BOO!

Happy Halloween...Almost

Best Haunting Ever!
Scott and I went with Braden Hansen (friend from GA going to BYUI) and his date, Becca, And then Scott's sister Alison, and her roommate at BYUI and also Braden's sister, Kelsey (did ya get all that =/ ) to The Dreaded Grove in Springiville on Saturday!! Tickets were $16 bucks a pop! And that didn't include the swamp ride or the zip line ride--which we opted out of since we would have had to pay more. It was basically this: You get a number when you arrive, you wait for your number to appear on the the counter above the stage where a live band plays. While you wait you can do these things--eat food (pay), see a fortune teller (which we didin't do cuz we thought you had to pay, but found out later you don't), sit by the bonfire (cuz it's COLD) or watch a movie in a tent--They were playing The Corpse Bride, so that's what we did while we waited (Now I wanna finish the movie because i've never seen it before) OK, then you go stand in line and they let the line of 15s go in party by party so that you get spread out. The actual "Haunting" as they call it, is a trail through the woods led by a few candles and lanterns here and there (and the full moon which we had when we went!) You go on bumpy, sometimes squishy uneven paths, go through shacks or covered bridges, or other small buildings of sort, through the woods and a field part. It was pretty big and definitely worth it! I have never been to anything better EVER. I went to Rockie's Haunted Mansion last year with Scott which is supposed to be the best there is--not so compared to this! Definitely have to go with a boy you really really wanna clench onto because I definitely almost took his arm off sometimes! It was a blast! (It ends Nov 4th so you could technically still go this weekend if you wanted to)

NEwLyWed NewS:

One of the best things about getting married is definitely the presents---Especially when they come months after you get married!!

Today we got our package from my mom--finally! We got one actual present--Nativity figures--cool, and 4 wedding cards with $/giftcards.

My mom also threw in some Halloween candy and billstuffs.

Oh yeah and the BEST part of the entire package?

BUBBLE WRAP!!! and LOTS OF IT!!!

Sweet Sweet PopPiN aCtioN!!!

NEwLyWed NewS:

Today was a special day.

Today, Scott and I received our first bank statement from our very first joint-checking account!

I'm so cheesy I took a picture and I'm blogging about it!

Everybody, Announcement...

today, i killed a tree.

Today. I killed a tree. And i was paid to do it.

As a secretary, in the Civil Engineering department, we help faculty with various projects or copy/scan jobs etc. The second block of classes started today, and one teacher had this enormous 75+ page packet with the syllabus and assignments and references, etc. He had color paper separating the sections. I had to copy it section by section--and make 49 packets!! That is a TON of paper! So I was pretty much finished--it'd already taken me over an hour and a half, when I noticed a detail that looked wrong. I asked Tamera and turns out she told me wrong--it needed to be single sided copies not double. SO, I had to recopy the big white paper sections--TONS more paper and TIME was running out--I had a deadline of 3:30. With all the assembling, copying, recopying sections that went wrong, sorting, stapling, etc, etc---I finished at 3:15. I was beat up tired too. I recycled all the messed up copies, but it was probably a good couple reams of paper worth.

on a happier note...someone left this nice little poppable piece of pleasure in the garbage can!! Kept me de-stressed when I went into the copy room to check on my ever-so-slow copy job.

Some Hubby Loves Me

i got pretty flowers

i am all smiles

As the Weeks Whiz By

This morning I was sitting at the table, eating my bowl of the generic version of POPS, across from my husband, and I was reflecting on my life in the present.

I've been married for 2 months, 20 days and a couple hours (about 81 days). We've traveled to 13 different places, gone to church in 4 different places, slept in 8 different beds, and have been through several minor tiffs from anything from the tube of toothpaste, laundry on the floor to debating about our plans for Thanksgiving. Definitely a bit of adjusting and a few surprises.

We've had plenty of laughs. We love more than anything to wake up next to each other each morning. We enjoy teasing and shopping for groceries together. I love it when he does the dishes so I don't have to. We have our struggles too--we can't seem to get our bed made in the morning, we are fighting to get through school in one piece and get regular meals at regular times. I struggle with moodiness--especially in the morning when I'm dreading to go out into the cold, fight the traffic, the endless struggle for a parking spot and the long days on campus.

But through every bit of mundane day-to-day prosaic home life, I am seriously blessed to have this amazing man by my side. I cannot believe how unbelieveably blessed I am to have found him and to claim him as all mine. I feel like I can take on anything, conquer any trial and be a better person with him right by my side and I will only continue to love him more as we make our way through life's joys and trials.

Autumn Picture Contest

Winkflash is holding an Autumn photo contest (which actually ends today at Midnight) and I took these pictures yesterday. The first one is the one (above) I entered into the contest.

SKooL SHmooL

So I had a BioLogy test today.

It was one of those annoying multiple choice tests...

example:

A. Dog
B. Cat
C. Fish.
D. gerbil
E. All of the above
F. none of the above
G. A, B and C
H. B, D, and C

etc. etc. like I said...annoying

There IS a such thing as TOO MANY choices. This is confusing even for students who really studied! It's just too many choices to logically think out some of the answers.

Anyhow. I was surprised to see that I managed to pull off an 80% nevertheless. Whoo Hoo!!

Ps. I also started to apply for graduation!

WeekEnd

Nikki and I had a blast of a night on Friday. I probably talked more in those few short hours than I have in weeks! Scott and I have been spending a lot of time on campus and it's been pretty boring. I can't wait to graduate! Becoming Jane was an EXCELLENT movie--for girls, Scott would have hated it for sure! And who could ever pass up Jamba!! YUM. Nikki's apartment is also very nice, much bigger "living space" than what we had in Centennial. The front rooms are just much more open and flowing. I like that. W/D in the apt also a plus! I can attest to the joy of not holding quarters at the same ranking as gold!!

Today I made cookies. YUM. Scott snitched right as i was taking the picture! The oven mitt also found them to be very desirable. Recipe can be found here.

We also had the Primary Program today. I was really cranky this morning because I didn't want to go to church and I was afraid of the same disaster happening that happened during practice! To my surprise though all the kids were well prepared--I said the theme line for a boy that wasn't there, and then the other little boy, Reese, had his scripture memorized, and then all the kids except one very shy boy that I couldn't even get to stand up and sing went up and said exactly what they were supposed to! I was pleasantly surprised! And then later, Scott taught a lesson about temples and it was really cute. He's pretty good with kids. He's also a really good teacher, I'm always impressed by this.

I STARTED ANOTHER ONE!!!

Check out my other blog at spoonsucker2.blogspot.com

This blog is a place for...

• recipes, first and foremost
• diet ideas/tips
• stories/ news/ articles about food
• cooking adventures of my own
• Shopping lists
• feeding my blog addiction.

1 Down...2 to go

I got an 89% on my Parenting class test!!! I guess i learned something after all!!

Test-ing One, Two...uh, and a Paper!!!

This week is lots of school related things--tests to be more exact. I guess it must be midterms or something. I guess the teachers decided it would be a good idea to test us on the stuff they've been teaching us to see if we learned anything? I have no idea why they would ever want to do that?! GAH It's like i'm in COLLEGE or something!!!

You'd think after nearly 4 years of college i would be used to this-- That I would be a good study-er; actually do my reading and not procrastinate assignments. I guess I'll never learn. I have very little self discipline.

Speaking of discipline. One of my tests is for my MFHD (Marriage, Family, Human Development) 240 parenting class. We've learned a lot in the last month--writing out the answers to my 4 page study guide for the test has proven this fact to me. We learned about parenting styles--Authoritative (high control, high warmth), Authoritarian (High Control, Low warmth), Permissive(High warmth, low control) and Uninvolved (low control, low warmth). The best one is Authoritative parents And the worst is Uninvolved parents. It's just interesting to me that when we are studying, especially at BYU, we relate everything to the gospel, and authoritative parenting styles as all the other ways of "good parenting" that research finds-- fit right in with the teachings in the gospel and the Proclamation. It's definitely not coincidence.

1/5 of My Notes (good things I've learned):

Parents Need to have a Balance of both warmth/responsiveness (being attuned, supportive, and acquiescent to children’s special needs and demands) & Demandingness/Control (maturity demands, supervision, disciplinary efforts, confronting a disobedient child)

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles: (Parents try their best to teach and to help them understand--Instead of making them behave a certain way.)
--Induction—Directs in rational issue-oriented manner; Encourages verbal give/take; Shares w/the child the reasoning behind parental policy and solicits the child’s objections when child refuses to conform; “Reflection enhancing messages”

--Exerts firm control when the young child disobeys, but does not hem the child in with restrictions

--Love, Latitude, Limits

15. Know positive discipline strategies and how they are used:

*Righteous dominion invites rather than makes children adopt the parents’ perspective

*Authoritative parenting is in sync with Proclamation, scriptures, and teachings of modern-day prophets

*Child rearing is individualistic—each child is unique—a matter of prayerful discernment

*Finding ways to effectively help children learn how to regulate their own behavior in non-coercive ways—requires creativity, effort and inspiration

*Considering both developmental level and individual temperament of each child

*Discipline: to teach and (further) prepare rather than punish

• Appropriate limits/rules
• Explaining rules and consequences in advance
• Following through—in calm, clear manner
• Playing a consultant role to help older children think through decisions
• See misbehavior as an opportunity to teach
• Applying the gospel: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and beliefs.”

*8-10 positives for every negative

*Alternatives to physical punishment: reproving, withdrawing privileges, requiring restitution, following through on promised consequences which are logically tied to the act

*Prepare more than you Punish

35. Specific dimensions of psychological control (negative parenting practices)

Constraining Verbal Expressions- changing subject; interrupting; speaking for other; lecturing; dominating conversation; ignoring others’ comments; showing disinterest

Invalidating Feelings—discounting, misinterpreting, or assigning a value (good/bad; right/wrong) to expressed feelings; mind reading; sarcasm and teasing about feelings

Personal Attack—Reminding another of responsibilities to the family, questioning another’s loyalty, bringing up another’s past mistakes or embarrassing behaviors, blaming, being condescending or patronizing

Guilt Induction—Laying guilt trips on others, playing the role of the martyr, saying that if others really cared, they would do as you instruct

Love Withdrawal—Threatening to withdraw love or attention if another doesn’t act as required; looking or turning away; disgruntled facial expressions or physically leaving when displeased with another.

Erratic Emotional Behavior—Vacillating btw caring and attacking expressions—hot and cold

Amateur

My younger brother, Steve, is by no means a professional photographer at age 18, but when he sees something cool, he takes a picture of it. And these are great pictures for someone who's just fooling around most of the time with his camera. Good Job, Squirt, I'm impressed!

All in a day's work

Ok, so I got a job!! FINALLY, right?! I got a streak of luck and got an interview with the Civil Engineering Department office for a secretary position. I know they interviewed other people, but I guess they liked me best! I have no clue why! I was sooooo nervous.
My first couple days there have been pretty good, though I'm still scared of the phone and the unknown inquiries that come from the other end of it!! (I am making progress though, today I answered the phone and could help the person without asking for help! Yay for me) I work with 2 full time department secretaries and then another student secretary, Amanda, and she's really nice and friendly. It's going to be a good place to work. Right now it's stressful just because I'm nervous and don't know quite everything yet, but I'm sure as the weeks go by things will get better and I'll catch my confidence along the way. I learn a ton everyday. After this job I will have a good reference on my resume, and skills that will help me in the future.

pS. I learned how to use a ...insert *gasp* here...Typewriter!!!! AND, I liked it !!!

Freddie

So THiS...

Is Freddie.

Freddie lives in our kitchen light fixture.

Freddie has lived there for over 3 weeks now.

We have not a cLue how Freddie got in there, but we know that he cannot get out, and that...and ONLY that is...why he is still alive.

tHe enD.

FaVoRiTeS

I LOVE the crocs in the comic strip Pearl Before Swine! They are SO dumb and SO funny! I LOVE the way they talk!!

Read it. Love it. Eat.It.Up.

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