Tagged!

I was tagged by Xazmin at This is the Year. I'm supposed to list 6 unimportant things that make me happy. Only 6? This list could go on and on. But I'll try to contain myself.

1. Turtle Brownies. Anything with chocolate, caramel, AND nuts has to be delicious, right?

2. Watching my garden grow. Except that the birds keep eating my zucchini plants. But I recently purchased a slingshot that has definitely been put to good use!

3. Wind in my face. I've always been a fan of wind. That's one reason I love my little pink scooter.

4. A capella music. I love listening to a capella music. Especially men. My current favorites are The King's Singers and Voice Male. Good stuff.

5. Clean bathrooms. Especially if I didn't have to clean them. (Now to get started on that clean laundry pile that keeps growing in my bedroom.)

6. Running. I love the feeling just after finishing a run (and realizing I'm still alive).

Now I'm tagging:

Dadra
Cassie
Valerie
Kiirstin
Jennifer
Heather

Snapshots of My Crazy Life

Wow. I've started this post half a dozen times, but I never know where to start. So I'm going to start rambling...

First off, I'm going back to teaching in the fall. I wasn't planning on it. I wasn't even looking for a job. I have connections to a charter school near my house and they needed a math teacher for their 7th and 8th grades. So I got a phone call. Not completely ecstatic about working full-time again, but I'm excited about the school. It's all about hands-on learning, and that makes it more fun to teach. Plus I'll only have about 100 students. Can't beat that. But...

In order to teach, you need a little thing called a valid teaching license. Mine expires at the end of the month. Blast! So now I'm taking two college math classes to renew my license. I'm trying to finish them ASAP, but we'll see how that goes! If anyone wants to brush up on their math, come on over! I'll let you do a few problems! I begged the teachers to let me join the online classes about 3 weeks late, so I have a lot of catching up to do before...

Youth Conference is this week also. It being a stake YC, I don't have as much that I'm in charge of, but I still get to go. Maybe they'll have wireless out there in the wilderness so that I can do my math homework. Then...

I have to leave YC early Saturday morning to head out to the Holgate reunion out in the Uintah Basin. I love these reunions, but it's too bad it's at the same time as YC. I'm excited to see all of Matt's family and see the amazing quilts they've made for the annual raffle. I'm pretty jealous. Maybe I'll sew one while I'm in the car for...

Next weekend is the Wasatch Back. I've posted about it before. But it's almost here!! I'm starting to get nervous because they changed the course and my legs got longer. Bummer. And they got more difficult. Bummer again. Well, if nothing else, I can walk, right? Our group secured a 15-passenger van, so we should have plenty of room to spread out, and I'm grateful for that!Last year was a little cramped. We start the race at 12:45 pm and are expected to finish at around 5ish the next day. After the race...

Girl's Camp is looming. It's a ward camp and I've never done one before. Neither have either of my counselors, my secretary, or my camp director. This oughta be a good learning experience! I'm just waiting to get up there only to discover we forgot something essential, like TP or forks or a tent! Only time will tell. But we'll definitely be prepared with lots of good snacks! And s'mores! Then back to life...

I've started teaching piano again and I have lots of math tutoring (including math camps that go for a couple of hours for a week--anyone need an Algebra review or preview?) lined up for the summer. Plus, Matt's as whiny as ever. Just kidding. Matt has been absolutely amazing. He's been helping more around the house, running errands, listening to my incoherent babbling about sine and cosine and which one equals 1 where, AND he's been rubbing my legs after the hard runs! I have a fantabulous husband!

Overall, life is crazy right now (did I mention that my 17 year old niece might move in with us this week?) but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a wonderful husband, very supportive and highly entertaining family, amazing friends and neighbors, and a Heavenly Father that wants me to learn all that I can. Crazy? Definitely. But it's all mine.

A Stolen Post

I read this on my sister's blog (thanks, Val!) and just had to share. Enjoy!
Another good one from
www.SixWise.com

A teacher of first-graders gave her students the first half of a well-known proverb, then asked them to compete the saying. What they came up with will make you smile, laugh and likely wonder at the wisdom that comes from the mouths of babes.

Don't change horses … until they stop running.
Strike while the … bug is close.
It’s always darkest before … Daylight Savings Time.
Never underestimate the power of … termites.
You can lead a horse to water but … How?
Don’t bite the hand that … looks dirty.
No news is … impossible.
A miss is as good as a … Mr.
You can’t teach an old dog new … Math.
If you lie down with dogs, you’ll … stink in the morning.
Love all, trust … Me.
The pen is mightier than the … pigs.
And idle mind is … the best way to relax.
Where there’s smoke there’s … pollution.
Happy the bride who … gets all the presents.
A penny saved is … not much.
Two’s company, three’s … the Musketeers.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what … you put on to go to bed.
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and … you have to blow your nose.
There are none so blind as … Stevie Wonder.
Children should be seen and not … spanked or grounded.
If at first you don’t succeed … get new batteries.
You get out of something only what you … See in the picture on the box.
When the blind lead the blind … get out of the way.
A bird in the hand … is going to poop on you.
Better late than … Pregnant.

St. George, Here I Come!!

I am so excited to announce that I will be running in this year's St. George Marathon with my brother Rodney and my friend Heidi. I'm pretty stinkin' excited considering that I've tried to get in for the last 3 years. I ran it in 2006, but wasn't selected for the lottery in 2007 or 2008. They have a "3rd time's a charm" rule, so I got in this year! I've been training (casually, but still training) for the Wasatch Back in June, but this will give me incentive to kick it up a notch. Wish me luck!

Wow. I'm ready for a vacation. Anyone want to join me?

Garden

In my entire adult life, I've never really done a garden. I planted a watermelon plant once. Oh, and I harvested tomatoes from volunteer tomato plants.

But this year, I decided to actually plant a garden. Our new house has six beautiful planter boxes that I just couldn't let go to waste. (Also, my friend Kiirstin has a very green thumb and has inspired me to attempt to grow things.) So I planted. And planted. Why start small? We planted corn and peas and wax beans and zucchini and summer squash and tomatoes (for salsa-Matt and I don't actually eat tomatoes) and little baby pumpkins.

We have yet to find if I'm actually capable of keeping plants alive and healthy, but I'm ready to give it a try. Maybe Kiirstin will take pity on my poor plants and weed them every once in a while...

Riddle

What do you get when you mix 3 packages of cream cheese with 3 cups of powdered sugar?

A MESS!!

So much for wearing an apron.