Crazy Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving Jeff was on call for work. We weren't thrilled with this, but when we found out my parents would be in Idaho right before Thanksgiving we thought maybe they would like to come to our house. Finally they decided they would come. We were excited that we wouldn't be alone for Turkey Day and busily began preparing...buying loads of food, making pies, salads, etc.

My parents got here Wednesday afternoon, about the time school got out. They stopped at my school because my dad and sister wanted to see my classroom. That night when Jeff got home we went to dinner and hung out.

Thursday morning I got up early to start getting the dinner underway. Jeff chopped some wood and then we went for a five mile run. When we came back my dad was sitting in the living room and he did not look very good. He thought he had indigestion but was describing heart attack symptoms. So we went and got him some aspirin and Jeff gave him a blessing. He started to feel a little better and while we tried to convince him to go to the hospital, he kept resisting saying it was probably nothing and he didn't want to ruin the dinner.

Well, anyway, long story short, we finally took him to the emergency room where they did a chest x-ray and determined he was having a mild heart attack. They put him on a life flight to Salt Lake--U of U Medical Center. When he got there they realized they were dealing with something far worse. He went into emergency surgery because his arteries were so blocked. They discoved that he has heart disease and his arteries harden or something. The doctors have no idea how he survived and said that most people die when they are to that point. I am so grateful that he made it through surgery. I am so grateful to the doctors that saved his life. I am so grateful to have such a sweet, caring husband who was able to give my dad a blessing and comforted me during the whole ordeal. I realized that while I have loads of food I don't know what to do with, and even though I didn't really even get to spend any time with my family, I really have a lot to be grateful for. I can't imagine not having my dad.

Poor Tommy

My poor little nephew in Kentucky broke his femur and is now in a full body cast for six weeks. He is in kindergarten and now has an at-home tutor until the cast is off. I enjoy talking to him on the phone because after about two minutes he screams into the phone "DAD!!! I NEED YOU!!!" That has happened at three times. He is so active it is hard for him to sit still I think. I wish we lived closer so I could help out a little more.

Trick-or-Treat Day

Happy Halloween! I really don't think Halloween can get any better unless you work in an elementary school. I love the whole thing. Some people think I'm crazy, but I actually think the day BEFORE Halloween is the bad day. The day of Halloween is just fun. I love the costumes, the parade, the parties, and of course, I love when it is all over.

This year my team decided to be chefs. It was really fun and the best part was hearing ALL day long, "Mrs. Hunziker, can you make me a hamburger?" I love my class. They looked cute in their costumes and I love the excitement that comes with the day. Too fun. I can't wait until I have my own kids to dress up.

F.U.N.N.Y.

The joys of living in a small town.....

Here is a conversation that happened with one of my students yesterday.

"Johnny": (out of nowhere in his kind of high pitched adorable voice) Hey Hunziker...do you live like at the bottom of 'Apple Circle'?

Me: Yeah, I guess kind of.

"Johnny": Is your house like kind of blue/gray?

Me: Yeah, I guess you could say that.

"Johnny": Oh, well you are my neighbor! I live on 'Apple Circle!' Did you see me wave at you in the green truck?

Me: (hesitantly) ...I don't recall...

I kind of chuckle to myself not really knowing if he really even knew what he was talking about. I tell the incident to my coworkers and we all agree that even if this student knows where I live, surely he isn't the type to just head on over.

Later that night I am emptying the trailer of wood and wheeling it over to Jeff to stack in our little covered area. I see from the corner of the trailer a little red bike riding back and forth, back and forth in front of my house. Then I see the little red bike right next to the trailer where I am busily working.

"Johnny": Oh, hey Hunziker!

Me: Well, hello "Johnny"...I guess you do know which house I live in...

"Johnny then starts talking NON-STOP telling me story after story while I empty the wood. I am kind of laughing to myself thinking, "this isn't really happening".

Then, after about 3 minutes:

"Johnny": Oh, hey Hunziker....do you want me to help? I can help.

Me: Well, do your parents know where you are? I don't want you to get in trouble.

"Johnny": Oh, they won't mind.

Me: Well, I don't want you to get scratched up.

"Johnny": Don't worry, I'm really good at this sort of thing.

Then he proceeds to help me unload the entire trailer...talking NON-STOP. It was quite funny and actually really helpful. The whole time I am asking him questions about things like "Have you done your homework?" "Did you read for 20 minutes?" "What book did you read?" He of course kept changing the subject.

Anywho, this goes on until the trailer is done. Then comes my favorite part:

Me: Thank you so much "Johnny!" You are so helpful!

"Johnny": Hey, Hunziker,maybe you can go ask and see if you can come over to my house to play.

I seriously couldn't stop laughing. In 7 years of teaching I have never once been asked to come over to someone's house. I'm not quite sure it's such a great thing my students are learning where I live, but hey, third graders are harmless, right??

Back 2 School

Yes, I know all the kids and teachers in Utah have been back at it for awhile, but here in the small town we just started school on Monday. The first week is always exhausting, but exciting nonetheless.

The first day went much smoother here than last year since I was more familiar with the school and routine. I am glad I decided to stay at my school. I really lucked out with my class this year also. They are ADORABLE. I have a little girl that moved here from England and she just makes the whole day that much better. I was really hoping we would have a baby at this point and that I wouldn't even be teaching anymore, but now that school has started I am glad I am still at it. My class has character with a capital C and I love those kind of years.

Anyway, what else have we been up to??? Well, let's see. We have done a lot of canning. We bottled over 40 bottles of beans and we just finished over 60 bottles of crabapple jam. Oh my. We have also had fun with our other veggies...zucchini, carrots, and onions. Our garden did quite well for the first year, and especially for being in WY. It must be the horse manure we stole from the horse corrals.

This month we also let Jeff's truck rest in peace. Yes, it really was time. Jeff was sad to let it go, but it just wouldn't pull the trailer when went to get wood. With my dad's help, we now have a beautiful new F-15o which we absolutely love and feel so grateful for. I am so proud that I have officially converted Jeff to join the FORD family.

I have also been busy with setting up our bedroom upstairs, hanging the beautiful shelf my sister-in-law made me and little decorating projects.

Now that the weather is cooling (we hope it sticks) we will go get wood one more time and then things should settle down a little for the winter. We will probably do a little more painting in the house, but we hope the winter will be somewhat quiet and uneventful. Is that a weird thing to hope for?

School

These little boys acting like pigs in the smokehouse have both started school! I cannot believe my little nephews are old enough to be in school. Tommy started Kindergarten and Jackson is in pre-school. Tommy called me after his first day. This is our conversation:

Me: Hello?
Tommy: Hello.
Me: Hi Tommy! How was school!
Tommy: I got to the ride the bus two times.
Me: Wow! How is your teacher?
Tommy: Guess what I am eating?
Me: Crackers. How is your teacher?
Tommy: How did you know I was eating crackers.
Me: Because I can hear you crunching. How is your teacher?
Tommy: But what kind of crackers am I eating?
Me: I don't know. Tell me about how school was.
Tommy: Guess what kind of crackers I am eating.

And so it went. Either way, he is adorable and I can't believe he is in kindergarten! Jackson started pre-school and is doing great. I wish we lived closer to family. I miss the days when we rented my brother's basement and I could see the boys whenever I wanted!

Five Years

Today Jeff and I celebrate our fifth year anniversary. That seems like a long time, but it really doesn't feel that long.

The first five years have been better than I could have ever hoped for. I married such a sweet, hard working man. I feel so blessed.

I can't wait to see what the next five years will bring!