Wrap-Up

It's almost Christmas time! Lots has been happening...we have been working hard and getting through the semester one day at a time and we're finally in our last week of classes! We are in the middle of final presentations, lesson plans and portfolios and are ready to have a restful Christmas break and get ready to STUDENT TEACH!! We had a student teaching meeting yesterday and are partway through getting our placements set up...Steven's placement is finalized, and mine is still TBA :(. I have a placement site, just not a cooperating teacher for the moment. It is hard waiting to find out where I'm going and not having a contact name, but at the same time, I am learning a good lesson in patience and faith in the Lord. :) Even though our placements aren't completely finalized, we are so excited to be moving into the final part of our education! God has blessed us exponentially through the past year, and we have lots to be thankful for! Family is growing, we're growing UP, holidays are bringing us together and life is good. New recipes are being made, pictures are being taken, teacher clothes are being bought, and Christmas is becoming evident in our home. Will update as regularly as possible!

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

Good Days and Bad Days

A lot has happened since the beginning of the school year. We have finally begun to re-adjust to the routine of being in a school every day. Our practicum is absolutely amazing...our cooperating teacher is one of the most caring and effective teachers I have met. She cares about her students, and cares about our future as educators. I really enjoy being in the class every day and look forward not only to teaching, but to learning something new from the students as well.

Class is taking a toll on me. I am learning some really great things that I will always carry with me into any classroom I enter, and some things that I really wouldn't use, or some practices that I really don't understand. I find myself praying about my classes quite often, and that's not a bad thing. Although I don't completely understand some of the situations presented by some of my professors, I trust that this is God's plan, and that someday I will fully understand it and learn an important lesson.

Today was a GREAT day. We taught our second lesson plan today, and it was the best lesson I have taught. We went over equivalent fractions, used fraction strips and played a relay game with Energizers. Every single student was engaged, learned about equivalent fractions, and the energizers got their energy out for the next assignment. Our practicum supervisor sat in on our lesson, and I feel that she was really impressed with our progress in teaching. Days like today make me confident that I have made the right decision to pursue education as my career.

Last week, we had our first student teaching meeting. We had to turn in a STOP packet, including a new essay, test scores, resume, etc. If our packet is approved, we will receive a student teaching placement at the end of November. Be praying that God's will be ultimately done, but also that we both receive placements and are successful in trying to graduate in May. We will also soon need to take our last NM education test, which will certify us to teach in NM.

A lot is going on, we have birthday celebrations, family visits, projects and life in general happening. Although our life is fast paced and leaves little time for rest and fun, but this semester has made us stronger as individuals, stronger together, and more dependent on our God to get us through. :)

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Practicum + School Lunch (breakfast)

We are going to start week 4 of our practicum for methods block B and so far it is going really well. Steven and I have been placed in a 6th grade self-contained dual-language classroom. Yes, we are working with the same class, but we really love it for a few reasons: we get to team teach our lesson plans for our classes, we get to discuss the same students after class, and we are both getting to work with upper elementary, bilingual students, which is what our first choice was for the semester. :) So far we have watched writing and math in our 2 hours/day in the classroom, and we have really learned a lot. Our cooperating teacher is an amazing teacher and we have really lucked out getting someone who truly cares about our future careers as teachers. Classes are going well, although some are more helpful and educational than others right now. Please pray we get as much knowledge as possible and retain as much as we can. We start student teaching next semester, and could use as much information and experience as possible to help things run smoothly. We turn in STOP packets in the next 3-4 weeks and go through a student teaching orientation, which will be the final meeting about student teaching before we actually begin in the spring. Be praying for us as we finish school and begin our experience as teachers in the next year.

Since last semester, I have been reading Mrs. Q's blog: Fed Up with School Lunch, watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and boy, has my perspective changed on both what I eat and what my future students will eat! School lunch has taken a turn for the worst, and this past week I had an opportunity to see in person what the students are eating for breakfast. Unfortunately, like Mrs. Q, what I saw was disappointing. This particular morning, the menu included a Chicken Biscuit, fruit juice and milk. I didn't taste it, because A) it looked disgusting - this can't be "real chicken" - it is probably processed chicken patty and B) I had already eaten breakfast, but was seriously bothered by this meal. Meals like this make kids tired within a few hours and the lack of fresh food or fruit doesn't really make this healthy. Here is a picture of the super amazing breakfast I was offered:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a health nut and still eat my share of Taco Bell and Burger King, but I have become more educated when it comes to food and we are slowly making changes with the food we buy and cook. It truly makes a difference in how the food tastes and how you feel after you eat it. Without trying to sound like a fatty, food is an important part of everyone's life. I love cooking, and we eat lots of homemade meals, but lots of kids don't have that chance and depend on school for their meals. I know I'm only one person with a super small blog following, but something needs to be done to meals to make them better for these kids. I remember having cooked meals from a tray with real silverware, and the majority of these meals being good!

I will step down from my soap box now...lots going on in schools aside from school meals. Be thinking of Los Morgans as we take on our final year (for now) of school!

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

Back to School

It's a weird feeling to (hopefully) start the last year of college...finally! We know we will be in methods practicum this semester and then we start student teaching in January! I am excited to finally get back to a routine of being in the classroom, but at the same time, I am a little nervous to go into the "real world." With the state of the economy affecting the educational field, we are a little bit worried to find teaching jobs within the same area. Please be praying for us this year, as we prepare to student teach, take our certification test and interview for possible jobs. We know God will take care of us, but not knowing where we will be and what we will be doing in a year is a bit crazy! Although it makes us nervous, the excitement of having our own classrooms and having our own full-time salaries and living our life outside of college is a blessing. :)

Yesterday was our one year anniversary!!! We did a few things to celebrate one year:

-took a trip to The Lodge in Cloudcroft...amazing memories!

-got lost in the Lincoln National Forest (thanks TomTom)

-ate unique food

-re-created our wedding cake and fed it to each other, just like our wedding day :)

-had Sonic - just like we did after our wedding, since we didn't really get to eat that day

Here is the album of pictures we took over the weekend:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024335&id=160200358&l=ede4ed20ac

We are so happy about getting to experience things that are up and coming this year; I will try to keep this updated as things happen :)

Irony

Recently Steven and I have started 2 new things: New Recipe Day and we have started the C25K running program. Ironic. First with the new recipes: we always seem to get into a rut when it comes to cooking, and a while back, I downloaded the Epicurious and Betty Crocker apps to my phone. These are the best free apps a cook can get! I have been browsing through tons of recipes and adding to my favorites. Then we choose one together and go shopping and make it! It's always something a bit familiar with a twist. I haven't taken a picture of everything we have made, which I kinda regret but here are a few pictures of what we have recently made!



Thai-Style Marinated Pork Ribs with Jasmine Rice










"Red Lobster" Crab Alfredo Linguini
Our 3 year "dating" meal :)





Homemade boneless buffalo wings
(Sauce from BWW)










Here is the irony, in addition to new recipe days, we have started the C25K running program! C25K takes a basic "non-runner" and trains them to be able to run about 30 minutes continuously or roughly, a 5k in 9 weeks. We are halfway done with week 2, and we are really enjoying the exercise, spending the time together and getting in shape all at once! Aside from some really painful shin splints on my end, we are doing great and keeping each other motivated to keep going :) Looking forward to running long distance again!

c25k on Facebook

C25k Website

New food and running for the summer? Ironic to say the least, but are we killing our hard work with food? haha I hope not!

More recipes, longer distances and additional summer adventures to come!

Up-To-Date

This summer has unfortunately flown by! We are already almost a month away from school's start again! BAH! Although summer always seems to go by quickly, we have really made the most of it! I have finished one summer class and got an A! Yay! and I am halfway through the second one. We passed our content exam with flying colors, just got home from MVCC, are planning a camping trip soon and will be having our first anniversary in a month! Phew!

School this summer has been a blessing. It's weird that I say that, but without it, I would have to stay here an extra semester, and that would have been not fun at all. I am so ready to be done with school for now and move on to a real job! I am excited about having a name plaque (ha!) and my own class/classroom. Summer school blessed me in many ways: we got extra grant $ to which helped completely pay for my summer, I got summer workstudy to keep my job, and I saved time! This helps me stay on track with Steven so I don't have to keep him here longer! In other news, both Steven and I passed our NM Content Exam! We passed with flying colors and are in line to student teach! Next up, we have student teaching portfolios to turn in and the NM Competency (certification) to pass! We are excited about methods with upper elementary and then the light at the end of the tunnel becomes brighter! Please continue praying as we start preparing for a new chapter in our lives!

Our summer has been busy with traveling and other stuff too! One of the blessings we had this year was that of going back to MVCC and teaching for the first time! We re-connected with old friends, made new ones, and are so excited about doing this for years to come. :) God is really blessing this camp as it continues to grow. Steven did an amazing job teaching; I truly have an amazing husband with the gift of speaking to kids. I am so excited to see how God works at camp with us in the future. Here are a few pictures from camp:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022782&id=160200358&l=a1507bb027

We will be trying to go camping before July ends and then we have our first anniversary trip! We will be golfing and staying at the Lodge in Cloudcroft, NM, then going to Denver City to surprise my dad with a bday party! Then school starts! Our house is beginning to show evidence that we aren't home much on the weekends :-/ Although we have been busy, we have continued to learn and love more each day and it's been a blessing to have both the opportunity, time and resources to travel around a bit this summer. It's been so amazing!

Summer will wind down soon and we will be getting back to the grind of school for one more year! Pray for our adventures! :)

Summer!

Summer is flying by! We have been really blessed to have some actual time to spend with each other. :) I am taking 7 hours this summer - a 5 week Geology class which is both boring and intense (lame combo) and an English that lasts 10 weeks. I am loving that one so far! Plus the courseload is a lot lighter, which really helps. Class keeps me busy during evenings and I have also been blessed by getting summer workstudy because of my summer classes. Thank God I don't have to find a temporary job this summer!

Summer has consisted of a few weeks off, class and school work, ridiculously hot temperatures, new recipe experiements and fun adventures with both my family and sweet husband! We still need to find out test results (PRAY!), get student teaching portfolios started and YAY! we get to go to MVCC in 3 weeks! We are so looking forward to spend time in the mountains with great Christian adults, kids, each other and most importantly God. MVCC has obviously been a big part of our lives for so many reasons and we are excited about getting to go back as teachers! Be praying for our week there and for camp in general. :)

Summer this year has been one of the best I have had in a long time...I am so blessed!

Life's Happenings Lately

Summer is here (despite summer school) and we are so excited! Steven and I both got 4.0's this semester! We are going to be in Methods Block B next semester...then student teaching! Still a lot to do and learn before then but God is truly blessing us. We have lots of summer plans and when we don't have anything to do we will be enjoying the latest TWIN additions to our family!

Welcome Sofie and Emma!

Us with the twins :)

SUMMER! - ish...

We are FINALLY done with our first semester of Methods! It has been an amazing experience so far and we are SO happy to have a break from both our classmates (sorry) and schools. We learned so much about teaching, and looking back, this has been our favorite semester so far, mainly probably because we learned so much about teaching, unlike other semesters, where we will unlikely remember anything we learned. This semester, we learned about the age group we want to be teaching, what to do when we become teachers, and also what not to do. This year was unlike any other and gave us so much experience to take with us into Block B. Also, we might both get 4.0's this semester!!

Next up for me is taking two online summer courses to satisfy my lab-science requirements (blegh). We will be taking our next NM teacher content exam in June, have a student teaching portfolio to start this summer, need degree checks, and so much more before next Spring! Be praying we stay dilligent as we go into our last year (hopefully) of school!

On another note, we are excited about a couple more things this summer: 1) will be going to MVCC this summer as teachers! Well, more Steven than me probably, but either way I cannot WAIT to get there! We will be there for Session 1 with Leland and it's going to be different to be there as a married couple and not as counselors. :) and we are excited for 2) our 1st anniversary! We will have been married for our first year in August and have already booked our mini vacation! God has blessed with an amazing first year of love and marriage and we cannot wait to see what is in store for us next!

School may have temporarily ended, but we are still busy!

Learning

Lately, things at school have become really routine, which really tries my patience in my attempt to learn new things that will help me in the future. Although I probably shouldn't talk in specifics about what I'm doing or where I am or who I work with, I will say that I have been doing the same thing with students with a minor change for the past couple weeks. I am starting to get a little burnt out. :( I have learned that when I am a teacher (God willing), helping out college students that come to the profession will be something I will be so glad to do, knowing that I can help them learn so much from my classroom if I just take the time to teach them.

Another thing: I taught my first solo Science lesson in Spanish on Tuesday! The kids were engaged and a huge majority of them totally grasped the concept! I loved it, and although I was sick all night and morning before I taught, I was really ok with everything once I got started! It was really great knowing that if I can do this decently now, then it will just become that much better once I actually get my own classroom. I know I should probably be freaking out about my first classroom, but I am so excited to get to run everything according to my experiences.

I have also learned that communication is very important in a school setting. I have learned that regardless of that burnt out feeling right now for me, and a possible tension between me and the teacher that I am working with, it's not about me, it's about the kids. I will leave my personal problems and "grudges" outside of the classroom and still do my best to make sure they are learning at their highest potential. I have also learned to make a great impression on administration, whether or not they are holding a job opportunity for you. I have also learned to take opportunities that will make a lasting impression on the "higher ups" even though it may not be the most fun or cool.

I am not in the least talking down on my practicum. It is the most amazing learning experience I have been through in my college career, just has been really different than expected at times...

Hurry Up, Spring Break!

soooo...my mind is officially on Spring Break. Reading everyone from LCU and DC's posts about Spring Break is frankly a little depressing. I worked all day Monday and was really motivated and ready to finish out this week and move on to Spring Break as soon as possible. The school where we are doing our practicum is a year-round school so they have a 2 week Spring Break, starting this week. This leaves only classes at 10:30, which is great, and we get to sleep in! Weirdly I'm saying unfortunately...but unfortunately, our class yesterday was cancelled, and I wasn't working yesterday, which left a free day to do anything! We slept in, watched tv, had lunch, ran a couple errands, and went to the driving range! We basically got a premature Spring Break day...but that sadly means that I have lost all motivation for the rest of the week. I have two more classes and work Friday morning before we head out for a quick visit to both homes/golf courses. :) I am praying for motivation and for happiness as I go into the last couple days and classes before a MUCH needed break. I am so ready to to have zero assignments and much golf for a week!

Golfing Blessing

We haven't gotten to go golfing since we went in Denver City the weekend of Master Follies and this was actually pretty sad for us! We finally got the chance to go yesterday afternoon and got paired up with the nicest older couple :) I am still in my opinion a beginner golfer and I felt like the game wasn't going to be good after I missed the ball about 4 times off of the first tee. Anyways, we ended up grouping up with this couple on the 2nd hole. I am always a little nervous about grouping because I am so new to golf and being out there in general sometimes makes me really anxious, therefore stressed and this changes my swing for the worst. But, I figured why not? And my positive attitude worked out.

The first hole was the only one where I really didn't do too well. After this, things began to work themselves out, and I was worried about hitting the ball in the right direction and more importantly, was relaxed and having fun! We played 9 holes and I kept up with the group and felt that I did really well. When I had a positive outlook on playing in a maybe stressful situation and didn't worry about the others watching, and only about being relaxed and playing as I was taught, it wasn't bad at all! This couple was so nice and we actually had a really great time yesterday. God truly blesses us with good stuff when we have an open mind and a happy outlook.

Unos Momentos Pequenos

So I don't have a lot to write about, just a few small moments that made the week great. :) We got out of class early on Tuesday...which usually isn't a big deal, but I still haven't gotten used to this schedule (pathetic, I know) so getting out early means being able to actually cook...since we have been eating out more than we would like...which means eating A)healthier and B) at home on the couch in front of the tv. This also meant that we got to nap...for all the times that I never slept in Kindergarten when we had time designated during school for napping, I am definitely doing it now. This made the day so much nicer.

Wednesday morning, after a conference with my teacher about a few things, we found out that we would be judging the school's science fair. I remember my dad helping me build crazy contraptions and cutting out cardboard pieces for me to put my presentations on. This brought back a lot of memories and I felt really official being able to judge these kids and get to know why they chose to do these particular projects. Some kids were super shy and it was hard to get them to say a lot, which unfortunately affected how I judged their entry. With others, it was amazing to see their true curiosity for what they worked on and their pride in explaining to me their scientific method. These kids are so bright and I loved hearing them talk with such happiness and excitement! Another thing that happened that morning was the need for my Spanish speaking. Some of the kids at this school barely know English and I was getting asked to judge those that could only speak Spanish. This happens every now and then but at the moment I felt so blessed to have the ability to communicate in more than one language. Spanish is such a dominant language in this area, that I really need to thank my parents more for teaching me.

This morning, we were working on literacy centers and I was in charge of a writing center where the students were working on writing objects that started with the letter A. There were 6 objects, one of them being a bee (Abeja in Spanish). I was emphasizing each syllable and we came to the "ja" of Abeja and each student was spelling it with an H (which is the correct sound in English, but in Spanish the H sound is made with a J. After seeing so many students use this spelling, a new student came to my center. He is really bright, but is a little behind what the other students already know. I continued to help him spell his words and we came to this same word. I made the H sound and he looks at me and says "J." I got so excited for such a small event, but it was a good moment for me getting to see that at least one student, that for now is used to getting the answer last, knew the answer far before anyone else. I got super excited, which made him really happy as well. I couldn't ask for a better learning/teaching moment for the week than that.

God is really blessing me lately, and although these may be insignificant to some, they really made my week so much better :)

love

I have always really loved Valentine's Day, but for obvious reasons have really loved these past 3 the most. :) I grew up getting excited about Valentine's Day festivities in school--I would always beg my parents to buy my class valentines before the store "ran out of the cool ones" and would go above and beyond to make my card basket the best and most beautiful. Although this probably annoyed everyone else in my classes, this was just my Type A, perfectionist coming through even at a young age. I would love baking heart-shaped cookies or making rice krispy treats with red sugar sprinkles in preparation for our party. (back then, it was actually a Valentine's party and not a "love fest") HA. High School...well the cuteness of the holiday ran out but it was still fun for me despite being single, which really made my day better-I was perfectly happy with flowers from Mom and Dad :)

For the past 3 Valentine's Days, I have really gotten to experience the kind of love from a guy that God has for us. Although we just go to dinner and spend time together, Steven goes above and beyond (without being corny) to make my day great, and our Vday requires no gifts or actual valentines. God goes above and beyond to make our lives in his image. He blesses us every single day. I truly have been blessed to have a husband that loves me just as Christ loves his church. So, as much as I love "love" themed things and probably always will get excited about "Love Fest" parties at school, I do realize that love extends way beyond one set out calendar day and beyond the largest love that we can imagine and I am so excited I am a part of it!

ramblings of a newlywed on life lately...

Been a while and I should be writing a discussion post for class, but blogging is cooler. :) First off, I had to drop my first class ever last week. The Romantic Comedy class was a little too much to handle, so in order to be focused on my Methods block at least more for my first semester, Steven and I decided it would be better for me to drop the class, especially since it was already stressful after syllabus day, which is saying a lot. Aside from the minor setback...and an added summer course :-/ all is going SOOOO great!

Methods and being in a classroom 3 days a week is still a routine I am getting used to. My body is finally adjusting to waking up before 7 every morning, so that's good. Also, I am loving my classroom placement for the semester! I have an awesome cooperating teacher and I am in an all-Spanish Kindergarten class. The students and I are starting to become more acquainted, which makes learning so much simpler and makes me a little more "legit" when it comes to what I am teaching them. When I am there, the class is working on Readers and Writers Workshops, which include read-alouds, shared reading, etc. Students read and have literacy centers and they are so fun to be in charge of. Kindergarteners are SO bright and I am really blessed to watch them learn to read. :-D

In the near future, I will have to be teaching a Science lesson, later followed by a Literacy lesson in my classroom. After talking to our teacher, I will be asked to teach these in Spanish, which I won't lie...I'm pretty nervous about. One thing about this class is that they are, for the most part, dominant English speakers so I feel better about my Spanish speaking around them. Another plus is that my confidence in speaking Spanish has really gone up in only two weeks! Pray that both mine and Steven's lesson teaching go well!

Still golfing, improving and loving to learn and have a "married couple" hobby. Staying busy, loving life and learning to look at things from a child's perspective more and more. Going to LCU Master Follies probably for the last year to support the brothers and sisters of CD's and IK :) Pretty excited about the trip to LBK!

in the words of Kate Gosselin..."it's a crazy life, but it's our life!" We may not be so crazy, but for us there is a lot of change going on...sigue horando por nosotros :)

gearing up for a busy semester

The Spring semester has begun...and with it this time comes teaching Methods for both Steven and me. We have completed a week tomorrow and it seems as though we are gonna be super busy, but at the same time a ton more rewarded than we have in previous classes. Classes this semester include teaching Science, Literature, Special Ed and a basic Elementary Ed class. In addition to these, we are spending 6 hours a week in the classroom helping out teachers. So far so good! Today was the 2nd day of being in the class. It just so worked out that Steven and I are working with teachers that switch classes as part of a Dual Language Program. What this means is that our teachers each stick with one language: one being solely English (Steven's cooperating teacher) and solely Spanish (my cooperating teacher). The classes spend one week with a teacher and then switch for the entire year. Although I am very fluent in Spanish, I rarely speak it, but this is giving me a great experience in being more confident in using the language. Like I said, busy-ness is unavoidable, but it will be really worth it, not to mention the great experience we will gain from it. One thing I would change? being able to wear jeans...have to dress up every day, which I will definitely have to get used to....

I am taking an extra class in addition to the methods block: Romantic Comedy. I went to the first class meeting today and let's just say I do not know nearly as much about the genre as I thought...apparently watching chick flicks since the age of 13 or so doesn't make me an expert, especially when the genre apparently starts with Shakespeare...how he is writing Romantic Comedy I still don't understand. It will include watching a few films I've never even heard of and ending up writing a 10 page paper over the genre...I hope I can handle this class...

It's gonna be a crazy, happy, rewarding and probably stressful semester. Say a prayer!

a new hobby for a new year

happy 2010! Hope everyone's year has gone great so far! I know ours has been absolutely amazing! Can't complain at all :) We started off the end of December spending some time with one of my cousins and her husband - he LOVES golfing and Steven golfs so they spent the day golfing while me and my cousin went shopping and got our nails done - not too shabby! Since golfing that day, Steven realized he missed golfing and had fun doing it not as a competition, but more as a hobby. So, on New Year's Day he wanted to go golfing and I joined him on the golf course. I was pretty much the cheerleader and golf cart driver, but suggested that maybe I would like to try hitting some golf balls around sometime. Well, we ended up going back to the course and I got to try golfing for the first time (aside from some putt-putt). I had a really rocky start...but eventually became tolerable. :) I actually really liked the sport, even though I wasn't really good; and we decided if I really liked golf then we could buy me some golf clubs. So, we went to the driving range today to actually let me learn how to properly swing a driver and I am starting to finally learn and feel a little more comfortable with things. and we went to get a set of golf clubs for me today! Thank you to my wonderful parents-in-law who got them for me! They are pink...shocker :) and I can't wait to get to go "play" with them...or at least practice so I don't look like a complete fool when I go golfing with Steven. But I am really excited to learn and I am glad I have such an encouraging husband for a golf coach! We have a hobby that we both enjoy...although he is MUCH better than I am!