Student Teaching News + Jake's Birthday

I got some exciting news this week about my student teaching adventures starting this fall.  At the school where I'll be student teaching, they have a building called the REC that's run entirely by student teachers, and they have elective classes for the kids there: things like Leadership, Creative Writing, etc. Well since it's run entirely by student teachers and our semester doesn't start til 2 weeks after the kids actually begin school, the school needed student teachers who would be willing to start the school year with the kids and be paid substitute wages for the first few weeks until the rest of the student teachers began their semester. I let the principal know I was interested, and I just found out I received one of the positions! I'm gonna be a PAID TEACHER (only for 2 weeks) BUT STILL! I'M SO EXCITED!! 

Along with that exciting news, this week's fun event was Jake's birthday! He's finally 24, and I'm not such a cougar anymore haha! I surprised him with his favorite homemade cake and presents, and we went out for dinner at a new (to us) Mexican restaurant in Rexburg. It was SO GOOD and also pretty cheap, so we'll definitely be going back again!

Jake LOVED his birthday present! I did pretty 

well picking it out ;)

Jake's favorite chocolate cake is not only

yummy, but SUPER EASY to make. And

I made it healthier than the recipe normally

calls for, without sacrificing any of the taste!

We were both thrilled!

The biggest burrito I had EVER seen. Jake was

a happy guy!

The Usual + Zootopia

This past week was just filled with lots of the usual: homework, classes, work for Jake, and spending as much time as possible together!

I finally caught a good picture of one of the birds

that's been visiting our porch recently! 

On Friday night, Jake and I finally saw the movie Zootopia since it was at the cheap theater here in Rexburg. It was SO CUTE! We laughed and really enjoyed it. If you haven't seen it yet, you definitely should!

Zoe does NOT understand personal

space...

Another Week in May

This week was another busy one for Jake and I. It was filled with all the usual stuff: school and homework, work, Netflix, and (of course) lots of Zoe cuddles. Everyday's an adventure with our little weenie!

Zoe creepin' on Jake while he did homework

This is a pretty short post for the week, but nothing terribly exciting happened these past few days. A "boring" week doesn't mean bad in my opinion, though! I'd rather be bored to death than have tons of awful things happen, so it's a win in my book!

Like mother like daughter!

My Birthday Week

This past Monday was my birthday, and I really can't believe I'm 24. I definitely don't feel old enough to actually be that age haha! On my birthday, I opened up my presents from Jake: he got me a new toaster (ours has been burning toast for the past few months), some other kitchen stuff, Burt's Bees Chapstick (my favorite), and Pocahontas on DVD. The Wednesday before my birthday Jake couldn't wait any longer to give me my main birthday present, so I opened it then, and have been enjoying it ever since: an iPad Air. Our old iPad finally became almost completely useless a few weeks prior to that; it's a first generation and can't get any of the software updates that have come out in the past few years. When the YouTube app finally stopped working, Jake said that that was the last straw, and he bought us a new one. He says it's a joint gift for both of us, but I've definitely been using it more than he has!

Tuesday Jake had the evening shift, so during my long break between classes we went to the temple for the first time in several weeks, since it's been closed for cleaning. It was so nice to get back and feel the Spirit there! We're going to get back into the habit of going.

On Friday, I taught my lesson in my practicum class at the junior high. The kids were VERY squirrely, since it was the last period of the day and a Friday, so they were ready for the weekend. I taught about the differences between fiction and non-fiction stories, and we played a lot of games and watched a short video and whatnot. If they hadn't been so spazzy I think the lesson would have gone a lot more smoothly, but it was really difficult to get them to cooperate and not just goof off since they were so ready to be done with school. It could have gone better, but it definitely could have been worse.

That night Jake and I saw Captain America: Civil War and IT. WAS. AWESOME. I won't spoil anything for anyone, but I'm so glad that we were able to go! Jake's been fighting a cold the past few days and I wasn't sure that he was going to feel well enough to go, but we made it through and both had a really good time.

Jake's been fighting a cold this week, and Saturday it finally hit him HARD. He toughed it out at work all day, and got off a bit early. I've been doing my best to take care of him and help him feel better, so hopefully that happens soon!

Doctor Zoe prescribed lots of cuddles!

Ending April

The end of April was another great week for Jake and I! We've been EXTREMELY busy with school, homework, and work, but we've had some fun adventures and spent as much time as we could together.

Zoe hasn't been thrilled about all the time we

devote to homework...poor girl!

Saturday evening Jake and I went to Idaho Falls to have dinner together, as a way to celebrate my upcoming birthday on Monday. Afterwards we went to Target, one of the places I miss having nearby like I had back home in California. It was a fun evening! I can't believe I'm turning 24, I definitely do NOT feel old enough to be that much of an adult. AHH!