27 in my 27th

My birthday is upcoming. Really really soon upcoming. And while I'm rather disturbed that I can no longer claim "mid-twenties" with any degree of honesty, I'm also excited at the prospects of a new year. My "odd" years of life have proven to be the most adventurous thus far, so I think 27 is bound to be brilliant.

To help the year achieve a level of awesomeness rarely seen in the world today, I borrowed an idea from Emma and set 27 goals for my 27th year.

1. Take a road trip

2. Reach my weight goal

3. Go camping

4. Make a new friend

5. Finish the quilt I started last year

6. Buy a house

7. Lose a bad habit

8. Run a race--10K, half marathon or Ragner Relay

9. Do something entirely new to me

10. Finish the National Boards process

11. Get a massage

12. Enjoy a mutually desirable kiss

13. Visit all the temples in Utah I have not yet been to

14. Do something that scares me

15. Read Jesus the Christ

16. Give someone a nickname that sticks

17. Go to a U of U football game

18. Do something spontaneous

19. Take a class unrelated to teaching

20. Visit a historical site

21. Fall in love with a new band

22. Engage in a significant service to another

23. Watch a sunrise or sunset with somebody I love

24. Send thank-you cards

25. Go "Green"

26. Practice civic responsibility in a tangible way

27. Do something that makes me feel like a kid again

I feel like the proper way to end this post would be some profound and life-changing statement of hope and determination. But that's not really me. Instead, I'll stick with the silly--yet appropriate--thing I'm really thinking:

Get excited--It's gonna be Big.

Sweet Justice

I had a substitute teacher take my classes yesterday while I judged the State "We the People" contest at the University of Utah. Upon returning this morning, I was dismayed to learn one of my class periods was "awful" and constantly disruptive despite numerous warnings from the sub.

Punishment was swift and severe.

Instead of the study hall day we had planned, the naughty class took a test. The subject of the video they were to have watched yesterday was "Benjamin Franklin: Citizen of the World." The disruptive students were assigned a 2-page essay test in which to detail all they know about Mr. Franklin's life.

Students who were on task and quietly watched yesterday's video as instructed had this test:

Color Benjamin Franklin

All in all, I think justice has been served, don't you? [Insert evil laugh]

Meet My Faves: Keith

Its time for Episode 3 in the "Meet My Faves" series! This time we focus on Keith--a pure delight hailing from Northern California. Oh how I love him...

Keith and I first met during our internships at Walt Disney World (are you sensing a pattern here amongst my faves?) He was a "green tomato preemie" with loads of energy and a wardrobe consisting entirely of jeans and black Tshirts. I liked him enough to give him bubbles when he flew home to Cali, and write him on his mission now and again. We really connected as friends after his return and have been tight ever since!

I love that Keith is easy going and loves fun, and I adore his willingness to let me and Greg take him clothes shopping and tell him when he looks HOT. Because he often does. And I really love that Keith is so multi-talented that I'm regularly introduced to ANOTHER skill or crazy behavior he's picked up. My friends are A-mazing. What can I say?

Best Thing: Everything about Keith, and with Keith, is just FUN!
Worst Thing: I bug him sometimes by treating him like a LITTLE brother. Oops...

Where are you from?
Palo Alto, CA

What do you do for a living?

Senior Engineering student--part of BYU's Formula Race car Team
(Editor's note: If you're unsure what that is, the picture below is meant to help...basically they're designing a formula race car. This is Keith's latest design. See? Not hard to understand!)

What is your favorite comfort food?

Good restaurant food.

What color is your bedspread?
Green

What book/movie has had a major impact on you?
Movie: Finding Neverland
Book: Fast Food America

What is your favorite word?

Mastication

What is your best color?
Green or Blue

What is your favorite restaurant?
Right now, Olive Garden. But Cheesecake Factory is amazing.

What is one material possession you couldn't live without?
Cell phone

Which cartoon character do you resemble the most?

Michelangelo--the Ninja Turtle

Why do you think I like you so much?
Because we're both awesome!

What is the best compliment you could receive?
I make you laugh, or I'm very attractive.

What is your favorite memory we have shared?
Oh, there are several. One is 'Creepy Keith' in England. Good times.

To further clarify, The "Creepy Keith" picture...

What 3 words would best describe you?
Enthusiastic, Optimistic, Sensitive
(Editor's note: Those are well chosen. Indeed.)

Three Strikes

Goal: Utilize the wheat grinder gifted to me at Christmas to grind whole-wheat flour. Use said flour to create tasty treat to send to lil' bro in the mission field.

Target: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Batch #1: FAIL. The cookies were almost completely flat, and spread all over the pan.
Batch #2: FAIL. Cookie dough failed to spread out at all but rather came out of the oven as slightly brown blobs of uncooked dough.
Batch #3: Yeah...

Conclusion: EPIC FAIL

Solution: Oreos--a perfectly acceptable gift for the lil' bro.

That would be the Life!

Yesterday morning I was perusing a story from last year's Washington Post. The story highlighted the life of touring Broadway performers. A few of the actors interviewed had been touring for years with certain shows. And as I read I just kept thinking, "That would be an AWESOME job! They're so lucky!" Taking a step back, I realized how often I look at other people's lives and professions and feel a teeny bit of jealousy over what they have. It could be their hours, their benefits, or even their actual responsibilities but I'm so often comparing my "boring" life to somebody else's.

But why?! Sure--teaching 200 middle school students the big ideas of American History might not be the most glamorous option for employment. But doggone it, I like it! And there are things about my job that should make other people pause and think, "That would be the life! She's so lucky!"

First and foremost, as everyone knows, teachers get the summer off. Woohoo! Now, I actually would prefer to teach a year-round schedule getting 3 weeks off here and there, but STILL. Loads of time off during the calendar year.

Second, my job is never the same. Yes each day is "teaching," but each day is actually a different format. One day I could be lecturing, another day we're doing a guided reading assignment in the book, and the next day we're reenacting Ellis Island. Its kind of awesome.

Third, every now and again you get a total boost from somebody--a student, fellow teacher, or a parent--sending along a sincere thank you for what you do. I'll emphasize this may be rare, but its kind of like seeing Mecca when it does happen.

Finally, being a middle school history teacher gives me opportunity to talk every day about one of my great loves--History. I really do love it. I love that I get to study what I love over and over again, and unlike in college--there's not really a test at the end. At least, not for me, I guess.

So really--life is good. I may not be up singing "Aida" every night in front of a well-paying crowd, but I do get to stand in front of a captive audience each day and perform a "dog and pony show" about US History. The only real difference is that my show rarely garners a standing ovation. And I think I'm okay with that.

You Should Try...

...reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I first heard about this book on B's blog, then a Goodreads friend started reading it, and then my sister started reading it...and I finally got a copy. Absolutely, hands down, best book I've read so far this year. The narrator, Flavia, is hilarious and I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. And the mystery she's in the midst of? Fascinating. Seriously. Give it a try.


...eating one of Oroweat's new Sandwich Thins. These tasty little "buns" are only 100 calories! I used one for a grilled chicken sandwich the other night, and today had a classic PB&J. Stick your filling of choice between the slices and enjoy! Tasty, nutritious, and low-cal. Genius.


...watching The Brothers Bloom. If you like quirky off-beat humor, this movie is for you! I can't say enough how much I love this movie. Thanks to Redbox, my life will never be the same. I have been thinking about this movie, laughing about this movie, and quoting this movie since I watched it. If you think this film is funny, we can probably be friends. "I'm an epileptic photographer."

Someone Just Gave Me a Donut

I really like it when my students are engaged in a class discussion or activity. Even though it requires more effort on my part to be up in front of the class leading a discussion or activity, I'm pretty sure they learn more and it makes my work day go by faster. This is what I concluded in the last two days. I also concluded that ending a class period with a Schoolhouse Rock video is sort of awesome.

Last night I went to the IKEA with Greg and purchased a new dresser and nightstand. I've been needing a dresser since approximately May 2005, so I'm just a little behind. A big thanks goes out to the Parentals, who let me borrow their truck, and an equally big thanks to Greg for lending me his muscle in getting the boxes out of the store, into the truck, out of the truck, and into my basement. Now let's just hope it doesn't take another 5 years to open the boxes and assemble the silly things!

For the third consecutive year, I rang in the new year at Hale Center Theater's New Years Eve BASH. This year our party consisted of me, Greg, Mariah, and Ryan. We were joined by other fun friends and family during various parts of the evening, and--as usual--it was a total blast! The show was The Importance of Being Earnest and its really one of my favorites. The sleepover and New Years breakfast of pumpkin french toast that followed weren't too shabby either.

Ryan, Mariah, me, and Greg--decked out for the New Years celebration!

Along with most of America, I've made a new committment to health and wellness for the new year and I'm finding a great deal of help from Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. My new "favorite thing ever" is the Biggest Loser workout DVDs. I'm seriously hooked. Allie got me the Cardio Max edition for Christmas and it totally kicks my butt--in a good way. When I'm not burning it out with the Biggest Loser peeps, I'm making my way to the gym. And I really do love getting good and sweaty. At least I love it until that moment when two hot guys walk in to start lifting weights and you realize you look like a sweaty disaster.

I buy my fruit snacks in bulk at Sam's Club. I eat at least one package a day since they're a relatively non-threatening snack when you're trying to eat healthy. I started noticing yesterday that not all packages are alike in the number of fruit snacks one receives. Most packages have around 10 fruit snacks, but some are literally jammed with little gummy goodies. Today's package? 24. I have no answers, but my 10:15 snack break just got a lot happier.