Time to Get the Cobwebs Dusted Off.....

Wow, it's been FOREVER!! And I doubt any of you are keeping any track of our lives but here's an update for those of you who still care....





Work: I got a job at a place called Provo Canyon School and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm just a PRN (on-call) but I basically have hours of a full-time employee, minus benefits. I also am the assistant volleyball coach there. I love all my volleyball girls! They are so fun and TALENTED! I also get to help out with the basketball team... hilarious, I know! Ben is still chugging away at Traditions Mill and still loves it just as much. His boss will sometime try to bribe him with money to skip his class for a day just to stay at work a little longer but Ben is so good, he says no and faithfully goes to.....





School: He's been doing great! He'll go to his class and then stay there "studying" (or napping... usually his studies involve both...but he swares that it's about 80% study, 20% nap). I told him that I'll give him a snowboarding pass for the upcoming season if he gets a 3.5 or above. We'll see...



Play: We decided to grow up and be more mature so we backed off on the sports. So this season we're ONLY on (this is a combined list) 1 women's soccer team and 1 men's soccer team at Timp Indoor and 1 flag football team, 1 soccer team, and 1 co-ed ultimate frisbee team with BYU Intramurals. See? We backed off.



Church: I'm the 1st counselor in the YW presidency in our ward and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Mia Maids. I have about 7 girls that I'm over and they are so funny! And can I just tell you how EXCITED I am to NOT have a music calling?! Finally!! (But no, this does not mean that I get a break.... they still ask me to play for the choir and sometimes the organist..... BUT IT'S NOT A CALLING!!!) Ben has 2 callings: Elders Quorum teacher (again) and Priests Quorum advisor... which he also loves. The Priests in the ward have so much fun with Ben.



Family: My mom calls me on a Thursday night and said they're coming to visit us that weekend. Good thing my house is clean! We had so much fun seeing them even though it was for just a short time.... but who cares?! I haven't seen my dad in 2 years so we all had a blast just talking and seeing each other! And of course we HAD to take our regular family picture.... I think my dad just thinks we're crazy..... and my mom. Ben was at school (yeah, he has class on Saturdays.... stupid) so that's why he's not in the picture!




Big News: I'm FINALLY (and much more important, legally) a Wheeler. Yup, after 2 years, 8 months, and 18 days, I finally went from being a Kalilimoku to a Wheeler. Don't judge.... it was seriously the hardest thing I've ever had to do!




So there's your big update for all you out there.



....... cricket, cricket.........

Take That Miss A

Well, today was it... my last day at work. Phew.

It was actually really fun. I made the kids these really lame yearbooks that they loved. We spent the first part of the morning signing them. Then we actually did some school-related things (but not much). After that, we watched The Secret Garden. Our class just finished reading the book together so I thought, what the heck... let's watch the movie. Found out that we're definitely NOT supposed to do things like that but oh well.... fire me, then. I gave them all a little goodbye gift (girls got those pens that you stick a flower on top and then wrap in floral tape and the boys got these really stupid foam pencil-animal things....) from me (again, lame and cheap... the gifts, not me). Oh yeah, and a little something sweet. And since sugar is DEFINITELY NOT allowed at school, you can count that as #2 on my list of things I shouldn't do on my last day at school.

So I'll miss the kids and teaching but good bye and good luck! (PS. one of the parents told me that her son was so sad that I was leaving! That was all he could talk about this past week.... He wants to go to another school now because he doesn't like Miss A and thinks she doesn't like him. I told the parent that he would do a whole heck-of-a-lot better at another school too. She gave me her number and wants to talk with me about it. She asked what school I was teaching at next....Take that Miss A. #3.)

Oh yeah, and I "forgot" to clean the fish tank.

(Yup, this is seriously how bad A I am....)

Someone Please Explain This One To Me.....

The difference between a lay-off and a "cut back".....


To put it into context:

Some random person who loves the kids, loves teaching, dislikes the management: "So am I getting laid off?"
Some equally random person who is just awful and lives to make the above person's life as miserable as possible: "You must be thinking of filing for unemployment. This is just a cut-back, not a lay off. We would love to keep you here but it is just not going to happen. Can we call you back in a year if the economy picks back up?"
1st random person (still loving the kids, loving teaching, still disliking the management): (thinking to herself) H*ll no (but saying aloud) "umm.... probably not."


Please. Someone tell me what the difference is. Dumb.

Ideas???

So playing indoor soccer has its benefits.... we get to meet a ton of really cool, fun people (I'd say that I got in shape but yeah right, has that happened! I'm still waiting....)

We met these guys because they needed a girl sub on their team once so I jumped on and we've been playing together ever since then. We get along really well with them. They're really funny guys and AMAZING soccer players. We all decided to leave our old teams and start a new one together. We are so super excited to play but we've come across a problem. Money.

It always seems to be money, right? Anyway -- we're looking for ideas for someone to possibly sponsor our team so that we don't really have to pay a whole bunch of the big greens. I've been to random restaurants, small businesses, etc. but I was wondering if any of you guys would want to sponsor a soccer team. No, just kidding. I was wondering if you guys had any other ideas about getting someone to sponsor a soccer team.....

Any ideas would be SO helpful!! Thanks!!

My favorite game right now.....

NINJA DESTRUCTION! Seriously, so much fun..... We played this 2 nights straight at our cabin trip!


(Sorry the pics are so dark)



(and no, I'm not posting my ninja picture)

Moving On Up

Awesome Location (aka. low gas prices): $40/week
Killer Rent(2 bed, 1 bath): $240/month
Garden: $25 (maybe...)
Lila: $15/month

Memories, Family, Friends: Priceless

Goodbye to all the above and Hello to a new place that Ben and I moved to! Pictures to follow... sometime.

Yup, we moved (this is nicely put.... basically we had 30 days to get out....) out of ghetto basement apartment and moved into a bigger, nicer, more expensive (obviously) place.

I love the area that we're in. EVERYONE is seriously SO NICE (like the "how-can-you-be-this-nice" kind of nice) and I love the ward that we are in.


You'll have to come visit us sometime*



*Sometime (sum-time): adv. 1. at some not specified or definitely known point of time. 2. when all the boxes are unpacked and my place is organized.

Happy Birthday/Mother'sDay Mom!

"A mother is she who can take the place of all others but
whose place no one else can take."
-- Cardinal Mermillod


Thanks for putting up with all of us!

I really do owe everything to my mother. She is an amazing example to me.
I hope that one day I can be as awesome (and as patient) as you, mom!
Happy Birthday Mom!


Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there!!