Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day 61- June 30th: Science Museum

I had the morning off and worked later hours. I woke up an hour later than usual and went for a quick 3 mile run. Then I worked on doing some research. Then for work we had free tickets to the science museum and Omnitheatre. This was awesome. The kids really enjoyed their day, as did I. We did some experimenting and learned a lot about the brain at this little theatre.

after exploring the museum we grabbed some dinner and then went to the 3D movie about mummies. super awesome!

Day 60- June 29th

Nothing exciting happened today. I'm trying to whip out my 15 page paper, before next friday, so my days go-- work on paper, work, work on paper, class or run, work on paper, bed. it's exhausting. I'm only 2 pages in, but the goal is to have 8 or 9 pages done by the end of this weekend. we will so how it goes. The family I work for got their travel date to go to China and get 2 kids that they adopted. They are leaving July 15th and will be gone 2 weeks. During this time I will be working extra hard-- doing school and working probably like 50 hours a week. Gonna work on getting ahead for now.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Day 59- June 28th: Cross training

Today me and John decided we needed to cross train rather than run. What did we do you may ask? We went out for drinks. Perfectly acceptable. It felt weird to walk our usual running path down to the St. Anthony Main area, but all in all I have to say I LOVE cross training. John spent a seriously good portion of the evening trying to convince me that I'm capable of running a half marathon in August. bahahaha......The idea seems mind boggling to me at this point, but I told him I'd think about it.

Day 58- June 27th

Not much to say about this day. I went and met with my TA about my research paper. Who knew it was due so soon? only 2 weeks? to write 15 pages and study for a midterm? STRESS! Canceling my fun weekend plans to work on it. The rough draft is only about 10 pages long, so I figure if I can finish about 7 this weekend I should be in a decent place.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Day 57- June 26th: Traveling through!

My day started out terrible. I got a text I really wish I wouldn't have gotten at about 3am. But I'm trying not to be angry, because some things are just out of my control. It's just a hill I have to get over.

Anyway I was supposed to go for a 6 mile run today, but lack of sleep on both mine and John's part made us decide to cancel it. So I started my day out with a Bloody Mary at Legends. yum!

Then I took a nap, went grocery shopping, and went for a 4 mile run. It felt weird, but great to run to music. The run really helped with all my anger. Before I went I sent a very angry text, but I came home and sent an apology. Then I did some cleaning and homework and then decided that given current circumstances it was necessary for me to take a trip to my favorite place: Tuttle Elementary School.

Tuttle was shut down a few years ago, but they have a playground with swings. When I'm really having issues with life I like to go there, swing, listen to my iPod, and think about what I really want out of life. I always get some sort of answer from either myself or my music. Today the answer came in the form of this song.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Day 56- June 25th: ponytail chasers :)

My father has always warned me about pony tail chasers. But do I choose to listen? nope. and right now I'm pretty damn happy I'm not listening. and that's all I have to say about that :D at least for now.

Day 55- June 24th: Easy Day

I got off of work early today at 1, instead of 4, so i spent an hour going around to garage sales looking for deals. I found 2 bar stools for 50 cents each, a pot for my pepper plant for 25 cents, and a pasta strainer for a dollar. Then I came home and went for a short run, which was followed by a grill out, and singing karaoke.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Day 54- June 23rd: Experiments

We started today by doing a special experiment with the kids. first we went and collected leaves from different trees and identified them. Then we messed around with some water and food coloring to create different colors. We then placed the leaves in to see if we could get the veins to turn into different colors. I can't wait to look at them tomorrow.
In the afternoon we headed to the special olympics for a few events. Ben and Hannah both took part in the tennis throw today. It took us about 15 minutes to get Hannah out of the car, but I tired to get her really excited. Hannah took first place, and Ben took second. I was super duper proud :) Tomorrow morning Hannah takes part in the 100 meter fast walk and in the Afternoon Ben has his relay. The opening ceremonies take part tomorrow night and I may just have to go along to see it.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Day 53- June 22nd: Children's museum trip 2

Today at work we went to the Children's Museum. They had do it yourself face paint. I wouldn't let the kids paint my face, but this is what happened to my hand. Gotta love them :)

Then I came home, did an hour of reading and headed out the door for class. After class I had a nice, well deserved mental breakdown. My topic proposal (which I spent 3 hours on) got rejected, and I have no idea what else to do and have no time to do the research. But I better get to it considering it's already 9:30 and the plan was to actually get more than 5 hours of sleep tonight....

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Day 52- June 21st- Tornadoes and Presents

Me and my co-worker spent the morning planning out lessons to do with the boys before our camping trip in August. We came up with a ton of ideas. In the afternoon we went to a park because it looked super nice out. Boy, were we wrong. After the tornado sirens had gone down we headed to the store to get some supplies for our first aid kit, however then more sirens came on so we took the kids home a bit early. On my drive back to the cities I ran into some serious rain. I could hardly see a few feet ahead of me, but luckily by this point I was only about 3 miles away from home.

When I arrived home I came home to this :)
I can't wait to run to the nearest music store and pick up some clarinet reeds. It looks in good condition, except for the mouthpiece, which probably won't cost too much to replace, plus it's just a good idea to replace it anyway. super excited to start learning songs once I get past this whole summer school phase 6 weeks from now. Thanks for the graduation present Daryn! My brother is the best.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Day 51- June 20th: Blister!

agh! I don't know why my feet are punishing me this summer, but I've had more blisters in the last month than I've had any other summer. I'm wearing the same kinds of shoes too, so it doesn't make any sense. while I was running on sunday I got a small blister on the inside/bottom of my foot. It wasn't bad, so I just tried to be careful for the rest of the day. For some reason I woke up this morning and it had gotten worse :O why?

Anyway after the very little walking I did with the kids today It was ginormous, so I decided to drain it. About 5 minutes later it was already full again, so I drained it again. I tried on a few pairs of shoes to see if any of them don't rub against it, but they ALL do. It is in the worst possible spot, and I wore a bandaid all day, so it's clear that that won't help at all.

Day 50- June 19th: Homework

I spent today at the coffee shop reading and writing my first paper for my class. boring.

I also met a friend for lunch at punch pizza, and to be quite honest I wasn't that impressed.

I got my new windows put in today as well!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Day 49- June 18th

I don't really have anything to post for today. I spent my day doing odd things around the house. Did laundry and dishes in the morning, and then went for a 3 mile run, which turned into a 2.5 mile run, because me and John were both quite hungover. Then I took a nap and picked Mike up from the airport. I spent the rest of my evening grocery shopping and baking cookies. I also bought my 99cent crunch wrap from T-bell. haha....

Tonight my favorite bluegrass band is playing in Colorado and I'm super sad I'm missing it :( Mike also told me that Daryn got to meet his dream girl, Emmylou Harris. apparently she signed his cribbage board and he got a picture with her. What a lucky duck :P

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Day 48- June 17th: Sandcastles

Today we took the kids to the grocery store to get stuff for their father's day feast. I got to meet Hannah, one of the other kids I will be working with. She's a bit more difficult than the other two, but one very sweet girl:)
At lunch I accidentally ate some meat, and decided i'm just going to start eating it again. It's a bit difficult since I eat whatever the kids do for lunch.
In the afternoon we took the two boys to the beach and built some sand castles.

There was a huge accident right next to the park. A car ran into a guy on a motorized wheel chair. He was still alive when he left in the ambulance, but his chair was split in two. They sent a huge tow truck to take the chair away, which was ridiculous. 

I spent my night at one crazy party. At about 3am we decided we wanted food, so we went to this mexican restaurant on lake street, and I had some more meat. I ended up falling asleep on someone else's couch at about 4:30 in the morning. I had quite the night...

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Day 47- June 16th: Minnehaha Falls

Today Me and Jen took the boys to Minnehaha Falls. It's been a great first week. I can't legally post pictures of the kids, but here are some pictures of the falls.




The very large turtle we found. 
After work me and Jen stopped at a garage sale and I picked up 8 children's books, a wicker laundry basket, and a long sleeve running shirt all for under $5! I think I hit the Jackpot on both the job, and the co-worker I got, because me and Jen get along great!

Day 46- June 15th: About being a teacher

When people hear I am going to be a teacher they react in one of several ways.  I can tell a lot about who people are based on their reaction.

Those who react by mentioning something about the money I will make have never known true happiness. They try to buy happiness. And while I agree that money has it's benefits, people need to learn to have fun without a lot of it.

Those who react by mentioning something about Scott Walker right off the bat are too involved in the world. I agree the guy is an asshole, but there is sooooo much more to education than policy.

Then there are the people who ask me the daunting questions. What grade do you want to teach? Where do you want to teach? What subject do you want to teach? All the questions I have no answer for. These people like to pretend they care, but most of them don't really. They don't know that none of that stuff matters when you are teaching. It's about philosophy, and it's about individual kids. You can't lump them into a grade, or a place.

But my favorite people are the ones that say something like "wow!" or "good for you!" These are the people who get it. Those who are encouraging and keep my spirits high about the subject.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Day 45- June 14th: Ruin

Just a quote from some of my homework reading for today.


"Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, search, pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons. Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all." - Garrett Hardin

Monday, June 13, 2011

Day 44- June 13th: A Beautiful Reminder

Today was my first day as a PCA and my first day of summer school.  Today we spent time at the Como Zoo. It's quite an odd week for the family because one kid is at basketball camp, and one is still in school, so we only had 2 kids for 2 PCA's. This was a nice easy first day. Except I was on my feet all day and completely exhausted.
Me and Jen (the other PCA)

I got home around quarter to 5, spend the next 45 minutes getting stuff ready for my class and packing a dinner. Class was alright. Long, but interesting at some points. As my professor described the course and the assignments I just felt myself getting gradually more and more stressed.

This lead, however to the best part of my night. As I walked out of Anderson Hall I saw the most beautiful sunset. I wish I would have had my camera to take a picture, but by the time I got home it was too dark. Maybe it will happen again on Wednesday? But all in all this was a great reminder that beauty can be found where you least expect it.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Day 43- June 12th: A final resting day.

Tomorrow I start both my new job and my writing intensive summer school. I decided to make the most of my last day of rest. I had the house to myself and was really just craving a day of reading/ lounging around with a cup of coffee. I went for a quick 3 mile run. Then I ate a quick lunch.  I wanted a nice relaxing atmosphere, so this is what I set up.

I ended up reading about 300 pages of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. After awhile I really wanted a drink, for whatever reason. I decided it was time to give Gin a chance. So I created this concoction. 
1 shot of gin with half a shot of pomegranate juice and then filled up with cucumber water. mmmmm....it was very good. 

Day 42- June 11th: backpack troubles

Today I woke up and made smoothies and pancakes with the bestie. Then I went for a quick 3 mile run. After this I came home and did some cleaning around the house and prepared some creamed cucumbers and a cheese platter for a grill-out. I had a few friends over and it was a good night in until we decided to go out. After walking to Dinkytown and attempting to get into "The Library." Unfortunately Becky had her backpack with her and they would not let us in, so we went home and went to bed.

So, Lesson Learned: never take a backpack to the bars.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Day 41- June 10th: Last Day at Wilson Library

Today was my last day of work at Wilson Library. I have to say this was the perfect job for me throughout my undergrad. I got to spend about half of my work hours at the copy center desk doing homework. This allowed me to work for 15-20 hours a week and still keep up with my 18 credit load. In fact, I wish I could spend the rest of my summer here, seeing as I just got my horrible reading schedule for my summer school class.

I started this job first day of my freshman year. I was so confused. People kept asking me questions about the library, none of which I could answer, considering it was my first time there as well. After getting very few hours per week (only about 8-10) and still getting paid minimum wage in my Sophomore year I had decided it was time to start looking either for a new job, or a second job. About a week after applying for several, my boss offered me a promotion to "lead student." This came with a $2.25/ hour pay raise and I was one of the first to have my schedule chosen, meaning I was able to get more hours.

Throughout the day people have been stopping by to say goodbye, and I have to say that it seems surreal that in a mere 2 hours I will officially be done working here forever. I will miss all the wonderful employees, the "interesting" patrons, and most importantly my self-reflection/dancing time in the stacks. It's been a great three years Wilson Library, and while I'm excited to move on to my new job, I'm sad to leave this "second home."
Wilson Library

The cafe directly across from the desk I work at

Day 40- June 9th: Some quotes to ponder

I finished "The Way We Are" by Allen Wheelis today at work. I will leave you with my favorite quote from each of the last 3 chapters.

Fidelity
“Pain is not the main thing,” she says, “not the worst thing. It’s not even very important. Worse is to play it safe, never to risk everything for the one bit thing that comes only once, that looms, for a moment only, and then is gone. Once and once only. There’s just a moment when we can go for it, leap, spend it all; of be prudent, hang back, listen to the cautious voice around us, and see that one big thing disappear forever.”

Loss
I should accept change not because I cannot anyway prevent it, but because it is life itself. love and the end of love, like life and death must be praised as one. 

Love
We say we want love, and surely we do, but we want it to flow toward us, a great wave splashing over us, bountifully; we are not so eager that it flow outward, away from us to others who might need it more than we.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Day 39- June 8th: Dinner with the Dean

Today I worked for the first time in about a week. I ate a good size breakfast, so I skipped lunch, knowing I would get home at 2:30. After arriving home I decided to go for a 3 mile run before eating. I headed out a little after 3 and returned home around 4. I made myself, a well deserved, peanut butter banana shake, and began to finally eat my lunch. I went to get the mail and had received a letter about getting on the Dean's list for the spring semester. I thought to myself, "I'm supposed to meet her sometime soon." I knew I had a Alumni Society celebration dinner with her sometime in June. Suddenly it occurred to me that it was tonight. At 5:30.  At a restaurant 20 minutes away. I quickly finished my shake (I wasn't going to let that deliciousness go to waste) and hopped in the shower. This is what became of my closet as I tried to come up with something appropriate to wear (I spent an hour yesterday reorganizing my closet):


All in all the dinner was quite nice. I got to discuss the new Masters of Education program with the Dean, and we talked about my placement for student teaching. I also spend a good portion of the evening talking with the President of the Alumni Society about all the major races she has taken part in in the Twin Cities area. They also gave me a fabulous gift.


Afterward I got to meet up with BOTH of my best girlfriends. Gretchen has been away in France since the end of January and I have missed her so much. We headed out for some ice cream at Chilly Billy's. It turned out to be quite a fun (and hectic) day.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Day 38- June 7th: Problems!

My car was finished being fixed last evening around 7. So I woke up early to come home and get my long list of things done, including putting up my new curtain, putting away my clean clothes, grocery shopping, and getting my bike brakes fixed.

I took my bike in and they told me I needed to get my whole braking system replaced and my chain also needed replacing. The total for this was going to be around $70.

I then walk home (in 100 degree weather) and go to the store. On the way there my car erupts in a high pitched squeal for about 10 seconds. a few minutes later it does it again. I call my dad, he says to take it in to get it fixed right away. I finish my shopping, and on the ride home it does it 2 more times. I call 2 car places and the second one says they can get me in today.

I drive my car over and am currently sitting in a coffee shop a block away waiting for them to figure out what it wrong with it. I just got a call from the bike place that when they went to test out my bike a tire popped. So after a long day I will be out about $200. AGH!

did I mention I spend the last 3 hours on the shorter of my 2 reading for my summer school class? What a shitty day!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Day 37- June 6th: Stuck in the Marsh

I was supposed to leave this afternoon after my car was fixed, but it still wasn't fixed at 6pm, so i decided to wait until tomorrow morning to leave. I don't like driving alone at night.

I spent my day running around doing errands. I started by going to the chiropractor and he worked on my sore ankle a bit. Then I went to target and got a bunch of new clothes for only 35 dollars. Then I ran to Webers Dairy Farm to get a bunch of Wisconsin Cheese to take back with me. After this I went and got a new phone. Mine got a bit ruined at the Larvae Lounge Music Festival. It wouldn't turn on for a day and then worked fine, but there is no US cellular in the cities so I decided to just get a new one while I could.

I also got to meet Lily, the daughter of one my best friends from grade school. She was adorable!

Day 36- June 5th: The Roses

I spent a good portion of today working on my favorite of the roses mix. When I added all of the songs I wanted I had an additional 30 minutes over what I could fit on one CD, so I had to put them in order and then delete a bunch.

The roses is an idea that my brother and his best friends started. I still haven't heard the full story, but Mike Kluball brought down the original roses around new years. This was all we listened to for a few months, then one weekend Adam went up and visited Mike in cloud town and brought back Roses 2: On the Water. A few weeks later John made Roses 3: Flying on the Ground. We went to visit Mike for his birthday, and upon getting home Daryn made Roses 4: Floating in the Air. A lot of the roses is filled with songs by The Dead, The Band, and a lot of bluegrass music.

In the evening I went for a "short" 5 mile run with my dad. You can read about it here.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Day 35- June 4th: Dairyfest/ 50th birthday parties

Marshfield has an anual celebration called Dairyfest. We woke up Saturday morning and went out for breakfast and headed to the parade for a bit. About 10 minutes in we got bored, so we just went to the bar and had a beer. After this we walked around for a bit and saw the University of Wisconsin marching band. There were some really cute guys. By the time we made it back to a house I was burnt. Super burnt.

We spent the rest of the night celebrating the 50th birthday of 2 of our friends parents. Daryn and John played some music, we all drank a lot, and ate some food. This was a great night. I'd like to thank Mike Kluball for the ride home. and the sweatshirt.

Day 34- June 3rd: Cheese Chase Race

Tonight I ran my first ever race. I was happy with my time, granted I worked my but off and was exhausted at the end of it. I finished the 2 miles with a time of 19:06, which put my mile time at 9:33. I finished 90th overall (about 400, with a lot of walkers) and 3rd in my age/sex group. Daryn finished 28th overall and 10th in his age/sex group. Afterwards me and Daryn celebrated with a Pabst Blue Ribbon and then headed out to the bars. I ended my night with a bloody mary at 1 in the morning.

Pre race, post stretching 

Don't worry I beat her...

Post race.

Day 33- June 2nd: Comes a Time

Worked all day, and then drove home to the Marsh. I spent most of the time in the car listening to the Roses. My newest favorite song:

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Day 32- June 1st: New Job

It's going to be much harder to keep track of the day number now that it's June....

Anyway, tonight I got to start my new summer job. I'm so excited. I met the other PCA I will be working with and she is super nice. We took 3 of the kids out to ice cream at Cup and Cone. It was only $7 for all 5 of us and it was nice to just talk to the kids and get to know them a bit better. Jen is really good at handling them, but she has been working with them for quite some time. I can't wait to get to know the kids better. The best part was that the entire time I was with them I got paid. I "worked" for about 2 and half hour and got paid about $14 an hour, plus free ice cream.

Jen told me on the way out that I should just put together a beach bag and leave it in my car, because they go to the beach so often. This makes me super happy. I can't wait to splash in the pool with the kids.

All in all I have to say I'm going to LOVE my new job :)

Day 31- May 31st: ILP Placement

Today I went to meet my co- teacher and see the school I will be teaching in. Highland Elementary is a school with a very highly diverse population. There is already one co-teacher in the classroom I will be in. She helps teach during reading/writing time, as well as some math lessons and is an ELL specialist. The teachers vowed to find space in the room so I could have my own desk. This was the moment I fell in love. They want me to have my own space :) Abby (the main teacher) also asked if I would be willing to get together a few times in august to retrieve some materials from her and to work on planning out units and lessons for the year/ first few months. She is so on top of things, that I know it will be a good fit :) I can't wait to start, although I have a feeling I will start really loving my summer soon.

I also read a chapter of "The Way We Are" by Wheelis. This chapter was on desire and it had some really good (and long) quotes. I chose only 2 to put on here. Enjoy.

"I am full of desire. Never straight up, balanced, but always learning, I fall in love easily, a small push will do it. And when it happens I always feel I am possessed by—am in possession of—something unique and precious, something that alone can lift me up out of the flat world of dailiness into the higher realm for which life must be destined. Then I want desperately for it to last forever. And when it crumbles, as it always does, I find that I had been in possession only of something ordinary." 

"Desire is endless and unappeasable, it is most intense where most forbidden, and is never far from despair."