Flashback Friday: 4th ward girls

I grew up in a great neighborhood. I always had a lot of friends to play with growing up. Yesterday I had the opportunity to get together for dinner with 4 other girls that I grew up with. Some of these girls hadn't seen each other since we graduated over 4 years ago. When we were younger we had the tradition of eating at Brick Oven every year for Jessica's birthday. Since her birthday happens to be coming up this next week we decided we should all meet at Brick Oven to celebrate and just enjoy each others company.

Since this is a flashback post I figured I ought to have a picture of us when we were youngsters, so here are a few that include 4 of the 5 of us at my 6th birthday party.

This is Jessica P, me, Becca K and Tabitha B.
(Becca is busy being preggers in Rexburg so she couldn't come to dinner.)

This is Tabitha B, Becca J, Jessica P, Kayla B, me, Nate (playing my jumpstick like a flute), Beth T, Katie T, and Becca K all posing with the gifts I received for my 6th birthday.

Now here are the 5 of us all growed up!

Here's Tabitha B, Katie T (now C), Jessica P, Caroline W, and me.

Man they all grew up lookin' good..... I should have done my hair so I could look like I fit in. They are great girls and it was so good to see them all again. I can't wait to get together and have another girls night soon! Oh and Caroline if you feel bad I'll find an embarrassing photo of you to add cause you know I have them!

Chinese food

Last night before Brad fell asleep he said the most random thing. Right before we drifted off to sleep he said, "I hope that when you are pregnant you crave Chinese food." No, I'm not pregnant, this isn't how I'd announce that I was, that is what makes this statement so random. I told him if he wants Chinese we can get Chinese. He said he wanted it every day so he hoped I craved it.

I'm going out to eat with a bunch of friends tonight (it will be the subject of my flashback friday when I write it...) so Brad is going to get himself some chinese.

Parent/Teacher conferences

I just finished my first day of Parent/Teacher conferences from the other side of the table. It's so interesting to me to see the parents who are upset about an A- and then have the next parent be ecstatic about a B. The kids are all so different and of course the same goes for parents. Even though I didn't get home till almost 8 tonight, I still loved it. I loved that the kids were so excited to introduce me to their parents, and I loved that the parents seemed comfortable with me even though I have the dreaded title of........... STUDENT TEACHER! The title really does frighten some, and brings up painful memories for many others, but I hope that I will be able to reverse that stereotype and I will be able to reach these kids!

Did I mention that I'm loving it?

I honestly thought the middle schoolers would eat me alive. I was so worried. But tonight I feel like I would take a job in a middle school in a heart-beat. So if you have a job in a middle school to offer me........

meal blog

So my sister-in-law has started a new blog where she has recipes for food that is easy to make and doesn't include ridiculous ingredients. So you all should check it out if you are ever looking for a quick and easy meal. Here is her little shpeal and if you want to link to it and post this little blurb yourself, feel free.


If you have ever had a hard time deciding what to make for dinner, there is a new blog for you: http://mealtimehelp.blogspot.com You'll find simple meal ideas, a place to share your favorite dinner time meals and maybe learn a trick or two for old time favorites. There will also be monthly giveaways. You'll always have an answer to the question "What's for dinner?" Please post this on your own blog to share this great help with others.

Flashback Friday: AAAAARRRRRRRRRR!

As many of you know, today is my favorite holiday. Today is International Talk like a Pirate day. I wont type this entire blog in pirate however, because many of you wont read it until tomorrow and then you'd have to translate it back into Landlubber English to tell your friends how funny my blog is. I began celebrating TLAPD back in high school when I first read the Dave Barry article explaining this new holiday. I don't remember when my love of all things pirate began. I'm proud to announce however that it was before Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom began their pirating careers. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the movies, but I'm not just a fairweather fan that only likes pirates because of 2 highly attractive men. So what I'd like to do now is share with you my very first TLAPD celebration which needs to be remembered for many reasons: First it was the first time I actively celebrated the holiday, though it always had a little spot in my heart even before it became an actual holiday and secondly it was my first date and third of all it was one of the best dates in the history of dating.

The plan started mid-september my junior year of high school when my friend Kate and I decided in our freshman biology class that we needed to get more people involved in the celebration of pirates. Even though I had been 16 for several months and therefore able to ask on dates, or to be asked on dates, I had still not gone on my first date. We decided the best solution for this would be to plan a large gathering of pirate appreciators in the form of a big group date. We asked our victims....... err um, dates and we met at Kates house that Friday night. We proceeded to draw full mustache and goatee pirate facial hair on our dates. Even a few of the wenches had some curly whiskers (drawn on of course!). We then took our dates for a fine meal at ARRRRby's. We dined with a few members of the ARRmy as well, unplanned but convieniant. As we drove to Arby's my ships crew, (consisting of my date and Kate and her date) came upon a red light. The ship next to us contained a single lass. Kates date leaned out of the vehicle and tapped on the window of said ship. The female occupant was slightly terrified and rolled the window down just to be told to walk the plank. After dinner we went back to Kates home to roast SmAAARRRR's and watch Hook.

It doesn't sound like much but since it was in celebration of my favorite holiday it was a blast, like unto the blast of a cannon. So next year when you are wishing that there was a holiday to decorate for between labor day and halloween don't forget my favorite holiday; International Talk Like a Pirate day.

Tagged

Four random things I love about my husband:
1. We have the same sense of humor.
2. He tells me how he feels instead of suffering through things he doesn't enjoy.
3. He loves plays and musicals.
4. He doesn't pretend that he has a full head of hair. He's going bald and he knows it and doesn't care.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Unpaid teacher- Salt Lake
2. IT Computer Lab Consultant- Utah State
3. JC Penney- Logan
4. Glorified babysitter- Provo (that's right I haven't had very many paying jobs... so what?!)


Four movies I have watched more than once:
1. Princess Bride
2. The Emperors New Groove
3. Pirates of the Caribbean
4. Better off Dead

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Heroes
2. The Office
3. Lost
4. Project Runway (I could name like a million more...... I'm a tv addict)

Four places I have been:
1. Rothenburg ob de Tauber, Germany
2. Champerey, Switzerland
3. New York, New York
4. Banff, Canada

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Candy
2. Candy Corns
3. Candy Canes
4. Syrup

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Switzerland (I can never get enough of that place)
2. Mt. Rushmore (I know it's lame, you don't need to tell me, but I've never been ok!)
3. Greece
4. Boston

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Graduating
2. Getting a job (hopefully)
3. Being that much closer to having Brad done with school and getting settled.
4. Making new friends in Salt Lake.

Four people I tag: (Because you all said you read my blog)
1. Ann Porter
2. Kirsten Krason
3. Celeste Porter (soon to be Hathaway)
4. Lauren Burtenshaw (you didn't say you do but I thought I'd give you something to blog)

My muffin

I'm sick of writing about what I do, because lets be honest I haven't done much lately. So here is a story about the love of my life, Muffin.

My husband has the exact same name as his father, with a junior tacked on the end. His whole family calls him Brad which is his middle name. But when I met him that wasn't the name he gave me. You see, when he moved in the fifth grade his new teacher called him by the name that was printed on the roll. He is a shy guy and so he didn't tell the teacher that he went by his middle name and so his classmates began calling him by his first name, not knowing that this wasn't normal. Thus begun his double life; having one name at home and one at school and with his friends. I had known Brad for quite some time by his first name, (I'd post what it is but I've gotten a couple weird comments from people I don't know so really there's no need, most of you know it already) I'd even fallen in love with him by that name, when I found out that if things were to progress for the two of us that I would be calling him Brad. It was hard for me at first. I practiced calling him Brad with my mom but it was hard to put the name with his face. That was when I came up with a solution. A third name that had nothing to do with the other two.

I started out by suggesting actual names, ones that would make him seem real manly and sexy. Names like Arnold, Gaston, and Enrique. I wasn't serious; I wouldn't be able to call him Gaston without singing "No one spits like Gaston....... And every last inch of him's covered in hair!" I also would be tempted to call him Ah-nold and to bite a sausage every time I said his name. The only problem with suggesting these names was that Brad just agreed to them. He didn't mind. Whatever I wanted to call him was fine with him. I thought I'd push the envelope by suggesting names that made ME want to barf just saying them. "Sugar Plum" "Sweetie Pie" "Honey Bear" any cliche lovey name. But again, whatever I suggested was just fine with him. I finally suggested that I call him muffin with an implied "stud". Of course he was fine with that. I began telling people how content he is with whatever I wanted and that is how the name really began to take off. I have several family members and some former co-workers who have refered to him as Muffin for so long that I'm sure some of them have forgotten what his real name even is.

So the point of this story is, if you got a wedding announcement and labeled our gift with one name, and then began reading my blog and I said I was married to someone else, don't worry. It is still the same person and you aren't alone in being confused as to what his name is. So if you aren't sure what to call him, you can always fall back on Muffin.


On a side note: I also love a good jiffy muffin........ or costco muffin...... or pretty much any kind of muffin.

Relief Society Retreat

I know that everyone was so sad to not get a Flashback Friday this week so I thought I would explain my absence from writing. My excuse for every day this semester will be the same. I should be working on lesson plans. And this week I've been pretty busy but I'm not entirely sure what I've been doing. I started my seminar class that is on the east side of the valley so that eats up my Thursdays, I'm gone from 7 in the morning till 7 at night on those days. And this week my excuse for Friday was that I got home and packed my suitcase and headed up the canyon to my wards relief society retreat. I had a blast. I've only been in this ward for the last 3 weeks and so I don't know hardly anyone but the ladies were so nice and they accepted me really fast. I am the youngest sister in the ward and except for the few older unmarried sisters I'm the only one who has no kids. There were times when the conversation turned to pediatricians and O.B.'s and I would zone out but most of the time the ladies had hilarious stories to share and I really felt accepted. We went to Heber Valley girls camp. It is a beautiful facility. I was expecting more of a lodge the way people were explaining the site and so I just brought my sleeping bag and sweatshirt. I was wearing capris and my crocs (yes I wear crocs and no I don't garden in them and no I'm not ashamed because I love them and they are comfortable). This wasn't the best attire but it was 80 degrees when I was packing and I wasn't thinking about how cold it would be. Luckily the party moved into the cabin right after dinner and so I didn't freeze and I'm still young enough that the night on a sheet of wood didn't kill me. Next time I will be more prepared and I'm definitely bringing an air mattress.

Flashback Friday: Crazy Hair day

So many people have been asking how my student teaching is going. Really I don't start taking over the classroom for a little while so I've been just observing and helping the teachers with things here and there. I've already had some funny students that have made me excited to take over. I had one child tell me I looked too young to get married, and while some of you may agree with that statement she then guessed that I could probably be like 28...... So I'm not sure what age is old enough to get married. They tell us that most 7th graders think that 18 is WAY old so somehow this girl didn't get that memo. I've also had a kid that tricked me into answering a question on his worksheet, just like the time in 3rd grade when we got Mrs. Dayton to spell one of the spelling words just by asking her "and how do you spell that?" during a test. But anyways, that isn't my flashback story, mostly cause I don't have a picture to go with it and I like pictures.

Next week is a spirit week at the Jr high. Many of you know that in high school I was pretty involved and had lots of school spirit. So much in fact that I was voted "Most likely to paint her house orange and blue" in our senior yearbook. (Not because I am a Broncos fan but because those were our high schools colors.) As student teachers we are encouraged, but not required, to get involved at the school. I'm going to participate in the dress-up days but try not to look way better than all the middle schoolers. One of the days that we never really planned while I was in student government was Crazy Hair Day. I don't remember why we never had those, probably something to do with dress codes and such. But this Wednesday I will be trying to come up with a crazy hair-do that will get me a piece of candy at lunch. In honor of this upcoming event I am including a picture of my crazy hair. This photo was not taken on a dress up day..... This is really what my hair looked like until I was 12 years old. No, it didn't look this nasty all the time, but it really went to the back of my knees. This picture was taken right after a trip to the swimming pool so my hair was full of chlorine making it look a little shorter and all kinds of clumpy. So in honor of crazy hair day, I will allow you all to see this deep dark secret from my past.

Crazy I know!