Announcement, Announcement!!

A preview of what I'll be doing in the fall..working with KIDLETS!!

I've finally made my decision. I will be going to Richmond, Virginia to teach Spanish!! How cool, huh? It's totally not what I expected, but it feels right and it's gonna be a fun and new adventure for sure!!

So, here's a little info on how this came to pass:
1. I went to BYU's Teacher Fair in March. I randomly talked to the representatives of Richmond Public Schools, gave them my resume, and walked off.
2. They sent me an e mail asking me to consider their school, and I didn't think anything of it.
3. They sent me a letter a week or two later offering me a job as an Elementary Spanish teacher. Crazy, huh?
4. I did a phone interview and they offered me the job!!
5. I considered all of my options (mission, Taiwan, going to nursing school here or in Washington, subbing in Washington, teaching in Brazil/Portugal, etc., etc.) and finally decided last Sunday that that is what I'm going to do!!
6. The only thing I need to do now is to pass the Spanish PRAXIS exam on July 29th. When I pass, I have a job teaching Spanish in an elementary school. I get to teach in an inner city school district where the ethnic background is 85% Black, 10% White, and 5% Other. How awesome is that? I'll also be within two hours of D.C., be in a good singles' ward, be close to Virginia Commonwealth University, and hello-EAST COAST!! It's gonna be a fun adventure where I learn lots, try something new, and get to learn to rely on my Savior and feel His love and guidance in my life, wherever it may take me.

LIFE IS GREAT!!

Love, Janae

Tiparoos of the Week

Play soccer barefoot in the grass and give kids piggy back rides. It keeps you happy, and plus, it's a good workout. I was so refreshingly tired after this.
Tips of the week:

Monday:Go shopping with Eleisha. Don't call boots "hooker boots" unless you know for sure that the store clerk isn't listening. I'm a sinner-dang it. Also, avoid the high council representative while shopping for bridal shower gifts. Wow. I thought I was gonna bust into fire and brimestone as we were walking out of VS.
Tuesday: Choose to enjoy whatever work you have-even if it is the Psych ward. :) Do puzzles with them. It calms them like nothing else. Get food at hospital cafeterias. It's cheap and d-lish!!
Wednesday:Fill up the gas tank before getting to California...it's expensive there. Take pictures of bears while in the wilderness. Let sleeping dogs, er, boys, lie.
Thursday:Visit your granny. She'll love it. Eat your veggies and stay smart to be spunky like my awesome Grandma Brown. Go to high school reunions. It makes you appreciate not being back in the scary jungle...not to be confused with Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, but still very rough.
Friday:Go to the temple, and often. Wear polka dots. Wear yellow. They make everyone around you happy. Check around the car to make sure there isn't a dog next to you. Holy scary. Dance at wedding receptions. Fun stuff!!
Saturday:Buy the Hunger Games series. Then again, if you want to have a life for the next few days besides the books, don't. It's beyond addicting. It's my own personal brand of heroine. Play Scattergories. It brings out a true personality in a person. But, for me personally, I better avoid it meeting my future husband's family. I'll scare him away right away!! I was cracking up and on the point of tears at the Cooks'. Good thing they were already okay with my crazy self.
Sunday:Enjoy times with your friends. You never know where your life may lead, so appreciate the time you have with them. Do stay up til 4 a.m. with your roommate as she writes a 10 page paper that she started at midnight while eating animal crackers. They'll be memories to last a lifetime.

Tips of the Week

Tips of life: LOVE life, LOVE family, LOVE the Gospel, LOVE God, LOVE life. Oh, and smile, like in this picture, or else you'll get frown marks. Not pretty.

Every once in a while, I give "tips of the day". Why not post them to help my dear friends out? I don't want you to have to make the silly mistakes I make each day, so take these as tips to keep from being a dork, that is, unless you wanna run into the funny situations I do each day. Enjoy!! :)

Monday: Chocolate milk is ESSENTIAL at midnight to keep ya going on a 12 hr road trip. Stop in Dillon, MT to get pizza. It's good. Oh, and they actually have stop signs. STOP. Funny story.
Tuesday: You can live a happy life no matter what your physical or other disabilities may be. It all depends on your attitude and perspective. Make conversations with people at the Social Security Card Center. They're funny.
Wednesday: Rock climbing shows you a lot about yourself in your ability to try new things and push yourself to new limits. Don't be a pansy-try it out!! And don't have long nails when you climb.
Thursday: Pick your battles and choose not to be offended by those you love. Two words: Spicy tiger. It does wonders for frisbee.
Friday: Spontaneous weekends are the best weekends. (Especially if they involve fun roommates and going to Dominoes at 12:30.) :)Do not leave belay devices hanging around the Quarry. Whoops.
Saturday: Do NOT put taffy in your back pocket on a sunny day. It's not pretty-nor smooth...it's actually quite sticky on your boo-tay. Play soccer barefoot. It will solve everything.

Tune in next week for some tips all the way from sunny California.

Love, love, love, Janae :)

Summer Adventures

Mis padres y yo at the graduação. :)

I'm a list person. Have you noticed it yet?

Summer adventures so far:
1. Graduate from college. CHECK.
2. Get a rock climbing pass to the Quarry. Check
3. Get a second job to fund summer adventures. Check.
4. Go to morning yoga that's free with rock climbing pass. Check.
5. Read a book each week. Check for the 1st week.
6. Catch my first fish. TBC. (to be checked)
7. Make crum brulee.TBC.
8. Learn the guitar. TBC.
9. Run a marathon. (May 14th-please pray I'll survive!! :)) TBC.
10. Get ice cream from an ice cream truck for the first time. TBC.

LIFE IS GREAT!!

Com amor,
Janae

If I had a wish list for Easter, this is what I'd ask for...

A MAN PILLOW!! Ha-love it!!
http://www.dreamdawn.com/sh/features/img/japanese_horror/man_pillow.jpg


A monthly pass to the Quarry.

A full time teaching job somewhere cool.

Me to survive my marathon.

AWESOME family and friends. Wait...I'm so lucky and already have them.

Life is good. Love, Janae :)

My life is funny

Some of my awesome friends who surprised me on my birthday!!
Ariane & Nathan, Beto, KC, me, and Chloe!!

No man should run faster than he has strength. Let me add to that: no woman should sprint faster than she can on high heels!! Welcome to the past month or so of my life.:) And it's only gonna be crazier for the next 3 weeks until I graduate. There's so many things to do, to decide, and to reflect upon. There is also plenty to stress, as well as laugh about. But, I choose to laugh, because otherwise I would cry...and that gives me a headache.

Funny Stuff:-
They talked a lot about getting married in this last General Conference. That makes me laugh. My latest dating endeavors have included:

1. An ENGAGED guy standing me up for a date on Friday. No, really.
2. The latest guy interested in me is 31. Oh, goodness.
3. I just found out that something I was suspicious about in an old boyfriend is indeed correct. OUCH.
4. My latest boyfriend and I broke up for the same reason: "It just doesn't feel right." I'm pretty sure there's a specific reason for this happening to me multiple times, and I hope that means there's a specific awesome guy out there. Another funny thing was that my soccer boys asked me why we broke up, and proceeded to tell me they didn't like him anyway. So, I told them that they're the reason we broke up...because he didn't get their approval. I love my soccer boys!! What goofs.

Enough with dating!! Other funny/awesome stuff:
1. I got a job offer last night to be a Spanish teacher in Richmond, Virginia!!!!!!!! Funny thing is, I don't remember ever applying for it.
2. I had my birthday last week.Everyone who found out thought I was turning 21. Geez, I think I'll have a baby face for the rest of my life so when I'm in my 60's they'll all think I'm in my 40's. SWEET!! I also had some AMAZING friends do a surprise birthday for me. How sweet!!
3. I worked on the Psych unit twice last week. Wow, that's entertaining and scary sometimes. I got proposed to 2-3 times...
4. My Spanish professor is a SAINT!! Well, sort of. He extended the deadline for our HUGE 8-12 page paper in Spanish until April 15th. It was April 8th before, so I'm SUPER grateful.
5. My boss, Crystal is also a SAINT!! She worked for me on Friday because she said I work too much. So, I chilled at home and hung out with Liz. Loved it!!
6. I have no idea where I will be in 3 months, and...it's EXCITING!!
Life is good. The Gospel is true, and I'm so grateful for the Lord and His guidance and love all throughout my life. I love you all!!

-Janae :)

What is love?

What is love? It's a question I asked my Health students last semester. A dead silence fell over the class until my dear student, Facundo sang out, "What is love? Baby don't hurt me no more!!." HILARIOUS. That was my third period class in a nutshell. But, let's be serious...

All of this excitement, hustle, and bustle over Valentine's Day is fun (I'll admit that it's one of my favorite holidays), but we often forget what it is celebrating-LOVE. What exactly is love? Love is when you put someone's needs over your own. In layman's terms and conditions, that means doing the dishes or taking out the trash when your loved one needs your help. It means lifting them up with no thought of "what's in it for me?".I believe that love is the biggest motivator in life, and enables us to be the best we can be.

I want to be a more loving person; someone that you would know without a doubt loves you. I can think of countless examples of loving people in my life and in the scriptures, but let's focus on the most loving example we can ever have-the Savior. What did he do to show love? It was shown in His every action, thought, and deed, for, "God is love," as stated in 1st John 8:4 (a fabulous chapter on love by the way). As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I believe that we have the ability, opportunity, blessing, and potential to someday become gods. If I am to do so, I must learn to love as the Savior did. I will be focusing on opening my heart to those in need, to choose to see those in need, to see the best in others, and to learn to express love in the way those I love want to be loved. What is love? It's a work in progress in my book. Love, Janae :)