Thatcher Reception

Sonya and Tyler's reception was AMAZING!! Sonya had come up with all of these ideas from looking at various blogs so we put them all together and the final result turned out much better than expected. Her colors were Tiffany Blue and Yellow with a hint of green and pink. Here are some pictures from Erik Loño, my bro-in-law, with his artistic eye. Probably one of the best receptions Thatcher has ever seen! The time flew by too quickly chatting and catching up with old family friends. It was so good to see everyone again!

Adventure #1 Moab, UT

Sunday afternoon a group of us left for Moab. I had never been before so I was super excited! I wasn't disappointed either! I love Moab! It was a way fun trip. We hiked to Delicate Arch as soon as we got in. Here's the whole gang below with the arch in the background.

We ate at Slickrock Cafe while enjoying some live music then set off to the desert to find a camp spot. We found one alright, but pretty much in the middle of no where. We just camped out in the open under the stars. I've never done that before but I loved it.

The next morning we did the Double O hike. This is Landscape Arch, on the way of the trail. A section of it on the right has actually fallen off, the very narrow part.

This is actually ON TOP of Double O Arch, which is actually one arch on top of the the other. The boys just couldn't resist going all the way to the very top. Figures :) Boys will be boys.

You can actually climb on top of the double arches. Here we are! How rad is that?! You can't really tell you're standing on top of an arch though when you're up there. It was quite the climb.

That was probably my most favorite hike. It was just really cool with lots of different rocks and very scenic.
Afterwards, we went to the local Hippie Hole as they call it, a place to cool off, swim and jump from some cliffs. This was also one of my favorites. You hiked up to this swimming hole surrounded by red rock. There were different levels to jump from, but you had to land it just right as it wasn't very deep. I jumped from the shorter level and just couldn't resist the higher one. It was about 20-25 feet high. They caught a video of me jumping too. You had to just barely step off the ledge, right over the tree branch you can see, otherwise you would hit too shallow. Man, was it an adrenaline rush!! My heart has never felt so frightened before. What a thrill. I liked it so much I jumped twice, haha! Oh man, what a trip! Good fun with good friends.

Ya, I am Swedish

Elise, Erik, Ryan, Maranda, my cousin Nick, my Aunt Jeanie, my Uncle Norm, and I all went down to Ephraim on Saturday to visit the cemetary for Memorial Day. That's where most of my grandparents and great grandparents are buried, including my Grandma Anderson who just passed away a little over a month ago.

Then we went over to Scandinavian Days to enjoy some delicious Swedish food and entertainment. Of course I had to take a picture with the Viking. He wasn't as cool as last year though.

Summer Plans

SCHOOL IS OUT!! I have been waiting for this day for a while now. It is going to be a glorious summer, especially since I have a whole 3 months off. We don't go back to school until after Labor Day. I am also taking a break from my Master's so I can play, play, play stress-free. I plan to spend lots of time out in the sun reading, mtn. biking, hiking, swimming, etc. I DO have a few things planned, however...

Trips

1. Arizona - my little sis is getting married. Aaaah!
2. California - visit a friend in San Francisco, little sis's reception in Sacramento
3. Idaho - rafting down the Snake with some friends
4. Mexico, Cancun - soak up sun on beach & explore ruins with friends
5. China, Beijing - organized tour with other teachers. Great Wall here I come!
6. Lake Powell - boating & camping with the fam
7. Oklahoma - visit Sonya & Tyler (just got accepted to dental school there!)
8. Cross country drive with my Pops to Maryland (he'll be teaching at Frostburg State University in the Fall)
9. Spain is also a possibility....

Utah Checklist (Other things to do)

1. Moab
2. Lava Hot Springs
3. Hike Timp
4. Tube the Provo River
5. Wakeboarding
6. Baseball games
7. Ensign Peak
8. Mtn. Biking
9. Salt Flats
10. Outdoor concerts
11. Rodeos

Books to Read
I read 9 books last summer, so I have a new goal....10 books. I have to beat my record. Here's some books on my list that I want to read. Do you have any other good suggestions? Your favorite books?

1. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell
2. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
4. Think by Michael R. LeGault
5. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
6. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
7. Temples and Cosmos by Hugh Nibley
8. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

As you can see, I have a FUN FULL SUMMER ahead of me! Glorious! I'll keep you updated on the way.

Week of Surprises

This past week has been an amazing one for me! I feel so honored to have received the following awards.

Coach of the Year. At our annual Sports Banquet I was honored for coaching the Varisty and Sophomore teams for both Volleyball and Basketball this year. It was a great opportunity for me and I loved every minute of it even if it was lots of practices and traveling. These girls are amazing! I got this nifty plaque for it.

Teacher of the Year. I was surprised with this award recieved today at Graduation, being honored for teaching 4 preps, being the department head, working on the accreditation committee, coaching volleyball and basketball, working on my Masters, planning a trip to Spain next summer for my students, being amazing, respected, and organized (as my fellow faculty members put it). My name will go on a plaque in the entrance at the school.

Wow! That's all I've got to say! Thank you so much everyone for your support this year! It has been one crazy year, but one crazy good year.

Thursday was the Groundbreaking Ceremony for our new school building. And I actually got to break ground! I held a fancy gold shovel and threw some dirt around. Unfortunately there were no more hard hats to wear, but it was great to be a part of it.

This morning was the last day of school. We had yearbook signing in the morning and a lovely graduation ceremony in the afternoon. I got the BYU Spanish department to donate a few books to give out as awards at graduation and I had the fortunate opportunity to present them myself.

So during yearbook signing the teachers were supposed to check off lockers of students and make sure they were clean. So this kid comes up to me and asks if I can check off his locker. So I follow him and he says it's number 208. I open it to take a gander inside and to my complete surprise and shock there's a student in there! He scared the crap out of me! Bahahahaha! Funny thing is he did the exact same thing to me last year! Oh boy, I love these kids. I'm going to miss them....