The world didn't end in 2012!!

Well here we are at the end of 2012, and the world did not end! As far as I can see it's still going. Which is great.

So, I've just been hanging out really. This whole Christmas Break I've spent with my mom and little brothers, and it's just been a party! I don't know how my mom does it, but she manages to find the funnest things to do and take us out. I've been to concerts (more than one), sledding, building snowmen, massive snowball fights, ice skating, shopping, to see movies, hot springs, jazz games.... tons of it. But honestly, I think the best part has just been to spend time with my family. I've enjoyed just hanging out with my little brothers. Wesley and I started a read-aloud, reading a book together and taking turns. It's been fun. We hope to actually finish it before we both have to go back to school. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure there's at least 3 feet of snow out side. It goes up to my waist anyway. Lotsa snow!

Told ya

Well, like most anyone at New Years, I look back and see what I've done in 2012. Did I make the most of it? I don't know.... it wasn't quite as dramatic and outright difficult as 2011. Which was good. Actually, as I looked back, it seems almost bland. And honestly, I'm glad for that. Sometimes you just need a year to cool off.... Here are my memorable 2012 moments:

- Christian got baptized (Jan 2012). And that was amazing.... see previous blog posts about that.

- Moving on to March, I found out I received a scholarship for '12 - '13 school year (which has helped a lot.
- In April I became the USU Big Band Swing Club president, which has been a highlight throughout this year. Swing is pretty much my social life
- Wesley graduated this year.

- Summer.... yes Summer happened
- This summer I started work at a Girl Scout Camp in CO
- In July we got evacuated because of the Waldo Canyon Fire (which was only like 5ish miles away from us) Scary business.

- Because the summer camp I worked at got shut down due to the fire, I started working for Girl Scouts of Utah, working at the amazing camp Trefoil!! Which was a blast
- I started my 3rd year of college at USU (go aggies)
- Went through a mass of school stress (I think that lasted through september and october)
- Spent Thanksgiving in CO with my wonderful family over there
- Which brings us full circle to December.

That was my year in a nutshell.

I'm looking forward to 2013. Many of my friends come back from missions, I get to start my 4th year of school, I don't know..... I have a good feeling about this year :)

Home Free

I made it. I made it through this semester and through finals. And survived. I don't know my grades on my finals yet, but I feel pretty good about all of them. So, here is my last post before the new year. (I plan on posting up a year in review like I did last year, but I still have all of december and my year is not over yet.... who knows the world may end next week and this will be my last post ever. We will just have to see)

There have been roughly 3 weeks since my Thanksgiving post. And not too much has happened in those weeks. I pushed through the end of school, with projects, essays and other such work that my teachers put on us for the last bit of the year. Then there was of course finals. So studying and studying. I am actually quite proud of myself. I have a very difficult time studying. I really do. I usually can't sit and stare at work for more than an hour or so without a break in between. And I managed studying really well. At one point for 4 straight hours. That's an accomplishment, guys. Seriously. I felt a lot more prepared on my finals than I did my midterms. And though I haven't gotten my grades back, I feel I did pretty good on the finals as well. So yay me!!

All righty. What else has been going on? Well.... dancing. Lots of big band swing. Right after Thanksgiving USU BBSwing club did a benefit dance for Elite Hall, the old dance hall in Logan. Granted, I didn't do too much for it, I really have to thank my VP Patrick for pulling it all off. He is amazing. It went really well and we had a great turn out. Lots of fun. We also had club. And then I went to my first Savoy Nights (the dance every other friday in SLC). Savoy Nights was set up by some Big Band Swing Club alumni and so, everyone kind of knows everyone. It's cool to see how Swing has turned into this small community. So, I went and met people and it was lots of fun. And I am planning on going a lot more. I really wish that I had chosen a cheaper hobby to get myself into. Because driving and paying for dances is kind of pricey at points. But so much fun and I love it so much. I hope to get a lot better at my dancing and be more involved with it later. Anyway, Savoy Nights was a blast and we were all up late (the weekend before finals), and I don't really regret it at all.

Moving on. These past couple of weeks my knee has been killing me. It usually aches after dancing. But then it started to hurt walking up hill and up stairs and more than just dancing. So, I finally told myself, this can't be normal and went to a doctor. (most/many/all of you know my facebook, so you might already know this) I went to the doctor and he pretty much diagnosed that I have Patallofamoral Pain Syndrome in that knee. Fun huh. Pretty much my knee isn't exactly lined up with my foot so when I walk, the little round bone in my knee rubs against the other bones. And the reason it finally started acting up was because I have become a lot more active this past year. What with dancing and hiking and I now go on walks and jogs and such. I've really been trying to be more active. But, that sort of started making my knee be all screwy. So, now I have to watch that. But, it won't stop me from being active. Because seriously, I love dancing. And I love how I feel now. And it doesn't matter if I am really curvy or big bosomed (come guys, you all know I am). I feel confident in myself and working out and such really does make you feel good. :D

Anyway. There you go. I am now chilling at my moms house with family and will be hanging out for the rest of break. Visiting friends and such. Also, going to see The Hobbit at midnight tonight!!! Wooo!!! Fun times. I'm very excited. And the rest of the break and Christmas is ahead of me. :D

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. And Merry Christmas!!!

Oh!!! And don't forget to watch The Doctor Who Christmas Special!! You have no idea how excited I am for that. Not to mention the Merlin Season Finale (and series finale) Both of them are over Christmas. Awwww BBC why do you do this to me???

Thanksgiving

You know the drill.... What are you thankful for??? I think by the end of the day, I will be sick of answering this. But, there really is so much in life that is a blessing. Seriously. So so so much. I don't think one blog post can do my gratitude justice. I really have a lot to be thankful for.

This past month has been hard for me. Just stressful. School has been kicking my butt.... really. It's just been hard trying to deal with it all and to figure it out. But life in general has shown me there's so much to be thankful for, even in stressful times.

So.... here's the list. (complete with pictures, cause I like doing that)

My family.... specifically....
My mom. Seriously, my mom does a lot for me. We sometimes bash heads and disagree, but I'm thankful for everything she has done for me. For all she does. She has had some hard times, and through it all, she never forgets about me. She always has time for my phonecalls, or if I'm stressed, she listens. And, I want to tell her how grateful I am for her. I love my mom a lot.

Next. My dad. Even though my dad is far away, I've always had such a strong relationship with him. And I love him a lot. Like my mom, my dad is always willing to listen to me. I always know that he believes in me and all that I'm doing. And to have that extra support goes a long way. I love spending time with him, especially our long talks. We can talk for hours and never run out of subjects. I think he's one of the few people I know that talks more than I do.

My brothers. They can be a pain, but I love them. Without Core and Chris, I wouldn't be where I am today, I wouldn't be doing the career I'm doing. And I am so grateful for their influence. And Wesley. He's a pain in the butt, but he's my bestest friend. We disagree and have very very different opinions, but he's always there for me (well... always when I ask him to be). He's there to play games with and watch movies and most often if someone doesn't understand something I say, he will. I'm gonna miss him when he goes on his mission next summer.

For all my other family. Everyone. My stepmom Merial. Who is so wonderful and is always thinking about others. My adopted sisters (in reality cousins) Shay, Beth and Amanda, who make living in the basement truly an adventure. My aunt and uncle Mindi and Don for taking me in (seriously, I'm sure Don must love having a house full of girls). Everyone in my family. You are all amazing. Thank you so much for supporting me.

Of course, I am so thankful for my friends. Those who have been there for me through all the crap I deal with. Who love me for me, who let me know that I have a social life. And help me get out of my cave (aka bedroom). I love you all, I can go off on a list if I need to (Hotty, Scott, Katie, Amy, Meghan, Josh, Derek, Sean, and Jody). I wouldn't have gotten half as far as I have without you all.

I'm thankful for school. It's hard. And I hate it sometimes. But I really am lucky to have an education. Especially at USU. GO AGGIES!! College is fun, stressful, hard and wonderful all at once. I am so lucky to be in the Special Ed major, with so many great professors and advisers. I am honored to be President of USU's Big Band Swing Club. It's a lot, and I know there are so many wonderful people who help me keep it running. I'm just happy to be involved and dance. I've learned a lot. Thank you.

I am so thankful for the gospel. It is amazing to be a part of the LDS church. I know without my faith I wouldn't be where I am at all. Christ has helped me through so much. And I know that this church is true. (I'm getting all preachy, I'm sorry... but it's how I feel). Seriously, there are such wonderful people in the wards I've been in. And such amazing leaders. And I'm thankful for all of them. I am so glad that this spirit touches my heart. It brings a light into my life that I wouldn't normally have. And I could never express my full gratitude for all the blessings the Lord has put in my life.

I could go on and on.... But I think this blog is long enough already. I am also thankful for the internet (which makes my life so much easier, and helps relieve a lot of my stress), my favorite tv shows, toothpaste, deodorant, music, my ipod, cars, Harry Potter, cuddly blankets, teddy bears, and food.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Spend time with your family and pig out.

Life, Learning and Leaves

All right.... I know, I know, I'm terrible at this. Last post was in July.... and a lot has happened since then. Soo, If you want to read about what I've been up to, then this is the blog for you!!! If not, I don't get why you are here, and you should do something more worthwhile with your time. Or you can read and just be entertained by my ramblings. Some of them can be entertaining. At least, I think so... this is my favorite picture of this season (so far) and my hair is super long!!! Crazy :D

So.... end of summer. I finished up working at Trefoil Ranch, and epicly amazing summer camp. I was the Arts and Crafts Director which was fun and definitely a new change for me. I met a whole bunch of really cool people (you know who you are) who all (well most of them) happen to go to USU with me. (though I haven't seen a whole lot of you, what's up with that??) It was a great summer, I got to spend half of it in Colorado working at one camp and the other half in Utah, working at another camp. It was sad about the fires in Colorado, and I am glad they are out. But, yes... good times. below was the Disney Princess All Camp we had (which was so much fun)

All right, so moving on, I've been back at USU (GO AGGIES). This is my third year at USU, so I'm officially a Junior, crazy huh? I'm still doing a Special Ed major, which as it turns out, is super duper hard. Hence why I have been too busy to post in this blog. I teach a reading group in the mornings, and have classes in the afternoon's/evenings. I usually have about 2ish hours of homework from each class. Sometimes one, which is really nice. Most of my homework is reading. A lot of reading and then answering questions about the readings. So not too hard, just super time-consuming. The hard part comes in all the stuff you have to do and learn at once. There's so much information to take in and it's overwhelming at times. If you think being a teacher is a walk in the park, you're wrong. It's more like a 10 mile uphill hike (good think I like hiking). I just get so exhausted... so, hopefully things work out. I love it, it's just crazy anyway. lucky I still have time to have fun. Here's Big Blue at one of the Aggie games I went to :D

All right. So now on to the fun things. I still go to football games (and basketball, once they start). I still hang out with friends, watch movies and dance. In fact, this year I'm President of the USU Big Band Swing Club. Which is work, but fun and I'm still trying to figure out how to do it all. But hey... I get some social activity in my schedule. I've gone to 2 of the Aggie Games, here at home. One was the UTE v Aggie game. (We won!!!) The other was the Homecoming UNLV v Aggie game (we won then too!!). Great times. I love it. Our student body really is the best.

Getting on to more recent events. Homecoming was last week, which was a mass amount of fun, chaos and stress. It's hard making sure everything is going right with your school work while you have a club to get to participate in Homecoming. But it happened and that was great. It's also Autumn time!!! So, super pretty leaves everywhere, cool hiking weather and pumpkin pie :D Gotta love it. I went up Crimson Trail (up Logan Canyon) with some friends and we had a blast. It was great to hike it. And I learned how out of shape I have gotten since camp (need to start hiking some more). So many cliffs, and leaves and just beautiful things everywhere. It was a good start to the weekend and I hope I get to do more fun things with friends later this year. It's already October and things are going by so fast. Hiking up Crimson with Josh, Derek and Katie is behind the camera.

So, there's my updated blog. Not as long as previously expected. That's okay. Things are great. Even when stress happens. It's odd, cause stress will happen and I will be so overwhelmed and almost ready to give up. And then, (usually the next day), something will happen to make it all better. It's pretty consistent. Anytime I start thinking I'm a terrible teacher, someone will tell me otherwise, or I will perform well on an assignment. And, I'm just thankful for that. Because if it wasn't for those small blessings, I would be drowning right now. So, thank you all my friends and family who keep believing in me. I couldn't make it without you.

S'mores and other such fire stories

All right.... I have been so busy and slightly unable to add a new blog post. But I will do so today! So, here goes the summary of June and July (if you wish to read. If you do not wish to read, I don't know why you got to my blog in the first place). (below is me on a hike at Trefoil, the new summer camp I'm working at)

So.... I began my adventures of summer in Utah, then moved to Colorado, where I started work at a summer camp. I did three weeks there. It was fun, and I got to know a lot of new people as well as see old friends. The exciting part was where my camp was evacuated due to the Waldo Canyon Fire. It was pretty crazy, and I spent a lot of time at home trying to find a new job/waiting to see if the summer camp I was working at would be okay. I feel very blessed, because almost instantly I was able to find a new job at a summer camp in Utah. I also was able to have two weeks off of camp and just spend time with my friends and family in Colorado. Which was amazing. I hung out with my little brother and my bff Hotty almost every day. I also got to help Wes with his Eagle Project, which I admit, despite my desire not to, was a fun thing to do. So overall, a decent break. (below are me and Hotty hanging out, and the Waldo Canyon Fire)

I started working at the summer camp up Provo Canyon two weeks ago. So, I've been up there for the past two weeks working horse camps. It's been great. I've loved it. The staff there are amazing, and already I feel a part of them. They've been so welcoming and great. I've really enjoyed being a part of the camp. I also have really enjoyed working with the camp director Marzz, who has been a friend of my mom's for a while. She's been so kind to me. So, a really good experience for me. I have met so many new friends already. I also became the Program and Art Specialist up there, so this coming week I will be starting to run the art projects and crafts and such. I've never done something like this up there, so I'm excited. I'm kind of nervous too, but I am positive I can do it. So, I've been trying to figure out different crafts for the girls to do and that's been fun. This past week, we also got the chance to be on Channel 2 News. Which was super fun, even if we had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. (Below is Casey Scott and the group of girl scouts from our early news happening)

Another great opportunity for me, was I was able to go back up to Cloud Rim, which is the summer camp that I grew up going to every summer. And the one I worked at two years ago. It was amazing up there. Absolutely amazing. I have loved every camp I have worked at, but Cloud Rim will always be very special to me. Always. It was even better, cause I got to see my good friend Piper, who I grew up with going to camp. We officially decided that we have known each other for 8 years. Wow! So it was great to see her. I hope I get to work with her next year. We're planning on it. (below is me and Piper doing her trait Prince Piper pose)

 

So, overall it has been a great summer so far, and I expect great things from the rest of it. :D I've gotten to spend time with my brother for his graduation. I was able to work at not one, but two summer camps!! So much fun. I got to meet so many new and wonderful people. I got to spend time with my dad in CO and now my mom in UT. It's like I've gotten the best of both worlds. This has been a really amazing summer, that I won't forget. Which is nice, because my summer last year.... not so great. Thanks for reading (if you've made it this far). I'm glad my life has peaked your interest. Or something like that. Much love! (below is the glacier/boulder pond that I hiked/bouldered to at Cloud Rim). 

Summer's Start

I meant to update this a week ago, but I've been dead busy. Seriously... wow.... So, shall I start the story of May???

School ended. I ended it with a bash, partying with friends. Then I drove down to my mom's house and spent three weeks there. While in the land of Utah Valley, I hung out with my friends a lot. I am so happy I got to see them. Thanks Katie, Meghan and Amy for letting me chill with you guys. I also had a fun time with my mom. We had a mother-daughter date and that was so much fun. We also spent time watching Firefly and just talking, which is a really nice thing. I got to hike, run a 5k, hang out with my little brothers, and get to see my car break down again! Ah well, you take the good with the bad. (below is me on my hike I went on, I found a cool car wreck in the river. Just a fun thing)

Highlight of my month of May??? Wesley's graduation!! So much fun. I think his was cooler than mine. He did so well. We was all tall and dashing. He also went up to sing with the choir a lot. It was nice to see him in his element. He had fun too. My dad flew in from Colorado and went and it was nice to have the whole family together again. I liked that. We all went out to eat and then went to Lagoon to celebrate. Wow!!! I am just saying, I had a complete blast. I also feel very accomplished because I went on some roller coasters and scarier rides, which I don't normally do. So, kudos to me, guys!! :D

Coming up next on my life of adventures.... 1 year of Adam's death. And you know what? I handled it pretty well. It's hard to believe he's been gone for a whole year. I miss him like crazy. I wish he were here still.... Yet, here I am working and having fun and doing so well with my life. I will never forget him and I will always love him, but, I feel like I'm ready to get back into the swing of things... so you know what? I will. I'm going to get out there and have fun. And I'm kind of excited to do that.

Now to more recent things. I just finished up my first week back at camp and back in Colorado. And yes, I've had fun. It's nice to be back doing summery things. We haven't had any campers at camp yet, just camp training, which is new for me. Last year I didn't participate with that because of Adam's passing. And so I'm glad I can get in there and have fun with all the other counselors. I'm excited for this year. And I could use the money. (I still need to pay for fixing my car) (also below is a picture of me at camp). I also spent some time partying with my friend Hotty D. Yup, I don't think there isn't a weekend I haven't partied with her since I've been in CO.

And tonight!! Technically, I should still be at camp, but I took the day/night off to be able to go to a wedding. The wedding of my good friends, pretty much family, Emily and Dennis Naglowsky. So, congrats to them. It was really a beautiful wedding. And I loved spending time with my nephew. I also had fun dancing and just being with family and friends. I love weddings. Things are just so happy and special. I also just danced super hard. I did a lot of ballroom and swing with my brother and dad and then I also just danced. It was officially decided that I was the best dancer there. :D That was cool. Thank you USU Swing Club for that. I also now have a blister on my little toe, which hurts. But ah well, I still had fun. (once again below is a picture. It's my bro, my dad and me at the wedding)

So that's been my month!! And now I'm off to bed, because I have to wake up early to drive back to camp. I will hopefully have time to post more of my summer adventures throughout the summer!! It will be fun. Thanks for reading and keeping up with me. Much love!!!

Ninjas, Pie and Dancing

Guess who has been super busy since her birthday???? ME!! Seriously... college did this roundhouse kick on me and now I finally finished finals.... so yes, now I have time to update this thing. :D

So I am no longer a teenager. I've been 20 for the past month or so. I haven't noticed that much of a change. I suppose it's just that time has gone by so fast. Seriously, I feel like high school only just happened. It's hard to believe that I just finished my second year of college. Wow.... Wow.... and now my little brother is graduating. I FEEL OLD!!!

The first thing I would like to state is how much I've moved forward. I am doing so well. I'm accomplishing things and working towards goals and smiling and I'm happy. And yes, I've even gone on a few dates. This, to me, is the most important thing I've accomplished this past year. Last year, when Adam passed away, I never thought I would be able to move on from that. I never thought I would date again or anything. And I've felt a lot of closure since then. Yes, I still miss him. I still hurt and I still love him. I will always love him and I will never stop loving him. But, I can love him and keep his memory and that love we felt strong in my heart and that's what I've done. I still have those hard days... but you know what? I'm happy. And I'm doing things with my life. Which is important. Not only that, but I went on dates!! I have hung out with guys and I don't feel guilty. I used to... I used to compare them to Adam and feel sad and upset. And I don't anymore. I feel like it's okay. I can step forward with my life... and I can do that and the world won't fall apart. Seriously, guys, you don't even know how good I feel about recognizing this in my life. So much contentment and peace!!! I really feel like that. And it brings tears to my eyes. Both good and bad tears.

What else has happened in my life?? I am officially USU's Big Band Swing Club's President. This is something I both am looking forward to and dreading. This club is starting to fall apart... not many people are interested in Swing. So, really my goal is to just keep this club going and trying to get it more publicity. I really hope I can manage that through the schedule I'll have next semester with my program. But, I really do love Swing. And I adore dancing. It's so much fun!!!

Alongside with dancing, I recently went to Colorado with USU's Swing Teams and we participated in the Intercollegiate Swing Battle (aka a weekend full of dancing). That was a huge blast. I had so much fun and just danced my cares away. I also went to the zoo with friends and that was fun too. College adventures are fun. I'm usually not one to just up and go to a weekend of dancing. But I did! :D I also got to see my dad briefly which was great!!! So, thanks to the teams for letting me join you guys. So here's some dancing (above) and zoo adventures (below) :D

What else did I do??? Well, before that trip to CO, I had easter with my family. That was fun. Just cause my family always does a big easter. But the real fun part was when I had to be a Ninja and break into my own house cause I got locked out. Here's my tale: I drove home with my Grandpa and he had to leave early, so my family wasn't home yet. HOWEVER, this is where I can say I'm a ninja. I got home... and the house, literally was ALL locked. Since when have they locked every single door???? I thought, "No big deal, I'll go through the garage." Nope.... the garage door hates me. It didn't open at all. So, I sat there, locked out, feeling really lame. Your mom can't help me, she's in salt lake. Finally I look at the kitchen window... where we put the t.v. when we hot-tub. It doesn't have a screen... and it's not locked. PERFECT!! I'll just hop right through that. Easier said then done. I'm so short that I couldn't get in very well. So I literally climbed in my nice sunday dress. But, I MADE IT!! lol So no worries guys. Cause I am a ninja!! :D (So here's some easter pics of me my mom and my little bro. We had fun)

GOSH!!! WHY IS MY BLOG SO LONG!! Seriously.... I need to stop having fun stories to tell. Keep reading guys. I promise it won't be that much longer.... (sorry)

So... that was April. (not in order... it was easter and then the dancing.... but ah well) SO NOW I made it to May. And May really hasn't been exciting. I had my finals. That was this past week. And before that I was swamped with projects and homework and practicum with kindergarteners and just lots of things. So, I've just been doing school and dancing and teaching. FYI, I love teaching. I really am meant to be a teacher, guys, cause I adore it. I have had so much fun in my program so far. I'm excited to see where it is gonna take me in my life. :D Teaching is a blast. And guess what??? I passed all my finals, not only that, I ACED them. 20/20, 97/100, and 47/50. Every final. Did super good. I'm pleased with myself. And now I'm done with school for the year and am going to work at the summer camp again and go to my brother's graduation. And that's been my adventures.

So yes. That's my life. And above is me hanging out with my friend Jody and Jason. To ease the stress of finals, we threw pie at each other. That was fun. :) So that's me with pie in my face. I hope you appreciate it.

And that's the end of this blog. Thanks for reading, if you even made it this far. To congratulate you, I offer you the above picture of me with pie. Cause I don't know when that will happen again. Love you all. Farewell for now.

Birthday Madness!!

All right... I have not really updated in SUPER long. So I'm going to update this. :D HERE IS MY LIFE for the past month!!

These past couple of weeks, I was working in a third grade classroom for my school practicum. I want to say that that experience was so amazing. I loved working with the kids, the parents and Doc. Wallin. It was simply great. They were so sweet and whenever they see me, I'm sure to hear, "Miss Gina! Miss Gina!" (they call me that cause Miss Buckwalter is too long). It's sweet. They had a goodbye surprise party for me, asking the other classroom to find an excuse to borrow me so they could decorate the room and surprise me, and it was the cutest ever. We had a dance party and everything. I have pictures, but due to legal issues and me not having parents permission... they will not be put up.

Then, it was a lot of family time. My uncle Cam (who I never see ever!!!) visited from Missouri for my cousin Baby Dan's baby blessing. Lots of family came, I got to see my mom, hang out and best of all, see Cam. For some reason whenever he visits, I'm always gone. So I am super excited that I got to participate in this family event too. I also got to watch my two younger cousins for a whole day, which was so much fun. We had a blast, playing games, making cookies, sledding, making a snowman, doing a scavenjer hunt... I tell you, family time is awesome. The best was probably the scribble war I had with my cousin Logan. The object of the game was to draw a scribble then make a picture out of it. So of course, he scribbles the entire square completely black and says, "Don't know what it is? Don't worry, I'll give you a hint... it's a rock." lol I couldn't stop laughing. There's the game below. You can definitely tell, it's a rock, right?

Then, of course, I went and had Spring Break. Fun times. My friend Katie came and visited, which was a blast. We just hung out and had fun. Then, I went to the Jazz game with my aunt, cousin and my mom. It was the birthday jazz game, cause my mom, Bethany, and me all had a birthday. The best part was that the Jazz won!! Then I just hung out at my mom's. We did "birthday mom and gina" day, where we got glasses, pie, went to the mall and had fun. PS my mom's birthday is on PI day aka 3.14. Yup, cool times. And of course we watched movies and hung out with my brothers, and it was a blast!!!! And a very very nice and needed break from school, let me tell you. :)

My mom, Me, My aunt Mindi, and my cuz Bethany

At the Jazz Game :D

I think the best part of all... this entire month has had to be getting my scholarship!! I cannot tell you how excited and happy and all the emotions I have!! Seriously, things are just falling together and working out so well. Just a little hint... Trust in the Lord and things will work out for your good. I've definitely learned that one. :)

This past week has been both exhausting and fun. I started in my new practicum class, which is Kindergarten. Let me tell you right now... I love it so much.... but at the same time... Kindergarten is hard. Give me third graders any day. It's so different when you have to start off from scratch, teaching them every thing they need to know, how to read, how to count, etc. It's hard. I like it when I have a little more to work with. But, it's a good experience and I'm rolling with it. :)

Then this weekend I had a makeshift party with my friends Janessa and Derek. We mainly watched Harry Potter, roasted hotdogs, and made cookies. Small shindig, but fun :D 

My mom got me all 8 of the Harry Potter movies in the 8 dvd set (she said if I found it under $60, she would get it... I found it for $45 <-- Amazon). So... I am now the proud owner of all 8 Harry Potter movies. You guys have no idea how excited that makes me. :D Admit it, you're jealous. $45 for 8 dvds, that's pretty good, that's just over $5 a dvd.

Anyway... I'm excited. It's officially my birthday tomorrow. (or in roughly 25 min) I will be officially NOT A TEENAGER aka 20. Which is really weird. Dang.... time flies super fast. I can't believe I'm 20... wow..... sheesh, next thing I'll be getting married, then having kids.... O.O yup.....

Thanks to all those wonderful people who care about me and read my blog. Cause you guys are super cool. Just fyi. Love you all!

Busy Happenings

All right..... I feel super badly for not updating this in so long. Literally the last post was in 2011.... so, hey, Happy 2012 everyone :D lol

PS.... I don't have very many pictures of my life from the past month.... so we'll just see what to do. Most pictures are with my aunt Mindi. I'll see if I can get them on my facebook sooner or later.

Me and Bethany as secret agents, as drawn by Beth

So, what has been going on???? Lets see.... This semester has been very busy. I've spent most of it in class either in an elementary setting or in a college setting. So, the classes I am taking.... SPED 4000 (a class about special education in general), SPED 5530 (a class about assistive technology), PSY 3660 (psychology for education majors), ELED 3005 (a class about classroom management), ELED 3000 (a class about the history of education alongside with my practicum), and Big Band Swing............... SO yes, that is what I've been doing. It's been especially fun, because I've been doing practicum. Which is amazing! In summary, I spend three days a week in an elementary classroom just helping out, teaching some things, doing bulletin boards, observations, anything the teacher allows you to help with. Which is just great. I've learned a lot and it's been so much fun. I'm currently in a 3rd grade classroom and the kids are so great. I love them all.

 Me and Amanda ice skating earlier in the month

My social life has been Big Band Swing. So much fun. I love it so much. I've gotten a lot better at dancing and it's just one of those things that's fun and stress relieving. So, I do that tuesdays, wednesdays and thursdays. A lot of dancing, but so much fun.

My computer broke... so I haven't had a computer for quite a while. Which is one of the reasons I never updated this. But, I would like to thank my dad for fixing it. Even though I gave him a lot of grief about it and he had a lot of other things to do. So, Thanks dad for helping me out :D Love ya

Valentines was fun. I spent the week before being abnormally social in lots of dancing, partyings with friends, more dancing, an Institute dance, and then the weekend. I got a little depressed on the actual Valentines day. Valentines was always special for me and Adam. And I felt a little lonely. It's the first Valentines in three years that I hadn't had him. So.... yes. I'm still getting used to this "being single" thing. And it's hard. But... I'm doing it. And will continue to strive to succeed with my life and everything. 

Okay.... so that's it. School, Practicum, dancing, and lots of homework. I even double-checked in my personal journal to see if there was anything I missed.

Just to have you keep up with my life, my current obsessions are:

1) BBC's Sherlock

2) Alex Day and Charlie McDonnell (their music and youtube videos)

3) Dancing
4) Harry Potter (specifically the lego game that we have on the xbox here)

 
5) Talking to my mom and dad. Seriously, I believe I call them roughly every other day. I love them. :D
6) Being a better teacher

Thanks for keeping up with my life and those small things that matter to me. I love you all.