Chicka Visits Lehman Caves

Taylor had fun on a field trip to Lehman Caves with the middle school. The caves are located in Great Basin National Park. Students learned about unique rock formations. Chicka learned that it's difficult to take good pictures in a deep, dark cave! Thank goodness she didn't scream and scare the bats away.

School's Out For Summer

I don't know who is more excited about summer. . .the teachers or the kids. Anyway, we had a lot of fun events to end the school year including swimming at the pool, beach day at the school, cleaning and checking in all our books and supplies until August! Here's Abby and friends cooling off with shaved ice.


Water slides are so much fun!

5th Grade Class posing after our swim party!

The cutest puppy face getting soaked in sponge toss!

What's More American?

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet! Softball season is nearing an end. We've all eaten our share of hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, scones, slushes, and junk food while watching Abby's softball games! Abby can eat and spit sunflower seeds as good as the boys, and she knows that "there's no cryin' in softball". Evan has enjoyed coaching the girls with all their drama and spunk! I never thought sports could be so much fun. . . watching our kids is the best sport ever!

Just Three Days Left of School

For any of you ladies who may covet the time off teachers get each summer, I have come up with an analogy that may put it all in perspective for you. Remember the joyous and difficult moments of pregnancy over the course of nine months? Remember the last trimester when you were so worn out, tired, out of patience, and ready to explode? All you can do is to continue doing your best, endure to the end and await the joyous end results. You hope that all the tests come back within normal ranges and that what you have done during this time will produce a happy, healthy and thriving human being. Well, that is what May is like for teachers! We must have our summer months off to recuperate, mend our hearts, and dry our tears of joy as we forgive and forget the pain and agony these little brats have put us through.
Then come August, we will once again be at the school for hours beyond our contract time planning curriculum, learning activities, and excitedly looking forward to teaching the little darlings once again with renewed vigor and vim! We will have forgotten the evil things they may have done or said and that many of their parents believe their child would never do wrong. . . ever! We will come back with more responsibilities than before with little hopes of a pay increase due to budget cuts and we will gladly spend our own money to supplement our supplies and make due with whatever materials we have. . . and we'll believe we can once again make a diffference! Ha! I hope that helps those of you who covet our time off during the summer months!

Happy Mother's Day Surprise

I was greeted this morning with the traditional breakfast in bed which was, of course, a delicious omelette, hash browns, bacon, toast, strawberries, and served with a beautiful bouquet of lilacs and yellow tulips. As Evan placed the tray on my lap, I saw each girl coming in with a large black and white picture of herself. They are 16 x 16's framed with an extra wide black frame made by handy-man Evan himself. WOW! Did they ever surprise me?!? I had no idea at all that they had schemed and pulled this together with everyone's schedules to work around. I didn't know they were such good story-tellers until they told me how they worked it all out! I LOVE THEM! Thanks to my amazing photographer friend, Janine @ Moments and Milestones Photography, she has already sized them and forwarded them to me so I can blog them today! Aren't they adorable?

Love Those Lilacs!

Sniff...sniff...ahhhhhh! I LOVE the smell of lilacs! They are so pretty and fragrant in the spring air!

The smell of lilacs takes me right back to my elementary days in Ephraim, Utah when we would walk to the Snow College gymnasium each afternoon to practice for our annual "May Day Dance Festival". All the girls would pick a sprig or two to tuck behind our ears. It would make us extra special and beautiful as we danced and sang merrily around the May Pole. It helped us forget about the nerdy boys we had to dance with or hold hands with. What fun times they were!

Way to Go, Whitney Jo!

Whitney is just finishing up finals this week after her first year away at Dixie State College! This is a poem Whitney had to memorize in 3rd Grade and probably still remembers it. It's quite fitting for her celebration of completing finals!

STICK TO THE TASK

Stick to the task till it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place, and praise
Will come, in time, to the one who stays.

Stick to the task till it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life's victories, after awhile.

We are so proud of her "sticking to the task" in spite of new challenges, new job, homesickness, roommate differences, limited budget, changing schedules, classes, professors, institute, boyfriend separation, and learning to be more independant! She has managed to maintain her full time status, pulling A's and B's, and keeping her chin up! (Sorry to brag dear, but we are so pleased with you!)

Next Phases of Kitchen Remodel

What a project this kitchen remodel has been! We've all been enlisted in helping with this one over Spring Break! It's a good thing the girls are eager to learn and try new things. Taylor and Abby quite like using power tools, and I'm reminded again there are some things men can do better than women such as plumbing, wiring and moving appliances. I'd much rather clean up messes as we go, paint, organize, and document the process.

Easter Sunday

Our three beautiful daughters modeling their new Easter dresses before church. They're growing up way too fast!!

Kitchen Remodel

I am so glad to have a husband with handy-man skills! Here's a few photos of the project so far. Island out. Some cupboards out above washer and dryer.
Good-bye cottage cheese ceiling with gold and silver sparkles!!
Top layer-carpet and padding. Particle board in places to "even" the transition. Under that was two layers of linoleum. Then red wood planks coated with a thick tar-like adhesive, 1978 Las Vegas Review Journals, pink paper and finally, down to the original plank boards as the sub-floor.

Amazing Race through Caliente

On April 1st classes were able to ride their bikes to the Caliente Depot to greet the host of the Amazing Race--Phil Keoghan. He is riding across America to raise awareness and funding for Multiple Sclerosis. On day five, he came through our town! Sheriff Lee was out to meet and greet, protect and serve.
We all rode with him back to the school where he visited briefly and presented our principal with a t-shirt. (See Abby on the lower left hand corner in red sweatshirt). Evan and I are mixed in the crowd. Phil rides approximately 100 miles each day. Check his journey out at philridesacrossamerica.com. Be sure to look on The Daily Blog, day 4 and 5.

Great Family Flicks

Looking for some good movies? I don't watch movies a lot because there's not a theatre here. I don't usually reserve the latest movies early enough, and I don't have time, but this weekend I managed to fit four movies into my schedule and got some ironing done while I enjoyed them all! Each one of these movies inspires, shows what really matters in life, and teaches life lessons for all ages to learn by. I have to say that I just love Greg Kinnear! He is so versatile in his acting roles!

GhostTown is funny, heartwarming, and makes you realize how important it to treat others well every day.

Flash of Genius is based on a true story. How one man's invention was taken by the Ford dealership. His persistance nearly ruined his life, but in the end he got what he deserved. Money isn't what matters in the end.

The Boy in Striped Pajamas is set during WWII times. A young boy makes friends with another boy in a concentration camp not knowing they are not supposed to be friends. Teaches tolerance for differences and how wrong some choices are.

The Express is another true story about Ernie Davis winning the Heizman Trophy during a time when segregation still existed and even in sports, things were not always fair or right. Dreams can come true no matter what your background or experiences have told you.

Saturday Chores

Don't you just love the not-so-positive feedback received when it's time to line out the chores for the day? You can see how excited Abby is about chores! Thank goodness her sweet and tidy friend, Chesnee, was here to assist them with her fine organizational skills!
My girls have too many clothes to keep track of even though there are days when they have "nothing to wear", so I told them they needed to muck out their closets and get rid of clothes they don't wear or have outgrown. Abby has an aversion to anything pink, so out went all the pinks. I miss those cutsy, princess days when they would wear anything mom wanted them to. They are growing up too fast!

Discovering Delmar

After living in Lincoln County for nearly 8 years, we finally rode out and looked through the ghost town of Delmar. What once was a booming mining town of about 7,000 people and the county seat now sits remains of buildings and houses that give a glimpse into the past to a time we cannot comprehend living in. It was interesting to walk around, look inside the foundations, read the markers, and imagine what it must have been like living so primitively in the 1870's when the town was in it's prime. My dad would have loved this outing with us. Evan pulled out the 22's and let us practice our sharp shooting skills, only to be outdone by the Range Master himself every time. Check out Taylor's outfit. Let's just say she should stick with aiming the guns!

Mother's Weekend at Dixie

Whitney and I had a great time together for the annual Mother's Weekend at Dixie College. We started out Friday afternoon with some pampering. . .facials, pedicures, retail therapy, dinner and a great chick flick. On Saturday morning, we met on campus for breakfast and the keynote speaker, Max Rose, (a favorite professor of mine). He told us to not let the frogs and toads of life get us down like one of the ten plagues. In his usual Max style, his words were humorous, inspiring, and encouraging for all ages. Then we attended some workshops, and came back that evening for a luau. It was a lot of fun to be together and get a taste of Spring in sunny St. George! I am pleased to say that I won a prize for being one of the youngest mothers in attendance!

First Signs of Spring!

Well. . . I made it through January; February flew by, and now March is definitely here coming in like a lion with very windy days. I've hardly made time to blog our happenings. It's been a busy month with basketball games out of town and in town, Girls' Camp meetings starting up, YW's, and fundraising for the DC trip, in addition to all the other usual craziness around here. I just count my blessings that I always have something to do and can never remember being bored. I love that the days are becoming longer and Spring will be here before I know it! Coming home from school today, I noticed that my neighbor's daffodils have popped out! What a cheerful bit of color they are on a cold, blustery day! I love daffodils! They always promise of warmer days ahead. Just four weeks until Spring Break! Yahoo!!

Go Utah Jazz!

Great Grandma Ruthie and Grandma Linda have always been loyal Jazz fans, so for Christmas we purchased tickets for them to see a live game. Evan and the grannies traveled to SLC and stayed with Uncle Gordon and Aunt Colleen in Holladay. They had a great time cheering as they beat Oklahoma. Grandma Ruthie got hugs from the Jazz Bear, Thurl Bailey, and Chase Mannon as they filmed the pre-game show. It was quite an event for these two Jazz fans!

My Favorite Sweethearts

This post is dedicated to my favorite sweethearts. . .my Mom and Dad and Evan's Mom and Dad. Being the sweethearts that they are, they all married in February. They have always been and continue to be the best examples of TRUE LOVE that I know. The playlist for this month has songs from their day and songs that remind me of them through the years. (Sorry Deon, Beetles have their songs protected or I'd have included them also!) Stay tuned. . . pictures will be coming soon!!

Are You From Dixie?

24 years ago,(has it really been that long?!)I was extremely excited to receive a scholarship to Dixie College! I couldn't wait to attend college "where the summer sun spends the winter". I still love the contrast of the red hills against the blue skies. Back in the day...before "political correctness" Rodney Rebel was our beloved mascot. We had such school spirit as we cheered at games, sang at celebrations and tried to get an education.

Little by little, good ole Dixie College has grown up and changed with the times. They are now Dixie State College-affiliates of University of Utah-with many more programs to offer students. With those changes also means saying good by to some favorite traditions, one of them being the Rebels as a mascot. Whitney sent me a text today to tell me of the news. It's a little bit sad to this Dixie alumnist. The new symbols and name just aren't the same. Are you from Dixie? Let me know what you think of the new logo and mascot.

Chicka Playing Basketball

Pep talk from Coach Soderborg. Chicka is #12.Run down the court.Dribble the ball.Rest on the bleachers until she goes in again!

My Mother-The Cat Woman

This is a picture of my mother with two of her three felines! After being in the hospital during both Christmas and New Year's with first a broken tib-fib, then an infection, Mom was more than ready to go home to her cabin and sleep in her own bed.

"Tut"-her oldest is the fluffiest cat(White Persian)all sprawled out purring as she pets "Max"-(her half breed Savannah cat) as he is also purring. "Jazzy", the naughtiest cat of all (pure-breed Savannah) was probably out plotting her revenge for being left for the holidays.


All cats are content to have mom home again. As for her, well she has graduated from a walker to a cane and is planning on going to Mazatlan soon to finish recuperating on the beach! Sounds rough . . . she deserves a nice vacation after having to spend her holidays in the hospital! Pssst! Anyone want a cat or two? It was not fun cleaning up after her rebellious cats!

Won-Tons for New Year's Eve

In keeping Sue's tradition of making won-tons for New Year's Eve, Kirby and Evan decided they could do it better than the women...so we let them take over! I think they should start a new cooking show for guys. Any suggestions what to call it?!

Will I Make It Through January?

Life is good, even if it is January. I have never been a fan of this month, perhaps it's because of one or more of the following reasons:
1. The let down after Christmas.
2. Back to reality instead of lounging by the fire reading a book or watching a movie.
3. Most tragic events in my life have happened during this month.
4. Had enough of the snow and cold.
5. Hating the extra weight from over-indulging during the holidays.
6. Back to school and testing begins.
7. Broke from over-spending during the holidays.
8. Hate scraping ice off my windows each morning.
9. Family grumbles cause all I want to eat is warm soup.
10. Students need retraining after two weeks off from school.

P.S. Am I the only one who reads my blog? That's okay cause I do talk to myself, I may as well write to myself. Just wondering.

Remembering My Dad - Grandpa Lyle

I love you Grandpa, clear up to the sky;
And I will tell you the countless reasons why.
When I got my grades, he would write a note,
And every time on the note he wrote:
"You take after your Grandpa, Whitter-doo!
Keep it up and I love you!"
He'd sit for hours in his big blue chair,
Then I'd walk by and out of thin air,
He'd kick my rear end and laugh 'til he cried
And then I would run and wait and hide.
A morning in Brookside resulted in breakfast,
And what we didn't finish he would eat,
Eating contest and wars, he had us all beat.
Looking out on the porch at the two great ponds,
Feeding the fish was great fun and we were quite fond.
Riding the 4-wheelers was always a treat,
Around and around the circle 'til the sun brought the heat.
Grandpa's a legend, a hero to all,
And he'd pick us up each time we'd fall.
I'm sure he's in heaven, flying with pride,
And if you could ask him he'd say, "It was a good ride."
I love him so much, and I miss him a lot,
But I know for sure, he will not be forgot.

Written by Whitney Jo
January 2004

Back to the Grindstone!

It's tough getting back to work after two weeks of wonderful! This is really what the idiom means!


I'm thinking this is what the students must feel like on a Monday after a holiday as well.