spontaneity

oh how my life is about to change...

i really shouldn't say anything because i don't plan to go into detail yet, but i'm bursting and having trouble keeping it in, so i thought i'd compose a short post to spur a little curiosity :).

you will never believe it when you hear it, but believe me, once everything is in place, you will definitely be hearing about it. stay in touch, yo.

envisioning bliss

I am SO doing this someday. Hopefully soon.

Yoga every morning, surfing all day, sunset surfing, hikes through exotic forests... in costa rica.

Need I say more?

and in other news...

I have a really random conglomeration of news to discuss!

First and most exciting... my BROTHER is moving down here in the fall!!!!! I am sooooooooooooo beyond excited to have some family in the area. It's funny how alone you can feel when you don't have anyone from your family around. Even super close friends just aren't the same. I love him to death, such a thoughtful, smart, awesome kid... it will be fun to re-bond a little after sort of losing touch with each other through high school, college, etc.

Right before he baptized Mckenzie (July 2006)

All of us at his graduation (June 2007)

Back in the good old days of Lion King (probably only Coy will get that joke) and baths together... lol. :)

Also, I've finished a couple more books and want to critique them. First, I just barely finished "Crispin" by Avi. When I first started reading it, it was a little too medieval for my taste, but not being a quitter, I decided to plow through and finish. I'll let you read the synopsis for the plot details (don't read the whole thing if you don't want the ending spoiled), but all in all, it was just alright until I reached the ending. The themes of loyalty, friendship, thinking out of the box, and freedom run throughout and tie up nicely in the end. I don't know if I'd read it again, but it was worth the read.

I also read "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo which was absolutely adorable and which I am reading to my 4th graders right now. The narrator's speaks as though he or she is having a conversation with you (Do you know what 'perfidy' means, reader?) And never fails to leave you on the edge of your seat (or at least curious) at the end of each short chapter. My fourth graders love it as well, and always hate to see me close the book when our time is up.

My family (well, the girls and Malcolm anyway) got family portraits taken! I saw them online today and they all turned out awesome. My mom sent me some in the mail and they should get here any day now. I'll finally have a family picture to frame and have at school with me! Yay!

Finally, I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday, for the first time in ages! I have taught a couple of lessons here and there, born my testimony, and taught a gazillion elementary school lessons, but flown underneath the sacrament meeting speaker radar all this time. My topic was "Exercising faith in following the spirit," and it actually went over quite well. I've posted the bulk of it below for anyone who is interested.

A Frickin' Elephant!

This was forwarded from our principal to all the faculty and staff at my school today:

"My five-year old students, are learning to read.

Yesterday one of them pointed at a picture in a zoo book and said,


'Look at this! It's a frickin' elephant!'

I took a deep breath, then asked...'What did you call it?'

'It's a frickin' elephant! It says so on the picture!'

And so it does...

' African Elephant '

Hooked on phonics! Ain't it wonderful?"

Rapid Rewards

I just bought my plane ticket for a trip home before I go to South Carolina this summer. And can I tell you how much it cost me? FIVE dollars. period. I was about to buy the flight at the normal price (which was $212) when I remembered that I had earned an award from Southwest's frequent flyers program. I got almost the same flight (if not a better time) for $207 cheaper.

I love rapid rewards.

Now I just have to figure out a way to get a cheap flight from South Carolina back here....

ps. is it normal to have TWO layovers flying from SC back to Salt Lake??!

not on the test.

This is hilarious, and very appropriate for this time of year :)

For Heaven's Sake

There is a FROST ADVISORY out, in Utah, for tomorrow morning. Yes, tomorrow. As in the 12th of JUNE!!!!?!??!?! Is this not the same state I lived in last summer, where it was at least 80/90 degrees everyday by now? I tell ya... Utah weather.

stretchy, cotton, LOVE.

I found my dream skirt at the Gap last weekend for $4.99. No joke. I got two, because seriously, WHO could pass that up! Mine are in brown, and cream. It's made out of t-shirt material, stretchy elastic waistband, and... the best part... it has POCKETS!!! And I can totally wear it with my rocket dogs (which look something like this, but in more of a brown with tan color). I am in love.

The Good Old Days

My grandma scanned these old pictures and sent them to me and I thought it'd be fun to post them :)

15 months old on Mom's lap (Dad in the background)

i LOVE grandma's house!

3rd Birthday Party - Teddy Bear Theme

2 and 1/2 - A new baby brother (Coy)!

3 yrs. - Making scrambled eggs at grandma's

13 month - Pumpkin for Halloween!

Oh how I wish sometimes that I could be young and carefree again...

This is the Place Field Trip

Monday of this week my kids and I took a field trip to This is the Place Heritage Park. They all really enjoyed themselves, and it was great because it went along with the fourth grade social studies curriculum which involves Utah history. We went on a tram ride around the park with a tour guide who passed along some interesting facts (who knew Brigham Young's house was PINK!), then we ate lunch in the bowery, and went on a rotation which included descriptions of some of the buildings and some very good actors/actresses who sent the kids back in time and set the stage for how things were back then. We went and saw the mountain man first, then went for a lesson on the deseret alphabet in the old school house. This was followed by some square dancing in the John Pack home, and finally the whole class got to give pushing/pulling handcarts a go. My personal favorite part was when the school mistress was teaching the kids about discipline. Come to school unprepared and you get to sit on a stool in front of the whole class wearing a dunce cap all morning and then are dismissed at lunch time. If you disrupt class in anyway, you stand on a step stool in the corner with your nose touching the wall and your arms out behind you (maybe even with books in your hands) for however long the teacher deems necessary. And of course if you were really bad, you got a paddling. The kids looked reasonably frightened :). Below are some pictures from the event!

Riding the bus on the way there

Cute girls

So excited

Gangstas on the tram

Thank goodness WE didn't have to do this!

I didn't get to see everything I would have liked to and would definitely consider going back for a day trip to see more sights. Any takers?? :)

2/3rds Charlie's Angels

Wedding receptions bring out the love in everyone :)



Caitlin, Hillary and I went to our friends Jacob and Valerie's wedding reception on May 24th. It was in a backyard in Provo, and they served delicious chocolate-dipped strawberries, mint brownies, and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables. We ate and danced and oooooh-ed and aah-ed over Valerie and her dress and the cake and the decorations, and the cute babies that were hitting it off on the dance floor. The sky was threatening rain, and it even drizzled a little, but thank goodness it never prevailed, and we enjoyed ourselves despite the wind and chill of... late May. Thank goodness Utah finally realized what month it is and we are now living in the present and experiencing what most would call summer weather. It was probably 90 degrees yesterday! Time for picnics and lakes and camping :)