The Sharmas

...and the Rest of 2011

2011-12-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Holy...Where did this year go?! It seems like I was just enjoying summer vacation and BAM... It's Christmas break. I can't believe how busy life can be, and I'm constantly finding myself hoping it would slow down. There's always so much to do and never enough time to do it in. My class this year is AMAZING. Possibly one of my funnest classes ever! There are always some super needy kiddos in there, but I do what I can to teach them and get them to second grade with as much knowledge as possible. In August we went to Maui for a week before Cynthia took off to college and then as soon as we got back, school started. In September, I went to Northern California with Ray and we bought him a new commuter car (He desperately needed one), and then the week after I returned, I went to Southern California to the happiest place on earth with my mom, my sister, and her cute kids. Since then I've just enjoyed being home trying to take care of church, house, family, and all the craziness that comes with those things. I'm afraid I'm not very good at any one of them, but I try and that's all that counts (I Hope!) I absolutely love this time of year-except for the weather- and love spending time with my family. The excitement of Christmas and the traditions that come along with it have changed over the years, but that's always something to count on... change. I love that I can make new traditions with my family. Our new traditions include pizza on Christmas Eve and opening a new book on Christmas Eve, as well. The last one will definitely come in more handy when there are little kids in the picture, but that can all wait a couple more years! I hope all of you have an amazing Christmas and enjoy all the excitement, fun, and family that comes along with it!

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Catalina Island

2011-07-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Just after school got out, my mom and I decided to take a little vacation. She didn't have much time off of work, so we decided on Catalina Island. Neither of us had been there before and I had no idea how to even get to the island or where to stay or what to do there, but we had a ton of fun! I found a hotel online and hoped that it wasn't dirty or full of bugs! It turned out to be an awesome place to stay, away from the main part of town, so it was quiet and fun. The only problem was it was clear at the top of a hill with no elevators and my suitcase weighed at least 60 pounds. Luckily, I didn't have haul it up, just down! The first day we got to the island and took a night boat ride to the other little town on the island called Two Harbors. We had dinner there and went to a little store. As we were waiting to get back on the boat you could see the halibut and some sharks swimming right under the pier. Some of the men there were spear fishing the halibut and it was cool to watch. The next morning I signed us up for parasailing. My mom was super scared, but it was so much fun! I would love to do that over and over again! The rest of the day we just shopped all of the little shops and had some yummy seafood. On the island there is Descanso Beach Club where you can rent cabanas or chaises for the day. We rented a couple of chaises and did nothing but sit in the sun all day. Needless to say, I ended up with probably the worst sunburn of my life. I had blisters from my knees to my ankles, but boy was it worth it! It was the best part of the whole trip! We also rented a golf cart, a must have on the island and pretty much the only way to get around. Some kids on a boat told us it takes a really long time to get a car or a truck to the island so everyone pretty much just drives those. There is one grocery store there, a Von's, and the aisles are barely big enough for one little cart to get down. There are about 7 aisles and they are really tall, but narrow. I would imagine that if you lived there you'd get a little sick of the tourists! Once we got back to San Diego we went to Seaport Village and World Famous. My legs hurt so bad it wasn't much fun to do anything, and I wasn't in the best mood! But it was such a fun trip and I'd love to go back there anytime! The rest of my summer has been pretty uneventful, but that's just the way I like it! I'm ALMOST ready to head back to school, I think!

April 2011

2011-05-01T15:25:00.001-07:00

April was an awesome month. It went by way too fast, though! During the second week of the month I had spring break, so we loaded up and headed to California for the week. We stopped in Vegas for the night on our way down and just hung out there for a while. When we got to California we went to Knott's Berry Farm and the Orange County Swap Meet and enjoyed the 90 degree temperatures!

Since the next weekend was Easter, we went down to St. George to my mom's condo. It was super relaxing and fun to be with everyone although we missed Cody and Chris and their family. We had an Easter egg hunt at the park and went swimming at the condo.

This last week there was a lot going on at school. We had our last field trip of the year to the BYU Bean Museum and attempted to go to Rock Canyon Park afterward, but the weather was FREEZING so we had to head back to school early. The next day was our school's 5K. I woke up early to get ready for it but there was way too much snow on the ground and it took a lot of convincing to get me to go, but I had fun and it was good to see the cute kids from my class who went to run. I wogged (jogged and walked) the whole thing, but finished in 45 minutes and wasn't dead last so I was okay with that! I forget how hard it is to run on the road and not a treadmill.

This week Ray heads off to China for a couple of weeks. I hate when he's gone, but I may just head to St. George again if I can get away with it! I L.O.V.E that place and hope to move there someday! But for now, if the weather warms up, this place works too. :)

Our MESSY House

2011-03-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

So for the last about 6 months, every Friday and Saturday are the days we work on our house. It's so frustrating constantly having men there working and the dust is literally never-ending! Things are FINALLY starting to come together and today is new appliance day! I am a little worried about Ray moving food from one refrigerator to the other without my help, but hopefully it's not a complete disaster when I get home tomorrow! I'm so excited to have one full functioning CLEAN kitchen... Unless you've gone through this, you truly don't understand the mess of it all. Needless to say, I'm not always the happy person I should be come the weekend.. I almost dread the weekend more than Monday because it means never-ending cleaning up dust and junk! But the house will be beautiful when it's finished and it's looking better every day! Here are a couple of the rooms that we're working on right now.

DeCeMbEr

2010-12-28T08:36:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe December is nearly over! It completely flew by, but was a lot of fun. On the 13th we celebrated MaKenna's and Doug's birthdays. We tried to pull off celebrating both separately and started out at MaKenna's in Provo for bowling at Fat Cat's. After finishing a game, we drove back to Salt Lake, picked up Cynthia and Doug, and went out for some Chinese food. It was a crazy, but fun day and luckily it was the last week of school for me before Christmas break so I was getting used to a little crazy!

For Christmas Eve we went to Marcie's house and had dinner and watched the kids open their Christmas Eve pajamas. Her girls were so excited that I was pretty sure they would never go to sleep. Even little Cooper was a little bit out of control. They definitely make Christmas fun! On Christmas morning it was just me and Ray, so we woke up and opened our presents, made breakfast, and then went back to sleep. His kids came over at about 1 o'clock and they opened their presents. All Cynthia wanted was Despicable Me and watched it about 3 times after she opened it. Then we decided to go get some dinner and go to a movie later that evening. The only place open was Panda Express (which was fine with me, cuz I love it), and then we went to the movie. We had a fun Christmas and enjoyed being home although it was a little weird to not go to Lyman for the first time ever. We will head there this weekend for a big New Year's Eve party with everyone and I can't wait! Happy New Year Everyone!

2010

2010-09-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

So it's obviously been a while since I've posted anything. It may be because it's taken me since I got married just to get the house in a somewhat livable order... Just in time to remodel! I'm actually very excited to have everything ripped out and new things put in. The house we live in has green shag carpet from the seventies and wallpaper EVERYWHERE. No really, in every room of the house. I told Ray I wouldn't be pulling that off, so he'll have to pay someone to do it! I can't wait to actually paint and have all 3 bathrooms working! WOOHOO! I just started a new school year and I have a really cute class with A LOT of boys! They are a little hyper a lot of the time, but it makes life fun. During the summer we have gone to California a few times and I went to Texas for the first time (and hopefully the last time) ever. And yes, I drove across the whole dang state and it only took about 2 days! Thankfully my mom came with me and actually drove most of the way. Ray bought me a car on eBay, and it just so happened to be in Houston. So I signed my mom up for the drive and we had a TON of fun! Right Mom?! Right now I'm on another trip to California and am sitting in the airport for a good few hours so I thought I'd catch up. As you can see, not much is going on! I have quite a few pictures to post, but that'll have to wait til I get home. Hopefully sometime this century.. I gotta teach primary tomorrow!

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The Wedding

2010-01-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

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My wedding day was both the happiest and one of the saddest days in my life. I knew I couldn't get married without my dad there, so we did it in the hospital. The staff went all out decorating my dad's room and the hallway around his room. We had sparkling cider and cake at the hospital and all of the nurses and doctors made my day so special. I feel so grateful to them for allowing me to be married in a very unusual place!

December

2009-12-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Wow... What a month. I've found how strong the love of a spouse can be as he supported me through the hardest time of my life. I have an amazing family who supported Ray and me as we began our life together and we all stood together to endure what turned out to be a difficult month. Ray and I were able to visit Hawaii after being married and had a great time visiting one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. My dad passed away a few days after we got back, but I am so thankful I was able to get married in his hospital room so that he could be there. My dad was the most patient, calm, sarcastic, loving person I've ever known. Lucky for me, I married someone who is a lot like that. Ray reminds me so much of my dad that it makes me laugh sometimes. We spent Christmas in Lyman visiting my mom. It was so fun to see the excitement of my nieces and nephews as they prepared for Santa to come. It always gets a little crazy when everyone is home, but we love playing games and hanging out with each other. I am looking forward to a new year and a new start. I think I make the same resolutions every year, but it's always a good feeling to have goals to work toward. Happy New Year everyone!

CrAzY Fall!

2009-11-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

So it's been forever since I've written anything although a lot has happened! I moved out of the apartment that I LOVED having to myself and moved into a condo in Pleasant Grove. While I love being closer to work, I hate having roommates, but at least that won't last long! The school year is going well, but I do have a tough class that keeps me laughing! Ray proposed after nearly a year of dating, and so the crazy wedding planning began. We are trying to keep it small and simple, but I am finding out that is nearly impossible! We are getting married on December 5th at Wadley Farm in Lindon and I am so excited! Yesterday my friends from work gave me a surprise bridal shower. We had a lot of fun and I'm thankful to everyone for coming... Including Ray! Now only 27 days to go!

Chillin' With Melsy

2009-07-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well since I haven't had to work, or do much of anything really, I've been hanging out with Marcie and her cute kids as much as possible. They come over to play while she goes to work every once in a while. While they're at Aunt Melsy's, they get to do pretty much whatever they want... I probably shouldn't let Marcie see these, but believe me, it's been much worse than this while they're here!

MaKenna wearing a hairnet from Ray's work

Eating all the popcorn they want and watching a movie!

All this kid needs is paint, scissors, glue, and construction paper and she's good to go!

As for the rest of the summer, not much has been going on. I went to California with Ray for the 4th of July, but he has the pictures from that. Next weekend is the Chappell family reunion and I'm super excited! Pretty soon it will be all the business of school and meetings, but I am looking forward to another fun year of teaching!

2009-05-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well not much has been going on, as usual. I'm just trying to survive the last part of school and all the crazy business that comes with that! But I'm so glad this school year is over, although it has been a great one! Last month I went to St. George for Grayson's baby blessing. We spent a lot of time swimming and playing at the park, and it was a ton of fun! On the way home I got to stop and hold my newest nephew, Bridger. He is so cute and looks like his daddy, but I still need to get some pictures of the lil fella!

Grayson Chomping Down His Food

A "Madi Fit" when she didn't get soda.

My Cute Nieces

Last weekend I went home to work at the gas station, thinking that because it was the week before Memorial Day weekend it wouldn't be busy.. Boy was I wrong! I am officially not working there this summer.. Go Mel Go! That's a first in a long time. This picture was taken as I was leaving. I have the greatest dad ever!

I SURVIVED!

2009-02-27T18:04:00.001-08:00

I survived my very first "real" lock down as a teacher. Who ever thought you could entertain 18 first graders huddled in a corner for an hour and a half?! What an afternoon! Some crazy man decided to go through the neighborhood and shot another man and killed him. Who would ever have thought that would happen in Pleasant Grove? Luckily, they arrested the shooter about 15 minutes before school was out, so we didn't have to keep the kids until their parents could get there. By the time school was out, I only had about 9 students left anyway.. I think most of the parents just wanted to get their kids out of there... Can't say I blame them! Boy am I ready for a weekend!!

My Boring Life

2009-02-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

So apparently my life is super boring, and I don't have much to write about, but I figured I should come up with something! January and February have been busy months at school, and with my math endorsement class, I don't have time for much else.

Chinese New Year

On Valentine's Day, I went to Holladay to go out with Ray. He gave me some pretty red roses and him and I went to dinner. It was his weekend with his daughter, so she came with us to dinner. Afterward, she wanted to watch a scary movie, so we watched some creepy movie.. I thought Valentine's Day was supposed to be all lovey, but apparently not!
During the last couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to spend time with Marcie's cute kids while she gets out of the house, and I even got to tend cute little Cooper one night while they went to the RV show in Sandy. I hadn't been around him much, and had no idea that he didn't just fall asleep after having a bottle like most babies do, but after calling Marcie and getting some advice, he fell right to sleep and so did Madi.

It's always fun to have them come over and play, and I'm glad I live close!

This weekend Ray went to India to visit his family, so I decided to go and visit my parents. It was good to be home, and I haven't been home since Christmas, so it was especially fun. It's always nice to have Mom take care of me for a few days! Thanks Mom!
It's pretty sad when you can sum up the last 2 months in a few paragraphs, but that's the way it goes!

The 100th Day of School!

Happy Birthday Miss MaKenna!

2008-12-13T07:07:00.001-08:00

Hannah Montana Pose

Wow.. how can this sweet little girl be 5 already? It seems like we were barely at Clint's Senior Ball waiting for her to be born, and now she's losing teeth and going to preschool. The thing I love most about her is she can brighten even the worst of days. Any time she calls, it makes my entire day.. I don't know what I'd do without her! Since my parents were up here for her birthday, and it's been a tradition since she was a tiny baby, we went to see the Spanish Fork lights. It was a pretty warm night, so we rode in the back of the truck.

It was so much fun! One of my favorite things about Christmas is the lights, so last week I survived the cold and snow to go to Temple Square with Carlos. I love that place. There's nothing like a best friend you can count on through good times and bad, and the truth of the gospel that gives you a feeling you can't get anywhere else.

Halloween

2008-11-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

The 1st Grade Teachers and Student Teachers
(I did put the dumb hat on for the picture at least)

So it's no big secret that I HATE Halloween. I love the kids dressed up in their cute costumes but that's about the extent of it. Why does it have to be scary? And why do adult women use it as an excuse to dress like a freaking skank? I just don't understand this part of it all, and I hate dressing up myself, but I did survive yet another Halloween in first grade.. Thank goodness it fell on a Friday!

The Crazy/Fun People I Work With

Maryland

2008-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

From Our Hotel Room in Ocean City

Over fall break I went with my friend Jackie to her hometown in Maryland. We left school early on Wednesday afternoon and got to Baltimore about 1:30 in the morning on Thursday. Thursday morning we woke up and travelled to Ocean City and spent a couple of days at the beach. The first day was so nice, but of course, I had a migraine and was stuck in the room throwing up all day. The next day was cold and rainy, but we still went down to the boardwalk and had a ton of fun. I did finally see the Atlantic Ocean, and stuck my feet in it, but it was freezing!

On The Boardwalk

Her family introduced me to all kinds of different east coast food (including the state cake) and "real" pizza. We had a ton of fun in Ocean City, and went back to her house on Saturday afternoon. Her parents live in a farm house that is over 150 years old.. Houses that were built that long ago had a lot more character than houses now!

Jackie and Me

They live only 20 minutes from Gettysburg, so before we had to catch our plane home on Sunday night, we tried to squeeze it in, but I didn't get to see much with only an hour to do it all, so I think I'll go back there next summer!

It was great to have a vacation, and to spend time with such great people! I'll put some better pictures on when I get them from Jackie.. She was in charge of pictures. On the plane home, we had about 40 WWII Vets on our plane. It was cool to get to chat with them, and they were super nice, but it took FOREVER to get them on the plane and then back off in Denver. We didn't get home until 2 in the morning on Monday and had meetings that whole day.. Needless to say, I slept through them.

A Little Of Everything

2008-10-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Life is good, but busy. The school year is going great, and I have such a cute little class. The boys are terrified of getting in trouble (which I love), and the girls are as great as ever. I definitely have one of the best first grade classes this year. We went to Granite Flats a week ago, and got to see the pretty fall leaves.
I love this time of year, and love that the weather has been very nice and warm. I went to Marcie's last Saturday for Madison's birthday, and loved seeing Madi, Kenna, and Aaron.. They are so much fun!
Aaron now has a cute little brother, Grayson Walker Chappell.. I can't wait to meet him!

Before long we'll add a couple more to the family which is great.. I love being and aunt, and am glad everyone else has kids so I don't have to yet! Last Sunday, I went to West Jordan to help Carlos move into his new apartment. He is living in a brand new complex at Jordan Landing, which is the perfect spot to hang out and shop.. I just wish I was closer to there so that I didn't have to drive all the time, but it's worth it. We finally got his apartment all put together, and I even got him to buy matching rugs for the bathroom.. How do guys not notice this stuff?
This weekend I'm heading home to hang out with the fam. The guys are going hunting, and the girls are staying home and doing girl things... And of course, my homework. The class I signed up to take is taking a lot more of my time than I ever thought, but I am hoping it will be worth it when I am making more money! I can't wait to see my family and have a break from the busy life up here!

Where Did August Go?

2008-08-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Playing at Melsy's
(Sorry it's sideways)

Wow.. I can't believe it's practically already September. It's amazing how fast the summer goes by, and then those three months of winter drag on for what seems like a lifetime. August has been a great month.. very busy. I moved into a new apartment in Springville at the beginning of the month, and got my classroom all ready for school. I am teaching first grade again and have the cutest class. Surprisingly, the boys are all very scared to get in trouble, so they do anything they can to stay out of it. It's wonderful! Since I don't have to go back to school to be able to teach Kindergarten, I have decided to try and get my master's degree instead. We'll see how that goes over! I'm on a waiting list right now, so if I do get in, it will be a great thing... although in education it doesn't even really pay for itself.. oh well! Last weekend I went home for the Wayne County Fair, and the Chappell Reunion at Fish Lake.

Aaron Running Races

Kenna and PaHa in the Sawdust Dig

Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got back to Springville on Sunday night, and school started the next day. Yesterday I had MaKenna come over and play for a while, which was a ton of fun! Wow, that girl wears me out though! I love having nieces and nephews that I can just give back to their parents and not actually take home with me! Best kind of kids ever!

Fish Lake

2008-07-17T10:22:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to Fish Lake camping. We had a ton of fun and everyone was there but Cody and his family. It was nice to have Brooklyn and Kenna to play with each other instead of always wanting to play with us. We took them both out on the boat fishing, and they could watch all the little Perch trying to get their hooks. It was so fun to be all together and testing out the parent's new trailer!

4TH of JuLy

2008-07-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Chris and Shelbie

What a fun weekend.. Well, for the most part! I went up to West Valley on Thursday night, and went "camping" with Carlos, his sister Carolina, and his niece and nephew, Chris and Shelbie. We went to Cherry Hill by Kaysville, and it was so much fun. None of us had ever been there before, and we got up there pretty late. We barely had enough time to get things set up, have dinner, and then attempted to go to bed, but the people are so close to you on both sides, we could hear this big guy snoring all night long.. It was quite the night!

The Captain Sleeping

The next day was the 4th of July, and we went down to the water park there. It was kinda cloudy, so of course, I wasn't smart enough to put on sunscreen soon enough and got fried! We had a ton of fun, but were all very tired and ready to go home at the end of the day. We got back to Salt Lake in time to go to the fireworks in Sugarhouse. We ended up sitting by this obnoxious African-American woman, who wanted to play the most annoying techno (yeah, who listens to that?) music in the world. Finally some old lady went over and asked her to turn it down, and then the fight started! Carlos's sister is a little outspoken and started applauding the lady who wanted the music turned down. So then the lady playing the music started going off about this being a free country and if she played her gospel music, no one would say a word about it. Then she started talking crap about the mormons, and said to Carlos, "I bet if I turn my taco music on, you won't say anything". Wow, who really says that? I'm surprised Carlos didn't lose it. I thought it was ironic that we were celebrating American and the diversity and freedom here, and all of this was going on.

We got home and I crashed out on the couch. Before I knew it, it was 4:30 A.M. and Carlos was trying to wake me up to get ready to go meet Marcie and the girls to go to the hot air balloons. We made it there and watched them all take off, but they didn't make it back because the wind blew them toward the lake, but it was still fun.

At The Hot Air Balloons

I was on my way home and had just left Scipio when I fell asleep. I woke up as the passenger side tires went of the road, and I slammed on the breaks, and tried to steer the car back on the road, but ended up doing a 180, and hitting a reflector pole with the mirror. Needless to say, I was no longer tired. I just kept waiting for the car to roll the whole time, but was glad when it finally stopped. I am so glad I made it home alive!

Hogle Zoo

2008-06-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I went to Salt Lake with Steve's family and my mom to go to the Hogle Zoo with Brooklyn. All she wanted to see were the monkeys, and we all had a great time. Steve had vacation that week, so we had also gone camping the weekend before, and about froze to death, but it was a lot of fun. I went out on the lake with my dad and caught a lot of fish.. LOVE FISHING! I'm now home for the summer working at the gas station, which is both good and boring. There aren't a lot of people here my age, so I just go to work and come home and hang out with the parents. I took some time off this last week and when I went up to go to the zoo, I stayed in Provo and started packing up my stuff which was all over Tiff and Nate's house. For the most part, I got it packed up, and now just need to move it to a storage unit. On Wednesday, it was one of my friend's birthday, so Jackie and I surprised her and took her out to breakfast. I also got to hang out with Captain Carlos for a little bit. We were going to go to the Bees game, but it was way rainy and cold, so we went to a tattoo shop instead. It kinda freaked me out, so I went and sat in the car while the Captain talked to the guy about the tattoo he wants to get. I think he's nuts, but whatever. Now I'm back to Lyman and working all the time. Gotta love it!

I've Been Tagged

2008-06-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

How To Play This Game of Tag. Post these rules on your blog.
Answer these 15 questions about yourself on your blog.
List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts.
Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Here it is...

Joys:
1. My Family- I love them so much and wish I could see them all more!
2. Great friends who are always there for me.
3. Being in the mountains fishing- especially when it's just me and my dad.

Fears:
1. Drowning
2. Losing a family member.
3. Moths- HATE THEM!

Goals:
1. Get out of debt.. SOON!
2. Get my master's degree in the next few years.
3. Be worthy to go to the temple.

Obsessions:
1. Shopping.. Gotta love it!
2. Chocolate
3. Dr. Pepper- wouldn't make it through the day without it!

Random Facts:
1. My favorite color is orange.
2. I love country music, and rarely listen to anything else.
3. I HATE cotton balls- they give me cold chills.

I tag:

Marcie, Mom, and Sarah.

I MADE IT!!

2008-05-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

And we're done! The school year is finally over, and I'm no longer a 1st year teacher... Go Melinda Go! It was a great year, and went by so fast. I'm going to miss some of the kids, but there are definitely a few that I will happily send on to next year! To celebrate the beginning of summer vacation, I went to Salt Lake to another Bees game, and they finally won! Yay! Now I'm off to my parent's for a couple of weeks to work at the gas station (Yes, again). The extra money will definitely be nice!

Last Day of School

Waiting For Summer

2008-05-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

So it seems as if summer is really never going to come. There were a couple of days where it was almost too hot, and then the next thing you know, it looks like it's about to snow again. With it being the last week of school, we have a ton of outside activities planned, so I hope the weather will finally cooperate for once. Last week was a lot of fun at school.. I can't believe it's almost over. Each day had a theme, and the kids had a lot of fun. On Friday, we took a walking field trip to Discovery Park. Have you ever tried to keep 20 kids out of a very busy street? I was so glad to make it back to school without anyone getting hurt! We had a lot of fun though!

Last weekend I spent a lot of time with some of my really good friends. I work with a girl named Jackie, who is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met- The kind that never worries about herself, but always about other people. We went to Salt Lake on Friday night to hang out with some friends, and then on Sunday I went to church with her. After church we drove up to West Valley to visit my friend Carlos.

Me and Jackie

Captain Carlos and Me

I hate this picture, but it's the only one I have of the two of us together. This last Friday night, we went to the Bees game, and once again froze to death to watch the Bees get beat. But it was military night, and they had fireworks after the game, so it was worth it!

Temple Square

2008-05-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to head to Salt Lake and go to dinner with my friend Carlos. We had dinner as some trashy little place with great food (it seems like the scariest looking places have the best food, although I would never try it on my own if someone didn't make me go with them!), and then decided to head to Temple Square. Carlos is the type who can chat with anyone (Just like my mom- no wonder they seem to get along!) We started talking to some sister missionaries there, and they told us that their mission president told them that there are equal amounts of members and non-members now in Salt Lake. It's just kind of surprising to hear that the city where the headquarters of the church is, is now that way. As for work.. FOUR MORE WEEKS! Can you tell I'm excited? The kids have been so out of control! I've decided to head back to UVU in the fall and get my early childhood certificate. This way I can teach kindergarten next year, which I'm both excited and a little nervous about. Now instead of 20 kids, I'll have 50 - at least they don't all come at the same time!

Bean Museum

2008-04-25T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today the 1st grade took a trip to the Bean Museum at BYU. It's so funny to watch one parent try to handle five kids... especially in a place like that! That's when I'm so glad to have parents who volunteer to help out, even if it's not the funnest thing in the world. I appreciate my mom even more, who braved a few field trips with my class when I was in elementary school, as well! Here are a few pictures from today. We had a lot of fun, but I sure am glad it's over! The last field trip of the year!

Sunny St. George!

2008-04-21T17:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! Thank goodness for spring break! It was so nice to have a week off and be able to spend it in St. George. I stayed all week and Cody and Chris' house and had a great time. I got to spend a lot of time with Aaron- He's so funny. We took him to get a haircut, to the park, and he was my gas station buddy every morning. Can't go without my Dr. Pepper and his chocolate milk! On Friday, my parents came down and we had the wedding rehearsal and dinner. It was so fun to just spend time with family who had come for Steve's wedding. Steve and Courtney were married on Saturday afternoon... It's great to have Courtney and little Brooklyn as part of our family. They are so much fun! I still have to teach Brooklyn that I'm the favorite aunt though, and not Krista.. I've got my work cut out for me! I think I've got MaKenna, Maddie, and Aaron almost convinced! Sunday was such a nice day in St. George. We went to the park and had a BBQ, played sand volleyball, flew kites, and played in the water. The wind got a little out of control, but after growing up in Wayne County, that was nothing! It did take off with Clint's prized Spongebob kite, however, and he had to go drive in the car and find it. We had a great time swimming and relaxing together, but now it's back to the real world! Six weeks til summer break and counting!

Bees Baseball

2008-04-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Bees had their first home game last night in Salt Lake, and since the weather was above 40 degrees, and it wasn't snowing, I thought it might be a fun way to kick off spring break. My friend Carlos and his nephew Chris wanted to go, so we all headed to the ball park. They have had a pretty good season so far, but ended up losing their first home game by 2 runs. After the sun went down it was freezing, and we lasted til about 9:30. By then we were pretty much icicles so we decided to go get dinner and head home. I love going to the baseball games, and there will definitely be a few more this summer.. when it warms up! I forgot my camera and didn't want to pay 20 bucks for a disposable one there, so I'll get some pics next time!

Is It Spring Break Yet?!

2008-03-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Wow.. Another crazy week! It seems like it's barely Monday, and the next thing I know, the weekend's here.. THANK GOODNESS! The kids at school have been so talkative- it about makes me crazy. I think we are all ready for Spring Break, which for our district doesn't come for another 2 weeks. I don't know who pays these people to do such dumb things to us, but we should probably rethink it. On Thursday, I got called into the principal's office (which is never good news.) She told me that there wasn't a 1st grade position for me next year, and I had til the next day to decide if I wanted to teach 2nd or 3rd. Both had their good and bad points, but if I chose 2nd, I would get to stay in the same room and not have to move to the trailer to teach. Plus, I would get to teach younger kids, some of which I am possibly teaching right now ( Not sure if that's good or bad!). So I decided to go with 2nd even though I know I might be moving again next year.. I hate being the new teacher! So for now that's the plan, with a possibility of 1st or maybe even Kindergarten.. which I would love, but would have to get my early childhood certificate. So anyway, I'll just have to wait and see and I hate that!

This morning I woke up to a good 3 inches of snow on the ground! Isn't it almost April? WHAT THE WORLD! I'm so ready for Spring!

A BLAH Easter

2008-03-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

So count me in on the whole blog deal, I guess! I think I'm mostly doing this out of boredom since my life is relatively boring, and not much ever happens! Oh well... now you get to hear about it too. Easter at my house was super BLAH! I usually always go home to my parents, but decided not to this year and stayed in Provo instead. On Saturday, I watched Marcie's girls so they could go out for their anniversary. Thank goodness it was a semi-nice day so we could go to the park, or I would have lost my mind. I love having them come over, but am glad to send them home too! Madi cried nearly the entire time, except for the whole 30 minutes she slept. You can't put her down or leave the room, or she cries until you come pick her up. I don't know how Marcie gets anything done! I have a whole new respect for her.. she's like super woman or something. Her house is always super clean even with a little girl who needs constant attention. On Easter Sunday, I didn't feel real well all day, so ended up not going to church, and honestly didn't even leave the house all day. What a boring Easter! I'm for sure going home next year!