Finals, Interviews, Late Nights, Jobs, Accidents, Police, and Insurance

Well, those are the words that can describe the past few days for the Reimschiissels. JD has been studying like crazy for all of his finals this week. The last 3 weeks have all been pretty rough come to think of it. Ontop of the studying, JD has had extra long hours at work because it is finals week, and I'm sure proud of how hard he has been working. I've had a bunch of interviews with school, and I was starting to get a little down about not getting a job, but I finally got one! I was offered a job at Coral Canyon Elementary School to teach 1st grade--which is great because that's what I am teaching right now as a permanent substitute. This is all good practice for me. I've been staying up super-late the last few nights with final projects due to finish up my student teaching stuff, and also waiting up for JD who didn't get home until midnight last night. Whew! Then today I had a bunch of drama. Here is my equation for a bad day. Very strong wind + car door + not careful person = dent and scratches in car. Car dent + scratches + car chase + police station + car estimate + Really tall, painful shoes = not such a happy day. You can probably do the math. I had to call a million people and get yelled at a bunch of times and feel like a complete idiot even more times. I drove to quite a few different places to get things taken care of, and yet I still need to deal with some issues and drama tomorrow. Hooray! (not) However, I did come home to a lovely dinner made by my spectacular, charming (and considerably attractive I might add) husband. He actually used kidney beans in this dinner also, which is an improvement because he really dislikes how much I use kidney beans. To counter this great meal, JD is going to leave me this week to go up North and live with my parents while he takes a class. He leaves after my graduation on Saturday and I am not going to come up and join him until I finish teaching. But life will go on after I get over missing him so much and hopefully I'll find something to keep me busy. (Maybe planning and setting up for my class next year!!!) Anyway, I don't really write much usually, but today has sure been eventful and I am really going to miss JD a lot so I had to write how much I love him. I'll leave you with some pictures I took the other night after one of our late homework nights.

Graduating at last!

Well, it's finally here--my college graduation. I've worked hard and had fun, but I'm all done as of May 3, 2008. I am graduating from Southern Utah University with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education. I really love teaching, and I feel like I am ready. Now if I can just get a job then everything will just have worked out great! We will be staying here in Cedar for awhile until JD finishes with school down here, so I am trying to get a job either in Cedar City of in St. George. I am so excited to be done and to start teaching!

Hooked on Books

Our SUU library was going through old stuff and throwing lots away. Among the things they were throwing away was oodles and oodles of children's books and materials. I have been making frequent trips to the library to go through stuff they are throwing away. I have filled my trunk and backseat each twice to the brim with books and things. Guided reading books, leveled books, phonics books, picture books, posters, manipulatives, and lots of other odds and ends teaching materials. Great stuff. Anyway, our apartment is very small so I am having to get creative to find new spots to put all these books. I still have a bunch that I am trying to hide, but it's slowing coming along and we are regaining control of our living room which has been taken over by books for some time now. I continue to go to the library for more materials. I am working on getting a bunch of science materials next, so I'll keep you updated. Here are some pictures of some of the stuff I have been collecting for my classroom (which I will hopefully have this fall!)

A steal from the D.I....

In the closet...

Each of these bags has between 5 and 20 books in them. Many with accompanying lesson plans.

All manipulatives: geoboards, linking cubes, overhead stuff, blocks, sorting bears, counters, etc. Base-ten blocks, posters, and a rain gauge. I know. Thrilling.