Distinguished Staff Awards

Parental Visit

It was pretty much awesome! We started our time together by hitting Bobo's diner...yummy onion rings and root beer!

My parents tested our most expensive piece of furniture, our LoveSac. We keep it classy!

We headed to KC to see Independence and get some learnin'. Um, yeah, SO glad I didn't volunteer to live in the 1800's. No thank you!

They had to experience Oklahoma Joe's. With a Z-Man, pulled pork, beans, cole slaw, and fries in hand, we were happy! They liked it so much they headed there before they got to the airport. 

The main reason they came out was for the Awards Ceremony. It was so awesome to have them there. They got the "award" for distance traveled to attend!

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!

Dear Beach,

I miss you. I am not enjoying being landlocked and thinking of your gently crashing waves, breezy sunshine, and flying kites carrying on without me. It has been too long.

Love,
Megan














To come: awards night, and my parents trip here. If I'm lucky, I will have posted before their plane touches back down in PA!

Really Hard Teaching Lessons

One of them is learning that you can't fix everyone's child.

That some 8 year olds have no interest in the caring that you provide.

That no matter what you do, or how you say it, some kids won't respond.

I know this may be somewhat of an over-generalization, but this is a HARD lesson to learn. Some of my students are becoming, well, unreachable. Mentally hard. Angry at the world, and at me, because I just happen to be there (and because I can't put up with their antagonism).

It is SO SAD. And at the same time, they are disrupting my group and making me angry. So I'm torn between emotions of anger, frustration, LOVE and indifference. 

And I have to get over it. Because, 

really, 

I'm learning that sometimes, 

I CAN'T FIX IT.

What I've Been up to Since March (well, kinda)

1. Todd and I went bowling. Todd rocks...but I did get a few strikes :)

2. I made some fancy cupcakes...yeah, this is about as fancy as I get. The best part was licking the frosting off my hands (AFTER I frosted the ones I gave away!)

3. Easter dinner with some of our awesome Topeka friends!

4. Crafting :) I need a staple gun, anyone have any advice. Todd tried to ask me if I wanted a craft gun or some other kind, and I didn't even know there were different kinds! This didn't come out quite as adorable as I wanted it to, but I love the birdie. Any other hints for applying paper to cardboard cutouts?

5. Made my kids do stuff. Namely play with junk. Just kidding. This activity had a purpose, to use recycled items to build something new. These kids built a pretty awesome robot :) I love 'em all, but the end of the year drama is starting to wear on me. Four more weeks!

Finals

In all the hullabaloo that is law school finals, Todd and I tend to pass each other briefly during our day. We might see each other for 10 minutes in the morning, MAYBE have dinner two times a week, and then I MIGHT wake up when he falls into bed at night. If I'm lucky, he has shown some signs of life around the house.

So, I present to you the top 5 signs my husband has graced the apartment at some point that day:

1. When I turn on the TV, it's changed to MSNBC. I don't normally watch it because I find all of their night commentators extremely annoying, but Todd finds it more interesting, than oh, let's say, America's Next Top Model. 

2. Dishes in the sink. Todd is nice enough to eat my leftovers. I detest cooking for one, so I tend to not do it unless I know he is going to be home...which is rare these days!

3. Clothes thrown on the bed. We are alike in this way, if I wore something nice to work that day, I can't wait to change when I get home. Besides, who wants to study in dress pants and a button up? (well, not me, if I were Todd!)

4. Ice cream bowl empty on the counter. I can't blame him. Ice cream is therapy...although I don't think its quite enough to make up for the pain and agony of finals.

5. An email reminder or "I Love You" from Todd himself. Ah yes, communicating by email with your husband who is in a building a half mile away is so romantic. Thanks, law school, for fueling the LOVE flames!

This WILL be worth it,

This WILL be worth it,

This WILL be worth it??

Let the Records Show...

..That I have FOUR weeks and TWO days left of my first year of teaching.

I am looking forward to the end of these stressful few weeks, the recognition ceremony for my award, my parents coming out, preparing for a new group of students, and RELAXING!

Okay, my Famous Dave's friends

Yeah, I was given a waiter's number at Famous Dave's in front of all of my friends (oh, and a student was there too, but I think they missed it, THANK GOODNESS!)

...I think my mind has blocked out most of the incident, and I think that I was in such shock that I didn't really internalize the event!

I remember, the cheesy line "Do I know you from somewhere?" and the annoying persistance (I mean, I really was trying to think if he was like, a parent or volunteer at the school or something), Heather saying, "We are law school WIVES!" and then me having to say "I'm married!" and hiding the ticket underneath my leftover food.

Can the rest of you fill in the blanks?

And a big thank-you to Amor, for feeling awkward with me :)


UPDATE: In response to Amor's post, Todd has chosen the "make fun of Megan" outlet. So far in the last few days he has said:

• "So what did you do to provoke that? Did your back hurt? Were you stretching?"
• "I've got a craving for...Famous Dave's!"
• In Barnes and Noble, walking up on me, "So, do I KNOW you from somewhere? Here's my number, maybe we can go on a date?"
• "Should we drive by and see if he's there? See if he still wants to go out?"

He has taken some good ribbing from his friends, so I guess he is passing it along to me, not that I needed to be reminded of the awkwardness.

Sarcasm. Take that!

A smart guy on TV says the average tax refund is 2800 dollars.



WHAT????


That's the AVERAGE!! That means a lot of people got MORE than that! (okay, and I know that a bunch of people got less, but I'm ignoring that for the sake of my indignance).

Can I ask a dumb question? Is your tax refund directly related to your income? Because that would definitely explain our less-than-average refund.

And did we qualify for a single additional tax credit?
Education credit? Nope
First-time home buyer? Nope
Fancy schmancy windows? Nope
Having 3 arms? Nope (wait, that's not a tax credit?)

Oh wait, I think I DID get a credit for spending $250+ for work. PUH-LEASE. I spent more than that on my job, and now even job security is not guaranteed.

So where can a married couple, with one husband in graduate school, and a wifey teaching school, get a break from the government like the AVERAGE citizen?

Apparently, nowhere.

As for the break, I don't even NEED it in the form of a bigger tax refund. I just want to be left alone. Stop raising our sales taxes (stop spending money, government!) Stop trying to change health insurance because my premium has already gone up in the last two weeks (stop spending money, government!) Stop taking a huge chunk of my change for Social Security that I'm not sure will even exist when I need it in 50 years!


Rant over. I feel better now :)

It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN!

In 6 weeks, I will no longer be a first-year teacher. Reflecting on this has made me wonder how many times this year I have said the following phrases:

• "First white tile!"
• "The long hand is the minutes, the short hand is the HOUR!"
• "Are you KIDDING me!" (that has been said more often since spring break)
• "Did you ask?"
• "Easy peezy, lemon squeezy!"
• "It's NOT lunchtime, so I will not talk to you about what's for lunch right now."
• "No drawing!"
• "Please do not draw during reading!"
• "Put your pencils and markers down!" (see a theme with the last three? 3rd graders LOVE TO DRAW.)
• "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,4, 3, 2, 1" (I have even tried to change it up in Spanish!)
• "Quiet and in line order please!"
• "Please do not sit in front of my desk!" (cords galore, I am dependent on my technology attached to those cords!)
• "Magic scrap, GO!" (best method EVER to get the room cleaned up. This would totally work for moms if you are willing to offer a bribe!)
• "What's the problem"

And, in my head, how many times have I said,

"Is it 3:30 yet?"

Just as a disclaimer: I LOVE teaching. I have grown a lot this year. But is it wrong to look forward to sleeping in, some sunshine, and being home for lunch?

Listen to a Prophet's voice

First off, I have a testimony of a Prophet on the Earth today. He gives us words of wisdom, admonition, and comfort. When I listen to him speak, the Spirit tells me that President Monson is Heavenly Father's mouthpiece on earth.

While I listen to him talk, I think about the way he words things, and I know that the Spirit helps to inspire  him, and other leaders of our church, to know what to speak about. When I contrast the way an apostle speaks with the language I read in many books, I understand what heavenly language sounds like.

Listening to Conference I know that our Heavenly Father wants us to speak without strong language. I know we should speak with calmness of manner, only speaking harshly (an Elder Holland harsh) when the message is life-saving or Spirit-saving. We SHOULD have a sense of humor, but without using it at someone else's expense. We speak with kindness, with knowledge, using the Spirit to guide us when the subject is difficult.

I find it frustrating that many of the books I read resort to language that is offensive (and sometimes I won't finish a book because of it). When I listen to the Prophet, or an apostle, or a YW general president speak, I hear manners of language that I WISH were still present in regular conversation, in books, in TV. Can this make a comeback? I hope!

Summer

Summer 2010 means:

• Tennis with Todd (oh MAN, I am going to be rusty! It's been over a year!)

• Summer trip to Idaho (and hopefully some rafting, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone thrown in there!)

• Kansas Reading First Academy in Overland Park

• Girl's Camp at Clinton Lake

• Sleeping IN!

• More trips to KC for BBQ...and we will have to make a Lawrence trip for Five Guys!

• Preparing to teach 3rd grade again next year (crossing my fingers!)

• Bike rides in Topeka

Six and a half weeks of school left! I can't believe how fast this year has gone!

Hehe

I quite enjoyed this today :)

Everyone got to do a "Topeka search" today!