Rewards of Babysitting

Babysitting. My favorite thing about the last 5 months of my life. Well, excluding Matt. He is always my favorite thing.

Anyway, like I promised, I will share photos of all of the goodies the girls have made me throughout this semester.

All of the designs together.

Three of these are specifically special to me, however. This little pot was the first thing Hailey made me. She actually started making it before my first day watching them. When I got the tour of their house, I noticed she was working on it. Then she gave it to me on my first day. It's amazing how unconditional a child's love is. She didn't even know me and she already wanted to make me something!

Hailey made this for me one day after school. I picked it up and swiped it up against my coat. I then sat down to drive and my coat wiped against the car door. At any rate, I still have a red spot on the inside of my car door from this creation. I have gone to wipe it off several times but I enjoy the memory the spot brings, so it may take some time before I wipe the spot off my car door.

This one is my favorite for a couple of reasons. One, I love that Hailey spelled my name as Cala. That just brings a smile to my face. Haha. Secondly, I think it is cute that she made a poem for me. She has called me the best babysitter she has ever had several times. In fact, they both have. I know they probably say this to every babysitter, but a small part of me hopes it isn't told to every babysitter. :)

Tomorrow is my last day watching the girls this year. It's a little bittersweet. I enjoy taking them to dance practice, watching movies with them, playing games with them, and just spending time with them. But I will also enjoy the free time without worrying about missing things while I am babysitting. So, yes, it is very bittersweet. I can't wait to see how big they get the next time I see them!

What Does GPA Stand For?

Our official grades were posted yesterday. I got a B in a class that I felt like I didn't deserve it. The class, called Drugs and Behavior, was actually quite hard for me, though it is lower level. I am terrible at biology, so I am shocked I did as well as I did. I ended with an 89%, which stinks because it was so close to that A. And so close to a 4.0. But it's okay, I'll still get in grad school, I hope. Haha

I went over to Matt's house last night and started talking about that class with his parents. His mom said, "well if you aren't very good at biology and you still got an 89%, that's saying something. You'll get over it." First off, I am not used to such straightforward talk. I was initially offended because I worked hard for that grade. Two, it was helpful to hear that she is right. If my lowest grade this semester was an 89%, in a class that I am horrible at, that's a great semester. 

Every semester, I shoot for a 4.0 Nearly every semester, I fall short. I get disappointed in myself because I fell short of what I think is expected of me. I got through this process every semester. I am done with that. I honestly didn't look at my overall GPA until today, forgetting that overall GPA even matters anymore. 

It read: 3.83.

Not ideal. Definitely not up to Kaila's standards. But I finally put it into perspective for myself. A perfect college career is 4.0. I am at a 3.83 out of a possible 4.0. If I calculate the perecentage, that's 95.7%. Overall, I am at the top 5% of possible GPAs in a college career. That makes me feel better.

One day, none of this will matter. I tell myself that I work hard now so that one day I won't have to work so hard. Of course that won't happen. I'll be working hard toward some other goal in the future. But it's good to be optimistic, right?

Love is Being Stupid Together

"Love is being stupid together." - Paul Valery
I found this quote earlier today and I thought I would share it. The one thing I have learned in my 21 years of life is that you should be able to be yourself around the ones you love.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday and I talked to him a little on the phone. I called him "old man" and he just laughed, knowing I was kidding. We have a great relationship together and we have a great time joking. I have a very similar relationship to my mom. We are rarely serious and I love that.

I also think of Eryn and I who can spend car rides joking around with one another and telling funny stories. I think of our funny singing voices and our laughable silly antics. I think of how we are both dumb blondes at times and can completely accept our faults together. That's the love of my sister. 

The relationship I have with Matt is no different. I can honestly say we spend more time joking around (or at least I do) than being serious with one another. He just puts up with my jokes and occasionally laughs. He probably laughs at me more than with me, but I'll take it. 

I've noticed lately he has been a goofball himself. I'm not sure if reality is hitting him that once classes start again, we will no longer be in the same state, so he wants to treasure the time we have together now. It may be that he is finally becoming comfortable around me and wants to have fun. Regardless of the reason, I love being stupid together with him. :)