Really Old

Teaching 3rd grade has its ups and downs that's for sure, but there are those times that make me giggle.
Today we started a unit on Native Americans. I started off the lesson asking the kids if they new what a Native American was. A few hands shot up in the air so I had them turn and talk to their neighbor and tell them what a Native American was. Well, it turns out they really didn't have a clue at the age of 8.  One kid said, "A really oooollld person" with the emphasis on the old. Well, third graders like to sound smart so they tend to copy others when they have no idea. "A really old person" ran rapid through the group, which at the time was quite hilarious. Yes, Native Americans may be old, but not all of them.  We soon sorted out this misconception. I'm excited to teach this fun social studies unit.

Here are some "really ooollld people" for your entertainment.

Pumpkins

It's October! I love it when fall comes around.  There's just something about pulling out the cardigans and scarfs that make me excited as well as the crunchy leaves and of course the pumpkins! We went to a pumpkin patch in Santaquin, UT that had a bunch of fun things like a potato sack slide, photo ops, a hay ride, a maze, and a entire store full of delicious fall treats. We selected our pumpkins and enjoyed ourselves. One was for carving and the other we shot with our .22 rifle. It was hilarious to shot something and see guts flying everywhere in the air.  I should have taken a video of it. Then last night we went out to dinner with the family and carved pumpkins afterwards.  Scott and I carved ours into the St. Louis skyline with the Cardinals logo in one corner.  It was a great design in theory, but when it came time to carving it, it was a little too intricate.  Just remember simple is always better when it comes to carving pumpkins. Happy Halloween! 

PS. Today we have been married for 6 months! Hooray for marriage! :)

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Our Target

A Post Well Deserved

These last few weekends have been a blast. Mom and Grandma were able to visit from St. Louis and we had a blast with them. We took mom rock climbing, which see rocked at. She came in town for the LDS Relief Society Broadcast or in other words a giant, global meeting for the women in the church broadcasted from Salt Lake City.  It was amazing to hear the inspiring messages and peaceful words.  

While they were here Rachael, Scott, Grandma, Mom, and I explored the Alpine Loop.  We went for a hike through the beautiful changing colors and visited the spot where Scott and I got engaged almost exactly 1 year ago.  I love this time of year when the aspens change and the air gets cooler. 

The next weekend we enjoyed Conference weekend up at grandma's house as the usual tradition.  We brought our friends, Jennifer and Chris with us and it was a blast! We went on a beautiful mini hiked and did some slack lining in the woods, played horseshoes, and ate WAY too much food, especially Papa Murphy's cinnamon wheel. Great memories were made. Grandpa even took us for a ride in his red truck and let us drive his RC boat that he hand crafted himself.  Of course, Scott got the privilege of fishing it out when the battery died. 

This past weekend escaped to Las Vegas, NV for Fall Break.  We loved hanging out with Gran and exploring new places in Vegas.  We took our picture with a million dollars (sorry not seen below), saw the biggest golden nugget, saw the Hoover Dam, went to Shark's Reef, and ate WAY too much food. Our favorite was Shark's Reef with it's giant aquarium FILLED with the coolest fish out there. That in itself was well worth the trip.  Our last night we drove down the strip next to a Rolse Royce with newlyweds inside.  It was very cute and there was great people watching the whole weekend. Fun Fun.

Sundance Resort

Cascade Springs

The Engagement Spot 1 year later

Heber, UT
"Two paths diverged in a yellow wood..."

"When I'm retired..."

Grandpa livin' the life

And Scott fishing it out when it dies

Our Mini Vacation for Fall Break

Hoover Dam

We love Gran!

Shark's Reef at Mandalay Bay

Look Alike?

Las Vegas, NV LDS Temple

Stratosphere

Cows and Sunshine

Last weekend we went to the Utah State Fair with the Jennings. It was definitely a cultural experience. I've seen plenty of cows and sheep from a distance, but never up this close before. They had all kinds of animals, produce, tractors, crafts, booths, and food.  One of our favorites was the amateur photography competition that we are thinking about entering in next year. I could have spent 2 hours looking at all of those pictures. It was a fun day.

Scott recently got a new slack line, but not just any slack line, a Gibbon slack line. We tried it out yesterday and we found the perfect spot just outside our apartment. Scott is getting pretty good even with his bum ankle. I can get up by myself, but there hasn't been much progress past that point. It felt good to be outside and enjoy the sunshine. 

Us next to the lovely cows.

Bubbles! Megan was lucky enough to get a bubble gun. It sang a lovely song too.

Sheep. We don't know why they wear that blanket thing.

Photo Opp!

His dream. ha.

Slack lining it up!

The one and only. I just like that it's purple.

I haven't quite perfected the technique.

Reading in the shade. 

Row Along

I've been slacking on the blogging lately because I've been teaching 3rd grade! Its been 15 days of ups and down, but overall I really do like my job. I love the comments from the little 8-year-olds like, "Do you know how fun this is!?" and "I think I just beat the all time record, Mrs. Jennings!"  I've learned a lot about myself as a person and how I interact with my students.  I'm still learning everyday and I don't think there will be a day that I don't learn something new about teaching or little kids. I definitely don't hate Sunday nights and I don't mind not taking classes either. I'm really grateful to have a wonderful team and staff that help me out on a daily basis. I feel proud to be a teacher at such a great school.

Some of our recent adventures outside of school include going to a concert in Salt Lake City, Iron and Wine. It was good for people watching and the music was pretty good too.  The coolest thing they had there was valet parking for bikes. So unbelievably awesome! I was tempted to go home and come back just to return on a bike. Scott loved the concert as well and it was a good adventure. 

I went on a grand rowing experience with my school before school started. We had a team building activity as a staff and had private rowing lessons.  I learned that the Great Salt Lake does not smell good. I am pretty good at rowing. I do not like the nasty bugs that hover over every surface in and around the Salt Lake. I would train on a rowing team if given an opportunity.  It takes A LOT of teamwork to actually move in a straight line. Rowing boats cost more than my life insurance is worth. It was definitely a fun team experience. 

We've been cooking more together because we are actually home at the same time when its time for dinner. Scott found a good technique of using the lid as a shield, which at the time was very hilarious. We have been using our sourdough start almost every week.  Our favorite is sourdough bread, although we almost set the house on fire with the bread maker the other day. details. details. Our jam supply is depleting, to say the least. Sourdough makes the world a happier place, plus it costs about nothing, which is good for my current lack of salary. 

Happy September!

Iron and Wine Concert in SLC

Iron and Wine

Rowing on the Great Salt Lake

How to Protect Yourself from Spurting Oil

Homemade Sourdough Bread