Best birthday ever!

So I turned the big 31 yesterday and it was one of the best birthdays I have had. So many people remembered and I felt so special. It's amazing when even the kindergartners see you in the hallway and say "Happy Birthday Miss Wall" when you wouldn't even think they'd remember after you'd mentioned it in passing a few days earlier. So cute! My 8th grade musical theater class threw me a surprise birthday party at school and sang to me. It was the cutest, most touching thing ever. I really did start to cry. I am such a girl :) Then I went to dinner with a bunch of friends and just enjoyed quality time spent with friends. My parents called me later that night and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I felt so loved and it was incredible. This year will be an adventure, I think, and I'm looking forward to what it has in store.

Choir

So I have the opportunity of directing the choir in our congregation at church and today we had choir practice. This was the turnout :) Pretty good odds for Annie!

The Garden

I had the wonderful opportunity of singing in one performance of the allegorical oratorio "The Garden" by Michael McLean this past Saturday. I went into the performance with several things on my mind and several things I was working out within myself. Words can't completely express the experience I had on Saturday night, but I will do my best. As "The Man With Many Names" was singing his solo entitled "Not My Will", I was overcome with emotion as I pictured the Savior and the sacrifice He made for each and every one of us and I got tears in my eyes. My heart was softened and I was reminded that He knows me, He knows my thoughts, my emotions, my heart, and my desires. He knows exactly how I feel because He has been there and has suffered for me personally. He loves ME, with all my strengths and weaknesses, and is always there with arms outstretched if I will but go to Him and let Him in my life. I know He performed the Atonement for each and every one of us, that He suffered for our sins, that He died for each one of us, and that He was resurrected and HE LIVES again. My Savior lives and loves me unconditionally as does my Father in Heaven, who, out of love for us, sent the Savior to perform that sacrifice so that I can return to live with Him again. I will be eternally grateful for this knowledge and for that experience I had last night. I am SO blessed.

Galactic Blues

So I was teaching a reggaeton dance routine to our 5th graders this past Friday and accidentally said "toys" when I was referring to moving their toes opposite their arms. I said it several times and just got funny looks from the students. They were probably thinking Miss Wall had gone crazy (or perhaps they already think that ;) ). Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience. We saw some of our 5th graders today and asked how many of them had shown the dance to their parents and several of them raised their hands. I sure hope that was a good thing! :)

Oh, and school is out in a month!!!! Yahooo! I think both the teachers and students are ready to be done. It's time for a break!! And then...Israel, Egypt, Paris, and Switzerland for me. It seems surreal that I'm actually going to 4 places on my bucket list. I'm surely looking forward to it! Perhaps I'll point my toys in that direction for the moment. Ha ha ha. I'm glad I crack myself up.

Papa loves Mambo...Mama loves Mambo...

Today Cathy (my co-worker) and I made up some choreography to a Mambo song I found and we had a blast. Yes, we were working, I promise! ;) We are doing a world music unit with the 5th graders and teaching them dances from the Caribbean on Thursday. Let's just say there were arms flying, hips shaking, and lots of laughter...I love my job!

Waffles, Pot Roast, and Blogging Oh My!

Today was a great day! I got to sleep in, work out, run errands...you know, typical Saturday stuff. A highlight of my day was having my co-workers over for a brunch. We ate great food (homemade whole wheat waffles and buttermilk syrup---recipes included below---my favorite!, blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit and fruit juice---yum!), relaxed, and spent time with each other, no students included :) It seemed to be a day of cooking as I got to try out a new recipe for dinner rolls from my sis-in-law Marisa for a dinner later with roommates and a former roommate and her husband. It was so nice to catch up and it made me grateful for such blessings in my life as wonderful friends and family who have influenced me so much for the better. The rolls and pot roast were a success as was the smell in the kitchen. :) It reminded me of home when my mom would make roast in the crock pot on Sundays and we'd come home from church to that deliciousness. Mmmm Mmmm good.

I can't believe tomorrow is the 1st of May! I will have lived here for six years, which seems just crazy to me. I never planned on being here for so long, but often the Lord has other plans (which I am discovering more and more each day :) ), for which I am very grateful. The experiences I have had here have helped me grow so much and learn more about myself as a daughter of God. Having a Father in Heaven who knows me so well to refine me as He has is a great blessing. Not that I would relive some of those experiences, but that I am truly grateful for where they have brought me at this point in my life.

I received my study guide, packing list, and other info for the trip to Israel in June and I can't believe it's actually happening! I'm SO excited. Delta re-routed my flight from Cairo to...drum roll please...Paris! I'm VERY tempted to extend it for a few days so I can go visit people from my mission as well as see a bit of Switzerland. We'll see how I can work it out :) :)

Before I forget, here are the recipes for the waffles and buttermilk syrup:

Waffles (from Better Homes and Gardens)

1 ¾ c wheat flour

3 t baking powder

½ t salt

2 egg yolks

1 ¼ c milk (I add 2-2 ½ cups—batter is too thick otherwise)

½ c oil/shortening/butter

2 egg whites

Sift dry ingredients. Combine egg yolks and milk. Pour into dry ingredients and stir. Stir in butter and any other extras (fruit, PB, etc.). Fold in egg whites. Pour batter into waffle-maker.

**I add in chopped apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg and it's yummy!**

Absolute Best Pancake Syrup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Absolute-Best-Pancake-Syrup/Detail.aspx

**I don't add corn syrup and use honey instead. I also use at most 1/2 of the sugar (brown) and add nutmeg and almond extract. Delicious!**

Here are a couple of videos from Brian Regan, one of my favorite comedians, to finish off this fantastic Saturday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBko_3wT44Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9em-ZCddWk&feature=related

Some favorite student quotes...

As a teacher, I get to spend time with kids all day and, of course, get to hear all the hilarious things they say. I decided I'm going to record some of the things they say here on my blog...enjoy! Here are a few of my favorites so far:
Kindergartner: "Miss Wall, you look like...you look like...you look like YOU!" Now that was unexpected, though very very true.
My co-worker Cathy: "What will you play for us today?" Kindergartner: "Stand, Stand Up for Jesus" Kindergartner #2: "Jesus? I love Jesus" Kindergartner #3: "Me too!"
Co-worker Cathy: "What animal do you think of in the Spring?" 4 yr old student (confidently, I might add): "A Ghost!!!" Uh, all right. The is neither an animal nor do we typically identify it with springtime, but hey, let's go with it ;)
While learning a new song, a kindergartner said: "So the Queen of Hearts made tarts all day, and the Knave of Hearts stole them. I just don't get it. That's weird." Yes, yes it is.
1st grade piano student: "Well, people say that playing with your pinky finger means the sound is higher, but this sound is lower." Me: "I have no idea what you mean, but explain it to me." Student: "Yeah, everybody says that playing with your pinky finger means the sound is high." Me: "Hmmm. What people are those?" Student: "Oh, just everybody." Ah ha. I knew there was something I'd been missing this whole time.
6th grade student: "Miss Wall, how can you be so good at the piano for being so young?" Me: "How young do you think I am?" Student: "You're 18, right?" Oh yes, just keep thinking that, my friend. I'm having my 18th birthday for the 12th time this year ;)
Co-worker Cathy (while learning the notes on Treble Staff): "What was above the grass in the story? What type of flowers were growing there?" 1st grade student: "Assodils!!!" Assodils. It's the "new" flower. ;)
6th grade student (said just after misbehaving in class and me asking him to stop): "You're really pretty, Miss Wall. In fact, you're beautiful." Now this was obviously an attempt to distract me from his misbehaving, and, let's be honest, it worked...well, for about a minute. ;)