I'm MARRIED!!!!

Yes, it's true. I did it. I got MARRIED! I just got back from the beautiful Caribbean on Monday night to find snow! Brrrr!!!!! Well, I'm going to be switching blog sites from here on out, so anytime you want to find out what's going on in the life of Mark and Bre, check out

markandbre.blogspot.com

yes, I know, it means you'll have to go in and change your link on your own blog to access it. What a pain! well, get over it! :) Love you all! Thanks for your support and love through the years!

Quote of the Day

Mark briefly stopped by my classroom today to swap cars and was immediately approached by one of my curious kids. We had the following conversation:

Student: "Who's dad are you?"
Mark: "uh, I'm not a dad"
Me: "He's here to visit me. This is Mr. Ahrens, the man I'm going to marry."
Student (Obviously a little confused): "You're going to marry your dad?!?!"

Later Mark came back to swap cars back (long story), and the same sweet student had more questions:

Student: "Why is Miss Bell going to marry you?"
Mark: "Well, because she likes me."
Me: "Yeah, actually I love him!"
Student: "Really? huh...."

Gotta love my job!

Rainy Days on Monday's Always Get Me Down

I arrived to work on Monday only to find that my key wouldn't work to open my classroom door. (As it turns out, some punk kid...not any of my students of course...stuffed paper into the lock!) What is a teacher to do when her students are going to be there in 20 minutes and the locksmith can't come for at least 45 minutes?

IMPROVISE!!!

With no access to my classroom supplies, I really had to rack my brain. The first choice to go outside for early EARLY morning recess was automatically shot down due to the rain. (Dang rain! I know we need it blah blah blah, but really, can't it hold off and not rain between the hours of 8am-3:30pm?!? It'd my job so much easier.)

My next thought was to go into the gym to work on our motor skills. However, my principal wasn't too keen on us staying too long in that location to due the breakfast schedule.

So, what in pray tell you may ask did I do with my little darlings for 35 minutes? I had a nice little mini lesson about the importance of "community helpers" specifically the mailman and then we pretended to be mail carriers and delivered my wedding announcements to all the teachers in the school. They loved it! Ok, I know it's a stretch, not the most academic thing, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!

A new blog

So I created a blog for Mark and I with info about our story, our wedding, etc. It's still a work in progress but you can check it out at markandbre.blogspot.com

Bridals-continued

I've had multiple requests to post my bridal pics. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but it ain't gonna happen! :) Mark hasn't seen me in my dress yet and it's going to stay that way till December 5th! You'll just have to wait! :)

My Bridals

I had my bridal photo shoot at Thanksgiving Point yesterday! At first, I really didn't want to do it, but my mother and my FIANCE insisted. I'm glad I did it, though. It was actually really fun, even if it was a little chilly! I had a great time laughing at my photographer posing femininely to show me how he wanted me to look.

I realized my calling in life. I'm suppose to be a supermodel...or a photographer. Either one would be fun.

CALIFORNIA knows how to party

Last weekend, my FIANCE and I went to California for my fall break. (Gotta love being a teacher!) It was so fun showing my fiance my neck of the woods. Thursday, we spent a day at the beach just reading and soaking in the sun and had In 'N Out for lunch. (Yes, right now you should be very jealous.) We watched the TCU game that night, which, needless to say, put me in a very bad mood for the rest of the night.
Friday , My FIANCE and I spent a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Yeah, that's when I realized how old I've gotten. I found that every ride gave me a massive headache/stomachache! When did I become such a scardy cat? But hey, the funnel cake is still as good as I remember.
Saturday, My FIANCE and I went to see Wicked at the Pantages. Although we didn't win the lottery and get front row seats, we were still pleased with the $45 tickets we got. Afterwards, we went and did a session at the LA temple with my parents. It was so beautiful and a perfect way to end the day.
On Sunday, we went to my family's ward, where I only recognized about 5% of the ward. I had my good old pal, Karissa and her husband over for dinner. It was so great catching up with her. She told me her tales as a high school special ed teacher and it made me LOVE my students and job all over again.
Such a great trip. The thing I loved the most was spending all day every day with my FIANCE. We always have such a great time together, whether it's losing to TCU or laying out at the beach. LOVE YOU, FIANCE! :)

My Fiance

I just realized that because Mark and I are having such a short engagement, I'm getting short changed on how frequently I get to say, "My fiance." I've decided to live that title to the fullest. Hey, I'm only going to be able to use it for another 6 weeks and 2 days (but who's counting) and then I'll never be able to call him that again! (I'll have a better name for him...husband! or "hubby" when I'm feeling really lovey dovey). I'll start using phrases like,

"My fiance is on his way over," "My fiance's here!" and "My fiance and I are going out."

I have the rest of eternity to call him Mark. I'm going to use Fiance for the next 6 weeks. I love that guy.

It'll only be too soon!

So tonight I was chatting with my roommates about all my wedding plans and how the wedding was coming up in less than two months. Lynley, my adorable roommate, exclaimed,

"Holy Cow! You'll be married by the time my next gallon of milk expires!!!"

yeah...um...that's one way of looking at it!

My (soon to be) nephew

Last night, Mark and I visited with his parents and his sister and her family. His nephew, Eli, (Soon to be my nephew!!!) is 3 years old and CRACKS ME UP! He's already calling me Aunt Bre, which yeah, pretty much melts my heart.

I was telling Eli about how Mark and I are going to go to California in a couple weeks. We had the following conversation:

Me: "When Mark and I go to California, we are going to get on a big plane. It starts on the ground and lifts up into the air..."
Eli: "And then does it shoot bullets out of it?!?"
Me: "Sure hope not..."

What a boy! yeah, he definitely cracks me up!

The Engagement Story!

Ok, so by popular demand, here's our engagement story! Poor Mark was trying to come up with some way to surprise me. Since we had pretty much our entire wedding planned and booked before the ring came in and since (I thought) I knew when the ring was going to be done, it was going to be pretty dang hard to make it a surprise.

The ring was suppose to be done today (Thursday), so I didn't think much of it when Mark asked me to dinner monday night. He emailed me that afternoon, saying he had a gift card for the Foundry Grill at Sundance that expired by October 1st. Since he was leaving Tuesday on a business, we had to use it Monday. He promised to have me back in time for my group FHE (I just got called to be the FHE Group Leader...ugh) Although it crossed my mind that it would be perfect to propose up in the canyon, I didn't think he would do it and get me back in time for FHE, plus the ring wasn't ready anyway!

So, we go to dinner at the yummy (and expensive) Foundry Grill. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL in the canyon with all the fall colors, so I asked if he wanted to drive the Alpine Loop after dinner. (Little did I know that was his plan all along...I made it so easy on him!) As we were driving, he said he wanted to pull over and take a picture of the scenery. (Which didn't surprise me. He's always whipping out his camera. Like father, like son!) Well, we get out, he starts taking pictures, and all of a sudden, he drops to one knee! I was like, "NO WAY! NO WAY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!" and he laughed and asked me to marry him. to which I said something to the affect of, "YEAH! YES! ALRIGHT! WU-HOO!"

It was beautiful and perfect, and yes, I was one of those suckers who actually believed the jewelers when they said that it would take "at least two weeks." Liars. they're all liars! but it was worth it!

I'M ENGAGED!!!!

Yes, it's true! I'm getting MARRIED!!!!! On December 5th, in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, I will become Mrs. Mark Ahrens. (WEIRD! good...but WEIRD!) Mark and I first met about 4 years ago in our singles ward. We randomly ended up in the same ward last september. After being friends for a really long time, we started dating at the end of June. We went on an amazing cruise at the beginning of June and realized we liked spending lots of time together. I guess sometimes it takes a while to see a good thing when it's standing right in front of you. This pic is us on the cruise. Isn't he handsome! I love you, Mark!

Sweet Smell of Sweat!

Every morning, I wake up around 5:30 to hit the gym. There are things that I find very comical when I go...I'm not sure if it's because I'm deliriously tired and so everything seems funny or if it is in fact really funny, but I thought I'd share what makes me lovingly laugh every morning.

*The cute slightly overweight old man who wears a t-shirt that says, "Wild Thing" on it.

*My friend Tiffany who charges up the stairs at a level 19 for an hour, which means that she is pretty much running up them the whole time. (I don't know how she does it. I can barely walk up them for 5 minutes without getting utterly exhausted!)

*The cute (yet ripped!) old woman who typically wears her hair in pigtails or a banana clip (I haven't seen a banana clip since like 1991!)

*My friend, Paige, who is super friendly and talks to people when she works out, but doesn't realize she's yelling because she's listening to her ipod at the same time.

Who knew working out at 5:30 could be so entertaining!?!

Another Victory!

Yes, it's true. The cougars won again! It was a CLOSE game (28-27). I'm pretty sure my voice is gone from all the screaming. Good luck to me teaching on Monday with no voice!

Go Cougars!

Yesterday was opening game day for the BYU COUGARS! There is something in the air as you walk into the Lavell Edwards Stadium. A sense of excitement, hope, familiarity...a sense of home.

Ok, so I admit it, it probably wasn't their best game (I can't even count the fumbles/turnovers) but hey, we still one 40-17, so I'm going to stop complaining.

Spring (summer?) Cleaning

I just moved from the basement to the master bedroom in my townhouse. I figured this is as good of time to go through all my stuff. I've been carrying around way too many boxes for way too many years. Plus it's a great distraction from stress in life. Here's some of the "treasures" I found while sorting through my boxes.

*My plane ticket for Romania (I went about 6 years ago!)
*A picture of my brother, Brandon, from High School when he went to Homecoming with Summer Z. (About12 years ago...)
*Approximately 200 emails I received my freshman year of college and printed out to make into an "email journal." Great intentions, just never followed through with "journal" part. oppssss...
*Signing Naturally VHS from when I was taking ASL in college.
*"Finding the Love of your Life" textbook from my marriage prep class I took about 6 years ago...hmmmm...maybe i should reread that.
*My tassel from High School graduation

Yeah, this cleansing process was long time coming.

Shout out to all Blogstalkers!

As stated in my previous post, I went to an autism charity auction last night. I met a few new people, who informed me that they enjoy reading my blog. Wait, seriously?

Ok, admit it, if you are a blogger, you are also a blogstalker! It's impossible not to be! (We've all clicked on our friends' random links. You know it's true!) Some people (karissa) even go so far as to list "blogstalking worthy" links on their blog.

I'm curious, what are some of your favorite blogstalking blogs?

So any of you blogstalkers out there that are reading this, enjoy! Post a comment and introduce yourself! :)

Autism Auction

Lsat night, we had a Charity Auction for the Friends of Giant Steps. (Giants Steps is one of the coolest preschools out there, Just FYI.) Greg Wrubell, the voice of the cougars, was the host of this amazing event.

One of the auctioning items was "lunch with Greg Wrubell." Well, there wasn't a lot of people bidding, and it wasn't going as high as we wanted. There was one gentleman who seemed very eager to bid for this item though, but without competition, he was going too good of a deal! So I decided, hey, why not start out bidding this guy so that I can spike the bid higher! We went from $50 to $150 very quickly. Well, everything was going great until the other bidder decided it was too rich for his blood. Sooooo, guess who's going to lunch with Greg Wrubell for $155! ME! I'm actually really excited. The money went to a worthy cause, for sure.

Later on I found out that the gentleman bidding for it was my good friend's dad! oppssss...sorry annie!

Anyway, look forward to reading a post about my lunch with Greg. I'm sure I'll have a great time talking to him about...autism.

(Ok, and maybe a little football too!!! GO COUGARS!)

PS...anyone wanting to go with me, let me know. I can bring a friend...I'm going to start the bidding at $155. :)

A Pet Peeve

What is with people playing music on their blogs? No offense to those friends that have it on their personal blogs (you know who you are) but really, I can't read your blog when I'm sidetracked with all your cool music!

Just FYI

When wearing black pants, make sure you don't use a brand new microplush green blanket...your pants won't really be black afterwards.

Everyone's Doing It!

Ok, I thought I would join the bandwagon. Everyone's Doing It!

The rules to this are:
Put any memories you have of me and you (whoever is reading this) in the "comments".

I'm going to adapt Karissa's rule though.

1. If you read this you MUST write a memory! I don't care if you're a blogstalker and you don't know me...share about a post that made you laugh, or cry, or made you want to be a better person (hahaha)

What a baby!

why is that I cry consistently in movies that i've seen multiple times?!? I caught the tail end of Apollo 13 today...literally the last 10 minutes. I turned it on when they were just about to re-enter into earth and everyone was waiting to see if they made it. Yep, I cry EVERY TIME at that part.

It's not like the movie has changed. It's not like I didn't know the outcome before the movie was even made, and yet I still blubber like a baby! same thing with the movie Armageddon. Maybe I should just stay away from space movies...

Albertsons vs. Maceys

I needed to grab a couple of items at the grocery store. I ran to Albertsons after the gym (closest grocery store near by). I walked in and walked out 3 minutes later. First off, my grocery cart was of alignment (which I've come to realize is one of my pet peeves). The the couple of items I needed (milk, strawberries, cottage cheese, and corn) were significantly more expensive. I left empty handed and went to Macey's. I saved almost $5 just on a few items. Looks like I won't be going to Albertson's anytime soon.

Babysitting Brooklyn

I seriously have the cutest nieces and nephew alive. Here's Brooklyn playing in her "fort." Proof once again that kids would rather have a box than the actual toy!

My Blog's Facelift!

My roommate, Natalie, introduced me to the website "thecutestblogontheblock.com" I loved this background with the palm trees. It takes me right back to the cruise. Incidentally, it also looks like my bathroom decor AND my bedspread. I think, I THINK, i really like palm trees. Just goes to show, you can take the girl out of California but you can't take the Californian out of the girl!

Autisms' Got Talent

David Militello, a 9 year old with autism, tried out for America's Got Talent. Watch this video! It will melt your hearts. You'll see why I absolutely LOVE my job! I'm so privileged to work with these children.

Left To Tell...

Immaculée Ilibagiza, author of the book, "Left to Tell." was an award recipient at the Freedom Festival Gala last night. She hid in a 3' by 4' bathroom with 7 other women for 91 days during the Rwanda genocide. With the exception of her brother, her ENTIRE family was murdered, along over a million other people. I'm grateful for her strength to not only survive this horrific ordeal, but also to share her story with the world.

Although I am sure I'll probably NEVER have to go through something as awful as a genocide, I feel it is important to read this story to better understand the world and what people outside of Happy Valley go through daily.

It's amazing to me how many people do not want to read about it. (How could you not!) I had similar reactions when I got back from Romania. When I shared some of the tragic things I saw there, most people's reactions were "I could never go there. My heart is just too big, it'd break to see that." (apparently I don't have a big heart.)

I encourage everyone to get outside of their comfort zone and read this book. The first step to changing the world (or at least changing yourself) is being aware of it.

Dining with a Local Celebrity

Last night, Mark and I went to the Freedom Festival Gala. For all you uncultured people out there, the Gala is a formal dinner held in the BYU Ballroom. Freedom Awards were presented to four deserving individuals.

Mark and I were assigned to a table. We were the first ones there from our table, followed shortly by his sister and brother-in-law. Next came the owners of Losee Jewelers (Who were nice (rude?) enough to let Mark and I know we could come to them when we were "ready"). Finally the last couple arrived and who could it be? It was no other than...the LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR of Utah. Yes, we felt very honored.


So here's the predicament. How on earth do you address the Lieutenant Governor? Do you call him Lieutenant? Lieutenant Governor? Mr Herbert? I finally decided to call him LG. (Not to his face of course. That'd be weird)

Oh, and What on earth do you say to the lieutenant governor? I had these thoughts rambling through my head...

"So LG, how do you feel about the private school voucher system?" (touchy subject with me)
"LG, what's with the gas prices? Can't you do something about it?"
"LG, what are your political aspirations and why should I vote for you?"
and lastly,
"Um, LG, what exactly is a LG?"

I didn't say any of these things. Instead I focused on not spilling anything on my clothes and using proper eating etiquette. (which fork goes with what again?)

At the end of the night, he said good night and reminded us to get out and vote. Oh, don't worry LG, I will. I will.

(Nice guy, really. I'd vote for him...)

My Dating Life

Many of my friends have posted dating stories on their blog...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I always get a kick out it, finding myself cracking up as I can relate with most of their stories. (We've all been on great, mediocre, and bad dates right?)

So then I thought, maybe I should talk about my dating life on my blog.

but then I realized...naw, it's none of your business! I'm not going to expose myself or the guys I date on the internet. Sorry to disappoint you, especially since you're missing out on some really good stories!

Food Habits

For those of you who have ever lived with me (I've had 34 roommates so far!) know that I tend to have really peculiar eating habits. I tend to pick a favorite food and then eat that for a couple months until I get sick of it and switch to a new food. It would be really random things too. When I was a sophomore in college, I lived off of betty crocker brownies for a month. Then I switched to chex muddy buddy mix. (That did nothing to help me burn off the freshman 15) Here are some of my other meals I've loved for months at a time:

fajitas
tacos
burritos (I was definitely on a mexican kick...I think I'll always be on a mexican kick)
cottage cheese with pineapple (I lost A LOT of weight when this was my favorite food!)
black beans with salsa
spinach/chicken/strawberry salad
BBQ Chicken Salad

Right now I'm loving grapenuts with strawberries. I eat it just about everyday! weird I know! I don't know what i'm going to do when I get married and have to cook a variety of well balanced meals everyday. Maybe my husband will just have to learn to like grapenuts. :)

jeans and t-shirts

Today I went and made jam with my friend Jesse and his partner, Brian. Jesse was kind enough to give me a sweet t-shirt to wear so I wouldn't stain my clothes (just in case of spills.) When I got home, my roommate looked at me inquisitively and said...

Kristy: "Bre...you're wearing a t-shirt and jeans?"
Me: "Yep"
Kristy: "Who are you and what have you done with my roommate?"
Me: lol
Kristy: "I've just never seen you wear t-shirts and jeans before"
Me: "Yeah, I just don't know where to even buy a t-shirt!"

Yes, I'm just that pathetic. Guess I'm no longer a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal. When did that happen?

In the name of friendship

Ok, I have done some pretty crazy things with friends (Well, crazy to a naive mormon girl). I wish I had a better memory to remember all the stupid crazy stuff I've done. I'd love to hear any stories of the craziest thing you've ever done with me. I could always use a good laugh and memory!

Inside the mind of a facebooker/blogger

Yesterday, as I was driving to Idaho Falls, I had over 7 hours roundtrip to contemplate and think. I literally laughed out loud at myself when I realized what I was thinking. I was think in "Facebook Status Updates" (For those of you who are not on facebook, you can update your status to state how you are currently feeling). I had these thoughts that went a little like this...

Breanne is...driving to Idaho Falls and back today.
Breanne is...wishing semi's wouldn't try to pass other semi's when going uphill
Breanne is....going to vomit if she hears the song "I kissed a girl" one more time
Breanne...hates slow drivers that make her break while she's using cruise control
Breanne is...wondering how much diet coke she can drink before having to stop to go to the bathroom.
Breanne is...wishing her bladder was bigger.
Breanne is...thinking in third person status updates. She has issues!

I laughed at myself when I got to this last thought...then my next immediate thought was how I would blog about this. Apparently that is how I function now...I live for posting on facebook and blogs. Pathetic, I know. (Admit it, if you're reading this, you're probably a facebooker/blogging fanatic too!)

Idaho Falls

So yesterday I drove to Idaho Falls (almost 4 hours away) to pick up a very special item for a very special friend. I was there for less than 5 minutes, got the item and then turned around and drove home. Yes, I am just that crazy.

It got me thinking...what's the craziest thing you've ever done for a friend?

The Battle of the Blow Hole

We found this really fun blow hole. We had a blast playing the water...The water was amazingly strong...

and it knocked me over and I fell into a blow hole!

After multiple cuts and bruises all over my body, Cher and Mark were able to get me out of it.

Now I can really laugh at it. Ha Ha Ha

Jamaica

Cozumel

Not many pictures of Cozumel due to an unfortunate blow hole incident leading to injury. Pictures of that to come! :)

Grand Caymen Island

Cruisin' the Caribbean!

Now what do I do?

Finish my last day of teaching - check!
Cruise the Caribbean w/ friends - check!
Go visit Grandpa and Grandma - check!

This is my first day of my summer vacation where I've been at home just relaxing. I'm BORED! Yes I have a lot do to (laundry from cruise, clean room, update 2 years worth of photo albums, gym, etc.) But I don't want to do any of it. I miss my students and my classroom. I am having SERIOUS withdrawals. I miss my funny quotable students. I miss their smiling faces. I've stalked their parents' blogs, but they haven't been updated yet (I mean seriously, Laura and Annie, I'm dying here! :) ) My only consolation is that 6 of my students are attending the summer program so I'll see them again in less than a week.

wow, am I really complaining about being on summer break? I'm a pathetic workaholic.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

MAKE LEMONADE!!!!

After an AMAZING 7 day cruise in the caribbean (pictures/stories will be coming shortly!), Cherilyn and I embarked on our journey back to Utah on Sunday, only to have it come to an abrupt halt in the Chicago airport. Our connecting flight to SLC was canceled due to weather (which I found interesting, considering it was blue skies!) With no luggage and no hotel, Cherilyn and I decided to go play downtown. Here's a couple pictures of our adventures in Chicago!We found the cutest mailbox! There were beautiful flower boxes on both sides of it.

Cherilyn and I fell in love with the adorable homes that were in downtown Chicago. So much character!

We slept with about 1000 other people. The airport was kind enough to give us a cot, pillow, and blanket. They were also nice enough to give everyone a 4am wake up call...

which means we ended up sleeping on the floor by our gates.

My favorite part of the airport were the toilet seats. They had "sani seats" which I believe should be a requirement for every public restroom. It has seat covers already on the seats and it automatically rotates from a sensor. SO COOL huh!

I found the whole situation rather hilarious.

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

"We flyin first class up in the sky. We flyin first class livin the life"

Fergi couldn't have said it better herself. Today I flew to Miami via first class. My dad used his frequent flyer miles to fly me to florida for my cruise as a birthday gift. He surprised me by upgrading me to a first class seat. Now, first class has always been a mystery to me. What goes on up there that I don't know about? What am I missing out on? Well, today I found out. Flying coach will never be the same for me again.

1. BIG SEATS! Ahhh, nice comfy leather (pleather?) seats.
2. Our drinks were served in nice glassware (not those cheap plastic cups the rest of the plane gets)
3. They served us breakfast (omlette, biscuit, hashbrowns) and lunch (salmon and salad)!
Each meal was served individually with linens and silverware!
4. After lunch, they delivered a nice warm chewy chocolate chip cookie.
5. They really do bring hot towels around. Special thanks to Adam Sandler for his spectacular acting in wedding singer, otherwise I would have never known what to do with it! (and the towels are actually HOT, not warm, HOT!)
6. The flight attendants (FA) treat you like ROYALTY! Case in point, the FA dropped my neighbor's used hot towel in my lap and she was mortified. She kept apologizing. (I bet if I was in coach, she would have just laughed...) I told her it was no big deal...far worse things happen to me everyday in my line of work.
7. LEG ROOM! For the first time, I didn't have to dangle my feet into the aisle in order to make room for my legs. I was in pure awe.

There's many more amazing things about first class, but I'll just stop while I'm ahead.
Thanks, dad!

It's Summertime!

I finished my fourth year teaching today. I am still in denial that i've been teaching that long. We had a fun end of the year class party. I was in denial that it was actually the end of the year...and then it hit me after all my students left and I was cleaning my classroom.

Ok, I admit it. I made it through the whole party without crying (got choked up, but no tears...). Then the water works started when I was cleaning.

Parting really is such sweet sorrow.

the end is near...

today is my last full day teaching. After tomorrow, i will have completed 4 years of teaching. Does that boggle anyone else besides me? My staff and I were reminiscing about this year and just how wonderful our students are. We were all contemplating about where they would be in 15 years or so, which ensued this conversation...

Me: "Hey, Ethan, are you going to go to BYU?"
Ethan: "NO! I'm not 18 yet! I'm only 6! You have to be 18 first, Miss Bell."

silly me! I love how literal they are. I'm also glad to see that his parents are prepping him for college already. What a great year!

where life leads...

I never would have guessed ten years ago that I would some day be a guest speaker at BYU lecturing on how to potty train. That's what I did today. Who woulda thought!

I'm pretty sure that when I have kids, God is going to bless me with babies that are born potty trained as a blessing for all the potty training I've done in just a few short years. My future husband will thank me. :)

My KILLER Birthday Party

It's about time I blogged about my killer birthday party!

Natalie made me a killer better than sex cake for my birthday. So many candles!

Makin' a killer wish!

My killer present! Careful when you walk through the door...you just might get a dart!

Jon, my amazing friend and killer photographer! :)

adult time-outs

So last week, we talked about community helpers in my class. We had the students list different community helpers that they knew. Some answers were: Firefighters, teachers, mailman, bakers, etc. Now, when you asked an open ended question, you are bound to get some interesting conversations...such as this one...

student 1: "POLICEMEN! They put bad people in jail!" (Yes, laura, this was your child)
student 2: "What's jail?"
Miss Zani (hesitanting): "well, ummm...jail is like a time out, for adults."
student 1: "Yeah, if you're really bad, you go to jail!"
student 2: "how long do you go to jail for?"
Miss Bell: (muttering...) "About 25-life..."

We quickly changed the topic, as our students can tend to get fixated on subjects, and well, jail was one that I didn't want to have talk about for the next 2 weeks; however, I bet you can guess what my students are playing at recess.

Yep, "policeman and bad guys"

what a weekend!

This has been such a FUN weekend. Everything was spontaneous and random!

Friday night: my friend, Matt, called and invited me to dinner. We went to Old Spaghetti Factory (after realizing there was 1 1/2 hour wait at tucanos.) Then rented Kite Runner. Good, but deep, movie.

Saturday: Wonderful workout at the gym. Then my friend, Cassie, invited me to go up to the Gateway to go shopping. Then we met up with more friends and ate way too much chips and salsa and went to see Indiana Jones. Any movie with Shia is amazing in my eyes.

Sunday: Sat through a meeting for an hour with a member of the bishopric and two other girls. He proceeded to tell us how we are his favorites and if he were younger, he'd propose to us in a second. (Awkward!) The Haitian received his patriarchal blessing. I was honored that he asked me to take him and sit in and listen to his blessing. I feel so blessed to be a part of his life, watching him continue to grow in the gospel. He's such an amazing example to me!

Tomorrow: NO SCHOOL! As much as I LOVE and ADORE my class, I could always go for a long weekend.

Weekends like this just make me smile. It's the simple things in life and the dear friendship I make that I absolutely cherish.

oh, and five more days till I cruise the caribbean. Pretty sure life doesn't get any better than this.

Church is True

Today is Sacrament Meeting, we had the high councilman and his wife speak about endurance. The wife spoke first, and for twenty minutes, she shared different stories about cats and kittens. Then at the very end, she said, this relates because pets make us have endurance.

What did I learn? Ummm....don't have a cat.

*I don't think I've seen a congregation texting more than I have today.*

Fishin'

I took my students on a field trip to go fishing today. Talk about hilarious! My kiddos were so excited to pull their fish out of the water and take it home. I'm sure some of their parents were more than thrilled to have a dead fish brought home as well (you can't hear it but there is definite sarcasm in my voice...)

The day was just gorgeous. Perfect weather! My students (for the most part) were on their best behavior. We fished, we barbecued, we played. It felt like a Friday....and then I got back to school and saw how much work I still have to do and was slapped back into reality. Nope, it's only Tuesday. (Still a great day though...)

Bonfire to the Extreme

Saturday, me and the gals, Kristy, Kellyanne, and Jennie, went to a crazy bonfire. When Kellyanne invited me, I thought, "Sweet! I could go for a smore!" As it turned out, it was your typical bonfire. It was the "3 truck fulls of pallets" kind of bonfire. Then to top it off , the guys we were with brought tons of mini propane tanks and guns. They proceeded to throw the propane into the fire and shoot it, causing a mass explosion. Hence, it was a bonfire to the extreme...and I didn't get to make a smore.Yes, we look like we are devils burning in the fire. What! It was a big fire!

I shot this sweet gun! I actually hit my target. It was awesome!

Kellyanne and I warming our tooshies by the fire.

*Word to the wise...if you ever go to a 'bonfire to the extreme,' don't tell your mom. I learned the hard way. She banned me from hanging out those boys, until she realized she couldn't because I'm considered an adult now, even if I choose not to act like it.

Novel Search

With summer (and a cruise) approaching, I am on the hunt for some good novels. Does any one have a book or an author that they absolutely love? I'm in the mood for some light reading.

Holla Atcha Girl!

Tonight I went out with my girls, Melissa and Karissa. We have lots of great memories together...starting with me supervising them during their special education summer practicum. I half jokingly said on the last day of the program "Hey does anyone want to drive to CA today?" Mel and Karissa looked at each other and said, "Why not?" The girls in their class thought they were crazy for going on vacation with their supervisor...so did I. (oh, and that's my brother, Matt, who is cuddling up to me...yeah, we keep it in the family)

It was the start to a beautiful relationship...one field with many laughs and inside jokes...(don't even get me started).

So Karissa is going to be moving to good old CA in a month (ironically 15 minutes away from where I grew up.) We decided to have one last hurrah before she left P-Town. Girls night consisted of us going to do a session at the Temple and then going to dinner at Applebee's.

I must say, we've come along way from where we first started; memorizing the words to 'Promiscuous' by Nelly Furtado to a girls temple night. How did THAT happen?Karissa, Melissa, and I
(Thanks for the pic, Karissa!)

FHE Activity Part 2

Tonight we had FHE at my bishop's house. He's a counselor at BYU and pretty much amazing! Tonight we had a lesson on effective communication, which taught us how to use "I" statements instead of "you" statements.

So instead of saying "You are a JERK!" you should say, "I think you are a jerk." I'll have to remember that....

FHE Activity Part 1

I showered right after work, blow dried and straightened my hair (which means I wasn't planning on having to do it again for at least 2 more days) and then went to FHE where we had a bonfire.

Yep, pretty much I wasted time and water.

I'm gonna go shower now (again...)

Forgetfulness

I completely spaced it and I forgot to take my phone to work today. I actually remembered as I was at the gym this morning, and I thought about going back home to grab it before heading up to work, but I thought, "Naw, I can go a few hours with out it."

Apparently, I can't. It's been torturous. I never realized how much I rely on my phone! I use it as my watch so I know when to line my kiddos up from recess. I use it as an alarm clock to remember to get my kiddos off the bus. I use it as a calendar to schedule important events, and of course, to randomly text when necessary. I feel so naked without it!

My poor lonely LG is sitting on my bed. I bet it misses me as much as I miss it.

I'm so pathetic...it was only 3 years ago that I managed just fine without a cell. Oh how times have changed.

talk about good service

In the previous post, I described my night on the town with my nephew, Ryan. I didn't mention, however, about the waiter we had at Chili's. He was so good, I'm dedicating an entire post to him. When I told him we were out celebrating Ryan's birthday, he brought us a free appetizer before our meal came, AND free dessert afterwards. Then to top it all off, I had two free kids meal coupons. This is what I learned...

Appetizer: free
2 kids meals: free
1 adult meal: $8.99
drinks: $1.98
Dessert: Free
Batting your eyes and smiling at the waiter: Priceless

*needless to say, this waiter got a VERY large tip

My Hot Date!

My one and only nephew, Ryan, just turned 7 a couple weeks ago. For his gift, I gave him a card, which said I would take him and a friend out to dinner and a movie. When he read the card, he exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, I am freaking out right now, I am FREAKING OUT!" Apparently, it was a great gift.

So tonight was the night of the big date. He brought his friend, Brayden, along. We went to see "Nim's Island" and then went to Chili's afterwards for dinner. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the night.

Me: "I'm taking my class on a field trip to go fishing!"
Ryan: "That's....unusual..." (Not the response I was expecting to get)

Ryan: "My favorite part of the movie is when they were texting back and forth on the computer. (It's a movie about a girl and her adventures on a deserted island...there's one time that shows IMing...of course that was his favorite part...)

Ryan: "I like all my classmates but one. He's so rude. He farts a lot and doesn't say excuse me...and I have to sit next to him!"

Me: "So, Ry, did you have fun tonight."
Ryan: "Yes! I think this should become a family tradition."
Me: "Yeah, except next time, you're paying."

Ry, you are one of the best dates ever! Love ya, kiddo!

one more month!

I'm going to be sitting in IEP meetings all day long today. I actually enjoy these meetings. It's really fun to talk with parents about how much progress their child has made throughout the school year.

As much as I enjoy these meetings, I know I'll still be thinking, "one more month till the cruise."

It's only natural.

The Few, The Proud, The Marines

I met this guy, Dan, who has served 2 tours in Iraq. He showed me some of his guns. They are massive (and heavy.) Just wanted to say thanks to our troops for their time and sacrifice as they serve our country.

Spring Break in Florida

Ward Temple Night in OrlandoUniversal Studios-Orlando!My future husband (Scary Egyptian man from The Mummy, but hey, he's tall...I think he's trying to kill me in the picture)A Day in Daytona Beach. I forgot how relaxing it is to lay out at the beach. I also forgot how painful it is to have a sunburn.No matter how old I get, I never get tired of TPing!

Floridian vs. Utahan Men

After spending a wonderful week in Florida, I couldn't help but notice there are some stark contrasts between the guys in Florida and Utah...

1. Floridians know how to hit on a girl. Utahan's....ummm...don't. (It was refreshing to meet guys who know what they want and go after it.)
2. There are a lot of gay Floridians. Utahan's just like to act gay.
3. Lots of Latinos in Florida. Lots of people who speak the the latino language in Utah
4. Definitely more facial hair in Florida.

I guess there are pros and cons to both places. One things for sure, I'm happy in Utah, and that's what's important. (I know, crazy that I'd like living in UT, huh!)

Tu Tu's was too too much!

Last night, Bethany and I went to dinner with a couple of her friend to a restaurant called Cafe Tu Tu Tango. This restaurant is very bohemian. Lots of art work everywhere. They ONLY serve appetizers. yep, that's right...appetizers. The idea is, each person orders a couple appetizers each and then you all share your food with your friends. Interesting concept.

So we get the menu, and the food sounds divine. Yet, as I look around at other tables, I notice how ridiculously small the portion sizes are. Then I look at the menu and notice how ridiculously over priced it seemed ($8-9 a plate). Not wanting to spend a lot, I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu ($7). The food comes at random, and we all start to eat. I take a bite of everyone's appetizer (that is, after all, the idea). Then my plate comes. 4 tiny triangles of a quesadilla, which of course I shared with everyone. I really didn't eat much...I didn't want to hog and eat everyone's else's food, and with every small bite, I would think "Well, that just cost $1.25"

THEN the bill comes. The guy we were with just divided it evenly four ways. In retrospect, it makes sense, b/c we all ate each other's food, but I was a little surprised at the time, b/c I really only sampled the other food. I definitely didn't eat a 1/4 of the food. To add to the fun of it all, my stomach was a little queasy afterwards from not having a balanced meal (a bit of Italian, chinese, mexican, and other spices apparently don't mix well with me.)

I left $20 poorer and starving. Some restaurant. I went home and ate a bowl of cereal. I could have had the same experience for free....at Costco trying all the random samplers. Maybe I'll recommend that next time.

*Beth loved this place and laughed hysterically at my reaction. To each, his own, I guess.

*Beth just read this post and said I sound really bitter...I'm not really. It was pretty funny at the time.

Airport Thoughts

I'm sitting in the Phoenix airport right now. I have a 2 hour layover to Florida. I find that my mind is flooded with really random thoughts...

"I must look really obsessive wearing a t-shirt that says, 'I love my students with autism' and reading 'Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs.' "

"I wonder if any of my student are freaking out right now that it's Monday and the bus didn't come..."

"I bet I could make a ton of money by building a gym in airports. What better way to spend a two hour layover?"

"Ok, obviously there isn't a gym here. How can I still get a decent workout in?" (Enter image in my mind of me running up an escalator that is meant for people riding down...now that would cause a scene)

"I wonder how many females there are in this airport that are actually taller than me..." (I haven't seen one yet.)

"In a day and age when EVERYONE travels with electronics, why is it next to impossible to find an electrical outlet?"

"Heaven bless the soul that made wireless free in this airport. "

in the mean time...

I received this quote from LDS Gems today:

"The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right authority." - Bruce R. McConkie

While I do believe this is true, and I try to take my dad's advice of putting myself in places to meet people so I can accomplish this, I've come up with my own quote.

"The most important single thing that any Single Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to live life to the fullest and not sit around and wait for the right person to come along." Bre Bell

Hence the reason I'm sitting in an airport traveling to Florida right now, and I'm going on a cruise in 6 weeks. Who knows, maybe I'll meet my prince charming there. It's all about putting myself out there, right dad? :)

how...creative...

This morning, as I was going upstairs to talk to my roommate, I heard someone using the blow dryer. Naturally, I assumed that someone was drying their hair. it's amazing how dead wrong I can be sometimes (surprising, I know...it doesn't happen very often...)

No, Ruth, my sweet roommate was not drying her hair. She was using the blowdryer to dry her FEET! I gave her a questioning look and proceeded to have this unusual, and yet serious, conversation...

Bre: "So, uh, Ruth, watcha doin'? "
Ruth (replying casually): "I'm drying my feet."
Bre: "Um, why are you using a blow dryer for that?"
Ruth: "Because when you put your feet in socks while their wet, it feels weird." (WHAT!?!?!?!)
Bre: "So, um, do you not like drying your feet with the towel?"
Ruth: "It's just not as effective as a blowdryer."

I was then rendered speechless.

So then it made me think....who else has used a blowdryer in an unusual way? I'd love to hear your stories. (I've used it to defrost my freezer before...my mother was sure I'd electrocute myself)

Tagged...again

What time did you wake up this morning? I actually slept in this morning until 6:45am! It's an extra 1.5 hours than normal. I hate being sick.

What do you usually have for breakfast? a banana

What is your favorite CD at the moment? it would have to be one of my random mixes of the popular songs I download from Itunes.

What kind of car do you drive? 2008 Toyota Highlander. Her name is Scarlet.

Favorite item of clothing? Pretty much anything green...it's my signature color. If I have to choose one, I guess it'd be my green shirt that's long enough to be a dress on an average height girl, but it's just a shirt on me. :)

If you could go anywhere on vacation where would you go? Africa!

What color is your bathroom? It's painted white decorated, of course, with green!

Where would you retire? Where ever my family is...or somewhere warm where my family could come visit me.

Most memorable birthday? My 16th. I got in a fight with my parents and ended up not getting any presents. typical temperamental teenager.

Favorite sport to watch? BYU FOOTBALL!

Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning! I wake up around 5 am every weekday to workout. Call me crazy, but I love it.

Shoe size? 10 (which is pretty small considering how tall i am)

Pets? heck no! But if I had to choose one, i'd get a great dane. I need an animal that is proportional to my size.

What did you want to be when you were little? A model/secretary/mom (what random selection, huh!)

What is your favorite candy? Peanut Butter M&Ms/Reeces (anything peanut butter and chocolate really!)

What is your favorite flower? depends on my mood...but I always love gerbera daisies or roses.

What is a day on the calendar that you are looking forward to? April 14...flying to Florida! and then May 31st...Cruising through the Caribbean!

What are you listening to right now? Random TV Commercials

What is the last thing you ate? Pete's yummy pasta!

What faith are you? LDS

Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone? The Haitain

Celeb hair you covet? Well, they aren't celebs yet (although the way their clothing company is going, they will be soon. check out layersclothing.com) but I'd pick my cousins...their hair is always perfect.

One of your favorite school teachers? Sampsee will always have a place in my heart. BYU SPED Department is going to take a hard hit when she becomes a full time mom.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate!

When was the last time you cried? Tuesday. I don't want to talk about it.

What did you do last night? Slept...it's been a long week.

Favorite smell? Daisy by Marc Jacobs (I'll forever be indebted to Jerry for recommending it.)

What are you afraid of? My husband dying and leaving me a young widow...pretty morbid, especially since I'm not married!

How many cities have you lived in? 4; Sacramento, Camarillo, Provo, Iasi

How many kids do you want? 4

3 bad habits? Biting fingernails, not cleaning my bedroom, speeding

If I were a billionaire I would? TRAVEL! I'd go to underdeveloped countries and work in orphanages. I'd also donate a huge chunk to Autism Speaks, oh, and of course, take my whole family on a cruise.

One life goal? Volunteer in an Orphanage in Africa

A few things your friends might not know about you? I'm an open book. I think most of my friends know all...feel free to ask me anything you want to know!

I tag? Beth (b/c she needs something else to write about besides her catalysts :) ) Laura Smith (if she happens to read this), and Liz (b/c she's hilarious...i'm sure she'd have a lot to say.)

Spring Break!

Two more days till spring break! Yahoo! Florida, here I come!

sick

So I went to bed last night feeling a cold coming on and sure enough, when I woke up this morning, it was hitting me full on. It's always difficult to decipher between a cold and allergies this time of year, so I hadn't been taking my zicam as religiously as I should. All I've been thinking all day is the quote from "You've got mail" when Meg Ryan says, "My head is all fuzzy." That's exactly how i feel. guess I should go to the store and pick up some Tylonel P.M.

Does any one have any good cold medicine recommendations? (besides zicam, airborne, emergen-C)

questions

My buddy Pete and I are planning a cruise to the caribbean with a bunch of our friends. Needless to say, we are all VERY excited about this trip. As I am the experienced "cruiser" on this trip, Pete has been questioning me on pretty much everything...

Pete: "What kind of food is on the cruise?"
Me: "The real questions should be what kind of food is NOT on the cruise! They have everything!"

Pete: "Where do all the staff sleep?"
Me: "In a smaller boat that is being pulled behind the cruise ship. really, in a cabin...just like everyone else..."

Pete: "What do we carry all our stuff in when we port? A fanny pack?"
Me: "Yes, a fanny pack. Please wear a fanny pack! ....ok, really, just a back pack..."

Pete: "How many swim suits do I need?"
Me: "Seriously, am I my brother's keeper? How ever many you want!"

Pete: "I think I'm going to buy some snorkel gear."
Me: "You can just rent it on the ship if you don't want to have to worry traveling with it."
Pete: "Yeah, but will they let me take it off the ship?"
Me: "Why don't you think about that for a minute..."
Pete: "....I'm an idiot."

He's really not as dumb as he sounds. Just excited....very excited....

*Thanks for planning this trip, pete! I love you!

The Grass isn's Always Greener...

Today a 3rd grade teacher at my school wasn't feeling well. Unable to find a sub, I volunteered to sub in her class after lunch so she could go to the doctor. (Thank goodness I'm co-teaching this year. Rachel can handle my class with no problems.)

Although this 3rd grade class as a whole was really good, it made me SO GRATEFUL for my students for multiple reasons.

1. Some of my students can't talk, and even the ones that can don't really understand how to be sarcastic or mouth off.

2. My students are so literal, they understand that school is for learning. My students say "Miss Bell, can I do my reading now?" and "It's time for math! yay!" 3rd graders groan (and then cheat) when you give them a test.

3. My students, having special needs, are (for the most part) all on individual levels. I teach them according to their level...meaning, I don't have to grade the same 30 math tests.

yep. I've decided I would much rather be bit, peed on, hit, kicked, misunderstand, and potty train than teach the 3rd grade. Am I a freak or what?

April Fool's Day!

Happy April Fool's Day! In observance of this holiday, i thought I would share with you the stupidest joke I've ever played.

Let me take you back, way back. Back to the days when I was a 19 year old sophomore living with the most amazing gals; Bethany, Jenna, and Christina, in the The Great 28 at BDA Condos.

One semester I was taking a sign language class. For an assignment, we had to spend an entire day pretending to be deaf. I figured that a Sunday would be the easiest day to complete this assignment. However, the Sunday that I was "deaf" turned out to be the same Sunday that Jenna's Uncle invited us all to have dinner with his family.

Knowing how much of a jokster her Uncle was, Jenna thought it would be funny to play a joke on him. We decided that we wouldn't tell him that I was deaf for an assignment, rather we would just have him and his family believe that I was really deaf. (I really don't know why we thought this would be funny, but we did).

We arrive to the house and Jenna told her Uncle I was deaf. I started signing, and Christina was my "interpreter." For the next 3 hours, I continued the facade of being deaf. For those of you who know me, you can imagine how hard it was for me to keep my loud mouth shut. They full on believed it. We even watched Shrek in close captions. I tried so hard not to laugh when her uncle said, "It's so sad. This movie has such great music and she can't hear it!"

By the end of the night, I felt SO BAD that we had played this joke for so long, i didn't have the heart to tell them that I was actually pretending. To this day, that family probably still thinks I'm deaf.

Don't ever do that.

The Crazy Things We Do For Roommates

It's 2:30a.m. What in the world am I still doing awake? Oh, yeah, my roommates and I waited for Natalie to get home from a date just so we could live vicariously through her.

Apparently, it was a good date. Apparently, it was worth it for me to stay awake. Apparently, I'm going to be sleeping through church tomorrow.

*Ruth reminded me that we'll stay awake in church due to the fact that we have combined RS/EQ tomorrow. I don't know why she thinks this will entertain me...

Another Day Another Dollar

I took my students bowling today, which is usually the highlight of the week. This day turned out to be especially unique, however, when my student came to school with a diarrhea accident. We changed him quickly enough to get him on the bus for the field trip. Now, I usually pride myself in being ultra prepared for field trips (I always take a bag with gloves, wipes, spare diaper, purell, band aids, bottle of water, camara, etc). However, I foolishly only brought one extra diaper. My student had yet another diarrhea accident while we were traveling to the bowling alley. We changed him AGAIN at the alley, only to have him go AGAIN! Obviously, this poor child is not feeling well. Not able to get a hold of his mother, I called his grandpa who doesn't speak English. My mind kicked in to foreign language mode, which wasn't exactly helpful considering the grandpa spoke Spanish and not Romanian.

Rachel and I spent 15 minutes calling all our friends, trying to find someone who could speak the language. (you think it'd be easy considering how many return missionaries there are around here.) After finally finding someone, we have him call the grandfather and explain that his grandson needs to be picked up asap.

Then, to make matters even more messy (and stinky), the poor little fella went again! huge blowout. Long story short, he went shirtless until his mom could come get him.

There's never a dull day with my job.

I must be mad!

My alarm clock went off at 5:15am, as it always does on the weekdays, screaming for me to wake up and get to the gym. I turned it off and proceeded to lay in bed awake telling myself, "Get up...get up...get up." My mind said yes, my body said no. Did I get up and go to the gym as I do every morning? nope.  Did I got back to sleep? Nope...I laid in bed watching "Stewart" skits from MadTV on youtube. 

All in all, it was a very productive morning. (I tell myself as I drink my diet coke at 9am trying to stay awake)

AFL

My sisters and I went to an AFL (Arena Football League) game on Friday with Pete and Jerry. It was my first time watching the Blaze in action, and honestly, I'm ok if it's my last. There's nothing more pathetic than a bunch of washed up football players "living the dream." Hmmm...I take that back...watching Jerry hit on the girls sitting behind us was pretty pathetic too. It's a toss up.

Happy Birthday, Best Friend!

As it is Beth's birthday, I'm giving yet another shout out on my blog. In no particular order, here are some reasons why I think Bethany Rae Campbell is absolutely fabulous and my best friend:

1. She knows me better than I know myself. (Case in point...one time someone asked me what my favorite candy bar was and I said snickers. Beth heard this response and said, "Nope. It's reeces." and she was right!)

2. She can always make me laugh and no one laughs harder at my jokes than she does!

3. She has such clarity on life. She puts things in a wonderful perspective.

4. She's so dang optimistic.

5. She listens to my endless rantings and ravings and isn't afraid to tell me I'm being ridiculous.

Pretty much, she's irreplaceable.

love ya, best friend! happy 26th!

I'm losing my mind!

First I lose my precious Ipod Shuffle (it may be just a shuffle, but I used that baby everyday). Now I can't find my wallet! What in the world is wrong with me?!?!

Ward "Talent" Show

For our ward talent show, we had a peanut butter/jelly eating contest. We paired up and you had to eat all the sandwiches that your partner made for you. The first picture is of the 3 teams. Paul is my partner. I thought it was a sure win.

Paul and I making sandwiches for each other.

And finally, here I am about the throw up from so much peanut butter and no beverages. I was dry heaving a lot. Why do I get myself in these stupid situations? I'm too old for this.
*For the record, I was able to finish all my sandwiches first. I'm not sure if I should be proud of this or ashamed.

The Haitian's Baptism

Richard, the Haitian, got baptized on Saturday!!! It was a beautiful event. Richard was so excited, and of course, so was I! I was surprised at myself...I started crying when Mike started to baptize him. I also cried yesterday in church when he was confirmed. There was an amazing spirit present. I have no doubt that he is going to make an amazing leader and impact many people for good both here and in Haiti. I am honored to call him my friend.
I am also very determined to go to Haiti someday soon.

What is this World Coming to!?!?!

My para-educators and I were discussing recent current events this morning before my students came. Here's what's going on in America right now, just in case you were wondering...

*An honor student in CT was suspended for a day, stripped of his title of student body vice president, and was not allowed to attend the honors dinner b/c he bought a bag of skittles from another student.

*A woman's skim molded to the toilet seat after staying in the bathroom for TWO YEARS. The boyfriend finally called the authorities to remove the woman from his toilet seat. Medical personnel had to remove the toilet seat with a pry bar and then it was removed from the woman's skin at the hospital.

Seriously, what is this world coming to?!?!?!

A Shout out to the Missionary Mall!

I took Richard the Haitian to Missionary Mall on Saturday to buy church clothes. A girl in my ward had previously talked to the manager, and in explaining the Haitain's situation, he agreed to give us a discount.

We got a suit with 2 pairs of pants, two white shirts, shoes, socks, and ties all for (drum roll please!)

$145!!!!

Can you believe that! It was such a steal of a deal!

I want to publicly thank the Missionary Mall. Thank you for your generosity and service. No doubt you will be blessed for your kindness.

*Anyone looking into buying a suit, I now recommend Missionary Mall over all other stores*

Best Job Ever

I've been contemplating my job. Really wondering...is it worth it? All the emotional and physical stress for so little pay? With the exception of this year (bless my sweet sweet students this year), every year I get bit, peed on, thrown up on, hit, kicked, hair pulled...you get the picture. Again I ask myself...why am I doing this? Is it really worth it?

Elder Zwick came to our stake conference. His son, who has a mental disability, bore his sweet simple testimony. Elder Zwick then asked the congregation, "How often are you in the presence of someone who is ready to meet their Savior at any given moment?"

I am in the presence of multiple people on a daily basis who are ready to meet their Savior at any time. I have the opportunity to teach 10 beautiful children with autism. And although I have the title of "Teacher" and they are the "Students," I have the sneaking suspicion that those roles really are reversed. I learn so much every day about what kind of person I want to be, how I should be treating others, patience, the necessity to service, and to not judge a book by it's cover.

Although my salary may be minimal, my job is priceless. Is it really worth it?

Absolutely yes.

really?

Sometimes I look down and think, "Wow! That's a really far way down."

and then I remember, oh yeah, I'm tall.

Spring Break!

Guess who just booked a flight to florida!!! That's right! I'm going to be getting on a plane in 6 weeks to go to beautiful, warm Orlando to go play at Disney World with my bestest friend!

Go ahead. Be jealous. I would be if I were you.

good old pastimes

There's no better way to completely waste time like taking random, pointless quizzes on facebook. I took the quiz, "Which Hills Character Are You?" This was my answer...

I'm Whitney.

"You're beautiful and educated. You're the best listener of all the girls and you give a concise, honest answer. A little shy, your taste in men is impeccable. You are the ideal relationship type gal although being single is a fun option. You're Whitney!"

All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS!!!!

Crucial Conversations

We had stake enrichment today. Al Switzer came and talked to us about dealing with crucial conversations. Here are some lessons I learned:

It's ok to confront your roommates about doing the dishes. Good thing Ruth was there today, otherwise she'd have never seen this conversation coming...

Don't work in construction...the foremen can get a little physical. I don't want to get beat up.

It's important to learn how you react to crucial conversations so that you can improve your skills. If I had to guess how my some of my past students react, it'd be to attack. I should help improve their skills...maybe then they would stop biting me.