scene it

right now i am at my parents house with sarah, micah, and pete we are playing the game scene it. i have four points, sarah and micah both have three and pete, my pete has 13! that's right pete is kicking butt at a board game of sorts. now as i am typing pete just received two more points. we are having a nice little competition and pete is totally winning, good job pete

i hope all of your holidays were nice and relaxing. thank-you to all who came to the Christmas eve service. I think it went well and thank-you to p.t. for sharing in my nervousness! 

by the way, i am using my brother's mac to post right now and i love it. the keyboard is so easy to type on it makes it kinda fun. now i'm sure it wouldn't be as fun if i were typing a paper but it is still nice, thanks craig! 

 

finished for now!

i had a really long post that i wanted to put on here but i thought it was boring and non-eventful. so instead of poring my heart out (i'll give details later) here it is....

school's out, forever!

open your heart

made and performed by brett turner

baby bella

pete and i recently bought a puppy! her name is bella and she is beautiful (thus the name). she is an australian shepherd/black lab mix but mostly australian shepherd. She has one blue eye one brown and a natural bob tail. we love her but it is a lot of work!

i feel like we have a two year old. the cute infant stage lasted two days, and we were only there for one of them. (we bought her and then went out of town for thanksgiving while my parents and sister watched her)

now she is in the bite everything that moves stage and we are working on potty training. she is doing pretty good but we have to watch her like a hawk and i don't get anything done while she is out of her carrier.

here are some pictures, the rest will come later (it is difficult to take good pictures of a constantly moving dog)

in one month

one month and i will be finished with school! i am in my last semester of the education program at weber state and i cannot wait to finish! as i look ahead, this month could be the last time i have to write a paper, the last journal i have to turn in, the last time i have to update my portfolio... and on it goes. that is of course if i do not continue and get a masters. i am currently undecided on that issue, but i am thinking at least not for a while.

as i look back, i realized that except for the summers, there has not been a time when i was not in school - since i was 5! that is about 19 years of my life! i enjoy school, which is perhaps why i went to college and became a teacher. i will miss going to class and listening to lectures, but i will be so glad to finally "arrive" and join the adults in a career and feel a little more grown up.

to all of you who helped me through the past 5 years of my life, thank you! i am grateful for all the times we went to the coffee shop, pretending to study. i am grateful for the talks about issues that i was confused on and you helped me better understand. i am also grateful for the fun things we did when it seemed like all i ever did was homework.

thank you especially to pete and my parents because you saw me when i was grumpy and upset or really tired because i procrastinated and had to stay up late which only made me more mad at myself. you are so good to me even when i am grumpy or ungrateful (thanks for everything, now we do not have any college debt!)

so thanks, God is so good to me and i pray that He can help you through what you are striving for just like He helps me!

love, amy

a prayer for us

"Gracious, all-knowing Father,

we praise You for Your infinite wisdom,

and for Your wise and holy purposes that

govern all You do, and all You permit to be done.

We rejoice and take heart from the precious

truth that nothing befalls us but by Your

loving will toward us Your children.

We pray that You will protect Your church

from harmful error, and lead Your flock

in the path of truth.

Expose our idols, O God.

And grant us to treasure Christ

above all things.

In His name, we pray,

Amen."

John Piper, Life as a Vapor

work weekend

this week is the end of the first quarter at chs. the last day is thursday which means we get a day off on friday! i was so excited to have a day off (i still am), but i think i will be spending the whole weekend grading because report cards are due monday morning! i will be sleeping-in friday at least. if you have homework or something non-exciting, come to the coffee shop and hang with me! we will make it exciting. i think i will cut the grading off at 6 pm every night, so if there is anything going on, pete and i would like to come. thanks for reading, but i want to know how you are doing. leave me a comment on what you plan to do this wonderful fall weekend!

posting is fun, you should try it some time

this post goes out to all of you, my friends who have not posted in a month or so! i want to know what is going on in your lives, no matter how dull or boring, or post unworthy you may think it is. take me for instance... i have no idea what to blog, so i am blogging about your unblogging! so this post is for you: julie, i realize that claire's wedding was good, but you have since moved back to cali and started school again; meredith, if you are not going to post, tell me, but i want you to; micah, your bike is great, but what else is goin' on; whitney, it's cold now, softball has to be over, what's new? carrie, warning to you, in three days it will have been a month for you. matthew, good job updating us on your new life, keep it coming. sarah, you barely made it because you posted as i was writing this. and micah or whoever posts on the sickreviews besides me - do it because my reviews are not that good!

that is all, i just like to read what is going on in your life, sorry if i do not have an interesting post but i did post.

homework, girls, and singing

this weekend i did not get as much homework completed as i had planned on. i actually did not even finish one whole assignment. sad. but i did get to hangout with my family more than usual. i had lunch with my mom and sister on saturday, then we had dinner as a family that night. i also went to a wedding shower sunday with my mom and sister and all the other girls from my family. all my cousins are crazy like me so it was a great time of silly laughter and singing. we sang in the car on the way down as well as at the party! it was crazy and i loved it. i am now going to have to work on homework on monday and tuesday, but my weekend was much needed and fun.

"Gracious Father, grant me a lowly spirit of gratitude.

Make me feel the preciousness of past grace.

Give me an honest memory of mercy.

Forgive me for the pride of unremembered

gifts and callous thanklessness.

Waken faith in my wavering soul

and give me strong confindence

in your solid promises.

Where past and future meet

make me humble and bold.

In Jesus' name and for His sake,

Amen."

(Taken from John Piper's book, Life as a Vapor, page 51.)

i want a weekend getaway!

who wants to go away for the weekend and not think about anything but being away? me, pick me, i do!
i am at work trying to plan, but i cannot focus. my mind is constantly thinking of things i have to do... things at work, school, and home. i wish sometimes i could just sit back, listen to my favorite music (maybe jennifer knapp, kansas; or late tuesday) drink some coffee, wrapped in a blanket on the back porch with the cool crisp air blowing on my face. i want to go somewhere and not have to do homework or school work, but i also don't want to think about it either. i don't know how to turn my mind off.



please pray that i can find some quite time on the back porch this weekend free of thinking, just being. thank-you, that is all.

"office" party at gompert- miflin

hi friends,

for those who want to know, (and those within utah's borders)


we are having an office party to watch the premier of the office 4th season


the party begins at 7:45 with the office starting at 8:00


meet at my house (call for directions)


dress as a character from the show (i will be pam)


and bring office type snacks to share

comment to tell me if you can come


(you don't have to dress up)

see you later, amy

go geography

hey all,

i went to the coffee shop yesterday, and started grading papers. long story short, my geography students need more practice with maps. also, i ran into one of my old geography professors at the coffee shop, and he was working on some research (you know, that's what they have to do). anyway, we talked for a while about geography,the snow pack, and teaching. it was good, it made me miss being in geography classes having similar discussions with other geographers. so if you are interested in geography, find me so we can talk about it.

good news, bad news game

good news: i spent money on scrapbook supplies and they are so good
bad news: i am not motivated to do homework because of it

good news: work is going great, and i love my students
bad news: i have to endure 6 or so observations for student teaching

good news: lots of fun stuff this weekend
bad news: not enough time to do them all

good news: sarah is a good study buddy
bad news: her homework is easier

good news: i found a coffee shop to study at
bad news: i don't like it as much as got coffee

good news: the ladies at church are fun to scrapbook with
bad news: i stayed up way to late last night

good news: it sounds like this song... good news, good news, Christ died for me. good news, good news, if i believe. good news, good news, i'm saved eternally. that's wonderful EXTRA! good news.
bad news: not everyone believes that Christ is good news.

have a great day, go share the good news.

the one with the crazy week

hi friends,

a small update for you. this week has been one of the most exhausting in all my teaching career. one of the seniors at chs passed away last saturday, so our school hasn't been normal this week. pray for his host family and his family in s. korea as they take him home. thank you to those who were an encouragement to me this week, i needed it.

i am glad it is saturday, i was able to sleep in. anyway, i am doing great and i am ready for a new week next week. i begin student teaching next week with a meeting with the education professor who will be observing me. pray that all goes well so i can finally get my teaching certificate and be done with school.

i have made a new commitment to really strive to be the best follower of God i can be. i want to desire to read and pray above anything else i have to do, i want to be an encouragement to others and not put people down. i want to do these things, but i need your prayers and encouragement. i would also like to deepen my friendships as well, but that seems so hard when i am so busy with work and school and life. anyway, i am trying, but it will take some doin'

sometimes prayer is our only comfort

good bbq everyone!

to everyone who came to our house tonight, thank you. it was a very enjoyable time. i had been missing time with friends because i missed Bible study this week. to those who did not come or those we forgot to invite, i am sorry. i love you all, and i hope we can continue having gatherings like that. although i do need to work harder at talking about deep real Christlike things, you know.

anyway, this week was great. my students are better than i expected, and i hope i can carry this enthusiasm throughout the year. have a great night, hope to see you at church!

a wee bit frightened

that is my feeling as the school year begins. i am excited to be teaching full time this year, but i am a little overwhelmed by all the things i have to get done, the meetings we have to go to, and not to mention i have to bring a pot luck dish tomorrow morning! please friends, pray for me as i attempt to help young teenagers learn how to learn, and how to love God. i hope we can continue all the good times we have had this summer into the fall. let me know your plans for the fall/year so i can pray for you too.

ephesians 5. 1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,
a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

on to something different

my job at summer camp is officially over! yesterday was my last day and i am sad to say that i was very glad. i have so much on my mind about the coming school year, and now i can do those things. woo hoo!

august update

well friends, i am back to the blogging world. we returned yesterday from a wonderful wedding in salem oregon (not the witch trial salem), anyway, congratulations to glendon and kaytee (go glendo) it was a wonderful party and it makes me so happy that they are so happy. sarah took a bunch of pictures (look for the one with the squirrel) so i'm sure her next post will be a great documentation of our trip.

august is pretty busy for me. i'm glad to get back to grow group tonight, it should be a good time.

this week is my last week at the day care summer camp, then on to getting ready for the school year.

pete leaves tomorrow for a four day trip to michigan to buy frisbees and learn how to better do his job. pray for us as i hate it when he leaves, and i also don't like to be alone. but we will both be working, he will work on seminary, and i on school plans.

sidenote: pete began a seminary degree online and he has to read a bunch of articles, listen to sermons, and critique all of them: end note

matthew and claire are getting married on saturday (yeah, for them) so it will be another weekend of party times!

i officially go back to work on the 16th, school begins on the 22nd, and weber begins on the 26th. i will be completing my degree with student teaching until december. this fall will be busy and exciting.

pray for me as we journey along, that we may enjoy close fellowship, and always keep God as the center of our everything. have a great day.

come with me,

i'll take you on a tour of...






















which is my grandparent's cabin (view of outside, front porch)





















this is how long it is (kinda small, but cozy)























this is underneath the cabin, (we used to play in the dirt under there when we were little)

now we go inside the front door. my parents are currently remodeling the cabin in order to maximize the usage of the space and update the 1980s look. pete and i went up yesterday to help my parents, my sister, and my grandparents work. straight ahead is the back door, bedroom and bathroom (near my dad and pete). to the left is the living room and to the right is the kitchen.






















sarah and i in the bathroom mirror
























now we will venture upstairs to the loft.






























this is where we as children slept at the cabin, many memories and good times in this loft, beware, it gets really hot up there in the summer.























the cabin is surrounded by aspen trees which are my favorite trees ever























outside is also my favorite swing, we had family reunions, good talks, and even naps on this swing.
























we could also ride motorcycles at the cabin, i was never daring enough. but i did ride the 70 (not pictured) around quite a bit.

well, that concludes our tour, sarah gives a thumbs up for a job well done. i really miss the way that the old cabin was, but the new and improved cabin will hopefully be around for a long time. this cabin is the place i learned how to ride a motorcycle, make a good snow fort, dig in sawdust for money (my grandma's crazy idea), play space invaders, hide notes in the ceiling so my friend christine and i could come back years later and read about the times we had, and i also learned how to shoot at bumble bees with a bb gun (not our brightest moment, i blame craig).

thanks once again for coming on the tour. we are going to have a bbq later in the fall for grow groups, i'll let you know more later.





























ciao from...
















(sorry if the pictures are spread out too much, i couldn't control it!)

i hate being sick

that's right, i hate being sick, who doesn't? anyway, i have a cold in the middle of july! it all started with a sore throat on saturday which progressed to full out stuffy, congested nose/head on monday. i took some dayquil stuff, and it only seems to make it worse. now instead of congestion, i have a runny nose. also, i haven't had a fever, and after taking the medicine, i am burning up (not literally, still don't have a fever, but i feel like i do).

updates:
i still procrasinate on school work - 4 weeks until school starts
pete likes his new job at williams
the murrays visited, and i am really thinking about going to jamaica now
i like to scrapbook, it lets my creativity go crazy
i really miss grow group on monday nights

that's all, have a great day and take some vitamin c!

it all happens in my mind

here's an insight into how my brain works...

i may seem like a flexible person, but really i am not.
once i have made a decision, when i have to change it i become grumpy and upset. for instance, if i make plans (in my mind) and don't tell anyone about them, when someone else makes different plans (without knowledge of the plans i have made), i find myself becoming upset. then they ask what's the problem, and i say, "oh nothing, i had different plans," which complicates things more. i need to learn to either share my plans earlier, or change them and not share that there were plans to begin with.

that is what happens in my mind all to often.

i wish i was

in a place like this,

surrounded by no one with the water falling down.

i wish i was a better friend,

asking questions and genuinely listening

i wish i was less distracted,

able to finish when i say i will

i wish i was more excited

to finish the summer with great expectations

i wish i was a better companion,

caring intently about his wishes

i wish i was a better believer,

someone who gives all knowing God is Greater

(i wish the blogger was working, but the sections are supposed to have space in between them. anyway, i know that i can be and do all those things with God. i just needed to write it down, and what better place than on the internet for all to see. so yes, i am well aware that it sounds kind of sad, but i am not. i know that as i continue to grow (however slowly) in God's grace, He will sustain and lift me up. so all i can say is thanks for reading and i am a little deficient in the girl hug area, so give it up. thanks sarah for the picture.)

days off, new friend, and capitalism

today was a good day. i almost had the day off again, i worked from 6:30-815 in the morning! i had to cover for someone. after work i went over to the high school and cleaned out my desk because they (whoever that is) are going to come and move it out and put another one in its place. anyway it was 8:40 and i met lanie at the gym. we go to a body pump (weights) class on monday at 9:15. it was good, and i wasn't too sore. afterwards we walked around the track for a long time. we walked and talked about people in our lives that we were concerned about and yet excited that God is moving in their lives. we also talked about our spiritual lives and how we need some encouragement and help in our devotions. we are thinking of doing a study guide of some kind and meeting every so often to talk about our lives as women and wives in God. (if anyone out there is interested, let us know. you don't have to be a wife or mom, but woman is a must) we talked and went to get anasten out of nursery then i went home.

i worked on some school/work stuff. i'm trying to prepare my mind for school to start again. i still feel like a brand new teacher (i mostly am) but i shouldn't be this nervous.

we went to the coffee shop and talked some capitalism with mat. pete likes to have those type of conversations, the ones where he gets to play devil's advocate, i mostly watch.

to finish the day we played frisbee golf, i shot a 10 over with help from a teammate who can putt pretty well. then it was off to taco bell for dinner.

i too feel like whitney in her most recent post, it is good to have the people in my life who God has put in my life. you guys are good friends, and we have a lot of fun. i look forward to creating many more meaningful conversations.

mystery of the nile

that is the title of the movie i saw today. we went to the clark planetarium on a fieldtrip (and they played in the fountain) anyway, the imax show was called mystery of the nile. it was fascinating! it tells of the first expedition to make it all the way from the source of the blue nile (lake tana) to the mediterranean sea, and no one died. look it up and go see it, it was good.

dinosaur park

last friday i had the day off, almost. my boss called and asked me to work for four hours at the fieldtrip to dinosaur park. i went because it was only four hours and we took 90 kids. i realized that dinosaur park is the same every time you go. it felt exactly like the fieldtrip last year. i don't know how parents can buy a season pass there. anyway, here's my story... our class (3-4) went to a presentation in the media room. it was the traditional millions of years mumbo jumbo with lots of fossils for display. three things i found interesting, the fossils were actually casts of fossils, they weren't even real. second, the presenter asked the kids how they thought the dinosaurs were destroyed and no one said the flood (am i alone in that thought? i don't even know were i got that idea). thirdly, one of the teachers i was with asked me if i thought dinosaurs ever existed? i was blown away. i didn't know how to respond. i said, "you don't? " and she said, "no i don't think so" she compared them to the unicorn. anyway, what do you think? did dinosaurs really exist? i think at least the leviathan and bohemoth (not quite spelled correctly?) really did because it mentions them in the Bible but that doesn't mean they were dinosaurs like we think of it. i don't know, just a thought.

have a great day! thanks mat for helping me keep my once a week blog promise (almost).

once a week

that is my commitment to you. i will blog at least once a week. so far i am doing a good job, give or take a day. so here is my blog for this week. we will take a look back...

~sunday was filled with worship practice, church, lunch at the gompert's, and frisbee golf.

~monday was my day off. i went to the gym with lanie, body pump class was intense. we also had Bible study later that evening which was a good discussion about spiritual gifts and using all of our gifts for the building up of the body.

~tuesday i worked all day. 3rd and 4th graders are quite a change from the pre-schoolers last week. we went frisbee golfing that night, then home to sleep.

~wednesday i worked with 2nd grade, less stressful than 3-4th, but filled with petty problems that i couldn't fix for them. wednesday after work i went to payless with lanie and anasten, i bought two pairs because it was buy one get one half off. i also ate dinner with them while pete worked on jesse's car.

~thursday was a long day at work helping 5-7th. it went by slowly because i actually had time to sit while they entertained themselves for a while.

~friday was our day off. pete and i went to my grandparent's cabin to help my parents because they are remodeling. we tore out cabinets and fixed the carpet in the loft. my dad and pete framed a section of the wall and moved the stairs. it was a pretty good time. we met up with terry, jesse, jeremy, stacy, matt, and tommy for frisbee golf. i played on terry's team so we scored -3 on a 10 hole game. normally i score about 22 on an 18 hole game.

~saturday (today) was the highway clean-up for the church. twice a year we clean a section of trapper's loop. we start with groups at both ends and meet in the middle. it was pretty good this year, not as much trash as last year. we saw one live snake, one dead snake, and one snake skin. also, glendon got the prize for best trash because he found someones driver's license. we then went out to lunch with the gompert's and the grandparents for father's day. pete fixed the a/c in my car (we hope) and now we are sitting at the coffee shop doing a bit of blogging and reading.

sorry that post was so random, i thought it would be fun to write it all down (mostly for myself) the weekly posts will not be like that again.

congratulations to ben and tiff who we now call momala and daddy-o! little noah was born thursday night and he is 6lbs of healthy baby boy.

have a great day if i don't see you before the end of today!

hey friends,

lately i feel like the blog world is the only time i communicate with you. i know that is partly my fault for being busy and never calling, but i am going to try to make the time we do have good times of fellowship. i pray that you are doing well. i am curious as to what your summer plans are, so leave me a comment or give me a call.

may you be strengthened through God's grace and truth in your life.

busy, yet not so busy

since my last post...

school has officially ended. our last day was thursday the 31st and it was really fun.

i have begun my summer job. (working at the elementary summer camp, tues, wedn, thurs)

sabrina had a baby shower and we all had a good time laughing and trying not to say baby.

some laundry was completed, and ironing as well.

two rounds of frisbee golf

the house is still dirty

and i saw pirates of the carribean 3 with some good friends.

... all in all i am busy, but really, it is a nice change. HAGS!

actually there

we're home, safe, and now i have been to missouri! woohoo! i took my camera intending on taking a lot of pictures. i took some, mostly of nothing, and a few of people. i did not document the trip like i wanted to. the one time i could have taken a lot of pictures, the van my camera was in went frisbee golfing without me.

anyway, our trip was good. the only thing i would say is that 18-19 hours in a minivan with 6 people is too long to drive. we drove through wyoming, nebraska and about 15 minutes in iowa before driving through missouri. we stayed in lake of the osarks the first night, branson the second night, and springfield the third night. the wedding was outside of springfield in a red brick church. it was a beautiful ceremony and reception. i did not take pictures, but jen will post a few i'm sure.

the pictures below are in order from the beginning to the end of our trip. i had a lot of fun, and am happy for ryan and meredith. the trip was a good time, the only thing i wish i had was a picture of our group at the wedding to prove we were actually there! have a good day.

before sunrise on thursday, entering wyoming

sunrise, yes i was up to see it!

nebraska corn, still pretty short

farm house in nebraska, looked like this for 9 hours.

sunset thursday in missouri

it rained a bit that day

sunset is still good anywhere you go

we took care of avery while they took pictures before the wedding. she was in three then we had to wait, so we tried to teach her how to throw a frisbee, she still needs some practice

we played hide and seek in a big open field, so avery went and hid behind a man she didn't know. she even sat down in her pretty white dress, at which time the game ended.

we switched the game to spin avery until she might be sick, she didn't get sick, but it was fun. ryan had a turn

micah

then mat, who even considered safety (armpits so no sockets come out of place)

so we waited for the pictures to finish

we watched them all and they were beautiful, avery said so

she also had to carry this heavy ball of flowers down the aisle. she did a great job

we went inside and the wedding began and we ate some good chicken and rice, then sent them away and cleaned up. it was fun.

missouri has a lot of trees, and a town named amazonia (very fitting)

in the van home, pete drove, then mat, and jesse.

i took a picture of the harley shop in missouri for my dad

pete after about 8 hours (so fun)

wyoming, pretty, no matter what jesse thinks

more wyoming and all the bugs on our windshield

utah, good sunset

love the mountains, it was great to see them again

last note, my pedicure made it through. it has been two weeks now, go, go, go!

out of town

pete and i are going out of town this weekend. we are going on a road trip with mat, jeremy, stacy, and jesse to missouri for ryan's wedding. yes, we are driving, but it will be fun, i've decided that it will be. a lot has happened since i last posted.

pete and i had our third year anniversary on the 15th! still seems like yesterday

we went to lagoon yesterday for school. it was so fun! i got to ride all the rides i like, and they have changed it a bit since i've been about 2 years ago... the "new" fountain is cool, the bat ride is not.

school is over next thursday, and i'm missing graduation for the wedding, but i'll see pictures. i pray they make good choices.

i will start working part-time this summer at the same summer camp as last year. tuesday, wednesday, thursday every week.

that's all for now, i'll post after we get back.

bye

fun at school

who says you can't have fun at school! my history class has been working on timelines all year. They had to find two people, two events, a civilization, and a picture for every chapter and write it on a receipt roll. I told them we would go to the gym at the end of the year and roll them out to see how long they were. I took some pictures of the event.

We rolled them out starting at one end

and continued on to the other end

Afterwards I told them they could have some fun and throw them around

We ended up with a mummy and a couple monsters before we went back to class.

it was a good time, i hope they remember it, i'll tweek the project to make it better for next year, because i don't know that they learned much from it.