i've always wanted to be mcgonagall

it all started last week...
the epic marathon of 7 brilliant movies began whilst i was relaxing in boise.
this marathon was continued upon my return. it was happy...and yet a little sad, for i knew the end was near...and endings are sad...

well on wednesday night, the girls and i decided to make our sad-yet-overly-excited-excitment known.
we discovered the awesome-ness that is freezer paper.
yes. freezer paper.
you see, this magical creation allows you to trace, cut, iron and stencil error free,
so what did we do? made harry potter stencils of course!
i learned about this on a happy blog one day, and have been DYING to try it out.
i figured harry potter and this epic era that was ending, was the PERFECT opportunity.
as you can see. epic shirts were made by all...

which ones mine? ya that shouldnt be too hard to figure out...

then it was the night of all nights.
an already very tired group of friends, (mainly myself, who hasnt been to a midnight movie in over a year, and rarely stays up past 11 pm), embarked upon a very happy adventure. and it was magical (haha get it, magical...ok, i know) 2 hours of sheer intensity, several tears shed (lets just be honest here) and an overwhelming bittersweet feeling. what an amazing saga, boom, over, 14 years later. (what?) i remember when the books started getting popular, and me being the 'super mature' 5th/6th grader refused to read it for a while...i wasnt about to follow the crowd...who does that? but i eventually came to my senses, and embraced the awesomeness that ms rowling started on a napkin. ahhh what an awesome journey it has been! i believe my pal mr rickman (freaking love him!) summed it up best....

yes. he is simply brilliant.

so the final battle is over. so what did i do? ya, started reading the book again. im now currently in the middle of i believe 5 books now, but i just have to read this one again. i just can't seem to let it go.

i also went and saw the movie again. still as intense, still cried. deal with it.
im a harry potter freak! i cant help it :)

and, yes, i will in fact grow up to be just like mcgonagall one day and say things like 'particular proclivity for
pyrotechnics... and BOOM!' that was great. she is great. sighhhhhhhhhh love it.

to be or not to be

To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are. 

 

 

courtesy of the red white and blue

here's my typical july 4th weekend summary. you knew it was coming, didnt you? i bet some of you have been just DYING to hear all about my stellar weekend, and are just eagerly awaiting my blog right? hum....didnt think so.

but here it is anyways.

july 1st- last day of school...summer is here! i miss my kids already, but i am SO glad its summer vacation, and i have a chance to PLAY!!
i celebrated this glorious occasion by going to dinner with some of my favorite girls, shopping at old navy, and then embarking on a series of most random adventures which include: cute boys at smiths, being hyper at smiths, dancing atop the whole foods parking garage, and staying up later than i have all year. serious. i didnt know 2 am really existed anymore...im getting old. i hit my block at 10:30 and i cant seem to function much past then.
but it was definitely a blast. im so grateful for these girls and the randomness they appreciate with me...we truly are all kindred spirits...i mean, few people would celebrate justin bieber day with me....thats true friendship :)

july 2nd- kiss.me.dirty....race that is. oh this was epic, no, this was BEYOND epic. seriously?! 4 miles running in the MUD!? i am all over this. oh it was glorious. we didn't race one bit, in fact i think we were last ones in our wave of runners, but it didn't matter because SEVERAL people said we were the dirtiest they had seen that day, and honestly that was our ultimate goal. after the race, getting clean took like 7 hours i swear, and then i most definitely zonked out for like 3 hours. when i woke up i drove to centerville to meet kym and her parents for dinner, and then a production of 'civil war' at counterpoint legacy theater. pretty good show, not my favorite, but had some great songs, and im always up for any kind of musical. after that, kym and i got subzero icecream (love) and drove around soaking up the summer evening, and listening to all the fireworks. flip, i love summer.


july 3rd- went to church, same old same old. then, i DROVE HOME! seriously, i was super excited to go to boise, because christmas was basically the last time i have been home. technically i was home in april, but im pretty sure it was less than 24 hours...so i was stoked to have a real boise vacation :) also, this drive is always something i look forward to. 5 hours by myself to think, and belt songs at the top of my lungs....it something i quite enjoy

july 4th- i think it goes without saying that independence day is my favorite holiday. summer, food, family, friends, fireworks, parade, bliss. ahhh yes it is so great. we went to the parade in the morning, which was kind of lame this year...im not quite sure who is in charge...but its always fun to see mr samuel piping away with the band. we then came home for a nap, and packed a picnic and went to the park to camp out for the fireworks. this year the fireworks rocked. maybe it was due to the awesome location where we sat, but it was definitely worth it :) LOVE fireworks :)

p.s. remember that one time i chopped my hair? ya crazy. ALSO, this is the ONLY time you will see anything remotely close to country coming from my blog, but this is a family favorite on 4th of july...love it!

so there you have it. the red white and blue weekend was a success, and now im just chilling in boise for a few more days, soaking up the sun and visiting some of my favorite kiddos and counselors over at playcamp...boy do i miss that job...

oh summer. cant you please stay forever?!

so long, farewell...

remember this one time, where i graduated from utah state in december, and on february 7th i started teaching 4th grade? sometimes it still baffles me...its crazy that something i worked so hard for, and something i wanted so badly has come true, and has been my entire life for the past 5 months. needless to say, im still ecstatic, overjoyed and i love my job. i had a super awesome class, and if i could i would post videos and pictures of our end of the year celebrations...but thats legally a no-no, so just imagine me and 23 ten year olds having a grand old time, and you will be set.
the last week was a crazy whirlwind. i had to get awards done, grades and reports cards done, had to clean my room, and pack up and move in to the off track closet, all while still teaching. luckily there was something awesome every day, monday we taught the kids how to make oragami frogs (a nice little angle and line review) and then we raced them in the gym. en-ter-tain-ing. tuesday we went on a field trip to the utah capitol, toured the daughters of the utah pioneer museum, and ate lunch and played at liberty park. seriously so much fun! wednesday was field day, and i got extra cool points for being the first teacher in the dunk tank...sweet. thursday we had our 4th grade rendezvous. played pioneer games, made leather necklaces, and made homemade rootbeer!
friday was the last day, and what a strange day it was. the kids were anxious, and i felt super anxious, like there was something dire that needed to be done. but we just had a lovely day, there was the faculty vs 6th grade softball game that morning, and it was a blast! im pretty sure we tied with the 6th graders, but we really just had a great time, and the kids loved cheering us on. we then had a class auction so the kids could spend the last of their class money. we had year book signing and then we cleaned up the room. the last half hour of school, we sat in a circle on the floor and the kids each shared their favorite part of the year, then i went around and told each of them what my favorite thing about them was, and why i was grateful to be their teacher...i felt myself getting emotional a few times, but then some kids would crack a joke, and that was forgotten. but when the bell rang, and i hugged each kid and wished them a happy summer, i felt it coming. once each kid was gone, i turned around and definitely burst into tears. i seriously felt so silly, but so sad! i mean, i will see most of them again, since they are only going to be in 5th grade right around the corner, but these were MY kids. my FIRST class. my FIRST year teaching! i learned so much about myself, and about teaching from them, and now i have to say goodbye? rude. i dont think its fair, but i guess thats part of teaching. hopefully i have a super awesome class next year...
next year which starts in 6 weeks...gotta love year round school! (i actually really do, i think its genius)
here's to my 6 weeks of summer vacation! PARTY!

SYTYCD

its not summer without SYTYCD.

and teaching year round school has pushed my summer back a little bit.

but school is out (i will blog about that soon) and i am FINALLY all caught up on SYTYCD.

so far...loving the season...but my favorite dances so far are the following:

and dont forget my favorite tappers...love love love

im totally falling...timberrrrrrr

music, dancing, french humor and pop culture references?

could ANYTHING get better than that?

i submit that it can not!

tonight my dear friend amy and i went to see dirty rotten scoundrels at hale center theater. um...i freaking LOVED IT! i had heard a lot about it, but had not heard many of the songs, and i think its safe to say that i have a new favorite show. oh it was glorious. i was laughing so hard, i was crying...no joke. also, i may have sort of...okay....totally fallen in love with the guy who played freddy. (yes mother, i fell in love with another actor, and no i did not meet him in person...story of my life) he was great. fantastic. simply charming. im making kym go with me again in a couple weeks....maybe then i can meet freddy in real life...cha ching!

watch the promotional video, just ignore the commentary. thats not important. the SHOW is whats important! yes!

 

now excuse me while i go find a way to download the soundtrack...

and watch more videos on youtube.

ahhh i love the theater. cant wait to get season tickets!

p.s. happy birthday mr a-z. i bought an avocado in celebration!

and thats the sound of sunshine comin down

we all know how much i love summer,
and today was the first OFFICIAL day of SUMMER 2011!!! solstice wise...still have a week and a half of school, but the next 8 days are going to be AWESOME in 4th grade...just sayin.

ANYWAYS, to celebrate my favorite solstice.... i wore a skirt to work, i laid out in the sun for a couple hours after work reading my book, i watched PLL, i created a new summery blog banner and then listened to my three newest favorite summer songs over and over over and over again...

and

and

p.s. okay, OF COURSE this is an ultimate summer 2011 song too....don't worry, the whitney summer mix is well in the works....as soon as my computer with all my music gets fixed. boo. 

today, i also almost went and got Bob's again, but i have gone twice in the past 4 days, so maybe tomorrow...(haha maybe?...ya right. try a definite yes...)

happy summer bloggers. drink it in! MMMMmmmmmmmmmmm...glorious

ask her if she sings...

we finished reading one of my favorite short stories on friday (literally this book only has 58 pages, i think it took a total of 30 minutes to read a loud to my students) but i seriously love it. love love it. but my favorite part, is that today we started watching the movie....

and, i feel as if i shouldnt be saying this as a teacher....but this is one of those stories, where i prefer the movie over the book. maybe because i saw the movie as a little girl way before i read the book, oe maybe because the movie is so much more detailed, or maybe because still to this day, i find the movie simply magical. who cares the reason. its one of those movies, where the only person that understands the love i have for this movie is my mom. its just one of those things we have.

any who, whats happy is that my students are really enjoying it, and i am just loving every minute of it. seriously, if you haven't watched this trilogy, please do....now. you won't regret it :)

i swear, every time i watch this movie, i get the biggest chills when they round the corner, and the kids see the wagon, and her yellow bonnet... beautiful.

{for some reason i can't embed the video. so click here}

love.

it's the dad life. it's the dad life.

i miss my dad today.
he's pretty stellar. take a look for yourself...

 

i think he's a pretty cool dad. but i think its pretty crappy that i didnt get to see him today.

oh well. hope he had a happy dad's day. 

and just because this is ridiculously ridiculous...

click here :)

it will all be worth it

i have been pondering how this blog post would come out since last friday when i received the news that lamba delta sigma had been cancelled for good, and that the organization was no more. i refrained from speaking out about it until i knew more, and until i had really gained an understanding, so here i am now...

for those of you who don't know. Lamba delta sigma is an LDS sorority organization that i have been a part of for the past 5 months. i joined hesitantly back in January after i finished student teaching in hopes of meeting new people, and as a means to find adventure. i was hesitant due to the fact that i had graduated and was not a student, and have never attended the U, and because the idea of a 'sorority' has always struck me as a bunch of catty girls up in every bodies business. well, little did i know, that this organization would become such a huge part of my life.

since i started in january, i have met some amazing girls. before i joined sigma, i didnt have very many friends in salt lake, and life was just so so. but the blessings have been numerous. these girls are amazing. they have become friends that i know will be forever friends. we have had countless adventures, an infinite amount of late night giggles, and even some silly drama that just ensures that we are real friends. being a part of this organization has made this the best year of my life. its amazing to belong to a sisterhood that is centered around the church.

in april i was called to be the sisterhood officer for sigma next school year. over the past 2 months i have been planning for the next year with the rest of the presidency. from rush week, to fall activities, to exchanges with the fraternities, and sweatshirt and t-shirt designs. until now. when we got cut off.

i will admit i have been really confused. maybe a little mad. and definitely really sad about this. hence, why i have refrained from posting until now. it makes sense. they want us to devote more of our time to the newly reorganized YSA wards, but its still hard to come to terms with. no more weekly sigma. no more rush carnival, no more fall barn dance or winter formal, which are all things i never got to participate in since i joined mid year.

but at the meeting on tuesday night, we were given a lot of reassurance and we left feeling at peace with the decision. the first presidency made this decision unanimously in the temple, so it is up to us to stand beside them and look at the positive. the priesthood leader of sigma shared this parable, which i found fitting.