"My Summer Vacation..."

I think I have started a post about 30 times. First it was about the last bit of my summer vacation, much like the essays we were forced to write in elementary school. If I had to write that essay/speech now, it would probably go something like this:

"I spent the last few weeks of summer in Sunriver, Oregon, where it is possible to feel under dressed while doing relatively mundane things, like getting the paper.



I then came back to my hometown, Hillsboro, and was the maid of honor at one of my oldest friend's wedding. Not without it's fair share of drama, however, as I almost fainted during the pastor's 16 hour (slight exaggeration, but not much) monologue. Thankfully, most people only remember the good stuff, as is the trend of most weddings. Oh, and Tatiana stole (note: not caught) the bouquet, so I shall be planning her bachelorette party soon.




About two days after the wedding, I began my first "real" job at Linus Pauling Middle School. I really object to the quotations, because I still stand by the fact that sheep wrestling/midwifing/vaccinating/more wrestling was a real job.


Yeah. You wish our middle school had looked this cool. Heck, I wish my University had looked this nice.




I do have to admit, however, that my "real" job is by far my favorite, and that I enjoy just about every minute of it. The minutes that aren't so enjoyable are the ones where the kids feel like rejecting every possible iota of common sense and instead opt for the poorest behavioral choice imaginable. I have learned quickly, though, that reverse psychology works wonders.

"Oh, you're not afraid of doing a little worksheet on semicolons, are you?"

Also, the kids I work with are pretty awesome. It's hard not to have certain students you enjoy more than others, but in all honesty, I see the potential in all of them, even if they may not. There are days when I wish I could pull them aside and just tell them how much I believe in them, and how much I know they can accomplish. It's my goal this year to help them see that.

It hasn't been difficult to get to know the kids, either. A reason may be, as one teacher put it, "well, you are closer in age to them than to most of us." She may have had a point, as I get accused of being an 8th grader almost daily. I thought my days of, "Where is your hall pass, young lady?" were over.

A rather unfortunate result of having a "real" job is having a "real" alarm set at 6:50 am. It's a rare moment now to catch me anywhere near awake after 11 pm.

The mention of which is actually a good transition into the conclusion of my essay, where I say that overall, it was a wonderful end to the summer, and that I am truly content with how my life has turned out as a result of things that happened in the last 6 weeks or so. I am excited to see what the rest of the year has planned for me. I am sure Fall and Winter won't let me down."


In hindsight, my speeches in school would have been so much cooler with a song at the end. Like a personalized credits scene. So here goes: