the [start] of something new

This summer ended up being somewhat of a stressful, but fun one. At the end of June I was laid off from Med One Medical. They claimed they didn't have a job for me anymore. This happened one month before my lease was up at my apartment. Yes, I started to feel the stress of everything. We were in the process of house-hunting, but the pressure of not having a job and paying for rent really set in. Everything combined was too much to handle. But, it was one of the best things that happened to me.

I spent majority of my days looking for jobs and sending my resume in. But since it just happened to be around the 4th of July and summertime, I definitely took advantage of having the free time. And it also helped that Alisa had the summer off too. We made a few trips to Lagoon a Beach and caught some rays. I went to Colorado and hiked a freaking mountain! Went to Lake Mead and surfed for the first time. And I got to sleep in. Which I really loved. (Though I would still wake up by 9:00 every morning, bleh).

This all happened in the month of July. I was let go on June 30, and went through two and a half weeks of sickening stress. I didn't know what was going to happen- how long I would be unemployed, what I was going to do about moving, etc. Alisa and I planned it out that we could move in with her parents for a few months until I found a job. That way we could get free rent and then still be roommates. Kevin, Alisa's boyfriend found a duplex on KSL. We went and looked at it on Tuesday morning, and by Thursday we were signing the lease and moving in. It's up near the Capitol, right by Beck Street. Nice, quick, easy access to I-15 for me. It's a great central location for Brooke, Alisa, and me.

Back to the Job Searching...

I'd been searching on craigslist, ksl, indeed, jobseeker, etc. I kept seeing an ad for Challenger School and a few different people had mentioned it to me. The requirements were to send a resume, cover letter, and short essay about my views on America. This caused me to get nervous about the essay and what exactly they were looking for, and so I put off sending it in. Signs kept coming around and I couldn't avoid it any longer. So, I finally sent in my resume on July 15th. The following Tuesday morning I got a call from Challenger School. They wanted me to come in for a test at their Corporate office. So, that afternoon, I went in. I filled out an application after taking a test. Oh man did I feel stupid afterwards! When I left I for sure thought I wouldn't be hearing back from them because of my test scores. But I was wrong. The next day, Wednesday, I got a call from Heidi. Heidi is the Headmaster at the Farmington campus of Challenger School. She called to set up a teaching interview. So, the next morning, Thursday, I went in and read a book and taught a little lesson to the 4 year old class. It went very well, and before I left she offered me a job.

Soooooo, now I am a Preschool Teacher at Challenger School in Farmington. I started work last Monday with training. We spent 7 days in Sandy doing workshops. It was very informative, so I hope that I can apply everything to my class when the students come. I spent all day getting things ready in my classroom. So far on MWF I have 13 students and TTH I have 10. I am really excited, but oh so nervous at the same time. It is my first year teaching at Challenger, so of course I am still learning everything. But, I am also all by myself and don't have a co-teacher like most everyone else. So, needless to say, this will be interesting. Tomorrow we have Preschool Orientation, so I will get the chance to meet some of my students and their parents. Exciting!

Well, that is all for now. I need to finish my lesson plans! Hope you enjoyed the update! :)

Uncompahgre Peak

This past weekend I made my way to Colorado with some friends for quite the adventure. We went to hike Uncompahgre Peak, part of the San Juan mountain range. Which is the 6th highest peak in Colorado, at 14,309 feet. We camped just outside the small town of Lake City, Colorado.

Uncompahgre Peak

Saturday morning we arose, bright and early [5:45 AM bright and early] and made our way to the Nellie Creek trail head, where we would begin our journey. The hike was beautiful and the views were absolutely amazing! I couldn't believe what I was looking at when we got to the top of the peak. You could look out and see for miles and miles. Tops of mountain peaks, snow covering in some areas, beautiful blue skies and white clouds. It was absolutely unbelievable!

Amazing view from the Summit

Dave and I... and a mouthful of bagel sandwich, mmm.

{Thanks to Dave, I made it to the top. I thought I was going to die. He was so nice to stay back with me until we made it all the way. What a sweetheart, huh? Haha.}

Heading back down, with a great view behind

After the hike we went back to our campsite and decided to get in the river. The guys enjoyed skipping some rocks and having races to see who's stronger, blah blah. The water was freezing and the air was very warm. I decided to get in the water a little bit to try and cool down. As I was bending over getting my arms and legs wet, I heard a THUD, then blacked out. I opened my eyes, not sure of what happened and heard Kyle say, "I think I just hit her in the head." I responded, "Yeah, I think you did." Then, as I'm still bending over, I look up to see a steady stream of red blood falling into the water, from my head. Turns out, as I was getting wet, Kyle was skipping a rock. And that rock hit me right in the head. :) Luckily, Hillary, who is a nurse, and Dave were there very quickly to my rescue. With some pressure and pad, the bleeding stopped in no time. Now I am just left with a small cut and bump, that is slightly tender.

The aftermath of boys playing with rocks.

Saturday afternoon Dave, Hillary, Mike and I went into Lake City for lunch. We ate at a bar and grill called Cannibal Grill. It was very tasty. We were all pretty pooped, so we took an afternoon nap. We finished the evening off with some bocce ball and pizza. Then of course we had to end the night with a fire and smores.

Playing some good ol' bocce ball.

Sunday we took a longer way to get home. We took the scenic route through the mountains and saw some INCREDIBLE views. This weekend has opened my eyes to nature and how beautiful it really is. It's amazing what is out there and so many people will never experience that beauty. I'll let the pictures do the explaining. Unbelievable.

Dave & I in front of the San Juan mountains, from Slumgullion Pass.

{Old Mine along the back roads. Beautiful lake and valley. Top of a rock peak.}

Oh, and I can't forget. I'm so proud of my Pathfinder. We were off-roading most of the time and the pathfinder handled it like a champ. First time going four-wheeling and off-roading like that. So proud. And Dave was an excellent driver the entire weekend. I loved the ride from the passenger seat. :)