BYU FOOTBALL!

Can I just start by saying that I LOVE MY TEAM!!!!
So my seats are pretty fabulous - no joke, I can smell the team when they come to the field. It is insane. I am pretty far north though so I can't see much of what happens in the south end zone. Also, being right next to the boys means not being able to see what happens on the east part of the field. They are big boys and not easy to see over.
I am sure most everyone has heard how we dominated UCLA on the 12th - a complete shut out! It was the Bruin's worst lost in something like 75 years. Then we shut Wyoming out yesterday. Do we realize how exciting this is!?! I finish every game so proud to be a cougar.
Yesterday they decided to do the haka at the middle of the field, rather than on the south side. I LOVE the haka. Nothing gets me more pumped for football.

The Party Begins

My roommate Alison's birthday is today so Aubrey last minute decides it is a good idea to do an open house/birthday party last night. We had so much fun!
I made my wonderful fliers and Tuesday night we distributed them throughout our ward. Aubrey spent Wednesday making cute cakes and even saved one for me to decorate! People started arriving at 9 and by 9:30 our apartment was full and our 4 cakes were gone. We went through tons of ice cream and 3 bags of candy!
Oh my goodness, Aubrey and I know how to make things fun. It was quick, easy and everyone had a good time. Alison loved it and couldn't stop thanking us. We even took our first roomie picture (as you can see in my heading).

THIS IS THE YEAR!

Oh - and the big BYU vs. UCLA game is on SATURDAY!!!!

She's BACK!

Last night I drove to the airport and got to pick up my roommate and best friend AUBREY! I have been living without her for more than a week and life was rough. It was a wonderful reunion and I think I can finally get into life in Provo. She is just the best roommate you could ask for - so willing to help and do anything and she gives the greatest advice. Plus we share a love for sports, dancing, all things crazy, and beautiful men :) haha As you can imagine, we are always having fun. yay for out third year together.

My schedule has changed a lot. Mondays and and Wednesdays are going to be KILLER. School to work to school. I don't know how I am going to do it but I hope to just jump into the schedule. Also my car is sounding broken...I think I will have to take it in this week. I am scared to drive it to work tomorrow so I will call the mechanic and see what he can tell me. I'll probably have to take it in.

I made it through a week in the new class and so the teacher I work with brought me and her other aid a rose. She is so sweet. She was so genuinely thankful to us. I think I am going to learn a lot working in this classroom. She uses my opinion so much and is really relying on me to help with some of the new techniques she wants to use in the classroom. I am looking forward to what I will learn.

Well - tomorrow is my tryout of this long day and I have a ton of surprise homework to do...lucky me

my first day back at work

I have been in touch on and off with the school I had been working at last winter. There is a new principal and I was basically rehired over the phone. I went in today and she didn't even "interview" me until school was out.

I am in a new classroom and it will talk a lot of adjustment to feel as comfortable in this classroom as I did in my last one. Last year I worked in the all wheelchair class - this year they all run around like wild. I went to visit Barb (the teacher I worked with last year) and 2 of my adorable students are gone. My favorite Adrian and the singing Kathryn have both been moved to their home schools because they, through Barb's help, have become too advanced for the all handicapped setting. I am so proud of them but I obviously miss them. I didn't think that when I said goodbye before the summer that I would be saying goodbye for good.

My new class - 6 kids. All of which have extreme behavioral issues. C who has the greatest smile and sincerest giggle can go to the bathroom on command. He plays with his feces when he is not receiving the attention he wants. He is also quite the sprinter and is the only kid who can get the door open. BUT he was so good today and thought I was pretty funny.  A is a doll and really does everything we ask. She is clean and neat and when you are with her it is almost like you are getting a little break. J is the cutest boy ever but he gets out of everything by going to the corner and napping. I have never seen a kid sleep so much and still be able to sleep more. L was sick this morning but came in after lunch. She thinks everyone is a baby and wants to cuddle them. MW was Aubrey's friend last year. He loved her and her little bunny foo foo song. MX is new to the school - he is the handful. Since MX is new to the class, MX took it upon himself to beat up MW. He has this death grip and MW's face was covered in scratches and raised skin. MW and I got really close - anytime he got hurt he ran to me and just cried and cried. I came home from work covered in his runny nose, slobber, and tears.

I am completely beat. But I am looking forward to getting to know these new kids and hope that I can see many great improvements and changes before long.

Back to School and EVERYTHING else

There is so much that has happened in the last month.
I am now back in Provo. I got out here on Wednesday night and I am still working on moving in. Jackie drove up with me and I this is the first time we will not be together everyday since Shaver Lake. It was a sad goodbye - but with any luck she will be here in October for conference.
My apartment is adorable. We have a main level with our living room and kitchen then there is upstairs with the bedrooms and my favorite part - a basement! It isn't even an exciting thing, just storage room, but just saying I have a basement sounds so cool.

Our first football game of the season was on Saturday. We played Northern Iowa and we won. I love my team. Can you believe this is my 3rd season of football?! haha AHHH. It was such a fun game. My seats are 2nd row on the 40 yard line. It will be a great season.

Saying goodbye to San Marcos was harder this summer than before. Kelsey was leaving home too and so my family was more emotional than usual. I also actually did pretty well making some amazing friends in the Palomar Ward. There was always something going on and I found myself busy with a social life once again.

I also had some friends from BYU come down and visit at the end of summer. They stayed at my house for 4 days and it was a party. Jackie was over the entire time and I am convinced they are now best friends with her.

Well - Mom says she can feel all the adventures I am going to be having this year. I can't wait for them to start happening!

SHAVER LAKE

Another summer - another week at my favorite Shaver.
My family has now been doing this for 9 years with the McMasters and Barnums...we become the McBarkelson. Every year we do the same thing. We are on the lake almost everyday. Saturday and Sunday are our break days. Saturday we head down to Fresno for the day where we watch a movie, maybe some shopping, and eat lunch at Red Robin. Sunday we go to the lovely little Auberry ward. People have really started to recognize us around town.

Everyone left for Shaver on Wednesday night. This year we were missing Kelsey, Zach, and Nate - but I brought Lauren, Tommy had his fiance Lauren, and the Barnums brought fun little Austin. Lauren and I drove up Saturday morning and met them all in Fresno. We missed the Red Robin bit but got everything else in.

Sunday was church followed by our hike down Dinky Creek. This lovely picture is what happens when you get scaredy cat Syd followed by goofy Port. Poor Cliff. I wish you could have heard the screaming happening in this picture. It was a little ledge you had to scooch down with a little fall on the other side, but nothing major. Syd didn't get how to do it and was screaming. I told her to sit down and I was going to scoot her. Porter sits down as well and then gravity takes over....there he goes. Scooting right into Syd. I have never seen her so mad. "PORTER! STOP. GET OFF!! POOOORRRTTTERRR. NO STOP!" haha and then a series of loud screams. Poor Porter could really do nothing about it, gravity was pulling him down. Next, he got stuck between our scooting rock and the rock that made the scooting hard. It was hilarious. Then Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent all out on the lake. The Myers and the Simmons showed up at Shaver Tuesday and my best friends Alyse and Chad finally made it Wednesday afternoon.

At one point in our adventure the girls, Hannah and Jaycee, wanted to play hide and seek. Now, Lauren and I aren't the greatest hiders and hate being it, so we tricked them into a dance party. Those girls have moves I have only seen on TV!

Tuesday was the day of my great fall. I ate it bad. I didn't even get that great of a jump in and smacked on the opposite wake. I went down fast and slapped my head on the water then my board came up over my head. I heard my spine just snap. I thought I was dead but when I realized I was ok I was ready for another run. The next day my entire body was mad at me. I was sore and couldn't move. Thursday - once I had made it home - my head was exploding. There was so much pressure and I thought my eyes were going to pop out. We went to urgent care and she was a little worried but there wasn't much she could do so I had a follow up appointment yesterday. Conclusion: whip lash and a contusion. Don't worry though, I am alive :)

Well - the summer keeps going.
We had an earthquake the other day - Tuesday. It was a little scary. Mom, Kels, and I were watching Becoming Jane on my quick work break (lots to say about work to come) when all of the sudden we felt a little shake and just looked at each other. Woah, was that an earthquake?! and then 2 more rolled by, a little stronger than before. That was when we were like oh man, are these just pre tremors? And jumped up and made sure the kids in the pool were doing alright. They didn't even feel it. It has been a while since I have actually felt an earthquake. You know, people are saying how they wouldn't want to live in California because of our earthquakes but honestly all other natural disasters scare me much more.

Ok work - so I started teaching a new group of kids on Monday. Once again I have some truly adorable kids...until you get to my last class. Yes - they are adorable but they are horrible! I can't get them to sit down and listen so that I can tell them what we are going to do and since they're in water it's not like I can just let them swim while I am working with one student. Then the parents complain but guess what - their kid is the reason I can't teach. How do I tell a parent that? Oh man...and I still have 5 days to go with them and then some lucky someone gets to sub my last 2 days. I am hoping to get them under control before I have to turn them to one of my coworkers.