Summer Update...little late :)

This summer Braedon and I were able to go quite a few places, but I have yet to put up the pictures and talk about the vacations so I will give a quick rundown now that I have time. :)  So here are the places we went this summer!

1.  San Francisco--We decided to take advantage of Braedon's flight benefits with his job and fly standby to San Fran.  We only stayed there for a day, but it was a super fun quick trip.  We took a little cruise around the San Francisco bay.  The cruise took us under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz Island.  We also enjoyed a little clam chowder on Fisherman's warf and drove down Lombard Street.  I have been to San Fran several times because my sister lived there, but this was Braedon's first time.  We LOVEd it... and it was fun to just do something spur of the moment.  We literally planned this vacation in about a day which is something I NEVER do... I am more of a planner when it comes to vacations.  

2.  San Diego--Braedon served his mission in San Diego so we planned a trip there to see everyone.  Again, thanks to Braedon's flight benefits we were able to fly there free of charge (otherwise there is no way we would have been able to afford it).  Our favorite part of the trip was seeing all of the people.  It was great to finally meet the people Braedon always talks about and I was really happy that Braedon could see everyone again.  It was fun to listen to his Spanish and see everybody light up when we stopped by.  We also went to Sea World which is always great!  I am in love with sea life so that was one of my favorite parts of the trip.  The shows were amazing.  

3.  Alaska--After San Diego we went off to Alaska for a week.  We went to visit my sister and her family.  My mom and dad went as well so it was one big Voeks family party in Alaska.  My husband in now addicted to Alaska and all of the scenery there.. well at least he likes in in the summer.  Winter is probably a different story.  Our favorite part of this trip had to be seeing the bear while fishing for salmon on the Kenai River...So cool.. however.. we did not catch any fish.. had no idea what we were doing, but everyone around us caught quite a few! haha and my brother-in-law kept hooking them but our line was too weak for those huge fish.  Other favorite part.. my ADORABLE nieces.. love those girls.

The bear we saw fishing :)

This is what you see EVERYWHERE in Alaska

4.  Grand Cayman-- And the grande finale of the summer was Grand Cayman Islands!  We got home from Alaska and hopped on another plane the very next day.  It was pretty insane, but totally worth it.  Braedon's family has a house out there so all of us stayed together.  It was so great!  Highlights of the trip:  seeing a dolphin fight a shark (I felt like I was on discovery channel or something) and the glowing water at night time (there is a rare plankton found there that glows so everything at night that moves in the water is glow in the dark!  We saw a sting ray swimming around.. SO COOL!).  Also being able to hang out with the Roney fam for a week always makes for a good time. :)

View from the house

And that wraps up our crazy summer!  Will probably never have another summer like it with all the trips we were able to go on.  Thanks to Braedon's flight benefits and wonderful family for giving us a place to stay otherwise it was WAY out of our budget.

P.S.. i have much better pictures but my computer won't read my card.. maybe I will add more later :)

First Days of School...

So I decided to blog about school to get a few things of my mind so I discontinue talking about it endlessly to my husband...he is probably getting sick of it, but he just smiles and listens... :)

Some things that have been on my mind...

1.  I forget how nerve-racking the 7th grade is, until I see all of the 7th graders scurrying from class to class with these blank, scared looks on their faces.  But of course... it is not "cool" to be scared or feel unsure so most students try to act like they know exactly what they are doing.  Junior high....what a hard time in life.

2.  I forget how easily stressed I become about making sure everything is as perfect as it can be for my students.  I want so badly for them to become confident and feel safe in my class.  I worry about how to discipline so I don't embarrass them, how to differentiate my teaching so I reach most of my students in a lesson, how to catch their attention..especially the ones that don't care for science, and how to just make class a fun experience for them... Then I realize, the students have no clue teachers think all of this.  They just think they are coming to learn science and that is all I really worry about.  After they leave my class their mind races to what they have to do next, not really thinking about science class as much as I do after that.

3.  Junior high kids probably say and do the funniest things and they don't even realize it.    

4.  My students that I had last year in 8th grade came back to visit... they don't remember a thing except for when I used fire in my lessons, which friend was in their class, our class was fun, and an occasional science topic.

5.  I decided the things I feel are most important to teach is confidence that they can do well in school and help them become a better critical thinker.

Well, wish me luck this year... I hope my students enjoy my class and I am excited for another year.  Now I can sleep well tonight after getting a few worries out. :)

Three Weeks.. Really??

I finish my first year of teaching in three weeks.  It has been quite the first year.  I have had plenty of ups and downs with my first year, but when all is said and done I feel like I have done the best I can and I can't believe its already over.  I am excited to be done and to start a new year because there is plenty I can improve on in my teaching.  :)  I am also super excited for SUMMER!

This summer Braedon and I get to go here:

and here:

SO excited!!!!  We are so lucky to be able to visit Alaska and the Grand Cayman Islands in one summer.  I have never been to Cayman and Braedon has never been to Alaska so it will be fun that both of us get to see a different place :)  Until then, I will  count down the days until my first year is done and I get to have a fun summer with the hubby! :)

Spring Break

Confession:  Teachers are worse than their students when it comes to counting down the days until break. 

I am dying for a week away from school more than I ever have being a student.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching.  I love my students and all of the funny stories I come home with, but.. I am ready for break! Wahoo!!  Next week I will sleep in at least 3 of the days, have time to clean my house, be able to actually cook a meal for my husband, maybe do some shopping, exercise, and just relax.  Oh boy I am so excited!!  And I know you are probably thinking that the things I am excited for (like cleaning and making meals) are silly things to be excited for, but I haven't been able to really make our apartment look nice or cook a real meal because I usually am not done with school until about 5 o-clock and then I have grading and planning.  Life of a first year teacher = craziness! 

Well, so long and maybe next week I will have more time to blog since I won't be at school!! Wahoo!

P.S.. If anyone has some good ideas for some nice home-cooked meals I can try out let me know.  Keep it novice level though.. don't want to burn the house down.

I'm Married

So here is the update...been married for two months and am LOVIN' it!  We were married December 17, 2011 in the Draper Temple and it was the most perfect day.  I am grateful to all of my bridesmaids and family that helped out at the wedding.  Braedon and I didn't have to worry about a thing on the day of the wedding.  Well.. I could go on for a good amount of time about how wonderful the day was and how much I love my husband, but I will just show pictures instead. :)

Our Reception decorations...Thanks to my mother-in-law the place looked wonderful :)

Warming up between pictures!

Trying to catch the garter...pretty intense..

Well, this is just a small glimpse of the pictures and our special day.  Thank-you to everyone that made it happen and I am SO happy to be Mrs. Roney! :)

32 Days

32 days until it is Christmas break, I am officially completed with my college courses, and am done wedding planning and am married!!!!!!  WAHOO!  I always imagined being able to have fun going around from store to store planning my wedding, making my own favors to hand out, making fudge for the reception, etc. However, when getting married the day after your fiance's semester ends and in the midst of your very first year of teaching makes planning a wedding somewhat difficult.  It is almost done though...kind of.. but regardless of having a perfectly planned wedding or not, I will be Mrs. Virginia Roney come December 17 and I am SO excited!!!!!!! :) :) :)  32 days and counting...

"I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" -Elf :)

Yesterday will probably go down as one of the best days of my life.  I am officially engaged!  I got home from work a little early and I saw Braedon's car in my driveway.  I walked in and my dad and Braedon were talking by themselves in the basement so I knew something was up.  When I came into the basement my dad told me I had to leave.  At this point I knew the proposal was coming soon but I thought it would not be until the next day.

Braedon and I took off a little after he finished talking with my dad.  We were supposedly meeting his family up at his uncle's cabin which is located up Provo canyon.  We were all going to go four wheeling.  On the way Braedon stopped by Cafe Rio (my favorite) and we got food to take up to the cabin.  On the way up the canyon Braedon threw me off by saying my dad pulled him into the basement and made him talk to him about marrying me.  It was funny because my dad was actually saying he was going to do that, but I thought he was just joking.  So I was kind of upset with my dad because I thought he was meddling.  haha.. but really Braedon just made that up and it happened to work out really well for him.  

About five minutes up the canyon Braedon told me that his uncle and family was not going to make it until later because some other things came up (I cannot remember the excuse he used).  I didn't think anything of it because I was just excited to be up the canyon during the Fall. (I LOVE driving up the canyon during Fall with the leaves.. Fall season is my favorite!)  

Once we got up to the cabin we hopped on a four-wheeler and started driving around.  We went down different roads and saw some elk while driving around so I was just loving it.  I hadn't driven a four-wheeler since I was like 15 too so I was in my own little world enjoying the fall colors.  Braedon then took us up this hill.  When we got up the hill he stopped the four-wheeler and asked if this would be an okay place for us to pull out our food to eat our food.  It was beautiful!  On one side of the hill it overlooked Dear Creek and on the other side of the hill there were hills covered with fall leaves.  As we stood on the hill Braedon took out his camera to get some pictures.  As he was taking pictures of everything I was standing next to the four wheeler enjoying the scenery.  

At this point Braedon asked me to hand him a bag in his back pack because he needed a new memory card for his camera.  I found the bag where supposedly the memory card was.  Well.. what Braedon wanted me to do was open it and find that there was a pretty little black box with a diamond ring inside... but I just chucked the bag at him and went back to looking at the pretty fall leaves... hahaha.. oops!  So that threw Braedon a little off guard, but while I was facing the mountains, Braedon came up behind me got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  I immediately said yes and gave him a huge hug as he slipped the ring onto my finger.  It was so perfect.  

So now... let the wedding planning begin!  I am already counting down the days to December 17!!! Cannot WAIT!  I love that boy SO much and feel so blessed to have him be my fiance.  I have been dreaming about marrying him for over two years and now we are engaged.  So excited to marry my best friend. :)

Right after the proposal at sunset :)

My Ring

The view of Provo Canyon :)

The elk we saw on the way up