The Plea for Pinterest

I really like rules.  I like structure and guidance.  I like knowing exactly what I'm supposed to do and, more importantly, what everyone is supposed to do.  It's why I get very upset when people neglect to use their blinker or fail to return their shopping cart to the appropriate location.  This quirk, if you will, made me an excellent student.  My approach to class was "tell me what to do, and I'll do it."  This also makes me a struggling teacher because I didn't know students existed who didn't follow the rules.  It was quite a shocking awakening, but that's another story for another blog entry.

When it comes to internet filters and blocked sites, I understand the rules and why students are prohibited from accessing what could inappropriate or distracting while using school technology.  We, as educators, however, are constantly encouraged to incorporate technology into the classroom in a way that makes things life-applicable and a bit more fun.  Most of the technology students use, however, are blocked by most school internet filters.  This limits the amount of information to which students have access and ultimately limits their freedom to information.  Websites like Youtube, Pinterest, and even Twitter provide valuable information and are a part of students' daily lives.  Teaching them how to use these tools to their advantage will benefit them significantly.  Yes, Youtube can be distracting, and yes, Pinterest can have nudity, and oh yes, Twitter has quite the issue with profanity, but this is up to teachers to instruct and monitor.  Again, teaching the effective way to use these resources will cut down on distractions and help students tap into what incredible resources are available to them.  Let us have the social media!  Everyone will be better for it.

Snapchat in the Classroom

Prompted by a recent discussion on social media tools in the classroom, I went on a mini search to find the "new Facebook" and how to help teachers use it in the classroom.  Edmodo is spreading rapidly, and as more schools gravitate toward (or are at least extremely tempted by) flipping classrooms, online venues for education are in high demand.  As I learned from my students this past spring, "Nobody is on Facebook anymore."  My 400+ friends beg to differ, but okay.  I learned that all the youngin's these days are using Twitter for their thoughts (usually littered with monkey emojis), Instagram for their glam photos (of course, with every filter and art app in sight), and Snapchat for just fun conversation.

Here is how Snapchat defines their application:



The issue, though, is that whatever you share disappears within 10 seconds.  This allows students to feel uninhibited when they share images.  Even if they feel like they look ugly, the picture disappears very quickly, which takes a bit of the adolescent social image stigma allowing them to have more fun.  Because of this "magically disappearing picture," though, many Snapchat users have wound up in very scandalous situations due to inappropriate images.  Thankfully, I found a pretty helpful article written by a high school student who surveyed her peers for more information on how students use Snapchat.

While Facebook is the more "serious, mature" social media (*sigh* from this old fart who's checked her profile at least 12 times today), Snapchat is where students can be silly and real and "ugly" as they put it.  It lets them share fun pictures with just one person, without feeling like they'll be judged.  Of course, it still sets them up for very inappropriate yet tempting situations, but I see the allure.

Here's the big question, though:  How do we bring Snapchat into the classroom?  Though I try to be the watchdog that I am when it comes to cell phone use, my students use Snapchat while in class, sending pictures of hearts they drew on their paper or probably very embarrassing pictures of me as I ramble about Steinbeck and act out one-man scenes from Midsummer.  But how can this tool become educational?

I haven't figured that out yet.

As mentioned in the article, students want to keep Snapchat private, just for them to send silly pictures and be young.  Though the marketing for Snapchat is all of 20-somethings sharing drinks via their phones, teens use the app for silly texting and sending fun sad faces when their friend can't come over to study and watch Pitch Perfect for the 27th time.  It's like real life emojis!  And I like that much better than all the silly monkeys.

21st Century Learning Skills

School starts exactly two months from today, and already I am pondering all the things I DON'T know when it comes to my new library space.  I don't know how to use the catalog, where they keep the spine labels; in fact, I'm not even 100% on the actual hours of the library.  Needless to say, the next two months will be VERY educational.  One of the few things I'm not worried about is technology.  My library houses a computer lab of about 30 computers actually in the library space, and another 40 are in the adjacent lab.  Our school district is also launching its beta test of "which technology should we commit to?" this fall.  They plan to purchase 500+ devices total of at least four different types of tablets and laptops to see what device works best for most teachers.  As the new library media teacher, I will be directly involved in the distribution, use, and maintenance of these devices on my campus.  I am so eager to help teachers incorporate these devices into their classrooms.  As a classroom teacher, I struggled to find almost mythological computer lab time, and having devices on a daily basis would truly revolutionize the way I teach.  

The library at most high schools is now referred to as the Library Media Center.  It is important that this not simply refer to the fact that that is also where the TV "rolly" carts are stored.  The library media center is truly the center of transliteracy on the high school campus.  It is where students can find the printed word as well as learn how to find legitimate sources for a research paper or learn how to fix an engine by watching YouTube videos.  Because the Internet offers an infinite amount of information, what library wouldn't want to host such a valuable tool?  Rather than eliminating librarian positions and cutting funding to school libraries, the library media center is the FIRST place new funding should go.  Many administrators preach the promotion of "21st Century Learning Skills."  It's truly a case of administrators needing to practice what they preach.  If these skill are as valuable as they claim them to be, the funding should go to promoting these skills the best way possible, and the first stop should be the library media centers.

Bringing Y2K Babies into the 21st Century

As most school districts are wading further into the pool of Common Core, more and more educational communities and making a push for the advancement of 21st Century Learning Skills.  It's the newest buzzword (and I regret not saying it enough in my recent teacher librarian interview), but in reality it is so lucrative to success in this modern world.  I will turn 27 at the end of June, and I am right at the end of what I'll call the Pre-21st generation.  I grew up with computers, but I still definitely required several years of elementary computer classes, a tech-savvy dad, and a lack of athletic ability to really get to know technology.  Students today were practically tweeting from the womb.  They've been raised in a completely different environment.  To us, technology is a way to find answers and bring new information to our fingertips, something that could have taken days to track down in library card catalogs for the more specific questions.  To them, technology is a way to connect with friends and share pictures.  I see Google as a way to find answers; many of my students see it as the only way to get to a website that they already frequent many times a day.  It is our job as educators to bring these tech-savvy teens to a new level of information literacy rather than simply admiring their technology literacy.

Mike Eisenberg uses his Big6 method to outline a clear method of increasing information literacy among our students.  (You can visit his website here, or check out his very informative video here.)  The Big6 uses the following steps:

1. Task Definition

1.1 Define the information problem

1.2 Identify information needed

2. Information Seeking Strategies

2.1 Determine all possible sources

2.2 Select the best sources

3. Location and Access

3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)

3.2 Find information within sources

4. Use of Information

4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)

4.2 Extract relevant information

5. Synthesis

5.1 Organize from multiple sources

5.2 Present the information

6. Evaluation

6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)

6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)

These methods are exactly what teachers, and especially librarians, can use to promote this learning in our classrooms.  Students struggle most with the vastness of everything... well, actually more with the lack of giant neon signs that say "Click here! I have all the answers!"  Having a clearly defined task and strategy with which to acquire information will make the task a much smoother process.  The 3rd step, "Location and Access" is certainly the peek of teacher librarian interaction.  By definition, it is our job to help students locate information, and for these coming generations that seem to enjoy reading less and less, we have to do a lot more to help them find the answer once we've found the source.

This is a very concise way of outlining a lengthy process, and I know I will have my library science students mastering this process, and I will certainly use while collaborating with teachers.

Pulling out the A/V Cart

Sometimes I need to take a break and remind myself why I know I'm going to LOVE this job. The Marion the Librarian dance remix is the best part.



This next one is a great video from TeacherTube that explains exactly what at teacher librarian does.  This might be a great thing to spread around to campus teachers and even students (you could show just the student portion to them) to help explain the role that TL's serve.

The Spoken Word

Fun fact: one of my five major switches in college was to broadcast journalism and I really wanted to my own radio show.  Unfortunately, my normal talking voice isn't that melodic or soothing to the ear, but that's okay.  Here is a podcast I completed for one of my teacher librarian classes.

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Totes Trending

Apparently I've started a trend of only posting at the beginning and end of summer vacation.  On to the updates!

End of 2012

In the fall of 2012 I started my new job at Tulare Union High School.  My husband graduated from there so he was overjoyed.  I was assigned three sections of regular freshmen and one double-block of intervention sophomores.  I was scared to death of that because sophomores are already angsty enough as it is.  It turned out to be great!  As my class was whittled down from 22 to 11, I really got to know these kids.  Many of them are going to be very successful.  I had a 60% passing rate on the CAHSEE, with which I'm overjoyed. Many of my students who didn't pass missed it by just a question or two.  Hooray!

Beginning of 2013

In January of 2013 I started my coursework at Fresno Pacific to earn my credential and masters in Teacher Librarianship.  As you can tell by my love of books, I am so eager to get out of the classroom and into my own library.  I plan to use this blog for both teaching and library items as I go.  The other great part about this semester is that I'M NOT LEAVING!  This will be the first time in my teaching career that I am not leaving a school and moving to a new place.  I AM moving classrooms, though, but that's a good thing.  My classroom this past year was so, so tiny, and I hated being there.  When a well-loved teacher took a job in Hanford, I jumped on the opportunity to request his room, as he has the room I'd choose out of all the options.  I have no idea when I'll be able to move in but hopefully starting next week.

We've been living in Tulare since July, and this will also be the first time in 10 YEARS (!!!!!!) that I haven't moved.  I seriously haven't lived in one place longer than a year since I was 16.  While this house isn't the best, it's really a nice place to live for now.  This year we watched our kitten Seamus grow up into a ginormous adult kitty, and we got a dog in October.  We rescued here off Craigslist and she has been such a delight to have at home!  She is an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd mix named Sydney.  We don't love her name, but we decided she was too old to change it. We refer to them as Bubbas and Pretty Girl, instead of Seamus and Sydney respectively, most of the time anyway, so it's not a big deal.  She really is a pretty girl.

Next Year

Next year, I am finally branching away from freshmen and sophomores!  ...sort of.  I will have two sections of regular freshmen, again the double-block of intervention sophomores, AND (drum roll, please!) a section of seniors!  Not just regular seniors, though.  I'll be teaching a section of ERWC (Expository Reading and Writing Course), which at TUHS is considered an upper level course.  It doesn't earn them an extra grade point like AP, but it is for college-bound seniors who love a good conversation.  I attended three trainings this year hopefully that one day I'd be able to branch out from freshmen.  I was successful and earned a new, much needed, bigger room in the process.  Hooray!  My B days are going to be terrible (Sophomores, then seniors, then freshmen), but I'm not going to complain.  I'm only a few years out from a library job anyway (hopefully).

Then Words Came

Today I finished a book that changed my life.



The quote on the cover of the book says specifically "It is the kind of book that can change a life."  Normally an exhausted hyperbole, this time it is true.  The proof?  I am writing.

The Book:

Every page is overwhelming.  The beauty of this writing cannot be wasted on one simply looking for a good story.  If you do not love the written word, these pages are above you.  I want to print anonymous flyers and leave them in the classrooms at my university or email a directory of librarians and spread the novel like a virus.



I have ready many books since I stopped blogging, but I loved sharing my experiences.  As an English teacher and future librarian, I still suffer through books.  The 550 pages of this one took me two months because every word drips with imagery, figurative language, and gut-wrenching emotion that it makes part seven of Harry Potter look like Dr. Seuss.  It is painstaking the journey required through some of these plots, and I liked having proof of my successes, a trophy case of characters drawn and lessons learned.  It is time to unlock the glass and start bragging once again.



At the top is a link to the books I have read.  The start of the page explains the goal I made for myself in January of 2011.  I wanted to escape from my job that was literally making me sick.  The final book on the list is Mockingjay, the final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy.  I finished that book on an airplane from Washington, DC to LAX.  My best friend got married in upstate New York, and I brought that book with to read on the plane, that and The Book Thief.  I started the book then, but decided to take a nap instead.  It was over a year before I picked it up again.  It seems fitting to commence the list of triumphs with the mammoth that held up the process in the first place.  Truthfully, I stopped blogging and reading so much because I got a new job at a different school.  I didn't hate that job nearly as much.  I didn't need to lose myself in Hogsmede.  I didn't stop reading, though.



Therefore, I am going to add to the list every book I can remember, and I promise to start writing reviews again.  I am a future librarian who strongly considers book suggestions the most crucial part of my job.



Please suggest books that changed your life.  But really.  Actually change occurred because you had no choice.  My fingers have been itching for months, and this book did it.  Tell me yours.



"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope that I have made them right."

School Time is Here Again

I have to admit something: I really did not like my job last year.  ...in case you didn't figure that out yet.  I used my blog as a distraction during lunch periodically, hence why ZERO posts during the summer.  A lot has changed including a move up to Fresno and starting a new job, but to sum it all up, I'm A LOT happier.  Graham and I moved into our new place in Fresno about a month ago and it's been a great change!  We've gotten plugged into a church small group with our good friends Becca and Phil and are church shopping at the moment.  We've gotten to see several college friends, and with Graham driving 95% less we've gotten to spend a lot more time together, too. 

New job has been really great, too.  I know it's still very early but the differences between this job and the last have really changed my outlook on teaching.  It's still not what I want to do for the rest of my 35 working years, be in the classroom, but I am excited about this year!  I'm coaching freshman cheer and teaching freshman and sophomore English.  My classroom is ADORABLE!

My red and green apple theme borders on a little too girly for the fellas, but suck it up, guys!  My room is awesome.  Hopefully I will be able to update more often, but one last awesome thing about this year: no name confusion!  Every student calls me exactly what I'd prefer.  :)  It's nice.

School's out for summer!

I SURVIVED!!!!!!!!

They say that's the tell-tale sign that you'll be an okay teacher, that you survived your first year.  Due to my class assignment, I was definitely in survival mode for most of the year, and there was many an evening where I pouted lethargically instead of continuing to build my nest with my new hubby.  No more dwelling on that though; the year is done!  I have quite a lengthy recount of my job situation went down, so sit tight!

As mentioned in other entries, I got my pink slip in March because I had signed a temporary one-year contract in June of last year and was not guaranteed another year at Mission Oak in Tulare.  Because of this, I hopped on the job-search train and began Mission: Feed my Family by finding a job.  I applied to several places and interviewed at two.  I was offered a job at a middle school in Lemoore (a smaller town about 30 minutes west of Tulare and 30 minutes south of Fresno.  Living either place wouldn't really be convenient and we wouldn't want to live in Lemoore.)  I approached my current principal with this offer and he told me that he intends to have me back, but he can't say anything official until the district says he can.  I really didn't want to take the middle school job, so I told them "no" based on the 80% chance Mission Oak gave me.

I started to settle into the likelihood that I would be returning and began to plan for next year including taking over the yearbook.  I LOVED creating the yearbook my senior year of high school (I did about 75% of the book that year), and I knew early on that that would be a rewarding part of teaching.  It's  a class that students sign up for because they want to, which completely alters the mood of the class.  I didn't have to beg: Doug, the current teacher, was so giddy that I was interested that he practically gift-wrapped the sucker for me.  He couldn't wait to get out of the yearbook seat!  I was thrilled!  This was going to be great.  In the mean time, I kept applying for other jobs as the gig in Mission Oak was not official yet.  It took a while, but all the returning teachers received their contract, while I sat idly by, waiting for any time of surety.  Then Sanger High School called.

Sanger High is a nationally acclaimed school that I had first really heard about when a couple of friends from Fresno Pacific got hired there over the past few years.  It's a small town just south east of Fresno that attracts a lot of FPU grads to apply as it is just 15 miles from the campus.  Then, during my summer of professional development last year, our instructors mentioned Sanger High and its reputation for turning things around and making a successful campus.  They were named one of America's Best High Schools by U.S. News and World Report in 2008 AND 2009.  There has also been a lot of published studies on what that school is doing to achieve in the world of standardized testing and the exit exam.  It's the same demographic and socio-economic status as Mission Oak, so it's not the students; it must be the administration, both on campus and at the district office.  Needless to say, a job here is certainly appealing.  Graham works in Fresno now, too, so being able to move just down the road from his work AND being near all of our good college friends seemed like an awesome idea to me. 

I went back and forth about what to do, though, because we probably want to have our kids here in Tulare and my department here is so amazing AND they pay about $3k more a year.  Tulare still wasn't a done deal, so I needed to watch out for myself.  I blazed through the first interview with Sanger, thanks to my lucky interview shoes, and was called as a top-two applicant for a final interview with the principal.  That interview was so casual and comfortable, and I could already tell this man knew what he was talking about.  Plus, the two AP's were so supportive and welcoming.  As I walked to my car, one of the AP's called me back, saying they were going to briefly speak with the other applicant, and then the principal would like to talk to me once again.  I hung out in a waiting area near the office until they called me in an offered me the job.  I was ecstatic!  He even said that after this year, the yearbook teacher was ready to step down from that position, and he was eager to put me in that spot because of my interest and experience in the field.  I told them I needed one day to talk with my husband and figure everything out.  We left in good spirits about the next year.

The next day, after alerting my current principal of the situation, he asked for 24 hours to get an official word from the superintendent about the funding for my position.  I asked Sanger for one more day, but he said he needed to know by 5:00.  Oh, and this was at 3:30.  I prayed and called my mom, dad, mother in law, and Graham, and we all finally decided that Sanger is the better call.  I called the principal there and accepted the job. He said "You just made the best decision of your life!" and I thought "Thank you, Lord, for that big blinking sign I was praying for!"  He said he'd talked to my principal and was even more excited to have me on now that he knew that my principal and superintendent were fighting for me.  Tulare's principal came to my room not 15 minutes later and said they plan to keep me on.  No contract until the budget is approved on June 15th, though.  I'd already taken the job so I stuck with it, and that is that.

So to close this unnecessarily long story, I am now a Sanger High Apache and start my duties as Freshman Cheer Advisor on the 20th.  Yep, that's part of the gig, too, but the Varsity/JV advisor is really nice and is SO excited to have an extra pair of hands ( that can clap in rhythm) helping out with the girls.

Just planning ahead

I am years away from decorating the nursery, but I need to post this on here so I don't forget.  I'll probably do his/her names in there too but this is just too cute.

The OTHER downside to eating bad food

Food is pretty much my favorite thing.  I'm not the best cook or baker, but I try.  I LOVE when fabulous restaurant folk make me a wonderful meal that I didn't have to shop for or clean up after.  It's pretty much my favorite thing, eating at a restaurant.  My husband is very similar to me in this way, except his preferred restaurants usually come equipped with a drive-thru.  Monday night, to put off grocery shopping yet again, he took me to Panda Express, one of my favorite quick places to eat that he is still learning to like.  Pretty sure my just chow mein did me in as his just rice plate left him satisfied and intact.  I, on the other hand, sat on the couch all day yesterday... well when I wasn't sitting on the toilet (TMI, sorry)... due to my Chinese adventures.  I'm still recuperating but I am back at school.  Nervous, but I should be okay.

On the brighter side, I was able to get a lot of reading down yesterday.  I probably should have been sleeping, or chugging water, or maybe even BTSA, but I read Tina Fey's book.  I've got about 30 pages left.  It's not as funny as I expected it to be, but I did learn lots of interesting things about SNL and 30 Rock.  (Example: Community's Donald Glover was hired right out of college as one of 8 extremely experienced writers for 30 Rock.  Makes me like him even more!)  I MAY suggest it for my mom but probably not.  Her writing style is confusing for a memoir, not chronological enough.  I get mixed up sometimes if she's married or in college or 10 years old. 

Regardless, I'm getting back into my reading.  Something Borrowed will be here tomorrow!  I am not letting myself read it until I've finished my BTSA binder though.  Long nights ahead of me for sure.

... so, .... hi ...

It's been a while.  I really meant to stop by more, visit some.  A lot has happened, and I'm really sorry I've been neglecting you.  I have very few excuses beyond regular day-to-day busyness.  It's lame, I know, but I really am sorry.

Update on the job front:

Last week I was offered a job at a middle school in a small town about 35 minutes west of here.  It's not a dream job to say the least and it would be about a $7,000 pay cut, which is NOT something we would welcome any time soon.  It was, however, a job, so it must be considered.  The more I thought about it the more I really wanted to turn it down even though I did (and still don't) know for sure if I get to come back here next year.  I was supported by the ones that matter when it came to the decision, so I turned it down.  I was then told by my current administration that the odds of coming back are VERY likely and I should know for sure by the end of this week, next week at the very latest.  In the meantime, I've still been looking, still letting the dream of an English job in SLO roll around in my head.  If this doesn't work out, I will be actively pursuing jobs outside of education in the Fresno area.  The hubby works up there and many of our college friends are still up there.  It would be nice.

Update on the reading front:

I've been doing much better!  I finished Water for Elephants as previously posted and took another little break.  I have started reading the novels that my classes are reading in their reading groups this grading period.  Just this weekend I finished two, and I have I think six to go.  I'm hoping to get them done in two weeks, but the higher level reading might take a little longer.  I've just been reading the fifth grade level books so far.  I will post a list when I'm all done and see if they average a book a week so I can get back on schedule.  They should.  Hey my rules just say a minimum of 100 pages, nothing about reading level.   I did start Tina Fey's new memoir last night, so I'll be working on that intermittently.

Update on the weight loss front:

Yeah, not as successful there.   I did join the gym with the Mom-in-Law, and when I'm there it's good!  It's just the getting there that's the problem.  I'm going to make a major push though.  Trying to go at least four times a week, and we might start zumba soon or something like it.  I do plan on FORCING myself to go during the summer, make it part of my routine.  We'll see how that goes.  So far no weight loss, but hey! at least we're moving in the right direction.

Just four more weeks of school left!  I am SO good to go.

Winsome, Losesome

Almost two weeks ago now, I wrote out my agenda for Spring Break.  Here is the follow-up to show how NOT productive I was.... or was I?

Agenda for Spring Break, which begins this Friday afternoon:

1. Finish happiness challenge, or at least really keep up with it  (Failed miserable.  Accomplished nothing with this.  I suck at blogging.  I'm sorry.)
2. Write and send out ALL thank you notes from the wedding (I'm such a bad bride.)  (One third check - I did all the envelopes, labels, and stamps, and wrote about 10 cards.  I still have quite a ways to go.)
3. Spend many hours with Rebecca, Phillip, and baby Carter in Fresno (Check!  Well, it was about 7, but it was glorious.  I missed my friends so much!)
4. Miss Erica, Mat, and baby John LIKE CRAZY!!!   (Major check!  I missed them LIKE CRAZY CRAZY!!!!!!)
5. Go visit with the parentals some time that week (Check!  I went down to my grandpa's house actually on Saturday so I got to see my family, hang out with Grandpa Jack AND eat dad's killer burgers!)
6. Eat lunch with the wonderful Mother-in-Law  (Check!  Well, no lunch was involved, but it was even better.  She took me dress shopping!  I got two adorable Easter/Multiple Weddings dresses and my shoes for Erica's wedding.  Hooray!)
7. Mop the floor and actually put ALL the laundry away (if it'll fit)  (Sorta check.  I didn't mop any floors, but with Graham's help I did get all the laundry put away yesterday!)
8. Kiss my husband  (Duh!  Like a ton!)
9. Bake something new (maybe a couple things)  (Check and check!  I made honey bread early in the week and made two lemon meringue pies on Friday morning.  Something I learned this week: Lemon meringue pie should not be stored in the fridge for too long.  They were pretty, but by Easter the crust was complete mush.)
10. Read at least one book  (Check!  As seen below I read Water for Elephants which was amazing.  I'm going to start Tuesdays with Morrie tonight or tomorrow.  Trying to get back on the wagon.)
11. Watch the Pride & Prejudice mini-series and not drool too much over vintage Colin Firth  (Fail.  I did finish Samantha Who?, Doctor Who, and Greek though.)
12. Sleep in!!!  (Check!  I did a bit.  I was finally sleeping until about 10 on Friday.  It was 8 am rises the rest of the week, but it's the not having to set the alarm that is most satisfying.)
13. And I guess I should probably plan for the final 6 weeks of the year... maybe.  :)  (Yeah, maybe.  I planned out my lessons for the first day back and thought a TINY bit about what to teach for the rest of the year.)

Alright, in addition to this, I also applied to a library job in Sacramento, got my named officially changed at the DMV, did an unhealthy amount of Modcloth shopping, got about 4.5 bottles deep into my 6 bottles of Wine Club wine, and gained two pounds.  I'm sitting here eating my Special K right now and I'm certain that within a week, I may turn this into a dieting blog as well.

Have an awesome Tuesday!

The show must go on.

I finished Water for Elephants yesterday morning.  So good!  Please PLEASE check this book out for something quick but so heartfelt and descriptive.  Sara Gruen went to great lengths in research to create this glimpse into Depression-era circus life, and she is phenomenal.  With the movie coming out this week, definitely try to read the book first.  You know they'll destroy it on screen, plus I'm not overly thrilled with the casting choices.  I have a couple discount Fandango passes that we've been saving for the event, so after the hubby and I go see it next week, I'll let you know.  In the mean time, you can check out my official review up on the book-a-week in review page.

Spring break is officially underway and I'm ready for a change of pace already.  It's mostly because instead of sitting at home in the evening stressing about how much I hate my job, it's not stress all day long about how much I need to keep my job.  It's a scary couple of months ahead of me now, but hopefully we will come out at the end with good news.  Prayers would be most appreciated. 

Welcome to the Club

Ahhhhhhh teaching.  Man.  I'm am practically INSIDE the fence on whether or not I like this business.  As of now I have the fullest intention to pursue my Master's in Library Science after Graham is done with school (hopefully two years).  Lots of library jobs are available right now and they massively range in salary.  Fun fact, though: If I eventually get a job as a director a city library, I make over $100k, which is way more than I would make after 25 years of teaching AND I'd get to smell books all day.  Could be pretty awesome.  I"m applying to be a volunteer at the Tulare Public Library this year.  It would be really productive to rack up some hours during the summer.

Graham also was AMAZING and offered to sign me up for the Food and Wine Magazine Wine Club.  A fancy package of wine (plus a free $100 restaurant gift card) will arrive at my door Monday afternoon.  Man, I wish it was today!  I could use an evening of unwinding.

I'm still happy, I swear!

I get hung up on those happiness challenges that require updated pictures.  When I get home from work, I hit the couch, grab the computer, start the Netflix on the TV, and stay... for four hours.  I don't want to get up and go plug in my camera.  :)  Anyway, this is just a post to say, I am certainly still happy and certainly still challenged every day, but the happiness challenge will continue soon enough.  It IS nice to hear from my hubby and parents and friends that they miss my blog. 

I haven't been reading.  This sucks.  I was finally going to complete a year of a New Year's resolution.  Lame.  I'm starting Water for Elephants this week because Graham and I want to go see the movie soon.  It's in present tense, which always bugs me, but I'll manage.  Anyway, should have an update later.  Maybe I'll read SO much during the summer that I'll be able to average out again.

Work has really been stressful the past couple of weeks, but Counseling has finally worked some magic and will remove one of my most problematic students after Spring Break.  That lowest level class certainly has more challenges without her, but I'm hopeful that things will improve enough to survive the rest of the year.  If anything, I've got a couple students who learned something.  Keep praying for me, though.  It's no picnic.

Agenda for Spring Break, which begins this Friday afternoon:

1. Finish happiness challenge, or at least really keep up with it
2. Write and send out ALL thank you notes from the wedding (I'm such a bad bride.)
3. Spend many hours with Rebecca, Phillip, and baby Carter in Fresno
4. Miss Erica, Mat, and baby John LIKE CRAZY!!!
5. Go visit with the parentals some time that week
6. Eat lunch with the wonderful Mother-in-Law
7. Mop the floor and actually put ALL the laundry away (if it'll fit)
8. Kiss my husband
9. Bake something new (maybe a couple things)
10. Read at least one book
11. Watch the Pride & Prejudice mini-series and not drool too much over vintage Colin Firth
12. Sleep in!!!
13. And I guess I should probably plan for the final 6 weeks of the year... maybe.  :)

Proof of Happiness: Day 20

Define happiness in your own words.

 

Happiness, at least to me, is living without worry.  Obviously there are always some things worth worrying about like paying bills or making sure the car runs, but the foundation of a happy life has no worry.  This lack of worry--deep, scarring worry-- comes first from God, who straight up tells us not to worry about anything, to just pray about it.  In light of my grandmother's passing, I am starting to become more accepting of a life after this place, and knowing where I am heading helps ease the worry.  Secondly, I have a family - including my husband - who love me unconditionally.  I am not worried about where my support will come from.  I know they are there.  

When I was in high school, I was genuinely happy.  I was not worried about college acceptances (I wasn't applying to any Ivy Leagues so I knew I was okay), my family didn't have financial worries, and things were set.  When I went away to college though, I was on my own and responsible for myself.  I started worrying about money, credit card debt, grades, workload, social life, long-distance boyfriend, respect for my parents' wishes, and so forth.  This is where the UNhappiness set in.  Even after moving schools and alleviating much of that worry, I still wasn't happy.  I started piling on the things to fret over (I can't get a boy to commit; I can't catch a break with this professor; I'm not the first choice for this job; Should I really be a teacher? etc.), and I think it's obvious that this was the time when I was furthest from God.  

Finding Graham and finally grasping that he was not lying when he said "I will always love you," that he wasn't kidding when he said "Will you marry me?" and that he stood up there with me and said his vows, (yes it really took that long) I finally understood that I don't need to worry when it comes to him.  That is when I started finding true happiness again.  At the same time I started growing closer to God.  It has made such a difference.

Of course we still have things to worry about, but that deep worry that hangs over head, that's gone now.  I am finding my way back to happiness.  Over the next month or two when Graham and I start worrying about my job security and how we'll pay our bills, I know that that happiness is still there, because that deep worry is gone.  This isn't a sappy answer, but it is what I thought of and have developed into a really good theory for myself.  Happiness is very different for everyone, but feeling safe and secure is important to me.  I am no longer worried because I have my Savior and I have the man He made for me.  Nothing can stand in our way.

A Break From the Happiness - Sort Of

I'm taking a break from the Happiness Challenge to post this really great article I just read.  I got the link from Shondra, the amazing mommy blogger at Walk With Me.  Definitely worth passing along.  It's a brief explanation on how to "date your spouse" but it is completely applicable for unengaged daters as well.  Give it a read!  Link below.

For me, it means I'm going to have to watch even more baseball, but we'll both be happy doing it!  Especially if the following week we get to have Japanese food and ice cream for dessert.  :)


The Best Way to Date Your Spouse

Proof of Happiness: Day 19

Something you found while searching "love" on Tumblr

The Story Behind It--

I hate this Tumblr thing.  Bleh.  So I just google image searched "love" ... and I didn't like what I found there either.  This is a picture that describes part of what I love.  If you haven't picked up on my obsession with Pride & Prejudice yet, well, you obviously don't read too closely.  I really do love England, especially the countryside.  I have a huge movie poster of the film hanging right about my work computer so that I can look up and their lovely faces and that lovely scenery each day.  This picture is something I love--the English countryside.  I think I would honestly be happy forever if I got to live in a beautiful home like this, drink tea, eat chocolate biscuits and write more amazing love stories. Like, I would like this view from my living room window or the small deck out back where I sit and read when the weather is nice.  This is obviously impossible, but man, I would love this!