Sassmaster!

Chieko

2011-08-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

I received two emails this week -- one from Richard, the piano player in the band I sing with, and one from my mom. Both emails contained the news that Sister Chieko Okazaki, formerly of the LDS General Relief Society presidency, had passed away. I was saddened by the news. I had gotten to know her just a little bit because our band, The Mixed Nuts, has a standing monthly gig at the retirement center where she lived. She was sweet and kind, and I very much enjoyed our brief conversations after our gigs. Chieko's son Kenneth said of his mother, "She had a way of treating people like they were special to her, and everyone felt special when they were with her." This was certainly the way she made me feel in a matter of moments.

In our conversations, Chieko talked to me about our band and my singing. She told me she liked to sing songs in Japanese to her children and tease them that they didn't know what she was singing about them since they didn't understand the language. She was always pleasant and I enjoyed spending those brief moments with her.

Joseph Walker of the Deseret New wrote, "Her smiling eyes and her own ever-present smile was one of her trademarks..." And Rodney Smith said of her, "I felt an immediate connection to her... Most people who met her felt that connection. She was one of those rare people who was so filled with the pure love of Christ that you felt that she cared about you — that you were important to her. And the truth of the matter was, she did — and you were."

I got to see those eyes and smiles first-hand and was able to feel that special connection she had with everyone. So, despite the sadness that comes to those left behind after such a loss, I am confident that Sister Okazaki is happy to be reunited with those whom she loves and with her Heavenly Father and Savior whom she so faithfully served.

At our gig tonight, Keith, the bass player, told me that he had something to give me. He pulled out of his bag a book titled Being Enough by Chieko Okazaki. He instructed me to open the front cover. There I found that the book contained a note addressed to me by name and signed by Chieko. I was so touched by the gift. We had all talked about Chieko as a band, and I had explained who she was to everyone. Keith had noticed how much I enjoyed interacting with her, so he purchased two of her books, and at one of the last gigs played at her residence - which I was not able to attend - he asked if she would sign one copy for his wife and one for me. She laughed and agreed to do so. She told him that she remembered me very well from the handful of times I had come to sing for them. She said she had enjoyed my singing and our talks and would love to write a note to me.

The note was written with a weakened hand, and the writing is a little difficult to see, but the message is clear and full of love:
"Aloha to a dear friend under the influence of our dear Lord, Jesus Christ. God be with you in being enough in His work. You did a great job. Aloha, Chieko Okazaki"

Keith had no idea when he asked Chieko to sign my book that it would be the last time he would see her. I believe this has to be one of Heavenly Father's "tender mercies". One of those little things that show us He is there and He loves us. One of those little things we may not realize are important at the moment, but make a difference. So, thank you, Keith, for responding to the promptings you received to do a kind, simple deed that allowed me to keep a connection with my friend whom I only got to know for a little while.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to sing at retirement communities and care centers with The Mixed Nuts. I am blessed every time by kind men and women who lift me up with compliments, hugs, winks, applause, smiles, and thanks. Just tonight one woman told me I am a beautiful singer and, as she held my face in her hands, said I have a beautiful, glowing face. One man told me he can tell that I have the Spirit with me. And another woman beamed at me, held my hand, pulled me into a hug, and kissed my cheek. They tell me I have brought joy into their day with my singing, but the truth is they bring joy to me. Chieko Okazaki and all of the residents with whom I interact have made my life brighter. I am very blessed.

Holiday Letter 2010

2010-12-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

“The Old Year has gone... The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time.All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!” ~Edward Payson Powell

January:
I started off another great year, still living in my home in with my roommate, Emery.

February:
I threw a baby shower for my best friend, Kristine, as we anticipated the birth of her first baby!

March:
I witnessed the birth of Kristine’s baby, Adelaide. I even cut the cord because Adam declined. :)

April:
I began performing as the substitute singer in a jazz band called The Mixed Nuts.

May:
I concluded my 1st year as an Edu-cational Technology Specialist & prepared for year 2.

June:
I traveled with my co-workers to Denver for the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference.

July:
My brother David was married to Ciera in San Diego! The whole family gathered at the
Welk Resort.

August:
I attended Girls’ Camp as the Young Women President of my LDS Church ward.

September:
I traveled to Germany and Austria with my sister Brittney and her family.

October:
I prepared to have LASIK surgery on my eyes. I now have 20/15 vision, or “super eyes” as my friend Brian says.

November:
Baby Jordan was born in Germany. JJ is Brittney’s 3rd little girl and my 14th niece/nephew!

December:
I spent Christmas and New Year’s with my mom and several of my siblings.

Happy New Year!

With love,
Katie

Castles and Cathedrals

2010-09-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did more exploring with the girls. We went to the old part of Bamberg to visit Bamberger Dom (the cathedral) and the rose garden.

The roses were beautiful, and Ellie and I had a nice time wandering through and stopping to smell the roses.

In the cathedral Ellie took me on a tour and lit some candles. She made sure to tell me several times that we needed to be very quiet because we were in a church. :)

I loved seeing the old buildings with the traditional medieval woodwork. I could imagine the people who have lived and worked there over the ages. It's strange that we now drive cars around on the cobble stone streets where monks lived or knights rode their horses.

After Peyton's nap, we visited Altenburg, an old castle on the highest hill in Bamberg. The view from the tower was beautiful, and the buildings were even older than those at the cathedral we visited earlier in the day. We saw a strange cage where apparently the Bamberg Bear used to live. You could see where the moat used to be, and there was a dungeon and a drawbridge. There was even a man singing midieval songs just past the portcullis. It was great fun.

After a visit to the store, we drove home and took a short walk down the street to visit a carnival that had been set up because of some small holiday being celebrated here. We thought it would be a fun spot for the girls to play games and get some treats, but it ended up being a pretty lame little setup. Ha ha. There were only about three stands, the game ended up being a BB gun shooting game (not too great for little kids), and the people operating the games were puffing away on their cigarettes. But, there was at least a little merry-go-round and chocolate covered strawberries that made the girls happy.

Today we attended church, took naps, and went for a walk through the forrest. The girls put on a dance concert, then climbed and jumped all over the furniture, each other, and me! They are super cute and super exhausting! :)

Sunshine

2010-09-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

It's been pretty cloudy and rainy here the last couple of days. We've just been hanging out, playing with the girls, and running errands. It's been a challenge to get the girls on a normal sleeping schedule here, too. They're trying, but wake up several times in the middle of the night as their bodies adjust to the new time zone. Today was partly sunny though, and we took advantage of the better weather. We were able to head to the mall this afternoon where Casey had an appearance with the basketball team. Ellie and I came along and got Peyton's new mini basketball signed by all of Daddy's teammates. Then we went to the toy store and slid down the giant slide they have over and over again until Casey was finished.

We then wandered around Bamberg city center a bit. We strolled through an old church and through a street market where flowers and fruits and vegetables were being sold. Brittney and Peyton joined us for dinner and crepes by the river. It was a very nice evening.

We finished up the day outside playing basketball, sliding down the new slide we got at Toys R Us, and playing in the newly refilled sandbox. Ellie played with her long-lost neighborhood friends while Brittney and I investigated the overgrown garden. We discovered giant, disgusting, orange slugs eating all the plants! So gross! Brittney salted them to try to save the fruits and veggies. Yuck!

Tomorrow the forecast is more sunny weather, so we plan to wander around the old part of Bamberg and visit the cathedral.

Willkommen in Bamberg

2010-09-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

My sister and her family are spending another year living in Bamberg, Germany. Since her husband, Casey, arrived in Germany three weeks ago, Brittney asked if I would help her and her two girls with the trip overseas. We arrived in Bamberg last night after 24 hours of traveling. All things considered, the flight wasn't bad. It was a definitely a different experience than flying with adults, but the girls were very good. I played with Ellie for half the flight, then kept on eye on Peyton for the second half. The hardest part of the trip was actually the airport in Paris. The transportation workers in France are on strike, which meant we waited and extra hour to get on our plane (sweating to death because it was so hot!) then sat at the gate for 2 more hours all because they didn't have enough workers to fill the plane with fuel. Apparently we are lucky our flight wasn't just canceled. It ended up being a long trip, but we made it.

As soon as I arrived, the driver that picked us up from the airport gave me a ride to Casey's first preseason basketball game. It was the only game I'll be here for, so I decided to go even though I was exhausted and dirty. We made it there at halftime. It was packed! The game was held at a practice arena, which was just like a small high school gym with stands only on one side of the floor. It was so crowded that when Lindsay, the wife of another player, found and led me inside, we had to squeeze in on the floor a foot away from the court to watch the rest of the game. It was still fun to be there, even though my feet were falling asleep from sitting Indian-style on the hardwood.

Today we played, saw some of the neighbor kids (Ellie was a little shy and hesitant to speak German to them again), ran some errands, picked up the loaner car, visited with friends from the team, and went to dinner. The girls are trying to adjust to the time change, so that makes things interesting. :) I'm adjusting to the time change a little too and fighting against a sore throat, but so far doing well. I'm looking forward to exploring Bamberg and some surrounding areas this week!

Mixed Nuts

2010-06-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

At Christmas time I was asked to sing a song for the ward Relief Society Christmas dinner. Accompanying me on the piano was a man named Richard who is a friend of one of the women in the ward. We enjoyed performing together, and he liked my singing voice, so he invited me to sing the song at his church as well. A few months ago, the opportunity was repeated when my friend Brian and I were asked to sing at another Relief Society event. This time, Richard had been asked to play dinner music after Brian's and my performance. He invited me to sing any of the songs I knew as he played, completely unrehearsed. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and we received numerous compliments.

Richard mentioned me to the leader of the jazz band he plays with, and I was invited to sing with them as their substitute lead singer. So, for the past few months I have been performing from time to time with The Mixed Nuts jazz band at various retirement communities around the valley. The challenge has been trying to quickly learn all the songs well enough to feel comfortable singing them in front of a crowd! Fortunately, I was already familiar with some. It's been a fun, new opportunity to perform with the band.

Richard also wanted to perform as a duo - just like we did at the Relief Society activity. So, he booked a gig for "The Katie Blunt Duo" at the Legacy retirement community, and we debut this Thursday night. We've been rehearsing and deciding what to wear... and I'm very excited for the chance to perform this week. I appreciate all Richard has done to encourage me and arrange opportunities for me to perform. Tune in later to find out how it goes!

Update

2010-03-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

It's definitely time for me to write an update on my life. I haven't really written since October! This is definitely a case of "no news is good news". Things are going very well for me.

Work:
I am still loving my job as an educational technology specialist. I work with wonderful people. It's the perfect combination of teaching and technology. I get to learn new programs and "play" with new tech "toys" while still working with teachers and students. I have recently been asked to be team lead for our district-wide keyboarding program, so I have spent a lot of time researching, collecting data, and planning the best way to teach our students proper and effective keyboarding skills. I am also very involved in getting our district up and running on iTunesU. I have been working with teachers at each of my schools to have podcasts ready for our upcoming iTunesU debut. Things are great, and I really couldn't be happier at my job.

Church:
I am still the Young Women's President of my LDS ward. I love working with the girls. I worry about them constantly and hope they are making good choices. I now have a full "staff" of counselors, secretary, and advisers, and they help lighten the load and set wonderful examples for the girls. We just finished our New Beginnings program, where we explained the Young Women program to parents and stake and ward leaders in the form of a news broadcast. The girls were creative and so fun to watch.

Family:
In December, my baby brother, David, announced his engagement! We are so excited that Ciera will be joining our family.

Social Life:
What social life? (ha ha) Actually, I have been set up on a blind date recently, but it hasn't happened yet. We'll see... I've enjoyed spending time with my best friend, Kristine, before her first baby arrives this month. We had a fun baby shower for her in February. And I finally got to feel baby move on Saturday night. Very exciting!

It's Nice to Feel Loved

2010-01-28T16:44:00.000-08:00

My coworker Camille has created this blog dedicated to me. :)
http://www.iheartkatieblunt.blogspot.com/

Robert Pattinson - Great Smile

2009-12-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

Take a look at eclaire's post.

Who protects the President?

2009-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Social Security.

Thanks for the laugh, Rachel! :)

Two Travelers

2009-10-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Friday night I had the opportunity to travel to Logan to Thirteen-Eight Productions recording studio and record vocals for the title track of the independent short film Two Travelers. The song's lyrics were written by Dave Morgan and the music was composed by Adam Ward. (Adam is my best friend Kristine's husband.) In addition to composing the song, Adam also performed the piano accompaniment and the male vocals of the duet. When he asked if I would record the duet with him, I was thrilled. I've been hired to record music three or four times before - once before in a recording studio - but it has been a while. I was a little nervous, but I was able relax more as the night went on, and I think it went well. I loved singing, I appreciated getting feedback from everyone to help achieve the desired sound, and I loved watching John, the studio owner, work his magic on the computer to help us create a polished product. The hope is that the film will be accepted into independent film festivals, such as Sundance. I hope it does well. I know the director and his father (Dave) have worked hard on this project. I was so pleased to be asked to participate. If you would like to hear the song, I believe Adam will be posing it on his website soon, so feel free to check it out.

New Calling

2009-10-08T22:14:00.001-07:00

I should have known there was more to my release from my calling as Stake Sports Director than just a release. But, I still didn't see it coming - not this soon, at least - even when my bishop set up an appointment for me to meet with him. Despite my inability to recognize the signs, I am thrilled about my new calling as my ward's Young Women President. I am nervous and excited to serve in this capacity. I love the girls I am working with, and I am humbled to be asked to lead them. It's going to be a fun adventure!

Birthday Wishes

2009-09-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

Chocolate (Check! Thanks, everyone!)
A new plant for my polka dot pot
A button sewn onto my skirt
Edward Cullen (Check! Thank you, Camille!)

Apple Store gift cards
Digital Camera
32GB iPhone 3GS

A new hair drier (Check! Thanks, Shelly!)

Detailed car washes
And, of course, world peace

Greatest Snack Ever

2009-08-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Heat oven to 350º.
Unwrap Rollos.
Place Rollos on waxed paper on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 2 minutes.
Immediately push a mini twisty pretzel onto each melty Rollo.
Let cool.
Pull the waxed paper off the cookie sheet to remove the Rollos/pretzels.

So delicious!
Thanks, Liz!

First Day of School

2009-08-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school for students in my new school district. A big day! We have all been working so hard to have things ready for today. I have loved being in the trenches and being part of the effort to ensure a great educational experience for our students. I love the team I work with, our department, and our district leaders. Our superintendent is a great leader - caring, intelligent, energetic - and the IT department directors are too. I feel so happy to be part of such a great team.

Now I am anxious and excited to really get to work with teachers and students. It feels good to work hard, problem solve, and really make a difference. I am working hard to earn the trust of the teachers and principals at my assigned schools. I have loved the teaching and presenting I have done so far.

First day memorable moments:

Wearing a bright yellow district T-shirt and having everyone stare at me all day
Sitting in the computer lab working on teacher laptops and looking up in time to see a 2nd grader making funny faces at me as she walked down the hall
Talking with the superintendent for 20 minutes and having him genuinely enjoying conversing with me
Being able to say hello to my former principal and coworkers as I traveled from school to school
Helping a lost 2nd grader find her bus - and her smile when we found it
"Thank you"s from teachers when their laptops were returned and ready for use
Passionate conversations about how best to help students through good teaching practices and technology use
Sharing in everyone's first day experiences via Twitter
Jethro puncturing his Coke can with a plastic knife and causing it to explode
Liz sharing her ugly stick doll with everyone
The enthusiasm and nervousness of first-year teachers
Hard-working, dedicated teachers, students, administrators, and district employees

I feel fortunate and excited to have my new position as an Educational Technology Specialist! I love being a part of the new district! It's going to be a great year!

Multimedia Summer Classes

2009-08-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve been super busy over the last few weeks. What I thought was going to be a nice summer break with a few days of work has turned into work every day. Fortunately, I am loving my job and the people I am working with. I finished up the two summer classes I have been taking. My final project was a web site I built to teach kids dance from various decades. I think it’s pretty cool. But I am having trouble posting it. It keeps getting written over by my 30 Minute Lab Lessons site. When I get the problem solved, you should check it out: decadesofdance.net . Now I just have to apply to get the multimedia endorsement I earned by taking the classes.

Pioneer Trek

2009-08-16T20:03:00.000-07:00

The biggest recent event for me was the stake youth pioneer trek. I was called and set apart to be an “aunt” for the trek. We spent 3 days and 2 nights out in the wilderness southwest of Utah Lake reenacting the experiences of the Mormon pioneer handcart companies. We wore pioneer clothing, ate pioneer food, sang pioneer songs, and pushed pioneer hand carts. Everything we packed for the trek, except our sleeping bags and pillows, had to fit into a 5 gallon bucket. That was not an easy task. I admit I rolled up my PJs into my sleeping bag because I couldn’t get them into my bucket. :) We were assigned to families with a Pa, a Ma, about 9 children, and an aunt or uncle. Our family was great. It was so fun to get to know them so closely through our experiences together.

We walked a total of about 20 miles in 3 days. That’s not too terribly far, but we did have to push the hand cart with all our belongings for all 20 miles. The first day we had many casualties. Two people sprained their ankles and many had really bad blisters. The sweet Karen speaking kids -- refugees from Myanmar -- have never really worn shoes before, and their feet really suffered. We had 2 sweet girls in our “family” that had been given donated shoes to wear. One of them was walking in shoes that were 2 sizes too small! Every one of her toes, both heels, and the soles of her feet had blisters. But, they smiled the whole time and never complained. I ended up literally carrying them to the first aid truck because they could no longer walk. That night at camp they invited me to eat with them. And when it was decided that they needed to go home, they hugged me and hugged me when we said goodbye. They were so sweet and such good examples.

One of the most emotional and spiritual experiences on trek was when the men were taken away on the second day to serve in the Mormon Battalion. The women were left to pull the carts alone through the most difficult part of the trail. Usually to get the carts to move, 4 people pulled on the handles in the front and 4 people pushed from behind. But, many of our families only had 3 or 4 women left after losing so many kids the first day. We knew right away it would be a struggle. As we watched the men march away, one of the leaders told us the story of a woman who was not even LDS but had come across the plains because her husband, who had joined the church, asked her to. She loved him and she trusted him, so she went. He died on the journey, leaving her to pull their cart with their 7 children. Within 21 days of her husband’s death, 5 of their children also died. And yet, she continued on to the Salt Lake Valley, finishing the journey her husband had believed in. Of course, that story caused all of us to start our women’s pull with our hearts full of emotion.

The women’s pull was hard. We pulled in total silence for a quarter mile so we could think about the difficulties the pioneer women had faced. The lead hand cart struggled so much to pull through the deep sand that they had to stop and signal for help. I left my family because we had 5 women, and I ran up to the lead cart to help them. They were all in tears when I started to help them pull. As we approached the top of the hill we were climbing, we saw the men lined up on either side of the trail. As we pushed and pulled through, exhausted, thirsty, and out of breath, the men began to hum “The Spirit of God”. The spirit was so strong. For the women, it was incredible to experience the strength of the priesthood in this very literal way. And for the men, it was an awakening to love and respect they have for the women in their lives and their silent strength. The testimonies borne after this experience brought tears to my eyes.

I loved the opportunity to associate with everyone on trek. The youth have so much power to do good. And the Ma’s and Pa’s set such good examples as they worked together and supported one another. We all got extremely dirty, tired, eaten by mosquitos, rained on, wind blown, and blistered, but we had a blast. I danced and sang and told jokes with the kids. We cried when family members, including me, “died” and had to leave the family. We celebrated when we all made it to the “Salt Lake Valley” and were reunited with our “families”. It was a wonderful experience. I am grateful I was asked to participate.

Dreams

2009-08-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

I had a dream the other night that a friend of mine was a famous singer named “The Hood.” He wanted his true identity to be a secret so he wouldn’t be hounded by fans and paparazzi, so he always wore a big, red hoodie to hide his face. In my dream I was out running errands when he and his entourage passed by with a crowd of screaming fans following him. I asked someone who he was and what the big deal was, and an astonished girl (how could I not know who he was, after all?) told me, “That is The Hood! He’s only the greatest hip hop singer EVER!”
Then, as he got in his limo, I somehow got a look at his face and was so confused. “But that’s my friend,” I said.
The crowd froze and stared at me. Then they all went crazy again and started yelling things like, “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you know him!”
Strange dream. My two other dreams that night were about my boss not saving me seats at a concert just to be mean to me and people changing into fish when exposed to intense heat. So having a friend who is a hip hop star with a secret identity doesn't sound so strange after all.

Life Update

2009-08-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Work has been pretty hectic. We only have a few more weeks until this brand-new district has to be fully functional! We are frequently asked to drop whatever we are doing to help the techs with the grunt work. We all pitch in wherever we are needed. It’s pretty cool actually. I really feel like I’m part of a great team. I did get my school assignments, so that’s exciting. I will still get to work with my former principal! Hooray! I’m looking forward to working with the teachers and principals once this initial running around helping with tech issues is done.

I am still busy with things around the house and with both my church callings. Softball season is going. We were finally able to get the city to allow us to play at Granite High School Thursday nights. Everyone whined so much about having to get up early on Saturday mornings last year, so we changed it. And now they whine about the sun setting in their eyes. Oh well. :) I need to convince the stake to let me buy some decent mitts. My hand is bruised and swollen from using the lame little mitt we have. It’s fun though.

A Run-In With The Law

2009-07-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was sitting in the drive through at Wendy’s to try the new Spicy Asian Chicken, when all of a sudden a police car drove in the out driveway and stopped in front of my car. Another police SUV drove up next to me. Then another police car sped in the out driveway and stopped next to an SUV that was in front of me waiting for their order to be ready. “What is going on here?” I wondered.

“Everyone put your hands out of the car windows! Now! Hands where I can see them!” one of the offices shouted. All three officers walked cautiously toward the SUV in front of me. I just sat there and stared while the Wendy’s worker held my bag of food out the drive through window and stared too. The officers had three people, two girls and one guy about my age, get out of the car and sit on the curb. One officer started questioning them while another looked in the car. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, so I had no idea what was going on.

After waiting a couple minutes, I decided I should probably go. The Wendy’s girls asked if I could get out. I ended up backing out the drive through and exiting the in driveway. I still have no idea what it was all about, but it was my exciting adventure for the day!

You Like-a The Juice?

2009-07-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Want some really good orange juice?
Simply Orange
My favorite is the Orange-Pineapple.
Good stuff! Give it a try.

23 Questions You Probably Never Thought of Asking

2009-07-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

1. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Push the snooze button
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Greenish with maroon stitching
3. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?
A backpack
4. Did you meet anybody new today?
No, but I did talk to the mailman
5. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
Cabbage Patch Kids
6. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
Lick it
7. What are you listening to right now?
A movie playing on the television
8. Would you go sky diving?
I don't think so.
9. Do you like cottage cheese?
I used to like it with pepper, but now I'm lactose intolerant.
10. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yes
11. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?
A piece of glass I found on the floor
12. Ever been on a train?
Yes. I went on a train in Michigan.
13. Do you have a cell-phone?
Yes - an iPhone. And I just got a Blackberry for work.
14. Do you use chapstick?
Sometimes. I like raspberry flavored.
15. Do you own a gun?
No
16. Can you use chop sticks?
No
17. Ever have cream puffs?
Yes, but I can't anymore
18. Are you sarcastic?
Sometimes, but I don't really like to be
19. Ever walked into a wall?
Yes, more than I'd like to admit. And I always end up with bruises on my arms because of it.
20. Do you have good vision?
Not really
21. What are you wearing?
A T-shirt with a skull and a rose. :)
22. Can you hula hoop?
Not very well
23. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Yes. I used to climb out the bedroom window at my house where I grew up. No particular reason, I just thought it was fun. I climbed in the window at my old condo when I forgot my key.

New Job

2009-07-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first official day at my new job as an Educational Technology Specialist. We had a brief orientation, talked about schedules, and got our new computers and Blackberries. (I still prefer my iPhone.) :) I'm very excited about the work I will be doing! I will be spending most of my time out in the schools working with teachers and helping them use technology in their teaching.

It was sad last week saying goodbye to my students, teammates, classroom, and especially my principal. I don't know if or when I'll be back in the classroom again, so it was hard to leave. I've been working with my principal for all eight years I have taught, and he is so great to work with, so that was hard too. But, I am excited for a new opportunity. I am excited to work with teachers and with technology. It's exciting to be using what I have been studying in grad school. I always like trying new things.

Last Week of School!

2009-07-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

The last week of school was crazy and busy, as it always is.

Monday

9:00 am - 6th Grade All-Stars vs. Teachers Softball Game

2:00 pm - Dance Rehearsal

2:40 pm - Softball

I was pretty worn out after Monday's events, but they were all very fun. The teachers had an unusually good softball team this year! We won the game 23 to 13. Most of the students' points were scored toward the end of the game as the teachers began to tire out. :) We had some great fielding and some great hits. I was quite proud of the line drive I hit just inside the 3rd base line. :)

Tuesday

8:40 am - Rocket Launch

10:45 am - Awards Assembly

12:40 - View News Broadcasts
2:00 pm - Dance Rehearsal
2:40 pm - Softball

Tuesday was another tiring day. The rocket launch went very well thanks to "The Rocket Man" who came to help us launch. Those rockets went so high! Many of them ended up in the back yards and on the roofs of neighboring houses.

Wednesday

9:00 am - Beach Day

1:00 pm - 6th Grade Dance

The kids had a great time playing water games out on the field. Austyn was particularly entertaining during the water baseball game as he was constantly doing flips into the kiddie pools that were the bases so he could stay nice and wet. The dance was great fun too. We danced to all kinds of music and the kids got the chance to dance all of the decades dance routines we have been practicing for the last couple months.

Thursday

12:40 pm 6th Grade Auction

3:00 pm GarageBand CDs and Report Cards Distributed

We finished the year off well with our big sixth grade auction. All the sixth grade money the kids had earned throughout the year was spent on candy, sports equipment, supplies for jr. high, and technology items. They all went away with excitement for the summer, a little sadness saying goodbye, and nervousness for 7th grade. It was a great year with a great group of kids!

Girls Camp

2009-06-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I took a couple days off of work so I could drive some of my Laurels (16 to 18-year-old girls) to girls camp between their driver's education classes. After only two days and one night at camp, I managed to come home with a funky sunburn and some fun memories. The sunburn occurred because of a malfunctioning bottle of spray-on sunscreen. It wouldn’t spray on evenly, so now my arms are all spotted, so I look like a leopard, and my forehead and arms are striped. It’s not a good look for me. Oh well.

The theme of our camp this year was "The Road to Virtue". Our ward was named the Wandafizzle Triumph Biker Chicks. Diane, our ward camp director, had everyone create motorcycles using balloons, pool noodles, and duct tape. My bike was nicknamed "The Witch" because we ran out of pool noodles and I had to use a broom. They were so funny. Diane has to be the most creative person I've ever known. We wore green bandanas and brightly colored ponchos we made. Every time we were called to flag ceremony, we rode through the pasture on our motorcycles singing our ward cheer: "At the sound of TRIUMPH, on to victory!" We were so cool.

In the time I was there, we made necklaces with dog tags, decorated flip flops, did a service project, took a hike, made ice cream in cans, sang songs, watched a movie (Johnny Lingo), kidnapped campers then set them free by listing 15 great things about them, performed a skit titled "Poncho Libre", looked at the constellations, talked, laughed, ate, listened to our stake president speak, and bore our testimonies. It was a great experience. I loved getting to know the girls in new circumstances and surroundings. We have a wonderful group of young women!

Kid Quotes

2009-06-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Me: Why are you late to school today?
Student: Oh. I was pretending to be sick.
I love the honesty.

Test Question: Define the word nun.
Answer: A nun is a woman that worships God and lives in a convict.

Test Question: Define the word pilgrimage.
Answer: Arms for the poor?

Test Question: Who was Michelangelo?
Answer: Michelangelo died in the year of 1564 with many sculptures, pants, architects, and poems and much more stuff that he made and wrote.

Hired!

2009-06-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

Shortly after receiving my Master's, I applied to be an educational technology specialist for the new school district. I found out Friday that I got the job! I am very excited. It will be different not being in the classroom next year, but I am excited for the opportunity to learn and try new things and to help teachers use technology more effectively in their teaching. So, only three more weeks of being a 6th grade teacher, then new adventures!

Master Katie

2009-05-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

On May 8, 2009 I graduated with my Master's degree in Instructional Design and Educational Technology! It was a wonderful day -- the sun was shining, flowers were everywhere, it was the perfect temperature, and the sky was a brilliant blue. My mom and her husband, Ron, were able to attend, and it was a pleasure spending the day with them. Following the two ceremonies, we met up with Andy, Emery, Michael, and Brian for dinner. It was great to have them all with me to celebrate.

I'm done!

Saying Goodbye

2009-04-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

On April 22 my dear friend Derrick entered the Missionary Training Center. He will be serving a two-year mission for the LDS church in Toulouse, France. I am so excited for him and so proud of him. He is sacrificing a lot to serve others and do what he knows his Heavenly Father wants him to do. I wish him all the best and can't wait to hear about his experiences.

Before his departure, Derrick gave a wonderful, inspiring talk in church. Brian, Emery, and I were privileged to be able to sing in the church meeting as well. All who were in attendance would agree that it was a great experience to be at that meeting.

We were able to have Derrick and a few friends over for one last gathering before his two years away. We served French food, laughed, had good conversation, and made sure Derrick had a chance to play with his WiiMii before leaving. We had a great time.

Derrick will be greatly missed while he is gone. It is a comfort, however, to know that he is doing exactly what Heavenly Father wants him to do. He and his friends and family will be blessed for his willingness to put aside his life to serve others. I know he will be an incredible missionary.

More Photos

2009-04-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

I added some more photos to my blog posts about Germany, if you are interested in checking them out.

More Touring & Playing With Crazy Ellie

2009-03-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

Our original plan was to head to Copenhagen today, but with the cost of train tickets and the limited amount of time we would have had there, we decided to stay and see a few more things in Berlin. We started the day meeting Meera, a friend of Casey's, for breakfast at the Starbucks near Brandenburg Gate.
Brittney, Ellie, Peyton, Emery, and I all went. We had a great time talking to Meera and laughing at Ellie's antics. She was in great form this morning. :)
We took pictures with some of the street performers at the Brandenburg Gate.
The man with the silver face was a little disturbing to Ellie at first -
- frankly, he was a little disturbing to me too - but she warmed right up to the two soldiers.
After having her picture taken with them, she gave them each a high five and a fist pound.

Emery, Meera, and I went to visit the Reichstag after breakfast while Brittney took the girls home to nap.
The building is home to the German parliament and is an interesting combination of old and new architecture. The newest addition to the building is a glass dome that we were able to walk inside of.

There are mirrors down the middle of the dome that create a dizzying effect.
From the top of the dome, we were able to have a great 360º view of the city.

We went to the Jewish memorial once again so Meera could see it.

This time we were able to spend a little time down in the underground museum. We didn't spend too much time since we had already seen so many emotional Hollocaust photos and artifacts this week. The museum has a great architectural design, but the information was quite difficult to read. The photos were some of the more disturbing of all the ones I have seen this week. The floor of the second room displayed actual letters from concentration camp prisoners that somehow made their way to family members. The most difficult to read were those about what happened to children and babies in the concentration camps. Terrible.

Before heading back to the apartment, we had to give Meera the chance to eat a Doner Kebab. So tasty!

When we got home, we played with Ellie for a while. She decided to use her "crab claw" (tongs) to eat her strawberries.
This wasn't always successful.

We also called Nana to wish her a happy birthday.
If you haven't noticed, Ellie really likes to take her clothes off.

Later, Ellie came into the bedroom Emery and I were staying in and started jumping on Emery's bed. Ellie loves to play with phones, particularly iPhones. She knows how to get to the applications to play games like "The Wheels on the Bus" on Britt's phone. My phone is extra enticing because right now it has a purple/pink case with stars on it. So, when she asked to see "the star phone", I pulled it out and told her I would play some music for her. She danced and danced to Beyoncé and Jamiroquai. She cracked me up! She started doing a "CRAZY" dance, and I laughed so hard -- not just one of those you're a cute little girl laughs, but full-on laughing. It was so great.

Emery and I did some final shopping on the Ku Damm for gifts and chocolate to take home with us. I ended the night with dinner and conversation with Meera, Brittney, and Emery. Girl talk is always good. :)

Checkpoint Charlie & Topography of Terror

2009-03-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

This morning we dropped Casey off at the bus for his road trip with the team, then Britt dropped Emery and me off at Checkpoint Charlie so we could go through all the displays and monuments about the Berlin Wall.

It was freezing cold standing there reading all the posters along the street, but I wanted to read all about it anyway, so I wrapped myself up as much as possible and hung in there.

I like to try to piece together events in history so I understand how things came about. For example, how did a wall all of a sudden get put up dividing a city and its inhabitants? I knew that there was only a span of 20 years between the end of World War I and the start of World War II. In fact, referring to the Treaty of Versailles, French politician Marshal Foch stated rather prophetically, “This is not peace; it is an armistice for 20 years.” When I realized today that the Berlin Wall went up less than 20 years after the end of World War II, it put things into perspective a little more.

Post-war Europe was still very unstable. Germany, and the city of Berlin, had been divided and placed under the control of France, Great Britain, The United States, and Russia. Russia controlled East Germany and East Berlin.
West Germany adopted a government based on capitalism, a social market economy, and a democratic parliament. East Germany's government, known as the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic, or the DDR), became authoritarian and had a Soviet-style economy. People who lived in East Germany began to move to West Germany because they did not like the new oppressive East German government. East German leaders were afraid that if everyone left, the East German economy would crumble, so on August 13, 1961 they started construction of a wall dividing the entire city and told the people they were not allowed to leave the country. Can you imagine your government telling you that you could not leave?

The wall went up quickly, barbed wire baricades turning into cement walls and militarized checkpoints. Some neighborhoods were split in half by the wall. Buildings, including churches and homes, were torn down and replaced by the two portions of the wall (the east and west walls) and the "death strip" in between.
Families were divided, commuters were not allowed to return to work on the other side of the city, and anyone who dared try to escape the oppression was shot on the spot. I am certain the people of Germany were terrified. They knew of the horrible events of World War II. They knew that Stalin, the Soviet leader, had originally been an ally of Hitler. I personally don't think anyone trusted Stalin when treaties were made at the end of the war, but what could they do? The Allies needed Russia's help to defeat the Nazi army.

At one point there was a stand-off at Checkpoint Charlie. It began on 22 October, 1961 as a dispute over whether East German guards were authorized to examine the travel documents of a U.S. diplomat passing through to East Berlin. Soviet and American tanks stood facing eachother from opposite sides of the checkpoint, poised to shoot. The world waited for what they felt sure would be the start of World War III, but after hours of waiting, the stand-off ended peacefully thanks to negotiations by President John F. Kennedy.

It was impressive to me that a main reason why the Berlin Wall came down was protests by the people. They demanded to have the basic right to move around as they pleased. Also amazing to me is the fact that this just barely happend. The wall was not built hundreds of years ago, it was built in 1961! I was in sixth grade when the Berlin Wall came down on November 9, 1989. Only 20 years ago!

We wandered around the basement of the Checkpoint Charlie museum, which was very odd. There were all these brick rooms with nothing in them. One room had what looked like a strange marlbe alter, but it turned out to be just cloth on top of a table. I was eerie down there, and perhaps because we needed a little comic relief, we decided to play:

After exploring the Checkpoint Charlie displays and reading the stories of those who tried to escape and those who worked to tear down the Iron Curtain we took photos with the "guards" who now stand at the old checkpoint. We proceded down the street to view one of the largest remaining sections of the Berlin Wall. (Note: We found this section of the wall thanks to Emery's great "Alias" investigatory skills! We didn't know where it was, but Emery had taken a picture of it on our bus tour. She was very clever. It was impressive.)

We then toured the outdoor museum entitled "Topography of Terror". The museum is at the site of the former SS, Gestapo, and Nazi Party buildings. The buildings themselves were destroyed so that they would not become a mecca to Neo Nazis, but construction is underway to create a memorial to those whose lives were taken by the orders that came from those buildings before and during World War II. I cannot even begin to describe the things I read about and the pictures I saw at this museum. It all begins to be too much to handle. Let me just say that "Topography of Terror" is an accurate title.

We visited the current German House of Representatives,
I bought a scarf from a man Emery and I dubbed the Turkish George Cloony,
then we walked down Freidrich Strasse, known for its great shopping.
My favorite store was the Mini store. :)

After an educational and enjoyable, though long, emotionally draining, and freezing cold day, Emery and I needed to relax a bit. We took Harley for a walk and picked up dinner for the two of us and Britt at Va Piano, an excellent Italian restaurant. After eating, the three of us rented "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" from iTunes and enjoyed a chick-flick night.

Happy Birsday!

2009-03-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Casey's birthday! He is 28 years old. We all celebrated by going breakfast before Casey had to report to the hotel where he is required to be on game days. We had a "lovely" time, as Ellie says. :)

The best part of the morning was being able to witness Ellie's rendition of "Poker Face" first hand. The song came on the radio in the car, and Ellie sang every word! Her actions are the best. She puts her hands up and shakes her head for the lyrics "can't read my, can't read my" and then pokes her face on "my poker face" (as if the lyrics were "poke her face"). So funny! Again, you can read more on Britt's blog about her little routine.

Our second big excursion today was to Ka De We, a huge department store on the Ku Damm. It is the largest department store in continental Europe. Harrods in London is larger, but like Harrods, Ka De We is huge, amazing, and expensive. We had crepes on the gourmet food floor, and they were delicious. We almost made it out of the store without Ellie spotting the balloons, but we weren't quick enough. Since it is Casey's birthday, we went ahead and got a bundle of balloons to take with us to the basketball game tonight.

The Alba Berlin game was once again very fun to attend. I enjoyed watching Casey, eating all the great food, and hanging out with Brittney, Emery, and Tori. (Tori is Adam's girlfriend. Adam is Casey's best friend on the team.)

During the game I got to hold Micah, the son of Tanya and Ansu Sesay (Casey's teammate). He is so adorable!

After the game we all ate cake that Brittney had baked and sang "Happy Birsday" to Casey. (The th sound is difficult for Germans to say.) Britt handed out cake to all the players, coaches, and wives and children of the players. Casey even got a birthday song and presents from fans as we left the arena.

Adam (Casey's teammate), Tori (Adam's girlfriend), Emery, Katie, Casey, Brittney

When we got home, we hung out and talked with Christine, the baby sitter, and eventually managed to all crawl to our beds to sleep.

See Emery's blog post for more fun stories from the day!

Change of Plans

2009-03-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

After visiting Sachsenhousen in the morning, we picked up Ellie from kindergarten (preschool) and all headed back to Britt's apartment to take naps. The morning was pretty exhausting, and I got quite car sick. We slept for a few hours!

When we finally got up and played with Ellie for a bit, it was time for dinner. Emery and I went across the street and picked up some sushi. It was very good!

Tonight was supposed to be the night we all went to the P¡nk concert. Unfortunately, the team "guy" who was going to get the tickets for us was not successful. Oh well. Casey's practice actually ended up being scheduled later than origianlly planned anyway. So, instead, we three ladies went to a movie at the Sony Center. We had a babysitter, so we made the most of it.

The Sony Center is very cool. Its tent-like, open-air roof was designed to look like Mt. Fuji coming up out of the glass walls of the surrounding offices and resaurants. At night it is lit up with changing colored lights.
It houses a movie theater that shows many American movies in their origianl form - no dubbing or subtitles. Lego Land is also located underground at the center.

I enjoyed watching "Confessions Of A Shopaholic" with the girls and walking around the Sony Center and Potsdamer Platz (pictures coming soon) with Casey after his practice was finished. Another fun night!

See Emery's post for more fun details!

Sachsenhousen

2009-03-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

This morning Brittney, Emery, and I traveled about 40 minutes outside of Berlin to visit Sachsenhausen, the German concentration camp. I have obviously learned about the Holocaust over the years. I have visited the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC and the British War Museum in London, among other sites. I have read novels and books and had many lessons in school about World War II. Knowing the atrocities that took place helped me understand what I was going to see by visiting Sachsenhausen, but none of those experiences compare to actually standing on the ground where prisoners lined up for roll call - where they were forced to endure freezing temperatures, humiliation, and pain, often for 24 hours straight.
I walked where innocent people were forced to march every day with cold wind going through their thin clothing, not understanding why they were there or what was to become of them.
I looked through the peep holes in the cell doors where prisoners were kept in solitary confinement for weeks and months at a time.
I stood inside Barrack 38
and looked in on the infamous bunks, the washrooms where prisoners were given a trickle of water to bathe in, and the bathrooms where prisoners were so desperate to use the facilities that they trampled each other to get in.
I walked through rooms where SS guards tortured and killed prisoners. I saw prisoner uniforms, torture devices, and mass graves now marked by cement slabs.

At station Z I looked down on the trenches built to simplify mass shootings,
then the ovens used for cremation.

I passed the guard towers that were once manned by SS guards with machine guns, listened to eye witness accounts of the cruel beatings inflicted on prisoners by SS officers.
I read the ironic words on the iron gate at Tower A: "ARBEIT MACHT FREI" (Work makes you free).

I read about the death march that occured as officers tried to clear the camps of prisoners - witnesses - before liberation by the Allies. I was inspired by stories of Red Cross workers who risked their lives to try to help those who fell before they were shot for not keeping up with the evacuation. My heart broke for the Jews, the Russian soldiers, the political opponents, the Poles, the "social outcasts", the religious leaders, and the resistance fighters who were all sent to Sachsenhausen by order of the Fuhrer and murdered by hangings, shootings, beatings, exposure, illness, torture, starvation, medical experiments, exhaustion, gas chambers...

At the camp today I was reminded once again how vital it is to love all of God's children. One quote I heard today that stood out to me was one from a former prisoner who survived his time in Sachsenhausen. When he was asked if his imprisonment was really that bad he replied, "It was a thousand times worse."

It is unbelievable that the atrocities that took place there actually happened, that people could actually treat other people as they did. It is hard to believe and impossible for me to understand. It was important for me to go to Sachsenhausen today. The world must not forget what happened. We must not ever let it happen again.

Pickin' Up Dinner & Men

2009-03-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

We slept in a little bit this morning. (Thank goodness this has actually been a relaxing vacation. I needed it!) Then we spent a little time at the zoo with Ellie.

We had fun! We arrived just in time to watch the elephants get their hair brushed. It was very entertaining to watch them kneel down on the ground so the zookeepers could sweep all the dust off their backs with push brooms. The baby elephant was making all kinds of loud noises, which I think surprised Ellie a little.

We saw the giraffe, a turkey vulture, polar bears, hippos, and (thankfully, or Ellie would have been quite upset) the monkeys. We fed animals at the petting zoo and even managed to have time for a couple trips down the slide on the playground.

The only problem we encountered was that the zoo, for some strange reason, closed the entrance we came in and left only one exit open on the opposite side from where our car was parked. Since Casey needed the car to get to practice, we got our exercise by running through the zoo to get home in time. Ellie was bothered by this, not because of the extra long trip to the car or the bumpy stroller ride, but because Mommy wouldn't let her get out of her stroller so she could run too. :)

This afternoon Emery and I visited Kaiser Wilhelm church on the Ku Damm. It is only about a block or two away from Brittney & Casey's apartment. The church was destroyed from bombings in Berlin during World War II. Most of the church was demolished and irreparable, but one section still stands. Rather than being rebuilt, it was left in its damaged state to remind the people of the horrors of war and that we should all be striving for peace.

A new, modern church (which Lindsay, Emery's cousin, refers to as "The Neon Church" because of its blue glass walls) was built along side it.

After visiting Kaiser Wilhelm, Emery and I once again ate curry wurst and crepes sold at the stands next to the church. Yum!

This evening Emery and I took a walk down the Ku Damm again. Although it's been cold, we have had sunshine (rare here during the winter) and clear, crisp air. Berlin is a very clean, safe city, and as I said before, really doesn't seem foreign. It is new and interesting, but not scary or intimidating. I really enjoy being here.

Tonight we picked up dinner and men from the Hard Rock Café. You can see for yourself what a rockin' time I had.

And check out my new hottie boyfriend. What can I say? I know how to pick 'em. ;)

We ended the night by once again talking for a while with Brittney and Casey. It's hard not to stay up late when I'm enjoying great conversation!

Tour of Berlin

2009-03-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today we took a bus tour of Berlin.
It was a great way to get a brief look at the city and it's famous monuments, buildings, and sites. I learned many things about Berlin. For example, I learned that the colored pipes you see going over the streets near construction sites are not, according to our tour guide, to bring beer to the construction workers. They are actually to pump ground water away from the construction sites. I also learned that there are a lot of ducks in Berlin, in the summer there are a lot of Turkish barbecues in the Tiergarten, and the man who was in charge of building the new train station stopped construction before it was finished because he wanted to watch the world football (soccer) tournament on television. (To this day, the roof does not reach all the way across the walkway the passengers take, so many get rained on.)
On our tour we saw:

Remnants of the Berlin Wall

Stones have been placed around the city where the wall used to stand.

Brandenburg Gate
Until my 6th grade year (1989), I would not have been allowed to walk through this gate. The wall was directly behind it stopping travelers from going between East and West Berlin.

The Tiergarten

Checkpoint Charlie

We saw many other buildings and monuments as well.

Ellie gets home from kindergarten at about 12:00 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Helping her get ready for nap time after she gets home has been a fun treat. We read a book and sing a song - usually "The Alligator Song" (where I get chosen to be eaten for lunch) or "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes" (sung in several styles, including "SUPER fast" and "CRAZY!").

Brittney took Casey to a spa today to celebrate his birthday which is on Thursday. Emery and I got to babysit the girls. Peyton is a pretty fussy baby. She just has tummy trouble that makes her uncomfortable a lot of the time -- something I completely understand. :) She is absolutely adorable, though, so I didn't mind babysitting at all, but clearly it was an exhausting day for us both.

Later that evening, Casey took Emery and me to look more closely at a few of the sites:

The TV Tower

The Egyptian Museum
which houses the bust of Nefertiti
(By the way, a bust is a statue from the shoulders up.
Confusing for some, I know. ;)

This is our "casual conversation" pose.
Casey's facial expression is the best. Very casual.

The Berliner Dom
(The Berlin Cathedral)

The Holocaust Memorial

After our exploration, Casey bought us Doner Kebabs for dinner. They are another famous food item here because of the large Turkish population in Berlin. Tasty!

Harley is always hoping you'll drop some food for her.

We ended the night babysitting again so Casey and Brittney could enjoy a nice birthday dinner together. It was a great day!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

2009-03-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to church with Brittney, Ellie, and Peyton. On game days here the players have to stay in a hotel, not with their families (a bit strange), so Casey was not with us. I liked attending church services for a few reasons:
1) It reemphasized what many people have said before that, "the church is the same everywhere." It's true!
2) I like hearing people speaking foreign languages, and church was all in German.
3) One of the sister missionaries here translated sacrament meeting for me. The talks were good - all about missionary work - and she did a good job translating.
4) Brittney teaches the teenage Sunday School class. She has two students who are British, so she is able to teach them. Her class usually turns into the English Sunday School class, though, since there are often English speaking visitors and all the other classes are in German. Today was no exception. There were two kids, a brother and sister, from New Mexico that joined us. I learned from them that the street lamps in Roswell are shaped to look like aliens with glowing eyes. The one thing that is difficult about Brittney's class is that they do not have a nursery for Ellie and Peyton, so Britt has to try to teach with them in the class. That can be pretty tough.

Sunday evening we attended Casey's game. I always enjoy watching Casey play. They won the game, but I wish the team would give him more opportunities. He made 8 points in four shots. Pretty great -- so why don't they let him shoot more?! We had fun watching, eating the team-provided meal, and meeting a few of the players, despite the fact that Britt's girls had a rough night. As I said, I love watching Casey play!

Willkommen!

2009-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Emery and I arrived in Berlin on Saturday afternoon after 20 hours of travel. We got our passports stamped, picked up our luggage, and walked straight through customs without one person asking any questions or asking what we had in our bags. We didn't fill out any paper work at all. Strange. Casey was waiting for us just outside of the baggage claim, and we were off!

For those who don't know, we are here to visit my sister Brittney and her family: her husband, Casey, and her two daughters, Ellie and Peyton. So, of course the first order of business upon arriving at Brittney's and Casey's apartment was to give Britt a big hug, give Ellie a big hug, have Harley run around and jump up on me (Harley is the dog), and to meet baby Peyton. It was so fun to see them all.
Ellie is adorable, smart, funny, and tall. She has such a fun personality and constantly surprises me with the things she says and does. She is attending kindergarten here (preschool) and has both a German teacher and a British teacher. This has resulted in her speaking German and British English as well as her American English. The combination of words and phrases that she uses can, therefore, be very amusing. She almost always counts in German. She says things like "lovely" and "brilliant" from time to time. And actually, due to watching Diego (from Dora the Explorer) on TV, she also yells in Spanish, "¡Ayudame! ¡Ayudame!" when she plays a game she made up where she pretends to get stuck in the corner.

I brought one full suitcase with me on the trip filled with things for Brittney, Casey, Ellie, and Peyton. So, after our arrival, we took some time to unload treasures from the U.S. Brittney was excited to have pants that fit her. (Peyton was born 8 weeks ago, so Britt is glad to have smaller pants rather than maternity clothes.) Ellie was excited to have new clothes, ballerina outfits, and Nutter Butters. Casey was thrilled to have his Capn' Crunch cereal and Hebrew National hot dogs. Everyone was happy.

That evening, when Casey went to basketball practice, Brittney, Ellie, Emery, and I took a walk down the street (Kurfurstendamm, aka the Ku-damm) to grab a Berliner Currywurst (a hot-dog on a roll with katsup, dijon mustard, and curry powder) and a cinnamon and sugar crepe for dinner. We ate on the benches next to the Kaiser Wilhelm church.

So far, I like Berlin very much. It doesn't feel as foreign to me as other European cities have. Everyone speaks English, for one thing, but it also seems like a very easy-to-navigate, clean, safe city. I think I'm gonna like it here. :)

P.P.S. Check out Brittney's blog for more Ellie stories. I love the Poker Face story! Check out Emery's blog for more information and details about our trip.

Auf Wiedersehen!

2009-03-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to Germany!

Emery and I are currently sitting in the Dallas, Fort Worth airport waiting for our connecting flight to London, then on to Berlin.

We are so excited to be going to visit Brittney, Casey, Ellie, and Peyton (oh, and Harley too, of course). Our trip will be 10 days long, so we plan on seeing all the sights, playing with Brittney, Casey, and the girls, and even taking an overnight trip to Copenhagen.

So far we have successfully started our trip. Brian is house sitting for us (so now you know where they parties will be), so all will be safe there. We managed to get everything rearranged in suitcases at the airport so not one bag was over 50 lbs. That proved to be tricky when Katie couldn't decide what clothes not to bring and Casey had to have his Cap'n Crunch and Hebrew National hot dogs. :) Thankfully, Emery is a wiser packer than I and we made it work.

The memorable quotes for this trip actually started flowing last night when Emery astutely stated that, although she enjoys using travel time to prepare and learn about her destination, "Seventeen hours is a bit excessive for the length of a trip." Hm. Yes. A bit. Emery also pointed out this morning that the reason no one builds planes with beds in them is, "the same reason they build apartment buildings instead of one-man homes with ten acres." Huh?

Brittney emailed me today to let me know that Ellie is just as excited about our arrival as we are. She wrote, "Went to Subway for lunch today and Ellie INSISTED on buying an extra bag of chips that she kept saying were for Emery... haha. She also told her teachers at school today that "Aunt Kat" is on an airplane today, coming to see her. :) Needless to say, she is VERY excited that you guys are coming." We are so excited too, Ellie!

Stay tuned to this blog in the coming days if you would like to read about our European adventures!

Old Quotes, New Perspectives

2009-03-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

I have all these little notebooks stored in my closet that I used to write in. I would write "To Do" lists, thoughts, quotes, ideas for short stories or songs, dreams I wanted to remember, fun things I wanted to tell my then boyfriend... random thoughts. I was looking through one of these old notebooks today and read some quotes that inspired me. It was good timing for me to remember thoughts that had once lifted me. The quotes are very simple, but with new challenges and circumstances in my life, they hit me with deeper meaning and importance.

"Do something good you don't want to do every day."

"The peaceful times in your life only come after the battles in your life."
[For example, in The Book of Mormon 4th Nephi (peace) only comes after 3rd Nephi (war).]

"If you want to obtain things you've never had, you must do things you've never done."

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

"The longer you put off responding to its promptings, the less effect the of the Spirit of the Lord has on you."

"Faith is doing the right thing when it's hard."

"Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen." (D&C 4:7)

"... cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart... Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6:22-23)

"Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers." (D&C 112:10)

"Why do we stay in darkness when such rescuing light awaits us?"

"Knowing is not enough. We must do, and we must be."

"Be first to love."

"Our greatest desires lay just beyond our greatest fears."

"And now the cause... we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear...

Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us... yea, and also give us strength...

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

And we did take courage... and were fixed with a determination... And thus we did go forth with all our might..." (Alma 58: 9-13)

Stress Relief

2009-03-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

Here's something you never wanted to know about me. I suppose it's gross, but you get to read about anyway. I have a condition known as RAS. Here's an explanation from Wikipedia:

An aphthous ulcer, also known as canker sore, is a type of oral ulcer, which presents as a painful open sore inside the mouth. The condition is also known as aphthous stomatitis. Aphthous stomatitis is a condition which is characterized by recurrent discrete areas of ulceration which are almost always painful. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) can be distinguished from other diseases with similar-appearing oral lesions by their tendency to recur, and their multiplicity and chronicity. At least 10% of the population suffers from it. Women are more often affected than men. About 30–40% of patients with recurrent aphthae report a family history. The ulcer, which itself is often extremely painful, especially when agitated, may be accompanied by a painful swelling of the lymph nodes below the jaw, which can be mistaken for toothache. Another symptom is fever (37.1 celsius). A sore on the gums may be accompanied by discomfort or pain in the teeth. The exact cause of many aphthous ulcers is unknown but stress and fatigue (among other things) contribute to their development.

For many years now, in my most stressful times, I have had these awful sores pop up in my mouth. It is a painful reminder that I am too stressed and too tired. I need to find better ways of dealing with stress since it seems that my mouth (and my back - a whole other condition) freak out every time I don't manage it well.

This past week was one of my most stressful yet. Evidence: I now have SEVEN of these painful little spots in my mouth. Fortunately, my students' Shakespeare play is edited and auditions have concluded, the second grading period and parent/teacher conferences are over, I successfully presented and volunteered at my technology conference, and I have now tracked off. I slept in this morning, folded and put away all my laundry, got the house cleaned, payed bills, and got organized while the snow fell outside and "Gilmore Girls" played on the television. It felt good. I still have some work responsibilities to take care of, a lot of homework to do, church responsibilities (which I happily take on) to see to, and my roller coaster of emotions to deal with, but come Friday the 13th I will walk away from the stress for 10 days! I will be on a plane to Berlin, Germany! I am so excited! Traveling, sightseeing, attending concerts and basketball games, babysitting my nieces, and playing with Brittney, Casey, and Emery are just what the doctor ordered. :)

Firsts

2009-03-01T23:11:00.001-08:00

FIRSTS

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Miles Romney

2. Who was your FIRST crush?
Michael Smith. My mom found out I liked him because I wrote his name on my shoe.

3. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
Yes

4. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Never had one

5. What was your FIRST job?
Removing screws from the beams at the Veritek building, earning one penny per screw

6. What was your FIRST car?
Red VW Cabriolet Convertible

7. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
No one today. :( Loser.
Derrick was the last to text me.

8. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Emery

9. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Miss Blake

10. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
I don't remember, but I think it was in my dad's plane. I'm sure I threw up.

11. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
Kristine. Of course!

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Probably Kristine's

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Emery

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Karen Minchau's. I was the flower girl, and my brother Andy was the ring bearer.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
I wondered why I was still on the couch and why the TV was still on.

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Vince Gill??

17. FIRST tattoo?
I'm sure it was on my arm, but it's gone now. Those water ones don't last too long.

18. FIRST piercing?
Ears

19. FIRST foreign country you've been to?
Canada

20. FIRST movie you remember seeing?
Savannah Smiles

21. When was your FIRST detention?
Sixth grade. I chewed a lot of gum and didn't turn in homework in 6th grade. Ironically, I now teach 6th grade.

22. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
California

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Ondalynn Lewis

24. If you had one wish, what would your FIRST one be?
World Peace. And harsher penalties for parole violators.

25. What is the FIRST thing you would learn if you had the chance?
How to play the piano better

26. Who do you think will be the FIRST person to post this after you?
Emery. She's jealous that I'm typing this right now.

27. Who was your FIRST kiss?
Che Devine

28. Where did you go on your FIRST road trip?
I'm not sure, but it was probably to "Fun Spot In The Desert" with my family.

29. What was your FIRST pet?
Patas, a black lab

30. Who was the FIRST actor you ever had a crush on?
Kirk Cameron

Kid Quotes

2009-02-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

A student walked into my classroom yesterday and said, "Miss B! You look dazzling today!"

I'm not worried about the Word Choice score he will receive on his writing test on Tuesday. And I don't think, after that, he was worried about his math grade for the day. ;)

Me

2009-02-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Another silly question-and-answer post. Mildly entertaining and a good distraction during class. :)

Six names you go by:
1. Katie
2. Kat
3. Miss Blunt
4. Sister Blunt
5. KatieKatie
6. Kathryn

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. jeans
2. an itchy sweater
3. cute black and grey shoes

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. sleep
2. speed reading and photographic memory capabilities
3. more time

Three People who will fill this out:
1. I don't know
2. nobody
3. I'm tired

Three things you did last night:
1. talked to many people on the phone
2. calendared
3. booked a flight to Berlin!

Three things you ate today:
1. a banana
2. orange jello
3. Chinese chicken salad

Three people you last talked to on the phone:
1. Joan
2. Derrick
3. Mom

Three things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. my homework
2. go to class
3. the books at stake basketball

Your three favorite beverages:
1. water
2. ice water
3. chocolate Silk soymilk

New Ward, New Calling, New Adventures

2009-01-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day in the Wandamere Ward (my new LDS church ward). I finally made the transition from the young single adult ward to the family ward. I am excited to be joining them. I have made a lot of friends in the ward already through music and sports in my stake, so there were a lot of welcoming faces there today. It is certainly different after being in a singles ward for 13 years, but it will be good.

I didn't know you could receive a calling in a ward before your records were even transferred, but the bishop has been anxiously waiting for me to decide to join his ward. So as soon as he found out I was coming, he set up an appointment to meet with me. Today I stood up in sacrament as my records were read and I was welcomed to the ward, then 10 seconds later I stood again to be called as the Laurel (16-18-year-old girls) adviser. I am excited to get right to work in this new calling. It will have its challenges, but I know I will be helped and supported. I actually still have my stake sports calling too, but I feel confident I will be able to do both.

It feels good knowing I am doing exactly what Heavenly Father wants me to be doing. Dealing with emotions and making decisions lately has been a bit challenging, but I know I have been guided to where I am now. I have a good class at work, I am getting close to finishing my degree, I am in a wonderful ward, I enjoy my callings, I have good friends and loving family, and things are better than expected in several areas of my life. I am so grateful. It's amazing how everything in my life improves when I am willing to do the Lord's will first. When I am willing to make sacrifices to do what I feel is right, I am taken care of. I am so thankful He lets me know His will for me and reassures me He will continue to do so.

The Right Stuff

2009-01-03T23:09:00.001-08:00

My friend Sarah had this on her Facebook page, and I thought it would be fun to try. Most of the answers turned out eerily well and are quite amusing. I might try it again sometime to see what other answers I can get. :)

Instructions:
1. Put your ZUNE/iPod/MP3 Player/etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing it.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Make Me Love You

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
You Are The Music In Me

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY?
Killing Me Softly With His Song

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Someday

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Hazard

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
We Used To Be Friends

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Hope You're Doing Fine

WHAT IS TWO PLUS TWO?
Thankful

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
I Saw It All

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Suspicious Minds

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Stayin' Alive

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
If I Didn't Tell You This Tonight

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Slam

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Streetcorner Symphony

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Stay Forever

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Way She Loves Me

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Don't Marry Me

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Why Not

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Who Knows?

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Time

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Sunny Side

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
You'll Be In My Heart

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
The Movie In My Mind

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Starry, Starry Night

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I Want You Back

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
March of the Witch Hunters

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Get'cha Head In the Game

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Hey Little Buttercup

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Baby It's Cold Outside

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
The Right Stuff

New Year's Eve Pictures

2009-01-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

My LDS singles ward had a big New Year's Eve party last night / this morning. It was very fun. Way to go, Activities Committee! We had dancing, games, video games, Karaoke, food... everything needed for a great party. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the night:

Emery & Michael

Pretty Emery

I know.
We are strange.

If you think this is strange, you should have seen our Karaoke rendition of "I Feel Pretty" earlier in the night. Even I was impressed by us and our corny-ness. :)

~The Brown People~

I know what you're thinking. I'm really more white, or even pink, than brown. And I'm proud of it! :) But, I am also proud that Jovanni pronounced me an honorary brown person because I am so loud. Jovanni and I were the winners of our table's New Year's Eve loud contest. Did anyone honestly think they could compete with the two of us? If they did, they now know better.

Michael's GQ look
in his new coat.

Bill

"Hey Cookie - make me some hot cakes!"

Bishop :)

New Year's Resolutions

2008-12-31T00:34:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again! What are your resolutions? Are they the same as last year or are they new and different? How are you going to accomplish your goals this year? I am going to compile my list here:

Get in shape (Isn't that the first one on a lot of people's lists?)

Attend my hip hop dance class again
Dance Dance Revolution
Do my back exercises 5 days a week
Eat healthy foods

Get to sleep earlier

Manage my time better
Don't stay up all night worrying
Don't stay up all night blogging ;)
Discipline

Attend the temple once a month

Attend Relief Society temple nights
If class does not allow me to attend on scheduled nights, schedule my own night

Exercise more faith

Pray
Be calm
Be peaceful
Trust
Have patience
Remember what the Lord has already done for me

Serve others

Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
Think of others first

Finish Grad School!

Work hard
Enjoy the experience

Christmas Miracles

2008-12-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have had a simply wonderful past few days! I have felt calm, peaceful, happy, content, watched over, supported, and loved. As I mentioned in my blog entry "The Call Has Come", I was able to watch a dear friend of mine open his mission call on Thursday. I had fun researching Toulouse, France on Friday. On Saturday I was able to attend the temple with another friend. Sunday was filled with wonderful conversations, quality time with friends, and miraculous events. I am truly blessed, and my prayers are heard.

Monday I led members of my ward in singing Christmas carols at our neighborhood care center for our ward Family Home Evening activity. I was very pleased with the number of people who came to sing, and everything went very well. It was a great evening, and it reminded me how good it feels to do things for others, even something as simple as singing songs with them.

After singing we went to our institute building to play games. Have you ever had your knuckles bruised by and air hockey puck? I have! Michael's air hockey "slap shot" is brutal! But let it be known that, despite playing with an injury, I did win the game. :)

I went to visit Kristine today and had a wonderful time chatting and catching up. She only lives about 20-25 minutes away, but when we both get busy it's hard to meet up, so today was a treat. Love that girl!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I am looking forward to an unconventional Christmas this year. My original plans changed (and kept changing), so I am not traveling anywhere this year. My mom is coming here the day after Christmas, so I decided to stick around and do my own thing on the 24th and 25th. I get to spend Christmas Eve night with my former bishop and his wife at their house. It will be wonderful to be with them. Christmas morning Andy (my brother), Emery, Jovanni, and I will be serving breakfast to those in need at the Christian Life Center. We have to be there at 6:00 am! It will be great.

It occured to me this week that the Christmas story is one of humility. The Saviour was born in humble circumstances. He was unknown by so much of the world - a small and simple beginning. At the same time, the birth of Jesus was a glorious moment announced and celebrated with choirs of angels singing, "Halleluja!" It was a moment fortold by countless prophets -- a moment that would lead to the saving of all mankind. What a wonderful combination: humility and great glory. I believe that when we humbly perform simple, Christ-like acts, though they may seem insignificant and are certainly not as miraculous as the birth of the Saviour, they can be life-changing for those we serve. In those quiet, selfless moments, we are truly performing acts that cause angles sing, "Halleluja!"

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hodie: A Christmas Cantata

2008-12-22T21:19:00.001-08:00

Saturday I went to Emery's concert (she sings with the choral artists society). The choir and orchestra performed Hodie. (It's pronounced "hoe-dee-ay." Not "hoe-dee" like Michael says or "hoo-dee" like I say.) It is a Christmas cantata by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Hodie means "This Day."

Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. Although I like cantatas, requiems, oratorios, etc., it pains me to admit that I often have had enough after the first half hour. And I am even someone who loves music. I guess I like some variety in performances, and not every concert provides that. I love Handel's Messiah, and I don't get tired of that one (maybe because I know it so well, and particularly when it's a sing-along). And now I can say I love Hodie too. It's a little eclectic, but I like it that way.

The narrative portions of Hodie are sung by a children's choir, and the lyrics are the scriptures from Luke that tell the Christmas story. I loved hearing the familiar scriptures sung. It brought a new experience, and therefore new feeling, to the text.

Previous to the concert, since I had dropped Emery off and was there early, I was able to attend a brief lecture about Hodie and Vaughn Williams. This allowed me to enjoy and appreciate the performance even more. I learned, for example, that Williams got the text for the songs in Hodie from various famous writers and poets. My favorite poem sung that night was "The Oxen" by Thomas Hardy. I love the simple, yet unique thoughts in the poem and the word choice that paints the images and expresses the emotions so well.

I know I too am the kind of hopeful person who would follow into the gloom "hoping it might be so."

The Oxen

Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock.
"Now they are all on their knees,"
An elder said as we sat in a flock
By the embers in hearth side ease.

We pictured the meek mild creatures where
They dwelt in their strawy pen,
Nor did it occur to one of us there
To doubt they were kneeling then.

So fair a fancy few would weave
In these years! Yet, I feel
If someone said on Christmas Eve,
"Come; see the oxen kneel,

In the lonely barton by yonder comb
Our childhood used to know,"
I should go with him in the gloom,
Hoping it might be so.

By Thomas Hardy

The Call Has Come!

2008-12-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

Last night Derrick received his mission call! He is going to Toulouse, France! He leaves April 22 for the MTC in Provo. We were all able to gather at Derrick's house last night to watch him open his call. It was so exciting and so wonderful. I'll post some pictures.

Derrick had many people on speaker phone for the opening of his call. :)

Standing at his official mission call podium

With our former bishop and his wife

It was love at first tree...

2008-12-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

We have a Christmas tree! Emery and I went out on Saturday to get our Christmas tree. It was cold and snowy, so fortunately when we arrived at the tree farm, we fell in love with the first tree we looked at! And that was that. After a long trek home (ok, so it was just around the block - the tree farm is in our golf course parking lot) we were ready for Christmas! Our tree is so pretty:

On Thursday I finished my last final project of the semester. It was a rough semester - I had a lot of other things on my mind, I was busy with more responsibilities at work, and I was getting over the mid grad program hump - but despite that I did very well. I got everything turned in on time, and my final presentations went very well! Hooray!

Since then, I have been running errands, doing Christmas shopping, and singing. Friday night was my ward's Christmas social. The Activities Committee had tried to get several people to provide some music for the party, however no one was able to except me. So, the result was "The Katie Show, Part II". (Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever wrote about "The Katie Show, Part I." That was the Ward Thanksgiving Talent Show. I performed in 5 numbers, including a flag routine! I want it known, however, that I only signed myself up for 1 number that night. The others I was volunteered for. I was voted "Miss Madison YSA" at the end of the night. I'll include that picture. :) Anyway, I was a little nervous at the Christmas social because I didn't really have time to prepare, but it went pretty well. I sang "Santa Baby", "Merry Christmas, Darling", and "Jingle Bells" (Barbara Streisand style). It was a fun night. I was able to have fun and talk with good friends.

Yesterday I had another fun opportunity to sing. The wife of one of our bishopric members works as a volunteer supervising tour guides at the LDS Conference Center. Her shift's volunteers were having a small luncheon previous to their shift, and she asked if Emery and I would sing Christmas songs during the meal. We asked Dennis if he would play the piano for us. Fortunately, I am off-track and Emery and Dennis were able to take a couple hours from work so we could sing. It went very well and was a nice opportunity. Everyone was very gracious and happy we were there.

This morning I dropped my car off to be serviced, then walked home in the falling snow. I loved the taking a nice, long walk. And thanks to my new gloves and old thermals it was very pleasant. I think I was walking faster than the cars waiting in the lines of traffic. :) I'm glad we do have snow now, too. I'm not a huge fan of the winter cold, particularly when it's still here in February and March, but I've come to like a nice white blanket over everything for Christmas. It's he perfect backdrop for the season.

Teaching Tidbits

2008-12-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet Students
One of my student's sisters was a lunch worker a couple months ago. When she saw me getting my lunch she waved frantically and said, "Miss B! I'm Liz's sister! You probably know that because everyone says we look like twins."
She continued to talk a mile-a-minute about various topics, then paused and looked at me.
"Miss B, Liz really likes you. She says you are the best teacher... And she says you're not married."
"Well, thank you. And no, I'm not married."
She thought for a moment, then looked at me in complete sincerity and said, "Hmm... So beautiful, but not married..."
So sweet.

Pepperidge Farm factory
Every morning and afternoon the entire school yard smells like waffle cones. I couldn't figure it out for a long time, but finally asked another teacher where that smell was coming from. She told me just over the hill is the Pepperidge Farm factory. Now I have a visit to the factory on my list of things to do.

Watching a Heart Attack

2008-12-11T23:35:00.000-08:00

I watched a man have a heart attack in September. I was at physical therapy and a new patient was getting ready to use the stationery bike, when he turned very white and strange looking. The physical therapist asked his assistant to stay with him and make sure he didn't fall off the bike - he wasn't responding enough to even get off - while he ran next door to the doctor's office to get help. With the help of the other doctor, they got the man to the floor on a mat. 911 was called and, since the office is very near the hospital, the paramedics arrived very quickly. They were able to determine the man had a history of heart problems, so assumed it was in fact a heart attack. I stood in the doorway of my little stretching room watching it all, completely fascinated. Needless to say, it was an interesting morning.

The man ended up being fine, from what I hear. I had never before seen something like that. Well, actually, I have seen something similar once before. I was teaching a class of sixth graders about fractions, when a very shy, red-headed boy raised a shaky hand. I asked him what was wrong, and he pointed to his lap. The girl who sat next to him was no longer sitting up next to him -- she was passed out on top of him! She came to enough to sit up again, but was totally out of it. A few moments later, she was flopped over on top of the boy again. When we finally got her to wake up enough, we wheeled her down to the office in a rolling chair. Because she was okay, it was actually quite comical. That poor boy will never be the same. :)

Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.) by Dr. Thomas Gordon

2008-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

I was assigned to read a leadership book and answer a series of questions about it for my EDPS 6445 class. I want to include a quote from the book that summarizes Dr. Thomas Gordon's general philosophy for all human relationships. If you are interested in reading more about the book, the author, and my class responses, check out my EDPS 6445 blog. I also recommend you read the book. It takes a buisiness approach to effective relationships and leadership, but the skills taught should be transferred to any and all human relationships. Thanks to Jerry for recommending the book.

"A Credo For My Relationships

"You and I are in a relationship which I value and want to keep. Yet each of us is a separate person with unique needs and the right to meet those needs.

"When you are having problems meeting your needs, I will try to listen with genuine acceptance, in order to facilitate your finding your own solutions instead of depending on mine. I also will try to respect your right to choose your own beliefs and develop your own values, different though they may be from mine.

"However, when your behavior interferes with what I must do to get my own needs met, I will tell you openly and honestly how your behavior affects me, trusting that you respect my needs and feelings enough to try to change the behavior that is unacceptable to me. Also, whenever some behavior of mine is unacceptable to you, I hope you will tell me openly and honestly so I can try to change my behavior.

"At those times when we find that either of us cannot change to meet the other's needs, let us acknowledge that we have a conflict and commit ourselves to resolve each such conflict without either of us resorting to the use of power or authority to win at the expense of the other's losing. I respect your needs, but I also must respect my own. So let us always strive to search for a solution that will be accpetable to both of us. Your needs will be met, and so will mine - neither will lose, both will win.

"In this way, you cn continue to develop as a person through satisfying your needs, and so can I. Thus, ours can be a healthy relationship in which both of us can strive to become what we are capable of being. And we can continue to relate to each other with mutual respect, love, and peace." (p.261)

Gordon, T. (1977). Leader Effectiveness Training. New York, NY: Wyden Books.

Gingerbread Joy

2008-12-07T22:32:00.000-08:00

I am now off-track until January 5! Hooray! But I can't completely celebrate until Friday because I have my grad school finals still remaining. Friday I'll finally get to sleep in and then perform a couple songs at my ward Christmas social that night. It will be so nice. :)

I have had a lot of fun with Andy, Mom, and nieces Kersee, Mandie, and Heidi this week. A week ago Friday Mom, Andy, and I had a nice breakfast together when I drove Mom up to Park City after her arrival at the airport. Mom and I went TV shopping then saw the new "Twilight" movie on Saturday. (By the way, the guy who plays Edward is gorgeous. ;) Sunday the three of us had "2nd Thanksgiving" up at Mom's house and were joined by Emery, her boyfriend, Michael, Brian, and Derrick.

Friday night I invited Kersee to join me in a trip down to Provo to attend Emery's mom's annual gingerbread party. She loved having a special night out with all the grown-ups. She also loved adding as much glittering sprinkles to our gingerbread house as possible. We built a team gingerbread house. I was in charge of the frosting glue, eating candy, validating Kersee and making Kersee laugh. She was in charge of the house and garden design, placing candy and sprinkles into the glue, telling me to stop eating all the candy, asking me if her ideas were good, and making me laugh. We made a good team.

Yesterday I went with Mom and the girls to Zoolights. We had a great time. The park is decorated with all kinds of Christmas lights shaped like animals and holiday symbols. It's dark, so many of the animals are sleeping during Zoolights, but we got to see a leopard and some big horn sheep. We also had some fabulous glasses that cause you to see a snowman everywhere there is a light bulb. Highlights of the night included the girls looking cute in their snow hats, the ooing and ahing at the lights, and Heidi repeating over and over in the car, "Honey, Honey. I'm cute! Honey, Honey. I'm cute!"

Dating Panel

2008-11-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight I got to go to Family Home Evening because my professor decided to conduct an asynchronus online class. The title of the FHE activity was "Men, Women, and the Eternal Perspective". I admit that despite my initial reaction of, 'What a totally singles ward thing to do,' I am always intrigued every time a dating panel activity occurs. What will be said? Who will speak up?

Well, tonight was no disappointment. In fact, I'd say I enjoyed it more than most other such activities I have attended. It was interesting to hear what people had to say, and nice to be able to say a few things myself. The panel did a great job of sharing thoughts, impressions, experiences, and advice. Many of the answers offered by both the audience and the panel were things I needed to hear. Some of them were even things I have been told before, but I needed to hear them again.

The end result was that I felt calmed and reassured. Interestingly, this is exactly what I have been praying for lately. Heavenly Father so directly answers my prayers so often, it's scary. :) He really loves me. He constantly puts people in my path to help me, lift me up, and validate me. One day maybe I won't need so much constant validation - it's something I'm working on - but He helps me while I get there. Tonight was big progress. It's as if through all the words spoken tonight, directly to me and indirectly, ultimately sent the message: You are loved, you are liked, you are great, and you are often right. Trust yourself. Trust others. Trust the Lord.

I realize I have blogged about this type of topic a lot lately, but it's what I have been in the middle of for months now - this effort to understand and to be directed and guided when I don't have all the answers. I guess that's life. We never completely understand things, so we go forward being the best person we can be, letting faith be our strength and guide.

Well, it was a good activity. I once again have a renewed perspective, smile, and positive attitude. I am okay.

Christmas Wish List

2008-11-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the things I would love to get for Christmas, but don't expect to get:
World peace
Dance Dance Revolution (and an X-Box to play it on)
An analog to digital converter box for video and audio tapes
Time
Sleep
A new and improved digital camera
A kiss under the mistletoe ;)
A Cooper Mini Convertible

Here is a list of the more normal things that I would like:
A hot pink, black, purple, and teal blue hoodie
Wonderful, comfy socks, a variety of colors, that are long enough to keep my legs warm, thick enough to be cozy, thin enough to wear with nicer shoes, that don't make dents in my legs and make them itch, and don't slip down and bunch up around my ankles
Color Stay lip stuff
A plant to replace the dead one in my polka-dotted pot
My house cleaned and windows washed
Alias DVDs
Heros DVDs
Veronica Mars DVDs
Colloidal Silver
iTunes Music
Theater Tickets
A sleeping mask
Cute Jeans

I'll keep adding as I think of more things.

What do you want for Christmas?

Falling Apart

2008-11-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I purchased some shoe closet organizers to use in my office closet. Instead of shoes, I put my CDs, DVDs, computer equipment, etc. into them. Apparently the audio/visual/computer items were too heavy for the cheap, plastic shoe holders because just a couple days after I had gotten things organized exactly the way I wanted them, the shoe holder broke and all my belongings went crashing to the floor, scattering everywhere in my office closet. Of course I was frustrated and discouraged. In fact, I couldn't even stand to look at the closet for weeks knowing I was going to have to sort through everything! I knew I would probably find things had been broken. It just should not have become such a disaster!

Today I finally tackled the mess. As I sorted through it all, I realized that things were not as mixed up and broken as I thought they were. And as I sorted throught the things that had gotten mixed up, I found many things I had forgotten were even there. One item I found was a CD I had been searching for. In fact, I need that CD for a performance tonight! Nothing like things working out just in time. If my closet organizer hadn't completely broken and fallen to pieces, I wouldn't have found what I had been searching for. I got exactly what I wanted exactly when I needed it. It just took longer than I thought it would. And it certainly took a strange event to help me find it.

I'm pretty sure there's a lesson in all this. :)

Don't Give Up

2008-11-13T23:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't been entirely myself lately. I consider myself a cheerful, optimistic, hopeful person, but I have been letting things get me down and overwhelm me, despite the fact that I am blessed and uplifted by Heavenly Father on a daily, even hourly basis. It's not that I am in despair - I have faith that everything will work out if I continue to try my best to do the right things. And it's not that my struggles are even extraordinary - indeed, I am truly a fortunate person. I can't even understand how I am so blessed! I think that's why I get frustrated with myself for being so affected. I suppose I need to cut myself a little slack - I am very busy and overloaded with work, school, yadda yadda, and my emotions just add to it all. But, I can do better. I need to stop thinking and worrying about myself so much. I need to put others first. I won't give up. And ultimately, despite all the ways I fall short, I know I will be successful with the help of Heavenly Father.

Tonight's perfect song is "You Are Loved" by Josh Groban.

Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy
I...I will lift it for you

Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I...I will break it for you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

Don't give up
It's just the hurt that you hide
When you're lost inside
I...I will be there to find you

Don't give up
Because you want to burn bright
If darkness blinds you
I...I will shine to guide you

Everybody wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

You are loved
Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
Don't give up
Every one needs to be heard
You are loved

REACH Training Day 2

2008-11-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Here are y notes from my second day of REACH training:

Understanding Prejudice, Power, and Diversity

Racism is like...
•Barbed Wire - it separates us and is hurtful
•A blinding fear of something unknown
•A race - and everyone is trying to get 1st place
•Judging a book by its cover
•The fangs of a demon - marked and obvious
OR morning mist in a jungle - unseen and subtle, yet blinding, clouding our vision
•A country's borders - separates, unseen, but cross it and people get angry
•Caroway seeds - bitter, the taste never leaves
•White Water - dangerous, destructive, sucks you in
•Acid - eats away, can be volatile
•Cancer

"We the people"
The ideal:
•A more perfect union
•Rights
•Life
•Liberty
•Happiness
•Justice
•Tranquility
•General welfare
•Common defense

How are we doing?
No matter where we think we are on the road to progressing toward a "more perfect union", we can all agree that we have made progress.
Morgan Freeman's Speech

Prejudice + Power
What institutions do we have that have systematic prejudices?
Education
Government
Business
Corporations
Organized Religion
Health Care
Law

Definition of Racism
The systematic discrimination and exploitation of human beings on the basis of their...
S sex/gender
H heterosexuality/homosexuality
A age
R race, religion
E eliteness
D disability

Identity Triangle
*Individual Uniqueness - the heart of you, what makes you individually special, this level is where conversations allow us to get to know individuals on a personal level, this level takes time and effort but is so important
*Collective Identity (the groups you belong to, everyone has many at many different levels) - LDS, teacher, 6th grade teacher, tech, BYU alum, singer, musical theater, field hockey player, goalie, Blunt, single female 30+, middle child, IDET, "fatherless" child, burn victim, dancer, educator
*Common Humanity - basic needs, language, association/relationships, DNA, values system, love, emotional needs, family units, belief system (organized religion or otherwise)

If we overemphasize any level of this triangle stereotypes can happen:
"We're all individuals and we rise and fall on our own" (too much individual focus)
"isms" occur (too much collective focus)
"I don't see color." or "We're all alike." (too much common humanity focus)
Too much emphasis on one level and not enough balance causes issues develop that create conflict.

Collectives:
•It's a luxury to be seen as an individual.
•We are all seen as representatives of several collectives.
•There are both positive and negative perceptions given to collectives.
•Some of these perceptions may not be true for you - but are perceptions that exist for the collectives of which you are a part.
•You have choices to:
1. Reinforce the positive aspects of your collective identity.
and
2. Take the time and make an effort to communicate with the other person so you can also be seen as an individual.

I am co-responsible for change and I will...

REACH Training

2008-11-05T07:40:00.000-08:00

This week I have been out of the classroom a lot. Tuesday I had a whole day of tech work. My principal got a sub for my class so I could try to fix as many computer problems as possible. It was much needed, and it reminded me that I really do enjoy that part of my job IF I am given time to do it. What I don't like is everyone complaining that none of the computers are working knowing that the reason they don't get fixed is because I don't have any time. So, it was a good, productive day. I felt very good about it and had fun problem solving all the issues with the Accelerated Reader program, printers, Internet connections, and so on. Yes, this does confirm that I am a tech geek.

Wednesday and Thursday I attended the REACH training provided by my school district. My next few posts will be my notes from the training.

REACH stands for:
Respecting
Ethnic
And
Cultural
Heritage

REACH Diversity Values:
Diversity awareness and multicultural education are growth-oriented rather than deficiency-oriented.
Diversity awareness and multicultural education are systematic change processes, not content areas.
Everyone is a learner / Everyone is a teacher.
We work at living our basic principles.
Time is fluid / We're in a marathon, not a sprint.
Saying "ouch" can open the conversation from the heart.
Humor heals and keeps us human.
Confidentiality and privacy are honored.

The Business Case
•By the year 2020, white males will constitute only 37% of the workforce, yet continue to occupy over 90% of senior management positions.
•By 2020, people of color and immigrants will comprise over half of the net new entrants to the workforce.
•Next to European Americans, Hispanics are now the second largest ethnic market in the US.
•Significant regional differences in ethnic representation will continue into the 21st century, with diversification being most significant in the Western states, especially California.
•There are only 5 states that are designated refugee relocation states. One of those 5 is Utah.
•Women will continue to increase their share of the workforce (48% by 2006) and, as the nature of work changes, gender will become increasingly irrelevant as a factor in job choice and opportunity.
•By 2006 Hispanics will be the second largest ethnic group in the U.S.
(Statistics from 1998, updated 2005 and 2006)

No matter how the elections turned out last night, we have had an historic election: We would have either had a woman or an African American in office.

Due to all of this, diversity is being seen more and more in business. Advertising, marketing, etc. has a more multicultural focus and look.

The Education Case
•By 2030 children of color will constitute over half of the students in U.S. schools.
•At the close of the 20th century, whites comprise over 90% of the teaching force in the U.S. Without new concerted efforts to recruit teachers of color there is little chance we will see increased diversity in the near future.
•20% of U.S. children are born into poverty. Poverty has been shown to be highly correlated (.99) with low academic achievement.
•There is continued disproportionality in achievement, discipline, and drop-out rates along gender, ethnic, and socio-economic lines.
•In the U.S. we spend an average of $8,600 (less in Utah) per student for one year of schooling and over $25,000 per inmate for one year in prison.
(Statistics from 1999, updated 2005 and 2006)

My school district has 5 homeless shelters within the district boundaries. We have the highest homeless population of all districts in the state.

The Nation-Building Case
•The nation's Hispanic and Asian populations will triple over the next half century.
•By 2050 non-Hispanic Whites will represent about one half of the total population of the U.S.
•The African American population will rise to 14.6 % of the U.S. population by 2050.
•In 2004 there were 762 active hate groups in the U.S.
•79% of racial hate crimes in the U.S. in 2003 were perpetrated again non-Whites.
•After-tax income for the top 1% of households in the U.S. doubled over the last 25 years, while incomes in the bottom 80% remained flat.
Stat
(Statistics from 1999, updated 2005 and 2006)

The Global Understanding Case
If the World Were a Village of 100 People
(try a Google search and you'll get a lot of sites with this data.)

Points of Focus:
Multiple Perspectives
"Culture is something everybody has."
Build Cultural Bridges
Healing: Head - Heart - Hands
Be a Role Model for Co-Responsibility

Multiple Perspectives
Keep in mind that the winners write the history books.

For example, what about the "Civil" War? What perspectives are there about that war?

For example, how do the following groups view the building of the transcontinental railroad?
European Americans
Latino/Hispanic Americans
African Americans
Asian Americans
Native Americans

Even within those groups, every individual is different and therefore each has their own perspective.

Recognize all the perspectives around the table before making a decision.
Engage in conversation to understand multiple perspectives.

"Culture is something everybody has."
What are the elements of culture?
Language
Religion
Ethnicity
Food
Music
Dance
Traditions
Celebrations & Ceremonies (Funerals, Weddings, etc.)
Geography
Clothing
Age
Education
Profession
Genetics
Economic Status
Gender
Family
Values
Morals/Ethics
Likes/Dislikes

Surface vs. Deep Culture
Surface - easily observable - accent, behavior, customs, physical appearance
Deep - the things you don't see - "why", beliefs, values, perceptions, assumptions, emotionally charged, communication style

Build Cultural Bridges
Multiethnic --> Multicultural --> Global
Multiethnic -- you were born with this, you cannot change it
Multicultural -- these things are learned (see list above)
Global -- world culture -- every individual on the planet is unique and has their own ethnic, cultural, and global perspective

Healing: Head - Heart - Hands
Head - things we know in our head - factual information
Heart - attitudes & feelings
Hands - activities & actions

It takes these 3 steps for the healing process to begin.
We want healing to occur - healing a person, a community, a situation

Be a Role Model for Co-Responsibility
We need to be willing to stand up against social injustices we see.
This can be a hard thing to do, but we need to be brave enough to stand up for what is right.
Don't bring bias and prejudice into your classroom.
If we realize we have pieces of us with prejudices or bad feelings based on past experiences about certain cultures or ethinicities, we need to look at them, recognize them and change.
Don't let things go if you have an opportunity to stand up and teach respect.

Another Perfect Song

2008-10-07T00:55:00.000-07:00

As my thoughts progress and I come to new stages in the decisions and challenges I am facing, I always seem to be blessed with a song that captures all my feelings at that moment. This song is perfect for me right now.

Jordin Sparks
One Step At A Time lyrics

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can't touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face and the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting
We live and we learn to take

One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen when it's
Supposed to happen and we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face and the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting
We live and we learn to take

One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen when it's
Supposed to happen and we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
When you need to find the strength
It's your faith that makes you stronger
The only way we get there
Is one step at a time

Take one step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen when it's
Supposed to happen and we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen when it's
Supposed to happen then we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

Keys on Main with Kat

2008-09-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

I had a great birthday yesterday! I started the day by attending City Choir practice, where Emery had the choir sing "Happy Birthday" to me. We came home and Brian helped me make Puffed-Up Stuff (aka. German Pancake). I spent the afternoon playing on my computer, singing, buying music online, IMing friends, talking on the phone with good friends and family, and relaxing.

At about 8:30 pm I turned 31 years old! My friends and I then headed for Keys on Main, a dueling piano bar downtown. We had a lot of fun talking, laughing, eating, singing, and dancing. I got to go up on stage and dance for my birthday. I made Emery come up with me after about a minute, and there was some scandalous dancing then. ;) Later we got Sharon up on the stage too, since she is celebrating her last weekend of being single. When the piano players managed to play a few songs without swearing and dirty humor (the down side of the show), it was a great time! I think my favorite parts were the competitions between different sides of the room to see who could sing along the loudest and singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the top of my lungs with the piano players and the crowd. I actually know every single word of that song. Ha!

Present at the club last night were Katie (me), Emery, Michael, Kristine, Adam, Brian, Lee, Dennis, Sarah, Jeff, Sharon, and Jeff (Sharon's brother). I have good friends. :)

Along with yesterday's birthday festivities, I have also gotten some fun gifts from family and friends: chocolate (always a good thing), an Anne Taylor gift card (yes!), a card (funny!), a letter K wall hanging (cute!), a chair for my room (so great), and more chocolate (always a very good thing). Did I miss anything? Oh yes - my present to myself was a bunch of sheet music: some of my favorite Broadway shows and jazz standards.

So, a great birthday. I get to stretch it out for one more week, too! When my mom gets back from helping my sister with her new baby, we will celebrate together. And I am still looking forward to hanging out with my brother. And I think I need to blow out some candles at some point. I have already had several wishes come true even without that much-anticipated birthday wish, but a girl needs all the wishes she can get. :)

Thanks to everyone who wished me, "Happy birthday," and made me feel loved on my birthday!

How Many People Does it Take to Fly a Dog to Germany?

2008-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

Answer: 20

2 women must walk the dog, drive her to the cargo area at the airport, and fill out paperwork.
1 man must unload the kennel from the car.
1 man must weigh the dog and the kennel.
1 man must be in charge of getting paperwork signed and entering information into the computer.
1 man must look over the computer man's shoulder to make sure he is doing things correctly, and of course confuse him with every comment he makes.
1 man must stand and pleasantly smile, every now and then chiming in with comments like, "Haven't you been here before?" and "You look very familiar." and "How many countries has this dog been to?"
1 man must know the computer codes and the airfare.
1 man must explain how to enter the codes and calculate the airfare on the computer.
1 man must roll his eyes and actually enter the codes when the others can't figure it out, then promptly leave the room again.
1 man must attempt to get the computer to say the correct airfare when it suddenly changes on the screen, since the check has already been written.
1 man must ask questions about professional basketball, since the topic of why the dog has flown all over the world has come up.
1 man must make photo copies of the paperwork.
1 man must confuse the man trying to make copies of the paperwork by referring to the paperwork by the wrong names. Said man must then stuff the paperwork into the correct baskets and envelopes.
6 men and women must pet, fawn over, laugh at, and adore the dog until she is loaded into her kennel and ready to go.

So, the Grand Total: 20

And that's not even counting the preparation involved before arriving at the airport: vet appointments, Department of Agriculture documentation, German paperwork, dog sitting, etc. Nor does it include transfers and layovers en route to Germany and customs and pick-up in Germany!

So, the New Grand Total: A LOT!

As you can tell, Emery and I had fun last night on our adventure dropping off my sister's dog, Harley, at the airport for her trip to Germany, where my sister and her family will be living for the next 10 months. We then spent another hour waiting for Emery's friend to arrive from Lithuania. The friend never did arrive, which was actually no surprise at all. (If you knew her, you wouldn't be surprised either.)

By the time we got back from the airport, my mom was due to arrive from from LA. She stayed in Utah for the night and brought me a birthday present: a new chair for my half-empty bedroom! Yay! Today she continued her drive to Idaho where my older sister just had her fourth baby girl, Jacey, early this afternoon. My mom said baby and mother are doing well. The baby "is perfect" and has her daddy's nose, as do all her sisters.

The Birthday Is Coming!

2008-09-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

My birthday is in 5 days! I've been so caught up in everything else going on, I haven't gotten all excited about my birthday yet. It's high-time I did. So, my new background is to help get the party started! I like it. It is very girlie, it has green, and it has glitter. Perfect. Happy birthday to me!

Why Is The Sky Blue

2008-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

There is a must-read website for those of you who would like to have scientific explanations for all those questions that are plaguing you. Questions like:
Why is the sky blue?
Why does the moon sometimes look bigger and othertimes look smaller?
What is the meaning of life?
Why do birds suddenly appear?
And, most importantly: When a cat is dropped it always lands on its feet. When buttered toast is dropped it always lands with the buttered side facing down. What would happen if a piece of buttered toast was attached to the back of a cat and the cat/buttered toast combination was dropped?
The answers to these important questions, and many more, can be found at Why Is The Sky Blue. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

2008-09-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

I am lying here in my bed where I have been for the last two days. My back is in extreme pain and my heart is broken. So, how is it possible that I have a smile on my face and hope in the future? Once again, I am amazed at how loving and generous my Heavenly Father is. He has opened my eyes to the outpouring of blessings in my life. Perhaps that is why I go through times like this at all. I am forced to lie here - since I literally can't stand up - and think. And when I am forced to think, I go through the Katie cycle of emotions: fear, anger, confusion, frustration, despair, panic, resolve, determination, action, let-down, sadness. And then, when the whirlwind is finally over: peace, happiness, hope, and gratitude.

When I reached my gratitude phase today, I counted my blessings. Here is my list of things that made me laugh and smile the last few days, even as I lay flat on my stomach with an aching back and an aching heart:

Being able to roll over
Being able to brush my teeth
Putting on clean clothes
A ceiling fan
Texting
Sleep
My retainers
Windows
Listening for approaching cars
Putting on makeup
Uncrustable sandwiches from my mom
My iPhone
Music on my iPhone
Cheesy LDS boy bands
The white purse my mom bought me
Still not wanting to do homework, even though I am totally bored
Facebook messages from friends
Being able to laugh at the chirping fire alarm in my room when it wakes me up at 3:00 am
A nice, big, tall, comfy bed
An email titled "My favorite Katie!"
My 74-year-old bishop who picked me up to try to pop my back
A bishop who trusts my judgment
A bishop who tells me I can stay in the ward as long as I want to
A bishopric member who hugs me and kisses me on the head repeatedly
A bishopric member who asks me if "That Dutchman" is still following my roommate around
Smiling at the pork and sour kraut my mom bought me, I made, and my roommate heated up for me, even though I'm eating it lying on my tummy in my bedroom when I'd really rather be salsa dancing with all my friends
Laughing out loud at the Milli Vanilli lyrics stuck in my head
Wondering why that Milli Vanilli song isn't on iTunes, and laughing out loud again at the fact that I actually searched for it
Crawling down the hall with the sweat pants I tried to put on but couldn't wrapped around my neck, hoping the neighbor isn't watching me through his windows, then realizing how ridiculous I look and collapsing in fits of laughter right in front of the neighbor's open window
Laughing instead of crying when I can't lift my legs back onto my bed
Emery taking care of me
Visitors
Dennis and Sarah coming to visit with lunch and music
Brittney coming to visit the next day with my niece Ellie and lunch
Ellie's sense of humor: For example, today she was speaking with her bink in her mouth, so her words sounded like total jibberish. We told her to take her bink out so we could understand what she was saying. She obediently took it out of her mouth and repeated what she had said, which was in fact total jibberish! I know you had to be there, but we all laughed and laughed.
Ellie spreading noodles on my phone cover, dropping crumbs in my bed, spreading mac & cheese all over her face, and putting mac & cheese into my checkbook
Ellie pretending to call "Aunt Kat" on Mommy's cell phone
Ellie actually managing to send Aunt Kat a text on Mommy's cell phone
A friend who will make your bed for you when the sheets are all crumby and torn out from an "almost 2"-year-old's visit
Realizing your niece left a container of butter on your windowsill
Friends and family
Derrick keeping me company
The courage to say how I feel
Answers to prayers, big and small
Priesthood blessings
Faith
Trust
Knowing where I stand, even when it hurts

I'm Walkin', Baby

2008-09-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight is a beautiful night! I feel so happy. I'm still coughing like crazy, I still have a sore back, and what has been consuming all my thoughts, energy, and emotions lately seems not to be going the way I want it to. But, I am so blessed. I had a wonderful day with my mom, sister, brother, and niece. The sky tonight is clear and blue and clean from the rain storm. The air is crisp and refreshing. I went for a walk and had a bounce in my step and a smile on my face despite, or maybe in spite of, the fact that nothing seems to be turning out the way my heart wants it to. Here's why: I know I am loved. I know there is something in store for me far better than I could ever plan for myself. I know the heavens watch over me. I know I am a good person. I know I have spunk and fire, sensitivity and charity. I know exactly who I am. I am hopeful and I am happy. So, come what may. Things may turn out as I want them to after some time passes, or they may not. Either way, I am happy because I choose to be. I am happy because I want to be. I am happy because my Heavenly Father and His Son support me in every step I take. I am happy because I know exactly who I am.

So Ready

2008-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've ever been this ready to go off track this early in the school year! I am so ready for a break. I am tired, I don't feel well (cough, cough), I am overwhelmed with tech work (that blasted AR program!), and I am anxious and emotionally strained. I have a lot on my plate and on my mind, I guess.

The kids are actually behaving pretty well, teaching is going well, and I like my teammates at work. I have great friends and loving family. I love the gospel and I like who I am. So, I'm not complaining. I'm actually very happy, generally speaking. I'm just ready to have a break, that's all. I think it may be because this upcoming off-track time will be full of big events, decisions, and changes:

I will turn 31 in a few weeks, which means I will be leaving my LDS YSA (young single adult) ward. I told myself I wouldn't decide where to go to church until I was off-track because I am too busy right now to think clearly. So, that decision is looming.
I am planning on doing a financial overhaul in September, and I'm waiting to talk to my home loan officer when I go off-track.
My hairstylist retired (I know... WHAT??!!) so I will be making an appointment with his replacement when I'm off-track.
I have a t-chart to make when I go off-track to help me make another decision.
I am performing a song in church on September 21, and I can't think about what to sing or have rehearsals until I'm off-track.
I have two weddings of good friends to attend at the end of September, supposedly on the same day as a stake activity I'm partially in charge of, so I'll be figuring that out.
And I want to lose 50 pounds in September. ;)

(Just to name a few of the things I have coming up...)

So, you can see I've got a lot to do, but I can't start on it all until I regain sanity with off-track status. So, I am very anxious for next Friday to get here! Of course, my off-track time will not really be a break because it will be spent doing grad school homework, but oh well. At least I'll be moving forward with some things I have been anticipating. I hope.

Phobias

2008-08-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Did you know that every time I use a public restroom I make sure that I get completely dressed before I flush the toilet out of fear that the toilet will overflow. I want to be sure that if that ever happens, and I have to run out of the overflowing bathroom stall, at least I'll have all my clothes on.

Want to know another one of my phobias?

Did you know that I have a fear of water plants? Yes. They scare me. I think about the things that could be lurking in them and the microorganisms living on them waiting to infect you. Gross. They smell and they're slimy and you never know what is swimming around down there in them.

In fact, one time my little brother, David, and I were in a canoe on my uncle's lake in Michigan. We got out of the boat to explore the shore a little, and when we returned to the canoe David decided to push the boat, which I was already in, away from the dock, then jump for it to make it back into the boat himself. I knew this was going to be bad! The canoe tipped, dumping David and me into the lake. I found myself in shallow, absolutely disgusting lake water. I was completely surrounded by lake plants, slime, smelly foam, and the kind of muck that would suck you and your shoes down to the depths of the lake, never to return. I think it was the only honest-to-goodness panic attack I've ever had. I couldn't breath. I refused to put my legs down further into the awful lake. I was freaking out. I think I may have drown had David not been there to help me to the shore. I don't think David has ever been the same since that day in the canoe.

Songs of the Week

2008-08-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Both have perfect lyrics.

Daughtry
"What About Now"
(lyrics)

Jericho Road
"You Melt the Madness"

Quote of the Day

2008-08-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have another funny conversation to report from my new 6th graders:

In science class today, one of the boys looked at me and said, "Miss Blunt, you look really tired today."
I patiently smiled and said, "You know, that's probably true - because I am tired today - but let me tell you something. You really should not ever tell a girl she looks tired."
Another boy looked at him and said, "That's true. You know, you really shouldn't ever say anything to a girls except, 'You look pretty.'"
The first boy responded, "Oh... You're right... Miss Blunt, you look so pretty today!"
I laughed and said, "Thank you! You are smart boys." :)

Danger-Prone

2008-08-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

It has been the week of injuries! I showed you my beautiful toe injury from about a month and a half ago, but that really is nothing compared to the way that my leg looked after stake softball last Saturday. I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but I quickly realized where the ball had hit my leg was really hurting. By the time I got home from our game, I couldn't believe how much it hurt to put weight on that leg. Then, in the shower I bent down to look at it and actually got light-headed from the pain. It was so crazy! I had a lump sticking out from my leg a good 2 inches at least, and it was already turning all kinds of fun colors. I propped it up and iced it while I took a nap, and that helped it go down significantly. I limped a little and had to put it up every few hours for the rest of the week.

Here are pictures of it on day 4:
The pictures don't really do the bruise that spread over my leg, puffed up my ankle, and settled into my foot the justice it deserves, but you get the idea. Once it stopped hurting, it was really quite fun to have such an impressive bruise. It still hasn't gone away. The bump is still there, and the bruise is now yellow and red.

Last night, I played football at ward Family Home Evening, and managed to add a couple more injuries to my list. I jammed my thumb trying to catch a pass and was unable to do much of anything all day today. The kids at school had to help me use scissors, open dry erase markers, etc. And, in an attempt to dodge my opponent, I slipped, got punched in the face, and landed on my knee. No black eye, but a nice swollen, purple knee.

Sports are sooo fun... :)

Google Me

2008-08-03T21:39:00.001-07:00

I found this idea on Emery's blog, so I'm trying it too. Here's how it works: for every category, perform a Google image search and post your favorite picture on your blog. You can only choose from the first page of results! Have fun!

My Name: Katie

(I don't really like cats, but my family does call me Kat. And the other pics weren't quite appropriate...)

The City Where I Was Born: Escondido

A Past Love

Favorite Object

Favorite City: San Diego

Favorite Food Right Now: Chicken Souvlaki with Lemon Rice

Favorite Color

One of My Bad Habits

My First Job

A Future Job

A Place I Would Like to Live: Boston (I don't know... maybe.)

My Age: "Thirty is the new twenty... but with less angst and more wisdom."

I know this has nothing to do with my age, but it came up and I thought it was funny. :)

Homework Distraction

2008-08-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I was voted "MVP" of the faculty vs. 6th grade softball game at the end of the school year a few weeks ago. OK, so there wasn't really a vote, but some of the kids unofficially gave me that honor. This was mostly because I managed to get on base each time I hit, and because of my very dramatic "slip on the grass and crawl back to third base" move. I also played catcher in the big game and managed to get my toe crunched by a student who slid in to home plate on top of my foot. It was a great time.

After the game, I hobbled just a little on that poor big toe and watched as the faintest hint of purple formed at the top of the toenail. Shortly after the school year ended, I got a pedicure which covered the toenail with red polish. Today the polish came off to reveal a spectacularly purple nail! It looks so much more impressive than it did a few week ago! I'm very excited. I am of the opinion that if you're going to get an injury, particularly one that came from doing something cool, it ought to be a noticeable one. OK, so maybe not always, but at least when only a toe is involved.

So, for your viewing pleasure... my purple big toe!

Sorry if the sight of my foot grosses you out. :)

Now I need to get back to my homework.

Coming to a Close

2008-07-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

My summer semester is coming to a close soon. It's finals week and I just have to finish my website by Tuesday. I have been pretty stressed out, though, with starting the new school year while ending my grad school semester. But I am surviving.

I'll write more about my new school year soon, but I thought I'd do a quick entry today (since it has been a while) and post a fun website a classmate showed me. It is jibjab.com . Check out the "Time for Some Campaignin'" movie. So funny!

I'll also post my Flash movie that I turned in for my Multimedia class.

Quotes

2008-07-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

“They keep saying the right person will come along. I think mine got hit by a truck.”

“I've been on so many blind dates, I should get a free dog.”

Dancing Queen

2008-06-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

I am still hard at work in my grad school classes (see my blog list), and I am hard at work again at work. :) We have one more week left in the school year. We have been building and launching rockets, playing in a softball tournament, reading like mad to finish our class novel, Among the Barons, and DANCING!

Thursday is the annual end-of-year 6th grade dance, and to ensure the kids have plenty of moves to do, I have been teaching them dance routines to songs from every decade from the 1940's to the 1990's. I actually have dance moves I could teach them clear back to the "aught's", as Emery calls them, but we don't have any more time to learn them all. I have had a ton of fun teaching them. I have danced about and hour and a half every day for the last 3 weeks! You'd think that between all that cardio and watching my diet (which I have been doing, E & B) I would have lost a few pounds. Alas, as far as I can tell this is not the case. Sigh... But, at least I've been having a ton of fun. I LOVE dancing! I don't love being sweaty every day and having my hair all funky-do-wa, but I do love dancing.

In the past months I have been so into the astronomy I have been teaching that I have even been dreaming of space! For example, did you know that solar winds strong enough to blow us right off the surface of our planet are blowing at the earth every day?! The only thing that protects us from these winds is the invisible magnetic forcefield created because of the earth's iron core. But, little bits of the energy from these winds get through the forcefield, and when they do they create spectacular light shows we know as Auroras. Fascinating, don't you think? Well, apparently I thought so because I had dreams about solar winds and Auroras for a whole week! There are worse things I could dream about. :)

Despite all my business, I was able to get everything done a little early so I could take a trip with three of my friends to Las Vegas this past weekend. So fun! Here's my brief summary of our mini vacation:
The gas may have been expensive, but I did win $60.
I didn't buy anything at the mall, but I was able to demonstrate that my blanket can do anything Sharon's new dress can do.
The shows may not have been everything we expected, but the adventure certainly was.
I may not have slept well, but I got to laugh at Emery talking to me in her sleep.
My dinner may not have been up to par, but the chocolate was.
The elevators and valet may have taken an eternity, but the people watching during the waits was better than anywhere else on earth.
I didn't get to see Bette Midler perform, but I did get serenaded by Emery and Bethany.
I may have gotten my behind pinched, but I got to dance!
It was a long drive, but so worth the chance to talk with Beth, Sharon, and Emery.
It was definitely very hot there, but so were we!
So, I'd say it was a great trip! I'm looking forward to the next one!

I'd better get to bed so I am not so exhausted again tomorrow. All the activities of my day can really wear me out!

Katie's Rules

2008-05-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently there are some definite DOs and DON'Ts at my house and in my presence that are somewhat unspoken, but helpful if known. Emery and Brian are helping me produce a list of rules of conduct that I expect people to follow while with me. This is a work in progress, so my list may be updated and added to. If you have any suggestions of rules that should be included, leave a comment and I may add them.

•You must use politically correct terms and proper grammar.
•No tickling, and no requests to be tickled.
•Never wear ugly red shirts - you never know who you might meet that day.
•No talking about personal hygiene in the kitchen.
•Do not talk to Katie right after she has woken up.
•Never throw surprise parties. Ever.
•Only positive self-talk.
•Never talk about The Great IPTA. Ever.
•Only church music or mellow music may be played on Sunday.
•Do not insult Katie's blanket.
•No cutting hair in the house.
•Use extreme caution when touching Katie.
•Do not sit on the couch pillows.
•Do not insult Katie's piano.
•When Katie wants to dance, you dance!
•You may not complain if the ice maker (or anything else in the house) is broken unless you intend to pay for it to be fixed.
•Never refer to Katie, or any other teacher, as "rich" or "loaded".
•If Katie covers up her head, it is best to move on to a different topic of conversation.
•It is often necessary to disregard mean, strange, or intimidating facial expressions.
•Stinky cheese is not allowed. But, if stinky cheese must be had, a warning is appreciated.
•Squash should not be left in the oven.
•Cooking S'mores should not result in the fire alarm sounding.
•You may not complain about the size of the television unless you intend to buy Katie a larger television.
•The light brown blanket is designated as Katie's back blanket.
•A laugh from Katie can have a variety of meanings.
•Certain words are prohibited:
purse
fart (You may say 'toot' or 'sparkle'.)
crap (I can't believe I even just typed that!)
Oriental (unless you are referring to rugs)

I hope you find these rules helpful and informative. As I said, be sure to add any rules or forbidden words you can think of. And check back to see what has been added to the list!

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

This morning Emery and I met Brian and Derrick for breakfast at Dee's. It was fun to spend time with them. After our meal, as we waited for Derrick at the cash register, in walked President and Sister Monson! (Over a year ago I had thought that I had seen President Monson at the same Dee's as I drove by, so he must frequent the restaurant.) Emery said good morning and President Monson said good morning as well. He said he was just trying to remember what country he was in today. "I think I'm in Salt Lake again," he laughed. "We're here to enjoy some breakfast... or is it lunch? What do you call it when it's between breakfast and lunch?"

"Brunch," I replied.

He laughed again and said, "Yes! That is the word for it, isn't it?"

He motioned for his wife to sit down on the benches while they waited for a table, then looked to see if we were in need of sitting on the benches. We motioned for him to go ahead and sit. "Well, you're young, I suppose. You don't need to sit down, do you?"

I told him, "Oh, we're on our way out anyway."

"Oh don't say that!" he replied. "That makes it sound like you're on your way out of this life!"

I laughed and said, "I'm not ready for that yet!"

"Well, no! You just got here!"

We all laughed again.

When Derrick was done paying his portion of the check, he turned around to realize what was going on. He was hesitant to interrupt Pres. Monson's conversation with some other Dee's customers, but he clearly wanted to shake hands with Pres. Monson and meet him. With some encouragement, he waited for a pause in the conversation, then Pres. Monson reached out his hand and shook Derrick's hand, then mine. He commented that Derrick was wearing his high school colors. "West High." he said. "She (pointing to his wife) went to East High, and I went to
West High. My school was finally honored as being Utah's best high school this year. It's always been her high school that won, but finally my high school did."

It was fun to see the president of the church in such normal, every day circumstances and remember that even with the great spirituality and responsibilities that come with being the Lord's prophet, he is also just a person. I have met him once before when I worked at Aspen Grove and he came to do a fireside. He is very tall, and very friendly. I thought today he looked particularly vibrant and happy. He has a fun personality and sense of humor and is loving and kind and patient. What an enjoyable experience.

The Things Kids Say...

2008-05-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Teaching 6th grade provides a lot of interesting experiences. Kids really do say funny things sometimes. Some things they say to me are sweet, some are cute, some are harsh, and some are just strange. This BLOG entry is dedicated to some of the crazy kid quotes I've heard over the years.

After calling a student by their first and last name, another student said, "Wow. How do you know everyone's last names?"

Student: "How old are you?"
Me: "How old do you think I am?"
Student: "You don't look a day over 22. So how old are you?"
Me: "30."
Student: "30?! Oh! You need to find yourself a husband!"

One year I had a boy in my math class who thought it was very entertaining to respond to everything I said with, "Are you sure?"
For example:
Me: "So, the answer to number five is 32."
Boy: "Are you sure?"
Another example:
Me: "Your homework tonight is the worksheet I gave you in class."
Boy: "Are you sure?"
You get the idea. One day in class I had had quite enough of his "Are you sure?"s, so I said to him: "If you say, 'Are you sure?' one more time I'll send you to Think Time!"
Boy: "Are you..." and he quickly slapped his hands over his mouth.
I admit I couldn't help but laugh.

Ancient Egypt test question: In at least one paragraph, explain why the Nile river is often called the 'life-blood of Egypt'.
Student Answers:

It could be because it meant every thing to them. It would give them water. I gave them water for there plants. It gave them the ability to travel faster and cary hever things that they would trade. It expeshally helped them for wars and other things like that.

They used it to live, for irrigation, and for their cows. They drank the water, grew crops. And fed their cows who gave milk. Which left them with strong bones to get more water from the Nile.

The Nile river is called the life-blood of Egypt because it provides water. A nother reason why is it grows plants like the reed plant other nowen as papyrus. And it helps grows food. the farmers use it to grow there crops. It helps ceep animals and the Egyptians alive and usually fish live in water.

The Nile was how the Egyptians survived, it was used for irrigation, building, water, the animals needwater so the Egyptians could have bacon ect.

Student: "You don't dress like a teacher."
Me: "Well, I wear jeans on Fridays because it's a short day for students and I have to do things around the room once you're gone, like clean up and climb on chairs. I can dress more formally if you think I should."
Student: "No, that's not what I mean. You just don't wear weird sweaters and apple pins."
Me: "I can wear apple pins if you want me too."
Student: "No! I don't want you to wear an apple pin. I like the way you dress. I just mean you dress better than most teachers. I mean, you wear things from American Eagle. It's cool."
Me: "Oh. Well, thank you."

Student: "If you weren't a teacher, what would you want to be?"
Me: "A Broadway star."
Student: "Oh ya. I can see that happening because you're so pretty."
Me: "Thank you!"

Student: "Do you want to buy my school pictures? I know you said you like them, but my mom doesn't. So, do you want to buy them?"

My first year of teaching, the day before we went off for winter break, I stood in front of the class opening Christmas gifts the students had given me. One girl gave me a ceramic figurine of two snowmen - a girl and a boy - snuggling close together in the cold.
Me: "This is a perfect gift because I don't have..."
Boy in class: "... a husband."
Me: "Ahem. I was going to say, 'very many Christmas decorations.'"

Following are two excerpts from student essays about the extinction of a dinosaur called the Coelophysis. They first read a story giving a lot of possible causes for the death of this group of dinosaurs. Their assignment was to decide which theory they thought really happened and give supporting evidence for their answer.

I think the reason why they all died in the same place is because they ran out of food and water supplies. Or, there might have been a big fight to the death, and after they died they ate each other because they were cannibals.

I think a drought struck and all the water dried up. Then the Coelophysis laid down and died, some of them in puddles.

While out helping the students who were on Safety Patrol duty, I noticed one student who was yelling at the other children to try to get them to stop running.
Me: "You shouldn't just yell at the kids to walk because..."
Student: "I know. I know why. It hurts their ego-system."

World War II Test Question: Name the Central Powers.
Answer: Friendship, Love, and Caring
World War II Test Question: Name the Axis Powers.
Answer: Team Work, Hard Work, Niceness, and Happiness

Kids... you've got to love them.

Summer Classes

2008-05-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

This semester in grad school I am taking a Multimedia class and a Web Design class. I'm excited about them. In the Multimedia class we will be learning to use Adobe Photoshop and Flash. So far we have just been practicing different tools in Photoshop. To see my assignments, you can go to my EDPS 6560 blog. In my Web Design class we will be learning to use DreamWeaver and Fireworks. There's not much there yet, but you can visit my EDPS 6447 blog too.

The last few days have been somewhat gloomy here. We went from 95 degree temperatures on Monday to rain and COLD weather again! Tonight it looks like the clouds are clearing away, so I'm hoping tomorrow will be a perfect Spring day. I'm looking forward to going on my morning runs/walks again. It's been too cold! Here's hoping for sunshine!

A Break! Sort Of.

2008-05-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

I finished off spring semester of grad school two weeks ago. I earned A's in both classes again. (Yay!) And I finally got a bit of a break. Well... at least a two week break from grad school, but teaching school has been plenty busy. I will get another break from teaching when I go off track this Friday. Well... at least a break from teaching, but grad school starts up again Tuesday. At least one thing at a time is better than everything at once.

So I know you're wondering how things went with my class performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I left everyone hanging for a while, and I'm sorry! It turned out very well! I did end up wiring Oberon to help him with his lines, but by the last performance he only needed me for a couple of lines. Vast improvement.

Between running the spot, the lights, the sound, and feeding lines, I was running out of arms to do everything, so I asked Brian to help out with lights and sound. He was a huge help! I'm not sure he loved all the adults assuming he was a parent volunteer, and he probably didn't love the 12-year-olds asking him if he "likes" me, but he was a trooper. I couldn't have done it without him.

Brian was also hooked up to the radio with a wire in his ear so I could give him lighting and sound cues. This made for some interesting moments. When I first read Oberon's lines to him, Brian responded with, "What?! I don't know what you said!" while Oberon stood on stage looking around very puzzled. And when Brian said to me over the radio, "Your wish is my command," Oberon found it very amusing and asked if I remembered that he could hear everything we said. The secretaries in the office could hear everything we were saying too and were shocked at what sounded like risqué phrases. They didn't know what to think of lines like, "I'll put love potion in your eyes" and "I must be thy lord" being whispered over the radio.

Puck was most definitely the star of the show. She was a fantastic actor! She had to be one of the best Pucks I have seen. She worked hard to get her lines down and followed my direction so well, but also added a lot of her own character and ideas to the part. In rehearsals her efforts to remember her lines were quite comical at times. One day while practicing the scene where she tricks Lysander and Demetrius into following her through the woods she accidentally shouted, "Come, thou coward! I'll smite thee with the Iron Rod!" She stopped and looked confused for a moment, then she and I both laughed so hard we cried. Between the bursts of laughter and the gasps for air she managed to explain that she had learned about that in church the previous Sunday. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

The Workmen of Athens did a wonderful job with their "play within a play" at the end of the show. Very funny. Pyramus hammed up his acting and Thisby used a hilarious high-pitched voice. I loved the way Wall performed her part too.

We only had a couple of disasters:
Oberon skipped two entire pages of the script in one show, but Puck was determined to say her favorite lines, so she went back two pages when she came on stage! It didn't completely make sense. But then, what 4th and 5th grade audience members can really tell what Shakespeare is saying anyway?
In another show, Hermia fell down the stairs in the dark just before the last scene. A fairy came running across the stage to inform me. I saw a teacher from the audience go back stage to see if she was alright, so I waited an extra minute. When all seemed well again, I turned on the lights. Hermia came limping on stage with tears in her eyes (ironic since her character had just been married). I later learned that her fellow thespians had said to her, "Get up! The show must go on!" and inspired her to continue. :)

At the end of the last performance, as Puck finished her famous ending monologue, before I was able to turn off the lights I heard Puck say, "But wait!" I was terrified of what she was doing - she can be just as mischievous as her character - and apparently my face showed my fear. She continued, "We would liketh to thanketh our teacher for directing our play." A fairy ran on stage with roses and I was waved onto the stage. It was a very sweet, fun presentation.

So, despite the stress the preparations for our performances caused, I can now say "All's well that ends well" after the production of our play.

Busy

2008-04-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

I've been quite busy lately, so I haven't added much, but I figured I'd take just a moment tonight to jot some things down even though it's WAY past my bedtime.

I've been working with my class on our production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". It's coming along quite well, but I wish we had 2 more weeks. We do not. Our dress rehearsal is Thursday and our performances start Monday. Yikes! Oberon and Puck still don't even have their lines memorized! I'm considering drastic measures, like wiring Oberon and feeding him his lines. I'm serious. I just might do it! Not everything is so desperate though. I do have to say the costumes are going to look great. And Titania's bower is very cool. I've created it out of my purple beanbag and this gauzy canopy I own. Very magical.

Also at work, we have had a guest artist coming in to work with the kids. Arlo Johnson comes just about every year to teach the kids about art and do some drawing and painting with them. He's a nice guy and makes it fun for them.

I have just two more weeks of grad school this semester, so I am working to complete my final projects. I'm getting close.

Emery's birthday is this Sunday. We're having a party at our house on Saturday evening - BBQ, S'mores, Karaoke. Anyone who wants to come, just email me and I'll add you to the evite.

That's it for now. I am really tired. I have to work tomorrow and then I'm going to the temple in the evening. And somewhere in there I really need to call my mommy back.

Goodnight!

LDS General Conference

2008-04-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

The 178th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints was held Saturday and Sunday. Emery and I were able to attend the Saturday morning session of Conference where we were able to participate, along with church members world-wide, in the sustaining of President Thomas S. Monson as the president of the Church.

We continued to be uplifted and instructed in the all of the conference sessions. Following are highlights from two talks given in the last session. There were, of course, so many talks that were wonderful. The transcripts and video of General Conference will be available soon on the Church website. I strongly recommend you take time to watch, listen to, or read the talks that were given, particularly the address by President Monson during the Sunday morning session.

Continuing Revelation
Elder Hollan

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a Christian church.
We believe in the Godhead as three separate beings.
We believe in continuing revelation and guidance from God.
These differences from Protestant Christian churches does not mean we are not Christian. On the contrary, these beliefs are what the scriptures and Jesus himself taught.

Meaningful Prayer - Ask in Faith
Elder Bednar

How can we have more effective prayers?

Act upon the things you have asked of Heavenly Father.
Act, don't just express.
Pray for discernment and for our eyes to open to what the Lords would have us do.
Pray for the strength to act as we know we should.

Dispute not because ye see not.
Don't lose faith just because you don't see answers right away.
Answers may not come in the way and the time frame we expect.

Recognize and accept the will of God in our lives.
"Let thy will be done."
Pray for understanding the Lord's will.
Pray for help in surrendering our will to God's will.

Big Announcement!

2008-04-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm engaged! Yes, it's true! I know, I know. You are all saying, "What? I didn't even know you were dating someone!" Well, I admit it has been a bit of a whirlwind. I never thought I would be someone to fall in love so quickly, but... what can I say?

"So who is this guy?" That's your next question, right? Let me introduce you to my fiancé:
His name is Steve Rossi, but everyone just calls him Rossi. He's tall, and I think he's terribly handsome. (I'll post a picture at the end of this post.) We met in grad school in August, so we've known each other for just over 7 months. It wasn't really until the last couple of months that we started to get more serious. But once we did, things just clicked!

Rossi and I have a lot in common. For one thing, he is a teacher. (I know. I never planned on marrying another teacher. But, again, what can I say? When you're in love... ) He actually teaches math and psychology at the high school just a few blocks away from my house. He's funny and talkative and loves to laugh -- just like me!

In other ways, though, I think our relationship is a case of opposites attract. Rossi is a bit irreverent at times. :) Anyone who know me is aware that I'm fairly conservative when it really comes down to it. He says that I am a good influence on him and that his job is to make me loosen up. It's a good combination.

Ok, well that's all for now. I'll be sure to give everyone more details soon. And as soon as we have a date I'll post it so everyone can plan on being at the wedding. We're thinking we'll get married in San Diego, but we'll have some sort of open house or reception here too. Rossi says he's always wanted to have a reception at the Wheeler Family Farm. I hope he's kidding... :)

I am so excited and happy!

Kissin' Dairy Goodbye!

2008-03-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

I had a great first week back on track. The kids are always well-behaved and things are just fun. Why any person would want to be on a traditional schedule is beyond me. Year-round is the BEST. But, I digress... The only thing I'm a little worried about is how in the world we're going to be ready to perform our Shakespeare play in 3 weeks! Yikes! But I've scheduled a ton of rehearsal time, so here's hoping.

Last night, Emery, Kristine, and I went to dinner at Bombay House. Yum! Kristine deserved a treat because she has been working hard on her thesis (she's almost done!) and Emery and I just like to eat yummy food I guess. ;) While ordering, I decided to find out for certain whether coconut milk has any dairy product in it or not. I thought not, but I take no chances. So, using my iPhone of course, I googled the question. I found out that those with dairy allergies or lactose intollerance can indeed eat coconut milk. I am getting better and better at this non-dairy life! (I should be! I've been officially non-dairy for almost 8 years now!) Here are some of my favorite non-dairy websites / products:

Turtle Mountain (So Delicious, Soy Delicious, and Purely Decadent ice cream)
Tofutti (Better Than Sour Cream and Better Than Cream Cheese)
Dairy Free Living (check out the FAQs link)

After a day of grant-writing I am ready for a little entertainment. So, Emery and I are now on our way to the ward activity: A Night of Debates. Hmm... Should be interesting. I'll let you know how it goes.

My music listening choices this week have been Jo Dee Messina and The Kinleys. (I've been going through all my country CDs I haven't listened to in a while. It's driving Emery a little crazy, but you know, that's really what I'm here for.) The Jo Dee Messina song that has hit the spot is "These Are the Days". It's a great celebrating-the-good-things-in-life song. I used to listen to it a lot when I lived in "my sunny room" at Bobby's house:

I wake up to the sunshine out my window
And the passin’ sound of a homeless man
Singin’ an ol’ Cole Porter song.
The faucet leaks, the TV’s on the blink again
But my restless dreams are still intact
Even though it’s takin’ way too long.
Got a hundred dollars in a coke tin on my shelf
And I've been thinkin’ to myself, whoa

These are the days you will remember
For the rest of your life.
These are the memories you’ll pack in a box
And you'll pull out sometimes.
So pick your flowers, count the seconds, roll the dice
But baby, don’t wait ‘till its too late.
Put a smile on your face.
These are the days.

Outside the people rush to get ahead
For checks and promotions and fancy cars.
Happiness is just around the bend.
Old Mrs. Jones sits out and suns her face,
And as I walk by I hear her say,
"This is as good as it gets."
There goes the business suit who owns this whole darn block.
His roller coaster never stops.
I wanna say to him:

These are the days you will remember
For the rest of your life.
These are the memories you’ll pack in a box
And you'll pull out sometimes.
So pick your flowers, count the seconds, roll the dice
But baby, don’t wait ‘till its too late.
Put a smile on your face.
These are the days.

For some reason, even when I am not sad myself, I often like to listen to sad songs. I guess I'm just sort-of sappy and girlie that way. I mean... I'm just really sensitive and deep. Yes, that sounds better. I think I like them because they remind me of the times in my life when I have felt something similar to the emotions expressed in the songs. It's good to remember those times. It's bitter-sweet. The songs help me realize I have learned a lot and have come out stronger because of the experiences I have had. "Contradiction" by The Kinleys is one of those good sad songs:

Joel was her only son
Trouble was his way of having fun
With the wrong crowd
He was heading for kingdom come
What should a mother do?
She'll have to let go to get through
If she could she'd send him away for his own good

It's such a contradiction
To love someone enough to walk away
The curse of benediction
Is the pain that just won't go away
La la la la
It's such a contradiction

Penny was just sixteen
Answering someone else's dream
With her child
'Cause they had what she couldn't provide
What should a mother do?
She had to let go to get through
If she could she wouldn't do what's for his own good

It's such a contradiction
To love someone enough to walk away
The curse of benediction
Is the pain that just won't go away
La la la la
It's such a contradiction

Lemon Meringue Moosh

2008-03-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

I baked pies on Saturday night to give to a few people for Easter. My inspiration for baking the pies was Sherry. Emery and I visit teach Sherry, and she is great! It just so happens that she and her husband, Jerry, are also our home teachers, so we get to see them even more. Double great! So, I made key lime no-bake pie and lemon meringue pie. The key lime turned out well, or so I was told. (Lactose intolerant!) But the lemon meringue turned out to be quite gooey. It's tasty goo, if I do say so myself, but it doesn't really cut into slices. We ended up serving it in bowls when it was eaten at Emery's mom's house as Easter dinner dessert. The meringue also has some issues. It has continued to sink more every day. I got the recipe in foods class in 1995, and somehow thought I would have retained my high school cooking class skills, but apparently I'm rusty. Ah well... I guess that's one recipe I will need to continue to work on.

I go back to work tomorrow. My off-track time technically ended March 19. I tracked on that day (moved all my things back into a classroom), but then went immediately into my Spring Recess. I'm never really ready to go back after being off, but it usually only takes a day or so to get back into the swing of things.

I will be jumping right back into a busy schedule, that's for sure. Just before going off, I held auditions for my class play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The kids were assigned to memorize their lines while we were off because starting tomorrow it's full speed ahead with rehearsals. We perform the play in about one month!

I was asked if some university undergrads could observe me teach a lesson tomorrow. So, at 10:00 I will have four pre-service teachers in my room to watch me teach moon phases. It will be a fun lesson - we will be creating and labeling the phases of the moon using Oreo cookies. I do happen to have my most challenging kids at 10:00, but I will have leverage to make them behave: Bad Behavior = No Cookies! It should be a good lesson.

I am currently in the midst of filling out three applications:
1) My school district's version of tuition reimbursement (I know, about time since I've been going to grad school for seven months now...)
2) UCET's Technology Grant - Ross convinced me to do it, and I want money to get a student news broadcast going at the school I'm at. It's the one thing Garth (my principal) asked me to do, but we haven't had the means thus far.
3) The Lunar and Planetary Institute's field-based workshop for science teachers - I want to go to Montana and Washington to study the sites of ancient glacial lakes and flood waters and use the information to form hypotheses about the land forms on Mars. Cool, huh?

So, that's my update for today. Time to sleep, and then back to work.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

Kiss Me! I'm Irish!

2008-03-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

No really... I'm serious.

Choking on Soap

2008-03-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

It snowed again today after a week of wonderful, sunny weather. Of course, my phone told me this would happen. As Brian put it, my phone does everything including cook breakfast and project holographic images. It's true. Well, it has its own campfire at least.

While it snowed, I folded laundry and listened to music. Then I worked on my homework. I chose to work on my Web 2.0 assignment, which allowed me to search through fun online tools like del.icio.us and Peer Trainer. I updated my blogs as well (check out the updated links on the side bar, including "Sassmaster's Bookmarks").

You may or may not know that I have been called as my LDS stake's women's sports director. As such, I am in charge of getting help for the young women's regional basketball tournament this week. I tried and tried to get people to help, but no one called me back. I've actually been calling people all week, and I've only gotten two of the six volunteers I need! Frustrating. I need score keepers and referees, but everyone must be avoiding me. Fortunately, at Shelly's birthday party tonight, Becca said she would be willing to help tomorrow if I can't get anyone else. She's not even called to do it, but she said she'd do it for me. What a pal! :)

As I prepared for bed tonight I washed my face with pineapple soap from Bath and Body Works. It must have smelled good because I breathed in right as the soap was lathered up. It went up my nose and down my throat. I started choking on the soap bubbles! Yuck!

Finally, I watched "Vertigo" on TCM. It's a bit of a strange movie, what with the flashbacks and the blinking green, blue, and red light, but I like Alfred Hitchcock movies. And I like Jimmy Stewart. One of my favorite movies of all time is "Harvey". Jimmy Stewart was great in that movie! He and Cary Grant are my favorite old movie actors. I love movies like "Philadelphia Story" that star both actors.

Following "Vertigo" a movie called "Night of the Lepus" aired on TCM Underground. I didn't watch the whole thing, but it's a horor film about overpopulation of rabbits. The opening scenes were filled with rabbits running all over the place while people tried to round them up in nets and bags. I guess the rabbits were causing major problems eating all the crops. One man's horse tripped in a rabbit hole and broke its leg. The man had to shoot his horse. Yes, I know. A disturbing movie. But, it gets much, much worse when the rabbits are genetically altered, grow to be the size of ponies, and eat people. This picture should give you an idea of what the movie is like:

You can go to The Agony Booth for a review of this movie that is far more entertaining than the movie itself. Here is a quote from the review:

"How often have you seen an awful movie and said to yourself, 'What were they thinking?' Well, after watching Night of the Lepus, the question you'll be asking instead is, 'Were they thinking?' This is one of those rare films where a person doesn't need to view a single frame to realize that the very concept (giant killer bunny rabbits! I mean, for goodness sake!) is spectacularly misguided."

Now, just so you don't think the movie is a total waste, it does star DeForest Kelley of Star Trek fame. Also, it was produced by MGM studios and is based on a novel. "Who would write a novel about such a topic?" you might ask. Well, the author was Australian. So, there you go.

Perhaps there are only two things more strange than the movie itself:
One, the fact that the reviewer on The Agony Booth wrote on and on about the movie for 7 pages!
Two, the fact that I have gotten such a kick out of this whole thing!

And that sums up my adventures for today.

The New First Presidency

2008-03-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Joanna sent me this picture, and I like it a lot. So, I thought I'd post it. In case you were not aware, President Thomas S. Monson is the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. President Monson selected as his counselors President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I know that these men will be inspired leaders, just as President Hinckley was.

Geek Conference

2008-03-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

I tracked-off a day early and got a sub to cover my class a week ago Friday so I could attend the annual UCET (Utah Coalition for Educational Technology) conference. I had a great time, even though I didn't win any prizes. :) I enjoyed being with my friends from Grad School. I enjoyed the classes. I enjoyed meeting new people and seeing old friends. I enjoyed learning about new technology for the classroom. I enjoyed wandering through the vendors and getting free pencils. (Rossi, I KNOW I got more than you did! You should see the pile of Apple pencils I got!) And I enjoyed the keynote speaker. It was great!

The keynote speaker was David Pogue. He spoke all about the world of Web 2.0. He was hilarious! At the end of his presentation he sang a couple songs about technology. (He changes the lyrics to well-known songs.) One of them was to the tune of "I Did it My Way", only his version was all about the iPhone.

About half way through his song, members of the audience who had iPhones pulled them out and held them up, swaying to the beat of the song. (You know, like lighters were used in the olden days. :) We all started cracking up. Then, with a thrill, I realized I HAVE AN iPHONE! I grabbed my new iPhone out of my bag, and joined the crowd! David Pogue finally became aware of what was going on and had to stop playing to laugh at us too. Very funny. A video of his presentation will be available online soon. (Here is the link to it.) But, for now you can view the music video of his iPhone song on YouTube.

I attended a lot of other great classes and visited plenty of cool vendors at the conference too. When I do my conference write-up for my grad school class, I will post it on my EDPS 6446 blog. You can read all about my great geek conference there. Enjoy!

You Move Me

2008-03-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

I want someone to love me enough that they will move. No, not move to another place. Move. Move forward. No, not change. Move. I want someone who will love me enough to do what it takes to be with me. No, not play "games" and pass "tests". Just move. I'll be willing to do the same.

I have a habit of finding songs that match and describe my life, my emotions, and my hopes. Two songs come to mind with this train of thought: "You Move Me" by Garth Brooks and "For the Love of a Woman" by Tyler Castleton and Staci Peters (performed by various LDS artists). The lyrics of songs are not always a perfect match to what I feel, but these come pretty close. I will post the lyrics and add the songs to my play list at the bottom of my blog if I'm able to.

You Move Me
This is how it seems to me
Life is only therapy
Real expensive and no guarantees

So I lie here on the couch
With my heart hanging out
Frozen solid with fear,
Like a rock in the ground

Whoa, but you move me
You give me courage I didn't know I had
You move me
Now I can't go with you and stay where I am
So you move me

This is how love was to me
I could look and not see
Going through the emotions,
Not knowing what they mean
And it scared me so much
That I just wouldn't budge
I might have stayed there forever
If not for your touch

Whoa, but you move me
Out of myself and into the fire
You move me
Now I'm burning with love and with hope and desire
How you move me

You go whistlin' in the dark
Making light of it, making light of it
And I follow with my heart, laughing all the way

Whoa cause you move me
You give me dancing and you make me sing
You move me
Now I'm taking delight in every little thing
How you move me
Whoa you move me
Whoa you move me
Whoa you move me
Whoa

For the Love of a Woman
For the love of a woman a man unlocks his heart
And reveals all the secrets it holds
And the love of a woman will find his better part
When he gives her the key to his soul

He will listen to her dreams
He will ask her what she needs
He will help her build the life she wants to live
He will hold her when she cries
With a love that never dies
All these things he will give
For the love of a woman

For the love of a woman a man will sacrifice
While he waits for a moment of grace
With the love of a woman a man will pay the price
For the trust that he sees in her face

He will open any door
Leave the life he knew before
To convince her that he's all she'll ever need
And when he's afraid to start
He will step into the dark
'Cause he knows she'll give his eyes the power to see
With the love of a woman

And her promises to help her dreams come true
No there's nothing in this world that he won't do

Though he's not a work of art
He will try with all his heart
To become the man she knows that he can be
With the love of a woman
The love of a woman
He will give his life
For the love of a woman

Little Things

2008-03-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Something is in my foot. I thought maybe it was just a blister forming, but no. There is definitely something in my foot. It hurts! Isn't it interesting that such little things can annoy you, or bother you, or hurt you in life? For example:
dry contact lenses
acne
forgetting something you were just about to say
dust
light bulbs that burn out too quickly
back pain
not RSVPing
people snoring while you're watching a movie (oh wait... that one was me last week...)
slow internet

But then, the little things in life can bring so much joy too! Little things like:
tulips
a quilt from my mom
a photo of my grandma
Yorkhshire pudding
finding golf balls on my walks
Debbie Gibson on my iPod
plants in my house not dying
someone saying, "I like you."
hugs
kisses!
black notebook paper and gel pens
getting a hair cut (Ooo... I love getting my hair cut!)
a clean kitchen
little green buds on the trees in spring
clouds
evening light, when it filters side-ways through the trees
a smile
something on the porch when you get home at night
laughing

Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is that we are so much better off when we focus on the little things that brighten our day. It's so much better than the alternative.
What are some of the little things that bring a smile to your face?

Everything I need to know about Valentine's Day I learned from a sixth grader.

2008-02-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

Today I received a single red rose from Sergio, one of my students. He was all dressed up in a suit for our Valentine's Day dance and looked like a little gentleman presenting his rose. So cute. It made my day.

Annie stood next to me in the school gym as we watched kids doing the swing moves I taught them to Ella Fitzgerald. She turned to me and asked, "Have you danced with anyone your age at the dance today?"

I laughed and said, "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't think there are any guys my age to dance with... anywhere. I'm not sure they exist."

Annie looked a bit confused and said, "Oh... Well, you can just dance with me then."

And so we danced.

I found Kayla sitting on the floor of the gym crying because none of the boys were asking her to dance. I stood her up, gave her a hug, and said, "You don't need boys to ask you to dance to have a fun time. Just go out there and dance!" She dried her tears and smiled, and we headed out to the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Matthew had heard why Kayla was upset. Before she knew what hit her, Kayla was surrounded by 6 boys all wanting to dance with her - Matthew at the lead. She lit up as she danced with one kind boy after another.

Jordan gave me a Valentine card that said, "I love you because you are the best teacher in the whole world."

It's amazing how those little monkeys I teach can become so sweet. Today they were wonderful reminders of what is important in life: helping others feel loved.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Support

2008-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Why should it be so difficult to find a good sports bra? Is it so much to ask for a supportive, comfortable, yet snug bra? My favorite two are Nike, and I've been thinking I've got to just go online and find some more like them. But, it kills me to spend more money on a product simply because it has a swoosh on the back. But, hey. I'm talkin' about taking care of my girls, so the money is worth it.

Sorry, Mom. I hope I didn't shock you ranting in "public" about such a topic.

Sassmaster!

Chieko

Holiday Letter 2010

Castles and Cathedrals

Sunshine

Willkommen in Bamberg

Mixed Nuts

Update

It's Nice to Feel Loved

Robert Pattinson - Great Smile

Who protects the President?

Two Travelers

New Calling

Birthday Wishes

Greatest Snack Ever

First Day of School

Multimedia Summer Classes

Pioneer Trek

Dreams

Life Update

A Run-In With The Law

You Like-a The Juice?

23 Questions You Probably Never Thought of Asking

New Job

Last Week of School!

Girls Camp

Kid Quotes

Hired!

Master Katie

Saying Goodbye

More Photos

More Touring & Playing With Crazy Ellie

Checkpoint Charlie & Topography of Terror

Happy Birsday!

Change of Plans

Sachsenhousen

Pickin' Up Dinner & Men

Tour of Berlin

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Willkommen!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Old Quotes, New Perspectives

Stress Relief

Firsts

Kid Quotes

Me

New Ward, New Calling, New Adventures

The Right Stuff

New Year's Eve Pictures

New Year's Resolutions

Christmas Miracles

Hodie: A Christmas Cantata

The Call Has Come!

It was love at first tree...

Teaching Tidbits

Watching a Heart Attack

Leader Effectiveness Training (L.E.T.) by Dr. Thomas Gordon

Gingerbread Joy

Dating Panel

Christmas Wish List

More 6th Grade Test Answers

Falling Apart

Don't Give Up

REACH Training Day 2

REACH Training

Another Perfect Song

Jordin SparksOne Step At A Time lyrics

Keys on Main with Kat

How Many People Does it Take to Fly a Dog to Germany?

The Birthday Is Coming!

Why Is The Sky Blue

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

I'm Walkin', Baby

So Ready

Phobias

Songs of the Week

Quote of the Day

Danger-Prone

Google Me

Homework Distraction

Jordin Sparks
One Step At A Time lyrics