Jem Hair!

When I was little, one of my favorite cartoons was Jem and the Holograms. A group of women using magical holograms to become a famous singing group in order to make money to keep open a home for orphaned girls? AND SHE HAD PINK HAIR!?! Who wouldn't want to be Jem?

Truly outrageous!

For me, she rated right up there with Oprah and Michael Jackson as my idols (I was a weird kid). I also signed all of my papers "Jem" in kindergarten, though I think I might just not have known the difference between an "n" and an "m" at that point. (The amazing cartoon should not be mistaken for the movie coming out... only similarities there are some pink hair and singing).

I've always wanted pink hair but there's never been a "good time" to have it. I wanted to have temporary pink hair this summer after I had landed a job. As of right now, I am still looking and interviewing so I haven't had the chance. A few weeks ago, I practiced with some pink on the tips of my hair to see how well it would wash out. It washed out pretty fast so I felt pretty comfortable that if I put it on my entire head, it would wash out in a week, two tops. So I decided that I would do it before I go to Korea for two weeks. This way, I get my pink hair and I can still look professional when I get back in time for more interviews! Yay!

So I got all my crap together: Manic panic pink, old sour cream tub (sorry, Mom; I won't put it back in the tupperware drawer), a color brush, a comb, a towel for around my neck, a bajillion clips, latex gloves, and vaseline for my hair line and I'm all ready!!

Totally ready for this!

Then it was time to get to work. It was super messy and I managed to keep getting pink all over my neck. Haha!

SO MUCH PINK!!

After I got my hair covered in pink goop, I clipped it up, and snapped on a shower cap (cuz SEXY!).

Then I went and grabbed the soft scrub to quickly clean up the pink I got on the counter (cleaned up easy, phew!) and then went and hosed out my sour cream tub and other pinkified instruments in the back yard over the grass,

Then it was time for lunch and waiting before I rinsed it all out. There was a mild freak-out when I stepped out of the shower and saw it in the mirror for the first time, but I swiftly recovered enough to text a bunch of people that I now had PINK HAIR and I would send them pics once I had put on makeup.

JEM!

I only missed a few little spots (it's a little light on one section of my bangs) and some of the hair didn't take the color for whatever reason so it looks like I got pink hair with a blonde weave. Pretty sweet.

For those of you wondering: yes, it washes out. I tested it on the tips of my hair first and it washed out super quick. This will all be gone by the time I get back from Korea.

So how did you celebrate the 4th of July?

It is Finished

Well, it's done. I am all graduated now and the proud owner of a masters of science in counselor education with a specialization in school counseling.

Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I was walking into orientation with very little idea of what I was getting into. Most of the time it feels like I've been in graduate school forever. I have mixed feelings about being done. I am excited to get started on this new chapter of my life, but I am also a little sad about saying goodbye to the amazing people I have gotten to know and work with. I will have the opportunity to work more with the head lady of my program over this summer - she asked me and another student to do curriculum supervision for her own big project (a project I'm already writing lesson plans for right now). And, of course, I'll see some of the other students at professional events (school counselor conventions, anyone?).

I finished up at both of my internship sites last week - Lincoln on Wednesday and McKinley on Thursday. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my kindergarten classes. They were all so adorable and so much fun to work with this year. I was so lucky to get such great internship sites and supervisors! I've learned so much this last year and I know that I will continue to learn more as I get going in my career.

I am currently applying to any and all jobs I can in the districts I want to work in. I have another interview this week that I'm really excited for. Wish me luck!

Graduation itself was Friday night. My parents and my sister came and watched me walk and get "hooded" with the oh so lovely regalia that you have to get to wear in such events.

The gym was sweltering hot, but, luckily, the sleeve things on the regalia make great pockets which I was able to store a little hand fan in when I was actually up and out of my seat. They also did a great job of moving us along at a great clip so we got out of there in just over two hours.

After the ceremony itself, we went outside for pictures and then walked to the graduate party thrown by the honors society. It was really small and so we only stayed for a little bit, just enough time to say hi, get a few pictures, and grab a cupcake.

My mom bought me a handmade lei that she gave to me after the event. It was so sweet! Ever since I went to my Aunt Amy's college graduation when I was super little, I have wanted to be able to wear a pretty flower lei at graduation. Turns out, however, that I am allergic to Thai orchids. Who knew? It is hanging in all its glory downstairs right now (don't want it contaminating my room) and it makes me sad I couldn't wear it more. It's so PRETTY. *sigh* But, overall, the parents made graduation very special.

In addition to Fish (remember Fish? My pretty, pretty car I got around Christmas?), they took me, Jesi, Drew, and my friend Jessi out for dinner at the Melting Pot. Yum! Fondue for all! I also got shower lotion, a pearl drop necklace, a bluetooth shower speaker (YES!), and cutie pie sunglasses. I am super spoiled, I know. I'm mostly okay with this. Especially when, what should arrive in the mail, but a present my padre purchased for Valentine's Day! The cutest ladle in existence, if I do say so myself.

And so we kick off the summer with sending Jesi and Drew off to Idaho in a few days from now. We thought we were getting rid of them tomorrow but I was just informed that they will be sticking around for another day to finish up. The parents will be seeing them at 4th of July in Washington, but I will need to stay here for work (back at Dream Dinners for the summer time!) and then leaving for KOREA (insert excited dance here). What with Dream Dinners, working for Lisa, writing curriculum, job applications and interviews, and KOREA I think I will be able to keep fairly busy these next two months before starting up at my new school, though I'm definitely going to have a lot more free time on my hands!

Almost Done!

Wow, I haven't posted all term. I guess things have been a little bit busy around here (that's an understatement!).

This last weekend was Jesi's wedding and it turned out really great.

Dad and Drew (Jesi's then fiance) loaded up the car the night before with a ton of awesome junk: decorations, chair covers, etc.). They completely filled up the Uhaul and then had to use the Smith's pickup truck for a bunch of coolers.

After spending the morning getting all fancied up, Jesi and Drew got married in the Portland Temple and then had pictures outside before heading out for more pictures and then off to the reception!

 They had a ring ceremony and reception at the World Forrestry Center. Our bishop from the singles ward did the ring ceremony and, of course, did a great job. I love our bishop. The reception itself was super fun, lots of dancing and great food!

Got a cute picture with my Uncle Allan. He looks so much like Dad (just more hair). And Jesi did a great job choosing nice bridesmaid dresses. We looked gooood.

The next day we had a brunch where the couple came back to my parents' house and opened all the gifts before heading off on their honeymoon. Of all the things Jesi fought my mom on for this wedding I'm surprised the brunch wasn't one of them. I don't want to see anyone for at least a week after my wedding! Awkward...

After the brunch wrapped up, my cousin Amanda, my Aunt Amy, and I went to Saturday Market. We had a great time going through all the booths, eating tasty treats. We finished up the day at Voodoo Donuts of which SOMEONE (I'm not naming names mom) ate most of my bacon maple bar. That's ok, though. I got to eat some of this person's mom mother's day chocolate covered strawberries and cheesecake (we got her an awesome gift... super delicious).

I have to say, Jesi couldn't have chosen a better week to have her wedding. The week before, my action research paper was due and I did a presentation on SAT preparation programs effectiveness for a bunch of people from two different school districts. Then this week I have spent every night up getting my professional portfolio ready for tomorrow. I am currently sitting in the library at school typing this up as I wait for my class tonight during which we will present our action research projects and talk about licensure. Woof! A lot of work to get done in a stressful period of time.

I'm in the middle of interviewing for jobs next year as well. I had an interview at a local high school earlier this week and I just set up an interview for an elementary school next Friday. I'm getting really excited about graduation (4 weeks!) and getting a job for next year (crossing fingers, everyone!).

Summer is looking to be great. I have my trip to Korea in July and two summer jobs all ready to go. I will be starting back up at Dream Dinners again (yay!) right after graduation (literally... 7:30 am the day after I graduate). I'm also going to be doing curriculum development supervision for my current professor. I'm so excited to get to work with Lisa some more this summer. She is an amazing lady and I have been so lucky to get to learn from her these last few years (and now this summer, too!!)

I can't believe it's already been 3 years! Well, I guess I can. But I'm still going to miss everyone in my program and all the wonderful professors who have helped me these last few years. They have all been amazing and I'm so grateful that I got into such a fantastic program here at PSU. Now I'm ready to hit the road with my masters degree and start doing what I've been preparing to do for the last few years.

Ready, set, GO!!

Almost Spring Break...

Well, it's been well over a month since my last post and Spring break is coming up in two short weeks so I feel like I should post an update or something.

So much has happened and so little at the same time. Right not I'm just in the daily grind of internship, school, home, class, homework, etc. with little bits of helping do wedding stuff thrown in there.

As far as school is concerned, it has its ups and downs. Overall I feel like I'm doing a good job, though some days are harder than others. There are a lot of sad stories, especially at my elementary site and some days that kind of hits hard. But there are so many good stories, too.

These next two weeks I will be doing a lesson with "My Mouth is a Volcano" instead of my usual kindergarten 2nd step lessons. It should be pretty fun. We got a picture book and a coloring sheet, too. We'll have a good time talking about what a volcano is, how the boy in the book can't keep his words inside his mouth, and what we can do to keep our words from erupting when they aren't supposed to. The kindergartners are so cute. I get to teach kindergarten four times a week: once in each class. It's so much fun.

At my high school site I am starting up senior check ins. I'm meeting with students who haven't applied to a four year school yet and seeing what their plans are. So far I have talked to a student who is going to become a tattoo artist, someone taking a gap year backpacking Europe and meeting up with family (they have family all over Europe!), and someone working to apply to a teaching program that has a late deadline. It's really great getting to hear all of their plans and help point them to scholarships and other resources. We'll be doing forecasting and junior interviews soon where I will help students pick classes and check in with juniors to make sure they are on track to graduate and make plans with students who might need some extra resources. I don't get a lot of face-time with students at the high school (at least not as much as I do at my elementary site) and I'm really enjoying this!

I'm also starting up the job hunting. I have requested letters of recommendation, filled out a general application for my top choice school district, and trolling the job postings on my other choice districts. A little early for hiring, but you never know. I got my resume all spruced up, an online portfolio, and lovely calling cards. Now I just need to take some time to practice the example interview questions our professor gave us and put together a nice interview outfit and I'm all set!

In the meantime, I just need to take my civil rights exam on Saturday (shouldn't be too hard if I take a moment to study this week) and get started on my action research project. The next couple of days will be spent doing pre-assessments and getting parent permission slips back (please, PLEASE let some of those have already come in!).

Sorry about the lack of pictures. I haven't really done anything picture worthy lately. We got some fun things coming up in the next few months, though: Jesi's wedding (pleeeease let that be over soon!), graduation (also hurry up and be soon!), TRIP TO KOREA (not at all excited about that one *sarcasm*). And hopefully we'll throw in a congratulatory "I got a job!" day in there, too. :)

Wish me luck, friends! Trying to keep the stress down and the happy up (some days are better than others...). The sun is helping a bit with that.

Welcome, Fish!

The new year has come and gone. There was a quick trip to Disneyland (which was AMAZING!!) and then it was back to internship and the daily grind of school, stress, wedding planing for Jesi, and the fun of the last six months of graduate school.

Speaking of graduate school, my fellow school counseling cohort and I spent the last two days on campus with the head of our program (who is amazing, P.S.) going over information about the hiring process, graduation, getting our license, interviewing, our action research project, and our online portfolio that we will use for both getting our license and then edit up for a show version we can use for the job search. It's a big project and kind of tedious but it's going to be really great when it is all done. Super excited to see it when it's done (not so excited about getting it done, but there you go).

Along with all the fun work of internship, I am going to be starting work on making up credit I missed when I was able to waive the effective teaching my first year (already did that with my student teaching in undergrad... they didn't make me do it again). My professor (same amazing lady we met with the last two days) is creating a course for me that is essentially me doing curriculum development for her. I get to write creative lesson plans for her bully prevention program! I am so stoked!

But, a la Alice's Restaurant, that's not what I wanted to talk about today. I'm here to tell you about Fish, my new car.

My mom told me that for graduation they wanted to get me a really great present because apparently I've been working really hard these past few years or something (and also because they are super amazing and generous and love me lots). I don't know, it's just grad school, right?

Anyways, they said they wanted to get me something like a graduation trip or a car and since I have been planning and saving since day one of grad school to go to Korea with my friend Mindy (July, baby!!), they decided on a car.

Dad rejected my first preference saying something about "reliability" and "trunk space" and "only children 65 pounds and under can ride in that." But it was PINK! Party pooper.

My dad took me out a few times to test drive and I found that a lot of the newer cars are kind of difficult to see out the back when you are short (annoying) so it took a few tries to find a car that worked for me. While we were looking around, one of the sales guys pointed out a Cube (which I have always thought was a super ugly car and made fun of). We decided to get in and test drive it for funsies and as I got in the guy said, "This is a really great car for girls." And I asked, with as little snark as possible, "Oh, why?" There are good answers and bad answers to that question. "Um, er, uh, hmm..." is not one of the good answers. That was fun.

After driving it, I announced that I loved it and it would be named Fish after the Boxtroll or because it looks like an aquarium, take your pick. My parents were incredulous ("Seriously? THAT'S the car you pick?!?") but I am in love with Fish.

We didn't end up getting the one at that particular dealership because it was outside the price range, but we got a newer model with less miles on it for a better deal. I say we, my Dad got the deal. He paid but it's in my name.

And here he is in all his adorable, toaster neanderthal glory!

I even got a hidden Mickey in my car. Check out those cup holders.

It has a magic key. You press a button on the door to unlock/lock the car and it knows if you have the keys near it or in the car. And you only need to press a button to start it. So fancy.

The guy who first showed us the car said it was "all tricked out" which means it has a rear view camera (one I can use 'cuz it has these nifty guides that show where your car will actually go... I might try to learn how to parallel park, now), cd/radio/ipod stereo, bluetooth. It is quite nice.

CUBE.

 And, of course, it had to be cute, so I made myself a little rear-view mirror dangly of some Disney fish (for FISH) to liven things up a bit.

And that, my friends, is Fish. The backseat is a bit uncomfortable, but I am willing to sacrifice your leg room for my own driving comfort. He is doing pretty great (though apparently I need to take him in to update his software? Computer cars...) and I really enjoy zipping around town with my Fish.

Another year gone by...

I have been quite remiss in posting to this blog. Needless to say, my time is precious right now. There was about a month of extreme stress as I got my research project all ready to go for the new year (namely filling out the application for the review board) and then, of course, getting ready for the holidays at the same time. It's been busy. In the process I decided to quit my job at Dream Dinners. Yesterday was my last day, which was very sad, but will be good for me in the long run.

A lot has happened since I last posted, including me turning 28 (woo hoo!)! So, this post is to talk about the progress on my 30 before 30 list.

Only two more years to go before I hit the deadline! Last year I gave you an update on the progress I had made. And it's that time of year again! Another year older, another year closer to 30.

10. Learn a new skill
I learned several new skills this year. On a professional level, I learned how to do a whole bunch of things about what I will do as a school counselor. On a more personal level, I also learned some yoga. That was amazing. I was really surprised at how much I liked my yoga class and how good it felt. I have a hard time with meditation activities, and I feel like the yoga really helped me to focus on clearing my mind. I need to start doing it at home on my own. Great stress reducer.

13. Make and send holiday cards
Last year I made handmade Christmas cards and sent them out to a bunch of family and friends. They were pretty cute. Cartoon hedgehogs with Santa hats and Christmas lights.

22. Take a fun class
During Spring term, I took a couple of classes to do something fun for myself: yoga and watercolor. I liked the yoga, but the watercolor class was just annoying. It was mostly studio time. She didn't teach squat. If I'm going to take a class on something, I expect lesson plans and actual teaching of techniques or something. I was pissed. But, I got some time to do my own projects (which sucked because I don't know how to paint with watercolors, hence taking the class).

24. Bake GOOD cookies (all by myself!!)
I taught myself how to bake French macarons! I can't make a chocolate chip cookie to save my life, but I can make macarons. Very happy with that skill. I'm still trying to perfect the best filling for them, but I pretty much got the meringues down.



29. Buy a car
Okay, I might have cheated a little on this one. My parents bought it for me as an early graduation gift. It's officially in my name and everything! I plan on having an entire post dedicated to Fish (that's his name... after the box troll) because I am just that excited. :)



That's it for this year. Next year bodes well for the list. There are several things that are almost guaranteed to happen before next November. I'm set to graduate from the Portland State School Counseling Program in June (yay!), which will hopefully be followed rather quickly with getting a "real" job. And I have already purchased the tickets and booked the hotel for my graduation trip to Korea, so that better be happening.

Ten Books

A while ago, someone posted this thing that said to list ten books in their life that have left some kind of impact. Most of you know I love reading (I always have a book that I'm reading), though I don't always read the most "sophisticated" books. It's taken me a while, but I've made my list and added a bit of explanation of what each of these books has meant to me.

P.S. They are in no particular order.

1. "To Kill a Mockingbird: by Harper Lee
I had grown up watching the movie of "To Kill a Mockingbird" since I was little (my mom loves old movies and so do I). I never truly understood it, though, until I read the book in 8th grade. I remember that I was at a friend's house while my parents were out of town when I read that they pronounced Tom Robinson guilty and, on instinct, threw the book across the room. I was SO MAD. But I remember having so many good discussions about this book in that class and Atticus was the best father in the world.

2. "Harry Potter" by J.L. Rowling
What can I say? I grew up with Harry Potter. My mom bought me the first three books when we were in Ireland and, at the time, I didn't really care and sort of left them on the shelf without reading them until my friend in middle school was talking about how she was still on the wait list at the library for the second book and she wanted it sooo baaaad! I thought about it and said that I thought I had the first three books at home. She gave me this look, you know that condescending yet suspicious look and told me that I couldn't have the third book since it hadn't come out yet. This was at the time when the books were released in Ireland before they were released in the States. I went home, checked, and sure enough I had all three. I refused to let her borrow any of them until I finished them.

But, truly, the books and I grew up together. When I finished the 7th book, crying several times throughout, it was strange to realize that it was over and that, if she wrote more, it wouldn't be the same. Again, this is a series I reread every few years. I still get teary eyes during the last book.

3. "The Last Herald Mage Trilogy" by Mercedes Lackey
My friend Diane introduced Mercedes Lackey to me when we were both in middle school and I immediately read as many of her books as possible. The Last Herald Mage trilogy became my favorite of all of her books and I have reread them every few years since. They are probably some of my most reread books, though not as much as "The Scarlet Pimpernel." These books challenged some of the ways I view the world as well as helping me build on some on some the things I value greatly to this day. They books themselves aren't the most well-written, nor are they the most earth shattering in what they present. Perhaps even a bit melodramatic and ridiculous at times (okay, SUPER DRAMATIC AND CHEESY ANGSTY, so sue me). However, they've stuck with me and I still love them.

4. "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
I also read this in my 8th grade English class. And in high school. And in college. I know this is kind of cheating since it's a short story and not a "book," per se. But it's always kind of stuck with me, kind of like "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It also sticks with me because I reused an essay I wrote in high school for a college class with a professor I REALLY disliked and he 1) wrote that it was one of the best essays he had ever written (really?), and 2) still thought it was good even if he didn't agree with my interpretation of the symbolism (how does Spring not represent new life in this story? Honestly?).

5. "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
This was a book I read in my 6th grade English class. I remember the class was having a discussion and the teacher, one of my favorites, was trying to explain how there were multiple views on something to this one student (I don't remember the exact context). But, at one point, she said, "You're trying to see everything in black and white when there's a million shades of grey in between and a whole frickin' rainbow outside of that!" That was when I picked up the word "frickin'," much to my mom's dismay. I thought it was an appropriate comment considering that we were talking about "The Giver" (everyone sees in black and white except the Giver and, later, Jonas). It was her own way of telling us to think outside of the box.

6. "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
I read this at some point right after my Great Grandmother Reba had died and I actually read it twice, back to back, because I was sure I had missed something. When it was revealed that Leslie died, I was sure that they were wrong. They were going to find her, or she was actually in the REALLY REAL Terabithia on some adventure. But when I finished the book and it wasn't revealed that she was still alive, I was devastated. I went and reread it and cried for the last part of the book as I really understood what it meant to deal with death.

7. "The Twilight Series" by Stephanie Meyers
When I did my student teaching, my students knew me for my strong dislike of Twilight. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the books. They were fun. I actually met Stephanie Meyers when I bought the first two books. She was signing them in the BYU Bookstore and I thought, cool. Vampire books on sale. And I can get the author to sign them. Why not? I had no idea who she was at this time and there was no one there at her signing and I felt kind of bad for her; so, I asked her what it felt like to be a published author (cuz, hey, we need some kind of conversation in the empty bookstore). She looked at me like I was an idiot and said something, like, "Well, I've been published for a while now, so, normal, I guess." And I was like, psh, FINE. See if I care. Bought my books and left.

Little did I know...

But the books, aside from fun, were troubling to me once I saw how so many of my students in my classes idolized these books, wanted to be Bella, and wanted to find their Edward. NO. No, no no, NO. So many problems with this that I won't go into on here. What these books taught me is that when I have daughters they will read Twilight (if they want), but they will meet so many other better characters before Bella that she will be just a tiny blip on their radar.

8. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Baroness Orczy
Another book from middle school and what I normally say when people ask for my "favorite book." I read this book at least once a year. I'm not that big on the straight up romance genre (be it movie, book, or whatever... unless it's a Korean drama; for some reason it's the cheesier the better on those for me). This book is the exception. The romance in this makes me all giggly and romanticy feeling. Same goes for several other books in the series (did you know it's a series?). I love the characters and all of their relationships. Also, this is the book that inspired the creation of Zorro and, later, Batman, so that makes it ten times cooler. Because BATMAN. (Ask me sometime about how I decided I needed to learn how to read because of Batman.)

9. "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl
This was the first honest to goodness chapter book I ever read. Those two page per chapter chapter books don't count. This was REAL. My class read it when I was gone on a trip to Europe with my parents and I wanted to read it. I decided to check it out at our next library visit. When we went to the library, we had to read a paragraph out loud to the teacher before we could check it out to make sure it was something we could actually read rather than just choosing a book at random because we had to check one out. When it was my turn, the teacher let me through without reading out loud because she knew I could handle it. It was the most advanced book anyone was checking out (people were mostly getting picture books), and I was the only one who didn't have to prove I could read my book. I felt so special.

10. "The Kitchen God's Wife" by Amy Tan
This is the book that introduced me to Amy Tan of whom I am a huge admirer. So many of her stories are about mother daughter relationships and this one in particular really spoke to me. I read this in my Asian-American literature class at BYU (so many good books in that class!). It was also the first class that got me thinking critically about representation, diversity, and being mindful about creating an inclusive school environment for all students (because I am an educator so OF COURSE I go there). I also really love "The Joy Luck Club."

It was super hard to narrow it down to ten books. Sometimes I tell myself I need to read more "good" books (classics, non-fiction, blah blah blah), but then I'm like, nah. Fantasy! Fiction! Young adult fantasy and fiction! Comic books! Too much research to read for school to spend my free time reading books that require me to actually pay attention. I need some nice brain candy, I just finished "Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern which was absolutely lovely and I highly recommend it. And now I'm reading some fantasy book that was on sale on the Kindle book store. Not even sure what it's called. But it's fun. Love when I find a new fantasy series. 

What kinds of books are you guys reading? Any recommendations?