new post!

Check out my other blog http://kennyandnatalie.blogspot.com for a new post. If you haven't yet, add my new blog to your google reader! :)

new blog

I might still use this blog a bit longer...haven't decided yet.

But I'll for sure be using this one:

http://kennyandnatalie.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

happiness

Kenny makes me very happy.

Yesterday I had a terrible day at work. It was just really hard and I was emotionally worn. Kenny had been studying and taking finals all day. I talked to him right before he went in to take his last final and told him that I had had a really bad day and couldn't wait to see him. He said he could come home right then and not take his final till later, but I told him I would be okay waiting and he should get his final done.

When he came home, he had flowers and a power-sized jamba juice (my favorite!!) for me. It was so adorable. He's so thoughtful.

I tried to take some pictures of the flowers, but it was hard. Here's what you get:

P.S. Kenny is going on a study abroad to Europe for spring term. He leaves in just over a week and will be gone for 5 1/2 weeks. I might die.

I'M ENGAGED!

I'M ENGAGED! Kenny and I are getting married July 2, 2010 in the Washington D.C. Temple.

Pictures of my ring:

time is a crazy thing

I honestly feel like Christmas was a year ago. I feel like I have been teaching forever.

Teaching is going well. Of course it's hard, but I'm starting to get the hang of things. I still wish I was a more effective teacher and that I knew how to motivate the kids more and get them to really care about learning, but I guess I'll struggle with that forever.

My life is full of teaching and Kenny. It's perfect.

Kenny and I have done some fun things recently:

We went rock climbing. We saw Princess and the Frog. We've made many dinners together. We are reading Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites (#2) together. We've gone on lots of walks. We saw Extraordinary Measures at the dollar theater with Drew & Lynette (Kenny's aunt and uncle--but they're really more like our age). We went to CA Pizza Kitchen using a gift card (so it was free)....yessss. And we've done much, more more. Basically any time I'm not working and Kenny isn't in class, we're together. It is happiness.

This is just some random time after church.

Yes, it's true, I'm a real person

It's kind of surreal that I'm a real person in the real world with a real job.

Here is my classroom (I'm in a portable, which I actually kind of love):

And my beautiful school computer:

And my hardcore teacher badge:

Let's just say that you can't understand what its like to be a teacher until you are one. I had lots of experience tutoring and TA-ing and in my practicum and student teaching, but it wasn't real. And teaching is hard. I'm not talking about the actual act of teaching, really. It's the motivating kids part and the teaching in a way that actually helps students get it, maybe even love it. It's pretty awful to give a test and realize that the students didn't get it when you thought they did. You have to constantly assess how you're teaching and how you can do better. I'm teaching two classes of students that are basically in a remedial math class. Most of them don't care about school at all and came into my class with a D or F in their past math class (and most of their other classes). It's just hard.

Even so, I'm so grateful that I have the job I do (especially that it's half time!) and that I have opportunities to learn and grow. It's kind of scary knowing I still have SO much of this year left, but I'm trying to just think about one day or one week at a time.

So this weekend, my friend Kenny and I doubled with my best friend Bethany and her boyfriend Dillon. We had a "childhood night" where we ate macaroni and cheese, ants on a log, and kool-aid for dinner, colored in coloring books, and played a bunch of kids games (hungry hungry hippos, lets go fishing, mancala, and cookin' cookies). We had also planned to finger-paint and make cool cardboard picture frames, but homework needed to be done, so we left those things for another night. Here is me and Kenny with our ants on a log:

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

I'm really happy. Life is really good. For lots of reasons.

One being that I got a job!!! I am going to be a math teacher at Riverton High School. I am so excited. I felt really good about the school when I interviewed there, so I am really blessed to have the opportunity to work there. I am nervous, yes, but also very excited! It is just half-time, so I will work every other day (which will be perfect for me right now in life).

Riverton High School

I really think life is good. The "choose to be happier" goal has really worked!