Somebody should really update this blog for me.

We're All in This Together - High School Rocks!

 As you know, if you follow this blog, I am going to school to become a MASTER of School Counseling.  I am half way through the program now and just finished my practicum. We are to start an internship in the fall and complete 600 hours between September and June of next year.  Not bad right? Only 20 hours a week, no big deal.  Until I was reminded that there are only a few paid internships around and I have to work to help pay the bills for now.  Well, with no paid internship in sight, I was planning on working my 40 hours with the state, 20 hours of internship at a school, 4 hours of class, about that many of homework, travel time, church stuff, and hope that my husband and puppy don't forget I exist.  Needless to say, I was a little stressed.  Especially after doing my practicum of only 8 hours a week and all that other stuff, I thought I was being a little stretched, I could not imagine adding 12 more hours into my week schedule somehow.  I was thinking I'd need to call Hermione Granger at Hogwarts and see if I could borrow her time-turner necklace or is she knows where I can get one for real cheap. Then Jeph had to go and break my heart and tell me that Hermione is not real and magic does not exist.  That was a sad day. (I'm still not 100% convinced, cuz me and Harry, we've bonded and there is no way that is made up so it all must be real.)

Anyway, me, being dramatic (I blame that on the birth control) and stressed about all of this just about lost my mind thinking that the school year had ended and I procrastinated setting up an internship for next year in hopes that something would come along.  (This is getting really long and boring - I'd apologize - but if you have a problem with it find someone else to stalk).  Luckily, my favorite school district also put off hiring school counseling interns until after school was out for summer, so I had another chance at getting a paid internship.  I applied and was interviewed at two absolutely fabulous schools, one middle school and one high school. At this point, I would have accepted a job as a school janitor or lunch lady just to be at the school in hopes that I could get some internship hours without killing myself.  To my amazement and surprise, both interviews went really well and I was happy to think that either one just might give me a chance next year.  I interviewed with the high school first and the middle school the following day.  Both told me I would most likely not hear from them until the beginning of the following week unless things went really well.  Well just hours after I interviewed with the middle school, one of the high school assistant principals called me and said that those who interviewed me had all gone out of town for the rest of the week, but that they recruited him to call my references and me as soon as possible so that I didn't accept any other positions and offered me the PAID INTERNSHIP at ALTA HIGH SCHOOL!!!  I was extremely flattered! Of course I accepted and he welcomed me on as a Hawk (I've been an Indian, Bear, Pirate, Spartan, Viking, Pheonix, and now a Hawk - very cool)! After my lengthy explanation, you should be able to imagine the relief as the sound of angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus came flooding into my gloomy work office that day! I've been walking on sunshine and loving life ever since!

To my amazement, the assistant principal from the middle school called me the following day to congratulate me on getting the internship at the high school (I guess they talk - awkward since the high school kinda sneaked in under the middle school's nose and stole me out from under them - calling after they knew I was interviewing with the middle school to set up an appointment the day before I was supposed to go to the middle school, then calling me the day of my interview with the middle school to offer me the position - I don't know about you, but I'm thinking they had someone sneaky working on this one) and to tell me that he would never forget that I told him I was raised on a farm.  hhmmm.  I never would have imagined that growing up on a farm would be so memorable, but if it would have gotten me the job, than I'll use that line in every interview from now on!  Anyway, I'm flattered that I was even considered for one or both positions and grateful that at least one of them selected me to work with them. I hope they don't mind my dramatic, sarcastic, lame personality.  Maybe, they just realize how much easier it will be for me to relate to the high school students than it would some old serious person who has never even heard of let alone seen High School Musical one, two, or three - LOVE THEM! (maybe junior high would have been a better fit ... nah.)

Anyway, this has been such a blessing and an answer to a lot of prayers (thank you moms for your faith - I couldn't have done it without you).  I cannot even express how grateful and relieved I am about getting this internship (despite the pay cut I'll be taking which isn't saying much since I work for the state and don't make that much in the first place. Jeph is more upset about it than me anyway, I'm just grateful I MIGHT get to keep my mind sane for one more year). GO HAWKS! 

 

WICKED

This summer is just about to be the best summer ever! We bought LAGOON Season passports!  So if you can't find us, try looking on Wicked, or Colossus, or the White Roller Coaster, or Lagoon - a - Beach, or one of the other cool places there at Lagoon.

A Story of Which I am NOT Proud...

Once upon a time, I drove one of these:

And then this happened:

So the insurance paid for me to drive one of these:

Until we could get the loan for this:

 (Subliminal message inserted here:
Shop at the CU- 4144 S State St.)

 And we lived happily ever after...The End

Making Predictions

So I am a good and go to the dentist every 6 months like I am supposed to.  And every time I go ...  it snows.  I have been going to the same dentist for 2.5 years and every time I sit on in that same massage chair on the 5th floor looking out the same giant window and I watch the snow come falling down.  Today, they asked that I not come back because no one wants snow on April 29th!
So I made my next appointment today and I am calling it now, there will be snowfall on November 2, 2010.

OMG, I Think I'm In Love!

I failed to mention a few posts ago that when we went to St. George, we were introduced to heaven.  We went to a little local frozen yogurt shop called Krave - YUMMY!  It is basically buffet style frozen yogurt + toppings.  Brilliant idea Krave.  Well, being from the big city, we thought there had to be something similar here in the SLC, but after looking around a little we could not find anything comparable.  Maybe there are some of you out there that are the frozen yogurt know-alls and could tell us but we obviously don't know who you are or we would have asked.

Anyway, the other day, I was riding a school bus from Butler Middle School with 40 something 7th graders on a field trip to see the Canyons and Jordan Tech Centers.  You're all jealous, I know!  Well, I just so happened to look out the window as we drove past the shopping center on 9400 south and around 1000 East and lo and behold, there was quite the surprise.  PLANET YOGURT.  I thought to myself, it couldn't be that this is the SLC version of Krave, but I would be oh so happy if it is.  So tonight, Jeph and I decided to go check it out and sure enough, it had the buffet style frozen yogurt!  LOVE IT!  As Jeph would say, "we are now citizens of Planet Yogurt!"

I was shocked and embarrassed that this was the first time we had even noticed that PLANET YOGURT existed.  To my relief, it has only been open two weeks tonight.  Just a young couple who decided to open this great little yogurt shop.  For those of you who don't care for frozen yogurt (shame on you), you're in luck, because they are working on getting smoothies and shaved ice before summertime.

Anyway, go check it out! Cuz we want it to stay around for awhile so we can enjoy us a healthy dessert!  ;-)

Stole My Heart

I pretty much love this song from the Amazon Kindle commercials. I play it for Jeph all the time and he totally loves it too!  If we were getting married, we would definitely pick this cute little ditty to be our wedding song!

Spring Break

A few weeks ago, SLCC had spring break.  Because Jeph has a part time job, he only had the mornings and weekends off for spring break.  So we took advantage of the time and took a few short road trips.  We spent the first weekend here:

The farm is always a great place for us to get away and relax.  It is super quiet and peaceful there so it is always a good time.  We enjoyed spending sometime with my parents and some of my siblings.  It is always fun to go back to the small town and remember that life does not have to be a race all the time. 

I took the next week off work and spent the time cleaning our neglected home, sleeping in and catching up on some much needed sleep, doing homework, and letting my tired mind recooperate.  It was so needed and so nice, however, by the end I'd wished I had taken another week off. :(

The next weekend we headed down to where the sun shines! We spent the weekend in St. George with Mike and Kim.  They invited us to tag along for Mike's birthday.  We had a great time eating lunch on top of this:

Driving through Snow Canyon:

And getting in our religion by taking a tour of Brigham Young's winter home.  I'm thinking he had the right idea.  Jeph and I will be looking into us a winter home in St. George. We still haven't decided if we will have a summer home there as well or if we will look for a cooler place for the summer.  Luckily, we still have time to decide all of that. 

We had a great spring break and look forward to another one!  I sure wish they had those more than once a year!

Христос воскрес! Christ is Risen!

HAPPY EASTER!

One thing I enjoyed while living in Russia is that on Easter Sunday the appropriate greeting to friend and family is to say "Christ is Risen".  I often wondered if they really understood and believed what they were saying or if it because tradition that they would pass the greeting along.  Either way, the message of those words is quite powerful when we understand the reality of them.  Jesus Christ has risen!  He has overcome all things impossible and has made all things possible for us.  Without him we would be lost.  I am so grateful for our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ and for all that did for every one of us.  

GENERAL CONFERENCE 

This Easter weekend was made even better by having the LDS General Conference on Saturday and Sunday.  I did not always enjoy listening to conference because when I was younger it was often very boring to spend my weekend listening to a bunch of older men and women speak about churchy stuff.  I often feel like I am still not old enough to be entertained by such an event, but I find I enjoy it more and more every year.  While listening to what was taught, I couldn't help but feel the peacefulness of the Spirit and know that it is right and true.  I felt so lucky to have this knowledge and wished that everyone I know and love could also feel the same.  The Gospel brings me so many blessings and so much happiness.  I just wish everyone could have the same happiness.  I know that God blesses everyone who loves Him and many that don't because He loves everyone.  But I also know that my life is much richer because of the knowledge that there is a prophet on the earth and that he speaks to the world twice a year.  Sometimes, I think life would be much easier if I did not care, but it often breaks my heart to know that there are so many people who still do not know and do not want to know about the good news.  The good news that there is a prophet today, that Heavenly Father speaks to him, that he and many others have the power to act in God's name because of the restored Priesthood, and that through that Power we can be together with our families and our Heavenly Father for Eternity.  Where else can you find such GLORIOUS information?!  I hate the idea of being pushy with my religion, but at the same time, I hate thinking that I have something so great and wonderful and that I didn't share it with everyone I could. I love my life!

Христос воскрес! Christ is Risen!

The BIG Fix

So we got our puppy fixed this last week.  Everyone says that they'll calm down after they are fixed.  Well, it is not so with this little pup.  The day that he was fixed, he was a little tired and mellow and just wanted to be close to us, but the next day, everything was back to normal.  He was biting toes, jumping on strangers, and licking ears clean as if nothing had happened.  He hasn't even noticed that he had his manhood cut off.  I hate to say that we were looking forward to having a more mellow pup, but I guess we should be grateful that it was not too traumatic for the little guy that he still has his fun playful personality.  The one thing that has changed, is that he doesn't mind snuggling up to us a little more when he is tired.

All in all I think the experience has been more traumatic for me than it was for the puppy.  Because we did not want to pay more to get him fixed than we even paid to own the little guy, we decided to take him to the local relocating BIG Fix bus.  I was sure that when I went to pick him up at the end of the day, they would bring out a dead little pup and say he didn't make it.  Luckily, that was not the case. 

 Notice that puppy is attacking our visitor Kami in every picture.  What a wild puppy.