Shannon's Blog

Life lesson for the day...

2012-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Don't buy the cheapest dental floss.

It's not worth it.

You'll end up needing to use it to floss out the broken floss fibers that shred off between your teeth.

Destination Running

2012-01-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

Someone once told me that running is a relatively inexpensive hobby.

Not the way I do it!

In the past week, I've agreed to run two races. My sister Cherilyn asked if I wanted to come down to Phoenix in March and run the Phoenix Half Marathon with her. Sure! Why not?! I'll just pay the slightly expensive registration fee. No big deal. Oh wait, I need to buy a plane ticket down there. I guess I can handle that.

Then I got an email last night from my brother-in-law, Steve, asking if I'd want to be on his Ragnar team for the Northwest Passage race in July. Sure! Why not?! I'll just pay the really expensive price for registration, gas, etc. No big deal. Oh wait, I need to buy a plane ticket up there. I guess I can handle that, too.

Plus the running shoes I bought in June have already worn down pretty far. So I bought new shoes on Saturday. They aren't cheap! But they were on sale!

So is this true?

Well, not when I'm a destination runner and go to other states to do it.

But this is true, so it's all worth it...

One of those "Why I teach" moments

2012-01-10T14:48:00.000-08:00

I just made a student's day. Well, in reality, he made his own day, but he gave me credit...and I'll take it. :) He's had an F in my class for most of the semester. He's perfectly capable, but he just gets "distracted" easily (his word usage). Today he took a test and did really well. I was pleasantly surprised, actually. Then he turned in his final project (a hoodie). It looked REALLY good. It was nearly perfect and one of the best I've seen. I entered his scores on my computer and told him that his grade went from an F to an A! He was literally dancing around the room with the biggest smile on his face. He told me how his parents wouldn't believe it because they don't think he's good at anything and not capable of doing something like this. He tends to be tagged as one of those jock, goof-off students that doesn't get great grades, so he was so proud of his A.

It's moments like this when I remember why I teach. I love seeing students who don't do well in other classes succeed in mine. I'm so glad he's learned a skill that he loves. And the fact that he danced around my room made it that much more entertaining. :)

Tanning Lotion Stinks

2012-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

I can't stand the smell of tanning lotion.

This all started last year when I had two students who caked it on every day. After spending a winter cooped up in a classroom with them, it started to wear on me. I couldn't stand too close to them because of the smell. It also started to take a toll on them. Their skin was orange enough that other students easily noticed. I heard them being referred to as

Oompa Loompas

The Orange Ones

Fake 'n Bakes

Now that winter is upon us (well, not really...it's been in the 50s all week), the use of sunless tanning products is back. I hope I can handle it. The smell is sickening. Just another reason to look forward to summer! :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

What a wild and crazy ride 2011 was. Looking back, I can see that I was able to have some pretty incredible experiences in the past year!

What does 2012 have in store for me?

Well for starters, see my sweet Ireland countdown? That's going to be pretty awesome!

Other than that, who knows.

Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Who needs sunglasses? I have inversion.

2011-12-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

This morning I took Annie and her brother to the airport. As I came around the point of the mountain into Salt Lake County, I thought, "Wow, the air is sick." But as I was driving home and drove around the other side into Utah County, I was grossed out. The air is way worse here! It was so dark!

No, I didn't take this picture. This is coming out of Little Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake, but you get the idea.

I thought the sun was actually the moon for a few minutes since it was so dark.

I wanted to go running outside today, but I feel gross about breathing that into my lungs. Somehow running inside makes me feel better about it.

28 hours and 45 minutes

2011-12-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Guess what...

Christmas break starts at 2:45 PM tomorrow!

Who's excited?

I'm excited!

I told my class this morning that I was going to miss them for the next 19 days until I see them again. And guess what...I meant it. Shocking, I know. I know I complain about my job a lot, and some of you have to deal with it a lot more than others, but I really do love it. And I love my students. Most days. :)

But a break will be very nice. I can't wait to go home to Montana! I can't believe it's been a whole year since the people of Drummond were blessed with my presence! :)

The Great Thanksgiving of 2011

2011-12-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2011 will likely go down as one of the most memorable.

My roommate Joleen invited me to go with her to St. George to her aunt and uncle's. Her cousin Maren was also there, as well as another aunt and uncle. They were all so fun and nice!

We showed up on Wednesday night and decided we wanted to have our very own turkey trot the next morning. We decided to take it a step further and run all the way to Arizona (a whopping 4.5 miles from their house...though we ended up only going 3.2 miles. But doesn't it sound cool to say we ran from Utah to Arizona?)

No race is complete without an official t-shirt. Joleen, Maren, and made a trip to Walmart to buy some blank shirts and some iron-on transfer paper.

After the great run, Tim worked on this video as dinner was cooking.

Personally, I love this video. It makes me laugh so hard each time I watch it, which has been a lot. :)

After an amazing dinner, we went on a pre-pie hike up this hill/mountain right by their house.

On Friday morning, Joleen and I went to the St. George temple on the way out of town. It's so beautiful!

Such a great weekend. I always love Thanksgiving and the focus put on the blessings I have. Hope it was great for you too!

When all else fails, make the teacher laugh

2011-12-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

I was just grading an interior design quiz I gave to my 8th graders. They were supposed to list the principles of design. I remember watching him as he took the quiz and could tell that he didn't remember some of them. Here are his responses...

Emphasis (correct)
Harmony (correct)
Potential (??? At least it starts with a P like it's supposed to)
Pattern (That's an element, not a principle)
Polygamy (What the?)
Waffles (oh goodness)

Off to the side was a drawing of him holding a quiz with a big A on it, and he was wearing a t-shirt with an A+ on it. Plus he drew a big star and said he was a star student.

Nice try, buddy.

Run, Shannon, Run

2011-11-19T14:06:00.000-08:00

So this afternoon, I decided to go on a little run. I planned on going 2, maybe 3 miles, but I didn't really have a plan. So I ran to a point where I thought I'd turn around and come home. Once I got there, I thought, "I think I'll turn here and run up this road before going home." When I got to the end of that road, I thought, "I think I'll turn here and go to the next street before heading home." When I got there, I thought, "I think I'll run a loop around this block before I head home." Once I did that, I thought, "Perhaps I'll run out to the freeway before I go home."

By the time I got home, I had gone 7.5 miles. A little unexpected, but totally great. I kept feeling like Forrest Gump when he decided to go for a little run to the end of the road.

Shopping Spree, Anyone?

2011-11-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

I don't go shopping very often, but when I do....oh, boy. I feel like I'm unstoppable.

It always happens this time of year when I start getting Christmas gifts. It's so easy for me to say, "Ooo, look at that! I want one." So I buy it.

Online shopping doesn't help. It's just so easy to click "Add to Cart" and "Checkout". Then amazon goes and saves your info so you don't even have time to second-guess. Normally, I would change my mind in the time it takes to pull out my credit card.

Not anymore.

So easy.

I feel like I don't have much of a winter wardrobe, so I just HAD to work on that. Right?

But I made sure to find some good deals.

I bought this cute little guy last week...

50% off? Yes, please!

I got this sweater tonight...

80% off? Yes, please!

It has cute buttons up on the shoulder. Who wouldn't want a cable-knit with buttons on the shoulder?

I decided last week that I want to enter the world of boots. The decision was confirmed the other night as I stood out in the cold with bare legs.

This led to these...

60% off? Yes, please!

While I was shopping for those last ones, I found these...

65% off? Yes, please!

They look more beautiful in person. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size. But don't worry...I found them online.

Remember how easy it is to shop online?

They're on their way.

Who wants a free camera?

2011-11-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

So I have this friend named Laura. Laura is super cool and uber talented. And Laura's one of my favorite people because she came with me to Disney World and Harry Potter world.

Well Laura works for this great company called Lifestyle Crafts. She pretty much runs the place.

Well Laura informed me this morning that Lifestyle Crafts is giving away a Canon 60D Camera and Jo Totes Camera bag. All you have to do is create an account at lifestylecrafts.com.

I know some of you are major photog pros, so maybe you should enter. Or don't, because then I'm more likely to win. But I like Laura enough that I told her I would spread the word.

Laura is sad that she can't enter the contest herself. But I made a deal with her...if I win, she gets to teach me how to use the camera. What a great deal, right? :)

Post-Halloween Sugar Overload?

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we played a little game in my class. I had three winners. I asked them if they wanted an apple or candy.

They all chose an apple.

Teenagers chose apples over candy.

Weird!

Way to go, healthy students!

Easiest Costume Ever

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night, we went to a Stake Halloween dance. I was tired after my race and didn't want to go to the effort of dressing up too much. Plus my Waldo costume was really sweaty.

My roommates had a brilliant idea, and a pretty easy supply list...

black shirt
blue jeans
orange yarn
rock from the side of the road
piece of paper (college ruled)
scissors

I love it.

I love these girls.

I can do hard things

2011-11-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

(Warning, this is kind of long. But my journal writing skills are lacking, so this is my documentation.)

On Saturday, I did something I really NEVER thought I would do...I ran a half marathon!

I still don't believe it. I know some of you have done full marathons, but this is really something I never expected this chubby girl could do.

My greatest ever friend Carie says she remembers me saying years ago that I would never run a 5k. It was pretty great that Carie decided to run the half with me. Even better...we ran all 13.1 miles together and crossed the finish line together. (Well, she was one second ahead of me, but close enough). I'm so glad I had her there to push me and coach me..."Don't eat the GU, it will make you sick"...(she was right)..."Run on the outside of your foot if the inside of your calf is cramping." Thanks for sticking with me, Carie!!!

I went into this race with 4 goals...

Make it to the finish line
Don't get last place
Don't walk
Stay under an 11 minute mile

Over the years, I've learned that it's important to review my goals, so here we go...

I made it to the finish line!
I did NOT get last place! In fact, I got 1,782nd place...which sounds bad, but out of somewhere between 3500-4000 runners, I don't think I did too bad!
I never walked! But I'm not counting the water stations. If you've found an effective way to drink and run at the same time, please share!
Pace Time: 9:47. Take THAT, 11 minute mile! My total time was 2:08:02

What got me started?

I feel like it's been a crazy thing leading up to this. I started running a few months ago for a few reasons. A lot of it was because I wanted to be healthier. I wanted to lose some weight, and it seemed like a good way to make it happen. My brother-in-law, Steve, has turned into this crazy runner, and I'm always intrigued when I hear him talk about his runs. He kept telling me I should try it. He even made me a running playlist this summer. As soon as I heard Britney Spears on the mix, I knew it was meant to be.

I guess you could say I needed an "outlet" as well. It's been a wild/emotional past few months. I started out writing more about that, but I decided it was perhaps too personal to post on my public blog. I don't really want to go into detail on here, but running gives me a lot of time to think and run off sadness, frustrations, and fear. It's a good distraction. After a long day, it's surprising how much I look forward to going on a run. It's therapeutic, really. It's true what Elle Woods says on Legally Blonde..."Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands...they just don't!"

I feel such a great sense of accomplishment. I probably shouldn't have been smiling so much after running 13.1 miles, but I couldn't help it! Even when I was so sore for a couple days, I would still smile and think, "I did something I thought was impossible." What a great feeling! I can do hard things!

And I couldn't have done it without so much encouragement. And I was so happy to see my two best cheerleaders (a.k.a. the roommates) there at the finish line with posters, Gatorade, and chocolate milk.

I look like I'm about to throw up in these pictures. Probably because that's what I wanted to do. Remember how Carie told me not to eat the GU?

Love you girls!

Will I do another half marathon? Absolutely. A full marathon? Now you're pushing it.

Tuesday Morning Confidence

2011-10-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

I just had a great interaction with a co-worker. For those of you who work/have worked at my school, I'll give you one guess who he is... :)

Co-worker: You look old today.
Me: Wow, thanks. I'm not sure that's considered a compliment.
Co-worker: Well it's true. You look old. Yesterday you didn't.
Me: Well thanks (insert heavily sarcastic tone).
Co-worker: Yesterday I'd say you looked like you were 21. Today it's more like 32.
Me: Sorry for the confusion. I'll be sure to never wear this outfit or my hair like this again.
Co-worker: Okay, have a nice day!

Men.

Notes from substitutes

2011-10-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

One of my "favorite" parts of coming back from an absence as a teacher is reading what the substitute had to stay about my students. In the past week and a half, I've had 6 substitute days. SIX! That's a lot! I've had all sorts of meetings, conferences, and...oh ya...an amazingly fun trip to Orlando (more details to come).

When I came in this morning, I had all sorts of great notes from the substitutes.

Here are some favorites...

"Not many of the kids were good. ______ and ______ were especially obnoxious."

One sub had my students write notes to me about what happened in class. Here are some of the notes (with their same spelling)...

"My friends and I were throwing pencils at each other. The sub took us into custidy"
"I only goofed off a tad bit."
"The other guys were goofing off, and they blamed me so I got sckrewed."

And my favorite from a sub yesterday...

"Please dock points, take away free time, give extra homework or whatever you can to punish this class. They were terribly rude and disrespectful, especially ______, ______, and ______. Well, too many to name, actually. I had to yell and make them sit quietly the last 10 minutes, after a talk on respect. So when they say, 'That sub was mean!', they would be right."

A note to my #1 sub, Brittany: I love the notes you leave. Don't worry...the kids you named were the same ones the other subs left notes about. Was I surprised that they were on the list? No. It's been a wild term with them. They're being taken care of today by the administration. :) And I love when you leave notes about listening to Celine Dion. I'm sure the kids loved it! And thank you for leaving positive comments. I don't feel like as much of a failure as a teacher when I know that some of them are good. :)

About 3 more weeks!

2011-10-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Remember how I'm running the Halloween Half Marathon? It's in 3 weeks from Saturday!

I've never been a runner. I never thought I would be. In fact, my friend Carie says she remembers me once saying that I would never run a 5k. I wouldn't say that I am one of those die hard runners like my friend Heather who wins these things. But I've been doing quite a bit of running lately, and it's been a fun new adventure! It's also been a good "outlet" as I've powered through some rough past couple of months. When I'm having a hard day, nothing's more therapeutic than running out my frustrations.

A lot of people say, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Well, that's not always true, but at least it finishes the race, right?

I'm so slow.

I run slower than 1-15 traffic in Utah County construction on a Friday afternoon before a BYU football game.

Now that is SLOW!

I'll probably have an 11 minute mile on this half marathon.

But...

The U.S. Olympic Sewing Team?

2011-09-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

I heard a couple of boys in my 8th grade class talking and heard my name mentioned. I asked them what they were saying about me. Here's how the conversation went...

Student #1: Miss Lacey, we were just talking about how skilled you are at sewing.
Student #2: Yeah, you're like a pro. Do they have sewing as an olympic sport?
Me: Why yes, they do. I'm on the U.S. team.
Student #1: They have a U.S. Olympic Sewing Team?
Me: Yes. I'm a gold medalist.
Student #2: That's sweet! So you and Michael Phelps hang out?
Me: Yes. We play golf together in the off-season when we aren't training. See how cool I am?
Student #1: How does one train to be on the sewing team?
Me: I just sew stuff and unpick it. It keeps my fingers strong.
Student #1: Wow, you're so cool!
Me: Yes, I am. Now get back to work.

5 minutes later...

Student #2: Miss Lacey, do you have a sharpie I can use?
Me: Yes, there's one in the cup by my computer.

5 more minutes later...

My very own gold medal in sewing.

Go Team USA!

Turn that frown upside down

2011-09-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

So...

I had one of those mornings.

The kind where nothing goes right.

You try and try and everything falls apart.

All between the times of 7:15 and 8:00 am.

I emailed my bff Carie to tell her about my morning.

It was a downer email.

I vaguely remember threatening to quit my job.

Then, a few things happened...

An office lady comes down with these...

Carie is the best! Wow! That's about all I can say.

Then at lunch I find out I'm going to be getting one of these...

Then I find out that I'm likely going here for Spring Break...

(that's Ireland, in case you were wondering!!!)

And suddenly, my day doesn't seem as bad.

Thank you, tender mercies. Heavenly Father knows when I've reached my limit and knows when to let some sunshine peek through the clouds.

It's finally Friday

2011-09-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to find a picture of quicksand to post as my picture. Because that's how I'm feeling this week. The harder I work, the more buried I get. I can't seem to get ahead, and it's frustrating! I stay late at work, and my to-do list grows. I asked my principal if I could win a prize if my car was the last one in the parking lot all week. He brought down a granola bar yesterday morning. That works. :)

But as I tried to find a good picture of quicksand, I found this...

And it made me laugh.

Mean?

Probably.

But I guess I also feel like this poor horse whose head is stuck in a tree.

2011-09-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

This evening's music brought to you by....

It was just a matter of time...

2011-09-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

I always think the few people who read this don't like hearing about my teaching stories all the time. A few of you have told me that you enjoy them, so you get to hear them. I'm bad at journaling, so this and emails to friends are my forms of journaling.

With that being said, let me tell you about the first finger-sewing incident of the 2011-2012 school year. It's a pretty common occurrence that students sew their fingers. Some aren't too bad. Maybe it just gets a little layer of skin. Sometimes it hits the bone and breaks the needle. You may remember the winner of 2010 where the little piece of needle broke off in her finger, and I had to pull it out. That was easily the most disgusting needle-in-finger incident I had faced...until today.

It was first period. There were 6 minutes left in class. I see a girl with her hand casually in the air, waiting for me to come answer a question for her. I walk over and she calmly says, "The needle is in my finger." I look down, and sure enough, the needle is in her finger. Her hand is still attached to the machine. It's sick. Blood is coming out. I calmly ask if she's okay. I don't want her to freak out. I don't want to freak out. And I don't want the rest of the class to know because she's already embarrassed.

So in order to get her detached from the machine, I have to remove the presser foot. Then I had to loosen the needle clamp to get the needle out of the machine. Once it was out, I could get a better look. Her finger was centered on the needle. There was an equal 1/2" sticking out of both sides of her finger. This wasn't a little skimming of the skin. This needle was IN her finger! I brought her over to my desk, away from the other students. I warned her that I was going to try to pull on it. I pulled it about 1/4". Sick. It was sick. I asked if she was still okay. Then I tried pulling again. She pulled her hand back and let out a little scream of pain. That thing was stuck. Blood dripping away.

I called the office. "Umm...I have a sweet girl here who has a needle really stuck in her finger. What can you do to help me?" Miracle of all miracles occurred...the school nurse was actually there! I think she's only at our school one day a week. So I sent her on her way and tended to the blood path that was left...my pretty new machines had their first blood incident. I went to the office between class periods. I saw her walk out of the nurse's office. No needle! Just a traumatized 14 year old with tears in her eyes and a handful of bandaids.

Happy 11th day of school.

Things I've learned from Google this week

2011-09-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I don't know the answer to things, I brush it off with an "I don't know. Oh well!" But this week, curiosity has gotten the best of me a time or two. Here's what I've learned...

Question:
How do you perform the Heimlich Maneuver on pregnant women?
Answer:
Above the baby. Push in the center of the breastbone...inward and downward.
Question:
What is happening to a person during a seizure?
Answer:
It's electrical activity in the brain. The brain sends out too many impulses at the same time to tell muscles to move. Your muscles go tight and relax really fast over and over until the seizure stops.
Question:
Do bees really die after they sting?
Answer:
Let me give you a little funny background about this question...
Two of my 7th grade girls told me they want to have pet bees. They want to catch them, freeze them, remove their stingers, tie a string around them, then defrost them and hope they're still alive to be pets.
Only honey bees die after they lose their stinger. This is because when they try to pull out the stinger, they also lose parts of their abdomen and digestive tract.

There you go. I hope you feel smarter. I sure do!

A Lesson Learned

2011-08-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

Don't eat almost an entire Cafe Rio salad 30 minutes before going running.

It's a bad idea.

I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!

2011-08-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm in love!

Remember at the end of last year when I got rid of my old machines and my brand new machines had to spend the summer in boxes?

Well two weeks ago, the machines (or "sewing computers" as the manual calls them) were released from their boxes and installed in my classroom.

Today was the first time any of my classes used them.

I love them!

They're so quiet. They handle better. They sew cool designs. They have a pretty LED light. They have a computerized screen. Nothing is broken on them (yet...I know it will eventually happen). They handle so much better. The students are loving playing with the settings.

I love them!

High Five

2011-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Laura sent this to me today...

And I just laughed and laughed.

Thanks for making my day, Laura!

I did something crazy

2011-08-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a half marathon.

Am I insane?

My friend Carie put the idea in my head a couple months ago, so I've been thinking about it/planning on it for a couple months. But as soon as I actually registered, I got nervous!

It's the Halloween Half on October 29th down Provo Canyon.

It's all downhill. And it's encouraged that you wear a costume.

That's fun, right?

I can't believe I'll be running 13.1 miles.

(Well, in reality, I'll probably be running a mile and walking the rest)

Things that help me transition to reality

2011-08-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Remember me? Remember how I haven't blogged since the first week of summer?

Well I promise to update you on my great summer adventures, but for now I'm trying to transition back into reality. Yesterday was the first day of school. It's been a long couple of days, but it's good to be back.

This morning, I had a sweet boy in one of my 9th grade classes give me an apple at the end of class.

Such a simple thing helps the transition back into teaching much easier.

Thank you to the sweet mom who sent the apple with him for the first day!

Oh what do you do in the summertime?

2011-06-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's only been a week since the last day of school?

Have I ever told you much I love summer break?

I LOVE SUMMER BREAK!!!

I need it!

Every year, a miracle takes place...once August rolls around, I'm actually excited and ready to teach again. I'm hoping for that miracle again this year. :)

Until then, here's a little of what I've been doing this past week.

The Lighting of the "G"

In honor of Pleasant Grove High School's graduation, they lit the "G" on the mountain. My roommate Joleen has a fascination with things that light up...like fireworks and letters on mountains. :) So we popped some popcorn, made some hot chocolate, and set up lawn chairs on the grass outside our condo.

Special Olympics

After school got out on Friday, we headed down to Cedar City to volunteer for the Special Olympics. Joleen has been working with them for the past several years, so she invited us to go with her this year. We had no clue she would be such a celebrity with those in charge! I almost want to get her autograph...she was that cool! We helped at the finish line for the races with timing and recording. It was so much fun! I'm pretty sure I'll be wanting to do this again!

Running

I have a new fascination with running. Never in my life did I think I would like it. But I've been trying it out the past couple weeks. On Monday, Annie and I ran 5 miles down Provo Canyon. I've gone on at least a little run everyday since school got out. Some longer...some shorter. By no means am I shooting for 26.2 miles, but it's been pretty fun. :)

Hiking Squaw Peak

Annie and I took off early Tuesday morning to hike up Squaw Peak in Provo. It got my heart pounding and muscles sore, but it was pretty spectacular! The view at the top was pretty great!

Pretty sick picture, especially since the sun was in our eyes, but it's evidence that we made it!

Babysitting

I always wish that my nieces and nephews lived closer to me. Unfortunately, they don't. So until then we'll watch someone else's kids. :) On Tuesday we watched our old Bishop's three kids for the afternoon. It was so fun! It got me excited to see my 16 nieces and nephews in a couple of weeks!

Car Stuff

Wednesday was my car day...oil change, safety and emissions tests, registration, and new tires!

Friends

I feel like I don't see friends much during the school year. This week I met up with two of my favorites...Laura and Kristen. I went to a movie and chatted with Laura. Yesterday I met Kristen in SLC for lunch and a trip to a fun cookie shop downtown.

Lost

I resumed my netflix account. That means I'm watching Lost again. It's pretty great. :)

Monticello/Moab Trip

2011-06-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, my roommate Annie and I took a little trip to the middle of nowhere. Two summers ago, Annie and I decided we wanted to go to every temple in Utah. It's taken us longer than we thought, but we're almost done! We checked off another one when we went to Monticello.

We left after school on Friday and arrived there late that night. Hotel pickings are slim there, so we stayed at a stinky place that smelled like the old brown trailer that some of our old ranch hands would live back in Drummond. I'm thinking only my family and the Mackay's will appreciate how sick that is! :)

I can't believe Monticello has a temple. It's such a tiny town! But the temple was beautiful!

After the temple, we drove up the road to Moab for lunch. We ate at this place that had the most amazing omelets I think I'll ever have. Who knew that salmon and avocado was a good combination? Trust me...it's delicious!
Then we hit Arches National Park for an afternoon of hiking to Double O Arch.

It was so nice to leave the great rains of Utah County to enjoy some sunshine! Don't worry, as soon as we came out of Spanish Fork Canyon, it was raining again. Shocking.

Best Yearbook Posts of 2011

2011-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today was yearbook day! It's easily the easiest, yet boringest (spell check says that is not a word...I submit that it is!) day of the year. I was just glancing through comments kids wrote in my yearbook. In addition to the classic comments like "Thanks for being my teacher!", here are a few of my favorites...

Eat your vegetables & fruit. They are good for you. --Will
You're the best! --Jaclyn Bieber (the girl really think she's married to Justin Bieber)
Sorry I'm loud! --Maddy
1 Nephi 2:15 --Jessica
Lacey, stay sexy. --Anonymous, but definitely a boy
Hope you love the underwear I made u. --Bailey (she sewed some "underwear" out of scraps the other day. They were too small for her, so she gave them to me...I don't know, either)
Lacey, Thanks for teaching next to me at school. "It was so out of control!" --Rachel (turns out I say "it was so out of control" a lot, and Rachel calls me out on it :)
Don't get hit by a bus. --Brandon
No man is worthy of you, Lacey. You're that good. --Jessica (She's the type that always kept tabs on my love life)

Love these kids! But I'm extra excited that there are only 8 hours and 15 minutes of school left!

So long, old friends

2011-05-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

As I write, my old sewing machines in my classroom are being taken away. The new ones will be installed later in the summer. For now, they continue to sit in their boxes in the storage room.

I asked the guys from Dave's Bernina in Provo what their plan was for these. They said they've already sold about half of them. HALF! They haven't even left my room yet!

That means there are still about half (20) of them left.

If you've been waiting to get a deal on a Bernina, you might want to give them a call! They told me they'd be about $499. I know that sounds like a lot, but it's a great deal for a Bernina. These go new for probably $800

They're pretty great machines. It's Bernina model 1008 if you want to do any research.

Or just ask me because they've been my constant companion for 5 years. I know them pretty well. :) They are mechanical, instead of the newer electronic models. But they're Berninas, which means they're pretty amazing! If they can handle junior high kids for years, they can handle anything! Dave's Bernina will fix them up and make them all nice and "new"...minus the occasional smiley face one of my angelic 8th graders carved into it with a pin.

Anyway, if you're interested. Give them a call. You can ask for Christopher...or Richard I suppose. You can tell them you heard they might still have some 1008 machines left from Timberline Middle School.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Dear Parents

2011-05-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

To my friends who are parents or may someday be parents:

School is important. Please make your children go. Just because they're tired in the morning doesn't mean they should be able to sleep in until noon. Their classmates and teachers are probably tired too, but they come. I can understand maybe once or twice a year, but it's going to be a problem when your child only comes to first period three times in an entire term. And if you do decide to let your child sleep in almost every day, please don't be surprised and shocked when your child gets a C-...that is probably a generous grade.

On a similar note, just because your child is getting an A doesn't mean they can stay home.

Also, maybe you can help me with something....if your child cheats (let's say, for example, they forge YOUR signature...four times), would you defend them? Would you go to the teacher and ask her to still give him credit for the assignment?

Just some thoughts.

Sincerely,

A teacher with 5 days of school left

(FYI, these aren't all from personal experience, but they've been discussed among co-workers. I could go on all day) :)

Teacher Show and Tell

2011-05-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

What makes a junior high sewing teacher happy?

How about two cute delivery guys bringing 38 brand new Bernina sewing machines to my classroom?

I wasn't even mad that they forgot one.

Or maybe it's this beautiful denim shirt that a student bedazzled and puff-painted for me.

Either way, it was a great way to finish off the last Monday of the 2010-2011 school year!

8 more days!

Single Digits

2011-05-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

9 days of school left!

For any of you who might be a teacher or know a teacher (which would be all of you), you know this is a pretty big deal.

Get excited!

I am!

A random day to remember

2011-05-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've never been known for my stellar memory. I was always the one who forgot everything 5 minutes after finishing a test.

That may or may not be because I was one of those procrastinator crammers when I was in school.

But every now and then, I remember some random fact, date, name, etc.

May 19th is one of those dates.

9 years ago today, I graduated from high school.

I can't remember most of my good friends' birthdays, but I can remember my high school graduation date?

What's my problem?

Why I remember that date, I have no clue. It was probably because I knew about it half way during my junior year. My friends Kate, Kara and I created a paper chain with several weeks left of our senior year and strung it down our high school hallway (Yes, hallway is singular. You should go to Drummond High School...it's a social experience you shouldn't miss. Add it to your bucket list). It never got ripped down because the rest of the seniors were excited for it, too. And the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were probably too scared to do it because we would shove them in a locker. And the teachers wouldn't rip it down because they were excited to see the class of 2002 out the door after dealing with us for 13 years of K-12.

I can't believe it's been 9 years. I'm getting old! But it's been a great 9 years!

Hawaii Day 7

2011-05-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

Friday

Aloha (the goodbye kind), Kauai!

Aloha (the hello kind), Oahu!

We woke up at 4am to catch our 6:30 am flight.
Sick.

We started out at Pearl Harbor.

We didn't do any tours and were only there for maybe 30 minutes. But it was a very somber place!

Then we went to a session at the Laie Temple. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!

We spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Okay, this is sideways, but these hats were sweet!

Natalie and Justin, I hope you see this. I took a picture of this guy just for you!

Mmm

These pina colada drinks were so good!

Just being crazy

We got a little wet when it started to rain (okay, we were soaked)
Before

After

We got leis. Real ones. They were BEAUTIFUL!

They had a show at the end (no pictures allowed), but there was a lot of fire throwing and attractive Polynesian men.

That night we stayed at a hotel in Honolulu. It wasn't quite as nice as our house on Kauai...okay, that's an understatement. I was scared to take off my flip-flops. :) But we were so tired and only there for a couple hours before we had to leave, so it was fine.

Hawaii Day 6

2011-05-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday

This was kind of a low-key day. And it was fantastic.

We started off the day at Tunnels Beach for a little snorkeling. When we got there, we were a little confused because we didn't see any tunnels. Then we got in the water. The tunnels are UNDER the water! So cool!

After a little time on the beach, we headed into Hanalei to spend a little time being tourists.

We had lunch at the Dolphin Restaurant. Fish tacos...mmm.

Then onto shave ice. It wasn't the best, but it was still tasty!

And just enjoying the beauty of the North Shore!

We crossed this bridge quite a few times. They have a lot of one lane bridges, so you have to take turns going across the bridge, 5-7 cars at a time.

That night, we had honey lime enchilladas at the house. They were so good!!

Then onto our final sunset at Hanalei Bay.

You might remember this post with our great jumping pictures.

A little yoga on the beach.

I wanted to cry when we left.

Mahalo, Kauai! It was AMAZING!

Now onto Oahu!

Hawaii Day 5

2011-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday

We started this day off with a little snorkeling back at Poipu beach. We stopped by a local shop and got some snorkeling gear.

So much fun!

Sea Turtle!

We even saw Gill from Finding Nemo. Don't you think they look the same?

My roommates and I got matching bracelets. Aren't we cute?

That afternoon/evening, we went on a catamaran up the Na Pali Coast

Incredible!

They pointed out a lot of places where movies have been filmed. I hadn't seen most of them, but a little clip of Indiana Jones was filmed along this ridge. And the upcoming Pirates movie (coming out THIS WEEK!) was also filmed here.

I've never seen anything so beautiful.

King Kong. Can you see the ape face in the rock?

"Hey did you see that [water] today? Talk about blue."

(bonus points to whomever catches the movie reference)

After going up the coast, we stopped while they fed us dinner.

I even tried poi--steamed taro root, pounded into a paste. It was nasty. But it was purple, so that was cool :)

On the way back, it got a little stormy. The waves started coming. With waves comes sea sickness. Luckily, none of us got too sick, but there were definitely a lot of sicklings on the boat! It was sick.

(Not real...but funny!)

Annie watching the sick people while Kelli tries not to get sick herself.

We stayed up top most of the time since the sickies were down below. As a result, we got a bit wet :)

If you're ever going to Kauai, I HIGHLY recommend a catamaran tour. Just make sure you take a little Dramamine before you go. :)

Hawaii Day 4

2011-05-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday

I have a new love. That new love is kayaking! On Tuesday we went kayaking up the Wailua River. It was so much fun! We were in double kayaks, so Kelli and I got to share.

We paddled up the river with our 18-year-old-stuck-in-a-30-year-old-body, Johnny.

He took us on a hike to an amazing waterfall. Along the way, Johnny showered us with fun facts about Kauai. Did you know that mango leaves smell like the mango fruit? I carried one around with me for a long time. mmm

We also got to walk through a lot of mud...

Eat flowers that taste like mushrooms (This was close to beating our helicopter ride as the coolest thing we did while we were there. It was so great!)

And play in the waterfall

Then we kayaked back down the river.

Of course we had to get our shave ice for the day.

For dinner, we made a BBQ chicken salad at the house and took it to Hanalei Bay to watch the sunset.

I'm pretty sure this was also the night we went into town to listen to a local band. The drummer worked at Ono Ono (shave ice place from the day before), and she invited us to come. They were playing at a little bar. I made a couple friends as we sat outside listening to them. Very entertaining. :)

Hawaii Day 3

2011-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Monday
Most of the island of Kauai is not accessible by your average transportation. We had to pull out the stops to see all we could. New favorite mode of transportation: Helicopter! This very well may have been my favorite part of our trip!

You can see Joleen in there getting buckled in by the man who flipped her off. Friendly guy. :)

Kelli, Jessica, Annie, and Marie were in the back.

Joleen and I were in the front.

The whole front was pretty much just a window, so we had a pretty stellar view!

This is called the Garden Island for a reason. Everything was so green and beautiful!

Mount Waialeale is the wettest place on earth. We never really saw the whole mountain because it was always covered in clouds. But we went right up to it on the helicopter!

Our pilot, Josh, did an excellent job of giving us an up close and personal tour.

After the helicopter, we went to Bubba's for lunch. Delicious hamburgers, fries, and onion rings....and lots of random signs.

Then we hit the beach! We went to Poipu Beach, which was named one of America's Best Beaches by The Travel Channel.

I couldn't believe how clear the water was there! It was beautiful!

We also made friends with this guy (okay, not really...but he did strike up a conversation with Jessica in the water). He was using a magnifying class and a welding mask to burn scriptures into wood.

On this day, we also started our quest to find the best shave ice on the island. We went to two places this day :)

Ono Ono ended up being my favorite!

Hawaii Day 2

2011-05-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Remember that time I wrote this post? Then remember that time that Blogger freaked out? And remember how it deleted that post? Yeah...super cool. So here it is again...with some additions and probably difference pictures.
Sunday

We stayed in a house on Kauai that is owned by a friend of Joleen. It was BEAUTIFUL!

In the back yard

The room Annie and I stayed in...it was beautiful!

Okay, so for some reason it won't let me rotate this, but I was in love with this mirror in our bathroom. It's a good thing it wouldn't fit in my suitcase, or I may have taken it!

When we woke up on Sunday, our mouths were gaping when we looked out the window. We were in paradise!!

We went to a little Branch for Sacrament Meeting. It was so fun. They really do say "Aloha!" when they get up to share their testimonies.

For the rest of the day, we drove around,

took naps,

took a walk down the golf course,

watched Calamity Jane (great movie...Marie "loved" it),

and watched the sunset at my new favorite place in the world...Hanalei Bay

Hawaii Day 1: Traveling

2011-05-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry if I've been keeping you up at night in anticipation of seeing pictures from Hawaii.

All 6 of us finally got together on Saturday to exchange pictures. There are a bagillion (approximately) pictures, so I've been trying to figure out how to narrow them down!

I think I'll be doing a post for each day of our trip.

Sound good?

Okay, here we go!

Here is what we left: Snow!

I've never been so excited to see snow. It made our trip to paradise that much better!

Here we are before we left, minus Kelli who met us at the airport.

Excitedly waiting for our final flight to Lahui...this after our flight from Salt Lake to LAX and LAX to Honolulu.

(Sidenote: I had Party In The USA in my head the whole time we were in LAX)

We were all jealous of this beautiful/festive outfit...complete with a bright moomoo, white leggings, and two (yes, two) beach hats. She also had a large kickboard with her (not pictured).

We made it to the airport in Kauai!

Do we look tired? It's probably because we were! This was after 12 hours of traveling and about 2:30am in Utah. And still an hour drive to our house ahead of us. Who cares! We're in Hawaii! Let the fun begin!

2011-05-06T23:21:00.001-07:00

Tonight I went on a quick run at 8:30.
8:30!
It was light enough to go on a run at 8:30!
Do you know what this means?
Summer is coming!
19 school days! :)

Teacher Appreciation Week

2011-05-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's Teacher Appreciation Week here at my school!

Background: Between classes, they play music in the halls. When the music stops, it means the students have one more minute to get to class.

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the PTSA let the teachers choose the music for the week, especially songs that were popular when we were in middle school.

You can't imagine the joy I felt this morning when I heard Bye, Bye, Bye blasting through my door. I wanted to get up and do the dance, but Rachel came in and beat me to it. :) Now Bye, Bye, Bye actually came out when I was in high school (as did Oops, I Did It Again, which I may have also requested but haven't heard yet), but I couldn't help but request it.

'N Sync brings joy to my soul as I face the grueling month of May.

What songs come to mind when YOU think of middle/junior high school?

2011-05-01T11:14:00.001-07:00

This is a little test. I'm sending this from my phone!

Anxiety

2011-04-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty easygoing person, but I have issues with anxiety. This didn't really start until about 1.5 years ago. Even during college and my first couple years of teaching, I didn't have a lot of anxiety. Stress? Yes. But not a lot of anxiety.

I first experienced it when I was given a couple new responsibilities at work. It was overwhelming, and the anxiety set-in. I would feel it every couple of months, but I would get past it after a day or two.

For the past month and a half or so, it's gotten worse. It comes more often and stays longer. I can usually pin-point the cause of it, but sometimes I feel anxious for no reason. For example--today.

Here's a little of what I'm feeling...
Emotional Symptoms:

Apprehension
Trouble concentrating
Irritability
Blank mind (that's pretty normal for me, though) :)

Physical Symptoms:

Pounding heart (This is the worst. It hurts.)
Can't breathe
Upset stomach
Dizziness
Muscle tension
Headaches
Really tired
Insomnia
Wanting to cry...and eventually following through :)

I'm sure some of you deal with this. What do you do to make it go away? (Besides going on vacation to Hawaii...I already tried that. I was care-free while I was there. It was only a temporary fix, and it returned the day after I got home)

Sneak Peek

2011-04-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

A lot of you have been asking for details on Hawaii. Well, you're going to have to keep waiting. :) I'm still waiting on pictures from a few others and haven't had much time to blog about it anyway! Until then, here's a sneak peek of some great pictures Kelli sent last night...

We were spelling "KAUAI"...the island we were on for most of the trip.

A wishful hobby

2011-04-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have a ton of hobbies. Remember this post?

But I have a secret desire to start a new hobby...

Cake decorating!

I love watching cake decorating shows and looking up designs online.

I saw this over at The Crafting Chicks today, and I loved it!

I don't even have a cool phone or device that allows me to play Angry Birds, but I sure do love playing it! I thought these cupcakes were so funny!

Anyway, I totally stink at it doing it myself (especially since I don't have any equipment), but it's so fun to me!

My only problem with wanting this to be a secret hobby is that I don't ever feel like I have an excuse to practice. I might just have to start delivering them to random people. Or maybe I can make it part of my Compassionate Service Leader calling. What girl in my ward WOULDN'T want an angry bird delivered to their house? :)

Until then, I make random birthday cakes.

I made this little guy a couple weeks ago. I had much greater hopes for it (on so many levels) :), but it was still fun.

If I had time this week, maybe I would make a Hawaiian cake (remember how I'm leaving in 4 days?)

Maybe this one? It's so cute! Check out the volcano on top!

New Life Goal

2011-04-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Over General Conference weekend, I was truly spiritually fed. I received a lot of personal revelation and answers to prayers.

But I also found a new life goal...a new mission in life.

What is it?

I'm going to get my picture into the conference edition of the Ensign!

I'm going to do it!

Just wait!

It may take my whole life, but I'm going to do it!

I think we actually came close yesterday. We saw the photographers walking around, and they were taking pictures of some kids right next to us. I should have just asked them to get one of us!

Until then, I guess I'll just settle for pictures taken with my crappy camera and post them on my slightly-less-than-Ensign-quality blog.

My sister Natalie and her husband were in town for conference weekend. Thanks to Mom and Dad for getting tickets for us!

I was so excited that my friend Amber was able to come with me last-minute!

Things that make teachers happy

2011-04-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

My life has been changed. My amazing co-worker, Rachel, came in with a great surprise this morning. It is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received.

What is it?

This!

Well, not this exact one, but it's a 10 key pad for my laptop!

I've only had it for about an hour, but it's changed my life.

5461897000000

See that? I just used the keypad to type in those numbers.

So great!

Entering student grades is probably at the top of my list of things I hate doing as a teacher (well, it's right under talking to angry parents), so maybe this will make me like it just a little more!

Thanks, Rachel!

It's coming!

2011-03-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

And when I say "IT", that can mean so many things!

--Hawaii (notice how my little ticker guy at the top of the page is almost on dry land!)

--My sister Natalie and her husband (they're coming here for the weekend!)

But the "IT" I was thinking of is GENERAL CONFERENCE! I love Conference. It makes me so happy! What an incredible way to rejuvenate.

I'm ready for it.

I NEED it.

4 more days!

Orlando!

2011-03-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

I just found out that I get to go to Orlando in October for a conference.

Orlando!

Do you know what else is in Orlando?

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I've been wanting to go!

Who wants to come with me?

(I'm serious!)

The conference is on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Which means I can play on Saturday (and probably nights of the other days as well)

Best Surprise EVER

2011-03-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was having a really hard time getting out of bed. I've been so tired, and other than the huge cramp I got in my calf at 4am, I had been sleeping quite well last night. I didn't want to get up quite yet and face the day!

When I finally got up, I noticed a few things that were a little "off".

The bathroom door wasn't propped open with the brick from Nauvoo (our door doesn't stay open unless you do.)
A lamp in the living room was still on.

I ignored it and continued stumbling into my bathroom where I saw a note that said something like,

"Shannon, I have a surprise for you on the couch. It's ME! I can't wait to play with you this weekend!"

I ran into the living room, and who did I see?

My sister, Cherilyn!

Oh my goodness!

I cried.

My voice was very high-pitched.

I was so surprised!

I have the best family ever! This week I've missed them so much. I've wished they all lived closer. The fact that David would let Cherilyn leave their 5 kids (one being sick) for a few days so she could come play with her little sister means so much to me!

I love you, Cherilyn!

iPad

2011-03-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've only told a couple people this, but I secretly (and not so secretly now) want an iPad.

I feel a little silly admitting it since I was so against them when they were first released. I just saw it as a glorified iPod touch. And yes, I still think that's what they are.

But I kind of want one.

I've been wanting a new computer for a few years now. My current laptop is about 7 years old. It takes about 30 minutes to turn on. Once it's on, it takes forever just to pull up a program. If you try to download something, you'll be there at least an hour (or in the case a couple weeks ago, it never came). If I accidentally unplug it, it turns off right away. It also makes sounds equivalent to that of a space shuttle taking off to the moon.

I'd love to go the route of a MacBook, but I feel like I can't justify such an expensive purchase.

What are my current uses of my computer?
-Blogging
-Facebook
-email
-random internet browsing/googling

That's really about it. Do I need a MacBook for that?

Or could I just get an iPad?

What are your thoughts? I could use some help here. I'm easily persuaded.

And let's be honest...I really want to play Angry Birds.

Guess what...

2011-03-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have the best friends and family.

Ever.

Just thought you should know that.

Thank you!

I love you all so much!

The Miracle of the Girl Scout Cookies

2011-03-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I bought some girl scout cookies from a student and the daughter of a co-worker.

I did this last year, too.

However, within a couple of days, they had suddenly vanished.

I can't help myself...they're delicious!

So the fact that it's been a couple weeks since I bought them, and I still have quite a few left...it's a miracle! I've even shared quite a few of them!

3 cheers for Samoas, Tagalongs, and Thin Mints!

Shredded

2011-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

In preparation of our great Hawaii trip, my roommates and I are doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred everyday until we leave.

We've only done it 2 days, and I tell you what....my calves already feel like they've been through a shredder! And oddly enough, I love it!

Why I love teaching in Utah

2011-03-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

I teach in a very unique place. 95% (or possibly more) of my students are LDS. It isn't uncommon that I hear a student comment start with something like, "Yesterday in Sunday School....".

I love it.

It cracks me up every time.

What did I hear today from half of my class?

"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent...."

Apparently they were seeing if they could recite all 13 articles of faith.

Such great kids.

And in the same class I heard all about a kid's probation officer.

I guess there's a little bit of diversity here.

Random thoughts for a Wednesday Morning

2011-03-09T06:26:00.000-08:00

One month until Hawaii!!!!

And this morning I drove to work without my lights!

And I'm approaching a 3 day weekend!

And I didn't have to make a lunch this morning because I have left-overs from Chili's!

***

Exclamation points all around!

He's how old?

2011-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

I have a 15 year old nephew!

This makes me feel so old!

Happy Birthday, Steven!

Good luck with the whole driving thing.

Joshua Radin

2011-03-03T08:23:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a concert of one of my favorites.

His name is Joshua Radin.

I'm in love with the man's voice.

I didn't actually take this picture, but this is pretty much what he looked like...with the addition of suspenders. And we definitely weren't this close.

We were more like this close...

(picture courtesy of my camera phone...great quality)

2011-03-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister, Kristy!!!

(This is the only picture I have of the two of us on this computer...aren't we cute?)

I'm pretty sure she only looks at my blog every 6 months or so, but that's okay! I want the whole world (or the 5 people who read this) to know that it's her birthday!!!

The hardest class ever

2011-02-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

I love when my students say my class hard.

It brings joy to my heart.

They all sign up thinking it will be an easy A and a party everyday.

Now don't get me wrong. We do have a party every single day in here. When my students come in and ask what we're doing in class (which is a really annoying question to hear multiple times a day, by the way), I tell them we're having a party. And if a student turns in everything, they will likely get an A.

Today I had a student say my class was the hardest class ever.

What are we doing today?

Cutting out pattern pieces.

Cutting out paper.

Life is rough when you're 14.

Student Quotes of the Day

2011-02-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since I've written down funny student quotes. My 9th graders were being so funny this morning. Here are a few of my favorites.

Student: Lacey, you'd make a great old lady.
Me: Wow, that might be the best compliment I've heard all day. Explain.
Student: Well you're nice, you tell good stories, and you're good at cutting fabric.

"Lacey, look at how big my button is. It's so obese!" (It was quite large...probably a 2" diameter...in case you were wondering)

We were listening to a Taylor Swift song and someone said, "I don't like Taylor Swift." This other girl literally dropped what she was doing (a rotary cutter, in fact...never good to drop a sharp blade when it's unlocked) and said with a shocked voice, "You don't like Taylor Swift? ARE YOU AMERICAN???"

Why I'm so happy today

2011-02-17T07:03:00.000-08:00

I might be the happiest person in the world this morning.

"Why are you so happy, Shannon?" you ask.

You might be thinking I'm happy because I have a job.

Or because I have a car.

Or because I got to go to the temple last night. And it was amazing.

Or because I managed to make it across the parking lot this morning without slipping on 1" of ice.

Or because ______________________ (insert your own imaginative thought here...or leave a comment. I'm curious to see how creative you can get).

Well, those things do make me happy.

But to top it all off....

I got my tax return!!!

Hooray!

What am I going to do with it?

Put it toward paying off my car.

In fact, I just might pay off the whole thing. Wouldn't that be fun??? :)

The good and bad of today

2011-02-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

The good:
On my way to work, my automatic headlights turned off. Know what that means? Well besides the fact that I left my house 20 minutes later than normal...it means that spring is coming, and it's getting lighter!!!

The bad:
My phone isn't working. When I turn it on, it shows a Verizon screen. Then I can't even turn it off. It just sits there...driving me crazy! So I haven't had a phone all day. That shouldn't drive me crazy, but it does! What if someone really important is trying to get ahold of me? What if I won a contest and no one can let me know? I'm going insane!

Thought for the day...

2011-02-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

The other day I was talking to someone whose identity will be kept confidential

(because I don't actually remember who I was talking to....a roommate, perhaps?)

about how sore the Biggest Loser contestants must be.

They workout all day, everyday!

And they never complain about being sore!

Do you think they edit that out of the show?

They must!

No wonder it looks like it's so hard for them to walk up to the scales each week.

2011-02-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

If you're reading this today

(Wednesday, February 9th),

look up.

Not straight up in the air.

(Did I trick you?)

No, look up at the countdown at the top of my blog.

2 MONTHS UNTIL HAWAII!!!

Puzzle Races

2011-02-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

We did the funnest thing last night. Annie's mom sent a few 300 piece Disney puzzles, so we (Annie, Joleen, our friend Blake, and I) decided to have an intense race to see who could complete one the fastest.

We drew straws (or markers) to determine the order of selecting the puzzles.

Results:

Annie: Lion King
Joleen: Mickey and Minnie with ice cream clouds...or something like that
Blake: The Jungle Book
Me: 101 Dalmatians...that's a lot of white and black!

The only place big and solid enough was our kitchen floor.

After about 5 minutes, Blake and I knew we stood no chance against Annie and Joleen. They are master puzzle-putter-together-ers.

So we combined forces and worked on one puzzle together.

And we still lost.

Miserably.

In fact, when Annie and Joleen finished their puzzles, they started the one I abandoned (all I had done was sort the border pieces). They almost finished that one plus their own in the time it took Blake and I to finish one.

So proud!

Oh, and did I mention that we listened to Disney music while doing this? So great!

At this point, it was late. We left them on the floor and enjoyed looking at them as we ate our bowls of cereal this morning.

2011-02-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNIE!!!

Did you know you share a birthday with Normal Rockwell? Get the puzzle back out of the box!

Say my name, say my name

2011-02-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

When I'm at school, I expect to be called Miss Lacey, and usually just "Lacey" by the super cool 9th graders. In fact, I usually don't think to respond when I hear "Shannon" at school.

But sometimes in the world out of school, people get confused and don't know the difference between my first and last name.

Everyone thinks my first name is Lacey.

I got a voicemail today that said, "Hi Lacey, this is...."

Every time I go to the chiropractor, I hear, "Okay, Lacey...come on back."

Sometimes I don't even notice, especially if I'm still in school mode.

Sometimes I don't even correct them.

It's a good thing I like my last name.

But I do kind of hope I marry a guy who has a classic last name that wouldn't be so confusing!

Growing it out...

2011-01-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

I'm in the middle of a brutal battle of growing out my hair. It's so hard! I'm so impatient and want it to grow faster!

Someday, my hair will look like this...

Or this...

This is, of course, after I hire a stylist to come fix it every morning.

(P.S. I didn't realize the girl in the 2nd picture is the the girl who plays Alice in the Twilight movies. She looks so different with long hair!)

Passions

2011-01-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

As I type, my roommates and Jared (Annie's brother) are talking about passion they have for things.

People have passion for things like music, their jobs, puzzles, sports, and hating the Yankees (that would be Joleen).

Something I've struggled with recently is the fact that I don't think I have a passion for much.

Some might think I'm passionate about my job because I spend a lot of time with it. Not completely. I do love my students. Not much can make me happier than having a kid say my class is his favorite or to see a student succeed in my class when she isn't doing well in other classes. At my conferences, I hear FACS teachers talk about how passionate they are about FACS programs. I actually don't know that I'm completely passionate about my program. I could probably teach anything and still feel the same way about my students.

I do love friends. Can friendship be a passion? I'm a pretty crappy friend, though. :) You've all been the victim of me not visiting or calling for months/years. But I love you. A lot.

Other than that, I can't think of much...though Jared pointed out that I'm pretty passionate about Harry Potter. Might be true.

Oh yes...this picture brings me joy.

Is it too late to develop passion for something?

Am I really passionate about something that I just don't see? If so, will you tell me?

I kind of feel like a dud.

Like I have no hobbies.

Or no interests.

Realization is hitting that I'm a loser! :)

Any suggestions for me?

What are your passions?

Just need to vent...

2011-01-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

It's 5:45 pm.

The last student JUST left.

At one point between now and the time school got out, there were 32 kids in here finishing projects.

Can you tell the end of term is TOMORROW!

Procrastination stinks.

Don't do it.

I just went to the bathroom for the first time since 6:00 am.

(I bet you really wanted to know that, but the fact that I haven't had time to go in almost 12 hours is saying something...and it points out the fact that I haven't had any water today.)

You might be saying to yourself, "It's a good thing Shannon has a 3 day weekend to gain control of herself."

Then Shannon reminds you that she has a conference tomorrow night, starting right after school. Plus it's all day Saturday.

Did I mention that tomorrow is the end of the term?

That means grades are due before I leave for my conference tomorrow.

Plus what do I teach the new 238 students I get next week?

Who knows.

One day at a time.

Back to calculating student data that shows that I was an ineffective teacher this past semester.

Jimmered

2011-01-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

I want to name my first-born son Jimmer.

Why?

Is it because Jimmer Fredette scored 47 points against Utah last night?

Is it because he's the leading scorer in the nation?

Is it because he can hit half-court shots without a problem?

Well those are all great, but I'd love to name my first-born son Jimmer so I can say,

"You got Jimmered"

whenever he does something awesome.

I was reading the article about the BYU vs Utah game in the paper today and saw the title Utes get Jimmered.

That's awesome.

Jimmer is awesome.

To those who like to create

2011-01-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just found a new blog to love at All Things Thrifty.

For those of you who like to create and refinish on a tight budget, you might just love this.

I now have a desire to go home and reupholster my couch that has a terrible cover over it. Maybe it will have to wait until summer. I wish I had a garage or yard to work on projects! I wouldn't mind making one of these.

Isla's Blessing Dress

2011-01-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

I know I already posted pictures from Isla's blessing, but I thought I'd finally post more pictures of the dress I made for her.

Weekend Purchase

2011-01-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Look what I bought at IKEA on Saturday!

Oh, isn't it beautiful? I wish I had a before picture of the make-shift bookcase/shelf/mess I had before.

I am so happy every time I walk in my room!

I also went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple while we were in the IKEA neighborhood. It's so pretty!

(This is my attempt at getting a picture with both Annie AND the temple in the background without the help of a camera timer or another human)

Music and the Spoken Word

2011-01-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I went with Annie and Joleen to Music and the Spoken Word at the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

I've never been to MATSW (way easier to type), and it was my first time in the tabernacle since they renovated it.

Oh my goodness, it was so great!

We got there in time to hear the choir do a run-through.

(We also sat down with enough time to be able to move up to the balcony because the man behind us was stinky...but that's a whole other creepy story)

We were allowed to take pictures before it started.

The music was so good! They even sang Somewhere Out There...which apparently I used to sing before I could really talk. My family always calls me whenever they hear that song. Especially when they saw this on America's Got Talent.

The spoken word wasn't too bad either. Lloyd was in great voice this morning.

I plan on going back again. There are advantages to having a later church time! We were back with plenty of time. If anyone ever wants to go, let me know! I will go with you!

Student Quote of the Day

2011-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since my students have said anything blog-worthy.

Is it a coincidence that I haven't blogged in a long time?

Does that mean I only blog about students and life at school?

Yep...pretty much!

So today in my CTE Intro class (7th graders), we were cooking.

Here's the great conversation that took place...

Student: Miss Lacey, I don't think I should cook.

Me: Why not?

Student: Because I have dandruff.

Perhaps I'll invest in some hair nets!

Dear Rachel,

2011-01-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

This blog post is dedicated to you.

Sincerely,

Shannon

Thanksgiving and Isla's Blessing

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I got to spend Thanksgiving in Seattle with some of my family...Mom, Dad, Tammy and her family, Natalie and Justin, and Brent and Allison came later. It was so great! There was lots of food and games, and I loved it all! Tammy was so nice to let all of us come take over her house. Other than my flight being really delayed...and driving back to Pleasant Grove in snowy roads...and arriving home at 2:30 am...and getting 2 1/2 hours of sleep that night...it was pretty perfect!

I finally got to meet my new niece, Isla. Holy moly...what a cute baby! She was blessed on Sunday, and Brent and Allison had asked me to make a dress for her. It was so fun to make it!

What a cute family! It was so fun seeing Brent with her. This little girl is very loved!

Oh I wish I could have taken her home with me. Look at that face! And the dress was a little big on that cute, tiny body, but it worked out pretty great! Earlier she had on these bright pink shoes. It was adorable.

I am obviously already the favorite aunt...can't you see it on her face? :)

Two Years Ago...

2010-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been two years since I went through the temple!

Portland Temple

Such a special day. What an incredible experience to be there together with my parents, all six of my brothers and sisters, three of my in-laws, Grandma Lacey, Aunt Mary Lou.

I am so grateful for my eternal family!

I love you so much!!!

This also means that Brent and Allison have been married for two years!

(They were married the following day).

Look what two years has brought...

I love this cute, little thing

And I've never even met her!

3 weeks, Isla! I get to see you in 3 weeks! I can't wait!

Coat Update

2010-11-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Remember that super cute coat I ordered from Old Navy? If you don't remember, scroll down...it was only two posts ago.

Well it came yesterday!

I was so excited!

And it's so cute!

Here's the problem....

I can't really lift up my arms in it.

It fits everywhere else, but it's tight through the arms and shoulders. I was at Old Navy the other day and tried on the next size up (different color), but it was way too big.

So what's a girl to do?

A. Buy a bigger coat

B. Not get the coat

C. Just pray I don't have to give anyone a hug, drive, or do anything else that requires me to lift up my arms and suffer through it because it's cute.

Decisions. Decisions.

I'm Shannon Lacey, and I approve this message (That's for you, Michelle.)

I knew it...

2010-11-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

The other day someone was telling me that he was going to be so excited to have the elections done so he wouldn't have to see the signs or hear about it on the news. I responded with, "You know they'll talk about the results on Wednesday, and Thursday will start the talk of the 2012 presidential election."

Here's what I found on the MSN homepage today...

I just can't wait to hear about this for the next two years (insert heavy sarcasm)

It's Payday!

2010-10-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

I got paid today. So what did I do?

I ordered this beauty!

Isn't it cute?

I wanted one in every color, but this one is my favorite.

I can't wait for 5-7 business days from now when it arrives!

I love Halloween!

2010-10-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I love all the dressing up that comes with Halloween. I know it's not for two days, but today is dress-up day at school. I've already seen some great things. One of my favorites was a kid dressed up like "facebook". He had a big poster board that had a giant printout of a facebook page. Then he cut out a hole for his head to go where the profile picture goes. It was so funny!

Another favorite may be Rachel's costume (Rachel that I work with). She dressed up like string cheese. It's so funny! I'll have to take pictures today and post them. It's so fun walking through the halls and seeing what people come up with. There have already been a lot of dress code violations this morning. One of my students is wearing a full-body, skin-tight leotard, and is an 80s aerobics instructor. On the same lines, my T.A. dressed up in an Avatar costume. It's just a tight, blue leotard. Oh the things these kids do.

I love it, though. It's fun to see their personalities come out more.

What did I do this year? I went back to my Statue of Liberty costume.

"Who Knew?"--Fears Edition

2010-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very consistent with this, but I'm continuing my quest to let you into my mind and sharing things you may or may not know about me. The topic this time: FEARS

I'm a pretty laid-back person, but I'm human, and I have fears.

My "silly" greatest fear (though there's nothing silly about it): When it's dark outside and the blinds on my windows are open.

I'm always scared that I will turn around and someone will be staring at me. It's a lot better now that I live on the 3rd floor. When I lived on the ground floor or where there was a walkway outside my window, I always had to have the blinds closed as soon as it got dark!

Story Time...

Once when I was in high school, I was sleeping and woke up to something outside my window. I was so scared to look out my window because it was dark outside! I lived in the middle of nowhere, so the chances of a person standing there were not likely, but a freaky thought. I thought it was just the wind. I finally got up the courage to look out the window. I peaked behind the curtain. At first I didn't see it, but suddenly I saw movement and saw a big, black bull staring at me! You better believe I ran upstairs to my mommy :) Dad was out of town, so Mom and I went out and found where the bull was supposed to go and put it away. But it was so terrifying to have something outside my window!

My "serious" greatest fear: That I won't ever get married and have kids.

I know people say, "Come on Shannon, of course you will get married!" You can say that all you want, but it's still going to be a fear!

What I just re-listened to...

2010-10-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, you know me all too well...

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives."

Spring Break Plans...

2010-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hawaii, here I come!

My roommates, along with a couple friends from the ward, are going to Kauai for Spring Break.

I know it's 6 months away, but a girl can get excited, right?

I can't even tell you how excited I am!

We will be staying here.

Any suggestions on a good place to go to get a countdown for my blog?

I made it!

2010-10-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Fall Break,

Thank you for coming. I've needed you very much.

Sincerely,

Shannon

I'm going to be a presenter...and I'm kind of nervous!

2010-10-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

I may have just done something really scary...

I just agreed to present at a national conference.

Scary!

The National Conference for the

Association for Career and Technical Education

is in Las Vegas this year.

Since it's so close, I decided to go!

(Plus, I get to see my cute niece and nephew!)

Then I made the mistake of telling someone that I was going. She asked if I would be interested in presenting.

I've never said the word "NO" so fast.

Then suddenly she was convincing me that it would be easy and not so scary.

Why can't I tell people "no"?

The good and bad of being sick for 5 days...

2010-09-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Good:
-I've lost 8 pounds since Friday. A friend pointed out a quote from The Devil Wears Prada..."I'm only one stomach flu away from my goal weight."
-Maybe being sick changed my hair color. I've had so many students ask me today if I colored my hair. It does look a little more red today.
-All of my sisters and my mom called me within a 24 hour window. I love my family.
-My roommates were really nice to me. They went to the store for me, and Annie drove me to to my school on Sunday night to get sub plans ready.
-A lot of people brought stuff to me and called/texted me to see how I was doing. I feel loved
-I got to watch a lot of Lost.
-I read a lot.
-I got to sleep a lot. I like to sleep.
-I'm on a 3 day work week right now.

Bad:
-I don't like going to the doctor. I don't really have a primary physician. I went to the instacare...what a joy.
-I don't like feeling awful. Especially when I have no control.
-I hate writing sub plans. I'd rather go to school sick than write them (hence the reason I'm here today)
-I missed out on so many great things...Annie's talk at church, mix & mingle, movie night, FHE, etc.
-There are some other details that I sure won't tell you on here. :)
-Not knowing what's wrong with you. The lab results are supposed to be in tomorrow...so we'll see! They said it's not the flu, so I'm not contagious or anything.
-I got tired of sugary things...mainly Gatorade/Powerade and things like applesauce. I know it's important to keep yourself hydrated, but I can only handle so much sugar! It was heaven when my roommates brought home chicken broth and saltines. Mmm!

Thanks to everyone who has been so nice to me...especially my roommates who have been putting up with me. You're really nice!!! I don't ever want you guys to get sick, but I hope I can take as good care of you as you did to me!

Who Knew?" --French Dip Edition

2010-09-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Remember long ago when I said I was going to start sharing random stuff about me once a week?

Well I obviously didn't remember! Plus school started, and I just don't remember anything when school starts!

So here is your "Who Knew?" for the day...

I love french dip sandwiches!

This looks so good!

I could eat one every single day.

When anyone asks where I want to eat, I often suggest Arby's because I know they have delicious french dip sandwiches.

mmm

Maybe I'll get one on my way home from work today.

I'm an auntie...for the 16th time!

2010-09-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, so she took a little longer than planned, but...

Isla Jean Lacey

Born September 14, 2010

at 4:08am

7 lbs, 11 oz

20.5 inches

They were planning on her coming on Monday (the 13th), but she decided to take her time.

Brent says she's already grounded for making them wait for her.

Congratulations, Brent and Allison! I'm so excited for you guys!!!

Here she comes!

2010-09-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a new niece today!

Brent and Allison headed to the hospital last night to start the inducement process.

I can't wait to meet you,
Baby Isla!

She is already a blessing in my life...she's the only excitement I have for this Monday.

Junior High Joke of the Day!

2010-09-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

Did you hear about the silkworms that were in a race?

It ended in a tie.

Get it?

Last week in class, we were talking about fibers...including the process of making silk from silkworms.

I was so proud of my students who came in this morning and told me this joke.

Happy Birthday to me...a month ago

2010-09-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

That is the happy, puffy-eyed face of a girl who just got out of bed on birthday morning! :)

Other than not having power all morning at our house, it was a great day!

It all started off with me being spoiled with presents from my roommates.

And my mom...that hilarious lady called Annie and had her go get one of these for me...

My very own Jacob Black doll!

My wildest wishes have come true!

(Can't you see it on my face?)

Next we went to J-Dawgs in Provo. My roommates made me wear that awesome headband. Hey, it got me extra pickles on my dog!

(with Annie and Erin)

Cheryl and Rob know how to handle it

Joleen's sister was in town that weekend. They blew up an entire bag of balloons!

It was amazing!

We had a fun ward activity that afternoon.

Then we had a party.

26 people came to my 26th birthday party.

How cool is that???

I don't have a picture of everyone, but some of my favorite people in the world were there!

Including (but not limited to)

Joleen (roommate) and Cheryl (former roommate)

and Kristen (former roommate), Amy (didn't want to turn around for the picture), and Carie (BFF)

Thanks to everyone who made it such a fun day! Especially my amazing roommates! They know how much I love birthdays, and they didn't let me down at all! :)