Subing already

I guess I won't be kicking back too much in R.S. I have been asked to teach the second Sunday in January. I am kind of looking forward to it. This will be the first class I will be part of with the Joseph Smith lessons.

Last week when we went to Temple Square, we saw the latest Joseph Smith movie. I loved it. I started crying before it even started. I even knew how the movie would end and was not disappointed at all.

Christmas in Utah

We had a great Christmas with family in Utah. We drove all night to see them and were so glad we did. We felt like we had an extra day.

Our favorite parts of the trip were:

**Christmas brunch at Grandma and Grandpa Alger's house
**Playing in all the snow (since Reno has no snow)
**Taking family pictures in a blizzard
**Going to Temple Square to see the Temple (no castle, no temple, no castle, OK temple - Thank you Kelsey)
**Taking a tour of the conference center
**Walking into Temple square just as the lights turn on (We could not have planned that!)
**Going to Toucano's (I was good and didn't eat too much! Amazing!!)
**An entire day of movies (Mama Mia, Bedtime Stories, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, High School Musical 3, Iron Man)
**Dinner at Olive Garden (I did eat too much, ARHHH)

**And the roads were pretty dry on the trip there and home.

We are already talking about when our next trip will be.

A release for Christmas

Now that it is official, I guess I can blog about it.

Just before Christmas, I was released as the Primary President in our South Meadows ward. I served in that calling for two years. That is two primary programs, seven counselors and/or secretaries, about 24 sharing times, 48 Sunday morning meetings, too many to count teachers, and even more Cub Scout leaders.

For as busy as I was, it was a great calling. Before this opportunity, I had been a primary teacher and a primary secretary, and was sure that was the extent of primary I would be able to handle. I have said this before, and I am sure it is why I was called, but I am not the biggest fan of other people's children.

It is amazing how much love I have for the children in our ward. Even when they are asking me questions that have absolutely nothing to do with the lesson. I found many times where they knew more than me. And then there were some children that wanted to know the deep doctrine that only one answer ever worked to appease their appetite for knowledge, and that was, "Go ask your dad".

I must admit the let down when I was told I would be released. I started wondering what I had done wrong, or what opportunity of service I had missed. The more I thought about it, the more wrapped up in myself I got. I was not given a new calling right away - in fact, President Chamberlain called Saturday night and asked to see both Jason and I before church. I thought for sure I would be getting a new stake calling. But it was Jason who got the new calling. He is now the Assistant Ward Clerk over membership. This only compounded the heavy feelings I had already been having.

Then as I was being released with a vote of thanks, the impression came to me that it was now my opportunity to work on myself and my family. I will be able to continue my school work and watch children during the week without feeling like I am forgetting to do something for Primary.

The Lord truly knows each of us and the things we are capable of accomplishing in our lives. I am grateful for the experience of working in Primary, but will miss the sisters I worked with the most!! I look forward to the next calling I receive, no matter how scary it may feel in the beginning. Or I could just go to Sunday School and Relief Society for a while and participate in the lessons.

Name and a verb

Thanks Tara for the fun idea. You go to yahoo or google and type in your name and a verb and see what comes up. You get some pretty funny results... Unfortunately for me, some hit pretty close to home.

Elizabeth has... No idea what "saving money" entails.

Elizabeth needs... the fashion police.

Elizabeth likes... air ships.

Elizabeth goes... to school.

Just for fun.

School

It's that time again. I am in the sixth week of my latest block of classes. However, my house is not so clean this time. I am really enjoying my history class. It is U.S. History since 1945. So when it comes to history - it is pretty much about yesterday. It has been fascinating to read about the U.S. after World War II and discover that everything that happens today, pretty much happened already, just with different players. I am always reminded of those Seminary lessons about the Nephites cycles of righteousness. How there is always good time followed by really bad times. And the pattern is the same now. Things go really good until they are so good we loose sight of what is important. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and we stop placing Heavenly Father first. After WW II the people were so happy to have their loved ones back that there was great prosperity and a baby boom. Then people got complacent and wanted - "Keeping up with the Jones". Anyway. I am enjoying this class. I could do without all the writing, but the reading is fun.

The Family

Just a few pictures.

These are just a few pictures from our last trips to Disneyland.

We will start saving now to get Annual Passes again in about 3 years.

.

Allynn & Austin on California Scream'n.

Austin is the head to the right. He forgot to stretch for the picture.

Sydney on California Scream'n.

After going to California Adventure so many times this year, they discovered the "Single Rider line." This line was even quicker than the fastpass line. They just didn't get to ride together.

The Girls and some Fairies.

We stood in line for an hour to see these fairies. And it was worth it. Kelsey was so excited to talk to the fairies.

Mom and Allynn with Steamboat Willey during Allynn's birthday trip.

Allynn and Sleeping Beauty.

Tis the Season to be Jolly

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We had a quite weekend at home. Our plan was to clean out the garage and the office, but only the garage got done. Since it was only our family of 6 we cooked a turkey breast and had plenty of food. We also had all the other good stuff that goes with Thanksgiving dinner.

Friday we went to see Bolt in 3D. That was a cute movie. Saturday we went bowling at the Coconut Bowl. Today was church and I am glad everyone will be going back to school tomorrow.

We are now looking forward to going to Utah for Christmas. We are hoping for good weather on the 23rd. Jason wants to leave after work and drive in the night so our kidlets will be asleep.

Update

We have had a busy few weeks. We made a last minute trip to Disneyland before out passes expired two weeks before Thanksgiving. We had a great time except for there was a lot of smoke Saturday morning. Then the winds picked up and kept it above our heads.

We also took Kelsey on the Matterhorn because she was finally tall enough. She stood in line very nicely and climbed right into the ride. Once the ride started moving, she grabbed me with all her might and held on for life. She didn't make one sound throughout the entire ride. As soon as we came to a stop just before the unload platform, she started yelling "GET ME OFF!!!!!" She was not willing to wait any longer. Once she was off the ride, the other kids started asking her if she liked it. She said the ride was fun. Allynn asked Kesley if she wanted to ride it again. The answer was "No - it's too scary". I thought for sure she would not stand in line with us again for fear of what was at the end of the line, but she did great. It may have helped that we had already been on the Nemo Submarines first, so she knew that not all lines were bad.

Most lines were less than 10 minutes. Some lines were 25 minutes. The longest line was the wait to see Tinkerbell in Pixie Hollow. But it was worth it, Kelsey was in heaven and got to talk to Tinkerbell.

We will start saving now for the next time we are able to get passes. It was well worth the family time we spent together and the time I spent with each child for their birthdays and with Jason for our anniversary. And the next time, Kelsey will be older and asking to ride the Mountain again and again.

What have you done?

I tag you if you are reading this!To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. I also added one of my own that I thought should be there.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea -Does Bear Lake count as at sea?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - Could a commercial count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class - From Austin
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury -Called to jury duty once but was dismissed because I was pregnant with Allynn. Thanks Allynn
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument
102. Been to the Opera house in Sydney

Posting

I know it is time for a new update, but I can't seem to get my act together. After coming home from Allynn's trip, my next two classes started. History since 1945 and Teaching as a Profession. In the first week I felt like I had more writing to do than I had in the previous classes. Last week I also rushed to get assignments done early so I would not have to worry about them while we stole a very quick weekend away. This week is jammed pack too. Right now I am supposed to be at enrichment, but I couldn't get myself together to make it there. Tomorrow night I am supposed to go to a lotion party, Thursday is stamp group, and Friday I have been invited to go to the movies to see Twilight on opening night. I also have homework and discussion questions and a power point presentation on the Cold War due Sunday. And there is Kelsey and Baby S and the two new babies I will begin watching tomorrow. (M-W-F for 1 1/2 hours a day. I certainly can't complain). Now that I have written this all down, I think I am tired and should go to bed even though it is only 7:45 pm. I just wish I could get my kids to go to bed that early. I guess we will not be wearing clean clothes this week or getting the bathrooms thoroughly scrubbed. At least the dishes will be done (Allynn, Sydney, and Austin are great at keeping those taken care of!) This may not have been the update you were looking for, so I will try to make time for more.

Allynn's birthday trip

I have some fun pictures to share, I just have to get them off my phone. I will work on that today. Thursday night, Disneyland closed at 8 pm so we weren't sure if we would make it from the airport in time to go on any rides. WE DID!! First thing we rode was Pirates of the Caribbean. We walked right on - no line. Then we decided that we didn't have a whole lot of time left in the park for that night so we would ride Splash Mountain. This way if we were totally wet, we would just be going back to the motel. We walked right on again. Through the ride, there were a few moments when the ride would stop and the voice would tell us to stay in our seats and we would be along shortly. We got the end of the road so to speak. The last long climb to the top of the mountain before we are dropped into the brier patch, the ride stopped, and this time we were told to stay in our seats and someone would be along to help us out. Right at the top, we had to climb out and walk out of the ride through a small part of backstage. I thought that was really cool!! How often do you get to go backstage. After we got out to the ride, we were given readmission tickets to any ride. This is basically a fast pass ticket for any ride except Toy Story Midway Mania. Allynn admitted later that she had been praying that she would not get too wet. I had that same prayer.

The highlight of the trip happened on Friday morning. We got Disneyland at opening (9am) and went straight to Space Mountain before the line got too long. Then we went to Autopia to drive the cars. As we were coming off the ride we were handed DREAM FAST PASSES. We have waited all year to get one of those. We didn't really need them since most lines were less than 25 minute wait, but we used them anyway and had ridden ever ride in both Disneyland and California Adventure by 5 pm. That was a lot of walking. We just kept moving from one ride to the next, using our fast passes to go through the short line. It was so much fun. We stayed until about 10 pm and we were tired. So we went to Albertson's and rented Kit Kitridge - An American Girl from the Red Box for the next morning.

Saturday we slept in. I woke up about 8 and Allynn finally rolled out of bed around 10. We had breakfast in our room and watched the movie we had rented. Then we got ready for the day and headed back to the park. What a fun time we had. Again the lines were pretty short. The longest we waited for anything was 30 minutes and that was for Toy Story Midway Mania which is a new 3D ride in California Adventure. Everything else was 20 minutes or less.

Allynn and I had such a great time on our trip to Disneyland. So much fun that I am trying to work it out that our family can go one more time before out passes run out on November 22nd.

American Pop Culture

For those of you that did not continue to college and finish with some kind of degree and you are not married, newly married, or married without children - go back and get it done. I wish I had gone to school when I didn't have so much other stuff that needed to be done. Now for those of you that know me well, know that I am not the best at getting most household jobs such as folding laundry, cleaning floors, or exercising done, but now I don't do my class work to clean my house, fold laundry, or go for a walk. My bathrooms have been cleaned once a week for about a month now. I don't do bathrooms. I make dinner every night. I never did that before. Anything to get out of writing a paper about the influences of American Pop Culture on other countries or whether a teacher should have the right to boot a kid out of class that is disruptive.

So Sad :(

The envelope containing the information to renew the Disney Annual Passports came today. I am so sad to rip it up and throw it in the garbage. I may have to pin it to the wall for a couple of days before I actually do it. Or maybe I will let the kids put it through the shredder. Pray for me, I need the extra strength.

Allynn is getting old.

This month, Allynn will have her 11th birthday. I am shocked at how old she is. She is a great helper. She is so smart. Her teachers are so impressed with her. Right now she is addicted to the Twilight books. A book report was assigned to her class on a work of fiction. This was assigned in early September with the due date of October 15th (tomorrow). For two weeks she struggled with what book she was going to read. Then she saw the Twilight books on the shelf and asked if she could read that for her book report. I actually tried to discourage her and offered to help her find a smaller book so she could get the reading done quickly and finish the report and project early. NO, she decided that Twilight was the book she was going to read. So we sat down and looked at how many pages there were in the book and decided that if she read 100 pages per week, she would finish with over a week to work on her report and poster. She is amazing. Not only did she finish the book and her report, she is already in the middle of the third book of the series. I tell you this because she is such a great child! I cannot explain how much I love her and how important she is to this family. Today while I was looking through some old files on the computer, I came across this old email that I thought would be fun to reminisce about.

Tuesday, August, 27, 2002 (The first days of Allynn going to Kindergarten in California)

We have made it through the second day of school without incident.
The first day, I would like to do over!!

We got up at the time we needed and everything was going very smoothly until 730 when we should have been leaving but Austin was upset. I decided to nurse him for 5 min then we would leave. That still gave us 15 min to get to school. Then we got
to the Jr. High and I realized I had forgotten her paper that needs to be pined to her for the first 2 weeks. I contemplated whether or not to go back for it. My mistake was going back for it. Then I threw everyone in the car and took off. It takes longer to drive to school than to walk!! I could not find a place to park so I thought I was going to have to tell Allynn to get out and find her class when I saw our friend Erinn Hansen. She jumped in the car with Sydney and Austin and I was able to take Allynn to her class and take a few pictures. It took me a while to calm down after that. I was so upset that I had not been better prepared. I was frustrated and wanted to cry but Allynn was wondering what was wrong. I told her I was having trouble getting her to school, so she started yelling at me that she wanted to go to school. But, now all is well and she really likes it.

Today she said that her teacher was not nice to her, and left it at that. When we got home I asked her more about it and it turns out that her teacher would not let her be the leader of the line out to the pick up point. She got over it real fast. She said she would still go back tomorrow.

Oh, our wonderful Allynn.

It's cold and I'm in school.

Class distractions

It's that time again. Week 6 of my 9 week class. The time that should be used for last minute research, outline tweaking, and the start of the rough draft for the final paper. Time that if spent wisely would result in a better final grade. But since that is what I am supposed to be doing - of course I have found something else entirely different to spend my time.

Yesterday was Jason's first day of work (and he really enjoyed it!!). I found myself with no one to talk to except for Kelsey and Renni. Not the most intelligent conversation, but at least I am not talking to myself. While they were playing nicely on the floor, I thought I would take the time to clean out the two cupboards above the bar-counter. I have been thinking about this for a while and decided it was time to just get it done. These two cupboards had become the "junk draw" of the kitchen.

Then I had a thought about a cabinet left over from closing Jason's office. I wanted to know if it would fit under the stairs to create more storage in the kitchen. I managed to measure and get it moved into place without much fuss.

Now I have the cupboard empty and new storage under the stairs - the next thought was - "What need do I have for this cupboard anymore?" Good question. Jason checked in with me at one point in the afternoon by texting me. I texted back that I was attempting to demo the kitchen. His reply was "SEND PICS!" so I did. The pictures were not scary, but I am sure his mind was racing at the thought of coming home to a demolished kitchen. I tried to take the cupboard down myself, but stripped the screws. So when Jason got home about 5:30, he looked at it and then used the saws-all to cut the screws! It was great. The cupboard came down nice and neat and in one piece. Now my kitchen is open. It was a rather eventful day.

New Post

I know - no new posts for a while. I always want to know what is going on with everyone else and now it is my turn to get something written. I am in the 5th week of my current block of classes and I am struggling. This education class and the humanities class talk a lot about philosophy and how we are all shaped by the philosophy we live by. I am having trouble understanding where the the line is between religion and philosophy. The Western philosophies are logical and scientific. The Eastern philosophies are spiritual and introspective. I have religion in my life - doesn't everyone? What more do I need? I am so confused. I am hoping the next 4 weeks go by really fast and I pass with a C in each class. I am so confused that I think this post is confusing.

We are glad it is October. Allynn is counting down the days to her birthday when she will turn 11 and she and I get take her birthday trip to Disneyland. We are excited that we get to go. We were lucky enough that Jason had a left over Southwest ticket from when he was flying to So. Cal once a month and we are using his hotel points he accumulated all last year. I am excited for a break. And it comes at just the right time, my class finals are due that Sunday, so I am attempting to work ahead so I will have everything turned in by Thursday morning before we leave.

Our grass is still growing in nicely. That has been a great highlight to this year!! And now for the best news of all - Jason has been offered a position at Integra Telecom!! YEAH!!!! He starts on Monday in the Customer Service department which is where everyone starts with this company. The two men he interviewed with have been with the company for 6 and 8 years and were very encouraging about the growth this company expects despite the economy right now. We are excited. They ask that he work the customer service department for one year and then he is eligible to apply to other positions in the company. His office will not be 2 mins. down the street but it is in Reno and we are grateful for that!

Thank you for all the prayers and help we have received from friends and family. We have been strengthened by your love for us!!

Mom - I don't think we will be moving into your basement as soon as we thought. Maybe next time! :)

Going Green

Another week and the grass is filling in nicely. Looking out each morning to see the grass is a highlight of the day.

I've been Tagged. The 5

10 years ago I was:

1. Living in Hollister, Ca
2. Planning our move to Singapore
3. Taking care of one child (Allynn)
4. Working at AAA
5. Teaching Primary

5 things on today's list

1. Get kids to bus on time
2. Read homework assignment
3. Pick up Enid from school
4. Participate in online discussion for Education class
5. Get girls to Activity Day

5 snacks I enjoy

1. See's candy - butterscotch squares, rum nougat, California brittle in a custom 1 lb box
2. corn chips with salsa
3. Pepsi
4. string cheese
5. More Pepsi

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire

1. Pay off my house
2. Renew my Disneyland Annual Pass
3. Buy a condo in Anaheim
4. Pay off all debt
5. Go out to dinner

5 places I have lived

1. West Yellowstone, MT
2. San Jose, CA
3. Singapore
4. American Fork, UT
5. Reno, NV

5 jobs I have had

1. Quality control at ICSensors
2. HR assistant IBM
3. McWhorter's - Customer Service
4. AAA customer service
5. Convergys - DirecTV contract

I tag

1. Julie
2. Becky
3. Kathy
4. Jeanna
5. Lisa

It's not easy being green...

When green is the 30 year old olive green stove/oven being replaced by a nice new white stove/oven.

OK, maybe it is when the green is your lawn!!! Seed planted September 4th now looks like this on September 13th. We are so excited!!!!

The Great Reno Balloon Race

The second weekend of September has been The Great Reno Balloon Race http://www.renoballoon.com/ now for 27 years. We attended the first year we lived here and had a great time. That was four years ago, so Allynn talked us into going again. She really had to talk The Dad into this adventure since it entails getting up at 4:00 am to get to the park by 5:00 am. The need for such an early start to the day is going to see the Glow Show and the Dawn Patrol. Both of these are spectacular sights of the fire lighting up the balloons.

Unfortunately this is the best picture I have of the Glow Show, since every time I brought the camera up to my face, Kelsey would stick her face in front. This group of balloons is from the Bay Area. I am sure we may have seen them flying over San Martin and Morgan Hill before we moved here.

After the balloons glow on the ground for a few minuets, each one lifts off into the sky to glow some more. The challenge of the Dawn Patrol is to fly in a formation. These balloons don't have steering wheels, so they have to find wind currents to push them around. There is also the art of adding and releasing hot air from the balloon to move up and down in the sky. My pictures don't really give this event justice, so you are all invited to come experience this for yourselves.

After the Dawn Patrol finished their show, we watched more than 90 balloons get rolled out in the field and set up to take off for the Mass Ascension. After watching a few of the crews set up their area,

(Notice the brown feather looking balloon in the background.)

we hiked back up to the car to watch over the whole area. The announcer mentioned the eagle stands taller than the Statue of Liberty.

The Eagle balloon flew the American Flag just below the basket while Miss Nevada sang the National Anthem to begin the race.

The balloons continue to fill as the Hare balloon takes off to lay down the target. (Rules for the race - Hare & Hound - http://www.renoballoon.com/EventInfo/Competition&Results)
The Hare Balloon sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Eventually the balloons start to pop up off the ground.

And then take off, until they are all in the air.

Once there was room on the ground again, the Energizer Bunny popped up above the trees.

The Great Reno Balloon Race is surely a spectacular sight!

This event is more than just the Hound & Hare event, but this was about as much as we could handle for that morning. We had been up since 4 am and left the park around 9 am. We were hungry, so we went home for some breakfast. Next time, I will think ahead and take donuts and hot chocolate. Yummy!! The kids fell asleep during our 40 minuet ride home. (30 minutes of that was taken up trying to get out of the parking area.) The day was pretty much shot for anything more than watching movies. It was a very relaxing day. Around 1:00 pm I came downstairs to get some lunch for hungry children and found our Kelsey had fallen asleep again.

Certainly not the most comfortable place to sleep.

After this picture she sat up to watch the TV again. I left with Allynn to look for something for Mema at Ross. The Dad came in to check on Kelsey to find that she had adjusted her position and gone back to sleep. Poor baby was very tired. But we all had a great time and are glad we got up at the butt crack of dawn to have a family adventure!

Not just sprinklers - Automatic Sprinklers

With water flowing nicely through the sprinklers, it is now time to smooth out the dirt to make it ready for the seed.

Then it was time to spread the seed.

We then turned on the water to give the seeds a little soak. Our friend giving us a hand said to water them 3-6 times a day for 3 minutes each time. This will keep the seeds moist to "pop the seed"

Now all that is left is to hook up the wire from

the valve to the sprinkler timer.

Prep for the automatic sprinklers

The Dad, Austin, Sydney, and Allynn (Kelsey and I are too smart) went under the house to have a look. The main goal of going under the house was to pull the wire needed for the automatic sprinklers. While they were under there, they also looked at why the tile is cracking in the hallway (missing brace), checked the dryer vent was not blocked (all looks good), and checked why the floor between the master bathroom and hall bathroom is sagging (also missing a brace). That dad feels these things are fixable and will get to them as soon as he is ready. (I think he secretly wishes we get a job somewhere else so he does not have to work on this house anymore.)

I am glad I didn't have to go down there.

Next class

I opened my class discussion for ENG 102 to find that I received and A- for the class. I am very happy with that. I thought for sure I would not get an A on my final paper, but I did. YEA ME!!

Now today I start my next two classes. During the next 9 weeks I will be taking AED 200 and HUM 205.

AED/200 Contemporary Issues in American Education
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an overview of the teaching profession. It introduces the student to the various issues affecting teachers. Its primary focus will be on contemporary issues teachers and educators face in today’s schools. Throughout the course, all aspects of the teaching profession will be incorporated from the diversity of students in the classroom, to school organization and governance, to teaching philosophies and instruction. This course provides a foundation for understanding the education profession.

HUM/205 World Culture and the Arts
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Culture and the arts play a complex role in enriching the human experience. This course will analyze the social role of the arts in the early civilizations through the present day. Learners will explore the key contributions in visual art, architecture, literature, and music of the civilizations presented in this course. In particular, learners will construct a virtual museum comprised of various artifacts representing several cultures.

I am not sure if I am ready for these to classes, but I am ready to be done with school. In order to be done, I need to keep on going. I have now completed 4 classes. I have 12 more to go including these two I am taking now. These 12 classes will be accomplished in 7 more 9 week blocks for a finish date of February 2010.

Blogging Catch-up night

Last weekend we decided to go to Hollister for the last weekend before school started. We left Friday morning for our trip over the hill. We had a great time visiting with The Dad's family and took the kids to the beach. For Austin and Kelsey, this was their first time to the ocean. Allynn and Sydney had been before, but Allynn must have been about three and Sydney was not one yet. These two informed us they were too young and that visit didn't count. Whatever -- A great time was had by all!!

The mad dash for the water.

It is cold!

Well, not that cold.

Here comes a wave! Lets get ready

We weren't ready!

Did you see that wave just knock us all over!!!!

The Land Lovers. At one point both The Dad and Duane were on their phones. At least they weren't talking to each other. (on the phone, I mean)

Kelsey did not leave the blanket for most of the day. She was not impressed with the sand on her feet. She was pretty happy to just sit on the edge and put her hands in it.

Hey Austin! Look out for the wave behind you!!!

Too Late! (Can you see his foot?)

"I do not like the salt. I like the waves, but not the salt."

We did not loose any children. We did, however, loose a yellow sand form which at one point came back just to be swept out to sea again. The life guard, who I assume was bored, offered to swim out to get it, but it was gone.

Thanks anyway.

The Dad!

He is not much of a beach goer now that he is old, but he had a great time anyway.

Allynn - not excited when it was time to leave, but was very relieved to take a shower to get all of the sand off. A few days later she finally believed me when I told her the sand would never really be gone. "Is it bad if there is sand in my ears?"
Sydney - She played in the water for a little while, but decided that the salt was not worth it. She played nicely in the sand with the land lovers and manged to not get one bit of sunburn.
Austin also did not like the salt. He was the one that swallowed the water and threw-up in the sand. He was quick to bury it and head back to the water. Good Job, Bubba Dubba!
Kelsey was happy to stay out of the water. Her favorite part was when The Dad got out of his seat so she could steal it. He also left his drink behind. Finders Keepers. I was the one taking the pictures, so of course there are not any of me. I wore my sweat shirt the whole time. I know I looked exactly like my mother sitting on the beach -- in my chair with my hood on and a towel over my legs. We didn't take any snacks, and I was missing a Good Housekeeping, but I thought about it and that should count. This was a great way to end the summer break.