Flashback: 2015

This year has had its ups and downs for sure. In fact, in some ways, this has been my most challenging year yet, but all in all, I can safely say that it was a good one! I feel like I accomplished some stuff, struggled through some things, checked stuff off the bucket list, and, in general, had a good time! Here are a few highlights!

January

I kicked the new year off right by going on an adventure on the very second day of it! Scott and I went to Universal Studios for the day and it was definitely an adventure! First of all, we got there without getting lost! If you know us well, you know this is a major feat! The lines were crazy long, but we managed to laugh and have a good time through it, entertaining those in line around us with our antics, and ended up having a TRAM-TASTIC day! If you know Scott, I'm sure you know what he was singing the rest of the day! Love it! haha! Afterwards, we were super exhausted, but we needed to get some frozen yogurt anyways, so we went to Berries and then took it back to my apartment to eat it. By the time we got there, Scott's was already in his tummy and mine was melted all over his pants and shirt. It was hilarious and, since we were sleep deprived, it was even more hilarious! The year definitely started out on a high note!

The next big highlight, and first bucket list item of the year, was getting to take Danny to Build-a-Bear! Getting a Build-a-Bear animal was on my bucket list and, since Danny is THE best stuffed animal snuggler on the planet, I felt like it was only fitting to share this moment with him! He really does just steal my heart! He chose a giraffe and dressed it up as Spider Man! As we sat down to fill out the info for our animals, my mom and I asked Danny what he wanted to name his giraffe. He responded that he would like to name him Ganga. Ummm...what was that??? He was little enough at the time that we weren't quite sure we were understanding him correctly, so we clarified numerous times and then typed "Ganga" into the system. The lady who worked there overheard and swooped in, insisting that Danny name his giraffe Geoffrey, instead. I finally had to get slightly sassy, yet still courteous, reminding her that this was his giraffe and that he would be naming it absolutely anything he wanted. She got the point. I got a little Snow White bear and kept it simple by naming her *drum roll, please* Snow White! It was a really fun experience and I'm so glad my mom came with us and got to see the cute, sweetness that Danny was when he did the little heart ceremony for Ganga! What a fun, memorable day and a perfect way to start the new year!

Also, in January, I got to start working back at Sequoia! I love working there and, though I honestly do miss my friends from Poplar, I love my co-workers at Sequoia and am grateful I applied for and received the transfer. The transition was more cumbersome than I anticipated, but I survived and learned a few things along the way. For example, I learned that I don't particularly enjoy teaching middle school language arts; I just felt like I wasn't great at it, which is crazy, since writing was always a strength for me! Crazy! Live and learn, though! I'm very grateful to say that I did have the opportunity to work with a great, supportive team of girls, with whom I had a lot of fun! I was very grateful at the end of the year when my principal came to me and asked me if I would like to stay in 8th grade language arts or move back to 7th grade math and science for the coming year! I jumped at the opportunity to move back to my 7th grade math and science team; I'm way more passionate about teaching those subjects and love that team. I was so happy when my principal made my wish a reality! Work-wise, the rest of the school year was challenging, but enjoyable, and it was definitely a learning experience for me. If given the chance to have a do-over, I would still transfer back to Sequoia in a heart-beat!

February

Oh my goodness. February started off horribly! I never get sick and I hadn't had a cold or the flu in many years, but one morning, I woke up feeling a little bit yucky and by the time I got to work, I was so weak and in so much pain that I could barely even stand on my own. I went to the office and told the secretary that I didn't think I could make it through the day. She took one look at me and said she would send our resident sub to cover me. She's my hero! I went home and slept the remainder of the day, until I woke up with a temperature of 103.8 and called my mom to drive me to urgent care since I couldn't even see at this point. I don't remember ever feeling this crappy before! They gave me an off-work order for the entire week and, though I tried to keep the off-work order a secret and go to work anyways, this flu hit me like a truck and I just couldn't do it. Bye-bye FIVE whole sick days! Booooo! BUT I'm grateful that I had those sick days to use, so I can't be too upset. 

Immediately following my flu fiasco, I got to take my parents to see the Harlem Globetrotters! It's what I gave them as a Christmas present. It was awesome! I wasn't feeling 100% better yet, but I wasn't contagious anymore and I could finally see and walk again, so I went for it!

What a cool experience!

The end of February involved Scott's birthday adventure! This year we went to San Diego to see my high school friend, Jessica, perform as Maria in West Side Story. She played Maria in the European Broadway tour, so we were seeing a true Broadway quality show. We went down early and explored Old Town a little bit and had dinner at Casa de Reyes, where we'd eaten before. Then we caught the show and even got to meet up with Jessica for a bit afterwards.

At the very end of February, Daniel, Tyisa, and Danny moved from St. George, UT to Phoenix, AZ, so my parents and I went to help in the move and the subsequent trek to Phoenix. Moving is never fun, but it was nice to be able to spend some time with them!

March

The first weekend in March, I checked off another bucket list item. I live in a city that has a waterfall and I've never been there. Why??? So, one Saturday, I was up super early and was actually motivated to get out of bed and go hiking! I went to the store, bought some water and granola bars, and headed up! It was a good hike and the waterfall and view at the top was worth it!

Mid-March, we celebrated Nancy's birthday! I stopped at Suite 106 Cupcakery and got us a couple of gourmet cupcakes that were absolutely delicious and worth every calorie! We then went to eat at Northwoods Inn before heading out to Universal Studios, where David, Wiss, and the boys joined us!

What a fun day! 

Later in the month, I had Spring Break (all hail Spring Break!!! haha) and, one of the days, I took my cousin's kiddos on a little adventure. We went to Lake Balboa to play at the park there and then ended up grabbing some Happy Meals and going to the LA Temple to have a picnic and check out the visitor center! LA traffic isn't always pleasant, but we really did have a fun day!

And who can resist this sweetness? Hailey is a very thoughtful little girl!

April

In April, Nancy got a well-deserved award! She earned the Teacher of the Year award from her school and was recognized at the Board meeting. She works her butt off and is an amazing teacher, so I was so excited that she had a moment of recognition for her efforts!

Easter came next, with the traditional family dinner and egg dying. My nephews are adorable and so sweet! I love hanging out with them and making memories!

Love ALL of my cuties!

Toward the end of the month, I got to check yet another item off of my bucket list! I got to see a show at the Pantages Theater in LA! Newsies had come to town and I really wanted to see it. Scott and I had talked about seeing it, but then time kinda got away from us and closing weekend was upon us. I had given up the idea of seeing it when Scott called me late one night and asked if I still wanted to go! Um, YES! His whole family had bought tickets, but due to play rehearsals for The Diary of Anne Frank, he didn't think he would be able to go until the last minute. We tried to get seats by his family, but there were none available, so we ended up in the balcony, far from everyone else, but we really enjoyed the show! Because we had to wait for him to be done with rehearsal to go, we went separately from everyone else, but planned on meeting up with them in LA for dinner. Rehearsal ran late and traffic was stupid, so we missed dinner with his family, but ended up driving a million miles (stupid GPS) to get some Panera. Don't be mistaken, it was amazing! It's always an adventure until something goes wrong. Then, it's a BIG adventure! Believe me, we've had lots of big adventures and, without fail, they always end up being way more memorable and fun than what we had originally planned. Anyways, we ended up eating Panera in Glendale and barely making it to the show on time. Apparently, Scott had forgotten to tell his mom we were coming, and she had been lamenting that Scott couldn't see the show when she knew he would enjoy it. The look on her face when we walked through the theater doors was priceless! She's amazing, so it was fun to give her a nice surprise, even when I had no idea we would be surprising her! haha The show was fantastic and did not disappoint!

Next, Diane and I had a sister-adventure in San Diego! I drove down to San Diego on a Friday after work and picked her up from the airport in San Diego. We checked into the Westgate Hotel, where we were staying, grabbed some dinner, and then walked to the Gaslamp District. That place is...interesting. I'd been there before and it was fine, but this time, the entire area smelled like Weed. Yuck. We had a good time anyways and ended up walking quite a ways just talking and catching up! We passed by Petco Park, where there was a game going on, and went down by the water! It was a fun night! The next morning we went to Seaport Village and then went and checked out of the hotel. I got to introduce Diane to the beautiful Silver Strand Beach and then we went to La Jolla Cove, which was a first for both of us (our parents told us that we went there as kids, but we didn't remember that).

Also, sometimes you cut your ankle open on the rocks. Good times! haha

May

May. May is ALWAYS crazy! It's the last month of school, you're exhausted and grouchy, and it's starting to get too hot outside to be in any realm of comfort. BUT it's also an exciting month!

At the beginning of the month, Tamara came over to my apartment for the first time! She brought her 3 adorable little boys and e had a great time catching up and playing with the kiddos! We took the kids to the park in my complex and we had a great time outside and, somehow, managed to stay cool!

May s a crazy month at work, but someone in our district office decided it would be a great idea to have student interns from China shadow some of us for a week. Don;t get me wrong, it's a cool opportunity and all, but it would be a lot cooler if it had not been two weeks before the end of the school year when the kids are totally over it. Anyway, I ended up hosting interns in my classroom and it ended up working out just fine. My intern's name was Aten (I have no idea how you spell it, but that's how it's said) and she taught me how to write my name in Chinese!

Memorial Day weekend, Diane came to town and we went to the Queen Mary! We took some pictures and the normal pose turned out fine:

But when the photographer said, "Everyone look scared!" things turned amazing!

ROFL! When Diane and I looked at the pictures and saw our mom's expression, we nearly died! Hilarious! It was a fun day!

I volunteered to chaperone the 8th grade trip to Knott's, so that was fun! My friend/colleague, Jen, and I found Snoopy! I found the ride that was, of course, named after me! And one of our students won an inordinately huge stuffed bear, which took up an entire row on the bus ride home! Getting that sucker through the bus doors was a challenge in itself! Way to go, Kid! haha

June

Oh, June! June was primarily spent on the road! I went on a 21 day road trip with my parents and Diane joined us wherever we were on the weekends. I'm not even sure which parts I would include in the highlights, so if you're curious, you can check it out here.

Immediately after I got home, I had to go away again, this time to a 3-day work conference in Anaheim. It was a pretty good training (AVID) and one of the nights, Scott drove out to Anaheim to pick me up and take me to Roscoe's for dinner! He then took me to a grocery store so I could do some shopping and wouldn't have to constantly eat fast food the entire time I was there! Yuck! My colleagues are a lot of fun, so this was a pretty good experience! And the view wasn't too shabby either!

When I was finally home from my travels, I spent a little time with Josh and Dylan before they had to go back to China. We went to my apartment and played with my microscopes!

And then, of course, spent a little time with my wee men doing some science time! Diffraction grating glasses are entertaining. Always.

Then, of course, it wouldn't be summer without sleepovers!

I'm a lucky auntie! I have the greatest little guys in the world!

July

This year I got to spend the 4th of July at home. It had been a few years since I had done that because we're usually traveling at that time. It was fun to have the whole family together and get to do fireworks in the front yard like we used to!

Next, we celebrated a big milestone! Joey turned 12 and was ordained a Deacon! He's such a great kid and I'm endlessly proud of him!

 

Every summer, Scott does a play and this year, he was doing Mary Poppins at the Redlands Bowl. Last year, it was in August and I figured that's when it would be this year as well. So, I booked a flight and texted Scott to tell him about it and he responded that his play started the day after I left. I was so sad, but then he told me that there was a public dress rehearsal that was supposed to be exactly like the actual performances and that I could come see that. It was the night before I flew out and it was good, but it turned out that there were a few snags. It never rains here; we've been in a drought for 4 years, but it suddenly started pouring a few days before the show, which set their rehearsal schedule back, preventing them from practicing on the outdoor stage with the sets, and also, damaged the sets. So, the play was really good, but some of the cool technical aspects were missing. For example, I didn't get to see Mary Poppins fly or any of the kite stuff that they were supposed to have. It was still worth seeing, though, and I'm grateful that I got to see it and show my support to Scott before I left.

He was fantastic, as always!

The next morning, I flew to Virginia to have a brief vacation in Washington DC, where Diane would join me, and then move on to Montpelier, which was James and Dolley Madison's estate, where I would get to check off a major bucket list item: go on an archaeological dig! The whole experience was so amazing, that I'm not really sure what I should include in the highlights, so here's the link to that blog entry! It was definitely an experience I will remember fondly for the rest of my life!

August

As soon as I returned from Virginia, the school year started. The beginning of the year is always accompanied by extreme fatigue and the stress of establishing discipline and routine in the classroom. This year was especially difficult because my school district has decided that we (the lowly teachers) are not deserving of respect or human courtesy. Not to mention the two additional teacher work days they added onto the school year and made these days official in July, after we had all made plans for the summer. Therefore, the start-up of the school year was exceptionally stressful, above all of the usual stress. On top of all that, it was particularly hot and my air conditioner died completely. It way too hot in my apartment, so I ended up sleeping on my balcony. It actually was kind of fun, but I was definitely grateful when the new AC unit arrived and the maintenance guys were able to install it.

September

September was another stressful, difficult month, but there were some fun times too. Labor Day was the first school holiday of the year. Nancy and I got together and visited Suite 106 Cupcakery and tried out some very delicious, overpriced cupcakes. It was worth every penny!

Diane also came to town and we went to Universal Studios with David's boys.

Mid-month, Daniel, Tyisa, and Danny took a vacation to Disneyland for a few days and I was able to join them for a day and a half of that.

I love my family so much and I love spending time with them! It truly is the thing that makes me happiest in life!

October

October was another rough month, but toward the end of it, I was able to muster the energy to do a few things for Halloween. I dressed up for work:

I carved pumpkins with Cy and Jonathan:

And I carved pumpkins with a friend who just moved to California from Utah and had never carved a pumpkin before:

I was also able to take a mini-vacay to San Diego. It was much needed! You can read about it here if you want. It was an awesome weekend! So peaceful and relaxing!

November

At the beginning of the month, I was able to spend some time with my co-workers/friends. Stressful days call for added diversion. We met up at the Yard House after work one day and then went shopping. I ended up buying a magical, sparkly, tutu-type skirt! It was a good day!

That weekend, my family went to the Getty Villas, which meant I got to check something else off my bucket list! It was pretty and I'm glad I got to see it, but I decided that I actually prefer the Getty Center to the Getty Villa. It was still a great day!

On Veteran's Day, we all had the day off, so David, Melissa, the boys, and Nancy, and I got together to see the Peanuts movie. The showing we were aiming for sold out while we waited in line to buy tickets, so we had some time to kill before the next showing. The boys killed time by playing in the fountain.

At the end of the month, we had Thanksgiving. This year we celebrated it on Friday, instead, so I spent Thanksgiving Day at Disneyland. It actually wasn't super crowded, which was a pleasant surprise.

December

December started off with Scott's play Miracle on 34th Street. I went out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen with his family before the show and then we all went to Cheesecake Factory for dessert after the show. Scott and all of the other actors did a great job and we all loved the show!

December 12th is Dad's birthday and he decided he wanted to see Scott's show on his birthday, so I went and saw it a second time with my parents. It was just as good the second time around!

Next, we had our annual ward Christmas party and it was pretty fun, as always!

On December 17th, Melissa graduated from nursing school and we had a great night celebrating her hard work! So proud of her!

That Sunday was our ward's Christmas Program and I sang a song called "Mary's Joseph" in a trio. I really loved the words to the song because it just had such a tender mood.

Next, Christmas Break officially began! The first day, I ran errands ALL day long, but was able to get a bunch of stuff done. Tuesday, it rained all day and I was grateful to be able to stay inside most of the day. That evening, Scott's mom and I went on an adventure. We went to Ontario Mills to buy tiaras and then to my house to put them on. Then, we went to The Cheesecake Factory to have dinner in our tiaras! It was such a fun night! Every girl is a princess!

It was a lot of fun!

Christmas Eve was the next main event! We did the usual stuff: hung out together, ate dinner, went caroling, came home to open presents, and then spent more time together. It was a good day and evening and I'm so glad that we were all able to have fun together.

Christmas Eve is really our family's big celebration, so Christmas Day was spent at my apartment by myself! It was a nice, relaxing day! On Sunday, December 27th, we had BIG Family Christmas at Aunt Cheryl's house. It was fun, as always, and we did some singing, our cousin gift exchange, the Christmas play, and just enjoyed each others' company. I'm very happy to say that I actually have a family that I love spending time with. After our Christmas gatherings are over, I always feel a bit melancholy because we're all so busy that I know we won't really get together again for a while.

The next morning, Scott and I went to Disneyland for the day and it was awesome! I wrote a detailed blog about it here if you'd like!

Such a fun day with my favorite person!

The next day, I slept in a bit and took it pretty easy until Jake and Fallon came over to hang out in the evening. The plan was to watch a movie, but we got so caught up in talking that the movie didn't happen. We had a fun night anyways! For most people, having friends over isn't a year highlight, but typically during the holidays, I'm so tired that I just want to be alone most of the time, so it was an accomplishment and a highlight! haha The following day, I went to San Diego and met my sister at the hotel while our parents were at the Holiday Bowl. Then, we woke up early and went to Sea World on New Year's Eve. My parents both have annual passes and December birthdays, so they were each able to one person in free with a birthday pass. Diane went with my mom and I went with my dad. It was a great day full of amazing creatures doing spectacular things!

After Sea World, my parents went home and Diane and I checked into The Westgate Hotel for the evening. I'll be posting a more detailed blog about that adventure later, but I can definitely say that it was a very fun and spontaneous evening with my sister! It was the perfect way to ring in the new year! Here we are just a minute or so before midnight!

Happy New Year!

As you can see, it was a pretty busy year with lots of cool things going. What you don't see here as much are the challenges that were faced and the lessons that were learned. I certainly don't want to give you the illusion that my life is perfect and that I have everything figured out; I definitely don't. What keeps me going through the hard times is my family and the knowledge that I have a Savior who loves me very much. On my own, I'm not much, but with His help, I have the opportunity to grow and progress as I make mistakes and fix them and as I rely on Him through everything, especially those things that I know I can't handle on my own. I know that He will do this for you as well because we are all so precious to Him and to our Father in Heaven. This year has been among my most challenging, but also one of my happiest years yet and I'm so grateful for that! Here's to an awesome fresh start as the new year begins!