Wonderful Winter Weather!

Those who know me best are probably wondering if I've gone insane... after all I've been complaining about perfect weather (60 degrees and sunny)! I'm just so excited about learning how to ski that I can't help but hope for snow!

Lottie and I were able to take lessons on Friday, which were a blast! There were only a few runs open (2 to be exact), but since we spent most of the lesson on a tiny hill learning how to stay upright, stop without falling on our rears, and turn back and forth across the slope smoothly, the shortage of options didn't really matter. I was a little worried after my last experience braving the slopes at the end of March. If I was going to be fainting mid-slope I was afraid the ten day pass I purchased wouldn't get used. Thankfully, I must be much more used to the altitude, because although I was tired, I wasn't even ready to stop at the end of the afternoon! Yes, there were a few mishaps... Yes, my muscles were sore for the two following days... And yes, I CAN'T WAIT TO GO AGAIN!

After an extremely warm and dry November the weather-people are predicting approximately 1.5-2 feet of snow in the next three days with highs in the teens. This is wonderful news for a ski resort/town! I foresee a multitude of practice runs in the coming weekends, with the goal of conquering at least the blue runs by the end of ski season!

Thoughts on a Thankful Thanksgiving

In a year filled with firsts for me, this is a big one. The first time I'm away from any and all family for a holiday. The first time I'm disappointed in 60 degree, completely sunny weather (it's not very conducive to skiing). The first time I've ever cooked a whole turkey by myself! The first time I've had to seriously think about the high altitude cooking directions for the benefit of everyone else. Thankfully, there are still some things to remind me of home... talking for extended lengths of time with the entire family on the other end passing around the phone...watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...eating turkey, hot rolls, pumpkin pie, corn, and mashed potatoes.

Lottie brought the turkey with her when she came down yesterday...it weighed 18 pounds! We had to continuously bathe it in cold water on Thanksgiving Eve to defrost it in time. Then, I had to get up bright and early this morning so there was enough time to cook it before our scheduled feast time at Suzanne's. It was definitely an interesting experience...I still feel like there's salmonella everywhere even though I've scrubbed all surfaces possibly touched by the uncooked bird. Lottie's pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and corn dish were delicious. The turkey was pretty darn good too, if I say so myself. The carving wasn't nearly as efficient, nor the turkey as attractive as in years past when done by more experienced cooks, but I would definitely classify it as a triumph for two first timers.

It was a pretty good day, despite the sadness that went along with being so far away from the people who mean the most to me. I continue to be optimistic about ski lessons tomorrow and am looking forward to the copious left overs for the next few days.

"My brain is getting bigger!"

I am almost always impressed with my kiddos...we all know that. Their attitude towards school and willingness to learn are absolutely refreshing. Lately, however, I can tell they are in severe need of a break. After tomorrow, they will thankfully have an entire week to relax away from their everyday buddies at school who have been getting on their last nerve.

Even with their struggles getting along, they still make me smile! Today a little boy (who moved out of a second grade and into my class due to academic and social problems, as well as speaking very little English) came in with the brightest smile on his face! He walked right up to me and exclaimed, "Ms. Hasty, my brain is getting bigger!" When asked why he thought this was so, he replied, "because I know all this new stuff I couldn't learn before!" How precious is that!?!

Vast Views of the Wild West

(All of the beautiful pictures above were taken by Jeremy, since I had forgotten my camera at school...I promised I'd give him credit!)

I am a midwesterner...seeing for miles and miles without obstruction is not new to me. However, when those views contain massive red rock towering overhead and winding canyons carved thousands of feet into the rock below, it is an amazing sight.

This weekend Jeremy and I took a leisurely drive west into Utah and became tourists in two different National Parks. Saturday we got a little bit of a late start (thanks to me insisting we go to the Ski Swap here in Telluride, at which we both purchased skis!) but made it to Canyonlands National Park with enough time to get in some pictures and a short hike. It was amazing! Although the clouds were definitely threatening and the wind was picking up, it never precipitated. With a jackets on, the 45 degree temperatures were pretty comfortable, and we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. As far as the eye could see was a vast canyon flowering within a canyon, both of which were surrounded by precipitous cliffs. It was absolutely amazing!

We stayed in Moab for the night, got up early this morning, and headed out to Arches National Park. The sky was somewhat clearer, but the temperatures remained the same, leaving the hikers a bit chilly in the shaded areas. This park was also impressive, but I personally enjoyed the Canyonlands more. There are huge rocks...I'm talking the kind that rise thousands of feet out of flat ground. To top it off, many of them have centers that have eroded throughout time, leaving literal arches in the air. Also seen were "petrified" sand dunes created when sediment that blew in over the dunes compressed them into rock and later eroded.

From Arches we took 70 back to Junction and suppressed the shopping bug before heading back home via the normal "boring" route. We thought about hitting the Colorado National Monument and taking the scenic route through a red rock canyon home, but decided it would be more impressive if left to a day of its own. We did, however, drive "through" an impressive storm out in the desert on our way to Junction. You could see the rain pouring down in torrents for miles, but in one area it was almost like a curtain lifting. You could seeing the sand dunes in brilliant sunlight just on the other side. And of course there was a rainbow (I've seen more in the few months I've been out here than in the entire first 23 years of my life in the midwest). Furthermore, we saw a herd of antelope just off the highway. Jeremy made fun of me, but it was the first time I'd seen them outside of the St. Louis Zoo...I was a little excited!

It was a fabulous weekend, but I guess it's back to work tomorrow (not that I don't love every minute of work too). One more week with the kiddos before Thanksgiving break. They get a well deserved week off, while the teachers are forced to attend two days of meetings prior to being released for some rest and relaxation...or more like serious over eating, long naps, and maybe even a bit of skiing!

When it rains, it pours...

Ok, so we know that I can never do things the easy way. Instead of just being allergic to something that was easy to identify, I instead had to pick something that was unidentifiable. Today I drove 2.5 hours to "the best allergist on the Western Slope," only to find out that I'm "slightly" allergic to everything he tested for (40-50 little pricks in the back and right forearm), and moderately allergic to cats. Nothing that should have cause my facial swelling and throat constriction. BIG SURPRISE! His conclusions were as follows (yes, there were several):

1. I have a chronic sinus problem (when he asked the last time I didn't have a runny nose, I had to admit I couldn't remember...sometime in the last decade though).

2. My facial swelling and throat constriction were caused by a sudden allergic reaction to ibprofen (I know that's a spelling mishap waiting to happen), which I was taking to alleviate the sinus headaches.

3. I also have strep throat, which I probably got from my kids while I was taking the steroids to relieve the swelling and throat constriction. Apparently steroids somewhat repress your immune system (according to my general physician).

So while I'm not feeling all that great, at least I have some idea of what is going on and am beginning a wide range of medication to combat the little germies and histamines that are rebelling in my body. Hopefully I'll be back to normal soon!

These pics are from a few weeks ago... I was just looking through them and thought I'd share. Even though the colors only lasted a very short time, they were the most vibrant I've ever seen. It's still beautiful here, and I love the snow capped mountains, but I think the few days of fall may be my favorite scenery so far. It looks a little bare now that all of the aspen stands have lost their leaves.

My second post of the day...Must be having a hard time focusing on work...

Yesterday was of course Halloween, which in Telluride means PARTY! Everyone gets involved, and it's soooo cute! After lunch today my kids all dressed up in their various costumes and the entire elementary school paraded through town...some parents here can be VERY creative. One kindergartner was a slice of pizza, one was a playground (wrapped in turf with barbie sized playground equipment glued all over), etc. I let my kids vote on what I should be. The witch costume won out by a narrow margin, but they were deeply hurt when I failed to wear the green face paint I had originally planned on (a nasty allergic reaction resulting in swelling of the eyes, throat, etc. prompted the doctor to forbid me from wearing any makeup until we figure everything out).

It was an absolutely gorgeous day...not a cloud in the sky and a toasty 45 degrees! Our only obstacle was the packed ice and snow still remaining on the road from last week's winter storm. The kids just decided to skate down the street instead of walk though...they're always up for a challenge! All of the parents and shop owners lined up along main street and threw candy at the paraders (I think it's usually the people in the parade throwing candy at the bystanders...hmmm).

Once we got back to school we partied for two complete hours! They were pumped full of sugar just in time for their parents to pick them up. We're talking cupcakes, carmel apples, sugary juices, as well as candy, candy, and more candy. One parent did opt to provide grapes, crackers & cheese, and celery. But how much of that do you really think they ate? The teachers and I had a great after school snack! The kids then made jack-o-lanterns, various Halloween creatures with punch art (using a thumb tack to trace the outline so that light shines through when you hang it up in the window -- the kids absolutely love it, but "shhh" don't tell them it's a great way to improve their fine motor skills!), and playing Halloween Bingo.

It was an exciting day, but once the kids left I turned around and saw what a mess our room was! Cupcake smashed into the floor, sticky grape juice on the tables as well as the floor, paper everywhere! The only thing I'm sure of is that the thumb tacks from the punch art got put back in the bulletin board (we've had that issue previously). I did have a few students and their parents help me clean up after school, and tomorrow is a work day, so I'll have a little more time to scrub each and every surface again in between my million meetings. Hope everyone had as great of a day as I did!

PS... about my allergic reaction...I'm apparently all of the sudden allergic to something in my apartment...doing my best to figure it out by removing things that have been added/changed in the last week (eyes started swelling last Thursday). Went back to the doctor today and was prescribed some steroids to help with facial swelling and throat constriction, but we probably won't know for sure what it is until after I treck all the way to Grand Junction (a 2 1/2 hour drive) for testing with an allergy specialist this coming Monday. Luckily I feel (and look) pretty much normal after I've been out of my apartment for a good 5-6 hours...so I'm not too awful looking in the class Halloween picture!

Optimistic and Smiling!

So I have been absolutely loving this new place I call home... completely amazing scenery, fresh air, miles of beautiful trails to hike, a totally new start! And even though I'm much more remote (traveling 2.5 hours just to go the mall is a little rediculous), my new experiences here have kept my spirits pretty high. The atmosphere is a complete 180 from before (and I don't just mean the oxygen...). Most everyone is extremely laid back, which means less stress for me, although waiting three times as long for anything to get done has taken a little while to get used to. The fall colors were gorgeous, even if they only lasted for a week and a half before the first snow, and I've been able to forge some new friendships. I've visited Mesa Verde, as well as the Denver area several times, and recently had snow tires put on the car (after a rather treacherous trip to Denver through blizzard like weather).

One of the few drawbacks has been not being in St. Louis to experience history in the making last week as the Cardinals won the World Series for the first time in 24 years! I was jumping up and down and shouting, at home all alone (I was slightly under the weather, but had I been in the St. Louis metro area, you can bet my illness would not have stopped me for the world!). GO CARDS!