Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Life as of Late

I know I haven't been the best at blogging lately, so I decided to do a little recap of life by sharing some things I am thankful for and just loving {TODAY}:

-{I successfully completed my first semester of Graduate school} 
Some times I still cannot believe I am in graduate school, pursuing a masters degree! It just blows my mind to process that! And now it is even weirder that my first semester is complete and I successfully finished 3 classes. Parts of it were the most stressful times of my life, including finishing the biggest project I have ever done in school! But it has been great to look back at the growth I've had this semester! That is a wonderful feeling! I have already learned so much and am excited to learn more! I have gained so many witnesses this semester that this teaching program is where I need to be in my life, and teaching is the path I need to pursue. It such a HUGE blessing when you love school! 
-{It's finally getting cold and feels like December}
Okay, so this picture was actually taken in November..in Heber. It is not THIS cold in the valley, but it is still pretty chilly. I am loving the fact that I can wear sweaters, jackets, boots, and scarfs and still be chilly! I am also loving the fact that when I drive to work, I get to turn on my seat warmer! December in Arizona is the best! However, I will say this cold weather makes me want to snuggle in my covers instead of getting up in the morning. 

-{I actually have time to cook dinner}
With school being over, I have felt this huge stress lifted, and all of a sudden I feel like I have all the time in the world! This means I actually have been motivated to cook more for dinner than Ramen noodles or frozen pizza...or to eat out! It means I actually get to try my Pinterest recipes! These were my cooking projects this week:
Taco/Enchiladas balls on Monday night! These were seriously so easy and SO delicious! And the best part was I used left over roast from Sunday dinner and had most of the ingredients already, so they were super cheap to make. 
And last night I made this Jalapeno, Cilantro, Chicken, and Rice casserole! I was also quite impressed with how it turned out. Although it used quite a few ingredients, I just had to mix everything together and throw it in the oven! SO easy and delicious! I absolutely love cooking and trying new recipes! 

-{Christmas is in a week and a half}
I absolutely love the holidays! I am loving the fact that my house has been decked out in Christmas decor for about a month. I am also looking forward to spending some time at my family's house, and of course celebrating the birth of Christ, since He is the reason for the season! 

-{A 2 week break from work is just around the corner}
One wonderful thing about working at an elementary school is having so many breaks! Obviously when there is no kiddos, I do not have to go to work! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job! But, we have reached the point where all the students have mentally checked out. As a result, it has been difficult to teach my students anything because they do not want to focus! This causes Miss Allred to need a break!!!  I am also excited to have time to study for my teacher certificate exam! I am planning take my AEPA (Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments) in July of next year and am beyond nervous for it! I am thankful I will have an extended period of time to study without many distractions! 

-{Adding some fun classes to my schedule next semester}
Having a program that is completely online has made me really made me miss being on a school campus. Although ASU's campus is completely crazy with the number of students there, I loved being in actual classes and meeting people through them...e-mailing your classmates is not as exciting as talking to them face to face. So, I decided to enroll in a couple fun classes to break up the monotony of my online classes. I added an institute class at ASU institute! I didn't take a steady institute class this semester, and I have really felt an emptiness, as the ASU institute was like my second home when I was on campus. So, I decided it is important for me to enroll in a class for next semester and I am SO excited! I also decided to sign up for a ballroom dance class at MCC. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved dance! As I have gotten older, I have really been drawn to ballroom and swing dancing and have wanted to learn it, but didn't know of a place that didn't charge an arm and a leg. As I looked into it more, MCC seemed like my best option! I am really looking forward to adding that hobby into my schedule to have a nice break from school and work! 

Overall, life is just grand! Good things have been happening and are going to happen in the future! I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful time of the year! 

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