One Holiday Down...

...One to go. At least for the cold winter holidays.


For Thanksgiving Mike and I were planning on going to California (Sacramento) to spend the weekend with my sister (and family) and my parents. We were planning all kinds of fun stuff and were looking forward to a warm(er) weekend and spending time with my adorable nephew.


Of course, this trip was going to be determined by the weather--and the weather didn't care for us to go. Up until Thanksgiving, the weather has been realtively nice...but then this "blizzard" comes across the NW US and stops everything. We have never driven over the Sierra Nevadas (Donner Pass) in the winter, so we didn't know what to expect. But every time we looked at the road conditions, chains were required. We don't have chains, and even if we did our vehicles are not really snow-terrain. So we decided better safe than sorry.


The blizzard that was supposed to hit before we left was not all it was cracked up to be, but we knew there was supposed to be bad weather on our way home from CA as well--and that actually did hit us. We woke up today to about 4-6 in of snow...and strong wind. Our cars are in a car port and aren't snowed on at all--but the wind COVERED our cars in snow from top to bottom.


So, for Thanksgiving, Mike and I enjoyed a leaisurely, relaxing weekend at home. We did have Thanksgiving dinner--with turkey, potatoes & gravy, rolls, corn, and mac 'n' cheese (homemade...mmmm). We still have leftovers!


And of course we went to WalMart for Black Friday. I got there at 9, and Mike came at 11. We wanted a super great deal on a flat screen tv. I was first in line...and waited for 8 hours!!! Don't worry that there were probably at least 50 tvs left after every one in line got one. But how were we supposed to know there would be SO MANY tvs? Oh well. We have it and it is soooo much better than our old one. I used to think that "HD" was over-rated (much like BYU football--oooooh ;) ), but HD is truly amazing. I am sold!


In other news, I should be glazing some pots in my pottery class this next week. I have been meaning to take my camera for the past three classes, but always forget! I hope my pots turn out great. So far I have fired three and hope to trim and fire three more before I am done. If I remember pictures, I will be posting!


And sadly, there is something wrong with our fish tank. We can't figure out what, but have lost several fish over the last couple of weeks. 4 corys, 1 black neon tetra, 1 zebra danio (disappeared), 1 loach, and the beautiful beta. We have also not seen our bamboo shrimp or 2nd loach in a while. None of the fish show signs of disease, but just suddenly are lying dead on the rocks... :( We just won't be buying any for a while and will try to clean the tank more often. We'll see what happens.

Ah, Love. True Love.

As you facebookers know, I started a pottery class tonight--and there will be one class a week for the month of November (and two in December just because of the holidays). It was my gift from Mike for my birthday. I took an obligatory art class in high school, and while I was horrible at drawing, I was good at and enjoyed the ceramics. I never got a chance to try the spinning wheel--and often vocally lamented that fact. Mike was listening and found a place to learn just twenty minutes from home that is relatively cheap.

I was super excited to try, but I must say that I was waaaaay nervous and terrified that I would fail. I imagined the clay spinning into my face every time I tried to maneuver it and nothing could come from these hands of mine.

Much to my surprise, and elation, I am good at it. I think. My teacher of the class said I might be a natural potter. The plan for the first class is to just learn how to center the clay, spin the wheel, and move the clay up and down. Basically getting used to how the clay spins and using your hands (and new muscles). The teacher said students don't usually form pots until the fourth week. Not only did I form one pot, but THREE!!! All different shapes/sizes. I have an artistic talent!

I was all smiles, all night. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. I LOVE pottery! I already envision myself owning a spinning wheel and even hand-forming creations.

I love Mike!

Life Lessons

This post is a week old, because I'm entering this based on something my bishop said last week in church. Regardless, the life lesson is timeless.

Last week was Fast Sunday, so the bishop had a chance to bear his testimony in church. Now, he really knows people's problems, and he mentioned how it is difficult for him to look out at the congregation and see the people he loves suffering.

Everyone is going through something.

It is so easy for me to get caught up in what I don't have when I see others enjoying what I want. But just because they seem to be careless and free on the outside, they are hurting or wanting on the inside - just like EVERYONE else.

So, I decided I have to be selfish sometimes. I have to stop looking at others, and what they have. I have to, instead, look at what I have. Forget everyone else. I don't want their problems. (I don't want mine, either, but I've been given them to learn from them--to make me a better person). The problems don't go away, but they instantly become better and easier when you:

1. Take them on with a good attitude

2. Realize all the good things you have (they probably outweigh the "problems").

I think there's some truth to the hymn Count Your Blessings.

Conquering the Mountain

My parents recently were up, just for fun, and we hiked the Y. My mom has been wanting to do it again, with my dad, since she did it her first time a couple years ago. It's her treat to herself for completing chemo. Last time she went up, she had been in Provo for about a week and had been exercising everyday she was here. She had gotten used to the mountain air. This time we went up just a couple hours after they arrived. Whoops! She completed the hike, YAY!, but she doesn't want to go through chemo again so she never has to climb this mountain again!

For those who have never been to Utah, the Y stands for BYU and is on a mountain face overlooking the school. Not sure how high and how far the hike is, but you can see from the picture that it is no small feat.

This isn't my picture. I stole it from the web. But it gives you an idea of the size and distance of the Y...

The beginning. You can see the white Y in the middle of the gate posts.

Almost there!

Mom and Dad at the bottom of the Y. They made it!

Sunset from the Y overlooking Utah Valley.

Mike started going to the top of the Y.

And Dad followed. Mom and I stayed at the bottom. See those poeple in the middle of the Y, to the left of the grass patch? That's not us. Were further to the left--the little dots near the top edge of the white.

The End Result

This will be the story as to how I came to be substitute teaching at Lehi Jr this year. All of those people that don't care can just rely on the fact that I got no other teaching offers and go on with your day. Just don't tell me, and I will never know that you've already gone to another website. (And I understand. If it weren't my own life, I don't think I would stick around either after seeing how long this entry is.) Oh, and if you're on a mission or reading this at work, you don't need to take the time to read this either. I can tell you all about it some other time! :) Those that would like the history: thanks for staying!

The Background

All of you know, or should know by now, that my life calling is to be a teacher. I went back to school and into debt to get my teaching license. I LOVED that experience, LOVED my student teaching, didn't LOVE the praxis (but LOVED passing it!) and I would LOVE to have my own classroom some day.

Well, I was done with the requirements for my license in December '09. I thought I would substitute teach for the rest of the year, for the district, but found out there were nearly 4,000 other people who had the same idea. So I looked for a job elsewhere. I got a "call center" job for a company who sold dietary supplements and the such. It didn't feel legit, so I wasn't sad when I got a call from someone wanting to offer me a job based on a referral from a previous interviewer. I had originally interviewed to be a receptionist at a Keller Williams Realty office and the person who interviewed me referred me to an agent who was looking for a personal assistant. I took the job when they told me they would offer me more and I wouldn't have to be taking orders and answering questions about "legit" pills.

The Personal Assistant

I thought I would like being a personal assistant and keeping someone else organized. It turns out that it's just another office job. I would wait to see what they wanted me to do next. I wasn't in a position to be a self-starter because I honestly had no idea what needed to be done next. I wasn't in the loop. And it wasn't for not trying. It wasn't what I thought it would be. And, it wasn't teaching.

The Office Assistant

The agents I worked for, while working for them, moved offices; from Keller Williams to Prudential. A month after we moved to Prudential, Prudential announced a merge with another local real estate company. A month after that (around April), they announced we would be moving locations. Prudential was going to be very busy trying to assimilate two companies into one, and physically moving locations. They would need more help. Luckily, the agents I was working for didn't need me full-time anymore. Ta-Da! I now work for the office and the agents. Confusing?

Well, try this. Before the office asks me to be an office assistant, they want to know if I would be the office administrator at another branch. They asked me right in the middle of hiring season for schools. I was honest and told the office that I did want to be the administrator, but that I wanted to teach more and I could not commit. If I was given a teaching job, I would leave. It was a gamble for me, and would be a gamble for the office to give me the position. They didn't take it. I was stuck being an office assistant. The work was busy, but wasn't teaching.

Looking For Something Else

After a couple months of working two jobs in the same building (in the office for the office, and in the office for the agents--don't worry, it was confusing for everyone I worked with), and with no job offers of teaching, and after moving to Pleasant Grove, I decided it was time to look for another job. Not that I didn't like what I was doing, per se, but if I was going to do easy office work, I might as well try to find another office that paid more and was closer to home.

I had an interview for an insurance office, and it went well. It was down to me and one other girl, but I think I threw in the towel for both me and the office when they said it was a position that was eventually based on sales. Ugh. "Sales is not my strong point," I said. "I rather like making the customer happy and informed, regardless if they buy from me or not." The guy said he thought that was good, but apparently not good enough. Oh well, I don't do sales.

So, the Prudential Office knew I was looking for another full time job. It so happens that another agent was looking for another full-time employee (already had four). The office referred me to him. We'll call him bank agent (he sells bank owned homes). Well, bank agent and I talked and he offered me a job without a real interview. It paid more and was more stable. Only thing is that he can be busy and mean--like yell-at-you and call-you-stupid mean. I had never witnessed it, but heard about it. I figured I could handle it because I understood that it only came from him being busy and on the banks' schedules.

Working for Bank Agent

I worked well with his already established team. I like staying busy, learned quickly, and had already known alot of my duties considering I'd been an assistant before. The first week went well. The second week was VERY difficult.

I started working with him on a Monday. Thursday (four days later) I got a call from Lehi Jr saying they wanted me to be a full time sub. The pay was less (because I don't work holidays and summers), but I would be there every day of the school year. Friday (the end of my first week) I tell Bank Agent I got an offer. (He already knew I wanted to be a teacher, but knew my chances of finding another job were slim.) When I told him, he took it well, but not well. He didn't get angry, but really wanted me to stick around. His first reaction was to ask what it would take to keep me around. Nothing; I want to be in the schools. He offers me a raise, and I say I won't take it. He doesn't give up; he tells me to go home over the weekend, think, and come back with what it would take for me to stick around.

The Weekend

Seriously? I could name my price? How high was he willing to go? What was I willing to stay for? Most difficult decision EVER!

Why would it be? All I have ever wanted to do was teach. Right? But this wasn't teaching. It paid half as much as teaching and wasn't my own classroom. Bank Agent was willing to pay me more than any other job had. How could I give up a chance to pay off my student loans in one year? And Mike's?

How could I give up a chance to make contacts that could lead me to a job? A real teaching job? A chance to be in the school and know the students? Test my abilities as a teacher or classroom manager? To be able to observe other teachers and their styles without the stress of planning lessons and grading?

You know what won. What I decided on. But I went back with my price--the price I could make if I was a teacher. I never thought he would consider that much. It was a 50% raise. So I went back on Monday and he accepted it. He was willing to pay it, and he knew I didn't think he would. He gave me one more day. He wanted me to be committed to the job if he was to pay me that much.

The Counter Offer

Again? I had to make this decision again? I only felt good when I decided I wanted to sub. I was trying to talk myself into working for Bank Agent--and that wasn't right. I didn't need any convincing when it came to being a sub.

Another Interview

After I've made my decision to leave Bank Agent for the school, I get a call; the same day. It's from a principal in Tooele who was just authorized to open a full-time position for a Junior High History Teacher. They picked me to interview out of 140 candidates. Me and 6 others. Here we go again. It's a real job this time, but an hour away. Each way. I figured that if we stayed in Pleasant Grove, I would spend over $4000 in gas and wear-and-tear in one school year. Ouch. Not to mention driving that far in the snow and horrible traffic of Salt Lake. I want the job; it's a real job. I don't want the inconvenience the job would bring.

I didn't have to make a decision. The school made it for me. The principal said I interview well, and they liked me, but they went with someone else. Could they tell I didn't want it? I don't think so. I think Heavenly Father knew I would take it and it wasn't right for me. I should be in Lehi this year.

The End Result

I still work for Bank Agent, but temporarily. I go in the afternoons and do whatever work hasn't gotten done yet that day. It's a week-to-week basis for now. Which is great for me to make up the money I am going to miss by not working holidays. What's funny is he asks me if I've changed my mine. Nearly every day. And marvels how much money I passed up. He doesn't understand a life calling.

And I LOVE being back in the school. Some of my students remember me from last year. It's so fun to walk down the hall and hear "Hi Miss J!!!" They've even asked me to come back to Mr Wofford's class (where I student taught last year) and do some of the fun activities from last year! LOVE IT!!!

Now, I know I'm a sub and students can make life difficult for a sub. But, I've been there before and some students know me. I am a good teacher, which means I will be a good sub and direct students appropriately--I won't just be mean. And I will be there every day, so students will know my face. I will know what they can and can't get away with.

Also, just as a side note. I need 100 professional development points during the next three years to be able to renew my license without more schooling. I will be able to earn those points not only by going to the district-offered courses, but I will earn them by subbing as well. How great is that?

Worth it.

Teaser

I have some good stuff to share about my job situation, but it changes so rapidly, almost by the day, that I can't share yet. Stay tuned!

Latest Happenings

We have good reason for not blogging recently:

*We moved!!!

We finally gave up college life and moved out of the college city of "ProvOrem". We found a townhome for rent in Pleasant Grove that is closer to Mike's work. It makes my commute a little longer, but I can't complain about a 15 minute drive. Besides, I can look for another job that's closer.

See those stairs? There's no one living above us. See that non-shag carpet. Nice. And the walls are still white--not yellow from 20 years of harsh, unclean tenants. LOVE our new place.



Have I ever mentioned that owning a washer and dryer is the greatest thing ever? These were left by the previous tenants, but they didn't work. Smelly and noisy. But, Mike found a seller on Craigslist and a GREAT deal. The ones we bought are only a couple years old and work like a charm. Did you know that there's a setting on a dryer that senses if the clothing is dry? Amazing! (And not going to a laundr-o-mat is FANTASTIC!)

Remember how I said that I LOVE the new place? Yeah. We had a cleaning problem when we moved in. The fridge and freezer smelled like dead animal. Really dead animal. Mike did some further investigating by taking a plate off the bottom of the freezer and found this:

Gross. Sick. Smelly. Probably deadly. Notice the precautions we took while cleaning it, including the face mask. That's mold. It was gross. I could go into details, but the picture explains well enough. We cleaned it, but it still smelled like dead animal, so we let our landlord take a go. We were secretly hoping for a new fridge, expecting at least to be given some rent $$ back, but instead just a guarantee that he cleaned "real deep" and took care of the problem. We haven't noticed any problems with our health or food in the freezer, so we are assuming the problem is gone. But we are being careful to watch for any changes.

*We went to California. We haven't gone in YEARS, so we decided to gift ourselves considering we have no more school. We had great fun while we were there, despite the June Gloom in July. Mike got to fly his kite. There's this spot in Torrey Pines that's really windy and there's a bunch of hang gliders and such.

My mom gave it a go. It's a stunt kite, so a little difficult to get the hang of. I still am not very good at it, but Mom did well, for her first try. :)

And here's Dad. He got a good lesson from Mike, but notice the strings not going UP in the air? He did get it up, but like I said, there's a technique that can be difficult to pick up.

Mike and I took a ferry from Downtown San Diego to Coronado Island. Very nice.

Very fun.

A New Zealand battleship was in the bay and open for tours, and was free, so we HAD to go. This is the 5-inch gun (I think that's what it's called). It was a pretty cool ship. I can't imagine being on one for months at a time. Some of the quarters were VERY tight!

The helicopter on deck. PS, their accents were pretty cool!

We went to Sea World and fed, pet and viewed plenty of sea life. Here's Mike feeding a Sting Ray. You had to dangle the fish under their mouths and then just let it go. Weird and a little scary. I didn't know if they would bite me, so I let go of my fish a little too early. The rays won't eat it just floating, though, so Mike retrieved it for me and I tried again.

They like coming up and out of the water. Of course, my mom was a little wary of letting her hand get too close to the mouth, so she kept moving it further and further and the ray just followed and followed.

I "pet" a sea turtle. Very cool.

Sharks wanted to eat us!

Shamu wanted to spray us. We were wet even by the time we got home! Every show we went to had animals spraying and splashing the crowds.

I think I did a good job capturing Shamu... And we had pretty good seats! Notice we have no pictures of dolphins. They don't stay up in the air as long as whales.

Natural wildlife. This was pretty cute to watch.

This one wanted to eat Mike's hand off! The red and white in the bottom of the picture is the container for the fish. We had to keep it closed because birds would come and snatch the fish right out of your hand if you weren't careful. (It happened to a little kid just down from us). But Mike wanted to have the sea lion/seal come closer, so he teased it a little. It jumped up a little higher than Mike was expecting...

Keeping the fish away from the birds is a skill.

*Very soon after we got back from California, I went to Page with my brother, Jeremy. My sister, Desiree, and my sister-in-law, Raquel (brother's-Dan's-wife), were going to be in Page (near Lake Powell) for their 10-yr high school reunion. Since two of the four siblings were going to be there, Jeremy and I decided we should complete the gang. It doesn't hurt that we got to go boating twice and enjoy the scenery! Oh, and hanging with the nieces and nephews is always fun! I even went tubing. I got evidence for Mike, but that evidence is sitting on Jeremy's and Desiree's cameras. And they haven't shared it. But really, I do have evidence.

I think that's all we've been up to. It has been a BUSY summer and feels like we've been going non-stop since Mike graduated. But now that vacations and moving are behind us, Mike and I plan on relaxing and enjoying our time together. We signed up for Netflix! :)

"It's Raaaaining. It's Snooooowing...

The old man is..." Wait. What? Snowing? Seriously. And not just any snow. It stuck. And there was a lot of it. Like, slip-and-slide-in-your-car alot. Like, snowing-till-after-10-am alot. What is wrong with Utah???

Now that I'm done with that rant, let me go to another. We all like the good news that Mike got a job. Really. I am reeeeeeally happy that he is done with school and got a job that he seems to enjoy so far. What am I not happy about is my lack of ability to get a job. I've had one real (non-screener) interview and failed. Didn't get it. I wasn't even considered for a job at the school where I student taught. (Granted, it was basically just given to the guy who interned). And I, just today, got a letter in the mail that said based on my screening interview and other things I will not be put into the pool of candidates for Ogden School District. AAAAHHHHH!!!!

Now, I am not pleading for the world to tell me I'm a good teacher and to just hang in there. I KNOW I'm a good teacher and that it is my "destiny" to teach. [I just HAD to put a Lost reference in here...sorry!] I just don't want to wait. I don't want to have gone back for my license for nothing. I don't want to accept that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people applying for the same jobs I am. This is a dreadful waiting game. Bring on the Ding-Dongs and ice cream! (Ha, just joking. No need for that... I already had my chocolate frosting on graham crackers while posting this.)

Now, on a positive note, my brother got married!!!! We are all so excited for the happy couple and the day was awesome! Great weather, great company, great events, GREATNESS! We all love Erin and her family. They are all just so nice and considerate and fun and GREAT! I know, it was great!

Jeremy's the last one of the Heckaman kids to get married. I think my Mom and Dad handled it well--but I think it's just because they have a greater chance of getting more grandbabies!

So, to leave you with smiles on your faces, here's some pics from the GREAT day!

(Yes, I know they are in backwards order. Just go with it.)

(Yes, I know they are small. Just go with it.)

(Yes, I know they do not look professional. Just go with it.)

Oh, both Jeremy and Erin graduated the weekend (Friday) before their wedding (Tuesday). And they moved that same weekend (Saturday). Busy much?

"Yeah, they're called doctors."

I finally graduated from college. I graduated from Utah Valley University with a B.S. in Business Management with an emphasis in Finance and Banking. I didn't walk (graduations are boring), but we got to see both sides of the family. We saw the Heckaman side for a wedding that happened the same week as finals that I'm sure Jen will blog about, and then we went up to Idaho on Friday the day of graduation (which was also our 5 year anniversary) for my niece's baptism on Saturday. That was a busy end of the month.

It's a bit weird not being in school anymore. I'm so used to having a test or paper in the back of my mind that it's taking some adjusting to that being gone. I'm also not used to being home at a decent hour every night. I've had to take night classes for so long that we got used to eating dinner at 8pm or later pretty often.

I'm finishing up my first week at my first real job. I got a job working in the international logistics department for Xango. Xango is an MLM company that sells a juice from a fruit called mangosteen. Don't worry, I'm not even allowed to be a distributor, so I won't try to sell it to you. Although I'm sure I'll have some on hand now so you can try a swig if you want.

I was already pretty familiar with Xango before I applied. I used to make signs for them right after my mission, and I used to sell promotional material about mangosteen juice to distributors at my last job. And of course they sponsor these guys:


That's Real Salt Lake for all you no good, no-soccer-watching hooligans out there.

So yeah, I'm pretty excited to be out in the "real world" now. I just have to get used to getting up before 7am every day. I haven't had to do that since my mission.

#30. I love that he...

...and I were married for time and all eternity 5 years ago.

Sometimes we still marvel at all the circumstances that brought us together so we would meet.

And we are so blessed that we did.

That he...

...makes me write lists for everything I don't want to forget.

"Why aren't you writing that down? You always forget if you don't write it down!"

Well, I wrote a list of everything I wanted to say this month. And it worked! Not that I would forget these things, but I would forget which ones I wanted to post and how to say them.

...

And I realized, with the last two posts, I put in pictures of only 3/4 of the cutest little Heckaman babies. Here's a couple of the latest addition:

That he...

...doesn't want to live in Idaho.

No offense, but I am really glad.

That he...

...comforted me when I lost my grandpa over the summer.

That he...

...let me cry on his shoulder, multiple times, when I found out about my mom's cancer.

That he...

...and I have such FUN jam sessions. He plays the guitar pretty well, and has tried to teach me (sometimes). But, I think singing is much easier than playing the guitar, so we've struck a deal.

Our most favorite is a choice selection of Blessid Union of Souls.