12 apples have been consumed by Stephen and me in the last week. (We found the BEST apples at Lolo's. I dream about them.)
11 games of Ruzzle played by Stephen since getting his iphone last Thursday. (He would like it to be known that he hasn't lost yet.)
10 dollars spent on my haircut last week at Aveda hair school. (Really good deal...It just took about 3 hours.)
9:55 a.m. our goal of being at church five minutes early is going relatively well....
8 times a day I'm grateful that I can finally text Stephen with emojis. IT IS SO EXCITING.
7 intramural games so far this semester. (We've already missed three.)
6 times a day I check instagram. I'm a bit of an addict.
5 weeks until the start of my 3-6 practicum. I'm REALLY excited!
4 cups of coconut rice made by Isaac and Chels that we willingly helped them eat.
3 days until the start of February. Man how time flies!
2 hundred million times a day I'm grateful for my dear sweet husband ;)
1 time Stephen beat Isaac at Harry Potter Quiz up. (A moment that will go down in history I'm sure.)
0 The number of people that showed up to my "iMovie Basics" class last Saturday because I forgot to list it on the public library calendar. HAHA
PS I really didn't mean to do this, but I subconsciously stole this numbers idea from my friend Emilee a while ago. WOOPS. All cleverness credit goes to her.
PSS I promise to post a real post with pictures and all that stuff soon :)

I'm officially two weeks into my last semester of classes at BYU.

It's so exciting and scary that this chapter of my life is almost over. Sometimes I get REALLY REALLY excited about finally being a teacher (since it has been my dream literally for as long as I can remember) and other times I am SCARED. BEYOND. BELIEF.

Who am I to think I'm qualified for such an insurmountable task?
Who am I to think I have the ability to teach students concepts in a way they can understand?
Am I really ready to have to get up every morning at 6:00 (or earlier depending on where I get a job) and then stay up late into the night solidifying lesson plans and gathering materials?
Am I ready to have 30 (give or take) students depend on me for HOURS every day?
I am ready to be constantly worrying that I'm not doing enough?

These are the fears that enter my mind on a daily to weekly basis.

My literacy class this semester is taught by Brad Wilcox, who funnily enough has always been kind of a celebrity to me. Growing up we had a couple of his talks on tape and  I LOVED listening to them. At one point I had his talk "Saving the World One Lunch Period at a Time" memorized almost word for word! Not long after joining the El Ed program I saw him walking in the hall one day. I had no clue who he was until I heard him start talking to someone else in the hall. I recognized his voice immediately! And now, in my very last semester of classes, I get to be one of his students.

On the first day of his class, Monday after Christmas break at 8:00 am (needless to say I wasn't feeling particularly happy to be back at school...) he calmed all of my fears. He talked about how difficult it probably was for each of us to choose the path of Elementary Education (especially with all of the negative stigmas attached to it at BYU). He expressed his sympathy for the many negative reactions people give when you announce your major to a group of people. He assured us that El Ed IS a real major regardless of what people may tell us. And that just because we want to teach elementary kids, doesn't mean we can't think above an elementary level. I could relate to almost each situation he presented and found myself nodding vigorously in agreement more than once throughout the class period.

And then, without taking a beat. He calmed all of my fears. He inspired me. He motivated me and made me so excited to finally get into the classroom. This is what I want to do for my students. I thought to myself over and over again. This is what teaching really is. 

It's so easy, especially at this point in the major, to get really overwhelmed with all of the content and the core standards and the lesson planning, to get caught up in the nit-picky things. Don't get me wrong, I know those things are important too, but when I think about my favorite teachers throughout my life, I don't remember specific concepts they taught, I remember how they made me feel. Even now, just two short weeks after that first class, I can't really remember what Brother Wilcox said, I just remember I came out of that room ready to take on the world.

I know teaching will be exhausting and frustrating and challenging, and it will probably put my weaknesses out in plain sight for all the world to see. But even still,

I really wasn't planning on making a Christmas music video this year. Beside the fact that I don't actually have anything to use to record video (other than my phone), I just figured things were going to be too crazy with it being my first Christmas in Iowa and all...it just didn't seem very reasonable.

BUT, while I was watching Emilee's Christmas music vid Miriam (who was in CA at the time) texted me asking me if we were going to make one. Coincidence? I most certainly think not. So it simply had to be done.

I am absolutely in denial about the fact that this break is almost over. I feel like it's just beginning! It has all been so perfect and I am so grateful and blessed that I got to spend these short weeks with Stephen's family as well as my own :) I feel pretty spoiled actually. Everyone has been so generous to Stephen and me. I am dreading going back to Provo and re-entering reality (school, work, and a freezing cold apartment).