Seventy degrees and Sunny!

That pretty much sums up our little Easter trip. The car ride wasn't so rosy- we left at about 3:00 on Friday after we were both done with school. I had been unsuccessfully fighting a cold all week and was completely exhausted so sweet Bryan drove the ENTIRE way while I slept for most of the time.

On Saturday morning we went to a park. The boys took their mountain bikes and Bryan's mom and I walked. I learned something new- California can be green! I had only ever been in the middle of winter and the middle of summer when everything is brown (or golden as they call it.) But, it was so beautiful and there were wildflowers everywhere! The trip was full of everything we could expect from an Oakley visit:

La Costa burritos... check
Guitar Hero... check
Getting dirty...check
Eating delicious food...check
Hanging with the fam... check (Grandma Griffin was gone, but we had some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Martinez as well as 97-year old Grandma Croshaw)
Going to the Oakley Ward and hearing the choir... check
Watching movies...check (somehow Sherrie and I convinced the boys to watch Enchanted, but we also watched I am Legend)

There were some added Easter bonuses like dying easter eggs with Chad, the master artist, having an easter egg hunt (the boys will never admit it, but I found the most eggs), fun easter baskets for everyone, and lots of candy. It was a wonderful trip and we were so sad to leave on Monday. But, we'll be back soon for Chad's graduation!

Woohoo!

For those of you who have not heard my saga of looking for a teaching position for next year, I'll give you a 2 second recap. I really wanted to stay at my school, but there weren't any open positions. I knew that if I sat around and waited for a while a position would probably open up because that's what always happens with teachers. But, I also felt like I should get on the ball with finding a job because it would just feel so good to know what I was doing next year. And, if it ended up that I couldn't get a job at my school after all, I wanted to know that I had good options to choose from. So I've been doing this crazy dance called "Look how great I am, but don't look too closely because you need to wait a couple weeks to see what happens at my school before you offer me that fabulous job you're keeping in your pocket for me as my backup."

But, today all my dreams came true. A position at my school opened up and my principal offered me the job. YEA!! Being an intern was great, but being a real teacher will be twice as great (with twice the paycheck!) I'm so glad that I get to stick with a school that is familiar, with a wonderful faculty that I love, and especially that I will still get to see my darling kids next year! Ahh, it feels so good!

And, the other thing that feels good- I'm headed to California tomorrow! We're so excited to visit Bryan's parents and our favorite Chad for Easter. Wow, could I get any luckier?

Luck o' the Irish

My husband is one of the luckiest people I know (obviously...he married me...ha.) But really, he has a lot of luck. He's always winning drawings and randomly getting free food, prizes, etc. Once he won an Xbox 360 at a UVSC dance. It's always made me a little jealous because I was not blessed with his kind of good fortune. But, I have been able to reap some benefits from my lucky husband.

For example, on Friday we were at the mall (lucky for me!) and a guy randomly offered us free tickets to a concert night. He had bought them and was really excited about the concert, but had to work. We had never heard of the artist- Joshua James- but decided we were up for a little adventure. The concert was not life-changing in any way and we didn't become Joshua James's #1 fans, but it was a lot of fun. It was great to do something on a Friday night besides turn on a movie and fall asleep on the couch. I'm glad that Bryan has helped me to branch out and not just always stick with what is comfortable to me.

On a completely different note, the Rex Lee Run was today and it went well. I really enjoyed running, minus the fact that it was freezing cold!

He Did It!

This weekend we traveled down to Moab with our friends Bryan and Lisa. The boys were running the half marathon down there. At one point long ago, crazy Rachel thought it would be really fun and exciting to run 13 miles, so I got Bryan thinking about it. But, teaching kind of threw me off schedule and running lost importance among planning, grading, doing my teacher work sample, crying, going to meetings, sleeping, eating, etc. (note earlier post regarding my gym attendance.) So, I decided this wasn't a good year for me. Besides, I've been wanting to go back and relive my eighth grade cheering days for a long time now (don't worry, I've still got it.)

Bryan and Bryan set off early Saturday morning wearing the hideous fluorescent hats that every runner was given. We had read earlier that any clothing taken off and left on the road during the race would be donated to charity, so the philanthropic boys decided to drop their hats along the way. Lisa and I had a great time standing at the finish line and cheering on the amazing runners (the overall winner did it in 1 hour and 9 minutes...disgusting.) The whole time we had our cameras ready and were watching. All of a sudden I screamed, "There's Bryan... And he's still wearing his hat!!" Apparently my sweet Bryan had been so intent on his running that he had forgotten his earlier charitable inclination.

Overall, it was a very fun day and I was so proud of Bryan. He ran the whole 13 miles in 1 hour and 51 minutes. It was great to watch the Bryans, some of my cousins, and some other friends cross the finish line. They all were so impressive. And, I think I may have been inspired... at least inspired to be excited about my little 5K next week. :) I'm still trying to decide if I've been inspired enough to head back to Moab next year. I'll keep you posted...


ps- pictures to come. My computer is being crazy

Love is in the Air

On Saturday we got to go to my good friend Kate's wedding. It was so fun to be there- she was so excited and made an absolutely beautiful bride. It was also fun to reunite with some Richmond friends. Those Mortensens kept us laughing all day long. :)

As we sat in the sealing room waiting for the cute couple, I thought of our wedding day, which wasn't so long ago, but feels like forever ago! I'm so grateful for that day and for every day since. It is such a blessing that we can be sealed for eternity. Heavenly Father must really love us to give us these families forever!

Despite the fact that I was sick with strep throat and felt like I was going to die (I didn't know it was strep throat then!) it was a wonderful day. I'm so glad that I got to share it with the fabulous new couple. We love you Justin and Kate!