Day 1

FYI My pictures still won't post and I don't care enough to fix it so sorry for the boring picture-less entry.

I need to write down some of these experiences from student teaching somewhere so I am doing it on my blog since it's kind of like my journal at the moment.
Today was my first day of student teaching and it went pretty smoothly I think. I slept really well last night (despite my brain going a million miles a minute with every worst case scenario out there) and I woke up to my alarm. Unfortunately, I had set my alarm for 6:00 am when I was actually supposed to set it for 5:30 am so I had a late start regardless. Nevertheless, I got to school on time and prepared for the day.
I was really expecting to have some pretty bad nerves before class started but I think all the praying and vicodin (just kidding) helped because I found myself just getting up and doing what I needed to do. The only time I was really nervous was that moment when I walked to the front of the class 1st period and began to take control of the students. It reminded me of when I went cliff diving with my family at Lake Powell-I was standing on the edge of the cliff and knew that as soon as my feet left the ground I would have to fall but I also knew it was going to take a purposeful physical effort on my part to make it happen.
As soon as I started talking, I felt like I had been a teacher all my life. It was kind of amazing. It was even better when the students behaved like I was a teacher. They listened to me and paid attention to me which relieved my #1 worry (Although truthfully I have to remember that it was only the first day...).
Even better the students seemed to like me. They laughed at my jokes and a couple even smiled at me in the hallway later that day. My cooperating teacher seems to think I am doing pretty good too. The only thing that I am feeling nervous about is when I am going to have to discipline the students because that is definitely my weak point. But I will cross that bridge when it comes to it!
I was completely exhausted by the end of the day and I am definitely not getting enough sleep so I need to start working on getting an earlier bedtime so I don't kill myself.
All in all I enjoyed the first day but I still have so many worries and "what-ifs" that go though my mind when I am not in the class. And I am feeling a little stressed at the schedule my cooperating teacher has put me on-a student teacher is typically supposed to observe for the first 2 weeks and then slowly take over the class finally taking over the class completely around the 6 week mark. I am doing this the very first week. Kind of terrifying. But with the Lord's help I think I can do this!


PS I still miss Rexburg more than I can say. But I am sure student teaching will help me forget that REAL quick!

And the countdown has begun.

Goodness. I really can't believe that I start teaching in less than a week. 5 days to be exact. I met my cooperating teacher Ms. Alber who seems like a perfectly lovely person but makes me so nervous I sweat in places I didn't know you could sweat from. (TMI? Oh well, it's true). She has been teaching for 15 years which makes her really laid back. I like that but it also makes it hard on me because she doesn't write things down anymore. ("It's all in my head," she tells me with a reassuring smile. Can you transfer that through a USB drive? Cause a whole lot of good the info in your head does for me...) And she wants me to start teaching on the very first day. The usual expectation is for students to observe for the first week at least. Although I may seem like I am complaining, I am actually really excited and think that Ms. Alber is going to teach me a lot. I just will go through a lot of deodorant and tears the first few weeks of my experience! NBD.

In other news: I am officially gone from Rexburg and I miss it terribly. I can honestly say that my experience there has been one of the best experience of my life. I am so grateful for that experience.

And here are just a few of the many happy memories from the last three months that will help get me through the next three months!

AND FOR SOME DARN REASON THE PICTURE INSERTER THINGY ISN'T WORKING. SO ONCE IT WORKS...PICTURES!

Mis Amigos

I am lucky...I have some really, really, really, good friends in my life. I am thinking about them even more these days because I am preparing to leave them all when I go down to AZ to start my student teaching.

Someone once told me that the sign of a true friend is their loyalty to you. If someone was talking about you in a negative light, would your friends step in and tell them they were wrong? Would they stand by you no matter what?

Yep. Mine would.

On another note about friends...my friend Matt and I drove down the Milford, Texas last week to surpise my best friend/former roommate Becca. It was amazing! That's some true friendship right there...driving 24 hours straight is REAL devotion. Becca lives on a ranch so some of the highlights were riding horses, herding cows, 4 wheeling, touching electric fences, and getting the biggest bruise of my life.


I will put up some pictures as soon as I can. But let's just say that the Texas hudmidty and heat does not make it easy for a girl to look nice so don't expect too much from the pictures!

Heaven

Without fail I seem to always have that one thing that I find myself constantly worrying about. I lay in bed thinking, if this were to just go away, then I could sleep well at night because I wouldn't have any worries!

That never works.

Because before I know it I have a 4 things to replace that one thing that I fixed. And then I sit and worry about those.

I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, LOATH WORRYING.

So when I find something that can keep me from worrying and put a smile on my face, I become obsessed with it. And what has been my latest find? My hammock!!!

I love sitting in it in the hot sun with a cool breeze and my favorite songs playing on my ipod. It is like heaven to me.

It is also making me a little sad because I am realizing that I have exactly 19 days left in Idaho. But I won't let that bother me because I already have a million other things to worry about and a hammock can only do so much!

Regret.

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been.' "

-John Greenleaf Whittier

I hate knowing that I have wasted so much time not living up to the potential for happiness that I am experiencing now. And I am Terrified that I will slip back into the "old" me without even realizing it.

This is a picture of me when I was really, genuinely happy. Probably one of the top 5 happiest moments of my life. I hope for more of these.

New Goal: Try and live without regret. I don't ever want to say "if only" ever again.

Yeah I realize how impossible that really is.

In other news...only five freakin' weeks until I start the most terrifying 12 weeks of my life: student teaching. Am I allowed to start crying yet? I hope so because that's all I do when I think of what is in store for me at Mesquite High School. Stay tuned.

Can this...

Become Ms. Royal?

Back on the Wagon

I am back from a 4 month vacation from blogging. I kind of lost interest in it until now. So here comes a quick re-cap of my life from the last 4 months. This is more for me then anyone else I think so forgive me if it is a little long...

I lived through another Rexburg winter. Yay! But this one was so different from the last one because it was seriously non-stop fun. I had some amazing vacations, met wonderful friends, and made memories & friendships that will last a lifetime.

I went sledding (thats what they call snowmobiling in ID) for my first time.

Me, Mike, and Jackie at the top of the mountain

Warm Springs

Jackie & I

I became great friends with my roommates and FHE Bros. Especially Kellie, Becca, Matt, Braden & Ben.

Our FHE Family eating our Sunday dinner together

Becca and I on a pony sled ride

Some of our FHE group at a dance festival

My best friends! I love/miss them more than words can say

Music became a huge part of my life this semester...I learned to play the guitar & watched my friend Braden play at Music Outlet. I even got a song dedicated to me!

Went to the Hare Krishna Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork UT

The group after the festival. We had purple boogers for a week.

I think they said 20,000 people came to this thing. Amazing!

Ben got a little colorful...

Had an AMAZINGLY EPIC Weekend in UT with Becca, Matt & Braden

The group at Krispe Kremes.

We did a little photoshoot at IKEA...

Family History Center

SLC Temple

Church History Museum

Just doing the nightly duties together. Don't tell BYU-I...

Went to a Jazz game for FREE & got to be on TV after the game!

American Outfitters needs this pic for advertising.

We kind of have an obsession with bubble gum...

Took a perfect runaway trip to CA for the weekend with Becca, Jackie, Matt, Braden, and Kevin

Needless to say there was a lot of In N Out on this trip

Yum!

The group at Six Flags

Yeah. We rented a 2010 Mustang Convertible

No Big Deal

I got to drive this thing all around downtown LA. Pretty amazing!

While Rexburg got hit by a snow storm, we were relaxing at the beach, playing the guitar, and getting tan. Rough life.

The group getting ready for the 16 hour drive home. yuck!

I walked in Graduation and start my Student Teaching in the Fall

The Royal Sisters

President Clark & President Jensen from the Seventy came to my graduation. That's me shaking their hands!

And now I am back in Rexburg for the Spring...my last three months in ID. Its been off to a rough start but after writing this blog...I know that the Lord will put the people I need to meet in my life!