Leap Day

I have never understood why February 29th is called leap day. Anyone care to explain it to me? Because I have never ever understood. Ever. The only significant thing I know about Leap Day is that once a girl told me her brother was born on Leap Day and so even though he was kind of 16 - he was really only four years old and only had four birthdays. As an eight year old, I thanked Heavenly Father that night for not sending me to earth on Leap Day.

Anyway. More recently when I think of Leap Day, I think of something like this:

Who knows? Maybe I will try to find a field tomorrow so I can participate in the celebration of Leap Day. I know all sorts of leaps - grand jete and side leaps, switch leaps, develop leaps and even Irish leaps. Ooh. How impressive my dance vocabulary is. HA!

Well, whatever it means:  Happy Leap Day!

my husband

 

This man is the greatest. Let me tell you why.

Saturday he came home when he knew I was sick and coddled and cared for me. He took extra care to make sure I was comfy and happy. He picked me up from work even though it made him late for something he had to do later because he wanted to take care of me. And he let me go to bed early so I could get feeling better.

Sunday he made ALL THREE MEALS. He made me breakfast {french toast, guys. yum!} and brought me lunch in bed and made us dinner. Woah. Woah. Plus he was extra helpful and did everything I asked him to - including a little back rub just for me. Sheesh louise.

The today when I came home crying, he didn't freak out. He just told me he loves me and held me extra close. He also told me dinner was great even though it was just sandwiches and soup. And he made a point to dance with me and make me feel special during our dance class tonight. And he took me to get a (free) pizza and (free) ice cream then cuddled with me on the couch while watching Harry Potter. Plus he lets me use his computer when mine is lame.
And he gives the best hugs. The absolute best. Ever.

Husband : I loverth you.

Surprise Adventure

Due to husband and I both getting increasingly busy, we have been working less hours. Not smart you say? Oh yes. This has become increasingly apparent to us. So! To save ourselves some money, we decided to embark on a Surprise Adventure.

Now, you may be tempted to say this is also not smart, but let me assure you dear reader - this was very very smart. I will tell you why. Since we are getting busier every week, we see each other less and less. This is not conducive to our happiness and so a Surprise Adventure was the perfect (did I mention it was perfect?) excuse to spend some quality time together.

Also. Because we have been working fewer hours and have fewer dollars to spend as a result, we have been worried about gas money. Fortunately for us, only 30 miles away is a lovely little place where gas is twenty cents cheaper! Did you get that? TWENTY CENTS. A gallon. True story. Plus, since we are frequently shoppers at a particular store - sometimes we get an extra 10 cents off per gallon.

SO. Driving thirty miles during our Surprise Adventure was a perfect excuse for us to get gas for THIRTY CENTS CHEAPER per gallon than if we stayed home. And we needed to get gas this weekend anyway. (and our car has been getting about 30 miles to the gallon on the highway. impossible you say? ha. tell that to our car.)

Not to mention we still have a lovely gift card from our Christmas holiday that we have not used and so we got some free lunch without having to use our precious groceries we buy from the store that helps us save money on gas so we can go on Surprise Adventures and spend quality time together to make us a happy little family here on God's lovely earth. {If anyone makes a negative comment about the possibly most awesomest run-on sentence ever created, I'll... Well, I'm not sure. So just don't it. Or else.}

Did I mention our Surprise Adventure this weekend was perfect?

Cuz man oh man. It sure was.

German Pancakes

German Pancakes

Recipe from Mom Pearson

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter or margarine

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 400. Set 9" clear colorless glass pie dish into hot oven on lowest oven shelf until very hot. Meanwhile, beat together eggs, flour, milk, and salt in small mixer bowl, blender, or food processor until smooth (about 3 min). Remove pie dish from oven: add butter and rotate pie dish until melted. Add batter immediately. Bake on lowest oven shelf from 20 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately with syrup, jam, or applesauce; OR fill with your favorite salad or creamed dish. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: For serving a large group, triple the recipe and bake in a 9X13 baking pan.

note 2: sometimes these are called volcano or puff pancakes. whatever works. just thought I'd give you the heads up.

Eat. Enjoy. Love. Eat again.

My first week in the cohort

These flowers were the ones we got at Tucano's on Valentine's Day. They are actually doing quite well in my pitcher-turned-vase. And they are great models for playing with the settings on my camera. It's been fun.

Anyway, my first week in the cohort was this week and man it was CRAZY. I loved it. It was so so great. I am in the greatest class of 1st graders and they are so much fun. I am so excited to get to know them better over the course of the semester. Seriously. It's going to be the best! I already love them. Weird, I know. But oh so true. Oh so true.

On the flip side, I am freaking out a little. I am going to start teaching lessons on Monday. I am going to take over a couple of guided reading groups and then work my way into science and math and the other big group stuff. AAAAHHHHHH! I am so nervous. I don't want to mess up. But then I deep-breathe and remember everything will be ok. And it is. For a little while - until I start freaking out again. Ha.

That's my life right now. Lovin' it.

The Weekend

 

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early (after driving to Vernal the day before) to a lovely blanket of snow on the ground. And cloud cover for all the rest of the day, with more snow, too.

 

Monday husband and I made waffles for breakfast for us and my sisters. Super delicious.

Then we played an intense game of Harry Potter: Scene It. Boys vs Girls. The boys won.

But who cares? Not me.

My birthday cake made by my mommy. As you can tell - I'm very easy to please:

Chocolate cake (from a box is fine), chocolate frosting (from the store is fine), M&Ms, and candles.

 

And husband got me some gorgeous flowers.

Pretty fantastic weekend, if you ask me. Thanks husband and family!! Love you guys.

twenty-two

Since I am at my parent's house on their computer, I have none of my pictures to post with this. That's okay. I'll catch you up on this President's Day Weekend of Our Lives (PD-WooL) later. This post is about twenty-two things I am looking forward to about being 22:

-- graduating from college!

-- going to Wicked in Salt Lake with husband at the end of the summer 

-- going to Aspen Grove at the end of June

-- doing an intership in the fall as a teacher

-- doing more Irish dancing

-- some fun road trips with husband

-- reading lots of new books (and probably some old ones, too)

-- seeing the new Hunger Games movie. yes I'm serious.

-- painting our house

-- learning more about photography

-- blogging. it's something I love lots and lots.

-- competing for the first -and last- time in Dance Sport with husband

-- buying a car (hopefully)

-- buying a bike for husband (more likely)

-- taking family names to the temple

-- actually doing a session at the Manti temple

-- trying new recipes

-- doing something big. really big. though I'm not entirely sure what yet.

-- living life to the fullest and being brave...sometimes

-- gaining a deeper knowledge of and appreciation for the Gospel

-- spending lots of quality time with husband

-- celebrating our one-year anniversary. Yay!



We are all enlisted til the conflict is o'er

Don't know this song? Listen to it here.

 

Guess what. I got my placement. I have been assigned a school to be a teacher in for the rest of the semester. Well... not a real teacher as in full-time or anything, but kind of like a glorified teacher's aide / student teacher. Basically I go in the school for seven weeks and I help out in the classroom. I will teach a few lessons and conduct a few activities, but mostly watch and learn. I am SOSOSO excited.

It is going to be tough and rough and I'll probably cry a few times lot, but that's ok! It will be wonderful.

YAY!

Now I'm going to celebrate having a long weekend and spend it relaxing and mentally preparing for the upcoming week of being in a brand-new first grade classroom. I'll be with my husband and my family - in Vernal. Woot!

What are you doing this weekend?

Seeking Advice

I need some help, guys. I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, I feel like I know what I should do but lack courage to do it. On the other hand, I am not necessarily sure my chosen course of action is the right or best one. Bah. Ok. Here it goes:

This being my last semester of classes, I am in what is called a 'cohort'. Basically it means that I am in class for half of the semester and then I go into the schools for the other half. It's really exciting and I feel like I am learning a lot and learning fast. I have six classes during the week that are specifically for my major (Science, Math, Literacy, Social Studies, Assessment, and Planning & Management). In these six classes, I have the same 19 girls. In other words, I am with the same 19 girls for 5 - 6 hours a day four days a week. Crazy, right? Yes. Very yes.

Now, here is the problem: Lately I have noticed that the girls are getting pretty negative and whiny. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I am involved in this too, so I'm not trying to dish it out on them. I'll be honest - this semester is rough. There is a lot going on and a lot of things to do - lesson plans to write, copies to make, books to read - it's ridiculous. It's very emotionally and physically draining. Especially when we aren't entirely sure how to apply what we're learning with since we don't have a classroom of children to take examples from or apply lessons to.

However. The semester progresses and I notice that the girls are becoming - for lack of a better word - "snippy" with the teachers. They verbally complain to their faces and behind their backs. When talking in a group, inevitably the topic turns to how much this teacher is unreliable or that teacher is boring and all the teachers are confusing. There is constant whispering during all of the classes and when the teacher exercises their authority and has us all change seats, there is complaining and rolling of eyes and "oh my gosh. we aren't children." 

I'm not sure what to do. I do not feel comfortable with the negativity that is happening in all of the classes all during the week. I feel distracted by all the talking. I get annoyed that the teachers are being disrespected - especially behind their backs. I want to say something, but I am much too timid. I am the type of person that sits quietly in class and takes a lot of notes, rarely answering questions or making comments. But I am SO SICK of the disrespect - to the teachers, and even to me as I can't concentrate in class any more. I try walking away or changing the subject when the gossiping starts. I don't answer questions from other students during class unless I can answer them quickly. I refrain from telling stories and being loud in the back when I have something funny to share with a girlfriend.

But I feel like I should do more.

Any advice? Should I leave it alone or make a stand? 

14 Reasons

In honor of the holiday, I thought of 14 reasons I love husband.

1 - He drives me to school everyday & scrapes the car first.

2 - He laughs with me, not at me (usually).

3 - His hand fits mine.

4 - He makes me smile all the time.

5 - He is very supportive of me and what I do - even when it's crazy.

6 - He lets me sleep on him (shoulder, knee, etc.) 

7 - I'm always thinking about him. Always.

8 - I don't mind making him pb&j sandwiches.

9 - He is a good kisser.

10 - He dances with me and he's good at it.

11 - He always looks good and makes me feel like I look good, too.

12 - He loves the meals I make for him, and forgives me when they're not-so good.

13 - He makes me excited to come home at the end of the day.

14 - He loves me back.

Valentine's Lunch

I know most couples go out to dinner for Valentine's Day or make a super fancy dinner and stay at home. Well, husband and I aren't most couples. We also happen to be completely booked for the Lover's Holiday with people other than our Lover. Sad, right? So we had the genious idea to celebrate a day early. Now we have two days of celebrating our lovely loves. Happiness. I know.

Since we wouldn't be having a dinner together, and since this was also the best day for our weekly date, we decided to splurge a little and go to Tucanos.
 

lemon in my water. and all decorated for Valentine's Day. awesome.

 

my meat-eating husband. love.

green means 'go! bring us meat! we is hungry!' vs red means 'slow down, cowboy'

mostly we had it on green.

after thoroughly enjoying our meal

the 'Valentine's Special' included a rose for each person and a brazilian truffle (pictured below).

our lovely table of love. did I mention it was an extra $4 a person? not optional. and not cool.

so... don't go on Valentine's Day unless you want to pay $8 extra (for two people).

thank you miss waitress for taking our picture!

me. flowers. short hair. fountain w/ fire on top.

thank you husband for getting this one of me.

sad thing - I don't even really like truffles. oh well.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Book Review: OLIVIA

Very first, before reading any further, check out this link. It explains how the series works. Don't worry. I can wait.

http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-does-series-work-anyway.html

Ok. Clear as mud? Great. Glad you're back. Onto the review:

I would call myself an avid reader. That being said, reading a book about a Book Club seemed very exciting. I was all set to learn about books from other women's perspectives and learn about some good reads that I could look up. But oh how wrong I was.

This book, though part of the Newport Ladies Book Club series, is not primarily about the book club. This book is about Olivia, a 40-something woman who believes that if she is the perfect wife and mother, everything in life will get better. However, when her husband misses their anniversary dinner and begins to distance himself from her and their children, she begins to realize that not everything will be fixed with timely meals and a spotless house.

Deciding she needs to begin taking action for herself and remember who she is as an individual, Olivia decides to join a book club and begins to meet women who influence her life in countless ways as she searches for faith, hope, and healing.

This book was very honest and reflected on a real life of a woman with challenges. However, Olivia's determination and 'Pollyanna attitude' pulled me in so strongly that I finished the book in one sitting. OLIVIA is rich with emotion and feeling as well as being a motivation to look for the happy things in life no matter how hard.

Disclaimer (from Heather Moore):
The Newport Ladies Book Club series is NOT an LDS series. One of the women in the book club, Paige, is LDS. But this series is women’s fiction written for the national market. As a quick genre definition, women’s fiction is written for a female audience, about a female character and follows part of her life’s journey. They do not necessarily have romances in them—and if there is a romance, it doesn’t always have a happy ending. So if you are looking at this as a romance series, this is not the series to read.  With that said, ATHENA does have a good-ending romance in it. But I can guarantee that all the books are emotionally satisfying.

And, for your enjoyment, here is the link to the Newport blog:
http://thenewportladiesbookclub.blogspot.com


To purchase OLIVIA on Amazon, click here. Or to purchase the Kindle eBook on Amazon, click here.

You can also purchase OLIVIA at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, or Barnes and Noble.

Reminiscing about school

One of the lists of ten I did awhile back was about my ten favorite classes I've ever taken (high school and up at least). It was a lot of fun and I've thought about it a lot this week after husband and I watched 'Into The Woods' and was reminded of my theatre class in high school where we studied that musical. Seriously. One of my favorite classes ever. Anyway, I thought I would revisit this list because it makes me happy. That's all. :)

TEN FAVORITE CLASSES

Courtship & Marriage - Snow College

Not as scary or as bad as it sounds. In fact, the professor gave some 

very thought-provoking statistics, and lots of incredible advice. It was definitely a 

"life-changing" class that I make reference to all the time. I loved it!

Directing - Snow College

What an experience! Lots of hard work and projects, but it was so rewarding. 

There were about ten of us in the class and we all got really close. It was a great group 

and we were great friends. Plus, we got to boss other people around. ;)

Acting III - Uintah High School

This was an incredible class. We studied 'Into the Woods' more in depth than I've studied

probably anything. I was so surprised, but it was incredible. We learned about life and 

different situations and experiences and why we do things the way we do.

All from a musical. Who would have thought?

AP English - Uintah High School

Best. Class. Ever! Seriously - every person in my high school wants to take this class.

It is fun learning. What?! But it is. The teacher is awesome and hilarious and teaches 

effectively. What a bonus. We learned about literature - and ourselves.

Foundations of DAP Practicum - BYU

I'm kind of sad this is my only BYU class on here, but it's really the one that has made the biggest

difference to me. The others have been ok, but not my favorite. So it goes. For this class, I 

worked in a preschool classroom for four hours three times a week. Stinking hard, but more 

rewarding than anything I've ever done. 

Ballet I - Snow College

I took it twice. Nothing more can be said.

Acting I - Snow College

The foundation of all my theatre classes while at Snow. I loved it. It was a great group of people

and an awesome instructor. I learned more about theatre in that class than any other.

Modern Dance - Uintah High School

My only PE class in high school. Lucky me, right? I loved it. And I was buff after.

Seriously.

Jazz/Modern/Ballroom - Snow College

They are grouped together because I couldn't pick but I loved them all. And all for different reasons.

Mostly because I got lots of exercising and stretching in. Man that was great.

Cadence/Highlites Show Choirs - Snow College/Uintah High School

These are grouped together because, though VASTLY different in style and performance ability,

they are one and the same in purpose. I love singing and dancing and learning about 

other people and why they love music. These classes brought me to a deeper understanding

of how and why music speaks to each of us. And that was more powerful than 

any time I was "just having fun".

Irish Dance - BYU (added right now before I post this)
This class was not part of the original list but that was because I had not yet
experienced its awesomeness. Man. If I would have taken Irish dancing classes when I was younger
it would have changed the direction of my entire life. I'm not even kidding.
This is something I love so incredibly despite only having been doing it
for about 5 weeks. LOVE.

Poor dinners & Book review

I don't know what happened this week, but here at the Jackson's (woah...still kinda weird to say that...but awesome too) we have not been eating the greatest. Last week I was superb at making meals that were well-balanced and delicious. This week, my greatest has been either Hamburger Helper or husband's tuna fish sandwiches. Oh well. There's always next week to make it up to him.

Wednesday, I received a book in the mail. I am one of the lucky people that get to review this book and I am SOSO excited to tell you guys what I thought. (I'll give you a clue - I read it straight through front to back in one evening.) That will come on Monday, but if you want to learn about the book, you can simply click here and it will take you to a website all about the book and the others that will follow soon. I'm so excited!

Hair cut

Believe it or not, I have never been to a hair salon in my life. My mom has always cut my hair for me and I have always loved it. However, when we got a Starving Student Card from husband's brother that had a free haircut on it, I decided to take advantage of it. I was ridiculously nervous and almost talked myself out of going a couple times, but walked in and sat down and had a great experience. It felt so so so so good to get a little bit pampered and I think it turned out great. I haven't had my hair this short since I was about 16. It feels awesome. For real.

 

But to be honest, I'm mostly excited to have it all grow back. True story.

Weekend from the Family View

In the midst of celebrating our 6-month anniversary and going to watch my sister compete at Drill State, husband and I got to spend a lot of time with my family. And let me tell you - that is always a good time. Here is a break down of the day from the family viewpoint.

Watched sister kick butt in Military:

Got some tasty grub (thanks grandma!):

 

  

Watched sister perform in Dance:

Made faces with husband during the long break:

 

Watched sister compete in Character and the super-intense drill down:

Screamed like crazy when they were declared the overall winners and ran out on the floor to celebrate:

 

P.S. this may or may not be my new favorite picture of all of us - even if my sister is looking the wrong way.