Moab 2014

Wow, it's been almost a year since we last blogged.  I guess it's time for an update.  This one is a bit long and has a lot of pics and even video!

At the end of April we had a family reunion with the Jenkins side of the family in Moab.  Jen had driven through Moab when she was about 8, and I had never been there, so we were very excited to go.  The first day was spent driving there and checking into the hotel.  The next day we went to Arches National Park and visited a few locations.  One of the first was Delicate Arch.  Apparently this is the arch that is seen on many Utah license plates, so I learned something new.  The scenery was great, and the hike wasn't super long either which didn't hurt. 

This was right before we actually got to the arch.  A bunch of the family is up top.  Through that hole you could see Delicate Arch.  Jen was a little nervous about climbing up so she took this selfie instead.

Here's us at Delicate Arch.  It didn't look too delicate to me, but Jen's the geologist, not me, so I could be wrong. :)

You could walk right under the arch.  There's the back of Eric and Jenn, with Nat and Spencer under the arch.

This is the view from the arch looking back to where everyone was sitting.  You can see Mom on the right taking pictures of all of us under the arch.

There she is in the Minnie Mouse shirt.

Jen was nervous about going out to the arch, so this is the view from directly under it so she could see what it was like.  Doesn't really do it justice.  Oh well.

While some of the adults went out to the arch, Jen kept the kids busy by taking turns saying a sentence to make a story together.  During story time a few squirrels came to visit.  Judging by their faces, this one must have been particularly impressive.  Oh, and thanks for the photobomb, Steve.

Next we went to Double Arch (I think that's what it was called.)  Aptly named. 

Here's the view from under the first arch, while we are standing under the back arch.

I told Steve to sit on this goat at the visitors center, so he did.  He looks slightly confused.  So does the goat.

Next we went to a big sand dune outside of the park, just on the side of the road, to give the kids a chance to play.  A lot of the adults climbed the dune.  I wasn't planning on climbing it, but then both Steve and Eric decided they would, and of course I can't let them show me up, so up the dune I went.  Jen and Lisa followed shortly after.

It was big.  We took a lot of rest stops on the way up.  When we were done enjoying the view and the kids were done climbing up and jumping back down the dune, we all ran down the hill.  Eric also did some rolling down the hill.  He forgot he had his phone in his pocket and it fell out while he was rolling, so we all started climbing up to find it.  He activated an app that makes it beep loudly, and we were able to find it.  It's a good thing he had that app, cause I don't think we would have found it otherwise.  If I ever get a smartphone, remind me to install that app. 

The next day was spent on ATVs.  I was on this regular ATV...

...and Jen was in this different one.  It drove more like a car, with a steering wheel and pedals.

You see those clouds?  It was COLD.  Steve warned us that the forecast called for cold and rainy weather, but I don't think any of us were prepared for just how rainy or cold it actually would be. 

Lisa, me, Spencer and kids.

Our first pit stop.  Jen had the foresight to bring a trash bag as a makeshift poncho before we even got started.  I didn't think it was necessary, but boy was I wrong.  Once Natalie rescued us we all grabbed a trash bag to use as a poncho.  More about that rescue in a bit. We were already soaked at that point, but it helped keep the wind off a bit.   I told Jen that if I ever make fun of her for overpreparing for cold again, she can just remind me about this.  You can see how soaked Carter already looks in the picture above.

Some pics from the ATV.  By the end we were very muddy and wet.  At one point the trail led down into a valley, and the trail was also in a wash, exactly where you don't want to be when it's raining.  I got some video, so hopefully it uploads correctly.  I made some commentary, but the sound is horrible because the camera was in a waterproof case.

 

At this point there was so much rain it was creating waterfalls off the cliffs, which you can sort of see in the video.  It made me and Jen a little nervous.  I was at the very back of the line, so I didn't know this at the time, but the front of our group could actually see the front of the "river" flowing.  Apparently we would catch up to the front of the water, then it would get ahead of us again, then we would catch up, rinse and repeat.  I was in the back, so I had no idea we were close to the front of the water.  All I could see was a flowing river the whole time.  The video below is where we took a bit of a pit stop where the trail widened out so we could stop and we decide whether to keep going or turn back.  We kept going and they started seeing the front of the flood waters at that point, so they made the right decision.

Eventually the trail turned and went uphill, so we were able to get out of the water.

Natalie had stayed behind to babysit a few of the youngest kids.  Right after we got out of the water, Natalie met us on the trail in the SUV to switch with Spencer and get a turn on his ATV.  Because of the weather, it turned into more of a rescue for the kids to get out of the cold.  Eric's Jenn and Mom took all the kids in the suv, and Nat hopped in Mom's ATV.  I think everyone was really happy to see Nat.  The last video shows a bit of the triumphant rescue.

Because it was so cold we cut the ATV trip short at that point and just headed back to the rental place.  Even though it was cut short and rainy and cold, it was still a very fun day.  We both had a really good time on the ATVs, and during the whole trip.  All the activities we had were really fun and it was great to have the whole family together.

How can I have forgotten the THANKS!?!

I just posted about how awesome it is to own a home (where we can have spontaneous fires in our pit), but I forgot to say thanks to everyone for the help they gave.

Noel and Nancy - they came all the way from Idaho Falls to help us move. They got straight to work on the Saturday when we moved. And Nancy got busy cleaning the apartment as soon as I gave the word. She even wanted to go back to the apartment before leaving to go home so she could finish up the bathroom she had been working on.

Eric and Jenn and their little ones - It was so awesome to have all the extra helpers to the clean the low floor boards and some of the walls. I loved how Sadie told me how she had so much experience cleaning floor boards and how they even clean them with toothbrushes! Oh, and Eric, we're glad you christened the home!

Steve - How many times have you helped us move? But we shouldn't need to ask you for a while! And thanks for taking care of putting all the boxes in, and taking them out of the truck.

Jeremy and Erin - Again willing to do anything asked, even cleaning without being warned about it before agreeing to come!

Mom - Seriously, I would never have been able to have everything clean and ready in the house before moving if I hadn't had help, and ideas for cleaning or just making it our own. So great to have you here!

Dad - even though he wasn't here, it was nice to have the support from him over the phone, and for the house warming gifts!

The plumber and carpet cleaners - do I need to explain?

And the big news is!

We're actually homeowners!!! We put an offer on the house in November. We thought the process was progressing in February, so we started packing. Then we thought it would be great to move during Spring Break. And then we stopped anticipating anything would go quickly. Finally we had official acceptance and a closing date of July 31st, and July FLEW by! All of a sudden we were signing our savings (now and later) away. Of course, considering all of the other things delayed, getting the keys was delayed too. So much so that we thought we weren't going to get the house. But, right after a fabulous family reunion, we got to walk into our first home.

It's pretty great having a home. I actually can't believe I'm blogging, though, because a new home (especially one that hasn't been lived in since January, and that has minor necessary improvements) is a LOT of work. We've been to the store every night since we got the keys, except maybe 3 times. But it's good work we're doing! And it's a good use of our time - we love it!!

Here's a sampling of what we've done so far:

*cleaned the whole place top to bottom (which I couldn't have done in time to move in without my mom's help - THANKS!!)

*installed new hanging blinds for the back door

*weeded hip-high weeds

*installed a new ceiling fan

*fixed a closet rod

*called the plumber, twice (plumber: "Hey, I was just on your street the other day."; me: "yeah... that was us...")

*gotten used to the train at night so we can sleep through it

*watered our lawn enough to see some green grass poking through

*destroyed at least 10 wasp nests

*cleaned the carpets

*replaced the shower head and the tub spout

*hung new drapes for two of the windows

*gotten a real clock that looks nice (I didn't realize buying stuff for MY house would be kinda fun)

So, you can see Mike's drill and assortment of other tools has come in way handy. And we haven't even scratched the surface of our to-do list! But we still love having our own space where we don't have to be quiet for the neighbors while inside.

Oh, and the timing for closing on the house really couldn't have been better. I didn't realize how much work it would need right at the beginning (cleaning the new place, packing, moving, cleaning the old place, unpacking, fixing all the new stuff, etc). We closed right after my semester at UVU ended and right before school started at Vista Heights. It means I've been way busy all summer just to be way busy all year (with having to develop a new curriculum and continuing my Master's program), but I'm doing stuff I LOVE, so it makes it doable. And, there's always holidays to look forward to.

On a side note, I've been too busy to get stressed about school and what to teach. Our first day was Tuesday. I'm teaching 9th grade for the first time since I student taught, so I was a little nervous. But, I thought today that I really love teaching. I just got right into my groove, and I know it's what I was made to do. It's hard to explain how great it really is - you'll just have to trust me.

Busy Bees

I promise we're still alive.

I have been meaning to blog for the last several...months... but obviously have been a little busy.

Yesterday was my first day off since school ended. School was over on a Thursday. Friday I worked on assignments for my Master's Program and my Santa Fe trip. Monday I started 3 days of district meetings regarding implementing the Utah Core then went straight to class for my Master's Program on Thursday (which also started on Monday, but I skipped class to get paid for the meetings). Then, just a week and a half later I went to Santa Fe. By the way, I had 4 books and at least one assignment on each for the Santa Fe trip. It was a 6 credit college course.

Thursday, the 25th, was the last day of classes for my Master's Program. I did well in my classes. I was kind of the nerd in my classes. But I'm really liking the program. UVU has awesome instructors. And the cohort gets along really well. I missed the first couple days of classes, so I missed all the "get to know you" stuff, so it took a while for me to feel like I fit in, but all my peers are really helpful. There was only one guy who we all wish gets kicked out. He's very self-absorbed and selfish  - asked for and expected too much when asking for help. And he rarely came to class. Here's hoping! But really, everyone else is really great.

I want to document my Santa Fe trip. It really was great and I'd love to do something like that again. I just haven't had time. Now that I'm done with my summer work, I have a couple days off before the school year starts again. But, I'll be busy with our other endeavor. I can't guarantee I'll be getting that out soon. :)

Oh, and I can't tell what our other endeavor is yet. We'll be finalizing it tonight and tomorrow, though, so you'll find out soon.

My Dream

Last night I had a very strange dream, and it was much more vivid than most dreams I have, so I wanted to write it down before I forgot it so I could share it with Jen later today.  After I finished, I thought, "I took all this time to type it up, why not just share my insanity with everyone?"  It's kind of long, and the grammar might not be great since I just typed it out before I forgot anything, but here you have it.  Enjoy.

Act 1

My dream starts out in some evangelical church where I've already been sentenced to death and I'm about to be executed.  I don't remember what I supposedly did to deserve this, or even why they have the authority or ability to execute me, but I'm not surprised by it and I'm more angry that they think they can do this to me since I'm innocent of wrongdoing than I am about how a church is doing the executing.

I'm in a regular looking church- a bunch of pews with a stage up front and a microphone.  The place is packed, and there are a few people there who are on my side.  The only people I remember clearly are Bishop Murray, who was my bishop during my high school years, and his wife. 

Even though I've been sentenced to death already, I'm allowed to speak in my own defense and I can still possibly avoid execution if the audience likes what I have to say.  The person in charge is an old, short, gray-haired woman who is at the podium riling up the crowd.  She shouts,  "And now we invite the accused to speak in his own defense!"  I don't know why I'm "the accused," since I had already been accused, convicted, and sentenced, but whatever.  The crowd stands and loudly boos me as I stand and start walking down the aisle.  She then shouts over the crowd, "But not before I've had MY say about this creature!"  The crowd loves that and they start going crazy.  She starts off on some tirade, but I'm not paying attention because now I have some time to prepare my defense.

I'm still not scared, I'm just furious that they would have the nerve to do this to me.  I also don't see how I can possibly get out of it since they've already sentenced me, which makes me even more angry.  I see a Book of Mormon in front of me, and I decide I'm going to read some scriptures from it during my defense just to piss the evangelical crowd off and verbally spit in their faces before I die.  I find one really good passage.  I don't remember what it was.  I don't think it was even a real scripture, it was just something that talks about how evil they are and how they all suck.

The old lady is finished with her tirade.  The crowd, which has been cheering loudly during the whole thing, quiets down.  The old woman repeats, "And now we invite the accused to speak in his own defense!"  I stand and start down the aisle while the crowd boos again, when the old lady shouts, "But first!"  Ugh, what now? "We have a musical number!"  You've got to be freaking kidding me.  So this teenage girl that I don't know gets up and starts singing a song.  I don't care though, I'm done with this.  I don't even bother sitting back down in my seat.  I just lay down in the aisle, close my eyes, and go to sleep.

I wake up and it's dead quiet.  Everyone is staring at me as I'm laying down in the aisle.  The girl looks like she's been done with her song for a while and is standing off near a window on the stage.  They're all waiting uncomfortably as they stare at me.  A man in his 40's, who appears to be second in command here, stands up on the stage and goes to the microphone.  "Mike, we're all waiting for you to-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," I snap as I stand up and stride quickly to the stage.  I briskly walk up the microphone.  I hate all these people for what they're doing and I can't wait to read some Book of Mormon passages that will just piss them off even more.

Right when I'm about to speak, the girl who sang the song and is now standing off to the side screams in surprise.  She is staring down at her hands, and then she shakingly turns them and lifts them up for everyone to see.  Stigmata.  She freaks out. She's going hysterical and tries to leave through an open window next to her.  Just then the wounds on her hands explode in fountains of blood.  A shower of blood 20 feet long starts flying everywhere from each palm as she starts freaking out even more.  The whole crowd goes nuts, people in the front rows are being covered with blood, everyone is screaming that it's a sign that I shouldn't be executed, and everyone runs out besides a few of my supporters and the old woman who's in charge. 

The old lady and I are the only ones left on the stage, and a few of my supporters are still in the pews, including Bishop Murray and his wife.  Bishop Murray and his wife take turns berating her for being evil and thinking she has the right to execute people.  I'm so angry, and I want to join in too, so I start, "Yeah, and if you want to be taken seriously in the future, maybe think about wiping the Cheetos dust off your face."  And she did have it on her face.  Not just around her mouth, but on her ears, cheeks, and up above her eyebrows.  The Murrays continued their assault, and I noticed she had a very thick layer of white makeup that, now that I was close and had a good look, was all dry and cracked.  I cracked (ha!) that her face looked like a muddy stream bed that had dried up and become a bad tile job in a dirty bathroom.  "And seriously, who has Cheetos dust on their EYEBROWS?" I yelled.  This lady had just tried to kill me, the Murrays were busy chastising her on the moral and legal consequences of her actions, and all I could do was make fun of her makeup and Cheetos dust on her face.

Act 2

So that eventually ended and I walked out of the church.  I found myself on a street in a very small town from my mission, only it was very different now.  What used to be a very sparse old coal mining town that had one gas station and a single road going through it now had rows of old west style stores on the sides, but a modern paved street in the middle.  The church incident all but forgotten now, my family was there and we split up to look at all the stores.   They were mostly museums about the history of the town, but the museums also had freak show displays.  Interspersed throughout all these were different snack stores like cotton candy and kettle corn.  It was a bit like a fair or carnival, but with permanent buildings instead of tents.

I was just by myself looking at the windows for these places, and I got some kettle corn.  As I was eating it, Jen saw me from down the road and came up and asked why I hadn't gotten her any kettle corn.  I told her I just hadn't thought about it, but that we could go get some.  So we go back to the kettle corn store, but they don't sell kettle corn anymore, they only sell taffy and hard candy.  Jen is disappointed but starts looking around to see if there's something she would want.  While she's looking, I notice there's some old style saloon doors in the back that open up to a bar, only this bar only serves soda pop.  Jason Curtis is there at the bar, so we greet each other.  In the middle of the bar is this self serve area where there is a machine that looks like a soda fountain, but instead of putting your soda in a paper or plastic cup, you take any used soda can you have and hook it right up to the spout and fill up your can.  Jason has three empty cans so I go to fill them up for me, him, and some stranger sitting next to him.

One of the empty cans is for Crystal Pepsi, and they happen to have Crystal Pepsi on tap, so that's what I choose.  I don't remember what the other two were.  After I've filled them, I can't carry all three cans at once, so I leave my Crystal Pepsi on the counter next to the soda fountain, and walk 3 or 4 steps over to Jason and the stranger and hand them their cans of soda.  I turn back around to get my can of Crystal Pepsi and it's gone.  Someone stole it!  I'd only been gone for 5 seconds and someone swiped it!

So I'm super angry because they don't have cups in this place, and it's not like I can go find another Crystal Pepsi can, so I start walking around the bar, trying to stay nonchalant while I scout everyone's drinks to find my can.  I walk the whole bar and find nothing, so that's when I approach the owner and try to get his help.  The owner is Tim Blake Nelson.  You'll have to look him up on imdb.  I didn't even know his name until I looked it up, I just recognized his face.  Anyway, he gets on a microphone and announces that he knows someone stole my can and that he'll give them one chance to fess up.  No one speaks up, so he presses a button and a huge tv on the wall lights up, and it's the owner in a pre-recorded video.  He's talking like he's hosting one of those "shocking video" tv shows, only he's introducing a video of a guy who thought he could steal a drink in his bar and get away with it.  It cuts to security footage of just a few minutes ago.  It shows me turning around and a guy with gray hair in his 50s immediately running over and swiping my can, and then hiding it on a nearby cart a lady was using to bus tables.  Then he walked away to his own table, and when the lady walked by with the cart he swiped it back off the cart. 

We had him caught, but he still wouldn't fess up, so I walked around the bar until I found him.  He was sitting in a wheelchair, which is weird because he wasn't in a wheelchair in the video.  I walked up to him and told him to give me the Crystal Pepsi can.  He knew he was caught and sheepishly handed it over.  The whole bar was watching and erupted in cheers.  Everyone was high fiving and clinking their cans together in celebration.  While this was going on I took the can and handed it to Jason.  I then walked back to the man and joined the celebration by just staring at him from about 5 feet away and slow clapping.  You know that part in The Dark Knight when Gordon gets promoted to Commissioner in the jail, and Joker is sitting there in his cell clapping?  It was like that.  As the bar died down, I just kept staring and slow clapping.  Eventually everyone stopped their celebration and went silent while I just stood there and kept slow clapping with my stare.  It was making him visibly uncomfortable, and he said, "Ok, ok.  You got your drink back, now leave me alone."  I just kept staring and clapping.  After a few more seconds he started getting angry and started yelling and swearing at me to go sit down.  I just kept staring and clapping for like 10 more seconds.  Then I stopped, turned around, and walked back to the bar where Jason and the stranger were sitting.  The whole bar had been watching and everyone was silent.  All except Jason and the stranger who were laughing hysterically under their breath.  They were covering their mouths trying to stifle their laughter, but it wasn't working very well.  I sat down and grabbed my Crystal Pepsi, and I was trying not to smile but their laughing was starting to make me laugh a little, so I was cracking a grin and told them to shut up.

The End.

Jen is right-center, wearing ski outfit.

Hold Onto Your Butts

Love Jurassic Park. I've mentioned it a couple times in class. Students were working in groups preparing for presentations. They were on the computers, trying to find video clips that they could use in their presentation. I heard what sounded like Jurassic Park music, and asked if someone was previewing a clip from Jurassic Park. I mentioned it was one of my favorite movies, and I might be tempted to give extra credit for using the movie. Unfortunately, I was imagining things. But, another time, I told students we needed to watch a movie, but I wasn't sure which one to watch. Someone mentioned Jurassic Park, since we had just talked about the dinosaurs that are found in Utah, but I just couldn't justify to myself. . .

But, that's all besides the point. The reason it's my post title is because I have just so much I want to get down that this is going to be a loooong post. I won't mind if you don't read it. (In my ward, the focus this year is Family History. In Primary, we're sharing Family History "Moments." When I shared, I talked about how cool it is to read journals and stories about our ancestors, instead of them just being names. So my goal is to record my history more thoroughly. Since I haven't written in a journal in YEARS, I blame it on the fact that I have a blog. So now I have to blog.) And, I'm sorry, but I probably won't have any pics. I'm trying to write this as quickly as I can. Sorry!

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The first thing that I want to talk about is the shooting at Sandy Hook. Yeah, it affected me. A couple years ago I read a book (fictional) about a school shooting. It looked at what happens to the friends of the shooter, the parents of the victims, and the parents of the shooter. It was INTENSE. I hated it, but thought it was really good. Well, it just so happened that a couple weeks after I had finished the book, we had a lock down drill in the school. I was a permanent sub, so I knew about it and I knew about the procedure. But, because I was "just" a sub, I had no key to actually LOCK the classroom. Even though I knew it was just a drill, it was still a big deal that I was going to be vulnerable because I was "just" a sub.

Fast forward to this year and Mike texts me saying there was a school shooting, and upwards of 20 people are dead. Of course it was the hot topic in the lunch room. And of course we calm ourselves down by saying "It would never happen to us." But, then we start talking about our students. The PE teacher was in the lunchroom and expressed how they, when on the field, can't hear the announcements and would be left unprotected. And what would we do if it was at lunch? Or during the class break? What if it was one of my students? (What did I do to him/her to push her that much further to this decision???)

Then we hear the stories of what really happened. I am responsible for those bodies in my classroom. What would I do? How brave am I?  (You all know the stories, so just use your imagination to figure out what all is going through my brain).

My mom called a couple days after it happened. She felt really bad that she hadn't thought of me, considering I am essentially at ground zero as a teacher. It very well could have happened at Vista Heights, right? I really am not hurt that she didn't call. But, at the same time, it's true. When you hear about a school shooting, do you think about the teachers you know? What kind of responsibility that shooter is putting in their hands? We're not trained body guards. But then we have to be when trying to protect 2000 students from an intruder. I love being a teacher, but how do I answer myself when I ask "how brave am I?"

Fast forward to Monday, when we came back from the weekend news being plastered with stories of Newtown. In all honesty, I couldn't read them. I would be tempted, read a little, then get freaked out and keep browsing. But, I knew all I needed to know. The principal at our school came on the announcements Monday morning and asked for everyone's attention. You could hear a pin drop. The students could hear his sincere tone. He continued to tell the students that they were safe. We do all we can to keep them safe. But they need to take responsibility for their actions and help make everyone feel safe. We, as teachers and faculty, can't provide 100% safety without the students' help. They need to provide some measure of safety with their actions and words too. Do they? (Our school is actually pretty good - but is certainly not perfect. How do we teach them to be nice to each other?)

So then, after the principal is done, I add my own words of encouragement. I can't just ignore the fact that the students are wondering what measures I would take to protect them. So I tell them that I really do care about their safety and would like to think that I would be brave. Yes. I got emotional. (However, in one class the moment was ruined when one student asked "who would you put in the cupboard first?). That day, and until we went on Christmas Break, I provided my students with cardstock and lined paper - allowing them to write letters or cards for the victims. The students I teach are AMAZING! I browsed through them, to make sure I wasn't sending inappropriate, and I was so touched by what my students wrote. If you ever wonder if teenagers "get" emotions, they do. They knew the severity of the situation. It was awesome.

On to gun control. I know there's a ton of controversy surrounding the conversation, but I honestly don't understand why. Anyway, I am not going to get into what I think and why. However, I want to know one thing: WHY CAN WE NOT TURN THE CONVERSATION TOWARDS THE REAL PROBLEM - these people think the only solution is to kill others. Why can't we focus on preventing this from happening. And I'm not talking about the "red flags." I'm talking about starting at HOME! (No, I don't think parents are always the sole person to blame.) But, our homes are being torn apart. These shooters don't see options - why?

(Oh, and people who want to inflict pain will find a way to inflict pain. Just sayin')

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Holy snow, batman!

Seriously, last year was so nice with all the "warm" days and rain. I told Mike that I wanted to go back in time, to last year, and tell myself to stop complaining, so we didn't have to get hammered this year. The other day I looked outside and we had close to a foot of snow on our back porch wall. It was ca-razy! Not to mention a pain in the butt to drive in while my tires were bald. Please remind to get new tires when I'm told to when getting inspected for registration.

One benefit is that we finally got snow boots! Now we can play without our feet getting cold. Woo!

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I officially applied to UVU's Master of Education program. And boy am I happy that I don't need to study anymore! That GRE was killer. I ended up with this score: 73rd percentile for the verbal section, 68th percentile for the quantitative section (math), 93 (?) percentile for the analytical writing section. I was happy with these scores. I needed to be in the 40th percentile to be considered by UVU as an applicant. However, what makes me laugh is when else will I be happy with 68 percent!?! That's a D! (But, apparently I am an awesome writer!)

If I do get in, I'll start classes this summer. The program is set up really nice for teachers. They put you in a cohort and plan your schedule. I take 3 classes during the summer semester, and 1 class each semester during the school year. Way easy! And my department chair said as long as I can read and write well, I should have no difficulty with the program. (I'm kind of excited to go back to school)

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I'm going to Santa Fe this summer! There's a program here called Driven 2 Teach. I apply, they accept me, and THEY pay for me to go to a historical site to learn all kinds of great stuff, and then I come back and teach that great stuff to my students.

I applied last year to go to Boston, but that's a popular one and a lot of people apply. Plus, I was just an hourly teacher, so I wasn't surprised when I didn't get accepted. But this year we, as a History Department, decided to apply as a team to go to Santa Fe (it's less popular...duh). I got accepted, but I honestly don't know if anyone else has been because no one else has mentioned anything. And I don't want to rub it in, so I haven't mentioned anything. My mom joked that we're all just waiting for someone else to say something because none of us wants to hurt eachothers feelings. We'll see. (I'd be bummed if I don't know anyone who's going, but I am still WAAAY excited for this opportunity).

The sad thing is that we're going to Santa Fe the same weekend of Bone and Back. It's become a yearly tradition, and this year it's a Jenkins family affair, so I am way bummed that I won't be there. But I just cannot pass up an opportunity for a free trip!

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I don't now what's going on next year. There's a new school being built, and we are getting 9th grade. I really want to stay at Vista Heights, and I really want Geography (9th grade). But, I would be happy for a job. The one thing I'm worried about is if I don't fight for Geography now, how long will it be before I have another opportunity to teach it? It's not common for schools to change what classes are given to teachers...

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LAST ONE!!

I just want these in writing. They're just a couple things that have happened in class:

*Last year, I was making a pros and cons list on the board. I told the students I wanted them to say "pro" or "con" before they told me what to write, because it depended on how they felt which one it was. Anyway, I had my back to them when someone said "Khaaaaaan." I had just watched the Wrath of Khan with Mike, so I knew exactly what the student was referencing. But, I wanted to make sure. I turned around and asked who had said that. A student sheepishly raised his hand, and I confirmed with him what he was referencing. It was awesome. Just fantastic. (If you don't know what I'm referencing, go ask a Trekkie)

*This year, we were talking about Utah's geology, which includes dinosaurs. So someone asked if humans were alive while dinosaurs were alive, and how they survived when dinosaurs didn't. Well, of course humans weren't alive then. Before I could say anything, though, a student shouted out, "They were on the other side of the planet."
*Facepalm


I'll try not to wait so long before the next blog, so you don't have to set aside an hour to read it!