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).