Finally! Some Adventure!

So as of right now, my life is still not very adventurous. I get up, I go to work, every Monday Wednesday Friday i go to class, I come home, eat dinner, sometimes i do my homework and then i go to bed. BUT, my friends, that is soon coming to an end and i CANT WAIT! I am getting so excited (but nervous at the same time) for my adventure to begin! This is what the rest of my summer looks like!

Wednesday of this week I pick up my cap and gown! WEIRD (maybe this time my cap will actually fit my head...when i graduated high school they placed my order as a boy so i had to use an extra cap and gown so i could be white like the other girls, not red like the boys. The extra cap was much too small for my rather large head so i had to use like 57 bobbie pins to keep it on my head, which i then forgot about when i had to take my cap off to throw it in the air at the end of graduation...needless to say I didnt end up throwing my cap.... any way... thats another story....)

Wednesday of next week I find out my student teaching placement!!! I am so excited i can hardly stand it! I just want to know! I have been like stalking out all the elementary schools in the Jordan district.

Wednesday in two weeks I have my final for my class and after that I will be DONE with classes in an actual classroom. At least where I am the official student. The very next day (thursday the 23rd) I GRADUATE!!! I havent decided if I am going to commencement or not yet. But i am for sure going to my convocation! You are all invited to come! If you didnt get an invitation already it is at 8 pm in the Hinckley Chapel. The part I am probably most excited for in graduating is the simple fact that a lot of my family is trying to come! And the next few days i will probably just hang out with the family that is still in town.

The week after graduation is my last week at work. I am actually really sad to leave work. Probably the only thing i have actually liked about my summer. I LOVE the girls i work with and the kids are so fun and sweet! A lot of them make my day! I have the perfect job for me. I will be really sad to leave, but SO excited for my up coming adventures!!

After my last day of work on the 31st. I have 3 or 4 days to finish packing up ALL of my junk! (i have a TON so it will probably take me the whole time!) and THEN I am going on a ROAD TRIP to Milwaukee with Whitney and her kids. She wanted someone to drive back with her since Steve is flying back and i very willingly volunteered! I love road trips, and i love my sister and my niece and nephew! How could i resist??? so 3 days on the road to Milwaukee with my favorites! We will get to Milwaukee about the 8th or 9th and then I will spend a few days with them in Milwaukee before flying back to Salt Lake on the 12th of August.

I get into Salt Lake around 2. Hopefully I am feeling human enough to move into my new apt. I found out today that my one and only roommate Katie will be Greece until the 17th!! So I will have the first few days in Salt Lake all by myself! That is a little intimidating but all part of the adventure right???

After i am in Salt Lake a few days I start my student teaching!!!!! YAY! like i said i wont know what school or grade until the 15th...but as soon as i know i will post it on here! yahoo!!! Adventure HERE I COME!

Summer Slayage and Bugeoning Patriotism

So Aislinn killed an earwig for me today.... and the kids kept singing the following tune every time we passed a flag on the way home from the mechanic's:

Should old acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the grand old flag

Which at some point turned into:

Keep your eye on the big fat flag

And later:

Keep your eye on the stinky flag

Quinton was the one to point out that this was probably disrespectful. But he kept singing it.

So that's been my day. :)

New(ish) Contact Info for Brita

We start moving today... so dang many boxes. ARG! I'm already tired.

Here is our new address:
108 Julia Martin Drive Apt. H
Bozeman, MT 59715

both my cell phone # and landline are the same:
406-522-0330 (h)
406-570-5418 (c)

More Funnies

Liz has inspired me to share funny Q and A stories. Night before last, we had baby shell noodles for dinner, and Quinton decided that they looked like perfect homes for tiny hermit crabs. He was telling Aislinn how delicious hermit crabs were, and she became incensed, insisting that hermit crabs would never fit inside those shells, and even if they did, they'd be too hard to eat. Quinton then informed her that the adults were just deep fried, and that in their "larval form," hermit crabs were always soft and tasty, like noodles. She thought about this for a minute, then said, "ok," and continued eating.

This morning on the way to school, Quinton was practicing his rapping sound skills with his mouth, which he has apparently recently learned at school (remember that one Christmas, Beck, when Dad asked us to wrap?), and then he turns to Aislinn and says, "You try." She makes a half-hearted effort to do the raspberry deep bass sound, then devolves into a coughing fit. Quinton says, "No, Silly, it's like this..." then his effort somehow turns into a Donald Duck voice. The entire trip to school ended up being a complex array of soundbits from whistles to snorts all mingled with Quinton's pplllb/ch ch rapping and a whole lot of giggling, including mine. Every trip to school should be so entertaining.

When a golf putt won't drop--OR--a day in my life

Since you won't read the newspaper where I am declared mother of the year or at least mother of the week (wouldn't that article be fabulous!!) I will give you highlights. This is the stuff that I shared with Mom all the time and produce large quantities of laughter..I miss her chuckles--so decided to share with you all.

My week started with attending McKay's readers workshop. In order to keep Abby entertained I let her play with my water bottle. The child was so pleasant and calm until the gagging noise began. As another mother jumped to Abby's rescue, I used my best mommy tool (my fingers) to fish out the lid to the bottle that Abby had started to swallow.

Who knew she was so advanced and had skills to remove the lid!! I, of course, impressed all the mothers that I too remembered "if it fits inside a toilet paper roll--they can choke" rule! I just didn't want them to be jealous of my advanced child!! I know how to make the party rock!

Next, I was in charge of treats for Anna's soccer game. At the start of the season the city sent out a big memo about "healthy treats" and discouraging sticky sweets and gooey messes (what kids love!!). I was deliberate in my selection of treats and had an overwhelming sense of a job well-done as I approached the soccer field, treats in hand. As we opened the treat bags to a wonderful selection of 100% apple juice and peanut butter crackers, I was struck with how many children were saying "no thank-you" to the treats.

WOW, I thought they really don't like the healthy stuff. One mother was standing there with her crying son (a younger sibling) and I decided to offer treats to the child, when the mother with kindness and clarity reminded me that many children on the team had PEANUT allergies--Who knew???

The week continued with the school carnival...ah, yes the school carnival. We made a failed attempt to convince our children that we had just been to the bounce houses at classic skate for Monica's birthday and we really didn't need to go again.

We even went so far as to schedule a hike with another family. Because of our work schedule we had to back out of the hike...leaving kids completely upset because of the lack of fun activities. With swift parental skill we decided to go the carnival for a short amount of time--satisfying everyone schedule and desire!

Short indeed, the lightening strikes were a bit alarming--but not as alarming as the towering three-story princess bounce house crashing down on three small Shields children (a power outage). You should have seen Zach and me crying out to them as we tried to hold up the yards of plastic fabric and guide them back to the entrance...it was a heart stopper. I think it may have squelched a bit of the bounce house charm (at least for the parents).

I am sure I had many more incidents to add to this record week of parenting...but I hate to brag!!

Happy 81st birthday Dad

We miss you Brita and Annette!!

READ THIS TALK!!

"And to all who suffer—to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely—I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in. Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit. Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart." The Infinite Power of Hope ~ President Dieter F. Uchtdorf