Where do I start with 2019?!? I guess I’ll go a
bit chronologically with some big things that happened in 2019.
Just after school started back up in January
2019, I was gifted with the surprise of being awarded Exempt Employee of the
Month. We were in a faculty meeting and I could see that Deanna, a coworker,
had come into our room. Little did I realize she had a crew of people with her
to present an award to me -- I was so embarrassed! Luckily there weren’t many
students around when the balloons and hoopla arrived. Then in June I was
presented with the School of Ed’s Top Ten staff award. This is something that
the students nominate staff for, and it sounded like I was nominated several
times. Somehow the students found out about nominations, and we never did so
all of the student awards were for elementary major students. I am honored to
have been chosen out of everyone for both of these awards!
February brought a return to the KYG
Conference in Olympia! Three of us took seven youth over last year, and while
over there we teamed up with Yakima County’s chaperone and two youth (others
ended up sick and couldn’t go). It was a wonderful time, and we are so blessed
to have a great group of kids. We’ve already begun meetings for the 2020
conference, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the kids come up with.
I had the distinct pleasure of working with
three local third graders last year who needed some challenges when it came to
math. All three were in the gifted program at the elementary school, so they
kept me on my toes! I loved getting to work with them though, and they
challenged me in the best way. My favorite day was when we made geometric
bubbles and they concluded that no matter what 3D shape their bubble wand was,
the bubbles would always be round. These whippersnappers even described WHY the
bubbles would be round. #toosmartfortheirowngood
Weddings, weddings, weddings! I didn’t attend as
many weddings in 2019 as I did in 2018 (unless you count the ones I
photographed), but I attended two within two weeks in May, and then my cousin
got married in September. All three of the weddings were beautiful in their own
ways, as they should be. You can read about the two in May here.
In June we said “congrats” and “so long” to our
graduating students. It was incredibly bittersweet, but SO exciting as they
continued to let us know where they were teaching throughout the summer. I was
able to feature most of them in a series I called “Teacher Tuesday
Introductions” on our TeachSTEM social media (we’re on Facebook and Instagram
if you want to follow). Read about the end of the school year some here.
We made three trips with two carts to get all of our induction materials from the mail room!
Concerts, concerts, and more concerts! 2019 was
the year of attending concerts for me, and the majority of them were for 1980s
and 1990s country music artists. Thankfully one of my best friends, Katie, also
enjoys these same artists, so she was my concert buddy for the year. Are you
ready for this incredible list?? Here it is:
- Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan (amazing!);
- Wynonna Judd (fantastic);
- Martina McBride (bucket list for this 90s girl!);
- Tracy Lawrence (fun for the 4th of July);
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (featured at the Clark County Fair);
- Randy Houser (featured at the Clark County Fair);
- Tracy Byrd (see further down about this trip);
- and wrapped up the year with Scotty McCreery (also bucket list!).
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Okay, we’re down to the last few big things…..
I decided in the spring last year to schedule
myself a week at the beach, I didn’t really care how much it cost, I just
needed to spend some time at the beach. Did you know in the two years that I
lived just two hours from the beach I only spent ONE DAY there?!? Yes, one
stinking day in two years. Aside from that one day, I hadn’t spent any
significant time at the beach for a number of years. So, I looked at my
calendar, got in touch with my friends in the Vancouver area, and made a plan!
I’ve made another post about my trip in detail, here.
We hosted a family reunion at the farm in July.
There were over 40 of our family members here, including some from the East
Coast! We had a ton of fun, and it was great to see everyone. I loved being
able to show my youngest cousins what the farm is like, and to listen to my
great-uncle’s share their stories. Read all about it here.
In November of 2018 my 4-H leadership youth
asked to host the 2019 Eastern WA Teen Rally. I of course, silly me, said yes.
Thus, we began planning and fundraising….it was a long haul and a huge
undertaking, but we did it! We had youth from all over Washington attend, and
ended up with only three or five empty beds (I can’t remember exactly, that
weekend is a blur!). It was a great success, and the kids really stepped up to
make it happen. My co-leaders helped me stay sane too!
Leadership Team
My last big trip for 2019 was to Florida! My
cousin Kristin and her husband Bob live in the Orlando area, and had suggested
a girls cousin trip to Universal to see Harry Potter World and experience the
new Hagrid ride for sometime in October. With teaching a class during Fall Quarter,
it didn’t work for me, or for Steph and Em either. However, I suggested we go
during December when Em and I would be on break, and I thought Steph might be
able to get away from work (she used all her time hunting, no surprise!). Well,
Steph and Em couldn’t join us, but I decided to make the trip and visit
anyways! You can read alllllllll the details here.
And work….I touched a little bit on graduating
our first batch of students, who I miss having stop by my office like crazy.
But, we’ve got our next group of seniors who just started their last quarter on
campus (for most of them anyways, a handful have spring classes and are student
teaching in the fall). These kids, oh man! They love to stop by to chat, but
the first few days of the quarter are all about fixing schedules, time
conflicts, and settling into a new routine. However, work is great! I still
absolutely LOVE my job and all the “spice” it brings to my life. I started my
fourth year in November, and I can’t wait to see what happens as our program
continues to grow!
First day of school!
2019 was a great year….well, for the most part
(I blame Dad). Looking at the big picture it was great! Here’s to 2020 though,
and hoping it’s a smoother ride for everyone :)
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