San Francisco

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

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

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

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

Polar Express Day

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

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

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.