A new year and a new resolution

At the end of last year, I realized that I was doing a really good job of collecting projects to complete, and a really bad job of actually completing those projects.  Because of this rather abominable lapse of self-motivation, I created a resolution.  This year I have resolved to complete projects each month.  I then went one step further and each month I have set a goal for which kinds of projects I would finish and then would be held accountable here on this blog.

So here is my accounting for January.

January was bag month. I started with this bag, call the Flip-Flap bag.

I could have considered January a sucess after finishing this bag, but while I was in Utah last fall I found a pattern by Kati Cupcake called My Favorite Bag.

I will admit that this pattern was an impulse purchase, but when I saw the bag all sewn up, it seemed like the best of ideas.  I purchased all of the fabric and the interfacing needed in December and then promptly put it all away.  But after finishing the purse, it seemed appropriate to pull the items out and finish.  I LOVE the way it turned out.

I liked it so much I made another.

Sorry for the sideways photo.  

I also sewed a couple of wallets, one for me and one for a friend's birthday, but I did not take any photos. With all these projects accomplished, I am feeling optomistic about February and a month to make qilts.

Last Day of School

Tomorrow is the last day of school.  I have signed a contract for next year which is good, but I feel that it is important to immortalize the students that I have taught.  So for your pleasure the following are some things that the students have actually said this year.  And just a random fact, but I think after reading these, you too will realize that I have the best job.  No names have been added on purpose.

"The motion is transfered the the balloon by your estrophogous (your shoulder)"

"Eat my boogie."

"Miss Pierce, can I steal?"

"The stripes alternate like every other one!"

"Senators make laws for...communists?"

"20 doesn't have a 2 in it."

"Why do we breathe? No really..."

"Does it come from the cantaloupe animal?"

"Hey Miss Pierce, you jumped off a ten foot cliff and you're alive?"

"How do you spell filipe?  Oh that's easy, you just look up Philip in a dictionary and you spell it with a mexican."

"Are you sure this dictionary is right?  I am pretty sure spaghetti has some "L's" in it."

"It smells like popcorn in here, listen."

"Como se dice "no" en english?"

"What's in milk?  Cow!  I mean Grass!  Mootrition?"

"How did the pioneers cross the plains? Boats!"

"Pick a number between 1 and 5. 7!"

"Mr. D. you weigh like .5 tons...I meant to say .9"

"I you they are from spain."

I must admit that I love my job.  My students are hiliarious and they say things like this every day.  We laugh, a lot.  That being said...Yeah for summer!

I am still here

I have been reading my sister's blog about her trip to England.  I decided that it was time I should get on and post. So for your pleasure, some random pictures. 

Awww, Hawaii.  For all of you that are curious, the first picture is taken at the Wiamea Gardens, and the second at Volcaono National Park.

Roommates

This time of year I get to thinking about all of the roommates that I have had and I am extra grateful for all the people who have change my life in unexpected ways. Some of my best friends were once my roommates and for the most part those are the people that I still keep in contact with.

The other day as I was sitting in my chair, covered with a blanket, not feeling well, and watching Monk, my mom called me and asked me if I would consider getting some roommates. I told her that I would definitely have to meet them first to see if they could come and live with me. She told me that arrangements could be made.

Yesterday I went and met a set of sisters and we got along so well that they are now my new roommates....




In case you were wondering, yes I am a sucker for a really cute face, they are sisters, and I have not named them yet...any ideas?

News

I have two bits of news today.

1. I found my camera cord, so now you will be over-loaded with posts from this year...that's right, the posts will cover January until August...make time.

2. I ate pudding today and under the lid was an amazing surprise.

THE PRINGLES MAN!!!

Life is amazing...

Some news.

A disclaimer: I have not told anyone this, so you may not be offended because I did not call and tell you personally.

The news: I bought a house. In Alaska. You may come visit any time. Pictures will be posted after I close on the 31st.

On a different note: I will post pictures of all my vacations when I have a chance and find the cord to download all my photos onto the computer. Please be patient.

Ahhhhh...

Summer is here. I am currently looking for a lounge chair to put on the deck, a good book, and some sun screen...and yes, I signed a contract for next year.

My experience at the grocery store.

So I just got back from the grocery store where I was picking up some strawberries, bananas, and milk with my dad. The following is a true story, and all conversation is completely accurate.

The scene: We are checking out and there is not a bagger, so rather than wait, I start to bag my own groceries.

The characters: Me, my dad, the bag boy (we will call him BB for short)

BB: Uh, ma'am I can do that for you.
Me: I think I just finished, thanks
BB: Oh, uh...you wanna job?
Me: I am already employed, but thanks
BB: Well this job has benefits
Me: I am a teacher
BB: OH. Where do you teach?
Dad: (the name of the school was given here, but shall not be shared.)
BB: Spanish?
Me: uh-huh.
BB: I need help with my spanish....

At this point I felt it was time to leave. I think I just got hit on by a bag boy who could not have been more than 17...

To all former roommates

Please come up to Alaska. I miss you.

Brittany

The question of the day, and a few random lines

A question to ponder: Do you know Whak Fun?*

Some one liners worth repeating:

"She wretched across the table for the bread."
"Miss Pierce, what's your last name?"
"She was salitude and alone."
"When yo dun yur hw, yae has mor time to play!" (you may be thinking I exaggerated the spelling errors on this 7th graders sentence, but I did not.)

Thanks for reading, may you have as many funny moments in your own day.

*The answer to this question was procrastination

The wrong place to pause.

A conversation with my 7/8th grade students (ages 12-14)--

Me: "today you are going to design posters on this worksheet. You are going to work on your own. Tomorrow you are going to get a partner and reproduce...."

Class: laughter

Me: "Sorry, wrong place to pause."

The first week of school

So we have completed a whole week of school. It was uneventful and eventful at the same time. Here is a summary of all the fun events that happened in my classroom.

1. Meeting all the students--I am excited to have this group of students. They are going to be a lot of fun, and I expect that this year will be full of adventures
2. The first Friday--I was lucky enough on this Friday to have no voice. As in zero. I was about as loud as a whisper. The students joked around about it, as did the teachers. I was just glad that it was on a Friday in which it had already been planned for the whole middle school to meet together. That meant that the other teacher got to do all the talking on that day.
3. The first 2 hour staff meeting of the year...yeah...
4. Exploding Coke using Mentos. This experiment was done because the students were learning about writing labs, and using the scientific method. The question was asked "How many Mentos would it take to cause coke to explode 6 feet?" The question was never answered, but it was fun to do.

Finally...this was my favorite thing to do so far...
5. Teaching 6th graders how to open a locker.

The end. Well really this is the beginning. Who knows what other fun things we have to look forward to in the near future. We will find out tomorrow when Monday comes again.

Oregon week 2

I think it is now appropriate to post the pictures from the second week of our vacation.



Dad and I were able to play with my newest niece, as well as Savannah, Margaret, and Guy Smiley. We had a fantastic time as we went hiking, to museums, and played. We got to meet and play with the kitties. We were also able to sneak up to visit my Grandma and Grandpa. All in all this was a second fun filled week. We love you all and say thanks for all the smiles and laughs. Hopefully we can get down to see everyone again soon.

Oregon week 1

I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Oregon with my Dad, visiting with my two eldest sisters. Now that I am home, I wanted to share some of the fun times that we were able to enjoy. I thought I would split it up between the two weeks and just give a small view of what we were able to enjoy.

We were able to visit the rose gardens in Portland, hike, visit the beach and enjoy beautiful weather with Missy and her family. We were also able to celebrate my birthday. We went swimming, on another hike, and we all laughed more than once. A fun filled week.

I would like to thank my sister and her family for making this week one full of memories. The pictures are better than any words I could possibly write. Love you all.

Yeah!

It's official. I got the contract in the mail yesterday. I am officially the newest teacher at Fronteras Elementary.

I intend to have a job

Last Friday I received a phone call regarding an interview that I had had at one of the schools here in the valley. I got the job. At least they want to hire me. I went in to the school on Tuesday and signed a letter of intent. This stated that I intend on taking the job and they intend on hiring me, but it is all based on approval by the school board. So if the school board says yes, then I officially start on August 16th. If they school board says no, then there is still a chance that I go teach English in Uruguay.

What did you learn at church yesterday?

The first Sunday of each month there is an opportunity in our church for members to stand before the congregation and share their testimonies. These are usually about the reality of Christ, or the Atonement, the prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, or other principles of the gospel. This is what I heard in my testimony meeting yesterday...

"Hi, my name is A***********. I am 27 as of 5 days ago. I am currently unemployed. I am an engineer, and I did have a good job before I decided to quit. I own a house and a car, and I am planning on more education. That being said, will you marry me?"

Don't you all miss going to a singles ward?

The Cruise...

I went on a cruise. Let me explain a little bit. My friends Kyla and Brenda and I decided that we were not going to stay in Alaska for Spring break, and so we booked a cruise. Since I have been back, there have been many requests and reminders for me to update this blog with pictures. I have not done so, mostly because I do not know where to start. Kyla was the documentor of the cruise (aka she was in charge of taking the pictures), and she took 1600 pictures. No that is not an extra zero. So I really did not know were to begin. After some good advice, I have reached a starting point. 10 days, 10 pictures. Please know that this has been VERY difficult to narrow down.

We landed in Orlando, and with our spare travel day, we went to Universal Studios. We had a lot of fun just messing around and exploring. My friends and I were all super excited to be on vacation somewhere warm.



On Sunday we got on our ship, the MS Ryndam. We spent Sunday exploring, and going to church and figuring out that we were the life of the cruise party. The average age on our ship...72. The cruise was still lots of fun.




On Monday, we were in Key West. There we had a great time walking around town, taking pictures, and taking a Kayaking adventure. It's a good thing the water was only 7-12 feet deep at the most and an average of 1-2 three feet usually. We kayaked in the Mangrove trees and I learned that I am not really good at making the kayak turn on my own. I did not (thankfully) tip, but I did run into the trees a number of times. Kyla and Brenda laughed each time it happened.



Tuesday we were on ship all day, so we thought we would participate in all the on-ship activities. That included line dancing with DJ Casey. We shared all the dances learned at the last singles ward dance. Everyone was impressed.



Wednesday, we woke up in Honduras. Awesome. We drove on a bus to Copan, which was a rare treat. The cruise ships do not ususally dock long enough to be able to see these ruins, but they were inredible. In the picture above, I am stanting in front of a statue depicting two dragons eating each other. I do not remember the symbolism we were told, but looking at the detail work alone was worth the trip.



Thursday, Guatemala. This was by far my favorite port, and I could see myself going back to explore this country in more depth. The ruins were awesome, and the surrounding countryside even more so. This port alone made the trip worth taking. So if you get the chance, head to Quirigua.



This is also in Guatemala. After the ruins, we took a small river tour and we saw this cool spanish fort. We did not get to explore, but like I said, next time...




Friday we were in our last port, Mexico. These ruins were the best preserved, and we could climb all over them. So we did. The guide in these ruins was the best, and we learned a lot about the relationship between the Maya people and the people from the Book of Mormon. Our tour guide was a member of the Church. These ruins were the easiest to access, and if I get the opportunity to return to mexico, it would be a place I would like to spend more time in.



Saturday, we packed to get off the ship. Instead of a sad picture of that, I included a picture of one of the temples at Chacchoben in Mexico. Sunday we disembarked the ship, went to church and headed back to Orlando and our flight home.



On Monday, we had enough time to go to SeaWorld before we had to be in the airport, so we did. It was fun, and an experience since Kyla and I had never been. Tuesday morning found us driving from the airport back home, with the knowlege that we had to be at work the next day. All in all, the trip was awesome. Are we planning another, yes. 12 months, 16 days....(just kidding, the exact dates have not been established yet.) If you would like to hear more about the curise, I suggest you come and visit me, and then you can read the book. Yes there is a book.

I love winter

I love to be outside. And I love the snow and the winter. So I was excited when a friend of mine loaned me three pairs of snowshoes. I was able to convince my parents that this would be something that could be fun to try. We drove up to Hatcher Pass. Strapped the shoes on our feet and we set off. We had the perfect weather. It was a nice mid twenties, and the sun was shining down. The trail was quiet, and the mountains were beautiful. Since it was our first time the trial we chose was an easy, relatively flat one, but worth every step.

Here we are at the trail head, ready to go. Right after this picture Dad took off, while mom and I tried to adjust our poles so that we could follow.




With confidence about what they were doing, the parents were naturals.



I decided that it was important to climb a tree at least once on the trip. I was a little amazed at how hard it was with snowshoes on. It was something that I had not counted on, but I made it work, and I eventually was able to sit in the tree.



Making snow angles is almost a must when you are out having fun. Also a much harder task with the snowshoes on. I t is amazing how stuck your feet get...I was still able to convince mom to make one. Dad passed, because he didn't want to get back up, but he did take most of the pictures for us.



Mom wouldn't just fall backwards, she decided she needed to hold onto a pole. So she got Dad on one end and then she started to lay back.



Then Dad let go and she fell. She also ended up with the pole which was poor planning on Dad's part because it got thrown at him.






It was beautiful.



We returned home because the sun was going down, but it was an adventure that will for sure be repeated soon.

bloggable

I usually have at least one thing make me laugh each day in my classroom, but this was actually worth writing about. I think this is something that we all wish we would have done at some point in our lives, or actually did (patience?), but the ending is something you would wish would happen to someone else. Okay here goes nothing.

I am in the classroom calling roll... (by the way, the names are all changed, because I don't remember the actual name of the kid.)

Me: "Anthony?"

Kid: "Que pasa hombre?"

Me: "What?"

Kid: "Oh, Uh, no hablo inglis."

Me: "Esta bien, hablo espanol."

Kid (with an appropriate expression of disbelief on his face): "Well, in that case..."

Class: Laughing out loud.

Tough break when you try and tell the teacher you don't speak english and they don't fall for it. Don't worry, I gave him tips at the end of the class hour about how he could actually get away with it next time. Such as...don't call a female teacher "hombre". Got to love sophomores.