Now What?!

I successfully endured 13 weeks teaching at a Junior High School.  I might need a little therapy...but who doesn't?!

I know you're all really anxious to hear how I've celebrated my freedom...

First, I went to my mom's house.  I knew she was watching my neice, Taylor, and any chance I get to see cuteness, I jump at!  Fortunately she and her parents hadn't yet left for the zoo.  AND Taylor was feeling very affectionate today and gave me some AWESOME hugs!  Love her face so much!

Then, I had some Spring Oreos.  They have yellow frosting and spring designs.  I don't particularly care.  They still taste like oreos.  And I had them with milk because that's how I roll. 

After my mom got back from some quick visiting teaching, I let her give me a pedicure.  I'm really generous that way.  What?  I have to have cute toes for Washington DC(even though they'll be in comfortable walking shoes the whole time...).

Then, my red piggies and I went home and got to work.  I had a brilliant idea to clean and organize my bedroom.  AND I decided I'd do a little furniture rearranging while I was at it. 

At this point in the process, I realized I had had MUCH better ideas in my 29 years on this earth.  Furniture is heavy.  Even dressers from Ikea.  I was smart enough to take the drawers out though.  I however, DID NOT take the books off my bookshelf when I moved it.  I'm lucky I did herniate something.

After much grunting and hefting(and a few choice words)...

I got my life put back together pretty well, don't you think?  I even hauled the vacuum up stairs and vacuumed the floors. 

Of course, now that I've done all this...what am I going to do with my free time?

The Reason I'm SO Grateful For Sleepy Hollow

The further away I get from it, the more I realize that, for me, Sleepy Hollow, wasn't about being part of the production.  I wasn't there to "do a show".  Heaven knows, I was barely in the show. 

I really think that the most important reason for me to be in the show was to get to know this guy...

This is my cousin, Garrett.  He's pretty cool.  Even cooler than he looks in this picture, if you can believe it.

Many of you might be thinking, "You had to do a show to get to know your cousin?!  Shame on you!"  Give me a second to defend myself, okay?  Garrett is 10 years younger than me.  Almost exactly 10 years, in fact.  And I have A LOT of cousins, especially on that side of the family.  And usually, I "hang out with" the ones that are closer to my age.  After all, those are the ones I grew up with(come on folks!  I was pretty much grown up by the time this kid became "fun"). 

But fate threw us together for Sleepy Hollow.  And I'm oh so very grateful!  He's quirky and funny.  And like any little brother-type(10 years younger, remember?), he has his moments when I want to slug him.  But, as a fellow oldest-child, I have to say, he's pretty awesome.

He left on a mission just a few days after Sleepy closed.  I've been a super amazing cousin and have written him...three times.  That's right.  I'm pretty amazing myself.  Anyway, the letters I get back from him are perfect and exactly what I've needed on the very day I get them.  The first letter arrived on a truly awful day.  I was just about to throw in the towel and give up on life(it sounds so dramatic now, but it was a REALLY bad day).  He didn't know what was going on in my life, and yet, he said exactly what I needed to hear.  It was seriously a turning point.  And whenever I'm struggling, I pull that letter out and read it again just because I need the reminder. 

Today, I got home and the mail was on the counter.  It included a couple items from the University of Utah(that happens now that I've been accepted and all).  And there was a letter from Garrett.  He's a really busy missionary and I'd written him a while back and wasn't particularly looking for a letter, but it was a welcome surprise.  So I took a time out and tore it open.  And sure enough, it said the very thing I needed to hear. 

You see, I decided on Sunday that my control-freak personality was really getting in the way of my happiness.  I decided that I needed to exercise more patience and faith.  And I remembered my little plaque(it's packed away in some box in my Aunt's house) with the quote from Neal A. Maxwell "Faith in God includes Faith in His timing."  Oh yeah.  His timing.  Not mine.  Living a world of instant gratification doesn't really help with the whole patience thing.  And what did Garrett have to say?  Well, in all the wisdom of his 19 years(10 fewer than me) and the inspiration of a faithful missionary, he told me that he'd learned that He has the power and everything works according to His timing and unfortunately our timing doesn't always coincide. 

I just had to smile, shake my head and say a silent prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father for putting both Garrett and I in Sleepy Hollow. 

Fascinating

A friend on Facebook posted this article and I thought it was interesting and that some of you out in Reader Land would be intrigued as well.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/the-brain-on-love/?hp

I Need a Hobby

So I only have 7 more days of teaching.  And, assuming I survive, I'm going to have some time on my hands.  I mean, I have a couple things I'll be doing.  I'll be going back to watching Wilson and Gretchen(right Lacee?).  And I'm thinking I might pick up a couple piano students.  And I will have the University of Utah until the end of April.  AND I can keep subbing(as long as there are jobs) until the end of May.  Oh and I have some music theory studying to do and piano technique garbage to brush up on.

But...as it is with my only teaching until 11:30, I'm already bored in the afternoons.  And I can only clean my house so much until my roommates stage an intervention and ship me off to the Loony Bin.  And I can only practice so long before the neighbors and the roommates start to throw things at me.

It's up to all of you to come up with my new hobby.  Leave a comment with a suggestion on how I should fill me free time.  Aren't you all excited to be making such important life decisions for me? 

Spring into Action

I love me some Spring!  I love when the snow starts to melt, and the flowers start peaking thru the dirt.  I love when temperature starts climbing and the sun stays out longer than usual.  I love all the outside activites you can do and the fact that you can open the windows.

I don't so much love the allergies or the bugs that start creeping back out.

But what I love most about Spring, is the feeling of change that comes.  Out with the snow; in with the flowers!  Mother Nature does a little Spring Cleaning of her own, with the rain and wind. 

And Spring Cleaning gives me an excuse to not look like I belong in the Loony Bin for my OCD tendencies(There's nothing wrong with being a clean person!).  I've done a bit of cleaning here and there in preparation for Sping Cleaning.  But now, the gloves come off...or rather, it's time to put the gloves on.  The Cleaning Gloves, that is.  I've got big plans for this next week!  And it's always nice therapy, and after last week, I definitely have some things to put behind me. 

And you know, my house isn't the only thing that needs Spring Cleaning.  I think Spring is a great time to reevaluate things in life and do a little clean out there too.  Fortunately after 8 more days of teaching, I'll be able to take care of a big old piece of stress and can move on to other things.  I've appreciated the learning experience of teaching and basically having my own classes.  And I've learned a lot of things about what I like about teaching and what I DON'T like about teaching.  And there have been a few valuable life lessons too.  But it's starting to eek into other parts of my life, and I don't like that one little bit.

There are a few other things I need to clear out too.  I'm caring around more bitterness about various things than is really healthy.  It's time to let go and move beyond.  Being single again is rearranging my life in ways I really didn't see coming.  So I'm still settling things that way.    Also, I've really got to start working out again.  Spring weather means no more sweaters and long pants.  I need to make myself more publicly presentable(i.e. Not glow in the dark and not flabby...and yes, I know I'm skinny, but I still would like to be leaner). 

Wow!  I've got a lot on my Spring To Do List!  What am I doing blogging?  I need to get busy!

I've Been to Hell

And hopefully I'll make it back.

You know, after I auditioned for the music program at the U, I had this thought, "Ah crap!  I should have applied for the music education program.  I would have definitely gotten into that." 

And now I'm grateful I didn't.  Seriously.  Every day this week, it's been a new reason why I won't be teaching, especially at a Junior High.  Actually, it's the same reason every day:  Parents.  I have had the unfortunate displeasure of dealing with some of the world's most manipulative, vindictive, and stupid parents this week.  I've been told I'm incapable of speaking for myself.  I've been told I'm a bad teacher.  I've been told I have no control over a classroom environment.  I've been bullied as the parents try to get U's changed.  These parents have done their very best to try to destroy every shred of self-esteem I have.  They've tried to get me to quit.  They've tried to get me fired.

And to be perfectly honest, I was really close to quitting this week.  But then I decided I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of thinking they had successfully bullied me into quitting.

I only have 9 more days.  The boys got reamed out by the teacher and assistant principal on Wednesday.  And they got to write letters about what had been going on in the class.  My good students competely backed up everything I'd told the teacher and administration had been happening.  They named names and specific examples, including things they had overheard before school.  These little buttfaces had been geting together before class and discussing how they were going to belittle me in front of the rest of the class.  The planned what they were going to do to undermine my teaching.  I spent hours pouring over papers on classroom management and such trying to determine the best way to handle this class.  And clearly everything was doomed to fail because they were working hard to make it fail. 

And then they have the nerve to look at their parents and tell them they don't understand why they are getting a U.  And of course the parents believe them. 

So this week has been so absolutely awful.  I'm determined to make it through the last 9 days I have to teach relatively unscathed.  Everyone from the teacher, to administration, to the counselors have told me that I've handled everything perfectly by the book and performed admirably with the arrogant parents I had to meet with.

And I have a nice 3-day weekend to recuperate.  Wish I could go on a vacation.  I seriously need one.  Of course, going alone isn't fun...but I REALLY need a vacation!  Try and disagree with me.

Superior

The really big thing for this term for my 9th grade choir, was District Choir Festival.  We've been working on the pieces since we got back from Christmas break.  We had Solo and Ensemble too.  But this festival was a really big deal.

The festival was held tonight at Northridge High in Layton.  We sang 3 songs(including one in german) and had to sight read.  And....

They did AWESOME!  Straight Superior marks for the choir!  Even in Sight Reading, and that's a really big deal!

I'm so proud of my 9th graders!  They've worked really hard and had to put up with my crazy "That's not how Mrs Young does it" techniques.  Apparently they weren't THAT crazy, because we got Superior scores straight across the board!  Huzzah!

And now we can chill.  I have 12 more days of teaching.  And then a well-deserved week in Washington DC...with a different choir. 

I am absolutely exhausted though.  Physically and emotionally.  And I've got to get charged up for what tomorrow will bring with angry boys and parents.  Phew!  Off to bed! Here's hoping for some GOOOOD dreams...