I'm bAAAAck!

In keeping with the past trends of giving up on blogging during the summer (although it's probably only because I am actually out having fun for once rather than inside blogging), I am now back.  Yes.  Back.  Blogging.  Because school has once again started and I am left to look back on summer and just write about it rather than live it.
Sigh....

It has been a good summer, a rill good summer.  (<--say accent.="accent." an="an" ecause="ecause" half="half" i="i" idaho="idaho" m="m" my="my" nbsp="nbsp" over="over" p="p" part="part" pretty="pretty" s="s" spent="spent" summer="summer" sure.="sure." that="that" where="where" with="with">
What did I spend it doing?
Well, I took kayaking lessons with my dad.  We went up near Sun Valley and learned how to river kayak, which was incredibly fun.  Except for when I slipped and got a bruise that I still have traces of almost three months later.  Nevertheless, I kayaked.  I kayaked!  Far, far away from the land.  AHOY!

On a less fun note, I also moved apartments.  Again.  After I swore I would stop doing it.  And right after, I swore once more I will never, ever do it again.  (And we all know it's a lie.)  You may wonder, if I claim to hate packing up all my junk and cleaning out every single drawer and baseboard and selling furniture I can't take with me bothers me so much, then why do I keep doing it--every year?

Really, it came down to the fact that my roommates were moving out and I figured I could either take my chances with two new people (who may or may not be crazy), or just move in with people I already know and like.  I don't know about you, but after over 50 roommates (very few of which were crazy, by the way, so maybe it shouldn't have been that big a concern), I decided not to take my chances and just live with people I liked.  There are enough things in life to stress about without worrying about that one.

The best part of the move was that my home teacher has an enormous "creeper van" that was able to hold WAY more than any truck we could've used to move.  Thank you, Tim.

No, we did not offer any small children candy.  But we could have.  Oh, we could have.

One of the bummers of moving (besides no longer living with Karen and Caitlyn) is that now I no longer live next to the Provo Chief of Police.  Although we don't still share a wall, don't you worry.  I have his card next to my bed...just in case I need anything.  :)

I know I joked about it earlier, but I really did spend probably at least three or four weeks of the summer in Idaho.  It was so nice to just be home!  These visits weren't my typical summer visits, however.  Part of the time I helped my mom do some home projects--like paint the living room, kitchen, and dining room, get new curtains, do some family history, and work on other projects.  The rest of the time, we worked on cleaning out my grandma's house.  (My grandma passed away this summer.)   Talk about a proooooo-ject!  Whew!  I mean, I know it's good to be prepared, but we have enough bows to outfit Christmas gifts into 2050, I'm fairly sure.  And if one bottle of hydrogen peroxide is good, twenty would be better, right?  Just in case.  Our most incredible find as we cleaned was vegetable jell-o.  Yep.  Jell-o.  Flavored like vegetables.  Apparently, back in the day, they would make it with ham chunks and chopped veggies in it.   Mmmmmm.....Delish.

I'm getting more and more tempted to find that box and make it!

Vegetable Jell-o Pie.  With mayo, perhaps???

Please tell me how this ever stopped being sold!

I went to Seven Peaks once--with the fear that I would just start walking around in my swimming suit and hear a "Miss Waite?!!"  Don't worry.  It totally happened.  I never know if it's more awkward for me or them.  Nevertheless, I didn't mind getting a little sun.

There were a lot of other fun things this summer--going to the rodeo in Idaho and then having an elephant ear after (my heart is still recovering from the combination of deep fat fried goodness slathered in butter, honey, and sugar), going to a Rodney Atkins concert, and celebrating my 27th birthday--which was full of exciting surprises (including breakfast, flaming food at dinner, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at an outdoor theater, and a surprise party).

Here I am with Mr. Rodeo-Attending-Elephant-Ear-Eating-
Concert-Going-Birthday-Planner himself!
Proof that getting older isn't ALWAYS traumatizing...

Teachers can't resist doing some school stuff during the summer (I know, it's just too fun to give up for two and a half months) so a week of summer involved "Team Collaboration" where all the 4th grade teachers in my school (six, to be exact), got together and planned out week-by-week, subject-by-subject what we are going to do this year.  I was SOOOO happy to have a plan that it was worth all five days I gave up.

The summer ended with a surprise red-eye flight to North Carolina and one of my best friends getting engaged.  The Friday before school started I went to work, went to my cousin's wedding reception, and then went to the airport where I caught a red-eye, and I ended up in Raleigh, North Carolina the next morning.  Wade, my friend's boyfriend, picked me up and I went with him to help plan the engagement.  Although I, Western girl that I am, forgot all about the humidity and spent the day dripping with sweat (what was I thinking taking an outfit that required a cardigan?  For the love!), Duke Gardens was a perfect place to get engaged.  Thank goodness I was there to ask the couple under the pre-designated willow tree to please move...someone was about to propose.  Thank goodness also that they struck a deal with me and moved (on the condition they could watch the whole thing).  Thank goodness ultimately, that when Wade and Krissy did make it to the tree, he did get down on one knee and she did said yes.  (I will probably tell the whole story in another post, but suffice it to say, it was a happy, happy occasion.)  I flew back Sunday night, got home at 1:00 am, and was at work by 7:30 the next morning.  I met 32 of the 33 parents and students that Monday, went to a funeral, and then started school Tuesday.

I love my job.  I love my life.  I love that I got a whole summer full of family and fun and co-workers and kayaks and sunshine and friendship and love and yes, even vegetable jell-o.

Happy New School Year!