9/30/08

The Last Day of September; The End of an Era


It is crazy. In with sheepdogs and out with not much to say. September seems to have gone pretty fast and what do you have to show for it? Were you more open seeing the theme of the month happened to be The Month of Openness? Yeah, me either. I just quickly scrolled through all my posts from the month. It was a pretty fine month, if you ask me.

Highlights? Yes, we had some. Here are a few: 1. Sheepdogs. Really no other words are needed for that 2. A few BBQs, including burgers to celebrate the start of the new season of The Office. Fantastic. 3. Three hikes in the wonderful Utah mountains. Man I like to hike! I also got to go with awesome friends all three times. I am so lucky. 4. A few softball games. I am lucky to still be playing. 5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I have been craving them so much. Today, I thought about eating one, but then didn't feel like it. 6. The discovery of Soy Butter, an amazing alternative to peanut butter for those allergic to peanuts. I still need to bake cookies with it. 7. The Packers moving on without Brett Farve. Seemed to be fine the first two games. The last two games not so much. Rebuilding is hard business. 8. A new Alice going to bed before eleven and waking up at six. It is a good thing for me. Seems like it is becoming a part of me finally as I fall asleep on my couch at ten each night. 9. The death of tens of spiders(one tonight even). I think spiders in the house is my least favorite thing about Fall. Good thing Fall is so awesome in so many other ways to make up for the whole spider epidemic. 10. Bike rides. I have been riding the bike to school pretty much everyday. I also have been able to ride in the canyon and along the river trail to Utah Lake. Tonight I got to ride with my friend Anjai in Provo Canyon. It is beautiful in there right now. It was much better than the ride we had earlier when it was pitch black. So many bugs in my eyes and nose, yuck! 11. The Office one dollar goodies. So very good! 12. A wonderful two weekend with The Bills Family. Hurricane was an adventure and Kelsey was so very beautiful on her wedding day. 13. Many pranks on K from my own office. Man, that sure made going to work worth it everyday. I need to find something to do to make me motivated to be there. I have lost the motivation. 14. The bean bag chair is sold. That is the end an era. The first piece of furniture I ever bought for myself is now with a cute family in their new attic movie theatre. Luckies. The money is going into the Ipod Touch fund. No more wii fund. I thought I would use the Ipod more. Maybe one day I will get the wii. Who knows?

Well, I hope as you reflect you will have enjoyed a fabulous September. I hope you have woken up now that September has ended. That is a famous song by Greenday. I am always random. Cheers!

9/29/08

The World is in Order again Thanks to New TV!

Photo found at: http://www.insidebuymore.com/

Tonight was the season premiere of Chuck. This is a silly show because it takes something pretty serious, a guy having all the country's secrets in his brain, and makes fun of it. It is basically a spy comedy. I love it. The first episode of the season was very good. Seems like it will be a good season! Secretly, I have a crush on Chuck. He is a dreamboat!

I think I watch too much TV, but it makes me happy.

Today I: 1. Woke up 2. Read scriptures 3. Ate breakfast, while watching Sportscenter 4. Went to work 5. Rode bike to Utah Lake 6. Had yet another home visit with a student and his mom 7. Graded some papers and lifted weights 8. Rode bike home 9. Made spaghetti 10. Watched Chuck and ate 11. Talked on phone with Marla for an hour 12. Cruised the Internet 13. Now I will sleep.

It is too late. I had a hard time going to bed because I was not done with me time free time! Bummer. Six will come fast! Night!

9/28/08

Weddings and Weirdness

I don't know why I put weirdness in the subject of this post. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I ran into an "Ex-boyfriend" while at the reception of my wee littlest adopted sister. That was weird. I don't want to fully go into why it threw me for a loop but he happened to be somebody I thought I could marry, but instead he got so scared that he ran away. Anyway, it was like a sliding door experience(if you have seen the movie Sliding Doors you will follow this a little easier, if not sorry) because I was thinking a lot about wanting to be married(weddings do that for me) and how he technically, if things had worked out, would have been at this reception with me and there he was in the same building on the same day but in different circumstances. So very weird.

The wedding was awesome. Kelsey was so pretty. I don't have any pictures of my own, which makes me sad, because I forgot my camera. Luckily, there were lots of people who took pictures and will send me some of theirs. The reception was at Rodizzio Grill and it was fabulous. Lots and lots of different meats brought right to me by handsome men was the highlight. This type of restaurant usually has a salad bar and then you get to try all sorts of meats as said men come by your table with meat on a stick and cut it off for you. It was awesome.

After the wedding stuff, that was done by about 5:30, we went bowling with all the family(except Kelsey, she was busy with other stuff). It was so fun to bowl with the little kids. They had a blast. It was a busy and fun day. We were all exhausted by ten!

Well, not much else here. Sorry I have been a slacker lately about blogging. Fun to have three new posts in a row to read though, eh? Don't miss all the other fun posts. I added the pranks I played at work this week as well as six quirks about me that I was tagged to do by a friend on another blog! Thanks for checking in. Enjoy your stay as always!

K with phone in ceiling

Pranks inspired by The Office



photo credits:
1. Water cooler in The Office: www.whatsthescuttlebutt.com
2. Pencils on desk in The Office: http://theoffice.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot
3. Phone in Ceiling in The Office: www.ew.com/ew/gallery/ 0,,20190268_15,00.html
4. Meredith with Rabies on The Office: www.bestweekever.tv/.../09/MEREDITH%20RABIES.jpg

This week in celebration of the season premiere of The Office I played some tricks on a co-worker who shares the love of this fab TV show. Each day prior to the premiere, I did something different to her office. The first day, I put one of our water coolers next to her desk. I was sad that she moved it before I was able to get a picture of it. Tuesday, I put my phone in the ceiling of her office. Actually, one of my fellow co-workers helped me put it up. It was hilarious because by 9 am she was sick of the "Rockin Robin" ringtone that she came and got me to get it down for her. Wednesday I put pencils around the edge of her desk. I also did this to another co-worker because he was in on the prank from last week where they had my kids only say bears, bats or Battlestar Galactica. Thursday, the day of the premiere, I hung a plastic bat from her ceiling. I almost got caught hanging it too because she came to work early that day. Weirdo. This was very fun and the season premiere did not disappoint. It was so very good. I love that show and I really loved playing pranks on K. It made me want to be at school everyday. I don't know what work has to be hard sometimes!

Six Quirks about Alice!

I was tagged in a friends blog to list six quirks about myself and then tag six other people. I will tag six before I forget: Morgan, Erin, Sarah, Andi, Anne, Kent, Caleb, Josh, and Megan. I did more than six. Get over it. Hee hee! This is kinda being hard for me right now and I don't know why. I know that I really have quirks.

1. I usually have a hat on my head.
2. I do not enjoy wearing make-up. Usually this is because I am lazy and hate to put it on.
3. I am a law follower. I get very afraid when anybody wants me to join them in any rule breaking. I do not know where this comes from. It also is not enough for me to be following the rule. I also think that people who are not following the rules should be punished for it! I do not know how I became such a non-risk taker.
4. I always have stains on my clothes. Recently, I took a trip to Kohl's and noticed I had about seven stains on my shirt. I couldn't believe my close friends let me go into public dressed that way!
5. I "cross" home plate with my bat every time I go up to bat in softball. I have been doing this for years. Some may call this sacrilegious, I call it superstitious. I do not know why I started doing it, but I do!
6. I alphabetize my DVDs. It bugs me when they are out of order! One of the few OCD quirks I have.

9/23/08

Hiking



Wow. Three posts in one day. Be sure you get read all of them.

I got to go hiking last night. It was gorgeous. Fall is definitely here. It was such a fun hike, even if I thought I might freeze to death because I was wearing shorts. Luckily, I warmed up as I hiked. I went with some friends and they are nice. I do have to say that picture of them hiking in front of me is one of my favorites. I love to take pictures of people when they don't know I am.

We got to the falls just before the sun was done shining. Luckily, one of my friends had brought two flashlights or we may still be on the mountain. I have not hiked in the dark in a very long time. It is an adventure and I am glad none of us tripped or fell off the mountain. I would rather hike in light but it was fun a ton of fun to be with friends and enjoy the fall leaves!

More Pics from Hurricane!



Not all of you know but I have two families. I have a wonderful family in Wisconsin, who have put up with me all my life. I also am lucky enough to have a family here in Utah, who has adopted me the past 13 years(we met in Wisconsin). I spent the weekend with The Bills this past weekend. These are pictures from the fun. Many of the pictures come from a hike my Utah Dad took us on Saturday(one of my favorite thing about Utah Dad is that he always is looking for adventures to take the family on!). There was this really cool and short canyon just up the road from where we were staying. It was a fun little hike. Caleb was weird but that is what he does best. I cannot believe that Caleb is a Senior in High School this year. He was three when I met him!

Hurricane, Utah

I am pretty sure there has never been a Hurricane in Utah.  Maybe that is why they pronounce the name of the city, Hurikin.  Weird.  When Isaac showed up Caleb told him that Hurricane Ike had just arrived.  Funny!

I was with the Bills family this past weekend in Hurricane.  The youngest girl is getting married next week and went through the temple in St. George on Saturday.  It was fun to have time with all the family.  (Josh wasn't there and was greatly missed)  It was craziness when all of us were in a two bedroom house.  There were a total of 14 people sleeping in that house on Saturday.  Talk about a party.  I got to eat In and Out burger.  Love that place.  The weekend went way too fast!

Yesterday I hiked.  I will blog about that later today.  Just wanted there to be a new post.  (sorry it is short and not descriptive.  I am tired)

Caleb was the funniest.  He wore a Hawaiian shirt he found in the closet(we stayed at friends' of the Bills second home.).  We finished off the outfit with a wonderful straw hat.  He truly was on vacation(if he were 60).  Funny.  (pictures to come!!!)

Must go work now. 

p.s.  Seester, you are creative!  Thanks for posting!

9/19/08

Pranks





As you know, I am a huge The Office TV show fan. Well, there are a lot of others at work as well. One of our counselors put the letter seen above on my desk a few days ago. During one episode, Jim sends Dwight a fax warning him of impending danger. Hilarious. During my 4th hour, the kids would only say the words: "Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica." I knew what was going on pretty early and it was very funny. I liked that little prank.

They also tied up a co-worker and then flung him into my classroom. The video is of that. I wish they had taped me, but you take what you can get sometimes.

I am glad the week is over. I will be heading down to St. George with the Bills in a bit. Youngest sister is going through the temple tomorrow and getting married next weekend. I am in for a few busy weekends!

9/18/08

Thank Heavens Now There Will Be Two Half Days.



Yesterday was a hard day. I am really having a hard time loving all the kids in my Leadership Class. One of the kids, in particular, is driving me crazy. Here are two quotes from him in the past two weeks:

1. "If one more person says anything about me, I am going to go Columbine on this place." When confronted about this, he then claimed that he had no idea what Columbine was beside a school in Colorado. He claims to have no clue that a huge killing spree happened at that school. Idiot.

2. "One of my friends promised me that, if my girlfriend gives me one more problem, he will throw battery acid on her face." Nice. Anybody hear the echoes of a psychopath here?

Today and tomorrow are half days. We are being comped for giving our time to home visits. It will be nice. I hope I will survive the hour with my Leadership Class today though! Let's keep our fingers crossed!

The Indian food was one of the few things that went right yesterday. It was an oasis to have it for lunch!

9/17/08

The Office Goodies!


Some people may think I am weird; that is okay with me.  Last night, I drove up to Salt Lake in order to check out the dollar bins at Target because they had the chance of having The Office goodies.  I had checked the Target in Orem, Utah and they did not have any of said goodies.  This explains the rash trip to Salt Lake, where they actually have five Targets.  My friend and I set off after having wonderful Indian food(you may here about this in the next post).   We decided to hit the one that I figured I could get us to the most easily.  In happened to also be the closest to Provo as well, the Sandy Target.  I was actually quite surprised to find out that the first store we stopped at had a plethora of Office stuff!  I was like a kid in a candy store and got about 20 dollars worth of dollar goods.  I, at first, had gone overboard and had over thirty dollars worth of stuff in my cart, but my friend helped me narrow down my finds. 

 

This story is great and all but really it made me so happy to find these cheap treasures.  It was like an adrenaline rush.  Crazy!  Don't worry the things are not only for me.  I do plan on giving most of it away(In fact, I have made three co-workers days by giving them presents!). I am excited to have my own sticky notes and notepads.  Great stuff.  So happy. 

 

Those are the highlights of Tuesday 

9/16/08

Spiders!


I hate spiders.  Just thought you should know.  I have been killing at least one per day lately and I am sick of it.  I have heard about these electric repellant things and have thought about getting them.  Anybody every use these?  If so, did they work?  What kind works better?  I seriously need to get some.  Any help would be appreciated!

I hope you are all having wonderful weeks.  So far, so good here!  No exciting stories, yet.  

Later.
A

9/14/08

I felt like chicken last night...



I haven't blogged lately. I apologize to all of you that have been waiting on pins and needles to hear what happened in my meeting on Friday. Well, here is what happened. I came, I saw, and I kicked some butt. It went well. My mother was right; I always get nervous and think I will do horrible and don't plan until the night before and then do fabulously by flying by the seat of my pants. I am just glad for it to be over.

I hope you are loving the picture of the chicken. I grilled that all for myself. I was thinking about that earlier and I kinda felt lame because that is a lot of chicken and I should have found somebody to share it with! I didn't do much interacting with people yesterday, although I did spend an hour with my friend Mel, her husband and her baby. That was nice. The rest of the day was spent in front of my TV either napping or watching football or silly movies. That was kinda weird seeing it was a nice day. I should have gotten out and done something. I was really tired though for some reason. I think it might have had to do with not sleeping much Thursday night. Catch up maybe?

I feel kinda bored lately too. Why is that? When I don't have school, I just don't know what to do with myself. Weird. Silly thing about this boredness is that when I am busy and have a lot to do, I just want to be at my apartment doing nothing. Funny.

That was good chicken by the way. Yummy. I had corn and rice with it. Fabulous.

I really don't have much to type about so I feel like I am rambling. I think I do that a lot so it probably seems normal to you. I did get my windshield replaced yesterday. No big crack on the windshield now. It is weird to drive it and not have the crack. Weird.

I got my plane ticket to travel home for Christmas. That makes me happy inside. I cannot believe that is only about three months away. Time goes fast. It is already the middle of September. Weird.

Okay, friends. I am out. I am thinking of writing an article to replace the one that is on Sports Illustrated this week. Brett Farve was on the cover. Funny thing was that there was absolutely no mention of Aaron Rodgers and his fabulous game in the entire magazine. It kinda made me mad. Weird. Anyway, if I get the energy to write it, I will post it on here! Hasta.

9/11/08

Hi.

Guess what?  I am writing this right from my desk at my office at 7:30 in the morning.  I have been up for an hour and a half already.  I have been waking up going to bed early.  It actually has made a difference in my life.  I feel more awake during the day and can remember things easier.  Weird.  I also have been more hungry which means my metabolism is working better.  I like that. 

I am the world's biggest procrastinator.  I have to present at a meeting tomorrow morning and I really have no clue what I am doing.  Why do I wait until the last minute?  My mother told me yesterday that it is just how I work.  She remembers me always writing term papers really late while in college the night before they were due and they always turned out well.  She also said that the knows I am the kind of person that just has to jump into things and kind of wing it.  I guess she is right and yipee for moms, but I really get nervous because of the way I am!  Don't tell my boss.  :)

Well, I am off to work.  I hiked Rock Canyon again last night and it was so gorgeous to see the sun setting from up there last night.  I wish I had had my camera because the camera on my phone did the sunset no justice.  In your mind, imagine pinks, purples and oranges mixed together on a canvas of fluffy clouds above the mountains to the West and above Utah Lake.  Ah.  It was fabulous!

9/9/08

Tired Tuesday.

Well, Tuesday wasn't that tired, I am just tired now. I have gotten up at 6 a.m. the past two days on purpose. Sure, most people really do wake up at 6, but for me that is early. I usually sleep until about 6:50. It has been hard but worth it. It seems like I am actually a little more awake during the day. I have learned though that I am pretty much non-coherent the first half hour I am awake. It is werid.

I am dreading Friday. I have to present in our Teacher Quality(TQ) day. We are reading a book about Professional Learning Communities and I get to present the second chapter. I have a hard time with "education" books. They are boring and not fun. It is going to be hard to come up with 60 minutes worth of stuff to talk about. I think I can do it though! (Or my usual philosophy, "fake it 'til you make it!")

I got a package from my softball coach this week and I thought I would share a bit of it with you. First, a team photo, then a few pictures of our 2nd place trophy. It was funny when I opened the package during lunch yesterday and as I pulled out the trophy, someone in the room said: "Is that a man on your trophy?" It is not a man but I figure it is just going along the stereotype that all women who play softball are homosexuals. I also was not impressed by the size of the hips because they looked a little big to me. It is another stereotype, all girls who play softball are also fat!




Funny.

Well, that is it for me. Off to sleepiness. Record I know: in bed by ten...weird.

9/8/08

Brett Who?


Picture found at: http://www.packersyearbook.com/aaronrodgers.php

Wow. The Green Bay Packers had a great game tonight. I was very worried about the new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. After watching the game however, I am very impressed with the new leader of the Pack! What a great game he had. Rodgers went 18 of 22 passing and threw for 178 Yards, with one touchdown. He also did a quarterback sneak to score once during the game. I think Aaron will be a great new leader for the team and will lead the next generation of Packers. Sorry to those of you who really do not care about The Packers. I will switch subjects now.


Here is one of my new favorite things. I am allergic to peanuts, but guess what? They actually make an imitation peanut butter made out of soybeans. It is fabulous and actually tastes like the real thing. That is one exciting thing for somebody who happens to love peanuts and peanut butter. I can actually have peanut butter toast without having to make a trip to the hospital. Thanks to Janette for knowing about it and buying some for me. I am so happy!

Today was good. Taught and then watched part of the game. I then went and subbed on a friends softball team and we actually won in the last inning with a rally. (It is nice to win; my own team loses most Thursdays.) Then I came home and finished watching the game via DVR.

Now I am procrastinating actually reading for the presentation I have on Friday. I do not want to do it. SIGH. Life is hard sometimes.

Well, I am off to read.

9/7/08

Weekend Wonders!


I like alliteration, if you didn't know! Welcome to the blog. I hope you enjoy your stay. Enjoy Carrie Underwood singing "So Small" for the next few days. I added it to my slide show because I love that song and what it says!

I got to go hiking yesterday with my friend, Christine, and her son, Aidan. It was awesome. Aidan is such a funny kid. I had just pointed out a little lizard to him when he saw a squirrel cross the path and said: "Did you see that huge gecko?" It was hilarious. We hiked and ate a lunch. We also got to learn a bit about climbing because Aidan was fascinated by a few girls who were climbing. It was weird because, for the first time, I thought to myself : "Maybe I would enjoy climbing." Weird. I am usually so chicken. My favorite picture of the day is that of Aidan and the sign. It pretty much says it all. I guess Aidan had woken up that morning, farted, and then told his mom to get ready because I was coming over. Funny kid. Christine's sunflowers were also impressive. So pretty!

I have decided that it is my job to be a good aunt to all kids. I don't have any of my own and I love kids so I think I should concentrate on hanging out with more kids. Not in a weird way either. Aidan reminded me of how much I love interacting with the young ones.

I also grilled some scrumptious steak last night. I even made real mashed potatoes. It was delicious. Librarian came over and partook with me. She is nice. We also went for a walk. I have great friends.

Friday, I spent some time with an old friend and it was awesome. I have missed her and her crazy cat, Nacho! We also played the Wii but it was funny because by the end of the night we were not even getting up to bowl or play. Chair bowling on the Wii is hilarious. I am going to buy a Wii this year. I thought you should know. One of my friends thinks that is silly. She is rich and thinks I am poor and should have absolutely no fun and only pay off debts. Weirdo.

Well, that is it for the weekend. Now, I am just chilling. Need to phone home still and eat dinner. Thrilling.

9/4/08

Openness

September is The Month of Openness. One of my friends always has a theme for the month. I love it. So far, I have not been doing a good job with being open and have only been good at being bitter. Maybe this will be an open post. I actually really like the idea of lists these days too so I think today will be an openness list. So here is some honesty:

1. I got hit in the nose in the head with a frisbee today. I was mad at myself for having head rage and yelling at the kid who threw it because he is one of the littlest and sweets kids I have.
2. I yelled at a kid today because he is just mean, mean, mean. The sad thing about that is that the only way he will react and listen to me is if I am loud and mean toward him. I think I really need to get into this one's head. Meaning that even though I really want to be mean to him, I really just need to be the nicest person I can be to him.
3. I am tired to losing at softball. My team is not very good and I am having a hard time just having fun playing. I am even wishing I would be on a different team, which is silly because I love the people on my team. They are wonderful human beings. A few of them are not good softball players. I am just saying. I still love them.
4. I am having a hard time deciding what I am wanting to do with the rest of my life. Sometimes I love my job so much that I think I could do it forever. Sometimes, like after boys PE today, I sit down and say: "What the hell am I doing? This is crazy. There has to be something else I could do that would be easier!" I realize though that nothing is every easy and I have it really, really good. (sorry about the "hell" use. It added emphasis.)
5. I am very frustrated that I have to call my flex spending people again this year to have them re-send my card. They spelled my name completely wrong. It is crazy because I am sure I do not misspell my name when I fill out the paper work.
6. I need to clean my house but I never want to.
7. I am easily irritated by children being loud near my house.
8. I have lost six pounds since school started thanks to riding my bike to school. I am very proud of this.
9. Politics make me sick and I have no clue who to vote for. I feel like this is the second election in a row where I don't have great choices for leaders. That makes me sad. What is wrong with our world?
10. I have a hard time getting myself to bed. I really value my free time and hate to see it end. So, I stay up much too late and then have hard times with students. What a weirdo. But sometimes when I go to bed earlier, I sleep too much and am then tired. Weird.

Well that is the openness for today. I am, of course, interpreting openness to mean honesty, when really it is all about being open for new possibilities, especially in dating. I think I am pretty open seeing I will pretty much say yes to any guy these days. SIGH.

Happy Friday!

9/3/08

List of things Alice did today!

1. Woke up at 6:40 a.m.
2. Showered
3. Rode bike to work
4. Taught kids
5. Ate soup for lunch
6. Rode bike to Utah Lake
7. Went to softball "practice"
8. Did laundry
9. Ate grilled cheese for dinner
10. Watched The Office with Janette
11. Showered again
12. Checked email 100 times
13. Got tired
14. Blogged

and for my next trick. Sleeping. Good Day!

9/2/08

It is Practically Mid-Week. Hot Diggity Dog!

Hi. It is 10 p.m. I am not new to this blogging. I have been blogging for about two years. Well, actually I take breaks every once in a while. I think my fingers would get tired if I were to blog continuously.

I am tired. I just graded a million papers. I think I should get paid per paper, don't you think?

I rode my bike in the canyon today. It was fun.

Did I mention that I got sunburned yesterday? Yeah and it rained most of the day. Who would think you would need sunscreen when it is cold and damp? I also got stung by a bee. Thank heavens I am not allergic to bees like I am peanuts. The sting was right on the palm of my hand. What an annoying place.

Have I mentioned I like my new couch? It is comfy. I am sitting on it right this minute. I will not be sitting on it in ten minutes because I will be lying in my bed. I don't like the bed nearly as much as the couch, but it will do pig!

The Office Season Four came out on DVD today. I really want to buy it. If I were to have the money to buy it, I would buy the one that comes with a t-shirt and a Q&A with the cast. I am a little obsessed with The Office. I even read a website/blog about the show everyday. If you want to be obsessed it is at officetally.com

Well, I think the randomness is now out of my mind and the tiredness is setting in strong. I am off to sleep. I hope you are having a nice moment wherever you may be!

9/1/08

Sheepdog Championships at Soldier Hollow



It has been a great three day weekend. I am tired because I was so busy this weekend. I should go to bed right after this. It is actually pretty early for me to be blogging. 9:30.

Today was awesome. I got to go watch sheepdogs at work in Midway, Utah. Besides a couple of storm cells rolling through and making me frozen and wet, it was a fun day. I really love to watch these cute dogs run around and herd sheep. It is an amazing spectacle. The food is also amazing. I got to eat a lamb brat. Yum. Not only did i get to see sheep herded, but I also got to eat one. Yipee! I am glad to be a carnivore!

I am not very descriptive. Tired, tired, tired. I am now going to bed. Night!