home renovation

When I signed up to become a teacher, there were a lot of things I expected. There were also some things I didn't expect. A lot of the things I didn't expect are quite negative, and I vent about these probably more frequently than necessary. So, even though a long string of those negatives is ever-present in my mind currently (I just finished a grueling 5 hours of parent-teacher conferences this week), today was a good teaching day, and thus I'm thinking about some of the positive things about my job that I didn't expect.

I didn't expect to laugh so much. My students are HYSTERICAL. SERIOUSLY. So. Incredibly. Funny. My seniors just finished writing satirical papers, and I have never laughed so hard. I'm just going to think of them all as little Jon Stewarts. Some of their writing was just that good. The things they say in class also frequently crack me up. They're just, fun! I like that we can laugh together and I can still feel like they are learning.

I didn't expect to work with so many cool people. Seriously, so many of my co-workers are amazing people. They are so talented, intelligent, and fun! It sometimes makes me feel incredibly intimidated, but I'm trying to work on my inferiority complex and just learn from them.

I didn't expect to really love my students as much as I do. I knew I would like them. But I didn't know I would love them. Seriously. I cry over these kids when I watch them going through unbelievably hard things. I get so excited when I watch them succeed.

So there you go, just a few of the positive things I didn't expect when I started walking the halls of the high school this year. Try to savor this post, and possibly remind me of it, the next time I am spouting off numerous complaints.

I can only pick 10? My friend tagged me. Here are 10 of my favorite photos. I'm a bit camera happy, so there are SO many photos on our computer that chosing 10 was close to impossible, but here it goes:



Chad and I emerald mining this summer. We went with Chad's dad and had a fantastic time. I EVEN FOUND AN EMERALD! It was cut down into about a 3/4 carat stone. I'm about the unluckiest girl I know, so this picture is proof that my husband's good luck has started to rub off on me since we've been married.

With Emily and Lacey at some waterfall in Idaho. We hiked down it the summer before I left for London. Even though this is not the most fantastic photo of us, I adore it because of the memories from the trip.

With three of my beyond darling roommates. Bri, unfortunately, is taking the photo so she's not pictured. I LOVE these girls. We had a great time living in the hood together.

This is a photo I snapped of a bird lady in Kensington Gardens when I was living in London. I love it.

Mi familia.

In one of the "windows" at Arches National Park.

Sunrise on the Thames...In MY city. Sigh.

With two of the most amazing girls on earth. I miss them both terribly. Even though I have a horendous chroat in this picture, I still adore it. We met in London and were destined to be friends. This is from one of my favorite days at St. Michael's Mount.

With my darling husband, at my favorite place: the beach.

Mom's graduation with Grandma Joy and Aunt Laura. I was SO PROUD OF HER!

Because I have jinxed myself into getting some kind of NASTY cough/throat/want to roll over and die thing, I haven't been getting the best sleep. I wake up every couple of hours coughing. Last night, I woke up in the middle of a coughing fit, and Chad had to coach me, so that I could start breathing again. It was sad. Anyway, because my sleep (which we all know I need an abnormal amount of) has been so constantly interrupted lately, getting up in the morning has been even more difficult than normal. Then, when I do get up, I can't get my body to MOVE fast enough. Even though I'm running late. Today went something like this:

6:00 a.m. - Alarm goes off. Snooze button is hit.
6:10 a.m. - Alarm goes off. Snooze button is hit.
6:20 a.m. - Alarm goes off. Again, snooze button is hit.
6:30 a.m. - Aarm goes off. Snooze button is hit. I groggily realize that I REALLY need to get up if I'm going to be ready by the time my ride comes.
6:40 a.m. - Alarm goes off AGAIN. I hit the snooze button. I lie there, trying to tell my body to leave the security of the covers, and get ready to deal with teenagers all day.
6:45 a.m. - I finally pull myself out of bed, leaving me with less than FIFTEEN mintues to get ready.
7:00 a.m. - My phone rings. My ride is here. I have no makeup on. I toss some mascara and eyeshadow in a makeup bag and jet out the door. I get ready in the car...yea...
7:20 a.m. - Arrive 5 minutes late to school.


Needless to say, I wasn't looking like a runway model today.

7:45 a.m. - Student interrupts me mid-sentence to say, "Something's different about you today, Mrs. Reese...What is it?" To which I want to respond, "MAYBE IT'S THE FACT THAT I FEEL LIKE CRAP and LOOK LIKE CRAP!" but I really respond, "I don't know..." Other students then begin to chime in, speculating about what COULD be different about my appearance today, until I finally stop the debate and force them to start learning again.

Chad, the eternal optomist, says I should be GLAD they noticed I look different when I look crappy. That means that I usually look nice, and that they notice when I don't.

I vote this horrible virus thing needs to kick the bucket, before I do!

Thing One: In 5 months we will be celebrating our THREE YEAR anniversary. Yet, until yesterday, we didn't own a cheese grater. That's right, folks, through more than two-and-a-half years of marriage, we have managed to survive without a pretty necessary kitchen gadget. Well, yesterday we bought one. And this is it:

We bought it at Bed Bath and Beyond, along with this little gem:

Thing Two: A grill pan. We watch way too much Food Network not to own one of these. We used the two exciting things mentioned above to create this:

Thing Three: Beyond fabulous orzo-stuffed peppers and balsamic grilled chicken. SOOOOO unbelievably yummy. We watched Giada make the peppers a few days ago and decided we had to try them. Because we are carnivors and can't make a meal without some kind of meat, we added the balsamic chicken on the side, because we thought the flavors would complement eachother. Of course, we are kitchen geniuses and were correct. Chad and I both agreed this is the best new recipe we've tried in awhile. If you want to give these dishes a shot, here's how:

For the chicken:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. garlic

salt and pepper

Marinade the chicken for about 30 minutes, then grill it.

For the peppers:

1 14-ounce can Italian tomatoes (we used the diced ones and drained them)

1 zucchini, grated

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (we used 1 tablespoon dried mint)

1/4 cup grated Ramano, plus more for sprinkling (we used about a 1/2 cup and some more)

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 and a half cloves garlic, minced (we used 1 tsp. of the jar we have in our refrigerator)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup orzo

4 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and

pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve (we used a slotted spoon) to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tops of the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds.

Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.

Seriously. This is SO GOOD!

P.S. I am having some formatting issues with my blog. It won't let me paragraph ANYTHING. If I indent at all, or add spaces after paragraphs, they are gone once I post the blog. Does anyone know how to fix this problem? Because I am a little OCD about these kinds of things. Thanks.

So, I attempted to buy a dress online. This is what it looked like:


Adorable, no?

So, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. Some of them somewhat excessively. In no particular order, here are some of the things I've been thinking about:

1. How do you know when you're ready to be a mom? No, seriously. I'd like to know. It seems like everyone and their little sister is getting pregnant right now. I'm surrounded by women carrying fetuses. And I am beyond thrilled for each one of them! I can't wait to go to their baby showers, hold the little bundles of joy when they get here, snap a gazillion photos of the little tykes. But the thing is, even though I'm excited for them, the thought of having a baby of my own beyond freaks me out. I know I want to be a mom eventually, but I really don't feel ready to be a mom right now. I have no idea what to do with a baby. A toddler, I can handle. But a baby? What scares me about this, is that most of the women I am surrounded by who are about to become moms (some of them for the second time) are my age or younger. Am I supposed to feel ready to be a mom now? Because other people seem to think so. That's probably why I keep getting asked when I'm going to have a kid (not by everyone, but by some people). Is it bad that I don't feel ready? Does that mean I'm not ever going to be ready to be a mom? And if that's the case, does that mean I will eventually become a mom, without feeling ready, and thereby become an incompetent and horrible mother? Scary thought.

2. The incident I had with the couple in my parking lot. Last weekend my friend Callie came over to dye my hair (and did a smashing job, by the way). We have two reserved parking spaces. Since Chad and I only have one car, anytime anyone comes to visit they use our extra parking space. Callie called me when she got to our complex and asked where to park, because someone was parked in our extra space. Well, this just flat out makes me MAD! What's the point of having reserved spaces if random people are just going to use them?! So, I called the towing company to come and take away the car. I was not being malicious and mean; I just wanted to use my ASSIGNED parking space. Well, when the man got there to tow the car, the couple who had parked there came out. Needless to say, they were not happy campers. The lady proceeded to call me a b**** repeatedly. The best part though, was when they were getting in their car to leave. That's when the man turned to Callie and me and said, "Way to be LDS, ladies, way to be LDS." To which I responded, "Excuse me, maybe you need to think about that, considering you're the people CUSSING ME OUT when I have done nothing wrong." To which he responded, "Shut up, b****" before getting in his car (with an LDS sticker on the dashboard) and driving away. They were clearly intellectuals with a vocabulary like that. Callie got an apology letter on her car windshield that night from him (but not from her, she didn't strike me as the apologizing type). So, this incident (besides upsetting me terribly because I've never really thought of myself as a person who would be called a "b" repeatedly, plus I'm a blue who thinks everything is her fault, which means I must have done SOMETHING to deserve such rude behavior) has made me think about a few things. First of all, it sparked an entire conversation while getting my haircut about me being intimidating. WHAT THE HECK?!? Am I? Honestly? Because first the psycho family in Bountiful called me that, which I just thought was because they were psycho and from Bountiful, but my friend Callie telling me that means it might be true. Secondly, do people really think that they are entitled to be the exception to the rule? I mean, I know my students do, but they are in HIGH SCHOOL, that's an excuse. Do adult people really think they can park in an assigned spot and nothing should happen to them, even though there is a warning sign posted by the entrance to the parking lot? We live in a sad world. Lastly, I must be in Utah when a man with a LDS sticker on his dashboard feels the need to scream cuss words and tell ME, "Way to be LDS." Seriously. It's time to get out of this state.

3. I am organizing my lesson plan binders from last term right now. I'm a good teacher. I really am. I work hard. My students are learning. Even though things didn't go perfectly the last two terms, I feel like I've really built some strong relationships with my students. I really care about them. I really do like my job, even though I want to quit about every third day, and cry about it a lot. Some of my students really have made progress, even though most of the time I look at their writing and want to die. I had my second evaluation of the year with my vice principal last week, and she really made me feel good. She says I have been blessed with a talent, and I think I agree with her. I just hope that I'm making a difference for my students. And I wish some of them would get transferred out of my classes, because then I'd feel even better about myself, lol.

4. This summer is going to be UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME! First of all, it will be SUMMER which means it won't be 5 FREAKING DEGREES every day. I will have 3 glorious months off to sleep in, read whatever I want, and finish the next NY Times bestseller. Chad is also graduating, HALLELUJAH! We are going to be buying our first place, somewhere, we don't know where yet. We're going to ITALY!!! I am going to soak up fabulous sites and works of art. AND I AM GOING TO EAT GELLATO AT LEAST ONCE A DAY WHILE THERE!!! (But we'll be walking so much it won't matter.) AND I just found out my family is having a reunion on the Oregon Coast this summer, which is one of my most favorite places on earth, and will soon be one of my husband's once he goes there, too.

So there you go. Just a few things I've been thinking about lately. Kinda random. Forgive me!

I am SO aggravated right now. We have ONE writing lab for our school. That's right, ONE! For a school that is so unbelievably overcrowded I don't even get my own classroom. To use the writing lab, you have to sign up ahead of time. The lady in charge prints out a schedule, posts it, and then you can sign up for time slots. The list went up YESTERDAY. I went in TODAY and there are NO SLOTS AVAILABLE! That's right, NO SLOTS! I spent my entire prep period today scheduling out the entire next term, only to realize that half the projects I had planned for my classes will no longer work. What am I supposed to do? I thought I was ahead of the game. It's only the second day the list is up, we still aren't done with second term, and frankly, as a first year teacher, it's almost impossible to plan an entire semester ahead anyway. I want to cry. But students are coming in 8 minutes, so I will have to put my game face on and pretend everything's OK before then. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!