We Are Young

So, I don't know where I have been, but I found this song not too long ago and I love it! There are several groups who have sung it lately, but one of the best ones is done by Glee (even though I usually don't like them, they did this one well!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul-pLYo5MJ8

My roommate Jen had a terrific idea to celebrate for my birthay to go to Rodizio Grill. It was incredible! They had every type of meat imaginable on a stick for me to try. The best part of the whole thing was the pineapple. Seriously could have eaten my weight in that pineapple! It was carmalized on the outside, soft and warm and juicy in the middle. Seriously the best thing ever invented pretty darn sure. She told the waiter it was my birthday. I felt like the kid who wanted a bandaid because 2 other kids had cuts on their fingers and needed attention-mainly because the table down the way, the one next to us and one across from us all had waiters sing to them. Of course, it's the type of place you wouldn't go to unless it was a birthday anyway. Makes sense. The waiters were cute, the food was delicious, and the meal was free because it was my birthday. What could go wrong with this combination (besides a snug waist walking out?) I loved it! Thanks Jen for the idea!

Rediscovery

Opening a new book, cleaning out your closet, drawing a picture on a napkin while waiting for your burger to show up at In 'n Out, watching a good movie that made you cry, getting acrylic nails with no special reason for the occasion, eating frozen yogurt, swimming, and loving it because it's you. Well, actually, it's me.

Mom introduced a blog to me this week. I feel like a found a new friend, one who I have never met but glad I can read her blog. She inspired me to not take life so seriously and to REDISCOVER. Someday, I hope to meet her and tell her thanks. One of her blog posts says a quote that has become my motto for this week. (Pretty impactful seeing how I found it Saturday afternoon.....)

"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its
ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
-Albert Einstein-

Birthday Party in Boise

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with family? I left Salt Lake City late Friday night and arrived in Boise early Saturday morning. I got to spent the whole weekend with Ashley and Donny. It was great! Keeping with tradition, Ashley and I went to D.I. on my birthday. She found some great pants and a stinking cute jean skirt. We went to D and B Supply and I found 3 pairs of jeans. Luck was in my favor! I found jeans that are so darling and I love them! It was a blast trying on jeans. (Those words have never come out of my mouth.....but who wouldn't love jean shopping with Ashley??) We made lots of messes and masterpieces in the kitchen. Ashley made amazing brownies with chunks of snickers in them. They were divine! We went to dinner at Ono Hawaiian Restaurant and enjoyed yummy Hawaiian dinners. With Donny and Ashley's cool website, dinner turned out to be quite affordable as well as yummy! Braxton came for a day or so and introduced several different TV shows to us that he loves. They were quite funny. Thanks Ash and Donny, for a wonderful weekend. :)

Logan Trip

Jake and I went to Logan for the weekend to spend time with Angela, Ryan and kids. We went bowling at an alley in town. It was so fun to be with them, and to watch each of the kids bowl. They each had their own techniques and style of bowling. Jake made a bet between Angela and I. If Angela beat me, I owed Ryan and Angela a dessert. If I beat Angela, she owed us a treat. The game started out with a 70 point difference, me in lead. By the end, by some miracle, Angela got a turkey and a spare. She creamed me! It was so fun to be with them for the weekend!

Temples in Utah

I was recently thinking about all the temples we have operating right now and wanted to know the exact number. I got onto www.lds.org and found out we have 136 operating temples, 3 under renovation, and 15 under construction, and 14 just announced. There are a total of 16 in Utah:
Bountiful
Brigham City
Draper
Jordan River
Logan
Manti
Monticello
Mount Timp
New Provo Temple (Tabernacle being rebuilt)
Ogden
Oquirrh Mountain
Payson
Provo
St. George
Vernal
Salt Lake City

Another Funny From my Classroom

At the beginning of the year, I had the kids write about their favorite part of summer break. One little boy wrote he went to Sea World. He explained his favorite part was seeing the sea lions, only he didn't quite get lions spelled right. He got the o and the i mixed up. I laughed. The day kids want to see the sea loins will be an interesting day....

Funnies from my Classroom

I was reading a child's writing piece he had started earlier this week. I was editing it but noticed as I read along, one of his sentences didn't make a whole lot of sense. It made me laugh, but didn't make a whole lot of sense. At least, not the point he was trying to make. The story was about a boy who falls off a boat and is attacked by a shark. The solution was the father came to the rescue "with a rope and some boards to make a fart". Wait a second. I asked the boy how he could make that from a rope and boards and how that helped the boy get rescued from the shark. He responded he accidentally added a line across the letter in the beginning. Even then, it wouldn't say raft.....

There is a boy in every classroom who likes to do things for attention, a class clown what have you... I had 2 for awhile, one moved but I still have 1. This kid usually drives me bonkers, but today he was actually quite funny. I'm constantly asking him to spit things out of his mouth. Usually he is chewing on paper. Apparently I don't understand how tasty lined paper could be. He saw I had a rice cake on my desk (left over from a previous lesson on using salsa verbs instead of boring rice cake verbs in a writing piece). He asked me if I actually eat them. I told him I did. He explained how rice cakes didn't have any taste. He continued by saying, So you eat rice cakes like I eat paper...so you don't get hungry!

This same little boy, who isn't a very big kid at all. Actually he is quite tiny, even for a fifth grader. I was helping another student but jumped when something touched my leg. I looked under my desk to find this little boy curled up in this tiny space. I told him to get out from under my desk and that no one should be touching my legs! He laughed, and expressed how he was going to tell the guy I am dating that he should rub my feet. Where they get these ideas, I don't know.

One little girl (rather a mischievous, but not in an annoying way at all...) found out I was dating someone. We were studying our vocabulary words for the week, one being disengage. I explained how that meant to unhook or take apart. She raised her hand and asked what engage meant then and why we say people get engaged. I explained that it meant to join into something, in the case of engagement means to join in purpose and marriage. A few minutes later, this same little girl expressed "When your boyfriend comes to meet us, he is going to engage you! He's going to get down on a knee...." She then acts out someone opening up a ring box... "and then you are going to go...Woohoo!" (With her jumping in the air with both hands in fists punching the air...)
I laughed and sent her down to PE.

The past several months have been difficult at times because my boss sets some unrealistic expectations. This week, however, has made it all worth it!

Dear Thanksgiving,

My dear friend, it may seem you have been over looked and pushed to the side. You are important to me and appreciated. However, under the current circumstances, I want to clarify my actions to some degree. The other night (or morning depending on how you look at it) I was traveling home from a friend's house when a Christmas song came on the radio. I was quite surprised, but must admit pleasantly surprised. I didn't change the station or even poo pah at the fact it was November 1, 2011 and Christmas music was coming out of my speakers. I understand your great significance to our great country, and hold firm to the necessity of this celebration. Please don't take it personally when I listen to Christmas music, buy Christmas ornaments, create Christmas presents and am hunting for a Christmas tree already. I treasure you with all your pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed potatoes and eating until I feel my innards threaten to become my out-ards. In fact, some fond memories have come to pass because of you. I will never forget standing in line waiting to eat at Chuck-A-Rama when Ashley called back that she didn't pay for any of our family, in the process shouting at all the customers in between. We've been laughing at that for years. But, that one little shining moment doesn't hold a candle to the Christmas lights (especially at Temple Square), putting together a puzzle piece in the puzzle in the kitchen and many more. I've been thinking about a solution to what may seem to you as a frustration, or more severely, a problem. You may consider having a song. But I suggest this with caution. Don't be creating songs about growing corn stalks blade by blade or stuffing our faces full of food. No one wants to sing about that. Good luck with this endeavor and let me know what solution you come to find. In the mean time, I will listen to my Christmas music, and shop for tree decorations. Thanks for being a steady and faithful friend through the years.

Your friend,

Aimee

Super Saturday in Boise

The trees in Boise right now are absolutely beautiful! I loved the slight color change on them. During our drives around town, we saw all sorts of colors, brilliant red, orange, and everything in between.
So, Mom and I talked for about an hour before anyone else was up. Then Ash woke up and stole the phone to talk to Mom. She wasn't on the phone longer than 5 minutes and they were disconnected. Ash was less than thrilled about that. Then Mom called back....
...then Donny stole the phone from Ash and talked to Mom for awhile.
While all the stealing was going on, I got ready for the day.
Ashley got the phone back from Donny and talked to Mom all the way to our next destination....








After playing in Winco, we checked out. Ashley got Donny chips that were Halloween Ghosts, pumpkins and bats. Clever....


After drinking all sorts of yummy things, I really needed a little girl's room. This was the next stop.
Ashley got Halloween candy to go in the Spider web and ghost.
We went to Good Will next. We found these CUTE shoes, but they were too big for either one of us!
Treasures we found at Good Will and DI that day: microfich reader, mail box, fake trees (which I got for my room) and full adult size feety pj's with snowflake gem on the zipper....
Yes, we shoved that tree in the back of Ashley's car. I put my seats down and drove it all the way back to my house. It looks perfect in my room!
Ashley found all sorts of goodies, and paid exact change for it. It might be surprising people use cash anymore, but the most amazing thing about the exact change was it was ALL the change she had in her wallet. Not even a loose loner penny left over....
Our last stop was at Costco for some essentials and parked next to a van with some unique curtains....
Lunch on the go.....
The essentials included: pizza slice for Donny, pumpkin pie for Donny and Dad, and Roasted Red Pepper soup for everyone.
In case there was any mistaking where we went for lunch, I included my Costco card....


Friday night, we went to Thai Pan Trading and found this cute white owl ornament. (Can you believe we can buy Christmas decorations already??) Ash needed to introduce one little owl friend to the owl ring (which she previously got at Thai Pan).
Dad and Ash looking up movies for tonight. We ended up going to Cowboys and Aliens. It's definitely a guy movie, through and through.
At Good Will, I tried on a shoe that Ash decided she didn't want. As I was straightening back up, I found this cute gray shirt calling Ashley's name. It came home with her.

Dad wanted to spray off "a couple things" as he said it. We wondered which bees he wanted left on the front of the van.
That guy in the suds is a goner either way. No surviving the soap bath.



Second trip to Costco for half this party....


We exhibited our best behavior as there were many people at Costco following the BSU game. (Which was a close game, but BSU won). We killed a lot of time while waiting for the movie to start. Later that night, I was introduced to the all so famous Angry Birds game. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! I love visiting my family. It was so enjoyable for me to spend the weekend together!