New Phone. Samsung Galaxy S3

Expect pictures from Instagram.

Because I have finally joined the world of smart phones.

And let me just say-mine is the best.

Here is a screen shot that I took all by myself:

Wanna know how hard it was?

I swiped my palm over the screen.

awesome!

I could keep talking about how cool it is and how it's better than the iphone,

but I'll get a lot of enemies and a lot of bored readers.

(p.s. I was once an iphone lover)

Also, I started sanding my dresser today.

After a few hours and lots of sawdust all over my body and in my hair...I'm still not done.

When I'm finished I'll have pictures and hopefully a little tutorial! 

Dear blog,

I am sorry I have been neglecting you, and all my wonderful readers. I hope you can forgive me.

You see, life has been a little crazy and by the end of the day I just haven't had the energy or the creative capacity to blog. 

The craziness started a couple weeks ago, when I decided I needed to move out of my aunt's basement. I spent every evening look at houses to rent closer to my work, and finally found a fantastic one with awesome roommates! I moved in last Saturday.

I have no dresser (unless you count cardboard boxes turned on their side and stuffed with clothes) and so my room is a disaster. I have been spending a lot of time trying to thrift a dresser, with no luck so far. 

Work has been busy as well. I have been trying to plan the summer and let my employees know whether we will even be open. We still don't know. What a mess. I also have been dealing with some serious and very scary things with some parents, and have had to put on the hat of a case worker. Sad thing is, I have no training in that area, so I hope I, along with some colleagues, were able to point the parents in the right direction. 

This week, though, I pulled some strings (ok I just make on phone call) and got the Living Planet Aquarium to bring animals into my class! The kids loved it!

Then yesterday.

Remember, blog, how a few weeks ago my dear grandma passed away? Well, her and my grandpa had been living with my grandma's daughter, my step-aunt. So when she left us, my mom and her siblings decided to move my grandpa to California to his son's house. My parents were flying into town yesterday to pick him up and bring him to California. Well, grandpa got really sick. So my parents stayed and I spend much of the day yesterday (the time I had planned looking for a dresser) to help take care of my sweet grandpa. 

So blog, I again apologize for not spending more time with you, but after all, you are simply a program. I needed to change some things in my life, and I needed to put a lot of focus into some people that really need me. I won't promise to "write so much more" because I do not know what life will bring the next few weeks, but I will make an effort.

Love,

Katie

Learning How to Run...

I'm ready to go!

What I've Been Up To

1. This lovely girl's wedding, wedding dinner, and reception.
2. A quick visit from my Mom.
3. Hanging out with some cousins, aunts, and uncles I haven't seen in a while.
4. Employee giving her two weeks notice.
5. Me frantically going through resumes.
6. Interviews.
7. Not finding the right person.
8. More resumes.
9. More interviews.
10. Oh yeah, and trying to teach and run my classroom on top of all that.
11. Joined a Yoga class (yes, I upgraded from my YouTube videos...)
12. Country Swing Dancing here with some friends. I'd never been before and it was super fun!
13. Two of the above friends getting engaged that night. Congrats A+J! :)
14. Hanging out with my aunt. How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days + Chiptole. LOVE.
15. My cousin's son's soccer game (since when were 7-year-olds better than me at sports?! Oh wait...always...)
16. A missionary farewell party. (See what a "Mormon mission" is here.)
17. Much needed spiritual enlightenment at church after a very busy week. :)

Sheesh...that was a lot of stuff! I need to blog more...

And a few pictures for your visual pleasure:

best friends waiting for the bride

bride and groom! married for eternity!

the Blue Lemon with some family

Ryder waiting to be subbed back on to the field

i need a hurrr cut

It has been way too long. Like, embarassingly too long. I don't want to talk about it.

But I DO need my hairs cut!

This is what I look like:

Umm......EW.














I have tried growing out my bangs but I'm afraid my forehead is too big and rectangle.

So maybe bangs again?

One time I also put random blond streaks in my hair (no not highlights), so I'm thinking that might be done again.

The other question is...HOW short?

I'm always afraid to go too short. I love my long hair. Like. Seriously love. But at the same time I really like change...Oh the dilemmas of being a girl!

What do you like to do when you want a change for your hair?

New Beginnings

I am officially a college graduate.

You can send your congratulation cards and checks to my home address.
[Just kidding!]

Everyone keeps asking me "what are you going to do now?" I always thought I'd have an easy answer.
Turns out...I don't.  
It's a strange feeling, not knowing. Where I really want to be is in a classroom, molding the young minds of our future.

The problem is, I graduated mid-school year. Definitely not peak time for hiring teachers.

So I just keep putting in resume after resume, filling out application after application, hoping it will eventually pay off.

If you are wondering, though, in the meantime I will most likely substitute teach (so if you are or know anyone that teaches in Utah, call me to sub!).
And I also just got a part-time tutoring job.

While I may not have my dream job yet,
I think things are going pretty well. 

P.S. Also if you are wondering "ummmm, why doesn't she have any pictures of herself graduating?" Wonder no more! BYU doesn't do ceremonies in December, so I will walk in April! Expect pictures then! But until then, just pretend this is me:

You're never too old for Hogwarts.

images via BYU photos and weheartit.com 

four weeks.

Thats it.

Until freedom. 

Until [maybe real] adulthood.

Until I stop jumping through hoops. 

Until the unknown.

Until the security I have now, is gone.

Until I start a new adventure. 

Until....I graduate.

MIA.

Yes.

I have been MIA from this blog for quite a while.

My life is busier than its ever been.

I leave at 7 am. and get home at 9:30 pm, just in time to go to bed.

Why? I am student teaching and have a part-time job.

I love it, though! Yeah, I wish I had a little bit more free time, but my fourth graders make it totally worth it! :)

So friends and family, I will try to blog every once in a while [WHOA! a car crash just happened right outside my window! yikes!] but I can't promise anything. There are other things in my life that are more important, and other people who need more attention than my blog.

I will eventually come back to being a full-time blogger! But for now, I need to focus on my life!

I will leave you with this adorable puppy I will hopefully one day have:

image via weheartit

so much stuff, so little time

Sorry that I have been slacking on my blog! 

Working two jobs [9 am - 9:30 pm] and trying to have a social life doesn't really allowing blogging.

But here I am! 

With some time to breathe and catch-up. 

I love Sundays. :)

So my trip to Atlanta ended well.

I spent time with my family, and my puppy.

And I went boating. Man I miss being out on the water!

Sadly, all the pictures were on my little brother's camera, and he is inaccessible  right now [more later].

[me and Luke Skywalker]

After ATL I came back to my life. My job. Er..jobs. My roommates (yay!). 

I taught preschool again this past week.

We learned about the weather. 

Check out how cute my classroom was:

The kids cut out (or ripped) the clouds and painted the sun. 

This next week I am moving up, though, and away from my adorable and crazy 3- and 4-year olds.

This is sad in some ways, but also a blessing.

I was getting really stressed with trying manage THIRTEEN 3- and 4-year-olds.

So starting Tuesday I will be in charge of the Elementary Kids.

The plus: Field trips Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

LOVE.

And guess what?!

My little brother entered the Missionary Training Center on Wednesday!!

He is going to serve a prostlying mission (aka going to teach people about Christ and our purpose here on Earth) in Carlsbad, California. 

He stays in the MTC for two weeks and then heads out.

So this is why I can't get his memory card! :)

[He's a good lookin' guy, huh? Sorry, ladies, he is off limits for two years!]

Also,

look what I did last night:

Glass etching!

It was my first time, so don't judge too harshly.

I loved it, though, so I just might have to do it again!

I hope you all have a great week! 

And let's be real, I probably won't post again till the weekend.

Have a great Memorial Day!

Preschool and Spring Cleaning

First of all, the reason I haven't been blogging is because being a preschool teacher is hard and time-consuming.

I could go into the details, but I'll spare you. 

Just know I get headaches almost everyday.

I am stressed because I don't know what to teach.

And I'm worried that I'm not good enough.

That being said, I somehow still love it. 

I get to spend all day with adorable 3- and 4-year-olds [and sometimes a couple 2-year-olds].

The hugs and "I love you Miss Katie" never gets old.

Right now on top of teaching preschool I am also working my old part-time job.

The joys of a teacher salary.

Other than my new crazy job, I've been doing....hmmmm. 

I need to find some time do something.

Last week, BEFORE my job, though, I did spring cleaning!

I have THREE full garbage bags of clothes to take to D.I. [local thrift store].

Yay for clean rooms!

[yes, I have children's books on my shelf. what can I say? I'm a teacher.]

In other news...

I go to D.C and Atlanta in less than one week!

*I will try to be better at blogging this next week, but no guarantees with 50+ hours of work.*

Graduation, Easter, New Job

HOLY CANOLI! Sorry everyone I've been sort of MIA. I've been really busy and so I have chosen to spend my time with my family and friends instead of blogging. But here is what I've been up to!

Graduation

1. My boys: Logan, C-nug- and T-O-Double-D.   2. My bff and roommate, Jen and me.

3. Momma, little bro Ben, Big Bro Todd, me.    4. Everyone and families for a graduation feast at 5 Guys!

Easter

1. Cousin’s kids Easter Egg hunt.    2. Parker-This is the best picture I could get of this crazy kid.

3. Ryder constructing his masterpiece: Bunny Foo-Foo Cake.    4. The boys and their cakes.

5. Parker was completely obvious that a dollar bill was stuck to his foot.    6. Confetti-filled eggs...all over the place.

New Job

I got a new job! [Hence the title]

I am the newest preschool teacher at Just for Kids.

I will be given free reign to construct my own curriculum.

For those of you Elementary Education majors, you know how scary of a task this is! 

Elementary has a state core curriculum. Preschool does not. 

So this will be a huge learning experience for me.

But I am super excited! Wish me luck!

new hair + new food

I got muh hairs cut!

but its sooooo short!

well, for me it is. 

and it makes me sad.

see?

I've gotten a lot of compliments on it, though,

so I must just not be used to it.

It'll grow on me I'm sure.

So what do you do when you get a new haircut?

Try new styles of course!

So I curled it.

[I also could have been avoiding homework]

I also have recently decided to eat healthy[er]. 

My whole life I've never been a fan of healthy stuff.

My mom said even as a baby I hated veggie baby foods.

But now I am beginning to like veggies and fruits!

So at the grocery store I bought:

peppers

tomatoes

carrots

lettuce

apples

Ok to you people that are actually good about eating healthy, this is nothing.

To me, this is a breakthrough!

And so far I've actually been eating it too!

Course I just bought it all yesterday.

Let's hope my health kick lasts. 

start of a new semester.

15 hours a week of work.

20 hours a week of class.

Homework. Readings. Papers. Tests. Lesson plans.

Class before the crack of dawn. Until after the sun sets.

Am I scared? Yes.

Can I do it? You bet.

BRING IT ON.

image via weheartit

home.

so glad to be home.

i came in yesterday, sadly lost two hours of the day because of the time difference. 

that's the only sad thing that's happened so far. 

played with Lukie, my puppy. he was so excited to see me! 

he may be a dog, but that much excitement just to see me does make me feel good. 

pathetic? 

naw. i love my puppy. 

had a much needed talk with my mom.

it's nice sometimes to just unload on someone you know will never judge you. 

went to church this morning and listened to beautiful christmas music. 

spent the rest of the day just being with my family.

i even got to talk with my best friend, who has been away for two years!

 he's doing so great.

 i sure missed that guy!

haven't had to do any homework, or even worry about doing homework.

bliss.

what more can i ask for?

oh hi.

Seems I’ve neglected my blog lately. So this is just a quick boring post about what’s been going on.

SCHOOL.

Yup. That’s basically it. I am taking 17 credit hours, which in the Elementary Education program actually means 21.5 hours.

The other great thing about the El Ed program? Projects. Lesson plans and projects. Aka. More Hours.

But who is complaining? Okay, maybe I am a little. Really though, I love my major. I learn so much every day, and things that are actually worthwhile. I learn about people, I learn about God’s children, and I learn how to teach God’s children so that they can reach their full potentials. Now what is more worthwhile than that? Nothing. That’s what. [sorry every single other major, i love you all, i just love mine the most :)]

If we want to add a little more complaining though, I also get to work 10 + hours a week (I pick my schedule so it varies up to 15 hours). Even there, I also get to learn about people, and give people the opportunity to give. I’ll post more on that later.

Random other things that I have been doing since being back at school:  missionary council co-chair responsibilities, wedding receptions, dance parties, ice blocking, movies, pillow fights [its ongoing, and I’m totally winning by the way], long drives [slc/midway…ok so not that long…], roommate late night chats, etc, etc. 

Now, back to my homework.