If You're in Need of a Good Laugh...

Watch this video. 

Matt showed this to me a few months ago, and I just died laughing. He reposted it to Facebook this week, and I thought I would share with you guys. 

Enjoy. 

Bloglovin'

The rumor on the street is that Google Reader is going bye bye. So I have switched to Google Plus and Bloglovin'.

If you click this link, I believe you can request to follow my blog through Bloglovin'. 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

What is Bloglovin'? Well here is their definition:

"Bloglovin' helps you follow the blogs you read by letting you know when they update."

Click on the icon on the right side of my page that says "Follow this blog with Bloglovin"

Once you do that, a screen will pop up that says "Sign Up". They give you the option to sign up via Facebook or through email. {The Facebook sign up is pretty self explanatory, so I'll just explain the e-mail one.} 

If you want to sign up via your e-mail click e-mail. Once that is done, an information screen will pop up. {Fill out the information: Username, Email, Password.}

Once you submit a screen will pop up telling you to "Now, please check your email."

Go check your e-mail. Once there a confirmation will be sent and it will tell you to "Click the link to verify your email address and start using Bloglovin'.

Click the link and you are done!

E-mails will be sent to you telling when I have updated!

Please follow my blog. I will love you forever.

{Disclaimer: I know most of you know exactly how to follow with Bloglovin', but just in case- I wrote this.} 

Friday Flashback #55

In honor of Jessie and Jake being in town, I thought I would find a memory of me with my cousins. 

In 2006, I went to New York with my Aunt Nickie and my cousin Jessie. We had a great time, and there were a lot of memories - but there's one I want to share: 

One night we headed back to the hotel and all of a sudden my stomach just started hurting. Like really really bad. I thought I was going to die! The pain was so bad I just like fell to the ground and started to crawl {partly because I am dramatic and partly because the pain was really bad when I was standing up.} 

My aunt, being the nice person she is, snapped these pictures while laughing at me. 

Thanks Nickie. 

Dream Big

{image via}

I was talking to a friend a couple days ago, and we started to talk about all the exciting things our friends were doing. It seems like everyone we know is doing something very exciting... whether it's having a baby, getting married, going to medical school, graduating from grad school, living in New York, or traveling around the world. Everyone we know is up to something!

It's all very exciting. And all these things are adventures in their own right. 

My friend and I were kinda getting jealous of our friends when we realized we were on our very own adventures. 

We are all unique, and we all have different dreams and expectations for our lives. 

When we start getting the mentality that the 'grass is greener' we just need to remember that our dreams are just as great as others. 

We need to Dream Big. 

And continue to always Dream Big. 

For Matt and I, that right now means moving our lives to a foreign country and teaching English for a year. For others, it's going straight to grad school and continuing their education. And others are starting their little families. 

A year ago our plan and our dreams looked completely different than what we are doing now. We had always talked about moving to Asia to teach, but I never thought it would be this soon. But then my dad said 'If you don't go now, you'll never go.' 

And we thought 'what the heck' let's try it. And here we are: Matt is living in Korea and I am meeting him a little over a month! 

So I guess to sum up- Dream Big and never stop doing so! 

What are your dreams?

Anniversary Celebration Recap {A Link Up}

I am linking up with Wifessionals for one last week to share in the First Year and Beyond series.  

{If you missed the last week's click here.}

This week's topic is an Anniversary Celebration Recap. 

Matt and I celebrated our first anniversary on November 26, 2011. 

{We are only 5 months away from our third anniversary!}

I blogged about our first anniversary in 2011, so if you want to skip you can go ahead and click here. 

But if you are patient, I shall recap right now. 

We had been living in Laie on the North Shore of Oahu for the past year and wanted to get out of our little town for our special day. We couldn't afford to go to a different island, so we opted for a mini-cation to Waikiki. 

We stayed here: 

{The Mona Surfrider} 

Where they gave us leis as we checked in. 

We hung out at the beach and looked at Diamond Head.

{Where we saw some awesome beach-goers.} 

We spent some time at the pool. 

{Where it got a little cold and rainy.} 

We had drinks by the pool. 

{Where we talked about our first year of marriage.} 

We went out to eat at our all time favorite restaurant: Roy's. 

{Where we stuffed our faces with delicious food.} 

We went back to the hotel and got in the comfy robes the hotel provided. 

{Where we took funny pictures.}

We toasted with Martinelli's.  

{Where we drank the whole bottle with no shame.} 

We had a great night! It was such a blessing to be able to have had a mini-cation in Waikiki. Matt and I figured we only get 1 one-year anniversary and we better celebrate with a bang. 

The next morning Matt and I ate at the hotel breakfast buffet, which was awesome, and treated ourselves to a couple's massage. It was a perfect end to our first year anniversary. 

And that's the recap of our one year anniversary. If you are curious about what we did on our second click here, and if you are wondering what we are going to do for our third... stay tuned! 

I am going to miss this series. I have enjoyed looking back on our first year and remembering all the great memories. Many thanks to Wifessionals and all the many other great bloggers for making this possible.

Coffee and Conversation #14: Make a Difference {A Link Up}

As I was jumping around blogs and reading people's updates, I came across a link up called Coffee and Conversation. 

Kalyn from Love.Laughter. Happily Ever After. and Lauren from Simply Free are responsible for this awesome link up each week. {I wish I had found this 14 weeks ago!} If you haven't checked out their blogs- do so! 

This week's questions are:

"What does it mean to you to have made a difference in this world? What are you doing to achieve that change, and how has it been made possible?"

To me, making a difference means making an effort to be less selfish. I think many people today go day to day with their heads down just thinking about what they need to get done. To make a difference we have to pick our heads up and see others around us. It does not matter if we are donating millions to a cause or a couple of dollars to a cause. Putting forth the effort is what is important. While the people with the big wallets are the ones that usually get the attention, I believe every act, whether large or small, are important. Taking the time to think of others is always a great thing. We have to have the faith in ourselves to believe that we can make a difference. We have to believe that taking the time to pick up trash we see in the parking lot, or to hold the door for a person that has their hands full, or to even just smile and wave at a person make a difference. One of my favorite quotes is "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." {William James} If there is anything growing up has taught me is- people notice. They really really do.  

{image via} 

Growing up, providing service for others was always something we did in my family. It is one of the key principles of my religion and has always been important to me. While I might not have always had the best attitude at the beginning of some projects, by the end of the day I always felt so accomplished and grateful for the opportunity to serve others. Some of my favorite memories growing up are related to helping others. {Making blankets for my brother's orphanage, putting together hygiene kits, making eye patches to send to Africa, delivering 12 days of Christmas packages, etc.}

One way I believe I make a difference is with teaching. I just completed my first year of teaching, and I really believe that I made a difference this year. Not to all 150 of my students, but to a few, I made that difference. By taking the time to sit with a student(s) at lunch, or to take the opportunity to get to know them I really think that I impacted their lives in a small way. I am so grateful to have been giving this opportunity to teach this year. I fully believe these kids are our future (not to go all Whitney on you). I was responsible for their education and even if they just learned one thing... I think I made a bit of a difference. 

As I said above, it is the small things that also matter. Every month I like to join in on 30 Days' monthly RACKs (Random Acts of Kindness). These acts are never huge, but I always feel so great after doing them. The other day I was at the gas station and saw an older man collecting bottles and cans from the trash (canning is big here). I had about ten bottles in my car and I could have just drove off, but I decided to go take my bottles over to the man. Now did the .50 make a huge difference to this man? No probably not. But did a make a small difference? I would like to hope so. 

{image via} 

Believing we can make a difference is extremely important. We have to have the hope that completing small acts makes a difference. If I just helped one student this year- it would have been worth it. If I can make my husband's day better- it's worth it. If I can just make one phone call to someone that is down, or buy a sandwich for someone that looks hungry- it will have been worth it. 

One person can make a difference. We just have to have faith and be willing to be a little less selfish. 

Sewing With... Part 4

If you'll remember, I teach Family Consumer Science for my elective class. For the second quarter of the class, we sew. {How fun.} 

This quarter I decided to have my students make these Owl Heating Pads that I found on the blog 30 Days. 

Here is how my students' turned out: 

I don't think they look as professional as the pattern, but not too bad for 7th graders! 

Friday Flashback #54

Cause it's not fun unless you're being a little sacrilegious in an old abbey.

{Fountains Abbey} 

The Boy Behind This Blog

Today I am linking up with Never the Same Spice Twice  and turning over my blog to Matt for him to share his thoughts about my blogging. Obviously,  I am the one that writes this blog, but Matt is always in the background helping me. I hardly ever write a post without talking to Matt about it. 

So without further adieu here is the man behind my blog: 

1. Does your wife use your real name or a nickname on her blog?

She mostly uses my real name.

2. If you had a blog, what would the title be?

I have a blog...well I started one...months ago. Its Called The Octopus Society, because of my love(or obsession) for our eight tentacled friends. It's unkempt and slightly embarassing compared to my wife's. 

3. Do you ever feel ignored by her because of the blog?

Haha no, infact whilst I have been in Korea and she is not I have come to appreciate it much more than I ever did when we were living together. I think it's something, that has in its own way brought us closer together.

4. How has her blog changed or evolved throughout your relationship?

I think its more interesting, and its very easy to see how much her writing has improved over the years. I personally have seen her become more invested in it and really become a member of the blogosphere.

5. What is your favorite post on her blog?

Hmm that's hard to say, I always enjoy her friday flashback posts; but, I think at the end of the day its the little posts about her day to day activities and endeavors that I find to be the most endearing. But if I had to pick, I would say her Elf on the Shelf series. This is when I became more invested in the blog because I helped with the pictures and the set ups. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the man behind my blog! 

Unexpected Moments and Growing As a Couple: A Link Up

I am linking up again with Wifessionals to share more moments from the first year. 

If you missed last week's, click here. 

Today's topic is: What have you learned from the unexpected and How have you grown as a couple during the first year? 

When Matt and I got married we knew we were moving to Hawaii for me to finish school. Our plan was for me to finish all my undergrad courses in a year and then to move back home to student teach and for Matt to start school again. 

But that did not happen. Even though BYU H promised me I could student teach back in Georgia... That was the first unexpected moment in our marriage (and the only one I will share in this post). When we got married Matt was sure he did not want to go back to a church school, and I was okay with that. But I wanted him back in school within a year. 

We quickly had to come up with a new plan and it actually turned out really well. Matt applied to BYU H and got into the Social Work program. What I learned from this little road bump was that if you have faith and are actively seeking a new path, something will turn up. When we were engaged going back to a church school was never going to happen. And through this bump, Matt found a program that is perfect for him. 

All of this led to us becoming closer as a couple. I mentioned this a bit in the last post, but I had a hard time letting go of my mother's advice during the first little bit. (Note: I still ask for her advice, but I always talk to Matt first.) 

I really think being 4000+ miles away from our home was enough to really bring us together. We were newly weds living so far away from those that we had previously leaned on. It was this action that really made us a married couple. We were dependent on each other for meals, money management, employment, and so much more. 

Thinking back on our first year, I have realized that it was the hard moments that really brought us together. It was the stressful times of eating Ramen on the bed in our "studio" apartment that brought us together. Without the hard times and the tests that come with them, we might not have the marriage we have today. 

Matt and I have been married about two and a half years now, and I honestly can't tell you when I've been happier. Matt is my best friend, and I know that through thick and thin he is with me for eternity!

My Month RACK (Random Act of Kindness)

If you remember, I am dedicating the 14th of every month to completing a Random Act of Kindness. 

This month I actually did my Random Act a little early, but I figured it's not so much about the date as the act itself. 

The other day I pulled into Foodland and saw a guy that looked a little down and had a sign that said he was hungry and needed food. 

I went into the store and got my groceries, and while checking out I picked up a Foodland gift card. It wasn't a huge amount, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. 

My plan was to give him the card and go home, but after handing him the card I decided to go to Subway and get him a sandwich. So in we went to Subway, and I bought him a sandwich, chips, and a drink. 

And I felt really good after doing this. So far my RACKS have been pretty third party or anonymous because that's what I felt it should be, and because I tend to avoid human contact whenever possible. 

But I am SO glad I did this. In a normal situation, I would probably ignore the guy (as bad as that sounds). 

After I bought the sandwich and he had the gift card, I could tell he was really happy. And I really felt as if I made a difference that day. 

I would encourage all of you to complete a RACK sometime! And make sure to share! 

Friday Flashback #53

A few weeks ago I finally updated my license from an UNDER 21 license to an OVER 21 license. 

... About 4 years after the fact. 

While doing this, it reminded me of a funny thing that happened to me when I was a freshman in high school. 

One day my mom was getting money out of the ATM and while I was waiting in the car I happened to look at her license. While looking I saw that it said Organ Donor. 

And I was like Oh my gosh... My mom's an organ donor! How did I not know this! 

So when she got back in the car I was holding her license and asked: MOM- what organ did you donate!?! 

... I was dead serious.... 

And I didn't quite understand why she was laughing so hard. 

When she finally got herself under control she explained what an organ donor was. 

OHHHHHHHH, so you didn't donate an organ? 

Opps. I wish I could blame it on age, but I was 14! I think I should have known that fact.  

What funny things do you have to share? Has anyone had any blonde moments? 

Birthday Love #my25th

I got an e-mail today with these pictures. 

My nephew is one smart cookie. 

Thanks Eli! 

Hardest Moments From the First Year: A Link Up

I am doing another link up with Wifessionals for the segment From One Year to Beyond. If you missed last week's link up post, click HERE. 

The topic this week is: Hardest Moments From the First Year. 

{Us at our 6th month mark.} 

I don't like to look at things through Rose colored glasses, but I think overall our first year of marriage was pretty great. 

That being said, I know there were some challenges and I know there were some major adjustments. 

Here are a few of our hardest moments. 

After being married for a little over a month, Matt and I packed our bags and moved over 4000 miles away to Hawaii. I had a little over a year left in my undergrad program and we decided it would be best to move back to Hawaii for me to finish school. 

Now what you need to know is Hawaii is freaking expensive. I had lived in Hawaii as a single person and it was expensive, but I never really noticed how bad it was until I got married. 

It was very hard to live in Hawaii as students because we were literally living paycheck to paycheck and using all the financial aid we could get. For the first 6 months, Matt and I had to live off campus and we were paying $990 for a bedroom... literally a bedroom. 

It was HARD.  And it was frustrating. There's a saying like if you don't have money you can't fight over money. But I think this is really wrong. If you don't have money and you don't know how rent is going to be paid... or how you can afford groceries... uh yeah things are going to be stressful. 

Now I don't want to stress you out, Matt and I were fine. But it was hard. Everyone was telling us how awesome it was we got to live in Hawaii, meanwhile, I am taking 20 credits and working and Matt is working 50+ hours a week. We didn't have time for the beach!

Another thing that was hard was realizing that Matt and I were now dependent on each other. I think both of us were pretty independent and having to learn how to  rely on each other was difficult. I also needed to learn how to go to Matt first before talking to my mother. For the first couple of months, I would call my mom for advice and then talk to Matt! That is NOT the way to do things in a marriage!

I don't want to go all Kelly Clarkson on you but for real 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Matt and I have lived far away from family for all of our married relationship, and this distance and the hardships of Hawaii have really made us extremely closer as a couple.

Make sure to go over to Wifessionals and check out the other stories! 

My Warby Parkers

When my friend Jenny was in town last year she mentioned to me about this company that sells really cool glasses. And if there was one thing I needed it was really cool glasses. I had not updated my glasses since middle school. Yeah, a good 12 years! 

So I got me some Warby Parkers. 

I got the Crosby's and I love them. 

What's great is that they are only $99. {Although I had to pay another $50 because my prescription is so bad.} 

I am not really advertising. I just really love my new glasses. 

What do you think? 

A Challenge- #NoSodaSummer

It's no secret that I love reading other blogs. One that I really love and find inspiring is Freckleberry Fit . 

This lady is truly awesome and what she has gone in the last year was awesome! Anyway, she has issued a summer challenge- A No Soda Summer. The challenge is from June 1- August 31. 

Since I am a little late, I will end my challenge September 10th. 

So here it goes:

  #NoSodaSummer

This is a big deal for me because if you know me at all you know I am addicted to caffeine. If you think I am joking, you don't know me well enough. While I have definitely lowered the amount of soda I intake in the last month or so, I never can seem to cut the habit. 

Here is my chance to be a part of a mini community and kick the soda habit once and for all. My goal is by September 10th to not even want to drink soda again. 

Please wish me luck and give me all your support. 

Here is some of information Ashley from Freckleberry Fit put on her blog: 

 Those who drink large amounts of diet soda for long periods of time often experience tooth erosion, rotting, decay and other types of oral damage – in many cases just as bad or worse as the effects experienced by long-term drug users, according to a new study published in the journal General Dentistry.

Well, good grief! I think I need to stop drinking soda! 

My Birthday Weekend- #my25th

Despite the fact Matt was in Korea for my birthday, I had a pretty great birthday weekend. 

Here's what happened. 

At 6:00 am my mom called with the kids and sang Happy Birthday to me.

At 6:30 there was a knock on my door and my friend Jane had a half dozen doughnuts and a balloon. I was so surprised that she knew about my family tradition of the birthday doughnut! 

Then I put my birthday button on and drove to work. On the way to work, I talked to my dad on the phone. 

I had cake with my co-workers and some of my students threw me a little surprise party. I got lots of birthday cards, some leis, and some yummy treats. 

I was thinking about taking the day off for my birthday, but when Matt left for Korea I figured I didn't want to spend the whole day by myself, so I went in. And I am so happy I did. I think my students were more excited about my birthday than I was! 

During the last core of the day the office called and said I had a package at the front office. I told my students that I thought it was from Matt and they started cheering! When I went to the office I found a dozen red roses from Matt! I was so so happy! I just can't believe that even thousands of miles away Matt managed to do something special. {And that's not all he did.... just keep reading!}

After work, I got to talk to my Abuela and Papa, my brother Joe, and my best friend Beth. Then I went to dinner with my friends/ cousins Josh & Ari at Outback. It was so sweet of them to invite me out to dinner and we had a blast and great food. After dinner we went to the movie Now You See Me. It was pretty good. During the movie I had a call from Jane and Tyler and they left a voicemail singing Happy Birthday. Again, I thought it was so cool that they some how knew all about my family's little traditions. ... HMMM... 

That night I got home and immediately Skyped Matt. Okay, so my whole day was great, but this was the BEST part of my day. Seeing and talking to this guy: 

Which is when Matt told me about the secret group on Facebook. 

Here is the message he sent out. I know it's long, but it is really really really sweet, so you should read it. 

Hi guys, as you know I'm in Korea and Alex is not :( but her birthday is coming up on the 7th of June. I don't want her to be alone or feel sad on her birthday so I'm asking you guys to help me make her week special! 

Here is a list of things I'd like your help with:
1. I would like someone to take her to eat that week or invite her over, she likes Outback, and she has wanted to try Cinnamins in Kailua. 
2. She really wants to see that google intern movie and she will probably end up going alone unless somebody takes her.
3. Holland Lee I hate to ask anything of you guys because you guy sare so busy with your new super adorable baby boy, but if possible could you make her some hota? She really, really liked it!

These last 2 requests will seem strange but will actually be the most meaningful:
4. Sometime during the day while she is at work if you could call her and leave a voicemail of you singing happy birthday (its is a family tradition) if she answers just tell her to hang up so u can leave a voicemail (she'll know what it means).
5. this one is going to be tricky, but is very very important I need somebody to bring her a donut before she goes to work that day. Her family gives donuts to the birthday person and has done so for as long as she has remembered, she likes glazed donuts, or chocolate frosted donuts. She usually leaves the house around 7, which I know is really early but if just one person could do that I would be more grateful than words could express.

I know this is a tall order but I beg of you to help me out on this one. Let's use this facebook group to coordinate who will be doing what. Thank you soooo much everybody!

When I read this I immediately started to cry. I mean how awesome is my husband? And how awesome are my friends? I know my friends like me, but I think this is a testament to how much they love Matt. Every single thing on this list got done. My birthday was perfect because my husband made sure that I got everything I usually do, and that was great. But what was even better was that he went through this effort to make sure I was not alone. One of the last things he said to me before we said goodbye was "Don't worry. Your birthday will be taken care of." Matt is really someone special. And I loved talking with him on my birthday. Thank goodness for Skype. 

Friday was great and Saturday was just as great. I met up with Jane and Tyler and we went to the movie The Internship. It was so funny, but the three of us were the only ones laughing. I think it's cause we were the only young ones in the theater. 

Then we went to dinner at Teddy's Bigger Burgers. After we just went back to their place and talked and talked. I love hanging out with these two people! 

Sunday I did what I love. I slept in and then I spent the day reading. {So boring, but I love those kind of days.} 

I even got to Skype Matt again! 

To all my friends and family that read the Facebook message and had a part in my birthday, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I can't express how much this all meant to me! It's strange because the question in my Question a Day 5 year journal was: What do you feel grateful for today? 

Well, that was an easy one. I am grateful for my wonderful husband and my great friends that I have met here in Hawaii. You guys made my 25th awesome! 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you... or should I say- Gamsahabnida

{Birthday Selfie} 

I know there were a lot of selfies, but I promise I spent time with other humans! 

Friday Flashback #52

Well, today's my birthday! (Happy Birthday to me.) 

I am now 25! Whoa I really can't believe. I don't think I'm old, but it is crazy that I am 25! 

In honor of this, I thought I would Flashback to my last 5 birthdays and share what was going on. 

Here we go: 

2008-20th Birthday

This year we had a decades party because my Abuela was turning 60, my Mom was turning 40, and I was hitting 20. Of course this was spent with my family and my best friend Beth. 

2009- 21st Birthday 

This year Beth and I got lunch at Panera's with the little kids and Joe. We got pedicures and then we went over to Abuela and Papa's for dinner. Abuela got us a Piñata and we had tons of fun. This birthday included the missionaries and non-alcholic champagne. 

2010- 22nd Birthday 

This was the first year Matt was part of the picture. (Although I have no pictures with him.) Again this was spent with family and Beth. I remember Janice got me a cook book and I thought 'well great she wants me to learn how to cook!'... Still hasn't happened! 

2011- 23rd Birthday 

This year was my first birthday married to Matt, but I spent in thousand of miles away in D.C. Luckily, I was able to meet up with Jenny and she took me around town. Plus, I got Georgetown cupcakes. 

2012- 24th Birthday 

I got to spend this birthday with Matt. We had a great beach/ pool day and it was awesome. We celebrated at Hard Rock that night and had such a great time. Matt continued the tradition of my birthday doughnut and made my day. 

2013- 25th Birthday 

Again, Matt and I spent my birthday apart. But he sure did work hard to make sure my birthday was great (more to come on that later). I went to work and had a great day with my students and my cousins Josh and Ari. 

Well, the good news is I don't think I've really aged physically.

These past five years have brought so many fun memories. 

All About the Parents

For the last few months, I have really wanted to talk about kids and parents today and their relationship with teachers. 

I have been leery towards this subject because I have pretty strong feelings about it, and because others have strong feelings. 

But it is something that is really bothering me, and I need to get it off my chest. 

I found an editorial cartoon and I think it sums up teaching today. 

{image via}

A lot of kids today have zero accountability for their actions, or lack there of. I have such a hard time holding my kids accountable for meeting class deadlines. A lot of my students think that they can turn their work in whenever they want, and there will be no consequence. And I think I could be okay with that because I can teach my students that deadlines are a part of real-life and there are consequences when you miss a deadline. 

What I can't fight is the parents. Parents today tend to believe everything that comes out of their child's mouth and automatically put the blame on the teacher. 

Parents- Let me assure you: I CANNOT make your child do their work. 

I CAN be supportive. 

I CAN give up my recess, lunch, before, and after school time to help. 

I CAN give you weekly updates. 

I CAN recommend that they stay in for recess. 

But I CANNOT force them to do their work. I wish I could, but I can't. 

When parents enable their children to miss deadlines and call and complain to the teachers, they are teaching their children two things: 

1. Deadlines mean nothing. 

2. If they miss a deadline/ are not happy with their teacher- they can call mom and dad and mom/ dad will figure it out. 

Parents are not helping their children.

And you know what's annoying is that I have noticed this of all ages today, not just my middle schoolers. I don't know how many texts I got from my high school lacrosse players with just stupid excuses for not making it to practice. 

All I gotta say is good luck kids, cause Mom and Dad aren't going to be there forever. 

And what really gets me is that I am busting my butt to help these kids. I don't know how many times I've left work at 5:00 because students need to catch up with work. And my team members work just as hard, and the team I worked with during student teaching worked just as hard. 

I know there are some crappy teachers out there, but parents can't go into a parent/ teacher relationship assuming the teacher is bad. 

I think the teacher-student-parent relationship should look like this: 

{image via}

There should be communication, not assumptions. 

I'm sorry for the rant, but good grief. 

BE ACCOUNTABLE! 

*Note: When I said parents- I don't mean I think all parents do this. I know there are some really great parents. And I just want to say thank you. You make my job a whole lot easier! 

Funny Moments from the First Year: A Link Up

Wifessionals is joining with 10 other bloggers for the month of June to blog about married life. 

I wanted to link up with them and the first topic is Funny Moments from the First Year. 

I thought this would be a fun way to look back at our first year of marriage. I can't believe it's already been 2 1/2 years! 

{Picture from our wedding day 11-26-10} 

Honestly, my favorite funny moment was when I 'made' Matt eat in the bathroom. I know I shared it in my Friday Flashback #5, but I wanted to reprint it for this post. 

So here it is: 

A little over a two and half years ago, Matt and I moved to Hawaii to finish school. Our first apartment was not really an apartment but a bedroom. It was such a horrible place, but we were desperate for anything until we could get into TVA (the on campus married housing- it is about $600 cheaper than other married housing). For a reminder of our first home click here.

As you can tell our kitchen was right next to our bed, so when Matt would get ready for work (at 5:00 am) I could also hear him get ready and eat breakfast. Well, as most of you know or have experienced I get a little crabby, no VERY crabby, if I am woken up. However, I never really remember this crabbiness when I wake up.

Anyway, one thing that I hated about our first 'home' was that we always ALWAYS got ants. We would just think about making food and the ants would come out to play. So one morning I was getting ready in our bathroom and I noticed all these ants running around our shower and floor! I was so confused what was bringing them there since there was no food in our bathroom. So I just assumed maybe it was the sweet smell of my shampoo or body wash. I just ignored them, but day after day they remained!

Then one day I looked in the bathroom trash... and there was a granola bar wrapper in the BATHROOM trash!!!! What the heck? That was what was bringing the ants into the bathroom, but why was the granola bar wrapper in the bathroom? So I asked Matt why he would throw the granola bar wrapper in the bathroom trash, not the kitchen. Which lead to his story:

He had been eating his breakfast at our kitchen table (which was at the foot of our bed) and apparently his noise (the noise of him opening a granola bar) was bothering me enough that I had yelled at him time and time again. So being the nice husband he is and not liking being yelled at by his rude crabby wife he started eating his breakfast in the bathroom!

IN THE BATHROOM- He would put the toilet seat down and sit on top of the cover and eat his breakfast! When I heard this I was so overcome with guilt! What type of wife was I that had lead him to eat in the bathroom (gross)? A tired one? A selfish one? I don't know, but I felt bad!

Now, I can't say I have changed too much with not being the happiest about being woken up, but Matt no longer eats in the bathroom. Although, I am now the one that wakes up early- Matt is so nice he wakes up and makes my breakfast and lunch AND walks me to the car! If I have not said it before, I am saying it now- I am one LUCKY lady. I think at times our marriage is a little one sided. Now I think all marriages go through this at times, but Matt has never made me eat my breakfast in the bathroom and for that I think I will always be a bit guilty.

For those that are reading this for a second time, I hope you enjoyed it just as much. And for those that just now read for the first time, please don't judge me too much!