teacher appreciation week.

um, love this week. 
nice lunches.
treats in my box {which have been added to my "candy" closet.}

this was on my door monday morning.

the present opened up and there were all these cute sayings!

hopefully, you can click on the picture then zoom in to read them.  some are pretty funny.

and today one of my little girls walked in with a little gift bag for me.  and in that little gift bag was a little gift card.  and that little gift card was $25 to nordstrom.

UM, hello thank you!

and then during our lunch drawing, i got a lovely book, "the joy of gardening." and 2 free meals to in n out. i'm sure steven will enjoy those.

***

i am just SO happy right now.

duh.

i'm getting married in 15 days!!!!

2 weeks from tomorrow!!!!

yeah, i graduated.

that's right, folks.

i graduated.

but i still have 5 {strike that} 4.5 weeks of school left.

well, really i have 2 + 1 = 3.  because in 2 weeks from today i will be IN california.

for our wedding.

and then i will miss a week and a half from school.

2 days before my wedding and then a week for our honeymoon.

and then i will be back for the last week of school. which is full of tangled, assemblies, field day, desk scrubbing, and games. so pretty much, i just have 2 weeks left.

{and 7 days of sub plans. that's like asking if i could lick the scorching hot cement for an hour. aka not fun.}

but yeah, i graduated. feels...like i need to finish teaching and get a job? should it feel that way?

and now a poem for your enjoyment.

i lost my favorite mug.

was it eaten by a bug?

or stolen by a thug?

maybe it's under the rug.

wherever it is...

i want it back.

thank you.

tomorrow marks 16 days!!!!

kids are funny. and a good quote.

in the morning the kids come in and put the things away and get right to work on their brain book.


so, i am sitting at the back table going through the homework folders.  one of my little boys walks back to the trash can to sharpen his pencil.  he then says, 

"i used to have 2 goats.  one got hung over at sally's house.  one...i don't know what happened to him, but i think he froze."

***

one of my girls has been "banished" to the corner.  she has a really hard time not talking. being in the corner isn't really helping too well, though.  it's a problem.

so yesterday was her first day in banishment.  at the end of the day, she had a sign taped to her desk that said,

"{girl's} propity.  peaple that can come in mikalei, sally, joel, miranda, me,"

[and then the bell rang.]

well...at least she did the right apostrophe s.

***

in other news...

despite the fact that i've been sleeping on emily's couch cushion's on her floor, and the fact that her shower broke sunday morning and i had to shower at the gym this morning, and the fact that i barely get to the gym anymore and there are too many causes of celebration {i.e. my graduation / upcoming marriage}...

i am getting married in

18 days.

yeah.

18 days!!!

everyday i wish i could close my eyes and wake up and it be 11 am may 14th.
because that's the time we are being sealed in the newport beach temple.

“The temple sealing has greater meaning as life unfolds. It will help you draw ever closer together and find greater joy and fulfillment.”


~Elder Richard G. Scott
{read full article here}

a few updates:

1) it's 1.03 am thursday night / friday morning.
2) my wedding is in 22 days.
3) i moved my stuff to steven's apartment. most of it. the rest is in a suitcase and a few bags.
4) i'm homeless. kinda.
5) i'm going to sleep downstairs on em's floor. tedi is leaving next friday for the month of may and she said i could sleep in her bed until i leave for my wedding. (tedi and em are roomies.) i love them.
6) my parents brought up all my gifts from my shower last weekend. they are also in steven's apartment.
7) i graduated today.
8) tomorrow i will walk and get my diploma. so maybe i graduate tomorrow, but president samuelson conferred my graduation today, so i think i graduated today.
9) i gave out my first ticket today. a ticket is a bad thing at our school. just like a ticket from the police officer is bad.  that's why we don't stab our freshly sharpened pencils in our classmates' backs. because we get tickets. and make our teacher late leaving school. and then she is double frustrated.
10) i spent the past 4 hours packing and cleaning--deep cleaning.  when my landlord says "white glove," you better believe she means white glove. and q-tips in the corners. i've seen it. and been the victim.
11) saturday morning i will go to yoga.  since i was in ca, i haven't been to yoga in 3 weeks.  i am SO excited.
12) steven and i are going to the salt lake temple with my parents tomorrow. i am SO excited. i love the temple.

just so you know...


yesterday this handsome man picked me up from the airport...

with flowers.

i love him.

{and in other news}

my half bday is in 1 month from today.
but more importantly...


27 days until we are married (actually, more like 26.5)

e + m wedding.

 yes, that is a zebra.

on our way to ca for e + m wedding, we stopped for a little potty break somewhere not to far from provo (maybe like 2 hours away or so, i don't remember.)

the gas station had this little petting zoo.

we were driving away and saw a little zebra pony.

in utah.

40 degrees.

40 degree utah verse the 100 degree african savanna?

yeah, i didn't think there was much difference either.

here was a little wedding gift from miss kendrick's class to e + m.

marriage advice.

HILARIOUS.

e + m have all of the cards (of course) but i do remember some parts of some.

"and when she is having a baby, don't frereek."

"mike don't get a beard and ware a tux. erin don't forget to wear a dress."

"give your kids good names.  mike get a good job.  live by a beach. go on vacations. don't get a beard. don't go bald."

"don't get a divorce. never. ok"

"kiss a lot."

"mike, buy her flowers everyday. erin, take him to soccer games everyday."

"don't be nervous.  i get nervous too. if you want to send a letter back here is my address..."

"don't have a nvtro baby."

{that's the petri dish kid / tummy tuck mommy.}

there were lots of congratulations. lots of "don't get a divorce, never." lots of "don't be nervous."

i wish i had e+m left them here while they were on their honeymoon! they are hilarious. 

****

time for the temple with mom.

and then more decoration shopping and planning and putting together.

i miss him.

he's studying for finals.

i'm  planning our wedding.

both of us are super busy.

and both events are super stressful.

at least mine is fun, and a good stress.

31 days.

e + m.

erin + mike.

they're married!

steven and i were able to be in the temple for their sealing.

it was BEAUTIFUL.

everything:

temple, reception, ring ceremony.

especially erin and mike.

i am SO happy for them.

and now they are off to st. lucia.

rough life.

happy honeymooning.

look how cute steven is.
he's so handsome.
{and pardon the darts poking in weird places on my dress.}
katie's mom made the bridesmaid dresses {and is making mine, too, that saint!}
cute, huh!

ps: this was like 

a little

trial run

for steven and i.

WE

ARE

READY.

almost 33 days {tomorrow}.

pps: i'm home for a whole week to plan our wedding. 

a busy week. 

no break for my poor momma. 

she's a trooper. 

and a saint. 

and amazing.

and i love her.

{and i looove steven. 6 days without him?!}

engagement photos!

so last weekend, steven's parents shot a few hundred photos of us (just shy of 700, actually).

we took them at this beautiful marriott villa resort they stayed at in newport beach.

way to go, hoppers!

{ps, these haven't been touched up yet, but they look fabulous! and they look a lot better on their nice computer screens than on blogger's shrunken file version.}

here are just a few.

my favorite one isn't up yet. {think pinching, brett. or the missing head.}

 since steven proposed to me while flying kites, i thought it'd be fun for us to be flying kites in our engagement photos.  so, i made this beautiful kite.  but then...it was two layers of home fabric, so it was pretty much unflyable.  but this one is totally cute.  good job, hops.

and you'll find this one in our announcement in the next few days!

some quick updates.

1.  my classroom is a mess right now.  i had about 300 copies come in which i now need to sort through and plan lessons for. woo hoo.


2.  invitations are DONE.  it only took me around 10 hours to address them all.  and by all i mean all of the kendrick/california ones, steven's mom was so kind to take all of the hopper/arizona invites.  thanks elaine!  i'll put up some of our engagement pictures as soon as i get them--i'm so excited!


3.  general conference was SO wonderful.


4.  steven and i both have our plates FULL, like eyes-bigger-than-your-stomach-full this week. because we are leaving promptly at 3 pm on thursday.


5.  erin and mike will be married in 4 days!!!!


6.  katie and kyle got engaged!!!!!!!!!!


7.  this is a conversation steven and i had last night.


me:  i'm obsessed with you.
him: i'm obsessed with you.
me:  why?
him: because i love you. {pause} duh.


i just love him.


8. now, this is being posted at 11.30pm on monday night {because i didn't finish it during my 10 minute break earlier.} so i guess i can see this.  we are in the 30's now.  39 days until our wedding on may 14th!!!!


9. i'm so in love.


10. my hives haven't completely left me, yet.


good night.