Yea for Cambodia!

I love the sweaty face!

Giving a Book of Mormon to someone in the airport while everyone is waiting for a group picture.

Group Pic

This week was a banner week!

1) Trammell send a great 3 page typed letter. You can feel his love and enthusiasm for his mission, his companion and te Cambodian people. He blends all the details moms want about living conditions with testimony and stories of missionary work. The letter was a day late. I wasn't worried because I figured that their was a zone meeting or zone leader training. Sure enough, he and his companion travelled 6 hours to Phnom Penh for training on P-day.


2) We received a completely unexpected phone call from Trammell's mission companion's mother. That says a lot about Elder Godfrey and his parents! What a kind and considerate young man.......to know that parents love to hear anything from anyone who may have seen or spoken to their missionary. Elder Godfrey is from Lindon, UT. He has been out for 14 months and is the zone leader in Siem Reap. We couldn't ask for a better trainer!


3) There is a senior couple missionary who lived in my stake when I was growing up. They went into and out of the MTC while tram was there. They picked the elders up at the airport upon their arrival in Phnom Penh. They set up a blog and sent the link to my mom (of course she forwarded it to me! YAY!) And they sent some additonal pictures to my mom as well.

So even though Trammell is thousands of miles and 13 hours ahead, I feel like I have had lots of contact with him. The Lord moves in mysterious ways and his love can be found in these small acts. He really does know and love each and every individual. He hasn't forgotten you and will remember you in your trials and tests. I see this nearly everyday.

Parade/BBQ/PepRally/Bonfire

Talk about a party! The day started early. Parker was the only freshman on the Bonfire Committee. Pretty much, everybody wants to be on the bonfire committee because

1) It's a fire!!!! Who doesn't like fire?

2) You get to build the fire!!! The only thing better than watching a fire is actually being the owner of the fire.

3) You get your very own LAMINATED Dumpster Diving Pass. Yeah! You get to spend school hours leaving campus, going to construction dumpsters and scrounging wood. There is NO better school assignment than this.
AND 4) You miss ONE WHOLE DAY of school to build the bonfire.

You have until about 1:00 to get it done and then the fire marshall comes to okay it. Then when she leaves, you add a couple of feet to the fire (just six or seven more pallets). Then the Activities Director from the school comes out to check on it about 2 and says "Enough." As soon as she leave.........stack a few more pallets on the thing and you got a fire!

So we started partying at 4:00 with the Flag Boys leading the parade.

Here are some of the floats. Oops! I left out the juniors (and I have one!) and I left out the seniors who did win first place.

We all enjoyed the barbeque and the carnival games, bouncy castles, velcro walls, inflatable slides etc. And then we settled in for the pep rally, which for me is merely a time filler until the BIG EVENT - the sun going down!

The fire marshall is getting smarter in her old age. She brought a picture of the bonfire she approved at 1. She said this was "larger" now than it had been at 1. Hmmmmmmm. I don't know how that happened. They also wanted to move the barricades even further away from the fire. The principal assured them that once the fire was lit, everyone would move back.

Giving in to Exhaustion

I don't know what is wrong with these slugs! It's only 4 in the afternoon. And it's only Wednesday. We are 24 hours away from the Homecoming Parade and I know a few floats that need every minute of every hour to be completed. What are these two thinking?

So here's what it has been like this week

5:15 - Get up for seminary

7:00 - Go to school - Spirit days every week so you can't just go to school. You have to go to school in costume and be involved in some funky lunch time activity. You might even be in charge of the activity.........but you are NOT just going to sit around during your lunch break.

2:50 - Get out of school

3:00 - Lacrosse. If you don't have lacrosse then you better get over to the house where the float is being built. If you have homework.....well.........where are your priorities? You better get to the float

6:30 - Realize that you are starving and order something or order someone to bring you something at the float.

7:00 - Every night is a different Homecoming activity. If you are in leadership, you are required to attend..........but you still have to pay the $5 entrance fee.

9:30 Return home hungry and tired and start homework.

Today was the SPIRIT BUS. Garrett was excused from all classes. Gee thanks!

Everyone hops on a bus and goes to elementary schools spreading good cheer and ridiculousness. Basically, the little kids get out of class and line the halls while the flag boys lead the football players, cheerleaders, marching band and other spirited youth in a screaming, whooping running mass through the hall ways of the school.

All the children hold out their hands in hopes of getting a high five from someone big and sweaty. It just inspires the 1st graders and encourages them to dream big. "Oooo Ooo, I hope when I am pimply and hairy, I can dress in some kind of uniform with a headband and run through the halls like those guys! Yes! That would be the ultimate."

Now lest you are not yet impressed, please understand............the first lap through the school is merely a "getting acquainted" lap. The second lap is for the children to yell out the names of those big sisters and brothers and cousins that they thought they recognized on lap 1. By then the cheerleaders are beginning to glow, the football players are tired, the teachers fail to see how this will enhance their educational day and the children are overstimulated and it's time for everyone to settle down and for the high schoolers to get back on the bus and move on to terrorize another elementary school.

But we can't let the fun end there. This calls for the flag boys to make one last sprint through the school. This makes all the boys reconsider their dreams of being quarterback!

Tonight there is NO activity. Phew........maybe some homework can get done. Oh but wait! Tomorrow is the parade. The floats are is disarray..........except for the seniors who have been done for a week. (Or should I say their parents have been done for a week? I'm NOT bitter!) So it's all hands on deck for an all nighter. You would think these floats were being entered in the Rose Parade (until you saw them). So no homework tonight. Sorry. But that's okay because Parker informed me that he doesn't have school tomorrow.

"Wait! Why don't you have school." I'm thinking really hard and digging in my brain for reasons when he says, "Oh, I'm excused all day. We'll be building the bonfire."

Right! How could I forget? There is nothing more important, not geometry, biology or english, than the bonfire. I mean, it's stupid when people miss class to go to the orthodontist or say, a funeral. But missing class to build the bonfire is a completely reasonable excuse.

Come back in a couple of days! I'll have pics of tomorrow's parade, BBQ, pep rally and bonfire. Nope - no homework tomorrow night either!

Exercise will kill you! It's an all around bad idea. Here's some reasons you shouldn't do it!

1) It takes up valuable time!

You could be doing something important or something you really like.........like eating cookies and drinking an ice cold coke while reading the paper.

2) You'll need a whole new wardrobe!

When I worked out for three months, I had to buy the first pair of tennis shoes I've owned in 20 years. I went to the sporting good store and here is the conversation:

Me: "Hi, I need a pair of tennis shoes."

Salesguy: "Sure. Now tell me what kind you are looking for?

Me: "Oh well, the most important thing is that they are cute. Yeah! So I guess they have to be pink."

I got the cutest pair of tennis shoes with pink on them..........but since I don't work out anymore, I don't know where they are.

And of course I had to buy the pink Under Armor and cute pants, and cute shorts, and a cute jacket for cold days.

3) You'll sweat!

There is nothing worse than getting sweaty. Then you have to take another shower! Or if you think you are so smart and you are going to postpone your shower until after you've worked out..............think about this! You don't actually hit the shower til noon. The day is 1/2 over and you are just now getting dressed.

4) You for sure will get hurt and need surgery

It's true. Everyone I know who exercises tears something...........and it's not just their spandex. Your knees, shoulders, wrists and ankles are just not supposed to be used like that. You exercisers use them up! Next time you see someone with a cast or crutches or brace, ask them how the got hurt. I guarantee that they didn't get injured watching TV or shopping at the mall or at lunch with friends. It just doesn't happen. Oh and look at Lance Armstrong. Riding his bike all the time caused cancer.

5) 100% of people who exercise DIE

You've heard the stories. You've read them in the newspaper. "Young athlete runs for the touchdown and drops dead on the 1 yard line." You all know people (I should say you used to know someone) who played basketball every week at the church..............until he dropped over from a heart attack. That's a chance I'm not willing to take.

Yes, exercise kills. You only have so many heart beats. I'm saving mine.

Confessions of a Blog Stalker

I was talking to my friend about blogs and she had a few questions. So I am writing this post about HER and HER blog stalking. First of all, if you don't know what blog stalking is then you are missing out. I mean...........it is a sick and twisted waste of time!

Blog Stalking is going to one of your friend's blogs and looking at the little list that is usually located on the right side of the blog page. The list is of other peoples' blogs who your friend is friends with but you are not. You click on a random friend and voyeuristically read about strangers. Then you click on one their friends. (You are now two removed from anyone you know). But who knows! You might run into someone you know.


So after spending some time blog stalking, My Friend has a few questions:

1) Does anyone over 35 have a blog? What could they possibly blog about now that their uterus is dried up and they don't have any of THESE pics to post!
2) People! Quit setting your blogs on PRIVATE! How am I, I mean my friend, supposed to stalk you if you set it on private? That takes ALL the fun out of stalking!

3) Where the heck do these names come from? I mean some of the 1st generation of bloggers have normal names, but then some.........not so much. Here are some of the names my friend has seen:

Alycin
Brydon
Apryl - what's with the Y's on these names?

Lichelle
Kortnee
Caren
Natilee
Maybe the people were typing too fast when they entered their names.

And then there are these bloggers' childrens' names. Your are RUINING your children! What are they named after? Small towns in Canada? Car Prototypes?

What's the sex? Brecken, Gibson, Kenlee,

Guess where dad went on his mission? Holland, Montana, Sheyenne, Nicoise

Others: Stryder, Cache, Creed, Ryken, Jailee, Ranan and Jayden/Jaden/Jaidon

4) Does EVERYONE know SOMEONE who does photography? How many photographers does the world need? Is no one working on a cure for cancer anymore?

Well those are just a few things I, I mean My Friend, noticed while blog stalking. I personally would NEVER blog stalk. I ONLY look at my own personal friends' blogs that I am invited to look at. And now that I think about it, probably my friend is the ONLY one in the world to blog stalk. Right? I mean you would never do it and I am sure that only close friends and family read this blog. Right?

I Passed!

Yep! I passed! I got an A.....even though I missed a couple on the True/False portion and I didn't know the answers to a couple of the fill in the blanks. I still did a "great job!"

Yesterday was my annual exam and it was way harder than I remember it being. I should have studied! Like on question 16: Do you exercise regularly? It was just a yes or no answer. I think that you should be able to explain. I wanted to write....."I hate to sweat." or "The only time I have is between 2 am and 4 am." But they just wanted you to limit your answers to checking the Yes or No box. I could have lied. But then, that was the last question. #264 -"Did you lie on any of the above?"

All the stuff you would want to lie about - like your weight- were filled in by the nurse. Right when she opens the door and calls your name, you walk 3 inches and step on a scale. They finally got smart though. There is a little table by the scale for your purse and shoes. Cuz who is going to weigh themselves with their purse?

So back to the parts of the test that I had control over. The rest of the True/False went fine. I knew all the answers. "Do you wear sunscreen everyday?" Okay, I don't, but I knew the answer was supposed to be yes. So I marked it. And I was right. That was the correct answer! Along with "Do you have guns in the house and where do you store the ammuntion?" Ummm....what does that have to do with my private parts? I think that was one of those trick questions thrown in there for fun. Got it right though!

As far as the fill in the blank. Why do they ask you questions that they know the answer to? "When was your last tetanus shot?" "When was your cholesterol last checked?" I had to put "?" I didn't know, but I knew the doctor knew and if he already knows, then why was he asking? Yep - he didn't mark me off for the "?" because I was right! He knew!

I remember him ordering a full blood panel a few years ago. I didn't do so well at that exam because he asked about my eating habits. I told him I always ate stuff from all four food groups - Fat, Sugar, Salt and Caffeine. Turns out, those aren't the four food groups. He asked about breakfast - yep - eat it everyday! Usually it's 4 pieces of bacon and a coke. Sometimes it's cookies though instead of the bacon. He thought he'd order the blood panel and show me the results of sticking to my diet. Well, well, well.........seems the nitrates are working for me. Low cholsterol, low blood pressure and low weight. I am an underachiever!

So yeah. He looked at this year's weight and blood test and didn't even bother ordering more tests or arguing with my health habits. He finished the tests and closed his file folder, said I looked good and that he'd see me next year.

Eventually my luck will run out. I'll answer one too many questions incorrectly and get a B. But for now......pass me a cupcake!

Wednesday night, I was driving through the neighborhood. I rounded a corner and just two seconds later, this was my view. I could see the driver clearly. There was no time to think, no time to honk. I swerved off the road. Luckily there were no trees, other cars, people or big brick mailboxes. I just drove into the grass.

I came to a complete stop and looked in my rear view mirror. Just a few yards behind me, the other driver had stopped. She was STILL in my lane. She didn't look back. She didn't get out. She didn't get back into her own lane. She didn't signal. She just made a right hand turn from the left lane and drove away.

The adrenaline was flowing and I was in a little bit of shock. I drove home and just as I entered my house, my cell rang. It was my sister-in-law. She asked, "Hey! Do you happen to know anybody who drives a black.....Jeep....." Before she could finish, I yelled out, "Cherokee? NO! but one just forced me off the road!" She said that she had been forced off the road by the same car just minutes before. The lady was driving on my sister-in-law's side of the road. When my SIL tried to get off the road, she could only pull half way off because of other obstacles. The lady continued to head straight for her. My SIL laid on the horn but it wasn't until the last second that the lady swerved back into the correct lane.

We both called the police. The police drove through the neighborhood looking for her. We drove through the neighborhood too. No luck. But then around 10 pm, the officer called and they had caught her and arrested her.

They actually caught her when she almost drove head on into one of the police cars. Her blood alcohol level was 4 times the legal limit. So she was a tad drunk.

Phew! We're both still in a little bit of shock. The police are amazed that no one was hurt. They are stunned by the coincidence that both "victims" are related. Hopefully, she will get the help she needs.

But the bottom line is that we both feel like were definitely protected Wednesday night. I cannot describe the determined expression on the driver's face. Nor can I explain how close she was to my car and how fast I drove off the road. Everything happened so quickly, yet in slow motion.

I can think of about 25 lessons in this one experience!

I aM GoiNG To Die!

I had forgotten. I have spent 90 days getting up at the ridiculously late hour of 6:30 and even 7 am. Now all of sudden, I'm back to getting up at 4:15 am for seminary. Seriously, death is nigh! So am I stupid? Having taught for 4 years, you would think I would remember. Each and every day when I wake up, I think to myself, "I'm going to die." It never changes. You don't get used to it.

Two things you didn't know about me:

1. I am NOT a morning person. Just because I get up at 4:15 doesn't mean I like it. I get up that early so that by the time I do see kids, I can be somewhat pleasant.

2. I am NOT a scriptorian. Yeah, I've read the standard works several times. I've read the seminary curriculum for all of the scriptures. I've read a thousand commentaries. I still cannot quote memorized scriptures and I barely know where Joshua is. I JUST finished teaching the Old Testament and couldn't remember where the story of David and Goliath is. (It's in 1 Samuel 17 by the way. I NEVER would have guessed that.)

I am NOT complaining. I'm just saying.........

So, WHY do I do it then?

1. Tied for number 1 - I love the Lord and I LOVE teenagers.

2. I love the scriptures and I loved the "forced" scripture study. I'll admit it. Left to my own devices, I wouldn't teach the scriptures to kids for 45 minutes every day and then come home and study for a minimum of two hours every day. I'm not that strong!

3. There is nothing I would rather do. I've looked at the other callings and I know what's out there. I like this one. Yeah it's hard, but the rewards are great. Well, I would like to be the flyer passer outer at sacrament meeting. I don't want to make the flyers and I don't want to greet people. I just want to stand by the door and hand them out. But that's not an option. So I'll stick with what I got.

FLAG (with an L) Boys

I know, I know, you have NO idea what I am talking about! And you are probably afraid to ask. The Flag Boys have only been around at our school for the last four or five years (since Trammell was one). And funny, they haven't really caught on at other schools! What is wrong with the other schools?
So there are three boys (2 seniors and 1 junior) who are selected to be

Flag Boys each year. These guys are unofficial cheerleaders. They dress alike and have these flags that they wave around and get the crowd wound up. THANKS Margaret for making the flags!

So the Flag Boys go to every football game and are on the field with the cheers and the poms. They rile up the crowd, do

cheers with the cheerleaders (in a lame way that says "Hey these girls have been practicing all summer for this, but hey we are doing this for the first time and have no clue what we are doing.") and they even join in with the Poms for their kick line. In a tribute to teenage boydom, they basically make everything up as they go. BUT, they do throw the mini footballs and t-shirts to the crowd, which the cheerleaders can only throw to the first two rows. So that's something! It's enough to make any parent proud. ;)

Friday was the first game. Woo hoo! The boys had a blast! The flags looked great. The cheerleading sponsor said they were the best ever. So there you have it!