I started again...

It's been a year and I decided I won't have the excuse of completely falling in love with Cody to distract me this summer.  Distracted from what?  From the story I started 11 years ago. ELEVEN YEARS!! What is wrong with me?

And want to know the best part? I still laugh at my lame jokes in the story.  I was able to breeze through the first part of my story today--only took me an hour and fifteen minutes. That's probably because I'd started to go through it last May/June. It'll get harder as I keep going.  Parts 3-5 I haven't looked at since August 2008. TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT, people!  That's four years! That's a really long time to get distracted with school and dating and working and graduating and finding a job and dating the best man ever and then getting engaged to him (and then marrying him).

Four years.  Eleven years.  Who knows, maybe I'll actually finish going through it for real this summer and if I have any guts left in me after that endeavor, could I really go after my goal of trying to get it published? We'll see.  Kinda scares me and makes me want to write with a penname so that no one can trace my silliness to me but then another part of me thinks that I should be proud of it and not be scared.  Plus, one of the reasons I used to play around with pen names was so that if I got it published when I was still unmarried, it could still be traced to me (dumb, I know).  But I'll be Beth Knudsen forever and I don't need to worry about that.

Oh yeah, another thing I started again: running.  I mean I have been running (or doing yogalates--yoga and pilates) since the new year started, but I ran three times this week! The first two days kicked my butt, but the last day, that was great.

I've also started planning again for school next year (I'm such a nerd) because I want to do so much better at teaching math next year, especially with the new math standards for fifth grade.  I did an alright job and my students learned this past year but I know I can do so much better and I'm really looking forward to it.

Update: I'm married and school's almost over

I haven't written since November. Shame on me.

Old news: I'm married. It's great!

Newish news: I have a nephew! He's super duper cute.

New news: Only a few more weeks left of school. That means that my first year of teaching is almost over.

Newest news: I'm doing this cool science thing in the summer where I get to travel in the Great Basin and be a scientist and get paid at the end of the year. It's going to be really fun and hard and tiring and fun.

Bad news: I won't have a lot of contact with the outside world because I'll be in the middle of nowhere looking at rocks.

Not new news: I don't write in here much anyway (because I write on my blog for school everyday) so the fact that I'll be cut off from all civilization during my summer science excursion won't be different for anyone who might happen to frequent this blog once in a blue moon now that I don't write regularly.

In other news: I'm tired but I get to be at the BYU library when it closes tonight. Yipee!

Reminder: Beth, you do make a difference. :)

After a long, but not bad, week of school, I was definitely looking forward to today. Friday. The end of the week. The day after the wax museum.

And today was great!

I love my students.  Even though I had to give two kids think-times, I was able to give one of them a brag note later because he repented and changed and wanted to help out.  My students helped me clean up. They were also all excited about making a decoration for Cody and my reception in December.  They are so cute and I love them.

Plus, we had a discussion about using the bathroom responsibly and how we should only go to the bathroom when we need to, not to go talk with our buddies.  That was fun. :)  Also, we did a talking circle saying one thing we were grateful for and one of my girls spelled out: B-O-Y-S and then blushed and giggled.  And the boy sitting next to her said, "Bows?" Funny.

And another one of my students said that she was grateful for me and that I'm nice because she was worried that I would be mean because she didn't know me.  I'm glad she likes me because I like her to. 

I'm grateful that most of the time I can honestly respect my students.

Never again (I wish)

My first Halloween at school as the real teacher in charge was crazy.  Why is Halloween every year? And why does it revolve around candy for children? Do people know how crazy kids get with a bunch of sugar in their system?  Halloween was my favorite holiday kindergarten through 3rd grade--what was I thinking?

A lot has been happening

In the past couple weeks I've gotten my wedding dress back from being altered, we've started ordering announcements, and Cody and I were able to buy a contract for a place to live after we're married.  Coupled with that the end of the term is this week, which means my first batch of report cards, make-up work, a field trip yesterday, a new term starts Monday, and I'm thinking of things I want to change for term 2 and wondering if it will all work out. Wondering if I'll ever stop feeling like I'm incompetent.  Wondering if I'll ever feel like I'm actually on top of the game and not just flying by the seat of my pants, especially with employee obligations--meetings, trainings, reporting, assessing, etc. 

I feel bad that Cody has to hear all my worries and complaints and discouragement from day to day.  Thankfully things have been a little brighter on my end of things lately.  The term is ending so I do get a fresh start of sorts next week.  It's less than two months now until the wedding.  We're supposed to get married so eventually both of our contracts will sell.  The bridal showers are all set.  And at least my students like me. And I have Cody. :)  He makes everything better.

It finally came off!!

Last night when Cody and I were at 7 Peaks (for the stake opening social), we were walking into the wave pool, with two minutes until the waves were set to go off.  When we reached the four feet point, where the drop off is in the pool, I turned funny, with my left foot twisting on top of my right foot, and suddenly my toenail on my right big toe feeling very loose.

Granted, I knew this toenail was coming off. I knew as soon as I broke my toe that I'd probably be losing my toenail, so I've long since said au revoir to that beloved toenail.

However, even though I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd be losing my toenail, it felt weird that it was finally here. I would be shortly losing my toenail.  I started mildly panicking and Cody could see that I was worried so he had me sit down in a more shallow part of the wave pool and he began to examine my toenail.

While I kept freaking out and asking, "What are you doing?" as he was poking and prodding and examining my toenail, I decided that I wouldn't look at him or else I would imagine worse things than what he was probably doing.  In the midst of my squirming, Cody asked me if I could feel anything that he was doing. I said, "No...Is it gone? Did you take it off?"  Cody asked again if I was sure I really couldn't feel anything, to which I responded in the negative once more.  He gave me a lopsided smile and said, "Well, it's off. You really didn't feel anything?"

He showed me my disgusting toenail that was no longer attached. And that is hopefully the longest story about a toenail that I shall ever write.

It's been a while...

School started on Monday. So basically, my life has been sucked up with school, planning, Cody, and sleeping.  Oh, and eating is in there too. I have been eating.  :)  I've loved getting to know my team better and the rest of the faculty at the school.  But that's what's going on in my life.