il y a 6 ans

On october 2nd of the year 2006 I wrote in my journal.
I was 14 years old.
My English was still bad.
And my feelings were sincere.

"For groundhog shadow day, I decided to "shadow" a teacher. I learned that it can be hard and easy.
A teacher's responsibilities are pretty big. They consist of making sure everyone is feeling good in the class, grading and assigning papers, teaching the children the skills and things they need to know. It can be a really fun job, because you get to stay around kids all day, and you get to see how they improve and that's what I like to do and want to do in the future. It can also be challenging, because you don't get paid a lot at all. First, you have to go to college, and that is what I'm reaching for.
This job helps society a lot, because you teach kids and that can affect them forever. I wonder why teachers don't get paid well if they do so much. I hope that someday I'll reach my dream and become an elementary teacher. :)"

Glad that dream was met.

Also, a raise would be nice.

les bonnes choses

it's time for a post.
mostly because i don't want to do anything useful.
happy summer:)

here are the last few days in pixels:

love me some library time! 

two of my favorites this summer: 

"A Guide to the Birds of East Africa"

"The Picture of Dorian Gray"

good reads. give them a try.

due to the extreme heat, the stick shift in my car gets mega hot. 

so i use a sock. 

not any old sock. 

a christmas sock. 

the sock that's been my phone cover this past month.

in honor of some good old times at the french house. 

preparing for a school year has never been so stressful. 

i haven't had a normal bedroom since moving back home.

stuff is e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. 

now i'm back to sleeping on a mattress since mom is remodeling the guest room. 

the kids have work to do in the summer. 

this is how joseph feels about his. 

i have got to be the most creative babysitter in the world.

since we haven't been able to go camping all summer océane and i decided to camp out on our deck. 

sleeping under the stars was great.

until we both got attacked by mosquitoes. 

the great thing about where i live is all of the hiking around here. 

and the super fam bam that comes along. 

since mom has been doing some remodeling, i've been reorganizing things. 

and packing boxes.

three weeks before moving out. 

on a sadder note, i had to get rid of my fish.

marley will be missed. 

hopefully he enjoys his new home. 

R.I.P.

probably because a bigger fish will get to him. 

i have gained a new nickname after this event . 

fish killer.

nice. 

ain't no trip like an ikea trip.

océane would agree. 

sometimes we have cooking parties. 

everytime they turn into dance parties. 

keepin it real at the G-Cs.

in a week. 

don't mind if i do:)

Les Soucis

STEP ONE: Write all your troubles out on a piece of paper. 

Optional: blur before posting...

 STEP TWO: Your creativity kicks in. Fold paper into any abstract shape. This may be accomplished by simply crumpling the paper between your hands. Do so vigorously. 

STEP THREE: Go outside. Light that sucker on fire. Watch it burn and imagine all of those frustrating things burning away.
(Parent supervision required for those too young to handle matches independently)

 STEP FOUR: Look at those ashes. That's what's up. That's what's left. Let the wind carry them away.

STEP FIVE: Go back outside a few minutes later to ensure you didn't light the yard on fire. 

en photos

1. sometimes i'm locked out of my school without a way to disarm the alarm, so i kill time effectively. 

2. how i feel about this fall. bring it on. 

3. obviously too much asian influence on my family. 

4. took a long time to coordinate this one. 

5. pro.

6. sunsets. seriously, stop and take a long look, they're gorgeous. (even if it's on the way out of wal mart's parking lot...)

7. temple square visit. 

8. this place blows my mind everytime. 

9. temples. one of my favorite things to photograph. 

10. because the view was great and this is a beautiful girl. 

11. blue eyes. so cute:) 

12. ...

13. happy day for utahns. 

14. love me some fireworks. 

twinkies

once upon a time, i promised nicki i would keep blogging over the summer if she did.
she's doing better than i am for sure.

news:
my classroom is slowly starting to look like, well...a classroom.
i snuck into the school today after being informed that it would be just fine and nothing would go wrong. haha. never heard that one before. inevitably, the alarm went off and i frantically called my principal to give me a code. then i laughed at the thought of me being pinned to the ground and all these cops showing up. it seems funny in my mind, probably wouldn't be in real life. i snuck into my classroom, even though there was a big sign notifying me of the wet wax in the hallway right outside my door. forget that, i got stuffs to do!

i finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray a while ago. read it, it's amazing.

i have become more aware of the proper way to ride a bike, not because i've been doing it, but mostly because i have been observing and taking mental notes. some people really struggle...

lately, a lot of skunks have been dying right outside my window. not very pleasant in the morning.

i've decided that i never want to change my last name. it's just too darn amazing. future husband...sorry.

a news report had me questioning human sanity. i was waiting at the doctor's office for my mom and watching the news with joseph. it was a report about some man driving around in a big hostess truck. he stops in front of a cheering crowd (30 people give or take) and starts throwing twinkies at them while they jump up and down and scream. joseph and i were so confused. so i assured him that people here are crazy and that what we just witnessed was the perfect example.

tonight we celebrated utah day with some delicious food and fireworks. we got together with a family in the ward and i was privileged to light all the fireworks with some of the kids.
boy: "amandine, will you hold these matches. i mean, maybe not, you're so hot the box might catch on fire."
too bad he's only 16.

i also got my first mosquito bite of the summer.

i'll post some pictures soon, i'm too tired to get that done right now.

en été

a blast to the past. here is a taste of my childhood.
don't judge.

i quit my job at the call center and have finally enjoyed a real and complete weekend of summer without having to care for anything.
here is a taste in pixels:

delicious lunches

 frosting

 decorating cookes

 killer license plate

 temple trips

 more temple time

 kari's new dog, cocoa

 and giant carrots

also, story of the day:
i was driving back from wal mart with océane, following the speed limit as usual.
this lady sped up behind us and started tail gating, bad.
so she starts honking and really getting on my nerves.
océane: "don't you dare speed up"
lady honks again and océane points out the window to the speed limit sign.
so the lady sticks to me until we get right to my driveway.
so i slow down and she honks super loud and for quite a while.
at this point i lost all patience. and no, i'm not as kind as océane when i'm behind the wheel.
so i stick my hand out the window and flip that lady off.
i never ever ever do that.
i honestly felt really bad only a few seconds afterwards...
"oh gosh, i'm so so sorry jesus."
yes, that's what came out of my mouth.
yes, i feel bad.
yes, at the same time it felt super dang good, that lady was so annoying.


here are some fourth of july pictures.
we went hiking up the mountain to see all of the shows in the valley at once and it was gorgeous.
the matthieu graced us with his own little show.

happy birthday america.