Missing Motivation

I cannot even begin to express how insanely busy and hectic and full of adventures my life has been for the past for few months. 

We did get into our home, and we love it so much!  Justin has absolutely LOVED having a yard to mow and maintain.  I have loved having a home to call my own.  I love my kitchen.  That's really all that matters :)  Hopefully I'll learn how to post pictures on this thing one day and we can get some of our cute little house.  I love everything about our home.  I have, however, had to learn how to clean and maintain new things such as hardwood floors, granite countertops, and tile.  We love our ward and the neighbors couldn't be nicer and more generous.  We have been very blessed.  Sunset is such a beautiful, tiny little town.  I could run the entire outer edge in less than an hour.

Speaking of running.  I completed my second half marathon and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!!  Steven (my oldest brother) and I ran the Morgan half.  It was sooooooo hard, but it was beautiful.  It was the complete opposite of my first half.  This one was mostly uphill.  It killed my poor little calves, but I still managed to beat my time from the first one!  I might run it again next year.  It was fun.  A very rough challeng, but a goodie!

School ended for the summer and I managed to pull off all A's...don't ask me how, but it happened.  Then school started up again for the fall semester.  I am in the English methods block for teaching.  What an experience!  I have loved my teachers and what I have been learning.  We have had to read a lot of novels as well, which has been good for me.  I've slacked a lot on trying new genres/books.  For some reason I keep wanting to re-read all my favorites lately and that is just not building up my library for teaching.  We also had the opportunity to teach in schools for five weeks.  I was placed at Mt. Ogden Junior High.  What an eye-opener for me.  I have never had such wonderful breakthroughs and terrible flops in my life---in a matter of minutes.  I learned a TON about myself, my teaching, and teaching in general.  I often came out of the classroom thinking that I never want to go back in there.  I decided after the first day that I didn't want to teach...ever.  I often came home disheartened and frustrated.  But thanks to my awesome co-teachers, I made it through and am still considering teaching as a good career :)  I learned a lot from my co-teachers.  We all have very different teaching styles and we all managed to connect to the students in different ways.  I'm grateful to them both when they bouyed me up constantly, help me out when I was stumped, and encouraged me throughout the experience.

I have recently started tutoring third grade twin girls.  They are stinking CUTE!  I am learning a lot as a tutor as well.  I love tutoring.  I love to see the minute by minute progresses that they make.  Sometimes it's leaps and bounds, whereas other times it's in baby steps.  But they are always willing to try new things.  A very different world from my experience in junior high schools.  I hope to be able to report good things with these girls. 

Justin starts hockey again tonight.  First game of the season!  It's only appropriate that it would be snowing like mad outside.  I don't think winter will be short this year! 

Justin's uncle, Craig, drew out for a buffalo this season.  Guess what?!  WE GOT TO GO!!!!  We went to the Henrie Mountains in southern Utah.  It was a long, bumpy ride and steep in our little cobalt, but she made it up!  Craig also managed to shoot one.  Can't believe it!

The big announcement for this post:  I have finally...FINALLY...registered for my VERY LAST semester EVER at Weber State University!  (Unless of course I decided to get my masters in education...then I would try there...otherwise, I'll stick with my masters in psychology and Weber doesn't have a program)  I student teach next semester!  It is crazy to think that I have finally come this far.  Graduation is in April.  It's still all surreal to me.  I find out my student teaching placement...with any luck...by Thanksgiving.  AHHHH!!!  Fingers crossed that I get placed with a good teacher.  I requested Davis County School District, but if I get placed in Ogden or Weber, that's fine as long as it is with a good teacher.  That makes all the difference, I've heard. 

Well, my shift at work is drawing to a close, and so must this post.  I appologize for the long-windedness of it.  Hopefully I can do better (I know I say this EVERY SINGLE TIME I post) at keeping updated. 

Ciao!