The praxis exam

I feel like the praxis exam is not the best way to gage a persons teaching ability, seeing as how it is created by some test bank across the country. It is also hard to test someone on their knowledge of social studies, seeing as how there is a lot of history in the world and there is no way to know which history classes the person has completed. But no mater how I feel about the exam it is required that you take the exam to be able to teach anywhere in the United States.

I was required to take the Social Studies Content Knowledge test. Teachers also have to complete a "Principles of learning and teaching" test within the first three years of their teaching to advance to a level 2 teacher (whatever that means). I decided to just take the PLT test at the same time as the other required test so that I only had to pay the registration fee once. I figured that I would get a good feel for the test and then if I needed to take it again I would have 3 years to study for it. I took both tests on April 26th. It was a long day and I was pretty stressed out. I thought I was stupid for taking 2 tests that you can't really study for on the same day.

So today I got my scores in the mail. I passed both tests. I passed them with flying colors in fact. I passed the PLT test so well that they sent me a certificate saying I was super awesome. It also means that I got in the top 15% out of anyone who has taken that test. It came in a big blue folder and everything. I'm so happy to be done with these tests and not have to worry about them anymore! Now all I have to do is student teach and I can officially be hired as a teacher!

I know I'm little

So I'm currently at my parents house in Provo waiting to go to my younger sisters graduation.  I carpooled down here with my 83 year old grandmother that lives up in the Logan area.  When we discussed coming down to Provo we had decided that I would drive.  She said right up front that she was going to have me drive because she knows she is getting older.  So she drove to my apartment and while I put my things in the back she hopped back in the drivers seat.  I was confused so I asked her if she didn't want me to drive.  She said that she thought she would drive for a little while and we could switch when we got to the "hard stuff".  This made me think she meant the canyon that you have to go through to exit Cache Valley.  Long story short she wouldn't let me switch with her until Roy.  She kept saying she was going to pull off and kept not pulling off.  She wanted to switch in the emergency lane but I convinced her to get off at an actual exit.  Don't worry we made it eventually and there weren't even any near collisions (we just went 80 though the canyon and 55 on the freeway...)  

But that wasn't what bugged me about my drive to Provo.  When we were just starting out Grandma said "Oh I meant to tell you to bring a pillow so you could see."  Dead serious.  She thought I was going to need something to sit on to drive.  She is all of 5'2" and she can see just fine.  This isn't the first time that someone has questioned my ability to drive.  My roommate Ashley subconsciously avoided ever handing me the keys, always favoring our other roommate to drive over me.  The roommate who, bless her heart, called a tow truck when her car broke down in the middle of nowhere (by broke down I mean ran out of gas).  I've never done that. (If you read this former roommate.... I still love you.)  My point is, I am a pretty decent driver.  I even get the good driver discount on my insurance.  I've never been behind the wheel of a car that I couldn't drive.  YES I am short.  I am aware of that.  But just because I'm short doesn't make me any less reliable or capable of driving.  It doesn't affect my reaction times and it doesn't make me less mature.  So if you need someone to drive you to the hospital or you need someone to take your car to drop you off at the airport or something of this nature, don't assume that I am not able to drive!  I can handle short jokes, because I am short.  I don't even care when people make jokes about me not being able to see over the steering wheel, as long as they don't actually believe that it is true.  Seats adjust people.  

Y is for Amy

I have a cousin named Allana. She is a baby Einstein. I swear her parents must read to her from a Latin dictionary because she knows so much. I just got an email from Allana's mom over the weekend. She said that Allana has been walking around saying "I like Amy, I like Brad" all week. (I bet she would say she misses me unlike someone elses children........) She is only 2 but when she is driving to my parents house she knows where she is and will say "We're going to Amy's house?" She has the cutest little munchkin voice and I just want to eat her sometimes. My aunt and uncle know a little sign language and so they have been teaching Allana signs for awhile now. She can spell her name and over mothers day weekend I was teaching her to spell my name. She also recognizes letters when she sees them. When she sees an A she will point to it and say "A for Allana!" I was teasing her and I told her that A was for Amy not Allana and she was having none of that. In the email that my aunt sent me she told me that Allana has decided to give me the letter Y. I feel very privileged. Her last name starts with a Y and so it's not like she couldn't think of anything better to give that letter. Anyways it made me feel good to know that she loved me enough to give me a letter. It's so fun to have little kids that talk about you when you aren't around!

Allana and me on my wedding day

The best friends wedding

So Thursday was Ryan and Melanie's wedding. Ryan and Brad have been best friends since high school and he and Mel started dating shortly after Brad and I so it's been really fun to be a part of their relationship. I actually owe a lot to Ryan, he really changed my life forever. Lots of people like to take credit for getting Brad and I together but it really all started with Ryan. If it weren't for his outgoing personality I wouldn't have decided to get to know his roommate Brad. (For those of you who don't know the story..... I sat by Brad on a road trip to Chicago so I could get the dish on Ryan... Don't worry he knows and he won anyways so he's fine with it)

I was really excited to go to their wedding for a number of reasons but one of the biggest reasons was that it was going to be in the Salt Lake Temple and I haven't been inside of that temple yet so I was excited to go. I made sure to pack my camera so that I could take lots of pictures afterwards to show them before they get their official pictures back and of course so I could have pictures to update my blog so that I could prove I did something over the summer. So I had my camera, the one thing I didn't remember to pack however......... was my temple recommend. I realized it just as we were driving into the Salt Lake Valley. So Brad went to the ceremony without me and I watched Rachel Ray and read my book. (We found out later that the new barcode system makes it so they can look up your recommend....... fyi) In between the wedding and reception I went and met with the teachers that I will be working with for my student teaching. It will be nice to know who I'm talking to when I'm emailing them. We then went with Brads parents to the reception. Mel's colors were pink and yellow and her bridesmaids looked like they could have easily been in my wedding. Their dresses were really cute. The couple looked great (they did harass me a little for not being at the ceremony but I"m sure they wouldn't have noticed if we hadn't told them) I of course forgot to take my camera to the reception so I don't have any pictures to put up of that either. Oh well here's to the happy couple!
PS if you are bored here's something that Brad and I really enjoy watching. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmLHOGT0v4c.

Asholicious

My cousin Ashley came to visit me at work! YAY! I sure do love her. Thanks for making a boring day at work a little better!

I wouldn't tell you this but I'm bored......

So I've been trying to decide what to write about for my next blog and I'm really coming up blank. Since nothing else interesting is going in my life right now, I guess I could tell everyone about my health........
Quit reading here if you don't want to know me on a real personal basis.........

I've been "under the weather" for over a week now, I knew it wasn't my chronic hypochondria because I would wake up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Turns out I have a cyst and it is a literal pain in the butt. I went to the doctor and he put me on some meds but it is looking like the only way to ever really cure it is surgery. But the pain is going away so I think I'll try to live with it for awhile and we'll see if miracles happen and maybe it will fix itself. Ever since the pain started I really haven't been motivated to do anything. Hence why I was being such a lazy slob Mothers Day weekend. Sorry family if I was no fun but nobody wants to announce their butt hurts real bad and they aren't sure if they can function. I guess I am ok telling people now because I know what is wrong. So pretty much my days have been filled with lots of ibuprofen, and doing a bunch of nothing cause moving hurt. So now I get to come to work and stand as long as possible to avoid making it mad at me.............

Hooray for Holsteins!

Since this weekend is the internationally renowned holiday of black and white days I just thought I'd take a minute to say how much I love cows. Cows make milk. I love milk. Cheese is made from milk. I love cheese. Ice cream is another food that is made possible by these wonderful animals. When I was younger I even owned a pair of pants which honored the lovely black and white pattern of the beloved creatures which give us these delicious treats. Because of this wonderful holiday which brings a small community in northern Utah together I have enjoyed a large pancake breakfast every year of my life this time in May. So in keeping with tradition I am off to watch my father run in the Cowabunga race and then I will eat me some good pancakes and I will have a large glass of chocolate milk to go with them all because of my friends the cows.

Getting Ready

Ok so everyone who actually reads this (so mostly just Shauntel and Jackie I'm pretty sure...) already knows that I'm teaching Utah Studies next semester. But maybe someone reads this that doesn't know that so it had to be said. So I'm teaching Utah Studies, problem is I haven't had a Utah Studies class since I was in Utah Studies in the 7th grade. So I was talking to one of my professors (Leslie Flemmer, the Teaching Social Studies teacher) and I mentioned that I was teaching at Bennion Jr. High in Taylorsville. Turns out she left Bennion to come to USU. So we got to talking and she told me she knows one of the teachers and is excited for me because she used to teach Utah Studies at that school. About a week later she asks me if I would like some of her old Utah Studies stuff because she doesn't ever plan on going back to teaching it. So of course I said yes.
We finally got together today and she gave me a mildewy old box (apparently the stuff in her storeroom got damp...... EWW) FULL of worksheets and tests and lesson plans and pictures and maps and overheads. So I just spent the last 5 hours going through it all and throwing away duplicates. She had so many extra copies! She was getting all sentimental about the stuff when she was showing me and wanted me to bring it all back when I was done taking what I wanted but then changed her mind. So I decided to be nice and I pulled out 2 copies of everything and put hers in a seperate pile and I'll take it to her later. Now instead of a gross old box full of duplicates she can have just the worksheets in a couple folders or she can just throw them away herself whatever. So if I don't die from a mildew induced asthma attack (my disease showing through again......) I now have 7 manilla envelopes worth of different unit ideas to draw from during my student teaching!

My momma

I love my mom. A lot. I talk to her on the phone pretty much every day. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things about my mom. I had a hard time thinking of what to share so I decided I would find some pictures of her and write about the things I love relating to those pictures.My mom is helpful. I've never been able to pin flowers on my dates and even at my wedding my mom had to help me out with the corsage. I didn't even have to ask she just does it for me. She's like that with most things in my life.
She's beautiful. She has never been overly concerned with her appearance but she is beautiful without trying.
She lets us eat ice cream for dinner. When we were growing up if my dad wasn't home for dinner and she didn't want to cook we would have popcorn and milkshakes. She would always say "Don't tell Grandma Ginny I let you do this." (I'm pretty sure I've had cookies for dinner with Grandma recently...) We both have the same favorite food. Food someone else made.
She will play statues with me. This was in the middle of the British Museum but she still was willing to pose like the statue for a picture. (I know we are real rebels!)
She loves me. Even when I make faces like the one featured above. She loves all of her kids actually, but mostly me. She is the greatest. She took a month off of work to run around Europe with me. We both managed to pack in just a carry on suitcase. It was a once in a lifetime kind of experience. There was a time when I wasn't sure if I would ever get a chance like that with my mom. She very nearly died once. That's a story for another time though. She really has worked hard to help me achieve my dreams and my goals but has still never given up her own to do so. I love her lots and lots!

Since I got married I now have a new mom and I love her lots and lots too. I'm lucky to have in-laws that are so great and that love me so much!

Week recap.

Shauntel accuses me of not talking about what I do in my blog so here is a blog all about my boring life.

So I didn't blog for a whole week mostly because I spent the majority of it just sitting on my butt doing nothing. It was nice to not have work for a week but since Brad did have work it made it kind of boring. Neither of us worked on Thursday or Friday so we decided to take an extended weekend and spend time at our parents homes.

Thursday we went and had lunch in Salt Lake with Brads mom and his sister. I sure do love his family. We went to Red Robin. I don't think I've ever officially eaten there. I honestly had a hard time getting my mouth around my burger it was so big. After that we went to my parents house in Provo. We finally got my babysitting money out of a savings account and into a CD so that we can make money off of the money that has just been sitting around for years doing nothing. We then went to my sister Erin's final choir concert. I feel like it's the end of an era. I honestly don't know what my parents are going to do now that they don't have any children in the choir to go listen to. They have had at least one kid in choir since my brother was a freshman in high school back in 1998. The choir teacher Mr. Larsen is a really great guy who has this ability to make you feel like he cares about you more than the other 200 kids he has in classes at that moment. Not to mention the thousands of kids he's taught in years past..... He really is like a second father to a lot of kids. It is hard for some people to understand but he really is. He was really excited when I told him I was getting married but he found out later that he wouldn't be able to make it to the reception. He called my mom without me knowing and arranged to be at the temple ceremony. I didn't see him sitting in the corner of the room till it was all over. He stood up and walked over to us and gave me a hug and I started bawling. I hadn't really cried during the whole day till I saw him. I almost cried again during the concert because I was sad I wouldn't have any excuses to stop in and see him anymore. Oh well who needs excuses I'll just go see him anyways. I added a picture of Brad and I with Mr. Larsen outside the temple just after our wedding.
Friday we finally got to the social security office to change my name legally. Yeah, it only took us 5 months. I still have to change my drivers license but I can do that in Logan. I actually couldn't have changed it any earlier because I needed to keep my name the same for the praxis exam that I took 2 weeks ago. Then we went back up to South Jordan to spend some time with Brads family. Saturday morning Brad had to work so I just played around with his family. His parents are great with a dutch oven so his dad made some good sausage/egg breakfast in the dutch oven. Saturday night we headed back to Provo and watched Juno with my parents. They laughed but I'm not sure how they really felt overall. Sunday we went to both a baby blessing and a farewell. Then we had a big lunch at my Aunt and Uncles house to celebrate the baby blessing. After that we went back to Brads and had a big Mothers day dinner. Then it was back to Logan just in time to listen to the twilight zone on the radio. Overall it was a great weekend. Since this is a long post I think I'll start a new one about my mom since it was mothers day.... Multiple posts in one day make up for a lack of posts for a week right?

Juno?

This post isn't actually about the movie Juno. Although it's a hilarious movie that I recommend (unless you aren't a fan of things that are funny.) It's also not about any cities in Alaska. If it were it would have been titled Juneau. And since Juneau is one of the places in Alaska that I haven't actually been to I have nothing to post about it. No, this post is about one of my favorite games, the juno game. It's when you meet someone for the first time and they tell you where they are from and you can say "OH! Juno my friend Matt? He went to that school!" I am extremely good at this game. That is because I know everyone.

When I was a sophomore in high school I was put in a seminary class with a new teacher. It was a new semester so we were all just getting to know each other. He gave us all a blank sheet of paper that had the seating chart on it and was going to have us all say our names and fill out the sheet of paper as we went along. I raised my hand and asked if we got bonus points for already having our chart filled out. (This was before the class had even begun telling names) He didn't believe me so he made me stand up in front of the class and say everyones names. I did. I then asked if I was supposed to do last names too cause I hadn't. But I could. He thought I was some kind of mind reader so he asked me for everyones social security numbers as well. I knew those too so he decided to take me to Idaho to enter the lottery. Ok so I didn't know their social security numbers but I really did know every bodies first and last names. I think I freaked some of the people out cause they had no idea who I was. I think this is why I was so successful when I ran for student government that year. I'd see kids and call them by name and they were like "who is this creepy girl and how do I get her to leave?" and the only way was to promise to vote for me.

Alright I don't know everyone in the whole world, but I have friends who are convinced I do. The reason I decided to post this was because I was asked again today I knew everyone that someone else knew. I've decided why this is. I smile a lot. I meet people on campus and my memory is pretty decent so when I see someone that I've met before I give them an extra big smile. This makes people feel like they have to remember me or else they will feel silly when I smile at them or wave to them and they have no idea who I am. So people try to remember me. After being in several student wards, having at least 15 credits every semester for 4 years, and working at a couple high traffic student jobs I've met a lot of people. And when I see them I tend to say hi or smile big or wave so they do the same.

So chances are, if we have something in common and you know someone else who has the same thing in common with us, there is a chance that I know them, they might not know me, or they might not remember that we met one time for 2 minutes but I probably still smile at them when I see them.

My disease

I have a disease and I am pretty sure it's terminal.

Whenever I have something that bothers me I am quick to diagnose it as some life threatening illness. When I have headaches it is because I have a brain tumor and when I get side aches it is because something exploded inside me. Sitting through my class on disabilities was hard because every lecture the teacher would convince me that I had some form of learning disability or that I had some birth defect.

Whenever I complain about any of my diseases Brads new question is "ok, but what else do you have?" After I list off everything that ails me he always adds hypochondria. Ok so maybe I don't have a brain tumor but my hypochondria is terminal.

note:If I tell you I'm sick don't just disregard it because I will never use any of my hypochondria symptoms to get out of work or anything else, except maybe doing the dishes.