Christmas 2008

This was a very enjoyable Christmas. While we didn't have a lot of money, we still had an enjoyable time. I think that it helped us to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. The gifts to each other were mostly set aside and we were able to spend time with those we love.

On Christmas Eve, we spent time with the Lewis family. We had dinner, gift time, and games. Mike got a cool tool bag, I got a wire Eiffel Tower, and we both got a 72 hour kit. Very cool. I learned that I am horrible at Rock Band if you have me on the mike, but great if you have me on the drums! I enjoyed the drums very much. It was good times!

We woke Christmas morning to wrap some gifts up and made our way to the Proctor home. We enjoyed some family time there and got some more gifts. I got a new scarf, some cozy Christmas socks, earrings, and a magnetic organizer. Mike got a movie, a gift card (which he is VERY excited about,) and a little pocket screw driver set. We then made our way to visit grandparents.

First stop was at Grandma Winnie's home. Mark, Cameron, and Mike shoveled Grandma out. She had quite the snow accumulation from the last day or two and they made quick work at it. I discovered that you cannot quickly zip up a toddler's coat, you may pinch his neck skin, which doesn't feel very good, and he cries, and you feel bad. :( Aunt Nettie, Uncle Jim, Emily, Lindsey, Brandon, and Hannah also showed up. We gathered around and Grandma handed out her gifts. She was very generous. Mike got a screw driver set and I got a book, some things to put in plants, and a little jar.

After this, we headed over the Grandpa Jack's house, where we had fun visiting and also seeing Uncle Steve, Aunt Kathy, and Grandpa. We had a blast spinning Blakers around on a chair and watching him tumble as he tried to walk afterwards. His poor little eyes couldn't stay straight, but it was fun! We also had fun watching Miles chase after a ball that would move on its own. Right when he would get up to where it was, it would roll right past him in the other direction. It was definitely fun!

We ended up at the Skinner home where we enjoyed some ham, Grandma Proctor's potato salad, some orange fluff (yummmmm!) and homemade rolls. Blake and I made a leggo house and there was some fun going on with the new Wii that Santa brought the Skinner's. We couldn't get Mike to play Guitar Hero, but he rocked on the bowling, winning by about 30. He loves bowling and it makes him miss the real thing.

We got home from our Christmas Day to see this on our doorstep.

Christmas Light Overload

This is a house we found in West Jordan. It was a little overload on the lights. I made Mike turn around so that we could take pictures. It had many, many lights on the front lawn. It had snow flake lights that flashed and rotated. It had a candy cane light on top of the roof that would blink on and off. It was very busy, very bright, and I am sure that the family that lives here enjoyed it.

Please enjoy!

Temple Square 2008

On Sunday, Mike and I decided to make a trip up to Salt Lake, continuing the tradition that we had started last year. We toured the grounds of the Salt Lake Temple, which was very beautiful. It had snowed and snow covered the ground (and fell upon you from the Tabernacle roof.) The snow added to the beauty and just made it seem like Christmas. It didn't even seem to be too cold, although I did have thermals and a good coat on. Be prepared is what I always say!

Those that clear the snow away had obviously used a 4-wheeler, or something like this, to move the snow away from the front of the church office buildings. The snow was piled up at the East end of the property. I decided it would be fun to climb up on top, you know, be Queen of the Mountain. I kicked the snow to make a toe hold to climb up and it was FROZEN SOLID! I am pretty sure that I almost broke my toe! Don't just kick snow, make sure that it is soft before hand. Lessons learned the hard way.

Here are some of the pictures that we took, please enjoy them.

Remember the reason for the Season!
Mike's favorite nativity featured at Temple Square.

Word Choice

I am experimenting with word choice. I want to see if you can figure out what I am talking about. (This will be an example of bad word choice.)

This evening, after the decline of the sun, I opened the refrigerator in my cookroom. I was trying to arrive at a conclusion on what to concoct for repast. I had an avacado that needed to be used. I predetermined that I would create a repast for royalty out of my insubstantial offerings. I concocted some pasta. Whilst that boiled, I dissected my avacado. I also sectioned some cheese into little cubes. I grated a carrot. I united these elements together into a crock. Over the uppermost section, I poured Italian dressing. This established the most awe-inspiring, delectable salad. I would galvanize all to try it.

Now in English.

Tonight, I was trying to decide what to make for dinner. I saw that I had an avacado that needed to be used. Hmmm....an idea was forming. I cooked some pasta, cubed some cheese, cut the avacado and shredded a carrot. I combined this all together and poured Italian dressing over the top. It chilled while I was at round table and it was delicious! You should all try it some time! Simple, easy and inexpensive. Of course, Mike wouldn't try it. He missed out.

FINISHED!!

Mike has been feeling slightly ignored these last couple of weeks.

It doesn't help that he is home most of the time while I am at work and/or school.

He puts up with my piles of papers. They are all over. Really, a pile for each project.

He really put up with us going to the library for 3 hours while I compiled my portfolio for my Methods class, even though he kept shushing me as I 3-hole punched all my papers. (Who knew that a hole punch could be so loud?)

Mostly, Mike has put up with the new face he says I have grown, it is silver and has an apple on it.

But, his patience has paid off.

My unit plan was finished Saturday. My Teacher Work Sample was finished on Monday. My portfolio was put together by Monday night. I started my 10 page paper on Tuesday night (I probably shouldn't admit that until after I get the grade) and finished it at midnight last night. In between all of this, I read The Rover, which is a very interesting play if anyone would like to borrow it.

I learned that I could get some good thoughts down on a paper. If anybody wants a secret...Outline, and Introduce. Then, introduce each paragraph as a supporting to your introduction, throw in a quote, discuss the quote. If you do this in depth, you can get a long paper in no time. Oh the joy and the secrets I have learned in my college career.

I even took a final today. It was early. It was so blessedly easy, I enjoyed it. It was open note and I just had to find the information on the notes. I love those 1 credit classes where they feel they have to give a final, but make it so easy. Enjoyable.

I sadly went to my last methods class. I am going to miss methods. It is one of my favorite classes. Mostly because of Kay. It is also the class where I get to learn all the little methods and tips and secrets to teaching. I will really miss this class. But, I am SO EXCITED to put everything that I learned into practice starting in January at AF High! Lookout Cavemen, here I come!

Now, looking back on my college semester, I have three finals left. After all of the rush of big projects and papers that are due in the end of the semester, the finals always seem anti-climatic. This semester though, I will remember them. They are the last finals I will be taking. Forever. Unless I decide to get a Masters. I have to convince Mike of that first. Maybe one day. It may be awhile. I think I need a break from going to school. I would like to teach school first.

Yes, this has been a very chaotic last couple of weeks. Yes, I am so glad that they are coming to an end. Yes, I will miss going to school and seeing all the people that I have come to know (all my favorite friends.) Yes, I am excited to leave and enter the real world. Sorry, I am.

A new favorite!

For weeks, I have been hearing about this store called, Sunflower Market. I have heard that they sell produce for record lows and that it is very cost efficient to go there. I have heard about this place from my mom and sister and then recently, a friend from work. I decided I would have to check it out.

My, my, my, I was pleasantly surprised! They had Pears 2 lbs for $1, bags of carrots 4 for $5, Avocados 3 for $1 and grapes at .88 cents a pound! I loved it! I felt that I could splurge on fresh fruit and veggies that aren't going to cost an arm and a leg! Mike and I left with 3 loaded bags of fresh fruit and vegetables for only $12. If we had gone anywhere else, this would have been so much more expensive.

For those of you who don't know where this wonderful treasure is, it is in the old Ultimate Electronic building, on the corner of State Street and University Pkwy in Orem. It is in the same shopping center as America's Best. Definitely, stop by and check it out. Yummm...I think I may go eat a pear!

Update

This past week has been very busy. There were a lot of things that happened, both fun and not so fun. Here is a summary.

We had Thanksgiving. Now this was fun! We went to dinner with the Proctor side. Instead of a home styled Thanksgiving Dinner, we went to Chuck-a-Rama. I have never been out to eat for Thanksgiving before, and I must say, it was a little different. We got to spend lots of time playing with the boys while we waited to be seated, including me teaching Blake a song about how Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat. There was definitely a large variety of food to eat and I went home extremely full.

My sister Jennie came into town for the weekend, which was a blast! We don't get to see each other very often, because she lives far away :(, but it was fun to see her this weekend. My family has a tradition of going to black Friday together. For whatever reason, the last two years, instead of us all going to the same store together, it has gotten broken up. We all seemed to go to different stores this year, and then we met up later in the day. I ended up taking my mom around. I must say, we hit 4 stores before 7 am, how great is that! Thanks mom for choosing stores that weren't swarming with tons of people!

We enjoyed many activities with my sister and her family (and our whole family combined.) We went to build a bear and watched all the kids get new buddies and or outfits. We went to the movie Bolt, which is funny! I loved the hamster! We had pizza and played Monopoly. I wouldn't suggest playing with a 6 year old who quickly loses interest and only plays because he is told when he stops playing the game, he has to go to bed because it is way past his bedtime. However, same 6 year old makes some awesome trades on properties, and if you are lucky, you win by having more than 10 million more than anybody else. Hmmm...wish that was real money.

I had the opportunity to meat my cooperating teacher yesterday. I will be teaching 10th and 11th grade English and I get to choose what I teach. I am sooooo excited! My unit that I am writing on Tess of the D'Urbervilles will get to be used!

I also had the opportunity to do my teacher work sample. This is where I go into a classroom and observe 1 day and teach 2 consecutive days. I have to do some type of pre-assessment and post assessment to gauge how the students learned what I taught. It was so much fun! I went into a 9th grade class and taught vocabulary words found in A Christmas Carol. Who would think that vocabulary could be fun? The students had fun with the activities that we did, and they were great for me. I did learn that I definitely need practice in bringing a class back from group work, but I will get there.

If anyone knows of any work out there, please pass it on. Mike was laid off from his job last week and has been applying to try to quickly find work again. It really brings home all the news reports about how bad our economy is when it happens in your own household. I am just grateful that we only have Mike and I to worry about right now, and Jake, but he is pretty laid back and goes with the flow.

There is a quick update on our happenings for the last little bit. We hope that everybody else had the most enjoyable Thanksgivings out there (try to beat ours...we have awesome families!) We now get the opportunity to turn our thoughts to our Savior as we remember He is the reason that we celebrate this season.