tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81738841812239084592024-03-13T12:00:53.569-07:00That's What She SaidMikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-83794745573450797962014-07-11T11:58:00.001-07:002014-07-11T11:58:58.322-07:00A Response.I've tried extremely hard not to lend my voice to the many in the bloggernacle and on Facebook who have decided to share their views and opinions about the church recently. I've noticed that those conversations very rarely seem to be productive and are almost always divisive. However, in all of this I felt very confused. I'm a feminist and I believe in equality for women and it is difficult to see so many people decide that if you don't support certain things then you're not really a feminist. Or questions of how stupid are you to believe what you do, like I'm a blind follower of my church. I don't speak out about religion or politics over the internet often, but I think that a lot of people feel the same way I do about all of this and I really want to share what I think. I'm really grateful to have been given the opportunity to speak in my ward in the midst of all of this discord within the church. I prayed to be able to say what the Lord wanted me to say and I found writing this talk so helpful to me. After delivering this talk something is just pulling on my heartstrings that I need to share it here. I'm not sure who even ends up over on this neglected corner of the internet, but I hope this helps someone that comes across it.<br />
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<b>Small Choices of Faith</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today I’m going to be focusing on President Eyring’s
talk from the last General Conference entitled A Priceless Inheritance of Hope.
In the beginning of his talk President Eyring said, “Whoever you are and
wherever you may be you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than
you can now imagine. Every day and every hour you can choose to make or keep a
covenant with God.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many of us have already made covenants like the
covenants we make at baptism that we reaffirm each Sunday, covenants as part of
the temple endowment, and covenants when we are sealed to our spouses. These covenants affect our posterity and as we
choose to make and keep covenants we not only help bind our physical families
together, but our posterity as well. Our covenants with God should be at the
forefront of our lives. However, I think it is all too easy to become wrapped
up in the everyday pieces of our lives and lose our eternal perspective. We
must come to the understanding that when we choose to follow Christ that “it is
not one great choice….but many small choices.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our church is not a church of a few great choices
instead it is a church of many small choices, you don’t just choose to be
baptized and you’re done. You don’t just get sealed in the temple and you’re
done. These are good decisions and pretty big ones too, but often it’s the
smaller choices that are much more difficult like getting to church on Sunday
or completing our home or visiting teaching. These smaller choices determine
our worthiness for the bigger choices, and without making the correct small
choices we would never have the opportunity to make the big choices. Sometimes
making the covenants is the easiest part. The difficult part comes in living up
to those covenants, making the covenant is one action but living up to the
covenant and keeping it is many small actions throughout the rest of our lives
and into the eternities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I want to focus on these small choices of faith.
Because faith is not a perfect knowledge sometimes that means we are faced with
circumstances and events that shake our faith. We are not perfect and will
therefore encounter doubts in our lives. Sometimes these doubts become trials
of our faith. We don’t always have all the answers, and we often don’t receive
immediate answers when we search for them. President Utchdorf explained in October
Conference that, “A question that creates doubt in some can, after careful
investigation, build faith in others.” I think that it is important for us to
ask questions and work through our doubts, I know that my most spiritual experiences
and confirmations from the Lord have come in the times when I have wrestled the
most with my faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was in high school, I encountered a trial of
my faith. I was having a really difficult time feeling the love of my Father in
Heaven. I had read my scriptures, I had prayed, and I had fasted. However, for
whatever reason I was not feeling his love. So in a last ditch effort I found
myself in the temple baptistery. As I was being baptized for the dead I
remember very clearly as they went down the sheet of names noticing a pattern.
Every sister that I was baptized for had my same first name or some variation
of it. I did two full sheets of names and the entire time I stood in the font I
kept watching the screen for the next name to appear. As I exited the font an
overwhelming feeling came upon me. It seemed to say, I know you, I love you and
I am here for you. And I knew that was my answer. I don’t believe, especially
in the temple of God, that there are mere coincidences. I knew that I had
gotten to that point by praying, reading, fasting and finally attending the
temple. Small choices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These small choices of faith are so extremely
important in our lives because I believe that faith and character are
intimately related. Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “Faith in the power of
obedience to the commandments of God will forge strength of character available
to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of
great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used. Your
exercise of faith in true principles builds character; fortified character
expands your capacity to exercise more faith. As a result, your capacity and
confidence to conquer the trials of life is enhanced. The more your character
is fortified, the more enabled you are to benefit from exercising the power of
faith. You will discover how faith and character interact to strengthen one
another. Character is woven patiently from threads of applied principle,
doctrine, and obedience.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To summarize as we exercise our faith our character
will be strengthened. Our faith is exercised in making small choices of faith
like faith in obedience to the commandments, and when our faith builds our
character, our character, in turn, increases our capacity to exercise more faith.
So that when we encounter the greater choices of faith or challenges in our
lives our faith is already strong. Faith is not necessarily built up during
those immense challenges we face, our faith is to be exercised and strengthened
for those times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">President Hugh B. Brown said, “Man cannot live
without faith, because in life’s adventure the central problem is
character-building – which is not a product of logic, but of faith in ideals
and sacrificial devotion to them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think that it’s interesting to think of the main
problem of our lives as being character-building. It is so incredibly important
for us so understand that our lives aren’t about having the fancy job to make
the most money to buy a fancy house and car etc. Our lives are about becoming better
each day so that we are prepared to return home to our Father in Heaven. We do
this not through logic but through faith. Elder Scott continues, “Strong moral
character results from consistent correct choices in the trials and testing of
life. Such choices are made with trust in things that are believed and when
acted upon are confirmed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The choices we make are always rewarded in kind, but
the effects are sometimes delayed for a purpose. If we received blessings
immediately after each good choice and experienced sorrow after each bad choice
there would be no room for faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">President Eyring suggested that “we take both the
short and long view as we try to give the inheritance of hope to our families.
In the short run, there will be troubles and Satan will roar. And there are
things to wait for patiently, in faith, knowing that the Lord acts in His own
time and in His own way….we will need the long view when those we love feel the
pull of the world and the cloud of doubt seems to overwhelm their faith.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My point is that it’s difficult to live the way we
need to when we are constantly bombarded with information, some of it in
disagreement with what we believe or support. When we stop making the small
choices of faith to help us build up our faith it becomes increasingly
difficult to hold out against the attacks of the world. When we see friends and
family falling away and making decisions not in accordance to what we believe
we can be tempted to give up on them. President Eyring said, “Christ has made
promises to us as we keep trying gather people to Him, even when they resist
His invitation to do so. Their resistance saddens Him, but He does not quit,
nor should we…..Heavenly Father and the Savior are our perfect examples of what
we can and must do. They never force righteousness because righteousness must
be chosen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you feel that you especially struggle with these
small choices of faith let me reiterate what President Utchdorf said in October
conference, “Regardless of your circumstances, your personal history, or the
strength of your testimony, there is room for you in this church.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is important for us to remember that everyone is
at a difference place on the journey back to our Father in Heaven. Try not to
be judgmental because someone’s doubts are different than your own. And if you
feel that your doubts are different than others remember than as we make small
choices of faith we will eventually work through those doubts and you may find
that they build your faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let us not forget the threefold mission of the
church. First, to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people; Secondly, to perfect the Saints by preparing them
to receive the ordinances of the gospel and by instruction and discipline to
gain exaltation; Thirdly, to redeem the dead by performing vicarious ordinances
of the gospel for those who have lived on earth. It is our sacred
responsibility to help the church attain its threefold mission. President
Spencer W. Kimball said, “Trust the Lord and His unfolding purposes even when
His purposes are not always completely clear to us at the moment.” We’re not
always going to have all of the answers, but I believe that as we continue to
exercise faith and build character by making the small choices of faith we will
overcome any thing that comes our way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In closing I want to share a scripture from Romans
8: 35, 37-39: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Nay,
in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For
I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-81303948736174438542014-06-07T09:42:00.001-07:002014-06-07T09:42:53.057-07:00It's been awhile....Oh hey! It's me...you know, remember the blonde teacher that hasn't frequented this space of the internet in about six months? Well it's summer, and in my never ending amount of free time, I promised myself that I would blog at least a few times. So life as of late: (we're doing this bullet list style because I'm lazy)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I finished my first year of teaching! It was wonderful, very hard, but also kind of awesome. Teaching is my calling you guys, I just love every second of it. I'm really excited for the opportunity to love every second of it again this fall at MCHS. So I guess I don't suck at this teaching thing. </li>
<li>Mark is currently in school ALL THE TIME, I kid, but it's only been a week and I'm hankering for the days when we had the same schedule but I don't mind not working. Anyways, Mark is quite the accountant and is studying for the GMAT as we speak so he can start USU's Master of Accounting program in January. It's only a three semester program so he will finish up in December 2015 and I'm way excited. At that point we will just have to see where he gets an awesome job (cross your fingers for Cache Valley).</li>
<li>I have quite literally done nothing productive this week, and it has been wonderful. I have worked out so if that counts as productive that's great. </li>
<li>I apparently suck at applying sunscreen. Yesterday, I laid out by the pool and managed to get burnt in one small line down my left arm and leg, the left side of my nose, and my right collarbone. Spray on sunscreen pro over here.</li>
</ul>
I feel a little bit like I should have more to say about life, but the truth is that life is just pretty dang good right now and I'm thoroughly every aspect of life.Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-36602471784961120042014-01-13T13:01:00.003-08:002014-01-13T13:01:58.043-08:00The thing is.This year I became one of those people, you know the ones that don't update their blog constantly or don't have pretty pictures of things on Instagram, and the ones that definitely don't update Facebook on even a weekly basis (Pinterest on the other hand....). And you know what? I'm ok it. I used to be so consumed with this idea of things that I needed to do to show that I was living the married dream. Post pictures on Instagram of all my fabulous recipes and have the wittiest Facebook statuses, but not anymore. I would rather send a photo to my mom or my sister-in-laws and have real genuine interaction rather than hoping for a few likes on social media. I do, however, feel the need to reflect on the wonderful year 2013 was. I loved being twenty-two and all the fabulous things that came with that. I student taught and discovered that teaching was really what I wanted to do. Despite choosing a career path with certainty right out of high school teaching made me really nervous, but I loved it and I'm still loving it. I graduated and had a job right out of college. Not many people can say that, and I feel extremely blessed. Being a first year teacher is like building an airplane while trying to fly it. It's not easy and it's busy, but it is so gratifyingly perfect. I come home exhausted, but it is the best kind of exhausted. There were losses this year too, both in death and diseases stripping away what our loved ones used to be. I don't know how I can ever get over the mystery of our bodies, their ability to heal or to not heal. It truly astounds me. With everything that this year was and wasn't I'm grateful. As we get older we begin to understand more about why people make decisions they do and I hope in many ways that helps us to better understand and love them. We understand our parents did their best and our conversations turn from "I'm never going to be like them" to "I hope I can do half as well as them". We are all navigating this life as best we can, we make mistakes, but mistakes are all about the learning. With each passing year I hope to become better, to understand more, and to judge less. Here's to twenty three. Let's make it a good one.Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-15807060909902210502013-07-18T19:54:00.001-07:002013-07-18T19:54:59.198-07:00Mid-July what?I'll skip past all the boring things I was supposed to have done for my classroom and curriculum by now and just tell you that I have not been very productive this summer. I blame my motivation sucking job and this awesome July cold that I can't seem to kick. It's fun. Onwards....<br />
So about a month ago when we first moved into our new apartment Mark was doing dishes while I was doing something unproductive I'm sure and I hear the most awful noise. Turns out he let the disposal eat up one of my spoons. I was quite unhappy. We vowed to never let it happen again and threw the mangled spoon away. Well a few weeks went by without incident and then it happened again. So I was down two spoons. I was extremely unhappy and told husband he owed me a new silverware set. Today the hubs came home from an interview and had me come out to the kitchen (I was still in bed because of the cold) and guess what? I came out to flowers and a silverware set, boy sure knows how to make my heart swoon. <br />
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Today was also a really great day because I did my first load of laundry post-marriage without leaving my house. Oh man, I have been missing out on life. Amy and Jake decided to up and move to NC without us and so they gave us their washer and dryer. I may have promised Mark if he went through all of the work to move the washer and dryer into our house I would do all the laundry for the rest of forever. I woke up this morning with the mindset that if I accomplished nothing else a load of laundry would be done. And it was! This is going to last about two weeks folks. Oh motivation where art thou?<br />
In other news <a href="http://forevereponine.blogspot.com/">this</a> girl came home and I'm really happy, because I missed her loads and loads. Well this is a random posting....here's to hopefully feeling better soon.<br />
Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-1241485290326449922013-07-11T16:14:00.002-07:002013-07-11T16:14:58.832-07:00Oh...hey.Thanks for still checking back at my neglected corner of the internet. This summer has been kind of hard. The craziness of May made June a breath of fresh air, but it quickly turned stagnant as I fell into a routine of working my 40 hours at a job I greatly dislike and being frustrated that I can't just be teaching already. If nothing else this summer will teach me patience. I just hate this weird inbetween time where I am working at being a teacher, but not really being paid to be one. I just put in my two weeks notice and I've never been so excited to be done with a job in my life. Yippee!<br />
Now for the exciting stuff!<br />
Last week my sister-in-law Cheryl (or Cherelle as the fitting room attendant decided. How complicated can you make her name?) came in from Chicago and so my mother-in-law took all the girls to Park City for an overnight shopping trip. It was a blast and I was able to add to my "teacher" wardrobe. We got Cafe Rio and went swimming and I got girl time! When does that happen?<br />
We also went climbing up Rock Canyon in Provo on Friday. Amy and Jake described it aptly as a "ball tingler". We did a multipitch up two walls to get to Ed and Terry wall which is what we really came up there to climb. Getting down was the rough part. We had to climb down and around the second pitch to a pair of chains in order to repel down. Have I mentioned that I HATE repelling? As I was clutching my slings (which were clipped into the chains) and standing on a 3 inch ledge I began to freak out. Jake noticed, and decided to belay me down in order to save my sanity. The next ledge was about 25-30 feet and I felt much better. I even repelled down that one. Boo-ya!<br />
Even though my hands are actually falling apart...peeling skin EVERYWHERE. I'm dying to go climbing again. Mark and I have been going up Logan Canyon and it has been great. Oh, and pictures!<br />
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First....check out this handsome man of mine! He looks pretty legit does he not? <br />
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Second, the view from our little perch below Ed and Terry Wall. If you look closely you can see Amy's helmet....sometimes when you're really high up you whip out your iPhone for just as long as it takes to get a quick shot off, and then you put it away and realize later that you didn't aim well. <br />
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<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-2918762012735245972013-06-03T13:12:00.001-07:002013-06-03T13:12:43.797-07:00Words to the Wise. Don't move in May when you are also graduating, have a brother graduating, have a family member pass away, have a husband in class 9-7 everyday, and be starting a new job.<br />
Seriously, May was crazy. However, we survived Mark most of all. The hubs was in class way too long folks, but now that May is over I have him all to myself. It also helps we're working the same schedule for work too.<br />
Hopefully there will be some major adventuring soon!<br />
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And just because I'm one proud big sister, here's of picture of Coulson and all his friends. He's the handsome one with all the money around his neck. I mean his last name is Rich after all. He's headed off to Argentina at the end of July and I'm so excited for him!<br /><br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-67124713413334309772013-05-01T19:14:00.001-07:002013-05-01T19:14:21.231-07:00Officialness.I'm a grown up.<br />
I kind of thought it would never happen, but guys I HAVE A CAREER!<br />
Cue screaming and squealing and a whole ton of thanking the Lord.<br />
Prayer works. So does paying your tithing. Do this.<br />
Anyways....the deets.<br />
I'll be teaching English and Journalism at my beloved Mountain Crest High School. Since I'll be heading up the school newspaper I think we can safely just begin calling me Mrs. Shelton.<br />
Except that all my kids just call me Pool-E. Emphasis on the E. It's my fault, since I told them my last name was like a swimming pool with an E. It just kind of stuck...well mostly I just answer to anything that sounds remotely like teacher. Including teacher lady.<br />
I digress.<br />
So my contract is for a year with the opportunity to renew in the spring as long as I don't royally screw this up. Do you feel better that the innovators of tomorrow are in my very capable hands? Good, me too.<br />
This is kind of a rambling post. I'm just super excited to have a job and a pretty wonderful one at that. Bring on graduation! Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-74557735267921304832013-04-25T15:58:00.002-07:002013-04-25T15:58:53.658-07:00all deliberate speed.Isn't funny how we both dread and look forward to things? And then without any warning they are already here and it's almost as if time has speed itself up. This is how today felt. I've looked forward to this day for four months knowing that once it was over my life would not only go back to not being crazy (since doing student teaching and working part time equals me having NO time to do anything). Yet, all this week I've been dreading today because it means I have to let go of my wonderful kids.<br />
No more essays to grade, tests to worry about, planning lessons, or being concerned over the graduation of certain students. This whole experience has been a huge rollercoaster of emotions and I am tremendously grateful for the it.<br />
I know that I was incredibly blessed with two truly wonderful cooperating teachers, Mark and Gordon. Who taught me more than I can really articulate. They have been so incredibly patient dealing with my rants about grammar and transfer of skills, government and the education program. They have also been key in many successes I had in the classroom. I know they are standing on the sidelines cheering me on and hoping as much as I am hoping that I snag one of the openings at Mountain Crest and we can continue to have music battles in the hallways and drive everyone crazy.<br />
My kids. Oh man I love them, every single one of them. Some of them don't believe that, but I do. I made a discovery this semester. I have maternal instincts, which is strange for me. Today when I told my last hour of kids goodbye I totally cried because I want to see every single one of them grow up and do amazing things. But I have to let them go with the knowledge that Mrs. Poole cared about them and hopefully I made an impact of some sort.<br />
I was made to be a teacher, guys. This I know for sure. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-44295424904435435782013-03-26T17:09:00.002-07:002013-03-26T17:09:57.463-07:00Career what?Just applied for my first REAL job. I mean like career job, not the job you take to get you through college which you would have considered a real job when you were 16. No I'm talking the big kahuna, the career job.<br />
The application is in and I'm freaking out. Would be in serious love if they opted to hire me. Keep your fingers crossed.<br />
Oh and only three more weeks of this craziness that is student teaching and working at the same time. Then I get my life back. Hooray!Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-70424738683336907272013-02-23T07:21:00.000-08:002013-02-23T07:21:59.481-08:00Sometimes I Just Want to Hug Them.Sometimes I just want to hug my students because they say the sweetest things like how they think I'm going to be a good teacher, how they like how I teach, etc.<br />
I also want to hug them when I read their papers and they are nothing short of amazing. I also want to slap the kids who did a crappy job, but I'll save that post for later.<br />
I'm lucky to have cooperating teachers who are very kind to me even when lessons are chaotic and I'm still learning about how to be a "real" teacher. There are moments in the chaos where I feel proud though. I'm actually doing this! You know how you dream about your future career and hope it will be as fulfilling as you always dreamed it would be? Well teaching does this for me. Those moments where a kid looks at me with new found understanding about a concept or I just know my kids are having a good time and learning too just fill my heart to the brim. It's also in the moments where a student realizes you really do care. For example, I told one of my students I would attend the school play he was in. He was so excited when I actually showed up, and couldn't stop talking about it the next day. It felt good. <br />
The trimester ends this next week. I don't want to say goodbye to my kids, well maybe I'll be fine saying goodbye to a few of them....Really though, my kids are the best and I'm nervous about getting a brand new set and how that will all go down. Nervous, but excited.<br />
I finally broke down and bought all the stuff to do gel nails at home. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I'll have fancy nails for more than five minutes!<br />
Also we're looking at moving. Very seriously. Just waiting to know for sure where the teaching job will be at (I had an AWESOME meeting with my principal, since there will be two openings and MCHS in the English department at the end of the year). Keep your fingers crossed. I know we are crossing ours!Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-67056334656688480302013-02-14T15:24:00.002-08:002013-02-14T15:24:36.200-08:00On this the day of Love.I know my husband and I are made for each other. I know this because, I bought him chocolate milk and donuts and he bought me chocolate oranges (couldn't find these at Christmastime to save my life!).<br />
Yeah, we like food over here. <br />
<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-4701560686157554372013-01-29T15:16:00.001-08:002013-01-29T15:16:13.976-08:00Sweetest things.Since my life and every ounce of my time currently belongs to MCHS I have a list instead of a real life post. Since some of life still needs to be documented especially the really sweet things:<br />
- Mark dug the car out of the snow for me yesterday. He also warms it up every morning. That man. He's swell.<br />
- Coming home to hot cocoa after a particularly long Monday.<br />
- The student who told me that she loves the way I teach. <br />
- Mark making dinner AND doing dishes while I sit in the spare room typing out lesson plans.<br />
- Family members who ordered birthday presents for me from Spain.<br />
- Our nightly activity of Lego Harry Potter, except when Mark hits me with a spell, then I get annoyed.<br />
- University Supervisors who are really nice when your government class was a little chaotic during your observation.<br />
Now back to lesson planning. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-22147616651999771522013-01-21T16:25:00.004-08:002013-01-21T16:25:49.242-08:00Surviving.So to say this last week and a half has been a breeze would really be a load of crap. I am loving student teaching, don't get me wrong. But the whole working <i>after</i> teaching....kind of sucks. It doesn't help that I've got senioritis way bad and just want to be done working a job that doesn't include teaching English.<br />
My kids are pretty great to far. No one is throwing things at me or tying me up, so I consider it a success. I confiscated a cell phone the other day, and it made me feel powerful and also very old. My mom said that I was being mean, but I have to be strict so that they don't walk all over me right?<br />
So far I am surviving, and loving it. This has brought me WAY outside my comfort zone, but at the same time to a place where I feel like I belong. I get what these kids are saying and I'm trying to show them that I can teach them something worth while. I think that has been the hardest part of teaching, is showing them that what we're talking about will help them regardless of what they plan to do when they're done with high school. One girl told me she didn't need to write well and have good grammar because she was going to be a hair stylist, I told her to go home and do some looking into what hair school requires and what running her own salon would require. She came back and I think that she understands now that I'm not teaching something trivial. Or at least that is the hope. <br />
More than anything though, I have never felt better about the decisions I have made in my college career that have brought me to this point. I guess my 18 year old self really did know what she was doing. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-82910628714700210522013-01-07T17:35:00.004-08:002013-01-07T17:35:55.762-08:00Once.Once upon a time there was a girl who decided to go to Utah State and become and English teacher. All of this sounded really good because it was a really far off thing. She assumed she would get over her fear of talking in front of people and feel like she knew everything there was to know about being a good teacher. Then reality settled in and she realized that in four years of education she still gets scared in front of people and she feels like she knows less now about how to be a good teacher than she did was she graduated high school....<br />
In two days I am going to have my own classroom of juniors and seniors patiently waiting to attack me and eat me alive. I don't know how this all came so fast. I was supposed to be more confident now and not scared of being up in front of a classroom. Having gone through the education program I now feel that I know a lot of good theories of teaching, but very little of the practical stuff I'm actually going to be using. Seriously, only two days?<br />
I still have loads of questions. Like where do I eat lunch and am I grown up enough to eat in the teacher's lounge? I probably need a parking pass....where do I get this? What if I totally BOMB this thing?<br />
I have legit been having nightmares about teaching for weeks. Classes where I show up and I'm teaching something like chemistry and I have no textbooks and the students don't learn anything and I fail student teaching. Gah....I'm in trouble. Not because I'm teaching chemistry, but because I'm teaching writing and that is just as bad. How do you teach someone to do something that comes instinctively to you? Give me literature. Great scott, give me Shakespeare and I will teach it happily, but not so. I get writing and I hope that I might be able to do something of some use for these kids. I'm nervous, but I hope that in some way this nervousness eventually translates into something I can use to be a good teacher.<br />
Two days guys. Cross your fingers. <br />
<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-38317882423305476042013-01-01T09:41:00.001-08:002013-01-01T09:41:17.600-08:00Christmas Break.I had all of these great intentions about blogging throughout Christmas break before life gets crazy busy with student teaching and everything, and then the Xbox arrived and pretty much everything I planned on went out the window. Oops.<br />
Mark and I had a wonderful break.<br />
Tucanos with my family plus Coulson's friend Jake. He's basically family.<br />
Christmas on Christmas Eve with Mark's family. (I got an amazing sewing machine, and now I just need a project to use it on. My in-laws are seriously the best yo.)<br />
Christmas Eve dinner with my family.<br />
Christmas morning with my family. Halo party after breakfast with my dad, Couslon, and Mark. It was pretty epic. Coulson wasted all of us.<br />
Playing our new game Ticket to Ride: Europe....twice on Christmas and once just about every day after that.<br />
Shopping for teaching clothes. I look totally professional guys, I might actually pass as older than 16 in these awesome clothes.<br />
Eye doctor and dentist in one day. Who planned that? Oh wait....I did. Boo.<br />
Anniversary weekend at the Hyatt in SLC.<br />
Les Miserables and Happy Sumo. Great combo.<br />
Shopping in Salt Lake with the hubs. Plus he looked quite dapper in his sweater and wool coat I got him for Christmas.<br />
Jessi's Farewell. This girl is going to be an amazing missionary. The people of Armenia are very lucky.<br />
Room service. Since after a 9 a.m. farewell in PG all we wanted to do was watch movies in sweats at the hotel. Lazy Sunday.<br />
Visiting Amy and Jake, and our sweet niece Charlotte. Charlotte put my shoes on and walked around the house, it was pretty much adorable. And then Amy beat me at Ticket to Ride, she has been the only one except Mark who can do that.<br />
Back to reality. Are we lame because we went to sleep at 10:30 on New Years? Probably. I missed my bed though. Hadn't slept in it for a week and a half.<br />
Now it is back to reality for the both of us. A week and a half off work was incredible break that we both really needed, and the PTO didn't hurt either.<br />
Up next: skiing/snowboarding on Friday. It's not supposed to snow, but if you want to do a snow dance for us, we really would love some powder. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-70418863189934373352012-12-19T09:41:00.000-08:002013-01-01T09:45:05.690-08:00Chistmastime. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christmas at our house looks like this. I wish I would have decorated slightly more, but with finals and everything else going on this year I'm just happy we have a tree up. </div>
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On Sunday night Mark and I packed up the car with hot cocoa in tow and drove around looking at Christmas lights with Bing Crosby playing. It was great, even with all the deer hanging around. It was nice to take some time and just enjoy the season, it has been harder this year to get into the spirit with finals week ending so close to Christmas. It's also been a little weird not being home at this time of year, and I'll admit I miss having a full size tree. My small tree is really all we have room for here, and it looks a little funny since none of the presents are actually "under" the tree...they are more in front of it. </div>
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Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-69524800535747717212012-12-13T09:52:00.002-08:002012-12-13T09:52:52.892-08:00Music Lovin.Dear Laura Marling,<br />
I really like you, and "Goodbye England". Pretty sure your music is the one reason I finished my Political Statistics paper with some threads of sanity left. If you weren't on Spotify I would have to buy all three of your albums. That's all.<br />
-MikaylaMikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-32415086093692872832012-11-30T19:58:00.001-08:002012-11-30T19:58:08.606-08:00Thankful.Today I am just thankful for my life, and that I still have a job.<br />
There were major blindside layoffs at work today.<br />
I think I'll keep paying my tithing. The blessings keep pouring out on us.<br />
<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-52662051899471327102012-11-27T17:13:00.001-08:002012-11-27T17:13:58.637-08:00A few things. I got my student teaching placement....Mountain Crest High School. Yay!<br />
I passed the U.S. Government Praxis exam. <br />
I have an unopened Xbox 360 taunting me because I promised not to open it until after finals.<br />
I applied for a few scholarships....crossing my fingers.<br />
We had a great Thanksgiving with Mark's family, and for once Brian didn't win the board game we played.<br />
Our little Christmas tree is up.<br />
I really need to go back to writing my 10 page paper.<br />
Procrastination is my friend, and so is Grace Helbig. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-51903136705842856892012-11-07T17:25:00.001-08:002012-11-07T17:27:04.676-08:00The Thing About Being Busy.It sure feels nice sometimes. To always have something to do. Plus I feel super productive when I know I'm busy and I also tend to get the most done.<br />
But after getting married I don't like being busy with anything that doesn't really involve Mark. Like school for instance, which is slowly taking over my life as the end of this semester hits.<br />
And when Mark makes dinner for the third night in a row I feel <i>really</i> bad. I'm supposed to make dinner, and I love cooking. Mark hates it, so I should be doing it right? Well right now that doesn't seem to be working out. So Mark cooks and I attempt to make it to the gym, so he ends up doing the dishes too.<br />
It makes me feel so guilty about taking more time away from us in order to go to the gym or go to Hobby Lobby (Which I really need to do because I need more yarn...never thought I would actually use a whole thing of it...).<br />
Mark is so good about it all. He is constantly asking how he can help me get things done, and I feel guilty adding to that list with, "Could you maybe start the laundry?" or "Could you make me some lunch?". This man is wonderful because he is so willing to help me out, but I will not be complaining when life goes back to "normal". And by normal I mean my schedule of the summertime and last semester, when I always had dinner made, we made it to the temple once a week, and my laundry didn't stay out in the living room for two weeks.<br />
I'm a little nervous about the upcoming semester and I'm worried that I will be more busy than I am right now, if that is even possible. Because let's be honest, I'll be spending the majority of my time at a high school somewhere not getting paid to work, just to come home and actually get paid to work. I'm thankful that I have been able to be full time this semester because next I'll be going to part time. I'm also thankful for a husband who is awesome enough to do school and work full time so that I can graduate.<br />
Really though, this week can just be over...well actually just tomorrow. Also, anyone willing to do my take home test from hell for me? Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-33675596707765793552012-10-30T16:14:00.003-07:002012-10-30T16:14:56.707-07:00MIASorry for the MIA status lately. I have a Praxis on Saturday. As soon as that is done I will have my life back. But since passing this is kind of important, I'll just be chilling with my 12th Grade Government binder.<br />
Sometimes I'm glad I keep random crap like this. Since the Government and Politics Praxis is basically the AP Government test.<br />
All of these good ol' chapter packets from Mr. Deans are actually quite helpful. I even kept practice AP tests.<br />
My past self who decided to keep this binder is awesome.<br />
And I'll go back to studying.Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-6831804312723144882012-10-18T17:21:00.000-07:002012-10-18T17:21:48.206-07:00Marriage.Do any of you ever have those moments where you look at your husband and wonder how they didn't starve to death prior to marrying you?<br />
Tonight I thought that.<br />
I had prepared everything in a way that I thought would be as easy as possible since Thai Peanut Noodles from OBB isn't the easiest thing to do alone. I had put the sauce together, waiting in the pan to be heated, noodles were on the stove and all Mark needed to do was cut the green onions, cilantro, and the pork, turn the heat on and stir.<br />
I thought I had made this as simple as could be for my wonderful kitchen impaired husband.<br />
I went back to work in the spare room and told him to get me when he thought the sauce might be done so I could check it. He said ok.<br />
Ten minutes later the smoke detector was going off and Mark was standing at the stove looking very disheveled and stressed.<br />
I just had to smile. It's nice to feel needed. Like that if Mark didn't have me he would eat microwave burritos every single night and probably not much else. Maybe he would get a pizza from Little Caesar's on occasion, and though he would probably never see a problem with it I'm glad that because of me he eats Thai Peanut Noodles on a regular basis.<br />
I'm also glad that he gets scared in the kitchen. He can cut up the raw meat for me and I'll do everything else.<br />
I'm a lucky girl, you see he can make waffles(breakfast is his specialty).<br />
And I love him, especially when he is looking at me terrified from the stove. Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-23624474291367333062012-10-16T17:42:00.001-07:002012-10-16T17:42:14.186-07:00Because Life is Awesome.I've been neglecting this blog a little bit as of late. It might be because it is midterms and I'm a little burnt out of sitting at the computer. But it probably has more to do with the fact that Mark and I are having fun. All the time.<br />
Seriously guys, marriage is great. My best friend is always around to do everything with, and let's just be honest doing things with someone else is always more fun...especially grocery shopping.<br />
It might be fall break starting tomorrow at 10:20 a.m. right after my Assessment midterm. It's strange to have a test on testing....but thus is the education program.<br />
Mark and I have some major adventures planned this weekend. It is making working until Friday very difficult. It's fall and it seems like there are so many fun things to do. We plan to take advantage of that this weekend. I'm especially excited for this because I feel like this past weekend was wasted on my monthly gift from hell.<br />
Can I just say that I am loving the weather. It feels like fall, finally. I whipped out a coat yesterday, a real life coat! I was so excited. It means snow will be arriving soon and the holidays. I am determined to be very prepared for Christmas this year, since last year Christmas was T-4 days until wedding day. Needless to say everyone suffered, especially Mark in the Christmas present department. So I have been keeping a running list hidden on my phone every time he mentions something he would like. It is currently October so I'm a little ahead of things, but at least this way Christmas will be awesome and not just in the way of a wedding.<br />
Also I completed a super cute craft that makes our house look quite festive (Pictures to come, the one on my iPhone is a little blurry and this craft is too cute for a blurry photo).<br />
Life is good. <br />
Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-79182467035680683842012-10-10T16:11:00.002-07:002012-10-10T16:11:28.773-07:00Halloween. I made this for Halloween. It took forever to wrap the yarn around this thing, but I got it done just in time to be up for most of October. While time consuming this is a very easy project, and I'm all about easy, especially when it is this cute! <br />
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<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8173884181223908459.post-43365283972373311502012-10-09T17:11:00.002-07:002012-10-09T17:11:50.021-07:00Weekend. This weekend was awesome. We went down to my in-laws and my parents' house to go visit. I can't believe we hadn't been down that way since the middle of August. I remember when two weeks seemed long in between going down to see my family. Our calling makes it a little difficult to escape on the weekends down to go visit the family, but since this weekend was General Conference, it worked out perfectly.<br />
The football game, was good, a little chilly and it was kind of a bummer we lost, but it was still so fun. Plus I got to go to Target. I go through Target withdrawals in Logan, we need one ASAP.<br />
On Friday night my father-in-law showed us his new "toy" a M&P 15. Let me tell you, this gun is fun to shoot. Mark wants one too. We probably shouldn't have taken him shooting.<br />
During the priesthood session I went out to Zupas with my mom, grandma and mother-in-law. It was a blast and the shopping excursion that followed resulted in me winning free cards and getting 40% a new craft for fall. Once it's done I'll no doubt get pictures up, but right now it is currently awaiting a trip to Hobby Lobby; I need some more supplies.<br />
After conference I am a crochet expert. I crocheted boot cuffs. They are cute and I cannot wait for it to get a little colder so that I can wear them.<br />
All in all a very productive weekend.<br />
Oh and we borrowed my mother-in-law's food dehydrator. I am in dried apple heaven over here. <br />
<br />Mikaylahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08985618044654074819noreply@blogger.com0