Happy Spring!

I love when it starts to get warm again...except when Mother Nature decides to be cruel and dump snow in the middle of spring, but still...bring on the warm! :)

So it is my first day of Spring Break and off track time...and what have I done? Well, not a lot! I do have a lot planned though...I have a couple of projects/papers I need to write for the end of the semester for school, a gum graft on the left side of my mouth (yuck!), shopping, sleeping in, planning a trip to Europe, anxiously awaiting to hear the results of my 30 + page comprehensive exam, bike-riding, swimming, Easter, friends, family, and whatever else may come up! In the meantime, I will finally put up some pictures of my cruise in January and update you on everything else that has been happening.

As far as the cruise went, I loved the time I had to relax and get away, see places I hadn't seen before, and spend time with the girls! Here are some highlights of the cruise I went on:

The view of Long Beach, CA while aboard our "hang out" spot on the Queen Mary!

The view of our cruise ship from aboard the Queen Mary!

A morning nap aboard the Queen Mary! A 6:00am flight will do this to you while you are waiting to get on your cruise ship! :)

Walking the "plank" to our ship! Yea!

The view of the Queen Mary while aboard our ship.

As I was exploring the ship, I saw this sign...uh, really?! Haha!

Our first night aboard the ship!

Catalina Island Pier

Our mode of transportation on Catalina Island!

We found this beautiful beach to lay out on, but despite our attempts, it was MUCH too cold to lay out and get a tan! :)

You could see our ship docked out in the ocean all over the island!

One of the beautiful views on Catalina!

One of the many cute little shops on Catalina...apparently Lloyd is a famous name! :)

Our golf cart on Catalina Island!

Formal night on the ship!

Shopping in downtown Ensenada, Mexico!

One of the beautiful views of La Bufadora, Mexico!

One of the many sprays of water that came up from the blowhole at La Bufadora, Mexico!

This was Sally and me at the flea market in La Bufadora, Mexico.

Our waiters did much more than wait on us at dinner, they provided the entertainment as well!

One night we decided to venture out and listen to the karaoke...no, we weren't brave enough to actually get up there and do it!

Sassy ladies playing mini golf on the "Fun Day at Sea"! As you can tell...it wasn't too warm! :)

Andrea and me at the final show on board the ship.

This is the last night of dinner on the cruise with our waiters.

Chilling at the airport while waiting to go home! I think that was the only time we actually got some sun on us that was warm! :)

Well, it still looks like we will be planning a trip to Europe as well sometime later this year...we are thinking either July or October, depending on what we decide to do! Looks like it is going to be expensive...but it will be very worth it!

Off the topic of trips, and onto the topic of work, it looks like I will get to stay teaching 4th grade and on D track for next year! I am excited that I get to stay doing what I want to do! I just hope I get another great class, like this year! I have really enjoyed my class and can't believe the year is almost over. I only have 2 more months with them and a LOT to cram into them before testing begins! OH MY!

On a different note, in the last couple of weeks, my principal, Luann Leavitt, has decided to take a job at the District Offices and has already left us! We have a new principal, Kevin Pullan, coming to take over her position. He starts next Tuesday, but I am off track and will not be there, so I probably won't meet him until I go back in May. I have heard good things about him, so I hope all goes well working underneath him. I am not going to lie, I was on pretty good terms with Luann, so I hope I can do the same with this guy! :) Here is to new starts!

And one final note, the hermit crab saga. Yes, there is more to it! Kermit the Second has died...worst of all...he died WHILE AT A STUDENT'S HOUSE! I felt so bad because the girl was traumatized by it and thought everyone would hate her because he died while in her care! Fortunately, she calmed down and no one hates her! :) I got yet another one last week, because I could get one more for free, but so far I have just left him at my house to see how he does. I want to see if it is the changing environments too much that is killing them, or the store's crabs they are giving us, because this is CRAZY! So far, Kermit the Third, as I am calling him, is still alive! I will let you know how it all goes, but if this one dies, I think I am done with crabs.

Just Checking In...

Just thought I would check in with the blogging world. These are a few highlighted events of the past month or so:

1. I had a blast on my cruise...pictures are coming soon!

2. I found out that I passed my last Praxis test! I can get my Reading Endorsement now!

3. I had to take a day off of work for the "wonderful" opportunity of doing jury duty. I didn't get picked for a jury. What a joy that was! :)

4. One of the students in my class is trying to set me up with her uncle...yes, a 10 year old!!! She wrote a note that was "from" him, so, thinking I had nothing to lose, I wrote one back with my number on it. Too bad he is too chicken to actually call me...what is up with guys these days? Do girls have to do the initiating now? I am not into that. Maybe I should be, because I am getting nowhere fast!

5. I did a Pioneer Day with my class. The Church History Museum came and did some fun stuff with my kids, we dressed up like pioneers, did a pioneer "school" simulation, told pioneer stories, watched a pioneer movie, made butter, and tied quilts. Special thanks to my mother that helped teach my little munchkins how to tie a quilt! :)

6. Stitch, the original class hermit crab, died the FIRST day I decided to bring him in to meet this year's class. So, being the good teacher that I am, I ventured out to get a new crab. I got one, the class named him Kermit, I brought him home last weekend and that very night, guess what??? Well, he died too!! So, because of a 15 day guarantee I got on Kermit when I bought him, I returned to the store and yet again, got a new one. The catch?? I never told my class Kermit died...in my book, he just "changed shells". Is that wrong of me to do?? I hope Kermit the Second doesn't die now!!

7. I made it through Parent/Teacher Conferences last week without any dramatic encounters!!

8. The dreaded comprehensive exams are under way and I am 1/3 of the way through. That is, one question is answered and two more to go (20 pages left)! I am actually taking the day off of work tomorrow to see how far I can get...and I hate taking days off, because they are more trouble than they are worth, but this is serious business!! Haha...wish me some luck getting through this next week of craziness!

Anyway, until next time, enjoy life!!

Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Yes, the title says it all...I was thinking about all of the holidays that have passed since I last posted and well...yep, that's all of them! I thought it is about time that I finally write my quarterly post! :)

Life has been great! I finished up another semester of school for my Master's, which makes 4 out of 6 done!! Yahoo! I just started up my 5th semester and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel for school. This semester will be a little bit more involved, I believe, than the last one, especially since during the spring break in March I am taking the Comprehensive Exams, but I figure if I have made it this far, I can make it all the way now! Home base, here I come!

As far as work goes, I am continuing to enjoy my students! They really are the cutest kids on the planet and I am so grateful to be able to teach them! I am currently enjoying a nice off track time of which I have about 2 more weeks left of. Last week, which was my first week off, was not so fun, as I started out by taking the Praxis Teaching Reading test to get my reading endorsement. I am feeling pretty good about it, but you never know! I get my results in a few more weeks.

Then, I had a little "surgery" work done in my mouth. YUCK! I had to get a gum graft from the roof of my mouth to three of my upper right teeth because my gums were receding on them. I wasn't put out for this procedure, but was numbed quite a bit so as to not feel anything. And I didn't. At least not during. But after, as I was waiting for my Loritab prescription to be filled and the first pill to kick in...oh boy...it hurt pretty bad. Then I was okay. Until I took my 3rd dose of Loritab. And let's just say I was not feeling too good in my tummy! Long story short, I took no more Loritab after that and I have been fine ever since! I don't think I would have survived without my Mom and my awesome nurse roommates though! I just can't wait to get the lovely stitches out of my mouth that are a little annoying...to say the least! :) Too bad I have to do it all again on the left side of my mouth.

Despite all that, I did manage to have a little fun. This last Saturday was my wonderful Mom's birthday, so I (along with my sister-in-law, Kim) got to help her celebrate by going to her Stake's women's conference, of which the pianist, Paul Cardall came and spoke/played for us. He was very inspiring. If you haven't heard of him, you should look him up. I didn't know much about him until now, but he has some awesome work. Then we went shopping at the cutest quilt store around, Material Girls, to help Kim pick out some fabric to make Lexie and Kenzie quilts. After that Scott brought the kids and we went out to dinner as a family. Since it's Brayden's birthday on the 25th of January, we celebrated for him as well. I love my family!

However, I am leaving the fam behind because it is CRUISE time again! Yes, next week I am headed off to Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island with my besties Sally, Candyce, and Andrea! We leave on Monday and will be back on Friday. So excited to get away from the cold, dreary Utah weather! I can't wait to try out my new LUGGAGE too! Santa was really good to me this past Christmas! He must have known that I love to travel! :) Next up...Europe in July??? It is looking pretty good.




Oh, and when I get back, I may have to do Jury Duty...AGAIN!!! This is the 3rd time in 4 years that I have gotten a notice for this...GRR! Granted, I only actually went in once, but seriously??? Do they want to get a sub for me and write my lesson plans on short notice??? I know I should be "grateful" for the opportunity, and maybe under other circumstances I would be, but good grief, give someone else the opportunity, would ya!!?? Has anyone else had this happen to them so many times?? Sorry for the venting.