I'm FREE

So it's over...Preschool graduation was yesterday, and it turned out better then ever. And the slideshow, well it, of course, was fantastic!! The best one I've done! It was worth the 15+ hour work days to have everything so perfect. My kids sang, actually is was more imitating the actions then singing, better then they ever have. It was hard to get through some of the songs as I thought about how much progress they have made this year. I think sometimes I forget about how much progress they have made, and instead think about all I wanted to help them with. They are amazing kids. I have to say that as much fun as I had with them, there are only a few I will truly miss. Lets face it, this was a hard year, and i'm glad it over. There are also a few parents I will really miss. They are great examples and always reminded me how to love their kids.

Now what are my plans. Well I plan to play tons and work a little. I'm off to Boston on Monday where I will spend 8 days around the New England states. I am very excited to be anywhere, but work and perhaps even Provo. After that who cares what I do. I'll do whatever I want! Why? Because I can!!

Keep Checking for my Summer Updates

My Class this year. The one and only class picture with all the kids. Notice Riley caught in the act of pinching...I'm definitely not going to miss that!

A Tribute to Haylee

My Dearest Haylee,

You ARE one of my favorite people. I don't know what happened to your picture. So here is a post dedicated to you, and hopefully this makes up for my forgetfullness.

A few of my favorite things about Haylee.

• you have the cutest voice..for those of you that don't know Haylee, she has a deep, raspy voice and it's so cute
• the way you stare me down everytime I come to visit
• your eyes when you smile
• my most favorite thing...when you sing in that deep, raspy voice

Lots of Love to Haylee!!

Camille told me that I am no longer in the lead for favorite aunt in Haylee's eyes, since her picture never ended up on my list of favorite people. If you know me, you need to know that I have a quest to be the favorite aunt to all 13, and one on the way, nieces and nephews. So yes, this is my attempt to get back on top!

Sorry it's blurry...I tried!

A Couple of Firsts

Over Memorial Day I went with a few friends up to a Ranch in Idaho. I was told before I left to wear clothes that I didn't mind getting dirty, really dirty. I knew that we would be working with cows, but I didn't know what to expect. It was really one of the worst things. I give props to ranchers who have to do this every year. So here is my first first...Branding Cattle. I could handle the squishing of the cows in the cage and giving them the shots they needed, even the piercing of the ears was fine. It was the cutting of the ears that started the cow really mooing and if that wasn't bad enough, if it was a bull then they would castrate it. By this time they were mooing like crazy, but this is not where is stopped. They then burned their brand into them. Holy Crap, if I thought they were mooing before it was nothing to how they sounded then. You could see the pain on the cows faces...and yes, I may have felt sorry for the stinky little things. Even worse then the look on the cows face was the smell of the hair burning. I don't think I could ever get used to the smell. I could get used to living on a ranch though. (Okay a ranch with cell phone service. This ranch didn't have any service. It was hard, but I made it). The house was amazing with amazing views out of every window. It was so green and had awesome wildflowers. It really was beautiful and very relaxing!

I was a great helper on the ranch. It's hard work holding the gate open!

Jamon and I with an awesome view of the ranch!

My second first is something I never really thought I could do. I don't think I really even wanted to try, because it sounded to tiring. I'll just start with how it all started. 5 years ago I moved to Provo and decided I wanted to start running. So I did. I would run on the trail and eventually was able to run for 30 min, which I think was about 3 miles. Well this only lasted that one summer and since then the most I've run is 2 miles. So last week I went running and thought I'd push myself and run 3 miles. I got on the Provo trail that heads up the canyon. I started at where I thought the 9 1/2 mile marker was and started running. I ran to the 11 mile marker and turned around and decided I'd run to the 9 1/2 mile marker so I would know for sure that I ran 3 miles. Well I ran and the 9 1/2 mile marker wasn't where I thought it was so I kept running to find it. I never found it but ran to the 9 mile marker and back which in all was a 4 mile run. At this point this is the farthest I have ever ran. Two days later I decide to go running again. Now I know that I can run 4 miles so now I feel like I have to run 4 miles. I get to the trail and start running to the 11 1/2 mile marker. I get running and run past the 11 and I'm looking for the next marker. I never found it. I ran and ran and never found the 11 1/2 or the 12 mile marker. I wanted to know how far I ran so I wanted to find a marker somewhere. I looked at my time and I'd been running for 30 min., so I thought I'd better turn around. I ran back to my truck, and if you know anything about math you can guess that in all I ran for 60 min. A whole hour. I still am shocked. I felt like I could have kept running. It was such a good feeling. So I think if it wasn't a 6 mile run then it had to of been pretty close. Two days later I did it again. After that my knees and ankles were hating me pretty bad so they decided to hurt for a couple of days. So know I am a fan of the long runs and haven't run less then 45 min this week. I think I'll try to run a 10K. Some friends of mine want me to run a half marathon with them. Now that sounds tiring! We'll see what happens.

Can Babies Graduate?

Jodee, my baby sister, just graduated. Not from Kindergarten, but from High School. She's supposed to be ten years old running around getting me anything I wanted because I told her I would time her to see how fast she can do it. I'm sad to say that it is hard for me to treat her like a 18 year old. Let's face it, she's more of a woman than I am. She owned high heels before I did. I work with a girl who just turned 19 and I picture her being much older than Jodee. I am working hard at treating her like a 18 year old, and promise only to time her every once in a while.

Here she is doing the "Toyota Jump."

As you all remember that is how it felt

to Graduate from High School!

High Heels and Red Dresses

Only a month and a half since my last entry...I'm getting better!

So I have ventured into an unknown world...the world of high heels. I bought my first pair of high heels in March and it only took me a month to wear them. I had my high heel debut on April 13, in Texas (I thought trying them where people don't know me would be best since I would most likely never see them again, so if I were to fall it wouldn't matter). I have to say that I did pretty good. I only had a few stumbles. Stairs are a different story, I don't know how many times I've lost my balance, but I just know one day I'm not going to make it. Walking on grass in heels, whoa, I feel like I'm sinking. It's pretty weird, but I guess most girls of the world already know this. After trying out the first pair of heels I decided having two pair wouldn't make me to "girly." So I did, I went and bought another pair (black heels don't go with everything, you've got to have brown too).

If having two pair of heels doesn't make me look to "girly" the dress I bought might. Now I've worn dresses most of my life, but in the past 8 or 9 years skirts have been the attire of choice. So now not only am I wearing heels but I am wearing dresses again. This isn't just any dress either...it's RED. I own and wear a red dress. It is very weird. I feel like it is to short...it shows my knees. I know heaven forbid that my knees show, but I am short and all the skirts I have are longer so when I put this dress on I feel like I am revealing myself to the world. I'm getting used to it and the fact that my legs look fantastic in the heels and the "short red dress" doesn't hurt.

So as my mom said "Thank your roommate for me." I know that many of my fantastic roommates have tried to get me into heels but have not succeeded. My stubborn side came out and the more they tried the more stubborn I became. I do things when I want to do them...it's hard for me to be "girly." You know I would rather be lounging in my comfy pants and a t-shirt. So thanks to Stephanie for helping pick out the heels that make my legs look Amazing!

I'm still here

I've just been helping Camille set up her blogspot and thought maybe it was about time I updated mine.

Here is my life since November...
Christmas came and I couldn't have been more excited to get away from school. Camille and her family came to spend Christmas in Cedar. It was fun having all of them there. Jason and Andrea were also around. We had a good time tubing in the field, building snowmen, and playing Guitar Hero. It has been a long time since i've had a Christmas with little kids around. They didn't disappoint me either. They were so funny, and very excited about all there toys. Santa Clause was very good to me this year. I had a stocking that was almost as big as me, and it was full of stuff. Santa really knows how to make Christmas fun. One of my gifts was Guitar Hero, which as mentioned above, was played all the time. The boys became pros over night and stayed up all night achieving pro-ness. Since then I would't say i've become a pro, but i've had tons of fun playing it and having friends over. I will maintain my amature status.

I had brake problems in January, which stopped all my other fun plans for a few months. At least the fun that cost money. So I've spent alot of time watching movies and hanging out with friends. I know mom...no "hanging out with boys"...they should be taking me on dates, I'm working on it.

I don't know if you've noticed but I also aged a year. I am now 29. I spent alot of time preparing to turn 30 that 29 hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm over it now and preparing for 30 once again. As always my birthday was a party. I love birthdays so I didn't hold back. I went to dinner a couple of times, got a pedicure, treats and cakes everywhere, and a hoppin' dance party. What a great night. Tons of people came and we danced all night. I didn't get my birthday kiss as I'd hoped, but came close.
Now I am Texas playing with Camille and her family. After getting up at 3:30 am to get to the airport, 3 gate changes and 5 hours of delay I finally made it to Houston. The arrival couldn't have been better. Kylee, Brynlee, and Haylee all ran to me when they saw me. It was movie moment just without the guy. From the airport we drove straight to the Minute Maid Stadium to watch the Astros take on the Florida Marlins. They put on a great show and won! Don't worry I had my footlong hotdog!
Since then I have slept a ton, gone to the gym with Camille (it has been a long time since i've been this sore. I can barely move. Lunges...they'll get you every time), and just played with the girls. It has been nice being any where but at work. Which takes me to work. I has been a little rough since the Christmas break. I now have a screamer. She's always been a screamer but now it is all the time and for no good reason. At least any reason I know about. It was really bad. It has been a true test of my patience. Riley is no longer my hardest kid, but he definetaly still has his moments. Just last week he got a nice black eye at school...no I didn't hit him, but if the table can do what I feel like doing, so be it. I have 6 more days before I have to go back. I hope i'm ready! It's sad to say but i'm already counting down the weeks...10 more to go (School goes till the end of June). I'm aleady trying to decide where to travel to this summer...I'm thinking Hawaii...we'll see.

So that's it. We'll see how long it takes me to do this again!

Boston and Stuff

So I'm back from Boston! What a Great Trip! I got there Thursday morning and we went and did all the historical stuff (By we I mean Kristie, an old roommate). We saw Bunker Hill, Where the Boston Masacre took place and the cemetary where they are all buried, The shipping yards and the Bonston Tea Party, and all the other things. There is actually a red line that starts in the middle of it all and you follow it around to see everything. It rained all day, but we had a great time. That night we went to see "Wicked." The best broadway show ever. I love it. I think I liked the one in New York better, but it was still so amazing! Friday we didn't do much of anything just checked out Harvard and some of the colleges. The highlight of the trip though was when we went to the First playoff game of the American League Championship at Fenway Park. It was so AWESOME! Who just goes to a playoff game? We sat in right field about 30 rows up. Even though I really didn't care who won I cheered for the Red Sox since that is where I was. So as many of you know the Red Sox won! Despite it being freezing cold and having no coat, it was fun to be around all the Fans. They are crazy out there!

Not much happened the rest of the trip. We went to Salem and check out all the Witch history there. Salem is one of the biggest Halloween towns I've ever seen. They were having a big Halloween Fair. Sunday we went to church and listened to Elder Holland speak on Harvard campus and then walked around Boston for a while. It really is a Beautiful place. There are trees everywhere. Mom would love it! Then on Monday I came home. It wasn't all that fun to go back to work, but I had a good break and can handle till Thanksgiving...I hope!

I really wish I could tell you more exciting things but there is not much to tell. Last year for Halloween I was Ghostbuster and I won best costume. This year I thought new ward new people so I again was a Ghostbuster, along with my roommate Stephanie. It is such a fun costume. Here is a picture of how fabulous we looked. I even had the Ghostbuster theme song to go with it. My ward had a great party but I was stuck in the kitchen cooking soup and missed most of the activity. I don't know how I get myself into these things. I think i'm doing a little and then it becomes so much more than I had planned. One day i'll learn to say no. The party we had at the school was crazy as always. We only had one kid that stayed in his costume the whole day. all the others cried like crazy so we just took them off. Trick-or-Treating with them was not so much fun. I was glad for the day to be over.

Well Life is still moving forward. I'm still having fun and trying to do good!