Engineering and Design

I'm in a science methods class that is quite literally all fun and games. The professor is all about leading us through example lessons as if we are in grade school, and then following the lesson up with great ways to assess the learning, expand the lesson, and modify for other levels.

This week, we were focusing on engineering and design standards. The professor provided unlimited drinking straws, 3 meters of tape, and one Winona daily newspaper to each group with the challenge of creating the tallest newspaper tower. First, we had to brainstorm the possible problems and limitations we would face. We discussed balance, strength of materials, the limited amount of materials we were allowed to use... etc. With my small group, I jokingly said, "well, we're going to be limited by the ceiling. Obviously. Because our tower is going to be so tall." BUT IT TURNS OUT, we are better scientists than we thought! OUR NEWSPAPER TOWER WAS SO TALL. And yes, the flag on top for extra height and majestic power was my idea. Thank you.

The strongest base ever created

Almost to the ceiling + majestic flag

Practically the Eiffel Tower

In all its extra large glory

Yes, I am paying for this education.


PS - Second grade funny of the day...
Teacher asks a comprehension question based on the story we just read. A usually rather unfocused student raises their hand and produces a surprisingly well articulated response...
Teacher: "Great answer, I love that!"
Student: "Yeah, my meds are really setting in, I'm having a great day!!"

21st on the 22nd

If you missed my September birthday, you should be ashamed.

It was awesome and here's how I celebrated...

Almost beat Dan in scrabble. Then got murdered by Dan in scrabble.

Gift from Dan. The best speaker ever.

Gift from mom. The most wonderful watch in the world.

Dinner and Wicked with family. Have I mentioned that?

Went to a bar with Antonio, ate sweet potato fries, drank something called tropical dream, split a huge pull tab.

Lunch with Michael, Dad, Nan, and Bug. I bought that pink sweater with some pull tab winning.

 This is the first time that my birthday has been dragged out for 3 weekends. I vote it becomes tradition.

September Reappears

Hi you guys!

In August, I got a new computer. That was pretty neat. What was not pretty neat was how I counted on my old computer to automatically remember my username and password for this blog, and I didn't think about that until after it was gone. BUT GUESS WHAT. Somehow I figured out how to get back in here. So lucky me, lucky you, I get to start blogging again.

Sorry about the haiatus.

Here's what you missed...

I moved to train land

Holly and I hang out. All the time.

On a Thursday, I got a job!

By Friday my job burnt down.

I did homework

I didn't do homework

Dan learned to juggle

Today is an exciting day. I have been waiting for this day for a few months now. I get to see Wicked tonight with the wonderful ladies in my family! This is how excited I was about Wicked in June.

EEP! One midterm down, One more midterm to finish and then I am on my way home!

Real Summer Vacation

I WENT HOME FOR A WEEK AND IT WAS SO GREAT.

My one week of actual work-free summer vacation proved to be quite wonderful. I spent some time with family and friends and even got to relax outside in the sun. The highlight of the week, however, was of course the State Fair. I am a big fan of the fair. You knew that.

On Thursday, I went to the fair with Dan and we met his older brother Joe there. We ate everything, including fries, fried pickles, cream puff, bull bites, 1919 root beer float, and cookies. Then we had to rush home so that he could leave for Duluth in time for his Thursday night show. It was a sad goodbye because Winona and Duluth are kinda stupidly far away from each other.

FRY DAN

The following day I went to the fair again, and more joy was brought into my life. Mom and I went and met Kay there. We also saw Jill and all her crazy friends. We ate a foot long hot dog, pronto pups, pickle dogs, more fries, more cookies, and endless milk at the milk barn.

Friday night I met my friend Adrian for coffee and catching up before I left for school. He's a super cool guy and I'm so excited for him because he's going back to school this semester. It's been ten years since he first gave it a try and didn't do so well. But he is newly motivated and ready to go now. What an inspiration!

Saturday morning I caught coffee with another friend, Cozy. Cozy is so cool, I want to be her when I grow up. Meeting with her was an awesome way to end the summer.

The drive to Winona yesterday was sleepy. Moving was sweaty. And the night was full of trains rumbling our room. Can you gauge my level of excitement regarding being back here for school? It's low.

Bye Duluth

Last hoorahs in Duluth included:

• Lunch on the patio of Canal Park Brewing Company. Excellent food, mediocre service, surprise $2 charge for sitting on the patio
• Visiting Glensheen mansion, but not going inside because our friends weren't working and we didn't want to actually buy a ticket. 
• Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. Super silly, super fun, and starring a super cute fella.
• Renegade Improv with Dan in the audience, not on stage.
• Beach Day Sunday. Awesome. Beautiful outside. Water that hurts your toes it's so cold.
• Lake walk and Canal Park
• Famous Dave's lunch

I had a seriously spectacular summer. Duluth was nice to me.

Canal Park Brewing Company lunch

A poster for dan's show at Canal Park BC

Glensheen

Legs at the beach

Nubs at the beach

Beach people

Last Day

I had an awesome last day today at work. We ate ice cream, cleaned up our favorite park, finished a goosebumps book, and ordered pizza for lunch! I had a half day so I left during rest time and all my kids gathered around to hug me and tell me they were going to steal my keys so I couldn't leave. There was a lot of mock sobbing which was both heartwarming and irritating as all heck. The day wouldn't be complete without a heartwarming/irritating experience, though. I also mopped the bathroom because someone peed on the floor... Yep, it was the perfect day.

As I was leaving, the preschool teacher gave me a sheet of paper that listed what each kid said he/she liked about Miss Abby. The list included the folowing:
-Doing projects and learning about new things!
-Playing and learning new games!
-When she reads books to us it was really fun!
-I liked that she let us read books as rest time and quiet activities.
and more

The other teachers also wrote their favorite things. They say they admire how I interact with the kids and that I will be an awesome teacher. MORE WARM FUZZIES. I have nice friends.

ICE CREAM

Cleaning our park

Semi-successful photo

Tonight I think I will relax and maybe pack up a little while Dan does his show, The Comedy of Errors. Tomorrow night I will go to the show and then catch him at improv afterward. DOUBLE SHOW NIGHT. I can't believe my summer is coming to an end already. I feel like it simultaneously crawled and flew by, even though that doesn't make sense. Sunday I will go home for some R and R before moving back to Winona. Classes start on the 26th! Gahhh.

Parks and Cookies

My coworkers are the coolest.

Today was my last full day at Endion. When I arrived in the morning, the center director gave me a card with a little gift and gift card, and then showed me this massive cookie cake she got to celebrate a summer with me and another lady who is heading back to school shortly. We went to the aquarium with all the kiddos and basically just had a grand old time.

I'm sad to say goodbye to such an awesome job and work atmosphere.

(I'm not actually that fat. It's a bad shirt. Also, don't look at the cookie in the next photo...)

Karen is realy awesome. And also super weird. I like it.

"Sorry to see you go!"

Tomorrow we are having an ice cream party catered by Bridgeman's to celebrate my last day. I am so excited! I am also taking my older kids to our favorite park because some hooligans wrote really bad words in permanent marker all over it recently - and that sucks a lot. We noticed it on Wednesday. There are horrible insults about someone named Sammy. Sammy was quite hated by our permanent marker artist. One of my girls asked, "Who's Sammy?" and another one replied, "Like Sammy's Pizza, Sammy?" And we came to the conclusion that Domino's did all the writing. DANGIT Domino's, YOU are why we can't have nice things.