Girl Meets World

Ok, confession time.  Last year while living alone, I blew through all the seasons of Boy Meets World.  Thanks to Alison for letting me borrow them!  :)  Now, I've been watching the spin-off Girl Meets World.  It definitely has a Disney Channel vibe, but it is so good!  It's got all the crazy Cory stunts, classic Cory and Shawn bromance, and now, Riley and Maya, the girl version of Cory and Shawn.  The theme song makes me get up and dance, no matter what I'm doing!  It's so catchy and so true!

I've been waiting
For a day like this to come
Struck like lightning
My heart's beating like a drum
On the edge of something wonderful
Face to face with changes
What's it all about?
Life is crazy
But I know I can work it out
'Cause I got you to live it with me
I feel all right, I'm gonna take on the world
Light up the stars, I've got some pages to turn I'm singing "go-o-o"
Oh oh oh oh
Take on the world, take on the world
Take on the world
Take on the world, take on the world
Take on the world

 So the girls are the best of friends.  They do crazy stunts together, go to class together, hang out at each others houses, talk about boys, having fights, and giving tough love.  Every episode has some underlying theme that connects to my friendships with my top ladies!  I've been there with all of them!  We've talked about boys and other tough stuff.  Now, we're talking about husbands, and babies, and bills.  I've been in their weddings, and they've been in mine.  With everything, we give each other tough love, but real love.  We take on so many things together, and every day is something wonderful to experience with them, or excitedly tell them about over the phone or a good meal.
 
It's just so important to keep up our friendships and the best friendships are the ones that pick up right where you left off the last time you talked!  As this girl continues to meet the world, I couldn't imagine having any other girls by my side!
 







And then, sometimes, you just need to wear a Disney shirt and go see a princess movie, even if you are 24.

   

Whale Watching

What a week it has been!  I decided last weekend that my hair NEEDED to go!  I was going to wait a few more weeks, but I just couldn't stand my ponytail getting caught under my armpit anymore!  I made the appointment and counted down the days!

We've been learning about the ocean for the past few weeks and the kids have loved the different crafts and experiences we've had!  And I stepped it up this week!  I wish I could share all the pictures of them in goggles, and in the boats.  The laughter that we had made me about wet my pants more than once!

On Thursday I did a lesson on identifying ocean scenes through the use of yes and no.  My students have a hard time with this concept.  They all had on goggles and we pretended we were swimming and then I would hold up a scene and say, "Is this the ocean?" and then they would hold up a yes or no card.  I handed out the goggles before I gave directions.  Wrong move.  By the time they got the goggles on, I was laughing HYSTERICALLY because they were all too small and my kids' faces were getting all smushed in such a cute way!  Oh yeah, and I was getting observed by my mentor!  She got a kick out of it!  Later that day we made binoculars to use the next day for whale watching.  The kids were loving them!

That night I had to paint the boats, so I stayed late jamming to George Strait while I painted.  I really only tried my hardest on one side of the first boat.  The other sides weren't as good, but I see us doing this again in a few years, so there is room for improvement!  And then I thought we could do an African theme next year and take them on a safari and do a jeep ride!  Oh the possibilities!

Friday I was giddy!  I even wore my hair down for the last day!  My neighbor let me borrow some Hawaiian shirts so Stacy and I looked like tour guides.

And so we set off!  The ladies all had an animal and they were making noises and the dolphin even sprayed the kids!  The shark came from around the corner and I don't think I'll ever forget the laughter and smiles the kids had!  Teachers we met in the hall acted like they were swimming and the paper dragging on the floor even sounded like a boat cutting through the water.  It was so much fun and it was my workout for the day because one of my kids wasn't helping that much with his feet on the outside of the wagon...

The kids got out early so Kelsey, Stacy, Kelly, Jacob and I went out to Culver's because I had been craving it since last week!  Those chicken strips and Turtle Sundae never tasted sooooo good!  :)  It was even better in good company!

Dustin, Lu, and Alison were all against me cutting my hair.  I had to prepare them.  I showed Dustin where it was getting cut too.  I kept reminding him that it will grow back.  It was time, and when my student grabbed a huge chunk to pull, it was even more of a confirmation that it needed cut.  I don't need it anyway, and it grows so fast that I can do this every few years.

It feels so good to have short hair again!!!!  :)  I love it!  I know for a while I will still end up with huge globs of shampoo in my hand, but the adjustment will come!  Just in time for summer!!  :D

Marathon Week

Conference week is a long one.  We often refer to it as Marathon Week.  Monday and Friday were the only days I was home at normal time.  And I was sewing trying to finish a bow tie quilt before Bonnie was able to take it all over the house!

The days were full with laughter and lessons taught to to really great kiddos.  The evenings were spent talking about our kids and what more we could do for them.  Truly, we didn't have a crazy conference schedule because they were covered or will be covered with IEP meetings.  We only had four, and they were on Thursday evening and Friday morning.  Having an open schedule like that makes the conferences take longer. 

On Tuesday, Stacy and I got a second desk!  Last year, Cindy and I shared, and it was alright because we only had one computer.  This year, Stacy and I both got a computer and we were sharing one desk.  It worked, but we were on top of each other.  We asked, and Loma delivered a new desk for us!  It was a little strange separating the things on 'our' desk onto our desks.  But we LOVE the space that each of us share.  And now, our desks are tidy and that's the first thing people mention when they enter our room.

 We seriously love our job!  Our conferences tended to go a little over the 20 minute allotment because we just had to tell one more story.  Friday was the busiest with 3 conferences in the morning, and then Stacy, Kelsey and I went to Taco John's.  It was Kelsey's first time, and I think she liked it very much!

All in all, it was a pretty great week filled with long days, bad dance moves, laughter, and loads of love poured into my kiddos!  Basically, I have the best job ever!

Pile of Projects

I have said for the past few years that I am turning into my grandmother in my early twenties.  And I just can't help myself.  I tidied up my sewing room today and did a little rearranging.  I have 5 quilts that need to be quilted and 4 more that are in various stages of completion...  That's not even counting the I Spy Quilts that I have a center square ready for embroidery...there's another 4, and two different sets of scraps that I have ideas for.  And an apron to put a waistband on.  And I feel like I could go on...  because I have loads of embroidery blocks I've bought over the years.

Hobby Lobby opens in Marshalltown on Monday.  It's 30 seconds away from work.

I love getting started on a new quilt.  I love fabric shopping or just rooting around in my scraps for an idea of what to do next.  I get started really well.  I cut, sew blocks, get everything laid out, and then I start to slow down.  The end of each quilt is near.  The closer I get to the end, it's sometimes harder for me to keep going.  I love quilting, but sometimes I don't want to be done with a quilt because I know it could take a while before I get another quilt in.  It's weird, I know, but it's like a door getting shut when I put that last stitch in place.  I get a little bi-polar with completing a quilt, because when it's done I'm so excited!  I love showing Grammy and dangling it in front of my friends in hopes of a new baby coming soon.

Bonnie, pre-cleaning on a pile of baby quilts.

I got a load of old quilting magazines from the other Jean, Grammy's best friend and quilting partner.  This isn't helping my pile either...  I didn't find many projects, but I did find a couple I've marked.  One article had the perfect quote that describes by bi-polar attitude towards finishing a quilt.

A quilt in progress is a constant companion, but the pain of letting each one go at the completion is eased by the excitement of beginning a new one.

The pile I'm currently working on will be completed before I know it, and replaced by a new pile of colors and seams stitched together while I watch I Love Lucy or a Disney movie, and getting some love from Bonnie.  Evey quilt I've made since we've had her has had just a little bit more love.

Just Right

How many times I've said 'just right' this week, I don't know if I could count.  We've been reading folktales/fairy tales, and this week my focus was Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  You know the drill, big bowl/chair/bed-too hard, medium bowl/chair/bed-too soft, small bowl/chair/bed-just right.  I feel like that is how my journey and now our journey has been to find a 'just right' church.

I grew up in a small church where everyone knew who I was and watched me grow up.  I grew up going to church, singing hymns with the sun shining in through the windows, and getting loads of handshakes and hugs. 

Then I went to college.  I was in for culture shock my first few Sundays, and I never really adjusted to the big church idea.  There were multiple locations and multiple services in one church, so many on the pastoral staff, and just sooooo many people.  This works for some people, but not the introvert, old fashioned girl that I am.  I just never felt very comfortable, or excited for church because I never found the one that was just right for me.

Then student teaching started and I went with the Abrahamson's to their church which had a branch in Cedar Falls.  This was a whole new bit of culture shock because of the video pastor from the main church.  This was way bizarre for me!  And church was held in an old theater,so there were no windows for the sun to stream in.  Again, it was a huge church, and I didn't know that many people.  Again, it wasn't just right for me.  Dustin started coming to it with me too when we started dating, but he kind of felt the same way I did.  It wasn't just right for us.

Finally, for a while, our lives have slowed down a bit and we are at home more weekends than we are away.  We were finally able to try a church closer to home, and much more like the church setting that I've been searching for.  Dustin had been invited many times before we met, and we finally took up the invitation.  It's the small crowd type of church.  There are plenty of hugs and handshakes.  There is sunlight streaming through the windows.  There are hymns.  We both feel so happy at this church.  After many months of praying off and on about finding a church, we have found one that is just right for us.  I am so excited to continue to attend, and someday raise our babies in this church.  It has been a long time coming and quite a season of change, but it feels good to have found a new home church that is full of believers, loads of fellowship, and just a short drive down the road.

Not An Excuse

January started out pretty tough, and it's still a struggle at points, but then again, that's kind of how life goes, isn't it.

The last three weeks I have not been myself.  I have a 5 year old student that has been in the Children's Hospital and has since been sent home under the care of Hospice.  What a blow.  And the worst part was that the majority of these phone calls happened at 8am.  Not the ideal start to the morning.  My husband's goal at night was just to make me laugh, after holding me while I bawled my eyes out and cried my throat practically hoarse.

Please do not get me wrong.  I love my job.  I just wish that I didn't have to do it.  What I mean is simply every parent's wish for their child.  I wish that my students were able to lead healthy lives.  I wish that all my parents didn't have to worry about things like Hospice, or teachers contacting their doctors for input.  I wish my students were able to tell us why they get angry, frustrated, or when they just want/need to be alone.  I wish my students were able to tell their parents they are sick of the fish sticks that get sent nearly every day...and that they are yucky (and that the teachers hate the smell of them...).  I wish my students could tell us they don't feel good, or are tired, or miss their absent parent.

With all this being said, I don't let these things become an excuse for my students.  We push our kiddos.  We push them just enough that is challenging.  We want them to use their communication devices, because they can't outright say, "I'm sick of these stupid fish sticks!"  We give them so many opportunities to work hard and be pushed, but we also have so many moments of fun.

With one of our girls, a fellow classmate kept saying my student wasn't able to do what the rest of the group was doing.  It has been our goal all year to keep showing this girl that our students are able to do the same thing, even if they have a different way of doing it. 

My students can still do so many of the things that gen. ed. kiddos can do.  They just do it differently.  None of us let our students get by with much.  We keep the high expectations in the room and the excuses at the door, no matter what my students are labeled as.

Bikini and Boots

Instead of presents in the Schuett house this year, we took a trip to Wisconsin Dells over New Year's.  So there we were, in one truck with the bed full of stuff, one Equinox, filled with stuff, and 8 people ready for water parks, and just getting away from it all.

Monday morning when I woke up with an even stuffier nose than the day before and a sorer throat, I warned Dustin that I was going to be miserable in Wisconsin.  And to an extent, it did hinder some of my fun, but I still had a blast on my first trip to the Dells.

When we got there, it took us three trolleys to get all of our stuff up to our condo.  There is no other way I would want to do this with 8 people!  We all had our own space with loads of extra!  It never once felt like we were on top of each other.  We had 2 bathrooms, a hot tub, kitchen, a dining room table, a home away from home.

We got suited up and headed to the main resort with all the water parks.  Ashley and Cory made Dustin and I go down the Black Hole.  Free fall in the dark?  Check.  Water squirted into your face?  Check.  Huge toilet bowl like swirl?  Check.  Getting turned around backwards in your tube?  Check.  Loads of fun?  CHECK!  I was a little scared at first, and I was the last to go down, but I got over it!  Next we went to the wave pool.  Those waves could have knocked us flat.  At another point, I took out a guy on a giant wave!  You get exhausted floating in that pool.  They also had a swim up margarita bar that had my fancy!  Walking to the next pool, I only had my boots.  You bet I rocked that bikini and boots as much as I could!  The next day Dustin wore his boots (with flames), camo swim trucks, and a cut off American flag shirt.  He's my Redneck Romeo!  :)

The boys stayed up and played cards.  On New Year's Eve, I went to bed shortly after 10.  That cold really sucked the party right out of me.

The next morning we hit up the antique stores.  The Schuett family is big into old crocks.  And basically, if you want to get along with the Schuett family, you better like antiques!  I love not knowing what you could find in antique stores!  I found a Cooking with F.R.I.E.N.D.S cookbook!  And I could not pass that up!  :)  We spent the rest of the afternoon in the water parks before heading to supper at a local bar.  We had one of the best waitresses ever!  She was hysterical with her Polish accent, sarcasm and wit.  There was also some of the best steak eaten there!  So thick and juicy and at 32 oz., seemingly endless!

Yesterday, we headed off to do Lazer Tag and Go-Karts.  Lazer Tag was hysterical!  I've never been before and about 2 steps into the room, Ashley fell face first on the ramp!  I almost fell over laughing at her and Dustin made sure she was okay before shooting her!  I laughed so hard at shooting someone and then getting shot from behind by one of my brother-in-laws!  After that we hit the Go-Karts.  That proved to be full of laughs too!  We were all hitting each other and passing like crazy!

We did the pool a while more before getting some appetizers and drinks and chatting with a couple of guys that we made friends with.  This family is full of extroverts, and I'm still adjusting to that fact!  We headed back to the room, ordered food and half of us went to bed early and the other half went down to the pool.

Today, we made the decision to come home early with a normal time length rather than tomorrow, through a snowstorm.  It was a very fun trip, and I am very glad we came home today safe rather than sorry tomorrow.

And after being gone for 3 days, Bonnie seems to have forgotten everything that we have taught her...or she is still mad at us for leaving!  :)