Shan's 2013 Review!

So this year has had so many changes. January started with my final semester at WSU. The last leg of the journey to my bachelor's of art in Creative Writing. I learned in those last four months in Ogden that I can do anything that I put my mind too. My roomies taught me that I could trust others and that  I'm strong.
  Walking across the stage in the end of April made me realize that I had earned my bachelor's with all those late night editing of papers and photos. That sometimes the strictest professors are sometimes the reasons you don't give in to late night freak outs.
Graduation breezed by and soon I was back under my parents roof and job searching at the ripe age of twenty-eight. In my spare time in May through July I helped frequently around the house as well as watched my nieces and nephew for my Sissy.  Dad had been diagnosed with a rare form of arthritis that left him unable to do the simplest of things. They wouldn't put him on a medication until August.
  I found the job market in Salt Lake very frustrating. I had half a dozen interviews only to be told that my resume being very impressive it lacked experience. I didn't mind helping my father but I knew that I needed to start applying in other Counties.
 So I called Heidi and asked her if I could put her address as my place of residency when I applied to the school district. In a matter of a month I was hired and my emotions were high. I never thought I'd move to a place like Heber City. I was worried about dad and Sissy and the kiddos. The hardest thing ever was knowing that I'd now be sixty miles away from my bff and her kiddos. My job has been a huge blessing in my life.
  When I started my search for a job I wanted a set schedule and weekends off. I never expected to find my answer in Heber City. Heidi and I have been exactly what each other needed. As 2013 comes to an end I look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store!

Christmas comes but once a year...

So I don't know if I'm just a scrooge this year or if its from all the stress of this year, but this season just didn't feel like Christmas to me. The month zipped by and before we knew it I was on my holiday break from the elementary school. When I'm on break I help Heidi at Sunny Day Preschool and Daycare.
The weekend before Christmas all our gifts were wrapped and we started our Christmas celebrations with the Baker family. We played games and ate a wonderful meal. It was nice to relax and visit with friends. This month has been busy for Heidi and her business. We had the fire marshal check all the safety needs and got a clear bill. Tuesday was Christmas eve so we did pajama day and Polar Express with the kids. We had plans to head to Salt Lake at two, but got stuck at the school until twenty after two. My family has a Christmas eve tradition of going bowling with my dad's sister Angela and her family. We found a hidden alley in south Salt Lake and have been going there for years.
  So Heidi and I got off the freeway and stopped by Sissy's house to drop off some important gifts. I miss my little buddies. Poor kiddos had been sick. We gave our love and hopped in the car so Hoho could drop me off at the bowling alley and head to her auntie Wendy's house. I was so tired by then that I felt like a zombie. After bowling Kevin and I headed to pick up Grandma from the care center for dinner at Angela's house. My stomach is still angry from the change of dosing in omeprazole. So I didn't eat much and headed home with Kevin shortly after 7.
  We were all home for Christmas so Davey and Becca slept in the spare room and Heidi and I in mine. We girls stayed up and chatted until almost midnight. As we lay in bed I couldn't believe that it was Christmas eve. In fine fashion Heidi and I got up around seven. When you get up at 5:30 I guess that is sleeping in. We had our usual breakfast of sausage and stuffed French toast. After we headed to the front room and began opening gifts. It was a very simple yet beautiful Christmas. We watched Despicable Me 2 and relaxed as the ham cooked.
  We were in the city a little over 24 hours but it all seem to me like a dream. I love the time with my family and wish that I could of spent more time with sissy and the kiddos. But I am grateful that it is over. Now I can have a relaxing weekend at home before Heidi and I attempt to clean out my soon to be room.

Dibels Testing

Being an aide for reading at an elementary means I get to help administer dibels testing to grades k-6 in the district. So our school is scheduled for right after the holiday break. So we made sure to test our kids in title one as well as all of JR's kindergartners. Now the school district here in Heber City is set up differently then I'm use too. The elementary schools are Preschool through fourth grade. Then all of the elementary schools feed into the intermediate school were fifth and sixth graders go.
  So all of the paraprofessionals had the joy of heading over to Timpanogas Intermediate School (whom we all refer to as T I S) to test the school. Four plus hours of the same six stories over and over as you follow on a tablet is enough to make anyone have a headache. It got to the point where each of us looked like a zombie. The rest of the week was spent testing, grading, testing and more entering. I think I have a new found adoration for teachers and the time and effort that goes into making sure their kids are on grade level. I'm looking forward to my Christmas break and the lack of lesson planning. I can sit and play with the babies at Heidi's school and spend time with my family!

Save Sunny Day

 

I would like to tell an important story about my hero. Heidi Barker came into my life when I was only a year old. She is the closest I ever got to having a biological sister and has taught me so much in the last twenty-eight years of my life. She worked hard to get her degree in early childhood development and had a dream there on to have her own daycare and Preschool.

  Three years ago my sister was able to buy her dream school through the aid of many small but precious miracles. She promised the previous owner that she'd buy the building as soon as she got the schools affairs in order. The only problem is there's a hiccup in the buying process. The school 2000 square feet located in the basement of the house she is leasing from the former owner. Over the last three years she has gone from lender to lender trying to get some type of small business loan or first time home loan. The banks, credit unions, and lenders don't see the school as a money making business. She never will make a lot of money with the school, but there is enough to pay the bills and her staff. She has faithfully paid her lenders every month.

  On the day before Thanksgiving she got a frustrating phone call. The owner of the home told Heidi that if she didn't have a decision by the new year that they'd sale the house from under her. I have watched her work her hardest and give up so much. She had 1200 set aside to restore her precious violin and donated it all to the save Sunny Day Fund. I have watched and held her hand many times as she's shed tears of fear, frustrations, anger, and hopelessness. She has brought a great change and new name and environment to the Sunny Day that has been in the town of Heber City  for over twenty-five years. The kids are her family, life and livelihood. If you could find it in your heart to donate anything to the cause or at least repost the link below. I know it would mean the world to my sister and the family here at Sunny Day Preschool and Daycare.

http://www.gofundme.com/5s5nmg

 

 

Thanksgiving Weekend

 

Thanksgiving weekend was a busy one!  Wednesday the schools in Heber were out so I helped at Sunny Day Preschool and Daycare. I packed my bag that night so I could spend the next three to four days in Sally Lake. I was excited to see my parents and sissy.  What I never planned was just how accustom I'd become to Heber City 's clean fresh air.

We spent Thanksgiving with our family at my parents place in Taylorsville. That evening Heidi 

headed  home as I settled in for a weekend with my parentals. Friday dad had to run mom to work because since her accident she hasn't been able to drive. So we dropped her off and headed to village inn for breakfast, my treat. It was nice to have time with my dad alone. It made me realize just how much I miss him. I was able to spend time with Kman and sissy that afternoon as well. 😄

By that night though I was pretty darn wheezy. I spent the night tossing and turning cursing the nasty City air. By Saturday night I was so wheezy I ditched our Christmas concert Heidi and I had tickets to and begged to go home. After three Albuterol treatment s in a matter of a week I finally sound better. I'm thankful I was able to see my love ones even if it resulted in a horrible asthma attack and three treatments.

Forgotten Carols

So we have this amazing tradition that was started over a decade ago. Every year we get tickets and attend Michael McLean's beautiful concert the Forgotten Carols. Because it's been such a rough year we opted for the Heber City concert and went with a few people here.
  As always it was an amazing performance with a great cast. As we left Michael and his family all gave Heidi their deepest love. It always leaves us feeling like we came make it through anything.

Here comes Winter....

I have spent the last two winters in Ogden, Utah. I was attending Weber State and lived in a duplex a few blocks from campus. Ogden gets cold but never real frigid. I learned to layer and called it good. Now I live in Heber and Heber gets cold. The rule here is that the kids go out for recess until it's 10 degrees. So our first major storm hit yesterday and I got a little taste of just how nasty it gets here.
So I invested in boots that go down to -32 and got water proof insulated gloves. Brought down my long johns and other things to layer. We were suppose to get somethings done in Salt Lake, but we got snowed in... Today it is absolutely beautiful.  Go figure, well Jack Frost bring it on!

24 hour Stomach Bug

Ask anyone who truly knows me and they will tell you there is nothing I hate more then throwing up. I work two jobs and together that's close to 60 hours a week. Both jobs are with kiddos too. I work for J R Smith Elementary School as a title one aid and then at my sister's daycare. When I worked before at a daycare in Murray I had a stomach of steel. then the last three in half years I've been working on my bachelors. Now I have to regain that stomach of steel.
  A bout of a stomach bug has been floating around the valley and Tuesday night my stomach was really blah. By 8:30 pm I was running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. I fell asleep by ten and was in the bathroom vomiting a hour in a half later. You know your sick when you fall asleep on the bathroom floor and call your sister on your phone who is a room away to bring you a cup of water.
 I spent all Wednesday between my room and the bathroom and sucking on saltines. My stomach is still a bit raw and the sight of boo berry cereal makes me queasy.  Hopefully I get that stomach of steel soon because this chickadee doesn't want to be that sick again ever!

Party Time!!!!

Happy 29th Shany!!!

We can never be serious...

thank goodness they didn't have 29 candles...

I couldn't pick a better sister!

this would be better if kman's head wasn't chopped off...

waaaats up?????

Boo

I love these two

Because my birthday was on a Thursday Hoho and I went to Salt Lake Friday night. We were able to watch a movie with the family and visit Katie and the kiddos!  I miss being near my family but love Heber City and my job. Hopefully I will get my licence soon and I will be able to visit more often.

twenty-nine will be divine...

Now having a Birthday on a holiday usually means I have to work or when I was in school go to class. The only time I get my special day off is on a weekend. So I came to work welcoming on the hyper kiddos and day of trying to keep attention on a lesson. I arrived to a cupcake and card from my coworker Nikki that just made my day. That afternoon she had her kindergartners wish me happy birthday. It was a nice day and I cannot wait to visit my family this weekend!

Deer Widows Weekend, Single Ladies Style...

What a great way to end a festive weekend. Seeing the beautiful fall colors via the ranger! Thanks Kimi!

Cold Season....

So I don't get sick very often but the last 6 weeks I've had bronchitis, and a horrible chest cold twice. I guess this is my dues for moving to Heber, working with children and having a horrible set of lungs! It started two weeks ago when I came home from work hacking my lungs out. Anyone who knows me knows that a chest cold for me can result in breathing treatments and possible a heavy dose of steroid antibiotics. So I stayed home and babied myself into the next week. Surprise, Surprise when someone came into Sunny Day hacking all over everything and everyone. Guess which lucky people just happened to pick up this lovely little friend?
Heidi and I. I know sharing is caring but I would think an adult would know better and not expose a daycare of 40 kids and its staff of 5 teachers. So again I spent the weekend doped up on cough expectorants and such to help drain all the junk in my trunk. (lol nose) Its now week three and that stupid little green bug is finally dying. Now hopefully it stays gone!

Fall Leaves

The best thing about living in a state that has all four seasons is the changing of summer to fall! We have a tradition of going to see the fall leaves conference weekend. (the great thing is we can listen to conference on the radio) So Hoho and I loaded up in Mike and Kathy's vehicle and headed up Alpine Loop!
 I love the vibrant colors. My only wish is that fall would last longer!

Fun at J.R. Smith!!!!

So the nice thing about being in a small town, (Sorry Hoho but it is tiny compared to Salt Lake) is that everyone is connected at the school giving the work environment a great place of support and fun! The Heber Valley has four elementary schools which feed into one intermediate school, which feeds into one junior high, which then feeds into one high school. So when homecoming week was upon us the whole high school did a parade and have a tradition of passing by J.R. Smith at the end of the parade route before heading back to the school.
  Being from Salt Lake I'd never seen their homecoming parade. We lined all the kids up on the sidewalk and the cheered as the whole high school marched by. It was fun to see the pride in not only the other kids but the little ones as well. (elementary here in Wasatch county is Pre-k through fourth grade) as it ended we corralled the kiddos back in the school. All my kindergartners could talk about during their phonemic awareness lesson was the parade.

Family Pics

It's been a tough year, Not just for me and my family but my adopted family. We've had deaths, illnesses and numerous other losses. The one who really keeps me going is Sissy. Sissy (my bff from high school) has been part of my family in my eyes since 2008. She's had to overcome numerous hurdles the last year and Heidi and I try to help her as much as we can.
 Last Summer shortly after baby bee was born and put in PICU at Primary Children's for RSV Sissy's world fell apart. Her then husband arrested and placed in jail and then prison leaving sissy with four kids under the age of six. This once stay at home mom now had to find a job and a way to provide for her young family.
 With her husband out of the picture she began to see how bad their relation ship had truly been. So she decided it was time to change. I look at sissy and see a full 180 turn around. She is a strong, amazing mother, woman and friend. She knows the importance of family and instilling values in them.
  Most of all She's stepped up to the plate in raising her children as a single mother. This includes her seven year old daughter H who biologically isn't hers. She's been in H's life for over six years and been her only mother figure for the last five. Now She must start the biggest fight of her life as she tries to divorce her ex husband and gain sole custody of H. For the last year every moment with H has been treasured because we never know when we might loose her. So being the sentimental person I am I decided to give sissy something priceless. Family photos as our newer stronger family unit. Sissy I love you and Heidi and I are by you every step of the way!

Hermione Marie
7 yrs

Aiden Jay
5 yrs

Abbygail Jean
3yrs

Charlotte Shannon
17 mo.

Sissy you can do this and I know it won't be easy but you are strong and you have an amazing support group to lift you when you fall or feel like you can't hang on anymore. We love you and we'll always be there for you, Hermione, Aiden, Abby, and Charlie!

Sissy, Baby Bee, Bean, Bo and Bug

Bug is Five!!!!!!!

Bug at hours old

little man

I can't believe how much you've grown and that it's been five years! Happy birthday Bug, Auntie loves you!

one of many trips to the ER

Batman!

four

three

Five!!!!

From a two pound little man to Auntie's five year old ham! I'm so proud of everything you've accomplished and achieved. Hope this year has lots of great memories and learning moments too. I love my special little dude!

Ouch!!!!

Most people who know me know that I'm definitely not graceful. So Last weekend when Heidi and I had loads to do to get my bed put together it would only make sense that my body would be put out of commission. We had already locked the house keys in the van and while Daddy David was assisting Heidi with that issue I went to the front yard to spray down the boards for my new bed. 

 Heidi has three concrete stairs that lead up to her front porch. this is also where the hose hook up is... I came up the stairs to turn on the hose only to realize it wasn't even attached so I turned around to go back down. Only my foot caught the third stair and I proceeded to fall down the other two on to the cement sidewalk gasping for air. Guess who is now sitting on a pillow and out of commission for a few weeks? Nothing like a bruised tailbone to start off your weekend... 

 Week later and I still have deep tissue bruises. After telling my old roommate about my little accident she stated, that I needed to be put in a bubble. She quickly followed that response with, "no, you would find a way to hurt yourself in there too!" Here's to hoping my bottom gets feeling better.

Holy Moly H is Seven!

Baby H

H at 4

four in a half

fifth birthday

first day of pre-k

four

six

Bo is seven!

Oh my I can't believe how big you've gotten Miss Bo! I love you so much and can't wait to see what the next year brings. Happy Birthday my beautiful  niece auntie loves you so much!

Title One

So I've known for a few weeks that there was a possibility of me getting moved from ELL to Title 1. They needed someone with a certain amount of collage credit. It was nice to know that my BA in English actually is the reason I got the job placement.
 So now my hours have changed up a little bit and I work 4 days instead of 5 and work 8:10 - 3:20. I love helping and teaching the kids, and enjoy the change from ELL. Now I work with K through 4th and plan my own lesson plans. My small groups range in size from 3 to 6 kids.