FINALS ARE OVER!!!

FINALS ARE OVER!!! This means I can relax until January 11th when Spring semester begins. Ok, relaxation isn't really attainable at the moment, but I can pretend it is!!

This semester was good... and bad all at the same time.

I blatantly failed Statistics 1040. I know because I was doing so poorly on the exams that I decided about half way through the semester that, because I was doing so poorly, I was going to re-take the class, no matter my final grade. I was a trooper and finished out the class... but I skipped out on the final exam. I know, I know, you don't need to say it.
The really crumby thing is that I understood everything on the quizzes and rarely did poorly, but when it was all together on the exams I just blanked when to use what.

On to happier news.
My Abuse, Neglect, and the Psychological Dimensions of Intimate Violence final was a cinch. I got a 96% and ranked 3rd out of 73 people who took the test. Yay me!! Thanks to extra credit I am sitting at a pretty 103% in that class.

That was the last Psychology class I have to take... I've finished all the requirements for my Psychology minor!!

My Social Work classes were awesome!!

My Practice 1 class was really cool. We learned how to interview people. For the second half of the semester we got in groups of three and all we did was practice interviewing using all the stuff we'd learned. Then for our final we were videotaped interviewing a pretend client for ten minutes... it was torture!! Our pretend client had been raped by four men... We had to watch the video and write a paper critiquing ourselves. I was a little worried because watching the video I saw quite a few things I could have done differently. Our requirement was two pages... mine ended up being three pages single spaced. I took the critique seriously!! But in the end it was good cause my professor wrote "Well thought out paper. You show me that you will be a wonderfully reflective social worker. GET YOUR MSW." (MSW stands for Masters of Social Work... he knows I'm not sure if I want to get a Masters or not)

However, my Social Work Research class was SO hard!! We have to bet a B to be able to continue on in the program. We learned how to write research papers, which was hard but awesome. Our "final" was writing a research proposal. The focus of my research centered on the difference between homeless clients who receive training in hard skills compared to those trained in soft skills versus those trained in hard and soft skills. Sounds a little lame, but I'm SUPER interested in working with the homeless. I haven't gotten the grade for that back yet but right now I'm getting a 91% in the class. I finished the final up quickly so I'm a little nervous, but I've got my fingers crossed.

Next semester I'm taking Practice 2 and Practice 3. We actually get to go out in the community and interview real people!! I talked to my professor and we're going to do a homeless study!! YAY!

Next semester I'll also take Mental Health, Child Welfare, Stat 1040 and Choir.

I'm super excited about Child Welfare but I'm nervous cause I know the teacher's tests are strictly essay and that makes me a little nervous.

I'm INCREDIBLY excited for Mental Health too, as that is primarily what I want my emphasis to be. Plus I've already taken Abnormal Psychology so I shouldn't have too hard of a time.

So, after next semester all I have left is Social Statistics, and my practicum (unless I'm forgetting something). Not bad huh?

All in all we're doing pretty darn good. I'll try to talk Anthony into posting something about his semester... but don't hold your breath for that one!! He's enjoying his time off!!

Preparing for Finals...

So, this week is Dead Week, which really means that we are packed with papers to write and finals to study for. I had an 8 page paper and a 10 page paper due, which worked really hard on... but sometimes you just gotta take a break. The BYU/USU game was that break. We waited in line outside for an hour then inside for an hour and it was totally worth it!!! We beat BYU 71-61 and my voice still hurts from screaming so much

Also, check out my blog. My friend made it super cute for me!

Family Christmas Party Agenda

Hello Family,

We finally have the agenda and the food assignments ready for the Christmas party. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or needs.
We love you all,
Twila and kids (435.792.4446)

Please remember to bring the following:
1) Your specified food items listed via e-mail (if you have questions please contact Twila)
2) One Secret Santa Gift for each member of your family (dollar store present, DI present or white elephant gift)
3) Warm clothes for sledding and caroling.
4) Church clothing if you are planning on attending church


FRIDAY DEC 11
6 PM
DINNER at Mom & Dad’s house
Beef Stroganoff over Rice (Let us know if you’re coming late and want leftovers.)
Games & a movie at Mom & Dad’s house

SATURDAY DEC 12
8 AM
BREAKFAST at the Cabin
Pancakes, Hash browns, Scrambled eggs, OJ and Milk
9 AM
Sledding at the cabin
Making Gingerbread Houses and Wreaths
The Candy Bar Game
12 NOON
LUNCH Chili and Breadsticks at the Cabin
1 PM
Meet at Mom and Dad’s house
Caroling on a hay wagon
3 PM
Impromptu Nativity
Santa’s Visit
5 PM
Meet at the church to set up and prepare dinner
6 PM
DINNER Potato Bar at the church
7 PM
Games at the church
Impromptu Secret Santa
(Everyone needs to bring a white elephant, dollar store, or DI gift. We will then each choose a number and a name and we will be “shopping” from the gifts everyone brought.)

SUNDAY DEC 13
BREAKFAST at sleeping locations, milk and cereal
10 AM stake conference at the historic Paris, Idaho tabernacle (takes about 30 minutes to drive there)
1 PM snack: Cheese, crackers and fruit
2 PM Myles Wilkerson’s baby blessing
2:30 PM LUNCH at the cabin after the baby blessing. Please bring a salad or something to share to help with lunch

Getting stoked for the Family Christmas Party

We hope you're all getting excited about the family Christmas Party!!! Here is just a little preview of the goodness that will be going on!

Last night, after playing games long into the night, I headed out for home. Right by the road sheds where they park the ambulance, a white rabbit ran into the road. Not across the road, not next to the road, into the road. He ran down the center of the road weaving back and forth all over the road, and every time I tried to pass him he would weave in front of the car. I figured once we reached the highway he would dart across the road and I could continue home, but nooooo. The rabbit turned the corner and continued to dart all over the road, right down the middle of highway 89. We were almost to Dee's when the rabbit slowed down and went into the left lane, and the road was wide enough that I could ease around the stupid thing without hurting it. Well, I got right along side of it and the rabbit sped up and headed for the car. I sped up and at 40 miles per hour finally passed the rabbit.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Not many people came to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving this year, but we still had a fabulous time! I, sadly, ended up sleeping most of the afternoon/night away while everyone else played games, but before that I joined the kids in sledding down the hill and achieved what I know you'll all be jealous of and remember all too well - snow down the pants and up the shirt. Lol but it was a good time had by all! I am thankful for each and every one of you!!!

Accidental... on purpose assault

I keep getting myself into sketchy situations. Like tonight, I assaulted a police officer. I didn't really mean to... but he was teasing me and suddenly the pen that was in my hand flew out of my hand and hit him in the face. Of course the one time I can actually aim well is when I'm throwing a pen at a cop! So he yells "Assault on an officer!" and pulls out his tazer gun. It's a good thing I've known him since last year or I'm pretty sure I might be sitting jail right now...

We also had a recycling dance tonight, which maybe a grand total of 11 people came to, but we had the coolest decorations ever! We just threw recycle-able materials around the room and hung an awesome "chandelier" from the ceiling. It was Tomas's milk and water jugs that we'd been saving. I tied them all together to cart them downstairs because I didn't want to make a billion trips, and decided it probably wasn't very safe to throw them from the window... I hadn't untied them when I took them to the office for decorations and when someone saw it they liked it enough to hang it as a centerpiece. It seems all my ingenious ideas are accidental... huh. :)

On rounds tonight Ashley and I, after skating instead of walking

down the sidewalks, made the first snow angels of the

season. Woohoo!!! We got snow down our pants and up our shirts and dropped the on-call phone in the snow, but it was totally worth it!