Keeping Up is Hard to Do

Well it has been a while, okay, over a year since my last post. But keep in mind I have had a very busy year. First, I just finished teaching my second year of seminary, this time Doctrine and Covenants and Church History. This topic was really hard for me because I have never really studied them much and I did not really attend that year of seminary myself (I graduated from seminary by doing make-up work). I also had a few students that I struggled with; they were only there because their parents made them.

In October Mom, Sarah, and I travelled to Poland to visit Jon, Liz, and Ania.  During our trip we had a few interesting adventures.  First, we had decided to travel from Warsaw to Prague to Vienna to Krakow and then back to Warsaw, so basically a huge circle.  Well, we decided the best way for us to travel would be by car, so we rented a "mini van" first of all the minivan did hold officially 7 people, but it was basically a hatchback car with two seats in the trunk.  So we all managed to squeeze in and we all travelled with the smallest amount of luggage we could manage, but most of the luggage area we had was taken up with the stroller.  But the best part was that the car was a manual transmission, now don't get me wrong we knew that was what it was going to be and Dana Hammon, and Emilie were both nice enough to give me lessons several times, however, I still did not know much about it, and we stalled countless times!  Our drive to Prague was long (we knew it would be) and since the car rental place had run out of GPS units we were traveling with maps.  When we finally found our hotel, Jon insisted I run my car up onto the curb and park, and I am like this curb is to high for that, but I did it and what do you know, we got a flat tire.  One of the hotel staff people was nice enough to help us, after we were unable to locate any tire changing equipment, but the car got to the parking lot and the next day he helped us get a new tire while we toured Prague, I do not know about the rest of the group but I loved that city.  It was so beautiful and had such a nice time.

So then we went on to Vienna, as we were driving we got pulled over by the police, he told us we did not have our headlights on, which are required at all times there, and that was a fine.  Then he told us we did not have our sticker necessary to drive on that toll road.  Thankfully, Liz and Jon's Polish enabled us to talk a little to them in Czech.  We said we were waiting for the toll gates so we could pay, but he said no you go to a gas station and pay the fine and they give you a sticker to display granting you access to the road, and of course since we did not have one that would be an even bigger fine.  So Liz and I start to pull money out of our wallets, Liz has Polish money, which they do not want, and I have like 20 American dollars, at this point the cops were just laughing at the stupid Americans with no cash (we had been using credit cards for most of everything thus far).  They let us go and told us to stop at the next station and get a sticker and I turned our headlights on, the headlights never came off again.  So needless to say when we crossed the border into Austria we stopped at the first gas station and bought all the stickers we would need.  We had a great time in Austria.

Then, on to Krakow, Jon needed to get back for work, so he took the train home and Liz, Sarah, Ania, Mom, and I spent a few days there.  It is also a beautiful town, and we enjoyed the atmosphere.  When we got back to Warsaw, I was thrilled to no longer have to drive and I think by the last day, I finally was able to drive the whole way without stalling once.  But, if I ever do that again, I  do not care about the costs I will rent a car with an automatic transmission!

So during this trip I was also writing a paper, in fact while in Prague, I sent my chapter 2 in.  So the next thing keeping me busy this year was I completed my Masters in Education, so this past year I wrote my thesis, technically an action research project. So I was really busy with that as well. I would go home from work, work on my seminary lesson, and then attempt to write my paper. But it finally all got done and I graduated. I was not really sure about going to my actual graduation ceremony, but I did, and Mom, Dad, and Sarah came along. The graduation could have been better, as they had us all sit willy-nilly (no alphabetical or even in our own departments); nobody actually knew when their child’s name was going to be called. And the "diploma" they gave us was a rolled up piece of paper (I am serious) with a bow on it. Really you could not spring for the fake leather holders, how cheap can you get, considering we all paid $25,000 to complete our degrees.

At Christmas time the family had a reunion in St. George, UT, yes I finally went back, it was actually the first time I had been back to UT since 2003.  I was really hoping to make it an even 10 years, but no such luck.  It was of course great to see all the family.  And also an adventure to have everyone piled up into one house, but the kids loved the house as it had a movie room.

But I will say the worst thing you can do when you are trying to finish a 130 page paper on a deadline is to do what I did. That is . . . . . . . . . ADOPT A DOG!!! Yes, you heard right I am the proud or insane or nervous wreck owner of a (as my dad would day) mangy mutt. Fly, is a small guy, he is mix of either an Australian Shepherd (that is what the shelter said), a Border Collie, or a Sheltie, and yes all three of these breeds are herding dogs. My vet said these types of dogs are breed to run 100 miles a day. So needless to say, we walk twice a day and try to get at least 5 miles a day in. The shelter also said he is probably between 11/2 and 2 years old (I was looking for a dog that at the youngest was 2) so he sounded good. He was also not barking or whining at the shelter like the other 200 dogs there where, so all seemed fine. UNTIL, my vet tells me Fly is maybe 1 year old, and my dog trainer thought when he first saw him a few months ago he looked 9 months old. UGH! I so did not want a puppy. And he was quiet because he had just been neutered and was either in shock or still drugged.

But will I ever give him up, NOPE, he has suckered me in, his big baleful eyes, it is pathetic. The little guy is actually very fun, he dances when you get home, runs on the treadmill, and when I hide treats on the playground at the park, he will go down the slide to get them. Denny, Heather, Sam and Kevin, just came for a visit, during their trip Kevin asks me why did I get an eating dog, and I said all dogs eat, and he said, why did I get a dog that eats humans, since Fly likes to nibble on hands (yes, he is still a puppy.)

In just the last few weeks, I enjoyed a weekend at the Huntington Beach Mid-Singles Conf. with Cherish, we started at an Angels game.  UGH!  Then a few weeks ago, I went with a friend to Disneyland, the reason we sent was to go to Club 3 there, I guess it is some exclusive place, I was nice, but since I really did not know anything about it before I went I really did not know what all the fuss was about.
Enjoy the pics.

Fly at the park on the 4th of July

Fly on the furniture again

You can barley see him but this is what I come home to everyday, him sticking his nose out of the fence

The "famous" old fashion elevator at Club 33

The balcony of Club 33

Another angle of the balcony

The new Little Mermaid Ride

Mom and I at graduation

Cherish and I at the Angels game

On my visit to DC, last summer

More DC, this is the Newseum

Liz and I with our famous maps in our minivan.

Prague

Vienna

On our horse carriage ride in Vienna

Trying to fit into our minivan

Krakow

Auschwitz

Warsaw