I must admit that the first of this school year has surprised me immensely. It's been full of fun and concerns, new beginnings and fresh starts, but most of all it's been a rude awakening to the education of our youth.
Here's the story:
I wanted to introduce my students to the social studies curriculum for the year so, I had them do a picture walk through their Social Studies book. A lot of students were getting really excited about the upcoming year. They found mummies, flags, great walls, Greek gods and goddesses, wars, pestilence and all kinds of interesting things. Then I noticed a group of students who had an interesting look of concern, amusement, and puzzlement on their faces. Intrigued I asked, "What did you find?" One student piped up, "Um, Miss Allen? What does this say?" I take a look at the word and understanding fills my head. "It says Assess. Review and Assess." Then I started to laugh. It reminded me of a movie where Mike Myers said, "You've put the wrong em-fAhh-sis on the wrong syll-Ahh-bull."
All I can say is, I love my Job!!! Ja ja ja!
About Me
- Gwen+Rans
- We met January 2, 2011 and were married July 30, 2011. When you know, you know.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
My Mom's Mini Memory of My Dad
How we met:
Your dad had returned from his mission on July 19, 1967 and he planned to attend Snow College that fall to play basketball. It was our first day back at college and I was an officer in the LDS Student Association. I was spending my time in the Institute befriending new students and encouraging them to enroll in classes. (The institute is now the Family Life bldg.) I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people. Rather early in the day I noticed this cute, tall fellow lounging in one of the leather chairs, rather layed back, with a smirk/smile on his face. He was handsome in his stiffly starched, perfectly ironed yellow "Gant" shirt and Dockers. (You were stylin' in a "Gant" in those days. Before his mission, he had a good job working at Geneva Steel and had acquired nice clothes.)
The officers had planned a fun get acquainted night which included a dance. To learn more about our dance partners we each had a "dance program". The students were to exchange signatures during the day. That evening, we would locate the person whose name corresponded to the number on the dance program.It happened that your dad was the first person to sign my program.
I didn't know that I would be the first person to dance with him since his return from So. America. When the dance began and they announced: "Find dance partner # one." I began looking this way and that for a tall guy with amazingly long eyelashes and gorgeous blue eyes. He was easy to spot and he saw me so there we were facing each other. Anyway, there was a question attached to each number on the dance program. Our question was. "Where are you from?" He answered first. He said that he was from "here" and that he played basketball for Manti High. Hummm? I'm now wondering:"How OLD ARE YOU? I was a JV cheerleader for Manti High and have never seen you on the playing floor! You must be OLD! I must have had a stumped look on my face but he didn't change his story when I told him that I went to Manti High too. We danced and I led. So he said. What do you expect he hadn't danced for years, and that's what I had done a lot of . I was even planning to persue dance as a minor in college.
During the evening he asked me to dance with him again and then asked if he could walk me home. As we walked, he began talking about his mission, (Andes South), and then started talking about some Elder from his mission who had come home and was married within a month. "Wow!" I said,"Where did you say you served?" "Andes South" he responded. "I have a brother-in -law who served there, and he was only home a month when he married my sister." I said. "His name wasn't Mordecai was it?" he Querried. We both laughed. We had something BIG in common.
I explained that they had been married in the Manti Temple only a month earlier. "OH!" He sighed, "I would have been there if I had known about it." I felt his disappointment and said comfortingly, "Well my sister's dress is upstairs" When we get home I'll put it on and you can shake my hand. I can pretend to be Barbara." "No," He said. "it's OK. You can wear the dress for our wedding."
I did wear that dress for our wedding in July 19, 1968.
Your dad had returned from his mission on July 19, 1967 and he planned to attend Snow College that fall to play basketball. It was our first day back at college and I was an officer in the LDS Student Association. I was spending my time in the Institute befriending new students and encouraging them to enroll in classes. (The institute is now the Family Life bldg.) I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people. Rather early in the day I noticed this cute, tall fellow lounging in one of the leather chairs, rather layed back, with a smirk/smile on his face. He was handsome in his stiffly starched, perfectly ironed yellow "Gant" shirt and Dockers. (You were stylin' in a "Gant" in those days. Before his mission, he had a good job working at Geneva Steel and had acquired nice clothes.)
The officers had planned a fun get acquainted night which included a dance. To learn more about our dance partners we each had a "dance program". The students were to exchange signatures during the day. That evening, we would locate the person whose name corresponded to the number on the dance program.It happened that your dad was the first person to sign my program.
I didn't know that I would be the first person to dance with him since his return from So. America. When the dance began and they announced: "Find dance partner # one." I began looking this way and that for a tall guy with amazingly long eyelashes and gorgeous blue eyes. He was easy to spot and he saw me so there we were facing each other. Anyway, there was a question attached to each number on the dance program. Our question was. "Where are you from?" He answered first. He said that he was from "here" and that he played basketball for Manti High. Hummm? I'm now wondering:"How OLD ARE YOU? I was a JV cheerleader for Manti High and have never seen you on the playing floor! You must be OLD! I must have had a stumped look on my face but he didn't change his story when I told him that I went to Manti High too. We danced and I led. So he said. What do you expect he hadn't danced for years, and that's what I had done a lot of . I was even planning to persue dance as a minor in college.
During the evening he asked me to dance with him again and then asked if he could walk me home. As we walked, he began talking about his mission, (Andes South), and then started talking about some Elder from his mission who had come home and was married within a month. "Wow!" I said,"Where did you say you served?" "Andes South" he responded. "I have a brother-in -law who served there, and he was only home a month when he married my sister." I said. "His name wasn't Mordecai was it?" he Querried. We both laughed. We had something BIG in common.
I explained that they had been married in the Manti Temple only a month earlier. "OH!" He sighed, "I would have been there if I had known about it." I felt his disappointment and said comfortingly, "Well my sister's dress is upstairs" When we get home I'll put it on and you can shake my hand. I can pretend to be Barbara." "No," He said. "it's OK. You can wear the dress for our wedding."
I did wear that dress for our wedding in July 19, 1968.
Memories
I know being the youngest in my family I have the most abbreviated memories of our lost loved ones, but I thought I might as well put my two bits in. Ha ha, pun intended. Most of the things I remember about dad were feelings I felt while being around him. I think the most appropriate word for it is Love. I also remember a scag-nasty green bottle with a large cut in the nipple so I could get the mush out. I sometimes think I remember dad telling me to go lay down so I could have the bottle, but I don't know if that is just me mixing in my own dreams. I do remember looking straight up, trying to see dad's face, but the only thing I saw was his extra long skinny legs. The end. I sure have loved hearing about dad. It feels like I know him a bit better just by reading what my family shared on the Allen Clan blog. Thanks! I love you all!
Wow, while re-reading my post to make sure I didn't have any huge errors (being the teacher that I am) I realized I sound really pitiful and that's not what I was going for. So, to let you all feel jipped I thought I would share some memories about Grandpa Nielson. This man was no ordinary man. He was the kind of man that hero's are made of. He had a very deep voice that was very gentle and loving. I would always sit on his lap and listen to his chest rumble as he spoke. That man had a gift for making a little child feel special. I remember him saying to me, after mom had apologized for having to leave me with him that, "I'll baby-sit you, if you baby-sit me." This immediately got a wide smile from both of us. Never have I meet a man that was so wise and quiet at the same time. I remember waking up from nap time and seeing him sitting at the table pouring over his scriptures. He had both a deep calm about him as well as an amazing sense of humor. He told me once, after I had asked him why he eats burnt toast, that he likes it that way. Definitely an acquired taste. More likely grandma accidentally burnt it when the were first married and he didn't have the heart to tell her it was ruined, so he sucked it up and told her, "I like it that way." Boy, I love this man! Through spending time with him I feel like I understand a little better what Heavenly Father's love would feel like. Just looking at the man who would go for walks with a little girl (and his cane) to make her feel important makes me miss him. I always felt like a great lady in his presence, and I can't wait to see him and all our other loved ones again.
I also just remembered some memories of Miriam's caring ways. She would come home from school or work with candy in her hands to hand out to her annoying little siblings. I remember one particular day when she had some dum dums and some smarties and she told Ann and I, "If you're smart you can have the smarties and if you're dumb you'll pick the dum dums." Ann and I, being no dum dums would shout in unison, "Oh, we're dumb. We are dumb dumbs!" We weren't going to get stuck with the nasty smarties. I also remember her always doing our hair and buying us new clothes. She always was a motherly figure in my life and I cherish her dearly. To this day whenever I pass Nilla Wafers in the store I think of my dearest Miriam. I love her so very much!
Wow, while re-reading my post to make sure I didn't have any huge errors (being the teacher that I am) I realized I sound really pitiful and that's not what I was going for. So, to let you all feel jipped I thought I would share some memories about Grandpa Nielson. This man was no ordinary man. He was the kind of man that hero's are made of. He had a very deep voice that was very gentle and loving. I would always sit on his lap and listen to his chest rumble as he spoke. That man had a gift for making a little child feel special. I remember him saying to me, after mom had apologized for having to leave me with him that, "I'll baby-sit you, if you baby-sit me." This immediately got a wide smile from both of us. Never have I meet a man that was so wise and quiet at the same time. I remember waking up from nap time and seeing him sitting at the table pouring over his scriptures. He had both a deep calm about him as well as an amazing sense of humor. He told me once, after I had asked him why he eats burnt toast, that he likes it that way. Definitely an acquired taste. More likely grandma accidentally burnt it when the were first married and he didn't have the heart to tell her it was ruined, so he sucked it up and told her, "I like it that way." Boy, I love this man! Through spending time with him I feel like I understand a little better what Heavenly Father's love would feel like. Just looking at the man who would go for walks with a little girl (and his cane) to make her feel important makes me miss him. I always felt like a great lady in his presence, and I can't wait to see him and all our other loved ones again.
I also just remembered some memories of Miriam's caring ways. She would come home from school or work with candy in her hands to hand out to her annoying little siblings. I remember one particular day when she had some dum dums and some smarties and she told Ann and I, "If you're smart you can have the smarties and if you're dumb you'll pick the dum dums." Ann and I, being no dum dums would shout in unison, "Oh, we're dumb. We are dumb dumbs!" We weren't going to get stuck with the nasty smarties. I also remember her always doing our hair and buying us new clothes. She always was a motherly figure in my life and I cherish her dearly. To this day whenever I pass Nilla Wafers in the store I think of my dearest Miriam. I love her so very much!
Summer 2008
Yesterday I went to Lagoon. Which is usually pretty lame but, I went on all of the intense rides. My new all time favorite is, bum bum bum... the Sky Coaster. They hook you up to these cables and you are in this pouch contraption (kind of like a Stork's package), then they pull you way up high and count down 3, 2, 1 ... Soar! You then have to pull a cord that releases you at death defying speeds. You feel like you are going to plummet to your doom, then at the last second you are swooping in a giant arc. It felt like I was flying! My hands were stretched out and enjoying the moment while Brian was hugging my arm pretty tightly. It was hilarious!
I also went on a cruise this summer. I had an insane amount of fun (and stress)! We went to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. The boat was huge! We kept walking from front to back marveling at how enormous this contraption was. I blindly went with my step-brother John, and if you know him you know how many awkward things he likes to say to get a rise out of people, so I was sitting there thinking, "Wow, that was really awkward." Then we would laugh. I don't think I would ever go on a cruise without another person in our group, because everyone kept asking us if we were engaged or how long we had been dating and I would say, "Nope! He's my brother." or "We're just good friends." That was pretty nasty and odd.
I've had an amazing summer, but I am excited to get back to school! Things always seem to come at me in chunks instead of pieces so, right now I am trying to set up my classroom and move at the same time. Crazy!!
Ann is now engaged, and I couldn't be happier for her! She is seriously one of the funnest people I know, when she's not trying to make me angry. She has a gift for saying things that make me laugh harder then I ever do for anything else. Another one of my very favorite sisters is prego (you know who you are) and she is the least flawed person I know. She has a way of making me talk and sometimes cry where nobody else can. She is an amazing mother and friend! I love my family!
I also wanted you to get a glimpse of how funny Neil is. He was at the car wash with me and decided to play with my camera and take a million pictures. Neil is growing up so fast, and he knows it too. He keeps touching his Adam's Apple and asking us, "What's this?" Although, he knows exactly what it is he's just trying to get us to notice he's growing up. He also like to compare his height to everyone else and is looking for the day when he is, "Tall as Gwen!" Not a compliment to me, but what can I say... He thinks I'm the coolest!
I also went on a cruise this summer. I had an insane amount of fun (and stress)! We went to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. The boat was huge! We kept walking from front to back marveling at how enormous this contraption was. I blindly went with my step-brother John, and if you know him you know how many awkward things he likes to say to get a rise out of people, so I was sitting there thinking, "Wow, that was really awkward." Then we would laugh. I don't think I would ever go on a cruise without another person in our group, because everyone kept asking us if we were engaged or how long we had been dating and I would say, "Nope! He's my brother." or "We're just good friends." That was pretty nasty and odd.
I've had an amazing summer, but I am excited to get back to school! Things always seem to come at me in chunks instead of pieces so, right now I am trying to set up my classroom and move at the same time. Crazy!!
Ann is now engaged, and I couldn't be happier for her! She is seriously one of the funnest people I know, when she's not trying to make me angry. She has a gift for saying things that make me laugh harder then I ever do for anything else. Another one of my very favorite sisters is prego (you know who you are) and she is the least flawed person I know. She has a way of making me talk and sometimes cry where nobody else can. She is an amazing mother and friend! I love my family!
I also wanted you to get a glimpse of how funny Neil is. He was at the car wash with me and decided to play with my camera and take a million pictures. Neil is growing up so fast, and he knows it too. He keeps touching his Adam's Apple and asking us, "What's this?" Although, he knows exactly what it is he's just trying to get us to notice he's growing up. He also like to compare his height to everyone else and is looking for the day when he is, "Tall as Gwen!" Not a compliment to me, but what can I say... He thinks I'm the coolest!
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