A Few Christmas Pictures

Frank says, "Hey...now just why did you disturb me?"



Jeremy is very happy playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii.



The newewst member of the family.




Some other very content family members in a fabulous looking basement.

Over the mountains and through the air to mama's house we go...

No new pictures yet... but just imagine 3.5 feet of snow in the last two weeks, negative temperatures, and completely blue skies.

We've been skiing as often as possible, although we took today off to catch up on life in general. Got some work done, organized my filing system, made some Gram Hasty oatmeal raisin cookies (the high altitude variation ofcourse), etc. It was a pretty relaxing day all in all.

I can't wait to see Jen and my parents next weekend! Much more to report then, I'm sure.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!

We Finally Got to Ski!!!!

With not an inch of snow on the ground on Thanksgiving Day, the skiing prospects were a bit depressing. But when we woke up the next day, there were already a few inches on the ground. It continued to snow through the afternoon and evening. We ended up with about a foot! For the last week it's been cold enough to blow even more snow, and the resort officially opened on Wednesday, with only one run open.

With a scheduled 2.5 feet of snow for this weekend, our spirits were high as we dreamt of powder conditions for today (our first day to ski). Unforunately, it rained most of the night and didn't turn to snow until sometime between 5 and 9 am this morning. Luckily, it's been snowing steadily since then. We went up for just a few hours, and it was so much fun! My worst fears of forgetting how to even stand on skis were proven wrong.

Thanksgiving 07

This year's Thanksgiving was once again different from the first twenty-four Thanksgivings of my life. Since Jeremy and I decided to stay in Telluride, we cooked everything ourselves (Jeremy did most of it, actually). Iva came over for a while and ate a very small portion of the feast before heading out to dinner with some of her colleagues.

Our feast consisted of an 18 pound turkey, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes, squash, and pumpkin pie, as well as the less homemade green bean casserole, canned corn, and canned cranberries. It was delicious, and we even found room in the frisge for all of the left overs!




This morning while I was watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, I put up our small Christmas and the ornaments that were easy to hang without the little ornament hooks. I'll have to finish after our next trek into Montrose.


It's back to work tomorrow as I push on through this first entry for National Boards. Hopefully once I get one finshed, the other three will be little easier to get through.

Things I'm Thankful for...
1. Having someone to love
2. Having parents who love Jen and me
3. Having a sister who is always making the best of life
4. Living in such a beautiful place (even if we never get enough snow to ski this year)
5. Teaching kids who think everything is amazing

Thankfully...we've made it to Thanksgiving!

I've never seen an entire school so ready for Thanksgiving break! The kids were outrageously energetic and the teachers were exhausted, but luckily we now all have a short break from one another. For the elementary school, we actually had ten days without seeing our kids, as we had a grading day on Friday and meetings all day on Monday and Tuesday. Break officially started for teachers this morning when I woke up on my own without an alarm! Although I have a lot of work to do over break for National Boards, I'm also going to get in some relxating!

Jeremy and I are staying here in Telluride. Iva is going to come over and hang out on Thanksgiving, but other than that we're on our own. Jeremy has bought an 18 pound turkey to feed three people, so we may all actually turn into turkeys, but oh well! We're also planning on homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, homemade stuffing, and of course the pumpkin pie (my job).

While I never thought I would complain about 60 degree and sunny weather, this unfortunately means no skiing over break. Last year this time Lottie and I were taking our first ski lessons, but this year I'll be out hiking. We had several inches of snow in October, but absolutely none yet in November. They started blowing snow at the begining of the month but gave up this week because it was all melting during the day. We were a little optomistic that we'd get some of the 6-12 inches the Denver area is supposed to get today, but alas the sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky!

Hope everyone is doing well. Love you!

Halloweening

Jeremy's convertable was requested to lead the parade (behind the traditional fire engine) carrying Colorado Teacher of the Year, Seth Berg (a math teacher at our high school).


Me as Pippi Longstocking.

As Halloween Approaches...

The days are getting shorter, the weather is turning colder (although we have been blessed with another weekend of sunny, 60 degree weather), and we're already racing towards the end of 2007! At school things have calmed down, and I'm enjoying getting up to go to work each and every day. The kids have a little extra excitement on top of their usual exuberance as Halloween approaches...after which there are only a few weeks of teaching before Thanksgiving break and then only a few more short weeks until Christmas!

I'm not sure whether I'm crazy or not, but I have decided to attempt National Board Certification this year. I'm excited about having a challenge again, and especially about analyzing what is going on in my classroom. Am I really doing, saying, and teaching the things I think I am? Are my kids getting what I want them to (problem solving, communication, and critical thinking skills on top of the mandated curriculum) out of being in my class? Collecting students work, videotaping, and delving into the specifics with two colleagues will either boost my confidence about my teaching and/or be a heart wrenching blow to my ego. I guess either one will still improve my teaching. While I have the advantage of knowing my kids EXTREMELY well, the downside is having never taught the curriculum before. The process is expensive and extremely time consuming, but in the end, I'm hoping to be a better teacher (not to mention much more marketable in the teaching field).

I'm missing my friends a lot at this point in the year, even though I just saw most of you at the beginning of September. I just carved a pumpkin by myself today (I had never done this by myself until I moved here... there was always Jen or Jamie to join in the messy fun). While Telluridians will take any excuse to party, they're not always keen on the more traditional aspects of holidays. The kids have chosen my costume again...Pippy Longstocking since that's what we're currently reading. I'm sure the day with be great with the parade and party. Then I get to send them home to their parents! The next day is not usually the best, however. Sugar crashes can make kids REALLY hard to handle.

Thanksgiving will be spent with Jeremy but no family once again. We've decided to stay in Telluride for the occasion. This means lots of relaxation, but it will also be devoid of the general Thanksgiving chaos.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful fall!

Sunday Walk

After snow last week, it got warm enough to melt most of it. Jeremy and I even went on a long walk yesterday in 60 degree weather. We knew it was extremely windy last night, but we had no idea what we would wake up to this morning... blizzard like conditions with 4-6 inches of snow already on the ground...and it's stil snowing at 4pm! We've had atleast 8 inches today!

Jeremy and I also went on a walk today with Rex and Eva...a little chilly, but still a lot of fun (and much more of a work out considering all the snow we had to tromp through).

Winter has Arrived

These pictures were taken by Jeremy as we headed out on our long journey to buy groceries at a decent price.

With Halloween approaching, the weather has turned colder and the leaves various shades of yellow and orange. We still have some beautiful weather to hike in, but it's just about time to turn the heat on at night, as the temperature has been dropping down below freezing on a regular basis.

Things are moving along at a quick pace at school, and it'll be no time before Thanksgiving and then winter break hit, both of which I'm looking forward to. Jeremy and I are planning on spending Thanksgiving here in Telluride, hoping to relax and maybe take a short trip to one of the many amazing national parks that surround us (I would certainly love to see Zion or Bryce in Utah). For Christmas we're hoping to see family, and then hit a sunny beach for a week.

Out for a Ride on my Bike

Not the First Snow, but the Second

Update

I know it's been a while since I've written, but things have been a bit busy. School is finally settling down. Now I just need to get into a normal schedule.

Open House was a success...the kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement to show off all of their hard work so far. And this week we have the first round of conferences with parents...not nearly as tense as usual when I haven't met most of the parents...this year I know all of them already!

Fall is definitely here in Telluride. The temperature has dropped and the aspens are starting to glow yellow. Unfortunately, we've also been getting quite a bit of rain so the leaves are falling before we get a chance to enjoy the colors.

Hope everyone is enjoying the last few days of summer!

I Saw a Bear!

So this isn't the exact one (it's really a picture from the internet), but today Jeremy and I were on our way into Montrose and there was this bear just sitting in the ditch along the highway watching all the tourists drive by!

Things have been a bit crazy the last few weeks since school has been officially back in session. My first few days with the kids were great, as expected. The three students who have been added to our class are fitting in well, and all the rest of the kids are working hard and living up to the classroom expectations. One day we made blankets for Project Linus, which they thought was fun and already want to do again. Today is their first test with a substitute, since I’m still in route back to Telluride this morning. We’ll see how they do, but I’m not worried.

On Thursday I flew directly out of Telluride for the first time to head back to St. Louis for Jamie’s wedding. While the view was amazing, the plane was a little less than desirable for me… it had a total of 19 seats and only five passengers (me and a family of four). There wasn’t even a door to the cockpit! I could see everything that went on, which was pretty cool until we were coming in to Denver and I could see the nose wavering back and forth as we approached the landing strip. Coming back in to Telluride may be a bit more harrowing, as the landing strip ends at the edge of the mountain, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The wedding was gorgeous, as expected, and I couldn’t be happier for Jamie and Todd. We had beautiful weather for the outdoor ceremony, even though it was Labor Day weekend (this usually means hot and humid in St. Louis for those of you who don’t live there). The reception was a blast (after I got the speech over with, that is), with a wide variety of music played exceptionally well by a two man band. It was great to see a lot of old friends, their families, and all of my own family. As usual, I miss you all already! Good luck to Jamie and Todd!

On Top of the World

Today Jeremy and I went on a hike with Kirsten and Rex. We started just outside of town by driving Kirsten's 4 wheel drive vehicle up several switch backs which begin several hundred feet below the bottom of this waterfall at the east end of town. We then parked near the top of the waterfall, and hiked for the next five hours!



From where we parked, you could just barely see the edge of town, not to mention the beautiful view of our valley.



From there we began to climb up and up, way past the point where Jeremy and I were ready to turn back, and yes up above the tree line. We parked at an elevation of 10,000 feet and over 5.25 miles gained another 2000 feet during our hike. We journeyed on in hopes of making it to Blue Lake, which we finally accomplished 3 hours after setting out from the car. It was absolutely beautiful of course!

School is Almost Here!

After taking one final trip of the summer up to the Denver area (we visited friends and camped in Rocky Mountain National Park), Jeremy and I returned to Telluride on Sunday evening. Since then I have caught up on most of my errands and begun the process of sorting out my classroom at school. After four hours today, I'm feeling like things are coming together nicely. Inservice days begin this coming Tuesday and kids the next Monday!

By the way... my wonderful boyfriend installed a ceiling fan when we got back the other night. Not only were we tired due to travel and the late hour of our arrival, but it was also dark. So he had to connect all the wires with only a flashlight beam to guide him while the light circuits were turned off for safety purposes. We didn't even have any directions, having received the fan from a friend who no longer needed it! It's so nice not to have to maneuver around an upright fan all the time!

Just for Jen & Ty

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Today Jeremy and I took a short day trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of numerous National Parks visits for the summer. And it was so close... only 10 minutes outside of Montrose! It is an extremely jagged canyon carved out of hard rock and is so deep it receives very little sunlight at the bottom (thus the "black" in its name). It wasn't even discovered until the 1830s... and there is no evidence of any humans prior to that! It was a bit dreary today, so my pictures are lacking a bit of color, but the views were vibrant as well as breathtaking!

The City that Never Sleeps

Jamie's bachlorette party was a success! I had fun during our three nights in Vegas, and I'm pretty sure the other six girls did as well. We did lots of sight seeing as well as a bit of gambling and partying. Although gambling isn't really my thing, I can't wait to go back!

Today's Weather

Woke up this morning to beautiful blue skies and a comfortable 65-70 degrees... As usual it lasted until approximately 2pm, when the clouds began to roll in. It happens at almost the same exact time every afternoon. And then approximately five minutes ago, it took the following pictures! Lightening, thunder, and hail...

Field Trip!!!

Today mom, dad, and I went on our field trip to Kansas. The Tall Grass Prairie was beautiful and interesting, but I think it would be even more spectacular in the spring when all of the wild flowers are in bloom. Then we backtracked to Topeka to squeeze in the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Landmark before it closed. It's in an old elementary school building, and the exhibits were both compelling and very impressive. Not only was the information and media informative, but it was presented using more technology (videos that surrounded you with different perspectives, interactive kiosks, etc.) than I've ever seen in any other national park or monument. Overall, a very nice day considering I had to get up at 6am for the first time in weeks!

Fishing with Dad

Dad took this afternoon off to hang out with me, which was awesome. We went to lunch and then took the kayak and fishing pole out to the lake. Now you have to remember this was the first time I've been fishing in nearly two decades, but I managed to catch FOUR fish! Granted...a couple of them looked like gigantic minnows, but one was pretty impressive (see pics below).