Have Yourself A {Wicked} Little Christmas!!!

Lemme explain...

My mother has been wanting to see Wicked ever since Gailon and I went to see it. She was a bit bummed that she didn't tag along the first time. So Gailon and I decided that we would take her for her Christmas gift. So we decided to find the date closest to Christmas but before it, because it is closing in January and we will not be here after Christmas. Well, I chose Tuesday, December 23 because I am off from school and Gailon has a somewhat flexible schedule. Turns out that he is not feeling well so I am taking her alone. Mind you she doesn't know about this whole adventure, I just told her to be ready to go by 4.

We leave for the theater and there is tons of traffic, (in L.A at 4:30pm, really?) and I am not sure we will make it there by 6pm. Gailon calls me several times because the Bishop is there with three of the young women from the ward and he is getting nervous that we won't make it either!

(I digress, the Bishop gave the youth a challenge to read the Book of Mormon during the month of August with the Stake. If they chose to complete the challenge, he would take them to see Wicked. Be good for a Wicked reward, hmmmmm. At any rate, we were talking after the Ward Activity on Friday while sipping our yummy hot cocoa at Starbucks about the process for the lottery and discovered that we would be there at the same time, hence the calls and updates on the line...) Whew!

He calls Gailon one more time and tells him that there aren't any extra tickets for sale, you can only get in if you win the lottery tickets or pay $250 a ticket. OuCh!! At this point, we are about 2 miles from the exit in creeping traffic and it is 5:45. I change lanes, say a little prayer that we will make it, traffic lanes open, and we hemify it to the exit, get off the freeway, make it through the first green and then the next!

It is 5:50, Mom knows where we are going at this point, I explain to her the lottery process and have her jump out and get in line. I am looking for a quick parking spot (in front of a crowded theater, yes I was a bit crazy at the moment!!), and found a taxi loading zone that didn't "start" until 6pm! So, it is 5:57 and I throw mom's blue plackard up onto the mirror and run to put my name in. I get to the podium and the gentleman says" Ok folks! That is it, no more for the lottery! Let's pull some names!" I was the last "legal" name to go in! (A gentleman snuck in beside me and begged to put his name in too, and they did! Ah the Spirit of Christmas is alive and well).

They are only giving out 13 sets of tickets for the front row of the theater. They call about 6 names, none of us.

Then... "Kevin ______"! WaHoO!!!

Person number 8,

"Karen_______"!! No way!! Their group is in! I am so excited for them!!

Person ten.

Person eleven. My mom turns to me and says, "I hope they pick your name!"

"Sara Tucker! ArE YoU KiDdIng Me!!?!! All six of us are getting in!

What are the odds?









I purchase the tickets, we make our plans, and then I park the car in a much more secure place. We had a great time! I could easily go again and again! If we did not get tickets, we were going to take Mom to SLC to see it in April. Maybe we will anyway!!

Oh dear, I think that I am addicted to Wicked! Is there a thirteen step program?

On a more positive note...

We have truly been blessed! We have been very busy with family portraits, at least 5 a week for the last month or so. It is so great to work with the families and their various wishes and personalities.

We have also been given a great opportunity to work on a special project! The Marketing and Art Directors of this project have been so great to work with! What an opportunity!!!! I took a photo of Gailon doing what he does as a way to document this adventure!

So much going on right now! I am so glad that Winter Break is almost here so I can unwind and evaluate things. Maybe sleep a bit too, raccoon eyes are so not attractive!

Merry Christmas to you too! Bah!

So, we received an early "gift" from Gailon's company, and it is pink. Gotta love corporate games and downsizing... SO we are in a fervent job hunt mode rather than shopping mode. Good thing Mom is a great landlady and does not charge much!!

Blogerney...

Having fun on my blogerney today and I found these really cool decals.

Scribble It GIVEAWAY!!


And then there was this adorable frock!!!

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!


And would you believe another beautiful frock! I am amazed by the talents of others!!

Tree Lighting Wrap Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!


Better get back to my own creations!!

ChRiStMaS TaG!!

Christmas Tag Time Is Here!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I LOVE wrapping paper because of all of the fun designs and such. Plus it can be multi-purposed. But I usually do a little bit of both because bags are way faster.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real is the only tree there is!!! Potted to be re-used of course!

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the second week of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? A couple days after Christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog? A teeny tiny bit.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wonder Woman UnderRoos!! I loved those things!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Gailon! His list is too expensive ;)

8. Easiest person to buy for? My students, well I guess that would be people.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? The one from my childhood.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if I get them done....

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A used bottle of lotion from a student...it's the thought that counts!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? That is what White Elephant parties are for!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My dad’s fudge and divinity!

16. Lights on the tree? white ones only.

17. Favorite Christmas song? All of them! I really like the ones we learned in Primary.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph! (Of course I had to sing it first!)

20. Angel on the tree-top or a star? Star and an angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Depends on the family we are with, we do both.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who have lost their Christmas spirit and their focus on the reason for the season.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We do a different themed tree every year. We have done a cooking tree, photo tree, stars only tree, country tree, and a general ornament tree. I just like themes! It makes for a fun ornament collection to be sure!

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Ham and cheesy potatoes.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? whirled peas!

Consider yourself tagged!!!

Happy Birthday Papa!!

Today is my Papa's birthday, so we went to the cemetery and lit candles in some yummy chocolate cupcakes! One of his favorite cakes was Gailon's German Chocolate Cake, so we thought that this would work out well.I noticed as we were leaving that the configuration of Venus, Jupiter, and the moon made a smiley face. Not the best picture, but you can still see it.

One of the things my dad and I did was look at the stars and find constellations that we could discuss. Even when I was on my mission or away at school we would do this, so the stars have always had a special place in my heart. Makes me kinda think he was smiling down on me tonight.

Happy Birthday Papa! I love you! I miss you...

Happy Thanks-living!

Gratitude is expressed in thanksgiving;
but more so in living lives of honor and integrity,
of kindness and compassion,

in awareness of others and their needs,
and an honest expression of gratitude
for all those who affect our lives.
Thanksgiving is best expressed as
thanks-living.
- A. Theodore Tuttle

Just Call Us Grandpa and Grandma!!

Ok, so I know that sounds weird. Our oldest foster son, Chris, called around 11:45pm our time last night from North Carolina because he is now a daddy!His birthday was earlier this month and now he has a little bundle of joy, Madilyn. So sweet!

Blah, Blah, Blah...

That is what it feels like after two weeks of parent conferences. Many of them were the same, "Your child is doing well here and here, but need to improve here and here. Here is their retention letter for reference..." So many of my kiddos are below grade level. My personal goal for them is to have them at grade level by the end of the year. A lofty goal, maybe. But I think that a goal needs to be something worth reaching for.

We have been so incredibly busy with photo shoots over the last few weeks, from a lunar 40th birthday bash, to many family portraits. I LoVe the photos that were taken this past week with one little boy in particular! SO AdOrAbLe!!! He is so calm and serious, until his daddy tickled him in the right place, or his mommy spoke to him in just the right way. Not to mention the beautiful sunset pictures of a great family! So much fun! I will have to get some of the photos from Gailon to post here. I know that some of them are on his photography website blog.

Other than that, life moves along!

Hello? Is this thing on?!!?

Yes, it has been some time since my last update, but it has been some time since I have had a chance to breathe!! We have been so busy! So here is a quick update as I am on my way out to yet another activity!!!!








First of all, Kimmy came over for a visit! It was so great for Gailon to actually meet her! I thought that this was a cute pose, like she is saying, "Hehe!! I am checking out Gailon's screen!!" and "Hi Mommy!"

















Love that little one!!






Next we were able to shoot the Nocella's Family portrait!

Just kidding!! This is not the real one, that one is yet to come!! Updates coming later......

AgAiN?!?!?!?!

That is a common phrase that we have heard recently. Yes, it is true, we have moved again. Our landlady wanted us to sign a new lease for 2 years with a 20% increase in rent and we were not willing to do either.
So..... we moved into a teeny tiny house in Long Beach, with my mom. It is temporary until we find what we are looking for. We truly wish to thank all of those who assisted in this effort~ Jesus, Roger, Bob, Ivan, William and Bill, Mark, Seth, Flynt, Don, Dan, Andrew W, the neato Coast Guard guy whose name I can't currently recall, and especially Alfonso, Dave, and Trevor for helping with the unloading portion too. And most especially my best buddy ever! Teesha was so helpful in moving, packing, laughing, crying, barfing, you name it and she was there!!
( I hope I remembered everyone! If I forgot you, sorry! We really do appreciate you!!!)

We are continuing the adventure of unpacking and finding a spot for this and that. This move was not a fun one, given the fact that we moved from our beloved San Pedro and are in housing limbo. But my mom was kind enough to allow us to camp out in her house for a bit.

We will still be in the San Pedro Ward, talk about stretching the boundaries! But we still feel that it is where we belong and want to be...

Just another adventure.....

During this move we were able to listen to conference on KBYU. What a choice experience it is to hear from the prophet and our brothers and sisters.
One of my favorite leaders is Elder Perry. It was so great to hear his talk as I was moving because it was all about simplifying our lives. Let me tell you, I am so ready for a simplification of my life! We have amassed so much stuff! Between the household goods and the photography business... holey moley!

I truly appreciated the words of President Monson as well. His parting words, so simple and true, Heavenly Father knows us and is aware of us. Exactly what I needed to hear at that moment of utter exhaustion and frustration.
My cup truly runneth over.

TIME OUT!

It behooves me to say that I was wrong. I know, shocker!! However I learned something this last weekend, VeGaS rOcKs!! (except for the heat, and smoke, and debauchery, and...)

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the weekend in Vegas with my dearest friends ever, The Nocella's. T and I were able to attend Time Out For Women on Saturday while the boys took a Time Out For Bass Pro Shop.


An amazing time was had by all!!!

This was my fifth opportunity to attend this event, twice in Long Beach, once in Pasadena and San Diego, and now Las Vegas.
I cannot say enough good about these events! I come away renewed and invigorated! We went to Vegas because we missed the San Diego opportunity and I know one of the presenters. It turned out that she was unable to attend due to illness, but her replacement was Sister Virginia Hinkley Pearce. What an amazing woman! Her comments about living a joyful life hit me to the core, as did the other presenters. I absolutely love Hillary Weeks' music and she was the facilitator for the event. She is an uplifting and funny woman!
I think that the opportunity to attend with a terrific friend made it even more special. I was selected to tell about how someone in my life has made their life a joyful one, and I chose to tell them about T. She was selected and was recognized in front of an auditorium of about 1,000 women as one who lives a joyful life. I feel truly blessed to have such a wonderful friend, one who is there through it all, is positive, funny, and honest! LoVe Ya!!

We took some fun pictures!!
My sweetie at the Rain Forest Cafe! Such a cutie!!


I thought that they said to just smile... duh! The penny squisher!!

Time, oh give me time...

Where has the time gone!??

This past weekend we were busy with a wedding and a 50th wedding anniversary mass and party. I must say that the one part of this photography business that is not fun is when we do the occasional Sunday shoot. We enjoyed doing the 50th party because they are friends of Gailon's from work, but it is still working on Sunday. Not my favorite activity, ya know?!

Nevertheless, we were able to get some amazing shots at the church and then at the restaurant. We are definitely going back to that restaurant for a date night too.

As a side note, when we were leaving the mass, a couple approached us and asked if we were wedding photographers. We replied that we were and Gailon gave them his card. They need a photographer for their wedding at the end of the month and we are setting up the appointment for a pre-event consultation. The priest had a great sense of humor, and asked if we were doing business in the church. I replied that we were not money changers nor exchanging funds, (not money changers, get it?), just discussing. His laugh resonated off of the high ceiling and walls. So cute!

We were blessed to have a good friend from church join us for the Saturday wedding shoot. Thanks Monica!!! It was so much fun having Monica along, we both learned a few things and were able to find some fun ways to take neato pictures. We are definitely calling you on the next shoot! It was neat to be able to work alongside someone who is teachable, willing to do the grunt work, and truly wants to learn! Plus, I had help carrying equipment and that is never a bad thing! Thanks again for a fun adventure on Saturday!! And for carrying the reflectors and lighting bag! you were amazingly awesome!!

Other than that there was not much else for this weekend. How could there be? No time... But that is ok, just nine more days for some R&R!!! With a little fun and spiritual uplift too!

The First Day of School

One down, 179 more to go!! Teehee!
I have a great class! There are 17 so far (a far cry from 35 last year!) Oh the joys of third grade! I am just loving it! I took my camera to school and forgot to take any pictures, but will do my best to do so tomorrow. I have decided to go with a garden theme and free-styled some flowers and a tree on the door. It is a very bright and friendly environment, if I do say so myself! Anyone is welcome to stop by and check it out!
Gailon came and took the first day photos of the kiddos for their “work wall”. He was also able to take the photos for another teacher too. The students enjoyed having Mr. Tucker there to hang out with and get to know. It will be fun to go to the L.A. County Fair with him too. I let the kiddos know that there first field trip was coming up and they got so excited! The timing of the Fair coincides with the theme we are starting with, Friendship and Charlotte’s Web is a part of it. (Friendship, hmmm…. I think that I could talk about that topic for quite a bit, but that is another post…….)
It cracked me up that there were some who were so excited that there was a leather couch in the room more than all the fun things that I purchased and put together for them! Oh the simple things in life. Several were completely jazzed that they had their own pencil sharpener and 2 mechanical pencils! Remember when it was that easy to be satisfied with something so small? I just love my job! It helps me keep things in perspective…..

We're Back!

Wow! We had a great week in Utah visiting with friends and family. We left early on Monday morning and came home on the following Sunday. What an adventure we had!
Our original reason for going was to return three young men to their home after their adventures with Gailon at scout camp, but we decided to extend the trip to allow for some visiting too.
We were able to visit the Adam, Caywood, Treto, and Alsup families. Not to mention our family members too. So much fun!

Now that we are back, we have had to get back into the swing of things! I can't believe that school starts next week! Where did the time go? My room is mostly done. I just have a few of the pretty details to complete, and were are off and running!

Other than that, everything is status quo. We are continuing to work on building our photography business. I can't believe how busy that keeps us! But it is fun and an adventure that we love doing! We have a wedding in a few weeks and have done several senior photos, as well as missionary photos. Love, love, love it!!

I must say we have truly been blessed with great jobs, a flourishing business, amazing friends and family, and the opportunity to do any and all of these things! What an amazing life we live!

the week in review

Wow! The boys are back from scout camp, I think that they brought half of it home with them too! I am so grateful that I have the blessing of having my own washer and dryer! Laundry for all of them would have been a beast otherwise!

We have been fortunate to have three of the greatest boys hang out with us for a bit before we take them home to Utah. Their mom was so funny when I told her that I was doing their laundry. She promptly told me that I didn’t have to, until I corrected her and told her that I did because I didn’t want to smell camp dirt, sweat, and yuck all the way to their house! She laughed and relented, understanding exactly what I was talking about.

They were able to have many great adventures this past week, some of them are encrypted in their conversations, but I am catching on quickly! And the pictures that Gailon took help to share their adventures too.

While they were gone, I was able to get some planning done with my projects, organize them, and figure out that there are more projects possible with all of the extra that I have collected!! BuSy, BuSy!!

Here is the picture of the month, I guess. I have been reminded that I forgot to post a picture , soooo here’s a couple from our adventure to the Aquarium of the Pacific.

This place has special meaning for our family. It is one of the last places we went to, as a complete family, before the passing of my dad. So we thought that it was fitting to go on his anniversary date, August 13. We enjoyed what we could because it was so busy with end of the season/year for day camps and kids camps. Since we have memberships, we will return and enjoy it often!

As we left the Aquarium, Isis said to grandma, “I am hungry! Let’s eat fish for lunch!” I thought that it was so hilarious! I reminded her we had just spent the morning looking at fish and critters of the sea, and her little seven year old response was, “I know, that’s why I am hungry!” Oh the minds and innocence of children. So we ate shrimp at Bubba Gumps. Max and Isis shared a quarter pound of peel and eat shrimp! Max ate about three and Isis ate the rest.

Yummy!

Another week, another adventure!!!

Well, here we are in the throes of yet another summer camp! Gailon is off to the wild wilderness of Lake Arrowhead with the scouts. He is there with an eighteen year old assistant, twenty-two year old part time assistant, and an on-again-off-again adult who is there to enjoy nature on his own terms. Oh the joys of being in the scouting “program”….

So where does that leave me? Busy, busy, busy!!! Of course! I am almost done with my classroom, now it is just a matter of getting all of the belongings of others out of the way and I will be done! Whew!

Next, I have been having a blast hanging out with my mom and the little ones! Today we are off on another grand adventure! Since I have slacked in my picture of the week adventure, (Thanks Teesha for the reminder!), I will have to post some of the adventures that we have had over the course of the last week.

Good Advice

I got this as an email today from my family email list. I thought that the message was very fitting, especially with all that is going on around us these days...

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME.. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it.. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

Thanks!

Thank you to all who attended last night! We had a blast chatting, card making, and of course, eating great yummies!!! How can you go wrong with peanut butter fingers, lemon bars, and freshly made cheesecake! Thanks Gailon! (He is already so busy with preparations for camp and still took the time to help me out! LoVe YoU!!!)

Thanks Teesha for a great card making adventure! More ideas for my stamps and stuff!

Stampin' Up

I will be having a Stampin' Up party this Thursday, August 7, 6:30 pm. All are invited to come and hang out, enjoy good food, friends, and a fun card making adventure! No pressure to buy, just come and have fun!
The presentation will be by Teesha Nocella!

"Summertime and the living is easy..."

...or so the song goes. When does it get easy?

Summer school is over and I have finished my week long class. This class was amazing! I tried to share bits and pieces through a couple of narratives and pictures. We were so fortunate to be taught by some of the local scholars and experience some of the sights. I received so many resources from many books to pictures of old Long Beach and the port. My how things have changed and amazing how so much is still the same. I won the raffle today, a book about one of the first African-American female pilots in Long Beach. Two wins in one week is soooooo unusual for me!

So now I am on to my classroom. That is going to be one crazy adventure!

Mix into that the preparation for the boys to go to Scout Camp, holy moley! Since Gailon and I are the ones that are pulling everything together, we have been running around to get the materials, checks, permits, and turn in the paperwork. I have been to the downtown L.A. offices so many times, I think that I should have my own parking space!
Even though it is tough and takes so much time, I am so grateful that I have a husband who magnifies his calling, who goes above and beyond what is needed to make sure that these boys have a good experience, who takes the responsibility he has been given as the Assistant Scoutmaster to make it happen! And he does it without the expectation that he will be thanked or given any of the "credit" he may be due.
Gailon, you are so amazing to me!!! Thank you for being a great example to these boys of a leader who does what they need to in order to have a program that will work for them! I love you!

Me?

Ok, so I don't normally do these kinda things, but this one cracked me up! Whatcha think?



You Are Cinderella!

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Today's Adventure

Today we were taken on a tour of the Long Beach Harbor and Port. We were also told more about
the history of the port and its impact on the Los Angeles/Long Beach Area. A wonderful presentation by the Port folks was given and then we were off on our adventure. We boarded a lovely vessel, were given complimentary chapstick, magnets/clips, brochures, and then escorted to our seats. The tour began and my camera was ready! We went all around the harbor, in all of the nooks and crannies, under the Gerald Desmond Bridge, over to the Heim Bridge and then back to Shoreline Village. So much fun and hard to believe that this is a class that I get to participate in, get paid for, and just enjoy the historical aspects as well! I even won a class set of pencils from the port! Not a big deal to most, but anything free for me, is a treat! One less bunch of pencils I have to purchase!

Photo of the day

Ok, so maybe I will post a photo of the day, or week, whichever works into my schedule.

At any rate, today I went on a field trip with my summer class for history teachers to the Long Beach Airport. Very interesting to say the least. I was not aware of the history behind Long Beach and its airport, but now I am! It has been through many changes, beginning with airplane landings being on the beach, to a terminal the size of a small house, to what we have 85 years later. Interesting!

A new goal...

Ok, so here is my new goal. I know, not like I don't have enough to do! But it is something that I think will be fun. I am going to try and post a photo from my week. It could be from a photo shoot, or just on one of my rambling photo walks.

Here is my first one. I love the rays of sun through the stalks!

I have been thinking...

I have been thinking lately about the power of friends. I have been blessed to have some of the greatest people in my life! And, I have also had to deal with some of the not so great people. But I have come to the realization that, no matter what, I am who I am. I came to this place with the gifts, talents, idiosyncrasies, and challenges that the Lord wanted in place for me. I am so far from perfect, that I will have to live a long time to even come close to being mediocre! And that is fine with me! As long as I continue to learn the things that I am to learn and enjoy the journey.

I was listening to some music and heard this song by Carrie Underwood titled "So Small". It had some lyrics that really stood out to me. Here is one part that struck me:


Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And then you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else
Oh, it sure makes everything else seem
So small

So much of life can be, "when i own a home then..." or "when those last __ pounds are gone I will..." or maybe "if I could only..." but the thing that I have been thinking about and that is expressed in the above lyrics is that it's all there in your hands.
So, I looked at my hands, literally. They are large!
My Grandma once commented on how they reminded her of my Grandfather's hands. Oh dear.
I have on my hands rings from two of the most amazing men, my Papa's wedding band and my wedding ring from Gailon. Gailon's ring is sparkley and beautiful and my Papa's is a gold band with so much love squished into it.
I have scars and wrinkles, tan lines and freckles. And I have love.
I have hands of a teacher, crafter, mother-to-be, auntie, sister, daughter, wife, and friend. I have the hands of a servant of the Lord, one who has a testimony of the restored gospel, a daughter of God who is working to return and be with Him. I have the hands of one who is a Child of God.

There is so much love in my heart for Gailon. With all that we have gone through, he is still here! And I am too!! We have been through the trials of building our family, friendships, medical, losses, and a few more. But the one thing that is a constant is love. I love him so much! We have, and continue to have, so many adventures!
We have been working to get the photography business going, and we have been doing pretty well. Now, our next challenge is to determine his new "day job" , as his current place of employment is ending because the company is going out of business. But again, I have learned that we have the hands of hardworking people, who can make a go at anything, and succeed! So here we go!!!
Adventure is knocking and we are answering!

"Called To Serve"

See what happens when I get sick? I just can't seem to sit still or take a nap long enough to get better, so I update my blog. It is relatively relaxing, in the take-it-easy kinda way.

So, before I got this lovely allergy/summer cold thing, we had scheduled several photo shoots. Today's happened to be for a young man who is preparing to go on his mission and needed a photo to send in with his application. So, we took the opportunity and had Joe's session this morning. {After which, I promptly took a nap ;) }

Looks like a great missionary in the making!! What a blessing it is to be able to take the photos of those preparing to serve the Lord. Joe is such an incredible young man and we look forward to hearing from him as he enters this next phase in his life! On with the adventures!

OnE WoRd TaG!!!

Ok, so here is the gist, answer in only one word, copy and paste it to your blog, and tag a few friends...

1. Where is your cell phone?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pocket
2. Your significant other? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Supercalifragalisticexpialidotious
3. Your hair? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brownish
4. Your mother? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amazing
5. Your father? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Humble
6. Your favorite thing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laughter
7. Your dream last night? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interesting
8. Your favorite drink? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lemonade
9. Your dream/goal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Successful
10. The room you're in? . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .Office
11. Your hobby? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reading
12. Your fear? . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unpreparedness
13. Where do you want to be in six years? . . . . . . . . . . . .Happy
14. Where were you last night? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nocella's
15. What you're not? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thin
16. Muffins? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Yummy
17. One of your wish list items? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thinness ")
18. Where you grew up? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SoCal
19. The last thing you did? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Groomers
20. What are you wearing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Black
21. Your tv? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Off
22. Your pet(s)? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Groomed
23. Your computer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Busy
24. Your life? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fulfilling
25. Your mood? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peaceful
26. Missing someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yuppers!
27. Your car? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Durango
28. Something your not wearing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shoes
29. Favorite store? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Expensive
30. Your summer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Busy
31. Like someone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Love
32. Your favorite color? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue
33. When was the last time you laughed?. . . . . . . . . . . . . Today
34. Last time you cried? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Awhile
35. Who do you tag? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . If you are reading this consider yourself TaGgEd! Your it!!

Yahoo! Summer School is done...

...except for the fact that I now have a class to take this entire next week. Then my project time begins, as well as getting my classroom ready! Who woulda thunk that a teacher could be so busy during her "time off"? Especially since I don't get paid when I don't work during the summer months.

So, here's to the next three weeks! Let's see, what shall I do??
How about a garage sale, getting a scout troop and the Assistant Scout Master ready for camp (including the gear, food, packing of the truck, pick-up the boys, get the t-shirts ordered and designed, and any of the last minute things that inevitably come up), and then drive them all to camp, clean them up when they get home (how mom's get that much laundry done is beyond me!), and throw three of the boys in the car to drive them back to Utah.
Ummm, next I think that I will get a classroom ready that I moved into at the end of the year and haven't been able to get into until now, so it is gonna be scary! But at least it is in a bungalow and is air conditioned!! YAHOO!
Next, I think that I will tackle my denim quilt. I have been saving jeans from my family members for about three years or so, with some very special jeans from my dad. I have a few ideas and alot of fear and trepidation about taking on this project, but I am sure it will be a learning adventure, as all of my "crafting opportunities" are.

So, can I do it all? You bet! I have great friends and a fantastic mom that have said that they will help me out with some of the "festivities and fun"! Drinks are on me! Lemonade with berries for everyone!!!

"Memories, Like the Corner of My Mind..."

You get the idea! I snagged this idea from a fellow blogger:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, just about 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!

"...misty water-colored memories, of the way we were...."

Slowing Down and Picking Up the Pace

Well, things are returning to normalish. We have been busy with several photo shoots and opportunities. I continue to meet with my Grandfather to create inventories of items to be donated to the charitable organizations of his choosing and then transport things over, load by load. I have had several comments made about all of the bruises on my arms and legs, no need to worry, they are from bumping into things while carrying some rather heavy items out to my car. Something that I have learned from this experience is that it is important to always make sure that your affairs are in order, ensure that extra items are taken care of, and to keep meticulous records of my investments. Right now, I know I have investments, but I don't know where I stand with them... better check into that!

So... I have decided to turn the house upside down and downsize! Of course the upside to all of this is to have a garage sale. I have never had one on my own, so this will be an interesting experience. But it will be for fun! Some mad money! Maybe it will be for the trip to Alaska we have been wanting to go on! Maybe it will go into savings for that "just in case" day! Who knows, maybe it will only be enough for a bottle of water for the next hike we take!

Speaking of which, we found a spot to go hiking not too far from our house and boy did it kick my petunia! We have each made a goal to make it up the steepest part without stopping and still carry on a conversation! Can we do it? Of course we can! To see us chubby kiddos running up the trail must be a sight, but hey, we are having fun!

Yawn!!!

I am so incredibly tired, and yet I type away!
This has been a very busy weekend, full of family and very late nights. I guess when you stay up past 2am for about three nights in a row and then get up at 5:30 am, might be part of the reason for the extra dark circles under my eyes.
We had an extremely spiritual time reminiscing about Grandma. Some members of the family caused grief, others healed it, but all in all it was an experience that was enjoyed. I mean, the business of dying is not enjoyable, but the reminiscing and laughing about the things remembered was.
I was able to take the opportunity to create a slide show of my grandmother's life. How do you condense a lifetime into seven minutes?? But I did my best and the results were beautiful. I selected a song entitled "Lullaby" by Josh Groban and a second song from a tribute album to President Hinckley for the slide show. The words for each echoed the sentiments I was feeling.
I was also blessed with the opportunity to sing during the memorial service, so hard!!!
I am so grateful to those who supported me throughout this experience! You are so wonderful to me! I am so lucky to be surrounded with those who truly love and care for me, through trials and rocky road ice cream!

She's gone.....

My dear Grandmother passed away this morning. After a battle with an infection and being tired of dialysis, she discontinued the dialysis last Thursday. I knew that she was waiting for my Uncle George to arrive from Singapore before she made her final farewell. I feel very fortunate that I was able to spend some time with her over the last week, especially late last night. She is in a place where there is no pain, sorrow, or difficulties. She is with Grandpa Cobabe, my dad, brother, and countless other family and friends.

We love you Grandma and will miss you!!

Busy Week!!

Well, this has been an interesting week. We were able to visit with Seth and do a photo shoot with him, which was alot of fun! We were able able to do the McGuire's family photos, what an amazing shoot that was too! (Check out some of the photos at Gailon's website.)

Summer School

Holy macaroni and cheese!!! The first day of school is usually a hectic, crazy day, but today was just plain crazy! How on earth is a child supposed to get the remediation that they need when they can't sit still due to the fact that the room is over 80 degrees!!!! And that is with both doors open and all five of the windows open as wide as they can possibly be!

But, with sweat pouring off of our noses, we persevered! We made it through the reading and math diagnostics and onto writing complete sentences with the five questioning words.

Oh me, oh my! What a day!
I am so glad that I live so close to the ocean and am able to be cooled by the ocean! YAHOOEY!

Blogging World

Well, since school ended I have not really had only one day without anything planned from beginning to end! This is how my week "off" stacks up: Monday was a fun trip to Disneyland with the Nocella's. It was super hot, crowded, and crazy, but we had a fun few hours! Tuesday I picked up Seth from the airport so that he could hangout, I mean work, for the next few weeks on Gailon's website and stuff. Wednesday was filled with trainings for summer school and some ideas for service learning opportunities for our students next year. Thursday is going to busy with domestic duties and watching Kimberly. Friday is always busy with the boys coming over and Nocella hangout night. Saturday we have a couple of photo shoots. Sunday I am teaching the Gospel Doctrine class. And then on Monday summer school starts.

So much for relaxing a bit. What is that anyway?

Since I had a few minutes the other evening, I was doing a blogrney, (you know, a blog journey, going from one blog to another), and I found several blogs of friends that I have not seen in a bit. It was really neat to see how they are growing and, in some cases, their family too. This is truly one of the greatest reasons we have the internet, in my humble opinion. What a neat way to connect and stay connected with friends and family, don'tcha think so?

Okay, okay already! Sheesh!

So it has been awhile since my last post, but with good reason! Work has been CRAZY! Our PTA president decided that she had had enough of the fifth graders and wasn't going to do anything for them. Well, there are alot of activities that the PTA is supposed to take care of, so who do you think became the one to take care of them all....lil' ol' me. HMPH!
Some of the activities include planning a picnic for 100 students and 30 parent volunteers (which includes the food, decorating, logistics, and clean-up), purchasing and decorating the auditorium for promotion and then removing the decorations, setting up the yearbook signing party, and coordinating the volunteers and money for each. All of this on top of what I do with my own students, getting materials and information for a new grade level, AND packing and moving my classroom. Holey Moley! Luckily I had two great parent volunteers help with the purchasing and decorating!! Thanks you two!!
Everything went off swimmingly! In fact, several parents commented on how well everything went, "very organized and well structured activities and programs" Thanks!

So, promotion was yesterday and it was a very rough day for me. While I am proud of my students and glad that so many of them did well, (28 of my 33 students were on honor roll and received letters from President Bush with an Award for Educational Excellence), I was not ready for the flood of emotions that occurred. A handful of them were in my third grade class two years ago, or around me when they were in third grade. So I have been able to see them flourish and grow over the past years. When it came time for me to read off the names and hand them their promotion certificate, I started to get that feeling, you know the one you get when emotions are running high and you may leak from your eyes? Since I really don't cry, just sweat from my eyes, I was not prepared for the onslaught of "sweat". I couldn't believe this was happening! My little ones were being promoted and leaving me! A parent commented that I am "like a mother hen and they are my baby chicks, ready to fly away from the nest so it is only natural to be a bit emotional". It was definitely an interesting day, to say the least!
I guess that in reflecting on the past school year, I have grown as a teacher in ways that I didn't think were possible. I grew to truly care about these young people so much. I don't normally attach myself to my class like that, because it is so hard to give them up. Gailon said that the tears, I mean eye sweat, are a part of a natural mourning that must take place because they are moving on and because I gave so much of myself to them this year!
What a great year it was too! Neato kiddos!!!

i love the mountains!

Last week I took my class camping on Mt. Wilson. What a blast! When we arrived it was around eighty-seven degrees, but when we left we hiked out in the rain, then hail, and then snow! All in a mile or so hike!! This picture is from outside the Nurse's Cabin right before we started our hike. If you look closely, you can see the rain and hail! More pictures and updates to come...

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday to my BFF Teesha!!!

Wicked!

So I have been hearing all the buzz about the musical Wicked, who hasn't? I wasn't too keen on seeing it because I read some of the book and was not impressed. The book has a dark and rather sexual nature to it and so I didn't want to see the play. But a few of my "wicked" friends were getting together to go and see it and they assured me that it would not be like the book.
I decided to trust them, and am I glad that I did. I guess you can apply the old adage, you can't judge a book by its cover and change it to you can't judge a play by its book. Amazing! We went with a group of 12 and entered their drawing for prime seating. I don't win things, so I was glad that Gailon was there because he won a set of tickets. Kim's niece, Ashton, won also.
I think I enjoyed seeing it through her eyes even more than my own. Anyways, we were lucky enough to sit in the front row, and as Ashton put it, be able to clearly see the expressions on the actors face. The rest of our group also sat in the orchestra seats, all of us had amazing seats!
I want to go again!!

Happy Anniversary!

I guess this post is better late than never. We celebrated our Fifth Wedding Anniversary this year! hard to believe that it has been five years!
We decided to go to Laguna Beach because it was similar to Monterey, where we spent our honeymoon. Of course when we went, it happened to be the hottest weekend of the year! Luckily there was a wonderful breeze and we had a beach front room and a balcony overlooking the beach.
We went for a walk on the beach and I had to do the cheesy thing and draw a heart in the sand with our initials. Gailon took a close-up of it, but I thought that it was neat that you could see it from our balcony.
Happy Anniversary sweetie!

visitors

As part of the updating, I have been playing with a few photos of the kiddos when they came down for a surprise visit to Grandma's house. What a bunch of cuties!!

catching up again!

So many things have gone on in the last month. One of the neatest ones is that one of my best friends had her baby... Kimberly Sara Bridgewaters was born on April 18. She is a beautiful little bundle of joy. What a little love bug!

catching up

So, we have been on a few adventures lately, one of which is to one of my favorite places... Disneyland!! So here are a few pictures from that adventure!! On the right we are waiting for the Nemo Submarine ride!
And on our left, our buds, Mike and Teesha!

Of course we had to have the picture of the star drain! I love almost anything star related. Always have and always will.

Making faces with Teesha! We had so much fun with Mike and Teesha! Thanks for hangin' at 'D' with us!

Field Trip to El Dorado Park

Since I am unable to post the cute photos of my kiddos, I will share with you some of the beauty that we experienced.

While we were at the park we were able to do a few experiments including searching for items in the lake and surface tension. This penny has, according to the junior scientist, 24 drops of water on it. So lucky we were to be able to go on this trip, especially in a day of budget cuts. Fundraising is now my second job!

The only way that we are able to do any of the field trips that we are going on this year is from fundraising and my feeble attempts to write grants. Last year I recieved a grant for our trip to Knott's. Not so lucky this year. But we fundraised and the kiddos had an amazing physics learning experience.

I even wrote a grant to be able to purchase digital cameras to teach the kiddos a bit about photography for their project entitled "A day In The Life Of...". But I was unable to secure that grant either. So, they are having to use their own cameras and a few tidbits of information that I gave them.

Our next adventure is to discover more about physics at Disneyland! We still need to raise about $300 for the bus, so we are having a bake sale at Open House. Fun stuff!

School is no longer just about reading, writing, and arithmatic. Fundraising is now an integral part of the experience. I am not too sure of how I feel about having to find my own money, but it sure teaches the kiddos lessons about supply and demand, politics, and math, to name a few.

She did it!

My friend Jen Peacock, now Jen Pace, got married on March 15. It was truly a pleasure to be there and witness her special day! The weather was wonderful, until later in the evening when it began to snow. Luckily for her, the day was a beautiful one.

Congratulations Jen and Garrett!!!

Photo Walk

Well, I have decided that it was time to find out more about this camera and the programs that I have so that I can publish my own pictures onto the blog.So, I jumped in on Karen's lesson, (Thanks Karen!!!), and off we went!

Karen chose to go to Ports O'Call for her photo walk/assignment. I tried to incorporate the ideas of leading lines, framing, and all the other ideas that we were being taught into a few photos. So, here they are, my first assignment!

A to Z of me!!

Now here is the idea, copy/paste the a to z and then let us all know the a to z of you!

A- Attached or single: Defiantly Attached!

B- Best Friend: Gailon Tucker, of course!!

C-Cake or Pie: I love Gailon’s chocolate cake!

D- Day of Choice: Thursday, date night. Or Friday, Nocella night.

E- Essential Item(s): Bubble bath, candles, and happiness

F- Favorite Color: varying shades of blue

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummi Anything!!

H- Hometown: Redondo Beach and Long Beach

I- Indulgence(s): Ben and Jerry’s, crafty things, seasonal décor, candles…

J- January or July: January! I love the winter time!

K-Kids: None yet, still working on it…

L-Life is incomplete without: my family, friends and the Gospel

M- Marriage Date: April 12, 2003

N- Number of Siblings: 3 total - 2 Brothers and 1 sister

O- Oranges or Apples: Pink Lady Apples

P- Phobias or Fears: I am not sure

Q- Quote(s): “Be still and know that I am God”

Reason To Smile: beautiful scenery, baby giggles, looking into my sweeties eyes

S- Season: Spring, things are starting to turn green, and Winter, I love getting bundled up!

T- Tag Six: if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged

U- Unknown Fact About Me: If I told you then it would no longer be unknown, now would it!!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Well, I was mostly vegetarian until I met Gailon, and now I eat a bit of meat…

W- Worst Habit: Letting what others say or do influence me negatively, cracking my knuckles, and biting my nails

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds, just had one today!

Y- Your Favorite Food: Depends on who is cooking…

Z: Zodiac: Aquarius

Photographic Knowledge

On Wednesday evening, Gailon and I went to the most amazing lighting class. We were able to sit at the feet of one of the leading photographers, with over 35 years of experience and he has pioneered some amazing techniques. One of the things that I thought was interesting is that I knew more and understood more than I thought that I would about techniques and methods for great picture taking. We were also able to pick up some information for a few printing and album manufacturers. Great stuff! We really wanted to grab our friends and have them listen too, but alas...

What a sweetie!

Gailon is such a sweetie! He sent me the most beautiful boquet of gerber daisys and roses. Of course, whenever he sends flowers, the ladies in the office comment that their husbands have never sent them flowers, how did i get so lucky? I love this man so much!! Ok, moosh is over!

It was my turn to plan the day, but since he wasn't feeling well, we spent the evening with my mom. It was nice to be able to do this, because she was a bit down. It is become a hard day for her since Papa passed. I tried to help by surprising her with flowers, but the surprise was on me. I got to her house and realized I didn't have a house key!! So I left them on the porch. Not what I wanted, but the effect was the same. She was happy that she recieved her flowers from Papa.

So many of the people I encountered yesterday kept talking about how much they hate Valentine's Day. Not me! I think it is so fun to watch the kiddos with their valentine treats and cards. Several of my colleagues refuse to allow parties or any activities that are remotely related to the day, pass out valentine cards at recess and that is it! Not in my room! The whole day is related to hearts and all the fun stuff. The kiddos used conversation hearts to discuss probabilities, science was about the heart and how it works, language arts was a piece of functional text detailing how to make a certain kind of valentine heart. So much fun!!

Yeah A Holiday Is Upon Us!

One of the few perks of being a teacher is the lovely sprinkling of holidays! We have two such lovely holidays coming up. What to do? What to do? I know! Clean my office. That doesn't sound like too much fun, but I need to get a bit of organization going on here. For my birthday, Gailon presented me with a Cricut Expression machine. I am going to have some serious fun with this machine. Between my stamps and the Cricut, I may actually get some projects completed that I have been working on for the past little bit.

So many interesting things have occured in the past few weeks, that I must take a moment to pause and reflect on them. I have truly learned much about myself, my goals and aspirations, and a bit about those around me. I truly must say that there is nothing more enlightening than a trip to make things clearer.

My dear husband is still working on his classes and certifications. He should be done around March! I can't wait!

Old Lady Alert!!

Happy Birthday to Me!
My students all think that I am 11, not really but they play along with it.
This is a hard birthday, being the introspective person that I am. What have I accomplished? What have I done with the time I have spent here?
Maybe this thought thread is due to the fact that President Hinkley passed away yesterday and he was one of the prophets I served under during my mission and made an amazing impact on my life.
Gailon has only known one prophet since joining the church, so this is even more interesting process for him.