Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Level 3!


Folks, this is it! The last stretch of my 30 Day Shred workout. I am so excited! My arms feel more muscular, I feel more energetic, and I am exercising, which is all very good for me!


I also wanted to mention that most of the people posting online are right! Level three of the workout is easier than level 2. Well, to a certain extent.

Level two had a lot of plank moves that are really tough on shoulder and arms whereas level three has a lot more cardio.


I like the extra cardio because I found that in level two, the cardio exercises were so shoulder/arm oriented that I couldn't focus on the cardio part.


I'm excited to finish this workout and see and feel the final results. Hope all of you are feeling as healthy and happy as me!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Seven Minutes To Heaven!

Alright! So here is the cookie blog I was talking about!

René and I decided that we were going to make oatmeal cookies a couple Saturdays ago. So we found a recipe online and then we modified them by making a couple batches of coconut and raisin oatmeal cookies. They were all delicious! See?

Mmmm! Cookies in the oven!
Delicious!
Even René enjoyed them!
 And then we had the genius idea to make vanilla greek yogurt sandwiches out these fantastic cookies. That's right folks; homemade frozen yogurt sandwiches. So we buttered one cookie with yogurt and froze it. Then we put a thin "glue" layer of yogurt on the pre-frozen layer and then stuck on the other cookie.
Putting on the glue...
 Then we thaw them out a bit so they aren't as hard and shazam! Frozen yogurt sandwiches! Yummies!

Ta-da!!
And that is my delicious frozen-yogurt sandwich story!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

I Love Christmas-Time!


I love Christmas-Time! I don't care what people say about it being commercialized and annoying. You can think what you want and you can let other people's "corporate corruption" ruin Christmas for you. But there are still people in the world who love Christmas because it is a time of sharing, joy, and love.

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is the Christmas Tree. The lights are bright and beautiful, and they smell nice. They just represent beauty, cheer, and happiness. To me, anyways. And I was sad because I still didn't really have a plan for a Christmas Tree yet this year.


Then this afternoon I went on a fun date night with my step-cousin to the movies, and when I dropped her off, her family was decorating for Christmas. And I was telling them about wanting to get a Christmas Tree. Well, her dad used to own a bridal parlour that he had to decorate every year so apparently he has massive amounts of Christmas stuff. Guess what happened next!

They lent me a tree and decorations and everything I need! Just like that! I got a tree and lights and balls and a garland. They said why not since they weren't going to use it and it meant so much to me. They said that's what Christmas is all about! I was so excited!



So my plan is to put up my Christmas Tree next weekend. I cannot wait! I am so grateful to them. It's the best Christmas gift someone could ask for, sharing the Joy of Christmas. I will keep you all posted on Christmas Tree advancements.

Friday, November 25, 2011

New Delicious Snack Discovery!

I found a new fantabulous snack! Really though. Hot biscuits, with butter and honey. It is fantastic! I can't get enough of it.


You all should really give it a try! Yummy! 

Happy Friday!

Thank goodness it is Friday! It is time to link up with Amanda to talk about the things that made us happy this week. So here goes!

- I got much better at my exercise routine. I went from being able to do about two walking push-ups to doing all seven in both sets. Woohoo!


- One of my students at school asked me if I would come visit when my internship is done. It just about broke my heart but it was nice to know she would miss me as much as I will miss them.

- I listened to lots of wonderful music, appreciated it, and talked about it. It even turned one of my blog posts into a guessing game. And also getting virtually yelled at by my cousin because she thought I didn't recognize the theme from Beauty and the Beast. I also found it that this movie is coming out in 3D after Christmas! :) Thanks Chrissy!



- I got to eat so delicious soup with biscuits. This might seem kind of boring but I love biscuits. A lot. I ate five of them with my bowl. It was wonderful!

- We did a science experiment in my class and the kids loved it. We are making salt crystals and it was been working wonderfully so far. It's actually helping the kids understand the structure of crystals. Yay!

This is what they should end up looking like. Yay!

- My voice is back! I'm excited about it but my students might be a little bit less so.

- I'm taking over all of the classes next week. That's right folks. I'll be taking over a full classroom. Should be fun. I've decided I'm going to do a reading circle-type activity. I'm excited.

- I suggested Holes to a few students who didn't like reading. It has now gone viral in my classroom. Students are calling dibs on the two copies we have. It really is a great book, by the way. Check it out!


- Wednesday was a snow day! We all went to school in the morning, disappointed that it hadn't snowed and school wasn't cancelled. Then, briefly after recess, it started coming down fast and everyone was sent home at lunch. Surprise!

- We made oatmeal cookies and made ice cream sandwiches out of them and I completely forgot to write about it. They were delicious! Post to follow...

- My mom, stepdad and sister have gone to New York. You might think that it is weird for me to be happy to have been left behind from a trip but I'm happy cause I'll get to hear lots of wonderful stories when they get back. Last time they had a picture of Lucy Liu. Without them in it of course... Silly gooses!

It looked something like this. You couldn't tell it
apart from any other picture of her.
I realize that most of my happy things happened in my classroom. Well, I guess that might be because that is where I spend most of my time. But I'm hoping it has more to do with having picked the right career.

I hope all of you had a wonderful week as well. Feel free to share! :)

Thursday, November 24, 2011

More Classical...

So today, I was sitting in class marking math tests and lesson planning while waiting to go home. Of course, I was listening to classical music again. Suddenly, a piece came on and it sounded, really, really familiar. Not just "I've heard it before" familiar but like, "This was kind of a big deal and it was part of something" familiar. Then I remembered where I had heard it!

It was the whale song from Fantasia 2000!


This piece was kind of a big deal because I love whales. A lot!

While I was searching for this video, I also found a re-scored version which was pretty good. Although I like the original better.


Anyways, after listening to this clip, I realized that it wasn't the same at all. I had heard it somewhere before, though.

What I was looking for was Dvorak's 9th Symphony! More specifically, the first movement, an adagio in E minor. (P.S. Sorry for the lack of accents on his name.) But then it hit me! I totally know where I heard this song before. It was in Barbie as Rapunzel which my youngest sister used to love (almost as much as I love the whale video). That's right folks, I have watched Barbie as Rapunzel often enough to recognize a piece of classical music from it.

You hear part of it in the intro during the narration of the story and other parts of the intro when the movie's theme isn't playing.


And you also hear it when she first goes to the village, which I heard it is supposed to represent (you know, since it is also called From the New World, according to Wikipedia). You can hear it if you go to about the five minute mark in this next video.


As a matter of fact, bits and pieces of the piece play pretty much throughout the whole movie. It is kind of sad that I know this movie well enough to pinpoint specific parts where the song is noticeable. Oh well! That's me. 

Either way, the piece is absolutely beautiful. So here is a more complete, not Barbie-full version of it! Enjoy!


Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I'm One of Those Now...

So, I've become one of those exercise people. That means, I wear gym equipment all the time when I'm not at school. Really, all the time. I went from being a ballet-only, anti-gym exercise person to a just plain exercise and gym person (no time for ballet classes). So this is what I look like pretty much all of the time now...


Except inside and quite a bit more tired and sweaty looking. Just thought I'd share! 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ahhhh!

Olo! Watching Megamind in 3D; that's a whole extra dimension of awesome!

Woohoo!


Some Might Call It Lame, I Call It Cool!

Alright... So I have something to admit. I love instrumental music. But honestly, I had never paid much attention to it until the last year or so. I mean, I really enjoyed the beauty and intricacy of instrumental music that is often missing from the more modern/popular music with lyrics. But I didn't have much in my collection and I didn't often play it of my own accord.

But last year, I was seeing someone who was taking a classical music class at university and I started hanging out more with a friend who was a major classical piano player. Both of them started introducing me different musicians and music and I loved it!

Now, I can't seem to get enough of it. It is beautiful and can create any emotion. Today, in class, one of my favourites came on. It was Beethoven's Symphony number 3. The fourth movement started first. And after listening to the whole eleven minutes of that, I had to start it over and listen to the whole thing. Here is a part of it...


And then, a modern piece of instrumental music came onto my iTunes. I just couldn't believe it, I was loving it! It was an instrumental version of a song created by Imogen Heap, who is fabulous in general. But you guys should really check out this piece. It is fantastic! You can really listen to the music.


Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this mini musical aside. Have a great rest of the week!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Meaghan Smith = LOVE!


On this wonderful Saturday evening, I'm sitting in the basement while my daddy plays piano. I attempted to sing a song or two but goodness knows that didn't turn out so great with my "sexy" raspy voice. Anyways, he decided to play a song called I Know by Meaghan Smith, whom I was obsessed with a couple years ago.


I don't know how many of you have heard of her. She is a Canadian artist from Nova Scotia. Her sound is kind of jazzy and her songs are really interesting. I almost was able to go see her perform in a show with Sarah McLachlan but I was out of town for that weekend! Too bad cause that is pretty much a perfect show.

Because I love her so much, and I realized how much I miss her, here is I Know from Meaghan Smith.


P.S. She just put out a Christmas album. Haven't checked it out yet but I bet it is wonderful. Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Happy Friday!

Yay for Friday! I am so excited. I skipped my Happy Friday post last week because it was Remembrance Day. But this week, I am happy to link up to Amanda, once again, to share the positive points of our week! So here goes:

- I moved up to level two of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred exercise DVD. Before this happened, I managed to do pushups for the whole pushup time in level one! That was up to 22 from the original 8.

- I took on all the math and science classes for the week. And we decided to try math centers. It went very well.

- We got snow again! Yay! And it stayed for the whole day... It's beginning to look a teensy, weensy bit like Christmas.


- I got my first random hallway hug at school today, from a little girl in the choir. It was so cute. She came up to me as fast as you can without running, squealing: "Hello Miss Stephanie!!" and smashed into me, giving me a huge bear hug. It's great to know that students trust you and are happy to have you there.

- I figured out that playing classical music in the background as a sound gage worked to keep my 28 little ones quiet-ish during group work. Plus we get to listen to music for part of the day! Woot!

- I helped monitor the sock hop at my school. A fun song came on and a bunch of my students in the lineup made eye contact with me. So instinctively I started goofy dancing. And guess what! They weren't even embarrassed. Not even close! They totally joined in!

- My voice was gone most of the week. But this forced me to discover the delicious combination of boiling water, lemon juice, and honey. I think it might replace my tea for the next little while.

- They released the title and the trailer for the Dr. Who Christmas Special! So pumped! Can't wait to watch it!


- I finished my French book and have moved on to Alice and Wonderland. I am so excited to read this book! I'll probably be posting about it.

I'm looking forward to a restful weekend, lots of sleep, and getting rid of this cold. I hope you all had plenty of wonderful things to be thankful for this week. Have a fantastic weekend!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

One Week Later!

Holy macaroni! It is a miracle! I did... wait for it... twenty-two push ups today! That's right folks. This girl right here did twenty-two push ups.

Today I celebrated the completion of a full week of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout. And boy is it ever working. I went from doing six pushups to doing twenty-two (although I don't know if I can repeat that...). I feel way more energetic and I'm actually sleeping better at night.

My cardio was pretty good to begin with but I have definitely seen a major increase in my strength, which was my low point fitness-wise. It's nice to see results so early on because it allows you to stay motivated! The down side however, would be that it gets kind of boring to listen to her say the same things over and again for the full ten day cycles. If you want an easy solution, make a workout music mix and mute the workout video. Perfect!

The workouts are very intense but definitely do-able. If you want a quick and effective way to get in shape, check this girl's workouts out. You won't regret it!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Call Your Girlfriend!

I just found this amazing video thanks to my aunt's amazing Facebook postage. I just had to share. It is wonderful!


Yay! Christmas is on its way!

So this is going to be short and sweet because I have a cold and I'm tired. But I'm also very excited. Although this is one of the only places that I've heard of where it hasn't snowed yet, the signs of Christmas are still appearing. Here are a couple from today:

Christmas decorations are pooling in from the students. Okay... So maybe it was just one but I was still excited. What a sweet gift!


I put my iTunes on random and The Christmas Song by Celtic Woman came on. I love her Christmas CD because it sounds way more traditional and peaceful. Here is a video for the song.


Enjoy! And let your Christmas spirit shine through!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

I've Been There!


So I am watching Leap Year again and thought again about how the castle ruins at the train station looked familiar. It looked like a castle my Gramps and I visited when driving through Ireland, Scotland, and England this summer, even the little church at the bottom of the hill. But there was no tower at ours... 


Castle in the movie...


Well, guess what?! I googled it and part of it was computer generated. But the bulk of it is Dunamase Rock Castle. And I went there! It was the first thing my grandpa and I visited! How cool is that?


Look familiar? I guess I've seen it from pretty much every angle so I see the resemblance more.
I was even climbing all over the walls.


I'm pretty spoiled! It still baffles me to think of the fact that I've been to such ancient, beautiful, magical places. Thanks for the wonderful trip Gramps! I will never forget it.


Gramps and I in the "courtyard"...

More Georgie!


My mom and I had this book series that we always read when I was a teenager. The series is absolutely hilarious. I mean, funny to the point that I had to stop reading because I was crying from laughing so hard. The series was Confessions of Georgia Nicolson written by Louise Rennison.

The series is written as the diary of a 14-year-old British girl. It is kind of like a PG-13 Bridget Jones. Georgia is a super drama queen with a knack for the quirky. The first instalment in the series is called Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging. So you can just imagine what the stories are like.


Well the point is that today, I found a Georgia Nicolson movie! That's right! I watched it and it was actually pretty cool. I mean, the acting wasn't the best and it was a little cheesy but I loved it because I loved the books.


Anyways, I might not super recommend the movie but girls who read this blog. If ever you want a quick, easy, hilarious read, check this series out!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Little Princess




I think that every girl dreams of being a princess at one time or another; whether to have all the beautiful dresses you want or have a handsome prince rescue you from all your troubles. Heck! I still find myself wishing for a Prince Charming today. We all want to be swept off our feet, told we're beautiful every day, and be loved unconditionally. (Oh yeah, and live in big castles with lots of beautiful children and delicious food. Tough luck!)


But really, this quote and the story are completely heartwarming and uplifting. The little girl, Sara, is inspired by her father and an Indian woman named Maya who tells her "All women are princesses, it is our right." This knowledge allows her to overcome all of her challenges when her father disappears in the war and the school Headmistress moves her to the attic and treats her like a slave. Her belief in every day magic and her positive attitude is something I can only aspire to have.


I read this book when I was a young girl and I have watched the movie at least twice in the past month or so. I should definitely read the book again. 

For those of you who have not heard of it before, check it out. It is definitely worth it. It will make any day better. 

A Few of my Favourite Things...

I just saw a commercial that I love! Why, you ask? Well because it contains three of my favourite things. It has an Ingrid Michaelson song, red pumps, and Ritz crackers. What else could you ask for?


Friday, November 11, 2011

Lest We Forget.


"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."
              - In Flanders Fields - Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (May 3, 1915)


The choir at my school sang this at our Remembrance Day assembly. It was good to see how these children remembered. The lives lost and sacrificed to keep us safe should never be forgotten. I will forever be grateful to them. 

Still, on this day every year, I can't help but hope that some day, against all odds, this sacrifice will no longer be needed; no longer shall our young men and women need to die to keep us, and others, safe. Too many precious lives have already been lost.


Today, I am grateful. Today, I remember.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Why my mom asks me if I'm pregnant...

This might sound stupid but I think it's really funny! My mom constantly asks me if I'm pregnant and I was thinking about it the other day, and most of the time, it's for semi-legitimate reasons... So here is a short list of some of them.

1. If I get overly tired or completely overwhelmed, I cry. She always says: "You're so emotional! Are you pregnant?"

2. If I drink enough water, and wait it out, I legitimately look like I am three or four months pregnant. Ask my friend Jared, he knows. I was walking to downtown Fredericton at night once and I told him I should have gone before leaving the house. His response? "At least people don't harass pregnant women..."

3. I eat the weirdest combinations of food for snacks and I get the most random cravings. For example, one day, I ate ice cream, pickles, an orange, salt and vinegar chips, soda crackers with peanut butter, and vanilla yogurt. Random combination? I think so!

4. I constantly retain water! And there's no rhyme or reason to it. I'll get up one morning and my feet are so swollen I have trouble squeezing into my shoes. Other times, I have to grease my fingers up to pull off my ring because my fingers are so puffy I lose circulation. Try typing with numb fingers! Not so good!

5. Every so often, usually a couple times a year, I begin nesting. That's right folks! I nest! I'll scrub dust and scrub everything many times over. And then, I take everything off of shelves and out of dressers and throw it all in a pile. I sort through everything, get rid of useless stuff and re-organize all the other stuff.

This isn't the best picture of the water belly but I couldn't wait anymore!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Why I love teaching!

So as many of my readers, as well as any teachers out there know, this time of year is Parent-Teacher Meeting season! Yay!

Actually, I have been really lucky because everything has gone extremely well. You always hear interesting and helpful things during PT Meetings. But guess what? You also hear funny things. Kids really do say the darndest things!

One of the parents, who is also a teacher at the school, told me that her son keeps calling me the interndit (or something along those lines). And apparently he went home the other day telling his mom about how my lawyer came into class with me the other day. His mom said that didn't really make sense but he said he was really serious and wore a suit.

When his mom said that couldn't be right, he thought about it a little longer. He finally said: "Hmmm... You're right." He came to the conclusion  that he was my husband! Yup. He was definitely my husband. But he was an old husband. I am really so young and he was really, really old!

Guess who my husband really was. Any ideas? Huh? Huh!? It was my internship supervisor coming to evaluate me for the first time!

I thought it was the cutest rationalization of anything. Ever. So I thought I would share that funny story of the day with you.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

When I'm down, I can't get up...

Okay. So you know that Great Big Sea song? The one that goes, "when I'm up I can't get down, can't get down, can't get level"? Well, my life is the opposite right now. René and I have decided to start doing Jillian Michaels workouts. And, hoo baby! She is tough!


I am on day two of the workout. I didn't hurt too bad today but I can definitely predict everything being a little more painful tomorrow. Which is kind of a bad coincidence because I will be walking from another school to mine tomorrow with the school choir. We have started with the 30 Day Shred and we hope to move along to Ripped in 30 before I leave at Christmas time.


Anyways, we keep joking about how we can't really move and we may not be able to get up again. So obviously, me, the song-in-my-head-person, had to think of a song. So our modified version is "when I'm down, I can't get up, can't get up, can't get level." Here is the video for the original. Enjoy!


Monday, November 7, 2011

My music collection is SO random!

So, whenever people ask me what kind of music I like, I always say "Pretty much everything!" and they always get upset because they think it's a cop-out. But it is really true. I have such an array of music on my iTunes that its randomness even surprises me sometimes. For example, this weekend, I set my iTunes on shuffle and this is what resulted:

Long Day - Matchbox 20

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon

Shake It Out - Florence + the Machine

Gaston (Reprise) - Beauty and the Beast

Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel

True Colors - Glee Cast

Singing in the Shower - Sandra Boynton

It's such random songs but hey! I love it! I just thought it was funny so I decided to share.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Le Émotifs Anonymes...And a Little Bit of Star Trek...

I was so excited when I found out my dad found this movie for me.


It is a Bridget Jones-y rom-com from France. I enjoyed it so very, very much. Angélique is a member of a kind of a "dramatics anonymous" group where people with confidence issues and who seem to create drama go to talk. Angélique dreams of being a chocolatier and gets hired by a man who has his own emotional issues. But things simply don't work out as planned.


The characters are so loveable and completely human. To get her confidence up, Angélique constantly sings the confidence song from The Sound of Music. It makes me so happy because this is the song that my dance teacher chose as my "theme" during my dance years.


The actors are fabulous, with their quirks and their awkwardness. Isabelle Carré reminds me of a French Amy Adams. Benoît Poelvoorde, who plays the chocolate factory owner, gives such an honest and endearing performance. I can't get enough of it. I'm going to try to convince my dad and René to watch it today! After all the Star Trek. I think this might be the beginning of a French movie kick!


P.S. They totally quoted Peter Pan in Star Trek's Undiscovered Country. Captain Kirk just said: "Second star to the right and straight on till morning."

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Alice!


I love Alice in Wonderland! The imagination in Alice's story is amazing and everyone knows I am a huge fan of imagination. For weeks, I have had the song from the introduction of the original Disney version stuck in my head. You know the one? All the flowers...



Anyways, I finally got my copy of the movie from my mommy and I was so excited to finally be able to watch it. And then I went to my dad's house and he had the 3D version of the new Disney one. You know, the Tim Burton movie.


This version does lack the musicality of the first and is a tad bit scarier. Okay... Well quite a bit scarier. But I still love it. It has the typical darkness and creepiness we love so much in Tim Burton movies and his fellow workers. Even people who move out on their own after having worked with Burton seem to adopt his style (a.k.a. Coraline).

The point is, I tried to read the book Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll when I was younger but didn't get very far in. Everyone talks about how the author was using every drug in the book while writing it. But recently, I heard a story about how the stories were initially told to Carroll's niece and that when you go to England, you can take a tour of all the places and things that inspired Carroll's stories. Since Amanda and I are going to teach in the UK next year (at least we hope we will... Hopefully our positive attitudes will secure us a job), I hope to be able to take said tour. However, before I do so, I Must read both Through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland.


However, I am very busy and also have a huge list of books I want to read. So I make this vow on my blog; it's way more official and the pressure is much higher when written on my blog - kind of like the "Facebook-effect". I, Stephanie, shall read both of these magical stories before the end of Christmas Break and keep blogs about my progress or you, the few readers or fellow bloggers who read my randomness, shall give me a consequence. Not sure of what that is yet. Maybe you all can think of something? It is time. Read away!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Happy Friday!

Hi everyone! Thank goodness it's Friday! Time to link up with Amanda to talk about what has made us happy this past week. So here goes!

- Halloween! So much Thriller and fun times with friends and family.

- Homemade pizza! It is so delicious and you get to make it just the way you like it.


- Discovering new, wonderful blogs thanks to my fantastic friends and their suggestions.

- Discovering exactly how hilarious my cousin is. Check out her blog! René and I actually read it every day as we are making supper/doing homework! Love it!

- Heading back to the classroom after finishing my first term. The kids were happy, I was too, and I am looking forward to the interesting and life-changing experiences I am sure I will encounter along this journey.

- Watching Grey's Anatomy with my step mom who is now getting addicted to it. New Grey's Buddy?!

- Using my sandwich container for the first time.

- Finding the delicious Greek yogurt my mom bought when I was visiting her. So good! It's almost like ice cream because it is so thick. I've been eating it out of a plate! :)


- Planning and teaching an official lesson on my own for the first time. Nerve-racking but so much awesome!

- Taking long walks in Centennial Pack with Dad and René. It's so beautiful out there.

- Florence + the Machine pre-order came in! Woohoo! :)

I know this is the albums' Dog Days but it is so good (and catchy)! 
I'll find a not-single favourite and write a post about it later!

- Seeing the "light up, I get it" look on the kids' faces.

- Having a child who seemed closed up open up and tell you a joke. It's so nice that to know you are gaining their trust.

It has been such a fantastic week! I can't wait to see how next week goes. Have a fabulous weekend!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

New Girl!


Oh. My. Gosh. I just watched the newest episode of New Girl and it was absolutely hilarious! The whole episode is based on the fact that Jess accidentally saw her roommate naked. It is so awkward in that realistically embarrassed kind of way. I laughed out loud so many times!




But even better, I found out the one roommate was a basketball player from Latvia (I had a reader from there last week! Yay!) and Jess talks about the movie Fievel Goes West! What else could you ask for in a TV show? I mean, really! That is such a cute movie... With that song. You know the one?


Anyways... Back to my initial point. New Girl = Awesome! Check it out! You'll laugh. A lot.

What Teachers Make.

This week has been full of teaching and planning. It has been crazy hectic but so much fun. I have taught a couple math classes and am taking on more everyday. I have begun helping with the school's choir and have already attended a few meetings at the school or with the district.

I love all of the students and discovering their personalities and strengths. I love finding out what works for them and hearing them tell me the stories of events in their lives that they are excited about. I love receiving little gifts, that to some, might seem kinda silly but to me are the cutest expression of wanting me around (like an origami Yoda). I love seeing their face light up whenever they finally get a concept they have been struggling with.


The whole point to this is that the more time I spend in school, the more I think of what I want to achieve as a teacher; the joys and the struggles that come with this fantastic profession. The impact we can have on students and the way we can change lives is heartwarming but also scary.

And so whenever I think of my future as a teacher, I think of the video of the poem by Taylor Mali about What Teachers Make. This video was shown to us during one of our classes and it kind of went viral throughout our group. So here it is for you all. (Whoever you wonderful people all are who read my random blog.) I hope you enjoy it!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Pictures!

Went for a walk in Centennial Park. So much fun! René didn't
want to ruin her pants so she tucked them into her socks. Hot!!

So cute! This is Gavin, my friends Rosie and Sune's baby. He was
enjoying Greek yogurt with me! He started standing up but eventually just sat down.