Here's To 23

{one}

It's my birthday! I am the big 2-3. What an in-between year. I feel like it is kind of one of those random years, one that you may forget about later in life. But I am still excited to see what 23 has in store for me and I am in such an exciting stage of life, there is no way it can't be great. . 22 was such wonderful year. I started it with wonderful friends, jamming in the car to Taylor Swift's 22. I wasn't that excited for my birthday this year, not because I don't care or anything, I just have other stuff going on, and Jake isn't here to celebrate. But, I always love an excuse to have friends together and do something slightly out of the ordinary, so I'm going to make the best of it.

{two}

I drive past this cute little flower shop every day. I thought today was a perfect opportunity to stop. The ladies at the shop were the cutest and helped me make a bouquet. I have had a flower obsession lately. They make the house smell so good and make me smile when I see them. 

{three}

Getting to Skype with this cute guy was the highlight of my day! The end of this exercise can't come soon enough. It has been difficult to talk, FaceTime, etc. because he hasn't had service. We have both been complaining about it, but finally I told Jake that we should just be thankful that we get to talk at all. I know there are other spouses out there that don't get to hear from their husbands for a month at a time. I am trying to be a bit more appreciative that I at least hear from my husband once a day. 

{four}

Another highlight of my day was my students. I finished my first week teaching full time. It had its good moments and difficult moments, but I absolutely love it. When I chose teaching as a profession, I did it because I wanted to be excited to go to work every day when I wake up. Even though I have been somewhat exhausted this week, I have never dreaded going into work and can honestly say I was excited about each day. This morning the students came in a gave me presents. A lot of presents I could tell they had dug out of the bottom of their backpack, like old valentines candy and princess bracelets, but it's the thought that counts, right? It is also notes like these that make it all worth it.

{five}

My brain is too fried for five whole things this week. I am so ready for a weekend of fun with friends. I may work a bit. just to do some finishing decorating touches on my classroom and a bit of lesson planning, but I think I earned some fun this weekend. And some sleep. 

Have a good weekend!

Linking up with Lauren, Darci, Rebecca, Casey, and Jennie

Pardon My French

There are people in the blogging world that you meet and think, "Wow, I would really like to be friends with her in real life." That is exactly how I felt as soon as I "met" Kelsey from Pardon My French. She was one of the very first people I met through the blogging community. She always leaves the sweetest and most genuine comments, the kind of comments that keep bloggers coming back day after day. The first thing I noticed about Kelsey, besides being hilarious, is that she has serious style. It's not just the "oh I saw that trendy outfit on pinterest style," but the timeless, "why can't I look like cool" kind of style. Not only that, but she manages to look cute even while wrestling 3 adorable kids. She is the cutest momma ever and always has the funniest stories to share. I hope you go check out her blog, because I know you will lover her as much as I do!

What is your favorite thing about living in Alaska? Or what is something people may not know about Alaska?

I think my favorite thing about living in Alaska is just the sheer beauty that you live around on a daily basis. You live among some of the most beautiful scenery, and the wildlife that surrounds you is crazy! Waking up to a Moose in your front yard is quite the experience. Or driving to the grocery store in the summer and seeing a bear, just not things I could have ever imagined before. 

Something people may not know about Alaska is, there are no snakes, cockroaches, killer bees, or termites!! Not bad huh? 

You always look so fashionable. What would you say your "style" is?

My style is totally dependent on my mood. I can go from girly one day, to completely grunge inspired the next. I love fashion and I think it is so fun to experiment with all different trends. 

What is your go-to outfit?

My go-to outfit is most definitely a blazer, graphic tee, skinny jeans, statement necklace, and whatever footwear the Alaskan weather will allow me to walk around in without breaking a hip!

What does a day in the life of Kelsey look like?

Oh man...close your eyes and picture a tornado except instead of 110 mile per hour winds I have 3 extremely energetic offspring! My days are filled with diapers, caffeine, smashed goldfish, lego building, more diapers, and an abundance of laughter!

What are three posts on your blog that readers should not miss?

-The backstory to our Army life

-Welcome to the jungle

-Things I wish I knew before moving to Alaska

You can find Kelsey on bloglovin', instagram, and twitter

Sometimes the Most Challenging Things can be the Most Rewarding

Last Thursday was my last day teaching English to local Okinawan Kindergarteners. Here, children go to public kindergarten from 3-5 years old. The class I taught was an extra class offered after school. I taught two, one hour classes from 4-6 on Thursday evenings. There were 20 students in one class and 12 in the other.

Honestly, I complained about this class A LOT. Mostly because I hated the hour drive there and the hour drive back. Driving here is a stressful and annoying situation, so the long drive can really get you in a bad mood. It was also $8 round trip just to make my drive an hour instead of two.  I also complained because it wasn't as easy and blissful as I thought it would be. The idea of teaching English in a foreign country sounded like such a fun adventure. I was excited to use my teaching skills that had gotten a bit dusty after almost a year break and was excited to plan lessons again. I went to my first class with wonderful games and a perfectly planned out lesson. Let's just say it didn't go as planned. It is hard to use all of the wonderful classroom management techniques you spent hours in college learning when they don't understand a word you are saying. It is also hard to play fun games when you can't explain the directions. I hate to admit it, but I cried that first day. The image of what I had expected was completely shattered. I started to question my teaching abilities. The language barrier also upset me. I wanted to be able to understand what those adorable children were saying more than anything. I didn't like the feeling of not being in complete control of a situation. I had also never been in position where I was surrounded with people who I couldn't communicate with and I was supposed to be the one in charge. Not one person at the school spoke English and could answer the questions I had. I felt so out of place.

Things got a lot better after that first day. I knew what to expect. I learned what kinds of things worked and what didn't. I learned that getting three year olds to sit down for an hour and listen is impossible, no matter how many years you have practiced classroom management. I learned to communicate without speaking the same language. I learned to embrace the chaos and allow the sweet, innocent hearts of the Okinawan children touch my heart.

This class seriously was a struggle for me. I like to succeed, and at times I felt like I was failing. One kid would run around in the back, another group would be chatting nonstop, another was hitting someone, another was running around in the hallway. I felt like they weren't listening to me or learning. After awhile, I realized they were picking it up. They knew their colors, shapes, numbers, weather, animals, food, clothing, body parts, actions, and greetings when they came into the class knowing nothing. That's a lot! I couldn't help but smile when they could name every single picture on my flashcards.

There were hard moments. At least one child cried per class. One child even threw up. But there were also great moments. There were sweet hugs. There were fights over who got to hold my hand. They smiled and called me candy because they thought that was my name, which made me laugh every single class. The laughs and the smiles made it all worth it. I learned so much a grew so much as a teacher during my five months teaching the class.

On my last day, I was so sad to say goodbye. I was excited not to have to make that drive every week, but knowing I wasn't going to see those cute faces every week made be really sad. The parents were so sweet and gave me hugs and thanked me. They all wanted my picture with their child. They were so gracious and thankful. The cute little old lady who helped with my class was also so sweet. She gave me the biggest hug and even shed a few tears saying goodbye. It reminded me how sweet and genuine the Okinawans are. They remind me to be kinder to others and remind me of all the good in the world.

I really do believe that challenging things can be the most rewarding. They teach us so much and tell us a lot about ourselves. I will never forget my time teaching those 32 adorable children. I learned lessons that will help me in my new teaching situation. I wish I had been more thankful for the opportunity while it was happening, but when I look back, it will always be with a smile.

These pictures are a pretty accurate depiction of the chaos that ensued every.single.class.

And don't forget about this cute lithe guy

The Good Kind of Tired

Let's cut to the chase today. I am tired. The kind of tired where you can't sleep because you are so tired. I'm not tired because of a a weekend full of exploring, fun activities, great food, and good company, like it usually is. I am tired because I spent approximately 20 hours surrounded by the four walls of my new classroom and the rest of the weekend hours thinking about said classroom.

Sorry I don't have my usual exciting things to share today, but this was my view all weekend.

I'm not sharing this to complain or to brag about how hard I worked, but for you to understand that my mind is somewhere besides this blog today. I honestly couldn't wait to spend the entire weekend organizing my first classroom. I am a ridiculously neat and organized person and I had this overwhelming feeling to organize the entire room and to give it a bit of feng shui. Thankfully, I accomplished just that. I now know where everything is and everything has a place. I still need to decorate, but I had to remind myself that I have to take care of more important matters first. Things needed to be clean, neat, and functional before the beautifying process can begin. I would love a beautifully decorated and themed classroom, but it's not that easy. There is no parent-teacher store here with unlimited supplies. I also don't want to pour tons of money into decorations when we are lacking in our classroom library department. I keep telling myself making things "cute" is not the number one priority. 

So this cuteness/organization happened, just to find out it doesn't actually fit full-sized pieces of paper. Okinawa dollar store fail.

This week I am trying to remind myself to take it one day at a time. I am trying to remind myself that not everything has to get done right away.  Even though my "to-do" lists just keeps growing, I am trying to take some breaks to relax. Surprisingly, I don't feel stressed. I finally learned how to deal with stressors in my life. I also enjoy being busy like this. I like working and seeing the fruits of my labor. There have been a few times where I have missed being able to stay at home and do fun projects, shop, eat at cool restaurants, and watch shows all day long, but this working thing fits me and it is what makes me happy.

So I'm tired, but it's the good tired. It is the kind of tired that comes from hard work and accomplishment. It is the tired that is self-created because all you want to do is cross things off your list. I will take the good tired. For now.