Creepy Decorations at Michaels Crafts

I was shopping the other day at Michaels Crafts for glue and ribbon for a gift that I was making someone, when I came across this amazing, creepy, slightly strange- Halloween decoration.
I was totally creeped out by it at first, but the longer I looked at it the more I like it. I want to buy 2 of them and make them talk to each other. If I was the wreath making type, I would nestle them into a fall leaf and twig wreath and then, every time I saw them perched there, this is the conversation that I would assume they were having.

"Buzzie: Hey, Flaps, what we gonna do?
Flaps: I don't know. What you wanna do?
Buzzie: I don't know, what you wanna do?
Flaps: I don't know, what you wanna do?
Buzzie: So what we gonna do?
Flaps: I don't know. Hey, now don't start *that* again!"

Ten cool points of you know what I am referencing here. ;)

Red Rock, Bellagio Garden & Ethel M's Adventure With Dad

In early January of 2012, my dad came to visit for a few days. One of the many adventures we had was driving up to Red Rock, just west of Las Vegas, to take a look around, look at the petroglyphs, and to see the beautiful bright red rock piled on top of the white sandstone.


I know that  my dad doesnt really like the parts of Las Vegas that most people like, but I knew that he would like the Musical Bellagio founatins and the Bellagio Gardens.  He really liked the unique fall display they had up.



The day of my dads flight we stopped by the Ethel M's chocolate factory and cactus garden. We had a free sample and then got a chocolate/carmel covered apple to share while we walked around the cactus garden.

Romney Rally 2012

MITT ROMNEY

I have no idea why this didn't get posted right after I did this, but.... here it is. Only a few months later :)

Back a few months ago I was made aware of the fact that Mitt Romney was going to be making an appearance at a shipping center in South West Las Vegas. I was talking about my attendance with my visiting teacher when she told me that she was actually working for the company that was setting up the event. She then told me that if I ended up going to let her know and that she would try and get me into the back room after the rally to possibly meet Mitt.

After the Rally I made my way over to the edge of the room where she was able to let me into the back room. There were several Las Vegas Republican leaders with their families and then me. Mitt finally came back and spoke a few words and then we were all able to go up and meet he and Ann. I met Ann first, she asked me about myself and what my name was, then she turned and introduced me to Mitt; relaying all of the information that she had just learned about me to him. He asked me about being a teacher in Las Vegas and what my job is like in this economy as well as the challenges we are facing in education. We spoke for a few minutes longer then took a few pictures and then said farewell.

It was so AWESOME!!!!

Paris Convention Center

So awhile ago, Amie and I decided that we wanted to have more adventures. We were hanging out at the Paris when my roommate Shanna took us on a behind the scenes look at the Paris Convention Center. Amie danced and cartwheeled in a massive empty ballroom. Can you say that you have danced inside a giant empty ballroom? We also took in a few songs at The Dueling Piano Bar located inside the Paris Casino.

The Girls Are Back In Town! - Aug 2012

Roommate Reunion August 2012

 We made a pact during this reunion. "If no one gets married in the next 5 years, thus pulling us together for that celebration. The next reunion time that must happen, with no excuses is in 2017 - 5 years from now."

  Hopefully we wont have to wait that long to see each other again!

The weekend started with a meeting at Ikea with lunch and a stroll around the store. Always love seeing the new styles and ways  to organize and the new color combinations. Followed by heading over to BreAna's house where we spent the next few hours catching up and visiting while we waited for Amy to get off work and join us. Alton came home from work and then proved to us how amazing he is. Without anything being said he made us all smoothies.  Such a sweet guy! Then after a few more hours of talking and laughing we decided that we needed real food and we drove over to Cafe Rio for dinner. So yummy!

Pam watching BreAna's girls while we got pedicures.
Krystal and BreAna got theirs first and then Leslie and I.

After our pedicures at the Aveda salon school we were all craving some yummy Arctic Circle.  Yukon Gold fries, fry sauce, delicious shakes, and ranch burgers. I would have a problem if I lived near a Arctic Circle.  Good thing the closest one is about 2 hours away. While we ate, an employee came over and gave BreAna's girls a courtesy cone - little baby cones for free. How fun!

After lunch we went and walked around the Provo Mall, BreAna and her girls went on a ride on the train around the mall while Leslie shopped for Mormon girl clothes - apparently they are hard to find in Albuquerque.

This group of girls will always be so special to me.

Posing by the creek inside City Creek and inside a really fun store.

L-R Merika, Leslie, Pam, BreAna, Amy and Krystal.

City Creek is a really cool place, I can only imagine the construction mess it was to create. The end result is beautiful. This is just a taste of that it really holds.

These girls are so amazing, I really feel like they have become such awe inspiring women.
BreAna is such a good mom and wife. Seeing her with her girls... she is super mom! I love how dedicated to family she is. She is still one of the most beautiful people I have ever known, inside and out. Her husband Alton really puts the bar high for amazing husbands.
Pam is so strong, she has really blossomed into a fantastic person, over coming challenges, taking risks and making differences in the lives of the kids she meets and teaches. I am so glad that she has put up with all of us for so long. She may have been better than us all.
Amy is just as kind and funny as ever, I really look at her and see an amazing joyful brilliant girl who some guy is missing out on. I am so glad she stuck with me after my freshman year together. I know I am not the easiest person to live with and she put up with me the longest.
Leslie is so classy, so put together, this girl has style in spades! I love the care and concern she holds for all the things and people in her life. I really feel like Leslie is so kind and good. I can't remember a time that she spoke a mean word to someone.
Krystal is fantastic. I am not sure I have ever had a friend who has known me and my struggles like this girl has. I think that we have had some similar struggles and that is a huge part of why she gets me like so few do. The second night in the hotel, we were all tired and I am so thankful that she stayed up with me and talked, listened to me cry and told me about how she overcame some of her own struggles. her stories gave me a little bit of strength and the support that I needed. I hope that Krystal sees in herself, the person that we all see in her. Strength, intelligence, woman of God,kind and most likely the funniest person I know.

After walking around City Creek we decided that with the SLC Temple was closed the next closest was the South Jordan Temple. We drove over and then the girls all went in for a session. We were able to grab someone coming out of the temple to take a picture of us. I chose to use my time reading, grabbing a snack, perusing facebook and taking a short nap. The nap was really needed! I had a very difficult time sleeping during the first night in the hotel.

 After the temple we met over at the Cheesecake Factory a few miles away. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend. We ate, chatted, laughed, smiled, bonded, and then shared some amazing cheesecake.

I could not ask for better friends than these!

"See You Later"... "Goodbye is Unnaceptable."

Saying "See you later!" because Goodbye is unnacceptable! This is my best friend Staci. She is so amazing and over the course of our friendship she has been able to get me to open up like few ever do.  I dont cry, like really cry very often, and very rarely in the presence of others. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, we are "bosom buddies". This summer she got a new job back in Kansas and in a span of 2 weeks she accepted it and packed her house and was moving. She is such a go getter! I wish I could be more like her. She sees a chance at happiness and she takes it!
We went out to Lindo Michochan on DI and Eastern for the farewell lunch with a few girl friends; Ginger, Melissa, and Amie. The waiters sang to her in the tune of "Happy Birthday to You", it turned into "Con-grat-u-lations to you." Then they gave her a free shot of Tequila and churros with carmel sauce. So Yummy!
After lunch she told me that she really needed a picture with the back of the vegas sign where is says "Thank you for Visiting" and then we saw this cool mural and decided that she needed a picture in front of it.

STACI YOU ARE MISSED!!!

Death Valley & The Amargosa Opera House

Badwater Basin...

The Paint Pots...

The drive in and out of Death Valley.

On the way back from Independence California and Manzanar we drove through Death Valley. After you leave Death Valley, and are headed towards Pharump you pass Amargosa California. We stopped at the haunted Opera house in Amargosa CA. It was really creepy because there was actually a show going on and this lady popped her head out the door, asked us if we had tickets (in a very mean voice) and when we replied no, she slammed the door shut on us! So creepy. We didn't stay long, just long enough to snap a couple of shots and read the plaque. - not that there is much more to do....

Independance, Manzanar, and The Still Life Cafe

Independence California was such a fun and interesting little town. The sidewalks rolled up early, but there was one thing that was absolutely amazing... the Still Life Cafe. We had the best pork loin I have ever had, all of the veggies were grown in their own little garden and everything was fresh and tasty. It was possibly the best thing I have ever tasted! The restaurant was owned and operated by a french couple who had immigrated to the US about 15 years earlier.

We stayed at the Mt. Williamson Motel. Owned and operated by a elderly couple from Sweden I believe. It was a bunch on small cabins that were clean, tidy, and comfortable. In the morning, the wife made all the guests from the night before a hot breakfast of toast with homemade jam, sausage, a pancakes. How amazing is that?!

 

Manzanar was incredible, visiting, learning and seeing what the US government put the Japanese people of America through during WWII is so heartbreaking. I am so glad that we as a country are not trying to sweep this indiscretion under the rug, rather we are inviting our citizens to come and learn and see what not to do in the future when faced with a similar situation.

Cosmo Exploration Adventure

A few months ago Amie and I decided that we wanted to have more adventure in our lives. We chose to explore the new Cosmopolitan Hotel in the new City Center in Las Vegas. It was definitly interestng and different. We had a stare down with some stone pooches, sat in huge shoes, posed on a purple plush sofa, bought some art from a vending machine and strumed the crystals.

We peeked through the wall of tassels, and wore some window masks.

We sat on a log that had seats screwed into the top, and attended a wedding next to foam people in the pop-up-wedding chapel.

 

Interesting an Unique names of my 2012-2013 students.

Every year I always have a few interesting names in my classes, but for some reason this year my classes seem to be teeming with interesting and unique names. I also always get a kick out of the spelling that common names get.
Here is a list of a few of them.
Jakota
J'ade
Yusimi
Champaigne
Frankly
Cristion = christian
Masoud
Jamilet = jam ie le
Jasmyn
Banesa
Quintavion = quinn Tav ee on
Yaritza  = yar itz a
Dorcas
Ceidi = sadie
Daylily
Noricke = nor ick ee
Japhet
Estpany = esta pany
Manukhone = I have no idea, he goes by tommy.
Rocio = row sea  o
Jobel = joe bell
Yaraimis
Amaree
Fantija = fantasia
Yaredy = ya ready?
Kenia = kenya
Xiomara = zio mara
Tegist = tee gist
JeCori
Jamila = ja milla
ZJustyna = zest tina

So what do you think? How does your name do in comparison?
With the name I was given I understand how it feels to correct every teacher during the first month of school. I have had a teacher give up on trying to pronounce my name correctly and just revert back to calling me Miss (my last name). So with my own experiences of having an interesting name and spelling I try my best to pronounce everyones name correctly, but as you can see - it's getting harder an harder every year.

I just decided to add the pronounciation guide for those of you who were like me and needed it!

Stargazing with friends & Dominos with family

On my way home from my Utah vacation this August I stayed with Jessica for one night. There just happened to be a meteor shower happening that night. I am so glad that she and her brother Jacob and his new wife were going out to watch. We packed up the car, picked up the married couple and then blasted BSB on our way out to where we were going to layout and watch. We drove east on 189, passing bridal veil falls and then pulled off the road onto W. Main Canyon Road and then pulled off the road in a farm driveway. We set up the blankets and got ready to watch the meteors shoot across the sky.

The next morning I was driving down the road that leads to Jessicas house as I drove over to my Grandparents house. I love the view from Jessicas route. The "Y" is so fun to see.

Before I left town I had to stop

 and drive by my Grandma Andersons house,

 just to see the changes since she moved to Twin Falls ID.

On the way home on the I-15 I had to pull off the road to snap these awesome sunbeams near Nephi UT.

That night I spent with Jeffs & Suzannes family in St. George. I am always so glad to spend time with them and their adorable family. I got there just in time for dinner and games before the kids went to bed.

 

 

The next morning, the view was so amazing. I love the Red Rocks of St. George. I treated my family to my favorite resturaunt in St. George - Mongolian BBQ. The lady ther ehelped the kids use their chopsticks, or in her words - to be chinese. She loved Branson! She was about to take him home with her. We found out that Branson is really good with chopsticks... who knew!

After Jeffs family left to go home I stopped at Dandylion wishes - a scrapbook store, and while I was shopping I found out that the I-15 through the gorge was totally backed up because of the construction going on in the gorge. It normally takes about 35 min to drive through the gorge, with the construction it was taking 3-4 hours! Luckly I was able to ask the shop keeper about another way around the gorge. I was able to drive north toward  Santa Clara and then through the Native American Reservation and through the montain and then meet up at the I-15 right as it came out of the gorge. Saved myself some major time! 

While I drove I saw a minor brush fire.



Na Na Na Na Na Na...... BATMAN!

We love Batman.  We got tickets to go to the whole Batman Marathon at The Henderson Fiesta. It was so fun Theresa, Shanna and Myself met at the theater at about 6:30pm and we watched "Batman Begins", then "Batman: The Dark Knight", and then at midnight we premiered the new "Batman: The Dark Knight Rises".

We all loved it! The only bad part was the seats, we were not in the best, but they could have been worse.

I did see one of my students from Valley at the show, we chatted. He is the only student that I saw all summer. That's a first for me!