There was SNOW during finals week (back in April)

The week leading up to finals was beautiful.  I even opened the window in my apartment to let some fresh air in.  Tuesday of finals I got up, it was super sunny and warm, so I wore flip flops with my jeans.  (Although I prefer tennis shoes, my left foot, because of the RSD in my leg, prefers flip flops).  I went to school, did a bunch of things, like work on take home finals and do a four hour review for my calculus students who had their final the next day.  I finally went to leave campus around 11 pm, and it was snowing outside.  I was like WHAT is that?!?!  The janitors were on a break at the bottom of the staircase and said, just pretend it is white rain.  I can't pretend that, I told them.  They tried to comfort me by saying, at least it isn't a foot deep.  And I responded with, be glad it isn't because I would just sit on these stairs and cry.  They were sweet and tried to cheer me up, and then I decided to brave the snow and go home.  Flip flops and snow are NOT a good combination.  I slip and fell several times, and ended up completely soaked.  It was a 20+ minute drive home, and I didn't see doing that soaking wet and freezing cold.  My car had a layer of snow, so I was like, PERFECT!  I have an old blanket in the car, I can peel off the outer layers of clothes and wrap in the blanket and no one can see me change.  Once I was wrapped in the blanket I realized I couldn't drive with snow on my car.  So I got back out, still wrapped in the blanket and attempt to brush snow off my car so I could drive.  Thankfully it was so late that no one was out to see me make a complete fool of myself!  Although honestly, I probably would have laughed with them, knowing what a silly sight I must be!  Then I drove home 5 under the speed limit the whole way, because there was no way I wanted to get pulled over and explain to a cop why I was wrapped in a blanket!  Thankfully I made it home safe and sound!

Here are some pictures from one of the last light snows we had.  These are the rocks in my front yard.  I thought the way the snow piled against the rocks was really neat.  Almost reminded me of the ocean and sand around the rocks.

Rainbows and Rain..... No Thunderstorms yet

Today I went to campus to meet with the professor with which I am working on the grant.  It went well and she was pleased with how much work and research I already had done.  I gave her quite a bit of material (well-organized) to go through.  I have a few more things to work on, but not too terribly much.  Mostly it is in her court to make decisions now.  And I tutored someone in calculus for 2 hours. Interesting day.  Hard to believe it is nearly 8 pm and still so light outside!  Guess that is what happens when I live so far north.  The bunnies and I are watching National Treasure and still hoping to see thunderstorms.  (None yet, but plenty of rain!)  We also have a puzzle to work on if we get bored!  That is if the rabbits don't nibble on the pieces  :)

Rainbow!  A reminder of God's promise!

The sky is amazing here!

On the drive home...

I just thought those low lying clouds were so amazing!

I love the trains that come through!
After my last job, I have really come to love the trains even more than I used to.

Possibility of Thunderstorms!

Excited - the forecast for the next few days calls for scattered thunderstorms, 

possibly even tonight!  That would be really neat!

The clouds start to roll in....

Getting darker.... This is a good sign!

Can't see the mountains and it started raining....
Now I am waiting for the thunderstorms!

Jack and Pi are prepared.  They are hiding under the couch just in case!

I'm back.... Sorry for the long hiatus.... AND The train

Hi!  Sorry!  This semester was nearly the death of me!  But I did well in my classes, by the grace of God.  I taught business calculus this term.  It was a LOT of work!  I don't think students realize how much time professors put into writing good and fair exams for their students.  My students did quite well!  I was very happy for them!  All 11 sections take the same final at the same time written by the supervising professor.  That way they can't claim one teacher wrote an easier final or too hard of a final.  My students had a median score of 87%, which means a little less than half got an A on the final!  They worked really hard for it.  Many of them came to the four hour review session I did for them the day before the final.  

I have more pictures to post from this past semester, and I will work on that.  My goal is to try and post something at least once a week, but hopefully more often!

I miss my family and friends very much and am looking forward to graduating next year and hopefully finding a teaching position, either at the junior college level or adjunct/non-tenure track at a university.  I love teaching, it is truly a passion of mine!

These are the train tracks near my apartment.  I shot this video from my front yard of rocks.  It is a little hard to see.  Sorry.  If the train comes back I will try to get closer.  A few weeks ago I saw new lumber by the tracks to replace the railroad ties that are too old.  I saw the train come by once and drop off lumber but wasn't fast enough to catch it on video.  Finally caught it today!  There is a crane that sits atop the train cars and the train drives a short distance, stops, and the crane lifts stacks of railroad ties from the car behind the one the crane is sitting on and leaves them beside the railroad tracks.  It is pretty cool!

President's Day Weekend

Hi everyone!  I really am trying to post every week!

Classes are going better than last semester!  I am staying up with all my classes, and at times, even slightly ahead, which is really nice.  Although, I do feel like I study ALL THE TIME!
I like studying math and statistics.  But not all the time with no time to have a life.  I did watch a movie Friday night, but I long for a real weekend, where I can have friends over or just putter around the house and do something fun.  I am looking forward to graduating and *hopefully* getting a job teaching.  I will probably always be studying something, either on my own or take a class somewhere.  But one class at a time, not full time studying pouring over texts and puzzling over problems with little to no free time.

I am LOVING teaching!  I am teaching calculus this semester, to business students.  This is the first time I have taught Calculus (as opposed to tutoring calculus students).  It is going pretty good thus far.  Business calculus moves at a much slower pace than traditional calculus, so I am learning to adjust the timing and provide more opportunities for group work.  Business calculus, I have to provide more examples and reasons why we are learning this material, otherwise the students don't see the point.  In fact I have one student that sits in the back of the class that constantly asks, "why do we have to learn this?!"  But that is good.  It keeps me on my toes and constantly thinking of applications that would be relevant for them.  Currently I am working on writing their first test, which they will take on Friday.

We got a light dusting of snow last night!  Just enough to be pretty, but it looks like it will still be fine to drive in!  The bunnies and I are sitting downstairs looking out the window, working on Linear Algebra homework (that is due Thursday) and watching JAG.  Speaking of JAG, I am sitting in on Mathematical Statistics (the class that comes after the probability class I took last semester).  The instructor looks and sounds an awful lot like the Admiral from JAG!

I have been researching recipes for making my own tater tots (baked, not fried) and some type of chicken nuggets.  I know, not the healthiest of food, but hoping that making them from scratch, I can make them healthier!  Once I settle on some recipes to try, I will let y'all know how they turn out!  Hopefully good!

Anyway, better get back to test writing and homework!

I'm back.....sorry for the long hiatus!

Hi everyone!  Sorry it has been FOREVER since I posted.  I had so much going on the last month and a half of Fall Semester and I was facing some health challenges, so I fear this blog went by the wayside.  BUT!  I am bringing it back to life!  I am back in Montana.  We are in the third full week of classes.  I am teaching CALCULUS this semester!  It is a little intimidating, but I am enjoying it!  I love teaching!  My classes are going pretty well this semester, so far.  I am taking Linear Algebra - so systems of equations, and also Numerical Solutions which is a way of approximating a solution when one can't get an exact answer.  I spent most of Winter Break with my boyfriend, Hunter.  I miss him terribly, as he is going to school in California.
Other than that, I am learning to live in the snow!  It is cold, but a dry cold, so it isn't as bad.  There were a few days I thought I might freeze to death, but otherwise I am getting the hang of it.  I just bundle up really good!  And I drive slow and careful in the snow.  That's about it for now, but I will try to post something (hopefully lots of pictures too!) every week!

Snow!!!!!!

It snowed lots Thursday night. I was really brave and drove to school Friday morning. It took an hour plus instead of the usual 25 minutes. My poor little car is underpowered for the snow, so it won't drive over through where the snow is deeper than six inches, so in some places I had to dig it out with my hands (I need to buy a shovel) so I could drive. My car shimmied around on the road some, but not too bad. I got to school and I was like no way am I doing this all winter. Public transit here I come. Got to the class I teach and there weren't many kids. I asked where they were, and the class looked at me a bit incredulously and said, that is a bad snowstorm, probably none of the off campus people will be here. I was like, what?!? They said there were 47 wrecks on the main road this morning alone. I was so thankful I had made it to school in one piece and was glad to hear perhaps the driving might not always be that bad. Still.... Planning on checking out mass transit!