Hello again

Oops...a whole month without a post. Well, it's been pretty busy around here lately. All my deadlines were coming up at school and it felt like I would never make them. But I did and then we escaped to Las Vegas for the weekend. It was a lot of fun, but very exhausting. I made it my goal as a Las Vegas newbie to see everything I possibly could...as long as it was free. This resulted in several long journeys on foot with disappointing destinations. Things we thought were free turned out not to be, and things we knew we'd have to pay for turned out to be too expensive. We still had a lot of fun and did see A LOT of things...including Jay Leno taping a "Jaywalking" segment in front of the Mirage!

I only have 1.5 days left of school and I cannot wait! It was a great year, but I'm ready to start again, this time with a little bit more experience. I'm already getting sad when I talk about saying good-bye to my students...I wonder what Wednesday afternoon will be like??

Once school is out I'll be busy moving to a new classroom, preparing to begin teaching summer school the following Monday, and then moving apartments. It will be another busy month, but I'm ready for it! I miss you all terribly and can't wait to see you again!

Missing you!

We'd like to wish Bruce a very happy birthday today! We know we have missed many birthdays and special events...but even though we are far away, all of our friends and family are in our thoughts. We'll see you soon!

Catching up

No news on the Deal or No Deal audition yet...Dave said he had fun just trying out. He got to meet and have his picture taken with two of the models, Haley Marie and Anya. He also got a pretty wicked sunburn from standing in the desert sun for 7 hours.

Recently we got to attend a spring training Diamondbacks game. It was a lot of fun. Chase Stadium is in downtown Phoenix near Sky Harbor Airport and it is a beautiful stadium. The crowd was very small, I can't imagine what it would be like to attend a regular season game. We still had a lot of fun! Apparently there is a famous concession vendor who also works the Suns games. We got to hear his trademark call: "Lemonade, Lemonade, just like Grandma made! You know you want some!"

The school year is winding down for me and I'm praying that I've sufficiently built up my immune system for next year. I had to stay home yesterday because I got pink eye in both eyes! Right in the busiest time of the year. At least it was the end of AIMS week (Arizona MEAP) and it was a pretty light day. Hopefully I'll be 100% healthy by Monday and stay that way through the end of the year!

Today's the day

Okay everyone, Dave's on his way to go try out for Deal or No Deal. Please send your good thoughts and good vibes his way!

Exciting things are happening in Arizona! We returned last night from an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon. It was amazing! If you have not been, you must make it a goal to go see it. There is so much to see and do...we went on a sunset tour that took us to several locations before resting at a final spot to see the sun set over the Canyon. I wish the pictures could do it justice. I'm sure that many posts to come will contain pictures from this trip!

Today we visited my school, just the outside because it's all locked up for Spring Break. Then we finally made it to Oregano's for a very large, very delicious lunch. We also saw some other good sights like Papago Park and Hunt's Tomb. We rounded out the day with a short swim and are now getting our wii on. Yes, even my mom and dad are enjoying our new toy. Dad's doing his best not to fall over playing tennis and mom is hitting homeruns...she actually hit two! We've got one more day with my mom and dad and I think some shopping is on the itinerary for tomorrow. Fashion Square Mall here we come!

Paradise Valley?

Ahh yes...it's a balmy 85 degrees here in the Valley. And if you're feeling jealous, please don't. If it's 85 degrees in early March, I shudder to think what it will be in late July. Please send some frosty weather out this way!

Looking ahead...

The weather here has been really nice. It's chilly in the morning but it warms up nicely by 11...it's really strange to not have to wear a jacket in February and March. We hear there was record snowfall in February for GR and we somehow feel as though we missed out! No sledding for us this year. We've already concluded that we need to make a pilgrimmage to Flagstaff next year.

We've been trying to take the dogs for at least a half hour walk each day. Some days are crazy and our schedules won't allow it...but the dogs are much more calm when we're able to fit it in. My mom and dad will be coming out in couple weeks, and we'll be able to visit the Grand Canyon! I'm super excited about this, I think it will be just breathtaking! Then I think Dave's dad is making a trip out this way soon...not quite sure when. We're looking forward to seeing family and doing some more sightseeing! I'm sure I'll have some awesome pictures to post soon...the one above is not mine!