Happy Birthday everyone!

Well, I think we're finally getting down to the end of the October birthdays. I can't believe how many of them we have this month. I remember when Jenny was born. It was supposed to be October 15th (hi Kevin), but she was five days late, and arrived on her grandfather's birthday. At that time, my daughter and dad shared the only October birthdays, that I knew of. Little did I know... I had today off from school, so I decided to make some cupcakes to celebrate everyone's birthday. Bill had to teach at the college, and I was all alone; that can be dangerous sometimes. Here's a picture of my handiwork, and a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to everyone. That would be my dad, Jenny, Mandy, Jesse, Logan, Kevin, and now little Katie Arlene. (did I miss anyone?) By the way, I tasted one (yellow, pink sprinkles and German chocolate cake), and I just might go into the business :)

Fall Break

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Utah has what we call a Fall Break from school. Anyone who knows the "real" story about Fall Break won't find this tidbit that interesting, but for those of you who don't, here's the inside scoop. Fall Break is actually THE DEER HUNT. Don't tell anyone, especially PETA, since they wouldn't like it if we let school out for the massacring of four legged, antler bearing animals. I don't know about you, but all my life I've not been a fan of hunting, especially deer (Bambi). Then I moved to a farm in Corbett, Oregon, where we had cows, pigs, chickens, and horses. We raised the farm animals and had some of them slaughtered for our own use. Not the horses, of course. My, my, how I've changed. Now I need to tie all of this to my original conversation...Fall Break. Bill and I were really tired of teaching, and took full advantage of the couple of days off. We, of course, headed to Las Vegas, and did as much hunting as possible. That's supposed to be funny, since you all know there are no deer in Vegas. We did eat, sleep, and walk as much as possible, so I guess you could consider that part of hunting...NOT. We stayed at The Excalibur, but visited Mandalay Bay and The Luxor, to name a couple. I must say, walking down the strip as we went to the mall at Planet Hollywood, was much like running the gauntlet. There were a bazillion low paid, shall we say delicately, not-really-legal aliens, attempting to hand us flyers and cards advertising nasty shows. They kept flipping the cards as if they were snapping their fingers (to get our attention, I suppose) all they while shoving the cards in our path. Bill (my hero) scowled at them, and barked "nasty!" All in all, we did enjoy our time, and the time spent not grading papers. On the way home, I attempted to take some pictures of the canyon. Here are a couple of pics of nature.

No More Tree!

We used to have three lovely, shade trees in our front yard, that would keep us cool in the summer months (actually, since we live in the desert, it keeps us comfortable throughout the year). I also liked the idea of having those three sturdy trees out in front of the house, since they seemed sort of protective. Well, now there are two trees. We found out that the middle one (middle child...get it, Adam?) was not getting its daily nourishment, thus it began to lose weight...not really sure a tree can lose weight, but that's the best way I can explain it. It was really funny how the trunk was markedly smaller than that of its brothers (kinda cute, huh, calling trees brothers). Anyway, the outer ones began to get stingy with the water and whatever else it is that trees need to grow, and abused their smaller, weaker brother. Is this beginning to sound curiously like a fantasy? Getting to the point, we chopped the dang thing down, so now the larger, stronger brother trees are happy and living off the fat of the land. Boy, it's is definitely time for a break from work. Oh, that's right, we do have a break...Fall Break. Yay! I'll take a picture of our handy work tomorrow morning and add it to this post.

Grandma and Grandpa x Three!

It's kind of interesting how I can get so caught up in my own trials and worries, that I forget how truly blessed Bill and I are. We are going to have three more little ones that we get to lay claim to being their grandma and grandpa. That makes 15 grandkiddies in all, and we are so thrilled to be a part of their lives (the last 3 are yet to arrive, but it's as soon as tomorrow, and as late as May 2010). It's really a different feeling than giving birth to your own (DUH), and quite frankly, a little easier! There is also one more grandchild, that I haven't seen in years, who is 13. Douglas hasn't been a part of my life for years, and it's a long story. Unfortunately, the story isn't very happy either, but there are times when I think of him and what his life is like, and how it could have been different had certain things not happened. I do wish the best for him, and of course his dad, Doug. I pray that Heavenly Father is watching out for both of you. It looks like Ashley and Adam are going to the hospital tonight to get things underway with the birth of little Katie. When we get pictures, I'll post them here...good luck Ashley! Kevin looks a little unsure of what to do about his new baby sister, Katie. In time, he will love her and be a very protective big brother! Adam caught a cold and decided to imitate the Chinese.

Upcoming Conference/Marathon

Hey Summer, I now know you think I'm cool because you have the same background I do! Whoopie, instead of "same brain" we have "same wallpaper." (and I know how you love wallpaper!) Nothing much going on here, which has me worried. There needs to be something going on, ANYTHING! Well, The Marathon is coming this weekend, so that's something. Go Runners! Also, and more importantly, is General Conference for our church. This will be a great weekend, and we are looking forward to the words from our Prophet and his counselors. I have been busy with both of my schools. I think I finally have the schedule worked out for getting all my papers graded and back to my students without pulling my hair out. Now, I have some peace of mind and a very long prep period at the high school every other day. Anyone wanting to come visit, feel free, but check with me first, so I can make sure it's on a "B" day here at Pine View. I can feel a change in the seasons (other than we are now officially Fall). It was actually chilly this morning when I left for work, and had to use my heater until I got to school. We're looking forward to Adam and Mandy coming up tomorrow, and the icing on the cake will be the arrival of little Katie Endsley, next week. Good luck Ashley! (Yeah, you too, Adam). Erin sent me a cell phone pic of Lauryn after she had a spider bite under her left eye. It looked like she ran into something very large. I'm going to try to upload a picture or two that Erin sent from Texas. If it doesn't work, I'll leave it with this....see you all soon. Oh, I have an update on my class from ______. The powers that be finally took my suggestion, and after much screaming and gnashing of teeth, they moved a few students out, that made a more balanced class. Whoever said yelling never works? psst...I didn't really yell.