A Short Update!

I know it has been a while and I apologize to those of you who check back here often. School is as busy as ever for both of us, especially now that we are into the performance season of the holidays. I love this time of the year and I hope that you all enjoy them, too. I will update you more later.
For now, here are a few pictures of some things Brian and I got to do this fall. We went for a drive up north and saw some beautiful scenery and some scary but incredible tarantulas. We were in our car when we took the picture of the tarantula but even then it was still kind of creepy. We saw it crawling across the road about 20 ft before we pulled up next to it. That's how big it was. The picture doesn't do it justice. We also saw some beautiful scenery.


The other pictures are of us at a Diamondbacks game back in October. It was a lot of fun, as you can see! Well, enjoy and I will write more later.

The Storms of AZ

I love the storms that we have here in Phoenix. There is a lot of lightening and wind and sometimes a lot of rain. Recently we had a wonderful storm. Brian and I went out driving to see the lightening and rain. When we came home we saw a very funny sight as we turned on to our street. They are doing construction on our street and so they have port-a-potties for the workers. Well, in the strong wind this night, it carried the port-a-potty into the street. It was really a funny sight so we thought we would share it with you. Enjoy!

Back from Camp, Back to School

Well, it is that time of year again, time to get ready for school as our vacation days are quickly disappearing. It's okay though. I have come to the realization that we weren't meant to just sit around all day. God intended us to work and to be fruitful. I have found things to keep me busy such as sewing and organizing my office but Brian is definitely getting bored. It is time to go back to school. We finished off the summer by going to church camp last week with about 50 others from our church, both campers and counselors. The camp is at Palomar Christian Conference Center just south of San Diego. It is a beautiful place on the top of Palomar mountain. It was literally in the line of fire last year when all the wild fires were down there but God spared the camp. The rest of the mountain burned but camp was not. While we were at camp, the director told the story of what happened and it was evident that God was watching over the camp because it should have been burned to the ground. It's incredible.

Well, we had a great week. It has been a while since I have been in that type of setting where I get to be with kids and be free in speaking about my faith. I loved it. I counseled 6 junior high girls with my friend, Monique. They were wonderful girls and it was fun to get to know them through the week. It was also fun to get to know Monique better. Brian counseled high school boys with his friend, Nate and he had a lot of fun, too, though, his week was a little more challenging, as high school boys can be. The campers come from CA and AZ and some of them come from rougher areas and so it can be tough to really get to know them on a personal level. But all the challenges, the kids, the sleep deprivation, the busy schedule was so worth it. It was neat to watch some of the campers go through a change during the week as they heard about God and his love and forgiveness for them. We both look forward to going back next year, Lord willing.

Until next time...

My latest project

I recently acquired a sewing machine (many thanks to my mother-in-law) and so I started a relatively small project of making a baby quilt. (no, it's not for us :) The last time I made a quilt I had my mom beside me to guide me and so this time, I couldn't just ask mom what to do. I just had to go for it and figure things out on my own. So far I think I have done okay. I did have to rip a few seams out but that's not too bad. Well, anyway, here are pictures of the quilt. This is just the top and I still have to put the batting and back and binding on so there is still work to do but this is the most interesting part. It has been a lot of fun to figure this out and hopefully it is the first of many. Mom, I hope you enjoy and know that all that I learned about sewing is from you so thank you!

Inside for the Hot Summer!

We have been back in AZ for about 2 weeks and it is good to be home. Though it boils outside, we find ways to stay cool inside. I must post some pictures from a wonderful vacation. It was so much fun to see family and just enjoy time with them. Our nieces and nephews were so much fun to play with and most of the pictures we took were of them. We spent a week in Seattle and did a couple tourist things. All in all it was a ton of fun and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Vacation Here We Come!!

School's out for the summer!!! Yes and by Monday we were out of the city. There are a few things to share with you and some pictures to go along with them. School ended last Friday and we usually go camping on Memorial Day but since we were leaving town on Monday, we decided to just go up to the camp site on Sunday. Boy, am I glad that we made that decision. Our friends who got to the camp site Friday night experience snowfall on Memorial Day in Arizona. That is very unusual. The day we were up there was cool in the morning and when it wasn't windy, it was warm so it was a good day. One of the fun things about going up there was that we drove our new SUV, a Nissan Pathfinder. We were able to go on the roads without worry about our ground clearance. It was very nice. I even took pictures of the first major dirt that got on it. Okay, so it wasn't that major but it was still dirt. Anyway, that is the newest addition to our family. On Monday, we hit the road for the farm in Washington. We went north across the Hoover Dam, which I had never done before. I am so thankful we were going north because the line going south across the dam was all the way into Boulder City. It would not have been a fun line to be in. We went through Las Vegas and since I had never been there either, we decided to stop and walk around a little. Again, remember that this is all on Memorial Day, not a good day to be in Vegas. Well, we walked around and took some pictures of some of the hotels and I really wanted to see the fountain in front of the Bellagio so we did that. We ate lunch at a cafe in Caesar's Palace and spent more money than we were planning. Though it was interesting to see, let's just say that both Brian and I have seen enough and will be happy if we don't get back there any time soon. As we continued north, there are just some pictures of the scenery. It was fun to see how it changed from Arizona to Utah to Idaho to Oregon and then to Washington. Things just got more green as we went. We drove through Joshua Tree National Forest in northern Arizona. I have been in AZ for 8 years(amazing!) and I have never seen a Joshua tree so I took a picture for those of you not familiar with the southwest. They are quite interesting looking trees and it just made me wonder what God had in mind for that tree when he created it. It on my list of things to ask God when I get to heaven. Anyway, as we drove into Idaho and Oregon and Washington, the land turned green and it was beautiful to see on the hills. Though the pictures don't do the scenery justice, I hope you enjoy them. We are now at the farm and will be here about a week and then we go to Seattle for about a week and then will come back to the farm to spend the 3rd week of our vacation. I will keep you updated as much as possible, but with family around, especially cute nephews and nieces, the updates might have to wait until I get back home. Well, enjoy and I'll write again soon.

Sweet memories

I had to go back and show you some more pictures of Connecticut and things that I did while I was there. The first is a picture of 2 of my closest friends in the world, yes one is my sister and the other my roommate from high school. I adore their friendship so much and I thank God for the influence they have been in my life. Though they live way too far away, I know we can pick up where we left off. Okay, I must move on before I get teary-eyed.

While in CT, we went for a hike to find this tower that Kjirsti and I had seen from a distance. Who knew that this would be one of the most memorable hikes I have ever taken. A couple things make this so memorable. One is that it was March and in CT, that is still quite cold, particularly that day because it was windy. Wind just makes every thing colder. We (Kjirsti, Stacy, Kari and I) started hiking with my nephew and 2 neices in a stroller. This was not just your easy-going hike and to add on top of that, we were taking turns pushing the stroller up the mountain, which it basically was. And, to add on top of that, there was still snow/slush/ice on the trail. We definitely got our work out that day. We finally got to where the ground leveled out and it seemed like we were at the top. There was a beautiful view of the surrounding area so I was expecting to see the tower that we were looking for. Well, it couldn't even be seen through the trees so we kept following the trail. And following, and following and following. Meanwhile, let me remind you it was still cold but we pushed onward. We finally saw the tower through the trees and eventually got to the top to find out that the tower was closed for the winter. It was still a beautiful tower, though I'm not exactly sure it's purpose. At the top, it was even colder because there were fewer trees to break the wind. Needless to say, we didn't stay very long at the top.

On the way back, we were getting concerned about the girls being cold so we came up with a sceme. Kari and I had on decent sized jackets. Inside each of our coats, we each zipped one of the twins and then tied a blanket underneath to help with the weight. It seems kind of silly now that I describe it but it worked really well. So walking down the mountain I walked a little slower because I was carrying precious cargo and I did not want to fall. As I walked down the mountain, with Clara in my jacket, I prayed for her. Clara is my goddaughter and it was a joy to bring this wonderful girl before God, knowing that her life is in His gracious and loving hands. I think it is also the day where I started to understand my role as a godparent.I will always remember that time with Clara and God. Though it was a relief to finally get back to the bottom of that mountain, I will always look back on that hike as a very sweet memory.

On the drive home

One of the blessings that I have in my life is, amazingly, the drive that I have to work every day. If you haven't been to Phoenix before, let me explain a little bit. Phoenix is surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. Brian and I live on the northwest corner of the city and I work on the west-central border of the city. My school is right at the base of the White Tank mountains. The city is continuously expanding but the area I drive through is still very much farm land. I don't know exactly what they farm but I know I enjoy looking out as I drive and seeing tractors in the fields. One of the plots of land I drive by recently planted flowers. I love driving by this area because it has so many colors. The picture doesn't doe the scene justice but I thought I would share anyway. Most people think of Phoenix as brown and dry and it is, but there is plenty of beauty to be found here and I just wanted to share a little piece of that with you.

3 weeks and counting!!

Just a quick update before I go to bed, which I should have been in long ago. Anyway, the fair went really well, only a few students threw up on themselves from the rides. They just washed themselves off, rested and went on the next ride. That's kids for you. It was a lot of fun. Mary and I walked around the exhibit buildings and the animals barns. Mary has some animals and I grew up around the fair and animals so we both really enjoyed it.

I am now a week away from my last concert of the year and things are a little stressful. As a teacher, you just want your students to do their best and hope that they remember all that they have learned. They always do well but there is still that little bit of nervousness that creeps in.

After the concert, things sail through the last two weeks and then VACATION!! Brian and I are going to WA for a while and we are so excited to be able to visit family for a while. Of course, I will post pictures when they happen.

Talk to you later!!

Off to the Fair

Well, tomorrow I get to go on one of the best field trips of the year. Mary (the band teacher at my school) and I are taking some of our performing groups and going to the Maricopa County Fair to perform. It is so much fun because the kids enjoy it and after performing, they get to run around at the fair for the rest of the day. Yes, they are with chaperones. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my choir students but when they are in a setting like the fair, they can get really crazy and so that is what chaperones are for and for them I am very, very, very grateful. :) Hopefully I will have pictures to post but there are no guarantees. Now that I think about it, there might be some legal thing against me posting pictures of my students so I probably won't show you any in the end. Maybe I will get some pictures of Mary and I in the animal barns or something. Anyway, this field trip always comes around in April. The students have been doing standardized tests all week so they are ready to get out and have fun at the fair. And I love going to the fair so it is a great mix. Well, I will let you know how it goes. And yes, I will be posting more about my trip to Connecticut. Thanks for being patient with me. Until next time....

Wonderful time in Connecticut

I just spent a week visiting Ryan, Kjirsti, Owan, Clara and Elsie in Connecticut. I will tell more later but I wanted to just share a few wonderful pictures. As you will see, they are doing great and are beautiful children. I had so much fun getting to know them. I will tell more later, but until then, enjoy!

School, school and more school

I just wanted to post a little update. If you couldn't figure it out by now, my posts happen when there is not much happening at school or I am on vacation. Right now is neither of those times but I just wanted to say a little something. School is very busy for both Brian and I. He is busy getting used to actually teaching (which he didn't do much of while substituting). He is also helping with the school musical so that will be taking much of his time very soon. It is such a joy to hear him talk about teaching. It definitely has its challenges for him but he is doing what he loves and you can just tell. I praise the Lord for bringing him to where he is at today. I am teaching my usual but getting ready for All State choir with 10 of my students and District Honor Choir with about 20 of my students plus just getting ready for the normal concerts. But this is a typical 3rd quarter. It gets twice as busy and flies by like crazy so before long we will be in May and I will be wondering where time went. Anyway, other than school not much is happening. It is the beautiful January weather of being a little cool (in the 50s and 60s :)) and we have had a lot of rain the past couple of days so we have been enjoying that. I also just wanted to let you know that we still have an an extra bedroom whenever any one wants to come to some warmer weather. :) Until next time..........