Happy Birthday to Me

So this past Thursday was my 26th birthday. For those of you who don't know me, I love my birthday.... it is my favorite holiday! My husband has figured out how much I love my birthday and has made it a point to make my birthdays extra special. This year for my birthday, he woke me up and made me breakfast in bed and then I got to open my present. He got me a beautiful picture of Christ from the Reflections of Christ collection. I love this picture and mentioned to him that when we get a house I wanted a big picture to hang on my wall. He remembered and got it for me. It is lovely!
I went to work and had a great day. My mom brought me a birthday sign to hang in my classroom and I wore a birthday hat too. My kids had a fun time singing to me all day and telling me Happy Birthday. When I got home, my husband was waiting for me with another present.... a trip to HAWAII!!!! I am so excited. We are leaving in a couple of days and had already talked to my boss and got substitutes lined up to take my class. We are driving down to Mesa on Friday to spend a day with my best friend ( Yea Colette!!!!), then on Saturday we are flying straight to Kauai and we get to spend 4 days there. I am super excited and Derek did a great job at keeping it a secret so I would be surprised! Thanks to all for the many birthday wishes... It was a great day!!!!!

Ode to Alison

So for the past 4 years, I have been teaching preschool at Challenger and have loved it. This year, I have had the opportunity to move into Kindergarten with Alison Clark. She is amazing and I have had so much fun with her. Some of the kids ask us if we are sisters because we kind of look alike. Kind of funny... I like her so much, I even moved next door to her ( I really did, but it was not on purpose. The house we liked the most just happened to be in her neighborhood and we didn't know that until after we had looked at the house and fell in love with it). We are doing our Spring Programs right now and having so much fun singing and dancing with the kids. The school year is almost over and I am ready for the summer but I have had the best year teaching with Alison. Here's to many more...

I DID IT!!!!!!

I graduated from Utah Valley University with my Bachelors in Psychology.
Me and my brothers Caleb and Bryson... Kelsie is living in Minnesota for the summer and Taylor couldn't miss school. He graduates from high school next month so he couldn't miss anymore school. Missed you guys.
The fam-damily
The whole crew. Bryson, my mom, my dad, Caleb, Derek, and my mother in law Julie. Thanks guys for coming at the butt crack of dawn (8am) to support me. You rock
My friend Angie who graduated with me in Psychology. We had classes together. She helped me make it through the semester.

Here are pictures from my graduation today. It was such a great experience. Anyone who says that walking in Commencement is not worth it, is totally a liar. Yeah, it was a long day, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world. President Monson was our guest speaker and the whole first presidency was there too. Elder Uchtdorf came back in the hall to see us, and he walked right past me and shook my hand and said "Congratulations! Way to go!" to me. Pretty freaking neat. I didn't trip when I was walking across the stage- I was worried that it might happen ( I was wearing my 3 inch pink heals). Good thing. My husband is taking me back to Arizona for a graduation trip so I can show him where I grew up and lived. What a great husband I have?! Yea for hard work, yea for a year of stress and tears, yea for it all being over!!!!