Gem State Transplant

The Reason for the Season

2010-12-27T01:35:00.004-05:00

I continued my Christmas tradition this week of attending the Christmas services of a church besides my own. I love Christmas and the feeling of unity with all of Christendom as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I love the images of Christ, the beautiful music and the sermons and sharing that special spirit of Christmas, even with perfect strangers. There were a couple of things that really stood out to me at the service that I would like to share.

The pastor spoke (of course) about Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, their search for a place to stay and the birth of Jesus Christ in the stable. And then he gave a beautiful metaphor, one of my favorites. From Luke 2: "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger". A manger, or a feeding trough for animals. One of the most humble places imaginable, and yet perfectly symbolic of the Savior. Jesus himself said (John 6:51) "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." The baby Jesus was laid in the feeding trough, seemingly unfit for the Redeemer of the world, and yet incredibly fitting. He is indeed the Bread of Life; only by partaking of him and his grace can we be saved.

And then were uttered the seven words I never expected to hear at a Christmas service:

Jesus ISN'T the reason for the season.

In all fairness, I didn't completely disagree with what came next. It was just missing the crucial element.

He relayed a story about a British couple in Africa who had adopted a baby hippo and explained how when that hippo grew up, it couldn't be released back into the wild because it had quite literally forgotten how to be a hippo. This part is important. He said that Jesus isn't the reason for the season: We are. He taught that humankind had forgotten how to be hospitable, tolerant, compassionate; in short, human, and that Christ was born to teach us and remind us how to be all those things.

It's clearly not untrue. Christ is our ultimate example for all good things: He teaches us love, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, charity, hope, and faith. He taught us how to pray, how to fast, how to treat our neighbors. But the prophets taught these qualities and attributes as well (although of course Christ is the perfect example). He was indeed born for us, but not just to teach us how to be hospitable and compassionate. Saying that this is WHY Christ came to the earth ignores his primary purpose. In Mark 8:31, Jesus taught the disciples that "that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." Christ did for us what none of us could do for ourselves. He suffered the pains of hell and died on the cross that each one of us might be able to have eternal life with our Father in Heaven. The Atonement of Christ is the real reason for Christmas. Perhaps this sounds more like Easter than Christmas, but the two are inseparably connected.

I am grateful for this knowledge, that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of the virgin Mary. That He taught us the way to perfection, that He was our exemplar and our elder Brother. But most of all, I am grateful to know that He died for all of us collectively and for me individually, that through his grace I may be forgiven of my sins and that through his mercy I may be succored in all my weaknesses and infirmities.

Happy Christmas.

Speaking of adulthood...

2010-08-23T13:37:00.006-04:00

About 6 seconds after I published the last post, I remembered an article I read last night called "What Is It About 20-Somethings?" And of course I laughed, because it turns out that apparently I fit into that 20-something "I'm-terrified-of-growing-up" category. There have been a number of articles, even books, written on the topic in recent months and years and everyone (Psychologists, sociologists, politicians, church leaders and especially our parents) asks the same questions: What's going on with the 20-somethings? Why are my friends and I leaving our budding careers to go "back to school" or to travel the world for a few months? Why are we still single? Are we just spoiled, self-indulgent adults who are shying away from real responsibility? Why do we need so much time to "find ourselves"?

From the above-mentioned article: "The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain untethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life. "

I really wish I knew the answers to all those questions. Mostly because I'd probably win some sort of Nobel Prize if I could sort out all our issues (and I hear that comes with quite a chunk of change), but also because maybe then I'd have more insight into myself. This is a rather expansive topic and I don't want to write a book on the subject (why do you think I picked a Masters program that doesn't require a thesis?), but I want to look at the 5 milestones our author isolated that represent our transition into adulthood.

1. Finishing school. High School. Check. Bachelors? Check. Masters? Give me a couple years. The reasoning behind this one makes sense. We've been in school since we were 4 or 5, so it's logical that once we're done, we've reached adulthood. But what about those of us who finished school, worked for a few years and then went back to school? Is that a sign that we couldn't handle the responsibilities of being an adult? Maybe. A lot of our parents have stuck with their first post-college jobs for 20, even 30 years. So why can't my generation stick with it? Why the rush to "go back to school"?

For me, I decided that when I woke up every morning dreading going into work and secretly wishing for mono just so I could stay home sick for a month, it was time to do something else. I don't think that our parents just magically all loved their jobs. But we've convinced ourselves that our jobs should be entertaining, lucrative and emotionally rewarding and since a lot of us aren't married (see #4), we have the luxury of going back to school or switching careers in search of something that's a better fit. By the time my dad was 25, he had 1.5 children and quitting a job to go back to school would have been a much bigger hardship than it is for me.

And, lest you think I'm trying to rationalize all our behavior, partly I think we go back to school because we're simply indecisive. There are so many opportunities out there that we don't want to commit to just one. Sure, I like my current job, but what if there's something better? What if being a teacher is more rewarding than engineering? Shouldn't I give it a shot?

2. Moving out. Done. Except for a summer after my freshmen year of college and 6 weeks after I graduated, I pretty much moved out of my parents house the August after high school. I don't ever plan on moving back, although I am grateful that the option is still there if I ever needed it (I'm assuming at least. Mom? Correct me if I'm wrong?). I'm not sure if having the "i could always move back home" back-up plan disqualifies me from adulthood.

3. Financial independence. Again, a pretty obvious indicator of adulthood. I have friends that hit this one as soon as they graduated from high school and a few more friends who I suspect will never make it there. If you read my last post (yes, I'm spending far too much of my last day of freedom blogging), you noticed that a lot of the surprising/depressing realizations about adulthood were financial.

4. Marriage. I wish I knew. Like most of the intelligent, beautiful women that I associate with, I do want to be married someday. To be honest, it strikes me as quite remarkable that compatible people ever find each other at the right time, etc. etc., but I have faith and hope that things will work out, that the Lord knows me better than I know myself and that he will guide this one.

I do want to answer probably the most frustrating question I've gotten: "So, are all the women in DC like you, moved out east to pursue a career instead of getting married and settling down?"

The cynic in me replies, "Yep, that's it. And we especially like it when people accuse us of wanting to be eternally single." But I realize that's probably not the best answer. We 20-something women out here did NOT come here to avoid marriage. Believe me, there are thousands of cities all over this country with negligible social scenes if that was our goal. Most of us came here because we are single and because we saw that single-ness as an opportunity to improve ourselves and make a difference in the world. It's not that we're choosing careers over marriage and families. But I think we would all agree that a happy, productive individual is much more pleasant that someone who whines about being single all the time.

I will agree, however, that marital status is an enormous dividing line, especially in the church. We are designated as "young single adults" and then "single adults". More thoughts on that later. But yes, despite careers and education levels, etc., it seems that my friends who are married have been accepted into the church's "adult" club much more readily than we singles have.

5. Children. No way. Not happening until after #4.

I reiterate: I have no real solid answers. I do recognize how easy it is to get self-absorbed in this current situation and I know in my own experience that I'm considerably happier when I'm actively and "anxiously engaged in a good cause" than when I'm trying to figure out my life. I also, however, entirely agree with the author that we all feel the "30 Deadline" creeping up on us faster than we'd like. I'm searching for a way to feel content with my current situation in life but to continue progressing and reaching my goals. And although it still scares me a little, adulthood has its perks, right? I'd love your thoughts.

When did I become an adult?

2010-08-23T09:24:00.004-04:00

It really hit home this weekend.

A friend and I wanted to take a quick trip to NYC to see a show, but we didn't want to pay for a hotel, so we caught a 3:30 am bus out of DC. It dropped us off at Penn Station with just enough time to grab a quick breakfast before hitting the theater to pick up our tickets. (Being a student is the best - second row seats for $27!!) We spent a couple hours just wandering around Central Park before our matinee, which is when the sleep deprivation started to kick in. In my anxiety to not miss our ridiculously early bus, I hadn't slept the night before, and I definitely didn't sleep on the bus. Luckily the show was fabulous enough that I stayed awake, but I was more than ready to crash when we boarded the bus back to DC at 7:30 pm. A couple big discoveries: First, a trip like this would have been no big deal in college. I didn't sleep much for those 4 years. Now, it was a little painful. Second, I love that I have friends that will still do crazy things like that with me, even if we pay dearly for it afterward.

Worth it? Absolutely. Bernadette "the BP that isn't destroying the planet" Peters and Elaine Stritch were brilliant in Sondheim's "A Little Night Music".

Other recent "Whoa. I'm really a adult" moments:

Dealing with identity theft
Actually owing taxes for the first time
Getting called "Ms Chamberlain" every day for 3 years
Choosing to stay home on a Friday night because I was too tired from the week.
Replacing all the tires on my car
Road tripping to visit college friends with 2+ kids
Someone asked me last night how long I'd been playing the piano. And I realized the answer was TWENTY years. Holy cow.
I am a "former" teacher
Cody's wedding & Michael's graduation
Paying for my own insurance

Maybe going back to school will make me feel more like a kid? Here's hoping...

Reasons I love my life this week.

2010-07-19T00:20:00.004-04:00

10. Gianduiotti made their way back into my life. If you're not lucky enough to have ever tried these little nuggets of joy, think Nutella. But in bar form. Thank you Luigi and Janine for passing them on. If you ever get a chance to eat one of these, don't think, just do it.

9. My new room is finally going to be all put together. I moved 3 weeks ago to a little basement apartment about half a mile from my old place. With Emily's help, I got my desk moved over to the new place and I finally get to unpack the final box!! Pictures to come when it's actually finished.

8. Watching (or re-watching) some really beautiful movies & documentaries with my roommate. On the list this week: God Grew Tired of Us, Il Postino, The Red Balloon. I would highly recommend God Grew Tired Of Us, about the lost boys of Sudan. It's heart-wrenching and life-changing.

7. I'm getting really excited to start school in the fall. I'm starting some prep work for one of my classes this week and trying to remember how to study. Any suggestions for reading "The Federalist" ??

6. I survived the dentist.

5. Paid unemployment is one of the best things on earth. I get to spend my days reading, shopping, working out, cooking, watching movies, etc. I honestly don't know how I ever had time to work with all the other things that are going on!

4. D.C. has really awesome things to do in the summer. Case in point, the US Air Force Band Summer Concert Series. Every Wednesday and Friday night during the summer, the USAF Band (or different variations of it: the Singing Sargeants, Airmen of Note, etc.) plays a free concert at the Air Force Memorial here in Arlington. The band is incredibly talented and the view of the city is breathtaking.

3. Marvin Hamlisch directing the NSO with Idina Menzel singing the acoustic/Glee version of "Poker Face". This is maybe one of the more ridiculous musical scenarios that I could even imagine. But it was indescribably fabulous. Thanks to the girl who managed to tape at least most of the song. Youtube clip here .

2. I have amazing friends. People that inspire me to be better in so many different ways. Intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, physically. Love you all.

1. In just 3 days (plus a few hours) I'll be heading home to Eagle to spend two weeks with my wonderful family! Camping trip, plenty of yardwork and a WEDDING. Wow.

"I teach high school"

2010-06-07T15:57:00.001-04:00

In just over two weeks, I won't be able to say that anymore.

For the past 3-ish years, those four words have been a huge part of my identity. Countless hours of small talk at evite parties, ward functions and chatting with new folks in my parents' ward has been consumed by me explaining what I do, where I do it and why. But being a "Teacher" isn't just a talking point. I am constantly in teacher mode - how can I teach this principle? How can I model appropriate behavior? I can't shut up when I'm with friends at Arlington Cemetery or about 3 dozen other sites in and around DC. And not 30 seconds ago I corrected a friend's spelling (though in my defense, she asked). I am a teacher.

So what happens when the label "Teacher" has been removed? Don't get me wrong, I'm not rethinking my decision to quit and go back to school this fall. I'm just searching for a way to re-identify myself, to explain why after only 3 years in the profession I'm leaving it for something else. Am I a "former teacher"? I feel too young to be a former anything. Am I just someone who needed the "inner city experience" for a few years to feel good about myself? Am I giving up too early? I don't want to be any of those things.

On one hand, I will always be a teacher. It has become a part of me. I apologize in advance to those of you who hang out with me at a museum or another particularly teacher-y location. I will continue to explain the history behind whatever monument / event / person we are visiting - I just can't help that.

And clearly, there are other things that define me. I am a daughter of God with limitless divine potential. I am a Chamberlain, the oldest daughter of wonderful parents who have set a high bar for their children. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm an Idaho girl trying to make it in the big city. I will shortly become a student again and that just thrills me. I'm a daughter and a sister and a friend and I love each role that I play. But I think that despite how frustrated I am currently with my job, I'm going to miss the role of teacher a whole lot.

Roommate of the month award... (and a confession)

2010-06-05T00:15:00.006-04:00

This post is going to be a little less introspective than the last, but maybe just as revealing.

I have always prided myself on not being one of those squeamish girls. We all know the type. The girl who jumps on a desk and hikes up her skirt whenever a mouse scurries by (yes, I have seen a grown woman do that. best day of my life). I have no problems dissecting a frog or a fetal pig and on one occasion picked up a black snake to show my (slightly less adventurous) inner city students.

I do have a couple standard phobias. I really don't like heights, especially if there's actually a physical possibility of falling - for example, the ferris wheel in Chicago was considerably more traumatizing than the Ledge at the top of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. I'm also not a huge fan of bats or rats (mice are ok, rats are not).

The latest inexplicable and frankly embarrassing phobia that I've discovered is of this little guy:

(Ewww. It took all the self control I have to search for and post a picture of that thing. And to be honest I might take this post down simply because I can't handle looking at it. )

A few of these charming little creatures have found their way into our bathroom in the past few weeks. Not only are they actually very large bugs and ugly as sin, but they JUMP. I can't think of anything more terrifying while you're using the bathroom or showering than one of these jumping on you. I heard about the first one because Callie had strategically placed a toilet plunger over the cricket to keep it in place until we could get someone to kill it for us. After the first , she got brave and killed the next couple herself. I was sorely disappointed to learn that I am a little squeamish after all.

So. Roommate of the month award goes to my dear camel-cricket-killer-Callie.

And now the confession. A week or two ago as I was washing my face, I noticed a large blackish spot on the wall that wasn't usually there. When I put my glasses on and discovered what that blackish spot was (suddenly in focus and VERY close to my face)... I grabbed my toothbrush and avoided our bathroom for about 24 hours. I should have dealt with it, I know, but I just couldn't. Next time, Callie, I promise.

Becoming

2010-06-02T22:49:00.004-04:00

How exactly does one become a happy person?

I'm not saying that I'm unhappy. But I want to be more consistently happy with who I am and the things I'm doing with my life. I want to feel like my efforts are adequate and acceptable to God.

Every once in a while I catch glimpses of this woman that I want to be. She wakes up on time every morning, really studies her scriptures before leaving for work and starts out every day with a positive attitude. She is alert and productive at work. She manages to not only keep her classes under control and teach about the Treaty of Paris, but also nurtures students that desperately need it. She comes home from work, chats with her roommates and heads off to the gym for a challenging, stress-relieving workout. She spends her evenings reading or volunteering or practicing the piano and hanging out with friends. She keeps the gospel of Jesus Christ at the forefront of her mind throughout the day and consciously bases her decisions off true principles of the Gospel. She remembers that everyone is a son or daughter of God and treats everyone she meets as such.

I struggle figuring out how to actually become that person all the time. I realize on reflection that even the people who seem "perfect" have days where they feel like they've fallen short. I just want to feel like this amazing woman more often than I do. So how do you balance striving for perfection with the knowledge that perfection is unattainable? It's our end goal in this life, definitely, but that means that for the next 60 or so years, I've got to deal with failure. And unfortunately, like most humans, I am terrified of failure. I'm trying to change my vantage point. I'm trying to develop the courage to pick myself up when I've fallen, to move beyond my failure and to choose to be happy. I had no idea that achieving success and happiness would take so much courage.

I made a list a few weeks ago of things that make me happy:

crossing things off my to-do list
a clean house
reading a good book for hours on end
starting / working on a new creative project
sitting at the family piano on sunday afternoons and singing with my family
camping
waking up first on a camping trip and having the dawn all to myself
long walks, alone or with a close friend
singing along with the radio at the top of my lungs
phone calls from old friends
experimenting with new recipes
walks in the rain

In creating this list, however, I've discovered that sometimes I have a hard time actually doing the things that make me the happiest. This makes no sense. Why would I not jump at the chance to become happier? Again, I think it goes back to courage. It's easier, more comfortable to take a lackadaisical approach to life, to just let things happen instead of proactively seeking out opportunities for self-improvement. Happiness takes effort. Achievement takes effort. Perfection takes a whole lot of effort. And I have to convince myself that it's worth it.

So here's the best part:
Jesus Christ already prepared a way for me (us). He knows exactly the challenges that I face. When I choose to rely on him, I can receive the strength that I need to get me through life's challenges, even if the challenge is simply being happy.

Elder Richard G. Scott wrote in a talk entitled "The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness" the following:

"True, enduring happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus Christ. Obedience to His teachings provides a secure ascent in the journey of life. That takes effort. While there is no guarantee of overnight results, there is the assurance that, in the Lord’s time, solutions will come, peace will prevail, and happiness will be yours."

I'm striving to make this my new mantra. I could use your support as well.

words of wisdom

2010-05-04T15:22:00.000-04:00

Student 1: "ms. chamberlain, is Jewish a religion or a race?"
Student 2: "it's a religion right? because i'm Jewish, but that doesn't mean i'm from Jew-land"

when i required students to send me a message from our online grade system so i knew they had logged in to their grades:

"hi ms. chamberlain this is amber i am just emailing you because you told me to and i really don't
have anything else to talk about so.. yeah im going to go now."

"i think white people with dreads look like they need to pour water on it. like it looks like sawdust"

prior to the first parent-teacher conference: "MRS. chamberlain, i'm excited you get to meet my parents tonight. you'll recognize them because my dad is really tall and my mom looks just like me."
my (internal) response: "i'll also recognize them because they're white."

"ms. chamberlain, are Africans considered African-American?"

and the follow-up question: "if a white American guy marries an African woman, are their kids African-American?"

"ms. chamberlain, your eyelashes are blond on top!!!" (after i've spent 3 minutes lecturing her on some behavioral infraction.)

despite all the drama, these little gems always just make my day

Lessons in God's love

2010-05-02T21:56:00.005-04:00

I want to introduce you to a student in my notoriously bad 3^rd period class; we’ll call him John. John is a sophomore and because I teach two different courses, this is the second year he’s been in my class. John is a nice enough kid but has zero self control. He talks constantly to whoever he is sitting near; does absolutely no homework; gets up in the middle of class and walks around. A few weeks ago I ended up locking him out of the room because I was just done with the attitude. At least once a week I pull him aside and have a conversation about school rules, classroom rules and the choices he is making. I remind him that I have been in his shoes. I survived my sophomore year of high school and college. And that I really do know how much effort and work it will take to get him through not only my class but to be successful in life. I remind him that the rules I put in place are not me “picking on him” but are in fact there to teach valuable principles and skills that will help him succeed. Every time we have this conversation, his attitude changes. He understands why I constantly change his assigned seat. He actually does his classwork and focuses on his tasks. Total transformation. Unfortunately, this transformation lasts about 30 minutes and the misbehavior starts up again. A year and a half of these weekly cycles has been exhausting.

A few months ago as I was preparing for a sacrament meeting talk (from which this post derives), I had an epiphany. If I, in my extremely mortal and imperfect state, set classroom rules and restrictions in order for my students to learn and improve, how much more perfect are God’s laws? Just as I know the skills and discipline that are necessary for my students to pass, graduate and ultimately succeed in life, the Lord knows the bigger picture, the eternal picture. And every time I resist, he lovingly reminds me that he has eternal perspective and that he is directing me in the way I need to go. Just like my student, the very commandments that I am resisting are the things that will ultimately perfect me.

Elder Oaks says “God’s love is so perfect that he lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason, God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love.”

The scriptures offer numerous examples. The woman taken in adultery is accepted and loved by Christ, but ultimately told to “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:11) He loved her unconditionally, despite her grave sin, but still required obedience. Christ also taught that “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21)

God’s love is unconditional. He showers blessings upon us just because he loves us. However, it is only through our obedience to His laws that we can gain the greatest blessings of all, the blessings of exaltation and eternal life. His laws, as Elder Oaks said, are evidence of His love.

Please check out Elder Oaks' talk from last October (2009) General Conference, "Love and Law"

The Verdict is IN...

2010-04-19T21:24:00.004-04:00

For all of you out there who have just been DYING to know where I'm heading to grad school this fall, the wait is over. Drumroll please...

I will officially be a Colonial as of August 30, 2010. And I'm pretty darn excited.

p.s. yes, I do realize that you probably saw the logo before you read ANY of the above. Oh well

Oh What Do You Do In the Blizzard-time?

2010-02-11T23:22:00.007-05:00

I discovered something interesting about myself this past week. I actually really enjoy being at home. Don't get me wrong, it was a huge relief to actually leave the house on Thursday after (literally) staying inside all day on Wednesday. But while all my friends seemed to be going a little crazy, I was really enjoying myself. Cooking... painting...crocheting (or at least prepping to crochet and looking for my crochet hook...)... plenty of movies & reading... This may have something to do with not loving my job these days, but being able to spend days on end NOT doing work was really refreshing. Here are a few of the ways that I spent my Snow Week:

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. Ouch.

Crocheted Round Rug. Check out the link for a kind of unique project to crochet. You start by cutting or ripping about 9 yards of fabric. The instructions here tell you to use t-shirts, but I just bought a couple super cheap twin flat sheets from IKEA that work great.

and...

A Couple Recipes I Tried.

Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Dip.
This is what I made for our (all-girl) Super Bowl party. That seems like forever ago at this point, but that's just because The Game was at the beginning of the Snow Week. The past several days are pretty much a blur. With this recipe, I used bottled roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own, and they worked fabulously and I left out the olive oil completely. And to be honest I'm not sure how much of any of the ingredients I put in (I'm not very good at using measuring cups when I cook). But this is a good jumping off point at least.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce
I used a butternut squash ravioli that I found in Costco's refrigerated section, but you could definitely make your own pasta as well if you're feeling really adventurous. I added caramelized onions as well, which was delish.

What's In a Name?

2010-02-10T18:49:00.007-05:00

The clever folks over at the Washington Post Capital Weather Gang have been taking polls to name the storms of this past week. The Friday - Saturday storm was affectionately (?) dubbed Snowmageddon (although I prefer Snowpocalypse). And Snowmageddon it was. Grocery stores were jam-packed Thursday and Friday in preparation for the predicted dumping. People were stocking up on flour, sugar, eggs, any milk-based product and produce. You couldn't find a banana to save your life. The storm hit as promised, dumping something like 24" of snow at our house and more in other parts of the area. And after a 3-hour DCPS-is-still-requiring-us-to-go-to-school-on-Monday scare, the Mayor announced that the school system would be closed and I was able to enjoy my Super Bowl party in peace.

After a truly fabulous Snow Day (the first in years), we got another one on Tuesday. And then Wednesday, for storm #2. I've actually kept prety sane until now, but I'm sure the stircrazycabinfever will set in soon. Just found out we're out again tomorrow (not surprising considering the roads outside), which means with the Presidents Day holiday, I won't go back to work again til Tuesday. Awesome.

My car. I thought the December storm was bad, but we (literally) reached new heights with this one.

Not my car, thank goodness. Luckily the tree didn't seem to do much damage.

Favorite picture of the week.

The latest storm's name? Snowverkill.

Pictures to come as soon as I'm brave enough to go outside.

The Waiting Game

2010-02-10T13:49:00.008-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in my classroom at lunch and decided to blog about the most exciting change in my life right now ... applying to grad school. I had composed a paragraph or two about "the waiting game" before some kids came in to make up some work, so I put off the blog until I got home.

Upon arrival at home, I promptly forgot about the blog because there was a big white envelope waiting for me in the mailbox. Not a mission call, but my first acceptance letter! I'm still waiting on a couple schools, but I'm feeling a lot better about things with a letter in hand. :)

So here's the plan. I'm not sure yet where I'll end up going, but I will be starting a Masters of Public Administration program sometime in July or August. That means quitting my current job (shhh, don't tell my boss yet) so I can either move to a new city or focus on school / internships.

If you care to vote, here are the schools. I'd love to hear your comments.

The Blizzard of '09

2009-12-22T12:48:00.012-05:00

Hello world. It's ironic, every summer when I have fun things to write about and all the time in the world, I fall off the blogging bandwagon. And of course that leads to a months-long hiatus from the ol' blog. Well, I'm back. For the time being, at least.

I'm sure most of you saw this week all the news about the East Coast Blizzard and the chaos that it precipitated (pun intended). Well, DC was in the heart of it, so I thought I'd share some pics. Plus I'm supposed to be writing my grad school admissions essays right now and I'm looking for ways to distract myself.

Saturday morning, December 19. The whole house was up early because Marci was getting married that morning. This is not what you want to see out your back door when your wedding is an hour drive away.

The temple had called Friday night to say that they were closing all day on Saturday but opening up just for weddings. There was about a foot of snow at this point and unfortunately my boots are suede... so in my attempt to keep a little dry, I wore ski socks with tennis shoes and carried my pumps in. I know, I look awesome.

Driving home from the temple on Beach Dr. Our California girl, Louise, did a fantastic job driving through the snow. We stopped at IHOP on the way home and were pretty proud of ourselves for pushing the car out of the snow when we got a little stuck in the parking lot. And yes, we were still in dresses at that point.

Meradyth and I pretty much spent the rest of the day inside watching movies and crocheting. We finally ventured out to take pics and visit some friends that evening, and this is what we found. My poor poor little Penelope (I'm trying out a new name here, let's see if it sticks). She was still partially buried when I left DC- I'm just hoping she's ok when I get back.

Here's Meradyth and me inside the igloo that Billy and Scott built. Pretty sweet.

The big bush in front of our window was bent or maybe snapped by the weight of the snow.

Sunday morning. Turns out that 21 inches of snow makes my neighborhood look really picturesque. This was as I was dragging my suitcase to a main road so some friends could pick me up and drive me to the airport. My street was not really drive-able at this point.

As much as I love the snow, I am really grateful that I was able to make it out of DCA on Sunday and home to the family in Eagle!

Shoutout to Great Friends

2009-07-14T09:29:00.012-04:00

July 2009 - my Month of Awesomeness - began fabulously with a visit from two of my favorite people. I'm sure you all don't want all the details of the week they were here, but let's just say that I didn't actually think it was possible to fit in everything that we did in such a short amount of time. (recap: lots and lots of touristy DC stuff, a whirlwind 2-day trip to NYC, a small-town parade in Harper's Ferry contrasted by DC's 4th of July Fireworks, the DC Temple and a beach trip). But what I really loved was being with the girls again. We were roommates on and off all through college, and Amanda and I have been friends and travel buddies since high school. I've come to realize lately how blessed I have been in my life to have people that inspire me to be better - both of these girls do that constantly. Motivating me to do the best at whatever I'm pursuing. Setting an example of constantly building a personal relationship with our Savior. Reminding me to always continue learning. And of course still being the friends that can get me rolling on the floor laughing. I have some incredible friends these days, but there's nothing like spending time with old friends.

Me, Amy & Amanda.

A & A. Amanda found this beach volleyball tournament at Coney Island. So fun!

Me and Amanda at Times Square

A and A. We found this awesome little parade in Shepherdstown, WV.

Chris, Me, Russ, Amy, Amanda. I think we forgot to tell Chris that we were going to a church service.

Russ, Amy, Amanda and Chris at the White House.

Amy, Amanda and Me. You can sort of see the Washington Monument in the back.

Amy and me the day she left :(

Let Freedom Ring

2009-06-16T15:16:00.001-04:00

Text from my co-worker yesterday morning:

"U hear that... no students!"

This is why I love being a teacher.

I'll stop gloating after today, I promise.

Arlington Rap

2009-06-12T19:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry to all of you Arlington-ites who have already seen this, but it's pretty hilarious. To the rest of you who are all under the illusion that I live in the ghetto, this is much closer to my reality. :)

No more pencils, no more books... (almost)

2009-06-11T12:04:00.006-04:00

Dear Students,

Please do not come to me AFTER you failed 3 advisories and got a D on your final to ask me if you can do any extra credit. The answer will always be no.

If I can't tell the difference between "d" and an "a", I will mark the question wrong.

Yes, Life Is Beautiful is in a different language (about 25 minutes into the movie).

No, you may not leave the classroom with your whole bookbag in the middle of a test. Nor may you come back and finish it tomorrow.

"King of England" is not a sufficient description for Henry VIII, so don't try to argue for extra points.

Yes, I love you all, but I will probably not miss you one bit over the summer. And let's be honest, you won't miss me either.

Signed,

A still-Grumpy-but-slightly-Amused teacher.

Am I being unreasonable?

2009-06-10T12:45:00.002-04:00

Dear administration,

Next time you create a final exam schedule, please don't hold an assembly at the same time as one of the tests.

Signed,
Grumpy Teacher

Summer Vacay

2009-06-04T21:58:00.005-04:00

In approximately 288 hours, I will be released from my voluntary captivity and free to enjoy my summer! In case you're wondering, I really do like my job... but when you're this close, you can just taste summer... It turns out that teachers are just as excited for summer break as the students. I didn't realize that growing up - I thought they just LOVED spending all day every day with us. Turns out I was mistaken. Somehow I don't think I'm going to miss the daily arguments: "You stole that pen from my desk!" and "Ms. Chamberlain, Rakim is still singing under his breath". And if I ever start to get nostalgic for the impromptu dance parties that break out in the halls periodically, I'll just remind myself that I'll be back here soon.

But in the meantime... I've got a pretty rockin' summer planned.

First, these two lovely ladies are coming to visit me:

Well, ok, there would be a picture if I could find one. A &A - why don't I have any pictures of the three of us?

We'll be touring DC for a week (just ask them about The List... let's just say I'm a compulsive trip planner) and maybe even making a jaunt up here:

Then at the end of July, Emily and I will be heading here:

and here:

And on August 13, my favorite sister gets home from her mission to Brazil!

Add in a few camping/backpacking trips, a weekend at Virginia Beach, trips to Kings Dominion or Six Flags, a road trip or two and plenty of extra sleep, it's going to be pretty fabulous.

June 16th can't come soon enough!

P.S. If anyone wants to join me on any of my adventures / come visit me in DC / more suggestions, let me know!

Why I Love Savannah, a Photo Essay

2009-06-01T21:27:00.011-04:00

Forsyth Park.

Who's the biggest celebrity to come out of Savannah? That's right, Paula Deen. And don't worry, Marci and I waited in line for an hour to get reservations at her restaurant. I can feel my arteries clogging just thinking about it.

So happy to have a roommate who loves cemeteries as much as I do. The Bonaventure Cemetery was filled with these beautifully pathetic figurines.

Ooh look! A pretty house! This city is GORGEOUS.

Nathan, Becky and Emily at the beach at Tybee Island.

The Mercer-Williams house. A beautiful old Civil War-era home. But more importantly, a major setting for the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say I was sorely tempted to rip up the rug in the study to look for bullet holes.

A voodoo mask? I have no idea really what this is, but that was my dad's first reaction when he saw the pics, so we're going to go with that.

Savannah charm.

Wandering through the squares of Savannah we ran into this wedding, so of course I needed a picture. I'm pretty sure that the groom was at least 20 years older than the bride. And I'm really sorry you can't see the dresses. It was a little white trash.

Yes, we're happy to be in the South. And we look beautiful.

Swine Flu

2009-05-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

In light of the fact that swine flu cases have now been confirmed in Maryland and Virginia, with probable cases in DC, I thought I'd check out the symptoms (so I could avoid/send home sick kids, if nothing else.)
This is what I found:
http://doihaveswineflu.org/
Check it out. You'll be glad you did.

67 Things?

2009-04-28T16:24:00.004-04:00

I heard on the radio a couple days ago that the average woman in America has 67 items in her purse. I like to believe that I'm not quite as high-maintenance as the women they were talking about, so I sat down to investigate. This is what I found:

9 pass-along cards (maybe i should actually give them away)

a small "Idaho" pin in the shape of a potato

one ponytail

postage stamps in $.94 and $.04 varieties

a DC Temple Visitor's Center card

grocery list

flyer from Cacao, a cute little chocolate shop we found in Bethesda

key to the church building

pink lip gloss

pens in blue, black, purple and green

one small bottle of Expo Dry Erase Board Cleaner

2 tithing slips

bronze-ish lip gloss

spare car key

an almost-empty pack of Orbit gum

one earring (i made it to church and then realized that I'd only put one of them in... so it ended up in the purse)

checkbook

flyer for the Azalea Festival at the National Arboretum

flash drive

car keys

a gum wrapper

address book

classroom keys

DCA-ORD boarding pass from February

cell phone

old pay stub

wallet (you don't even want to know what's in that)

Target receipt

blood donation appointment card

tickets to an Orioles-Rays game and a Nationals-Marlins game

Nothing shocking except maybe the Dry Erase Board Cleaner. And it doesn't nearly add up to 67 (unless you count all the items in my wallet separately). So ladies, I'm interested. What random/funny/whatever things would we find in your purse? (Guys, too, if you're willing to admit that you have a man-purse.)

Stranded

2009-04-23T14:00:00.004-04:00

A colleague of mine has a couple kids at the school and lives near several others, so she drives a few of the students to school every day. One of these students has been in my history class for the past two years (I teach two different classes, not because he failed), so I've gotten to know him pretty well. He's a very bright student, pretty quiet and very talented overall. He's the student that I really have to plan my lessons for, making sure that I'm challenging him enough.

Yesterday morning, this colleague reported that during their morning commute, they had been discussing whow they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island. Apparently this student wanted to have me along "because she knows where everything is." When she reminded him that knowing geography might not be too crucial on a desert island, he told her that "Ms. Chamberlain just knows EVERYTHING."

I'm glad I've got someone fooled. :)

See you soon.

2009-04-22T19:14:00.004-04:00

"Shady Acres today?" I read the note passed to me from Heather, all the way across Hofstetter's physics classroom. I spent most of the lunch periods my senior year running with Heather to Albertson's or the local convenience store / cafe for typical high school food. (It grosses me out thinking about the quantities of tater tots we ate that year. And I wish that were a Napoleon Dynamite reference, but it's not. We probably ate tater tots twice a week.)

As I remember it, my friendship with Heather went back to 10th grade Algebra 2. Mr. Daley's 3rd period class. We suffered through a lot during that class. His hour-long slideshow of his trip to Ireland, accompanied by him on the fiddle (remind me never to do that to my classes). A mandolin accompaniment to "y is equal to x plus or minus the square root of..." whatever the rest of quadratic formula is. We knew a lot of the same people and had all the same classes, and it was fairly natural for us to become friends. By our junior year, we were inseparable: Heather, Amanda and me. Shopping, road-tripping, late-night movie dates with Chuck. Powder puff football, prom, morp and weekly "study sessions" for AP U.S. History that usually turned into pool/dart-throwing contests. Heather was a great friend - smart, witty and always ready to have fun.

Then, about a year and a half after we graduated from high school and went our separate ways, Heather was diagnosed with sarcoma. You all don't need the details of the past four and a half years, except to know that through everything, she remained the happy and spirited and beautiful friend I knew. I'm pretty good at complaining about everything wrong in my life, but I never saw Heather do the same. I have been so blessed to have this wonderful woman (friend, example) in my life and I know she will missed tremendously by all who loved her. I know that Heather has moved on from the pain and trials of this life, but that she is living still in the next, and I know that she will be reunited again with her family and friends. I can't answer the "why" question that I've been asking for the past couple of weeks, but I do know that the Lord has a purpose and that he is watching out for both Heather and for those who are left to mourn her.

http://www.legacy.com/idahostatesman/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=126046508

Love you and miss you, Heather. See you soon.

Happiness today

2009-02-26T22:17:00.006-05:00

The smell of Barnes & Noble. And the books.
Sitting on the kitchen counter (or the floor, or anywhere, really) talking to my roommates about just about anything.
A clean classroom.
Random texts from people i love.
The David Archuleta cd that has made it back into my car stereo.
Using my sun roof for the first time in months.
Discovering a new class at the gym.
Great home teachers.
Planning a trip to the temple with my roommate

Things I do not love quite as much:

My car getting hit for the 3rd time in a month.

I'm Going There Someday...

2009-02-23T20:52:00.008-05:00

As a child growing up in the LDS church, I've spent most of my life singing "I Love to See the Temple, I'm going there someday." Over Presidents' Day weekend, I decided to make the trek to Boise to finally make that real! I won't say much out of reverence for its sacredness, but it was a beautiful experience and I'm excited to spend more time there!

I also decided that if I was going to fly all the way out to Idaho, that I ought to just make a weekend trip of it, so I headed down to Utah on Saturday (Feb 14) to see some friends. Jessica & Reece picked me up from the airport and took me back to their apartment in the middle of a Utah blizzard to make breakfast and catch up. I've gotten really bad about taking pictures, so you get a lovely one of me and Jess at the Villa della Regina in Torino. Later on that day, I met up with Alicia, Sarah, Spencer and Amanda at the Timpanogos temple. What an incredible place! The rest of the evening / weekend, I spent with some of my favorite people: Damon, Amanda, Amy and Devon. For the first time in a long time, it was actually really hard for me to come back to DC.

I know, short frizzy hair = not a good look for anyone.

Typical. This is what I get for leaving my camera in Alicia's car. =)

Damon & Me.
Leaving my camera in Alicia's car = very few pictures from the weekend.

Amanda & me.
When we were in Boston and then again in Europe a few years ago, everyone thought we were sisters.

My favorite .... sculptor

2009-02-05T17:58:00.012-05:00

I was sitting in my classroom today, planning a lesson and previewing a documentary about Baroque art, and I decided to share with you all my favorite artist. (Little surprise that he's Italian...) I'm not much of an art historian or an art critic. All I know is that this man's art is phenomenal. He uses such intricate details that you actually believe what he's trying to portray. The look of determination David's eye before he raises the sling to slay Goliath. Pluto's hand digging into Proserpina's flesh, as if she were real instead of carved from marble. St. Theresa, a look of pain and ecstasy frozen upon her face. And my absolute favorite, Daphne caught in the midst of her transformation from nymph to laurel tree. Enjoy. And visit, please. There is nothing like seeing these in the round.

Gianlorenzo Bernini

David

The Rape of Proserpina

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa

Apollo & Daphne

Things you may not know

2009-02-03T13:58:00.002-05:00

1. I love to cook, but I cannot bake to save my life.
2. I am terrified of heights. (Just ask my mom about hiking Arches. Or the temple in Chichen Itza).
3. Someday I really want to be in Siena, Italy for the Palio (that crazy and often deadly horserace that you see in the plaza on the new James Bond movie)
4. I live too much in the future. Working on enjoying what I’m doing now instead of looking forward to … whatever.
5. I love spending time by myself. I used to spend hours wandering around Rome by myself and loved it.
6. I have more patience for stupid kids than for stupid adults.
7. I hate scrapbooking with a passion. I pretended for years that I enjoyed it, but I just don’t. I’ll put pictures in an album and label them, but I don’t do the frilly stuff.
8. Mice don’t bother me, but I think cockroaches are the most disgusting things on the planet.
9. I need everything planned down to the minute, but I don’t actually own a planner.
10. I have read Pride and Prejudice probably 30 times
11. I’m obsessed with all things Les Miserables. And more recently, Wicked is giving it a run for its money.
12. I had a couple years where I typed everything that I said. Not on a computer or anything, but I moved my fingers to type out the words when I spoke. Maybe that’s why I type so fast now (something around 110 wpm)
13. I have a very hard time playing anything quiet or slow on the piano. I love Edward Grieg.
14. I have a quarter-sized scar on my calf from ice-blocking as a kid. I also have a little one right between the eyes, courtesy of my brother Paul and a heavy plastic toy dinosaur.
15. I’m not a big fan of contacts or glasses, but Lasik terrifies me.
16. I really want to be an artist. I like to sit and draw whatever I can see, but I can’t just create a picture out of my head.
17. BYU made me more liberal and Washington DC has made me more conservative.
18. My favorite toy as a kid was a She-ra action figure. Except that she somehow got broken in half, so I spent most of my time pretending to be a doctor and make her better.
19. I had more snow days in the 3 ½ months of student teaching than in all of my years attending or actually teaching school.
20. I’m not honestly sure if I can come up with 25 things about me that you don’t all already know.
21. I want to be a super organized person, but I’m never motivated enough to do it.
22. Last year I went to the traveling production of High School Musical and loved it.
23. I have very little discernment in good vs. bad movies. (did anyone see the post-Super Bowl Office? Think Andy)
24. I don’t like activities that force me to be in front of a crowd. Guesstures/charades/the performance part of Cranium. Torture. Don’t ask me how I became a teacher.
25. The first CD I ever bought was the Backstreet Boys.

Snow Day

2009-01-28T19:13:00.013-05:00

To anyone living in the DC area: Yes, I teach school in DC. No, school wasn't cancelled today. Yes, I'm being a little bitter/sarcastic with my post title here. No, no children actually came to school today.

To everyone:
After yesterday's snow and the freezing rain that followed, I was praying hard that the district would break their tradition of keeping schools open when everything around us shut down. As the ice thickened, I figured my chances of a snow day were getting better. I woke up this morning (three times, actually), to check the district and the WP websites only to discover that EVERY district for about 100 miles (maybe further, but they don't report those in the WP) was closed. Except mine, which had a "Two hour delay". We didn't have those back home, but the idea is to start school two hours late in order for the roads to clear enough to get kids safely to school.

After whining to my roommates and another friend, I finally accepted the fact that I'd have to go in to work, and turned to the first task at hand: De-icing my car. Walking down the front stairs was hard enough! This is what I found:

Maybe not that unusual for some of you, but I'm from Boise. We hardly even get snow, much less ice storms. It took about 20 minutes to actually get my car drive-able.

Once I actually got off of our street, the roads were fine (which is good, because I swore that if I started sliding at all on the ice, I was turning right around and spending the day at home). Upon getting to work, however, I discovered that my principal had sent us an email this morning saying that our school wouldn't be starting until 11:30. Which is lunchtime, meaning that I would really only be there to "teach" from 12:30 - 1:55. Lovely. We rounded up all the social studies classes (about 18 kids total from 5 combined classes) and showed a documentary on apartheid. Sure glad I went into work for that.

You could argue with me that the government stayed open (with liberal leave), that the roads were fine, etc. I agree- my commute could have been much worse, and I actually did get some things done today. But I'm still mourning my snow day.

Purchase of the week

2009-01-25T14:07:00.004-05:00

I did it. Finally. I bought a piano. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to play the piano, and do so every chance I get, even if it means that I end up accompanying choirs/relief society/institute/whatever. But since I graduated from high school, I've never had one in any apartment/house that I've lived in. At BYU, there was always one nearby (usually in a practice room or a rec room at whatever complex I lived in), but it was always tricky to find time to use it when other people weren't also using the room. Since I've been in DC, I've relied on the church and the hospitality of friends when I want or need to play.

One of my favorite parts of spending time at home is my family's Sunday tradition of hanging out around the piano and singing. I'm not entirely sure when or how it started, but on Sunday afternoons someone inevitably starts playing something singable, and within a few minutes the whole family is there, singing along in pretty decent harmony. Les Miserables is a long-time favorite, but plenty of other music has been added along the way. Michael pretends he doesn't enjoy our sing-a-longs, but I know better. The rest of us have all sung in various choirs, but my brothers took /are taking voice lessons as well, and both sound really good.

I decided that it's probably a good thing that I get home from work an hour or so before my roommates, because I'll probably carry on the tradition all by myself. :)

"We Are One"

2009-01-22T17:43:00.008-05:00

On Sunday after church, I went down to the mall to check out the "We Are One" concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Designed as a kick-off event to a week full of inauguration madness, the concert was a huge celebrity tribute to our new celebrity president. We didn't get there early enough to get inside the secured area, but we got to see people like Bon Jovi, Jamie Foxx, Stevie Wonder and Josh Groban on the jumbo-trons a mile (literally) away from the memorial. My favorites? U2 and the fact that my kids were up there singing with Beyonce, Garth Brooks and Springsteen. Pretty awesome. You should check it out: www.hbo.com/weareone

On the way to the concert.
Just in case you were confused, the U.S. isn't a military state.

The crowds, just practicing for Tuesday

Jay and me, enjoying the crowds...i mean, the concert

Someone famous on stage. I'm still trying to figure out who it is.

The "O"-nauguration

2009-01-22T16:55:00.011-05:00

I'm just going to assume that you all watched the inauguration and you don't need me to explain the process to you (plus I've done it in six different classes over the past 48 hours and the speech is worn a little thin). Before this year, I've never really watched an inauguration before. I just figured that the presidency would change hands (or not) at noon on January 20, and that things would eventually change a little bit. And also, last time we actually had a change in the president, I was 16.

I don't have a job that's cool enough to land me tickets to the inauguration itself, but I do have some friends that are willing to stay up all night and then stand all day in the cold to be a part of history. Louise, Emily and I started our inaugural adventure Monday night. Louise, who works at the National Academy of Science had been given permission to spend the night in her office in Chinatown in preparation for the inauguration, so of course we decided to make a night of it. After running into some friends on the metro (also heading in to sleep in Chinatown) and passing some vendors selling all sorts of crazy Obama gear (the weirdest thing I heard of: "Obama Scent". Whatever that is), we set up camp in her office.

Starting the trek to Louise's office. And looking like we're on our way camping.

Ok, maybe we were camping after all.

After discovering (thanks, Jay!) that we couldn't actually access the national mall from where we were, we joined thousands of other people in the 3rd street tunnel, passing under the mall to reach the south side, where the entrances were open.

How many of you can say that you walked through a freeway tunnel?

Then, after waiting around for several hours and allowing my feet to freeze completely, the program started, and you all know how that story ends.

Two million of my closest friends.

Marci, Lindsey, Alan and me, trying really hard not to freeze to death.

The man himself. Or rather, his image on the jumbo-tron since we were forever away from the Capitol.

I'm pretty excited about an Obama presidency. I mean, he definitely has some policies that I don't like (health care, for instance), but for the most part I think the hope he has brought to the country is a huge step. My biggest concern is this pervasive mentality that he is the Messiah. That all of the sudden, starting at noon on January 20, all the problems that this country faces are about to get better. I hate to break it to you, people, but he's still human. Give it some time. And take some responsibility for yourself. I think President Obama himself gets it, it's just everyone else that's a little off. Oh, and the Civil War? Yeah, that was over in 1865. Not 2 days ago.

La Befana

2009-01-06T22:40:00.008-05:00

In honor of Epiphany... (today, January 6)

One of the last weeks I was in Italy, I went with some friends to Bolzano and Trento, in the northeastern part of the country, to experience a European Christmas market. Not quite as ideal as a German Christmas market, perhaps, but close enough to Germany/Austria to have the same feeling. Walking in and out of the stalls, I saw some really beautiful things, but the one that really confused me was an ornament that looks (somewhat) like this:

La Befana, one of my new favorite Christmas symbols.

"As legend has it, the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. Upon knocking, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not point them in the right direction. Prior to the three men leaving they kindly asked the old woman to join them on their journey. She declined because she had much housework to do. After they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and decided to go and catch up with the kind men. After many hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the opportunity she had missed the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal. "

from: http://www.italiansrus.com/articles/befana.htm

Farewell, 2008!

2009-01-03T19:48:00.008-05:00

New Years Eve has never been one of my favorite holidays, but this year I opted to come back to DC and see what the festivities here were all about. My flight got in around 5:00 pm on the 31st, so by the time I got home, I was rushing to shower and get ready to leave again. A group of us got all dressed up and headed to the Carlyle Grand for dinner. I always feel bad for our waiters, since none of us order alcohol, but this time our waiter was LDS too and our drink order made complete sense to him! Pictures of the dinner are forthcoming.

Post-dinner, we split up and I headed with Louise and Lindsay to a New Years party at the Melrose. A picture is worth a thousand words:

Adri & Quinn

Ashley & Louise

Sarah & Me

Auld Lang Syne

2009-01-03T18:22:00.003-05:00

(does anyone actually know what that means?)

Happy New Year! I don't know about any of you, but 2008 wasn't a stellar year around here. It wasn't horrible, don't get me wrong; it just didn't stand out as anything special. A failing economy, a long and dragged out presidential race and nothing in my personal life worth mentioning. There have been some good things as well. I've been able to travel home several times and spend time with the fam, both immediate and extended. And both my little sister and little brother left on missions, which has definitely changed the family dynamic, but has been really neat as well. I've made some great friends out here in DC and reconnected with old ones back home. I have a job that I enjoy (most days) and that's fairly stable. Even so, I was pretty excited to see the year coming to a close. (Although it strikes me as funny that we all have this perception that 2009 is going to be completely different than 2008. Mere hours really won't make a huge difference. Interesting to see time as a purely human construct.)

I've never been good at New Year's Resolutions. I usually scribble a couple things down on the 1st or 2nd of January, promptly lose the paper and forget what I'd written down by February 1. But even with my track record, it always seems appropriate to get a fresh start and set some new goals. (And no, this isn't all of them. There are some that just don't need to be published!)

1. Leave the United States. It's been too long, and I need an adventure. Any suggestions?
2. Cook more and eat out less
3. Visit friends in Utah. I haven't been to Provo since I graduated!
4. Develop some new talents or improve at some old ones **drawing, cooking, playing the violin/piano**
5. Be better at staying in touch with family and friends
6. Practice my Italian **and maybe even find a way to use it - see #1**
7. Exercise at least 4 times a week
8. Become more organized **maybe cliche, I know, but necessary!**
9. Be more grateful for the things I have.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

2009-01-02T11:47:00.004-05:00

The spellings of my name I have seen in grading papers today:

Chamberlan
Chamberlin
Chamberlaine
Chamerlain
Chamberland

Really? Come on, guys.

Christmas Break highlights!

2008-12-28T20:13:00.003-05:00

I love Boise. And as much as I love living on the East Coast, my roots are here. (My mom is really pushing for me to marry someone from Boise so I end up here. :) ) So it's nice to come home for Christmas break / a couple weeks in the summer / whenever else I decide to make the trek. Here are some of the highlights so far:

Talking to Cody and Paul on Christmas Day!
Watching my dad and Michael eating the canned silk worm larvae (bundigie) that my missionary brother Paul sent us from Korea.
Playing Rock Band with the Hadfields / hanging out with Damon. (I've missed you!)
Waking Michael up from his Sunday nap. Tonight my mom had gone in his room a couple times to try, but to no avail. Her solution: smear peanut butter on his face and put the dog on his bed to lick it off. Success!
Reading through some old high school yearbooks and realizing that I can no longer remember about 50% of the people that signed my yearbooks. (Not to mention the other 2000 kids I went to school with!)
Shopping with Mom. Two very indecisive people = long shopping trips.
Skiing at Bogus Basin. The mountains and skiing are two things that I miss living in DC. Something I do not miss: malfunctioning ski equipment. I need to remember to buy insulated snow pants, gloves without holes in them and boots that actually fit. And maybe I shouldn't use the goggles I got when I was twelve...
The traditional Chamberlain Sunday afternoon sing-a-long. We all gather around the piano and sing for an hour or two. Les Mis has always been the favorite, but we're working other musicals in to the rotation.
Mostly just spending time with the people that know and love me best: primarily my family, Amanda, Damon...

Mom knows me well...

2008-12-26T19:45:00.003-05:00

She made me this really beautiful quilt

and bought me these fabulous shoes.

Thanks, Mom!

That explains it!

2008-12-22T10:29:00.005-05:00

For any of you who saw the slightly disgustified pumpkins on our porch this fall and wondered what happened, all your questions are about to be put to rest. For those of you who didn't see them...

We never actually got around to carving our pumpkins this year ... so the squirrels started eating them from the rind, in .

It was a momentous occasion on the day the squirrel broke through the rind and gutted the first pumpkin. We were so amused that we left the pumpkins in the yard, and they made short work of all three.

Humorous? Definitely. Gross? A little, yeah, I'll admit. But why? I didn't figure it out until this week.

According to CNN, the second-best source of all truth and knowledge (the first being Wikipedia), there was a huge acorn shortage this year. And this wasn't just in Virginia, but all up and down the eastern seaboard. The squirrels' version of the Irish potato famine. Scientists are predicting record squirrel deaths all over the east coast if they can't adjust fast enough to find other sources of food before winter. The wildlife expert's solution: leave corn, peanuts and sunflower seeds on the back lawn. Our solution: don't put away your Halloween decorations too early!

Just because

2008-12-21T19:21:00.004-05:00

I saw this on a couple friends' blogs and thought it looked fun. So of course I had to post it. It made me feel pretty good about my level of adventuresome-ness, although that's only because about 15 of them have something to do with Italy.
=) Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAGGED Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars. 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain. 9. Held a Praying Mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Been to the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Tied a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100. Visited Italy

Extra! Extra! Baby Born with Three Heads!

2008-12-17T23:25:00.010-05:00

(Name that movie)

Confession. I'm a news junkie. One of my kids was using my computer the other day and laughed when CNN popped up as my homepage. "You would have CNN, Ms. Chamberlain." Last year it was washingtonpost.com and in college I went through a New York Times phase. I probably check the news 5 or 6 times a day, and yes, I probably need to get some help for that. I stayed up all night to watch primary election results last spring and knew McCain's VP pick within minutes of it being released. I like to be in the know. And even better, I can justify it! Teaching social studies allows me to use current events in my curriculum on a very regular basis - I've even got my kids trained to watch the news/read the newspapers on their own.

Every once in a while, there's a really spectacular day in the news. And I don't mean that the newspapers are broadcasting Obama's newest cabinet pick or the Dow's 300 point plunge. On the best news days, the papers are full of slightly unusual and/or shocking news.

Here are some of today's winning headlines:

First U.S. Face Transplant Described. I was a little disturbed by this one at first. The whole idea of transplanting someone's face onto a new person is bizarre to me. Waking up one morning and having a completely different face? Not for me. For those people that need it, though, it's pretty impressive technology

Drew Petersen Says He's Engaged. Really? Wife #3 is homicide case and wife #4 is a missing person. Someone's stupid enough to date the man? Not to mention marrying him. Wow. Just wow.

Colorado Doctor Finds Foot in Newborn's Brain. This is maybe the strangest thing I've ever seen.

Update: 21 December

Facing Ice, Snow, Iowa Town Looks To ... Garlic Salt A Des Moines, Iowa suburb uses expired garlic salt to salt its snowy streets. Inventive, to be sure, but what a smell!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.

2008-12-14T23:10:00.006-05:00

Or at least it's finally beginning to feel like Christmas.

The Christmas season has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The excitement of picking out the perfect gift for friends and family. Driving around the city looking for the best Christmas light displays. Hiking through the mountains in search of the perfect tree, then spending hours decorating it. Dad recounting the story behind each of our ornaments. Belting out every song on Amy Grant's Christmas CDs for weeks. I've discovered, though, that as I've gotten older and don't get to spend the month leading up to Christmas at my parents' home, that it's much harder to feel Christmas-y. And for whatever reason, it's taken even longer this year to really get into the season.

A few things that have helped:

1. The National Christmas Tree. Well, the one in front of the White House. Haven't been down to check out the other one yet (anyone interested in going this week?)
2. SNOW!! (now, if only we could get it to last long enough to get a snow day...)

3. Amy Grant's Christmas music. I discovered that I cannot live without it. As hokey as it may be, Amy Grant makes Christmas at my house. I have no explanation for why, but her "Tennes see Christmas" was always my favorite.

4. Magical Mint Kisses. Kisses of the edible sort (although I'm open to the other as well... just saying...). Not something I grew up with, but they're amazing.

5. Shopping for a Sub for Santa family with the roommies. I was reminded again why I hate Wal-mart, but why I love Christmas.

6. The Air Force Band's Christmas concert. Their rendition of "12 Days of Christmas" was fabulous. And I tried to get a picture of the woman sitting in front of us, but failed. She was wearing reindeer antlers. In public.

7. The annual ward Christmas program. It just wouldn't be Christmas without spending hours rehearsing for and performing in the choir.

8. Duke Ellington School of the Arts' "Motown Christmas" concert. Check out the Temptations' "Little Drummer Boy". Really, you'll love it.

9. Watching A Boyfriend for Christmas with my roommates, Kim, Lindsay and Shawn. I'm not usually a fan of cheesy Lifetime movies, but I was entertained, I'll admit.

10. My schedule for this coming week! White Christmas night, Muppet Christmas Carol night (everyone's invited! my place, wednesday, 7.30), temple lights, Christmas caroling in the halls at work, and flying home! I can't wait!

Luminaries at Antietam

2008-12-07T20:26:00.007-05:00

September 17, 1862 was the bloodiest single day of the American Civil War. The Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Robert E. Lee, was seeking international recognition for the CSA through a successful campaign on Northern soil. This first foray into the North was also an attempt to recruit Marylanders to join the Confederate cause. The Battle of Antietam (or the Battle of Sharpsburg if you went to school in the South) ultimately was a tactical draw, but was enough of a moral victory for the Union that President Abraham Lincoln gained the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Once a year, generally the first weekend in December, a luminary is lit for each of the 23,000 casualties of the battle. The battlefield is literally lined with these candles, and to sobering effect. That's more people than live in the entire city of Eagle. Killed or injured in a single day. I really can't quite wrap my mind around that. The number of lights was really quite shocking - I only wish the pictures did it justice. Jay, Janine, Scott and I drove up to Antietam late last night to check out the display, and were awed by the beauty and the sadness of the memorial.

You can see the line of cars off to the right.

A close-up of one of the luminaries

And the professional picture.

Sick Day

2008-12-05T21:24:00.006-05:00

Wednesday I took a bona fide sick day for the first time in a very very long time. It turns out that a "sick day" is a lot more exciting in theory than in reality. Here's the schedule:

6:00 am - Alarm goes off and I decide not to go to work. Not coherent enough to make the phone call.

7:05 am - Finally get up and call the office to request a sub. Text my co-worker Natalie to have her prep my room for a sub (Thanks, Nat!)

8:10 am - Call Nat to make sure she got my text. Grab a waterbottle & go back to bed

10:40 am - I crawl out of bed and make it as far as the couch. Watch Monday night's "Chuck" (for the second time) and finish writing a test on ancient Egypt.

12:30 pm - Decide I should probably eat something. Tuesday night's leftovers? Perfect.

2:00 pm - Naptime!

3:00 pm - Get up and return to the couch for tv and to write a worksheet for my unit on SE Asia. Sad that I spend my sick day working, I know. I also discovered today (when I passed out the assignment) that I shouldn't write tests/homework assignments when I'm not quite lucid.

4:30 pm - Naptime #2

Somehow the sick day didn't translate to my evening, which ended up as busy as ever. Bridal gown shopping with Diana and Book Club with Jay, Kim, Janine and Louise.

Sick Friday night in, on the other hand, is actually much more exciting. While it might be fun to hang out with friends, evite party small talk is much less enjoyable if you don't have a voice. So...after a nice long afternoon nap and curling up in bed to watch last night's "30 Rock", I made a quick run to Pentagon Row to pick up some Baja Fresh take-out. Then plopped down on the couch with my awesome roommate Amanda to watch a tv (extended?) version of Harry Potter 1 and try out a Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate mix. Yum. And the best part is that I don't have to talk.

My best friend this week. Thanks to my awesome VTs for replenishing my supply!

They don't pay me enough

2008-12-04T13:59:00.007-05:00

Some days I feel like I'm babysitting. Take today, for instance.

In my 6th period class, one student comes to class with his lunch because he had been rehearsing for dance class during lunch. Fine, take the tardy, sit in the hall for 5 minutes and eat your lunch.

Student #2 had just taken medication that completely knocked her out - she answers two questions on today's quiz before falling completely asleep. Knowing her history, I decide just to let her take it later and sleep through the class.

This particular class has quite a number of dancers. Student #3 cannot hold still long enough to take his test. The rest of the class finishes while he is making all sorts of hand gestures and (momentarily) tries to balance a tupperware lid on his head. I take the lid and his test away.

The quiz ends. Students continue working on a mapping assignment from the previous day. Student #4 has already completed his map and is thumbing through the atlas in his textbook. In an attempt to challenge him / keep him occupied, I pull out a stash of (fairly difficult) National Geographic quiz questions (thank you, Dad!) and discover that he's a geography whiz. Awesome.

Classes end. I sit down to take a break and to get some grading done. Student #5 is wandering the halls because her piano lab teacher isn't there today, and she needs someone to talk to. I don't know about you, but never would have gone to a high school teacher for dating advice.

Lunch. Check.

Naptime. Check.

Discipline. Check.

Educational entertainment. Check.

Shoulder to cry on. Check.

We'll miss you, Elder Wirthlin

2008-12-02T19:48:00.004-05:00

I logged into my email this morning only to discover that Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, the oldest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, passed away in his sleep last night. I will miss the stories he tells and the extraordinary humility and compassion that defined him in my mind. I feel like at different moments in my life, there are always one or two speakers whose messages have spoken directly to me - Elder Wirthlin has filled that spot for the past few years. Many of you will remember a year ago, during the October 2007 General Conference, when Elder Wirthlin was giving a talk and began shaking so violently that I wasn't sure he would be able to deliver his whole talk. (To be perfectly honest, I had to go back later and re-read the conference archives, because I was too focused on what was happening and not enough on what was being said.) Elder Nelson stepped up alongside Elder Wirthlin, silently and beautifully illustrating the topic of the address: the responsibility we have to love and support one another. One of my favorite passages from the talk defines the true measure of success in life as the ability to love and serve, as Christ did, our fellow man.

"The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.

The means of this refinement is our Christlike love. There is no pain it cannot soften, no bitterness it cannot remove, no hatred it cannot alter. The Greek playwright Sophocles wrote: “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love.”15

The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life."

Something to contemplate, for sure. How am I going about developing the love of Christ? Am I making a conscious effort to find opportunities to love and serve?

We will miss you, Elder Wirthlin, but know that you are now happily reunited with your beautiful wife. I'm so thankful for the lessons that I've learned through your words.

I'm grateful to live in a day when we have living prophets and apostles, the true organization of Christ's church, on the earth. I know that Elder Wirthlin was an apostle of God, and I know that the things he taught us were the words of the Lord. I'm also grateful to know that whoever is chosen to replace him will likewise be called of God, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ will never again be taken from the earth.

A Day of Thanks

2008-11-26T22:27:00.009-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, definitely one of my favorite holidays (that and Christmas...). Nothing beats eating enough mashed potatoes, turkey and cranberry sauce and pecan pie to feed a small army. The best part, of course, is spending time with family and friends that I love. I haven't been able to be with my immediate family for several of the past few Thanksgivings, including this one, and I'll miss them immensely tomorrow. They are the people I am most grateful for - for putting up with me through those angst-y teenage years, for supporting me in all the decisions I've made, and really just for loving me. I have the best family I could ask for.

I've definitely had some memorable Thanksgivings. Growing up, the extended family usually went out to my grandparents' cabin. We'd fill the weekend with sledding, cross-country skiing and snow ice cream, on the snowy years. And while it wasn't quite as picturesque, snow-less years made cutting down our Christmas tree much easier (Although let's be honest, picking it out is the hard part. Indecisive +perfectionist = bad for picking out a tree). Great memories. Last year, the Pennsylvania Chamberlains invited me to dinner at their house. I got to meet Eden & Mike's twins for the first time, and hang out with Maleah right after her mission. Plus we checked out Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty and Washington's crossing point on the Delaware. Another great Thanksgiving memory. One of the most unusual though, was when I did study abroad in Torino. Not only was I not with my family, but I was in a country completely unrelated to Thanksgiving/pilgrims/etc. Below is part of an email that I wrote about the occasion:

________________

"For Thanksgiving dinner today, Dr. Noble requested that the kitchen make us a real Thanksgiving dinner, with turkey and mashed potatoes, but the head cook told us that they wouldn't be able to find a turkey so they were going to give us turkey breast instead. I thought it sounded fine - a little different than normal, but not bad. It doesn't seem like Thanksgiving here anyway, since it's just the 50 of us who are even aware that the holiday exists. But when we got down to dinner tonight, we walked into the dining area and the table looked just like it normally does, with all the antipasti and salad lined up down the middle, and when they started bringing out the first course, it was risotto instead of potatoes. The risotto had chunks of pumpkin in it, granted, but it still wasn't potatoes. We had all resigned ourselves to a much different Thanksgiving dinner, which was actually good, because then we started thinking more about Thanksgiving and less about the dinner. At our table we talked about what we were thankful for and sang some Thanksgiving hymns (well, they were mostly Christmas ones, but some Thanksgiving ones were thrown in there.). And then, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles... the servers started bringing out bowls of mashed potatoes and dishes of baked squash, and then the cook wheeled out a cart with this really enormous turkey! It was fantastic! Definitely a memorable holiday. I guess it's those ones that are really unusual that tend to stand out in your memory, but still..."The Feast

Good Friends: Danielle, Jewell, me

Up to the minute

2008-11-21T22:49:00.010-05:00

Currently i am Listening (on repeat) to:

Maybe a guilty pleasure, but I love it!

Not their best CD, but there's some good stuff on here.

I am Reading (for book club):

Right now I'm Dying to see:

And I'm Planning a trip here:

Les Fotos

2008-11-19T23:47:00.008-05:00

Day 1 in NYC. Forecast: Rain

No explanation. Not because you don't need one, but because I have no idea why.

My next job: UN Ambassador

Hello New York! And a closeup of my face.

Mom & me on the ferry back from Ellis Island

From the top of the Empire State Building. See the clouds? Yeah, that's all we saw too.

In our defense, this is what it looked like when we went in

And some extras, in case you don't know NYC sites.

New York, New York!

2008-11-19T18:10:00.007-05:00

Best birthday ever: Mom met me in NYC for a great touristy weekend.

Thursday: Arrival. Mom got there a few hours earlier than I did, so she wandered around Rockefeller Center for a while. Once I got there, Times Square and Juniors in the rain. Walking back to the hotel (which, fabulously, was on 51st St, right next to Gershwin Theater), we ran into Katie Holmes & John Lithgow coming out of the stage door for All My Sons. Awesome.

Friday: U.N. tour - finally. I've been to NYC four times and never when the UN is open. Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty. Mourning at the NYSE. Dylan's Candy Bar & Serendipity. Yes, we were on a sugar kick all weekend. And I definitely brought home a Frozen Hot Chocolate mix if anyone needs some. =) Wicked. Wicked awesome. And then Becco. Stuffed peppers, spaetzle and pannacotta. I was a happy woman.

Saturday. Yay for the new Magnolia's in Rockefeller Center! Brooklyn Bridge (some day I actually need to spend some time in Brooklyn.). Empire State Building. In the fog. Bad idea, but funny all the same. The Strand bookstore, which I LOVE, and some shopping before Mary Poppins.

Sunday. Attempted to go to church at the Manhattan LDS Temple, but the 3rd floor is closed for renovations, so we spent the morning wandering Central Park before Mom headed back to Boise and I missed my bus to DC.

Party by Proxy

2008-11-18T16:02:00.005-05:00

About a month ago I made some off-hand comment to my 6th period class that my birthday was on November 14. A couple of them actually wrote it down (I wish they'd take that much effort to write down their homework!) and promised to bring a cake for my birthday. I knew I was going to be out of town on my actual b-day, and I wasn't scheduled to see their class that day anyway, so I told them if they really wanted to have a party that we'd have to do it on the 13th. Well, the 13th came and went and ... no party. Not surprising, and maybe a little relieving. I'm not a big fan of being the center of attention (ironic then, that I demand attention all day long? perhaps.).

I found out today that a couple of my kids actually did bring a cake to school on friday ... but I wasn't there, so they had a party for me in the cafeteria at lunch. Thank you, freshmen!

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

Confused?

2008-10-22T22:23:00.003-04:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting rather bored with this whole election business. We tune into the debates only to hear our esteemed presidential candidates haggling over whose contributors and supporters are more vile - racist, terrorist, and the like. If you're lucky enough to live in Virginia or another closely-contested state, your cable t.v. is inundated with political trash-talking (thank goodness for DVR!). And the best thing about it all is that you can go weeks without hearing actual policy proposals. Who needs real meat when you've got all the glorious fluff like Joe the Plumber and the cost of Sarah Palin's wardrobe?

On the plus side, it's much easier to hide my choice for president from my students if I don't even know who I prefer. I don't hate either candidate, which is a massive improvement from 2oo4, but I'm also not head-over-heels in love with either of them. In my search for easy to digest party platforms for my kids to read, I came across this lovely little gem:

"Government Spending

Democrats

Democrats make no excuses about massive government spending. For the government to provide a happy, healthy, shameless, and even exciting society, for everyone, regardless of their personal means, requires a massive amount of cash from the citizens as well as all you can borrow. Further, to make sure that no citizen gets into trouble and is in bed each night at a reasonable hour, a huge government staff is a necessity. This, in turn, requires every dime the public can spare and just a bit more.

Republicans

Republicans, in their hearts, and especially at campaign time, really would like to cut back on government spending -- especially such luxuries as the social, environmental, and health programs. But there are necessities that it would be irresponsible to avoid. Such things as National Defense, which requires a military budget far greater than any we have had in any major war, can no more be cut back than you can cut back on helping the folks back home that need a superhighway to the new park out in the country. These are essential expenditures unlike the "feel good" stuff of the Democrats. When Iraq threatens our shores by such hostile actions as flying one of their planes over the southern half of their country, we better be ready for action. "

-Leon Felkins
American Politics Journal
http://www.americanpolitics.com/030499dictionary.html

Read more: How to Tell a Democrat From a Republican (Really, do it, it's great.)

Hopefully sometime in the next 12 days I can sort through all the policies/drama and actually figure out who I want to vote for.

My new motto

2008-10-19T22:24:00.006-04:00

"Come What May, and Love it"

Read it. That's all I'm going to say.

Help!

2008-10-19T09:49:00.007-04:00

Let the festivities begin.

It's October, which means it is officially my favorite season. The leaves on the GW Parkway are finally starting to change colors, the weather is finally turning cooler (in theory) and I now have an excuse to bundle up on the couch with a cozy blanket and a book. Autumn also brings two fabulous holidays - Thanksgiving and ...drumroll please... my birthday (don't worry, you haven't missed it yet). The one holiday, however, that I have never really understood is Halloween.

I mean, I understand the history of it. It started with the pagan Celtic holiday of Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead rose from their graves and the people believed that their presence made it easier for the Druid priests to predict the future (sounds a little Ghostbuster-ish to me...). Then a few hundred years later, a Catholic pope adopted the holiday, but tweaked it to honor dead saints and martyrs, and called it "All Saints Day" or "All-hallows". Hence, "All Hallows E'en" or "Halloween". You see where we're going with this.

That's not the part I don't get. I've just never understood why we enjoy trying to freak ourselves out. We pay to go into haunted houses, hoping that they'll be scary enough to make us want to leave. We use it as an excuse to eat so much junk food that it makes us sick (fun!), and we stress for weeks over what costume to wear. This is probably my biggest challenge, and why I'm not looking forward to October 31.

Past years. You see the problem.

Italy. 2005.

The idea: Wear as much black as possible and pretend it's a costume.

Verdict: Bad idea.

2006. The Wizard of Oz

Verdict: More creative, a lot of work, and still somewhat ridiculous

2007. Last minute costume from Jill's stash.

Verdict: Take a good look, because this picture will probably be coming down. :)

Help! I seriously need Halloween ideas.

I Love To See the Temple...

2008-10-08T20:26:00.007-04:00

Most of you know of my obsession with Italy. A lot of you were probably there with me. And the rest of you may laugh and say that I wasn't there long enough to have such an obsession. Let's be honest though, anyone who has spent any amount of time in Italy can relate.

Right before I moved to Rome (about 3 years ago), the Roma stake was created. Then just after I left Torino, the Alessandria Stake was formed, and most recently the Verona Stake. In addition to the previously existing stakes and districts, Italy had more than fulfilled the membership requirements for a temple. Rumors had been flying for years about a temple and speculation on when it would actually be built. Saturday morning, President Monson laid all those rumors ro rest and announced a new temple to be built in Rome, Italy. I screamed. Follow the progress of the Rome temple.

President Monson also announced new temples in Cordoba, Argentina; Philadelphia, PA; Kansas City area, MO and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Define the word "late"

2008-10-08T18:51:00.003-04:00

So I've failed. It's been almost more than four months since I've blogged, which is really unfortunate because tucked inside those months was a kickin' summer break with lots of great story material. Sometime I'll actually get around to posting pictures, but you'll have to create your own captions.

My newest motivation for blogging is the realization that I talk about work too much. I'm hoping that if I write it, maybe I won't be so compelled to complain and/or tell stories about my kids. No promises, though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12:30 pm. The bell rings, marking the beginning of my 5th period class. About half the class walks in a minute or two late, which in Ellington terms, is still early. Class starts, we discuss last night's (awful!) presidential debate and our thought-provoking quote for the day ("Illegal immigration has always been a problem in America; just ask any Native American"). The students had just finished a practice quiz on European geography when the door opens and my favorite (cough) student walks in.

Me: "Why are you 30 minutes late for class?"

Student: "I'm not late!"

Me: "Class starts at 12:30, and it is now 1:00. By definition, you are late."

Student: "But, I was downstairs with that guy. I didn't bring a note from him, but he'll write me an excuse note."

Me: "What were you doing downstairs? And what guy?"

Student: "The security guard guy. I went to the bathroom, he saw me go in there!"

Me: "So you've been in the bathroom for the past half hour?", generously thinking maybe he had been sick or something.

Student: "No!! I just went to the bathroom and then came out. That's why I'm late. He saw me go in there."

Me (by now, very confused/annoyed/amused): "Let me see if I can get this straight. The security guard is going to write you a note excusing you from class because you went to the bathroom? Which, incidentally, you should have done at lunch?"

Student: "But lunch is for eating!!!! You can't mark me late!"

Why do I even respond? Honestly, pure entertainment value. His excuses got worse and worse as the conversation continued. And he just can't figure out why he's failing all his classes. Why they blame teachers for poor performance is beyond me.

Duck, duck, duck BEACH

2008-05-29T23:14:00.004-04:00

I did it. I broke down and went to Duck Beach. And you know what? I loved it! I'll probably even go next year.

Highlights of the weekend:

Cops showing up at the steel drum party just after I left it.
Running into old BYU friends at church.
The collection plate for the broken table at the NYC house.
Late night hot tubbers outside my window. (Yes, that was sarcasm)
The awkwardness that was the beach fireside.
Watching the very bizarre music video to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" at 1:30 am (thank you Dan!)
Joni's amazing cooking.
Early morning run with Sam and Louise (ok, let's be honest, I hate running. But it was good company)
Trying to swim out to the pod of dolphins playing by our beach.
Watching the lifeguard rush out to save Tanner, who was also swimming with the dolphins (and definitely not drowning).
Sonic!
Belting out classic Beach Boys songs on the ride home.
Cursing I-95 N while racing Ryan & Meghan home.

Crabbing!

2008-05-23T13:34:00.011-04:00

One of my friends from work is constantly telling me that my friends have cool jobs. Attorneys, lobbyists, linguists, journalists, congressional staffers, etc. But this week's "Coolest Job Award" goes to ... Kellee Koenig! A couple weeks ago, Kellee mentioned that through her connections at work (she's a cartographer), she was in contact with a biologist from UDel who was conducting a census of horseshoe crabs on some beaches in the Delaware Bay. The first time I heard about it, she was planning on including the census in a mid-week campout, which I knew I wasn't going to be able to pull off, so I kind of forgot about it. Plans changed though, as they often do, and Monday night I found myself squished in the back seat of the car between Eric & Ryan on the way to Delaware.

Now, to be perfectly honest, before we got in the car I don't think I could have identified a horseshoe crab from a lineup of 20 of the usual suspects. I did know that the species had been around for millions of years, but that's pretty much all I knew. That didn't last long.

(And see, now YOU know what horseshoe crabs look like too!)

We made it to the beach about 4 hours early, so we decided to hunt down some dinner. The local that we met on the beach kept telling us that "There ain't nothin' in South Bawrs" (and in case you were wondering, his "Bawrs" is actually spelled "Bowers"), so we headed north to Dover.

Liberty Bell replica in front of the state capitol. Just before we rang it and ran.

Our next stop was a fabulous seafood dinner at some local place we passed on the highway. Can't quite remember the name. Favorite part of the meal itself: baked carrot souffle. Anyone have a recipe?

Kellee, me, Eric, Ryan, Randy in front of a giant propeller.

We finally met up with Dr. Hall, who explained to us more about horseshoe crabs and why on earth there were a 100+ people scattered over beaches in Jersey, Delaware and Maryland in the middle of the night to count the things. Do the research or call me if you really want to know. Here's evidence of our adventure:

Me and the horseshoe crab. Upside down.

Kellee, me, Ryan and the horseshoe crab that leaked on him. Ugh.

Spawning crabs. What else can I say?

ISO Black Jetta

2008-05-12T09:27:00.004-04:00

If you've been in or around DC for the past week, you've probably noticed the weather. Rainy. Soggy. Humid. Having grown up in the desert of southwestern Idaho, I like rain. It wasn't that it never rained, because it did, but it was something that we looked forward to because we were always in a constant drought. Even here, the rain was much needed this spring. However, by the 4th day of near-constant rain, I decided that I should probably not move to Seattle anytime soon.

By Friday of last week, the basement cafeteria of the Duke Ellington had flooded. (Luckily they patched up the roof last fall, so I don't have to dodge drips as I walk down the hall by my classroom). By Saturday, there were reports of overflowing creeks and canals all over Virginia, and on Sunday, the basement in my old house was starting to leak.

The thing I dislike worst of all, though, is driving in the rain. Half the people on the road are driving much too fast for the conditions and the other half are driving much too slow. I switch back and forth between the two groups, depending on the day. On Sunday night, I was driving north on I-395 (near the Lincolnia-Little River Turnpike exit, since I know you all were wondering) when a little black/dark blue Jetta came up very suddenly behind me. As I was looking in my rear-view mirror, I noted that it was driving rather quickly considering the conditions, and soon found that it wasn't slowing down. At all. Its tail lights disappeared from my mirror and I waited for the impact. It came, but with much less force than expected. My cursory understanding of physics reminded me that the blow was lessened because I was traveling almost as fast in the same direction, but it still threw me off. After the bumpers met, the Jetta went swerving between a couple lanes as the driver tried to maintain control of the car. I worked my way over to the side of the freeway, but watched as the offending vehicle drove on past - didn't even slow down or make his way over to the shoulder. Problem # 2: I was still in a dress and flip flops and it was still pouring rain. And on top of that, my phone had died. And it was midnight. So after ascertaining that my car was still drive-able (there actually wasn't even a dent!), I went home to call the police and make my report. And to compound the problem just a bit more, when I tried to call my insurance agent the next day, I discovered that his website had been removed and his phone disconnected. Fabulous.

On the plus side, I'm fine and my car's fine, both of which I am very grateful for.

Travelogue #2: Philadelphia

2008-04-30T22:02:00.004-04:00

Ok, so anyone who is around me much knows that I'm skipping a trip in the middle there (To Eagle, for my brother's farewell. Way too much happened that weekend that the blogging world doesn't need to know about, so sorry. If you really want to know, talk to me.)

This past Saturday, Ashley and I drove up to Philadelphia to visit our old college roommate Liz and her husband, Justin. Super relaxing weekend, and I LOVED IT. Liz is probably the best hostess I have ever met. Not only did she buy us special milk (they're soy drinkers. ick. thanks, Liz!), but she actually made us an entire FORT in the living room so we could have some privacy. I am just now realizing that I didn't take a picture of this all, but the fort had a big blow-up air mattress, two chairs, bath towels, hand towels, etc. etc. Amazing.

Anyway, we got up there around 1 in the afternoon, chatted for a while, and then finally decided to visit Valley Forge & go shopping - something we almost never did when we actually lived together. I got to talk history with a woman dressed in full 18th-century American garb (It turns out that i can fake knowing more than i actually do. Being a teacher does that to you...), and we took some fabulous pictures with the toy muskets in the gift shop.

I guess this isn't so much a travelogue as a major shout-out to Liz. Love you!

Idol

2008-04-23T16:33:00.004-04:00

Up until now (and by now, I mean this exact moment in time), I had never watched an episode of American Idol. I've made it I don't know how many seasons without ever turning it on or even pausing for a song while flipping through channels. But, alas, my ignorance-as-bliss is coming crashing to an end. After moving in with a couple of avid Idol fans, I've become intrigued by the show. So here I am. Watching last night's American Idol on DVR. Being so inexperienced in the world of Idol, I won't give my commentary on the singers (I think some of you might be furious with me), but I'd love to hear what you all think!

On a side note, don't expect me to be watching next season from Day 1. I think I can only handle it now because we're down to the best (last?) six.

Tagged!

2008-04-18T11:55:00.005-04:00

a - attached or single? - Single. Glad we got that out of the way early.
b - best friend - Probably haven't had ONE best friend since about 2nd grade
c - cake or pie - pie, especially a good berry pie
d - day of choice - Saturday
e - essential item - my phone. i feel very lost without it.
f - favorite color - blue
g - gummi worms or bears - bears if they're chocolate-covered and worms if they're sour
h - hometown - Eagle, ID
i - indulgences - Chocolate, in way too many forms
j - january or july - July
k - kids - i have about 100 right now, but eventually i would like my own! =)
l - life is incomplete without... the church, my family, friends
m - marriage date. - Uh... working on it?
n - number of siblings - Three; one sister, two brothers
o - oranges or apples - Apples, usually
p - phobias or fears - heights and bats
q - quote - "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." (if you have any other good quotes, send them my way! i like to make my kids to respond to them...)
r - reason to smile - only 7 weeks of school left! in general though, having friends that i can talk with for hours, exploring new places, reminiscing with old friends
s - season - fall, definitely
t - tags - jessica ivins and lanelle barber
u - unknown fact about me - i really want to learn to paint. maybe teaching at an arts school has inspired me! =)
v - vegetable - asparagus or broccoli
w - worst habit - i don't know that a blog is the best place to reveal your WORST habits, but in the past couple weeks i've been accused of worrying too much. that probably counts.
x - x-ray or ultrasound - i think i had an x-ray once??
y - your favorite food - Cafe Rio pork salad is up there, along with good gelato and anything chocolate
z - zodiac - Scorpio

All Moved In?

2008-04-16T10:08:00.015-04:00

I've been having all sorts of epiphanies about myself over the past few weeks. Like today, I realized that although I've been faking it for several months now, I really have no idea what I'm doing at work. (How on earth do you get a class of defiant and talkative teenagers to participate constructively? If you have ideas, PLEASE let me know.) Or the fact that I'm mildly OCD.

Walking into my bedroom, I have to laugh at another of my funny habits. I hate to unpack. Anything. Period. I do my laundry, fold my clothes in the laundry basket and then get dressed out of the laundry basket for a week. When I get back from a trip, my suitcase usually sits on the floor for several days before I bother with it. Three weeks ago (almost!) I moved into a new house with some friends, and I was really looking forward to having a couple days to get all moved in and settled before everyone else got there.

The old place

When it really got down to it, however, I failed. My clothes are hung, suitcases stored and books shelved, but I haven't yet found somewhere to store extra sheets/blankets/towels. And even more frustrating, my mirror is still sitting on my floor. Not a particularly comfy place to get ready in the morning.

And the new...

Even worse than my bad habit of not unpacking is my inability to decorate. There is not a creative bone in my body. Someday, when I have the time and my roommates have the patience to help, I'll finish decorating and post some pics!

Two Festivals, One Beautiful Afternoon

2008-04-07T14:43:00.005-04:00

Spring Break ended in the best way it possibly could. Four wonderful friends, a sunny spring afternoon, a lot of kites and the kick-off of the 2008 Cherry Blossom Festival! I had spent the previous week acting as tour guide (complete with camera and map) to my mom and brother, but decided I could handle just one more day of the Mall. Emily, Jill, Amanda, Kim and I metroed (yes, that's a verb!) into L'Enfant Plaza in an attempt to avoid the masses at the Smithsonian stop. We had tried to time our entrance onto the mall to coordinate with the start of the kite battles, but we were too early.

After darting in and out of diving kites (oh wait, there were no kites diving at us... I misspoke) for a while without seeing any battles, we decided to move on to the Cherry Blossom Festival. About 100 years ago, Japan gave a number of flowering cherry trees to the United States as a gift, and they have since given rise to one of the biggest events in Washington D.C. For any tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of the flowers, the festival is held the last week of March through about the second week of April - but you have to get lucky to see them at their peak.

And here is us enjoying the afternoon.

Frequent Flier?

2008-03-31T19:54:00.004-04:00

Frequent Flier Miles are not as cool as they're cracked up to be. At least, not if you're trying to fly from the east coast to Europe on a couple very specific dates three months from now on a partner airline of the one you actually have miles for. 65,000 miles, $300 and 17 hours on planes/hanging out in the London Heathrow airport. Is it worth just buying a ticket? Absolutely. Too bad this one isn't my call.

Travelogue #1: Spring Break in DC

2008-03-29T18:26:00.011-04:00

First of all, I love spring break. For those of us who went to BYU-related schools, spring break is something we have not been associated with for a long time. I think they missed the boat on this one: there is nothing more welcome (or necessary) in the middle of a long winter semester than a nice break from it all.

If spring break had worked out as I originally planned, I would be flying home from Italy on Monday with a suitcase full of Nutella, an extra few pounds (mmm...gelato!) and a dozen stories of crazy Italian casanovas. Or if my second idea had panned out, a Caribbean cruise, I would be getting home from a week of reading, swimming and eating with a nice golden tan (ok, that last part was a lie. i don't tan.). Option #3 (ultimately the chosen destination) was a week in our nation's capital. Now, that may sound a little funny, seeing as I live in Arlington and work in Washington D.C., but I got to spend a fabulous week with my mom and brother Michael seeing the sights and playing the tour guide. And they even followed me around to places I had never been!

Day 1: The Udvar-Hazy Center & Old Town Alexandria

Mom and Michael got here late Sunday evening, and after a longer-than-anticipated stop at my house to pack and chat with my roommates, we made it to the hotel and crashed. Their day of traveling meant that Monday morning (mercifully) was not an early morning. Unfortunately, I'm still programmed to wake up early and was out of bed by 7 am. In an attempt to make a very historical city more interesting for my 15-year-old brother, I had scouted out some things for us to do that weren't so history-related. Or at least more hands-on history. Our first stop was the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. The museum is housed in a hangar built especially for the Smithsonian, and anything smaller just wouldn't work.

My favorite exhibits:

the space shuttle Enterprise
the Enola Gay
the SR-71 Blackbird

And yes, this may just be a picture of Michael and I pretending to be airplanes.

That evening, I took them down to Old Town Alexandria. For anyone that hasn't been there, it's a quaint section of Alexandria full of antique stores, restaurants, used bookstores and the like, situated on the Potomac River. Our first stop was Banana Republic. It was love at first sight. This was Michael's first experience in BR and it turns out that he's the one in the family who actually has style. I promised him a trip later in the week to the BR Outlet at Potomac Mills. We wandered from shop to shop and from restaurant to restaurant, looking for nothing in particular, but enjoying ourselves immensely, and ended up with a fabulous dinner at the Charthouse (See previous post).

Day 2: Gettysburg & Lancaster County

Last year when Mom and Paul came to visit me for Spring Break, we were completely confined to the city because I was still an intern and hadn't yet bought my car. This year, we were free to explore a little more, so we took off Tuesday morning and drove to Gettysburg. We hired a guide to drive my car around the park and give us the tour. Gettysburg always gets to me. 3 days. 51,000 casualties. Unfathomable. I'm also lucky that someone much more eloquent than myself already eulogized the Gettysburg dead. My favorite passage from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

refocuses the attention of the nation:

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "

Sadly, there are no pictures to document the second half of the day. From Gettysburg, we drove to Lancaster County, PA, famous for and dotted with small communities of Amish, places with names like Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse. Gotta love it. I think we must have gone into a dozen gift shops and roadside stands selling everything from hand-sewn quilts, pottery and woven rugs to trinkets and mugs making snide remarks about the name "Intercourse".

Day 3: Washington DC

Spy Museum and DC. I've been saying for about a year that I wanted to check out the International Spy Museum, so I used my family's visit as an excuse. There was far more information than any of us could take in, but it was fascinating! The upper floor displayed the art of spying - gadgets straight out of 007 movie. I half expected Mr. Bond himself to sneak out from behind the curtain! The second half of the museum was straight spy history - i was in heaven! (Yes, I am a history teacher)

We checked another item off my "To Do in DC" list that afternoon - paddleboating in the Tidal Basin! After about 30 seconds, Michael tried to plead exhaustion, but we kept at it for most of the hour. Sadly, at this point I had to ditch them and head back to my house. I'm moving to a new place next week and I had to clean/show my current room to a potential renter. Still hoping that everything works out for the best!

Day 4: Washington DC

This was our early day. We left the hotel at 6:20 so we could be in line to get tickets to go up the Washington Monument. After braving commuter traffic into the city, I dropped Mom and Michael off in line, then went home to drop off my car and sneak a power-nap before metro-ing back into the city to meet them. At some point during my napping, it had started raining, and everyone in line was soaked by the time I got there. *Note to self: buy an umbrella! Our Monument tickets were for later in the day, so we headed back to Virginia for some hot chocolate, and then to the Pentagon, where my wonderful friend Melissa showed us around. (thanks Melissa! we loved it!) I must say that I'm extremely impressed by anyone who knows their way around that place.

The afternoon included the view from the top (the Washington Monument tour), and the National Zoo (we had to see the pandas). And of course the promised trip to the Banana Republic outlet. Altogether a fabulous week. Unfortunately, their departure also marked my return to reality. School starts again on Monday...

p.s. Congrats to anyone who made it through all that. I didn't mean for it to get so long-winded.

A Compassionate Carnivore?

2008-03-28T20:55:00.002-04:00

I would be a vegetarian ... but meat just tastes so good!

My mom and little brother have been in DC this week visiting (our Spring Breaks actually matched up this year), and we were eating Monday night at the Charthouse, on the banks of the Potomac in Old Town Alexandria. Nearing the end of our very non-vegetarian meal, we were discussing the merits of Maryland Blue Crabs - is it really worth all the work it takes to eat them? As my brother saw it, the idea of eating a half a dozen blue crabs in one sitting was quite disturbing. It was ok to eat shrimp because they were small and didn't really have much personality, but he had much more compassion for the smaller blue crabs, relatives of which we have seen on numerous occasions clambering over rocks (and each other) at the Oregon and Washington coasts. He hated the thought of killing those little crabs. I, of course, noted with irony the hypocrisy of it all. He (and I) were both a little bothered by the killing of animals, but neither of us have the self-restraint to turn that distaste into vegetarianism. As Michael stated, meat just tastes so good!

I do relate to his sentiments. My grandfather used to take us to the fish farm near his house when we were children. Each of us would grab a handful of fish food and toss it into the pond that was overstocked with fish. **Translation: there were nearly more fish than water.** I probably could have reached in and grabbed one if the thought hadn't disgusted me. Literally dozens of fish would swarm to the spot where the food pellets had been dropped and one of us kids (with Grandpa's assistance) would toss our fishing line into the thick of it. There was no question of whether or not you would catch a fish; within seconds, the line was wriggling and a fish pulling hard on the other end. A quick jerk of the line secured the catch and the unlucky trout would be reeled in and removed from the hook. We would pause for the obligatory "fish face" picture (no, you don't get to see one), and someone would kill the fish. It was this last part that caused me serious anguish. As a young child who would soon be expected to eat the fish, I could not bear to watch it being killed. I had no problem with it once it was filleted and no longer looked like a living creature, but I could not handle the actual death.

I am not a vegetarian, nor do I consider it likely that I ever will be. I do, however, understand the idea behind it all.

Or the haunting question of the opposition: If animals weren't meant to be eaten, why were they made of meat?

Buona Pasqua!

2008-03-23T17:23:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter!

After a very thoughtful lesson last Sunday by our fabulous home teachers, I've taken some time this week to contemplate the significance of Holy Week and Easter. The first thing that came to mind was one Easter season about 13 years ago, coming home from Merry Miss with what I considered to be the perfect Easter lesson to present at Family Home Evening. I had a basket of plastic Easter eggs, boldly numbered from #1-12 with a thick black Sharpie. Instead of robin eggs or Cadbury mini-eggs (my aforementioned favorite), each egg was filled with the following:

Three dimes - Judas received 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16)

Cracker - last supper (Matthew 26:17-29)

Chocolate kiss - Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49)

Feather - Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crew (Matthew 26:69-75)

Soap - Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Christ (Matthew 27:24)

Purple cloth - they put a purple robe on Jesus (Matthew 27:28)

Thorn - a crown of thorns was placed upon Christ's head (Matthew 27:29)

Nail - they nailed him to the cross (John 19:18-19)

Piece of sponge soaked in vinegar - when Christ asked for a drink he was given a sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30)

Rock - Jesus' body was laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60)

Piece of tape - after Christ's death the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27:65-66)

Empty egg - this represents the empty tomb after Christ had risen (Matthew 28:1-9)

As a teacher, I can really appreciate the value of tangible symbols in teaching a concept, especially to adolescents. Producing a nail or a vinegar-drenched sponge from a traditionally sugar-filled plastic egg will forcibly turn thoughts to the scourging and crucifixion of our Savior. However, it is the twelfth egg which strikes me as profoundly significant. After the deep, infinite suffering in the Garden; after the scourging and public humiliation inflicted; after feeling the Spirit withdrawn and the full weight of the world resting upon his weary shoulders, the Savior of the world died. It was not, however, the final death that many in the world fear. Instead, after three days, the Savior rose from the tomb and again walked and talked with his disciples.

But why? As hard as it is to comprehend the basic plot line of the Passion, it is harder still to comprehend the immense love that Christ had for each one of us, and the plan that would require his great suffering. For now, let it suffice to say that I am overcome with gratitude when I think of this sacrifice. It is only through His sacrifice that I may be saved from my sins and ultimately perfected and sanctified. It is for this, today, that I am most humbly grateful.

OCD? Maybe just a little...

2008-03-22T10:52:00.001-04:00

I discovered something about myself this morning. I suffer from OCD. Not the full-on, wash-your-hands-obsessively-and-make-your-bed-with-a-ruler-edge-type, but OCD nonetheless.

Case Study #1
Tomorrow is Easter, and I was preparing for it in the best way I know how - eating a handful of Cadbury Mini-Eggs. Only one problem. As I poured the candies into my hand, there were five: one pink, one white, one yellow and TWO blue. This was not going to work. The leftover blue had to be eaten, and quickly.

Case Study #2
I can't grade papers if they are not alphabetized by the students' names.

A little ridiculous? Perhaps.

You're doing what, again?

2008-02-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Why is it that every time I take the time to sit down at my computer to post, I completely draw blank on what might be fun to write/interesting to read? I'm working on it. In the meantime...

"Washington D.C.? Really?"

"You're kidding, right?"

While I've heard it phrased a number of different ways, this is the general reaction that I get from people back home when I tell them what I'm currently doing with my life. I figure I should spend a little time explaining why I'm doing what I'm doing. In case you need an update, I spent my last semester of BYU (Jan-April 2007) in Washington DC doing my student teaching at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Think of the movie "Step Up", but a slightly more ghetto version. Now, most people thought I was a bit crazy for student teaching here, but just passed it off as another one of my little adventures before my real life started. The shock came when I moved back to DC a month and a half later in hopes of teaching there permanently. Yes, I agree with all of you that teaching is hard enough without adding in the inner-city element. And I also agree that it's a little unusual for a little white girl from Eagle, Idaho to end up teaching in Washington DC. But I've always felt that if I were to teach, I should go to a place where I'm really needed. Not just as a history teacher, but as someone who can meet these kids where they're at, and help them get to where they can/want to be.

Let me introduce you to my world.

www.ellingtonschool.org

Stories will be forthcoming. (And there's no shortage of them, so watch out.)

Phylum Democrata

2007-09-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

I promise I'm not quite as conservative as this post may lead you to believe. But red or blue, you have to admit that it's funny.

The First Day of School (or My Pre-Teaching Anxiety Resolved)

2007-09-05T18:20:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday morning, I had one of those lightbulb moments. You know the ones I'm talking about - when you have the sudden realization that you've been thinking about something all wrong for years. An epiphany that really changes the way you look at something. Well, on Wednesday morning, I discovered that teachers at at least as nervous to go back to school as the students are. My knees were shaking as I trudged up the steps to the school, as I skirted around the security guards and the metal detector (after convincing them that I was, in fact, a teacher) and as I climbed the steps to my classroom. They were still shaking as I walked back down those steps because my classroom was locked and the key taken by the room's former occupant.

My school, however, has discovered an ingenious way of curing new teachers of that nervousness. Imagine this: you've slammed your finger in the door, and it's throbbing madly. Just as it gets to the point where you can't take it anymore, someone cuts it off. The finger, I mean. The initial problem - gone. Unfortunately, a much bigger problem has taken its place.

So there I was, a shaky-kneed first-year teacher trying desperately to calm her nerves and prepare her still-locked classroom for her first class. I also still hadn't received a roll or any sort of list showing who would be in my class. First period (my prep period) drags by, prolonging the time when I would actually face my first class. The bell fails to ring to announce the start of second period, so I stand patiently at the door for an extra few minutes to welcome the stragglers into class, direct them to their seat and point out the warm-up assignment written on the board. There are 12 (read: twelve) of them, all told. To those of you from Utah or Idaho, where a normal class size is about 40, this might seem tremendously small. In actuality, our classes usually run between 15 and 25, so I wasn't shocked by 12. When only four students showed up to my third period class, and even fewer in the succeeding four class periods, I began to worry. My nervousness about the first day was gone, replaced by frustration at the much larger problem at hand. I had only seen 18 students all day. Total. Students schedules hadn't been finalized before school started (and actually still haven't been finalized, a week later), leaving students with glaring gaps in their schedules. Students I had last year would find me in the halls: "Ms Chamberlain, can I come be in your class? I don't have a history class."

Aha. Anxiety gone.

Benvenuto!

2007-08-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

You made it! Congratulations! This is your official welcome to my blog. I'm actually pretty impressed that most of you are here, because (for many of you) it means that you read my Facebook profile closely enough to realize that I even had a blog.

While I have your attention, let me explain that I actually started this blog a couple years ago as part of an assignment for a Technology in Education class. I had intended to use it to post pictures/stories/thoughts from my semester in Italy, but didn't have reliable-enough internet access while I was there. So...here we are for Round 2! Maybe I'll be more consistent, maybe not. And I'm not promising anything entertaining, witty or thought-provoking, although I'll be sure to try!

Ciao ciao

Grocery Store Encounters

2007-07-21T20:11:00.002-04:00

One of my biggest failings (or so I'd like to believe) is that I am not very good at keeping a journal. Or rather, I go through phases: I'll write religiously for several months, and then skip a few months, and then begin again. Lately I've been on one of the "off" phases, for which I recently was heartily reprimanded by my younger sister. Being the oldest child and somewhat more adventurous than my younger siblings have yet been (if you can call moving to Washington D.C. adventurous), I have stories that they always find fun, and which I should probably record somewhere.

Having only recently moved, I have not yet bothered to switch over to Virginia license plates. And as anyone lucky enough to come from Idaho can tell you, the first digits on our license plates identify which county the car comes from. We can tell almost immediately whether the driver comes from the Boise or from St. Mary's or from Rexburg. When I lived in Utah or Idaho, my friends and I would always take note of these license plates, but the game has become much more fun since moving to Virginia and Idaho license plates are a general oddity.

I was driving a friend to the grocery store, and as I pulled into the parking space, noted that the white Jeep parked opposite me had plates to match mine, the '1A' indicating that the owner was from the greater Boise area. I didn't recognize the car as any of my Boise friends', and as we entered the store, I had the fun idea that I might run into someone else that I knew.

The thought didn't last long. We did our shopping and left the store, discussing our opinions on Vice President Cheney, who recently spoke at my univeristy commencement. As we neared the car, I realized that there was a couple putting their own groceries in the back seat of the white Jeep. I had a bit of a double take as I recognized the man as my former governor Dirk Kempthorne, whom I had met on a few occasions and who a year ago was confirmed as President Bush's Secretary of the Interior. I told my friend that he was my old governor, and she retorted, "Well, why don't you go talk to him?" Without giving it a second thought, I introduced myself and explained my funny recognition of his license plates. He, in turn, introduced his wife and we chatted for a few minutes. Soon I decided that the situation was still somewhat awkward, and I excused myself from the conversation. Climbing into my car, I starting rambling about how I probably should have addressed him as "Secretary Kempthorne" rather than "Governor Kempthorne", and my friend was interested to note that we had met a member of Bush's cabinet in the Shoppers parking lot.

I love D.C.

Where else in America can you meet politicians or dignitaries at the grocery store?

My very own "Office Romance"

2007-07-21T16:12:00.004-04:00

A hiccup in my summer teaching job (translation: DCPS fell through with their original offer) landed me in Falls Church as a payroll clerk for a security company. Now, I don't know how many of you have ever worked for security, but there are a lot of interesting people in the profession.

The company recently expanded, but hasn't yet moved into an office big enough to accommodate all the new employees, so for the first few weeks, I camped out on a small corner of the conference table in the room which I generally shared with 4 or 5 other people. Two of those people run one of the newer contracts in the company, and are constantly hiring new security officers. Applicants come in and out of the room all day, asking questions, filling out paperwork, etc. On one afternoon, my co-workers had stepped out, and I had the conference room to myself for five blessed minutes. Soon, however, the silence was interrupted by an applicant who I thought was looking for Alicia. He peered in through the door for a few seconds without saying anything, and then without any introduction:

Potential Employee: "Girl! You as fine as hell! Can I take you out sometime?"

Me: "Umm. Well." Trying hard not to laugh. "Hmm, I don't really think so."

Him: "What, you married? You have a boyfriend or somethin'?"

Me: "No, not exactly." At this point I should have just lied and said Yes.

Him: "It's 'cause I'm black, ain't it? You ever been out with a black man before?"

At this point it becomes useless to recall exact conversation. I struggled, probably in vain, to convince him that I had no problem dating someone who wasn't white. It was more the complete stranger thing that was keeping me from going out with him. He vacated the room soon afterwards, perhaps still unconvinced, and left me with a laugh