AIMS week coming

This upcoming week is AIMS testing at school. It's a low pressure week for me and a high pressure week for students. That means that students are just a little more uptight, a little more frustrated, and coincidentally, they tend to be just a little more touchy, which results in a higher level of talking back.

My goal this week is to be a calming balm for my students, to inspire them to work harder and believe in themselves. I of all people understand how frustrating and stressful standardized testing can be.

Quote of the day

I don't typically do this...although my good friend Krista does, which is why when my roommate Kristy said this, I had to share. First watch the video clip, then see what Kristy said to make me record it. It's one of the those WTH moments (pardon the inappropriate language there).



Kristy- "why are we watching a guy pick his speedo wedgie?"
Moose, Mike, Leah- LOL "what?"
All turn to the TV to see what Kristy is talking about.
Leah- "omg, wait, pause that. Let me get my camera. That's going on the blog."
Leah runs to her car. Thump, thump, thump. (flat footed running)
Leah- "Moose, rewind that."
Moose rewinds and we all watch while I record.

Absolutely terrified

This is one night that I desperately wish I was married because the wind like this utterly terrifies me. Thunder and storming and wind when I'm trying to sleep is almost more than I can deal with. "Hurry up Michael and make me your bride so I can hide next to you."

My flickr mosaic

1. leah + mike wedding, 2. dreaming of their favorite sushi... ~.~, 3. Washing in an amphitheatre, 4. un classico che non passa mai di moda, 5. Daddy and Nessie, 6. a cosmopolitan trinity, 7. New Zealand Safari, 8. Darth Vader's Sweet Tooth, 9. writer's teeth, 10. Amics per sempre - Amigos, heura y jordi cabeza con cabeza - Friendships, tete a tete, 11. Simple, Honest, Passionate and Forever, 12. Pensive Georgie

want to make one of your own?

step 1: go to flickr.com
setp 2: in another window open http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php
step 3: choose 4 columns, 3 rows
step 4: answer the following questions in the search bar of flicker. pick your favorite one on the first page and paste it into your mosaic

1. What is your first name? (Leah)
2. What is your favorite food? (sushi)
3. What school did you go to? (Amphitheatre)
4. What is your favorite color? (pink)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Edward Cullen)
6. Favorite drink? (Cosmopolitan)
7. Dream vacation? (New Zealand)
8. Favorite dessert? (banana cream pie)
9. What you want to be when you grow up? (writer)
10. What do you love most in life? (relationships)
11. One word to describe you. (passionate)
12. Your nickname. (Georgie)

Reasons for me to praise God

1. I have a place to live with wonderful, Godly roommates
2. I can afford my rent right now.
3. I have a car that more than adequately gets me where I need to go.
4. I have a job and the opportunity to impact at least one person everyday at that job.
5. I can go to a church and experience corporate worship without fear of persecution.
6. I can name enough people to fill up all ten fingers that care about me deeply.
7. There was food in my house to fix for lunch tomorrow and in my tummy to fill me up right now.
8. I've had medicine to take to help me get through my cold.
9. I'm in a relationship with someone that loves God more than me and me more than I can comprehend.
10. I may have to wear glasses but at least I can afford to buy them so I can see.
11. I may feel stressed about upcoming events but that means I have something worth working towards and fighting for.
12. I get to hold God' most precious miracle in my hands everyday...a baby.
13. family...many of them

There are so many more but I'm tired...another reason to praise God, that he gave us the ability to recharge and serve him another day.

Going to Rent

Friday night I saw Rent for the I think 9th time. I went with a group of girls, two of which are the same girls that I saw it with 10 YEARS AGO the first time we all saw it. This will be the last tour and it was extra special because the actors who played Mark and Roger originally on Broadway were back again.

After the show, you could donate $1000 to Broadway Cares (an organization that provides supplies and aid to people suffering from AIDS and HIV. When you made that size donation, you were allowed on stage to meet the cast, have your picture taken, get autographs etc etc. I can't tell you that a couple of us didn't wonder if we could pool together the money. Eventually sanity sank in and it never happened.

Hunt Brother Birthing Days

Yesterday was the first celebration for Payton and Logan's birthdays. The Hunt side of the family (Moose's side) celebrated together and the beginning of the video is what I forsee to be many attempts at getting all the cousins together to take photographs. Poor Mylie will have to hold her own amongst all those boys.

Then the second part of the video is Payton and Logan enjoying their cupcakes. I think my favorite part is Logan pointing at the frosting on his mouth saying "oh no!" It was good times.

Liz's wedding

I went to my friend, Liz's wedding on Saturday. It's the first of 3 weddings in 3 months. Whew!

There will be a video of the wedding shortly to follow so stay tuned.

I walked out of my first movie

Yesterday Mike and I were in the mood for a thriller. We haven't seen a scary movie in a while and we thought that it might be fun to have some things pop out at us on the screen. We decided to see Last House on the Left (or as I affectionately called it: Last Door on the Right).
While we were waiting for the show to begin Mike looked up a synopsis on his iphone (which if we had done that beforehand, we could have saved $15) and told me that it seemed like our movie was more of a slasher type rather than play with your mind type. I started to prepare for more of a Friday the 13th type movie.
I WAS SO WRONG. It more of a serial killer, let me watch inappropriate things happen to teenage girls type movie. Mike and I looked at each other and said "I don't think so." We jumped the bar in front of us and left.
What bothered me the most was the number of people in the crowd (packed house) who didn't leave and especially the number of teenagers. I couldn't believe that anyone could watch that happen to a girl and be okay staying there.

My personal recommendation, if you want a horror film, DO NOT see Last House on the Left.

Linking church to personal bible reading

On Sunday, Brad emphasized the importance of confessing sin to one another so that it doesn't create a stronghold in your life like sin has a tendency to do when it remains unconfessed. I felt convicted that it was important for me to do that. Then tonight I was reading Psalm 32 from the Message Bible (because all the others are in my car) and here's what it started with:
Starting with verse 2
Count yourself lucky-
God holds nothing against you
and you're holding nothing back from him.

When I kept it all inside
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans

The pressure never let up
(now for the cream of the passage)
all the juices of my life dried up.

The idea that sin bottled up could literally suck the life out me was another fantastic reminder of how important it is to confess the sin that we know God has already forgiven. I can't wait to start posting little tidbits like these on One Tuesday Night (our bible study's new blog).

I am also posting a little video of Jackson last night. I had the chance to hang out with him a bit before Bible study. I love the little guy.

Dinner with friends

Tonight April and Destin came over to have dinner with Moose and Kristy and I was invited too since I happen to live here. April is a fantastic cook. She made Hawaiian chicken with squishy, tasty morsels or something close to that as Moose called the chunks of pineapple. It was funny, like most of what Moose says. He's just naturally funny.

Dinner followed what can only be a frustrating, depressing meeting at my district office, where we were discussing the proposed cuts next year. I am trying so desperately to trust in God when he says in Jeremiah "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a future."

The future is so unclear. Please pray for my upcoming exam... it's the key to me keeping my job next year. I know that regardless, God is good and he has never left me unprovided for but I feel like the devil could have such a foothold here.

Bowling Neighborhood Group

Last night I went bowling with some of the people in my neighborhood group from church. Mike was there along with my roommates Kristy and Moose (plus their little Jackson) Moose's brother and sister-in-law Stephen and Kelley, Diane and Jeff with their daughter Kaylee and then the people who put the fun night out together, Kathy and Daniel. We played two rounds (is that the correct terminology) with lots of fun and antics. Jeff was impressed with Mike's bowling ability and decided to blow us all away with 3 strikes in a row on the 10th whatever it's called (round?).

In general good times. We missed everyone who couldn't make it but we should do it again soon!

March $ Schools

Yesterday there were thousands of people that showed up to the state capitol to protest the cuts being made to public education. It was amazing to be a part of such a movement. Even though we only have 8 schools in our district, we were third largest represented district at the march, which makes me so sad. I can't tell if people don't know what's about to happen to their schools, jobs and children, if they think they can't make a difference or if they don't care.

This affects absolutely everyone regardless of political party, if you are a teacher or educator, or if you have kids. It is going to increase our statewide unemployment rate dramatically. These are cuts are bound to devastate the life of at least one person you know...already know more than I can count on both hands and it puts a nasty knot in my stomach because our state legislators are just letting it happen. That's why events that happened yesterday is so important.

Today our district released the proposed cuts for next year. Some of the hardest cuts to see was eliminating all school nurses and librarians. No more counselors at elementary schools. Teachers can't have more than 4 days a year with coverage from a sub. After that, they will start pulling other teachers to cover your classes, which eliminates prep time for everyone during the day. They are cutting our mechanics so if the buses that our students are on break down, they will stay there for a while until someone can fix it. They are putting 25 resource children in one classroom and cutting up 18 teachers and aides in special ed alone. They are increasing all class sizes so we will have up to 35 students at the middle school level. It goes on and on and on. You should find out what is happening in the district you live in, work in, or send your children to school in.

Big wammie! They are cutting full day kinder in our 3 non-title 1 schools and offering it by tuition only.

Below is a link to live news footage of the March where you can see a ton of people from my district plus I posted the videos I took while we were there.

I know God is sovereign and in control and I have to be honest...it's all I can hold on to right now.

http://www.azfamily.com/video/geaz-index.html?nvid=338406&shu=1

my frequently occuring blond moments

My students are studying the phases of the moon right now so I hooked a light bulb inside a vice basically from the ceiling, far out of my or my students' reach. My dilemma was not wanting to climb up on the table and then on a chair on top of the table to turn it on and off 7 times today so I decided to leave it on all day.

The teacher next door to me stops in front of my open door on her way to her classroom and asks me if I'm trying to start a fire having an open light bulb against metal and fiberglass. I started to complain about my predicament with climbing on the table when she simply looks at there the lamp is plugged into the extension cord hanging directly in front of my face. "Just unplug it Leah."

What do you say at that point except "oh"

Her reply as she walked out of my room shaking her head "nice talking to you this morning Leah."

I can't even defend myself here...it was just dumb

New layout site

I found this cool new place to get blog backgrounds. try it out if you're looking for something new.
http://simplychicblogs.blogspot.com/search/label/other%20patterns

Judging the Science Fair

Today I helped judge our science fair and it consisted of all the REACH kids (the most gifted kids in our district). As I was listening to these amazing presentations and reading writing that some college kids couldn't produce I couldn't help but think...omg these kids are all smarter than me. I stood there feeling like a moron and wondering how in the world I am supposed to offer them anything next year when I myself couldn't explain half of what they were doing. But wow, was I impressed! They were creating hover crafts and testing amounts and causes of mold.

Pray for me hard...I have accepted a huge challenge!

Early in the morning

Someone told me once when I started being a teacher that I would get used to early mornings after just a few months but that didn't happen. So I gave it a year, wasn't used to it. After 3 years of getting up at 5 am, I've learned that it doesn't matter if I get a full night of 8 hours sleep or a mere 5, I still never wake up before my alarm and when it goes off, I'm dead tired.

So I've concluded that I will never actually get used to very early mornings. Who told me this blatant lie? We need to have words.