Has it been almost a month?

Since Penny got married? Wow, this month (June) went by so fast. Here's a rundown of the things we've been up to this month:

1. Penny's wedding in Spokane on June 6th
2. school, school, more school (including a 10 page paper I'm supposed to be working on right now)
3. Kate left on vacation, so I haven't seen the boys much in the last 3 weeks
4. Matt flew to Cali last weekend to take a Load Dispatcher test for the city of LA -cross your fingers. That would be an AWESOME job! (It was a really quick trip-fly in Friday, take test Saturday, fly back Sunday. Boy was he exhausted!)
5. I helped Rene Timmermann with fixing her house up after the previous tenants left a mess. Rene and I worked 81 hours together, from Sun 14 June to Mon 22 June, with Rene working an extra 11 hours by herself one day while I worked on an assignment. We cleaned, painted, mudded, sanded, fixed, and just made the house look better. The carpets were stained, but a friend loaned us a cleaner, and it was a miracle worker!

Anyways, other than working out, we haven't been doing much around here. We haven't had a chance to enjoy the beach weather yet, and the rest of my summer classes start up on Monday, so hopefully I'll be able to fit in at least a couple days at the beach this summer. It is so hard with Matt on 3-section duty to find the time. But we will, dang it!

I took pictures at Penny's wedding, and I'm still working on processing them and getting them looking as good as I can. Once I get this paper turned in I'll have a little bit more time to work on them.

I'm really glad Rene came out and could spend all that time with me. We had such good conversations (along with all our back-breaking work that we did). It is good to know that you have friends that you can remain close to, even if you don't see them for years at a time. Or just once a year, as it has happened with me and the Timmermanns. Well, I guess when we move across the country we'll be closer and hopefully will be able to visit a lot more. I miss you already, Rene!

Anyways, let me put my nose to grindstone and knock out the rest of this paper. I've done 7 of the 10 pages already, let's see if I can just finish it up. (I'm procrastinating, can't you tell?)

~Pam

PS. Matt and I officially have a weightlifting room. I'll take pictures of it when I find my camera battery charger (I CAN'T find that thing ANYWHERE!) and show you guys what an awesome deal we got on all of the equipment. :) We're planning on experimenting with different techniques after we finish with the current round of P90X, which will end in 2 weeks. Then...look out! :)

I am continually {amazed}

Ok, so all day today I've been a little stressed out about getting my scores back. A couple months ago, I took 2 tests that were very important to my future in education. In order for me to begin student teaching, I needed to take 2 tests: the VRA and the VCLA (along with the Praxis 2 that I had already taken). I decided to take them both on the same day, and then I seriously doubted that that was a good move. I met several people the day of the test that were taking one or the other test for the 3rd or 5th time! I began to worry, but there wasn't a whole lot I could do.

Well, today the {unofficial} scores came out via email at 5pm. I was grocery shopping when my alarm went off to remind me to check my email. I got home, put away the groceries, and tried to to remain calm. I logged in, and here's what I found:

Test Date: 05/16/2009

PAM H EMERSON
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23455

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Reading Subtest: Standard: 235 Your Score: 288

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Writing Subtest: Standard: 235 Your Score: 272

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VCLA Total Test: Minimum Passing Score: 470
Highest Total Score: 560

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Highest Achieved
Subtest Scaled Score Test Date
Reading Subtest 288 05/16/2009
Writing Subtest 272 05/16/2009

VCLA Status: Passed

Test: Virginia Reading Assessment for Elementary and Special Education
Your Score: 265
Minimum Passing Scaled Score: 235
Status: Passed


So, what does that mean? Well, I definitely DON'T have to take those two tests again. Now, I know what most of you are thinking: "Pam, why do you EVER worry? You always do well!" But, hey, there's always that little voice in the back of my mind that is unsure. I'm just so, oh, I don't know, RELIEVED would be a good word. You should have seen me. I was doing the famous Matthew Happy Dance (probably only Matt will know what that looks like). When I finally calmed down enough, I decided to share with you all my good news. Now, aren't you glad I shared?? :)

Oh, and I finally figured out how to put a {heart} into my text.

♥

So there!

~Pam

Penny's wedding

Ok, so right now I'm sitting in Penny's basement, listening to the rain fall. Thankfully, this is the first time since I got here that it has rained so much, so we're all pretty grateful for that. So, anyone want to hear about my whirlwind weekend? (Sorry, no pictures yet. They need to be processed, but when they're done, I'll post some :)

Ok, so I got here on Thursday afternoon, after a long, long, long day of traveling. Actually, I woke up at 330am to work out with Matt, then rushed to the airport, only to find out that I was flying a different airline than I thought. Finally got on the plane, flew to DC, then flew to Seattle, then flew into Spokane. Mike met me at the airport, and Penny was home by the time I got there. We had a really enjoyable evening, Mike BBQed for us, and although I got to bed really late (10pm PST, which is 1am EST) I slept really well, and was refreshed in the morning. I got up at 530 when Penny's alarm went off, and decided to do a workout (Plyometrics). That really helped me sweat all the toxins out from flying and I felt really good. After the workout, we all got ready and headed to Kohl's for some dress shopping. Yes, I helped Penny pick out her dress, and also Mike pick out his outfit. I don't know why, but it is so much more fun shopping for someone else. Just like it is more fun to clean someone else's house. Which is what we did after we got done shopping. We scrubbed, and cleaned, and the house looked awesome by the time the first of the siblings started to arrive. Jill and Demarko were first, after they picked up Peggy from the airport (that was a surprise!). Gwen and Tansy flew in, and Peggy and I drove to the airport to pick them up. Then Mom, Kate, and Beth got here. Along with Mike's family. Everyone left to check into the hotel, and Mike headed out to get KFC, and Matt and Brittany drove in. We had a great meal, then lots of talking while Peggy attempted to straighten Penny's hair. In the dark. Outside. :) We stayed out until it started to rain, and then everyone gathered in the house for more visiting. Finally, everyone headed to their hotels, and Gwen, Tansy, and I made up our beds and hit the sack.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early. 530 early. (I think we East Coasters were still on Eastern time) We made some pasta salad, did Penny's nails, and then Penny and I were convinced to head over to the hotel so Penny could get her hair redone. I took pictures of her getting ready, and we'll see how those turn out. Before we knew it, it was almost time for the wedding, and Penny, Mom, Peggy, and I hurried over to the park. Where it was nice and sunny, but cool and windy. The tables were AWESOME! Everything was just getting set up, guests were arriving, and everyone looked so good! It was so much fun! I took pictures during the brief ceremony, which went quite well, I think, and then we did some group shots. I had Rene (yes, Matt and Rene Timmermann, some of my best friends in the whole world, drove over from Seattle to come to the wedding and visit with me :) take the big group shots. She did really well. Reception followed with lots of food, visiting, and having a good time. If it wasn't so cold, it would have been perfect. After we ate some yummy hamburgers, hotdogs, cornbread salad, broccoli salad, pasta salad, chips and salsa, we had a group game of trivial pursuit. That game, I think, will go down in Helm Family History. Longest game ever! But it was a really close match, and we all had fun, I think. Next came the cake, and then we packed it all up and went our respective ways. My plan was to stay with Matt and Rene for the night, and we got Gwen and Tansy a room in the same hotel for dirt cheap. Gwen, Tansy and I let Matt and Rene get some studying done, and we headed over to everyone else's hotel for some more visiting time. We ended up walking around, seeing the gorgeous Spokane River, and riding on the Carousel. Then we had some dinner, where Beth was serenaded by the staff (it was her birthday) and Jill passed out some letters and such that we hadn't seen in a long time. Fun times! Lots of spilled water glasses, for some reason.

Let's see, then we went back to the hotel and jumped into the hot tub. I think it closed at 11pm, but we stayed until almost midnight. I think we intimidated them too much! :) I said my goodbyes to everyone (ok, almost everyone. I thought for some reason that I would see Matt and Brit, Jill and Demarko the next day. BUt I didn't. SOrry guys!) Then I drove Gwen, Tansy and me back to the hotel and I crashed in Rene and Matt's room. WEll, Rene kept me up talking for a bit. ANd then I was awakened by the alarm at 530 (what IS it with me and alarms at 530???) I finally figured out how to turn it off, and went back to sleep. WE woke up, decided to get some breakfast, and then we packed up and headed out to do the same awesome "Bridge Walk" that I had done with the family. I thought it was going to rain on us, so I didn't take any pictures. BUt, lo and behold, the sun came out, and it was GORGEOUS! We enjoyed ourselves, and then we had lunch, and then went back to Penny's. I didn't want to say goodbye to them, but they REALLY needed to go. It is finals week for them, and they needed to get some stuff done. I miss them already! (Lucky for me, Rene's coming to visit next week, so I get to spend some more time with her!) Penny and Jen and Mike (Jen is Mike's sister) and I hung out for the afternoon, watched some Twilight, then ate dinner, then watched Bolt, and then made some S'more's and went to bed. Full day!

This morning, I did some yoga, and I feel a million times better. Even though Yoga is 1.5 hours, I always feel like I did something good for myself, and I feel like I've been rejuvenated. :)

Our plan for today is:
1. shower---check!
2. eat----check!
3. laundry------check!
4. watch movie, UP!-----soon
5. get lunch
6. hang out
7. airport at 7pm.

We'll see how it goes. It is rainy and cold, did I mention that yet? But we're still going to enjoy ourselves. Now that everyone is gone, it is just me and Penny.

Well, that's about it. SOrry I don't have pictures. Hopefully others in my family took some pics and they'll post them for us.

I'll write more when I get home.

I miss Matt.

Pam

Help Needed

Ok, so Penny asked me what I think she should write on her cake. Well, since I'm a fan of "Cake Wrecks" (See my sidebar favorite links) I had a few ideas. What do you guys think?












Ok, so I've had a lot of fun with these :)

~Pam

Updates

So, I haven't written in a while. Sorry about that. First things first. I got all my final grades in for the spring semester and the verdict is..... 4.0 GPA. That's right! All A's. For two of the classes, I wasn't shocked. But the other two, well, let's just say that I think my teachers might have liked me... :) Just kidding. I worked my butt off this semester and I deserve the grades I got! (I'm trying this new thing where I don't minimize my achievements. It is a bad habit that I need to break.)

Speaking of achievements, my scale has this neat feature where it calculates your metabolic age and tells you how many calories you need to consume to maintain your weight. Well, I haven't used that feature in a long time. In fact, the last time I used it, it told me that my metabolic age was 38 years old and that I needed to eat 1400 calories to maintain my weight. Boy was I in denial! I thought the scale didn't have any idea what it was talking about, and besides, I wasn't eating much more than 1400 calories, so I was doing just fine. Ha! I was just kidding myself. In reality, I was eating much closer to 2200-2500 calories every day. Well, do you want to know what the scale told me Monday night? It is kind of exciting! The scale told me that my metabolic age is 19! And that I need to consume 2100 calories a day to maintain my weight! Can you believe it? I almost can't. I lost almost 20 years! Or, actually, I gained 20 years. I can definitely feel a difference in my health level. I feel more healthy, like I'm able to do anything. It is an amazing feeling. Especially since I haven't lost too much more weight during Round 2 of P90X. I'm pretty much at my starting weight. But that is OK. I feel great, I look forward to working out, I derive pleasure from watching what I eat and eating delicious food. I just can't believe how much I've changed this year. What a difference 4 and a half months makes, huh?

Ok, well, what else have I been doing lately? Well, my first class of the summer started up. Once a week, every week of the summer. It is all about research and assessment, and I think if I keep a positive attitude about it, most of the information will come in handy.

Anything else? Well, I've been hanging out with Kate and the boys a lot this summer. It has been really nice. I usually watch Parker and Preston on Mondays while Kate does her Health Challenge. We always have so much fun. Also, last week (maybe 2 weeks ago) Kate and I went to the Botanical Garden. We were going to go to the zoo, but we decided that there were too many people there. So we went to the NGB, and boy was it amazing! The boys had so much fun, as evidenced by the video :)


{Ok, I guess I should give some background for the video. In the beginning, Parker is looking at family of geese, and singing "Follow the Prophet". *shrug* I guess he thought the babies were following their parents, and it reminded him of the song. Also, the Botanical Garden is right by the airport, and Parker and Preston got so excited every time they heard a plane get ready to take off. On a side note, Parker is actually VERY far from the water's edge, so he was never in danger of falling in :)}

The boys had fun smelling all the roses. There were so many different kinds!


We went to the World of Wonders, and surprise, surprise, Parker wanted to rake the "grass". I think he had helped Ben with the yard the night before :)

Preston had to find a rake, too!


Parker was sneaky and captured some pictures of me and Preston while I was watching them one day!






What else? Oh, well, Matt and I decided last Sunday that we were going to go camping. Not your ordinary camping, mind you. Nope, we decided to load up our bicycles with everything we would need for the night and ride off into the sunset...well, ride over to First Landing State Park, anyways. We were able to get a camping spot back in the woods, and we just had a great time! It is awesome, knowing that we COULD do it. Carry everything we need to survive on our bikes. We had a great time camping, it wasn't TOO cold, in fact, Sunday was perfect. It was set to rain Monday, and we left the campsite early enough to make it back home before it rained. Thank goodness! Although, if we're going to ride across country, I suppose we are going to need to get used to riding in the rain. But I think we'll save that for another day!

Here we are, together. Boy, my glasses are reflective! Oops!


Matt, with our bikes, fixing some dinner. What else? Pasta, of course!


Stirring the pot!


We walked down to the beach and watched the sun set. It isn't very often that you can live in a place and watch the sun rise over the ocean and set over the water, too! Sunsets over the Bay are very nice!


So, that's pretty much what I've been up to. Workouts in the morning, watch the boys or run errands, clean up the house, fix dinner, go for a bike ride, you know, the usual. What a fun summer so far! (We haven't actually gone to the beach yet, but maybe this weekend... )

~Pam

Angry

I don't understand... but in this country you can pretty much kill any one you want... All you have to do is wait for them to get on a bicycle and run them over... It makes me sick to my stomach. Pam and I recently rode in a memorial ride for a cyclist who was killed in Virginia Beach. He was struck from behind and died on the ambulance ride to the hospital. This particular cyclist was riding on the right side of the road, wearing a neon yellow vest with a reflective stripe and had a blinking red light on the rear of his bike.

You should not be able to kill someone and have your only punishment be the "guilt" associated without. If you "did not see" some one wearing a neon yellow/green vest with reflective strips, a bright red light, in your lane of traffic you were being negligent...

So go ahead, find the person you hate most in this world and run them over when they are on a bike, say you didn't see them or that they "swerved" and you will get away no penalties...

Article for reference

Pictures of the memorial ride and the "ghost bike" erected as a memorial.




-Matt

So far...

Three A's. One more final grade to get posted! I can't believe I pulled out A's in those classes! Now the one grade I'm waiting on is the one where I NEED, NEED, NEED to have at least gotten a B. Or else I don't get to student teach in the fall. So, that's the only one I'm slightly *worried* about. But I'm almost 99% positive I pulled at least a B in it, so I should be good.

Less than a week to go until I start my next semester's classes.....UGH!

:)