shut up and drive.

I've had this inner battle this last month.
Over a car. Stupid, right?

It was coming to a point where it was time for me to upgrade in the automobile department.
I was excited about the idea of a newer car, the reliability and all the fun features.
However, I was not super sold on that car payment that came with it.
Oh, and not to mention dealing with car salesmen (attractive or not). 

It's not that I can't afford a payment, I just don't WANT to pay it. I'd rather save it.
Anyway, I bit the bullet and got a new car. And guess what?

I love it.

{good memories and even better sticker. go wsu!}

{not even mad}

Moral of my rant? New cars are great.
But this growing up business is getting old.

Sincerely,
Over it.

h o m e s i c k

I love Utah (I really do) but I've been a little homesick lately. 

I need some familiarity. Pine trees. The lake (a legit one). 

I miss the simplicity of life that lies in the Northwest.

Before I moved to Utah, I swore I would never fall into the competitive atmosphere here.

Who's wearing what, who's driving what car, who's house is bigger etc.

Yet, I'm slowly finding myself in this trap. 

For some reason, I think I deserve all these new things or just things in general.

When in fact, I don't need any of it.

Maybe it was just the way I was raised OR the way of life in the Northwest, but life is so much more simple up there. People are happy with what they have. Girls don't have to be dressed to the nines every second they walk out of their house. Guys don't have to have a pimped-out BMW.

 People live within their means. And they definitely prioritize needs over wants.

As I get older, I realize I don't want to raise my kids with an attitude of entitlement. 

I want my future kids to see the beauty in living a simple, frugal lifestyle (no matter where I live).

I am not saying let's shop at Goodwill (J.Crew, say what?) and drive a beat up car. I'm saying, I hope my future kids can appreciate the little things in life. And realize that they don't need the newest iPhone or latest and greatest electronic. I hope they can see that there is more to life.

As for me, I am trying to simplify my life even more these days.

And trying not to compare myself to others (harder than it sounds)

{In a car wash, Go Mariners!}

I guess what they say is true: you can take the girl out of Washington, 

but you can't take the Washington out of the girl  ❤️

second year of teaching? c h e c k

I finished my SECOND year of teaching! How did that happen?!
At the end of my first year, I was convinced I was not going to teacher another year.
IT WAS HARD.

People think all I do is do art projects, but it is SO MUCH MORE (although, that is fun).
My first year was baptism by fire. I had no way out but through. And I made it.
Talking to my principal at the end of my first year really pushed me on to my second year.

And for that, I am so grateful.
I was exhausted and didn't think I could do it.

Turns out I can.
I still have a lot to learn, but I am excited for my third year of teaching!

NO MORE CHEMO!

This little pumpkin is done with chemo! She has been such an inspiration to me.

 Every time I walk into Primary Children's I am amazed at the strength I see.

And those nurses!  I think they have a different heart than the rest of us. 

Talk about a heart wrenching job! 

Don't let her adorable little smile fool you though, she was sick and nauseous from her medicine right before this picture. She was siting on my lap and I said, "Courtney, guess who's coming to see you right now?" And she looked at me and said, "Who?" I smiled back and said, "Scottie." That cracked a smile and then I suggested we scare him. She loved it. Scottie was traveling through on his way to Arizona to sell for the summer. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. 

{singing "No more, no more...Chemo...therapy!"}

          

After Courtney cracked her smile, my other niece Alli (age 8) turned to me and said, "You always know how to make her smile, Stephie!"Melted my heart. 

After her smile faded (about ten minutes later), she began to feel sick again. She went into my brother-in-laws arms and asked, "has my hair grown back yet?"

She can now swim and be a normal little kid. 

I am so grateful for my family and to know that families are forever! 

Hey, I went to Hawaii.

Spring Break was P E R F E C T.

How it came about was probably my favorite part.

One day, Katie and I were texting,

It went something like this:

Me: I need a vacation

Katie: Me too. Let's go far away. Hawaii?

Me: And go see Brooke? Y E S

Katie: Let's look up flights right now...

....and within a few hours, our flights were booked.

Fast forward three weeks and this is what my reality was. 

I had been to Hawaii before, but this time was so different. 

My good friend from BYU-Idaho, Brooke, was living on the North Shore. 

Since she was a "local" she hooked us up with all of the hot spots. 

Which was nice because both Katie and I had already done all of the touristy things on Oahu.

 

 

 

Take me back to those nine days in Paradise.

Oh, and jumping out of a plane?

Highly recommended. I feel like I can conquer the world now. 

I actually didn't tell a SOUL I was going Skydiving. Only Katie and Brooke knew.

I called my mom immediatley after and she was yelling at me:

Mom: "Stephanie I hope you are kidding me right now!" 

Me: "Nope!"

Mom: "What if you would have died?! How selfish would that have been? I would have hated that phone call."

Me: "Well, you were actually my number two emergency contact sooo you wouldn't have gotten that phone call. AND at least I was thinking of you 15,000 feet in the air with your name tattooed to my hand, so technically I wasn't being that selfish." 

Now I have the itch to keep traveling.

I think Thailand is calling my name....

Teacher things!

They say it takes an army to raise a child. 

I may not be a mother, but I am enlisted. 

Somedays being a teacher is hard, real hard.

I've never worked so hard in my entire life.

A lot of people don't understand the actual job of a teacher. 

Most people think all I do is arts and crafts.

But it's more than that. So much more. 

Although my job can be stressful and a lot of work, but I wouldn't change it. 

It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

The other day, my little cousin (2nd grade) said to me, "Stephanie I bet you're going to be a good mom because you are a good teacher." Touched my heart! Teachers (and Mom's for that matter) may not get all the credit they deserve, but it's little things like that keep us going. 

With all of that being said, I was awarded with the Outstanding Teacher Award for our entire school this year. I was SHOCKED! And HONORED! 

My Dad said to me, "If that doesn't tell you that you are doing a great job, I don't know what will."

I can't believe that this next school year will be my THIRD year of teaching. Time is flying!
Love all my kiddos and this rewarding job of mine.

visitors

It is rare when Adrienne comes to Utah. Kind of like rare it is that I drink Pepsi (okay, I never drink Pepsi). It was so fun having her, Savannah and Tommy in town. They've been living with my parents in Spokane while Scott is doing one last rotation in San Francisco before he graduates medical school. 

Since they came to Utah, it was fun for them to come see my classroom. They literally came and hung out for a couple of hours. Savannah thought she was SO big. Courtney, was very unsure and did not like my students. Although, she's kind of a celebrity in my classroom. All my students have Team Courtney shirts and wristbands. They always ask how she is doing and think Courtney is the cutest. 

Tommy was so funny in my class. He does this little bum scoot to get around and my students were rolling. They thought it was the funniest thing. I was so glad to have some visitors and glad that whenever they come into my classroom, they know to bring a Diet Coke. Thanks Mom and Dad!

 {Watching a silly clip}

{Savannah: four going on fourth grade}

{ k a r m a }

Where was I when you figured out
All those little doubts were just too much to conquer
Where was I in that moment
When the curtain fell, and you knew that it was over
Was I smilin' like a fool over mornin' coffee
Did you know it was a lie
When you said you loved me?

I could've been two wheels up
I could've been hard-heeled strong
This could've been my last tear
You could've been so long gone
I wouldn't be lost like this
I wouldn't be breaking down
I would've been over you by now

What's it like to hold all the cards
To pull all the strings
and convince me that I'm dancing
Maybe you don't know what love really is
Cause, baby, if you did, you wouldn't let it go so easy
Instead of wasting all that time

I could've been two wheels up
I could've been hard-heeled strong
This could've been my last tear
You could've been so long gone
I wouldn't be lost like this
I wouldn't be breaking down
I would've been over you by now

I could've met someone new
I could've been over you
I could've been two wheels up
I could've been hard-heeled strong
This could've been my last tear
You could've been so long gone
I wouldn't be lost like this
I wouldn't be breaking down
I would've been over you by now


Jana Kramer | Over You By Now

freak accident

I am usually the first one to bed, the first one awake and the first one gone in my apartment. So naturally, a freak accident would happen when everyone else is asleep. It was a dark, Friday morning. I was so excited to get the day started because I was about to have a beloved three day weekend. My brother Scottie was coming into town and we had plans to gallivant around Provo together.

I was in the bathroom and realized I needed something that was on my dresser. I quickly ran back into my room to grab it when I noticed a toothpick just laying on my bedroom floor. I thought, "hmm, I should probably pick that up" but then thought "I'll just remember that it is there and do it in a second." That was mistake #1, because I totally forgot.

A few minutes passed and I heard my phone go off, so I ran to go turn it off. As I'm speedily walking to my nightstand, my left foot stepped directly on that toothpick that was sticking straight up out of the carpet. How I didn't see or remember it was there is beyond me.  

{Right after I stepped on the toothpick. Doesn't look like there's anything in there!!}

I stepped on it so hard that it inserted itself into my foot and I couldn't even see it. That is how deep it went in! Naive little me decided to get tweezers and try to pull it out. Didn't even remotely work: IT WAS IN THERE. Mistake #2.

I had no idea what to do. I had no sub plans and no one was awake. So I decided to limp into school and see what they thought I should do. The shooting pain began and my foot began to swell. I could barely walk. 

{Minor Emergency. The swelling begins}

I went into school and they sent me straight on out. I felt so bad for my little class! 

Minor emergency was floored at how deep this tooth engrained itself into me. He set an appointment with a podiatrist but it wasn't until 4pm. Unfortunately, he couldn't prescribe me any pain meds at this point. So I went home and laid with my foot up on a pillow. My foot only got more purple and the pain became really intense. 

{By 3pm. Which foot has a toothpick in it?! And yuck, why weren't my toes painted?}

As I lay on the bed, the podiatrist came in. He explained to me that toothpicks actually are not as easy to get as one would think. Because it is wood and flesh colored, it is actually pretty tricky to find. He numbed up my foot and began to dig. And dig. And dig. About 10 minutes later, he turns to me and says, " I think we are going to have to put you under, I can't find it." Me? On drugs? Oh, this was gonna be a good weekend. He told me he'd dig for about five more minutes, but if not, I was going to have to arrange a ride to come pick me up. 

About four minutes later, he finally got the part of the toothpick that broke off in my foot!! I felt instant relief. Come to find out, my coworker's Dad was actually my podiatrist! Small world.

{3/4 of an inch long. Ouch!}

For the next few days, I could barely walk and I mean barely walk. I was on pain meds and my foot just throbbed. It amazing how much we take the little things in life for granted. I also received this hilarious little card from a little boy, Levi, in my class. I loved the picture. All they knew was that I stepped on something.

On Monday, Scottie, Kurtis, Stacie and I woke up to go get breakfast. Of course I was on crutches and hobbling around. We ate breakfast at Waffle Love in Provo, went to the mall to get new Seahawks gear and headed back. On our way back home, I began to feel light headed, then sweaty, then REAL sweaty and I realized I was about to throw up. I told Stacie to pull over the car immediately, hobbled to the curb and threw up that beloved waffle with raspberries on top (tmi, but whatever). 

{right before I puked on the side of the road}

It took about another week for my foot to feel more normal, but I was still limping. The best part of the whole story? The doctor let me keep the piece as a souvenir. Haha, It was just the thing I wanted. 

{ ice, ice, baby}

The cold never bothered me anyway.....

JK.

I hate winter, but love them.

The Midway Ice Castles are pretty awesome. 

Sometimes you just come across friends. 

Then sometimes you come across BEST friends.

Ones that accept you for who you are.

That don't mind (or maybe they do) that you might leave a dish out once in a while.

Ones that might listen to you as you vent and sound like a crazy person.

Ones that sit on the couch listening to you as you sob.

Ones that sit there and laugh hysterically at and with you.

Ones that have your back. NO MATTER WHAT.

These girls are just that.

We are all so different. Yet, the same.

I feel so lucky to have girlfriends like Gilly and StaceStauff. 

I struck gold.

{ New Year, New Me }

Welcoming in another year and things are looking good. I have one goal in mind for this year:

GO ON MORE ADVENTURES.

Why? I am turning 26. I don't want to look back at life in my twenties and wish I would have gone on more adventures.

Of course I have other goals as well. But adventure?

HERE I COME.

classroom pictures

It's a jungle out there.

Or maybe just in room 124.

Either way, we are wild about learning!

C H A N G E //

Every year I look forward to the changing of the leaves. When the air becomes crisp, the leaves crunch under your feet and every tree's leaves offer new color. I look forward to the first snowfall (I repeat: the FIRST snowfall). When those white fluffy flakes begin to cover the ground and when our shoes soles collect the snow as we walk. Why do I look forward to these times each year? One word: Change.

Change is something the general population avoid at all cost. It's where we lose our power and comfort in a situation or circumstance and become vulnerable in those moments of uneasiness. 

Not this girl.

Ever since I was little, I generally enjoyed change. Rearranging my room was something I did on the regular. I had new ideas and a new mind set when I did. I was the kid that wanted to move. What kid wants to move?? This kid did. Weird, I know. I enjoy a fresh start and clean slate.

Change is something that I've had a lot of these last few years. Normally I feel like I initiate the change, however it has not been in my hands. The big guy upstairs ran me through a ropes course to get me where I am. And let me tell you-I'm ready for a timeout!

A year and a half ago I had the weirdest impression. I had an impression that Nordstrom (my place of employment) would lead me back to teaching. Now, at this time I had no plan to teach. EVER. My major was something that came easy to me, yet kicked my butt. And after student teaching I was E X H A U S T E D. Then I moved home and got a job in retail, something that I had never tired before. And guess what? I loved that change and new pace of life.

Fast forward 2 years and I had that impression. In my head I thought, "No way." But as the days went on I kept thinking "Look into teaching." So I looked and looked, applied and applied and NOTHING. Umm? Okay?

Weeks went on and I was tired if commuting to Salt Lake. Forty minutes in stop and go traffic day after day was not something I enjoyed. I hated living so far away from work. Since I had a lot of driving time, usually that "go back to teaching" impression would surface during those moments of being lost in my own thoughts.

I finally decided that looking into teaching was exactly what I needed to do. However, in order to do that I needed to almost be "forced" into doing it. So I quit my job. Yeah, kind of scary.

Long story short, I LUCKED OUT. I interviewed for a 3rd grade teaching position for a teacher who was moving to Kansas. I was freaked out during my interview. It had been 2 years since I was in that "teaching" mindset. The next week I was called back for an in class lesson. When I walked in, I left all my emotions at the door. I thought "Stephanie, you know you can do this. This IS your comfort zone." And it was. I felt like I connected with the kids and guess what? I GOT THE JOB.

Going from clothes to kids? Talk about the biggest change of my life.

This last year I have learned so much. And that is an understatement. The quote "Forget yourself and go to work" crosses my mind daily. The minute I walk into my classroom, it's not about me (well, except when I need a diet coke...), it's about them. I am responsible for their learning. Which is actually scary. There is a lot to be learned!

On October 31st I hit my one year mark at my school. It has made me think of all the change I have been through in the last year. Do I make less money? Of course. Am I stressed out a lot of the time? Hahah, umm yeah.  Have I gained weight? Unfortunately. But do I regret my career decision? Not in the least. It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job there is. HANDS DOWN. 

Change is all around us, whether or not we like it. Change is what shapes and molds us. Sometimes we need to be pruned to make us better. And that is where I am in my life right now.

Looking back, during the those moments of being between jobs was scary. The unknown freaked me out. However, the Lord knew what was around the corner. He knew what job I needed.

Whatever it may be, the Lord is aware of us. He knows our desires, but more importantly, he knows our needs. He knows what we need, where we need to be and what job is right for us. Sometimes it's hard to have faith, because we can't see the outcome. But as we trust in the big guy, he will pull through.

This video was something that I needed to hear this last week.
It reminded me who is really in control and how I need to follow those sweet, small whisperings.
Change is a beautiful thing because as they say "Life is to enjoyed, not endured."

❤️ ❤️ ❤️