I'm Gonna Run a RAGNAR!!!!!!

There are these relay runs. You create a team of 8-12 people and run a race that takes about 20 + hours. There's one in Utah that's quite popular - The Wasatch Back. It's a road run and is full. Doug East contacted family about a trail run Ragnar in Ogden. We need 8 team members. The fun part is that we don't have to drive vans to various locations. We get to use a base camp. Everyone runs the same 3 loops, starting and ending at base camp. Keenan and I are going to participate, along with Doug, Karen, Scott and Andrew, and uncle Mike. I told Keenan I'm gonna buy myself a really nice shirt or jacket. I want to prove I've done it. I will have run a marathon and a Ragnar! Woot Woot!

Mia Maid Mother-Daughter Night

Melia helped plan an mother-daughter activity that was really fun. The girls each made a poster about her mom and talked about the poster. We also played a fun game, trying to match answers for questions like: favorite movie, favorite book, favorite singer, favorite color, etc. We decided we need to spend more time together and talk about our favorite things. We thought we did pretty well, but not compared to some of the mother-daughter duos. Oh well. We also matched each mom with a childhood picture of her. We brought the following picture for me.

Here's the poster Mel made for me:

Post-Winter Semester Vacation (aka: the Lady of Leisure)

On our morning walk this morning, Sandy called me a "Lady of Leisure." That fits me lately and is well-deserved. The semester ended a week ago. Students are taking finals for the next few days. I don't have to go in for that because my students take their final online. So, since class ended at 3:00 pm a week ago, here's what this lady of leisure has been up to:

Friday: Allie left for zoo date before I got home from work. Finished making bibs for shower. My sewing machine had been acting up, but I got advice from Dawna Baugh, clothing teacher, and Lee, Hjorth, overall fix-it guy, on what to do. Cleaning and re-threading and replacing needle all worked. Went to Melia's soccer game in Orem.

Saturday: Went to Jessica Lewis' baby shower. It was a nice event. I didn't get to eat and enjoy the food because I was fasting for Allie, who was taking the ACT. What a great way to start prom day, huh? Helped Allie get ready. Was there to greet her date. Nice kid. Worked on my Primary lesson on the Holy Ghost.

Sunday: Taught lesson in primary. Had yummy chicken cordon bleu that Sandy had made and frozen for us. Went to a fireside about trek. I need to explain about the frozen food. A couple of months now, Sandy and I have been making and exchanging frozen meals. We've had delicious Italian beef slow cooker sandwiches, Kalua pork, Jamaican jerk pork, chicken and pasta bakes, split pea soup, etc. We make stuff that can be thrown in the slow cooker or cooked in the oven out of the freezer. It's been fun and delicious. Back to Sunday. I also lost it with the girls when they complained about trek. We had been talking about upcoming summer expenses and all they did was repeat how much they don't want to go. Finally I told them to leave the kitchen and that I was going to rethink how much Keenan and I would pay for their various activities until they can change their attitudes. I told them I wouldn't have wanted to go either, but I would have. I told them I didn't want to go on a mission, but asked for mission papers because I knew I needed to go. Here's what I get to pay for this summer:

Mel's soccer camps: $240

Mel's yearbook camp: $350

Mel's driver's ed: $135

Allie's yearbook camp: $100 (thank goodness she gets the editor discount)

Allie's SOAR if she gets in: $300

Anyway, they seemed to be in a better mood by the time we went to a fireside that night. The fireside was really good. They talked about what we can get from trek and how they can best prepare. We all needed to hear the messages given. We have all been challenged to walk or run 100 miles before trek and read the first 100 chapters of the Book of Mormon before trek. 

Monday: Got together with Sandy to help her sew. After our walk, Sandy came over to sew some maxi skirts like the mustard-colored one I had made a few weeks ago. She made a mustard one and heather gray. The skirts are a bit trial and error since we don't have a pattern, but once we got one made, the second one went quickly. That took a couple of hours. I went to the library to drop off some books and pick up our new book club book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Went visiting teaching and tried a new recipe for dinner that smelled good in the slow cooker all day, but didn't taste that good. Oh well.

Tuesday: Walked with Sherie at the recreation center. It was raining, so we walked inside. After walk, ran a couple of errands, then went to mom and dad's for a vacation. We played 5 crowns first. Then mom and I had planned to watch "The Bible" a series that had been broadcast on the history channel. There were 5 episodes of 2 hours each. I graded papers and mom knitted kitchen dishcloths while we watched. It had some crazy parts. Moses looked like a lunatic. It also had some great parts. I loved the ending, which focused on the lives of the disciples/apostles after Christ's resurrection. Especially touching to me was the life of Paul. What a testament to repentance! He was a bad guy and persecuted the believers, much like Alma the younger. He found the truth, repented and spent the rest of his days teaching. The series ended with Paul in a room, hearing people coming to get him and saying "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Wow! Mom and I enjoyed in overall. We went to dinner at the Art City Trolley. Mom and I shared a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. It was delicious. I went to bed around 10:30. Got to sleep in the dark basement until I woke up. No alarm. 

Wednesday: Woke around 7:30. We played more 5 crowns and finished watching our show. I finished grading. I headed home around 1:30. I had to run a few errands on the way home, hoping to be home around 3:00. We were scheduled to have soccer practice and sophomore orientation. It was going to be busy. Practice got cancelled. We went to orientation but realized we know all we need to know because of Kamiko and Allie having gone to AFHS. So we left and bought a panini press and made panini sandwiches for dinner. Started reading book club book while Allie was at work and Mel at young women's. The book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is really good! It's about a poor black woman living in Baltimore Maryland in the 1940's. She got treated for cervical cancer at Hopkins. Doctors were doing some trials and as a matter of routine, took some of her healthy cervix cells and come cancerous ones. The cancerous cells never died. They kept living and reproducing and became the basis for billions of dollars in medical research on cancer, in vitro fertilization, viruses, etc. Her family didn't know about the cells until 20 years after her death. I'm still reading it and loving it. Can't wait for book club next week. I need to ask Scott Sykes, who went to medical school at Johns Hopkins, what he knows about her. Pretty much any medical research facility in the world has some of her cells. AMAZING!

Thursday: So, I went walking, then came home and read and read and took a nap...a long nap. That's about it until I fixed pasta and green salad and bread for dinner. I also went to yoga at 8:00. Still love my weekly yoga fix. 

Friday: Today...so far, Sandy and I went walking. I came home and emailed AFHS girls soccer coach to give her mel's schedule in case she wants to come watch her play. I also worked on changing some due dates for my spring course and I've been blogging for a couple of hours now. Feels good to catch up. BTW: general conference and Easter were fabulous. How fortunate to have 2 weeks in a row of church and the spirit in abundance. Kamiko should be coming home soon to have lunch. I told him I'd fix him a sandwich. Mel has a soccer game at 6:00. Not looking forward to sitting out at the game. I'm really cold today. We don't have real spring-like temperatures today. Ugh. Tomorrow, Keenan and I are scheduled to run a 5k race. It's with a group that pushes people in wheelchairs so they can complete a 5k. Should be fun. I think it will be kinda hard, too. At least we have 2 runners/wheelchair. We can tag team each other and walk when needed. I'm looking forward to it.

Gonna go read more of my book now! Probably turn into a nap ;)

Work...I love my work!

We've had some adventures at work. The sad news was the Jenny Fosdick, our food buyer, had to leave us for a full-time job. I miss her. Fridays aren't the same without her. Her family needed the benefits and increase in income. She has become a dear friend. We'll keep in touch via book club, etc. Starlyn, who is already in charge of TA's, has taken over the food purchasing part, too. That's a lot to do!

Jessica, one of our TA's and a friend of the Easts, is pregnant. That's been fun. She's having a boy at the end of May. She is very short, so looks very pregnant. I love seeing her work. She just keeps working and working. I get so tired watching her. I'm glad young girls are pregnant, not old ladies like me. Her baby shower was last weekend. Starlyn and I went. Jessica's mom was there. She's in Kristen's ward and said Kris is doing a great job as RS president. That doesn't surprise me.

The big week of the semester is the one before magnificent meal lab. The TA's all come in force and help divide food for labs. Each lab has 2 or 3 groups that have planned their own menu for a meal. It's a lot of food and a lot of dividing. Starlyn had her husband, Lee, bring pizza and soda in. We all took a break after the food had been divided. Coincidently, Jenny had stopped by on her lunch break. It was fun to have everyone there. We got a great group picture. I love my co-workers, TA's and students.

Me and Marci in Easter aprons I made. It was pie week. So fun to teach these kids a dying art: apple pie!

Starlyn's husband, Lee, stopped by. Ali, Annie, Jenny, Lee and Starlyn

So glad Jenny stopped by when we were partying. Ali, Annie, Jenny, me and Starlyn

Back row: ?, Lynne Hoffmann, Mat Williams (our only guy), Tracy, Charity Byrd ,
Jenny Fosdick, Annie Christensen, Ali Chumbley
Front Row: Jen, ?, Lexi, Jessica Lewis, me, Natasha Stout, Starlyn Hjorth

THE mission call

It was very exciting when we got to open a mission call in the lab - quite unexpectedly! Natasha, our cute TA who grew up in Japan, but now lives in Nauvoo, got her call. Her equally-cute roommate brought it by just so we could see it. We teased Natasha and told her to open in there. We told her we wouldn't tell anyone. She had promised her younger siblings she would wait until they got home from school. She was a good sister and waited. BUT...she told us we could open it and just not tell her where she was going. WHAT???????!!!!!!! It's true! So, her roommate, Marci Smith, Starlyn Hjorth, Ali Chumbley and I went into the walk-in fridge to open it. We were sure she'd go to Japan since she speaks the language and it's a tough one to learn. WRONG. Her roommate opened it and only said "Oh...My...Gosh!" She is going to Seoul, Korea. That was a huge surprise! We composed ourselves and walked out of the fridge. Her roommate assured her she would like it. That was a very memorable moment from the food lab.

Work-related things coming up:

- On break right now, until spring term begins April 30
- Annie speaks in her student ward on Sunday at 9:00 am. I'm going to hear her talk
- Starlyn's son, Colby, gives his farewell talk on Sunday at 11:00 am. Going straight from Annie's. Taking a fruit salad. I think Jenny is coming, too.
- Book club next week at Jenny's house

PROM!!!!

Allie's prom was last weekend. She went with a really nice boy named Jake Miller. They really had a good time. They went to the zoo after school on Friday, then to Prom on Saturday. The dress got done and looked great! It suited Allie - so her. Mel had a soccer game, so Kobi Watkins came over to be a substitute sister and help Allie get ready. They had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, took group pictures on BYU campus, then went to the dance. After the dance, they had ice cream and Allie was home by 11:30. I love her date for that. Glad she had so much fun. Allie is such a joy. She is a fun daughter and tries to do good things. I love her for that.

Evolution of a prom dress. Allie had a purple and black short dress that we "altered."

Just kept the bodice, then added skirt with chiffon over

Bodice and sleeves. Lots of trial and error but so fun.

Allie and Kobi Watkins

Notice her nails. They were deep purple with some sparkle. So pretty.

Beautiful Prom Feet. Allie was the smart one who wore sandals, not heels!

Allie and Jake Miller leaving for prom