Beach Wedding!

My friend, Kass, married her best friend, David, yesterday at Salt Creek beach down in Laguna (California). It was such a fun day! I flew down from Utah in the morning, went down to the hotel where we girls got ready. Someone was there to do our hair and makeup, then we headed over to the beach. As we were walking down to the beach, when surfers and boogie boarders were coming up from the beach, they would jump in a picture with Kass, or with the three of us girls (bride and bridesmaids). It was way fun, the whole atmosphere was just cool. The weather was perfect and the whole night was just a ton of fun! I loved being there and being a part of it all! Congrats to David and Kass!

Needed Breaks and Overcoming Fear of Heights!

I am sitting in my cousin's cabin up in Bear Lake. It is awesome up here! So peaceful. I came up last night to take a much needed break. It's been AWESOME! Thanks to Karen and Troy, and to Aunt Joyce for sharing their cabin with me so it was possible for me to get away for a matter of hours!!!! Last night I watched the full moon rise up over the lake and this morning I woke up early enough to watch the sunrise...it really puts things in perspective when you can simply sit back and enjoy something as simple as those two acts of nature...it reminds me of the little blessings Heavenly Father grants us each day to remind us that He loves His children and is very aware of them. I will be heading back to Alpine tonight after making a stop in Tremonton for dinner with my friend's parents! YUMMY!!!!!
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Over Labor Day I went to see my mom in Oceanside. When I walked into the bedroom I would be using, I found this basket of flowers with the dolphin balloon! It was a nice warm welcome and a great, relaxing weekend at the beach!
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For professional development, the faculty at Lone Peak spent the day at Camp Williams. I am a professional development team leader this year, so I had the opportunity to lead my group through the team building activities and make parallels to teaching and collaborating. In the morning, we did team building games and ended it off with repelling! I am deathly afraid of heights! First I repelled down the wall, then I tried the free repel. The guy holding my rope at the top told me to step on the ledge....I looked down to see nothing but the ground below and I said, "there's no freakin' ledge!" And I was literally freaking out! The ledge was 6" below where I was standing, but you basically had to feel it out because you couldn't see it! Once I found it, he told me lean back and to lower my head below my feet...yeah....right! Anyway, I did it! Our secretary, Sue Faux, was on the other rope. I actually liked the free repel better than the wall!!!! Needless to say, I don't think that's something I would do again voluntarily!!!!! In the afternoon, we went through a series of scenarios where our team had to perform certain tasks in a "combat situation." Out of the entire faculty, we only had three minor injuries and about 6 people get completely wet...it was a lot of fun.




This is one of the Army guys...um...I don't think I'll be trying that anytime soon!

Not Much

Sorry I haven't updated lately. Things have been really tough and I just haven't really had the motivation to do so...but I am keeping my head above water! Hope everyone is doing well.

Champions Again!!

This past weekend, my U11 team competed in the Adidas Cup hosted by our club. We won the tournament scoring 19 goals in four games and only giving up 2!!! The girls are improving everytime we play and its been so fun to coach them!! We start league play next Saturday!!!

Summer is Officially Over :(

Today marked the official end of my summer. High school soccer tryouts started...we have double days this whole week and our first set of games are next week. I start meetings for school next week and get the kids the Monday after. I am sad, but starting to get motivated to start school again. I'll be teaching three sections of English 10 and three sections of English 11. I will be co-teaching three of those six classes again with the co-teacher I've been working with for the last three years...I LOVE her! She's just awesome! My fall will be crazy. Between teaching and coaching at the high school, I'll be coaching my U11 club team....so soccer 6 days a week! I am also playing on four teams right now...not that I am a real participant with my other time commitments, but I get there when I can!

Breaking Dawn, Tournament Champions, Bridal Showers....AAHH!!!!

On Friday night, I went to a "Breaking Dawn" party. It was held at a Baptist church in Salt Lake City that is supposedly haunted. We did go ghost hunting...saw no ghosts, but heard some good stories!!!! Then a few of us went to the Barnes and Noble in Sugarhouse (near SLC) and waiting in line to buy our books. The doors opened at midnight and we only waited 45 minutes. It was actually kinda fun...I've never done anything like that before! I have only read the first 50 pages...and I have no idea when I'll have time to read more!!!




My little U11 team won the Park City Extreme Cup this weekend! We went 4-0 in th tournament only giving up one goal in four games!!! I was so excited. After we got our medals, the girls all poured their ice cold water from their water bottles on me...it felt good...until I had to sit in a car for an hour on the way home in soaking wet clothes!!! :) I was really proud of them and excited to see the improvement they continue to make!







HELP! I have to plan and organize a few bridal shower games...does anyone have any good ones?!?!?!

There's No Place Like Home

Yep, that old cliche phrase we hear all to often...yet, its so true. I hit a wall last week...an emotional wall. Anyone who knows me well also knows that I am not one to show a lot of emotion...I talk a lot, but I don't show it. Anyway, I saw my mom online on Wednesday and asked her if I could come home. I flew home Saturday night and immediately felt a difference. It was so nice to be there...and my mom actually cooked for me this time...that hasn't happened since my dad passed away! She is doing much better...coming back to her old self. She asked our long time friend and housesitter, Lisa, to move in with her, which will be such a relief to all of us. Someone will be there with her at the end of the day. I took the two days I was home to do a lot of pondering, re-evaluating, praying, etc. It helped a little....enough to point me in the right direction again. The best part about coming home was my little nephew, Kaleb. Everytime he saw me, he would point to me, run over to me with his hands up in the air, then I'd pick him up and he'd wrap his arms around my neck and I'd just hug the living crap out of the kid! He made me so happy! I am so blessed to be able to go home as often as I do and to have that kind of relationship with my family.

I am trying to decide whether or not to go to Israel again in November. I really want to go, but is it really worth the debt??? Part of me thinks the whole experience might be??!!

I also got my hair cut while I was home....a few inches, the stylist, a good friend of ours, and a girl who babysat me when I was in diapers, Leslie Birnkrant, styled it so stinking cute....but I don't think I have the time or the patience or the knowledge/skill to do it like this again!!!

My trip ended with the earthquake...yep, in the airport just before I boarded the plane....what a thrill!!!!

I Owe on Two Tags...

I am paying up on two tags. One from Marianne and one from Kathy! Here it goes!!!!


Tag #1
Two names you go by:
Marla and "Nelson" (my students)
Two things I am wearing right now:
um...shirt and pants...thank goodness!
Two longest car rides:
Alpine, UT-Oceanside, CA
Kirtland, OH-Washington D.C.
Two of my favorite things:
Sleeping and Soccer
The two things you want very badly right now:
A hug and ice cold gatorade
Two animals that you have or have had:
dog and hamster
Two people to feel this out:
Elizabeth and Tricia
Two things you ate today:
honey nut cheerios and grilled cheese sandwich
Two people you last talked to:
Carol and Donna
Two things you are doing tomorrow:
cleaning and taking my final field test for my coaching license
Two favorite holidays:
Thanksgiving and Christmas
Two favorite beverages:
Gatorade and Chocolate milk

Tag #2--Photo Tag!

Picture Blog Tag.
The rules are you have to take ten pictures of the following things. And you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.

1. The Fridge--do you really think I'm gonna show you people the inside? I think there's something growing in there!


2. The closet--it actually looks halfway decent!

3. A Self Portrait....all of these were self portrait, but just for the sake of the rules....

4. Your favorite room....the only other room we have in our apartment besides the bedrooms and the bathroom....but you gotta love the view!

5. The kitchen sink....I cheated on this one...it was already spic and span, but I thought suds would be fun!

6. The laundry room--eek!


7. The toilet---ha ha ha!!!! I can't believe I did this.


8. What are your kids doing right now?
Um....waiting for me to find Mr. Right and get a move on creating them????!!!! I am not taking a picture of anything related to that comment!

9. Favorite Vacation Spot--Hawaii--actual pictures taken by our family when we went snorkeling and stopped for a lunch break!!!




10. Favorite Shoes--self explanatory?



I tag: Tricia, Tracy, Elizabeth, Tara, and Tom Van Vleet (don't be a ninny, Tom, just do it!)

Memory Tag...

Here's the directions:
1. Add a comment on my blog leaving one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll get my memory to you another way!