The Less Family

Brewfest @ Snowbird

2011-06-21T21:47:00.000-06:00

Addie loves being on her daddy's shoulders

Beer? Absolutely! Ev's parents are in town this weekend, so we went up to Snowbird for Brewfest for yummy beer, good company, and beautiful surroundings!

Larry and Jen

Bern and Rich

Addie's New School

2011-06-10T21:18:00.000-06:00

We started taking Addie to preschool - we love it and she loves it! One of the best things is that she does an art project every day. Here is a sample of her lovely work:

It's a giraffe! Obviously.

She still doesn't mind when I drop her off. I'm so glad - I don't know what I'd do if she started crying! I think this is a good thing for her. It's structured and they work with her on learning words and colors. And, she gets to play with other kids her own age.

In other news: I made it to the end of the school year. Note to self - never do that again. I have, however, been asked to stay and help with summer school until the end of the month, so I will be doing that. I have a 2nd grade reading group and 4th grade math group. Now this is more like it! It's only part time in the mornings. It's pretty fun!

First Trip to the Zoo!

2011-06-01T19:34:00.000-06:00

We took Addie on her first trip to the zoo! We only went for a couple of hours, but we think she had fun. Her favorite things to see were the giraffes and the chickens that were running around in the elephant pen.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-26T17:26:00.000-06:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, Ev and I took our first trip alone - without Addie. My parents came up to babysit Addie for the weekend while we went down to Capitol Reef to Chief's Cabin.

I have to admit, I was pretty upset about leaving my baby for the first time, but I was over it by the time we were to Provo. :)

The trip was fun! We had a big new tent to sleep in. The weather was pretty cool, and the wind blew like crazy at night! It was awesome to spend some time with friends. We hiked Sulphur Creek the first day, which is one of our favorite hikes.

Our friends Mason and Nicole

Unfortunately, one of the most crazy parts of our trip was the ride home. The power was out in 3 counties- so we couldn't get gas. Talk about crossing our fingers! We made it though.

First summer BBQ

2011-05-23T12:58:00.000-06:00

Our friend Chief was in town, so we thought we'd have some people over for a BBQ. It was a lot of fun! We made a bunch of hamburgers and had people bring sides. It was nice to get together with friends!

Emma, Molly, and Addie

Hiking

2011-05-15T23:21:00.000-06:00

Spring is SLOWLY starting to happen so we decided to go hiking with our friends. We need to take advantage of the days when it isn't raining! Of course, the rain ended up rolling in anyway (see picture of downtown) We hiked Ensign Peak - really easy hike since we had the little ones.

The backpack worked out well!

View of downtown SLC from the top

The boys - Andy, Max, and Everett

I GOT A JOB! A real one!

2011-05-11T22:00:00.000-06:00

You always hear that it's easier to get a job when you are already working - it took me 2 days of working my temporary job.

I got a phone call today from Summit Academy High School, which is a school I interviewed with last week, offering me a job! Yes, as the school counselor - LOL. I am so excited! The school is actually still under construction, but it will be ready for the next school year when I start. It's a charter school, which is good. They already have a k-8 portion, which is very popular. So, they must know what they're doing.

Hooray for me! I'm so happy! I start in August. Wish me luck!

My first day

2011-05-10T16:00:00.001-06:00

So... don't really like my job. Actually, I really don't like it. However, I'm going to stick it out until the end of the school year. I can do anything for 3 weeks! I have a whole new respect for people that work in special education. I thought I was so patient, but I apparently have my limits!

I work with a second grade student. I sit with her in class all day and make sure she's on task and not being disruptive. Sounds easy, but it's not. Sometimes she does well and sometimes she's angry and defiant. I know part of it is that she's testing me because I'm new, but wow. This will be an excellent experience for me if I can get through this!

How's Addie? Great! She didn't care one bit when I dropped her off at daycare. That made it a lot easier for me. I love how excited she is to see me when I pick her up!

Back to Work

2011-05-09T12:50:00.000-06:00

I've decided that I'm not cut out to be a "Stay at home mom" So, I've been interviewing for counseling jobs. After all, I just spent three years getting a degree!

One of the schools that I had sent my resume to called me and offered me a temporary job last week as a resource aide for the rest of the school year, which is about 3 weeks. Honestly, we could use the money (it doesn't pay much though) and I figured it would be a good crash course on how I will feel going back to work, without the commitment. Anyway, I start tomorrow. We'll see how it goes!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T11:28:00.000-06:00

We went down to Mesquite for Mother's Day. It was fun! I was able to go and have a massage - my mom got one too! Addie went swimming for the first time this year and LOVED it! I knew she would. I think we have a water baby on our hands.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T16:14:00.005-06:00

What a fun weekend!

Saturday morning we took Addie over to the Washburn's for an Easter Egg hunt. She didn't quite get the hang of it, but liked picking up the eggs and putting them in her bag.

Sunday morning we just took it easy. I put Addie in her Easter dress for a bit so I could take some pictures of her. I made an Easter dinner and invited my Uncle Roger and Aunt Sharon over. It was fun!

The Park

2011-04-13T23:41:00.003-06:00

It was a decent day outside so we took Addie to the park. She LOVES to swing! What a fun afternoon!

Brittany's Wedding

2011-04-12T20:37:00.002-06:00

My niece Brittany got married over the weekend in St. George!

I'm so happy for her.

Congrats to Mr and Mrs. Creed and Brittany Hunter!

Trip to the Aquarium

2011-03-24T16:46:00.004-06:00

Since we live so close, we got season passes to the Living Planet Aquarium. We took Addie there last Saturday. It was a gloomy day outside, so it was SO CROWDED! I guess everyone else had the same idea. Luckily, Addie is still young enough not to notice if we skipped by some of the more crowded (and probably cooler) exhibits.

St Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T23:15:00.003-06:00

Happy St Patrick's Day! We did not celebrate at all, but we did make sure to wear green.

Dinner Party

2011-02-26T20:31:00.003-07:00

We went to a super fun dinner party at Jen and Larry's house. Fun evening - especially when Jeff pulled out the guitar! Addie and Emma are his the cutest little groupies! LOL! Thanks for the pictures Jen and Jana!

Addie's First Birthday Party

2011-02-23T22:11:00.007-07:00

We had Addie's first birthday party last Saturday. It was a lot of fun! What a great excuse to get friends and family together.
Mike, Pete, and Andy

Addie's friends Kayla and Zackary

Addie loved her cake. She would have eaten the whole thing had I let her. She didn't make a mess though. She ate it so delicately! We tried helping her make a mess, but she wasn't too interested. I suppose that was alright though. Pretty easy cleanup!

She got lots of fun presents! She's really into anything that has buttons and/or makes noise. I think her favorite thing (at the moment - it changes on an almost daily basis) is her purple picnic basket. Thanks Zackary!

Happy First Birthday Addison!

2011-02-17T21:08:00.002-07:00

One Year Old! Amazing. It seems like just yesterday I was praying my labor would start - so tired of being pregnant. It seems like yesterday I first held her in my arms. Time flies! I don't have a little baby anymore! She's officially a toddler... a cute toddler. Here's some of her 1 year pictures I had taken the other day.

Addie is developing the cutest personality. She loves to laugh, tickle, and be tickled. She hasn't said her first words yet, but they are coming any day. For now she's content to point to things and say "dat?!" She's such a happy baby.. er.. toddler.

11 Months Old

2011-01-19T20:22:00.004-07:00

So two things:

One - Addie is 11 months old! I cannot believe she is almost a year old. She is learning so much every day!

Two - Addie is a walker! She took her first steps a couple weeks ago - and away she went. Now she cruises all over the place. Funny how once they learn to walk, they also learn to run away from you. :) She thinks she is super strong and pushes everything around that she can move. Her favorite is the kitchen chairs.

She also just got one of her top teeth - she's taking it like a champ. I finally got a picture of her bottom two though! As you can see, she wasn't too thrilled about me poking around her mouth.

Side note: Resolution is going well! 10 lbs gone - hopefully never to return.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T12:50:00.004-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Wow, this has been quite a year for us. I remember last New Year... I was 8 months pregnant. I was thinking about how much change was in store for me. Well, there was way more change than I could even imagine! Big events of 2010:

Had a baby
Earned master's degree
Moved to Utah

The last one came out of left field. One day Everett decided he needed a change, and change he did! He loves his new job. It seems to be a good fit for him.

My only resolution this year is to loose the "baby weight." (I like that term. I don't want to own it myself, or accept any blame) My weight gain while pregnant with Addie was a bit excessive - almost 50 lbs! 30 went away on it's own, so that leaves me with an extra 20. Completely unnecessary. I was hoping it would magically go away, but it hasn't yet. So, I will be joining the millions of other people whose resolution is to lose weight. Wish me luck!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T11:39:00.002-07:00

Addie's first Christmas! Yay!

Santa Claus brought Addie an activity table. She loves it! Her other favorite gifts came from her Grandmas. Grandma Less got her a book that she LOVES! I can't describe it, so I'll just post a link. I totally recommend them. They are called Soft Shapes by Ikids. Grandma Carrier got her a princess pink push/ride on toy. She loves it.

10 months old

2010-12-21T18:56:00.003-07:00

10 Months - getting close to the big birthday!

This month she dropped her third nap, so she's down to two naps per day (much easier). We switched to formula because my milk randomly dried up. Holy Cow formula is expensive! Glad I nursed her as long as I did!

Ev and I got a Christmas tree and new decorations - silver and red. We love it! I love decorating for Christmas.

Teeth!

2010-12-19T21:03:00.002-07:00

Our baby girl has teeth! All of a sudden, she woke up with one. Then, a couple days later, another one came! So now she has her two front bottom teeth. She, of course, refuses to let me take a picture of one, so I'll update when I'm successful. :)

Thanksgiving

2010-12-16T12:10:00.005-07:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I love being around family, I love the smells, and I love Uncle Ron's Bloody Marys. :) The past few years we have been lucky to have my parents and Everett's parents together for the holiday, which makes things even better!

9 months Old!

2010-12-04T18:43:00.004-07:00

My little sweetie is 9 months old. Wow! We made the big switch from breast milk to formula. We found one she liked (didn't like the first one we bought, of course). Yeah, formula is pricey! Have to do it though. She wasn't gaining any weight, and come to find out - I was starving her! Poor girl.

We got Addie a push toy. We were going to save it for Christmas, but she was ready now! She LOVES it. She pushes it all over the place.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T12:18:00.004-06:00

I love Halloween! One of the great things about it now is that I have an adorable little girl to dress up. For her first Halloween, Addie was a lady bug. Check out my cute little bug!

We also went to a couple of pumpkin carving parties. Our friends Andy and Jana had a party and Addie got to meet a new friend... Emma!

Here are the super-cool pumpkins we carved. We had a blast!

8 Months Old

2010-10-20T03:33:00.002-06:00

My little girl is 8 months old! She pulls herself up and cruises around the coffee table. Before I know it, she'll be taking her first steps!

Ryan's Wedding

2010-10-20T03:29:00.012-06:00

This weekend my parents came in town to visit because my cousin Ryan is getting married. We had a lot of fun, and Addie looked super cute in her new dress! Congratulations Ryan and Holly!

We've Moved!

2010-10-20T03:27:00.003-06:00

So, the reason for some of the trips this summer was for job hunting. Everett decided it was time to move on to greener pastures, so he interviewed for a few jobs. He decided to take one in Salt Lake City, so we moved back! We got the opportunity to rent a house for a good deal - which was needed since we can't sell our house in Reno - and that's that. We've been unpacking forever! I say this over and over, but one of the best things about moving is the opportunity to purge. We got rid of lots of stuff. Out with the old and in with the new!

7 Months!

2010-10-04T22:23:00.003-06:00

Addie is now dangerously close to crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and rocks. She will move her legs like she's crawling, or move her hands like she's crawling, but she cant coordinate the two halves of her body yet. Sometimes she'll make a couple of moves, but it looks like it's by accident.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-19T12:39:00.002-06:00

We decided to go to El Dorado County again for some wine adventures for Labor Day weekend. This time, our friends Andy and Cynthia accompanied us. It was fun! It was just an overnight trip, but we made the most of it. The place we stayed had a little Addie-sized airplane on the front porch and she thought it was the coolest thing ever.

6 Months Old

2010-09-01T22:15:00.001-06:00

Six months? Where is the time going!!! Look how much she's changed in six months:

4 years!

2010-08-08T16:49:00.001-06:00

Everett and I celebrated our four year anniversary last Thursday. Everett's parents have been in town, so we took advantage of a babysitting offer and went to dinner at the Harrah's Steakhouse and went to a movie. It was great not having Addie in tow - not that we don't love her to pieces, but we needed some adult time. :)

Happy Anniversary to us!

Sitting

2010-07-26T17:34:00.000-06:00

Another awesome milestone! She sits! It's funny how quickly kids catch onto things. The sitting learning curve took about a week. At the beginning of the week, she was able to sit with a little support for a couple of minutes. Now, provided she doesn't excite herself too much (by screaming) she can sit indefinitely. Awesome!! Now I don't have to haul her around in her carseat as much.

On the Boat

2010-07-26T17:32:00.000-06:00

We took Addison on her first boat outing to Stampede. She LOVES being on the boat! We took her bouncy seat and she just smiled and laughed while the boat was going.

Screaming

2010-07-20T10:36:00.000-06:00

Addie has learned a new talent. Screaming - at the top of her lungs. Sure, this was really cute the first couple of times she did it. But now, it's constant. It's not that she does it when she's upset, she does it because she can. Her favorite place to scream is in a restaurant, especially ones that echo a bit.
Ahhh. Kids.

5 Months Old!

2010-07-20T10:34:00.000-06:00

I feel like a broken record, but Addison is growing SO FAST!!!!

She is 26.5" long, and 14 pounds, 8 oz. She has figured out how to put her feet in her mouth - I think it's hilarious. She sucks on her toes like they are fingers! She has also perfected the rollover. Back to front, front to back. And - she's starting to get the hang of sitting. I'm pretty excited about this.

Happy first birthday Zackary!

2010-07-19T21:02:00.001-06:00

Everett has been looking for a new job, and he interviewed in Salt Lake City. It just so happens that it was Addie's friend Zack's first birthday that same weekend. So, Addie got to experience her first plane ride (she did fantastic!) and went to her first birthday party!

Trip to the Beach

2010-07-19T09:26:00.000-06:00

We went on another trip to the bay area over the 4th of July. One of the things we did was we went to Point Reyes National Seashore for Addie's first ocean experience. It was of course too cold to go in, but she was able to see and smell it!
Here's a picture of Addie in her cute 4th of July outfit - thanks Kelly!

First Food!

2010-07-07T13:16:00.001-06:00

We started Addie on some rice cereal. Fun stuff! The first time was by far the messiest. We have since figured out a way to eat without most of it being on her face, hands, bib, feet, etc. Of course it is still a little messy, but not as bad. I am excited to start giving her more things! She thought it was the coolest thing ever. What's not the coolest thing ever? The stinky diapers she has now. Yuck.

Four Month Statistics

2010-06-25T22:45:00.000-06:00

We took Addie to her 4 month checkup on Tuesday. She's healthy! She weighs 12 lbs 10 oz and she's 25.5" tall (holy cow!) Tall and skinny, just like her daddy. Unfortunately she also got some shots. It wasn't nearly as trumatic for me this time as is was last time. I knew what to expect. The first time she got her shots I just about lost it. Ask Erin. :)

Grandma's house

2010-06-23T18:37:00.000-06:00

We took a much needed trip to Mesquite to visit Grandma and Grandpa Carrier. It was so fun and relaxing! Lots of pool time. It was Addie's first time swimming and she absolutely loved it! Lots of kicking and splashing.

She also was able to meet her Uncle Shaun, Aunt Penny, and cousins Jennifer, Taylor, and Jayden.

Aces Game

2010-06-14T14:24:00.000-06:00

We went with our friends Andy and Cynthia to the Aces Game. We love going to them! We took Addie (of course) and they brought their new little bundle of joy Max. It was a fun afternoon!What a cutie!

Addie was aparently starting to get a little tired. She does cry occasionally.

Rollover

2010-06-07T11:46:00.000-06:00

She did it! She's been trying for a few days now, and today it happened. She rolled over from her back to her tummy. This is unfortunate for her because she HATES being on her belly - and doesn't know how to roll onto her back from there. HA!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T19:27:00.001-06:00

At long last, a holiday weekend. It's a long stretch of no holidays between President's Day and Memorial Day! This weekend we just took it easy. We did a little bit of yard work and then Sunday we went up to Stampede to hang out with some friends.

Addison with our friend Gabby
Sort of dark, but it was pretty. Of course the camera didn't do it justice!

Graduation

2010-05-22T17:30:00.001-06:00

Even though I finished school in January, the actual graduation didn't happen until now. I actually kicked around the idea of not going. Graduation is only fun when they call your name and you walk across the stage. Graduation isn't fun while they are reading the hundreds of other names of people you don't know.

It was cool getting my hood for my master's degree. I remember sitting at graduation for my bachelor's degree, watching people get their master's degree, and thinking it was kind of cool, and that I wanted one.

I decided to do it and I'm glad I did! I worked hard for it, and it was awesome having Everett and Addison were there to cheer for me.

Three Months Old! Bay Area Trip

2010-05-17T22:52:00.001-06:00

These months at home with Addison are flying by! I can't believe she's already 3 months old! She's such a good baby. She's happy most of the time and is sleeping pretty well at night.

Last weekend we took a trip out to the bay area for a much needed vacation. We stayed in Walnut Creek, which was really nice. The highlight of the weekend was the trip into San Francisco for the Giants game. We took a ferry from Oakland right to the ballpark! The game was fun and the Giants won. Addison enjoyed herself. :)

After the game we went down to the Wharf and got some dinner at Scomas Yummy!

Thank you Dave and Joanne for being such a wonderful host and hostess!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T22:20:00.001-06:00

It was my first Mother's Day and it was wonderful! My sweet husband made me breakfast. What did I get for Mother's Day? Addie and Everett got me a gift certificate for a massage! I can't wait!!!!

Riverfest

2010-05-09T20:09:00.000-06:00

This weekend was Reno's Riverfestival. It's one of our favorite Reno events - mainly because it's a summer kickoff kind of thing. Of course we took Addie downtown for it and she had fun rolling around in her stroller. We also discovered that the diaper bag/stroller thing is a great beer smuggling device.

Giggles

2010-04-21T18:28:00.000-06:00

Just when I thought she couldn't possibly get any cuter - she figured out how to giggle today. Music to my ears! She did it twice. Baby giggles - I think it's one of my new favorite sounds.

Favorite baby invention #2 (#1 being the baby swing): The playmat. She will spend hours in this thing. She loves the mirror - she likes the friend she sees in it. She stares, smiles, talks to, and laughs at the baby staring back at her.

Note: Her tongue still provides her with some entertainment, but she has just discovered two things even better: Her hands.

Two Months Old!

2010-04-16T20:32:00.001-06:00

Yep. I believe everyone now. They all said "They grow so fast!" They do! My newborn is now a baby!

She has recently become fascinated with her tongue. It's hilarious. She sits and sticks her tongue in and out of her mouth all day. The simplest milestones that babies reach make parent so happy. So, today I'm proud of her tongue discovery. Good job Addie!

Passport Weekend

2010-04-14T14:56:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to Fairplay, CA for Passport weekend. Ev and I went last year and had a bunch of fun (and managed to buy 6 cases of wine) so we went again this year with my parents and Addie. We stayed at Lucinda's Country Inn.

Friday night we ate at Bocconato - really cool restaurant. They don't have a menu! The chef just makes whatever is in season and fresh. It's a good idea, because everything we had was fantastic. It was really fun, and I totally recommend it.

The only thing that could have been better about the weekend was the weather. It was cloudy and chilly on Saturday, and cold and rainy on Sunday. We still had fun though! Addie was really good, and she was a hit with everyone there!

Growing so fast

2010-04-08T13:31:00.000-06:00

The hospital I had Addison at offers new mom support group on Thursdays. Today I went for my 6 week (technically it's been 7) postpartum checkup, and since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped by.

I like this group for a couple reasons:

1 - It's facilitated by nurses. It's a great way to get questions answered and to help me feel better about the little things that happen with Addison.

2- Great way to meet other moms with kids the same age as mine.

3- I get to weigh Addison!

So... Addison already weighs 9 lbs 13 oz. She's getting so big! Earlier this week I had to finally put away her newborn clothes. She is just too tall for them. (She obviously got Everett's genes on that one)

Look who's talking! (sort of)

2010-04-06T22:14:00.001-06:00

So much fun. Addison is cooing. She actually started a couple weeks ago, but now she does it on purpose! It's so cute! She has mastered the Ahh-goo sound. I love it! I'm ahh-gooing right back to her (see previous post about needing to keep up my own verbal skills)

I quit!

2010-04-06T20:01:00.001-06:00

I'm crazy. I just resigned from a job that I LOVE - in this economy.

I've been working as a counselor at Job Corps for five years! I loved it - I loved my students (well, most of them) and the people I worked with. However, the idea of leaving Addie with strangers at a daycare all day is terrifying to me. If I had someone I knew to leave her with, that would be different - maybe. Also, after paying for daycare I would be essentially working full time and only bringing home an extra couple hundred dollars a month. Is it worth it? I say no.

So, my new job is stay at home mommy. Ugh. I totally look forward to it - I love being with her - but a big part of my identity is tied to my occupation. How do I fill in the occupation blanks? I like writing counselor. What do I put now? Mom? LOL.

So begins a new chapter in my life. I'm trying to find some mommy groups so that I can keep up my verbal skills despite the full time baby talk I'm currently doing. Bring on the play dates!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:12:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny visited our house this year and filled Easter Baskets for all of us. Addison made out like a bandit! She got a DVD (Jungle Book), a swimsuit for summer, and a bunny rabbit from Grandma and Grandpa Less!

Addie also got an adorable Easter dress to wear for the day. She's getting so big!

We had intentions of laying low and relaxing all day, but our refrigerator was leaking water. We didn't want to shell out money for a new one, so we (by we, I mean Everett - I watched and helped hold stuff) emptied all the food out and took it apart to find the problem. Luckily, it looks like we got the problem solved.

One month already!

2010-03-17T20:11:00.000-06:00

My sweet little girl is already one month old. Time flies - Before I know it, she'll be off to school! It has been so fun having her (even at 1 and 5 am). She's a good baby. She has started to coo and smile, which is completely adorable.

Tears?

2010-03-08T17:25:00.001-07:00

I swear that if I sit and stare long enough, I can see Addison growing. I know this because I spend quite a bit of time staring at her - she so cute! I can't help myself. I love being a mom. I love watching her grow and do new things. I am completely impressed with everything, even the small stuff.

Her latest achievement is tears. This is horrible. It broke my heart enough to hear her cry before, but now that she's getting watery eyes? I'm done for. I hope she never discovers the effect her little tears have on me!

Oh sleep, where art thou?

2010-03-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how sleep deprived new parents are. We knew what we were in for, but we didn't really grasp the horror of it until we were living it. I can't believe how we can function on so little sleep! It's worth it though.

We came home from the hospital the Thursday after Addison was born. My only complaint was that they gave me 2 percocet and proceded to explain a bunch of stuff to me. Hello? You gave me narcotics and expect me to pay attention and remember? A follow up appointment for what? When?

Proud Grandpa!

Addison May Less

2010-02-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Finally! Baby Addison May Less was born at last Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 4:08pm. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 21" long.

Labor: Ouch. I went to the hospital Monday night to be induced. They got me started about 9pm. Everything was fine until about midnight when the contractions started. Yeah, not so bad at first, but those things keep getting worse! I would feel one coming and start crying because I knew it was going to hurt. So, I suffered through them until about 8 am when the anesthesiologist came. I had only dilated to a 3 but they were going to start me on pitocen. So, I got an epidural. I love the man that made my pain stop. Everett almost lost it when he saw the needle. Glad I didn't see it! He had to sit down and have the nurse take over holding me. At least he didn't completely pass out!

The next few hours were fine. I slept a little - what a waiting game! Just before 2pm I was ready to start pushing. So, away I went. Who knew this was so much work? This joyous event went on for the next 2 or so hours. Holy cow that little girl did not want to come out of me. The doctor came in around 3:30 and decided to get out the vacuum. Poor thing had to have her head sucked out! However, it worked. She finally arrived and I have a precious little angel! (with a puffy cone head)

Where's Baby?

2010-02-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

I watched today come and go. No baby. No sign of baby. It's just a waiting game now. She must be stubborn - must have gotten that from Everett.

Eviction Notice

2010-02-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Any of you that have been pregnant know how I feel right now. I am due in 3 days - February 11 - this baby needs to get out of me! All those in favor of a 35 week pregnancy, say I!

I am so tired of being pregnant. I'm tired of being constantly sore, uncomfortable, swollen, and heavier than my husband. I can't reach my feet, get up off the couch, or even turn over in bed without considerable effort and loss of breath. What makes it all even worse? The anticipation of meeting my sweet little baby girl!! Everett and I are both so excited, which is making the days drag by. You hear that these last few weeks are hard, but you have no idea until you actually are living it!

We get no encouragement from the doctor. I go in and get "checked" (which is the painful violation of my nether regions) and she has nothing to report. I keep analyzing every twinge in my belly. Is this it? Nope - She's just moving. Is that it? Nope - Just gas.

I know, I know. She can't stay in there forever, but it feels like it! Please come out baby - we want to meet you!

I did it!!!!

2010-01-21T02:59:00.000-07:00

It's official - I finished my Master's Degree. I'm done! No more internship hours, no more papers, no more class, nothing! I'm done! All I have to do is wait for my diploma to come.

This program involved a lot of self-reflection. One of my last projects was to identify what I have learned about myself in the past three years. These are some highlights:

1. I'm capable of anything. It all comes down to hard work and if I'm willing to put in the effort. If I am, I can do anything.

2. I am a procrastinator. I always will be. I've decided it's not necessarily a bad thing - I always get the important stuff done.

3. I'm a hard work worker! I just spent the last year and a half doing 15-20 hours per week of internship IN ADDITION to working full time. Just when I think I'm lazy, reality hits me. I'm only lazy when I can be! (Everett will totally vouch for me on this one)

4. (MOST IMPORTANT) I have the BEST husband in the entire world. Really. He has been nothing but supportive and helpful to me while I've been in school. He's excited to have me back!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

2010. A new decade! Holy cow! Lots of changes in store for us this year. We are pretty excited about the next few months. A baby? Who would have thought? We're excited to start the adventure!

Baby's New Room

2009-12-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

One of the funnest things about having our first baby is putting together the baby's room. Over the Christmas holiday, we cleaned out our "junk room" and painted it. I love painting. I love how such a simple thing completely transforms the look of a room. We even put up new blinds! The furniture got delivered the week before Christmas, so as soon as the paint dried, we were able to move everything in and get it set up.

Now we just need a baby!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

We wanted to wish our family and friends a Very Merry Christmas!
We decided to stay home this year - partially because we have never had Christmas at our house, and partially because I'm eight months pregnant. :)

Everett went out with his friend and chopped down a Christmas tree - so we had a really fresh, local one. He did a good job! We trimmed the tree and put up a few other decorations. I made us a big Christmas dinner - we'll be eating leftovers for two weeks, I think. I cooked a small turkey!

Baby Shower!!

2009-12-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Everett and I drove out to Salt Lake last weekend for my baby shower! It was so much fun! My little baby girl made out like a bandit - she'll be the best dressed girl in the world!

I am so thankful to my friends and family that were able to make it. And, I'm especially thankful to Heather, her mom Stephanie, Kandace and Erin for planning and executing it! Yummy food. :)

The weather, for the most part, cooperated and we were able to make it there and back safely.

Here's some pictures of Ev and my mom with Heather's ADORABLE little boy, Zachary - aka our daughter's future husband. He's a cutie!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

We drove down to Mesquite for Thanksgiving at my parents house this year. What a great weekend. Everett's parents drove up from Los Alamos and stayed at my parents house - so we had the whole family there!

The food was wonderful, as usual, and we all ate too much, as usual. We watched some good football. We watched both Boise State and Utah play their games. Unfortunately, Utah lost. However, we had placed bets and we won money!

The weather was beautiful and the company was fantastic!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-04T09:06:00.001-07:00

I love Halloween! Specifically, I love decorating for it.

We went out and got a pumpkin to carve as well - it had been a long time since either of us had done that! We had almost forgotten how fun it is! Here is our masterpiece:

2009 Reno Air Races

2009-09-30T22:56:00.000-06:00

My parents came out to visit us in Reno for the Air Races. They are so much fun! The first day we went was Friday. We were excited to watch the Blue Angels perform, but then something happened (who knows what) with one of the jets, so the whole show was grounded. Boo! So, we were forced to go to the races again on Sunday to watch the show. Luckily this one went off without a hitch. AWESOME!!!

The other cool thing about going out for Sunday's show was that it was the final day, so we were able to watch the final races. There was a big production of parading the planes in front of the audience - it took longer than it needed to, but the planes are pretty cool to see. :)

Fun weekend! It was nice having the parents finally come to visit!

Almost done!

2009-09-28T22:47:00.000-06:00

I finished my last academic class. All I have left is 200 hours of internship. Then - I get my expensive piece of paper. The things I have to do to work in the school district. Jeez.

But - yay for me! No more research papers!

I'm doing my last internship at Melton Elementary School. My site supervisor is Annie - she is awesome! I actually love elementary school. The kids are so cute. We get to do lots of guidance, so I've been brushing up on my sideways and upside down reading. I love the feel of an elementary school. It's such a happy and colorful place!

Birthday Weekend

2009-09-14T22:22:00.001-06:00

Everett got the opportunity to go fishing in Alaska again (and bring back some yummy halibut and salmon) So, I was going to be alone for my 30th birthday. No thanks! So, I decided to fly to Utah to see my friends.

I flew out on Friday and met Erin, Heather, and Zachary (Heather's adorable 2 month old son)for a late lunch. Yummy! Then, we spent the evening hanging out and talking, which was fun.

Saturday (my birthday!) Heather, Mike, Erin, and I did a little bit of shopping and got some lunch. I was hoping to find a new cell phone, but I didn't see anything I liked besides the iPhone.

Saturday evening I met Erin, Christina, and Jen for dinner at Trio. The food was fantastic! Erin, Christina and I then went to Jeff & Courtney's house to watch the Utah game - which was ugly despite their win. Go Utes!

Thanks to my good friends for a fantastic weekend!

It's a girl!

2009-09-13T19:21:00.000-06:00

So, most of you know this already, but I thought I'd make an official announcement.

Everett and I are expecting a little girl! I'm due February 11, 2010. We'll see what day she actually decides to make her appearance though. I've been feeling great - pretty easy pregnancy so far. My belly is sure starting to grow!

Everything looks perfect! We just had our third ultrasound on Thursday. They measured everything, and finally, at the end, the ultrasound tech checked between the legs! Time to get some pink stuff!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

We went camping with our friends Andy and Cynthia for the Labor Day weekend. What a good time! We camped just outside of Bridgeport, CA.

On Sunday, we drove to Bodie, which is another old ghost town. This was awesome! There was still about 75 buildings still standing. It's been turned into a state park, which is good. It will hopefully help slow the decay of the buildings and help curtail some of the vandalism.

Ghost Hunting

2009-08-25T19:31:00.000-06:00

This weekend we packed up and decided to check out some of the ghost towns in Nevada. We've gotten a couple of books with the town names, descriptions, and directions, but we haven't gotten around to checking any of them out - until this weekend.

We drove to Yerington - you're not missing anything, don't worry - and left the road there. The first thing we came to was a couple of old mine shafts (Martha Washington Minesite). Of course we didn't go in, but it was horrible to see all the trash people throw into them. One of them had a big enough opening that you could go hang out in there, and it was littered with plastic bottles, pizza boxes, and beer bottles. Really? Do people think there are janitors that go and clean up the desert??? So, that sucked. However, seeing the mines themselves (aside from said trash) was really neat.

Our next stop was Ludwig. It wasn't a town (anymore) but there were lots of leftover mining operation things. It was neat to see - Everett thought it was cooler than I did. I liked seeing the old stuff, but again - grafitti everywhere. Ugh.

After Ludwig, we drove up Pine Grove Canyon and found a place to camp since it was getting late. Really pretty! There wasn't much wood around, so we didn't have a fire. This was fine because it was really warm and we didn't smell like smoke the next day. Of course, Porter immediately found water - in the desert. He has a knack for it. He came trotting back from his short expedition completely muddy. Camping was great - but it started raining about 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning - and didn't quit until we got back to Reno on Sunday.

The next day, we checked out Pine Grove site. (In the rain) Now this was cool - old wooden buildings and an old stamp mill. There was apparently a cemetery somewhere on the mountain, but we didn't stumble upon it.

After Pine Grove, we drove to Rockland. Yeah, it's really rocky. Wonder where they got the name? This site had lots of buildings still standing, well, barely standing, and lots that had already collapsed onto themselves.

Lake Tahoe

2009-07-27T23:24:00.001-06:00

We went boating at Lake Tahoe on Friday. I need to mention just one more time how beautiful it is! We went from the dirtiest, nastiest lake to the cleanest. I have one small vent about Tahoe.

So, there are these quagga mussels that are infesting everything. They are pretty gross. So, you have to have your boat thoroughly inspected before they let you launch your boat at Lake Tahoe. This is fine with me. Keep Lake Tahoe Blue!

My issue: It costs $15 to launch a boat. Then, after you pay this to get into the launch ramp area, you have to pay an additional $30 to have your 16-24' boat inspected. So, $45 later, you can launch your boat. Excessive? I think so. Did I mention that if you have ballasts in your boat they charge an extra $10 on top of that? The one nice thing - as long as you don't go to another lake (they put a tag thing on to make sure) then you don't have to pay the inspection fee. Just the $15 launch fee.

I'm okay with inspecting boats to try to protect the lake. But these fees are so excessive! I'd be okay with paying an extra $10 or so, but an extra $30-$40? Okay. I'm done.

Despite the wallet gouging, it was a beautiful day! I wakeboarded a little bit, but the water was pretty rough. Instead, I just enjoyed the scenery, the weather, and the company!

Rafting the American River

2009-07-26T23:54:00.003-06:00

I need to start by saying this was one of the funnest things I have ever done... in my life. A guy Everett works with (Ron) is an avid river rafter. He invited us to go with him on Saturday. We of course jumped at the opportunity.

We rafted the South Fork of the American River. In total, it was 20 miles - it took us about seven hours to finish. There were a bunch of class II and a couple class III rapids. It was awesome!! The water was freezing cold though.

We put in at Chili Bar and took out at Folsom Reservoir. Good times were had by all! Everett lost his sunglasses, but he needed a new pair anyway.

Ryan and Haley

Lahontan

2009-07-26T23:54:00.001-06:00

We tested out a new lake today - yuck. We went to Lahontan Reservoir. N-A-S-T-Y. The water was radioactive green.

You could only see (I swear I am not exaggerating) 1" below the surface. It was the grossest thing ever. We went on a Thursday afternoon, so the water was flat. I did get in it once (the water was glassy) to wake board. I did not try anything crazy for fear of falling and getting water in my nose, mouth, etc. Ugh. What a cesspool. I hope to never go there again.

Heather's Baby Shower

2009-06-17T23:48:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I flew out to Salt Lake to go to Heather's baby shower. I knew Heather wouldn't have any fun if I wasn't there.

It was a good time! When I got there Friday, we met Erin to get a mani/pedi. It was fun! I recommend the place... the chairs were awesome.

Saturday was the shower and boy, did Heather get showered! It was at her parent's house and there were a ton of people there, which equals a ton of presents. It was fun seeing all the cute stuff she got for the little boy she'll be popping out in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for a fun weekend Heather and Mike! Good luck with the last couple weeks of pregnancy.

Julie, Jen, Heather, and Erin

Corporate Challenge

2009-06-15T23:22:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I participated in Corporate Challenge for the Job Corps center I work at. I participated in it a couple of years ago and ran the 5K and played softball. Anyway, this year I couldn't do the 5K because I broke my ankle. Running hurts! Instead, I tried my hand at the shot put. No, I have never thrown one in my life.

I got a quick lesson from a guy I work with and viola! I got 9th place in my age bracket! The biggest looser! Ha! It's okay. I wasn't expecting too much because of my rookie status, but it was fun to compete anyway. I also played 2nd base on our company's softball team. I wasn't too shabby! Thank goodness I was wearing my ankle brace. Some guy slid right into my bad ankle. Thanks to the brace, he bounced right off it.

I just got some pictures sent to me - they are pretty funny and I thought I'd share them. Feel free to make fun. I work with the two guys in the picture.

New Carpet - Finally!

2009-06-15T23:05:00.000-06:00

Well, we have finally finished the bathroom remodels, so we were able to get some new carpet put in. This is the coolest thing ever.

Our old carpet was HORRIBLE! Lots of mystery stains. It was pulling away from the walls, it had places where it was ripped and shredding, and a big hole in it where Cooper chewed a "Thanks for adopting me!" hole in it. (Cooper stays in a crate when we are gone now)

We recarpeted our entire house. The nice thing is that we don't have too much furnature, so most of our belongings fit nicely into half our garage. Sort of sad, but convienient. It was also a good opportunity to go through our stuff and get rid of the junk that we somehow collect over time. You all know that stuff - it's hiding in your basements, attics, drawers, and spare bedrooms.

And for anyone wondering, both dogs have broken it in - both have puked on it. Glad we went for the less expensive carpet!

I made it!

2009-05-18T19:00:00.001-06:00

I just finished up my first 300 hour internship. I've been working to get these hours since October. 300 doesn't seem like too much, but it's pretty tough when you are also working full time! So, of course I got an A for my efforts. I'm glad to have a break from my hours. I'm going to go in a couple more times until the school year ends to get a head start on my next 300 hours, but I look forward to working normal hours again!

Thank you Everett for being so understanding and supportive of me!

Mother's Day & Wedding

2009-05-18T18:33:00.000-06:00

I flew into Salt Lake on Friday. I was able to hang out with my friend Erin for most of the day. We also met up with my other very pregnant friend Heather for lunch. It's great to be able to catch up with my favorite ladies!

My nephew's wedding was a last minute thing, so unfortunately Everett couldn't go with me. My nephew Curtis got married on May 9th to his girlfriend Anna. The wedding was nice and it was good to see family!

Saturday night I went to see my friend Nick's band play at the Hog Wallow. It was awesome! I was very impressed. The only thing that was weird, was that I was at a bar by myself. It was little uncomfortable. After that, I went downtown to meet up with my friend Christina at the Sandbar. It's a cool bar, but definitely not my style. My friend Brad works there, and so I was able to see him for a minute.

Sunday was Mother's Day, and it was nice to be able to spend it with my mom. I took us to get pedicures, which was great. I love giving gifts that I can participate in! For dinner that night, Mom, Dad and I went to Rino's, which is one of our favorites.

Happy Mother's Day! I'm lucky to have such a wonderful mother AND mother-in-law. I lucked out on getting a wonderful husband with a wonderful mother. I guess that's why he turned out so great.

Passport Weekend

2009-05-03T13:33:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I have been so busy! (Story of my life lately) We were able to get away for the weekend and drive to El Dorado County for their passport weekend. Passport weekend is put on by the El Dorado Winery Association, and about 25 wineries participate. Each winery has wine (of course), barrel tastings, food parings, music, and awesome deals! We heard about it last time we went and decided to take the weekend to go this year.

We stayed in Fairplay at the Cottage at Perry Creek. It was a cute little place! One of the best things was that they allowed pets, so we were able to take Porter and Cooper with us. It was so relaxing! The cottage was fully stocked, so we had just about everything we could possibly need. There were horses in the pasture next to us - the dogs went nuts.

It was a wonderful weekend. We were able to get in some much needed relaxation. The weather was beautiful and we came back with a few cases of wine!

New member of the family!

2009-03-30T09:57:00.001-06:00

No, it's not what you are thinking! :) We have a new dog named Cooper. He is adorable! We rescued him from the Northern California Aussie Rescue.

He is a sweetheart, very mellow and very skinny! We drove to Grass Valley to meet him and ended up taking him home with us. Porter is still adjusting with having to share attention, but he'll be alright.

Welcome to the family Cooper!

Update

2009-03-28T10:22:00.000-06:00

Sorry we haven't posted anything! We haven't been up to anything particularly fun.

We are remodeling our master bathroom, which has been consuming our weekends. It is exciting, but not really fun - it's a lot of hard work (For Everett). I helped out with painting! Here's some pictures of the tile:

Also, I broke my ankle - not really broken, just a fracture, but it hurts! It happened last Tuesday, and it is looking really gross/colorful. I am on crutches for one more week, and after that I just need to take it easy on it. My soccer days are over for a while. I'll spare you the pictures of the foot. :)

Snowshoeing in Dog Valley

2009-03-08T22:28:00.001-06:00

This weekend has been beautiful! We decided to break out the snowshoes and head up into the mountains with Porter. We naturally forgot the camera, but trust us, it was beautiful! We took lunch and a frisbee and went tromping around in the snow. It was windy because a storm was getting blown in, but we were out of there well before anything happened.

The other fun part of it was testing out the Jeep. The lift kit is ALL officially installed and it is awesome! We can drive over or through anything!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T18:31:00.001-07:00

What is more romantic then spending your Valentine's evening at a boxing match with friends? Nothing!

Everett and I got tickets to the Jesse Brinkley vs. Joey Gilbert fight. They are both from Northern Nevada, so it was sort of a civil war. What a good time! I love boxing events because it's one of those rare occurances where the line for the men's room is much longer than the line for the ladies' room. HA! Take that!

The fight was really cool. We had good tickets and we went with our friends Janelle, Mike, and Misty. The best part was Joey's broken nose - blood was gushing everywhere. Joey is the one in the white shorts with blood all over them. It's awesome.

Who knew I was a closet boxing fan?

So, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I hope your day was as fun as ours was!

Beautiful Day

2009-01-31T23:52:00.001-07:00

Today was great. I spent some time outside, washing my car, in a T-shirt, feeling the sun on my face, seeing the bulbs in our front yard start to sprout... Um, it's January, right?

New Internship Site

2009-01-08T19:24:00.001-07:00

I have left the excitement of working at McQueen High School to try my hand at middle school. So, I started my first day of my internship at Cold Springs Middle School. This has already proven it's self to be really exciting. Lots of girl "fights." I find it really funny, only because there isn't a girl alive the didn't get in a fight with one or more of her friends in middle school.

I like working at this school because it has grades 5-8, so there are a few elementary school students. The little guys are cute.

My site supervisor is really nice. His name is Andy and he seems really excited to have me there, which is cool.

Sugar Bowl - GO UTES!!!

2009-01-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

We made the trip to New Orleans to watch the Sugar Bowl in the Super Dome. Well worth the trip! The Utes STOMPED on Alabama. 31-17. We were getting a lot of trash talk from the Alabama fans before the game. HA HA HA!!! Welcome to the Mountain West Conference! Not so much trash talk going on after the game.

I have to mention the Alabama fans: They (the men) all looked the same! They had these uniforms - khaki pants and a button up or polo shirt. They all had the same hairstyle too - Bama Bangs.

Some of the cool things we did:

Bourbon Street on New Years Eve. Very cool. You can just roll around with booze as long as it is not in a glass container. I kept it together, but Everett had one too many grenades.

The weather was beautiful! We only had one serious rainstorm. It forced us into a really cool bar called Lafitte's. It is apparently one of the oldest bars in the country. Anyway, most of the time during the day you were fine in jeans and a t-shirt. Nice.

Me and Erin at Lafitte's

Lafayette Cemetery. Can't go to New Orleans without checking out one of these! It was pretty neat to wander around. The cemetery we went to was in the Garden District - which has lots of nice homes. The cemetery was suprizingly not creepy! The cool thing was that there were nothing but Utah fans in the cemetery.

The group: Everett, Jules, Courtney, Jeff, Chief, and Mike

Sugar Bowl. Wow. The Superdome is huge! Our tickets ended up being lower bowl, but we were tucked up right beneath the rafters. Still good seats though. The game was fantastic! GO UTES!

After the Sugar Bowl,we went back to Bourbon Street (along with the other 70,000 fans) This night was insane! Way more partying going on this night than on New Years... myself included. I had one too many hurricanes. :) The cool thing was that I kept running into people I hadn't seen in years.

We ate. They can cook some good food in New Orleans! The gumbo, oysters, crayfish, the beignets... All so good!

Cafe du Monde

Crescent City BrewhouseTrip home. Yeah, we somehow got bumped up to first class. Thanks Delta! It was nice because it happened to be the long leg of the flight from Atlanta to Reno. "Why yes I'll have a hot towel and some wine!"

Christmas in Los Alamos

2009-01-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

This year, we went to New Mexico to spend Christmas with Everett's parents in Los Alamos, which turned out great since that was were the snow was!! The day before we got there, they were hit with a decent storm, so the Christmas was definitely white!

One of the coolest things for me is the luminarias - On Christmas Eve, the streets are lined with them. Everett had to dig out the curb before we set ours up.

Christmas was wonderful, as always! My favorite gift I got was seasons 1 & 2 of 90210. I am a huge fan. I have been watching the episodes, being completely immersed in scrunchies and shoulder pads. It's great! Dylan is still super cute.

We also were able to get some skiing in. We went skiing at Pajarito Mountain. It was a fun area! Unfortunately, my new boots must have packed completely back out, because they were killing me. Luckily I was still able to check out some of the mountain before I retired for the day to the lodge.

Utah's Going to the Sugar Bowl!

2008-12-07T23:34:00.002-07:00

I am so excited! The Utes are going to the Sugar Bowl! AND - we are going!! I can't wait. I've never been to New Orleans before, and we are going with some friends we haven't seen in a while. Alabama Schmalibama - GO UTES!!!

Hiking in Zion's NP

2008-12-02T22:32:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted to check out the Subway hike in Zions, so I did! While in Mesquite for Thanksgiving, Everett and I went hiking with my dad. It was fun! The hike was actually pretty hard - only because it was long. We didn't rappel in, and it was too cold to get wet, so we hiked up from the bottom. It was beautiful! We made it all the way to the opening without getting wet.
The hike was so fun! I was really sore the next day, but it was worth it!

Thanksgiving in Mesquite, NV

2008-12-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ev and I drove down to Mesquite, NV to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with my family. It was fun! My parents were hoping to have their house done in time to have dinner there, but it wasn't quite ready. So, we all crowded into their little condo. It worked out just fine. We hadn't seen my family since last Christmas, so it was wonderful to see everyone.

(Me and my beautiful niece Brittany)

The only unfortunate thing was that it rained Wednesday through Friday. It's the dessert! Where did it come from? Luckily, the weekend was so beautiful that we extended our stay. Everett and I went golfing with my parents on Sunday. I was able to wear capri's and a t-shirt!

(My nephew Jayden was having a ton of fun with Porter!)

Thank you mom and dad for a fabulous holiday! Can't wait to see you again soon.

2008 Elections

2008-11-05T08:48:00.001-07:00

My thoughts:

I'm glad Obama won. I think this country needs a change in power. No, I'm not a die-hard democrat (close!) but I think it's good to change things up a bit. I'm curious too see what he does with the presidency. The other reason I'm glad Obama won is that McCain would have died in office and would have left the blubbering idiot Sarah Palin as president. Scary.

I am completely saddened by the passage of proposition 8 in California. I wish that my house was situated six miles to the west so I could have voted against this discriminatory law. I cannot believe that in this day and age that people are still so prejudiced. It sickens me. To me, marriage is about love. The proponents of Proposition 8 claim that they were "protecting marriage." What the hell from? How about "protecting" it from the the people who get married too young, or too fast, or because a baby enters the picture, and end up divorced. Almost 50% of all marriages end in divorce. How about we "protect" it from those people who say their marriage vows before God, and then change their mind.
The proponents of Proposition 8 also LIED to people saying they were going to teach gay marriage in schools. LIES!!! They don't even teach "traditional" marriage in schools. I work, volunteer, and am in school learning about education and curriculum. I know what they teach and don't teach. This is why the teacher's union in California was against Prop 8 - because the idea that they were going to have to teach little kids about gay marriage was preposterous. Teachers are too busy trying to teach to the unrealistic standards of No Child Left Behind. They are too busy teaching to standardized tests.
AND - can homosexuals still be involved in civil unions? Yes. Separate but equal is fine. Just ask the black people living in the south in the 50's.
To all those protesting in California - Keep it up!!!

Okay. Done with my rant. I am glad the elections are over. I am tired of them!

Madonna Concert

2008-11-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Two of the girls I work with (Misty and Janelle) and I drove out to Oakland to see Madonna on Sunday night at the Oracle Arena. It was amazing! She is a music icon, and I had not seen her perform before. I cannot believe she is still going strong - this woman is 50 years old, looks amazing, and had tons of energy. The arena was filled with screaming women (such as myself) and screaming gay men (such as those around me)

It was a quick trip - drove out Sunday afternoon, stayed the night, and drove back Monday - but well worth it.

My Practicum is done!

2008-10-22T23:38:00.001-06:00

For those of you that I talk to on a regular basis, you know that this practicum (internship) I've been doing at McQueen High School has been killing me. I love it - I'm learning a ton, it's fun, and my supervisor is really awesome. However, it is making for long days. I leave in the morning at 7:30a and get home at 8:30p Monday, Tues, and Thurs. I leave at 7:30a and get home at 10:30p on Weds. I am chronically exhausted! I have the weekends to rest up, but I'm so tired from the week that I just want to stay home and do nothing! I'm lucky Everett is the coolest husband in the world and is being completely supportive and understanding with me.

However, I have just finished my practicum hours (I earned an A for my efforts) and now I am officially staring my first internship. Nothing is really changing, but I might be able to scale back a little bit on my hours at McQueen.

The other cool thing is that I am officially halfway done! It's all downhill from here. I will finish up my degree in Jan 2010. That is only 14 short months away. Woo hoo! (I have to celebrate the small victories!)

Happy Birthday Everett!

2008-10-08T09:06:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to Everett! Everett turned 28 today. His mom made him a ski cake, which is his favorite, and we went out to dinner. It was a fun day. He played golf with his dad. I had school tonight so I jetted out early and met them for dinner.

Hope you think this next coming year is as awesome as this last year has been!

Obama rally at UNR

2008-09-30T12:09:00.001-06:00

One of the coolest things about living in Nevada (aside from booze in grocery stores, everything open 24/7, and casinos) is that during the elections it is a swing state. This means that the presidential candidates actually come to Nevada and campaign! Utah is such a slam-dunk for republican electoral votes that Utah pretty much gets ignored.

So, when Barack Obama came to speak at UNR, I jumped at the opportunity to go check it out. I have never been to a political rally before, so this was awesome for me. All the T-Shirts and pins were hilarious! I also really dug the protesters. As stupid as they looked and sounded, it warmed my heart seeing people practicing their right to free speech.

I, of course, dragged Everett with me. I made him get up at the crack of dawn so we could get there early. Even at that, the line to get in was (what felt like) miles long. Seriously, there was ten to twelve thousand people there. The line went fast though. When we got to the quad, we must have looked like Mr and Mrs American so we got passes to go up the front and sit on the bleachers in back of the TV cameras. This was interesting because the lady from CNN was moving people around to get the best look. I didn't care because she was also handing out water and signs. It was cool to be up front!