Many Years Ago...

20 years ago...

I was 6 and in Mrs. Kofford's kindergarten class. I took piano lessons from Grandma before heading off to school in the afternoon. Kindergarten was great! Holly wasn't around yet, so I got to enjoy both parents' undivided attention at home in the evenings.


10 years ago...
16 years old, and a sophomore at good ole' WX. I had just transfered in January from Hillcrest, and didn't have a ton of friends... I guess this is when I became more of an observer-of-people, rather than a full-on participant with all these strange people. (One day in English, I was a witness to the usual insult-in-good-fun fest, and accidentally said one of my snarky comments outloud... my table-mates were shocked! I spoke!) It seems like AP tests were upon us around this time of year, and when I wasn't studying and doing homework, I was watching the Jazz in the playoffs... one of the years they went pretty far, from what I can remember.


5 years ago...
Go Utes! I was a junior at the U, and gearing up for the end of the term, only to be getting ready for summer semester, freshmen LEAP orientation, and then Disneyland when it was all over! In fall, I would begin student teaching in Centerville in 3rd grade. I also had quite a few friends coming home from missions (wow, they've been home a long time!), and missed my own meetings to be to theirs.


3 years ago...
I was finishing up my first year teaching computers in Cedar Hills, and getting ready for a repeat performance the next year (but full time! Hoorah!) I was also finishing my first year of grad school at the U, and had been, finally, officially, accepted to the program, so I could take classes in the summer (whoopee...). Joee and I were planning our fantastic China trip! Joee had been the year before, and so had a great list of things that she'd take again, and things she wished she'd taken - and so we were well packed and prepared. What a great trip - once in a lifetime for me, twice in a lifetime for Joee. It was a good last adventure (so to speak) to have together before we phased into different phases of our lives... Joee got married the next winter!


1 year ago...
A year ago this week, I was on spring break! I had my last paper to write, and could have finished it... but ended up finishing it the day it was due, and emailed it off to the professor 5 minutes before it was due - early for me! Graduation was coming up - what a relief to be done! I was also 6 weeks away from finishing my first year in 3rd grade - whew! Holly and I were also getting ready for our cross-country adventure to Palmyra, NY, to be in the Hill Cumorah pageant. What a great experience!


So far this year...
It has been fantastic to not have to run off to class and write papers and prepare for class each week. I've been able to get some crafts and scrapbooking done - and there's a lot to do! I've gotten to read books for fun (eeek!), and have a few must-see tv shows that I can watch and not feel bad about watching (because I should be doing homework instead). I've enjoyed teaching this year, and have been able to leave school at school a little more often (not all the time, but it's a marked improvement over last year).


Yesterday...
What a great day! I got to sleep in a bit before taking Holly to the train. I got ready for the day at my leisure, and then met Charlotte at Ikea for breakfast and shopping. I came home, read a paper for Lee, sent it off, and fixed lunch for Dad. I took JoAnne to Ikea to get a new chair for her new computer desk (and computer!), and we braved the snow and wind to go down to my school to work for a while. We drove down to Orem for Holly's band concert, and then went to Applebee's (with the band, but not of the band) for dinner after the concert. Mom wasn't able to come, but we texted her during dinner. We got home late, and I went to bed. Hoorah for spring break! (29 school days to go!)


Today...
Today's been great! I got to sleep in, take Holly to campus, and go shopping in the early morning before everyone gets off work! I got to make dinner (slow-cooker creamy chicken - yum), and am blogging in the middle of the afternoon! What a great spring break!

New Toy

I read a blog post last week about the Flip video camera - a small, user-friendly, relatively inexpensive video camera. I watched a few video comparisons between the Flip and other, more expensive cameras... and decided that I was going to 'stimulate the economy' and buy one. It came yesterday - what a great toy! I've done a few practice videos with it, and played with them in iMovie. What a dork I am. But a fun dork with a cool new toy!
Here's the video - I hope!

Big News!

Well... I'm anxiously engaged!

And, while you probably didn't fall for that... 27 third graders did, as did several teachers at school - and the principal! My ring was pretty convincing (as long as you didn't look to close). The picture of Edward, my prince charming, did the trick, though.

Happy April Fool's Day!

The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger's Apprentice book 1

A student and his parents recommended the Ranger's Apprentice series to me. It's very similar in scope to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Eragon. I like it just as well as the books in those series. Characters are quite well developed, the story is ongoing and intriguing, and there's enough magic and mystery to keep it interesting without taking over the story.

Movie Night!

Mom decided we needed a night out, so Friday night, we (Mom, Holly and me) went to Jordan Commons for a night at the theater! We couldn't decide what we wanted to see... so we ended up going to two shows - College Road Trip and Penelope.
It's been such a long time since we've gotten to take a break and go to the movies, we thought it'd be all right if we did a double-feature. It was fun to sit and eat and visit with one another at the theater and talk about the movies. This is definitely something we should enjoy together more often!

College Road Trip was pretty funny. Mel (Raven) has to get to her interview at Georgetown, and her dad tries to get her there. Needless to say, they run into quite a few interesting people and events along the way. One of these people is Donny Osmond - hilarious! He fit the part perfectly!

Penelope was a more serious movie. Penelope (Christina Ricci) is born with a curse - a pig nose and ears. Her mother insists she interview eligible young, rich men to break the curse, but they all run, except for one, Max (John McAvoy - wow!), who can't break the curse. A great movie with a great message!

National Craft Month! week 1

The newspaper on Friday proclaimed that March is National Craft Month. So to celebrate, my mom decided that we were going to make a different craft each weekend in March.
Holly and I went to Michael's to search a craft out - not too hard, maybe in a kit, and something Dad will want to do... what a tall order!
We ended up decorating porcelain piggy banks. They turned out so cute! Even Dad had a good time decorating, and we all enjoyed the time together.

Who's Doing What
Get Crafting

Christine needs...

So. Google your name and add the word 'needs' to your query, and what do you get? Your Google needs list!

Christine needs:
... to know where her inventory is at all times (well, who doesn't?)
... parents who will be able to be patient (and mine are!)
... to stop looking at clothes (actually, it could be argued that I need to start looking at clothes)
... to see her doctors (I don't have one, let alone many...)
... to have kids (well, yes, all in due time...)
... platelets (well, they are a vital part of living, sure)
... to go back and read some of her earlier books (didn't know I had earlier books...)
... some sort of female support system (and what girl doesn't?)
... only to cough or sneeze and she could have a brain hemorrhage (that sounds serious!)
... to get out of here (sure, eventually)
... to go (I think that's been established! But to where?)
... you to vote (for...?)
... to get the ball rolling! (uh, huh!)
... constant attention (constant isn't necessary, but a little bit is nice...)
... a vacay (ah, so that's where I need to go!)