Margaret & Jordan Jensen

Ah...School.

2009-10-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

A student misspelled "pennies" on his assignment. One "n" and no "e".

Today...

2009-03-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

I had a student take an seven page test today, entirely in bright green crayon.

Yep, he sure did

2009-03-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I was taking my Journalism class to the computer lab. No big deal. As we were walking out of my classroom door, a boy (Sam) pulled out a note and here are how things proceeded:

Me: I'll take that (I reach over, get a hold of the note and get ready to take)

Sam: (yelling) You can't take my things! (Yanks the note out of my hand)

Me: If it's a note in class, I most certainly can take it. And, you are not allowed to speak to me like that. So, you need to give me the note, Sam.

Sam: (still yelling) No! You can't take my stuff and you can't tell me what to do

Me: (thinking: really? do I really have to do this? It's a note and now he's just made it into something so much bigger) Ok, Sam, here are your options: give me the note and apologize or we'll be walking down to the office. Actually, there are two officers down there right now who I am sure would be happy to speak to you about your behavior (I was just making stuff up, but I figured I'd scare him...turns out that backfired)

Sam: (wads up the note while simultaneously shoving the notes into his mouth)

Me: (jaw drops, trying desperately NOT to laugh) Did you just eat the note?

Sam: (mouth full of paper as he chews)

Me: (in disbelief) K. Let's go.

The entire walk to the office, about thirty yards, he walked like a turtle, but chewed the paper like mad. He stopped at the drinking fountain to help mush up the paper. Turns out, there were two officers in the office (a separate incident had brought them there). Sam wouldn't spit out the note for them and they found a lighter on him...he said he needed the lighter for protection and that the note was a rap he wrote that he was too embarrassed to let me read. Hmmm...you tell me...

Christmas Mini Eggs?!?

2008-11-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

K, ladies. Mini Eggs have made their holiday appearance. And, yes, they are as wonderful as the originals. I want you all to know that since my freshman year of college, I haven't officially bought a bag of Mini Eggs. Why? Let's remember the 7 pounds I gained eating Mini Eggs as I studied for finals. But, considering this is new packaging,I figured I could take the dive and buy some. If you haven't seen them in your local store yet, let me know and I will send you some. I mean that.

Dear Adam

2008-11-18T08:49:00.001-08:00

So, it's been three years. It's weird. This anniversary has been harder than any of the previous years. I'm not quite sure why. There are so many things I still feel. Like, I want to tell you that I'm running all the time and you'd be so proud of me. Or how family gatherings don't feel the same because you aren't harassing me, and no one is helping me steal food from the plates mom is trying to prepare. Or how it feels like the "glue" for our family is gone. Jessica is doing really well at being the glue...maybe it's an Indian thing. But, it's just not the same. Dad went to your grave on Sunday...Tim said he sobbed. That's when I hate you. I'm still so angry at you. Because after you died things just got really bad for a really long time. Everyone is starting to heal, but it shouldn't take three years. And it makes me angry that it will probably never be all better. And that we had plans for the following weekend and that you couldn't make it five more days. Jordan was just getting to know you. Sometimes I am angry at myself for being so self-involved that I didn't answer every time you called. And then I am angry at you for making me always second guess myself. I have dreams about you. You're always smiling and that provides so much comfort and I hope that I'm actually seeing something that is true. I guess...I guess I just really miss you. And I still hurt, but I'm doing ok. And I don't want you to worry and think that I am constantly arrested by thoughts and memories. It's mostly around the holidays, when you left. But, I do think about and remember you. I still say I have 13 brothers, because you still count and you still matter. I miss you. Love you and hope all is well.

Maggie

Who Knew?

2008-11-08T12:59:00.001-08:00

I ran 5 miles today. I'm training for something bigger, something my sister-in-law suggested we all do. It appealed to my competitive nature, and here I am, doing something I never thought I would do. It felt great!

Can I just say...

2008-09-25T22:31:00.001-07:00

1. Parents of Honors Students are re-freaking-diculous
2. Blogging, facebooking, etc. gives me anxiety, seriously

Fine, I'll Fit the Stereotype

2008-05-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

I bought some new shoes, and while I always love the shoes I buy, I am absolutely crazy about these! So, eat your heart out, everyone. These shoes are amazing. :)

And these are the next shoes I'll be purchasing...Don't you love them?!

WARNING: No Pictures, Just Drama Update

2008-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

So, since I rarely speak to anyone I figure this is the best forum to let everyone know a little about what is going on with me. School is almost out, yeah! That's not the important thing.
My dad is in the hospital right now. He has had an ulcerated small intestine for literally 4 decades and until about six months ago, his doctors could never really explain what was going on with him. Well, he lost so much blood last Thursday (March 20) that he had an emergency surgery (March 22). The doctors cut out six inches of his small intestine and found a congenital defect that has been adding to the problems. In addition, the doctors also found a blood clot in his left leg and it truly is a miracle that it hasn't caused other medical issues, such as a stroke or heart attack, before now. I will not bore you with all the other details, but I have been up at the hospital with him (I just got home from a 27 hour shift) and he is looking like he is going to be okay now. But prayers for my family, my dad and for my own personal strength would be much appreciated. Thanks guys.

Air Raid Anthem

2008-03-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

I don't have kids and I am pretty sure talking about teaching gets pretty annoying, so I'm spreading the word about a good friend of ours. Jordan's BFF, Justin, has a band that is doing really well in the ol' Las Vegas (Viva Las Vegas...viva viagra?). Here is their youtube video. They're called Air Raid Anthem

President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

While watching T.V. the news broke into the program to let us know that President Gordon B. Hinckley has died. So many emotions go through out hearts and minds as we remember the man who was the leader of our church for over 13 years, more than half our lives. There are feelings of loss, anticipation, love and appreciation, and finally happiness for our beloved prophet who was suffering with his physical ailments and longed to be with his wife again. Its moments like this when the hymn "God Be With You Til We Meet Again" plays over and over again in my head. For further information, read here.

Several Thoughts

2008-01-24T20:21:00.001-08:00

1. I found this picture on my camera, checked out my friends blogs, and saw that no one had put up this picture. So, I am going to. We hung out this summer before Hillery had Sadie.
2. Heath Ledger is dead...I'm kinda sad about that.
3. Watched the Republican debate on MSNBC (I think CNN will have one Sat. too). Anyway, it wasn't as "lively" as the Democratic debate. It was good, had a lot of great info, and the candidates were incredibly gracious and complimentary towards each other. Once again, not as lively, but really good.

WHAT?! Mudslinging at its BEST!

2008-01-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am watching, on CNN Live, the Democratic Debate. I have never seen mudslinging like this ever...and I teach middle school students. Obama and Clinton went at each other about "he said, she said" for six minutes straight. And Edwards is speaking right now, and cleaning house. Cleaning house. He has made the other two look so stupid, not that they needed help. And I will say, if the choices were Huckabee and Clinton, I would have voted for Clinton, hands down. But this is just ridiculous. And before anyone gets mad at me for this and says the Republicans have been mudslinging, I would like to tell you that I have watched EVERY debate (both Democratic and Republican)for the past three months, and the Republicans, while not perfect, have been a heck of a lot better than this bizarre display. Okay, maybe the picking on Ron Paul was a little low, but come on...he's begging for it. Anyway, I think more than anything, this debate has made me lose respect for both Clinton and Obama, when I really felt that if Clinton does/could become President, she would have been good. But, I don't want a caddy schoolgirl leading my country. I have never been crazy about Obama, but I still respected him. Seriously, you guys need to check this out. If someone posts it on youtube, I will provide a link.
Disclaimer: Jordan doesn't agree with my feelings on Hillary Clinton. His quote, "I hate all liberals, except for a few people that might read this (Blair and Adam and maybe Sam), but not excluding everyone who does read this (Rosie O'Donnell, please stop reading our blog). You know who you are. But definitely I hate all liberal politicans."

Have you played this?

2008-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

So I am not one to usually advocate video games, but have you played this? This game is ah-maze-ing! Mostly because you get to play with a bunch of people and pretend that you are rockstar. And, I'll be honest, I can't help but secretly hope that by playing the guitar and drums that I am putting in good practice time and really learning how to play. Reality check: I'm not. But, I do think everyone should try this game. It's a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday, Jordie

2008-01-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

Jordan's birthday was January 6th. He turned 27. Holy crimeny! How did we get so old? Anyway, we spent the evening with family, goofing-off and having a lot of fun. Then, Jordan started the next day with his favorite thing--school! I can't tell you how unethusiatic he is to be back at BYU. We went on campus to talk to a counselor and Jordan swears he got physically ill just being there. Every Coug that walked past with BYU paraphernalia would bring about cynical comments like, "Oh, gross," or "Wow...that person is ridiculously embarrassing," or even better, "See, Margaret! See, I don't want to be one of these people!" But, on a less cynical note, Jordan is excited to be working on his major.

I'm the Fire-Starter

2007-12-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

After we got back from Florida, Jordan and Tylor were looking at thier nifty new/old jet-ski. The found some old flares and decided they should go try them out. Florida is wet and humid in the summer...Utah, not so much. I was sitting in the house, the guys were in the garage and I said, "Don't do it, not a good idea." But anyone who knows Jordan and Tylor know that they are complete idiots when they get together. They act like ten year old boys. They ran for the field. Did I mention it was late at night? Two minutes later, Tylor runs into the house and grabs the fire extinguisher. I ask what happened, he says. "the whole field is on fire!" We go out there and sure enough; it was absolutely incredible. I couldn't believe it caught fire so quickly. Obviously the whole thing was already out of control. But, Jordan and Tylor's responsible side kicked in, and Tylor called the police. Within minutes, something like 10 different fire trucks, police cars, and incident management vehicles were on the scene. Way to go! I was proud to see our tax dollars at work. They put out the fire and left.
Tylor and Jordan waited to be questioned, but no one questioned them. So, we went back during the day and took pictures. I don't know if this is an award for incredible stupidity or if those two are proud of themselves. I don't really want to know.

Catch up

2007-12-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

Julia said I was an "anti-blogger." I have a blog and I refuse to use it. So, here I am playing catch-up. I plan on listing a bunch of posts tonight and getting up to date. I will start with my dorky dog who likes to jump on the tramp. This summer we discovered that Hugo likes to jump on the tramp. It may seem like he just wants to chase Isaiah (my little brother in the video) but even if no one is on the tramp, Hugo will get on and jump/run by himself.

Funny Things Students Say #1

2007-10-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, just today I had the following comments made (I will have to add a little background to make them understandable).

1. As a class we are putting our vocabulary words into sentences. I start to write on the overhead, "Austin and Steve just..." and as I say "just" and start to write it, Tanner sings, "wanna have fu-un."

2. Class is taking a quiz and a kid wants me to tell him what "alias" means, Jesse says with exasperation, "What? I went over this, like, eight times yesterday!" Jesse, the day before, had volunteered to explain to the class what alias meant.

3. Tim came into class and said, "I thought it was 5th period, but then everyone told me it was 6th period, but then it really was 5th period, so I thought I was being Punk'd. But I didn't get to see Ashton."

Funny kids...my job's the best.

Margaret, are you paying attention?

2007-10-23T16:16:00.001-07:00

I just finished a presentation that I had to give to my fellow teachers. I won't bore you with the content of the lesson, but let me just tell you something. When I tell people I teach 8th grade Reading I hear comments like, "Oh, I bet that's hard!" or "Wow, how can you stand it?" or "Huh." That's it, just "huh"? I love my job! And 8th graders, while incredibly wiggly, are wonderful little creatures. Honestly. I went to a Regional Conference last week, and Elder Packer talked about the profound wisdom that comes from children. I know it's hard to think about 13 and 14 year old being profound, but they are. They say and do the funniest things. I will start to post them.

The real intent of this blog is to say how we are always getting mad at kids for misbehaving or not paying attention...have you ever given a presentation to adults? Especially teachers? WOW! It took all of my self-control not to discipline these people. But, the presentation went well, and we had fun making fun of ourselves. Vote "NO" for Referendum #1. Go team. The end.

Sadie

2007-10-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

I don't have children, so I live vicariously through my friends. I desperately want to steal Vance, Ezra, Luke, and now, little Sadie. Sadie doesn't belong to me, but I am an honorary Aunt. Hillery still hasn't set up a blog, so I am bragging about how cute Sadie is on my blog. Hillery, I hope you don't mind that I am posting a picture. Jordan said, "Huh...so they decided to have a cute one, did they?" She is absolutely gorgeous. Blair sent a quilt she made, so I am still trying to figure out what to send. What do you need/want?

School House Rock

2007-09-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those Saturday morning commercials? I sometimes wonder if students can't do their grammar because those commercials are gone. Truthfully, though, I really have a hard time with negligent grammar. I don't care if people are perfect. I'm definitely not perfect, but come on! These students are absolutely ridiculous. No periods, no capitalization, NOTHING. Now, I understand that in the electronic world, these items are not important. Ok. I'm fine with that. But who turns in a paper to their teacher like it was just written on their myspace page?!? Then, when you are doing vocabulary, students can't tell you what part of speech a word falls under because they don't understand grammar. So, then they don't understand their vocab, which leads to a lack of understanding of words parts, which directly effects their reading capabilities. ARG!

By the way, school has started. Can you tell?

On The Road Again

2007-08-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

We are back from Florida. Actually, we've been back for about a week and a half, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we've been running around trying to procure a place to live for a few weeks. But, we'll save that for another blog.

We left Sunday night, July 29th, and drove home. Since we were driving, we decided to make a little road trip out of the whole thing.

Our first stop was Nashville, TN. We actually drove through Georgia first, and it was beautiful. FYI, Nashville is a HUGE tourist trap. And, because it was evening, most of the places we wanted to see were close. We did, however, get a chance to stop by The Grand Ol' Opry. For those of you who like country music, you know what I am talking about. For those of you who don't like country...I'm sorry, I didn't really understand it myself. The impression I got was that it is a concert hall where all the great country stars want to or have performed. We also stopped by the Parthenon. Who knew that the good ol' U.S. of A. had a replica of the Parthenon. In fact, it's the only live size replica in the world.

Next stop was St. Louis. However, it was the middle of the night and we couldn't get a good picture of the St. Louis Arch, so I stole one off the internet of what it looked like to us.

Last stop was Kansas City, Missouri where we saw our favorite things. We stopped by Jesse James' house right before they closed, so we got a private tour. It was a lot of fun, and we got to ask a lot of questions. However, between Jordan, Lindsey, and Margaret there were disagreements to whether or not Jesse James was a "good guy." And there has still been no agreement on the issue.

Ironically enough, 10 miles down the road, was Liberty Jail. Apparently Kansas City was really dead that day, because we got another private tour. The sister giving the tour was a little strange, though. The jail was mostly reconstructed, and not the real deal, but the stories of Joseph Smith and the other four men imprisioned there were very faith building.

We drove throught Nebraska that night, and Wyoming the next day. We arrived Thursday afternoon in SLC. Jordan and I decided that we really like road tripping; in fact, if I have any say in it, we'll follow the long standing tradition of my family, and take a road trip once a summer.

P.S.

2007-07-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

We finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was FABULOUS! By far the best of the series. And that is all we will say about it, so we don't ruin it for anyone else.

Key West

2007-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we went to Key West. It was a lot of fun. The drive took us almost 4 hours, which wasn't as boring as it may seem. Because the highway connects all the Keys to mainland Florida, it was a very scenic drive. When we FINALLY arrived (there was a car accident that held us up for almost an hour) we stopped by Ernest Hemingway's house. He has three, but I can't go to Cuba because I am a U.S. citizen, and we just learned that he had one in Idaho. It was really interesting to learn all of the random facts about Hemingway, including that he cheated on all of his wives and that he was bi-polar (aren't all geniuses bi-polar, ex: Abe Lincoln). He also owned 50 cats. Cats, people. I really dislike cats. The home still has 47 cats, all of which are descendants of Hemingway's original 50. His son brought home a cat that had six toes, and so a lot of the cats have six toes. They also name all of the cats after famous poets, authors, characters, etc. We met Charlie Chaplin, Zane Grey, Howard Hughes, and Piglet.

Next we went off to the beach to snorkel. But, on our way there, Jordan saw a battleship. So, of course we went to check it out. Tours had already closed, so we didn't get a chance to see the inside, but we took some pictures, anyway. Off to the beach! Jordan and I have really invested in the snorkeling world. It is SO much fun! And this time, we actually saw a lot of cool fish. Unfortunately, we aren't finished with the roll of film on our water camera, so we will post those pictures later.

We ended the day with a nice seafood dinner and a little restaurant called Duffy's. Nothing to spectacular, but we were able to order some Key Lime Pie. Yum! Oh, wait...no. It was Key Lime Cheesecake and it was a real downer to have to end the night with that. But, Jordan really liked it, so all in all it was a fantastic day.

Nordstrom

2007-07-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time (for 7 years!) my whole life revolved around this stupid store. I used to have theories that Nordstrom was the root of all evil. Seriously. But, more importantly, I thought EVERYONE knew about and cared about the Anniversary Sale. We spend months, at Nordstrom, preparing for the Anniversary Sale. For what? For clothes that are cute, but you wouldn't buy them if they weren't on sale. And why on earth would anyone go into the store during the first two days? On the salesperson end of it, it SUCKS! You work for 12-14 hours straight. People treat you like crap, and you make, maybe, an extra $2000 that month. I know. I worked that sale for 7 years. Plus, I seemed to forget that other stores existed outside of Nordstrom. But, I married into a bargain hunting family, and I now present (drumroll please) bluefly. All your cute, designer needs, at better prices than the Anniversary Sale. Check out the Hudson brand jeans. I think they are way hot.

The Book...Dun Dun Dun...

2007-07-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

So, I have here, in front of me, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. This is the final installment of the series. My reciept for the book purchase shows the purchase time @ 12:04 a.m. Indeed, I made Jordan go with me to buy the book. Thank Heavens! If it weren't for Jordan, I would have gone to Barnes & Noble with everyone else and waited in line for at least an hour. Instead, Jordan directed us to Albertson's, where we stood in line at a registar, told the cashier we were purchasing the book, got the book, and left.

I was so please with my husband that I agreed to his terms of reading the book. I am only allowed to read the book with him, and I can't read ahead. He says that I spoil the book when I read ahead. As a result, I am looking at the book, right now, waiting for Jordan to come home from work so we can read the book together. So, while everyone else is enjoying and finishing the book today and tomorrow, I will be reading into the next week.

Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House

2007-07-20T09:48:00.001-07:00

The front and back views of the home, including a shot of the backyard, that is already fenced in. It was such a nice yard...

We built a house. We were going to flip it, and then we decided to live in it. Then we decided to flip it. Then we decided to live in it. Then we decided to flip it. Then we decided to live in it. Then Jordan decided to go back to school, and so we were going to get out of our contract and be refunded 100% of our down payment. Then, the builder took back the offer and said he wouldn't refund us our down payment. So, we were going to live in it, again! However, after a lot of thought and deliberation, we no longer feel like living in the home is the right choice. As a result, we are trying to find someone who wants to take over our contract. The home has already gained a great deal of equity, but we will just sign over the contract and whoever takes it will assume the equity. If anyone knows anyone else who is interested, give me a comment. The home is at the point of the mountain, near Thanksgiving point (East side of freeway).

The entry way, with it's nice little arch

Such a beautiful kitchen. Notice that the cabinets are black and white.

Our Master bedroom w/ double-sided fireplace. Adjoins w/bathroom

The bathroom, my favorite part of the whole house.

The excavated room that we were going to make into a theater room, or a room for Jordan to skate in. Jordan's favorite room.

The Kissing Disease

2007-07-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

So...Jordan has mono, the kissing disease. I don't have mono, so who was he kissing? In all seriousness, it has been horrendous. For the first four days he was completely bed-ridden with a sore throat, sore muscles, and was unable to eat anything. He is doing much better, to the relief of his wife who felt completely helpless. However, like most of you know, mono sticks around for awhile and causes a great deal of fatigue. The constant fatigue can last anywhere from a few weeks (if you rest properly) to months (if you don't rest). So, it looks like, with Jordan's get-up and go, we're looking at a few months.
(Hey it's me... Jordan... I believe I am part of this blog as well... This post does not truly describe how bad it was... I ALMOST DIED!!!)

I love the Office

2007-07-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

How can you not love Jim?

My Confession Part 1

2007-07-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to put off this confession until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is the final book in a series of books that have stormed the whole world. So, unless you have been in a coma for 10 years, you have heard of Harry Potter. Here is my confession: I am absolutely crazy for Harry Potter. Not, like, him. That's creepy. But I love the books; I love the movies; I just think it's all wonderful!

Usually, I am able to hide my obsession. I talk of H.P. non-chalantly, but it is open season, and I find myself comparable to a recovering alcoholic at a wine tasting contest. Good grief! I am an adult! What is wrong with me? and yet...I don't want to control it, because the addiction is so euphoric (that might be going a little far).

Julie and I discussed this. She feels the same way. Ashamed at her obession, and yet unable to control it as well. In an email to her I said, "I've explained to Lindsey, Jordan's sister, that I actually suppress myself in order to appear somewhat normal. But, when the movie is out and then the book I loose all restraint. In fact, last night at the movie, I think I referred to Ron, Harry and Hermione as "friends" of mine. Yeah...I know... I said it more as a joke to get a reaction from Jordan, but I was concerned about how much I wished it was true. Oh man, it sucks actually having to take credit for that."

Julie actually sent out a quiz where you could find out what Hogwarts House you belonged to. I was a Gryffindor/Ravenclaw. My Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw by 1 point. I kind of wish I was more of a Ravenclaw because everyone always wants to be Gryffindor. Jordan, who unknowingly got roped into taking a quiz about Harry Potter, was a Gryffindor/Slytherian. He tied for both houses.

This won't be the only blog you see about Harry Potter. When the book comes out, on Saturday, July 21, 2007. I will read it, and give another blog. Just letting you know.

Nachoooooo!

2007-07-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

When I started my blog, I asked my friend, Katie, about what I should post on the blog. I explained to her that I don't have children and my passions are my husband and teaching. Both things that I think I might uniquely be obsessed with. And if there is someone else out there obsessed with my husband, that might be weird. So, I asked if people would be interested in my dog, Hugo. Katie said, very nicely, that people with families don't care about your dog, they care about what you are doing and keep hoping that you will eventually have your own kids. I can completely understand that. It's a dog, for heaven's sake!!! But, alas, I am in love with my dog. Hugo loves me unconditionally, needs me, but doesn't stay angry with me. Plus, he is my little friend. When Jordan went to Miami and I was home alone for forever, Hugo was always waiting to love and cuddle me. If I was reading this post before owning Hugo, I would think that the writer was crazy, but now I am an official dog owner and I am so proud to have such a nice, good dog.

Now that I have written all that, I would like to say that some friends of ours, Abby and Tylor, have joined the legions of dog owners. They just bought an English Bulldog and named him Nacho. As in Nacho Libre. Jordan is jealous because Tylor is training Nacho to skateboard. For anyone who has seen the show "Rob & Big" you know what I am talking about. Hugo, my dog, is still a little unclear on how he feels towards this newcomer. Nacho is too little to "box" (Hugo is a boxer) so Hugo can't really play with him. However, Nacho LOVES to play with Hugo. He does so by biting Hugo's ankles. More than once, Hugo has gotten a little angry about it. Anyway, we love little Nacho and are happy that our friends are so happy.

The Everglades

2007-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures! Today we went to the Everglades and I was impressed at all the interesting facts I learned, but I won't bore you with a biology lesson. The alligators came right up to the boat, hence the photo of the alligator's head. At one point, our boat was surrounded by five different alligators. Our guide told us that alligators are really territorial and they don't hang around each other, unless they want to fight for the territory. Then he told us that they are really curious animals that will swim right up to the boat. So, riddle me this...if alligators really are naturally that curious and naturally that territorial, why were five of them in a 15 ft. radius of one another? We are convinced that they feed the alligators when tourists aren't around so that they can guarantee that people get their moneys worth. At one point an alligator jumped at the boat. Not trying to get to us, but avoiding another alligator. Then someone in our group asked if alligators ever jump at the boat and the tour guide said no. Um...was he on the same boat I was on? Anyway, it really was a lot of fun. Jordan and Lindsay got to hold a baby alligator. I "sacrificed" and took the pictures. I don't trust reptiles. Just like I don't trust moon-faced people. That was for you, Julie.

Welcome to Miami

2007-06-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who don't know, Jordan and I are currently living in Miami. Ok...kind of Miami, but really this suburb called Davie. It's not what Fergie would call "glamorous," but I find that I'd much rather be with Jordan somewhere ghetto and mildewy than without him. Jordan came out here at the end of April, while I finished out the school year, which ended June 6th. I flew out the next morning at 7 a.m. A month and a half of being alone is not my idea of fun.

To those of you I haven't talked to, I want to give you the update with teaching. Notice: This will sound like I am impressed with myself. However, rather than find out through Julie, I figured I might as well tell you myself. In May I was awarded "The Best New Teacher of the Year" for Jordan School District, and later on in the month Kozy 106.5 contacted me to tell me that I had been selected to be one of 30 teachers who are selected each year for "Teacher of the Year" through their radio station. Both were a shock, to say the least, especially considering my "unorthodox" vocabulary in my classroom. If you want more information on these, let me know.

Jordan has been doing Summer Sales selling security systems (say that 5 times fast!). He doesn't like it, but is working really hard. The idea being that he can work all summer and go to school in the fall. He has yet to decide on what he really wants to major in, but has begun to narrow it down. We are looking at Film as the forerunner.

While at home I packed up the battery to our digital camera and stashed it in storage so we just purchased a new battery on Ebay and are dying to take a bunch of interesting pictures to post. When I say "we" I mean me.

Trying to Find Friendly Faces

2007-04-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, Katie. Here I am, making a blog. I want everyone to know that I was required to do this for a class in college, but that I never took the guy seriously because he was a "wanna-be professor" who would later fail me because he misplaced an assignment of mine. Anyway, I think this is a great way for us to keep in touch; and, if I can prove myself as computer savvy, I would like to see updated photos of everyone and their families. Ok...please someone let me know that this is working.