A quick update...

So the same kid that I wrote about in my last post had me laughing again yesterday. Here's the conversation...

Kid: I am so tired, I just can't do my work
Me: What did you do last night that made you so tired?
Kid: My dad pooted in the bed all night and I couldn't sleep.
Me: No response...what do you say to that?

Things are still going good at school. Today I taught the morning reading lesson for the first time. The reading series that we use is pretty complicated and it's new so the teachers are having a hard time figuring it out. I think I did OK. Thankfully, the teacher left the room for most of the time that I was teaching. She makes me nervous when she's in there watching me, and the kids are always looking at her instead of me. They're probably wondering why some random girl is teaching them while their teacher is sitting right there. I also reviewed the calendar and started their math lesson today as well. I feel pretty comfortable teaching, and I'm really enjoying being in the school. Our class is well behaved for the most part, although I did have to sternly remind them that they have to behave for me just like they behave for the teacher. I think they were just testing the waters to see if I would get on to them, or let them talk and not pay attention. I gave one kid a "stick" because he kept acting up (a "stick" is what they get if they're doing something wrong. They have to put the stick-which is just a straw cut in half- in a pocket with their name on it. The # of sticks they have at the end of the week determines their conduct grade). Anyways, after I gave him a stick everyone else seemed to settle down. I guess they just needed to see that I meant what I said. Tomorrow I'll be teaching Math and one or two of the reading small groups. I really like the teacher I'm with, although I don't know how comfortable she is having someone else teach her class. She seems reluctant at times to let me teach, but it might be that she just doesn't want to give me too much. Next week I have my first evaluation by my professor. I think the lesson will be fine, I'm just nervous about having her watch me.

Other than school, my life isn't too exciting. I'm missing Matt, and I still won't get to see him for another month! I try to keep myself occupied in the evenings so I don't get lonely and so far I've been doing pretty good! Maybe I'll try out some new hobbies this semester! Well, I must go now because I'm getting hungry and I need to make dinner! Have a great day!

The Internship...

I'm sure I will have many stories over the next few months about my experiences in my internship. I'm in a 2nd grade classroom for the first 8 weeks, and already we have had some interesting experiences & funny comments by kids! I thought I would list just a few (in no particular order)...

1. We spent the first 2 hours of the school day this morning in the hallway downstairs. A tornado warning was in effect, the sirens were blowing as I was driving to work, some kids were crying...what a way to start a Monday!
2. My first Friday, the teacher I'm with had to leave at 11:30. So, I was responsible for the class that afternoon (although we did have a substitute, as required by law)...on the way to PE, as we're about to walk out the door, a lizard runs in the door. Before I know it, one little boy jumps out of line to try to catch the lizard and throw it outside. Just as he reaches the lizard, the lizard's tail falls off and starts flipping around. The tail is flipping, the body is flipping, and all the kids are going crazy. I couldn't do anything but laugh (and rush the kids outside so the kindergarten teachers didn't hear the commotion!)
3. Same day as the lizard...about 10 minutes later...I'm sitting in the classroom during my "planning" time, while the kids are OUTSIDE at PE. The principal comes over the intercom saying, "attention teachers: no one is allowed outside until further notice. NO ONE is to go outside!" The substitute rushes back in the room and says we're on lock down and we're supposed to lock ourselves in the room. But my kids are OUTSIDE and I don't have a key to the classroom! So, we just sit there and thankfully the PE coach brought the kids inside!
4. One of my students lives with his grandma. He came in one morning and said he couldn't do his homework the night before. His excuse? "My grandma is like 60 years old...she can't help with homework!" Obviously 60 years old is ancient!
5. Same kid is trying to do the math problem 9 + 2. He says he can't do the problem. I say, "well, if you don't know the problem in your head, you can count on your fingers." His response? "I don't have 9 fingers." So I ask, "How many fingers do you have?" and he responds..."10". Kids!
   

That's just a few of the things that have happened over the last couple of weeks. The kids definitely keep me laughing! Have a great day!

Our Crazy lives...

The Wedding (cont)... Well, the day of the wedding was perfect! When I got to Jen's apartment that morning, she and Chloe were snuggling and talking about everything that was about to happen. It was a precious moment between mom and daughter...










The bridesmaids, Jen and the girls enjoyed a tea party lunch, followed by getting our hair done. Allie LOVED her first "tea party with grown ups", and Chloe even tolerated it and I think she had fun. Allie thought she was very grown up, drinking out of the tea cup & she got some Hannah Montana gear at Wal-Mart that made her feel like a movie star after she got her hair done!













I absolutely love this picture of Chloe. She looks so happy and beautiful! I know Misa will truly be a blessing to her and Allie's lives.













There were so many sweet moments during the wedding, but this was probably the most emotional. Misa gave Chloe and Allie a locket that said "always together" and made a promise to each of them. Absolutely precious!











This is a pic of me and Matt at the wedding. One of my favorites!










The Day was upon us...On Sunday after the wedding, we headed back to Montgomery with Matt's dad along for the ride to help Matt move to Chicago. We got back Sunday evening, and stayed at our house in the guest room (which was a little strange, but our renters had already moved in and were so nice to let us stay with them!). Although I was excited for Matt to get to start his LLM and fulfill his dream of living in Chicago, I couldn't help but feel the dread of him leaving as I went to sleep that night. I support him 100% in going to Chicago, but at the same time I didn't want him to leave! It was with mixed emotions that I got up the next morning and prepared for my first day of my internship! I was excited about starting school, sad that he was leaving, and nervous with anticipation as I thought about the months that lay ahead. So, I told Matt goodbye, held back the tears so I could make it to school without my ugly cry face, and headed off to start the next 4 months of interning.

The last 2 weeks...Well, we've made it through 2 weeks of Matt being in Chicago and me in Alabama. My internship has been going great so far! The teacher I'm working with is wonderful, and the kids really have been good. I've already gotten sick, and have spent the entire weekend in bed, but I was warned before I started that I would get sick, so I expected it! Matt started school on Thursday, and besides feeling slightly overwhelmed, he is enjoying it! Matt and I get to talk online everynight via our webcams, so that helps us not miss each other as much (although I definitely still miss him a lot!). But, I've come to realize that things could certainly be worse, and it's only temporary, so we're making the best of it! I'll try to keep updating more often. Love you all!

Well...

Contrary to popular belief, I am still alive! It has just been a CRAZY few weeks! I keep thinking that I need to get on here and write, but then I don't have time. At this point, it seems like a daunting task to update on everything, but I'll give it my best shot. We'll start with the last week of July...

The Bar Exam: Matt felt good about the Bar Exam. It was a pretty intense 3 days, but he made it through! Now comes the LONG wait...he'll find out the results in November! I think I may have been more stressed out than he was all week. Neither of us could sleep, but while he was testing all day, all I could think about was his test! It could have been my hurried attempts to finish packing up the house and cleaning that had me stressed out. It was a busy week, working all day, (worrying about Matt's test), and going straight to our house after work to pack and clean. Everyday when I got to the house I would tell myself that I would probably finish that day, then as I was leaving that night, I would tell myself that I would probably finish tomorrow. I finally finished around 10:00 or so on Wednesday night. Everything was packed, the house was clean, the bathtub was caulked, and I was ready for...

Leaving on a Jet Plane: After my last day of work (July 31st), I drove up to Birmingham to fly to Dallas and meet Matt. The flight went well, and I was entertained by a tipsy construction worker on his way home. We spent the night with Jared and Emily (Tomberlin) Burns on Thursday night, which was lots of fun! It was good to catch up with them, and see their beautiful new house! Friday we planned to go shopping and camping, but I ended up getting a TERRIBLE muscle spasm in my neck. I was just taking the towel off the towel rack before my shower and all of a sudden I couldn't move my head, or straighten it up. I tried to stretch it out in the shower, but to no avail. I was in tears and pain! So, we headed up to David and Kay's house (emily's parents), where Kay had a heating pad and some medicine waiting. After several hours of heating pad and the oil she had that was supposed to relax the muscle, I still couldn't move my head. I wasn't in as much pain, so we left and headed north of Dallas to meet Matt's great aunt and cousin for dinner. By the time we drove the hour to dinner, I was close to tears again and my neck was right back where it had been. So, I called my parents and told them I needed to skip the camping. They met us in Ardmore with an ice bag and muscle relaxers. After a muscle relaxer, a pain pill, and several hours, I was finally able to relax enough to go to sleep. Lucky for me, my brother is in massage therapy school so he was able to work on my neck over the next few days. The drugs mixed with the massage did wonders, although I still have a little pain in my neck when I move in certain ways...and it's been over 2 weeks! We spent several days in Duncan, just hanging out with the family, and then we headed up to OKC for...

The Wedding: Jen & Misa got married on 08/08/08, but the festivities leading up to the day began on Wednesday. We made it to OKC just in time for Matt to pick up his tux (he was an usher) and head over to Heather's house for dinner. Thursday was a day of decorating, manicures/pedicures, rehearsing, and eating. The rehearsal dinner was very nice, and Jen & Misa had sweet things to say about everyone involved in the wedding. Thursday night the girls had a "slumber party" at Jen's house...at the request of Chloe and Allie. We got started kind of late, but did have time to watch Shrek the 3rd and all pile in the living room for some fun girl time. Here are some pictures from the day...

Well, the pictures wouldn't upload, so I'll stop here for now, and update more later. Love you all!