For all of you who say: "I want to keep a journal" but just can't keep up on it: I have some things that will help! Read The Dominguez and Escalante Journal. After reading that think about the things that they write about and how what they wrote changed history... the boring mundanes of life, yet that's what makes history. "Day to day history is boring," (David R. Lewis). What we write about doesn't have to be the significant things in life but things as simple as my great, great grandpa, Peter Matson, wrote in his journal: 1885 March Wed 25: "We arrived safely in Salt Lake City and nothing unpleasant happened, with the exception of Brother Jensen's lunch sack which he had set on the ground at the station without giving thought that the brewer had pigs." Or this: 1885 June Sun 21: "We had a meeting in the city." It's interesting how he talks about things casually and by what he writes we can know what kind of a person he was. He was a mission president in Denmark at the time when polygamy was taught widely by the church.
Another book that will get you in the journalistic mood is A Mormon Mother by Annie Clark Tanner. Reading this book after D&E Journal made me really see the importance of a journal. She writes the book for her posterity, yet a good historian can see beyond what she writes... the things she doesn't write about. It is a really great book.
Why do I say all of this? I'm in Utah History (HIST 3850) and loving the class... lots of reading etc but awesome class! Truthfully I think The Dominguez and Escalante Journal and A Mormon Mother will get you in the journal writing mood like they did for me. All most people want after their life here on earth is to be remembered and a journal is a good way to do that!
20 February 2010
03 February 2010
We are alive...barely!
Well, since the new semester started on January 11th, Alex and I have both been rather busy. I am doing Level III of Elementary Education, so my schedule includes Teaching Reading, Teaching Language Arts, Teaching Math, Teaching Social Studies, Teaching Science and Classroom Management. I have 9 weeks of classes (5 1/2 left) and then 5 weeks in the elementary school teaching some of the lessons that I prepare. I will be taking a few classes during the summer and hopefully I'll be ready to do my student teaching in the fall and graduate soon thereafter. If anyone has any words of wisdom for me so that I won't be so nervous to go into the classroom, please feel free to humor me!
Alex is currently taking Calculus, Digital Circuits, Computer Science and Utah History. He is pretty much swamped with homework all the time....and it's the hard stuff that's difficult to figure out. I get a lot of homework, too, but it's relatively simple, repetitive, redundant, boring, etc! I basically live at the education building in one classroom. I move once to go to my classroom management class on Wednesday afternoons. It's great fun!! It's kind of entertaining because I have all of my teaching methods classes with the same people.....so it is the same 27 of us for all 16 hours. I've made quite a few friends, but only soon enough to leave them again in a few weeks. The semester has seemed FOREVER long already, but in reality it hasn't even been a month, yet. Because all of my classes only meet once a week (for 3+ hours) they have to cram in as much as possible and give us a million projects and presentations. Hooray!
Well, over Christmas Break, Alex and I spent some time in Moroni, South Jordan, and St. George. While in Moroni we ripped out the old countertop range stove (EW!),
the cupboards underneath and the cupboards up above in order to put in a new range/double oven with overhead microwave.
Alex's mom decided she didn't need three ovens, so we later ripped out the oven and turned that space into cupboard space. To be able to get all the wiring worked out, Alex had to climb through the wall,
with Stony was on the other side threading wire across the attic....
it eventually got all worked out (Alex's brother is an electrician) and working.
His mom LOVED the new appliances!
We then went down to St. George and stayed with Aunt Rita and Uncle Dick for a few days.
Mostly we wandered around their neighborhood, talked with them, learned how to make homemade noodles and ebbil skivers (sp?) (yummy), took a guided tour of St. George (visiting Tuacahn),
fed the ducks,
went to the temple,
watched a movie in their theater, and helped Uncle Dick figure out his new phone. We decided that if Verizon had iPhones, we'd get one. They are pretty sweet....specially because you can put the scriptures on them. We learned a ton about Aunt Rita's history and of Grandpa Dick and other relatives. We also learned that Uncle Dick is a practical jokester. He was out in his truck fiddling with the blue-tooth on his phone. The phone rang inside and Aunt Rita picked it up. "Is this Rita Geisler?" the voice on the phone said (because everyone can hear both sides of the conversation since Aunt Rita has it set loud in order to hear it). "Yes," she replied. "Is your husband around," the voice said. "He sure is. I'll go find him," she said. She then took the phone and went to find Uncle Dick. Moments later she came in chuckling. "It was him!!!" Uncle Dick had called her asking for himself. Funny!
Anyways, we went back up to Moroni because Alex's nephew was getting married. We went to that and spent most of our vacation playing games, lounging around, working on some Christmas presents, and then enjoying a great Christmas day! Alex got me some fake nails from WalMart because I've always wanted to try them.
The first two days were really awkward because I wasn't used to them, but after that, I thought they were really awesome and my fingers felt naked when I took them off. Alex told his mom that I always get a toothbrush and toothpaste in my stocking so what did santa remember to leave for me......Yup! I got my traditional toothbrush and toothpaste. Alex was kind of disappointed that santa forgot him. We bought ourselves a Dremel tool for Christmas and we enjoyed using it to make other presents. It has a glass etching tool, so we etched pictures and names into candle holders for out family members.
The day after Christmas we came up to South Jordan and got Christmas again. Mom got me a pressure canner!!!!!!!!!!! and I am so excited to learn how to use it this weekend (if I get my homework done). We spent most of that week over at Annie and Michael's new house helping them paint, pack, move, clean, watch the kids, play on their Wii Fit (which is on our wish list), and play a few games with the fam. Then we made it back to Logan with a few days before the semester started. We got our money back from the guy that basically broke our car......we had the water pump and timing belt replaced and they destroyed the damper pully. By the time we got to Moroni our belt that goes to the alternator was shredded. Yikes! Luckily there is a guy in Moroni that could fix it and he charged us $100, but made the bill out for $119 so that the guy up here in Logan could pay us back and "let us have a little extra for all the trouble." I turned in my application for student teaching, and then we got ready to start the semester.
Now we are 4 weeks into the semester and already dreaming of when it will be over. I better finish my math homework so I can go to bed. Love you all!
Kristen
Oh, P.S. Annie is teaching me how to makes bows! Here is a fuzzy picture of my first two attempts. The blue and red one, the first one I ever made, I am giving to my old roommate, Amy, because she is having a baby in 2 weeks. The pink one I made second and it's pretty cute.
Alex is currently taking Calculus, Digital Circuits, Computer Science and Utah History. He is pretty much swamped with homework all the time....and it's the hard stuff that's difficult to figure out. I get a lot of homework, too, but it's relatively simple, repetitive, redundant, boring, etc! I basically live at the education building in one classroom. I move once to go to my classroom management class on Wednesday afternoons. It's great fun!! It's kind of entertaining because I have all of my teaching methods classes with the same people.....so it is the same 27 of us for all 16 hours. I've made quite a few friends, but only soon enough to leave them again in a few weeks. The semester has seemed FOREVER long already, but in reality it hasn't even been a month, yet. Because all of my classes only meet once a week (for 3+ hours) they have to cram in as much as possible and give us a million projects and presentations. Hooray!
Well, over Christmas Break, Alex and I spent some time in Moroni, South Jordan, and St. George. While in Moroni we ripped out the old countertop range stove (EW!),
the cupboards underneath and the cupboards up above in order to put in a new range/double oven with overhead microwave.
Alex's mom decided she didn't need three ovens, so we later ripped out the oven and turned that space into cupboard space. To be able to get all the wiring worked out, Alex had to climb through the wall,
with Stony was on the other side threading wire across the attic....
it eventually got all worked out (Alex's brother is an electrician) and working.
His mom LOVED the new appliances!
We then went down to St. George and stayed with Aunt Rita and Uncle Dick for a few days.
Mostly we wandered around their neighborhood, talked with them, learned how to make homemade noodles and ebbil skivers (sp?) (yummy), took a guided tour of St. George (visiting Tuacahn),
fed the ducks,
went to the temple,
watched a movie in their theater, and helped Uncle Dick figure out his new phone. We decided that if Verizon had iPhones, we'd get one. They are pretty sweet....specially because you can put the scriptures on them. We learned a ton about Aunt Rita's history and of Grandpa Dick and other relatives. We also learned that Uncle Dick is a practical jokester. He was out in his truck fiddling with the blue-tooth on his phone. The phone rang inside and Aunt Rita picked it up. "Is this Rita Geisler?" the voice on the phone said (because everyone can hear both sides of the conversation since Aunt Rita has it set loud in order to hear it). "Yes," she replied. "Is your husband around," the voice said. "He sure is. I'll go find him," she said. She then took the phone and went to find Uncle Dick. Moments later she came in chuckling. "It was him!!!" Uncle Dick had called her asking for himself. Funny!
Anyways, we went back up to Moroni because Alex's nephew was getting married. We went to that and spent most of our vacation playing games, lounging around, working on some Christmas presents, and then enjoying a great Christmas day! Alex got me some fake nails from WalMart because I've always wanted to try them.
The first two days were really awkward because I wasn't used to them, but after that, I thought they were really awesome and my fingers felt naked when I took them off. Alex told his mom that I always get a toothbrush and toothpaste in my stocking so what did santa remember to leave for me......Yup! I got my traditional toothbrush and toothpaste. Alex was kind of disappointed that santa forgot him. We bought ourselves a Dremel tool for Christmas and we enjoyed using it to make other presents. It has a glass etching tool, so we etched pictures and names into candle holders for out family members.
The day after Christmas we came up to South Jordan and got Christmas again. Mom got me a pressure canner!!!!!!!!!!! and I am so excited to learn how to use it this weekend (if I get my homework done). We spent most of that week over at Annie and Michael's new house helping them paint, pack, move, clean, watch the kids, play on their Wii Fit (which is on our wish list), and play a few games with the fam. Then we made it back to Logan with a few days before the semester started. We got our money back from the guy that basically broke our car......we had the water pump and timing belt replaced and they destroyed the damper pully. By the time we got to Moroni our belt that goes to the alternator was shredded. Yikes! Luckily there is a guy in Moroni that could fix it and he charged us $100, but made the bill out for $119 so that the guy up here in Logan could pay us back and "let us have a little extra for all the trouble." I turned in my application for student teaching, and then we got ready to start the semester.
Now we are 4 weeks into the semester and already dreaming of when it will be over. I better finish my math homework so I can go to bed. Love you all!
Kristen
Oh, P.S. Annie is teaching me how to makes bows! Here is a fuzzy picture of my first two attempts. The blue and red one, the first one I ever made, I am giving to my old roommate, Amy, because she is having a baby in 2 weeks. The pink one I made second and it's pretty cute.
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