An Intense Summer

This summer hasn't been going quite as planned. It started out so well with that great marathon. . . then the funeral kind of threw everything off, and I wasn't able to go to Minnesota. Doug and I had such a great get-away to Coeur d'Alene. It is gorgeous, and we'd love to have Troy and Breezy move there so we have another excuse to go back there.

But the summer has just felt too busy. I just completed my spring term of teaching, and it was a loving process of endurance and survival. It was amazing to get such kind emails from students, thanking me for my Herculean efforts. As I read the students' powerful essays, and their kind letters, I had the thought, "Heavenly Father is consecrating my efforts in this class." I know I served 58 students well, and that makes me feel great.

But how do I wrap up a semester, you ask? I do non-stop grading, grade on Friday night and through much of Saturday, then give a talk in sacrament meeting, and do two sharing times ni the same day! Then, I take a nap:).

Tomorrow starts another fast-paced semester. I'll be with students for 7 weeks, and they know they're in for a demanding experience. I hope I scared a few of them off with my welcome email yesterday. Even if I didn't, I get to go from teaching 58 students to teaching 20--yes, I will enjoy teaching just a third of my usual class load.

I always update my teacher bio at the start of calss, so here's the tail end of it for your viewing enjoyment--or just for posterity:

We have a 6-year-old son named Isaac who is excited about everything on earth! He is amazed at the things he learns reading zoo placards, menus, and books, and informs me that I would be the best mom on earth if I let him play with friends all day, then took him to the Dollar Store to buy toys. . . and then to the movie theater. Every day.
4-year-old Lucy is very cute, very into her neighborhood friends, and very proud that she can ride a two-wheeler and draw beautiful pictures. She shares Isaac's vision of a perfect life, but she fleshes it out a bit with some dress-up, dancing, picking raspberries in our backyard, and her favorite activity--distributing treats to everyone around her.
2-year-old Brooklyn is named in honor of the loving people of New York City. She is radiant. She is high-maintenance! She is a cyclone of mayhem and disaster, calling, "Beep! Beep!" as she moves past me to get in more trouble. She dearly loves monkeys, bubbles, and "ruff-ruff"s. I told her yesterday that I loved everything about her--right after running a load of laundry inspired by her most recent disaster.
I wouldn't trade any of my kids for perfect angels--that's how much I love them!

I am grateful to be your English teacher. I applied to BYU-I in October of 2009 and got the good news that I would get to teach English for this amazing university a day before Thanksgiving that year. I feel like teaching has been a part of my life mission; it has deepened my testimony and my love for my brothers and sisters. I love to write and read, to serve, to be in academia, and to work with students so that we can follow the spirit and reach our full potential. Welcome to class!
Here is a screencast for your viewing enjoyment, so you can see my family, where I work, and what I'm looking forward to this semester!