"Sarah, is it to, too, or two?"

I was missing my little brother, which of course led to a phone call last Friday afternoon. When I talk to my brother, I sometimes have a hard time having a conversation with him because it can be difficult to figure out what would be mutually interesting. This time, I asked a selfish question: how is your new English class. His interest in the conversation surprised me however.

Once he started talking, in a very The Office type tone, he asked, "Sarah, when you're going to say, 'I'm going to the movies' is it 'to, t-o, too, t-o-o, or two, t-w-o'?" I was laughing to myself, as any good English teacher would. He then followed by stating a hyperbole (an exaggeration) and then asked me to identify it. He said, "I learned all the figurative language this week." I wish I could mimick his serious tone in writing, but I can't quite capture a 16 year old version of Dwight.

Love you Jo!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

This is the last week before Christmas break. Somehow, this feels like such a mile marker in my first year of teaching. I see the kids getting antsy, and deep down, I know that I'm antsy as well. Two weeks are coming, two weeks of a break that will bring time for relaxing, getting caught up, and spending time with family. I wish you a Merry Christmas, and I wish me a Merry Christmas!

A Good Day

Good day-
Picture this: Fourth period. Normally a noisy class, but today they were great. I'm excited for the weekend. I walk into class, and one of my students says, "Ms. Johnson, do you want a brownie?" "Yes!" I said.

Storytelling!

Incriminating Evidence

Water cup: I fill it every morning

Two forks: one plastic, one metal; I bring them for my lunches at work.

Spoon: also for lunch at work

Salt: from a restaurant just in case I need it for one of my lunches

Hershey’s candy bar wrapper: I got it while pretending to be interested in book binding

Humoru: a magnet because my friend was in the stand-up comedy club

Wallet: a necessary evil

Loose change: proof of my laziness because I could have put it in my wallet

Paper towels from breakfast: might as well use them as tissues

Clunky ring: pretty in theory, but impossible to put up with

General Conference ticket: I went

Business card from the Latin festival: this was for a jewelry artist

Flower clip: replacement for last year’s, which is missing

Mascara: my safety since I forget that step in my morning routine

Lipgloss: thrown in just in case I feel the need to impress

Chapstick: my actual lip preference

Two red pens: I hate the color, but haven’t bought a different color for grading

One blue pen : I grade with it since I hate red

Three black pens: I can only write with black

Receipt: kept because I feel like I should budget, but crinkled at the bottom of my purse since I don’t

Sunglasses: I hate bright light

Fake glasses: for when I want to feel smart or block fluorescent light inside buildings

Earrings: impossible to live without; these are my spares

3-D movie glasses plastic case: evidence of my passion

Harry Potter movie ticket: better evidence of my passion

iPhone: my lifeline and source of distraction and source of frustration and elation

Keys: my second set, which has my house key rather than my office keys

Bucket List

Bucket list: a list of endeavors I intend to pursue. Some are more serious than others and they are not in a particular order of importance.

• become trilingual
• re-visit Argentina
  
• visit Brazil and the Amazon
  
• take my children to Litchfield, S.C.
• go hiking in the Alps
• go to Girl's camp again!
• go to Harry Potterland in Universal Studios
• relax for at least ten minutes every day
• hike part of the Appalachian trail
• spend a week in NYC watching Broadway shows
• write a short story
• be a senior missionary
  
• do genealogy (learn any additional languages)
• read 50 books this year
• visit Utah beach
  
• go to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
• be vegan for one month
• read The Old Testament
• write an editorial
• have an herb and vegetable garden
  
• fix my hair every day for a week
  

I recognize that lots of my desires require visiting places. I shall work on finding stationary desires as well.

Hiking Timp

The Mountain of the Lord

MY HIKE TO The summit sledding down

MT. TIMPANOGOS Steep hill quick steps

Slippery snow racing the light

Loose rocks bristling leaves

Yellow fields flashlights

Glaciers animals

Sand fear

Rocks music

Flowers forest

Open wet

Wet forks

Steps steps