Queen of Kindergarten

Christmastime

2011-12-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Ah...it's that time of year again! When I fill the house with good smells, spend way too much money, and put up so many decorations I dread the day they all have to come down. Maybe it will just be Christmas until February this year...
Anyway, I don't know why I've been so antsy for the holidays to start, but I started shopping, school projects, and holiday baking earlier this year. I guess I just love the feel of Christmas...or at least of all the Christmasy things we do. Maybe it was the fact that I've been thinking holidays since early in November when I had to plan the hymns for sacrament meeting for December and review all those wonderful hymns, or when I started writing my Christmas story for writing group.
In case you didn't know, I've recently joined a writing group and come to terms with the fact that I AM A WRITER. I thought I only dabbled...but now it's official! Channelling all the holiday goodness into a short story really helped me to think about what's important this year: relationships, love, and all the good things in life...finding Christmas Magic again like we did as kids.
Except there can be even more depth for us now than there was then: the joy of helping, giving, and just loving. We can recognize that each act of love and service to our fellowman is really a gift to Christ. A birthday gift, if you will. In the movie The Bells of St. Mary, Bing Crosby, the pastor over a neighborhood school, is invited to a child-directed Christmas play. The children tell and act out the Christmas Story in their own way, and when it is time to sing to the newborn Christ child, Bing asks if they will since Silent Night or O Holy Night, but they children reply they have their own song and begin to sing Happy Birthday to You to the baby in the basket.
I hope that we can remember the reason for this season as those little ones did and act as simply to bring joy, peace, and love to the lives of others.

My Condo--Sarah's Suite

2011-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I realized that I've been living in my place for about 6 months now and have forgotten to post the last few photos. However, as it's only a 2-bedroom condo, there's not that much more to show anyway. But here's my bathroom, pretty small, but decorated in what I LIKE best for that room: pink and blue. And of course polka dots!

Don't you love alliteration? Anyway, here's the Queen's Bedchamber or, you know, Sarie's suite. If you hadn't noticed I am a bit obsessed with RED...so that's the overall decor color. The bedding is all shades of red and the curtains, my beloved light-blockers, are a lovely deep red. I made pretty tie-backs that go with the other colors in the room: gold and chocolate.

And of course there's my closet. I may have bought the place based on the walk-in closet...we may never know! But it's a home for my shoes and everyone gets jealous! My mom said, "Now if you want to get more shoes, you're going to have to get rid of some of these." My response, "Whatever, mom."

Halloween Writing Group

2011-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

So...I'm feeling a bit empowered :) Misty invited me to "wingman" her first writing group meeting and I was more than a little intimidated by the whole idea. I consider my writing as more of a hobby than anything else and when I'm busy it gets put on the backburner, which means I'm more of a summer writer :)
Anyway, We were given the assignment of writing something Halloweeny...you know; spooky, eerie, creepy, or downright scary. And that just made me more nervous. It's been way too long since I've had specific writing assignments to tackle in a certain amount of time but I pondered and pondered until an idea presented itself and I had time to fully flush it out. So I guess that's this month's lesson, as I tell my kids YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!
The final product isn't bad. It's still a little rough, but kind of fun, and at any rate a quick Halloween read. I've followed feedback given at our 2nd meeting to add a bit more to it and if you're interested you can find it on facebook on my profile page (under Notes), or I can email it directly to you.

Home Office & Library

2011-07-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Whenever any (financially-minded) person hears that I bought a 2-bedroom condo they say, "You can always rent out the second room to help with the mortgage!" as if it's the first time anyone ever considered the notion. But I now understand what my friends Annie and Tammie meant when they said they really liked living alone, even with their 2-bedroom places. Oh, and there's NO way I'm going to share my bathroom. It's just not happening.

The extra bedroom has the most wonderful feature: big deep windowsills, deep enough to practically be windowseats. The perfect home for my plants. Other than that, after giving it some thought, I decide to turn my extra room into a library/mini office. I added yet one more bookshelf to my growing collection and found a cozy corner for my Friends chair (it reminds me of the fabulous orange Friends couch at Central Perk). I wanted to make it kid friendly, so I found book baskets for my picture books and tucked in all my squishy stuffed animals. I really like the homey effect. Then it was all about finding an affordable desk. I trolled the RC Willey, ShopKo, Target, and Walmart websites looking for classy and cheap desk. Not easy, but thanks to some lovely birthday/housewarming cash gifts (thank you!!!) I was able to find exactly what I wanted. The only issue was that I had to put it together myself. It took for-ever! But when I realized I'd put the drawer rollers on backwards (and in one case, upside-down. Yes, that's right. I'm super special.) it got much easier. I found a chair to match, and since I'm getting darn handy with an allen wrench putting that together was a breeze. The final product is cozy and warm.

With just enough space for an airbed. If you're nice, and promise not to stay too long. I really wasn't joking about my bathroom.

Dining Nook

2011-07-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

It really is a tiny corner of a space, but I'm glad to have it. As I was looking at condos there were several that featured a smaller living/dining area...or to be honest nothin' but a bar. This girl can't live like that! Even though I usually just eat in front of whatever episode of NCIS I'm watching I still like a spot to have breakfast when OTHER people are over :)
I paired my table, a D.I. find refinished by my mom, with matching 50% off chairs from ShopKo. Nothing really exciting, but I really like it. A house just doesn't feel homey without an actual dining table.
I needed to display the pictures of my nieces and nephews as they'd been relegated to the far side of my fridge, so I made the wall hanging to place above the table. It was fun and unique....you can't find that at Pier One!

My Condo--The Balcony

2011-07-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

It's been about 2 months since I moved in and I have yet to post about my new condo! I'm sure you all remember how I had to find a place post haste at the end of the school year. This place literally fell in my lap at that time. There were no issues with funding, fix-ups, or other related mortgage or moving-in drama. I put an offer in, it was accepted, and I moved in about 1 month later.
The reason it's taken me so long to get around to showing my place off online is because a) I was tired from a trying school year and settling into a new place right at the end of it, and b) I was too busy showing it off in person :)
I'm one of those people who unpacks and begins decorating almost immediately. I have an innate need to make a place cozy. I feel that I'm finally at the point where most of the decorating is done, and I'm just "tweaking." Hopefully this will be the first of several posts about my new condo. I love it, and hope you will enjoy it too.
My balcony started out being the home of my plants. I added a couple of new geraniums to balance things out and utilized some pretty pots and a stand I already had. I decided a tiny wrought iron bistro set would be just the thing, found a bargain on one at Walmart, and put it together myself. The balcony still needs some flooring, but other than that it's done. Here's the final product: a comfortable little place to relax and enjoy the outdoors while sipping a frosty beverage.

Yipee!

2011-06-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this kind of thing happens to me all the time. Maybe because since I learned it back in junior high math class, I have applied the "trial and error" method of problem solving to most areas of my life. Or just because I'm extra special. But here's the deal: I am in actuality NOT so computer savvy. (I know, you're all shocked.) But I have learned a valuable lesson: when you miss/skip upgrades, it's not so helpful. My blog has been retarded for, I don't know, months now, and I just realized there was a publisher upgrade. And Ta-Da! Here I am publishing again! Rather nice, since I have an entirely decorated new condo to show off. So, as of now, I resolve to not be such a bonehead. Probably.

I Broke Down....

2011-06-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

And bought a scale! I blame it on Becky at the gym who started me on this path over a year ago. Though she did put me on an actual diet (ick!) she also taught me some good things about building muscle (strength training), getting a decent amount of protein in your diet, and the evils of sugar. Okay, so I totally ignored the last thing...because it turns out I don't really enjoy living without carbs...but she was really supportive, and had me track not only my food intake but my wieght daily. It was actually better to see the up and down trends, so that when you get to the weigh in day, it's not a complete shock when you've put on 2 lbs of water weight.

Anyway, this information is only pertinent in light of another confession: I quit Weight Watchers. Or more acccurately, I rejoined Weight Watchers after quitting in December. I just felt like the program was no longer working for me, and also that my need for personal one-on-one attention was not being met. Seriously, why should you pay $40/month just to watch the weight slowly creep back on?

So I quit. And watched the weight creep back on (not so slowly) for free. May I add that this was also the toughest school year in quite a while? It was, and in addition to that, it's year I decided to buy a condo, right before the end of school. Anyway, stress was high and self-control was low...and chocolate was handy. You get the picture.

Finally, after settling into my condo, getting the internet up and running, and feeling that RELIEF I always feel after the school year is over and I've done all I can to get the little cherubs ready for first grade, I thought of Weight Watchers. Except this time it was Weight Watchers Online; half the price, and a much more individual and easy approach. I love all the little tools to track food intake, weight, and exercise. It's stuff I like doing anyway, working on little personal goals to help me feel successful and happy in my skin, and it seems to be working.

So yes, at the age of...not quite 35, I have my first scale. And I DON'T hate it!

Dino Park 2011

2011-06-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

At the end of each school year we teach a unit on Dinosaurs in kindergarten and cart our dear little people to the Dinosaur Park. I really did mess it up this year though, and put the wrong day on the bus request, thus landing us with no bus on the day we'd planned to go. Then there was a mad scramble to change the fieldtrip to another day. However, since the weather was only nice on the day we ended up going, I guess heaven really does look out for boneheads :)

Anyway, we ended up spending the next to last day, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Dinosaur Park. It required a packed lunch & some popsicles for a snack later to keep everyone going, but that wasn't really a big dead. The only casualties were a couple of jumpropes that got thrown up in a tree. (Note to self: DO NOT turn your back on the naughty boys, no matter how much someone else may need to go to the bathroom!)

The kids really did have a wonderful time, even though the day was a bit long. Needless to say, our little people were plenty chirpy on the way to the park and dead silent on the way back. In fact a few even fell asleep! Pretty funny. And a really great day over all. Hear they are in the picture I take every year. I like to call it:

"AAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!"

A New Home for Sarie

2011-04-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

So, about 2 months ago my roommate sheepishly tells me that she's accepted a job offer in Idaho and starts the first week in April. Now, she'd never made a secret of the fact that she was looking for another position. She only ended up in Ogden in the first place because there was an opening (and I'm glad she accepted :), but she's really wanted to go back to her home state for some time. We've been roommates for a few years (so long that I've forgotten when we started being roomies) and are used to each other's weirdnesses. If you've been to my house, you know that I'm not one of those people who have everything neat and tidy all the time. And the philosophy with Alison and I was, "If you want to clean it, clean it." But if you don't no one will get bent out of shape. Needless to say, after countless cleaning-chart and cleaning freak roommates, I was terribly spoiled. I went from 5 roommates at Snow College to 3 at BYU to just 1 in our cozy apartment in South Ogden. I really hate to admit it, but I've become one of those people who a) don't want to share a room with anyone (unless he's exceptionally dreamy ;), and b) don't want to break it a new roommate and deal with someone else's drama. So, I'm going to be brave and try living on my own! And even more, I'm going to get a place of my own. How about this?
Seriously though, I'm going to start looking at some cute little humbly affordable places in my neighborhood (as I don't feel like it's time to move on and I simply LOVE my ward and neighborhood friends). It will cost nearly as much to live in my own apartment as buying a place, so that's the direction I'm heading. I'm a little nervous, but I'm ready for a change. And I'd love a place that's mine. I'll keep everyone posted about the process. But I am certainly excited to move, redecorate, and settle into someplace nice and homey :)

Cracking Me Up

2011-03-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's been one of those weeks when I can literally say the only thing to blame is Spring Fever. It's that lovely ailment that hits when kindergarteners have learned almost all they need to move on to First Grade and the weather is so great they are just itching to be outside playing instead of inside working and learning. It's been rough trying to keep them reigned in, but I've been doing my best. And they keep saying silly things right in the thick of things that crack me right up. Here are this weeks' gems:

One little guy made a T shape with his saltines, and said something about a cross. "What is it?" I asked, not sure I'd heard his complete description. "It's a holy cross," he says loudly, "You know, sign of God!" It was awesome.

While I was reading a story to the kids, another little boy guesses what animal will appear next. "A bear!" he exclaims excitedly, "A big bear! Big and..." here he searches for a word, "Big and chummy!" he sputters out, signing a big belly in the air. I'm pretty sure he meant chubby ;)

After I correct the idea of "hatching kittens" one little girl has by explaining that mammals have live babies and they don't get their babies from eggs, just like their own mommies bring home babies from the hospital, not eggs they will sit on, the same little boy excitedly explains, "Yeah, they get really big, and then the baby comes out, and then they get really big, and then the baby comes out..." going through the cycle about 4 times. Apparently people breed like rabbits in his life.

Anyway, they've kept me entertained...which is a good thing!

A Spring Getaway

2011-03-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask me where I was going this spring. I guess my 2010 escape to California in search of spring was so legendary they figured it would become an annual outing.

But with all that's going on with work and at home, I've been too busy and broke-ish to plan any epic Spring getaways.

However, with my new resolve to be less anti-social, I've been accepting invitations left and right. And that has landed me at three, count them THREE theater productions!

First, I attended Northridge High's Guys and Dolls with some girlfriends a couple of weeks ago. I don't know about where you live, but where I'm from we do our best, but high school productions come off fairly amateurish at best. But, up here in Northern Utah, they are really amazing. I've been pleased to attend several since I moved to the area and am always astounded at the professionalism of these students.

Second, my friend Malinda invited me to attend the opera at WSU last weekend. I was a little nervous about it, but I'll try anything (at least once) and she had free tickets. I had never heard anything thing about Die Fledermaus, and can only claim a love of musical theater in general, but it was a lot of fun. There were none of the overly dramatic dying-for-love arias I had feared, and there was plenty of intrigue, plot twists, and humor. Malinda and I spent most of the time laughing, which is a pretty good way to spend an evening at the opera.

The above photo features the lead characters singing about the agony of parting. Don't they just look forlorn? :)

Lastly, Misty, Dionne and I attended a matinee performance of Jane Austen's Persuasion at BYU yesterday. This is my favorite Austen novel and I was excited to share the experience with Misty. We were amazed at the humor they were able to find in the production. They brought the characters to life and added extra dimensions of humanity and humor to each one. It was a thoroughly entertaining afternoon.

Louisa and Henrietta hang all over the handsome and extremely wealthy Captain Wentworth while a dutiful Anne plays the piano. (BYU not only entertains, it educates. From the playbill we learned that from what Wentworth earned during the Napoleonic Wars, he would have been a millionaire today. Wow. There's nothing a good man who's also good and wealthy ;)

So there you go! I haven't been able to escape to warmer climes, but I have enjoyed escaping to the theater! I recommend it to anyway who needs a little getaway!

Cutest Darn Emergency Response Team Ever!

2011-03-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe those guys that pulled me outta my car when I totaled it on I-15 were pretty hunky...which was tragic as I looked like...well, a car wreck. But that's beyond the point. The point is that I LOVE these kids! And they really have saved me over hte last couple of weeks.
They are completely adorable and a real blessing in my life. They are by far the easiest and highest achieving kindergarten group in our school. I kind of feel that the Lord knew it was going to be a challenging year in so many ways and sent me this group to keep me sane. In the middle of my drama of the last few weeks, one of my little angels came up to me, looked me soulfully in the eyes and gave me a great big hug. How delightful is that? She couldn't have known all I was going through, but her little darks eyes said, "I know you are having a rough time, Miss B, and I still love you." They really are sweet! My little people, along with friends and family that rally around me whenever I am struggling, are the reason I am still here today. Thanks to all of you! And to my little chipmunks, I adore you! But seriously, who wouldn't? Look at this serious little law enforcer!
Oh, they're just too sweet and silly, aren't they?!

Starting Over

2011-02-20T10:31:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, without realizing it, you walk around tromping all over people most of the time. Or perhaps, you've only been stepping on a lot of toes and something makes you realize you've been in a fairly bad mood for a really long time.
My malady seems to be a bit more sporadic than constant bulldozing or toe-smushing, but has been nonetheless difficult for those in my life to bear. It surfaces in the form of ocassional grouchiness, way too much fatigue, and a general non-social disposition. When my attitude and behavior was brought to my attention, I was quite shocked. It's sort of like boiling the proverbial frog, if I'd known it was so bad I would have jumped out much sooner. But the descent from helpful, sunny, and friendly to sarcastic, gossipy, and unsociable was extemely gradual. It was really just one stressful thing building on another until I was really unhappy with myself and isolated from others.
Sadly, part of it comes from that little shy girl stil hiding behind the professional teacher talk and the teasing banter. She still doesn't like to reach out and she certainly hates to be an imposition on anyone. So instead, I vent my frustrations all along the way, usually in the form of barbed comments that come across as far worse than the "I am stressed," or the "I am seriously exhausted" impetus behind them.
So, for those of you who have fallen prey to this, I apologize. Hopefully you understand that the person doing all of that is NOT the real me. It's the monster that rears its ugly head when I don't know how to deal with life and whatever is broiling inside me. I love and appreciate you all far too much to lose you to my own nastiness and icky attitude. Please accept that I am truly sorry for how I have been behaving and know that I am trying to be more helpful, kind, generous with my time, and generally sociable.
But in this I'm going to need your help. Please call me on it when I talk about others in a negative or sarcastic way (when I'm not actually looking for a way to rectify the situation). And please, encourage me to DO things with people. I've been really unhappy with myself this year and haven't reached out to others for comfort and guidance as much as I ought. So put me to work, I need it!
I appreciate you all so much. I have such wonderful friends and family who always rally around me, offering their love so freely. I am doing my best to be like you. Thank you.

Escape from Grinchland

2010-12-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I love the Grinch as much as the next person. Maybe it's his extraordinary greenness, or his flashy fashion sense, or his impressive ability to rhyme. Okay, let's be honest, it's really the fact that he's a little snarky. THAT'S why I like the Grinch. He has the same appeal for me as Shrek or the Beast. Maybe they're a little furry and prickly on the outside, but inside they're snuggly soft and toasty warm....basically I'd like to know where I can get one...

But I digress. Typically during the "whole Christmas season" Grinchiness isn't the approved reaction. In fact, it's rather frowned upon. But given the fact that the pounds were just rolling back on (due to the over-availability of so-and-so's Great Aunt Melba's homemade whatevers which you can't pass up without offending someone), and the back that wouldn't stop aching to allow me to hit the gym to combat the day's fresh fudge tray, and the overly excited kindergartners who talked non-stop for at least an entire week and would not stop poking at one another, I was feeling less than Whovilly Who-ish. I even outlawed the singing of Jingle Bells in my classroom (That was a little mean, I admit, but seriously, it was the only Christmas song they knew and they kept singing it at intervals throughout December. At the top of their lungs I might add.)

But some Christmas angel had it in for me because I was able to: a) get an appointment with my friend, the massage therapist, so I didn't have to face a 4 hour drive on a messed up back, b) spend plenty of time with friends before leaving town, c) somehow have the energy to get enough done beforehand to not have to stay long after school on Tuesday, and d) come home and help to make our holidays a little more jolly.

My favorite things so far this holiday have been:

Caroling: a Boucher family tradition. Spreads cheer and joy to others...or at least to the others in the group :)
Playing Christmas music: I realized I had forgotten all of my piano music in Ogden, and mom and dad promptly took me to music store to purchase some easy piano books. I give them a creative concert almost everyday.
A cute Christmas dress that fits! That dress was my BANE! Tried it on in Richfield and really liked it. Then tried again in Riverdale and couldn't get it on! (That's just adding insult to injury.) But it fits perfectly now, and I am pleased that whatever size I am I can look adorable :)

Anyway, no more Grinchiness for me. Okay, maybe just a little snarkyness for the road.

Christmasing

2010-12-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I've earned the right to create my own word, so there it is: Christmasing. Definition: doing Christmasy things to make the season bright. Anyway, that's what I've been up to since Thanksgiving. That and fighting off a cold, ringworm, and whatever else the kids drag into my life and classroom. Don't you just LOVE the children? Thankfully, I only had the cold, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, in the midst of all the incessant sterilizing and other great school duties, I realized I was feeling a little blue. And being the oh-so-clever individual I am I could not figure out why. But looking back I think the cause was two-fold: 1) lack of sleep, and 2) focussing too much on myself and all my woes (which really aren't that woeful, let's be honest). But anyway, I found myself in the middle of teaching my kids Christmas songs and performing them for their parents, decorating the apartment, putting on a Community Christmas Concert, and participating in some wonderful family activities, and just feeling down all the rest of the time. My friends had even planned a trip to Sandy, and I was too busy and overwhelmed to go with them. I just felt like I needed something and I didn't know what. The answer came later that day when I dragged myself out of school at 5 p.m. and realized I had to get in some Christmas shopping before I could head home. So, christmas music playing on the car stereo I made my way around to the various shops in the area to find gifts for all the good girls and boys on my list. And strangely enough, it lifted my spirits! Not (as I implied on facebook) because retail therapy is actually good for the soul, but because thinking of, working, and sacrificing for others is good for your heart and mind.

I'm still feeling a bit down...probably the cold, and the fact that I really need to head to bed tonight...but as I run about doing good (wrapping presents with pretty ribbon, delivering gifts to friends, having special holiday visits, and always blasting uplifting Christmas music in the car) I really am enjoying the "comfort and joy" the season.

Washington Terrrace Community Christmas Concert

2010-11-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Each year Washington Terrace holds a Community Christmas Concert. A community choir, a youth choir, and a bell choir take part in the program. Songs all along the spectrum of uplifting, entertaining, and classical Christmas numbers are presented, including one or two in which the audience is invited to participate. It's a wonderful way to mark the beginning of the holiday season! (And incidentally support yours truly :)

Date: Monday, December 6th
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Bonneville High (251 E. Laker Way, Ogden, UT)

Leaves-a-Falling

2010-10-25T19:08:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again....and sadly I have been so busy with:

Other teachers' health/personal leave
Family issues
Crazy kid reactions to crazy weather, and
Parents Teacher Conferences

that I haven't even taken the time to look around and enjoy the changing colors. How sad is that? But over UEA, mom, Hunter, Britty, Lizzie, and I made the trek up to Monrovian Park to see the leaves changing. It's one of those places where you can escape from reality straight into nature. And I have loved it from the time I was little. Here are a few images from our outing this fall:

Cute little Brittney! Happily enjoying the great outdoors.

The colors were phenomenal! Yellows, golds, tans, pinks, reds and some greens still holding their own.

This is my favorite! It was one of those days when my energy was running low, and I was just game enough to insist on the outing, hike about for about 1/2 an hour, and then be ready to hop back in the car. Happily, the serene drive down the canyon on twisty slim roads, banked on both sides by breathtaking foliage seemed to calm all our nerves and refresh me a bit.

This was my mom's shot of the leaves from below (the "pink" as she called it, seemed to grab her attention more than the rest), silhouetted against the blue sky and the sun's afternoon rays. I agree mom, it did turn out nice.

Answers from a Prophet

2010-10-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

I was pleased a while ago when I my dad called to say their stake had been given a number of tickets for General Conference, and that they'd reseved a few for the three of us.

And after a month of kindergarten, I was due for a little quiet reflection and enlightenment. Though how you can quietly reflect and be enlightened with 22,000 people, not to mention the other millions viewing worldwide, is beyond me.

But, I have found that even when I don't know that I have a question, I get the answer at conference. This time, the big answer was to an issue I've been pondering for a while, and though it wasn't what I really wanted to hear, it was right. It was the closing address of the day, which I hoped would be President Monson, but it turned out to be Elder Richard G. Scott. However, that was exactly what I needed, and reinforced my testimony of the apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators.

After talking about building faith, here's what he said (paraphrased):

"Be thankful when God allows you to struggle for a long time as it builds your faith and shapes your character."

And although my life has been fairly free of struggles, there are some unfulfilled blessings I have been waiting and hoping for. But if things had come more easily for me, I wouldn't be who I am and I wouldn't be nearly as close to the Lord as I am. And thankfully, every once in a while when I feel a little down, I get a little boost of hope that carries me through. I am especially grateful this week that we have prophets and apostles on the earth today to help bring God's messages to us.

A Place for Lupita

2010-09-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Note: Names have been changed to protect the adorable little people that frequent my classroom.

Before school started we kept ourselves busy in the kindergarten hallway testing anyone who showed up. We have families who will occasionally show up for an appointment to register their kindergartener, but are just as likely to show up whenever. So, when they finally showed up this year, we had them fill out the necessary paperwork while we'd test their child. Naturally, this means that we end up with some children with very few academic skills who come in right before school starts.

About 3 days before school started, an auntie came in with her very tiny soon-to-be-kindergartener. The aunt proceeded to inform me that she didn't talk and that she wears diapers. Now, we have plenty of Spanish-speaking children who speak very little until December or January, but the diapering issue was certainly a red flag, and before I knew it, our hallway was filled with all the kindegarten teachers, the Speech Language pathologist, and 3 of our Special Education teachers. What was unclear was whether the aunt was more concerned about free day-long child care or her niece's education. What finally came out of the conversation was that we would begin paperwork and testing right away, as one look at the child was enough to ascertain that she was a candidate for Special Education, and would most likely be placed in our Severe Special Education classroom. But, since she was not currently in school at all, she would have to spend some time in a regular education classroom in order to qualify for any kind of testing or observation. I'm not sure why, but I felt very passionately that this child not fall through the cracks again. She had already missed out on much needed preschool programs due to living in Mexico for several years, and had missed out on medical attention as well, as their finances were very limited. So, here it was, days before school started, and we had to decide what to do with a child who would probably flounder in a regular classroom. I might also add that we had already sorted out all the other students we had tested, giving each teacher some children already in Special Ed, Speech, or who had been identiefied as posessing other special needs (limited English, no school experience, or attention-deficit issues). But as I said, I felt very passionately that little Lupita not be passed over, no matter how long she'd be at our school, so I agreed that if she was coming, she could come to my class, rather than trying to pawn her off on someone else.

So, the first day of school, along with the normal crying, sleepiness, over-stimulation, and separation issues, I also had little Lupita. That first day, I was introduced to the howling. I knew that it was mostly because she was new to school, had never been away from her family, and was over-stimulated by everything, but day-long howling was a little much, even for me. Worse, it set off the other kids who were new to school and missed their families. Until the second week of school, I didn't experience a day without tears. It was so bad that first week that when I tried to sleep one night, I heard the howling in my head! Horrible!

Anyway, it turned out that when the crying ceased, Lupita actually had some skills. She loved music, looking at books, coloring, toys, and playing with other children. She preferred to be with the class, so she'd happily line up and traipse along with them wherever they were going. This made my life a lot easier, though it was still like teaching a class of kindergarteners and one toddler. Then, I did the only thing I could think to do, I encouraged my bright, warm-hearted little people to take her under their wings and care for her. And they did. It turns out they didn't like the crying either and were delighted when they could get her to babble or parrot back to them, or dance along with whatever music was playing. Though, it was still not easy (because I was never sure when she'd have a melt-down and refuse to participate), it was at least bearable.

Three weeks, a battery of tests, observations, and a mound of paperwork later, we were all meeting with Lupita and her aunt to officially propose an Education Plan for Lupita. Everyone was charmed by little Lupita, who babbled out "Papa, papa," when our principal walked in, and did their best to positively share their findings. The solution, reached an hour and a half later, was that Lupita would be placed in a Severe Special Education classroom at another school, with only 8 other students and a male teacher. I don't know that a more perfect solution could have been found for her. She would be bussed from the day-care provider's doorstep to school and back again daily, and she would participate in activities specifically designed for her skill set.

I found myself filled with a mixture of relief, disbelief, and regret as I passed this little one on to another teacher. Strange that I should feel bad about losing something that made for the hardest first 3 weeks of school. But as I write this, I remember something my mom once said: When you put a lot of time and effort into anything, you feel bad when it's over. Well, at the time it was that dorky guy in college that had me all worked up, but now it is little Lupita. I hope and pray that she is adjusting well, that she is feeling safe and happy, that she is winning hearts and making friends. I know it was a blessing from heaven that she was in my classroom for even a short period of time, and that all of us, like Lupita, have a special place perfectly designed for each of us. We just have to find it.

Shakespearen Festival...Blame it on Dad

2010-09-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit of a theater dork, and like the title says, blame it on Dad (though Mom informs me, "I like musicals too!"). He was the one who exposed me early to old movies and musicals, and Mom and Dad are the ones who took us to high school plays (my first exposure to live productions). Anyway, last year we attended the Shakespearean festival, catching a couple of amazing plays. While we were there, we checked on this year's line-up and found a couple we were excited to see. Of course we purchased the tix for the exact weekend of Grandma's funeral...that's Murphy's Law at work for you. But the kind people at the festival were good enough to swap our tickets for the following weekend. So, literally the weekend before I had to be back at school, I was in my little Corolla, along with Mom and Dad, wending our was to Cedar City. Being such an Austen fan, I chose "Pride and Prejudice" while Mom chose "Much Ado About Nothing," one of the most fun Shakespeare plays. Dad, being the good sport he is, came along for both plays (this is his punishment for getting me started in the first place :).Above: Beatrice and Benedick, from Much Ado About Nothing
Above: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice

It was an amazing way to spend the last week of summer freedom! Enjoying the banter of Darcy and Elizabeth and Beatice and Benedick, two very similar couples who seem to dance around one another, courting through their swapped insults. I have never known so much humor to come from Jane Austen's works, and I have never laughed so hard at Much Ado About Nothing either, and I never rooted so hard in my heart for both couples to "Just work it out already!" A girl can't help it if she's addicted to romance...and practical enough to understand that it never comes without its own set of issues. Anyway, it was a thoroughly wonderful weekend, well-worth the time and money shelled out, at least in my opinion. After all, what's more fun than two couples who are "too wise to woo peaceably"?

Back to School...Ready or Not!

2010-09-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

Going back to school is like playing Hide and Seek because, ready or not, here they come! And they bring their own special variety of issues too. This year we had a high influx of students with special needs. So, while our numbers are slightly lower than last year, our students will require more individualized accomodations this year. And, though I did feel more ready on the first day of school than I ever have before, I wasn't ready for everything they brought with them, namely:

Clingly parents, who don't know how to say goodbye without throwing their child into a tailspin,
Crying...um...let's call it howling, from those who have never been away from their parents for any length of time,
A certain little girl whose aunt said she was great around other kids, but who had day-long meltdowns almost all week instead,
Another little girl who acted homesick and stubborn, but was really exhausted from lack of sleep.

These were things I had considered, but since I didn't know the kids yet, had no means to counteract on the first day of school. What happened was this: each day more kids were howling instead of the opposite. Wednesday and Thursday were the worst, when 4 kids were crying, one of them nearly non-stop for most of the time. I have never dealt with that! Typically, assuring parents that their kids will be okay if they leave and providing fun activities to get the kids involved so they forget themselves and begin to enjoy school takes care of any issues in the first couple of days. But the 4th day, when it was all the worse, was the one that nearly pushed me over the edge. Literally, when I tried to sleep that night I could hear the howling in my head! (Like I needed that!) The only thing I could do was pray for help, because even though I couldn't figure out how to get the unnerving howling to cease, Heavenly Father could. And on Friday, with the implementation of a few changes (headphones and music to distract howler #1 until she calmed down, games and activities to keep the non-howlers busy, hastily escorting a mother out of the room when she arrived, and compliments whenever the criers did anything they were supposed to do) and I had:

No crying after about 15 minutes (Hallelujah!!!!)
All the kids playing together kindly and helping one another
Everyone working hard and having fun
Smiling happy little people, like this one:

It was like angels singing! I truly feel I was inspired to do what I did and that the little Light of Christ in each of them responded to Father to help us have a positive day.

And that was the first week of Kindergarten...I am glad for another tender mercy from heaven, a nice long weekend to rest and recuperate!

My Grandma

2010-08-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

My little Grandma, Luzell Cahoon Boucher, 98, passed away yesterday. She was the only grandma I really knew, and I really love that little lady. She always had a pleasant smile and positive attitude about life. Here are some things I remember about her: (picture courtesy of Ann Boucher's blog)

She made the best fig cake ever...and I'm pretty sure nobody has the REAL recipe (since I watched her once and she didn't even use one).
She had a really high singing voice, like a little girl...or Minnie Mouse. And like Grandpa Boucher, she had a real connection to music. Though she didn't remember who most of us were at the end of her life, she would sing along when we'd sing primary songs together. (Obviously, she took the soprano.)
She was a storyteller, though she often forgot to whom she'd already told her stories. Case in point, every time we mentioned rice for a while, she'd recount the story of the asian neighbor who was so slim because she always ate "lice."
She was entertaining! We'd begin the pelican limerick: "A wonderful bird is the pelican/His beak can hold more than his belly-can/He holds in his beak/Enough for a week/But I don't know how the...." and we'd stop, not actually filling in with swear words, but grandma would pop out (loudly, I might add), "Hell-he-can!!!" Oh, and she used to amuse us by pulling out her teeth to brush them. Later in life she admitted to me she missed everyone gathering in the bathroom to watch her clean her dentures.

She really was a delightful grandma, and she will be missed. But I am happy to know she is with loved ones and in a better place.

Family 5K

2010-07-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you are a running-all-day type of kindergarten teacher who suddenly has a lot of time on her hands. You begin to believe that since you have so much free time you need to plan involving the whole family. And I'm only gonna say this once: The Bouchers are NOT planners! Which makes the whole thing a little more difficult. Anyway, I found myself deeply involved in getting everyone together to do a family 5K and breakfast. Everyone was willing and excited, but trying to coordinate the summer schedules of 25 individuals is a little daunting for anyone. But it came together at the last moment, with barely enough time to make and send out cutesy invitations.

So, we all gathered on Saturday, July 16th at SugarHouse Park to run, walk, bike, and ride scooters around the course. Sam came through, as usual, with an offer to whip out his mad grill skills and make pancakes. Everyone else made their own contributions to the breakfast menu. As usual, we had crazy conversations, fun music, and various other interesting activities.

The Boucher girls, doing what they do best...chatting :)

Cody, chillin' with Mike and Becky in fabulous camp chairs.

Our handsomely bearded Jakey. (We are beginning to collect stories about people getting the wrong idea about him because of that beard...pretty funny if you ask me :)

Amy, Hunter, Lizzie, Sammy, and Brittney, hangin' by the duck pond, all happy to be together.

Happy cousins Josh, Lizzie, and Lauryl. I adore my cousins and am happy these guys like each other so well too.

Tree Monkeys! They must have been climbing this big evergreen for the better part of an hour. Once again, the inventive Bouchers find a way to entertain themselves. Overall, everyone had a great time just being together. And though it was a little tricky getting everyone together, it was certainly worth it!

Birthday Girls!

2010-07-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post about my mom's and my birthday, but didn't take any pictures on my birthday, even though I did many fun things that day. Finally, I took a picture of myself and will post my favorite birthday gift. Hey, it's not my fault that it's the gift from me that's my favorite! I just happened to know exactly what I wanted, and I got it for me! But first, mommy's birthday.

It all started out with a surprise. After my first summer trip to Annie's cabin outside of Yellowstone, I told my mom I'd be too tired to go home for her birthday. But secretly, I had already planned to be home for her Monday birthday and had arranged with Mandi, her family, and some other family friends to come over for a birthday dinner. Here are some of the guests:

Mandi, Eric, and Ellie:

Jackie Webb, Jeane Wood, Dad, Kay Schaelling, and Mommy:

Mandi's girls, Mary and Ellie:

Needless to say, even though she isn't the type of person to call attention to herself, she was pleased to have a large group of loved ones around on her special day.

My birthday was on Monday, July 5th, which in Utah means you are still celebrating Independence day. So, it felt like an entire birthday weekend celebration. On Saturday, I went to Ogden's Hot Rockin' 4th, an day-long event that included a few magic shows, music from Imagine (a Beatles tribute band), Ogden's Demolition Derby, and fireworks. Then, on Sunday, we attended a patriotic evening performance by various community groups in Layton. It was fabulous! Then, on my actual birthday, Andy and his family met me in Riverdale and took me to lunch, my friend CarriAnn treated me to an afternoon performance of "Eclipse," and Misty and her family made me dinner and attended the Layton fireworks with me. Also, Misty, "the enabler," gave me several Glee CDs and a Glee shirt.

It was a wonderful weekend! I felt loved and appreciated...and hey, the presents didn't hurt either.

So, my favorite gift? Lovely, lovely roller skates! I don't do roller blades, but I have always loved roller skates, and now that they are making a bit of a comeback, I'm all in! Aren't they beautiful?

Looking Back: Boston, New York, & Liberty

2010-07-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

As Independence Day and my birthday drew closer, I have been thinking more and more about my Independence Day last year. If you recall, I was able to visit Boston and New York for 2 weeks (relying on the kindness of my dear friend Cristy to not toss me out on my ear for staying with her so long). I walked along the Freedom Trail, listened to the Declaration of Independence read from the very balcony where it was originally presented to the people, heard the stories of immigrants entering the US at Ellis Island, and came to know Lady Liberty and her beautiful message. It was a wonderful time, and just a couple of weeks ago I contacted Cristy and asked, "How am I going to top that???" The truth is, I can't...but the Lord can teach me as much here at home about liberty and sacrifice as He can anywhere else. In fact, tiny heavenly messages have been working their way into my mind for a while now, and only came all together while I was at church today.

In addition to remembering the experience of coming face to face with history in Boston and New York and thinking about those who fought for liberty in the past and continue to do so today, I read the first few chapters in Leviticus this morning (which are all about sacrifice under Mosaic Law). All those thoughts were fighting for attention in my mind today, and finally, during the sacrament service, I faced what I knew in my heart, that there was a bigger message to be found. And finally it came to me: the sacrifices detailed in Leviticus point to the Lord's great and last sacrifice, which marked the end of animal sacrifice, asking us to offer instead OUR minds, hearts, and all our might and strength to the Lord's cause. We recommit to this each week by partaking of the sacrament with all its beautiful symbolism.

That is our call today, to sacrifice what is necessary to ensure that the freedoms and truths available to us today are still available tomorrow. For the sacrament hymn today we sang "As Now We Take the Sacrament" and the last verse kept floating through my mind as I considered all of this. It says:
"...silently we pray for courage to accept thy will,

To listen and obey.

We love thee Lord; our hearts are full.

We'll walk thy chosen way."

After I had considered my part in protecting liberty and truth, this was my committment, to walk his chosen way, all the while praying for courage to do so. I hope that I can do that.

Happy Indepedence Day! May you too enjoy the freedoms you have!

Mesa Falls

2010-06-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

On the other half of our toasty day in Yellowstone, we made a trek to Mesa Falls. I had never been there, but it was well worth the time. It was beautiful and I was able to grab many amazing photos. Like this one:

These are the upper falls. Aren't they phenomenal?! They have created a walkway that runs right next to the falls, so you have the whole sensory experience: the sight of the white crested water crashing over the rocks, the mist blowing in your face, and the smell...that fresh moist air meeting your nostrils.

On the opposite side of the falls grow all these interesting plants. The falls and the mist have created a mini-climate where plants are able to thrive that would ordinarily die here. To me it's just another testimonial to finding happiness wherever you are in life.

Here's the wide shot of the falls, with the micro-climate on the other side. To me it looks like the difference between Utah and Hawaii from bank to bank.

These are the lower falls, which are not quite as accessible as the upper falls, but equally impressive if not so dramatic.

We had an amazing time at the Girls' Retreat. Hanging out, shopping, watching movies, doing crafts, visiting beautiful places like Mesa Falls. We had a wonderful vacation!

Nature Walk

2010-06-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

Annie and I had planned to do more active things during out stay at Yellowstone, but were instead gifted only one day out of four for exploring. On that one day of good weather we had to plan a few outings, including a morning stroll around the area. Annie's aunt Marcie went with us and showed us a trail around the river than even Annie hadn't taken. It was beautiful! The poor little waterlogged wildlife were poking their little wet noses out to enjoy the sun's warmth, and we were pleased to catch them in the act.

We saw a young moose out for its own meadow stroll and munch. We just looked at one another contemplatively, then went about our business.

Also, we saw a group of pelicans hanging out on a log. i can just imagine thier conversation. "Hey, Earl." "Yeah, Bob." "You see that fish over there." "Yeah. Big." "Bet I can get it in my beak." "No way." "Yes way!" "Double dog dare you?" This is how pelicans get themselves into sticky situations :)

They flew off when we became too interested. Annie was shocked at how broad their wingspan is.

Except for this one, he stayed to show off his fancy hairdo, I guess. Sassy!

As we neared the fishing bridge, we saw more birds and fish; including mallards, more seagulls, and some large carp, all attracted by the bread-throwing tourists.

It was a lovely jaunt...taking much longer than we meant to, but well worth the time. (Especially since everyone that went later got rained on :)

Girls' Retreat 2010

2010-06-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Annie invited me to go on the Girls' Retreat again this year, which was my first out-of-towner since school got out. It's basically just her family and family friends, so I am always happen to be included. The retreat reminds me of Girls' Camp, because, let's be honest, whenever women get together, there are always some things that are the same, like:

Good food! And a overabundance of treats :)
Girly bonding time and lots of it
Crafts (yeah, that's a girl thing)
Too many girlies, not enough bathrooms (but hopefully enough TP)
Forays into "the wild," i.e. walks, hikes...here's a taste:
Battles with nature (oh the joy of a four day trip turned into a one-day outting because it's STILL raining!)
Somebody that keeps you up with their thunderous SNORING!
Oh, and somebody that wakes everyone else up because they have to go to the bathroom (sorry, that's always me)

But, there are some important differences between teenage prepubescent Girls' Camp and our sophisticated Girls' Retreat, such as:

More good food (everyone brings their best) and better treats (everyone brings their favorites) and NOTHING cooked over the fire, except maybe marshmallows.
Girlie movies....heck! Any kinda movies (just like the treats, everyone brings their favorites)
No stinking tents! A nice snug cabin instead.
No one that makes you get out of bed...sleep as long as you want!
Girlie outtings (like shopping, or to the Candy Shop for more treats...and fudge!)
Classy crafts...nothing that involves popsicle sticks or painted macaroni. ( I can totally make cool bracelets now!!! And watchbands...for you weirdos who insist on knowing what time it is.
Oh, and two resident chihuahuas (Rocky is pictured below with Jill...yes, he's pouting because we're not leaving yet.)

Overall, it's pretty fantastic and will provide fodder for at least 2 more posts :) Need more evidence that this type of "camping" is for me? Well, here it is:

"One, Two, Three...." "Aaaahhhhhh!!!!"

2010-06-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

As we do at the end of each school year, we headed to the Dinosaur Park with the kindergarteners.

We choose the last week of school because, let's be honest, we're not really teaching them anything anyway.

What? You didn't know that? Well, we teach them everything they need to know, and we do a darn good job of it! But while their brains are full of first-class knowledge their bodies are still little and young....and about this time of year they can't sit still anymore.

So, we plan our fieldtrip for a time when being out of the classroom is preferrable.

The day was overcasty and warmish and the park was nearly empty when we got there....just perfect for an entire day at the dinosaur park. The kids had a delightful time, doing art projects and learning all about dinosaurs.

We literally wore them out! It was fantastic....especially the phenomenally quiet bus ride home :)

But aren't they cute? This is when they had just reached the park and were extra bouncy and happy.

And this photo is what inspired the post's title. I said, "1, 2, 3..." and they screamed, "Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!" Don't they look delighted to be eaten???

Teacher Appreciation Day

2010-05-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

I know, you think it's Mother's Day, and it is, but it also marks the end of Teacher Appreciation week. During the week students were supposed to bring things to school or do things to show their appreciation for the hard work we do each day. The first day things started showing up was the day after our PTA President, Yesenia, announced, "Since we all know a teacher's favorite fruit is an apple, please bring an apple to your teacher tomorrow." (Note: I don't know why it's an "apple for the teacher," I mean seriously, I think most teachers would prefer some form of chocolate or hard licqour after a hard day instead of an apple.) Anyway, the following day I recieved 4 red apples, 2 green apples, and 1 big yellow apple. Oh, and 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, and a baby watermelon. How awesome is that? That was the same day one of my little boys beamingly brought me a styrofoam cup full of lilacs. Have I mentioned how much I love Spring lately? Well I have decided that LILACS are the definitive smell of Spring. So delicious! They smelled up my classroom for 2 days and I loved every moment of it!

The next day I recieved another orange (apparently it was late) a package of Ferrero Rocher Chocolates, a really big white stuffed bunny (which I dubbed "Fluffly Bunny Feet", someone out there will appreciate that :), and a card with an entire big bar of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate tucked in the envelope. My favorite was the card (which incidentally was given to me by the little girl pictured above), which sported an adorable picture of a little girl kissing an orange kitten surrouned by tiny red hearts and the cryptic line: "A sweet daughter like you...." on the cover. On the inside it read "...should have a purr-fectly wonderful (here "Valentine's" was vehemently scribbled out and written in its place was "to tieacher") Day! Love You Very Much!" Isn't that delightful? I really do enjoy my little people more than words. We were working on Mother's Day gifts, so I took my camera to school to take these pictures of my cherubs:

This week I have also been filling out "Transfer" cards for the First Grade teachers and was amazed to realize the progress each has made this year. (Above is a little girl who hardly spoke English at the beginning of the year, and had real speech problems which further impeded her and caused her to be extremely self-conscious. Now, she is one of the chattiest in the class and terribly bright and outgoing to boot. The little fellow next to her has also gone from being far below pre-k level to an adept reader and confident writer. Mostly they just look incredibly happy :) They are such amazing little people, and as I considered them as a whole I realized how relatively drama-free they are. Really, out of 23 children I only had to discuss the problem behaviors of 3 with their soon-to-be teachers. That is phenomenal! They all get along, there are few that cause problems together, and they are really kind to one another for the majority of the time.

I refer to these as my "plumpy babies" and I adore and squish them to within an inch of their lives. They are both amazingly bright academically and sunny personality-wise. They both impressed my parents when they came on Friday to help with centers. The little boy was drawing with Grannie Annie and proceded to draw hearts all over the picture of himself. "You must love everybody," she said to him. "I do," he replied with his habitual smile. The little girl was the one child who impressed dad the most with her hammering skills. She hammered them as quickly as he could toss them to her. "It was like feeding the ducks," he said.

Sadly, this happens to me every year, just at the end I realize how much I adore my smart little people and how much I will miss them :( They really are amazing, and I am exceptionally grateful that I have gotten to be their kindergarten teacher. Teacher Appreciation in reverse!

Sunday Afternoon

2010-04-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Usually spent making a permanent indentation in the couch cushions, I decided to spend an hour in a different way. I enjoyed wandering around in Spring so much yesterday that I thought I'd do the same thing around my neighborhood. It's still just the beginning of Spring here, more buds that blooms at this point, but it smells phenomenal. And there was an abundance of tulips and daffodils, the springiest flowers of all!

Itty bitty birdie condos....I like it!

And hey, here was the treasure of the day, a tulip tree in full bloom. I don't know if I've ever seen one in Utah...but here it is, right there in my neighborhood in all its pink blooming glory!

These daffodils, nestled in the shade next to a wooden fence, were my favorites. So very snappable!

You'd think these are so beautiful they'd smell just as good. You'd be wrong. They smell like nothing....but they're still lovely reaching toward that bright blue sky.

As I said, a variety of tulips! I love this satiny violet color. So vibrant.

Shy pansies! I liked this one I almost shot it twice....once when I saw it first, and once when I walked by again....until I realized it was the same one. I think I have mentioned my obsession with "peeking" pictures.

And more tulips! The soft lavendar blooms just peeking out of the greenery...adorable!

But this was my very favorite! Don't you LOVE what spring light does to a regular photograph? Suddenly they become...well, just better.

It was an afternoon of suntering and snapping...and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

First Walk of Spring

2010-04-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Alison and I have had the most relaxing weekend... As we both had a rather difficult week, we decided to take it easy. We went to an "early bird" dinner and movie last night, landing us home by 7:30. We proceeded to enjoy the comforts of our own home until it was time to turn in. Just like little old people!

Then today we took our sweet time leisurely cleaning (and doing little else) until about 3:30 when we headed to a nearby walking trail. It was a beautifully sunny day, firmly in the 70's and perfect for a moseying meander. We had a lovely 2 hour walk and chat.

These are some of my favorite images: rusty curled barbwire hugging a worn wooden post and last year's teasel, dried and rustling.

And of course, an inviting path curving into the distance. I love how even on a wonderful spring day, the moutains are still crusted with winter's (or last week's) snow.

We truly had a wonderful time....just taking our time and enjoying the great outdoors. I feel quite pleased that on a day like today I did not spend one minute in the gym, but still got some fun exercise :)

The Energizer Bunny

2010-04-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Though at no point during the week did I feel like the Energizer Bunny, looking back on all that has happened this week, I think as a kindergarten team collectively we have taken everything on with that type of zeal. Started out and ended with me feeling a bit under the weather. Not ill exactly, but certainly not my regular "Bring It" attitude. In fact, something I regularly do, attend a couple of classes at the gym during the week (in addition to my regular morning routine) was skipped this week. I also missed the temple...which makes me that much more grateful that I was able to attend last week. So, what did we do that made me feel like the Energizer Bunny?

Well, it began like this: Lorelee, who I've been teaching kindergarten with for 5 years, started feeling very ill earlier this week. By Tuesday it was obvious that something serious was wrong, so obvious that when she finally broke down and went to the doctor, they scheduled surgery for the same day. Teachers are gluttons for punishment, if I do say so myself. We would rather come in when we feel sick than make plans for someone else to fill our place. We understand that it's occasionally stupid to do so, but we do it anyway. So, the day after surgery, Lorelee wanted to come back to work, and when that wasn't a possibility, she was going to plan for her absence. Kathryn (who I have taught with since we opened our new school) and I decided that maybe that wasn't the best way to recuperate from surgery, and took the task on ourselves. Thus, the Energizer Bunnying began, with one of us always ready with extra time to plan and make the necessary preparations or lessons ideas, projects, and activities to add to the plans. It was amazing to see that with just a few extra efforts we were able to accomplish something big. In the middle of all this was an emergency shopping trip with my friend CarriAnn, our Kindergarten Round-Up, which was also Tax Day, and all the preparations and stresses that went along with both, as well as trying to fulfill my own goals of attending the gym (which I am proud to say I did every day but today). Grammy, Lorelee's mother who comes in daily to help in the classroom in the official capacity of "Grandparent Volunteer," was another hero. It is not easy to stand aside and see a substitute running things, even when they are profficient at it. But she has made the sacrifice to come every day and take on extra responsibilities. Like I said, we all just did a little extra every day, and that has made all the difference.

And even though it was a taxing week (in more ways that one :), perhaps it was an answer to the prayer of a girl who was feeling a bit purposeless last week. Further, it reminded that girl of the wonderful blessings in her life: a wonderful kindergarten team filled with people who care about each other, put the priorities of the children first, and are eager to sacrifice time and talent to serve one another. It is truly a wonderful life...maybe not the one I imagined as a young girl, but fulfilling and precious nonetheless.

Oh, and just for kicks and giggles.....

Sarah as Early Morning Energizer Bunny!

Spring Break or....

2010-04-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

My last chance to run away until the end of May. I am not joking! You may think, "She has weekends off, she can go away anytime." But let's be realistic, that's not happening. I am fighting too-smart kids (which means I have to work harder and faster to keep them going), spring fever, and cramming all the last bits of info in to finish their kindergarten education in 2 months. Pretty rough, but at least I was able to do some primo relaxing to prepare for it.

I began my Spring Break with housecleaning and going to the gym (where I saw awesome stripey tulips, like those above). I know, I'm a freak, but first things first. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I must have received 5 phone calls from mom, all with different information: 1) We're going to the temple on Friday, bring your temple clothes, 2) Joe, Jen and Jace are coming, so we won't be going to the temple, don't worry about the temple clothes, 3) Sam and ShaNee and their kids will be coming Friday, and after I arrived, 4) Harlan is sick, Sam & Co. will not be coming.

So, with various movies and my projector packed into the trunk, I made my way home to find happy parents and a pan of Potatoes Au Gratin in the oven. Pretty much fabulous in my book. Later that night Joe, Jen and the ever adorable Jace arrived. How we love that little monkey! What other baby do you know who is almost always happy? Seriously, the boy was dead tired when they got there, and he still performed, giggled, and was entirely silly and charming for us.

Not the best picture of the cute little chicken, but it shows his character...stickin' his little tongue out at me.

Anyway, along with some spring shopping with mommy, and 8 hours of phenomenal General Conference addresses, hanging out with family and watching various movies was the extent of my spring break. My major accomplishments of the week: getting my mommy into a really cute spring outfit (peachy-pink skirt with white blouse, lacy cami, and soft white cardigan), staying awake through all but 1 conference address, and introducing my family to "The Blind Side" (awesome movie if you have not seen it!), and getting in plenty of R & R. And that, to me anyway, is a Spring Break well spent!

(Okay, this isn't mommy's spring skirt, but mine, along with my fab yellow heels! It turns out I look for spring everywhere, even in clothes!)

Beginnings

2010-03-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite part about running away is that when you come back, you notice the beauty of the things in your life. This is what my little California excursion did for me. I really do love the beauty of winter, but when you begin freaking out because someone asked you to knit a BROWN scarf and suddenly it becomes a metaphor for the nasty brown-grayness that abounds and seems to be choking the freaking life out of you, it's time to get away. And when I came back I notices some lovely things:

My kindergarteners are still cute. And terribly smart too. And respectful most of the time.
I have fabulous friends! Even a weekend away from them made me miss them horribly. And I've been planning planning planning fun things to make up the time we missed.
Spring is here! In UTAH! The daffodils and tulips are blooming! The trees have buds! Things that were so nearly dead a few days ago are actually perking up and getting ready to show their spring finery.
I am appreciated at work! I knew that already, but it's always nice to be reminded of it.

So, here is my last glimpse back at a lovely trip to California that has aided me in looking forward with renewed hope and joy.

The Dutch Windmill at Golden Gate Park: gigantic and imposing perhaps, but softened by the elements. It towering protectively over Queen Wilhelmina's Tulip Garden.

Another inhabitant of the area: Poppies! Aren't they adorable and perky? They remind me of the lovely orange poppies we have at home, though they never burst into bloom this early in the year.

Tulips! Along with iris, I believe they are my favorite garden bloom...and I was pleased to find all types of tulips in bloom in California. And none more abundant than at the Oakland temple. Just sweet and homey.

And now our tulips have begun to bloom here too! I am beginning to feel the need to be out doing things again and experiencing the unfolding of spring firsthand. Oh, and of course I keep thinking, "Now where will my next adventure take me?"

Winter Escape, Day Three: The Beach!

2010-03-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

You may be thinking, "Hey, what the HECK happened to day 2? Is she on drugs or something? I thought she taught kindergarten, and she can't even count to 3!?!" Well, let's be honest, I occasionally call the kids the wrong name, and I do tend to mix up my colors and numbers fairly often. It's a bit embarrassing, but I'm NOT mixed up this time. What happened was this, we planned our beach outing for day 2 and even made an excursion to Trader Joe's (love it!) for picnic supplies. Then we got news that the Garbers had planned family sealings at the Oakland Temple for 6 p.m. We still needed to return to Martinez to change for the temple and were planning to visit my mom's Auntie Pat before we did so. So, our beach plans were delayed a day and our awesome picnic was carefully stored in Brent and Cindy's fridge. So, this is the only picture I have from Day 2:

They were so happy to see each other! Auntie Pat really is a spunky gal if I do say so myself. And mom was grateful that we used a precious few hours of our vacations to visit her, and that makes me happy too :)

Now, onto Day 3: our beach excursion. It may not seem like that big of a deal to Californians, who can see the beach anytime during nice toasty times the of year, and need not try to enjoy it during the fickle days of early March. But to a Utahn stuck in-land all year and thoroughly obsessed with the ocean, it's a BIG deal. Here are some of my favorite images:

Footprints in the sand. Proof positive we are not the only crazy ones to visit the beach in March. There are some itty-bitty kiddie prints here too. Too adorable!

Ice plant--isn't it lovely? It was blooming, blooming, blooming during our time there. Vibrant yellow and pink and so springy!

Oh, the cool trees! I am, as ever, a tree fan. These are pretty awesome, all wind-carved and craggy-looking as if they have truly braved the elements to stand here strong and proud.

Me, in MY element. We just sat there on the rocks for a bit, soaking up the sun, warmth, and basic peacefulness of the ocean's breath.

I LOVE vistas like this! The lines running all toward the blue sky, ocean, and hills, with the phenomenal trees bending over the path protectively.

And there it is! The amazing ocean...I am always inextricably drawn to it and could easily spend hours there. It's movement, grace, and wildness can never really be captured on film, but I did my best. It was cold, and as always a little unpredictable (it got us at least once!), but nonetheless phenomenal. It was a truly wonderful afternoon.

Winter Escape: Martinez Marina

2010-03-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Before heading to Golden Gate Park, Cindy directed us to the Martinez Marina. It's just one of those everyday places you might take your newspaper (or if you're me, your romance novel ;) and hot chocolate (of if you're that guy, your pistachios). It's the kind of place you just hang out and enjoy the ambience. Here are a few images of the marina on a lovely spring day:

I have a thing for lines and curves in vistas...they just draw me down a path...and of course we had to go down this one!

Cute Cousin Cindy and Mom get reacquainted at the marina. Cozy eh?

Seriously! Just imagine sitting on one of those benches on any given morning...soooo lovely and peaceful. With only the occasional seagull interuption, of course.

I saw this PERFECT backdrop (okay, so I kind of love wood...maybe being the gal who grew up around a great deal of sawdust has something to do with it...but I love the colors and textures of wood) and said, "Okay, I need a picture of me! Who wants to take it?" Auntie Joanie was all too eager to step forward and snap a few, and they turned out amazing (if I do say so myself)!

And here are the Caraway Girls! How adorable are we? We were just soooo happy to be together. It was the beginning of a truly lovely vacation.

Winter Escape: Day One

2010-03-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

The last time I was in the bay area and had any type of input on daily activities was in 1996 when Misty and I had our great Disneyland trip. We stayed in Anaheim for 2 nights and then made our way up the coast to Oakland, where we stayed with my cousin Cindy. I remember visiting Golden Gate Park and the Oakland temple especially on that trip. So, is it any surprise that for out winter getaway I would choose Golden Gate Park again? It is truly THE place to visit in spring if you are in the area. Full of delightful sights and smells, it certainly gave left me feeling drenched in spring.

The Botanical Gardens: I won't make myself look like a moron by trying to identify all of these. I just identify what smelled good....and pretty much all of these did. When I smelled/saw this tree I just had to stand still, look up, and enjoy it.

Camelias....okay, seriously people I don't have the brain power for this! I just know they look insanely dressed up with their glossy deep green leaves. There!

Oh, and if there's a chance for a "peeking" photo, I'm gonna take it! It's the Sarah way. But don't I look cute? I enjoy peeking.

The Botanical Garden were sprinkled with all sorts of flowering trees: magnolias, camelias, tulip trees. All fragrant and in full bloom. Delicious!

The only couple on our outing were mommy and daddy. They were as obliging as the next fellow. Doesn't this little arbor just scream romance? Even romance for the elderly? (Just kidding! I love you two! And it's adorable that you don't even mind posing like this after 40+ years of marriage ;) I've got this one! Squirrel. Incidentally, the squirrels of Golden Gate Park are terribly obliging. Especially when you feed them tortilla chips.

The Wayne Bouchers of the world are also terribly obliging. It required no coaxing whatsoever to get him to pose with this crazy evergreen wig. Really, it was his idea.

Honestly, I have hundreds of these photos! It's my way of remembering (obviously NOT the plant names, but the experience...the smells and sights). But to save you from the longest blog post ever, I've just selected a smattering.

One place Misty and I weren't able to visit in 1996 was the Conservatory of Flowers. The building is extraordinarily elegant and literally bursting with exotic plants.

The most fragrant room featured several small citrus trees in full bloom (pomelo, mandarins, etc.). The smell was HEAVENLY...and I had to remind myself that it was NOT samples day at Macey's and I could not just tug off one of those baby oranges.The inside of the Conservatory, glass panels allowing the soft light to filter in.An entire room is dedicated to orchids....or at least it seemed that way to me. The first time I saw an orchid, it came in a plastic florist box and had a big froofy bow on the back. I wasn't really that impressed I have to say, but I loved all of these. They have interesting little faces.

And there's our first day on vacation! A spring romp in Golden Gate Park, I'd recommend it to anyone!

The Springiest Spring

2010-03-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

Though spring has not yet reached Utah, I have been feeling the antsy-pantsy, ants in my pants, springity springity spring Spring SPRING fever. And so I planned to meet spring halfway. We headed to the coast, landing at my cousin Cindy's in Martinez, CA, near San Francisco. The drive was a bit hairy, slick and nasty heading over Donner Summit, but it was all worth it. The temperature, after dropping for the freak storm, rose steadily day by day until it finally hit 70 on Sunday. Talk about basking in the sun! Cindy and I circled the neighborhood, photographing (mostly on her end) and sniff sniff sniffing the lovely spring-fresh perfumed air. Delightful! So, here is a glimpse of the spring that will be heading toward Utah shortly, just as it is residing currently in Cindy's backyard:

Tulips-the epitome of spring. At least for me. So bright and sunny and extremely happy!

How cute are these? These adorable little clovers were nestled under the bushes, snug in the undergrowth and perkily ready for St. Patty's day.

This gate, all weathered and beautiful, belongs to one of Cindy's neighbors. I adore the graceful little vines climbing all over it, draping it in springiness.

The Iverson's and I (and really anyone with half a brain) love all things Hawaii....and this special strand or Hibiscus screams Hawaii. What a surprise to find a bit of Hawaii blooming in the neighborhood!

Roses! I felt the need to sniff everything....just in case it was good and perfumy. These baby roses did not disappoint!

This is perhaps my favorite shot from Rose Haven cottage. The Iverson's yard is like a little paradise full of itty bitty inspirations like this one. Maybe it's not fabulous, but this ragged last rose bent toward the sun makes me extremely happy.

So there it is! The first view of California in spring, and there is much more to come!

How to Have a Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

It's always tricky to have a non-tragic Valentine's Day when you're single....especially when everyone else is either enjoying the day with someone special or mourning because they aren't. It makes it really difficult to find the middle ground and have a happy day, even on your own. So, here's my recipe for a happy Valentine's weekend:

Say "I love you" 22 times and give out Valentine's squeezes liberally.

Participate in interesting activites. We hit the Ogden Winterfest, which included various snow-play activities that kept us entertained.
Do something that makes you laugh. I laughed and laughed with the girls over dinner at Iggy's, then we went to the movie "Valentine's Day" and laughed and laughed some more.

Make valentines for someone. I pulled out the good old scrapbook stuff and created a fun valentine game for all the primary kids. They enjoyed playing with them and telling about people they loved. We saw plenty of valentine's grins today.
Relax! Though it's lovely making someone else's holiday special, it tends to wear one out. So, today I am putting my feet up and declaring it a Sarah day and enjoying my lovely flowers, the handmade valentine's from my chipmunks, and some sweets :)

So, for this year at least, I am a happy little singleton valentine. With or without a sweety, I feel loved this year, and that is all that's important :)

Girl's Just Wanna...

2010-02-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

Last year, I was part of a Book Club comprised of my friend Misty and some of the ladies of her local ward and community. However, due to scheduling conflicts and some....shall we say "creative differences," the book club was discontinued. Though some of the girls would join another book club, I did not have the heart to try to make myself part of yet another group (and several of my favorite gals would be unable to attend anyway). Further, several of them were having money issues, and dinner out with the girls, even once a month was too much for them. So, I started thinking of cheaper "girls' night" options, my favorite being the ever-popular Spa Night, or in my own words "Girlie Pampering Night."

So, in an attempt to bring the girls together and have some fun, I hosted just such an evening last week. Our little get-together boasted the following:

1 fabulous massagey, bubbly foot spa, complete with various scrubs, lotions, and creams
about 600 fun shades of polish for fingers or toes
many sets of decorative nail decals
various face masks, the Mary Kay satin lip collection, and fabulously moisturizing moisturizers
1 wonderful hand spa full of warm, soothing wax
many, many fantastically fluffy towels and rags
snacks, snacks, snacks!

Does it sound like fun yet? Add to that the fact that we are all chatty girls, and that "Mama Mia" was playing in the background, and you have a pretty good idea of how we spent the evening. And it turns out that we ALL needed it! We all needed to chat and hang out and JUST PLAY! And we did! For four glorious hours, I dipped hands in wax, painted nails, added decals, ate 60 cookies and 5 pounds of 7-layer-dip, and tried out all the various creams and cleansers available.

So the moral is this, playing does NOT need to be expensive! It doesn't even need to cost as much as dinner at a restaurant. As long as you are with friends, you make your own fun!

The Truth in Fiction

2010-01-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

I was with my gal pal Annie tonight, watching the closing scene of "Leap Year," an adorable film about finding love and finding yourself, when I thought, "Even though this is a great movie, clean, fun, and charming, is it just another distraction that isn't worth my time and attention?" Perhaps, I thought, but if I have just learned some truth, gained some insight, doesn't that make it worth it? I am a Truth Seeker, and I love finding truth. Strangely enough, I love finding truth in fiction as much as anywhere else. And I figure that time spent on a good movie or fantastic book, even a children's book, is worth the time and effort if there is a lesson to be learned. And from Leap Year? I learned that as we go through life, the experiences that come our way are for a purpose, they help us learn who we are and become who we should be. And hey, movies of this type give me hope. I know my story won't be resolved in 2 hours or even as neatly as the classic boy finds girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, but still it gives me hope that someday I will be part of a great relationship that helps and teaches me to become a better person. And that is worth my time.

Back to the Basics

2010-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

Coming back from too many sweets, too little exercise, a month-long cold, and too much good food in general is a tough task. But it helps to know how your body processes things. It's taken me several weeks of hard work at the gym and eating more carefully to finally get there, but I am finally back to the basics! Maybe I am a big weirdo, but when I lose weight fast it's harder for my body to adjust to it.

The diet class was fantastic, helping me lose a decent percentage of body fat, almost 20 pounds, and put on some nice muscle. My favorite part is that I was able to fit into a smaller pant size :) But, like I said, I have real drama with losing weight that fast, and have a more difficult time maintaining it when I do. So, since I finished the diet class right before Christmas Break, then went home to all the goodies and less exercise than I was accustomed to, I knew it would be a bit of a set-back.

However, I came back home and started again. I recommitted to the the diet plan, which is pretty easy at first, building week by week. And I began my daily workouts at the gym again. Slowly I started to get back to where I needed to be and my obsessions with sugar and chocolate began to calm. I still dream about birthday cake and the occasional pie, but I am finally back on track! Like I said, it's important to know how your body works...and my body is happy losing weight as long as I do it slowly and endulge in a few treats every now and then :) Turns out I love eating healthy and exercising. My current favorite at the gym is Body Combat, kickboxing with a healthy dose of shouted "hee-ya!" and "hey"s. To me it's important to love what you do to take care of yourself. So yes, once again, exercise has become my hobby and I like it!

Joy in the Small Things

2010-01-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when life gets a little redundant, days blending slowly into the next, you need to find joy in the small things. And here is something I enjoy: Being Girlie. Heaven only knows how I learned it! My mom was certainly a tomboy, and I have 5 brothers, but somehow I turned into the girl who likes to be pampered and get pretty. And for years now I have enjoyed a well-painted set of toesies. My friends are apparently enablers...Misty providing a foot spa for the bubbly-goodness of buffing up my tired footies and Alison for gifting me hot pink and dark blue polish, as well as cute stickers and a silver nail pen. Oh, and my dear Auntie, who introduced me to "dotters", the fantastic secret of toll painters and at-home toe painters everywhere. So, after hours of playing with them, here are my adorable toes!Ah, the joy of my existence! The knowledge that under layers of socks and heavy shoes....sometimes chilly even under all that are my cute toes...are my cute toes, like a happy little snowstorm in the deep blue night.

"So Innoring!"

2010-01-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

This was what one of my little girls said about her former school, "It was so innoring!" You just have to love kids, don't you? Well, no....let's be honest, sometimes they are downright "innoring" themselves. But their redeeming quality is certainly their ability to catch you off guard and make you laugh.

I have to admit that I really don't do well off of my day-to-day schedule. When I take a haitus from reality (a.k.a. exercise at 5:30 a.m., work at 8:00 a.m., off by 4:30 p.m., etc.) I get a little lazy in all aspects of my life. It is nice to run away, but it just makes it all that harder to come back again. So pair the I-can't-get-my-butt-outta-bed-that-early's with the day-to-day How-do-I keep-up-with-these-children's and the result is a very tired teacher with an already short fuse. And the dear sweet cherubs don't ever seem to make it easier on you, no matter how crumby you feel. So, though I started to feel better, (kicking a cold that hung around all break only to follow me back to school and getting back to the gym and eating better) their behavior only went downhill. Until Friday. Somehow things just turned around. Yes, the one student with major behavior problems was absent, as well as the other who arrived fresh from Mexico just this week and has been taking up all my attention all week. But I still just think my little darlings were being extra charming.

The day began like all others, they walked in while I was getting ready, and I call out, "Good Morning!" But instead of the usual silence that greets this, I hear about 5 voices say (in unison I might add) "Good morning, Miss Boucher!" Too cute!

Then they were just cute and silly throughout the day...singing and doing the "Batty Bat" dance in the hall on the way to lunch, being absolutely enthralled in books and films about polar animals, participating in a science discussion about migration and hibernation (and yes, they can tell you what that is!) and camoflage. One of the little girls who is always coming to me to sing me a song, sang a bit of a Lady Gaga song with camoflage in the lyrics to our Science Specialist. It was awesome!

Perhaps this is why there are still children in the world. Perhaps this is why they survive childhood instead of driving their parents to complete insanity. Because it turns out they are funny and charming! And thank Heaven for that!

"Not my gumdrop buttons!"

2010-01-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

Cookie-making is a lost art. At least in some households, but in ours, it simply needs to be resurrected every once in a while to keep it fresh. My seasonal favorite is the fabulous sugar cookie, but another that kept resurfacing in my memory was the fantastic gingerbread man. You know, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me! I'm the gingerbread man!" Well, no matter how fast he runs, or how cute his sweet little gumdrop buttons, he will get caught AND eaten! We proved that this year, when for our New Year's Eve party I decided to make gingerbread men and let the kids decorate them. Sam and ShaNee's kids are really quite adept at handling cookie dough and cutters, and did a fabulous job of rolling the dough and cutting out our little men (or maybe big as they were about 6 inches tall).

After baking, we pulled out the frosting in the proverbial plastic bag with the end snipped off, and Auntie Sarah as the Piper ("Piper down! I repeat, we have a piper down!") plopping down frosting wherever they wanted to place M&Ms, sprinkles, licorice, and marshmallows. And each kid had their own idea of what they wanted their little person to look like, and they all turned out adorable.

Okay, so maybe Harlan was a little more interested in biting the head off his little man instead of decorating him...but that's what they're for right? It does look a bit morbid though, eh? Poor decapitated Gingy :(

Kade painstakingly decorated his little person...directing me in where to put the icing, then adding all the bits himself. Such a happy little gingerbread man!

I love the Josh smirk here as he carefully uses up all the red sprinkles. What's up with that??? He made what he calls "Rudolph the Red Nosed Santa Claus" who is extremely sad for some reason.

She added quite a bit more to her person after this...but she was just so happy in this picture! And I like the festive red boots!

The cookies were pretty fun...and pretty good too. The pic of Harlan at the beginning should be accompanied by the caption, "Mmmm...mmmmm....mmmm....mmmmm!!!" which is what he was saying! So, if you too would like to try old-fashioned cookie-making at your house, be my guest! The recipe for the cookies and the frosting is at the right in my recipe section :) Enjoy!

Sledding...or is it Sliding?

2010-01-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

My mom kept calling it sliding...and the kids kept correcting her. I tend to agree with the kids. Sledding is the sliding you do on purpose, whereas just sliding is usually an unpleasant and embarrassing occurrence you have to pretend was on purpose.
Well, this was certainly on purpose as it involved 1800 pounds of snow gear and 500 hours to get into said snow gear. But as we all know, any outing takes at least twice the prep time when it involves kids as it does when you just go by yourself. But I also have to admit that playing in the snow is always more fun when kids are involved. So, the day after Sam and ShaNee arrived with their kids, and after Sam and ShaNee had departed for their romantic getaway to St. George (I know, you all want to go now!), I dressed the kids up in their gear and took them up the hill to sled on the bike track behind the Old Rock School. The day before had dropped about 5 inches of flesh fluffy snow in Elsinore, and that morning was bright and clear. Perfect conditions for our outing. As the only adult in attendance, I was the combination pusher, photographer, and sled track maker.

Here we are making the trek up the hill to the school. "I'll take the red sleds!" Josh hollered. I think they were just happy to be going anywhere and so eager to help.

"I'll pull you in the sled, Kade," said Lauryl. I thought that was kinda cute, thought it's a pretty long hill and she didn't quite make it with her cargo on board. But the intention was good!

Josh takes the hill! It was not as long as he would have liked, but it was certainly a fast ride on a short steep hill.
Kade eats the hill! I have to admit that the snow was nice and fresh, so I didn't tell them not to eat it....and who's going to convince Beardy here that it's inedible?
I LOVE the tongue! Apparently it tasted so good, he kept going back for more! At least there was no yellow snow is sight!His persistence convinced Lauryl to have a nibble! And they were right! It was nice....I had to try it too!
Lauryl was speedy and exuberant! She is a great sledder and able to handle whatever she jumps on!Kade was a trooper, pulling his own sled back up the hill for the next ride. Of course clever Auntie encourages this....like I wanna be pulling it up every time? I think not!Josh's technique: get a running start! He actually started on the first hill, ran down it and up the next one and belly flopped onto the sled waiting on the next hill.
Kade! Just happy to be playing in the snow...up and down....up and down, for nearly an hour!

Josh did really well....even though he was less than impressed by our little snow-covered bike track and it's short hills. But he ran and ran the whole time, getting further and further each time as we packed the snow down.

The next day, an overcast New Year's Day, Mom and I once again packed the kids up with all their gear, sleds, various drinks and snacks, and took the entire crew to Five Fingers Knoll, across from the Fremont Indian Museum. Mandi and Eric, as well as Megan and Dustin, arrived with their kids and added several tubes to the mix. We had a great time on that longer run, and Josh finally said, "That was awesome!" A vast improvement over the previous day when he had been fairly annoyed with the smaller local run.

This is the fearless Lauryl, who would go as high up the track as anyone else and come flying down without even screaming. She was amazing!

Kade and I had several successful rides...and after going with him, I discovered that I went much slower alone. And it was much more fun to ride with him and hear his half-nervous, half-excited giggle the whole time. (P.S. Look at everyone watching us go down the hill....looks like they enjoyed our ride as much as we did!)

I was rather worried about starting Kade by himself at the high point everyone else was sliding from, but knew he could steer this smaller sled lower on the hill. He gave me a break and had a really fun time (until one of the bigger kids plowed him over with a tube...but he was okay, the kid was so padded up he mostly just bounced off).

In an attempt to keep Kade amused and have a breather for myself (which usually resulted in "Sarah, go with me!" from one of the other kids), I sent him down with any of the bigger kids, including Josh. I call this photo "Destination: Sagebrush." Maybe not one of my better ideas...but the picture's pretty fun :)

As I said, Kade and I had MANY fun runs. I learned to steer with my feet, as the plastic sleds have no actual steering device attached. By the end, Kade was helping to brake with his little legs off the front. He was so eager to go again, he hopped off when we had just barely stopped.

Anyway, we have had plenty of good times over the 2 days, resulting in tired Auntie and tired kids who slept as long as possible...and many "Can we go again tomorrow?"s.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2009-12-27T18:23:00.001-08:00

I really WAS NOT dreaming of a White Christmas! I had faithfully watched the movie while knocking out cookies for my brother's Christmas Gift, but had no wish for a COLD White Christmas. "But it came...it came just the same." And though it was cold...about 10 degrees on Christmas Eve (lovely weather for carolling....or not), it was unbelievably beautiful. Fog rolled in, blanketting everything on Christmas Eve (and allowing me to use my car's fog lights...don't I feel modern!) and resulting in heavy hoar frost clinging to everything the next morning. Even the icicles:So, after breakfast and before opening our stockings, I donned sneakers and coat, and with camera in hand made a round of our yard to photographically document the pristine Christmas Morning.

The "weak" winter sun, fairly blazing though the trees. It did fairly little to banish the white, but made it gleam brilliantly nonetheless.

Our "Winter Wonderland" backyard...strange how the redemptive blanket of white turns run-down fences and lonely naked-limbed trees into lace and poetry. Amazing.

A brave little Christmas wreath made more elegant than could have been done by man by nature's touch.

The gnarled frozen fingers of our famous Virginia Creeper seem to beckon one forward, much like the Dicken's forboding "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come".

The welcome blue sky bursts through the frozen limbs....maybe Spring will come someday? Or at least some warmer weather? I hope so! I can appreciate the beauty that manifests God's hand in the Winter....but I already long for the warmth and life of Spring.

After enjoying the beautiful morning, I came back inside to enjoy a typical Boucher Christmas morning. Here's what we do:

Eat breakfast.
Open stockings.
Eat various iteme out of the stockings....a healthy dose of fruit, nuts, and candy.
Open gifts one at a time....starting with the youngest or oldest and moving through the family by turn.

This whole process takes several hours. We were well into the afternoon before we finished this year...and there were only the three of us! (Granted I did tell my lovely parents that I would NOT be emerging from my cave of a room until there was a fire in the hearth...so maybe it was a little longer in getting started :) Here's Mom, looking ever-so-jolly, and wishing us a Merry Christmas! Twice!

Dear daddy, opening a gift about 30 times. This package contained a pocketknife....wrapped and rewrapped until it was this size. Yes, he is patient.
The Merry Christmas Sarie, complete with festive footwear. Maybe a little sleepy, but happy nonetheless.What can I say? Dad was enjoying the Big Band Christmas CD a little too much! Once a ham, always a ham.Here we are in our pants from Santa. Awwww....so cozy!And mine feets. Aren't they just happy! Lovely square Boucher feet, adorned with perky reindeer. Our country Christmas Tree. I don't think anyone will ever mistake it for the fancy high-class trees you might see on display, but it is certainly homey and cute.

We had a lovely day as you can see, culminating in a visit with Grandma (who at 98 years still remembers the words to all the Christmas carols and sings them in an impossibly high voice), and a delicious ham dinner. It was certainly a very merry Christmas.

A Cup of Holiday Cheer

2009-12-19T05:44:00.000-08:00

Or Sprite with lemonade. Whatever. Anyway, it has been the craziest busiest month of my life. "Running here and there all around the square," and I feel like I can't even catch up! Trying to find just the right gift for people when you feel under the weather can be a bit taxing. And trying to keep those numbers on the scale from going through the roof over the holidays with platters of homemade goodies beckoning from the faculty room has been an ordeal.

A certain meeting at Weight Watchers, filtered through the haze of a nasty cold and utter exhaustion, left me with some words of wisdom. Rather than tackling everything (here she reveals shockingly perfectionistic tendencies....needing EVERYTHING perfect at Christmastime!) they advised us to utilize the Four D's: Do it, Delete it, Downsize it, or Delegate it.

And can I say, deleting my participation in the yearly "Secret Santa" tradition at school was quite liberating. And downsizing my Christmas list to 1 or two things for each individual....and gifting to couples together rather than separately has helped too. But possibly my favorite was the "Do it!" of getting together with my gal pals to celebrate the season and clear out the neatly wrapped parcels under my tree.

Taking the bull by the horns, I spearheaded the whole thing, which I thought would be a major headache, as getting us all together in one location at the same time is darn near impossible these days! But it turned out it was the perfect weekend....everybody had a little free time here or there and was EAGER to come! And, as silly as it may sound, Cafe Rio is apparently the perfect place for your Holiday Get-Together. Yes, it's crowded and noisy, but the food is great and no one is there to interfere with all your catching up.

Everyone was in a perky mood and we just chatted and enjoyed one another's company. (Aside: I "deleted" a few of the past year's invitations...people who probably need to get out and play...but after 2 Christmases of promising to come, then not coming, and later plaguing me with 95 lame excuses and "I'm so sorry!" text messages afterward, and still leaving me saddled with their stupid present til about July when I finally just give it to myself, I finally decided it was NOT worth it! You cannot force Holiday Cheer on anyone! Or Sprite with lemonade in a large Cafe Rio cup.)

But it was just a lovely time! I cannot remember a time when I enjoyed the girls so much! We all have our own little quirks...weirdnesses that have gotten on each other's nerves over the last year, but somehow it all fell away amidst the litter of half eaten mammoth salads, burritos, and brightly wrapped gifts. We contemplated wrapping them all back up so we could open them all again later because we enjoyed it all so much :)

Perhaps it's just me...or maybe there is something in the soda fountain at Cafe Rio...but this Christmas season seems a little more special this year. I keep getting surprised by the warmth of the season: children spontaneously bursting into renditions of "Jingle Bells" or "Feliz Navidad" (those are the only two they all know!), Christmas bells a-ringing, the smiling faces of friends, and a simple evening made perfect by the best company and conversation. I love it! I love it all! I hope you too can get past the hustle and bustle of the season to catch a glimpse of the peace and joy that makes this time of year so special. Merry Christmas!!!

The Reason for the Season

2009-12-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

I have had a little drama with my recent Church calling as primary chorister, but I feel like I have finally gotten into the swing of things and won the trust of the primary kids (as well as the adults :) There is nothing quite as beautiful as feeling the Spirit guide you in sharing the gospel with others. And it was fairly awesome today! The songs we sang this week (chosen a month ago) and the brief message I shared coincided perfectly with both the Bishopric's message for the primary kids and the sharing time lesson. How amazing is that? Heavenly Father wants these young children (and their wonderful teachers) to learn about and come to know their Savior, and I am pleased to be a part of that. I KNOW He loves me. I know He lives. I know He knows what I need and want, and according to my own righteousness, He will provided all of it. I am happy to know He has a specific plan for my life and He cares about me and is pleased with what I am doing.In the last few years I have had a difficult time feeling excited about this special season, but this year I am feeling the joy and love of Christmas! I wish you all the best of love, peace, and joy at this special year, and hope that you may carry that love, which comes from our Father above, with you throughout the year.

Holiday Facelift

2009-12-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have not only given my Blog a holiday facelift....I have given myself a holiday face lift....and butt lift and whatever else that can be lifted in 9 weeks! I am sure some of you are tired about hearing about my food/weight drama, but since I have dealt with it for years and thought there was no way out of my situation and have been proven wrong...well, perhaps the rest of you who are not already bored can relate. It is like anything in life, you can always do something, until, you know, you're dead! And even then, I'm sure there are things you can do :)

Anyway, after losing about 50 pounds with Weight Watchers in one year, I kind of got stuck. I tried things, but the scale didn't move. Over the following year and a half, I lost between 5 and 10 more pounds, but wasn't able to keep moving forward. I joined the gym this summer and developed a really good workout routine, but still the scale would not move. Then I got brave and joined a diet class at the gym. Now I HATE the word "diet". People always think of it as a temporary measure that is supposed to have permanent effect. Seriously, where's the logic in that? But I felt like I needed to try it. And as there were only 3 or 4 of us who signed up for the class, we were basically treated to weekly personal sessions with a professonal trainer. And let me tell you, Becky is awesome! She not only knows what she is talking about, she does it herself, she listens to any issues you might have, explains things well and backs it up with appropriate literature, is very encouraging of all your efforts, and designed a personal weight routine for each of us.

Most of what I learned was fairly familiar, but 2 things were new and helped me to get back on my losing streak: 1) the evils of sugar (how it hinders weight loss by burning off before anything else...so fat never gets burned off if all you eat mostly carbohydrates; you just burn what you are eating), and 2) the importance of strength training in weight loss (I thought you needed to SWEAT and SWEAT to burn calories, so all I ever did was aerobic exercise....but as soon as I introduced weights to my workout, everything started to tighten up and I started losing weight).

The result of my 8 week (really 9 since Becky added a week because of being unable to meet Thanksgiving week) diet class is:

1) about a 10 week weight loss

2) development of muscles EVERYWHERE....oh yeah, I am getting buff!

3) fitting my body into a smaller size! Yahoo! I am finally fitting into a size I wore sometime between 5th and 6th grade. How awesome is that?

What is maybe the most important part is that I am proud of the way I look! I still have a little bit to go, but I am very thankful for having the resources and support system to be able to do this!

Death of the Pie

2009-11-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

As mom builds a fire in the hearth to heat my ever-cold feet, I ponder the joys of leftover pie. There is so little pie left, about 1/2 piece of peach and 1/4 of apple left, that it is practically a travesty. But having been the genius behind "lunch dessert" today, and thus having first dibs on the leftovers, I cannot really complain. Because yes, it was pretty darn good, even on Saturday. (Hey, shouldn't this empty pie plate say, "If you can read this you've eaten all the pie, you selfish pig!")
As many of you may be aware, the Bouchers were all invited to Joe and Jen's for Thanksgiving this year. I will leave it to those more eloquent than I to chronical the beautiful table linens and settings, and the delectible culinary delights consumed on the occasion. Instead, I will do what I do best, and discuss the various oddities of the day.

Item 1: Pre-turkey naps. Only dad could have pulled this off! Apparently he fell asleep BEFORE and at least once AFTER dinner.

May I mention that when the Bouchers are together we are not exactly calm and silent? His impressive ability to snooze through gaffawing laughter and pleasant little jabs flung from one of his offspring to another is truly something to be envied. And something cultivated after years of practice.

Item 2: Crazy kids. Where children are, something bizarre is bound to occur. Here are some of the highlights:

Our dear sweet Lizzie can always be found posing for the camera. I'm pretty sure I saw her flip her hair Valley-Girl style and plop her hands on her hips with some saucy retort at least once.

Wow. I simply have no comment here. Only that it's important to keep your camera handy in case your nephew decided to make good use of the table decor. Oh, and if you're the nephew, sorry dude, you choose to goof off in front of the aunt who thinks it's funny to show these pictures to your mother, who yes, did look a little embarrassed :)

Item 3: Crazy Brothers. Where my brothers are there is bound to be some sort of mischief afoot. Here is Jake trying to look "innocent," but only successfully achieving "unstable".

I know, they look sweet enough in their own right, but really they are talking about something evil. I'm not exactly certain what they were talking about, but it was evil I assure you. And don't you love Michael here? He's quite the little mischief-maker-in-training himself!

And here is beloved Leaf Beard. Doesn't he have the most beautiful hair? Well Jake, I warn you, when it gets past your shoulders it forms really weird waves in the back. Just look back at old pictures of me to see what is coming your way, pumpkin. And maybe you should try some bangs you beautiful, beautiful man!

*Note: Did you notice that all the weird brother pictures feature Jake? Seriously, I do not have one NORMAL picture of that kid from Thanksgiving. But I guess that's typical, eh?

And last but not least:

Item 4: Happy faces! I know, it shouldn't be an oddity of Thankgiving, except that it really should. I mean, think about it: people slave away all day cooking and stewing and baking, then travel to wherever they are going (sometimes a fair distance) with or without a car full of frolicking youngsters, all the time trying to keep the jello salad from flopping out onto the seat. I mean, hey! That's not the recipe for a great day! But everyone was happy. No one was grouchy. Everyone was sleepy and eventually uncomfortably stuffed full of food, but everyone was good-natured to the end. Here are some of my favorite happy faces:

Not only did she provide some really good jello salad (transported without mishap all the way from Orem) but also a cheery face. A little snap-happy, but adorable, that's our Cody!

Amy and Brittney: I know they don't always get along (what woment do?), but I must admit I always wanted a sister, and these two are such good friends (most of the time :)

Sleepy and Dopey. Wait! I did not say that! I meant "Dearest Mummsy and Popsicle"...who though they may look sleepy and dopey, still look pleased to be in the thick of things with their beloved offspring. And hey, they drove the car, so I'm not complaining!

Mom and Daughter. No matter how many in-laws, we are the original Boucher women. The proud makers of pies, decorative vegetable trays, and candied yams. Regardless of this sacrifice of love in the name of Thanksgiving and Family, we still look pretty darn chipper. And cute. And okay, backlit, but what do you want?

This little fellow stole the day! Somehow I did not end up with an adorable smiley picture of baby Jace, but undoutedly someone else did (so shop around the family blogs and you will see plenty!). And hey, I snapped this cute one of him with his super-happy daddy. I'm pretty sure that kid couldn't be more loved!

So, as I mourn the death of the various pies, I will still recall them with fondness as I go back to reality in a couple of days. Thank you again, Joe, Jen, and Jace for a lovely Thanksgiving! And a good reason to eat pie for breakfast!

The Joy of Good Food

2009-11-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a home where good food was abundantly available....not the expensive, overly processed, high sugar and fat kind, but good comforting home meals. Possibly that's the reason I love food so much. But occasionally I fall off the wagon and eat things that are not so healthy or delicious. And for years and years I have had what I call "food drama." I get caught up in day-to-day life and tend to shove anything into my mouth that sounds halfway decent. I'm pretty sure this happens to everyone, but when you finally realize that you are eating whatever is at hand, often in very large amounts, it's a big problem.

However, I find that when I become motivated again and begin to watch the fats, sugars, carbs and calories I'm consuming, food starts to taste better. Isn't that weird? When I use quality ingredients, things prepared by myself, along with fresh veggies and fruit, food suddenly becomes wonderful and I want to cook more. The inspiration in the kitchen just starts flowing. I love that! Not only does it taste better to make healthy food, it feels better too.

After a couple of weeks taking my gym's diet class, I am finally feeling it! Not only do my pants fit better, but real food is tasty again, and I am creating masterpiece meals that are both delicious and beautiful. For example, here's today's breakfast:

Garden omelet with grilled mushrooms, onions, and topped with spicy salsa and melty mozzarella. How delicious is that? As fantastic on the eyes as it is on the waistline and tastebuds.

Halloween...a bit late :(

2009-11-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

So...my roommate has a curse. (I know, soooo Halloweeny!) All electronic devices at her fingertips turn to crap. I'm not joking. First, it was her computer, which crashed, was fixed, and then crashed again. Then it was our wireless router, which died completely, and a replacement was sent to our old address (a place we haven't lived since about February, weird since they've known where to send the BILLS this whole time!), and finally arrived 6 phone calls and 2 weeks later at our current address. Did I mention that in the meantime, after her computer was fixed her power cord died? So we played tag-team with my power cord, until another came in the mail, then kept playing tag-team because that one didn't work either. As I said, everything electronic turned to crap at Alison's hand. Needless to say, I haven't blogged for weeks and people on Facebook started to think I was dead or something. Whatever! Everything, or at least most things, are fixed now, so here I am, reporting on Halloween a week late. So for all of you sick of looking at Halloween costumes and that old crusty candy corn still sitting in the bowl, maybe you should just skip this one. And I'm sorry.

Anyway, I was inspired this Halloween. On one of my favorite shows, NCIS, one of the characters dressed up as Marilyn Monroe for Halloween, and was stunning. And after a bit I thought, "Wouldn't THAT be fun?" I discovered last year that I can pull off platinum blonde at least passably well, so I figured I could do it. And let's be honest, we know I have enough sass for the job! So, here's what it takes to become Marilyn:

Fake lashes. Preferably quite long.
Blood red lipstick and lots of it.
Copious amounts of black eyeliner.
Delicious strappy shiny heels.
THE dress.
Curly platinum blonde wig.
Enough "bling" to sink a battleship.
And last of all, a sufficient amount of attitude to pull it all off.

And of course, I had all of that:

The shoes.
The bling...and the lovely red nails.

So, this is what came out of it...the Halloween diva.

And yes, blondes do have have more fun! (Until it starts to itch!)

Any Guesses?

2009-10-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

So...Alison and I went shopping for Halloween costumes. Of course she was drawn to the flapper girl fringey dresses (she has an unnatural affinity for fringe)...but I was headed toward another section. Here's part of what I bought:What do you think? Oh yeah, gonna be a DIVA!

Fairytale Princess

2009-10-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a girl has to be a girl. And two of my favorite things since girlhood have been fairytales and dressing up. So, when I heard that Beauty and the Beast was playing at our local playhouse, I knew we had to go...and I knew that it would be much more fun with little girls along with us. The plan was to go for Emma's (Misty's oldest) birthday. We planned for the girls to dress up in princess dresses...but at the last minute I could not help myself...and bought tiaras for all 4 of us :) The little girls had fluffy feathery plastic affairs that looked adorable on their curly heads. But Misty and I had some lovely sparkly tiny tiaras that we wore the whole time. And hey, I don't care what they say about wearing tiaras on the red carpet...it makes you FEEL like a princess when you wear a tiara!

And I don't care how old I get, fairytales are still magical. Perhaps it's their simplicity. The fact that yes, bad things happen; an underappreciated girl has to do way more chores than she ought to, another is forced to spend her life with a "horrible hideous beast," a wicked witch locks another in a tower and climbs up her HAIR! Oh, and another who has a witch determined to do her in by any means available (poison apples and whatnot) and must serve 7 little men. Talk about attrocities! But good things also happen; fairy godmothers come along to give you a fabulous makeover, your Beast becomes something different and wonderful, and you meet a nice prince...who really doesn't care when your hair gets cut, and you get to swap out the 7 little men for 1 tall dark handsome one. I like that! Life is tougher than that I know, but if we just remember the formula, that bad things happen, but so do good things, I think we can learn something important.

In other words, this Beauty is still looking for her Beast (or am I the Beast looking for my Beauty? Sometimes I can relate more with him that her :) And when I do, I am totally getting an awesome dress like that...and some sassy shoes. But at least I already have my tiara!

Emmett Takes the Mountain

2009-10-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought my dear sweet Corolla could make it up the hill where only ATVs and vehicles with 4-wheel-drive dare go? Well, naive as I am, I figured we'd be fine...and we were. (Okay, perhaps there are a few more odd nicks and a big splash of mud on the front bumper...but that's it.) But, nervous driver that I tend to be, the nearness of nothingness on one side, dense trees or hillside on the other, and UPHILL in front had me a little rattled, but my absolute need to be out in nature was far greater than my anxiety.

My determination was well rewarded by breathtaking sights as little Emmett courageously made his way through valleys and around mountains. I must say, if you live somewhere with fall as an actual season, you must take advantage of this time, grab your camera and take a car trip to see the leaves.

(P.S. On this photo I was trying a trick I learned at...well I guess it's NOT Enrichment anymore now...so Photography R.S. meeting...and I love it! Several of Victoria's tricks are totally workable and effective :)

So here they are, pictures of the leaves changing in South Central Utah:

Another of Victoria's tricks...pathways that lead through the picture. Really just a happy accident with a zigzag that runs through the middle...but it was such an amazing view!

I love how the color runs right up the hill in this spot. In our place in Elsinore we don't have red clay, we have brown colorless dirt (blah). But patches of clay pop out everywhere in the county...like here where you can hardly tell the difference from the ground and the fallen leaves.

Anyone catch onto my tree obsession yet? This was a particularly well-placed specimen...springing seemingly from stone and posed delightfully in front of a bold backdrop.

Apparently, my mom shares my attraction to windy roads and pathways. Doesn't this just make you wanna get out and explore more? Maybe that's why we like them...they just look intriguing.

Here we are: the Happy Leaf Hunters! At this point we had been driving at 5-15 miles per hour for over 1 1/2 hours and had conquered the ups and downs of the valley, passed the summit, and descended from the towering Evergreens and Quaky Aspens back into the colorful valley. Woefully, we had left one task uncompleted: the obligatory Fall Family Photo. Finally, we spotted this collection of Maples in a (thankfully!) flat spot on the road. We jumped out, leaving General Conference blaring on the radio, propped our cameras on the car roof and posed. Miraculously, everyone was still looking happy, and yes, we did have a lovely, peaceful time :)

Toes of Polka Dot

2009-09-23T18:14:00.000-07:00

My dear sweet Misty gave me a gift certificate for a pedicure on my birthday...and it took us until now to redeem it. Meanwhile, I had learned the value of a good pedicure by some talented and charming ladies in Boston. My fingernails and toesies were painted an elegant deep red in preparation for my trip to Broadway to see Wicked...and I tell you, there is nothing that makes a lady feel sexier than pretty toes and nails!

So, that brings us up to last weekend and my second pedicure appointment. We were perusing a wall-full of polish, attempting to choose one. I have a thing for red...I occasionally divert too a lovely pink or coral...but let's face it, it's usually red. In the middle of too many reds to choose from, I asked Misty, "Can they do polka dots?" "Oh, yeah, they can do anything," she replied. And from then on, we knew what it would be, Sarie's classic red with white polka dots.

Seriously, don't these just scream SARAH!!! Every time I would see them, I would giggle with happiness. I'm used to them now, but they still make me happy. And being that I am an overworked stressed-out kindergarten teacher, I deserve the giggles as much as I deserved the pampering.

Greek...What's Not to Love?

2009-09-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

After trying many different foods from various places, I have decided that I pretty much love everything (EXCEPT those cow nerves I had in Argentina. Ewwwww....). So, when I heard about the Greek Festival in SLC, I figured it was time to fall in love with Greek food too.What I didn't know was that I'd fall in love with Greek men and folk dancing as well. Woo-hoo!

Here are Hunter and I, and Amy and Brittney taking in some folk dancing. Considering Hunter was the only boy with us, he was a pretty good sport. But I think even he enjoyed himself quite a bit.

I had a tough time trying to find someone to go with me, until I thought of family! When I called Becky, she was too busy canning but was happy to lend me 3 of her kids for the day. And we had an awesome time! Good food, good entertainment, and good company, the perfect combination.

This was our favorite group, college students who are VERY good at this. Oh, and the guys were tasty! (Even if they were wearing fluffy skirts and tights :)

Asserting their manliness in skirts. You gotta love them! We did. Amy's favorite was Mr. Smiley (see in above photo, smiling beguilingly at his partner), and mine was Mr. Hotty Pants (second from the right above, and in the photo at the beginning, holding up the wine glass dude). There was a lot of hooting, hollering, and "Opa!" from the Boucher ladies. Apparently we are passing on the love, generation to generation!

This was one of our favorite moments...and well worth the $4 for the 5 minutes of battle time. Hunter and Brittney took each other on in the bouncy wrestle-room, much to the delight of their elder sister and aunt (who stood by laughing unroariously and snapping shots). My only rule for Hunter was, "You may not hit her in the face, she's a lady. We don't hit ladies in the face." And to Brit, "You cannot hit him in the balls, he's a boy. You don't hit boys in the balls." The result? Hunter was hit repeatedly in the face...and hence knocked down many many times. But it was fun, and I hope he's not too bruised up!

A Box of Baby Chickens

2009-09-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting in Fast and Testimony meeting today, I was thinking about what a wonder and miracle it is that we were able to make it through the first 7 days of kindergarten successfully. I even considered that I have been amazingly blessed during that time to be able to meet the needs of my new baby chicks this week...to know when to tuck them under my wings, so to speak, and when to give them a stern talking-to when they needed it as well. (Yes, I do have that wily momma chicken look down pat!)

Literally, they come to me as clueless and innocent as a bunch of chattering, pecking baby chicks, completely reliant on me to teach them all about the life of school. So, how phenomenal is it that we have already had ONE DAY when I did not have to put anyone in time-out or yell at anyone, and they lined up in order perfectly by themselves? We still have a long way to go, but with the Lord on the side of this kindergarten teacher, and that effective teacher-look in my arsenal, it will be a successful year.

Anyway, here is a first look at this year's little chickens playing together on the rug:

p.s. They have already cracked me up with their silly little comments. We were waiting on a few students to finish their snack and join us on the rug, when I began to inquire, "Who can wink?" and winked at them. Several adorable little kids winked back at me, and one little fellow chirped up, "Look! I can do the blinking!" and proceeded to blink both his eyes as hard as he could. I nearly fell off my chair! I suppose that is why I do what I do eh? They really are charming little people.

First Week of....

2009-08-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess you could really call it my first week of school, as it is my second official week of work. But in truth it was a really odd week that consisted of too much of too many things. "What?" you might ask, or let's at least pretend that you'd wanna know, because I feel the need to discuss, so here it is:
My Week of Too Much....

Leftover chili. Good chili taste-wise....just not so good 1-2 hours later, if you get my drift. Seemed like I just couldn't get to the bottom of that container! The bottomless gift that keeps on giving.
Baked items. I've been on some kinda baking/cooking kick lately and have made cookies (twice), brownies, cornbread (twice), lemon bread and banana bread in the last little while. Perhaps the kitchen is the place where I try to sort out my world and cope with all the craziness a bit....either that or it's tied to...
Stress. Fostered by the drama of switching from Summer's rather flexible schedule to School's impossibly inflexible schedule and trying to fit in an adequate amount of exercise somewhere. Oh, and fostered by...
Drama at work. I really can't express what a painful week it was. Kids were coming out of the woodwork! And these are not the, "Oops, I forgot to sign my genius angel child up for kindergarten before," they're the "Oops, I forgot to sign my overgrown demon spawn up for kindergarten LAST YEAR, so now that he's nearly 7 and completely impossible, I think I'll sign him up!" I'm not kidding. We have numerous kids with severe behavior and/or health problems this year, so many we nearly started drawing names out of a hat to make up our classes. And did I mention that when other people that I love are upset/angry I feed off of it and just end up feeling helpless? Yeah, it was NOT a pleasant time. School starting was almost preferrable to that...since I was at least in my own little world and could deal with the little daily classroom dramas.
Chocolate. As a means of coping with 3 and 4. Most people say you cannot have enough chocolate. Well, I have. If I had the strength I'd put myself on a chocolate fast. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't make it til Tuesday. Or Monday after school.

Well, that's all my Too Manys. It was a rough week overall, from which I have spent the bulk on the recovering. But, I also must add the following: my class seems to be pretty great. The kids are adorable and funny...and only a couple have me a little worried. So, somehow I lucked out I guess. And I am part of the best team I could ask for, supportive, funny, and loyal. I appreciate that. That even when we feel like the cards are stacked against us, we all know that we can rely on one another for help and sympathy. It's a good feeling.

Sadly, I do not yet have any pictures of my little cherubs, but will hopefully grab some candids of them soon, and will post them A.S.A.P. However, I have a couple of food photos (apparently I have been "self medicating" with baked goods and chocolate, "What a surprise! I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from not surprise!") and recipes I will be posting on the side bar and on the food blog. Thanks for your kind listening ears! Hopefully when I come back next week I will be a bit more postive...or atleast have some pictures of adorable monkeys for you to peruse!

View from a Camp Chair

2009-08-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was heading home from water aerobics and caught a glimpse of what I knew was going to be a great sunset. So, I considered my options: a) watch it from my bedroom window (which, as luck would have it, faces West) or b)....well, I had to consider....what else could I do? Well, there's that book that caught my attention...much more than whatever lameness happens to be on TV tonight...and we have an ample and unoccupied, if peculiar, "backyard" behind our building complex. The answer? Camp chairs! I rarely break them out, but I decided this was just the time to throw on a jacket, slip into fuzzy pink slippers, and enjoy a good book, and what was quickly ripening into a fabulous sunset.

So, with my nose in a book and my booty in a camp chair, I occasionally glanced up and finally saw this:

Certainly worth the time taken out of my "busy" schedule to soak up the serenity and beauty of the evening...

Back to School

2009-08-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

In the immortal words of Billy Madison:

"Back to school, back to school,

To show my dad that I'm not a fool."

Okay, well maybe that's not my reason for heading back...since I actually get paid to go back to school instead of being forced to go back as a 30-year-old loser who, it turns out, didn't actually graduate high school. Oh, and I get to tell people what to do and, you know, eat the paste if I feel like it.

It's always a little bittersweet heading back to work after a summer of freedom, but looking back, it's been pretty much nothing but fun, and that makes me feel a little better about going back. Plus, I'm sure it would get old doing this all the time...without somebody else to take care of anyway. But, here are some of the awesome things I've done this summer that made the time fly and hopefully, will help me be a better, more dedicated teacher:

Planned and took an awesome trip! Got to know someplace new and reconnect with a friend I have not seen for a very long time.
Got to spend plenty of time with family in various locations and at different times....chatting, playing, laughing, snuggling babies, giggling over silly things (like I actually giggle...guffaw is more like it!)
Saw 4 plays...all amazingly enjoyable. Anybody wanna see another one? (Seriously, I have plans to attend at least 3 more this year....maybe I should change the title to Theatre Queen?)
Read...oh, I've lost count how many books! I had to read 30 picture and 8 youth chapter books....and have read most of the Anne books, some Harry P, and a healthy dose of some of my favorite fantasy books. Probably a good 50 or so in all... Just helps me remember how lovely reading is, getting lost in the pages of a book, learning and growing with the heroes and heroines.
Enjoyed the great outdoors...biking, running, walking, hiking. Just been too much fun!
Enjoyed the great indoors, in the gym, running, swimming, biking, step aerobics, and...
Yoga! It gets its own category because of its loveliness. I felt that not only is it very good exercise (my bootay hurt for 2 days after this last session and the sweat was just pouring off me!), but it also helped me connect with myself and learn to see myself in a more positive light. I don't even know how to explain it...I just love it.
Just bein' happy! Isn't that nice? I'm not even sure how this year has been so pleasant for me, as it hasn't been too eventful (other than my East Coast jaunt), but I have just spent an inordinate amount of time feeling sooo happy.

Anyway, that's what makes me feel okay about giving up my lovely freedom and returning to the ever-exciting, keep-you-on-your-toes world of kindergarten. Oh, the poor babies, they don't even know what they're in for!

Recipe Blog

2009-08-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

You probably know about my Recipe O' The Week...which has become a bit more of a Recipe Once in a While, but Misty has also created a fabulous recipe blog that I occasionally collaborate on. Feel free to visit and check out our fabulous recipe...they are all quite simple and delicious. The link is on my sidebar, right above the Recipe O' the Week.

Sweet Land of Liberty

2009-08-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

This may be my last post about New York...as I have sadly lost my drive for it over the weeks since the trip. And I hate it when fun feels like work, dang it! But it was such an amazing trip, and my weekend in New York was so wonderful that it needs as much attention as it can get. So, here it is, the best for last, my visit to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island:

I learned many things about myself and Lady Liberty when I visited the island:

She is beautiful and majestic from every angle.
No matter how many pictures of something you may have seen, it's not the same as seeing it up close, and it does not replace the experience that you will have.
Lady Liberty, or "Liberty Enlightening the World" as she is fully titled, is very inspiring. Though she is not a real woman, the overwhelming feelings that wash over you as you set foot on the island make you want to be a better person. And for me, I want to be a better woman because I spent time with Lady Liberty.

I love this shot: New York skyline in the background and the ship's flag waving eagerly, ready to give us a never-to-be-forgotten experience.

The other leg of our journey was to Ellis Island. If you have never been, which I suspect few people have (as many of those who accompanied us to Liberty Island did not go on to Ellis Island, even though it was already paid for), you are missing a truly valuable experience.

Here is a photo of Cristy: The future looking out through the past. I hope we all have that view. It is invaluable to our present and future success.

The building tour includes a view of what immigrants had to do to enter the United States, all the tests and trials they had to pass through, and some of the things they brought or left behind.

I felt as if I actually connected with those who so long ago were searching for a better life, and were willing to pass through just about anything to do so, including leaving behind friends, family, and many things they held dear, including their beloved homelands. Look at her eyes, she did not seem upset about having to sacrifice so many things for something better for herself and her family:

It makes me wonder what I have had to give up, or will be asked to give up in order to acquire something better. I hope I will have enough vision to see the future repercussions of my actions and move forward courageously.

Times Square and Broadway

2009-07-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

On our first night in NYC, my friend Cristy and I decided to explore the town a bit. We were staying with her friend Barbie (yes, we stayed with New York Barbie...that still cracks me up) who lives about 3 blocks west of Central Park. We headed south, and eventually made our way to Times Square. Being the little country girl that I am, I was amazed at the sheer masses of people out and about at 10 p.m. (For those of you not living in Utah, most businesses are closed by then...tough to even find a restaurant open after 10.) Also, the lights are so bright...it looked light early evening. I was a little overwhelmed, I have to admit, but it not take long to feel right at home!

After our initial visit to Times Square (which ended with breakfast at 11 p.m. I might add :) we went back a couple more time. And one day Cristy said mysteriously, "Oooh, I just thought of a place you would love!" But refused to tell me what it was. When I saw this later that night:

I said, "Oh my gosh! Is that an M&M's Store?" "Yes," she replied, I was hoping you wouldn't see that...I wanted to surprise you." Well, it's extremely bright and large, and though I was so stunned on the first trip to miss it, I certainly saw it the second time. It turned out to be my favorite place there! So adorably kid-ish!

Here we are chillin' in Times Square after a successful trip to M&M World. It was fairly late...but we were still smiling!

We didn't get into the Hershey's Store...but apparently Times Square was made for me, just look at all the CHOCOLATE!!! :)

So, after only a short time, I learned to love the bright lights and big crowds...though at first I felt like Dorthy from Kansas visiting the peculiar and Wonderful Land of Oz! After we had been here a couple of times, I was over my "dumbstruck with awe"-ness enough to snap some photos. This gigantic wall of advertisements is all about Broadway (which we passed on the way, but more about that later)! Just check out all the plays currently running (and only about 1/2 of them are there). And please note WICKED!And speaking of Broadway, I figured this might be just the moment to tell about going to Wicked. Just a clue about how much I wanted to go...my first priority was to secure plane tickets to Boston, but only slightly further down the list was ordering tickets for Wicked (because after I knew they were available, I could not rest until I had them in my hands) because I knew that if I was going to New York I was seeing a show!

Here we are after the show, under the legendary dragon in the Gershwin Theater.

And here is Cristy, whispering a secret in Elphaba's other ear :)

Just a note about the play for any of those who have not yet seen it, it is phenomenal! I counted up the other day (because I realized that this is my theater-going year) and I have seen at least 7 productions so far this year, Wicked being one of my very favorites. First, it is a wonderful story of friendship and acceptance...learning to see someone in a new light and learning from them. And second, it's BROADWAY! I heard someone say that the crowds in New York are different from anywhere else, and it's true. They were quick to laugh (I am often the loudest laughter in any given crowd, and I was drowned out!) and fell easily into the magic and enchantment of the story. It was a wonderful experience that I will not soon forget. BUT, even if Broadway is out of the equation, it is still a high quality production, and if you have the chance, you should see it. I promise, you will not regret it!

And on to New York!

2009-07-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen (let's face it, mostly just ladies :) we have reached the portion of our trip where Sarah hits the Big Apple.

A young woman from a small town, anticipation bubbling inside, takes the Big City and loves it!

So, the next few blogs will leave the setting of dear, quaint, history-seeped Boston for the hustle-bustle of New York City. Stay tuned for details about all the sights and sounds encountered by this small town girl:The Queen of Mass Transit

Independence Day in Boston

2009-07-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I did not know what a perfect time I had chosen for my trip to Boston, but learning about the struggle for independence as I walked the streets of Boston right around Independence Day was ideal. So, on the 4th we planned to participate in some rather special events. The day began at the old State House.

The State House is tied to many historical events, including the Boston Massacre, which occurred directly in front of the State House.

Also, the Declaration of Independence was read to the Bostonians for the first time from its balcony on July 18, 1776.

Each year, to commemorate this event, crowds gather in front of the Old State House to hear the Declaration reread from the same balcony. Pretty amazing to start your day with such a historically relevant event. We truly enjoyed it.

Our second stop was the harbor where the USS Constitution resides.

The Constitution, or "Old Ironsides" is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. First launched in 1797, it formed part of America's first navy (a total of 6 ships), and played a role in many key battles until it was retired from active service in 1881.

Every July 4th, Old Ironsides takes her one yearly trip out of the harbor, then while re-entering the harbor, performs her 21 Gun "Salute to the Nation" to the delight of gathered spectators. This was one of our favorite moments of the day, watching the stately ship sail out, then return grandly, cannons firing boldly.

Our last stop was Bunker Hill, the site of the first major battle of the Revolutionary War on July 17, 1775. The site is marked by the 221 foot obelisk.

Visitors are invited to climb the staircase inside the memorial for a phenomenal view of the city, if they can handle the 294 steps to reach the top. Though it was a tight squeeze at times, I fought off claustrophobia and vertigo to achieve the task.

This is the sign advising the faint of heart about the treacherous climb up the monument. Many would not heed its warning however, and were forced to abandon their persuits halfway to the top. (It really isn't so bad, except so many people were there it was all backed up, and only about 15 people can fit on the platform at the top...so it was slow, stuffy, and occassionally STINKY. I know, nice.)For those brave enough to weather the trip, the view is certainly worth the climb.The brave and courageous Sarah and Cristy, who after overcoming insurmountable odd, victoriously reach the top...and smilingly pose for a picture.

Dinner in the Italian district (seriously, I am still obsessed with italian food and yummy pastries because of that place!) and the best fireworks display I have ever witnessed, accomplanied by the Boston Pops and Neil Diamond, rounded out our day. Tired of foot and with drooping eyelids, we made our way home. It was an amazing day, one 4th of July I am not soon to forget!

The Streets of Boston

2009-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Staying in Boston for 1 1/2 weeks, I was able to see more than just the tourist sights, I was able to visit some special locations and see how the regular Bostonians live.
Two things that impressed me were the obvious love of family, and the love of green things. Though space is limited, people still make room for their families and sweet little gardens. Being a kid-lover, I enjoyed seeing parents towing around their little munchkins. And being a plant-lover, I enjoyed seeing the carefully tended tiny gardens, sometimes community gardens, dotting the neighnorhoods.
So, in Utah, hydrangias are made of plastic. And I never understood why people liked them, they always looked fake to me...until I saw them with their brilliant petal in Boston. They are truly beautiful.
Neighborhood garden at the park. There is a little bench right on the other side where I spent a couple of evenings with my nose in a book. Yes, I am as happy reading on a bench on a cool summer evening as I am doing just about anything else.
The rains, prevalent during my visit, leaving their mark on these thirsty little roses.

Here are two of my favorite neigborhood places:

1) Jamaica Pond: a pond dotted with little islands and teeming with wild birds of every type. A lovely jogging trail, about 1 1/2 miles long, rings the pond.

The little island in the middle of the pond, which I like to call "Swan Island." The swans were near the shore when I arrived, but by the time I made my way around to their side, they had retreated to their small island, where they swam gracefully and contendly along.I love the view of the pond through this little gate. It beckons so prettily, doesn't it?I am always drawn to little pathways bending along in front of me. Perhaps it is Frost's poem The Road Not Taken, which describes a path much like those I adore that "bent in the undergrowth." This pathway has the added charm of little ducky friends wadling along in front. 2) The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University: a partially tamed park full of flowers, vines, and trees of every type. A place in which one can truly become pleasantly lost.Stately gateway to the arboretum, established in 1872.Happy blooms greeting the morning sun in the "Vines and Climbers" section of the arboretum.A bustling bumblebee enjoying the fragrant and abundant blooms. The odor of Boston and it's neighborhood gardens and parks is always intoxicating. I love the smell of Utah in the spring, but it was full-on summer, and the air was delicious in Boston!Sadly, most of the roses had been blown to pieces or overwatered by the heavy rains during my visit, but these brave flowers survived to be photgraphed and sniffed gratefully by yours truly.Trees! I love interesting trees, and the arboretum is FULL of extraordinary trees of all shapes and sizes. I adore the above example for it's lovely twistiness.

The Ponds: located next to rows of rose bushes and lilacs are the picturesque ponds. A perfect place for an afternoon chat or picnic.

The Freedom Trail

2009-07-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

I did not know what to expect when I arrived in Boston. I just had no idea what there was to see or do, but call it luck or just good timing, but I ended up there at the best possible time, the week of the 4th of July. It was such a wonderful experience to connect with the founding fathers of our nation by walking where they walked and learning about them and their lives. Here are a few of my favorite sights from Boston's Freedom Trail:
This is Bob, our tourguide for the Freedom Trail. He was cute, knowledgeable, and fairly entertaining. And hey, check out those kneebreeches...that's hot. Oh, and that's the State Building in the background with its infamous gold dome. It is probably the oldest State Building still in use in the U.S.

And we're standing there on Boston Common, founded in 1634, THE oldest public park in the U.S., situated in the center of Boston. Just an adorable meetingplace full of little surprises and history.

Right next to Boston Commons is the Granary Burial Ground, a quaint old graveyard full of some of Boston's oldest and best known inhabitants, including: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and many others. The headstones are decorated with skulls and crossbones, winged cherubs and skulls, and the most interesting and endearing epitaphs I've ever encountered.

The above headstone bears all the customary information and decoration, but includes the admonition, "Stop here my Friend & Cast an Eye, as you are now, so Once was I, as i am now so you must be, Prepare for Death and Follow me."

Though I was impressed by the graves of the famous individuals in the Granary Burial Ground, this simple marker for the victims of the Boston Massacre and the first victim of the skirmishes in Boston, a young boy killed a short time earlier, touched my heart the most. It is dedicated to: "The first victim[s] of the struggles between the Colonists and the Crown, which resulted in INDEPENDENCE."

Another of my favorite places: Paul Revere's house. This is the less seen back view of his beautiful home.

And, as an added bonus during the "Boston Harborfest" Paul Revere himself is available to recount the details of his life and answer any questions you might have. Isn't he an adorable little man? And, he was one of the best storytellers I have ever heard, and extremely knowledgeable. He was certainly delightful.

This is the infamous statue of Paul Revere riding forth to warn the Colonists that "The Regulars are coming out!" It marks the entryway to the Old North Church. The park you walk through is dotted with memorials, fountains, and the occassional individual entertaining the crowds with renditions of favorite songs (my favorite was on the 4th when someone from the crowd stepped join to join a latino man strumming his guitar. He sang a couple of italian numbers, "Volare" and "That's Amore!"...he was adorable! And the crowd was enchanted.)

The Old North Church, where the famous lanterns were set in the steeple to signal the approach of the British regulars. However, the signal, meant to notify the Colonists, also alerted the British stationed nearby, who barged into the church, and Sexton Robert Newman and Captain John Pulling were forced to flee for their lives, one jumping through the window to escape. My heart went out to the men and women of the time who fought so bravely for their lives and the freedoms we enjoy today.

This last picture is of a bust residing in the Old North Church. I think it fitting that one of the most influential men, George Washington is memorialized in a place so sacred to the cause of freedom. Lafayette, a close personal friend of Washington, upon seeing this bust exclaimed, "That is the man." The face bears the tokens of a life of struggles and hard work. Probably it's not the heroic image of Washington we are used to, but nonetheless, a it is a fine face full of bravery and stubborn resolve.

Walking the Freedom Trail has helped me appreciate more fully all that we have, and resolve to protect those freedoms as I am called to do.

Back from Vacation

2009-07-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of getting to know the East Coast, I am having a bit of trouble motivating myself to tackle the gargantuan task of blogging the various vacation adventures. But, I promise, it's coming, just as soon as I can get myself going. So, consider this the preface of some pretty good stories and photos.
Thus sayeth the Queen.

Hello Dolly!

2009-06-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Misty and I, the bestest friends ever, were born two weeks apart some 30... uh...something years ago. And so, it is always fun to do something between our birthdays. Since I love going to plays, my suggestion was dinner and theater tickets. After poking around on the internet we decided that Hello Dolly at the Hale Center Theater was our best option.

So we got all dressed up (we like that...still haven't outgrown the fun of dressing up), and had our night out on the weekend between our birthdays, which was yesterday. Dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, one of my favorite places, was delicious! Being the dainty ladies we are, we both ordered the salad bar...to go along with our big ol' butter slathered steaks...yummy! That's what a real woman wants.

Then we meandered across the street for the play, one of my very favorite musicals Hello Dolly. I'm sure I've mentioned the Hale Center Theater before, but it's a really adorable small theater that puts on the most amazing productions for a reasonable ticket price. And we loved it! Dolly is my favorite, a sassy, manipulative, and scheming individual who wins your affections from the very first scene. I've decided that in my next life I'm coming back as Dolly Levi!

Further, we decided that a girl's night out to the theater for our birthdays every year is definitely the way to go! And it was a great last activity before I run away to the east coast. So, if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, just know I am too busy playing to blog! :)

My Summer Hobby

2009-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Summer for a school teacher is a fun time to hobbies.... For me, that means scrapbooking, reading, writing, and trying new recipes when the notion grabs me. And new this year, exercise. I decided that I'd feel less annoyed with working out if I considered it as a hobby, instead of what I do to keep my butt from getting bigger.

The truth of the matter is, I am the complete opposite of everyone else in the world...I burn FEWER calories in the summer because a) I don't have to chase 5 year-olds all day, and b) the chocolate is closer at hand.

So, in order to make it a fun daytime event, rather than a must-do, I am calling it my NEWEST hobby. And here's what it includes:

biking
water aerobics
jogging/walking/running
strength training
hiking
aerobics
races...such as 5ks

And that's just this week.

And how do I feel about my new hobby? Perhaps you think I should be appalled by the old ladies and their flappy arms in the water aerobics class. Or maybe you think I should be nervous to work the treadmill or lift weight with complete strangers whose butts are much smaller than mine, looking on. But the answer is, I am enjoying it! Shockingly, I keep catching myself smiling and feeling good. It feels nice to be able to do what I want to do, and to want to do more. Basically, I love it. I get to use all the things I have learned over the years to master THE GYM. Yes, I finally joined the gym. And I reallly really like it!

The only real question is, when will I catch up on my scrapbooking???

Go, Joe! Go!

2009-06-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

In order to lose a few "simpathy baby pounds," earlier this year, Joe decided to run a relay race this year. The race consisted of teams of 12 who each ran 3 legs of the race. Joe's second leg was hard enough, late at night (or maybe you call that morning?) and over 9 miles long. But his third leg was very difficult as well, consisting of 3+ miles on a course that was almost all uphill. As a surprise, mom and dad wanted to catch him on his final run when they figured he'd be needing the most encouragement, and cheer him on to the end. We waited for a while, amusing ourselves as we waited...

Dad checking out the course to make sure we knew he was coming as soon as he turned the corner...

Mom smiling and chatting...

And Mike and me acting like hooligans!

Finally Joe made his way up the hill...

And we ran along with him. I love this picture. Poor Joe, all grim and determined, and everyone else just happy to see him. You can almost hear Mom chatting his little ears off :)We let him pass and catch a bit of a breath, before the next big hill. This guy was cheering Joe on, "C'mon buddy, we can do this." Mom tried to keep with him for a bit, but ran out of steam.Then as we reached the end of Joe's last leg, the last 1/4 mile or so, Dad said, "I'll run with him." He hopped out and waited at the top of the hill for Joe. And when Joe caught up with us, he fell into pace behind him.

Joe said it actually helped him to have someone run beside him. "I wouldn't have kept running if Dad hadn't been there."

And we were pretty impressed that Dad, 65, could pretty well keep up with Joe, who just turned 30 this year.

Here he is, having run through the gates and passed the "torch" to the next team member. "Three runners left," he said.

Mom put her little arm around him and we traipsed up the path, just walking and letting him cool down a bit. Though kinda rainy, it was a pretty nice day, and the terrain was beautiful, as you can see. We enjoyed surprising and supporting Joe, and I think we may have helped a little. And Joe, CONGRATS!! You did amazing!!!

What the Girls Do...

2009-06-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

An important part of the Girls' Retreat is "girl time": shopping, sightseeing, lots of visiting, and crafts. I can't emphasize how nice it was to just hang out together, chatting, laughing, helping one another and working together. I think it helped us get to know one another better. These ladies are master craft-ers, and because of the vast amounts of materials (pictured at right) provided by Annie's mom, Nancy, we were able to create some amazing items. I was particularly pleased with how well my plaque turned out.

It will live on my front door, greeting our visitors along with our adorable flowered welcome mat.

Adventures in West Yellowstone

2009-06-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

We ran out of time (and good weather) for actually exploring the park itself, but we did get to do some fun things in West Yellowstone. There is some amazing shopping in the town, from expensive souvenier-y to low-priced and charming.

Here I am with Annie's dog Rocky, hitting one of the many shops. Oh, and that's my new jacket...a cool $15! And this is Annie, with Diego, her shopping buddy. Oh, and that's her new jacket. Good shopping day!

We wandered the streets, finding all kinds of fun things, including chocolate covered sunflower seeds (yeah, those are awesome). And finally ended up at the Playmill Theatre for their current production Footloose the musical.

We loved it! If you happened to be unaware, I am a BIG FAN of singing and dancing. But the acting was fun, the comedic timing was right on, and the characters were charismatic. I have to say, I liked "Ren" from the beginning...he has awesome hair, what can I say?

Virginia City

2009-06-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

When in Yellowstone, it seems you bounce though about 3 states! Virginia City, a lovingly revitalized ghost town is in Montana. A once booming railroad town, now all that remains are the memories of what once was...and some fantastic buildings and stories.

These five graves are located on "Boot Hill" overlooking the whole town. Sadly, they are reminders of the date when 5 men were hung for stealing. Annie reports that their names were not then recorded on their graves, just their boots hung to mark their final resting places.

These flowers greeted us as we mandered down main street. They were part of the gardens from the next shop:

This was one of my favorite shops...a log cabin turned "artisan co-op." It was surrounded by the most adorable flower beds/rock gardens. The lady from the shop next door informed us that we could buy seed packets with the "garden mix" including all flowers that grew in front.

We loved this window, tucked onto the side of one of the buildings. Just the style and the fact that it looks completely neglected and utterly charming.

One of my favorite places was this amazing candy shop...just about every type of sweet imaginable can be found there. Including fudge. Year-round. Have I mentioned I like fudge? A lot?

The main street is crowded with tiny quaint shops packed with nicnacs and souveniers, and buildings reminescent of another time. It was a truly lovely step back into the past, a place well-beloved by those who strive each day to ensure its stories are remembered and retold.

A Walk in the Wild

2009-06-15T22:58:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed taking jaunts...and in some cases jogs around Island Park almost every day. We ducked in and out of the shadows of towering pines, crossed rustic bridges, and appreciated the abundant wildlife.

We saw fat fish lurking under fishing bridges awaiting handouts from indulgent tourists...

...and flocks of pelicans having a tete-a-tete on the river and heading to meet their pelican friends to chat over the day's events. Oh, and phenomenal sights like this:

Welcome to Stonehocker Cabin!

2009-06-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Annie invited me to spend a few days at her family cabin for their annual Girl's Retreat."

So, step by step, I'll take you though our activities. First, we arrived at Island Park, about 30 minutes outside of West Yellowstone. Island Park is dotted with quaint cabins nestled among towering pines and calm waterways. Some of my favorite features of Annie's cabin are: a mammoth porch swing, the peaky roofed "loft" where Annie and I slept (reached by a staircase and a little latter), and the abundant wildlife.

It was a calm and peaceful getaway.

37:04

2009-06-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

I keep writing these crytic posts on Sunday don't I? Well no, it's not some verse in Genesis that will change your life and speak to you from the dust. But it looks like it.

Here's the real story. When I was in a singles ward we ran/walked a 5k together for a couple of summers. Sort of an incentive to get out and "move more" as they'd put it in Weight Watchers lingo. Anyway, the first year I felt I did pretty well. Mind you, this was 2 summers ago, and I was at least 200 pounds, so I was pleased that I was able to walk the entire thing (a little over 3 miles) in about 44 minutes (about 15 minutes a mile).

My goal the next year, last summer, was to beat my own time. I know that I never win any race of this sort, but I can improve over my own record. I had lost 50 pounds by that time, built up strength and endurance, and I actually "trained" by walking/jogging the course a few times beforehand as well as many other daily activties. This time, because I walked and jogged, I was able to cut 4 minutes off my time, crossing the finish line at about 40 minutes.

This year I moved to another ward. And then to another ward. I was sure they would not have a 5k as they were both family wards, but to my delight, as I settled into my current ward, I learned the stake would be hosting a 5k Fun Run this month. I had now lost almost 60 pounds (give or take a couple, depending on the day :), and had added weights to my daily exercise, as well as biking and intervals of jogging and walking.

Anyway, I invited my friends along and we did the 5k together. I filed into the back of the pack, not being the kind of person who likes to take off at a dead run and fight for first place at the onset. After all, my goal was to finish 5k on an unfamiliar course in under 40 minutes. So, I let all the runners hustle down the street as a chatted with the walkers and babystroller pushers. Then, as we rounded the first corner (finally safe from the view of non-racing onlookers) I fell into a steady jogging/walking rhythm. I was pleased as sign after sign indicated that the finish line was drawing closer...but I also became more intent upon beating my own best time (and ocassionally passing someone who had begun far ahead of me...I'll be honest, I am a bit competitive :). I started giving myself pep talks as I reached about the 3k mark. "Now Sarah," I chided myself, "If you don't beat that time, you're going to be really mad at yourself." I had no idea of the time, so the best I could do was push and push and push myself. Happily, the last 1/2 of the course was a steady decline, and that really helped. But as I drew closer and closer to the church, I decided that I would do as all good runners do and RUN for all I was worth to cross the finish line. My poor worn out legs whined at me to slow down, but I just told them to keep going a lbit longer....and then, I made it! That last bit was the hardest and possibly the longest stretch I have ever run all at once, and overall, it was easily the most I had run in one day. But it was worth it as I crossed the finish line and they called out my time, "37 minutes 4 seconds!" Yeah! I was pleased...having shaved much more off my previous time than I had expected.

And I felt great. I recooperated quickly. In less than 4 minutes my breathing was back to normal and I was chatting and feeling happy. For those of you unacquainted with the battles I have half-heartedly fought in the past, running or jogging literally made me ill. My body simply could not handle it, so I hardly even attempted it. What a reward to be able to do what I want to do now! But that was not to be the day's only achievement.

Before the race, we were required to register in our age groups. The lady registering us explained that it was so they could keep track of all the runners, and give prizes at the end. I kind of laughed at that, thinking, "I never win anything like that," and fully aware of the fact that others are much stronger and faster than I am. Anyway, at the end, they gave out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons for men and women in each age group. And as I reviewed the red stickers, the indicator of those in my group, I was shocked to realized that the only ones ahead of me were men! And sure enough, as they awarded the ribbons, they called out, "Women's first place...Sarah (long pause, "How do you say that?" One of the relief society presidency leans in to whisper...) Boucher!"

Yeah!! I won!!! Flashbacks of humiliations of failed high school P.E. tests flashed through my mind, and some from as far back as elementary school, where we'd had "field day" not just for the fun of being outside and playing, but to prove which of us was better and stronger than the rest...all of it was eclipsed in a moment. I won't say it was a big victory, but it was a good victory. And hey, we can all use all the encouragement we can get, right?

Honored

2009-06-04T19:45:00.001-07:00

I'm not a big fan of garnering attention. I know, you're all chuckling. But the truth is, when there is too much attention focused on me, I get uncomfortable and do anything to deflect it onto something else. Case in point, my 20-10 birthday. That was A LOT of mostly unwanted heckling and jibes that I really wasn't ready for...I like when it's my birthday, just not when everyone is singing at me and waiting for me to open their gag gifts. Anyway, the same issue came up again this year as our kindergarten team was chosen for an Excellence in Teaching Award in our district.

First, I reacted with disbelief, discounting the whole thing. I thought, "The only reason we are being given this award is because of the veteran teachers on our team...not for me."

Then, when I found out they would be videotaping us, I reacted with annoyance. I thought, "Why can't they just leave me alone? I just want to finish the year! Can't they just keep the stupid award and NOT tape me?"

Last, after receiving the award, hearing all the congratulations, and the reasons behind the award, I am humbled and pleased, if that's possible.

Here's what they didn't tell us until we were about to receive the award, the reasons we are being recognized...

The district, based on school/classroom visits, test scores, Principal and Instructional Coach recommendation, selected several individuals as nominees for the Excellence in Teaching award this year. However, they soon realized that it was not only an individual at our school, but the entire team working together successfully to achieve common goals. That's pretty cool. Since we have 2 veteran teachers, one 4 year (by their standards, as they don't count the 2 years of Pre-K as part of my teaching pedigree), and one 1st year teacher, that's pretty amazing.

Further, after we received the award, one of the district officials explained some mind-boggling facts:

Our school is the most highly impacted in the state! Not just the district, the state (that has to do with poverty-level, etc.). No wonder I'm so tired!
Our test scores were about 5th in the district, keeping in mind that we take students from ground zero to on- or above-level, that's pretty phenomenal. Yeah, we work really hard.

Also, the more I thought about it, the better I felt about being a part of that team, and I began to question why it works so well...why we tend to be on the same page as educators.

We talk. We talk all the time. About our lives, about our educational frustrations, and about any challenges we are facing. We do it before, after, and sometimes even during school.
We help each other out. When something happens, we are ready to pitch in. Nobody acts like they are put out at all, we just help out.
We are all self-motivated. How odd is that? Four people on the same team that do not need to be prodded to do what they should do. We just do. Isn't that nice?
We share. Lesson ideas, jokes, advice, time, copies, classroom materials, chocolate. You name it, we share it. It's fairly fantastic.
We all boss each other's kids around. Maybe that sounds bad, but when you have been in a situation where another teacher stands idly by while your kids misbehave, you begin to understand the beauty of our unspoken agreement. I go ahead and tell people, "You may boss my kids, it's fine with me." And I reserve the right to be the same. (This is the worst occupational hazard, going into teacher mode somewhere other than school. Say, Walmart. Parents don't always take well to you giving their kids the teacher look.)
We learn from each other. All of us. What a lovely level of collaboration is that? We like it.
We actually like each other. How fabulous is that?

Anyway, I love it! I am pleased! After 4 years of hard work in this district....including the 1st year from hell, and the others from...well, a place not so far departed from it...it's nice to be recognized.

So yes, it is an honor, just to be nominated. :)

Carnivorous Beasties

2009-05-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, this marks the end of my 2008-2009 reign as Queen of Kindergarten. Never fear, I will resume the throne in August for 2009-2010....but right now I am planning and getting ready to enjoy the freedom I am afforded 2 months each year. I really will miss those kids, they were an extremely bright group, and winning in so many ways.

Before embarking into dino land, let me tell another tale to uphold the Deep Thought "The face of a child can say many things. Especially the mouth part of a child." Dear Pete said to Lorelee, "What are britches?" Lorelee calmly explained that it's just another word for pants. "That's what I thought," he said, a studious look on his brow. After a moment of contemplation he continued, "My grandma said I was too big for my britches, and I was wondering, is she calling me fat?"
If nothing else, kids are funny!
But, anyway, on with the story:

On the next-to-last day of school, we took them to the Eccles Dinosaur Park here in Ogden. If you have kids OR grandkids, OR nieces and nephews to entertain, that is the place! Whether the kids had been there before was irrelevant because they have never been with Miss Boucher. In real life I refuse to stroll along in a meandering fashion, but as a kindergarten teacher/dinosaur park tourguide I mo-sey....and force the students to mosey right along with me. I read all the dinosaur names and often have them repeat them with me. I make them look everywhere and find new things they've never seen before. I make them listen and think. Not only does it make the experience more interesting and enjoyable, but it also keeps me from chasing kids all over the whole freaking park! (I hate runners! And kids in a new place, unchecked by a authoritative adult will run ahead unabandoned...like overzealous puppies slipped off the leash.) And we really did have a lovely time together. I forgot my camera, but snapped a few with my phone...not phenomenal, but you can see we had beautiful weather and an abundance of happy excited little faces.

"Ankylosaurus!" Everybody shouted in pleasure. I don't know why, but half of them really love this covered-with-horns thing. They were extremely glad to find it. Like finding a good friend.

When we were walking up to this statue, they all screamed out "Triceratops!" and one of them said in a truly amazed tone, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe this!" It was awesome.

Uh kids, there's something behind you...

The little guy in the front (red shirt) was a little nervous to stant in front of this dinosaur. He was also the one who said, "I'm scared," with an uneasy look when we came out and heard the dinosaur/jungle sounds eminating from sound boxes placed all over the park.

Here are a couple more tales from our Dino Encounter:

In Lorelee's class, they started to go down the "Mystery Trail" and attempting to make the experience more authentic, she said, "I don't know what's down there...I'm kind of scared..." One of her little hero-ettes came up to her, grabbed her hand and said reassuringly, "It's okay."

And while we where watching a fossil demonstration, where they show the field jackets they ship fossils in, the instructor asked, "Where do paleontologists find fossils?" The kids answered, "On the ground" and "In dirt", but one of my cherubs waited until it was quiet to shout out, "MEXICO!" But no, it wasn't meXico, it was me-HEE-co. Which ilicited titters from all the adults and cracked up the guy who'd asked the question. Took him a full minute to get started again.

It was a good day, we enjoyed letting them blow of the steam, and they enjoyed being outside. However, 3 kids still asked me if we were having recess when we got back to school. WHAT THE HECK?! I guess it's not recess unless you are playing on the playground at school. Any other playground is something else, I guess.

P.S. the picture at the beginning is my very favorite, a Utahraptor eating fruit snacks. Nice. A walking contradiction.

How I Know...

2009-05-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, that's looks quite spiritual...given it's a Sunday, but NO, this is more of a weekday topic, so enjoy my silly musings.

For years I have claimed Queeniness. And I have run into several skeptics along the way who have questioned it...or been entirely too amused by my claims. But like the Little Princess from the story, I have always known that that is precisely what I am. The Queen.

And if you happen to wonder what exactly I am the queen of (though Queens don't have to be Queens of anything, they just ARE), here it is.

Sarah is the Queen of:

Kindergarten. My word is law in my own kindergarten kingdom, and is not to be ignored or disobeyed. Or OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!
Movies. How I love movies! I just get lost in a good movie...it just sucks me in, and there I am, in my own little world.
Stories. I love them so much! I love to hear, read, and tell them. And I am certainly the Queen of Storytelling. I can literally entrance small children :).
Chocolate. It cannot be denied. I can take anything else out of my diet, but I must have chocolate! Or SOMEBODY'S GONNA PAY. Hopefully in chocolate.
Cute Shoes and Handbags. I am slowly but surely building a collection. I will not always have an income I can spend all on myself...but I do now, and I am enjoying it! Here are my newest acquisitions...How adorable are they??? Paisley toesies, paisley toesies, PAISLEY TOESIES!!! So summery!

Well, there you have it. Sarah is the Queen. Know it. Accept it. And if nothing else, just DEAL with it! Because it's just the way it is. So there.

Teacher Appreciation

2009-05-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had Teacher Appreciation Week. Now, I truly got a variety of odd gifts and cards, including a wishing well made of popcicle sticks and a soup can and some collection of items wrapped in a flower pot. Fairly strange. But my favorite items were the homemade cards and little stories from my kids. I meant to photograph and post them yesterday, but they were left at school...and I just couldn't go back for them. So here they are...so adorable!

That's "Miss B, you're pretty." Yes, she is one of those children who always do the right thing and seem to be oh-so-smart! I just love that chicken.

Here's the story that I recieved...translation to follow...not so much for the inconventional spelling, but for the ridiculousness of my photo-ability.

"[This Story] Is About Miss Boucher [Who] Loves Me" and the little Miss B says, "I love you" and the little person/chipmunk-like entity next to her says, "Me."

"There was a teacher [who] loves kids and Miss Boucher loves me. The End "

Here's another version:

"She is a teacher. Her name is Miss Boucher and she is happy and proud. She loves me and she loves the kids."

I suppose that is really why I teach. For those amazing kids who really care that you were their teacher...not just a doormat, hindrance, or annoyance, but a person who made a difference. A person that no matter how much you yelled and put them all in time out, they still understand that you loved them. And next year when they are BIG First Graders, they will still run right up to you and give you the biggest hugs.

This Week on Survivor...

2009-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Can I vote myself off the island? Please? No, that is not one of my "cherubs" (the word uttered sarcastically, on par with "spawn of Satan"), but seriously, some times in the past month, I have really felt as if we were in Survivor mode...and I have wanted to hide under a rock or anywhere else far far from the small children. To give you an accurate picture of what is happening in my classroom these days, here are some of the comments I have made to my children lately:

Have you left your brains at lunch? You were normal before I sent you to lunch. Did you take out your brains, put them on your trays and then accidentally throw them away today?
(After a question about a procedure I had just explained:) Okay, are you going to listen, thumbs up or thumbs down?
What is the deal?
That is disgusting! Go get a tissue. Now.
There is NO biting in kindergarten!
That's it. You may go sit in the hall. (That means I've had enough and can't even look at them anymore!)
You may not use the markers/pencils/scissors anymore today. (Not quite as bad as the above photo, but there is a certain amount of misuse of everyday materials going on daily...nice, since I taught them explicitly how to use them about 165 school days ago.)
Seriously, WHAT are you thinking? You have been in school one hundred blah blah blah days!
Go clean that off the toilet seat now! (And when they give me that obstinate look:) Or I am going to lock the door and you will lose your classroom bathroom privileges.

Oh, my life is just a joy right now. I feel as if I am wallowing in a sea of braindedness. And even though I am done with all the hard stuff and we are just doing fun dinosaur lessons now, it is still like pulling teeth. And oh, here is the great news, our kindergarten team was chosen as the best team in the district, which comes with the honor of being FILMED on Thursday. Heaven help me! (Please, please, please don't let it be another Evil Thursday!) Perhaps a little bribery is in order? Well, whatever...sometimes I think it pays to be an under-achiever!

Oh and on the bright side, no more Mondays left, and only 7 school days! :)

"There better be some good petting!"

2009-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

Said one gentleman when told the price for his group to enter Fairgrounds for Baby Animal Day. And yes sir, there certainly was some good petting there (among with other things).

However, it was just a small-city affair in Blackfoot Idaho, but the turnout was phenomenal, and the collection of baby animals displayed was pretty vast. Here are some of my favorite sights from the day:

Baby Alpackas, so adorable with their fluffy/curly fur and large, soft, brown eyes. They were CarriAnn's favorites.

The Balloon Tree, I know it's silly, but I liked the idea of all the runaway balloons having somewhere to go, far from the grasp of grubby little paws.

Baby ducklings and chickies, aren't they sweet? The peepers are always my favorite. Maybe it's like Becky says about kids, the babies can only cry so loud, while the larger chickens are capable of making a wholely unholy racket!

Baby sheepies, they just make me happy! The trailer pulled up to the pen and before I could see what it was I heard a tell-tale "baaaa!" and yelled out, "It's the sheepies!" I was a little excited.

Wagon rides. They had 3 old-fashioned wagons pulled by these beautiful huge horses. Alison nearly fell asleep because it was so slow and relaxing...and I did too.

A variety of interesting booths and demos, including butter-making and cream/milk separating. Check out the milk shake on that one!

Fluffy baby bunny! Is anyone else obsessed by baby bunnies? If it hadn't been completely unreasonable, I would have considered getting one! This was my favorite, with long hair and golden brown spots. I held him for five minutes and did not want to give him back, he was just such a nice soft baby!

And the most interesting thing I did? Milk a cow. Alison's family was clever enough to rig up a milking machine for the kids to try out. So I did...I look like I'm enjoying it a little too much, don't I?

Anyway, it was a pretty good day. We were worn out by the end and happy to head home, but we really did enjoy ourselves. Hope you did too!!!

Scary Sarie's Bad Hair-ie

2009-05-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

You know when you wake up and due to the night visits of the Hair Fairy...you look a little...well bizarre? Well, even short-haired people have scary hair in the morning...in fact, when I woke up this morning, my hair was SUPER wacky, and it got me to thinking, "Would it make a great blog to talk about all my weird morning hair?!" So, here are some of the classic bad hairdos I have woken up with:

The Cockatoo (that was this morning's wonderful coif):

Description: chunks in the middle are sticking straight up in the air, while everything else seems to be reletively well-behaved. Uber Sexy.

Flock of Seagulls/Wolverine:

Description: somehow the middle is mireculously flattened, but both sides are swooping into the air with bird-like grace. Talk about hip and happening. (Did no one else notice that the guy from Flock of Seagulls and Wolverine have the same 'do? I like it!)

The Chinese Crested:

Description: "So it's like a dog." The hair defies gravity and stands on end in Qtip-esque fashion while simulteously going in all different directions.

The Cancer Victim:

(No photo available...after all, I DO have a conscience!)

Description: after facing any of the above do's, I finally resort to the "beanie cover up", and given the shortness of my hair and the fact that I am usually sans makeup, I end up looking like a cancer victim. Always sassy.

And last but not least, every short-haired woman's nightmare, The Flat Top:Description: of course you always wanted to look like a 50-year-old drill sergeant, with the sides smooth to the scalp and the middle straight up. Yeah, that makes me feel hot.
Anyway, if you wanna see the morning hair in person, just invite me over and surprise me in the morning before I can tame the mane. I promise, it'll be worth it...
Yikes!

The Art of Auntie-ing

2009-05-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, after a sincerely long week where the power struggles surged strong in kindergarten and I (nearly) single-handedly ruined our fieldtrip to the Dinosaur Park scheduled later this month. But literally by the grace of the Heavens, I made it through (and yes, I did save the fieldtrip...which I feel is a miracle in itself) to the weekend. Ah, bliss. No wait, I promised Misty I would stay with her kids so she could go to the temple with her brother for the first time. What was I thinking, you are saying. Well, first, I LOVE Misty. I love her so much that even if I am worn out, I will push it aside. And it turns out I really do love her kids. They are such cute kids, and just easy to adore. So I just packed my bags (yes, I do require more than 1 bag for staying overnight, what of it?), chucked them in the trunk and took off, praying for the best. And Friday wasn't too bad, my kids weren' the best, but they also weren't the worst. So we survived! Then, after piano practice, I hopped back in the car and made my way to Clearfield. And when I arrived at Misty's, I had a really good feeling about the excursion...as the babysitter had been there for 3 hours and everything was still so orderly and the kids were sitting still watching "Nanny MacFee." Oh, and Spencer was smiling and saying, "Sa-wah!" Okay, that bodes well. Oh, and there was chicken bubbling in the crockpot for wraps...just for me. How awesome is that?

Anyway, then it was my turn to turn on the auntie charm. I fed them pizza, popped in "Madagascar 2", painted nails and toenails (yes, even Spencer's, just a manly clear though), bribed them with popcorn, and basically had a fun Friday Night Party with my cute little friends.

And did I mention? The kids wore themselves out, and by the time I threw them into bed, they just crashed. And no wake-ups until the morning. And when they did, they still let me stay in bed, aren't they great kids. It was a morning of kids tackling me in the big bed, giggling and giggling over silly things in the morning (turns out little girls and big girls are the same in that respect), Spencer taking a LONG nap (yeah!), and pancakes with strawberries, blackberries, bananas and cream. So tasty! Really, isn't it great when kids are just...well great?

So the moral of the story is, the auntie prevails over everything! And I still won't be a mommy and work full-time. Being a full-time mommy is enough work, right Mist?

Weekend Getaway Happy Birthday Shopping

2009-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

My philosophy is: you are GOING to get older, it's just going to happen, but on the day when you have to add 1 to your age, plan something fun. That's what I say. So, we planned some fun things to celebrate Annie's birthday this year...including a fun birthday cake, a shopping spree, and an overnight stay in Park City.

There they are...pretty maids all in a row...I know it's silly to enjoy words like GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, GUESS, OLD NAVY, and honeymoon suite (!!!), but I do so enjoy them. And it did turn into a truly fun birthday weekend. And yes, I spent a scary amount of money...but I got things to wear now, things to wear later (the next size down from now), things that smell nice, and things for the mommy (glad we could find cute white sketchers temple shoes, mommy!!). I also found this cute outfit. Who knew I was so adorable in puffed sleeves?

And here's the amazing cake, a Misty creation inspired by Annie's legendary yellow handbag. Annie LOVED it! And it was de-licious!!!

I so adore staying in poshy hotel rooms...and this one was amazing! Annie landed the family suite at the Best Western for a really low price. It can sleep up to 13 and sports a flat screen TV in each room, a full kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. It was AWESOME!!! And of course, there was a pool and hot tub in the hotel. So after a long day of shopping, a fabulous dinner at Ruby Tuesdays (with a big ol' party of 9), and vegging and chatting in our fantastic suite, we rounded out the evening with splashing around in the pool and lounging in the hot tub.

Little Joey Has a Birthday...SURPRISE!!!

2009-04-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

So, maybe you should expect some kind of demonstration on your 30th birthday when you totally humiliated your older sister when she turned 30....but either the fact that we did it on a random Monday, before his actual birthday, or the fact that he and Jen are still busy being new mommy and daddy kept him from being really suspicious, and all of our shenanigans went under the radar.

Anyway, I felt the need to help Joey celebrate such a lovely day...so we invited all the family, brought the food, and did our best to have a really fun time. So, here we are, the happy Boucher family.

This is the best picture of our dear little Jace, nestled happily in the arms of his big cousin Hunty. Never seen Hunty look soooo chill. Aren't they cute boys? Jace was asleep the whole time, including after 10+ people shouted "Surprise!" at Daddy, who was holding him at the time. That kid is a Boucher boy for sure.

You want a present? I'll give you a present! Presenting Lizzie! The Jake of the Andy Boucher family...apparently. Such a goon!

And Brit? She was as bad as the baby! She ignored everybody and read her book...but since it was a faerytale, who am I to get after her. This chicky has always been her own person.

Jen did the cake! This was what Andy called, "Death by Chocolate" and Jen called, "Better than...well you know." There was a comment about Joe in there somewhere...since he's still not...oh, never mind. ;)

Our crazy couple! I always end up with an interesting picture of them. If you will remember, I have a Cannibalistic Becky attacking her man from Thanksgiving. They are COOOckee!

Don't we look more like sisters? Well we are only about 17 years apart. But hear is dear Amy with Auntie Sarah. Family resemblance? What????

Everytime I turned around, there were these boys, just cuddled up to Cody. I don't think she could have gotten away from them if she'd wanted too! (But it didn't look like she did! :) I mentioned this to Jake and he said, "Yeah, my wife is HOT." Nice.

This is Jake's idea of entertaining the children. Don't snuggle with them, just wrestle and jostle and turn them upside down...but it doesn't look like Lizzie minded much. I thought this was a funny picture, and then I zoomed in and saw the looks on both their faces. They are BOTH enjoying this way too much!And dear Becky! She said, "This is what I do best. Cuddle babies!" So true, that is our Becky, and she has always loved to snuggle with the babies.

So there we are! Sorry I missed shots of Grandad, Grannie Annie, Aunt Joanie and Uncle Gordon, but my batteries died! Hopefully somebody else got some pics of them. But it was a fun way to begin the week, with a lovely birthday celebration. And YEAH, I am still glad we surprised him! :)

Happy Birthday Little Jose-Fifi!

The Rest is Silence

2009-04-16T21:05:00.001-07:00

Warning: Contains a Sarah-bitter diatribe about boneheads and fire alarms...but it makes for a good story....and further proof of the virtues of staying single!!!)
Okay, it might be Shakespeare (pretty sure it is) but it's also the sum-up one-liner from Buffy the Vampire Slayer...you know, the awful 90's movie you won't admit to seeing, with Kristie Swanson and Luke Perry? Yes that's the one. Well, now I fully understand the quote. (And strangely, wanna see that movie again...)
After a looooong day at school (11 hours...it was our Kindergarten Roundup today), I came home to a house devoid of easily get-at-able food, and ended up eating that bean and corn salsa i made warmed up with cheese on it. Right, I'm trying to be good and not buy chips, so it was just a nice warm bowl of bean salsa with a spoon. Classy. Alison came home, and upon inquiry about her time at the gym, "did you have a good time at the gym?" she replied, "Well, it was a time..." Always a good sign. By then I had finally located some chocolate and was unwinding watching Chef Duff and crew of Ace of Cakes...which nearly did the trick. And then switched it to our recorded new episode of the Office, when the unimaginable happened. "What is that?" Alison asked. I muted the TV and heard the muffled beep-beep-beep-beep of a fire alarm. We determined that it was upstairs, and figured it would be taken care of. 10 minutes later we were not so sure. Michael Scott and Dwight's epic battle was paused as I ran up to ring the doorbell...find that no one was there...locate a number for the apartment manager...call her to get the number for after hours maintenance...then deal with THAT bonehead!
Seriously, here is how the conversation went when I finally got him on the phone. "I'm not allowed to come over for something like that," plus the manager had said it was open and WE could go in and fix it. Quick run upstairs again...not open. Okay...call the nice little man back. "I can't come over for something like that." I explained that I did not have any other number to contact April and she was not answering the office number as it is "after hours"....ironically his exact title. "So, it's just going to go off all night?" I asked. "I guess so," he replied. I believe I actually said, "Well thank you, that's very helpful," before throwing my phone across the room. (And I believe I heard a flying, "Your welcome," as I chucked it...Hey buddy, I'm the only one allowed sarcasm given the circumstances.)
Boneheads! At this point Alison is pretty annoyed too (which takes quite a lot actually), and about to call the bonehead and give him a piece of her mind...or call the fire department, whatever. But I am through with bonehead behavior, so I run over to cute neighbor Shirley's to see if she has another number for our manager. She does, but in process of producing it informs me of ANOTHER neighbor who had something similar happen and when they went up to investigate, boys had gotten into the empty apartment and turned all the elements on the stove on! NOW I am truly freaked out...but number in hand I return to our noisy haven to find "i'm sorry" text message from after hours Bonehead.
He explains that he hopes I understand he has had a bad day. HELLO! And is out to dinner with his girlfriend. HELLO! What's the job title again? I'm a little unsure... He continues to say he's sorry he was rude (ya think???) and that April is on her way to open up the place and take care of it. Nice. Send a woman to do your job. What are you employed for again? I'm a little confused...
It turns out April was at dinner for her sister's birthday, but she came to our rescue anyway. I tell you....sometimes I am glad I am single, because there are some men out there that are NOT worth the hassle! As Alison so kindly put it, "He's a moron wrapped in an idiot."
When April finally arrived, she said she could hear the alarm from all the way across the complex, and that it was earsplitting from inside the apartment, and she was surpised no one else had called. Alison and I, still with sense of humor in-tact, paused the Office again to detail her progress. "Oh, that's definitely the banging of her entering into the apartment....and going across the floor...ooh, and the beating of a fire alarm...now, it's down to ONE!" Excitement elicited by this..."and finally...delightful silence." We just sat here enjoying the quiet, Office still paused (with a funny look on Dwight's face), just listening to the nothing. Lovely.
Well, after a trying evening, I have to say I am grateful for kind neighbors with sweet kitten faces and nice apartment managers who realize it IS an emergency even if there's no fire. And I am grateful for the silence. For as the Bard and Buffy say, the rest truly is silence.

Renewal

2009-04-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

My mom has one of those books that were fairly popular back in the 90's. (The 90's in Utah, that's like the 80's in the rest of the world...) It was all "colors" and "seasons," and it was called Color Me Beautiful! Doesn't it just sound lovely. Well, take a look at the cover. It is certainly a treasure trove! (Seriously, WHY did we take fashion advice from that lady?)

Anyway, my friends and I went through the phase of finding out what "season" we were and what colors we should wear, trying out all the makeup tips (something about GREEN eye shadow?), and having the occassional dress-up party. (This was also about the time that we tried all those homemade face masks....remember Mist? We tried eggs whites, mustard and honey....that was classy!) Anyway, what I am trying to say is, my season was Spring! That makes a lot of sense actually, not only do I look amazing in peach (few women can really rock peach), but also I LOVE spring! The sights, the smells, the changes that occur in life, and spring break. It's a time when all things are new, and I am allowed one of our few long-ish school breaks. I can't decide which is more important....but I have to say I am truly grateful for both of them. The break actually allows me to take a breath and observe the loveliness around me. And after a few days to unwind, this is what I saw "springing" up at the old Boucher House.

The tulips...red tulips have adorned the Boucher homestead for as long as I can remember. I love this little shy one hiding in the back beds...shielded by the rusty rock nearby.
Here are some more flowers I have seen all my life...the sweet little Grape Hyacinths, swathed in a blanket of greenery:
And of course, more tulips! They are still some of my favorite flowers and seem to be the harbingers of spring...here they are in butter yellow, and springy as it gets:
And last but not least...the daffodils. My dad commented on the weirdness of that name...here are some other I have heard or just freaking made up:

Daff-o-dillies
Daffy-dillies
Daffo-diles (like dials...dad said this sounds too much like crocodiles...ok! So we like to play with words)
And my personal favorite--Daffo-dilly-os

Anyway, here they are, the first spring flowers I saw this year:

And YEAH! Blossoms! Blossoms popping on the cherry tree and almost everywhere else. I love the SMELL of blossoms and I always have. But I am not the only one who appreciates them...the bees love them too! Well, this concludes our tour of Sarah's spring at home. It really is my favorite season. It just smells so nice! And if I ever find that book of homemade face masks and makeovers, you bet I'm gonna keep it! (No worries, Mist!)

Sex Education in Kindergarten

2009-04-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

How can a simple science lesson go so wrong? Well, the truth is, you never know what kindergarteners will come up with, so you have to be a little careful. They have been known to:

Bring backpacks filled with cockroaches to school
Give a heartfelt gift to their teachers, such as a bottle of Tequila
Pee on the seat and leave pooh nuggets on the floor
Ask if that is God singing on the CD
Truly enjoy the pandemonium of a "big black thing" running around the room
Respond to the question about the orb weaver spider, "What would you call this spider?" with an emphatic and solemn, "Big a*% spider."

So, I should have known I was in for it when I started talking about mammals and their babies.

We were just talking about the characteristics of mammals: a backbone, hair/fur, breathing air, and having live babies that they nurse. Yes, now you see the problem. We got through the "mammals have a backbone" and "mammals have fur" and "mammals breathe air" just fine. And then I popped up the card that showed the mother cow nursing the baby cow. WHY did they put that card in there??? Please tell me! Anyway, the "Ewwwww!!" was immediate when the card went up, but I explained that mother mammals DO feed their babies milk from their bodies, and that it was really okay, just a part of nature. We also discussed how various mammals (cats, pigs, dogs) they knew about had live babies, not eggs. All was okay...until I explained, as I do every year, that humans are mammals too. I went through the cards one by one: "Do you have a backbone?" Yes. "Do you breath air?" Everyone takes a deep breath. Yes, we breath air. "You have have hair or fur?" Obvious. Yes. Then came the "Do we have live babies?" I asked if they had a little baby sister or brother, and if so, when mom brought them home if they were in an egg, or if mom sits on the egg for a really long time until the baby comes out. No! That would be ridiculous! Then...one boy begins to explain in a little toooo much detail: "The baby is in a bag with water inside the mom's body and then they break the bag and the baby comes out." Yikes! I was thinking, Who told him THAT???!! TMI!!! I move along. I am good at that. Unfortunately, the card with the mommy cow nursing its calf is still oh-so-prominently displayed...and we have yet to talk of that. (What am I, completely stupid?) "So do people feed their babies milk from their bodies?" They can, I explain, just like other mammals, but some mommies feed their babies milk from a bottle instead. When I mention this, the same boy pipes up again, "Yes, they feed them with this" and pats his little boy booby. Well, I am just not sure how to respond, which gives him ample time to pat it again and proclaim again, "They give them milk with these." At this point I knew I was through! With horror, my brain began reviewing the lesson and thinking of the comments that would go home to mom and dad, and I realized that I had just taught my first kindgarten Sex Ed class. Yikes! (Sadly, at the same moment I realized it would make a great blog! :) Just goes to show you, kindergarteners are not to be trusted! Who KNOWS what they are likely to come up with!