August 2013

I do not want this summer to end.

The weather here in England has been the best it's been in a LONG, LONG time (so they say on the news). Looooving it!!

le Rey has been working part time, so we've had lots of time together which has been so fun! Here's some recent photos from a concert and a wedding we went to. Both were little getaways (thanks for letting us use your car while you're away T!!!).....why don't we take road trips more often??!

concert at Bexhill-in-Sea

I forgot my camera, so these are not my photos; they are from the internet...but we were there!

again, not my photos, but loved this castle!

Love,

Kelli  

My dear friend, Summer

Oh how I love summer break!

All the things I get to do that do not involve grading papers and writing reports!!

I think people must wonder what exactly I do for my long summer breaks off from work? 

It is pure joy people. Especially in a city that has average weather in the 70s and 80s!!

1. Museums

le Rey had a couple days off last week and we went to a few museums. I don't know what it is about museums, but I do enjoy going. I don't read a quarter of the information they have, but I enjoy wandering.

2. Parks

le Rey and I took a picnic to Hampstead Heath and had an amazing day walking, reading and relaxing. I have to admit that I picked this place because I've seen it in several movies-ha! I love British films!

3. Cooking 

Technically le Rey made the dish in that picture, but I really have been cooking! Homemade pizza (including the dough!) zucchini bread, etc. During hectic times in the school year we live on toast sometimes. You wouldn't believe all the things I've discovered can be put on toast!

4. Bible study

With more time, I'm able to read much more and I meet up with a lovely woman on Thursday nights to do a Bible study & book study. We're reading God's Big Picture and it's a fantastic book about understanding the Bible better. 

 5. Fitness

 

It's nice to have the energy to go to the gym. Let's hope I can make it a habit again!

6. Anything!!

I write letters, work on my teacher resources that I sell, meet up with friends, and watch Happy Endings or New Girl when that's on.

What I have not yet, or maybe only once, is SLEEP IN!!! Must work on that! 

Love you all,

Kelli

Almost on school break!

I realize that this blog post is both pictures from my lovely vacation in America recently and yet I'm saying that I'm exhausted and can't wait for school to be out...but it's TRUE!!!

Since I got back from Florida 3 weeks ago, school has been nonstop crazy! I am SOOOOO thankful to our generous friends that let us stay in their condo in Florida. It was the most relaxing holiday I've ever been on. The end. Can't imagine any place topping it.

Hope to also share some photos from the [controversial] play our school did last week (The Dracula Rock Show)...glad it's over.

More later after school finishes this week.

Love you all,

Kelli

 With family in Illinois:

 

 

March/April/May

Hello friends and family,

Been awhile-auggg! what happened to doing this once a month at least??

First, have you heard this version of The Lumineers song Ho Hey?? Melt. (click on picture)

Here's the latest & greatest:

1) My job has been extended to the rest of the year and then I will continue in September! The teacher I was covering has found a school closer to where she lives! Funny how I couldn't imagine leaving my kids at Easter and now I won't be : )  Added bonus of getting paid throughout the summer has been a wonderful provision from God. ~grateful~

2) le Rey and I decided it would be best if he was not working 75+ hours a week, getting up at crazy o'clock in the morning and spending lots of money on transport for a job he hated and gave him no time to study. He is now studying full-time for his electrician certificate and life is all quite sweet.

3) Over Easter we went to visit le Rey's family in South Africa. The majority of the trip was in Capetown-my first time there. Stunning.

4) Last week I went on my second-ever residential (like a camp/field trip). This one was 5 days, with our 10 & 11 yr olds (myself and another teacher), to Dorest. It was an amazing part of the country that I'd never been to before and we had SUCH GOOD WEATHER! The kids had a great time (fossil hunting, forest orienteering, trip to farm, river studies, etc), although I haven't been that exhausted maybe ever.

5)Schools over here go into July, but lucky for me I had a pre-arranged vacation to the States (Illinois to see family and Florida to a beach condo!) from late May to mid June before the school asked me to finish out the school year. Fortunately one of the weeks falls over a half term holiday here (1 week)...just need to get my cover plans together. CAN'T WAIT! 

Hope you are doing well!

Kelli xx 

January/February!

Yikes! It's been awhile! Hope you're all doing well.
Here's what I've been doing the past 6 (!) weeks...

1. It's half-term holiday over here. A week off from school-gotta love that! I've been back to cooking,

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/pumpkin-spiced-oatmeal-pecan-cookies.html

http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/homemade-bbq-sauce.html

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/15334/tomato-basil-and-parmesan-orzo.aspx

  back to the gym,

 planning some trips

hmmmm

 catching up on creating teaching documents

and resting a little bit.

le Rey and I have had the great fortune of helping at holiday club for our church this week (it's like Vacation Bible School). I remember going to that when I was a kid and I always loved it! So great to hear kids sing about Jesus!

Back to work on Monday...I may have news about a job for September in the near future!

Oh, I also have 2 former roommates/lovely friends from AU visiting in a couple weeks! Can't wait to see them!

 

Hope everyone's doing well! Sorry, this post has fallen a little flat...it's nearly midnight. Have a great day!!

Kelli xx

P.S. Did I hear it snowed in Phoenix this week??! 

  

9 Things-December

HELLO! Hope you are well. I am 5 days away from starting my Christmas vacation!! I am happy to be employed, but figuring out this new role makes me very tired. I don't do much else during the week......but luckily there are the weekends. So a long Christmas break sounds great!

1) le Rey had some time off the past couple weeks and it was so nice to see him relaxed and not stressed!! We got a Christmas tree, finally got around to buying a TV, and the flat was cleaned thoroughly! 

2) It snowed Wednesday! I was so surprised when I opened to the door to go to work! It melted pretty quickly, but it was still an exciting day at school.

3) le Rey and I took a short money course (similar to Dave Ramsay's ideas if you've read his books) just to acquire some useful techniques for budgeting. I had read Ramsay's books, but this mini-course helped us actually start. Jar with money for weekly grocery shopping? Check. Let's do this.

4) I am getting my hair colored tomorrow. Darker for the winter. Yes, we've started a budget...but I'm not giving that up : ) And yes that's boring and I'm writing it on my blog. But I'm really excited about it. And it's Friday night and I'm super tired.

5) The older I get, the more I seem to want to be silly. Is the same for anyone else? le Rey and I are like 2 small children, cracking up at the stupidest things. One of my favorite things about having older students this year is the banter, the conversations and the laughs. I do love to laugh!!

6) I was sick for nearly all of November (sinus infection) and am so happy to be feeling better now. My goal is to get to an ENT Dr. over the break. Hope you're all feeling well.

7) My only goal for Christmas is to mail out a card printed with wedding photos (I can't believe I haven't printed any yet!)....hopefully no one will mind and we can go with the 'better late than never' thing?

8) I miss everyone, especially around the holidays (not to mention my tan!), but I am quite content here. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

9) Alright that's about it.....I'm watching Scrooged and getting distracted now (gotta love Bill Murray).

Hope you're laughing often!

Kelli xx

September....I made it!

I made it through my first month at my new school!! Well, new school for 2/3 of the year, but still.

Did you know that I was quite scared about this job?

Actually, I was mostly scared about the interview. Not the interview technically. Just even applying. 

Don't stop reading yet. This whole post is not about teaching, it's about fear mainly. 

So, some very lovely people I know from my church told me about this school that they heard had an opening. They actually put a good word in for me (so thankful). You must know that it's SUPER hard to find a teaching job in the UK these days. Maybe it's the same in Arizona too, I don't know.

Anyway, I went to have a 'tour' of the school (standard over here), and had a great chat with the Head Teacher (amazing woman). When I heard it was going to be mostly Year 5 & 6 English (Fourth & Fifth Grade US) and that they are very high level at this private school and that I would have to push them even higher as they started taking exams to get into really good secondary schools, I thought.......hmmmm maybe this is not for me. I'm more of the bring-up-the-young-students-that-are-behind kindof teacher.

I even emailed the Head Teacher after the tour and said thank you so much........maybe I could just volunteer and learn from this really awesome school, because P.S. this school has really got it together and did not appear to have any BS going on there. A place I would love to work at.

Anyway. long story short, yadda yadda yadda, the Head Teacher emailed me back and told to apply.......blah blah I did, I got an interview, I got the job (maternity cover) and guess what?!!

It's absolute heaven.

A job that I thought was OUT OF MY LEAGUE.

My thoughts before:

-private school.....I've never worked at a private school before.

-uppergrade.........I haven't taught much uppergrade.

-getting kids ready for secondary exams.......I've never done that.ever.

-I'm American......some people do not like that. they will not want me to teach geography.

-how will I learn all that content?.......I hope they have a specialist math teacher.

Needless to say, it's the best job ever, with the best kids ever, and the best staff ever. Before you say, oh well it's a private school so of course it is, let me say this.

This school is not super fancy. It is not like a boarding school-Harry Potter type private school. 

It's in a converted house if you can believe that! There is 1 class per grade level, with small class sizes. So literally my classroom is the size of a bedroom : )  

The kids are sweet, respectful and work their butts off (which does make my job pretty easy, yes). I love that this school has a balanced curriculum of English, Math, History, Geography, Science, Religious Education (overview of religions), PE, Music, foreign languages and the choices to be in Rock Band, Pottery classes, Chess, Martial Arts, etc. All of this with hardly any assessments (love!).

It's a LOT of curriculum to learn, and it's a lot of work........but it was nothing I'm incapable of adapting to. How funny that we can doubt ourselves.

Which made me think.......have you ever done anything you were scared of, and you were blown away by how it turned out?

Here's some pictures from the last couple weeks (wedding in Scotland and Wild West Day at school).

Feeling Grateful,

Kelli xx