Well, this summer is just flying by :( as all my summer breaks do - but I have had a lot of fun things going on and need to write about it. I have been terrible at taking pictures, so my words will have to do.
The first week of June I went to our cabin to in Bear Lake. I ha d hoped to get some of my friends from school to come along, but they weren't able to come. So it was my friend Tifani and I. We had a great and relaxing time. We had great weather- which is fairly unusual for Bear Lake. We went hiking to Paris Springs. Well, it is not really a hike but maybe a short walk. It is a beautiful though and it was fun to get out in nature for a bit. We couldn't come to Bear Lake without getting a shake.
Because of the great weather we went to North Beach and got burned! It wasn't too hot so we kind of forgot to reapply sunscreen after laying out in the intense sun for a few hours...That night we got shakes and watched the entire BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. So fun!!
The next day we were in too much pain because of our sunburns to go anywhere so we stayed in and watched some movies and decided to pressure wash the deck. Kind of a fun job! Oh, and shakes again. 3 for 3. Yummy!!
On our last day we cleaned up and drove home- with one last stop to get shakes on the way out of town. I didn't get one today, but it is not to be missed when you are in Bear lake.
The next week I had a conference in Provo for school- Core Academy. We learned about how to effectively teach the new math curriculum. The best part was that my roommate was going also- so we got to carpool and see each other at lunch and breaks. Also, a lady I used to teach with was in my group. It was great to see her and catch up with her. The conference lasted 4 days and as a whole was pretty good- but could have easily been done in 3 days.
Armed with my new knowledge of the Common Core, I thought I should spend a little time in my classroom. I enlisted the help of my nieces to do some organization. I was thrilled to be able to have them for a sleep over!! I love being an aunt and it was so fun to spend time with just them. After glitter toes in Salt Lake, I drove Tenley and Maddy to my house and we watched Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Oldie but a goodie. Not sure if the girls appreciated the 80's clothes, music, dancing, and saying as much as I did but they seemed to like it.We left to go to my school in the morning- with a stop for McDonald's breakfast and at Wal Mart on the way. We spent a few hours cleaning out all of my cupboards and cabinets. The girls were great helpers and I feel so good to start a new school year de-junked and organized! Well, we headed home and decided to see if the girls could stay another night. So we called Mylee and she said they could. Yeah! We stopped at Subway for lunch on the way back and decided we would do pedicures (at my house) and go to a dollar movie later. We went to Burger Supreme, each got a dollar sandwich/burger and shared some fries. Since we were extremely close to Cocoa Bean Cupcakes, well we had to go in and get a treat for the movie. We went to see The Lorax. Cute movie- definitely had a bit of an agenda... After the movie we came home and watched The Parent Trap, the old Haley Mills version. I love that they like to watch some of the same movies I did as a kid. Well, apparently our food choices for the day were a bit much for Tenley. She got a bit sick during the movie, but fared the rest of the night ok. I guess sometimes staying with the fun aunt means you get to eat things you normally don't at home... sorry Mylee :) Well in the morning I drove the kids home and ended our fun extended stay sleep over. It was so fun to spend some time with them. They are such good girls and great helpers. They always have been so fun to be around. Never complaining or arguing, just great kids. I sure am the luckiest aunt around.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Monday, October 24, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2. Day 24 6 to go
Incommunicado
Remember the good old days before cell phones? Ahhh, it was a much simpler time wasn't it.If you were lost, you figured it out. If you were meeting someone, you had to show up - no texting to say you lost track of time. No worries about dead batteries, being out of range or service, not to mention those expensive bills. How did we ever live without them? Somehow we managed. I mentioned to a friend last week that I was going to go without my cell phone for a day. She told me I was crazy, and that it is dangerous. What if my car broke down or if I had some other kind of problem. I gave a lot of thought to what she said. True, having that cell phone handy does make you feel a bit safer. But I just kept thinking of how we managed before cell phones just fine. I decided to give it a try. And for extra incentive, I accidentally left my charger at my parents house, so it was dead anyway. Maybe that was a touch of serendipity. I charged it with my roommates charger so I could use it as an alarm. I got up this morning and turned off my cell phone immediately, got ready and drove off, sans phone. I went to my carpool's appointed meeting spot only to find that my carpool wasn't there. 15 minutes later, still not there. Not having a cell phone to call or text her, I drove off. I couldn't wait any longer. After getting to school without incident, not having my phone was not such a big deal. Later, I asked my friend what had happened this morning, and of course she said "Didn't you get my text?" Nope. Not today. She told me that she got up late and texted me that she would just drive herself. So, a little mishap, but no big deal.
I think I may have found an answer to the question "how did we ever manage without cell phones?". The answer is that no one else had a cell phone either. Everyone was in the same boat. Today, you just assume that everyone has a working cell phone on their person if you need to contact them. In fact, it's almost taken as rude if someone doesn't respond to you. Why didn't you respond to my call/text that I sent less than 10 minutes ago? You have your phone right there, right? Well, on the day that you don't have your phone right there, will you survive? I have, so far.
Remember the good old days before cell phones? Ahhh, it was a much simpler time wasn't it.If you were lost, you figured it out. If you were meeting someone, you had to show up - no texting to say you lost track of time. No worries about dead batteries, being out of range or service, not to mention those expensive bills. How did we ever live without them? Somehow we managed. I mentioned to a friend last week that I was going to go without my cell phone for a day. She told me I was crazy, and that it is dangerous. What if my car broke down or if I had some other kind of problem. I gave a lot of thought to what she said. True, having that cell phone handy does make you feel a bit safer. But I just kept thinking of how we managed before cell phones just fine. I decided to give it a try. And for extra incentive, I accidentally left my charger at my parents house, so it was dead anyway. Maybe that was a touch of serendipity. I charged it with my roommates charger so I could use it as an alarm. I got up this morning and turned off my cell phone immediately, got ready and drove off, sans phone. I went to my carpool's appointed meeting spot only to find that my carpool wasn't there. 15 minutes later, still not there. Not having a cell phone to call or text her, I drove off. I couldn't wait any longer. After getting to school without incident, not having my phone was not such a big deal. Later, I asked my friend what had happened this morning, and of course she said "Didn't you get my text?" Nope. Not today. She told me that she got up late and texted me that she would just drive herself. So, a little mishap, but no big deal.
I think I may have found an answer to the question "how did we ever manage without cell phones?". The answer is that no one else had a cell phone either. Everyone was in the same boat. Today, you just assume that everyone has a working cell phone on their person if you need to contact them. In fact, it's almost taken as rude if someone doesn't respond to you. Why didn't you respond to my call/text that I sent less than 10 minutes ago? You have your phone right there, right? Well, on the day that you don't have your phone right there, will you survive? I have, so far.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2. Day 23, 7 to go
Hallelujah
Last week, I learned that the Mid single adults in our region are performing Handel's Messiah for Christmas. I have never been to see a Messiah performance or even heard it all the way through. So, I was very excited for an opportunity to not only sing in a choir again, which I haven't done since high school, but in the Messiah! About 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time, there were only 4 of us there. I was worried. Then the director said that if it was just the four of us, we could trade off with the solos. Now, I past worry, and moved to terror. Solos? What had I gotten myself into? Fortulately, more and more people began to trickle in. We ended up with about 20 people in all. Much better. We began to practice our parts together and then joined together again. We practiced the familiar Hallelujah chorus and a couple of others that I hadn't heard before. This is tricky music. Really fast and complicated rhythms. But, it was fun to sing with a group again. Some of the people there were really good. I am excited to see how this turns out. I'll keep you posted on the date of the performance!!
Last week, I learned that the Mid single adults in our region are performing Handel's Messiah for Christmas. I have never been to see a Messiah performance or even heard it all the way through. So, I was very excited for an opportunity to not only sing in a choir again, which I haven't done since high school, but in the Messiah! About 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time, there were only 4 of us there. I was worried. Then the director said that if it was just the four of us, we could trade off with the solos. Now, I past worry, and moved to terror. Solos? What had I gotten myself into? Fortulately, more and more people began to trickle in. We ended up with about 20 people in all. Much better. We began to practice our parts together and then joined together again. We practiced the familiar Hallelujah chorus and a couple of others that I hadn't heard before. This is tricky music. Really fast and complicated rhythms. But, it was fun to sing with a group again. Some of the people there were really good. I am excited to see how this turns out. I'll keep you posted on the date of the performance!!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2. Day 22, 8 to go
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad world...
We all have those movies, TV shows, books, or other things that we hear a lot of good things about but just haven't seen for ourselves yet. "I'll get around to it" we tell ourselves. Someday. I have too many to count and I finally got to see one of them for myself. I have always heard great things about the show Madmen, including its many Emmy awards. I don't know much about it other than its about advertising agencies in the 60's. Thanks to the wonder of Netflix, I am able to watch any episode on my computer at any time. My friend Tifani were scrolling through the many options available to us and we came across this show, and we both said "I have always wanted to watch it", so that was it. We watched the first episode and we were intrigued. The main character, Don Draper, at first seems to be somewhat decent, just your typical brilliant advertising exec, but by the end of the episode there is more than meets the eye. It is a very interesting show and admittedly very well done. It looks like a movie - the costumes, lighting, sets, etc. I am definitely going to have to watch more to see what these characters are really about. I get the feeling there are a lot of layers to each of them, very complex. So, like an onion, I will attempt to peel away at this show, one episode at a time. Hopefully without any tears.
We all have those movies, TV shows, books, or other things that we hear a lot of good things about but just haven't seen for ourselves yet. "I'll get around to it" we tell ourselves. Someday. I have too many to count and I finally got to see one of them for myself. I have always heard great things about the show Madmen, including its many Emmy awards. I don't know much about it other than its about advertising agencies in the 60's. Thanks to the wonder of Netflix, I am able to watch any episode on my computer at any time. My friend Tifani were scrolling through the many options available to us and we came across this show, and we both said "I have always wanted to watch it", so that was it. We watched the first episode and we were intrigued. The main character, Don Draper, at first seems to be somewhat decent, just your typical brilliant advertising exec, but by the end of the episode there is more than meets the eye. It is a very interesting show and admittedly very well done. It looks like a movie - the costumes, lighting, sets, etc. I am definitely going to have to watch more to see what these characters are really about. I get the feeling there are a lot of layers to each of them, very complex. So, like an onion, I will attempt to peel away at this show, one episode at a time. Hopefully without any tears.
Friday, October 21, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2, Day 21, 9 to go
There's an app for that.
Nowadays there is an app for everything. I am always hearing about the latest and greatest in the android market. That's cool! I'll have to try that out! Well, I was determined to find my own app to make others rush to their own phones to download my awesome find. So, I opened up the market on my phone to see what I could find. Soooo many options. I decided to look in the technology section. I Tunes...perfect! Not having an actual Iphone, I thought, what could be a better combination then smart phones and I tunes? Well, there was an app that would allow my phone to work as a remote for Itunes. Awesome! I paid the small fee and downloaded it right away. Now, I can control Itunes on my computer from anywhere in the room. It will access my playlists, control the volume, anything I can do on my computer. Excellent! Truly, there is an app for everything.
Nowadays there is an app for everything. I am always hearing about the latest and greatest in the android market. That's cool! I'll have to try that out! Well, I was determined to find my own app to make others rush to their own phones to download my awesome find. So, I opened up the market on my phone to see what I could find. Soooo many options. I decided to look in the technology section. I Tunes...perfect! Not having an actual Iphone, I thought, what could be a better combination then smart phones and I tunes? Well, there was an app that would allow my phone to work as a remote for Itunes. Awesome! I paid the small fee and downloaded it right away. Now, I can control Itunes on my computer from anywhere in the room. It will access my playlists, control the volume, anything I can do on my computer. Excellent! Truly, there is an app for everything.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2, Day 20, 10 to go
The witches are out...
Every year, I have seen numerous billboards and heard radio commercials etc. about the witches at Gardner Village in West Jordan. Despite all of this advertising, I have never been to see the "witches at Gardner Village". My younger sister texted me and said she was taking her kids tonight if we wanted to come. Thank you Fall Break!! I was happy to be able to go. We met them and walked around a bit, my niece and nephew were both geared up in adorable Halloween attire. I love those kids!!! We walked around and looked at some of the witches and shops for a while. A favorite was the Halloween village - Ryder loved the moving parts. So did we, although $60 for one house was a bit much. We then went on to dinner at Archibalds. Yummy! They sure have some good eatin' there. Ryder had us all in stiches when he joined in our "adult" conversation without skipping a beat. We were talking about someone that a friend knew who had to move away with her husband, someone made the comment that both of them had to move. Ryder said "Both of them? How TERRIBLE!" It was classic. After dinner we walked around with the kiddos some more. They enjoyed seeing the decorations and light, just being outside. No one bought anything, except my mom bought a small toy for the kids. Aren't grandma's the best? It was such a fun night. I just love any opportunity I have to spend time with my neices and nephews.
Every year, I have seen numerous billboards and heard radio commercials etc. about the witches at Gardner Village in West Jordan. Despite all of this advertising, I have never been to see the "witches at Gardner Village". My younger sister texted me and said she was taking her kids tonight if we wanted to come. Thank you Fall Break!! I was happy to be able to go. We met them and walked around a bit, my niece and nephew were both geared up in adorable Halloween attire. I love those kids!!! We walked around and looked at some of the witches and shops for a while. A favorite was the Halloween village - Ryder loved the moving parts. So did we, although $60 for one house was a bit much. We then went on to dinner at Archibalds. Yummy! They sure have some good eatin' there. Ryder had us all in stiches when he joined in our "adult" conversation without skipping a beat. We were talking about someone that a friend knew who had to move away with her husband, someone made the comment that both of them had to move. Ryder said "Both of them? How TERRIBLE!" It was classic. After dinner we walked around with the kiddos some more. They enjoyed seeing the decorations and light, just being outside. No one bought anything, except my mom bought a small toy for the kids. Aren't grandma's the best? It was such a fun night. I just love any opportunity I have to spend time with my neices and nephews.
 |
| this was Ruby's favorite: the dancing, hula-hooping witch. She was dancing along. |
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
THE NEXT 30 DAYS, PART 2. Day 19, 11 to go
A rare luxury
Thanks to a fabulous holiday- Fall Break- we were able to have a very early day. School dismissed at 1:30, and the teachers got to go at 2:00. We had suspected we were going to be able to leave early so a few teacheres made some plans to hang out. We thought it would be fun and somewhat luxurious to watch a move and get some snacks. How often do yo uget to do that on a Wednesday afternoon with your co workers? Never!! I brought some Chex Mix and KeriAnn brought some brownie mix. Not just any brownie mix, Ghiradelli Mix. So gooey and chocolatey. Just delicious. We then set out to pick a movie to watch. Sharra, a fellow teacher, had a huge book of DVDs. We narrowed it down to 5 and each assigned "points" to the movie(s) of our choice. We each had a total of 10 points to vote. We narrowed it down to School of Rock, Rocketman, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Ringer, and another that I can't remember. The Ringer was the winner. Only Sharra had seen it, so we were excited. It was hilarious!!! It is about a guy who pretends to be mentally handicapped in order to fix the special olympics. I was a little unsure if I should be laughing at times, but it was very funny. I have heard about this movie before and have been very curious.
Anyway, I enjoyed spending afternoon in luxury in the middle of the week with my most awesome coworkers. We were talkling about how lucky we are that we enjoy eachother so much that we voluntarily spend time together over our break. Loved it!!!
Thanks to a fabulous holiday- Fall Break- we were able to have a very early day. School dismissed at 1:30, and the teachers got to go at 2:00. We had suspected we were going to be able to leave early so a few teacheres made some plans to hang out. We thought it would be fun and somewhat luxurious to watch a move and get some snacks. How often do yo uget to do that on a Wednesday afternoon with your co workers? Never!! I brought some Chex Mix and KeriAnn brought some brownie mix. Not just any brownie mix, Ghiradelli Mix. So gooey and chocolatey. Just delicious. We then set out to pick a movie to watch. Sharra, a fellow teacher, had a huge book of DVDs. We narrowed it down to 5 and each assigned "points" to the movie(s) of our choice. We each had a total of 10 points to vote. We narrowed it down to School of Rock, Rocketman, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Ringer, and another that I can't remember. The Ringer was the winner. Only Sharra had seen it, so we were excited. It was hilarious!!! It is about a guy who pretends to be mentally handicapped in order to fix the special olympics. I was a little unsure if I should be laughing at times, but it was very funny. I have heard about this movie before and have been very curious.
Anyway, I enjoyed spending afternoon in luxury in the middle of the week with my most awesome coworkers. We were talkling about how lucky we are that we enjoy eachother so much that we voluntarily spend time together over our break. Loved it!!!
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