Sunday, November 22, 2009

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

I hope this video clip works. Sterling and I just barely watched it and I was trying really hard not to cry. As Thanksgiving is coming up I feel so thankful for everything my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I could make a long list telling you everything I am thankful for from my funny little second graders to having just eaten my favorite cereal, but what I am most thankful for is knowing that families are forever.
I am so thankful for all of our family and friends. We love you very much and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Halloween

Although Halloween is significantly less fun as an adult, Sterling and I did manage to have a great time.
The night before Halloween we had dinner and carved pumpkins with Cami and Kade. Cami's pumpkin won the creepiest pumpkin award. Ours was the most eclectic pumpkin.

On Halloween after attending the adult session of stake conference we got together with the Broderick's for a Halloween party, and for the first time in years we dressed up. Sterling went as Indiana Jones and I was Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell. The week before I stayed home from work sick, and spent most of the day watching Saved by the Bell. That's when I got my inspiration to go as Kelly when she is a waitress at the Max.
You can't see it very well, but my shirt says "The Max" and I got the big bangs and a banana clip to top it off.
Sterling was especially proud of his costume.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Life is Good

So much has been happening lately and I keep wanting to post but I just never get around to it. So now I am going to catch you up on all of the little things that make our life good.

Crossword Puzzles
When I was going to school I used to get the school paper and do the crossword puzzle during math, I swear I was listening too. Since I graduated I haven't had a newspaper. So for the last couple of weeks Sterling has been bringing me the school paper so I can do the crossword puzzle. Last week I finished my very first New York Times crossword puzzle. I was so proud of myself. Admittedly I got some help from google, but I think I deserve some credit.

BYU Football
On Friday Sterling and I went to the BYU vs USU game. It was Sterling's first BYU game. It was so fun. I love the excitement of being at the stadium on game day. Last season I learned the hard way that you don't show up to a game in just any color, so we were both decked out in our BYU blue. I made Sterling promise to do all the cheers, (It's another cougar FIRST DOWN!) and he was true to his word. We'll take pictures to post at the next game.

Second Graders
After last year I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep teaching. It was such a hard year. This year is making up for that. I am loving second graders. Sometimes they still make me crazy, but they are so sweet and so much fun. I love their enthusiasm and their funny little personalities. It's great.

There is so much more about our life that is good, but the last session of General Conference is about to start and I'm excited to watch it.

Getting Older


This post is a little late but I just wanted to write about what a great birthday I had. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my birthday. The weekend before my birthday we went to St. George and my wonderful mother humored me and let me celebrate my birthday all weekend long. She made my favorite breakfast and dinner and even took me out for a birthday lunch. As you can tell food is very important to me on my birthday. :)
On the day of my birthday Sterling gave me my gifts in the morning then he had them all arranged on the table with some beautiful flowers so I could see them. He even made e my avorite birthday brownies.
That night we went with the Brodericks to Pirate Island Pizza. The ambiance was so cool and the pizza was delicious. Overall it was a fun day thanks to my family and friends. Thanks for all the sweet e-mails, texts and calls.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Back to School

Summer, where have you gone? The end of summer and the beginning of a new school year always makes me so sad. I miss being able to do things on my own schedule. I miss sitting in my pajamas watching the first half of Regis and Kelly. I miss staying up late. Mostly I miss being able to see so much of my family and friends. But all good things must come to an end.

Now I am beginning my first year teaching second grade. Boy howdy, there is a huge difference between second graders and the third graders I have had the last 2 years. (I just woke up from a nap so I'm not entirely sure this is making sense. Sorry.) Second graders are so squirrly and unable to focus, but they can also be super cute. Yesterday I was having a hard time getting them to hold still and be quiet long enough for me to give them directions so I told them we were going to play stautes. When I said "go" they all had to freeze like a funny statue. They thought it was a great game and it gave me enough time to give my instructions. And even though I'm not much of a hugger I love how they have to give me a hug on their way out the door. So although I still feel completely incompetent I have hope that it will get better. Good luck to those of you going back to school. Remember, be kind to your teachers. Sometimes it takes awhile to figure out what the heck is going on.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Summer Fun

So I am finally posting. This summer has been so much fun. I don't ever want to go back to work. In June my sisters came to visit. We hung out, ate lots of food and went hiking up to Stewart Falls. I also made some major progress on setting up my new classroom. I totally forgot how much work that is.

In July we set out on a very long road trip. We stopped in Boise to for a couple days to visit my sister and her family, but we forgot to take any pictures. While we were there we rented a paddle boat shaped like a giant swan and paddled around the pond. It was fun, but kind of stinky.

Our next stop was Portland for my friend's wedding. Oregon is so beautiful and so green. Sterling still misses all the trees and flowers. The day before the wedding those of us from Utah spent some time exploring the city. We visited a rose and Japanese garden. Then we ate lunch at the Haunted Pizzeria. After lunch we drove out to Seaside Beach. It was so cold, but we did go stick our feet in the ocean. The wedding was beautiful. There were huge trees and flowers everywhere. It was my first time walking down an aisle at a wedding. And I must say it was a little awkward. The coordinator signaled me to begin my lone walk down and then halfway told me to stop. I just stood there smiling until she finally signaled me to go again.

We didn't get to stay long after the wedding because we had to begin our trip to Jackson, Wyoming for my family reunion. It was a lot of fun. We went to Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and spent a little time in Jackson itself. we all felt very blessed to not have been eaten by a bear. My sister told me that to ward off bears you should pee around your campsite. I don't know if that's true, but before we went to bed that first night I made Sterling pee behind our tent. It must have worked because we never saw a bear.

Overall we had a gret trip, but we were elated to be able to get home and sleep in our own beds.

Summer Fun

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Summer

Summer has finally come! The last few weeks of school were super busy. I spent hours wrapping up projects, typing my students' stories and packing up my classroom so that I could move to my new classroom down the hall. I can't believe I'm already through my second year of teaching. This year was crazy. And now I have a couple months to relax, work on all those projects I have been meaning to get to and get ready for second grade. Here are some pictures of the fun we have been having so far.
For Sterling's birthday we went out to dinner at P.F. Chang's. I even made Sterling his special birthday cake that he had every year growing up. There was enough cake for us to share with lots of our family members and friends.

To celebrate Sterling's birthday and the last day of school we went camping with the Brodericks. It was beautiful. We were so excited to finally get to use the camp chef and dutch oven we got for Christmas a couple years ago. We decided that everything tastes better when you're camping, especially ice cold water from a tin cup.

Nicolette and I scavenged for firewood and Sterling and Shawn showed off their boy scout skills by getting the fire going and then playing in the fire with sticks and flicking cinders on people. Sterling came back with a few burn holes in his clothes.
For me, the best part of the camping trip is making s'mores. They were delicious. Despite the marshmallow in her hair Nicolette loved them too.

After a miserable nights sleep in the freezing cold we made breakfast and went for a hike. Sterling took some really beautiful pictures of the scenery. I prefer pictures of people and since I'm the one who blogs I decide what goes on the blog.

So there is our camping trip. Since then I've mostly been chilling at home. I have enjoyed the time I've gotten to spend with my friends and family. Summer is great!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the fun we had in the month of April It was a busy month.
Emilee and I showed off our killer bowling skills in Boise. Emilee only beat Paige by a couple points.


Paige could not have been more excited about her little bowling shoes. Her overall enthusiasm for the game was pretty short-lived. She pretty much just wanted to run around in her super awesome shoes.
Paige loved waking us up every morning as soon as the sun was up.
Sarah, Carrie, Paige, Emilee and me. I love spending time with my sisters. I wish we could get together more often. And I wish Sarah would move closer so I could see Paige a little more often. It was a fun spring break road trip.
Third grade Hershey Track was a cold and rainy day. Laura and I had fun cheering on our students, but by the end of the day we were completely exhausted. I was really proud of my kids.
Right after spring break we had a field trip to the Discovery Center. Afterwards we had a quick picnic before heading back to school. It was a beautiful day. I'm going to miss working with Laura next year.
Another highlight in April was Ashlee coming home from her mission. Everyone except Nika was able to get together for her homecoming. One of the many things I love about my friends is that no matter how long we have been apart we can always come back together and be best friends. I'll have to post again when I get our super cute picture from Camille.

Now for Sterling's adventures. While I was in St. George he went on a road trip with Shaun to Texas. They spent four full days driving there and back. They now know every detail about each other's lives.


Thursday, April 23, 2009

Update

Over the last several weeks I have been slacking off in my blogging. I haven't felt like I had much to say. After some cyber bullies commented on my lack of posting I figured I better just take a minute and update everyone on our thrilling lives.
A couple weeks ago I accepted a job teaching second grade. I am so excited about it. I'm sad to leave third grade, but I am also ready for a change. At first I really had my heart set on fifth grade, but now I couldn't be more excited. I am already completely obsessed with gathering new ideas and materials. I'm so lucky to have a ton of stuff from my sister. And thanks again Nicolette for going through all of your files and giving me so much stuff. Second graders are so great because they are so sweet and they still love their teachers unconditionally. If only we could all be a little more like second graders.
Sterling has finished his second semester of grad school. Just one more year of classes to go. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished there. He'll play it down if you ask him, but he does really well and is really talented in psychology.
Last week was spring break and I was able to go up to Boise to visit my sister and her family. It was so much fun. I absolutely love playing with my niece. I really wish they lived closer. My favorite part was waking up to Paige every morning saying "The sun came." That seemed to mean "Why would you want to keep sleeping? It's time to play." I'll post pictures soon.
So that is about all that is going on in the Stauffer house. We are still happy and in love.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

TAG

1. Where is your phone? charging
2. Where is your significant other? here
3 .Your hair color? blond
4. Your Mother? creative
5. Your Father? funny
6. Your favorite thing? weekends
7. Your dream last night? crazy
8. Your dream/ Goal? retirement
9. The room you're in? comfy
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? being alone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Depends
13. Where were you last night? Cami's
14. What you're not? patient
15. One of your wish-list items? sun
16. Where you grew up? St. George
17. The last thing you ate? chocolate
18. What are you wearing? jeans
19. Your TV? big
20. Your pet? nonexistent!!
21. Your computer? mac
22. Your mood? happy
23. Missing someone? mom
24. Your car? dodge
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your Summer? road trip
28. Love someone? yup
29. Your favorite color? blue
30. When was the last time you laughed? Tonight
31. Last time you cried? Last week

Now to tag those I'd like to do this fun little exercise.
Sarah
Nicolette
Elise
Cami
Camille
Amy

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Valentine's Day

I have never been a fan of January or August. If there are 2 months that I would not be sad to see removed from the calendar it would be those two. January and August for me represent the end of fun things. January brings the end to Christmas and all the fun that comes with it, and August brings the start of school and the end to summer freedom. Now we are half way through February. I have survived another January and can now enjoy the next few months until August.

Yesterday was Valentine's day, and it was a pretty good one. Sterling and I started the day by going to the gym to get a jump on all the junk we would be eating the rest of the day. Then we had a delicious breakfast of heart shaped waffles prepared by Shawn and Nicolette. The last couple of years Sterling and I have made Valentine gifts for each other. He made me a coupon book of things like a 5 minute back rub, snuggling on the couch for a movie of my choice and, my personal favorite, one evening, dinner to bedtime, of uninterrupted attention. I made him a book of dating options for the rest of 2009. In the afternoon Sterling went with me to wander around the mall, and then took me to see Twilight. We both liked it a lot more than we thought we would. I almost want to call off my boycott of the fourth book and read it. The evening took a strange turn when Sterling, who has been hunting for a big screen TV, found the perfect one online. So instead of chilling at home we drove to Lehi and bought a TV. We did make it back in time to enjoy a late dinner and another movie on the couch. It was a great day. Thanks Sterling.

For most of my life I never really enjoyed Valentine's Day. I had a bad attitude about it despite good family members and friends who tried to make it special for me. So to all of my friends and I family I just want to say I love you and I am so thankful to have you in my life. I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me so much that he has brought each of you into my life.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Christmas Fun

Another lovely Christmas has come and gone. Tomorrow I'll be back at school and by Wednesday I'll hardly remember that we had a break at all. So I would like to take this opportunity to write about the wonderful Christmas that we had.




Here are a few of my nativities that I put up. Sterling was not thrilled when I bought one more and received another one for Christmas. The one second from the top I made last year.

On Christmas Eve we went to the Stauffer's house to watch the grandkids perform musical numbers and act out the Christmas story. My favorite part was went my nephew was asked why we celebrate Christmas. He thought for a minute then said "We had it before so we are going to have it again." Good enough reason for me. Sterling always teases me about how tradition bound my family is.

Despite the fact that I am 25 years old I must admit that I was so excited for Christmas morning that I could hardly sleep. We aren't allowed to go upstairs to open presents until 7, but by 6 I was wide awake. I did wait half an hour before waking everyone else up. Here are some pictures of our Christmas morning fun.

Sterling and me before going up to open presents at my parent's house. We bought each other Christmas pajamas this year.

Something extra special about this Christmas was that my grandma came up to spend it with us. It was so fun having her there. I made these aprons for my grandmas, my mom and my mother-in-law. They are reversible so on one side it is Christmasy and the other side has ladybugs. Thanks Nicolette for teaching me how to make them.


I thought this was hilarious. My dad made this dress for my mom out of wrapping paper as a coupon to go buy herself a new dress. Pretty well done.


Sterling bought me my very own Nerf Recon. We had been planning a war for the day after Christmas. While we were practicing my grandma took a few shots. The next day we had our war. I was pretty much the best one out there.
We had so much fun hanging out with our families and friends. I couldn't have asked for a better vacation. It was so hard to come back home. So to all of our friends and family, we love you and we hope you have a wonderful new year.