Taking Care Of My Body At Aveda

Today Meredith and I went to the Aveda Institute which is in Provo. She is strongly considering being a student and studying esthiology there. Everything smells so incredible in that place.

We got the most amazing and relaxing, complimentary facials that felt like a whole body experience. They massaged our arms and feet as well. It was all about me and my skin care needs. They answered all my questions and it was fantastic. It is a school so you can get a very reduced price on all the services they offer there. The company focuses on the pure and organic components of whole body wellness and I love that. I bought a daily face care kit as well as a curl product for my hair and a tinted moisturizing foundation and powder. I am so excited about all of it and can't wait to begin taking better care of my skin. Before, I never moisturized and hardly put foundation and powder on. Make up can feel heavy and I don't like the idea of putting crazy stuff on my skin. I want it to feel light and natural. I want to glow!!

If you are a student anywhere you can get a 5$ haircut. They give you a choice of aroma to use throughout the experience. They massage your scalp and wash your hair as well as give a mini facial. It is checked by 3 people so that you are satisfied. Such a great service for such a small cost.

The Most Attractive Love Letter

This evening I found a beautifully wrapped present and a beautiful love letter on my bed. Husband Bear loves to design for things he is passionate about, so why not design a letter describing his deepest love for me? His letter was so beautifully written and made me cry. I wish I could be as funny as he is when I write serious things. I wish I could frame the letter because it is so tender and beautifully designed. Instead we are hanging it in our living room with the other design stuff that inspires us.

The gift?! Well, Andrew bought me some awesome new shoes!

It is nice to get a gift every once in awhile. Giving gifts is not our primary or secondary love language, so this is quite a treat. Time is my love language, then touch. His is words of affirmation and then touch. We've got the touch thing down but I am always working on the words of affirmation and being more needy. That is actually why I have this blog. I write my feelings much better than remembering to say them. Whenever he wants, Andrew gets to read about how much I love him and what I am thinking.

Opposites Attract

Last weekend we had a lovely conference weekend with friends. Aaron Krall, a friend of Andrew's, stayed over and did F.H.E. with us and Debra Lowe. We watched Ghostbusters afterwards.

This past weekend we drove down to St. George for my nephew, Seth's, baptism. We got to see Joy and Quin's family and of course Josh and Candie. I love being with family and it was so fun to spend time with Candie's family. We ate pizza and talked and sang. Andrew and I realized how beautiful Ivins is and put it on our list of places where we could eventually settle down. We rode down with Meredith and as usual we created new inside jokes and helped her figure out her life some more.

It was so nice for Andrew and me to just be able to focus on each other for a bit. We were able to figure out our brain types. Andrew is an ENFP and I am an ISTJ. For those of you who are not familiar with this test, that means we are complete opposites when it comes to how we get our energy, process information, make decisions, etc. I guess we complete each other. I am so glad we are understanding of our differences. It takes hard work to make a successful marriage and I am so in love with my husband, especially because he is different from me. It makes our lives more interesting. I keep him organized and he helps me have more fun.

Our first buy from....wait for it....wait for it..... Anthropologie!

When we got married a year and 9 and a half months ago, we bought bedding. We have realized that our taste, well mostly Andrew's which has rubbed off on me, has changed. Our old bedding was from Target and was ruined after its first ride in the washing machine. The color bled out. We just gave it all to DI at the beginning of the Summer and have been sleeping with a blanket.

Now that Fall is approaching and we need something more substantial, plus we finally had money to pay for it, we decided to go on a hunt for new bedding. After searching online for hours we chose this gorgeous quilt and Euro shams, new 300 count white sheets, and a scallop edged bedskirt. We LOVE it! It goes so well with our Urban Outfitters tapestry and new bed frame we bought at Ikea when we bought furniture for our living room (see our previous blog entry What're ya kiddin' me? We got ourselves an apartment here!) Wish we had curtains but not enough to do anything about it/spend more money. In this picture notice the chinese lantern hanging from the fan and the Mac products on and near the side table (that's just how we roll.)

This is our new poster from Ikea that my Graphic Designer husband had to have, as well as a travel size Ukulele/ Guitar (we honestly don't know which one it is) that we mounted on the wall.

In this picture notice the lovely Parisian picture above our dresser that my mother in-law Debbie gave me as a graduation picture. It's small but I love it.

Before Anthropologie bedding came into our life, our room was pathetic. Now I am so excited to actually make the bed in the morning and hang out in this room.

A Big Pet Peeve

People who speak English,

First of all, I hope the poster above makes you cringe when you read it. Will people ever stop using "your" and "you're" incorrectly? Today I saw "your hot" written on a car with car chalk and it just pushed my tolerance for this ubiquitous mistake over the edge.

If you went through 5th grade then you should be able to use these homonyms correctly. In fact, I think I might fight the school system in favor of a "No graduation until you can demonstrate the difference between these homonyms and promise that you will never use them incorrectly" standard. It is not hard. You use "your" when you talk about possession (ex: I love your new car). You use "you're" as a contraction for when you want to say "you are" (ex: You're hot). The End!

If a person makes this mistake, I automatically have less respect for their intelligence. It would probably be kindest if I assume that they are ignorant of the rule, BUT I am not perfect. Please be vigilant and try to correct or inform people that do not follow this grammar rule. PLEASE!

Side note: I sound like Lynne Truss, the author of "Eats, Shoots and Leaves." The lady does fight for a good cause.

Interesting Substitute Teacher Experiences

I had an interesting last couple of days subbing and I wanted to write about them.

I was at a school for severely disabled high schoolers the other day. I had worked with this demographic before and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it this time but it was also a lot scarier. I could not be a teacher or aide in these classes because it would break my heart every day. One boy with autism attacked another student and the aide had to try and pull him off. She screamed at him to stop and hit him before she finally got him loose and cornered him up against the wall while restraining his arms and still yelling at him that what he did was wrong. It was intense and I was scared to be around him for a while, especially since it was such a small thing that set him off. He attacked the aide one more time and I just thought how hard it would be to be his mother who has a couple of severely handicapped children like this.

There was another girl in there who was schizophrenic. I was thinking afterwards about how she should probably be at a mental hospital instead, right? Anyway, she had an episode where she was screaming at this invisible being and getting extremely mad for quite a while. It was scary because she screamed at me once too. I was not in my element so naturally all of this was uncomfortable.

But, as always, there was a sweetness and innocence in every single person's eyes that touched me. Their handicaps are not who they really are and they will be made perfect and live with God after they die. They are such special spirits and I enjoyed seeing their true feelings (whether it was love, frustration, anger, etc.). That was a good reminder that I should be more like that (but have more control) as well as remember that I am so blessed with a sound mind and a healthy body.

I also substituted in a fourth grade class and as always was worn out from substituting for elementary school. They do not understand that things will go differently with a sub. They ask way too many unnecessary questions and all at the same time. Tattle-telling is inevitable and this time there was a girl obsessed with the idea that Bloody Mary was trying to kill her. My reply to that was that B.M. (as the kids called it, lol) did not like school work so if she did hers then B.M. wouldn't bother her. What did she want me to say? Oh, I will go get my B.M. repellent or maybe we should go in a room with mirrors, turn off the lights, and say her name 3 times so she will leave. I can't believe that kids still believe in her. I remember going on a hunt for her when I was a kid.

I dealt with my first huge verbal fight where the boys were extremely mad at each other, crying, and saying horribly mean things which included, "I would rather kill myself than be his friend" and, "I'm going to beat him up really badly." I was sure that their friendship was over after they were sent to the office to work it out. An hour and a half later they came back into class as giddy as a meadowlark and best friends again. That would never happen if they were girls.

Lastly, I had a girl who tried to suck up to me so she could get on the good student list, which got a big prize when the teacher returned. I had not taught them anything all morning because I administered a test, took them to P.E. and took them to get pictures taken. After lunch she wrote me a note that was absolutely hilarious and soooo fake (emotionally). I hardly knew this girl and this is the note:

Dear Mrs. Beak,

You are such a great teacher. I love you so so much. I would not know what in the world I would do without you.

From,

(Student)

P.S. When will Mrs. (Real Teacher) be back?

What Are My Hobbies?!

I need to remember the things that are my hobbies AND DO THEM. I just remembered after playing volleyball with my friends that I love sports, especially volleyball and soccer, and I claim them as hobbies yet I don't do them that much anymore. I don't have a group that plays weekly and I'm not on a team so I don't play. I used to play intramural soccer at BYU :( I also love performing but don't do that either, another group activity. The closest I come is singing in ward choir. The other thing is that if I want to be in a great show, I have to audition against BYU performance majors whose life is the stage and I am way out of practice. Anyway, I just miss doing the things that I did so much in high school. Now all I do is watch movies, shows, or read and work out. Those are all individual hobbies, if you can call watching movies or shows a hobby. Granted, it takes more effort to do sports and performing but I miss them and should put that effort in. Can anybody help me?

I just found a new hobby. I am really jealous of the cooking skills that my friends have. I want to be a better cook and try new recipes. My problem is that I figure if I buy some obscure ingredient, I will never use it again and it is expensive to buy tons of new ingredients. I cook like this: Put some frozen chicken cordon blue in the oven, boil pasta and slap some store bought sauce on it, then defrost the frozen corn. That isn't real cooking and I want to be more legit. Tonight I realized that I can make homemade bread. Yes that is cornmeal for the texturization of the bottom of the bread.

What is my favorite food in the entire world? Bread and cheese. Figures, I'm a French teacher. Why don't I buy a ton of flour and yeast and make something that I will eat all the time? This is where I am starting on my journey to expand my cooking horizons. Thanks to our Relief Society cooking/baking group, I am having this epiphany. You might be saying, "Duh Ashley. Everyone makes their own bread," but I am a late bloomer in the "take effort to actually make good food" realm. For some reason I had it in my mind that you needed a bread maker to make bread. This is exciting! I can make my favorite food often and in my own kitchen.

Surprise Visit From Family

Last Friday we went to a rooftop concert in downtown Provo. We were there with Aurora and Jeff and had a delightful dinner beforehand (well actually the Mexican food made me feel sick). They are leaving for New York and will be starting their adventures on the big stage. We also spent time with Cody and Amy Fehlberg. We ran into Shanti too. It was a big party but we were disappointed with the main event. We went to support Imagine Dragons since Andrew loves Dan, but we realized that they are not writing music like theyused to and we just were not fans of the music.

Joy's family drove up for the weekend and we had SOOOO much fun just being with them. On Saturday we took them on a tour of our work places, then we ate at J Dawgs and did a tour of BYU. They reminisced about the olden days as students here and then we took them on a tour of Andrew's home that he grew up in. We went to dinner at the delectible California Pizza Kitchen and then headed over to see Meredith's apartment. That is when we met Meredith's boyfriend, Rick. We like him, and we do not always like the guys she goes with. He is pretty neat. We came back and played "Balderdash Beyond," our favorite game,

and then topped the night off with some ice cream. Macey's ice cream counter had closed for the night so we were sad. We bought drumsticks instead.

We ate them out by our car and told Tian to do his best model pose. He doesn't understand sultry yet.

Our Sunday was packed with church stuff but after church we had sausage, egg, and cheese biscuits with waffles. Me love! We headed up to Salt Lake to visit the gravesite of Quin's mother, Rowena. We saw former President Hinckley's gravesite too. We took a tour of the conference center and rooftop. After we parted and said goodbye to them, Rick, Mer and us went to a nearby park called Memory Grove Park. It is a gorgeous park and it reminded me of how much I appreciate them. That was one of my favorite parts of Paris. There were parks everywhere and they were just there for beauty, not for sports but rather for leisure walking.

School Starts

School has started for Andrew at BYU and for me as a teacher. Andrew loves his classes which are mostly Graphic Design classes within the BFA. He loves the BFA because he has the best teachers in the program and he gets to take classes in the coolest looking rooms. The walls are made of steel and they attach designs on them with magnets. Pretty sweet.

Tonight all the Juniors who just got in are going to Salt Lake for class and they get to have dinner together and watch an artistic movie. Apparently they are all going to NYC in February. We have to start saving for him to go on that trip. That's really fun for him though! Vada is doing really well; keeping busy and making money.

My first day of classes went really well. I gave everyone a syllabus and talked about how to succeed in a language class. The best part was the nutella and bread we partook of. I teach 4 girls who are in French 2, and one who is French 3, but they are all in the same class. The other class is made up of 14 kids in French 1. I am excited to get back to teaching what I love and create lessons that I love. I have good kids and they seem to enjoy class. I made them laugh when we practiced doing a French "r" sound by purring like a cat from the back of the throat. I make them do things that might be uncomfortable and I love it. I have a lot of free time still. Substituting is not picking up so I am reading a lot and I definitely have time to work out everyday. I feel bad that Andrew is working about 30 hours/ week and he is taking 14 credits. By the time he gets home he is exhausted and just wants to be with me, not work out. He is trying to work out as much as he can so he can lose weight, but I am way more interesting than exercise. Here is a picture of the school I work at.

French Teaching Job

This past week I accepted a job teaching High School French about 8 hours a week at a local charter school in Provo. I am so glad that the job is close and that I get to use my skills in teaching French. The school is called Walden School for Liberal Arts and it is very granola and laid back. There are couches in the classes! I will be sharing a room with a teacher and the school doesn't know if I will even have a projector to use so I can show power points or videos. It would be ideal if we had textbooks and workbooks as well as small white boards and markers but I don't even know if we will have those things. And I thought it was hard being a teacher in a public school.

I will continue substituting unless another opportunity to teach part-time comes my way. So far this makes 3 part-time jobs that I possess. I am also working for a local tutoring business after the school hours. How much I work for that depends on the demand for tutors in English, study skills, reading, or even French (that would be a miracle). Oh how I long for a full-time teaching job with a salary and benefits. One job where I can focus all of my energy and know that I go there everyday.

The Demolition Derby

Saturday night, we attended the Demolition Derby with Debbie and Jenny's family. I had never ben to one of those and it was awesome! There were tons of dilapidated cars that kept running into each other and tried to make the other cars stop working. There were engine fires, rolled over cars, and lost tires. It was quite entertaining and very hick-like. There was also a motocrossed show where motorcyclists jumped these ramps. One guy didn't land his jump but he was totally fine. It takes courage to participate in that stuff.

There is No End and No Beginning

The big thing on my mind this week was a funeral. A friend in the ward, who has only been married a year like many in our ward, had complications with her pregnancy and delivered her baby boy 4 months premature. They are such a strong and amazing couple. She fought hard to keep from delivering but it was the will of the Lord that this happened. Her baby lived for two hours and they were able to hold him and give him a name and baby blessing. This would be such a hard thing to go through. It broke my heart to hear the news of their loss. I was able to help organize a luncheon for the family after the funeral. It gives me such joy to be able to serve and help people when they honestly could not do it themselves. It is so important that we give service to our fellow man. I felt like I was being a conduit for the Lord's love for this family. The funeral was absolutely beautiful and I was reminded of how amazing the plan of salvation is and how precious that knowledge is. That child was so special that he did not have to prove himself through the trials of mortality. He will be exalted with Heavenly Father. His family will see him again and this suffering mother can take comfort in the fact that she will be able to raise him in a perfected environment. So many comforting words were spoken and there was so much love and support for the family. The church is so well organized and the principles taught bring hope to a dreary world.

I had another job interview this week, since none of my previous ones have gone to fruition. The future is still unknown but I am trying my best to use my skills and expand my skill set. I need challenges in my life to help me progress professionally. I need something stimulating for my brain.

Andrew and I have started reading "Lord of the Flies" together. We enjoy reading and this is Andrew's favorite book from high school reads. We read all the "Hunger Game" series together and before that it was "Eclipse," but we couldn't finish "Breaking Dawn" because it was just rediculous. I am reading "The Help" on my own and am quite enjoying it.

Our friends Cassi and Drew just returned from a year in China. It was so fun to catch up a bit with them. We forgot how much we like them. We got them gourmet cupcakes since they have been eating boring and wierd food for the past year.

Oh, I started taking prenatal vitamins because you should start taking them atleast a year before you get pregnant. It makes your body all prepared with the stuff that makes your child healthy. I don't know if it is really necessary because a billion people don't take them and their babies turn out fine after having been birthed by the mother personally in the middle of a jungle in Laos. I on the other hand have been exposed to crazy things in the American food that I eat and there are tons of chemical that I injest. If anyone is more likely to have miscarriages and complications during pregnancy, it is the American woman. I also have fears about birthing a child with some complication that will need to be dealt with during his/ her lifetime. After seeing what happened to my friend in the ward recently, it is scary to know that things could go wrong with someone who thought she was perfectly healthy. Vitamins are good for you anyway and these make your nails grow really fast.

Big Changes

Well today was an emotionally crazy day for both of us.

I realized I did not receive the job that I interviewed for a couple of weeks ago. It was the last French teaching job I had seen and sent in an application for. I would have LOVED to teach there but they offered it to a girl who graduated with me. Now I am starting to accept that I will not be teaching for a year and if I apply next year there will be just as many applicants and I will not have furthered my experience in teaching French. I don't know what to do with my life right now. I guess I could try for any job in the world right now since I have no real goals for the next year. I can continue substituting but I don't really feel like I'm using my teaching skills all that often, plus I went to college so I don't get paid only $10/hour. It is not a steady job and sometimes it is really boring. I will keep it if I have no other option. I have sent in some applications for tutoring jobs. That might pay more but I'm not going to be helping kids with French which is what really makes me happy. There are other aspects of teaching that might be available like a teacher's aide or something. I just feel like I am not being given the opportunity to use this awesome skillset that God has given me and that I have worked hard to get better at. It is so frustrating and it makes me sad. I want to have a job with benefits and be busy. Does that mean I need to look elsewhere? Maybe God is trying to tell me to leave my professional goals behind and focus on starting a family. I had it all worked out so that I could teach for at least two years, Andrew would graduate, and then we would start a family. I want more time with just Andrew and I really want a big girl job. Uggghhh! I know that things don't always work out like you think. I am just trying to come to terms with reality and how it is not meeting my expectations at all. I will then come to peace with this and do what I feel shall come next on the "Adventures of Ashley."

Andrew has been working on the idea of expanding Vada. He did not know how to make it happen but he has too much demand and not enough resources to supply that demand. A once in a lifetime opportunity has arrived where he is teaming up with his coworker Russell who will run the business and finance part of their creative studio. Russell's Dad will be investing the money to help the business get going. All of Andrew's biggest fears about expanding his business have been calmed by getting other people involved to help him. It is really amazing and really scary for him! I have all the faith in him that he can make this take off and really happen. Like I have said before, he is such a good people person and knows how to make his visions a reality. Vada will become an LLC, he will hire more designers, programmers, illustrators, etc, they will be renting out space and creating a studio for the team to work in: All the works! This is going to be legitimate and Andrew is going to do so well. It is a little bit too much for him to emotionally handle because it seems too good to be true and he has never dealt with so much money before. I am proud of him for going out there and doing this. I know he will rock it!

Lake Powell Trip

Our ward had the lovely opportunity to go to Lake Powell this past weekend. We rode down with the Felsteds and shared great stories with great friends. We arrived and put all our things on the houseboat. There were a billion spiders on the marina! We slept outside under the stars. The next morning we had french toast and then headed out on the smaller boat to discover the canyons. The rock was red and the water was so nice. We went through a canyon and swam. Many people did some cliff diving. It was so fun to get to know more couples in the ward. We did a lot of laughing. Sister Harward got a group of people to take a floating table into the lake and play the card game BS. We had little spiritual messages each night and had great meals. We all pitched in to clean the boat but our car stayed behind to help bishop move the boat under cover. Sadly the motor or something was dead and they had to tow it. We waited around for quite a bit and when we did get on the road, we took a wrong turn and ended up driving an hour and a half longer. All in all, it was such a blast to live on a boat for a couple of days and play in the beautiful canyon.

What're ya kiddin' me? We got ourselves an apartment here!

Last week we went on a double date with Meredith and had a fun picnic. That night we drove up to Jeff's house to spend the night. The plan was to do a pioneer hike but it turns out it was actually yesterday. We ended up walking around a park and around the Bonneville Trail. The trail was gorgeous because it overlooked all of the valley. Andrew and I went to Ikea afterwards and got lots of new and beautiful furniture.

We got a new desk of glass that stands on two easel type legs. Our tapestry came in and we got two new chairs. One is see through and soo cool. Can you find it in the picture? We picked up a new bed frame too because it was inexpensive and soo attractive and Anthropologie-esque. We also got a picture for our room that is the alphabet in a pre-helvetica typeface (Andrew fell in love with it). We spent hours putting everything together Saturday night. We actually enjoy putting Ikea furniture together. We were giddy about our new look for the apartment. I used to hate shopping for clothes and home decor because I didn't ever have direction. Now that I have a goal for my fashion and a husband who helps me understand what to look for and what is cool, I love shopping.

Wednesday I started working with the Chinese youth camp. The first 3 days were so tiring because we were in the sun and active a lot. It has been fun though to learn a bit more about the language and culture. I get to be a camp counselor and do the fun activities with the kids as well as help supervise and organize 180 kids. We hiked Timp Cave and the caves were extremely cool. The people who discovered one of the caves just put a ladder down a hole and then climbed down and back up a rope. I would never have the guts to go into a dark cave and dangerously explore. There were so many formations and we got to experience true darkness.

Friday night we did sealings at the Mount Timpanogos temple with Debbie. We ate Thai food for dinner. We spent the night at Jeff's again and actually did the hike from Donner Park to the first encampment of the first pioneers. It was neat to take that path and see the view they had when they arrived (obviously today there are tons of buildings and so it is quite different).

Recently Andrew has gotten this idea of expanding Vada. He has been researching what it is like to open a physical studio and needs partners, etc.. I love having a husband who doesn't get scared by the thought of doing hard things. He has a vision that he will make happen if he wants. He doesn't have a scarcity mentality when it comes to money or business so that helps him think big. I support him and know that he will be successful. I would want to have experience working in a design studio before I set out to build my own. That is still a possible goal for his near future. It is great that he can say that he wants to expand and move forward because some people are just having trouble finding a job let alone move forward in it (namely me.......). We will see what happens. Speaking of waiting to see what happens, I had a job interview at an awesome school and I really hope this part-time job works out. I am totally at peace with my job plans for this Fall, whether this works out or not. I know that I will be using my talents in some way that will make me happy and feel fulfilled.

Georgia Family Reunion

First of all, the day before we left for Atlanta we went to a rooftop concert in downtown Provo with Jenny's kids and Debbie. There was an awesome cover band who did the whole Abbey Road album. We sang out loud to all the songs and I was so excited to use my Beatles knowledge (given to me by Sir Andrew Colin Beckikus) to better enjoy that opportunity. It was sooo fun!

We arrived in Atlanta and went over to my Grandpa's house. That night was the Hoppin' John dinner of black eyed peas and rice with cornbread. Our topic of discussion was the most important thing we own. Half of the reunion is made up of my family since it is way big. There were great answers and our family brought the most tears. I said my tweezers jokingly but then talked about my wedding ring and Andrew while crying. My Dad said the same thing. Little 11 year old Christian tenderly said his scriptures and Andrew talked about how this blog is his favorite, since the wedding ring had been overdone. Mom brought out the big guns and pulled out a very intimate family posession. She had a plaster done of Chet's hand right after he died. She had it made into bronze so that we could always hold it. It got big tears out of me and Josh. Joy and Laura did not want to deal with those feelings as much right then. It was a rush of emotion that was a bit too intense for an extended family get together. Nevertheless, that is such a precious posession and it was neat to be able to hold his hand again. Oh man, by the end of the dinner, I was all cried out.

Sunday we took family pictures and took a family walk around the neighborhood. Andrew and I had a great talk with Joy and Quin and we shared funny youtube videos.

Monday morning I watched little Josh and realized he is dang cute. Our 4th of July party was lovely as always. Andrew spent the first 45 minutes making awesome name tags for a ton of people. It was fun to hang out with my cousins who are now all grown up. We ate lots of nutterbutters and I had the most amazing banana pudding! Andrew was dying in the humidity but it was like 90% humidity that day. I don't think we will be living anywhere humid. I forgot how much it makes you sweat.

Tuesday started the craziness. That morning I ate some vegetables from Laura's garden that were cooked with some eggs. I got some hives right on my upper neck. They said it was an allergic reaction but I thought nothing of it. That night we arrived at Callaway Gardens. We stayed in a cabin in the woods. It was very nice. We ate salad and raw vegetables from the garden. 5 hours later my body was covered in hives and I was scratching like a mad woman. The only veggie I had never eaten before was a sweet cowhorn pepper. I took benadryl and then steroids for the hives. I was knocked out all of wednesday and almost passed out when I went outside. I had aches and chills a couple nights before and believe I had a viral infection during this whole allergic break out (if it was an allergic breakout and not a symptom of the viral infection).

Thursday we had F.H.E. together where the kids sort of failed at playing the improv game called "I'm a Tree."

Friday, me and my sibling went shopping together and bonded. That night we saw a flying circus.

It was good to be with my parents and siblings and play with the kids. It was very much a have fun and have an on the surface relationship with each other. People still have issues with each other and some of the family was there because it is important to let the children spend time together so they don't forget their cousins or grandparents. It is sad that there are so many underlying issues in the family that were masked by a fun vacation where we don't talk about the real problems. I wouldn't want that to be what our vacation is about but when looked at truthfully, people put on their fake smiles and obliged my parents so that we could make a fun vacation for everyone. It makes me sad that there are hard feelings and unhealthy relationships between the people I love. Life and love is not easy. I am so glad that my marriage with my husband is very healthy and that is what matters the most. I really appreciate the relationship Andrew has with his mom, Debbie. They had to work hard to get to where they are now but they can be really honest with each other and voice their unhappiness with things. That is much more healthy than keeping it all in and acting like there is not a problem. I don't feel that my parents are able to be real with their children like Debbie is. They seem to have to keep up this appearance that everything is fine.

Recently, I have been more aware of unhealthy marriages and I am just taken a back by the mask that people put on. You would never know they were having problems and then one day they are not married anymore. Obviously people don't want to flaunt their problems but atleast be honest about there being problems. Andrew and I have learned the the number one indicator of divorce is if there is contempt in the marriage (this is from John Gottman's 4 horsemen). If you ever see a short look of contempt or hear someone talk about the spouse with a bit of contempt in their voice, there is a good chance that marriage is on its way out. Those true feelings come out ever so slightly and can be masked with some positive interactions, which is where we as onlookers who don't assume the worst get tricked into thinking everything is perfectly fine. It seems so obvious that negative feelings toward a spouse would be so detrimental but many people don't pick up on it in a social setting where people try to be civilized and not show their true feelings. One thing that I have seen in some relationships is sarcasm where the couple puts each other down trying to be funny. It is just a way to hide your true feelings of contempt and will slowly eat away at your relationship. I try to stay away when I meet someone who feels that sarcasm is funny. I kind of want to analyze relationships more now.

It's fascinating.

Florence/ Dickamore Wedding Shenanigans

We left last Thursday for our California adventure. We piled Grandma and Grandpa, Debbie , and us into their 5 person car. It was pretty close quarters. We drove half way and stayed in a hotel.

We arrived in Loomis, CA on Friday. I absolutely love the Sacramento area. I think we will end up in California and this seems like a fantastic place. I got a tour of the lovely Florence home. It was super awesome and I dreamed about our own house and what we would decorate it like, how big, and what we wanted. I helped decorate a bit for the reception and I felt like a designer. We had a wonderful getting to know you dinner with the two families. There was a masseuse there to give massages. Andrew had never had a professional one and did not think it was that great. I liked it though. We watched a slide show of the couple and made some toasts. I loved being a part of Aurora's wedding to such a great guy who seems to match her in passion and energy.

Saturday was the wedding day! We arrived at the temple and I cried again thinking about what a glorious covenant they were making and we had already made. It is a bit overwhelming when you finally get to the part of your life you have been dreaming about and you are so excited to start this new chapter of your life that has such meaning and love behind it all. I love reliving that day for myself and Andrew. I cried with joy for them both. Mazel tov! There was a scrumptious picnic on the lawn outside the temple and we mingled some more with loved ones. The happy couple rode a cute tandem bike. Debbie, Andrew, and I headed over to the outlet stores where we bought new sexy clothes (thank you Banana Republic Outlet!). The reception was absolutely adorable like last week. It was so great to be able to just relax and have fun with each other. Andrew makes me so happy! I love dancing with him and laughing at different things that come our way. Marriage is the best thing ever! People probably got tired of seeing us be affectionate to each other all weekend but that's what happens when you treasure each other and love being together, plus marriage and love was in the air. We are really happy with how things are going in our life and we try not to forget that we are the most important thing in each others' life.

Our ride home was cut in half again but Debbie went home with someone else. It was just us and the grandparents. We enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with them. I have spent so much more quality time with Andrew's grandparents than I have with any of my own. They are incredible people and they always remind us how much they love and appreciate us. It's nice having grandparents like that.

Family Weekend

Our weekend was spent with Andrew's family. Recently Jenny and her youngest kids Mary Elizabeth, 7, and David, 9, moved back to Utah from Oregon.

Friday night we all got ready to go swimming in the pool next to our complex. Little did we know that kids were not allowed. We put everyone in the car and went over to Veteran Memorial Park. On our way we stopped for kids selling KoolAid and cookies (Andrew and I have a rule that we always stop for them cuz we always wished people would stop for us when we did that as kids.) At the waterpark there is a huge pool and waterslides and a kids waterpark with a fort type thing. So fun and exciting, right? Well we got there 30 minutes before it closes. After unsuccessfully talking the management into letting us pay a lower fee and just letting the let down little kids play in the pool, we walked away without swimming. If you were ever a kid who got excited about swimming and then not getting to, you understand what a bummer it was. Honestly I think Andrew was more bummed out than any of the kids. We went through some other options and I brought up getting a slushy. Jenny syggested Sonic and then Mary Elizabeth said, " We went there a year and a half ago," like it was so ridiculous to consider going back so soon. Nothing was working out and we finally decided to get huge ice cream cones from Macey's grocery store and eat pizza and breadsticks. It was a really healthy night. We watched "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and the kids had a pillow fight with Uncle Andrew.

Saturday afternoon was perfect weather for us to try the paark again. We stayed for a couple hours and rode the slides and played on the water fort. We headed up to Gateway to see the Chalk Art festival which was soo neat. Aurora and Jeff's reception was that evening. The decorations were amazing!!! It was the best looking wedding reception I have ever attended. We danced a ton, Andrew performed a song on the piano, and we mingled with family and friends. It was a great party. Afterwards we hung out with our cousins Summer and Berlin. We found out the location of Hobbitville, which may not really exist. We really enjoyed hanging out with them after so long.

Last night we had a Father's Day dinner at Debbie's home. Gma and Dado were here as well as Jenny and her two youngest, Meredith, and the Jeff Beck family. It was a huge feast and it was nice to be with all the family.

Why Is Our Culture Obsessed With Watching Sports??!

Disclaimer: I grew up playing soccer and watching football every Saturday during college football season. I enjoy watching sports and even got "Best Female Athlete" award in 8th grade. It is great entertainment.

I expect to get comments that wholly disagree or fully agree with my statement. Go ahead!

Recently Andrew and I had a discussion that really made me look at sports in a different light. Sports for Andrew were very hard. He didn't have a Dad who taught him everything from an early age and they just didn't appeal to him (granted he loves playing soccer). Sadly, for mutual activity every week, instead of a world of various activities, the boys played basketball. He wishes he had been given the opportunity to really learn something those nights, but the leaders were too lazy to make something like a music night (which they thought about doing many times for Andrew's sake) so they played basketball. Just because you are a boy does not mean you want to play sports all the time. It can teach you team work but also alienates those that aren't good and causes aggressiveness and unkind words.

Why are guys so involved with stats and who trades to what team and every win? I understand having a team to root for, but breaking the sabbath day to watch a game or choosing time watching a match over time with your wife is rediculous. Do they understand that their involvement with the team by sitting on the couch and yelling at the player through a t.v. screen does not make the team play better or worse? They do not know you exist.

I feel that addiction to watching sports is honestly for men who do not have real hobbies that involve cultivating a skill. It has become such a huge part of being a man that it is all many men talk about to connect. It has nothing to do with themselves and I guess they love that they do not have to truly connect with another guy. As long as you both love the same team or agree about that bad call, you have a friendship that will last.

You can see why such a deep, passionate, and talented man as my husband has a hard time fitting in with guys when they start talking about sports. He is so witty and can relate to anyone so it isn't hard for him to make guy friends. But when sports come up, to him the intelligence level goes down in the room and real meaning for life has just been pushed aside.

I actually tried to get Andrew into watching the Florida Gator games when they won the national championship in 2009. I taught him all the terminology so he would feel more comfortable around guys (he did not ask me to do this but indulged me anyway). I was way into talking about sports when I came to college. It was the way I connected with guys so it couldn't fail him. After a couple of games I realized that he did not care to learn it and I kindof started to realize that it was a waste of my time. My sports team was my identity and it took letting go of that a bit to help me realize I could explore a real identity. Andrew wants to learn so much in his life so he can be good at things and this was definitely not something he needed to waste his time learning. It profitted him nothing. It reminds me of the time he was a waiter and realized that the point of a job is to get good at it and he really did not have the goal to be a good waiter, so he quit.

What are we as a couple going to do with this information? Well we think sports are inevitable in life and our kids may want to play them. If they have a knack and love it then we will support them. It teaches kids great life lessons and it is entertaining. We just don't want our children to turn into "jocks" as you may say. Many people feel they are better than others because they can play sports better. Our children can be good at them but we do not want sports to define them or turn them into people who feel superior because of their talents. Plus there is so much out there in the world so why would sports be the only thing I expose them to?

This is one huge default in the male characteristics. Men inherently have the need to compete whether it be about jobs, women, grades, money, etc. I feel that sports have capitalized on this inherent trait and have become a horrible addiction for their need to win and be better than others. That is what is so appealing about watching sports (especially if you are too old and fat to play them). When your team wins, you feel that you have won too. Newsflash: you just sat on a couch for the past two hours. Where is your wife?

Anyway, if you can't tell, our family has a problem with wasting your life on watching sports on t.v. We love playing them for exercise or to socialize with friends and that is not what this post is about. This is about when sports/sports teams becomes a huge part of who you think you are. I was once that person and looking back at the times when people associated me with the Florida Gators, I had no real life or hobbies. Loser!

Example: A facebook status is supposed tell the world what you are doing or thinking about lately. I got quite annoyed when I kept reading my friends statuses that almost always related to professional sports. It's actually quite sad. It's like when you watch "Friends" and actually begin to think that they are your friends (that one actually happened to Andrew one summer). Below are his statuses over a weeks time. There was only one status not about sports and it was bragging about going on a date with a girl.

-Game over....Great series Mavs.

-No Foul?

-Free throws....

-HEAT!!!!

-Series not looking so great, Heat

-Not looking that great but some how still in the game

-Flop city

-Game 5 in Dallas....Rockin my new Bron shirt...LET'S GO HEAT!

-I love listening to people at work talk about the finals when they don't know anything about basketball at all....

-Reporters ask LeBron why he isn't playing like a super star at the end of Game 3, he blows it off saying there is more to it than just scoring. Game 4...he scores 8 points...looks like the media is right this time.

-Terrible 4th quarter

-Let's take a 3-1 lead in Game 4 HEAT!!!

And the list goes on...

I am very glad that my husband does not even want to watch sports. He has much better things to do. I feel bad for those girls who have to compromise with their husbands about how much time is spent watching sports. Men, you may have an addiction to sports and hopefully one day you will wake up and say, "Woah, when did watching sweaty guys take precedence over kissing my sexy wife?"

Crazy Artist Husband

Sometimes Husband Bear goes into crazy artist husband mode. Imagine Dexter from Dexter's Lab but replace all the beakers of goo with a mac computer and photoshop. He can't focus on anything else besides getting his work finished and his mind is reeling with ways to fix things or change them. Yesterday Andrew was putting together his final which is a type specimen booklet about a typeface called Bauhaus. He spent lots and lots of hours and a good amount of money on printing and decorating it. He realized he didn't have a distinction between the front or back so he got kinda crazy. Right then and there he should have spent a dollar to have the cover reprinted and bound with a new printed cover. He actually went looking for a dry transfer pen to do some magic with. After going to one store and calling many others, he bought some transfer paper since he couldn't find one. Long story short, he messed up the cover (even cut a whole in it) trying to refix and refix things. He got pretty sad about it and will probably reprint and bind the whole cover.

I love my crazy artist husband if not simply for the fact that he teaches me to make things happen and not get overwhelmed with the effort it takes to make those things happen. He is so persistent in getting his art exactly how he envisions it. When we were engaged, he told me that he wanted to take a piano in the woods for our engagement pictures. My brain reacted right away by telling him what he had to do to make that happen and how much work it would be. I don't have his vision and determination to make things happen. It upset him that I didn't believe in his ability to do a hard task. He told me that he has pulled off way harder things in the past. I decided to always believe in his vision and capabilities.

My crazy artist husband reminds me to make things happen in my life and calms me when I get overwhelmed with the idea of accomplishing them. He completes me in that sphere of life.

My New Commitment To Write Weekly

My entries are too infrequent. From now on I am writing atleast once a week. If my life isn't eventful then I will tell you the thoughts on life I have. I want it to become a habit. It makes Andrew happy to read this blog. As you may be able to tell, the last year of our life was just blogged yesterday and today. This was made possible by my trusty hard copy of a journal that I write in and transcribed onto the blog.

April and May have been good to us financially. We are all caught up and are actually able to save money now. Wow!! Mint.com is a great way to organize finances, by the way.

I walked for graduation on April 22nd. Debbie, Meredith and Andrew were able to come and support me. We made a nice video tribute for those who couldn't be there.

We went to the tulip festival and saw tons of my very favorite flower. Sadly I got super burnt. I looked like a lobster.

We took a lovely trip down to Moab to camp out and visit Arches National Park with our friends the McNeils and Fehlbergs. We really love those guys. The arches were absolutely gorgeous.

Andrew's birthday was full of presents. He got a t-shirt from Threadless.com, new wood looking glasses, and concert tickets to see a sweet band called Ratatat. We went to the dinosaur museum and ate at Carl's Jr. Andrew had never been to the museum but he loved dinosaurs as a kid.

Aurora and Jeff are getting married. We get to go to their wedding in Sacramento which will be soo neat. Andrew designed the announcements and they are super awesometastic.

I have recently been called to be Relief Society President and I am so excited. I have a great presidency and I look forward to the opportunity to get involved with the women around me and learn from this leadership position. Andrew is the Executive Secretary and does a great job of organizing for the Bishopric. He is working on a callings board that the bishop can use on his iPad. There seems to not be one available for the church yet.

Andrew has added a third job to his life. He is doing graphic design for BYU Football. His stuff will be seen more by a national audience. He gets to design Keynote presentations for Bronco Mendenhall and other things. He's so cool. He is so self motivated that he has so much stuff to do. He loves school and all of his jobs. What else could he ask for?

I have had 4 job interviews for French teaching positions in the Salt Lake Valley and wasn't offered any. I was surprised because I had impressive interviews. I guess my inexperience compared to others was overshadowed. Jobs could still pop up over the summer so I'm counting on things working out. I just wonder how this is going to end. The huge hiring push is kind of over so I'm not sure if there will be many more rare French teaching jobs.

For the summer I am helping with yearbook, sports, and activities for the BYU French Camp a couple hours a day. In July I will be a camp counselor with a China youth group studying English here. I get to go do activities with them around Utah. I am excited!

When we were at the Ratatat concert in Salt Lake we shopped at the Gateway. We entered Anthropologie and I almost cried because everything was so cool. I have never wanted everything in a store before. What's great about it is that vintage never goes out of style cuz it's always passe. It is also nice to have a style where things not matching is actually what's cool about the style. You can add onto it by taking garage sale stuff and redoing it a bit. When we have a huge house and lots of money to spend on decorating it, we are so going to Anthropologie. I fell in love with that store. I felt like I was where I belonged. I know that I will not be able to bring material things with me after this life, but I'm pretty sure I can design my own world to look exactly like Anthropologie.

23 And Still Sexy

April 11th- I finished my long-term sub job and I loved it. The students really had fun with me and I felt like since they asked so many more questions I really got to teach and explain more one-on-one. It was very rewarding to hear from seriously 20 students that they did not want me to leave because I was such a great teacher. I am so glad that I made the decision to quit the elementary position because that was what I eneded to do.

In the past 3 weeks we had a lovely dinner with the McNeils, made music with Aurora and Jeff, went to Zuppas for Dado's birtday, went to Viviana's endowment session, spent time with Candace Hoban and her family, and watched conference at the elder Becks home.

We celebrated my birthday with dinner at Carabbas and watching Tangled (in 3D might I add). Debra gave me a lovely bell for my classroom since I was having a hard time finding them and I got some lovely gift certificates from people.

Back In My Element

March 21st- Subbing has been good but I have had some nightmare classes. I had one class that wouldn't do the work and threw paper. It was an exact replica of a teacher's nightmare. I was not prepared for that kind of blatant disrespect.

I love teaching French at Churchill Junior High in Holladay. It is so refreshing to be back teaching French. I like the Junior High age because they are still curious to learn. They ask me so many more questions that the high schoolers I taught. I even get thank yous at the end of class. They love me and reinforce my teaching by telling me that they like me way better than their normal teacher. They say they actually learn something which makes me feel good about what I'm doing. I wish I could teach it longer. I sub in Provo every other day that I don't teach up in Salt Lake. It is nice to be making money and being productive. It has taken some stress off of us financially.

Lat week Andrew got a new Canon Rebel T2i for his photography class. It is so nice to finally have a camera. It takes video too so it is an investment for life. We messed around with it and took sexy model photos.

Acouple of weeks ago we went to Las Vegas for Dan Reynolds wedding reception. We spent the afternoon shopping at the biggest H&M in the world (located in Cesar's Palace). They are actually building one in a mall up in Sandy so it will now be closer to us. We got Andrew lots of hott clothes (the suit he is wearing in the above pic was only $150). I love having a husband who can shop way longer than me and dresses himself really well. Such a fun trip.

Andrew got a new job working for a start up App agency called Giraffon. They make games and apps for iPhones and iPads. He LOVES it and he gets paid more than Flagship so he quit that.

Working, working out, and making more money has made me more happier and I feel like I have more fun with Andrew because of that. Being comfortable monetarily and being physically taken care of help me be more stable mentally. Have I mentioned lately that I love my husband.

Subbing Commences with P90X

Feb. 4- Last week we went to an Indian restaurant with Debbie and we saw a Sundance film (a wierd one). We actually saw a great one a couple days before that. It is called "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" and it is a fantastic documentary about product placement.

I went to a RS activity where I learned about interior design, decoupage (I made an outlet cover), and did Zumba!

We went to see Peter Pan at BYU and went to dinner with the McKay Florence brigade. Aurora is kind of dating a new guy named Jeff Dickamore. I actually know of him through mutual French friends. We played cards with the Florences the next day and it was nice to hang out with them.

Meredith came over crying on Monday because she was so confused about life. She needed a friend and it is nice to know that she can come to us and we will always be there. Last summer she wasn't really close to us and we never really knew what was up. I'm glad I could give her some love and comfort. I think she is trying to make good friends and really live for herself. She has said that before but she really wants to do what makes her happy and start dating really quality guys. She just needs to be the kind of girl that is ready for a quality guy. She is so wonderful and I want her to see how amazing she is so that other people can see that in her too.

I started subbing and realized that subbing for elementary is actually fun. I just hated being the regular teacher. I haven't subbed too much for high school but I'm sure it will be enjoyable.

We started our extreme home fitness program called P90X. It is an hour a day, 6 days a week and it is going to get us in shape. It is hard but fun. It feels great to be active. We have been really sore this first week, but I can't wait for the results. It's hard to do it together becuase Andrew is way busier than me.

New Year, New Experiences, New Failures

January 27th- Our break was super fun. We spent lots of time with Debbie now that she is RETIRED! We got to see Jenny's kids and went sledding with Hannah. My ring got caught in a glove and one of the side diamonds came off. I found it and got it fixed but almost had a heart attack. Our New Years Eve was spent at the Busby's playing cards all night. It was quite enjoyable.

Well my teaching job started and I learned a lot from it. I ended up resigning after a week of transition. I should never have taken on something that made me feel 95% scared and intimidated and only 5% excited and challenged. Yeah... I just should not have ignored the insecurities I felt about the whole thing. All the things that made me feel uncomfortable about signing the contract were the things that made me resign.

What I did not like: I did not enjoy disciplining children all day and teaching math sucks (especially since it is the first time they have learned this stuff). People take courses on how to teach this stuff and I have only taught secondary, plus math sucks. No one warned me about how totally different it is to teach this level (except for the 1 day I came and observed). There are so many undiagnosed ADHD kids and I could not just teach for 5 minutes straight. I hated having to move from classroom to activities to recess and lunch, while walking them to these places and trying to keep them quiet and under control. I had no idea that my personality got fed up with doing this all day. I think it is not too bad when you are a good teacher with experience, but it was made worse by speaking to them only in French. It was too hard to get them to understand or for me to gain control, especially with my lack of experience. I do not understand the grading system or organization of work in elementary school. My co-teacher was a bit too abrasive for me and I had no idea how to use the aide in the classroom (she was wierd too). It was all just sooo exhausting and I was constantly having to discipline which annoys me to death (recess duty is just telling kids not to break rules). Overall, the age and curriculum did not fit me. This is not want I want to do for the rest of my life and I have an opportunity to substitute for Junior High French classes, which makes me super excited! That is what I want to do.

What I did like: Teaching literacy was fun because I was actually teaching them how to read French, granted it was hard because it was coupled with learning how to read letters anyway in English. I loved that they picked up on French through hearing it constantly. Their minds were like sponges. It showed me that I really can teach through speaking French a lot. The kids were adorable when they spoke French to me. I got cute kid art daily. I had this cool piece of technology called a document camera which displays any thing onto a projector (so like marbles on paper that you can move around and interact with so they can see better. I also loved having my own classroom with my name on it.

Every night when I came home, I was so depressed and had multiple breakdowns. I never felt like this when I student taught. I should be excited, a little bit nervous, but confident. I hated going to work (which was an hour drive in winter snow, which I LOVE). When I resigned I told the principal that I needed to do what made me happy. It was super hard to get the guts to admit I had made a mistake in taking the job.

A week after I resigned, I got a letter in the mail saying that I owed the district $1000 for resigning before giving 30 days notice. I was soo mad and soo sad. I hardly earned $1000 working there. My principal never mentioned that option and she assumed it was for ASAP. I figured it was fine since they found a replacement. I had never had a contracte djob like that before so I didn't realize I had to check that stuff. If I don't pay the fine then I cannot be rehired in that district. That happens to be the same district that I plan on long-term substituting. Now I have to find an extra $1000 dollars, no biggy. It's not like we are poor, need to pay off our credit card from the year I haven't been working, or like I don't have a current job. Taking the job actually added to our debt. Great dilemma I got myself into. Welcome to the real world miss college graduate.

So I had a horrible experience with my first real job. I am going to pay the fine and move forward withthe future. Wait, but I don't have a steady job, still can't get affordable health insurance, and have nothing to do until subbing in Provo starts. This was scarring but I needed to learn some things I guess.

I am so scared about making money and working now. I have been reading a lot of spiritually stregthening books and have decided to put faith in God that we will be blessed and things will work out. How are we going to pay $1000 dollars? Well, my parents are going to pay it and we can eventually pay them back. Time is important because I have to be ready to substitute for the pregnant French teacher whenever she has her baby. Being unblacklisted from the district takes some time and the teacher is due in a couple of weeks. I am so grateful to my parents for their willingness to help us. I am trying to make things happen instead of sitting here sulking (which I am pretty excellent at doing). It has been a really good experience for me to plea with my Heavenly Father for comfort and guidance. I feel like I pray to him so much right now. It is true that we tend to go to him more when we are in distress. I will remember him when things are going well too. He is in charge of all and I know he wants me to be happy. He is aware of my circumstances and is watching over me.

Our Anniversary and Christmas

Dec. 26th- It was our anniversary weekend last weekend and Debbie set us up for one night at the Hotel Park City. We had a huge cabin with a living room, kitchen, and our own jacuzzi on the patio (the best part). We walked down Main Street and ate at this really expensive restaurant. It was so beautiful to sit in the hot tub and watch the snow fall outside. It was absolutely amazing! Our Christmas was modest and fun. I received a scarf and beanie and nail polish. I got Andrew a Beatles book of music so he could play the guitar music to any of the songs. I did a scavenger hunt like our family does. It gave him clues to places around the apartment. At the end there was a handsome scarf for him. It was a beautiful first "White Christmas".

A Job Right Out Of College

Dec. 23rd- Since finishing school I have been worried about getting enough substituting jobs in Provo while waiting for my French teaching job to come around in mid February. One day I came upon a 2nd grade French dual immersion teaching opportunity in West Valley starting in January. I felt like it was a way to keep busy and seemed like a fun challenge. Dual immersion is where they teach kids math, social studies, and science in French and then teach French literacy. I applied for the job because it would be nice to start working now. I had my first real job interview with 4 people interviewing me. Nerve wracking. I guess I impressed them because they offered me the job 6 days later. I was really on the fence about it because this is not what I am trained for. I don't know if I'll like teaching math, and I know nothing about teaching kids stuff they have never learned before, and then in French. I was really confused and agonizing about the decision. After praying about it, I got the answer that I should do whatever I want. I was convinced by the principal that I would have support the whole way through and I felt that I could do it. I am still really scared because it is not my element. It is an impressive job to take on. I'm gonna be a big girl.

Christmas Decorations

Dec. 7th- We decide not to travel this Christmas and instead have our own real family Christmas. We bought a Christmas tree last night and decorated it with ornaments and also decorated our apartment with lights, mistletoe, and nativity sets. Our first Christmas not on our honeymoon! Our anniversary is coming up too! Almost one year. Andrew has it planned out. The other day, along with some other contributors, he bought me a gorgeous Banana Republic coat for the winter. It makes it so that I actually want to go outside and get dressed for winter. Andrew also applied for the Graphic Design program and fins out soon if he got in. They definitely don't let everyone in. I'm almost positive they will accept him. He's too talented.

Arizona In The Winter Is Nice, Utah= Bad

Nov. 30th- Our Thanksgiving weekend was so fun and so scary. We drove down to Mesa to visit Joy and Quin's family. Note to self, don't drive for 10 hours straight starting at 5 pm. We read Hunger Games, ate yummy food, sang songs, watched movies, visited Andrew's dad's grave, went repelling off a 60 ft cliff, and visited the lights on the Mesa Temple Square. It was wonderful to be with my family since that doesn't get to happen often.

The drive back was horrifying. The last day of student teaching was really icy and I slid off the road. My first time and it scared the poop out of me. Our car has rear wheel drive and our tires are made for racing. There isn't a good grip on them. Our drive back contained two more slides off the road. The first one ended in people stopping to help us out just like when I slid off on my way to the school. After we got back on the road I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't stop crying because I did not want to die driving in a canyon. It was pretty okay weather until it got dark and we hit a patch of ice in Panguitch. Our car was completely stuck and we had to call a tow truck. We decided to stay in a motel over night and finish the last three hours the next day after the sun melted some of the ice. I was a wreck to say the least. The day after we arrived safely home, we had to make some repairs to our car since it had a bit of damage from the slides. We also had all weather tires put on. They make me feel much safer in the winter weather. I want a huge Jeep right now. No one told me my car would be a problem out here. I also never got trained in how to drive in the snow and ice. I hate Utah winters. I will not be sad to leave this place. I will visit and when I do, I will have a huge all wheel drive tank!

Student Teaching Comes To A Close

Nov. 23rd- Student teaching has come to an end. My last days were parties where we watched some French related videos and some girls gave me nice notes. They were such great kids. I am going to miss the routine and the interaction with them, but it's okay because I will move on to new students and get to create new relationships. All I have left is some ESL stuff and my huge Teacher Work Sample which is a 20 page analysis of a unit I taught my French 2 class. Then I am sooo done with college!!!!! $25, 000 in tuition and many wonderful growth experiences and hard work have profited me a degree in French Teaching and a mionor in TESOL. Who would have imagined that outcome 6, 4, or even 2 years ago. Life can change so quickly. I will be among the elite who can say they have a college degree. It really is quite an accomplishment even though I grew up expecting no less of myself.