The Beauty of Tests!

I am currently sitting in my room with 25 students and it is SILENT and therefore BEAUTIFUL.

For the past two days I have given 6 out of my 9 classes tests on "The Road to the Revolution". My tests are pretty hard and take most kids the majority of the 70 minute period, which means utter bliss for me. (Until the grading comes).

I really enjoy test days not only for the silence, but because I get to see the excitement in many of my students as they feel the accomplishment of taking on something challenging that they have prepared for. There is nothing better than the satisfaction of KNOWING you did well on a test because of your preparation. I also enjoy a degree of satisfaction I get when it comes to grading. Many of my students do very well on their tests, scoring A's and B's. It feels great knowing that I taught them something and they previously knew nothing about.

So, I thought it would be fun if you got to test your knowledge of the American Revolution. Are YOU smarter than an 8th grader?

a. King George III b. Mongrel Breed c. Common Sense
d. Treaty of Paris e. Quartering Act f. Red Coats
g. Patrick Henry h. Tories i. Whigs
j. Samuel Adams k. Tyranny l. firebrand

____1.) A law which required colonist to provide housing and food for soldiers.
____2.) A political party which believed the king should remain in control of the colonies.
____3.) This word describes a hothead or someone who sparks a revolution.
____4.) This person is remembered for the famous quote, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”
____5.) Authored by Thomas Paine and helped colonist to question the British control.
____6.) A political party that believed the colonies should be allowed to govern themselves.
____7.) The nickname for British Soldiers.
____8.) Formally ended the War for Independence.
____9.) Oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of the ruler.
____10.) An agitator who started the “committees for correspondence” and the Sons of Liberty.



Answer Key: 1-e, 2-h, 3-l, 4-g, 5-c, 6-i, 7-f, 8-d, 9-k, 10-j

Are you satisfied?

The Hostess with the Mostess!

Today Tyler and I had 14 people over for dinner in our 1 bedroom basement apartment.

I am pretty proud of myself!! :)




I didn't take pics while everyone was over because I was too embarrassed to let them know how pleased with myself I was! hehe.

My Missionary

As I sat home alone tonight, I had quite a bit of quiet time to reflect on my past.

The week before I turned 19, my now husband, left on a two year mission to teach the people of Vera Cruz, Mexico about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember the first few months (well maybe more like 6 months) he was gone I cried like a baby each night. The advice my older brother Ryan gave me was, "Shannon, it's not like he is dead. Get a hold of yourself." My little brother Russ would tease me by spraying on Polo Blue (Ty's signature cologne) which would always bring back a surge of memories and tears.

As the months wore on I grew stronger. I was able to continue my weekly correspondence with Tyler via letter and enjoy a fairly superficial social life with the zoobies of BYU. During this time I managed to tear apart everything I thought I believed, reach a point of utter confusion, and slowly build a thicker and firmer foundation of beliefs.

While Tyler was gone I tried to fill the void with a variety of things. I was passionate about a new outlandish thing each week. I'll never live down the time I claimed to my family that I wanted to be a granola. According to them, that would mean I couldn't shop at Nordstrom anymore. Whatever it means, it didn't stick.

After two years, Tyler came home and I was freaked out. At this point I was tired of waiting. I wanted to know the moment he got off the plane if we still had that teenage, romantic, dying love for each other. Things were a little rough at first. He was weird, I was scared and it was quite awkward.

Luckily that only lasted a month or so. The first week of August I met him at his family reunion at Current Creek outside of Heber (I know I must sound brave, but his entire family is really kind and I really had nothing to fear). We went on a 4-wheeler ride together and after a two year absence, thoughts and feelings fell right back into place.

I have now been married to my missionary for almost two years. I won't lie. It hasn't been the fairy tale I imagined it would be while he was off serving the Lord. But without the pains of trial how could you truly feel the rewards of success?

While Tyler was on his mission, he often found ways to encourage me and make me smile. One week he sent me some lyrics. These lyrics continue to give me comfort and encouragement.

Tell me what you thought about when you were gone
And so alone
The worst is over
you can have the best of me
We got older
But we're still young
We never grew out of this feeling that we won't give up

I am so grateful that I married my missionary.

Summer Memories from California

Here are a few pictures from this summer.

This pic was taken down at Solana Beach where we spent some days in the sun with the Conley Family.



The lovely couple we spent most of our time with is now engage to be married! Hooray Aubrey and Joe! we can't wait for the big day . . . when you move up to Utah! (jk love you guys)




We also got to meet our niece Audrey for the first time.



Max exhausted us with his energy. He sure is fun!


And what is a trip to California with the Johnson's without a little sailboat action? (Even if it is just to take a family picture at the dock)

Great Grandma and Lori Come to Visit Provo!

Last week we had a wonderful visit with Tyler's great grandmother and Aunt Lori. Thanks for coming to see us and for the thoughtful gifts! We love you both.




This picture is with Great Grandmother and all her grandchildren/great-grandchildren in Provo. Although technically I am an in-law, they let me into the picture anyway! :)

Hunting Fever!

My hubby's most recent obsession. Do not worry though. There will be no dead stuffed animals in our house while I'm still alive!

Birthdays! Jennifer, Ron, Kate and Leah

Many birthdays occur between September 18th and 19th, so Ty and I wanted to publicly wish all our loved ones a very happy b-day!

The first b-day shout out goes to my favorite sister, Jennifer Proffit. My sister is pretty much the best sister anyone could have. From a young age she looked out for me. She sang me primary songs when I was afraid at night, she told me when it was time to shave my legs, and continued to help me grow up by teaching me all about boys and even having children. She always has good advice and is there to listen and care. I love you Jen and hope you had a GREAT B-day.

The next shout out goes to Ronzo-Ponzo (Ron Ellis, Tyler's father). "Well this should go out to my old man, but seeing as how he's getting up their in years, he probably can't make out the fine print. Seeing as how he can't read this I could take this time to say terrible things about him for everyone else to enjoy. But the truth is that there is nothing terrible to say about him. He has been a model husband, father, career man, and disciple of Christ, and I love him more than a birthday shout out can express." --Tyler's first contribution to the blog. Can you feel the love?

The final shout out goes to Kate and Leah Scoville. Kate and Leah have been beacons of joy over the last year. It is impossible to be negative or unhappy in their presence. In addition to the happiness they so naturally bring, they are pretty amazing too. They can feed themselves frozen peas, dance hip-hop and even walk across a room without any help! We love these girls and are so glad we live close so we can watch them grow up. Not to mention the regular baby time keeps us content as aunt and uncle, rather than mom and dad. ;) Happy Birthday Kate and Leah! We love you!







Kate and Leah got the picture space...sorry Jen and Ron, you just can't compete with a 1 year old!