Amy & Andrew

(Short) Christmas Break

2012-01-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

We kicked off the holiday season right with a tour of beautifully decorated homes. And by beautifully decorated I mean lights that Clark Griswold would approve of. Highlights: large blow up M&M people (see bottom right corner of photo)

Parents of my students made up for being high-maintenance by giving me a gift card tree. Nordstrom=way to my heart.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day were spent with the Harrisons. We went with twinner outfits for Christmas church.

See? It may have been unplanned but I always love a good matching outfit.

Katy posing with the tree.

But I may have been the better model.

The whole Christmas morning gang.

Christmas night I flew back to OR (Andrew followed that Tuesday) to be with the Hansen family. We continued our Annual Extended Lord of the Rings Marathon on Dec. 26th. The food spread gets better every year.

Thomas made himself comfortable and found a nice cushy seat. He is a slight little thing, so Grandma may not have noticed he was even there.

I got to babysit this thing for a night. He cuddled with me and Mom for hours and it made my day.

Best event of Dec. 2011: Tate was born! He is so cute! (Props to Dane and Ash. 3 out of 3 kids are cute---not bad.) I'm dying to get myself over to Utah to see him in person.

DAPAIGE Visits

2011-12-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

Paige and Dave came to visit us! I've never been so happy. We hit up a few of the sights, and they did some solo trips around town while Andrew and I were at work. Mt. Vernon was my second fav thing we did while they were here. Paige and I are real into George Washington now. Such a silver fox.

Aladdin the camel. We weren't too enthusiastic about Aladdin's smell.

But Aladdin seemed sure that eating Paige's foot was a good idea.

Mt. Vernon.

So good looking.

We may have spent like three hours at the Cafe Rio with Lauren instead of heading to the National Christmas Tree. So worth it. It felt like we were back in Provo.

We also visited the temple to see the lights and got to attend the best Christmas presentation I have ever witnessed. The performers may not have sung in tune and it may have been entirely in Spanish, but there was a young boy who was killer at the triangle, sticks, and jingle bells.

Second camel of the trip. Paige was embarrassed to get on the fake camel, but I insisted.

DaPaige.

I always love me some Paigmy time.

Day Trip

2011-12-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip to New York City on Saturday. Andrew had the pleasure of asking a lot of strangers to take our picture.

It was real cold, but beautiful. We checked out Central Park and saw a woman pushing her dog in a stroller.

I've never been to New York around Christmas so this was my first time seeing the tree in Rockefeller Center. It was big.

Times Square. We found a burger place that had TILLAMOOK CHEESE on all their food items and they also had spicy sour cream that I put on my burger. Spicy sour cream? I've never been so happy in my entire life as I was whilst eating my burger with Tillamook cheese and spicy sour cream.

Check us out on the billboard.

A little zoomed in. We're in the bottom left corner. I'm wearing the brown boot and my arm and leg are out. We're famous!

The New York Public Library was beautiful. It was also nice to warm up, take off my coat, and regain feeling in my hands.

This lion is made of Legos (clearly). This excited me.

Andrew putting those modeling years from his childhood to good use in the subway.

Sightseeing

2011-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Working full time kind of sucks the life out of me, so I never really have a lot of motivation to go downtown, which is really a shame. A few times Andrew and I have mustered enough energy to do some short sightseeing visits in DC. One weekend we went to the Library of Congress (see above). It was beautiful!

Last week we visited the National Cathedral. It was awesome as well, and it was a fast trip (I get bored so so easily). The gargoyles and such on the outside of the building were pretty cool to look at.

I loved the stained glass on the inside.

The architecture really was amazing. There was an orchestra of sorts practicing and so we got to listen to some pretty music. I mean, it was no BSpears, but it was still cool.

We almost went to Mt. Vernon when my parents came a few weeks ago, but it ended up raining/snowing. And I have no desire to go outside when there's inclement weather, so we played card games instead. I feel like that still counts, though, so add Mt. Vernon to the list.

Paigmy Reunited

2011-10-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Since Andrew works for United now, we can fly on standby for free. First order of business: 24 hour trip to Atlanta. Reason: Paiger. We only slept like 7 hours over the two nights I was there (on sheets that felt like the clouds), but it was totally worth it. We went shopping, ate Chick-Fil-A, ate at the Varsity, and took a haunted Segway tour of Atlanta.

It's a good thing Dave wore that helmet since he crashed into a car an hour later. With the owner of said car standing right next to it. So embarrassing.

SO HAPPY to be together.

Pave. Or Daige? Whichever you choose, they showed me a good time.

Paigmy kind of rules at the Segway. Which is more than I can say about Dave.

Traveling standby is nerve wracking, but totally worth it. We may already be planning our next trip.

For Mom

2011-09-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

For the benefit of my mother, and anyone else who cares, here are photes of my new classroom. This is the front wall. You can't really see it, Mom, but to the left of the yellow fish is "We love to learn."

This is the far wall. I have windows this year! What a difference! It takes up pretty much the entire wall, which is annoying, but at least I'll have natural light. You can see Andrew hard at work in the back. He's pretty much been a slave to my classroom To-Do list this week. They are also pretty strict about not having anything close to the ceiling, the fire marshall comes and gets angry. Boo. It restricted my decorating.

Back wall. It's a little crowded, but there's not a lot of room when you have 28 students.

Ugh. The ugly wall. This is where their backpacks go and such. I didn't know what to do with it. Any suggestions, Paiger? Your classrooms always looked better than mine.

Andrew spent HOURS helping me. Good work, Andrew. The classroom is good enough to start school next week, but I'll probably make some changes as I get going with the teaching part of my job.

On an unrelated note, we went to an outside movie. Lots of fun, but also lots of mosquitoes. I was not pleased.

Halfway There

2011-08-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

One half of this couple has recently found employment. This is good news, seeing as until last Friday, 100% of this couple did not have jobs. Can you guess which one was successful? I'll give you a hint:

It was this half. I'll be teaching 2nd grade again as a long term/maybe/probably it will turn into all year long. One down, one more to go. Anybody have any ideas of jobs for geographers?

Beach

2011-08-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

This was my first year going to the beach with the Harrison family. It was so fun!

We took some jumping pictures

Tie-dyed for the first time

and the end result looked awesome.

We played in the pool

and in the sand

learned some new games

looked awesome in photos

Had a glow stick dance party

Learned how to write my name backwards

Took a family photo

Caught and held a (small) crab for the first time

Attended a pretend wedding

Played bocci ball

And had a good time!

Vacations for the Unemployed

2011-07-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Since getting married Andrew and I have enjoyed some leisure time due to our lack of jobs. We went to Puerto Vallarta for our honeymoon

And I got Andrew to smile for a few photes. Success!

We explored downtown Puerto Vallarta.

Survived the "longest and fastest" zip line adventure in the jungle.

And my first mule ride! Maybe I'll make it my preferred method of transportation.

Then we spent about a week at my parents house. My mom fiiiiinally got out her wedding dress so I could see it. It fits!

We both fit!

And then we lounged around watching tv in our finery.

We went down to Bend, OR for the weekend and stayed with the DeJongs

And saw the premiere of HP 7 pt 2. Because when you don't have a job, what else are you going to do?

I'm Mrs. Harrison now

2011-07-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Just out of the temple.

Paige=best friend/MOH ever. She did a fantastic job at telling me I looked awesome all day long, even when she was still half asleep.

The whole group at the temple.

My fav.

View from our reception.

My fav flower arrangement. It was behind the line.

Andrew=real good at jumping.

I can almost see Paige rolling her eyes.

Beautiful bridesmaids.

BFFs

Bridal Shower

2011-06-09T16:49:00.001-07:00

Paige threw me a beautiful shower at La Jolla Groves restaurant. It was absolutely perfect.

Notice the berry trifles in champagne flutes. Paiger is extreme to the max. She made them. And the tulle bows on all the chairs. And the DELISH red velvet Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes for each guest. There's a reason she's my BFF and my MOH.

Guests. I've had lots of good times with these people.

Amelia and Lauren (freshman friends). I had to say goodbye to them yesterday and it was SO SAD. We lived together for yearrrrrs.

Pager44 and JJ. JJ was Paige's right hand man. Good work, girls!

Spring Break 2011

2011-05-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

Our spring break '11 started in Atlanta, where we floated down the river on that giant tube.

Then onto a cruise ship. We were never without diet coke. Carnival lost money on us.

Paige: "What if I fall through the bar in my sleep? I bet I could fit through it."

Port at Cozumel

Paige and performed our best rendition yet of Total Eclipse of the Heart. It was so touching and powerful that the audience begged for multiple encores. You're welcome, Carnival Cruise Lines.

Living it up on our private island in Belize.

Roatan, Honduras. The sand flies became my enemies.

It was so windy up on the deck.

Captain's dinner

Back in Atlanta we visited the aquarium. Zach was an enthusiastic participant.

The happiest place on earth. I may or may not now be the proud owner of Diet Coke pajamas.

The Lockwood Manor from Vamp Diaries.

The Game Ranch was the highlight of spring break. Best white trash zoo ever.

Riding the deer.

"And remember, the midnight train always stops at Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles!"

Chick-fil-a Dwarf House. They put bacon in their dishes.

So happy in the mini door.

Scott was kind enough to give me a makeover. He was a skilled artist.

Weekend Trip to the Vegas

2011-02-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

On our trip to the Vegas we saw the new Justin Bieber movie opening night. Beliebers 4eva

We watched Andrew's rugby game. I may not know all (any?) of the rules, but Andrew's gorgeous aqua blue shoes looked great out there.

Walked around the strip for a little bit.

Saw the lions at the MGM and ate at a jungle themed classy eating establishment.

Saw Le Reve at the Wynn. It was full of crazy acrobatic stunts in water.

Andrew proposed...

and I said yes.

Long (and much needed) Christmas Break

2011-01-09T23:54:00.001-08:00

The day after I got home we decorated sugar cookies. Needless to say, it was real messy, and I've never seen so many sprinkles on one cookie.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

Chooooooooo!

We all went to Zoolights.

My stister.

Kids with their fav aunt.

Nativity on Christmas Eve. Look closely and you can see the metallic thread in Mary's head shawl.

(Big) baby Jesus.

After Christmas I flew over to DC to spend visit Andrew.

Andrew's niece and nephew, my biggest fans. And no, I did not mean to match with them for church, it was just m2b.

Two weeks to go before I go back to school. I can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing.

Reptile Show

2010-12-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

We had a reptile show in class. If you're wondering, this snake is NOT the same snake, although it is the same kind, that Britney Spears used in her show. I asked, and was disappointed by the answer.

Giant snake that seemed to find me wherever I was in the room and wrapped herself around my leg. That snake is strong.

Lizard that is apparently a "good pet." Pssh.

Tortoise.

Tarantula. I stayed far far away from it.

Just for you, Mom!

Holiday Hoopla

2010-12-16T08:03:00.000-08:00

Eating Thanksgiving cupcakes that Paige and I made for our classrooms. They were incredibly intense but also incredibly cute.

While at home for Thanksgiving we went to Omsi and built a block castle in the toddler room.

Kids toys are fun for everyone.

Thomas loves me. (Duh.)

This is Lucy's way of telling me I hurt her feelings. Whoops.

We also went to an embarrassing Blazers game.

Freshman friends, or rather, some of the freshman friends right before Thanksgiving.

Harry Potter numero 7. This was like a holiday. It was real cold that night.

Christmas crafts create chaos in the classroom. Alliteration intended.

Christmas lights at Temple Square. Due to crowds we did not stay long.

Is that the only costume you could fit in?

2010-11-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween party at school. I was a lovely strawberry. Although half the school thought I was tomato.

One of the games at the party. Notice Rita Skeeter front and center.

Vampire and, to the right, a scientist. He carried around a flashlight and a microscope.

Cookie decorating.

Best strawberry costume ever. Thanks mom!

Witches Night Out

2010-10-23T21:58:00.001-07:00

Witches Night Out. All girls. All dressed as witches. In a craft village. In other words, the perfect event for Mare, Jenna, Paige, and me. Why wouldn't our witch costumes include rhinestones, sequins, and giant tulle bows?

I now know what Disney characters feel like at Disney World. Little children at Paradise wanted both to come up and say hi to us but were too scared to be too close at the same time. Things I didn't mind: the constant winks coming from the employees.

Photo ops galore.

Scones are always a good choice. As are corn dogs at 10 pm.

Sassiest witches at Gardner Village.

September

2010-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

She & Him. Zooey is adorable, I may want to be her.

My first rodeo in Bluffdale. Bluffdale=best place ever.

Utah State Fair...

...was "bushels o' fun."

"Queen of the School" with her subjects. (Eden made me a crown.)

Somehow it's become popular to read their written work to the class whilst crossing their legs. I love it.

Six year olds like to clean. I like to take advantage of this in the form of them washing the walls in my classroom. And the counters, and the desks, and the tables...

We made artwork ala Eric Carle. Each paper says "I see a _______ looking at me."

Happenings

2010-08-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Amelia and I at the Twilight Concert Series. New Pornographers.

Step Up 3D. All I expected and more. I'm pretty sure I could make it as a street hip hop dancer.

Student: Miss Hansen, somehow I didn't notice before, and I forgot to tell you, but I have this in my shirt (gestures to giant gaping slit in front of shirt).

Me: That's a real big hole, how did that happen?

Student: I don't know. Well maybe I was poking my pencil in my shirt and it ripped.

My students like to break out into song. This week's favorites: Down By the Bay and This Old Man. It's convenient because I, too, like to sing whilst working.

Year 2

2010-08-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

Things I've learned about 1st graders so far:
-Neediest age group ever.
-In order to get anything done, I have to explain EVERY minute detail, including how to number a spelling test.
-They have to go to the bathroom literally every 5 min.
-Raising their hands is an impossibility at this point.
-They're real cute and I'm already in love with them.

Here's to year 2.

Project Dresser

2010-07-11T22:35:00.000-07:00

Our garage workshop for the project.

Before shot of Paige's dresser.

Before shot of one of my drawers. Sadly I did not get a shot of the entire dresser before painting. Trust me, it was atrocious and purple/pink. And yes, those are stenciled butterflies and dragonflies on the knobs.

After shot of my dresser. It's a lovely sky blue, no?

Close up of my knob.

After shot of Paige's dresser. Moral of the story: we are crafty to the extreme.

Caryn and Lee finally tied the knot

2010-07-06T14:25:00.001-07:00

Manti=windiest place on earth. Step aside, Riverton.

No picture is complete without Geraldine.

the reception was beautiful.

Fourth of July

Patriotic

June

2010-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Paige and I made sure to be back in Provo for Eclipse at midnight. So worth it.

100% team Jacob in the movie. He just has really nice abs.

Demolition Derby in Bluffdale.

whoever came up with the idea of watching cars crash into each other for fun was a genius.

spring break

2010-05-01T09:47:00.001-07:00

Our spring break trip to Cancun started in Provo. Then we drove to Vegas, flew to Mexico City, and then on to Cancun. Track suits were a must.

By the time we got to Mexico City, we were a bit tired.

While in Mexico we: coordinated our outfits

and listened to mariachi bands that groped us during pictures.

We read deep literature

Made bacon sandwiches (Mexico has excellent bacon)

and Carlo cringed at our touch.

We went shopping in Playa del Carmen

drank delicious Mexican Coca-Cola Light

purchased proper Mexican souvineers

And took nightly walks on the beach for good girl talk.

We went zip lining in the Mexican jungle

and rappelling.

In Mexico we also visited the ruins at Tulum

and swam where the "Tulumians" swam next to the ruins.

Got dressed up for dinner

enjoyed each others company

and ultimately, we got TAN.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Green dinner: green enchiladas, green Mexican rice, green drinks, green cake, green dinnerware.

The 3030 looks good in green.

Here's some pics of me WITH my class, just for you, Mom.

Aren't we cute?

catch up

2010-03-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a rundown of recent events. I visited the This is the Place Park monument thing. It was actually pretty nice.

Somehow I've been to more Cougar events post graduation than I did in my four years of college. I went to the Hunger Banquet for the first time. I saw Angie working there, and I may have embarrassed her when I stood up, waved, and yelled her name repeatedly.

Paige and I at the HB.

Went to the BYU vs Utah rugby game. We won, and Andrew did a great job playing as opposed to being the waterboy.

For Mardi Gras, we made Venetian Masks. It was hard, messy, and time consuming. Worst tradition ever, Andrew.

They took a long time to dry. Not to mention they look like they would suffocate you.

Troopers.

Best mask makers ever.

San Francisco

2010-03-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Paige and I flew to San Francisco over President's Day weekend to see our friend Angelina Bena. Obviously one of the sites we wanted to see was the house from Full House.

Keeping your eyes open in the sun is harder than it would seem. I have not mastered this skill, and probably never will. It also could have been the Stanford campus that caused my eyes to involuntarily close, as it is the most beautiful campus I've ever seen. BYU suddenly doesn't seem so great.

Casualty of the trip. If you're wondering, yes I dropped it. Yes, it occasionally cut my fingers whilst texting. Yes, I'm an idiot for breaking it. Yes, I eventually got it fixed.

Walking the "Dish" on Standford land. It was real pretty, but real steep. I may or may not have been wheezing/complaining by the end of it.

I'm telling you, the sun in California is bright.

The beach? In February? Only in Capitola.

Alcatraz. According to Paige, however, it's Azkaban.

My wound. Slippery shoes+Steep hills in San Fran+eating lots of chocolate at Ghirardelli Square=Me falling on my foot on the sidewalk. It's still there, three weeks later.

Delicious.

The trio. Best weekend trip to date. Lots of eating, warm weather, and Angelina was the perfect combo for a perfect weekend.

Flashback Friday

2010-02-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Being a Friday, my school day was useless. I taught nothing, administered a spelling test, sat through a play, and basically babysat my students all day. This left plenty of time for me to feel nostalgic about high school/Japan. Let's reminisce together.
Above pic: Some say I'm real athletic. I may have been on the "varsity" basketball team.

Emmy was in my ward (Kotoni, baby). I may or may not have had to instruct the people in YWs the difference between "Amy" and "Emmy."

First gate into Maruyama Park. This was about 2 blocks away from my house and on the way to the subway station.

Sumikawa subway station with Katie Chan.

Big escalator up to the ski jump. We went to this place every time someone came to visit, and it never got old.

My house (mission office on right, mission home on left)

Jump roping at Japanese girl's camp. One of these things is not like the other.

Lunch in the hall.

Takino senior year. I think it's also the only year I went. Maybe? I don't remember.

Saki Chan and I at a basketball tournament.

Karaoke with Ben. Some say I have the voice of an angel. Karaoke just isn't the same in the States.

Ella Bella. She made high school a blast--never a dull moment with Ella. She also made Japanese class bearable.

I was an aide for a first grade classroom senior year. This proved pivotal in my figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.

Moments after this picture was taken, my camera was dropped and broken. Good pic, good pic.

Class of 05

watercolors

2010-02-18T07:32:00.001-08:00

Assignment: Draw a tree on a hill. Outline with black marker. Paint it any colors you want.

They really got into the assignment--as they do all art related projects.

Concentrating.

A few finished products.

Me: Smile for the picture!
(Student smiles)
Me: I've never seen you smile like that before, is that your real smile?
Student: Yes.
Me: Interesting.

"Tree at Night"

"Dead Grass on Hill"

Lucy

2010-02-06T23:45:00.000-08:00

I miss this thing. Lucy, I'll let you eat multiple bags of chips for dinner any day. Again.

Polar Express Day

2009-12-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Polar Express Day! We wore our pajamas for the occasion.

Funny Faces.

I told them to pretend to work hard for the photo.

Hard at work Take Two.

I think this is the only 10 second time frame in which these girls were actually working.

messy vs. clean

2009-12-21T16:25:00.001-08:00

This desk belongs to Student A. It is neat, clean, and orderly. Twice a day, my students are asked to pick up under their desks and clear off the top of them.

This desk belongs to Student B. Student B seems to have missed the memo on clearing off the top of his desk and underneath it. Sometimes I think my words go in one ear and out the other in regards to Student B. Oh how I love Student B.

Santa Fun Run Photo Op

2009-12-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

Because I'm real into fitness, here's the 3030 prepping for the 5K Santa Run. Stretching is an integral part of the process.

Fully decked out in Santa gear. Facial hair looks fantastic on the 3030.

Kader also caught the vision of the Santa Run.

More stretching. I'm taking the 5K very seriously.

Finishing Lap 1 inspires a hearty raising of the roof.

Paigmy finishes the 5K.

Marianne comes in soon after in a full sprint.

Exhausted and surprised that I ran 5K. This may be the longest distance I have run in my entire laugh. Once again, I'm interested in fitness.

happy birthday, stister!

2009-11-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

P.S. Happy birthday, Kels! I love love love you, my stister.

Halloween

2009-11-05T19:18:00.001-08:00

Scary faces for their scary pumpkins that we decorated for the holiday. Notice the handiwork of the spider and the spider on the wall in the background. Thanks, Mommala!

Their happy 2nd grade faces with the pumpkins.

I had them write descriptions about their pumpkins like they were real people, and this was what one of the students wrote: This guy is not an ordinary guy. He sleeps in the day he attacks in the night you will not like it he will give you a fright. Bday Oct. 31st 2009 Booooooo Aaaaaaaaah

Dressed up for the school's Halloween Parade.

More costumes

The kids in uniform are "fouled soccer players."

On another note, my grandpa passed away earlier this week (scuba diving in Hawaii--whaaaaat?), so I will be in Oregon next week. If you're in Oregon, maybe we should hang out. Give me a call.

trash day

2009-10-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

At home mom and dad are always there to remind me when Trash Day is. In Utah, seeing as I am supposed to be a responsible adult, I have to remind myself. Turns out I'm not good at remembering things, and neither are Paige and Marianne. It also turns out that when you forget to put your trash out on the street, the trash men don't take it. And when your trash (i.e. meat) is left in your garage for two weeks, you might run into the following problem: maggots. I have one word for this problem: EW. How do you clean up said problem?

1. Put on appropriate maggot-cleaning attire. For some reason this includes sweatshirts and spandex.

2. Spray maggots with your strongest cleaning chemicals.

3. Get someone else to find a way to empty your trash can. Andrew may have sat in the trunk while he held on the trash can so Paige and I could drive the car to a nearby dumpster. What a trooper.

Moral of the story: Remember Trash Day.

the 3030

2009-09-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

At the 3030 we grade hundreds of papers on a love sac

We eat cake right out of the pan.

We grill pizzas.

We make delicious enchiladas

And have perfected the art of the self portrait.

We wear colors that pop

And stir punch with large knives.

And drive 65 mph down the freeway like this:

Needless to say, the 3030 is the place to be

FYI

2009-08-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

I got a job (insert sigh of relief). Starting later this week, I will be a second grade teacher at Rose Creek Elementary School. This means that I will be in Provo for another year. Here's to year five.

rah rah sis-boom-bah

2009-08-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Unearthing old cheerleading uniforms proved to be entertaining. It's comforting that we can still fit in them. Kelsey and Amy=real skinny

Lucy enjoys being screamed at through the megaphone. Go! Fight! Win!

Lucy magnifies the sound of her breathing. Why yell through the megaphone when you can breathe heavily with your nose? Lucy=future cheerleader for sure

sleepover with aunt amy

2009-06-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

Being favorite aunt requires many things. This may include gifts, like sweet Pokemon card holders from the Burger King. Said card holder ensures that Rafe loves me. He even insists on wearing it to bed.

As favorite aunt I also feed Berkley (this is tedious but necessary).

I also let Rafe run wild with the camera. I see a budding talent.

Berkley is easy to win over.

Even when I'm forced to dress her in boy pajamas that are much too big for her. Uncle Fester anyone?

I let Rafe attract the spiders on the porch glider while I sit safely three feet away.

graduated shmraduated

2009-05-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

It's official.....I am now a college graduate. BYU was foolish enough to give me a degree, and as soon as the deed was done I high-tailed it out of there and drove back to Oregon. Now I am home all summer (is summer over yet?), and then onto bigger and better (cross your fingers) things this fall. Hopefully these "bigger and better" things will include me, Paige, and Washington DC.

student teaching

2009-03-25T21:13:00.001-07:00

Favorite quotes from second graders:

"She should be married already--she needs to find herself a man!"

One boy's nice note to another boy on his birthday: You are priity. Your eyes are priity.

"My brain doesn't work that way, it's at home sleeping."

"You'd be lucky to find a diamond inside a rock. You'd be rich--like you'd have $1000."

Girl: Cleaning my desk is really quite comforting.

Boy: Well, girls like house cleaning. Your desk is like your house.

All time favorite thing said by student: Hobos drink from puddles.

I'm in a sixth grade classroom now, and I'm going to be honest. They're not as funny as the eight year olds. I love them, but they're in that awkward stage and don't just blurt out everything on their minds. And they don't type "whore" instead of "were." Too bad. It cracks me up. Gotta love teaching.....right?

2 1/2 more weeks until V-Day (graduation).

all I want for christmas is you

2008-12-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

Me and my roommates love Christmas. Period. So we decided that we would get hot chocolate (a very wintery thing to do) and go see this house that is completely lit up--and the lights are synced to music on the radio. Very high-tech. So we got the hot chocolate with no problem.

We got a little excited to be doing something with a Christmas theme....this song gets me everytime. Who can listen to this and not sing/dance? I have yet to find such a person. Oh Mariah Carey.

The problem came when we tried to find the house with lights. It's in Lindon. We traveled all over the street that it was supposed to be on. We drove in circles. We got frustrated. There's only so many times you can hear the Amy Grant Christmas CD. And then we found this sign:

The lights were okay. Entertaining. But I'm glad we didn't have to pay to see it. Good thing we found it. That would have been sad. And the best way to finish any day: guitar hero. Having it in the apartment is both amazing and extremely distracting.

home for the weekend

2008-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Last week on September 23, my grandma passed away. And while this was and is still very sad to me, she was in a lot of pain at the end, and so her passing is a blessing as well. She was an amazing woman, and I'll miss her. My parents flew me home for the funeral, and I was in Gresham for nearly a week. It was a good weekend, I got to see my family, watch old home movies from when my mom was a kid, play card/domino games, and share memories of my grandma. While I was home, Kelsey and I decided to take Lucy to the zoo, and grandpa decided to go with us. It was a nice activity to get us out of the house and to get us thinking about something other than grandma. Lucy looooved it. She just turned 1 a few weeks ago, and so she was pointing at everything. (above: Lu and grandpa. It could not get cuter than that.)

You can't tell in this picture, but Lu was bouncing on that log thing, I had to hold on for dear life so she wouldn't fall into the pit.

Being underground was both fun and terrifying for Lu. She would switch between crying and laughing at regular intervals.

Kels and Lu. We couldn't get Lu to look at the camera, she was too preoccupied with the baboons. Probably because she is a baboon. Little monkey.

Kelsey was happy we got to see the baby elephant. I forget what its name is (Samudra? Sumudra?), but I do know its mom stepped on it.

In the bird sanctuary. Lu got pooped on.

a bunch of stuff in one post

2008-08-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sooooo I haven't posted anything in quite some time. This is because I was home...and I was lazy...and I just didn't get around to it. But in the time that I wasn't blogging, I was out doing other things with my life. Worthwhile things, like watching TV. Or babysitting Rafe and Lulu. Or pretending to not hear my parents when they asked me to empty the dishwasher. Or moving. Etc etc etc.

Rafe sporting a raspberry jam mustache. My nephew is the greatest. My mission for the three weeks I spent at home: make sure Rafe loves me, that he knows my name, and that he acknowledges I'm his favorite aunt. Mission accomplished.

After I got back, me and some friends went to see a free show in Salt Lake. Broken Social Scene played. Even better than BSS: singing Backstreet Boys on the way home. They're so in right now. BSB>BSS

Amelia became Sister Largey, she's going to the Baltic Mission. We had a last girls night together and said goodbye. Very sad, but I'm really excited for her. She's the only one of my close friends that has decided to go on a mission. I miss her already.

the first video is of Rafe and Lucy playing. This is the tail end of it, and you can't really tell how much fun they were having. Basically, they were screaming at each other, laughing about it, and then doing it again. They are so cute together.

Caitlin insisted I put the second video up. I had a hard time putting my comforter back in the cover. Enough said. I had no idea she was taping me, by the way. I thought she was taking a picture.

life of the party

2008-07-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Caitlin and I babysat our nieces again yesterday (at the last minute I had to watch Lu while Kels and Tyler went out to dinner), and this time they loved each other. Lulu was extremely happy, and after the initial shock, Bella loved her and Lu loved Bella. Not as much poking this time. We blew some bubbles at them for a long time, and this is how much Lu loved it. Prepare to be in love with my niece; basically she's the cutest thing ever to have been born.

concerts, cars, and fireworks, oh my!

2008-07-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend was awesome for many reasons. On Thursday night, Caitlin and I went to the Maria Taylor show in Salt Lake--she bought my ticket for my birthday. One of the best birthday presents ever. Maria Taylor rocks my world. The show was amazing, even though it started an hour and a half late, and she didn't come on until ten when she was supposed to start closer to nine. But it was worth it. She played my two favorite songs.

On the 4th of July, Caitlin and I rode our bikes down to Sonic for a quick Coke run before we headed down to the Freedom Festival on Center Street. While we were at Sonic, two guys in an Audi asked us if they could ride our bikes, and being the nice girls we are, we let them. After they left, we saw that the windows in their car were down, so we got in. They had also left the keys in the ignition (smart one, guys), so we turned it on and blared some music. I can't believe that someone would leave their car unattended, completely unlocked, with the keys inside. How stupid can you get? So we took some pictures. We wanted to drive around to look for them, but they came back before we got the chance.

Caitlin showing off in their sweet ride.

I have no desire to go to the actual Stadium of Fire because I've heard that it gets so smokey that you can't see a thing. But I like the firework show that they put on, so me and a bunch of people from the ward went on the roof of the Riviera apartments, which gave us a perfect view of the stadium fireworks (that's the stadium right behind us).

I got a dope video of a particularly intense part of the show. It was practically right above us. Happy Freedom!

happy birthday to me

2008-06-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 21st birthday, and what a birthday it was. The first thing I did to celebrate was start training for a new job. Oh the joys of working two jobs. If only the pay in Utah didn't suck so bad. After work, me and some friends went to Trafalga to play miniature golf and ride go-karts. Here's a picture of some of the people who came.

Of course we had to get a picture with my future roommates. This fall, Jenny, Kaity, Caitlin, and I will be living together. I will still be in Chatham, but a different apartment and a different ward. Woot.

We waited for like 40 minutes to ride the go-karts, and right before we were going to go, it started raining (sprinkling, really) and they refused to let us go. Even when I told them it was my birthday they wouldn't let us. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. Stupid Trafalga.

To console ourselves, we played a round of miniature golf. We played in teams, and my team consisted of Spencer and me. Together we were team sweet-as. And we definitely were sweet-as. We may not have gotten first place, but at least we weren't last.

Hopefully 21 will be a good year full of gambling and drunkenness. And Trafalga.

can you say green?

2008-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, my friend, Jessica Wu (simply called "Wu") got married in the Seattle temple. We've been friends since freshman year in the dorms, so I felt it appropriate to make the thirteen hour drive with some other freshman friends to support her and say goodbye (Wu and her husband are moving to Wisconsin. To me, Wisconsin's appeal can be summed up in one word: cheese. But seeing as Oregon has an abundance of delicious cheese, thanks to Tillamook, I can't say truthfully that Wisconsin is appealing at all to me. But to each his own). On the way to Seattle, we had to drive through part of Oregon, much to my pleasure. I greatly enjoyed seeing the color green; Utah is sadly lacking in trees and other greenery.

Being the good friends that we are, Nicole, Kaity, and I put together a wedding night package for Wu, complete with all the necessary items. Wu got a good kick out of it.

Wu and Justin looked so happy when they came out of the temple. Wu was absolutely gorgeous, and seeing her tear up almost made me cry, which is saying a lot. Yea for Jessica and Justin Yan!

This picture is of all the freshman friends, plus Jessica's other bridesmaid (on the far left), and her other friend Jen (to the right of Wu). I was so happy I could be there at her wedding to support her and see her start such an exciting chapter in her life.

And just in case you were worried that there wasn't a candy out there that involved the bathroom, now there is! Behold Sour Flush candy, complete with a candy plunger that can be dipped into sour dip in the toilet bowl. Life just doesn't get better than this.

babies make good friends

2008-06-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

I babysat Lulu last night so that Kelsey and Tyler could go on their weekly date. My Wednesdays usually go a little something like this: I call Kelsey sometime during work, and ask when she is going out with Tyler, when she's picking me up, and what she's making me for dinner. I let them think that I babysit so that I can spend time with Lulu, but really I just want to be fed. But really, who could resist this fatty? Not me is the answer.

This week was a little different, because Kelsey brought Lucy over to my place. We did this because Caitlin and I want our nieces to be friends. Bella (Caitlin's niece) is 11 months old, making her Lulu's senior by 2 months. But looking at the two of them, you would never guess it. Lulu could definitely take Bella out.

Sadly, Bella and Lulu didn't really know what to do with each other. Mostly Bella cried and poked Lulu while Lulu sat there taking Bella's stuff. I think we're off to a great start.

All in all, a great night with Aunt Amy.

BBQ + carnival = good times all around

2008-06-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

We had a barbecue for the office I work at on Saturday, which meant free food, which meant that I definitely put it in my planner. I'm all for free food, especially when that free food includes hamburgers. As you can see, I work in an office dominated by girls. This makes for interesting conversations on days when there isn't very much work to do.

After the BBQ, I went to the Springville carnival that was, surprisingly enough, in Springville. I learned that at the old age of 20 (almost 21!), my body does not like being thrown and spun around on carnival rides. After going on three of them, my head was pounded and I felt nauseous. And yet I would still go on them again. There's stupidity for you. After we felt sick enough to throw up from going on carnival rides run by suspicious looking carnies that didn't seem to care about our safety on these rides, we went to Orem to watch the firework show. It was actually a good show, and we were so close to where they were setting them off that our eyes stung from the smoke afterwards. All in all, a good Saturday night.

How to have a great night

2008-06-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

If you're ever bored, follow these simple steps for a sure way to have a great time:

1. Get out your eggs

2. Boil them if you want, or if you don't want a dozen hard-boiled eggs, leave them be

3. Get out your markers

4. Color eggs with said markers

5. Color as many as you want, until you have a plethora of colorful eggs

6. Drawing friends and relatives is always a sure way to enjoy the experience

7. Be amazed at your coloring skills! And look, by now I'm sure you've forgotten that you had nothing better to do than color all those eggs in your fridge. Consider it a success!

Always give in to peer pressure

2008-06-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems like everyone in the world has a blog. My sister, sister-in-law, cousins, friends, etc all publish their day to day lives on the internet. And, being one to go with the crowd, I decided to join them. Why not? Actually, this is more for my mom, so she can keep an eye on me and enjoy the crazy things that I do and then forget to tell her about. Plus, I'm bored at the moment, and this is giving me something to do.