You can just call me Mrs. Fernandez. :)

Finals are over, and while I have no idea how I did on one of them, I have a general idea of how I did in my classes and it was almost worth the blood, sweat, and tears. Except EAS. I just hate that class, period. But, no matter, for exams are in, I can do nothing more about my grades, and I passed everything. On to the next challenge...student teaching!

I visited my classroom again today. I had prepared a list of 25-30 questions, and my teacher was gracious enough to let me steal her from the kids for a while (they were taking tests all day, poor kids, but yay me!). We got through about half of them, which ain't bad, kiddos--but now I've got a bajillion things to process and I'm starting to feel overwhelmed already! I seriously think I have an panic issue or something, I just can't seem to enjoy a moment, without the distractions of anxiety and my ever-increasing to-do list running through my mind, not to save my life.

But even so, I must admit that I'm stoked. I have a lot to learn from this cooperating teacher, and I think I have a lot to offer the kiddos in her classroom, too. I have so many things I want to try that I don't even know where to start, and in a way I wish student teaching was longer so we could really sink our teeth into everything more fully. But we'll see. Maybe in a few months I won't be saying that.

Anywho, regardless, I am a semester away from FINALLY graduating in a career path I love, and with a 3.9 something GPA and a TON of work/volunteer experience already under my belt before I even begin, I think I'm on my way to doing well. You can just call me Mrs. Fernandez. :)

First Christmas

Our quiet little soldier, standing vigilant by our door. :) This is our first Christmas as a new family together, and Paul & I spent all night putting up the decorations as our FHE activity. Of course, we realized after we'd put up the tree that we had no ornament hangers so we had to run to WalMart at like 9:30 pm to get the ball rolling again. :) And I have a major sinus infection that kinda killed the fun of it...mostly. There was still just enough fun left for a memory. Let me take you on a little tour:


This is our small dining room table. :) And here's a close-up of the centerpiece (which I arranged myself, and I love the simplicity of it!):

This is the mistletoe ball I made:

and here's how it looks over our doorway, with our wreath:

We decked out our piano (where the nutcracker stands watch over the tiny nativity):

And here's us putting the finishing touches on--and then admiring--our tree:

I LOVE our tree, and our home. Walking into my living room this morning and seeing our new tree lit up against the darkness and coldness of the last few days just brightened my whole spirit a little. Which I really just kinda need once in a while. :) I was also able to get a blessing from Paul--the first one since we've been married--and I'm SO grateful to have a husband who holds the priesthood just an arm's length away. I love you, Paul!!!

ALSO...

I have a trial version of Adobe Photoshop, as I mentioned before. I want the real thing! I've only begun to discover all the wonderful things you can do with it. But here are some cool things I discovered (and am using for a handful of Christmas gifts...), and I'm also going to show you examples using this picture:

1. You can make any photo you have into a coloring page (Great for kids!). Just open the photo up in Photoshop, click on the "filter" tab, then "sketch" and then "photocopy." Adjust the details and the darkness (usually less detail and a little darker) until you have a basic coloring page! Here's the coloring page of the same picture from above:

2. For one of my gifts, I made a little desk calendar...and I knew I wanted to make the too-familiar photos a little more artistic for this project, so under the "filter" tab I clicked on "artistic" and then "poster edges." P.S. This is probably how I'm going to do illustrations for the picture books on Bookemon!!! Here's the same photo as a "poster":

3. I'm a huge fan of Fresco. Here's what the picture looks like with that filter (also under "artistic") (and I'll probably use that for some illustrations, too!):

I can't wait to discover more!

Ten things I really LOVE...

Because I promised...and these are not in any particular order other than the order they popped into my head. I must say, without a doubt, that Paul is NUMERO UNO on my list! These are just some other perks of life.

10. Excedrin. With all the headaches I get, excedrin sometimes feels like my best friend.
9. Learning something new. It's a rush!
8. The temple. Not only are they beautiful, but going inside and feeling the Spirit always gives me a better perspective on everything else that goes on in my world.
7. Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa. I ship a small box out every winter, and I'm blessed to have a husband that totally supports me in that tradition!
6. Books. Reading 'em, writing 'em, listening to 'em...I love a good story, and I love the feel and smell and weight of a real book in my hands--especially if it's new! I don't understand the appeal of Kindle.
5. Music. I haven't listened to it much this year, or played it, either...but last night I listened to some instrumental Christmas music to come off the rant and MAN ALIVE I LOVE MUSIC!!!
4. Ebay. It's the reason we're poor...but everything we have, we got at discount! :)
3. Feeling competent. For all my imperfections, sometimes I surprise myself with how much I CAN do. Especially when those moments happen in front of others whose opinions matter to me (for whatever reason), I really love the feeling of knowing I am capable.
2. Planning with Paul. We are in the planning stages for the next semester's FHEs, and I love planning things with Paul--he always has a fresh perspective on things, and crazy ideas, and sometimes we get a little carried away with all the activities we want to do. We have so much fun trying to figure out how to do everything we want to do on a budget. It's like a game. Planning for the wedding was a blast! We're also starting to plan our trip to Utah this summer, and that's a TON of fun, too.
1. My student teaching placement. I've only visited the 3rd grade classroom once so far, but I've already got SOOOO many ideas of things I want to try and I can't wait to get to know my students better!!!

Five things I really HATE...

I promise I will write a more positive post to counteract this sometime in the immediate future, but I'm not in a very chipper mood so I want to write about the five things I hate most in the world right now.

5. My upstairs neighbors. Even the kids. Maybe especially the kids.
4. The smell of smoke...especially if it is from something illegal that I choose NOT to smell and it is flowing through the vents of our apartment building!!!
3. People who snap at you for no good reason.
2. Christmas shopping.
1. Feeling lonely. Especially if it is on top of feeling sick.

Basically, I hate today.
But the sun'll come out tomorrow...right? :)

Yay for 3rd Grade!

I got to visit my student teaching placement for the first time today. I'm SOOOOOO ridiculously excited! Here's why:

1) I have only 17 students.

2) The principal is anti-textbook.

3) My coordinating teacher is allowing me near-total freedom in what I try.

4) It's a small school--as a teacher, I will have more input and a better chance of becoming part of a small community.

5) They focus on math and language arts, so I get to find creative ways to integrate other subjects into them and thus become the "fun" teacher.

6) I love intermediate grades (2-4), period.

7) My coordinating teacher calls her students "dude."

Dude!

I love what I do. :)