Cuttin' a Rug

A week and a half ago we had a dance at our school. It was the day right before Spring Break, so everyone was really excited. There were two different dances going on, one for the 7th graders and one for the 8th & 9th graders. Where I am teaching 7th grade, I had to go to that dance.

It was funny to watch the 7th graders at a dance. I remember when I was in 7th grade and what dances were like. I remember that we actually danced during slow songs. Now of course it was with your arms extended straight out so you wouldn't be at all close to the person you were dancing with, but still we danced. There was not a single slow song played during the dance. Kind of odd if you ask me. During fast songs, I don't know how much dancing we did. We probably talked much of the time.

One thing that killed me was to watch how self-conscious they were. You could tell they were looking around to see who was watching them and wondering if what they were doing or how they were dancing was cool or not. However, there was a group of girls that could care less who was watching. They were dancing inappropriately and I continually had to talk to them about it.

Near the end of the dance, a song came on that some of the other teachers and myself really got into. They were playing a ton of songs from the 90s and we knew all of them. So we started dancin' and before you know it, a group of kids was dancing around us. I could see some of my students watching me and pointing at me, which cracked me up. The best part was when this group of girls that had been dirty dancing much of the time, came up and started dancing with me.

We were having a great time! We kind of had a little dance-off. They were getting a kick out of watching me dance. I have to laugh because I was doing just what I would have done anywhere. I was being myself and they loved it. After the dance, students were leaving the school and a couple of boys made comments about my dancing. One boy, a huge Polynesian boy, came up to me and said, "Man, you got some moves!" Then one of my students said, "Dude, Miss Larsen, you can totally cut a rug. I learned that phrase from my mom." I loved it.

In class this week, after getting back from Spring Break, a student asked me if I was a cheerleader in high school. She said I was always happy and peppy, so she thought I had to have been. Then she asked if I had been on the dance team. When I told her no, she was shocked. She said, "I saw the way you were dancin' at the dance. How were you not on a dance team?" Good times, good times. One of the teachers that was dancing with me, she is about 26, said, "It is no wonder why we teach middle school - we never grew up." It some regards, it's true!

What A Day!

Yesterday was quite the crazy day. Nothing too eventful happened until I got home from work. I am in a LDS Sorority that is through the Institute and last night was sorority. I was supposed to bring a dessert from a foreign country. Well, I loved fried bananas from Brazil so I thought I would try to make them. I found a recipe online and away I went. Well, the short version is that they didn't turn out and they were gross!

So now my dessert was no good, BUT I had one other thing I was supposed to take with me to sorority. It was my week to bring a scrapbook page about myself. Well I surely do not scrapbook so I decided to just take some pictures. I grabbed the pictures I wanted and out the door I went. As I was reaching in purse, I realized my keys were not there. What? Well, I will just call one of my roommates on my trusty cell phone and ask them to come home. But, as you guessed, my phone was also in the house!

I wasn't sure what to do. So I sat on our porch swing for a minute and decided to walk up the road to the house of a friend of mine. Mindy and two girls live upstairs and Wayne and Brian, some of our friends, live in the basement, so I figured I would catch someone home. Luckily Mindy was home so I used her phone to call me roommates. By the time I got home it was too late to go to sorority, so I decided to go work out.

When I got home, I wasn't feeling very good. I had eaten some salad about the same time I had tried to make the fried bananas and it was nasty. I think it was bad even though I just bought it. I thought I could sleep off my stomach ache, so I just went to sleep. Then it happened.

About 11:30 I woke up really sick. So I ran upstairs to the bathroom only to have my roommates and their dates, Wayne and Brian, all walk into the kitchen. They got to hear it all. They were all really great and I wasn't really imbarassed. I stayed up for a little bit and talked to them, then went to bed.

I got up a couple more times in the night to throw-up and the last time at 5:30, Lana sent me a text message asking me if I was okay and if she could get anything for me. She went to the store and got me some Sprite and crackers. Then she brought her huge garbage can downstairs for me to use incase I couldn't make it to the bathroom. Needless to say, I did not go to work.

Throughout the day I got increasingly better. I was really glad too because I had my first real interview today. I interviewed with Jordan School District. The interview went really well. I was excited because the gentleman interviewing me said that I was one of the best candidates they had seen and that I would have no problem getting a job! That is encouraging.

So all in all, my last 24 hours has turned out alright. But seriously, that was quite the eventful day!

I Am Becoming My Mother

Today I realized that I am becoming my mother. You know when you are growing up and there are those things that your mom did that you thought were so odd. Well, yet again, I have done something I never really thought I would do. I have fallen in love with "Anne of Green Gables." I cannot tell you how many times growing up I remember coming downstairs, and there mom would be, ironing and watching "Anne of Green Gables." At various points in my life I went from hating it, to enduring it. I got to the point where I no longer thought it was stupid, but I surely did not like it either.

Well that all changed today. I turned on the t.v. and I saw that on KBYU they were showing it, so I decided to watch it. It sucked me in!!! I couldn't stop watching it. Finally I left so that I could go work out, but as soon as I got home again I turned it on. The best part came thought when we got to the part in the movie where Matthew dies. Anne is laying in her bed crying while Marilla is holding her and comforting her. I started to get teary eyed at which point my roommate Lana comes out, slowing perring in at me from the kitchen. She said, "Christie, are you okay? I heard crying, is it on the t.v.?" I told her that it was on the t.v. at which point I started crying and she asked me what I was watching. How embarrassing to say, "Oh you know, Anne of Green Gables." AHHHHH!!!

But really, it is a great show! I love it. I suppose mom always had great taste, it just took me a few years to realize that. I suppose it is one of those things that you appreciate more as you get older. There are so many things in that movie that crack me up and that I can identify with. Plus, it is a great love story. I mean honestly, who hasn't had a crush on Gilbert Blythe? Well, I should say, among women who watch "Anne of Green Gables," who hasn't had a crush on him? Oh well. Just add me to the masses of women who love it. My future husband will be exstatic when he finds that out.

As Grandma Larsen always said, "This growin' up ain't all it's cracked up to be." But, learning to appreciate classics is definitely a benefit.

Cheers for Blogs!!!

So I have to admit that this whole blog thing has been wonderful so far. Tonight I was able to look up a bunch of my friends and see what they are up to. You know, if you ever need a little pick-me-up, there is nothing better than reading through your friends and families' blogs and their wonderful stories. I loved reading Kim's issues with her hair and seeing her new hair cut. Then reading about Bekah's insane neighbors and their new home. Kristine's son, Grant, always cracks me up because his facial expressionare hysterical...Icould look at pictures of him for hours. Let's not forget Heather and the video of Mike swinging Lydia in the blanket and her hitting her head on the ground she was so excited. I laughed too Heather, it is okay.

Yet again, I am eating my words. Technology really does have its benefits. Blogs are good and they are useful. Megan, you would love to hear that me and my roommate got online to look at iPods. AHHHH!!! I cannot believe I am even considering one. I digress.

Cheers for Blogs!!!

EFY Here I Come!

Back in January I applied to be an EFY Counselor. I would never have thought of doing it except that over Christmas I was talking to one of my friends and he told me that I sounded just like and EFY Counselor. He asked if I had ever done it before. That is when I started thinking about it and got right on it.

The interview went well and I felt pretty confident about it. However, they said we would not find out for 2 months who was selected. That bummed me right out, but what could I do? In the mean time I moved to Salt Lake and met a girl, Lauren, in my new ward. She is fun and spunky and just a great girl. She told me about a girls camp where she works each summer. I decided to apply for it since I had not idea what else I would be doing.
I kept waiting to turn in my application for Brighton Girls Camp and I could not figure out why I was so hesitant. I knew it would be a great opportunity so why not? I finally got my app in and then it was just a matter of having an interview.

Again, in the meantime I found out that I had been selected to be an EFY Counselor!!! I couldn't believe it. I have heard of so many people who have applied and never been chosen that I just assumed I wouldn't be either. I was excited but at the same time I was nervous because I wasn't sure which camp I was supposed to do. It is always easier to choose between a good and a bad choice, so this was hard.

After a week or so I felt like I needed to do EFY, but I had set up an interview with Brighton already, so I felt obligated to go. The interview went fine, but I left kind of indifferent as to whether or not I would get the position. I didn't really want to make the decision, so I waited until I heard back from them.

Well, Heavenly Father answered my prayers when I received a letter in the mail saying that I had not been selected to be a counselor at Brighton. I knew as soon as I read the letter that I there was a reason I am going to be working as an EFY counselor this summer. Who knows what that reason is, but I know I will have a great summer and that I will learn a lot. This also allows me to go home for a couple weeks in the summer because I don't work each week. Yippie!