12/30/09

Wausau Fun!


Me Pre-Sledding

Marla Pre-Sledding

Marla Sledding

Me Sledding

Jeanette and the fabulous pie she served us!

Jeanette's Tree

Here are some pictures of the Wausau adventures. I had a blast hanging out with friends.

Marla and I had a blast just playing for two days. Thanks Marla...so glad you took off work to play. I am thinking Spring Break could be a blast!!! :)

12/29/09

Quick Post!

I have been in Wausau the past two days. This is the city of my nativity.

Last night, I met some friends for dinner and then headed over to my friend, Jeanette's, house for games and pie. It was way fun.

Marla and I stayed up late last night talking. It is sometimes nice to be up 'til four in the morning. I slept until noon. Marla woke up at two thirty. We had a late breakfast at four this afternoon! We then went sledding and relived our childhood. It was a blast.

It is nice to just hang out and chill(literally...it is Wisconsin after all!).

Pictures to come soon!

12/25/09

"And laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in an inn."

Have you ever noticed that often the best conversations happen in a car. I had this conversation with my nephew, Elijah, yesterday.

E: Auntie, how did Christmas ever become just all about the presents?
Alice: You have noticed that too, huh?
E: Yeah, it seems like people just rush around worrying about buying stuff for people. It is like we have lost the Christ in Christmas!
Alice: I know. Have you noticed that some people even put an 'X' instead of Christ in Christmas.
E: They do?
Alice: Yeah, it is almost like they are even showing how they have taken him out of the holiday when they write it!
E: How did presents even become a part of Christmas?
Alice: (answering with a question) What did the wisemen bring to Jesus?
E: Presents.
Alice: Yep. And the tradition of giving presents comes from that. We give presents to show our love for those close to us. Unfortunately, people have gotten carried away and the commercialism has taken over and we have forgotten the reason for the season!
E: I think that is sad.

And really it is sad. The title of this post comes from Luke 2:7. Jesus' parents knew of their son's divinity, yet it wasn't possible to have Jesus in a proper place, like a mansion. A lowly manger had to do. Most people, who were living at this time, probably experienced the birth of Jesus Christ like any other day. They didn't know the importance of that day! There was no room in the inn for him. I notice, in our day, our hearts have become like that inn. There seems to be no room in our hearts for Christ. We have room for the big dinner and the big pomp for the gift openings, but we forget the babe who changed the world.

I hope you all had a great Christmas full of friends, family, warmth and light! I also hope you had the chance to slow down and remember the reason for the season and didn't only celebrate Xmas! This day is divine and so significant to my life. I know of the divinity of Jesus Christ. I know that he came to earth with a mission to help us draw closer to our Heavenly Father and that he was a true example of how we should live our lives. He lived his life loving and caring for people. He also showed that love through the greatest sacrifice, dying for us! I know he is my savior and that he makes it possible for me to make it back to my Heavenly Father. He lives!! How great it is to be reminded of his birth. I am in awe of the miracle that this even was and I am so thankful for it. May we all be filled with his light and may we all carry that light to those around us. Merry Christmas to you all!!!

P.S. Check out this post my adopted sister wrote about Mary. It is amazing and makes me think and cry: http://ingfamily.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-bells-are-ringing.html

12/24/09

Happy Christmas Eve!



I could not pass the opportunity of buying my nephewpuppy a duck for Christmas. Divot has been my friend since he got here. I guess sneaking him snacks and taking him for a walk makes us easy friends. If only real live friends were this easy to make! I will give you snacks and I do love walks...come on people! I saw this duck while shopping with Marla in Wausau, but talked myself out of it. When I went to the store with nephew, Elijah, today I could not walk away from it. I just loved it so much...it actually quacks. So fun. Divot was a very happy puppy after recieving it.

We all joined my mother at her church for the Christmas meeting today. It was very pleasant! We then came home and had a great dinner and opened presents. My mother over bought for me this year! I got some great goods that I am sure you will hear all about when I make some list of all the things I am thankful for. They are fantastic. One of the things is this awesome winter hat with ear flaps. How does my mother know that I was looking for a hat with flaps. She has mother E.S.P!

It was a great day with family. I am surrounded by love and warmth. I have so much to be thankful for! :) Enjoy the fun video of Divot and the pics of the family. We are awesome!(And very humble too!)

12/23/09

Alice's 12 Days of Christmas





You all know the fun song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," here are the things that would be included in my Twelve Days of Christmas:

12 Family members and friends gathered.
11 days of sleeping in.
10 trips up and down the stairs to try and figure out how to get my dad's present working.
9 different restaurants to eat in.
8 pictures of the different foods I ate
7 times driving my seester's VW Beetle
6 people to have buy presents
5 walks with Divot(Andi's(seester)dog)
4 trips to Wausau to visit friends
3 handfuls of chocolate covered pecans
2 new "date" shirts
1 Merry Christmas

I had a hard time writing that list. I hope it was good enough to be enjoyed by you. I hope you are ready for the holiday. My shopping is done but not all the wrapping. We WILL have a white Christmas. It is supposed to snow tomorrow!

Have I mentioned that I hate coats? I miss running around Provo in my sweatshirt. I do have to admit that the pink coat is quite stunning and I am very thankful I brought it because it is COLD!

Those pics are of me and Marla out on the town the other night. It was nostalgic to go back to Sam's Pizza. I love that place. I was a waitress there for about four years. The garlic bread pic will have to suffice because I can't get my phone to send the pizza one. The other pics are from Finnegan's, a popular ice cream place in Wausau. YUM!

Today, I just hung out with the family. My sister is here with my niece, Rebecca. It is fun to have bonding time with them. Oh, Divot, their dog is also here. He is my pal. We went on a great walk today. It was cold but fun. He makes me want to get a dog!

We also met some friends for dinner. It was Taco's at Pat's Tavern. Unfortunately, okay fortunately, we were unable to eat on the patio. Man, those summer memories are still fresh and are missed as well. This place is entirely different in the winter. My fishing buddy, Don, came to eat with us. He is still as hilarious as always. He wanted me to go paint the town red with him, but I didn't have the energy. Funny how the 32 year old doesn't have the energy and the seventy something year old does.

Weird that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Crazy. Enjoy!

12/21/09

False Advertising.

This post may have a lot to do with push up bras, just to warn you!

My dating dilemma these days is the debate that goes on in my head about how much I should really get "gussied" up and how much I should just be myself. For those of you who don't know me well(I am pretty famous in the blog world so there may be readers who haven't met me but read this fab blog. Btw that was laced with sarcasm!). My typical wardrobe consists of jeans, a t-shirt, tennis shoes and a baseball cap. Usually, this is not considered proper dating attire. So, on the leap years when I actually have a date, I go shopping and buy clothes that aren't typically what I wear. Hence, the dilemma in my head. Am I really showing the guy taking me out what he is really getting? Nope. This is false advertising. Companies can get sued for doing this kind of stuff in their advertising. How am I any different? I guess dating is pretty much all about false advertising. You go out and spend lots of money in order to get to "know" somebody and you really won't know them until you've lived with them for a year or so.(and that was not a plug for living with somebody before marrying them. I am totally opposed to that as well!) Dating is false advertising.

When I was shopping for my newest set of dating clothes on a trip to Las Vegas about a month ago, my good friend, Alyssa, thought I should try wearing a push-up bra. I thought she was crazy and the idea was totally out of my comfort zone, but Alyssa has mad convincing skills and before I knew it I was wearing said bra and trying on shirts. I thought Alyssa was going to burst with excitement while she waited to check out my newly formed chest. I found this kind o humorous that one of my friends really wanted to check me out. When I stepped out of the dressing stall, Alyssa was so excited she had to take a picture of me. That is when I mentioned that I totally thought wearing a push-up was totally false advertising. Seriously, he would think I have this amazing bust, but indeed it really isn't that impressive. Alyssa said that all women do it and that guys really don't care that it is false advertising. I was convinced enough to buy one that day and a week later I bought another one. GO me!

The topic of false advertising came up again in conversation at Burger Friday a few days ago, which was about two hours before my second date with Dave. Anyway, I brought up the fact that I was debating about just wearing a t-shirt and how I thought that by dressing up and getting all "gussied" I was guilty of false advertising and somehow the subject again turned to push-up bras.

Me: I really think that all this stuff I do, is false advertising. I wear nicer clothes and do my hair and make up, and wear these new bras! The Alice guys get on dates is totally not the real Alice.
Janette: Just wear a t-shirt and jeans. Be you.
Me: So, I should also not wear my newly acquired push-up bra either?
(short pause)
Me: See, it is a touchy subject. Seriously, what a guys sees when you are wearing one of those is just not what he really gets.
Jeff: Alice, it is all about presentation. If I want a steak, and it comes on a plain white plate with no decor, it is still a good steak. But if that steak happens to come on a colorful plate, with garnish lettuce it looks a lot better and I am more excited about it. It is still the same steak but I am more excited! Presentation is everything!

So there you have it. Presentation is everything and I wore the bra and a dressier t-shirt and a nice necklace and jeans. The jury is still out on whether date three will happen. Some men have thicker onion shells to peel through. It may take five years before I really know what Dave truly is like. Come on Dave, it is all about presentation...you should be selling yourself at this time! :) Good thing Dave doesn't read this blog!

12/19/09

Home Sweet Home....via Las Vegas!

Morgan, Henry and Derek at Raising Canes.
Spencer and I. We're Buds!
Oliver loves cups on his head. Silly Kid!

Home again, Home again! I have arrived in the booming metropolis of Rhinelander, WI. (Home of the World Championship Ice Fishing Contest.) It is nice to be here. My parents warmly welcomed me at the airport long past their own bedtimes. They really do love me, don't they?

I got to see five of my favorite people as I had a three hour layover in Vegas. The Hageys came and picked me up from the airport and took me to Raising Canes(They have the best chicken fingers on the planet!). It was a fun side adventure. I always forget that I am the aunt figure and that whatever I say and do will be copied by these little boys. Today it was putting cold drinks on their bellies and putting that same cold drink on the baby's head. For some reason, Oliver loved it. It was a very short meeting but it was nice to see them for an hour and have lunch with them. Spencer was very sad when I left and promply started crying when we got to the airport and I was getting out of the van. He kept saying:"I miss you, Alice!" It is good to be loved by little people! Thanks Hageys!

It was a long day of traveling. I was on three different planes today and the total travel time was eleven hours. It is worth it to be here in 18 degree weather and 13 inches of snow. It is a pretty place, from the inside of our house! I am not looking forward to hiking to church tomorrow. Ah, the Northwoods.

Well, it is late and I need to sleep. It is good to be home.

Leaving on A Jet Plane....

It is midnight. I have to be up at 7:20 to get ready to drive to SLC and then fly out. I am tired. I should be sleeping but instead, I am packing!

Today was a good day. It was fun to have a play day at school. The highlight was playing some of the girls from our school at basketball. We beat them and that is what matters right? It was fun to just be on the court and playing with them.

After the kids left, we had and all out marshmallow war. One of the teachers gave each of us a decorated piece of pvc pipe and some mini-marshmallows. These are pretty fun marshmallow shooters. We had a blast hitting each other. I am sure the janitor hated us for it but it sure was a fun thing.

We then went to Red Robin for Burger Friday and it was way fun. I work with amazing people and hanging out with them is totally fun! I got a million hugs today and I can just feel the love I had around me and that is awesome!

I saw the movie The Blindside today and it was amazing. Check the movie blog for the review. It may be a day or so until I do the review though!

I must now go to sleep so I can be a happy traveler tomorrow! :) Cheers!

12/17/09

da da da....

I have no clue what that title means but I put it there anyway. I am beyond tired. Today was a busy day!

The students have been so squirrely the last two days and today was the squirreliest. Crazy kids. I still like them though. In two of my classes, we played Guitar Hero. That was awesome.

I think I am too tired to write.

Tomorrow I will have a busy day too. There is no time to pack for my trip home. I will go to work until 12, then go to lunch at Red Robin(we are having Burger Friday early) and then I will go on a date(woot!), and then I probably should head up to Salt Lake but depending on how late it is, I may just stay here and head up there Saturday morning. It is crazy that I will be heading home so soon. The time has really flown by, which means the time will really fly when I get home too. DANG IT!

Well, I better get my beastly self to bed. Laters.

12/16/09

Practically Thursday...

Which means that tomorrow is practically Friday. Fantastic. Dodgeball Friday is spectacular. I am excited to be this close to Christmas Break. Time is flying and I like!

Today I taught. The funniest thing with students happened after school. The student who likes to spray me with her perfume was in the front office and we were talking. I mentioned to her that she should bring Refugee in on Friday because I have a date but then I remembered that I will be playing basketball as part of our fun last day before break and realized I would probably shower before my date. She then said: "That could be funny. You could just put paper bags over your arms." Yeah...I don't think paper bags would keep the good smell on me. Haha. She is silly.

I got my temporary crown put on the tooth that had the root canal. I sure do love spending money on my mouth...NOT!

Janette and I went to the movie All About Steve. It was mediocre. Kinda funny but kinda stupid all at the same time. We then went back to that cool light display. It is wonderful and makes me smile.

When I got home, I worked out. I love playing football on the Playstation 2 and riding my stationary bike. Perfect distraction from thinking I am actually working out. I then played the drums for Guitar Hero World Tour. So fun.

Now I am off to sleep. You have yourself a wonderful little day!

12/15/09

A Pretty Darn Good Day!!!

Yesterday when I blogged, or maybe that was a day ago,( I am in a time warp people, forgive me, GOSH!)I blogged because I was feeling down and wanted a little pick me up and I actually got that pick me up from re-reading what I wrote and realizing that it wasn't being pessimistic at all and that I really do have some superpowers! I am not being conceited either. I am being the opposite of conceited which is nice to myself. You are supposed to be nice to other people so why not be to yourself, eh?

Well, today was a great day. It seemed to whiz right by. That is a good thing in and of itself. The day did start out with a good meeting...yeah really, A GOOD MEETING! The meeting was followed by welcoming students to school. We do this by standing by the door and actually clapping when each student enters the building. It is like cheering them into the building. I love to see their shocked faces and reactions. Most of them think we are really silly but to some of them this is a major highlight of the day. I like to do it because it actually makes me like kids a lot better. Cheering and clapping for somebody makes you love them more I have found. That is one of my favorite quotes btw "Love them more." Kelly Clarkson has a tattoo of that quote on her wrist. I think it is a wise saying. Sometimes you just need to love people more. I think I know way too much about Kelly Clarkson!

The school day was fun. There was chocolate covered everything in the lunch room. Janette is nice and I am glad she has this great love of chocolate because she shares it with us sometimes!!! She made some amazing brownies a few weeks ago. I loved them!

My Health classes are awesome these days. I really do love them and will miss them when I say goodbye to them come the middle of January. Sigh...semester classes are sad at the end. One student even sprayed me with some awesome perfume. It is called Refugee, if you want to buy me some for Christmas.

Then it was our Christmas party for work. It was pretty much awesome. Not only did I get some fantastic free food but I was also entertained. Our amazing Geography teacher sang while playing the guitar and she pretty much has the voice of an angel and is very talented. We also got to see one of our computer teachers clog with his wife. It was way cute and energetic. Santa also came. I sat on his lap and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I thought to myself, while saying "world peace," that I wanted a cute boyfriend. A girl can wish, right? It was fun. I also got to announce the present that everybody got, which is the book "Be the Hero" which is by the Challenge Day people. I also got to announce that Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John Dutra(the authors of "Be the Hero" and the creators of Challenge Day) will actually be in our school in March to facilitate this year's Challenge Day. I am so very exited for this because these two people are two of my favorite people on the planet. They are so good at what they do and show love to everybody they meet. They really are inspiring to me!!!! I am so excited.

Then tonight Shule(one of the English teachers) and I went and looked at Christmas lights...there was an amazing display in Orem. It was awesome. I am going to try to upload a video of it. I hope it works!

12/14/09

A Woman of Many Talents...

Superheroes have many powers. Some have the ability to climb the side of buildings, some have super-human strength, some have the ability to travel through time and some may even have the ability to fly. I can't do any of those things but that doesn't make me any less than super. Just because I am mostly human does not take away from my worth or ability. Here is a list of what Alice does well(I hope you can appreciate the list):

1. Alice has an amazing ability to sense when people are not themselves. She can also usually make said people feel better, if given the chance.
2. Alice has an amazing amount of sensitivity. She once thought this was weekeness but has since learned the healing power of tears.
3. Alice has a quick wit about her.
4. Alice loves so hard that sometimes it almost feels as if it could kill her.
5. Alice is quite the Guitar Hero player.
6. Alice has an amazing talent of taking a nap on her couch each night before going to bed.
7. Alice has a great knowledge of weightlifting.
8. Alice can walk and chew gum at the same time.
9. Alice has a great sense of direction.
10. Alice has a pretty sweet pair of bikes.
11. Alice can make friends easily.
12. Alice has mad first date skills.
13. Alice has this amazing calmness about her.
14. Babies love Alice.
15. Alice is surrounded by amazing people daily.
16. Alice touches the future by helping teenagers see their worth.
17. Alice can drive in the snow.
18. Alice can parellel park.
19. Alice can forget stuff easily, helping her forgive quickly.
20. Alice has a huge heart.

Thanks for letting Alice be reminded of the good things about her. It was hard to remember the good things today. Dang lack of sleep and light. Here is to a short winter filled with adventure to help get through it!! Please forgive any misspellings or grammer issues. This post was made via the iPod touch!

12/13/09

Weekend in Review.

1. Watched half of my school's basketball game on Friday.(have I mentioned how much I enjoy watching and not coaching?)
2. Got surprised by a phone call before leaving the game.
3. Ate amazing sushi with good company on Friday.
4. Slept in on Saturday morning.
5. Washed a million dishes.
6. Cleaned the house.
7. Dirtied the house by living in it hours after....SIGH.
8. Played Guitar Hero.
9. Watched TV after brushing off the satellite dish. It snowed a bit this weekend.
10. Woke up (from my nap on the couch)and went to bed at 2:30 last night.
11. Slept in again.
12. Made breakfast....eggs and toast, yum!
13. Went to church.
14. Stayed for linger longer at church. Whoa...haven't been very active in ward activities lately.
15. Came home and watched The Holiday
16. Blogged.
17. Went to bed, excited that there are only five days of school left until Winter Break....yippee.

And now I bid you adieu!

12/10/09

Greetings from Parent Teacher Conferences.

I think I want to write a random blog. Today it is cold. It is currently 6 degrees. Nobody is at Parent Teacher conferences. I have had only 9 parents come in. Is it due to the cold? Maybe they have all gone Christmas shopping? Who knows.

I will eat sushi tomorrow night. I just wanted you all to know. I even called the place to make sure they don't use peanuts while cooking. I think dying on a first date would not be a good first impression.

Do you think rats worry about first impressions? Did you know that for every person that lives in New York City there are about 1,000 rats. I don't think they worry about first impressions because they can dominate at any time. 1,000 to 1 are great odds.

I would bet on Red today, if I were at the roulette table.

Red is a good color for this time of year, thanks to the season. My nose wears that color red lots lately.

My landlord came to my house this morning to tell me to leave my heat at 70 degrees or else. He really didn't threaten me but I do not like when people tell me how to live my life. My friend told me to take attendance for one of my classes and I told her not to tell me how to live my life.

Life is good, isn't?

Well, my creative juices are dwindling. I am way tired. I must now go home in the cold and think about rats and first impressions. I must also not cook with peanuts and enjoy the 6 degree weather. And I will highly enjoy the episode of The Office!

Cheers!

12/9/09

The end of the day comes too quickly sometimes...

I am over tired these days because the end of the day comes much too soon. Like tonight. I was at school for a long period of time and then I did my laundry and then I came home and watched Mercy and now it is well past eleven and I am not in bed.

I am excited that there are only 7 days left of school until break. I fly home a week from Saturday. I am just so excited. I like going home.

I do not remember a whole lot from today. The day kinda flew on by.

I am too tired to blog, so this is all you get and here I go to sleep.

12/7/09

Things that Happened Today...

1. There was much snow on the ground this morning...hence shoveling to my car.
2. Stopped for donut making in parking lot a block away from school.
3. Much teaching.
4. Student making me furious by being mean to another student.
5. Using the experience as a part of my lesson for Leadership Class.
6. Got bullied at lunch about three times by co-workers.
7. Stood up for myself to said bullying.
8. Totally was laughing so hard thanks to sixth hour. They are hilarious. One girl makes me laugh so much because she is constantly saying: "That's what she said!" It is highly inappropriate but also extremely funny. Said student also got chalk up her nose today as she rubbed her nose all over the piece of chalk I put in her face.
9. Much stress driving in the snow to the dentist.
10. Root Canal. Thank goodness for my brain taking me to other places during the process.
11. Scraping off many windows in the parking lot at school.
12. Taking pictures in weight room for my powerpoint for PE tomorrow.
13. Making dinner(spageti and veggies)
14. Enjoying and being nervous all at the same time for the Packer game!
15. Making Powerpoint for PE.
16. Blogging
17. Sleeping

12/6/09

Winter Wonderland!!!

From inside my door.
Looking toward my carport. I am pretty thankful for that little blessing in my life. You can see the old steps to my old apartment. The porch is where I broke my leg a few years ago! What a history I have in this little property!
Looking toward the road.
Fluffyness on the shrubs

I couldn't resist taking these pictures from just outside my front door. The first snow has arrived here in Provo, Utah. I am sure the novelty of snow will wear off in the next few months, but today I am thankful for it and glad to see the snow again. I truly think that without the snow and winter, summer and spring would not be as sweet! There must be opposition in order to enjoy the good and be happy. Hmm....sounds familiar in so many ways.

I just wrote in my journal. Since being a blogger, I have not been a good journal writer. I think that is okay but at the same time there are things I would write in a journal that I would never write on here. For example, you will never hear about the horrific experiences I have had with the dating world. Those thoughts and feelings are just too much for a public sphere. I guess if you really wanted to know all about it, you could call me. I would probably tell you in private! Journals are places where we can write down our most intimate feelings and thoughts; the true core of our souls. I forget sometimes how healing a journal can be. So many times, I have been feeling down at certain times of the year and I go back to my journal and realize that there are natural patterns in my life. Like this time of year, I am usually pretty good and happy and excited because it is so close to a trip home to my kin. But in February and March as winter rolls on, you will see a different Alice. It is good to be able to go back and read how I have been in the past to realize that I am always a survivor even when times are very hard!!! So, I guess what I am saying is that you too should go and buy yourself a little notebook to write in. It is therapeutic. Not that I am saying that you need therapy but I am just letting you know that it can help out in life! I can't tell you how to live though...but I can only encourage.

I am very thankful for my little house today. I am enjoying the warmth as I lounge around. (Lounging is a common theme in my life these days!) I set up my kitchen table to be a little Christmas nook. It is fun to see a little Christmas Tree and some ceramic Santas and a corn cob manger. I do love this time of year!

What else? I don't think there is much...but I want to leave with a little thankful list. I think being thankful helps keep me grounded!

1. My little house
2. Christmas music
3. Christmas decorations
4. A Packer Game on Monday night. It will be nice to be in my pajamas have some fun snacks and watch the game!
5. Prayer. What a gift to be able to communicate with Deity. It clears and brings joy to my soul.
6. Pure white snow. The first snow is always so pretty.
7. Heaters. Glad my house is warm and that my car can be warm later too!
8. Knowing what the real meaning of Christmas is. Having a Savior is an amazing blessing. I am so grateful for his sacrifice to bring peace to my soul!
9. Plane tickets. Less than two weeks and I will be HOME.
10. Awesome Friends. It is good to have a great support group to get through the tough times in life. It is also good to have friends to share in the happy, joyful moments too!!!

That is a good list for today. What are you thankful for? Leave a comment. I know you have a few minutes. Click on the link to comment on the post. It would be nice to hear from you all....I know you come here and read, so why not share with the world what makes you happy and what you are thankful for. I dare you! I double dog dare you!! I triple dog dare you!!! I miss comments.

12/5/09

Flashback Saturday...


I really want to start a weekly tradition of having a flashback day. Basically, that means just putting an old photo on the page and talking about it. This picture is from Spring Break like two years ago. We stopped in Cedar City and hung out with the Bills as they were also going south during that time. It was around Josh's birthday and look how tiny he looks. This was one of many fun nights spent with The Bills! Lots of memories have been made with them.

Today has been one of the laziest days I have had in a long time. I didn't do a whole lot except sit around and watch TV. I did wash some dishes and clean my bathroom but besides that just lounging. I did leave the house once but it was only to go to the grocery store to buy some chocolate. I went in my pajamas that I have been in for more than 24 hours. What a life huh?

I think winter is officially here and that causes some laziness. I need to break out of the bonds of winter one of these days...maybe tomorrow! :)

12/4/09

Bad Blogger

I apologize for being a bad blogger. Bad Alice!

The week has flown by just as time is lately. Not much to report.

Here are things that make me happy right now:
1. Christmas Lights
2. Timer for Christmas lights. I was very glad to have my lights greeting me the other night because I had not seen daylight that day(that is one of many things I hate about winter....the long nights.)
3. Playing Madden 07 while pedaling my exercise bike. It is like I am not even exercising.

I was at a conference today for school. It is a way cool program that I hope to implement in my Leadership Classes. I get to go again tomorrow. It was nice of my principal to send me there, even if on short notice. I have liked not being at class. Don't tell anybody, it is a secret.

I must go sleep. It is much too late.

11/29/09

Thanksgiving was good....now looking forward to Christmas!







I love this time of year. I really love Thanksgiving and I feel it is a very important holiday that sometimes gets lost because of the greatness of Christmas. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, but I also think Thanksgiving gets a bad break, so I always wait until the day after Thanksgiving to get excited about Christmas. No Christmas decor or music until the day after Thanksgiving. I am very excited about holiday music and decor now, though. Only 20 days until I get on a plane to fly home and really that is what is going to keep me going the next three weeks. I am so excited to see my mother and family and to just chill with them. Mom, be prepared to watch some movies and play some trivia.

The holiday was good. I was able to see The Utah Jazz lose in basketball, but still I was at a pro game, right? That is all that matters. I was able to babysit a very cute baby on Wednesday. Thursday, I was able to both watch the Packers play and peel potatoes...all at the same time. I also was able to eat some wonderful food and spend time with my other family. I sure do love them. Friday, I got to see New Moon and spend even more time with the fam. Saturday, I went up and was able to attend a temple session with The Bills as Caleb received his endowments for the first time. We then went to Red Robin afterward. Yummy!

Today was a chill day as I just want to church. I actually was only out of my pajamas for those three hours today. That is my kind of day! I have been busy tonight watching football and writing my novel. Good times!

So, there you have it. You are officially updated.

11/23/09

Hmmmm......TURKEYS

I like that tomorrow is the last day that I have to teach this week. It is going to be very, very, very nice to have a few days off. I plan on doing some major sleeping and eating. That is what Thanksgiving is all about right? I told my students today that I would not miss them because hanging out with a turkey would pretty much be like hanging out with them, the turkeys that they are!

Life is good. Gave a good lesson on Sunday. It is actually nice to be done with it. I hate the whole being nervous in preparing. The talk was by President Monson and it is spectacular. Click on Monson(it will be in green) to read the talk. You will enjoy it. Mom....read it!

What else. Hmmm. It snowed yesterday. It was pretty coming down but then I started to think about how I don't really like snow and winter. I think I need to buy some full spectrum light bulbs this winter!

I have been eating a lot of chocolate lately. I like it. I had some nice pizza tonight from Papa John's. YUMMY. I am going to have In-N-Out burger for lunch tomorrow. One of the teachers at school has prep the hour before lunch and he was totally okay with going to get it for us tomorrow. That makes me excited. Funny how food really makes me happy these days!

Here are a few things that I am thankful for today:
1. Friends who are so supportive of me.
2. Good talks with co-workers after school.
3. Visiting Teachers who come and visit me and who are hilarious.
4. Pizza and Fresca
5. Music
6. Sleep. (I better go get some!)

11/20/09

I remembered

A student reminded me of the second funny that happened in Health yesterday. While I was talking to the students, one said: "hey, did you know if you tilt your head to the side it makes the room bigger?" That as funny all by itself but to see the whole class then proceed to put their heads sideways was priceless!

11/19/09

Funniness at School

There were two funny things that happened today at school but I can only remember this one. We are talking about violence and I had them do a little activity with the statistics of rape, assault and murder. While talking about the rape statistics, I lectured the boys a little bit about how a girl's no really means no. I told them that even if you have kissed them before and they say no to kissing now, that meant no. I also told them that applies to sex as well. Then I also said that women can even be raped by their husbands, if their husband forces himself on his wife and she is not consenting. Unfortunately, I used too much of their own slang and said this: "Even if you have put a ring on her finger, it doesn't mean you get to tap that whenever you want." A little too Beyonce? Yes! One girl in class had just taken a sip of juice when I said this and she started to choke to death. I couldn't help but laughing. It was hilarious. Maybe you had to be there.

Not much else from today. I did play some "Goodminton" with two of my co-workers after work. They only beat me one game and I was playing alone and they were playing doubles. I am a fantastic badminton player.

One of my students had to have me as a partner in badminton yesterday and before we started playing he looked at me and said: "But are you good, Alice?" I responded by saying: "I guess you will see when we play." We were a pretty good team and only one other team beat us. After class my teammate came up to me and humbly said: "You really ARE good, Alice!" It was a nice compliment.

Got to go to the temple tonight. I love how it is such a peaceful place and that I can get out of the chaos of the world for an hour or so when I go to do a session. Great stuff!

Well, I am very glad it is Friday tomorrow. I am excited to sleep in on Saturday.

Cheers!

11/18/09

A Lesson on Caffeine!

One of my students is brilliant. He found 15 dollars in some parking lot and decided it would be a good idea to spend 13 of it in a coffee shop before heading to school this morning. Here is a conversation we had in class:

Student: So, how much caffeine do you think I have had today? I had that iced coffee with three shots of espresso in it and I had some of those chocolate covered coffee beans.
Me: How many coffee beans did you have?
Student: I had that whole bag and now there are only like ten left.
Me: I bet about five of those beans would make a whole pot of coffee. You probably had about twenty. So you had about four pots of coffee and a iced coffee with espresso shots worth of caffeine.
Student: Whoa, that is a lot of caffeine. Could that be bad for your body?
Me: Uh yeah, caffeine is a stimulant so it makes you heart beat a lot faster and will make you jumpy. Do you feel a little bit jumpy and anxious?
Student(as he is tapping his fingers on the desk and rapidly tapping his foot on the floor): Yeah. I can't sit still, can we go play basketball or something?
Me: Uh, no this isn't PE.

Yeah, the kid got in trouble later in the day. I am sure he was even more hopped up on caffeine. Silly kid.

Here is another two conversations that I had with another student this week(he is hilarious and not even in any of my classes):

Student: Hey Alice, maybe Victor wants to date you.
Me: Yeah, here is my policy on dating students. Um NO and if you have ever walked the halls of Independence as a student that is a for sure no!
Student: Well there goes all my chances!

That was yesterday when I had that conversation with said student. This was one we had today:
Me: Man, this is one awesome apple(I was finishing my lunch on the way to class).
Student: I bet that is a good one. Watch out it will go right to your hips, Alice.
Me: Yeah, probably not this apple, but that potato and sour cream...yeah, right to my hips!

Funny. Sometimes I LOVE my students. Now is one of those times!

11/16/09

Monday....need I say more?

I really want Thanksgiving Break to be here. But I know, just like the Kelly Clarkson Vegas weekend, it will come and go quickly and then I will have to have something else to look forward to. Is it usually hard for me to get through school this time of year? I know some of you know me better than I know myself and you see patterns in my life better than I do? What do you think?

Today was a good day. I gave a test in Health. It makes for an easy teaching day, but I always forget that when I give a test, I actually have to grade it later. SIGH. After school, we had a little baby shower for the wife of one of our teachers. There were some fabulous homemade Oreo cookies there. I had three, which I shouldn't have. I decided that I should only eat popcorn for dinner tonight because of that carb loading decision.

Tonight, I had big plans for getting caught up on some TV but when I tried to, I fell asleep on the couch. I have been doing that a lot lately. I cannot figure out why I am doing this! It is weird. Maybe it is the start of winter sleeping on the couch Alice.

Now, I really want to play some Band Hero(it is made by the same people who make Guitar Hero) but I also think I should grade some papers. Maybe those papers will have to wait until tomorrow. Life is so hard sometimes. I also could finish House seeing I fell asleep watching it earlier. These are my hard life decisions. I am kinda thankful my life is so uncomplicated.

Cheers.

11/15/09

Sunday...........That day before dreaded monday.



I missed Flashback Friday again...so we will have Super Sunday. I kinda wish I would be in this picture right now rather than facing the reality of Monday tomorrow. SIGH. LIfe is hard sometimes, isn't it? That picture is of me on the back of a boat near the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin. I am way excited to visit home in a little over a month. I kinda like that place!

Today was good. A little more just sitting around home and relaxing. I wrote a lot in the novel today. I am a full day ahead. By the end of the week I would like to be five days ahead! That would be cool.

This week the kids in PE will be playing Badminton. One of the kids thinks it is cool to call it "Goodminton." I like that idea. Kinda goes along with my life theme of being positive.

We WILL have a good week!

11/14/09

Blogging Slacker


This is Caleb opening his mission call

Hi. It's me, Alice. Do you remember me? You may not because I have been the world's most sporadic blogger lately. Don't worry, you didn't miss much. This week hasn't been too exciting. I went to work, I wrote some of my novel, I slept and then woke up and did it all over again.

Friday was nice. Fridays are always nice. After work, we went out for burgers because it was payday(I was very excited for it to be payday....the funds are a little low with medical bills to pay! Don't feel sorry for me though. I am okay). We did not go to Red Robin this time. I know, shocking, right? We actually went to another one of my favorites, Burgers Supreme. Their burgers are yummy too. I also am a fan of their fries. Yum. We then went to my school's boys' basketball game. It was nice to just sit and watch basketball and not be in charge of anything. I like that! I am not coaching basketball this year due to the fact that we would have to come up with six hundred dollars to play and I would not get paid. I was okay with sitting out because of those things. Last night made me thankful for my decision. They lost the game but it was fun to go.

Thursday, I headed up to Salt Lake because my "little brother from another mother" got his mission call. In my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, men serve for two years as missionaries from the age of 19 to 21. They go to various places all over the world to share our beliefs. The leaders of our church assign each young man to a mission and send them a letter which tells them where they will go and when they will report to their mission. Caleb got his call in the mail on Thursday. About 30 of his friends and family got together to see him open the letter and read it to us. It was so cute he was so emotional as he read where he would serve, which is Fortaleza, Brazil. He will leave on March 17. It was fun to be apart of him opening his call and I am excited to write him letters and hear all about his adventures as a missionary.

Well, that pretty much catches you up on me. I would now like to write a Thankful list to celebrate the fact that this is the month of Thanksgiving. I actually keep a thankful list all year long but don't share it much. It will be fun to share it with you today!

I am thankful for:
1. A wonderful place to live.
2. Heat in my wonderful place to live. (It snowed today!)
3. Plane tickets to Wisconsin for The Christmas Holiday.
4. Great friends who love me.
5. A car that runs.
6. New clothes.
7. My faith that keeps me going because I know everything always works out in the end the way it is supposed to and we always grow through trials! It also keeps me grounded and safe. God truly is marvelous and loves each of us so very much!!
8. Bath and Body Works hand soap.
9. Guitar Hero and playing it with friends!
10. Fresca. Especially when it is on sale!! :)
11. Pandora. It helps me focus when I am writing my novel! Good music!

There is eleven things I am thankful for. There are lots more things but that is the list for today. Thanks for being cool and for reading my blog. I appreciate your support.

11/10/09

So Here I am....






Once again...torn into pieces. The Kelly Clarkson concert is over. This was something I have been looking forward to for months. It is kinda sad to not have it to look forward to. It went too dang fast.

I am dragging at work. It has been hard to go back this week. I need a vacation from my vacation!

The novel is coming along. Sometimes it seems like a lot of work. Other times I love it. I have gotten a little behind but am working on getting back up to a few days ahead!!

The weekend in Vegas was awesome. I sure do love my little "nephews." We have a lot of fun being around each other. Thanks again Morgan and Derek for the fun weekend. I got to eat a lot of the foods I love in Vegas. It was also fun to just chill and relax. I like low key.

Enjoy the pics of the boys. They are so cute. I also was able to go shopping with my friend, Alyssa. She has great fashion sense and we had a blast while getting me new clothes and jewelry. She is nice.

Here are three reasons why I am going to fly Southwest a lot more:
1. The earlier you check in, the better seat you can get because you choose your seat.
2. There is no business class to walk through and be reminded of how you are not rich enough to ride in the fancy seats.
3. Bigger seats. When I sat in the middle one I didn't feel like a blimp.
4. Cheaper tickets!!!!
5. A flight attendant actually said: "Now be careful with your things in the overhead bins. Shift happens!"

I would make a list about why I would never fly delta but that would be depressing right now. I tried to get tickets last night for Christmas and it was a fiasco. Sorry for being stressed on the phone, Mom!

Later all!

11/7/09

You can see Morgan, Lesley and Alice in this video!



Watch this Youtube video. Your life will be changed. At 2:30, be sure to look at the center of the balcony and the jumping black blobs(there are three of us) are us! I have never been on Youtube but here is my moment of glory! This was an amazing concert! Realize that "My Life Would Suck without You!" Enjoy!

Kelly Clarkson Rocks My World for the Third Time this Year!!!

Us at the concert



Kelly's tour bus

We had a blast at the Kelly Clarkson Concert. It was nice to re-connect with Lesley. I think we really embarrassed Derek. It was a blast. I am not sure if I will have a voice tomorrow or not. Silly screamer at concerts. What a blast though. Kelly Clarkson is truly so good live. What a talent!

It was awesome to have a day off today. It was nice to also just have a low-key day. I love being around Morgan and her family. They are very stress-relieving.

I hope you do something fun this weekend as well!

11/5/09

Happy Day Before Kelly Clarkson's Concert to You!



Okay, maybe you are not that excited about the concert but I am very excited. I will do the normal teaching thing today and then bust a move up to the airport right after. It is going to be fabulous. That is right you heard it here first, FABULOUS.

I seem to be consumed by writing a novel these days. It is a lot of work. The cool thing is that, for some reason, this novel is being easy to write. I kinda hesitate to write that because, as soon as I do, I may be plagued with writer's block. Hopefully, that does not happen. It has been an adventure to be writing and it is fun to see ideas just come to me that I never thought would go into the story. Good times.

I hope that life is treating you well! Talk to ya from Vegas! :)

11/3/09

Tired but not....how does that work?

Hi. It is Tuesday and I keep thinking it is Wednesday. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I only have to work two more days this week. That is a fun thing to think about.

Not much happened today. I got up, went to work, came home, wrote a bit of my novel and stuff.

I am tired but don't want to sleep. Where does this come from? Today I was in an extremely good mood despite not going to bed until 11:30 last night. That was weird.

I don't have much else to say. Read today's writing for the novel if you like. It is nice or not. I pretty much was in a blur while writing it. It is easy to write the story but I think I am leaving lots of details out. I guess that is what the editing the next few months will be all about, right?

Well, I am off to watch a bit o TV. Cheers!

11/2/09

Welcome to my busy life....

So, I have decided to write another novel for November's National Novel Writing Month. That is a huge deal because pretty much I must put in about two hours of writing a day in order to get the 50,000 words goal by the end of November. My novel is based on the drama of my students' lives. Here is the link to my new blog(it is also linked on the sidebar!). It will have all of the writing that I do this month. That is truly a new thing for me. I have a hard time sharing my writing but decided what the heck, why not get out of my comfort box a little bit more. Don't judge the novel and please feel free to make comments and suggestions. The whole program which you can learn about here is just to write and write and get 50,000 words. You are not supposed to do any editing which is hard but really the goal is to get the 50,000 words(quantity, not quality!). I already have over 4,000 words. I want to get real ahead so when the craziness of life comes during the month I will not get behind if I flake a day.

Not much else going on here. Just living the dream. I have been saying that a lot lately. I better add that as a title.

Have a superb day!

P.S. I am highly enjoying Pandora these days. Julianne is right; it does make writing easier!

11/1/09

Halloween and Such.

I had a blast this Halloween. I think this will be more of a photo blog than a real post. Didn't do much this weekend but chill with the Bills and watch Aiden. Enjoy the pics and know I am very excited to only work four days this week. Viva Las Vegas and Viva la Diva. Little excited for Kelly Clarkson!
The Kids Trick or Treating.
Buckethead Spencer(I may or may not have taught him the saying and then he kept saying: "Buckethead, buckethead, buckethead!"
Zack as Darth Vader
Kids carving pumpkins.
Jordan as Hannah.
Danni as Ladybug
Morgan and the cutest pumpkin ever.
Caleb and Lexi
Me, the other pumpkin.

10/30/09

Day before Halloween!


I was The Statue of Liberty today at school. It was fun to see the kids dress up and of course to have the teachers dress up. We had a good time as usual.

I have wanted to start a tradition on here called Flashback Friday. I stole this idea from somebody so, if you are offended by my stealing of your idea, I am sorry. Basically Flashback Friday is where you take an old picture and post it on here to reminisce about the old days. Seeing I dressed up as The Statue of Liberty, I find it highly appropriate to post a photo of me with Lady Liberty from my summer trip to NYC. What a blast that trip was. Thanks so much mom for making the trip possible. I really had so much fun there! Liberty Island was really one of the highlights of the trip. I never realized how big Lady Liberty is; she is huge! I also didn't know that only the statue part was given to the USA by France. We had to build the pedestal and the pedestal is atop an old fort. Cool stuff. I also didn't know that Lady Liberty is actually walking as if to show that freedom is progressive and moving forward. Cool!


Tonight, I am taking care of Aiden. He is a fun little guy. We went up to the Bills for dinner(everybody is in town for Halloween. Lots of nieces and nephews running around). I think Aiden loved playing with all the kids up there. I liked seeing Morgan and Sarah and their kids. I am a sucker for kids but dealing with Aiden made me think that I may not be a very good future mom. I sure would need some practice with the whole keeping them on task and having consequences for not doing what I ask! Good thing one night doesn't damage children!