How would you spend $465.87 at Kroger?

So someone stole my credit card number.



Said someone used my credit card at Kroger (it's a groery store... it owns Smiths).



They spent $465.87.



How... I don't know... but I just can't imagine spending that much money on groceries at one time. Hopefully they were smart, cause they're gonna have to find someone else's card to use now. Mine has been cancelled and a new one is on the way

Tuffy Being Cute

John was trying to put things in the top of the pantry. Tuffy went to help make sure he didn't fall off the chair.

One day this summer Tuffy found an unusual place to take a nap... in the floor of the pantry

You know Tuffy wants to be left alone when he goes and gets in his crate. We had kept him up playing, cleaning, and just doing things with him all morning long. He finally had had enough.

Do something nice for somebody else...

Click on this link
http://www.needatechmakeover.com/2008/09/jaxcheryl-needs-a-tech-makeover-because/

Read his story... if you think he deserves the tech makeover click on "like it" next to the number of votes. No registering, nothing, just a click of your mouse.

Pictures Off My Camera

1. Mini Trek
This year the YM and YW in our stake had thier Pioneer Trek. All that went said what an amazing time they had. For our stake primary activity we had a Mini Trek. The kids all dressed up as pioneers and did various activities including riding horses, making bread and butter, playing pioneer games and pulling/riding in handcarts. It was actually fairly cool until our group got to the riding horses and pulling the handcart activites. But the kids still had a great time!

2. Clari's 1st Birthday

This week was a birthday week. It was my sister's, my cousin's, my aunt's, a friend's and of course little Clari's birthday. We always enjoy the time we spend with Clari and her family, but birthdays are especially fun. As you can see... she really enjoyed her ice cream cake! Laila also had fun posing for pictures and getting some attention!

3. Beaver Dam High School First Ever Home Football Game

This has been a long time coming. The High School has had a competitive football team for at least the last 3 years, maybe longer (this is only the 5th year that the high school has been here). Two years ago they played their home games in Nevada on a rival high school's field. Last year it wouldn't work so they played in Utah on a local college's field. This year however, after thousands of dollars in donations they are playing their home games AT HOME! It's very exciting... and there were a lot of people there. They had to rent bleachers and set up some sort of stereo system to annonce the game but still, it was great! John spent the whole time cooking burgers and hot dogs for the concession stand, but he loved every minute of it. I spent the time watching all these cute kids get their faces painted... I even jumped in thanks to Sarah, but it was fun! They won their very first home game 57-0 (I think...I know we won though!)

Christine

Christine!!! I don't know what e-mail address you're sending me invites to your blog but I haven't gotten any, and I don't know your e-mail address to e-mail you this information. So I hope you'll come back and read this... when you do send me an e-mail ETB2001(at)alloymail(dot)com I would love to keep in better contact with you! (and yes I do know who you are and remember you without the reminder;) How could I forget my best childhood friend?


So to the rest of you out there here's why it's important. Christine was my very best childhood friend. She is a few years older than me, but we always had a great time together. My mom and her grandma served in church callings together, and we became fast friends. Here are a few of my favorite memories of her.

• Playing "Sonic the Hedgehog" on Sega for hours. She also got me addicted to the Bean Machine game (and yes we've bought it for playstation and John and I play every once in a while). It brings back good memories.
• Making calendars, stationary, cards, and anything else we could think of that we could print, on that very first computer I remember using without a teacher in the room.
• Girls camp, she was my "youth leader" but we still had a blast
• Sleep overs, I think we had at least 2 a month
• After church popcorn, m&ms and movies
• 1 of the 2 girls that I ever was really friends with without having drama. I mean I was 9-12 years old but even then I didn't like the drama.

Other random things I remember about my time spent with her

• really narrow hallways at her house
• 3rd story attic where the computer was
• Keeropie (sanrio frog... that fetish stuck around for a while)
• velvet patterned wallpaper
• random organ/keyboard thing in the front room
• dinner with the missionaries
• Lots of singing... we both loved it!

So Christine, I hope that soon, I'll be able to access your blog and know whats going on with your cute family! Until then, I hope you'll keep coming to read about me, and that the rest of you will stick around too.

What kind of Punctuation Mark are You?

From all those of you that have done this.. I'm glad I'm a question mark, since you're all commas and that's who I get along with! ;)

You Are a Question Mark

You seek knowledge and insight in every form possible. You love learning. And while you know a lot, you don't act like a know it all. You're open to learning you're wrong. You ask a lot of questions, collect a lot of data, and always dig deep to find out more. You're naturally curious and inquisitive. You jump to ask a question when the opportunity arises. Your friends see you as interesting, insightful, and thought provoking. (But they're not always up for the intense inquisitions that you love!) You excel in: Higher education You get along best with: The Comma

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

My New Favorite Holiday

Okay, you're probably thinking... "What the...?" I know we're not through September yet, but I am so excited for Halloween! I was telling John the other day I have a new favorite holiday. I think it comes from teaching. The kids have been talking about what they're going to be for Halloween since the first day of school. It is something we really look forward to in first grade. This week, my house and my classroom will go through the Halloween transformation. I figured I'd start with my blog, thats easy to change and I don't have to find the decorations ;). I usually NEVER let on that Halloween even exists before October 1st, but I'm just so excited about it this year! So let the craziness ensue. This is going to be great!

All my tags...

Picture Tag (thanks to Carolyn and Staphanie) I may someday get the pictures taken... maybe i'll do it today after I decorate for fall/halloween... But here are some descriptions of what you may see!
#1 Self Portrait
(imagine a picture of me)
#2 Kitchen Sink
(it's clean right now, John always does the dishes)
#3 Favorite Room
(my whole house... you can look back at previous posts for this picture)
#4 Laundry Room
(its going to be a busy place today)
#5 Fridge
(bare as usual we really need to do some grocery shopping)
#6 Master Bath
(my date every Wednesday night!)
#7 Closet
(I'm the messy one so I don't want to take a picture of it!)
#8 Favorite Shoes
(Tuffy ate them, and the replacements aren't as comfy)
#9 Favorite part of my house
(the fact that I have a house still amazes me!)
#10 Dream Vacation
(PARIS!)
THE FIVE
10 years ago I:
1. was a sophmore in high school
2. didn't have a driver's license
3. was going to my first school dance (homecoming)
4. was taking french...
5. was living in Indiana
5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Decorate my House
2. Finish Decorating my Classroom
3. Clean my house
4. write a letter to my brother on his mission
5. Hopefully see my brother!
5 snacks I enjoy:
1.Chocolate Chip Cookie dough Ice Cream (ok so really any ice cream will do)
2. popcorn
3. chips and salsa
4. dark chocolate
5. humus (thanks to a fellow co-woker for the heads up!)
5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off my debts.
2. have a baby
3. Buy an audi TT roadster convertible
4.Fund programs at school
5. Go to Paris
5 places I have lived:
1. Idaho
2. Pennsylvania
3. Indiana
4.Utah
5. Arizona
Five jobs I have had:
1. Babysitter
2. Sales person at Country Charm
3.Short order cook at BYU Morris Center
4. After school Tutor
5. 1st grade teacher (by far my favorite)
tag...
anyone else who reads this and hasn't done it yet!
Husband Tag
1. What is his name? John, Mr. Reyes
2. Who eats more? He does most of the time.
3. Who said, "I love you" first? we don't remember... but we both still love each other!
4. Who is taller? He is, barely.
5. Who is smarter? It depends on what you want to know
6. Who is more sensitive? it depends on the day and who's more tired!
7. Who does the laundry? We both do.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? him
9. Who pays the bills? It depends on what bill it is.
10. Who cooks more? Definately him! (I only cook if he's not around)
11. Who is more stubborn? Both of us are stubborn
12. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? I try... but He usually is.
13. Who has more siblings? me
14. Who wears the pants in the relationship? well, I don't like wearing skirts to school so we both wear pants ;), oh the other type of pants... well we both have the issues we fight for, and neither one of us feels that we should control or tell the other what to do.
15. What do you like to do together? Everything including nothing
16. Who eats more sweets? probably me
17. Guilty Pleasures? looking at cars and trucks either at the dealership or online.
18. How did you meet? at a dance
19. Who asked whom out first? I did
20. Who kissed who first? He did
21. Who proposed? He did
22. His best features and qualities? He is patient, he is kind, he loves me, he loves kids, he would do anything to make me happy, he calms me down, he cooks the most delicious food!

Copier Etiquette

This is an assignment I was given after a frustrating Friday afternoon when it took me 45 minutes (no I'm not exaggerating) to make 4 copies. I suggested we have a Professional Development on how to use the copier because a lot of my co workers need it (we got them last year but there are still some who didn't know how to use the last ones let alone these new ones). I was asked to come up with some rules and such . So, I don't know if this will actually get used, but it is also a good way for me to vent. So here it goes... please feel free to add or make suggestions for improvement. These are in no particular order.

Etiquette for using the Copiers

1. Always hit the clear all button before making your copies.
2. Do not use if someone else has set their stuff down on the copier and are standing nearby.
3. Do not use if you don't know how to do what you're trying to do. Ask for help. We'd much rather help you than swear at you under our breaths when we see you throwing away hundreds of (or even 20) copies "that were wrong" or while you're taking FOREVER to make your copies.
4. Do not use if there is stuff on the copier that hasn't finished copying. Be nice, look and see if you can help the other person's copies get finished. Yes we're all busy, but it's ridiculous that you would cancel someones copies rather than add paper or unjam the machine.
5. Never walk away from a machine that jammed while you were making copies. If you cannot figure out how to unjam the machine ask for help. DO NOT LEAVE IT JAMMED FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO FIX. Because chances are I will have to figure out how to fix it and I will know it was YOU who walked away. Then you'll be on the bad list until I get over being annoyed.
6. Wait your turn. Do not ask to cut in unless you have 1 and only 1 copy to make or your name is Lisa and you have a parent waiting. It is rude. We all have copies to make and just because you think you're great, it doesn't guarantee that the rest of us do. If you don't want to wait then get to school earlier to claim your place in line for the copier.
7. Do not use unless there is paper in the machine. Check if there is paper in the machine if your copies "don't seem to be printing." More than likely someone thought their copies were done
8. Check to make sure you have all of your copies and originals. Sometimes if you leave while your copies are being made you'll miss that box that says add paper. So check and make sure you got what you wanted.
9. Clean up after yourself. No one likes a dirty work room, and no one likes to clean up. So the deal is you clean up your own mess and if you don't, don't be surprised if it all gets thrown in the garbage.
10. Throw away paper boxes that are empty.

As my husband said "It's kinda feisty." But how else would I do it? If you want to hear the story behind the list e-mail me... It's really dumb. It just goes to show how easily I loose it when I'm tired!

Tiring but Rewarding

Well, I feel really great (and exhausted) about everything I accomplished this week! I've gotten home about 6:00 every night but it has been well worth it. That doesn't mean I want it to be a regular thing, but it does mean, that I love the results I'm seeing with my kids because of it! I think by far the most rewarding thing was setting up stations for my "high" kids. This week they got their own 5 activities that are challenging for them, but that they can still complete on their own. Today was just the second day, but they were so excited and they worked so hard! It was great to see them succeed, but have to really work too. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have specialized activites for all the different level of students in my class. But this is a great first step.

I also read with each of my students this week for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised. It was great to see how well they are actually doing with the beginning reading stage. Honestly, they are so ready and willing to learn. For the most part, they all learn very quickly, too. As tired as I've been, and as hard as I've worked this week, seeing their faces light up always makes it worth it.

My Mom

Well my mom is here! It's so great to have her here! I rarely get to have her this close for this long, so while I'm not glad Bob had to get sick and have surgery, I'm really grateful to have my mom so close! I love when my mom is around. She is superwoman! She can and does do anything and everything. In the 4 days she's been here (she was only at our house for 1 of those days), she's fixed my vaccum, helped clean my house, and gotten art projects ready for my class for Halloween. She is honestly amazing. My students (from last year especially) also love her because she spoils them, and she spent so much time here. My kids this year love her already after only a few hours in the classroom. When she walked into the lunch room with me, she got attacked (in a good, loving, "we're so happy to see you" sort of way). She also loves the attention and all the hugs from the kids. She doesn't like how "mean I am" and yes she does think I am mean sometimes. Coming to school is good for her, since "she doesn't have any grandkids yet" (her words not mine). I'm so glad she's here. it makes me really excited for the hopefully not so far away future where she'll only be 30 minutes away all the time! It is so much fun!

For those of you wondering, Bob is also doing much better, we're hoping he's home from the hospital withing the next couple days.

Drama

The drama in my life never ceases to amaze me... I'm starting to think it's me and not everyone else. I honestly used to think it was other people and I just got suckered in because I was too nice (and honestly probably too nosy as well) and I would try and help fix other peoples' problems. I've tried to stay out of it, keep my mouth shut, and mind my own business with all of my current relationships, but I'm not always successful. So thus, there is still drama in my life.
Here's the latest drama (which I had nothing to do with)...Bob is in the hospital. He has had surgery. My mom is flying into Vegas tomorrow. She was planning on coming for a couple weeks at the end of the month, but now she gets to be here for a month. I'm actually really excited, I just hope I actually get to see her and spend time with her. Even though I know she's coming for Bob. (I can hope though right?)

I'm hoping for life to calm down, but maybe that is never in store for me. There always seems to be something dramatic going on. Maybe I'll write on my principal's door that I too, can no longer handle doing lesson plans... then I really would be the source of the drama! ;)