the bunk bulletin

Downton

2012-01-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, there's nothing better than a good BBC production.

And one of its newest shows is not a disappointment.

This show has been consuming my life for the last week.

I LOVE it.

Every storyline is so intriguing.

Oh.my.gosh.

Start watching it tonight.

pbs.org

You were good to me, 2011

2012-01-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Honestly, where did 2011 go?

Top 5 moments from 2011 (places visited):

3. California

Denny & Nichole {Megan's brother-in-law and sister} hosted a fabulous party.

A New Year's Eve celebration wouldn't be complete without some fireworks and lanterns.

Michael came and partied with Megs and me for a bit.

Denny asked if preschoolers made our lantern.

Who cares what it looks like? It floated high into the starry sky.

Well, here's to 2012!!

Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas {Break}

2012-01-03T18:08:00.002-07:00

Arizona never disappoints for the holidays.

Our landing into Sky Harbor was a little rough. The pilot went down to land and then immediately jerked up because another plane was hanging out on the landing strip. My stomach felt a little unsettled the rest of the day, but I'm grateful for an observant pilot.

Christmas Eve: pizza, sugar cookies, Christmas carols, and Luke II {Its new name is The Nativity. I used to watch it every day as a little preschooler by choice. My mom says it was like my morning devotional. Now, it reminds me of my time spent in Jerusalem}.

We watched Jimmer's debut in the NBA. When my mom saw him dribbling the ball, she said, "Oh, look at Jimmer with the ball telling everyone else what to do!!" Our response, "Well, he is the point guard."

I finished piecing the top of my Christmas quilt. Finally. It only took a year to complete. Now on to the quilter's house...

Grant and Ava were cracking me up as they ate their lunch outside. Cute and funny kids.

Lunch at Costco. My mother informed us that this is a new tradition: to meet my dad for lunch one day during any holiday break.

We played games EVERY. NIGHT. Rebekah found a new love with Tripoley {and poker}; her expression is ALL natural--no posing needed. We won't tell her that nearest casino is only 25 minutes from our house.

I think this is going to be my next quilt.

Megs was nice to let me come over and see her niece and nephew {Savannah and Colston} visiting from Texas. {They were all ready to hop into the hot tub. Colston wouldn't stop asking if the water was warm enough yet.}

My mom and Rebekah decided to whip up a Kate Middleton look-alike dress. Think Project Runway.

How did they do?

A lot of naps were had over the break. My dad always has the best bed head.

We were always cooking/baking up something.

This picture makes me laugh.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your Christmastime, too!!

Jeffrey & Sarah's Wedding

2011-12-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

A couple days before Christmas, my cousin Jeffrey got married.

Jeffrey is one of my favorite cousins! Our families were the only ones that lived in Arizona, so we got together a lot growing up. He is such a good person. Seriously. Sarah is one lucky gal!

Congratulations, Jeffrey & Sarah!!

a cold, mid-december week

2011-12-20T22:25:00.001-07:00

My windshield. Pretty.

Craft night.

Christmas program for the parents.

Cinnamon rolls and Christmas PJ party.

Quality text conversations.

PJ day.

Dinner with the gals and Ryan J Moss.

Christmas presents. I can hardly wait to watch season 1 for the 3rd time in the past 12 months.

Hooray for Christmas Break!!!!

Rat Finks Christmas Party

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Thank you, B Loaf & Shredder, for a fabulous evening!!

Monday pick-me-ups

2011-12-12T08:06:00.003-07:00

You've probably seen these. If so, watch them again. We're finding great joy in them.

Happy Monday!

Family Pictures

2011-12-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Since we were all the family was together, we had to take some pictures. My cousin Katie was so very kind and shot them for us.

This shot reminds me of Make Way for Ducklings. Mrs. Mallard is instructing her little chicks.

The Johnsons. Baby #5 is due January 6th.

Dax is killing me in this shot. It looks like he just had a few in the local saloon.

The Phelps family.

The family.

Marci and Graham look ready to go.

Whatever my cousin Daniel was doing on the other side of the camera sure made the adults laugh.

Nelson: "If someone was grabbing my crotch, I'd feel that way, too."

It was so great having Kay, Daniel, Katie, and the two girls with us!

The Lindmans.

We survived family pictures, which is a very big feat.

Terrific Turkey Break!

2011-11-29T21:43:00.001-07:00

What a fun Thanksgiving Break! It was crazy. There was ZERO relaxation. A lot of minutes were spent baking and cooking away in the kitchen, but I didn't mind that. I love my family!

{These pictures are all out of sorts, but I don't feel like rearranging them.}

Jumping on the trampoline. Heather was the coolest because she taught them tricks.

Rhece is darling. {Don't mind my annoying voice.} Right before I started filming, he'd say, "I'm not Baby Bieber. I'm Rhece." It was too cute.

Thank you, dear SWA pilot, for getting us home 20 minutes early. When does that happen? Never.

Watched the Michigan vs. Ohio State game. Go Blue!! Jennie and Rhece were all tuckered out.

T-ball and soccer games. I think only two kids were really playing.

An Arizona birthday. For the last two years, Parker has said that all he wants is an Arizona birthday. And...he finally got one! {Although, his birthday isn't for another few days. We celebrated early.} The local grocery store makes small birthday cakes for free.

Our Thanksgiving Day feast. It was a mad house.

I am one very blessed girl!

Is it already Thanksgiving??

2011-11-20T23:19:00.001-07:00

Life is flying by. I head home for the Thanksgiving break in a couple of days. I love the holidays.

Moss's bday.

His 12-layer cake made by Megan. (There she is in the background.)

Scott, smile!

Received pumpkin bread from the hometeacher.

Glitter-ized the nails as I was skype-ing with the parents.

Celebrated Benita's bday. Miss her. Terribly.

Found this treasure in my school mailbox one morning. Who wants the 8x10?

Woke up Saturday morning and was a bit confused by the newly fallen snow as to which holiday I was supposed to celebrate. Thanksgiving? Christmas?

Megan decorated our place as I baked goodies. Typical Saturday afternoon.

For some reason, Whitney never wants to smile/be in my pictures.

Another number was incorrect in my phone.

Oven fire. It was raging, but we had everything under control. We even had time to snap a couple photos.

Group crossword puzzles. We may have even timed how quickly we could finish one. We're nerds.

Sir Regan, Knight of Highland Park.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week!!

phone update

2011-11-10T03:00:00.000-07:00

Whoops, wrong number saved.

3-day-old bangs do anything.

Cat Paint.

I faced my childhood fear and watched this movie. Still scary at parts.

Megan caught me.

At a red light. Just ask Scott.

Snow that stuck.

Power was out for the first 3 hours of school. This was BIGGER than Halloween.

Took the back road home.

The local pumpkin patch filled up my trunk with plenty o' pumpkins for my class and me.

Fall colors. I didn't even stop at the mall. I was driving by and noticed the colors, so I went back and snapped a shot.

Lasagna cups. Danielle and I have a pact where you have to make what you pin. So, I did. They turned out well and were delicious!

Mocktail party.

Patrick and I found these in the closet of the Sunday School room. We later watched Sound of Music.

It's a little chilly outside and inside, y'all.

Benita came for a visit.

If you haven't caught on, I kind of like fall colors.

A WWII Halloween

2011-11-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Halloween!!

2011-11-03T19:15:00.001-07:00

It was a fun day with the chitlins. My team and I were Bieber fans.

Fall Break in Arizona

2011-11-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this place.

Lunch date at Costco.

It's all pieced, but not finished. That will happen another visit.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when your best friend is in town from DC for the weekend and you stay overnight at her family's house.

Let the witches assemble...

Happy Halloween!!

{photos taken by the lovely and talented Tara Butler}

(p.s. I can hardly wait to show you my real Halloween costume.)

Lake Powell: Day 4

2011-10-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

{This is the last Lake Powell photo bomb.}

It was an awesome final day on the lake.

"Dean, take the boat."

"Uhhh, Bishop, I don't know how to drive it. "

Brady's bruise from the wild tube ride on Saturday.

This was my kind of tube ride. Nice and easy.

Meggie, get down. We need to see them tubing.

Always a party on the boat.

DJ Dean, could you put on a TI remix?

Furry friends from Megan. I think I left mine in Moss's car. I better find it.

Oh man, I love Lake Powell. It's a little bit of heaven on earth.

Lake Powell: Day 3

2011-10-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yeah you are, Moss.

Natural beauties. Kind of hate them. ;)

It's not my birthday anymore, Dean. Still no kisses.

Our band cover.

"Bieber!"

Lake Powell: Day 2 {My Birthday}

2011-10-21T17:24:00.001-07:00

This is what I woke up to.

Megan, Whitney, and Moss decked the place out. They were so nice to do that!

These were my presents.

Quick wakeboarding run before morning conference.

Whitney was tired of being my photo subject.

A tube ride between sessions.

No birthday kisses, Dean.

I hate riding the tube. Can you tell?

Always a dance party on the boat.

Are you wondering what Moss and Brady are cracking up about? Pat was losing his shorts.

Dean had to check it out.

Isn't Lily beautiful?

So is Susanna.

Scenic ride while the guys were at Priesthood.

The guys.

Birthday cake time.

Someone kept popping into our pictures.

Chris is an amazing rapper. He's legit.

Lots of laughter!

Lake Powell: Day 1

2011-10-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Full day on the lake. Fabulous.

Preparation for Powell (and the drive)

2011-10-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

{Warning: Prepare to be photo bombed.}

Megan is the best and planned out all the meals. I then helped her gather all the items.

3 hours and $800 dollars later...

The drive down was so productive. We got Whitney on twitter. Follow her: whittersflo.

Yep, I'm alive.

2011-10-16T20:40:00.002-07:00

These are stories my students wrote while I was away at a district meeting and Lake Powell. I think they want me to get married.

Field Trip

2011-09-25T21:43:00.005-07:00

Welp, here's the clase. We took our annual trip up Provo Canyon and then to BYU Bean Museum.

Classic face. I fee like such a mom. "Noah, scoot in. Get in the picture."

Did you know you can check animals out from the museum? I need to look more into this.

"Honey Badger" from the youtube video for the boys from #14.

Life via the iPhone

2011-09-18T18:08:00.004-07:00

Benita moved (BOOOOOOO)

I'm obsessed with palindromes.

Stocked up on cereal.

Received notes from the children.

It wouldn't be a post without some CatPaint.

Crazy hair day. I laughed out loud when I saw this student. I had to take a picture.

Lunch with the freshman year girls.

Best presentation of $100.

Megs and I watched the embarrassing BYU football game (I still love the Cougs) on this little guy. Yes, the TV is on a swivel office chair.

Labor Day

2011-09-10T07:16:00.004-07:00

Megan, Jonathan, Sage, and I joined the Crandall Clan at the cabin for some of Labor Day weekend.

Just Dance. The guys were awesome.

Getting ready for the long winter.

TIMBERRRR!

Fill 'em up.

Views from Don's Scar.

Sarah and Jeffrey: the newly engaged couple. :)

Love the river bottom.

"I know we can get to that middle rock somehow."

Thanks so much, Swindles!

Sunday afternoons

2011-09-08T06:55:00.005-07:00

I love Sundays, especially now that church is at 9:30. Yes, please. I like them because of...

Having your nap interrupted.

Longboarding around the neighborhood.

Playing catch.

Pick-up wiffle ball game. Brady's the real deal. He played (baseball) in college.

Good weather, please don't ever leave us.

Center Street Shutdown

2011-09-06T06:46:00.001-07:00

Our friend, John Allred, did an outdoor concert. He is so good. (Check him out: Allred or John Allred) We didn't get a photo with him. Next time.

Ran into some friends.

Don't you know the joke? Forks and knives, forks and knives, forks and knives, and spoons.

We walked by John's car, though.

New Camera

2011-09-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Megs got a new DSLR. She needed some models.

little guys

2011-08-31T18:32:00.001-07:00

I took these photos when I was in Jerusalem. They make me smile. The little Jewish man on the motorbike is awesome. Don't you want to smile and wave back?

Good Life

2011-08-25T18:18:00.001-07:00

Summer theme song.

Monsoons.

The kids.

Reading.

Summer sky.

Great books.

Quilting.

Must stops in Arizona.

A "Good Morning" Rainbow.

Reasons to buy flowers from the Flower Patch.

Del Mar

2011-08-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

My mom, Rebekah, Heather, and I drove over to Del Mar for a few days. It was perfect. I love the beach.

Honestly the best carne asada burrito. You must go.

room 73

2011-08-21T17:58:00.003-07:00

Because I know so many of you are DYING to see where I spend my days, here's my classroom. It looks so empty without the anchor charts and student work.

I like my college corner. I got the idea from Pinterest. Megan and Danielle helped me execute it in a creative and cute way.

First day is tomorrow. Ahh!

Megan's camera

2011-08-07T21:34:00.004-07:00

Before I left for AZ, I finally got photos off of Megan's camera. Oh man. I had such a great time looking through these documented memories.

3 Amigos.

I love Moss's face in the back and Benita's darling laugh face.

The soap popping out of Ryan Spencer's hands is classic, and you can tell Moss is really relishing the moment.

Two best faces: Ryan Spencer's and Benita's (look in the mirror). They capture the moment.

Megan and Benita LOVE floating in the pool. The store pumped up their rafts free of charge. The only problem is there was no room for them.

Kev-dawg was ready for the rain.

Leslie and Lance were killing us.

I love all the laughter going on!

Yay for fireworks and summertime!

I can hardly wait to see what treasures are on Benita's camera.

Lately

2011-08-03T00:15:00.003-07:00

My life by the ShakeIt and Instagram apps--

I was able to slip on to an earlier flight home to Arizona. Even though I was the last one on the plane, I still got my own row.

Nieces and nephews.

Quilting.

Watching old classics.

Monsoons.

I know this was irreverent of me to snap this during church, but his rat tail was distracting me.

Cabin.

One night Rebekah and I are going to do karaoke at the Lion's Den. It's the happening place in town.

Love the porch. I got internet for approximately 5 minutes. Thanks, "wireless."

My spread during the Bachelorette finale. Glad we're done with Ashley. Best of luck to her and JP. I hope Ben is the next Bachelor.

View from the back porch. You can tell that my dad had a say as to where the cabin should be.

Casita.

Mystery. I put my shirt on and found these holes. I wore this shirt the day before, and it didn't have any holes. Hmmm...

White Mountains.

Can you believe it's August? Where has 2011 gone? I'd like to rewind and replay July. That was a good month.

Pioneer Weekend

2011-07-26T23:31:00.003-07:00

Triplets. Fireworks!

Seven Peaks!

Had these teenage girls for the weekend. Very fun.

Family dinner.

Mona Rope Swing. A bit scary.

I saw these on the internet and thought I'd share. Nothing to do with my weekend.

Love them. Great rodeo attire.

Funny.

I wish I could go in and edit their writing. YOU'RE.

Top Ten Lists

2011-07-22T13:16:00.003-07:00

I've been going through some old emails. There was a period of time when I received at least one email a week that was a top ten list. My friends are so clever and witty; Kendall and Brad were the best writers. I chose a few that I wanted to share. They probably won't mean anything to you unless you were on the email list, but maybe you'll enjoy their writing.

Buddy vs Mama Turkey Round II and What Was REALLY Found Up My Nasal Passages

By Brad Packer

I wanted to share this one, but it was too long. If you were a recipient of it, go to your email and read it again. Too funny.

Top Ten Titles for the "Cabin Trip" Because Just Calling it "Cabin Trip" is a Bit Silly

By Kendall "I'msothereit'sinsane" Burdett

10. Dude, Where's My Keys? (self-explanatory)

9. Got Milk? (because for some reason the guys felt like they needed to bring a lot of milk...and by "guys" I mean "Mark and Kendall")

8. Saved by Snowmobiles

7. MintHotChocolateChickenPastaPancakes (mmmmm)

6. The Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge

5. Rocky VII

4. Eric's Adventures in Spandex

3. All Star Church Celebrity Extravaganza (I don't care what anybody says, Jack Bauer would make a great bishop.)

2. Beauties and the Beasts (awwwww...)

1. The Adventures of Bret Sawyer and Tyson Fujiberryfinn

Top Ten Rumors Floating Around the ByU 181st Ward (this week)

By No more teachers no more books Kendall "gotpriors" Burdett

OK...after much thought, research and deliberation, (meaning, the last ten minutes I spent in the bathroom...) and at the request of Dan Warcup...AND in honor of Sara Beth's recent departure...I've complied the latest Top Ten List...and here it goes:

10. Brad Packer is a millionaire.

9. Sara Beth is going to the Holy Land because she is actually being deported because she is actually a terrorist.

8. Dan Francom, Matt Tanner, and Mikey Z. have a TV so big it can be seen from space. (This is not true...you can only see it from American Fork...ok, not true either. But it did used to be one of the big-screens in the football stadium.)

7. SOMEONE WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS tried to light Amanda Hansen on fire. (That's probably a lot truer than it should be.)

6. Brittney Smith is black.

6a. Robyn is a hippie.

6b. Eric Chambers is a Peruvian national.

6d. Mark Bellisario is a Mexican.

6e. Brian McEwen is part primate.

6f. Phil is ALL primate.

5. Kendall can't get a passport because of outstanding warrants. (actually, it's because he can't get a certified copy of his birth certificate and that's because he was born before birth certificates. In addition to the outstanding warrants. For parking tickets.

4. Bishop Beck owns Utah. (...not true. He just own Alpine. And Madagascar.)

4a. Brother Mauer is a ninja.

4b. Brother Shepherd is really a shepherd.

4c. Edgar is still alive.

4d. Monica Simmons has an internship in San Francisco to be the Mayor...not with the Mayor's office...the be THE Mayor. That's right, Mayor Monica. (If I had a band, we'd be called MayorMonica. We'd play punk versions of showtunes. Tyson would be the lead singer...cause he knows all the words to all the showtunes.)

3. Carson sprinted up Mount Timp backwards. On his hands. (OK, not backwards...)

2. Dan Warcup and Jodi Wood are still in the ward.

...and the number one rumor in the BYU 181st ward...

1. Tyson Fujikawa is heterosexual. (OBVIOUSLY not true. Just ask him what color is hair is...{brown with red highlights})

And my absolute favorite Top Ten...

Top Ten Reasons to be a Grounds Crew Worker

By Brittney Smith

So, after much contemplation and not much production at work this morning, I have come to the conclusion that I would rather be a grounds worker than a Cougareat worker for the following reasons:

10. Fresh air

9. Sun (which ultimately leads to #8)

8. Tan (although, it would most definitely resemble that of a farmer)

7. Exercise/work-out

6. No junk food temptations in front of your face

5. Good music blaring from the truck

4. If you have to work with whack-jobs, then you aren't stuck standing next to them serving food the whole shift

3. You smell like flowers, not grease and garbage

2. You get to drive on the sidewalks

...and last, but not least...

1. It will always be funny when you quote the phrase: "Be a man, rub some dirt in it!"

I have some great friends. Their hilarity gets me no matter what kind of day/week it's been. Thanks, guys!

HPott Book Quotes

2011-07-20T13:12:00.001-07:00

I found these on Pinterest/Tumblr. Thought I'd share. One hasn't been made for the 7th book. I'll post it when/if there is one.

http://thereadables.tumblr.com/tagged/Harry_Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

2011-07-18T08:33:00.002-07:00

From my previous post, you should've gathered that we've had a lot of Harry Potter going on around our apartment these last couple of weeks. We're HPott nuts! On Saturday, Megan and I got a group together to go see the new Harry Potter. Because we enjoy planning parties (thank you, Pinterest), she and I thought it'd be fun to make Harry Potter treat bags for everyone. We loved every second making these Honeydukes goodies. (If you'd like, check out Megan's blog for another view of our Saturday.)

Assembly table.

Treats: Pottercorn (cinnamon bun popcorn), butterbeer (cream soda), droobles (bubble gum), phoenix feather core wands (pixie sticks), jelly slugs (gummy worms), and acid pops (blow pop dipped in honey and then pop rocks).

Our shirts.

It added to the event that we went to this theatre.

Some of the group after the movie.

I loved the movie. The tears started coming when Harry began his walk to the Forbidden Forest. I'm sad that the Harry Potter saga is over. Luckily Benita is reading them, so I'll get to revisit my old friends when she asks me questions and watches the movies.

Geez

2011-07-13T23:06:00.004-07:00

Text from Rebekah: "Update your blog. Geez." Here is my update.

Didn't know Tim Riggins hung out at the library?

Did you have 2 goats at your 4th of July party? Didn't think so.

Meet Puzzles...

and Bill. Bill's hanging out in Cade's recently acquired golf cart.

A better picture of Bill.

Cute piece of writing by a student. Love the dad sentence.

I reread Harry Potter 7 to get me ready for the movie. I may or may not have teared up while reading about one of characters being so forgiving of another character's past.

Megan and I got Benita to read them. She's working on number 4.

We've been refreshing our Harry Potter movie knowledge.

Love Dumbledore. Going to print this to poster size to put in my classroom.

Kalani had knee surgery and had to use a Jazzy. Loved every second of it, even though she didn't.

The mountains in the summertime are the BEST.

4th of July weekend

2011-07-06T16:12:00.007-07:00

Oh, man! I love the 4th of July! I think it is such a fun holiday. We made the most of our holiday weekend. We spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday celebrating. I really wanted to have a Highland Park parade, but that didn't happen. For some reason Megan didn't think people would want to march around the street to "You're a Grand Ol' Flag." Besides that hiccup, we had a fabulous Independence Day!

Stadium of Fire--

Brad Paisley and David Archuleta were awesome!

7 Eleven--

Apparently anyone who's anyone goes to "The Sev" the night before the parade. There was a mass of people. I thought it was very comical.

BBQ--

Look at all this great food! This isn't even half of it. All of it was SO yummy!

Fireworks at Park City Resort--

I would watch fireworks there every night. It was so neat to lay on the mountain and have the fireworks explode right in your face. I loved it (minus the raindrops)!

Ok, creeper Kevin.

I love Natalie's and Leslie's faces in this shot. Danielle's ready.

Great traffic driving, Moss.

Don't worry, Benita. We'll get you some frozen yogurt.

Hope you had a fun time celebrating our nation's birthday!

Sweet Land of Liberty

2011-07-04T14:21:00.003-07:00

Happy 4th of July!! Hope you're enjoying your Independence Day weekend! I love America!

Good Ol' US of A

2011-06-29T16:59:00.004-07:00

Visited 28 states (56%)

[I didn't count states that I've been in their airports, namely Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama.]

I see there are some areas of the country that I need to visit. I think it'd be so pretty to visit New England in the autumn. And I think the plantations and horse ranches of the South are calling my name any time of the year. The early summer would probably be the best time to visit Mt. Rushmore, the "Land of 10,000," and the surrounding states. And who doesn't want to visit A-las-ka after seeing The Proposal? I'm not a beach snob and will let the sun kiss my skin in Hawaii. As for the northeastern states, maybe I'll visit you in late summer when you're done raining.

So, who wants to donate to my travel fund? Where do you want to visit?

Entrance to South Carolina. Isn't is so pretty? Best state line entrance I've ever seen. It's the same on the other side of I-95. Picket fence extends on both sides. So quaint and southern.

Draft Jimmer

2011-06-24T10:13:00.002-07:00

I really wanted this for Christmas.

But, I guess Santa thinks I haven't been a good girl. Maybe another Christmas.

I look forward to watching Jimmer in the big, bad NBA. Good luck in Sacramento!

When you have time

2011-06-23T07:43:00.001-07:00

You to spend even more time on the things you love.

Downtown

2011-06-20T19:52:00.004-07:00

Where all the lights are bright...

In downtown Gilbert!

Rebekah and I had a night out on the town.

Mad Skills

2011-06-13T12:23:00.001-07:00

I was asked to clean the bathroom of someone's office. (I won't disclose whose.) This is what I saw. (I should've done some closeup shots.) It was like a NYC public bathroom.

I brought some good cleaning tools with me: windex, tile/bath cleaner, magic erasers, Ajax, toilet gel. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubbers were awesome. I used both. (The Target brand Magic Eraser is really good, too.) The most crucial item I brought were yellow cleaning gloves. If I hadn't been wearing those, I don't know if I would've been able to do the job; it's amazing what you can do if you're not actually touching the grossness.

75 minutes later...and..viola!

I'd rather clean a bathroom than sweep and clean the kitchen floor. What are some household chores you like doing?

Ponytails

2011-06-12T12:42:00.002-07:00

Halfway through the week, we had to move over to the larger house. From Wednesday to Saturday, it was just Megan, Benita, and me. Ponytails treated us nicely!

We got a little tired of eating pita chips, cereal, pudding pie, and tortillas, so we went to the local Italian restaurant Dulce de Vita. It was so yummy!

Self-timer. I thought I could run up the stairs and be in position in 10 seconds. Not so. But I was so close. See me in the yellow on the left?

Ponytails had an elevator. Thank you. It was especially helpful with our luggage.

"[They] was just too busy being fabulous...too busy to think about [everyone else]..."

Fishbones

2011-06-10T09:24:00.004-07:00

We were itchin' to do some karaoke. So, we hopped in the car and tried to find the local bars. Fishbones pulled through for us. We got to do as many songs as we wanted because we made up half of the place. I think everyone got a kick out of the "sober" kids jam. The bartender gave me my Sprite free of charge. Sweet!

"Baby, baby, baby, oh..."

Benita did a collaboration with the locals.

OBX

2011-06-08T09:01:00.006-07:00

Megan, Benita, and I flew out to the Outer Banks to spend the week with some of my friends from when I lived in Washington, DC. We made some new friends as well.

We had such a FUN and relaxing time!!

Last day

2011-05-26T16:47:00.003-07:00

Today was my last day of school. This year went by SO quickly. Wow! These were some sweet kids. Not as funny or charming as last year's group. But a nice group none the less.

Anyway, I'm in the Vegas airport heading to the beaches of North Carolina for a week+. I can hardly wait!

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!!

Growing Pains

2011-05-20T20:03:00.003-07:00

I've been putting it off for months. I had to surrender anything that legally connected me with Arizona. It was a rough week. I cried.

Punched and invalid.

Bye, bye.

On a happier note, the 3rd grade classes did businesses this week.

A little girl drew my portrait.

And I know you all have wanted a map from Spanish Fork to Disneyland.

School is out on Thursday. Then off to the beach. Yay.

Friday Fotos

2011-05-14T15:49:00.005-07:00

Some pictures from my phone of things I've liked the past couple of weeks.

Went to a quilt shop.

Cafe Rio in Spanish Fork is almost completed. But not soon enough.

The stall was out of toilet paper, and some girls noticed. They helped out future users, like me. Very clever and thoughtful.

The view from the St. George house.

Found these in a small candy shop. A treat from my youth.

My car hit 20,000 miles. Take note of the perfect temperature.

Baked away last Sunday. Apple crumb muffins.

Caramel cinnamon rolls.

Rode bikes to lunch. Pit stop to pump up the tire.

Lovely day.

Buttercream gang.

School's wrapping up. 2 weeks. Bittersweet, as always.

St. George

2011-05-05T20:40:00.002-07:00

Ran down to St. George for the weekend. It was so nice to be in the sunshine.

Have any questions about Blackberry messenger? These ladies can answer them.

Lantern Festival

2011-04-21T14:07:00.007-07:00

We tried to create that festival from Tangled. We managed to only make one successful lantern. We are going to try again. Megan's family makes and sends these off on New Year's Eve. We decided to give it a try.

1st attempt

Tape up the hole.

The lantern came back down. Back to the drawing board.

Music is essential.

Mark's baby lantern.

SUCCESS!!!

These lanterns failed, so why not burn them together?

Main Attraction: Great Food!

2011-04-19T14:30:00.002-07:00

Katie and I based our activities on where our favorite restaurants were. Each day I had a food baby.

Pizzeria

Georgetown Cupcakes

Willard's BBQ

2amy's. YUM!

Baked & Wired. Scrumptious!!

Matchbox. Everything's good.

The Chinatown arch is finished with being remodeled. Very cool and colorful.

Cherry Blossoms!!

Met up with my friends Lindsay and Ashley at Crumbs. So fun to see those girls. They were my two good friends when I lived in DC.

I had a such a good time in DC. Thanks Katie & Dave!!

No Government Shutdown

2011-04-15T16:04:00.006-07:00

Visited Katie & Dave. So fun to see all my favorite places from when I lived in DC.

Breakfast at Eastern Market

Katie's camera has a face photoshop setting. We look like porcelain dolls.

Botanic Gardens

Cherry Blossoms!

National Zoo

End of a perfect day at one the best restaurants: Good Stuff.

Catching a flight

2011-04-08T18:19:00.002-07:00

Tonight to this place...

To visit the girl in the aqua...

To eat here...

And to look/feel this way at the end of the day.

Welcome me back, DC!

South Fork Rd.

2011-04-07T14:37:00.005-07:00

I went with my cousin and a few of his friends up to the cabin the other weekend. I love that the cabin is so close to make a quick trip up there.

The boys saw this sign, so, of course, we had to turn around and help out the local businesses.

Unfortunately, they were all out.

Loading up for the hike up.

Love self-timer.

Oh man, this view is making me pine for summertime.

This is of the little hike we have to take from the car to the cabin.

Check out those icicles!

Thanks for the fun weekend, Jeffrey!

Mickey's Clubhouse

2011-04-05T14:28:00.002-07:00

We have been living in fear for the past couple of weeks. I spotted a MOUSE. Megan saw him a few days later. Benita discovered his sweet tooth. I'm tired of living in fear. I'm ready for Ralph, Fievel, Gus Gus, and Mickey to leave STAT.

Lance has been a huge help in our quest to terminate the mice.

Ralphie helped himself to some Easter candy.

Caught! George put some traps up for us. We set them again. Hopefully we won't find any more.

Thank You, Cougars!

2011-04-02T14:07:00.004-07:00

Man, it sure was fun watching the Cougars in the NCAA tournament. It was very unfortunate that we lost, but I was just tickled pink that we made it to the Sweet 16. Jimmer is being adorned with awards left and right. I hope he can pull out the Naismith Trophy. That'd be wicked awesome.

Sometimes the BYU games are on CBS-C. Not many people have that channel. But, JCW's does. We had a lot of fun watching it with fellow fans as we had burgers and shake; we felt like we were Zach Morris and the 'Saved by the Bell' crew at The Max. I may or may not have yelled out "Go Big Daddy!" when Jimmer scored his 52nd point.

So, if you're ever looking for a great place to watch a BYU game, go to JCW's.

[Maybe someone from JCW's corporate office will read this and then send me a free shake coupon for the free and positive advertising I game them. ;)]

Brain Surgery

2011-03-28T13:54:00.003-07:00

My laptop underwent extensive brain surgery last week, and it's still in PACU (post-anesthesia care unit). As soon as it's back to normal, we'll be posting again.

YoZone

2011-03-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

If we're not at our apartment, you can find us at YoZone.

My class and I celebrated Justin Bieber's birthday last week with his music and favorite treats. They were thrilled.

BYU vs. Wyoming game

2011-03-07T21:00:00.004-07:00

{Disclaimer: This post screams with pride of an alumna.}

Basketball games are so fun, especially when your team wins. I have gone to a few games this season; I love them. Kay let me accompany her to the game on Saturday against Wyoming. Thank you!

Kay and I got a kick out of reading the posters throughout the Marriott Center. So clever and witty. Here are a few of my favorites:

**1 if by land, 2 if by sea, 3 if by Jimmer

**Choose your rafter, Jimmer (arrow pointing up to Danny Ainge's jersey)

**We have the real King James

**May the Fredette be with you

The energy in the Marriott Center was tangible.

The student section was awesome...like always.

Jimmer's golden point value (number 32, points scored 32).

Our seniors--Logan, Jackson, Jimmer: Thank you!

I wanted two things: The Cougars to score 100 and for Jimmer to score at least 40. I got the first, but Jimmer was taken out of the game with 1:30 remaining and so only scored 38 points.

Celebrate good times!

Gotta love Cosmo and the Cougarettes! Although, the Cougarettes' outfits were not my favorite.

Player of the Year.

We are the champions!

Cutting down the net.

The introduction movie gets you so excited.

One of the best parts of the game was the student section's flash mob dance. I wish someone would have thought of this when I was I student. It totally beats Kansas's. Love Cosmo in the bottom right corner.

Go Cougars! Good luck in the MWC Tournament and, hopefully, NCAA Tournament!

Joshua Radin

2011-03-05T10:31:00.003-07:00

Ladies and I went to the Joshua Radin concert.

We had dinner at Rio Grande. Yum.

Mr. Joshua was so cute and good. Love him.

We were parched after the show. Nothing hits the spot like 32 oz of Sprite.