Memory Lane - Provo, UT

-- I lived in the Campus Lane apartments with some pretty fun girls. For the ward "lip sync" night they wanted to do their Where is the Love number by Black Eyed Peas. Of course they wanted back up dancers. Which is where we come in. Lisa, me and Kaylynn were to create a number to do behind them during the "rap" part of the song, and then we all had a dance during the chorus. So - we did what any truly talented choreographers would do; the head bob. 8 to the front, 8 to the side, 8 to the other side. Repeat. Mix in a hand snap rotation after 2 bob rotations. And we may have accidentally stole the show as the audience thought our dance was far more entertaining than the soloists in front of us. It was really funny.

-- One summer a friend invited myself and 11 other people to accompany him to St. George as he was participating in the Marathon there. Somehow this weekend trip was dubbed "the platonic weekend". He procured his grandparents RV and we all piled in and took a unforgettable trip that was seriously out of control. So fun.

-- I was obsessed with Rascal Flatts. When it comes to music I am WAY behind the curve so the fact that I knew some songs on the country radio was sort of a big deal for me. Part 2 of this story is my job. One of the 2 jobs I held while in school was that of the Cold Food Vending Machine stocker. It was RAD. And I had the absolute best vending partners of all time. One year - my partner was Dallas. He too liked country. And we had a rule that when a rascal flatts song came on the radio, we could not leave the truck to work until the song had finished. It was fabulous. I smile thinking of it.

-- And while we're on the subject of vending. My other partner was Cami. And we had too much fun too. We tried to learn the words to O Canada for our boss and sang it over the radio one day. She had too much money on her food card so she got me Jamba Juice all the time. We, by far, were the most efficient vending stockers you had ever seen; whipping out a machine in 7 minutes flat. (ok, so I made that number up but we were seriously rock stars). We would call in the radio stations during the "winning song" of the morning to try to win. In fact, we would sit in front of the Smith building for far too many minutes trying to get through each morning. Fail.

-- My last vending memory, (I'm telling you, it was a killer fun job). One summer I was assigned the FHP route. yes, the feminine hygiene product route. Cami went home for that summer so I got another route partner. It was a slow route until we were assigned the MTC. And a part of me felt like I was entering the forbidden forest. And it was fabulous. And I had a friend who was in the MTC and we tried to find her room. Fail. But such a fun memory.

-- My first winter semester there, I was graciously invited to go on a road trip to the grand canyon by the girl who would become my best girlfriend. We stayed in a cabin close to the canyon and although I don't remember the vast majority of the trip, I do remember Chelsea trying to keep Badger awake on the car ride down with her very random break-the-silence question starting with "so Badger...". And when Lauren and I would recap our days events usually ending with a little chant - Zim-Zim-Zimmer; Who's gonna get Ben Zimmer.

-- The second job I had while in school was the BYU Bookstore Custodial job. 4 AM baby. Another sweet deal. While many 4am-ers would say they did not enjoy their job - I totally did. It was a piece of cake. Vacuum the carpets one day, sweep the floor the next. I always wanted to be assigned the garbage route but there was only 1 guy who got to do that everyday. Guess he was somebody special. And again, the team was awesome. We had the best time. So fun.

Re-purposing

I am really quite proud of our thrifty new headboard. We've never been real adults with an official bedroom set. Mostly we've just made do with what I've skimmed together from my college days. So - I put my resources together and made us a fancy new headboard. Ideas compliments of "Design on a Dime" from HGTV. (a station I am obsessed with).

I took our old door from off the closet that was causing more harm than good=Free.

Repainted it so the pink crayon marks and black smudges from the previous owners was gone=Free

Attached it to some 4X4's which I had also painted white-and topped them off with some fence post toppers for the final look=$20.00

Add a new wall color and we're mostly done with my new room. I still need some artwork above the bed which I am in the process of getting together. But overall - I like it!

So there you have it. My twenty dollar headboard made from a door! Thanks to Design on a Dime.

Vegetables

A conversation we had just the other day.

M: We really need to get more vegetables into our diet.

K: Yeah, you're probably right.

M: So what should we get. What is your "go to" vegetable.

K: Salsa?

Um...not exactly what I was going for. But at least its a start.

Breakfast Fave

Oatmeal. I eat oatmeal for breakfast 5 out of the 7 days. Its really boring and I sort of hate it. UNTIL...I got a brilliant idea from the "little corner bakery" restaurant. And it is DELIGHTFUL. Now I love my morning breakfast oatmeal. Its simple.

One Serving

Cook 1/3 C. oatmeal as usual. I microwave mine for 2.10 minutes.

Add for deliciousness-

+ or - 1 pinch of dried Cranberries.

+ or - 1 pinch of chopped walnuts

+ or - 1/2 sliced banana

Fat Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

Enjoy with your morning magazine/newspaper/scriptures. Whatever suits your fancy.

It makes me happier

--My wood floors. When they're swept, and dusted, and washed. Which only happens about twice a month.

--Phone calls with my distant friends.

--Fall! We enjoyed the New England fall like it is photographed in National Geographic. {a later post} Ahh leaves.

--My 3 all-time-favorite students. Had them in my class every one of their high school years. Still love them even though they've long since graduated.

--Pasta. my vice. Delicious. I once ate an entire box of Mac n' Cheese. wow.

--Freshly vacuumed floors.

--A days to-do list completly checked off.

--TV. A guilty pleasure. If you haven't checked out the new "Persons of Interest" or "Once Upon a Time", do so. Just when you thought TV couldn't get better...it does.

--Provident Generation of America. I love that Mark has a new side job that he really loves doing. And on that note, budgeting and saving and all-things-"what are you doing with your money". Its awesome what a little information and discipline can do. Call me, we'll show you what we've found.

--Projects.

--Trips. Planning them. Taking them. Saving for them. Love them.

--Mark Lyman.

--My soft pillow at the end of the day.

--The piano.

--Music playing in my home.

Because I love him...

Beach Run

It is official. I need to live by the beach. It would greatly increase my weekly miles.

This last weekend Mark and I were in Monteray for his annual Pool and Spa Convention. Our hotel was delightfuly just a stone's toss from the beach. Not only did we enjoy walking around downtown Monteray, but I enjoyed my much needed Long Distance Run. Which to most of the running world isn't that long, but being that I was coming off a "no-run" coma-my little 6 mile jaunt was spactular. Right along the surf, as the tide was coming in and the sun was rising. The mist was just perfect. The best hour spent running in my life.

Quite certain I would run more frequently if this were the trail I had to run on.

(P.S. this picture was actually taken As I was Running. Hence the blur. That's how good the running was, didn't even want to stop to take the photo)

Piercings, Spandex, & Barefeet

I seriously think some of these students I encounter on a daily basis need to have a full length mirror somewhere in their direct line of sight. Seriously. I do.not.get it.

First off - lets talk about the piercings. Ears, eyebrows, cheek bones, and lips are one thing. I've sort of gotten use to all that crap. Its the tongue and belly thing I CAN NOT understand. Do you suppose they think they are alone in the world when it is time to clean said piercing? The belly for example. They scrunch down in their desk, with their shirt pulled up to their boobs, cleaning out around the stud. Sometimes with wipes! Followed by lotion. SICK. And the tongue is no different. Except it requires a mirror to be held with your tongue sticking right out, and your free hand scraping around the stud. Can you imagine the sickness of this display? And yet, for some reason, it is totally accepted. In fact, sometimes one girl will ask another girl to do the lotion part!

And the Spandex. Seriously girls. No where. In America. Or the world. should any female. OR MALE. ever. wear. spandex. Leggings, pants, shorts, shirts. Ever. Especially not the bright colors. Or white. Its just gross. Haven't you people seen the 70's and 80's photos. What an era. Let's leave it there. Wow. {as a side note, the under the skirt look, although not my preference, is acceptable.}

And finally - the footwear. Or lack thereof. Is there someone in the world that thinks it would be just fine to walk around a grocery store without any shoes or socks on? What about a mall. Or a school? It just seems really nasty to me. Why would anyone take their shoes off in a nasty classroom? Have you seen what is under the desks kids? What makes you think the floor is any cleaner?

And yet - without fail. Every. Single. Day. The piercings must be cleaned. The spandex is apparently a fashionable trend. And the shoes will come off. Welcome to High School. I hope they can look back at these years and smile.

Sincerely, Me.

Dear {city in which i live},

I would really like to be able to go on a morning run. Without having to carry a bat and worry my husband to death. I'm just sayin'; all the other cities are doin' it.

Dear Photoshop,

You're quite delightful, and even though my creative juices seem to ebb and flow, you are always constant.

Dear Chipotle,

I'm not sure how to say this. But. We need to break up. It's not you. It's me. Really. I am not really ready to commit to a larger pant size.

Dear students,

This is not rocket science. I am not asking you to create a planet. Trust me, if you can't handle this stuff, life is going to be really challenging.

Dear Vacation-itis:

I mean this in the nicest way. If there were some kind of walk-a-thon to find a cure for you, I would participate. Its nothing personal. And I'm not saying a 100% cure is possible. But some sort of valiant effort could perhaps start a change.

Dear Blogspot,

Thanks for not giving up on me. I'm trying to be better.

Dear Mark Lyman:

I love you. Lots.

Sincerely, Me.

One Pathetically Late Post

Dear world. Please forgive. Before another month passes with me managing to neglect my blog; I give you the "Reader's Digest" version of many missed blogging opportunities.

THE WRIGHT'S: One of the highlights of our last few weeks was seeing all my family together again. We sure know how to laugh, and love, and get on each other's nerves! And how to cram it all in just a few short days. This year we all met up in the Dutch town of Solvang in S. California. We had a mini "Chopped" competition, swam, played games, and eat. And boy did we eat. My mother is the best dessert maker in the world - and my sister has learned well. Which makes this a very common theme.
I fell in love with my adorable nephews all over again. And wish they lived closer so we could love on them more. Someday, when the Stork finds its way to our home, we're going to make some DARLING kids. I mean look at the genes we Wright's carry?Darling right? And for the old memory maker, here we all are. With our loves. Twice as big as we once were. A really great looking group if you ask me.

After a medium car dilemma; we were grateful for Dave and Cory and their willingness to replace a few broken pieces. And to momma who lent us her car for the drive home while ours was fixed.

WORKING AGAIN. As soon as we got back from Solvang, I started working at Deer Valley, as a long term sub again. This time for a lady who is out on maternity for the 1st quarter. It has been a bit of a struggle getting the students to actually respect me as their teacher and not as a nobody. I don't think they really grasp how many times I have taught this World History class. Anyway. It all came to an exploding peak when a fight broke out in my class a few weeks back. A genuine fight. Between 2 girls. We're talking fists flying, and words blaring. I naturally flew toward the smaller of the 2 girls-which I thought was a good move while under pressure. She was throwing her arms around me as I bear hugged her away from the other. Meanwhile, the other brings herself right up to my back yelling "hit me. I want you to hit me". Nice right. As if that wasn't enough, the other students in the class all start to stand on their desks chanting "fight, fight, fight" and to top it all off, began ripping their paper out of their binders and throwing it in our direction. Imagine all this happening with me right in the middle of it. Talk about an adrenalin kicker. Finally I got one girl to step outside while the other backed off. Security eventually had them all headed to the office. And after another hour, I had the class starting on their assignment. It was a nightmare. I threatened to quit. So now the vice principal sits in class with me almost every day. I guess I can chalk that up to experience. I can now add "bouncer" to my resume. Delightful.

PROVIDENT GENERATION of AMERICA: We are very excited and busy with the new company we are working with. Mark's brother introduced us to some awesome people who have begun to teach us some incredible things with money management and some possibilities that are out there. Mark is working on getting his CA license for financial advisement and we are starting to work with families in getting a more financially secure and "provident" way of living. It's awesome.

YOUTH CONFERENCE: I can't believe I haven't even posted about how Youth Conference went. We were assigned as the directors of the Stake weekend activity many months before the blessed weekend came. So we have been developing these ideas for a long time. And I am very happy to report that it went swimmingly well. It couldn't have gone better. Mark was the keynote speaker and he did a fabulous job at getting some very important messages across to the youth. They were eating up his vivacious personality and obvious dedication to the gospel. It was so fun to see him in a position he is passionate about. We had them out playing games on the field, and in classrooms learning about the Gospel. We did a service project in 99 degree weather, and not one young man or young woman complained. It was just a great turn out. To all the adult leaders who helped carry out our ideas, you really hit it right out of the park! Kudos to everyone involved.

OTHER NEWS: We finally got the pests out of our attic. That was nice. We continue to find projects for the house yet can't seem to find the money quite as easily. The weather has been hotter then we like, which makes us miss our Southern California life. We, along with the rest of America, are thrilled that TV is back. Amazing Race, Biggest Loser sans Jillian which is a major downer but at least it isn't pirate themed (Sara *wink wink*), ANTM-all stars! what? Tyra, you really out did yourself, and a very intriguing new Persons of Interest. Which - if their season is as good as their 1st episode, its going to be a great one. I've committed myself to run the Walt Disney World Marathon. When you ask? 2013. I'm realistic about what its going to take me to train. I've picked up another 2 projects for my little scrapbooking side love and it is addicting how much fun it is for me. And fall is right around the corner. I love the fall. So much in fact that I am currently making some fresh bread and soup to commemorate our first day of cool weather, grey skies, and sprinkling rain. Bring it on!

**Ps-don't you love how I tricked you with a few pictures at the top of the blog only to leave you pictureless later on. Sorry about that.**

Not always on vacation

I feel like my blog has turned into -vacation bragging central-! Let me tell you people - we are NOT always on vacation. It just seems that way because we don't have much else to photograph and talk about. So here is a jist of just how uninteresting our lives are - and you'll be glad I don't blog frequently.

--Upon returning from my trip to see Tessa's newest addition, I started my "strict" eating plan again. Now, I use the word strict lightly here people. Usually this means I watch what I eat between the hours of 8am and 3pm. After that - its all fair game. I was good for 1/2 the day so that counts right? Then I am frustrated why my efforts are not rewarded on the scale. Interesting stuff right?

--I am also now working at the same Environmental Firm that had me as a temp last year. Still as a temp. Still doing the same bit of work. Only less. Which makes the hours seem like days. Which is awesome.

--Mark is doing the same thing he's been doing all summer. Answering calls about pools that have murky water, dumping chlorine into other pools, repairing more pipes and pumps and sweeps then he ever thought he'd see in his life, and trying to convince customers that the reason they are loosing so much water is because they have a leak. No we don't fix leaks.

--I've been to the doctor's office more times then I'd ever dream possible, with about a million tests being done to figure out why the heck some things ARE happening; and why other things are NOT happening. This is not exactly the venue for said topic; so let's end that with "we're on hold".

--We've been appointed as the directors of this year's Stake Youth Conference. That's right folks - the whole sha-bang is being organized, planned, and divided by yours truly. A lot of meetings, and shopping for food, and poster boards, and more meetings, and emails, and assignments, and more meetings. Its really interesting stuff right? And it consumes our lives. And I am infinitely grateful we live in an area with only a tiny population of youth in comparison to...other areas. 200 kids is a lot to entertain for a weekend.

--I am still a scrap booking addict but have found less time these last several weeks and am anxious for substitute teaching to get into full swing again so I can have way more time to do what I love. I especially love my new added bit where when the books I am doing are completed, I take a trip to the person who's book it is for a final review and edit. It allows me an excuse to see friends, and do what I like, and get out of town. Bonus.

The End. So even though it appears all we do is take one trip after another -we don't. We just live bland lives and hate to admit it on the blog. So we chalk it up to "we've been busy"...now you know the truth. Apologies.

His Bit of Earth

Mark has made quite the impact on our front yard. We've been plagued with the roots of our front tree in our grass, which has consequently left our grass growing in spots and patches. So, Mark took the weekend and rented a rotor tiller and dug up the yard! And wow the roots were insane!

But now we have quite the nice little bit of earth. we laid the bark and planted a few new plants which now makes for a bit more character and color in our yard. We're only part done, but is a fun little project. I'd like to say I helped out, but to be honest, I raked about 3 shovel fulls and then I was done! Good thing Mark was so dedicated.

Happiest Post on Earth

True to Morrell style, we decided to take our much needed time off to visit our old stomping grounds in Southern California. Some may think we have an illness with our frequency of the Disney goodness, but to each their own right? We headed down on Thursday evening so we could have some time to relax on Friday and of course have time to hit up our favorite restaurant Ruby's where too much is eaten. Even our friends who had not been in over a year remembered it was delightful - even if they couldn't remember why. :) Mark is really good and orders something different each visit. I however, am stuck on their shrimp tacos. And still sorely miss their White Chocolate Raspberry shake. Cheers to a Ruby's Diner.

By Saturday we were ready for our visit with the mouse. Mark and I had very few needs which made our trip fabulous as the Richards' didn't seem to have too many expectations either. We were all just thrilled to be there and little Teagan was a trooper if I've ever seen one. With only a few 30 minute power naps - she seemed to be in good spirits the entire day. A fan of Disney from...birth. Just how we like them.

Little Mermaid didn't disappoint. Its been open for a week now so we expected lines down the street. We were pleasantly surprised with only a 30 minute wait! It really was quite wonderful, and true to most Disney "dark rides"; missing a large portion of the middle of the movie and just skipping to the end. Eh - it was still entertaining.

Of course a trip to the Mania was required. Mark and the Richards' are good sports to play with me. Although my scores are NOT the best of the day like the use to be, I still score higher then most and have a delightful time playing. And let the record show that I bring good ju-ju because Michelle got her best score when she rode with me. I'm just sayin'. I'm kind of a rock star.

The most ... colorful shall we say ... part of our Disneyland adventure was discovering the "Rave Children" all over the park. Now, for a high school teacher, I pride myself in knowing a bit about the young culture. However, I have never seen something like this before. And lets just keep in mind that it felt like 95 degrees in our regular attire so I can only imagine how warm these people must have felt. I give you - the plastic color explosion parade.


They sort of reminded me of Rainbow Bright. These kids had plastic jewelry everywhere! Some had them in several layers all the way up their arms! It was insane. We began to bargain that the more colorful bracelets you had on, the higher in rank you were. You know, sort of like some kind of system of hierarchy. And the girl with the magic school bus lunchbox (green shirt above) was the queen of the Rave Children. It was the weirdest sight we had ever seen. And I must say, I just missed the pose of the entire group of like 50+ in front of the castle. If only that gentleman would have walked faster then I would have had it! Sadly, this will have to suffice for memories.

Waiting for the parade was by far the hottest wait of my life. But well worth it. Disneyland has been failing in the parade department in my book for several years now; so when I heard that the new Soundsational parade was now preforming, I knew I had to have front row seats. And I was so delighted. It was a genuine Disney parade! Fabulous floats, delightful costumes and dancers in between, all the good characters, catchy music. Just delightful! So I highly recommend the time to sit and watch.


So, cheers to another delightful trip to visit The Land. We were really looking forward to spending the weekend with our dearest friends and were thrilled they made the trip down to join us.

Wrapping it up

For the past six years I have defined myself as a "high school teacher". One who deals with the crazy and unpredictable stage that is adolescence everyday. Some called me crazy, others call me brave, some just think I'm a saint to volunteer for this kind of gig. But for me, it's been perfect.

Now, Deer Valley is by no means a glamorous school. (although growing up it was the talk of the town about how nice the facilities were). I kind of blame it on my previous assignment at La Sierra because I had just the PERFECT years teaching there. I think I sort of idolize it as more wonderful then it was because I feel like I am constantly judging DVHS by its standards. Anyway - what I'm trying to say is that these past 3 months of teaching there haven't been all roses and butterflies, especially as the school year comes closer to the end, I am definitely ready to be done. Like the kid who is an open drug hustler, and comes late to class every day. Is it bad that I kind of pray he doesn't show up. And do a little dance when he is suspended, which is often. Probably. And the class that lines up at the door 5 minutes before the lunch bell rings. And I have to stand at the doorway to make sure they don't just leave. And the class that throws everything they own on the floor because it's the "custodians job" to clean it up. Oh that just bugs me. And the girl with A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E. That time she and I got into a bit of a brawl - I won't go into details - and she screams "You're not my mom" - the only logical reply - "Thank heavens for that". I don't remember the ending after that. Anyway - I digress.

On Thursday, my position as a teacher will be ending. That's weird for me. I have been trying to get a full time position at the school where I've been covering, but for some reason, it appears that just isn't in the cards for me. I'll probably be substitute teaching next school year again, but that just isn't the same as having your own students and classroom. And for the summer, I am jobless. Totally and utterly free. I haven't been that since my own school days.

So there you go. There are a lot of "last times" in life that I remember. Your last day in college, your last day in a given city, your last day single. Its weird when big stuff like that comes to an end. Like your last day in your career. (look at me all down and sour. I just don't predict the economy flipping in a few short months making a history job available for me anytime soon).

And that's all I have to say about that. I suppose that means my next post will have to be something happy. Perhaps the "happiest post on Earth" if you will. And I will.

Birthday Celebrations

Can you believe my man is Thirty? Such a fabulous age with a whole new decade to embark on. When trying to list all the things that happened the last 10 years of his life, we started to get excited with how much more good stuff lies ahead. So a big "hala" to my love and his thirty years of life. Rather then go through a list of 30 things I love about him and bore you all to near death, I'll just skip to the activities and let you all know what we did.

Mom was kind enough to treat us to a weekend getaway in Monterey. The weather seemed made to order with sun and blue skies. We enjoyed a delightful walk down Cannery Row, perused through some antique shops, stopped by a market for some lunch and enjoyed it on the beach where I caught some rays and a little nap. Aahh delightful.

The highlight of going to Monterey was our trip on the Bay in kayaks. We rented a few and headed out to see if we could find some wildlife. And boy did we. We made our way to a rather large bed of seaweed and there were about 12 or more otters just hanging out. Advised by the rental guys to stay at least 50 feet away, we didn't get close enough for a picture, and was even more amazed at the speed at which we had the wildlife preserve peeps on our back ready to "answer our questions" about the otter. Right. So we enjoyed from a distance for a minute longer and then made our way back.

Okay, now for a totally inappropriate segway picture for this birthday post. While kayaking in Monterey, the rental shop had this little dedication tattooed on the wall. I thought it was extremely accurate and therefore had to take a picture. I would have taken it on my phone but since that was all the way in the car, this was the solution. And besides, the Internet world needs to know the truth of the matter. I'm just sayin.

And back to Mark, for his actual day of birth, we enjoyed a little Chili's fresh mex. Which is just delightful, and opened a few gifts that I had tried so very hard to choose. Buying for Mark is so difficult. Especially when he breaks the cardinal rule of birthday-dom; don't shop for yourself during the month of your birth! UG.

Here is Mark and his fake surprise picture; posed perfectly for the camera. We both love the movie Inception, and I had to practically tell him that I got it for him to prevent him from purchasing it on his own. And a more genuine birthday opening face which I appreciate for the photobook memories. I also got him a few books to keep his reading frenzy at bay. He seriously has been reading every book we have in the house several times over. So some new material was highly overdue.

So a happy birthday wish to my wonderful man who is embarking on a new decade of life. I guess you could say he is "thirty, flirty, and thriving." Which is what we were going for.

Garage Sales

Some people are big on Garage Sales. I am NOT one of these people. Especially after helping my mom in our first garage sale events of our lives. Exhausting and hardly worth the little income you make. Ug.

Since Mom's move about 5 months ago, we have found a lot of stuff that doesn't really fit in the new house. When word came out that her neighborhood development was having a garage sale, she thought it was a great opportunity to get rid of some old stuff and make some profit while we were at it. I headed over Friday night and we spent a good 4 hours taking everything out of boxes and deciding what the value of the object was, putting the price on it, and laying out on one of the 6 tables Mom had gotten from the Church. It all started fun, but by the end we were just throwing numbers out and not really caring what the "value" was.

Saturday morning came, only after an entire night dreaming about the horrors of pricing and selling, and by 7am we were moving the tables out of the garage into the driveway. And can you believe that we could hardly get it out fast enough before the lookers were already looking. I was surprised with how busy it all was; several lookers at a time for most of the morning. I even sold our old bed-in-a-bag set and made a little cash for our new bedroom decor. (which I then promptly spent on dinner...my bad) . By noon it had all pretty much died out and mom and I were both exhausted and just done with the whole scene. We sold a good amount of stuff but felt like we boxed up more then what we sold and dumped it in the DI truck.

So - in my personal opinion - donation is the way to go. Yeah we made a few hundred but really? For the amount of time and effort it takes to first get your sell pile together, then to price it all, then to get it all out so people can buy it, then to sell it, then to put it all away...its just a lot of work. But hey, at least I can say I've had a garage sale. Well, that my mom had one and I sold one personal belonging at it. Which is basically the same thing right?

Something Different

We're not actually moving, and I need something different to look at when I open my blog. We are such boring people. We don't have babies or vacations or fun things to report on so consequently, our blog is boring. My apologies.

I suppose I could blog about our daily lives. Like how our kitchen seems to reproduce dishes like magic. And how our dishwasher is always overloaded with bowls. And how as much as I love the look of the dark wood floors, they are more work to keep clean and pretty then I probably thought about when I choose them.

I should be embarrassed to mention how my spare bedroom has turned into the "clean linens" pile because I am too lazy to fold the laundry and put them in the closet. So whenever we need a new set of sheets, I just pull them off the top of the pile. Throw the new clean sheets in there when I'm done washing them so that when I need them...there they are. It's bad right?

I could mention about our upcoming trip to Disneyland with some of our very favorite people and how I feel like I haven't been in a million years and how I am about ready to make a paper chain to help me count the days down. It'll be jammed packed with people and probably super hot but I have plans to ride the new Little Mermaid ride which I've been awaiting since they started construction, and of course Toy Story Mania as many times as our friends will let me. And Ruby's Diner - how we have missed you.

It is easy to overlook our careers. Mark continues to learn new stuff about the pool business. He can fix just about anything and is quite the master at trouble shooting the problem. We've vowed we'll never own a pool but sure appreciate those who do. School for me is just about done. 3 weeks left makes it a struggle for the students to pay attention. We'll all be glad when it is over. Currently, the district shows no signs of hiring me into the position I've been filing even though the word on the street is that the position is available. So we'll see.

So there you have it...we don't have any pictures or good stories to tell. So a big thank you to the rest of you bloggers that keep me entertained because reading my own blog has left me realizing that we need more action.

Beat That.

Dear world. If you think that I am snubbing you - think again. I just paid my monthly cell phone bill. The numbers are as follows.

50 minutes used

19 Text messages sent.

And can I just say that I'm pretty sure 17 of those messages went to a certain Washington number - because I love her. I think I need to increase my social outlets.

Wow. That is ... unreal.

Spring Break

Another reason why I am such a fan of my profession. I get Spring Break. Granted, this particular year I don't get paid for it - I still have the time off which I love. This week is turning out to be full of "things-to-do" lists.

Things-to-Do #1: Finish Bathroom!
Okay, so its not exactly finished, but it is totally mostly done. And it is beautiful! A big shout out to my BIL who is an interior design genius and help me commit to a color. And now, presenting, my totally new and totally relaxing grey bathroom. Can you believe that we tore out this whole bathroom, and reinstalled everything! B-E-A-utiful. Comments of congratulations welcome.

The Before. Especially loved the pink accent tiles.

The during - well, the best I could find.
The New-and Improved.
I totally love the 2 mirror look. So sleek.


To-Do-List #2: Celebrate Mom's birthday.

Mom had her birthday yesterday and I sort of took the easy road and took her out to dinner rather then make it for her at home like last year. But I did get her a cute new shirt and jewelry combo and a recipe book for soups which I happen to love. Delightful

To-Do-List #3: Host Mikey

My favorite BIL is visiting for the week between his London study abroad and return to Provo. He is just such a delight. And I like having him around. We mostly just sit and watch Tyra Banks talk show and other lame daytime TV but it is fabulous.

To-Do-List #4: Finish Scrapbook(s).

So I have 2 Scrapbooking projects I am trying to finish. And I love it. Mostly because I get to have a creative outlet that produces a great result. And it is good for me. And I especially like to hear the satisfaction on the faces of those whose books they are. Perfect.

To-Do-List #5: Spring Cleaning Start

As my first year as a homeowner rounds out, I feel it is important to get in the spring cleaning chores while I am out of school this week. This includes a deep clean of several things that get overlooked during the year. The blinds, the oven, the cupboards; you get the jist. So heres to my music being a little too loud, and the lemon-y smell of goodness everywhere.

Overall - Spring break is turning out to be quite successful. Happy spring to me.

Just to catch up

A blog I follow updates ALL THE TIME. At least twice a week. And I love that. I use to be a frequent blog updater, but now I can't blog at work, which is a huge inhibitor in my getting stuff down. So - just to catch up.

--Our fence is finally in the building stages. Our neighbors set up the contractor; which was nice of them, and now we are seeing some progress. Of course the mammoth size snake that was living under the old fence was an unexpected surprise. I'd be okay if we don't see another one of those again.

--I am going through a sugar cookie phase. Weird right? I am CRAVING sugar cookies all the time. Now, a few months back when I was in this craze, I actually made the cookies and consumed them all too quickly. I suppose I am healing as I don't actually make them anymore. But man they are delicious.

--We are big reality TV fans. We've been following the usual popular shows, missing others I'll admit. Although we haven't been into American Idol or Survivor, we've got ANTM, Amazing Race, Top Chef, Deadliest Catch, Biggest Looser, and a myriad of Food Network challenges. We also are fairly large fans of Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. Most our evenings are fairly chill and include some kind of TV relaxing. It's a charmed life.

--I don't know how to feel about those blogs who clarify those pictures they take with their "point and shoot" or "iPhone". Because I am pretty sure all my pictures look like those which makes me feel like my photo skills are inadequate and are not going to document my kids life as beautifully as it should. I'm just saying - I don't care if you took your pictures with a Kodak disposable, had them printed, and scanned them with your hand-me-down scanner to get them on your blog, they are nice so be okay with it.

--I am loving my job again. This really is my perfect job. I love Love LOVE it. Too bad the school system in America is less then favorable and the value of the teachers work is, again, less then favorable. But I get to hang out with a lot of great students. Many of whom will go on to forget me; but I don't know how to explain it. It is just magic for me.

--I sold my college car. My RAV4 that I just loved. The cute little perfect fit for me. I felt like I was cheating on my family getting rid of her like that. And the knife in the heart was when the buyer changed my radio station to his Latin station and had it booming while we finished the transaction. (sad face). But it really was for the better. 3 cars with only 2 drivers really was a bit excessive.

--I've started Scrapbooking Mark's life. Yes! A big project I know. But I am in need of some inspiration for another book I am working on so I started. And now I can't stop. I just love the idea of our futures being able to see pictures of us when we were young. I am addicted to scrapbooking my life. I even sometimes have the pages done before the pictures are captured. So fun.

I guess that is it. Not really exciting eh? Now you know why I don't blog much.