Winding Down

A lot of exciting things have been lately, and I am thrilled.

RJ and I, after much consideration, have decided to stay in Idaho a bit longer than planned. That means that he'll be finishing up here, and, even though I had my whole masters program figured out for Utah, will be getting my masters somewhere up in this neck of the woods. It really is a good plan for us though, and in the long run will be saving us a couple thousand dollars. Always a plus. I'm excited to stay, actually. As much as I can detest the pedestrians and the winters, I do love Rexburg...and this means we get to stay in our little home a bit longer. Definitely a positive choice for us.

We have decided to make good use of our summer up here, since we missed last year. Since I will be ALL FINISHED with my degree I am going to take a beginning golf class, a couple of cooking classes, and a couple of random fun classes during the spring. It will mean spending money, but I will get to keep my job and I'll be keeping myself busy.

I have also finalized my graduate school plans. Well, sort of. Now that I need to look into new schools that isn't solidified, but my degree plans are. I will be getting a degree in Special Education with an endorsement in Bilingual Education. I was really torn between a degree in Special Ed and Bilingual Ed, but in the long run, Special Ed is the way to go. They are both in very high demand, but I am being pulled to special ed and I can't deny it anymore. It's a bit frightening to go into this direction, though, because so many teachers get burnt out in the special ed program, but I have to follow my heart. It's also a bonus that it could lead into so many more degrees. Once I get a SpED degree (a two-year) program, I could go back and get many more graduate degrees that would only be a one-year program. Other degrees that I could choose to get would be a speech pathologist, reading specialist, school psych, and administration. Imagine how smart I would look with all those titles. Bam.

And now for some BIG NEWS! (No, I'm still not pregnant.)
I passed my Praxis. YESSSS. After such a terrifying experience trying to take my test, I finally got my scores back and I did very well -don't mind my boasting! =]
I would have liked to do a bit better, of course, but I was very proud of myself and all my hard work. It is such a relief to know that I can be a certified teacher in just a short couple of months since I have passed this test. I still have one more certification test, but I'm not terribly nervous about it.

And more big news....I picked up my cap and gown today! I also got all sorts of fun alumni stuff. For instance, I am currently wearing a shirt that says, "BYUI Class of 2010." Awesome. I tried on my gown today...and it's huge. No big deal that two people can fit into it....
GRANDMA! Please come to my rescue! I miss you being here to alter my clothing! I guess I will just have to wear a big black tent =]



This semester is winding down, and I am both relieved and sad. Although this semester has been challenging it has been a real growing experience, and I am truly going to miss (most of) my classes. I will especially miss my precious little 1st graders who I feel I haven't gotten enough time with. But, oh well. I am on to bigger and better things starting in 2011!

PS: Total Christmas card count...get ready for it...112. Get out of here with that! Next year everyone is getting a text message instead. Hah! Just kidding, I loved doing it. But next year we are going to stick to our original list of 35 people. I hope.