Learning to Breathe

School started this week. I'm not complaining because I had the best summer of my life. But, I quickly realized a few things as I have gone back to the daily grind.

I realized how much I miss Geneva. I miss my friends. I miss second graders. I miss working for my principal. I miss being trusted with my own classroom. A few tears have been shed and my darling husband has been so nice to just listen to me whine.

I have realized that first graders and second graders are a world apart. I love the little ones, but I was in for a shock that first day. To their credit I think I only had 3 kids cry. (After what their parents told me, I was planning on many more!) I have never met kids that are not phased by anything. I have a group of really cute kids that want to learn and want to please, and then I have this group of boys that is going to be the death of me. NOTHING PHASES THEM! They laugh when I discipline them. When I ask them to walk with "quiet feet" they stomp. Completely defiant, and they try to argue with me. If I say it's white, they say it's black. We had to have the "I'm the teacher, I went to college" talk today. I don't think it made a dent. On the positive note, I didn't cry today like I did the first day!

I am working at the after school program a few days a week. So far I have actually looked forward to going. It's fun to meet the older kids, to just hang out with the students and unwind. I figured since Tay was going to be in class till 10 I'd better keep myself occupied.

I don't mean to sound negative. I love my job. I really do. All the hugs, the drawings the kids make for me, the smiles, make up for all these rough moments. I wouldn't trade what I do for anything. It has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I love working with disadvantaged kids, because the rewards are that much greater. It's going to be a long first week, but I'm going to make it. I'll be darned if these kids are the end of me. I'll show em!

P.S. Thanks to all who have called and texted with your support. Your love means the world.

Random Musings

So lately I have been thinking. Bear with me and my random thoughts:

-It is HECKA hot here. We are talking 100+ with humidity to top it all off. We have gotten used to being sweaty. When we work out I am literally SOAKING! But it kinda makes me feel like I worked harder than I really did!

-Our neighbors above us are the HEAVIEST WALKERS EVER! It honestly sounds like they weigh 600 pounds and have bricks strapped onto their feet! Either that or they just like to stomp around just to bug us.

-I am slowly coming into this whole "wife" thing. I love to cook, but am constantly complaining about how it takes an hour to cook dinner, 15 minutes to eat, and then 30 minutes to clean up. I have been enjoying trying new reciepies. We have had Ranch Pork Roast, Cafe Rio (homemade!), Honey Chicken Drumsticks, Tortilla Soup, and other fun things.

-It's funny how we divide up the "home" tasks. We never really talked about it but Taylor does the laundry and takes out the trash. I cook dinner (not all the time). We both share on all the other household duties. I consider myself SO lucky to have a husband that will do the laundry (and is willing to pull out all my laundry that doesn't get dried).

-Poor Taylor is starting to get bored. He doesn't start school for another two weeks. He has really taken to my church history books. And there is always the X-box to keep him entertained. He's always relieved when I come home from work cause he doesn't have to entertain himself anymore!

-I have been working like crazy in my classroom and feeling like a first year teacher all over again. I guess I got so comfortable at my old school, and I am getting frustrated with myself because I can't "read" my principal. After a minor scare that I may have to move schools and possibly grades because of enrollment, I have been able to breathe and focus. I love my job, but sometimes I wonder WHY anyone would want to do this. Like today, when I had to sit through my THIRD new teacher training. Gotta love it.

-I visited an experienced teacher's classroom where everything was already set up, and the room looked very homey. I realized that my classroom is not ready, I'm not ready either. It also reminded me that I have no idea what the next few years is going to bring. I'm a planner. This doesn't sit well with me. I take a deep breath. Remember that it will all work out, and thank the Lord that I have Taylor.

-Being at school has made me miss my Geneva friends. I have a great partner teacher, a wonderful mentor, but I miss my good ole' Geneva. Thanks Jenni for calling me with all the "updates!"

-I want to take pictures of our cute apartment, but as soon as I clean, it seems to be messy. Not messy, but I'm kinda a freak and I don't want to post pictures if they are not perfect. So look for pictures to come. We are constantly amazed by how much laundry, dishes and trash we have. And there is only two of us!

One Month

We can't believe it's been a whole month! What a fun month it has been. I can't remember another in my whole life that was happier, crazier, and more enjoyable. To celebrate we went to eat at Olive Garden (thanks Gma and Gpa!), got ice cream, and rented a movie. It was a perfect evening. One month down, eternity left to enjoy!

Moving to Kansas

This is the only picture we have from moving. Somewhere in the middle of Wyoming. I had to stop and get a 50 cent ice cream cone!
Yes, it's true, we made it to Kansas. After visiting my parents for a few days we loaded up the truck and made the two day drive to Wichita. We couldn't have done it without my dad and my little brother. First of all, my dad is a MASTER PACKER. I knew we couldn't fit everything in the truck without his help. He made us pull everything out first so we could inventory what we had to pack. Then a few hours later the truck was ready to roll.

We drove through Wyoming, which is gorgeous, but we decided we didn't want to live there. Then we drove through Colorado, stopped to sleep in Limon, and woke up early the next day. Upon hearing that Kansas was compltely flat, Taylor was beyond excited when we saw rolling hills. I heard numerous times, "Look there are hills!" That day we had a special mission: Atwood, Kansas. About an hour out of our way we went to pick up this guy:


Meet Duke. He is a rare Fox Red Lab. He's kind of a strawberry blonde color. We then proceeded on our journey, not really knowing how it was going to work having a puppy in a hotel.

We got to Wichita and were greeted by 50 mph winds and a great thunder and lighting storm. I was slightly nervous about this grand entrance. Wednesday morning Tay and I woke up at 6am to go apartment hunting and had signed a contract by 10:30am that day. As we drove around we saw these yellow ones that looked kinda worn down, and we just passed them by. The second time around I may Taylor stop and look at them. Although they are not the cutest from the outside, we walked in and fell in love. Huge living room, dining room, kitchen. two bedrooms, two full size bathrooms, and.....the clincher....our own washer and dryer! We signed immediatley and were moved in by the next day.

We have done alot in the week we have been here. Here's a brief recap:

• Looked around Wichita State a few times. I snuck frozen yogurt into the computer lab!
  
• Worked in my classroom. I thought my old school was in the ghetto. Was I ever wrong. Let's just say I heard that the staff was very excited to get air conditioning last year. (WHAT?)
  
• Put together our apartment. (Picture tour coming soon!)
  
• Went to our new ward. Trying to remember everyone's name.
  
• Got a Sam's Club membership (Dang. No Costco)
• Looked at all the gorgeous homes near where we live.
  
• Went bargin hunting at thrift stores.
  
• Ate at Jason's Deli (Thanks Leslee and Sean!)
  
• Bought a used X-Box. To keep Taylor entertained for the next month before school starts.
  
• Worked out at the fitness center at our complex.
• Enjoyed (kinda) the most intense thunder and lightening storm ever.
  
• Getting invited over to dinner by someone in our ward (yeah! we will have friends!)
  
• Witnessing a near fire at the pizza place on date night.
  
• Figuring out where the RedBox is. (That's a must).
  
• Enjoying the ridiculously low gas prices!
  

So far we have been impressed by Wichita. We are excited to explore our new town, make new friends, start school and work, and just settle into our routine!

The Honeymoon

Our honeymoon was fantastic. We really were on vacation for two weeks (on account of visiting both of our families). We put 2,000 miles on my car, stayed at 5 different places, and ate out more than anyone should in a year. Here's a brief recap of what went down.

Sunday: Woke up and drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Paris hotel which was amazing, but we both realized that we don't really like Vegas. It's crowded, dirty, hot, and you have to walk through about a billion clouds of smoke just to get anywhere. We did ride up to the top of the Eifel Tower (at the hotel) which was fun. We ate a delicious meal at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Needless to say the next morning we were kinda looking forward to saying goodbye to Sin City.

The top of the Eiffel Tower

Monday: We drove to Costa Mesa, California where we stayed for 3 days. We stayed at the Marriott, which is always a good choice. Upon learning that it was our honeymoon they brought us sparkling cider and strawberries. That night we drove down to Laguna Beach, walked around the beach, ate some dinner, and just enjoyed being together and being on vacation.

The first thing we did when we got to California: Laundry!

Laguna Beach

Tuesday: We went to a waterpark, which looked promising in the ad's, but turned out to be pretty mediocre. We only stayed a few hours after our backs took a pounding on one of the rides. Not to mention it was windy and not the warmest day. The warming pool was our best friend, until the lifeguard told us we couldn't sit "face to face". What? After that we went to the Irvine Spectrum, a huge outdoor mall. I discovered my love for Pinkberry frozen yogurt, and I insisted I have it the next day too. Then Taylor's parent's friends, Orin and Melinda, took us out to a delcious mexican dinner. It was great to meet them and hear stories. Orin reminded me of Taylor because at the resturant he had to sit where he could see the TV with sports on. Oh, and Orin has inpsired Tay's "Man-Cave/Sports room" which he has been working on at the new apartment (more to come). After dinner we went to a movie, The Proposal. It was pretty good, but Taylor fell asleep.

The Pier in Huntington Beach

Wednesday: We drove up to Newport Beach and Huntington and looked at houses. We spent the day at Balboa beach and just relaxed. Taylor got FRIED. We rented beach cruiser bike and rode up and down the board walk. We ate more great food. Hung out, and nursed Taylor's near 2nd degree burns.

Balboa: Laying on the beach and riding beach cruisers on the boardwalk

Thursday: We woke up early and drove to L.A. It was in the wake of Michael Jackson's death so downtown L.A. was pure craziness. We bought a Star Map and attempted to look at the homes, but we just saw alot of security gates, and got carsick driving through Beverly Hills. 8 hours later we finally made it to Santa Barbara. We relaxed, ate at one of Taylor's favorite little Italian places, and reminisced about his time in Santa Barbara.

L.A.: Trying to avoid the Michael Jackson craziness, finding star's homes, and paying $12.50 for an hour of parking.

Friday: We drove around Santa Barabara, walked around the UCSB campus (well everything was closed for the 4th). Then we started the long drive up to Taylor's parent's house. It was a fun week, and we were excited because we still had a week of vacation left!

Our honeymoon may have been a lot of driving, but it was fun because we were together. We are used to driving an hour each way to see each other, so the fact that we got to actually drive together was fun. It was also fun to have Tay show me around his old stomping grounds. We really needed another week just to explore everything. I'm sure we will be back in California before we know it.

The Draper Reception

The whole wedding party. Taylor's family, my family and my cousins Erin and Jill.

Tay and my dad cutting up strawberries for the ice cream bar.

Taking a break and putting my cousin Bridgette to sleep. Don't worry, we won't have one of these for a while. Sorry moms!

After a long (but wonderful) morning, we left the temple and headed to my Aunt Ronna's house to help set up for the reception. Well at least we tried to help. Every time we asked what we could do we were told to sit down and relax. So much for that. It was fun to see all the projects Erin, Ronna and I worked on up around the yard. I had planned all these details and was so excited to see them work together.

Me and my Daddy

Tay and his Mom

We figured the Draper reception would be fairly small, mostly family and a few close friends. We were very surprised by the turn out, and glad that we had made lots of food. It was fun to see old friends, family that had driven lots of hours to see us, and just relax and have some fun.

My lovely bridesmaids: Kelsey (my sis) , Erin and Jill (my cousins), Megan (Tay's sister)

The handsome groomsmen: Jon and Matt (Tay's brothers) and Rob (my brother)

I loved our cake (too bad we didn't get to eat any. I heard it was delicious!)

Two hours flew by. We cut the cake, (but didn't get to eat any), did the customary throwing of the boquet and the garter (well, it was really a baby headband cause we couldn't find the garter), and headed off into the sun in our car that was decorated with frosting, rolls, and whipped cream, completed by strings of coke cans from the back.


This post wouldn't be complete without a shout out to this beautiful lady:
I am so lucky and blessed that she agreed to help me with all this crazy wedding stuff. She is one of the most talented women I have ever met. I mean did you see those centerpieces? She not only let us use her home, but gave so much of her time and talked me through a lot of decisions. Thanks Ronna for everything. We couldn't have done it with out you. We love you!

Emerging as the McFarland Family

After the temple ceremony we came out of the double doors as THE MCFARLAND FAMILY! It was so wonderful to have so many people in the temple, but I was amazed at how many people were waiting for us outside the temple as well. We took lots more pictures, gave lots of hugs, and tried to take in every moment.