i'm engaged!

my perfectionism seems to kick in at the most random times, like when i'm trying to blog about my engagement for instance. you see, i've been wanting to share this exciting news with all of you for the past few days, but have been contemplating over the perfect format and words. after the prompting of my friend and fellow blogger, bree, i decided to push past my writer's block to fill you in all on the details of the past week. i apologize for the delay!

wednesday was frank's birthday which he spent shopping for rings and meeting with my dad. that day he discovered that my coveted pearl ring would not be suitable for an engagement ring for it would begin to peel (and thus look icky) over time. wanting to recycle and not contribute to the corrupt diamond industry, we decided to shop for an antique ring instead. i hear that the meeting with my dad went well for good conversation and beer was had by all.

on thursday and friday evenings frank and i visited antique jewelry shops in the portland area. our favorite was maloy's for their knowledge and helpfulness. while there i feel in love with a 1930's art deco ring after hearing its story and seeing how it sparkled in the sunlight. thank you, frank (and eve)!

while scrapbooking on saturday frank called to sadly inform me that the appraisal was not ready and thus he wouldn't be able to pick up the ring that afternoon. i was a little bummed since i had been hoping that he would propose while we were at cannon beach that weekend for his birthday. monday was only a few days away though, so i knew i could wait.

on sunday frank and my first stop at the beach was at ecola state park for a hike to crescent beach. the hike was steep, but worth the sweat for it led to an (almost) secluded stretch of sand. after our picnic lunch i lay down on the blanket while frank went for a walk. after a few minutes he returned saying, "look at this cool crab leg i found!" when i sat up he was down on one knee, holding out the ring. needless to say, he asked me to marry him and i said yes! (it was silly and sweet just like him -- how could i not?)

soon after i called home to share the good news with my family. my mom teased me for being so gullible and believing frank's ploy of the delayed ring pick up.

after hiking back up the steep hill, frank and i checked in at the tolovana inn. we had to share the good news with the fronk desk too (of course!) and they congratulated us with a room upgrade, champagne and chocolates! frank and i thoroughly enjoyed the fireplace and beach view from our new room and were able to toast to "a life full of fun and adventure." i started my "look hot for my wedding" diet immediately following the chocolates - yum!

monday we returned from the beach and have been sharing the news with family and friends while starting to plan the wedding. we're planning for an august wedding so we must move quickly. good thing i bought a wedding planner today and have been subscribing to martha stewart weddings all of these years!

(frank jumps with joy.)

film review: pan's labyrinth

since viewing the science of sleep i've been entranced by this idea of the space between dreams and reality. pan's labyrinth beautifully and flawlessly dealt with this concept; i watched it yesterday with frank and his brother, jeremy. the hopeful story of a girl destined for royalty in an underground kingdom unfolds amongst the cruelty and misery of war-torn spain. i highly recommend it.

in addition to fueling to aforementioned thoughts, the science of sleep and pan's labyrinth reminded me of my love of foreign films. life is beautiful is one of my favorites. does anyone have any recommendations?

i've been wasting time this morning by browsing scrapbook page layout ideas online. below is one i especially liked; i think i'm going to print my pictures in various sizes to add more variety to my pages.

look at me, mom! i'm (almost) a real teacher now.

this week i began attending my practicum full time. that means i'll be there every day until the end of january. it's nice to not have classes or homework any longer, but i've still been busy with long hours at school, planning lessons, reviewing student work, and completing my worksample. in fact, i was so tired after school today that i spent my friday night taking a nap!

for those of you who don't know what a worksample is, it's a lengthy unit plan which must meet multiple pages of requirements prescribed by the oregon teacher standards and practices commission. all in all, i have over 55 pages in mine so far and continue to edit and add to it as i teach it throughout january. i spent most of last weekend working on mine, after which my dad remarked, "i hope they're paying you well for all of the hard work you do." very funny!

although lesson planning isn't often a fun nor thrilling experience, it is interesting and rewarding. i've been learning more than i ever wanted to know about mammals and the students are excited to research a mammal of their choice. during science this past week i've heard, "ms. r, did you know that...?" repeatedly. as a teacher and lifelong learner, academic talk is music to my ears!

in addition to science i've also been teaching math and pe. the students have been talking about the new nintendo wii non-stop, so i connected our math lesson with their interest by showing them a misleading graph comparing the product to other game systems. it makes me smile to recall how up in arms they were when i pretended to use the graph to persuade them that playstation was the most popular. this weekend i'll be figuring out how to teach 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to play hockey. any experts out there?

overall, i'm feeling blessed to have this opportunity to fine tune my skills and try new teaching strategies with these amazing students. my teacher's and supervisor's feedback is helping me to improve and to provide welcomed assurance. it felt good to read my supervisor's note which said, "as you progress through your career always remember and appreciate the gift you have in making that special connection with each student."

happy new year!

instead of ringing in the new year with a party, frank and enjoyed a delicious meal together at pambiche, a cuban restaurant near his apartment. we passed the hours until midnight snuggling and watching lady in the water. just minutes before new year we turned on dick clark's rockin' new year's eve and toasted with two bowls of cereal (we decided to save the champagne for another celebration). although not as eventful as years past, last night was a delicious and comforting way to start a new year together.