A New... Yet Challenging Calling

Adam and I are the new Sunday school teachers for the 12-13 year olds! We've been teaching for a couple of weeks now and I've realized that it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. They are bright and very excited kids but they also have a hard time keeping their talking to a minimum. I assume that it is due to the fact that Adam and I are only about ten years older than they are and so they aren't so afraid of us...... but maybe not. Week after week it's getting better and they are learning that you have to be quiet in order to actually talk about the gospel together:) At first I told Adam that we weren't going to give them candy as a reward... but after two weeks that resolve has weakened and we gave them candy if they read the scriptures that they had been assigned. I guess there are worse things to do, right? HA HA HA

A new beginning

After almost two years of working with my dad and Mark, I have decided it is time to move on. I interviewed with Dixon Middle School last week and started working in the Focus Classroom as an aide. It's definitely not like anything else I've ever done but I'm excited for the chance to learn more and expand the diversity of my school experience. ( I also make $11.81 an hour which is an added bonus:) The students in my class have all been kicked out of mainstream education for a myriad of reasons, so it sure is a new environment. I mainly translate and help keep them on task. There is one student who has been in the country for six months and is still learning english. Before I came there no one else spoke spanish and Eddie was able to slide by without doing much. At first he thought I was going to be his translator and still let him not do a lot. Now he realizes that with me there he has to take some responsibility for his assignments and do as much as he can.... needless to say, he gets a little annoyed at times. I'm glad I made the switch though because I'm back doing what I love. The kids are great people who have made bad choices and don't realize that there is more to life than what they see. I hope to be able to do all I can to build them up and not tear them down. It's hard to do that because they tend to look at us like slave drivers who make them do their homework and show respect to their teachers, but it's possible!
In other news, the doctors put me on some new nightly medication that seems to be helping with my headaches. Adam is relieved that I've only had two major headaches in the past two weeks instead of everyday. The meds make me sleepy in the morning but that should be wearing off soon. I'm lucky and blessed to have a wonderful husband who will take care of me when they do come:) Adam started his new job at the Red Cross a couple of weeks ago. He has already racked up 5o hours in overtime..... what a work-aholic but it's something that I admire about him. He enjoys it and is excited to become a phlebotomist!!!

What's wrong with my little head...?

Dr. Hancock has finally given up trying to figure out why I keep having headaches and is sending me to a neurologist. I really hope I don't have to end up having a cat scan (sp?) because, like my mother, I get pretty claustrophobic. I can remember when they did a cat scan of my knees and then ended up putting me half way in the "tube". I literally started to breathe heavy and feel completely surrounded. I'll say a little prayer before though and hopefully that won't happen.
Christmas was busy! On Christmas Eve we made it to SLC at about 3:00 AM and then headed home for some rest from our long 12 hour wait in Miami. After sleeping for a bit we headed over to the tate's since we weren't going to be able to go over that night..... it was great! I love being there because it always feels like home. My dad's house was fun and we ate a very non-traditional meal. Kathy made hawaiian hay stacks (which I love:) Even though the rice didn't turn out exactly how she wanted it, the food was good and everyone was happy.
We left Alpine around 6 pm and headed up to Evanston in the snow storm. Despite my husband's concerns for our safety we made it alive and well but very tense from driving in all that snow. Other than that, we picked up a haul of presents from the Fiebers, found out that my sister-in-law Paula is prego and headed back to Utah on snowy roads. It was a good holiday and we even went to bed early on New Year's Eve (since adam had to work at 6:30 the next morning)!! I set my alarm for 11:58, but quickly fell asleep through the new year... whoops. I finally woke up at 12:23 AM to Adam saying "Happy New Year, good night." So eventful, I know.