I Have a Job!

Well, as usual the summer posts are scarce. However, we are back to school, yes, even I am back to school. I teach at Willowcreek in Lehi. No, this isn't the same Willowcreek that I taught at last year, but as far as I know, I'm the only person to have worked at both Willowcreeks. This year I will be teaching 7th, 8th, and study hall. I am so excited for this new chapter in my life.

Summer!

I am having a hard time keeping track of which place I have updated information. The blog has fallen waaaaay behind. Well, I am now 31 years old. So, I guess being over 30 means that I have to start being serious. Nah.

Still looking for a job, any prayers you could spare for us on that would be appreciated.

Aubrey went back full time this week. We'll see how she does it. I don't envy her position, but I do envy her being employed.

The kids are all over the place. Kimmie can ride her bike without training wheels, and Conner is not far behind her. Cameron is nocturnal. We wake up to find him sitting in our doorway with a package of crackers that were on a shelf when we all went to bed. Kenzie is good, but all she does is eat, poop, and cry. Guys tend to like the kids better when they can interact, or at least hold their own bottle.

Hopefully with all the time on my hands I will keep this updated.

Therapy

There is nothing like holding a newborn.  Kenzie has really taken away a lot of my worries.  I still don't have a job lined up, per se, but I am confident that one will happen.  We have been blessed lately.  My kids are great.  

Kimberlie is the best helper in the world (even though she doesn't know how to rinse soap out of her hair).  We went outside yesterday and I tried to teach her how to ride her bike.  She has the balance down, she keeps pedaling and knows that.  She just needs to learn to steer.  

Conner is a really good boy.  He says the best prayers.  He is so concerned with making everyone happy and doing the right thing.

Cameron is a hoot.  He is totally funny.  He is also speaking in complete sentences.  His favorite one, "Me do it." 

I am extrememly grateful to my wife for coming along with me on this journey.  She teaches me so much every day.  I am glad that I thought she was cute 9 years ago when she visited my roommate.  My life has never been the same since.

Anyone Need an Out of Work English Teacher?

I have had 3 interviews for jobs, and three misses.  I am starting to get frustrated.  There are now only 4 jobs left in the district.  The real irony is (and yes, this is irony) I decided against teaching band because they are cutting music in school.  I thought English teachers would be stable.  Unfortunately, this economy is killing everything.  Oh well, from what I can see, Utah cares more about dollars than education.  They are ok adding to the already crowded class sizes.  Next year at my school 9th grade English classes will average 35 students.  Meanwhile, the governer is sending money to Hollywood to make movies here.  Is this a little screwed up?  I'll answer for you.  Yes.

Sorry, all.  I'm just a little frustrated about my situation.  I will let you know how it goes.  I will also get more pictures of the baby here because that is the reason you came here.  But, I have to go to Wal-Mart to buy diapers.  Maybe I'll fill out an application while I am there.

Nevermind

Well, I kind of feel like I wasted my time because I didn't get either of the jobs. However that is going to go on the backburner because as you can tell by the creepy floating fetus, the baby is here tomorrow. That is my focus for this weekend. After that, I will hit the pavement hard.

Interviews

I have two interviews on Tuesday. One is for Westlake High, the new high school in Satatoga Springs. The other is for (shudder) American Fork High School. I wonder if it would be a bad move to wear my PG letter jacket to the interview. Oh well, a job's a job, right? I will let you know how the interviews went.

Better

Ok, so it looks like I may have been premature. There are quite a few jobs that have opened up this afternoon. Now the next step is getting an interview.

Bitter

Years ago when I decided what I wanted to be when I grow up I decided that I want to be a teacher. I really wanted to teach band. The problem was that music programs and art programs are being cut all over the place. Because of this fact I decided to teach English. I figured that English would be a stable job that wouldn't get cut. Apparently I was wrong.

This year I signed a one-year contract. The one year is almost up and the problem that I am seeing is that there are only 4 English teacher openings within driving distance. Four. The numbers are not in my favor. Needless to say, I am becoming quite bitter about this. I am scared that I won't have a job next year. With the current economy, I don't know what I will do.

I guess this is a post to vent my frustration, but also to solicit your prayers.

We Are So Bad With The Update Thing

So, here we are more than a month since the last post. A lot has happened, that's why thre was a lack of updates. We are quite busy. Aubrey is slowly going insane between school, cooking a baby, and busy season at work. I am waiting for the hiring freeze to thaw to see if I can work next year. Kimberlie is now 7 (as of today). And, we cleaned out the garage. Hopefully this covers all your update needs.

Buy Your Dresses

Easter is coming the bunny is getting fat. Or something like that. If you know someone who needs a small-ish dress please visit this site. They are super dresses and full of quality and like your gasoline, they are lead free.

I Don't Want to Talk About It.

For a glorious five minutes yesterday I was in heaven. The Cardinals got a touchdown to go up by three, and all they had to do is stop the Steelers like they have done all during the fourth quarter. Then....disaster. They suddenly remembered that they are the Cardinals and fell apart. The only bitter taste I have in my mouth is that they did not review the last "fumble". If they would have taken as much time as they did with the other reviewed plays and deemed it a fumble, I would accept it and move on. However, they did not seem to look at it. What a bad end to a good game.

On to next year. I think as long as they keep the core of their team, Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston, Hightower, and the rest, they will do fine. Luckily, they play in the worst division. Getting to the playoffs again should be no problem. I look forward to it, and I will still be a Cardinals fan.

It's Here!

And I am wearing it to school today.

Historic

I decided today to scrap my lesson plan and turn on the television. I feel that watching the president inaugurated is more important than nouns, verbs, or even preparing for the end of the year test. I don't remember one lesson from my math class in 1993, but I do remember that my teacher, Mrs. Tuft, said, "work quietly on your papers and watch this." We watched the inauguration of Bill Clinton.

From the speech that President Obama gave us, we have no reason to fear. If congresss will work with him, we will pull the United States out of the ashes like a Phoenix. It is not, however, when we wait with our hand out that it will happen. It is when we offer our own hands to others that we have the power to overcome.

Reach out to your neighbor, do what you can. Do not be afraid to give the widow's mite. If all you can do is to wave and smile do it. If you can afford to give up some of substance, do it as well. As Jesus said, "love one another."

Crime Scene

This year at school two teachers and myself have been playing in a band. This is the video of the teacher talent assembly. It was taken by another teacher's wife (guess which one) but hey, you can see that I do rock even though you can't see me all the time. Please enjoy the video.

Click to play.

Go Cards Update

They did it! They are going to the Superbowl. This year I can actually care more about the game then the commercials. I am so excited, I already bought the NFC Champions t shirt. It is finally good to be a Cardinals fan!

Web Wednesday (a call to action)

I was reading my sister's blog and she left this post. Now, I understand the reason behind the lead testing on toys, but come on, clothing? Our government likes to over-react to things. (Don't get me started about No Child Left Behind) Basically what is going to happen is anything that is to be sold with children as the end user in mind has to have:
1) a certificate stating that it is lead free.
2) some sort of permanent label that will allow the product to be traced back to the manufacturer.

This law is also retroactive. Which means if someone produces a product today, or has produced a product 30 years ago, it must comply to these standards, even if you bought them at a second-hand store. This law will cause a lot of hand-made mom and pop outfits to go out of business because they can't afford to do the testing, make permanent tags, etc. The deadline for this (February 10) is being called "national bankruptcy day."

Even if you do not worry about ma and pa's you should be concerned because this law will cause the price of consumer goods marketed toward children to cost more. Worst case scenario is they have to destroy inventory on hand which means a loss of millions of dollars to retailers who bought the products to sale.

Now the call to action part. Click on the bankruptcy day link and notify your senators, Representatives about the possible ramifications of this law. Then either post a link to my blog, or post something about this on your blog, Facebook, or whatever you use to get the word out. Tell your co-workers to get involved too. If this is truly a government by representation then the voice of the people cannot be silenced!

Merry Christmas Adam

Ever since I was a kid I deduced that if the day before Christmas was called Christmas Eve, then the day before that would be Christmas Adam. We have always called today that since. So, to everyone that reads the blog, Merry Christmas Adam!

Go Cards!

I have a shameful confession. I love the Arizona Cardinals. I have been a fan for about 8 years now. It started out as a joke. I would say, "someday I am going to put $1 on the Cardinals to win the Superbowl and make a million dollars." Since then, I always watch them when they are on TV (which is extremely rare because nobody likes the Cardinals.) In fact, for Christmas about 3 or 4 years ago Aubrey bought me a Cardinals hat. Which is totally funny because the guy at the store asked her, "Are you sure this is the team your husband likes?"

This year has been awesome! They are actually winning some games. In fact for the first time in my life, they won their division. Granted, the rest of the division decided to take the year off, but they won. Now they have a chance to go to the Superbowl. If only I had put some money on them this year.

Web Wednesday (a day late)

Ok, I have been neglectful. I have been busy. Anyway, this web Wednesday I have a fun website that Aubrey and I play on all the time. It is called Sporcle. It is a group of quizzes where you fill in the blank on things. For example, all 50 states, the presidents of the United States, books in the New Testament. There are thousands of quizzes. You may never leave the site, ever!

Web Wednesday

As we near the 45th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination I have become increasingly interested in the "mystery" surrounding the events. I am usually skeptical when it comes to conspiracy theories, but I have found some convincing things. I was using the source of all truth and knowledge (Wikipedia) to find info on the assassination and I found this article. Naturally, I wanted to see it so I have been watching this series on Youtube. Be warned, the series was produced by the BBC so the FCC has no standing over it. There is talk of a nightclub that Jack Ruby owned which shows some scenes (although in black and white) of the goings on inside the nightclub. Worth some of the info, but when they talk about Jack Ruby and the nightclub, you may want to close the browser window.