Bloging only to procrastinate

There is a reason way college is the length that it is, if it was any longer nobody would survive. There comes a point where you just can’t make yourself do school work any longer. I’m there; I have been there for awhile now. I was there my last whole semester in Hawaii and that’s why I couldn’t go back for my SPED student teaching. Coming to Utah helped a little but now I’m to a point where I physically don’t think I can make myself do it!

There is nothing in the world I hate more than writing lesson plans… ok I lied, writing reflections on the lesson plans is worse but they really go head and hand. A few more weeks and then I’m done with it for good this time. BYUH can’t come back and ask me to do anything else. I’m looking forward to that day!! Until then all I have to say is UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGG!!

Dear Utah,

I have to say I LOVE this fall weather! It could not be more perfect and reminds me so much of home. (Oh, how I love home!!) It gets a little cold at night but I really like the feeling of lying in bed, nice and cozy under my down comforter, and feeling the cold freeze on my face. I could stay in bed like that forever!!

From what I hear the next few weeks could be make it or break it time for us, Utah. You could continue with this amazing weather and I could continue liking you, or any day now you can drop 20 degrees and we can go back to hating each other.

Even though it’s still extremely difficult to admit I really do like you, Utah. I don’t want one poor decision on your part to lead to a big freak out and result in me packing my bags and running as fast as I can back to the amazing state of California!

Just so you know I will be making my final decision on whether or not I want to make living here permanent within the next month. Please keep this in mind as we get closer and closer to winter. I’m sure nobody would mind if you had one unusually warm year. In fact I think everybody would gratefully appreciate it!

With Love,
Mel

Awkwardness

Is there anything more awkward then telling a guy, “I think you are awesome and I love hanging out with you but I just don’t feel the same way”?

If there is I would really like to know, I think it would make me feel a little bit better. Or maybe I’m a horrible person and I deserve to feel bad. Either way, I hate awkward moments.

Questions that may result in a punch to the face:

How can somebody like you STILL be single?
Don’t you ever want to get married?
Are you jealous that your friends/bother are engaged/married and you're not?
Why don’t you go out with _________ he is a nice guy and needs to find a wife?
Is it because you aren’t worthy to get married in the temple?
How can a girl like ______ find a husband and you not?
Why are you so picky when it comes to guys?


Why can’t people understand that I’m content and happy with my life? Why is it some obscure thing for a girl my age to not be married? I understand to some degree because a lot of LDS girls do get married at a young age, but does that mean all LDS girls have to?

I think my “problem” is that I look at marriage differently then most young LDS girls do. If you know my background at all you understand. I think that a lot of girls rush into marriage way to fast and don’t realize what they are doing. Even when it does work out for them they go through a lot of unnecessary stress. I won’t do that. Deciding who to marry is the biggest decision you will ever make and I will not take it lightly. If I never find my perfect man that’s ok, I think it far better to never marry then to marry the wrong person.

Revenge

From a young age my mother taught me that sometimes the best way to get back at somebody for being evil to you is to be ridiculously sweet to that person. I know it sounds kind of strange but what can irritate you more than somebody you hate giving you a big hug and telling you how beautiful you are? Almost nothing!! It took me awhile to master this skill but as I got older I became kind of good at being really sweet to people I don’t like. In fact chances are if I was mean to you it means I really like you.

I first realized that this works with my sister. When she was being rude and grouchy I would change the words to her favorite songs to be about how amazing she is and how lucky I am to have such a beautiful big sister. She would always start screaming at me, which of course would result in her getting in big trouble because after all I was just trying to cheer her up. I would then walk away with a smirk on my face knowing that I had gotten the ultimate revenge!

All this brings me to my point; I would like to congratulate the state of Utah on a game well played!! Not only did you get me to take back all the mean things I said about you, but just when I started to like you, you hit me with your revenge. And of course you knew who you were messing with so you couldn’t just do something small and evil to remind me, you had to go big.

All I have to say is, Utah you won!! Congratulations! Now please, PLEASE take back these stupid allergies! They are the worst things in the world! I can’t work because my eyes are itching so bad, I can’t sleep because I’m sneezing so much and I can’t eat because my throat is burning. I get it, you hate me too. Now that we are even if we could just be civilized for the next few months that would be great!!

Shhhh, don't tell

When I made the decision to come to Utah to do my special education student teaching over going back to Hawaii I wasn’t sure I made the right choice. After all, who in their right mind would choose Utah in the fall/winter over Hawaii? I made the decision solely based on a feeling that I got and I hoped that it would work out for the best. I have only been here a few weeks so far but I have absolutely no regrets, although, all that might change once winter hits.

The school I’m working at is in a pretty rough neighborhood. In fact my first day there one of the teachers told me to keep the kids away from the gate that runs between the school and the river because they don’t want the kids finding dead bodies this year. Needless to say that freaked me out! I might have called BYUH and told them to get me out of there if it wasn’t for the amazing teachers! Honestly, I can’t believe how much these teachers care about the students and would do anything for them. I feel so lucky to be able to learn under such great people!

I was scared that when I got here I wouldn’t know anybody and I wouldn’t have anything to do. So far that hasn’t been the problem whatsoever. I am so lucky to have a “second family” up here who keeps me from getting home sick and busy on the weekends. So far every Saturday we have gone to the lake. It is so much fun!! I love it, even though last weekend there was a huge storm and we got stuck in the mountains and had to spend the night. Camping isn’t my thing at all but it’s not so bad when you have a camper to sleep in.

Everything else here has been pretty nice as well. I can’t think of a single complaint. I always used the word “Utah” as a curse word but I guess I’m going to have to stop doing that, its not such a bad place after all.

Hugs,
Mel

Dear...

Dear Utah,

I don’t know if it’s the lack of a good night sleep or what, but I feel like I need to suck up my pride and admit I was wrong about you. So far you haven’t been a bad place to live. You have huge shopping malls everywhere I look, good Thai food, and although I will never call it a “beach” the lake in Provo is pretty awesome! As long as I get out before winter starts I think I might actually like living here for awhile.

Love,
Mel

Dear California,

You really are the best place in the world to live! Don’t let my non-hatred for Utah hurt your feelings. Even at its very best no state can ever compare to you.

Please take good care of my dog as well as my friends and family. I miss them dearly!

Love,
Mel

Random weird things on my mind...

One of my favorite parts about being home is that I have been able to reconnect with friends I haven't seen in a long time. Its weird how with some people it feels like nothing has changed but others it’s like you are a whole different person. And then there are the circumstances where you feel like everything has completely changed but still really close to the person.

This week I was blessed with a few days off of work and I was able to relax and think about things. I realized for the first time in my life I don't have everything planned out obsessively far in advance. I know what I'll be doing till about November but after that I'm not sure what will come next. On some levels its awesome because I have so many options but on other levels it scares me to death not being able to plan everything out perfectly the way I want them to happen. I never thought I was a control freak but I'm starting to think maybe I am. Weird...

Here is a video from graduation that I told somebody a while back I would post but never did. I can laugh at it now that the allergic reaction to the plant is gone and I no longer have bruises and scrapes all over.

This week I’m working at a skateboarding summer camp. It has been pretty interesting to say the least. Here is an example of a conversation I had today.

6 year old: “Can I call you Poopy Nose-Hairy Ear?”
Me: “Why would you call me that?”
6 year old: “Because I don’t like the name Melissa, I like Poopy Nose-Hairy Ear!”

This week I have also been told about poop being stuck in a boy’s butt hole, asked to pick a stuck wedgie and had boogers flung at me. I spent many hours dreaming about Ballet Camp and Princess Camp.

But it hasn’t been all bad. Today I taught a little boy how to “Drop-In”. Before Monday I had no idea what a drop-in was and I absolutely don’t ever plan on trying to drop-in myself. The look on the boys face when he was finally able to do it all by himself was ALMOST worth the boogers, but not quite. Good thing tomorrow is Friday and the last day of my stay in Skate Camp, although I have a feeling I’m going to miss it.

Home is where the heart is

I realized today that I have not blogged since I have been home, mostly because blogging was an excuse to procrastinate doing homework/lesson plans and I haven’t needed to procrastinate anything.

Life at home is wonderful! Sunday morning my mom came home from church just as I was about to make myself a bowel of cereal. I slightly mentioned how amazing an omelet would taste on this wonderful Sabbath day right before going to worship our Savior, and guess what… My mom whipped me up a delicious omelet right then. It was awesome! I can’t figure out why I ever wanted to leave home.

I was super blessed to have gotten a good summer job. It is really fun and the pay is pretty good. To make it even better I work along side many special education teachers who have been sharing their experiences and advice with me. It’s great to just sit and talk to people who are so passionate about the same things I am.

Mostly I have just had time to relax since I have been home and it has been heavenly!! When I was in Hawaii I was always stressing about something. Even on the weekends when I would try to go out and have fun I would be worrying about the upcoming week or something ridiculous. My craziness kept me from completely opening up and having loads of fun making new friends. But since I have been home all my stress has been gone, and I’m making up tenfold for everything my stress made me miss out on.

All in all I love being home. I miss my friends in Hawaii, Thai food, the cute little things my kindergarteners would say and a few other things, but California is where my heart belongs! It’s time for me to move on to my next adventure and I’m really excited to see what that will be….

Lots of love,
~Mel

I have posted about THIS woman before but I’m going to do it again because she truly is an inspiration!! You really needed to go HERE and watch her story on 20/20. No matter how many times I hear it, she never stops amazing me! I hope one day I can me half the wife and mother she is.

I might be the worst teacher ever

I have been having this terrible pain in my wrist for a while now. I thought it was from typing too many lesson plans, but on Friday I realized it’s probably from something much different….

I have this student who drives me crazy!! She sings all the time and wont stop. All day long I hear, “My name is Keri, I'm so very, Fly oh my it's a little bit scary” or “Oh her eyes, her eyes, Make the stars look like they're not shining. Her hair, her hair, Falls perfectly without her trying.” I know you are all thinking that it’s so cute but trust me it’s most definitely NOT!!! All day long I tell her to stop because it’s disrupting the class but she won’t. Finally I have to punish her and you know what she does everyday? She runs to me and says:

“Ms. Tyler, you are so pretty! And you are the best teacher in the world. And you are beautiful! And I love you. And you are pretty. And…”

It was when I was trying to shoe her off me and got a shooting pain up my arm that I realized the pain in my wrist wasn’t from working too hard. It was from me trying to get her off me because I’m so mad and can’t stand her touching me at the moment!

Dating 101

I’m thinking that maybe I should start a dating blog. Not a “come read my blog, see how awesome I am and date me” blog, but rather an “if you do this you deserve a big slap in the face” blog.

I may not be an expert on dating but I think I have had my far share of good and bad dates and can give some pretty good pointers. And from what I have seen recently some guys really need help. Here is my little crash course.

Just ask!
I can’t even begin to count how many times a friend has told me that a guy wanted to ask me on a date but was to shy. Or even worse the guys who hopelessly flirt like a 14 year old but never do anything about it. Yes, you might think the girl is way out of your league, maybe she is, but take the chance and ask her out!! Most girls will give you at least one date. And who knows, she might even like you. What do you have to lose?

Open the door
I know its old fashion but a girl always appreciates a gentleman. When you are walking her to your car just walk to her side and open the door. It will only take a few extra seconds and it makes you look good.

Eat!!!
I’m not one of those girls who play that stupid game where you order a side salad and only eat half of it. I figure if he is going out of his way to paying for me I am not going to waste his money.

Maybe I’m just use to pigs but I kind of expect a guy to finish his food and then finish mine. I once went out on a date where the guy ordered food ate 2 bites and then said he was full. I thought maybe he didn’t like it but he picked the restaurant and went on and on about how good it was. Biggest turn off EVER!!! I was starving but didn’t want to have him stare at me while I ate. I boxed it up and pigged out the second I got home! Needless to say although he asked for a second date there wasn’t one.

Don’t be overly obsessive
It’s great to give complements, but there is a line between sweet and creepy stalker. And believe me there is nothing worse then being on a date when you realizing your date has crossed that line!

Plan
Plan what you want to do and give her a heads up. I hate dates where you get in the car and the guy asks, “What would you like to do?” And nothing ruins a good date like wearing the wrong thing. It might not be a big deal for guys but trust me; dressing for a date is harder than you think.

You aren’t sneaky
Girls aren’t stupid, they know your games. Don’t even try and be sly by taking her on a walk when it’s ridiculously dark and cold outside (or any other stupid game). She knows you are hoping she’ll freeze and cuddle up so you’ll be able to make your move. She has seen the exact same thing before. Some girls may go for it but the rest of us call our friends the second we get home to laugh.

This rule also applies to stupid flirting games. Don’t do them!! You aren’t 14 years old anymore. She knows what you are trying to do. Just be honest, if you like her, tell her, ask her out, whatever, don’t be a hopeless flirt thinking she make the move.

She is the only one
Yes, she knows you have gone out with other girls before, have been in love before and probably have a date with another girl the next day. But when you are out with her act like she is the only girl in the world you would ever want to be out with. Who cares if that’s not true, you aren’t telling her (see above obsessive rule). It doesn’t hurt to make her feel special.


And for those of you who were wondering, yes I do have funny stories that lead me to these rules. Maybe I'll share more soon.

I can't believe it's almost over!

If you are wondering why I still haven’t written a real post it’s because I honestly haven’t had time. The only real things I have done lately are writing lesson plans, writing reflections about lesson plans, researching lesson plans and writing a 4,000 word research paper. My only “me time” has been the hour or so I allow myself to go to the gym and workout my stress. I never thought I would become one of those gym obsessed girls but I’m turning into one, I blame it on students teaching. It is actually really nice, although I find myself talking to my friends the whole time I’m working out about teaching.

Today one of the little boys in my class asked me if I would marry him. It was the cutest thing in the world!! Totally made my day!! I told him it was against the law for me to marry him but to talk to me in 20 years if he still felt the same way. It’s nice to know that somebody wants to marry me even if he is only 5 years old. HAHA!

In exactly one month from tomorrow I will be going home! I am super excited, but at the same time I’m kind of getting sad at the thought of saying goodbye to this place forever. As homesick as I have been for the last two and a half years I still managed to have a lot of fun and make a lot of great memories. I’m going to miss going to the beach year around, hiking new hikes all the time, jumping off waterfalls, my room being the “hangout”, meeting new people from different countries all the time and all the great friendships I have made. There really is nothing like the environment at BYUH. As much as I love home, this place will always have a special place in my heart.

Since Friday was a holiday I took a short break from school work and went on the Diamond Head hike. It was really fun. Here are a few pictures.

A lot has been happening and like always I have been neglecting my blog. I planned to take time to write about all the wonderfulness that has been going on but I haven’t had the chance. Here are some pictures to hold you though until I get around to writing a real post.

~Mel

And believe me, my next real post will be a good one. After all I ran into this…

I can’t believe that in exactly one week I’ll be graduating from college!! Saying I’m super excited would be the biggest understatement of my life!

Mandatory day off!

Just as I was leaving this morning my friend called to tell me that the road was closed due to a water main break. Since there is only one road to school I had no choice but to go back to bed. As I’m sure you can imagine I was HEARTBROKEN!

So today instead of teaching my plans include:
gym
thai food
shopping
beach
and sadly, lesson plans :(

And I have to give a big shout out to great friends who volunteer to ditch class and join me on my day off!

I am in love

I would like to formally announce my everlasting love for Spring Break! This last week has been amazing!! I got to stay up late, sleep in and go on a new adventure every single day! Words cannot explain how much I needed this week and now I’m really sad it’s over. Tomorrow is Monday and I have to go back to reality with lesson plans, teaching, horribly behaved children, waking up at the butt crack or dawn, and everything else that I have been avoiding for the last week. The good news is that in 2 and a half weeks my mom will be here!!!!!!

Here are a few of the highlights of my spring break!

I also finally gave in and tortured myself by reading the last little bit of Breaking Dawn. I don’t really have a lot to make fun of because to make fun of something it has to make at least a tinny bit of sense and Breaking Dawn most definitely doesn’t!! I am still convinced that anybody who reads this crap and thinks that Jacob’s relationship with a baby is acceptable should be in prison for harboring a pedophile. I’m just glad that I am finished reading the whole series so I can stop having stalking nightmares and horror movie moments constantly. And Alicia and Rachael~ just so you know, I WILL get back at you for making me read all 4 books!!! You two little devils should watch out!