Cooking

A couple of years ago I got a cookbook from my in-laws for Christmas.

The cookbook was all about meals that freeze well. I wanted to try it, but truth be told I was nervous. I'm not a fabulous cook. Don't get me wrong I can follow a recipe just fine, but it's not something I really enjoy all that much. I think part of it is that I think it is boring to stand in the kitchen and cook all by myself and 30 meals in one day.... That's a lot of standing in the kitchen.

My spring break was over Easter weekend and my sister-in-law and I had planned to spend part of the break making a headboard for my bed. (that post will be coming at a later date) She asked me about my cookbook and decided that while we were woodworking we should also cook a months worth of meals. No big deal, just 30 meals, for us each, in one day. She made up the shopping list and we set out to get all the ingredients we'd need.

Shauntel asked if she could be head chef and boss me around. Since I'd never cooked any of the meals she'd planned I agreed. She loves being bossy and had a secret desire to tell a midget what to do. Don't deny it Telly.

I had to leave before all the food was done cooking (She kicked me out so she could go to the gym so it's her own fault she had to clean up and finish by herself) so the picture we got is only about half of the food we prepared. My tiny freezer is overflowing. If we decide to do it again we may have to invest in another freezer for the garage to put all of our food in!

Book Club

I enjoy reading. I wish I had more time and more energy to devote to reading. When I get home from work it is easier for me to zone out in front of the TV or computer than to have my brain function enough to read. But I feel better when I have accomplished something and I have finished a good book. I joined a book club in my last ward (the grandparents ward) and I just don't want to give it up. The ladies are so sweet and since I don't get to see them once a week at church now I see them once a month at book club. I realized while making my list of shows that I have seen that I ought to be making a list of books that I've read. I'm working on a couple on my own, but I haven't finished anything besides book club books in the recent past. So here is my list of book club books that we have read in no particular order. (at least this is all the ones I can remember... I need to talk to the ladies and see if any official lists exist.)


The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
Train to Potevka - Mike Ramsdell
The Gifts - Ursula Le Guin
Hidden Places - Lynn Austin
Candle in the Darkness - Lynn Austin
At Home in Mitford - Jan Karon
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
Marley and Me - John Grogan
High Country - Jeannie Hansen
God Wants a Powerful People - Sherry Dew
Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
Eat Cake - Jeanne Ray
Trudy's Promise - Marcia Preston
A Hope in the Unseen - Ron Suskind
The Help - Kathryn Stockett

The Theater

Brad and I love the theater. I love to listen to showtunes after school when I enter grades and my students know that if they are in my room after school they better be ready for the "name the show" game. We love to go to the Shakespeare festival in Cedar City each summer and I realized recently that I haven't been keeping track of all of the shows that I have been seeing. So here is my first effort in keeping track of the plethora of shows that we go to.

Shows I saw in 2010:
Importance of Being Earnest HCT West Valley
Tarzan Tuacahn
Pride and Prejudice Shakespeare Festival
39 Steps Shakespeare Festival
Cats Tuacahn
Merchant of Venice Shakespeare Festival
Macbeth Shakespeare Festival
Much Ado about Nothing Shakespeare Festival
Crazy For You Tuacahn
The Drowsy Chaperone HCT West Valley
A Christmas Carol HCT West Valley

They were all really well performed. I will never feel the need to see 'Cats' again. My sister loves the show and used to watch an old recording that the neighbors had all the time growing up. I always felt like since I liked shows I needed to watch it at least once. Turns out once was enough. The dancing was good but I'm not sure how it is the longest running show on Broadway. I really enjoyed Drowsy Chaperone and it was made even better by the fact that one of my very best friends could go the same night and that her husband was one of the lead actors in the show. I am looking forward to seeing both of them in Tale of Two Cities at the Hale this year!

I also had the opportunity to go to two other types of shows this year.

Michael Buble E Center
BJ Novak Kent Concert Hall USU

The Michael Buble Concert was really fun. My aunt bought the tickets for her and her daughters and then two of the daughters couldn't come. My mom and I were glad to stand in. At one point in the concert Michael came out to sing on a platform in the middle of the crowd. We had floor seats and since we were up dancing in the back my cousin Ashley and I were able to sense the floor crews preparing before he got off the stage. We were in position and ready before anyone else realized he was coming down. We were standing right next to the stairs as he climbed up onto the makeshift stage. I got caught up in the crazy fan-girl excitement and reached out and touched his arm as he walked by. I told Brad and his only reaction was "why?" It makes me popular with middle schoolers though when I tell them.

Brad and I love The Office and so when we heard that BJ Novak was coming to USU we bought tickets as soon as we could. Turns out we knew before most people because our tickets were front and center. His stand up routine was really funny and we had lots of fun visiting when old friends in Logan.

We are making plans to make it back to the Shakespeare Festival and Tuacahn this summer and we hope to make it to at least one show at the Desert Star Theater as well.

2010

I just went through and read all of my blogs from this year, (a whopping 22) to decide what I would write if I were to sum up this year. Judging from my blog you might guess not much happened this year. You'd be right. Here are some things that did happen in 2010:

We bought a house.
We purchased our first home in April and spent 3 months moving all of our belongings into said house one Focus-load at a time. In July we moved in and we've been unpacking ever since. We have moved in a spare twin bed and are still willing to get that air mattress if anyone wants to come stay!

We had a child.
I mean we bought a dog. Gambit has been a great dog and he is learning quickly. He loves playing with his Aunt Brandy but does not love playing with his Cousin George. (I'll try to get some video of him with my sister-in-laws cat George) When we bought him he was a little grey puppy and then the first time we had him groomed he lost all his grey fur and he is now a white dog/bunny/bat.





I got a full time teaching job.
After several interviews and several rejections I finally got a full time teaching job at one school. I got the job just 2 days before I supposed to start teaching part time at two schools. Even with two schools and the commute and prep time included I was only going to be a partial contract teacher in the district I taught in last school year. So when all the cards were played and I had to choose between full time at a school 5 minutes away in a district I wasn't fond of vs 2 schools and a 45 minute commute.... I paid a penalty for leaving the district I liked (emphasis on the D at this point) and dealt with some residual harassment from some random HR employee who decided it was her purpose in life to make me miserable and now I'm one happy camper at Fort Herriman Middle School. That story will make a great Flashback Friday someday.


So even though it would seem not a lot happened, those things that did happen were big decisions that will shape the rest of our lives. We are grateful that we have the gospel, good friends and great family that help us make these decisions. We love you all and look forward to a great new year!

Anniversary Number Three

This year our anniversary went by without much celebration. We had both been sick that week and the week before and so we really weren't up to going out on the town. It was a Wednesday and we had work in the morning. Brad had a crazy day at work and didn't get home until 8. My father was in town for one night on a layover between Philly and Hawaii and he stayed at our place. (We said yes before we knew what night he'd be there.... Also we are just too nice) His flight got in at 8:30. So as soon as Brad got home we turned around and went and picked him up. He took us out for our anniversary dinner, Village Inn was the only thing that sounded good at 9:30 at night when all we really wanted to do was go to sleep. We got home and did just that.

The next night I thought for sure we'd go out to our actual anniversary dinner. But Brad was home late again. I was starting to get a little sad that such an important day had gone by with no real celebration at all.

Friday I decided to stay at work and finish up as much grading as possible to free up my weekend. I finally left around 4:30. When I pulled into my driveway I realized that Brads car was at home. He had missed work on Monday and Tuesday because he wasn't feeling well but I thought he was feeling better so I was surprised he had come home. When I walked in the door Brad was there all dressed up (read: shirt with collar and no super hero). He had already packed an overnight bag and was waiting for me so we could go to our awesome date he'd planned. I quickly got ready, we dropped the puppy off at his sisters, we went to dinner at Ruby Tuesday and then across the street to the Hale Center Theater to see A Christmas Carol. After the show we had a free nights stay at the airport Hilton. It was an awesome anniversary date and I was so surprised. I sure do love my husband!

Teaching: A Thankless Job

What exactly is it that makes a job thankless? I have students who say thank you every day. Even after I make them take notes..... So why is it that teaching is a "thankless job"? I'm not going to say that all of my students understand what education gives them, making it more-so "thankless" but I'm not sure I fully understand the term.

What jobs are thanked? We probably are thankful to our doctors. But do most people say thank you after getting shots, blood drawn, or chemo? Probably not. Some will. Like my students who tell me thank you. But like education people aren't sure just what the doctor has done for them until they feel better which is usually long after they walk out of the doctors office. So how do we thank them? With money. We pay them more. If that is the case, then yes. Teaching is a thankless job.

Why do I bring this up? I'm just still stuck on a comment that the administration made at faculty meeting today that our job may hard but the job gets more thankless the higher up you get.... But aren't they compensated more fairly for their job? For the most part can't they leave their jobs at work? I can't. As a beginning teacher I am often at the school before most and I am almost always the last to leave. I bring work home and I think about it constantly.

I hope some day that I wont.

They tell us all the time that they are there to support us. Well today I decided the support that I need is to not be reminded how much worse their jobs are than mine. I don't go to E.R. doctors who have to work nights and say "Your job is hard, but I'm a teacher." I don't go to Sanitation Workers and say "Yeah, but at least you aren't a teacher."

If you have to add a caveat at the end of your thanks, maybe you should just follow Thumpers advice and not say anything at all.

Decorating

I have been neglecting the blog. I want to put up more pictures of the house, but I'm not good at decorating and so I feel like the house is still unfinished. I have a room full of boxes that I haven't dealt with yet. I did however go through 3 boxes in the past 24 hours and put things away or into a designated DI box. My personal goal is to have nothing stored in a cardboard box. I don't have a set time line for accomplishing that goal however.

I have this desire to have things in my home that I made. I feel proud when people compliment something I've done. My sister-in-law is crafty and makes really nice things. I envy her abilities and love her decorating style. I mentioned to her that I wanted to try to make a Halloween wreath so she took me under her wing and was my decorating guide on my very first wreath journey. We made the whole thing from a stick wreath and some dollar store flowers, lots of spray paint and some eyeballs later we had a final product.

She found a cool wreath online that we tried to copy and I think it turned out great. The biggest problem I've had is that nobody ever comes to my door to see it! The only exception being my visiting teachers who showed up this week and appropriately reacted by telling me how crafty I am. Lets hope some trick-or-treaters have something good to say tonight as well.