Dessert

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Sleeping in. I would love early church but since I don't have early church I love sleeping in. I should be more productive on Sunday mornings but I just can't bring myself to get up when it's the only day to sleep in. I'm a bit lazy.

#2- Enjoyable church meetings. I love going to church and love being nourished by the word of the gospel.

#3- Alisha and going to the 16th ward reunion. Catie a friend from my old ward had a little reunion so Alisha and I decided to go together. We didn't plan to stay long. Just long enough to say hello to a few friends and to see the Cliffords. It was wonderful to catch up for just a few minutes. Then Alisha and I left and visited in my car for a while before I headed home. It was great to catch up with my friend.

#4- Eating a piece of yummy dessert. I made this dessert to take some to Raegan for her July birthday treat. I made a little pan for us to eat as well. It's one of my favorites and very delicious.

#5 - My parents being married for 37 years. Today is my parents have been married for 37 years. So glad they made that decision so many years ago. I'm so thankful to have them as my parents.

Celebrating Kara

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Clean car. This morning the first thing on my list was to wash my car. I don't know why I wash it as soon as it's clean it seems like it gets dirty. What do you do? Wash it again I guess.

#2 - All caught up with Burn Notice so there's no more DVR mishaps. We finally got all caught up with Burn Notice. Now we'll just watch one a week until the season ends. I'm really glad we'll just be watching one a week now we were a little ridiculous watching three episodes in a row.

#3 - That I didn't die on my run - it was so hot. After the show ended it was about 10 and I decided to go for a little run. I didn't realize it was so hot I only ran about 4 and with 1 and a half miles to go I had to stop and cool off for a minute. This wasn't such a good idea because then I couldn't get going again. I was so happy when I got home and drank my chocolate milk.

#4- The temple. Usually I get to the temple before Saturday but this week was just too busy. I was glad I had time this afternoon to go to a session.

#5 Homemade Root beer. I decided I wanted to take homemade root beer to the ward party. This was quite the project because I had to go buy a cooler at Walmart and find a store that sold dry ice. Now that I have the cooler and know that Smith's sells dry ice the next time I decide to make this it won't be such a chore.

#6- Ward Party. Kerri and I went to the ward party. It was OK. The root beer was a bit of a flop because it was so hot that the dry ice melted way faster than I thought it would and it was really flat. Some people seemed to be enjoying it so I guess it wasn't a complete bust.

#6- Kara's birthday party. Kerri and I only stayed at the ward party for about an hour and then headed to Provo. Kara was having a 30th birthday party and Kerri agreed to come with me so I didn't have to go alone. I was glad she'd come because I hate standing around at parties by myself.

#7- Graham Canyon at the Creamery on Ninth. After we left Kara's party we headed over to the creamery for a little graham canyon ice cream. We bought waffle cones and Kerri bought a half gallon to enjoy later on this week. We got stuck in traffic on the way home and I'm not looking forward to driving home from Provo after all those football games. Traffic is no fun!

Red Mango

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Fridays! I have loved this week but I'm glad it's over. When I got to work this morning Raegan and I were pulling up at exactly the same time. I got out of my car and said, "I'm exhausted! I need a nap and the day hasn't even started!" She replied with she felt the same. I didn't realize how exhausting that picnic was until I felt like I was moving through tar this morning. Later on my way out for bus duty I tried to recruit the janitor to watch my class for a couple of hours while I took a nap in the teacher's lounge. I even told my principal Brian would be covering for me. They all laughed and I told them I was serious. Good thing I perked up as soon as my kids came in and it was time to start the school day. I was still so happy it was Friday and a short day. Even though the afternoon after the kids leave is filled with meetings. I'm looking forward to some rest the next couple of days.

#2 - Yummy dinner. Tricia, Preston, and I went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill. It was a funny experience because we felt like as soon as we were just getting our salad they were ready to take them from us and give us our main dish. It was the fastest dinning experience ever.

#3- Red Mango frozen yogurt. I love this place! Tricia and I got some to bring home and eat later. We decided to crumble some grahams on top and it just might be the best thing I've tasted in a while. So yummy. We then got all caught up with our episodes of Burn Notice.

A Picnic in the Park

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A good quick day at work. I can't believe the first week is almost over!

#2- After school Raegan and I headed to the store to grab some ice. She went over to the snow shack to buy us each a shaved ice while I bought several bags of ice. It was pretty hot day and I was so happy to have a cool treat. Especially since a shaved ice is my favorite summer treat.

#3 - Start of the year picnic. This was a great experience. I love meeting with the families of the students in my class. I love to visit with parents and put faces to names. I love see my students interact with one another. I love the chance to be somewhere in a less structured environment to get to know the families I'll be working with this year. It is the best thing that I do all year. The parents that come support me the rest of the year and it's worth the little work that it takes to put it all together. It was fun this year to have it with our buddy class and to have Raegan to help me with everything. Definitely the best one yet! When I got home I was exhausted. I sat down to unwind and watched a little T.V. and then headed to bed.

A Bucket of Cookies

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Kerri who let me borrow her camera so I could take great pictures of my kids. I took really cute pictures of each of my students today in the outdoor classroom. I'll print them out 5x7 to put in the black frames all around my house. I'm pretty excited about them.

 #2 - The beginnings of something good and big. Today we met our buddies and began our Images project. We're going to have a great year filled with a lot of hard work but a lot of fun too.

#3 - Costco with Raegan, Sweet Tooth Fairy, and home to make cookies for our picnic. After school Raegan and I headed to Costco to pick up stuff for our start of the year picnic tomorrow. On our way I stopped at Sweet Tooth Fairy and introduced this lovely store to Raegan. You walk in and the smell is just so delicious. I love it! When I got home from the store I went to work on making a bunch of cookies. We've got several parents bringing dessert and I hope these cookies will be enough. While the cookies were baking I watched part of Invictus with Tricia before it was time to head to bed.

First Day of School

Today I'm thankful for: #1- 30 students whom I'm SO excited to get to know. This year I'll be teaching the biggest group of students that I ever have. Before this year my biggest group was 27 so it'll be an experience this year. I think I've got a really great group of kids and I'm sure we're going to have a really great year. Today on the first day of school I took a picture with my best school friend. We have a pretty great time teaching at Riverton together.
#2 Taco Tuesday - College food definitely a weird mix of food it was fun but very different. Kerri and I decided to go to Taco Tuesday tonight. Preston came with us and we had a good time visiting at Josh's house. Kerri took bagels and cream cheese and I took pigs in a blanket. There was also mac and cheese, cheese quesadillas, and several different frozen pizzas. Good to know we all ate so healthy when we were away at school.
#3- Quick visit from my parents and a mom who'll finish my sewing projects I start. My parents were in town just for the evening and they stopped by to say hi. By this point in my day I was exhausted. The first day of school probably makes me more tired than any other day of the year. So mom and dad didn't stay long. I sent mom home with a couple of sewing projects that I've started and I'm pretty sure I won't get finished anytime soon. So I decided to let her finish them for me. Such a sweet lady. I love her so much!

Volunteering

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Service. This morning our household was up at 4 a.m. to go and serve others. Our ward was given two water stations to man at the Deseret News Marathon. We had stations at mile 5 and 7 which means we had to be at our station before the race starts at 5 so we're ready for the first runners. We had a great time. It sounds odd but it's a great way to spend an early holiday morning. 

#2 - Finally finished. Or at least finished enough. I went into work for a couple of hours and now everything is ready enough for students tomorrow. I should probably say it's as good as it needs to be. It's such a job to get ready for a new group of kids. 

#3- New school clothes and feeling pretty. On my way home I stopped at a couple of stores and miraculously found some things that I actually wanted to buy. Now I have some cute new clothes to wear the first few days of school. Then I headed to the mall to have a pedicure and manicure. I decided that this would be the perfect way to start a new school year. I love having my nails done. What is it about having your nails painted that makes you feel a little prettier and more like a girl. 

#4- A priesthood blessing. I asked Josh my home teacher to come over and give me a priesthood blessing for the start of the school year. I love priesthood blessings. I love the peace and comfort that enters my soul when hands are laid on my head. I love the power that fills my life with extra strength in areas that I'll need help in in the upcoming months. I'm so thankful for the priesthood power that blesses my life. 

#5- Finding. For home evening we went out to people in our ward and invited them to come to the ward picnic on Saturday. Only one person on Tricia and I's list was home but it was fun to be out finding where people live. 

#6- After home evening I should have come home and gone to bed but I hadn't seen professional fireworks the whole month of July so Tricia and I went downtown and watched several firework shows from the roof of Preston's building with him. It was fun because you could see the whole valley and see the ones being set off from the Bee's game, from Liberty Park, and a bunch of other private ones.

Family Histories

Today to I'm thankful for: #1- Church centered around the legacy of the pioneers. I love the 24th of July in Utah. I love to hear the stories of the early saints. It helps me to remember that I'm so blessed because of the sacrifices of others. I'm so thankful for them. 

#2- A lovely dinner. Sundays are favorite days on so many levels and I'm starting to feel like Tricia's family are becoming my family too. It's nice to be with family on a Sunday even if they're an adopted family. 

#3- Family histories. Each July 24th I try to read some of my own family histories. Sometime I read about my pioneer ancestors and sometimes I read about ancestors that I knew in my lifetime. Today I pulled out my grandma Clark's parents and their descendants family history book. This is something I don't do often because reading my grandma's words makes me cry and I miss her. I'm thankful she wrote  about her life, her testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and her love for her family. I couldn't be who am I without having known her, felt her love, and her faith. I'm so thankful for who she was during this life and who she still helps me to become. 

Crafts

Today I am thankful for: #1- The nice run that Kerri and I enjoyed this morning. This race is getting closer. We've got a little less than a month to train and then it'll be here. This means each Saturday we need to do longer runs. I'm not sure how excited I am for those.
#2- Working on these letters. Kerri helped me with this little crafting project. She cute out most of the scrapbook paper that I put on them. Some of them are just painted and some have glitter. Raegan has some of these that say School. I decided that they'd be a perfect addition to my classroom. I decided I wanted three words and Raegan helped me decide on Explore, Discover, Create. I worked on most of them this morning and then left them to dry until later today.
#3- Getting more things finished at work. I went into work for a few hours. I brought home a bunch of lamination to cut out and now my whole first week is planned.
#4- A little barbecue with friends. We grill chicken tonight and a bunch of friends came over for dinner. After they left I finished all my letters and am so excited to put them up in my classroom.

Found It!

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Getting a lot finished. My room is coming together and I've got everything copied for Tuesday. We met together as a team today and got quite a few things planned out as well. I just need to hang up all my photo frames and a few posters and I'll be ready to go. On my way home I stopped by Walmart and picked up a few things as well as a scrapbook paper store to get paper for these wood letters that I am making. Then I headed to Preston's to meet him for dinner. 

#2- Dinner and a movie with Preston. We decided to get take out from P.F. Changs. I loved what I ordered and we had a great dinner eating on top of the roof at Preston's. It is a pretty spectacular view of the whole valley. Then we decided to go and see Soul Surfer at the dollar theater. Preston had seen it a couple of times and really enjoyed it. We'd been talking about seeing it but hadn't found a good time to go. It was a good show and really quite inspiring. 

#3- When the movie was through Preston realized that he didn't have his pen in his pocket. I thought I'm not sure what the big deal is. He went back into the theater to look for it but it wasn't there. He was getting pretty sad that he couldn't find it. On the way back to the car he explained to me that it had been a gift for on of his graduations and that it was a space pen. One that could really write in space if he ever made that journey. He also told me he's afraid of loosing it so he rarely takes it out of his apartment. Imagine my relief when we got into the car and he found it between the seat and the console. It'd fallen out of his pocket before we went into the theater. He was so excited about it this photo had to be my picture of the day. 

Work... Work... and More Work...

Today I'm thankful: #1- that I decided to sleep in a couple of hours. I was exhausted.
#2- For the start of a brand new year. I love the idea of a brand new year of school. I love meeting new parents, new students, and preparing my room for the year we'll have. I like the feeling of it becoming a whole new world for my new students to enjoy. I'm excited to get to know them. I've also been working hard to update some things around my room. Tonight's focus was getting posters and my tote tray labels updated.
#3- For good friends who make life better just by being them. I'm blessed with wonderful friends. I can't say it enough times and I'm so happy to have them in my life.

Snow Cone

Today I'm thankful: #1- that I work at Riverton Elementary and have the blessing and opportunity to work with amazing people. I love my team, teachers from other grades that I get to work on committees with, the office staff, and a great principal who appreciates all the teachers that work at our school.
#2 - For a chance to be in my classroom and get the first days of school all figured out. I'm excited to meet my kids and get started on another wonderful year.
#3-For the yummy snow cone I treated myself to after running errands on my way home. I got home around 8. I had just enough energy to finish a couple of projects so they're ready to go tomorrow - I spray painted 18 frames and put together some letters to go in a frame that I'm going to hang in my classroom. I should have gotten to bed earlier because I was up at 5:15 and ran 4 miles before my day ever really started and tomorrow I need to be up and work out again. As usual though it's way too late. I've got to work on the whole early to bed early to rise thing.

Blog Updates

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Not having to go into work but going in anyway. There is always so much to do before school starts even though I don't get paid for working extra I'm to glad to have extra time to get some things finished. 

#2- A few new things for my classroom. I've decided to work on adding a few new decorations to my room. I'm excited about adding just a few things that will make it feel less bare. I'm so not a "cutesy" teacher but I do need to work on having not so bare walls. I don't want a tone but I need to have a little bit more. 

#3- Blogs. When I checked blogs today both Liz and Annie had updated and I was excited to see pictures of the girls and hear about the cute things they are up to. 

Shopping

Today I'm thankful for: #1- A fun day out with a friend. Raegan and I went out to lunch and then shopping. We were on a mission to find new clothes to wear the first week of school. A benefit of being a school teacher is you still get to go school shopping. Even though I sort of despise shopping it's always so much more enjoyable with a friend. We had a wonderful time visiting about everything in life. I'd hate to think what life would be like without friends. Unfortunately, we really didn't find anything. I bought a couple of things but they are not "first day" appropriate. So I'll have to go to the mall again and keep looking.
 #2- Home evening. Everyone made homemade ice cream in their own ziplock bag. Tricia and I passed but we enjoyed watching everyone else mush their bags and visiting while their liquid turned solid.
#3- Women's World Cup Final. I spent most of my evening watching the USA play Japan in the World Cup. It was a good game but Japan ended up winning in an overtime shootout. Sad way to end a very well played game by the USA.

At the end of the day

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - the chance to sleep in. I should just get to sleep earlier and then I wouldn't feel like I wanted to sleep the entire morning away.
#2 - My membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm so thankful for my faith. For my love of my Savior and for the blessings he has given to me in my life today our Sacrament meeting focused on the temple and I was so thankful for the opportunity that I have to attend the temple on a regular basis. I'm thankful for the covenants I have made there and they way those covenants help me to do good in my life.
#3- Dinner at Preston's parents house. Preston's mom made us yummy lasagna for dinner and I thought about what a blessing it is to have wonderful people invite you into their home and share a meal with them.
#4- the end of the day and the beginning of a brand new week tomorrow. It'll be busy but a good one I'm sure.

Helping a Friend

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Kerri moving in. I'm so excited to have Kerri as our new roommate. I'll miss Haley but she's moving onto bigger and better things so I'm happy to have a another great friend living across the hall. Tricia and I headed over to Kerri's old place and helped move a bunch of stuff. By late morning we were back at our place surrounded by boxes and eating pizza. 

#2- The afternoon to go through papers. Today I decided to go through my file box and shred a bunch of papers that I no longer need. It felt great to do a little more deep cleaning than I usually do. I'm also very excited about the couple of big bags I have in my car to take to D.I. 

#3- Helping a friend. Late afternoon Preston called me to see if I could come and pick him up to go buy a cane. He hurt his ankle today during a soccer game. I had a pretty great time. Not only was I helping a friend but it was really making my laugh to watch him driving a little cart around the store doing his shopping. We met Tricia and went to eat at Costa Vida for dinner. Then I washed and waxed my car while Preston went with Tricia to her soccer game. When they got back we went to watch Burn Notice but somehow the show was named wrong and the wrong episode was recorded so we won't be watching it for a while. We were a little bit frustrated to say the least. 

Haley and Brandon

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The beauty of the temple and a temple wedding. My sweet roommate married her best friend today. Tricia, Kerri, and I decided to go to a session before attending the wedding. They were married in the Bountiful temple and it was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful day. Every time I attend a temple wedding I think, "I need nothing more than this." I love the simplicity of the temple yet it couldn't be more perfect or more beautiful. The temple sealer gave them wonderful counsel and I thought to myself this really is what life is all about. Marriage is such a wonderful blessing. I'm so excited for Haley and Brandon and the start of their new life together. #2 - Pictures. After a few quick pictures at the temple we headed home to finish putting together the couples wedding video. We weren't home long before it was time to go to the wedding lunch we went to a Brazillian Barbecue place. Brandon served his mission in Brazil so it was a perfect choice. Tricia and I had never experienced this feast of meat so Kerri gave us advice on what was really good. #3- Kerri and I went to the reception together and it was very cute. There were tons of pin wheels and wheat grass which made the whole room feel like an backyard reception. I loved it. When I got home I moved the rest of my room from my old room into the new one. Preston and I watched a show in the middle of it and I finished really late. I'll be glad when I get it all organized and Kerri is all moved in as well.

The Last Harry Potter

Today I'm thankful for: #1- My last day at these classes. I'm so happy they're over. I'm pretty sure I could have learned everything in two days instead of the four I spent. #2 - Dinner at Chile's with Raegan. We've been looking forward to this day for months. We bought movie tickets to see an advanced showing of Harry Potter and were decided to meet to eat dinner. We had a great time catching up and visiting over dinner. #3 - Harry Potter. After dinner we drove over to the movie theater and met Kerri, Tricia, and Preston for the movie. I got the tickets from my friend Tori who helps organize this big early showing. We were pretty excited to get to watch it. I think we all really enjoyed the movie. It's kinda sad to know that there won't be any more coming out but really there are other great books to enjoy. I loved the books more than the movies. Although, I do enjoy the movies. I took Raegan back to her car and we ended up visiting way to late. I'm so happy to have her as a friend!

Canker Sores

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Lasting another day of Core Academy. I'm not loving this training. I'm not sure if it's really helping me to feel more prepared for the year. I guess we'll see how much I use what I'm learning. I just feel that they keep saying here's an activity but it's made for adults not kids. I'm just frustrated because I feel like why are we doing a bunch of things that you can't take back and use. I don't want to have to adapt everything. So I'm just glad another day is over. #2 - My mom who will listen to me complain. I have at least 6 horrible canker sores in my mouth. I started to get them several days ago and they usually don't last this long. They hurt so bad I don't want to eat and things really don't taste good. I'm ready for them to heal and I called my mom for some sympathy and of course she gave me exactly what I wanted. #3 Medicine. I also headed to Walgreens to pickup some medicine. Usually when I get a canker I can put an aspirin on them and they start to heal. No luck with these awful ones. So it was time to try every other nasty thing I've ever done to get rid of them. I bought buttermilk - I don't love the taste but I can drink it if I have to. At Walgreen's I bought some Gly-oxide. My mom used to put this stuff on my cankers when I was a little girl. I hated it. The taste was always so nasty. Yuck! Well - I'm glad to report that this stuff hasn't gotten better just because I'm older. It tasted just as I remembered it but by this time I was willing to try anything. Hopefully it'll help them to start to finally heal.

I Never Win - But Today I Did!

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A start on moving my bedroom. Since Haley has officially moved out I'm moving into her room so Kerri can move into the one I've been occupying for the last year and a half. It'll be good for me to go through clean and organize my junk. I think I need to donate a bunch to D.I. Today I got my bed moved. Hopefully I'll get the other big furniture moved tomorrow and the rest of it moved by the end of Friday night. #2 - A Relief Society meeting. More specifically a relief society meeting that I didn't have to help take charge for. We had a meeting where we all brought a bunch of different salads to share. I called Amanda and got her recipe for broccoli and cauliflower salad. Very yummy and a different salad than anyone else brought. They had a bunch of jars where we guessed how many of the candy was in the jar. I was pretty excited that my guess of 110 won me a jar filled with 119 sour gummy worms. I actually was more excited about the jar than I was about the candy. #3 - A vanilla cupcake from Sweet Toothfairy. Haley brought us (Kerri, Tricia, Preston, and I) each a cupcake to thank us for being wonderful friends and roommates. Mine was delicious and it made me very happy as I ate it and watched White Collar with Preston and Tricia. It was a lovely evening.

Our own little Home Evening

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The chance to learn more about the math core I'll be implementing this next year. I will spend the next four days in class with other teachers doing math problems and discussing problems similar to ones I'll have my students do. The new core requires students to explain their thinking as well as draw models which is really exciting but is going to be a challenge. #2 - Homemade granola bars. Tricia's sister Paige told us about her friends blog and I decided to try these granola bars. They are delicious and I'm excited to try some other new recipes. #3 -Home evening by ourselves. Kerri, Tricia, and I drove downtown to meet our ward for Home Evening. We were supposed to hike Ensign Peak but when we got there we texted Brett and discovered since the weather didn't look good they had decided to stay at the church and do something else. Since we were already downtown we decided to visit Temple Square. We sat in front of the Christus and talked about our Sunday School lessons yesterday that were on the Atonement. We're also pretty excited because Kerri is moving in on Saturday. Haley moved out today and we'll miss her but we're excited for her to get married and excited to have Kerri as a new roommate. #4 - A visit to Preston. We ended our evening watching Harry Potter #5 at Preston's - I slept through most of it. But it was fun to hang out even if I didn't stay awake the whole time.

Just a Good Day

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The blessing of studying and teaching about the Atonement. The lesson I taught today covered lessons about the Atonement. What I really enjoyed about this lesson was it began by discussing what we can learn about how to face trials by studying the Atonement. I had never thought about it this way. As a class we discuss 4 things - Prayer: The Savior counseled His apostles to pray so that they didn't enter into temptation. We need to pray to keep ourselves safe as well. - Submitting our wills to the Lord's will: It's important in life to remember and always strive to do the Lord's will. We discussed how the Lord knows all and because He knows all He can give us so much more than we ever dreamed. He knows our full potential and if we submit to His will we will reach that potential. "Watch" with me: When the Savior is in Gethsemane He asks Peter, James, and John to watch with him. Watch means to stay awake. We discussed how we need to be awake in the gospel but often we are found sleeping not so much literally but figuratively. We need to be awake and active in the gospel. Not sleeping floating through life. Lastly - The Lord sends us strength to meet our challenges: In the Garden of Gethsemane The Savior is visited by and angel who strengthens Him. In our lives when we submit to the Lord's will he send us strength in a variety of ways. This is a great comfort. The rest of the lesson we discussed why we need the Atonement. The first half was fascinating to me because I had never thought to think about how the story of the Atonement could strengthen me by following the Savior's example to pray, submit my will to the Lord's, watch, and have faith that the Lord will always strengthen me when I need it the most. #2 - Sunday dinner with my second family. Tricia, Kerri, and I drove down to Sunday dinner and I have to say that sometimes it's hard to be away from family right after you've spent so much time with the ones you love. I'm so thankful that Tricia's my roommate and allows me to be a part of her family dinners. It makes being separated from my family so much easier. #3 - A nice conversation with Jonathan on the phone. Funny that we just spent a week with each other but we still can talk for 40 minutes on the phone. #4 - The beautiful rainbow that painted the eastern sky after the rainstorm today. #5 - Kerri's help with a video project for Haley's wedding. We're having fun making it and it'll be fun to show Haley the finished project. #6 - Just a good day that makes me very happy at the end of it. I am so blessed!

Sending the Girls Off

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A Saturday to just be home. After being gone for over a week I was so happy to wake up in my own bed and just be home. #2 - Emme feeling good enough to get back in the car so they could get home to their own beds. Liz and I had plans to hang out for the weekend. But with a sick little one she just wanted to be home. By mid afternoon Emme was acting like she was feeling much better so they all loaded in the car and headed home. #3 - An evening with friends. Tricia, Preston, and I hung out for the evening and I was happy to be to have the evening to be home and to enjoy it with friends.

Grandpa Oldham

Today I'm thankful for: #1- The love I will always feel for my grandma Clark. This morning Liz and I met my mom at Aunt Shellie's house to pick a few more treasures of my grandma Clark's. Yesterday they finished going through what is left from Grandpa's house. While I'm happy for a few more keepsakes it all makes me miss grandma again. I'm pretty sure that even when I'm 80 they'll be days where I stop and think, "I miss my grandma today." I'm so thankful for love that'll always exist. And I'm thankful that I know that I'll see my grandma again someday. #2- A trip to the Storage unit and my mom willing to finish my quilt. We stopped at our storage unit in Rexburg and I found a quilt top that my mom is going to quilt for me. I'm pretty excited about it. More that she'll do all that work as well as me having a treasure she made. #3- Artco. We stopped at Artco and I bought a whole box of great stationary. I now have enough to give to my students to write thank you as well plenty for myself. #4- Pizza and the Carousel. It was about lunch time so we decided that we'd grab a couple of pizzas and eat them at the park while we rode the carousel a couple of times.  #5- Stopping by to see my Grandpa who is just three years from living a century and still lives comfortably by himself. Liz, Emme, and I went over to grandpa Oldham's to say hello before we headed out of town. I can't believe my grandpa is 97 years old, still drives on occasion, and still lives by himself. It's always nice to see him. Although he is a tough one to make conversation with. #6- A quick visit with Nikkie. I convinced Emme to ride to Utah with me. We stopped at Nikkie's for a quick visit. I felt bad that I'd been in Idaho for a week and hadn't had more time to spend with her. I need to make a trip up just to see her sometime soon. I just love this dear friend of mine and visiting with her reminds me of how lucky I am to have her as my friend. We sat and talked and then when Tommy got home we went to Wendy's and grabbed some dinner before I needed to be on my way. #7- Getting sweet Emme home after she threw up in my car just outside of Blackfoot. Poor thing! We were just outside of Blackfoot and Emme said she wasn't feeling good. I was pulling off at a rest stop when she throw up. She got most of it in the bad I'd tossed to her but she also got it on the ipad and on her pants. She said, "I made your new car stink and got on the ipad." It about broke my heart. I assured her that I was more worried about how she was feeling than the car stinking and the ipad would be just fine to. We got everything cleaned up and then got on our way again. We stopped in Pocatello to get her a sprite and then I fixed her a comfy spot where she could sort of lay down. She was fast a sleep soon and I hurried home as fast as I could. As soon as I got her home she threw up again and I was happy she had her mom there to comfort her. When she say Liz she said, "I shouldn't have gone with Aunt Ollie, I should have gone with you!" It about broke my heart. When your sick nothing can replace your mom.

Dinner with Grandpa

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - that goodbyes are really not goodbye - ever because families are Eternal. This morning I got up early and went into my parents house to say goodbye to Jonathan and Annie and the girls. Having the fun of all the family together over is never easy. But I'm thankful that goodbye is never permanent because we'll see each other again soon. Bethany also left this morning and again as hard as goodbyes are it's good to know we'll all see each other again. #2 - Completely free of my old car. Sorta sad to say so long it was a wonderful car for the last 7 years. We've been many places and traveled many miles. It's weird to feel like you're getting rid of an old friend. I cleaned everything out of my old car so it was ready to be left with Uncle Frank who bought it from me. The more I drive my new car the happier I am with it. I'm excited to be making a new friend. #3 - Box to Marianna. We put a bunch of stuff together in a box to send off to Marianna. We put odds and ends of stuff and hopefully it will make it there for her to enjoy on her first day in California. #4 - Dinner with my Grandpa. We headed to Rexburg around 6 to stay the night with grandpa. He met us for dinner. I just love spending time with my grandpa and was happy that we got to spend the evening with him before we all headed home. #5 - visiting with family - I love being with them. After we got through with dinner, mom, dad, and Aunt Lexie met us at grandpa's to visit. It's always fun to just visit even if you've spent the last week with each other.

Yellowstone and the biggest caravan yet

Today I'm thankful for: #1- More family time. This is probably my favorite family activity to do. I love the summer family tradition. We all meet early at Uncle Frank's. Then loaded into 7 different cars. My favorite was all the little kids finding seats in cars next to their cousin friends. Gracee was with Kolby. Porter and Max found their way into Jonathan's car with Lilly. It makes me happy. I just hope they remember this family fun. #2 -A grandpa who has given all of us a love of the beauty of Yellowstone. This family trip is not going to be the same when grandpa is no longer able to make it with us. He has shared his love of Yellowstone with all of us. He rode up with Jed and Amanda and Amanda said, "It's so neat to hear him tell his stories." And it's true. There is something so wonderful to hear him tell all his stories of Yellowstone. He's seen it change quite a bit over his life time - from hundred of bears coming down to the open garbage pit to feed to helping fight the big fire of 1988. My grandpa is a pretty neat guy. #3- Memories that will last forever. This is how life should be. We should be constantly making memories that will not just last in this life but through Eternity. I think this is why this tradition has become one of my favorites. Every year we add a layer onto my memories of the park and my love of family. #4- $5 matching t-shirts. About three years ago we discovered that every Wednesday Yellowstone has park costumer appreciation day and sells $5 t-shirts. We made everyone in our group buy one and put one on for our traditional picture outside of Old Faithful lodge. We planned this trip on Wednesday for the precise purpose of everyone buying shirts. This group shot is my favorite so far. Not only did we have a record 7 cars caravanning but we had the most grandchildren and great-grandchildren of my grandpa with us. This I think is what life is all about - loving families bound together forever. #5- Watching Old Faithful and eating lunch. This year we made it to Old Faithful before eating lunch we quickly took our cool group shot and then pulled up a couple of tree trunks and settled in to eat lunch. Between all of us we had quite the feast and we sat and watched Old Faithful go off for the second time since we got there. #6- A hike and seeing more geysers. After lunch Jed and Amanda, Bethany and Terry, and Aunt Debra and Grandpa all headed home. The rest of us decided that we'd explore some of the trails around Old Faithful. We had a great time walking to some cool different geysers and seeing some very pretty pools. The only bad thing about this was the horrible heat. It got a little too warm for my taste by the time it all ended. #6- Ice cream in the lodge and watching Old Faithful a third time. As soon as we got back I had told Lilly I'd buy her an ice cream so we got in line and to get us some. Soon the rest of the family was back and everyone was getting some delicious ice cream. While we sat in the lodge cooling off Old Faithful went off for a third time since we arrived. #7 - Smooshing pennies with the girls. I smooshed several pennies with Lilly, Gracee, Emme, and Lucie. Pretty cheap entertainment and they were so excited about them. I'm sure they'll be lost before they can make it home but it was fun anyway. #8 - Eating dinner before starting out on the lower loop. By the time we'd done all this we were hungry again. So we found some benches and started to enjoy more sandwiches. The kids played tag and we all enjoyed visiting. Then we started out on the lower loop. It was about 7 by this time. Usually we leave Old Faithful by 2 so we were later but there was no way I wasn't driving the whole loop. Everyone agreed to set off even if it meant getting home really late. #9 - Watching Old Faithful for a record 4 times in one day. As we drove away Old Faithful erupted again. This was a record for our family because we usually watch it once and then head off on our way. Definitely one for the memory books. #10 Fun chats with Kera in the car. Since Aunt Debra headed home early Kera climbed in with Ruffin, Liz, and I. I just love this cousin of mine. She's growing into such a beautiful women. She told us a big secret that she's will be submitting her mission papers on Sunday. Which was a surprise to me because I had no idea that she was even considering it. We'd had a talk about missions back in April and she said she didn't think a mission was for her. So this makes me so happy for her. She's going to do great and will love it! #11 - A snow ball fight on the Continental Divide. We stopped just as we crossed the Continental Divide and jumped out of the car to play in the snow. We didn't play long because the mosquitoes were awful. We had a great time throwing snowballs at each other. #12 Getting separated from each other but finding each other again. Jonathan gave me a walkie- talkie as we left home this morning and we had fun talking back and forth on them all day. Then through Hayden Valley we got separated and couldn't get connected again for quite a while. We couldn't see my favorite falls of Yellowstone so we just kept driving. That was ok because it was getting late. We got to see plenty of buffalo and the rivers were all running really high because of all the snow this year. And of course there was Yellowstone lake which I just love to see. It was a wonderful day. We were all very tired but it was definitely worth the fun day.

Watermelon and Pizza

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Breakfast. I love breakfast when I'm camping. This is probably due to the fact that we usually eat pancakes, muffins, bacon, eggs, hash browns. Who wouldn't love a breakfast like this? #2 - Packing up camp went quickly. This is probably my least favorite part about camping. I hate getting everything aired out and rolled up and crammed back into my car. I was happy it went quickly. #3 - I love eating watermelon while camping. It doesn't matter if it gets all over my face and I can spit the seeds on the ground. I also love that we put it in the river to make it nice and cold. We all enjoyed pieces of a nice cold watermelon. It's great to have to get rid of something delicious on the last day.  #4 - Floating the River a few last times. I just love this mostly because it was the adults who wanted to float one more time - not the little kids. It's actually pretty hilarious because here are 6 adults talking little kids into floating when it is usually the other way around. It's all because it reminds us of our childhood. We love it because it reminds us of all those hot summer days we floated down the icy river.  #4 - Pizza at 5-11 Main with a whole lot of family. I LOVE it! I love that my extended family loves to be together. Grandpa took us all for pizza we totaled about 20 and after being camping and in the cold river pizza tasted SO good. Sometimes like this I wish experiences could be bottled and I could open them up and enjoy them again when I need them in the future. I guess a picture will have to suffice. #5 - Washing my car. Knowing that there were crusty bugs on the bumper were killing me. Since I'd driven up at night I had so many nasty bugs on my car and with it being new it was driving me crazy. I was happy I could wash it at Uncle Frank's house. #6 - Cake, ice cream, and fireworks. Max's birthday was today and we enjoyed a little party out to Frank and Barbara's. Emme sat on my lab as we watched the fireworks and as each one went off she'd say, "Happy Birthday Max!" It was pretty cute.  #7 - Staying up late playing games with Liz, Bethany, and Terry. We played one round of Farkle. Then it was getting late and even though we were having a wonderful time we decided that we better head to bed. Such a fun day.

Independence DAY!

Today Independence Day I'm thankful for so many things!: 

#1 - A very cool 4th of July parade. I know that I'm a little bias but my little hometown of Ashton, Idaho has the best 4th of July parade in the whole entire U.S. of A. It begins with a very cool fly over, they pass out little cartons of chocolate milk, half of the parade consist of my relatives or people I used to babysit, all the little kids collect huge bags of candy, and it all only last a half hour. That last reason is my favorite - needless to say attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is not on my list of things to do before I die. My Ashton parade on the 4th though - I'd never pass it up.

#2 - This little sweetheart. I just love her. I also love that Liz got in the back of the picture. We were all having a great time at the parade. And I love these two other equally as sweet little girls who had the perfect seats on their daddy's shoulders. 

#3 - Fun at the city park. After the parade we headed over to the city park where there is always a little festivities going on. We found Uncle Mat and bought a hamburger for lunch. Uncle Mat and 1st ward scouts always sell hamburgers. I'm always very happy to eat one for lunch. 

#4 - Next we headed out to David's house to ride the war wagon. My mom's cousin David trains horses and is always so nice to let the kids come and ride. He also hitches two up to a wagon that has a couple of hay bales on it and we all pile on and go for a ride. I'm not going to lie sometimes we come down off the hill and in your head you're planning how you'd get out of the way if it was toppling over. This plan also includes how you'd save the small children that are holding onto you for dear life. We're probably never in real danger but it is call the war wagon and it does have the possibility of being dangerous.  

#5 - Root beer floats at the Frostop. There is just something about a root beer float on a hot July day out of a chilled mug. Kolby and I couldn't get enough! We had quite the crowd and had lots of fun! 

Max and Emme waiting for ice cream. 

Liddy, Mary, Kera, and Porter

Max and I. Max loves to have his picture taken even though he's not looking at the camera in this shot. 

Kera loved her float. 

This little one is pretty excited! A little ice cream always does a kid good. 

Max loving him a little chocolate. 

#5 - After ice cream we headed to Warm River were we decided that we needed to get wet and float the river. It doesn't matter how hot the afternoon is but that water is always so cold I have to scream when I get in. I'm pretty sure I've screamed every time I've first gotten in for the summer since I was a little girl. Today Jonathan laughed and said, “Every year it never gets any warmer. That first shock is always the worst.” It's so true every year somehow you think it'd get a bit warmer but nope, Warm river has nothing warm about it.  

 

#6 - A family picture with our cool Clark reunion t-shirts. My family is a lot of fun. I just love them. I love that we love to be together and I love my sweet grandpa who is always in the center of it all. I just love knowing that my family is mine forever! 

#7 - Tonight my family was in charge of dinner and we ate some yummy tacos. I was in charge of cooking tortillas. It all was very delicious. 

#8 - Campfires and making more memories. I never quite get enough of just sitting around the fire and telling the same old stories. We like to talk about life, share memories of my grandma, and tell family secrets that can never be retold unless it's next year and we're around the campfire again. I've learned many an interesting tidbit about family members from stories told around the fire. 

#9 - Having Max and Kolby spend the night. I asked Amanda if her and Jed's boys could sleep spend the night up with us. They're so sweet and I was glad they got to spend one night with all of us. Amanda tucked them in before she left - gave them hugs, kisses, and told them how much she loved them. I thought in my head, "I want to be just like Amanda some day. She's such an amazing mom and person. I'm lucky to know her. 

I LOVE this man!

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Being Clean. We woke up and headed into town to get presentable for church. Sam and Mary were out of town and were nice enough to let us shower at their house. Us being Liz's family and myself. We met the rest of my family and went to church with my mom. I love camping but I love a good shower when I've been away from modern conveniences for a couple of days.  #2 - My father's testimony. Today was fast Sunday and my dad stood and bore his testimony. One thing that stuck out in my mind was him saying how grateful he is for the mothers in his life. He named his own mom, my mom's mom, his mission president's wife, and lastly expressed gratitude for the mothers of his grandchildren. I thought that was sweet. My dad sure loves all those little ones and it warms my heart! And I'm thankful for their moms too.  #3 - Grandpa Clark and his life experiences. I tell you what! I sure love this grandpa of mine. He is one of life's sweetest blessings for me. We were visiting about past stories and I had him tell me the story again of him presiding over a Sacrament meeting in Island Park when Joseph Fielding Smith was the visiting authority. He said it was back when they called seventy differently than they do know. (They used to call men and ordain them to an office of seventy and then they served in that capacity in their local stake. Now men are called as seventy and they go out and serve in various areas in the world.) Grandpa said they had known Joseph Fielding Smith would be their speaker and had tried to keep it quiet. But as it always is word got out and their were a lot of people in attendance. He was sitting next to Elder Smith and started to get nervous that passing the Sacrament to that many people would take up too much time and that he wouldn't have enough time to give the message he'd prepared. At this point Elder Smith leaned over and said, "Brother Clark, if all we get done today is administering the Sacrament we will have done the most important part." I've always liked this story and it's helped me to remember that renewing my covenants on Sunday at the Sacrament table is the most important thing I do all day or even all week. It is a blessing to reaffirm that I will stand as a witness of Christ no matter where I might be or whoever I might be with. #4 - Yummy campfire cooking. Uncle Frank cooked us up a delicious Sunday dinner. Mashed potatoes and roast ALways taste better to me in Idaho - call me crazy. #5 - Fun and games. A bunch of us played Bonanza which we'll have to pull out again when we're at someone's home and all the little children get tucked into bed. We had fun but there were way too many distractions.  We also enjoyed a trip to feed the fish. Definately a must if you're camping at warm river. I think the fish have tripled in size since I was little and it's pretty cool to watch them jump out of the water. #6 - Cleaning up camp. Jonathan decided we were camping like pigs and started doing some cleaning. We weren't too happy with Uncle Frank and his 5 lbs of sixlets that I'm pretty sure we swept up a half a pound. Little round candy don't sweep up too well. Liz and I had fun cleaning with Jonathan. He makes us laugh. It feels so go to be home with family!

Camping Art

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - tent sleeping. I love sleeping in a tent. I'm weird I know. I love the hard ground, the smell of camping, and waking up with a slightly cold nose and the rest of my body warm in the cocoon of my sleeping bag. #2 - No where to go and just enjoying time together. We had no other plans for today other than enjoying Warm River together. The "locals" came and went but my immediate family and Aunt Lexie's family enjoyed the day with one another, with nowhere to go but to just be at Warm River. We enjoyed ham and cheese quesadilla for lunch among a variety of other things that we pulled out of coolers. Annie and I talked about going for a run but that never happened and before we knew it it was way too hot. I pulled out some art supplies that I had brought and all the little kids loved painting with marbles and the new water colors where also a hit. I loved their little drawings. Liz and I decided to save them and scan them into the scrapbook we'll be making of this great family reunion.  #3 Bug repellent. The mosquitoes were absolutely horrible! I hate them! I'm so glad we have something to use so at least I wasn't eaten alive but they still swarmed around us way too much. And when I say swarm I mean thousands of them all over. It was a toss up. Die in the sun from heat or in the shade from mosquitoes. At least we have bug repellent. What did the pioneers do? This is one of the many reasons I was born in the 20th century. I like to camp but I don't think I could have camped without OFF and a propane cook stove. #4- Dinner and fun around the fire. Lexie cooked a yummy dinner and we enjoyed a fun evening around the camp fire.

With My Best Friend

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Last day of school. I love the last day. I love just being done. I don't love having to have everything clean and everything crammed in the corner of my room. But I love leaving and knowing I have nothing to worry about for at least a week and a half. When my kids came in from field day and I said goodbye to them several of them wanted to give me a hug. My sweet student Cera gave me the tightest hug. She was also sobbing. I'm going to miss this little girl. I've loved having her in my class. When I checked out with my principal he said, "I saw Cera after school and she was falling apart. What did you do to her?" I replied with, "I didn't do anything to her she's just going to miss me."   #2- getting everything packed. I finally got home and quickly got everything in my car. Gotta break in the new car with a big camping trip. #3- Safe and uneventful drive to Idaho. I'm so happy that I was wide awake and that I love my sweet new car. This was the first of many great driving adventures for us I'm sure. #4 Warm River with family. I was so happy to be home. Ashton is home but more than anything Warm River is home. Every summer isn't quite complete without listening to the river. Liz and I got our face washed and we took a picture of the end of our day and I was grateful to be home with my best friend. Liz was my first friend. She will always be my friend I love her dearly and love any chance we have to get together.