THE HARDEST THING EVER

For those of you who still check this thing every once in awhile....

I am in the midst of my student teaching experience. Hence the total neglect of this blog. I got placed in a fourth grade class at the school I wanted to be at. I have a wonderful classroom teacher and a wonderful supervisor. However, I am still asking myself-
Why did I have to choose the hardest career ever? This is the most difficult challenge I have ever encountered. Every day I have to start over and tell myself "It's a new day." I have to remain calm. I have to remain positive. I am not naturally this way-I get riled up easily. I constantly tend toward being negative. Please pray for me during this time of daily challenge in my life.

InBev Take Note

We went to the Bellefontaine Cemetery last month. Cemeteries are the nicest parks in Saint Louis. Quiet. Green. Peaceful. No people. And great for taking pictures of really old tombs. Plus we found Adolphus Busch's family Masuoleum. I have no idea where this guy is in the Busch family tree, but whoever he was, when I peeked through the windows I am sure I heard him rolling over in there.

The Water is Rising; Sinners Repent!

Okay this post is about four weeks overdue- considering the river is down now and everything, but I don't care because I had a lot of overdue fines at the library (plus a lost book) which I completely paid off so I figure I can make up for my lateness on this blog too. P.S. I know it's nerdy but I am pretty excited when I log into my library account and it says "you have no current fines or fees." I had such a long rap sheet...

We had a fun date one night when we got some fast food for dinner and then took it to the river and ate it on the arch steps. Then we took a hundred pictures of the flooded Mississippi trying to get a good shot.

submerged road signs

contemplating the flood

The Water is Rising Part II

June- Introduction

Since it is nearing the end of the month and I have not updated at all I will try to give a recap of what the heck we have been up to (and maybe it will be a good excuse of of my blogslacking). Since I am lazy I'll just publish the month of June in a series of lists and/or synopses. I'll try to put it in a logical order. So just keep reading until you have gotten to something you've already read. Unless, that is, you are totally bored. If that is the case this blog is not for you because you won't find anything interesting on it. Anywhere. Enjoy.

End of May/June: More Company

We didn't know this would be the case but in the last couple months we have had the most company at our house we have ever had in all our three years living here. You already know all about my sibling's visit. Then at the end of May my grandparents Burkhart flew into Saint Louis. We picked them up and they stayed the night at our house. The next day we took them to the Cathedral Basilica to see and enjoy its beauty. Then we headed to Normal, Illinois so that they could see their granddaughter (my cousin) Jessica's graduation. We all stayed with her parents, my Aunt Lynda and Uncle Dan. If you are ever in Normal stay with them. Even if there are ten other people staying in their house you'll still get top-notch hospitality and some tasty eats. It was a relaxing weekend in which we ate a lot of food and did a lot of sitting around talking and/or doing nothing. It was also nice to see my grandparents and get to have them visit me in Saint Louis.

Then a couple weeks later I was stalking people on Facebook when I get an instant message from an old friend named Tim. Tim and his family are long-time friends with Jonathan and Jonathan's family. Since Jonathan dropped off the face of the earth when he married me he didn't stay much in contact with Tim or any other old friends. (Tim did run off to Scotland for a few years though so Jonathan has a partial excuse.) Anywho, turns out Tim and his younger brother Nate and Nate's two friends are doing every guy's dream- traveling all around the country in an old motor home with no jobs, no responsibilities, for as long as they want (they plan to return in the fall) and playing music in the streets to earn some cash. After a Boise send-off concert they hit Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake, and Denver. Kansas City then St. Louis were next on their list. Tim, knowing we were in St. Louis, asked me if he could come see us on their way through. So long story short, the Great Northwest Secession (yes, they named their trip) spent some time with the Nelsons. We let them park their motor home in the back of the house. They came on a Thursday night and left Sunday morning.They pretty much entertained themselves. They walked from our house to the Arch, rode their bikes to the Zoo, and took late night bike rides around downtown. Friday night I made them dinner and then we hung out, talked, and watched Flight of the Concords. Saturday was my birthday (that will be separate post- shouldn't my birthday deserve a separate post after all?) but I had to work so Jonathan entertained them by taking them Frisbee golfing and then playing video games. It was fun to catch up with Tim and Nate and meet their friends- Ben and Sam. They claimed that they play music but I never did hear any from them. ( I did, however, get a free copy of Nate's CD) But I guess it's our own fault. They didn't need to wander around downtown playing music for food money because we fed them. I at least got a picture so I can prove they were in my house if they ever do get famous.
From Left to Right: Sam, Tim, Nate, Ben, pretending to be a "band"

If you would like to read Ben's perspective on their time here and more about The Great Northwest Secession you can click here.

June: Cooking, Music, and Books

As you know I am a picky eater. And fickle. That being said it is easy to understand why finding meals that I like is a chore. Once I do find meals I like I can get sick of them fast, so I am oftentimes looking for new recipes to try. It seems like this month has been one of those times. Just about every dinner Jonathan or I have made has been one we have never tried. Here is a partial list of the new recipes-
most of them came from my cookbooks or Taste of Home Magazines.

-stir fried scallops and pea pods
-chowmein chicken salad with turkey on biscuits
-volcano fold over pizzas
-chicken and penne dijon
-bacon cheeseburger buns
-hamburger macaroni and cheese
-mexican chicken manicotti
-ginger glazed pork chops
-chicken breasts in cilantro and parsley sauce
-stir fried basil chicken
-spicy sausage manicotti
-stromboli sandwiches
-ginger chicken

About 75 percent of those are keepers so I am happy about that. The next couple weeks I am going to try-

-creamy chicken enchiladas
-roast chicken with grape and blue cheese salad
-spicy nacho bake
-guilt-free mac n cheese
-sauteed chicken and peppers with coconut rice
-chicken salad in bib lettuce cups

I have also been on the hunt for some new music (I get tired of music fast too.) I found out I can check out 20 CDs from the library at a time! I had no idea because I figured it was the same as the 4 movie limit. I took advantage of that new information and went to town.
First the albums/bands I liked:
-Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction
-Bright Eyes- Cassadega
-Radiohead- In Rainbows
-Keane- Under the Iron Sea
-The Decemberists- The Crane Wife

I did not like:
-Neutral Milk Hotel
-Belle and Sebastian
-Nelly Furtado
-Jack Johnson

I haven't decided yet if I like:
-Death Cab- Narrow Stairs
-Arcade Fire- Funeral

I tried to get caught up on some reading and got a ginormous amount of books from the library. I have slowed down on the reading though. I'll have to get back on it.

I read:
-A Wrinkle in Time
-Clair de Lune
-A Single Shard
-Island of the Aunts
-Mirror Mask
-Flour Babies
-A Wind in the Door
-The Loud Silence of Francine Green

Currently I am trying to finish reading:
-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I still have these to read:
-Celandine
-Greenwitch
-A great and terrible beauty
-Book of a thousand days
-The love curse of the Rumbaughs
-The golden dream of Carlo Chuchio
-Over sea, under stone
-The MI strategy bank : 800+ multiple intelligence ideas for the elementary classroom
-The teenage liberation handbook : how to quit school and get a real life and education
-The well-managed classroom
-What Jamie saw
-Out of the dust

Were those the most exciting lists or what?!