The Pictures of the Room

It looks better in real life, but I think these pictures are still pretty fun. The first week was an adventure, in both a good and a bad way. But there is definitely one thing- I am learning how to be a real teacher.

My Class

As you already know, the first day of school was yesterday, and the past two days have been a whirlwind. I am loving my kids, and I hate to say it, but I think I'm a sucker for the girls. They are all so cute and sweet. But don't worry, I love my boys to, they are crazy and fun. I've got a few kids that I know I will get hilarious stories out of all year long. Tomorrow (when I actually remember to do it) I will take pictures of my finished classroom, that is actually lived in now. Here are some pictures of the bare bones that I found on arrival.

Here is a little taste of what we've been up to. For more info, go to my class blog at millergrade3.blogspot.com

Old photos

I'm not sure if these photos are up somewhere already, but I thought I'd add them anyways. They're still cute. =)

Random Thoughts

Not too many very exciting things have happened to me lately, but I am loving this summer. The pace, the activities, the company... And I am feeling more grown up than I expected to. We had another couple in our ward come over, and we played games. We had a married person night with other married people. Maybe the novelty will wear off someday, but for now it's fun.

The classroom is coming along nicely. I've got my cricket letters (thanks Holly!), my vel crow tape, and my empty soup cans- the perfect combo for an elementary school classroom. It's hard to think that a month from Pioneer day I will have a room full of 3rd graders.

I would also like to put in my thoughts on the temple. I always knew I would love it, but it's even more incredible than I imagined. And yet, so familiar. And yet, I still have so much to learn, and I can feel it every time I go. For a person who's been endowed less than three months, I think I've been to a wide variety of temples: Redlands, San Diego, Columbia River, Provo, Mt. Timp, Boise, and in a couple days, Draper. Each one is different, each one is beautiful, and each one has the Spirit. And I'm glad I get to share it all with my wonderful husband.

In less than a month, I will be gone from SAS custodial forever. It's been good to me, but I believe its time has passed.

I want to say that I am so glad I didn't have texting as a student. I think it is so rude when people do it in class, but I know I would have. Thanks Mom and Dad from saving me from myself. But just for the record, I really really love texting.

Hello World

I looked back on the past six months of my blogging life, and realized I'm not as faithful as I used to be about writing. The thing is, I don't feel like I have many interesting things to say, or interesting ways of saying them. So I'll use something that is tried and true: a list of my current favorite things. And here it is!

• this crazy half cross-eyed face Corbin makes
• playing with Holly and Jack
• seeing Shelley and Jett on video chat
• reading 3rd grade level books
• getting my classroom ready
• doing my bellydance DVD
• having facebook inform me that friends are engaged
• my new calling of Literacy Committee member
• going to the temple (that place is cool cool)
• lovely spring weather
• hanging out with Leesa and Amanda
• thinking about fun times past, and daydreaming about future ones
• being with my wonderful husband
• lotion
• sleeping in
• homemaking (is that odd?)
• To Do lists
• when stuff on my To Do list gets To Done.
• listening to books on CD
• Brittany Bird's hilarity!

Don't worry, if I think of other things, I'll keep them to myself. =)

It has been quite a while since I've posted, and I wish that my camera would work with my computer, because then I'd have wonderful pictures of the last month to share.
All in all, being married is pretty dang awesome. I love it even more than I imagined. Corbin is an even better husband than he was fiance, and he was a terrific fiance.
Having my own home to make is a beautiful thing. Not having to write my name on my food is also blessed. I get to organize the furniture like I want (with Corbin's brawn to help me of course). Making grown-up decisions is kind of bizarre, because I'm not a grown up yet. But I guess I'm drawing nearer and nearer to becoming one. I've got a husband, a job, and a whole lot to do this summer. Even though it's going to be filled with work, it will also be filled with lots of partying. Don't forget, all you Provo-ites: I've got access to a pool, a waffle maker, and the desire for creating good times!

Life Thusfar

I know it has been a while, and plenty has happened since last I wrote. For heaven's sake, my last practicum happened! And for those who don't know, it went amazingly. I think I was converted to the upper grades, but that may only be because I fell in love with my mentor teacher. I cannot say enough about how magical she made my practicum. The kids were great and wonderful and hilarious, but Stephanie was the icing on the cake. That may all seem creepy, but I will really miss working with her.
I had my internship interview last Monday, and got a job! I'll be teaching 3rd grade for Larsen Elementary in Spanish Fork. I cannot believe how excited I am to have my own classroom and my own students and everything. It's amazingly overwhelming, but it will be a great experience.
Because I know my next year of life is secured, it has squelched the last embers of desire to do well in my classes. The common mentality in my cohort is that we already have jobs, and it doesn't matter how we do these last few weeks as long as we scrape by. Yes, I am one of the masses. I am trying to at least stumble across the finish line, but no promises for anything better than that. It's all very surreal, actually, knowing that these are my last days as a BYU campus goer. I feel like I should be drinking it all in, but at the same time, I just want to get away.
And the pinnacle of all reasons that I want this semester to end: getting married to the love of my life. No, not pink milk, not ping pong, not even MASH. That's right, the great Corbini, Corb-star, Corbina. Corbin has made this past school year such a wonderful experience, and I hope I've made it the same for him. We've only got less than a month to go, and we are so excited. There are still things to be done, but the business in that aspect will help the time to go faster, I think.
In less exciting news, I had oral surgery on Friday, and I am healing up nicely. Corbin and I have also been sick all weekend, but it feels like things are looking up and we're on the mend.
I hope some of this distractedness will settle down at least until school ends, then I will allow myself to lose my mind. So please, however comes in contact with me, don't judge if I'm a little mean or crazy. Just blame it on all the stuff I have going on. Also blame the hormones. =)

Practicum Love!

As you may know, I started my practical experience at Orchard Hills Elementary in Santaquin. It has been such a different experience in 5th grade than last semester in 2nd. It's a combination of things. Of course, the kids are older, can do more things, and are way way easier to manage. Another stark difference is my teacher is 25 instead of 50+. Stephanie teaches like we have been taught to, because she is a recent BYU graduate herself. She's so organized, and gives me all sorts of resources to use in lessons. She's way flexible with letting me do lessons at a good pace and style. She eats with the other teachers during lunch. She can actually hear me when I talk to her. =) My carpool of girls is way cool too. We have a great time driving and talking during lunch. Our CFA is way cute and nice and helpful. She gave us a tour of the school the first day, and made us way turned around, but that couldn't be helped. She scrapbooked some steno pads for us the first day, and they are so so cute. I love how the schoolday is planned out, organized, and pretty much step by step. It makes the day go way fast, and I love it. I have way more assignments than last semester, but I'm way more organized, and that gives me a lot of confidence. I think this practicum is going to be GREAT!

An Ode to Mom

Yesterday in Relief Society, we had a lesson on Elder Bednar's talk about the three things you can do to strengthen the home, the first of which was expressing love. All of a sudden, I couldn't get my mommy out of my head, and I knew I had to tell her I loved her. So Ma, this one's for you!

I have a lot of favorite things about my mommy, and a lot of examples I can site of how I know she loves me.

She would always get up with us for seminary. She wasn't always the most coherent, but hey, I wasn't either.

she loves a good party! Get out the food, get the music bumpin', you know you know.

I love those times when we're talking and being silly, and our conversation deteriorates into inaudible laughter. You know it's good when you don't know what anyone's saying anymore.

She knows... somehow Mom always knew what boy I liked, when something was wrong, when I needed to skip a day of school... I never figured out how she did it.

She made us lunch, not just in elementary school, but that stint in high school where we could go get our lunch from mom and actually eat something delicious and healthy, rather than a fruit roll up and some cookies I would have inevitably packed for myself. She didn't have to, but she did anyways.

My mom knows how to get in there and get things done. Hard work is definitely something I admire about her.

She's nice. Everyone at school knew Mrs. Chatfield, and how awesome she was. She made treats for the drama kids, could talk about issues going on at school, oh, and this...

She gives great advice. I didn't always take it, but that was always a bad idea. She would take the problem, and deal with it. No judgements, always an outpouring of love.

She's smokin' HOT!

She thinks Daddy is cute, to this very day. I am obligated as their child to say eeeew, but I think it's really sweet. I want to say that to my husband after 25 years of marriage.

She keeps a great journal, something I want to emulate.

Disney Land is always more magical when Mom is there, even if she doesn't go on all the rides.

She can appreciate a night of Mr. Darcy and brownie mix.

If you have any favorite qualities that I didn't put down (because there are plenty that I just didn't have space for) feel free to share.

Mom, I love you so much. I'm glad I got to have a great mom like you! Thanks for doing my wedding, thanks for encouraging me through school, thanks for being a wonderful example to me. I hope you can feel my hugs all the way from Utah!

I was working on a paper on goals for my special needs instruction class, and I came upon these scriptures. I think they look real nice together.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

(New Testament | Matthew 5:48)

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

(New Testament | Mark 9:23)

It seems to give some hope, which is always nice.

Traditions

My classmate is writing a book about family traditions. She asked us to share some of ours, and I thought it was so fun that I'll share them with you. If you happen to think of any good traditions you'd like in a book, leave them in a comment and I'll send them to her. Yes, you too could be in a book! I love traditions!


My two older sisters got married in the Redlands California temple, and that's where I'm getting married in May. I am also using the same veil they used.
Every Valentines day, my mom would get a box of chocolates for me and my four sisters. They would be waiting for us on the mantle when we woke up.
My family has a usual routine for the 4th of July. In the afternoon, we gather all our footballs and lawn toys, and go to the field at Moore Middle School (my dad taught there at one point). We would set up the lawn chairs and blankets, eat potato salad and chips, and play football and frisbee until it got too dark. At that point, we sit on the blankets and try to play Uno by flashlight. All the while, there is a large mixing bowl of cookie dough with tons of spoons in it, which we would use to eat cookie dough at will. When the fireworks actually start, we sit back, relax and enjoy the colors and lights. When they finish, we fight the traffic to get home. Once there, we console our dog by giving her hugs and treats (she gets a little freaked out by all the noise).
It's a rule in my family that you can't go to bed before we say family prayers. Whenever someone is tired enough to want to go to bed (usually Dad), we gather in the living room and kneel. Our family is really playful, so it usually takes a few minutes for us to settle down to a reverent enough state. We go through the family cycle of who offers the prayer.
Half birthdays are a big deal in my family. We always celebrate, but the celebration ranges from a telephone call to a party. My favorite half birthday consisted of a surprise visit from my fiance, a few telephone calls from family and friends, and a rousing game of ping pong.
For my whole college career, I went to my grandma's house for Sunday dinner every week. As many cousins, siblings, uncles and aunts as we could muster would come and enjoy Grandma's home cooked meals, usually consisting of a roast and potatoes. Sometimes we would be assigned something to bring (i.e. dessert, a side, a drink). My grandma would make these assignments, as well as organize carpools, by a mid-week email. For an 80 year old woman, she was very proficient at emailing. When dinner was over, the crowed would clean the dishes, take the extra leaves out of the table, put away the extra chairs, and things would usually deteriorate into a game of Uno.

Things that make me happy...

Being with Corbin
reading/ listening to books
playing with my babies
visiting the elementary schools
having dinner with my family posse
Having this winter not be too bitterly cold
Hearing about my best friend's first kiss
delicious food and being able to eat it
sleep
getting big checks in the mail
MASH
turning in applications
turning in big homework assignments
accomplishing things on my wedding to do list
A friendly smile at church, since I am the new girl
the idea of teaching next year
the Gospel
listening to my favorite music
my nice future family-in-law
my own family
reading my old journals

I have felt a little bedraggled lately, so it's nice to remember all the good things I got going for me. =)