Oh, hey!

Hey everyone! Long time no see...

Ok, so the past few months have been pretty crazy. In the ideal world I would write a post about each of my 101 goals individually and as I complete them. However, as evidenced by the repeated extreme heat advisories this lovely Arizona summer contonutes to bring, this world is far from ideal. SO I am going to kill two five birds with one post...just go with the metaphor people. Since my last post I have complete the following goals: 

#1 - take the MCAT
#3 - apply to medical school
#7 - move out on my own
#30 - read Crazy Love
#43 - Go to Sushi Broker with Dad and Jon when he’s home for the summer.

I just got my MCAT scores back on Tuesday and I am so incredibly happy/relieved/excited to report that I scored within the accepted range for med school admission so I APPLIED TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. No big deal. ;-) 

No, but really. The entire test-prep and test-taking and test-waiting (notice a pattern here?...) was very stressful/scary/frustrating and I am so thankful to all my family and friends who stuck by me and continued to encourage and support me. You all are the best! And I honestly could not have successfully re-taken that stupid, dumb, good-for-nothing test without you all. So thanks. :-) 

While I was waiting for my MCAT results and working on apps, I made the move across our beloved valley of the sun. That's right folks, I am now officially a West Sider (cue slick backed Alley Cats and finger snaps). While the move was tough on me, make sure to keep Shannon and Greg in your thoughts and prayers. Now that I have vacated their residence, there will be no one there to forget to turn off the AC and eat their scrumptious leftovers. Also, their guest bathroom will be abnormally clean and hair-free. Like I said, be praying for them. To keep their minds off of my absence, they've been painting pottery and rearranging furniture. Needless to say, it has been ROUGH. ;-) But, in all seriousness, I loved living with them and while I'm super happy and excited to officially start acting like a grown-up (read as start paying for things like rent, electricity and cable) it will be weird living 50 miles away.

Goal #43 was of course a good time. My dad, Jon and I have a long history with Sushi Broker and it was fun being able to hang out there together and eat some really awesome food. Jon isn't home nearly enough anymore, so when he is, we try and make it count! 

Reading Crazy Love is something that has been on my list of things to do for a while. Now that I've read it, I am so grateful for What Francis Chan says with it. He truly challenges his readers and it is definitely something that will be worth re-reading. 

So, that is what I have been up to for the past month and a half! I promise not to take another blogging hiatus. Now that some major stressors have been alleviated, but more importantly, I finally remembered which email and password I need to to log into my blogger account, I will be back to my regular bloggity self. 

#100 - check!!!

Exactly 8 days ago, in the very early hours of the morning, my dear friend Rebekah gave birth to a beautiful daughter, little Miss Kate Monroe. Rebekah and I have been friends for a very long time and throughout the years I have had the privilege of watching her pass through life's various stages -- from getting engaged, to getting married, and now, motherhood! So, without further ado, I give you precious and perfect Kate.

Bekah, we've come along way from our junior high band days and summers spent at BLC! I am so excited for you as you start this new and exciting adventure into parenthood. Love you and Kate both so much!

Sub Notes

This past semester I was lucky enough to land a pretty sweet gig substitute teaching at a public charter school. If I was not pursuing medicine, I'm pretty sure I would be an elementary school teacher. Needless to say, this semester was a fun peak into what life would be like if I had chosen to teach. While I am still excited to continue with school and further pursue my medical career, I will miss spending my days with a room full of crazy kids who are trying to be on their best behavior while I desperately try to fill their absent teacher's shoes. While my time there was short, here are some lessons learned...

1. When asking how a teacher does a particular activity, be sure to pin point ONE student (it's best to whisper) instead of asking the entire class "Who can tell me how Mrs. X does...blah blah blah?" This open ended query is sure to be met with arms flailing, a plethora of "I KNOW! I KNOWs" and a minimum of 6 little people getting up from their seats and rushing to your aide.

2. If you choose to ignore a student in the throws of a major melt down, remember to keep an eye on her. Especially if said student has long hair. And is prone to crawl under her desk. These actions will help you prevent the following from occurring:

 Student NOT having a melt down: "Miss Day..."

Me: "What's up?"

Student: "I know you told us to ignore Liberty, and I really did try to. But, well...she's stuck."

Me: "...What?"

Cue the entire class (Miss Day included) staring at Liberty, who, in the midst of a Category 5 melt down, managed to wrap her pony tail around the upper leg of her desk, tying herself underneath her desk so tightly, she could no longer move her head. 

3. Make sure to turn in the attendance early enough so as to not upset the attendance gods (aka the front desk ladies) BUT late enough to catch any tardy kids you mistakenly marked absent. (If attendance is turned in too early, you will have to call the attendance gods, and they will have to change the attendance records. This will also result in them being upset.)

4. Never suggest anyone under the age of 7 go anywhere without a buddy. This will result in tears and lots of unnecessary stress for both of you.  

5. Never suggest anyone over the age of 8 go anywhere with a buddy. This will result in weird looks and put any trust you have managed to cultivate in 3.25 hours in serious jeopardy. (Note: ages 7-8 are a gray area and not explicitly covered in the Buddy System Manual. Proceed with caution.)

6. As a 5'2" person, anyone misbehaving student taller than 5'2" (read as 6th grade and above) will require you to employ intimidation tactics other than simply being taller. (See #9.)

7. Be sure to speak clearly. Always. If not, the following (albeit hysterical) conversations are prone to occur:

Me: "Do you usually go by yourself?" Spoken to the "attendance helper."

Student: "Well, normally I just got by Curtis...Sometimes Curt." 

8. Kindergarten teachers have the most patience of any human beings on planet earth. (Following closely is moms with multiple children under all under the age of 3. You know who you are. Stay strong sisters.)

9. The "teacher look" (something that looks hauntingly similar to the more common "older sister glare") is often a much better tool for behavior modification and correction than words, which, if said look is executed correctly, are unnecessary.

10. At some point, working at a school, you will shout the following word in a loud, nasally voice: "WALK."

So, to all of the real teachers out there, I officially and forever salute you. Thanks for loving and teaching our kids and for putting up with the administrative and political crap that comes with the territory. Your salaries will never come close to being what you deserve, your parents will never know the countless hours you put into their child's education, and your kiddos may never realize everything you did for them. But in spite of it all, every year you come back for more. So thanks. :-)

*Names have been changed (to equally weird names) to protect the innocent and underaged.

Hymn to the Fallen

Because words will never be able to express the depths of our appreciation, one of my all time Williams' favorites in honor of the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in service of our country.

#31 - Check!

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I had never read The Hobbit. While I'd tried reading it twice, once in junior high and then one more time in high school, for some reason I was simply unable to get through the first hundred pages. Looking back now, I'm not sure what failed to click because this time around I absolutely LOVED it! Tolkien's writing style was old fashioned but still very entertaining. The entire novel has the feel of listening to your grandparents tell stories from their childhood. If your grandparents were from Middle Earth. And kept company with wizards and dwarves and elves. And also, if they were hobbits.

My favorite thing about this book was that Tolkien allows breaks in his narrative to speak directly to the audience. I also loved the characters. Bilbo has me convinced that hobbits are about the funniest, most peculiar fictional creatures, second only to house elves, of course. Now, onto goal #32! This one might take me awhile...

#37 & #66 - Double Check!

Not only was today Mother's Day, it was also the day that I got to check not one but TWO goals off of my 101 list! My 37th and 66th goals both involved spending time with my madre, and were thus incorporated into our 2012 Mom's Day Itinerary. 37 was to cook Mother's Day dinner for her and 66 was to have a Hunger Games movie date. Both of these fabulous things happened today! And if you don't believe me, here is proof of how successful our Mother's Day was:

Love you mom and thanks for a great day!