Friendship

Yes I know, I am a huge slacker. It has been FOREVER since my last blog post but there has been quite a lot going on lately. Which I will be updating you all on in the next couple of blogs. But first I just had to share a few thoughts that popped into my head while driving home tonight.
Today I am thankful for my wonderful friends!
I have the greatest friends anyone could ever wish for. Life has been so crazy lately and I've been completely overwhelmed and stressed. But somehow tonight just getting to spend one evening with my friends melted all my problems away. As I drove back to Arbuckle tonight I couldn't stop smiling and even though it was past midnight, WAY past my old lady bedtime, I was not tired at all. I was wide awake and utterly completely happy.
I don't even know if I can pinpoint exactly when it happened but sometime after graduating from college my friends have become more than friends, they have become family. They are the people that I know I can turn to for anything and everything. They are the people who understand what I am going through and are there to support me every step of the way.
I am so thankful for my incredible friends I really do not know what I would do without them.
I am so excited for all of the fun events that we have planned over the next couple of months.

Weekend Get-A-Way

This weekend Brian and I got the chance to escape up to Lake Almanor. We wanted the chance to escape before rice harvest went into full swing and Brian begins working all weekend every weekend. This was our view from his parents beautiful cabin. We had a very wonderful relaxing weekend. Both mornings we woke up and rode our bike 4 1/2 miles to coffee. It was a VERY exhausting ride but totally worth it. The pups enjoyed the trip too. Peachy and Cabella can hardly walk today but I think they would tell you it was worth it if they could speak.
Brian and I have decided we are going to get in shape together. Starting tomorrow morning we are going to get up half an hour early every morning to run. Wish us luck =). Any tips?

Engament Photos

They have arrived!!!! I am just beside myself. We recieved them in an email at 7:15 this morning and I woke Brian up and made him get out of bed just to look at them. He loves them too and he was a pretty good sport about being pulled out of bed at 7:15 on a Saturday morning. They are ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! Rebecca and Barry @fordfamilyphoto are fantastic.
We took our engagement photos out in one of the rice fields that Brian's family farms and we had the use of all the buildings and vehicles on the property as well. Peachy and Cabella came along for the shoot and Rebecca and Barry somehow even managed to get them to pose for a picture.
We have to pick one photo for our save the dates and I just love them all I have no idea how to decide. If you have an opinion I would LOVE to hear it, PLEASE! Here are the fantastic photos: My mom says you should play the slideshow to the song "My Big Green Tractor and it actually is rather fitting if you have the song available =)

Things I have learned...

Student teaching has been a whirlwind but in the short time I have been teaching I have learned SO much, here are a few of my favorites...
1. I DO NOT write correctly. Throughout high school and college I have changed my letters, made them frilly and fun AND impossible for elementary age students to read. "Miss Kirk is that a backwards 3, I thought eight began with an E." OOOPPPS =)
2. Timers are the greatest invention EVER. Kids love doing activities in which they have to race the timer and they are also a great way to ensure I stay on track and remember PE, Music & Library.
3. Post it Notes are AMAZING. I have them stuck throughout the classroom reminding myself of various things (my pacing, my things I am working on,etc.)
4. Kids are brutally honest "Miss Kirk your hair is really messy" "Miss Kirk you look funny today" Geeze if I didn't have self esteem issues before I am really in for it now.
5. High Heels are still worth it. I know everyone keeps telling me I am eventually going to to give them up but right now I love them still.
6. Kids come up with the most elaborate stories "Miss Kirk my dog can play the trombone...and the the piano"
7. Don't ask rhetorical questions you will end up having a 20 minute conversation on The Three Little Pigs.
8. If you let one student go to the bathroom or get a drink all the sudden everyone will have to go at the same time

Student Teaching Update

I had my second observation today and if observations aren't bad enough with just my supervisor, she brought her supervisor to observe her! Geeze, talk about NERVOUS! This morning I was really wondering if I was going to make it to my observation let alone make it through it. BUT low and behold I survived. My supervisor and her supervisor were very impressed and said I was a natural, WOW talk about a compliment. I was pretty much glowing from ear to ear for the rest of the day.
Student teaching is so much fun, I am really loving it. As of Monday I will be solo teaching for 2 straight weeks which surprisingly I am not one bit worried about. I have the most incredible Master Teacher, Michelle Cherry, who has believed in and supported me since day one. Also I love our class. Our students are wonderful. We have our talkers and our daydreamers but they are all loving kind students who enjoy learning. I have to brag a little because my math lesson today was on 0 less, 1 less and 2 less and at the end of the lesson all of our students got 100% on my quick check worksheet (earning themselves 10 minutes of around the world math facts on Monday). Also 18 students out of 24 passed their end of the week spelling test (earning themselves doughnuts for Monday Morning, YUM).
I can't believe I only have three more weeks with them before I move on =(

Brief Update

OMG! OMG! Where do I even begin??? My blogging has been horrible lately. However, I have a great reason. Student teaching officially began three weeks ago Monday therefore I no longer have much time outside of the classroom. But I am not complaining. I LOVE it. I LOVE my master teacher, Michelle Cherry and I LOVE our wonderful students. It's been three weeks and they have already won my heart. I would do anything for any single one of them and I would be happy to do it. It's incredible that I can be having the worst morning in the world and yet the moment those students walk in the door my luck changes and I find myself continously smiling.
Teaching is fantastic and if I ever doubted my career choice I am now 100% positive it was the correct choice.
I saw this video today in class and it was so inspiring I couldn't resist sharing it with all of you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luOHWilURqk
More about my student teaching later, I must get to bed.

The Dress....

So if you haven't already heard from my multiple twitter and facebook posts, I found THE dress. (No these aren't the dress, I couldn't post that or Bri would for sure see it. These are two of the millions I tried on though..). On Saturday after Tracy's wonderful shoe shower, we went downtown to House of Fashion to try on wedding dresses. Mahan, my wonderful wedding dress fitter, met us at teh front counter and wisked us upstairs to the world of wedding dresses. House of Fashion has over 2,000 wedding dresses, talk about overhelming. However, Mahan didn't let me get overhelmed she talked to me about the wedding and the styles I liked and then pulled out the dresses that she believed I would like. I knew I didn't want a big poofy wedding gown like the one pictured but Mahan had me try one on just so my mom could see it. It was a wonderful day and I left with one favorite. However, I was not ready to make a choice because I felt as if I had not tried on enough to make a decision. So Sunday morning we went out on the hunt again. We hit David's Bridal and Alfred Angelo( my mother and my sister were such good sports going from one store to the next, one dress to the next) and I again tried on a million beautiful dresses. Luckily we took pictures otherwise I believe I wouldn't remember ANY of the dresses. I left each store with a favorite dress but there was still one dress which stood out in my mind. So we made a call to Mahan and she was kind enough to let us drop back by and try on THE dress again. The instant I put the dress on I just knew it was THE one. It just felt right. So now I just have to wait 6 months for it to be made...
Ahhhh..... two major decisions done =)