No Tiffany,

I'm not pregnant. Unfortunately. Trust me, if I was pregnant you would have all heard my screams of excitement all across the country. #1 - I would have a baby, and #2 - I would get to stop working!!!! (ps- I do love teaching, I just am craving the stay-at-home mom/wife lifestyle, call me crazy if you want...)

To explain my previous very misleading post, cute Bryan is doing the 12 hints of Christmas for me. I get one hint a day to figure out my present. I left my computer open on our blog and Bryan decided to make his premier post my hint for the day. Unfortunately, I know Bryan all too well and figured my present out after clue 3 (Bryan is now protesting that he made the clues really easy because he wanted me to figure it out quick.) My present is Elf, one of my very very favorite Christmas movies. (Dad is a hint because my dad basically thinks this is the greatest movie ever made.)

Anyway...

Our very favorite SNL skit is Michael Vick, Really? It gets us every time. Tonight I would like to propose Canyon Crest, Really?

Really, You thought it would be a good idea to have a faculty Christmas party at 7:30 am, even though school doesn't start until 8:45, Really?
Really, You thought no one would want to skip our delightful 3 1/2 hour training on Friday afternoon so we could have the party then, Really?
Really, You thought this would actually be a nice thing to do, Really?
Really, You thought we felt like we didn't spend enough time at school, Really?
Really, You think people will show up, Really?

Obviously I'm a little bitter. And, despite all my complaining and sarcasm, we all know that good little Rachel will be there to festivate at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

Your next hint is....
DAD!

A Eulogy

My dear iBook G4 reached its ultimate demise today. At approximately 3:45 pm it stopped breathing. We are waiting for the autopsy results, but it looks like the cause of death was old age.

My iBook was originally a gift from the kind-hearted Provo School District. It was an experienced computer that had lived through at least 15 other teachers before me. There was a crack in the plastic, the letters on the A,S,D,F,J,K,T,and C keys were missing, and it took at least 10 minutes to do anything. But, it had created many a quiz and worksheet. It was faithful at visiting the Powerschool website as well as the Canyon Crest calendar. How I will miss my little friend.

The first scare with my iBook occurred early this Spring when it crashed for the first time. My hero Mr. Swallow was able to resuscitate my iBook and even save all of my data. The good doctor is working hard this time, but the prognosis doesn't look good. I just don't know if little iBook can pull through this time.

At this point we are hoping for a Christmas Miracle- a brand spanking new MacBook (note the upgrade) and the ability to transfer all of my information (including tons of irreplaceable photos from the past 6 months.)

ps- Sorry about the random boxes in my last post. I really tried, but I couldn't figure out how to get rid of them. Obviously I'm not an electronics expert.

Saying Goodbye

Thanksgiving was excellent. I don't have time for the details, but trust me- it was excellent. Unfortunately though, it ended. And then came my least favorite part of living in Utah- saying goodbye.

I have self-diagnosed acute separation anxiety. Despite the fact that I am almost 23 years old, have a very supportive husband, and have lived on my own for 4 1/2 years I completely lose my composure when they leave. Basically I bawl my eyes out. Who wouldn't if they had to say goodbye to this:


Luckily I am friends with one of the most amazing girls in the world. Sweet Lisa Michelle has carried me through many departures from my family and was in full force on this one. On Tuesday she delivered this beautiful ray of sunshine to my school with the sweetest card.

You couldn't ask for a better friend. Thank You Lis!!!!!

Not for the faint of heart

Yes, I'm blogging during the game. Don't worry, I'm definitely watching, but it's just too much for me. My hear is pounding and I need to stay busy doing something or I'm going to go crazy. (ps- it's tied right now in the 2nd quarter.)

I thought now would be a good time to update you on our Thanksgiving festivities. My family is coming, hooray! My dad has been here since Thursday night. We've had a great time hanging out with him. My mom and the rest of the crew arrive in 3 hours- I can't wait!!

Here are some highlights of our itinerary: my fam coming to help in my classroom (sure to be a crazy adventure,) Twilight viewing party (girls only,) Chuck-a-Rama with the grandparents, Christmas lights, cousin sleepover, spending a night at my grandparents' cabin.

But the real day of importance- Thanksgiving- is going to be the ultimate in family fun and craziness. Here's the plan (warning- this may cause pounding of the heart, aching temples, slight stomach ache, and sweaty palms.)
Thanksgiving Dinner with the Anderson's at noon- lots of laughing and delicious food
After eating, a mad rush for everyone to get ready for:
Family Picture- 56 People crammed in a studio trying to wear matching clothes and smile at the same time. Virtually Impossible, but nonetheless we make the effort so very often.
Race to Thanksgiving Dinner part 2 with the Rice's- more delicious food and lots of fun (many more little cousins as well)
Trek to Park City for Thanksgiving Dessert at my mom's cousin's beautiful home. Many more laughs and, of course, delicious food.
I didn't add this in the schedule, but there will obviously be many stops to restrooms for us to binge in preparation for our next meal. Please wish us luck.

Even though I joke about our insane schedule, I'm so excited for a break from school and some time with my wonderful family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Rivalry Week

In my class I have 24 wild and crazy BYU fans and 1 pesky Utah fan (ps, she is adorable and I love her so much.) At the beginning of the year it quickly became apparent that we had a huge rift in our classroom family. The kids would gang up on Ute fan, and I had to lecture them about being kind even though we cheer for different teams. Eventually it became something fun that we all like to joke about.

Enter Mr. Jensen. Mr. Jensen is an aide in my classroom who comes every morning. He is young and fun, and the kids adore him. Unfortunately Mr. Jensen is also a Ute fan.

On Monday he came to school wearing a hideous red shirt and proclaimed that he was planning on wearing red every day that week. I almost said that I would then wear blue every day, but I realized that there's not too much blue in my closet, need to work on that. So I had to come up with something quick and clever. I decided to make a bargain with Mr. Jensen. If BYU wins, he has to wear one of Bryan's BYU shirts all day on Monday. He jumped right on it and said that if Utah wins, the whole class has to get on their knees and say, "The Utes are the Best."

So, the rivalry begins. We only write in blue on our whiteboard. We're all wearing true blue on Friday.

Please Cougars, pull it off for the 25 of us in Room 19.

Immunity

I am very proud to say that I am immune to the flu for the next 12 months.

Today I summoned up my courage to get a flu shot. The District Office was giving them for free and I figured if anyone is at risk to get sick, it's me. Most people wouldn't think this was a big deal, but I haven't had very much luck in the arm/blood/needle department lately (bad blood donating experience.) I even called my mom on the way over for some support, here's our conversation:

"Mom, I'm on my way to my flu shot. I'm nervous. Does it hurt?"

"Oh, don't be such a baby. It's nothing."

That conversation ended quickly.

So here I am one hour later in recovery. The only true tragedy of this experience is the small hole in my sweater from pulling it over my bulky muscles. But, Bryan doesn't need to know that. We're going to start a new family tradition where any time someone gets a shot they become "Queen of the Day." This entitles not having to make dinner, going out for ice cream, watching a movie of her choice, getting a massage (because shots make your whole body hurt,) and anything else the Queen desires. I think it's going to go pretty well.