Before I start Student Teaching

Life has been so busy. Working 3 jobs and trying to just relax and hang out with people. But I thought I'd update everyone on things going on in my life.

First things first. I got an interview with the school in Morocco!! That should happen next week sometime so that's so exciting! The lady who's been in contact with me from the agency I'd like to go through sounds excited and feels good about it all! They even sent me information on what to expect about being there and the things I would not be able to find or would be expensive. It was actually a funny list! The most depressing thing they wouldn't have is peanut butter. :-O Oh nos! haha So that's the update with that!

Next piece of news is Student Teaching! I finally found out my school, teacher, and grade! YAY! I'm at a school I've actually substitute taught at which is cool. I'm in the 5th grade which I'm TOTALLY excited about, and all of this starts Tuesday next week! And I'm basically having to start lesson plans right when I start!

So if you're thinking about me, say a little prayer for my decision making as well as my nerves!

I'll keep you updated on the rest! ^_^

3 Years, 3 months, and 20 days

Here by ends my days working at the office of First-Year Programs and Transition Services... no University Programs.... wait, The Office of Orientation and Parent Programs. The name isn't the only thing that has changed in this office. We've moved from a tiny office to a much bigger one, we've gone from having 4 people in the office to having 10, and we've had so many changes of student workers.

Now it's all over. Time to move on. It didn't hit me how much I would miss it until the moment before I was leaving. But in all honesty, I needed to get out of there. I needed to move on to bigger and better things. Oh... and I just didn't have time to work there anymore, that's really my only excuse.

What will I take away from this job? I learned that it's easier just to use the office copier instead of my own at home. I learned about the wonderful opportunities of watching TV online! And along with that how to arrange my desktop to watch those TV shows and work at the same time. I learned that people suck at organizing and it drove me crazy. I learned about budgeting and how to check and balance it. And about college things in general.

For being my first job it sure did last a long time, but I did get awesome pay raises so that's just great. So good-bye UP! It's been great!

My 2 days of subbing!

Yesterday and today I subbed for a 5th grade class in an... okay part of town. I wouldn't say rich, but wouldn't say poor. I really like subbing for the same class twice in a row. It's so much more fun. But this class in particular was soooo much fun! Yesterday I wasn't as excited as I was today. It was kinda blah and boring, but I was looking over the lesson plans for Friday and there was going to be a bunch of extra time. So I planned a couple different lessons and brought in some of my own stuff! I love 5th grade. The kids are starting to get that attitude, but it's new to them, so they're still figuring out how to use it so it's funny to me. haha And their self-efficient it's so cool!

We did this activity with Double Meaning Words, and when I asked if they had ever learned about them they said they had done it last year. So I was kind of sad and didn't think it'd go well. I had them brain storm as many as they could and they were all thinking of some really great things! When I asked them if they were running out of words they wanted to keep thinking! It was so cool! So then I gave each student an index card and on the front was a word such as "Sink" and on the other side they had to illustrate the 2 meanings and create a sentence. They ended up loving it and taking so much time on their work.

Then we played math baseball instead of just working straight out of the book. But to make sure everyone was practicing, EVERYONE had to do the problem just in case the person at the board got the answer wrong then I would call on the first hand I saw. And everyone had to have a turn at the board, so when one student's turn was up she really didn't want to go up, but I gave her a semi-easy one, and she ended up getting it right!! It was so exciting!

Then we made this collage with biomes and they had to sort the different animals and plants, and it was so cool to watch them all do it! And it was this LONG piece of paper, and they didn't finish but it's going to look so awesome when they get it done.

So their treat for being good kids was they got to play "Goofball" which is like kickball without rules. It was ridiculous. I could never play it... But it was fun to watch. I think I sometimes tend to be a little bit too much of a "friend" I guess you could say. But I'm serious when I need to be and get things done when it's needed so whatever! I don't think it's bad to have fun!

I would sub again for that class ANY day!

Sigh of Relief

I just got off the phone with the recruiter for Teach Overseas. After freaking out over it for the whole day she finally called at 6:00 pm on the dot. I was amazed at how open and honest I was with her, but also the questions that were asked were pretty heavy anyway. But I felt like it went well, I was surprised at how I answered some questions. We talked about why I want to go overseas, my relationship with God, my relationship with others, my experience with teaching, and what I should expect from my experience overseas.

It was a lot of good information and I feel more confident and excited about going over there. But on the other hand, I feel that even if I don't get to go I have learned so much through this experience. I know that God will use me either in the states or in Morocco and he has set up this experience for one reason or another. I also feel like I'm in the place where if I didn't get accepted then I would still be ok. So that's good.

So now that I have turned in my application and done the interview now I have to wait for them to send their information to the school in Morocco, I have to complete a video of me teaching a lesson, and I have to wait for my references to send in their information. ^.^ I'm getting that much closer to knowing if I'm really going to be going or not.

Time to tell the masses!

Today I made an announcement to my family. I have been trying to get up the nerves to tell them for a while now, waiting till it was a very serious thing, and now it is. So since they know I can tell everyone else!

I just recently submitted an application to teach overseas in Morocco!! It's a 2 year commitment and I'm really excited. The kids will speak mostly English, but also French and Arabic.

So that's that, and now I just await to see if they accept me!

A Pile of Dirty Cloths

Lately I feel like my life is like the pile of cloths in my room... yes I'm going there, deal with it. So usually when my room is just insanely messy I get to this point where I can't deal with it anymore, I have no clean underoos, and something needs to change. I'm trying to think of the last time my room and cloths were all clean. I think it was about 2 or 3 weeks ago, possibly even longer. So as most of you have experienced yourselves, it just starts off with a few shirts and flip flops laying around because you just got home from a long day and just didn't want to put it away. Slowly and surly the pile starts to grow. At some points within the last weeks I had attempted to clean it by throwing all the cloths on the bed, the shoes in a pile, and the trash somewhere in a foot radius of the trash can. I put my cloths on my bed to force me to do something with them before I go to bed. This method has not been working because I just end up sleeping on one of the other beds in my house. So as of right now.... cloths are EVERYWHERE and everything else I own is just sitting on my floor in this huge mess.

So how you may ask does this relate to my life? I feel like all of my sins have been slowly piling up and I'm just too lazy to do anything about it. And it's not the matter of me trying to clean it all up so I can just live, it's the fact that I'm too lazy to repent, not willing to change, not ready to look at the pile of crap that I have been living with for a while now. And I've had attempts at "cleaning" my heart I guess you could say, I've heard awesome sermons that give great advice and hit me with the truth and word of God, and I've started a mini-bible study with Tobi and Hannah, I've done all these little things that have only just sorted out the sinful things away in my heart, but I still just haven't faced the fact that things are so outta wack ad that I'm sick of living with this pile of mess!

I just got home from our Sunday night college group with our church. I was so great because I was able to be honest with them and tell them exactly how I feel. It was blunt... I defiantly spouted some tears, but it was also great to hear what everyone else had to say. I think it was such a great step that we took today! And it's definitely an answer to prayer and I'm so excited to see what's in store for our group next.

I think that's it for now. Jeez... so many blogs in such a short amount of time!

Futbol!

What a nice day for a little futbol in the park! I wish the weather was like this every day!

And, since I'm an awesome photographer... here's some really cool pictures!

Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica

First off! One of my best friends Whitnie, from High School, called this fine afternoon and for some reason I knew exactly what she was going to tell me! She's pregnant! YAY!!! This news pretty much made my day! We didn't think she'd be the first to have a baby, we thought it would be Bonny! But I'm sure she's not too far away. hehe I suppose you'd only understand that if you knew my little circle of friends. YAY! So I'm just so happy for her and it's going to be the cutest little thing ever! I can't believe one of us is going to have a little one! eeee!

Today I finished up my substitute teaching paperwork and whatnot, now I just have to get through Orientation Monday and I'll be set for working! It's about time because I'm in need of the mula.

From there I went to complete my graduation packet and applied for Student Teaching! I got to put my first 3 choices, so I put 4th, 5th then 3rd. I've come to realize that I think I like those grades better because I have the personality for it.

Not too much else happening. I've been sick... getting over that, and busy busy busy with school. Speaking of I totally forgot that I'm a lazy partner and I have to put in my 2 cents for this lesson plan! poop

Under the Blacklight

It's September. Wow. I was just thinking today that I remember way back in January thinking this was going to be a good year! And now I'm already planning for things in December.

So another sleepless night... seems like there's been a lot of those these days. And I always seem to end up on my hammock outside at midnight just thinking about anything and everything. And why is it that every time I start freaking out I seem to want to write a blog? weird...

August was pretty great. I got to see a bunch of family and take a road trip with Tobi in California. It was pretty great! Then school started last week. All in all I guess I'm loving it, but in reality it's mostly why I'm so emotional and moody these days.

Senior year... wow. Almost done with college! Only 8 months till graduation. I should be excited and happy... right?! I feel like I'm on this emotional roller coaster. Everything I do, I go from being happy to getting really sad because it'll be over soon. The smallest things make me want to cry, when I'm just overwhelmingly happy I want to cry, and of course when I think about where I'll be in a year.... I want to cry. It's ridiculous really because even though I want to nothing actually comes out.

I decided to start substitute teaching. I'm just waiting.... and waiting for the paperwork to finish up. And I was recommended to check out this private Christian school up by my house to be a substitute for them which would be very awesome. So I'm applying for that. And I just got an application for this other thing, but am not quite ready to talk about it yet. All these applications man! Applications, resumes, graduation applications, student teaching applications, final tests I have to pay for in order to get my teaching license, bah!!! Too much at once.

I think I'm done. I guess I feel a little load off my shoulders. But in all honest I've been running to look for comfort in all the wrong places. I don't know why I feel like writing a blog is going to solve all my problems.... maybe it just helps with sorting things out? Or seeing my thoughts in words? Why is it so hard to take it to God? He's the only one who won't let me down, he's the only one who I know will always love me and never leave me, and I know he understands what I'm feeling here and why but I can't seem to take it to him. Or maybe that's what I'm doing now... enough with the pity party right?

From the hammock in my backyard

It sucks missing people. And the more I go to camp the more people I have to miss! And Facebook is great, but it just doesn't cut it with actually BEING with the people! Did you know I was so bored today that I map quested how long it would take to hit every place with the people I miss the most. I went from Vegas to Lander, WY to Lincoln, NE to Broken Arrow, OK (and then some) to Kansas to Dallas, TX to Las Cruces, NM to Tucson, AZ (and other places around there) and back up to Vegas. It would take 50 hours. It'd be an insanely awesome road trip though.

On the flip side, at camp we talked about Heaven and one thing that was just amazing to me was that we won't have to say good bye to people. Think about how freaking awesome that will be! So I guess there's hope there!

And I started freaking out over the future once again. I had to go to my friend's wedding reception (where I felt totally awkward btw because it was a Mormon friend and I was the only one wearing a tank top... haha) and her family kept asking if I wanted to teach here and the honest truth is... I DON'T KNOW! Making decisions suck, but in the mist of all my stressing out I just all of the sudden felt my heart sink and thought... "one day at a time Melissa, there's no need to freak out about a year from now, just focus on what's happening now!!!" So in conclusion I came home and filled out an application for substitute teaching! So I'll hopefully start that in the Fall and have that as my main job as well as my job at UNLV! Lord willing... I'll survive! So whoever does read this... say a quick prayer for me: That God would pull my heart the way he wants me to go and give me the willpower and self-confidence I desperately need to survive life after college!

I think that's it for now.