Brownie Updates

Birthday Overload!

2012-02-12T22:39:00.003-07:00

Truth be told sometimes I am not great at taking pictures or drawing them.

(I didn't draw this Katie did but it was one of my favorites from the night it went from construction worker to fire escape. I can't get enough of this game. I laugh constantly)
My birthday weekend extravaganza. I felt very spoiled this year. Friday night Ben and Jana took me out to some delicious Thai food. Somehow Dan got to benefit from my birthday dinner as well. Not quite sure how that happened (although it happened once before), but the food was great as was the company. Unfortunately it did not send Jana into labor. I was really hoping the baby could come on my birthday.

Saturday I had to coach basketball. It is our end of season tournament. My team surprised me with gifts on the bus. Not just one gift but multiple gifts. Hot tomales, a book, and a curling iron. They love it when I curl my hair but I haven't curled it recently because the handle has a huge crack and I had a dream that it electrocuted me. Silly dream but quite frightening and not worth the risk. Well they got wind of this and took action. Now I have new very nice curling iron. They are expecting curls for the game tomorrow. But the best part was they won their game. I told them that was all I wanted for my birthday and they gave me that!

After the victory we went to Pizza Pie Cafe where coaches and bus drivers eat free, yo yeah! They did dessert there for me also. And sang again, the third time they sang happy birthday. So that was all a little overwhelming but very nice of them. I don't need anyone to sing me happy birthday for a very long time.

Saturday night was girls night with my aunts and cousins. We had some yummy dinner and played games. So fun. I have been fighting a nasty cold for a few days but it was still super fun.

This morning I woke up to snow. It snowed all day. I decided to take my Sunday walk anyways. I really enjoy walking in the mornings before 1 o'clock church. It was a little wet but not too cold.

I got home from my walk and Katie had made some yummy breakfast. Church was great. I wore a new dress that I bought with the money my parents sent me. Thanks Mom and Dad! A Costco special that I love.

Dan made some delicious steak for dinner and Katie made a great salad. Overall I felt very loved and had a great weekend. I can't believe that I am 32 but I am determined to make the best of it.

I was a little sad Friday thinking about how my life is just different than what I wished for and expected and then you realize that everyone's life is that way to a point. And then I started thinking that it is more important to focus on whether or not I am where the Lord needs me to be and am I doing the things he needs LaNell Brown to do. And you know I think I am on the right track. I am not perfect but I really try to follow the spirit and make the right choices. More than anything I have seen and felt so many weaknesses exposed this year at work. Both from teaching and coaching. It has been really eye opening and difficult but I think I am becoming a better teacher, coach and ultimately person because of it.

I am really looking forward to this coming weekend. I am headed home for the weekend. I am way excited. Nothing like a few days off! That is my birthday present to myself.

Blah

2012-02-05T21:59:00.002-07:00

I feel blah because it was fast Sunday and then I totally ate an entire days worth of calories in a 2 hour time period. You would think by now I would be smart enough not to do that. YUCK!

Last week was LONG, LONG, LONG! There were incidents with parents, with students, with players. It goes on and on and on. I was so happy when Friday night finally rolled around. And to start the weekend off my basketball team won Friday night. We have not won a lot of games this year so I was super happy for them.

Yesterday I attended an 18 stake girls camp meeting. Seriously how crazy is that. There were so many people there. Everyone involved with girls camp was invited. It was seriously amazing. Sister Dalton the young women general president came to speak...amazing. And then there were 4 hours of classes. It was training for camp. I am so excited and overwhelmed. I walked away having felt the spirit so strong. I always knew girls camp was important but my testimony of that was definitely strengthened. It was so great to hear the values and be reminded of the sweet spirit that is present as you talk about the young women's standards. The spirit was so powerful and it reminded me of my days as a young women and how I remember feeling the spirit so strong during different lessons and activities. I know my testimony really began to blossom in young women's. And now I have the responsibility to help other young women have that same experience. That is a lot of pressure but I am excited. You should listen to a song written for the young women theme this year. The song is Guardians of Virtue. I love this song. It is amazing.

My Dad is in the hospital again. Total bummer. I just hate that he is in the hospital and that he is so far away. I hate it a lot. He was admitted on Thursday. We are hoping that he is cleared to head home tomorrow. His body was retaining way too much water. He has lost 8lbs in there now that they were able to get the water out.

I applied for grad school at USU. The school counseling program. I am not 100% I will do it even if I do get in but I think it could be really interesting. I think the psychology classes could really help me as a teacher but even more so as a coach. We will see what happens there. No thesis involved so that has got to be a good sign.

Superbowl Sunday. I think I am one of the only people in the world that could care less about the Superbowl. I don't think I have followed professional football since I lived at home like way back in high school. Crazy.

I am expecting great things for this week. It is the last week of basketball. My dad should get out of the hospital. I have a physical tomorrow and can hopefully get referred to a physical therapist. My student teacher should be teaching more classes. Yup all things point to a great week!

Life Can Be Sweet . . . .

2012-01-29T00:00:00.003-07:00

Especially when you eat lots of them.

Since I posted last I have been busy but not really doing anything significant. My hamstring has finally started to feel better. I took some more time off and also tried using a rub recommended to me by one of my basketball players. The deep blue oil and lotion by doterra. Not cheap but they did a decent job. The combination with a little rest has relieved some of the pain. I am still going to follow through and go to my doctor appointment on February 4th. But at least I am back to playing basketball and soccer.

I started practicing basketball with my team everyday. I even try to do all the drills and occasionally I will condition with them. I am attempting to motivate them. Practices are definitely more intense when I play with them. However, I am not in good enough shape to condition with them everyday. We still are not winning many games but I do love the girls and they are getting better!

Last weekend I helped Amber lay her hard wood floor. It was similar to when I layed my own. I was super sore the next day. Manual labor is so not for me. It was a reminder that I actually do enjoy doing those kinds of things. It is so rewarding to do something with your hands and to do it on your own.

I have a student teacher. She is just getting ready to take over most of my classes. Friday was so nice because I actually had time to clean my office while she taught.

Attempted to snow shoe. It was more of a hike but it still felt great to get out in the fresh air.

I have been making it to the gym most mornings. I think that is because of the mild weather. It is so much easier to leave the house when it is dark when the temperatures are not in the teens.

I have been reading lots!

I have to give a talk tomorrow. I have read and thought about it all week but inspiration was non-existent. This morning I cleaned, napped, washed my car, did basically everything but write my talk. Finally I went to the temple and my thoughts finally seemed to make sense. THANKFULLY! We will see how it goes tomorrow.

I got the best sugar cookie recipe ever from one of my players. Her mom made me these cookies and they are delicious. Not healthy, at all, but seriously so yummy! So I made a bunch for lots of different people now I just need to deliver them.

Went to this movie with Dan and Katie:

It was really really good.

Have enjoyed trying a new Thai restaurant: The Spicey Thai and dinner at the Cracker Barrel (with Shaanta and Emily).

Life has been busy but sweet.

My Life Right Now

2012-01-14T18:05:00.002-07:00

Wake-up
Eat
Work
Eat
Work
Basketball
Eat
Workout
Bed
Repeat

I am not complaining ............ just saying!

Luv'n' the weekend!

2012-01-08T20:23:00.004-07:00

Yesterday was so great. I woke up and ran on my treadmill. Went to the Salt Lake Temple, which was awesome. Saturdays are usually filled with errands and cleaning but it was just what I needed to take a break from that. Last week was crazy. Just getting back into the swing of everything proved rather difficult. I am anticipating this week will be much better. Do you ever feel like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed but you can't figure out why you feel a little off? This was me a couple days last week. So yeah the temple was awesome. And so was the snow. And it was so nice to not think about teaching or coaching for an entire day. Tried to go the whole weekend but alas while I was on my Sunday walk basketball crept into my thoughts.

Last night ended with hanging out with family. Girls night out. We made quesadillas and played this:

I played this over Christmas break with the Hancocks and I definitely am amazing at it so I had to buy it. Ok truth be told I can't draw but I have never laughed so much in one night. And I must say last night my sister-in-law Amanda was sitting next to me and she did a most excellent job of interpreting my pictures. She definitely boosted my confidence.

I am just grateful tonight for the temple and family. It is so great to escape the chaos of life and just laugh and relax. Back to the real world tomorrow but while time stood still this weekend it was simply wonderful.

2012 RESOLUTIONS....well the ones I am sharing

2012-01-06T22:19:00.003-07:00

Write down things I learn while studying the gospel. I have been decent about writing down three things I am grateful for each day I would like to also add something new I learned about the gospel. Probably won't do everyday but at least a couple of times a week.
Pay a little extra on my mortgage each month.
Rehabilitate my hamstring. I want to leave the pain in 2012. It may mean sitting out a few sports seasons which will be difficult but in the end worth it.
Live the abundant life as suggested by President Monson in this months Ensign: Have a positive attitude, be believing in myself, others and gospel principles, and have the courage to live decently. Not quite sure how to measure this one but at least think about it.
Study the Book of Mormon more, not just read it

That is plenty to keep my busy for the year. As I finished the Book of Mormon last month I loved a few versus in Mormon 9. Especially Mormon 9:17-21. Here Moroni is explaining that miracles can still take place in we have faith. I love that! And that if we ask with nothing doubting it will be granted unto us...what a promise.

Elder Holland spoke at the BYU Hawaii commencement ceremony and exerts from his talk were posted on lds.org. I really like some things he said:

“Don't go to your first job or first neighborhood or first staff meeting and just begin to act like everybody else. Be strong. Be true. …Teach—rather than being taught. You can't control everyone's morals, but you can control your own. You can't control everyone's language, but you can control your own. You can't control everyone's personal standards, but you can control yours. And thus the light of the gospel—the figurative lighthouse of Laie—can shine in all the world to which you go. Don't give up and don’t give in. Be strong if you are the only Latter-day Saint for a hundred miles in any direction. Stand straight and true and firm.”

“It is incumbent upon us as students, as Latter-day Saints, and as children of God to see the divine potential in ourselves, to believe in ourselves, and to know that with God’s help there is quite literally nothing in righteousness that we cannot become,” Elder Holland said.

Elder Holland began the first lesson by frankly stating, “For Latter-day Saints in general and BYU—Hawaii students in particular, there should be no ‘blur in the vision of what is humanly possible.’ We of all people should not be guilty of ‘living under our moral capacity’ or, as Brigham Young regularly phrased it, ‘living beneath our privilege.’ I’m saying, in short, that if you lack confidence or always sound apologetic or feel you have an inferiority complex, get over it.”

Everyone starts humbly and with feelings of inadequacy, Elder Holland said. We all have our fears and insecurities. But like the visions seen by the prophets in the eras before us, Elder Holland said, remember that God always needs us to elevate our views.

Elder Holland counseled graduates not to dwell on what they might see as personal disadvantages, but to focus on the wonderful blessings they have had and the wonderful world of possibilities before them. And though some students may apologize for not studying hard enough, they should never apologize for the lack of opportunity, lack of possibility, lack of divine love to guide them, or lack of dreams to make them better than they ever thought they could be—because, Elder Holland said, those are gifts for the taking if they are wanted.

This year I want to be better, live better, represent the Savior better. That is difficult and I know I will mess up but I want to wake up each day with the desire to be better and not apologize or feel bad for who I am and what I believe. I don't want to blend into the background I want to be different!

So there you are.

Wrapping up 2011

2012-01-01T00:50:00.001-07:00

It is crazy how fast a year goes. I can't really remember what I was feeling last year at the end of 2010. Time is so weird. The last week of 2011 was great. I coached some basketball, did lots of cleaning, did some resting, did the dentist (2 days in a row), some reading, lots of de-junking and went to the zoo lights.

I am in love with the animal hats. Not so much for me but I think they are super cute on kids. Zoo lights was fun but a little chilly for me. If I am going to be outside in the winter I need sunshine or exercise. I do not like the cold.

This year really was great. I know for sure there were some things I never would have anticipated at the start of the New Year. But that is the great thing about life it is full of surprises and if we are living the way we are supposed to be we will be blessed. At the end of everyday this year I fell asleep feeling so grateful for my home, my family, my friends, my job, the gospel and my car. It may seem crazy but I do think of those things every night as I fall asleep. I truly have been blessed. One of my major goals for last year was to pay off my car, and I did it!!! I also said I wanted to track my money better each month, that was a FAIL!

I knew at the start of the year there would be some changes for me and there really were. One I anticipated was moving to the family ward. I knew my ward would not kick me out but I felt that the timing was right, even at the start of the year before my 31st birthday. I can honestly say the first couple of weeks in the family ward were a little intimidating, I thought what was I thinking. But you know you suck it up and I did and after about two weeks I really started to feel comfortable and began to enjoy the ward. I am really happy there. And again that is a great thing about the gospel it didn't change the way I worship and I still feel the spirit so we are good. I never in a million years anticipated that at 31 I would be going to a family ward single but here I am doing it. That is another great thing about life we can't predict everything. It is not what I would chose but as I look at my life and the blessings I have received there is no way I cannot be grateful. Sad at times but then I feel bad for being sad because I am so blessed. It is a really weird cycle of emotions.

I have loved my job. It gets better every year. This year started off rough and it has not been perfect but it has been good. A few months ago I started looking into other graduate programs. A counseling program and with the prompting of many co-workers an administrative program. I don't know what I will do. I may not even go to school but I do love to learn. I am thinking maybe I will apply to both and then decide. One is through USU and one is through BYU. I don't know it is interesting but so great that I live in a place with so many options as far as education is concerned.

And so now with a clean house that has all the baseboards washed. (I seriously LOVE having a clean house). I am ready to embark on a new year. I am sure it will also be adventurous. I am sure there will be lots of happiness and some sorrow but it will be great. Unfortunately there will be 1pm church, BOO! I am still finalizing my resolutions but they will be complete before I head back to school.

Pre-Christmas & Christmas

2011-12-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

One fun kick-off to the Christmas season is attending my sister-in-law Amanda's orchestra concert. It was really good music as always and fun to be with family. We hit up Village Inn after and it is just fun to hang out.

Before leaving town I headed up to This is the place state park with my cousins Katie and Melissa. Melissa also had her family with her! It was a snowy night, perfect for enjoying an old fashioned Christmas.

Santa was there.

We did some crafts, dancing, and just enjoyed activities that the pioneers would have participated in.

We had a picnic in the back of the car before heading in, that was pretty awesome.

I am also including my last two lists of things I am grateful for. So this may be the longest post EVER!

10 Foods I am Grateful For:

Simply Made Orange Juice
Fiber One Granola Bars
Carrots, my veggie of choice
guacamole
chocolate chip cookies
quesadillas
Diet cherry pepsi, this so should not be on my list
water
apples
home made tacos...yum, my favorite

Dan, Nancy, and I traveled home together. The weather was amazing because apparently it forgot how to snow. It is always so fun to be home.

Christmas Eve we had a Brown Family Christmas Party at the church. It was PERFECT! There was enough room for us to all hang out in one place. All of my Dad's siblings attended and almost everyone made it. A rare treat. It was super nice that we did not have to travel another day after coming from Utah. My cousin Cody brought his sound system so music was playing, there was way too much food, good company, games, and the annual gift exchange.

My Dad his siblings and their spouses, well and his mom.

Our gift exchange is white elephant and it can be a book, game, movie, or cd. Very fun!

Dan and my cousin Cody and his wife Jen.

Me and Anthony (or some people refer to him as Muhammad or Brigham)

Ann, the exchange student from China staying with Ben and Katie. She is awesome by the way.

Olivia getting some down time with her mom.

Playing Mexican Train. (Janice and Olivia)

Some happy boys!?!?!?!?

I liked that Christmas was on Sunday. We don't have any traditions that really help you think about Christ on Christmas day so it was a great kick-off to Christmas Day.

We headed to church in the morning before doing gifts, the nice thing about no little kids the gifts could wait. Sisters!

Me and two crazy boys. Sorry Aaron and Anthony I used the picture I looked good in:-P

Me and my Mom

Some other Highlights:

seeing so many friends in Oroville. It seemed like everyone was home and I LOVED seeing so many people I don't see very often.
Getting to spend Christmas with Grandma Brown
Playing games all day on Christmas, I mean all day (I also dominated, just saying)
Sleeping in the trailer my parents bought it made the trip so much nicer
My niece can now say my full name in October I was just Nell, now I am LaNell
Seeing Olivia LOVE the trike I got her. It is pink just like my bike!
My new quesadilla maker.

Cheese, spinach, mushroom, and avocado quesadilla...delicious.

10 Things About the Gospel I am Grateful For:

Eternal Families
Temples
Modern Day Prophets
Visiting Teaching
Relief Society
The Sacrament
The Book of Mormon and all scripture
Forgiveness
The Savior, his atonement, perfect example, love
HOPE...the gospel is a beautiful message of love and hope. There is so much to hope for and I love that about the gospel. It is also miraculous, but it offers so much hope.

Christmas came and went so fast. Now I have a few more days to sleep, coach basketball, get my house in order, before heading back to work.

Modern Inventions

2011-12-20T23:47:00.001-07:00

Cell Phones
Computers
Bikes
Printing Press
Gym equipment
basketball
Candles that smell good
stove
furnace/air conditioner
water heater

10 Places on Earth I am Grateful for:

2011-12-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Temple
My Home
My Parents Home
The top of Mt Timpanogos
The Gym
Jana's house, that it is so close and there is always food and usually good company
Oroville
My office with its shower, very important I use that shower all the time
Taiwan-it changed who I am today
My Aunt Nancy's home, my home away from home, I know I am welcome anytime

Today I am grateful for....

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

The opportunity to take the sacrament
Family both near and far
friends
My Sunday walks, even when it is FREEZING!
Church music
A day of rest
That it is the official start of Christmas break
Missionary farewells, I attended one this morning of a former student, talk about making me feel old.
My job and the friends I have made with the adults I work with, the opportunity to get to know so many amazing families, and for students who make me feel like I made a difference in their lives.
The Savior, his birth, life and death. The opportunity to reflect on this every Sunday but especially at this time of year.

Nature

2011-12-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

10 Things about nature I am grateful for:

Fall, I love the colors
When you wake up and everything is covered in snow and it is so quiet
The smell
The ocean
Pink blossoms in the spring
Tulips
Waterfalls
Redwood trees
Animals, seeing them in their natural habitat
Roses in full bloom when they smell so great

The Living and Dead

2011-12-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

10 Living People I am Grateful For:

My Parents, Siblings, and Sister in-laws
Oroville 1st Ward. I am so grateful for where I grew up. There are so many people in Oroville that have had a huge impact on my life. I could never name them all because there are so many of them. Mostly I am grateful they showed me how to be a true disciple of Christ and how to live the gospel to the fullest. Now if I could only be more like them.
My High School Friends, I seriously have the best friends from high school. I love them all. I could not imagine not having them as my friends. I love that I have life long friends from that time period of my life. People that just know me and get me. They are forgiving of all my weaknesses and quirks and like me anyways.
My extended family, especially my parents sisters, well and Lou who I happen to have so much in common with (coaching, teaching, biking, hiking). But all my extended family is great! I might add that I have great cousins as well. I have loved living in Utah just for the opportunity to get to know my extended family better. I am lucky enough to be roommates with one of my cousins, Katie. One of the easiest people to live with ever.
My mission president and his wife. That would be one crazy calling. I am so grateful for their example and the love they showed me while I was serving the Lord.
Sariah, my mission buddy and post mission roommate. We don't talk as often as we should but we can catch up instantly. There was a time period when I believe I saw her everyday for an entire year.
President Thomas S. Monson, so grateful there is a prophet on the earth to lead and guide. The first presidency and quorum of the 12 apostles are all pretty amazing men.
Amber, my partner in all things crazy. It is nice to have a friend who loves to hike and bike and snowshoe as much as me. And someone who is willing to do pretty much anything that is physically active. And she has to listen to me the entire time. I talk way to much when I hike and bike.
My Grandma Brown. I just think the world of my grandma. She is an example to me in so many things. I really think she is so inspiring.
My co-workers. I love the people I work with. They make me laugh, they seem like they genuinely care. I love that they are all good people and all trying really hard to be good teachers as well.

10 Dead People I am Grateful For:

My Mom's parents. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know my grandpa Webb a little better before he passed away. I just think he is such a great example of living the gospel your whole life. I think my grandma was similar I just wish I knew her better.
Joseph Smith. The restored gospel is on the earth today because of him and his sacrifices with others, but I am very grateful for him as well as the others that sacrificed so that I could be a member of the church today.
Both of my Dad's grandma's. I don't know a lot about them but they were strong women. Who raised families in the midst of trials and afflictions. I wish I knew more about them but I am grateful for my Dad's parents and I know that their Mom's must have done some things right.
The Savior...he should be under living. But he died once even though I know he lives now and although I can't see Him I can feel Him. I can feel His love. I am so grateful for His example and unconditional love.
Gordon B. Hinckley. The prophet of my youth. It is the first prophet I feel like I really got to know. I loved him and am so grateful for his counsel, guidance, humor.
The pioneers. Some of which were my ancestors. I can't imagine what they endured, especially the heart ache, but I am grateful for their strength and example.
The founding fathers. I am so grateful to live in this country. Sacrifices were made so that we can enjoy so many freedoms today. Sacrifices made with faith, determination, and hope.
People who have died defending this country. I don't think I know anyone personally but serving our country is so unselfish and I am truly grateful for those willing to do so.
My Uncle Lynn. Who I do not know but his death was the right before I turned 8 and it was the first time I fasted and the first time I really remember praying for something for someone else.
Sydnee Avilla. I loved Sydnee, her sweet smile, her death was the first time I really had to get on my knees and find out if I really believed in the plan of salvation. Her death seemed so unfair and I really struggled just feeling awful for her family and friends. But it got me to the temple numerous times to see where my testimony was and then I biked 100 miles all by myself and through tears my testimony changed and grew.

The dead people I am grateful for was actually really hard. To this point in my life I have not had to deal with the death in very many instances. Mostly it has been people that are older and their time has come. I know that won't always be the case. I have been very blessed thus far.

Material Possessions

2011-12-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Material Possessions I am grateful for:

My Home: I love owning a home, until I have to fix things. It is so nice to truly have a refuge from the storm. I love coming home to a clean and quiet home.
My Car: Gets me where I need to go and has not had any problems, knock on wood.
My Bike: Road Bike, love that bike. I saved and saved for it and I have not been disappointed.
My Phone: Isn't it great that it is so easy to stay connected with family and friends? What if we had to do it all through letters like in the old days...crazy!
Katie's Luvsac. Needs no explanation, love that thing.
My camera: I love capturing my favorite people on film, when I remember to use it.
My Pearl Earrings: I love them and I almost wear them everyday.
My Kindle: I love to read and it has made reading so easy, especially at the gym.
My Computer: I couldn't do this without it.
The scriptures (Book of Mormon, Bible, Doctorine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price): isn't it crazy at one time people couldn't and didn't have scripture in their home. So glad times have changed!
Bonus One...my bed and down comforter....great combination of comfort and coziness.

Is my job a material possession? If it is that is at the top of the list. I am so grateful for my job every single day. Even on the bad days I am grateful for my job.

Something About Christmas Time

2011-12-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. I love love love getting Christmas Cards, maybe I should actually send some?!?!?! I love the excitement in the air. I love Christmas music. The Christmas Devotional. The opportunities to serve. The parties, visiting, and eating. I mean really what is not to love. This last weekend was no exception it was full of fun activities.

Saturday we headed to my Aunt Loralie's to help set-up Christmas and to bake. I was baking three huge batches of cookies for the Wassail party. I recruited Kylie to help me and I think I spent a good 4 and 1/2 hours baking cookies.

In between batches I wrapped Christmas presents for my cousin Heather, another thing I love about this time of year wrapping presents. I only wrapped the easy ones though, sorry. Dan read and played with his new phone, in case you were wondering.

Then we went to my Sister in law Amanda's Orchestra Concert. So fun. I love Christmas music. Then to top it all off we went to eat after. I just love my family and it was so fun to visit and to laugh after a super long day.

Sunday I hosted Dan and Joel's Wassail party. I am not going to lie the night after I agreed I had a nightmare that someone spilled Grandma Robertson's punch on my couch. I know so stupid. It is just a couch. I hate that I care so much but at the same time I just want to keep my stuff nice. I have to find a balance. The good news was no spills and the party was a success. Don't worry my camera spent the evening on the stairs I got it out but never took a picture. There were a ton of people that came through my house. So fun, so crowded, so hot. I loved it though and am so glad I got to host.

Ok so does anyone else feel so busy at this time of year that they are just stressed? That is me. I want to serve and do things for others. I also still have to work and coach...oh and clean and do my Saturday chores. I have just been stressed the past two Saturdays and I hate that. It is the one thing that puts a damper on the season for me. There is so much to do and I don't even really have to buy any presents...pathetic. I am trying to find a balance. I am exhausted by the time the weekend gets here and then I go go go and never recover. I have to work on that.

I saw on Shauna's blog that she is doing the grateful list from the Ensign and I decided I am going to copy her and do it as well. If nothing else it will be great to look back on and see what things I was grateful for in 2011. I may or may not do a list everyday but before the New Year I will do all 10 lists.

10 Physical Abilities I am Grateful For

My ability to participate in activities I love: basketball, soccer, hiking, biking, snowshoeing
My ability to stand on my feet and move all day long while I work. It gets harder every year but I can still do it. My feet ache at night but I am still grateful.
My ability see. In one of my grad school classes we talked about the hardest disability and all of us has been athletes thought it was the ability to walk and then they talked to us about why sight is the biggest blessing of all. Ever since then I have been so grateful to be able to see all of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations.
The ability to hear. Especially uplifting music.
The ability to hug and be hugged. I don't love to hug in general but there is a time and a place where a hug (physical contact) can by really important.
The ability to eat most food. My body does really well with all different kinds of food and I can usually eat most anything.
My ability to fight sickness. Bodies are seriously so amazing. I rarely get sick. This machine of mine is a fighter. There are many days when I will feel like I am getting sick but my body seems to fight infection and little bugs well. Too well sometimes, I have so many sick days (just kidding).
My ability to laugh. I seriously love to laugh. And the ability to smile. They kind of go together but both are important. I should do both more!
The ability to sleep at night. As long as I exercise I pretty much get a good nights sleep every single night.
My ability to feel the effects of exercise. I love to exercise mainly because of the benefits it provides and just not as far as calories are concerned. I love that I can think and work out at the same time and life just seems better when I am done. Something is to be said for all of those endorphins that are released.

Recovery Week

2011-12-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Was anyone else exhausted all of last week? I was. I obviously slept way too much over Thanksgiving because getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep just wasn't cutting it. I am hoping this week will be better.

After the long week I went to Festival of Trees on Friday night with Sam, Amanda, Katie, My cousin Heather and her family, and my counsin in law Kriss and her kids. So fun! I was so tired but I loved it. All the proceeds go to Primary Children's and it was seriously amazing. We were there three hours and didn't get to see the majority of the stuff. This is all I have pictures of this week but all the stuff was super cute.

One section was just gingerbread houses. Here are some of my favorites...

There was a section of small trees, quilts, wreaths, and big trees. Here are a few of my favorite big trees. Notice the kids with their drinks. We wore them out then gave them soda so they would finish the night up. Actually I think that Dr. Pepper helped me to finish the night out as well.

Overall a really fun night. I learned you need more time and there is tons of walking involved.

Saturday was my basketball fundraiser. We shot 200 free throws. I always shoot with them. I made 179 out of 200. I was a little bugged because I really wanted to be 90%, I guess 89.5% will have to do. I learned that I do not like waking up early on the weekend. I think having to be somewhere at 8am ruined my day. I was just a little grouchy all afternoon and evening...for no reason. So the only thing I could think of was I did not get enough sleep!

My Christmas shopping is done. I did it all online. I seriously love not having to fight the crowds at the stores. Other highlights of the week:

Went to a "Favorite Things" party hosted by a a neighbor. It was a super cute idea and I had the opportunity to meet some people in my ward. really fun.
Got the Creche for my Nativity set. I have been adding pieces every year since I bought my house. I didn't think it would be a big deal but I LOVE it! I love how it just draws all the pieces together.
I taught spin to my PE classes. That was a workout. I was so tired. I showed up in spandex for one of my 9th grade classes. Hilarious...they were laughing and I was telling them good thing no one ever comes into our class. And we were saying what if this person came in...or this person. Well 20 minutes later the librarian comes in. It's a He and they died laughing, so funny.
I seriously want some real snow so I can do some outdoor winter activities. If it is going to be cold bring on the SNOW!
I am in 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon and I have really enjoyed reading about Christ's visit to the America's at this time of year. I love the Book of Mormon and don't judge but I love reading it while at the gym. Is that weird?

Two more weeks until Christmas break. Until then there is lots of teaching and coaching to get done. Treats to make and friends to visit. Love the holidays.

Turkey Trot

2011-11-25T14:48:00.001-07:00

The best way to start off Thanksgiving Day is with a Turkey Trot! Sam and I dressed alike, it was funny.

We ran the Utah Human Race 2011! The race offered a 10k and a 5k and all the proceeds benefited Utah's food bank. All a good thing. My only complaint was that the 10k did the same run as the 5k only you had to do the loop twice. I really wanted to just stop when I passed the finish line with all the 5k folks. I didn't but I wanted to.

Super fun to spend the morning running with family. Thanks Muriel for organizing the event.

Thanksgiving was nice, Loralie provided a most excellent meal. I have so many blessing in my life, so many things to be thankful for.

Couldn't have come sooner

2011-11-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving break...finally. I love, love, love the Holidays. Not so much for the holiday but for the break from school. Can you believe it is Thanksgiving? Time just flies and I am EXHAUSTED! I am most excited about sleeping the next few days. It is that tired time of year. Too many three hour basketball practices; but the games started today so we won't practice quite as much. We lost, so maybe we should practice a lot but we won't.

Anthony was here visiting last week. He is so funny. Funny with his beard, funny outlook on life. He is fun to be around but also kind of hard to take serious.

Anthony loves to give hugs. This is him comforting Dan while Dan is driving. I believe Dan said "get off of me" so funny.

We hung out together a few nights. Dan commented today that it was nice because Anthony actually hung out with us while he was here. It was fun to see him more. I guess that is what happens when all your friends work and go to school, you get stuck with your siblings.

So Anthony was out here last year shortly after returning home from his mission and I came home from a hard day of work wearing this:

Cute and comfy, right. Professional as far as a PE teacher is concerned. The problem is is that now it is associated with this:

Glee and stupid Sue Sylvester, meanest teacher ever! Anthony made so much fun of me. I didn't wear my three Adidas outfits for a long time but the problem is I have owned them since my first year of teaching, yes all three of them. They are comfortable, professional, in good condition and most importantly I like them. And so now I am just wearing them. I have been rock'n' them longer than Glee has been around and so now I must embrace them. GO ADIDAS!

I was so excited when my general conference Ensign came in the mail. I love reading conference talks. I especially loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk in the Relief Society broadcast as well as his talk in the Saturday morning session. He said, "Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all the righteous desires of your heart. But don't close your eyes and hearts to the simple elegant beauties of each day's ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life." I love that quote. I loved his Forget Me Not Talk. It reminded me of all the good I can do everyday even though it is a different good than what I anticipated when I was 8 or 12 or 16 or 20 or even 25.

And then in the Saturday morning session he said this really long quote:

Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith. Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.
Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love. God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become. He wants you to know that you matter to Him.

I love General Conference and am so glad that we have living prophets and apostles to guide us everyday! It is something that I am truly grateful for. I have also been grateful for the protection Heavenly Father offers. Four members of my family were in an automobile accident last weekend and it was just a reminder to me of how fragile life is. No one was really injured but it could have been so much worse. I am so grateful for my family. I love them. That evening I went to bed so grateful for the Lord's protecting hand and the feelings are still so strong. I know they will fade with time but for now I just feel so much gratitude. This special season truly is magical as we reflect on all the blessings in our lives.

It is all a blur

2011-11-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

Last week was a blur. Basketball started so I was super busy with that and then there were parent teacher conferences, which meant we practiced at 5:30am two mornings....LAME! It was just a long week. I was so excited for the weekend. Hung out with my cousins Melissa and Katie on Friday. Melissa was doing a book signing at Costco in Orem. Here first book just came out. Check it out here. We went to dinner and just visited, great way to end a crazy week. Slept in late both mornings. Hung out with Caleb. Enjoyed some beautiful snow while shopping in Park City. Watched BYU dominate with Jana and Ben. Did church on Sunday. Had dinner at my Aunt Loralie's. Overall a great weekend after an exhausting week.

I had to start this week with a 5:30 am practice yesterday because we had teacher meetings until 4:30. Hopefully I am not tired all week as a result. I did 200 air squats at the teacher meeting. My legs are SUPER sore. That is not an exaggeration. I am in pain. Here is to another week hopefully not quite as tiring as last week.

Busy

2011-11-05T17:09:00.001-06:00

The pictures represent a lit of what I did this week. Burnt yummy candles, got my clothes in the mail, got my hair done, rotated the tires on my car, got the recall taken care of, did a little baking, did the dentist, and busted out the best hot chocolate ever. Jana and I also continued our tradition of hanging out on Halloween and handing out candy while Ben takes the kids trick-or-treating. Good tradition and really fun. I like that neither of us really feel the need to dress up. It works out great.

I added some pictures of my fun Halloween decorations. I leave them up until Thanksgiving because they represent fall. I still love the jack-o-lantern wall hanging I made a few years ago. It makes me laugh when I walk in the door. The weather has turned cool. I was actually a little disappointed that there was no snow on the ground this morning I thought maybe I could snowshoe today but it was a no go.

I am always super excited when the General Conference Ensign comes in the mail. Love to re-read the talks given by our church leaders. I was really excited to see the QR codes in the Ensign. QR codes are big in my house because Dan just did a really cool commercial at work about them. Check out his blog to see.

I also made dinner for a family in our ward. They are having twin boys soon and the Mom is on bed rest. My cousin just had twin boys and I know their little family has been super busy. It was really nice to do something for someone else. I don't feel like I have lots of opportunities like that right now in my life. I am hoping that being in the family ward will give me more chances to serve.

We celebrated my Aunt Nancy's birthday. It is always super fun to go to dinner with family. Wish I had taken some pictures.

So this last week I started looking into a new masters program. I mean really can you have too many masters degrees? I have just been so exhausted this year and I think teaching PE is awesome but really how long could I do it. I really don't think I could do it for thirty years if I had to. I mean I could but not the way it is supposed to be taught and that just is not fair to the kids. So I am looking into a school counseling program through Utah State University. It is set-up for teachers. It is a three year program with all night classes. I think I am going to apply. It seems crazy but I also think it would really be fun and interesting. And if I never end up being a counselor that is ok I think the things I would learn could help me with whatever I am supposed to do in life. Right now I feel really good about it we will see if I continue to feel that way. It was completely out of the blue that I started thinking about it but sometimes that is how life works.

I just want to add that I really love my Patriarchal Blessing. It is amazing. So many promises and so much hope. I was reading it last week in church and one paragraph really stood out. I had not ever really focused on this paragraph before but it offered so much comfort. I am by nature a worrier and this answered something I have been worrying about off and on. And nothing like marriage so don't start thinking that (although don't throw it out either there are some promises about that and raising a family). It just brought so much comfort and reminded me that Heavenly Father knows me and he is in charge. I forget that all the time. I am very impatient about a lot of things and I just need to TRUST more.

I was supposed to run in a 5k race this morning for a little girl at our school. I picked up my shirt and didn't run. That is totally ghetto, but it was so cold. I was so tired. My body just does not function well in the cold or in the morning. I can work-out in the morning but running in the morning seems to be a different story. So I am going to run a 5k on my treadmill at some point today. The race was for the Make-A-Wish foundation. She does not have cancer but some other life threatening disease. It is a great cause so I am glad I paid to do it and I didn't complain when I came home and slept for 2 and 1/2 more hours either. I really was tired.

I am really excited about the wreath I bought for my door. How cute is it? I love it. It was on super sale and I love how it looks. It just makes my house so much more inviting.

Basketball starts next week. I have really been struggling this year. I love coaching but man it is so much time and energy. I really have to mentally gear up for it. How lame does that sound and I think I really say this every single year? I still love to play and love to coach but it is so much time and effects my life so much. It really helps me appreciate my Dad and all the time he spent coaching. He coached for 15 of my first 18 years at home and a few more years after that. That is SERVICE! I can't even call mine service because I get paid. I am really excited that one of my former players is going to be my assistant coach (well cross your fingers her boss still has to approve her leaving a little early from work). I know the girls will love her and I think it will make the season really fun. Well I have stake conference this evening so I think it is time to prepare for that.

LaNell in Real Life

2011-10-30T21:05:00.000-06:00

This week was soooo long. I was sick. Really sick on Tuesday and Wednesday and of course it was the last week of the term. I could not take school off. I probably should have but then that makes posting your final grades tricky because I teach junior high and students wait until the last possible second to make up their work.

Of course there were a few bumps along the road. Not so happy parents. Students trying to come in after the deadline. You know the usual lovely stuff you get to deal with at the end of the term. I won't lie I had one of my most frustrating moments ever at work this week. Probably in the top three of most frustrating moments but it all worked out in the end, it always does.

Good news everyone of my students passed. You are probably thinking they should it is PE. But we actually have a lot of requirements and if I had been gone they would not have all made it. I am so happy. First term is typically the best grades of the year for all students so we will see if I can keep them on track for 2nd term.

Yesterday was maybe the most productive day ever. I ran errands, I deep cleaned my house, I worked out, did some online shopping, and even had time to have an enjoyable evening with friends. YEAH! There is only one week left until basketball starts and I think I am anxious about my time and so I was super productive and I finally felt better. This week I must carry on: dentist appointment, car appointment, should do a hair appointment, fix a couple of things in the house, have open gym, celebrate some birthdays. WOW, I will be busy. Oh and I need to start going to the gym in the morning. Why is that so hard?

And a small disclaimer before you read about all the things I bought recently. I saved $100 in gas by biking to work the past two months. That is how I am justifying these purchases which, by the way, do not add up to the total amount of money saved. So I bought this lace shirt.

I have seen lots of people wear this shirt but I was not sure I could wear it. You know classic that is super cute but it is definitely not screaming my name. And lets be honest I have never ever in all my life owned something with this much lace. I wore it today and loved it. So I am pretty pumped about that.

I guess the super news is that I have been wanting a black pea coat for a few years. I decided this year I am going to find the perfect coat. Well I have now purchased three. Two that have gone back to the store and one that is coming via snail mail.

I found the perfect coat for me at Target yesterday, well actually I first saw it in California with Angelee and Mikila, but they didn't have black. Utah also did not have black. Online did have black. I screamed for joy I was that excited. I love it and I love the price. It is a win win.

Oh and then there are these rain boots. Which are super super good news!

Something else I have wanted for a couple of years but have not found a pair I love. Well I found them. I am not ashamed to say that I first saw them on a student. I asked her where she got them. Target.com.....and then my entire world changed. Go to target.com and look at all their rain boots. You will buy a pair. There are so many and they are so cute. I used self-control and only bought one pair. I dare you go look!

I was given a calling in my ward today. I am really excited but a little nervous as well. They called me as the ward camp director. Utah girls camp is different then California so I will have to learn the system. However, I am pumped. I think it will be way fun. I am nervous though because I always thought camp was so fun and I think of the ladies that ran camp when I was in young women's and I think I am not like those ladies. They were amazing and I loved camp and now I have to try to help these girls love it too. I am most nervous because I do not know one single young women in my ward, not one. I was thinking as I was being sustained the poor young women were probably like who is that chic, because I am sure that is what I would have thought when I was in young women's. I guess I have got eight months. In the meantime check out the rain boots.

I heart fall break

2011-10-24T23:17:00.001-06:00

I should be in bed. It is late. I am sick! My body is really good at getting sick when I have a break from school. Dear body, I have sooooo many sick days. Try getting sick when I could actually use them. Much appreciated, LaNell.

But even though I was not feeling top notch fall break was awesome. I actually wasn't terrible. Yesterday and today were bad but luckily I had time to sleep extra long both days.

My parents were mentioning that they didn't have any toys for Olivia. I suggested they find a wheel barrow . Their yard is great for one. My Dad found one and here are the results. Good for rides. Olivia is not so great at pushing it yet, needs some more arm strength, but she was really good at filling it with tomatoes, then dumping them out, and then giving you the I am so cute how did those get on the ground look. . . . and then repeat.

too stink'n' cute

I would say my Dad has the world's largest pumpkins but that would be a lie. The world's biggest weigh like 1700 pounds and his only way 300 pounds. But they are HUGE! He has assured us all that they will be bigger next year. People even stop and ask to buy them.

I am a mountain man and I want a pumpkin to carve. One of the smaller ones because Anthony could actually lift it.

I spent a lot of time with family. On Thursday we met up with my Grandma Brown, Aunt Jan, and Uncle Lou in Williams. We visited and saw my Grandpa. He is in an Alzheimer's unit there. And then we went to lunch. Then on Saturday my Aunt Virginia and cousin Cody and wife Jen came over for lunch. So fun to see extended family. And awesome to see all of my California family as well. Somehow Ben, Katie, and Aaron never found themselves in front of my camera.

I also saw Angelee and Mikila. The pictures are not attractive but it was way late. The latest I have stayed up since girls conference a couple of years ago and anyone there knows I was not looking to great by the end of that night:) We solved all the economic problems the US is facing over some yummy Chinese food. Angelee did you get your phone?

On Saturday we wore our BYU gear and watched the game via the internet. I got Olivia her first BYU shirt. Start them early!

I just wanted a picture of her with her BYU shirt. She is just so funny.

Can I say I have two brothers that are very fond of hugs: Aaron and Anthony. I am sure lots of girls appreciate this. Watch out student ward. (I think Ben is that way too?)

This little girl has so many people that love her.

These two are scary. I could write a novel about my brothers but we will just let you all imagine what I would say.

So fall break was a success. It is always nice to be back home, weird that I call Utah home, something about your own bed but I sure love seeing my family and friends that are in California.

I have a few new people coming to play basketball on Mondays. That is very exciting news. They are really good and in really good shape. So it has been fun to start playing again. We will see how well I am moving in the morning, right now I am very stiff. Here is to kicking this cold ASAP!

Cascade Saddle and Windy Pass

2011-10-15T23:07:00.000-06:00

Did you know the leaves have already changed in the Provo Canyon? I didn't. I mean you can see some fall colors on the mountains but it does not do the canyon justice. It is AMAZING! I swore up and down on my life I would leave Utah when I finished school but here I am and you know one of my favorite things is that we have all the seasons. I love fall. It is so beautiful.

Amber and I have wanted to do this little hike up the Provo canyon for three years at least. Today we finally did it. It was not really little. It was 9.5 miles and we had to drive for like 2 hours just to start because you drop off a car at the end of the hike beforehand. Slightly obnoxious. I was actually very annoyed while driving 5 miles on the dirt road until I really started to check out all the fall leaves. That put me in a better mood.

(My Robert Frost picture: "Two roads diverged in the woods and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Our hike was 5 miles straight uphill. It was a little intense. But at least we know we got a good workout. The view from the top was amazing so it was definitely worth it. Too many self portraits, sorry.

We hiked up to the Cascade Saddle and then around Lightning Peak and down Windy Pass. Very windy. They got the name right on that one as well. I was reminded of why I really don't like Rock Canyon, it is so rocky. Very annoying while hiking. We only did 3.5 miles on the rock canyon side.

As always so happy to see the car!

Amber didn't know I was taking this picture I think she is putting something in her backpack but I really wanted to remember the beautiful leaves.

I should have taken my actual camera and not tried to rely on my phone. Stink'n' new iPhone has a way better camera. Oh well that is how technology rolls.

Weekend Fun

2011-10-10T07:47:00.001-06:00

Saturdays seem so busy now that school is back in session. I feel like I spend the entire day doing chores. Clean the house, run errands, and laundry. If I am lucky I actually work out and hang out with friends. Saturday while running errands I was offered two football tickets. I was excited because I had not been to a game yet this year. It was late and it was cold but I convinced Dan to break his 7 year streak and come with me. Really he came just to see his promos on the big screen but whatever. We had fun! It was nice to have something to cheer about even though we were playing a not so great team.

The weather has finally cooled down a little bit. I am really excited about that. Didn't so much love all the rain last week but I love being able to wear some of my warmer clothes.

(I love wearing my pretend Uggs with shorts. So comfy. And it really bugs Dan that I wear cut off jeans, someone tell them they are soo in style this year.)
This school year has been crazy so far. I finally realized one of the things is that in 6 of my 7 classes I have 10 more students then I did last year. I go home at the end of the day and I just feel like I harped on kids all day. It is a little annoying and I feel bad but there is a big difference between 38 and 48. So yeah I am a teaching beast. It is LAME! But really there is not much I can do and it is not going to change in the near future so I guess I just have to embrace my huge classes.

Have I mentioned that Dan lives with Katie and I now. So far it has not been bad. We had to try and find a place for everything but other than that it has been great. I even allow him to have weekend Halo Parties, I know I am too nice.

General Conference

2011-10-02T20:36:00.001-06:00

Conference weekend has become a time for good food and getting together as a family. I love it!

I watched the Saturday morning session at home and screamed for joy when they announced that Provo is getting a new temple.

So exciting and so needed. I waited in the chapel for almost 45 minutes last week just to get into a session in the evening. It is one busy temple. It was so crazy. I thought President Monson was going to announce that it would be rebuilt, which it is, but as a temple. So cool. That was definitely exciting news. I was also really excited to hear about the new fund to donate money to help people get to the temple. What an amazing idea? Inspiration is GREAT!

After the morning session I headed up to Nancy's and we watched the afternoon session together with my sister in law Amanda.

In the evening we (Nancy, Amanda, and I) met up with my cousin Katie and her mom Loralie and went to this movie:

Love this movie. I have seen it three times. That is a record for me but it is so cute and I always go with really fun people so I can't say no. My favorite movie lines . . . well close to, I am sure I am miss quoting them.

"Honey no husband wants to come home to a wife with that on her face"
"Your eggs are dying," said to Skeeter by her mother at age 23
"Ain't no boy gonna marry you from Jackson so you run your butt to New York, not walk."
"I can't remember my name but there are two things I can't seem to forget: One my own daughter put me in a nursing home and two you ate Minnie's poop."

There are so many more but that will do for now. I love the movie and it was super fun to have a girls night out.

Today we made ableskeevers for breakfast. Ableskeevers with cream cheese in the middle, they are to die for. I mean cream cheese really only makes food better, in my opinion.

and a bunch of fall food for lunch/dinner. Oh and peach/raspberry ice cream for a snack. All the food was awesome.

And it looked very nice.

Lots of comfort food. The soul gets comfort from general conference and our bodies get comfort from all the yummy food.

I did love General Conference. I felt like the Book of Mormon was the theme of the conference. There were lots of talks about it. I know this book is true. I love it and have seen its' power in my own life and in the lives of others.

There were also a couple of talks on trails and tribulations. We all have them. And that Heavenly Father is aware of us as individuals and he wants to bless us. I always feel good after talks like that and there were a couple of them and I really appreciated them.

And seriously am I the only one that was not aware that I Am A Child of God has a beautiful 4th verse. The tabernacle choir did an awesome job with that song. I loved it.

I really feel like I need another day off before I head back to work.

Laughing

2011-09-30T11:33:00.000-06:00

Friday, finally. I am so tired. This has been one long week.

So at Lakeridge the students get a free 30 minute period if they are passing all their classes. If not they have to go to their failing classes and make-up their work. Well for the students that are passing there are activities that they can go participate in. So I am talking to a 9th grader today and she tells me going to seminary during this free period is the best (I will be honest I was a little surprised). So I ask her what is so awesome about it. Well the seminary teachers have set up a question/answer session. They text questions to the teachers and they show up on a screen and the teachers then answer the questions. Cool idea, huh, and it is anonymous. Then she continues to tell me that yesterday one of her friends, who I will not name, asked if it was breaking a commandment to kiss someone that is not your husband/wife, and she was serious. I was laughing so hard. Only in Utah. Only in seminary. So funny but good that the seminary teachers are helping the kids sort through all the Mormon myths. Teaching junior high can be awesome, except on the occasional day that I want to kill someone. But really I have great students. It really is neat to watch them figure out the world and how to live and how to keep the commandments. They want to be so good, which I love. But man they crack me up. I only wish I could tease the student that asked that question. But she doesn't know I know and it probably would not really be appropriate. But it would be fun.

It also makes me laugh how in junior high they really can't reason to come up with an answer. The boys PE teacher always puts crazy things about me on his assignments like, "if this is not 100% complete Coach Brown will beat you up!" It is usually in bold print, enlarged, and totally ridiculous. So on my practice test I put that he was 50 years old and the students had to calculate what his heart rate should be while exercising. And every class period I had students commenting on how it is so crazy that he is 50. That hey he looks good for a 50 year old. So I would then try to help them reason to come up with a conclusion but they just could not do it. If I put it on there it must be true. So funny.

Not laughing at some of my 9th graders that think we are best friends. I love that I have a good relationship with a lot of my students but NEWS FLASH: we are not friends. One of my 9th graders told me to shut-up today. She was joking but I was like HELLO, you do not say that to adults. Who do you think you are? Seriously.

My T.A.'s are awesome. They help me a ton. I was looking over some papers they graded and one of my T.A.'s wrote a note to everyone she thought had good handwriting. So funny. Even funnier she wrote the note and then signed her name.

Funny?

2011-09-26T11:21:00.001-06:00

So at the Relief Society General meeting I was taking notes and flipping through my notes from a year ago. The book I take notes in is also my journal. Now I am not your normal journal writer. I used to be really good at keeping a journal but since my mission I have not been great at it. A couple of years ago at an FHE I attended (don't die of shock) the lesson was on journaling and it was suggested to write down three things you are thankful for each day. Now that was journaling I could get behind. My main issue with writing was that I felt like I do a lot of the same things everyday. So now I write three things, most days, and I really like it. Ok so back to the broadcast I was reading through my three things from last year at the same time, day of the broadcast and I had to laugh. Saturday for the first time this year I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I love them and they are one of my favorite fall treats. So the funny thing is that last year on the exact same Saturday I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Good to know I am doing the exact same things a year later. That made me laugh.

Sad Day

2011-09-19T17:54:00.000-06:00

The day started off great. Good friends, good food, got tons done on the to-do list. The day ended horribly. Worst, football game, ever, seriously! The end. I just wanted to post my cute pre-game picture.

10 years ago today . . . . .

2011-09-11T17:20:00.000-06:00

I was in the Sacramento Airport ready to board my plane to fly to Utah because the next day I was entering the MTC. I was in the terminal with my family, remember that we could do that, and we saw the 2nd plane hit on the television. My Dad announced to our family that the country was now at war. WHAT? I was so confused. Well my plane boarded and my family left before it took off. This was also the days before cell phones. My plane was then unboarded because all flights were grounded. So my parents got home and then came back and got me. I was one of the last souls in the Sacramento Airport. Crazy. And then I got to drive to the MTC.

I wish I could bottle up what I was feeling as I was leaving for my mission. To this day it is the most brave thing I have ever done. I was so nervous and scared. I kept thinking this was crazy you don't just sign-up to put your life on hold for a year and a half. If I was not so prideful I probably would not have gone, really I was that anxious. I really was scared. I told that to no one. But I also new that it is what the Lord wanted little me to do. I had received a powerful confirmation that a mission was for me. I had not always planned on a mission but here I was. And I went. And there were reasons to be afraid because it was HARD, exhausting, frustrating, heartbreaking (I seriously have never had my heart broken so many times), sad.....but you know it was also beautiful, amazing, I grew so much, I learned so much, it was to this day one of the best experiences of my life, did I mention it was HARD! Yet I was willing to trade it all in because of fear. Needless to say 9/11 is a little weird for me because I never really watched the footage. I was already set apart, so no TV for me. I spent the day in a rental car getting to the MTC. It almost feels like it didn't happen even though I obviously know it did. The day after I arrived home from my mission President Bush announced that we were going to war. So I missed a lot in 18 months.

Fast forward 10 years. I went on a really nice walk this morning and enjoyed the fall air. I realized I still 10 years later have some of those same feelings I had about leaving on a mission 10 years ago. My life plan is different than I anticipated. If I worry too much I am nervous and scared and sad. However I have learned that Heavenly Father knows best and he is in charge. He knows the beautiful amazing life I am supposed to have and is guiding me there. In the end I know I will look back on my life like I do my mission and realize it was worth it, awesome, HARD, and amazing. So there you go.

I remember as I was leaving Taiwan my mission president telling me that I would think about my mission everyday for the rest of my life. I thought that was kind of crazy and I really didn't know that I would. I can report that so far I have. It really was a beautiful time in my life and I do think about it at least once everyday. Maybe that will change but who knows.

I am so thankful for the country in which we live. One of the things I love is freedom of religion. I love the gospel and I know it is true. I love my family and know we can be together forever. I know Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know Jesus Christ sacrificed for all our sins so that we can return to Heavenly Father again someday. Thank heavens for all the people that sacrifice their lives every day for our country. So that we can enjoy so many freedoms. GOD BLESS THE USA!

Don't Judge

2011-09-07T15:32:00.000-06:00

My recently returned missionary brother now looks like a Hippy. Don't worry I have not gotten used to it and really don't enjoy the look but I am trying not to voice my opinion too much. I think I already passed that mark though. However my Mom was introducing him as her Hippy son and he was enjoying that a little too much. Spending the weekend with my younger brothers has been enlightening. I now have some new social networking goals....only build up my younger brothers (Aaron, Anthony, and Caleb) with Facebook comments.

I like to eat off of others plates at restaurants. Especially if their food is better than mine. It is a really bad habit and tends to really annoy others. I should work on this. Anthony put up a blockade so I could not get to his food.

7th grade students that just want to hang out in the morning drive me a little crazy. I think it is referred to as elementary school hangover. Love those kids but it takes me a while to prepare to deal with kids all day in the morning. If they come in too early my anxiety rises.

I love diet cherry pepsi. I need to not love it so much and not buy it anymore. I know better but truth be told I eat way less if I drink one it really curbs my hunger. Dan informed me that that does not make it healthy. DARN!
Sometimes I text, take pictures, and play with my ipod all while driving. Not really safe, but who doesn't. It drives Dan crazy.

I stole a copy of People Magazine from the school library so I could read an interesting story at the gym. I actually did get permission. It was a 9/11 special and I can report that People Magazine does not do a very good job writing. Stick to the gossip and let Time handle the heavy stuff!
My family was in town this weekend for my Mom's brother Doug's funeral. Sad reason to visit but we sure had lots of fun at Denny's after the viewing. Is that appropriate?

When my students lose their locker combination I used to just make them do 20 push-ups (they could use their knees) in order to get their combo. But I learned from the Boys PE teacher that kids will pay 25 cents instead. So now I give them the option and I have a can on my desk for Ms. Brown's cookie fund. Is that mean? I just have no recollection of ever losing my combo. Who would have given it to us? Write it down people!
My brothers are still some of my favorite people to spend time with. They can be mean, and they are sarcastic, and they are gross, but they are also funny, and fun, and kind. Love all my brothers, even the ones that could not make it this weekend. We missed you Ben and Aaron.

I really didn't know my Uncle Doug. It actually made me a little sad at the funeral thinking this is a relative of mine that I know absolutely nothing about. The speakers from the family did a good job of giving me the opportunity to know him better. But it is still sad that that opportunity is gone for the rest of my mortal experience. I don't want to take advantage of opportunities to get to know family any longer. My mom had 12 siblings. Here are 7 of the 9 living that were at the funeral.

I still almost take a nap every day after school. We are not talking about a 20 minute power nap here. I mean a 1 to 1 and a 1/2 hour nap.
During the school year I tend to really sleep in on Saturday. Like until 8, 9, or even 10 depending on how sore I am from soccer.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T20:29:00.000-06:00

Labor Day weekend started off with redneck camping. No showers, no running water, but there were four wheelers and guns...oh yeah! Katie let me join the Ricord extended family camp trip. It was way fun. I wish I would have brought warmer clothes to sleep in but other than that it was perfect. Good food, good company, and lots of rest time. Just what I needed. I wish I had a picture of me on the four wheeler because I have only been on one twice since I crashed one when I was ten. I am still super careful but I feel like I am starting to overcome my fear. Oh and I was very excited to use my tent for the first time this year. I have a great car camping tent I just never get to use it. Come on people invite me to go camping.

I headed home Sunday evening so that I could get up early and hike Mt. Timpanogos with Amber. It was a perfect day for hiking, overcast all day.

I was counting all my Timp trips today and I have summit-ed this mountain 8 times. Crazy! But I just love this hike. Today we climbed up the Timpanooke trail and it was the first time we had to cross some snow fields. There was just so much snow this year. I don't really feel safe on snow fields so I am glad that there were not too many.

Panoramic view from the summit!

Oh how I love holidays. Back to the grind tomorrow. BOO! I feel like I need another day off just to clean-up my house and rest from all the fun.

Ugliest Shirt Ever Worn

2011-08-30T16:43:00.000-06:00

Remember that the soccer team I played on with Jana, Michelle, and Amanda won the t-shirt. Yeah that was really exciting. You know what kind of killed the excitement...the shirt they gave us. UGLY! Good thing I teach PE so I can wear it to school with pride I have no idea what the other ladies are going to do with their shirts.

I told my classes all about my ugly shirt woes and all about picture day woes. Today was picture day. I think it may have gone ok. At least I did my hair and threw on a dress for 2 seconds. The verdict is still out until we actually see the end result. Please, please, please can it be alright.

The Cure All

2011-08-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

The temple. Love it. And I especially love this picture. The Provo Temple is not my favorite temple looks wise but I like how this picture turned out once I touched it up with my instagram app.

Homemade ice cream and brownies always make you feel better. Well at least until you put on your jeans again. Good thing I only wear those on the weekend now that school has started. I will fast every Friday so they fit for the weekend (totally kidding but that would be hilarious).

So my last post was a total downer but I am actually feeling much better about life. Oh how only a couple of days can make a difference. Don't worry there are still parent problems. WOW is all I can say about that. It would take a novel to write what has been going on the first week of school. But this is definitely not an appropriate place to talk too much about it. All I am going to say, and this is unrelated to the major problem, is that I had 10 students wanting to sit out of PE today. What is the world coming to? Seriously no wonder we have a weight problem in our society. I am sure some of the excuses were legit but there is no way all ten of them were. It is only the 2nd day we dressed...seriously people. The most shocking thing about it all to me is we really do not do that much in PE, in fact I wish there was a way to get the students to do more. Mainly because most teenage girls are not getting the exercise they need. Anyways that is always a battle and one I will fight all year. Psycho mom on the other hand seems to be one I may fight all semester so I am bucking up for the storm, luckily the principal has got my back.

Awesome and Very Not Awesome

2011-08-24T18:32:00.001-06:00

AWESOME: I actually did my hair differently. I find something I like and I will never switch it up but I woke up one Sunday morning and decided I should try something different. So I did. And I liked it. So one more hair option. YAY!

Just added some curls with a fatty curling iron. Very easy it turns out. Maybe just as easy as straightening the hair.

NOT AWESOME: I had a parent complaint before school even started. Are you kidding me? I guess that is one of the downsides to teaching all the girls in the entire school they are stuck with me. Don't die of shock but not everyone loves me like all of you:) But it really just stinks. I try hard to be fair and treat all the students the same and I know it is tricky to have the same teacher three years in a row and I feel like I am really careful because of that. This parent is complaining based on her older daughter that I taught many moons ago. Like my first two years of teaching. I would like to think I have changed a little since then. Hopefully I have. But I am nervous that the mothers attitude is going to ruin her daughters experience in my class. Who knows? We will see. Sometimes I wish the parents would come in and watch my class and see how little physical activity we actually do. They would be surprised. But it is very not awesome and the counselors just think it is hilarious, which makes me laugh so I guess that is ok.

AWESOME: My last day of summer I learned to curl my hair with a flat iron. I have been wanting to learn for a while but I finally just did it. Thank you Youtube. It was not as easy as it looked and it took a lot of time but I did like the end result and my hair stayed really curly all day...even after 30 miles of biking. My hair is pretty thick so it just seemed HUGE at first but as the day went on it toned down and I like it. I am not sure how often I will do this to my hair but it was fun to learn.

NOT AWESOME: I am not dating anyone anymore. Most people know already but I feel like I need to write down my feelings and maybe I will feel better about the whole situation. I figure most people are bored by this time and probably are done reading anyways. There does not seem to be any reasons it is all just based on feelings which has made it really hard. Obviously I was trying to sort through my feelings the entire relationship and I spent a lot of time in prayer and pondering wondering if it was right for me to continue to pursuing the relationship. As much as I want to be married, and I really do want to be married, I also want to marry the right person. Someone that is compatible with me. I felt good about the relationship but as he pondered and prayed he didn't. SUCKY! At first I just wondered why we felt so differently and I almost felt like I had lost my ability to receive revelation. I felt confused and hurt. I am in a better place now and I know so much depends on agency and sacrifice but I still have moments when I am really sad. I am very thankful that I have not felt angry (I really hate that feeling and I can honestly say that I never have felt that). But moving forward has been hard, surprisingly much more difficult than I would have anticipated. Mainly because meeting good, active (church), productive men close to my age has been proven to be quite challenging. I know so many amazing girls in my situation. Girls way cooler than me and I just think where are the boys that are living the same way as all of these girls. I know they have to be out there. I just rarely meet them. I know that as soon as I put myself back into social scenes I will recover and be fine. But it is so hard. However I have done plenty of hard things before. I will say that starting the school year has been a little difficult mainly because I just don't feel quite as happy as I would like. It is like something is holding me back. I know that it is a personal problem and one I need to work on. Today was actually better. I had my two ninth grade classes and they are filled with students that I love. They make me smile and laugh so that will be good. So yeah, overall a very not awesome situation. (The intention of this paragraph was not to make anyone feel bad for me I just feel like I needed to write down my feelings because they are ones I have not experienced before and I thought it may be good therapy. And I actually believe I really will learn some good things from this because there were definitely times in the relationship when I really was certain I was supposed to be dating him. It didn't go as I would have liked but hopefully I can still learn and become better.)

AWESOME: The Sound of Music at the Sundance outdoor amphitheater. I love The Sound of Music. It is one of my favorite movies and I was so excited to go see the play. It was a really enjoyable evening and I am glad Dan, Sam, and Amanda came along. I love the movie so much so I really tried not to compare the two because really how do you compete with Julie Andrews. I don't think you can. But the little girl that played Gretl, the youngest child, was adorable. It was a beautiful setting in the mountains and a very fun night.

NOT AWESOME: Trying to decide what ward I need to be in. Before I am 32 I need to move to the family ward. Not too big of a deal but I keep getting told make sure your ready and I guess that just makes me second guess my decision. I mean it is one of those things you never plan on: I hope that when I am 31 I will not be married so I can start to go to the family ward by myself. Yeah, not so awesome. But at the same time I believe I will be blessed in whatever ward I am attending. I think I will be fine as long as I am participating in the ward and active. Will it be different: yes. Are there times it may be hard: yes. But quite honestly there are plenty of times that it is hard to attend the singles ward. Just the environment. And I am tired and old and don't really have the energy to attend an activity every single night. Let's be honest I need a nap everyday after work as it is. Oh the adjustment back to teaching is so tiring. I will be great in a couple of weeks but this week I am exhausted. And next week I will be outside in the 100 degree weather 7 hours a day so I am pretty sure I will be tired then as well. Also not so awesome.

AWESOME: My family, friends, job, health, house, car, and so many other things. I really do have a great life. This was not meant as a pity party but I have turned my blog into a book every year and sometimes I think it is ok to look back on times that have been challenging and to see what I learned or how I grew. I recognize the Lord's hand in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY! Right now I am really focusing on trying to have the faith to trust in His plan for me. As I have followed the promptings I have received in my life I have never regretted it. I know He knows best it is just tricky when you are trying to sort through so many things. I have been trying to study the gospel by topic on a more regular basis and last month I studied hope and desire. Both topics were picked based on two conference talks I loved (Desire by Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Hope by Steven E. Snow.) I learned so much. I learned that I have so so so much to work on. But I think I studied those topics at just the right time because they have been a crutch for me the past few weeks. Life is good and for the most part very AWESOME!

I just couldn't be the girl taking photos at the end

2011-08-13T11:07:00.000-06:00

(Me and Samanda all nice and sweaty at the end of the race)
So why oh why do you sign-up for a half-marathon that you have not even trained for. I mean I printed off a training schedule 12 weeks ago, but I never signed up for the race. Which in LaNell world means you are not really committed. I have been running a couple of times a week all summer. Mostly 5k distances because it is so nice and comfortable. I ran 5.75 miles once, that was my longest run in two years. Now it is not like I just sit around. I have been biking, playing soccer, and going to the gym but not really much running. None of my runs were done outside. Not even one. I love my treadmill and the TV right in front of it. It is the only way to run.

(Seriously needed to walk around for a bit. The look of agony it is a little dramatized)
So back to the run. Sam and Amanda signed up for the race when I was supposed to. So they were committed. Then I talked to them about the half-marathon and they encouraged me to sign-up but for obvious reasons I was hesitant. Then Amanda said, "well if you don't run can you come take pictures for us at the finish line." As pathetic as it was that is what got my thinking... I am a PE teacher for crying out loud I don't want to be the one taking pictures at the finish line. I am supposed to be an example of someone who attempts to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. So there you have it I signed up Friday night and ran my little heart out today. Thanks to Dan we still had a camera man at the finish line.

(me finishing the race I was in serious pain!)
While running I only cursed the sport about a billion times. I walked the entire uphill section. Something about hills I just don't believe they were meant to be run up (it is against my own personal philosophy). Other than that it wasn't terrible. My joints were hurting pretty bad, especially my hips and right knee but it was bearable. It hurt if I walked or jogged (let's be honest I was never really running) so I decided I might as well jog.

(I was sort of smiling by the time we were ready to head home)
The weather was great. The people were friendly. They had yummy fruit at the finish line. All positives.

(enjoying my favorite fruit, WATERMELON!)
The really big negative was that we only got a t-shirt. A cotton t-shirt. That is a little on the ghetto side. Even 5k races use technical shirts sometimes. I was a little bitter about that.

(At Cafe Rio with our t-shirts on)
Afterwards we celebrated at Cafe Rio and went swimming. Overall not a bad day. I also still played soccer last night. After the last half-marathon I ran I told myself I would not do that again the night before a big event. Oh well I am glad I did. I was a little more tight today but in the end it is worth it because I LOVE soccer and I definitely don't feel that way about running. I am still wondering what it feels like to have the runner's high because this girl has never felt it! In fact I don't think it exists.

They Got The Name Right!

2011-08-06T15:36:00.001-06:00

Canyonlands National Park. There are a ton of canyons. Amber and I did a quick overnighter to check out this national park neither of us had visited before.

Sleeping in my tent was AWESOME! I didn't have to use the fly so it was like sleeping under the stars but with protection from the bugs. It was amazing. The stars are so beautiful out in the Utah desert. I still love my little tent. What a great purchase.

Have you ever wanted a picture with not just one but two people jumping? It is quite complicated, especially when you are using the self-timer. We have about twenty of these shots. We are in the air in none of them. Bad day as far as timing is concerned. I am only posting one because really they are all the same except for our expressions, which happen to be hilarious in every single picture.

Mesa Arch was amazing. On the other side of the Arch is a very very large drop off. YIKES!

The overlook by our campground right at sunset (can't remember the name of the overlook). It was amazing.

So excited to be out and doing something I love.

Looking over another beautiful canyon.

This is the neck overlook. Very big canyon.

So a few things we learned if you are ever going to go to Canyonlands:

It's super hot in the summer
There are a lot of canyons and they are all very similar
don't need more than a day to see the park, unless you are doing a crazy hike
not recommended for little kids too many big drop offs
no running water in the park so bring lots
the campgrounds are nice and cheap ($10 per site), but again no water
really there is no shade
only $10 entrance fee, that is way cheap for a national park

It was a great little get away, especially for a short weekend. I think the trip from leaving Provo to returning to Provo was almost exactly 24 hours.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

2011-07-30T23:06:00.001-06:00

I re-arranged my entire bedroom. I love it! Mind you it took a day and a half but I am so happy I took the time to do it. I went through every box in my bedroom. I emptied my entire closet washed it down and then re-organized. I wish I had a picture of the pile of stuff I threw away and the even bigger pile of stuff I took to D.I. Why do I hold onto so many things? The tricky thing about my bedroom is that the vent is right where you would want to place the bed. LAME! It makes setting up the bedroom very challenging. Ok my way over-sized treadmill is also a little bit of a problem but what do you do.

I biked a few times this week. I did squaw peak on Monday. That was hard. I probably should have done a flat day and given the climbing muscles in my legs one more day to rest since I did the alpine loop Saturday but oh well. I also did a little playing with my cousins kids. We watched a tutorial on you-tube and made duct tape wallets. Very fun. Oh and I wore a hat. Mainly because I biked and played soccer yesterday and didn't wash my hair when I showered. But this is big for me because I am self-conscious when I wear a hat. Probably because I feel like a look a lot like my brothers. So I don't normally chose to wear one.

Shaanta and Emily showed up at my house about 2 minutes after I finished my bike ride. So here is some shots of Shaanta and I in our biking gear. Her bike goes a little faster than mine and luckily for her the clothes she wears when she bikes aren't as tight as mine.

I also finished all my work hours this week. Halleluiah! Unfortunately I also got my letter in the mail from the school informing me of when I go back. I hate that letter. It makes the end of summer seem so near. It is a bummer every year. I have two more projects I need to complete before I head back to school and hopefully I can fit in some time for hiking. So much to do and so little time!

Did I mention I took Jana to COSTCO and she bought the entire store out? I wish I had pictures of the two carts. Shopping for 40 is crazy talk and we only covered a small portion of the list.

The Alpine Loop

2011-07-24T21:34:00.000-06:00

It still looks like spring in the mountains and canyons in Utah. The weather has been so mild. On Saturday I decided to bike the Alpine Loop. It was 47 miles round trip. Not a bad workout. For some dumb reason I didn't start biking until 2pm so I got to bike during the hottest part of the day.

I rested and took some pictures. The downside is that it is all uphill one way and then you just coast pretty much the entire way home.

My favorite/awkward moment on the ride was when I stopped at Sundance to refill my water bottles and I was walking through the gift shop and a man in his 40's started yelling at my from across the shop. Yelling congratulations for making up the hill and telling me how proud he was of me (apparently he passed me in his car on the way up). Picture me in my spandex, lots of people looking, feeling very weird, and thinking I have still got a long way to go to the top. He meant well but I was a little embarrassed to say the least.

I also saw a huge moose close to the top of the loop. It was a beautiful animal with horns (is that what they call them on moose?) and everything. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of him.

Today Katie stopped by on her way through town. It was super fun to visit for a few minutes and catch up on life.

And tomorrow is a Utah holiday so lots of people have the day off work. What could be more exciting then that?

FuN iN tHe SuN

2011-07-21T18:12:00.000-06:00

Jana, Rose, and I took a trip to Payson Lakes to check out the campsites and lakes. It was really beautiful and the weather was amazing. It made me realize I need to camp this summer. Anyone up for it?

Rose just chill'n' in the kayak.

Self-Portraits are not the most attractive.Rose was great. When she did get a little fussy she just drank a bottle while Jana kayaked. Just like all of Jana's previous kids, give them a little food and they are happy:)

Rose playing with the tires while Jana and I loaded the kayaks.

Today Sam and I went mountain biking and kayaking at Deer Creek. I remembered this trail I had done 4 years ago that was pretty flat and beautiful and I convinced my brother to spend his day off with me.

Poor Sam, he will probably never do anything with me again. It was not flat at all. I mean I was so convinced in my mind that it was flat that I didn't even bring water. DUMB!

I am sticking my tongue out here because I need extra help to make it up the hill. Mountain biking is exhausting.

Even though it was more of a workout than we expected it was still beautiful.

And the lake water felt amazing after 12+ miles of biking.

I am in love with Mt. Timpanogos. It is so beautiful. It was our backdrop for all activities today.

Love playing in the sun. I am really trying to be in a swim suit more so I can work on my biker tan line. It is nasty.

Utah is beautiful!

T-shirts Finally

2011-07-16T12:32:00.001-06:00

I might have had to talk them into giving us shirts but finally I am getting a t-shirt. I loved 3v3 soccer. I think there were a couple of factors that contributed 1. I really liked the people I played with, that always makes it more fun and 2. the smaller field is great for me in my old age and my long legs aren't bad either, and 3. our team really was good every game was competitive but we usually won, awesome.. It was really fun and I loved playing twice a week. I felt like I was actually improving on some of my skills. I am bummed it is over but maybe again in the winter, PLEASE!

Family Reunion

2011-07-13T09:11:00.001-06:00

My family was in town for 10 days! It was a busy 10 days with lots of game playing, visiting, soda drinking, eating, and hanging out. My parents stayed at my house for the first two nights. Their first time actually staying with me. We woke up early on July 2nd and went to the balloon festival. My Dad likes to do things while in town so we did it!

Afterwards we went out to breakfast and went to look at Bridal Veil Falls. The canyon is so beautiful this year because we have had so much water. It really is amazing up there. Then we went to Home Depot and bought ceiling fans which my Dad taught me how to install. Two new ceiling fans in the upstairs bedrooms. They are so nice.

This trip we were able to visit with all of my Mom's family that is in Utah. That was fun as we don't see everyone very often. It was never all at once but through various barbeques and gatherings we saw lots of people. My Mom's brother Dave was down from Washington as well so we got to see their family also. Here is my Mom with 5 of her 9 living siblings (12 total). Her brother Dave is sitting down. This is his 70th birthday.

It is hard to comprehend that my Moms siblings are so old. It is crazy and you think how did that happen?

Here is my aunt Linda, aunt Nancy, and myself. We are wedged in this bench. Like no one is getting up because it was a tight squeeze. We had so many laughs this Sunday afternoon. I was totally patriotic for church Sunday July 3rd and my ward didn't sing one patriotic song. That was kind of LAME!

We ended the 3rd by playing a little croquette. Apparently my uncle Mikes family always play for his lettermans jacket. He had told me that the night before and so I told him I would bring a real jacket to play for. I brought my letter-mans jacket but I am sad to report I did not win. Next time.

4th of July Barbeque at Aunt Loralie's was also a hit. I didn't take as many photos but again a great opportunity to see and visit family. We also played some bocce ball, which I forgot is quite fun!

Me and my Dad chilling on the porch swing. I had to cut Aaron out of this picture because he seriously looked like a goof in every single shot.

My first time eating cake balls and they were delicious. I am not a huge cake fan but my cousin Heather made these and they were soooo good.

My Aunt Nancy provided fireworks on the 4th, I don't have any pictures, but they were a hit. Ben and Katie also bought some fireworks and they let them off at my house on the 5th.

Here is Dan dancing behind the fireworks. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. He is hilarious. It was so funny to watch.

On the 7th, 8th, and 9th we headed up the Heber Canyon to a cabin up there. It was an amazing cabin it had plenty of room for everyone and it was great to have a huge kitchen area as well as a large area to play games.

Eating all together was actually one of my favorite activities it was nice to just sit down together and have dinner. We always had dinner together growing up and it was just fun to eat and visit. I am not sure how it ended up this way but the boys and girls all ended up on opposite sides at the table.

Family pictures. My cousin Cody and a friend were traveling through Utah while we were at the cabin and so they stayed a couple nights with us. Good timing.

Sometimes I just need to punch Dan and then I feel better about life . . . just kidding.

We were all a little bitter that Anthony didn't make it. Three years in a row. Two years he was on his mission which is understandable, this year not so much.

Olivia's face sums it up: the cabin was fun. We stayed up way too late playing games and we ate way too much food but hey it is vacation.

I watched Olivia on Sunday while Ben and Katie were visiting friends. I volunteered and man I have not been so tired in a long time. That girl has got some energy, but she is so cute. She calls me Nell which is adorable. She will call for me and then totally be shy and not let me hold her . . punk. It was so fun to spend the day with her. I think these are carrot crumbs on her face because obviously I wouldn't feed her chips:)

Everyone took off Monday morning and I headed to Park City for a two day PE conference. I went to a resistance band training on Monday and I definitely ripped some new muscles on my inner thighs. They are so sore. It has been a busy summer so far and I am looking forward to a little down time.

Stadium of Fire

2011-07-11T22:09:00.001-06:00

Stadium of fire was amazing. Thanks to Jana for finding cheap yet awesome seats. I loved the show and could seriously consider making this a yearly tradition. Caleb loved it as well and he was a good partner since he knew every single Brad Paisley song performed.

Brad was amazing and I am pretty sure we are on a first name basis now that I have been to his show.

The fireworks were amazing as always. Obviously lots cooler inside the stadium. It was a great way to be reminded of the freedoms we enjoy in this country and celebrate in true American fashion: country music and fireworks!

My family just left town today after being here for quite sometime. It was tons of fun and I have lots of pictures to post but it will not happen tonight. I am attending a PE conference today and tomorrow and I am just not used to getting up early. It is definitely summer.

When Pigs Fly

2011-07-01T10:06:00.001-06:00

I am not sure what will happen when pigs fly but today on big ole pig flew at the balloon festival. This morning I got up way to early and went to the balloon festival. It was really cool and I am glad I went. The good news is I have all the time in the world to recover with a nap......yo yeah!

The yellow balloon pictured below was my favorite.

It was just really cool to see all the balloons. They are really quite large.

And for all you Star Wars fans out there Darth Vader was there all the way from Belgium. He is one ginormous balloon. They had storm troopers and other characters visiting as well (not in balloon form).

Really fun morning. The balloon festival happens tomorrow and Monday morning as well so if you are in the area you should check it out. It starts at 6:30 am but it is worth it,

These ladies accompanied me and then we went to Magleby's for french toast. Yummy!

I have a goal to take at least one picture a day this summer. I will not necessarily post all the pictures but I thought that would get me using my camera more. I have only had the goal for three days. Today I took plenty of pictures at the balloon festival. Wednesday I took a picture at Dan's he smoked ribs for some people. Nothing better than barbeque in the summer.

And then my bike. Love the bike. The weather is finally cooperating so I have been more consistent about biking. Gotta love the summer.

Oroville

2011-06-12T19:08:00.001-06:00

It is always nice to come home! I wasn't sure I was going to make it this summer but I did and I am glad. #1 reason to come home is to dote on this cutie . . .

I mean I was super pumped to come home because Caleb graduated from high school and who does not love to attend high school graduations? But seriously he did it he really did it!

And we did it we sat through the entire thing and clapped when appropriate.

Aaron and Caleb both graduated this week. Aaron from the poilce academy and Caleb from Las Plumas High School.

So in honor of the graduates we went to Charlie's to celebrate . . . because let's be honest that is what you do in Oroville go to Charlie's.

Nancy came out as well which was nice because otherwise I would not have made the trip. So FUN!

The fruit in California is amazing right now. I love it!

My Dads garden is in full bloom. This is a flower on the top of an onion. I was practicing my blurring skills.

And seriously is it not the best thing ever when a baby will cuddle with you. It didn't last too long but I loved it while it did.

BOWS!

2011-06-05T12:47:00.000-06:00

SCHOOLS OUT! Now that is what I am talking about. Last week Jana taught me a very important life skill. How to make duct tape bows. The timing of this lesson could not have been better because the next day was yearbook signing day at school so I had a little free time to practice my skills. I have worn one every day since. Here I am sporting two that I made.

Super cute and fun! I had a bunch of students trying to buy them off of me.

I even wore one to church today. I debated because that seems a little sassy but I decided to do it anyways.

Last night I did something I have never done. I invited my basketball team over for homemade ice cream. I was a little anxious, mainly because my house is really little. Seven girls and two moms came. We had a blast. We ate, chatted, I taught them how to make duct tape bows, and I sent them on their way by giving them each a pair of my old shorts. Awesome right? I have now given away 12 pair of shorts from my many. It is pretty awesome.

Here the girls are sporting their shorts and bows. I stayed up until midnight. That is late for me.

I just can't say enough how much I love these girls. They are so good and so fun. I think the thing I respect about them the most is they helped teach me how to be myself but also be a coach and a teacher. That is something I always struggle with. You want to have fun and let kids see that side of you but you also have to make sure they respect you and follow the rules. These girls helped me more than anyone else to find that balance and it made my year. I have never laughed so much while working. I think I am often afraid to open up. It is scary! But they dragged it out of me because they just have such fun personalities. Watch out world Ms. Brown has changed!

Now off to summer. I need to plan that out. Any suggestions? The only thing for sure is that this girl will be going to Kansas, most likely more than once.

Colorado Anyone?

2011-05-31T19:26:00.000-06:00

Three day weekends are the best! And this weekend was no exception. I headed out to Denver with my cousin Melissa and her three daughters. They visited some friends they knew when they lived there and I visited a friend as well. it was busy and super fun. Funny moments on the way there: 1. Talking with Cadence while she was eating her dinner. I made her laugh and she spit Cheetos all over me. Hilarious when the person spitting is a 4 year old (not 3). 2. Reagan asking if we were going to die every time my tires hit the warning track on the side of the road. We were in a construction zone and I had no choice I promise. 3. Emery spitting water all over the window at the restaurant because she was laughing so hard. 4. Listening to the Cosby show. It turns out you don't even have to be watching the show to get a good laugh . . . just listen it is hilarious. 5. Every time a Disney song came on I was asked "Can I see the picture." Seriously so fun. The three girls were great travelers and I was grateful I didn't have to make the trek alone.

This was my first time in Colorado and it was really fun. What a beautiful state. I stayed in Denver and Sam and I started Saturday off by going to the aquarium.

The aquarium was really fun. They even had tigers. Not sure that they belong in an aquarium but whatever. My favorite were the turtles. So cute!

That evening we went to Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. Fun movie. It did not disappoint, although I think I like the first one better.

We ate lots of good food everyday on the trip. Why don't I take more pictures? Silly me. We even ate at a restaurant that was featured on Man vs Food. Jack and Grill but I didn't document it. LAME! All I will say about that is that the portion sizes were ginormous and the food was good.

Sunday we went to church and then headed up for a drive in the mountains. We drove on the highest highway in the world. It takes you to the top of Mount Evans at a little above 14,000 feet. The drive was amazing. Unfortunately we could not go all the way to the top because of the snow so we had to settle for the lake that was just over 13,000 feet.

Mt. Evans

What we could see on top of the world in Colorado.

Sam took all the panoramic shots. Very cool!

Proof that we were both there.

The weekend was so fun. The drive on Highway 70 was pretty amazing as well. The canyon from Grand Junction to Denver was absolutely amazing. I feel like I could have a lot of fun hiking, biking, and kayaking in that canyon. The mountains were beautiful!

And then to end the weekend perfectly I came home to these

The weekend was already really good. Sam has sent them before we knew we were going to meet up. I love them. And I have probably posted way too much on this blog. Maybe I should go private. Who knows who reads this thing?

Seriously?

2011-05-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

One of my 7th graders brings me a note this morning saying her soccer coach said she can't do PE today because she is participating in the Utah state soccer tournament tomorrow. Here was my response, "Um your soccer coach can't excuse you from participating in my class and I am going to tell you what my basketball coach used to tell me. If you can't do PE and play in a basketball game all in the same day you are not a very good athlete!"

That seemed to work. I remember trying to get out of the mile because we ran the mile every single Thursday my freshman year and we always had basketball games on Thursdays. But seriously a note from your coach. Coaches are crazy!

I have officially lost most of my patience. This year has been one of my best as far as teaching and coaching goes. After six years I feel like I may be figuring a few things out. But it is definitely time for summer. I repeat in my head multiple times a day, "just walk away, don't say anything." In the end it won't be worth it. I love my job but I am so ready for summer!

Life

2011-05-22T13:04:00.001-06:00

Isn't my new apron adorable.

It is the first apron I have owned. Watch out world I might start cooking . . . let's be honest probably not. (I would cook more if it wasn't just for me....that is sooooo boring). I got the apron at Thanksgiving point when my parents were here and I just think it is really fun. I busted it out today to make brownies. As a side not I have no problem cooking treats!

School is almost out. Two weeks. I can't wait. I have not really started to count down because I feel like that makes time pass really slowly.

I have stayed busy playing basketball, soccer, and softball (when there is not rain). I wish I could say I have been biking but seriously the weather has been LAME! The days just pass so slowly when I am stuck in the gym all day.

I am also working my way through The Lord of The Rings series. I have really enjoyed reading them. I actually started with The Hobbit and an now on the first book of The Lord of the Rings. Maybe I will actually make it through the movies after I finish reading them all:)

Yesterday I did more yard work then I have done in years. Our stake went up to temple square and pulled out all the flowers. It was sad to pull out all the beautiful tulips but apparently it is necessary. It was a really fun service project and I am glad I went. Afterwards I went to Nancy's and did a little weeding and lawn mowing. I forgot how tiring it is to work in the yard, especially when the sun is actually out (maybe that is why I despised the work as a child). I was exhausted by bed time.

(I stole this picture off google pics. It is an example of all the tulips we destroyed).

Church was really good today. A member of the stake presidency was visiting and he bore his testimony about temples. He was talking about the importance of going to the temple frequently and consistently. He said "When we go to the temple periodically we don't train our ears to hear the word of the Lord." It was a good reminder for me to really make the temple a priority especially since I live so close. He was talking about a training the stake presidency recently had with Elder Bateman and that he talked about the importance for young single adults to attend the temple regularly. I am not sure I am still young but I am single. I feel like my temple attendance is either really good or really bad. I am rarely in between. I know my life is better when it is good. I know the Lord blesses me each time attend the temple. I have a strong testimony of the importance of the temple and the sacred covenants we make there. I am really going to try to make this time period in my life a temple attending one.

GyM ShOrTs!

2011-05-14T19:05:00.000-06:00

What would you consider to be an excess of gym shorts?

For some odd reason I decided to count all of my gym shorts today while organizing them in their little closet space. I consider myself pretty down to earth, I don't NEED a lot of things, but apparently I have purchased a number of gym shorts over the years. In my defense, over half of the shorts I have I got from Lakeridge Junior High or BYU free of charge, but seriously why so many. The sad thing is even after acknowledging that I may have more than I need I still didn't pull any out to get rid of. I mean they all seem to have a really good purpose. There are soccer shorts, shorts to run in, basketball shorts, shorts to teach in, and so on and so on. I think I have a problem. The funny thing is that some people think I own too many pairs of shoes. I can report that I own more gym shorts than shoes. PATHETIC! Jana come over and steal some shorts and anyone else in the area for that matter.

Kayaking

2011-05-13T16:16:00.000-06:00

I finally got some kayak racks for my car. Yay! I am not going all summer without kayaking this year. After multiple trips to REI I think I found some keepers. I have not tested them on the freeway but Amber and I did take them out last Saturday. The weather was so nice I couldn't resist even though there were a bazillion other things I should have been doing.

Here is the big bopper (my car) all loaded up.

Me and Amber posing for the first adventure of the new year. We only stay in touch when there are adventures to be had.

Me out on the lake. I love how the mountain is covered in snow but I am out there kayaking.

Overall last Saturday was great. Some biking, kayaking, cleaning, and some lesson planning, so there are no complaints here (ok maybe one that I refuse to blog about). And the great thing is that the weather looks good for this weekend. Go have some fun I am sure I will:)

Happy Mothers Day

2011-05-08T13:01:00.001-06:00

I love mothers day. Probably because my Mom is awesome and there are tons of great women in my life. To my Mom: I think you are the best and I hope that one day I will be as good as a mom as you have been. I am sorry you had so many sons. A trial only you could bare, but at least I came first and lightened the burden:) Just kidding. I think my Mom is so great and she has so many good qualities. I hope I pick a few of those up!

My Grandma Brown is an amazing women. She is very loyal to her family. She does volunteer work. She is always helping others. She thinks education is soooo important. She is an example to me.

My sister in law Katie who is just starting the journey of motherhood. Who loves and protects the cutest niece in the whole world and lets me spoil her and love her whenever I am around.

My dad's sisters Janice and Virginia are great. They have always helped our family out. They love us. They took us on trips. They open their homes for holidays and family gatherings. They are good hardworking ladies.

My Mom's sisters Loralie and Nancy. They have always made sure I have a home away from home. They can laugh with me and cry with me. They include me in all they do. And seriously I love when the peppermint patties are all together. It makes me sad I don't have sisters.

I would post pictures of all my friends that are moms but that would take up way too much space (I mean I have a lot of friends). I love watching you take care of your children. I love that you all parent differently but that it works and that it is good. I love that you try to be the best Moms you can be! I love when you let me help. I know the role of a mother is the most sacred role for women in the world. It is something I long to be and at times yearn for. I have faith that I too will have an opportunity at this sacred calling. I only hope I can be the influence for good in the lives of my kids that you are for yours. Moms are the best!

M.I.A.

2011-04-29T23:36:00.000-06:00

I have been missing in action for a few weeks. But I can report that all normal activities will resume because the time monopolizer has moved to Kansas (I may be more guilty of monopolizing time). It is a total bummer but this is not the place to talk about that. I will just say that I have had a fun three weeks and I am excited for summer to be here. That is a shocker I know!

My family came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was fun to hang out a couple of nights. We went to the Carl Bloch display at BYU, barbequed, and all attended the temple together. Being in the temple with everyone that lives here and my parents was definitely a highlight. On the Friday that they were here I took a half day at work and went to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point. That was really fun.

My dad was super stoked that he was out of the house. And, well the peppermint patties are always stoked when they are together.

Katie and I were given the job of loosening Nancy's shoelaces. That was our service for the day.

The sun was finally out but it was still quite chilly. Katie and I wore whatever warm clothes we could find in my car. Here we are headed into the secret garden.

We were at the festival probably a couple weeks early because everything was not in bloom but it was still beautiful. I love the blossoms at this time of year. Now if only the snow will stay away.

In other news track is over. YEAH! It was nice weather for both days at the district track meet called Alpine Days. That is the first time that has happened in my 6 years of coaching track at Lakeridge. It usually snows at least one day. I am calling it a miracle. I had two athletes puke at the end of the 400 race. Not what you like to see but awesome at the same time because they pushed themselves so hard. It is probably the hardest race in track and both athletes did amazing.

I can now go home at 3:30pm. That will be nice. The weather is supposed to be in the 60's all next week. That will be really nice! I am in a new ward starting Sunday. All single wards were reorganized. I stayed with the same bishopric so I am pretty happy about that. We won our soccer game tonight. It is always fun to see Jana and Michelle. Jana scored two goals tonight and assisted on the other goal. That was awesome. I myself missed about five wide open shots. That is an example of not so awesome.

Spring Break

2011-04-17T10:16:00.001-06:00

Where did the week go? I am having a small mini depression just thinking about going back to work. So sad!

On a happier note the week was great. It is always so fun to go to Vegas and visit Katie.

It was so relaxing and just fun to catch up on everything. (Katie email me pictures I didn't take any!) Even though she just had surgery we did all of our usual things, which was great. I also had my eyebrows threaded which was AWESOME! I recommend it.

I spent the mornings reading and looking through old pictures. All I have to say is all Orovillians beware. Katie has so many pictures and so many of them are the opposite of cute. Stay on this girls good side. But it was so fun to just think back on all the good times.

We hung out with Katie Ritchie as well. So fun to just catch up and chill.

I traveled down to Vegas with Amber. So we got together on Thursday and did some hiking. The funny thing about this was that we are both usually over prepared and cautious but not so much on this day, we will get to that in a minute.

The red rock is so pretty.

Neither of us had eaten much and on a whim Amber stopped at the visitors center and bought a sprite. By the time we got to our "long" hike we had half a bottle of sprite between the two of us. Seriously could you plan any worse?

Amber is laughing about it here because we aren't thirsty, hungry, and tired yet!

So I have not used my nice camera in forever and I may have forgotten to change the light settings, hence every picture is too bright. Me pointing to our destination.

This may be the only time Amber and I have ever hiked where we didn't reach our destination (unless there was an injury or safety concern). We were not prepared and thus turned around a little short of the top. LAME! But the right choice. Here we are at the end. Again my camera was giving me fits. After 5 attempts there was a picture I actually made it in even though I look like a dork.

Overall a very fun trip. I got to bike and hike, do a little shopping, visit with friends, see the sun . . . what more could you ask for during spring break.

And Katie seriously send me some pictures so I can add them to my blog!

REALLY?

2011-04-03T20:43:00.001-06:00

This was the scene in Aunt Nancy's front yard this morning. Gotta love Utah and the spring weather we have every year. You can tell I was SUPER excited about the snow. However general Conference was awesome snow or no snow. And really I guess it is a good day to snow since I was inside all day anyways.

Dan, Sam, Amanda and I always go to Nancy's for conference weekend. I have been going to Nancy's for conference since I first came out to BYU. It is a tradition. Amanda has added to the tradition and now we have aebleskivers for breakfast.

They are Danish pancakes shaped like a sphere and they are delicious. We consumed quite a few of those while watching conference.

And conference was so much better with my new scripture journal. I decided to take notes it even though it is supposed to be used to study the gospel by topics. Whatever! Don't mind that I have not finished binding it yet.

In between conference yesterday and during Priesthood session Amanda and I did a little shopping. It was good times. Then last night we all went to Sam and Amanda's and used their apartments hot tub. So nice. But for some reason I felt the need to keep jumping in the pool and then getting back in the hot tub. I think I was trying to impress my brothers so I hope it worked. The hot tub just feel so much better after you are freezing cold.

I love that I have family out here in Utah. I wanted to post my favorite picute ever of me Dan and Sam but it is not scanned so this one will do.

These boys were my playmates all growing up and it is funny how they still are. I love that we are good friends. There is no denying that we had our moments but they are so fun and so good to me. Families are the best. That was definitely a take home point from general conference!

happenings

2011-03-30T16:40:00.000-06:00

I know there are so many people concerned about me when I don't update my blog so here is what I have been up to:

attending all ward activities, long story not for the blog, but I have committed to doing so. No more excuses as I tell my basketball players. Obviously getting to church was never an issue but since grad school I have not gotten back in the habit of going to everything else. Well the past three weeks I have gone. Even if I am EXHAUSTED, which is everyday, I still go.
Track . . . I only ask myself why am I coaching about three times a day. Just kidding. It is time consuming and stressful at times but I do enjoy the interaction with the kids. It keeps me feeling young:)
Basketball. I open my gym a couple times a week and play on a team so I am still playing plenty of ball. I love to get exercise that way as opposed to running. It does help me get through the extra long Utah winter.
Friday night soccer. I just love to play sports. I wish it was not Friday nights but it is usually really fun and I get to see Jana so that is a bonus as well.
I made a scripture journal as suggested here or here. It is so cute. I am pretty sure my scripture study will be AMAZING now. I wanted to post a picture but I don't have my camera cord with me here at work. Sometime maybe I will but just know it is very cute.
Being the best PE teacher ever. Just kidding. But I really do love my job and I really do spend a lot of energy trying to be a good teacher.

What I am looking forward to:

This week being over. We had teacher meetings until 4:30 Monday. Track meet until 7 yesterday. Parent teacher conferences until 7 today and Thursday. I am not cut out for 12 hour days. I am seriously tempted to take Friday off of work but I probably won't.
Spring break in two weeks. Can't believe it is almost here and I can't wait to go somewhere warm. I think Vegas and San Diego are on the hit list for this year.
Warm weather. We have had a couple nice days but I am ready for lots of nice days:)
Taking my kayaks out. I didn't really get them out last year after the car denting incident, but now that my car is paid off I figure what the heck we will give it another go.
SUMMER- is it ok to say that already. The school year has gone so fast. Can you believe there are only 9 weeks to go?
General Conference. I seriously love general conference. I am pretty sure I love the messages the most but the food at Aunt Nancy's is a really close second.
Riding my pink bike with the awesome zebra striped handle bar tape I recently had put on it. It is very cool.

2011-03-23T11:22:00.000-06:00

Life is crazy!! I can't wait for spring break, really I can't wait for summer but spring break is the next holiday so we will go with that. Yesterday was the first track meet of the season. CRAZY TIMES! Of course people were turning in the required physicals and bus fees up until we left. I seriously did not have the heart to tell them they could not go to the meet even though they were a day late. So annoying. Turn your junk in on time. So I am pretty thankful I didn't kill anyone yesterday. We are talking probably 60 kids turned their stuff in yesterday. In case you were thinking about coaching track hold off if there are 200 junior high kids on your team. Overall the meet was great once we were there, minus the snow! I swear it snows every track meet. Six hours in the freezing cold. I still shiver just thinking about it.

On a happier note . . . the cougars. Seriously they played so great on Saturday. I am kicking myself for not buying tickets and going to Denver. What was I thinking??? I just hope they can keep playing well. I have definitely caught the craze. It is so fun to have BYU doing so well.

Other then that I stay busy playing basketball and soccer. I will be happy when the weather changes and I can get some sun. I feel so pale in the winter. So pale that I am embarrassed to wear white shorts (I don't want to scare anyone).

While I Have Been Living It Up . . . .

2011-03-14T20:05:00.000-06:00

I didn't really have time to blog. Ok, I have been busy but I have not really been living it up, but wouldn't it be awesome if I had been. Although I have done some blog worthy things the past couple of weeks.

Basketball is officially over. The banquet is done! And I have jumped into track with both feet. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into. I don't even know. My bball banquet turned out really nice and it was fun to talk about each of my players because they were all so great.

One of the things the school did for our team was purchased championship t-shirts because they were 14-0 in league. A group of them asked if they could come watch one of my basketball games and I told them only if we made it to the championship. Well we made it and we won. I made their day because I airballed a shot and missed a lay-up. HILARIOUS! That made their night. Here we all are sporting our champion gear.

Jana was on the team this year which was way fun. It was great for me because after work I would just come chill at her house and she would cook me dinner and then we would go play ball. That was SWEET! Thanks Jana and Ben. You can still have me over for dinner once a week if you want:)

On Friday I took the day off work and headed to Vegas to cheer on the Cougars. We tried to scalp tickets for Friday night but no such luck. The tickets were going for $125-400. As much as I wanted to cheer on BYU I could not afford that price. We ended up going to Red Robin and chilling there for the entire game. Which was also really fun and much more affordable. BYU played awesome that night and got into the championship which was really important because we had tickets for that.

We got there early, here we all are ready for the game. I loved the seats at the Thomas and Mack Center. Every seat has a back and every seat is padded. That was good planning.

The place was packed. No empty seats. It was crazy. It was also fun, but unfortunately the fun ended soon after the game started because BYU had a rough go that night. Let's just say us cougas fans did not have much to cheer about.

Vegas was awesome it was 80 degrees. I bought a swimsuit down there because I was like I am hot I want to swim. It felt so great to be in the sun and just enjoy some nice weather.

An added bonus was that I did not have to work today. I was able to sleep in, go to the temple, run errands, clean my house, work out, and . . . . .

pay my car off! That is right no more payments for me. Seriously the lady at the bank was very unenthusiastic about me paying off my car. Obviously she did not realize how much money I have put into that thing. It was not as exciting as I anticipated but I am seriously pumped. I hate having a car payment. Hopefully this car will continue to be awesome and I won't have a payment for a long long time.

Expired

2011-02-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with the prompting that my drivers license had expired. I laid in bed and thought oh it probably does expire at the end of the month. WRONG! It expired on my birthday. Are you kidding me? Who looks at when their license expires. Obviously not me. I am sure they sent something to an address where I lived at one time, but I didn't get anything at my house. Now I am nervous to drive. But obviously I am not biking to work in the snow. Oh man, hopefully I have time to deal with that tomorrow.

President's Day

2011-02-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

Gotta Love dead presidents! I do when their birthdays give me holidays. This weekend I headed up to Island Park with Katie, Cyndee, and Todd. Cyndee and Todd have a family cabin there. It was a really relaxing weekend filled with lots of good food (and junk food, but that is good in my book as well.)

In order to balance all the food I ate we did cross country ski and snowshoe. Both activities were tons of fun. There was about 4 and 1/2 feet of snow so plenty of snow for our needs. This is a random picture of some random cabin I took while snowshoeing just so you can see all the snow.

Hopefully I will post some pictures of our activities soon, but I didn't take any so we will see.

So on a side note I have been counting my calories. Totally sucky. I now see why I exercise everyday. I have an app on my ipod touch and I scheduled myself to lose a pound a week. Not bad and it is working but seriously I think I am starving myself. It has been very interesting to see how many calories I eat. I will be honest I did not track over the long weekend, too many snacks, but on normal days I count everything I eat. So yea we will see if there are any long term results because of this (results besides me feeling hungry:).

3:35

2011-02-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

I get to go home at 3:35 today. Can you believe it? I can't. It has been so long. Basketball is over. The season was great. I had a great team that was super fun. Our record was 24 wins and 3 losses. We lost last night in the championship game. Bummer! The other team just played better, but my girls are so great. They shed lots of tears but by the time we got to Wend's they were all smiles the rest of the evening. I have never had so much fun with junior high students. They seriously crack me up.

The sun is out if I am super motivated I may just go ride my bike after work. It just got out of the shop and it now has zebra handle bars. My team said it looks hot! I couldn't agree more.

And here is a couple of the family pictures we had taken. We had not had professional pictures done since before Caleb was born. (He must have been weird looking or something). So it was way overdue. Enjoy!

Apparently I need to drop some pounds because these boys had a hard time holding me up.

And the last one just melts my heart. My parents adore Olivia, well we all do. But I seriously just love love love this picture.

Katie had a lady from her old ward in Paradise do the pictures, Wendy Mayo. It was so nice because she has a traveling studio and totally came to us. It was really fast and efficient and we like the results.

Birthday Weekend

2011-02-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

My birthday dragged out all weekend which was kind of fun. It started off Friday night when Samanda came to stay the night. We were all tired so we just ate left over donuts and watched a movie that night.

Saturday they bought me lunch and hung out all day. We met up with Dan in the afternoon and went bowling. Not WII bowling but actual bowling. It has been a long time but we all had fun. And they "let me win both games since it was my birthday." Yeah right no one in our family just let's someone win. But it was lots of fun and none of us really had very respectable scores. My fingers were a little sore afterwards, not use to all that work.

Saturday night Dan made grilled chicken tacos which are always very tasty. We ate too much and then had ice cream to top it all off. But no calorie counting on your birthday so I didn't even think twice about what I ate.

Then yesterday Nancy made a yummy dinner at her house. The table was beautifully set and the food was delicious.

We ate and watched Secretariat. A good movie where the horse actually lives at the end. YEAH!! All in all it was a fun weekend. Now back to the real world. But only three days left of basketball I can hardly believe it.

Top 10 (How things went down)

2011-02-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

This top 10 list is in no special order (that requires to much calculating). There are some pictures attached but not 10 pictures. The pictures will somewhat determine the order because I don't have the patience to reorder them. So enjoy!

10. Driving all night. I have not done that since college and I am always so hesitant to do so. We planned on stopping but we felt good and drove the whole way. I think we were really excited to see Anthony and I will be honest I had a huge adrenalin rush from coaching that day because my team played AWESOME!

9. The Peppermint Patties: Friday morning these three ladies were all putting on some oils at my parents and the entire house smelt like peppermint. Peppermint helps with headaches. How do you not have a headache after driving all night? And so Dan coined the term the peppermint patties. I love this nickname. They tried to tell us that they nicknamed themselves the sister uglies a long time ago, but peppermint patties may be a keeper.

8. Scales. You know when you do a survey and they ask you on a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate this. Dan is the scale man but he does not just use easy scales he makes you think. An example: Someone says I love chocolate Dan then says, "On a scale from 1 to 346.78 how much would you say you love chocolate right now." They were catchy and funny and there were lots of them this trip. Eventually I taught everyone the secret of dealing with Dan when he is being ridiculous you must also be ridiculous so to the above scale an appropriate response would be 378 (Anything off of his scale would be appropriate).

7. Excitement and pure joy. There is nothing better then having a missionary return home and this was no exception. Caleb was so excited. I mean we were all excited but according to Caleb it is so hard to be the only child at home and he thinks Anthony will stick around for a little while to alleviate his pain.

6. Playing games and hanging out. Like most people I love my family and I love hanging out with everyone. It can be crazy and sometimes a little out of control but overall a very enjoyable time.

5. Ben and Katie allowing us to stay in their show apartment. It was so nice that everyone was able to have a bed.

Dear Ben and Katie, we are sorry that some things got broken (we won't mention what) but we are grateful we had a place to lay are weary heads. Please forgive us and let us stay again.
Brown Siblings

It was way fun to have all the kids staying in Chico together. late nights and laughs.

4. Seeing Alicia's ring in real life. Aaron is engaged and we (the Utah people) had not seen the bling yet.

3. Family Pictures. This experience was so fun. Who knew you could laugh so hard and have so much fun taking family pictures. I will post some when we get them back. Hopefully they turn out well.

2. Eating good food. You have to eat good when the family is together. Now I need to fast for a week but it tasted great. Hula's, Woodhouse Pizza, and Dan's chicken tacos. YUM, YUM, and YUM!

1. Attending Anthony's report to the high council. It was so great to actually hear about his mission and to hear him bear testimony. I am so glad we stayed in town a little longer for this.

ShORt BuT sWeEt

2011-02-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

Anthony is home! The trip was way too short but seriously so fun. The trip started off right because my team played an awesome game on Thursday. I was seriously so pumped I don't think I slept the whole way home. That is good and bad. Good because I kept the driver awake, bad because we drove all night and I was way tired the rest of the weekend.

On our way to the airport we saw Anthony's plane fly in and we knew we were going to miss him because, let's be honest, not many planes fly in to the Chico airport. That was LAME. We were 12 minutes early but that ended up being 10 minutes late. But here is Anthony looking good.

Caleb wins the award for most excited that Anthony is home. That guy has been counting down for a while now. Here he is wearing Anthony's sunglasses. The funny thing about Caleb is that every time a missionary has come home in our family there is a picture of him wearing something they brought home at the airport. With Aaron it was a cowboy hat with me it was a hat as well.

Do you notice anything different about the two family pictures? I only got two photos and Olivia is not looking in one but some other people were having a little too much fun in the one she is actually looking in.

The peppermint patties. More on that later, but these three ladies are always a hoot when they are together. And I must apologize openly for saying two of them were worthless, it was a joke!

Me and my cute niece. I love that Olivia will just chill with anyone. It is so nice that she will hang out with those of us who live far away and don't see her very often.

And some more cute pictures.

I got to give her a bath, I must be funny because that is a good little smile.

All ready for family pictures.

I will post more pictures later and possibly a top 10 list (in honor of Michelle) from the trip. Although it will be hard to narrow the list to ten things. I am so grateful we were able to be together as a family, hang out, and have fun.

Finally Feeling Better

2011-02-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wow I feel like my life is boring but the truth is I have not done anything too exciting the past three weeks because I have been sick. It has been crazy. I would sleep 12 hours a night on the weekends and start to feel better but then Monday would come and I would just wear myself out and by Friday I felt awful. We are talking terrible. Last Friday I was almost convinced I had a real sickness I felt so terrible. When Monday rolled around I felt better but only getting 8 hours of sleep just started the day bad and I was feeling sick again. I finally broke down, took the day off work and went to the doctor. That was a waste of $25, I suspected it would be, turns out it is just a virus and I need sleep and rest. So I slept most the day Monday and I do feel much better.

I finally feel like I am getting over it. So much that I actually jogged on my treadmill last night and it felt good. Well until I was done and I learned the hard way that qeuso and chips are not the best pre-workout meal. Who knew? I mean it has tons of calories.

Oh wait there is one new thing an addiction to this:

Made the mistake of downloading it while I was at the doctor's. If they had any good magazines that would not have happened. So stupid!! I just play it every night and I tell myself when you beat this level you can go to bed and then I don't. So hopefully I can get it out of my system while traveling this weekend and be done with it.

I am headed home tonight. Can you believe this guy is coming home tomorrow?

I can't but I am totally excited. I have only been home when one brother got off the plane (Aaron) and seriously it was one of the most fun days of my life. Way more fun then when I got off my mission, that was weird. But it was like one big party. And everyone will be there. I can't wait.

NASTY!

2011-01-17T19:47:00.001-07:00

That describes how I have felt the last week. Seriously why do I always get sick when there is no possible way I can miss work. LAME!! I was really sick in fact finally Friday night I slept 13 hours and then took a 3 hour nap and then went to bed by 10 and by Sunday I felt like I had officially turned the corner. Last week was just really long. It is hard to be patient and nice normally, but it is extra hard when I feel terrible. The semester ended Friday, I believe mercy was administered in all cases, and tomorrow I get 300 new students.

But the title of this post comes from the one activity I did on Saturday that made me leave the couch. Unclog the drain in my bathroom. Let's be honest it has been draining ever so slowly for quite some time but I just strategically used as little water as possible so as to not back it up. Finally Saturday I realized it was barely draining and that I needed to tackle the project. Mental note: don't tackle nasty projects while feeling ill.

It was much easier then anticipated. It probably took a total of 5 minutes but what I found blocking my pipes was seriously NASTY!

The black and white thing pictured above are the parts I removed. The glob of nastiness is what was in the pipe. Yea hair and lots of other things all stuck together. I was seriously trying not to gag. Luckily I was wearing gloves and my nose was stuffed up but wow that was gross. Moral of the story cleaning the pipe in the bathroom was easy that is a job I don't need to put off next time. Here is to a week with less nastiness.

Life As A Dream

2011-01-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

As the new year has begun I have reflected on 2010 and I feel as Jacob did in The Book of Mormon:

"Our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream." Jacob 7:26

I continually wonder where the last year has gone. It came and went so fast. I am grateful for time spent with family and friends. I am especially grateful for good health and that my family members enjoyed good health in 2010. I am so grateful everyone in my family was able to have a job in 2010. I was blessed with the opportunity to do lots of new things and had a great year. I just can't believe we are a week into 2011.

I have not even finalized my new years resolutions. I know that is bad but I feel like 2011 snuck up on me and before I knew it I was back at work. Well I know two for sure that I will post here in hopes of being held accountable 1) get my car paid off by June, I am hoping for April but June is more realistic. 2) Actually keep track of my money in the back of my checkbook. This will be hard for me but I believe it will benefit me (don't worry I have not started yet, but I am going to do it this year)! Oh and a goal for my married siblings, make me an aunt again! (Dan says you can't set goals for others but seriously when have I let him tell me what to do. Never!)

I have felt impressed to find ways to serve this year but I have not finalized what I should do. I know service will make me happy and be a blessing to me I just need to figure out what I want to undertake (not that I am not happy because I am but it could possibly make me more happy). I will be honest I am afraid of more commitments, yet from past experience I know that I personally use my time more wisely when I am engaged it lots of good activities.

This month has been filled with lots and lots of basketball. The team I coach is playing so great right now. I have to tell myself to calm down because I get frustrated and then I am like wait we are winning by 20. Calm down!! The girls are great and they really are talented. They are 13 and 2 so hopefully they can keep the win streak alive.

I have also been playing on a city league basketball and soccer team. I love still being able to play the sports I love. As I am now a year into my thirties I have noticed a decline in my level of play but I still love it. I also open my gym two evenings a week for others to come and play. I figure if you have to exercise, which I do (still have not mastered much self-control when it comes to food), you might as well do the things you love. I love that I still get to play with Jana and that we both hate to lose. It has been a lot of years running but we can still compete with most people, in lower divisions:)

I can't believe Anthony is going to be home from his mission next month. Two years, that has passed as a dream for me. Probably not for him but seriously has it been 2 years? Can't wait to see that kid. Not sure when I will see him but I am excited. I love how missions change individuals. I love that you come back better. It is so fun to witness that as a family member.

Well that was quite possibly my longest post ever. 2011 is here. There are some changes in store for me (more on that later). But seriously I am excited for the new year. I hope that I can draw closer to Christ and become a better person in 2011.

Christmas

2010-12-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

Christmas was great as always. It is always so nice to be with family and just relax. Well relax and eat. I told my basketball team at practice on Wednesday "I just went three hours without eating, I have not done that in a week." So, yes I ate way too much. The only bummer was that I was not in Oroville very long at all and so I didn't get to see very many friends.

Christmas dinner was amazing. My poor Mom and Aunt Nancy cooked two days straight but it was seriously delicious.

Presents. Aunt Nancy had my name so I got a present that was beautifully wrapped (well two that were beautifully wrapped but I only took a picture of this one).

Poor Olivia was teething and had a fever. She was a trooper and my Dad was happy he had someone to appreciate his train.

I am in love with this hat I got Olivia. She probably won't have the patience to wear the thing but it was so cute I couldn't pass it up. You can see how done she is in this picture. Poor little girl.

Caleb got lots of Jazz gear so of course he was pumped.

We went to Willits for a night. That was great because we got to see extended family and play games. I did a terrible job of taking pictures but I did get a few just not one of each person.

And last but not least Simba (or a scary version of Cosmo) showed up at my house to play games on Christmas Eve.

I can't believe 2010 is over. The years just seem to go so fast!

I heart Les Scwab

2010-12-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

I got home yesterday and I had a flat tire on my car. LAME! Not totally flat but definitely low. I pumped it up but it was low again today. Anyways long story short went to Les Scwab and they fixed it for free. Seriously how nice is that. It feels like a belated Christmas present.

If I quit my job . . . .

2010-12-16T13:58:00.001-07:00

It is official I would become a detective for a school. I am pretty good at tracking down missing things. At the start of basketball season our boys team realized they were missing two pair of shorts from their closet. They were there at the end of last year so we knew they had been stolen. Well junior high kids aren't always the brightest and I told the coach if they were actually stolen they will show up. Sure enough two months later I see this big Samoan kid at school wearing them. Don't worry I hunted him down and we got the shorts back. It turns out I am really good at intimidating people to. I think I scared him a little. News flash if you are going to steal something don't wear it to school.

Second case yesterday I see this chick wearing one of my teams bball sweatshirts. Now I designed the sweatshirt and happen to know that there were only 14 of them made. I didn't approach her at first because I wanted to talk to my players and make sure they had not loaned their sweatshirts to anyone. Well they had not. Two class periods late I tracked her down and got it back. She was a 7th grade student I have not had in class and so it was a little more challenging and I had to do a little detective work to figure out who it was. However we got it back. One of my players had left it in their math class and it was taken from there. So lesson to all junior high students IF YOU TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT YOURS DON'T WEAR IT TO SCHOOL! There are other things I have tracked down as well over the years stolen jeans, the girl that flushed underwear down the toilet and clogged all the drains, ipods, cell phones . . . . if it is stolen I will try to get it back.

My back-up profession after being a detective is a doctor or athletic trainer. I dislocated my shoulder again last night and this time I layed down and put it back in place on my own. Not painful at the time but it is really sore today. I probably should take 4 weeks off but lets be honest I probably won't.

2nd Annual Taco Soup Cook Off

2010-12-13T08:35:00.001-07:00

My siblings that live in Utah and I have started to have a taco soup cook off each year. We all cook a little different recipe and then come together to eat it. YUM!!! This year we had a steak taco soup, chicken ranch taco soup, and a pulled pork taco soup. (Sam's pulled pork soup is pictured above.) All were delicious! However none of the soups were quite as delicious as the homemade chocolate candy cane ice cream. That is to die for.

After dinner we went to Amanda's Christmas Orchestra Concert. It was really fun to listen to the Christmas music. It is always great to get together and eat yummy food and enjoy each others company.

2nd Place . . . . . Is Lame!

2010-12-13T07:58:00.001-07:00

My team took 2nd place at our tournament this weekend. Which I am very happy about and 2nd place is really great . . . but it is also lame. If you win the tournament you get all these things . . . 2nd place gets nothing. That is lame and frustrating. I mean it is always like that and you think 2nd place is awesome but it is not 1st place so no trophy, no t-shirt, no cutting down the net (who does that in 9th grade), no bragging rights . . . nothing. My team looks really good and the are great kids. I just felt bad that after working so hard we went home completely empty handed.

And that picture is my serious coaching face. Yikes!! We won that game by 30 points but don't worry I am all business. My assistant coach was making fun of me because we were watching another team play and I had my coaching face on and she was like relax. We are not playing we don't have to coach these girls. I watch basketball and I go straight into coaching mode. Thankfully I was not the coach over either team we were watching because they were not good and there was lots of coaching to be done.

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

2010-12-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

It is the most wonderful time of the year right? Why does it seem so crazy? Life has just been so busy. I have not even thought of getting my camera out. My house is decorated and my Christmas shopping is done but that is the only signs of the season thus far. I mean we don't even have any real snow yet.

I want time to slow down so I can enjoy the holiday season. I must be really crazy because I scheduled my team to play 11 games in 3 weeks. Bad planning on my part. That is a lot of games. I am exhausted. It is Wednesday and I feel like it should be Friday. I am already looking forward to the break. That is bad because it means the next week and a half will go very slow.

Some highlights the past week or so have been:

I bought a poinsettia and I love it. It is so pretty and it was only $3.50 at Wal-mart.
I bought the wise men to my nativity set.
The bball team I coach is 4 and 1.
The Christmas Devotional, listen here if you missed it
Christmas dinners and parties
I have had a student teacher (this is her last week)

Lots is going on. It is a crazy time of year but I do love it. I love that I get to spend time with family and friends. I love that people are more generous and thoughtful. I love that we have time to reflect on the Savior and His life, I love Christmas music, I love that we will get to talk to Anthony on Christmas Day. I love this time of year and it is wonderful just crazy as well.

Give Thanks!

2010-11-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

I have so much to be grateful for. Some of the things that I give thanks for daily are: family, gospel, health, my job (I especially give thanks for this one on the weekends, holidays, and in the summer!), my home, car. I really am very very blessed.

I am also grateful for the mountains, and Sundays, and a clean house, Christmas decorations, yummy candles, a niece to buy clothes for (seriously I may never buy clothes for myself again, clothes not shoes), a brother on a mission.

I love this time of year to contemplate all the blessing in my life and remember the things that are most important. Last night I read President Monson's Conference talk: The Divine Gift of Grattitude and it made me so thankful for all that I have in my life. Especially the blessing of having a living prophet to lead and guide.

One part I really liked was:

Notice that the Savior gave thanks for what they had—and a miracle followed: “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.”⁴

We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings. Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”⁵

I will be honest there are times when I too am guilty of focusing on righteous desires that I want but don't have. I don't feel like I do this very often but I am human and it does happen. This quote really puts things in perspective for me. I AM SO BLESSED! I have been given so much. When I look at all my blessings I can't help but thank the Lord for how generous he has been to me.

One other thing I like from the same talk is this:

This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.

As I read this last night I thought of my students and how they are so strong and so good. I love teaching, there are hard days, but everyday I see so much good in all I come in contact with. There is so much wrong in the world but seriously I look at the youth and see so much GOOD! I am thankful for the example that these youth set for me, they make the right hard decisions everyday.

I am just so grateful for all I have. You should read President Monson's talk it was so good. I hope that I can live with an attitude of gratitude!

Two Things

2010-11-19T07:43:00.001-07:00

Two new things have recently revolutionized my gym workouts. The first is this:

I have always loved to read at the gym but the problem is that you never know if your book will fit on the equipment. The Kindle solves that problem it is so skinny. And there is a function to enlarge the text and so not only does any book you read fit you can also make the print large enough to read while working out. I have not paid for any books yet because there are actually lots of free books, all the classics are free, and so I have had plenty to keep me entertained while working out. Maybe I should do the next commercial for the Kindle, because I think it is the greatest thing ever!

The second thing is this. I didn't want to put a picture of a sports bra on my blog, but seriously this sports bra is awesome. I needed a new sports bra and I decided to try one that is more expensive, to see if there is a difference. I can report that there is a huge difference. It was $45 but it was so worth it. Hopefully is lasts a long time.

In other news my legs are just so tired every night. I have not quite adjusted to being on my feet two and a half extra hours a day. On a happier note I am really pumped about my team this year. And seriously is it already Thanksgiving I have not even started thinking about Christmas shopping?

Weekend O Fun

2010-11-07T17:04:00.001-07:00

This weekend was really busy. Thank goodness there was an extra hour of sleep Saturday night because I sure needed it. Friday I took a half day at work and hung out with Jana and Erica, then played soccer, and then stayed up until one am eating homemade ice cream and watching Toy Story 3. I can not do late nights I don't know what I was thinking.

Saturday started off with a 5K in honor of one of my former students who is battling cancer. The weather was great and the run wasn't too terrible.

I am sad to say that Sam's sprint to the finish edged me out. I will beat him next time:)

We hurried back to my house after the run and got ready for the BYU game. My aunt and uncle got us a free tickets so we obviously could not turn them down. The weather was so great and BYU played so great so it was a good afternoon.

We love our cougars.

Afterwords Dan made us a yummy dinner. I wrapped the evening up by cleaning house and doing laundry. I can't believe it is November. Basketball starts tomorrow. Can you believe it? I am so excited for my team this year. The girls are really good but they are so fun as well. I feel like it is going to be a great season.

I can't believe the holidays are approaching so fast. This year has flown by. Time just goes faster and faster the older I get. Crazy!

update

2010-10-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

Well I am fired as far as blogging goes. I have done some fun things in the past three weeks but I have not had my camera with me so there are no pictures to show for it. I must admit that sometimes I feel in a rut. It is like my weeks are the exact same. Work, rest, some sports, working out, church, hanging out with friends and then repeat.

I did enjoy our fall break last week. It was so nice to sleep in, catch up on some house work, pursue a couple of hobbies, rollerblade, go shopping (during the day, I know exciting), and just relax. I was sure sad when Sunday night rolled around and I knew I had to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

I have been obsessed with the movie North and South, not about the Civil War. It is so good. Michelle Rotar introduced it to me years ago but I fear I did not fully appreciate it until recently. I just finished the book which was also very good. I may just have to purchase the movie soon.

Other then that I am enjoying my last couple of weeks of freedom before basketball starts. Can you believe it is that time already? Oh and first term ends next week so crazy.

I will say I am so proud of one of my seventh grade classes, every student in the class has an A- or better. In all my MANY years of teaching I have yet to have class do that. I am so excited for them. They have one more test and I totally promised them all doughnuts if they all get an A on their reports card (great PE teacher right). I know nothing like extrinsic motivation, but seriously they are so great. It is a class of 26 students and they are just so sweet and try so hard. Love them! And I want to say that they have all the same assignments as my other 7th grade classes they are just a small class and work so hard. So there is my life recently in a nutshell.

Bake Sale

2010-09-24T07:55:00.000-06:00

As I returned to school this year I learned that one of my former students had been diagnosed with Leukemia. She is only 16. A great student and a great athlete. She also comes from a great family and the whole situation just really breaks your heart. Well tomorrow they are having a bake sale for her in Orem so me, some aunts (Loralie and Nancy), cousins (Melissa and Heather), and family (Sam and Amanda) all got together and made some treats for the bake sale. It was a fun evening and seriously there are so many treats in my house right now.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

cupcakes made by the less talented

yummy peanut butter brownies and lemon bars

strawberry cupcakes made by someone a little more talented (Heather)

And some really cute cupcakes also made by Heather.

Also some banana bread not pictured

All the treats went through Sam Brown quality assurance testing and the tests came back with excellent results. He took his self assigned job very seriously. So if you live in the area make your way over to the bake sale tomorrow I am sure there will be lots of yummy treats (800 South Geneva Rd at an LDS chapel).

Here is her blog if you want to learn more about her. And thanks to all of my family who helped I really appreciate it.

Pictures

2010-09-20T20:02:00.001-06:00

I have not done much this past week. So I have nothing to report on the blogging front. I have been looking through old pictures and here are some shots from a ghost town in Wyoming that I liked. I took them last summer.

And some pictures of my cousin Heather's daughters. The are so cute. As I was looking at older pictures I was shocked at how much they have changed in a years time.

And really why are skinny jeans back in style. They do look cute on little skinny girls but they are definitely not my favorite.

did you know . . . . .

2010-09-11T23:46:00.000-06:00

They make computers that are all inside the screen. I didn't until today. Went to Best Buy to look at laptops came home with this

first glance you think what a nice computer screen, but don't worry the computers built somewhere inside. And it is a touch screen. It is pretty much the coolest thing ever. My only requirements for a new computer were that it could hold lots of photos and music. I really wanted a netbook that I could hook up to my TV when I wanted to use photoshop, so it would be nice and big. But I took Dan shopping (never agood thing when it involves computers) and he convinced me that my life is so boring I don't even need a mobile computer, which is true. And then I saw the screen computers and I just love it because it does not take up any space, no tower needed. I really really love that about it. So yea that is the most exciting thing that happened in my life this week.

Labor Day

2010-09-07T07:27:00.000-06:00

This weekend was just really nice and pretty relaxing. It is always AWESOME when you know you don't have to work on Monday. Mikila and the Than & Erica Hancock family were in town. It was fun to spend the first part of the weekend hanging out with friends from Oroville. Dinner at Sam and Amanda's was also a highlight.

I was supposed to hike Timp on Saturday but my sprained ankle was still too huge so I had to postpone until Monday. It was a great day to hike. The weather was nice and cool, actually it was pretty chilly until the last two hours of the hike, and it was not crowded. I have hiked Timp on Labor Day a few times and it is always crazy but yesterday it really wasn't.

We stayed on top long enough to sign the book and snap this picture it was too cold.

Now it is back to the grind and no more three day weekends until UEA. Bummer!

Tik Tok

2010-08-29T16:57:00.000-06:00

So I might really like the song Tik Tok by Keisha. Is it an appropriate song? NOPE! I was first introduced to the song last year by my basketball team. They always listened to it on the bus. I had never heard it and finally I searched it out downloaded the song and listened to the lyrics. YIKES!! These little innocent girls should not be listening to that song. And neither should I but, seriously it has such a good beat. You know

Pedicure on my toes . . toes

I had my first pedicure on Saturday with Emily. It was lots of fun and I kept singing this verse of Tik Tok to the lady, she is so lucky.

I was advised by a sibling, he who will not be named, that boys actually do look at toes when they notice girls. Well ok now my toes are about the cutest thing ever so come on boys:)

(Dan killed my computer so I could not photoshop this picture so you could actually see the cute flowers)

Back to Tik Tok

Trying on all our clothes . . . clothes

I only dress up on the weekends now that I teach but anyone that has ever lived with me knows I always try on lots of different outfits in the morning to decide what to wear. Not so much now that I teach PE. On the weekends I sometimes fall back into this old habit. It usually results in a very messy bedroom.

Boys blowing up our phones . . . phones

Um not really one of my problems. Wish it was more of a problem but it was the last little phrase in the most tame verse of Tik Tok.

See I can really relate to that song now that I got a pedicure.

Today our combined 5th Sunday meeting was so good. It was on the vision of the tree of life and particularly on overcoming our personal mists of darkness. Do you think that I shouldn't listen to that song anymore? Probably not but I just love it.

Life Lesson

2010-08-20T18:27:00.001-06:00

Never ever go to the movies without eating dinner first. Enough said.

Preparation

2010-08-17T20:26:00.000-06:00

Can you believe I have to go back to work in three days? LAME!! I am so bummed. I always have a mini depression as I watch summer come to a close and school start again. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my job and I LOVE the school I work at but I also LOVE free time.

This week has not been too exciting I have just been doing all the little things to get ready for nine months of no free time. You know, the dentist (no cavities), the doctor (1st physical in 9 years still look healthy), the house cleaning, the house organizing, the lunches with friends, the long bike rides, the hiking, the sleeping in, the nap taking, all good things that will be forgotten in a few days.

Seriously this summer was great and I really do love being on a schedule and so that is the great thing about work. I also spend way less money when I am working, there another perk. I have not taken a nap the last two days, gotta break myself in. Prepare myself mentally for what is to come. So there you have it.

Don't worry my last two days of freedom will be spent biking, swimming with Jana and kids, dinner with the brothers and sister in law, playing basketball, one more doctor visit, a little more cleaning, some more hiking, hopefully some kayaking, and NO MORE MONEY SPENDING!!

Thanks for the picture Angelee!

Recovery Week . . . . Kind Of

2010-08-07T15:40:00.001-06:00

I needed some downtime after the past six weeks. I have been on the go all summer and I am ready to sleep, a lot. This week my family was in town. I meant to take more pictures but it didn't happen. They came to celebrate Dan's graduation. Yea Dan! We went to Tucanos for lunch to celebrate. I will say I think I am one of the few people that does not love Tucanos. I just don't love meat and so I never feel like it is worth the money even for lunch. Ok I am a little cheap as well.

We also played games, went shopping in Park City, and hung out. But I have no pictures of all of those things. Ben and Katie also happened to be in town. They stayed at my house. It was fun having them around. They let me watch Olivia one day so of course I have pictures of that.

My cousin Katie and I took our nieces swimming. Olivia loves the water and she loved having so many girls playing with her.

Don't worry I am a terrible aunt. Right after I took the picture Olivia lunged for me and fell right in to the pool. It was a dive. She did so good to hold her breath and she didn't even cry. I was scared though.

Here is proof that she still had fun after the falling in experience.

And seriously if you have kids you need an underwater camera they are so fun.

The baby section was closed off so Olivia had to take a little break on the side because the water was a tad chilly. She did her favorite thing: eat sandals, YUM!

Then she let poop leak out all over the pool deck and I couldn't claim her as my own. Ummm call her parents to come clean it up. SICK. Who poops through the swimmy and the $6 plastic pants? Oh well we had lots of fun. She loves the water so it is so fun to swim with her.

I also decided to ride in the ULCER again this year. This definitely didn't go as planned. I signed up to do 111 miles but like the crazy person I am I played two soccer games last night (I even scored some goals just to prove to my team that they missed me on my 6 week vacation) and so this morning I was exhausted. Not necassarily a bad thing until I got off my bike 27 miles in and could barely walk. We are talking pain everywhere from the hips down. That sealed the deal and I decided 60 miles would have to be enough for today. I rode 60 and came home and slept for two and a half hours. And I am still very very sore. Maybe ready for another nap.

So this next week with all my family gone I plan on resting more and getting my house in order before I go back to work. Oh and I am sure I will bike a little and play basketball and soccer.

498.5

2010-08-02T08:23:00.000-06:00

Last week I biked 498.5 miles. I must say that is an all time high for me and it was great fun. I participated in RAGBRAI, the registers annual great bike ride across Iowa. The ride is held every year and every year there is a different route. They accept 10,000 participants. But then there are anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 additional riders that join on each day. The weather cooperated, it only rained one day, and the ride itself was very nice. I have to laugh because I actually was really excited on the days we biked 60 miles. 60 became my new 25 as I biked across Iowa.

The ride started in Sioux City so we went and checked out all the pre-ride events. Let me tell you if you like to eat pork in all of its varieties this is the ride for you.

Each year the bikers bike from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River. So it is tradition to dip your back bike tire in the Missouri and when you finish your front tire in the Mississippi!

The ride itself is like being a part of one huge parade. Each town you ride through throws a huge party for you. The ride is also known as the party on wheels. There is lots of biking and beer to get all the bikers to each town. I would say for me it was the ice cream that got me from town to town. YUM!

There is no picture or words that can be used to describe what camp looked like each night. One policeman told us he had counted over 16,000 riders on a particular day. Well all those riders are sleeping in town at different parks and colleges. This is a picture of our camp on the first night in Sioux City. Never ending tents.

There were so many tents and they were all so close. People started to wake-up between 4:30 and 5 am each morning. You would hear cell phone alarms, tents zippers, and the portable toilet doors shutting. I could not sleep through this and so I decided I would be an early morning biker. The official start time is 6am and I was pretty close to starting at that time every day. The great thing about starting early was that I was done biking before the weather was too hot and I was a little ahead of the main crowd.

I got good at taking self portraits while biking. Not safe but FUN!

There was one day that we had the option to ride a century instead of the 81 mile ride. Amber and I did that and so that helped my mileage get closer to 500. The crazy thing is there were a handful of bikers that rode 100 miles everyday. They would finish the ride and then do it backwards until they would have the mileage. PSYCHO!! However I think that would be a great challenge now that I know my body responds well to biking so many miles.

All the towns had different themes for their parties and they all had unique picture opportunities.

My Uncle Lou and I planned our trip together. It was a lot of fun. And I felt safe knowing I had some protection in case someone got out of hand. We were excited to be done.

Some of my favorite things were:

The Arkansas crew that pulled me 10 miles one day in a head wind and let me camp with them under the only covered picnic area on the day it rained. So nice. I seriously could have hugged them.
Reading all the different team names. You can sign-up with a team and some of the names were so creative. My favorites were Team Donner Party "We eat the slow ones." A little inappropriate but hilarious. Team Buffalo, "Blowing wind since 1512." Team Sloughs. Team Too Slow. The list could go on and on but I can't remember them all.
The beautiful landscape. It is so crazy to have no mountains in sight. So different from Utah but still so beautiful.
Talking and meeting so many new people. Learning where they were from, what they do, why they love to bike.
Being humbled. I thought I was doing pretty good to get over 2000 miles a year on my bike. It turns out that I am not at all a serious biker. I met a lady in her sixties that bikes over 30,000 miles a year and has for many many years.

All my gear for the week. It really was a great experience. I would definitely do it again.

It is so great to be home. I have slept in a tent a ton this summer but it has been a great summer.

Trinity Alps

2010-07-16T16:52:00.001-06:00

40 miles in 4 days = One stinky girl (and some sore calves)

I have never backpacked in California so I was really excited. My Uncle Lou escorted me on a beautiful hike. We were next to a river the entire way which made it really nice. The temperatures were warm but overall it was a great trip.

My first time using my new tent. And I LOVE it!! I researched a lot before I bought a tent and found the best deal I could and I am not sorry it is so easy to set-up and roomy enough for a backpacking tent.

The second day we came to a cabin built in 1937. The man lived here on and off his entire adult life. It was a really neat cabin with a corral for his animals and a small tool shop that had caved in. The cabin was about 8 miles in. Quite a ways.

We hiked around 14 miles on day two. By 2:00pm I was exhausted. I just layed down and took some pictures from that position. I really enjoyed all the tall tall trees. There are so many variety of trees in Northern California. It really is beautiful.

Our destination Grizzly Meadows. The lake at the top of the waterfall is the water supply for the river we hiked along. The first sight of the falls is three miles away. When I saw it I thought you have got to be kidding me. Knowing deep down I still had a lot of hiking to do.

There were some firsts for me on this trip. First time I brought a book to read which was really nice, first time I saw a rattlesnake on the trail, first time I slipped an fell hard on a trail (big bruises on my shoulder to prove it), first time I crossed rivers (above the knee deep) and most importantly first time I saw a BEAR while backpacking. I saw two!!! Very nerve racking the first time because I was about 20 yards away and it had its back to me but very exciting.

The other crazy thing was that in four days on the trail I saw eight other people. It was really nice.

Super fun trip. Very hot but very fun. I was sure glad to take a shower when I got home. Hair should be washed more than once every four days.

I'm In Love . . . . .

2010-07-10T23:40:00.001-06:00

with this little girl.

She is at the perfect age. She giggles and laughs and is so stink'n' cute! It has been so fun to be around her. I just can't get enough of her cute personality. Oh and when she laughs I love it!

I put up a few pictures because it is so much easier than emailing pictures to family. Seriously why can't you email lots of pictures at once.

And if you wonder who she looks like when she laughs wonder no more:)

Honey Run

2010-07-09T16:07:00.001-06:00

SO FUN!! Even though there was a little drama. I should have known there was going to be trouble when I slipped and fell into the blackberry bushes before I ever got into the water. But all the scratches were worth it because it was a great day.

Anyone who knows me knows I love my family. I just love hanging out with them. This was one of the best times we have had in a long time. Just floating the river and hanging out. We even talked about how missed our siblings that were not there (Anthony, Sam, Amanda, and Dan).

Aaron using the paddle with your sandals method.

Ben and Katie just chilling.

My self portrait. I had my underwater camera tied to the drawsting of my shorts so yea not so many pictures of me which is fine.

Caleb, after a crash. He crashed in the first two rapids and then figured out how to manage the tube and didn't crash again.

Ben just enjoying the water.

A few miles in I got my tube caught on a metal stake under a bridge. The result was this:

Hard to see but a ginormous hole in my tube it went completely flat in less then a second. And I had to ride through the rapids on my but and I swallowed tons of water because I was laughing so hard.

Aaron and I tried to double up on a tube but after a little while I was decided I would find an outlet and walk. So I did (had to jump a fence and cross someones property illegally) and 3 miles later I was at the cars.

My tube popping didn't even ruin all the fun we had. It was a great day. Caleb's tube popped closer to the end and he floated a ways on his bum but everyone was all smiles when we finished.

We ended the day with some scratches and sunburns but we had so much fun. Let's do it again next summer!

What Summer is All About?

2010-07-02T17:07:00.001-06:00

swimming

ice cream

relaxing

oh and did I mention swimming! Also biking but it is sooo hot in Oroville. I have to bike early or I am in trouble. I would also mention visiting friends but I didn't take any pictures last night. LAME!

Interesting Family Vacation

2010-06-28T23:11:00.000-06:00

In theory this was going to be a great vacation. And it started out great. All the Browns in town for a family vacation. We all went to Oroville 1st ward for Fathers Day (except Aaron he was home puking) and came home and had a great dinner before we headed to the coast Monday morning.

Camp was set-up in record time. Ben and Katie were in charge of dinner so some of us headed to the beach!

Monday night we hung out at the campfire. We laughed and reminisced and planned for the week. So fun and everyone was in a great mood.

To get the whole story you need to know Ben was sick a few days before, and then Aaron was sick right before. Well Tuesday morning came around and Dan, Nancy, Sam, and Amanda were all very sick. We are talking don't leave the tent unless they are running to the restroom sick.

This is what Dan looked at the entire day and he didn't even tell one joke the whole time.

Wednesday came and some were feeling better but now Caleb was also sick. Those of us feeling better went and played. My uncle Lou took me, my Dad, and Aaron fishing on the ocean. Pretty fun but short lived because Aaron and my Dad did not handle the motion too well. (more puking) And here starts my dads problems.

Wednesday night people are feeling much better and camp is much cheerier and a few of us even sneak away for ice cream.

Wednesday night we again had a lively campfire. Here are Katie and I. The two of us along with my Mom never got sick, and Olivia thankfully.

Thursday morning we packed up but my Dad was now quite sick. We jump in the car and head home. About an hour and a half into the ride my Dad tells Aaron to pull over because he needs to stretch. Aaron pulls over and my Dad throws up all blood and passes out. Poor Aaron (as my Mom put it was all alone in the truck with my Dad) acted quick and called 911.

Four day later, an ambulance ride later, a blood transfusion later, 4 units of plasma later, lots of games in the hospital later, lots of biking in willits later, lots of prayers and worry later my Mom, dad, and I made it back to Oroville. We teased my dad that he just wanted more attention but it was another reminder of how fragile his health is. When he gets sick he gets really sick! It was a long week and I am glad it is over.

I must say that the highlight of the entire trip was Olivia. She is just so cute and was the center of attention. Can't get enough of that cute face!

Now I am in Oroville until July 11th. What am I going to do? Call me if you are around that is a long time:)

More South Dakota

2010-06-18T01:25:00.000-06:00

South Dakota had all these little towns that were basically just there for tourism. We walked through two of them Hill City and Keystone.

Here is one more short of Harney Peak.

A front view of the Presidents

Independence Rock is also out there in the Wyoming vastness. It is now a rest area. It was nice to stretch the legs and read a little about the pioneers.

And I have never stood next to a covered wagon but this thing is huge. It was easy to see why people were killed if they got caught under the wheel.

And here I am in Wamsutter, Wyoming. My Dad owns some land there. He bought it way back before he was married. It was an investment. The only problem was that the town has not changed since he bought it way back when.

South Dakota was a gold rush state so there were also lots of little ghost towns and really old buildings. Always interesting to check out.

South Dakota

2010-06-18T00:48:00.001-06:00

Amber and I went to South Dakota for a few days. We did lots of driving, some hiking, some biking, and some sight seeing.

This is us in Muddy Gap, Wyoming. One thing we learned about Wyoming is that they don't like to pave any of the roads off of the highway. Just a little annoying.

Martin's cove is in the middle of Wyoming so we stopped because I had never been there. It was a somber place but you could really feel the spirit of those early pioneers. All the sacrifices they made are really hard to comprehend.

In Custer, South Dakota there is a Flinstones campground and theme park. I could not drive by without singing the Flinstones theme song. I know I must have been annoying but seriously how can you drive by this sign and not start singing.

Then there is of course the more obvious reason to visit South Dakota: Mount Rushmore.

We hiked Harney's Peak which is the highest peak in South Dakota. We took the path less traveled and it almost killed us.

After we got back to the main road and still had 7 miles to go to our car we hitched a ride with a family from Utah. It was really quite funny. I was wearing a backpack that had a Utah slogan on it and this girl yells out of the window asking if I am from Utah. I tell her yes and Amber asks if they have room for us. They didn't but they made room. We had already hiked a little over 13 miles so we were very grateful we didn't have to walk 7 more miles to the car.

South Dakota really was beautiful. I am not sure what I was expecting but it was so green and there were tons of little lakes. We went on a beautiful bike ride before heading back on Wednesday morning.

More pictures to come in a later post!

Blast From The Past

2010-06-17T09:07:00.001-06:00

I love jump roping. The passion I have for it began in elementary school. First it was just a single rope but by the time I finished 6th grade I loved to double dutch as well. I remember jumping at home with my Mom. We usually had to tie one rope to something because we could never get one of the boys to turn. Then when I was in high school I jump roped almost every night during the basketball off season because I was sure it would help me jump higher.

I still love jump rope. I love teaching it in school and I still love to do it. Especially double dutch. Last weekend there was a barbecue at my Aunt Loralie's house. All her grand kids were going to be there and so I brought two long ropes hoping we would have time to do a little jumping.

The kids LOVED it. By the end of the night they could all double dutch! But this activity was not limited to just the kids. The adults wanted in on the action as well. In fact eventually we gave the kids jump roping time outs so the adults could jump.

Heather

Sam

Katie

Amanda: Look at how high she is!

Me: Soccer jersey and moon boots, an awesome combination

We had so much fun. We jumped until it was dark and I must admit my calves were a little sore the next day.

280

2010-06-06T08:35:00.001-06:00

280- That is how many miles I biked last week. YEA for biking!! The crazy thing is that when I do RAGBRAI in July I will be biking almost double that in a week. WOW!

The culmination of my crazy riding week was the 100 mile Little Red Riding Hood Ride.

This ride is so great and the weather was perfect yesterday. Only a little wind after lunch, temperatures in the 70's. All great for biking lots of miles. It was up in Cache Valley, which is just so pretty. I love biking somewhere new.

The great thing about this ride is it is all women. 3000 women biking. It is inspiring to be biking along and just see women for miles ahead of you as well as miles behind you. AWESOME! Cyndee joined me for the ride as well (no picture because we both had nasty helmet hair and I decided I did not want that available for all to see.).

Here is my self-portrait at mile 87. Almost done. I was excited.

It really was a great ride yesterday. I thought I would have a hard time doing 100 miles because I had already biked so many miles throughout the week. But after the first 30 miles my legs warmed up and I was good to go.

Bear Lake

2010-05-31T20:37:00.001-06:00

This weekend was Shaanta's birthday and her Mom has a time share in Bear Lake and so we headed up there to celebrate for the long weekend. It was a little cold, but we still had lots of fun. I was able to bike in the mornings. It is always nice to have somewhere new to bike.

All these pictures are in no specific order and there are tons of them so here we go:
Emily trying out the kiddie swing

Shaanta was the crazy picture lady. We thought she must be getting tired of taking pictures of our faces so we gave her some new material:)

I tried out my under water camera for the first time.

Lots of sleeping and lots of eating on this trip. And when I say lots I mean LOTS!!!

I thought we were posing like the lady but apparently I was the only one that got the memo.

The water was so beautiful. This is on Sunday, which happened to be the nicest day.

We rented a surrey and peddled Shaanta around for her birthday.

The sail boats. I am not sure why I am putting this on but I like the picture.

The three of us on the Surrey. A little cramped but seriously so fun.

The KOA in Bear Lake is awesome. We stayed in a condo but I want to go back and tent camp because their KOA had so many activities. That is where we rented the Surrey. We made homemade ice cream for Shaanta's bday, shopped at the outlets and just relaxed. It was a great way to kick off summer break. Now to recover from all I ate.

It's Over

2010-05-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

School is over. Can you believe it? The year really did go by quite fast. I have to work a few days this summer (8 to be exact) I am planning on getting all my days done the first two weeks of summer so after that I can enjoy.

This is the first summer in three years I have not been in grad school. I am so excited. Lots of biking, hiking, and camping awaits. But first a weekend away to celebrate Memorial day.

just can't quite get enough of it

2010-05-23T13:05:00.001-06:00

Homemade ice cream!! I mean really how could you get enough. So I made the mistake of buying the coolest ice cream maker ever. It does not require ice or rock salt and it is so easy to use, emphasis on so easy to use. I just dream of all the flavors I want to try. I know it's a problem. So I try to wait until I at least have a good excuse before I make the next batch. To date I have made blackberry, fudgsicle, peach frozen yogurt, cherry pepsi slurpie, mint n' chip, strawberry, and oreo.

The great thing is that it can make slurpies, frozet yogurt, sorbet, as well as ice cream. It has many functions. It was cheap. It has a three year warranty.

Last night I made strawberry and oreo for the sisters I visit teach. I mean who would not want to come to my house to be visit taught if they knew there was homemade ice cream involved. I will pretty much come up with any excuse to make ice cream.

My favorites so far were the mint n chip, cherry pepsi slurpie, and strawberry. Here is to an amazing summer filled with lots of ice cream. (I better bike a lot).

The Weekend

2010-05-17T17:46:00.001-06:00

Friday I took a really long nap after work. For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to have a basketball camp after school all last week. While the camp was well attended and fun it just added to my end of the year stress and really wore me out. I will think twice before I do that next year. So when I got home at 6 I slept for 2 and 1/2 hours. Then I cleaned my entire house before going to my soccer game at 10:40. I am loving playing soccer but seriously they schedule games 24 hours a day. It is so crazy.

Saturday I just layed around all day trying to convince myself to bike. I really wanted to do a long ride but I was so lethargic. Finally at 1pm I made it out the door. I biked 68 miles and barely made it home in time to shower before heading up to Murray with Dan to attend Amanda's orchestra concert.

Dan, Sam, and I had lots of fun watching Amanda. Sam taught us all about orchestra etiquette which I am sure he never had any knowledge of whatsoever until he married Amanda. And I loved watching the 80 year old violinist. He was the cutest little man ever.

After we ended the night at Denny's with some dessert.

Amanda looked so nice in her concert dress.

Then on Sunday Erica called me up a few minutes before diner and invited me over. That was great because I hadn't seen her in forever. Jana and Ben came over and we all played some games and visited. Overall it was a great weekend and I just can't wait for two more weeks when everyday will be a weekend.