Being Prepared

For a couple of months now I have been thinking about emergency preparedness.  Especially when I would go and visit my wonderful in-laws (they have the most AMAZING food storage system I have ever seen!) I was reminded of how UN-prepared Mark and I would be if there was ever an emergency.  I always try and buy a little bit extra of certain things (mostly canned goods, and flour, sugar, and the like) when we go to the store, but I am pretty sure we are still not much better off then most.  Then a couple of weeks ago in church, we had a combined lesson on emergency preparedness and that made me really think that this is something I should probably give some more attention to. 

This is probably an excuse, but I validate myself a little bit because I know (or at least I certainly hope) that Mark and I won't be staying in this one-bedroom apartment for that long of a time.  And we lack the space and resources right now to really dive in and have a three-month supply of food, water and all of the other resources we probably should have. 

But, I can't really excuse myself for not having 72-hour kits for Mark and I - which as of right now, we don't have.  So I went online and searched for some help.  For example - WHAT do you need to have in a 72-hour kit?  I stumbled upon this blog and this lady is AMAZING!  Part of me just wants to take a tour of her house, her car, her kid's backpacks - EVERYTHING - she has emergency preparedness kits for EVERYTHING!

At first, I was completely overwhelmed.  It made me think of all of the situations in which Mark and I are totally unprepared for.  Again, I was stuck with how can we afford to get all of this stuff + where are we going to put it!  Anyway, after a couple of weeks though I have been able to navigate through a lot of her stuff, and she has helped to break it down into some more realistic goals. 

She has SKADS of lists of kits for so many different things that I think are SO smart!  KUDOS to her for thinking of this and being so prepared herself.  I want to find HER in a crisis!  One thing that I think is really great that she has done is come up with a list of things to get every month.  She has come up with these lists based on the season and what is cheapest during that time.  SMART!

Like I said earlier, the three-month supply of food is just not going to be possible for us right now.  But she does have a list every month for just three or four things you can add or rotate in your 72-hour kits as well.  This is where I am starting.  If we can afford to get some of the extra stuff on her lists some months - BONUS - but right now I am just shooting to get our 72-hour kits done.

Anyway, I just thought I would pass along her blog to you.  The completely overwhelming feeling does pass...eventually.  It has at least given me a place to start so that we can maybe be kind of  prepared in case of an emergency. 

Here's the link to her blog:  http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/

President Thomas S. Monson said:  "We do live in turbulent times.  Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties." 

Some Thoughts on the ABCs

Wow...I have had so many thoughts the last week and a half it is hard to know where to begin.  I guess first off I survived the first week and a half of my new job here in Denver - woot woot!  It has been a hard and thought provoking week.  My job has turned out to be slightly different then what I expected it to be - not necessarily bad - just different. 

I spend about 45 minutes to an hour in seven different classes every day.  It definitely makes the day go by pretty fast, however, it is also kind of exhausting in some ways too.  I am the only "para" as they call me that has this type of schedule in the school.  All of the other ones spend either the whole day in the same classroom or just split between two - one in the morning and in the afternoon.

After the first day, Mark was asking me how it went.  And you know that feeling when you start a new job or a new class and it's kind of an unknowing, nervous, antsy sort of feeling...well I got to experience that seven times  - one in each classroom!  I am in three 2nd grade classrooms, three 5th grade classrooms, and one 4th grade classroom.  And each teacher sees me in different ways, and sees my "role" in the classroom in different ways.  So I am constantly switching gears which is interesting and has definitely been a growing experience for me. 

I have already been informed that one of the teachers doesn't particularly enjoy having me around - I found this out on my second day.  What a self-esteem booster!  I don't think (or at least I hope) it is nothing personal about me, but I was told she just finds it annoying to have to come up with things for me to do in her classroom - like it is just one more thing for her to plan for.  In some ways I do understand this point of view.  Although, I have never been the formal teacher in a classroom of my own, I have had lots of experience "pretending" (I guess you could say) being the full-time teacher during my student teaching.  Your time is so limited and it would be hard to plan for another thing.  However, I do hope the at least eventually she sees that I am here to help her and not be a hindrance.

Being back in a school setting again has also opened up my mind again to how much I enjoy teaching.  There is something so fulfilling knowing that you have helped someone understand something new.  One thing that has also been interesting is that attitudes here are just different from what I am used to.  Since the last three months I have been at home, with my only real interaction with people being at church, the last week and a half have been interesting.  It just seems like a harsher world out here.  In so many ways, it really makes me appreciate where I grew up in Salem and in Draper.  Kids here, and people in general, seem to just have to deal with things that I never have, especially at such an early age.  Because of that unfortunately, it just seems like a harsher environment overall.  To be honest, I don't know how I feel about being engulfed in it everyday. 

Also, being in the school has really brought back to my attention my own beliefs in teaching.  Seeing as my role right now seems to observe the teachers a lot more, it has taken me back to what I believe a good teacher should be.  And I know I was most definitely not a perfect teacher, but I really did try my best to do some things that I felt were really important and that I am quite passionate about.  In fact, this week I have been reminded of the longest paper I ever had to write in college.  I know many will laugh at this, but my major wasn't known for long papers, but it was a ten page paper on my teaching philosophy.  I have gone back to this paper many times actually.  I wrote it in my freshman year and although I have added some things to it, it generally has remained the same. 

I believe that a teacher must believe in each and every one of their students and their ability to achieve.  If we, as their teachers, do not believe in who they can become and what they can learn, who will?  Especially being out here in this environment, it seems that the majority of your classroom is filled with students that don't feel like they have anyone that believes in them.  I believe that if you set high expectations for your students and let them know that it is because of your belief in them, that they will almost always rise up to the challenge.  Kids, especially at this young age, have not become bitter toward the world.  It is a very short window that they stay in this state, and if you can keep that confidence alive even for one more year, you have made a difference. 

Another thing I feel strongly about is working for and with your students.  Students can tell when you are working hard for them.  If they see that you are working hard to make their education great, they will work hard too.  Sometimes going that extra mile as a teacher seems completely daunting, and sometimes it can't always be done, but I believe when we do take those moments to show them that you are willing to work hard for them, they will work hard to learn. 

These are probably my two biggest things I believe the most strongly in with education.  And I truly hope that no one takes these the wrong way.  I have so many friends that are now teachers and I am sure they are wonderful teachers, and I don't mean to be sounding judgmental or anything towards teaching.  But from my current point of view, I feel like from what I have observed the last week and a half, these are greatly absent from the classes I am in.  It makes me sad to see teachers just give up on students or believe that they are just a "lost cause."  And yes - I have heard this phrase more times then I can count during this week and half.  It is incredibly hard for me to watch. 

Some things I have learned from my orientation with this school I thought I would pass along because I thought they were interesting.  Only 30% of the students speak English as their first language.  The five biggest languages spoken are: Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic and Somali.  I do not know ANY of these!  So far, it hasn't been too big of an issue.  Most of the kiddos are pretty good about sticking to English in the classroom.  Over 80% of the students are also on free- or reduced-lunch.  It is not the wealthiest of neighborhoods if you catch my drift. 

There was a frightening experience that happened on Thursday at the school.  One of the fifth grade teachers was working late on Wednesday night when she received a very angry call from a parent.  Long story short, the call ended with the parent threatening the life of the teacher.  The next day the parent and the whole extended family of the student showed up at the school.  This particular teacher's classroom is out in the portable.  The family began using pretty much every inappropriate word you should NOT use ever (especially at a school) against the teacher.  Police came and certain members of the family were taken away in handcuffs.  This teacher was then told by the police that this family is notorious for their defiance towards authority.  They basically have all been in and out of jail and it is actually a written rule in the area, that whenever a response is needed at the home, that there must be at least three police cars present.  SCARY.  This teacher now has to be escorted to her car after school every day as soon as school gets out and is in danger.  I must say, when the teacher told me all that had happened, it made me NEVER want to teach here.  It didn't even happen to me and I was scared for her.  It is a whole new world out here for me.  One that at times, I must say, I don't really like. 

Every day I go to school, I drive down a street that Mark and I have promised we will never go down at night.  It is Colfax Avenue.  It is an extremely long and dodgy type of street.  You drive down that and you see twelve year olds openly smoking, kids that can't be older then three or four standing by themselves to take public buses, nude dancing institutions, mothers holding their babies with nothing but a diaper on in 25 degree weather.  I actually really hate this part of my commute.  In fact, there have been times when certain things I see have made me cry.  It just makes me so sad to see that for some, this is their life.  You want to help them, and yet it seems impossible. 

I realize that this probably is the weirdest and most random post I have ever written.  It is probably also the longest.  I am sorry it is  mostly just me rambling on about an array of different things, but they have just been on my mind a lot.  I hope that somehow in my job I can do something to help at least one person.  But for now, I guess just pray for these little kiddos out here.  

Montclair Elementary

DRUMROLL PLEASE....I FINALLY got a job!  This has been a crazy week in the ways of job hunting.  Last Friday I actually got offered a job but declined it because the commute was just going to be way too long.  It was easily going to be at least a two hour commute everyday and with one car right now that just didn't seem like such a good idea.  A lot of thought went into this as we were worried to decline (just in case another job didn't present itself) but we just didn't feel good about it.  

Tuesday of this week I got a call for an interview with a school district I hadn't interviewed with before.  It was a brand new school with a lot of really neat programs.  Wednesday I went in for the interview with the three directors of the school and felt like it went really well.  They told me I would know their decision by Thursday.  

THEN Wednesday night before I went to bed I checked my e-mail.  I don't usually do this (since I am home all day and check my e-mail throughout the day) but for some reason that night I did.  And in my inbox I had an e-mail from a school I had interviewed with over a month ago.  I had absolutely LOVED the school and the people all seemed wonderful and friendly (something I haven't experienced much of here - unfortunately) and the job was actually something I was interested in and wanted.  But then the school ended up having to hire another teacher and so they didn't have enough funding to hire me on as well.  I told them to keep me in mind if something else changed.  

So the principal e-mailed me and asked me if I was still available because they had a position that had opened up.  I was floored.  Here I was waiting to here back from another job (that looked really promising) when I get this opportunity as well.  I quickly devised an e-mail telling her that I was very interested but was on a bit of a time crunch, because if I was offered the job at the other school I didn't want to tell them an "I don't know."  Also, the job that was listed when I went on the district website was a different job then I had originally interviewed for for a lot less pay and less hours.  I asked for the specifics and asked if she could get back to me as soon as possible.  

The next morning I woke up and at 6:30 AM she wrote me back saying she was going to talk to some people and see what they could work out.  Five minutes later I received another e-mail saying that they could offer the other job to me, at three dollars more an hour than originally states, and during the full school schedule.  I was thrilled.  

So I am now the newest employee of Montclair Elementary School.  It is an older school in the heart of Denver but it seems like it is in an okay neighborhood with good people in charge.  My official title is the Reading and Writing Specialist.  Basically (my understanding of it is) that I will be working with grades 3-5 devising lesson plans for small groups in different reading levels to help them achieve to the best of their abilities.  I am really excited for this because it allows me to still be coming up with my own curriculum and work with students and hopefully help them achieve their fullest potential.  I am just excited to get into the swing of things again.  

I feel so incredibly blessed with this opportunity.  I am so grateful that Mark and I listened to the Spirit throughout all of this and waited for this opportunity to present itself.  I really feel like I will be able to learn a lot from this experience and the environment.  Can't wait to start!

Eight Months

On Wednesday we celebrated our eight month anniversary.  Maybe "celebrated" is too strong of a word, but we acknowledged the day and were able to spend some time with one another.  I went and got Captain America while Mark was still at school and surprised him when he got home.  We got in our comfy clothes and watched the movie and had dinner.  Nothing too exciting but time is sure flying.  I can't believe that Halloween is practically here and the rest of the holidays are right around the corner.  So excited to be able to enjoy all of these first as a married couple now.  Month #8...CHECK!

I actually really don't like this picture, but oh well, we had to celebrate the moment, right?!

The Stanley Hotel

Each month we want to make a tradition to do something new in our area.  I went online (as I don't really have any other network or knowing what is going on around here) and found out that apparently Colorado is REALLY into their ghost stories.  As a teenager I went to the Haunted Houses, Corn Mazes and things like that.  But here they truly believe in A LOT of different places being haunted.  It seems like every day this month on the radio we hear of another place on the radio or clips of recordings they have received from some paranormal activity.  It has been interesting.  

Anyway, we have been looking at this little town for a while because to be honest, it kind of reminded us of home.  It is called Estes Park, and it is just about the only little town right next to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It's only about an hour and a half away from where we live so we thought we would head up there.  We are actually planning on going there Thanksgiving weekend since we are not planning on having any company or anything come to visit.  But, the reason we went this month was because there is a hotel up there that is quite famous we learned.  It is called The Stanley Hotel - and it also happens to be one of the most haunted places in Colorado.  

Now before anyone thinks we are totally crazy - we are NOT paranormal activity seekers or anything like that.  We won't really go too much into what we believe in or not - but I don't really think spirits linger here to scare and torment people, or at least I like to believe that that is the way it is.  

Anyway, the main reason this placed appealed to us is because it is in a beautiful area and the history of the hotel is pretty cool actually.  So I went online and made reservations for one of their ghost and history tours a couple of weeks ago.  They have MANY different options for tours, anything from the little kiddos to die hard, middle of the night with your solar cameras and such.  We picked the kiddie tour.  The age limit was five and up on the first one we went on - so we were feeling pretty safe.  

We absolutely LOVED our tour guide.  And it was neat because we were able to go in rooms and things that we would never have been able to otherwise.  Just as a bit of history, in summary.  In 1903, F.O. Stanley (who was the co-inventor with his brother to the Stanley Steam automobile) came to Estes Park in the hopes that it would help with his tuberculosis.  Stanley's health improved tremendously, and in 1909 he opened the Stanley Hotel for his wife and their guests from back east that would come during the summer.  

This is the front of the hotel

I can't remember the proper title this room had, but it was pretty much the ladies room in the hotel.  I think I would have been just fine sitting here listening to this piano all day and looking out at this view down below!

This is the view from the "ladies room."  I loved the look of this room.

This was the dining room - beautiful!

 Other than its beauty, the Stanley Hotel is known for it's "haunted" nature.  Stephen King was inspired to write "The Shining" after he and his wife stayed in this hotel the night before it closed for winter.  We were the only people in our group that hadn't seen or read The Shining before but we were okay with that :) 

The Room #217 was the room that Stephen King and his wife stayed in when he was inspired to write the story.  We weren't able to go inside because the room is booked six months in advance.  I guess people ENJOY being scarred - personally, I enjoy my sleep :)

At the end of the tour was when they told more about the ghost stories of the hotel.  We went up to the fourth floor of the hotel which is where the maids and children used to stay - children met to met unseen and unheard it seemed.  Anyway, our tour guide says that they get calls almost nightly from people staying on the third floor asking them to tell the kids upstairs to stop running around - and of course there are no children running around...OOOOO.  

Anyway, the most haunted room in the hotel is actually Room #401.  This apparently was the maid's break room of sorts back in the day.  Now it is a regular room.  However, it is rumored that this Irish man (who ran the town's - well, I don't know the proper name for this either, but we will call it - place to make a friend with a woman).  I was lucky enough to be called to be the demo girl during the tour for this segment.  We were standing outside the door and he had me come to the front and stand there and he showed the rest of the group what most females experience when they go into the closet within this room.  Usually a hand going down their back or arm, up their thigh, twirling their hair - you get the picture.  It was rather creepy.  Then SURPRISE...apparently we were the lucky tour that was able to go in because it had just been cleaned and the guests that night hadn't checked in yet, so we were able to go in.  

Our tour guide then took us into the room.  By outward appearances I would never think that there was anything unique or odd about this room.  The tour guide asked if I wanted to go in the room - I flatly replied no.  There was NO WAY I was going in that room.  Three other woman volunteered, and although none of them came out screaming they all agreed it was pretty creepy.  Personally, I think you are going to feel what you want to feel.  So if someone tells you things are going to happen and it is going to be creepy...it's probably going to be creepy.  

Anyway, Mark and I both went away from this tour thinking it was really interesting to hear the history and see the hotel, and that it was just the right amount of "spookiness" for our Halloween season.  However, it actually ended up to be a better deal if we did two tours instead of just the one.  So we had signed up for the "Concert Hall" Tour.  The age limit for this one was ten and up, so we thought we would still be okay with this one.  

We had a different tour guide for this one and we weren't quite as fond of - Scary Mary as she called herself.  She took us over to another building, the Concert Hall.  We immediately took notice that Scary Mary's tour guide personality was far different than our first one.  Our first tour guide took a more realistic (we thought anyway) approach to the sometimes peculiar and "spooky" things that would happen.  Scary Mary was a die hard, go out pretty much every night and look for ghosts type of gal.  

She took us to the Concert Hall on the main floor and told us some stories there and then took us down to the basement...and then things got a little weird...too weird for our liking actually.  And Scary Mary proceeded to tell us this little tale.  Apparently the basement of the Concert Hall was left unfinished until 1995.  And in 1977 (I think) a young woman named Lucy, who apparently looks quite like me (Scary Mary told me - yea, VERY comforting) who was 23, five foot three, who lives in Estes Park with her parents had had a disagreement with her parents over a boyfriend she had been seeing and so she left home.  Lucy having no place to go broke into the Concert Hall and lived in the unfinished basement by the furnace to stay warm.  Since the basement was unfinished no one went down there to check in that frequently.  But in January a security guard found her and told her she would have to leave.  Apparently they found her frozen to death in the city park.  

But apparently Lucy still lives in the Concert Hall - and we were off to go visit her.  Ummm...I did NOT like where this was going.  Everyone else in the group seemed to be really thrilled at this idea.  I, on the other hand, honestly just wanted to leave.  So we went into this room where the furnace is, because that is where Lucy wants to be - nice and warm (words we heard over and over from Scary Mary).  Let me tell you, this whole experience on this tour was just bizarre.  I felt like I was the crazy person for not believing and clinging to every word that Scary Mary was saying.  

So, we went into this room and after talking to us for a minute, Scary Mary wanted us to shut off the light.  Mark and I were in the back corner - about as FAR away from the furnace door as we could possibly get.  There were occasional times when Lucy was out with us (yes, CREEPY) when Scary Mary said it was okay for people to take pictures or play recordings on their phones.  People kept saying they were seeing "orbs" and blue sparks.  It was a little too much for me.  I didn't see anything, and you know what, I am okay with that :)  This is all Mark and I got when he took a picture on his phone. 

I don't see any orbs or blue sparks...

Back to the right is where the furnace is, everyone else wanted front row seats for her appearance, we were fine with our back row

Towards the end, apparently Lucy was standing by us - goody - and Mary asked everyone to stretch out their arms and we could feel her come in between us.  This was the video Mark took on his phone.  Listening to the dialogue is fairly entertaining, just showing how much people were just soaking it all in...

 Mark was standing behind me and I pretty much made him have a death grip around me the whole time.  If you listen closely you can hear me say "I don't want to."  Mark was trying to get me to hold out my hands with the rest of the group - I don't think so!  Anyway, kind of funny what people were saying. 

We then ended the tour by going out into the main room in the basement where Scary Mary told us about her "spirit children" that follow her.  We got to play ring-a-round the rosy with them.  It was crazy and makes me laugh when I think back on it.  But anyway, I don't think I would ever promote going on that tour - but the first one was a lot of fun and the whole day was filled with things we will probably never do again (which I am okay with) but I guess it was interesting.  Unfortunately, I am pretty sure I can never stay in The Stanley Hotel now because of what I have heard, but oh well, hopefully it was worth it :)  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Mark's First Haircut

The title probably really should be "Mark's First Haircut - Given by Elise."  Haha.  I have NEVER cut hair before.  There was a time freshman year of college when my roommate Liz wanted us girls to cut her hair and I bowed out pretty much right after we started.  And I am sure I was WAY more scared then Mark was in all of this, but I actually think it turned out good.  I am not going to start advertising my hair cutting skills anytime soon (probably never actually) but at least we weren't running to the Great Clips down the street or anything :)

BEFORE

He is trying SO hard not to laugh

This may be my favorite picture...haha, it makes me laugh every time I look at it!

AFTER!

The Moldenhauer Crew

Mark and I were so lucky to have his sister, Teresa, and her family come for a visit the last week.  We weren't too great at taking pictures the whole time but we did get a few.  

Everyone came Thursday night and we went out to a yummy dinner at the Olive Garden.  Friday, us girls relaxed during the morning and then went swimming at our pool in our apartment complex.  Daniel had to go to some Ace training and Mark had school.  Friday night after dinner we went to the Denver Aquarium.  Mark and I had been here once before on our honeymoon and thought it was pretty cool.  

We LOVE the seahorses!

The girls trying to give kisses to the fish

This shark looks hungry :)

 

 On Saturday we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  It was a TON of fun!  We had never been before and Mark and I have already decided that we have to go back.  There was SO much to see and do there.  I wish I had gotten more pictures there but I guess we were too busy just soaking it all in :)

They had a neat mummy exhibit - thought of Melina - maybe one day we can make our own trip to Egypt :)

Their main exhibit was the T. Rex Encounter.  They wouldn't let us take pictures but it was pretty awesome.  We also watched an IMAX movie about dinosaurs - loved it!  But they did take our picture at the end.  

It was a PERFECT day - we had a gorgeous view of downtown from the museum.

On Sunday we just took it easy.  We went to church and then decorated sugar cookies and walked around our apartment complex.  It was a good day. 

Monday turned out to be a very rainy, cold day.  We ended up going to Denver's Children Museum.  It was pretty awesome and I hope the girls had fun.  

They had a fun grocery store for the girls to shop in and check out.  ADORABLE!

I cannot believe this is the only picture I took all day!  Oh well - it was fun.  

We were so grateful to spend some time with family.  We love you all!