QotD: Mistletoe Kisses

Who would you like to kiss under the mistletoe?

PAUL!

Wasabeeeeee

I'm officially a user of Wesabe. I'm going to start figuring out exactly where my money goes. You should check it out. So far, it's seems pretty darn cool! I'll keep you posted!

QotD: Holiday Shopping

When do you start your holiday shopping?

Today! Yes, I am one of the "American Idiots" who went to the mall today...on Black Friday! I know it's a dumb idea, but it's SO MUCH FUN! It's a tradition that Mom and I have, and it's a fun one.

Unfortunately, this year my Mom called me at 9am sounding like death! She had been up all night throwing up!!! NO!!!

I had to fight the crowds alone this year. I didn't even have my ol' roomie to go with me! (She was fighting the crowds in Soho!) Well, I didn't last long by myself. I was there for a couple of hours, and returned home. I bought one Christmas present...and it's for my Mom! :)

Next year's another year. And you can count on Mom and I being out there for sure!

QotD: I Should've Been A Contender

What gameshow or reality show would you kick butt on?

Wheel of Fortune. Definitely! I would kick some serious butt on that show!

General update.

I finished my 3-day restraint training course tonight. I learned how to get out of hair pulls and bites, how to best dodge kicks and punches, how to take a child's punch and turn it into you holding them in a basket hold, and how to do prone restraints! The prone restraints weren't part of the "published" course as it is not a "suggested" hold; however, our instructors swear by it when the basket hold doesn't work. I'm a little nervous about all of this! Part of me wants to try it out to see if it works. The larger part of me, however, never wants to have to attempt any of these moves in my lifetime! I think I will try them out on Paul, instead!

I'm getting pretty stoked about the wedding. Paul and I have been going to our marriage preparation classes at ASU's Newman Center. The classes are awesome. There are 10 couples in them, all our age, and all very nice. The classes are taught in an up to date, and current, yet still ethical, moral, and spiritual way. They are really fun, and wonderful ways to spend time together for the two of us. We are both enjoying them greatly. Other details for the ceremony and reception are all falling into place, and I'm really starting to get excited! (Starting probably isn't the best word! I've been excited since March 24th!) But it's starting to feel like it's coming now. It's not REALLY far away. The school year is flying by, and it'll be here before we know it. I'm glad about that! I am not stressed either. I mean, I want to get things done, but we're checking things off our list slowly. I don't think there will be any crunches of needing to get things done last minute...hopefully! Jenn is starting to talk about bachelorette fun, and my Mom, and Kim, and Darcy and Jenn are starting to talk about showers! This is going to be such a fun Spring!!!

Internship is going well. I'm working hard, and learning tons. I learn something new every day. I am confident in my testing and report writing skills, pretty confident in behavior management strategies (having lots of practice in this..learning every day!), gaining confidence slowly in leading meetings and talking to parents and teachers, and need some experience in counseling! My supervisor doesn't really do counseling at my school, but the social worker does, so I will hopefully be able to have a couple of her cases to get experience with this. I need it! I feel unprepared still in counseling. On the otherhand, this is most likely because this appears to be the area that most school psychologists (at least in elementary schools) do not engage in. I want the skills though.

Dissertation: What a long time this IRB process has taken. However, I am happy to say that I GOT IRB APPROVAL FROM PHOENIX CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL TODAY!!! I am sooo happy! I got approval from ASU over the summer, but PCH was dragging on and on, making it go from one department to the next, just taking up time. Now, I have to go back to ASU to submit a modification form, telling them what PCH changed and hoping that they ok it. They better! Or they're going to be hearing from me!

I guess I'd say life in general is good right now! We need to get the family healed up a bit from all of the surgeries that have been occurring, but other than that, we're tight. I love my family. They're the best!

QotD: It's All In My Head

What movie can you quote by heart?

Clueless.
A Few Good Men.
Napoleon Dynamite (Thanks to Paul!)

It's all fun and games until somebody fingerpaints with poop.

So, we've had a little problem the past few days at my elementary school. You see, the custodian has been coming to us in the front office and letting us know that there have been some unacceptable behaviors occurring in the bathroom. What might these be you ask? Well...

It started out with a few turds in the corner of the boys bathroom on the floor. Upon closer inspection, it was determined that these turds were not from an animal, but from a human--most likely, a young boy. We were on alert!

The case continued. From here, the turds in the corner on the floor turned into poop in the urinals. I'm sorry, but I don't even wanna know how this was accomplished. By this point, we had an idea of who the culprit may be. We were tracking bathroom usage by requiring passes that must be signed out to track who was going and at what time. Would it be the boy we suspected?

Finally a day later, the climax...upon entering into the bathroom, the sight of feces smeared on the wall, with the letter D in it. D was the first letter of the boy we suspected.

Wait...it gets better...upon bringing in D's mom to discuss his actions, we told the mom that her son was smearing feces on the wall of the bathroom and writing things in it. Her response? Her 1st response? The first thing she had to say after being told that her son was smearing poop on the walls and writing in it? She asked, "What did he write?"

Riiiiight. Of course. That would be my first response. What a concerned mother.

QotD: I Get Around

How many places have you lived in your life?'

6 PLACES!

1 State: Arizona

3 Cities: Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale

2 family homes: 2302 E. Cholla St. and 2324 E. Cinnabar Ave (1 mile apart)

2 dorm rooms: McClintock Hall (1st floor) and Best C Hall (5th floor)

1 apt: Arpeggio Rental Condominiums

1 condo: Jenn's Villa at Vista Verde

Take me to the candy shop

Story of the day: Kindergarten girl pole dances in classroom.

Other disruptive behaviors: Refuses to work with other girls. Will only do group work with boys. Pins boys down on recess and kisses them on the lips.

Woohoo!

Shane and I were such studs

Seriously, do kids get any cooler than this?

Where have all of the Beaver Cleaver's gone?

All I have to say is since when do 12-year-olds think it is OK to have oral sex in the middle of the elementary school courtyard, on a picnic table, during the middle of the school day?

The 12-year-old girl's reply: "It was just oral!"

WHAT? Where am I working???

QotD: Bring Back the Snack

Are there any snacks, food or candy that are no longer made that you desperately miss?

Orange Kit Kats, no doubt. This is the candy that I became addicted to in London. Orange Kit Kats and Strongbow!

I had a craving the other day, and searched online to see if you could order them that way. For some reason they don't sell them in the U.S.. I did find them for sale on e-bay, and even contemplated buying them. I got so far as to read the fine print, and it said they were "not for consumption". After reading further, I found out that they were 6 years old! I guess some people want them just for the wrappers! Not this girl.

The 1st Day

Here we go!

The Real World: Phoenix

I wish I was back in San Diego on Vacation!

It's hard to believe I start work on Monday! I know everyone else entered into the real world a long time ago, but I was able to push this off as long as possible with grad school. Every day, all day? It's going to be a big change!

I'm really looking forward to it, but I am very nervous. There are so many things you don't know until you gain some experience. Everyone says to just have confidence and don't act like you are lost! I think the first month is going to be some long hours and a great deal of learning!

Well girls, good thing we got our butts off the beach. It's time to get to work!

QotD: Weekend Wrap-up

What was the highlight of this past weekend?

This past weekend rocked. It was filled with good company, awesome food, lots of fun, and perfect weather!

Paul and I spent the weekend with my parents in San Diego. We visited an awesome little town called Cariff by the Sea and ate at a little surf shack called Pipes, which made amazing cheeseburgers! We also had fun in Little Italy with Matt and Drew where I did the unexpected and ordered a cannoli for dinner! It was yummy! The boys saw Clerks 2, the girls saw The Devil Wears Prada. We perfected our tans. And we fell asleep to the ocean waves crashing. Paradise!

And the highlight of the weekend? I got to watch my boy learn how to surf! It was so much fun! We hit the beach in Encinitas and Paul mastered the waves. What a blast!

QotD: Sugar, Sugar

What was your favorite candy when you were a kid? How does that compare to now?

Whatchamacallit! I don't know if it was because I loved the taste that much, or if part of it was that I thought the name was so cool as a kid, but I'd say about 70% of the time I'd pick a whatchamacallit. 15% of the time: Kit Kat. 15% of the time: 3 Musketeers.

QotD: Dream a little Dream

What's the most recent vivid dream or nightmare that you remember?

I had this dream a couple of nights ago. It was so vivid that when I woke up, I was kind of in a bad mood, not really knowing why. This funk continued until I received a phone call from my aunt Kim, who just had a baby (Luke). In asking her on the phone how Luke was doing, I instantly recalled my dream, and realized that it was the dream in the back of my mind that had put me in the bad mood I was in.

In my dream, my old roomie Jenn was coming home from NY to visit. She said she had some news to share. I was excited to see her, and couldn't wait to hear her news. I was sure that it related somehow to being offered a cool new internship or job in the fashion industry or perhaps meeting a boy she really liked. She had been in NY for about 6 months, and she was kicking butt at Parson's and always looking to meet new people.

Well, to my surprise, the doorbell rang, and when I opened it, there as Jenn, standing in front of me, dressed in all black clothes, 6 months pregnant! I was horrified! I burst into tears, and cried out, "What happened?" She was really matter of fact about the whole thing, and acted like it was kind of a pain in the butt, but not a huge deal. She didn't really know the father, he would not be in the picture, she was going to keep the baby, but was concerned that it might impede upon her schooling at Parson's. Because of this, she was going to move in with her cousins that lived in NY, and they would take care of the baby, while she was at school. She had an attitude of, yeah, no big deal. They'll watch it. I'll need to get on with my life!

I tried to convince her to move home, but she said that she really liked NY and she would not move home. At this, she dug into her purse, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, lit up a cigarette, and started puffing away. I was like, "What? You smoke? You can't! You're pregnant!" To which she replied, "Oh yeah, I picked up that habit, too. I'm addicted."

And then I woke up.

After remembering the dream, I immediately called Jenn. I asked her if she was pregnant, and she assured me that she was not. I asked her if she had started smoking, and she again reassured me she had not. THANK GOODNESS! I told Jenn about my dream, and we had a good laugh about it. I guess in the back of my mind I was worried about her surviving the craziness of NYC and coming back as sweet as she left! I know she will. I just wonder when she'll get back!

The guy behind it all!

Yup, this is him! It's becoming a little bit more of a reality lately that in 10 months I am going to be Paul's wife! Mrs. Parent! Crazy! And awesome! That's the amazing part of it. You get wrapped up in wedding planning for a bit, and all of a sudden you become clear that all of this wedding planning is for the day that begins the rest of your married life! And when I think about that, I get a huge smile on my face. It's like, wedding planning goes from super fun, to a little expensive, to the best bonding time Mom and I could wish for, to kind of stressful, to fun tastings with Paul, etc. But marriage, that's something that's all positive and all exciting! Yes, of course there are always bumps in the road, and difficult times, and quirks, and bad habits, and nagging, and all that that I hear and know comes along with marriage. But...bring them on! I want to experience them with Paul! I can't wait to marry this man and spend the rest of my life with him!

I love his constant mexican food cravings, I love the way he treats me like a princess, I love his ambition and drive, I love his sense of humor, I love his compassion and honesty, I love his spontaneity, and I love the fun we have together! He is definitely my other half, and I can't imagine living the rest of my life without him!