Eight is (still) great!

The day at work seems to fly by in a blur. Then, it's not until after work when sitting around grading papers (the last thing I really want to be doing), I come across something silly that makes me realize why working with 8 year olds can be such fun.

If I had known that "creating monsters" was in a scientist's job description, my life might look a whole lot different right now!













Only do kids still have the simpler wishes in life. It's hard to see, but if Maya had one wish, it would be to meet no one else, but Sonic the Hedgehog.


Oh. . . to be eight again!

My lot in life. . .

I have a friend going through training in the Air Force. I don't know details really, but they can earn different rankings as they pass tests and attempt to earn different rope colors (it kind of reminds me of karate). Anywho . . not many of them do this I guess, so its a pretty respected thing. Well. . . he passed the green rope test and is now studying for yellow. His goal is to make it to red by the time he leaves in a couple of months.
So I decided that this information definitely could be used for a cute package idea. . . and this is what I came up with.

Each box is filled with a variety of fun things in that color. Cute huh?

So. . . I'll be honest. . . the boy is a bit perturbed with me right now. Guess I don't always make a super friend. I am awfully good at fun packages though. . . gotta give me some credit there. Maybe I need to just find me a random army boy that I don't even know just to give all my cute package ideas to. . . so if you know of any. . . let me know!

Happy Punctuation Day!!

This is what we did for our Fun Friday activity today. We had a four way competition of which table could write the best story out of candy bars. So cute! And who says National Punctuation Day can't be fun?

A (rather long) Venting Story

Another story that needs a little recapping. . .

Back in July, my vice principal came in and told me that she got a "disturbing" phone call. Turns out some high and mighty from the district office called the school and told them that they were threatening to pull me from my class like THAT day because my teaching license was expired. I calmly showed her my license which clearly stated that nothing was expiring until 2011 and 2012. So I called him back and got to listen to a whole lecture about how the district loses money if a teacher is not considered "highly qualified." And how I am lucky to even HAVE a job because if I was applying today, they so would not higher me because I am not highly qualified. . . bleh bleh bleh. Well. . . first of all- nobody ever told me what I needed to do to be "highly qualified," they gave me dates to have tests and classes taken by, but nobody ever said the sooner the better. Whatever.
Anywho. . . he was telling me all the things I needed to do, when finally he asked if I have my masters degree, which I do of course. Well. . . that makes things a whole lot simpler (suddenly he was actually pretty nice to me too). Show your transcripts to the state educational building and then this will all be taken care of. Easy as pie! Right.

Leave right after school to get to the state building way across town before closing. Check!

Nobody in line. Check!

Confusion on the paperwork. Am I adding something to my license, or am I removing a provision from it?

Ask the lady who tells me that I am adding something, and that it will cost me $50- money order only.

Rush to the bank, pay the fee, and get the money order. Check!

Back to the education building. . . lady tells me that you can't add a masters degree to a license.
Hmmm. . . but that's what I was told to do?
Who told you to do this?
Man at the district. . . . I explain exactly what he told me. She doesn't buy it.

Call my sister, who must break into my email, to get districts phone number. . Call the district man- he's in a board meeting. . . leave feeling a bit frustrated.

The next day I get to Email district guy. . . who calls me back. They told you wrong. . . you are removing a provision from your license. They should know that. Go back.

Leave right after work again to drive across city to get there on time.

Tell the (same) lady, the exact same thing and this time she just does it! Seriously? I was the only one there last week. . . I clearly stated what I needed to do and for what reason. Maybe I didn't use the exact right terminology but honestly, who knows about all this crap anyway?? You think they deal with this stuff all day every day, they would have known that is exactly what I was there for last time. I smile, give her all my stuff- and she shoves the check back at me. Apparently you don't need to pay to remove provisions from your license, just to add things.

While of course I am happy to not have to pay the $50, but now I get to go back to the bank with my money order (that I paid my fee for) basically write it out to myself, to put it all back into my account (minus the fee of course).

So annoying. . . and to think I have to actually renew my license next year. Better get started now if I want to get it done in time. People around here are seriously so unhelpful.

Groupon Expiring!

... I was forced to take drastic measures.

Reviving my running days. . .

So I'm not really sure where to actually start this story from. . . Back in the day, when I first got Doogle, I don't know if I mentioned this but he went through several names before one was actually settled on. He was picked up from the pet store with the name Nike, because I wanted him to be my little running buddy. I did drag him running a few times with me. . . poor little puppy. . . and eventually the running routine (which really never made it to routine) became the past, as well as obviously his first name.

These past few weeks have been somewhat stressful at work. I love my new little class, they are great, but I have had issues in other ways than the kids. I have been pretty moody, and not very perky and just not really myself.
Meanwhile, my family has started a new running regimate at home, with Bonnie being the pack leader. She is whipping everyone in shape, including pregnant Molly who was there on vacation for a week. Anywho, the daily runs they have began with are more like cycles, a few minutes of running, a few minutes of walking. . . to help out those non runners in the family.
And as they all continue onto this new fitness plan for themselves, I am back here. . . my new cranky self. I realized that something needs to be done. Not only to help my lazy self, but to help my poor attitude as well. How best to feel better about oneself then to exercise right?

So how do all these random stories collide? Back in the day, I attempted to make Doogle my running buddy by dragging him on these runs, when he was just a small little non runner puppy. Now little Doogle has grown up and can probably be a better runner, if he was just trained a bit. If the non runners of the family can learn to run doing run/walk cycles. . . so can a puppy right? So today we went on our first run/walk cycle. . . just Doogle and I.

He was pretty excited at first. . . he loved the running bit. But after just a few short minutes he had tuckered himself out and slowed down a bit. The walking definitely revived him though and he was ready to run on our next cycle. We didn't do this a ton, maybe 4 or 5 times, but by the end of our run, the puppy was still keeping up. Which made me pretty happy.

So Doogle is now my official new running buddy once again. . . the title is back, wonder if the old name should come back with it??

My once in a lifetime opportunity. . .

So I had kind of a busy Saturday planned. I had been out of town last weekend and work was pretty crazy this week, so I was looking forward to getting a bunch of little tasks done today that I have been putting off or just not getting to lately. But then my friend Nephi called me and told me that today, and today ONLY, they were allowing people to walk across the newly constructed Hoover Dam bypass bridge that they have been building for the past couple of years? (Ok. . . I don't really know how long the construction has been going on, but the thing is humongous, so it has to have been quite some time).
Well- I couldn't pass up a one time only opportunity like that, so I agreed to go.

We drive the almost 45 minute or so drive in his little topless, doorless Jeep until he eventually gets sick of all my little glares in his direction and finally makes a little detour at the local CVS to get me a cap and some sunglasses. With that, the rest of the drive was definitely more bearable and a few short minutes later we arrive at the oddly enough, people-less HD Bridge.
"Uh. . . where did you find out about this, and are you sure it's today??"
He claimed to have the flier at home which he knows said Saturday the 18th. I thought that maybe we got there too late, but he was sure that it was going on until 2 pm. So we take a few pictures of the dam (bringing back some awesome childhood memories- ha-ha) and decide to head out to a movie instead.


Below is a picture of the flier I pulled up on my computer.

Stike one. . . it's not October yet
Strike two. . . neither is it the 16th

Better luck next time pal. Maybe that's why girls are better at planning things. . . :)

Eight is Great!

Cayden turned eight last month, so he got baptized this past weekend. Molly happened to get the week off work, and I am obviously not too far away, so we all went home for the weekend. Cayd actually got baptized on Bryan's birthday, so they had kind of a joint little party afterwards. If was fun to see and play with some family and friends for the one full day I was really there. The only frustrating thing about the weekend was that I kept misplacing my camera and every time there was a cute photo op it would just be gone! I could wait for my sisters to email me some pics from their cameras. . . or I can post the few I actually got, because let's be honest. . . I'm never gonna get those pics. . .




We took all the pictures a bit before the baptism actually started. So though it looks empty, it really wasn't. Cayden is one lucky kid who has so many people that love him. If I remember correctly, I think he even wrote in his new little baptism book that his favorite part of the day was that so many people were there. I think he really liked the presents too. :)

And for a little update. . . no. . . my meeting this morning did not go very well. But what can you do? At least I have this cute little face to come home to and cheer me up! :)

Dum dum dum!! (Scary music)

Just got back from my school's open house. Though these days are quite long, usually they are good days. We get to stay late at school (like I don't already do that), give all the parents a fun little run down on how the class works, answer questions, and then its all over. As the parents are leaving, they stop to tell me how much their child in enjoying my class, and how they think it will be a great year. That's when I usually realize that parents aren't really that scary afterall.
Tonight went a little different though. I had my unsmiling mom in the back. She asked a trillion questions, never nodded, smiled, or even glanced in a different direction, she just stared. Afterwards she requested a parent meeting with me. I tried to be my happy, kind self, but she would have none of that. It was very awkward. . . very cold. and when I asked if everything was alright, there was a definite hesitation before she replied that it's fine but she still wanted to see me.
I didn't buy that "fine" for a second. . .
I've never left an open house so uneasy. . . guess only time will tell what happens. . . 12 hours is what I got. . . our meeting is in the morning. Eeek . . . wish me luck!

On a side note: Doogle peed on my bed for the first time ever, then ate my pillow. Yeah. . . guess it's just one of those weeks!

I no longer have a puppy. . .

Yup, that's right, today my puppy is officially one year old. And according to puppy food, a puppy is no longer a puppy at one year old. So now, I have a DOG.
I kind of ditched him on his birthday, but did remember to stop into the pet shop on my way home tonight to buy him a little special birthday treat. Unfortunately, upon arriving home I discovered that my dog is feeling a bit under the weather. I opted out on giving him his cute puppy cupcake cookie and just gave him his present instead.

This was his new toy just a few short hours later. . . I have somewhat of a destructive dog. . .

Happy Birthday Doogle!

What do all of these pictures have in common??

I ate at all four of these places just today. Now I feel like BLEH!
Shawna's famous last words. . .

DIET STARTS TOMORROW!

Going Green

Recycling here goes out only once every other week. So this is what happens to my kitchen counters when I go out of town and miss my recycling day.

Why not put it in the garage? Well, if you think my house is small- you should see the tiny garage! Unfortunately my wee biddy car and four weeks of recycling cannot both share the space. Even with nothing else in the garage I still whack the side mirrors of the bug at least once a week just from trying to backout!

Recycling day is tomorrow! Yay!

Doogle's find!

I went for a walk with the pups. I guess I wasn't paying super close attention to him because somehow he made it back into the house before I noticed that he had an entire slice of pizza hanging out of his mouth. It was super funny. It reminded me almost of a cartoon. Why an entire piece of pizza was sitting on my neighbors porch is beyond me, and how Doogle was able to pick it up and carry it home without me seeing is another mystery. I couldn't get a picture fast enough before he ate it. :(