Oh, The Places I've Been...

As an Au Pair I have the wonderful opportunity to do a lot of reading the the boys. I get to help their love of literature and reading grow, and in the process discover ways to encourage those feelings for my own future children. Luckily, with these boys, the love for books is already present. I'm sure that's because the parents and nannies in the past have taken a lot of time to read to them... My goal is to start reading more WITH them. I hope to start teaching them more of HOW to read, especially with Nico starting real school (first grade) in the Fall.

Sidenote: I am currently reading all of the Harry Potter books in the English form - English like, England. Haha! After I have finished a book, I watch the movie! I am currently on the third book in the series, and am finishing the second movie tonight. Classic.

One author I have fallen in love with all over again, and will read often with my children, is Dr. Suess. Man, that guy could write. He was ultra creative and convincing... What do I mean by convincing? The man created a new language using the platform of Children's Literature. He created words and mental images of characters and settings that were unique and completely bizarre - and they worked. Children and adults love his work because of these reasons, along with the fact that each of his stories teach valuable life lessons.

What started this particular blog entry, you ask? Surely it must have been reading Dr. Suess with the boys... well, boy - Finni. After dinner tonight, Patrick was trying to tackle violin practice with each of the boys - always a task - and so to distract Finni after his turn (so Nico could practice) I pulled out a few books and let him choose one. He made the brilliant decision to have me read him, Oh, The Places You'll Go.

What an amazing book. That book is not only about teaching young ones to reach for their dreams, that it is okay to fail at things sometimes, and to persevere through those times of failure to reach success, but it also teaches adults the same thing. Each time I read that story with the boys I am amazed at how motivated and redirected I find myself. I truly love the clever writing inside of those pages and way it reminds me to believe in myself.

Right now in life, I am coming to a major cross-roads... Okay, I'm not coming to a major crossroads, I'm there. Yea. I graduated from BYU two years ago - TWO YEARS! That's a bit crazy to me... I loved going to college, but was happy to be past that point in my life. I was ready to move on, but I still miss it at times. I have spent a good amount of time since April of 2008 thinking about where to go to Graduate School and what to study. My direction seems to bend and change with the week, and I'm coming to the point in my life that I must choose a road to go down... The roads I have already taken since graduation have all been very meaningful and enlightening for me... They have all felt right. However, though the decision of Grad School seems right, I have not yet felt right about any street I have looked down... wondering if I should venture that way.

Since graduating from college... Oh, The Places I've Been (and things I have done):
- Been a Building Counselor (BC) with the Especially For Youth (EFY) program.
- Been a substitute teacher for grades K-8 in Utah.
- Worked in the Special Education Department as a Paraeducator at a local K-8 school.
- Spent two years volunteering as an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) for Staduim of Fire in Provo, UT
- Gone to the American Idol Finale two years in a row.
- Auditioned for American Idol.
- Gone to Hawaii.
- Moved to Germany to be an Au Pair for an entire year (I've already been here 4 months!).
- Been to over fifty concerts of a random assortment.
- Moved back in and out of my parent's home.
- Learned how to really cook.
- Traveled to four new countries (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and The Netherlands... England wasn't new, but still that was cool!), and planned trips to at least eight more (Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, Greece, Czech Republic, Poland, and Denmark).
- Dyed my hair numerous times.
- Seen over a hundred new films and listened to over a thousand new songs.
... and read tons of new books.

I've really done quite a lot that I'm proud of, and happy about. I feel like I'm fulfilling so much in my life and accomplishing little goals along the way. However, now, it's time to make a BIG decision and accomplish some BIG goals... In the next two months, I must really narrow down my choices and choose where I want to study for Graduate School. When I go home from Germany, it's time to choose a road and avoid, "The Waiting Place" that I've been in... That's not for me, and it's time to start doing what my blog header says and make things happen for myself. Not that I haven't done that up until now, but I feel like it's time to run... when I've been walking. I really believe that this move to Germany was the start of the slow jog, and once I return to the US, I'll be ready to step it up.

In fact, after JUST talking with Nicole about this very concept - the concept of deciding what to do - she gave me this take on things... Just CHOOSE one already and start prepping for it. When it feels wrong, quit. Then, start the process over again. So, I have a personal goal...

May 21st. May 21st is the date that I have to come to a decision and forge forward. I'll let you know then what I have determined to do... however, it might be before that. I think I already have come to terms with what I need to do. In fact, I want to do entertainment - acting and theater. I want to study that in Grad School... Now, I just have to determine what area I want to emphasize and look at specific programs I would be interested in.

Oh, The Places I'll Go....

Quotes and Moments of the Week:
"My underwear are clean... except for my bum feels a little crumply..." - Nico (HAHAHA!)
- "It's a pool for ants... They can swim."
"How do they swim, Finni?"
.... Finni continued dancing around the yard to show me how ants swim, which was just about the cutest thing ever! Haha...
*muah*

Song of the Day: I just discovered this girl, and I LOVE her... This is Caro Emerald's song, A Night Like This. You can also check out her song, Back It Up, which I adore! Heck, I'll post them both... Enjoy!

Martini Moments - A night like this (Caro Emerald) from The Missing Sync on Vimeo.

Caro Emerald - Back it up from What about Fish on Vimeo.