Finally...

I get a little respect around here. It's nice to know someone has noticed all my hard work these past few years.

Happy Days are Here Again

Bryan got home on Friday and my life is good again :)

He came home with a variety of Mexican memorabilia and a healthy appetite for all foods Mexican. Let's be honest, Bryan loved Mexican food more than just about anyone I know before he left. But now he's completely obsessed. This is a direct quote from an email he sent me while he was gone, "I had a quesadilla for breakfast. Finally, a place where they let me eat what I want!" Because of this, I offered to make tacos for breakfast on Saturday. He declined, probably thinking that my tacos were nothing like what he ate in Mexico. Not only is he obsessed with the taste of the food, but the price as well. And, I must admit the cost is quite appealing to my thrift-loving self. He said that one night his professor bought dinner for 8 of them and it cost $8.50.

Speaking of food, on Saturday we finally got to celebrate Chad's mission call to Fukuoka, Japan. We went to Yamato's to enjoy sushi, teriyaki, and ubon noodles. I enjoyed my meal, but was not sure if I could eat it every day for 2 years. Fortunately, Chad loved it and is totally psyched for his Japanese adventure.

I just realized this is a very multi-cultural post. I'm going to Virginia soon (16 days if you want to get technical.) That counts as another culture- Southern- to add to the mix, right? Even though it's not very exotic, I'm more excited to be going there than anywhere else in the world!!

Elder Martinez #4

My super cute youngest brother-in-law Chad got his mission call today! He's opening it in a half hour. My heart is pounding, so I'm sure he is dying. I'm so excited to learn where Chad's going for the next 2 years, even though I'm not sure if I'm going to let him go. It's been so fun to have him here, we'll be so sad to have him go far away from us. But, he will be the most amazing missionary and will help so many people. You have 30 minutes to make last minute guesses!!!

I am outraged.

Warning: This is not a pleasant post. This is probably the angriest and most obnoxious post I have ever written. If you would like to continue thinking of me as a sweet, happy, go with the flow kinda girl do not keep reading (that may possibly apply to 1 person...not sure who you are though.)

This past weekend some terrible person broke into an elementary school in Provo and stole 60 to 80 laptops. First off, I can't believe someone would do this to children. I mean, does anyone have a conscience anymore? And, what a pain. Why couldn't they steal from a multi-million dollar company that could afford to replace $100,000 of stolen goods instead of a poor school district that already has to lay off tons of teachers?

And it gets worse.

I was reading the article about the theft online, and an ignorant, self-absorbed, psychotic jerk wrote this,
"Wow that sucks, I hope they catch the bad guys and get full restitution. One Question: Teachers were there Sunday night? I thought they only worked 5 days a week 7 hours a day and 9 months out of the year? Huh"

Oh geez. Here comes my rampage:
1) Pretty sure there is not a single teacher in the world that spends less than 50 hours a week on school, that can be 10 hours a day 5 days a week, or maybe 9 hours a day 5 days a week plus 5 hours 1 day...you get the point.
2) Basically we live at school- mornings, nights, weekends- trust me, there is always someone in the workroom making copies
3) Teachers are in school Aug 1 to May 30 (which is 10 months for all those who passed 2nd grade) as well as various June and July conferences and workshops.
4) Did you really just accuse teachers of stealing computers from a school? Pretty sure making life more complicated by taking away computers is the last thing a teacher would do.

Please still love me and forgive me, I don't have a husband at home to listen to my rantings and ravings

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Bryan and I started dating in April of 2006. In May of 2006 I left for a 2 month Study Abroad in London. Since I was already in awe that Bryan had chosen me out of the numerous girls from our ward that were pining after him, I was pretty skeptical that our relationship would last. I didn't doubt myself at all, I had been completely in love with him for many months. I just couldn't imagine him going off to California for the summer and wanting to keep this two-week old relationship going when we couldn't actually talk or see each other for a long time.

But, Bryan was faithful the whole time I was gone. He sent me a couple of cute letters and postcards, and we emailed each other a lot. I even got up the nerve to call him once. It sounds ridiculous now, but I was SO nervous to call him. I'm not sure what I was afraid of- he wouldn't like my voice, or he wouldn't want to talk to me. But, cute Cathryn coached me the whole way through and sat next to me while I dialed so I wouldn't chicken out. As much as I loved London, Bryan was always in the back of my mind. I couldn't wait to get back and see him again.

Well, I got home from London, we dated, got engaged, and were married the next summer.

Now, it's March of 2009, and Bryan is on a mini study abroad (thank heavens it's only 1 week, and not 2 months!) in Mexico. I find myself rushing to my computer every spare second to push the refresh button. Nothing makes me happier than to see a new email from him.

Suddenly Bryan is perfect in my mind- he never forgets to close the cereal box, he never snores at night, he always puts away his clean clothes. I can only think how wonderful it would be to have him here. It's good to have this little reminder of what my life would be without him to help me appreciate him more. And, maybe when he gets back, I won't even mind it when he leaves his homework out all over the floor. :)

Spring has Sprung

Today was such a beautiful day. I am ecstatic about the prospect of Spring actually coming when it is supposed to (Vernal Equinox is THIS Friday- woohoo!) I was so in love with the 68 degree temperature, sunshine, and the light breeze that I took my kids outside to read. It was the most delightful 15 minutes of my school day. And, my kids loved it too. They sprawled out on the grass to listen and some of my cute boys sat on the bench next to me. It was so much nicer than having all 26 kids squish on the rug (as they get bigger during the year, it seems that my rug gets smaller and smaller.)

Spring, you are welcome at my house anytime. Please bring your bright sunshine, beautiful flowers, and long, happy days.

News on the allergy front- I did feel fine all weekend, allergies weren't too bad at school today, but definitely back. My aide said that he didn't feel well when he was in the classroom either. I dusted my classroom for the first time in probably five years, and I'm testing the possibility of my new air freshener being the culprit. I'll keep you posted.

allergic to school

For the past couple weeks I've been having bad allergies- itchy eyes, sore throat, runny nose, etc. I was frustrated because I thought I was feeling the effects of Spring before Spring even arrived!

But this week I realized I only feel like this when I'm at school. I felt fine all weekend, but on Monday morning I started feeling icky again. At night my allergies wouldn't bother me at all.

On Friday I made an even more interesting observation. Fridays are our early out day, so the kids leave at 1:30. I, of course, was still at school until 5:30 and I noticed that I felt fine that whole time after school. Thus the conclusion, I am allergic to my students.

I wonder if they'd let me take sick days the rest of the year? Or maybe provide me with some excellent worker's comp?

The Graveyard Book

I figured as a teacher it was my duty to read this year's Newberry Medal winner. Unfortunately, my reading time is limited to the 15 minutes it takes to blowdry my hair each morning, the occasional 30 minutes I spend on the elliptical, and the glorious 15 minutes before drifting off to sleep. Reading this short book took me way longer than it should have. Maybe that's why I got so bored while reading. I liked the beginning (very creepy) and I loved the end, but I got stuck somewhere in the middle. It just felt like it was going on forever. And, the characters were too nebulous for me to feel any attachment.

But, I hate to be so negative. It was a fascinating book, and I'm glad that I read it. Plus, I never would have thought to name my firstborn Nobody without reading it.

LOVE this

I totally stole this from Kirsten, but I just loved it so much. Thanks!

good news!

If you have seen/listened to Wicked, please imagine the very beginning when they announce Elphaba's death. If you have not seen it, go see it right now.

Bryan found out today that he got a research job with a prof. This is excellent news for a variety of reasons.
1) Though we have not yet heard, we're thinking it is pretty safe to say that he's in to grad school now
2) We'll get paid for all of Bryan's hard work in school!
3) We know now that we will definitely be in Utah until Aug 2010 (still not sure if this is really a good thing :) but it does feel nice to know a little bit more about our future)

Way to go Bry!!!!

Warm Fuzzies

Some days I come home wondering what I was thinking. 26 kids in one room for 6 hours? Convincing these 26 little darlings to close their mouths long enough for me to throw some knowledge down their throats? (sidenote, that is definitely not how I view teaching.) Spending almost every evening underneath a mound of papers to grade? Never getting a lunch because I have to spend my allotted 23 minutes at the copier?

You get my point. But sometimes I come home feeling all bright and sunny knowing that I am hopefully making some difference in the world and getting a good healthy laugh in the process. Here are some highlights from the day:

- Students just got the forms for the Golden Apple Teacher Award- basically a popularity contest for teachers. I passed them out and explained to the kids that they don't have to pick me (their obvious choice) they can pick any teacher in the school. One girl came up to me later and said, "No offense, but I have to choose Miss Roberts." And, I really don't take any offense because if I had Miss Roberts for third grade, I would totally be nominating her too.

- Today I had a mom come into the room for a minute and she said it was really hot in there. One boy didn't even miss a beat, he said "Sorry, do you want me to leave?" We were totally cracking up.

- My students each get a turn to be Starfish of the Week (my room has a beach theme.) The little girl who is starfish this week wrote her goals on her poster, which include: "marry a righteous returned missionary, defend marriage and the family, raise children in righteousness, go on a couples misison when I am older." It was so precious and I thought, only in Happy Valley...

- After school I was grading homework (fractions- ick) and I found a little note: "dont giv me sutch hard holmwork p.s. need help"

So, if you're ever in need of a good laugh, come visit me and my little crew.

Dear Bryan,

I know you're jealous that I have a super cool and fabulous blog. And, I know you have been really coveting the fact that I have friends who are kind enough to actually read and comment on my random observations and ramblings.

I know that even though you appear to be a nerdy engineer, you are a writer at heart, and you have been searching for that perfect outlet to share your literary genius.

But, please, please, please WRITE ON YOUR OWN BLOG. As much as I appreciate and adore your unique insights, I'm afraid you are going to dramatically reduce the validity, cuteness, and overall good nature of this blog.

I know you're thinking, "but the title is Rachel and Bryan." Let me be completely honest with you, that title is just for looks. This is my blog, and my blog it will stay.

Love Always and Forever,
Rachel

ps- Steak is a food, not an animal.

TWINKERS

So much for "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling." Apparently I don't have very original taste in food. This morning I arrived in the workroom at school to find that Cami (fabulous 3rd grade teacher) and I were eating the exact same thing. We had the exact same twinkies with extremely scrumptious white filling.

Really? Really? What are the chances of doing this thrice in one week?

Did you know that twinkies originally contained a banana creme filling, but this was replaced with a vanilla cream filling during a banana shortage during World War II.
My favorite animal is steak.