The Ten Virgins

Just before Christmas, I was fortunate to be part of a group that performed a musical retelling of the story of the Ten Virgins. The songs were amazing and although our background fell down during the second song, I felt a great spirit in the room--a sense of peace. I'm grateful for opportunities like this one to help me slow down and think about the important things in life.

We had a wonderful group of ladies in the cast. It was a lot of memorizing (at least it was a lot for me!), but well worth the effort!

Only Sissies Cook on Low

For Christmas, my friend made me a sign that says, "Only sissies cook on low." I love that she knows me well enough to know how appropriate that is! Or maybe she was trying to tell me that I should start actually cooking...

Either way, thanks, Kiirstin!

A Fresh Start

I've had enough people tell me to update my blog that I'm finally motivated enough to do so...barely.

Christmas vacation was a blast with TWO WEEKS OFF SCHOOL!! It's sure nice to have the income, but it's also very stressful teaching. Forcing information into the mind of an unwilling middle school student isn't always the easiest thing to do. I suppose that's why we're paid the big bucks!

I loved having family around. I haven't been able to spend as much time with them as I did before school started. It was great to catch up and play tons of games and just be together.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Matt's family and ate way too much good food. The Holgates definitely know how to do Christmas dinner!

The 26th belonged to this little guy, my nephew. Most of my family gathered for his blessing. My dad even came up from Arizona. And the snacking and game-playing that followed was in true Clark fashion.

Can you tell that my favorite part of Christmas is the people? I love gathering with some of the best family and friends a girl could wish for and just feeling the peace and joy of the season.

Road Trip?

My life has been a little hectic lately. Math tutoring, piano lessons, voice lessons (for me--I'm not teaching them), Girls Camp (this week!), the Wasatch Back, Youth Conference, two family reunions, two college math classes (I have to take those to renew my teaching license), and trying to plan for teaching next year. I'm supposed to be running the St. George Marathon in October also, but I'm falling sadly behind in my training. Blah.

With all this...shall we call it resposibility?...I've decided that I'm ready for a break! I want to go somewhere. Somewhere I won't have to do laundry, or clean bathrooms, or even make the bed if I don't feel like it. But I'm not sure where to go.

So who out there has the perfect weekend getaway spot? I'm open for suggestions!

Normal is Relative

Occassionally, I post pictures of me and/or Matt that are a little...well...creative. You may wonder why we take pictures like that. Here's your answer. All of the following were taken at a recent family barbeque at our house. None were posed. This is just what my family does when faced with a camera.

My brother Rodney.

My sister Valerie.

My niece Sydney.

My brother Brent.

Either Jackson or Jordan. I can't tell.

My nephew Tanner. ( I might add that this is pretty normal for him, but I had to add the popsicle shot because he's a MOOCHER. Whenever there's food around, he mooches from anyone who'll share. It's kind of like grazing.)

My nephew Eli. Yep, we start 'em young.

Matt, the King of odd camera shots. (Also notice Eli in the background.)

Family Photo

It's really sad when you go to take a family photo and this is the best one...

Aren't Cars Just Moving Billboards?

I got this idea from someone else who recently adopted and thought that I would put my time stuck in traffic to good use! So my friend Kiirstin made this for me on her Cricut. (Thanks, Kiirstin!)
I hope we get the word out there a little more with this. We're so excited to welcome a little one to our family and its REALLY hard to be patient. I'm lucky to have nieces and nephews and neighbors to play with, but it's just not the same. I'm ready to change diapers and stay up all night!