End of Summer Means Back to School

Well summer came to rapid end. We certainly didn't have a dull moment this summer. From moving into our new home in May, going to Texas in June, Yellowstone trip in July, our trip to Idaho Falls, many trips to Tremonton and Morgan, and a couple of days spent at county fairs in August I have to say that we certainly lived this summer to the fullest! I don't think a week went by that we didn't have some project or trip happening. During this crazy summer we put in engineered hardwood(pictures to come) in our kitchen and dining room and painted. We still have more painting to do, but I am all painted out at this moment in time.

This is our red wall that is now checkerboard! Jared and I got the idea from a picture we saw on the internet. I don't know if I will ever do a project like this again, but it was defiantly worth it. It only took us three hours, I was expecting us to take a lot longer to do everything. I think it helped a lot that the wall was already red and we only had to add to other colors.

Summer came to an abrupt end when school started. I officially made it through my first week of school. This was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life with many ups and downs. There were points during the day I would feel great and think I had control of my classroom, and then there were moments that I didn't think I would be able to keep going. This school year is going to be a huge learning experience. I am thankful everyday when the day is over that I don't have to redo days. It is nice know that every day is a new day and I can start fresh each day. As hard as this year is going to be I am so grateful I have this opportunity to work with these amazing kids. I really think I am going to learn more from them this year then they will learn from me. I have a great team at the middle school who have been a great support to me.

Jared also started his second to last semester of his under grad. (did I mention he is graduating in May instead of December 2011!) He is really excited about his classes. He is loving his job at the Space Weather Center on campus and is getting a lot of experience in his field.

Thanks Travis and Brittney for such a great summer! If it was watching Top Shot, getting snow cones, playing games, trip to Yellowstone, or just hanging out, you certainly made our summer that much better! (I can't wait to meet baby Chace!)

Oh yes, one last thing, tomorrow is the first Aggie football game of the season and I can not wait for the next home game that is next Saturday. With football starting it gets me that much closer to basketball! GO AGGIES!

Yellowstone

Clear back in July we took a fun little trip to Yellowstone with our friends Trav and Britt. It was nice to get a way for a few days and see the beautiful landscape of Yellowstone. I forgot how breathe taking it is there. We saw a lot of bison (people can be so stupid around those animals) and elk. We also saw a mama Grizzly with her two cubs and wolves (through a scope). We were able to stay at Canyon campground. We know the camp hosts so we were able to set up a tent in there camping spot. It was great. We didn't have to make any reservations or pay anything to stay there (even better)! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

One of the beautiful waterfalls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

One of our few pictures together taken at Mammoth.

This friendly bison decided to disrupt our bear and wolf watching. Apparently we were sitting right where his trail was. No worries we watched him walk by in the comfort of our car...unlike other people.

If you look really close you can see 3 brown spots. Those are the Mama Grizzly and her cubs...I promise those are bears!

Did I mention it was freezing! We weren't very prepared for the cold, but luckily we had jackets we could wear during the day. This is were we spent most of our second evening watching for bears and wolves. Even though we saw them at a distance, it was still really cool to be able to see them.

Texas Trip

Summer has been crazy to say the least. In June Jared and I headed to Texas with his family for a family reunion and to visit family. Our trip started out early Thursday morning when we loaded up his parent's car and started on our 24 hour voyage to the wonderful state of Texas. I wasn't really looking forward to the trip, but I really enjoyed seeing more of the country.

Jared and his brother Josh drove a majority of the trip. I drove about 2 hours when we were going through Kansas to give Jared a break. Kansas was nice and flat and there wasn't much traffic so it wasn't bad.

Nikki on one of our walks at the reunion. We stayed at a baptist retreat that had bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone. I absolutely loved it here. It was hot and humid and surprisingly I really enjoyed it. I miss it some days.

One word. Whataburger. Ever since I met the Fulgham's they have talked about how great Whataburger is, and I have to say it is quite delicious. Its just a simple hamburger joint, but that is what makes it so great! I lost count how many times we ate a Whataburger.

Passing by Dallas on our way to Waco, Texas.

Jared was a little excited to be at the Dr. Pepper factory.

I was hoping Jared wasn't getting any ideas of giving our future children Dr. Pepper to drink.

While we were in Waco we also went the the Texas Ranger Museum. There were a lot of cool guns to look.

In Kilgore, where Jared's uncle lives and we stayed after the reunion, there was an oil museum we went to. There was an oil boom that pretty much made this town. It was awesome to see all of the history of this town.
On the Wednesday we were there we went across the boarder to Shreveport, Louisiana with Jared's cousin Christopher and his family. Along the Red River there is a mall on the board walk. As Jared put it, "its the Gateway on acid."
This is summer Christopher's adorable little girl Summer. She certainly stole our hearts when we were down there.

To say the least we really enjoyed our trip to Texas and are excited to go back next summer.

My crafty side

I made this sign using fabric and double sided tape. It looks great next to our red wall :)

My hemp balls. :) All I used was Styrofoam balls, hemp cord, hot glue gun, and spray paint. I am way excited how these turned out.

Our dining room! We were trying to decide between painting this wall red or green. We went with red so we didn't have to repaint the rest of the walls. I am happy how it turned out.

Our next project will be upstairs. I want to paint our bedroom and do some sort of head board. We will probably do a green and brown theme upstairs. I will post more pictures as we finish our projects.

Busy Life!

Well our lives have been pretty busy the last month. After we found out that I had a job here in the valley. We decided to find a place that would be a little more permanent. We found a townhouse in Providence that we LOVE! It is in a nice neighborhood and fits us perfectly.

The first thing that sold us on this townhouse was the balcony. We have great neighbors and are enjoying our ward. We enjoyed our experience living with my brother, but it is so NICE to have a place of our own that we can do what we want with. Since we got our own place I have been excited to try crafty things. I have done a couple of crafts, but I can't find my camera cord at this second so once I find that I will post pictures. Another great thing about this townhouse is it is only 2 blocks away from the school I will be teaching at. My commute to work is about 1 minute....which is fabulous!

Speaking of my job, it looks like I am going to be teaching summer school. The coordinator over Secondary Ed really wants me to get in and get to know the kids and this is the perfect opportunity for me. I have been able to go into my classroom a little bit the last couple of weeks and get to know my students. It is going to be a crazy first year considering I am going to have 13 students in my classroom and that isn't counting the peer tutors that I will be in charge of also. It is overwhelming to think of what my first year is going to be like, but I know with the support of those around me it will be possible.

On May 8th I graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in Special Education with an emphasis in Severe and Early Childhood. It was such a surreal day. I can't believe I am graduated from college. It is now on to the grownup world and I will have a job in what I have been working on the past four years. My parents and some of my siblings were able to attend. Also Jared's parents and siblings were there. I am so thankful for all of their support. I am the 6th child of my parents to graduate from college. (I think that is quite the accomplishment for my parents) I am so grateful Jared was encouraging to me to finish school and be successful.

Well as you can see life has been crazy, and I don't think it will be slowing down anytime soon. May is full with activities and in June we are headed to Texas fro 10 days. I am excited to me Jared's extended family and see more of the country.

I will be sure to add more photos of our place when I can!

Angleman Syndrome

The main reason I chose to be a Special Educator is because of the experiences I had with a girl my age who has Angleman Syndrome. From the time I was in 1st grade until I graduated from high school I was able to work with this special girl. She would always brighten my day and still does when I think about her. People with Angleman Syndrome are special people. There is just something about them that makes you happy. In September I started working with a little boy who has Angleman Syndrome and he is the sweetest boy ever. I could be having the worst day and the moment I see Zachary it all goes away. I love to hear him laugh and see him smile. On May 15th Jared and I will be participating in a walk for Angelman Syndrome. I am excited to be able to give back (at least attempt) to these amazing people. For more on the walk and about Zachary go here. I know this post doesn't even come close to show how special these people are to me, but at least it is a start.

JOB!

I am going to be a teacher in the Cache School District! I am so excited! I received a phone call yesterday telling me that they wanted to offer me a job. I will either be working at a Post High setting or at Spring Creek Middle School in Providence. As I learn more I will keep you all informed.