Becoming My Mother...

So it's official, I have become my mother.

Let me explain: my mom hates clutter. She is constantly fighting a war against clutter, and usually she wins this war (but she will never admit this). She always thinks the house is a mess. She hates things on counters, on the table, and on the floor.... and this used to bother me. My thought was as long as everything looked neat it would be okay.

But things have changed. Ever since getting married, I have increasingly become obsessed with clearing off my kitchen table and counters. I hate the clutter in my kitchen. I think the biggest reason is because Matt and I live in a studio apartment (insert a glorified dorm room here)! If our kitchen is a mess, or our table filled with crap it can not be hid. Everyone will see it! (And by everyone I mean the one or two people that come to our place... a month.)

But still I NEED to have the kitchen table clean..... Every night! Matt will put his school work on the table and I will clear it off... every night. And here is the kicker- we don't even use the table! I actually hate the table. The chairs are uncomfortable and it is annoying to be there! So I think it's even more weird that the table needs to be clear just to sit there and get no use.... and Matt finds it even more annoying... but what can I say: I am my mother's daughter!

So, have you become your mother yet?

Friday Flashback #23

Oh my gosh I can't believe this girl is going to be 18 next month!!!

Also, can't believe my hair... 

Happy Friday Y'All

Remember Remember... The 11th of September

So yes, I did steal this title from England and Guy Fawkes day, but I can't think of anything better.

The other day I was looking at the birth dates of my students and I noticed they were born in the year 2000!!!! 2000! They were just babies when September 11, 2001 happened. Their whole lives have been in a post 9/11 world, which I think is just crazy and little bit sad.

The school I work at is unique because I have a lot of students whose parents are serving the U.S. military in some capacity or another. I had a parent teacher conference and this student's dad was on his fourth tour! For this child's whole life, her dad has consistently been in and out of a war zone and this is all she has ever known.

I was in the 8th grade when 9/11 happened (just one year older than my students are)! I saw the second plane hit and watched the first tower collapse. I watched the news and saw people jumping from the buildings. I remember being able to go up to the gate to greet a family member... I remember the Twin Towers in movies and t.v. shows. And I think it is important for us to remember. When we forget, things become to casual and eventually they are put out of our minds. This attack is an extremely important part of our history and we need to remember and we need to share our experiences and our memories with the future generations.

My students may not remember 9/11 in the ways that we do, but let me assure you they are living with the consequences every day.

Regardless, of my belief in the war, or my political beliefs, I can tell you that I have complete respect for the men and women that are serving our country.

The Dangerous Banana

There are two things you should know about me:

1. I love bananas.
2. When I eat bananas I get extremely sick... like sick sick.

This is a relatively new condition- I first noticed the effect bananas had on me around 2008ish when I kept getting sick when I ate acai bowls. I thought this was just the berries, but alas I found out it was banana.

Since getting married, I have eaten three bananas and have gotten sick with each one of them. But the funny thing is- every time I try one I think this time it won't hurt. And every time I get sick, Matt says I told you so.

I keep trying banana in different things and in different amounts to see if I can eat just a little bit. The last time I tried it I only ate one slice and it still made me sick.

I have tried banana bread.... sick

I have tried apple banana thinking this hybrid fruit would be okay--- false.

My newest kick is trying a smoothie with banana. I think maybe, just maybe, it will work out, but Matt is not convinced and refuses to let me try.

All I want to do is eat a banana and be okay, but if I do my whole day is ruined. It's really depressing! And what's worse is knowing I shouldn't eat bananas makes me want to eat a banana!!!!

Are there any things that make you sick, but you still eat? If so, what do you do?

Sometimes You Just Need To Laugh

Staycation In Hawaii

Last weekend Matt and I did a staycation in downtown Waikiki. Matt had just finished his summer B term and was looking like this:

And I had just finished a week of teaching and looked a little like this:

So we got a hotel for the night and put our worries behind us... at least for the weekend. We enjoyed a little of this:

and this.... (the blob is a monk seal) 

It was nice to just get away for a while and Matt deserved it after the hard work he put into his summer term.

I Work All Night I Work All Day

to pay the bills I have to pay.....

That ABBA song definitely fits what my life has been like the last three and half weeks. On August 15th I went back on track ( back to work). With work comes planning, planning, planning, grading, parent teacher conferences, a bit of teaching, a lot of paperwork, and some more planning.

As a first year teacher planning is a large part of my daily life. For the most part I keep about two-three weeks ahead of my students. I have the whole quarter outlined and then I just go from there. This is a system my CT (the teacher that trained me last year) taught me and I liked at have kept it in my classroom.

Ever since coming back on track I feel like it is becoming harder and harder to stay on top - now don't get me wrong I am still good until the end of September, but I still feel stressed. The good news is I love my job. I love my students and I love my team (the group of teachers I work with everyday).

I hate the drive and I hate the paperwork. I also don't really enjoy dealing with parents, but I guess that part won't go away. I also don't really enjoy my Family Consumer Science class. Currently, I am trying to learn to sew so I can teach my students to sew. And by learning, I mean putting it off for as long as possible. I think I am hoping the school will miraculously get rid of the sewing portion of my class. Haha, unlikely.

Luckily, my school is on that weird track system and I get a break every few months- which I love- love- love! My next break starts October 16th and I really cannot wait.

Being a teacher really is great, but by the end of the day I am pooped! I have now realized holidays and weekends were created to give teachers a break and not the other way around!

(Just in case you need a visual of how far I drive everyday: I live in Laie and work in Mililani Town. And no I can't just cut across the island... I have to follow the red line... which takes an hour there and an hour back!!!! EVERYDAY!!!)

BUT IT'S WORTH IT CAUSE I GET TO WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE: 

Back row: Richard (Wheel), Jeff (Counselor), Jake (Science)

Front: Hiroko (Sped), Pat (Language Arts), Me (Social Studies) Krysti (Math), and Kelley (Sped) 

At my school we work as a team of teachers. Meaning we all have the same students and work and plan together. As a first year teacher this has been extremely helpful and I love love love my team! 

I Can't Believe It's Been A Month... but I have been busy

Well, the olympics are long over and Jenny is long gone. This last month has been crazy. I had a friend come stay with me, I started school back up, and well work sucks a lot out of me. By the time I get home I am so tired I can barely stay awake until 9:30 let alone blog about my life.

But I will try to catch you all up in the exciting life of A Fay.

Like I said the most exciting thing was Jenny's visit around mid-August. Her visit worked out perfectly because I was on break from school and was able to spend all my time hanging out with her, plus I had a real job so we were able to go and do some fun things.

We went to the beach a lot! I actually got a pretty good tan (although it is now fading). 

Matt was able to go with us a few of the days! 

 Of course we went to the PCC. This time around I thought I would try the small group tour. I would have to say it is definitely worth doing the PCC that way, except I must warn you the tour guides will say the word cousins so many times you will want to scream by the end of the day. So beware of that. 

Note: Please be impressed by my artistic skills of grass weaving... yup I made that myself... however, Jenny threw away my final masterpiece. (Oh and P.S.- it's a fish) 

We went to turtle beach and saw some turtles :) 

We also went to Iolani Palace. This was the last home of the Hawaiian monarchy before/ during the overthrow. They made us wear these cloth slippers to protect the floor in the palace. Matt and I were able to get in for free because of the Kai'maaina (local) discount- which was awesome. The palace was really interesting and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the overthrow. 

Another must was to see the USS Arizona. This time we did the audio tour- again really impressed with  it. Here is Matt and I in front of the USS Bowfin- a submarine. 

My cousin Ashley suggested we try this restaurant called Shokudo. They had the best dessert- honey toast with ice cream. TRUST ME - you have to try it! 

We did lots more stuff and it was a blast! Jenny stayed for about a week, but it was the best time ever. We had such a great visit and I can't wait to see her again. When I dropped her off at the airport I got about one exit back before I started crying- it was a little depressing. So here's to you Jenny.