Hillary Clarendon, Will You Marry Me ?

Well, my dreams have come true. I have finally met the man I am going to marry and we are now engaged! I can't wait to marry him! Here's what happened...
Like I said in my previous post, Kyle's grandparents have a beach house in Oceanside that his family goes to often. We planned to go down to the beach this week and Kyle told me to bring something fancy because he might take me out to a 'nice dinner or something, maybe buy me a steak" (Quote from Kyle). So I though hmm.. this could be it! I sure hope so! So we head down to the beach and spent a few days with his parents, riding bikes, kayaking and relaxing. Friday came around and Kyle told me to go get ready so we can go on our date. I always give him a hard time because he doesn't like to plan things so he tried to plan this night out for us as best as he could. I was sitting out in the sun, sweaty from the sun as he came out to me saying, okay, lets go to the movies now... Now!? He forgot to plan that I would have to take some time to get ready so that set us back a bit.. So we dressed up and left for the movies and then dinner followed but I was unaware of where we were going to eat. I was excited but did my best not to let myself think about it too much because I was not sure if he was going to propose.

Here we are about to leave


So we headed out on our wonderful date when all of a sudden we ended up stuck in traffic... Kyle got frustrated with the traffic because it was hot and we were not going to make it to our movie in time and then on top of that, I got carsick. He called his mom to find out where another movie theater was on the way but that got a bit confusing so basically, the big "fancy dinner that that could be THE night he proposes but I'm not sure' date did not start out to well. We didn't end up reaching the theater in time so we just went and walked around Nordstrom's Rack. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the 'big date' but that was just because I thought it was going to be THE date. Anyways, we go to get in the car and we can't remember where we parked so there we were, wandering around the parking structure looking for the car, all dressed up. Kyle could tell what I was feeling by looking at me and said, "not turning out to be what you thought huh? We then got in the car and he mentioned that we were going to dinner reservations at the Hotel del Coronado! WHAT?! Why didn't he tell me that before hand! That is the type of planning I am talking about! I then felt that my sweet boyfriend had totally redeemed himself and planned something for us! (It's not like he never plans anything but he is just so laid back and spontaneous, I wanted a planned out date with thought :) ). So we drove out to Coronado Island (Traffic free) and sat by the Bay, looking at San Diego. We hung out for a bit on a little bench and laughed about the beginning of the date.



We then headed to the Hotel Del for our dinner reservations at 1500 Ocean.


Kyle claims that he felt at ease eating at the resaurant but I was pretty self-conscience about how I was carrying myself, how my hair was, if my elbows were on the table or not and so on. This place was fancy schmancy and I am definitely not used to fine dining but it was an awesome experience. Pretty opposite of what I pictured for our date, I thought we were going to Olive Garden or Applebees or something so this was really special.

The view from our table


At dinner I asked him what he had planned next. He said he planned we would walk along the beach but he forgot to plan in bringing me a sweatshirt or a blanket so he then went with his 'plan B' and we went to Rite-Aid and bought a funky blanket and headed to stroll along the beach. At this point I hoped the proposal was going to come but he wasn't acting nervous and again, I didn't want to get my hopes up. Anyways, we continued to walk along the sidewalk in front of the hotel and all along the water until we came to the end of the sidewalk so we stopped. As we stood there holding each other, looking at the water I thought this had to be it! My thoughts were interrupted when he said, "Welp, that's about all I have planned". My heart sank and I thought Uh oh.. this car ride home will not be a happy one. So we started to walk back when suggested we sit at a bench so we sat and talked for about 20 minutes.
(This picture was taken after the proposal, I didn't just take a picture of a bench before :) )


As we sat there, he kept looking back and forth behind him, I thought this was strange but didn't think too much into it. He kept asking me what I was thinking about and I kept saying nothing but obviously I was thinking, "you better be pulling out a ring soon! :)" A few minutes later he said, "Well, that's about all I have planned, Sorry I'm not a very good planner". Of course I told him it was wonderful because it really had been, despite the start of the date. I then thought, well, it's not going to happen tonight but that's okay because we had a great time together but then (Here's where it gets good) he said,
Kyle: There is one more thing
Hillary: What? (still thinking it was not going to happen)
Kyle: For you to marry me
Hillary: *looking at him next to her saying HUH?*
Kyle then swoops down on one knee and grabs my hand and with a big smile and watery eyes and says, "Hillary Clarendon, Will you marry me?"
Hillary: *silent* (I was shocked and couldn't say anything but cry!)
Kyle: Here look, here's the ring! (Kyle pulled the ring out of his pocket. It was in there loose the entire day! Nordstroms Rack, Dinner, the Bay, everything!)
Hillary : *still silent but crying*
Kyle: Well? Yes or no?
Hillary: YEAH!
Kyle then put the BEAUTIFUL ring on my finger and I hugged him but held my hand up and stared at the ring while we hugged! I was shocked but so happy! Kyle was also happy and later stated that those were not tears in his eyes but sand that got in his eyes. :)



We hugged and kissed and hugged and smiled and kissed all while I stared at my ring and kept saying, "Are you sure?". I then said he is now stuck with me for life and he said that was okay and he could handle it. :)

This is what Kyle's excited face looks like, although when he was down on one knee, his smile was bigger which really made me happy. :)









We took some pictures and then started back to the car. We called my parents, his parents, and some family and friends along with sending out a mass text with the good news!
Those of you who know me, know that I have been waiting for him to propose for a while now, even though we have only been dating for almost 2 years. I just knew I wanted to marry him for a while and remember calling my best friend, Courtney, telling her after our 10th date that I was going to marry this guy.

One more picture before we left the spot!


We drove home and of course I was showering him with questions like : how long did you have the ring? How did you plan to ask me there? When did you talk to my dad? What did he say? What did you say? What are you feeling right now? etc...
We got back to the beach house and his parents, who has not answered the phone early, were now asleep so we were just going to have to tell him in the morning. The next morning I woke up and threw my hand up in the air to look at my beautiful ring! I then went to Kyle's room to wake him up so we could go show and tell his parents. He told me he wanted to sleep and I should just tell them myself. Of course I said no way and that we both had to tell them. He finally agreed and we went to the living room to show them. I had my hands in my sweatshirt pockets and said to them, "Have you guys ever wanted a daughter?" They both replied with a yes and I then ripped my hand out of my pocket, showed them the ring and said, "Well now you have one!" We all hugged and I started to cry again. It was a happy and exciting time! I then put the news up on Facebook and enjoyed seeing all the 'likes' and comments come in.
The whole thing was so surreal and very fun! I am so excited to marry Kyle and am so thankful God brought our lives together. Before we met, we had both prayed for God to bring us someone in His timing and the next month we met! :)

Here is a picture from when it all began. We went to Disneyland on our 2nd Date (Big date for only a 2nd date huh? )


Also on a side note. Kyle's dad and my dad taught together years ago when they were fresh out of college. Our parents became friends and when they all had kids, our families would get together when we were younger. I was too young to remember this but we have a home video of our families on a vacation to Coronado when I was 2 and Kyle was 6. We were playing on the beach and walking around the bay area getting ice cream. It is so fun to go back and watch it now, seeing that I am now engaged to this little boy in the video with the over-sized hat and sweatshirt tied around his waist. I always ask Kyle if he knew back then that I was the one for him and his response always is, "I had no clue who you were". Romantic huh? :) Our parents got together once in a while, mainly our dads but the kids never came so when Kyle and I met up in August of 2009, we has not seen each other since we were little. The place where Kyle proposed is the same beach and area that we played on in the home video. Sweet huh?

Here is a picture of a video shot from that vacation years ago. My dad is holding me and Kyle is in the hat.



Well, I know this was long but I had to include all the details. Maybe I will print this away and pack it up and then when my grandkids ask how grandpa proposed I will remember exactly how it happened! :)

The funny things you hear in the classroom!

So during my student teaching, my kids said some pretty funny things that I just had to write down. I thought I would keep track of them and share them with others when I gathered a few. Here are a few funny things that my 3rd graders said:

1.
Girl: Miss. C, My rat died from a bladder infection.

2.
Me: You kids will be using multiplication for the rest of your lives so it is important that you memorize it now.
Boy: No, we won't have to use it after we are married.

3.
Girl: Miss. C, are you married?
Me: No, not yet.
Girl: Oh gosh, that is really sad!

4.
After a family emergency happened to my master teacher and the students regular teacher, I explained to the class that their teacher was sad and needed some time off. One kid raised his hand and said
Boy: Maybe if one of the parents had a lot of money, they could just buy her a corvette and she would feel all better.

5.
Girl: My mom said that some moms are just really lazy and they use school as a free daycare. (This was a random comment she wanted to share during a math lesson)

6.
Boy: Miss C. are you a Miss. or a Mrs.?
Me: I am a Miss.
Boy: Oh yeah, I forgot you aren't even married yet.
Girl: That's okay Miss. C. You are so beautiful, you don't even need to get married.

7.
I was talking to the kids about family traditions and what they meant. I told them that one day I would be able to share traditions with my own children and one boy blurted out-
Boy: No! What if you die when you are 30 because someone killed you?
Girl(says to boy): Don't say that! Miss. C is nice!

8.
The girls wrote "boys stink" on the board and one boy said, "I don't understand why girls say that.. Don't they know they will marry one of them one day? :)

9.
After I introduced the kids to writing in cursive one boy raised his hand and said, "Miss. C, can you speak in cursive?" I was very tempted to say yes and blend all my word together.

10.
(Another one about me not being married)
Girl: Miss C. You need to get married before you get ugly!

11.
Girl: My mom drinks this special tea at night that makes her loose 5 lbs in one night!

12.
girl: Miss. C, do you want me to hook you up with someone?
Me: No thanks,I have a boyfriend.
boy: What is hooking up? Miss C? Can you tell me what that is?
Me: Lets move on!

13.
One day I went out to watch the kids at recess when all of a sudden 6 of my students flocked to me and followed me as I walked around the playground. A kid from another class ran up to me to tell on someone and one of my students yelled at the kid saying, "She isn't just an ordinary yard duty! She is our teacher!"(I felt so proud! )

14.
Boy 1: Ouch! You hit me in the boob
Boy 2: Boys don't have boobs, they have nipples.
Girl: Oh! My dad has those!

Some things that my kindergarten students said

15.
Me: Joseph, you need to get your stuff because you are leaving for an appointment. Are you sick?
Joseph: Yeah, I am going to the dentist because I have a cough.

16.
I was just about to start video taping a lesson to turn in for my TPA when a boy said, " Miss. Clarendon, my armpits feel cold!

17.
Boy: It hurts really bad when I try to poop.

18:
An autistic boy in our class was holding my hand as I walked the class up to lunch. All of a sudden I felt a finger a finger follow the seam in the middle of the butt of my pants. Quite a surprise!

Where have I been??

Well, I feel like I should blow the ‘dust’ off of my blog and start to attempt to write again. I haven’t posted anything for almost a year! That alone should show how busy I have been. I thought that since some things are starting to kind of slow down for me, I should take some time to write about what I have been doing.

Last August, I started my first session of my student teaching for my Multiple-Subject Credential. I was placed in a 3rd grade class in highland where I taught for 9 weeks under the supervision of a master teacher. I went into it not too excited because I was totally burned out from subbing in difficult classes and sick of going to school but it turned out to be an amazing experience. My master teacher, Marsha was wonderful and we became friends quickly! The kids were so cute and at the perfect age to teach. I loved teaching 3rd grade because they were young enough that I could be silly with them, read stories and motivate them with simple games but old enough to where they could do independent work and discover on their own. I loved teaching the kids and thinking of new and creative ways to teach them information. They were sure sweet and when I left, I was blessed with a wonderful rolling cart full of school supplies for my future classroom along with lots of handmade cards saying how much they would miss me and liked me as a teacher. God gave me this little boost I needed by giving me this class to teach.
Here is my cart they gave me!


Two days after I finished with my 3rd graders, I was sent to teach kindergarten for another 9 weeks. KINDERGARTEN! When I originally decided to become a teacher, I thought I would only want to teach kindergarten or 1st grade but after subbing and doing my first session of student teaching, I found out that I work well with the older kids. So, the news about being in a kindergarten class was a little stressful. I found out that my master teacher was the mother of a good friend of mine from elementary school so it was fun to work with her. Kindergarten is difficult today because the kids are so little and they are held to such high learning standards. I feel like their little brains are not developed enough to take on such difficult tasks but I guess it is good that they are being pushed. Kindergarten is not all about arts and crafts, nap time, snack and finger painting. These little 4 years old are learning how to read and write!

It was difficult at times to try and keep 24 kids sitting ‘criss-cross-apple-sauce’(Indian Style)for any amount of time but I grew to love their happy, sweet faces. They are so innocent and cheerful and it is uplifting to be around them, even though at times it can be a bit chaotic. The things they said were adorable and there is nothing like having a little kid come sprinting across the playground, with Peanut Butter and Jelly on their face, just to give you a big hug.
Here is a picture of the cute book they gave me!


Here is a picture of 2 of the pages they made. The one of the left says that she likes my earings and the one on the right said I had long hair and wore make-up!



So I finished my credential which means I am able to teach grades K-6 but since there are no jobs available, I am subbing. I have been getting quite a few jobs at Eisenhower, the high school where my dad, brother-in-law Ryan, and boyfriend Kyle all work. I like working there for many reasons but the number one reason is that all the kids know not to mess with me because I am Coach Clarendon’s daughter. When I write my name on the board and they see the word ‘Clarendon’, they know not to mess with me because if they mess with me, they mess with Clarendon. It works out great for me!
Here he is...


Now I am currently working on my Masters in Education and will be graduate May 7th but my final research paper will not be due till June 14th. I am so close to completing this long journey and I can’t wait! No more class and no more homework will be such an amazing feeling!

Gotta love them!

Today is Mother's Day and I would like to share why I love the mother's in my life.
Mama
I am blessed to have my mother as my mom. She is selfless and always thinks of others first. She will make sure I am happy before she is and I don't know why she would do this. She always has cared for me. When I was in the hospital for my back surgery, she slept in the room with me on a small cot just so she could take care of me. She always asks how my day went and will actually listen when I go on and on about what happened. I can tell her anything and joke around with her. She really is like a best friend to me. She has done so much for me and I appreciate every single thing, including carrying me around inside of her for 9 months and 2 weeks and then pushing me out. ;) She is an example of the mother, wife and Godly woman I want to be. I am so thankful for her and everything she is. When I was little, I was so attached to her that they called me her 'barnicle'. Even though I am older, I am still very attached to her. :)

This is the day I was brought home









My Grandma has been in my life since I was born and I am so fortunate to have my grandparents around since my childhood. My grandma is one of the sweetest, gentle women that I know. She always has something nice to say and is caring and selfless just like my mom. (I guess she passed it down to her) My grandma is a great cook and my favorite thing she used to make for me was butterscotch pudding. I have so many great memories with her and love her very much. She is also very patient and a prayer warrior. Here are a few pics of us..




My Nana passed away a few years ago but I still remember so much of her. She was so much fun to be around and had such a spunky personality. I still remember her laugh and how happy she was, even when she was sick. She loved her children and grandchildren so much. One person said that her only flaw was that she bragged too much about her grandchildren. :) She was a great mother to my dad, aunt and uncles and a great grandmother to me and my sisters and cousins. I am thankful to have had her in my life for so long and I look forward to seeing her again.


Sally. Sally is like an aunt to me, even though we are not related but she is also like a mom as well. She too is such a caring person that is willing to help at all times. She has been in my sisters and my lives since we were born and has been there for us always. She is part of the family and a joy to be around. She always knows what to do and how to do it. I lover her very much and wish she lived closer to us. :)


All of these women mean so much to me, taught me a lot and have been great examples of what a mother should be. I am so blessed to have them all in my life.

Atta Boy Kyle

8 months ago I met Kyle and I was hooked. This past Saturday marked the 6 month mark that we have officially been dating. I told him I wanted to do something so he planned a surprise day trip up to Big Bear to go horseback riding. I love horses so this was a very thoughtful, special gift from him. I am so thankful that I get to spend time with him and be his girlfriend. He makes me happy and I'm blessed to be with a man like him.

Miss. Clarendon

I started substitute teaching about a month ago and it has been interesting. My first day ever subbing I was placed in a 6th grade class in Rialto. I didn't know what to expect and I was excited but nervous to try and handle 6th graders.

I felt funny when I wrote my name on the board for the first time so I took a picture of it. :)



Right before I reached my classroom, the partner teacher informed me that this class was horrible and instructed me not to smile, be nice or give them an inch or they will walk right over me. So, I stood at the door with a serious face and for those of you who know me, that is hard to do. I was strick, firm and not friendly but it didn't work. They were crazy and obviously had no respect for me. It also didn't help that they kept calling me Taylor Swift and Ke$ha.(I don't see it)


Who is going to be afraid of a young blonde girl who is trying not to smile? I survived the first day but was exhausted.

This was a 2 day sub job so I was to return the next day and the teacher was shocked that I came back. Apparently subs in the past have not returned for a second round with these kids. The second day was just as bad if not worse. They were loud, ignored my commands, would not stay in their seat, asked to use the restroom ever 30 seconds and to top it off, they threw paper at me when I turned my back for 2 seconds to write on the board. This made me mad and I was thrilled when those 2 days were over.


I also did 1st grade which I thought would be fun but they were just as loud, they told on each other and would not listen when I was trying to actually teach them something. God gave me a bit of encouragement though when a little girl gave me an apple. It was very sweet. She also forgot her lunch though so I gave it back to her later in thee day.

Right now I prefer to sub in high schools because they listen to you for the most part and there is no teaching involved, just monitoring while they do their seat work. The only issue is they always ask me how old I am and the guys ask if I would ever want to date a high schooler.

Overall, I have gotten great at giving, "The Look". All I do is walk over to the student, cross my arms and stare at them. This usually works with the older students. I also find my self saying, "Really? you are really going to talk after I just told you not too?" or throwing up my arms and saying, "Seriously?"

There have been classes where I have been able to have fun with the students and joke around with them. This makes it fun and I enjoy the kids a lot more when I can be nice to them. :)

I also have subbed at Eisenhower High School which is where my dad teaches. Right when the student hear my last name they always ask, "Are you coach Clarendon's daughter?" and sometimes they ask if I am his wife and I just roll my eyes and say really??? All I do is say, "Yes, he is my dad and if you guys give me any bit of trouble he will be down here right away so i suggest you behave." This works great :)

It is funny how God will help me out just when I need it. I was just in the brink of thinking, "I really don't think I want to teach, these kids are just too much" and then the next day I subbed for a great 6th grade class in Colton. They listen to me, did their work and were respectful. It was so refreshing. I think it helped that I prayed for the class the night before and then the morning before on the way to the class.

Lots of these kids come from homes where there is a lack of love and attention. They have not been raised properly and their actions are a result of this. These students, although they are loud, obnoxious and annoying at times, really need love and someone who really cares. I hope that some day when I have my own classroom, I can love my students and how them that I do care. This will be done only with lots of help from Jesus! :)

Homework Time

Lauren here, documenting Hillary's hard work. We are here at Augies, and I am borrowing her computer because mine had a mental breakdown. She doesn't know I am posting on her blog :) Anyways, Hillary is hard at work getting her homework done. She is such a good worker. She is going to make a great teacher. I'm so glad that I have someone to share these long hours of homework time with. Uh oh, she almost just caught me. I better run. Peace & Love.