Smoke in the air

Sunrise taken on Sept 1

A nice picture, I took by someones house on August 30.

Lots of smoke. Taken August 30

The sun taken on August 30.

With the New Harmony fire about 20 miles away and it started July 25 from lightning and this past Saturday around 4 pm, the fire got out of control. That is all I am going to say about it, but I did take some pictures on Sunday so you can see how bad the smoke was on that day. Enjoy.

And They're Off

Ethan before I took him to school

Zach before the bus picked him up

Connor getting off the bus

I know 2 of my kids started school on August 20, so this is late getting this post out, but my youngest didn't start preschool until August 31 and I wanted to get his picture taken on his first day of school like I did the other 2. To tell you the truth, I think this is the first year that I actually took my kids pictures on the first day of school and I know that is really sad, but hey I finally did take their pictures.

Ethan started 7th grade and wow where has the time gone. He goes to school from 7:55 am-2:26 pm. He is really loving school, so that is a good thing, since he now has 6 teachers. This is his schedule for the first semester: 1st period- Concert Band, (this is his 2nd year playing and he plays the trombone) 2nd period- CTE (all 7th graders have to take this class), 3rd period-Pre Algebra , 4th period Health (second semester-Science) 5th period-Keyboarding (second semester-PE), 6th period lunch and for 7th & 8th period he has core, so he has the same teacher for those 2 periods and this class consists of Language Arts and Social Studies. He also has an Advisory teacher, but he only goes to that teacher once a week. One of his best friends, who he has been in the same class, since Kindergarten, don't have any classes together, so they don't see each other much in school. Ethan also tells me, so many people know his name and say hi to him everyday and that most of them are 8th graders, so you can say he has many friends. He is also playing soccer right now and he has been playing since he was 5 1/2 years old, so he has gotten really good over the years. Soccer season ends the end of this month, unless his team goes to the playoffs, which his team probably will, they have been doing really well. His team have won 3 and lost 1. They have 4 more games to go.

Zach is in the 2nd grade and he is really enjoying school, well he loves going to school. He goes to school from 8:55 am-3:30 pm. He rides the special needs bus, so he gets picked up and dropped off in front of the house, which I love. He also has 2 aides again in his class, 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. The 1 in the morning is the same as last year and the 1 in the afternoon is new, but he seems to be adjusting to his new aide and he loves his morning aide. The only thing we really need to work on this year at school, is his reading, he is really behind in that area, but we can get him caught up with that. Connor started his last year of preschool yesterday and instead of going in the morning, like he has for the past few years, he goes in the afternoon. He goes to school 4 days a week and so he doesn't go to school on Fridays. The bus picks him up around 11:30 am, school goes from 12:30-3 pm and he gets home around 3:50 pm.

I am glad that all my kids are back in school, now then have something to do during the week and I don't have to hear the word bored, but at least only 1 of my kids says that word and that would be my oldest. I have also been looking for a job with the school district and so far I have turned in 4 applications and only 2 interviews, but 1 of the jobs I applied for doesn't close until tomorrow and I am hoping of that one. The interviews I had was okay, but no luck and it is frustrating that nobody will hire me, but oh well that's what happens when you really have no skills and that the questions they asked me, are hard for me to answer.

Talisha's reception in Idaho

After, the mall I went to Talisha's reception and I asked the people who worked at "The Pita Pit", if I could use there restroom to get ready and they said I could, so I was very grateful for that. After that I was on the road, but it took me forever to find the right way to Highway 20, cause there was construction everywhere, but I finally found my way. The reception was at the church, in a small town called Teton and the reception turned out really nice. I was glad that Talisha's reception ended up being the same weekend I was going to be there, so it was great. Her parents, brother Levi, her brother Topher, his wife Nicol

BYU Idaho Education Week Part 2

The Rexburg Temple

My Dream Car, but I would want either red or blue

Christy, Jessica, Valerie, and me

Sisters-Christy and Valerie

Now, I need to tell about my time in Rexburg and all my wonderful classes that I took. Since, I haven't felt very good about myself for several years, almost all of my classes were somewhat related, which I needed in my life right now. The classes that I took were: "Get Your Ideal Life Part 1 and 2" by Connie Sokol. "The Process of Personal Progression" by Scott L. Anderson. "Learning to Love Thyself" by Elia Gourgouris. "The Marvelous Creation of You By The Celestial Architect" by Tracey Long. "Making Positive Changes" by Barbara Barrington Jones. "Removing Guilt and Allowing Peace" by Cherie A. Burton. "Awake and Arouse Your Faculties: Bring Clarity into your Life" by Cherie A. Burton. The last class I took was "Strengthening Marriage Relationships" by Carleen Tanner. I enjoyed all of the classes I took and I am so glad that I was able to attend Education Week at BYU Idaho. I would go to the one at BYU Provo, cause it is closer, but it is a week and it is always when school starts for the kids, so maybe someday I can go to that one.

Besides going to classes, I ate and the food was so good. I always went to breakfast with my roommate Valerie, her sister Christy and Christy's friend Jessica. I took some of the classes with Valerie and we got along so great, so that was good. I also went to the Bookstore and it was a nice one and it isn't as big as the one at BYU Provo. On Saturday, which was the last day of Education Week, after breakfast, the 4 of us took some pictures of each other and we also got some pictures of the 4 of us, so that was cool. Then before we went are separate ways, we wrote down everyone's name, since all 4 of us are on Facebook.

After that, I had to go to Idaho Falls, which is only 25 minutes from Rexburg to get a new tire, so I could match my other new tire. I went to the Sears at the mall to get the car worked on. I also asked them to rotate the new tires to the front. They would call me when the car was done, so I went in the mall to go shopping, it was my birthday after all. They called me about 20 minutes later and they told me as they were looking at the tires, the alignment was really bad, so I told them to do that to, since I still had to get back to Utah and I didn't want to have anymore problems, like I had getting to Rexburg. Anyway, they said give them about 40 minutes and the car will be done by then. I finished looking in the mall and I finally found a dress, that actally fits me and I look good in that dress too, which for me is a plus. I have looked so many places for a dress and I can never seem to find one that fits me, cause well to tell you the truth I am over weight and I hate it. Anyway, I was so very happy when I found that dress, I actually jumped up and down in the dressing room. Over all the mall was okay, but I have been in much better malls. After the mall, I went to Target, one of my favorite stores and I went to a few more places looking for some nice shoes to wear with my dress, but I didn't find any at all that was size 10 Wide, yes my feet are big too. They had size 10 shoes that I really liked, but the shoes weren't wide and I got upset because of the fact that the shoes have to be wide. I also had lunch at a place called "The Pita Pit" and oh my gosh that place was so good, I loved it.

BYU Idaho Gardens

I don't know how many have seen The Gardens at BYU Idaho, but it is beautiful and its wonderful to walk in the gardens. I had sometime to walk in there and take some pictures and I was having so much fun doing that. Also, on my last day ay BYU Idaho, my roommate Valerie and I took some pictures of them and we also managed to get in some of the pictures too. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

BYU Idaho Education Week Part 1

I guess I should tell everyone about my vacation to Rexburg Idaho to attend Education Week and my best friend Talisha's second wedding reception happened to be the same weekend I was going to there, so that was so cool. Anyway, it started the night before I was going to leave, which was Tuesday July 28. I went over to Talisha's house and her whole family was there, cause she was moving and so it was a goodbye party, since some of her family couldn't come to the reception Rexburg. They were busy packing Nate's truck, that is her husband and I was there so they could pack some of their stuff in my van, which Nate and Talisha thanked me over and over again for taking my van to Rexburg, instead of my smaller car, which I was planning on taking in the first place. Anyway, they packed my van full of there stuff and wedding stuff that they needed at the reception in Idaho. I left about an hour and a half later and went home to gather last minute stuff that I needed to take with me.

I woke up early and I left alittle after 7 am. I called Talisha just before I left to tell her I was leaving. They went to bed very late and they weren't leaving yet, but was probably going to leave in a few hours. I stopped in Fillmore, so I could gas up the car and get something to eat. Then I was on my way and then I stopped in Provo, so I could go to my favorite store, "The Quilted Bear" and I was there for about an hour looking around and I had to buy another magnet. I love there magnets and now I have 10 from "The Quilted Bear". Okay, everything was going fine, until I was almost to Roy Utah, which is right next to Ogden and I heard this pop sound and I thought I ran over something. Then someone right next to me on the freeway, told me I had a flat tire and I pulled over on the freeway and I didn't know what to do. I called Talisha to see where she was at and she was about 2 1/2 hours behind me, cause they had some problems of there own. The tarp that was over all there stuff, kept coming lose, so they had to keep stopping and fixing it. She couldn't help me, but she would call some people to see what to do and told me to sit tight. Of course I couldn't do anything, but I got out of my car very carefully to see what tire was flat and it was the rear passenger's side. What made me upset, was nobody pulled over to see if I needed any help, but oh well what do you do. I got back in my car and my husband called to see if I was okay, I guess Talisha called him. He told me to calll 911 to get some help. So, I called them and they got me in touch with the Highway Patrol. I told them where I was and they would get someone there to help. They came about 5-10 minutes later and I was so happy to see him. He was very nice and he got the spare tire, which is underneath the car and he put it on for me and told me where the nearest place to get a new tire was. Thankgoodness it was the next exit and it was a Les Swap, so it has to be a good place. It was and I was impressed with that place. By the time I got there and left it was probably an hour. Will called me to see what was going on and I told him and he was relieved that everything turned out okay. I was on my way and I finally got a hold of Talisha to tell her that I got a new tire and she was gratefully everything turned out okay. I finally ate lunch around 3 pm and it was an Arby's in Tremonton and then I gased up the car in Pocatello. I finally arrived in Rexburg around 6:30 pm. I checked in and I stayed in the dorms. I met 2 of my roommates, who happens to be a mother and daughter and they seem nice. I then looked around campus to see where my classes were and then I went to K-mart to get somethings. Then I ate a very late dinner and then Talisha called me to say she arrived and that his whole family was going to be there to unpack the truck. I then went over there and they unpacked the van for me and I stayed for a few minutes and then I had to leave to get some rest. I went back to the dorm and I met my third roommate, who is the one I was going to share a room with. Her name is Valerie and she is from Page Arizona, which makes her about 3 hours away from me. She also has 5 kids and we got along perfectly. Valerie's sister Christy was also there, who used to live in Arizona, but moved to Texas and Christy was there with her good friend Jessica. Stay tuned for BYU Idaho Education Week Part 2.

Look what my son did.

You are probably wondering what son did this, since I have 3 sons. You probably would think, Connor did this, since he tends to have many accidents in the house, when it comes to walls, but he didn't do this one. Yes, Zach is in the picture, but he didn't do it either. So, who is left, yep Ethan, my 12 year old did this, but it was an accident. He was playing ball in the house with one of his friends and he tried to get around his friend, but his knee hit the corner of the wall and made that hole in the wall. One of the first things he said was, "well you have wanted to paint for awhile" and yes that is true. First we have to fix the corner of the wall and then we can paint. One of my friends, said her husband can fix the corner and then she will help me paint. I think Ethan should help too, what do you all think about him helping me and my friend paint?