i love school, part 3 of 5

my memories for high school seem more compartmentalized than the previous years, yes, even more than my jr. high experiences. i think it was because i wore so many different "hats", as it is called. with cheerleading, youth group, work, school, internship, and whatever else was going on, i tried to live my life as one person but that was difficult.

okay, highschool was obviously filled with many different smells. the two that stick out are woodchips and the vinyl of the wrestling mats where we had cheer practice. i attended northridge high school. i changed from lca so i could try out for cheerleading. (i made it with a roundoff backhandspring - which is no longer good enough at northrigde.)

anyway, back to the woodchips. there was a planter, yes a giant planter complete with trees, in the corner of the commons. we (different people every year) ate lunch there most every day. sophomore year matthew t ate with us - or we ate with him. i always remember he seemed to never take his backpack off. junior and senior year was about the same people - chris s., lindsay, and sometimes lisa or andrea. i remember learning about boxing from chris and being called the "nice" cheerleader by people i talked with while they were walking by. so that will transition nicely to cheerleading practice.

for some reason (maybe they didn't have a good plan when they built the school) the cheerleaders didn't have their own space. because of that, we had to practice in the wrestling room - upstairs next to the weight room and joining the dance room. every a day, we had fourth period and it continued until 5:00. after us the wrestling team would practice. they sometimes didn't clean very well and a few girls got ringworm - gross, yes, but at least i didn't get it. the whole room was one giant mat with circles for their practicing. it smelled like the old exercise mat at my grandma's cabin - but not many of you know what that smells like. it smelled like vinyl like the machines at any gym. a few memories: the windows were so tall, we had to do an extension (stunting, two people high) to open them - very risky sometimes. i got injured at least three times that were memorable one was a major black eye my senior year. i always enjoyed our round of jumps - even though they were hard - because someone would always comment on my toetouches! - in a good way

i have many memories of that building - like the fact that the bathrooms off the stage were nicer than any others in the building, the doors close automatically when the power goes off - which is very scary if you are standing in between two of the large hallway doors during class time, the commons now looks different (no more planter) than it did. i know because i attended church there a couple of times, yes, a church meets in the commons area. i have only been back there twice - for the church and when sarah tried out for cheerleading (she could do a back tuck, i think, and was beat out by 5 girls her age that could do fullbacktwists.)

so, did you enjoy high school? for the most part? i did. what smells do you remember?

i love school, part 2 of 5

okay, continuing from the previous post, these are more memories from my 20 years of schooling:

jr. high was spent at four different locations. 6th grade i was home-schooled at our home in woodscross. 7th grade was 3/4ths homeschool and 1/4 public school at millcreek jr. in bountiful (mostly spanish, art, and p.e. the subjects i didn't get in homeschool. we also tried math and something else but i only did that for one semester) - i walked there most days, which, when i think of it now was pretty far - not far enough for the bus. 8th grade i was home-schooled/video correspondence at my grandma's in farmington as we built our house in south weber. and finally, 9th grade was at layton christian academy while we lived in farmington.

because of all these locations, jr. high smells like the metal of the lockers in 7th grade, the carpet at lca, and the wet cement in my grandma's basement. i think i had my own locker in jr. high and my first friends lockered right next to me. i was so awkward in 7th grade, but so were they. i had two good friends - one we called ashley spashley, and i associate meeting them with the area by our lockers. actually, i saw them later in high school - when i was in bountiful at a viewmont game - at pace's. it was so weird because they were exactly the same. i felt i had changed a lot since then, oh well.

we turned the unfinished area of my grandparent's basement into a kitchen/dining room; which is where we had school. we left the floors cement near the laundry area. every so often some water would bubble up through the drain on the other side of the room (i forget why) but the cement would stay wet for a while and i will never forget that smell, i think the issue is fixed now.

i hadn't been to school full time outside of my home for 3 years when i went to lca. i think it was because i wanted to be with friends during the day (i was probably driving my mom crazy) and i did not enjoy teaching myself (mostly in math - no offense mom.) lca was where kelli went so my parents looked into it. i met a lot of people at lca, some good friends, some not so good. i remember the smell of the carpet because we always sat in the (one) hallway in between classes to talk. now, because of mrs. davis, i realize that was pretty gross. we did not care, because it was "cool."

for more stories of jr high; like the year my cousin and i were homeschooled by an old guy from 1992 pensacola florida, or the year kelli, melissa, joy, amy, and i were cheerleaders together, or my favorite spot to eat lunch outside mustang headquarters, and who can forget underwear man! anyway, just ask and i'll be glad to fill you in.

i love school, part 1 of 5

the 2009-2010 school year has begun without me. this has been quite a shock to me, mostly because i love school. currently, i am 25 years old. 20 of the 25 have been spent in school and the missing 5 were the first 5 years of my life (i did not officially attend pre-school as the trend is now.) anyway, this is the first year of my life that i am not attending school or teaching school (and i only taught one year of the three without also attending school.)

the beginning of school was always special. i went back to school shopping (yes, even as a teacher), bought at least one new outfit and school supplies. i bought more supplies as a teacher, some just for fun - like the post-it notes that were shaped in an a. and g. i loved the first day of school. i always remember the morning being cooler (even though it was august) and crisp. i got up on time, which may have been the only time the whole year. even when i had to ride the bus my sophomore year or carpool with the neighbors my junior year, it was still reassuring that i could be on a schedule and see my friends.

i sometimes associate smells with memory, i'm sure many of you do, and it is no exception with school. actually the smells may be stronger for school. for instance:

when i think of elementary school, i smell pencil shavings. most of my elementary 1st-5th grade was spent at bountiful christian elementary school. i went to public school in kindergarten, i still have the year book. back to b.c., the whole school, except the preschool - was housed in a large portable - there were two bathrooms, four classrooms, and a hallway with cubbies and coat hangers for backpacks. my mom taught there and actually taught me for 3rd, and i think 4th grade. my first grade teacher was mrs. clem or something like that and my fifth grade teacher was named mrs. robinson or robison (it is because of that class that i will always remember how to spell courageous) anyway - the writing utensil of choice in elementary is usually the pencil (the early grades at least) and that is why i remember the smell. the garbage can smells like shavings because the sharpener hung over it; the desks smelled like shavings because they would coat the inside of the desk with graphite, and some kids would etch things into the desk. i have many fond memories of elementary school and surprisingly, i can remember a lot more than most people. the few that stick out are: i had twin friends that had 7-up in their thermoses every day and we called it water because you weren't allowed to have soda pop at school. i lost my two front teeth when i slid under a parked car in the parking lot while we were playing tag. my first "boyfriend" was adam watkins in first grade. his mom also taught at the school and probably taught me in 2nd grade now that i think about it. i learned about greenday and the offspring in fifth grade while we played hackysack and sting at recess. and last but not least, our school was right off of i-15 and 5th south (the hotel and car dealership occupy the space now) and we were used as a sort of triage when there was a giant car pileup during the winter one year. people were hurt and waiting for rides and the ambulance came into our parking lot, it was crazy.

what do your elementary memories smell like?

p.s.

this post is going to be five posts long. so as to keep you wondering and not too bored because it is too long! coming soon, jr. high! duh duh dun

i finally captured it:

the jane smile. i have been trying to get a good picture every since she was born. i finally captured it, even though this is the tail end of the smile it is a good shot.

the rest are more pictures of jane at 10 weeks

blurry but a goofy girl

this is to prove to sarah that jane moves around throughout the night. she began the night near the top of the picture, and this is where i found her in the morning. every night is something different

she scared herself and threw her arms out - she still has a strong moro reflex

playing on the mat, she caught the bug by the legs. she has been catching it more often now.

the other day when she caught it she tried to eat it but couldn't pull it close enough

video of play time - 50 sec. long and a bit boring if you don't want to see her swat at the ladybug, make faces at the star, and make little baby noises - mostly for the grandmas. also i moved around to get a better view and decided to go back to the original spot so follow along and you will be fine.

so that is it, the beginning of the 10th week of jane, here's to many more to come!

the husbands might not like this...

okay, it is time once again to play: where am i?

as i was out and about today, you know, running errands with jane. which she did not enjoy and i had to take her out of the carseat to keep her happy just long enough to get what i needed. also, more people come up and ask questions about your baby if they are not in a seat - just so you know. anyway, i stumbled upon a wonderful sight that many of us in the ogden area thought was gone forever:

yes! i was so excited that i took a picture. it is just as expensive as it always is, but if you can spend a bit more for a special treat, now you can.

.

this place has so much more of a selection too. look at how much is available. but i am going to make you guess where it is.

this is the only clue, and a great one if you are familiar with the area.

i will tell you soon, so kaytee, lanie, and sarah, and anyone else who loves these products, happy meyers to you!

scottsbluff 2009

august 7-9 2009 the utah gomperts went to visit the nebraska gomperts (and all the others in between) this means we also took jane's first road trip and she left the state for the first time. yes, as gomperts, it seems that our nebraska trips last for 3 days or less. i am not sure why, other than there is not much to do in scottsbluff so we get all our visiting done in 3 days. anyway, we went for pete's cousin amy's wedding, and so jane could meet everyone. she is the 12th great grandchild and they were very excited to finally meet her.

here are some pictures of the festivities:

jane's wedding dress - she did not like it

it was slippery and a little itchy

hanging out before the wedding with great grandpa

saturday was bright and sunny so she wore her hat and sunglasses outside. a bit goofy but cute

amy and her momma dancing

pete got a little too close, but it is an overall good picture (still not quite the same as pre pregnancy)

grandpa tom, helping jane sleep

dad and jane's second wedding outfit

back at great grandma and grandpa's house on ave 0

jane's first kid birthday party! abby turning one

she was playing on the mat and got tired

dad had to help her calm down before bed

great grandma trying to help jane calm down - she was pretty good at it

and there you have it. our trip was good, but ever since then jane has been more fussy and lost her appetite pretty severely for about 3 days. she is getting back to normal now. i hope it was because she was two months old, not necessarily that she will not travel well.

good bye for now

a day in the life of me as a mom

jane is 2 months old as of tomorrow. i have obviously been through a lot of changes in those two months. even now, as i write this, it is 5:28 a.m. and i am waiting for jane to calm down so i can go back to sleep. she woke at 4:45 because she was hungry and now she has the hiccups. i wanted to blog what a typical day is like for me now. so here you go:

monday 08.03

-wake-up to feed jane: around 6am

-put her back to bed, eat breakfast and get ready to go to the gym (i fell back asleep for a bit and therefore was late in getting ready and feeding her again before the gym - i went to a later class)

-fed jane at 8:00

-took bella outside and left for gym at 9:30

-stopped at the coffee shop for 10 min. - drank iced coffee and read acts 25

-arrive at gym and take jane to the nursery (i am so thankful for them, i don't think i would workout much if i didn't have that - too hot outside)

- 10am body attack class, one hour (this was the hardest workout i have had since jane was born, it was literally like my body was being attacked by itself, good workout)

- 11am, jane is still sleeping as we drive home

-11:30 time to feed her again

-12 jane falls asleep on my chest, so precious, i put her in her crib and she immediately wakes up, but she is calm so i leave her there

-12:30 i eat lunch (not healthy enough but tasted good)

-1:00 get in shower (risky because she was just barely asleep, she didn't start to cry until i was almost done with my shower)

- jane calms down and plays with her activity mat while i get dressed, put on makeup, and dry my bangs.

2:00 - she's hungry again

3:00 - after changing a diaper full of poop twice, we leave for the grocery store

3:15-4:15 - (yes it takes me an hour almost, sort of therapeutic) groceries are done and jane is calmly awake in her carseat

4:30 - unload jane, unload groceries, put a load of laundry in the washer

5:00 - feed jane again - she woke up on her own too

5:45 - get ready to leave for Bible study (meeting pete there this week) by feeding bella, changing diaper, and putting clothes in the dryer (i almost forgot)

6:00 - leave for Bible study, pick up dinner, eat at terry's. jane slept almost the whole time. we ended around 8 and that is when she woke up - it was time to eat again

8:00 - headed home

8:30 - feed jane

9:15 - change her diaper and put her pajamas on

9:30 - put jane down for bed (we are trying to make it earlier, but often we are out during the earlier times)

10:00 - jane is finally asleep (sometimes she uses her pacifier to fall asleep but that means we have to go in there to put it back in if she realizes it has fallen out

10:30 - use the b-pump because she is sleeping for the 11 o'clock feeding

10:45 - wash pump parts and bottles

i am not sure what else i did or what i left out of the schedule, but somehow i did not go to bed until 11:45? so whatever.

that is a typical day, i usually try to make it to the gym and shower everyday, some days that doesn't happen and the 3:00 outing changes depending on the day and sometimes we stay home and nap or start on dinner. making dinner is still a challenge to me but other things i am catching on to.

have a great day

jane's playtime

this is a movie of jane at 7 weeks playing on her mat. it has birds that squeak when you squeeze them, ladybugs that rattle, a mirror, and a star that plays music and has coordinated lights. she really likes it and i wanted the grandmas and those who don't get to see jane awake much to see her at playtime. i know, i know, you don't like that she sleeps all the time, but it is so nice when she sleeps while we are out and about.

it is about 1 min. long and i don't know if you can hear it (turn the volume way up, i am still learning how to use my camera.) just remember, i am not forcing you to hit play, but she is super cute and it is hard not to.