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?

Sunset at Squaw Peak

Last night after work, Dallin packed a picnic dinner and loaded up the Jeep to take me to the most romantic spot in Provo - Squaw Peak.



I have never been to Squaw Peak and was amazed at the view. It was breathtaking!


After enjoying our tasty dinner of tuna sandwiches, grapes, and chips, we sat back and enjoyed the beauty all around us. (As you can tell from the picture, Dallin has food in his mouth - he really enjoyed our dinner!)


But unfortunately we had to leave at some point. This is our last view from atop the Peak.


Perfect!

Flashback Friday

Not flashing back too far this week. Just to a year ago. Dallin, Andrew, and I went to Boise to visit Mandy for her birthday. Crazy how things have changed. The Adams don't even live in Boise, Andrew's on his mission, and Savannah is a big kindergartner. But anyway, this is a pre-birthday shout out to Mandy!

Still Looking Professional

Crazy Hat Day. Don't you wish your child was in my class?

The Epitome of a Professional

This is Red Ribbon Week (Say No to Drugs!!) and so each day is a different theme. Today was Pajama Day, so I was looking my best. Around 9:30 this morning, just as I took a nice, big bite of a bagel (my kids were working on an assignment and I hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast yet), in walks one of the school secretaries with a new student and his parent. Needless to say, I felt extremely professional as I attempted to swallow my bagel and smooth the creases out of my PJs. So if you need lessons in professionalism, please come to me. I had one of my most professional moments.

Livin' Large in the Corn Maze

Saturday night we met up with Mikenze, Veha, and Little Miss E for some fun at the Corn Maze. We had a great time checking out all the farm fun.

We saw rabbits



Dallin roped some steer



Dallin and Veha competitively shot corn with their corn cannon at an unsuspecting scarecrow.



We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch.



And, with Veha leading the way and E calling the shots, we navigated through the corn maze.



Then we headed back to their house for some yummy dinner. Thanks so much for a fun night!

Oh The Horror!

Last night we basked in the horror-filled pleasure of visiting the Castle of Chaos. Along with Susie, Joe, Helen, and Ryan, we went through the haunted house. While I don't think it was the scariest haunted house I've ever been to, it was a lot of fun. Part of it was in 3-D, so that was pretty trippy, especially when the clowns came out. I would have to say the scariest part was when you have to get in a coffin and then slide out the bottom where a chain saw wielding maniac awaits you. Good times! I'm just happy that I didn't get blood on me, as Ryan paid a little extra for the poncho and the chance to be soaked in blood. Yummy!

Marvelous Fall Break, Day 2

Another wonderful day. Of course, I slept in! I think that I must have been really worn out because every night I sleep 10 hours or more without stirring. It is so nice! So after lazying around a bit, I decided to tackle this:



Our garden met it's demise last weekend when the cold hit. There were many tomatoes, squash, green beans, and watermelon that didn't make it. Unfortunately we were too busy leading up to the cold to harvest the veggies before the freeze. So there was much death and destruction in the garden. I dug up all the plants and dismantled the garden. Here is the after shot:



All that's left is for Dallin to till it to get whatever I missed. I guess winter is really coming now that the garden is done. I then tackled the fun of house cleaning. Kind of boring, I know, but it's got to be done.



Then, while waiting for Dallin to get home from work, I read and read and read some more. I picked up a page turner last night.



Finally my honey returned home to me and we went on a Friday night scooter ride down to the lake to catch the sunset. It was amazing! See for yourself:





Our final stop for the evening was to enjoy a romantic, flourescent-light dinner at Taco Bell. Oh la la!

Flashback Friday

Dallin and Andrew, the toughest ninjas...or are they Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I'm not quite sure.

Glorious Fall Break, Day 1

Today was the first day of the much awaited, much anticipated, much appreciated Fall Break. After the stress of last week, I have never been so happy to have a vacation. My wonderful day began by sleeping in. Oh how I love sleeping in! It felt amazing. Then, after a leisurely morning of getting ready, I headed off to finish off my visiting teaching. It was so nice to have time to visit teach during the day, rather than having them squeeze me in in the evenings.



After a great visit, where I was able to teach about the importance of gender and how it affects our eternal identity, I came home and took the dog for a walk. It was a gorgeous afternoon. The sky was blue, the leaves were changing, the air was crisp. I felt like I was in a movie. I am so happy that fall returned after our brief little preview of winter.



The beauty of the afternoon inspired me to try my hand at some photography. Someday I would love to be a great photographer. I made some attempts today as I snapped some shots of the beautiful leaves. I don't think I even came close to capturing the beauty of the day.



After my walk, I was craving some comfort food. So I made up some meat loaf to cook in the crock pot for dinner.I know it sounds weird, but I really like cooking my meat loaf in the crock pot. That slow cooking gives it a little extra yumminess, if that makes sense.



Then Dallin came home and we headed over for some true fun - getting the safety and emissions test on the beloved blue Corolla. Who doesn't love hanging in Jiffy Lube?



Luckily Baby Blue passed her test, so we are good to go. Then it was time to lay down and relax with my book. Unfortunately I finished the book. I always feel a sense of sadness when I finish a good book. Once I'm done, I can't go back to that little world. Even if I reread the book, it won't be quite the same because there won't be the surprises that come with the unknown book.



So to ease my sadness, Dallin took me to Barnes and Noble to pick up a new book. Hopefully it will be as good as the last. I haven't started yet, as I was listening to the BYU game. Ummm, yeah, feeling a bit of sadness there. Right now, with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Cougars are losing 26-7. I had to take a break and enjoy The Office. Maybe things will get lucky while I'm away.



So that is Day 1 of my break. I know, so exciting you can hardly contain yourself. And tune in tomorrow for the next thrilling happenings as Day 2 dawns.

Happy Birthday, Elder Coffman!

Happy 20th Birthday, Andrew! Even though you aren't able to read this, I know Dallin would love to be giving Bubba a hug just like this! Keep up the great work serving the Lord and the people of Arizona!

Let's Go Tigers, Let's Go!

Last night we had a party. Dallin gathered all of the Louisiana folk in the area that he could find (Don and Andrea, Jack and Katie, Danielle) to watch the big LSU - Florida game. We had lots of tasty treats and were in the mood for an awesome game. Unfortunately we didn't get a good game. Florida beat LSU 51-21. But luckily we had yummy food and great company! It was great meeting some people that Dallin grew up with.

Along those lines, I've noticed that people from Louisiana check our blog regularly and we would love to know who you are! Leave a comment. I'm sure Dallin would love to catch up and I would love to get to know you!

Excuse Me, I Ordered Fall

So apparently our fall was not destined to really be this year. This is the view from our front window. What you can't see are the tiny snow flurries flying around. While they aren't sticking to the ground or anything, it still gives me a taste of the winter ahead, a winter that I am not ready for.



But I am trying to make the best of it. Since this has probably been one of the busiest weeks ever (having conferences until 8 every night along with a field trip), I am more than happy to stay indoors and just relax and recuperate. Before Dallin, my always charming, always helpful husband, went to work this morning (poor boy, working in the cold!), he built me a fire to keep me warm. Miraculously, I have been able to keep the fire going!



Plus last night we stopped up at Barnes and Noble and picked up a book for me to read.



So, as you can probably tell, my plans for the rest of the afternoon include the warmth of the fire, a good book, and the couch. Even though I didn't get what I ordered, I think I can manage the winter weather, at least for today.