Graduation and such...

Wow! Where do I begin? So much has happened in the past 2 months that I don't even know where to start! Okay, so I started out with graduation the beginning of April! I can't believe my college days are over! My parents flew out for my graduation and a lot of my other relatives that live close by were able to come and celebrate with us. So, the graduation festivities began on Friday with everyone meeting at my favorite place, Red Robin for a celebratory lunch. My parents, Grandma Davies, Aunt Suzy, Grandma White, Aunt Melany and Uncle Dewane, cousins Jody, Shawn and Destiny all came and we had a blast! Then, Friday night was graduation which was so much fun and surprisingly, I wasn't too sad about leaving. Saturday, my parents and I headed down to Utah where we stayed with my Grandma and spent Easter at my Aunt Laura's. Then Monday we headed down to Cedar Hills to get me all moved in for student teaching. I am about half way done with my student teaching and I have loved every minute of it! I absolutely love teaching first grade! It is so much fun and I seriously wake up every morning excited for what the day is going to bring. I am working at an amazing school and the first grade team is just fabulous! I am sad that I am almost finished! I am currently looking for jobs down in the Jordan area. I had an interview this week with the Jordan School District and had a nice surprise interview with the new principal at the school where I am doing my student teaching...which has two first grade openings, so I am crossing my fingers! It would be my dream to work at this school, in first grade! Other than being busy with student teaching, I haven't been up to much. I have started going to yoga classes with Beth and Caity three times a week and I really enjoy it. I tried out the single's ward down here but wasn't really a fan, and part of that was because I knew I was only going to be here for 12 weeks and didn't really see the point. Hopefully once I get a job and get settled somewhere, I will find a single's ward with lots of people. I have also been able to spend a lot of time with extended family since I have been down here, so that has been a plus! In other news, I became an aunt once again this month. Beautiful Madison Kate Renshaw was born May 14 and I am so bummed that I am not around to meet her. Hopefully this summer, I will be able to go to NC for a bit and meet her and spend time with the other kiddos. Here is a little picture recap of the past couple of months--mostly graduation pictures!

Dad and I on graduation...I can't find where I saved the one of my mom and I...but I will find it and upload it!

So happy to be done with school!!!

Grandma White and I!

Shandee, me and Patrice on one of our last weekends together. Patrice is now serving her mission in Nauvoo and Shandee is still at school. It has been rough not having these two around!

My sweet new niece Madison!

The Final Days!

I know, I know! I am a horrible blogger! Okay, so a quick little recap from the last time...I finished up the semester beautifully and headed home for Christmas Break. Christmas with the fam was amazing and I loved spending time with my little smunchkins! However, I was most definitely ready to get back to school after about a week at home. So, the first week of January rolled around and back to Rexburg I went to start my last semester of college. HOLY COW! This last semester has been incredibly insane! I have been so busy, but loving every minute of it! I am in my senior practicum (which is like a mini-student teaching) and am in a 4th grade classroom. I love my students! This semester has been the first time I ever questioned whether or not I could or even wanted to be a teacher. I know...my final semester and I am just now asking myself that serious question :/ Anywho...even though it has been the semester I have doubted my abilities the most, it has also been the semester I have realized without a doubt that the classroom is where I am supposed to be.
Now, in four short weeks, I will be graduating college and heading down to Utah to do my student teaching. While I am very excited for this next adventure in life, all of the things and people I am going to miss in Rexburg is starting to hit me. There are honestly some very dear people here who I don't know what I am going to do without them. While I am done sitting in classrooms, I honestly feel like college is where I was forced to grow up and really found myself. However, now that I am leaving college, I have no idea what to do next. I was hanging out with a very good friend the other day who is also graduating, and we were talking about how when you graduate high school, you know that the next step is to go to college; that's just what you do. But, when you graduate college, you don't always know what the next step is going to be or where to go. While this is completely terrifying to go into the next phase of my life totally blind, I can't help but feel excited and feel like something amazing is going to come out of it.
On top of all this graduation talk, I haven't been able to shake the memory that in 11 days, it will be exactly one year since I got that dreaded phone call telling me that one of the most amazing men in my life was gone. Some days, I feel like I am still grieving for him, and I don't think that feeling is one that is ever going to go away. However, I am forever grateful for the time I got to spend with him. Not many people know that if it weren't for this incredible man, I would not have made it through a very rough time in my life. I owe my graduation day from BYU-Idaho to my grandfather and he will be on my mind the entire day and I know he will be there in spirit.
But, here are some pictures from this semester to fill in for my absence of posts :)