"you're not the boss! miss laura is the boss!" -hunter [bless his heart].
"don't change my pull-up here! i don't want anyone to see me like this!" -kadynce [who knew 3-yr-olds had such dignity]
"when i grow up, i will NEVER marry hunter! he's too wild." -anna mae [all the girls agreed]
"when i grow up, i want to be a preschool teacher so all my friends can come back and see what i look like when i'm big." -vonzaa
"save me girl batman!" -edna [these kids have imaginations like you would not believe]
there are countless other quotes, but i usually forget them before i can write them down. these kids are hilarious, big-hearted, stubborn, and wonderful. i never thought i was that into preschool age kids, but i am having a great time getting to know them and teach them. that's not to say it's easy... the first two weeks i came home and fell asleep at 8:30 every night! but i truly am blessed to have a job that keeps me on my toes and never bores me.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
good days.
lately things have been normal. we like normal for short periods of time ;) i am thankful for:
alright, it's time for us to watch alcatraz [a little scary, but also very interesting... made by the same guy who did lost. i recommend it]!
- james coming back from his conference after a night away and bringing in n out [he knows the way to my heart].
- tea with honey and lemon. because of my preschoolers we have both been a little under the weather and have been drinking tea like it's going out of style.
- a friday off for us to go on a date to cambria.
- skype dates with bailey.
- my husband! it's like having your best friend around ALL the time [actually, that is what it is] and it is awesome!
- my job. it may not be where i see myself in 10 years [or even five, or three or...] but i have fallen head over heels for these kids. i get to spend the day getting to know and shape these humans... that is a pretty awesome thing.
alright, it's time for us to watch alcatraz [a little scary, but also very interesting... made by the same guy who did lost. i recommend it]!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
things a preschool teacher says
in no particular order:
1. "where are/is your shoes/socks/ blanket/ jacket/toy?"
2. "both feet on the ground!"
3. "no roaring, remember it scares some people" [yes, a little girl in my class cries every time someone roars, which is surprisingly often].
4. "let's go potty now so you won't have an accident later"
5. "did your mom pack you extra undies?"
6. "we won't go to the playground till you pick up your toys"
7. "grab a ring!" [they have a rope with a bunch of rings on it for kids to hold when we leave the classroom].
8. "who's the line leader?"
9. "that's the other school's garden, don't pick things from it please"
10. "let's save the cookies/ cake/ sweet stuff for after nap"
1. "where are/is your shoes/socks/ blanket/ jacket/toy?"
2. "both feet on the ground!"
3. "no roaring, remember it scares some people" [yes, a little girl in my class cries every time someone roars, which is surprisingly often].
4. "let's go potty now so you won't have an accident later"
5. "did your mom pack you extra undies?"
6. "we won't go to the playground till you pick up your toys"
7. "grab a ring!" [they have a rope with a bunch of rings on it for kids to hold when we leave the classroom].
8. "who's the line leader?"
9. "that's the other school's garden, don't pick things from it please"
10. "let's save the cookies/ cake/ sweet stuff for after nap"
Sunday, January 29, 2012
warm weather girl.
this weekend was glorious! if i could have every day be 80* and sunny, i would.
on friday, i went to santa barbara with ellen and we both shopped til we dropped. unfortunately, this is one of two pictures i took that day [and they're basically the same thing]. boo. but it was wonderful to see ellen and buy mint pants... as the sales guy at forever 21 told us, mint is going to be "soo in" this spring.
on saturday, i had coffee with a new friend, went to the store with james, did laundry, and cleaned the apartment a little. in between loads of laundry, i tried a little art project i saw on pinterest [aka my new love]. i hot glued crayons to a canvas and then used my blow dryer to melt them. a word for the wise... do this outside, otherwise you MAY end up getting splotches of melted crayon stuck to your already irreparably-messed up floor and then you will have to blowdry those re-dried bits of crayon off your floor and be frantically wiping on your knees for ten minutes. just a tip. i am pretty happy with how it turned out though; it makes the spot above our sink brighter and it makes doing dishes more enjoyable!
on sunday after church, james and i drove out to shell beach to have lunch at a burger place called garland's, which was really good. we ate at a park overlooking the beach, and it just reminded me how much i want summer to be here! on our way back, we passed a cute looking second-hand store with lots of knick-knacks and furniture... so naturally i yelled for james to pull over and like the nice husband he is, he did. and that is where we found this little beauty! we are both really happy with how it brightens up our little apartment [probably me more than him]. i love being creative and seeing creative things, but it is not always something that comes naturally for me. i've been trying more to really be keeping my eyes out for crafts or cute things for our apartment, so i have to say i am kind of proud of myself. haha.
this weekend went by pretty fast, but i feel rested and ready to get back to my preschoolers [more on them later]!
on friday, i went to santa barbara with ellen and we both shopped til we dropped. unfortunately, this is one of two pictures i took that day [and they're basically the same thing]. boo. but it was wonderful to see ellen and buy mint pants... as the sales guy at forever 21 told us, mint is going to be "soo in" this spring.
on saturday, i had coffee with a new friend, went to the store with james, did laundry, and cleaned the apartment a little. in between loads of laundry, i tried a little art project i saw on pinterest [aka my new love]. i hot glued crayons to a canvas and then used my blow dryer to melt them. a word for the wise... do this outside, otherwise you MAY end up getting splotches of melted crayon stuck to your already irreparably-messed up floor and then you will have to blowdry those re-dried bits of crayon off your floor and be frantically wiping on your knees for ten minutes. just a tip. i am pretty happy with how it turned out though; it makes the spot above our sink brighter and it makes doing dishes more enjoyable!
on sunday after church, james and i drove out to shell beach to have lunch at a burger place called garland's, which was really good. we ate at a park overlooking the beach, and it just reminded me how much i want summer to be here! on our way back, we passed a cute looking second-hand store with lots of knick-knacks and furniture... so naturally i yelled for james to pull over and like the nice husband he is, he did. and that is where we found this little beauty! we are both really happy with how it brightens up our little apartment [probably me more than him]. i love being creative and seeing creative things, but it is not always something that comes naturally for me. i've been trying more to really be keeping my eyes out for crafts or cute things for our apartment, so i have to say i am kind of proud of myself. haha.
this weekend went by pretty fast, but i feel rested and ready to get back to my preschoolers [more on them later]!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
our wedding
i realized today i never even posted about our wedding! in my humble opinion, it was seriously awesome. when i was planning, i was so concerned about making it cute and having a bunch of little details. while i was happy with how all the aesthetics turned out, i hardly even noticed the details, never saw the appetizers [but heard they were yummy], and never got a cute striped straw! the main thing i remember from our wedding was how i felt. i literally felt like the LUCKIEST girl in the whole wide world. there i was, marrying a man BETTER than the man of my dreams, surrounded by all of my best friends, and in the company of all the people who were so close to us. i'm serious, people. best. day. ever. i was not even nervous... well maybe a little... i did throw up in the morning, but after that i was totally fine. i had absolutely NO doubts that this was the man i wanted to spend my forever with [and i still don't!].
some mental snapshots i took during the day: my brothers coming up to me before the wedding and telling me i looked beautiful. my dad wobbling with me down the aisle in his big boot... i think a lot of our pics have his crutches on the bushes haha. when i saw james, i didn't notice anyone else. i just saw him and his eyes tearing up, he was trying to hard to keep it together. taking communion with james and praying about our marriage and thanking God for bringin us together. after the ceremony, my brothers coming up to james and saying, "hug us brother!". taking pictures, and james carrying me around the fields because i could not walk well in my huge dress and heels. the mexian abuelita serving beans and then coming out and talking with all our guests... seriously awesome. dancing the night away with our best friends and family. the awesome toasts made by stephen, ellen, and my dad. my dad read a poem a wrote when i was eight! cookie dough cupcakes. looking at my mom and feeling like all our hard work [and trust me it took wayy more people than just us] paid off. having my bridesmaids strip off the big skirt from my dress so it was just a little cocktail dress and feeling like i could breathe again. seeing james wearing that ring on his finger and think, "that fine man is all MINE!!!"
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 in review.
this is what happened in my life this year:
i started out january feeling extremely stressed about school and had lost a lot of weight, i finally told james and my parents about it, i started caring about school again and doing much better, i saw a therapist, my stress lowered, i enjoyed time with caitlin and bailey, we wondered when james was going to propose, i fell asleep every night above emily, we wondered when dan was going to propose, he finally emailed me asking me to take pictures of their proposal, i had an excruciating 4 days not telling emily this huge secret, i got to watch two of my dear friends get engaged and it was magical, james and i celebrated v-day with chipotle and cold stone, my brothers visited, i started gaining weight and getting healthy again, i was doing everything in my power to not think about weddings, my brothers turned 17 and 19, it was spring break, i stayed in slo for my golden birthday, i turned 22 on the 22nd of march, i went to dinner with james, micah, caitlin, and james' family for my birthday, i went home for the second half of spring break, james came with me, we had fun in newbury park, we drove back to slo, james wanted to stop in pismo, he proposed and i said yes! we told everyone, james started work full time, i went back to school, we started planning, i found my wedding dress, we decided to have a short engagement and get married in august [best decision ever], my friends and i contemplated all the change that was happening, we hung out with my parents in santa barbara for my mom's birthday, school was out, i had a lot of wedding things to do, i moved back home, i trained for a 5k with my mom, james and i road tripped to yosemite for luke and breanna's wedding, i got to be a bridesmaid, we had so much fun dancing the night away, my family and james and i then drove up to hume to see paul for a little bit, we drove home, it was 4th of july, we ran the 5k, i did it in 34 minutes and almost threw up on a guy's shoes, i was proud, my mom won 3rd place in her age group and a watermelon, james, ellen, my family and i celebrated the 4th at bethany, my mom and i continued planning, ellen helped a lot, we got addicted to the bachelorette and expedition impossible, i enjoyed being with my family, i had a lot of dress fittings, i worked out a lot with my mom in classes at the ymca and actually enjoyed it, my dad tore a ligament in his foot bike riding, we wondered if he would be able to walk me down the aisle, i went to cayucous for my bachelorette party, it was fun, i stayed in slo the week before the wedding, i enjoyed time with caitlin and bailey before they left for scotland, i couldn't iron the dang table runners, i picked up my dress, we had the rehearsal dinner, i loved being with so many close friends and family, my friends and i ate smores, talked, and sat by the fire at my aunt's house, i tried to sleep, i woke up and threw up, all my bridesmaids came over, we prayed, we sang in the car, we helped my awesome wedding coordinator [steph] set up, we got ready, i got married to my best friend, we had the best day ever, we ate, danced, and had fun with our friends and family, we went to our honeymoon, we had a hot air balloon ride, we relaxed in carmel and santa cruz, we went back to slo and work, we got the house set up, my dad had foot surgery, we got to hang out with mike, jo anne, and the twins, i enjoyed my classes, i told myself if i didn't ditch i would buy myself raybans, we visited family, we had 3 trick-or-treaters, my brother moved home from hume, our good friends jonathan and cassie got engaged and we got to be there, we had thanksgiving with james' family and it was great, i had dead week and james was gone for work, paul came to visit and it was nice, james came back and i had to study, i had 2 job interviews, i kind of got hired at a preschool, i finished finals, i definitely got hired at the preschool, stephanie came to visit, i cleaned the house, a bunch of family came for my graduation, the ceremony was boring, we went to dinner, it was great, a bunch of my family went to church with me, i was home cleaning, i read hunger games, we went to my grandparents' for tamale day, i christmas shopped like nobody's business, james and i enjoyed being married and figuring it out, i visited with my mom in santa barbara, we went to the tuccillo's for a few days and celebrated christmas eve with them, we went to my parents' that night and celebrated christmas day with my family, i got my raybans and tickets to see wicked, i was grateful, we drove back to slo, i took the train to see caitlin and bailey in oakdale, we had a wonderful time, i came home, james was glad i was back, and now we are celebrating new year's at home just relaxing since it's been so crazy lately.
2011, you were CRAZY but absolutely wonderful. God has shown Himself to me so much this year and i am more aware than ever of how undeserving i am of His love. whatever 2012 has in store for us, we will continue to trust God and i know He will take care of us. Happy New Year!
i started out january feeling extremely stressed about school and had lost a lot of weight, i finally told james and my parents about it, i started caring about school again and doing much better, i saw a therapist, my stress lowered, i enjoyed time with caitlin and bailey, we wondered when james was going to propose, i fell asleep every night above emily, we wondered when dan was going to propose, he finally emailed me asking me to take pictures of their proposal, i had an excruciating 4 days not telling emily this huge secret, i got to watch two of my dear friends get engaged and it was magical, james and i celebrated v-day with chipotle and cold stone, my brothers visited, i started gaining weight and getting healthy again, i was doing everything in my power to not think about weddings, my brothers turned 17 and 19, it was spring break, i stayed in slo for my golden birthday, i turned 22 on the 22nd of march, i went to dinner with james, micah, caitlin, and james' family for my birthday, i went home for the second half of spring break, james came with me, we had fun in newbury park, we drove back to slo, james wanted to stop in pismo, he proposed and i said yes! we told everyone, james started work full time, i went back to school, we started planning, i found my wedding dress, we decided to have a short engagement and get married in august [best decision ever], my friends and i contemplated all the change that was happening, we hung out with my parents in santa barbara for my mom's birthday, school was out, i had a lot of wedding things to do, i moved back home, i trained for a 5k with my mom, james and i road tripped to yosemite for luke and breanna's wedding, i got to be a bridesmaid, we had so much fun dancing the night away, my family and james and i then drove up to hume to see paul for a little bit, we drove home, it was 4th of july, we ran the 5k, i did it in 34 minutes and almost threw up on a guy's shoes, i was proud, my mom won 3rd place in her age group and a watermelon, james, ellen, my family and i celebrated the 4th at bethany, my mom and i continued planning, ellen helped a lot, we got addicted to the bachelorette and expedition impossible, i enjoyed being with my family, i had a lot of dress fittings, i worked out a lot with my mom in classes at the ymca and actually enjoyed it, my dad tore a ligament in his foot bike riding, we wondered if he would be able to walk me down the aisle, i went to cayucous for my bachelorette party, it was fun, i stayed in slo the week before the wedding, i enjoyed time with caitlin and bailey before they left for scotland, i couldn't iron the dang table runners, i picked up my dress, we had the rehearsal dinner, i loved being with so many close friends and family, my friends and i ate smores, talked, and sat by the fire at my aunt's house, i tried to sleep, i woke up and threw up, all my bridesmaids came over, we prayed, we sang in the car, we helped my awesome wedding coordinator [steph] set up, we got ready, i got married to my best friend, we had the best day ever, we ate, danced, and had fun with our friends and family, we went to our honeymoon, we had a hot air balloon ride, we relaxed in carmel and santa cruz, we went back to slo and work, we got the house set up, my dad had foot surgery, we got to hang out with mike, jo anne, and the twins, i enjoyed my classes, i told myself if i didn't ditch i would buy myself raybans, we visited family, we had 3 trick-or-treaters, my brother moved home from hume, our good friends jonathan and cassie got engaged and we got to be there, we had thanksgiving with james' family and it was great, i had dead week and james was gone for work, paul came to visit and it was nice, james came back and i had to study, i had 2 job interviews, i kind of got hired at a preschool, i finished finals, i definitely got hired at the preschool, stephanie came to visit, i cleaned the house, a bunch of family came for my graduation, the ceremony was boring, we went to dinner, it was great, a bunch of my family went to church with me, i was home cleaning, i read hunger games, we went to my grandparents' for tamale day, i christmas shopped like nobody's business, james and i enjoyed being married and figuring it out, i visited with my mom in santa barbara, we went to the tuccillo's for a few days and celebrated christmas eve with them, we went to my parents' that night and celebrated christmas day with my family, i got my raybans and tickets to see wicked, i was grateful, we drove back to slo, i took the train to see caitlin and bailey in oakdale, we had a wonderful time, i came home, james was glad i was back, and now we are celebrating new year's at home just relaxing since it's been so crazy lately.
2011, you were CRAZY but absolutely wonderful. God has shown Himself to me so much this year and i am more aware than ever of how undeserving i am of His love. whatever 2012 has in store for us, we will continue to trust God and i know He will take care of us. Happy New Year!
Friday, December 16, 2011
grad.
well, i finally did it. i graduated from cal poly. i entered as an insecure 18-year-old crying in the plaza because i was absolutely sure i would never make any friends. i exited as a slightly more confident, independent person. i am now married, have my own household, and know how to walk in heels. i have experienced friendship on a deeper level than i could have imagined and i am learning how to not run from the things that scare me. most importantly, i have learned that i truly am nothing without Christ. i could never have gotten through without my Heavenly Father guiding me and assuring me this was His plan for me. i skated my way through high school and thought i could do the same for college. this was not the case. cal poly has made me cry, given me more sleepless nights, and that feeling of dread in my chest more than anything else in my life. it was one of the hardest things i have done, and i never want to take that for granted. more than anything, college is about hard work rather than being smart. i consider myself fairly smart, but the hardest part for me was just convincing myself to move forward; to start that paper NOW instead of the night before it's due; to be okay with missing out on this or that in order to do well on that test.
graduation was so good. my parents, brothers, grandparents, in-laws, and uncle came to the ceremony, which meant a lot since it was so boring, but i will say it felt good to wear that cap and gown. the best part was my graduation dinner at uppercrust, where my other aunt, cousins, and uncle came as well. it meant so much to have all these family members who have not just supported me now, but all the way through. i was overwhelmed at first with how many people we had to worry about, but when i saw all of them there for me, i could feel nothing but extremely blessed. i have done nothing to deserve so many amazing people in my life, yet God continues to bless me. that is something i will never understand.
i would never have even started college without my parents. they have always known my potential and given their absolute best to me, even when i have not given them my best. and i know that God gave me james at the absolute perfect timing, only one of the reasons being that i probably would never have finished college without him. he somehow saw through my anxiety and procrastination and always pushed me because he knew i could do better. but after all the blood, sweat, and tears [mostly tears], it was totally God who got me through.
standing up there on the stage in my gown, i felt 4 and half years of stress lift off of my shoulders. i know being a grown-up brings a whole new set of challenges, but i feel ready to face whatever comes with james. sorry for making this super long, but i wanted to write this all down and look back on it one day, and never forget all the people that got me to where i am, because i never could have gotten here without them. thank you Jesus.
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