Christmas

This Christmas I was blessed. We as a family have decided to shrink Christmas down in our house and focus on the miracle of Christ's birth rather than presents. We do still exchange presents, but not the volume that we used to.

On Christmas day Michael got me up at 6:40 in the morning. I wasn't too thrilled, but he said it was "tradition". Hopefully I can break him of that habit over time. We all then opened presents and cooked breakfast (I let the sausage get a little crispy). We then packed up what we needed for the rest of our day and headed off to my uncle's house in Eagle River. We spent the afternoon there with my family enjoying munching on goodies (cookies and sandwiches), and playing with my two little cousins (Aiden and Nathen are sooooo cute!) We truly had a great Christmas!

The next day I went into Anchorage for my Christmas with Charlie. When I got there we exchanged gifts and had eggs and bacon for a late breakfast. We spent a very relaxing day together (if you exclude trying to put an erect-a-set together and failing miserably). It was another great day, perfect for the day after Christmas.

I love spending holidays like this, enjoying the company of the ones you love! Nothing is better.

Time with friends and family

Wow, I love the holidays! Well I love any time I get to hang out with people I love and care about. This holiday season I have been blessed with time with both family and friends.

Michael (my dear brother) is home from school until the 7th of January. It has been great to hang out with him and spend some time together before he goes back to the states and then Botswana.

This past week we as a family have been able to hang with all of my Alaska family, my aunt, uncle and cousins here in Wasilla and my Grandma, uncle, aunts and cousins in Eagle River. We have also been able to spend time with friends. Yesterday we spent a fun filled say with our neighbors, the Hunners. We don't get to spend near enough time with them and it was a great time of fellowship yesterday, plus amazing food and a crazy game of Guesstures (I don't know how but I got Mom to guess "larangitis"!) And tonight we went over to our dear friends the Grindles, where we enjoyed wonderful food (cooked by Michael), games (Farkle) and conversation.

My life would be so dull without these amazing people to spend time with. Friends and family bring so much color and meaning to my life, that I wouldn't know what to do without them. I love having time to hang with them and spend quality time together. I wouldn't trade that special time for anything!

Anniversary

It is amazing to think that Charlie and I have been together for a year now. We had our one year anniversary on the 30th of November and it was a great evening. After class Charlie and I got dressed up and went to a movie (New Moon), and then to Simon and Seafort's! (YUM!)

Mini-Residency

So let's see, what has gone on since I last posted in November? Here we go:

Well the week of November 16-20th, I had my mini-residency. This was a time in the my internship classroom in which I would have control of the class for a week (well almost). I have to say that leading up to this week I had a bit of a breakdown at school. I had been having a hard time keeping the class quiet. I have been assured that this is a common theme with new teachers. Well, the day of my meltdown, my mentor teacher, Julie, noticed right away and we had a little chat about what I could do to gain more control over the class. I found that when I say something, I really have to mean it and sound like I mean it, otherwise students will think it is optional (not good). With the tips that Julie gave me tucked away, I was able to go into my mini-residency with confidence and effectively teach the students throughout the week.

Since then I have been able to take on more and more responsibility in the classroom and my mentor teacher has been able to step out with confidence that I will get stuff done.

Wow I am a terrible blogger

Wow, have I really been that busy? Yes I have. It is sad, I start a blog and then barely have any time to manage it and keep it up to date. So in the posts to come, there will be updates about what has been going on in my world. I will try to recap what all has been going on in my life for the past month and a half. Let's see how I do.

Salt Dough Maps

Oh the drama! Wow what an afternoon. It all started last week when my mentor teacher Julie asked me to make salt dough so that our students could make awesome maps of Alaska. I got all excited and of course agreed. Well yesterday I went to the store with Charlie and we got everything we needed. Flour, salt and plastic wrap. I looked like I was picking up stuff to build a bomb. We also had some very sturdy boxes donated from Carrs to create the base for the maps. So we headed back to Charlie's house and I got set to work on making to dough and he cut out and painted all the bases (such a sweet guy for helping me). I made enough dough for the kids to be able to complete their project and still have some left over to take home. I have to say I was pretty excited about this project. Although I almost broke my back trying to get all the dough from my car to my classroom (the box was really heavy). But anywho, on with the story. It came time to make the maps and the kids were really excited, that is until they found out that the dough was soft and sticky. They freaked. Immediately complaints started popping up about how they couldn't do it and how their hands were getting all messy and gross. I have to say I had little sympathy for them, I worked with that dough for a good 2 hours the night before and was a sticky gooey mess. I loved it! But my kids didn't feel the same. The project took a very long time and drove me a little crazy in the process. Anyway, I have learned my lesson, make a little thicker salt dough so the students don't complain.

The Week at School Before Halloween

Oh my goodness! What a crazy week we have had! (We being my mentor teacher and myself). I have discovered fast that the week leading up to a holiday is insane. Much more so when it is a fun holiday in which kids get to dress up and eat a crazy amount of candy that make dentists cringe. Yes I am of course speaking of Halloween. This week has been a very loud one in the classroom and has exposed a new challenge for me, patience! I am being tested this week to see if this really is what I want to do. What is getting me through and what gives me encouragement is that this week will soon be over and we can send the kids home to their parents to work off the sugar high they will get at school tomorrow. I cannot say how happy I am that Halloween is on Saturday this year. We won't have to see them and try and teach them the day after the sugar high. Thank goodness. I just hope that next week settles down a bit.


As for my internship experience, I am continuing to learn a ton. We successfully went through parent teacher conferences. And I am slowly taking on more and more responsibility in the classroom. This week I taught math every day, 2 back-to-back reading lessons and 2 back-to-back health lessons. It was a very full week, but a fun one teaching wise. My mini-residency is coming up and the more practice before then the better!

It has been too long...

Oh my goodness, it has been far too long since I have posted anything. I hate to pin that on anything, but my crazy busy schedule hasn't given me much time to blog. But I just wanted to let everyone who checks this that I am still alive and surviving my internship and second to last semester of college.

I am loving my internship! I am learning so much from my mentor teacher, and I think we make a pretty good team. I learned a valuable lesson the other day. It is possible to be too enthusiastic about a lesson. I was teaching a lesson on adding by 9s and I was having a lot of fun with it. But my mentor teacher especially noticed (one of the benefits of being at this for 20 years) that the kids got a little too jazzed about the lesson and weren't focusing very well on what I was saying. So next time I am going to practice being enthusiastic, but scaling it back just a little.

I am pressing on with school, and thankfully my methods classes are going to be wrapping up soon. They are pretty intensive at the moment, but one of the benefits is that we get done sooner, and get to spend more time in the classroom at the end of the semester! YEAH FUN!

There are two other interns in my building who are a ton of fun, and who I don't get to see nearly enough of. I am downstairs on one side of the building and they are upstairs on the other. They did a great job of separating us. Well I think that is all for this post, I am doing well and am still kickin'!

Oh and here is a picture of my wig:

Missing My Dear Friend

My dear friend Cathryn just relocated down to Virginia. She is working with a pain specialist down there, and saving up enough money to get a place of her own. I am so proud of her for doing this for herself, but I miss her terribly. I know that this is where God wants her to be, and it will take a while for me to get used to not seeing her every Sunday. I love her so much and cannot wait to see what God has in store for my dear friend in Virginia. You go Cathryn!

Charlie Fishing

My boyfriend Charlie loves to fish. I caught a few pictures of him showing off his fishing skills at the Eklutna Tailrace. I am looking forward to learning how to fish from the "expert"! Should be a highly entertaining experience that is for sure.

Mitchel and Emily

The beautiful bride Emily and her very happy husband Mitchel.

Congratulations Mitchel and Emily! I am so happy for you both! Well for those who don't know or who weren't able to be there, Mitchel and Emily got married today! It was so beautiful, beautiful decorations, smiling people and one GORGEOUS bride (yeah that was Emily for sure). I am so blessed to know these two amazing people, and I am so glad they found each other. They both have a love for life and the Lord, it is so refreshing to see two people running after God full speed. They truly are amazing and I am blessed to be able to call them friends. Here are some pictures of the wonderous day!

Their first kiss as husband and wife, so special!

The girls: Diana Ryan, Natalie Greenstreet, Mayerly Fischer and Charlotte Brown

The guys: Mitchel, Drew Tracy, Dan Bruzas, Luke Fischer and Drew Bacon.

The bride and groom's first dance together! (well as a married couple that is)

The couple got an amazing present from Emily's brother Joe. A two seat bike!

Mitchel and Emily trying out their new bike! LOOK OUT!

We found out that the bride and groom were going to "sail away" into their new life together. The sail says, "JUST MARRIED Mitchel & Emily" accompanied by a picture of the couple.

Mitchel and Emily getting ready to sail away together.

Sailing off into their new life together!

Mitchel and Emily, you two are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, I wish you the best together. I love you both and am so happy for you. God is going to great things in your lives and bless you to no end. Have a great time in Hawaii! See you when you get back.

Necklaces

From a very early age my mom realized that I have a very high sensitivity to metal (mostly the cheap kind). When I was a baby I would get red circles on my stomach from the snaps on my jammies. Since then I have had to be very careful of what I wear, because too much metal contact and I get red rashes wherever the metal rested for too long. Most of my friends are aware of this and because of it I am a bit harder to shop for. Cute necklaces, bracelets and earings just don't work for me. One of my dear friends Megan (commonly known to us as Red) is very talented at making jewelry. Two summers ago Megan made me a beautiful necklace that I can actually wear, and have been wearing ever since. It is a beautiful stone necklace on string. I wear it with everything (sadly even if the colors don't match all that well).

The one Megan made for me is on top, the other two are the ones I made.

Today while I was out with my mom and grandma we stopped into Jo-Ann Fabrics. I was looking for string to make another necklace similar to the one Megan made me. While looking I found these beautiful glass beads, flat with an off center hole, perfect for hanging for a necklace. I picked out two that I thought would go well with my "teacher clothes". Grandma bought them for me, she is so sweet, and left the string (which I didn't find) for me to pick up. At home I found some string that I think works well, and made some necklaces (again while working on dinner). I think they are beautiful and I hope they work for my outfits!

Pattern Blocks

Pattern Blocks

Pattern Blocks are amazing! This summer I have had to use math manipulatives every week. For the most part I haven't had them around the house, so I have had to make them from scratch. So far I have made color tiles (1-by-1 inch color squares), a geoboard made from cork board and push pins, and pattern blocks. However, today I stopped by an amazing little store in Wasilla, "Learning Essentials". They had pattern blocks plus much more. I had fun walking around with my mom and grandma, we saw so many things that I can't wait to get for my classroom!

A great link to a pattern for pattern blocks (that sounds weird) is:
http://www.mathcats.com/mathtoolbox/patternblocks1.gif

Color Tiles

Geoboard

Tonight though, while I was waiting for the casserole to bake, I sat at the island, listening to a book on tape, and playing with pattern blocks. It was a ton of fun and I loved making the different shapes and designs. It will be so much fun to see what my students create with them. I have a feeling I will be purchasing a lot more pattern blocks in the future, plus so much more!

Monthly Outings!

My mom is amazing, and usually comes up with awesome ideas. This one is one of my favorites! We have been discussing for a long time my internship and what all will be expected of me. I again will be looking at being extremely busy, all the time this coming school year. The brilliant idea that my mom came up with is that every month, I need to plan to do something fun, and out of the ordinary. So far I have two outings planned.
The first is set for August. My boyfriend and I are going to spend a day at the fair enjoying a ridiculous amount of fair food and then to wrap up the day, enjoy laughing our heads off to the comedic stylings of Bill Engvall. I am so excited, I love Bill, he has a great sense of humor and never fails to make me laugh. It will be awesome to see him in person!
The second is an outing with my mom planned for September. As many know, the Broadway musical The Lion King is coming to Anchorage. My mom and I jumped on this and now have tickets for an evening show on a Saturday in September (I can't remember which one). This is going to be amazing, and a once in a lifetime experience for both of us. My brother is a little jealous that he isn't going to be able to come with us, but we have promised to get him a video if they are available, as he has promised the same with the production Wicked.

So far those are the only events planned, but I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for other once in a lifetime opportunities to go to. If anyone hears about an awesome event please let me know. I am so excited! Thanks Mom for a wonderful idea!

Two Weeks Left

YEAH! I have two weeks left of madness. I am so excited that I am close to being done with these two summer classes. Now don't get me wrong, I have loved the classes themselves, I am learning so much. I am just not all that fond of craziness that has come with these two classes. I feel like I don't have that much of a life right now, which is no fun. So many of my friends are getting ready to leave, either back to school or on to an awesome new adventure. I wish I had time to go on crazy adventures with them this summer, but sadly I have little to no spare time. Thank goodness I am almost done, and will start a new adventure myself, student teaching!

The Importance of Reading!

This past semester I took a class focused on language and literacy in elementary school. We discussed when and how children develop their language and literacy skills. One of the books we were assigned to read was "Reading Magic" by Mem Fox. This book shared the importance of reading to your children long before they reach school age. I never knew just how much children pick up about reading until I read this book. While reading I had memories of my own childhood pop into my head, as well as stories my mom tells about how silly I was as a little girl. She likes to tell the story that when I was little I loved the book "The Three Little Pigs". Mom read me that book so much that I knew it by heart. One day I picked up the book and started to "read" by myself. Mom thought I was actually reading it until she noticed that I had the book upside down! Silly me, but I thought it was funny. I encourage all of you moms out there to read this book, it is a short and easy read but full of great insight. I hope you all enjoy it!

Summer School Continues

Oh goodness. Summer school goes on and I feel drained. I have been taking 2 classes for the past 3 weeks. The first two weeks went by fairly well, the first week I only had Math Methods, and the second only Inclusive Classrooms. However this past week I was pulling double duty. On Monday and Wednesday I was in class for 5 hours straight. I don't think my bum has ever been so sore. That is what I get for sitting on a wooden chair I guess. All I can say is that I am glad I only have 3 more weeks of absolute madness before I get any real form of a break (and that will only be a week maybe 2 before it starts back up again). Thankfully I have the weekend to work on things before more assignments get added to my plate.

In addition to crazy summer school, I am getting ready (mostly mentally) for my upcoming internship. This past weekend I received a packet in the mail about my internship and what can be expected (for the most part). Included in the packet was an encouraging letter stating that the mess of emotions I am feeling toward the upcoming school year is normal and expected. I have to say that that made me laugh. Also included was a list of professional expectations and guidelines that I am to follow throughout the school year, I don't think that that will be a problem. I think that the key is treat everyone you interact with with respect and you can't go wrong. There was also a tentative schedule provided of the school year, as I will be following the Mat-su school district schedule this year. I received a list of important dates and what scared me the most, a "Suggested Timeline for BAEL Internship 2009-2010". This listed month by month things that I could count on doing and when I would be doing them. However one thing that shocked my very core was found in the November list, the "Mini Teaching Residency". This is a week in which I will be given most of the control of the class for a week. One day in that week I will have the class all to myself, as my mentor teacher will be off to UAA for the day. I have to say I am a little nervous, I didn't know that I would have a mini residency, I just thought that it would be second semester when I would be entrusted with the bright and eager minds of students. People more experienced than myself have told me that by that time I will be so used to the routine and students that it will be no big deal. I just hope that they are right.

Well that is enough rambling for one post. I am super excited and nervous about what is coming up in my life. I know it will be a fun and rewarding experience, but a crazy one at that.

My New iMac

I became a Mac user the summer after my senior year of high school. Mom and Dad were looking into getting me a laptop for college and I had heard about Macs. I was curious and we decided to check it out. Turns out it was one of the best moves we have made, our entire family loves working with Mac computers! I have loved working with my MacBook "Lou-Lou", she has been a great companion for me through these college years, and is going to stick by my side for many years to come. I will be able to take Lou-Lou with me on trips and to school, but I have decided to update my work station a bit. I have a beautiful new 20 inch iMac (who is currently nameless) that will be my primary workstation for years to come. This week I have been downloading programs I will need for school and adjusting the settings. It has been a lot of fun figuring out the upgrades my new computer has from my laptop. I hope my new computer will be as faithful as Lou-Lou has been.

Congratulations Anita and Ben!

Wedding bells ring in the air as many of my friends are getting married. Today was a very special day for Anita and Ben Mosier. Congratulations you two, I know that God will do great things in your lives. Here are some pictures from the amazing wedding this afternoon.
The beautiful matron of honor Sarah Brown and her daughter Charlotte who was a flower girl.
My brother Michael with the beautiful bride.

Anyone who knows Anita will tell you that she loves John Deer, so it was only fitting that she and her new husband Ben rode on one after the reception.

To top the day off the couple drove away in Hal Grendel's car. I think they might have got a little wet on the drive, it was raining quite hard and they had no windows!

The wedding was beautiful and one that we will all remember for a long time to come. Anita, I am so happy you found someone to share your life with, I know Ben will treat you like the princess you are. Congratulations again. Love always ~Katie

Buckwheat

My brother is truly amazing! He has a way of making you smile even if it has been a taxing day. This Christmas my brother and I both were trying to out do the other in our presents to each other. I made my brother and his friend Trey from school (who is like Michael's twin, it really is scary) tie blankets and had them embroidered. Now I thought this was an amazing present, seeing as Michael is ALWAYS cold, but he had to go and top me. Michael brought back with him Buckwheat, a build-a-bear, he and Trey made special for me. Buckwheat will be my "teaching bear" and join me in my classroom this coming school year. He currently sits by my desk inspiring me to stay motivated and complete my degree. Again I will say my brother is truly awesome and knew just what I needed as an extra boost of inspiration!

Summer Fun!

I have truly been blessed with wonderful people in my life. Everyone has been so supportive of what I have been going through recently, they truly are a gift from God. Earlier this summer we had a bunch of people over for a barbecue. My Grandma came out from Eagle River to spend the evening with us. My awesome neighbors the Hunners scooted over from down the street, and my Aunt and Cousin joined us as well. We had an awesome time enjoying each others company while watching Michael try not to burn anything on the grill, and soaking in some much needed sunshine.

Charlie's Animals

My boyfriend Charlie has a lot of animals at his house. It seems only fitting that I write this post in green seeing as most of them are reptiles. Here are some pictures to show you:This is one of the snakes Charlie has. This is a Colombian Red-tailed Boa.

Here is Charlie holding one of his iguanas.

One of my least favorites, a tarantula.

Another curious iguana.

And this young lady is Lynx, a bearded dragon.

Charlie currently has iguanas, Savannah monitors, a bearded dragon, Colombian Red-tailed boas, ball pythons, a king snake, a corn snake, a scorpion, and tarantulas. He also has the most lovable dog named Falstaff who is part black lab, part st. bernard.

Tarzan Song

My awesome brother Michael recently got back from the Royal Family Kids Camp in Big Lake. This camp is geared towards showing God's love to foster kids. Michael had a great time as a counsellor (or cousin as the camp puts it). One of the fun things that he brought back with him was what we like to call the "Tarzan Song". So here it is:

Tarzan (echo)
Swinging on a rubber band (echo)
Tarzan (echo)
Got hit by a frying pan (echo)
Ouch that hurt! (echo)
Now Tarzan has a tan (echo)
And I hope it don't peel (echo)
Like
A
Ba
Na-na

Jane (echo)
Riding on a bullet train (echo)
Jane (echo)
Got hit by an airplane (echo)
Ouch that hurt! (echo)
Now Jane has a pain (echo)
And Tarzan has a tan (echo)
And I hope it don't peel (echo)
Like
A
Ba
Na-na

Cheetah (echo)
Groovin' to the beat-a (echo)
Cheetah (echo)
Got eaten by an amoeba (echo)
Ouch that hurt! (echo)
Now the cheetah is Velveeta (echo)
And Jane has a pain (echo)
And Tarzan has a tan (echo)
And I hope it don't peel (echo)
Like
A
Ba
Na-na

Wookie (echo)
Calls his girlfriend "Shnookie" (echo)
Wookie (echo)
He ate too many cookie (echo)
Ouch that hurt! (echo)
Now the Wookie feels all ookie (echo)
And the Cheetah is Velveeta (echo)
And Jane has a pain (echo)
And Tarzan has a tan (echo)
And I hope it don't peel (echo)
Like
A
Ba
Na-na

Now we are also thinking about adding some additional verses to the song. But I am thinking about introducing it as a silly song for my 3rd graders to sing this coming school year.

Summer School

Summer School, everyone's favorite summer activity (not really). I am having to take summer classes this year so that I will be able to graduate on time (May 2010). I just finished my summer History of Alaska class. I have to admit I didn't think it would go as well as it did, but I had a great professor who made the class very enjoyable. Now I am starting two more classes, Inclusive Classrooms and Math Methods. Both of these classes are online, so some days I am going to be cooped up in my room staring at my computer screen for 5 hours. That is going to be the hardest part of these classes, but I think I will make it. Wish me luck!

Twins!

Well almost. My dear friend Joe had recently shaved his head after experimenting with a mohawk. We decided to have a photo shoot to show off our new looks.

My New Look

So, many of you have seen and are aware that I no longer have any hair. I am sure you are wondering why, so here it is:


In the span of about 2 weeks I lost about 80% of the hair on my head. It would just fall out in the shower and scared the tar out of me. So I went in and saw my doctor. What we have come up with so far is an auto immune imbalance, a hormone imbalance, and possibly the result of high mercury and lead in my system. So now I am on about 20 vitamins a day, hormone therapy, thyroid medication and a detox program to flush the mercury and lead out of my system. Hopefully over time I will be able to grow my hair out again. I truly miss it, however I am also embracing my baldness.

I am so thankful for everyone's prayers, they have helped me embrace what is going on rather than have a panic attack about it. I will keep everyone updated if I learn anything more about the mysterious hair loss.

~Katie

Entering the Blog World

Hello everyone, Katie here. I have loved being able to log on to my computer and check in with so many people that I know and love via their blogs. I thought that it was about time that I started one myself. So look for more posts in the near future! Love ~Katie