home renovation

All through my days at BYU I craved a Fall Break. I think it is cruel that BYU does not give students a break in the fall, or in the spring. It's just...wrong. It became even worse after I got married. Since Chad goes to UVSC, where they believe in letting students have vacation time, he had one and I didn't. I'd have to leave for classes, while watching him still sound asleep. And NOTHING. I repeat, NOTHING, is as miserable as that. Particularly when you're a person who detests early hours, and would like nothing better than to hide under the covers from the alarm clock in the morning.

Anyway, I can put such misery behind me, because I finally have one! It's not a super long break, and most of it will probably be spent forcing myself to finish all the mounds of grading that have piled up, but STILL it is a break! I don't have to go to work, and I can stay in my pajamas all day if I want to. I can finally indulge in a session of relaxation, complete with a mug of Stephen's Mint Cocoa (quite the treat, and we now have a ginormous container of it from Sam's Club) while I force myself to read what are supposed to be coherent sentences created by my 10th and 12th graders. The mountain of book reports is slowly, but surely, depleting. I only have two and a half classes left to go! And, have only found one case of blatant plagiarism so far! It's miraculous! With a light at the end of the tunnel, I think I might actually have a few moments for fun time between now and Monday.

PLUS we are having "fake Thanksgiving" at my parents' house this weekend. And what's better than turkey, sweet potatoes, and a little stuffing on a fall day?

And, did I mention I don't have to go back to work until Monday? YEA!!!

My husband is wonderful. Would you like to know what he did for me today? Allow me to tell you. He did all of our laundry by himself. Which, in itself, is a big deal. But add to that the fact that he had to put the laundry in baskets and haul it to my sister-in-law's house since we STILL do not have a washer and dryer and it's an even BIGGER deal. How sweet is that? AND he did it by himself so I could go with my mom to see Becoming Jane and window shop in the mall. I am lucky.

So. One of the teachers in my department came up with this really cool opportunity for students. The juniors are reading Night for world literature. He decided to use his legislative money to bring in a guest speaker, who is an ACTUAL survivor of the Holocaust who lives in the area. SO AWESOME! (Think heart felt Freedom Writers moment minus the gang violence.) She was going to come and speak about her experiences, and give students the chance to ask questions, etc.

I say she WAS going to come, because she is no longer coming. Why? Well, you're probably thinking, like me, that the poor woman has a health issue. Perhaps a family emergency. I mean, she's old. Something obviously came up that is keeping her from speaking to the lovely high school students who have been looking forward to her appearance.

NOPE. None of those are it. See, the reason she's not coming, apparently, is because the district decided it's, "just not ok to use legislative money to pay for a guest speaker." Are you kidding me? Is this for real? Is there a camera near by? Where's Ashton Kutcher, because surely I'm being punked. I must be, because there's just no way that people who claim to have the best interests of students at heart would ever say something so preposterous. What's "not ok" about giving students a genuine learning experience???!??!!

So, the guest speaker is no longer coming. There are a lot of disappointed students. The funny thing is, my classes weren't even going. I don't teach juniors. This doesn't impact me in the slightest. BUT I'M STILL INFURIATED!

I love being a teacher, I really do. It's just that sometimes, things like this happen, and the bureaucracy just eats me inside. I hate it.

So, because my school has just changed the curriculum for 12th grade English, there is a shortage of options of what to teach. Some new novels have been ordered. One of my options is Persuasion by Jane Austen. In all honesty, I've never read it. (I know, I know, don't judge me too harshly.) Teaching this intrigues me more than teaching Great Expectations, but I was wondering if anyone who's read it could offer me some feedback. Do you think I could actually get high school seniors (particularly the boys) interested? I taught Pride and Prejudice in my student teaching and I think I pulled it off...not with flying colors, but I focused a lot on communication between men and women (an issue any high school socialite relates to), personality types, and literature and film. If you have any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm trying to outline my units for the year and am trying to decide what to do! Thanks in advance for any comments you might offer.

Because I'm pretty sure giving a new teacher 36+ students per class, and only 30 desks might be a bad idea...call me crazy, but I think that asking students to take notes, read, write, etc. while sitting on the floor and counter tops might not be conducive to learning. Yet, that is exactly what I'm going to have to ask my students to do. Well, there is a possibility I will get chairs for the extra 6+ but not desks. And get this, the teacher I'm sharing a room with wants me to make sure "the chairs are blue so that they match the room." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Somebody shoot me, please.

On a more positive note, we have a home! It's in a perfect location, has tons of storage, is beautiful, and we are very happy. We have a psycho landlord, but I can deal. AND I have a carpool buddy, which is SO awesome, I can't even tell you!

You know, when the day is covered in dozens of little moments that make you want to return to your Dr. Pepper addiction, it's hard to pinpoint which moment exactly drove you to utter insanity. My day today was such a day. Dozen of encounters contributed to making the day a disaster. I feel like I deserve an award of some kind after the chaos I have endured. Perhaps the "Most emotional breakdowns in one day" award. Here's my acceptance speech:

Wow! Me? Thank you. It's so unexpected. Well, not really since I cried multiple times today...sometimes in front of complete strangers. Gosh. So much contributed to making my day a day of emotional instability. It's hard to know who to thank first.

First of all, thank you so, so, so very much BYU. By changing your housing boundaries and throwing dozens of married families out on the street, you have forced rent prices to increase for married couples everywhere! Not only that, but you have also contributed to married people searching outside of the tiny radius of student housing into Orem, where I had originally hoped to find cheaper, available housing. Gee, BYU, you're swell! Couldn't have even begun my crappy day without you, thanks!

You know, I think the highlight of my day was dealing with Utah drivers. There were so many magical moments on the freeway that made me want to scream. But I'd like to particularly thank the semi-truck driver who decided to back out into oncoming traffic ON STATE STREET going the wrong direction during rush hour. Such a combination of incompetence. But you know, you did blow your horn to warn us...thanks Mr. Semi-truck driver.

And how can I ever accept such a prestigious award without thanking the real estate company who got my hopes up ever so much, only to crush them into oblivion? Thanks so much for letting me look at the perfect apartment and telling me it's available and then calling me to tell me that, sorry, you were mistaken and it's already been leased. MAN! I felt so helpless and lost at that moment after I'd just called my husband to tell him I thought I'd found our new home...couldn't have done it without you!

And, I'll never forget, Mr. Policeman, how you gave us that parking ticket, even though we were only parked incorrectly for a split second at Meredith and Adam's apartment. And, when I saw you putting the ticket on the windshield and asked you if I could move the car, when you looked at me and said, "It's a done deal," I was so thankful that I was able to reply, "If I burst into tears will it help? Because this is the worst day of my life!"

And how can I neglect to mention the tub full of spiders in the duplex for $600 a month? Your triggering my arachnophobia helped me to realize what frightening living quarters are available to me at a reasonable rate.

Lastly, remaining homeless after a day of house hunting is just...priceless.

I'll never know what I did to deserve such punishment. Thank you. Thank you all.

So, the summer has been truly wonderful. Other than missing my own family, who are trapped a zillion miles away in the place of the devil that shall remain nameless, life has been grand. I visited the beach for the last time Saturday with one of my dearest childhood friends and said goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean. In exactly one week, I will return to the land-locked state that houses a land of horrible drivers, no fresh seafood, rude people who tell me I'm intimidating in Costco, and sheltered people who dis-invite authors to their libraries. I am trying to think on the bright side. Multiple Relief Society lessons on forgiveness have prompted me to realize that it is probably (emphasis on the probably) time to let go of the bitterness and hatred towards Utah (ok, so I just named it) that I harbour in my heart. On Sunday morning, while blow drying my hair, I started to make a mental list of good things about the state. I was attempting to convince my psyche that I will not have a mini-nervous breakdown when I return. This is what I came up with:

1) OBVIOUSLY I will get to see my fabulous mom and hang out with my family again.

2) CAFE RIO! I have been craving an enchilada style burrito for the past month and half.

3) ???

That's about as far as I got before I burst into tears. My mother-in-law added my paying job to the list, and I guess that is a plus.

Sorry if I have offended anyone who hails from "the best snow on earth" but I have given you five years of my life, and you have not made much of an impression.