Sweet Surprise

Last night Semaj and I had a wonderful visit to the Prov Tem. When we left and got to the car, Semaj noticed a piece of paper on our wind shield. It was little blue paper with two red starlite mints taped to it. The note said:

It "MINT" a lot to our
Heavenly Father for you to
serve in the Temple today.

Mosiah 2:17
"...When you are in the
service of your fellow beings,
ye are only in the service of
your God."

Love,
The SF 8th Ward
Young Women

I just thought that was cute and sweet and needed to be shared. Remember how much our Father loves us and wants us to go and visit Him in His House.

I Love You Guys!

Mad Parents

So right now (10/6) I am at SEPs (parent teacher conferences), and haven’t had a parent/student come and visit with me for the past 12minutes, so I thought I’d write a blog.
About a month ago now, I started a class to receive a mathematics masters equivalency (paid for by the district!). I will be taking classes once a week for the next two semesters and for a week in June, and then do the same thing next year too. I have been really excited about it, since it is one of the subjects that I have considered getting a masters in, if I ever went back to school. One of my big deterrents has been doing college level homework again. I have always struggled with being able to read an entire reading assignment (and actually having a decently detailed understanding of it) within the allotted time, and I am also a rather slow writer (b/c I think too much before I write down almost each sentence). Anyways, I decided that I’d have to suck it up, and just do it since I want to have more education. So at the beginning of Sept I started my class and I’m really enjoying it, despite the homework. It was a bit to juggle at first, but I feel like I can handle it now.
Another stress relieving blessing I received around the same time as my job relief, was that the PTA president offered to take care of the school tshirts this year. For the past few years, the student council has been in charge of them, which really means that the advisor (me) does all the work. So I was very willing to turn it over to someone else.
I am not actually at SEPs still, that was now a few days ago. I was quite distracted from writing b/c of a couple of meetings with 2 of my students and their mothers. One of the mothers I was a little worried about even before our conference b/c of the way she was not happy with me on the phone a couple weeks back. I had called b/c her daughter had enough unexcused absences that I needed to get excuses for them. She became offended that I was asking for ligitimate excuses, and that in the future she send a note to excuse an absence. So I was a little worried since she became so annoyed and mad at me for asking about absences. And my fears were confirmed, and then some. She proceeded to tell me that her daughter has never received such bad grades (1 C and the rest As and Bs) from any other teacher (therefore it is my fault), and that her daughter shouldn’t be feeling bad about receiving a poor grade (which again was my fault, since I have control over her daughter’s feelings). I was also accused of always being mad at the class (I privately talked with this student for goofing off while I had left the room b/c she is on student council and I expect student council members to be the best examples to others and that she wasn’t setting a good example) and of picking on her daughter( I had her wash the desks b/c she was writing on hers and it wasn’t the first time she had). She then told me what teachers should do and how they should teach b/c I wasn’t doing it right, and that that was what I am being paid to do. This wonderful mother then told me that she thought I was cold and mean when she met me right before school started, b/c I didn’t introduce myself to her, and in her book that is extremely rude. I guess I should stop expecting people to know who I am when they come into my classroom(which has my name right outside the door) with the intention of visiting me and when I’m the only person in the room ( and am sitting at my desk –a teacher’s desk). And in my school, I have found it difficult to just guess at who it is that is coming in with my students, b/c it could be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, a step parent, sibling, neighbor, or another student’s parent. So I resorted to just saying hi and then giving directions to my students as each one came in for their before school testing. Plus, I was not very used to my new name, considering I only had it for about a week and a half at that time. This mother of course wanted to have her daughter switched to other teacher, but I told her that since I was just made aware of her daughter’s extreme difficultly in the classroom (due to her sensitive shyness and inability to ask for help), that we could probably work things out. After talking with this mom, I can see why this girl is timid and afraid to talk to adults. I wish I had thought of saying this at the time, but of course the best retorts always come later. “I understand a lot better now about your daughters shyness and fears.”
It really amazes me that some parents seriously believe that their kids really could never do wrong and would never lie or tell half truths to them. AND how some kids really know how to manipulate their parents and they have no idea what is really going on. This student and her best friend, who is also in my class, both had convinced their moms of their unhappiness and need to switch classes. I am sorry if I have offended any parents out there.
I was really hurt by what this mother said, but my wonderful husband reminded me that this mother apparently had it out for me from the beginning, and that the principal and everyone else knows what a good teacher I am. So I’m alright, and the girls are both making a better effort in asking questions when they don’t understand things.

I'm Alive and Kicking...Like Crazy

Though I haven't spoken in awhile, I have had a few very brief moments to check some of your blogs. It is really comforting to know that I'm not the only one feeling like it is practically impossible to keep up with all of our life responsibilities. And listing things like laundry, dishes, grading papers, etc. just doesn't feel like it truly expresses the weight of the load.
One of my biggest stresses of the past month has been relieved. This school year, my schools population is really low. The largest class sizes in the school are only 22. I presently have 16 students. I just received #16 today; for the past two weeks I've had 15. Before that I had 17. So within the first 6wk of school of this year my class size has fluxuated more that any other year. (Yeah, I know, I really don't have that many years of teaching under my belt) The big stresser has been, that our overall student numbers are too low for our teacher numbers. A few weeks ago, my principal was telling a few of us that the district didn't over look our numbers and that something had to be done. (The district said that we had one too many teachers.) He said that they din't like any of the options but thought that we would be ok for this year, but next year, we would most likely have to go to only 2 teachers per grade level. (Right now we are at 3/grade) I thought, "woah, this is a little scary. For next year I'll be ok b/c one of the other 6th grade teachers is retiring after this year. So that automatically takes us down to 2, and I don't think that others with more years at my school are interested in 6th. (Not many teachers are) But for this year, I was getting worried. I'm not at the very bottom of the totem pole so I wouldn't be the one to go, meaning put in another available position somewhere else in the district. But with a grand total of about 50 6th graders, I was concerned that if we did have to get rid of a teacher, it would be 6th grade that they would turn into 2 classes and I'd have to take the opened position in the school. This conversation with my principal was right before my numbers fell from 17 to 15. So when my numbers dropped, I was getting really scared, thinking, "Was that it? Was that the final straw? Do we have to loose someone? Will I have to switch grades and leave my beloved 6th grade?" Then one day, after practically crying myself to sleep because of the stress, (and reassuring Semaj that I was not mad at him and that it was stress) I was talking to our assistant principal about other stuff, but then it turned into my worries about leaving 6th grade. She reassured me that I would be ok, b/c we’d have to loose like a class size (22) number of students, before anything would happen. She couldn’t say it with 100% accuracy, but really sure. It was enough for me. That load was lifted, and I was no longer worried about leaving 6th grade, which I love so much! That day I received another load lifting blessing. Our PTA president, who also works for our school and has in the past been an aide in my class – is a friend of mine, asked about if the student council was still going to give free tshirts to those on the council. I told her that I was sure since we decided to have a much larger council this year. She that proceeded to explain why she was asking, which to sum up was about if student council wanted the PTA to be in charge of the school tshirts this year. I told her considering the fact that the council doesn’t really do too much with the shirts, and that I am the one who does all the hard stuff, I would not mind at all if PTA took care of it. I was so excited to get that off of my plate, since it was on the side and starting to push very strongly to be in the center and to be taken care of in the correct and best time frame. I was very excited to go home and tell Semaj that we had received some blessings because our Heavenly Father cares about us and will help us carry our loads.
So since I was not squashed and flattened, I am alive, but still kicking hard to feel like I’m mostly staying afloat. Now since I’ve taken way to much time in writing this blog, I have to run away NOW to go show the mobile home (Semaj’s old house) to a potential buyer.

Sister Daisy

(THIS WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN ON JULY 19, 2006, BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO POST UNTIL NOW. )

I really don't know where to start She is very friendly and loving to everyone around her. She is always trying to become a better person. Daisy is completely dedicated to doing what is right and keeping the commandments. She inspires me to do more.
I'm so happy for the chance to have lived with Daisy before her mission. Like Javich, she is a good cook. For Valentine's Day, she made a wonderful meal of chicken and potatoes in the crock pot. (It was a very hectic day and the 3 little kids didn't get to eat together.) Daisy would always remind Javich and I to eat plenty of veggies.
Of course it was great sharing a room with her, and ending up having girl talk many nights until very late. The funny thing is it usually occured on Sunday nights. So without realizing it, we participated in Sunday Night Denials (established by Peanut Boss & Co.) Daisy always knew what I needed to hear.
Daisy has such amazing strength, spiritually and physically. Even though she has a little body, she has a monsterous spirit. She knows the truth of the gospel, and there's no question about it.
Some of my favorite memories with Daisy are, compiling music for Valentine CDs, going on walks, wrestling, and talking about our personal improvement.
Even though Daisy doesn't look very old, she is a grown up, and a very good one too. So now she is going off to Ecuador to share her talents with our brothers and sisters, and MAN, is she going to do a great job! I love you Daisy! Good Luck!


P.S. I tried to post some pictures too, but it was taking too long. Sorry!

Have you Written a Missionary Lately?

I got a personal letter from E. Javich today. He is doing great, but has only recieved my wedding invitation. He realized though that he didn't really give out his address very much before going in the MTC. But it is really more my fault because I have had his MTC address ever since he went in, and never gave it to anybody. So here is the remedy!!

MTC Mailbox #227
AZ-TEM 0801
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

After Aug 1st, 2006 you can send him mail at the following:

Arizona Tempe Mission
1871 E Del Rio Dr
Tempe, AZ 85282

To write Hermana Daisy :
MTC Mailbox #344
ECU-QUI 0925
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

Happy Letter Writing!!

Elder Javich

It is very hard for me to think about how much I love and appreciate my brother without coming to tears. And I don't believe that I can truely express that love and appreciation in words, but I will try.

Of course since he is just younger than me, we fought a lot growing up. There were times that I would make him so mad that I could tell in his face that he wanted to beat me up. But I could also see in his face his struggle not to because he knew he shouldn't, so he didn't. I admire the strength and restraint he had and still has to resist temptation.

I would say that Javich and I really became friends after I left for college. And I am very grateful to have him as my friend. He may recall times when he would tease me by saying that he was going to get a job at Dairy Queen with me, which I did not like the idea of. But when he came out to Utah, I was happy to help him get a job at the Creamery, and proud to be his sister then and now. Javich is a very dedicated and hard worker, and like me, would get very annoyed at other employees who wouldn't take their job seriously and actually WORK! We always had plenty of conversations about stupid employees especially those at the CONE (Creamery On Nineth East). That is a main reason that we don't like the CONE and why we never go there! I hope you all know that the REAL Creamery is the original one by DT, and that that is the only place to go.

Over the past few years I have really enjoyed having conversations with Javich and hearing his opinions on things, especially on subjects that I haven't been able to really get myself into. He is really, REALLY smart, and isn't afraid to share what he know and how he feels.

Another thing about Javich that I like is his love for learning. If you didn’t know, he taught himself to play the piano, and he is good. Ever since he did, he and I have made a habit to play and sing together whenever we get the chance. And boy do I really miss that time with him. You could ask him about almost any insect, and he would excitedly tell you about it.

Over the past year I have enjoyed sharing my home with him. First off, he is a very good cook, and enjoys making new things that he saw on the Food Network. Many times we said our family prayers by Javich’s initiation. I loved seeing Javich studying his scriptures and using Preach My Gospel. He did a excellent job fulfilling his calling even though I was his boss and gave him his assignments. He is a good team player when playing sports, even though he has a lot of skills that he could show off more. Even though he is my younger brother, he is still very protective of me, and Daisy. And I’d love it when he would be the first to say, I love you, which he did may times.

As you can see in the picture Javich is holding his eyes open. It was about the 3rd time Semaj tried to take our picture, but Javich kept closing his eyes. Isn't he a great problem solver!?! This picture was taken in Cedar right before Javich and Daisy left me. We had a lot of fun down there with our friends. One of my favorite memories with Javich is our summer drive last year. Javich and I both love to drive and actually be the driver. But last summer I gave up driving to read aloud Harry Potter while Javich drove. It was so fun! It was nice to have so much alone time with my little brother.

I’m going to missing my big little brother very much, but I know that Javich is going to be an amazing missionary, and that this is the right time and place that the Lord has been reserving him for. Good Luck, I love you Javich!

Set Plans

As I have told you guys, we can't make an appointment with the temple until the paperwork is through, but I have been reassured many times to not worry. The appt. lady said that they have never been unable to get a couple into the temple on the day that they wanted (when they are waiting for papers). And our bishop has done this paperwork stuff many times and isn't worried either. So I'm trying to not worry too. I decided that I didn't like the idea of spreading things over two days, so it will all be on the 11th of Aug. It may begin really early with a 6:20am sealing, or be at a later time in a room that will only hold 20 people. But either way, it is going to happen on the 11th. So don't hesitate about getting your plane tickets any longer. Sorry to have spread my worry to you, the spell is now lifted (off of you)! Thanks for all wanting to be here even when it isn't convenient.

Disney Date Pictures

Even though I haven't collected our invitations to share with you, I thought I better get these pictures up before I with other things.

Car, House,... Husband?...YES!

In case you read Daisy's and Javich's blogs with your eyes closed...I'M GETTING MARRIED! First I want to mention that the Sept date isn't going to work because that is when the sheep have to be moved off the mountain in Cedar. So the new date is Aug 12th with the reception the day before.
Two summers ago, after my first full year of teaching, I bought a car since I was receiving biggest paychecks of my life. Plus since I was graduated from college and had a good stable job, I figured that I didn't need to use mom and dad's car anymore.
The next summer (last summer), feeling more accomplished with a second completed school year under my belt, I felt the need to obtain and purchase my own home. Which I did. And it has been really fun having it and sharing it with Javich and Daisy.
At the end of last summer after getting my house, I thought to myself, "I'm doing good! I've got a car and a house! What should I do next summer? Well, getting a husband would be a very good next step, but HA! what are the chances of THAT happening!?!" Lo and behold, it happened, I caught one! And the best one too!

Considering how close our family is, it has always been important to me that my siblings and whomever I marry get along. So I was very happy that Javich and Daisy could be and were good friends with Semaj when we started dating. Semaj will fit perfectly into the family since he is also a member of the "absolutely amazing people who don't realize that are amazing" club along with the rest of you!
Oh, and if you haven't heard, my favorite part of the proposal was when he teased me. He was putting the ring on my finger, but paused right when he had it over the tip of my finger. He then asked, "Are you sure about this? How much do you really want this?" I felt that a physical response would be better than a verbal one, so I quickly shoved my finger the rest of the way through the ring. So there it is!
I hope that you all can make it, but I also understand if you can't since it is only 7.5weeks away!

P.S. Semaj does not still have a goatee.

Who is the Silliest Kid (part1 and 2)?

By request of Boss (see comments to the Dr), let us determine who is the Silliest kid?
June 6th (part2)
Now this question is a lot harder than our first thoughts may have led us to believe. Now with mom and dad, we were looking at them both in the same stage of life and same role. Thus creating a good comparison. But with us kids, we are all different ages, in different stages, and in different roles. Thus creating a very difficult comparison. Plus, we must fact in our closness level with each sibling, or in other words how much time we have had with each sibling (especially at our silliest times - usually when there are at least 3 of us). Ooo! I just thought of another factor. Comfortability/openess with our silliness. Maybe this only applies to some, or purhaps you may think it counts against some. Very difficult!
I wanted to add in a couple of incriminating photos of some silly siblings, but since I am out of state and the pictures are on my laptop, that will have to wait. (p.s.- the Disney date pictures and invitations are still coming!) Anyways, just wanted to go ahead and hear others opinions, and yes, cousins can contribute. Even if we don't come down to one silliest (cause we ALL are pretty silly), we can at least be reminded (or told in the first place - Daisy's story about Dad/Razor) of some pretty silly stories!

Noises in the Night

This past Sunday night was my 2nd night back in my empty house after visiting NC. It is still a little weird (and sad) to be all alone in my house when going to bed. I went to sleep at about midnight, but then was startled awake at 2:40am by a very loud crash! My first thoughts while being ripped from my peaceful sleep was that my ceiling fan (which was on) was hitting something or breaking apart and going to fall down and seriously kill or injure me. But after a few seconds past, I knew that that exact cause of the noise was incorrect b/c I was still alive and unhurt. I reached over to my remote control and turned the light on and the fan off. After my eyes adjusted, I scanned the room to see what happened, but not a single thing was out of place. I then began wondering if I had imagined the sound. Was it a part of my dream? Did my mind just exaggerate some noise like the sprinklers going off outside? And of course the typical thoughts one thinks of when they are all by themselves, is someone in my house or trying to break in?!? I turned my light back off and laid there carefully listening for any other strange noises. I didn't hear anything besides the sprinklers outside. But that didn't keep me from freaking out, especially since I still didn't know the source of the sound or if it was even REAL! So I remained in bed, absolutely still and alert, for 30 min. During this time, I considered calling a friend and asking them if they would come over. But I felt bad about waking them up in the middle of the night, AND that it also meant that I would have to GET OUT OF BED and let them in my house! I wasn't quite ready to move yet. I also thought about calling one of you out East where it was closer to waking up time, but then thought, well what good would that do besides just waking you up and letting you know that I was freaked out. (Unless any of you DO have a secret super sonic jet, and would have been able to come to my house.) After that 30 minutes, I decided that I wanted to go back to sleep b/c I was tired, but I couldn't close my eyes! I was still too worried. So I got up the courage to get up and lock my bedroom and bathroom doors to help me feel more safe and secure (plus I had to go to the bathroom). I crept to my door and peeked into the hallway to just check it and John's old room out. Everything looked fine so I closed and locked my door. (Not like a little locked bedroom door would really stop someone who really wanted to GET me!) I then proceeded to the bathroom to lock the hallway bathroom door. As I slowly pushed my bathroom door open, I stopped in shock! My bathroom mirror was shattered in pieces all over the counter and floor! I was also in shock b/c during my half hour of worry, I had actually thought that maybe the giant crash was the mirror falling! I dismissed that thought quickly thinking, "well that is dumb, why would the mirror fall off the wall?" I guess all 22 spots of glue decided that they just couldn't hold on anymore.
I had mixed feelings. I was relieved to know what woke me, but then concerned about cleaning up the mess, getting a new mirror, and being able to use the bathroom right then and in the morning. I decided that I didn't want to spend another hour awake in the middle of the night to clean up the mess. So I grabbed my flipflops and carefully entered the bathroom. I still did peek in the hallway again and lock the bathroom door before I climbed back in bed to go to sleep. I was rather tired that next day at school, but thank goodness for early out Monday's!
I didn't think of taking pictures until I had picked up most of the mess, but here are the afterwards. That box is very heavy!

I thought I'd share with you one of the things that makes me really happy! My flowers infront of my house! Besides the daffodils, they all look to be varieties of tulips. Javich, Daisy, and I were all amazed when we first noticed the spiky tulips. My very favorite is the short yellow one with red strips.

Slacker #2/ Birthday Weekend

So like Daisy, I'm a slacker since I haven't posted since the beginning of the month. I was about to say that I don't have anything to write about, but then I remembered this past weekend. It was fun! We had Javich's birthday dinner with our friends at Los Hermanos Friday night which was apparently the same night the graduating class from the school of social work at BYU was having a graduation party. They did some pretty interesting things including giving out awards like "Most likely to become an Apostle". Oh, and Los Hermanos miss placed our reservation for 18 people and a highchair so they had to scramble about to put us someplace.
On Saturday, all 3 of us siblings took part in a secretive Disney Dinner Date. Daisy and I were a part of the secret (planning) combination while Javich received a mysterious invitation revealing his true identity as Woody from Toy Story! Jesse was inviting him to come to the dinner of course, but Javich didn't know who exactly Jesse was until that night! Of course it was Kelly (who is one of the girls Javich allowed to sit on his lap at a previous bonfire - and she is the one who always calls Javich "her man" - and who I over heard crying the other night about waiting 2 WHOLE YEARS for him). :)
Daisy was Belle and invited Danimite (of course) with a rose to come as Beast. I don't know if she still remembers what she said (or if Danimite still has the invitation), but it was cute and maybe we can post what it said.
I was Mrs. Incredible/Elasta Girl who asked JP to come as Mr. Incredible and to bring Log along as Jack Jack. My invitation was a voice recording like on the movie. I do have what I said written down, but not here at school. So if any of you are interested in Daisy's and my cute invitations, just let us know.
We all (of course) had some AWESOME costumes, but my camera's batteries were dead. JP had his camera but I haven't gotten the pictures from him yet. When I do, I'll post them cause they are seriously... INCREDIBLE!! (HA! HA!)

Acting

Our Shakespeare play is over! I am very relieved, but also a little sad. The kids are always cute, well at least most of them, on the stage, and they always pull everything together for the formal performances. It also helps to see others perspectives of the 6th graders as they perform. I tend to forget sometimes how young 6th graders actually are. Parents and other teachers always comment, "How did you get them to memorize all those lines?!" Or be completely amazed at what their children could do.
I have to admit that even will all the stress it gave me this year, I love directing. Know how much they will enjoy the performing, even with nervousness, all the hard work is worth it! They learn so much: about being in front of people, speaking, theatrical performances, Shakespeare, and what they themselves are actually capable of doing. Of course I would like them to do more than just stand on the stage and say their lines, but for some, that task is hard enough! My favorite part is to see those with a natural ability to act that just comes out as they are really getting into the story. They'll project their voices, use their arms and move freely on the stage.
I have to also admit that I also enjoy demonstrating how to act for them. For example, one of the scenes has 3 drunk characters laughing and singing. So I demonstrated laughing loudly and what seemed to be uncontrollably. They were quite surprised when I suddenly stopped and then proceeded to speak in my normal voice in how they could do it too.
Doing the Shakespeare play always makes me what to get into acting, b/c I really enjoy it. Last year I thought I'd try out for some of the local theaters during the summer months. But by the time summer came, I chickened out again b/c I haven't really acted very much. I was in the school play in 10th gr, was a student director in 11th, and was in the Shakespeare play in 12th, but that is all. I just don't know if I'm good enough to even tryout. Dad did comment after my Sh. play in 12th gr that I was the best actor, and that that was his unbiased opinion. I also realized yesterday, that I regularly act different ways in my different life roles. So you could say that I treat life as a big stage sometimes. But doesn't everyone do this, or am I the only one?
So what do you think? Should I take the plunge and just go tryout? If I do, and I make it, I hope there won't be conflicts with reunion and my DC trip that some friends and I are planning.

Am I Getting Old?

Most of the time I always remember what I have to do by certain times and things I need to tell people. JP even calls me (my real name here)-a-phant because he believes that I remember every little thing he tells me. But in reality I feel like I am having to write down more and more things so that I don't forget about them. So therefore, I'm getting old,...right? Or perhaps things with the play are WAY too complicated, and making me go insane. 3 more days and we are done with the play this year, 8 more days until SEPs (Student Evaluation Plans / aka: parent teacher conferences), and 9 more days until....SPRING BREAK!!!!!! Those of you who are wondering why I haven't talked to you about visiting you over my week long break, this is why. JAVICH AND DAISY ARE GOING ON THEIR MISSIONS REALLY SOON!!! So I'm sticking around and playing with them inbetween their finals (and during! HAAHAAHAA! (that's evil laughter if you couldn't tell). You know, throw spit wads at their faces while they're testing, hide tape records in their backpacks (set with timers to go off right in the middle of their tests of course) that shout out random answers, etc. ) Oh shoot! They're going to read this and know my evil plans! I'll just do different things and not tell you all about them until they are successfull! HAA! HAA! HAA!
Anyways, I'm not feeling as stressed anymore so I'm going to pack up some papers and head home and get a lot of grading done! Oh wait, I have to pay my bills online first before I leave school! You see, I almost forgot to do it! I'm getting old!!

Hi, I'm Here!

So with everyone getting a blog I decided I would too, but I've been waiting to be a little less busy. I'm really not less busy yet, I just decided that it was time. Our 6th grade Shakespeare play this year, Twelfth Night, is almost done. We are performing next Weds. and Thurs. We (the 6th grade team) made some changes this year, and I'm the only director. So it has been a pretty stressful month. I'm hoping that the others will consider changing the play back to having each class doing their own, but I think they have enjoyed not having to direct this play season. I definitely am not doing it exactly the same next year. To be truly successful you have to have a lot of in school practice, and we just haven't been able to do that this year since the crew is made up of students from all three classes.
I really don't have the time for a long post, and I don't know how often I'll be able to post. Most the time I barely have enough time to check and read all of your posts (This is why my comments are usually the last ones ever made on your posts). So I'll vent more later about the things I hate about the play this year.