Happy Birthday, Casey

My little sister turned 25 today! I sure do like her.

I'll take math

I just finished my last solo week of student teaching. Whew! Finally.
I asked my mentor teacher before I left today how she wanted to split up the day on Monday since we are transitioning back to tandem teaching. She had started a science testing preparation activity and wanted to finish that. Since she had it all prepared, she took that one right off the bat. She sat there in silence for 5-6 seconds. Finally, she said that I should definitely take math and that we would tandem teach literacy.
A huge grin covered my face as I tried to accept the math responsibility without laughing. I told her I'd be glad to take math, since they are going to be taking a test. I couldn't hold back anymore. I erupted in laughter! Bwahahahaha! I think that's the hardest I've laughed out loud in a long time.

Easter

Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway, and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin and hellish darkness and despair.
One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone we do not have to do so.

Graduation is fast approaching

I consider myself tech savvy...most of the time. I purchased a student license for Adobe Design Premium and have used several of the included programs, but for some reason, I was intimidated by Photoshop. Well, today I found myself with the overwhelming desire to create my own graduation announcement. I had to face my fears. I jumped right in. A special thanks goes out to all the wonderful internet people who made this project possible. I went to Google with all my questions and found the answers on a slew of Photoshop tutorial posts. (I was greatful that I wasn't the only who needed assistance for even the small manipulations.)
I'm impressed with the final project, especially knowing it was my first. My friend, Jodi, gave me the perfect statement of validation. "If your career as a teacher fails you could go into digital artwork." Oh, yeah, and thanks, Jodi, again for taking such a great picture. It sums me right up.

Attention all Northern Utah Girls

Call up all your girlfriends and attend this event! (Please repost.)

Click for more information.

What do you know about Tooele?

Per your request, I'm posting details about my first job offer.
I originally saw the position listed on Teachers-Teachers. I sent my application to the school and even followed up with an email address that I found on the school's website. I heard nothing.
I saw that this school was scheduled to be at the teacher job fair at BYU. I circled it on my map, but when I went by there was no one manning the booth.
After three hours of being charming, I was exhausted. I called my friend, Eliza, to hit her up for lunch plans. She said that she was waiting on Annie who was in an interview and then would be heading around the corner to eat in the cafeteria.
I decided to walk the floor one more time, with intentions to stop by the booth for Vista School to remind them that I was amazing. (Vista was my first interview and my number one preference as of right now.)
All the reps from Vista were tied up with other candidates. (Why bother looking elsewhere? You've got what you need right here.)
I circled back around and saw that someone was finally at the booth for Excelsior Academy. (There. I finally divulged the name of the school.)
The gentleman was interviewing a girl with gorgeous red hair but very little to say. He did far more talking than she did. I waited patiently, even after Eliza, Annie, and Eliza's friend, Holly, stopped to tell me their search for swag was a fail. I told them that I was going to at least introduce myself since I'd already sent my application in to this school and that I'd meet them in a bit.
When the red head finished up, I immediately took her chair and introduced myself. The gentleman doing the interview was Ernie Nix, the director (or in other words sole administrator/principal) of Excelsior.
I explained that I had already applied and he admitted that he was behind in looking at those applications.
He offered an interview right then and there. I took it.
I interviewed well despite the chaos around me at this teacher fair. He practically offered me a position at the end of my interview. He said that he wanted to make a couple phone calls but that he'd get back to me in a very timely manner.
I went home that night back to St. George. I stayed up for a couple hours looking into the Tooele area, trying to imagine if I could live there.
The next day, I went on an adventure with a friend of mine to Grafton and Silver Reef, both ghost towns in the local area. As I was about to leave the dirt roads of our adventure, I got a phone call.
It was Ernie Nix extending me a job offer. I was surprised with the timeliness of his phone call. He stated several times that I was a great match for the ideals and philosophy of this school.
I told him that I would have to think about it and would get back to him. He gave me his home and cell phone numbers.

What do I know about Tooele? It's about a 35 minute drive from Salt Lake City on the west side of the Oquirrh Mountains. The population is about 40,000. It's elevation is 4923 feet. The average summer high is 91. The average winter low is 20. The lowest recorded temperature was -16 set in 1990. (I experienced -27 working at Togwotee Lodge in Wyoming.)
There's more interesting city data here.
The local paper, the Tooele Trascript, is only printed twice a week. The local library seems nice. After two months of having a library card, a patron could check out 30 books at a time and keep them for three weeks.
The cost of living is lower than the US average. Housing seems not too difficult to come by.
If I find a potential husband, getting a marriage license is rather simple. I can even schedule an appointment to get one after business hours. They support marriage in Tooele.
They have county fair. They have an arts festival. They even have a simple recycling program.
I'm not sure what'd I'd do for a musical outlet since the only choral group I can find is the Tooele County Choral Society which seems rather elitist. They are made up of only 20 members. Oh, wait. I just found a news article in the Transcript that mentions the yearly Messiah performance. Thank goodness.
The Salt Lake City Astronomical Society hosts star parties in Stansbury Park on a regular basis. That brings joy to my heart.
There is at least on YSA ward. That's a good sign.

What do I know about the school's director, Ernie Nix? A quick Google search tells me that he used to weigh almost 400 pounds. When his wife had a cancer scare, he decided then and there he had to do something about his health. He's now a marathon runner.
His son was shot while serving in Baghdad.
He's served as principal at two elementary schools and two middle schools in the Salt Lake area with over 12 years of experience at these schools.
One of these schools had a student body that was made up of 95% in poverty and over half learning English. Within one year, their achievement scores jumped from 56 to 80, easily meeting AYP.
He seems like a decent enough guy to work for.

What do you know about Tooele? Would it be a good move for me?

The pondering begins

I got my first job offer today.
The research and the pondering begins. It's now decision time.

Rot in prison, Paul

I'll admit it. I'm fishing for comments on this one.
I've been meaning to post this picture for quite some time. It was one of the funniest parts of my Christmas quick trip to Florida. We got gas and dinner at a truck stop in Mississippi just outside of Jackson. My sister found this little gem on the wall of her bathroom stall. I snapped the photo with my mother's cell phone. Cell service was inconsistent in the area, so I couldn't send out the picture right away. I did send texts to a few of my funnier friends and asked them to Google Paul's name in Mississippi to find out if he ever did get booked in jail and promised them they'd find out why later. Google didn't bring back any good results. Once I regained cell service, I sent them the picture. I asked them the same question I now ask you:
What did Paul do to tick off Wanda?
Why would Wanda want him to rot in jail?
Tell me more about Paul and Wanda. It must've been pretty serious for her to include last names. Please be as clever and creative as possible. Tell your friends to join in on the fun. Feel free to repost this as long I you let me know, so I can read the clever responses on your blog.

Times is hard, times is hard

This economy is rough on everyone. When times get tough, people get desperate. Dancers start taking any job available. Watch the musical performance at the end of last night's Colbert Report.

I'm sure those dancers are classically trained Juliard graduates, and this is their only option for work these days.
Didn't get enough? Watch more on youtube.

On this day of Valentine

I was scheduled for rounds on Valentine's Day. I made sure the boy who I was rounding with knew that it was Valentine's Day and that I expected flowers and chocolates. He then suggested we have candlelit rounds. We even got it approved by the Resident Manager.
I decided that I couldn't expect all that from him if I wasn't willing to do something as well. I wrote him this poem and regifted a box of chocolates a fifth grader had given me.

Dustin oh Dustin
You are so incredibly kind.
I cannot imagine
A more perfect Valentine.

When I saw that we were scheduled
My heart skipped a beat.
An evening spent with Dustin
Is always such a treat.

A romantic moonlit stroll
As we round past every door.
Great conversation and some laughs--
I could not ask for more.

We reach a door and you pause
Just two hims and not a her.
I'm always so impressed.
You are such a great listener.

We are forced to stay up late,
But I see each minute a treasure.
Any time spent with you
Is always my pleasure.

I sometimes pray we have a problem
So we have no other resort
Than to spend ten more minutes together
Filling out an incident report.

Dustin, oh, Dustin
I hope that you'll be mine
As we round the dorms together
On this day of Valentine.



He loved the poem.
Alas, he showed up empty handed. Men.

If I had one wish, then it would be

...a Snuggie and a booklight for you and me.

I still remember the first time I saw a commercial for a Snuggie. I was at my parent's house. I couldn't wait to see it a second time. After my third viewing, I had uncontrollable envy. I wanted a Snuggie. I wanted one really bad. I told everyone that a Snuggie was on the top of my Christmas list. The best part was that it was a gift that would give back. For $19.95, this gift giver could get a Snuggie for me and keep one for himself. Better yet, two other lucky souls could receive the included free booklights. Who would pass up a deal like that?

Everyone.

That's right. No one got me a Snuggie for Christmas. Fortunately, I was in Florida for Christmas, so my disappointment was hard to dwell on.

Well, I'm not the only American with Snuggie dreams. Check out this article in the USA Today.
That's right. Four million Snuggies sold to date. View these Americans sporting their Snuggies on Flikr.

There are over 300 YouTube videos about Snuggies. This is one of my favorites.



The moral of the story is that I still want one. I would be so popular, and I feel like all my wildest dreams will come true. Graduation is coming up in May. Order one for me today!
(You can pick the color. I'd be happy with any one of the three options.)

I'm in love

...with a new website.

alphaDictionary

Our first date was the link to an article originally printed in The New Yorker. How I Met My Wife caused this geeky girl the giddiness to commit to a serious relationship. We've been together ever since.

Thanks, Amy, for introducing us.

What free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.