Life is CRAZY!!!

We made a last minute decision to head to Texas for an extended weekend to visit Josh's brother Bryan and his amazing family. I have a whole bunch of fun pictures of the kids, which I will post soon. It was such a fun trip, and we hope we can go back soon.
Also, in recent Cooper news, I now have a new job! The school that I wanted to work at earlier this year had a new position open up. My friend and former cooperating teacher, Amy Leatham, stepped down from her position to be with her son, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Her story breaks my heart. While I feel sad that it is her position I am filling, I am grateful for the opportunity. She is an amazing teacher, and I know her students will be excited for her to return next fall.
In the meantime, I'm going to try not to stress out too much as I prepare for the weeks ahead. I officially start at the beginning of January. The school wanted me to start the November 30, but I just can't leave The Buckle right now. My amazing boss would pull his hair out (or what is left of his hair. haha) So we will be hiring a sub for 3 weeks out of the pool of applicants for the position to teach my class for a few weeks until I am able to start. This has all happened so fast that my head is spinning! Just weeks ago, I had no idea that I would be teaching this school year! Life is crazy!

Salt Lake Trip!!!!!!

Josh and I needed a getaway! So, at the end of September, we got a hotel in Salt Lake City and hit the road. Being the fashion loving DORKS that we are, we totally had to get some pictures of our cute outfits before we left.
And of course.....a classic car ride video. Josh and I are all about these, even though they never really turn out looking very good. :(

While in Utah, we had to get our favorite dessert at P.F. Changs.....THE GREAT WALL OF CHOCOLATE!!!!!! It is to die for!!!!! The picture doesn't do it justice!

We got to see Tiff, Victor, and the kiddos while we were in Salt Lake. They are so fun! Westwood and Olivia are LOVING the camera right now! I showed Westwood a pose to do, and this is what he did. haha. So funny.

I'll post a few more pictures from the trip when I'm not feeling so lazy. (Who knows when that will be...)

Time to play CATCH UP!!!!!

These events transpired on June 12, 2009. I know.....I'm a little slow at getting some things posted. Kasi Lee Beorchia (formerly known as Kasi Lee Sucher, for those of you that are a little slow to see the strong sisterly resemblance between us) came to visit me in Rexburg for a Sister/Craft day.
Being so close to the amazing flood museum, we decided that we needed to learn a little bit about the culture of the area. And since my mother and her family experienced the destruction of the flood, we thought it would also help us to gain some perspective on the trials she faced. While this introduction makes it sound like this was a sentimental quest for Kasi and I, don't be mistaken. It was amost the opposite.......we basically just took dorky pictures next to all of the mannequins. :) hahahaahahahhaha


This is Kasi and I posing for pictures next to some pictures. Putting that into words makes it sound really odd.

While in the museum, a very nice lady asked us if we would like to watch a short movie about the flood. Being a part of the "flood museum" experience, we obviously agreed. On our way into the little movie room, Kasi and I joked about how funny it would be if we saw our mom (as an awkward teen) in the movie. We weren't that lucky, but we came pretty close! Just after finishing the movie, we found a picture in the movie room with a lady that looks unmistakably like our mother !

Can you see the resemblance? The lady in the front, tenderly cradling the basket of saved goods, looks just like the pictures I have seen of my mother when she was that age! What luck!
(But for the record, I don't believe that was her.)

After the museum, Kasi and I slipped over to see our Great-Grandma Grace, who is looking so good for her years. And she is just as sprightly as I've ever remembered her!

Our last activity for the day was to make our craft. We started from scratch with a random lady's blog idea, some paper, and a frame, and here is what we created! I think the result is pretty impressive. (The leaf placement was basically the hardest part. Kasi kept saying, "Kelli, your leaves look better!" and I kept saying, "Kasi, I want mine to look like yours!" Where is the grass greener, my friend? On the other side. But they both turned out fine, despite the stress!)

It was a super fun day spent with Kasi! We have plans for our next crafting session. Now we just need to find the time to do it!

Just a recommendation...

Having graduated in English, I get exposed to great book after great book. So, when I read a book I enjoy, I just write a review about it on my Goodreads.com account. However, every once in a while, I come across a book that just makes me freak out. This morning, I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzane Collins, and I couldn't even breathe! Seriously. The book kept me so captivated that I finished the last few pages barely able to breathe! If you want a book to read, pick this up. Truly amazing!!!! I've got the next in the series coming in the mail and I just hope that I can make it until it gets here!

Loving gLee!

I have a new favorite telly show that combines my adoration for broadway music, my lifelong fetish for chart-topping hits, my love for catchy dance moves and flashy costumes, and my guilty pleasure for quirky high school shows. (I watched "High School Musical a good 30 times in my single college days. I know....I'm lame.) Aside from a few racy dance moves that would make my mother blush, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. It's funny, but watching has really made me reminisce on the memories of Kelli Jean Biddulph and I singing "Rent" songs at the top of our lungs in her family suburban. And I think there is a hidden desire in all of us to be the amazing performer that stands up in front of the whole school, as a nobody, and delivers an amazing vocal performance that makes the whole school give a standing ovation in approval. Oh wait...that was only my fantasy? -awkward-
For those that didn't get to see the episode this current week that had me and my mother rolling, here is a hilarious clip. Oh- and if you haven't seen the "Single Ladies" music video by Beyonce, then 1. You need to crawl up out of that hole you've been hiding in, and 2. you need to look it up. That lady can shake it.
So, without further adieu, here it is........:) hahahahahahahahahaha

Back to blogging...

So, after a long recess from filling out my blog, I'm back to try again. Much has changed since the last time that I posted...but I guess that is what 5 months will do to you, right?
Josh and I are now living in Idaho Falls and loving it! It's nice for both of us to be so close to work. Oh, and did I mention that I am now Josh's boss? Josh left his job at Melaleuca in exchange for a pay raise and his sanity back. He now works as a teammate on my team at the Buckle, showing more potential in his first few weeks than I could have hoped for. He's a natural. Which makes my job a lot easier! We get the question every day, "Is it hard working with your spouse?" Thankfully, Josh and I get along like Pam and Jim from The Office. :)

Josh and I are happier than ever, except for the seasonal allergies that keep us sneezing all day. Mer........

Well, I'll post something else soon. Peace out.

Bring on the SUMMER!!!! (Part 1)

Sometimes waiting for the heat waves of summer can be long and depressing. To help invite pass this awkward phase between an Idaho winter and brief summer, I am going to reminisce on the fun events of last summer that never got posted. Oops!
CAMPING!!!
Camping is always the big pastime of the summer that Josh and I look forward to. Both sides of our families enjoy camping, so it is a great way to hang out with our loved ones.
Here are some highlights from Sucher Family camping trips last summer!

This was our little trip to John Sack's cabin, which was just a few miles from Buffalo, where we went camping!Look how precious my parents are in this picture!

Kayla and I always find time to take goofy pictures.

This is my favorite picture of Kayla. haha. I caught her taking a picture of herself. I think it is hilarious. She looks so cute.
This is Josh and I posing in front of Johnny Sack's cabin! Despite how boring this attraction appears, it is actually quite amusing to tour the cabin! He was very short, and there are really old antique pictures of him. I would say he was probably under 5 feet or so. He built everything himself, which makes you wonder how such a small man got the roof on. Well, that is what I wondered.
I think Josh looks so handsome in this picture. I, on the other hand, have my infamous curly "Sucher Fro" to try to tame without the use of modern conveniences. But you're not supposed to look good when you go camping, right?
Icky! I can't remember if Josh found this on the side of the road or if he squished the can of his own Mountain Dew. Either way, he was looking out for Mother Nature: saving the planet one soda can at a time! Mom and Dad! Dad is always decked out in his Wheeler's paraphernalia and sucking on Life Savers mints. And mom always shines the brightest in candid pictures...mostly because if you tell her you are taking a picture, she either frowns or tries to hide. hahahaha This is Kayla and I feeding the fishies. The fish were huge!

New Opportunities

Well, I unfortunately didn't get the job at Madison High. Today I got texts from about 20 students from the school. Here are a couple samples:

"Mrs. Cooper! You were an amazing teacher and you will get an awesome teaching job someday really soon. You totally had my vote!"

"I think you're a great teacher. I'm sorry about the job. Don't give up. Keep trying. When you get a job, you'll be the best!!!"

When I first heard I didn't get the job, I was sad. But as you can imagine, given my emotional tendencies, reading these texts just made me break down and cry. I really will miss the kids. It is a great school. However, today proved to me that sometimes when one door closes, another one opens. Or even a couple of doors. Stay tuned.

In the REAL WORLD now!

So, life since graduation has been great, but it has also given me a little taste of the world of adults. After working at the Buckle for five years, it has been a while since I have been interviewed for a job, especially a REAL job. I did my student teaching at Madison High School, and one of the teachers in the English department, Diane Madsen, is retiring after this year. The school held interviews for the positions and narrowed the applicants down to a top 5. Lucky for me, they liked me enough in my interview to include me in that 5. Unlucky for me, they wanted the 5 applicants to teach a lesson in front of the Principal and any teachers in the department that want to come. The past days have been filled with the stress of putting together a 20 minute lesson that would be interesting, interactive, and instructive (now that is a parallel sentence, right?) Now, a 30 or 60 minutes lesson would have been a little more ideal, but I made the 20 minutes work. I got to teach my lesson in Ryan Snelgrove's CREATIVE WRITING class, which was so fun!!! For part of my lesson, I morphed the face of the Principal, Mr. Hampton, into the face of my dad. Here is the before and after.

Before

After

I really think that Josh and I did a great job manipulating the photo a little bit! I really see Dennis Sucher when I look at this picture! I do think that I'm channeling a little bit of my uncle, Mike. However, my dad and Mike are practially twins anyway, right? My lesson went really well, and I couldn't be more happy with myself. If I don't get the job, I'm happy to know that I did my best, and that it is just not meant to be. It was a great day!

Graduation!

On April 10, 2009, I hit a huge milestone in my life: graduation! I finished my degree in English Education, and it feels so strange not to be starting school with Josh this next semester. Although I am going to miss school, I am really loving the extra time that I have to read. In the time since I finished school, I have read The Wednesday Wars, the second and third Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and started The Atonement. Once an English major, always an English major, right?
It was so fun to have some of my family up for my graduation. Unfortunately, they make the graduation gowns the size of a circus tent. Thankfully, Josh bought me some really cute shoes to make up for it. :)

Marsha and Bob came to my graduation. I chose this picture because it displayed Bob's natural talent for looking like a big goof in most pictures. He's so funny. Bob and Marsha share have really got us hooked on American Idol. Bob agrees with me; Lil Rounds has got to go

My family also made an appearance. I especially like the look on my father's face. I wonder what he was thinking when this picture was taken. Here is my guess:
I wonder if I can see my job from here....
That man takes pride in his work. :)
I think Grandma Bonnie looks particularly vibrant in her purple sweater.

Altogether, it was a grand day, and not nauseatingly formal. Now it is just time to answer the question that looms in the mind of every college graduate: What next? Fortunately, a wise man (my father) once said (almost every day) that "everything has a way of working out."
So regardless of what my next step is, I know that it will be the right thing for me!