Fun in the kitchen...

I babysat my nieces and nephews last night so Joe and Julie could go out. I noticed as I was cooking dinner that there were some bananas that were getting to that point of not being very edible anymore... I then noticed there were some nice large zucchini from my brothers garden sitting on the counter as well...

Suffice it to say, we made banana and zucchini muffins. The kitchen smelled so good. The girls were great helpers and Ashton quickly volunteered to be the official camera man. His video dialogue is hilarious!

Ashton was not only the camera man, but the music man. He made sure we were well supplied with good songs.


Abby just enjoyed watching us dance and sing around the kitchen


Haley was pretty proud of the muffins


Annemerie struck a few poses every once in a while


Ashton's dialogue to this video is hilarious!


I love having family so close.

Runners are Wild

The Alpine A-Team


"Runners are wild. Joggers are runners that have been domesticated."

I love running. My most recent race really goes to show that runners are "wild" as the quote says. To think that this last weekend there were over 7,000 runners that were willing to participate in an event such as the "Wasatch Back" is mind boggling. For those of you unfamiliar with the Wasatch Back, the race goes from Logan to Park City. Each team has 12 runners to complete 188 miles. Each runner runs three times over the duration of the trek, with 1-2 hours of sleep in-between if they are lucky. Sounds like suicide, right? NO! I love it. It is such an exhilarating experience.

This year I ran with a team of colleagues. We were known as the Alpine A-Team. Joe was on my team again and we were in the same van, which was a lot of fun. He made a fun running soundtrack for each car with the A-team theme song and a bunch of other songs about running. Our Captain Barry Graff gave us each a nickname. I was dubbed as "Little Red-Running Hood" and Joe was coined "Dash".

I was runner 9 and ran just under 17 miles total. My second leg of the race began at about 3:30 AM and was 9.6 miles. Nothing like running through the country in the middle of the night with a headlamp on your head to give you a runners high. Here are a few photos...

Joe got really creative with some of his photos. I thought this one was kind of cool.


Running up the Ragnar Hill


This sign says it all. That little runner on the left hand side is me...


Joe getting a road kill on his last leg of the race


My race face just as I'm getting ready to start my first leg


Joe pretending to be running because we missed him coming through the exchange point the first time... Gotta love it!


This is what the sunrise looked like as I was running my second leg... It was breathtaking.


The entire team ran the last 100 yards into the finish line together


We were team 127... This shows our final time; 27 hours, 31 minutes and 49 seconds.


Our team ended up taking 114th over all, with 700 or so teams actually completing the race. Captain Graff has already purchased us a team again next year, so we are going to come back more prepared and even better next year!

One of my favorite memories from last year was going to see National Treasure, which was the outdoor movie at the Scera. The movie itself was okay, but the night was so memorable because of the people I was with. I went with Kim, Annie and Marianne, three of the most amazing girls I know. We laughed, ate and had an amazing time together. So we decided to head to the first outdoor movie of the season this past week, even though the forecast showed possible rains. Kim was unable to come this year, but our friend Lani joined us instead. We had a fabulous time once again, but it did rain.... we got soaked, but we endured to the end! The rain just added to the adventure and made for an even more exciting memory!

I cut bangs!

I haven't had bangs since eighth grade, but I have been considering cutting them for months now. Come to find out that my roommate Annie has been considering the same thing! So we went and had them cut the same day. Here's a photo! They aren't drastic, but kind of fun!

Summer Adventure #2... White Water and Jackson Hole

This face shows how I feel about new adventures!

When summer vacation hit (the school year ended), I decided to take a week to enjoy life. I am defending my thesis in two weeks and I have to completely move back into my classroom and plan my curriculum within the next month, so I figured a week off before jumping into things would be a healthy choice. As previously posted, adventure #1 was Havasupai. After being home only one day from that adventure, we took off for adventure #2... white water rafting the snake river and Jackson hole!!

The weather was 40 degrees and raining, so we had on full wet suits, multiple layers, rain jackets, you name it! It was freezing, but still well worth it.


Some of my favorite girls...


We were a little excited as we got to Jackso...


A little shopping...


Whoever thought of making a square ice cream scoop was brilliant!

What a great trip! Now, nose back to the grindstone...

The long awaited Havasupi

I have wanted to go to Havasupi Falls for years. However, in order to go, one must make a reservation close to 6 months in advance. This year Annie and I decided to take initiative and make the reservation! We invited six friends to join us in our adventure.

One can be helicoptered in or pay to ride a mule, but we chose to hike. We filled up our packs, made the 12 hour drive to Arizona and hiked the 10 miles into the falls. We spent two wonderful days swimming and hiking and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We were a part of the first group that were allowed in since the falls have been closed due to a flash flood and swine flu precautions.

The falls themselves were incredibly beautiful as you can see from the photos, but the camping ground area was hit pretty hard by the flood and was pretty barren. It looked like a refugee camp. We filmed a pretty funny video... very funny. Bud Corbin on sight...There was one spring that everyone went to for their water, which is also shown in the video. (You can find the video at the end of all the photos)

We found a more personalized camping spot that was away from the majority of other campers. We spent three days cooking great meals, hiking, sleeping, playing frisbee and speed scrabble, swimming, exploring and the list goes on. It was one of the best adventure trips I have yet to experience and I have been on a lot of adventures in my day. We all enjoyed being together and after four days of constant togetherness, I think everyone was still sad to part their separate ways. We already have a reunion planned and a second adventure together is in the workings...

Here are some of my favorite photos in no apparent order:

This sign made us appear to be extra adventurous


A view at sunrise just as we were descending into the canyon


Posing just down the river from Mooney Falls


Playing in the falls... YMCA anyone?


Just the girls (Annie, Cherise, Jessie and Lani)


The group at Mooney Falls


The Beautiful Havasu Falls


Taking a plunge from off the tree swing...


Cooking ourselves a yummy dinner using our trusty camping stoves


If you look close, you can see a game of frisbee going on...


We couldn't help but take a picture by this sign...


Below is the video on-site at the refugee camp... pay attention to Ian and his "shaky legs". What a trip!

Three job changes in three years...

In the last 3 years I have made three job changes. In the 2006-07 school year, I taught third grade at Westmore Elementary. In 2007-2008 I was asked by my principal to be TSA, which stands for Teacher on Special Assignment, viewed by the public as assistant principal. Then last year I was approached by John Jesse, who is the Research and Evaluation director for the district and he asked if I would join their team at the District Office. So for the past year (2008-2009), I have worked as a TSA in the research and evaluation department.

In this position, I was over 18 of the elementary schools for their data and assessment needs. I did a lot of trainings and worked closely with a lot of principals and teachers. It has been a fantastic experience and I made so many good close friends. However, my heart is in teaching. I want to be back in the classroom and requested to return for the 2009-2010 school year. So as many of you know, I am going back to Westmore to teach 4th grade and I couldn't be more excited about it.

I will miss many of the aspects of my job now. One thing I will miss more than anything, is going on walks with my friend Barbara. Barbara likes to call me her "mini-me" because we are so much alike, except for the 25 or so year age difference of course. Barbara and I often met during our lunch break and would walk together through the cemetery across the street. It was a cherished time. I will miss the many friends I made and worked with, but I am onto a new adventure!

Barbara on one of our walks through the cemetery...


This is Carol, the secretary for our department...


Dixie (another secretary) Dave (my partner in crime) and April (TSA in math dept.)


A few more of my favorite colleagues...


Sometimes change is hard, but change is good. It keeps you on top of your game. I can't wait to get settled back into the classroom!