Moab Adventure- Day 1

Last night I got back from a weekend getaway to Moab, UT. I would dare call it an adventure excursion. While there ended up to be about 25 people on the trip, I left at 6 am on Friday with four others to get some additional hiking in and make a full day of Friday. My brother Mark and friends Laura, Kyle and Celeste got to Moab at about 10:30 am and went right to Arches N.P. where we hiked to the Delicate Arch and then to the Double Arch. The Delicate Arch is one of the most famous landmarks in all of Utah and is even featured on one of the license plates. It was pretty hot outside, but it is early enough in the season that there are wildflowers galore.

The red Moab landscape, including Balancing Rock.
Hiking to the Delicate Arch.
This is the point where Kyle and I finally found the rest of our group after taking an alternate route. OK, we were really looking for an easier way after taking a break. You see, I am not a very strong hiker. I am coming to terms with the fact that if I want to have an enjoyable hike I need to go at my own pace. This becomes burdensome because I hate to slow people down. I hate it. To the point where I might not even go on a hike because of it (I tend to have friends in Utah that are avid hikers). Luckily, Kyle said he would stay with me. We then promptly lost the trail. Too embarrassed to tell everyone that we got lost, Kyle made up a story about us seeing big horned sheep. As soon as we found the trail and our party saw us, I of course forget the story and spilled the truth. To recover his pride, Kyle told them that he had simply taken me to see the lesser known side view of the arch, at which point an elderly couple was walking by and the woman said to me, "If you follow this path, just around the corner is a very big arch with a beautiful view." She didn't realize that the "side view" of the arch was code for us getting lost.
I made it! Another interesting side note - there was this couple who was sitting under the Delicate Arch forever! People were lining up to take pictures while they just took their time and we were increasingly annoyed in the increasingly hot sun. The guy eventually came running over to me, handed me his camera, and said he was about to propose to his girlfriend and would I mind taking pictures? Suddenly, the length of their stay in the arch became clear, and I was happy to help out in what is now a memorable moment for me as he got down on one knee and showed her the ring. She said yes, by the way.

Even more enjoyable than the Delicate Arch for me was the Double Arch, mainly because of how few people were there.
It didn't look like it would be too difficult to climb to the base of the smaller arch, so I did and then everyone else joined me.
Though some may accuse us of being arch hogs, we spent a good 30 to 45 minutes at the base of the arch, just hanging out and relaxing. Only about three or four other people came while we were there, so we took our time. I loved being able to relax at the base of this natural wonder and look at the blue sky above us. While Laura will hate me for including this picture, she was sprawled out over the ledge taking pictures of the sky and trying not to fall off - too funny! The view from where we sat.
Can you see us? Mark climbed up opposite the arch and took a picture of us at a higher elevation.

After a visit to Slick Rock - a popular site for Jeep rock crawling and mountain biking, we headed to our campsite right on the Colorado River. The view and temperature were fantastic! We set up camp, more of our party arrived, we ate delicious pizza at Zax, and settled in as we rested up for day 2 - river rafting!

Oh, Suzie Q, Baby I Love You

My sister Beth had a beautiful baby girl last week. Rori Leigh Clark came three weeks early, but it was perfect timing as my brother and her in-laws were in town visiting. Rori Leigh is so precious and a very peaceful baby. As I don't have children of my own, my nephew and new niece are the focus of many of my thoughts. I sure love them! Before Rori was born, Mikey would sometimes get rough around Beth's belly. She would tell him not to hit Sister Suzie (just a pet name since Rori wasn't finalized, I guess). He would then promptly kiss the belly. Now, though, I often find myself calling the baby Suzie and singing the CCR song to her. Here are some of my favorites of Sister Rori Sue. Mikey meeting Rori for the first time (the only time I cried this time around).
About 8 hours old.


These were taken last night - at almost a week old. They are a little blurry as I kept the flash off so her eyes would stay open. Since I was holding her, though, the camera was moving a little more than recommended. But she is so sweet and soft and smells just like a baby should.

A Month is a Long Time...

...not to post something, but life has been busy enough and seemed unexciting enough not to say much. Wednesday was checkout day at Cedar High, so while I worked yesterday and today , I am essentially finished for the year (which is also why I am doing this at 8:30 am though I have to crunch my testing scores, attendance, and grade distributions for the year...riveting). I didn't get a yearbook of my own, so my white board becomes a graffiti spot. What started as a few students just excited to use all my brightly colored dry erase markers turned into a hodgepodge of signatures and messages. While I wanted to drop kick many of my students this year, there are other students that couldn't have been any cuter. Oh, and on their course evaluations they did for me this year, I asked them to tell me what their favorite novels were that we read in class and Ender's Game was a runaway hit. Anthem and To Kill a Mockingbird tied in second.

Wednesday night I attended the graduation ceremony of a former student completing the alternative high school. She and the others graduating were beaming, and to see how excited their families were for them to complete high school was touching. It may not have been the same level as others, but it is something to finish what you start.

Last night I attend Cedar High's graduation. This was a milestone for me as this is the first group of freshmen I taught. While I haven't talked to most of them since that year besides a 'hi' in the hallway, it still brought up a lot of emotions for me, because in a way it felt like my graduation too. That first year of teaching was so emotionally draining for me, and every year I have become a little smarter, a little less weepy, and ready just a little bit earlier each year for school to end. I feel like I have arrived this year. I pushed through, did an extra novel this year, and still finished a month too early! I am planning a mass media unit for next year that I am excited about, and I just feel like I have arrived. Last Thursday evening there was a freshmen orientation for the next group of kids and their parents. This was done at my suggestion to the principal, and it was so helpful for me to meet with parents. My presentations to the parents went well, and I felt put together and in charge - if you know me, that is something that I don't often feel, but when I am at work I do. I guess that is a good sign that I am in the place I need to be. This confirmation always feels good at any age and in any endeavor.

I did finally complete Angel's Landing at the first of this month (if you don't know, to finish A.L. you have to climb that ridge that you see behind us in the picture - it was worse coming down because it is so narrow and my legs were so tired they were shaking). Not having a toddler and pregnant woman with us proved to be my downfall, in addition to the warmer temperatures. But Zion N.P. in spring is beautiful. On our way down, there were three young ladies singing Lakme (Flower Duet) by Leo Delibes (you probably don't recognize the title, but it is a very famous and EXtremely beautiful opera duet that you would know when you hear it) right as the canyon walls narrowed the most. They were below us as they were singing it, and it literally did sound like angels were singing as the melody echoed up through the canyon. I thought I might die a few times, but I finished it and now I never HAVE to do it again. After the hike I asked my friend Laura (in the middle) to be my life coach because she is the most patient and persuasive person I have ever met - the girl gets me to do things no one else can...uses those Jedi mind tricks on me all the time...I think she is still considering the offer.

My favorite show The Office is over for a few months, as is American Idol. I voted for David. 10 of those 98,000,000 votes were mine. It was entertaining to go back to school (which is my work) and see and hear all of the heartbroken girls in the hallways. I did give out a couple of hugs to some that had already incorrectly announced David Archuleta the winner in their friends' yearbooks the day before the winner was announced and were shocked and depressed when Archuleta didn't win. Poor little souls! One I could tell had been crying hard the night before as evidence by her puffy eyes. But this girl (a bigger Packer fan than me) also cried- hysterically bawled - when Brett Favre retired, so I think she makes it a habit. You know when you see the old footage of the Beatles or Elvis performing and girls are wailing and gnashing their teeth, pulling at their hair, and then passing out? I think I know one of those girls. Anyway, I hope this is enough for those of you that care. Soon I will have all sorts of things to write about - my summer is going to be AWESOME! May yours all be the same...mine starts....NOW!

Check out 'Carrier' on PBS

Starting this Sunday on PBS, a documentary mini-series will premier called Carrier. It will highlight the experiences, deployment, and lives of members of the Navy stationed on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier. My brother, though no longer on the Nimitz, was stationed there for almost two years. At first when I (and I would assume others in my family) told Mark about it, he didn't seem that excited as he was not on the carrier at the time of major filming. But this week, after seeing the half hour preview of it on iTunes (where it can be downloaded for free) he called me excited, telling me to download it, and that he knew, had worked with, or had seen many of those people who were profiled in the episode. He began to tell me about how much he missed it, that it was a family, and even that he wishes he were back on it to be on another deployment seeing the world. I think he is now starting to see what a special opportunity it was to serve there, though initially his family seemed more impressed by it than he was. My sisters and I were fortunate enough to be present at my brother's deployment to the Persian Gulf in April of 2007. Not to be too dramatic, but it was one of the most profound experiences in my life. I have been thinking a lot about this in the days since my brother's phone call and just wanted to share some things I had written not long after his deployment in '07.

"Send Off"

From where I stand,
white lines salute
from the edge of a floating fortress
of black steel that is

taking you away
from port
and me.





"Consequences"

He tries to tell me
not to worry -
I'm being silly-
while bombs and anthrax shots
are mentioned in the next breath
that uses a foreign vocabulary
of acronyms and
job descriptions that
alienate outsiders from
understanding
and him from grasping
my distress,

Another consequence of war.


"Leaving Home"

Why is it that at some point
young men need to leave home?
They set out to work
their hands needing to be doing something,
their eyes needing to see,
their feet aching to take them to
where they are allowed to be.

And then duty calls.
And whether or not their hearts want
to continue,
their hands haven't done enough,
their eyes want to see more,
and their feet can't yet stop moving.

And at home we must be patient
for our men to return
and hope
that they know that until then
we will be here
waiting.

Live Music Rules!

I've been to a few concerts over the last few months. About a month and a half ago I went to see a local band called Mason's Jar of Jam. Pretty good stuff! Two weekends ago I went to see Colbie Callei (famous for the song "Bubbly") It was OK. She's not one of my favorites, but my friends and I went for something to do. It was at the Tuachan amphitheater, so the scenery was the best part of it. For anyone interested, she sounds exactly like the CD, as in not a single note sung differently. But this Friday I went to see Kalai here in Cedar City at The Grind Coffee House - he is a little bit Ben Harper, a little Jack Johnson, a little James Taylor, a little Bob Marley... Probably one of the best concerts I have ever been to. He is a phenomenal musician and HILARIOUS - let me explain. Usually at a concert one of two things happens. Sometimes the musicians try really hard to be funny and tell stories and just plain try too hard and it gets annoying - you want them to just get back to the music. The other scenario is they don't talk at all and you get a sense that the concert is almost painful and they just want to get it over with, so you want them to talk to feel like a) they have a personality and b) they are acknowledging your existence. Kalai was so funny in between songs that I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say next. The best $12 I've spent in a long time!

Is one of the 12 steps admitting you have a problem?

I have been a casual American Idol fan for the last four or five years. That all changed this year. I don't usually start watching until the contestants have been narrowed down to about ten or so - they are usually the best anyway. I think this year, accidentally, I started watching at around the top 16 week and was instantly hooked. It is a whole new ballgame this year. I admit it...I...have...VOTED. Whew. (more than once). MORE THAN ONCE! And I have purchased singles from iTunes. And I listen to them OFTEN. Oohhhh, the shame...But Claudia, you really should check out Jason Castro's version of "If I Fell" and everyone on the planet should check out David Cook's "Billie Jean is Not My Lover." Freakin' AWESOME! (Is saying this a step back from moving forward?)

Finally, the "How I Spent My Spring Break" OR Easter '08 Post

My friends and I went to LA for spring break (one perk of working in public education) and the weather was fantastic! While this travel log is not even close to how cool Claudia and Adam's Mexico play-by-play is, I will let those of you who care in on the events of my Easter weekend trip with my friends Laura, Lisa and Jamie.

Day 1: Driving and visiting Hollywood - including a wax museum of the stars...American royalty at its best!

We enjoyed the city streets,




We saw the stars...





And where they go to be seen(Grauman's Chinese Theater)!





Day 2: Santa Monica Beach (where we saw dolphins swimming and jumping by) and the Portland Trailblazers-LA Clippers basketball game (notice how I put the Clippers second...I've seen high schoolers move with more grace on the court than these guys, but it was still way fun - their DJ is awesome!) If you look close you can see the dolphin fins. I don't know how to get the video to work, so this lame picture will have to do. They came by twice and there had to be at least eight of them in the pod. On their trip back two even jumped straight up out of the water, but they didn't tell me in advance so I didn't capture it on camera...shucks.

The Lakers (for those of you who don't know...which is probably most of you who actually look at this) also play here, and probably have a full crowd. They weren't playing at home the nights we were there, and honestly the nosebleed tickets we spent $30 on would have been closer to $60 for the Lakers, but it was fun to go to a pro game and the DJ played the best music so Laura and I spent more time dancing and all of us DEFINITELY spent more time watching the jumbotron screen - whoever has that job is freakin' awesome! Portland won, by the way.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

I went with my sister and nephew to see Horton Hears a Who on Saturday. About an hour into the movie, when the popcorn ran out and the Mountain Dew kicked in, I took him out in the hall to run around for a bit. He loves to see the more-than-lifesized cardboard cutouts of the Kung Fu Panda (he growls, points, runs up to touch the panda...) so I knew he would be entertained. About 20 minutes into the hall, he is having more fun with the panda cutouts and me running next to him then he was having in the movie. And then he spots this:
Do you want to guess what his response is? "Jesus." But not just a mumble under his breath. I'm talking about animated, pointing, frantically trying to get my attention repetition. Mikey's abilityat this age to recognize Jesus in pictures is so sweet and precious. So you can imagine my shock when he points out the free-love version of Satan and mistakenly identifies him as the Savior of the world...that durn facial hair! I just softly told him, no honey, that's not Him and tried not to laugh. Those durn kids. I like the world durn. Or bleepety bleep bleep. It's certainly helping me curb my language for now until I become more holy...

Apparently, my diamond ring story was lame.

I told one of my freshmen classes my story about trying on the diamonds (see my previous post) . A boy literally said to me, "That's it? They way you built it up I though there would be more to it than that." Sigh.

A Girl's Best Friend

I went to California last weekend and don't have all the pictures yet, so the chronology of my blog is off, but I had to tell those who care about my weekend.

My friend Lisa had a birthday this Friday, so a bunch of us went to Las Vegas for dinner and then most of the group went to a concert. Laura and I didn't want to spend the money on the concert, so we drove down for dinner and then did little shopping at the Forum at Ceasars Palace. Laura wanted to go into Tiffany's to look at the diamonds...I,on the other hand, have always been afraid of the large men standing guard in the doorways of these jewlrey stores with a radio in their ears. I also feel like I would walk through the door and they would be able to tell that I didn't belong there and would ask me to leave. But I went in with Laura in spite of my overactive imagination, and we were surprised that we didn't see ANY diamonds...we did a quick lap and walked out. Of course, as we walked out we notice the set of stairs and sign indicating that at the top we would find "fine jewelry". We turned back and went upstairs. After a few moments, a salesman approached us and we got to talking. Turns out he is from Chicago originally and I mention I'm from Green Bay...yada yada yada. His dad owned a summer home in Williams Bay, WI (where Laura went to grad school), so we had lots to talk about. About a half hour later as Laura and I begin our goodbyes, he asks us if we want to try anything on. She points out a monstrosity of a diamond, and she convinces me to pick one too. I see a style I absolutely love and I choose the medium sized diamond - mostly because expensive jewelry makes me sweat and the slightly smaller one makes me sweat slightly less. Will tells us, though, that we have to try them on in the "other" room. He leads us to the back room where we sit down and try them on. Another half hour of entertaining chatting goes by, and though he is a salesman I think he is enjoying us too. Finally we leave and I wonder out loud how much the rings cost - I never looked. Laura did. Laura tells me. The ring I tried on was a little over $47,000. gulp. The ring she tried on...drum roll please....$90,000. Insert me screaming in the car right about now. I wish I could say I had a hot date this weekend, but if you can't have a date, why not a diamond! Did I mention that I had almost $140,000 worth of diamonds on this weekend? Yikes!

Hardcore? Why yes, I am!

A little over a month ago I went hiking at Zion National Park. My friends and I did the Overlook hike. The pictures look like it was a much harder hike than it was. I am pleased to say, though, that I have finally hiked Angels Landing. This was about three weeks ago. And honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Ok, so maybe I was hiking with a 20 month old, a woman in her 50's and another who was 7 months pregnant, so the pace was slowed considerably. But I'll take it any way I can get it, and I felt GOOOOOD! The weather turned very quickly on us as we reached the top, and we narrowly avoided getting caught hiking in a storm (we drove home in it instead), but it was fun. Honestly though, I liked the overlook better and it was a fraction of the time and energy.

Here you can see Megan carrying her son Daylor. I kid you not, this is the first time he needed to be carried, and it was only after an ultimatum because he didn't want to hold anyone's hand and it was so steep...this 20 month old hiked the WHOLE WAY! You can see how high we are, and if you have hike A.L., you know how steep the trail is!
Here I am coming down the switchbacks, known as Walter's Wiggles.
At the top (didn't go to the very edge of the rock becuase it was thundering quite a bit and already drizzling and there was a line of people climbing along the chain...)

Meg's Music Monday Challenge Part 2

I forgot to give an explanation to the songs I chose- part two of the assignment!

1. I can't remember a trip in my life where my dad wasn't constantly taking pictures. My siblings and I, to some extent, have followed his lead. I guess that's why scrapbooking was natural for me - I am the person with all the pictures that others are always getting pictures from because others enjoy the scenery while I try to capture it. Even as a child, I was always taking pictures not only of the people I was with, but also any scenic point along the way. I don't have a fancy camera like my dad did, but it is a habit inherited from him.

2. My mother (and father) joined the Air Force out of high school. My mother did it because she new it would be the only way she could see the world. I have always thought she was so brave for doing it. She is shy, but she traveled around the world by herself. Then she married my father and moved to Wisconsin and never moved back home. I always think about her when I hear this song because I can just picture my mom being sad seeing all her kids move away, but also knowing that she had to do the same thing for herself.

3. Shotgun Serenade I would like to dedicate to two people who both taught me to stand up for myself. They were the ones I needed to stand up to and probably didn't appreciate it at the time, but I am a stronger person now because they were such jerks and drove me to change.

4. I dedicate this song to my students. They have a hard time understanding that I have bad days too. That I have a personal life and am not a slave to grading their late work. That all jokes are not funny, especially when not timed right. That I need personal space. That they don't have the right to sit at my desk, go through my desk, read my emails behind my desk...they want me to be fun and play ALL the time. Beauty and the mess.

5. I chose the final song because - even though I don't do it much anymore - I love making tapes for people...well, cd's I guess. I love getting the best songs in the best order.

Meg's Music Monday Challenge

The assignment: Create a personality CD of 5 songs consisting of
1. A song about a trait you inherited from your father
2. A song about a trait you inherited from your mother
3. A song you about a trait you learned from someone else
4. A song about how other's see you
5. A song about a trait that is unique to you

Here are mine (I just spent the last hour and a half doing this becuase it is so much more fun than proofreading Sterling Scholar portfolios):

1. 3 x 5 - John Mayer
2. Wide Open Spaces - The Dixie Chicks
3. Shotgun Serenade - Juliana Theory
4. Beauty and the Mess - Nickel Creek OR Dig - Incubus (how do you ever REALLY know what others think of you?)
5. The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin

And Meg, you still have me beat - these are the bands you introduced me to, and this just off the top of my head!
Travis
Juliana Theory
Get Up Kids
Sara Harmer
Iron and Wine
The Format
Saves the Day
Patti Griffin
The Promise Ring
Old 97's
Pete Yorn
Rhett Miller
And do I dare mention the those two amazing years in college where Good Charlotte, MXPX and New Found Glory were our soundtracks in Provo and driving through Vegas with the windows rolled down and the music turned way up?

Things I learned from my nephew

Do you ever feel like your life is dragging?
that things are falling all around you?
or that you are stuck in a rut?
Just completely exposed and vulnerable?
Take heart do two simple things. Don't be afraid to take someone's hand to ask for help
and to hug someone you love.
Just appreciating the simple things in life will bring joy to you and those around you.