Yay Me!

Update

2009-10-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

I am officially horrible at this. Everytime I look at one of my friends' blogs I get that small sinking feeling of guilt at how long it has been since I've posted anything. It's not that nothing has happened... in fact, my life has been crazybusy pretty much since I've written last. I guess it's better that I'm living my life instead of blogging all the time... but here is an update for those who are still hanging in there with me...

SCHOOL/WORK
Teaching 6th grade
LOVE my class
Tired all the time
Loving the paycheck
Hating the correcting/grading
Learning something new every day

CHURCH
Still choir director
Still learning to love being choir director...
Activities Committe Secretary
Missing Alyssa at BYU
Loving the ward

OTHER
Excited for fall
Not excited for the cold
Falling in love with the TV show Glee
Also in love with the soundtrack from Glee
Newfound love for the TV show The Office
Tired all the time (still)
Learning to get used to that :)

Happiest Place on Earth

2009-07-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

This post is really late, but I wanted to make sure that I put a few pictures on here from our semi-annual trip to Laguna Beach, California. This year everyone on my dad's side was able to come, so there were over 30 of us! It was so much fun... I wanted to post all my pictures, but I took probably 200, and I'm pretty sure that would bore everyone :)

Our family took up the entire floor of our hotel!

Our family - Josh, me, Jacob, Dad, Mom, Ben, Lauren, Alyssa

The boys showing off their cute (white) legs.

Part of our sandcastle that we make every year... complete with hot tub.

We got almost every adult and plenty of the grandchildren in the ocean at one time. Even grandpa got in for a while!

Aaron, Cooper and Josh on the beach.

Jacob pretending that he's on Pride Rock during our walk to the Tide Pools.

The family at the Jack Wyland Gallery

Josh, Cooper, Will, Karaline, me, Lauren, Alyssa, Ben, Jacob, Samantha, and Emma. I may be the oldest in this group, but I'm definitely not the tallest. :)

Emma with her collection of sea shells.

The beautiful ocean. Sigh.

Some of the cousins at the hot tub.

Sisters forever. Dang, we're cute.

We wanna go back! Laguna is definitely the happiest place on earth for the Andrus family.

FINALLY!!!

2009-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I have been looking for a teaching job for a couple months now. As I went through college, my professors all said, "don't worry-- you'll definitely have a job by the time you graduate."

Uh, wrong.

My casual job search quickly turned into a panic as I looked and looked for jobs and found out that not only were many districts not hiring, but some were even letting teachers go. I checked the postings daily (or more), traveled to at least 15 schools to try to get my foot in the door, and ended up going through 7 interviews.

And now...

I HAVE A JOB!!!

Yesterday I got a surprise phone call from a principal who had interviewed me about a month ago. She ended up having a position suddenly open up, and remembered how fabulous I was. (Well, who could forget???) She offered me the job, and after a hectic couple of hours trying to figure out my life, I said YES!

I am going to be at Oak Hollow Elementary teaching... 6th grade. I know.

I am so excited to be over the interviewing process, and I'm hoping that the stress of starting my career won't happen for a couple weeks, so I can just enjoy this for a while. :)

The Countdown Continues...

2009-04-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Only 11 days until graduation! Yay me!

Positive Thoughts

2009-03-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm getting to that point in my life where I have to make a lot of scary decisions. I find myself overwhelmed and stressed at times... ok, a lot. So I decided to write a post of things that are going well in my life and that make me happy. So without further adieu...

Things I am thankful for/happy about... (in no particular order)

- chapstick
- only having 27 more days of student teaching left
- only having 35 more days until graduation!
- David Archuleta
- California
- my ipod
- not living in Logan
- getting to sing in the Saturday afternoon session of general conference next week!
- my family
- Costa Vida
- flip flops
- free rent/food (thanks, mom and dad!)
- getting to go to Atlanta for my graduation present
- the beach... in California
- warm weather
- my car
- slippers
- YouTube
- graduating from college (uh, did I already mention that?)
- American Idol
- America's Next Top Model
- roller coasters
- when 1st graders tell me what they REALLY think about something
- blogs
- DVD's
- getting my bachelor's degree (seriously, I'm wearing my graduation cap right now)
- the color green
- the Sandy Library
- movie soundtracks
- my digital camera
- my queen-size bed
- the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!

I could probably think of other things, but this post has gone on long enough, don't you think?

Happy March!

2009-03-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

I love how I decide to start a blog at the beginning of the busiest semester I've ever had. I apologize for how bad I am at this. If you are still checking this blog to see if I've done anything, good for you.

Well, it's March. YAY! Today was so warm and lovely... by the end of the winter I am SO depressed because of the cold and the lack of sun. Hopefully spring will be here to stay. I would so much rather see this...

than this.

Things You Can Learn from a 10-Year-Old

2009-02-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

So my first block of student teaching is done, and my second one has started. A couple weeks ago, I said goodbye to my fourth graders. I had mixed feelings about leaving them - on the one hand, it's nice to move on to something new. On the other hand, first grade is SO different! As I tried to figure out how to sum up my fourth grade experience, I decided to make a list of things that I learned from hanging around with 10-year-olds for two months.

1. 4th grade boys still have cooties.

2. Nothing is worse than having to stay inside for recess to finish your math homework that you didn't do the night before. Seriously, it would be so much more fun to go outside in the -20 degree weather and watch your hands turn into little icicles.

3. Sometimes, you just forget to bring your backpack to school.

4. Or your shoes. No big deal.

5. Hanging out in the hall is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

6. Hanging out in the lunchroom is not.

7. It's hard to understand why teachers get mad when you ask if you can go to the bathroom and then stay in there for 25 minutes so that you accidently miss the spelling test.

8. "Miss Andrus Ball" is the absolute funnest thing to do for P.E. time.

9. It doesn't get any better than taking the colored paper from the classroom and folding it into... stuff.

10. It would be better to die than to have to hold a girl's hand for the dance concert!

11. "Shrimp Poppers" taste a lot better than they sound.

12. So do "Chicken Pieces".

13. There is nothing wrong with spending all of the classroom money that you have earned for the entire year at once... on Silly Putty.

14. Sitting in the bean bag chair during silent reading is by far the coolest thing you get to do at school.

15. Learning how to do long division is probably the worst torture that you could give a kid.

Did I mention I'm tired?

2009-01-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am so incredibly bad at this. It's been over a month since I've done anything on my blog-- but in my defense, it has been an amazingly BUSY month! I started my student teaching at the beginning of January and since then my life has been about school, lesson plans, kids, lesson plans, supervisor visits, lesson plans, and, uh... that's about it.

Oh, yeah-- Alyssa and I have really gotten into our new singles' ward this semester as well. We both got callings our first official Sunday there. I am the Activities Committee Secretary. No, that doesn't mean that I take notes at the activities. :) To be honest, I'm not really sure what it means yet. So far I just have to support the chairpeople (chairpersons???) by going to all the activities. I never realized how many there were! This week I will have spent 5 out of 7 days at the institute building. It's fun, but I am so BUSY! (and tired)

So yeah. School and church. That's about it. I love it, but did I mention I'm tired???

World War III

2008-12-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

On Christmas night, our family decided to celebrate peace on earth and joy to the world by having a nerf gun war with the new guns the boys got. It was a long, hard-fought battle, and I came out of it with a few bruises! The funniest part was that Dad was napping on the couch the whole time, and didn't even wake up when we would (accidently) hit him with the bullets. :)

"Come out with your hands up..."

"Ahhh!"

"Even though I have small guns and am short, you should fear me!"

"Go ahead... make my day."

4 years of college and all I got was...

2008-12-12T10:12:00.000-08:00

Even though I haven't officially graduated yet, I am now done living in Logan. As I have been looking back at my almost 4 years living in Cache Valley, I have learned a few things. Anyone who has been to college will probably relate to some of these, and those who have gone to Utah State will probably appreciate them even more. So here is a list of a few things I have learned over the past few years...

1. Never park in a parking lot unless you have a parking pass. Don't do it even for ten minutes. You will get booted.

2. The Aggie Shuttle is totally worth the $11 fee you pay with your tuition every semester.

3. When you are a poor college student, you will do just about anything to earn money. No matter how much you hate your job, you will keep going because you are so incredibly poor.

4. Earplugs are the best thing ever invented.

5. Space heaters are the other best thing ever invented.

6. When you go boating with your friends, keep putting sunscreen on. Even if you think you don't need it... you do. Keep layering it until you are so greasy that you slip on the boat. If you don't, you and your roommates will have a very long, hot, painful night.

7. Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. Or full.

8. If you are bored and have no money, don't take a ride in the dryers in the laundry room.

9. If you do take a ride in the dryers, take a video of it on your cell phone. You'll want to document this moment somehow.

10. Utah State basketball games are the funnest thing to do in Logan.

11. Don't take "Living With Wildlife" as your depth science class. They'll make you get a hunting license, even if you say you are morally opposed to guns.

12. Never go to the Logan Wal-Mart on a Saturday. Those people are scary/crazy.

13. When you need a girl moment, watch all the Anne of Green Gables DVDs with your roommates. But only the Gilbert parts. :)

14. Never date boys who live in F-4.

15. If it is 11:30 at night in the winter and the doorbell rings, don't answer it. Your living room will be pelted with snowballs.

16. Hot fudge parties are the best. Even if you don't have ice cream to put the hot fudge on, don't worry. You have a spoon.

17. 7:30 a.m. classes should be illegal.

18. If you smell something nonhuman coming from your roommate's bedroom, it might be a rat. That she keeps as a pet. Without you knowing for an entire semester. That you find out has been sleeping in the next room the DAY SHE MOVES OUT and puts the cage next to you as you are eating your lunch. Ew.

19. Don't put hamburger patties in the oven when it's on broil. They will catch on fire. Every stinking time.

20. No matter how cold you think you are, it can always get worse.

If you made it through this list all the way, kudos to you. :)

Student Teaching Placement!!!

2008-12-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

Yay! I finally found out where I am going to be student teaching next semester!!! I have been waiting for so long. I was supposed to find out last Monday, but they didn't know where I was going yet. So after a long week of nightmares and waking up in cold sweats, (ok, it wasn't THAT bad) I FINALLY know where I'm going! I will be a Bella Vista Elementary Tiger. The first half of the semester I will be in the 4th grade, then the second half will be in 1st. I'm so excited to finally have a plan for next semester!

My First Post! (I know...this is big.)

2008-12-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

For those who know me pretty well, I am NOT a technology buff. In fact, I had never even emailed anyone before I went to college. Since I just got a digital camera a little while ago, I decided to finally learn how to do this and spill my innermost feelings. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my little posts. I can't promise that they will be interesting, funny, or enlightening, but hopefully you'll be entertained in some way. Yay me!