Birds come down from sky so blue...

do not fear! i am alive, just have neglected my blog. i went on a fantabulous roadtrip, with 2 fantabulous girlfriends, and am currently working on that post. it was an epic adventure...so it takes time. until them:

1. have i mentioned that im obsessed with Toms? ya. now own 3 pairs...and its only a matter of time until i own more. judge away.

2. i love when fantastic things happen when you least expect it. for example i randomly went to provo a few weekends ago to visit my friend jennifer. we were going to eat at some mexican resturant, but ended up going to brick oven. well it was simply meant to be, because i most definitely ran into my dear friend Emily....it was happy. i heart her.

3. i think im borderline obsessed with this song

4. is it june yet? im dying for season 3 of Drop Dead Diva

5. speaking of which....the Drop Dead Diva soundtrack just may be the BEST purchase of my life. sooooo entertaining. pretty sure this show was made for me...yep. its definite.

6. did you watch 'beyond the blackboard' last night? can't wait to get it on dvd. love stacey. love the movie. love being a teacher. happy.

7. have i mentioned that i have to buy a new bookshelf, because i have a small dvd problem? so embarassing...and so fantastic

8. spiced orange harvest people. you have until WEDNESDAY folks!!!! VOTE VOTE VOTE

9. only in the LDS church would i have participated in an easter egg hunt at almost 23 years old, and hear during the opening prayer "as we search for easter eggs and feel of thy spirit" oh man gotta love it!

10. kasidy and i went to two different stores today in search of easter peeps. im quite depressed that i didnt get any at all this easter season. my favorite thing is stale peeps! sigh...

11. still off track, and currently without a car for the next week. sigh.....my apartment is going to be very clean and very well organized...just sayin

and a mini sneak peek of my fantastic adventure...

peace. love. happiness.

i can't belive its over..the days were slipping past... the good things never last

i can't believe it.

summer is over and done for.

i feel like it just barely started, but here i am, living in salt lake, and starting my final semester of so-called "college." i will be honest, im a little broken hearted about not being back in logan. i miss it already, and im recently realizing how much im going to miss out on this semester! like the entire week of welcome, (which is by far my favorite time of the year), football games, basketball games, angies run, aggie ice cream, seeing the 'A' from pretty much anywhere i go, gorgeous logan weather, ...crap...im feeling a little homesick for good old logan! but i am putting faith in the fact that salt lake is where im supposed to be. its something new and exciting, and i think it will turn out to be a really fun semester.

oh did i mention, HELLO!!!?

yes i am in fact alive and well.

just have been internet-less for the past week or so.

quite tragic yes,

but luckily the qwest man i flirted with on the phone will have our internet up and running on sept 7th

hopefully i can make it another week...

hopefully.

i love my friends. 

the ones that really care, and are sincere and make you feel WORTH something.

the ones that love you no matter what,

and call just to see how you are doing,

and see how everything in your life going.

the ones that are indeed curious about every detail of you

and make it a point to tell you they care.

...thats what makes the world a better place...

i have high hopes for my new ward.
its new ward for me, with new people and in a new place,
and i keep praying that its a good place for me.
to meet people, and to make my semester here more enjoyable.
BUT, i have dedicated a section of my white board to keeping tally of the marriage talks.
seriously, we are already 1 for 1
and since its an 'older' ward, i feel there will be PLENTY.
ahhhh gotta love singles wards.

it for reals occurred to me today that im graduating in 3 1/2 months.
that means in 4 months i could be a real life teacher.
i mean, the odds of that happening are slim what with the crap economy, budget cuts, and the odds of finding a teaching job mid school year are next to impossible,
BUT the point is that im so close to being done.
its the weirdest feeling ever
mixed with massive amounts of fear and that wretched 'i want to throw up feeling'
but also extreme joy, and the idea that something i have wanted for so long,
and something i have been working for for so long is ALMOST here.
wow. can it really be real?
am i really filling out my educator licensing and certification application right now?
why yes. yes i am.

one of those 'ahh ha' moments

we have all been through it.

the never ending 'what am i doing with my life'

the 'is this really for me?'

and the 'what am i getting myself into?'

moments that kind of make you want to pull your hair out and run away and hide in a dark corner.

i have had my share of these moments.

especially within the past year as i have really been immersed in to college courses that really gave me a taste of the 'this is what i will be doing for the next billion years' feeling

its hard to make decisions. 

and then even when you do make decisions, its hard to feel confident that its the right choice.

i am really good at second guessing myself. and freaking myself out and changing my mind far too often.

i mean, i know i want to be a teacher,

but its easy to get caught up in the pressure of

'can i do this?'

'do i really enjoy this?'

'is this really what i should be doing right now?'

all i have to say is being a grown up is kind of tough.

but tonight i was blessed with an 'ahhh ha' moment.

it came as a surprise. it came at a much needed time. and it was in the form of a movie trailer.

huh? yes. this movie trailer had me in tears.

what a powerful film this will be.

just watching this filled me with all sorts of  'i can do this' feelings.

i want to make a change.

i want to make a difference in even just one kids life.

i want to help shape a better tomorrow.

its the little things like this, that make me realize im doing the right thing with my life.

its a great feeling these 'ahh ha' moments.

im quite the fan.

i made a pledge to see this film 'Waiting for Superman'

and i really hope you will too

walking billboard for USU

well here it is. the sentimental, heartfelt post about the end of the semester.

i know you have all been eagerly waiting and anticipating its arrival...

well, its the end of the year. the end of my so called 'life in logan.' its finals week. may 2010 which should mean im graduating, but im not...im really awesome and chose to be a music minor which combined with my lack of ability to pass a certain math class the first time around, set me back a semester. but im totally fine with it. im not ready to have to totally grow up yet anyways. but even though i wont be rocking the gap and gown this weekend i still am leaving logan officially. i decided to complete my last semester, (in which i will be student teaching) somewhere new. away from the so-called 'college scene' and on to 'new' adventures. im moving to salt lake somewhere. dont know where, dont know with who. but thats where i will be. i officially was placed in an elementary school in sandy, UT which is about 20/30 minutes from the salt lake -ish area.

it should be interesting to say the least.

all i can say now, is that im beginning to have a hard time with this concept. logan has been my home away from home for the past 4 years and every summer i get so anxious and excited to come back. im so attached to this place, and all of its glory. i love my aggies, and will continue to be, as my mother would say, 'a walking billboard for USU' forever because this little town and all its aggie blue pride has a special place in my heart. yes, that sounds incredibly cheesy, and dont worry im laughing at myself for saying it, but its the truth. i have learned so much about myself and life in general, and im realizing how its hard it is to have to leave now. when i say i have been on a roller coaster for the past 4 years, i am stating the biggest understatement known to man. i have been through so many difficult times and have had so many hard lessons to learn (which i wont go into), but i have also had the best times of my life (gag me, this isnt suppose to be comical and sappy, but sorry thats how its turning out) from countless crazy roadtrips, to late night walmart runs, to watching far too many movies in one night, to deciding that 2 am is the perfect time to make german pancakes, to having your major consume your entire existence, and to meeting people who you relate to so well, you could have sworn you were separated at birth. its obvious to say that these are the friends that i will have with me throughout my life. the ones that know the true me, and have already seen me through the best of times and the worst of times. i hope they are okay with being stuck with me for the next couple decades, cause even though this is some sort of ending, we all know that 'Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end'. Here's to beginnings and endings, and a whole bunch of new adventures!

first, a much needed reflection on the past 4 years. weird...

oh brother...

i wish i could force someone to read this article
but i cant...
good thing i will be stepping in,
in only a matter of time.
i'll show em who's boss...

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah

BFF teachers

today was the LAST DAY OF CLASSES!!!

it was exceptional.
people brought cookies and donuts,
and we didn't pay attention to one ounce of the math lesson
its quite exciting...

its a pretty big deal to have survived level 3 without ripping out my hair
or slitting my own throat
(OR ripping and slitting the hair and throats of others for that matter)
so i find it cause for celebration.
its true that after spring break i start practicum
and will in fact be BUSIER than i have been
but still...im taking this one day at a time,
and for now i celebrate.
it will be nice to not have to see some people...
actually it will be
the greatest blessing ever
to not have to see some people for 8 hours a day.
but i will miss some of fellow level 3's.
we did create our facebook group so we can communicate regularly
and we decided on having 'weekly meetings' so we can see each other
the best plan of all came during the previous mentioned math class...
jodi, makenna, cari, and i decided that after student teaching,
we are all moving to snowflake, arizona



(...we are going to drag amanda and gwen there with us
but they don't know this yet)
we will be getting jobs in the same school
and moving into a neighborhood where our four houses will connect in the backyard.
all of our children will frolick in the backyard together
we will have a swimming pool, fire pit, and a deck for BBQ's
we will share lesson plans,
and a cricut cutter so we can create the greatest bulletin boards and activities the state of arizona has ever seen.
and we will live happily ever after.
until we are old and crazy

its a plan.
makenna and i just have to find husbands first...
but it will happen!
dont you fret.

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah

"stupid integrity, gets me everytime."

just so you know, apparently ELED majors don't know how to talk about anything but ELED. its true. whether it be school projects, professors, annoying people in our level classes, ideas we have for our classrooms, practicum assignments, peer assessments, phonics, advisors, jigsaw assignments, "love gifts", book boxes, place value etc etc, its all we know how to talk about. it consumes us. during the day and in our sleep. 24/7. so if i do this to you, just slap me. and tell me there are other things to dwell on. and i will try to devote a few minutes to anything but ELED. i will try. i may fail miserably, but i will try. just for you.

fyi- the quote was stated by my friend gwen in response to a self assessment we had to do on a huge project today. yes. we have to grade our own work, i guess to prep us for future assessment of student work? who knows.

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah

with like...a real job

2 days ago was my half birthday...

and in 6 months i will be 22
just randomly thought about that.
but it is a strange thought really.
cause soon after that i have to be a "real" "grown-up"
not just "grown up livin on my own"
but a REAL grown up
with like...a real job
:S
this is so weird to me
especially this semester where we have been non-stop talking
about our strategies as teachers
and where i have started planning out my entire 1st day of school schedule
this is just strange!
i have been a student since i was 6 years old
and now i have to be the TEACHER
oh brother
im in for an adventure!
good thing i love what im doing!
seriously

p.s. i sure hope i can be a classy teacher like doris day...

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah

bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils

i love that first days of school come twice a year in college.
i love new beginnings
and buying new school supplies.
it makes me think of boquets of freshly sharpened pencils
and the smell of chalk dust.
i was obviously destined to be a teacher
if these kinds of things excite me.
needless to say, today was kind of a lame first day of school
probably because i have no monday classes
i just had a meeting for ELED where i signed my life away
vowing to have no life other than school
and more school.
it will indeed be an interesting semester
full of projects and children
and teaching and no sleeping
but thats okay.
it shall be worth it.
someday
heres to school
pencils
and no social life
until may.
cheers

p.s. go see sherlock holmes and leap year. oy, sooo good

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah

teaching tolerance

this is just a little rant....dont mind me

i just finished my last eled 3000 class. all semester we have been discussing the foundational studies of education. we have talked about gender bias, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, deaf education, etc etc and throughout the whole semester i have learned so much about tolerance and the need for change in today's world.

it has been a very inspiring semester, and although frustrating and very time consuming, i have learned a lot in all my classes as well as in an actual grade school classroom. this is probably the 1st semester that i actually feel this way...sad, but true. but the plethora of useful information i have gained, that i know i will live by and incorporate into my teacher methods and lessons is wonderful.
today's 3000 class was probably the most inspiring for me. we watched a video about teaching tolerance called "A Place at the Table" this video was an interview with 6 or 7 high school students i would say, that all have different backgrounds. it opened with some very powerful statements about how their ancestors have shaped their lives today. one boy said "if you don't know your history, you don't know yourself." another boy said "my ancestors are my 1st heroes."
the stories these kids shared really made me think a lot about my ancestors and the sacrifices they had to make in order for me to be here and to live this live that i lead. it has inspired me to learn more about their trials, and what they dealt with on a daily basis.
the movie continued into hardships that their ancestors faced in order to come to america and live the life that they knew would be better for their future. they talked about hatred that they themselves, have faced because of their skin color, religion, or life choices.
it was a hard movie to watch, but one that really made me think about what i am doing to help make this a better place to live and be free. one girl said "why do you care what i look like? cant you just respect me for who i am?" its something to think about, and wonder, are we teaching tolerance? are we living tolerance? are we living the words liberty and justice for all?
it's obvious to see how far we have come, but its also clear to see just how far we have to go...

souvenez-vous qui vous êtes
-whit sariah