I'm full!

Well we all had enough to eat, as usual.  Bill used the bar-b-que to cook both of the turkeys and they were really quite tasty.  I think I talked to all of you through the course of the day, and it sounded like your Thanksgiving went well also.  Just to let you know that I miss you all, and hope we can all get together soon.

Bill and I were trying to get some pictures taken so we can order our Christmas cards, but I don't think I like the ones taken so far.  Just to let everyone know, it wasn't the photographer (Mandy), it was 1/2 of the subject (me).  I didn't realize I looked so old!  Some times I feel like a teenage trapped in an old lady's body.  I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with what I've got, or get a face-lift (or a transplant).  Here's an example of what I have to work with.  By the way, Bill looked just fine.

Grandparents, again

Well, everyone, in case you didn't know it Bill and I are going to be grandparents, again.  As you already know, Adam and Ashley had little Katie last month, and now, Jesse and Erin are having little Landon tomorrow (Tuesday).  I wish I could be in Texas with them, especially since they don't have any family in Wichita Falls.  Thankfully, the Relief Society President is helping out with Jacob and Lauryn during the day, but it's not really the same as having your "mommy" there to lend a helping hand.
I'm going to go to help out a bit in January, so that will be fun.  I was just watching a medical drama, and they had a pretty horrific plane crash scene, so that made me a bit nervous to fly.  Oh well, I'll bite the bullet and do my part.

                                                 Jesse and Landon

Great movie!!!

Bill, Mandy and I just came back from a movie that was one of the best we've seen (and that's including "The Core").   It's called  "Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock.  It's a true story about a homeless high school kid.   For you country music fans, Tim McGraw is in it, too, as well as one of the cutest little actors who plays one of Sandra's children.  Go see it...right now!

Time to Change my Background...

I'm getting into the Christmas spirit, even though we just finished Halloween. I'm trying to keep up with the stores. I'm actually trying to decide what our Christmas card will look like this year. That means what to wear for our picture, take the picture and most importantly, this year, where to take the picture. Last year was our first photo Christmas card, and we just sat on the couch (real creative). I'm thinking something like the top of Angel's Landing, out on the airport runway, or maybe in front of WalMart. If anyone has any suggestions, just give me a call, or let me know through this blog. You will all be happy to know that my Christmas shopping is well under way. I want to really enjoy the season more this year, so doing things a bit earlier sounds good to me. Commercialism has really gotten a strangle hold on the world, and I hope I can keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas, and whose birth we are celebrating. One of my favorite stories this time of the year is The Three Trees. We usually have our own "three trees" in our front yard, but Bill had the middle one cut down, because it was being deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (see earlier blog). It was humanely cut down, and now we only have two trees. Back to my favorite story...if you get a chance and haven't read it, do that this season.

Night class

I only have about 2 1/2 weeks left of the night class I teach at Dixie State College, and the end can't come any too soon. Tonight I was working with my students on writing a thesis statement. As I took their topics and wrote them on the white board to help them write a decent thesis statement, one of their topics was: "Drinking at a young age has had a negative impact on my life." (As if I have any background knowledge to draw from, to help them) Another student chose the topic: "Decisions I made in my life have had disastrous results." This topic came from a female student who dropped out of high school a couple of years ago because she was pregnant. (She is now raising her little girl on her own) These kids are actually really neat young people. They're in school, getting an education, and attempting to learn from their mistakes. I guess I had it pretty good, just thinking. Thanksgiving is just around the door, figuratively speaking, and I'm starting to get in the mood to bake, and shop. (well, if you know me, I really don't have to have a season to get me in the shopping mood :) How many of you watch "The Biggest Loser"? Last night they voted off the largest, ever, female contestant (Shay). She came on the show 9 weeks ago weighing 400+ pounds. I think she should have stayed. Instead, they kept that crying Amanda chick! Oh well, what can you do? Can you tell I've run out of things to blog...I can. See you later with some pictures, I hope.

The Last of The Halloween Pictures!

Becca sent Noah's Halloween picture yesterday, and Ashley and Adam sent Kevin and Katie's today. At last, I have them all, I think. Just so everyone gets in the blog with their amazing costumes, here goes. Aren't they all amazingly adorable..a just a bit scary?

Home Sick

I truly hope no one at school reads my blogs, because when I woke up this morning, I didn't really feel sick. Oh, I had my usual aches and pains (my knee was actually killing me), but I could have gone to school. Just call it my contribution to the employment segment. Just think, one more sub was able to work because of me! The way it works is, you need to go online and request a sub before 6:00 am of the day you need one. Well, last night at Parent Teacher Conferences, I was starting to feel yucky, I was on my second day of a nagging headache, my throat was feeling scratchy, and I was starting to ache all over. I decided to write some sub plans, in case I continued to feel that way as the night wore on. I went into the website for subs, and did all that I needed to do there, but I got a bit ambitious and clicked on the "request" tab. OOOPS! In all fairness to me, I really wasn't feeling well, anyway, and when I got home last night Bill and Mandy agreed that I looked terrible. Me, look terrible? What an insult...but I took the compliment and went to bed. I also took some NyQuill (actually quite a bit of NyQuill) and didn't wake up until Bill's alarm went off this morning. What is with alarm clocks, anyway? If it's mine, that's fine, but when you're not getting up? For Pete's sake!

Just a quick note

I seriously don't know why, after all these years of teaching, I still arrive at school way before most of the rest of the building. I think I feel like I need to "plan" (interpretation: sit in front of my computer). If I get to school only 15 minutes before the bell, which is what we are required to do by contract, I get a bit panicky. OK, I'm here, now what? Last night we had our first of two nights of Parent Teacher Conferences, and I'm a bit pooped. Can anyone say, "Week-end?" I've got to stop this rambling, but before I go, I'd like to wish everyone "good health" and please take care of yourselves. Forget this whole H1N1 flu thing. Drink a lot of water, get plenty of sleep (yeah, like I do), and take care of your loved ones.

Parent-Teacher conferences

Oh, how I love these nights! I'm sitting at my desk, waiting for more parents to arrive, so I can share insights about their child, or maybe just miraculous ways for them to pass my class. Not sure, just a thought. Do I sound bored? Right now I am. My cold pizza is sitting next to me, and I'm trying to decide whether to finish it or not. Once again, where's Logan when you need him?

I can't seem to delete this picture of Bryce, so I'll just call them our identical twins!

Jenny and Summer emailed their Halloween pics, so now I only need Adam/Ashley and Becca. I have Summer's on my computer here at school, so I'll put up one of hers, and get Jenny's when I get home and add it to this blog. Thanks, everyone. Yay! More pictures!!!

Where are the rest of the pictures?

OK, everyone (except Erin and Jesse). Where are your Halloween photos? Just to entice you slackers out there, here's one of Jacob and Lauryn. I'm serious about making my very first Halloween collage, so I can frame it and put it up on a wall here at the homestead.

Happy Halloween 2009!

It was a quiet, and not a very scary Halloween night here at the Endsley's. We had a total of 3 door ringers...all from our ward. Cute little kids, a few of them in my Primary class. Again, I over bought Halloween candy, but since Logan and Vicky are coming for dinner today, I'm sure Logan will take care of that! I'm expecting pictures of all of our grandchildren in their Halloween costumes, so "come on, everyone, send those photos!" Here's the only ones I could get, since snapping pictures of the little trick-or-treaters, as they came to our door, might be interpreted as a bit weird.