You know you're in Utah when...

My school is listening to Obama's speech this week so I decided that it would be good to have a lesson on the President and what he does and who he is.  The morning journal was "Who is in charge of our country?"  I asked the kids and they looked confused until one said, "Jesus!"  So right, but not at school.  Anyway, the same kid looked at me and said, "Barack Obama."  Amazing that he knew that--he's only 6!  Another kid is still convinced his mom is in charge.  Later in the day after communication group where we learned about the president, I had each kid tell me something they learned about the President and what he does.  One kid couldn't come up with anything so I said, "Did you learn his name?"  He said, "President Monson!"  His brother gave the Jesus answer before.  Cute kids. 

Also, I got a text from Zach today and he got to hear President Monson during devotional!  I wish I could have been there.  I didn't always make it to devotionals because of work and my volunteer hours in the schools, but I never missed when the prophet was there.  Good thing conference is in 2 1/2 weeks!

Oh so domestic.

We went to Vegas for Labor Day weekend and I had the crew pick me up from my school so we could head out ASAP.  It was a great trip with family and friends even though the parasail ripped before most of us could try it.  Next time...Anyway, the point of the first sentence was to illustrate that when we came home Monday afternoon I hadn't been home since Friday morning at 7:00.  I came in and noticed the laundry detergent by the microwave so I moved it to the washer.  I would say to the laundry room, but notice our pictures below and see the 5 foot wide 15 foot long kitchen includes the laundry room and water heater closet.  We had lots of wash so I got started with our first load of whites.  I went about other things then came and switched them to the dryer and got another load in the washer.  As I was pouring the detergent into the lid, I noticed there were some dark specks in it.  I suddenly freaked out and asked Zach what was in our detergent.  He then walked in with a look of realization and told me that it was the oil from the fried chicken he made last week.  He decided to use that to store it in since the detergent was basically empty...the only problem was he forgot to tell me!  I felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner, but Zach helped me see the humor and helped me fix the problem.  3 extra washes later and our whites still smell funky.  We laugh about it everyday. 

Random funny story from my class: Today we were stretching our words to hear each sound (beginning, middle, and end).  I decided to have them pretend to be pulling the word out of their mouth to get them to have something a little more concrete (random I know).  We were on bat and I asked one of my first graders what the beginning sound was and he said frantically, "I've got a bat in my throat!"  They are hilarious.  Love my job.

The Smith's!

Cut us some slack…we’ve been busy, but we are settled in now. We celebrated our one month anniversary last week. It was a school day so I came home around 5:30 and Zach rushed us to the store to buy some last minute items and I came home to a homemade dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and some sweet green beans. Zach is so sweet and he is an amazing cook. 1 month doesn’t seem like much, but it’s been one crazy month. We came home from the wedding, made house, set up my classroom, I started teaching, and then we both started school. I’m not sure how we managed it, but I know I couldn’t have done it without Zach. It is weird to not be at BYU with Zach, but he is doing well and I hope he enjoys his classes this semester. He has hard ones, but I know he will study hard. He is almost done with CNA certification and he is looking into a job about a mile from my school! I have class once a week, but I teach M-F. My kids are amazing. They crack me up everyday. I have 12 boys and 1 girl. Quite a mix of kids—age and ability—but I love them all! Funny story…quite a few of my kids are Mormon, but we never talk about it. One of my students tends to sing at random times and I remind him it isn’t music time, but this time I recognized the tune he was singing, but the words were different. Rather than “onward, ever onward” it was “awkward, ever awkward”. We’ll try to keep you updated! Love you all.

We also wanted to thank everyone--family and friends--for making our wedding so memorable and making the effort to be there.  We love each of you and feel so blessed to have you in our lives. 
Pictures: Wedding, Our house, First day of school

He made me breakfast and lunch for my first day!

Woot Woot!

I get to marry this kid in less than 7 weeks...
Life is getting pretty hectic with wedding planning, school, work, practicum, and the realization that 2 months from now I will have my first day of school with 11 boys and 1 girl who will be entrusted into my care for 9.5 months. I am overwhelmed, but constantly reminded of all the wonderful blessings in my life. Zach is always so helpful with making dinner and giving me time and motivation to do my homework. He has been put in charge of a few things and it takes a lot of stress off me knowing that he is helping out. My mom and my sisters are also doing so much to help me plan and get things in order for the wedding. I love you all and I can't believe that I was blessed to be in this family and be starting my own with my eternal companion. Family and the eternal nature of families has been on my mind a lot lately as I am preparing to go to the temple and also writing a talk on temple marriage that I will give in 2 weeks. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and has put people in my life to help me make these transitions in my life and to learn and grow daily. More later...

Love of my Life

Zach and I are engaged! More details on how it went down later, but I am so excited to be marrying the love of my life in just over 3 months. He is so good to me and I know that being married to him will only make life sweeter. I love you, Zachary Lance.

I also got the teaching internship that I really wanted so come August I will be Mrs. Smith, Special Education Severe Cluster Unit teacher (1st-2nd grade) in Payson, Utah...birthplace of my father and my future husband.

the semester has ended and we are moving into reading days and finals. i realize that as much as i want each semester to be done i can never have that class back. i have learned a lot from my classes this year. how to manage behavior by assessing students and making a behavior plan, how to set up my classroom with positive supports, how to teach new behaviors, how to direct students through the transition process, how to teach student's with severe disabilities how to access reading, and so much more. i am scared to death of being a teacher, but my teachers are preparing me well. 2 more terms...so really just 1 semester. i have some more interviews next week so wish me luck. i'm also planning on visiting vegas and bakersfield next week. not a lot of time, but i will make it happen. i love you all and i appreciate all the encouragement that i get from you, my amazing family.

the conference was great and seattle was a pretty rocking place. very green and beautiful, but little sun. provo actually looks like seattle this week. nasty. unfortunately it rained on my birthday. great day by the way. lots of fun phone calls from you guys including quite a few from the zoo. went to dinner with some friends after the best buddies talent show.

and i have some really funny stories to tell about oscar and c, but those will have to wait...just to remind myself--crayons, pink limos, and more.

LOVE YOU!

fun pictures of seattle and seeing zach's family:




mc at donald's (as c calls it)never lets me down.

i'm a mess

I haven't signed with a district yet. One offer, but a weak one at that. They don't know what class I would have so I said I couldn't accept until I knew. And they don't have any high school openings so I doubt I will go there. I have applied at 2 others so I am just crossing my fingers. If all else fails, I student teach. Oh and I leave for Seattle tomorrow. I'm going to the CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) National Conference...basically for special educators. I'm pretty stoked to be going to a new place, learning amazing things, and hanging out with some cool kids from class.

Unforunately this summer is a joke and I really have 0 time to visit home or do anything fun, but I will try to work it out so I see the family often. It is going to be quite a shock to the system to not go home for the summer. About time I grew up I guess.

i'm like 5 years old.

Seriously, I don't understand how in 3 weeks I will be 21, in the fall I will be teaching, and in less than 4 hours I have my first interview for a teaching position. Not to mention other things that are blowing my mind and I can't believe are not far off, but really this is crazy.
I went to the Recruitment Fair on Friday and 2 districts told me they would set up interviews this week. I got a phone call this morning and my first appointment is at 2:00! My best friend in the program has an interview at the same school. We both want to work in the same setting (Secondary Life Skills classroom) so it was bound to happen that we would be looking at the same jobs, but we both really want each other to do well. I am extremely nervous, but also excited. The possibility of me getting this job isn't great, but it will be a great first experience!
Also blowing my mind, Kyle is going on a mission. Apologies to my other siblings, but I will probably miss him more than when you were out/away. I am so glad we took our trip to South America this summer to spend some quality time together and make some more memories. Kyle really is a great brother even if he drives me crazy sometimes--I just worry too much, but he has shown me that everyone figures things out in their own time and they are better for it. He is such a smart kid and I have confidence in his abilities as a missionary. I don't know if Peru is ready for him, but he will be ready for Peru. Don't ride any buses and don't drink the water. Love you.



PERU!

Life is grand.

No way.

I get to see him next week! 7 days!

What you know about me, what you, what you know about me...

Yes, that was a shout out to Christian.




Besides the occasional frustration, life is basically great. I work with an amazing kid and volunteer with lots more amazing kids. They make me laugh and I am consistently amazed by their capabilities. I wish you could all meet them. When I have a class of my own, please come visit. Never a dull moment.
The Best Buddies Ball was great. Our chapter had the biggest turnout even though we had to travel almost an hour to get there! I was very proud of everyone for making the effort.
Things at school have been picking up speed as expected. I have lots of things due next week that will all have to be crammed into this week/weekend because I leave next Tuesday to go home! Home in 8 days...see Zach in 9 days. As long as I can focus, I can handle everything that I need to do before then.
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I feel like I can get on a soapbox for a moment...Friday was a great day! I started it off by going to the temple and then the gym, all before 9:00. I then headed to Orem High and then Timpanogos High to volunteer in the classes there. I went to work after that and had a mostly good day with C...an 8 minute tantrum in which I was hit in the head, but he also sat in my lap to read a book and was way sweet. After that, I went to the mall to return some jeans...this is where it gets ugly...and I was waiting in line behind these nice girls. They were taking forever and I was trying to be patient, but then she wanted this sweater put on one card and the rest on another card. Not on my time. Anyway, she then swiped the wrong card for the sweater and said, "I am so special ed. I must have gotten off the short bus." I was enraged. What do you say in public to someone that is so ignorant? Nothing, because I couldn't say anything nice and there were lots of people around. Next time, I better have something amazing planned to say. I just wish there wouldn't be a next time.
The day ended okay though because Amy and I made dinner (it turned out gross, but it was fun) and Joe came over. And we watched Orange County. Can't go wrong there.

Sick Nasty Winter

Okay, it isn't that bad. I'll admit the snow is even pretty, but it is killing me. I got back late Sunday night and since I got to work yesterday it HAS NOT STOPPED SNOWING!! I swear there was 5 feet just yesterday, but I was informed by Utah natives that it wasn't so. At least a foot though. I had to drive to Orem for work this morning and it was BAD. I went out to brush off the snow and I was in snow halfway up my calves. It took forever, but at least there was no ice to scrape. I started to back out and my wheels kept spinning. I was praying because I really had to get to work and I was finally able to get out. I kept having to go forward and turn my wheels to find new ground so they would stop spinning in the holes. I definitely would not have thought of that on my own. Me driving in snow=bad news.
Anyway, I am back in school. It was super exciting to go to my program classes last night and see all my friends! Tati was there and she even went to the bookstore after class with me so we could keep catching up. Classes might be crazier than last semester, but they should be interesting and extremely exciting. Only about 8 months until I have a class of my own!
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Funny story from work this morning:
**Not my gerontology secretary job--I have another job working with a 4 year old boy with autism doing ABA therapy. I do that 3 times a week and work on campus 4 days. More hours altogether, but it is worth it because I love my new job. I would do just that one, but I can't because I need more hours than that one has.**
Conversation this morning:
S: C, my brother's wife had a baby this morning! Remember I told you before Christmas that my sister had a baby?
C: Yeah. That means there are 2.
S: 10 altogether.
C: Do you have a baby in your tummy?
S: Nope.
C: Just food?
S: Yeah, just food.
C: Did you eat cheese pizza?
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Past funny stories I need to catch up with....
I'm sure you remember Oscar from the class I volunteer in. I went on a field trip with the class before Christmas. It was Christmas Around the World with the BYU Folk Dancers. I was put in charge of Oscar.
*In the bus he asked me what I wanted Santa to bring me for Christmas. I said I would like a camera since mine was broken. He replied, "No, no, no. You go online to the website and click and then you get 3 days and 4 nights."
*I told him I was from California and I would be going there for Christmas. He said, "California. Cops. Dangerous, sticky cops." Not really sure what that meant, but I was cracking up.