A Fun Filled Evening

Last night I was able to spend some time with Amanda, Jon, Kristian and Addie. They were kind enough to give up their plans for the evening and we all went to Chuck E. Cheese for some fun. I know some of you are thinking to yourself "Why in the world would you go there?" but to go there with a 5 year old and a 3 year old makes it truly a place where a kid can be a kid.

Thanks Middleton Family for the fun evening. We need to do that more!

Life...

These are the emotions that I can feel in any given day. Wonder why life is so hard sometimes?

Dallin's Mission Call

I have been meaning to post this for a while but have never made the time to do so. In November, my youngest brother, Dallin, received his mission call. He is going to Indiannapolis, Indiana and leaves in February.

I was able to travel with him to my mom's house in Wyoming to be there when he opened it. A mission had always been in the works for Dallin but my mother knew nothing about it being this far in the works. The call was a HUGE suprise to here. Here are some pictures and a video from that night!

This video is long because it is Dallin reading his mission call. The beginning where she show my mother the call is PRICELESS!

You can read more about this day on Dallin's blog.

Back to School

Most of you know by now but I made the jump back into the classroom. What a journey it has been so far! About a week before school started, my principal found out that they could hire another teacher and I volunteered for the job. I soon found out that I would be teaching a 3rd and 4th grade split class and had just two days to through a classroom together. With the help of many wonderful people, I was able to do just that!

I have 8 fourth graders and 15 third graders. They keep me busy. They are extremely high spirited and full of energy. There is never a dull moment. We have had our share of trials and I have shed more than my fair share of tears. Am I crazy? Some people would say that and I would agree at times. However, I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I know that I can make a difference in the lives of these 22 kiddos. It is a day by day journey and one that will have a great reward at the end!

Girls Camp

Several months ago I was called to be the camp director in my ward. At the time, I was okay with this. Camp fell the week after I finished teaching CORE and I felt it was something that I could do. I only knew one of the YW in the ward (because I was her 6th grade teacher) and that worried me a bit.

Summer became very busy with teaching and I didn't put a lot of thought into camp. There was very little communication from the ward leaders about camp and that made things frustrating as well. I was beginning to wonder if I could quit a church calling.

Camp came last week and I gave it all that I could considering the circumstances. It was a wonderful experience. The stake used the theme: Oh the Places You'll Go (Dr. Seuss) and focused on integrity. They had planned some wonderful activities for us to participate in.

We went to Lake Lyman in the Uintas. There is a girls camp up there owned by the 11 stakes in Layton. It took us about 3 hours to get there but it was beautiful. It is nice to get away in the mountains and to be able to feel the spirit.

I went to camp with a bit of a chip on my shoulder but came home humbled, amazed and having my testimony strengthened.

Here is a slide show of pictures from camp if you are interested in looking at them:
http://www.slide.com/r/QWp_fw-T6D-agp145fhShjxe5XjFLbnf?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

My Future Husband...

While we were teaching CORE in Cedar City, I was able to spend some time with the Penrod family. I was teaching with Holly and Sam and the boys were staying with her. One night we went to dinner and Jefferson (Jeffie) asked me when I was getting married. I watched the blood drain from his mother's face. I told him that I was just waiting for the right person to come along. He informed me that he was taken (by Emma, the next door neighbor) just I could have Max, his little brother.

Here are Jefferson and Max...

CORE Academy

This summer I took on a job working for the State Office of Education teaching CORE Academy. I started working on lesson plans back in Oct/Nov and just finished teaching last week. I had meetings once a month through the beginning of June and then taught for 5 weeks throughout the summer. It made those five weeks VERY long but I really enjoyed teaching.

I taught second grade...which is something that I have never taught. I loved it! I worked with some amazing people and this is an experience that I will always remember. I am not sure if I would do it again, but I am glad that I did it this year!