Finally a post!!

Okay, I know, it has been a really long time since I have posted. I don't always have access to the internet so that is part of the problem. The other problem is that I seriously have no internet time. It's so strange, because we moved here I thought I would have a lot more time but that has turned out to be very far from the truth. I have been taking some classes and with a million other little things going on, I have very little time.

So now it's time to catch up. The week before Thanksgiving Jeff had a conference in Utah and I decided to go with him to get some shopping done and because I was dying to go visit Pony and all my good friends! Visiting the Pony definitely did not disappoint. I had a blast visiting so many people that have made me a better person. I miss all of you Ponyites so much! I feel so lucky that I was able to teach at such a wonderful place with so many wonderful people. My very best friends definitely come from my experiences there. That night a few us went to Chilis and then to J-Hart's house for some great times. Thank you everyone for helping me have such a special day!

The next weekend we came back to Utah for Thanksgiving at Jeff's parent's house. We had a great time with DELICIOUS food! Thanks Peggy! I love Thanksgiving.

Now that we have been back, we have been in the routine of everything....school, work, getting ready for Christmas, math classes, mentoring classes, church callings, and day to day life--you know cleaning toilets, laundry...the good stuff.

I had high hopes of putting together Christmas cards this year but it doesn't look like it is going to happen. Over the break I am going to make my cards for next year so I will be prepared! I hope everyone is doing well and having a great holiday season so far!

Changing Scenery.

As the seasons have started changing, I, like eveyone else, have had to beging making lifestyle changes as well. Some of these changes are welcome, like a change in wardrobe. I always enjoy pulling sweaters out and feeling like there are new clothes to wear. However, there are also things I don't enjoy--like wearing a coat. I HATE wearing coats!!! I hate having to put a coat on to wear for 5 minutes until I get inside and then I have to find a place for it. Then I feel like I am constantly picking up and hanging up coats all day.

Anywho, another unwelcome change has been my running lifestyle. Since we moved here, I have been able run along the trail by the Green River. I love this trail!! The best part is that it starts literally next to our house. Then it goes down by the river pictured below all the way to the other side of town. Running on the trail is never boring. There are always people to see and of course animals galore. I love watching the river and wildlife. Running long distances never seems that long because there are so many interesting things to watch.

As the sun started coming up later and later, I had to switch my route. Not only did I have to start wearing gloves, a sweatshirt, and ear warmers, but it also became a little unsafe to run alone down by the river where there was no light. So, I started running up through the neighborhood to the high school and onto the track. Although running my usual distance seemed a bit longer, it wasn't so bad because I enjoyed watching the sun rise and the track felt good on my shins and knees. As the mornings have continually gotten colder and the constant threat of storms brings in more wind, Jeff and I decided we would have to find an alternative for winter running. Two weeks ago we decided to purchase a dreaded treadmill. I decided I was not going to let one more winter ruin everything I worked for all spring, summer, and fall. Once we bought the treadmill I immediately had buyer's remorse. Where are we going to put it? Where are going to keep it in the summer? We set it up and moved it around ten times before I was happy. I enjoy waking up and not having to worry about what the weather is doing outside. If it is nice, I can still go out, but if it is crummy I can still run in the quiet of my basement. Although I am very happy to have an alternative to running outside, I am having a hard time adjusting the the treadmill. 5-6 miles on a treadmill feels like torture!!! I try to play mind games with myself not to look at the timer or miles for a certain amount of time, but I always end up peeking and feeling frustrated that it hasn't been longer. Running outside definitely uses different muscles so I am trying to make it a goal to go out at least 2 times/week even when the worst of winter comes. The treadmill will mostly help keep my lungs strong, but in the meantime I am counting down the days until I can go back to river trail!

Happy Be-lated Halloween!

So is Halloween fun for anyone other than the kids??? I don't know about anyone else, but I always leave Halloween with a massive headache!! I really do love it though, to be perfectly honest. I have no room moms or any help, so the party was all me and let's face it, it really wasn't all that great, but I am glad the day is over. I think the worst part of Halloween isn't all the candy, parades, or craziness, it's that November is the next day so you have to get all the new stuff up before leaving for the day! Not to mention our grades were due so I was at school rather late. Missing my laptop...that's all I have to say.


This year I was extremely uncreative. With grades and everything else I only had time to be a cowgirl...which consisted of a cowboy hat, jeans, and a big belt buckle...I really went all out. This is me with my good friend Annie. She is the BEST!! She teaches third grade next door to me and has been my lifesaver as I muddle my way through this year. I am so grateful to have her as a friend. The year would definitely be a lot more difficult if I didn't have such a sweet friend!

Sorry this post is so late...our internet hasn't been working. Either way, I have a lot to post about and comment on so hopefully I can get a little caught up this weekend!

Happy Birthday Peggy!

This post is a little delayed, but I am finally getting around to posting. We have been busy with the same usual things lately, but last weekend we had our fall break. We went to Utah for Peggy's birthday and had a blast! Jeff's sister was there with two of our nieces so we had a great time. We went to Gardner's Village and Texas Roadhouse. When Peggy got up on the "birthday saddle" we couldn't stop laughing. We played games and had fun spending time with family.

On our way home we stopped in Park City to visit Jonna, Eric, and darling

little Taylor. We ate at Tarahumaras and it was delicious! We had so much fun visiting their cute family. Being in Utah made me realize how much I miss living close to family and friends. We didn't have enough time to do everything we wanted to, but it was great to get away.

This weekend we had another great time. My dad was in Utah doing an audit and decided to make a quick visit to Wyoming. It was fun to show him our area and spend time with him. We wish we lived closer to our families!

Small Town Life

Today was an exciting in Green River. Apparently homecoming is a big deal in small towns. I mean, I knew it would be since every time the high school plays a game the entire town goes to watch. What I didn't know was that the all the elementary schools would also have a part in homecoming.

Today was a day I will never forget, especially since when I told Jeff what the plan was he couldn't stop laughing. Today the kids came to school like normal. An hour into school we all gathered all
our students together in their navy blue Truman Elementary T-Shirts and walked to the middle school. At the middle school we had an eventful day of bounce houses, dancing, parachute, and of course face painting--you might be able to see my Green River Wolf paw print on my cheek. After the exciting time we had there, the district provided a ham and cheese lunch for us. We then marched our classes to line up near our school float. We then marched around the town in a parade until we made it to ACE Hardware. That was where the buses picked us up and drove us half a block back to school. We then had another hour or so left and we were all exhausted. My kids just wanted to lay down. It was a pretty eventful day to say the least. Jeff can't get over that I got to "walk in a parade" through town.

I have to share the funniest part of the whole day though. I have this little spanish boy that doesn't speak much english. He is absolutely hilarious. The whole time he kept saying, "Mrs. Hunzeeker? What we do next?" I would tell him and he would think about whether or not it sounded fun. He seemed pretty worn out and overstimulated. When we went to do the parade he said, "Mrs. Hunzeeker? We can go home now?" I said, "No sweetheart. We are going to walk in a parade first." "What is a parade?" "It's just a little walk." "Oh." Well, halfway around town he looks up at me and says, "Mrs. Hunzeeker? This is not a leetle walk." I seriously almost wet my pants. He is sooooo cute! Anyway, I think I need a nap, but it was a fun day in a small town!

I Heart Fall

This is not the best picture of the signs of fall found on the trees in the front yard, but it is the best Jeff could get from the porch...he didn't want to put his shoes on. :)

Anyway, good picture or not, I have been absolutely loving watching summer change to fall, as I do every year. There is no better season as far as I am concerned. I love the perfect days and the crisp mornings and evenings. I have watched the changing colors mostly on my running trail every morning for the last few weeks, but now that our big trees in our front and back yard are changing, it seems official. I have officially switched from running in tank tops and shorts early in the morning to pants and long sleeves. It is chilly in the mornings and perfect during the day. I have been loving being on recess duty and enjoying the perfect weather. Winter can wait, but it sure is nice to see the fall colors. Our next purchase will be a good rake!

Other than enjoying the changing seasons, we have been busy as usual. I sadly haven't had much internet time lately due to a bunch of night classes so I have been a bit slow on the postings. Last week my schedule was:

Monday: Run, School, Achievement Days, Make Dinner, clean up, Bed

Tuesday: Run, School, Rush home and make dinner before class, Mentor class until 8:30, Bed

Wednesday: Run, Early Faculty Meeting, School, Card Making Class, Make dinner, Mop Floor, Bed

Thursday: Run, Early Interventions Meeting, School, Math Class, Make dinner, Clean up, Bed

Friday: Run, School, Home at a normal time (Finally!), Make Dinner, Yard Work, Bed

Saturday: Run, Errands, Yard Work, Women's Conference (3:30-7:30), Bed

So, last week was packed and I have definitely been exhausted!! However, this week looks much more promising and I am looking forward to coming home at a normal hour every night and getting more done around the house! Sometimes I think Jeff thinks he is single!!

Sorry if I haven't been commenting as much, I have been checking blogs as much as possible and miss and love you all!!

Staying Warm

Between This....

And This...

The Hunzikers will not be giving their entire paycheck to Questar Gas. When we heard they were raising their rates 75% this year we decided we had better take advantage of the wood burning stove in our basement--especially if we have a winter like last year. I can't believe those greedy little monsters are raising rates that high when so many people are struggling. We have been so busy chopping and stacking the last couple of weeks! We got a permit and went to the mountains two different times this summer and let me tell you, it was hard work!! This last Saturday we rented a wood splitter and finished up with the remaining stack of stumps too big to stack. We only had the splitter for an hour so let me tell you, we were hauling butt! Then we came home and stacked the last of what we had cut. I have plenty of bruises and scratches to prove I was not the cheerleader in the background! Jeff even has a nice, big war wound on his knee where the chainsaw got him, but we are hoping to be nice and warm in this Wyoming winter. It is so nice to be done and ready. I was especially happy that our house had a covered area for the wood. I'm so glad it has a place.

Anyway, so the wood has been what has been keeping us the most busy over the weekends. The next few weekends will probably now be devoted to the yard. Yippee...my favorite...sike! I am secretly excited for winter just so we can work on the inside of the house, which is what I like to do. I can't wait to paint the upstairs rooms and move the master bedroom upstairs!

Oh and one more thing...the other morning there was a deer in our front yard next to our porch. It ate one of the plants in our planter, but I was pretty excited because it was one we were going to get rid of anyway!

Ready or Not, Here They Came....

I realize that most people have started school already. Today however, was the first day for our school district. My oh my. I forget every year just how stressful that first day really is. I forgot to take attendance (twice...they take it 2 times/day), I had no idea where to pick my kids when school started, and I was lucky to even get the lunch count in on time. I hate how disorganized I feel and especially being at a new school--most of the kids know more than I do!

They didn't have an open house so even though I was at school by 7:45, I already a room full of parents! UGH! I had no prep time because there were kids and parents from 7:45 until school started at 8:40. I think it's time to do an open house.

All in all, it was a decent day and I am exhausted. My feet hurt, my head hurts, and my throat hurts. I can't wait until we're settled into a routine.

Missing This

This week I have been thinking about how all you Alpiners are back to the books. We don't start until September 2 and I have been very busy with meetings and making all the preparations necessary to start with a new group. Although I am excited to start again and have a routine, I really have been struggling knowing I won't be teaching at the Pony anymore. I miss the kids, the community, the teachers, the staff, and feeling like I knew what I was doing. I know it will just take time to get into the swing of things here, but it doesn't make the transition any easier. It's hard to start over! I feel like a brand new teacher all over again. I feel bad because it makes Jeff feel bad when he realizes how sad I am. I know it will just take time, but it definitely won't be the same as Pony. The thing I miss the most is having all my old students come visit. It kills me to know I will probably never see my little ones again! So if you see my old students around the halls, please give them a hug for me and tell them I miss their little faces more than anything!!!

The Friend I Wish I Didn't Have...

Doesn't the title of my post sound so rude? Well, let me explain. Every morning bright and early I have made a lot of friends. I don't know any of their names, but I enjoy seeing them everyday. I'll mention a few of my favorites:

*Grandma 1 and Grandma 2. They are a pair of ladies that walk together and always have something to say like, "Looking Good", "Better run with your mouth closed or you'll get a mouthful of bugs," or just the 2 thumbs up. They are hilarious and I laugh eveytime I see them.

*Grandpa and his dog Chelsea. He walks with a walking stick and has this cute little dog he calls Chelsea. He always sits on the benches and overlooks the river. He likes to wave to me every morning and I think he is just the sweetest old man. I think his wife probably passed away. (I make up stories for all of my friends).

*Muscle Man. He amuses me because he is this big guy and he walks the two puniest looking dogs you'll ever see. I always wonder why he walks instead of runs.

*Tennessee man. He always rides his bike and he is always wearing a shirt with something or another about Tennessee. He is one of my all time favorite friends because he always gets a HUGE grin on his face and says, "Well, hello again!" really loud. He's a hoot.

*Old Man and Old Bike. Also another very cute old man. He rides a really old bike every morning and whenever the sprinklers are on, he says, "looks like you're going to get a shower!" So cute.

There are many more, but those are some of my very favorite. Now let me tell you about some of my other friends.

*Bunnies and prairie dogs....very numerous. Funny because they wait to last second to run away.

*Horses. I don't like the presents they leave behind, but it's kind of fun to see them on the trail.

*Deer. These are my favorite and I see them at least 4 times a week and by see I don't mean at a distance. They are right next to me and I am always amazed. I usually see between 4-15/day when I see them. They are also not scared of humans and the babies are so stinking cute I want to keep one for a pet.

Now for the friend I could live without. This morning when I was running I was stopped by Grandma #1 and Grandma #2 before I crossed the street. Thankfully they were there because just before I was about to cross this is what I they pointed out to me:

Had it not been for Grandmas #1 and #2 I would have gone to my science meeting very stinky and I don't think it would have been great way to make a first impression! Thanks for looking out for Grandma 1 and 2!!!

Happiness

Last weekend Jeff and I made a quick trip out to his parent's house because Jeff's older sister was visiting from Cedar City with her four kids. While there, we went to the shoe store they built in that Daybreak area called DSW. In the back of the store there is a whole section of shoes on clearance from 30%-80% off and it is not like ordinary clearence shoe sections. It's organized and it isn't just the ugly stuff. Anywho, so as I was looking in size 6 I saw this pair of Saucony running shoes. I have been needing to running shoes, but have been putting it off until I found something I really liked that wouldn't cause me too much pain. Anyway, long story short, the shoes were only $35!! (That is a steal of deal if you have ever been in the market for a good pair of running shoes). I always buy Saucony and these ones seemed okay. I figured I couldn't go wrong for $35 even if they only lasted a couple of months. Well, let me just tell you. These shoes are a little piece of heaven. They have the best cushioning of any of the shoes I have had lately and they are a lot lighter. I feel like every step I take makes me bounce. And for only $35...but let me tell you, 5 miles of pain free running really is priceless.

As another note, on July 31 Jeff and I celebrated 4 happy years of marriage! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. We didn't do anything special this year (well, actually, we usually don't), but I always watch our wedding video (thanks Amy and Brian!) and remember the day. I'm hoping next year for 5 years we do something special.

Other than that, we have been up to pretty much the same old thing. We are speaking in church on Sunday (isn't that a great birthday present???). My classroom is now ready for children to come, but mentally I really don't feel prepared. Meetings start on the 22nd and the kids come on Sept. 2. I'm not as excited as I usually am for the new year. I met the new principal and he seems to be nice. I heard I was given all the naughty kids and emotially disturbed kids so even though I only have 18, it will be a challenge. I'm sure I will end up loving them all like I always do!

Memories

I have seen and commented on this tag on a lot of different blogs and I think it is so fun...and since Jeff and I are actually not camping or hiking this weekend (we have a luncheon for his company instead) I thought it would be a good time to post.

I'm sure most of you know the rules, but here they are just in case you haven't see this.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory of you and I, or you and Jeff, or with both of us. It doesn't matter if you knew us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Can't wait to re-live good times with such great friends and family!

What we've been up to...

We have been very busy as usual. This last weekend we went camping and four wheeling. We went up to the Uintas about an hour from our house and we had a great time! I still wouldn't consider myself a "camper" but I have come to really appreciate the beautiful places we have been. I think the reason I like camping now is because I get to spend so much time with Jeff. We love just being able to spend time together without any other distractions.

There were a lot of really cool trails and we only got rained on one day. This was a great place because it had the things I like and the things Jeff likes. I love the trees, lakes, and streams (probably because I grew up in Michigan and Illinois). Jeff loves the mountains (probably because he grew up in Utah). We played hard while we were there and now that we are all cleaned up we are trying to figure out when and where we will go next.

Other than camping, I have been spending a lot of time in my new classroom. I have been lucky enough to make friends with one of the teachers and she is so sweet and came out to help me clean out the room. It is nothing like my Pony room, but it will do. I am getting so nervous for a new year and feel like a first year teacher all over again. We have also been busy with little house projects and enjoying time together when Jeff isn't working. He is on regular schedule now and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Breathtaking

This weekend Jeff and I went hiking in the Wind Rivers. These are only a few shots from the 10+ miles we hiked and These pictures do not even come close to doing justice to what we saw. So many times we were left speechless. Dana: this might go on my list of most beautiful places. Can't wait to go back and see more.

Ta Da!

So after hours and hours, and late night after late night, my basement is finally finished! It took
us for what seemed like a decade, but overall, I am excited with how everything turned out. The color looks a lot better in person than it does in these pictures. The chocolate brown couches aren't as dark as they look in this picture, so they look better with the wall. Even though we ran into so many problems with that blasted wallpaper, it's amazing what a difference it makes now that it is gone. I knew I hated it, but I didn't realize just how suffocating it was. Now I feel like I have a huge basement and a lot of empty walls. Before I couldn't even imagine hanging anything up on the walls because everything would look terrible with flowered wallpaper. Now I feel like I need to get thinking about what to put on them--it looks so plain! I am so grateful to my mom for coming and helping me and running to ACE and Home Depot every 5 minutes! It was nice to have someone there to help make all the decision while Jeff was at work.

While my mom was here we also managed to have some fun. We took my sister to some of the parks and to the storytime at the library. This is splash park. It is so fun! The best part about Wyoming is that nothing is ever crowded. In Utah, I would imagine this park being bombarded with kids and families, but here you can park anywhere and you have pretty much every place to yourself.

How cute is my cousin???!!

I have the best cousin in the world! The other day I was waiting at home for FedEx to come with my phone...if you have tried to reach me, you will notice my old number does not exist. We have now switched to Verizon and I have a new number. If you need my number, please email me since this blog is not private! Anywho, so I was waiting and waiting. Finally I see the mailman. The mailman has a box. I thought, "that's weird, I thought the phone was coming FedEx". The mailman drops off a package at my door and I realize it is not the phone, it is a cute "welcome to Wyoming" package from my cousin Camielle!! How cute is that? She put in maps, tour guides, and foods from Wyoming like salsa and chokecherry syrup. I cannot even tell you how much it brightened my day. Her husband is from Wyoming and they are in North Carolina for residency. I can't tell you how much I hope she ends up in Wyoming someday! THANK YOU CAMIELLE!! Oh and by the way, in between sending out this package, she had her second little boy...where does she find the time??

We have been so busy lately I cannot even begin to describe our lives the last 3 days. Anyway, as promised, here are some more pictures. This room is what has taken over my life the last little while! This is the basement, which I love, but it was covered in wallpaper. As I mentioned before, my mom came out to help me take it down. Well, of course it didn't just come down as planned. I bought chemicals, rented a steamer, and after a whole day, I had pretty much nothing to show for it. Apparently the walls weren't prepared properly before putting the paper up. Because taking down the wallpaper ultimately led to taking the drywall with it, we ended up having to prime over the paper. Then, we have had to put two coats of mud over the primer. I think we are finally to the point where we can paint how I want it, but now I can't decide on a color. I am planning on putting up a chair rail and doing two tone of brown. What do you think? I need some major advice! After all this work, I want it to look great!

Here are more random pictures of the basement as well. I love having a big laundry and food storage area. There is also a bedroom in the basement where we are currently sleeping. It will be a guest room later when I get the master bedroom upstairs finished how I want it. I think I will get a new bedroom set for upstairs and leave our old one downstairs as a guest room. For now, it's nice to sleep in the basement. I couldn't get a picture because Jeff was sleeping...he's on nightshift again. At least my mom is here this time.

Today we are having a picnic in the park after story time at the library for my sister so it's nice and quiet for Jeff. If anyone has any painting or paint color advice, please send it this way!

More Pictures...

We love being in our own home! It is so nice and quiet. While Jeff has been working his long, crazy hours I had a little more time to take some pictures. I love the backyard. In the back corner we are going to start a garden. There is also a shed (which you can kind of see). Jeff loves having a shed. There are plants all around the fenceline which cuts into the sod area. We like the plants, but they haven't really been weeded for awhile and they are really high maintence. We are thinking of taking them out and putting in sod so there is less work and more room for future little ones to run around (and no, this not an announcement...just thinking ahead!)

The kitchen is right off of the living

room I showed you last post. It is a decent size and like everything else, it is in really good condition. For the area, prices, and selection of homes we really feel like we got the best one available. The kitchen has all white walls and I am planning on painting it. Probably a taupe color. I will be painting in winter when yard work can't be done! For now, it is yard, yard, yard!

And now for the suspense....here is the downstairs off the kitchen leading to the basement. I don't know how well you can see the start of the lovely wallpaper, but it is only the beginning. My mom will be here Saturday and depending on what we get to, the plan is to have the wallpaper down. We love having a basement and feel so lucky that our house has a lot of useable space. Others that we looked at were just wacky. You know, like spas in basements...what the? I know it's nothing like a brand new home, or what we could have gotten in Utah for what we paid, but it is a great start for us and like I mentioned before, we love the peace and quiet! I can't get enough of the running trails and I love walking to the grocery store. There is an awesome rec center in walking distance that I will use in the winter. We even get a discount with Jeff's work and mine. It's just like a gym with classes, equipment and everything but will cost less than $20/month. I will probably only have the membership for the winter because right now, the outdoor recreation can't be beat! Megan, you will laugh. I think I might want a bike for my bday but just a "her" bike because we already have a "his". Jeff and I love exploring new places to see (when he's not working) and there is a lot of hiking and of course, Jeff cannot wait to check out the camping and four wheeling. Speaking of four wheeling, I saw someone on a four wheeler on the main road. Do you know what that means? It means, I just might be able to take Jeff's four wheeler to work--HA HA! Unless of course we get a horse....all kidding aside, we haven't even gone through a tank of gas since being here. How awesome is that?! We can walk pretty much everywhere and when we do drive, there is no traffic. Going 10 miles really does take less than 5 minutes. The traffic part of Utah I definitely do not miss.

The other thing I love so far is our ward. Everyone is so friendly and people come by to say hello and drop off treats. We feel so included. We have decided there are perks to living in a small town no one knows about.

Thank you for not forgetting me! Oh and by the by, those of you with little ones. If you ever want to come up, even for a day trip, you should. There are at least 6 different parks in this little town. One of them shoots up water for the kids to play in. They have a story telling thing at the library that they do at the park once a week and they fly people in from other places to do special little events for this library thing. This week it's someone from Seattle that does things with sound or something. I never heard of that before, but then again, I don't have kids so I don't really know if that's normal. I will probably post the rest of the house later this week.

Do you still remember me???

Okay, okay, I know. You probably thought I disappeared. It has been forever since I have even been able to get on the computer! We still do not have internet at our house and are trying to work everything out, but for now the public library will be my internet at least until I get my school one up and running. So I probably won't be able to post as much for awhile so if this post is excessively long, I hope you'll stick with me so I can share all of the things going on with the Hunzi's!

So first things first, school ended on May 30. Definitely bitter-sweet, leaning more towards bitter this year. So sad to leave Pony and my darling little class! I miss my team like crazy already! I loved working with all of them and it is very sad not to talk and laugh with them everyday. I'll give the "new" school update right now since I am talking about school. I went to my new school last week to drop off my boxes, or as Jeff says, "all your crap". One of the third grade teachers came and let me in since I didn't have a key and spent a long time helping me and answer all my millions of questions. She is so sweet and I am excited to work with her. It will be weird having only 4 of us. The classroom is weird and I mean weird, but I'm sure once I start moving in, it will be okay. I will take pictures when I can get back in. They haven't cleaned my room yet so all my "crap" is sitting in the hallway. I should be able to get back in probably mid-July. I am antsy to get over there.

Now for the part I know you have been dying to see. Our first home. I told you we really paid a fortune for not much and I am a bit embarrassed to share, but we love the area we are in and we are excited to fix up what we want and let me tell you, we have already been crazy busy! My least favorite part of the house is the outside of it, but I do love the yard. I forgot to take pictures of the back yard. The first thing we did was paint the outside. We weren't planning on it, but we started fixing up the flower bed. Well, there was this big plant thing they had growing up the side of the house. The branches were growing in the siding and we decided

it must go before future problems. When we took it down, we realized we would have to re-paint. So anyway, it is kind of a funny story and we felt silly standing out there painting in the same color, but it looks better now and we're glad we did. We also put up the shutters. We still have to fix that flower bed and I will be planting some tulips and daffodiles there in the fall. Next door to our house is a running trail that goes through town. I LOVE IT! I have been getting back into running and the weather is perfect in the mornings. Since I don't have any friends yet, this is my way of staying sane. I can't wait to start running more miles, but I am taking it slow so I don't injure myself again. There are so many millions of places to go and the weather here is fantastic!! It is nice and cool in the mornings with little or no breeze. It is so much better than running in 100% humidity in TX like I was last year. Usually about 1 pm the wind starts to blow. It doesn't blow as hard as I thought though (with the exception of the first week) and it tapers off in the evening. The wind is actually nice because it keeps it cooler here overall. As long as I have the mornings to run and get yard work done, I am great. That way in the afternoon when it is warmer, I go do housework. It's perfect.

Now for a sneak peek of the inside. I'm going to keep you tempted and show you maybe one room a week and explain what I will be doing because I have high hopes. The inside of the house I really like. There are little things to do, mostly paint, but it is in great shape and is very sound. You can't hear anything inside. It is so nice to have peace and quiet!

These are pictures of the front room when you walk in the front door. I spend a lot of time here while Jeff is at work playing the piano. We still have some pictures to hang, but I am taking my time deciding. I am going to leave the green walls for now until I really decide what I want. I do plan on putting up some crown molding in this room though. I still have window treatments to make, etc. but like I said, this is a sneak peek and I will keep you posted with before/after pictures as we go. Also, this room looks much better in person. Pictures really don't do the house justice. There are 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, and a big storage and laundry room in the basement.

Let's see...what else? Jeff's job is going great. He loves it with a capital L-O-V-E! I'm so happy for him. Right now he is doing shift work, which I hate. He has to do shiftwork the first 6 weeks so that he can get familiar with every area of the plant before he starts making engineering decisions. It makes sense, but it makes for lonely, long days for me! The only good thing is that he gets quite a few days off in a row after every 4 days worked so we can get a lot done when he's off (you know, for projects like painting the whole flipping house!!). He has a night shift coming up tomorrow, but my mom and sister are coming the 28th. I am so excited!! They are going to stay for about a week and help me take down the wallpaper in the basement. I can't wait. Company! Whoo hoo!

Anyway, I shouldn't make this any longer, but I miss all of you very, very much!! I miss checking blogs regularly and seeing most of you everyday. If you ever want to visit, we would love the company! It is only 2 1/2 hours from UT! We will be coming down for some shopping too, so hopefully we will see some of you in the near future!

Random Facts

I can't think of anything interesting to blog about, but I wanted to post. So, here are 25 random facts you may or may not know about me.

1. When I was in high school I lived in Malibu, California. I took a marine biology class my senior year and I got to go to the beach every week to collect data. In addition, I was able to go on several fieldtrips out on the ocean. So cool! During one of these trips, I was chased by a herd of angry sea lions. Good times.

2. I have always wanted to live back east or in the midwest.

3. Sometimes when I get bored I like to prank call Jeff.

4. I always like to have a little something sweet after I eat dinner.

5. I really like to learn about decorating techniques even though I don't think I am very good at decorating myself. I could sit in Barnes and Noble forever reading books on decorating and looking at pictures.

6. I am a list maker. I have lists for everything. Whenever Jeff and I have a lot to do, I always say, "I know! Let's make a list!" It drives Jeff crazy. It drives him more crazy when it's just things he needs to do and he wants to vent. Then I try to "fix" his stress with lists--yeah, he doesn't like that.

7. I would love to travel someday. I want to go to Ireland and Germany the most, but there are a lot of states in the US I still want to see.

8. I like to save money and I would do almost anything to make a little extra. If I ever get money for birthdays or gifts, it goes straight to savings. When I want to buy something I wait until I am really sure I want it. I prefer to wait for something I want until I can pay for the whole thing completely, but I don't like to just buy "cheap" things. I would rather save and buy something of high quality especially if it's something I need to last for a long time (car, furniture, etc). Not that I never buy anything on a whim, but it doesn't happen very often.

9. I don't like to be late. I leave on time and arrive on time. Jeff thinks I'm late, but he's just a 20 min. early kind of guy. If I say I'll be somewhere at a certain time, I'll be there 2-5 min. early. If Jeff says he'll be somewhere, he'll be there 15-20 min. early.

10. I consider myself to be frugal, but not "cheap". As I mentioned before, I like to buy quality and I also like to be generous with gifts and doing things for others. I love going all out for someone's birthday. But when it comes to conveniences for myself, I definitely try to conserve. For example, if I can walk somewhere, I'll walk even if it's less convenient or takes longer. Why waste the miles and gas? If I can handle my house being a little hotter or colder to save on utilities, I'll do it. Now if someone is coming over, the heat or air will go on so they aren't uncomfortable, but if it's just me, I can handle it being a little hot or cold. If I get a couple channels with the antenna, I'm not going to have cable. I don't buy lunch or go out to eat a lot even if it means eating leftovers I am sick of. Planning and budgeting can go a long way even if it's not always what I "want" in the moment.

11. I do better in small groups.

12. I don't really like ice cream unless I'm in Texas.

13. I don't like being around a lot of noise--lots of noise makes me antsy. I hate yelling. I don't yell and I am so glad Jeff doesn't yell at me. That might be a deal breaker.

14. I love weekends when I have absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to go.

15. I feel so lucky to live in the United States for so many millions of reasons.

16. I may never be able to have children of my own, but I really don't like to talk about my problems. Adoption is something Jeff and I often talk about.

17. I don't really like summer. It's more that I really don't like feeling hot and sweaty. I don't like being cold either, but I really hate being hot. My face turns red as a beet just walking outside.

18. The sun makes me sneeze.

19. I used to love rollerblading. My favorite thing to do in high school was rollerblade at the beach.

20. I would rather rent a movie than go see one. I get uncomfortable in the theater. Although, when I rent one, I usually watch it in pieces. I have a hard time sitting through the whole thing.

21. I like writing stories.

22. I have no sense of direction. I get lost really easily and I have to take a route a lot of times before a recognize where I am. I get really frustrated when I get lost.

23. I have a hard time trying new things. Change is hard for me--definitely a creature of habit.

24. I'm more productive when I have a lot to do.

25. I am very sensitive and my feelings get hurt really easily. If I think someone is mad at me I can't stop thinking and analyzing everything.

Wow, that was harder than I thought! I challenge everyone to try that...it's kind of fun!

I know, I know

I realize it is way too early to be changing my blog to this, but I started thinking how I won't have internet for awhile when we move and I love fourth of July! Plus this weekend is Memorial Day so it's okay right? Also, I will probably change it 2 more times before they take my computer away next Thursday. I thought I would just have fun until then! Ever since Jonna taught me how to change it all, it is very addicting!

One more thing....5 more days.

9 More Days

I have been a bit of slacker on posting or even checking blogs for that matter, because we spent the week at Jeff's parents house so he could come to school and help me pack my classroom. Packing my room made me realize just how grateful I am that we have movers for our apartment!
I realized today that there are only 9 more school days until school is out. I also started realizing that I have A LOT to do in those 9 days! I won't go through my long list of things to do, but I am definitely feeling the pressure!

On Friday we had our class spring/"testing is done" party. It was so much fun! I have great room moms and they had the cutest games for the kids to play. I love watching the kids play and have a good time. I have had the most darling little class this year and I will miss them so much! Packing my room made reality set in a little bit that I would no longer be teaching at the Pony. I will really miss the faculty, kids, and parents I have been lucky enough to work with these past 5 years. I have had the greatest experiences and I feel so blessed to have had the experience I had.


On Saturday we went up to Wyoming for our home inspection. I was excited to see our house again. The inspection went great and the only things to fix were really minor that only an inspector would care about (i.e. the step is 15 in. deep on the porch instead of 13 in.). We were really happy since the house was built in 1979. The people living there have taken such great care of it (they are the original owners) and I feel good about being there. Hopefully we can move into a nicer home later, but for now, it will be perfect.

The greatest thing happened while in Wyoming. The lady that lives in the house we just bought is retiring as a third grade teacher. Well, anyway, in case you didn't figure it out, it is actually her job I am taking. Weird huh?? Basically I am taking her life....anyway, what I am trying to spit out is that since I am taking her classroom, she took me over to the school and showed me my new room. I was so happy!!! I didn't think I would be able to see my room for awhile. It is definitely three steps down from the room I am used to, but now I know what I am up against and I can better plan for my class next year. So many blessings. Everyone in our new little town is so incredibly nice and have bent over backwards to help us. From everything I have heard, the school I am going to is a great little community and the teachers get together and have craft nights and scrapbooking. I am hopeful that I can make new friends quickly so I don't feel so alone in a new town. As long as I can find friends, the adjustment to a new place, new job, new life! won't be so hard!

Time Flies...

Honestly, I cannot even believe how quickly time flies. I was thinking today how fast this year has gone and then I started thinking about what I was doing one year ago. As we get ready to start over in Wyoming, I keep thinking about how only last year around this time Jeff was already in Texas and I was getting ready to go. Waiting to go see Jeff seemed like the longest month in my life. Now it's been a year! What happened?? Texas was an interesting experience and we have some good memories, although I have to say I am happy to not go visit my cockroach friends!
One year Ago.......
We were frantically packing and moving our stuff from West Jordan. We were putting some in piles for TX and most of it in storage at my in-laws house (thank you Peggy and Bruno!!!) I was feeling sad about my little nephews moving away to Tennessee. I was also shocked that gas prices were creeping to $2.70/gallon.

Today......
Although we have movers that will be packing and moving us (thank you FMC!!!) we still have swarming thoughts about the best way to organize our stuff and where to store the new stuff we have purchased for our new home. I am now shocked and scared that gas prices are creeping to $4/gallon.


One year ago.......
I was getting anxious and sad to leave my little class and frantically getting ready for a new year. I was stressing (of course) about not being around over the summer to get my classroom ready and feeling bad about not being able to teach summer stars. However, I was excited for a new adventure in a new place and of course, I was missing Jeff like crazy!!

Today.......
I am getting anxious and sad to leave my little class and frantically getting ready for a new year at a new school with a new grade! I am trying to figure out the best way to pack my classroom and dealing with so many mixed emotions of leaving the school, staff, students, and community I have loved working with for the past five years. I have a lot of crying episodes, but I am excited to start a new chapter in our lives.

One year ago.....
Well, a few weeks over a year ago, I was with J-diddy in TX. I was trying to adjust to life in a really hot, really humid climate where everything was bigger and that includes the bugs! I was missing the mountains and going stir crazy for a job. I was loving spending every weekend with Jeff going somewhere or trying something new. I was doing great running, even in the humidity and thunderstorms. I was running between 6-10 miles/day getting ready for the 1/2 marathon I never got to run.

Today......
I am loving having Jefferson home and completely done with school! I love coming home and having him home already. I am feeling happy that I have a job next year so I don't go stir crazy and happy that I will be so busy moving into our house and my new classroom that I won't go crazy this summer. I am wishing we could travel a little before Jeff starts and wishing we had a little extra $ to do so, but with gas prices and plane tickets, it doesn't look like it's in the cards for us. I am not doing well with running and am struggling to run 4 miles because I have let myself get so out of shape! Ugh. However, I am anticipating living literally right next to a running trail and hope it will give me the push I need to get back into it and shed the extra weight!


One year ago.....
I was in shock that Jeff and I would be celebrating our 3rd year anniversary. I felt like we just barely got married. I was feeling so lucky to be married to such a great husband! Even though we were in the land of no mountains, lots of gross bugs, and sticky humidity, I was happy because Jeff was making me laugh daily.

Today.....
I am in shock that in two months we will be celebrating our 4th year anniversary. It feels like we got married yesterday. I am still feeling so lucky to be married to such a terrific husband! Even though we are moving to a small town with very little shopping, and to a place where I know no one, I know I will be happy because Jeff will be there to keep me laughing and really, isn't that what life is all about?