***Shmancy***

Shmancy.  I think Webster's dictionary would define it as "super fancy."  Now, I know what most are thinking.  Samm-yes, she's fancy...in fact, many people make fun of me and call me Fancy Nancy.  I get it.  I like big rings, I LOVE to accessorize (maybe to the point where I over-do it a bit), but I found a way in which I am NOT fancy!!!  Ready?!

So...David and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary last week and we thought "Let's do something fun!"  David and I tent to be, what most people would describe as, a "boring married couple."  Now, don't get me wrong-we're a riot, but as far as the things we do...kinda the "boring married couple" stuff...date nights consist of: movies, a quick dinner at a local restaurant, etc.  Nothing in the least bit "shmancy."  So...we decided-for our anniversary, we are gonna be shmancy.

I had heard about a restaurant called The White House in Anaheim.  I knew it was a nice restaurant, but I was more interested to hear they provide 150+ meals for children a day who are less fortunate.  I was sold.  If they're helping kids, then I will support them.

We made reservations, and off we went!

Once we got there we were very impressed with the fancy-ness.  However, it was sooooo quiet in there.  We could barely whisper without feeling awkward.  So...we just whispered the whole time.  THEN, it was time to find something to eat.  Literally EVERYTHING on the menu was some sort of concoction.  I asked David if he saw any "normal" food. LOL!  Everything looked DISGSTING!  They had bacon pasta, and all of these weird things.  David ended up getting the bacon pasta (they had a prettier name for it) and just the smell of it made me sick.  My meal was no better.  I had a few bites and told David I was full.  Then I asked if we could go to McDonalds afterwards! :) 

Moral of my story...it was not our idea of a good time.  We had each others company, so we made the best of it.  But, we promised that next time we would resort to our "boring" ways.  We like our boring, simple, conservative lives just fine, thank you very much!  :)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The name of this book does it NO justice.  Something about it just turned me off.  However, I really enjoyed it.  It is about the German Occupation, and the whole book consists ONLY of letters.  It was not like anything else I have read before.  One thing I really enjoyed about the fact that it was written in letters, is that you can start and stop a lot, instead of waiting for a chapter to end.  It was nice while I was teaching and waiting for the kids to complete an assignment.

Some favorite quotes:

"She's one of those ladies whose more beautiful at sixty than she could possibly have been at twenty."  I loved this.  I think that about people sometimes.

"My friend Sophie calls it coincidence, and Mr. Simpless, my parson friend, calls it Grace.  He thinks that if one cares about someone or something new one throws a kind of energy out into the world, and a 'fruitfullness' is drawn in."

I would suggest this book!

Another recipe! :)

This is called broccolini and bucatina...and it's yummy!  I got this one from Rachael Ray's TV show. 

 You should DEF. try this!

Here are some suggestions though: 

I added chicken so that there was a protein with the dish.  I just put some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and then threw some chicken in there with pepper and thyme.  Then, later I sliced it into slivers and added it to the pasta.

Also, when adding the red pepper flakes, add with caution...it was pretty spicy.  Maybe use 1/2 of what she suggests, unless you like it hot!

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound broccolini or broccoli trimmed into 3 inch long, thin florets

1 pound bucatini pasta

1 cup pecorino Romano cheese, freshly shaved or grated

3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small Italian red chili or Fresno chili pepper, thinly sliced or substitute 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or grated

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

 

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. When it comes to a full boil, salt the water and add broccolini or broccoli and par-boil about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted kitchen utensil and cool in an ice water bath, then drain. Add pasta and cook to al dente.

Heads up: you will need a couple of ladles starchy cooking water just before draining pasta.

Place cheese in the bottom of a shallow serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat and add chili pepper and garlic, sauté a couple of minutes. Then add thyme and stir, then add broccolini or broccoli and heat through. Add pasta and cheese and toss with a little starchy water to combine and coat pasta.

Garnish with additional grated cheese.

ENJOY!

Lettuce Wraps

 I made these YUMMY lettuce wraps for dinner tonight!  I have had them at P.F. Chang's Restaurant before, but I wanted to try and make them at home, so that I could be in control of what went in them.  We like to try and stay away from salt and preservatives.

You should try them.  They were WAY good, AND easy to make.  They would even be a great snack.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

1 1/4 pounds thinly sliced pork or chicken cutlets or 1 1/2 pounds ground pork or chicken

Pepper

1/4 pound oyster, baby white or shitake mushrooms, chopped or thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, chopped or thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, cut into thin matchsticks or finely chopped

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or chicken stock

1/4 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)

A few dashes of hot pepper sauce

1 small head iceberg lettuce, core removed and head quartered

Preparation:

Using a food processor, finely chop the peanuts.

In a large skillet, heat the oil, two turns of the pan, over high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; season with pepper. Add the mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger; toss for 2 minutes. Push the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the peanut butter to the center to melt. Whisk in the apple juice, Tamari (eyeball it) and hot sauce. Stir in the peanuts.
Spoon the satay into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Serve the lettuce wedges alongside. Scoop the satay mixture into lettuce leaves to wrap up as you eat.


****I also added wontons, which made for a good crunchy texture.  I would highly recommend!

VOILA!  Enjoy your yummy creation!

My Time in UTAH! :)

UTAH...that word makes me so elated!  Sappy, I know...but, I don't care what anyone thinks.  I left my husband for 2 weeks, and headed to the great state of Utah, to see my family.  It was blissful, to say the least.  How do I love them so much?!  My friend told me before I left that I had the most AMAZING family...and you know what?!  She's TOTALLY right!  I am sooo blessed!

Sometimes I think it's best that I live far away from them.  Maybe I appreciate them more that way ;)

I am a loser and didn't take any pictures, so I will just use some older ones to describe my experience the best I can.

Here is what I did...

I traveled with my GREAT Aunt Linda to Salt Lake via Jet Blue. :)  I do not have a picture of her, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Once we got to Salt Lake, my cousin Alison picked us up!

I stayed the night at her house.  The next morning she took me to my Aunt Cindy's (where I would be staying during the duration of my trip).

This would be Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick.  I know, I know...I look just like my Aunt Cindy...we're practically twins...sheesh...if I aged a year every time I heard that, we WOULD be twins! bahaha! (She is gonna kill me for that little joke!) ...Love you auntie! ;)

So, I got to hang out with these two cool kids.  Lucky me, right?!  My Aunt Cindy and I did a lot of running around to get ready for the annual family reunion the first few days I was there.  We went to lunch and hung out too, so it wasn't all work. ;)

  Lucky for me, I got to have lunch with my Aunt Terri too.  It was great to spend time with both of my aunts.

...and I got to see these pretty ladies. love my cousins!


Unfortunately, because I suck at life, I have NO pictures of me meeting baby Charlie, or me and my aunt taking Luke and Layna to the zoo.  BUT, we did do that...and it was more than enjoyable.

Overall...it was amazing...and, while I may try, no amount of gushy words will begin to express how much I cherish the times I share with these extraordinary people.

DANCING.......with the Stars!!!

My friend Linda and I were able to go and see Dancing with the Stars on December 18th. Before we went to the show, we went out to dinner to P.F. Changs.

The show was at the new Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario. I was surprised at how small the new arena was, but it was nice to be able to see the show so well. Our seats were pretty good, so that was nice.

The show was pretty good, however, in the beginning they had a pre show that wasn't that great. In fact, when we saw it we thought it was the actual show and we were REALLY disappointed! Good thing we were wrong!

We watched the show and really enjoyed it. It was neat to see all of the celebrities and professional dancers. I LOVE Dancing with the Stars, so I LOVED the concert too!

At dinner

Waiting for the show to start...

The show (dancing the Paso Doble)

The Cha Cha Cha

Intermission!

Here is a video of the dancing...

We were hiding in the bathroom so we could meet Derek Hough and Mark Ballas :) Haha

There they are. We just wanted to see them. We didn't stay around to meet them or get their autographs...

:( The End of a Touching Chapter...

Friday was the last day of my student teaching. While most would be relieved, I find myself extremely saddened by the situation. I had one of the most memorable experiences. I feel so fortunate to have been apart of the Linda Vista staff, even if it was for a mere 8 weeks.

When I finished my student teaching last semester, I was nervous because I wasn't sure if teaching is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Of course, since I had spent almost 5 years of my life working toward this goal, I wasn't about to turn back, but I honestly had lost the passion I had once felt.

After my time at Linda Vista, I have no doubt that teaching is my calling AND, more importantly, what I want to do. So, thank you to an AMAZING school, staff, students and master teacher... You have all made me remember why I have worked so hard to get where I am now...

I went ahead and posted some pictures of my last week at Linda Vista. You'll be able to see just why I loved it so much.

These kids are AWESOME! Can you see why I had so much fun!

My partner in crime, Lauren. By the end of our student teaching, we were finishing each others sentences... I'll miss you Miss Harter...

Reading groups with Mrs. Ostapeck. This was my last day, and a difficult one, at that.

Working hard...OR hardly working? It just depended on if there was anything good to talk about! Haha...Noooo...we worked hard!

Me, and the woman that put up with all of my crap...Sure gonna miss you all too...

Brea Improv with Friends

Wednesday night, before we left home for the Thanksgiving break, a bunch of us from Linda Vista (the school I am student teaching at) went out to a comedy show.

David and I got free tickets and so I decided to ask some people from school to go.

David and I thought that the show would suck, since the tickets were free, but we were pleasantly surprised. It ended up being HILARIOUS!!! David was really excited because they had a surprise guest...Gabriel Iglesias! He is a VERY well known and popular comedian who just recently came back from Iraq, where he did shows for our troops.

I didn't think he was the best of the comedians that night, but he made David laugh so hard he cried, and so I had fun watching him...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE laughing!!!

The three ladies who got me through the last 8 weeks of my life... 3/5 Student teachers from Linda Vista

Susie and Lauren...

Me and the MASTER teacher, Linda

David and I...before he laughed so hard he cried... :)

A Day to be Thankful!

I just wanted to take the time to write a blog about being thankful. I feel like too often we take things for granted. Everyday I wake up and have so many blessings from the start. I wake up and have the opportunity to eat, get where I need to go with a car, wear proper clothing and live in a country where I can think and be what I want. While this may all seem silly, I realize that many people in the world do not have these daily blessings. Therefore, I feel it appropriate for me to tell you some of the things I am thankful for.

God

Family

Husband

Friends

Good health

Freedom

Education

Open-minded people

My puppies

Good food

Having a place to call home

Having a car

Soda

Chocolate

Clothes

My cell phone

H&M

Hot showers

Accessories

Free Shit

Warm Pj's

Giving gifts

Vacations (new places, road trips)

My king size bed

Having a great Master Teacher

Having good students

Almost being done with my Teaching Credential

Gossip

Music

A good laugh along with funny people

Touching moments

Texting

Instant Messaging

E-mails

Massages

Shoes

Main/Pedi's

A funny conversation

Babies

Children

Dancing with the Stars

As the World Turns

Desperate Housewives

One Tree Hill

Coats and Scarves

A tear jerking movie

Plans...I LOVE having a plan for EVERYTHING!

Even numbers

Things that are in order

ORGANIZATION!

BMW's

Decorating

Holiday decorations

PICTURES!!!

Spontaneity

Spellcheck

Christmas

Big, gaudy jewelry

!!!StUdEnT TeAcHiNg!!!

So, I know you are all wondering how my student teaching is going. I know I have been a bad blogger lately and have neglected keeping everyone updated. For those of you who were wondering, I am in a fifth grade class and am REALLY enjoying it. It took me a few weeks to get used to the classroom, but now I really feel comfortable and am loving my students, master teacher and the school itself... It has been such a wonderful experience thus far (fingers crossed :).

I am actually extremely sad that in a mere 4 weeks I will have to leave it all behind and be out on my own. With jobs so scarce, I think it may take awhile for me to land one, but I have been praying about it...so we'll see. (Staying Optimistic!!!)

I have gathered a bunch of pictures over the past few weeks. ENJOY!!!

This is my master teacher Linda Mason.

She's an amazing teacher, but more importantly an awesome person... It's so easy to see how much she loves her students...she's one of the teachers that doesn't get paid enough :) The type EVERY teacher aspires to be. (If you read this Linda, NO, I am not just saying these things to pass...just kidding, I am...just kidding, I'm not...NOT KIDDING!)

Here are some of the pictures I took on crazy hat day:

Science (mixtures and solutions): Presented by Ms. Mason and Mrs. Ostapeck-

Halloween at Linda Vista Elementary:

This is a really cute video of the boys in my class. They were dancing to the song "Ghost Busters." :) Linda called it their own little "mosh pit." They're HILARIOUS!

Yes!!! Teachers dress up too!!!Miss Harter, another student teacher, and I dressed up as Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. I had the kids call me Mrs. Montana for the day...they got a kick out if it!!!Ms. Mason as a Pirate...she looks cute here though, I guess she's a pretty pirate and not a scary one.

I thought this was funny. One of the aides dressed up as Winnie the Pooh...haha

Just 3 days ago, I taught a lesson about Vikings. I was getting a headache and my students kept asking me if they needed to put their name on it, or if they needed to use complete sentences, etc.

I decided that since we sometimes have a problem with the students remembering to put their name, number and date on everything, AND I wanted the students to use complete sentences and restate the question, I would do this:

Linda and I were laughing because the kids got a kick out of it. I would say things like "what should you remember to do before you turn in your paper to me?" Then Linda would say things like "Uh...I wonder where I could look," or something like that. It was pretty funny. Needless to say there should be no excuse for not having their name, number, date, complete sentences and the restating of the question. :)

King's Game

David's boss owns a suite at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 2 weeks ago, David had the opportunity to get tickets to a King's game, and so he did. We weren't really sure what to expect, but we were PLEASANTLY surprised when we showed up.

It was like entering a hotel room. When you walked in there were couches, love seats, a big screen TV and a fridge. It had free food and drinks for the whole night too. It was awesome!!! Here are the pictures I took while we were there.

Inside the Suite

David looking out from the bar section of the suite (he was in heaven)

The ice...it was CoLd

My favorite time of year :)

Oh, what a wonderful time of year. I love that the holidays are approaching. In most places you can start to feel the weather change and children's laughter is heard everywhere you go. Most kids by now are realizing that they have to straighten up in order to get a visit from Santa Clause.

I am excited because David and I, along with my parents and brother, will be in Logan, UT this Christmas. Boy, it's been WAY too long. I can't wait to see my family and share lots of Christmas memories...

David laughs and tells me that the holidays are still a few months away. Maybe he's right, but I always love when this time of year starts. It's almost like it reminds me I can make it. I can make it a few more months, and then I will enter a state of BLISS...

See you all in December...