Humble Pie, Please

I should be writing more about the kids at school, because I sure am learning a lot from them...a lot about resilience. These are some things that have happened recently that have really touched me:

One of our students came up to me the other day and told me that she and her mother would like to get me a Christmas present. That would be great, except this student and her family, unknown to her, are our school's recipient of the Adopt-A-Family presents. In a school of 600 students, her family was one of two singled out for help. This family has 4-5 kids, and sometimes no running water. She comes to school with dirty clothes and greasy hair, and has had several reoccurences of lice because her family can't afford the shampoo. I said to her, "You don't have to get me anything. Don't! Tell your mother that I don't need anything." She forged on, saying, "What do you like?" I said to her, "What I would like the most is a picture from you." I think she liked that idea, and skipped off to her desk. How sweet is that?

I was reading another student's writing project the other day. It was about a "lightbulb moment" or a time when they learned something new. This is what this young 10 year old girl wrote (about riding her bike):

"I learned that you can accomplish something you really want to. Also, I remember that day because it is the day my sister died in the car wreck."

It is so sad to me that such a sweet accomplishment was darkened by something so horrible and memorable.

Another student told us today that he drinks coffee every morning and eats Apple Jacks for breakfast. That sure does explain his "energetic" behavior. He sure is a cute kid. Yesterday his Grandpa had to pick his brother and him up because the heat stopped working at his mother's house. He has come in late several times because he has been visiting his father in jail. His dad was arrested for DWI, and just received three more years in jail. His mother is now raising two boys alone.

I don't tell these stories to depress anyone (or myself). I just like to remind myself how blessed I am, for one, and two, that these kids NEED structure, they NEED kind words, they NEED the benefit of the doubt sometimes. They remind me that in the face of really hard things, there are always ways to be happy and hopeful.

Runners, Until the Race is Won

I like music. In fact, I REALLY like music. I don't think that I communicate on my blog the fact that I listen to music all the time. I love finding a new band that I really like. I love when a band I already like comes out with a new album. I love finding songs that connect with me. Sometimes I like certain songs for their words, some for just their music, and some for both. It just depends on what it is.

Todd believes that I am partially deaf because I like my music loud. I really starting liking music in high school. My first "favorite" was Good Charlotte. We really rocked out to them, as well as New Found Glory and Jimmy Eat World. My first concert was Blink 182 and Green Day. We drove to Hershey, PA the day before graduation, and got back at 3 in the morning. Needless to say, I nearly slept through the awards ceremony. I almost missed them NOT announcing me valedictorian (a story for another time, haha).

My music tastes haven't changed a whole lot since then. I like rock. However, I like a certain kind of rock. I don't know what you would call it, people have all sorts of names for music these days. I just know what I like. I have a few all-time favorite songs. A lot of these we used at our wedding. I didn't want traditional wedding music, although I had some. We danced our first dance to "Divide Me" by Kalai, who was a Jack Johnson-esque singer popular in Provo at the time. We also included Jimmy Eat World's "For Me This is Heaven," "I Don't Wanna Know" by New Found Glory, "Half-Life" from the What a Girl Wants soundtrack, "Run" by Snow Patrol, "Elva" by Unwritten Law. There were others but I can't remember them now!

I try to avoid buying songs on Itunes because once I start I really can't stop! However, for history's sake, these are some songs that I REALLY like right now, enough to download them. If you would like a listen, I will burn some of them for you! The last CD I burned had these songs on them:

1. Come On, Get Higher--by Matt Nathanson. This is a great slow-dancing-in-the-kitchen-with-your-husband song. Do it. It's fun!
2. You Found Me--by the Fray. LOVE THE FRAY. The Fray always takes me back to those early mornings driving to work in rush hour traffic from Sacramento to Davis (best farmer's market ever!)
3. Valley Winter Song--by Fountains of Wayne. It's in the L.L. Bean commercial. It's a great winter song, sort of folksy and cozy.
4. You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie--by the Submarines. I have had a thing with commercial music lately! This is from one of the Apple commercials. It's fun, its different.
5. Buildings and Mountains--by the Republic Tigers. This one had to grow on me. Now I love it!
6. Lovers in Japan--by Coldplay. I have loved this song since the second the album came out. Oh my. I listen to this every day!

I just got Guster's latest CD from the library, and I am REALLY digging two of their songs. I need to listen to Death Cab for Cutie's latest CD too, because I think they are great, but they don't have any songs on that CD that stood out to me (like Guster's "Dear Valentine"....awesome!) I also have Snow Patrol's newest CD on hold (I would die to go to one of their concerts).

Anyway, that is what I am listening to right now (besides Christmas songs!) I'm sure there will be many more posts about music to come!

I Hate Cleaning, Part I

Sometimes I wonder WHY I even put the vacuum cleaner away. One of the reasons I hate cleaning is because whatever I have just cleaned is dirty again the next day. And then I'm bugged that its dirty for two more days, and then the third day I drag the darn vacuum cleaner out again.

Can I just leave it out? Is it tacky to just let the vacuum cleaner sit out in clear view, knowing that it will be there the second I need it? Is it lazy of me to even think of leaving it out, knowing that putting it in the closet and getting it out again is really not that hard?

This is just part one of the "I Hate Cleaning" series. More to come!

New This Week

**Students in my class have just learned how to pass notes. I grabbed one today that read something like, "If you get online to such-and-such game, my character name is this. I'll be on at 4:00." Kids aren't even playing face to face anymore!

On the subject of passing notes, I remember in middle school my friend Meghan and I were REALLY good at passing notes--we would use our calculators, journals, whatever we had handy. She had all the juicy stuff to write about though!

P.S. In high school, I had three friends named Megan. One was a Meghan, one was an Em (also known as Megan), and another one was Megan just like me. One was a church friend and in a lower grade, but the two were in the same classes with me! We would confuse the teachers. It was fun. And at BYU, the girl that lived next door to me was another Megan Ross!! Creepy!! We always thought they did that on purpose. Unfortunately for me, the other Megan Ross was blonde and gorgeous. Boo.

**Last night I was recording the 5th grade concert for the music teacher, and this woman literally lit her lighter--FIVE TIMES--to read her program. A lighter! In a school! In ANYPLACE that's not outside??!!! I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but by the fifth time I just thought she was an idiot. I should have said something, but I didn't want her whipping that lighter into my face.

**I just got a job for second semester. I get to stay at this school, and work with my lovely fifth-graders, and a few fourth-graders. I will be helping them prepare for state testing. Which, you know, is all we do in schools these days! I am excited to stay though, in a school that I'm familiar in AND like! I am nervous about being accountable for earning my pay. Doing well in school? Yeah, I can do that. I'm not sure how I'll do in the real world. I guess you all will be here to find out!

**Let me reiterate that I hate law school. I mean, it'll be good for us like 5 years down the road. But now, law school and I are NOT friends.

It does make me really appreciate those joyful moments when I get to see my husband, like when we meet for dinner or when he crawls into bed after I'm passed out at 11. Every moment counts!

SD card

Hello all,

In my eagerness to capitalize on the Black Friday sales, I bought an SDHC memory card for the camera. Apparently, our camera cannot handle the wonderfulness of SDHC...it requires a simple SD card...no HC tacked onto the end.

Long story short, if you are looking for one, I will sell mine to you. I got it from Staples for 15. Its an HP 8GB SDHC card. I do not want to deal with customer service.

Newer cameras should take SDHC cards (ours is only a 4.0 megapixel).

Thanks!