Science Center

Our last day in Seattle we spent playing at the Pacific Science Center! We got to play and visit all the exhibits as well as watch a 3-D movie...Under the Sea...um, I kinda took a wee little nap during the movie! :)Entering the Science Center!

Here are my little rats running around in circles...do you think they know they aren't getting anywhere?

This Elly (Elliana...my niece) is trying to prove that she can touch her chin with her tongue (no worries baby...you'll be able to do it someday!)

This Elly (Ellyson...my "niece") is thinking, "Are we done yet?"

I thought I'd hang out with the super skinny folks from the 1950's.

So do you think if you lived in the 50's that you were this color? Just wondering....

My little bugs...Mason, Carter, Dajia and Maddy

Butterflies eating lunch in the Butterfly walk-through. There were TONS of butterflies all over...especially on the ground. We really had to pay attention to where we were walking.

Another picture of the Butterfly Lunch Cafe

Watch out behind you!!! There is a praying mantis about to eat you!!!

Dajia inside a Duckbill (I think?) footprint in the Walk with Dinosaur exhibit!

Mason was super excited to walk through the Dinosaurs...and he kept asking me over and over....were these alive and then they died?

New Contest

I know, I know...I've been MIA for over a week!!! Sheesh...where does the time go?

I finished student teaching last Friday and then headed to Seattle for a few days of Spring Break...I promise I will sit down tonight and upload some pictures for you all...we had a lot of fun and did a lot of stuff!

However, there is another fun contest going in in the blogging world. This time The Benner Daily is giving not just one prize but three!! And one lucky winner is taking them all home! There are cute cards and your choice of jewelry from two different Etsy stores! So wait are you waiting for? Get your butt over there right now and enter!

Still procrastinating? Do I need to remind you of all the goodies I have won by entering contests? It can be done!

So scoot!

I was blog surfing via SITS today, and the featured blogger Making Memories had this fun little ditty...so I thought I do it as well!

How Much Have You Changed In 20 Years??

20 YEARS AGO (1989)

1) How old were you? 15
2) Who were you dating? I might have been dating David Osborne
3) Where did you work? cleaned offices for a dentist
4) Where did you live? McMillin, WA
5) Where did you hang out? The corner store by Sumner High School
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? glasses
7) Who were your best friends? Amy
8) How many tattoos did you have? None...yet
9) How many piercings did you have? 1 in each ear
10) Had you been to a real party? Nope
11) Had you had your heart broken? Nope
12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? good grief I was 15....
13) Any Kids? None


15 YEARS AGO (1994)

1) How old were you? 20
2) Who were you dating? No one
3) Where did you work? Doctor's office
4) Where did you live? Maple Valley, WA
5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Contacts and glasses
6) Who were your best friends? Don't know if I had a "best friend" at this point...lots of good friends
7) How many tattoos did you have? None
8) How many piercings did you have? 1 in each ear
9) Had you been to a real party? Nope
1) Had you had your heart broken? Not by a guy..but by things in life
12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13) Any Kids? Nope


10 YEARS AGO (1999)

1) How old were you? 25
2) Who were you dating? Still no one
3) Where did you work? Christian Life School of Theology
4) Where did you live? Columbus, GA
5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Contacts & Glasses
6) Who were your best friends? Susana and Lori
7) How many tattoos did you have? None
8) How many piercings did you have? Just the ears still
9) Had your heart broken? Again, not by a guy
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single
11)Any Kids? Do all the nieces/nephews count?


TODAY (2009)

1) Age? 34
2)Who are you dating? no one
3) Where do you work? student teacher and manufacturing company
4) Where do you live? Moses Lake, WA
5) Who are your closest friends? Susana and Holly
6) Do you talk to your old friends? yes
7) How many piercings do you have? still just 1 in each ear
8) How many tattoos? ONE!!! Love it!
9) Had your heart been broken? not recently
10) How many kids? um, yeah, none!
11) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Single

What about you?

Happy First Day of Spring...can you believe it?

Some places are starting to see gorgeous trees and flowers bloom like this (which I got from freefoto.com!)

You know if Spring is here then Easter is on its way...does that scare you? Yes, Easter is on April 12th...three weeks from Sunday! whoa...

So, here's my beef!

It's SPRING

and I'm sitting here at my desk with a box of Kleenex fighting some nasty cold/sinus crap! I've had it for a few weeks...was getting better, but then I think one of my nieces gave it back to me again!! UGH!!

Last night I went to bed at 10 and woke up this morning at 10...12 hours of sleep and I still feel kind of icky...I'm going to spend the weekend in bed I think...hopefully I'll get better!

By the way...Chloraseptic? UGH...that stuff is NASTY!!!

Career Fair

So today, I drove 2 hours to attend an Educational Career Fair for prospective teachers. It was a much better turnout than the one I attended a few weeks ago. There were a few schools that think they are going to be hiring social studies teachers for this upcoming school year...YES, I did choose to go into a teaching field that doesn't have very many opportunities. And those social studies jobs out there are usually held by male coaches who have had the same job for 40 plus years! Good thing I serve a God who has a job already lined up and ready to go...I just have to be actively searching!

Anywho...these are my observations from the day:

1. Men...if you are going to wear this...

don't wear these...

that should be common sense to you!!!

2. Girls...if you are going to wear this color pants....

aka "BLACK"

don't wear these color shoes...

aka "BROWN"

this also should be common sense!

3. If you are a teacher, principal, or HR specialist representating your school at a career fair and someone comes to your explains that they are a Secondary Social Science Major (aka, History teacher), DON'T and I repeat DON'T...SNORT and say "well good luck with that" in a snide voice!!!! Yes, I am fully aware that I am applying for jobs that are at a minimum. Yes, I am aware that if I was to go into Special Education that I could have had a job yesterday. But you know what? I need to teach that which I have a passion for, and you need to respect my educational choices...NOT diss on it! By tactful, be polite, direct me to your website, etc, etc, etc!

Those are my observations for today!

Oh by the way...

Student Teaching and Spring Break

YEAH!!!

I officially finished my teaching portion of my student teaching time...I now just have two weeks of observations throughout the high school and I am completely done. I have to finish up 5 more assignments of my own that include a teacher portfolio and a work sample of lessons that I prepared. Once I finish all those requirements and my school signs off on everything then I am eligible to apply for my teaching certification through the State of Washington.

I am not done with my Masters degree though...I have until January of next year to finish that. In fact, they expect you to have a job and work on your thesis project while in your classroom!

I am off to Spokane this Tuesday for another Career Fair...hopefully, this time there will be more schools represented and I will feel better once done. A few weeks ago I went to a Career Fair in Ellensburg at Central WA University...not great turnout!

But you know what?

I have never been let down by my God! Even when things look bleakest and the dark is overwhelming...God always pulls me through and answers my prayers! I am a firm believer in FAITH! He will secure the best teaching job for me!

The last day of my student teaching is the start of our school district's Spring Break. So my sister, brother-in-law, all their kids, and I are all heading over to Seattle at the end of the month to meet up with my other sister and her kids and my Mom to play in Seattle for a few days. Seattle has a City Pass which you can buy for $45 and it gets you admission to the Aquarium, an Argosy Cruise, Experience Music Project, the Zoo and the Pacific Science Center with Imax movie!!!

We might not be able to go somewhere exotic, but hey, Seattle can be fun too!! We are going to pack all of it in just a few days, but it will be fun! It will be nice to have a little vacation as well.

My big question?

Will it still be snowing on Spring Break???!!!!

LOL...

Seriously though...it is mid-March in Seattle and it is still snowing over there...what the heck is up with that!!!

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family roots - Ancestory

And then there were 11....

So this fine looking group of 13 top finalists for American Idol was reduced to 11 tonight!

Those that were axed?

Have you watched?

I am going to tell you now...hide your eyes if you don't want to know....




Jasmine

Jorge

So long...so farewell...it's time to say goodnight....



My faves?

Scott---yes it's purely a sympathy vote...I think he can sing, but this does tend to be a popularity contest and he just can't make it with the rest. Although it was quite fascinating to watch them sing and dance tonight and those that were around him to make sure he got to his correct position!

My pick for winner?

DANNY GOKEY!!!!!

And the Winner is....

Random.org (just a nifty site!!) gave me the lucky #13 as my Starbucks gift card (and scrap goodies) winner!!!

And #13 is......Jamie....you can see her comment below! Congrats...send me your mailing info and I will get your stuff out this weekend!

Jamie said...

Yay, your first giveaway!!! I'll take a big rice crispy treat and something with caramel, hehe. Don't drink Starbucks or coffee that often for that matter but I do like it! And scrap stuff, oh my...I'm always up for that!

StampinMom :-)

You can still get in the action...there are still TONS of giveaways going on through SITS Spring Fling...there is 343 giveaways going on!!!

Spring Fling!

Ok, so I'm giving in...I said I wouldn't have time to do this with student teaching and working my regular job...but giveaways are so much fun!

So the SITSA's over at The SITS Girls are having a Spring Fling...lots and lots and lots of giveaways today...go check it out....and I'll even give you some of my winning mojo...

So in the 1,000+ posts I have done over the last few years I have never done a giveaway...I know shameful. So here it goes...

I am offering a $10 gift card to Starbucks along with a few surprise scrapbook goodies...these goodies may be something I have made or picked up at one of the many, many conventions I have gone to!

How do you win?

Leave me a comment telling me what type of drink you would get if you won...me? Venti, Peppermint Mocha, Extra Hot, No Whip!

My contest will end tomorrow...Tuesday, March 10th at 10pm Pacific Time, when I will then randomly draw a winner and announce who they are! Please make sure I can get ahold of you if you win...Good luck and have fun!

More Unfairness....

And look...here is the other little stinker hangin' out in Hawaii...my seven month old niece Elliana! Sheesh...what a life....taking the bottle on the beach, must be rough!

And that big stinker is my baby sister Camille (just call her Gypsy and she'll come running!) They really are going to be in for weather adjustments when they come back to Western WA after the SNOW that was/is falling this weekend!!

Unfair...

Somehow I don't think it is FAIR that my four year old niece is boogie boarding in Hawaii right now and I am stuck in Podunk, Nowhere freezing my wahoozies off and writing papers!

There she is, Dajia learning how to boogie board with some help from her Daddy!

She is a little water rat!!!

She called me the other day (yes, from Hawaii...stinker! well, her Mom is the stinker!) to say hello. They were going to look for hermit crabs when they called the last time...

Friendly Reminder....

Hey you!!

Yes you!!!

Are you listening???

TURN YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR TONIGHT!!!

That's your public service announcement for the day!

You can now return to your regularly scheduled programming..Thank you!

Fishful Thinking

Have you heard of Fishful Thinking? Well, I hadn't either, until I was over at Tiffany's blog, One Woman's Rants and Raves, where she is blogging about Fishful Thinking because she has been chosen to be part of their faculty (she's so excited she is giving away 2, $100 Gift Cards to Target...you know how I love me some Target!!!).

In a small nutshell, because I need to dive more into their website and learn more, Fishful Thinking is an intiative through Pepperridge Farms that offers tools to parents for fostering optimism in kids.

How many of us know kids today that don't feel as if they make a difference; feel that they can't set worthy goals and keep them; and kids who just feel as if there is no place in this world for them?

First of all, what a sad and difficult feeling to have on such tiny shoulders. When did kids stop being kids and believing that anything is possible in the future? Have we advocated kids to grow up to fast and face the realities of life before they even get to a place in life that they can successfully handle it?

I pray not, but I fear it is true.

Let's give our kids back the sense of optimism that we had growing up! They can conquer the world! They can be anything or do anything when they grow up!!!

Yes, I got one...

So I have been salivating over this little machine for quite some time now...I've worked through the emotions of jealously as I see friends of mine buy one...and I've worked through the issue of "I have no money to buy this!"

So my good friend Barbara decided to send me a little email from JoAnn's stating that this baby was on sale for half off!!!! The price?

$99

I hemmed....

I hawed...

I looked online for days and days going back and forth with myself...can I afford? Do I really need this to enhance my life? Am I getting it to keep up with the Joneses, er um, Goodmans! :)

So I hemmed....

I hawed....

I looked online some more....

I called the store 3 days in a row to see if they still had them in stock!

I finally decided Saturday morning to take a little drive to my local JoAnn's store. Now listen friends...local means that I had to drive for over an hour to get to JoAnn's as I live in a little podunk town with no craft stores anywhere...**GASP** I know you're wondering how I live....let me tell you it is hard!

So I got up early (well, early for me!!!) and made the trek to Kennewick, WA found the JoAnn's store and proceeded to buy the newest member of my scrapbooking family. She is sitting upstairs right now waiting to be used and assimilated into my scrapbooking way of life!

Am I glad I bought it?

YES!

Ah, nothing like a new toy to make this scrapping girl happy!

Oh yummy...

Oh, look what came in the mail from sunny Hawaii....well, I guess I am assuming it is sunny there. I'm sure I'll get an update as my baby sister, her famiy and my Mom all left for Hawaii this morning!! My four year old niece was pulling on my heartstrings, saying "Auntie Rachel you come too!" oh I wish...anyhow I digress....

Remember that fun Aloha package I won from Jen at TuTu's Bliss? It came in the mail the other day...I cannot say thank you enough!

Just a few different views...I'm really looking forward to trying the dressing, the jam and the popcorn....and of course all the different types of chocolate that came OH and the coffee!

And here we have a fun towel, a cute bowel and some yummy smelling stuff! Ah bliss....

Joaquin Phoenix

Ok, first of all, I apologize...youtube.com is giving me the finger and not letting me copy the codes for embedding videos onto my blog...blech!!!





So a few weeks ago Joaquin Phoenix was on David Letterman to promote his lastest and last movie. The interview? Extremely, extremely strange....click the link below to watch it!!


This is a latest picture of Joaquin...be careful watching...you will definitely fall on the floor laughing hysterically!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXpYk7WGN5Y



Secondly, last night on the Academy Awards (Oscars right Holly?) Ben Still presented awards with Natalie Portman and he came impersonating Joaquin...so stinkin' funny!!! OMG...I was dying last night! Click the link below to watch Ben Stiller at the Oscars.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPj74YaqcVg

I love Joaquin Phoenix as an actor and I am very disappointed in his decision to quit acting and take up singing. Oh, have you not heard that bit of Hollywood gossip? WAIT!!! It gets better...one might assume that he is going to sing country after witnessing his performances in Walk the Line as Johnny Cash...but NO...he is going into Hip-Hop.

Have you ever heard anything so STUPID!!!!

Aloha!

Jen over at TuTu's Bliss had a wonderful Hawaiin Aloha giveaway going, to which I put my name in the running....

Logged on to my email this morning and saw comments saying, "Congratulations on your Aloha win!"

You got it!! I won! Jen amazingly put together not just any ol' giveaway either, but a FANTASTIC giveaway....including:

a stunning Sand and Sea bracelet with seashell dangles from My Precious Peanut Designs
AND
Hershey's Kisses with Mauna Loa Macadamia Nuts!!
AND
Chocolate Covered COFFEE beans. (YUMMMMMY)
AND
Guava Macadamia Cookies
AND
Papaya-Pineapple Jam from Hawaiian Sun

AND

Pack of Microwaveable Pineapple Kettle Korn

AND

Little Hawaiian Cookbooks "Tastes & Flavors of Hawai'i

(Includes exotic recipes like Liliko'i dressing and Tropical Ambrosia)
AND

ALL THESE OTHER GOODIES FROM THE PAST REVEALS....
Sampling of handmade soaps from North Shore Soap Factory
Caramacs & Chocolate covered Macadamias from Hawaiian Host
Papaya Seed Dressing

Li Hing Powder

Kona Coffee

Carved Coconut Dish

"Beauty Pack" from Purse Passion
Aloha Hand Towel from Curly Top Boutique

Can you believe it? I'm so super stoked!!! Thank you again Jen for having such a great giveaway!!! Aloha

Someone thinks I'm Kreativ!

I love blogging and meeting new friends from all over the world! Elaine, from At Home 'n About, honored me a few days ago by giving me this Kreativ Blogger Award...isn't it cute!!!????!!!

Thank you so much for thinking my blog is Kreativ...since I've started student teaching it doesn't feel as if I have been so creative...funny story about student teaching though. I answered the class phone today and told the person on the other line that I was Mrs. R's student teacher...once I was done a student looked at me with this look and say, "You're a student teacher?"

Hmmm....I wonder what he thought I was doing there? Gotta love clueless teenagers!!!

So here is the rules for accepting this award....I have to list 7 things that I love and then pass the award on to 7 people...tagging them and letting them know they won! You can copy the picture of the award and put it on your sidebard letting the whole wide world you are KReATIV!

So here are my 7 loves.....

1......I love my nieces and nephews...and this includes all the kiddos who are related to me but still call me Auntie

2......I love books...small books, big books, hardback books, paperback books....books, books, books!

3......I love to travel all over the world

4......I love entering the presence of God through worship

5......I love talking to friends over a good cup of coffee

6......I love to give....presents for holidays....for non-holidays...I just like to brighten someone's day with a gift

7......I love who God has made me to be and I pray that I further that person He has made!



My seven blogging friends:

1. Rachel (gotta love friends with that name!) at Made with Love & Glue

2. Melissa (please pray for her Grandpa!) at My Little World: Choo-Choos, Cars and Lipgloss

3. April (check her cute V-day gifts) at 4 Kennedys and a Dog

4. A Thorn Among Roses

5. Julie at Journey to Family

6. A Duck in Her Pond

7. Kelley at Yeah, sure, youbetcha

Little Ditty for you....

“Volunteer—not so you can build your resume, but so you can build yourself.”