Ramblings of Randomocity

So I feel now that school has started our lives have hit a new boring level. True we had our anniversary. That's a pretty exciting event. But, that was two weeks ago and I had lost my voice and caught a cold from the first week of school. (I know- my school year starts super early. But, we get out for summer May 15- so fair trade.) We were pretty bummed because we had to miss one of Michael's cousin's wedding and a family reunion because school had just started and Michael has no more days off work. So that was a let down! That's a sign the summer is truly over when we can't just go and do the things we want. Ouch!

The heat hasn't been as bad as it was last year and my class has been a lot better than the start of last year. Both of these are major blessings. However, the heat is hot! I think I've built up some tolerance because I know that September isn't going to be any cooler, but I'm sick of sitting inside bored or standing outside sweaty! Something's gotta give!

Michael's been loving inexpensive golfing rates in the heat and he's been doing really well. He's also starting his MBA with Arizona State this week. So we're pretty excited about that, but man, weren't we just finished paying tuition and books and studying? C'est la vie!

Friday, I made Michael watch, "Beastly" with me. Quite the gem...

I think he's going to hold that one against me for awhile...Totally worth it.

Saturdays are now SUPER lazy. Our house usually looks like a wreck by the end of the week so It's nice to actually do the dishes, make my bed, clean my clothes...you know. The basics that I was so good at staying on top of during the summer that are now making me feel like I'm drowning in my own house. Bless Saturdays!

And today, all of my nursery class was 18 month olds and only one 3 yr. old. That meant the 3 yr old said a lot of prayers as she is the only one who can talk. There was a lot of drooling and chewing on toys today. And a lot of spills during snack time as they are used to sippy cups. It was quite the adventure.

And that, I do believe, sums up our random dealings this week. Here's hoping that now that I have been teaching four years my immune system steps up and covers the germs this fresh batch of students brought. Bring on the Orange Juice!

PS I got to see, "The Help" with Alicia last weekend! LOVED it! Go read it! Go see it!

Happily Ever After...

Three years later and our happily ever after continues to be a lot of fun. We had a lot of adventures this past year, and I'm sure our next year will not disappoint!

Well, it's here...

The final sunset of my summer freedom has come...

Good thing it's a beautiful one! Now let's hope all the nightmares about my students, me forgetting to sharpen the pencils and me forgetting certain articles of clothing do not come true. Oh boy...I'm nervous!

Snowflake 3.0

This weekend was time for the third annual Snowflake, AZ trip. It is a very welcomed escape from the valley heat. We are glad the Baers could make it with us again this year!

The agenda...

Wake up really early. Drive 3 hours. Avoid overheating the car. See the beautiful, Snowflake temple on top of the plateau as you drive over the hill.

We did a temple session which is perfect because the Mesa temple is closed.

After the temple, we had lunch at none other than the Skillet. For the past two years, we pretty much could pick any seat in the house at the Skillet, but Saturday was quite the different story! See the crowd we had to fight to get our sweet table? (That's why the bottom three are blurry.)

Lesson learned last year, the hamburgers are good!

Up next was the golf course. It's such a fun course. And this is coming from the non-golfer. I did take some fun swings though. Look at me keeping my eye on the ball.

Maybe one day I'll be a golfer...

Everyone else did great though...

Good form, sweetheart!

With colors like these, who wouldn't have jumping pictures?

Sorry for the tank top showing...

Best Picture of the Day...

I enjoyed my Big Bikkie imitation. Then we enjoyed the ride home. It was great being with friends and taking in the view!

Dear Snowflake,

See you next year!

Love, The Shields

Sad, sad day...

So yesterday was free spay/neuter day and so we took our puppy there. Michael found out that they don't do that many so he woke up at 3:30 AM to take her there and there were people already there! He dropped her off and came home around 7:30 AM. Then we got ready for church. (Sorry for the blurry pic)

Our puppy didn't get home until 9:00 PM. There were complications and she ended up having to go into two more surgeries. I was there from 2:30-4:30 and watched all the other dogs walk on out of the clinic. Except ours. Michael stayed until she was finally able to go home. Even then, she couldn't walk.

The vet didn't think she would make it out of the second surgery but after the third, her vitals were looking better. It was a VERY long day. And a VERY, VERY long night thanks to her pain and the HUGE monsoon storm.

Fortunately, she was able to sit up this morning and waited for Michael to wake up so that she could go to the bathroom. She is walking, eating, taking her meds, and even wagging her tail sometimes. So we hope she is permanently getting better. Poor girl!

I'm telling you, it's amazing how close these crazy pooches are to us. It felt like my own baby was having all these surgeries. It was a sad day!

Foreboding, isn't it?

Not only are the weather reports reporting 112 degrees with 20% humidity foreboding, but so is seeing this coming your way...

This, my friends, is a haboob. Yep that's what a giant wall of dust and crazy wind is called. You can tell how dusty it is from the haziness of the pictures. It's our second one this season. Our last one...

...made some national headlines. That's pretty sweet, but clean up/dusting afterward is not my favorite.

Sunshine on one side...

and this from the other direction...

Monsoon season 2011 is definitely here!

Summer Reading Lists

What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't do some reading during my summer vacation? Luckily, I have had some phenomenal reads...

Including refalling in love with this classic...

"Pride & Prejudice" is definitely timeless. I can read (and watch the BBC version) again and again and I still anxiously wait for Darcy & Elizabeth and Bingley & Jane to fall in love. Not to mention Austen's clever wit that makes everything still connectable to our time.

I also read...

This book had an intriguing plot, however I was disappointed with the "worldly" things that were unnecessarily thrown into the book. That's why I usually only read kids books. I'll bet the movie is good though since it won't be as detailed as the book.

Next came one of my new favorites...

I CANNOT wait for this movie to come out. I had heard about this book awhile ago, but because of my anti-adult literature mind, I didn't start it until now. And just like many characters in the book, I did not know what I was missing! It is such a good book. I absolutely LOVED, loved it. In case you didn't catch that, there are TWO Loved(s). Unlike the rest of these books, I didn't read, "The Help" on my kindle because I was hesitant to buy it, but I'm probably going to purchase it just so I can read it again and again! (Thanks for letting me borrow it, Jenni!)

Next came this sea breeze...

"Turtle in Paradise" is written by one of my all time favorite authors. There are not many literary works that have made me fall in love as much as Holm's "Boston Jane" trilogy. SO GREAT! Although "Turtle in Paradise" didn't have a love story, it was still a breath of fresh air from the Florida Keys. I started and finished while I was waiting for my car to be fixed. The back window wasn't rolling up and in the az heat- that no work. So it was definitely delightful to take a trip to the beach with the Conches while I was waiting.

Today I read...

"We're lucky some people are so full of goodness."

My wonderful, librarian mother told me to read "Turtle" and she has been asking me daily if I had finished "Because of Mr. Terupt." Today, I could tell her that I had. It was a quick read, but boy was I bawling! This one will definitely pull the heart strings of any teacher or anyone who has had a good teacher or anyone who has seen the genuine innocence of a child. It definitely helped me get my teacher engines going again. Just a few more weeks...

Have you read any of these? What's next? I need some suggestions....please.