This week has been great but very busy and stressful. I spent it all in the classroom I will be student teaching in spring semester. It was very cool to see how to set up the classroom for the year and how some of the things we have talked about in terms of creating a classroom environment are put into practice. I noticed that many of the lessons that are done in the classroom are already prepared for the teacher, such as math and phonics. Others are so straight forward, such as handwriting, that there isn't a need to plan for them. In first grade there is just so much to learn that people have realized the teachers can't possibly plan each lesson on their own. It is the beginning of the year so maybe it will change before I teach in January. I hope that by then the students will be in a little more of a routine and we can branch out a little from the prewritten lessons. I also hope that by then we will be able to do more than writing a sentence and drawing a picture that goes along with it. That is abou all they are able to do now. This is why I don't want the little ones. The don't know how to read or write, they've never been in school all day long (some haven't been in school at all), they don't understand the procedures of a school day. I want about third grade. By then, they know how school works, they can read and write. You don't have to teach them how to write on lined paper or the little things like that. I am excited to get to know the students better next semester, but also very glad to not have them this semester. I don't know how I would do it on my own with so many students and so much for them to learn. It is such a daunting task that I am beginning to realize I chose to embark upon. I know I can do it, but those jitters don't really go away until you really do it a few times.

That's the big news for now, but here's a quick update on other things:

• classes start monday.... my last semester!!!
• i'm going to see Ben Harper on Thursday
• i'm trying to get back into working out. I think signing up for classes is the only way I can do it, so that's the plan right now.
• there are only a few boxes left to unpack and a few more things to make this really feel like home.
• life is HAPPY!!!
  

The new apartment is coming along nicely. We have the living room and the kitchen all put together. All we are waiting on is the cable guy to come on thursday to get the cable and internet ready to go. So if you try to contact me, I probably won't respond in the quickest of manners until after then. The two bedrooms are still a complete mess, but they will come along eventually. I have a little bit of time off this week, so hopefully it will get done soon. We are going to have a party in a month or so as a birthday/housewarming/football party. If anyone wants to come, let me know and I will get you an invite!

The bridal shower is this weekend. I still have almost nothing planned and haven't heard from a bunch of people. So I'm trying to plan something for which I do not have a head count and don't know what all to plan for. It will all fall into place, I know.

I can't believe the summer is almost over. I have about 2 weeks left. That is just crazy. This has gone soooooo fast with everything to be done. And there is still so much left to be done before school starts again. Oh well... what gets done will and what doesn't will have to wait until there is time to do it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the amazingly hot days and the winding down of summer!