Just a Bunch of Shananigans

New Blog

2009-12-27T23:17:00.001-07:00

Just wanted anyone who actually reads this blog to know that I now have a new blog - soseriouslysingle.blogspot.com. Thanks!

The First Day of School

2009-08-20T07:50:00.001-06:00

It's the first day of school. I'm waiting for the bell to ring. Ponder on what that feels like.

Holy heck...

2009-04-16T00:30:00.002-06:00

I decided I didn't like the look of my blog. I need to upgrade apparently. I'm looking at everyone's blog and thinking to myself, "Yours is way out of style, Gina." It's late. I am going to bed. Get ready for a change, though!

By the way, why is it snowing like crazy during my spring break? I am NOT ok with this...at all. Half of my conversations with people today have been my complaints about the snow. I will try to sincerely be grateful for it. Or, maybe I can just be OK with it. I don't have to be grateful for it, right?

Sweaty Milk

2009-04-07T14:57:00.002-06:00

We were beginning to draft biographies today and I interviewed one of my students who told me a story about having to drink soy milk when she was little. I asked how we could turn "drank soy milk" into a complete sentence. A student raised her hand and said, "The doctor said that she needed to drink sweaty milk." I tried not to laugh, but couldn't hold it in after another student said, "Sweaty milk! That's gross!" Luckily, she wasn't embarrassed; she thought it was funny too.

2009-03-13T14:46:00.002-06:00

So, I was just giving a spelling test and my student was playing with his eraser. So, it was sitting on his desk after I gave him a look of "Stop playing with that or I will take it away." Then, I took my pen and whacked the eraser and hit it off his desk. He watched the eraser fly off his desk and looked up at me shocked with fear in his eyes because I never do stuff like that.

Then I started laughing because I was being a little silly and he started laughing too because he is really silly. That's all and I'm glad it's Friday.

Aloha and Mahalo!

2009-02-05T20:33:00.005-07:00

I love smelling exotic flowers.

and lifting heavy barrels
and standing next to hot Polynesians
and getting beachin
and not looking into the camera

So, I went to Hawaii. It was seriously EVERYTHING it's cracked up to be. I just can't get over it. Everyone should go at least once. We went to the PCC where I got a picture with a girl from High School Musical 3, Pearl Harbor, beautiful beaches, yummy food, lots of laughs, the Dole Plantation. Of course, I got tan. I love being tan. Sun is the most amazing thing ever! Oh! And we rode scooters around a lot of the island during which my phone, Chocolata, fell out of my pocket and smashed to the ground somewhere along the way. So, I've been phoneless for a few days and my textual relationships have come to a complete halt. Oh well. It's good to not be textually active for a bit. Anywho...now I'm back to real life, but at least I've reguvenated myself. Mahalo, Hawaii! (that means, thank you, Hawaii).

My Favorite Christmas Poem

2008-12-17T08:37:00.002-07:00

little tree: by e.e. cummings

little silent Christmas tree
you are so little
you are more like a flower
who found you in the green forest
and were you very sorry to come away?
see i will comfort you
because you smell so sweetly
i will kiss your cool bark
and hug you safe and tight
just as your mother would,
only don't be afraid
look the spangles
that sleep all the year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,
the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,
put up your little arms
and i'll give them all to you to hold
every finger shall have its ring
and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy
then when you're quite dressed
you'll stand in the window for everyone to see
and how they'll stare!
oh but you'll be very proud
and my little sister and i will take hands
and looking up at our beautiful tree
we'll dance and sing
"Noel Noel"

Thanksgiving Funny Stories from My 3rd Graders

2008-11-25T15:12:00.002-07:00

First, I had my class write down what they are thankful for. Here are some things that were written, misspellings and all:

Being a good student because I am being in learning posion all the time almos all the time
- Jorge

Friends because they cep my spirit up. I am thankful for parins because if it wasint them I wouldn’t be born
- Clara

everyone treating me specal because I like to be treated specal. I am thank ful for food because my grandma makes good food.
- Michelle

I am thankful for all the people except some people in the world because…I have mad lots of friend and family people that care for me.
- Tyler

I am thankfull for my family because they love me. I am thankful for my teacher because I learn a lot from her.
- Mark

I am thamkful fon my family because thay treat me good.
- Caden

Here are their turkey stories. SO FUNNY!

“The Almost funny story” by Jorge
My turkey’s name is CaB. It was thanksgiving day. At the school. Miss. Shumway was after my turkey and other people. They want to eat my turkey. I hide my turkey in a spesial place. In my backpack I put a paper in his nose or in his mouth. I sill hide it on my seacret place for another thanksgiving day. Miss. Shumway never ever got it. I livid happy ever after. Wait. Wait I have something else to say. Miss. Shumway forgoret. Okay fogeret!

“The Turkey Chase” – with the longest run-on sentence ever. By Tyler
This is a story about my pet turkey. His name is po. But! Deep inside the jungle there lived Coco the cheetah. She is as fast as light. But the bad thing is we live in the jungle in China! She only eats turkeys witch was bad for Bo because he went into were Coco lived and saw Coco then he woke her up and she started to chase him then I heard Po yell for help then I got there and said Coco stop and she stopped chasing him and I said can you be my pet and she said sure and can you chase my neighbor’s dog and she said yes. And we lived happily ever after.

“My Turkey is Famas” by Carl
My turkeys name is Chris Cole Charlie and Edward are after my turkey he’s in San Degio he get’s in a taxi to go to Las vegs get s a lemo go’s to a hotel and he hide’s in a closet and Charlie and Edward found my turkey and cooked him and my turkey tasted bad. The End.

“The Turkey Thugs” by Trent
One day I lost my turkey But I found him in the bank but Johan and some thugs were mad cause stewey ate there mony so they chase us to the farm and the farmer has a plan so we drov all the way to New York City and we went all the way to a tunnel then we crash then we got in to a subway and cops saw us and they knew we crash the plan so we went to the police stashun and then we went to cort and went I was not looking the juge ate my turkey at lest I keep the money

KIDS ARE SO DANG FUNNY SOMETIMES. Their imagination is classic. Sometimes I wonder where in the heck they get their ideas.

Just One of Those Days!

2008-09-26T15:06:00.006-06:00

So, let's start with this morning. I'm running 10 minutes late (which usually isn't too big of a deal, but I live in South Jordan now so there are a lot more chances for me to run into obstacles on my way to work). Then, I remembered that I left my lunch on top of my car. So, I race back the way I came to see if I can salvage it. I pass a 25 speed limit sign that has the annoying flasher thingy telling you how fast your going. Let's just say that I got up to a number that it does not recognize and it stopped flashing at me. I get all the way back to my apartment, only to realize that it was safely in the back seat the whole time.

Luckily, I make it to school only 10 minutes late even though I wasted five minutes looking for my stupid lunch. I raced around the school, getting the things I needed and reading the notes left by the sub since I was at meetings yesterday. The morning went smoothly. THEN, the chaos began.

First, I realize that one of my students has some white flaky stuff in their hair. Dandruff right? Wouldn't have given it a second thought except for a couple of days ago, a mom of a student came in to tell me her son had lice. GREAT! So, they all got checked and they found two other students with lice. Even better. So, I'm super paranoid about it. They call the nurse in, check her hair. It's just dandruff. Better to be safe than sorry, I guess.

Then, my students went to art and then to an assembly with the art teacher. It was my prep time and I had a lot to get done, but nothing got done. Reason: I was sabotaged and had to go to the assembly. My class won an award for a fundraiser and I am glad I was there, but the part I needed to be there for wasn't until the end. So, I'm literally running back and forth between the assembly and my classroom trying to get more stuff done for the rest of the day and not miss the important part. Nothing was prepared during my prep time.

At the assembly one of my students was hysterical because he thought he wasn't going to win a prize for the whole third-grade level. Well, I was pretty much doomed because he won't calm down after something like that and there are 70 kids in the third grade. Somehow, his name got chosen and he won. That was a relief!

THEN...my students go to lunch, everything's fine and dandy. After lunch goes pretty well. My students have their ice cream party for raising the most money for the fundraiser. Then, they go to recess.

Of course, one of my girls decides to tie her jacket (that was already tied around her waist) to the bars on the playground so she can swing around. So, of course she gets stuck on the bars. Luckily, another teacher sets her free. I wasn't going to. I would have just let her stay there.

Now, it's time for Fun Friday. It's just for kids in third grade who did all of their homework that week. Only three of my students got to go. THREE! And even they didn't deserve to go, but I let them go anyway because they were close to getting all of their homework in.

So, they come in from recess. I send my whole class to homework club (what they do if they don't go to Fun Friday) and two of my students come up and tell me that some fourth graders threatened to beat them up at recess. So, I call the principal and try to get that all worked out while the rest of the third graders are waiting for me to start Fun Friday.

Fun Friday is good. Then, it's time for the early birds to leave (that's half of my class). Later gators stay and we go take a quick bathroom break before we have to start some testing. One of my students comes out and tells me another one of my students is looking over the bathroom stalls. Then, another boy comes out and tells me there's poop on the walls in one of the stalls.

Finally, we get testing started and everything goes well with that. But, alas. The bell is about to ring and who calls? A mother who wants to bring in a lengthy form for me to fill out about her son's behavior. Can I please just go home?! There are papers everywhere on my desk and I have too much to do and no time. I have to leave in 25 minutes!!

Well, that is a pretty-typical day in the life of a teacher.

Week 1 of the next 9 months of my life.

2008-08-26T18:25:00.003-06:00

Haha. I just realized as I was writing my title that it's slightly misleading. Well, 9 months could mean two things...I'm pregnant...or I'm a school teacher. Well, I'm not pregnant. But, the lovely title I gave this post is quite wonderful.

So, the first week of school was, um, stressful. I told my mom today that they're not all bad, but they're not all good. They are just kind of "mediocre" kids (when it comes to behavior). On the first day, I decided I wanted my old class back and that I didn't really like my new bunch. But, I decided that the love would come if I would just keep getting to know them and all that junk. Already, I'm starting to have "feelings" for them. Haha. Also, it's just a real pain in the rear to have to explain the littlest things. Like, lining up and walking down the hall. Oh, bless those kids' hearts (and mine, too). We practiced today a few times since some kid decided to whack the girl behind him with his lunch box. Pretty funny, now that I think about it.

Then, there's those funny moments when I just can't contain my laughter. I have a girl in my class who has quite the hair style. It's all spiky and short and then she has these amazing two long chunky strands of hair on either side of her part that go down to her shoulders. Well, this lovely little girl opened her mouth real wide while I was giving instructions and gave out a nice long burp. Lost it.

Then, my other student raised his hand and said "Teacher? I got to go. I'm about to wet my pants." In a very serious voice. Classic.

Well, those are my two funny stories so far. I'm sure I'll have plenty more. I always wish that I have kids in my class who do weird things because it just makes my job so much more enjoyable!

and there were fireworks!

2008-06-15T16:21:00.005-06:00

Nope kids, I'm not in love. I just went to the Summerfest and boy oh boy did we get a good spot for the fireworks. THEN I remembered that I have a fireworks setting on my camera, so I had some good fun taking pictures alongside my cousin Elissa. She had this great idea to move the camera around while taking the picture. So, here are the results!

Ok, just for the fans...

2008-05-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

Um, hey people! I have just had so many angry people saying "Write on your freaking blog!" or words like unto it. Well, I thought I would seeing as how I just feel like it right now. Right now my students are reading, waiting for one of my students to finish her core test. Right in the middle of this beloved test, Lauren raised her hand and when I went to talk to her, I noticed her mouth was full of blood. 30 seconds later, she was throwing up blood in my sink. Hm...that was, needless to say, disgusting. She had obviously swallowed a lot of it before she decided to raise her hand. Poor girl. I must say, though that I have had only one student throw up so far this year (besides Lauren) and, unfortunately, that stuff hit the carpet.

Well, I'll try to be better at this, especially since I will have a lot of extra time on my hands this summer. I can still keep my journal and blog. Yeah. Yeah! YEAH!!

I'm related to a black sheep...who woulda thought?

2007-07-12T08:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my dad sent out this email with the subject line "a black sheep in the family"...I immediately thought, "Wow, dad, you're really insensitive," but soon realized that the black sheep really is a black sheep and deserves to be called a black sheep for tainting the beloved Shumway line of truth and righteousness...hmmmmmmm.

Well, folks, it's Paris Hilton. Yep, I'm related to her....distantly. She and I share the same great great great grandpa & grandma. I just wanted to say that I feel so honored to be related to her and I think I'm going to send her a message and see if she'll give me some money....I mean that's what family members are for, right?

I am just really confused...

2007-07-06T11:00:00.000-06:00

So, right now I'm trying to figure out how to do this whole blogger thing. I've spent probably 20 minutes just trying to add friends or whatever it is you do. Oh! I smell something really good...like a really nice perfume. I want it.

The Unforgettable Date

2007-07-05T21:25:00.000-06:00

So, I've been on a few blind dates...but, this one tops them all. This man was 32 and I was 21 at the time. He was in my parent's neighborhood and my crazy neighbor decided it would be fun to set us up. Sorry if I sound like a brat...I am kind of a brat sometimes. Let me take you back to my journal entry...April 10, 2006

"I was so very nervous getting ready for the date. He picked me up at 5:00. He was really nice, but right off the bat, things were pretty awkward due to lack of conversation. We talked about what we did for the day on the way to the restaurant. By the time we got there I found out his dad died when he was 13, that he was just barely living on his own (besides his mission, he's lived with his mom), and that he went to the community college because he didn't have good enough grades to finish at the university. He asked me about 3 different times to tell him more about myself. I said "Well, what do you want to know?" I mean, that's a pretty broad question.
At the restaurant, he ordered a Caesar salad. Like, the cheapest thing on the menu and it was a SALAD! So, I decided I was at a great restaurant that I never get to go to so I ordered shrimp pasta. (Disclaimer: I know I am just saying a bunch of negative things about this date, but, this is really all that was happening. He's a nice guy, but he's just wierd).
After we left dinner, he asked me what I was planning to do the rest of the night. I told him I was going to a movie with my roommates at 9:30 to Glory Road. (I TOTALLY lied, cuz I didn't want the date to go on for ages). I asked him what he was planning to do and he said he'd probably go see a movie. I think he wanted to take me to a movie, so I'm glad I thought of that particular plan. So, he obviously didn't have a backup plan, cuz he said, "Well, what do you want to do?" HA! go home? j/k I really didn't say that. He first suggested we go to see his grandma's old house in a town about 15 minutes away. I hope he was half joking. I just laughed when he suggested that.
Then, he said he was boring and decided to go miniature golfing. Luckily, it wasn't busy, so we were done pretty fast. But, on the way there he started talking about fashion trends and said he didn't like the high healed shoes that had the point (that's the style lately). "What do you think about those shoes?" I wanted to say, "I actually like them and I have a pair myself" but, I said, "I think it's an acquired taste."
During miniature golfing, I did so great. He doesn't know how to play golf. (I'm writing all these details because it was just so very funny). He asked me what kind of concerts I'd been to and said that he's been doing the first date concert thing cuz he likes them and that's why he wanted to take me to a concert. Oh! another thing, he said he figures the first roommate he has will be his wife because he already had enough on his mission (too bad he doesn't realize that having roommates prepares you for marriage cuz you learn to live with people). That was strike number...I lost count...Finally, we were done golfing and we walked VERY SLOWLY back to the car and he took me home.
I had my keys in one hand and my food in the other and luckily, he didn't try a hug or anything. In fact, he didn't even walk up the steps. He started talking about how he asked the neighborhood lady to find out of I was dating anyone back in August and that he asked her again in December and she said, "Yeah, she'd be willing to go out with you." Whatever! I never heard anything from her. He said he was going to ask me back in Dec. to go to the Messiah sing along in SLC (that would have been heck). He said he didn't want me to wonder "why hasn't he called yet?" I was hoping he'd never call. I told him I didn't hear anything until December. Then, as I was putting my keys in the door, he said, "Well, hope to see you soon!" or something to that effect.
Holy crap - I almost forgot THE BEST QUESTION of the night. We were driving back to my house and he said, "Have you ever been to Squaw Peak?" I was thinking to myself, "Holy Crap! Who is this guy? He is asking me about the main make-out point." I said, "No, I was actually there once during the day." I should've said "I go there all the time - probably been there with about 10 different guys." Then, he asked me how the view was from up there - ah!
And THAT was it. I think I covered it all. I just feel bad for the guy - he has medical problems and financial problems and he's a pessimist - I would be if I were him, I guess. I will never forget that date. Never.
P.S. I didn't end up lying about the movie...I went to go see Glory Road with my roommate later that night.

P.S.S. Needless to say, we never went on a second date.