The First Cheat

So I cheated yesterday, I went to the mall without eating lunch and bought a wrap because I was so hungry! I am mad at myself, but it hasn't weakened my resolve to continue for the next seven weeks.

Nothing much has happened in the past week other than having four large spiders in our house...which I am deathly afraid of! I literally have a meltdown if I see a spider, and this morning I woke up and I had to kill a spider that was sitting in the middle of my bathroom floor! I hate when Sam is not here to kill them, because as much as I would like to leave it, I can't be in the house when I know a spider is here. Anyways, I am thinking that we (and by we I mean Sam) need to go around the house and make sure there are not anymore hanging around that can freak me out!

I have had a few weeks off now and I beginning to need more things to do during the day. I am going to haul out my scrapbooking today and use that to occupy my time, and I am going to take up knitting again, which I stopped after I did a marathon at Christmas. Either than those two things, I need to find a few other hobbies because it looks like I will not be employed for another couple months...blah!! I really want to get out into the school world and start MAKING MONEY! I know it will happen, but I am getting increasingly impatient!

Cry-fest!

Last night I went to see the Time Traveller's Wife, and it was a beautiful love story! I basically cried for the last 40 minutes of the movie, but it was so touching. It joins the ranks of other really romantic and sad movies like PS I Love You and the Notebook!

Sam and I are embarking on Day 5 of our challenge. Unfortuanately for me, Sam has been taken out 3 times this week!!!! We agreed that if other people take us out it is fine to eat out, now I am hating that we made that exception. At the movies last night I got creative and brought my own popped popcorn, can of pop and homemade peanut butter cookies. It was a great little snack and I even turned down frozen yogurt, my favourite!! So far I haven't found it too difficult but today I woke up craving a big Starbucks coffee and one of their amazing breakfast sandwiches!

I am a Teacher!

It is official, as of about 2 weeks ago, I am a teacher. I am still praying and waiting for a job, but I know God has something wonderful on the horizon for me! I am so excited that my schooling is finally done! Sam and I were able to get away to the trailer for a week and it was so relaxing! We are also challenging ourselves with a "No Eating Out" Plan for two months. We have found that we tend to go out at least once a week for lunch or dinner, and it is money and calories that we don't need. So this plan will hopefully allow for healthier eating and more money in our savings! I am still allowed to get a Starbucks occassionally...thank goodness. So it is Day 2 of the challenge and we going strong...but then again it has only been 2 days!!

Here are some of the pictures from the trailer. We made delicious food, played 80 games of Sequence, went for a walk to the Nooksack River and had lots of fun!

5 Weeks Left

It is official, I have 5 weeks until I am a teacher! I am going through the crazy process of applying everywhere I can, and it is definately stressful! I just want a job so much...I will be really frustrated if I can't find one soon, I think God is teaching me patience. We are also trying to trust God about our finances. The past three years have been hard with paying for my schooling, and this past year was more expensive than we anticipated. I cannot wait until I am actually earning money through teaching so that we can begin to save for the future! We just need to trust that God will provide for us, does anyone else find that hard to do sometimes? My human nature jumps in and needs to know now...it's a battle for life I think. The end is definately in sight though, and that is really exciting!

Recent Ponderings...

I have 5 days left until I am done my practicum and on my way to getting my teaching certification! I also have 5 weeks of commuting to UBC and pretending to care about the assignments they give and THEN I can be a teacher! Obviously I am not enthused about these last few weeks, but I hope that they will speed by! It is hard to believe that I have been in school since I was 5 years old, 20 years of my life! When I actually put that into writing, it looks so sad. My 20 year journey is coming to an end though, and I am so excited to get my life started without the constant of school! Now, here's hoping I actually get a job!

Heat Wave...

Well, just as I suspected, practicum has flown by at an alarming speed and my life is as busy as ever. It is a different kind of busy though, on most days I love marking, doing prep for my lessons and interacting with the students. I do confess that the recent heat wave has caused my patience to dwindle. I am finding that I am closer and closer to a breaking point when I have six 9 year olds commanding my immediate attention! (I could not imagine having sextuplets!) Thankfully today I decided that instead of enduring the 33 degree heat inside my classroom, we would go out and sit in the shade! Even with this change, my students are acting out like crazy!!! Despite this not-so-great week, I do love my students and will be sad when I leave them. It is only 12 school days until I return to UBC and I guess it is a necessary evil, only one month until I finished forever!

Besides school, which does take up most of my time, I have been tutoring lots and hanging out with my wonderful friends and family! Sam and I went to Jericho beach a couple Saturdays ago, the tide was out and it was a wonderful walk to the middle of the ocean! We have made the committment to go as much as possible this summer because it was so relaxing the first time! Here are some pictures from the Beach and the last couple things I did with my class:

Jericho Beach, Sam and Fish and Chips - A Great Day!




Decorating Easter Cookies, Charcoal Easter Eggs and Printmaking

Almost a Month!

I wanted to be a faithful blogger, but time just escaped! Teaching is going well, although this week I was sick and missed two days. I recently found out that everyone except for a few people who were at Easter dinner all got the fever/cold/flu combo that I got too. Questionable Turkey perhaps...? This puts me behind on my lesson schedules and I am trying to figure out a way that I am going to fit everything in. Sam and I are doing well, nothing really new happening in our lives. God is continuing to be faithful and has provided Sam with some job prospects, which is an answer to prayer. He has also been providing for us financially and even provided us a way to get some furniture and a better tv for an awesome price. These things sometimes seem inconsequential but I am so thankful that we are able to live and trust God for our provisions in these hard times. On another note I just found out that one of my friends in Ontario gave birth to a baby boy! Congratulations to K and A and new baby!

The next 13 weeks of my life...

For the next 13 weeks I will be Mrs.Bell to a wonderfully cute bunch of grade 3 students. I will start off at 30-50% teaching and within a few weeks I will be teaching full time! I am so excited about this, for as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher and I finally get the chance. Some of the units I will be teaching include:

Being a Historian
Heritage of Canada
Fractions and Numeration
Pirates Integrated Unit
Games based on Sports
Being a Good Friend
"Owls in the Family" Novel Study
Plant Growth and Changes

It is kinda crazy that I am responsible for all the things that my students learn in the next couple months...it is a big responsibility! I think the thing that I want the most is to inspire my students to believe that learning and school are exciting, useful and fun things in life. I know that not every teacher desires or tries to do this, but I want to be the kind of teacher who's own passion for learning overflows to the students in my class. Anyways, the next 13 weeks of my life are going to fly by at an immense pace, but I cannot wait to be back in the classroom! I am going to try to keep my blog updated regularly with news from my class for any readers out there (if there are any).

My Rant of the Month...

Melody's List of Things to be Done by March 23

1. Finish History Unit Plan
2. Finish Heritage Unit Plan
3. Finish Math Unit Plan
4. Start P.E. Unit Plan
5. Finish Art Unit Plan
6. Complete 2 entries for E-Portfolio
7. Meet with my Advisor
8. Begin the Long Practicum

Most of these things don't have any meaning to anyone out there, but it makes me feel better that I have written them down. Each of these things are important to my practicum, but they are only part of what I need to do! This program (UBC Bachelor of Education) seems to be one big test: How far can we push the future teacher's so that they either crash-and-burn or push through?? Although I am trying to not let anything get me down too much because teaching is my passion, I do feel like I have so much busy work and no time to have a life! And this to-do list is only for the first half of my practicum! I just have to keep telling myself that it is only 142 days until I am done school forever and certified as a teacher, I cannot wait!!

A New Look

Welcome to the new look of my blog. I saw the most amazing background on Laura's blog and so I decided to update mine as well. The website has so many options, it was hard to choose but now that I know it, I can update it all the time!

Good Friends

Yesterday night I got together with my wonderful friends that I have known since Grade 8! We went to dinner at Kingfishers, which was an okay experience. I had a salad that was $15 dollars that was definately not worth it, but such is life I guess. Then we came back to my house and basically sat around and talked, laughed and giggled until 1am (which we forgot was actually 2 am). It was one of the best times I have had in a long time, I love these girls! We have been through so much together, we spent our 'growing up' years supporting each other and I was reminded of how much each one of them means to me and the influence they have been on the person I have become! We are all insanely busy and don't get together that often, but then I realize that one of the most amazing things about our friendship is that we go right back to being 15 year-old best friends in about a minute! I am also amazed at how much we have 'grown-up', four of us are either married or engaged! I am so thankful that I am still friends with these amazing women and that I get to be a part of the exciting and important moments in their lives. Here's to the next 10 years of friendship with my girls!

This is really cute, older picture of all of us!

Why Can't All Worship Be Like This?

I was listening to this song today and felt so incredibly close to God, but I can't help but wonder why all worship isn't as moving? Why can't our church worship come close to what I feel when I listen to this music?

THE STAND
BY: HILLSONG UNITED

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I’ll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Sam's Grandpa's 80th Birthday Party

We went to Grandpa Friesen's 80th Birthday Party yesterday and it was great fun! I took lots of pictures, but the cutest ones were of my niece Sarah who was intent on babbling during the presentation...ADORABLE! Here are some of the highlights:

Sam's Grandpa loves high-tech gadgets so the family got him a Wii!


Sam and his Grandma!


Isn't she a cutie?




Sam and I!


On a side note...two posts in two days, wow!

Birthday Fun!

Yesterday was my birthday and I had a wonderful day with my husband! I woke up to a birthday adventure all based on movies that I love!

1. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Sam made me a wonderful breakfast to start the day!

2. In Her Shoes - He bought me a new pair of shoes for my birthday that I was to wear when we went out!

3. Confessions of a Shopaholic - I opened a gift with a bag in it that I have wanted for a while!

4. The Sound of Music, Miss Congeniality and You've Got Mail each signified a gift card that he got me so that I could go on a mini shopping spree! The Sound of Music was for HMV, where I bought Love Actually, Mamma Mia soundtrack and Becoming Jane. Miss Congeniality signified a 'make-over' for which I got a Body Shop gift card! And You've Got Mail was for Chapters because whenever I see that movie, I wish that I could own a children's book store!

5. The next movie was Ratatooie, he took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden in Langley. I decided to not think about the calories and got Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, it was so delicious!

6. Music and Lyrics - We were off to a CD recording at CLA Langley, which was so awesome! They were giving away prizes and asked if it was anyone's birthday, Sam and Hannah made me go up! It was slightly embarressing as they sang...but I got $30 to Starbucks so I am thrilled!

7. Sex and the City - He wanted to take me out for drinks and dessert, but we ended up being really tired so we got slurpees, came home and watched Love Actually!

It was such an amazing day and I have my wonderful husband to thank for that!! Here's to being 24 years old, I don't really feel different but I have to say that being close to 25 seems a little bit weird and scary! By this time next year I hope that I am teaching and possibly preggo...so needless to say this year is going to be fun!

What happened in January...

So the month of January has absolutely flown by and I cannot believe that it is already February! The first two weeks of January I was doing a practicum at the class that I have been assigned to for this year. I was teaching a Social Studies unit on Canadian Symbols and Citizenship and it went so well! My students were so engaged in the lessons and I really felt like they learned some important things. I can't really explain how exciting it is to be teaching in a classroom, the moment that I step into the role of teacher I know that it is where I am supposed to be! I also really felt like I got to know my students so much better during this practicum, because up until this point I was only going in once a week. The students who had been testing my authority finally realized that they couldn't get away with anything :) and they began to have a lot more fun! I expected this 'testing' period and I am so glad that it is over, although I hope that when I return in March I can start right where I left off. On my last day all the students came up and gave me hugs and one big group hug, it was so cute! It was really sad to leave and now I am back at UBC for 8 weeks, which is a pretty difficult transition back to being the student. This semester is speeding by though and I have so many assignments that I know that I will be too busy to miss my students.

Here are some pictures of my students' work from January...





This is my niece wearing the scarf I made for her, isn't she cute?



Here are Sam and I at a Christmas party...