Flasback Friday

Anybody recognize Santa?

How do you get 5 goofy kids to stay still for a picture?

Merry Christmas from the Strong kids!

Counting Down the Days...

No, I'm not counting down the days until Christmas.  I'm counting down the days until vacation.  After an especially long day today, with inside recess most of the day with children already hyped up by the Christmas season, and with tomorrow and Friday's projected Eagle Mountain highs to be 20 degrees (meaning more inside recess), vacation has never been more needed.  

This weekend I will be sleeping in.  Then on Monday we head to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with these people:

Minus John and Andrew

Plus this little cutie

Vacation is coming...never been happier!

Flasback Friday - Dallin's Choice

Coffman Christmas in Boise, 2006

Boxing...Who Knew?

Last night I discovered I liked something that I never thought it possible that I would enjoy - boxing.  One of Dallin's former roommates wanted to watch the Oscar de la Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao fight on PPV and so we obliged and hosted as long as he was paying.  I never thought I would enjoy it and was really dreading the evening.  But lo and behold, I found myself enjoying it as Manny beat the pants off cocky de la Hoya.  Now while you probably won't find me at the boxing ring anytime soon or buying any pay per view fights myself, I will no longer balk at the idea of watching a boxing match.  

Flasback Friday

Waiting for Santa

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Tonight we decorated for Christmas.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, the Christmas tunes are rockin', and the Sparkling Cider is being consumed.

Christmas has arrived!

Thanksgiving Break Fun

So I've been a bit of a slacker and have not fully posted about Thanksgiving as of yet. Here is how our Thanksgiving vacation went down.

Wednesday, we flew in and were to Ojai by 11am. Gma graciously took us out for some delicious Mexican food at Casa de Lago. So yummy. Thank you , Gma! After that we chilled at home and watched movies while the rain poured outside.
Thursday, Turkey Day, we headed over to Aunt Shari's for some turkey and good company. We gorged ourselves and played games and ate M&Ms and laughed uproariously, as tends to happen at any gathering with my aunties.

Friday, as previously posted, we headed to the movies. But before catching our flicks, we stopped and paid cute Wylde a quick visit, and had a delicious lunch at In N Out. We loved it, as you can tell from the look on Whitney's face.

Saturday was spent playing games. Apples to Apples, Yahtzee, Clue, you name it, we played it. With college football in the background, can life get any better?

Movie Day

Yesterday, Dallin, Whitney, Cassidy, and I planned a movie day.

Only problem: we all wanted to see different movies.

So while we all went to the same theater, we saw three different movies.

Dallin saw

Whitney saw
and Sassy and I saw Twilight

I was not disappointed!

Happy Thanksgiving

May your turkeys be yummy,

your tummies be full,

and your hearts be thankful.

I Am Thankful...

That tomorrow I will be here:

Visiting with these people

Flasback Friday

Typical Dallin

The Right Stuff

Last night was amazing!  My wonderful friend Cammi invited me to the 

New Kids on the Block concert.  

Not only did we get to enjoy NKOTB, but were able to enjoy them from

floor seats, only 14 rows back!

They were fabulous! They performed for over two hours and dazzled us with some of their classics, as in The Right Stuff, Step By Step, and Hangin' Tough, along with some of their new stuff, which I really liked.  

Here I am, loving every minute of it!

Here's some video I shot on my phone.  The first is I'll Be Loving You Forever and the second is Hangin' Tough.

I also really enjoyed the opening acts for the most part.  Lady GaGa was a little kooky, but fun.  Natasha Bedingfield was amazing - I love her voice!

Don't Be Jealous...

That I'm going to see New Kids on the Block in concert tonight.  And I am unashamed.  I'm flashing back to my days with my New Kids lunchbox and t-shirt!

I was thinking about the concerts that I've been to over the years.  It's a pretty eclectic mix

Color Me Badd

Backstreet Boys

U2 with No Doubt

Dashboard Confessional with

 All American Rejects

Jack Johnson

Dashboard Confessional (again!)

Kelly Clarkson

So what concerts have you been to and which was your favorite?

Flashback Friday

In Memory of Popper

John F. Christensen

March 25, 1936 - November 14, 2006

One of my fondest memories with my grandpa was when he decided he was going to teach me how to drive.  We went out one afternoon and drove everywhere.  Oxnard, Carpinteria, Ojai - we were there.  He taught me how to fill the car with gas and drive over winding roads.  And the amazing thing was his patience (which, many will remember, he was not known for).  He did not get upset with me once.  What a fun memory of Grandpa!

Happy Birthday, Elder Strong!

Happy 21st Birthday to my little brother!

Rainy Days and Mondays

I figured that title was perfect for a day like today.  It's Monday and it's been rainy all day, a cold, drizzly rain.  But when I got home, there were some lovely surprises.

Dallin already has a jump start on his Christmas shopping and there were three presents wrapped up with my name on them.  I wonder what he got me!

There was also the perfect rainy day dinner waiting for me - soup and grilled cheese.  Yummy!

(Note: I was too lazy to take any pictures myself, so these were all taken from a google image search)

Flashback Friday

In memory of warmer days...

Little Megan at the beach. 
Massive quantities of sand devoured later.

Tag!

I've been tagged.

The Rules

1. Link this post to the person who tagged you.  Leesa

2. Post the rules on your blog (SEE!)

3. List 6 random things about yourself.

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My random facts:

1. I have never been out of the country.  

2. I love watching shows that are geared for teenagers (One Tree Hill, 90210)

3. I am generally ALWAYS tired, regardless of how much sleep I get and what time of day it is.

4. I absolutely hate calling people I don't know and even some that I do know.

5. I am the oldest child, therefore I'm bossy.

6. I am neurotic about locking my car doors.  I check and double check and triple check that I've locked them, then worry about if I did it later.

The Select Six (You are tagged!)

Sarah

Amy

Goldie

Alex

Linsey

Liz

Post-Election Blues

I don't know if it's because the weather was gloomy, or the candidate I voted for didn't win, but I have been feeling the post-election day blues.  This election has been intense and it feels like it's been going on forever, so it's no wonder we'd be feeling a little hung over after it.  So that's the status of my mood.  Hopefully tomorrow will be snow free and I will have come to terms with the future of our country.  

The bright spot of the day:  

Prop 8 Passed!  Go Californians!

The Pre-Election Day Buzz

So tomorrow is it, the big day that has been two years in the making - Election Day! Screw the polls - I've got the inside buzz on how the election is going to go. The students at Pony Express Elementary voted today and according to them, John McCain will be our next president. In my class, John McCain won with 17 votes to 7 votes. Of course this comes on the heels of a rumor spread by one student that Obama SMOKES! He lost a lot of votes from his second grade constituency there.

Anyway, don't forget to get our there and let your voice be heard! VOTE!

Moving...

No, no, we're not moving, at least not yet. But we got big news at church today about a move. As many of you know, we live right next door to our church building and walk there every Sunday. Well, they've decided our ward is too big for that building and so now, instead of walking to the building next door, we will be driving down to the Stake Center. Only in Utah...

A Warm November Day

We kicked off the first day of November with a bike ride down to Utah Lake. It was not your typical November weather - it was a beautiful 70 degrees! With the leaves falling, it was perfect!



We relaxed by the lake for a bit before heading back. I almost fell asleep, as you can probably tell by this terrible picture of me.

Happy Halloween!

I love this picture that Dallin took of our jack-o-lanterns! Hope everyone has a spooktacular Halloween!

A Seussical Halloween

This year the second grade teachers decided to do a Dr. Seuss theme for our Halloween costumes. As you can probably tell, I am the Cat in the Hat.



I know that this is a terrible picture. Apparently the early morning lighting at Pony Express is bad. If you look closely, you can see Thing 1, Star-Bellied Sneetches, Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch, and Horton's Egg.



We had a great Halloween. Who doesn't love walking through the school dressed like this, especially when you get to parade through the gym in front of the parents. Halloween is form of public humiliation for teachers. But we do it in style!

Flashback Friday

Things That Make You Go Aaaagghh!

Tonight was the totally awesome second grade Halloween program! It was so cute! (I don't like to post pictures of my class for privacy reasons) but they were so darling! They sang great songs like Dweller of the Cave, Scarin' Alive, and Rattlin' Bones. I especially loved when my kids had sticks painted with glow in the dark paint and performed with the black light! Thanks Cindi for putting together such an amazing program! Who could ask for a better music teacher??

Jack O Lantern, Jack O Lantern, Looking At Me

The countdown to Halloween is on! Pumpkin Carving Night is upon us. We kicked it off with a thrilling ride to BYU to gather copies of the Daily Universe to give our beautiful pumpkins a cushion to rest their orange behinds upon.



Then the artistry began. We sketched and carved our pumpkins, designing jack-o-lanterns of beauty. Dallin really has the magic touch when he gets ahold of his carving knife.



Do you see the resemblance?



My pumpkin just needs some glasses to fit over his massive ears. He's not a nerd or anything. (I hope you don't see a resemblance between the two of us!)



Our special little pumpkins before they were placed in the seat of honor on our front porch, to watch for all of those trick or treaters who dare to venture down our spooky lane.



Now we have the pumpkin seeds soaking in "brine" and are looking forward to some tasty snacks from our pumpkins' guts!

Happy Birthday, Mandy!

Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!

Chicken, Anyone?

Dallin got a deal from a guy at work on chicken. 40 lbs. for $50. So we are up to our elbows in chicken, as you can tell from this picture of Butcher Dal.


After spending our Saturday evening trimming and vacuum sealing the chicken, we now have a freezer full of chicken. Anybody hungry?