The holidays!

I really love this time of the year!  My mom and I wrote all about the holidays and traditions over here.

This year the day before Thanksgiving we had a pie making party at my parents' house.

My nephews were there, my mom and dad helped, then one brother and sister-in-law came over.  I make 2 pumpkin pies and my first ever pecan pie.  I need a little more practice making pie crusts, but overall it was a success!  I think that next year I'll try to make a strawberry rhubarb pie (Tanner's favorite).

We spend Thanksgiving over at my great aunt Pam's house.  It seems that after eating, we always tend to get a little crazy.  This year it was a three person tower.

The Sunday or Monday after Thanksgiving we get together to make gingerbread houses.  This is probably my favorite holiday tradition. 

This year we decided to decorate our house in red and white.  We added a little garden in our yard as well.  Our cute little gingerbread house is now sitting on our piano looking festive.

Last night we had an extended family Christmas party.  My little brother played Santa! We all thought it was so funny that we decided to join in on the fun.

A few weeks ago I went to a boutique.  I saw a lot of cute things and left feeling crafty! 

I painted this little sign to make my desk area feel more christmas-y.

I also saw some cute headbands at the botique.  I felt like I could make them for a lot less than they were selling for.  They have wire inside, so they bend and shape to your head.  I feel like I have a hard time wearing headbands because they always seem to fit weird of slip off.  These are perfect!  I made a couple and really like them.

And... We got a new car!  It's a 2004 Mini Cooper. 

OVERLOAD!

Hello! I have been a slacker and have decided to let you all know what I have been up to! 

First, I resigned as a teacher at Emerson Elementary where I have taught second grade for the last 4 years!  I don't know what I am going to do yet!  I'm open to suggestions actually :)  I was ready for a change.  I thought I'd have a child by now and be able to be a stay at home mom.  Sadly, Tanner and I have struggled with infertility and that hasn't happened.  It looks like it will take time and lots of money.  Each year I renewed my contract just waiting to get pregnant.  I felt like I was teaching because I didn't have a reason not to.  My heart wasn't in it as much as it should be.  It was also getting difficult to be around other people's kids all day long.  It was a constant reminder of the kids I couldn't have.  Due to those factors and a few others I decided to make a change.  After much discussion, prayer, tears, and thought I felt like it was time to make a change, so I decided not to return next year.  I have mixed feelings, but look forward for the next adventure.  

Okay!  On to the other things I've been doing:

I sold my car Stella.  This was my first big purchase on my own and it felt strange seeing her go.  She was broken and it wasn't worth the money to fix her up.

I used the money I got from selling my car and bought a new washing machine!  When I was younger I thought it was weird what got married people excited: milk on sale, cheap lightbulbs, appliances.  I totally get it now though!  I love it!

Speaking of appliances, We also got a new fridge.  A friend was moving out of state and we bought it used from her.  

I have always wanted to learn to paint.  I have been dabbling in that. 

Here's Roger.  We got him last August.  About a month later we got two more ferrets to keep him company.  Yes, I have 3 ferrets.  Yes, I sort of feel like a weird ferret lady.  Yes, I love them!

Here's Tanner with the 3 of them: Roger, Mo, and Benny.

I like hanging out with my little brother and sister.  On this particular day we got chinese food and Autumn Moon.  They had mustaches in the quarter machines and we couldn't say no to that.

Speaking of my little brother, he got his mission call!  He leaves August 13 to serve in the Chile Santiago East Mission.  The very same mission where husband Tanner served!

My other little brother (Austin) got married!  He married a splendid girl named Rhonda and they live pretty close to us. We really like her!  She can put up with our crazy family, so she's a good fit :)

I went to Las Vegas over spring break.  I saw a Cirque di Solei show, read, laid out by the pool, ate a lot of tasty food.  I went to Serendipity and got a frozen hot chocolate.  it was divine!

I went to my very first hockey game.  We got tickets from one of Tanner's coworkers.  They were right in the center 13 rows back.  IT.WAS.AMAZING!  I wish I was rich enough to go to every hockey!

I had my birthday.   I went shopping in the morning with my mom.  Tanner and I went to Macaroni Grill for lunch.  I got a pair of skinny jeans that are really long (thank you Gap online).  I'm 27 now.  Yuck!  I don't like that number... I was just going to be 26 for two years and then skip right to 28 (so I never had to be 27.  But every time I told someone I was 26 I felt too bad.  So I am begrudgingly owning up to 27.

That's the sister-in-law I mentioned earlier.  She graduated from ASU!

My dear, sweet grandma passed away.  She lived a good long life and was ready to join her husband on the other side, but it was still sad to see her go.  Here's is a big family picture (just my immediate family w/ spouses and Eric [a family friend who is like part of the family]).

Tanner had a work conference at the talking Stick Resort.  I got to go stay and play while he worked.  I spent time by the pool reading and relaxing.  

We got vouchers to order room service and so we got to order it with no cost to us.  It was the first time I'd ever done that.  We got way more food than we could eat!  I loved feeling fancy and taken care of.  I could really get used to that.  I just know I would make a fantastic rich person!

I went to Palm Springs with a couple coworkers.  One day we drove to Anaheim and went to Disneyland.  I love that place.

I flew home from Palm Springs and left to girls camp for my church the next day.  (I don't have any pictures from that).  The day I got home from girls camp I showered, repacked, and headed up to the mountains for a family reunion.

We are amused by strange things.  Like 3 people high towers...

Tanner and I stayed in this little cabin with My brother Brandon and his wife Mandi.

A few of us in front of Austin's cabin. 

This creepy wooden statue was the  "Mogollon Monster".

The last day before we headed out we played a game of horse shoes.  I am no good.  But I did have fun. 

My garden is doing well.  With the help of a brother I built two 4' by 6' grow boxes.  Here are some of my veggies!  There are few things I love more that home grown tomatoes!

There you have it.  Congrats to anyone who is still reading!  That's what I have been up to!

I love...

...running a home.  Buying groceries, setting the air at whatever temperature I want, having my own space, creating memories with my husband.

...ice cream.  And treats.  A little too much probably.

...feeling productive.

...spending time with my family.  Honestly, my best friends are my family.

...having money to spend.

...being crafty.

...gardening.

...working with the youth at church.

...clean sheets.

...taking long hot showers and not having to worry about a long line of people after me being upset that the hot water is gone.

...reading.

...being silly.

...thinking about a hopeful future.

...traveling.

...vacations.

...my pet ferrets: Roger, Benny, and Mo

I don't like:

...being too cold or too hot.

...struggling with infertility.

...dirty dishes.

...drama or people who are unkind.

...having to make decisions.

...having bad breath (so i am going to brush my teeth right now!)

Fish

We recently got fish in my classroom.  We started out with 2 sucker fish, two blue &orange fish, an orange fish, and a black &white striped fish.

The blue and orange fish didn't last long.  One died after about a week and the other went 3 days later. I scooped out the fish that died last Thursday and was going to go flush it down the toilet while the kids were at recess. I scooped the dead guy into a cup and... Forgot about him. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.  They all went by as the dead, forgotten fish sat in that little cup I the counter.  When I got to school Monday morning my classroom smelled REALLY bad.  Turns out decaying fish smell foul.  I always figured they would, but know I know without a doubt that they do.  Nasty!

Well with those two fish dead that just left our tank with two sucker fish (who hide most of the time and are pretty boring), an orange fish, and the striped black and white fish.  The orange fish is a bit bigger than the striped fish.

I imagine that life as a fish can get pretty dull. The orange fish chases the striped fish from time to time and I thought that was fun. It came up in a class conversation. One student stated that they noticed the chasing. The next kid commented that the orange fish was being really mean to the striped fish. The third kid agreed and suggested that we kill the orange fish. She is such a sweet kid and she said it so casually that it really threw me off. Shockingly, lots of the other kids thought that was a sensible solution.

Kill the fish?! Just because he's chasing the other one?! A little rash, right?... And strange that a room of 7 and 8 year olds thought that was a good idea.

The Power of Words

I have a newish student.  He is clever, reads well, loves to talk, and enjoys attention.  In addition to that he is manipulative, has a hard time following directions, and frequently does the opposite of what he's asked.

Today, within the first 3 hours of the day he managed to make poor enough choices that he ended up in the principal's office and had to spend the remainder of the day in another room.  As the final bell rang, he walked into my classroom to return the work he had done.  He had his head down, didn't want to look at me, and looked angry and sad.  He tried to sneak out without looking at me or saying anything.  I stopped him, put my hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eyes and said "You are a good kid." He had a strange look on his face and I repeated myself.  He was looking at me so intently and then his face transformed.  He got a HUGE smile on his face as he left.

It was simple.  It was just a few words.  It didn't take long for me to say.  But to him it changed his whole mood.  As I think about his reaction, I realize that he doesn't hear those kinds of words often enough.  He is really good at stirring up trouble and seeking negative attention, so I think he is used to being chastised and receiving negative attention.  It made sad to think that those may have been the kindest words he has heard in a while.  (And maybe he has heard them recently, I just don't think he gets that enough).  Making that tiny difference in his life, that made my day.

Future me

I often think about the future.  I have been asking myself a lot lately what I want to do and be.
Here's what I have come up with: (I realize it's not proper to end with a preposition, but 1} I don't want to fix that and 2} it just doesn't sound right to me)


* Mom. The kind that raises kids who know they are loved, can make good choices, and are kind to others.


* Gardner.  I would be delighted if I could grow most of the produce we ate.  I love the idea of being more self sufficient.


* Crafty.  I want to feel comfortable with tools/saws/drills/etc.  I would love to whip up a hutch or ottoman.  I would also love to repaint/make over furniture.


* Artist. I recently started playing around with watercolors.  The biggest problem is that I want to be really good right now.  I don't want to have to put in the time.  Lazy, I know.


* Well rounded.  I'd like to know a bit about enough things that I could relate to or connect with anyone.


* Fit.  This is kind of like being an artist; I want to be amazing, but I don't want to put in the time.  I'd love to enjoy running.  I would love to be able to say that I have run a marathon. Yet I don't want to have to experience any discomfort or exert myself.  (I should probably add 'motivated' or 'dedicated' to this list...)


* Happy.  Seems easy enough, but that can be really tricky. It's really easy for me to focus on the unjust  depressing or sad things that come my way.


* Rich.  Honestly, I know I would make a superb rich person.

* Fun.  I feel like I'm not as fun or crazy as I used to be.  I don't know how much of that is due to age, and how much is because of other factors.


It is so easy to fall into the monotonous routine of life.  I go day to day.  I go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch Netflix, think about the productive things I could or should be doing, spend time on my church calling, occasionally go to the gym, go to bed, repeat.  And then when I am not content I wonder what I should change.  I guess I need to start working on the things on my list.  But first I think I am going to take a little nap.

Hawaii!

About a month ago I sat down and spent 2 hours writing an amazing post with detailed stories of my trip to Hawaii.  I finished it up, went to post it, and it disappeared.  That made me so mad that I almost divorced my blog... but I didn't...and now here I am.  Although blogger deleted all my hard work and writing it did save the pictures I had uploaded [in a weird order] and the first 3 sentences to a draft.  So that's what I'll be posting along with a lits of what I did on my trip to Maui.  

My husband wasn't able to get any time off from work this summer.   I had the travel bug and even though Tanner wouldn't be able to join me he game me his well wishes in planning and taking a trip!  Such a good man, that husband of mine!

Here's what my trip consisted of:

- Crossing off 2 life goals--going to Hawaii and riding on a Submarine

- Eating a LOT of REALLY tasty food and desserts

- Hanging out on the beach (although I only got wet once!)

- Going snorkeling

- Reading a lot (while on the beach)

- Going to a swap meet

- Driving the Road to Hana which was incredible!

- Going zip lining on Haleakala 

- Visiting a black sand beach

- Being squished on the plane because I'm so tall

- Driving around in my zippy, yellow rental car

- Going to a Luau

- Visiting an aquarium 

- Getting familiar with my map as I adventured in a new place

- Wearing my new purple and orange swim suit

- Going to the movies 3 times!  And seeing the strangest movie: Moonrise Kingdom

- Sleeping a lot

- Having an incredibly hard time finding the church building, then going to church

- Eating more.  The Shave Ice is to die for.  And I ate the most amazing fish taco of.my.life.

- Face-timing with my family while they were together for Sunday dinner.  Thank you Apple!

It was a good, good time!