Instruc Techh

Dr. Ries,

I really like all the different programs you taught us about.  My favorite was learning how to use iMovie.  Also, by having us create a Delicious account I found a lot of useful websites that I can incorporate in my future classrooms.  Some other projects I liked were Inspiration, Webquest, and Comic Life.  Even with Twitter, I had no idea that that could be used for educational purposes, like with the PLNs.

Thank you :)
& have a great summer!

Jessica

Just for a Laugh

This is my dog Holly :] She is part Australian Shepherd and part Black Lab.  Whenever she hears firetrucks she howls & it's hysterical :P

P.S.

I figured I'd also take this time to catch up on everything else I've been up to.  I have pictures from my brother's wedding that was about a month ago.

The happy couple :] my brother Mike & his wife Lana

My sister Jenn, my brother Chris, and me :]

&&& this is Mike & Lana on their honeymoon in Aruba

Some other pictures I have are from my friend Meghan & me hanging out at Caldwell.

andddd this next one is one of my favorites

This is from when a guy on our floor put Meghan in the garbage lol it was even full, with soup & everything ahaha and she got stuck...so instead of getting her out, I pushed her into the hallway (after taking plenty of pictures of course) until an RA found her & got her out.

Another thing I have been up to is going to some of Caldwell's baseball games.  My boyfriend, Matt Cook, is a pitcher.  I love going to the games and spending time with his family.  Yesterday it was Matt's 21st birthday.  I went to the game against Post and he pitched reallyyy well :) Unfortunately it was rainy and cold lol but luckily his family always comes prepared with blankets, chairs, umbrellas, and anything else you could possibly need. And I have to say, he has the cutest grandma I have ever seen.  She comes to a lot of games, sporting a Caldwell hat, and always cheers him on.  I've never had a grandparent like that, so I think it's really sweet to see it.  After the game, we all went out to Bahama Breeze for dinner.  The food was really good and Matt got to order his 1st legal beer lol  All in all, yesterday was a really good day :)

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Quote of the Day:

"some girls are just born with glitter in their veins" -Paris Hilton

Exhausted

I cannottt wait for summer!  It really can't come soon enough.  I have been so busy with papers for school, observing, and work I'm really reaching my breaking point.  I don't really ever feel like I have time off because there's always something that has to get done.  It's like living in a constant state of rushing.  If I do want to hang out it always has to be at night, but then I'm up late which means I'm tired for the next day.  This is why I can usually be found with a can of Monster in my hand :]  it is my favorite energy drink and I usually have 2 a day.  Today I just want to go tanning and take a nap after my classes are over.

-Jessica

Poem

Recently I came across a poem I liked by Kristine O'Connell.  I found it in her book on campfire poems called "Toasting Marshmallows."  Here is a recording of me reading it, it is called "The Best Paths."

http://www.box.net/shared/evfd0h4yhe

Observations

So this past semester I've been assigned to do my 40 hours of observation with a 1st grade class in Haskell.  They are so cute and I love being there.  The teacher has been really welcoming, and the vibe of the classroom is comfortable and upbeat.  The past 2 times I've sat near this little boy Ryan.  In my 1st observation he was asking me for help with his worksheet. Not gonna lie..the directions completely confused me lol but once I figured it out I started helping him.  I wasn't giving him answers, I was just guiding him along and letting him figure it out on his own.  It was funny though because later the teacher came up to me to warn me about him.  She told me he was one of the smartest kids in the class and that he always tries to trick the subs into giving him answers.  Also, I know I'm probably not supposed to, but I already have my class favorite.  Her name is Tara and it started when she was talking to me a lot in her gym class.  In my last observation my heart broke because she was having a rough day.  First, she colored her worksheet on owls wrong, so the teacher took it away and told her she had to redo it.  Tara just put her head down on the desk.  When it was time to go to gym, she forgot her sneakers so she couldn't participate.  I saw her squatting on the floor crying.  When I went to talk to her she said another girl in the class told her that no one likes her and she has no friends.  I felt so bad I just wanted to give her a hug.  So, I did the best I could and tried to cheer her up by talking to her about things that she likes.  This situation also made me feel so grown up.  I remember when I was younger and yea little comments like that can really get to you, but now I think about it and if someone said something mean to me now I probably wouldn't care.  There's so much in life, to fret over something so little and insignificant is just a waste of energy.  I try to focus on the positive, and not let bad things drag me down.  When I'm upset I always think of a quote from one of Carrie Underwood's songs, "never let a bad day be enough to go and talk you into giving up."  But, going back to Tara being upset, I wish I could get her to understand that she should just brush off that mean comment.  I think though that it's one of those things you don't understand until you live it yourself.  Sometimes that's the only way to learn something it to just experience it on your own.

Quote of the day:

"always give more than you take"

is it Friday yet?

This week has been so hectic!  It seems like no matter how much work I do, there's always still something that has to get done.  Between tests, essays, observations, and class I could use a break.  So needless to say I can't wait for the weekend, especially because it's my brother's wedding!  Friday after my morning class I have to go home and get my nails done with my mom.  Later that day I'll be going to the rehearsal dinner.  The next morning I'm getting my hair and make up done.  I'm in the wedding party with my sister, and 2 other girls.  They're all really nice so it should be fun.  My boyfriend can't come to the wedding because he has his first baseball game, so my best friend, Eric, will be my date.  Eric's had a stressful week too, so he's looking forward to getting out on the dance floor with me.

Some other exciting news is that I returned my 2008 Honda Civic because the lease was up and got a brand new Toyota Rav4!  It's soo nice!  I'm not used to driving something that's more high up and spacious, since my Honda was so little.  It's red so as a joke my family kind of named it Marschino like the cherry lol I love it!  It drives soo nice.  You barely step on the gas pedal and before you know it you're going 80mph.

That's it for now :) I'll update after the wedding!

"In spite of everything, I still believe people are good at heart." -Anne Frank

Hey You!

I haven't posted in a while because things have been so busy.  This past weekend I drove to go visit my best friend at TCNJ.  We were supposed to celebrate her birthday that had just passed...butttt she was kind of still feeling the effects of her celebrating the night before.  I tried helping her feel better by bringing her plain pasta with butter, or just a peanut butter sandwich and some ginger ale, but she couldn't keep anything down.  It was best for her to sleep until she felt better.  After watching 2 movies while she slept,  I decided it was best just to go back to Caldwell and visit again another weekend.  I came back to school just to find out my boyfriend was getting sick.  So I drove home to visit with my family for the day.  Sunday, I went to my brother's apartment in Passaic for a "Not-So-Super Superbowl Party" (my brother's a Jets fan).  I had such a good time!  All my best friends from work were there, and I'm always happy to see my brother and his wife.  I really didn't watch the game at all because I was hanging out and talking the whole time, but I heard Christina Aguilera messed up the lyrics in her song.  That's embarrassing lol but let's face it, she still did a better job then most people could have.

Today after class I have to try and sign up for the Workfest trip to Kentucky with the Campus Ministry.  I tried stopping by the office before and no one was there...so I'm not reallyy sure when would be a good time to go.  Also, I still have science homework to finish before my class tonight.  Let me tell you..I thought I was going to die last class lol it was absolutely terrible.  Don't get me wrong, the professor is a nice guy, but it was sooo boring I don't know how I wasn't on the floor twitching by the end of the over 2 and a half hour class.  It could just be me because science is my least favorite subject.  But the professor would speak so slow and soak in every minute which was torture, so I'm kind of dreading class tonight.

Classes that I have found to be enjoyable are "The Holocaust" and "The History of New Jersey." By the end of class my hand is usually ready to fall off from all the notes, but I don't mind because the topics being covered actually spark my interest.  I really like the professors for those classes because they do a nice job of explaining everything clearly.  They also go over it a few times to make sure we really get the hang of it.

Lastly, something I'm looking forward to is getting my hair highlighted :) My mom's paying for it as my birthday present.  I go to a salon in Parsippany, but I still have to call and make an appointment.

Quote for the day:
"when you fish for love, bait with your heart, not your brain" -mark twain

Snow, Snow Go Away

Last night during the snowstorm I was driving from my house back to Caldwell.  My house is about 40 minutes away, but I wasn't worried.  I figured as long as I just drove slow I'd be fine..it was terrible.  The side streets by my town weren't plowed, but the highways were alright.  The worst part was one of the last roads to get back to campus.  The road is narrow and hilly, and my Honda Civic was just swerving around in place.  It wasn't just that my wheels were spinning, I was on a hill and slid onto the wrong side of the road right by a sharp turn.  Eventually I just pulled over and cried my eyes out lol thank God a police officer pulled up next to me and encouraged me to keep trying.  He stayed with me until I was practically back at school.

As for this morning, I woke up and first thing I had to do was move my car from MoJo parking lot to the commuter lot so they could plow the snow.  I walk outside and see a girl on my floor cleaning off her car with her hands.  I felt so bad so I offered to help her with a snow brush for the car.  We actually worked on my car first.  We cleaned off my car then tried scooping up the snow behind it with a sled.  Needless to say it didn't work and we couldn't get it out.  So, we walked back over to her car and came across my roommate who-thank God- had a shovel.  We all worked together and got the 2 of their cars out.  A 3rd friend came out, and we got his car out too.  Finally, we went back to my car and successfully got it out.  So after over an hour of working in the snow my jeans and boots were soaked and I was fuh-reezingg.

To top it all off, Caldwell did not have a snow day today :(

After all my classes are done, I still have to go to the bookstore and buy all the books for my classes.  Also, I have to go find some guy who's signature I need to get into a class that's full.

On the brightside, the weekend is almost here :)  I can't wait to see all my friends to celebrate our birthdays!

So, I'll end today with another quote:

"Life's too short to be anything but happy"

My First Blog

I have never written a blog before, although my friends have tried to get me to start one.  It kind of seems like a public diary or like a way for people to know about you without having to talk to you lol


So far today I had 3 classes: The Holocaust, The History of N.J., & Instructional Technology.  I was reallyyy hoping for a snow day..but no luck.  I still have one more class later tonight which I'm not looking forward to because it's a 2 1/2 hour science class.  Something that I am looking forward to is seeing my best friend, Andrew, come home today!  He's in his second year of training in the Navy and I haven't seen him since I visited him in Pensacola, Florida last February.  He's been in Japan the past few months though, and I know his family is going to be sooo excited to see him.  I'm also looking forward to my 21st birthday coming up this Sunday!  Well actually, there are 4 birthdays within 5 days, everyone's turning 21. My friend Elise has hers on January 29th, then there's mine on the 30th, Andrew's is on February 1st, and my best friend Alison's birthday is February 2nd!  So, I'll be going home this weekend to see them all and my family :)  Dorming at Caldwell, I actually miss my dog the most lol My parents usually drive me crazy when I'm home so our relationship does better when we have some space.  As for my siblings, none of them live at home anymore anyway.  If anything, I see them more when I'm away at school than when I'm living at home.  But my dog, Holly, she usually follows me around everywhere I go.  And let's be real here..dog's can't talk, so they can be the perfect sidekick sometimes.  They're just there to make you happy :)  I can't wait to take Holly on trips with my friends again.  Last summer, Holly was a puppy and when I took her to Ramapo Reservation with my neighbor, I threw her in the lake to try and get her to swim, but she didn't really like it.  Andd she mayyyy have gotten an infection from the water that time :/ soo I have to find somewhere else to get her to learn to swim..I'm thinking maybe the beach.  I love the beach.  Last year my sister got married in Belmar right on the sand.  It was beautiful and the weather was so nice.  This year my brother is getting married.  Weddings are so much fun, especially when all my family is together because everyone likes to get out on the dance floor.  The only downside is they're expensive lol between engagement parties, wedding showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and then the gift for the wedding itself. I like seeing everyone's unique sense of style at their own wedding.  Anyway, I'm really happy for my brothers and sister.  After this next wedding, they will all be married & I'm soo happy for them :)


So, I think I'm going to end each blog with one of my favorite quotes.  Today's will be:


"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Gandhi