I'm a BIG KID now!

I HAVE A JOB! YAY! I'm so excited to be a new 2nd grade teacher for 2011-2012!

OVERHAUL!

I am doing an overhaul of my blog! Can't wait to have it up and running, so that I can start networking with so many great friends, educators, and others who I just like!

I just finished the 30 Day Shred..Now on to No More Trouble Zones

I have completed my 30 day shred and I feel awesome! I am so glad that I stuck it out because it has really payed off. I am now on to another Jillian Michaels workout, No More Trouble Zones. Tomorrow will be my first day and I hope that I really like it. The 30 day shred is only 20 minutes and I could handle that pretty well, but this new one is 50 minutes so I think it is really going to be a challenge for me. I am also planning on doing a lot of bike riding over the summer and hopefully walking the track next to my house. I feel so good now that I got back into the swing of working out.

Wedding Website & More

I know it has been way too long since I last blogged! I have been so busy with school that it is about to drive me crazy! On top of school Daniel had knee surgery just a couple of weeks ago so I have been trying to keep up with his schedule on top of mine. Anyway, I have had an amazing last couple of months getting ready for my wedding and I have created a wedding web-page (which I am still working on), but I would like to share it with everyone:
www.theknot.com/ourwedding/NadiaHill&DanielOrtega So on top of wedding planning and everything else, I just cannot wait for summer! I am so thrilled, hopefully I will get to do a lot of fun things! I have also decided to go back to my old daycare and work. I am actually looking forward to going back and hopefully I can get involved with a classroom and be able to do a lot more with the kids this summer. Anyway, I will start to blog on a regular basis very SOON, but for now I have to go cook dinner!

I'm the occasional blogger!

I don't blog often because it's not something I really make time to do. Even though I love reading everyone's blog! But anyhoot, I will give a little re-cap since I haven't posted since November! Wow the time just FLIES! I had a pretty good fall semester and I am hoping for a good Spring one, even though I will be REALLY busy! So, the holidays were just fantastic! I love spending time with family and friends! The one thing that I loved about 2009 is making a really good friend here in Springfield, and I am sad that she will be leaving in May! But, hopefully we will remain friends for a very long time! So, we have decided that we are going to begin working out at least twice a week together! And.. TODAY is our first day! I have been so lazy about working out that it is so hard to get motivated about doing it, but I hope that it will be good for me! So... wish me luck! And hopefully blogging about my progress will help me remain motivated and fit!This is my friend (Toni) and Me hanging out at petland playing with the puppies!

Long time no blog!

Hello Fello Bloggers! I know it has been a VERY long time since I have sat down and updated this thing! Well... Lets see what has been going on. First off, I am back to school! And, soon the semester will be coming to an end. Halloween has come and gone and I enjoyed spending that time with my friends and family. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I just CAN'T wait for all that yummy food! Two exciting things did happen though.... 1. Katya and I took our annual pumpkin patch trip with Hallie. and 2. Daniel and I had our 4 year anniversary. So... here are some pictures from those events. Enjoy!

My Summer!

I know it has been an extremely lonnng time since I have posted! I have been REALLY busy! But, I will catch up a little bit on what has been going on in my life. For starters, my semester ended well and I am already looking forward to my fall semester. School is going great and I can't to become a teacher! Then, I did have a birthday which is always fun! My friends took me out to eat and it was good to spend time with them. After my birthday on June 3, I started working A LOT! That is all I have basically done... But then on the 10 of July Dan's dad came home for leave from Iraq. So, I took some time off work to spend with Dan and his family. He returned to Iraq on the 20 of this month to finish his tour. Then, on July 23 we celebrated Dan's birthday. I made him some yummy dinner and I baked him two cakes for his birthday. So, as you can see I have had a very crazy summer! So, I just wanted to catch everyone up on what has been going on with me! Ihope that all is well with all of you! Thanks for blogging with me!

Our Annual Springfield Cards Game!

This weekend, Daniel and I went to a Springfield Cardinals game with some of our friends. It was a blast! We like going to the games together and eating all the ballpark foods! We took some pictures and acted goofy, just as we like to do! Well, after the game we went and did my favorite thing to do....and that is? EAT ICECREAM! I absolutely love icecream! So, we went to ColdStone and had us some icecream. It was a great weekend and I had a lot of fun!

Becoming a Teacher is a Dirty Job!!!

Since I am going to be an Elementary School teacher, I get to do all sorts of cool projects, but there is one that I absolutely didn't like! I had to raise mealworms for an entire semester (until they died). The mealworms are little worms that become little black meal beetles. Not only was it weird to have them sitting on a shelf in my house...I had to measure them too! Can you believe it? My biology professor told us that this would be a good classroom pet. Can you even imagine? Tiny little worms with tiny little children? I can only imagine the kinds of things that would go on...but hey maybe I will give it a go for the heck of it. Well..here are the worms...sad to say I didn't get any pictures of the beetles, but they looked like any old black beetle. I'm sure you get the picture!

"My True Vice"

My favorite T.V. show is Lost on ABC. I am almost addicted but I spare myself the addiction by doing other, more productive things. I only started watching the series this season and I am absolutely enthralled. But, I am sad to know that it will be ending next May. Well.... I tried to get Dan into the show awhile back and he just wasn't having it. So, we decided to start a Lost marathon and NOW HE is getting addicted. For those of you who may not know what Lost is...Lost is a mixture between Lord of the Flies, the movie Cast Away, the T.V. series Gilligan's Island, and the reality show Survivor. And tell me who doesn't love Gilligan's Island? And who doesn't love Survivor? Well..if you like either of these shows...then I suggest you get into Lost before it is too late! Dan and I have started a T.V. marathon of Lost and hope to watch all of the seasons together. It will give us something to do together...and plus all of our shows are soon coming to the end of the season. Well..I just wanted to share my vice with you all! Have a great day!

Colorado, Mountains, and Snowboarding...

Okay so, I know it has been awhile but I figured I would post the pictures of our snowboarding trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. I fell an awful lot but we had a great time. Unfortunately since Daniel had to wait for me so much he got a picture of me going down the mountain and I didn't get any of him! This was my first time to go up on a big lift and I was TERRIFIED! I know it is kind of childish but I was so scared that I started crying! Oh man but it was so much fun and such an accomplishment that I actually went up so high! In one of the pictures you can see that I fell into a huge pile of snow and couldn't get out. We went down the mountain with some friends that were skiing so he tried to help me out. It took quite awhile but I finally freed my board and climbed my way out. Needless to say it was so funny I couldn't stop laughing! The first picture at the top of the page is my very first ride in the Gondala which is much less scary then the other lifts, but a lot farther down the mountain. I can't wait to go snowboarding again, they always say that the third times a charm, so hopefully I will get it right the next time!

Lonnnng TIME!

So, it has been quite awhile since I have posted! I will post something SOON! I have been very busy with school and work! I hope everyone is doing well...and I wish everyone a HAPPY EASTER!

Mizzou vz. Colorado

Dan and I were able to go to the MU homecoming vs. CU! It was so much fun...there were roughly 69,000 people there. It was so crazy! We did were Colorado shirts and not Mizzou shirts but it was okay because Colorado lost 0-58...so we didn't have any conflicts with Missouri fans. Though, I did have people welcoming me to Missouri and asking how long it took me to drive to Missouri. It was a blast!

The Craziest Things....

First let me start by saying that every single time I have to get a prescription filled at Wallgreens I get in a VERY bad mood because they always mess it up! But, anyway last night something so strange happened to me! I was driving through the Walgreens pharmacy to pick up my meds (lol) and The pharmacist looks at my name and say's "Hey my grandaughter's name is Nadia." This wasn't unusually strange or anthing, I mean I often get comments about my name. But then she goes on to say that, they named her grandaughter Nadia because her grandsons name is Aidan and they just loved the unique name so much that they decided to name their daughter Nadia, and it wasn't until after she was born that they realized Nadia is Aidan backwards. I was FLABERGHASTED (does anyone still use that term?)! Because, most people know that I have ALWAYS wanted to name my first son Aidan, and the ONLY reason why (besides the fact that I like it) is because it is my name spelt backwards! OMGoodness! I just thought that was the oddest thing that anyone has ever said to me. Needless to say, I got home and my prescription was wrong once again, and I had to call the pharmacist up and be a little stern with her, and of course she remembered me because of the convo we just had 15 minutes prior. But, anyway odd things happen to me sometimes, and I just thought I would share...and p.s. if you have to get prescriptions I suggest Wal-Mart!

A Day at The Pumpkin Patch

Katya and I had a great time at the pumpkin patch will Hallie (Katya's daughter) this weekend! We took some pictures and we took Hallie to see some animals that she has recently learned the sounds for. It was SO cute! She fed the goat one time before she knew what it was like but, she didn't really like it and wouldn't do it again. It was great to spend some time with Katya and Hallie. I have been so busy with school and life that I haven't been able to make it home a lot. It was a great Fall break and we had a good time together. But, I can't wait for Thanksgiving! The pumpkins made me crave pie...needless to say I went out and bought a pumpkin pie just as soon as we left the pumpkin patch. Also, at the pumpkin patch they take you on a hay ride down to the patch. It was a lot of fun. Hallie got to ride in a wagon..and then she pulled it a little herself.

Gray/Campbell Farmstead

I went on my first field trip! YAY! It was so exciting! We went to an old farmstead. Actually, the farmstead has not always been there. It was relocated whenever downtown Springfield started becoming a city. There are other buildings on the farmstead that have also be relocated. Even an old cemetary was relocated and I think all the kids enjoyed the cemetary at this time of the yar. The day was very exciting, and the weather was fantastic. It reminded me of the old homes in Nauvoo, IL. The tour guides were even dressed for the occasion. The fifth graders were great! And, instead of being Miss. Hill for the day, they were able to call me Aunt Nadia. Many of the students said that they couldn't call me Aunt Nadia because it was just weird so, they called me Miss. Hill or Aunt Hill. Haha.. I thought that was cute! We were able to make cookies in the kitchen, we sawed wood in the grainery, and we chucked corn in the barn. I can't wait to be a teacher!



This is a picture of the barn and the picture at the top is of the Gray/Campbell home.

A piece of my life...

Daniel and I had a couple of pictures taken this summer and I just thought I would share. We have been dating for a LONG time and I just wanted to post a picture of us. He brings out the best in me and helps me get through the school year. So I just wanted to tell him thanks...so, Thanks Daniel!

Outrageous Résumé Lies

Hello All! I just came across something in class that I thought was funny and a little interesting. We are doing Résumé Building in my Elementary Ed. class and when my teacher started talking about the lies that people put on their Résumé's I couldn't help but laugh... Because there is a very interesting girl in my class who is very "interested" in what was considered a lie, or just a little white lie..OBVIOUSLY she needed to have a little discussion with the teacher about it! So, here is a little preview of what class was like this past week...

As I have learned from MSN and my Class...

Résumés are a critical part of any job search. They are the most effective marketing tool any of us have about who we are and what we can do. And all of us want our résumé to be the best possible representation of our work.

But some workers turn their résumés into a work of fiction instead of a representation of fact. A CareerBuilder.com survey of hiring managers looked at the tall tales and bold lies job seekers have constructed on their résumés. Here are the hiring managers' most outrageous whoppers:

1. Candidate claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family

2. Applicant invented a school that did not exist

3. Job seeker submitted a résumé with someone else's photo inserted into the document

4. Candidate claimed to be a member of Mensa

5. Applicant claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had

6. Job seeker claimed to be the CEO of a company when he was an hourly employee

7. Candidate listed military experience dating back to before he was born

8. Job seeker included samples of work, which were actually those of the interviewer

9. Candidate claimed to have been a professional baseball player

My First Day As A Practicum Student

Today was my first day of observation at Disney Elementary School. I am in a Fifth grade class and so far so good. I originally wanted to do younger grades but maybe my heart will change over the next ten weeks. I am SUPER excited to learn certain teaching skills and to interact with the children. My teacher is Mrs. Hammer. She is great! Also, I am in a non-traditional class, where all the students have a computer (EMINTS). Today I observed the kids in Reading and Language Arts. All children are so thrilled to have a "visitor" in their class. They could hardly concentrate. I'm sure they will get used to it. Well, I thought I would include a picture of the class. So here it is!

I hope I can learn new things and get great idea's and lead me to be a fantastic teacher!

Back To School

So, I have been in school for a mere four weeks now! I can't believe it has ALREADY been four weeks! I keep saying that I better get used to school because I am going to be in School for the majority of my life...well because I'm going to be a teacher of course! I am in the computer lab waiting for class to start and seeing that I haven't blogged in a while I just thought I would say....School is going okay!