Adventure #43: December

Time flies when you're having fun...or planning a wedding and wrapping Christmas presents and teaching :) Yesterday was my last day of school before Christmas break and I can hardly believe we are done already! Some days it seems like just yesterday I was getting back from Thanksgiving and other days I feel like that was ages ago!
The weekend after Thanksgiving my mom flew down to visit me! It was great to have her here and for her to see my life down here. She came in to school with me for a day and my kids loved meeting her :) We also got some wedding planning done as we picked out bridesmaid dresses and my dress! It was a crazy weekend, but I'm glad she was able to come down.
Since then the weeks have passed fairly quickly as my days have been filled with teaching and making and wrapping presents (27 students is a lot of books to wrap!) and trying to figure out wedding details! We had a great Christmas party in my classroom yesterday and now I need to clean my apartment and pack and I will be on my way to Minnesota on Monday morning! I'm really excited to see Travis and my family and to get the chance to spend a couple weeks with them! And I'm sure it will go just as quickly if not more quickly than the rest of my December, but I'm going to treasure every moment!
Praying you all have a blessed Christmas and are able to spend some time this holiday season enjoying family and reflecting on the Reason for the season; a little baby who came down from heaven to die for our sins. Merry Christmas!

Adventure #42: I have a FIANCE!!!

For those of you who haven't already heard, I'm ENGAGED!! My wonderful now fiance surprised me this weekend :) Here's the story of how he asked...

Travis flew me home this weekend so I could be with my family for Thanksgiving. He was really excited to surprise my family by bringing me to Thanksgiving, and little did I know, to surprise me. I had told him a long time ago, that I really wanted to be surprised when he proposed to me; which was quite the task considering we live 1600 miles apart and only see each other at specific times. But he pulled it off!

I flew in to Minneapolis Wednesday night and he picked me up at the airport. I was staying at his house for the night since my family still didn't know I was in Minnesota. He seemed a little off as we were driving to his house, but I just figured he was tired from a stressful day at work or something :) I really was not expecting him to propose because he kept telling me how nervous he was to ask my parents' permission and that Christmas was a wonderful time of year to get engaged. We got to his house and went downstairs, I was assuming to put my stuff in the spare room. When we got to the basement I thought the TV was on because something was glowing; after putting my stuff down I turned around and realized it was candles. This is what he had set up:


I didn't really know what was happening, but he told me I needed to go look at it. I walked over and read, well sort of read the poem he had written for me. By this point my mind was spinning and I wasn't really sure what was going on; so I sort of skimmed it and turned around to look at him and try to figure out what was going on :) He told me I needed to look at the back of the frame the poem was in. On the back it said, Becky Kaye Parkinson will you marry me, Love Travis. I then turned around again and he was down on one knee holding out the ring. He asked me again if I would marry him and of course I said yes!!


This was perfect in and of itself and I cannot believe I am engaged and I'm so excited, but it made this weekend even more special to surprise my family today. I had called them last night and told them I was engaged, and they knew it was happening since Travis had asked their permission and told them he was going to ask me around Thanksgiving, but the whole time they thought I was in Arizona! The look of shock on their faces when I showed up at the door with him was priceless and I'm so thankful I got to share this special time with them!

So now I'm engaged to a wonderful man who I love so much and am so thankful I get to spend the rest of my life with! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!!

P.S.- This is the poem Travis wrote for me; I read it again more carefully after saying yes and it is so sweet:

I love who you are.
I love that you are giving.
I love that you are caring.
I love that you are encouraging.
I love that you are dedicated.
Dedicated to God.
Dedicated to your job.
Dedicated to your family.
Dedicated to our relationship.
A relationship that teaches me how to love.
A relationship that shows me how much I am loved.
A relationship that I am willing to give my all for.
And my all is what I pledge to give to you.
All my heart,
All my life,
All my love.
I love you Rebecca Kaye;
and I vow to love you for the rest of my life...

Adventure #41: A Weekend with the Light Girls...and then some

I had the privelege of spending the past weekend watching Reese and Lexi while Marvin and Stacey were in Las Vegas celebrating Stacey's birthday! We had lots of fun adventures together :) Have you ever flung pancakes off the ceiling fan? Someone told me about this exciting activity last fall and I have done it several times since. It makes eating pancakes so much more fun (although I usually do not eat the ones that are thrown off the fan as they tend to fall in some spots I'm not so sure I would eat off of!)

Getting ready to catch some dinner :)

Enjoying some tasty pancakes (that did not fly off the ceiling fan just in case you were wondering Stacey!)

We also did some painting projects (thank you Michaels) and even went swimming (well the girls did- I decided that 65 degrees was a little cold for swimming weather!) All in all it was a wonderful weekend!

November sure hasn't slowed down- it just kept right on going after a crazy October! Thanksgiving is starting to brew in the air as turkeys go up at school!(I will post a picture soon of the cute turkeys my kids are making!) Let the holiday season begin :)

PS- Here are some lovely pictures from the Harvest Fest at church :)

Adventure #40: A Whirlwind Week...or Three!

The month of October has flown by! This is probably because there have been so many busy weeks. The week before Fall Break and Ashley’s wedding we had a lice outbreak at school which created all kinds of chaos! But we survived that and the fall party and got right into Fall break. I flew to Minnesota on Monday and spent a few days hanging out with my family and Travis. I got to see Amy’s last soccer game and hang out with Megan after school! I’m always amazed at how much they have grown up in the short time that I’ve been away. I also got to spend some time with some friends I haven’t seen in a while which was wonderful. Then on Thursday I drove up to Wadena for Ashley’s wedding! It was a beautiful wedding and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it! It’s so crazy that she and Steve are married now and I’m so happy for them.

After the wedding I flew back to Arizona to teach for a week. It was good to see my kids again and get back into the routine of things; at least for a few days! Then I got on another airplane to fly back to Minnesota for Andrea’s wedding. It was another beautiful wedding and I’m so glad I was able to be there to share in her special day.
While it was a little crazy to fly back up for another weekend, I’m glad I did. It was great to be at Andrea’s wedding and it was wonderful to have some time to spend with my family again. Megan, Travis, and I even got to carve pumpkins together!
I’m glad I got to spend some time in the fall weather of Minnesota and be a part of these special days. Back to Arizona and the rest of a crazy October I go :)

Adventure #39: Good-bye Roomie...Hello October

My roommate moved out today :( She moved into her new house where she will be living with her new husband who she is marrying in two weeks!

I'm so excited for her and all the changes that are coming up in her life, but I am sad too. The apartment is so empty without her and all her stuff here :) Staring at bare walls all day is rather depressing! But its exciting too I guess; I get to decorate the apartment again :) And its not like I'll never see her again- we still teach right across the hall from each other and there will be plenty of times to have dinner together and go shopping together.

Life is speeding by as usual. I can hardly believe it is October 1st already! Parent teacher conferences were last week and then I went to a women's retreat in Prescott, AZ. The weather was so beautiful there and it was a beautiful camp. It was nice to get away for a weekend and spend some time in the nice cool mountains :)

One more week of school before Fall Break! The kids are starting to get a little antsy, but we'll make it through one more week...I hope :) Then I'll be on a plane back to Minnesota to enjoy some beautiful fall weather and Ashley's wedding! How the time flies!!

Adventure #38: An Update on Life

My 11 year old sister, Megan has been bugging me for a while now that I need to update my blog :) So this is for you Megs!

Not too much new going on in Arizona...the weather is finally cooling down here which is awesome! I love being able to stand outside on recess duty and not be dripping sweat by the time I'm done. School is continuing to go well. I am really enjoying getting to know my students this year and watching them learn. Its weird to think back to this point last year and remember how many hours I spent after school working on this, that, and the other thing! This year I feel so much more orgainized and it takes way less time to get everything done at the end of the day. It is so wonderful to have time in the evenings to read books for fun and work on other projects and hang out with people without feeling guilty about needing to get things done!

Next week will be a busy week! Parent-Teacher Conferences are Thursday and Friday after school and then next weekend I am going to a women's retreat with church! Will be a busy week, but it should be a good one! Hope your week goes well!

Adventure #37: My Favorite Kind of Day

Today was my favorite kind of day. One of those days where most things run pretty smoothly, where my kids say funny things, where my kids remind me why I love this job. The morning started off a little crazy, which is pretty normal I guess, running to the office to make copies of this, talking to collegues to figure out how to solve this problem, and trying to get this, that, and the other thing ready in my classroom.

We are learning about declarative sentences in grammar and we were doing a worksheet where the students had to answers questions with complete sentences. One of the questions was who is your teacher so I had written "Miss Parkinson" on the board so they would know how to spell it. One of my students says "It says Miss because you're married!" to which I replied, "No, I'm not married. If I was married my name would be Mrs. Parkinson," to which my students responded with lots of questions about where I live and who I live with. I love conversations like this that are so random and give me such a picture of how they think. My favorite question was, "If you're not married, who wakes you up in the morning?" It was so cute; made even cuter when I told them my alarm clock wakes me up which they thought was hilarious!

We have a record breaking heat wave going on right now, so recess had to be in our classrooms today. Many of the kids choose to play school and it was so funny to sit and listen to them repeat, almost word for word, what I say to them everyday at Math Meeting or during story time. Its a wonderful reminder of how much they catch and are paying attention to my every action.

Then a little later in the day, this note appears on my desk:


It came from one of my boys who is so cute, but is a little stinker. His card is on orange or yellow more often than green. He gets distracted and starts talking to his neighbors, he puts crayons in his water bottle and then dumps all the water into the trash can trying to get it out, he plays in the sink at the bathroom, and chases all the little girls on the playground. Some days with him are really rough, but those are not the ones he remembers. He remembers the days where he was on green all day and gets rewarded with a high five and good job today! That's what I love about kids. Sometimes you have to punish them and remind them rather sternly again and again that they are not supposed to be talking while I am, and they need to raise their hand to speak, but even when it seems like that's all you do, they don't remember the yelling. They remember the smiles, and the joking, and the high-fives.

Days like these are good reminders of why I wake up with the sun every morning and spend hours and hours at school and then at home working on things and preparing lessons. Because my students are wonderful kids who are excited about learning and they deserve the opportunity to learn and be successful! I'm so glad I get to wake up everyday and be a part of their lives!

Adventure #36: First Two Weeks...Done!

Lexi, Reese, and I on the first day of school!

I am always amazed at how quickly a week flies by when you are in the midst of a routine. I wake up every morning (except weekends) at about 5:30, get dressed, pack a lunch, and head to school to spend the next 9 or 10 hours going through the routine of school and all that is involved in that, I come home to relax and get geared up for the next day and then start it all over again. Some days, especially about 1 o'clock when my kids are tired and I'm tired; the day seems to be taking forever. But almost always, by the end of the week, I'm amazed that another week has passed!

My first two weeks of school have gone pretty well. There were bumps in the road; for example the first two days of school we stood outside in 110 degree heat for an hour trying to get all the kids home! But all in all, its been a great start to the year. Its so nice to have a good idea of what I'm doing and to not have to spend hours at school trying to get ready for the next day. It fascinating to see how different my class is this year. I wasn't really expecting that, but when I think about it it makes complete sense. This is a new group of kids with different experiences and backgrounds so of course they are going to be different! It has been a little bit of an adjustment because I was so used to how my students acted at the end of last year and compared to that, my new students seem like babies. It is a great reminder of how much they grow up and mature in first grade. I am so excited to watch this new class grow and learn and to see how far they will come by the end of the year!

Every day is a new adventure and I can't wait to see what the days will hold. Off to start today's adventure: hanging out by the pool soaking up the hot Arizona sun :)

Adventure #35:And So it Begins...Again!

Tomorrow begins my second year of teaching! I can hardly believe its here! It seems like just yesterday I was saying good-bye to my first class, and just the day before that I was starting my first year! Time sure has flown by!

I am excited for this new year to start! I got to meet most of my students on Friday night at Meet the Teacher; they were all very excited for school to start and were very sweet! Our new principals and staff are awesome and I think it is going to be a great year!

Here goes another year!

Adventure #34: Week 1 of Training!

I survived one week of Spalding II training! Most of you probably have no idea what this means, so I'll explain :) Spalding is the language arts curriculum our school uses and there are trainings teachers have to go through in order to be certified in the curriculum. We went through the first training last summer and now comes part 2. We have to drive an hour each way to one of the other school campuses so it gets to be kind of a long day, but its been fun to get to spend some time with the other teachers from our school and catch up after the summer. We have one more week of Spalding training and then a week of district training. I'm kind of ready for it to be over, but its not too terrible!

I also have been able to spend some time in my classroom this week, which has been awesome. Last year was so rushed and crazy that it is so wonderful to be able to have almost three weeks to set my classroom up this year. I'm excited to get everything in place and to start a new year!

Well, I better go do my homework before class tomorrow! Have a wonderful week :)

Adventure #33: My Summer Vacations

Its hard to believe, but my summer is coming near to its end. We really only had 6 weeks of a summer and I spent 4 of them traveling which makes it go rather quickly! There were many adventures in my travels- so here's the story:

My first trip was with the Light family to California. We went for Reese's 5th birthday to go to Disneyland and we took in a few other sights while we were there like Hollywood :)



I really enjoyed Disneyland- although the lines got a little long sometimes :) It was fun to ride on all the rides and watch Reese and Lexi get to dance with the princesses! Hollywood was interesting- it was cool to see all the sights you hear about like the walk of fame and the Kodak Theatre but it was really crowded and dirty too. It was cool to say I've been there, but I have no desire to return anytime soon :)

After that trip I was home for a few days before heading to Philadelphia to meet Travis and visit his sister for a few days. We had a wonderful time hanging out with Tami and seeing all the sights.



It was really cool to walk around downtown Philly and see all these historical sights that have been around for hundreds of years. We found a book in one of the shops that showed pictures of buildings in the late 1800s and early 1900s and then pictures of the same building today; it was so cool to see how many of the buildings looked exactly the same! It was amazing to see how intricate and complex the buildings were and to think about how long it must have taken to build them without the tools and technology we have today. It was also great to spend some time with Travis and his sister relaxing and catching up. All in all, it was a great trip

After Philly I flew with Travis back to Minneapolis to spend a couple weeks in Minnesota. I enjoyed spending time with my family, going to a few marching band parades to cheer on my sister Amy, catching up with friends, and doing wonderful Minnesota summer things like hanging out at the cabin and the lake and going to a Twins game!



I miss lakes and hanging out at them all summer long! It was great to get a chance to spend some time at the lake tubing and swimming and going for boat rides! It was another great trip :)

Now I am back in hot Arizona! I have one week left before I go back for training. I'm kind of excited to get back to work- I really enjoy my job and my students and the people I work with and I am excited to get back into that routine! But I am enjoying the last days of summer :) Hope all your summers are going well!!

Adventure #32: A Week By Myself

I have been home alone this past week. Ashley and Steve went to Minnesota and Michigan for a couple weeks so I have the apartment to myself. It was really great the first day- I got some scrapbooking done and could spread my stuff all over the living room without bothering anyone. But then I got all my scrapbooking done and by about 5pm on Sunday was bored out of my mind. It was big change to go from a million miles an hour during the school year-and especially at the end with the musical- to absolutely nothing going on! You would think it would be exciting to be able to relax and have nothing to do- and it was for about 2 hours, then I was ready to be doing something again- and I had a whole week to fill up!!
It looked like a daunting task, but I managed just fine. I helped out our secretaries at school by doing some filing for them and that took up a good chunk of time. I rearranged/orgainized my desk and the closet in our guest room- it was bad! I went through my closet and donated a bunch of stuff to Salvation Army. And I did some fun things too- like laying by the pool reading and swimming with these crazy girls!
And I drove down to Tucson to visit Becca- she's been home alone too since her husband is in training in Wyoming and Nebraska for his new job as a pilot! It was great to chat with her and we went to In-N-Out Burger which is one of my favorite resturants down here!
And today I'm off on my big trip of the summer! I'm going to Philadelphia with Travis to visit his sister Tami for a few days and see the sights and then I fly back to Minnesota to spend a couple weeks with my family and catching up with friends! And when I get back my summer will be almost over-crazy! I hope you are all having a wonderful start to your summer :)

Adventure #31: How to Open 4 Cans Without a Can-opener!

Ashley and I drove down to Tucson today to visit Becca and see her apartment! We hung out by the pool and then got ready to cook dinner! Becca wanted to make Eggplant Parmesan. So we got all the stuff out for it and Ashley started cutting up onions and Becca went to start putting the sauce together and realized that the weekend before she had taken her can opener to her husband who is in Colorado training for his new job as a pilot! So we had 4 cans to open and no can-opener.

But never fear we are very resourceful women! There are plenty of other tools that can be used to open a can! We gathered up a corkscres, a knife sharpener and a meat fork and went to work!



Those cans were open in no time and we had a lovely dinner! It was great to hang out with Becca for an afternoon and a wonderful adventure to start the summer :)

Adventure #30: Summer!!!

I can hardly believe I am writing this, but I am! I finished my first year of teaching! It was a wonderful year, full of challenges, new experiences, and wonderful memories. I'm so thankful for all the opportunities I've been given this year. I never would have thought last year at this time that I would be sitting on a couch in my own apartment reflecting on my first year of teaching in Arizona. But God works in amazing ways and he brought me a job and a wonderful roommate and amazing coworkers and a great group of kids to spend a year with. I've learned so much about teaching and about myself.
Packing up my classroom was a little sad; I'm going to miss going to school everyday! I really enjoy my job; I love waking up everyday to go to school and help my students learn about their world. There are mornings when I would rather be sleeping, but seeing the joy on a student's face when they finally understand something, or when they can answer multiplcation facts makes up for all late nights and early mornings :) I'm excited to have some time off for the summer though- it will be nice to relax for a bit and go back to Minnesota to visit everyone and get out of this heat :) I'm also looking forward to having some time to relax and do something like scrapbooking and reading books, just for fun :) Plus, with how hot it is here, the pool is always a good option! Hope all of your summers are starting off well :)

Adventure #29: Ahhhh...Its All Done...Well Almost :)

Oh what a week! Last night was the long awaited musical, Aladdin Jr. The kids did an AMAZING job!!!! We put so much work into the sets and the costumes and the programs and the tickets and the kids worked so hard on their lines and dancing and singing. And it all came together and turned out wonderfully! I am so proud of all the kids... they did such an amazing job! Everyone was blown away by how well they did and how well everything turned out! I realized as I was driving home last night that I completely forgot to take any pictures! Hopefully I can find some from someone :)

And I just finished posting my last grades for the year! Its so crazy to think that the year is almost over! We have to go back for a day and a half next week and I still have to pack up my classroom, but its definitely winding down. It feels good to be almost done, but its so crazy at the same time. I can't believe I've almost made it through my first year of teaching. Its one of those things you know will happen eventually, but when it comes you can hardly believe its here! I feel like this year has flown by...so many things have happened and I've learned so much and grown so much! Its been an amazing year and I'm so thankful for all the people I've met and gotten to know and all the experiences I've had!

I'm sad for the school year to be over and for my kids to leave my classroom for the last time! They've become a part of my life and it will be strange not to see them everyday and hear their stories and see their smiling little faces. But I'm excited for the summer too and excited to see what God has in store for me next year! There are many more adventures to come and I can't wait to see what they will be :)

Adventure #28: School Spirit Week

This week is School Spirit Week- the kids get to dress up everyday in different themes. I loved these days when I was little- and I still do!!

Monday: Crazy Color Day!!

Tuesday: Red, White, and Blue Day! My partner in crime was home sick today :( So no picture with her, but here are the super cool new wrist bands from Legacy Traditional School!!

Wednesday: Career Day! I already get to dress up for the career of my dreams everyday, so Ashley and I did a little brainstorming and decided that when we were 6 like our students, we always thought it would be really cool to be Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen! So that's exactly what we did :)

Thursday: Western Day! My favorite cowgirl- and the winner of the dress-up contest for the day :)

Friday: 80's day/Field day/Half-day!! It was a busy day- field day in the morning which meant chasing 24 1st graders from one side of the school to the other in the hot Arizona sun then wrapping it all up with a trip down the waterslide- no black eye this time thankfully! Then we had a little extra time since it was a half day so Ashley and I painted the townspeople booths for the musical :)

Adventure #27: Aladdin Sets and Easter Pizza!

Number of meetings about the musical/set this week: 4
Number of 2 x 4's bought at Lowe's: 58
Number of screws, nuts and bolts bought: probably 100s
Number of cardboard tubes painted: 4
Number of backdrop frames constructed: 6
Number of staples put into canvas: probably 100s
Number of hours spent in a parent's garage and driveway builing a set: 8
Number of trips to Lowe's this weekend alone: 8
Having the backdrops ready to paint and lined up in the gym: priceless


It was a long weekend of set building! Ashley and I were a little concerned about how we were going to get the set together as we really had no idea how to do it. We do not have any power tools, or any idea how to use them and we had an idea of what we wanted to construct but no idea how to actually build it. But thankfully there are a few wonderful parents at our school who took their Friday night/Saturday to guide us. We built 6 beautiful frames that will be used as backdrops for our play. We are so proud of them and so happy with how they turned out! I'll have to take a picture of them now that we have canvas on them and they stand up nicely- they look awesome! It was a long weekend, but it was so worth it to have that weight lifted off our shoulders. One thing crossed off the checklist, only a couple 100 more to go :)


Happy Easter, by the way! It was a little bittersweet to celebrate it today. This is the first real holiday I have spent away from my family since moving down here and it was a little sad. I missed hanging out with my family eating and enjoying their company and of course watching (okay participating in) the Easter egg hunt and the hunt for Easter baskets on Sunday morning. But we made the best of it! Ashley made a wonderful homemade pizza and we decided to start our own traditions. This is the part of being a grown up that is a little scary and weird, but its good to! All a part of growing up! I hope you all had a wonderful day enjoying Easter with your family and remembering the wonderful gift Jesus gave us so many years ago when He died on the cross and then defeated death and the grave so we could be forgiven of our sins and spend eternity with Him in heaven!

Adventure #26: The Things That Make Me Smile :)

This week was a good week. It went by quickly- they all do it seems like. The weather was goregous at the beginning of the week and has gotten a little chiller towards the end of the week, but its kind of nice to have a change. My kids were awesome, especially the second half of this week. They got their work done and did it quietly and the first time they were asked :) And as I thought about all this, I thought about all the things that have made me smile this week- some of them are big, some are little, but everyone has brought joy to my life. So I thought I'd share a glimpse with you!


Beautiful flowers delivered to school- causing some fascinating conversations with my kids :) Thanks Travis!

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My crazy, amazing roommate- who got ENGAGED on Tuesday! I'm so happy for her and Steve and a little sad that we don't get to be roommates any more, but trying not to think about that part and focus on the exciting parts- like helping plan her wedding :)

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Random conversations about life with my kids. Sometimes they come up and ask me the most random questions or just want to chat- I treasure these moments!

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Watching all my students sprawled out on the grass reading books with their fourth grade buddies. Listening to them laugh and enjoy the sun and a chance to do something a little bit different is something that never fails to bring a smile to my face!


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Having a sleepover with a friend. I'm 21 and have a job and an apartment and bills to pay, but there's nothing like a sleepover-hanging out with friends, eating good food, staying up late talking in bed about this that and the other thing! Becca- you're welcome anytime! :)

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Ice cream with two cuties. Joey is the son of one of our secretaries and we took his sister and Lexi and one of the other staff kid girls out for ice cream last week. Today was his turn and he and Reese kind of secretly like each other- it was adorable to watch them interact. And how can you not smile at an ice cream covered face :)

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Life isn't always wonderful. There are days where I am exhausted and have a million and a half things to do and a half hour to do them in. But when I stop and look around me, I am so blessed. I have a family and friends that love me. I have a job that I love going to everyday. I have a car and clothes and food. I see the sun shine almost everyday. So many things, big and small, that make me smile :)

Adventure #25: The Reason I'm Doing This!

This morning I was pulling my kids homework out of their folders and I came across a note from one of my students. It said: "to Teacher: from: Jordan Thanks Miss Parkinson for teaching me times. Watch! 5x9=45 6x5=30"

The other day we learned how to multiply by 5! The kids were so excited- they feel so grown up being able to do their times facts. And it was so wonderful to see them being so excited. Its a simple thing, just being able to mulitply by 5, but it means so much to them. They feel so proud that they can do this.

And that's why I wanted to be a teacher; that's why I wake up incredibly early every morning to go teach them. To see the light in their ideas when they understand a new concept; to see the excited face of a kid who finally gets a hard problem they've been trying to master; to see the smile of a kid who just got 100% on their spelling test for the first time.

And all the days aren't always peachy. There are days when I come home exhausted and worn out from a long day of trying everything under the sun to get my kids to stop talking and listen for two minutes so I can teach them something. They fight with each other and whine and cry and it becomes a long and frustrating day sometimes.

But the little moments like the note in the homework folder, or my kids sprawled out all over the room reading books, or doing an art project with them, or laughing and playing on the playground. All those good moments outweigh the long days and frustrating times. And that is why I wake up every morning and go into work; those good moments are the reason I'm doing this :)

Adventure #24: March Madness

I do not follow basketball closely at all, but somehow I find that this title is almost always fitting to this month! I cannot believe that this coming Friday will be the start of another month- I don't know where the weeks fly away to :) Anyway, here's what I've been up to!

The beginning of March was filled with looking forward to spring break and getting ready for student led conferences. Conferences were actually really fun to do; the spring conferences at our school are student led so I didn't have to do too much during the actual conference which was nice! Before conferences I put together portfolios of my students work throughout the year! During the conferences the kids took their parents on a tour of the room and then showed off their portfolio. It was so fun to see how proud they were of their room and of their work! It was amazing to see how far they have all come! I am so proud of each and every one of them and how far they have come so far this year! It is incredible to look back to the things we were doing at the beginning of the year compared to what we are working on now! At the beginning of the year my kids could barely write sentences or do addition facts and now they are writing stories and doing addition and subtraction and even multiplication facts! Its amazing to see how much they can grow in less than a year!

After conferences came spring break! I was very ready for a break from school and very ready to relax and spend some time by my pool! And while I did get to do a little of that, my spring break looked a little different than I expected. My grandpa, who we always called Boompa, passed away the Wednesday before break. He was diagnosed with cancer about a month before and declined really quickly. So instead of my family coming here to visit me as they had planned, we all flew down to Texas for the funeral and to help clean out the house. I was a little bummed that my family could not come here to see my apartment and classroom and everything, but I'm so thankful I was able to be there to support my dad and the rest of my family! It was wonderful to see my immediate family as well as many aunts and uncles and cousins I hadn't seen in a long time! It was sad to realize and think about the fact that both of my grandparents on that side are now gone, but I know that they are both in a better place now! They are reunited once again at the foot of our Lord Jesus and I am so thankful I can take peace and comfort in knowing that I will see them again someday!
All the "big" cousins at the funeral: Megan, Amy, Dianne,Sarah, Me, Janna, and Jonathan

The funeral was on Saturday and we took Sunday off and went to the beach with some of our cousins. It was fun to play in the sand and see the little kids enjoy the ocean! Then we spent several days cleaning out and organizing my grandparents house. Its amazing how much stuff you can collect over a lifetime :) I flew back to Arizona on Wednesday afternoon and the rest of my family left on Thursday driving my dad's new truck and a u-haul trailer full of treasures back to Minnesota. I was able to spend a few days by the pool and hanging out with friends here. I even went hiking with the Light girls one morning! All in all, although it wasn't the spring break I was expecting, it was still a good one!
Janna's adorable daughter Karys enjoying the beach for the first time!
The expert sandcastle builders: Megan, Jonathan, and his sweet little girl Jaydn.

Me and the hiking divas, Lexi and Reese, at Piccacho Peak

The first week back to school was a little rough. My kids seemed to have forgotten many of the routines and procedures in all their fun over spring break :) But it was still wonderful to see them again and to be back doing what I love to do! And by Friday I think my kids had things figured out again!

Ashley and I are busily making preparations for the Aladdin Jr. Musical our drama club is putting on the end of May. There seems to be something new to do popping up at least once a week, but it is coming together! Our drama kids are wonderful and I am looking forward to seeing what a wonderful job they will do!

I hope you are all doing well and that spring is starting to poke its head out for you :) I promise I will blog again soon...at least I will try my best! Love you all!

Adventure #23: The Zoo!!!

I survived the field trip!!! We went to the Tuscon zoo today with the whole 1st grade. It was quite the adventure but it was a blast as well.

It is an hour long bus ride to the zoo and we were a little nervous about what in the world the kiddos were going to do. But thankfully we are creative teachers. Ashley and I taught our kids how to pump their arms up and down to get semis to honk! Their reaction when a truck actually honked was amazing! Their faces lit up and they cheered so loudly :) It was great. But then they got bored with that and we started a sing a long. The wheels on the bus, There was a farmer had a dog, Yankee Doodle, Row, row, row your boat; it was quite entertaining!!

The zoo itself was awesome. The animals were so cool to see and it was great to see the kids reactions. I think their favorite seemed to be the giraffes. They were pretty cool! My group even saw a monkey play hide-and-seek with us. :) It was so fun to be in a more relaxed atmosphere with the kids- to get to be goofy with them and see their faces light up as they looked at the animals and goofed around on the bus. It was a fun trip, but I'm exhausted :) So off to a relaxing weekend of grading I go :)

Adventure #22: February!

Apparently its time for me to update my blog- I've had several people let me know they are waiting for a new post :) Thanks Mandi and Laura!

The month of February has flown by! School is busy as always. I continue to try and find ways to keep my crazy kids quiet and under control- some days it works better than others. :) The drama club is taking on the production of a musical, Aladdin Jr. It is turning into quite the adventure and I'm sure there will be several posts to follow about the whole production.

The first weekend in February I went to California with Marvin and Stacey Light! We visited Marvin's friend Robin and had a blast hanging out in the hot tub and visiting a mission (San Juan Capistrano) and eating dinner on a rooftop resturant by the ocean! It was a great weekend! And the mission was beautiful!!




The next week I got a little worn down and sick- I think it was a combination of lack of sleep and sinus stuff! It took me a while to catch back up, but I am doing well now! Then it was the end of another grading period, which brings a round of submitting a million and one grades and starting new book reports!

Then it was Valentine's day and birthday week! I went out to dinner with the Lights for Valentine's day- it was Marvin's dad's birthday. Then on Wednesday it was Lexi's birthday so we went out to celebrate her day as well! Then Thursday night, my aunt Crissy flew in to visit me! She spent Friday visiting a college friend and we hung out the rest of the weekend! Unfortunately the weather was crappy for her-dust storms and rain storms and cloudy cold days- but we had a blast! We got pedicures and relaxed in massage chairs for a long time, then went to the Arizona Science Center to check out the Body Worlds exhibit, which was awesome! The rest of the time we pretty much hung out and caught up and watched movies! It was so great to have her here and to be able to show off my life and my world down here :)



This week is our zoo field trip- I'm sure that will prove to be quite the adventure! Until next time :)

Adventure #21: The 100th Day of School!!!

We made it to the 100th day of school! I can't believe it- I can't figure out where in the world all that time went. I feel like yesterday I was sitting in our apartment for the first time wondering what in the world I got myself into :) Sometimes I still wonder what in the world I got myself into! But I love my job and I love my students and I wouldn't trade it for anything right now. There are definitely days where I want to quit- days when I don't feel good and my students seem to never stop talking! But then I get some sleep and slow down and take a deep breathe and realize, they are just kids. They are kids who may be very talkative some days, who may not want to listen some days, and who can be perfect angels on other days!

Yesterday one of my students came up to me and said, "Miss Parkinson, thank you for teaching me how to draw stars!" It kind of threw me off a little, because it was such a random thing to thank me for, but she was really sincerely thankful. The kids were supposed to draw stars on their math paper and lots of them didn't know how to and were complaining as such, so I stopped for a minute and showed them how to draw stars. It was such a little thing, but this little girl was so excited to be able to draw stars. And its moments like this that remind me why I am a teacher. There have been lots of moments in the past couple weeks where I have really been able to see growth in my students- growth in their knowledge of the world around them and growth in their behavior. Its been awesome to see students who at the beginning of the year were driving me up the wall and back down again, now able to sit in their seats for most of the day and raise their hands when they have a question. I have really begun to feel like my students are learning something from me-and that's a great feeling :) That's the thing that keeps me waking up those days when I'm not feeling so well, keeps me going back after days that weren't so much fun, and drives me on through the mounds of papers I have to grade and file and keep track of :) Speaking of which, I better get on with getting those grades in the computer!

Adventure #20: Sunny Winter Days

As I look through my facebook newsfeed I often come across people discussing the lovely frigid weather in Minnesota, and it makes me miss the snow and winter just a little bit :) But then I walk out into the sunny 70 degree weather and I don't miss it very much at all! You are welcome to come on down and sit by my pool anytime :)

School is continuing to go well! The past couple of weeks I have really felt on top of everything and its a wonderful feeling. Its great to be able to come home at night and sit on the couch watching TV and not feel like there is something I should be doing or grading. The biggest problem I have encountered in the past couple weeks is an accident epidemic. I haven't had any issues with this all year long and all of a sudden in the past week, I've had 6 accidents. Maybe I'm being too mean and not letting them go to the bathroom or they are drinking too much water or what, but its been a little nuts. Thankfully we have a wonderful nurse who takes good care of the poor kids :) Hopefully this week will be accident free!

Hope you are all staying nice and warm! And just remember, if you ever need a break, this lovely pool is just waiting for some visitors :)

Adventure #19: You know you lived with someone too long when...

You wear the same outfit to school without even talking to each other! Ash and I got back from break and realized we bought the same shirt in different colors (this happens fairly often by the way). This morning I got up to work out (there were way too many Christmas cookies involved in my break!) and I was in the bathroom when Ash left for school and didn't see her before I got to school. Well we maybe need to check with each other before we get dressed because I walked into the copy room and realized we were wearing pretty much the same outfit in different colors! Great minds think alike I guess :)

The first couple days back have been pretty good! My kids have actually been fairly well behaved which I was not expecting but am really enjoying. I am really enjoying getting back into the groove of things and catching up with everyone. Break was really relaxing and refreshing for me and I was able to come back excited to be back to teaching and everything that goes with that! We'll see how long this new found energy lasts...a few more nights of grading 3,250 math facts and I might be ready for another break :)