Camping Trip

Last week, Brian and I went camping with some of our really good friends.

Michelle was my roommate for all 4 years of college. She and her husband, Devin, and daughter, Ava, were in town for the week. We've been planning this since we hung out with them in Boise a few months ago.
Jill came with us too! She was our roommate for only 1 semester of college, but she still practically lived with us cuz we still did everything together. I was so excited to hang out with my girls again!! (Danielle and Ash- we missed you!)
(And, yes, I know I have the control to only post good pictures of myself . . . but I couldn't find another one with just us 3 girls- so the climbing-up-a-mountain, red-faced pic will have to do.)

We decided on Little Cottonwood Canyon- mostly so we could get some rock-climbing in for Brian! But the place we found to climb was actually really stupid. It has such a weird slope (I think they call it slab climbing). But there was nothing to hold on to! So it was pretty much just pushing yourself up with your feet while praying that you don't slip! This was our first and last slab climb.

The good thing about this spot, though, was that it had a gorgeous waterfall right next to the place we were climbing on the rock.

Here's our beautiful campsite- just next to a little river. So pretty!:
Here's Brian's favorite pic from the camping trip:

Here's my favorite pic from our camping trip:

Here's Brian looking at the mountain where the pioneers quarried the huge blocks of granite for the Salt Lake Temple.

And here's my sweet husband, who after 2 long days of camping, refused to let me carry any of the gear back up to our 3rd floor condo. And, being as buff as he is, he made it in only 2 trips!!

Back to School???

Yesterday was a big day. I was shopping at WalMart, getting supplies for our camping trip today. As I was searching for the Hershey bars, I stumbled upon the most wonderful and exciting sight: just a few aisles over, employees were setting up the Back-to-School section!!

Now, you might wonder why a teacher is excited to see this very apparent sign that summer break is drawing to its close . . . but somehow, the "magic" of the school supply section usually makes me want to go back! But it's really not a sign anyway- my break isn't even halfway over yet.

I do feel particularly excited because I'm a teacher (and school supplies are what I live on all year). But really, I think everyone should walk down memory lane (aka: the school supply aisles), and do some back-to-school shopping. Because really, is there anything better than buying a new set of (sharp) crayons for 25 cents a box? Or getting a new set of cute organizational tools for your desk in this year's newest fashions (polka dots? paisley?)? Or can anyone really top the 6-cent portfolios that you can get at WalMart if you're watching closely enough to catch the week that they're on sale? And doesn't everyone always need new markers?

This is a great time of the year-- and inevitably means all my trips to the store will now be about 20 minutes longer!

My husband, the rock-climber

Here's to my husband, who scales mountains. We went climbing yesterday and I was once again impressed at how good Brian is at rock-climbing. He amazes me! Here are some pics of Brian doing what he loves to do:Climbing in Logan Canyon- yesterday

Climbing in Ogden Canyon- last summer


Climbing at a gym in Everett, WA- last year

Isn't he amazing?!!

Beautiful Places

K, so who knew that Logan, Utah was so beautiful?! I always thought it was alright (the 2-3 times I'd been there before). But when I actually stayed on the USU campus this week for youth conference, I finally realized what a pretty place it is! And since I'm kind-of obsessed with finding beautiful places to add to my "list," this was quite a big discovery for me! My list is only a mental list. But it contains all the beautiful places I've seen and I rank them. Logan doesn't rank with the highest- but just making it onto my list is quite an accomplishment. Well done, Logan!

Pretty pictures of Logan . . .

And here's a pic of #1 on my ranked list: my beach on Camano Island, WA (where I grew up)- I'm pretty sure nothing will ever knock this one out of the #1 spot!
So what would be #1 on your list? (If you happened to be crazy like me and actually kept lists like this!!)

Weekend Stories

I don't have much time to post tonight . . . but I wanted to put up some pics from our day on Saturday.

We rode the FrontRunner train from the station in Clearfield near our house to Salt Lake. Brian rides the train to work & school a lot, but this was the first time I got to ride it!!
We talked my little sister Dawnia and her friend Nick to come along with us too!
First stop . . . the Gateway Mall for their outdoor sidewalk chalk art festival. A few of our favorites:Next stop . . . the Salt Lake Bees (minor league) baseball game!! It was a double-header AND had fireworks afterward!!

FUNNY STORY

As we were walking up to the stadium, I told Brian to turn around and pose for a picture . . .
But then, my hilarious husband decides to turn around and ask the traffic cop directing the crosswalk to pose for a picture with him. The cop complies.
But as soon as the picture's taken, the cop says, "You guys aren't from around here, are you?" assuming that we were crazy tourists who thought Utah police officers were a novelty! But Brian quickly told him that we're actually from the Layton area and he just happened to want a picture with him! It was very funny! I think the officer thought we were a little strange . . . but I guess we are!! (and by we, I mean Brian!)

Around 11:30, we finally caught the last train home. It was a fun day, but I have to admit we were exhausted!! But no matter how tired he was, Brian still insisted on sleeping in his new Salt Lake Bees hat we bought at the game! (He honestly did sleep in it last night!!)Isn't he adorable?

Giving In

Does anyone honestly ever know where they're going to be in 5 years? Or even 3? Three years ago, I had just graduated from BYU with plans to travel and live in as many different places as I could. I wanted to experience it all- city life, country life, east coast life, southern life, etc. But I quickly discovered that what I plan for my life may not necessarily be what the Lord is planning! As hard as I tried, I couldn't get a teaching job anywhere! Finally, a week into the school year, I reluctantly applied to a school district back in Utah. I got a job immediately. Within one day of applying, I was driving back to Utah in a car my parents were letting me use. I eventually bought it from them, but insisted that my dad keep the title in his name so I could keep the Washington license plates. After all, I would only be in Utah for one year.

For three years, I have consistently tried to leave. I wanted to experience other places too! Last summer, I even got a job teaching at a school near my sister's house in Houston. But within weeks of getting the job, I met the love of my life-- who happened to live and work in Utah! My plans were changed yet again (which is a pretty fair trade for getting the most handsome husband in the world!!).
At last, I am giving in. I've been driving around with Washington license plates on my car for 3 years now, assuming that each year would be my last one in Utah. But yesterday, I traded them in for my fancy new Utah plates. And I'm currently in the market for a new hobby-- no more planning for me!!

My First College Paper

School has begun and I had the opportunity to write my first college paper. I just wanted to share it with everyone because I thought it was ok. The topic was How I feel about writing, so here it is.

Title of My Paper

Brian Nye

Writing is very exciting to me. I take a moment to collect my thoughts, which I should mention are rarely of a serious nature, and I just start scribbling things that come to mind. Most often after I have finished writing I look forward to sharing it with people; both to see if it makes them laugh and to get some feedback of how I might do better. I enjoy using dictionaries and thesauruses when I write. I think using words like gobbledygook, poppycock and gardyloo add a level of jocundity. I have great hopes of refining my writing in this class. Often times I have all kinds of ideas inside of my head and then when I sit down to write you can sometimes hear a deflating sound as the ideas pass from my cranium to the most available orifice, causing a variety of symphonic sounds to pass through the room.

Forging a good sentence or paragraph is one of the most exciting things that produce such a rush of adrenaline. Knowing that what you have just written can be shared and laughed at by whoever reads it is a very rewarding feeling. I often find that taking the most unexpected path in writing makes me the happiest. Peradventure your teacher asks you to write a paper regarding unicorns; I would be the person in the class who writes about the annual drunken hobbit rodeo done on the backs of unicorns. If I could pick one author to meet and learn from it would be Steve Martin. I enjoy his shocking boldness and sense of humor. These are qualities I try to incorporate into my writing.

To me writing is like being the king of the world. In this world that I reign over; I may say, do or have someone else do whatever I can imagine. The other day I took a trip down to Midgetville and participated in my favorite sport of tossing midgets, I competed in both the distance and accuracy events. After the games concluded I went over to the land of Poop-Flinging Monkeys and taught them to fly, thus creating an opportunity for them to attack from above without warning. The really cool part about it is I went to these exotic places without ever leaving my “Throne” or computer chair. Writing is truly a never ending adventure.

Subbing at the ZOO?

I had my first substituting job today (at a year-round school). I was pretty excited. I even planned my outfit out last night (luckily the subbing wardrobe is quite similar to a teacher wardrobe!). But I was excited. It was going to be rather cold and rainy. So I wore my black trousers with a green (short-sleeved) top and my pointy-toed heels. As I walked out the door, I grabbed a light sweater in case I got cold in the classroom.

I got to school 15 minutes before I was told to be there- just to make sure I'd have time to read over the sub plans & get settled. I checked in and went to the classroom. A little girl in the hall asked me why I was subbing for that class when they had a field trip today. What?!! I was shocked. "Where?" was all I could ask. The zoo. My pointy-toed heels started feeling a little uncomfortable and my "light" sweater was feeling much, much too light. And the leftover chili and cornbread I brought to heat up for my lunch was starting to seem a bit ridiculous. I then tackled the teacher's desk where I found about 20 pages of rules, chaperone notes, lunch money counts, money for train rides at the zoo, lists of who needs permission slips turned in, lists of who's paid and who hasn't, and nametags to attach to students that I've never seen in my life. All too soon, before I'd figured anything out, 22 students and 7 parents arrived to have me tell the rules, assign groups, gather lunches, take attendance, collect unpaid money, get permission slips, feed them breakfast, and load the bus within 20 minutes.

Luckily, considering the circumstances, everything ran pretty smoothly after we got to the zoo. I just have one complaint: I am SOOOO cold!! School's been out for an hour and I still haven't thawed out. Not a very nice day for a zoo field trip (with only a light sweater)! Oh, and I guess I have another complaint: a piece of cornbread does not provide enough energy for a whole day! But I do have to say, as a teacher, I learned a lot from this experience!

Summer Break . . . So Far

So I have just finished my first week of summer break! Here are a few highlights from my week . . .

#1- On Sunday I taught my 1st lesson in Young Womens . . . to our 1 young woman who was there. It's not much like teaching a room full of 20 7-year olds. I wasn't well-prepared for the uninterrupted time and we ended like 15 minutes early! I'll do better next time!

#2- On Monday, my first real day of not having to go to school-- I went to school. As soon as school ends, I can't help but get excited for the next school year! This week I worked on organizing Reading lessons. I love my job!

#2- On Tuesday I started tutoring. I'm going to tutor this boy twice a week. It'll be nice to get to teach a student one-on-one. Hopefully we'll make a lot of improvement!

#3- On Wednesday, I got a call from my principal asking me if I'd teach summer school (starting on Monday!). I told him no. Even though I still go to school everyday, I like the feeling of not having to be there!

#4- On Thursday, Brian and I went to FlowRider and I mastered the surfboard (meaning I didn't fall off immediately after entering the water- I probably lasted about 10 seconds at least!!) Afterward, we picked Brian's parents up from the airport and heard all the stories from their 2 weeks in China!! (Now I want to go there too!)

#5- Today (Friday) was a big day. I've begun the process to get my Utah license plates (goodbye Washington plates). I also went to get a new windshield for my car (goodbye ridiculously long crack!) and I couldn't get over the CUTE name of the business that did it. Brian found them for me. It was called "Glasshopper!" I loved it! Then we were going to finish off the day by going to the movies. But I don't recommend the movie we saw (goodbye movie night). I don't want to give it bad publicity . . . but I'll just say-- it rhymes with "Don't Ress with the Rohan." I thought it was terribly inappropriate and nothing like we expected from the previews. But the night was saved by Brian's quick-thinking as he took me to Barnes & Noble where I got a new "Fancy Nancy" book (my favorite children's books ever! Tonight I got "Fancy Nancy's Book of Fancy Words") and "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer.

#6- Another noteworthy event of today was my dream this morning: I dreamed that the gas prices were dropping and got down in the $1 range. Ah, beautiful dreams!

My New Hobby!

So I am totally aware that every living thing that I touch dies shortly thereafter (except humans-- don't worry!). But I'm not going to assume that I'm cursed-- I'm taking it as a challenge! I am determined to have a beautiful "patio" garden.Since we live in a condo on the 3rd floor, I don't really have a plot of land to refine my gardening skills. So I'm learning how to do it in containers.
I have a cute husband who supports me in everything (even if he thinks it's a bit foolish and the plants will die in a week). But because he knew I wanted to plant flowers, he insisted that I buy this plant stand on Friday as an end-of-school reward for myself! I'm kind-of a penny-pincher and don't buy anything I don't absolutely need- so it's good I have Brian here to encourage me to get things I want! I love it! The bottom row of the stand is my herb garden (still lacking a proper container, though!).
This is the Rosemary bush that Brian & I couldn't leave the nursery without! We love the Macaroni Grill Bread recipe and rosemary is the only random ingredient-- So now we can make it anytime we want! We made some yesterday. So yummy!