Memorial Day Motorcyle Adventure

On Memorial Day, my parents and little brother and I went up to the South Hills and rode cycles on the Third Fork trail. My mom and dad rode double on one big wheel, I rode a big wheel, and my brother rode his little bike.

The trail was steep and rocky at some points, but I got through it! :) The narrow trail didn't make it too easy for the big wheel bikes. The tires just wanted to climb up the sides of the trail ruts instead of staying in the middle.

We stopped about halfway through the ride and chose to go on the Walstom Hollow trail. BAD IDEA!! The trail was very steep and rocky, but the view was beautiful. It was very special to have the freedom to be up in the mountains enjoying God's creation on the day we give thanks to those who have died for our country.



I did have one little mishap, though. We were almost back to the truck when my back wheel caught a big rock on the trail and threw my motorcycle over the edge. It scared me more than anything, but I did manage a small cut on my hand from high-fiving a tree branch on my way off the motorcycle. :) And I broke the brake lever. Luckily my dad carries extras. Who'd a thunk you'd need extra brake handles on a short trail ride?

It was a great family ride and we even managed a self portrait on top of the moutain. I just wish my sister Megan would have gone, too! She was busy riding horses and resting. Meg graduated high school this last Wednesday as a Valedictorian from Kimberly High School. I'm so proud of her. She's going to the University of Montana Western this fall on a Rodeo scholarship. She'll do awesome and I can't wait to see where God takes her in life!

Finals Week and Graduation!

I did it... I graduated from college in three years- six semesters since I was a high schooler. It doesn't feel real... yet!

Last week I traveled back to Moscow for the Ag-Ed finals week trip. Six ag-ed student teachers and two of my professors spent three days traveling the state of Washington in two suburbans. It was a great trip and I learned a lot about ag programs in Washington. We spent the second night in Seattle (well Everette actually.) We went down town, ate on the pier, and finished the evening at Chopsticks- A Dueling Piano Bar. It was hilarious!

Here's my atempt at self-photography of the group on the pier in Seattle.

After the trip, Richard and my family came to Moscow for graduation. Graduation took 2 1/2 hours and was oh so boring. I did get my one second of fame and it felt pretty darn good!

I pulled the camp trailer up to Moscow and stayed at the Fair Grounds, which was way better than sleeping on a couch!

I'm so thankful my family could be there to celebrate graduation with me!

Things I've learned from my cooperating teacher...

As of tomorrow I will have one week of student teaching left at Castleford High School. I'm sad to go because I've loved being there. Mr. Wells is a great cooperating teacher and because of his guidance and help, I feel ready to take on my own program next year in Grangeville. I still have so much to learn, but here are a few things I've learned from Mr. Wells- my cooperating teacher.

1. Always sit in the back at teacher’s meetings.
2. Always ask for more money than you know you’ll get because if you don’t ask you won’t get it for sure.
3. Always plant more than you need in the greenhouse because some kids just kill stuff.
4. Don’t be afraid to use the textbook- kids expect it.
5. Some kids will never be motivated by grades, no matter how many zeros they have. But if you can teach them one thing that helps them later in life, you made a difference.
6. Make friends with all the moms because FFA banquets are so much easier when you don’t have to cook.
7. If you want to castrate pigs and dissect calves in class, don’t teach in a big school
8. Ag teachers never have any free time- which is mostly self-inflicted.
9. Don’t compete with coaches or other advisors for kids’ time. Always be flexible and rarely be demanding.
10. If you want to earn your Master’s, keep the University happy.
11. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
12. Teach your kids that bringing home more clipboards, FFA ties, pencils, calculators, etc. than we brought to FFA events earns them bonus points.
13. Welding electrodes aren’t cheap.
14. Ask for a student teacher every few years- it’s like taking a vacation for a semester.
15. It’s ok to say “no” once in a while.
16. Be honest about not knowing an answer: kids know when you’re BSing.
17. Beg, borrow, and steal ideas from great teachers- don’t reinvent the wheel.
18. Sometimes you have to be creative in order to make your program better- don’t let the price of propane stand in the way of having an awesome greenhouse.
19. Sometimes you have to get really mad about something small to remind the kids that they don’t have you all figure out.
20. Learn to drive a school bus and fix a computer.
21. Always check luggage before an FFA trip.
22. You’ll always have a Tyler Draper in some class- surprise them by not giving up on them and challenging them to do better and be better because you know they are better.

And finally,
23. Teaching high school agriculture is one of the most fun, rewarding jobs you’ll ever have.

A job, graduation, and beyond!

Four more weeks of student teaching! I've had such a great time in Castleford and I'll be sad to leave. However, I am looking forward to commencement at the University of Idaho on May 16 at 9:30 am. I've accepted a teaching job in Grangeville, ID for this coming school year. (See picture below.) My summer calendar is already filling up with Idaho Vocational Agriculture Teachers' Association conferences, moving, FFA activities, and preparing my classroom and facilties. This has been the time Richard and I have been looking forward for the past four years. We are so blessed to have each other and such a promising future ahead of us. We're planning a fun road trip after Richard's EAS (End of Active Service) date. I'll write more later about that!

Ah, spring break!

Last week was spring break and it was oh, so good. :) Richard came home for the week and we had a lot of adventures. I was very sick, sick, sick on Friday when I picked him up. I took the science Praxis test on Saturday and tried to go to the doctor. However, the only quick care place in Twin Falls had a 2 1/2 hour wait on Saturday morning. I didn't see a doctor...

We drove to Wyoming on Sunday (and stopped in Ogden to see a doctor). We stayed in Saratoga, Wy on Sunday night in the Riviara Lodge. It was ok... not our favorite hotel... but the hotsprings in Saratoga was pretty cool. It is a natural hot springs behind the city pool that is HOT! The spring comes up in the little rock pool and the whole thing is only knee deep. There were tons of people there on Sunday night. Then it empties into the river behind the pool.
I interviewed for a job in Hanna, Wy the next day. The town was ok and the school was really nice, but I ended up declining the job offer. They called later that week and offered me the job. I'm not that eager to leave Idaho, yet.

The trip was pretty fun. It was good to have Richard there to see the town and school and everything.

I did have an interview scheduled in Grangeville on Thursday but after traveling to Hanna, I was completely wiped out and my body was screaming at me to just REST and get better. I have a phone interview this week.

The rest of the week, Richard and I just hung out with family and each other. It was nice being together for a week. We'll see each other next during Graduation week. Hopefully we'll be able to find a house during that week wherever I accept a job. It's a time for change and a time for new beginnings and I'm really excited to see what the next six months holds!

Fulfilling my Goals

I've been student teaching for the past two week out at Castleford HS. I absolutely love it!! I'm having a blast with the kids and finally fulfilling my goal of becoming an ag teacher. It's funny to think that I made up my mind about six years ago while I was at the Idaho FFA Convention listening to Stacia Berry from Wyoming. She was the National FFA Secretary and the convention was my first big FFA event. I decided from then on that I would be an ag teacher. I went to CSI during high school and finished college in three years so I could reach that goal as fast as I could. It feels good to be almost there!


The other day I had a vet come into my animal science class and dissect a calf. The kids loved it! They talked about it all day. It was kind of gross, but it was a really good introduction to internal anatomy of animals.

On a different note, Richard and I are definitley ready to start living together, not apart! He's coming home for my spring break in two weeks and then he'll come to Moscow for graduation on May 16th. Then, come the middle of June, we'll be done with school, done with the Marine Corps, and ready for life together!!

A Few Updates

I haven't posted in a while because I've been so busy!! Right now I'm back in Southern Idaho student teaching but I'll post about that after this... Before I left to come down here, I had the opportunity to go to the Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Convention in Sacramento, CA. While I was there I got to participate in the Collegiate Discussion Meet. It was a really fun experience and I'm so glad I went. A discussion meet is kind of like a debate, but sort of opposite... if that makes sense. Participants get points for cooperative attitude, speaking content and quality, and opening and closing statements. You're supposed to work with the other participants to find a solution for the topic given. The topics I discussed were "How does the aging infrastructure affect transportation of agricultural commodities?" and "How do we correct the misconceptions of Farm Bureau?"Here's me before my first round. The young lady at the end of the table ended up making it to the Sweet 16 semi-final round.

Here's my biography poster. There were about 40 participants from all over the U.S.
Alex V. was the other participant from Idaho. He qualified for the Sweet 16 Semi-finals. I did not qualify, but I felt ok about it because at least two people from both my rounds qualified. I had some tough competition!

On the last day of the conference, I got to go to the Jelly Belly, Campbell's Soup, and California Rice Growers factories. I also got to see my best friend Shayla while I was there. The Sacramento area is really nice and it changed my mind of what California is really like. I'd only been to big cities and Sacramento was a very agricultural area. It was a good trip!