this monday aug.2nd it will be THREE years since i got home from my mission in armenia. the experiences, the feelings, the language, the people, it all seems to be slipping away from me as time goes. but i know, or hope, it will never leave me entirely. i was reading my journal the other day from this time...

August 1, 2007:"I am really excited to go home. I have missed my family so much. I also miss the familiarities of home and am excited to be there again. What do I look forward to? Some serious things, some kind of not so serious.

Serious: seeing my parents, playing with Aubrie and Cory, attending an American ward, dancing again, going on dates, going to lunch with the old sisters and MTC sisters, going on trips, the TEMPLE, talking with my brothers, catching up with my friends.

Non-serious: CEREAL, sleeping when I want, listening to love songs, milk, not using a filter for water, a normal shower, driving, staying up past 10:30.

As much as I am excited to go home, I feel a sadness for leaving this calling and this country. There are many many things that I will miss, which are all serious to me: preaching all day every day, speaking Armenian, meeting random people and becoming best friends, seeing people's lives slowly change for good, the tatiks (grandmas) and papiks (grandpas), seeing the power and influence of the elders, P-day gatherings with the sisters, giving out copies of the Book of Mormon, seeing big miracles, hearing Armenian jokes that are never funny, the ice cream, the fruit, the bread, little kids speaking Armenian, mission conference, hearing missionaries' testimonies, getting advice from President, telling the Joseph Smith story in Armenian, feeling the hush and the spirit while telling that story, crazy drivers, laughing with companions, crying with companions, seeing and experiencing the gift of tongues, wearing Christ's name on my chest every day, flying with angels, knowing that I am doing the same work as the Apostles, teaching the Plan of Salvation to those who have lost a loved one, having conversations about Christ on marshutnies (buses), always carrying a Book of Mormon, and being a missionary for Jesus Christ."

August 2, 2007 on the plane home: "I'm not sure how I feel right now. I kind of feel like I'm in a dream and that any second I will wake up in a little apartment in Yerevan. I guess I will say that I feel peaceful. As weird as it is to actually be on the plane heading home, I feel good and know that I am in the hands of the Lord."

what an experience! i was excited to go home. i wasn't one of those missionaries trying to extend their mission or crying for days before they had to leave. it was freakin hard! by far the hardest thing i've ever done in my life. but if i could go back, i would do it all over again. it's an experience you can't get anywhere else. it makes you stronger. and more importantly, it touches people's lives and spreads the gospel over the earth.

my sister-in-law, jamie, just got her mission call today! she will be serving in the russia samara mission. wow. if anyone can handle a russia mission, it's jamie. i know she'll love every minute of it.

this morning tyler and i went to the mesa arizona temple. my first temple outside of utah. it was such a joy. i remember when going to the temple single i couldn't wait to have a man there with me. a lot of things are better married.

a fit woman that doesn't have double Ds, an inch size waist, and toothpicks for legs! ok. i kind of really like this. i'm not saying my butt is huge. actually i wish it was bigger. but this just makes me feel better about not having a victoria's secret barbie like body. i would be a liar if i said i was 100% satisfied with my body. i think any woman would be lying if she said that. but i'm trying. sometimes it sure is hard when i'm home all day watching america's next top model and underwear commercials. i see the impact media has on the image of my female students at school. most of them act, dress, and wear make up and hair like they're twenty years old. seventh graders are pulling out mirrors in the halls and constantly applying lipgloss. if there's one thing i hope to accomplish with my future daughters it is to instill in them a healthy self-image and a high self-esteem. my mom was so good at that. she always built me up and of course still does. "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth." - President Gordon B. Hinckley

Today was really fun! I went to a local farmer's market and a street faire at the mall. I never buy things at these outdoor splendors but I just think they're fun. I like the individuality and uniqueness. Then Tyler and I went to a bbq fest where they had tons of bbq vendors from all over the state who compete in all their bbq glory. We got to taste test some and it was delicious! I will never be a vegetarian. (Pictures were taken with phone.)

I am really loving life right now. I'm recovering from my first year teaching, having fun every day, I'm madly in love with my best friend, and perfectly content with things how they are. Ah summer.

here's some pictures from hike #2. this time we headed to tanque verde canyon, a suggestion from tyler's dad, jim. other news: we moved today from tucson to prescott. it's a lot cooler here and there are trees. joy! just a suggestion: never drive three hours in arizona in the middle of summer without air conditioning.

we're pretty intense

isn't that precious

so here's the tanque verde waterfall! wait...where's the water?

this snake decided to get in our way until i threw a rock at it

tyler got stung by...something. he now has one cankle.

yes those are bugs. yum.

my mom is so talented. she completely decorated and painted this entire room, including the bed frame, dressers, and night stands. i seriously want to hire her to interior decorate my house when i'm older. my parents bought this little home in west bountiful right before i left on my mission. it was all white with plain carpet. when i got home i found painted walls and brazilian hardwood floors that yes, she did all by herself. now my parents are trying to sell this little cute and much improved house. so cute mom. i love it. love you.

i love being outside and i love hiking so i was thrilled to get the chance to go hiking this morning with tyler. we went up sabino canyon on a short hike to sabino dam. it was hot. and wonderful.

my attempt to be artsy

these lizards are everywhere down here

gross

dead cactus. never knew they looked like trees when dead.

sabino dam. there's no dam water. welcome to arizona.

such a cute pouty face

July 4, 2010 was so much fun. We had a bbq and went to a park to watch fireworks. Watching fireworks is so much better when you've got a sexy man by your side.

Jeremy, Tyler's (special) brother, delighted us all with a new haircut.

Matching t-shirts! Tyler will do anything to make me happy.

i don't have anything to say. i don't have anything to do either so here i am. i guess i'll do my best to give updates that don't really exist and ramble on for those who care to read.

fortunately and to my great pleasure, life is just like it was the last time i wrote. i'm actually having a small panic attack that i only have six weeks left of summer vaca. ah! why is doing nothing every day making time go so fast?

this week has been great just like every other. yesterday tyler and i went to eclipse. it was his idea. no jk there. he tried to play it off to the ticket lady saying "oh, this is my favorite movie ever" in a sarcastic tone. but i called his bluff. he's a romcom chick-flick lover at heart. just one of the many reasons i love him! i mean, really, what other boy would love to sit down and watch "how to lose a guy in ten days" with you? i liked eclipse. normally i want to puke at any sign of cheesiness but somehow the twilight saga pulls it off. i can't read the books. too long and way too ridiculous. but i give eclipse one, just one, thumbs up.

i'm becoming quite the little cook. or so i like to think. maybe we should ask tyler about that. i'm trying to be creative and have had some tasty success, some of my favoites being manicotti, chicken parmigiana, lettuce wraps, and chicken cordon bleu. if anyone has some favorite recipes or ideas please let me know!

i'm so freakin excited for july 4th! it's by far my favorite holiday. i know, i'm a horrible person for not loving christmas. sorry. it's all about heat, bbq, fireworks, and american patriotism. for those of you who aren't aware, i'm a summer fanatic! i wish it could be july all year. apparently arizona has a monsoon season in july. what? who woulda thought. not looking forward to cloudy skies, but like it or not, it's on its way.

sytycd is rocking my world. this routine was a-m-a-zing! wow! funky song, ridiculous choreography, and alex - what? a ballerina, or ballerino, doing hip-hop like this? you go boy. i remember doing hip-hop for the first time after ten years of ballet training and seriously you have to throw away everything you learn in ballet. not easy. i gotta give this one to nappytabs too. they're my heroes.

well it turns out my husband is a celebrity. he made the local news by doing what he does best - protecting families the apx way. check out the vid.

Glendale woman has 2 cars stolen from garage, one ends up on photo radar

not only does he protect families, he "guards and protects my heart" every day. ha! oh bachelorette. how i love you! kasey is out of control. i wish he would have showed ali the tattoo cuz pretty sure he'd be out of there by now. unlike ali, i don't think he was being insincere. i think he's just sincerely weird and corny. i think it will get down to roberto, frank, and kirk. already looking forward to monday night...also loving sytycd. my early favorites are alex, kent, lauren, and jose.

life is still good! this week went by regrettably fast. slooooowwww down time! i thought that maybe i would be sick of doing nothing after two weeks but boy was i wrong! i love it. between the pool, elliptical, tv, reading, cleaning, cooking, and tyler i manage to keep myself busy and happy.

i am looooving life right now! i was driving today, feeling the warmth on my skin and smelling hamburgers in the air, thinking how much i love summer, love having a break from work, and love being with tyler FINALLY. life is good. my days consist of sleeping in, making breakfast with tyler, going to the pool (and having to get in every 5 minutes because it's so freakin hot), cleaning the apartment, planning and making dinner, watching o'reilly/bachelorette/sytycd, and spending the nights with tyler. pure joy.

i cried today. twice. because i'm so freakin excited that i will see tyler TOMORROW! i'm overwhelmed with how much i love and miss him.

school's out for the summer! i officially made it through my first year of teaching. i didn't kill myself. i didn't strangle anyone that i wanted to. and i really did enjoy my job. teaching is so hard! i did not anticipate the difficulty. i felt like i got ran over by a train at the end of each day and was knocked out for the night by 10 p.m. every day. it's exhausting and draining in every way. but i loved it. i love being involved in the youth's education and hopefully did something to contribute to it.

hillcrest - peace out for 2.5 months! tyler - here i come baby!

this weekend i went with my parents, brothers-1, and niece and nephew to our cabin on hebgen lake in montana. it was SO nice to get away from the city and live for a bit in god's country. we spent our time talking by the fire, taking walks, playing outside, making food, and taking at least three naps daily. there was no t.v. there were no computers. there was a lot more silence. and it sounded good.

well i'm about peeing my pants that it's only FOUR days away! ah, i never thought this week would come. here we go! bring on three more days of school, one day of driving, and a brilliant summer with the boy of my dreams.

to bang or not to bang?

i decided to bang! again. i missed my bangs and was tired of my straight, long, boring hair. tyler calls it my veil. risky decision, but i took it.



of equal importance as getting my hair did today, tyler is taking the mcat right this very second! he started it at one p.m. it's a five hour timed test so he's got about an hour left. for those who aren't familiar, it consists of three sections: biology, physical sciences, and verbal reasoning. it's pretty darn important as his score may determine his admission to medical school next year! maybe we will all get the pleasure of hearing from him sometime soon on how it went. tyler - i love you! thank you for working so hard!

there are four days of school left, two of which i'm not even teaching. on one of those non-teaching days all the seventh graders are going to raging waters as they won the competition (based off grades and crt scores) against the eighth and ninth grades. they made the announcement today who won and i swear i was more excited than the kids! i screamed and pumped my fists in the air like a wild monkey. ah, the joy of a break.

on that note, i'm off to watch the premier of sytycd.

i thought this was beautiful. i like seeing people take risks and do things that are new, hard, and different for them. and i guess i like watching contemporary dance too. just a little bit.

Oh, why can't I already be in Tucson??? Sun+heat+pool+Tyler = dream yet to come true. 11 more days...

i can do anything! maybe we all need to try this once in a while.

Yes! Thank you!

This story was featured on Fox 13 tonight. The Pointe, an acclaimed dance studio in Lindon, Utah and home of Odyssey Dance Theater, offers a dance class for autistic and disabled kids and teens. Through this class, the kids learn social and behavior skills, coordination, muscle-brain function, and artistic expression despite their apparent limitations. Parents of the students commented on how much it has improved their kids' social skills, helped them feel accepted, and increased their ability to creatively express themselves.

So tell me, why are so many schools cutting the arts? Oh, because kids don't sit on their butts enough all day. Or maybe because kids need to just use their head more and leave the rest of their body out of it all. Oh, I know: all kids learn the same way and no kid needs kinesthetic learning. None of that makes sense. Most crucially, without the arts creativity is becoming stifled in education.

Please be an advocate for the arts in schools. It's not an elective or optional part of education. It's a necessity.

i heart lee dewyze. he's going to win american idol. hallelujah! i like glee. it makes me laugh out loud, which so far only the office and the suite life of zac and cody have accomplished. i, unlike my usual self, am loving the heavy rain all day today. i like how it smells. it smells particularly good at my parents' house because there are so many plants and trees to soak it in. i love that it's almost ice cream time: my daily ice cream dose every night that involves vanilla, chocolate, and caramel.

there are some joys of living with my parents at 25 and married! like...my mom coming home with DQ dipped cones. yum.

the countdown continues...17 more days of school and 24 more days until i see tyler! i hate waiting for things...especially to see my own husband!!!

randomness

what am i still doing up? my bedtime is 10:00 sharp. i'm just thinking about life. listening to evanescence "you" and crying a little. thinking about when tyler proposed to me. i don't ever want to forget the details of that night. beach. full moon. lightning in the distance. sand. surprise. absolute love. thinking about people i know that i really don't know. appearances deceive me. i put on my own facade sometimes. does anyone at work know i'm just trying to survive? does tyler really know how much i miss him? why do i feel like i have to play hard to get sometimes still? i've got him! i feel like texting him all the time. all the time. but i stop myself. ah. i miss everything about him. well, maybe not his clothes strewn about all over the apartment. maybe just that. before i got married i loved being single. loved it. loved independence. loved focusing on me. i was not a crazy-for-marriage provo-ite. now i can't stand being alone. i crave his presence. thinking about the mission. thinking about what a beast of a trainer i was. i'm sorry anna. i've never felt so guilty in my whole life as i did on the mission. so many rules. they're necessary though. then there were those few days when i was filled with absolute happiness. thinking about how i can not wait to wake up to tyler again. stare at his baby face while he's still sleeping. then 10 minutes later hear him grunt, turn over, and say "why are you awake?" thinking about how i feel more purpose in life being married. and how i feel like i'll have even more as a mother. thinking about who my kids will be and what they'll be like. sometimes i wish i was already 80 and done with the challenges of life. but i'm loving the fact that i have the greatest person by my side to tough it out with me. random. i know. a lot of times blogging is more for me than anyone who reads this. great if you benefit or find some good here too but it just feels good to get thoughts out on the screen and let someone else know what's going on behind the appearances.

everyone showed up. tech crew was brilliant. cd didn't skip. red spotlight worked. everyone followed the rules. no one fell/tore their costume/threw up/had a meltdown/yelled at me. success.

i would have to agree with what's going on here

This is not good. I am in love with little kids lately. My precious nephew Cory turned five today. What a birthday party! There were bubbles and basketballs and pinatas and pop and a million little kids running around screaming and being a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e. My favorite were these little blond, high pitched and even higher energy, spastic twins. Drama Kings! I just wanted to take all of them home in my pocket! On Saturday my family and I went to Cory's soccer game. Ha! Six little boys trying their best to figure out what in the world's going on. Priceless. It's amazing how fast a crazy little kid can make you laugh. Am I baby hungry? No. Getting there? Maybe.

Sprinting. Tonight when I went running I sprinted. When's the last time I did that? Never. Oh wait, in the MTC every Wednesday on ice cream night. Anyway, I had some much needed to release tension. Today was one of those never-ending stressful days. Stress after stress after stress. Tonight when I was sprinting/crying/wanting to scream my lungs out I remembered something I learned my freshman year of college. That year was a dramatically transforming year for me. I remember realizing that all negative feelings come from the adversary. I really really strongly dislike (hate) him. If I give in to the negative feelings, however, I'm letting him win. It's been really easy to feel crappy lately, but such is life. My goal now is to not give in to those negative feelings so that miserable creature can't find any joy in my pain.

A Snickers-Worthy Day

Today was a snickers-worthy day. Whew. Is it summer yet? My dance classes are stressing me out because we have a concert NEXT week. That sure came up fast. My English classes are preparing for the CRTs which also takes place NEXT week. I'm finding that I have a lot less patience and seem to yell a lot more in my classes, but seriously what's with the attitude? When I was in junior high I would have NEVER even dared talking back to a teacher or given sass. Why do kids think that's okay now??? Ugh. Anyway, nothing a snickers at the end of the day can't solve. I'm happy now.

Day One

Today is day one of 1.living at home again and 2.being away from Tyler. Only 40 more days until 1.I move away from home hopefully for good 2.I see Tyler! and 3.my first year of teaching is over. You could say I'm counting down, a little.

This weekend was really busy. Usually Tyler and I wake up around 10 a.m., make breakfast, lounge around, and study/lesson plan a bit. Yesterday we spent pretty much the entire day moving. I couldn't sleep after I initially woke up at 8 a.m. We were packing/cleaning/and moving until 6 p.m. It always takes longer than I think it will. For fun last night we went to La Caille! We got a hefty gift certificate when I bought my ring at Jared so we decided to take advantage of it. I got a forty-eight dollar plate of chicken and Tyler got a sixty-three dollar plate of the best rib-eye steak I've ever tasted. Yum!

Tyler left at 7 a.m. this morning, beginning his twelve hour drive to Tucson. I went inside after seeing him off and surprised myself as a few tears rolled down my face. The tears continued during sacrament meeting later. I cried a lot. I haven't been to church without Tyler for the past seven months and it just wasn't the same. I didn't think I'd be so emotional. I guess when you're with someone you love so much everyday for seven months (almost eight) you get a little attached. He is my best friend, the one person I always want to be around, and I am going to miss him. Whenever we are apart, like when we were engaged, we always joke that I miss him first but he misses me more. So he may not miss me now but he will!

On a positive note, I am loooooooooving the weather!!! Bring on the sunshine.

Changes

April always seems to be full of changes. This year is no exception. At the end of this week Tyler and I are moving out of our first home together. He's moving down to Tucson, AZ working as a technician for APX all summer. I will be down to join him, but not until June. So I'm entering the nest once again for six weeks. Wish us luck. Peace.

Happy 24th Birthday Tyler! I Love You So Much!

spring break officially starts NOW!

I can take a hint

I just noticed the title of the blog, 'thoughts by tyler and jodi.' Some women think guys are oblivious to subtle hints like that...and for the most part women are right. So...what to write for my first ever post on OUR blog.(jodi likes to stress the our especially when I call it her blog:) So my life is more busy than I would like it to be at the moment. My time is spent with the love of my life...chemistry(you would think chemistry is the love of my life judging from the time I invest in it but alas this couldn't be further from the truth. I cant wait for 106, 352, and 353 to satkel), volunteering with Hospice, 'working' at the RB/SFH, working in a research lab, preparing for the MCAT with Kaplan, teaching...no...managing nursery, and spending time with the person who makes all of this stress worth it. Jodi, that is you! Ok, I already have a itchy clicker finger that is wanting to hit the PUBLISH POST button on the bottom of the screen.
I LOVE the MADNESS! Could anyone ask for a better opening round? I hope the rest of the tourni will be as exciting as opening day. BYU fans are lovin' it. I'm not a dire hard BYU fan but I'm looking forward to the game today.
I have a story to share and then I'll call it a post. This happened about 2 months ago. It was 9 pm and I had just got home from taking a 3 hour ochem test when I got a call from a Provo police officer. He asked me to come down to the street by my car. I was still in the fog of ocem and had Sn2 and Sn1 reactions running trough my head. I go down to the street and the officer asks me if I hit the car in front of me when I was parking. I didn't know what to say. I told if I there was any contact it wasn't more than a nudge. I told him my wife was out of the car guiding me in as a parallel parked into the semi tight squeeze. I took a look at the 'damage' and there might have been a scratch on the bumper of the car in front of me. There wasn't any damage to my car. At this point I just wanted to go back inside and get this ridiculous thing over with. I asked the officer what happens now. I gave him all my information and he said that was it. Before I went into the apartment I walked up to the car and tried to talk to the 17 year blond old teeny bopper.I tried to talk to her and all she said was, 'we will let the insurance companies figure this out,' as she rolled up her window. I couldn't believe the whole situation so I just went in and called it a night. Oh ya, you would think that she drove a benz or something by how she was acting....no, she was driving an '04 Dodge Stratus!!! Why wouldn't you call the cops when your fancy Stratus gets a scratch on the bumper?
I wasn't too worried about all of this because I didn't think anything would happen. There were not witnesses, Jodi had guided me in, and there was a scratch on a bumper. I was worry free until I talked to my mom the next day. She got me worried, thinking that I was going to get sued. This is America where people file lawsuits against fast food chains for making them fat, or when they spill hot coffee on themselves. AMERICA!!! Why cant we be better than this. Lets stop trying to get something for nothing. Dumb lawsuits and a culture of entitlement are ruining this great country. In Chicago or Detroit it is now illegal to wear cologne or scented deodorant because a lady sued the city because she was bothered by the lady's perfume who sat next to her at work. Anyway, I don't want to start sounding like Glenn Beck so I'll move on.
To wrap things up. I worried and had a sick feeling in my gut for two weeks. The claims people came out and looked at my car. They couldn't see any damage and said it was likely that nothing was going to happen. I was finally comforted. I called that teeny bopper's insurance company and they confirmed what the claims people said. So THE END.
That was longer than I wanted it to be. My apologies. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I'd like to ask a small favor. If you read this, leave a comment. I want to see how many I can get. I might want to brag to Jodi:) This is a one time request. PEACE

A week ago I had an awesome time hanging out with mission friends. Ever since I got home these have been my favorite people to spend time with because we just seem to be on the same page.

Some of my favorite people in the world I met on my mission: Nuge, my trainer, the one who laughs about everything and stresses about nothing; Maggi, my third companion, the one who says things I want to say but don't have the guts to; Speez, my desired but never realized companion, the one who makes any old boring event a hysterical and fabulous time; Anna, my trainee, the one who never ceases to entertain; Leah, my granddaughter (Anna's trainee), the one who makes me laugh more than any other. And that's just a few of the many. Of course there are a few yeretsner (elders) that are fun people too. I even married one who is now my best best best friend. What would I do without Tyler? I don't really believe that everything happens for a reason but I'm thankful a lot of things happen, like me deciding to serve a mission. I had a serious boyfriend when I left. I never even thought of staying home, though, because I had received such a strong impression that God approved of my decision to go. Thank heavens I went because I met the best people in the world while there including the love of my heart.

Last summer a group of us went to Lake Powell. Best time of my life in the past couple years (besides my wedding day obviously!). Here's a video of some of the chaotic and ridiculous fun we had every day. Love you Leah and Anna!

a dream is a wish your heart makes

lately i've been having weird dreams. when i say lately, i mean my whole life. i've always had the ability to remember about three or four dreams i have every night. trust me, it's not always an ability you'd like to have.

dreams are interesting because science has still not found a clear purpose for them. in armenia, people take dreams literally. they see joseph smith come to them and tell them the church is true and there's their answer. i believe god speaks to armenians through their dreams because they will accept it. i don't believe he will speak to me through my dreams because i don't ever take mine seriously. so for me, the purpose of dreams is just a good laugh here and there.

here are a few of my latest:

last night i had an actual conversation with tyler in my sleep while he was awake.
jodi: tyler, you did such a good job.
tyler: on what?
jodi: on the quiz we did in class!
tyler: (laughing at my ridiculousness)
jodi: (realizing she's dreaming and talking in her sleep) wait, what? oh, never mind.

i dream about school and my students a lot! i won't mention specifics but i can say it's mostly awkward for me the next day when i see them.

two nights ago i dreamed i was pregnant. what a nightmare! i remember sitting in a seat, feeling my belly seriously sagging to the ground. i got up, walked outside and plop, the baby fell out. i looked down and discovered i had just given birth to a pig. gross and weird. foreshadowing? i hope not.

if a dream is really a wish your heart makes, i pray most of my wishes never come true.

Really Jake? Really? Bad decision.

so i teach junior high. i'm surrounded by this generation every day. by the way, what catchy phrase (or letter) has been designated to them? anyone know? today we were instructed to read a poem to our second period class. i think it's pretty cool. so, first read the poem like normal, from top to bottom.

the lost generation

i am part of a lost generation
and i refuse to believe that
i can change the world
i realize this may be a shock but
"happiness comes from within"
is a lie, and
"money will make me happy"
so in thirty years i will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
my employer will know that
i have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
i tell you this
once upon a time
families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
this is a quick fix society
experts tell me
30 years from now i will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
i do not concede that
i will live in a country of my own making
in the future
environmental destruction will be the norm
no longer can it be said that
my peers and i care about this earth
it will be evident that
my generation is apathetic and lethargic
it is foolish to presume that
there is hope
and all this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

now, reverse the poem and read it from the bottom to the top.
pretty cool, huh?

Happy Anniversary to Us

Today is Tyler and my five month wedding anniversary! Woohoo! What rookies, you're probably thinking. And it's true. We're still very new to this marriage thing. But let me tell you something, new or not I'm loving life! What are those nutheads saying when they mention how hard the first year of marriage is??? First year of teaching...yes hard! Everyone is RIGHT when they say the first year of teaching is difficult. But these past five months of marriage have been marked with bliss. Now I can definitely not take any credit. Well, maybe some. The reason I've had such an easy marriage is because I married an easy guy! Well, that doesn't sound right. But you know what I mean. Tyler is the easiest person to get along with. I can't imagine having a hard day living with him. Because it's our (seemingly insignificant) anniversary and with it being love month, I am dedicating this post to Tyler. Here are a few things I've learned about him the past five months or so that you may or may not know...

He loves milkshakes.
Even more, he loves my milkshake dance.
He is more of a night owl than I.
He twitches A LOT when he's falling asleep.
He snores.
He purses his lips when he has a big snore.
He loves watching Criminal Minds.
He hates wearing his wedding ring.
He's never slow to emphasize how much older I am than he.
The first thing that attracted me to him was his arms.
He always finds the good in others.
He likes to read.
He loves learning about the founding fathers.
He's reading a biography on Benjamin Franklin.
He is money-wise.
He did not like me when we first met.
He loves breakfast food, especially french toast.
His favorite band is Mo-Tab (according to the survey done at my bridal shower).
His radio station is usually set to talk radio.
He's a great game-player and frustrates me because he (almost) always wins.
He's a beach-lover.
His intramural volleyball team won championships this year.
He'll put almost any dessert in milk.
He's got great hands for massaging (which I can't appreciate because I'm too ticklish).
He's polite.
He mumbles. (That doesn't go well with my lack of hearing.)
He loves movies.
He likes chick flicks.
He's a dedicated student.
He has this way of getting me to laugh my way out of bad moods.
He can read me far quicker and better than anyone I have ever known.
Lately he's been tearing giant holes in the crotch of his pants.
Maybe it's because he has a ghetto booty.
He proposed to me on a beach in South Carolina.
He proposed to me without discussing marriage first. At all. Ever.
His nickname on the mission was "babyface."
He has a hard time keeping his eyes closed during prayers.
His skin is unbelievably soft.
He's not afraid of PDA (within reasonable measure of course).
He would do anything to make me happy.
He is the love of my heart.

I love you Tyler.

Dr. Laura

Something happens when you get married. You get old. By old I mean you watch the news, go to bed at 10 PM, cook real meals, and listen to talk radio. I've recently discovered Dr. Laura. The other day I about died when this man called in...

He explained that he's been dating this girl for three years, thinks he wants to get married, but has a few concerns. Dr. L asked him what his number one concern was. He said...

Well, she's moody and emotional and I can't handle it.

Bah!

I laughed hysterically. Dr. L said exactly what was on my mind...

If you can't handle moody and emotional, then you better marry a man.

I heart this boy

Last night I directed my first ever dance concert. After much trepidation that at least one of the many things that could go wrong would, the concert actually ended up being a success. As the last dancers exited the stage and the curtains closed, I was surprised to find tears in my eyes. It was pretty emotional seeing the end result of many months of hard hard work. I'm so proud of my students! Especially the choreographers. The concert consisted of two beginning dance classes, filling the program with 15 dances and 80 dancers. All of the dances, with the exception of one, were choreographed by the students. I was surprised and excited to see complicated themes and difficult and technical movement come out of these dancers' minds and onto the stage. 

Schools need art. Unfortunately, most schools are not moving toward expanding their art programs. Fortunately, I was hired into a school that is. Unfortunately, most schools are cutting their art programs because of budget cuts. The little money that is left is flowing into the English and Math departments, not the arts. Why? NCLB. Now I'm not saying anything is wrong with promoting the progress of English and Math. I'm mostly an English teacher after all. But how in the world are people justifying the cut of the arts? The definition of art involves creativity. The use of creativity spurs self-esteem. And self-esteem and confidence are a leading factor to success in core subjects such as English and Math. Art not only helps children in their core subjects, but just in life. It teaches confidence and team work, real life skills that transfer into everyday life and the relationships these children have in and out of school. 

Last night I witnessed up close and personal the self-esteem rising in these kids. To see the smiles and the sense of accomplishment expressed on their faces as they exited the stage was absolutely priceless.

here are some pictures from christmas break, the kind of break i could get used to. tyler and i traveled to sunny california where we spent christmas and new years by the beach with family and some time in between on a cruise to mexico.

 

a view from inside the ship

  

it was not that warm. at all.

  

each time we came back to our room we discovered a new animal, usually decked out in my sunglasses. 

  

mexico

  

what's mexico without chips and salsa?

  

awesome tile staircase

  

yes, the restaurant was named la fonda

  

love