New Blog

Taylor and I have created a new family blog. Instead of trying to maintain two blogs, I will be posting on the family blog found here:

http://www.ralstonfamily.org

So change your bookmarks, Google Reader subscriptions, and links on your blogs. (It's weird, but I'm admittedly a little sad to leave this little blog behind.)

On Coaching

It's been a bit since I last posted. I have been learning how to balance life as a wife, teacher (of two classes I haven't taught before, one of those being AP), coach, friend, sister, daughter, etc. I don't always do as well as I would hope, but I dust off and try again. But I digress. I sat down to write about one of the most challenging and fulfilling roles I have–that of coach.

Today was, for the most part, the culmination of our season with the region tournament. It didn't turn out quite as well as I would have hoped for a few of our girls. That was hard for me. However, a few of the girls met, and even exceeded, my expectations. That was a joy.

I feel like being a coach has helped me progress as a person. I can think of a few times in my life that I have cared for and worried about people as much as I do for the girls that I work with. Today one of the coaches mistakenly called my player my "daughter", but I felt like the term fit. I think it's kind of a little training for parenthood.

Two of my girls, a doubles team, had a particularly difficult year. They are both good players, and the best kind of people that you could know–sweet, thoughtful, hard-working, fun. I have worked with them since they were sophomores and this year they were seniors. They had the skill, but struggled a little with the mental game. They lost to teams that they and I all knew they could beat. So I drove to Salt Lake to buy them a sports psychology book a few weeks ago (and a few other members of the team, but it was with them in mind that I bought them). We worked really hard on being "fearless" (which became our team motto for the year). And you know what? They started to get it. Our last regular-season match they won, and they won big. It was the most fun I saw them have all year, and it was gratifying for me. They were so excited and so happy.

The doubles team they beat is playing for the region championship tomorrow, and my girls took last place in the region. Today just wasn't their day. But guess what. I'm not going to remember today. I'm going to remember their last home match.

Harry Potter

Taylor and I went to the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter movie. It was fun to see the characters grow up, and to think about how I have too.

I read my first Harry Potter book when I was a junior in high school. I had refused to read any of them because I thought that they were too trendy, but then I got sick and a dear friend brought me one to read. And I did. And I loved it. My younger brother was already into the books, so I read the second and third. I read the rest of the books as they came out.

The first movie came out when I was a senior in high school, so a group of good friends decided that we would all go see the movie together. We waited for hours to ensure our spot in the theater. A highlight of the evening was when we dared our friend Ashlee to do her crazy walk across the front of the theater before the movie started. Her antics were met with applause from the movie goers. (You know that your teenagers are okay when they get their rushes from such happenings).

As time has gone by, I have been to every Harry Potter at midnight, except the fifth, which came out right before I got home from my mission (it was the first one I saw when I got back though). As Harry, Ron and Hermione adventured through Hogwarts, I had my own muggle adventures. The second movie found me a freshman at BYU, learning to navigate college life with new roommates and old friends. The third came out during one of the funnest (and probably the most carefree) years of my life, while I was living with some of my favorite people in an apartment we had dubbed "The Abode". The fourth was released as I was waiting to leave for my mission to Spain, and the fifth right as I came home. The sixth came out on the heels of my most painful breakup, as well as my long-awaited graduation from college. The seventh came out in time to go with a new inamorato, with whom I was able to enjoy the last movie as a newlywed.

Enjoying a butterbeer at Mark and Tasha's amazing HP shin dig prior to 7.1.

Through all of this change, I have been able to experience most of the midnight showings with many of the same people that were with me the night of the first one. I'm glad to have friends like Harry's that have stuck with me through all those years. And so my life continues, as I await whatever epic saga lies ahead.

P.S. If anyone has photos of that first midnight showing (or any of the other ones), please share them with me!

Bleggity-Bleg

Like any good school teacher, I am trying to get ahead for next year. One of the things that I would like to do is produce a readings packet that I can give to my government students to take home. I already use several readings, but it would be nice to have them together in one place.

So my bleg: what readings should I use for my students to enhance their learning of government concepts? The units I teach are as follows:

Foundations of Government

The Constitution

The Bill of Rights

State and Local Governments

Political Parties/Citizenship

Economics

Foreign Policy

Any ideas? I want them to be generally enjoyable and interesting. They can include blog posts, news stories, historical texts, and other readings.

P.S. For those of you who haven't heard the term "bleg", here you go.

Things you may or may not know about Taylor

So I've been married for three weeks now. Many of you are probably dying to see pictures of our big day. They'll come. I promise. In the meantime, you can watch this little gem that my awesome sister-in-law made for our reception in California here.

Also in the meantime, those of you who don't know Taylor, or don't know him well enough, are going to learn a few things about him. Here goes:

• He is amazingly brilliantly smart (and I am apparently not because of how awkwardly I used those adverbs). He is always teaching me new things on a myriad of different topics. He is very good at learning things on his own.
• His first name is actually Albert. If you got a wedding announcement you knew that. We got a few gifts addressed to "Jennifer and Albert Taylor". Whoops.
• He is a hard worker. He measures the success of his day by how many things he gets marked off his to-do list (sounds like some other in-laws in the Robertson family).
• He cares a lot about people. He is a very loyal friend and a very thoughtful husband.
• He is content eating cold ravioli out of a can. I'm a pretty lucky wife if that's all I have to compete with. No wonder he thinks I'm such a good cook :)
• He plays the role of older brother very well. He spends a good amount of time listening to and advising his younger siblings. He cares about them a lot.
• He has become (almost) as fully invested in BYU sports as I am. He occasionally gives me Jimmer updates on things that I hadn't heard before. We are both pleased that Jimmer will be playing for his hometown team.
• He is a wonderful husband. I know it sounds cheesy or cliché, but I feel more and more blessed everyday that I get to be married to him.

Married.

I got married almost two weeks ago. We're sitting in the SLC airport waiting for our flight to Sacramento for the second reception. So far, I'm loving married life (good thing, right?). There will be many posts to come, but here's a preview pic of the bridals. I love this fellow more and more everyday!

Busy

I haven't had too much time to post to my blog because I've been pretty busy with wedding planning. You have quite a bit more work to do when your mom is a busy missionary on the other side of the world. I have been lucky to have Jan Smith, one of our best family friends, basically fill in for my mom. She has been wonderful.

Despite all my busyness, I am thrilled and excited to marry this handsome fellow on Saturday:

I'm so lucky.

Reasons I Have the Best Job Ever

1. I get to hang out with teenagers all day. It's pure entertainment.
2. I have the funnest co-workers, including a professional comedian. Social studies rocks.
3. I get to spend all day talking about my favorite subjects.
4. I get paid (albeit not a lot) to play and watch tennis.
5. Summer vacation. Starting today. Hallelujah!

The Quilt

This is a picture of my grandma and me at her 90^th birthday party in December 2008.

My grandma has always been a quilter. She made the quilt that is in the background of the photo over twenty years ago. It’s made of fabric scraps from her family’s clothes over the years. It’s hand-pieced and hand-quilted. It’s beautiful. She started it because she had made so many quilts for family, but had never made one for herself. She told me that she was going to finish it on a trip to St. George, but didn’t get to because my grandpa wanted to go out for rides everyday they were there. Shortly after they returned, my grandpa passed away. She told me that she was so glad she took those car rides instead of staying home to finish the quilt. She finally did finish it after he passed away, but never actually used it.

For years, she made a quilt for each grandchild that got married: a tied quilt for her grandsons and a hand-quilted one for her granddaughters. In the past few years, it has become too painful for her to continue quilting with her various health problems. I admittedly felt a little sad that I wouldn’t be getting one. Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened this present at my bridal shower:

I got a little teary-eyed. Not only did I get a quilt from my grandma, but it was one of her masterpieces, and made from scraps of cloth that my mother wore. I can’t begin to describe how lucky I feel that she gave it to me. I’m so proud to be descended from such a wonderful woman, and am so glad to have a daily reminder of that.

Engagement Photos

Taylor's sister, Jessica Feely, flew out to take our engagement photos. It was so fun to spend time with her that weekend and to get to know her. It was rainy all weekend (and I was kind of freaking out), but we had just enough sun on Sunday to get some great pictures. So without further adieu, the link.

Love my Mum

Today I got to talk to my mom while on her mission in London. It took me back to the two phone calls I got to make home for Mother's Day when I was on a mission in Spain. Coincidentally, I was searching through files, looking for my passport (honeymoon to Mexico--yes, please), when I found a card that I had made for my mom in 2007 while I was on my mission. Here is part of what I wrote:

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I hope you have a great day talking to your missionaries. ... I'm so grateful to have a great mother. I have seen a lot of people who have made bad decisions in their lives and the effect that it has had on their children. I am so grateful for your good decisions and the wonderful traits that you have developed that have affected me in my life. I'm so grateful to have a loving, intelligent, faithful, kind, patient, helpful mother. You are a great example to me, Kirsten and your daughters-in-law."

I still have these sentiments, and they multiply as I contemplate becoming a wife and (at some point) a mother. I am blessed to have such an angel mother. Happy Mum's Day!

Taylor and Jen Love Story Q & A

Since I got a few of you curious from my last post, here are the details, FAQ style.

Q. Who is the lucky fellow?

A. Taylor Ralston. He’s from the Sacramento area. He’s about to finish his degree in Chemical Engineering at BYU. He’s brilliant. He wants to work in the biomedical engineering field. He is very curious and loves to learn new things. He loves to sing and play the piano. I love to listen to him or sing with him. He has a wonderful family. He is good to the core. He is a family history ninja. He is really fun to be around and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He cares a lot about other people. I could go on for hours, but I’ll spare you the excessive sap. I’ll just tell you that I love him.

Q. How did you meet?

A. We met at church. Taylor gave a talk the second week he was in the ward, and I was impressed. I also thought he was attractive. He noticed me too when I made some comments in Sunday School. I was wearing pearls, which he loves. He came up and introduced himself to me after church and we had a short conversation.

It took a few weeks, but he finally asked me out. We went and hit golf balls at the driving range and got some Cold Stone. The last time I went on a date to the driving range was disastrous (my golfing skills are subpar), so I tried to hint to him that it wouldn’t be a good idea. He didn’t get the hint and we went anyway. This date turned out much better than I imagined, since Taylor isn’t necessarily an avid golfer and not judgmental of my golfing skills. We got along so well, and had so much to talk about. He kept asking me out, and I happily obliged.

Q. How did he propose?

A. On Thursday, March 10 we were supposed to go on a date to the Provo Beach Resort, a new games center that is located in the Riverwoods. I knew that a proposal was imminent, but I wasn’t sure when it would happen. The fact that we were going somewhere akin to Trafalga made me think that it wouldn’t happen, but I was suspicious of a change of plans, so I made sure to look good and to bring my camera.

We got to the place, and we decided that it would be fun to visit, but maybe with kids or with a group of people, so Taylor asked if we could go for a walk around Riverwoods. For those of you who haven’t been there recently (or have never been there), it is an outdoor pedestrian mall that they just redid it with lights, bonfires, fountains, etc. It’s very romantic.

As we were walking, a couple asked us if we would take their picture. Taylor obliged, and then asked them if they would take our picture.

We took the photo, and it looked like this:

Since it turned out kind of dark, the people wanted to take another. I turned around, and Taylor said that we should try this pose:

And of course I was delighted, and said YES!

He put the ring on my finger.

We were thrilled!

Q. When is the big day?

A. June 25, 2011 and we’re getting married here:

Q. What does your ring look like?

A. This:

I had Taylor pick it out. I love it. I wouldn’t have done a better job if I had picked it out myself.

Q. Aren’t your parents on a mission in London? Can they come home for your wedding?

A. Yes and YES!!! I just got the news today and I’m so happy!

The End of the Term

The term ended Friday. Hallelujah. The last week of the term is not my favorite. Beyond having to enter a million grades (my least favorite task in teaching), I have to deal with certain students:

It is common to have students come in the last week asking, "I have a 'D+' but I need an 'A', is there anything that I can do?" Yep. Go back in time, come to class on a regular basis and turn in your work.

Even worse are the students who I have met a grand total of twice and I don't know who they are when they come in. They come in after school, right as I'm supposed to leave for tennis practice and have the following conversation with me:

Student: Hi Miss Roberts
Me: It's actually "Robertson". Who are you?
Student: I'm in your A1 class
Me: Oh, you're So-and-so. I didn't know you existed. Where have you been?
Student: My life's crazy right now
Me: That's too bad. What can I do for you?
Student: I need to pass your class
Me: Oh really, why didn't you figure out what you had to do at the beginning of the semester?
Student: I'm sorry. I just really need to pass your class or I won't graduate.
Me: My class wasn't designed to be a week-long crash course in government. Nor do I just have packets to hand out with all of the information. I don't really know what to tell you.
Student: Isn't there anything I can do?
Me: Well, I guess you can do this worksheet, all the info is in the book. Get started with that and then we'll see what we can do.

Something close to this conversation really did happen this week (I did recognize the kid though; that was just for dramatic effect). I haven't seen the kid since. And the sad thing is, it's not the first time I've had a similar conversation. It boggles my mind that any kid can really expect to pass a class without even going to it.

Other students turn something in two months late and then hound me because I haven't entered the score yet. "But Miss Robertson, I turned it in two days ago and you still haven't put it in the computer!" I usually tell them that if they turn in something on their own time, I'll grade it on my own time. That usually quiets them.

On the other hand, I've had a few students who have solid A's that come to me with concerns about an assignment that they didn't get 100% on. I usually tell them to calm down.

I can't identify very well with the aforementioned students, but the type of student that I do understand is the one that has like five assignments that they turn in and say, "I found these in my backpack. Can I still turn them in?" I'm usually a little more patient with them, which leads to piles of late work to grade. So yeah, that's what I've been doing this week.

An Announcement

Amazing

photo here

5k in California

Over Christmas break, my sister-in-law Sarah was talking about how she had a list of 30 things she wanted to do before she turned 30. One of them was to run a 5k. I decided that I need to be more fit, so I would start running again and run it with her. I found one that took place over Presidents' Day weekend and signed us up. Unfortunately, I didn't really start running again. But I ran it anyway. And I didn't die.

It was a really fun race. It rained and hailed, which I thought added to the excitement. I was soaking wet by the time I got in, but I was feeling good.

Sarah (who was running sick) came in right after me, so here Christian is getting his camera ready. He handed me my nephew Blaine, and you can see how much he liked that.

My niece Anna made us signs to cheer us on.

My biggest fan once again showed up to support me :)

And here is the pic of the sisters-in-law. I'm so glad I took the trip out (even though it was a quick one). My family is the best. Seriously.

Homecoming

Yesterday I was cramming the final pieces of information on Latin America into the brains of my geography class when one of my students stopped me and told me that someone was at my door. As I walked out the door, I saw a woman with a man in a military uniform. She told me that her son was in my class and unbeknownst to him, his dad had returned form Iraq. I invited them in. Any description I could give for the look on that boy's face wouldn't suffice. It was some combination of puzzlement, excitement and joy. His mom had tears in her eyes, as did I and other members of the class. I dismissed him those two minutes early so he could enjoy the two weeks he gets before his dad has to go back. It was beautiful.

BYU v. Utah

The big game is tomorrow, so I wore my fancy shoes to school. My student wore his. We took a picture with my iPod.

How to Get Published on ESPN.com and Two Free All-Sport Passes...

...when it's the last thing in the world that you want.

1. Write a letter to the editor that gets published in the Daily Universe calling the BYU community to repentance for worshiping Jimmer.

2. Leave your Facebook account for ANYONE to comment (uhhh, why on earth would you do this?).

3. Have somebody on Cougarboard find the letter.

4. Watch the comments fly in (warning: some comments are irreverent).

5. Have the story go viral.

6. Become a notable resident of your hometown on its Wikipedia page.

7. Get offered BYU All-Sport Passes so you too can become a heathen idol worshipper.

(You can see a nice story about the guy in the previous video here. Go to 10:55 in the episode.)

Snow

From all of the blog entries/Facebook updates I have read, it seems like Utah is the only place that hasn't been having snow days. All we have had lately is extremely low temperatures (Provo was -7 with wind chill last week). I'm telling you, at this point in the school year I could definitely use a snow day.

In my excitement for better weather, I did order myself a new tennis bag. Isn't it lovely?

Unfortunately, my UPS tracking app says it's stuck somewhere in Illinois enjoying a snow day.