Inspiring video - 10 yr. old Dalton Sherman

This video was shown to us the other day and it is truly one of the most inspiring videos. This is what our kids want from us as their educators, as their parents, as their peers. To simply believe in them!

Observation Day!

This week the regional staff of South Louisiana traveled to the Mississippi Delta to see how we are doing! Last night we held a regional meeting to reconnect with each other and it was so nice to see our staff. I actually missed them! This week they brought down not only the staff, but also alums and representatives from the school districts to observe some of us teaching. I was nervous, but didn't really think they would actually come to observe ME..boy was I wrong!

Not only did I have 2 South Louisiana alums observe me, but I had the Executive Director of South Louisiana observe me..TWICE! I was shocked when Michael Tipton walked into my room, he is basically the President of TFA south louisiana and a local celeb there. Ah! I thought I'd be nervous but it actually made me feel really confident in my lessons. He left me a wonderful note, too!

As if that weren't enough, the Curriculum Specialist of Akin Elementary (the school I'm teaching at right now) observed me too! He gave me such great advice and even said I will be a really strong teacher! Yay! It made me feel so good to hear that. After my lessons, my co-teacher said, "Did you see how many people came to see you today?? You got so many personalized notes! I'm jealous!"..of course hearing this even added to the highlights of my day! Ah, it was such a great day!

My wonderful notes from my observers!

And to top it all off, here are some pictures of my amazing students! 3 of my students were missing today, so I'll have to take their picture soon and upload it! How cute are they??

Coriyonna (miss troublemaker)

Patdericka (miss shy)

Robert (mr. troublemaker)

Makaylan (my sweetie pie!)

Danariyah (my little diva)

Upcoming lesson plan on Thursday!

Reading them The Three Little Pigs with puppets!

I bet they will just love it! :)

First Week Teaching...COMPLETE!

So last week was officially my first week teaching and it went great! I absolutely adore my 9 little babies. They are all so unique in their own ways and bring a smile to my face each and every day. Of course I have my difficulties, especially with my little troublemaker, Robert, but when I see him smile, it just melts my heart...and not to mention the smile on my face when I see him "break it down" with his dance moves!

For the first 2 weeks I teach Reading and the last 2 weeks I will be teaching Math. Reading is so much fun with the kids, they are so engaged and love to listen to stories. I'm a little nervous to switch over to math next week because I'm finally getting comfortable with reading, but it will be a great learning experience.

Basically the day looks like this:

First, it's Academic Intervention Hour (AIH). During this time we divide the students into small groups based on their academic level. We work with students in reading for 30 minutes and then math for 30 minutes. For reading, I have my little lovebug Makaylan. She is such an advanced reader for her age so she is in her own group for AIH. She is at a reading level 14, where her peers are anywhere from not even knowing their phonemes or the second highest reader who is at a level 3. She is so smart! I work with her one on one to challenge her in order to strengthen her reading skills even more! Here is a picture of her reading Dr. Seuss, her favorite author!

Makaylan and her Dr. Seuss book we're reading!

After reading, we turn it over into Math Academic Intervention Hour where this week we are learning patterns, working on sorting, and counting to 20! My students are so great at these objectives, although some of them have trouble counting. Fortunately, my group for math are higher than some of the other groups. One of the students in the class, Arlando, doesn't even know what the number 1 looks like. It's so sad to me that he can't do these simple operations that he should be doing at this age..but then again, that's what Teach For America is for! It's our duty to save this generation from falling 

further into the gap, and we WILL get it done. 

"We can..we will..we must make it happen!" (Akin Elementary's motto). 

Dream Wall

Last week, we had our students draw a picture of what their dream is, what they want to be when they grow up! My co-teachers and I thought this would be a great way to really get to know the aspirations of our little ones..what really motivates them; the outcomes were hilarious! I guess I have to remember that when I was their age, all I wanted to be was a dolphin trainer at Sea World..hey a girl can dream, right? haha. Before getting started on their own dream picture, I showed them my dream picture -- to own my own bakery! Little did I know that I would influence 3 of my little ones to one day be a "cupcake girl" too! haha..they make me laugh so much!

Here are my little darlings' dream pictures!

Our Dream Wall

Ms. Knall wants to have her own bakery! :)

Taylor wants to be a Rockstar! 

I wonder where he got that idea! (it's our classroom theme).

Danariyah wants to be a Rockstar, a doctor,

a teacher, and a fairy! Why didn't I think of that?

Janiya wants to be a teacher, a doctor,

and an ambulance helper!

Makaylan wants to be a cheerleading coach, 

a baker and a nurse!

Robert (mr. troublemaker) wants to be

a doctor dentist! (just as he told me)

Patdericka wants to be an artist, a doctor

and a cupcake girl!

Coriyonna wants to be a doctor!

Kenyatta wants to be a teacher! (aww)

What amazing kids I have! They all have such wonderful aspirations at such a young age. I'm very proud that someone in their lives has instilled in them that they 

truly can be whatever they dream to become! 

First day as a teacher!

So today was officially our first day of teaching! woohoo! I absolutely love my kids, they're amazing! I have 9 students this summer: Danariyah, Taylor, Coriyonna, Patdrieka, Mackaylan, Arlando, Janiyah, Robert, and Damien. 

Throughout the summer, I share a classroom with 3 other women, or as we call it, our collaboration groups (collab groups). We are all new corps members, but have an advisor who watches over 3 classrooms and a faculty advisor who watches over a few classrooms as well. Our classroom theme is Rockstars! They will be ready to "rock" 1st grade come fall! 

Our classroom has different sections when incorporating our theme. Here are some pictures of our classroom!

Our classroom door!

Behavior Chart on left:

Everyday they start on green: "Let's Rock N Roll!" (Ready to learn)

If they exhibit good behavior, they get to move up their clothespin

Yellow is "Rockin' Behavior" (Keep it up!)

Black means they're a "Rockstar!" (You're famous!)

However, if they exhibit bad behavior, they have to move their clothespin down

Blue is "Singing the Blues" (practice makes perfect)

And Red..."Speak with Management" (parent contact)

Guitar on right:

They have 2 stars at bottom (Math & Reading). 

When the class does well after a lesson, their star moves up!

"Main Stage": our reading area

 "Opening Act": our morning message on the whiteboard

"Set List": our agenda for the day

Rewards and Consequences!

Their goals!

Their cubbies!

Their alphabet (and unused computers)

Tonight was Community Night where parents and families were welcome to come and meet their child's teachers and see their classroom. Although only 2 of my parents showed up, it was nice to meet the parents of my students! But boy, such a long day! Arrived at school at 6:55am and didn't leave up 7:15pm. Ugh! But, it was all worth it. Just to remember all those smiling faces from today. That will be my motivation to wake up in the morning. Can't wait for tomorrow!

IT'S THE WEEKEND!

FINALLY, IT'S HERE!

After one of the longest weeks of my life, the weekend is finally here. Thank goodness! Tonight we had a catfish fry. I'll admit, I wasn't that excited...until I heard they were having free beer, haha! My friends and I all headed down to the "quad" (a big grassy lawn), and I was surprised to see they had a live band with a bunch of tents and tables. A local restaurant who is famous for their catfish was catering the event, and local community members all fundraised to have beer for us! What nice people! The food buffet had catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, french fries and steamed vegetables - yum! But it was my first time eating catfish, so I was a little hesitant. It was actually pretty good! 

There were 1,000 people at this event, so we all hung out for awhile together and even got to meet the fighting okra! Woohoo!

SLA (South Louisiana Corps) with the Fighting Okra!

Later that night we stayed to listen to the band and even did a limbo competition!

Rachel, me, Andrew, Christina and Stephanie

(my good friends in the corps!)

Rachel is from Tennessee, Andrew is from Philadelphia, 

Christina is from Sacramento and Stephanie is from Tennessee as well!

Evelyn and Andrew seeing who could limbo better, haha!

When we got home from the catfish fry, everyone was partying in the dorms. Weird, right? I thought so   too, but we're allowed to have alcohol in the dorms. Woohoo! The biggest social space in the dorm is actually the laundry room, so we decided to have a little party in there! The boys even put together the laundry folding tables to make a beer pong table. Hey, as teachers, you have to be creative of whatever you're given! Tonight was just too much fun. I have made so many special friends here that I can tell will last a lifetime. 

The beer pong table!

Saturday was such a relaxing day! I got to sleep in, thank goodness, and had NO responsibilities! yay! I  literally laid in bed all day (well, until brunch at 11:30), and then went to Walmart (the new fun thing to do here) and then laid in bed some more. Good news is that I was able to catch up on some of my shows! While at Walmart, a local Cheer company had their mats outside and were raising money for a competition. They were so cute and put on a show for us Walmart shoppers! Here is a little video I took of their routine. 

That night, my friend Stephen planned a big dinner for all of us at this Mexican restaurant down the road. I was a little hesitant on the quality, but was pleasantly surprised when I walked in and saw that Mexicans actually worked there. It's weird moving from Arizona where there is such a high Hispanic population and then moving here never seeing one Hispanic. The food was so good! And the margaritas! I'm sure the restaurant was so excited when 40 of us walked in together for dinner, haha. The whole town loves it where we're here because they get so much business! 

Roommate picture at dinner!

After dinner, I was so tired and had absolutely no desire to go out. Right as I changed into my pajamas, we had a firedrill. Come on! Heading out the door I grabbed my essentials: my phone and BUG SPRAY! I haven't talked about it much, but the mosquitos here will eat you alive. SERIOUSLY. It's sad when you get ready, look all nice and pretty, and you step outside and douse yourself with bugspray. Ick! Good thing I got the kind that isn't greasy. The bugs are such a turn off to a surprisingly beautiful state. 

 Firedrill picture outside! Can't forget the bugspray! 

These are my roommates: Hanna, me, Stephanie and Evelyn

Stephanie and I were roommates at LSU and Hanna and Evelyn were our suite mates. Here at Delta State, Hanna and I are now roommates and Stephanie and Evelyn switched so they could be roommates. Although we aren't each other's suite mates, we're only down the hall from one another!

I'm sad to say my weekend has come to an end and I won't be happy to wake up tomorrow morning at 4:30. However, it is our first week teaching! Yay!

Diagnostic Testing

Yesterday and today, we have been diagnostic testing all of the students at Akin Elementary for reading. First, we complete a test called the San Diego Quick, where we have them read a list of 10 words at a time. Each list of words is a different grade level, but we always start the student at the pre-kinder level. Once they miss three or more words on the list, we stop. The list they stopped on is their "quick" assessment of their reading level. I was really excited to start testing the students because we actually got to interact with them for the first time! And oh my gosh, they were sooo adorable! One little girl, McKaylan, is such a sweetie pie. Her hair was all done up in about 7 different ponytail braids fashioned with the plastic hair tie balls. I just wanted to put her in my pocket and take her home with me. I asked her what her favorite thing to do was and she says, "to read!" (but in the cutest country accent ever). When I told McKaylan that I was going to have her do her very best and read me these words, she replies: "yes, m'am". My heart absolutely melted. And her love of reading showed! She is entering first grade (so will be in Kindergarden this summer) and she was at a second grade reading level! I was so impressed. 

My next student's name was Jordan, he had this cute buzzed mohawk haircut, and looked so annoyed to be at school. He was super shy, but didn't give me any problems. As we began to start, I asked him to begin reading the first list of words, but all he did was stare at them. I pointed to the first word, "see". He began to read it, but all he could do was pronounce the phonemes. It was heartbreaking as I watched him just sound out the letters, unable to put them together to form a word. It's astonishing to me that a girl his very age, in the same class is excelling in reading, where he can't even read one word. 

Later that day we were able to meet our Faculty Advisor who will be watching over the class for the summer. She will be giving us feedback and helping out whenever possible. We were given the opportunity to observe a classroom as well. During observation, I had the chance to talk to one of the teachers, and I was not impressed. It's amazing to see teachers who just don't care -- no wonder education is such a problem in this country -- because so many teachers just don't care! There is this little boy name Arlando who can't even write his own name. He can't read or write, and just draws pictures all day. The teacher told me this information, but instead of trying to teach him she just writes his name for him every day. Well, no wonder he can't write his own name! You don't even give him a chance! Ugh, the frustration I felt. Also, the class activity on the board was to look at the pictures and draw the object and write what it was. Instead of Arlando even attempting the activity, the teacher tells me: "And he won't be able to do that so I just have him draw." Ugh! This angered me sooo much! This right here makes me so excited to make a difference in education, because I WILL teach the Arlando's how to read and write, and I WILL teach the Jordan's out there to pronounce more than phonemes. I WILL make a difference! 

These are the days..

These are the days I will remember.


I'm still no where close to getting used to waking up at 4:30 in the morning. It makes me cringe even more when I think that it's 2:30am in Arizona. My friends are coming home from the bars and I'm waiting outside in line for hot breakfast with 60 pounds of materials on my back, dressed in a suit and being attacked by mosquitos. Ugh! And let me tell you...these mosquitos are relentless, they will go through anything. Also, because it has been raining so much there are millions of them everywhere! Ewww.






These past few days have been better than day one, however. Yesterday, we finally began planning for our first lesson plan! My first lesson plan is next Wednesday, yay! I will be reading to my first graders and teaching them how to identify main characters and their important actions. I have chosen 2 books for this lesson plan and another 2 for a later lesson plan. It was so much fun to go to the library and explore their world of children's books -- seeing books like If You Give A Mouse A Cookie; The Stinky Cheese Man; Rainbow Fish...It excites me to be able to share these books with my students!

The Pig in the Pond; The Little Red Hen

Baby Duck and his Bad Eyeglasses; Owen

Tomorrow I get to meet my students for the very first time! We are administering an assessment called the San Diego Quick which will tell me what reading level my students are reading on. I am interested to see where my students will be, considering almost all of them are repeating the first grade this summer.


But more importantly, I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET MY KIDS TOMORROW! WOOHOO!


The joys of being a teacher!






Oh and here is another pretty picture of the beautiful Mississippi landscape on my bus ride to school!

I just think the land here is gorgeous -- how could you not appreciate something like this?

DAY ONE

My morning began at 4:30am -- can you believe that is our wakeup time for the summer?? This will take some getting used to. Once I got all dressed up in my professional attire (I am excited to wear "grownup clothes" this summer), I walked over to the dining hall to find at least 400 people in line to get in. Ugh! We all filed in to find a madhouse of a cafeteria. Surprisingly, the breakfast was better than expected. They have oatmeal, eggs, sausage, fruits, french toast, cereal, and much more. But then I realized I only had 15 min to eat and wait in line for our packed lunches before boarding the bus. As I walked and scarfed down a few bites of eggs and an apple, I rushed to get my lunch in our beautiful lunch boxes and headed for the bus. I was the LAST one to make it on the bus! I quickly sat with a girl I'd never met and we began to talk on our ride to the school we would be teaching at. Little did I know, I'd be squished on a hot, overcrowded school bus with no air conditioning for an 

hour and fifteen minutes! 

My beautiful school ID --

YES, we are the fighting okra! 

We finally arrived at Matty Akin Elementary School in Greenville, Mississippi! Greenville is actually quite a developed town founded in 1836 and today has 34,000 residents. And, an interesting fact: Kermit the Frog was born there, too! Greenville will be my little town of love for the next 5 weeks where I am determined to make a difference in their schools. 

My school!

Akin Elementary

During the afternoon we were able to travel to City Hall where the mayor met us and graciously thanked us for our dedication to better their community. Then, we walked to the Greenville Library where we received a tour of their literary exhibit. 

The drive to Greenville is very rural, with lush vegetation all around -- it's quite beautiful! 

But there are some very run down parts along the way as well

Perhaps we should try the local dry cleaner? -- 

DASPOT 

(couldn't help but laugh, hahaha!)

Arriving back at Delta State, the dark clouds began to form and in an instant, a MASSIVE thunderstorm broke out. Luckily, we were in the dining hall for dinner where we could seek refuge. Unluckily, some of my friends were at Walmart where the power shut off and they locked everyone inside! The storm was very scary and the power kept flickering on and off. I dreaded the thought of walking in this storm with high wind speeds, extreme lighting, and thunder that shook the buildings. 

As my 800 fellow corps members and I waited for the rain to go away (which it never did), we all got up the courage to RUN to our Welcoming Ceremony across campus. 

And let me tell you, this was not a pretty site.

Can you imagine seeing hundreds of girls (and some guys) scream as they wear trash bags over their bodies, holding their shoes in hand while carrying heavy book bags and purses? It was like I was in a movie and couldn't stop laughing as I ran barefoot through campus, petrified I'd get struck my lightning. And through all of this, I couldn't help but think that I would always remember my first day at Institute. 

The regions here at Delta State for Institute!

Yes, it was tiring and stressful. But it was also inspiring and motivating to hear from the community and each other that we can and we will achieve tremendous student progression this summer with our 

4,000 STUDENTS!

I am ready to make a difference. I am ready to change the life trajectories of my students.

I am ready!

Welcome to Mississippi!

My new home for the next 5 weeks is in the lovely town of Cleveland, Mississippi!

Most people have probably never heard of Cleveland because there really isn't much here besides Delta State University. Cleveland has a population of about 12,000 people but it seems much smaller than that because it is very under-developed. But they do have a Walmart! Woohoo! 

This morning my roommates and I set off on our adventure from Baton Rouge to Cleveland, about a 5 hour drive. I was actually surprised to find out that Baton Rouge is only 45 miles from the border of Mississippi..(weekend trips maybe?) As soon as we entered Mississippi, the scenery was gorgeous; such lush greenery and crop fields. 

Arriving at Delta State University, I was pleasantly surprised that the campus is quite nice and way larger than I imagined. Entering the college town, businesses had signs in their windows saying "Welcome Teachers!" or "Welcome Teach For America!" It was such a good feeling to know that we were so welcomed by this community. Because this town is so small, they LOVE when we come here for the summer -- mostly because we give them mula! (money). 

Teach For America has completely taken over this campus. Well, I guess we would have to considering there are 800 corps members plus a few hundred staff members! This summer, Delta State will be hosting many TFA regions, including: South Louisiana (me!), Louisiana Delta, Memphis, Nashville, Appalachia, and the Mississippi Delta. 

As soon as we step foot on the grounds, it was as if we were local celebrities. There were dozens of tents set up, food trucks and hundreds of volunteers. They truly made us feel so welcomed! 

After registering and getting all of these cool trinkets and such fun paperwork (not!), I headed to my dorm where I awaited anxiously to see who my roommate for the next 5 weeks would be. Unfortunately, they were switching us from our Induction roommate. HOWEVER, guess who my roommate is?? My suite mate from Induction, Hanna, from Oklahoma! I'm so lucky that I ended up rooming with her because we have already formed a strong friendship. But, I liked our dorm rooms much better at LSU..here I have to wear flip flops in the shower and around my room. The floors are gross and it doesn't even look like they cleaned it! Oh and by the way, this dorm is the men's dorm. Can you imagine what it's like when the MEN'S dorm wasn't cleaned?? EW! Not to mention they look like a prison cell.

View from my bed

The oh so lovely open closet we share

The view of my bed from the door

See what I mean? It's so bare! 

After a much needed trip to Walmart, my friends and I attended a BBQ they had set up for us at what they call "the quad" which sounds really cool, but really it's only a big grassy lawn. I sat with my region (afraid to branch out to the others, lol) but I know that tomorrow I will meet many people from across the country.

Tomorrow starts day one of hell, I mean, Institute! It should be an exciting time, but extremely rigorous. Every day, our wake up call is at 4:30am! CRAZY! Hopefully as time passes, my morning routine will become easier and I will get used to this madness. This week is really all about training, whereas next week we get to start teaching summer school! I can't wait to meet my students and the team I will be working with over the next few weeks. 

My planner, 1000-page Instruction Manual and my 

gorgeous Delta State University lunchbox!

I'm all set for my first day tomorrow! Woohoo!

Evelyn

Have you ever been situated in a room full of people you don't know and you just wonder what their story is? How did they get to be in this exact room that you occupy? I have found myself wondering this every day here at Induction. This room full of people who have traveled from all over the country in order to share their story; not only with one another, but to their future students, in hopes that they can make a difference. Every day I hear another inspiring story. Generally it's from a student who has experience with a corps member as one of their teachers, however, today was different because I heard the story from my suite mate, Evelyn.

Evelyn's mother, Martha, was born in Columbia and had illegally entered the United States by lying to the government about being married to Evelyn's godfather. When Evelyn was born, her mother had nothing. She worked during the day cleaning numerous houses, and at night she was a coat-checker in the city. Two years after her birth, Evelyn's father was murdered, and her mother just fell apart. She sent Evelyn back to Columbia to live with her Aunt in order to protect her baby and provide her with a better childhood. Alone in New York, Martha worked relentlessly so she could send money back to Columbia. Evelyn tells me that she remembers coming to the United States for vacation. She would have to wake up at 6am to go clean houses with her mother, and at night, she would stick along her mom at work. Martha actually carried blankets and would make Evelyn a little bed underneath the coats in the closet while she worked until 3am. In the wee hours of the morning, they had to run to the train in order to make it home for just a few hours of sleep. If they missed the train, which they often did, they had to sleep wherever they could find safety.

When Evelyn was seven years old she moved back to the United States to live with her mom. She didn't speak any English, but was excited to go to school to one day become a "doctor" or a "scientist". While growing up outside of New York City, Evelyn didn't have much. Her teachers actually gave her their hand-me-downs in order for other students not to notice that she had no clothes. Evelyn told me that she remembers when Ugg boots and Coach purses were so popular, but she could never even think to afford such things. When it was time to start thinking about college, it was never an option in her mind not to attend. She always knew she wanted to go to college and she reminded her mother all the time that she would be going. She tells me that she often saw her mother crying but she never understood why until now; her mother never had the heart to tell her that she couldn't provide a college education for Evelyn. Evelyn's school teachers and guidance counselor encouraged her to apply for colleges. One of her teachers actually paid for Evelyn's college application fees and for her to take multiple AP classes (about $85/each) in order to better her college chances. They provided her with the resources she needed about financial aid, and she truly realized it was possible for her to go to college.

Evelyn received funding for her college education and graduated in May. She told me how proud her mother was of her, and that was one of the happiest moments in her life. Evelyn said that her mother would not stop hugging her; she even went to bed graduation night and her mother still would not stop hugging her! "You did it! You really did it!" her mother kept repeating. Evelyn told me that her mother threw her a big graduation celebration and that she received congratulatory money for her recent accomplishment. And guess what the first thing she bought was? A Coach purse! She says she never had something so nice and she always dreamed of having an expensive purse.

I know people like Evelyn are the teachers who will change the world. She will transfer her life story onto her students and make it known that they WILL go to college and make a wonderful life for themselves.

Sometimes when I sit next to these people with heartbreaking, yet inspiring stories, I feel like I am too blessed; Like I have truly had it too easy. I know that I won't be able to connect with my students on some levels, but I do think that my compassion will shine. My heart flutters when envisioning the difference I can make in my students' lives. I will be just like Evelyn's teachers and counselor, providing my students with clothes on their back, food in their tummies, and relentless support.

I teach for people like Evelyn, who inspire me to never take the little things in life for granted.

I signed a lease today!

Today is our last formal day of induction and time has absolutely flown by the past few days! I have met an incredible amount of genuine people and am so blessed that I was placed in the perfect region.


Teach For America's work in South Louisiana is crucial. It is essential to change this culture of low expectations that is both self-perpetuating and ultimately destructive for the students whose futures are at risk. Today we were able to see a video of a young woman who was the exception and not the rule. She made it out. Shaneka was born in Indianola, Mississippi where 10% of people graduate from a 4-year college. Not only did Shaneka go to college with a full ride and graduate, but now she attends Vanderbilt where she is getting her doctorate in biomedical research! How inspiring is that? Shaneka attended a high school where 93% of students are on free or reduced lunch and has a 63% graduation rate. From the time she was old enough to work, she contributed to her family's income and still helps them to this day. None of Shaneka's teachers or counselors believed in her; they didn't even help her find information about colleges after expressing to them that this was her dream. I will not be this teacher. I want every single one of my second graders to know that they WILL go to college and reach their dreams someday. As Shaneka sits in class next to students who attended Harvard and Yale, she feels insecure, like maybe she isn't as good as them. But then she reminds herself, "Their Phd will mean the same thing as my Phd, and that's all that matters". Hearing stories like these instill in me the motivation to change my students' life trajectories and set them on a pathway to success. My students will be the rule, and not the exception!








After another massive rain storm today, I decided on an apartment for Nic and I to live! It is absolutely beautiful and I cannot wait to move in on July 15th! Here are a few pictures!

View from our balcony! 

Pool and BBQ 

Tomorrow is our last day in Baton Rouge before we pack up to live in Mississippi for 5 weeks! We were supposed to go tubing down the river, but because of the massive rainstorms it is doubtful that it will happen. Me, my roommate and suite mates are going to spend tomorrow running errands and just bonding with one another. 

I can't wait!