May 31

Tonight we had the sister missionaries join us for dinner. They are such incredible women and they are doing such wonderful work. We are so blessed to have them in our ward, and to have them in our home.

May 30

Friday night, we went to a wedding reception in Mesa. We went to the Landmark Restaurant before the festivities and had a wonderful dinner. I was introduced to this place by my dear friend, Rondaleen. It is an old church that has been renovated into a restaurant. They have a "salad bar room" where there is a huge array of pre-made salads, a full blown salad bar, marvelous soups, desserts, rolls, and even pickled quail eggs. It was quite exotic.

May 29

Look who started his first job today! Guess where he is working?

May 28

Look who's home from camp! I was so happy to see this girl when I got home from work. I missed her! And she took some pretty wild pictures. Stuff like gummy worms up her nose, and gross chewed up food in her open mouth. How am I ever going to teach this girl some manners, and some etiquette? I mean, I really try. Guess it will come with a little more life under her belt. I'll take her just the way she is right now, though. She can sure keep me laughing (while sometimes shaking my head as I wonder where she ever came from!).

May 27

This is my sweet friend, Kristine. She cried when the principal announced at our school employee breakfast that I would be leaving Sunnyslope for a new job. I got to be her secret pal and leave her presents whenever I felt the urge this last semester. It was so fun, because she would always come in my office and show me what she got from her secret pal. She had NO idea it was me. :o)

Yes! I did get a new job . . . the one I have been searching for ever since I moved to Phoenix. I will be the School Secretary at Cordova Middle School in the Alhambra District. I am very excited about this! Less days to work per year, (10.5 month contract) but more money than my 12 month contract at Slope. Can't beat that, huh?

May 26

Happy Memorial Day!

Today, Rod and I went on another hike, the 3rd in 3 days. We went in to the White Tanks and did a 6.5 mile jaunt in to the goat camp where there is a nice little desert oasis. There is a pond that comes from a natural spring. Water drips out of the side of the cliff and pools at the bottom. The pond had less water in it that I have ever seen. I did not want to post more hiking pictures because I do that a lot, but we did see this very interesting bug on the trail that was just begging to be photographed. It is quite colorful, don't you think??

May 25

This is my new "scripture tote." So what's the big deal, you may ask? Well, I've never had one before! It was so fun to carry my scriptures to church today! And to have some nice underlining and marking pens, too. Thanks, Rod.

May 24

Think: "Valley of the Sun."

This morning at 6:00 am I took Becca to the stake center to go to girl's camp. It was cloudy, cold, and rainy; only 57 degrees. I hope she will stay warm and have a good time.

May 23

Tonight we had a Ward Ice Cream Social.

It was really fun to just visit with the great people in our ward.

Bethany made balloon toys for all the kids.

May 22

Luka's here!
Sisters and step-sisters... Ade (and baby Jaden), Julie, Katie, and Tori.

Of course, Becca front and center with her certificate of promotion.

Becca and her dad...

Nick and Becca . . .

Look who all came to Becca's 8th grade promotion. She sure has a lot of people that love and support her! The out-of-towners flew in Wednesday afternoon, and left very early this morning. Becca's sisters adore her, and her step-sisters are so cute with her. They are all awesome women for Becca to look up to. Thanks, ladies, for being so good to her. I am thankful for ALL of you. We all went to the Cheesecake Factory for a really great dinner to celebrate this accomplishment in Becca' s life.

May 21

Becca graduated from 8th grade. Wow! Can't believe she is this old already. She is most anxious for the High School experience.

May 20

I saw this cactus in my neighbor's yard on my way to work about 6:00 am. It is the kind that only blooms ONE DAY a year, so I backed up and took this shot. Beautiful!

May 19

This is Michael. He has become a good friend at my school this year. He is a senior, graduating from Sunnyslope. When we had graduation rehearsal, it dawned on me that it has been 35 years since I graduated from high school. Wow!

May 18

Becca cleaned her room and rearranged things a bit.

She decided she wanted her trundle bed set up again.

Her room is PLASTERED with Jonas Brothers posters. Cute, huh?

May 17

I have two teenagers that are so good with little kids! Thanks for babysitting, Becca! and thanks, Nick, for helping!

May 16

There was a "diaper shower" for our band teacher, who is expecting a baby right after school is out. This is what I made out of the diapers I got for her.

May 14

Got a hair cut tonight. I told Toni, my hair dresser, that I was sick of my hair and that I wanted a new style. She gave me a cute cut, but for some reason, she gets a buzz out of trying to straighten my bangs and leaving the rest curly. Whatever. I will fix it my own way in the morning, and I do like the new cut she gave me. At least I did not come home and cry, as has happened more times than I want to recall.

May 13

The infamous egg drop experiment. Did the egg break?

(yes, more 8th grade homework)

Way to go Becca! Layers of batting and bubble wrap have protected this little egg from the bashing of being dropped from heights previously unknown by any object pushed out of a chicken's butt! I hope you get an "A" on this project.

May 12

Thanks Eric and Em, for the beautiful Mother's Day flowers!

May 11

Happy Mother's Day! Thanks Katie, Julie & Becca for the wonderful Weight Watchers cookbooks! I love them. And thanks Rod for the beautiful new watch.

May 10

If you read the sign, you can see what a no brainer statement is made in the first sentence.
Duh!

(A cactus is a plant that is a member of the cactus family.)

May 9

Here is a beautiful white hibiscus that was blooming in front of the school. The blooms don't last all that long, but they sure are gorgeous!

May 8

Some of our Aspire to Teach students were going to the elementary school to read to the kids. They dressed up like the characters in their books. Don't they look great!

May 7

This flowering tree is in the middle of campus. As I was visiting another building I saw it and it took my breath away! It is so beautiful. They are all over right now with their gorgeous blooms sweetening the air.

May 6

Katie, this one's for you! BARBIE POWER!!!

To help with eating on vacation :o)

May 5

Today I LOVE my bathroom scale! I have lost 15.2 lbs! Yay!

May 4

Sahuaro cactus - all decked out in their flowered head dresses. Yes, I took this yesterday on our hike. Here it is to enjoy again today! The sky was soooooo blue! And the cactus blooms are ever fascinating with their own unique beauty. This particular one was VERY tall (most of them are quite tall). I had to get a little bit above it on the trail to sort of see the top, and then zoom in so the flowers would show up. The whole mountain side was filled with blooming cactus, and furry creosote bushes. The Palo Verdes are also blooming, and they are brilliant yellow. It was a beautiful day!

May 3

Hiked our favorite trail at Thunderbird park today. Creosote bushes - right now they are all covered in these fuzzy little fur-balls. What an interesting desert plant! They sure smell good when it rains.

May 2

Last night we did another 8th grade homework project. Rebecca wrote a children's story about water pollution for one of her classes. She asked if I would help illustrate the pages. We had so much fun! We got really creative and used blue saran wrap for the water. She had one page with glitter, one with dirt, and we used foil and candy wrappers for the trash in the lake. I think it turned out with a rating of "fabulous!"

May 1

Karl's Bakery is just down the street from our school. Every now and then, the owners bring boxes of donuts, cupcakes, and sugar cookies for us to enjoy. If you know me at all, you know how much I LOVE frosted sugar cookies. This is my temptation today. So far I have resisted...