Andrea's Adventures...

I have had a lot of fun with Heather and Ryan this week. I wish they didn't live so far away. Oh well. On Wednesday night, Heather & Ryan (and Ben), Kate & Ryan (Webb), and I went to the Mayan for Ryan Smith's birthday (I know WAY too many Ryans.) It was fun, and worth the wait! Here's a picture of their little cliff-diving act. If you haven't been there, you have to go. The food isn't the best food in the world- but it's not too expensive, and the atmosphere is a lot of fun.  

We had our waiter take a picture... can you say, "Fifth wheel?" :) 

On Thursday night (last night), we went to dinner at the Happy Sumo (only my favorite place in the world... if you haven't had their Mt. Fuji chocolate cake, you haven't lived, my friends)... I should have taken a picture of the cake. It's too good. To quote Heather: "It makes my taste buds very happy." Ryan (Andersen) and I went with Heather & Ryan and Heather's brother and his family. It was delicious. Afterwards, we went up to Sundance for a full-moon lift ride. We weren't too sure about taking a baby- but Ben was a champ. It was so much fun... and relaxing. Here are some pictures we took on the lift: 

The Smiths:

Ryan and me:

We're hot:  (ok, so actually... we were kind of chilly)

On our way down the mountain, we saw a man on the ground, with a flashlight, looking for something. When we asked him what he was looking for, he said, "Keys." Ah man... I hope his night turned out ok and that he found them-- but I really doubt he did. If you have never done the full-moon lift ride, you gotta.  The drive back down to Orem was quite possibly the most tiring drive of my life- simply because we were all laughing so hard. I was worn out! Anyway, I've had such a fun week, and I'm sad to see Heather go!! (cha cha no!) 

The Sealing

Heather, Ryan, and Ben Smith were sealed on Tuesday at the Timpanogos Temple. Monday night, just before going to bed, I had the thought, "You'd better just make sure your temple recommend is still in your wallet." This thought made me nervous, because why wouldn't it be? I opened my wallet, and sighed a sigh of relief. My relief soon turned to horror when I noticed the date on it... April 2006!!! WHAT?! I just got this recommend? There must be a mistake! How could I let this happen? Heather's gonna kill me! I frantically called my bishop, who pointed out where my confusion happened... I felt like I had just gotten a recommend when I got the new recommend with the barcode on it a few months ago. BUT, that didn't renew it. My kind, loving, accommodating bishop then agreed to meet me at the church the next evening at 5:30 (he would have to leave work early), so I could make it over to the Stake President right at 6 (which is when the stake normally does temple recommend interviews). The sealing was at 7, and I needed to be there at 6:30... in American Fork. My bishop also told me that with the new recommends, it normally takes a day or two to get the barcodes activated, so he wasn't sure they would let me in the temple with the new recommend or not. I figured I'd better take my chances. Tuesday morning, I called the temple, and told them the situation. The man on the phone told me that if I could get it renewed, they would just do a visual check, if the barcode had not yet been activated. So, with the help of Bishop Pearson, and with Heather having to push the time back a half hour to 7:30 because a brother's car had broken down, and he wouldn't make it until then, I was able to go to the sealing. It was a really neat experience. I have been to many sealings between a bride and groom- but I had never been to a sealing of a couple already married... and with a baby. Everybody in the sealing room held it together until they brought in that baby-- all dressed in white. It was priceless. It made the sealing ordinance a little more tangible in my mind, when the sealer sealed that baby to Heather and Ryan. I was glad I could be there for it. Ryan was baptized about a week before he married Heather. I went to Georgia to be her bridesmaid, and I'm so glad they were able to come to Utah to get sealed! Here are a few pictures I took outside of the temple.

The happy family.

Everyone who stuck around for a picture (L to R): Ryan and Kate, my mom, Heather's dad, Ryan, Heather, and Ben, Heather's mom, Claudia and John, me, Deb

Deb and I were SO happy to be there!!

You know who...

I had to include this picture because of how cute Ben looked. 

Well, Orem Days have come and gone (I don't know what the official title of the Orem festivities are, so let's stick with Orem Days). I went with my sister and her family to the carnival. Here's a picture of Leah, showing her excitement about the carnival.

Here's one of Erica, Chase, and Emma taking a ride on the motorcycles. Chase loved it.

Last night, I spent some time with Heather, Ryan, and Ben. I am so glad they are in town. I can't wait to see them sealed! Isn't Ben adorable? Can you tell that I cut my hair? Well, I did. This is the shortest haircut I think I've ever had. I'm still adjusting. 

Random Happenings

My first random happening to report: I finished the book The Host. I enjoyed it immensely. There were a few descriptions of different "planets" I could have lived without... but overall, a highly enjoyable book. I don't normally enjoy sci-fi, but this was an exception. 

Second random happening: I am helping with my school's Summer Reading Program for the month of June. I'm actually quite enjoying it because I'm getting to know many of the students I will have in my class next year. The only not-so-good part about it is that I'm still having to wake up early. I guess I'll look on the bright side: at least I'm not sleeping my summer vacation away. 

Third: My friend, Spanky, is going to be on the show Deal or No Deal on Wednesday, and I'm excited to watch it-- with his luck, he'll probably win the million. 

Fourth: Next week I am going to St. George for the Core Academy (teacher stuff). I am driving down with four other teachers from my school on Monday and will be coming home Thursday evening. While we are down there, we will be going to two shows at the Tuacahn. We are seeing The Sound of Music and Les Miserables. How excited am I about seeing the shows? Very. I've never seen The Sound of Music on stage. I've seen Les Mis about a googilian times, but am more than thrilled to see it again. 

Fifth: My bestest friend, Heather, and her husband, Ryan, and their new baby, Ben, are coming to Utah in a week! It's a very exciting trip because a) I haven't seen Heather since November b) I've never seen Ben, and most importantly c) they are all getting sealed in the Timp temple while they are here. I'm very excited for them. 

Sixth: I got sad news (but exciting news at the same time) that another bestest friend, Marin, will be moving to Washington state next week. She got a job up there! I'm happy for her, but sad for those she's leaving behind (especially me... she's going the way all my friends seem to go... away!) Good luck, Marin!

Seventh: I just made a hair appointment for next Saturday-- Yay! 

Eighth: I have completely avoided preparing my Relief Society lesson for tomorrow by posting this... I better get busy. I also have to go to the church to practice the organ- tomorrow is a very demanding day for me. 

Happy Birthday, Marin!

I love a good surprise- both receiving one, and planning one. The past few weeks, a few friends and I have been planning a birthday surprise for our friend, Marin's, 30th birthday. We knew it had to be something good. So, we planned a special get away this weekend with her, and we pulled it off without a glitch, and had a really fun time together. Friday afternoon (after I got out of school for the year!!!), I went up to my brother's vacation home by the Homestead in Midway (literally, right next to the Homestead) and decorated their house birthday-ish with 30 presents that Lisa had bought and wrapped (beautifully) and other cheesy birthday decor. Lisa, Deb, and Melissa went to Marin's to pick her up to "take her to dinner" and told Marin that she had five minutes to get an overnight bag ready. So, without telling her where they were headed, they came up and met me in Midway. That's when the fun began. First, we went over to the Homestead for dinner (yum!), where Monica met us, then went back to the house for a night of rest and relaxation (and lots of craziness). Oh, might I add... the place we ate was situated beautifully. We sat outside, next to a small pond, equipped with fish, ducks, geese, etc. The landscaping was perfect, and the scenery was absolutely charming.

The only strange thing that happened at dinner was when we felt like we were eating dinner with royalty because several people came up to Monica and Melissa, because they were twins, and asked for their autographs... weird :) After dinner, we went back to the house, and before Monica and Melissa broke out their pedicure kits (they are serious about their pedicures), Marin opened all 30 gifts (which ranged from fake, ugly teeth, to a coconut shell bra, to a poker kit-- all things that she will never need, or use!) Her real gift was a card with money in it for a shopping spree in Park City, scheduled for Saturday (today). Here are a few pictures of her opening her gifts:

 

Then, the pedicure extravaganza began. First, we had to take a "before" picture

  

Then, we sat around the bathtub and let our feet soak. Then, the pedicure madness began. My favorite part was watching Marin squirm, as she has unusually ticklish feet. All our little tootsies looked absolutely fabulous when the Dixons were finished with us (until Lisa screwed up her big toe... way to go, Lisa). But, don't worry, Monica saved the day, and fixed it. Here is the "after" picture.

After pedicures and birthday brownies, we indulged in facial masks. Deb partied too hard, and zonked out on the couch. We made her wake up to take a picture of us, which explains our odd placement for posing. This picture is a result of me saying, "Everybody give a pirate eye!" Arrrrrrrgh!

To conclude the night's festivities, we watched the movie Hairspray. I didn't quite get through it before giving in to the call of the bed... which was extremely comfortable. This morning, we got up and made breakfast (which I would have taken pictures of, but Marin strongly objected to me getting out the camera first thing in the morning (well, ok- it was close to 11, but still... too early for picture-taking)). Then, we spent the day shopping in Park City. It was a lot of fun, but I spent a lot more money than I was planning to... that's ok... as I always say, "When in Park City... do as the Park Cityans." We concluded our day with dinner from Bajio's and a quick trip to the World Market (which, if you have never been there, I would HIGHLY recommend going... especially if you're in the mood for European chocolate). We had such a fun time, and I hope that Marin has a fabulous birthday (which isn't really until June 3rd). We missed you Christina, but thanks for your contributions! 

I DID IT!!

I got through today! Hooray! It was exhausting. We did three stories: Chicken Licken, Stone Soup, and The Enormous Turnip. We did our performance three times this morning. First, for my dad to record it. Secondly, for our "6th Grade Buddies," and finally-- the BIG production for our parents. We had a good turnout- maybe about 40 people. The kids did really well. But, it's always a little nerve-wracking having all the parents of my students in the same room at the same time, looking to me to be in charge, or something. I had one little girl who didn't have anyone show up to see her, and it broke my heart. She was even one of the main stars. After the performance, I invited the parents to either take their child to lunch, or eat lunch with them in the cafeteria at school. Every single parent that came did end up eating with their child, and this poor little girl was just sitting in my room with me, trying not to cry (it was 20 minutes before we were supposed to go to lunch). So, I dropped her off with Mrs. Gonzalez's class, and ran to Wendy's and got us both a kid's meal. So, she and I had a lunch date in my room. It seemed to perk her up. I had tried calling her mom, but she didn't answer, so I don't know what happened. Anyway, this afternoon, we celebrated (and also because it was "Student Appreciation" week) by having banana splits. And, I let the kids play this Hullabaloo game that's kind of like Cranium, only it's on DVD, and it's a movement game. They had a blast. But, needless to say- my room was complete CHAOS! Holy cow. Then, we went and watched the 1st Grade program which was absolutely adorable. Those kids (especially the ones that are Leavitts and Sullivans) are adorable.  I am tired, and very glad that it's a long weekend!

Big Butt

So, this morning, we invited the 4th grade class to come see our Readers' Theater. I was concerned about not having made enough room for the 4th graders to sit on the floor. I said, "I forgot that 4th grade bottoms are a little bigger than 2nd grade bottoms." Later today, the other two 2nd grade classes came in to see our production, and both classes fit into the same area that the 4th grade class barely fit into. I commented to Mrs. Gonzalez, "We could only fit ONE 4th grade class, because their bottoms are bigger." To this, Mrs. Gonzalez replied, "Man, I'm glad I don't have a big 4th grader butt!" Hana, one of my most responsive students quickly came back with, "Mrs. Gonzalez, your butt is WAY bigger than a fourth grader's." Here's to you, Big-Bottom!