at work one day, left mid sentence and I found out he was engaged one month later
Donald W.- I think it is safe to say my family scared him away. Good thing to. He later told me he wanted a woman who would be quiet and listen to him and be waiting for him when he got home. I told him to get a dog.
Josh J.- The day he kissed me we decided to take things slow and see how it went. Then next day he came over to tell me he already had a girlfriend. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to have two
Don't think I am sharing these stories to get pitty, because I think they are pretty funny myself. And with experiences like those, I thought breaking ujp with a boy, trying to ignore him, continually tell him what a good friend he was, and the countless other thing I did that I never even had to try to get a boy to run from me before, didn't work. So we have stayed friends and conitued to hang out, and he would ask me out on dates, and keep telling me when I was ready he would be ready to start dating again. I guess I am ready. We have been having a lot of fun together lately and he has been there to help me out countless times, even when he could have easily said, your not mine to worry about any more. So it looks like persistance has paid off in his favor, although, he may regret it soon.... ;)

Blessings?

(ok, let me explain the photo. It has nothing to do with my post but I thought it was funny. I was looking for an image of blessing on google and this on came up. It was an ad for blankets. Doesn't the person under the blanket look dead? Maybe it was a blessing for the woman. Who knows)
Yes. Blessings with a question mark. Let me explain.
I have tried a variety of ways to make myself feel better when I am stressed. Icecream, french fries, calling someone I love, working out, music...the list goes on. While those do help, (especially ice cream) I feel like most of the time it is just a cover up. I still am stressed, I just am stressed with a fat belly, a good conversation, or some sweet tunes (obviously I have tried the working out one the least). Well, these past couple of weeks have been stressful in ways I haven't minded but am getting worn down. Student teaching is hard to find where your place is, especially when it is left to figure out at the last minute. Figuring out how to juggle that with work has been fun. Getting used to new roommates. The pile of laundry that just doesn't seem to do itself in the one hour I am home a day. You know, the stresses of life.
Get to the point Mikael.
What I have found to be helpful with all this crap is thinking about my blessing. So to keep me positive, comment on my blog every once in a while and say "But what about your blessings Mikael?" And I will write a list. Here is the list that has been piling up in my brain
I get to drive home from work right at sunset. The sunset looks amazing when the whole sky is purple and gold and all you can see of the mountains are dark shadows jutting up into the sky.
Driving with my window down. I do this mostly for gas saving purposes but it has become something I love.
Walking around looking like a hillbilly and not caring one bit. I have on some nasty shorts I bought at Walmart because I forgot my swimsuit when we went to Washington, a much-to-short bathingsiut top from the beginning of high school, and a white tank top that is pretending to hide my gut hanging out. I love that I really don't care what people think about how I look. I am happy with me and that makes me so much better (at least in my opinion)
Sticking my feet in the pool. I love water
Celebrating one year since I left for Jerusalme with 60 out of the 80 of us that went and 2 of 4 professors who were there from the US. That party deserves a post all it's own.
Finding beauty in ugly things..only because I know it will make the best white elephant gift this christmas...that's right, I just bought mine and it cost a whopping 30 cents. Get ready Webb family
Well, now I am going to change out of this rediculous outfit becasue I don't want everyone wanting my bod when I go walk down to Artic circle to get some ice cream...just in case thinking about my blessings doesn't work

Survivor

Well I did it. I survived week one of student teaching... and I haven't event had any students in the classroom yet. I am in resource right now so we have just been doing placement testing and holding meetings all week. My brains want to fall out of my head. The ear wax I haven't had time to clean out of my ears is keeping them in. My experience this week with scheduling everything, and watching my cooperating teacher and the one million things she has to keep straight has convinced me I NEVER want to teach resource again after this. I talked to mom today and told her I better not end up in Utah after this. She said maybe that is where the Lord want me to be and I need to do what he says. I said I can do that, but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. I really am enjoying the experience though. He is the latest trial in my life though. Finding a tote. What is it with bags? Carrying a million things in and out of school everyday has not been fun and a tote would make my life a million times easier so I logged onto etsy (thank you Rebecca!) to find the perfect one. I found 597 perfect ones. JK. But I did find one lady who makes all sorts of things in Arabic and I just had to email her and tell her how much I love her. You have to check her things out. Maybe I will be the only one who appreciates them. I am coveting the whale bag. it isn't as big as I want my tote to be, but I might just have to get it anyway. What do you think?
http://www.robbinsmarye.com/shop.html

Oh how opposite I was today

Today was a temple dedication here in Utah, so church was canceled for the entire state so the dedication could be broadcast. This meant that I had no church becasue I just moved into a new ward and can;t get a ticket. I just looked at my calender and realized that yesterday was the start of Ramadan. It is a holiday that Muslim celebrate Muhammad recieving the Koran. It is a time of great didcation and worship as they fast during the daylight hours and feast at sundown. Muslim read the whole Koran throughout the month and say extra prayers. This goes on for a month. It is also the time one year ago I arrived in The Holy Land. I miss the 12 million calls to prayer throughout the day and night. The partying going on at night. The green lights all over the Muslim parts of the city. I know I say this WAY too much, but, can I go back yet?
(The picture is of the Old City decorated with lights to celebrate Ramadan)

Keep your fingers crossed

Well, we might have gotten it all sorted out. I went to the faculty meeting on Tuesday and spent the day getting to know the kindergarten teacher and falling in love with the idea of teaching kindergarten because I couldn't get a hold of BYU-I to tell me differently. I finally got a hold of them in the afternoon and the secretary said she would try and work it out for me to stay in the kindergarten class. Not too much longer she called me back and said NEVERMIND! Apparently to be certified to teach up to 3rd grade I actually have to have some experience with children above K. Makes sense, but I was still disappointed. So I havd to break the news to the kindergarten teacher and feel like a total idiot for the mix up I didn't make. So, up until I went to school for an IEP meeting today, I have had no idea what I am doing. I went to the meeting and was able to talk to the Principal afterwards and he said he would start talking to the other teachers to see if anyone would take me. I apologized for the mix up and hoped it wouldn't reflect badly on me. So now I am teaching Spec. Ed. in a resource room for children K-6 for 7 weeks and then 3rd grade for 6 weeks. I am a little worried about the 3rd grade thing but I guess I will survive!

Why I am SO over BYU-Idaho

Yes. I am over it. I am tired of them making me feel like a failure that I am disorganized and then they can't even get their act together. So several of the other student teachers that live in my apartment complex told me they got Kindergarter too and we were so excited. Then I found out today that BYU-Idaho found out they got that placement and were told that we are not allowed to student teach kindergarten so they are getting their placements changed. Apparently some states don't accept kindergarten as true elementary teaching experience (kind of like it is preschool) so we have to teach 1-3 in order to be able to get our degree. I, however, have heard NOTHING from BYU-Idaho and have decided I better call them tomorrow and figure what the heck I am supposed to be doing because I am just ready to be done now. I am SO SAD! My cooperating teacher called me today and she sound so fun and sweet and she sounded so sad when I told her there would be a good chance I wouldn't get to be with her. So, BOO to BYU-Idaho and your inability to do something very important right.

Me and Boo Radley

At the beginning of the summer, I promised I would share entertaining stories from work, and so far I haven't done such a great job at that. Let me indulge myself and share todays adventure. I work a lot in Salem with a family I absolutely adore and I love escaping to the little country town. The girl I work with loves to just stand on one spot in the kitchen so her mom always tried to leave some sort of project for me to do to help the time to go by. Lately it has been baking projects. At first it made me nervous because I have not baked much and everything she makes turns out to beautifully and delicious. Her recipes have turned out to be simple and so yummy! Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini cake have been this weeks entertainment. I am loving learning how to make all these things and am feeling confident that maybe one day I might be able to be somewhat domestic.
After working in Salem, my boss asked me to take a boy for a few hours because his usual staff had to go to some training. When I picked him up I was a little nervous because he is so much bigger and stronger than me. He has autism and is non verbal so that didn't make things any easier. At first he wouldn't get in my car because he was convinced we were getting in the wrong one (he had never been in my car and had no idea who I was) He just kept grabbing my hand and draggin me around the parking lot. I finally lured him to my car with a cookie. We headed to the park to try and pass the time and I figured I could keep a close eye on him because he also likes to dart (he is one fast skipper). His staff warned me that he loves bathrooms so as soon at I saw the huge bathroom sign on the building in the middle of the park I tried to distract him away from it and get interested in other things. No dice. Once he locked his sights on it there was no turning back. Before I knew it, I was half way hanging into the mens restroom hoping there was nobody else in there, trying to coax a huge teenage boy to pull his pants up and quit flushing all the toilets.
I finally got him out and we started walking around the pond at the park. You know the SNL skit where the cheerleader sticks her hands in her arm pits and then smells her hands when she gets nervous? Well imagine that except with a butt crack instead of arm pits. Yeah. My hand sanitizer was very well used today. Don't worry, the story has a happy ending.
The more time we spent together, the more I realized I didn't need to be nervous, I needed to figure out how to reach him. He liked to run because he liked to be chased. So I flipped the tables around. I started running. He laughed as he caught up to me but then stopped when he realized it wasn't much fun chasing someone. After a few times of this, he no longer tried to run. He started having more eye contact with me and interacting more. I had some bubbles in my purse from a wedding reception I went to. He loved to watch me spaz out and try and pop the bubbles and he blew them.
I call him Boo Radley because he reminded me of the character from To Kill A Mockingbird. I was scared at first and didn't understand a lot of what he was doing, but I just needed to explore his world a little bit before I could expect him to try and participate in ours. By the end I got him signing simple signs (something I don't think his usual staff even know hw can do. Yes, I am bragging about myslef) All in all, it made for an interesting 2 1/2 hours and one more story to add to the books.

Just Kidding!

Well, I no longer feel guilty for all those times I procrastinated or got things mixed up while at college because I am realizing a lot of it comes from BYU-Idaho's lack of organization. I just got an email today from the lady over student teaching placements informing me they sent me the wrong packet. Yes. Two weeks til blast off and I am still a little clueless as to what is going to happen. I WILL NOT be teaching first grade, but rather KINDERGARTEN!I guess I will be doing 1/2 day kindergarten and 1/2 day speical ed. I cannot tell you how excited I am! I absolutley LOVED teaching kindergarten last semester and am so excited to do it again!
On another note...I am SO ready for a visit home. Mom informed me today that Connie Mack will be going while I am home. I have been missing New Mexico and I am so ready to get home, watch some baseball, eat some green chili, love on the little ones, and hang with the fam. Watch out New Mexico, here I come!

Forever in blue jeans

"Money talks. But it don't sing and dance and it don't walk" Nobody says it like Niel Diamond. And if I keep not working the way I am I will forever be in blue jeans... Which I don't mind! I finally snagged some hours at work, but in the time I have had "0ff" let me fill you in on what I have been doing.
Snow Cones: My sister-in-law Annie and I went to get some snow cones and they were delish! And even better than teh snow cone...Elijah! He is getting so big and cuter everyday! I didn't think it was possible but he is proving me wrong.
Potato Salad: I got a wild hair last night and decided I wanted to try and make potato salad. For my first try, I would have to say I did pretty darn good. As soon as I finish this huge bowl of it, I can't wait to give it another try.
Intervention and Obssessed: I am addicted to Intervention and obssessed with ObssessedI don't know if you have ever seen the shows but if you haven't you should. On intervention, they follow addicts around telling them they are doing a documentary on addiction and then they have an intervention at the end and send them to treatment. Obssessed is a show about people with OCD and following them through Behavior Therapy for 12 weeks. Both are very interesting.
Last but not Least.... Found out my student teaching placement! I don't know much, just what the secretary told me on the phone. I am STILL waiting for the packet to come in the mail. I will be teaching 1st grade at Upland Terrace Elementary in Salt Lake City. I was SO hoping I would get either Kindergarten of 1st so I am very happy. I love love love teaching but hate hate hate lesson plan writing so this next semester will be very interesting.

Stolen Material

So I found a friends blog and stole this from it. He would probably kill me if he knew, but I just love the way he says what he says. So J, if you find this, remember that imitation is the highest form of flattery...as well as copy and pasting

"i have been playing with new babys and watching children and seeing new niave life and i stop and wonder what happens to use that we lose that innocence? that we stop doing things that use to be so fun, that we become lazy and concerned with the people around us so much that we let us dictate our lives. why would any one want to become an adult!!?!!??!?! why? Screw growing into a robot life(which i have been thinking every one is lately but i have revised that to think that only children really know what it is to live!)! how can kids just live? amazing. i now strive to be more like a child more and more everyday! when faced with something daunting that you dont want to do, what did you do when some one ask you if you were scared as a kid? you said" no, im not scared!" and hiked up your breeches and tackled the biggest monsters the most frightening bullfrogs and jumped the biggest ditches. you put your dolls in ovens and you threw rocks at things that would get you in trouble!!!! and boy that was sure liven! dancing in front of strangers with out ever even seeing a dance move in your life, done. they laugh? You took it like a champ! nothing had an effect on you...you did what you wanted as best you could!"

Amen brotha, Amen

Signs I want to go back on vacation

1. Eva's signing time sogns are still stuck in my head... "L,M,N,O"
2. I had dreams about holding babies last night. Probably because I didn't hear any crying during the night
3. Last night was the first time I was not happy with the 90 degree weather here.
4. I keep thinking there is Dr. Pepper in the fridge
5. When I drove past a Farmers Market sign I got excited
6. I keep seeing traces of Declan staying here and I refuse to pick them up hoping he will come back and stay with me (his water jug sitting on my counter, his poorly packed game that I need to repack and send to him, the blanket he slept with still on my couch)
7. I avoided seeing my roommate the 5 minutes she was home so I wouldn't have to tell her I was back
8. I have been looking for Carmen Electra's Strip Aerobics on DVD...Ok I lied about that one. But could you imagine the hours of fun?

For the love of the bag

So I want a new purse but can't seem to find the perfect one in my price range. I do, how ever, find great ones outside of my price range. Like the one above. $85 on Ebags.com. Then there was the one that I found at TJMaxx for $90 that I can't stop thinking about. (I saw it 3 months ago) I am sure it is long one now. Some day, some day...

Just another day

I wanted to quickly blog about a couple things before I hit the ol' grindstone again.
#1. At one of the homes I work at, they had the most glorious blankets that reminded me of Brittani so I had to share. They are made from that ultr-soft fabric that lots of baby blankets are made out of but they have all sorts of patterns. Check out Marla Roo's Minkys.
#2. I had the best day of summer the other day. After work, my friend Matt and I headed over to our friend's apartment complex so round up some ppl to swim. On our way we jammed out to Michael Jackson's PYT (pretty young thing). We got some people together and swam for several hours. I must brag, I beat 3 our of 4 boys in the biggest splash contest. I know that isn't exactly working on being girly (as mom likes to remind me) but it sure was fun. After swimming, we grilled up some chicken. While Layton was grilling, I convinced his roommate James, whom I had met that day, to take me for a ride on his motorcycle. Okay, so it didn't take much convincing, but I absolutley loved it! My friend Anglea who was my roommate in Jerusalem, came and swam annd hung out for a while. I really did have a ton of fun.
#3. I have been embracing the curl! I dont know what has changed this week, but I have come to the realization that I have no idea why I blow dry and style my hair everyday when I have curly hair. I now just hop out of the shower, wrap a towel around my head. Do my makeup, pull the towel off my hair, (here is the important part) Don't brush my hair, scrunch some mousse in there, and go. By not brushing all the curl out of my hair, it looks so much better when I just let is go. Yes, I am loving my nappy/curly head. Plus, I once heard that boys like loose curly hair becaue it makes a girl appear more free spirited. Who knows, it might be true!

A few picks from my favorite 30 minutes of this weekend

Is it just me or is he getting way too big way too fast



My cutie pa-tootie Jamison



My porch buddies



Asher was loving all the flags. And the cupcakes of course



Yummy hot dogs the wonderful family I work with gave me. And I loved the cupcakes too!

Like a popsicle on the 4th of July

For those of you not wanting to read this whole post, let me give you the short list of why I loved this weekend:
1. Nieces and Nephews (melt my heart every time)
2. Family- you really can't have too much family around
3. No work!
4. Idependence Day - I got a little more emotional about it than I I thought I would with my brother being in Kuwait
5. Food, so much food
I don't know about you but I loved this weekend. I can't even tell you how excited I was to see my family and spend some time with them. It was just as fun as I imagined it would be. I got to spend some time with just mom and dad on Saturday and seeing everyone Saturday night and Sunday was so much fun. I was even excited to see Annie's (my sister in law) parents. As much as I love my brothers and sisters, their kids make family get togethers one billion times more exciting. I used to hate having to sit at the kids table and never getting to go with the 'adults' when I was growing up. Now I realize that it is way more fun sitting on the front porch with the kids, letting them smash cupcakes into their face. (It also allows me to smash cupcakes into my face) I can't believe how big all the nieces and nephews are getting and that Perry and christi are going to be adding grandbaby # 15 this December! I can tell you one thing for sure, it will be cute!
Today Jamison and I were sitting on the front porch and she asked me when I am going to move back into my old house. I told her I asked Mammy (my mom) if I could just live in their basement forever but Mammy said no. I told her I was living in Utah for a while and soon it would be time for me to find a real job. Then she asked me if I could get one where I could see her. Oh tug on the heart strings! This weekend really got me thinking about what the heck I am going to be doing after student teaching and maybe even panicing a little bit. I have been doing some searching today and checked out the Early Intervention and emailed people about keeping me posted on job openings. I know Farmington New Mexico is no place for me to find a husband, but it seems like no place in this world is a place to find a husband. So I am even keeping my eyes open in New Mexico. I checked out Idaho, New Mexico, and Texas. Texas just started a special program for children with Autism that looks really interesting. I will really keep my eyes on that one.
Before I forget...Did I mention how dang cute my nephew Elijah is? I cannot wait to babysit him!

The smell of adventure in the air

Yep, I got a great big whiff of adventure tonight. I visited Nathan tonight and we popped in our Jerusalem video...bad bad idea. A. I cried through most of it and laughed the rest of the time B. It reminded me of just how much I hate choosing to do what gets me to the next responsible step in life. Here is the deal, I am mostly looking forward to having a career so it can fund future adventures. Yes, I have done a little looking into jobs overseas but those are wishful thinking. I need some experience under my belt first. Blah, Blah, Blah, Utah is boring me to death, I need to go somewhere soon...

Love this

My friend's little sister showed this to me and we watched it a few times it is so funny. I guess this is a prison/rehabilitation center in the Cebu. Enjoy!

W-O-M-A-N

Yes, yes, I have officially become a woman. I changed the bag in the vacuum for my first time. Not a pleasant chore, but not as hard as it looks. I told my roommate who moved out I would vacuum her room for her and vacuuming her room got me vacuuming EVERYTHING! (for any family members reading this, yes, this is still Mikael) While my room may never be the cleanest place on earth, I have learned a few things about my cleaning habits that may come as a surprise to some. Dirty counters drive me nuts! I feel like I scrub the sink everytime I walk past it. I can't take clutter. There are only two of us living here right now but another roommate that just moved home left all of her stuff here and I am not kidding when I say there is no room for those of us who live here to put any of our stuff anywhere. The girl who is now home has so much stuff. I started piling it all in her room because it is driving me nuts.
Okay, I am done proving that maybe someday I will have a clean home of my own.

BEE HAPPY

I switched my background because I am choosing to be happy. I think it if fair to say that my move to Utah hasn't been all that I had hoped and dreamed it to be. My job sucks...royally. I am 100% positive all Utah drivers have a death wish. Switch lanes as many times as possible going from point A to point B, and make sure you get as close to hitting as many cars as possible while at it. Utah drivers deserve a post of their own. I have fewer friends now than any other point in my life. I take that back. Alabama take the cake on that one. One more thing, gas prices make me want to vomit. Regardless of what sucks, I am now choosing to be happy. Sure gas will be $3 soon. But at least it isn't almost 5 like last year. Each morning I wake up to a beautiful photo of Jerusalem. Man I miss that place. I might only have a few friends, but they are good friends. Sarah Lacey. How can you not love that girl. Mitch and Matt have taken me in and made me a part of their Pleasant Grove possey. And even though Nathan and I are not dating, he is the first boy I have dated that I am able to keep as a friend after we broke up. I got my oil changes, tires rotated and balanced, and for some reason it makes me so happy. I went out to lunch with my cousin Shawn because he goes into the MTC tomorrow. I love that we have become good friends and not just cousins. (p.s. I totally used Dad's gas card to go see him. Kosher right?) Last but not least, my balnket is still holding up. It is getting a little shabby, but it is still together. Yep, I am happy. And I will be even more happy when my family comes up for the 4th and my nephew Declan come not too much longer after that.

I miss my old roommates

Since moving to Utah I keep asking myself "Why can't I be more girly?" I can't say I have tried to hard but the question keeps coming up. As I was laying here trying to take a quick nap before my graveyard shift tonight, I realized that I probably keep thinking that because I am living with girls unlike any girls I have ever lived with before. I like them and get along with them easily, but I wouldn't really consider them friends. Here are a few dofferences between the old and the new:

New: To try and bond with them I painted their nails (which they loved)
Old: To bond I would moon them. A clear sign they are my friend

New: I have seen them eat a total of 5 times since moving in
Old: Late night trips to Horkleys (gas station) for Dr. Pepper and individual bags of chips were anything but uncommon

New: They own cookbooks
Old: "Hey! I'm cooking up some easy mac. Anyone else wast some?"

New: I believe my thumb could fit in the waist of their pants
Old: Oh, uh, I hope you don't mind but I have worn your clothes for a week straight now

New: Every boy they know they met in class or a study group
Old: We would leave eachother's numbers in strange boys pockets

New: They take ballroom and ballet
Old: Pussycat dolls and a chair. Clothing optional. (totally kidding! ok, not really)

Chain Gang

Have I said how much my job sucks lately? I went and got tested for swine flu and I don't have it. I had to fight a little bit to get my work to pay for it but they are going to reimburse me and pay me for time I didn't get to work becasue I might have had the flu.
I just talked to my boss and she jsut gave me my hours for the rest of the week. You ready for this?
Tuesday: 5-6pm training
10 pm. -5 am. Salem

Wednesday:10am-4pm Lehi
6-9 pm First Aid Training

Thursday: 10am-4pm Lehi
6-9pm CRP training
10pm-5am Salem

Friday:10am-4pm Lehi

Saturday: 9am-5pm Orem

This is going to suck. I am going to be gross and tired, but I will have money in my pocket and no life to spend it. This is actually a blessing

My very terrible, not good at all, rotten day

Yesterday sucked. I am only blogging about it so I can laugh about it someday.
Yesterday was my birthday. I got a call from my supervisor the day before saying that an emergency came up with one of the families I have worked with and they would be needing me all day the next day. I could use the hours so I didn't mind taking them. So at 7 am I went down to Salem to work with this mystery of a girl. What happened ia she no longer feels the need to sleep and hasn't slept in about a week. She is very self abusive so she needs constant supervision. Her parents hadn't slept in a week either and were beginning to break down. They were forced to leave to go get sleep and people were working around the clock with her trying to get her to a point where she was managable again. Her doctor has been working with them to try and sedate her but all the medications are having an opposite effect- making her more violent. She truly is a medical mystery. My role for the day was to talk to the doctor periodically throughout the 10 1/2 hours I was there to monitor her progress with the new batch of meds. The girl refuses to sit, watch tv, or do much of anything but stand in one spot in the kitchen and have you stand right next to her. So that is what I did, stand, for 10 hours. After I got off at 5 I was supposed to go to another house and work from 6-9. Nathan and I were going to grab some dinner in that hour I had free. The girl taking over for me in Salem was 1/2 an hour late so I had to go straight from Salem to Orem. At this next house, the girl I work with is 15 and has autism. She has something we in the Special Ed. field call learned helplessness. Her mom had helped her learn how to be completely dependent and helpless. I was trying to be cheery even though I was tired from my previous 10 1/2 hours of work. I took her on a walk and then we came back to the house to do some chores and watch a movie. In that time she managed to poop her pants. I got her cleaned up and in the mean time I got a call from the parents of the litle boy I have been working all week with. They called to tell me he just tested positive for SWINE FLU. Yes, I just spent most of the week with him. I called mom to tell her and figure out what the heck I should do. Well, in those few minutes, the girl I was working with just so happened to have another poop bomb go off in her pants. So it was back to the bathroom and into the shower for her. By this point in the day I was hitting my limit. I cried several times (probably the reason the girl kept having accidents) and thinking to myself "How the heck am I going to work if I might have swine flu? and This is the worst birthday ever!" The mom came home late so when I finally got off for the day it was almost 9:30. I cried the whole way home except when I listened to Sarah Lacey's and Chanel's massages on my phone. But then I started to cry again because Chanel was the only sibling who called. Any other day and I could have cared less, but I was an emotional wreck and seemed to be looking for reasons to cry. I was supposed to hang out with some friends after work and celebrate my birthday, but apparently they didn't care much because they never responded when I texted them and told them I wouldn't be hanging out. I also called Shawn on my way home because I could no longer go to his farewell now that I might be a spreader of the swine flu. I was really looking forward to going and seeing the family and listening to Shawns talk. I got home and Nathan was there waiting with a cake and presents. This sent me into another cycle of tears. My roommates doing a double date had to have been wondering what the heck was going on. Especially since I didn't tell them it was my birthday. They all sang to me and we ate my coldstone cake. I probably would have died if it weren't for Nathan making sure I celebrated a little bit.
So, now I am here, kind of laughing about what a baby I was and how terrible yesterday really was. I am waiting for my boss to call me and tell how I can get my work to pay for me to go get tested for the swine flu. I feel healthy but with my luck, I probably have it. It is probably a good thing I didn't make those shirts with my "friends" that say "I survived the swine flu".

I love technology

I heart my new iPod. I am currently sitting in primary childrens hospital giving the parents of the little boy I work with a break. He fell asleep so I pulled out my trusty iPod. I am able to cruise the Internet, play games and even blog from my iPod. Thanks mom and dad. This little thing is way better than the old one that got stolen. So I guess thank you to the byui iPod theif as well.

All My Single Ladies

All my single ladies raise your hands up! (my hand is up) Yep, Nathan and I broke up. Don't worry, all is well. We decided we were ruining our friedship by continuing to date. Our personalities are so different that it was getting harder and harder to see it working...forever. So we decided to stop dating but are still good friends. First time I've ever accomplished that! I really might have been put on this earth to show the male population just how difficult dating can be so that the next person they date seems 100 times better. JK.
One more thing. I think I have an expiration date labeled on me somewhere and all those wierdos who would hate to let a girl go past her prime see it. There are some strange people in this town.

True Confession

I am coming out with it. I absolutely adore my Dad. I am so glad that I got to see him and mom this weekend. They spoiled me and got me an iPod for my birthday, even though technically it is next week (and don't any of you forget it either! JK) This morning we were just hanging arounf Talon's house and Dad was getting restless, so he offered to take me to the mall to get a shield on my iPod. So Nathan and I loaded up with him and went. I know dad has been under a tremendous amount of stress lately, but he is taking it like a champ and you would never even know. Becasue he has had so much stress in his life, I can't help but laugh even harder when he acts silly. He didn't act very silly starting about...oh... the time we moved to Alabama, but he sure has found his funny side again lately. We were headed for the escalators at the mall when he said, "You stay on that one and I am going to try and run up this one and see if I can beat you." And off he went, running UP the DOWN escalator. I was cracking up as he almost biffed it two times and beat me to the top. Even if he does know how to get me fired up faster than anyone else I know, he also makes me laugh pretty hard too.

Just need to Blog

For any of you bloggers out there, you know that feeling you get when you just need to blog? You are going through your daily routine and you think "I need to blog about that." Well I have had that thought a million times the past few days but can't seem to make all the random thoughts I've had flow into one good entry. So, I deceided I would do one crazy nonsense one because that is what my thoughts have been like.
Thought #1
Boys drive me nuts. Not any boy in particular. I just have been noticiing how wierd they are lately. No wonder there are so many Gay people. (Just Kidding)
Thought #2
Quit asking me about GM. I have no idea what is going on! If there is one thing to know about me, when I am scared or nervous about something, I avoid it.
Thought #3
Living with several only children has given me a testimony (can I call it that) of NEVER only having one child. I understand that sometimes one is all a couple can get. I have no problem with that. But make the child babysit or feed a dog, or SOMETHING! The thought of never having to care for someone else is completely forgien and sickening to me. I could go on about this for hours, but I will stop.
Thought/experience #4
I changed my first big person bum diaper the other day. Little bums are much cuter. Boy parts are wierd.
Thought #5
I miss Autism. I have been working with a variety of children with spaecial needs at work, and I don't care what anyone says, Autism is easier. I miss my little Ethan.
Thought #6
Are all these thoughts negative?

You know what is my most important thought lately? I LOVE Chanel! Today was her birthday and I couldn't help but remeber how she would write the kindest things about everyone else on her blog when it was their birthday. I don't even know if I could write how much I love and miss Nelly. People are always amazed to hear how close I am to my older siblings, even though Chanel left for college when I was six. I really think that the closeness of all of us siblings can be credited to Chanel and her love for us. I know she wasn't too excited when mom announces she was pregnant with me, but Chanel obviously got over it because some of my first memories are of Chanel taking me to her friends baseball games and having me walk the crown to the homecoming queen at the football game. Chanel should seroiusly write a book on parenting because she is one of the best moms in history and has set a high bar for the rest of us to reach. Not only would the book be amazing, but emtertaining too. I miss my sleepovers with Chanel when Rod would be on business trips. We would sit in the kitchen and laugh about absolutely nothing. We would then move to her bed where we would watch hours of CSI and Law and Order. I still can't watch an episode of either without thinking of Chanel.
I had to end my post on a happy note and I don't know of a happier one than Chanel. Happy Birthday Nelly!

Welcome to the world!

Here are a few pictures from the game we were playing while waiting. I said a scenario, we would make our reaction and I would snap a picture with our phone. This is our Baby Elijah is here faces:

Possibly my favorite one- you just pooped your pants. Looks like Nathan quite enjoyed it

Big foot just came up the elevator (apparently NAthan knows he stinks)

We just saw spiderman

Okay, now that you have seen all those photos, let's get down to business...
I am so excited little Elijah Webb has finally arrived! I got a text from Annie yesterday saying she checked into the hospital and that they would have a baby that night. Then Talon texted me telling me the same thing. I was on my way to my roommates wedding reception (which was a blast) and I could hardly contain my excitement. I have only gotten to be around when Asher was born. Everyone else seems to wait until I leave for school and then decides to come. Anyone who knows me knows I love my nieces and nephews a little more than might be healthy, so being told I was getting to add another little person to my list of love was pretty darn exciting. Talon later called and said they needed batteries for his camera and to come when ever was convenient. So I danced to a few more songs and then headed to the store. After leaving the store I get another phone call, "Have you left the store? We need a couple more things" So back to the store and then straight to the hospital. Well, those batteries would just have to wait cuz Eli was coming. Nathan and I didn't know the passcode to get into the maternity ward so we waited for a call back Talon telling us the code, but got a call saying "She is fully dialated she's starting to push. Stick around and you will get to meet the baby." You don't have to ask me twice! So Nathan and I sat outside the doors in the elevator lobby, listening to 15 second clips or ringtone previews and taking pictures of ourselves because there wasn't a stitch or reading material in sight. (I thought Nathan was going to die.)I think we had it esy, we just had to sit there and as far as we know, the stork could have brought little Eli.
Not long after we recieved word that Elijah had arrived, Cheryl came up the elevator and we followed her to peek in on Annie. For having just delivered a baby, she looked GORGEOUS! Of course she would. That is just Annie. Then we snuck down to the nursery to have a peek at the baby. He had a proud Daddy sitting next to him and a nurse examinig every square inch, confirming he was perfect. And perfect he is. As far as I can tell, Eli has Talon's piggy nose and I even saw his thumb find his mouth. He was pink as pink can be and just wiggling and blinking. Lucky little guy is going to have a great dad! I am excited to go up and visit him again and begin telling him who his favorite aunt is...

A day in the life

So now that I am starting up at my job, I just wanted to share a funny story or two. You know that there are rarely going to be dull moments when you work with anyone with special needs. One of the boys I will start working with is in high school and him and his best friend go bowling and then to a rehabilitation center (or a place for adults with special needs to learn life skills). I loved watching these two boys interact because in my experience, people with special needs don't care for attention from other people with special needs. These two are best friends! When we got to the center after bowling, they all eat a meal and then come into a commons room where they have a health lesson and then couch time. Couch time is when someone is picked to leave the room and everyone else in the room says what they like about them and write it on a poster for the person to take home. I was supposed at what great comments everyone had to say, but a few times I had to hide my face as I tried not to let them see me laugh. Here are a few of the funny comments-
"He has really developed an interest in the weather"
"He knows not to play with the gear shift on the bus" (that one came from his best friends)
"120" (what that has to do with anything I don't know)
"He is hansome" That was said about 23 times

I was nervous at first to be working with adults with disablities because I have mostly worked with young children. But as I keep working, I am learning how much fun it is and how much I love it. I will have to make sure I post good stories as they happen.

I Heart America

It was so much fun to see Perry, Christi, and Logan this weekend. I went up to their camp site on Sunday and hung out for the day. It had been rainy all weekend and didn't think that we would get to do much, but I was just excited to see them. As luck had it, it got sunny not too long after I arrived eith Nathan and my old roommate Andi. Christi's brother-in-law Trevor took us horseback riding soon after the rain stopped. Needless to say, I was in HEAVEN! I have always loved horses but forgot just how much I still love them until I hopped on one. And it was a Palomino! After horseback riding we shot guns and went for a ride on the four wheelers. perry cooked up a delicious steak dinner and then we roasted marshmallows around the fire. Christi's family was so kind and let us butt right into the family weekend and have a blast. Even if it was only a day, it made my whole weekend and made me feel so...American.

Summer = Sun

Is there any reason not to like summer? I think not. Now that I have officially found a job and I start on Tuesday, I have had a couple of days just to enjoy summer. Nathan, Matt, and I went to the pool just across the street from me and swam Saturday and today. I am not going to lie, I was foolish and didn't put sunblock on Saturday and ended up scortched, but I was careful today. I can't think of anything more fun that playing in the pool. I bought a couple of inflatable balls at the dollar store and we played for hours. We probably bothered the sun bathers all around us, but how can you just sit still while there is a giant pool next to you?! My legs are no longer transparent and my happiness went up about 12 points on a 10 point scale.

Dream or Deeper meaning?

I had the wierdest dream last night. Interpret it as you will, but I just can't seem to get over how wierd it was.
So in my dream, I go out to my car and everything is stripped from it! My front bumper, the rims, the lights, the LIFT KIT! Everything that makes my FJ sweet was gone. Left on my car was a ransom note from Dad's competitors. Curse you Jay Steigleman and Jeff Thomas! So we go on a hunt for my car parts and they start taking random babies hostage! As if stealing my car parts didn't tick me off enough! They lead me to a grocery store and who is walking out the door leaving a trail of FJ floor mats and plastic parts... Paula Abdul. She was on their side! In a tight sparkly dress she started running away. So I chased after her. Then pulls up Jeff Thomas in a herse and picks her up and drives away. He must have been doing pretty bad to be driving a herse and stealing parts from my car to get back at Dad. It was at that point in the dream that I woke up because my brain could not take the stress of trying to imagine anything more wierd. So Dad, maybe it was a premonition, or maybe just a wierd dream. But try and keep your competitors our of my dreams. They really ticked me off.

Mom

I know this is a day late and a dollar short but I figured it is better that way than nothing at all. I really was thinking about mom all day yesterday and all the little reasons I love her. You can ask Nathan. He was sick of hearing all my little ideas. So here are just a few of the million reasons my mom is the best in the world.
After School Snacks: What kind of woman can have 8 children, clean up after them everyday, and have a freshly baked, just out of the oven after school snack waiting for them each day? My mom, that's who.
Tom Boy: Each time I move in with a new set of girls I rediscover just how ungirl I was (and maybe still am) sometimes. Thank you for letting me play with my G.I. Joes mom and run around like a barbarian with my brothers. True story- My roommates asked me how many sisters Laura Ingles Wilder (I have no clue how to spell that)had and Nathan started answering her question when I said "Who is that?" Nathan told me I was officially kicked out of the girl club (one he must be a part of for knowing her). I responded with, "Well I can tell you about Rocky." Thank you for letting me be me mom.
Jokes: I love to make people laugh, but nobody more than mom. The best is when she laughs at my jokes, even if she knows she shouldn't.
Notes: Mom always was great at leaving us little notes here and there. I loved pulling out an I love You napkin out of my lunch or finding a card on my pillow when mom left town. I have a hard enough time writing more than one person a note, let alone 8 very individual notes.
Those 7 people I call my brothers and sisters: I am currently living with two girls who are both only children. I love them (so far) but they have deepened my appreciation for tons of siblings. The reocurring lesson i seem to be learning altely is just how much siblings really do affect who you become. So thanks for giving me a ton of siblings, even if their contributions to me aren't quite perfected.

So there you have just a few of the reasons why my mom is the BEST!

Maybe Maybe

I really hope I am not jinxing myself by posting this, but it looks like I might have found a nanny job. The family has four boys and wants a nanny just to take the boys and have a fun summer. Check! I can do that! So if this works out this would be my...fourth time nannying all boys. The only catch is that I wouldn't start until June so I am going to keep looking for another part time job that I could start sooner and keep if I get this nannying gig. I sure hope so becasue it sounds like a lot of fun! I emailed the mom yesterday and she sent me back and email pretty quickly asking if I was interested. I just sent her back one with a big Y-E-S. So, cross your fingers and hope that I will have some luck finding another job as well

I am a Utard

Nathan and I found this while we were in Arizona and I just couldn't pass up the photo op. Happy Swine Flu!
Well, it is official...I live in Utah. Something I thought I would NEVER say. Not that I don't like Utah, it is just a place I never thought I would end up. But here I am. Now all I have to do is find a job. Something that doesn't seem to be so easy. So, if any one out there knows of anything, let me know. It is fun being able to see Nathan everyday. In fact, I think both of us are a little at loss as to how this works. We might even be getting on each others nerves a little bit, but it is well worth it. My roommates seem pretty cool. One is moving out soon because she is getting married and the other two are very friendly. I do miss Idaho a little bit. I was ready to get out of there, but mostly because I was ready to be done with school. I might just be imagining it, but there is just something different about Idaho. They might call where I am at now Happy Valley, but who ever says that hasn't seen the people in Idaho. Those are some happy people! Well, I better be getting to bed so I can get up and start the job hunt again tomorrow.

Just a couple of my Best Friends

Sometimes I wonder why I loved growing up in Farmington so much, but I always come to the same conclusion...good people. I have been so lucky to have the great friends I have and absolutely love that we are all still close. Here are a couiple of pictures from lunch last week. Sarah, Emma, and I can't help but laugh non stop when we are together. When we all got together at Christmas I am pretty sure everyone around us wanted to kill us. I literally lost my voice becasue I was laughing so hard.
Side note: The papa johns guy is starting to look old!

Mikael Needs...

So, I just went and did one of the many- end of the semester home visits I have to do for my toddler class. The little boy I went to visit is so cute and his mom gave me her blog so I could keep tabs on him. I was jsut looking at it and on one of her posts she typed in her name and then needs into google and then wrote down the responses she got on google. I was curious what would happen if I did it and here is what I got (I weeded through them a bit. My name isn't really that common and most of them are talking about boys)

Mikael needs your help finding alblums
Mikael needs no persistant coaxing to open a bottle of wine for dinner
Mikael needs to go through fundamental changes
Mikael needs attention
Mikael needs more lessons in dressing the baby!
Mikael need somewhere to live!!! (this one is true)
Mikael: Needs to be modified a bit
Mikael needs to play
mikael needs to learn how to play solos with his nostrils
Mikael needs to teach him more about finger picking
Mikael needs to be playing in the Champions League or in the Uefa Cup on a regular basis and he can't do that at Birmingham
Mikael needs to hurry his ass up a little bit (remember, there are copy and pasted, not my words)
Mikael needs the truck
Mikael, needs to be praised

Take that last one to heart

What I have been up to lately

I realize I have been mostly complaining on my blog lately, so I thought I would upload some pictures to prove life is not all bad. The pictures with children in them, are from the weekend Nathan and I babysat my friend Leah's five children for the weekend. I have absolutely fallen in love with their family and am proud to say that the baby has fallen in love with me. We went our for ice cream the other day and he kept crying for me and saying "Ma! Ma!" I loved it(Ignore the wierd looks on out faces. It was windy, okay!) When Nathan was up this weekend we went to a Cajun resturant and has a blast. They had live alligators in a pond and it was located in an old holtel build in the late 1800's. We had so much fun and even ate alligator. Not the best food in the world, but great service.
Oh! Embarrasing story time. So one of my friends from school invited me to a house warming party because she and her husband just bought a home. I was telling Nathan I wanted to go but felt uncomfortable because everyone else would be married and then there would be me. Nathan surprised me and came up earlier than I expected and we went to the open house. Well, my friend forgot to tell me just exactly what it was. Apparently this was a girls only party. So, Nathan and I show up to a house full of girls buying candles and jewelry from some old lady. Can we say AWKWARD! I felt so bad for Nathan, and sorry to say it, even worse for me. Here I am, bringing my boyfirend along to an all girls party, looking like a complete idiot. I guess that is nothing new. Anyway, I got over but I don't think I will ever go to one of that girl's parties again. (Sorry if you are reading this Rebecca. I am just kidding)