I thought I was done with Russian

Ok so our lap top thought it would be a fun idea and die on us...and of course the closest Comp USA is in Madison. Anyway I've been using our other computer and for some reason the writing on our blog website (or any blog site) is in Russian. It's weird because it's only on these sites and I have no idea how it got there. It's been about 4 months since I've been in a Russian class so maybe this is all for a reason. I've actually managed to still post and stalk so that means I'm either way too addicted to blogging and I already know where "new post", "sign in" etc are or my Russian is actually still there. Regardless it is rather annoying!

pick a winner

It was another beautiful fall day today so we decided to hit up the fresh fruit farm in Mequon, we had picked strawberries there earlier this summer and had success so this time we picked apples and pumpkins. I have to admit I was a little worried that the apple trees were going to slap my hand like they do in The Wizard of Oz but they ended up being very nice...and full of apples! We could not get over how cheap it was! I love making apple pie, now I just need a good pumpkin pie recipe (hint hint) maybe some pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin bread. Ah the possibilities! For those of you in the wonderful state of Wisconsin I suggest you go pick a "beg" full of scrumptious apples!

Holy Hill

Today was such a beautiful fall day we didn't dare stay inside. I had heard from a few people at work that there was a craft fair going on at this old cathedral called Holy Hill today. We decided to check it out and ended up having a great time. I have to admit I was really bummed that they did not have kettle korn there, oh well. It was cool because you could walk up (about a million flights of stairs) to the top...I guess this is the closest thing to a mountain here! It was a spectacular view!

wipe out

I can't believe I forgot to mention this story. So on Wednesday after school I was outside talking with another new teacher and then (after our conversation ended) I realized I forgot something in the school. I casually turn around trying to look cool in front of all the students and other teachers that are leaving the building and lo and behold I totally fall flat on my face...maybe my 4 inch shoes weren't such a hot idea after all. I play it off by just laughing at myself but oh boy does my knee hurt (and look bad!) ah...what do you do???

ah the weekend

My apologies for no picture this post but nothing is very fitting! I finished my first week of school and I think it's going to be a long semester! Just kidding. I actually had a pretty good time this week. I did some teaching on Thursday and I had a blast in front of the students. I didn't realize that I was an actress...that's pretty much what teaching is...pretending that you know what you're doing! I had no idea how hard teaching is, I always thought oh you just go to school at 8 and come home around 3 and maybe hang up some bright colored paper around the room and assign a couple vocab words how hard can be??? Well it's only been 4 days I've already learned that I have to create lessons around students who are color blind, can't read, can't write, do not speak english, who do not work well in groups, hearing impaired, ADD/ADHD, feel lonely, diabetic...aye yai yai. It's going to be a lot of work but it'll be worth it in the end. I'm already starting to feel for these students whether they realize it or not.

Oh I am having a hard time at school with one thing....the fridge in the teachers lounge is busted! It stinks so bad and they aren't going to replace it-they are waiting for someone to donate one so pretty much they aren't going to have a fridge for the rest of the semester I'm assuming! How am I suppose to pack my yogurt, carrots, left over meats etc??? Here is where my creative side needs to kick in!

On to another topic- movies- has anyone seen the Prestige? David and I watched it on Friday and loved it, in fact I think we're going to watch it again today. I was a little skeptical of it but man it's good. We highly recommend it, two thumbs way up.

I'm lost in the crowd!

Well today was my second day of student teaching. So far so good. My mentor teachers are great...it's pretty much a paint by number student teaching. They have all the power points and worksheets so I just have to present the information, I'm sure that's easier said than done! Every Thursday I will meet with both teachers to plan out the following week so I think that will be very helpful. I haven't really started teaching in front of the class yet but I've been helping here and there. I have my first real lesson next Wednesday and I think it should go pretty well. I'm already feeling more comfortable with my teachers and the students. I just can't believe that I'm in my LAST semester of school. I've dreamed of student teaching (not because I love teaching but because I'm so close to graduating!) and I'm finally here! I just hope that I can be a great teacher to these students and make the most of my time here. I'll keep you posted...as if you were worried that I wouldn't!

Chicago!

Hooray for the weekend! David had a 1/2 day off work on Friday so we went with our good friends, the Donohues, down to Chicago on Friday and Saturday. Our hotel was right in the heart of downtown so we pretty much could walk anywhere and see something cool. I was surprised how big Chicago was, we didn't get to see everything we had planned on because we ran out of time. Luckily it's only a 1 1/2 hour drive down here. Friday night we had some authentic chicago-style pizza...it was amazing...as expected! After dinner we walked around and saw the fountains that have faces that shoot water out of them, it was really cool. Saturday we just walked around the shops downtown and then hit the outlets in southern Wisconsin. We had a great weekend...oh to top it off BYU won!

Chicago Library

Face Fountains at Millenium Park

Twilight

Well this seems to be a popular book these days and yes I actually read (and finished) it. I was a little skeptical at first but I must admit that I'm dying to read the next two books. I'm hoping someone who reads our blog has also read the book and then we can talk about it. I love that she's a BYU grad, once again gggoooo cougars!