Fly Me to the Moon.

The first time we met went out for cake at The Chocolate. It was the most darling place that we just so happened to stumble upon late one evening. We even sampled one called, "The Husband." But something happened that evening as we talked and shared stories of our lives.  He was (and still very much is) very handsome in his mustard cardigan, hair swooped across his forehead as he listened to intently story after story. It felt like we were the only ones at that little cake shop as we sat across the tiniest table getting to know each other.  
After we parted, I called Mama. 

"So, how was your date with Ryan Beaumont?"

"Mama, I want to have a boy just like that."

Now I'm married to that man in the mustard cardigan. 

There is still so much magic when we are together. When I think back to the first time we held hands, kissed, or even when he asked to marry me under a sky of paper lanterns, it's not a reminiscent feeling because that same magical feeling is still there. My stomach is still full of monarchs. 

But now, there are just more of them. 

And maybe a few fairies, too. 

So, off we went to the Valentines Ball together at the old Provo Library. It was lovely. We took a ballroom dance class together last fall every Monday evening, so I thought I'd surprise Ryan to practice our skills. It felt like we had gone back in time. A live brass band playing so many of my favourites under a canopy of white lights. I loved when a waltz came because we'd hold each other close. I sang at the top of my lungs to Fly Me to the Moon, My Favourite Things, I've Got You Under My Skin, I've Got the World on a String and it happened again. Right there in the middle of a busy dance floor, I felt like we were the only ones there.

The Day of Love.

Bronwyn, my sweet cousin, is an incredible young women. She is so very intelligent, beautiful and strong. I miss her! She writes on her own blog but has come over to visit for the day of love and how to prepare the perfect Valentine's outfit. Take it away, Bron!

 It’s Valentine’s Day, personally one of my favourite days, I mean who couldn’t love a day all about love! So, my name is Bronwyn, and I write the blog From the Press of a Girl Singing Out,  http://booksfashionandme.blogspot.ca/. 

 I absolutely love getting dressed up, I think it’s so much fun. I think Valentine’s Day is a perfectly good reason to get dressed up, whether you’re going on a date, spending family time, or just hanging with yourself (believe me there is nothing wrong with that, spending Valentine’s Day loving yourself). So first off, clothing: I am going for a dress, one of my favourite dresses and it’s also red! You need either some red or some pink somewhere in your outfit, it’s Valentine’s Day after all! Next, I have some simple white heels.

Ok, my accessories! I have my Pandora bangle on, which has a heart charm amongst many other charms! I have pearl earrings, and a pearl necklace on. Finally, my favourite, rings! I have a Pandora leaves ring on, my Claddaugh ring, and a simple ring, with a red/pink stone in the center. Some of you might be wondering what a Claddaugh ring is, well, it’s the traditional Irish wedding ring. Depending on how you wear the ring it can signify different things, how I wear it, on my right-hand ring finger with the point of the heart facing out, means I’m not in a relationship.

As for my makeup, I kept it pretty simple, a little blush, eyeshadow, mascara. Well, it was simple until I got to eyeliner, which is my favourite makeup. I did winged eyeliner, which I love doing but don’t do very often, but it’s Valentine’s Day, which is a great time to do things you don’t normally do.

"I Want to Be an Author."

That tiny little person is me. Off to pre-kindgarten to learn the essentials of reading, writing, listening and speaking (literacy) among many, many other things.

Fast forward to my classroom last friday. Students were reviewing the sight word word "play." One child who struggles endlessly with retention and memory not only identified the letters in the word but very simply said, "This says play." I was astonished. When the little redhead, electric blue-eyed boy whispered to me, "Mrs. Beaumont, when I grow up I really want to be an author, " I had to catch my breath.

As I was zipping up coats for recess asked my Russian Speaking student (entered my class speaking absolutely no English in August), "Do you have another jacket to wear?" 
He said, "Yes." 
I responded, "Go put it on, please." 
And he said, beaming from ear to ear, "No, it's not cold for me." 
I could have fainted. I could have ran down the halls celebrating for days. But rather, we smiled at each other and he went on his way to find his friends my the slide. 

"No, it's not cold for me." For heavens sake. The child first had to understand what a jacket was, that I was asking him a question, that I was talking about a jacket that belonged to him and then reason as to why he didn't need his jacket and finally verbalize his thoughts into English. Imagine an adult in the same scenario trying to express his thoughts in Russian! Meanwhile, the next child beams up at me and exclaims, "I am so excited...to go to college! When I go to college I am going to make things."

The students. The respect I have for my little ones is overarching. Yes, I work tirelessly as their teacher. But I can really only facilitate their learning. I cannot make them learn anything.  These five and six year olds are not only learning their letters. But they are learning how to read, write, express themselves...They have this incredible desire to continue to learn something that is in all reality extremely difficult.
 Literacy is a skill that as adults we depend on and expect to serve them automatically throughout their life. And here we are expecting that this little person who just barely left his mother will come to school and find meaning from the symbols he is seeing and writing on his paper. It is absolutely incredible! 
Pause today as you read a sign, a newspaper, anything and recognize how much your brain had to comprehend before you could read. Congratulate yourself. So much of the English language does not make sense-but your brain automatically does it because of the learning you began in Kindergarten. I feel like adults should literally give a handshake to each little person they come across and say, "Congratulations! You are embarking on perhaps the most difficult and essential journey you will ever experience in your life." 

We have been created in a way that we desire personal growth. Our brains crave new information and store away essentials. It is so interesting to me that the most patient, kind, forgiving, resilient people on the planet (kindergartners) are given the task of learning how to read. I'm so thankful to work alongside such hard working (little) people.