We Made It!

The best day of my life: June 14, 2012

Happy One Year to us! I cannot believe it has already been a year since the most perfect day of my life.  Our wedding day was one I never want to forget and I am so glad we were able to celebrate it this last weekend. It has been a rough, unforgettable, wonderful, amazing year with my dear Dugie.

We had a fabulous time on Friday and Saturday, as Dugan took work off on both nights. On Friday morning, we went to the Salt Lake Temple and did sealings at the same time we were sealed a year ago. It was so amazing to be there and to remember the exact feelings and excitement we had the year before. The weather was perfect just like on our wedding day and we could not have asked for a better experience in the temple.

My mother surprised us with some goodies for our day and then we went to lunch at Zupas. After lunch, we went to see Superman which Dugan had been dying to see, and it just happened to come out on June 14th. We liked it a lot, even though the critics did not.

Dugan also surprised me with an amethyst ring for our anniversary. It is gorgeous! It is my birthstone for February, so I have always wanted an amethyst ring.

Wedding cake time! My mother did a fabulous job with wrapping and preserving our top tier from our wedding cake in her freezer. It tasted just as good as a freshly made cake! Dugan and I had two flavors baked together, carrot cake for me, and lemon poppy seed for him.

That evening we originally had planned to go to Canella's for dinner, but decided we did not feel like going anywhere fancy, and ended up getting Pei Wei. Ha! We ordered take out and took it to The Little America where we were staying that night. It was a wonderful evening with time to just relax and have the night to ourselves.

The next morning we went to breakfast and then to the chalk art festival downtown. It was a great way to end the weekend as I love going to the chalk art festival each year.

We were so lucky to have had some time to spend together and not only did we get to celebrate then, but we get to celebrate again in July when we go to Disneyland! I can barely contain my excitement (I think Dugan may be more excited than me though...kidding).

April, May, and a little bit of June

Summer! Well it sure is exciting to say that school's out for summer! One of the benefits of being an educator is definitely the break during June and July. It is a much needed mental break for the teachers as well as the students. I always seem to find it like a "new year", where I can start fresh and new without the idea of ever burning out (knock on wood). My students this year were amazing. I felt as if I finally had this teaching thing down, as it has taken me four years to get here. I had more confidence in what I was doing and how I interacted with my faculty, students, and the parents. I am proud of my students and the entire school. I don't think I could ever feel more at home at any place other than Academy Park Elementary.

Some of the faculty at the softball game against the 6th grade

Pedicures on the last day of school. Tradition!

The Final Countdown. Now it is time to backtrack a little. April was the most intense month for Dugan and I. We were both wrapping up grad school, studying for tests, and finishing up our capstone projects with their presentations. We worked hard and finally made it. Words of advice for anyone wanting to continue their education: DO IT. Trust me, it may be a lot of work, but if you are motivated to do it, or even motivated to think about it, it is easy. I feel as if my undergrad was much more difficult, but this one kept me more busy since I was also working full-time. Student loans are the way to go, and if you are lucky, you can find a way for your job to help pay for a little of it. Pray about it, then ask me for more info, okay?

Degrees! Graduation was on May 3, 2013, where Dugan had his commencement that morning up at the U, and mine was later in the afternoon. I am going to miss the wonderful ladies that I spent two years with in class, and all of the inside jokes that came from each class. We could not have made it through the IDET program without each other!

Student Teacher. I was also lucky enough to have a student teacher in my classroom for the last three months of school. Georgia was a great person to work with and not only learned a ton herself, but helped me learn how to be a better teacher for her. Having a student teacher was hard and a lot of work, but by the end it was great to have her take over the class and for me to get other little jobs done around the classroom that I would not normally get to do during the school year. I wish her the best in her pursuit of a career in education!

Missionary. The little sister, Hermana Rindlisbacher has been on the mission for over 2 months now! She is doing well in Chile, while she still struggles a little with the Spanish. In time, she will get it. I miss having her around to help me with cooking tips, but I know that she is rocking it down in the S.A.

Skyping on Mother's Day

Work Work Work. Dugan has changed his work schedule at the mental health hospital to work every evening (except Sundays and Mondays) from 3:00 P.M. to 11:30 P.M. Now if you think that sucks... It totally does. I never get to see Dugan because by the time I get home from school, he is already gone. These last two months have been hard on both of us, but we know that soon it will end. Now that I am out of school, I will get to see him during the day. I have been counting down the days, not for school to get out, but for the day that I get to actually see my husband. Thank goodness for summer break! Dugan will also be taking his Certified Social Worker exam in August, so the work schedule should change after that for some decent work hours.

Bee's Game during our "day date"

Friends. Steph came into town to visit over Memorial Day weekend. It is always good to see her and to spend some time with her. Crystal also celebrated her 26th birthday in May where were went to dinner with a group of her close friends. It is so fun to get to spend time with these ladies even as we have all continued on in life with so many changes. We also just found out that Jayme will be leaving us at school. Her husband accepted a job in North Carolina and they will be leaving in July. Her baby boy is due in August as well. I am sad to see another member of the 3rd grade team leave, but I am excited for her and their new adventures back east. Cassidy and A.E. also get to spend time this summer with Cassidy's family in Dubai! Lucky ducks! One day, we will all move out there and make the big bucks as teachers in the Middle East.

Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood. Biking season has begun! I had two women's rides in May and June that I am so glad I get to be apart of each year. Sadly, Goldilocks just happened to be on the rainiest Saturday in the month of May. I decided to do this ride with my friends Kate and Denza, two wonderful mothers in my ward, who also happen to be in my relief society presidency. They were great sports and still wanted to conquer the ride in the pouring rain. I was excited to try riding in the rain (knowing how dangerous it can be) since I had never done it before. We all got about 9 miles into the ride, when we decided it was not worth it. We had puddles in our shoes, our fingers were numb, it just was not worth trying to even make the 40 miles we had planned to do. So we called it quits, turned around and headed back to the finish line. We had a great cold experience, while we ate our lunch at 9:30 in the morning. Little Red was in Cache Valley last weekend. I LOVED it! This ride has to be one of my favorite rides. My friend Rachel from college came and did the ride with me along with her sisters-in-law. We did the 50 miles (half-century) and enjoyed every part of the scenic ride around the northern part of Utah. I would LOVE to get in to the lottery next year and make this ride my first century ride (100 miles) as that has been my goal since I first started riding 3 years ago.

50 miles. Cake.

Moving. Since Dugan and I have quite a bit of debt with student loans, we decided that we needed to save some money by moving in with my parents. We moved in over Memorial Day weekend and now live in the basement, for about a year. People ask me what we are going to do after that and I just say, "I have no idea." We could be looking to buy a house, we could be moving out of state for Dugan's job, who knows. For now, it is time to pay off school and get caught up on that part of life.

Our sad, lonely, clean apartment

Well if you are still reading, props to you! This is quite the lengthy post. I will try not to wait so long to post again, especially since we have some big things going on this summer.

One last thing... I am proud to announce, after much deliberation, pleading, and bribery, Dugan and I are going to DISNEYLAND!!!! I knew it would soon work to get my man to give in. I am so excited to take my husband there and experience Disneyland the way I have for many years with my friends. Plus, I have been there every year since 2009, I can't just miss a year! I cannot contain my excitement for this trip in July.

Post complete. Thanks for stopping by!

Other Randoms:

My new prescription glasses:

Miranda at Wise Guys Comedy Club with Braden and Melinda:

My nerdy little Amaia:

Austin's 5th birthday party with special guest, Braden AKA Spider Man! 

Taking time to breathe.. and blog!

Well, since I can now take a breath and sit for a minute, I should probably catch up on the months of February and March.

My life has been consumed with school/work and work/school. A never ending cycle.. oh wait.. May 3rd is coming soon! The light at the end of the tunnel! The day of graduation is finally coming! Dugan and I are both ready to be done and walk across that stage with one of these babies on:

You can call us both "Master Mathews" in just a few weeks time (I am considering making my students call me that as well). We have worked so hard and have put so many long hours into these degrees, that we just can't wait to keep working hard to pay off the loans that come with it! :)

Back to February and March....

Valentine's Day was celebrated for us on February 4th (The day we were engaged last year) as well as on the 14th, after I got out of class. We had a nice dinner from Market Street. Even though we are always exhausted each night when we eventually make it home, it is so good to just get to spend a few hours together, like we did on Valentine's Day.

March was a LONG crazy month. There were no breaks from teaching, and it was time to hit hard on End of Year testing prep (CRT testing) for my little kids. I also was lucky enough to get a student teacher in my class for the rest of the school year. Her name is Georgia, and she is awesome! I was skeptical at first about who this strange person was going to be that was going to take over my classroom, but she turned out to be a great teacher to work with. I even went to high school with one of her daughters. Small world. She and I work so well together, and I am still surprised everyday how she takes MY advice on things..(She actually trusts me!) I am excited for her to finish up at the end of the school year, and for her to become a legit licensed educator.

We were able to spend time with many friends during the month, and end the Bachelor Finale with Crystal and Adam. We spent some time with Steph as well during her short random trips from D.C. It is always good to have us all back together! And for Steph to have herself a man in her life.... :)

Morgan now owns a smartphone. The world must be coming to an end. The time had come where I could not avoid it any longer. Go ahead and double my monthly payments! I am ready for it!


Also at the end of March, my friend Ryan and I went to the Andrew McMahon show, which was fabulous! Andrew used to be Jack's Mannequin as well as Something Corporate, but has recently started touring on his own. We had a fabulous night feeling like we were 21 and Invincible again!

Time for the upsetting parts of March..

The youngest of the family has officially left on her mission...

I didn't realize how much I was going to miss her, until after the first night when I went to call her, and realized I couldn't. Kayla will be spending 6 weeks in the MTC in Provo, then going to Antofagasta, Chile. And she gets to learn spanish! I am so excited and proud of her for her choice to serve the Lord and to help bring the gospel to those in Chile who have not had it in their lives. She is going to be fabulous down there.

The second sad/exciting news of the month:

Dugan recently accepted a part time job at a Mental Health Hospital out here in West Jordan. Now, I thought it was bad enough that he was in school, as well as doing his internship at another mental health facility.. but I did not know what I was talking about until he took up this new job on top of that. Dugan works the weekend shifts, Friday and Saturday 3-11:30, therefore making me a single lady on the weekends. Since we both have class at night during the week, we rarely get to see each other then as well. Tough stuff. 

Dugan in his scrubs getting ready for work

My man is a hard worker, and I know that he is doing this to help open doors after he graduates and passes his licensing test. Social Work is not an easy field, and they see a lot of things that would be tough for most people to handle personally. I respect this field more and more everyday as I see what Dugan has to deal with and for what little pay he gets. I could never do what he does. I know he worries about not being paid well enough to support a family, but I tell him daily to not give up on what he is good at. He is meant to be in social work, for so many reasons, and the world needs more "Dugans" in it right now. Even with this master's degree, he will most likely continue on for an MPA to open more doors as life goes on. I am thankful everyday for him and the hard work he puts in to help society if only by helping a few struggling people in their lives. 

Well, it is on to April, and the last long stretch of final projects, presentations and tests to prove that we have learned what is expected for school. We are so grateful to our family and friends who have helped us along the way. Easter was fabulous, and we were able to spend time with both families. Spring break is this week for Granite School District, so I will take a few more deep breathes before it ends. 

Now.. it is biking season.. Time to get back on, and ride!

Until then, I think I am actually going to buy a book and read it during these rainy days...

If you haven't checked out the blog, here you go:

http://momastery.com/blog/

The Rantings of a Teacher

Do you ever just get frustrated with people when they are in your face all the time, and they won't just leave you alone to do what it is that you are trained to do?

If you have ever felt this way, you are not alone. I as an educator have never felt so mistrusted in all of my 4 years of teaching.

No one trusts us. Everything is our fault. The way we have been trained to teach is all wrong. Must I go on? It hurts as an educator to have others attack and blame you for doing things wrong when you have worked so hard to create the classroom that you have always dreamed of.

Creating something to help students to learn and to grow, in a place to feel safe and loved.. and then having others just rip it to shreds.

That is how I feel right now as an educator.

The only thing that keeps me going is my love. My love for teaching, my love for my precious students, and my love for knowing that I can try and make these kids love life and learning that much more.

I am not writing this for any kind of sympathy. If anything, I just want everyone to be aware of the educators in their lives. If you have kids, thank their teachers for their hard work and for putting up with the politics they never signed up to deal with in this profession.

I also understand that education is not the only profession that is dealing with this kind of criticism and micromanagement. And to others that are feeling the same way, we can make it! Remember why it is that you chose the path you are on, and don't forget that simple reason.

“Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.” Frank A. Clark.


Love you all. Thanks for letting me rant.

George Strait and my Day of Birth.

2013 started off right! Other than always writing 2012 on everything, and the worst pollution in Utah ever, it hasn't been too shabby.

In January, Dugan and I went to the George Strait concert. The tickets were apart of Dugan's Christmas present, so it was fun to finally go. If any of you know Dugan, you know that he is obsessed with the King of Country. He was like a little boy when George first walked out on stage. Seeing his face like that made my night (Since I fell asleep during a couple of the songs myself).

Dugan and I always have arguments or "discussions" on the King of Pop (M.J. of course) vs. the King of Country. You all can let me know whose side you are on..

February brought on two great celebrations: February 4th, the year anniversary of Dugan and I getting engaged, and my birthday on the 5th. 

Dugan bought me flowers on the 4th and gave me the sweetest note handwritten on a piece of white paper, that of course made me cry. He always knows that he doesn't have to go all out to make that happen. I still can't believe this was a year ago...

We had many different birthday celebrations! On Saturday the 2nd, we went out to the traditional dinner with Cassidy, since she shares the same birthday as me. All of my couple friends were there, and even though we missed a few of you, it was still a great time at India House. 

On my birthday, I spent the day with my wonderful students. They are so sweet, and some of them even brought me a present for my birthday. Cassidy and I shared a cake at lunch and celebrated with our many coworkers. Dugan gave me many great gifts including USU sweatpants and Tangled on Blu Ray! We went to dinner that night with Braden and a bunch of other friends, mostly for Braden. It was great to be with the single side of the world again. Cheesecake Factory was great, and we had an enjoyable time celebrating our birthday together like we always have.

On the day after our birthday, we went to Spaghetti Factory with the family. Love them! They are so much fun to be around and to have everyone together. 

Cassidy, Braden and Morgan. Birthday peeps.

India House

Cheesecake Factory

The group at Cheesecake from the other side of the table

This is my wonderful husband

Dinner at Spag Fac with Braden, and Camille on my lap

Birthday Spumoni

Happy Amaia

Dugie!!!

Thank you to everyone else who sent me a text, left me a message, gave me a gift, or simply sent a message on Facebook. You are all amazing, and it made me think back on all of the great memories and relationships I have with you all. Thank you for being a part of my life! 26 is going to be a good one! (Maybe not as good as 25.. but still good). Love you all!