Life as I know it...

Well, I went and changed my hair. I'd been thinking about it for a week or so - just kind of wanting a change, but not sure what to do. So, when I went in for my appointment yesterday, I told my friend that I wanted something shorter, but that was all I knew. I told her to just do something fun and cute. It was her last day (she's moving for a couple of years), and I was her last appointment, so she was excited to just play. We both had a great time, and I think my hair turned out really cute! Now I just have to get used to styling it a new way.

So, I would have posted this earlier, but I was waiting to get a picture off of the camera. Back on Monday, I got a call from an old friend of mine. She served a mission with me (she's Filipina), and we've kept in touch. When she got married, she moved to California, but I still hadn't seen her (for over 5 years). I got a random call on Monday around 7:00pm, and it was her, telling me she was in Salt Lake! She was only going to be around one more day, and I had to work Tuesday, so I randomly drove to Salt Lake that night. It was so great to visit with her! We talked for over an hour (all in Ilonggo, too, which was so fun!), and we just had such a good time together. Her husband took a picture of us(yes, she is pregnant - 5 months along), which I need to forward on to my mission president and his wife.

Honestly, when I left the Philippines five years ago, it was with the idea that I may never see any of those great people again in this life, so it was such a treat to visit with her. It seriously made me miss the people over there, and the food, since we reminisced about some of our favorite dishes and some of the more daring things I tried. (I'll save those stories for another time). Anyhow, here's a belated cheer for a great night (didn't leave SLC until around 11pm). Hooray!

So, last night my computer decided to go beserk on me. It's been working so well lately - I even finally got my internet up and running at home. Then, last night, it suddenly won't connect to the internet and the virus check program starts acting weird. I tried restoring to a couple of days ago, but still no luck. Grrr! So, I decided to just shut it off for a day or so, then I'll see if it's decided to be my friend again. If not, I may be soliciting some advice from those more tech-savvy than me. So, here I am writing this on the computer at work (don't worry - I'm clocked out, just killing time before I go somewhere). I would much rather be at home relaxing and playing online, but I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

Well, I can literally say I feel like I'm in a zoo when I'm at school this week. We are investigating wild animals, and I was in charge of dramatic play for the week. So, for some Memorial Day fun, I spent a little over an hour at the preschool setting this up. I think it looks like a blast! I also have out some animal masks/hats and stuffed wild animals, as well as cameras and a cash register. We'll have to see how the kids like it.

So, I am in serious need of some cleaning motivation. My house is just begging for me to spend my free summer hours giving it some TLC. It's tough, though, to want to clean my house during those precious free hours. I wonder if there's some magic motivation potion out there for me. lol!

I have made a start, but my poor trailer just won't hold all of my junk. I'm such a pack-rat! :) Also, those blasted dishes - oh the evils!

I really do have a goal to attack this place - hopefully tomorrow since I have the whole day off with no huge plans other than spending some time with family. Hmmm.... I feel some loud music and vacuuming coming on! :) We can at least hope.

So, it's obvious from the hour of this post that it's past my bedtime, and therefore past my coherent train of thought time. So, thanks for bearing with my random ramblings - I guess I'm hoping that if I put it in writing, the cleaning might actually take place. Here's to the hope!

So, I went to see Prince Caspian yesterday (and it was great!), but I have to comment on the lovely group seated behind me at the theater. (If you detect sarcasm, you detect correctly.) The group included parents, grandparents, and several children. First of all, why in the world would you bring young children (including an infant) to Prince Caspian!? Hello - the whole movie is a series of battles - did they watch the previews?

So, as we first sat down, they didn't have enough seats for the whole family, and it was a whole (loud!) conversation about how in the world were they going to find places for everyone. Next, one of the kids proceeded to throw a tantrum because he wanted popcorn. The infant threw in several cries along the way as well. We made it to the previews, though, and things seemed to be starting to settle down. Then the seat jiggling began. At least one kid (or more - I gave up looking back) went back and forth behind us several times, pulling back on my seat every time they passed. If I sat back, my seat got pushed forward. If I sat forward, my seat got yanked back. Obnoxious!

Even with all of this, I really did enjoy the movie. At the end, though, we were yet again disgusted as several people just left their trash scattered throughout the theater. Come on people - it's just common courtesy to take out your own trash!

So, here's to a good movie, even in the midst of a crowd of obnoxious people. And here's hoping you have a better experience! :)

I'm sitting here watching a news report on the problems with teenagers and cell phones, particularly regarding the obscene messages/pictures/videos that are being sent. They even referenced a 5th grader who had been involved.
So, I feel like getting on my soapbox tonight. Why in the world do these young kids even have cell phones?! It's ridiculous - if parents so feel the need to give their child a cell phone, give them a basic one that doesn't include text/pix messaging. For crying out loud, if they can't drive, why do they need a phone?!

I know so many teachers who are frustrated with the problem of cell phones in their classes. In my opinion, it's an issue that shouldn't exist. Honestly, where are the parents in this whole thing?

So, there's my two cents. I'm quite disgusted with the problems that have arisen. Granted, I'm a huge texter myself, but I'm also an adult! :)

Obviously, it's time for me to be in bed, but instead I am still up, not doing anything in particular, but not ready to hit the sack yet. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I need to clean my room... I can barely find room to snuggle under the covers at this point. My goal for next week, aside from teaching, is to get my house a lot cleaner, particularly my bedroom and bathroom. The living room actually isn't too bad. For now, though, I'm too tired to even pull myself off of the couch and go in to bed. Isn't that sad? :) I'll have to post some clean house pictures on here if I make my goal. We'll see....

Speaking of pictures, I am seriously looking into getting a small digital camera. I've been looking at the Nikon Coolpix - it's on sale at Sam's Club right now, and I almost bought it today, but decided to ponder the idea a little longer.

Well, enough random sleepy thoughts for tonight. I'll try again when I'm a little more coherent. :)

So, I just found out this great news - check it out!

ELED 6150 - Foundations of Curriculum - A
ELED 6190 - Theories of Learning and Models of Teaching - A
ELED 6360 - Research in Reading - A

Seriously - I got a 4.0!! I totally wasn't expecting it, either. I was just hoping for a B in that second class, so it's been a good night. If it wasn't so late, I'd be calling to celebrate, but I decided I'd just post here instead. Totally made my day! I'm here doing a little happy dance (in between typing, of course), but since you can't see me, you'll just have to use your imagination. Hooray!

So I am thoroughly enjoying my free time right now. Granted, I am still working, but I can have fun in the evenings. For example, tonight, after work, I went with a friend to buy fabric for a lap quilt we are going to make together. Then, we went to Costa Vida for salads, then went on a walk around the temple block, then we ended up at her house in our pajamas, crocheting while we watch Star Wars IV: A New Hope. I hadn't seen it for a few years, and we just had a great time relaxing. I have really missed it! And I love that it is relaxing without necessarily being lazy and sitting around doing nothing. Instead, I am being able to do some of the little things I enjoy doing in spare time - because I finally have some! :) It's great!

Trust me, this merits big, bold, capital letters. I AM FINISHED WITH FINALS! It felt so good to submit that last (blasted) paper today. I am looking forward to a break for a while. Yes, I'll still be working, but I won't have any classes until mid-June, and I am really excited to be able to socialize a bit in the evenings and catch up on my reading. (Oh reading, my dear old friend, how I have missed you!) I'll have to post my reading adventures here as I enjoy them. For now, let's just hear three cheers for making it through the semester...

So, I spent all evening cleaning at the Children's House (we do deep cleaning in the middle of each semester and even deeper cleaning at the end). I am beat, but I still have oodles of homework to finish...gotta write that massive paper. I really need to quit putting it off, but it's hard to do when you're just tired at the end of the day. However, today was the last day with the children, so hopefully I'll be able to have a bit of a break.