8/30/11

Busy is good, right?

This week is going fast, but now that I said that, it will probably slow down. It was a nice day. Worked(the kids were good), prepared for tomorrow and then headed to Salt Lake for the Bees game. Great night for baseball.



It was fun to go with my friend, Emily. I was glad she wanted to go, even on a school night(she is a teacher too). I have fun friends.

I also have a nice bed. I am off to it!

8/28/11

Sunday.

Seeing I am conscious I thought I'd post twice in a day. Seems like the right thing to do when I am a major slacker during the week and don't feel exhausted right now! Here is to having a quick week with less exhaustion. I like that idea!

Chilled with the Hageys in Layton tonight. We know how to party. Sodastream mixers and butterscotch chip chocolate heath cookies. Party animals. They were also kind and made me dinner which is typical of most Sundays. And the organic grass fed beef hamburgers with special seasonings were divine! I am spoiled. Thanks Morgan and Derek!

Here's some pics of the kiddos because they are pretty much dang cute:



Ezra was ecstatic at dinner.



So much so he was drooly.


He would kick his little legs and screetch. So cute!



Oliver was stylin' with the boots and big as him backpack!



O as Captain America. He told me to "punch it!," so I did!



Another version of Captain America.

I love these kiddos. I think they help recharge my batteries. Spencer gave me a ton of hugs. Henry, Spencer and Oliver let me be the pony outside. And Henry thinks I should come visit every Sunday except when they are away, of course. So funny.

Well. The bed calls. The question is: will Alice get up early to run in the cool weather? Odds are 40%. ;)

Oh Weekends How I Love Thee!

The weekend is almost over. It has gone much too fast, but that is what happens. This week felt like five. I was so exhausted by Friday night. I just hung out at home and vegged.

Yesterday, I headed to Heber with my friend and co-worker, Sharri, to visit our friend, Kristi, who had a baby in the end of July. Here are a few pics of cute Ky:



A confused look



Me and the tired one.



Sharri had the magic touch and got him to sleep.



He's a cutie.



So sleepy.



Here are Kurt and Kristi's first "kids". Their chickens always make me smile. They also gave me some veggies from their garden. Yum!

Now off to church and then up to Layton for some quick hugs from the wee boys and back to sleep for Monday. Where did this weekend go?

8/24/11

Hard to believe that on only the third day of school, that I have a funny story to tell you.

My students were finished with an assignment and a student decided to collect them all and turn them in. Instead, he takes them and throws them in the garbage. He then realized that he threw away his own assignment an was holding onto another student's assignment!(he thought he had saved his own). I told him that he was going to make the blog and here it is.

It is fun getting to know the new students and getting into the swing of things. I do have a great job! Life is good!



Location:A class funny.

8/23/11

Does it feel like September in here? Or is it just me?

Hi. Life is good. School has started and it has been going well so far. I forgot how exhausting it is to be a teacher and excited all day long. It has been hard to get up in the morning and I am already so tired at night! It feels like we have been doing this for two weeks already! Is it September yet?

I went to The Despicables last night as part of Provo City Park's Movies in the Park. It was fun to be outside on a nice night. Glad I went even if it made getting up today a bit harder!

It was a pretty night for it and I saw two shooting stars.







I am glad for this school year and today even felt like this is what I am good at. My students are already making my life fun. What a great job!

Now for sleeping. So tired!

8/20/11

Laziness Never Was Happiness

Hi. I use an app on my phone to post to this blog. Unfortunately, this app is often stupid and after I write a post, it won't let me post it to blogger. Lame. Anyway, that happened the past two posts and I lost them, so I am giving up. If I wasn't lazy, I would email the photos to myself and post via my laptop. This may happen in the future, but for now you will just have to have missed the trip to the Corn Palace, Wall Drug and Mt. Rushmore.

I promised I would write a list of things that make me happy to be in Utah. Here are a few via pictures:






These wee boys. They may not be actual blood nephews, but they are very much my family. Henry, the oldest, said to me the other day: "Alice, I know you are not my mommy's sister." We then talked about how I really wasn't Morgan's sister but that we were really good friends so it was like we were sisters. He then told me: "You are my aunt though!" Love it. Isn't it great in life how we can extend our family through friends? (Henry also mentioned that we looked like Mt. Rushmore while taking this picture(I had shown him pictures of me at Rushmore.). He is pretty dang smart, isn't he?







Babysitting last night was a blast! Ezra had no interest in sleeping and a tiny bit of "your not my mommy syndrome," but we made it through and Morgan and Derek were able to go out for Morgan's birthday, so it was a success!






The beauty of Utah makes it easy to be happy while here. I am excited to hike soon! Kerri was with me for this sunset walk and friends are very much a part of making it easier to go back to work and to be in Utah.






Other friends help too. Here is little Elia. You can see her mom's hand on the side. Shule always makes me feel at home and loved here! And she always has the most sound and wise advice!

I would take a picture of my atrocity of an apartment because it is a little haven here for me, but I still haven't unpacked or cleaned this week. Busy, busy!!

I think I am going to go back to sleep for a few minutes before tackling the mess.

Happy Saturday to ya!

8/12/11

The End.

All good things come to an end, don't they? Yeah. I don't like that saying and I think the idea of an endless summer is a better idea. Oh well. Sometimes we make up sayings just to make us feel better. Like pain is just weakness leaving the body. Um yeah.

Jane has been in town the past week and we have done some fun things and most importantly, we have eaten tasty foods. Here are some pics that prove these points:






We went bike riding at my favorite trail. Jane is a beast. Not really. An we didn't see any beasts either. That is okay in my book.






We went geocaching. I think I am hooked and will need to buy a gps to start playing. Toys are important in life. This deer head has nothing to do with geocaching except that we saw it while geocaching.






Jane in the woods.






Found one.












Eating at Cross Country. I had the grilled salmon and a side of sweet potato fries. I like to sing this line sometimes: "sweet potato fries and I don't care!"






We brought my sister, mom and niece just for fun and because we are nice gals!






We also ate tacos at the patio at Pat's.






We brought Mom, Elijah and Dad because we are nice and for fun!












Divot, my sister's dog, has been with us this week too! He is a horrible dog and nobody likes him. We just lock him up in the back room an ignore him.













We went to Eagle River because the Vilas County Fair started there yesterday and where there is a fair there is cheesecurds.












We also found a really cool 50s themed diner called Soda Pops.











It was amazingly delicious. I chose the Concord Grape Goose soda. It tasted a wee bit like heaven and grape soda.






Don't let this photo fool you. I really enjoyed this place. Even if I felt ill from over eating and vowed I'd never eat again. I had popcorn and cotton candy after playing the last softball game of the summer, so I am a liar! We lost the game, which is typical of my coed team, but I never felt like I lost this whole summer because I was playing a game I love and playing that game with amazing people!






The is only pic from Thursday night at the ballpark. Elijah is in there somewhere!

As summer closes, my heart is full of love for the land I was born and raised in, and where many of my best memories have been made. I do mourn leaving because that is only normal when you leave behind both an amazingly beautiful place and people who are amazing.

I am so grateful that I am blessed enough to fill my summers with memories of my favorite place on the planet. Wisconsin is always on my mind and in my heart. I miss this place already. Good thing there are never goodbyes only see ya laters!

See ya later Wisconsin. Jane and I will start our road trip to Utah today. The first stops are Bayfield, WI and Thunder Bay Canada! Hasta la Pasta Wisconsin.

8/8/11

Things I will miss about Wisconsin...

1. My mommy and Dad
2. Perch Lake
3. The smell of the woods
4. Softball
5. Amazing friends
6. Hodags everywhere
7. The small town feel
8. My lighthouse room especially the light up lighthouse!
9. My family. MIss Grandma already.
10. The clouds and blue sky
11. Cool summer nights with crickets chirping.
12. Lightning bugs
13. Briqs ice cream treats
14. Tacos on the patio
15. My three favorite running routes
16. The hummingbirds fighting over the feeder
17. My dad garden and moving gnomes
18. Time to read and read and read
19. Seeing a gazillian stars
20. Free food and the bank of Sue
21. The Rhinelander Ward(silly how it has taken a few years for me to get to know everybody!)
22. The courthouse and its copper roof.
23. Lakes everywhere
24. Cross Country Burger Fridays
25. Gunkel's Bakery and their wonderful pizza dough, bagels, and seasoned mini-subs(oh and their wonderful cookies)
26. Rootbeer on tap
27. Brats
28. Watching Netflix all. the. time.
29. Gary the mountain bike
30. Sam's Pizza
31. Philly's Subs
32. Seeing deer while walking/running.
33. Hodag Park and the river/ski shows
34. Summer in general.

I decided to stop at 34. That's my age and all. Man, I sure do love this place!

8/7/11

Entering the Final Countdown

This is the last week home officially. Tomorrow I am going to make a list of the things I will miss about Wisconsin. It is probably too long for this post.

This past week was filled with fishing, talking to the nephews on Skype(it was Spencer's 4th birthday and I got to see him open my presents), eating out with my parents on Wednesday, winning another softball game on Tuesday, much reading, and going to Green Bay with my mom this weekend. It was a blast. Here are some pictures:



My beautiful bass!


Skype with the boys. Oliver is often close to the screen and saying "Hey, Alice" over and over. He also said the cutest thing while opening a present from me:"Alice so nice!" It melted my heart. Love these boys. Hard to believe my Spencer buddy is four already!





We went to Titletown in Green Bay on Friday for dinner. It's in the old train depot where my Grandpa, Aunt Linda and Mom had at one time worked. Lots of family history stories over dinner. Loved it!


A train coming by and the famous Packer statue.


Sno-Cap rootbeer. Wonderful! That Grandma is pretty wonderful too!!


Grandma and Linda


Me and Mom


I liked this sign.


We went swimming at my Aunt Cindy's on Saturday.


I like this sign too!


My silly grandma told me she couldn't fit in her suit anymore and then surprised me. She is so cute!


Mom and I have done lots of traveling in storms this summer. It makes for pretty clouds and sunsets.





And rainbows.

My friend, Jane will get here tonight. Gotta think up some great Wisconsin adventures to show her. Any ideas?