Top 11 of 2010

I know, I know, it's supposed to be Top 10 of 2010, but I decided to go with Top 11 to kick off 2011 starting. In no particular order, here are the Top 11 events of my life that happened in 2010. Bring on 2011 for even more fun and exciting changes in my life!!

11. I completed my fifth year of teaching, with my first year of teaching first grade. Let me tell you, first grade is a grade I never thought I would teach. But I really loved it and I was sad to see my cute group of students move on (good thing they are only in second grade so I can see them all the time still!), and I learned so much to make starting my second year of first grade even better!

10. I completed the process of applying for graduate school and was accepted to Utah State University, a goal that has been on my bucket list for years. I will start classes next week and I am so excited to keep growing and challenging this little brain of mine!


9. Denver 2010 trip to see my good friend and former roommate Jessica get married. Perfect fall weekend in my favorite city!



8. Moving back to Logan with one of my closest friends, Katie, has been the best decision I have made this year. It's been so much fun and just what I needed. She is so good to me! And I love Logan..I love being here.

7. BYU Football Date Night with Bryce. I am not a BYU fan by any means. But this was such a fun night, and it opened my eyes to seeing that BYU isn't all that bad. :)


6. 2010 was a year of changes for me with friendships. I made some new friends and let go of some old ones, as well as spent times with friends I don't get to see a lot. All challenging and so good for my growth. It's funny how some friends come and go, and how some friends always stay. But I really do believe that every person that comes into my life teaches me something that no one else could.





5. My Spring Break trip to see my Grandpa Perkins with my sister Tabbi and my cousin Liz was one of the funnest road trips I have taken, hands down. Lots of laughs, tears, and experiences were shared!



4. This next one is wrapped up in one word (or more like one person). Ellen. My good close friend Ellen. We have had several fun experiences together this year. Seeing Muse in concert, hiking Angel's Landing, me spending a week with her and her family in St. George. Thank you Ellen for being such a constant true friend for me this past year. I love you!!


3. Concerts with my sister-in-law Jen. We saw Brandi and Jewel sing in Boise this summer. And we are such huge Brandi Carlile fan's that we saw her again in September when she came to Utah. Jen, more concerts in 2011 I say!

2. New Years Eve at Disneyland. How cool is that?! Something I've wanted to do but never thought would happen. It was a tiring, but magical day. Thank you Bryce Glover! I'll be posting pictures from the whole trip soon!

1. Going on the Ellen Degeneres show was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I would love to experience it all over again! She was truly funny and genuine. That whole trip to Cali was so much fun and just what I needed. Thank you girls for a memorable week!




I also just want to add that it's been a fun year with my family with Easter, Thanksgiving, Perkins Family Reunion to Bear Lake and Lagoon, camping with the nieces and nephews at Craters of the Moon, and just spending time together. I love my family so much!

Pictures

I know I haven't posted for a bit; I've been keeping myself busy with teaching and having fun! I always try and make time for these beautiful girls. I'm the luckiest aunt in the world, what can I say?! They always pose with the funniest faces. I need to learn from them on how to make the funny faces..it's not my strong point!





Lovely: I have the best nieces and nephews in the world. Today was Aspen's birthday and we went to dinner at Olive Garden. Man, they make me laugh!

Horrible: As much as I love the snow, I'm nervous about driving in it to Tremonton in the morning. Please bless!

Face Unafraid the Plans That I've Made...

Face unafraid the plans that I've made. I love this statement. I probably have blogged about it before, but it recently has come back into my life as a great reminder. I have no need to fear my future. I'm happy-

• I love my job. I have the best job ever!! My students make me laugh everyday. It makes me so happy and proud when I see them all progressing. First grade is such a rewarding grade to teach because at that age, they are like sponges and take everything in. I love when I see them applying in their reading and writing what I have taught them. I get to go to graduate school and that makes me so happy. I'm always constantly seeking for knowledge. It gratifies me and makes me a better person and teacher.

• I love where I live. Logan is such a great place for me to be right now. It's so beautiful. It feels like home! And I have the best roommate ever!
  

• I love my family. They are always there and available to help me. I know they love me and support me and that's all this girl needs! And I can't help it, I have the best nieces and nephews ever. I wish I could have them around me all the time because I feel the happiest when I'm around them.
  

• I love my friends. I've always truly been blessed with the best. I only surround myself with positive happy people and that has made all the difference. I'm blessed and I'm reminded of that on a daily basis.
  

• I love who I am. I have good, genuine qualities that I've been blessed with. Because I have been raised the way I am, I am happy because I know how to serve others. I know how to give of myself without losing myself. I know when to serve others and when it's time for me to serve myself. I know how to reflect on my life and what I have to be grateful for. I know who I am, where I came from, and where I want to go. Goals are important to me. I set them and reach high! What a gift!
  

Face unafraid the plans that I've made...sounds good to me!

Lovely: Sushi for dinner! I am a foodie...I love my food! The best thing about sushi besides how yummy it is, is that after I eat it, I don't feel gross and heavy. I feel healthier!


Horrible: Today was the last day for one of my students. She is moving and it makes me so sad. I had to hold back the tears as I hugged her goodbye. Every single one of my students has an impact on my life. I spend 6 hours with them everyday, 5 days a week so I'm with my students more than anyone else in my life and it's very hard for me when I have to say goodbye!

Lovely? Horrible!

Lovely: The fact that I got an extra hour of sleep yesterday because of Daylight Savings, and I drove to work in daylight today instead of darkness. Also, the rainy weather makes me want to curl up in my bed with the AMAZING book I'm reading right now (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).

Horrible: Rainy days for elementary school students makes a LONG day for this first grade teacher. They didn't get to go outside and play, so they were stuck inside all day. We also had a little scare where the power went out for a bit, which made them even MORE hyper! The last hour of school today was pretty rough!! Time for bed...?

Dear Tuh-bi-tha and Jen

Tabs,

I'm sorry that me going off Facebook has caused you some grief in your life. I too miss the "remember when" game, but I'm liking this idea of blog video posting. The soldiers doing the jumping jacks in Iraq was hysterical! (Here's the video for those of you that haven't seen this:)



My personal favorite from this was the guy in the middle. He looks like he's boxing/dancing.

Here's a video in return, from a movie we both love to quote. I'm thinking we should watch this during Christmas with the whole famdamily. Love you!!



Dear Jen,

Thank you for your words on your blog to me. I love being able to be open with you and for your honesty and no judgment towards what I have to tell you. If only more people in the world could be like that! I appreciate that you took to heart what I said and thought about it so you could give me a response that was meaningful, loving and very needed. You are wonderful!!

I have great sisters!!

Denver, How I Love Thee

If you are a follower of my blog (or if you just know me as a person), you know that I spent a year in Denver, Colorado for a sabbatical from teaching. I haven't gone back to visit for about 9 months, so I was MORE than ready to visit last weekend. When my plane landed, I felt like I was "home" again. My excuse for going, besides just for fun? Jessica, my former roommate, and person that moved to Denver with me from Utah, got married! I had a glorious weekend of visiting friends and former coworkers, eating yummy Colorado food, seeing Jessica get married in the Denver temple to a Canadian (so therefore, I enjoyed being around Mac's Canadian family and friends with their cute accents), shopping, hitting up a haunted house and corn maze, and making new friends! Can't wait until my next trip back!

Right after I flew in to Denver, my old roommate and friend Hilary picked me up and we headed straight to Red Robin to eat with friends. John Henry Parker, one of my favorite people of all time, manages the Red Robin that we went to and he brought me a HUGE serving of the campfire sauce to dip in my fries. He knows how much I love that stuff! (I put a dime next to the container to show the size of it. Yummy!)


My good friend Brett and I were talking about how we hadn't yet got Jessica and Mac a wedding present, so we thought we would be funny to take pictures together and frame them to give as our gift. You betcha, that's really what we gave them! Below are just a few of the hysterical ones that we took..

My good friend Sara and I after the temple session, waiting for Jessica and Mac to come out for pictures.

John Henry Parker, up close and personal.

The cute couple!

Hilary and I. Notice the height difference. We are known as Talls and Smalls...

I love this girl!!

One of my favorite temples of all time. This temple got me through a lot the year I was there!

After the wedding, we were starving so we got brunch at the Original Pancake House. I have been to the one in Salt Lake a few times, but I FINALLY ordered something that I will order forever from there. The Pecan Banana crepes are to die for! Notice my side of bacon and the original potatoes. Yep, I really was that hungry!

I met a few new friends in Denver, this girl was my fave. Her name is Debbie, she's good friends with Hilary. She hung out with us the whole weekend. I haven't laughed that hard with someone for a long time! I love meeting new people who are fun, easy going, funny, and a charm to be around.

Graduate School, Here I Come!

I was officially accepted into the School of Graduate Studies today, in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership! I will start in January to work towards getting my Masters Degree in Elementary Education, with a reading endorsement with it (which will make me more highly qualified to teach reading). My mom brought the letter to school today, and I was so excited when I opened the letter and read that I had been accepted. I can't wait to start going to school again! It will be tough with teaching all day and taking night classes but I look forward to it making me a better teacher and person. Utah State, Hey Aggies all the way, here I come!!