Turning 33 and bringing in 2008!

Well today is my 33rd birthday! Holy crap I am thirty-something! Like most of you, my birthday makes me think about my life (with my birthday and new years being a day apart I sure do a lot of analyzing, contemplating, and goal setting this time of year!) As I was going to bed last night I asked myself the basic questions; am I happy? Overall .... yes I am. I am so so so blessed. I enjoy my job, I have a nice home (my townhouse is dang cute!), I have gone and done things that I have wanted to do, I own my car (just had to throw that one in :) I have a wonderful, supportive family, and I have amazing friends. I truly feel that I have made the best of my 33 years. I really don't have any big regrets. Am I where I want to be? This is a hard one. Are we ever really there? There are a ton of things I could do better. I always feel that I could step it up a notch. Am I content? Not really. Just an honest answer. I feel so good about my past accomplishments but I am very ready for the next thing ... whatever that is. I feel that life is made up of mile stones; getting an education, establishing a career, buying a house, getting married, having children, etc. Then you put the cherries on top ie. traveling, furthering your education, swimming Alcatraz (the big goals), all the things that make you ... you! I feel like I have hit all the major milestones that I have control over. I feel that I have put a lot of cherries on top of my ice cream sundae. So now what? I think grad school is going to be in my near future. Mr. Wonderful (as my mom calls him) is welcome to walk into my life! Until then ... I will keep adding cherries to my sundae! Bring on 2008 and being 33! I hope to make it a great year!

I had my little family party last night.

Thanks mom for NOT using 33 candles!

I had some little helpers in opening my presents.

Delia, Clementine, Talulla, Cloe, and Tanner

Lot of fun stuff from my family! Thanks everyone!

Snowshoeing Pictures

We had another great day of snowshoeing. My brother Josh and his wife Lisa visiting from North Carolina joined us.

I fall down a lot! I was only about 10 feet from the car.

Me and my Dad

Let it snow!

One of my favorite things to do with my dad is to go hiking and snowshoeing. Yesterday we went for our first snowshoe adventure of the year. Now when we go snowshoeing we do not go along a marked path. Oh no .... we hike a mountain. Not only is it a lot of fun it is a great workout. Our hike yesterday was a hard one! Dang there is a lot of snow. We take turns being in the lead as it is the hardest position to be in. The idea is that each person takes the lead for about 20 steps and then you trade. I seem to fall down a lot so he would end up passing me as I rolled around trying to get back up (not easy in six feet of snow with snow shoes on!) So I end up taking about 10 steps as the lead person.

I love going on these adventures with my dad because it is just to the two of us. My dad and I can talk for hours. About anything and everything. We talk about art (an obvious one) for example, yesterday as we were hiking we were noticing how beautiful the sky was. The clouds were very orange as the sun was setting against the blue sky. Blue and orange are complementary colors. Probably the clouds look more orange because of the blue. Does everyone have that conversation with their dad? We talk about religion, politics, things that bug us and things that we like. We wonder how deer walk through this snow without snowshoes. Of course we talked about how all the bears are hibernating so I didn't need to be scared of being attacked. I love that I have this unique relationship with my dad.

The best part of snowshoeing is coming down! On the steep parts you just sit down and slide. We call it the slide for life! I'm sorry I don't have any pictures. I will get some next week when we hit the mountain again!

Merry Christmas everyone!

What is that smell?

So the other day I was at school. I kept smelling this really strong perfume smell and wondered if I had really put on that much perfume. I didn't think that is how my perfume smelled ... but oh well. Oh my gosh ... what is that smell? It was nice but way too strong! On my way home I smelled it again! It IS me! As soon as I got home I changed my clothes. Laying in bed that night I smelled it again! Oh my gosh ... what is that smell? Is it my hair product? The next day ... the same thing! This smell was following me ... haunting me! After the second day of my nose burning I figured it out! The smell is my new deodorant!

17th ANNUAL FRIENDS CHRISTMAS PARTY

I have mentioned before how blessed and very lucky I am to have such amazing friends! We all met in junior high and 20 years (boy that makes you sound old!) we are still friends. Our sophomore year of high school we started a tradition. Every year we go up to our cabin at Sundance and have a Christmas party sleepover. We exchange gifts, eat, laugh, talk, and renew friendships. This is the 17th year that we have done this. People (Beckie and Jill) come from out of town. Babies are left at home (thank you husbands!) and for one night we are giggly girls again. We all look forward to this nigh all year long. There is no other time that I get to laugh that hard. We are all very funny!

As a group of friends we are as diverse as they come. From religion to politics, single or married, kids and no kids, interest and goals. The one common ground we stand on is our unconditional love for each other. I respect and admire each of these girls. These are the truest friendships their are. We may not talk every day but we all know that in an instant each one of them would be there for you. My life has been so blessed by having them as my friends.

Thanks girls for another fun Christmas party! LYG!

It was a winter wonderland! After a lot of digging we all got out.

We met when we were 3 ... 30 years ago!

Comparing pictures, catching up, hanging out

Forever friends!

Laughing and laughing and laughing all night long! (this was not posed)

The two pregnant girls

Tagged

My sister "tagged" me. Apparently that means that you have to write 6 little known facts about yourself. Then tag someone else. One of my sister's tagged the other sister six times .. so she would have to write 36 things. She got about half way and then tagged me with the other half. I don't usually do these kinds of thing but 1. I am a very competitive person. So I am basically doing this to out do the ones that have gone before.

2. I do NOT have a placenta in my freezer nor will I EVER have a placenta in my freezer. (for further explanation see my sister's blogs.

3. I am the tallest girl in my family ... making me 5'4"

4. I have been to 21 countries and 40 states.

5. I hate peppers.

6. Most of the words on my "words I don't like list" start with the letter "P"

7. I was born with a very good self-esteem. If you know much about my life you know why I would say that.

8. I secretly love the band Air Supply. Actually ... it really isn't so secret.

9. My favorite snack is Pringles, Diet Coke, and chocolate covered raisins .... all together.

10. My biggest pet peeve is when people waste my time! Oh I just hate that!

11. I love to scuba dive!!!

12. I am really really scared of bears! This fear has gotten worse and has really put a damper on hiking ... which I love to do.

13. I am 100% financially independent. (that is for a few certain people who think my parents fund parts of my life)

14. My biggest fear (bigger than bears) is being alone forever. Maybe that is why I am nearly 33 and "alone".

15. Last one ... I HATE talking animals!

Ok .. sister, is that enough to cover ya? Pretty much what you will get out of this is that I am the coolest girl you know! For the sake of keeping this little game going I am going to tag my brother Peter. I would include my brother Josh but he doesn't have a blog nor does he actually read blogs.

Up for a challenge?

One of the coolest things I have ever done is swim in the Escape from Alcatraz race in San Fran. My brother, Josh, and I have done it together twice. It was the best feeling to have finished something that challenging. Well we want to do it again this coming summer and we want YOU to do it with us! We think it would be so fun to have a big group to do it with. So if you are interested in a challenge ... join us! You have plenty of time to train. How cool is it to say that you have escaped from Alcatraz! Here is the link to the registration. Check it out. If you have any questions leave a comment. Come on! It is way fun!

http://www.envirosports.com/events/event.php?eventid=2190

I have yet to become a big online shopper. But ... I was recently introduced to a "delightful" website (thank you Morgan) called www.delight.com. It has such fun stuff. I love all the 'eco-friendly' products they have. If you are looking for some fun/unique Christmas gifts you should check it out.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to me!
I paid off my car!

Hell?

Last summer I read a book called "Lovely Bones" It is a sad/thought provoking book about a girl who was murdered. She is in heaven watching her friends and family deal with her death. Heaven is described as a place that each of us create. Everyone's heaven is their happiest place. So one persons heaven is a family cabin while another's is an island. You get the point. I thought that was such in interesting idea .....

At the end of my Thanksgiving break I was flying home from North Carolina when we had to divert our flight to Omaha Nebraska due to a medical emergency. As we sat on the runway waiting for a new oxygen tank (apparently very hard to find in Nebraska seeing as it took almost two hours to get us back in the air) I thought ... this is my HELL! Stuck on an grounded airplane in Nebraska with a screaming baby behind me and a man saying for the 100th time, "why do we need an oxygen tank, we don't need no oxygen tank, lets just go without the oxygen tank, who cares about the oxygen tank." My iPod battery dying and no book to read (I had finished the one I was reading as we landed). A four hour flight turning into a six hour flight! I discovered that day what MY hell would be. I am going to work REAL hard on NOT going there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

my nephew Tanner

Wishing all of you a very
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As my sister-in-law, Lisa and I were setting the table (not at my mom's house) we realized how much stuff we don't have. Lisa at least has cloth napkins. That's more than I can say! We did our best to set a Carole worthy table. I even made a flower arrangement. I think she would be proud.
Here in North Carolina it looks like Thanksgiving, it smells like Thanksgiving, but 75 degrees and humid does not feel like Thanksgiving! None the less we are enjoying our day and keeping our fingers crossed that the turkey turns out. If not ... we have three pies to tie us over.
I hope everyone enjoys their day and remembers all the many blessings each of us has!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

I am off to North Carolina this afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with my brother Josh and his wife Lisa. Who are we kidding ... I am going to see my nephew Tanner! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

What do you all think of the look? Too much? There is a link to the page where I found these backgrounds at the top of my page. Seriously ... what do you think?

It is all worth it ....

Being a teacher is a pretty thankless job. You deal with a lot of crap. Rude students, ruder parents .... but every now and then you have a moment that makes it all worth it. I received an email this week from a student I had a couple years ago. She is now in London on a study abroad. In her email she said, "Thank you for teaching me to love art and thank you for being so great!!!!"

One line is all it takes to make it all worth it! To know that you have influenced a student, that you have inspired a student makes all the bad days and all the crap you put up with worth it. I look back on my own education and I think of the teachers that influenced/inspired me. I never said thank you. Knowing how much it means I wish I would have.

Gifts are also very appreciated! :)

Something new???

I know I need a new post (many of you have commented on how you are sick of the Bronco's) .... I just don't really have one in mind right now. Things have been crazy and hectic with not a lot to show for it. On top of it all I have had a headache for over a month now. Yes, you heard me right, a month! So thinking and being creative hasn't really been an option. I will work on coming up with something soon. So stay tuned. If any of you have any magic headache solutions ... pass them along. I am willing to try just about anything at this point. :)

Go Broncos!

I don't know how many of you know that I am a big Denver Broncos fan. I know! You would never have taken me as a sports person. The truth is ... I'm not really. Only when it comes to the Broncos. How? Well for starters, my uncle Lou played for the Broncos back in the 70's. So all growing up I cheered for the Broncos. When they went to the super bowl we had big parties at uncles Lou's house. So if I ever had to pick a team my obvious pick was the Broncos. And then a few years ago I dated (insert big eye roll with a little shake of the head here. Ha ha ... it's ok ... I do it to) a guy from Denver who was a big fan. So that got me into watching the games regularly and actually knowing a little about the team. To every one's surprise when the love for this boy faded ... my love for the Broncos did not! I truly look forward to Sunday's when I can curl up on the couch and watch my game. Sports is so much more fun to watch when you have a team! But here is the thing ... we totally SUCK this year! We got spanked last night. I am not losing hope just yet .. but come on. It is very hard to be a super fan when your team sucks! I don't know how long I can keep it up. So come on Broncos! Step it up!

Viva Las Vegas!

I spent last weekend in Vegas with some of my best friends. We had such a blast. We laughed and laughed and laughed and we ate and ate and ate and we shopped and shopped and shopped and we talked and talked and talked! It was a great weekend. Let me give you a little background on these friends.

Shannon: I have known Shannon since we were three years old. There has never been a time since then that we were not friends. Shannon is such a good, kind person. She never talks bad about people. She is always happy and calm. I have such admiration for her and am very grateful to have had a friend like her in my life.

Missy (Melissa, but I still call her Missy): I met Missy in the fourth grade. Missy is a blast! She is always up for fun and can make you laugh and laugh! I can always count on Missy for a good time. Missy is such a strong person. She will say it like it is. I often go to Missy for advice because I know she will give it to me straight! She is the kind of friend everyone needs!

Missy and Kim

Kim: I met Kim in jr. high. Kim is a doll. She is one of the most positive people I have ever known. No matter what kind of wrench in thrown into her situation she will come out on top with a smile. She is always up for a good time. I just adore her! :)

Jill: I have known Jill since kindergarten. My memories with Jill are endless. We were attached at the hip. From midnight runs to Wendy's to tromping around Europe together. I have so much history with Jill that it makes picking up where we left off so easy. I love that she knows me so well that I can say anything to her and know she will take it exactly how I meant it. Now that is a friend!


I have been blessed with amazing friends! I realize how rare it is to still be so close to my "high school friends." When you have been friends with people for this long you know that they love you and accept you for who you really are. It is amazing to me that through all the years and all the different paths our lives have taken us we are still together. We should totally be on Oprah!


So our Vegas trip was a lot of fun. The six hour drive flew by as we talked without taking a breath. Jill lives in Vegas so it was fun to meet up with her and see her cute boy Pax. We hit two shows. Ka and The Body. Ka was ok. I would recommend other shows before that one. For how much we paid we were all a little disappointed. The Body is amazing. If you ever have the chance to go to one of these exhibits you should! You gain such an appreciation for your body. The trip went by way too fast and we were home before we knew it! Thanks girls for an a great weekend! Thanks to all the husbands that babysat and made it possible for us to have this little girls trip. To the girls that didn't make it ... you missed out!

Cheese Cake Factory ... yum!

Trip Highlights

* SHOPPING It is so great to be able to shop with girlfriends. You want someone to say, "don't get that, it makes you look fat."

* LAUGHING We laughed so much.

* CATCHING UP We caught up on every ones lives and the lives of everyone else. I heard peoples names that I had not heard since high school.

* PICTURES Missy and Shannon taking pictures of themselves while getting ready to make sure they look good on camera. Kim and I were on the bed eating treats.

* EATING We ate such yummy food. On more than one occasion we had to unbutton pants to make room.

* POOL TIME We only spent a little time by the pool. Missy stayed covered by multiple towels because she is so white. We mostly watched drunk guys picking up on girls. Pretty entertaining!

* SHARING I love that we can share our hopes, dreams, fears and sorrows with each other.

* CLOTHES One night I had on Missy's jeans and shoes and Kim's socks. It was just like the good old days.

* SLEEPING PILLS You know we are getting old when at midnight we passed around the Ambien.

* PUMA This might be one of those 'had to be there moments' We walked into the Puma store and Missy asked if they had children's shoes. The worker said, "I don't think you would be interest because I don't want to have to walk all the way back there." WHAT? Isn't that your job. We laughed about that one for hours.

*FAST AND SLOW Kim and I walk much faster than Shannon and Missy. We lost them several times. We were glad we slowed down to see Missy get in an argument with a drunk guy about who got to walk on the sidewalk. Something about him being a boy scout????

*MEMORIES Adding more memories to our book!

Putting up the fruit

One of my favorite things about fall is bottling grape juice from our own little vineyard. Our grapes make the sweetest yummiest juice. Last week Hun (my sister Cass) and I were picking grapes when Pete and Jennie wondered out. How fun is it to have them living right next door! We talked and laughed as we harvest our crop of grapes. We felt very domestic. It was a moment to cherish.

Vote NO!

Vote AGAINST Referendum 1!

Yes I am using my blog to push a political issue :) As a public school teacher I am highly against Referendum 1! Let me give you a few facts ....

* Private school vouchers will give you UP TO $3,000. There is not a private school in Utah (that I know of) that you can go to for $3,000. I think Waterford School is somewhere around $15,000. What does this mean? It means that this voucher DOESN'T really give lower income people the opportunity to choose private school. My tax dollars are then going into the pockets of people who can already afford to send their kids to private school. Why am I paying for people to go to private school?

* This program DOES take money away from public schools and DOES NOT lower class sizes. School budgets are based on student enrollment/attendance. If you take students away from a public school their budgets go down. When their budgets go down they have to let teachers go. If you can't afford more teachers your class sizes don't go down. I hope that makes sense.

* The private school voucher people lead you to believe that the additional money allotted for students will be reallocated into the school system. This simply isn't true. Their adds are very misleading!

* 96% of Utah kids attend public school. Is there any question where the money should be going?

I want to say that I am NOT anti private schools. There is definitely an argument for attending private school. My little sister went to private school her junior and senior year. I saw first hand the advantages and disadvantages of private school. I just don't think I/we should be paying for! If you want to send your child to private school ... great! But that is your choice so you should pay for it!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. You can also get more information from http://www.utahnsforpublicschools.org/ This is such a big issue that public school organizations in Arizona and Wyoming are getting involved in fighting against Referendum 1.

What can you do? You can VOTE and VOTE NO on Referendum 1!

I am now stepping down from my soap box. :)

Update ...

As I am sure you are dying to hear what happened with "George" ... He called! He called Ty that is. Through a very short conversation Ty found out that "George" (I still don't think that is his name) smokes! '

Ty, "You smoke! Sorry George, this is NOT going to work. She will never go for a smoker. I gotta go."

Ty hung up and that was the end of "George"!

Never a dull moment!

For most of you the principals office, attending assemblies, fire drills and prom are a distant memory. For me however, it is all in a days work. Teaching high school is a unique job compared to most. This was my 4th period class a few days ago.

Let me set the stage for you. Miss Christensen's ceramic class. Ty (the token gay student of the school) enters the room.

Ty, "Miss C. I am so excited! I think I found you a date!"

Miss C. "Oh really?"

Ty, "I was at WalMart last night and I saw a guy in the card section picking out a wedding card."

Miss C. "and you asked him if he wanted to go out with your teacher?"

Ty, "No I thought that sounded weird. So I kinda lied to him at first. I went up to him and told him I was doing a survey on whether or not people would date a school teacher knowing their income."
WalMart guy, "umm yeah, I guess."
Ty, "well then would you like to go out with my ceramics teacher? She really needs a date!"
Walmart guy, "did she put you up to this?"
Ty, "no, I have just made it my personal goal to find her a date by the end of the semester."

Alec (the boy who sits next to Ty), "Miss C. has never been on a date?"

Let me intercede at for a moment. Can you imagine what this guy was thinking? This poor, desperate teacher!

Miss C., "Ty! Oh my gosh!"

Ty, "So then I asked him who he was buying the card for. It was for his best friend who was getting married the next day. "Do you have a date for the wedding?"
WalMart guy, "No, but I am suppose to be meeting some girl there."
Ty, "So what do you do for a living?
Walmart guy, "I am a lawyer."
Ty, "How old are you?"
WalMart guy, "30"
Ty, "Is that too young for you Miss C.?"

Miss C., "So how did this end?"

Ty, "I gave him my number and he said if things didn't work out with this girl at the wedding he would get in touch with me. Oh and his name is George."

Miss C., "Ty, I can't believe you did that!"

Ty, "well I have to admit that it isn't the first time. When I worked at Old Navy I use to see guys there all the time and ask if they wanted to be set up with you. One of these days one of them is going to show up with flowers! It is going to be so exciting!"

In the midst of all this happening Zach is at my desk.

Zach, "Miss (pause for a minute, over the course of my five years of teaching my name has gone from Miss Christensen to Miss C. to Miss) I will rock, paper, scissor you for your diet coke."

ALL IN A DAYS WORK!

Things I am Loving

AUTUMN
The changing season is one of the things I love about Utah. There are things about each season that would lead me say .. this is my favorite season. Autumn is truly breath taking here in Utah. I love the crisp air, the reds, golds, purples and greens that spot the majestic mountains. I love the smell of my parents house as we can grape juice. Wearing socks for the first time in months, and the smell the first time the furnace is fired up. Yes, Autumn IS my favorite season!

A FINE FRENZY
I am loving the album A Fine Frenzy (thanks Karley). You all should check it out!

PHONE MESSAGES FROM CLOE
I was going through some saved phone messages the other day. I have a message from my niece Cloe from at least a year ago. Every time I listen to this message I just have to smile. Anyone who knows Cloe knows that just the thought of her will bring a smile. She is a funny little girl! Amazing how something as little as a phone message can brighten a cloudy day.

PRINGLES, CHOCOLATE RAISINS, DIET COKE Yes ... all at the same time. These three make a perfect combination! You've got the salty, the sweet, and the bubbles to wash it down. Try it! You won't be disappointed.

MY HOUSE
One of the things I love about my house is how cozy and homey it is. I spent the weekend getting out my fall/Halloween decorations. On Saturday I had one of those rare afternoons where I was home for a few hours. I had the fireplace on, candles lit, bread sticks baking. It was so nice and cozy.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Last night I received some heartbreaking news. Josh's best friends wife, Joy, got a sore throat over the weekend. The day after her sore throat started she noticed random bruising on her body. She headed into insta-care where they took some blood test. The next day the insta-care called and told her to get right to the hospital. She has a rare and very aggressive form of Leukemia. This kind of cancer hits very quickly with no warning. She is now in the hospital undergoing treatments. At this point she has a 40% chance of survival. Everyday that she makes it her odds go up. Every minute counts. If she does survive she will be in the hospital for at least a month. Joy and Kenny are wonderful people. They have 5 children, the two youngest are twins that I think are about a year old. Every day for this family is a gift at this point as Joy literally fights for her life. Our lives can change in an instant. In my busy life I know that I spend so much time looking ahead and not cherishing today. I challenge each of us to "stop and smell the roses" today. Give your kids an extra hug. Enjoy the crisp fall air. Call that friend you have be meaning to call. Live today to the fullest! My heart goes out to Joy and Kenny and their family. My thoughts and prayers will be with them as they go through this challenge.

Warning!!! Nintendo Wii may cause bodily harm!

Sunday night was my Dad's birthday party. After most of the people had left my Dad, Peter, Mom, Jennie, Minni and I went downstairs to play a little Wii. Peter introduced me to Boxing. Round after round I slaughtered my opponent. 6 TKO's in a row. I discovered it was kinda like Tao Bo but with a person to hit. I was all worked up. After my amazing performance I took Peter on in a game or two or 10 of tennis. He killed me. I believe my dad's exact words were, "you suck!" Jennie finally dragged Peter out of there so it was down to the three of us. How about bowling and then baseball. Two hours later I finally headed home. I arose Monday morning and to my dismay ... I can't move my arms! Holy crap I am sore. This is from a girl who swims and does pilates. I would dare brag that my arms are pretty strong. But they are in no shape for the Wii. Well today is Tuesday and I am even more sore than I was yesterday. Lifting my arms to do my hair .. impossible! Putting on my sweatshirt ... not happening. So player beware ... the Wii just may disable you for an undetermined amount of time.

Update

I thought I would give a little update on what has been going on with me. Most of you will know all of this but for those of you who don't ... I will catch you up to speed.
I am in my 5th year of teaching at PGHS. I teach ceramics, honors art and AP art history. I love teaching high school. I have so many great stories but I will save those for a later post. One of my favorite things about being a teacher is summer break! I love my summers and have tried to make the most of them. This last summer was awesome! It kinda had to be .... summer before last I went to Thailand, Cambodia and Korea. (notice the blond hair)






(Thailand)


(Cambodia)


(Korea)

This was an amazing trip. It was fascinating to experience such a different culture. My favorite part was the scuba diving. I got certified a week before we went. I HEART SCUBA DIVING! It is like going to another world. Oh and the food was yummy!

The summer before that I was in Tahiti and New Zealand. Another great trip. New Zealand was so picturesque and cold! This was one of the most fun trips I have been on. We went jet boating, spelunking, hiking, and hot springs. It was so fun.

So as you can see I had had some great summers! So this past summer needed to live up to the rest ... and it did!

I hit the summer of 2007 running ... well swimming actually. Just days after school got out I headed to San Francisco to swim in the Escape from Alcatraz Shark Swim. My brother Josh and I were doing this together for the second time. We had a great week in San Fran together. Josh got married a couple years ago and moved to North Carolina so spending a few days in a fun city together was priceless. We ended the week with our swim. It was great! I finished in 48 minutes (just one minute behind Josh) that was 10 minutes faster than my previous time. We would love to get a group together and do the race again ... so if anyone is interested let me know!

I had just one week between San Fran and heading to Europe for a Grand Mediterranean Cruise! Oh my gosh! What an amazing trip! My art history teacher world came to life this trip. We started in Barcelona and then over the next 12 days went to; Marseille, Livorno, Rome, Capri, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, and Venice. I was with three great friends ... Jennie (the one with me on all of these trips) Stacy and Kara. What a great 4-some we made. We have countless memories from this amazing trip. After the cruise Jennie, Stacy and I went to Ireland and Austria. My favorite place we visited was Turkey. I can't wait to go back. Istanbul is a beautiful city.

Seven cities in three weeks. So amazing! After every trip I feel like a changed person. I love experiencing different cultures and seeing the world. After this summer I think I am up to 21 countries ... and counting.

The day I was traveling home my first nephew was born. James Tanner Christensen. We are so excited to have a little boy in our family. I got home ... attempted to recoup and then headed to North Carolina to snuggle my new baby. My mom and I spent two weeks at Josh and Lisa's. They have such a beautiful home. It was fun to see where they live and get to spend some time with Tanner. I can't wait to see him again at Thanksgiving.

I suddenly have found myself at mid-term of the first term of the 2007-2008 school year. Time really does fly. I am department chair this year. I am on the Statewide Art Partnership board. I am a new teacher mentor. I am on the faculty council. I am the art club advisor. I participate in a teacher group called Associates. Some day I will learn to say "NO"! Needless to say I keep very busy. But don't worry ...there is always time for The Office and Gray's Anatomy. So here we are on September 30, 2007. This is not where I ever dreamed my live would be but it is a good life. In fact it is a great life! You are now all caught up to speed ... for the most part.

I give in ....

I have given in! After much persuasion I am starting a blog. I have become, what my sister-in-law calls a "blog stalker". I have enjoyed checking out friends blogs .. and friends of friends blogs, and friends of friends of friends blogs! Peoples lives are so interesting. Seeing as I think I am one of the coolest people I know I figure I should contribute to the world of blogging! So I hope you will check in now and then to see what is going on in my life. Enjoy!