I am not dead

No I am not dead, kidnapped, or missing I just simply turned off my phone for a couple days. Why would I do a extremely weird and apparently dangerous thing like that? Because I am on vacation! Let me explain. Last week I was lounging under a brightly color umbrella with my toes nestled into the sand of the Outer Banks. Eyes closed, listening to the rhythmic breaking of the waves when suddenly I hear "SWEET HOME ALABAMA." Talk about throwing off someone's chi. As much as I love that song come on your on vacation. There is a reason you are not in the office. So to prove a point I turned my phone off (which was in the house not on the beach) for the duration of the trip.

Ironically this backfired when Friday morning I was awoken at the indecent hour of 8:30 (I'm on vacation and totally justified in sleeping in) to my friend "K" asking "A" if I was alive? "A" proceeded to hit me and ask me if I was alive. My reply,"I don't know. What time is it?" Apparently my very caring mother had not heard from me in a couple days and thought I would be home Thursday. When I was not in my room Friday morning she started to worry. There was no answer to any text messanges or voicemails. So she called "K" to see if she had heard from me. When she hadn't panic REALLY set in. Thankfully "A" never turns her phone off, that would be like turning off her heart, and "K" was able to tell me to call my mom.

Even MORE IRONIC is that when I did try calling my mom's cell, the house phone, my dad's cell, and all of my sibling's cellphones NO ONE PICKED UP. I guess they really weren't that concerned after all. But just to make sure my mom didn't report me missing I left a message for my father at his work so that when he got out of a meeting he could inform my mom with the happy news "I'm still breathing...no worries." My dad's poor secretary could not understand why that was the only thing I wanted to say. I didn't feel like any further explanation was necessary.

No, no that's not the end of our story. "A" feeling like if my mom was worried hers might be to called home saying, "I'm alive Mom you don't need to worry!" Her mom replied, "That's great. I had no doubt that you would be." Haha Disappointed her mom didn't love her enough to think she was missing, "A" went to sulk on the beach. Half an hour later her mom called back exclaiming,"I didn't think you were missing because I know you are a responsible adult!" Haha I guess my mom doesn't think I am.

Here are some pictures from my trip...



Don't you just love our hats!!!



"A" enjoying the beach.



Playing some beach volleyball with A's family



Eating some crabs!



The amazing house we stayed in!

Home Sweet Home

I've been home for 72 hours. Here are my observations...

1. The PTA will fall apart when Momma W is no longer in charge. As soon as Brendan graduates it will simply disintegrate into ash and get blown away by the wind. Our house is littered in emails, prizes, To-Do lists, posters, balloons, and other decorations for After-Grad. It is a never-ending job.

2. I am now one of the weaker siblings. Yes, it finally happened, Buddyboy is officially stronger than me. He had me pinned to the ground earlier today and try as I might I could not get free. I had to sink to the level of a 5 year old and threaten to lick or bite him in order to loosen his grip. Now, I am still quick so as long as I am dodging, twisting, and otherwise in motion I am good. This startling new reality has however, strongly motivated me to get back into the gym. Good thing my best friend is a personal trainer. "K" get ready to kick my big butt back into shape.

3. Fireflies make everything better. They add sparkle and magic to the world. The slow and constant blinks as the last rays of sunlight fade into the deep blue of the starry night sky instantly bring you back to being a child. When the world was filled with wonder. When flowers turned into fairies and toys came to life when you weren't looking. That is the way the simply beautiful glow of a firefly makes me feel.

More to follow...

Dancing on the Red Rock

The Southern Utah red rock outlined by a blue cloudless sky is absolutely breathtaking. It is a sight everyone should see with their own eyes at least once in their lives. No picture can truly capture its beauty. Roxy and I recently moseyed on down to St. George to visit "L" and "H" and had a blast. Here are some souvenirs... (if you click on the image it will become bigger)


We climbed up to "Dixie" Rock.


Roxy and HayHay


Partners in crime...since 7th grade!



Roxy before we yelled at her to watch for rattlesnakes.


2 beautiful girls in front of spectacular scenery what more could you want?


Wish you were here.



Looking over the edge...it was a long way down!


Now for my closeup.

It Never Rains But It Pours

I am writing to you from the comfort of my bed. Yes thanks to modern technology and laptops I am writing this snuggled in between layers of orange and pink blankets. It is a little after 1 AM. Normally my body would be in the middle of a REM cycle right about now. But, thanks to summer vacation, I have transformed back into the body of a normal 23 year old and can actually stay up past midnight. Now to most of you big whoop, you're in bed late at night, why should I care? Well you should care because I just spent the night on an date. Yes, a date.

My mother will be jumping for joy when she reads this. Her cynical daughter has not completely given up on finding Prince Charming, even though she is convinced that while galloping on his noble steed to find her, he slipped and fell off a cliff never to be heard from again.

My date was fun. He was charming, intelligent, and boys pay attention now...this date listened and responded to the words that came out of my mouth. It was wonderful! Haha Mama don't get your hopes up too high, he was not perfect, but it was a good evening. I just laugh because it seems like my dating life is either in a drought or in a flood. The boys can't wait in line and take turns like normal civilized Homo Sapiens. Instead they have to tackle, race, and claw their way to bang down my front door. My new ward is filled with many cute, cute guys. It's been fun meeting all of them I just hope this flood is like Noah's and lasts a long time!

Life is Good

In the famous words of my Uncle Rex "LIFE IS GOOD!" In fact it really can't get much better than this. It is beautiful sunny day outside. A slight breeze dances through the leaves, children are laughing as they race the sprinklers behind my townhouse, and the smell of BBQ tickles my nose inviting me to go make some new friends. I spent the morning volunteering at a "Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis" fundraiser. This provided me not only the opportunity to meet some very interesting people but also gave me a fabulous t-shirt! There were the cutest children there with huge smiles and some really brave stories. There were whole families supporting one of their own. The energy was so positive and electrifying, you couldn't help but show off your pearly whites. With all the negative stories about mankind dominating the news and all the evil ongoing in the world it was like breathing in fresh, untainted air to be there helping. It truly warmed my soul!

If you would like to contribute for research into this disease click on the following link, GREAT STRIDES. For those of you that did THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU. For those of you who didn't....maybe the following information will help persuade you.

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

* clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
* obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

With your help we can continue to find treatments. Come on donate $10. That's one trip to the movies! You can always Redbox it later! Or better yet find a date to take you! ;o)

Happy Momma's Day

Dearest Mother~

Today is a day set aside to honor you. It is your day. Your day to eat breakfast in bed while enjoying some peace and quiet, even though you will get lonely and come join the wild ones at the kitchen table. Your day to put your feet up and relax, even though chances are you will either help with dinner or the dishes. It is your day to receive countless hugs and kisses, even though we could never give you enough to make up for all that you do. Your day to demand that all your children love each other and be nice, even though the reason we got into a fight was because someone was making too much noise and its Mother's Day so SHHHHH (as one child hits the other to make them be quiet)!! Your day for the world to revolve around you and each individual child as they brag about how hard they worked on that card and art project at school.

The older I get I wiser you have become. Meaning I now see that you and Dad really DO know a lot more about life than I ever gave you credit for back in high school. Your advice is given in a loving manner and with only good intentions, not in a controlling "I want to tell you how to live your life" way as previously thought. Your tears are my tears as your knee got scraped every time mine did, you failed that test every time I did, your heart broke every time mine did after a breakup. Your spit is the world's best cleaner getting anything and everything off of a dirty child's face. Your hugs make the whole brighter and your cooking never so good as when I had to starting cooking for myself.

In honor of Mother's Day I made each of my students write a Top 10 list of things their mother's do. Here is mine:

MY TOP 10 MEMORIES OF MOM

10. Staying up late editing all those papers. I can still hear you saying "What is "it"? What are you talking about? Which one sounds better...? You're paper needs to be reader friendly."
9. Watching Alicia face as you grabbed her arm and pulled her this way and pushed her that way to get the measurements for her toga. HAHA her face was priceless! You are a lets get down to business mom. By the way..thanks for those togas!!!
8. When my heart broke you rubbing my back for hours till I cried myself to sleep. I know those were long nights for you.
7. Walking around Disneyland and you had your map out, hat on your head, backpack and fannypack on, waterbottle in your hand, and you were cruising. "We need to get these Fastpasses then get those Fastpasses.Then be here for this show, come back and use the Fastpasses and then we will need to go here to watch this parade. On our way we can pick up a Fastpass for that ride...."
6. Your VOODOO medicine. I'll never admit that it actually works.
5. Your face when I was learning to drive and took that turn going 60 MPH.
4. Watching you load up the van after Girl's Camp. I don't know how you crammed it all in, but I do know that it took you holding everything inside with your foot while you tried to close the door. What an amazing balancing act!
3. Getting packages from you! Especially that ones full of cheesy sayings that are attached to the most random of things. They always put a smile on my face!
2.You and Dad getting off the ski lift and Dad following over (No worries Dad I've done it a thousand times.) and hearing him say "Why'd you push me Rhonda? Don't push me!"
1.The way you sign every card with "I'll love you forever. I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

Happy Momma's Day!

Love,
Your Favorite Child

C...Eh!...N...Eh!...D...Eh!

Yes this post is long overdue, but as the saying goes, better late than never. Spring Break is a much need hiatus from everyday life after a long winter (here in Utah winter starts in in Oct/Nov.) It is one of the perks of being a teacher. It almost makes up for being underpaid...ALMOST. This year I became a salmon and swam upstream. Everyone else I know headed south, I head north to Grandma's smiles, hugs, and yummy cooking not to mention the rest of my crazy and loving Canadian family. :o) I love you guys!

Like with many of the trips I take, I consider the road trip to my destination one of my favorite parts. There is just something to be said about windows down, scenery flying past, singing at the top of my lungs to my iPod, and eating junk food with Carla. We have way too much fun in the car together, poor Jake had to suffer through our debates and endless random conversations. On the way up we decided to take the scenic route which according to Jake would show us some of "the most beautiful country." Here is what we were suppose to see...



A bit of Heaven on Earth wouldn't you say? Well this is what we actually ended up seeing...



Thats right it snowed all the way from Rexburg until we were probably halfway through Montana. No worries though we got to enjoy the scenery on the way back. The next adventure was at the border. We were actually stopped and had to go in and show someone our passports and answer the same questions over and over again. I have a few theories about this. 1) Carla, Jake, and I look like sketchy people. 2) Mariah Carey's Hero was playing in the background when we pulled up to the border guard. 3) The question, "Do you have any guns or ammunition on you?" and Jake wanting to answer "I didn't know I needed them." Whatever the reason we made it through.



While in the First Nation of Hockey we played in the Canadian Rockies. They are just gorgeous. I live at the base of the mountains here in Utah and they still took my breath away. They are so jagged and steep. You can almost just see where plates collided and one shot up. Our adventures included enjoying the Banff hot springs, and shopping. Here are a few of the treasures we found.







You can't go to Canada in the winter and not go to a hockey game. We went to the Calgary Hitman. They are the minor league team that the NHL drafts from, and since you have to be 21 to be in the NHL there are a lot of really good players in the minor league. My uncles swear it is actually better hockey than the pros. I won't lie while the game was amazing...we killed them (7-1) the mascot got more of my attention.




Overall it was an amazing trip. It was one of those trips where you truly come back rested and ready to face life again. It was relaxing, low key, fun, and it doesn't get any better than hanging out with family. So THANK YOU to everyone!!!