Ballin'

So Marine Corp Ball 2012. Way fun to get all dressed up and purdy. Makes me think we need more outings like this. The ball was in Richmond, about an hour away. So we hopped in our carriage and my prince charming drove us to the ball. It was cocktail hour when we first got there so we mingled a bit and Andrew drank his Dr. Pepper. Everyone looked spectacular. Then we were ushered in for dinner. They presented the cake. The oldest Marine there gets the first piece and the youngest Marine gets the second. They had two speakers and then we ate. After dinner the dancin' began. We stayed for a few songs, but the songs lasted forever which made us not want to last forever. So we left around 11 and got home a little after midnight. Perfect timing.

One crazy week...check.

This week was nuts. This was the start of "Range week" for Andrew (which is actually two weeks...go figure). It was long hours. Since they had to be up at 4am and didn't finish till like 9:30 every night, Andrew slept on base every night. I'd drive there between 9 and 10 to see him for like 15 minutes. If Andrew had to be gone this week, it was the perfect week for me for him to be gone. I started teaching so I was super busy getting everything going. I'm also going to be gone all next week so I had to get my sub plans for a whole week ready which takes much longer than you might imagine.
So, what is range week? The boys hike to the shooting range and practice with rifles and pistols. They then go through qualifications to see what class or rank of shooting they get. Expert is the best, sharp shooter is the second and I can't remember the name of the third rank. The first day of pistol, the instructor asked Andrew if he had shot before. He was surprised when Andrew had said he'd only shot pistol a few times before. I guess the instructor really thought he was a natural. The rifle was good, but not quite as awesome. Friday Andrew had qualifications. He got expert on pistol and so far has expert on rifle, although rifle isn't quite finished. But, things are looking good for him. These rankings are kinda a big deal because they wear pins on their uniform that show what ranking they are....so everyone else can see. But, he'll be looking good wearing his 2 expert pins!

I got called as a Beehive advisor. It should be fun. I will go to mutual every week and teach 1-2 times a month. So perfect!
My dad, even though he hasn't fully recovered from his surgery, got called as bishop. Of course, the ward boundaries changed as he was getting called and his ward has over doubled now. It'll be a crazy time, but he'll do a fabulous job. He has always been the best example of service growing up- helping put up some one's fence, fixing sprinklers, mowing lawns every week of widows, shoveling driveways, etc. It is because of what I've already seen him do that I know he'll be a wonderful bishop.
Next week is my Sister/Mother Seattle extravaganza! Can't wait to see the fam and spend time with my girls!   Hopefully I'll have some good pics next week.

The Move

We started Monday at like 5:30 am. We hit Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia.

It really wasn't that bad. Andrew drove the whole time. I think he was afraid I'd damage the U-Haul trailer or our new car. Either way, I was totally fine. Believe me, I was afraid I'd damage them too. We didn't do too much since we had to get Andrew back ASAP. We ate some good food though! An Omaha steak, a stinkin' good milkshake, the best stinkin' hot cakes ever...mmm.

We saw lots of land, trees, other cars, road, windmills, ya know...
The high of the trip: getting here.
The low: stinkin' tolls. I don't know if I've ever been so infuriated. You mean to tell me it's going to cost me $30 to drive across your state once... g with a double r. grr.

Day 1...is Andrew already asleep???

Most people get Subway or something on their road trips. Not us.  Pizza on the go. 

I'm too lazy to flip this picture around. Sorry, but not sorry enough to flip it around.

The Drover in Omaha. Recommended by our friend Adam on Man vs. Food 

Virginia is for Lovers? :/

Don't ask me why. But that's Virginia's slogan. I guess it could be a good selling point. Where the heck it came from?? Maybe I should do a little research sometime.
So far, I really like it here. It's beautiful. Our apartment is awesomeness (compared to our others). I got a sweet long-term subbing gig that should rock, but may not. I start tomorrow so we'll see.
Andrew got a rockin' score on his first academic test.
I got a sweet calling that I think I'm going to love (it's still a secret so I'll post next week with more details).
Really and truly...we've been so blessed so far.
So, every weekend we try a new adventure. The first few Saturdays we were just getting settled, so skip those. But since we've officially started:

1) Went to Government Island. About 3 miles away. Really nice nature walk and the site that George Washington got the sandstone he wanted to use to build the White House.
2) Went to our new temple. It's huge and obviously absolutely gorgeous. Love it.
3) Went to Chatham Manor. About 9 miles away. Old house that George Washington and Abe Lincoln have been to. It was pretty important during the Battle of Fredericksburg during the Civil War.

So...now you have it. We are alive and well. Maybe I'll even keep up this bloggin' thing and keep you updated . (Let's be honest with each other though- don't get your hopes up. This bloggin phase may only last a few weeks. )

Classroom.

It's the view from my desk. You can't see two walls of the room: one wall with the whiteboards, the other with student computers, my desk and computer, and some shelves and cabinet. The random looking section (between the yellow paper and Johnny) is our LOL wall. When students find a comic or something about math, we post it up there. The students just love it!
Sorry I've been lame at keeping you updated! I just haven't felt like blogging. Just haven't been diggin' it lately, but here's at least some pics of my classroom. Nothing special, but it's where I live at least 40 hours a week, so be nice. :)

Veteran's Day

Nevada is so fabulous in so many ways. The way I truly appreciate this weekend is that they go all out to celebrate Veteran's Day. They have a huge parade, free stuff to Veterans all over town, etc. Did I go to the parade? Nope. Did I get any of that free stuff? Nope. BUT, I did get the day off...which basically rocked.

My dear husband has an addiction. So, we drove downtown Las Vegas, past the lights and the Strip, to the scary end of town. It was time to make all his dreams come true.

Yes, it was in this ghetto building with a ghetto sign and inside was no different. There were broken games lining the back wall and a strange smell throughout the room. But, don't worry- they had a snack bar....

The beauty of this place was not the fancy germ infested popcorn machine. The beauty of it is the history of the American culture that can be seen. The beauty of it is found when you see it for what it really is...a giant room of pinball machines. Rows and rows of them. $.25-$.75 a play. Pinball machines from the sixties to special edition Lord of the Rings with the highest pinball technologies.

Andrew loved it. I even did too.

The weekend didn't stop there. Let's just say: 2 dogs, 2 drinks, 2 churros, 5 bucks. Gotta love Costco dates.

Today, the finale will be a movie and ice cream from Coldstone (paid for by a gift certificate and a BOGO coupon I got from signing up for the Coldstone newsletter.) Summary of this weekend: good deals, good times.

Vegas

Yes, I know. I've been terrible and I wish I could say I would do better, but I'm just not sure if I can commit to that. Quick and to the point: I had an awesome summer-going to Brazil, the Carribean, being homeless and hanging with fam-but now we've made it to Vegas...obviously.

The beginning of the school year was nuts. I was doing school stuff nonstop. But, now it seems to be slowing down and even getting to the point where it's fun. Don't get me wrong, there are those periods where I wonder what the heck I am doing trying to teach such crazy hooligans anything, but there are also those days where it's just fun. There was a trunk or treat a couple weekends ago at the school. Andrew and I dressed up like little red riding hood and the big bad wolf. It was pretty good if I may say so myself!

We haven't had a chance to do anything too Vegassy (yes, that's a word now) yet. I had Friday off because of Nevada Day. It's this state holiday where the state decided to take the day off. I'm not sure why, but I definitely didn't argue with a day off. Andrew and I went to Red Rock Canyon and hiked around a bit. It's pretty (note the pics) and it's one thing off my "to do" list.

We like living here though. There was a few weeks where we were doubting it because of the never-ending heat, but lately it's been beautiful.

Andrew and I don't have cable or satellite, so we started Lost on Netflix. We finally finished Saturday and are just glad that it's over and we're free from it. Although, I do have to admit I've dreamt about it the past few nights. At first I hated the ending, but I guess it grows on ya the more you think about it.

I'll try to do better with the blog. But till then: Peace!

One Year!

Tomorrow is our anniversary. And yes, it did go fast. Here's 12 things that recap a few things during our first year of marriage:

1) Our favorite movie (meaning one that we agree completely on) is "How to Train Your Dragon"

2) Our biggest "fight" was over toothpaste. (And no it is not because one of us is anal about the cap or anything)

3) We have spent 365 days next to each other when we sleep at night (meaning neither of us has gone out of town overnight or something)

4) We are addicted to shows on A&E, The History Channel, and Discovery. They're really good. We even made sure to be home on Friday nights in time to watch "Gold Rush." Wow. That feels good to get that off my chest. Yes, we were fans of Gold Rush.

5) This year I have spent more at the grocery store than I think I have during my three years living on my own combined. It was hard at first.

6) We still sleep with separate blankets. Let's face it: Andrew's not a good blanket sharer.

7) I now know more about sports than I ever wanted to know. . . and I'm still learning....unfortunately. And I still don't get why you need to watch 5 different sets of highlights for a game you just watched. Maybe this year I will figure it out.

8) We actually agree on a favorite restaurant: Texas Roadhouse, Baby!

9) Our favorite date was definitely indoor skydiving.

10) Andrew is still the only person that can truly make me angry.

11) It creeps me out how well Andrew knows me. He can sense the minute I am upset...when I usually can fool other people quite well. Sometimes I don't like this trait of his.

12) Andrew and I are very complimentary in our financial view. He is willing to spend money on things I don't like to (like food) and I am willing to spend money on things he is not (like trips to Brazil). So, although this may seem problematic, because it sounds like we're big spenders...it actually just keeps us from being lame. We actually enjoy life instead of just being obsessive about our bank account go up.

Moral of this story....we've enjoyed life together and can't wait for other adventures to come our way!

Happy Celebrations

Happy Easter! Happy Graduation! Happy Life!

The weekend with the parents and Jeff was great! It was so much fun, but as always too short.

Graduation was not the most thrilling thing for everyone to watch. Bonnie, Lee, Jeff, Andrew, Mom, and Dad endured the little less than 2-hour ceremony. (I am just glad my college isn't one of the popular ones!) But, it was fun and definitely gave me the officially done feelin'.

Final Days

Student teaching was fun. It was an absolutely great experience. But...(and there is always a but..) I am so glad it is over. And yes, you heard right: IT IS OVER. I'm done student teaching. Basically done with college. Tomorrow I have to show up for a ten minute interview. Then the 22nd I have to show up for an hour and half ceremony dressed in a funny cap and gown. Then, I'm legit. Quite nuts really. I can't believe I have spent four years here and now we finally get to move on. Was it always the best time of my life down here in Provo? Heck no. Would I have rather been doing something else? No way Jose. It was a great time of life and I wouldn't change a thing. It was a blast and full of life memories and experiences that are irreplaceable. Go BYU.

Summer Adventures

Our summer is going to be great. Here's the update for June.
From June 21-28, we will be in Brazil. We bought our tickets Friday night. It's official.
Exciting. Should be an adventure!

A blonde moment...It was inevitable

This week I experienced a blonde moment. I have these once in a while, but only a few that I think I will remember forever. This might be one of those.
Here is how it played out. Two students (we'll call them S1 and S2) were chatting quite loudly while they were working on the assignment. I was just cleaning up from the lesson, so I was still positioned in the front of the classroom. And remember my cooperating teacher is Mr. B.....and action.
S1:....Area 51!
Me: You guys are too young to go to Area 51!
S2 and S1: Really?!?!
S1: But I had a friend that went there.
Me (not wanting to get into any discussions about Area 51 and the things that go on there): Well, anyway, just stop talking about it and start workin'.
S2: Well what is Area 51?
Me: Don't worry about it, just get working on your assignment.
S2: I'm going to go home and go look it up then.
Me (not wanting parents to think it's because of me that they are looking such a thing up) :It's just this dancing place.
S1 and S2: A dancing place?!?! Where?!?!
Me: In Salt Lake. Now work!
Mr. B: The secret government place, Area 51, is in Nevada.
My face then turned bright red. Because of course the students had been thinking of the secret government facility and not the club... in Salt Lake...that I thought of.
Duh.
I've never even been there! (To the club I mean...well actually I've never been to either of them...) The point is that it isn't because I was a clubber that this happened. It was just, just, just a blonde moment. End of story.

Student Teaching Saga Continues

Well I am officially half way done with student teaching. It's fun...but I'll be glad when it'll be over.
Here is the story of week. A boy that is in a Pre-Algebra class (so I'm not the one who teaches it...my partner does) has had to come in during E-time (a twenty minute period four days a week where students have a kind of study hall) to re-take quizzes and tests. He finally passed everything he needed to, but then the class had another quiz so he had to start coming back in. Here is the conversation that followed during the class. We'll call this boy B and two girls that sit by him will be G1 and G2. I'm sitting at the desk in the back of the room with my cooperating teacher...Mr. B.
B: I've been coming in here during E-time so much lately...I'm sick of it. I'm tired of being in here! (He's a way sweet kid...so this was more of a joke than a negative comment)
G1: He just likes to come in to stare at Mrs. Jenkins!
(B blushes...I just ignore the comment)
G1: No, really, Mrs. Jenkins...he wants to marry you.
Me: (Since they're all looking back at me now, I have to respond.) I'm already married.
G2: Just get a divorce.
Me: Well, I'm happily married.
Another boy from the class: Wow you just crushed his dreams!
(This point I'm blushing and just grateful the conversation has stopped....so I thought anyway.)
Mr. B: Ya know, that isn't the first time I've heard stuff like that.
Me: What do you mean?
Mr. B: Well, I just didn't want to tell you because I didn't know how you'd react...But, one day you were teaching and the door was closed and I was coming back into the classroom and there was a group of boys standing outside the door and looking through the window. I asked them if there was somethign they needed to talk to my student teacher about. Then as I was coming in to the classroom I said 'Sorry boys, she's married.' And they said 'Oh. Dang!'.

Oh, those sweet little seventh-graders.

The Best V-day Ever!

I work tomorrow night...so we celebrated V-day yesterday. But, let's begin with the start of the day.

8:00AM- Andrew starts the GMAT
12:00 Noon-Andrew finishes the GMAT
4:45 PM-Andrew and I go indoor skydiving
5:00 PM- Andrew and I can't get over how fun it was

Sunday 7:55 PM- Andrew and I still talk about how fun yesterday was and wonder when we can go again.

We have a video from our experience and once I can edit it a bit...I'll post it. It's hilarious actually.

It was a great weekend. Andrew did great on his test. We actually got some time to hang out and indoor skydiving is always a fun way to spend it. Definitely the best Valentine's Day yet!

Life is weird when nothing weird happens...

Student Teaching Week 3:



Nothing noteworthy happened. Nothing out of the ordinary. No major misbehavin'. It was kinda nice, but strange. I've decided teaching is a very humbling occupation though. No matter how good you want to be, there's always ways to improve or be better. You can never do a lesson perfectly...or even near perfectly for that matter. You can plan all you want, but things never go as planned. You never know what students will say. You never know how they will interpret or understand what you are teaching. You constantly have to be on your toes and think quickly. It's challenging and I only hope I'll continue to get better as we go.


I've been reading the book How to Make Friends and Influence People. It's an awesome awesome book. The only thing I'd like better is to be able to remember and apply every word in it. Every page has something fascinating and worthwhile, so the problem comes in remembering all of it. In the preface of the book the author suggests reading each chapter twice. When I read that I thought "Who does this guy think he is? What he says is so deep that I'd do better if I read it twice?? We'll see if I can even tolerate him to make it through the first chapter once!" But, I take it all back. It's a good idea. He knows what he's talking about.

ST Week 2

Story of Week 2:

Thursday was the last day of the term, so my student teaching partner and I did a getting to know you activity with all the students. Students must say their name, where they were born, and what their dream job would be. Responses were creative and anywhere from a vet to a gunsmith. It was going great, until...
Case Study 2- Exhibit S said he wants to be a terrorists when he grows up. Half of the class laughs. I look at that half and very sternly say "That's not funny at all." Then I stared at the kid, trying to figure out what the correct way to handle this response was. I knew I did not want to give it any more attention, because that is what he was going for. So, I moved onto the next student.
Learning experience: I should have told the kid to see me after class. That makes students know that he is being reprimanded for such an inappropriate answer. And also gives the teacher time to really decide what to do .
Remember cell phone girl from last week...well, she has been living in a city like 45 minutes away and had to drive to Spanish Fork everyday for school. But, with the end of the term, her parents decided that she should just go to school in the city they live. Problem Solved.
But another thing can be learned from this situation. I had talked to her and found more about her situation. Her parents are divorced and she is having a hard time with her new step-mom and step-sibs. It's just proof that you need to understand someone before you judge and make opinions. I was having a hard time with that student, but after understanding her, it explains why she does the things she does. Definitely makes you more understanding when students act up.

On another note, Andrew recieved his diploma in the mail! What an awesome feeling! And hallelujah! Way to Go Andrew!!

Student Teaching Week 1

Case 1: Third period: Math 7 and totally out of control. There is one boy that has a desire to prove the teacher wrong constantly, we'll call him "Case Study I." There are two boys who talked so much during class that they are seperated and sit on complete opposite sides of the room. This doesn't stop them from talking. We'll call them Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Next, we have a boy who just loves attention and will spat out every single answer, even if you are asking another student to answer, we'll call him "Case Study G." Finally, we have a girl that sits in the front row and thinks the world revolves around her. Although her personality is cute at first by being extremely confident about herself, one soon finds her confidence and outspokenness is truly just obnoxious. We'll call her "Case Study G."
Let, us now begin our journey of Student Teaching: January 2011: Day 1: Period 3.
Teacher has to address an emergency. I take over going over a homework problem.
Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum start talking across the room. I ask them to be quiet.
The class continues to talk.
I explain that this is homework and the more we get done in class, the less they have to do at home.
Case Study I makes the remark that since we're working on it in class it is not homework.
I say something to counter his smart-aleck comment.
I continue to work on the problem with the students. I ask for someone in Row 2 to help out. Case Study G answers (he is not in row 2). I ask for someone in another area to answer. Case Study G answers. Finally, I tell Case Study G that he has helped a lot and let's try to give someone else a chance.
Meanwhile, Case Study G brings out her cell phone and says she's listening to someone's ringtone and is playing with her phone. And making everyone send their attention her way. I tell her to give me her phone. And continue with the math problem at hand. She gives it to me. I continue. She raises her hand and says "Can I have my phone back?" I ask her to read the rules that are written on a poster in the room and especially focus on number one (which talks about electronics). I continue with the math problem. She continues to ask about her phone and I tell her we'll talk about it later. Then, the teacher returns and takes over again. And now, Case Study G has a favorite saying EVERY time she sees me... "She hates me. She took away my phone."

The sad thing about all of this was that only 5 stinkin' minutes had passed since the teacher left and returned. I might not be the students' favorite yet...but at least they know I mean business. Case closed.

But, overall student teaching will be fun. This week was crazy just trying to get used to everything, but I'm sure there will be exciting stories ahead.

Where to Start

I'm to the point that I have so much to write that I don't want to do this. So, to keep it tolerable....this is just a glance into the last month of KateLyn and Andrew.
Finals done. (Andrew officially done with his Bachelor's!)
Christmas with the Jenkins including: bowling, good ol' Johnny's, Christmas morning, movies, church, a Jazz game, Temple Square lights, Tuscano's, birthday soups. Fun Times.
Nights without having to tutor. (tutoring was replaced by some great TV shows :)
I bought a Christmas tree for Christmas 2011.
Laziness.

The truth is, we've been so lazy lately that I'm utterly terrified for this week to start. I'm scared for my long days ahead. With how many naps I've taken (yes, I actually took naps) and how I've slept in....my body is going to go into shock this week. Here we go...

This time of year is one of reflection. And really it's quite crazy to compare where I was at this time last year and where I am now. Quite a bit. I wasn't even engaged last January. And here I am now...an old married hag that only has three and a half months left of school . It's so interesting to think how much can change in one year. This year is just so different too because we really don't know what our life will be after June. So many unknowns ahead... this year could get crazy!! One can only imagine what is in store for us in 2011.

Holidays!!!

Life has just been crazy busy, but absolutely wonderful lately. (By this statement you can see finals are not affecting me too much). So much has happened I guess I'll just really quickly recap.

Thanksgiving: Idaho. We had lots of fun. The roads weren't terrible and with our new tires, we made way good time. We went to Harry Potter, ate, went sledding, ate, boys went hunting, ate, put up the Christmas tree, ate, played games, ate, boys played in the turkey bowl and other stuff too. It was just fun and relaxing. Here are a few pics and a few explanations to go with (some will need it). Like I said, the boys went and played in the ward turkey bowl. It was football in the snow. They came back tired, wet, and cold. Andrew even came back with a battle wound on his neck. You can tell the game got pretty wild. Some ruthless player gave Andrew a run for his money and left him with that mark to remember it. Sadly, the perpetrator was my dear brother, Jeff. Welcome to the family, Andrew.

This picture is of Andrew on Mikenzy duty while the rest of us do dishes. Ever since they have moved to CDA, Mikenzy, who also loves the movie Enchanted (remember this detail), has decided that there is one Ken doll that is Andrew and one Barbie that is me. There is no tricking her and pretending another Barbie is KateLyn or another Ken is Andrew...she knows! Well, one night, she was playing with Andrew and KateLyn (the dolls). She gets this soft tilt of her head and looks at the dolls then leans them together and says, "True love's kiss." It was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

When we got back, life was still cruisin'! I found out that I passed that test I needed to to get certified! I found out where I am student teaching! Andrew has a countdown for his last semester of his Bachelors! And Katie got home from the mission! It was really fun to see her/really meet her for the first time! I'm really excited to get to know her better and it will be nice for the Jenks to be back together again.

Can I get a Whoop Whoop!

This week was finals week for the girls I tutor. (They have tri-mesters.) One night I was studying with the eighth grader till 11:30 at night. When I got home, I laid in bed for an hour thinking about what we had studied. The weird thing is, it was about Ancient India and Egypt...neither being my forte. So, my mind was just making up terms for vocab words. Heck, I was even making up vocab words I think. It was nuts. The whole time I was saying to myself: KateLyn. Go. to. sleep. You. are. a. nutcase. But, it didn't help. I just laid there.
This is why I could never study right before I went to bed. I go crazy. My roommate use to go to bed way later than I did. She would tell me that sometimes I would sit up in my bed, turn to my desk and write something down and then go to sleep again. I was not keeping a dream journal. I was writing answers to my math homework. I wouldn't be able to get the answer as I was working on my homework, but I'd dream about it and sometimes then figure out how to do it. This is what school does to you. It makes you looney. It haunts you to the end that even in your dreams you can not escape its looming effects.
Thank goodness for graduation.

Three days till we head up North and I don't think I could be more excited. The one thing I dread is the fact that I know it'll go too fast. But, yay that it's finally here! We will prob leave Tuesday night and stay at the parentals' house in South Jordan (heck it saves a half hour of driving the next day plus get to see some fam). And then get up early Wednesday and head on up. We're hopefully going to stay till Tuesday morning. I wish it was longer, but school calls us back :) Dang.

But, it's going to be good. Time for Food Fest Thanksgiving Stlye 2010! Yeah, Baby!