field trip and a surprise

Glen and I celebrated our 26th anniversary on the 21st. We had lunch together at school. I left for Utah at 5:30 because it was time for the annual pilgrimage to our Mecca known as the Utah Theatre Association's conference!

With 23 theatre students and 4 other adults along, Eric, Glen, and I spent the last few days in Provo. The conference was hosted by BYU and UVU.  I didn't have to ride on the school bus all night long there and back as Glen and Eric did, but got a cushy ride in a car in the daylight. Not being on the bus and having some great conversation with some great women--Divine.

I spent much of the conference workshop time in my hotel room. First I was working on homework for the online health class I am taking (I made an 80% on our first quiz--Hannah made a 90% on hers--I will have to study harder next time). Then I worked on lesson plans for the health classes I'm teaching. Then I worked on lesson plans for the In My World class I'm teaching. It felt so good to work on those things and get some things lined up for the rest of the semester. I still have a lot of work to do, but I feel so much more ready and less stressed about the semester.

I did attend 2 plays with everyone: The Wizard of Oz and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (which turned out to be a musical comedy). Everyone had such amazing voices.

And Andrew helped to make my sandwich one day when I went to his Subway on 9th East for lunch.

 

We spent a little bit of time in BYU's Museum of Art. Look what I bought at the gift shop:

I still hadn't spent the money my mom gave me for Christmas, so I used some of it to buy a Scrabble stamp set. What a riot. Thanks Mom!


And while at BYU I got to see Andrew, Heather, Sarah, and Becky. When the conference was over and everyone else was heading back to Fallon on the bus, I was in Sarah and Becky's apartment with Andrew and Heather getting creamed playing the games Tzolk'in and 7 Wonders. Good times.

(Sarah insisted on making a funny face, so don't think I'm mean for posting this here)

I arrived home at 4:30 Sunday afternoon to discover that Hannah and Geoff had been VERY busy while we were away. She lined and rearranged some cabinets, painted the kitchen (in Ace's Portland Twilight--which is a gray) and dining room (in Ace's Portland Twilight and Gray Embrace--which is a blue-green color), made and put up new curtains, put in a stainless steel hood over the stove, plus she had bought new plates and bowls, a mat for in front of the sink, a trashcan, a container for the school snacks, a mail basket, and a fruit basket to go on the counter. Thanks Hannah and Geoff!

(Dr. Phil: YOU'RE FAT Don't try and sugar coat it because you'll eat that too)

Great few days. Glad to be back. Not quite ready for tomorrow yet and bedtime is in 9 minutes...

a little rearranging

Survived another week. Yea! I could go on about the week, but I won't besides to say the sub job went ok. Instead:

Alex made the A Honor Roll at the junior high. Congratulations Alex!


For Christmas my mom ordered a subscription to HGTV Magazine for me and the first issue has arrived! Hannah and I enjoyed it.

Hannah was so inspired by it and that she decided we needed to rearrange what I call the middle room. So first thing this morning Glen and I got to work. I love the new arrangement. She wants to make a few more adjustments, but this will do fine for now.

So this is where the china cabinet used to be. It's what I see when I'm leaving my bedroom. I really am pleased with the new view.

This is to the left of the roll-top desk. Nothing has changed here yet. Hannah wants this chair out and the table moved to the left to make room for a yet-to-be constructed window seat. We were thinking of buying a used dresser and chopping off the legs and adding a cushion to the top (we've seen it on pinterest).

And the china hutch is now where the roll-top desk used to be. The room seems so much roomier. Which is weird since we haven't taken any furniture out.

So this next week classes start up again at WNC. Glen, Eric, and I are going with the theatre students and other chaperones to Utah. And Glen and I will celebrate 27 years since we met (the 20th) and 26 years since we married (the 21st).

what have I done?

First, to finish up posting about Christmas break, I have a photo of Andrew, Eric, and Alex playing 3 games at once. They rotated around the table each taking their turns in Timeline, Lumps, and Love Letter. Each one won a different game. Fun times. Christmas break was the best.

And before I get on to my news, here's some about Glen. Thursday night was the annual Pony Express Appreciation Dinner. Glen got to re-enact the role of William McGee as part of the entertainment. William McGee was an early settler of Fallon and Glen presented a chataqua about him for the museum a few months back. Anyway, they gave Glen this really neat plaque to thank him.

Now, trying to make a longer story short (but I'm not always good at that),  I had told myself during the break that I didn't think I'd ever take a long-term sub job again as my house fell apart when I did have one.

So, perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise that about a week later (last Sunday) Glen told me that the high school principal was wondering if I'd take a long-term subbing job in health and sex ed--for the entire semester. I think my eyes bugged out when Glen said that. The teacher they needed to replace was moving to a PE position.

I asked Glen's opinion, honestly thinking that he'd think it was a bad idea. He and the kids thought it would be a great idea (Alex is looking forward to me spending money on expansion packs for some of his new games he got for Christmas). Hmm.

Another health teacher, who'll be at the junior high this semester, is a very organized person and has been generous enough to lend me all her binders with her lesson plans in it and some worksheets. It will still take work to flesh things out, but it's so much better than last winter's long-term job where I was only handed the student's syllabus as my guide.

So, I have 4 health classes, one study hall, and a class called "In My World (IMW)."

The study hall is not a study skills, so I don't really teach them any skills. The students just need a quiet place to work and I help as needed. I'm usually good at that.

The IMW class has only been taught one semester before, and that binder was lent to me, too, but it's still a "work in progress" and it will be the biggest challenge, I think. Thankfully I have a TA who was in the class last semester, so he will be a big help. The class covers things like self-esteem, self-management, goal setting, communication, social media, stress management...many of which things are covered in health, but we will go more in depth in IMW, I guess.

Now, I have 3 health and sex ed classes and one plain health class. For the first 15 or so weeks of the semester they cover the same things. Then the sex ed class has sex ed while the health class covers mental disorders. There's a chance the health teacher at the junior high and I will switch places for the last few weeks. I'd really like that. For one, she would do a much better job, hands down. And for another, I've seen some of the material, and I'd really rather not teach the unit, thank you very much. So I'm hoping I won't have to.

This first week went well, I think. I only have one student that I'd rather not as his attitude is so negative. Third block health is full of talkers, but they are nice kids.

And it's weird. I have my own account at school now and my name is on the roll. Weird.

Anyway, Hannah and Eric were signing up for WNC classes this week and Hannah signed up for an online health class...and I signed up for it, too! I think I'm insane.

It's called Foundations of Personal Health and Wellness and it's blurb says:

Covers the components and wellness and of lifelong tools that will help enhance wellness, health values, attitudes and behaviors of self and others. Students will be active in design and execution of personal fitness and wellness plans.

Even if I weren't teaching health this semester, it's a class I'd be interested in, so I'm excited.  

So, if you don't see much of me this semester, you know why.

One week down and 19 to go till summer is here.