The weekend and Parent-Teacher Conferences

      Saturday ROCKED!!!  Really, it was one of my favorite days since I've been out here.  I spent the whole day with Anna.  We met a very cute black boy on the Metro on our way to see some sights.  He was adorable.  Almost as soon as we got on, he started trying to talk to us.  We were playing with him and laughing the whole time.  He even came back and sat on our laps.  He stole a little bit of our hearts with his smile, his laugh, and his friendliness.  His parents joked that we were too old for him.  I wish he could've stayed with us the whole day but alas we ended up going in different directions.
      Our first stop after we got off the Metro was the White House.  We got a little lost but we eventually found it.  We took pictures of both the north and south sides of the building.  What  I wouldn't give just to be important enough to go inside there for lunch one day.  I bet they have the best lunches.  :)  From the White House, we walked to a park where we found a huge statue of none other than Albert Einstein.  Many pictures were taken here to demonstrate our love and admiration for good ol' Albert.  Once the photo shoot was over we went the the War Memorials in the Mall.  It was overcast, but it was a beautiful day to be outside seeing the sights.  When we got home we grabbed a few not-so-healthy snacks and watched "The Devil Wears Prada".  After the movie, I went to the temple with our ward.  That was a really cool experience.  There we were driving along the dark road in the fog and rain and we came around the corner and WHAM there it was, glowing above the darkness of the trees.  The lights lit the fog around it so the air around it looked like it was glowing.  I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful sight to end a wonderful day of sight-seeing.
      Sunday seemed really long.  I went to church, came home took a nap and still had half the day left.  I tried to be constructive in my time use but it still felt like the day was dragging on.  I think it was just because I was inside all day.  I was super excited that the Giants won the Super Bowl, even though I didn't win any money from the family pool.  I was glad I could watch it on my computer and feel connected to them as they watched it together at my grandparents house.  I don't like missing out on things, but this made it feel like I wasn't missing out on too much, just the food...and being with each other of course.
      Today we had Parent-Teacher Conferences which meant that I got to sleep in again.  That was FABULOUS! but I'm not gonna lie, I was really nervous about meeting the parents of my students.  I thought for sure that they wouldn't like me.  They all turned out to be really nice though.  It helped me understand my students a little better and get to know them a little more by getting a small glimpse into their home lives.  There wasn't a single parent that came in that wanted to point the finger at me or my mentor teacher.  They all had positive things to say about what we were doing which was very reassuring to me.  Because Parent-Teacher conferences didn't start until noon, I was at school until almost 7.  I hurried home, ate a little dinner, gave myself a little time to unwind, and jumped right back into lesson planning.  It never ends!! That's alright. I'm really excited for tomorrow. I really hope it goes better than last Thursday. Oh and I got a letter from my lovely pen pal in Indonesia, my dear roommate Leah.  I love getting mail! :)