Update

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!

Lemon Meringue Moosh

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.

Tag!

I know, I know. You've seen these things a hundred times in email, but I confess I like them. The rules of the game are as follows:

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the game the player tags 5 people, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago:
I was in my Junior year at BYU. (Yes, I really am getting old. :)
I was living with Katie and Emery in the Chelsea Condos. (Yes, Emery and I really were roommates for the first time 10 1/2 years ago!)
I was applying to work as a counselor at Aspen Grove, the BYU Alumni family camp. (I did get the job and worked there Summer '98.)

5 things on my to-do list today:
1) Put up signs at the church reminding the women that basketball was canceled today.
2) Go to the gym to do cardio.
3) Read the research article for which I will be leading a discussion in class on Wednesday.
4) Do my laundry.
5) Write a stupid 100 question test for my students to take on Monday.

Snacks I enjoy:
I'd love to say apple slices, celery sticks, and wheat germ, but while those are enjoyable, let's be real:
Chocolate and toffee almonds
Utah chocolate almond truffles
Coffee cake
Bagels with Tofutti's "Better Than Cream Cheese"
Ruffles with onion dip (made with "Better Than Sour Cream" of course)
Almost anything chocolate

What I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
Pay off my house
Pay off my credit card
Pay off my bookie
(I'm just kidding about that one.)
Pay Emery's school tuition and allow her to quit her job and go to school full time
Hire a domestic assistant to clean my house every week, wash my windows, and do my ironing
Finish my unfinished basement
Travel
Support missionaries
Volunteer
Fund and participate in humanitarian projects
Promote world peace

3 of my bad habits:
1) Eating junk food
2) Not returning phone calls
3) Forgetting

5 places I have lived:
Escondido, CA
Provo, UT
Alexandria, VA
East Palo Alto, CA
Salt Lake City, UT

5 jobs that I have had:
Vocal Recording Artist
Feature Film Art Department - Assistant to the Set Decorator
Camp Counselor
6th Grade Teacher
K-6 Computer Lab Teacher

5 things people don't know about me:
1) When you google me, all sorts of results come back for IMDB and other such sites. What you may not know is that it really is me they're referring to!
2) I was a field hockey goalie in high school, and was even recruited by a few colleges.
3) In college, I had 6 ear piercings. Well, I guess I still have them, I just don't wear earrings in them.
4) I have an "art studio" set up in my basement. One day when I have some time, I plan on becoming a great painter.
5) I still sleep with my blanket that I received after being burned at the age of 2. I take it EVERYWHERE I go.

5 people I tag are:
eclaires
Smith Family
Joanna
Funaki-Naki-Naki
Alanna

Letter to Nicaragua

I wrote this letter to Emery in Nicaragua to update her on the happenings here, so I will include it (edited for content, of course) to update all of you as well.

Hi! So I miss you. I realized yesterday that I talk to myself a lot when you're not here... out loud... I'm actually quite witty.

So much happens when you go away, so I'll fill you in on some important things while I still remember them. And, if you prompt me when you get back I will elaborate.

Oh, and I know I'm totally butchering the spelling of every name and a lot of words in this email, but I'm too tired to worry about it. Forgive me? Please? Thanks.

Today in the "good news minute" (which I walked in late for - long story - I'll tell you about that later in this email), Krista announced her engagement to that guy! What's his name? Hold on, I'll text Brian...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Waiting...

Steven.

Also, Tami announced her engagement to Jimmy during her talk today! (That sounds funny, but it wasn't strange of her to say. It fit in her talk.) Crazy!

Tami told me I looked HOT today. I love that girl.

Ben was called as the assistant mission leader, Jessica was called as assistant librarian. Heidi was called as the ward women's sports leader, and Lee was called as the men's.

Nataley, Tami, and Teona spoke in sacrament meeting about self mastery and bridling your passions.

I met with the bishopric about my many callings. We're all very sad that I won't be able to continue with everything I've been doing because of my new calling as Stake Women's Sports Director. I think I'm going to remain the webmaster, but be released from calendar, public relations chair, and gospel doctrine. I think I will be the official unofficial gospel doctrine substitute. Bishop, Marlin, and Aaron were very nice and complimentary to me. This stake calling will be good. By the way, do you want to play basketball on Saturday mornings? :)

Ok, so why I was late despite getting up at 7:30:
I must admit, I agree with Tami that I looked rather cute today. :) I had on my black, short GAP dress and tall boots (ok, YOUR tall boots...). Today was ward dinner, and I made pork and sour kraut. I was on the way out the door and managed to tip the tray with the food just enough that a line of pickled cabbage juice went onto my dress right across my boobs. Yuck. What could I do? I was determined to not have to change my entire outfit, so I dabbed off the sour kraut juice, ran upstairs, and got the Febreeze bottle. I sprayed myself with the Fabreeze and ran back downstairs. So, now my bust line smelled minty fresh with just a hint of stewed pork and sour kraut. But hey, I was only a few minutes late and I looked GOOD. ;)

Friday:
Dennis and I went to Kristine and Adam's music party. I had a very fun time. I had a LOT of fun! I have a cough, so my voice was quickly dying, but I managed to sing quite a few songs. They demanded Adam and I sing "The Prayer". It was not so good. My voice was too gone. I made them promise to request it next time so I can redeem myself. Adam defended me, and so did his mom, saying that I really was sick. I sang a song with Maurine, Adam's mom, accompanying me. I sang a couple songs with Keith. And I sang "Home" from Beauty and the Beast, "Whistle Down the Wind", and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" with Dennis accompanying me. Dennis played very well. Several of the other ladies asked him to play for them too. He is better than I realized, and I found out he has only ever taken a year of piano lessons - and they were Suzuki lessons! So, he basically taught himself. Cool.

Well, have you had enough? Ok. Stop reading email and go play a game with your family and then take a bubble bath not with your family. See you on Tuesday. If anything great happens between now and then, I'll let you know.

Guacamole Snowcone

I went to my friend Andrea's birthday dinner tonight. Walking back to the car, I noticed that the ground was very icy. Unfortunately, I did not realize how icy until I could feel my feet sliding around out of control. I could not stop those feet from sliding right out from under me! Down I went, crashing to the cold asphalt while my bowl of guacamole shattered and splattered next to me.

I heard Emery and a couple other people ask, "Are you okay?"

"Ya, I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're okay. But, I'm really upset about losing that great guacamole."

A hand reached down to help me up. "Hi. I'm Dean. I didn't get to meet you inside at the party." The same hand then reached out to shake mine.

"Um, nice to meet you, Dean... Sorry, I have guacamole all over my hands."

Emery and Dean helped me collect the pieces of broken bowl. Another friend emerged from her car with a bag to put the ceramic pieces in. Dean promptly grabbed a chunk of snow and plopped it down right on top of the pile of guacamole so no one would step in it. My guacamole-covered clothing is now soaking in the washing machine. Fortunately, I landed on my hip and bum, so there was plenty of padding and my landing didn't hurt. Now, I'm just praying that my back doesn't freak out again from the jolt it received. Ah... life is full of fun adventures.

Happy New Year!

Over the last few days, each time I was asked what I wanted to do on New Year's Eve my reply was, "Kiss!" And what do you know, I did get my New Year's kiss! Ok, so it was on the cheek, but it was from a guy I had just met. That's enough adventure and romance to last me till, you know... whenever.

Thanks to Andrea, Emery and I went to a fun party for "mid singles". A lot of the people there know each other from LDSLinkup, so it was a little odd to hear people saying things like, "Hey aren't you CampfireBug? I looked at your profile today." Nevertheless, there were quite a few nice people. The house was packed, actually, and I was reminded how many singles there are that are my age. Some of them are single for obvious reasons, some for not so obvious reasons, and some for no particular reason at all. Is it comforting to know there are so many? Or is it more depressing? Not quite sure.

Karaoke was going on down stairs at the party, so that's where Emery and I headed. We sang "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks. It was fun, and many people complimented us. One guy, who said we were great singers, looked so familiar to me that I finally asked his name. Brian, as it turns out, is my friend Sarah's brother! I know Sarah from my hometown. She moved into my church ward toward the end of high school. He gave me her number so I could call her and catch up. Fun!

The Karaoke room was so full of people that everyone had to get cozy. I managed to snag a chair (good thing because my back was ready to die!) but there wasn't much leg room. I didn't mind, however, because the lack of leg room meant that Andrea's friend Mark, whom she met in law school, had to rest his arms on my legs and eventually squeeze in next to me on the chair. Mark and I became very close friends very quickly as a result. We're tight now. He is the one from whom I got my kiss. :)

Well, happy New Year, every one. I hope 2008 brings wonderful things to your lives. May all your wildest dreams come true!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a great holiday filled with family and friends. I arrived at my mom's new house Sunday evening and was able to see the renovations that have been done and the plans that are still in progress. The house is very nice, and I love the trees and yard.

My brother Bobby, his wife, Katrinka, and kids, Teleya, Lochlan, and Torin, were here when I arrived. I was able to spend time with them on Monday which was great fun. I had never met Torin before. He is a beautiful, sweet, mellow baby boy. Loch is a funny little man. A highlight of the week was when Loch asked me to help him put on his shoes. Teleya is a smart little girl with a good sense of humor. And, thanks to Bobby, she is tough! I had a wonderful time with them.

Christmas Eve was spent with Mom, Ron, Blake, Matt, Andy, and Davie. We had mini build-your-own pizzas and watched "The Nativity." Then Andy and I did a repeat performance of the song we sang at church on Sunday. It was very nice. We had family prayer, then each faded off to sleep one by one. I did help Mom wrap some presents that still needed to be placed under the tree before I went to sleep. I particularly enjoyed wrapping Andy's presents. One had candy cane wrapping paper with a Halloween ribbon and a fat angel baby tag. Another had wrapping paper with flowers and berries, a plaid ribbon, a cherry, a pine cone, and a Woodstock tag. Stylish.

This morning we had the traditional opening of stockings from Santa. Two highlights: a book of funny road signs and a giant blow-up bouncy ball... what do you call them? Well, you sit on them and they have a handle and you bounce. We all got one, and we all enjoyed bouncing on them, hitting each other with them, playing volleyball with them, and being gladiators with them. After stockings, we had scrambled eggs, sausage, and E.O. Rings. Yum! We opened presents - I was elected to be Santa and hand the gifts out. My "secret person" from the family drawing was my mom, and she got me a new laser printer/copier/scanner/fax machine! So cool!

Maggie and Wade arrived with their boys, Cohen and Ethan, later this afternoon. Andy and I enjoyed playing with Cohen on the swings. Cohen convinced Andy to come back and swing in a variety of styles (backwards, standing up, twisting, extra high) by pleading with him, "Uncle Andy, I NEED you!" We also enjoyed peeking in the "haunted, old playhouse" in my mom's yard. According to Cohen it has ghosts, snakes, spiders, cobwebs, and lions in it!


As the evening winds down, people are dropping off to sleep again. I am sorting through the potential plans for the next couple of days and trying to determine what friends and family I might be able to visit and what family activities might be happening. I'm happy to be here, and not just because I hear there are blizzards all week at my house. (By the way, it's been in the 60's and 70's and sunny here. We played on the green grass today in shorts and bare feet. :)

Stormy Weather

I am sitting on a blue couch wearing all blue. A blue shirt, a blue sweatshirt, blue sweats, and blue slippers. Outside a blue-colored storm is brewing. It's been windy and clear and wonderful all day, but about 20 minutes ago the clouds rolled in, the sky turned dark, and little pieces of hail started falling from the sky. (Little pieces of hail, as opposed to little pieces of heaven. :) Now, the thunder has started to roll and it's getting exciting. I would like to snuggle up next to the fire for the night, but I cannot. I have things to do, I have a music rehearsal to go to in two hours, and the gas for the fireplace is too expensive. But, I will still enjoy the evening.

I saw Mayor and Sister Gray at the mall today in Bath and Body Works. I went there to run errands with Emery. It's just so crowded! I think I'm done with any shopping until January.

Today I cooked chicken, wrote a couple emails, and took out the trash. Technically, Emery took out the trash. She loaded it in the back of my car so we could drive it all over to the dumpster. (We have a habit of letting bags pile up in the garage. Don't tell anyone - so embarrassing!)
Unfortunately, we both forgot in the one minute it took us to get in the car that there was garbage in the back of the car, and we drove off to the mall. Yuck! It was in there for something like two hours! Yuck! But, it's in the dumpster now.

Well, time to get back to work. I've got videos to edit, gifts to wrap, cookies to make, and a song to rehearse!

Tis the Season

Friday night was Emery's mom's annual gingerbread house party. Emery and I drove with our new friend Dennis to eat soup, listen to entertaining conversations, and build this year's gingerbread creations. Emery made a city skyline, Dennis made a rest stop, and I made something that Dennis decided was reminiscent of the Globe Theatre. As always, the party was great fun.

Saturday night Emery, Kristine, and I boarded Trax to travel down town for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with the King's Singers. Thanks to Kristine (and her husband Adam who sings in the choir) I was able to see the wonderful concert. We had a great time, despite the strange girls who decided to provide a spiritual experience for all the southbound train passengers by singing Christmas songs the whole way home. As Kristine said, they completely wiped out our lingering thoughts of the beautiful music we had just heard. Sigh... :)

Dennis and another new friend, Andrew, came over and played a game called True Colors with Emery and me tonight. After that game session, Jerry and Sherry came over to play Probe (a word game) with us. We actually ended up talking with Jerry and Sherry for hours, but managed to fit in a fun round of Probe too. I was also able to find an accompanist for the song Andy and I will be singing at church next Sunday and scheduled rehearsals in the midst of all our fun visits. It was hard to find someone to play who didn't already have a million other songs and musical numbers they were committed to, but I think I've found a good pianist.

Christmas is coming! Are you ready? I thought I was, but now that I realize I have little time left, I'm not so sure. I am excited to be singing on Sunday and then traveling to Mom's house for the holiday.

Funny Friend Quotes

I need your help! I have created a list of funny friend quotes on my side bar, but I need you to help me remember other funny quotes to add to the list! Comment on this post to offer your suggestions!

Back to the Snow

Thursday I got the bad news that a good friend of mine passed away. Saturday I flew to San Diego to be with my friend's family and our other friends. It was a weekend filled with every emotion, interesting experiences, and great opportunities for reconnecting, reminiscing, laughing, crying, and hugging. I was so glad to be able to spend that time with friends.

I love my friend Kristine. I love my friend Ché and his new girlfriend, Stephanie. I love my mom. I love the Foster family. I love my friend Emery and the fact that she welcomed me home and let me talk for hours on Tuesday. I love all my family and friends. (I'm so full of love!) And I miss my friend Darin. It had been a while since I had last seen him, and now it will be a long time until I see him again. It was very calming to talk with people about where he is now and what he may be doing. I would not trade the nights we had this weekend to remember Darin and laugh and smile.

I was asked by Darin's mom to sing at his funeral on Monday. I was so grateful for the opportunity. I sang "Where Can I Turn for Peace?" The song was requested by Darin's brother, Devin, and it was the perfect choice. Where can we turn for peace in hard times? The Savior is the only one who truly understands all our sorrows and is always there to help make our burdens light. Devin hugged me several times and let me know how much he appreciated my singing. The look in his eyes told me we both know how true the message of the song is.

It's Been Too Long

I'm back in the blogging game! Things have been so busy with work, school, church, and of course my thriving social life ;) that I haven't had time to update my blog. But, I am off-track now, so I'll have a little bit more time to do some things I want to do - between homework and study groups, that is. So much has been going on, I hardly know where to start...

Emery and I have been singing up a storm again. Saturday we sang at our LDS Stake Conference. We performed "I Will Stand as a Witness of Christ" by Sally DeFord. It went very well, and we loved the opportunity to sing, as we always do. Elder Cecil O. Samuelson - member of the 1st Quorum of the 70 and president of BYU - presided over the meeting.

We were blessed to have our dear friend Clara Neu accompany us again due to her recent foot surgery that has prevented her from leaving to serve a church service mission in London, England with her husband. I suppose it is very selfish of me to say her breaking her foot in two places was a blessing, but I admit I was thrilled when I learned she would be here just a bit longer. She will be missed when she leaves in a couple of weeks.

We met some new friends on Saturday night at Stake Conference: Kristin, Andrew, and Dennis. They came over last night to watch the LDS First Presidency Christmas Devotional with us. We cooked s'mores and hot chocolate. Yay! Emery and I love new friends!

Friday night, Emery and I had the unique opportunity to be fairy godmothers at our friend Shae's wedding reception. Yes, Shae had a princess themed wedding. Yes, we did dress up as fairy godmothers - blue prom dresses, pink feather boas, glittering wings, crowns, wands, glitter everywhere, the works. (I'll have to post a picture when I get one.) We sang the song "Impossible! It's Possible!" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella". Later in the evening I sang "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Disney's "Cinderella" as she and her husband, Dave, danced. At one point in the night, Shae sang a solo which was followed by an elaborate, very fun dance performance by Shae, Dave, their siblings, and friends. It was actually a very entertaining evening. Shae did a great job putting together the program. We had a good time, despite the fact that everyone was staring at us (and yet, avoiding eye contact).

Saturday, Emery and I also babysat three of my nieces - Kersee, Mandie, and Heidi - while my sister Erin and her husband attended a convention for the business they are involved with. It was fun to spend time with the girls. They are very cute. Kersee is so smart - she wrote a story about the snow storm we were having, how her mom's car got stuck in the snow, the four men who helped push the car, and her mom yelling "¡Gracias!" out the car window. Mandie is a crack up. She managed to only fall off the chairs she was sitting on twice. (No permanent damage, Erin, don't worry.) Heidi loved seeing the snow falling out the window, and I loved hearing her babbling attempts to tell me all about it. By the way, the snow storm was fantastic! I don't know if I've ever seen the Salt Lake Valley look so incredibly beautiful!

Friday was my last day teaching for a whole month. My class and I went off track. We had a little holiday concert after lunch at which I sang "Jingle Bells?" (as performed by Barbara Streisand). The kids and my teammate Mrs. Simmons demanded an encore. It was a good time.

Oh ya - Thursday night I rushed down the hill from class to watch Kristine perform in her graduate student concert! She was great - the culmination of so many years of dancing. She is almost done with her master's degree in modern dance - just her thesis to go.

This is my last week of classes for the semester. I have one final next week as well, then I'm off for a couple of weeks from both work and school. Grad school is going well, but it is definitely keeping my busy. I don't know how some people get through all the readings assigned. But, I'm doing my best. I have a couple of projects, some online discussions, and my Instructional Design blog to work on this week, so I actually better get to work.

I will update again as soon as I am able! Until then, I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season!

P.S. I tried to add some links to topics mentioned in my blog in case some of you don't know what I'm talking about or would like more information. I'll try to do this frequently in my blog from now on, so keep an eye out for that.

Surrealism, War, and Rice

Last night Emery, Brian, Derrick, and I went to Kristine's PDC dance concert. It was Derrick's first experience with modern dance, and I think he had mixed feelings. :) I thought it was a great concert. There was a dance based on the art work of surrealist artist René Magritte. It was so intriguing. They also showed a documentary film of a movement workshop involving two modern dancers and two Iraq War veterans. I loved it. I was very interested in the part of the film when one of the dancers presented stereotypes of soldiers and the veteran reacted to her statements. One of the veterans also told of his experience marching on Baghdad. Very emotional. Kristine's dance was the last in the concert. It was titled, "Ghost Ship" and involved 100 lbs of rice being poured onto the stage. Visually it was so cool! I had a great time seeing the concert and spending time with Kristine and Adam.
Check out the University of Utah's Department of Modern Dance.
Check out Wikipedia's article on René Magritte.

"Alas for those who never sing,...

But die with all their music in them!"
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Kristine and Adam had one of their fabulous music parties on Friday night. Emery, Brian, Derrick, and I all went to join in the fun. I had a great time singing! I sang several Carole King songs with my new guitar-playing friend, Doug. He mentioned that we ought to do so a couple of parties back, and we finally had the chance to practice a bit for this party. Together we performed "It's Too Late", "Where You Lead" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".

Later in the evening, I had the opportunity to sing accompanied by Marc, a Russian concert pianist. He was incredible to watch as he performed Chopin and Rochmoninoff, and it was a pleasure to be able to sing with him. Accompanied by Marc, Emery sang "Goodnight, My Someone", after which Emery and I sang "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man of Mine". Marc also accompanied Adam and me singing "The Prayer".

As the night went on, Brian sang "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" and "Cruella DeVille". Derrick played a few blues numbers on his saxophone. Emery sang "On My Own". I sang a couple of jazz songs with a man named Keith and "All I Ask of You" with Doug. Emery and I managed to fit in our famous rendition of "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad" and Brian, Emery and I attempted "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and our Cole Porter medley of "You're the Top" and "Friendship". Adam performed several of his own songs, including a very comical new one entitled "You're the Best X I Ever Had". We had a fantastic time at the party!

Speaking of singing, Emery and I have been asked by our LDS stake leaders to record the song "In That Holy Place" - the song we have sung for several ward and stake events recently. We are excited at the opportunity. We will have to act quickly, as our accompanist, Clara, and her husband will likely be leaving on an LDS mission within the next couple of weeks!

I begin teaching again tomorrow. I think I am ready to have the kids come back on track... :) It should be good to be back on a more regular schedule, although I certainly had no problem filling every moment of my off-track time. There are always a million things I would like to be doing! But, I can't complain. I will only be on for about 2 months, then I have the whole month of December off. I even have a four-day weekend in October in addition to Thanksgiving break in November. Not bad at all. I have also registered to go to a technology conference toward the end of October, for which a three-day substitute will be provided. So, a lot of fun and exciting things ahead!

Blogging

I finally decided to start my own BLOG! I have been sending mass emails to friends and family for over a year now, and realized this would be much more convenient for all involved. So, here goes...

I went off track (year-round school) last Friday for the first time in a long time! For the past few years I have been teaching in the school computer lab almost every time I have been off track. I was very excited about this time off until I realized I would need to spend most of it doing assignments for grad school. Oh well, I'm still glad to have the time.

Grad school is going well. It's an adjustment to get used to scheduling time for assignments. I have very little free time as it is, and now I get to use it to read, read, read! I am enjoying the program, though, and I am excited about the things I will be learning.

I am also enjoying being the chairman of the Public Affairs Committee at church. I get to manage the ward website, teach people how to use the site, etc. I like it. I am still making the ward calendars and teaching Gospel Doctrine classes every few weeks. It does keep me busy, but in a good way.

I am looking forward to my 30th birthday in one week! I have decided that 30 is going to be a great age! Emery and Kristine have been haranguing me for months about what I am going to do for my birthday, and I still have not decided on anything. Here are some of my ideas:

I have ruled out:
Visiting a farm
Riding the Heber Valley Railroad
Taking a four day covered wagon trek

I am still considering:
Having a BBQ
Going to a Karaoke bar
Going High Country River Rafting
Taking a cruise of the Greek Islands
Doing nothing

We'll see... Money just might play a role in this very important decision.

So, that's all for now, I guess. I don't know how often I will update my brand-new BLOG, but I think this will be fun!