Football. Frigid Temps. Family.

It had been a couple of years since I had gone to an BYU football game. I came across a coupon that made tickets only $10 each, so I figured I might as well go! I talked mom, dad, and Skyler into going with me. Had we known the benches were going to be covered in snow and that it was going to be 27 degrees, we may have thought twice about going. It was still tons of fun, though! We bundled up, got hot chocolate, and cheered our mighty Cougars on!

Skyler was rather proud of his Angry Birds hat.

Snow removal was first priority upon arrival.

This flag was so cool. And totally perfect for Veteran's Day weekend.

The fam. We got a hot chocolate seller to stop and take the picture. Took him 3 tries to get a decent shot. Third time's the charm, right?

Ready to head home. My toes were totally numb by the time we left.

The snow this weekend was absolutely gorgeous. There is something extra magical about the first snowfall of the year.

Halloween and such...

Halloween is so much fun. I love working in a school and having the excuse to dress up. And... it's so fun to see the different costumes the students come up with. Always entertaining. There's always lots going on with our family, too. This year was no different. Take a look! :)

Mia suggested that I be a "happy witch" like she was going to be. My skirt overtook just about everything I did that day... that's what 26 yards of tulle will do! :)

Two very happy witches

Skyler's impression of an old man was uncanny.

Bambam and the witch

Me and Wilma. Sadly, Nicole (who was a bat), had to leave before we could get a sister picture.

It was another fabulous Halloween. I love the traditions we have in our family. Holidays aren't the same without our traditions, and I love watching the little ones in the family get into them now.

On a non-Halloween related note, I ran a race this morning! I was quickly reminded how terribly out of shape I am. But... it was for a good cause, and it was soooo worth it! My uncle Dean was diagnosed with brain cancer back in July. His kids put together a 5K to raise money to go to Huntsman Cancer Institute for research. It was a huge success, and they had over 400 people come out to run.
It was quite inspiring to see how many people came to support my uncle. He is an incredible man, and an amazing example to me. As I was running along the path this morning, I was convinced that I wasn't going to make it. My injured foot was screaming at me to stop, my legs were Jell-O, and I wanted so badly to be done. Just as I had that thought, I looked up, and coming toward me, was my uncle and my aunt. And then I thought to myself, "Come on, Loges. Dean has brain cancer. He's not complaining. Suck it up and finish this race." And so I did. I'm so glad I didn't turn around, and that I pushed myself and finished. Naturally, I was the last to finish from my family, but they were all there to greet me and cheer me on as I crossed the finish line! Sure do love them!

Kelsey-Me-Nicole.... post race... please excuse my somewhat disheveled appearance and red face. Not the best picture, but it's all I had!

Now begins my favorite time of year! TONS of family time, lots of school breaks, and lots of traditions, memories, and food.

*Also, new date post here. Get ready. It's a doozy.

Remember that dating blog I have?

Well, I posted a new post here. Go check it out. And please send in your bad date stories!!! I have a few more doozies, but I'd love to hear from YOU! So start sending! :) And tell your friends to send their stories in, too!

People these days...

So I was watching 20/20 this evening. (I know, a lovely Friday night activity. Give me a break. It's what you do when you're alone and don't have any plans, available/single friends, or anywhere to go.) The theme of the episode was the extremes people go to in order to improve their appearance. I. Was. Shocked. at the things people will do these days. One guy has undergone 90 surgeries in an attempt to make himself look like a real-life Ken doll. 90! Several people have had a feeding tube inserted in their nose to lose weight quickly. Girls are wearing corsets again to "train" their bones to be smaller.

It all sounds so smart and so healthy, right?!? I was flabbergasted. But the thing that caused the biggest question in my head was this: Companies are apparently desperate for advertising, so people are having company logos tattooed on their FACES. They do get paid for such a service (one Utah woman was paid $10,000), but I mean, honestly. Really?!? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. She has now spent over $800 to have it removed, and she's not done yet.

Speaking of extremes, I just saw Miley Cyrus on the Tonight Show. What the?

Source

Wheelin' & Dealin'

It's about time I post a student story... I don't think I have yet this year.

My classes begin each period in my room by reading silently for 20 or so minutes. Most of them are really good about it, and love the time they get to read. Today during 4th period, however, within the first five minutes of reading time, I discovered a few sneaky students occupying their time by, oh, ya know, just playing a game of cards... like it's no big deal and that I wouldn't see them (I mean, three of them had a handful of cards, all spread out, ready to play. They had put the deck in the middle of them and were set.). They forgot I have eyes like a hawk...and that their table sits in my direct line of sight. Haha. One of them made eye contact with me and he knew it was over. I confiscated the cards and told him he could come get them after school. Our conversation went as follows:

Me: Your cards are lovely, but reading time isn't exactly the most appropriate time to play them.
Student: I know, but it's the only time I can play them.
(As if this is a regular occurrence in my room for him---it's not.)
Me: Well, it's still not the time to play cards. Silent reading time is for reading. Silently. Not playing cards. You can come pick them up after school today.
Student: Sigh. Okay.

I would love to get into his head and see what exactly made him think that playing cards with his table mates would be an acceptable activity during reading time.... or at any point during a class. Thank you, teenagers, for making my job so entertaining.

Out with the old

And in with the new. I bought a new car!!! My old car, bless her heart, was showing signs of old age. The clunking and grinding sounds she was making just weren't making me happy, nor were they fun to hear as I drove down the road. They didn't make my passengers feel too safe, either. As Marianne put it, "Um, can you feel that? It's a bit disconcerting." Needless to say, as nice as it was not having a car payment, it was time.
I talked my dad and Skyler into coming with me last week, and a mere five hours later, I was the proud owner of a new car! :) And now I find myself looking for places to go just so I can drive in it. Oh... and can I just say that new car smell is one of my favorite smells on this planet? LOVE it.

Farewell, Nissy

Isn't she a beaut? *Currently taking suggestions for a name...*

*Sidenote-- new bad date post here.

Please explain to me

why anyone would want to purchase one of these.

And thank you, Facebook, for suggesting that I might perhaps wish to own one.

9/11

I'm sitting here thinking about what happened eleven years ago. Our country was changed forever. My life was changed forever. I was a senior in high school, and I remember hearing the news while I was getting ready that morning. My grandma came in and told me to come watch the news for a minute. At first, it seemed like a crazy crash. And then the second plane hit. And the reality set in. How could someone do that to us? How could someone knowingly take so many lives and change so many families? How could someone be so selfish that they didn't care about another living soul? My seventeen year old brain couldn't grasp it. I knew there was evil in the world, but I just couldn't understand how someone could be that evil. When I got to school that morning, all of my teachers had the news playing on their tvs. That's all we did all day. The events kept replaying in my mind. And now, as a teacher, I understand why they did that. History was taking place, and we needed to be aware of what was going on. I remember sitting in seminary, where my teacher canceled his lesson so we could sing hymns and have a mini-testimony meeting. I cried. My dad was a pilot, and I was just thankful he was safe. I didn't know at that point how the events of that September morning would change my family's life forever.

As a teacher, I feel that it is important that my students understand the devastation that came that day. I think they need to know how much it changed our country-- for better and for worse. They need to be aware that their lives are different because of what happened. My seventh graders this year were one when it happened. One. I don't know if they will ever fully understand just how powerful that day was. But I sure hope they do.

And I hope that we never forget the sacrifices that were made on that day to save lives, to save families, and to bring a nation together. I know I never will. I can't, because how can you forget something so powerful?

A teacher I work with shared this video with our faculty. I had never heard this story before, but it was a beautiful reminder of the amazing people that stepped forward when it was needed most. There really are good people in the world.

I really lucked out.

Having these ladies as my sisters makes my life a gazillion-bazillion times better. I sure do love them.

Nicole-Kelsey-Me

A New Blog...

A few months ago, I was telling my sister about a recent date I had been on and how completely crazy the guy was. She looked at me and said, "You've got to start a blog. You have so many bad dates you could write about." I sat on the idea for a while, and finally got things up and going. Join me as I write about my terrible, yet humorous dating experiences. And please, if you have your own bad date experiences, share them! My email address is in the sidebar, so feel free to send me a story or two... or three (or more if you are as lucky as I have been) and I'll post them! :) Spread the word-- The more stories, the better!

Mishaps on the Way to Marriage