Stumped

These past few weeks since I have gotten a job I have been working really hard trying to make sure I have everything in order when school starts- writing disclosure statements, deciding exactly how I want to run my classroom,creating all kinds of forms and policies and procedures... and of course lesson planning. I have discovered that even though planning is one of my strengths, at the same time it is one of my weaknesses. I am (at times) too much of a perfectionist and even a little OCD (yes, I am admitting to it!). Most first year teachers have 1-2 maybe 3 different 'preps' as we call them- different courses to plan for. I however, have 4.... ya, that is right 4! Luckily they are really similar in content so they aren't completely different and I can piggy back some of my lessons. I am excited because between Geography, foreign language exploration, and my exploratory course I get to teach a lot about culture! I love culture. I think it is what makes us who we are.

So here is where I am stumped... for my exploratory course I was told I could "teach anything I want" that might introduce students to geography (it is an 8th grade course). It took a lot of narrowing down because my mind was just racing at the thought of teaching whatever I want- yes, I avoided the temptation to just teach about Italy (which would be a blast! But I'm sure 8th graders aren't going to be as interested as I) so I thought it would be fun to teach about different cultures around the world because when teaching geography there is so little time to focus on cultures. I am having a hard time narrowing it down to what cultures I want to focus on... I was thinking about dividing the course by regions- No America, So America, W Europe, E Europe, SE Asia, E Asia, Oceania, and Pacific Islands....

If any of you know about or have lived in any country (particularly ones that teachers often skip over- because those are the ones I would like to teach about) and can give me a little tid bit into their culture- I would love it!

Camping in the Uintah's and a family reunion

This weekend I went camping for a few days up in the Uintah's with some friends. We went to a place called Christmas Meadows. It is incredibly beautiful and I love going up there! We had a lot of fun hanging out and playing in the river. It felt so good to get out of the city for a few days to regroup and prepare to hit it hard at the lesson planning again. I can't wait to take another little (or long) trip up there! Hopefully next time I will have more time to explore and see some of the lakes and scenery up there.The view from our camping spot... not too shabby!

Angie, Me and Erika playing in the river

Cute shot of Erika's shoes

Yes, girls can make a fire... ok, ok, I didn't build it myself but I did help!

I left early Saturday morning to head home for the Kent family swim party. Every year we have a little family reunion at my parents house. Swimming, food and fun... who could ask for more?!? It was a lot of fun to see my Grama and family that I don't get to see all that often.

My dad and Kaden playin' in the pool

Luke- My cousin Melissa's youngest boy

Uncle Brent

How can I not take pictures of my favorite boys?!?!
Kyson's all smiles

and Kaden is just chillin' he "needed to relax" (I think he got that one from his Grampa :)

Today I spent most of my day cleaning up after camping and picking up around the apartment and working on lesson plans. Just another day in the life of me!

I don't wanna grow up! Well, not today at least.

Do you ever wish you could just be a kid again? No worries in life other than 'who am I going to play with today?' or 'Do I really have to clean my room?' Well, today is one of those days for me. I have decided that growing up is just a pain in the ass some days. I'm excited to have graduated and finally having a teaching job is just over the top... but then comes money- bills, rent, car payment, insurance and just hoping to have enough left over to eat. I have a feeling I may be going back to living on top ramen for awhile. It is just frustrating not knowing exactly how much I will be bringing in a month- let alone not getting my first pay check until the end of September. I have been working my ass off the last month to try and save money so I can make it through... but who knows if what I have saved will last... and to top it off... I need to find a new apartment. I need a little space just for me and I know my roommate is feeling the same way- we are both 'space whores' (he is moreso than I) as he would say. It has been a fun year and I am so grateful that he was willing to help me out so I could stay in SLC while I finished school. But it is time to give him his house back and claim some space of my own. Luckily he is a great friend and understand my situation too.. so it's not like I have to move out tomorrow but when I can- and to tell you the truth, I'm really getting kinda anxious to move on.

Don't ask me how this is going to work because I still haven't quite figured that one out yet. I'm thinking I may try to strike up a deal to stay in the same building (I have a neighbor that is moving out- though everything-I mean everything- would have to be replaced first because his place smells of curry and cigarette smoke and I don't think I could handle that!)-- but at the same time, I am starting to think it would be nice to move somewhere new... I have toyed with the idea of buying a condo or townhome (haha like I can afford that)- but I'm sure I will probably stick with renting... but where (we all know that housing prices are ridiculous in this city)? should I move closer to work? and if I do, how will I find such fun and single people- my friends and neighbors have become like family to me and it is nice being around a bunch of people who are in the same boat as I am- yay for being single! (plus there is nothing worse than being known as 'the single person' in a neighborhood full of families- not to mention how lonely that could be), and most importantly- could I ever find a place so affordable with such great neighbors (that isn't in the creepy part of town)?

I'm just one of those crazy people who freaks out about the unknown... even though deep down I know for a fact it will all work out... somehow. Anyway, sorry for the rant. Just had to get it off my chest.

"Let's go to the Zoo!"

Everytime I think of goign to the zoo I think of the quote from the movie Jerry McGuire. "Let's go the the zoo Ray," "The f&$@'n zoo's closed!" Tyler should appreciate that because he used to quote it all the time... maybe that is why I think of it...

Today I took Kaden to the zoo. It was such a fun trip. I have been wanting to do something- have Kaden and me time (so I could spoil him of course!) for a while now but my schedule has been insane.. even I have a hard time keeping up with it! So we finally found a day that would work and we went.

The zoo was a blast. Kaden loved all the animals and I loved his silly excitement about everything. When we went to see the zebra's he pointed and said giraffe. I showed him the picture of the zebra and the giraffe and told him that zebra's have stripes and giraffe's have spots.. he still kept getting them mixed up but it was adorable. Being the best aunt ever that I am, I HAD to take him on the train. He loved it. It was all smiles.

Kaden showing off his ticket for the train as we waited in line. He was so excited!

Kaden on the train

Kaden and I on the train

By the time we left I think he was completely worn out but refused to admit it... always wanting to see "more the animals!" I got him in his seat to head back home and he was passed out from exhaustion before we even left the parking lot!

It was a fun filled day- I was pooped by the end too. It's a lot of work chasing around a 2 yr old at the zoo with so many fun things to see!

Here are a few of the animals Kaden LOVED to watch!

I'm not sure what these birds are called- but Kaden loved to look at them!

The Giraffe's

How can you not love the albino aligator/crocodile (I don't know which it is)

We had to go look at the elephants 2 or three times because he kept wanting to see the "animals with horns" It was funny because we would get there and he would cover his ears like he was afraid it was going to get really loud... it could be because of the larger than life elephant they have that you can take take pictures by- when you get near it it makes noises... He wasn't a big fan of it... I tried to bribe him to take a picture on it but even that didn't work!

Both of us had a blast watching this peacock. He is just gorgeous!

This was an attempt to get him with the Llama's but they went into hiding just before I took the picture.

We watched the tiger for at least 10 minutes. He was completely enthralled by it!

Just a few more fun shots of Kaden. He had fun playing on the fence while we waited to ride the train!

Thanks for coming to the zoo with me Bugaboo!!! I had lots of fun!

Memories

My friend Karen posted a fun memory game that I thought I would test out. Here is how you play:

1- As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a lot or a little... just anything you remember.
2- Once you have done that, re-post these instruction on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is pretty funny to see the responses!

Lesson Planning Hell

So, another Friday night at work and I should be working on my lesson plans- because that is what I do at work. But I'm in lesson planning hell. So much to plan for and yet I'm not quite sure how to go about it all. I have made some progress however, there is still so much to do. I have discovered that when they say "you can teach what ever you want" it makes the whole planning process much more difficult because I think oohh, I can teach about this... or that... or this... or some other random thing. It has taken a while but I think I have the basic ideas mapped out in my head for all my classes- now I just have to get them on paper and plan my life away! UFFAH!

My Daily Horoscope

So I have had a hard time lately motivating myself to do some of those necessary evils in life like cleaning my room and doing laundry. Last night I decided I HAVE to get it done today before I go to work so I don't have to worry about it during my 'work week'. Continuing with my daily ritual, I got up and checked my email and all that fun stuff. On my homepage I have igoogle with some fun stuff like the Italian newspapers, CNN, my email inbox and my daily horoscope. As usual I thought I would humor myself with my horoscope. I don't really believe in following horoscopes but sometimes, they just fit. Today's was just that. And I found it humorous considering what I had decided last night...


"Some days you are quite content to go along with the flow of events as they unfold. But you'll do better today by making a plan and sticking to it. Prioritizing what you want to accomplish now is only the first step. Allot specific amounts of time for each task or appointment and then move on to the next. You can always come back later in the day or tomorrow to finish what's still left undone."

So, I guess that means I better get to work and finish my list of to do's! Luckily I have already gotten my room clean. It's still chock full of junk, but at least I feel like I can breath. It will be so much better once I do finally get my classroom!!!!

This definately isn't "Grama clean!"

If you knew me as a child, these pictures would not be a surprise to you at all. Considering back then, you were lucky to see any carpet. Unless of course Grama B was coming to visit then it had to be "Grama clean". Since I have been on my own I have become quite the clean freak. I honestly don't know the last time my room has been this messy- I'm going nuts!! Of course, considering the size of my room and apartment for that matter, it is hard to find a place for everything. I'm hoping that once I get my classroom, I can clear out a lot of stuff.. And that is exactly what it is... stuff.

This is my front room... on a clean day.. notice all the camping gear, fans and who knows what else!

I will have to post a few pics once everything get organized and clean once again!

"Sassy"

Sassy is my name and fun is my game!

Of course we can't forget that my check engine light doesn't come on, my emergency brake actually works (really well!) oh, and of course, my air conditioner kicks ass!

Just a few pics of my new car! I'm pretty stoked. I am having a lot of fun driving it. It is a lot different from driving my saturn- and all in good ways!

Hangin' with the fam pics!

Last week when I was home hangin' with the fam I played photographer as usual. And now that I am not at work (for some reason I can't upload photos when I am at work... BOH!), I am able to upload them.

Thanks for always letting me play photographer! It is one of my favorite things to do!!!

Kaden's "CHEEZZZZZ" face

Kyson and Grama

How can you not just fall in love with this face??!?!?!

I don't know about that look, it looks kinda 'phishy' to me!

Darci and Kyson. Adorable. That's all I have to say about that!

The Crazy Week Gets Better!

It is 2:57am Sunday, I am taking a little break from planning out the courses I will be teaching this year... I'm excited- 1 course totally mapped out, now I just have to plan it all (AAAHHHHAHAH)!

So the week started out kinda crazy but by Thursday it got a lot better. Car problems solved! Solution: Trade in the old POS Saturn and buy a new car! Yup, that's right, I bought a new car.. Thursday morning after I got off work I slept for about 2 hours and then picked Derek up from the train station (it is so funny to say we have a train station here!) and we went car shopping. I wasn't planning on buying a car. In fact, he and I had planned on going car shopping that day for about 2 weeks now- crazy how things work out! So, off we went. We headed down to Sandy because I well, being the Karl Malone fan that I have ALWAYS been, wanted to check out the new location of Karl Malone Toyota not for the cars but for the museum o' Karl Malone... ya, I know, I need help! Anyways, while in Sandy we looked at the Nissan dealership- where I test drove a Nissan Versa- not impressed. I felt like I was driving a plastic bubble... It reminded me A LOT of my days driving a Geo Metro... so I scratched that idea- never mind the fact that the sales guy was ridiculously pushy- I wanted to smack him. I told him the only way I would even consider buying from him was if he sold it to me for $16.00. So, off we went to check out the Honda Fit. I didn't like those either. I have fallen in love with the Toyota Matrix but reluctantly realized that they are a bit out of my price range. So, I thought (actually it is more like I gave into the idea) I would check out the Scion xD- not the one that looks like a toaster on wheels (I hate those ones!) but the hatchback. It looks a lot like a Matrix but is a little smaller and actually in my price range. So I test drove it and really liked it. So, Derek and I headed back downtown to check out Mark Miller Toyota where they had an '08 with all kinds of extras with the right price. So, when I got to the point I was seriously considering it, I asked them about trading in my Saturn and so they looked at it and I got a whopping $300 for it... which I actually find quite comical considering the shape it was in- check engine light on, no AC, and a broken emergency break... I happily took the $300 and signed my name on the dotted line....
This is a picture I just took from the internet but it gives you an idea of what I'm now cruising around town in! Pictures to come- once I finally take some of course!-

A Crazy Week.. and it's only Wednesday- but my Monday!

So far this week has proven to be kinda crazy.... nothing too terrible, just busy and a lot to deal with!

Sunday morning when I got off work I headed up to Clearfield for Kyson's baby blessing. It was great. Ty did awesome and the boys were cute as ever! After the blessing we all headed over to Tyler and Darci's house for refreshments and to visit. By the time it was time to leave, I was more than ready- only because I hadn't slept in over 24 hours- and still had to go to work that night; so I hopped in my car hoping for an easy drive back to SLC, considering it was Sunday and all... Boy was I wrong! Just after I passed the exit in Farmington, all traffic came to a halt... I later found out that a few cars had been racing in the construction zone which resulted in a nasty wreck and the shutting down of I-15 for a while. Luckily I was only stuck for 45 minutes. I was about to pull the blanket out of my trunk and take a nap on the freeway! And in the middle of all of this, my a/c in the car died that morning! Just my luck! Eventually, things got moving and I got my nap in before heading back to work.

Monday I spent my day sleeping, running errands and cleaning until later that evening when I met up with my friend Veronica and her boyfriend for dinner and drinks. She has been wanting me to meet him for quite some time now and finally I was able to! Yay! He is a really good guy and I am so happy for them! Dinner was a lot of fun. We went to the Bayou which is on State St. and about 6th South. It was so yummy! While we were there I also ran into a guy I knew when I lived in Sugarhouse a few years ago- it was so random yet wonderful! Good times!

Tuesday was another day of eating with friends! I met up with Pam and Nikki, two of my favorite friends from high school. It was kinda crazy because I don't remember the last time I had seen either of them. Both of their families have grown and they have the most adorable kids- not as adorable as my nephews, but they come pretty close! I am so glad we finally were able to do lunch and catch up!

After lunch I headed to Mom and Dad's house and waited for Dad to get off work so we could (yet again) take my car in to get checked out- My car seems to have this fascination with having the check engine light on lately- so we had them reset it (yet again) and take a look at the a/c... after waiting an hour and a half and phone calls from hungry people (we were picking up pizza on our way back) we found out the machine to work on the a/c had been broken... so I had to stay the night and hope they could get it working by morning...

Once we got home we had pizza and swam- can't go to Mom's without swimming! Ty, Darc and the boys were over and we had a blast! I (of course) took a bunch of pictures... I think in their former lives these boys were fish! They both love swimming... I guess that is a good thing because they fit right in with the rest of us! Pics to be posted later!

Today I got up early so that I could take my car back in to the shop... since everyone else was working I was stuck roaming the streets of Clinton until it was done- ended up being a good 2 hours or so... I think I roamed every store possible! So, after all that time and $70 later, I found out it would cost $1,100 to fix it... My exact words to that were "HOLY SHIT, that's more than my car is worth! " So, I paid my $70 and off I went... or so I thought... I went to Smith's to fill up my car (since I shop at Smith's so much I always have a little discount- can't pass something like that up these days!). filled up the car and guess what, the check engine light is back on.. So I headed back to the shop and had them check it again- Same as usual... so off I went again with the realization that I get to go without a/c for the rest of the summer till I can afford a new car... oh the joy! It will definately make me appreciate my new car- once I get one!

It is always funny the curve balls life throws at us when we least expect it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining- rather, I am laughing hysterically because this is always the time when stuff like this happens and if nothing else, it makes for great stories!

I finally made it back to SLC with just enough time to relax for a few hours- (even if I wasn't able to sneak in a nap at least I got to relax) before heading back to work and starting my work week... I think it is going to be a LONG night!

Pics from Camping

I was finally able to upload some pictures from my camping trip. Yay!

This is the Stillwater Dam- the back side of it anyway, it was so full water was just spilling over the edge. It was quite the sight to see!

As many of you know one of my favorite things to take pictures of is flowers. Here are a few that I was able to get during the trip:

It is amazing how much fun one can have taking pictures of and eye bolt! I found this bold in the grass while we were at the dam. I think I took about 20 pictures of it!

The lone tree-

A fun little bridgeEven though it is the middle of summer, spring run off seems to still be going strong- as we drove up the switch backs, there were small waterfalls everywhere you looked!

Looking at all these pictures again makes me want to go camping again! Hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to make a quick trip at least up to the Uintahs!

Camping, playing mechanic, and a 4th of July BBQ for 1

This week my parents went camping with some friends at a place called Rock Creek which is just outside of Duchesne. I had a few days free so I decided to join them for a night and get out of the city for a bit. It was so beautiful and green up there in the mountains. I wish I could have stayed a few more days! Most of the time I was up there we spent seeing some of the spectacular sites to be seen in the area. The Stillwater Dam is just up the road from the campground- it was so full water was spilling over the edge- it was quite the site to see! There were also a few trails within the campground that were well worth checking out. I loved taking pictures of all the wildflowers and trees.
On Wednesday before I headed back to Salt Lake, we took a drive up the "switchbacks" I'm not sure if that is what it is really called or that is just the nickname of the road that takes you all the way to the top of the mountain, needless to say, the name fits- It was a beautiful drive. There were even some areas that still had snow! It would have been a great picture to see me trying to climb a little hill through the snow and mud wearing flip flops as I tried to get a shot of one of the many small waterfalls that we saw along the way.

My car has been acting up a lot lately so we (a.k.a.- my dad) has spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the deal is and getting it to a point where I at least don't wonder when it is going to break down next. So, last week before camping, we got the car tuned up and found out that we also needed to replace the mapping sensor (whatever that does), which we had just replaced maybe 3 weeks ago... again. Since we had done it so recently, we were able to switch it out for free... Tuesday before heading out, we stopped at the Saturn dealership in SLC to switch out the part, but they had sent it up to Riverdale... so, we went camping and Dad showed me how to switch it out. So, I got to play mechanic and switch out the part- I must have done something right considering the car is still running!

Friday, for the 4th, I decided to have a BBQ for 1 since most everyone I know was out of town and I had to work all weekend (don't take this as complaining- cuz I'm not doing that at all, I quite enjoyed getting paid time and a half plus differential!). I decided to grill me a burger and even made macaroni salad too! It was nice to relax and enjoy the evening- I was even able to see some of the fireworks across the valley from my porch before heading back to work!

I have been trying to upload some of the photos from the camping trip but for some reason it won't work- maybe because I'm trying to do it at work, who knows.... I will be sure and post them as soon as I can get them up!