Highlight Reel | August 2013 - May 2014

There is no way that I will ever be able to catch you up on everything that has happened during my blogging hiatus. So instead I am going to do this highlight post (think of it like a highlight reel - but BLOGGING STYLE). WARNING: It might get long and wordy so if you wanna just skip this post, that's all good. I will see you next time!

The last time I blogged was in early August of 2013 so just a quick catch up form then month by month.

August 2013 - Matson and I walked even though we both didn't really finish school until December of 2013. Went to Las Vegas for a quick trip with friends before school started. Best idea ever...it was our last taste of freedom.

September 2013 - I started my very last semester at BYU by teaching at Spring Creek Elementary in Provo School District for 6 weeks. I was in 6th grade which totally sucked (they really do need to wear some deodorant), but I learned so much which was the best. Matson and I also watched some of our favorite little kiddos for the last week in September while their parents went out of town. We had a blast with the kids and even had a "Drive In Movie Night" inside. It was the cutest, the kids loved it, and they literally sat in their cars (made from boxes) the whole movie. Their baby is just the sweetest, happiest, most perfect little baby...I wouldn't mind have a baby just like him! At the very end of the month, I think the last day, I started my student teaching at a school in Nebo School District named Mt. Loafer Elementary. I taught in 4th grade. Best thing ever! I also turned 23!

My last FIRST day of school

Inside Drive In Movie

BEST baby in the world!

October 2013 - We watched another one of our favorite families when their parents went out of town again. We always have a blast with the B* family kiddos. HALLOWEEN. Matson and I were Katniss and Gale (he didn't want to be Peeta...whatever) from The Hunger Games for Halloween. We both love the books and the movies, so we figured it would be fun and easy enough. But the very best was on Halloween for school I dressed up as an old lady. It was one of my best costumes EVER. No one recognized me and my students loved it.

Us (in our Hunger Games costumes) with the B* kiddos at a Halloween Party. 

My attractive Halloween costume. Definitely one of my best yet.

November 2013 - We watched my nanny family kiddos while their parents went out of town (I know we just love watching families, it is the best experience and practice for us).

STUDENT TEACHING/HOW I GOT MY JOB. Anyway, in November I was just sooo busy with my student teaching. I focused so much on them and I was fortunate enough to work with two teachers. One in the morning who taught all literacy and one in the afternoon who taught math, science, and social studies. They both are incredibly strong teachers because they focus on their subjects so I learned from the best of the best for every subject and was able to grow sooo much. In mid November I started looking for jobs that were opening up mid-year. I was mostly looking in Provo School District because that is where all the mid-year job openings were. A neighboring school in Nebo School District was apparently looking for a teacher to take the place of a 4th grade intern teacher who was quitting mid year. The school's facilitator, Leslie, came and watched me teach in my student teaching class and then told me she and the school's principal would love to meet with me! So later that week I met with them and that Friday night I got a call from the principal, Kali, and was offered the job! Matson and I were thrilled. As soon as I found out I got my job, I got right to work. BYU allowed me to end my student teaching early and somewhat graduate a month early kind of. That way I could focus on MY class not, someone else's class. I had lots to do - deciding what my classroom would need, look like, and all that jazz. My mom, Matson, and Leslie were so nice to help me over Thanksgiving Break to set up my class room.

December 2013 - And on December 2nd I started my first day of REAL teaching. I wasn't necessarily nervous, I just wanted the kids to like me. That sounds so nerdy, but honestly I just wanted them to love me and each other. I treated December 2nd like it was the first day of school back in August. The teacher that taught them before me was very different so I started over from scratch in December. Call me nuts, but I had to make sure that I was comfortable in my own classroom and that things would work me for the rest of the year so that the students could succeed. December was also full of fun holiday festivities. We had our annual Christmas party with friends and Mats and I made our best gingerbread house yet! We enjoyed the Christmas season so much and found out on Little Christmas Eve. that my brother and sister in law were pregnant. We were ecstatic! Another niece or nephew (which we now know is a niece!).

January 2014 - We took our nephew, B*, to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. He loved it and we loved taking him there. A good family friend and my dad's father figure throughout his life passed away. We will miss you Warren!

B* on a quest to get T-Rex!

February 2014 - Celebrated Matson's 26th birthday! He is feeling old! At the end of the month, we found out at my brother and sis in law's Gender Reveal party that they are having a girl! So excited for August (maybe late July) to come!

March 2014 - Our good friends from Texas came into town and we got to spend time with them! Matson and my brother's basketball team won the WHOLE city league tournament! It was so intense and fun to watch the games this year. Matson probably gets terribly embarrassed from all my screaming and cheering, but no one is worse than my dad cheering for them.

City League Champions!

April 2014 - We watched the B* family, which was so much fun. We only had the two youngest so we got to spoil them and just play, play, play! After years and even months of trying to convince my grandparents to move down to Utah from Oregon, they finally caved in! I spent my spring break off from school up there helping my mom get them all packed up and ready to move. And after DECADES of living there, there was a lot to got through. (I will write a post more about the move later...lots of funny stories).

Matson and the B* kiddos playing around at the grocery store!

May 2014 - I cut off 12 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love (no tears), had a wonderful Memorial Day with my family and husband, enjoyed the last week of school, and sadly (with tears) said goodbye to my 4th grade class. My class was so sweet and decorated my car on the last day of school and brought me many gifts. Also, 2 minutes before the FINAL bell rang on the LAST day of school one of the boys in my class yelled, "Group Hug!" and my whole class ran into the center of our classroom and hugged each other. It was the sweetest thing and that's when the tears started. Man, I love those kids.

New haircut. So weird to get use to.

My class and I the last week of school.

DONE! Wellp, there you go. That is the best update I could get to you in like 30 minutes of writing!

Winter Semester - 5th Grade

Hey there, it has been a while. I am finally back to blogging after a long hiatus. We have just been so busy and caught up in all the summer fun! So give me a little while as I try to catch up on the past few months. Starting with school...

This past winter semester in school I did my 2nd practicum (like a mini student teaching experience for a month) in 5th grade. I was so nervous to enter into that 5th grade classroom but by recess that day my mind had changed. 10/11 year old girls were not only walking up to my friend Ashley and I to just compliment us and get us to like them, but they were also pretty much pole dancing on these poles at the playground except they didn't name it pole dancing. They were totally oblivious to the whole pole dancing thing but it was hilarious and it was quite entertaining to me. You may call me the worst person in the world for finding humor in 5th grade pole dancing (that isn't really intended to be pole dancing), but if you saw them doing it you would laugh too. Below is a video of Ashley (Mrs. Hulme) trying "pole dancing". Haha.

I was there a month and I had a wonderful experience. Teaching math was a little intimidating especially when you get done teaching a whole lesson and then the students are looking right back at you with the most blank faces. Scariest faces ever. My favorite thing to teach was guided reading. With my group, we read two of my favorites Stargirl and Crash which are both by Jerry Spinelli. I made them cute matching bookmark schedules for each book. For Crash, I also gave them a "Crash Bag" which is a bag that they took home to find things that relate to the book.

On our last day they were all so sad and gave us the sweetest parting gift of hand written notes. Ashley and I gave them little gifts like "Smartie Pants" and fun pencils since they all seemed to struggle with keeping a sharpened pencil. (Copy & Print the "You're So SHARP" here) As we were walking out the door we had a hug train where all the kids stood in a line and each hugged us. So sweet. Moral of the story: 5th graders aren't THAT bad. They are just like my kindergarteners from last semester just a lot smarter and a little more smelly. Haha.

I'm Back.

I have said it time and time again, and I am saying it one last time now: this semester of school killed me. It was crazy. Like, seriously killer crazy. I was stressed and incredibly pissy worst word but the best emotion to describe me.

But if you have noticed I used words like "was" instead of "is" which all means that it is over. Hallelujah and praise the heavens.

Get excited readers (all 40 of you...) because Erica is back. The "happy, loving, and energetic Erica" not the "poopy almost every day breakdown Erica".

Wellp, give me a few days people and I will be back into the full swing of things and as Crush says (cue the beach bum voice), "leave em' to ha

tch, and then, coo coo cachoo, they find their way back to the big ol' blue."

...yeah that really had nothing to do with what I was saying, but kind of, I mean I just gotta coo coo cachoo out of my poopy school life and into my fun summery life.

Just gotta forget moments like these...

And create more moments like these...

until next time.

-erica

School is Rough

Seriously. School is killing me. I cannot wait for this semester to be over, and not just for my sake but Matson's too. We both have been so busy. Midterms was crazy plus projects and Matson's never ending Calculus homework.

You can't see, but I got some nice words next to my Testing Center test!
Both my midterms turned out great!
So even though I am dying, it is paying off.

The worst thing we both do is look at other couples or friends who aren't stressing about school and are enjoying their date nights, time together, and Valentine's Day (we celebrated ours a dang week late because our weekend after was even too full of homework and stuff). BUT I try to be optimistic and point out the blessings in our lives and the things to look forward to!

I am always looking forward to the weekends...yet we haven't done anything the last few Fridays or during the days on Saturdays. So Saturday nights and Sunday mornings are really our only relaxing weekend time.

I am definitely looking forward for April when school ends for the semester.

And I am looking waaaay forward to December 2013 when I graduate.

And even more forward to April 2014 when Matson will graduate. That will mark the end of school for us forever (hopefully).

This phase of our life is fun, but tiring. I know the next phase of our life will be hard too but I am just ready for that next phase, yet we still have 2 more years. Poop!

But don't get me wrong my friend, A*, and I still have fun in our classes sometimes.

Gotta love my major and all my Elementary Education classes.
But they sure are full of random, tedious projects. 

All I know is that Winnie the Pooh is a wise character. Haha.

Whether the "me" is Matson or Heavenly Father.
This quote has reminded me that with their help I can weather the hard times!

Bye Bye Finals, Hello Christmas

I am SOOOOOOOO happy Finals Week is over for Me and Mats! I am sure you have read from many students' blogs about finals and you are probably sick of it so sorry to be repetitive. But you have no idea how happy and excited I am that they are over. It means that I can now focus on Christmas, which I have been wanting to do for the past few weeks and now I finally can!

A LOT less of this...

My friend A* and I last night at our last presentation for finals week. Not only were we excited about our cute poster, but also excited that we were done! (Just ignore my orange Oompa Loopa hand). 

A LOT more of this...

Wrapping gifts, Christmas prep, and enjoying the season!

I have quite the collection of Christmas PJ's.

Well good luck enjoying your time off and Christmas season!