Wordle

Ok, so I found out about this awesome website called "Wordle". It makes a bunch of words into a "word" cloud.
Here's one I did of the Cougar Fight Song.
Check it out:
Wordle.net

My RA friends

I have been thinking about my dear, lovely friends from Taylor Hall last year. The RA's and HA's in my building were...lifesavers, to say the least. I miss seeing them all the time, and I certainly miss our staff meetings--laughing, sharing stories, crying, eating...you know, things girls do best. (Especially girls whose job is to deal with drama.)

The lovely Mel from 1100....

What in the WORLD would I have done without beautiful Mel?! She was such a strong, good woman who taught me what it means to stand with someone, through thick and thin. Not many people offer such great advice for all situations. Plus, Mel is a RIOT. I laugh with her ALL the time. Just thinking about her makes me smile...

Jo of 1200.

SWEET. I think that's about all one needs to say when describing Jo. She genuinely cares about everyone and will do anything to help you out. Seeing Jo on campus now gives me a content feeling...it's like the world is right when Jo is around. (and I think this picture of her is beautiful...yes, I know she's handling TP, but isn't she gorgeous?!)

Dear Jade of 2200!

Jade is so dependable. I know I could call on Jade for anything, day or night. She's a blast (exhibit A, the picture to the right) and always good to call up when you want to just laugh and have a great time. But Jade is a constant in everyone's life. She doesn't go away when you're having a hard time, being dramatic, or even annoying. Jade will stick with you, through thick and thin. Love her.

The Katie Lady of 3100...

I almost don't like to describe Katie, because I don't think words can possibly express how wonderful she is. She's beautiful (see left), hilarious (she always made us crack up in staff meeting), and BRILLIANT. Katie was my shoulder to cry on, my ear to talk off, and absolutely one of my favorite Football Buddies. I can't imagine life without Katie now. 10 Stars for Katie!

Bethany of 3200!

Kind and wonderful Bethany. She got me out of bed in the morning (literally, sometimes) and is the most encouraging of people I have ever met. Nothing seems impossible when Bethany is there to talk you through it. Sometimes, she made me feel like I could conquer the entire world, single handed. I call Bethany when I need help remembering who I am, where I come from, and exactly where I'm going.

I miss these girls, just about every day now that we've all gone our separate ways. I look forward to seeing them, no matter when it is, and when I do run into them on campus, it's like running into a piece of home. Hurray for the Taylor RA's!


I was fortunate enough to have 2 hall advisers...both women I admire for completely different reasons, but none the less admire.


Lessa was always strong, and always stood up for what was right. I could depend on her doing the right thing, no matter the cost. And I admired her strength in the face of hardship. I hope to emulate that quality and become more of a pillar, like Lessa.


Liz is the perfect example of what a woman should be. Kind, caring, beautiful inside and out, sweet and even tempered, but strong and determined. I found myself wishing I were more like her the more I got to know her. What's not to love about Liz?

My lovely Job

I totally rearranged my class schedule so that I can keep working in the Special Collections. Not sure that will be the ultimate decision...hope it is, but I dunno.

I may just... have to quit.

and that makes me want to cry.

just thought I'd tell you.

Admissions Essay

Hey! He is the long-ago promised essay that I submitted to the David O'McKay School of Education. :-)

p.s. I got in! :-)

I gazed at the document in wonder, silent ecstasy playing upon my dropped jaw. I longed to reach out and touch it, to feel the parchment between my palms and watch the ink smudge onto my fingers. For this was it: the piece of paper that declared the American Colonies free and independent. Images flashed before my eyes, memories I wished were truly mine, of watching Thomas Jefferson present his work to Congress and John Adams staunchly defending it as it was critiqued and edited before an earthly tribunal. My young heart swelled within my breast and I longed to shout along the rooftops, proclaiming this feeling of pride, joy, and unfailing gratitude for these men who had sworn their “lives…fortunes and…sacred honor” to invite freedom and equality into their budding nation.

Ten years later, I clutched my notebook as I gazed up in wonder, my chin tickled by my scarf as, once again, my jaw dropped at the sight of the parchment before me. I stood in the British Library with the Magna Carta, one of four originals from 1215, hanging behind protective glass before me. Inside, that swelling motion once again made my heart want to burst. I felt the confirmation of the Spirit as I said to myself, “This is why I must become a teacher.”

The story of my decision to become a history teacher is a short one, but the road to get there is full of ups and downs, trials and blessings. Opportunities to stand in historical places, steady influences from my teachers, and my own teaching experiences have led me to Brigham Young University and my determination to become a history teacher.

I developed a deep love of history in fifth grade as my teacher, Mrs. Henstrom, encouraged me to learn about my country. I can remember sitting in my desk listening to her, passion and pride etched in her voice as she described the first steps taken by America on the road to democracy. Those moments deeply touched me and I found myself wanting to tell everyone about it. It was there in her classroom at Rock Canyon Elementary that I made the decision that the best way to convey that love and passion would be with students of my own.

Mrs. Henstrom soon handed the baton off to my eighth grade history teacher, Ms. Thornock. Once again, I sat at the feet of someone who inspired me to share my passion. Her confidence in my abilities inspired me to take risks. Second semester, she invited me to be her teacher’s assistant. I was launched into the world of grading and learned how to truly encourage learning from even the most reluctant students. She introduced primary documents into my academic life and I began to devour historical books that she recommended. My summers, once full of reading about the Black Stallion and Misty of Chincoteague, were now bursting with David McCullough and Stephen Ambrose.

Experiences in my young academic life led me to BYU and through various occupations that bring me closer to history. Currently, I am a transcriber in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections. Every day I sit down to my desk with a stack of primary documents and make them available to the masses through technology. The virtue and importance of these documents is made manifest to me as I see hundreds of patrons enter through our doors each day seeking to thumb through their pages. It has deepened my conviction that primary documents are essential to understanding history as it really happened. This experience has influenced my thinking in regards to my future classroom. I intend to make primary documents the core of my curriculum. In truth, it is among the pages of primary documents that my love of history and desire to teach collide.

Teaching has always been a part of my life, just as history has been. As a child, I taught my sister everything I knew (or thought I knew). I was called on to teach in Seminary, church, and even a few of my high school classes. My senior year of high school, my AP Literature teacher presented us with the opportunity and challenge to teach for an entire week. I threw myself into the project and found myself spending hours with my group on research for our assigned novel, Heart of Darkness. The week was a success and I felt an incredible joy as I realized that I had influenced the students in my class. I left Mrs. Yip’s class determined to seek more opportunities to teach. Those opportunities I sought arose when I reached BYU.

My sophomore year at BYU, after scrimping and saving, I earned enough money to go on a Study Abroad to London. During my four month stay, I was called to teach Primary in the Spanish/Portuguese branch located in a very poor area of Kenington, London. My limited vocabulary and lack of confidence in my Spanish skills made each Sunday a challenge. Not only was I expected to teach children of varying ages (from three to eight), I was also teaching in a language I could, at best, sort of understand and barely speak. While this experience was a challenge, and often a trial, it was also one of the most rewarding four months of my life. I cannot say that I left the Kenington Branch a fluent and confident Spanish speaker, but I fell in love with my students and with teaching. I looked forward to Sunday each week and felt an incredible satisfaction when I saw understanding brighten their dark eyes.

The following year, I was hired as a Resident’s Assistant in Helaman Halls. My world completely turned upside down as I suddenly became the mentor, friend, and mediator for forty-two freshman girls. Teaching suddenly became more than a hobby and turned into a lifestyle as I introduced them into university life, helped them through roommate conflicts, and taught them how to live on their own. Simultaneously, I was called as the Ward Family History instructor and taught nearly half of my ward how to use the indexing program set up by the church. Teaching consumed my life in both formal and informal ways.

Thousands of moments and experiences have brought me to the point where I cannot imagine any other vocation but teaching history. I am determined to use the experiences I have had throughout my life to influence others for good and teach them that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. By introducing primary documents into my classroom I hope to foster an environment where students can easily see the importance of keeping their own histories and realizing that what they do and what they record will impact generations.

Good-bye September!

You know, it's strange to think that three years ago this month, Derek and I were barely getting acquainted. He was still shy around me, hardly speaking it seemed. And now, we can't seem to get enough time together.

But tomorrow it will be October, one of my favorite months of the year. Football, fall leaves, Halloween Candy, pumpkins, brisk fall air, school, friends, and most importantly, family. I'm looking forward to having a blast this October with all of them.

Good-bye dear September!

Things I Love

This one is for Betsy. It was a great idea.

So, I set an online stop watch for one minute, and typed anything I could think of that I love.

One minute of things I love:

1. singing in a choir
2. reading British novels
3. reading about history
4. visiting museums
5. taking walks at sunset
6. going to the Temple
   
7. humming/singing as I clean
   
8. whistling when I walk across campus
9. watching the leaves fall
10. building snowmen
11. playing scrabble with Derek
    
12. talk about the future with Derek
    
13. traveling
    
14. making cookies
15. eating with friends
    

Hmmm, nice. Here are a few more things I love:

1. writing in my journal
2. playing with Derek's hair
3. watching movies with my sisters
4. talking to my brother about life
5. watching BYU football
6. going to soccer games
7. horseback riding
   
8. hiking
9. listing to General Conference (especially when I'm there!)
   
10. listening to someone with an accent
    
11. speaking in Spanish
12. running into someone I haven't seen in a long time
13. writing stories
14. taking pictures
15. hot chocolate
16. galaxy chocolate
17. my primary kids in London
18. looking at Better Homes and Gardens magazine
19. America's Next Top Model
20. pink gel pens
21. decorating for holidays
22. Disneyland
23. warm, fuzzy blankets
24. chicken alfredo
25. eating a whole pizza by myself
26. having lunch at the Creamery
27. talking to friends on the phone
28. writing and receiving letters
29. root beer (especially A&W)
30. good roasts on Sundays
31. naps
32. wandering around Wal-Mart
33. visits to Duchesne
34. buying books
35. looking at Christmas lights

There are a million more things...but I kept it at 50. :-) I agree with Betsy though...maybe I should do this more often.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

Fall has always, and will always, hold a special place in my heart. It's one of the most beautiful times of the year, as Heavenly Father paints the leaves the colors of warmth and invites them to blanket the ground in preparation for winter. Everything is brilliant in the fall, from the colors to the cheers in the football stadium.

Autumn decorates our floors with crumpled up leaves, mementos of time spent outside running through crunchy carpet throwing confetti dropped from trees at each other and down the necks of hoodies and jackets. It encourages our feet as we walk to school, the brisk chill coloring our noses and ears as a prelude to the frigid air of winter. But it slows our hurry on our way home, calling to us to play, to stay a while in the beautiful colors and breathe the thrill of the season.

The word Fall can be defined in several ways, including "to come to rest". The Season of Fall is when the world is starting to settle down for the long winter nap. It gathers all of its resources and hurls them into the world in preparation for the cold and frozen landscape that will soon cling to our eyelashes and cheeks. It's a lovely time of harvest when pumpkins gather and children can be heard squealing with delight at the beauty that surrounds them.

Oh Fall!
I prefer your gold, orange, and red flowers
to any other time of year.

Sooners...who?

The Cougars did awesome this weekend, Derek and I both agree. As we were watching the game, we kept seeing this absolutely HIDEOUS mascot running around. It was an OU Sooner (see photograph to the right). It looked like a horse with a huge head (frankly, it looked like a disgrace to such a beautiful and noble creature). And we both looked at each other and thought, "What is a Sooner anyway?"

So, I did a little research this morning (all right, I used Wikipedia) and found this:

The term Sooners was used to describe settlers who entered the Unassigned lands, located in the current state of Oklahoma, before President Grover Cleveland officially proclaimed them open to settlement...The name derived from the "sooner clause" of the Indian Appropriation Act, which stated that no one should be allowed to enter and occupy the land prior to the opening time and that such people would be denied rights to illegally claimed land.

Sooners were often deputy marshals, land surveyors, railroad employees, and others who were able to legally enter the territory early.Some sooners crossed into the territory illegally at night and were originally called "moonshiners" because they entered "by the light of the moon." These sooners would hide in ditches at night and suddenly appear to stake their claim after the land run started, hours ahead of legal settlers.

Ha, so a bunch of outlaws. NICE.

Frankly I will keep my freaking awesome mascot.

GO COSMO!

Hitting the Books

Another first day of school has come around. Derek and I got our backpacks put together last night, all of our school supplies tucked safely inside, just like when we were little. But now, instead of a pencil box full or crayons and Elmer's glue, we have thick text books and ball point pens, plain college ruled paper, and graphing calculators (at least Derek has one).

I used to plan out my wardrobe for the first week or so of school, putting each top and bottom on a hanger in my closet where I could just grab it the night before and lay it out on the foot of my bed. I must admit, I barely thought about what I was going to wear today; maybe for a minute last night. I would get up and do my hair just so and leave plenty early to see my friends. This morning I combed my hair and pulled my bangs back, and left at 7:45, content to just get to work on time at 8.

I used to wonder who was going to be in my class, if there would be any cute boys, and if my teacher would like me. Now, I usually don't know a soul in any of my classes, unless it was predetermined by us, I could care less if there were cute boys (I'm married!) and I have to work hard to be noticed enough for my professor to have an opinion about me. Do I mind any of those changes? No, not really. I get to meet new people, I'm perfectly happy being married, and I like the challenge of getting to know my professors.

So yes, the first day of school is very different now. But I don't mind a bit. I've grown up I guess. But there are certainly some things that will never change.

For example, excitement over going school supply shopping. I have hauled Derek through the school supply section in Wal*mart so many times, I'm sure he has it memorized by now. But there's something about new notebooks, clean binders, newly sharpened pencils, and brand-spankin' new gel pens that make my heart race. It's exciting! I always want to buy a new set of crayons, even if I will never use them, a new cute binder, a bouquet of pencils, and two new boxes of Crayola Washable Markers (skiny tip and wide tip). But, now that I'm a "big girl" I have to practice restraint and remember I have tuition to pay and not go crazy. This year, I bought a new binder (it was on sale) and four new pens. I felt proud of myself for not spurging this year.

And there's always the excitement of new classes and new knowledge that I'm going to acquire this semester. What's not to love? I get to sit at the feet of some of the brighest minds in the world and learn from them. I get a fantastic education that I don't pay out the nose for. And I go to a school whose buildings are dedicated temples of learning. There's not much to complain about while at BYU.

Besides....football season starts this week....

Working on it

So, I've started working on my essay for my application to the School of Education. It's due in...oh, like 3 weeks, and I am sooo nervous! I need to follow the prompt exactly, but I want it to be a memorable essay, not just a dime a dozen collection of words. Anyway, when I'm done, which should be within about a week, I'll post it on here and you can decide.

hmmmmmmmm..................