Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Yes, you guessed it... this is most certainly a post about the amazing, fantastical, memorable, magical, super dooper, mind blowing, electrifying, impressive, startling (continue use of synonyms here) story of............... 

MARY POPPINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, what an incredible thing to witness and be a part of - the story became so alive that I forgot I was part of the audience rather than being part of the cast.

For as long as I can remember, the stage show/musical of Mary Poppins has been one of the only shows/musicals I have wanted to go to and be a part of - even before I knew there was actually a cast touring the world performing this piece of work from my childhood. I don't know how many people I had told this to but I know I must have driven my husband insane over the last 4 years of knowing him, telling him over and over it is the one and only musical/stage show I have wanted to see. 

Well clearly I did not bore him as much as I thought (either that or he got so sick of the subtle hints) because as part of my birthday present from my husband earlier this year, I received a double pass to a performance of Mary Poppins in Auckland. These tickets actually ended up being for the day after my last day of uni classes so it ended up being a truly memorable way to celebrate. 

Without giving too much away, it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and was by far the best thing I have ever seen onstage - I would actually watch it a hundred times over (if I could and had the money to afford it). Watching this show brought back so many memories of my childhood and what I loved about it was pretty much all aspects of the movie were included yet the storyline was totally different and based on the collection of books P.L Travers had written.

I had wanted to see this for such a long time as I have always been curious how all the special effects are catered for and portrayed in the show - would it still be as great? How would they climb the staircase of chimney smoke? How could Mary do her flying? Her bag - does she still have an endless supply of items in her bag? What about the chalk drawings and the horse races and the penguins? The tea party with Uncle Albert on the ceiling? Ahhh, just question after question and to be honest they go on and on - if only you could see inside my brain with all these questions. So many questions have been spinning round my head for a number of years and finally on October 19th, 2012 these questions were answered.

If you want to be taken back to your childhood and blown away by the magic of the stage, the magic of the story of Mary Poppins, be so captivated in the performance you forget there is a live orchestra, be sitting there thinking Mary is looking and talking directly at you and so much more, then flip, what the heck are you waiting for? Go get your tickets and be part of the magic of Mary Poppins because its something you will want to see. 

Don't go with any expectations but rather just let the moments and experience blow your mind as you sit back, relax and enjoy the show! 

YOU'LL LOVE IT!

What have I learnt?

Now that everything is back up to date (in one simple and hopefully easy to read blog), its time for the thinking and inspirational blogs to begin again....

If the journey I have been on this year has taught me anything, it is most certainly the following three things:

1. Love, love, love
2. Have faith in yourself and what you are going through,
3. When you face trials in your life, don't give up but instead make the most of each situation

This year has been one of challenge, education, dreaming, expectation, thinking, realising, failure, learning, opportunities, reminiscing, admitting  building up, falling down, getting back up again, remembering, experience, change, difficulties, creating memories, making traditions, moving on, marking the path for our future and so much more.

In our very last lecture of the semester (and more excitingly, our degree), I felt like I was back in High School and being spoken to by a whole lot of teachers and school leaders from the last few years... 

"thank you for being here.... congratulations ... you have made it this far.... good luck for the future....we've equipped you, now go out there... make the most of it...you're almost there... you will make fantastic teachers..."

One of our lecturers read out a snip-it of a text to us. At first to be honest I just thought,here we go again but to be honest, one of the most powerful sentences he read out in that snip-it will literally stick with me forever....

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want..."

(Dan Stanford)

This year has certainly not been easy and at times I have felt like giving up - I wanted to give up on my teaching career because of experiences from this year, at times I've wondered how life would be if I wasn't married, I have wondered how and why I am where I am today, I have wanted to turn back time, I have wanted to fast forward on so many occasions and not face what I have needed to....

As soon as our lecturer read out this particular sentence and quote from Dan Stanford, I felt my eyes well up and turned to look at one of my best friends - Rachel Macintosh, who I had talked to on many occasions this year when things were not going so smoothly. My eyes welled up (just as I feel they are about to now) as I realised how true this quote/statement is. This year has been a far from easy year and I've made so many mistakes and there are so many times like I said where I have wanted to turn back or fast forward time but if I had the ability to have done one or both of those options, I would have missed out on so many experiences from this year. 

My practicum experience in May and June was hard and so many mornings I woke up and just wanted to give up - not even go to school. I went to call university and drop out of teaching, I asked to change schools but for some reason it didn't happen, I questioned my previous experiences and whether I had deserved to pass or not, I fully thought I would not graduate with my teaching degree because of everything happening, I had a major meltdown, I cried in the staff room or classrooms at lunchtime but every weekday for eight weeks I went to school and stuck it out. I admit it was not always my best effort but I did it. Things did not go my way - the way I wanted them to but I most certainly got the experiences I required for my future teaching career. 

Now I am in a much better and stronger place in my teaching career - have almost finished, have an incredible practicum ahead and am awaiting a fantastic teaching career knowing that I have had a vast range of practicum experiences that will equip me well for the future :) 

The last few months at a glance

Howdy doody everybody!

So since I am so slack at posting, I have now not posted since like April (or May) - I have got a few posts that need editing before I finally publish them but they can wait for now. 

I thought I would fill you all in on the adventures since my last post....

May
nothing too exciting that I can think of apart from....

• starting my final practicum of my Teaching Degree and working for church - we ended up having an amazing family fun night at the church for the kids/youth and their families and had a great turnout so was over the moon.

June
this was a long long time ago and so much has happened so I feel that I will probably leave something out but here goes anyway 

• celebrating a few friends 21st birthdays. 
• Struggling through practicum but went every day for 8 weeks only to find in the last two weeks that it would most certainly not be my final practicum and I would have to do another - lets not even go into details. 
• Having Bret and Heidi Maunder move back to Australia - flip this is one amazingly incredible couple and I love them to pieces (and really really miss them too)
• Finished practicum and planed to do assignments - yeah right 
• Oh and I almost forgot, Mum and Dad sold their house in Hastings :) 

July

Hehe, this was certainly a month of ups and downs, of adventure, trails and tribulations... what a journey it was in a few short weeks.  

• My 22nd birthday which was an amazing celebration spent with our 'Waikato Family' from Totara Springs and Matamata Bible Church
• Winter Teen's Camp at Totara Springs
• One of my Aunt's 50th Birthday's where we got to catch up with the whole family again for the first time since our wedding - it was a really special time :) 
• Family wedding on Nat's side of the family
• Car broke down and then decided to die on us - oh boy what an adventure that certainly was
• Started my final semester of my teaching degree
• Had some more professional driving lessons

August
to be honest right now as I am writing this post, I can not remember much that happened in August apart from....

• finding out my newest sister in law 
• mid semester break from university - was still struggling with assignments
• Went back to Hawkes Bay to visit the parents/friends/family and had a nice few days away from Waikato
• More driving lessons
• Continuing to have a blast with our kids ministries at church
• Celebrating more birthdays
• Celebrating friends having babies and finding out other friends are pregnant
• Was feeling absolutely exhausted and over university

September

hmmmm, what happened in my life in September? 

• Headed back to university for my last 6 WEEKS!! Ekk, it was such a nice feeling. 
• Started to apply for teaching jobs for next year - suddenly this whole idea of me being a teacher seemed so much more real.
• Continued on struggling with assignments and lack of motivation even thought there were only a few weeks left of uni
• Received my first rejection letter for a teaching job - if this has not seemed real before now then it certainly did now
• I found out where I was going to be placed for practicum and went in to meet my teacher a couple of times
• Finding out I am going on camp while on practicum 

October

Much more fresh and more recently in my mind than the other few months so forgive me but there could certainly be a lot to list from October - and its not even over yet.... whoops!

• The last few weeks of university
• Planning for life after university 
• Continuing to apply for teaching jobs - without any luck so far but I know the right job will come up soon
• Sending my husband off to teens camp and getting the house to myself for a few nights
• Road trips to Auckland to see Mary Poppins the Musical - ahhhhhhhhhhhh, it was like fantastically amazing
• My first time being in my new class for practicum and having an absolute blast
• Getting stressed over silly little assignments and craming at the last minute for a massive 30% test
• Celebrating the end of uni with friends
• Handing in my last assignment of my teaching degree
• Spending more time in my practicum class and being allowed to do the roll and bus duty on my first two days!!! WOW
• The end of my weekly commuting between Matamata and Hamilton. 
• Winning a photography voucher with those random competitions in the supermarket
• Realising it is now two years since I shaved my hair for CanTeen

Currently

• Pondering what the future has to hold and getting excited while sitting here realising I have not updated my blog in a long time and thinking I should do this, hence the reason for this post!