Goodbye Summer!

Dear Summer,

Wow...our time together is quickly coming to a close. By this time tomorrow I will be back in the swing of life and another school year. You (SUMMER) have been so good to me. We have enjoyed many fun vacations and lots of time with family and friends. Plus you have blessed me with your sunny rays and a nice tan!!! I will miss you, but will see you again in roughly 9 months. Thanks for the memories!

Goodbye!
Kristie

B TIME

We love when family comes to visit! My sister and her son were here for almost 2 weeks. It was so fun to have them here and to visit. For those of you who know about my cute nephew and his unique health situation, know that he is definately a miracle in our lives. It is so fun to watch him grow up.

Peach Supreme

Look what I've been doing the last two days! I'm actually suprisingly pround of myself. I canned 41 bottles of peaches and my neighbor canned 13 bottles. It's been a lot of work, but the sweet reward of a home canned peach is well worth it!

Setup!





Friends to Help!!



Reward!!!

Dear Summer,

Why have you been flying by so fast...you need to slow down just a little bit!

RECAP of Summer:
1st Week of summer - Went camping with Mark's family in Pine Valley
2nd Week of summer - Went to St. George to celebrate MARK's BIRTHDAY; nephew turning 12 & ordained to a deacon
3rd-5th week of summer - Worked half days at ATEC; worked in the garden (pics to come; deep cleaned (hasn't been done since we moved here 2 years ago); organized scrapbook stuff (need to start using it); and discovered the Lindon pool (love the lazy river); attempted to recover from a crazy 9 months of teaching (maybe too much, cause I have no motivation to get ready for next school year)
6th week of summer - Mom, Dad, Kelly and Brandon came Wednesday after the 4th. Dad and Mark went fishing, while us girls and Brandon explored Utah Valley and went to Mt. Pleasant for our cousins baby shower (so fun to see our extended family!)
7th Week of Summer - Worked 1/2 day at ATEC; Went with Kelly and Brandon to his yearly doctor appointments; explored the family history center with Mom and Aunt Cindy (That place is amazing and has instilled in me a desire to start researching my family history!); taking care of Brandon while Kelly and Sean go on a weekend vacation (Love the kid to death, but have a new appreciation for ALL that my sister does to care for him!)

Hoping that the rest of summer break will be as fun and full of adventures! Please be kind and bring me lots of sunshine and rest!

Sincerely,
Kristie

Family Photos

We've been enjoying our vacation thus far in WARMer weather! Here's a few pics from the last few days that I LOVE!
Happy Holidays!

King!

Here are cute pics of our friends baby, King! He was fascinated with the lights on the camera. One of my favorite shots is his eyes wide open staring at the light.

Fall is Here!

Fall is here and I'm loving every minute of it. Mark and I went on a drive through the canyon yesterday! We brought the camera, BUT forgot the memory card! So, no pics to share, but the colors were gorgeous.

The reason there was no memory card! Well...that's for the next post!

Neglected Blog

My blog has been quite neglected these days. Despite my best effort to post clever and witty updates about my fun-filled life, I never quite seem to transform the thoughts into words. Then, today as I was counseling a young girl in an IEP meeting to use her blog as a way to journal, the fire was rekindled and here I am pouring out my soul about my day!

So, in an effort to be a little more consistent, I shall catch you all up on our REALITY! It's been a crazy summer and hard to believe that school is back in session full swing! In a wild and adventurous (crazy) moment, I chose to move to the transition program and leave my cute little Jr. High classroom. While I miss the opportunity to teach daily, I have enjoyed the challenge of being in a new place and working with new people. I look forward to the day when there are not billions of messages on my phones, a lunch break without interruptions, and a chance to finish the mounds of paper that keeps piling up on my desk! Till then...I keep marching along enjoying the small moments that remind me why I LOVE my job! My favorite today was the joy a student got from pretending to be me talking into the walkie talkie...it was the highlight of her life!

Mark started a new job this fall also. He is working one-on-one with a student at the high school. Ironically, I had this student in my class last year! It's been a wonderful transition for the student and a great experience for Mark. He loves being at the High School.

Mark also started another semester at UVU. He's working his way through prerequisites, hoping to be able to apply to the radiology program next year. Our nights are filled with homework again! Though I'm much happier being the tutor and not the student!

Well...off to homework and chores!
:)
Kristie

Jackson, WY

Here are some pics from our recent trip to Jackson. It was a new experience for both of us. Thanks to our friends family, we were able to go rafting and enjoy a wagon ride/cookout. The trip was short, but on our way home we drove up through Yellowstone. It was fun to cross the Montana border and share mission stories with Mark! We are already planning our next trip. Hopefully next time we can go a little farther north and explore Montana.

IKEA Fun

Fun trip to IKEA. Kelly and Brandon came up for their annual trip to Primary Children's. Brandon and I had fun taking random pics! He's a hoot and had me cracking up most of the time!

Summer Time Fun

I LOVE summer! I love going on vacations, being outdoors, and enjoying the sunshine!

We went camping a couple of weeks ago to Otter Creek. The trip, as a whole, was a bit disasterous. BUT this experience (and accompanying picture) made it all worthwhile:

The austere police officer was on duty to make sure speeding travelers slowed down! Mark and I passed him on the way to Captial Reef. We were pretty surprised to see him in the same spot 5 hours later!

Budget cuts must be really hurting this small town! :)

Graduation 2009

I am HAPPY to announce that my Masters Program is over! We attended a graduation ceremony on May 2nd. A big thank you to all my friends and family who came to show their support! It was a very anticipated day! The past two years have been filled with many late nights and endless writing, but now it is all over! (Well...almost over! My last class ends July 2nd!)

I am so grateful for Mark and his love and support. He truly has been there to pick up the pieces when I didn't think that I could go on! I love you Mark!

Sad Times

Sad times have been hovering around us for the past week. Last Monday, my Mom called with news that my unlce (her youngest brother) had passed away. View obituary here:

http://www.legacy.com/SaltLakeTribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=125508941

Our love goes out to his wife and children. They have so much to deal with at this time. I hope they know and can feel the love that surrounds them.

Good Times

My mom came to visit this weekend! We went to Mt. Pleasant for a cousin's baby shower! It was so fun to have her here. Now, I am even more excited for Spring Break...I'm dying to see all my cute nieces and nephews!!!

Snow...Snow!

Snow, snow go away !

Come back another day! (PLEASE!)

We Las Vegasans living in Utah are struggling with all this coldness! A little warmth and sunshine would be nice!

Lazy Saturday!

The husband and I are enjoying a lazy Saturday together watching the Hallmark channel and doing HOMEWORK! The end of late night studying is in sight (at least for me!) I got my graduation robes and hood this week. Graduation is officially May 2nd! Very exciting!!!

Late Night or Early Morning?!?

Sleep has not claimed me yet tonight! Which has left me quite frustrated and looking for activities to keep me occupied. So...I've decided to tackle this blog! I'm determined to start making it look a little more cute!! How am I doing so far?

365 Day Challenge - Day 7

Winter is here!

365 Day Challenge - Day 6

Tonight we have been working on PLINKO boards. YES! We make Plinko boards for sell or trade! Check out a completed board that one of my student's mom used during Christmas time to motivate her kids to do some extra chores (http://positivelyorganic.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-plinko-style.html).

If you would like more information about how to obtain your own unique board, let us know!!!

365 Day Challenge - Day 5

While on our vacation to Vegas, Mark and my Dad went shooting. I'm not sure what he enjoys more...shooting the guns or cleaning them afterwards. Boys and their toys! Grin!!!