Pictures

I know I haven't posted for a bit; I've been keeping myself busy with teaching and having fun! I always try and make time for these beautiful girls. I'm the luckiest aunt in the world, what can I say?! They always pose with the funniest faces. I need to learn from them on how to make the funny faces..it's not my strong point!





Lovely: I have the best nieces and nephews in the world. Today was Aspen's birthday and we went to dinner at Olive Garden. Man, they make me laugh!

Horrible: As much as I love the snow, I'm nervous about driving in it to Tremonton in the morning. Please bless!

Face Unafraid the Plans That I've Made...

Face unafraid the plans that I've made. I love this statement. I probably have blogged about it before, but it recently has come back into my life as a great reminder. I have no need to fear my future. I'm happy-

• I love my job. I have the best job ever!! My students make me laugh everyday. It makes me so happy and proud when I see them all progressing. First grade is such a rewarding grade to teach because at that age, they are like sponges and take everything in. I love when I see them applying in their reading and writing what I have taught them. I get to go to graduate school and that makes me so happy. I'm always constantly seeking for knowledge. It gratifies me and makes me a better person and teacher.

• I love where I live. Logan is such a great place for me to be right now. It's so beautiful. It feels like home! And I have the best roommate ever!
  

• I love my family. They are always there and available to help me. I know they love me and support me and that's all this girl needs! And I can't help it, I have the best nieces and nephews ever. I wish I could have them around me all the time because I feel the happiest when I'm around them.
  

• I love my friends. I've always truly been blessed with the best. I only surround myself with positive happy people and that has made all the difference. I'm blessed and I'm reminded of that on a daily basis.
  

• I love who I am. I have good, genuine qualities that I've been blessed with. Because I have been raised the way I am, I am happy because I know how to serve others. I know how to give of myself without losing myself. I know when to serve others and when it's time for me to serve myself. I know how to reflect on my life and what I have to be grateful for. I know who I am, where I came from, and where I want to go. Goals are important to me. I set them and reach high! What a gift!
  

Face unafraid the plans that I've made...sounds good to me!

Lovely: Sushi for dinner! I am a foodie...I love my food! The best thing about sushi besides how yummy it is, is that after I eat it, I don't feel gross and heavy. I feel healthier!


Horrible: Today was the last day for one of my students. She is moving and it makes me so sad. I had to hold back the tears as I hugged her goodbye. Every single one of my students has an impact on my life. I spend 6 hours with them everyday, 5 days a week so I'm with my students more than anyone else in my life and it's very hard for me when I have to say goodbye!

Lovely? Horrible!

Lovely: The fact that I got an extra hour of sleep yesterday because of Daylight Savings, and I drove to work in daylight today instead of darkness. Also, the rainy weather makes me want to curl up in my bed with the AMAZING book I'm reading right now (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo).

Horrible: Rainy days for elementary school students makes a LONG day for this first grade teacher. They didn't get to go outside and play, so they were stuck inside all day. We also had a little scare where the power went out for a bit, which made them even MORE hyper! The last hour of school today was pretty rough!! Time for bed...?

Dear Tuh-bi-tha and Jen

Tabs,

I'm sorry that me going off Facebook has caused you some grief in your life. I too miss the "remember when" game, but I'm liking this idea of blog video posting. The soldiers doing the jumping jacks in Iraq was hysterical! (Here's the video for those of you that haven't seen this:)



My personal favorite from this was the guy in the middle. He looks like he's boxing/dancing.

Here's a video in return, from a movie we both love to quote. I'm thinking we should watch this during Christmas with the whole famdamily. Love you!!



Dear Jen,

Thank you for your words on your blog to me. I love being able to be open with you and for your honesty and no judgment towards what I have to tell you. If only more people in the world could be like that! I appreciate that you took to heart what I said and thought about it so you could give me a response that was meaningful, loving and very needed. You are wonderful!!

I have great sisters!!

Denver, How I Love Thee

If you are a follower of my blog (or if you just know me as a person), you know that I spent a year in Denver, Colorado for a sabbatical from teaching. I haven't gone back to visit for about 9 months, so I was MORE than ready to visit last weekend. When my plane landed, I felt like I was "home" again. My excuse for going, besides just for fun? Jessica, my former roommate, and person that moved to Denver with me from Utah, got married! I had a glorious weekend of visiting friends and former coworkers, eating yummy Colorado food, seeing Jessica get married in the Denver temple to a Canadian (so therefore, I enjoyed being around Mac's Canadian family and friends with their cute accents), shopping, hitting up a haunted house and corn maze, and making new friends! Can't wait until my next trip back!

Right after I flew in to Denver, my old roommate and friend Hilary picked me up and we headed straight to Red Robin to eat with friends. John Henry Parker, one of my favorite people of all time, manages the Red Robin that we went to and he brought me a HUGE serving of the campfire sauce to dip in my fries. He knows how much I love that stuff! (I put a dime next to the container to show the size of it. Yummy!)


My good friend Brett and I were talking about how we hadn't yet got Jessica and Mac a wedding present, so we thought we would be funny to take pictures together and frame them to give as our gift. You betcha, that's really what we gave them! Below are just a few of the hysterical ones that we took..

My good friend Sara and I after the temple session, waiting for Jessica and Mac to come out for pictures.

John Henry Parker, up close and personal.

The cute couple!

Hilary and I. Notice the height difference. We are known as Talls and Smalls...

I love this girl!!

One of my favorite temples of all time. This temple got me through a lot the year I was there!

After the wedding, we were starving so we got brunch at the Original Pancake House. I have been to the one in Salt Lake a few times, but I FINALLY ordered something that I will order forever from there. The Pecan Banana crepes are to die for! Notice my side of bacon and the original potatoes. Yep, I really was that hungry!

I met a few new friends in Denver, this girl was my fave. Her name is Debbie, she's good friends with Hilary. She hung out with us the whole weekend. I haven't laughed that hard with someone for a long time! I love meeting new people who are fun, easy going, funny, and a charm to be around.

Graduate School, Here I Come!

I was officially accepted into the School of Graduate Studies today, in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership! I will start in January to work towards getting my Masters Degree in Elementary Education, with a reading endorsement with it (which will make me more highly qualified to teach reading). My mom brought the letter to school today, and I was so excited when I opened the letter and read that I had been accepted. I can't wait to start going to school again! It will be tough with teaching all day and taking night classes but I look forward to it making me a better teacher and person. Utah State, Hey Aggies all the way, here I come!!

Glee

Yep, I'm a total Gleek, I can't get enough of Glee each week and the music. This week was no exception to that. I cried the whole episode. God is Great, God is Good, God doesn't make any mistakes!

For Now

I have decided to deactivate my Facebook account...for now anyway. I need more time to get back to myself...the other day I was reading an AMAZING book my roommate let me borrow called The Gift by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master. I had just had a great discussion with her about how I've been feeling so out of balance with myself, lost and unsure of so much with myself. I turned to a page in the book, and he says "...to give myself, to myself." It hit me so hard that that is what I need to do. I am so good at giving freely to others, to always lend a helping hand to those I love, to those in need. My job is one where I sacrifice so much of myself, my time and my efforts. I love my job so much, I can't imagine having any other job (in fact, I went into school Saturday to work for a bit, and while I was working, I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude because I'm doing what I love to do most. How lucky and blessed that makes me!) But I come home drained and tired a lot. I'm not giving enough of myself TO myself. So that is what I'm going to work on for now. Get back to me, get back to who I am, figure out what I love and desire and follow the dreams in my heart. I'm sure eventually I'll get back on Facebook, it was a great communication tool for so many people in my life. But until then, if you need to get a hold of me, hopefully you know how! :)

I read NieNie's blog, and I noticed she' s been starting to add something lovely and something horrible about the days she writes, so I'm going to start doing that on the days that I blog:

Lovely: I had a great talk today with one of my closest friends, Curtis (who I lovingly refer to as Bob. I met Bob when I worked for 2 summers as a camp counselor. He was a fellow counselor and his camp name was Bob, so that is he who is to me!)

Horrible: I stayed WAY too late at work and came home and did some more work, so I wasn't able to finish the book Mockingjay tonight like I was hoping to! I can't get enough of the Hunger Games series, I highly recommend all 3 books to everyone and anyone that loves to read! (I'm dying to know...Peeta or Gale?! But don't you dare spoil it for me!)

I discovered this song a few weeks ago, and it brings so much joy to my soul. I love every word, it's how I want to be again, getting back to myself! Enjoy!

Lovin'

School has officially begun again! I am in the fourth week of teaching my 2nd year of first grade, and so far it's going as well as the first month of first grade can. They are adorable and fun and learn so fast, but it's very draining to keep 25 6-7 year olds focused all day. By 9:00, I am usually asked, "Teacher, when is lunch?" "Teacher, when do we go home?" I go through the schedule everyday, and slowly they are getting more in the routines of day to day school but I come home completely exhausted! So usually the last thing I want to do is blog. But it has been far too long since I completed my last entry, so here are some more updates:

• We had the annual Perkins' Family Reunion. This year we went to Lagoon for a day, and then to Bear Lake the next day. I don't have any pictures from Bear Lake because I only was able to go for a short time, I had my 10 year high school reunion that night. And I'll be honest, the Lagoon pictures I didn't take either. My siblings are FABULOUS at taking pictures and I just "borrow" theirs!

• I am old!! My 10 year high school reunion was this summer. It is so crazy to me how fast time went by, how much I've accomplished in the past 10 years, but at the same time, how much I haven't been able to do yet. I didn't really want to go but my good friend Brandon talked me into it, and I'm glad I did attend. It was so fun to see friends I haven't seen in years, and to see how much people have changed and done with their lives! It will be interesting to see how much changes in the next 10 years. (I'll be 38!!)
  

My good friend and freshman year of college roomie, Hannah. She didn't graduate with us, but she married Jake, my good friend from high school. It was so great seeing her and Jake!

My gorgeous friend, Brandon. Thanks for talking me into going, Brando!

• Tabbi ran the half marathon, so my sister-in-law Jen, and my niece Aspen, and I all went to cheer her on. Jen and I reminisced about running it last year and we both hope to run it again next year. I've really missed having the regular routine of running in my life and desire to have it back again. I was able to watch the Top of Utah marathon this past Saturday from my own front porch because they run by my house and I really wanted to be running with them. That is my ultimate goal, to run one full marathon. Can I do it?!
  

PS, I literally got up and crawled out of bed and put on a hat minutes before seeing Tabbi cross the finish line, so don't judge how I look! ;)

• I have moved back to Logan and I can't tell you how much I love it. My best friend, Jenna, couldn't sell her house so my friend Katie and I are renting it from her. Katie has a dog, Sam, and a cat, Ash. I am not a pet person, so at first I was a little concerned as to how it would be living with a dog and a cat. But I love, love, love them so much. Sam is my third roomie and Ash and I have become BFF's. I have now even jumped on the pet bandwagon and I own a fish! Huge commitment for me, dead serious! It took me a while to pick out the angelfish, and even longer to come up with her name. But I decided to go with Eat,Pray,Love, a theme in my life at this time. She will go by Eatee for short. So my life when I come home from school consists of hanging out with the pets and I can't get enough of it! I was even excited driving home from school today to see Eatee...how lame is that?!
  

Sam and I. Adorable!

Eatee...

Isn't Sam beautiful?! Ash was outside playing at this time and I couldn't find him, so I'll post a picture of him later.

• I finally got new glasses after years of having my old ones. I don't really wear glasses a lot except at night but my new ones are so fun, I just might wear them more often! I wore them to school today and my students told me they made me look smarter and they loved the design on the sides.
  

Laughing My Pants Off!

I put this on my Facebook page too, but for those of you who aren't on Facebook, or don't stalk my page, but do stalk my blog, you will enjoy this. Funniest thing I've seen in a while, I keep watching it and laughing so hard I almost pee my pants. And then I show other people, and laugh so hard I almost pee my pants, as they do the same, too! Thanks Tabbi, for sharing this with me!

Happy Monday!

It's About Time

Man, I suck at this whole blogging thing lately! It's been a really fun summer for me, too so I have plenty to blog about. But I will admit, I've also been super lazy...hence the reason I haven't blogged as much! One fun thing from today, I moved back to Logan. Finally!! I am a Loganite again! It feels good to be back to this city that I absolutely love and adore. I can't wait to run in the evenings around the Island, take drives through the canyon, ride my bike and feel the wind in my hair around this beautiful city. I'm also looking forward to spending more time with my nieces, making new friends, and seeing old ones more. Change is something I've been craving lately, and I look forward to the new changes that lie ahead for me here!

Here are some pictures from random adventures I've had this summer:

I met up with the old "gang" and went to dinner and bowling. Meggan and Bryce...

Shay and Nik

Laci and I

For the second year in a row, I have joined the Schulze tradition of going on a long hike at Zion National Park. Last year we did the Orderville hike. This year we wanted to go for the Subway hike, but didn't end up getting permits for that one, so we did Orderville again. We all thought it would take a lot longer this year because instead of 14 of us, there were now 24, including several children. But somehow, we finished the hike hours before our time last year. So much fun! (I secretly hope that I'm invited every year. I kind of feel like I'm part of the family. :) )

Shannon Rhodes invited several friends to her cabin in Island Park for a Singles weekend. 5 of us ended up coming but it was so much fun! We went on a few four wheeling rides. It had been years since I had driven one, but after a bit I got the hang of it. Unfortunately, I did hit a pretty rough bump and went flying through the trees. Luckily the four wheeler was okay but my arm came a way with a pretty deep wound. But totally worth it to see the view from the top!

Me, Shannon, Mandy and Monica at the top of two top mountain.

On our drive home from Island Park, Monica and I stopped in Rexburg to see the temple. This was only my second time driving through Rexburg, a tiny college town. Beautiful temple!

I just wanted to throw in the fact that I love Jimmy John's sandwiches, I would marry them if I could. I've eaten there several times this summer, and I know I'll be eating there a lot more, now that I live in Logan!

Monica and I heading to Island Park

My good friend, Bryce Glover, invited me to go to the BYU football date night. I was a little hesitant at first because I am not a BYU football fan by any means, I'm an Aggie girl by heart. But it turned out to be a really fun night! We ate a yummy meal, interacted with the coaches and football players, checked out the locker room and field, and got to know the players on a more personal level. My two favorite moments were probably when I about took down a player, and then when I caught a pass and got a high five from a different player. I'm still not a BYU fan, but my heart has been softened...just a smidge!

Bryce and I with Coach Mendenhall. I will say, he was super attractive!

I drove down to St. George to spend a week with my friend Ellen and her family. We hiked Zion on an incredibly hot day, I literally didn't think I was going to make it to see the three emerald pools. However, I was reminded a few times by complete strangers that I was superwoman, and it gave me the little bit of extra push I needed to get there.

On another night in St. George, Ellen drove me around to all the different sites. This spot was my favorite at Snow Canyon. Absolutely beautiful!

Another night, we also went to the Tuacahn Theater to watch the Broadway of Tarzan. Incredible!

Since I was already down in St. George, I thought I would take a day and go visit my friend, Becca. She recently moved back to Vegas from Colorado, before she heads to BYU-Hawaii. It was such a fun day! We went to a movie, got huge tropical smoothies, went to the Bellagio Hotel on the strip where we visited the garden (seriously one of my most favorite places on Earth), ate some yummy chocolate cheesecake and watched the water show, something I've wanted to do for years but haven't been able to do. We then had a marathon of Burn Notice. It was so good to see her and spend time with her!

My sister and sister-in-law set up a cousin's camp this year, and I invited myself along as the favorite aunt. We went to Craters of the Moon in Idaho. My favorite part, besides spending time with my nieces and nephews, was the night hike a few of us took. I hope I'm invited every year to cousin's camp! (Hint, hint.)

My sister-in-law, Jen, and I took a roadie to Boise to see Jewel and Brandi Carlile in concert. A-MA-ZING! We were pretty close to the stage! I was able to get this one shot of Brandi before putting my camera away..they were Nazi's about not shooting pictures of the performers! I loved seeing two of my favorite musicians live and up close and acoustic. Such a fun night!!

Jenna and I at the concert. Can I just say that I love this girl?! She has received her PhD in Psychology and just accepted a teaching position at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. I miss her, but guess what? I get to live in her beautiful house in Logan!