The Virginia and Other Adventures

Guys

I've been a bad blogger.

I was talking about blogging today with my bff and fellow blogger Lara Jean from the new world

and we agreed that there comes a point in your life where you would rather go out and live it than sit at home and write about it.  

I think I've reached that point.

But I also want to be able to share the life I'm living with all the people I care about, and since I am currently on the opposite side of the continent than most of you lovely people, blogging is the best way to share my stories. 

So as of today,

I'm going to try to blog at least a little bit every day

so I can share my crazy Virginia adventures with you all.

And also because I know that if I don't write them down somewhere, I will eventually forget them and then no one will be able to use them if they decide to make a hallmark movie of my life. And that would just be too darn tragic.

To start off this hopefully fruitful blogging venture,

here are of few of the exciting encounters I've had during my first month in Virginia:

A stoned man told me I should change my name to zebra

I met a dog that was half German Shepherd, half Beagle

A little boy offered to share his otter pop with me

I started accidentally saying y'all

A drunk guy told me I could be the next Meryl Streep

I spent all day walking in a tropical storm

I got caught in a different storm that had a tornado warning

A little old lady with dementia let me inside her daughter's house, and her daughter was not very happy about it

I caught my first firefly

I had a pet baby salamander for a day

I put my feet in the Potomac river

I went to the DC temple

and I got a ridiculous tan line on my feet

So far this summer has definitely had it's ups, and definitely had it's downs. But one thing is for sure,

it's been an adventure.

I look forward to sharing the rest of it with you.

The end.

Drawring

So, last semester I decided to be a wild woman and take an actual art class for the first time in my life. 

I'd always wanted to take art classes in high school, but I was always too busy with band and such; which I loved, but I was always secretly envious of all of the students I saw walking in and out of the art classroom. 

College is a time for trying new things, finding new passions, throwing caution to the wind! 

Some people try "experimenting" with things like drugs and being bisexual, I decided I didn't want to do that. So I took a drawing class instead.

Now.

I'm no Leonardo or Michelangelo

and I'm also not a ninja turtle.

But I ended up really enjoying this class.

It was so invigorating to actually create something, 

to transfer ideas from your head to a piece of paper, and to have complete freedom to create whatever you wanted.

Since I am stuck here in Logan because of work, while everyone else and their dog went to St. George for Spring Break, and I have absolutely nothing to do...

I decided to take pictures of some of my favorite drawings and put them up here so you can enjoy them too!

Or, if you don't enjoy them you can throw rotten fruit at them or something. 

Whatever floats your goat man.

Anyway, here are just some of my pieces.

Don't judge them too badly, I told you I wasn't very good.

 

 

Those Who Can

A lot of people have been asking me lately why I chose to be an  Elementary Education major, why out of all the millions of jobs and careers to choose from, why choose this one?

I'm not going to lie, 

sometimes I'm not so sure.

Sometimes, the thought of spending the rest of my life in a crowded classroom, wiping kids noses to endless cries of "TEACHER! TEACHER!!" is terrifying.

I look at the people around me, people studying to be doctors, lawyers, artists, or engineers; amazing people setting out to do amazing things and I feel a little inadequate.

They'll be designing rockets,

 curing cancer, 

painting masterpieces.

They'll be changing the world,

and I'll be wiping noses 

and singing the ABC's. 

Today, my best friend and fellow Education major Lara Jean, told me about an experience she had in the classroom where she volunteers. 

A motivational speaker was giving a live broadcast to schools all over Utah, and he asked all the students to close their eyes while he asked them questions, and raise their hand if their answer was yes.

He asked them if they had ever thought about killing themselves. 

And in her classroom of 

beautiful, sweet, eight year old children

four of them

raised their hands.

Four. 

Just in her classroom.

Four and who knows how many others across the state

across the nation

across the world?

How many children out there have felt so unloved, 

so inadequate,

so unimportant,

that by the time they are eight years old they've considered taking their own life?

These children are beautiful. They have wonderful imaginations, amazing personalities, and the biggest hearts. They have so much love to give to the world, so many dreams and ambitions, so many wonderful things that they can achieve.

And for whatever reasons

whether it be abuse, bullying, neglect, or some other horror,

they don't believe that they have anything to offer. 

That the world is a worse place for having them in it. 

I may not ever be wealthy.

I may not cure cancer

or save someone from a burning building.

I'll never go to outer space, 

I may never even leave the country.

But if I can tell a child,

one of these amazing, wonderful, inspiring children

that they are beautiful.

That they are special,

 and that they have so much magic inside of them, 

so many thoughts and feelings and ideas that only they can bring to the world

and have them believe it.

I can't think of any other experience more amazing.

If I can help the children I'll encounter over the years

to feel important, and to feel loved;

If I can help them to see how unprecedentedly, mind-blowingly, earth shakingly incredible they are,

then maybe I can help to lower some of those tiny hands that were raised this afternoon.

So, to all of the people out there who look down on educators 

those who believe the ridiculous saying

"Those who can, do. And those who can't, teach."

I don't care if you are one of the most "successful" people in the world, 

you will never do anything more worthwhile in your entire life than what the teachers all around the world do every single day.

That is why I want to be a teacher. 
Not because it's easy,
And not because I'm afraid, or I'm not smart enough to do anything else.
I want to tell children they are beautiful,
because they obviously don't heart it enough.
 

Winter: Pros and Also the Not Pros

So, today I was sitting at my computer

laughing at pictures of grumpy cat on pinterest

and I remembered

Blogging.

Yeah....blog. 

That's a thing I do....

....sort of....

So I decided to actually do it. 

Here goes.

It's a new year now, and we all know what that means!

It means we're all messing up writing "2013" on our assignments because we just barely got the the point where we were used to writing "2012".

I know how you feel guys,

numbers are hard.

Also, it's winter.
I'm not a fan of the winter, but I know a lot of people that are, so to appease them and also to hopefully give myself a better attitude about this season...
I present to you

WINTER!
the pros and also the not pros:
We'll start with the not pros first, because I'm better at those.

Not pros:

1. When you first step outside, the freezing cold ice-air slaps your face. You haven't even done anything to make it mad, but it just backhands you as hard as it can anyway and then your face is all red and sore for the rest of the day.
2. Warm feet become a distant memory.
3. The sun becomes a huge liar. You can see it out your window and it's all like "Oh hey there, look how bright and sunny and warm I am! You're not going to need those extra two jackets under your coat today, I'm being a pal and warming it up a little because I love you!" And you think how much you like the sun, and how maybe this winter won't be so bad. But then you go outside and it's so cold that you're pretty sure your lungs are frozen solid, and you die a little bit on the inside, and also you're a ginger so you get your nose sun burnt, and you just hate life and seriously consider quitting school and hitchhiking to disneyland.
4. Your hair freezes. This seriously freaks me out, because my hair freezes even when it's dry and so I'm terrified that one day it's just going to break off like an icicle and I'll have no hair. Or I'll walk to close to a pole and my hair will stick to it like that kid in A Christmas Story...
5. People don't get to hibernate. Really, in what world is this fair? We're humans! We're on the freaking top of the food chain! We are the master commander! And we have to go on with our lives during winter while all the bears and squirrels and crap just get fat and sleep all winter long?!? No. Not okay. I vote the squirrels run the world, and I get to stay in my warm, cozy bed.

See? The squirrels totally want to.

I vote we do this.

Pros:

1. You can snowboard and ski. If you live in Logan you get an added bonus because you can not only snowboard and ski on the mountains, but also to and from class because there is snow EVERYWHERE and it never melts.
2. All the bugs are frozen to death. There used to be so many boxelder bugs and grasshoppers on campus that you couldn't take two steps without squishing at least four. Now you can walk wherever you want and not worry about having bug guts on the bottom of your shoe.
3. It's socially acceptable to wear big, ugly sweaters all the time. Also earmuffs.
4. Snowflakes are pretty.
5. You can make snowmen. Now, you can make your normal, run-of-the-mill, generic snowman if that's what you're into. Or. You can make snowmen like this:

A Gulliver's Travels inspired snowman

A snow dalek

A ginormous lego snowman

Snowtoro!

and Jabba the....pile of snow...

Guys, now I really want to go make an epic snowman. 

I think I will.

Have good lives you guys, 

I'll talk to you later.

The End.