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!