Thanksgiving!

Hey,

So I really wanted get a Christmas theme background, but Chris wouldn't let me because Thanksgiving hasn't even passed yet. However, he had Halloween hair for about a week and a half after Halloween... So.... whatever : )

I saw this... and felt compelled

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Pretty Awkward Situation

Well as many of you know, I am attending USU to become an English Teacher. It has been a pretty fun experience and I am glad to almost be done and have a classroom of my own (well hopefully). I have struggled a little bit with my classes this semester because of the shift from literature courses to educational courses. The education program at USU is a great establishment that has had years to perfect their course requirements. However, the education program is also a very monotonous experience for students. I can't speak for everyone but I surely can speak for myself. A lot of my classes are very similar in themes, texts, activities, and material we discuss, which is not a negative quality. It is ideal to be able to relate the things you discuss in one class to the things you discuss in another; however, the discussions that occur in my class or EXACTLY the same... If I attend one class I attend all of my classes in theory. So today I went to my Reading, Writing, and Technology course to listen to a presentation about multiple learning strategies which resembles my Cognition and Assessment course that discusses accessing different modalities in the classroom... I rebelled (I'll be the first to admit it) and decided to slip out of class during the presentation and finish some homework for another class. I'd like to consider this move as a positive example of my ability as a student to prioritize. Look at what college has taught me : )

I slipped out successfully and went to the computer lab that is located in the same building as my class is. No big deal right.... WRONG! About ten minutes after starting my assignment my entire class comes walking into the computer lab. And I strategically placed myself facing the door and in front of a classroom computer lab. Each one of my fellow classmates saw the shame and embarrassment on my face as they filed past. And my professor also saw my absence from the class activity. It was pretty freaking funny. But thankfully my professor does not know my name and today I had my hair straight (the first time for me in this particular class) There is no way my professor could pick me out from among the other students in the lab. And I think the many, many, many years of smoking has ruined her ability to filter student's faces. I should write a thank you letter to the company that produces the cigarettes my professor enjoys :)

Chris' Birthday

This was right before we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant, La Nonne for his birthday dinner. I'd recommend it to anyone.

I tricked him by taking him to Borders and seeing what book he wanted. He basically picked out his own present : )




And I had to try a cupcake to the face to see if 22 had slowed him down at all... I think it might have.

He blew out all of the candles, but I don't know what he wished for.

Chris' birthday was on Monday the 27th and I make a birthday cupcake cake. It turned out pretty well and tasted delicious. I also got a couple of present to surprise him with.

Chris' Halloween Hair

Here are some pictures of Chris' festive hair... it turned out pretty well.

Halloween!

Although I love trick or treating, dressing up, and enjoying the fall I haven't carved a pumpkin in a very long time. So this year Chris and I decided it was time! We bought a pattern book at Sm
iths, which included some great tools to get the tiny intricate patterns perfectly carved. I chose an ambitious design of a haunted house on a hill.

I think it turned out pretty well... although the middle building lost the door and window due to a poorly planned move by my thumb.

Chris on the otherhand, decided to go for a more traditional but modern pattern. I like the strategically placed eye patch over the eye. I also love the little teeth. It was a lot of fun to carve these pumpkins, but I think I'll be happy to wait another year before I carve another pumpkin.

In other news, we even tried to bake sugar cookies and to decorate them with frosting. It was the most frustrating thing in the world and I wont be baking anytime in the near future. I had help from my lovely sister in law Ami and our creativity went beyond the mere cookies and we made the spirit of Halloween dance with frosting. Alright enough with the douchey language.... here are some pictures of the cookies and some decorations.

This is abstract cookie decorating.

And here is my cookie.....

And this is Ami's pumpkin of death.

What I've read

Brisingr is part of the Inheritance series that follows the life of Eragon. Although I usually do not read a lot of fantasy stories, as of late I have been fascinated by them. The character's are so complex that you find traits that are so similar to your friends, and yourself. I have started the education courses which are enlightening and extremely important to a teacher's education but very boring. Reading about hypothetical classrooms and then talking about them bring up valid points but don't leave much room for entertainment. Therefore books have again become a vital part of my life outside of school. I'd recommend this series to anyone interested.

This novel is a sad, gripping, and horrifying story of the sexual slave trade that happens on a daily basis and affects thousands if not millions of children. Lakshmi is a 13 year old girl who lived in a mountain village with her mother, baby brother, and gambling step father. Throughout the rainy, dry, and every other season Laskmi's family stayed together through disease, hunger, and despair in hops to gain financial stability through their small farming. However, the gambling of Laskmi's step father puts the family in a new level of poverty previously unknown to them. Thinking that she will be going to the big city and be a maid for a rich family, Lakshmi is sold into a brothel. The story's reality hits home for the reader in a profound way. You read the words about an innocence that is ripped away and you wonder what can I do?

So with the release of the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn, I was on a pursuit to read all three again and finish the last book. I was very happy with my decision because I was able to get wrapped up in the love story before the ending came. Although I am sad that the story is finished I enjoyed Meyer's writing style throughout the series and wish, just like Harry Potter, there would be 50 more novels. The books are super, super trendy these days which makes reading them kind of douchey. But, let the books speak for themselves and you can decide when you finish the series.