and now for today's highlights

I know I've mentioned before that my family is the epitome of hilarity and randomness, and since I've been home, I've been right in the midst of it all, so I've seen many funny things as of late, and thought y'all might enjoy them.

1. My mom hog-tied my sister Katie with the vacuum cord as they raced up the stairs to do who knows what

2. My sister Mckenzie and her friends made $27 at her lemonade stand today. WHO DOES THAT? Flip... inflation really has, well, inflated. Oh yeah, and the ice cream man bought some. She also found two caterpillars, brought them home, and named them both "Mac" because she "can't tell them apart, and that way I won't get their names wrong, and they won't feel bad".

3. My mom called me a hippie because I was listening to Sara Bareilles, just before proclaiming that her spaghetti needed more "sparkle" (somehow she got that from "garlic salt")

4. Mckenzie started listing off all the things that make her fart. Well, Katie and I were flexing our abs in the bathroom mirror when Kenzie came in and decided to join us. Soon after, she announced that sometimes when she flexes, it makes her fart. She went on to explain how laughing too hard, coughing, exercising, etc., may make her perform the aforementioned act.

5. Emily said and did this (see video below) when explaining to me why going to the new "Zumba" class (latin dance moves/cardio) at the gym was embarrassing (*note: this explanation is a lot more formal than the first one that she gave us... unfortunately I am not that quick with the camera...):



ps: I hope you all know that I am not trying to humiliate my poor, innocent, disabled sister. But think about it... I grew up with her like that, and to me she's just another sister. Therefore, if she says something goofy, we laugh just like we would with any other sibling. Plus she l.o.v.e.s. making people laugh. So don't feel bad if you find yourself chuckling at this particular candid moment :)

Drum roll please...

After being very busy for about a week (or maybe more... sorry blog readers!), I finally have the time, and the mental capacity to sit down and explain this whole crazy turn of events.

I shall start, from the beginning.

A few months ago, I began pondering the idea of serving a mission. I had thought about it before, but never really seriously (oh, I'll be married by then, right?), and when a fairly promising relationship fell through in January my thoughts turned more intently to the idea of a mission.

*note: there is a misconception about girls serving missions only because they are not married. this, however is not the motivating reason behind why I decided to serve. a little while back while thinking about this whole philosophy, it occured to me that, while some girls may serve because they aren't married, maybe other girls (or the same girls) didn't need to get married because they needed to serve a mission? Just a thought :)

I went through all sorts of internal arguments with myself and my logic, and some not-so-internal arguments with my mother (which were really arguments with myself and what I really needed to do but wasn't ready to do at the time), and decided that since I had already committed to teach this coming school year, and I was extremely excited to work with some of the new 4th grade teachers that will be coming in in the fall (those kids going into 4th grade are some lucky ducks!), I would teach this year, and then leave on an only slightly (kind of) belated mission after school let out next summer. This felt good to me, and reasonable, and comfortable, so I stuck with it and finally and formally made the decision to stay for the year.

However... you know the drill... you make the decision, and then things start to feel funky and nothing is really working out, and then it all finally comes together into one moment when you realize "OH. I have other options here.". That moment for me happened to be while I was writing in my journal one Sunday evening that I happened to be having an identity crisis (...funky) because I like all sorts of extremely contrasting lifestyles and wasn't seeing how they could possibly all fit together... not to mention I didn't want to have to give up any particular side of my personality.
Evidence-excerpt from my journal, June 22, 2008: "I guess I feel like I can't be all those things at once and I have to choose... I think I could probably have one main, and then the others as side hobbies" (that is where you begin to see how ridiculous my train of thought is and that I'm obviously trying to deny something) "And suddenly the more I think about it the more I realize that teaching another year isn't going to get me where I want to go right now."

Now after this, I crawled into my bed expecting, or at least hoping to fall asleep. But HELLO... I had numbers swirling around in my head for how I would save the money and HOLY CRAP what would they say if I quit my job after already signing the contract and, and, and, and. Sooooooooo... I got up again, whipped out my trusty macbook (that the school district gave me to use while I work for them... mind you) and thought about how the money would work out and turns out i could rid myself of 99% of my expenses by moving home and selling my car, and I still get paid through the summer so I would still have an income from the school year... and things just started to click. I sent my mom an email with the logistics to get some feedback, and everything looked good to her and she was beyond excited at the idea of me actually moving home (I haven't lived at home for any significant period of time in 2 years).

And here is evidence of the verdict, in my journal, dated June 23, 2008 (note that this is the day after the aforementioned journal entry): "I'M GOING ON A MISSION. woah." ...and that was the entire entry.

So folks, I'm doing it. I told my principal and the district the very next day and they were all very pleasant and encouraging (thank goodness I work in Utah) and following four days of H-E-double hockey sticks including first packing up my entire classroom and all my materials at school and driving them 45 minutes back to Provo (I work in South Jordan), then packing up and cleaning my entire apartment and moving over to Caitlin's, then going through all my school stuff and getting rid of and donating whatever I could and packing what I was keeping in boxes and dragging (literally) those boxes up the stairs and to my car with every ounce of strength I had left (me and Cait trying to get those 100 lb boxes up the stairs and into her car was quite the scene) and then paying way way WAY too much to ship those boxes home, and then not being able to sleep and waking up at 6am the next day to drive 14 hours with a heavily loaded car from Provo back to my home near Seattle and during ALL of this sweating like a PIG because it's flippin' 100 degrees EVERYDAY in Utah in the summer and probably being dehydrated and definitely being sleep deprived the entire time and there are definitely several things I had to do that are left out because it was all so blurred together.... (cue huge breath of air because holy cow that was the longest run-on sentence I've ever written) I finally arrived in my little, green, 75 degree neighborhood in Washington and joined in the 4th of July festivities (yes I drove home on the 4th of July, and no, please don't feel bad for me).

So that's it. I've officially moved back to Washington, in the same house as my other four siblings and mom, and am sharing a room with my crazy but hilarious fourteen-year-old sister Nellie-Kate (aka Katie) and am selling my car and plan to study, rest up, read, rejuvenate, rebond with my family, hit several lakes and beaches in the area (including my favorite surfing/camping trip with Marta), and most importantly remember who I am and what I'm like when I don't have a job that eats up just about every second of my time including any extra energy that might be left.

I'll keep you posted on my normal life happenings (I already have some great stories to share but considering this is the post that ate the world, I'll spare you), and will most definitely be letting you know as soon as that big white envelope ends up in my mailbox!

ps. I had a dream last night that I got my mission call to Cambodia.
pps. I somehow ended up here without the box which contains my Gilmore Girls season 1 (I KNOW... TRAGIC), all my other movies, and other things that I'm sure I'm missing right now I just don't know it yet. If any of you have any information on this mysterious disappearance, you will be greatly appreciated (and possibly rewarded :)) if you disclose this.

loves.

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 :)

You Know You're a Teacher When...

You know you're a teacher when:

"You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly
which one belongs to the child out of line.

You have 25 people that accidentally call you mom/dad at one time or another.

You walk into a store and hear the words "It's
Miss/Mr. _________" and know you have been spotted.

You can eat a multi-course meal in under twenty-five minutes.

You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and recess.

You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.

You want to slap the next person who says "Must be nice to work 7:15 to 3:15 and have summers off".

You can tell if it's a full moon, [or a storm's coming] without ever looking outside.

You know that unspeakable evils will befall you
if anyone says "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."

You can't pass the school supply aisle without
getting at least five items!

You ask your friends if the left hand turn he just
made was a "good choice or a bad choice."

You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly
sharpened pencils.

You understand instantaneously why a child behaves
a certain way after meeting his or her parents."

A person can probably never know how true this is until they are actually a teacher... but wow. So true. :)

From the Mouth's of Fourth Graders

A letter to a pen pal: "and yep my grandma fell down again but she is ok i think they shood put bars on the side of her bed."

Responding to a prompt regarding why our national flower is a rose, and if they'd choose a different flower:

"I could not pick a different flower because it is my mom's favorite flower and color. I think it was a good choice for the country because the state bird won't eat it."

"Because it is like everyone's favorite flower and my moms and my aunts favorite flower too and they smell good and I like it too.

And like mostly everyones mom likes them so thats why they picked it."

Answering the test question: What kind of evidence has been found that Native Americans lived here so long ago?

"Plimith Rock."