An Adventure & Amanda

I love teaching. I love my students.  I love eating lunch with them.  I love sitting with them on the bus.  I love playing with them at recess.  I love getting letters from them.  I love our conversations.  I love their toothless smiles.  I love their innocence.  I love their desire to do good. I love the way teaching makes me feel.  Yes, I come home exhausted and frustrated more than I should, but I love that I can spend my entire morning in tears and then walk into the school and feel like I am home.  I love the fact that I can be goofy and my students still love me for who I am.  I love the confidence I gain from teaching. I love that I can do hard things. <33 Amanda

Wait. What. Is it really November? October was such a blur, I feel like I skipped the month entirely. However, October was actually a really big month for Kyle and I... First of all, teaching is getting better.  I am only crying every few weeks and I am actually enjoying myself more than I thought I would!  I cannot express my gratitude for the people I work with and the students I teach. Second of all, I had my first ever fall break!  In order to make the most of it, I shamelessly avoided any and all work and escaped to Moab with the family.  You never know what is going to happen when all nine and a half of us get together.  Besides everyone contracting the flu, we explored various arches and rode bikes and ate too much yummy food. Family is good for the soul. Third of all, we have some exciting news... we... HAVE A LIFE AFTER COLLEGE! Details, details: Kyle has been big kid job hunting. First we thought we'd be in Amarillo, TX. ...

This post actually began a lot differently...with a lot more pessimism.  I will spare you the pain of listening to my pity party.  Instead, I have decided to count my blessings (all 17 of them).  You're welcome.  Five Week's Worth of Under-appreciated Blessings: 1. One school morning was particularly rough.  I cried up until two minutes before the bell rang.  I plastered a fake smile on my face and warmly welcomed my students to class.  As I was checking their morning work one student said: "Mrs. Lontine, I'm going to buy a Broncos shirt."  Me: "Like the Denver Broncos?" Student: "Yes, like the Denver Broncos football team!"  I don't know if my students are learning much, but at least they know which football team to cheer for. 2. Small success such as getting a student to come to school or teaching a math lesson where every one is actually paying attention.   3. Participating in the school walk-a-thon and having five s...

Soooooooo... I start teaching in four weeks.  The thought of twenty-one little children staring up at me and calling me teacher causes me to hyperventilate.  {WHAT IF...} <---- the question that Kyle has had to combat one too many times lately. Fact: I am not ready. In order to manage my stress, I have been praying for peace of mind.  Like really, really praying.  The answer to my prayer came in the form of the nicest elderly lady I have ever met and a series of events that played perfectly into what I needed. Allow me to elaborate: 1. In church I sat down in an empty row and then immediately felt like I needed to sit in the seat behind me. 2. I was friendly.  Sometimes I get uncomfortable and quiet (miracle, I know mom) when I am in new places.  Instead I turned to the woman next to me and said: "Hi, how are you doing today?" 3. She was so  kind.  It was like she had just been waiting for someone to ask her that question and then she...

Alright confession time:    I like Wisconsin. Okay, I'm so glad I finally got that off my chest.  I know the past few blog posts have consisted of sarcastic hints about how crazy life is in Wisconsin but today I realized I only have about 15 days left here and I honestly got a little teary-eyed. Aye well what changed? First: The people here are SO nice.  They would do anything for anyone.  I am constantly amazed at the generosity and love from the people in this area. Second: Summertime in Wisconsin is a dream.  It is 100% gorgeous.  At least once everyday I literally scream: "THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL."  And that's because it is. See for yourself: Third:  Being out here I've realized that I often take Utah for granted.  That said, I think it has been really good for Kyle and I to live away from everyone and everything for a while [[don't worry we still love you]].  By this I mean that we have been ...

Oooooooooooh life. Actually let me clarify: ooooooooh life in Wisconsin. When we first moved in Mike told me about this crazy woodchuck that kept digging holes in his storage shed.  I had no idea that woodchucks were actually real until Friday when I noticed a strange beaver-like animal wandering around the shed.  I told Mike and he got this crazy look in his eye, grabbed his gun and fired off a few rounds.  The "poor" thing ran around whimpering and I had to go inside because it tugged a little at my heart-strings. Well that was Friday morning.  The rest of the weekend consisted of "woodchuck watch out" as we realized that the woodchuck has 5-6 babies.   **Sorry for all you animal lovers out there.   This afternoon Kyle went missing and I found him climbing through the bushes with his handgun looking for more woodchucks.  This happened: Yeah, I don't even like animals but I couldn't quite stomach the dead woodchuck.  Poor little guy n...

You pass people on the highway eating slices of cheese.   People say things like "beg" and "knoo" [[translations: "bag" and "know]] You wake up at 5:30am to Mike yelling about a black bear in the front yard Towns consist solely of a bar and gas station The country to pop radio station ratio is 10:1 You can still see the sun even though it is 9:30pm Your water tastes like copper because it comes from a well There are hidden cheese factories between towns I cannot believe we have only been in Wisconsin for one week!  It feels like we have been here for months.  Last week Kyle went to work and I went out to find work.  I narrowed my search down to three options: The Dollar Tree, Wal-mart, and a daycare.  After being offered a job at Wal-mart, I shamelessly begged my way into an interview and an eventual job at the daycare.  I am going to be designing the summer program for the "school-age" kids (5-12) with another girl.  So far I am ...

Things I like about Wisconsin: No matter where you live, you will have a forest in your backyard. Albino squirrels The laid-back-sit-around-the-campfire-while-grilling-steak lifestyle Lack of traffic. Waking up to a bajillion birds chirrping [pretty sure there is a mockingjay out there somewhere] Friendly, hard-working, people The back country roads and rolling hills and green trees for miles on miles No matter where you look, you will see some body of water. Shootin' 22s in the backyard There is a DQ in town The wide open spaces Things I dislike about Wisconsin: Midwest storms including (but not limited to): "heavy rainfall, damaging winds, large hail, and possibly a tornado." There are not direct roadways between the cities.  To get from New Richmond to Hudson we have to take Highway K to Highway A which merges with Highway I which then turns into Highway E and somehow we end up on Highway U...what. We pulled into Wisconsin  late  Saturday night. ...

Okay so maybe I'm being too dramatic about this move but it has been a whirlwind of a month:    From classroom prepping to dumpster diving for cardboard boxes to winning a national championship to spending a week vacationing in Colorado- we have had a busy few weeks!!! Now we are in the car Wisconsin bound!  I think I can speak for Kyle as well when I say we are pretty nervous.  We have heard many good things about the area we are moving to- cheese curds,  lakes galore, wide open spaces... it's just that Wisconsin is uncharted territory for us both. All we've ever known is the west. That said we are excited and grateful to be going on this adventure together. Lately I've realized that in these times all I can do is make the most of the journey. This means learning to laugh when the situation might not be ideal. That said,  I think this will be a very memorable summer. Kyle and I have our bikes, tent,  and each other so bring on the unknown-for bet...

There seems to be a common theme of frustration whenever I talk to anyone who has been applying for internships.  Believe me, I mean it when I say "I know how you feel." Thursday night Kyle and I cried some tears of joy as we realized that our seven-month trial of patience and faith was finally [[hopefully]] coming to an end...a happy end.  Kyle has been diligently applying for internships since September and even though he had submitted 100+ applications and had many contacts/promising outlooks nothing was working out .  I tried to be very supportive of Kyle through the entire process but may have hit a breaking point when I "filled" out my calendar for May and realized the great unknown that was post-May 3rd. Okay fine. So we'll just stay in Utah for the summer and work.  Kyle and I both found jobs and I even started making a Utah Summer Bucket list. Then Thursday night Kyle was working on his computer when all of a sudden he got really serious and ...

Well, I am finally a college senior.  I MADE IT. Although I am beyond excited to be done at BYU, I felt a little melancholy as I walked across campus today.  My freshman year was not the smoothest and as I reflected on how I could have made this experience better, I decided to pass my knowledge along.      1. GO TO CLASS.  Most freshman classes have 200+ students and so taking attendance is impossible.  Initially I saw this as an opportunity to sleep in, watch Lost , and ultimately ditch class.  I am here to testify that missing class is not worth it .  It is oh so tempting but I promise that you will look back three years later and kick yourself when you look at your grades.      My friend put it in a really motivating way: tuition costs about $2,375.  Let's assume you take the average freshman load of about 14 credits.  That means that PER credit you are paying about $170! You can buy 34 Little Caesar's...

Okay, okay, I'm sorry.  I realize it has been a while since I have blogged.  In fact, I have started several posts over the past month but for one reason or another I never finished them.  So... what have  I been doing during this hiatus anyways? Well, for one, I've been changing students' lives.     [[whoops, was that dramatic??]] Fine, maybe I did not change the world or alter anyone's life trajectory for the better but I have been consumed in teaching 31 sixth graders...and let me tell you that is not an easy task.  Emilee and I pull up to the school on our first day and we see girls wearing MAKEUP and lockers...they have LOCKERS (and pinterests and iphones and attitudes; what .)  Emilee is borderline crying and I am nervously laughing.  I think we were both about to hightail it back to our favorite 2nd grade class. But looking back on our experience I have decided that sixth grade is like that boy you just can't figure out- you have...

Perhaps because the sun is out and I'm feeling quite blissful, I have decided to post-pone my super opinionated half written post until another week.  Be grateful.   So anyways, I want to introduce you all to my dear friend Emilee. Emilee is quite possibly one of my [favorites] .  She spreads happiness wherever she goes... like, it is contagious.  It does not take much to make Emilee happy and I absolutely admire that about her.  For example, today she asked if we could stop at Sodalicious on our way back from the schools.  All I had to say was "of course" and Emilee was screaming in excitement-- "I'M GONNA GET THE 44OZ BLUE BOMBSHELL BABY!" (something like that --> wish I had been able to video her). Like a soda made Emilee so happy so that made me happy too.  Also, Emilee is a person that makes everyone feel good.  She always has something nice to say.  She'll make you feel good about yourself when you do not f...

     Once upon a time, (pre-mission age change), you had to fight to find housing at BYU.  After a failed attempt at obtaining housing, the "wolfpack:" Holly, Kylie, Sydney, Megan, Sarah, and I found ourselves in a predicament of where to live.  We narrowed our choices down to The Cox (the name alone indicates the type of living conditions) or The Riviera.  The Riv has a reputation for being cheap, housing young sophomores/fresh RMs, and a party place...I can't say that that reputation is entirely false.  But anyways that is how six innocent sophomore girls came to be Riviera residents of apartment 135.      I do not think my mother has ever doubted my ability to make decisions more than when I moved into my apartment.  Underneath my stained mattress we found a plate with the remains of an unidentifiable object, the cabinets were in need of some heavy duty clorox wipes, and most of the outlets were missing covers.  To say the...

The other night I came home from my lost dodgeball game a sore loser.  I exclaimed to Kyle: "I'm just not good at anything!"  He immediately pounced (literally) and told me he wasn't going to let me up until I named 10 things I am good at.   Dramatically , I groaned and said I couldn't think of anything!  Kyle gave me a firm look so I sighed and started listing off things like: I'm good at sleeping, I'm good at eating junk food, I'm good at watching lots of TV, I'm good at being dramatic, I'm good at being negative.  My poor husband let go of me and I could tell my words hurt him a little.  He sulked back to the couch after whispering, "I just wish you'd have some self-confidence ..." Ugh. Talk about my life struggle.   But Kyle really got me thinking.  Sometimes I just claim that I am "realistic" and probably better for it but at the same time it is okay  to give myself credit.  So, I'd like to share with you 1...

Okay, I admit Kyle and I have a "problem." We are WAY too obsessed with the Denver Broncos. But I don't want anyone to call us bandwagoners-------> I grew up watching Broncos games with my dad.   I rooted for #7 John Elway.   I had a specific cheer for Mike Shanahan.   When I was six I lost a tooth almost every time the Broncos won a game.  That was the year Denver went to the 1998 Super Bowl and I remember we got out of Church early in order to watch the game.  I cheered for the Broncos when they had good seasons and I cheered for the Broncos when they had less-than-perfect seasons.   I was one of the few believers in Tim Tebow.   I was ecstatic when the Broncos hired Coach Fox.   Every year I kept saying: "it's just a re-building year, we'll get back in the game eventually." As far as Kyle's story? I think this picture is enough proof that he has been cheering for the Broncos for as long as he can remember: I love Kyle ...