Well, it's been one week.

I get to my school at 7:40 in the morning, and I get home anytime from 4pm to 5:15. Let me just tell ya: teachers do not get enough credit. Music teachers definitely do not get enough credit!

I left relatively quickly after school ended, but my cooperating teacher (CT) stayed later, sometimes until 7pm, to prepare for the coming lessons. Wow!

This week was mostly a "observational" week...I watched, participated, took notes, and discussed aspects of the class with my CT. She was really great; she took time to sit down and talk with me about certain classes and strategies.

My favorite part? The kids, no question.

They are so quick to invite you into the class, and they practically glue themselves to your side! One little one sat next to me, took my hand and smiled at me...and we hadn't even said one word to each other! :)

I had several This-Is-What-I-Was-Meant-To-Do moments...one happened after I had given a sectional to 6 6th grade trumpet players...what a great group! They were RIGHT with me...and it was great to feel like I was making a difference.

It's only just begun...I have MUCH more work ahead of me! It might be exhausting, but I know this semester will be a fantastic learning experience for me.

This coming week I have more responsibilities. I'm directing a few songs for the middle school FAME choir, leading the advance band in sight reading, playing the cello and violin for the 2nd graders, and taking a 3rd grade class on Friday.

Thats all for today. Till next time!
~Briana

Well, Happy New Year!

It might be a while before I post pictures again. Our camera broke around the same time as my last blog. Andrew went to Best Buy twice, looking at cameras, and we weren't able to agree on what kind to get. We went back a 3rd and 4th time...and came home with a Wii.

So yes, now we have joined the 21st century. The last video game that I played was my family's old N64...and I wasn't that good at it. I'm not very good at this Wii business, but man, it's fun! My arm is killing me from tennis and boxing, bowling and frisbee golf.

Andrew also got Donkey Kong Country Returns and Mario Galaxy II...which have kept him quite occupied for the last couple days. In fact, one could easily tell from a look at our apartment that we have ceased to function as responsible adults this weekend. I see it as a final hurrah before Andrew starts work and I start student teaching tomorrow. :)

Thank the Lord, Andrew is back on 1st shift, at least for the next 6 months. This means that Andrew and I will be getting up early again and have a similar schedule. Student teaching might be more difficult than a full load of classes (?), but I look forward to the simplified schedule.

For the next few months, this blog might be a bit of a 'Student Teaching Blog'...I want to journal my thoughts and feelings about teaching so that I can look back and see what I've learned. Whether or not that actually happens is a different story.

In other news, I am going sugar-free for the month of January, along with my mom and couple friends. Andrew's made it clear that this is one adventure in which he will NOT be joining me. :) If you'd like to join me, go for it! I had enough sugar in December to make up for three months...

And that's it. Now I'm going to go enjoy the rest of this evening and get everything ready for tomorrow morning...Excel Charter Academy, here I come!

New day!

This is Andrew.

This is his wardrobe. Notice any patterns?





Today the impossible happened. I found shirts that were NOT vertically striped. See? And Andrew not only liked them, but bought them (and they were on clearance for $7:99!).




In other good news, Andrew and I made two different kinds of lasagna yesterday.
First, Portabello Lasagna with Basil Cream from Rache Ray's 'EveryDay' magazine. I stole the recipe from my mother-in-law. :) Due to the fact that I feel downright pudgy lately, I substituted the whipping cream for fat-free half & half, and I used skim milk to make the garlic sauce. I also used less butter than it called for, and less parmesan. It wasn't as knock-out amazing as I wanted it to be, but I bet with all the called-for fat, it would be better. :D It also needed more seasoning...I'm thinking some rosemary and thyme would do the trick.
If you want the recipe, let me know. :)

Next, we made 'Christmas Lasagna' from Chef John's FoodWishes blog. It was quite excellent! According to the chef, grateable mozerella isn't legit, so we made the treck to J.B. Russos & Sons (a GREAT place to go, anyway :), and got the real stuff. We probably could've gotten it at Meijer, but it was more fun to go to Russos. AND we had a gift card. :)

In my opinion, lasagna is always better the next day. Maybe something to do with the flavors having a chance to meld together? Chili is the same way. But today we thad the 'Christmas' lasagna for lunch and it was way better than yesterday.

And that's all for today. Andrew's making coffee now (in his nicely patterned shirt) and hugging Kitty...which is possibly the most adorable thing ever. Till next time!

~Briana

Food is one of my favorite things.

Perhaps inspired by the Julie and Julia movie, I decided to blog about my food conquests. Plus, food is so delicious and pretty to look at. :)

Today I made french onion soup...my absolute favorite soup of all time. There's nothing like caramelized onions gently simmered with a dash of sherry wine and homemade beef stock, topped with bubbling gruyere cheese. Mmmmmm.

My recipe came from Foodwishes...a blog that I often frequent for the great recipes. Here's the recipe.

I also made Chicken Bryan, a dish that Andrew and I love to order at Carrabba's, at special occasions. :) We've made it a couple times, and this recipe claims to be the original. It was perfect, but I think that the poster accidently switched measurements. If you make this, be sure to use 1/2 cup of white wine and 6 tbsp of lemon juice, not vice versa as in the recipe.
Mmmm...

(These are photos I found online, not mine. Next time I'll take pictures of my own. :) )

It would've been even better with garlic mashed potatoes, but I didn't have any potatoes left. :(

There you have it.

I think Andrew and I are making lasagna this week, so I'll post our adventure when it happens. :)

~Briana

Briana Soup

If I were a soup...

I would be egg drop soup.
No, never mind...that's just what sounds good right now.
I would have a strong, moral stock,

But with a few unanswered questions mixed in.

I would be a colorful soup...artsy and full of variety

A versatile soup...something that goes with a lot of different dishes.

I'd have a good dose of guilt, slightly flavoring everything
And I'd be made with obsessive perfectionism...

But never quite there.

I WOULD NOT have lima beans in me. Ick.

I WOULD have chicken in me...because chicken is healthy.

I would be served with insecurity,

And eaten with loyalty

And enjoyed for the most part...until I get cold.

I would be hard to find,

And maybe a little difficult all around,

But absolutely desperate to please the table guests.

I would be one of those soups that have a bunch of different names,

Depending on who's eating it.

I would contain certain spices

That no one could figure out...

That's what I would be

If I were a soup.

(This post is for my old friend Destiny, who said I should start blogging again. :D)

I take my faith very seriously.
I expect people who call themselves Christians to behave like Christians.
I don't expect perfection among my fellow believers, but I do expect my them to admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness...and change.
I expect these things not only from my peers but also from myself- not because I think it should be that way, but because it's how God has called us to be.

And yet, by even writing the above, I set myself up for labels like "prude" and "that girl who makes everyone else feel guilty".
In situations where I must chose between peer conversation and God's approval, dare I say what I believe in?
No, I will not participate in crude and obscene conversation. No, I don't watch TV that blasphemes the name of God and mocks Christianity. No, I don't think pornography is funny. I will not listen to perverse jokes about sex.

Why does my stomach tighten in anxiety even as I write these words?

Recently I've realized in a much deeper way how uncool it is to voice your convictions. When I dare to mention that God might not be pleased with the conversation, I am a wet blanket. A spoil-sport. Someone that others don't want to hang with. Who wants to be with someone who can't take a joke?

But this realization comes with a irevocable understand that I have no choice. Though none go with me, still I MUST follow. Even if my closest friends slowly distance themselves from me, I have to stand my ground and cling to what I know God has placed in my heart.
This is not some arbitrary moral code that I happened to be born with. This is the word of God. I dare not comprimise what I know God has called me to in order to fit in with others. There is no option here.

So now I must learn to balance this inner conviction with love. Jesus lived a life of righteousness and yet loved others with a love so deep that he chose to die so that they could live. He was hated and mocked and isolated (WAY more than I ever have been or ever will be!) and still he loved: fiercely, loyally, undeniably. I want to be like Jesus and speak the truth in love. I want to see my peers the way God that sees them. I want to take a stand in a way that draws people to God rather than repels them. I want ME to get out of the way and let JESUS shine through.


I have so far to go. Guide me, Lord Jesus.

This weekend I am going to Cedar Point with the VT Family!

By "VT Family" I mean:

Mike - Dad-in-law
Brenda - Mom-in-law

Josh - Bro-in-law

Brooke - Sister-in-law
Alyssa and Kirsten - Nieces

Tim - Bro-in-law

Meghan - Bro-in-law's gf

Nick - Bro-in-law
Jenna - Bro-in-law's gf

Kristen - Sis-in-law

Kyle -Sis-in-law's should-be-fiance

So yeah. Andrew's extremely excited to be riding all of the amazing rollercoasters. And I am too, I suppose...it's just that I haven't had a weekend for two weeks now and I dearly love my weekends. The quietness, the still moments, the second cup of coffee, the snuggling on the couch...

"You always need margin", my mom says. The blank spaces between things. I love margin.

I should not complain, though. Life is good. I spend too much time complaining, actually...I'm tired, I'm lonely, I don't like doing homework, I don't have enough time to go grocery shopping...

I'm actually sick of hearing my brain complain. I'm working on training myself to be thankful.

For my working legs. For dry and warm clothing. For my husband. For the opportunity to be educated. For the money to go grocery shopping!

I will train this brain to be happy! "We're gonna traaaiiin you.

Speaking of thankfulness, I found another thing for which to be thankful...concerning my husband. Not that there aren't a gazillion things to be thankful about concerning him.... :D
Here it is:

In general, "things" pop into my mind constantly. Funny pictures, ambitious ideas, strange commentaries, eye-opening realizations...and when I'm with Andrew I am completely free to open my mouth and spew said "things". He might respond with a laugh or a nod or a word of advice...or maybe nothing at all. But he listens. And he doesn't think I'm stupid or unimportant. He HEARS me.

You might laugh, but I really want to be heard. You'd be amazed at the many times when people just DON'T hear me! My friend Bethany says that I have one of those voices that just blend into the background. Bethany loves me so I don't feel insulted by this...just informed. It helps me realize that some people might just honestly not hear me. And it helps prepare me for those terrible moments when I start speaking and then someone else talks right over me. Oy vey.

But anyway...I appreciate Andrew because he truly listens to me and values what I say to him. That's...wow. It's just so cool to have someone like that in your life. My mom is like that too.

People probably think I'm odd because I always bring up my mom at school. I realized that this year. "My mom always says that...", or "My mom used to...", or "My mom thinks that..."

I think that's a compliment to her...it means that I value her opinion and that her actions have made a lasting impression on me.

See? I'm not that messed up. Let this be an encouragement to all first-born PKs...there is hope. Just MOVE OUT. And you will be better friends with your family. :P

(Kidding!...sortof.)

Word of the last-couple-weeks:
Snarky.

I really really really love that word. Snarky.

That's all. I'm going to play puzzle games online until Andrew gets home.