Leap Day!

Did you know that today is Gioachino Rossini's birthday? Just a little leap day trivia. He actually had written an opera or 2 before his 3rd birthday!


Ok, so this has been a very hectic week. Not only did we have parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday, but I also travelled to Orem to play for 5 band students for their region solo competition. Three of the 5 actually received I's (Top scores), and will probably go on to State in April. In the meantime, John has had the flu and Gabe hasn't been feeling that well, either.




This was a big snowball someone had rolled into the middle of the park. Gabe just wanted to sit on it.

These were taken on our big Snow day at the park! Gabe loved it. I was freezing!


Gabe turns 5 this week! Does it even seem possible? We were going to try to have Gabe's birthday party this weekend, but I haven't even had time to figure out what cake to make him or anything else, for that matter. So, we will postpone the festivities to next weekend: Sara has agreed to let us have the party at her house. So we will plan on Saturday, March 8th, probably around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. I will keep everyone posted this week.


I thought I would also show everybody what the downstairs bathroom is shaping up to be. Of course, right now, all it is is a great big mess! But it is really taking shape. Sorry for the poor color on these pictures.

The shower is all tiled in and the grout applied. There is even this great bench inside. I guess this is the south-east side of the basement. It used to be storage space.

Here is some of the construction mess. Then the floor has just been installed: dark blue tiles put down in sheets. The walls are now sanded and smooth. A little more finish work, and the toilet and sink can be installed. Not to mention my washer and dryer put back. (Luckily, we've been able to use my Mom's for the last 3 weeks.) We'll take more pictures as more gets done and let you all see the final product. We are really looking forward to getting this all done! Then we can start upstairs!

An Unexpected Day Off!

Valentines Day held a few extra surprises yesterday: the biggest being that I did not have to go to school! For the first time in over 15 years, Tooele actually cancelled school! But, it was a nice, relaxing day, with a nice big rose bouquet at the end of it. Madi has so much fun making pictures in negative, that I decided to try a few. Here is my bouquet in both real and negative colors. They look really cool!

Here it is, February 15th, and the month is half gone! Where is time going? It seems like the term just got going, and now mid-terms are due next week, as well as parent/teacher conferences the next. We all got hit by the monster storm on Wednesday, but Tooele actually got more that 18 inches of snow out of it! John called me at 3:30 a.m. and told me it was not a good idea for me to try to drive to work yesterday morning. So, I got up early and set up sub plans and applied for a sub, etc. and then, as it turned out, Tooele School District actually cancelled school, so I didn't have to worry about it. I still had to get up and get Madi to early morning seminary.

This picture is taken looking west from Clarke Johnsen Jr. High. It was really pretty out there today. Even if half of their snow melted there like it did here, that was a LOT of snow!

This picture is at Tooele Jr, where I just about couldn't find a parking space for all the snow!

Ok, so it doesn't quite match up to Idaho standards, but you have to admit Utah hasn't seen this kind of action in quite a while.

Lalo discovered that the heat vent is right under the sink. He just stretched out there and enjoyed the warmth!

You know, for a cat that isn't even ours, we've sure had fun with him! He comes and goes as he pleases, but we all just love him! He even has Mom's nurse under his spell. She picks him up and he just purrs like a little motor.

These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago when we were all at Stacy's. Somehow, John got both babies, and I couldn't resist taking these pictures. Unfortunately, the lights from the windows kind of distort these, but you can see that John is just loving having those girls in his arms.

Well, this is the big weekend for Esme. We will be seeing everyone there! Drive safely and we look forward to the fun!

Back to the Grind

Since the last time I checked in, we drove home from Idaho, spent a day doing laundry and other necessary tasks, and then drove to St. George for my Music Teachers' Conference. Gabe really looked forward to the pool! We stayed at the same place we all stay when we travel down there for the Shakespearean Festival, etc. So we all got to swim a bit, I got some really great new ideas, and John got a few extra relaxing days to finish off his vacation.

Notice the difference in snow depths from the 1st day to our last in Idaho. John cleaned about 18 inches of snow off the van before we left.

We stopped by the Rexburg Temple on our way home. It was still really cold, so we didn't linger long enough to do more than snap these pictures. It is a beautiful building.

Well, the vacation was great, and now it is back to work for both John and me. One thing about being gone for a few days, my students were really glad to see me again. However, I am now finding out that I have quite a bit of work cut out for me to catch up on grades. Not only that, but I have to figure out exactly what the subs did and did not do.

Yesterday we had a little glitch with some of our construction: someone had forgotten to reconnect the water softener hose correctly, and as I was getting ready for school yesterday morning, I stepped in a rather large puddle of water right in the middle of our closet! The water covered half the basement, and, with John at work and me heading out the door, we couldn't do a thing about it! Luckily, it didn't spread to the bedroom itself, and nothing was really damaged. It was just another one of those nuisances that occur when you are rebuilding.

Anyway, life is back to being very routine -- which is not always a bad thing. It just isn't as fun as vacation time.

Wintery Idaho!

Well, it has been a nice, relaxing vacation. We haven't been anywhere because it has been snowing almost constantly. Yesterday was white-out conditions and it is still coming down. Zack has been out of school for both days because the snowplows couldn't get to some of the rural roads here. He has been sooooo disappointed that he's had to stay home (NOT!). Anyway, here are a few pictures of our adventures. Here is Madi, Zack and Gabe on our first evening here.


Zack and Madi out for a walk yesterday. You can just barely see anything! Madi said she felt like a marshmallow being all bundled up like that.


After the sun came out, we actually ventured out on the snowmobiles for a little bit. We weren't out long because of the wind chill, but we all had a great time. I understood what Madi meant by feeling like a marshmallow, though. (Although you won't see pictures of me here!)

Here is Zack and Madi heading out. Gabe rode for quite awhile with both Dad and Alan, and then John and I went out together. The first thing we did was go up over the bank onto the field where we could let loose, but we overbalanced and tipped right over. We were laughing so hard and then I couldn't find firm ground to get up, so I kept falling back down! It was such a comedy of errors! We were really glad no one had the camera on us then! But, after crawling out of the snowbank, John got us going again, and we had fun out there on the flats. I think I would really enjoy going on snowmobile trips to the mountains, Yellowstone, or any other place like that. I didn't drive myself yesterday because I didn't have any goggles, and my glasses were so fogged up I couldn't see where I was going. It would not have been a good thing! But, under more prepared circumstances, I would really enjoy it.

Anyway, that's our vacation so far. We hope everyone is safe and happy back home. We will be back in Salt Lake tomorrow afternoon, and then Madi will be spending the weekend with Sara while John, Gabe and I go to St. George for my music conference.

Winter Vacation!!!!!

Well, one of the most hectic weekends for me is now over. My schedule for the last 3 days has just been absolutely crazy! But the State Honor Choir is now just a memory -- one that I hope my students will cherish. They were in rehearsals for 6 hours on Friday, and again for 3 hours yesterday before the concert. My students have had a wonderful, although intense, musical experience, and the concert was just the culmination of the whole thing. When the whole thing was over, though, I had to drive from Salt Lake (Cottonwood High) back to Tooele, and back home again. It was after 10:30 last night when I got home. This morning we got up and packed and drove to Shelley and Alan's. It was a nice drive, even though there was some snow. We were ahead of the big storm, and we have simply enjoyed relaxing and watching it snow. I can't believe how much snow they have here!!! I will take pictures of our adventures and put them on the blog soon.

January Blahs

Just wanted to keep updated a bit, but nothing is really going on here. Just lots of snow and lots of errands out in that snow. One more week until our vacation -- I'm really looking forward to going to Idaho and then to St. George. Talk about going from North to South! I really need the time off from the students. I had really become the Wicked Witch of the West in some of my classes before the end of the last term. Now I get new students, and I get a new start as well. It will be great to do it with a large break. We'll take lots of pictures and do a big update on our vacation.

Here's a Good Laugh:

I got these from a friend of mine. I got a good giggle out of them (and believe me, I needed one today).

FORGET REDNECKS; THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAD TO SAY ABOUT UTAHNS!

--If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Utah.

--If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Utah.

--If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Utah.

--If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Utah.

--If you measure distance in hours, you live in Utah.

--If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Utah.

--If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Utah.

--If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Utah.

--If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Utah.

--If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Utah.

--If the speed limit on the highway is 75 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Utah.

--If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Utah.

--If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Utah.

--If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly' you live in Utah.

Several years ago, someone sent me a list of things about living in Carbon and Emery Counties. If any of you know of this list, I would love to get my hands on it again.