Time

Surveys sometimes can't be avoided. . .must . . .write down stuff about myself that I'm probably the only one who will read it. . .what is it about survey emails/blogs. . so addicting. Probably the only thing I'm addicted to more is ice cream, my husband, snacking at the job, shoe shopping, and watching dancing.

20 years ago I...
1. Was a gawky little girl with a bob hair cut.
2. Read "Charlotte's Web"
3. Was the chess champion of my third grade class.
4. Played Barbies with my sister all the time!

10 years ago I...
1. Was a BLONDE and a Beauty Queen Reject.
2. Read "As You Like It," "Measure for Measure," and "The Tempest"
3. Graduated from High School and was a Freshmen at SLCC.
4. Hung out at The Bay with Wendy, Carolyn, and Nicole all the time!

5 years ago I...
1. Was a hippy with long, brown hair all the way down my back.
2. Read "Paradise Lost"
3. Was an English and History Major at the University of Utah with ambitions to become a teacher.
4. Went to Milwaukee twice to see RyanandErica!

3 years ago I...
1. Was a stylish girl with a new haircut, new shoes, and suddenly very little brown in her wardrobe.
2. Read "It's Called a Break-up Cause It's Broken"
3. Was a recent college graduate and a scared, over-worked, overwhelmed new teacher.
4. Dined with Nikki, Alisha, and Katie on a regular basis.

1 year ago I...
1. Had bangs and new make-up.
2. Read the first three "Twilight" books and got many others hooked on them.
3. Was teaching my very own self-made and favorite lesson plan, A Christmas Carol.
4. Got engaged to my wonderful and adoring fiance in San Francisco.

This year I...
1. Dyed my hair back to brown, worked out more since 1999, and picked out the most important dress of my life.
2. Read "Stepmotherhood"
3. Finished my Reading Endorsement and now am a qualified Reading Specialist.
4. Became a family with my boys.


Yesterday I...
1. Straightened my hair so it looked like I had washed it.
2. Read my students' SRI Testing scores.
3. Stayed in from lunch with my failing students so they could make up some missing homework and hopefully pass my class so they can one day have the opportunity to further their education.
4. Addressed 73 Christmas cards and thought about how blessed I am to have so many people in my life.

Today I...
1. Straightened my hair so it looked like I had washed it.
2. Read Katie, Wendy, and Julie's blogs and smiled.
3. Gave my second period a new seating chart so our classroom could be more conducive for learning and used . . .and taught. . . .the word "conducive" to my students.
4. Will go to the play, The Forgotten Carols, with my whole family, which is eight people now, for the 11th year in a row.

Tomorrow I...
1. Will probably straighten my hair so it looks like I washed it.
2. Read students' papers on Service.
3. Watch my students present the third Stave of "A Christmas Carol."
4. Get to wake up next to my husband, let out my crazy puppy and tell her over and over not to jump up, bite, or lick, and kiss Sawyer good-morning.

Next year, hopefully, I...
1. Will have a new hair-do and go to the gym more regularly.
2. Read my own writing.
3. Be in/applying for grad school.
4. Travel somewhere romantic with Stuart for our 1-year anniversary.

Not too bad of a survey and one that actually made me think about things that I like/did/would like to do. How about you?

Don't Even Worry That There's Only Eight Days of School Left

Hooray! I love being a teacher this time of year because I have a Winter Break. Do you have a Winter Break? No! Teachers are the only adult profession that still gets Winter Break. So far, this holiday season has been awesome and magical. I have THREE Christmas trees (pictures to come later) and I've been to two Christmas shows and have two more in the works, Forgotten Carols and The Nutcracker (My wonderful husband bought us tickets, I love him).
On Sunday, the Williams family took the train downtown and went to Temple Square, Sawyer loved and and so did Cambria. We also went and saw Santa Claus, whom Sawyer made a card for. My little boy is the cutest thing in the world! Santa said he would take his card to the North Pole. Sawyer's talked of little else since.
This really is the best time of year, a time to be so thankful for everything one has. I'm so blessed. I have had a wonderful year and as I reflect upon it, I think of a time when I've been more blessed and content in my life. Life has been good to me and for any hardships and obstacles that we face, there are many more times that the joy and happiness of life are prevalent. I am a blessed girl indeed!

Christmas Time!

I LOVE Thanksgiving weekend! It officially kicks off my favorite time of year, CHRISTMAS! There is no better time in the book of Cambrias than Christmas time. Cambrias love Christmas and tomorrow I will be decorating my TWO, count 'em, two Christmas trees and my awesome husband put lights on my house today.
Today, we went and saw ODT's production of "It's a Wonderful Life" and have pretty much spent the weekend listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies. On Monday, I go back to school and start reading A Christmas Carol with my students, the greatest Dickens's book ever written, and then spending the rest of my time in December engaged in Christmas festivities: Festival of Trees, Temple Square lights, making goodies, seeing Santa Claus (I love having a kid, although his excitement for Christmas can't hold a candle to mine), Christmas parties, more Christmas lights, Christmas plays, shopping (started yesterday!), and so much more!
I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

OMG

"MS. DEMKE!!!!"
"Good Morning. . .what?"
"THE TWILIGHT MOVIE WAS SOOOOOO GOOD. IT WAS LIKE THE BESTEST BESTEST MOVIE I'VE LIKE EVER SEEN!"
"Why are you yelling?"
"MS. DEMKE!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!! I WENT AND SAW THE TWILIGHT MOVIE LAST NIGHT AT 2:40 A.M. LAST NIGHT AND IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I GOT HOME AT LIKE 5 A.M. THIS MORNING AND I HAVEN'T BEEN TO BED YET.. . IN FACT, I'VE BEEN AWAKE SINCE LIKE 6 A.M. YESTERDAY!!!"
". . . . .ok."

TODAY. . OH . . excuse me. . . cough. Today is the day that the Twilight Movie comes out, half of the female population at my school has already seen it. How do I know? They've told me. Why? Why if these girls were going to go to that movie at three in the morning. Why? Why did they have to come to school today?

Adults on no sleep: grrrr, leave me alone. I hate the world! Why world, why did you make today the day I run out of coffee filters? Why is Starbucks so far away from me?"
Little Kids on no sleep: WAAAAAAHHHH!! (Tie your shoes.. ) I CAN'T! WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME!? I WANT. . I WANT. . I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT?!
Teenagers on no sleep: WEEEEEEEE! OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY. WEEEEEEE. LOOK! SOMETING FUZZY AND SHINEY! WEEEEEE!

The rest of the world crashes and burns on no sleep, but not so teenagers. If anyting, they are more hyper, more spastic, more loud, more intense, and much, much more energetic. God help us if ever go to some war on some castrophe happens that keeps us up for days on end, the teenagers will be our only hope.

Not only is it "Twilight" Day (and yes, there are girls walking around with Twilight T-shirts), but today is the day before the great Utah vs. BYU Game. Administration, yes Administration encouraged, no, demanded that students dress up to support their favorite today. Not just dress up. Please, wear your war paint too, kids. Teenagers are very susceptible to the slightest chance that they can put down their everyday idiocy and realy get down to some major stupidity. My classroom has been tagged many many times by ninjas carrying blue Y that suspiciously look like they were made from the copy room here at school and I've been told that I suck by 7th graders.

And to think that I was going to call off today and didn't. . .

My Little Alligator

I know it's late, but here's my little alligator playing B-Ball. We had a great Halloween!
Next, Thanksgiving and then the Cambria-Mecca. . .CHRISTMAS!

Vetran's Day

Today is Vetran's Day. . .it seems to be one of two government holidays that school is in session, bummer. Oh well. My brother goes off to boot camp in six weeks. He's a brave man and I know that he will honor our country and himself.
Don't forget to think of the vetrans and soldiers today who sacrifice much for us!
God Bless America!

Red, Red, Red

Last Thursday, many fans rushed the University of Utah football field after winning against TCU. I did not rush the field (I have this thing about crowds), but my heart swelled up with pride, I HEART my Utes.
The Utes face two more teams and hopefully will go undefeated.. . .I mean, I hate BYU so much! I have some students who are the smuggest little BYU fans and I would love to rub Utah's win in their face (What? I teach Middle School and you think I'm a grown-up?). I told my students that if Utah wins the game, no homework over Thanksgiving Break and if BYU wins then they get extra homework. . you would not believe the fair-weather fans that BYU has at my school. . . . ha ha ha.