russ & aub

Hoot Owl

2012-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today, 6:05 am...

Me: "Russ, I don't feel like getting up today. I am so tired and my I have a weird headache behind my eyes, like when I look from side to side or up and down it hurts."

Russ: (an angered bear awoken from his slumber): "Why in the world then are you whizzing your eyes around like a hoot owl!?"

1, 2, 3

2012-01-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012! Here's what the Lees have been doing:

AUBREY

1. Teaching French reflexive verbs and excited to hit the halfway mark of the school year

2. Going to Young Women activities

3. Catching the flu from my students and throwing up in hallway trash cans while weird students watch

RUSSELL

1. Starting a new semester of school

2. Reading Machiavell, Hobbes, and Nietzsche

2. Adding a French minor which delights his wife

BOTH

1. Going to the new museum of natural history at the U

2. Making Oreo truffles, keeping resolutions better than we did in 2011, swaddling Sammy in blankets and then laughing at his little face peeking out, and having dance parties

3. Taking weird self portraits in our church parking lot because I'm excited that it finally snowed
(and that I found this Dior skirt at D.I. for $5)

I Loved 2011

2012-01-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

School. Teaching. Family. Travel. Friends. Hikes. Adventures. Weddings. Haircuts. Twenty-four. Twenty-six.

Paris. Geneva. Yellowstone. Santa Fe. Island Park. Los Angeles. Bear Lake. Las Vegas.

2011 was so good to us.

Midnight in Paris

2011-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Russ and I loved, loved, LOVED this movie.

We were delighted, nostalgic and heartbroken at all the beautiful Parisian scenery.

Owen Wilson was hilarious and it was fun to see how Woody Allen portrayed so many famous artists and writers.
Russ and I kept gasping every time a new artist came on the scene.

Go see it! Especially now that it's in the dollar theater.

Worst

2011-12-16T08:49:00.000-08:00

My purse was stolen out of my car last night.

So I am down a wallet.

And credit and debit cards.

And a driver's license.

And a library card.

And ten dollars.

And a social security card.

And my collection of random euro coins.

And all the cute notes from Russ that I have saved for four years.

And a really cute purse that Target no longer sells.

And a Domino's coupon card I bought from one of my students who is on the basketball team.

And my makeup.

Yes, I am at school. Teaching. With not a stitch of makeup on my face.

My students are awfully quiet today, staring at me with a mixture of sympathy and disgust.

It's a perfectly bad dream.

Too bad I can't wake up.

Skiing

2011-12-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

Did you know Alta has free lifts every day from 3 to 4:30?

I didn't, but now I do.

And I want to take advantage of it every single day.

For all Russell's skills and ability, I appreciate his patience and willingness to scale bunny hills over and over with me, and also to race down the mountain when I'm going too fast, slide in front of me, catch me spectacularly and bring us both to a halt without me getting hurt.

Can't wait to go again!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

We spent a few days before Thanksgiving in Logan with the Lees, and I don't have any pictures

except for this one of my first-ever homemade pies:

And this one where we hurriedly squeezed into the mudroom and posed for a couple photo with Brian and MJ. I love the Lees.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma Shirley's house. It was a beautiful day for a family picture.

My aunt Lorie made this beautiful horn of plenty.

Some people rested and let their stomachs expand rather than helping with dishes.

We played Bananagrams.

I had a genius round.

The next day, Melissa came over and we made Christmas garlands.

Today, we heard our friend Rachel give a talk. She is leaving on a mission to Independence, Missouri next month. She is an inspiration and a beautiful person, inside and out. I loved her talk.

Then I visited my darling friend Angie, who has a baby girl due next week.

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year. I cherish the time I get to spend with friends and family
and eat several pounds of food.

"I Feel So Betrayed!"

2011-11-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

I brought in my large collection of People Magazines for a project.

My French I students loved finding pictures and cutting them out to make a collage.

But I think what they enjoyed most of all were the magazine covers and cheesy headlines of stories,
which they kept yelling out in passionate, emotional tones:

"Michael Douglas: I feel stronger every day!"

"Paris Hilton: my time behind bars!"

"Susan Boyle's Christmas album will have you nodding off in your nog!"

"Kim Kardashian: mistake or fake?!"

"Carrie Underwood's dream wedding: It was everything I could have imagined!"

"Christina Aguilera: I knew I had to end it!"

"Jessica Simpson's baby joy!"

"Bachelorette Ashley: 'I feel so betrayed!'"

Next time, maybe I should bring in Russell's collection of The Economist instead.

Three Texts From Russ

2011-11-09T06:31:00.000-08:00

Text #1:
"There is a school-wide warning of some campus rapist and his description is me haha"

Text #2:
"Brown hair blue eyes between 6'3" and 6'5" clean shaven gray pants and black hood"

Text #3:
"It wasn't me I promise"

Better

2011-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

These treasures are making me feel better.

Thank you, Divine Comedy Mormonadz.

The Pits

2011-11-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Well.

My computer just deleted hundreds of my new photos.

With no explanation as to where they went.
I haven't felt this saddened or frustrated in a long time.

After a good cry and a large amount of crippling despair,
I have come to terms with it.
Almost.
After all, the experiences themselves are more important than the pictures.
(I just really love to print them out and put them in books...that's what my mom has done and I love getting them out and starting with their first year of marriage together and seeing myself as a 2-year-old and
reliving hilarious memories of my family growing up.)
So I will just tell you about the rest of October instead of show you.
Daniel celebrated his 18th birthday and we gave him a nice white button-up shirt.
I dressed up as a black cat for Halloween at my school.
We went to a murder mystery party. Russ was a mathlete and I was his math team cheerleader.
He had a mustache and looked like a pervert and we laughed about it the whole night.
We went to Island Park with our ward friends and had a blast. We stayed in a sweet cabin, hiked to the bottom of a gorgeous waterfall, saw the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone, drove around for hours in a sweet RV and played lots of games, and held darling babies. Oh, and Russ got some slack line and set up a tightrope between two trees.
I am ending this before I sink too deep into depression.

Fall Happenings

2011-10-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

1. The Injury

I let one of my students borrow my red pen.

When he was done, I told him to throw it to me. Bad one. He chucked it like a tomahawk and it hit me in the face.

I tried to laugh and play it off, but my face and pride were suffering.

2. The Trip to Gardner Village

To celebrate my mom's and grandma's birthdays, we went to Gardner Village.
It's full of cute Halloween decorations, trendy boutiques of scarves and quilts, and cranky babies in strollers.
It was a beautiful day to walk around and window shop.

3. The Colors

Too lazy to drive the entire Alpine Loop but wanting to see the changing leaves before they disappeared, we drove instead through some richie neighborhood in the mountains and gawked at the beautiful fall colors in someone's backyard.

Their driveway and wall are visible in these pictures. Ha.

Sweet Finds

2011-10-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Dress: $22

Tweed blazer: $16

Leather Italian shoes: $24

Bow tie: $7

What do we learn from the photos?

1. We had a lucky day of good finds from our favorite thrift store Decades

2. I still put clothes on backwards (only found out after three hours of church today
that the buttons are supposed to go in the front)

3. Russ has a rather large cold sore that hopefully goes away soon
4. He gets fussy when I make him take pictures with me
5. We have dirt and weeds instead of a front lawn

6. I cut my hair!

Birthday Weekend

2011-09-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Russ turned 26 on Saturday.

We got up at the crack of dawn to hike Timp with my dad, Katie, and Daniel.

It's such a beautiful hike. It was my fifth time reaching the summit.

We drove home and showered and napped and then partied the night away.

Russ got a ton of treats and fun things. He was so happy.

I love this boy so much. I am so grateful he's mine. Who else would learn the song "Aubrey" on the guitar and sing it to me on our anniversary? Who else would play soccer with Emma in the backyard for 2 hours after hiking 18 miles? Who else would miss the BYU vs. Utah game to clean our church building and sing songs with me while he cleans the urinals and I wipe the sinks?
He is the absolute best.

School Picture

2011-09-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish you had a job where they made you sit in front of a nice blue background and took your picture and THEN gave you an entire package of lots of different sizes of pictures FOR FREE - small ones to trade with your friends, medium ones to give to your grandparents, and a giant 8x10 that you have no idea what to do with?

I really do give the medium ones to Grandma and Nana.
And I really don't know what to do with the 8x10 except scare Russell by putting it on the fridge.

Blue backgrounds are lame and boring.
I'd much rather have a little creativity in pictures, and let your interests and personality shine:

What We're Watching

2011-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

One Day

I never ever pay full price for movies, unless it's Harry Potter. After I finished reading the life-changing book by David Nicholls, however, I couldn't not go see this movie right away. Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway? Romantic Scottish accents? Yes please. Russ went on a long run and I went to Cinemark and forked over $8.75 to watch this by myself. Even though the book is better (isn't it always?), I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It's a tender, simple, beautiful story of two people and their relationship over the course of twenty years. I laughed and cried a lot.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

I read that this movie about Sophie Scholl, Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine, was amazing and won lots of awards. Russ and I love foreign films, so this came to us in our Netflix queue. I can't believe this is a true story. Sophie had incredible strength and courage to stand up for what her conscience told her was right. It's such an inspiring story, and it made me think about my values and what I would be willing to die for.

Mad Men

Several of our friends recommended this show to us, so we rented Season 1, Episodes 1-3 from Blockbuster for 99 cents. I'm glad we didn't pay any more for it. Mad Men, do you seriously expect me to believe that there wasn't a single conversation or relationship in the 1960s that wasn't riddled with misogyny and/or sexual innuendo? Why are your characters such rotten people? Not even one of them is likable. Don Draper showed promise at the beginning, and held out for an episode and a half, but quickly proved himself to be just as much of a scumbag as his disgusting co-workers. The most irritating part is that Russ and I are weirdly intrigued and we want to know what's in store for these dummies. Pathetic and embarrassing? Yes.

King Kong

I absolutely love this movie. I saw it ten times in the theaters (Yes, ten. That's thirty hours of my life). Every time I got asked out on a date and we went to the movies, I'd casually say, "Oh, I haven't seen the new King Kong yet" and that's what we'd see. I love Jack Black and Naomi Watts, I get totally freaked out by those indigenous people, I cry for King Kong when he's confused and upset in the city, and I think the fight scene with King Kong and the T-Rex is some of the best CGI I've ever seen. Russ loves it too, which is perfect, so we Netflixed it, and I enjoyed it for the fourteenth time just as much I did the first.

Bachelor Pad 2

This is definitely the most embarrassing show I watch. I don't have a TV, so I have to go to a friend's house or wait until Tuesday to watch it on Hulu. This show has been so entertaining and full of drama. Michelle Money! Russ and I both have a crush on her. Vienna and Jake in the same house! Kasey being a backstabbing jerk! Weirdo Ericka trying to seduce everyone! The Michael-Holly-Blake love triangle! Melissa acting so insecure and immature that I have chills of embarrassment! I can't wait for the finale.

Midway to Heaven

Nerdiness and cheesy lines know no bounds in this Mormon romantic comedy, which we only saw because we love Michelle Money. It's about some widower dad who is doing everything he can to prevent his only daughter from marrying Kirby Heyborne (wouldn't you do the same?).

Super 8

This movie was such a delight. We were so glad when something worthwhile finally came to the dollar theater (Seriously, Rio? Even if you stay there for six months, I won't see you). The bit with the alien was a bit contrived and sappy, but I really believed in the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney. They are the cutest couple since Kate and Leonardo. I also laughed my head off at all the banter between Joe and his pre-pubescent friends. Freaking hilarious.

Third Anniversary Trip

2011-09-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Two weeks after our third anniversary (August 21st), Russ and I drove to California for Labor Day Weekend to celebrate. While we're young and childless and carefree, it's so fun to be spontaneous. I'd never seen downtown Los Angeles before, and although there was a lot of driving in a short amount of time, I loved the trip.

California is incredible. No wonder 35 million people live there.

Disclosures

2011-09-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

"Parents, please feel free to comment, ask questions, or provide additional information you would like to share about your child."

This is the last part of my disclosure document. Not very many parents wrote anything, but quite a few students took matters into their own hands (like I can't tell their handwriting, the sweet little things). They said things like this:

"My child is amazing. He likes Powerade. He was born on Thanksgiving. You will LOVE him!!!"

"This year, she is going to be good. Seriously, I'm going to try!"

"______ is an amazing awesome girl and she loves French, but she forgets her homework sometimes. Don't get mad at her."

"My kid is AWESOME."

"He gets distracted easy and does weird things."

"______ is extremely attractive and may be distracting to his classmates because of his hair."

Conclusion: I love my job.

The Second Time Around

2011-08-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

As I type this, I am lying on my bed. Russ is asleep with his head propped up on my legs. It's 6:00 on a Saturday night, and we should probably be doing something productive, but I think we deserve a break. Plus, he is adorable when he's sleeping.

All week, I have been getting ready for the new school year, which starts on Monday. I cleaned out my desk, revamped my units and lessons from last year, made new rule posters, wrote disclosure documents, and ordered prints of more Paris posters to put up. Russ and my sister Katie have put in so much time, slaving away in my hot sweaty classroom. I could not have done this without them. Two nights in a row, we stayed at the school until 10 pm. I also spent two hours at Utah Idaho Supply Map World, which is far too long to spend at a store with such a stupid name.

All our efforts were worth it. Everything is perfect (except that I ran out of rainbow border and so did that idiot store - in all of its Utah locations. How can that be?). My classroom looks amazing, so much better than it did last year, and I feel absolutely great about going back to school on Monday. My walls are bright and fun, my desk is organized, and I have some cool ideas for my students. I am so much more prepared than I was this time last year. I know what to expect. I know what to do differently. That's the best thing about teaching - every year I get to start fresh with a completely clean slate.

The best part about this poster (which I can't look at without busting up) is that it was free. So perfect.

My most memorable and happiest experiences of summer 2011:

*Grandpa Frayne's beautiful funeral service and my extended family being all together

*Bear Lake with Gabe and Ellen, Jackson and Celeste

*Island Park with the Allenbachs

*Santa Fe with the Lees
*Doing a dive for the first time in my life

*Actually getting a pretty decent tan

*Getting Russ to watch "Never Say Never" all the way through

*Lots of meals at Costa Vida
*Reconnecting with lots of old friends

*All the free time I had to read and re-watch six seasons of "The Office"

*Sleeping in until 11:00 or even noon...It will be a rude awakening when I'm up at 6:00 on Monday morning.

The City Different

2011-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

That's what they call Santa Fe.

It is a cool town, spilling over with unique architecture, turquoise jewelry, Southwestern art, and unrelenting heat.

The highlight for me was seeing MJ perform in "The Last Savage" at the Santa Fe Opera. The theater was amazing and the whole cast was phenomenal.

We had fun being together as a family. Sam was missed.

Island Park

2011-08-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

My family took a vacation to Island Park in Idaho. My mom's best friend has a cabin there.

I swam and played with my mom and sisters while Russ rode motorcycles and did lots of flips.

It was awesome. And so beautiful.

Thank you Mom and Dad.

Up next: Santa Fe! I'm excited to add New Mexico to my list of states, and to see Brian and Mary-Jane, and to spend lots of hours in the car with my fabulous in-laws.

Chats in High Places

2011-07-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

Russell and I have gone on quite a few hikes this summer. We've been up in Little and Big Cottonwood Canyon and Millcreek Canyon. We also hiked Ensign Peak and are looking forward to climbing Timp when more snow melts.

Every time we hike, we have lots of time to talk. We share dreams, plans, ideas, and funny memories. I love that it's just me and him and nature.

On our recent hike of White Pine Lake, we got so far up that we were tromping through snow and ice. There was such a runoff that most of the trail was covered in water so our feet were muddy and wet and cold. Also I swallowed a whole Life Saver and fell down a lot. Amid my angry outbursts and tears (which Russell handled with kindness and understanding), we had some good conversation. We talked about the worst possible situation we could find ourselves in.

Here's mine: stuck in an elevator with Charlie Sheen and Michael Moore. Covered in a painful sunburn. The floor is littered with writhing snakes and I have no chapstick.

Here's Russell's: stuck in a fabric store. Pine needles and long hair constantly swiping across his face. There's no windows and it's sweating hot. Some giant Celtic woman is dancing around the aisles and playing the panflute.

After that, we started listing topics we always find hilarious:
Segways
Toupees
The word "wet-nurse"
Brass instruments - especially the tuba and French horn
Poop jokes
Medieval times
Jar Jar Binks
Yanni
Anything from What's Up Doc? or It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Dwight Schrute
Pets that have real people names like Adam or Megan or Trevor

There's lots more, but there was only so much time to for us to chitchat between my crying about the Life Saver lodged in my throat and swearing that I'd never climb a mountain again. I guess I can be a bit dramatic at times.

Couples Retreat

2011-07-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

Last week, Russ and I had one of the best weekends ever at a friend's cabin at Bear Lake.

I seriously can't believe how much fun it was.

My Favorite Video Ever

2011-07-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Remember how much I love Corgis?

The City

2011-07-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Our apartment contract is up next month.

Since we're not sure if we'll stay in the city, we decided to walk down the street and experience Temple Square.

We felt sort of nerdy, but it turned out to be quite fun.

We ate at the Lion House Pantry and it was delicious.

We went to the top of the Church Office Building and enjoyed the view.

Then we went and took a tour of the Conference Center.

Did you know there is a garden on the roof? I didn't.

We love Salt Lake City and although we were drenched in sweat as we walked around, we had a great time.

Grandpa Frayne

2011-06-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Frayne passed away on Fathers' Day.

When I was little, he'd come to my house every morning to spend time with me.

He taught me all kinds of silly songs that I loved to sing with him.

He'd wrap a pillow around the bar of his bike and we'd ride together over the "clink-clinks."

He took me to the park and we rode on the "white lamb" and the "brown dog."

He never missed one of my piano recitals school plays or choir concerts.

When I was at BYU, he came and went bowling with me.

Before I left on my study abroad, he said, "Now, don't get mixed up with Pierre or Jean-Claude."

He'd always say, "What kind of a kid are you?" and I'd always say, "Just Aub."

I felt so special and loved by him, even though he had 24 other grandchildren.

He made me want to be kinder and more gentle.

I adore my Grandpa and I miss him terribly.

I'm thankful for the knowledge I have that I will see him again.

The End

2011-06-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of school.

My classroom is scrubbed clean and completely empty. My voice echoes in it.

I cried as all the ninth graders raced out of the building into the sunshine, never to come back.

This year was full of new experiences, some horrible and some delightful.

I already have big plans for how to make my second year a million times better than my first.

Some jewels from my yearbook:

"Madame Lee! You are my role model and I love you."

"I'm sorry I was so loud and disruptive, but I think it was for the best."

"Thanks for all the funny stories. My favorite was when you told about throwing up in the Frankfurt airport, or maybe Russell choking on his wedding ring."

"You are my favorite teacher with your hair and your clothes and your fun attitude."

"I will miss you next year. You are my favorit teacher in the skool."

"Thank you for not taking away my iPod. Have fun this summer with stupid Russell."

What's next for me?

I will spend this summer jogging, laying by the pool, reading, and maybe a little cooking.

It's going to be glorious.

Gabe + Ellen

2011-06-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

Russell's best friend Gabe got married on June 1st.

To one of the most awesome girls I've ever met.

Gabe and Ellen completely deserve each other.

This day meant as much to us as it did to them.

Sam + Erin

2011-05-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Russell's sister Erin married Sam Powell last Thursday. It was a beautiful event.

I feel grateful to be part of this family. I love them all so much.

La Caille

2011-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I took my ninth graders to La Caille a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a lot of fun. Russell and Katie came along as chaperones.

My students were all dressed up and so well-behaved.

I was so proud of Katie for trying escargots.

The grounds were beautiful, and food was scrumptious, and the experience was delightful.

Woman at the Well

2011-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Russ and I were in our ward production of Woman at the Well. Russ was reluctant to get involved in the first place, and then turned out to be a star. He had five costume changes and played all sorts of parts, including Lazarus, a narrator, a member of the heavenly host, and a Nephite.

We had a lot of fun. It was a very spiritual experience to sing about our Savior and His life. We also loved getting to know our fellow ward members better.

The Rest (and the Best) of our Trip

2011-05-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

After Geneva, we spent a full week in Paris. We slept on Brian and Mary-Jane's floor in a crowded pups' nest.

First we ran Katie around the city to all the major monuments. We walked everywhere - I had a pedometer with me and we clocked 78 miles on this trip. Katie wasn't used to all the walking and she got a bunch of blisters - the bottoms of her feet looked like she cooked them in a waffle iron. Here are the sites we visited:

La Tour Eiffel

Notre Dame

Place de la Concorde

L'Arc de Triomphe

L'Hotel des Invalides

Le Musée du Louvre

L'Opéra Garnier

Sacré Coeur

Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Then we spent a day at Versailles.

Racing around and seeing all the sites took about four days, and we still had three more to engage in all sorts of merriment, relaxation and tomfoolery, such as...

What a delightful trip. We had the best time. Thanks again Brian and Mary-Jane for having us.

Let's Start With Geneva

2011-05-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had the best time in Geneva, Switzerland, where we spent the first three days of our trip. It was beautiful and exciting and expensive. The weather was unbelievable. We saw the Jet d'Eau (Europe's tallest geyser at 98 feet high), walked around the Vieille Ville (the old hillside part with St. Peter's Cathedral and lots of cobblestone streets), spent fifty dollars on a meal at McDonald's, went on a boat cruise around Lake Geneva, and even happened upon a nude beach.

Made It

2011-04-20T12:09:00.001-07:00

So happy to report that after seemingly endless layovers in weird cities, two separate occasions of emptying the contents of my stomach, a few totally sleepless nights, and a quick jaunt over to Geneva...

We made it to Paris.

I took all these pictures from MJ, my beautiful sister-in-law. She and Brian have been perfectly kind and hospitable to us. Their apartment has windows overlooking the Seine.

It's Katie's first trip to Paris, and it's fun to look over and count the times her breath catches in her throat as she takes in this magical city for the first time.

The weather has been incroyable. I can't believe our good fortune. I also can't believe that all I packed was long pants and sweaters.

I am unbelievably happy. It's been such a long time since we've taken a vacation as extravagant as this (usually our outings are just a drive through the Alpine Loop). This city is extraordinary. I'm soaking in every moment like a sponge and trying not to think about leaving next week.

Trying to take in as much as I can and lock it away so six months from now, on a bitter and cold day in Midvale, Utah, on a particularly hard day with my students where I feel drained of life and happiness, I can recall these moments here with precision - the way Paris looks and feels and smells - and feel grateful that I was lucky enough to go, lucky enough to be enriched by this city, even for just a little while.

Some days...

2011-04-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

When my allergies flare up...

And my students push me to my breaking point...

And I hear lots and lots of sad news everywhere...

And I start feeling like my life is stupid and mundane...

And all day long I have a lump in my throat and tears stinging my eyes...

And my Paris trip still feels like forever away...

I look at pictures of Corgi dogs and I am instantly reassured of the goodness in the world.

Mobile Pictures

2011-03-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

My cell phone is going the way of the world. It's as old as our marriage - two and a half years old. Recently, the screen is going crazy and turning all the text upside down and flipping it right to left. It makes it impossible to see if I have texts or voicemails. Right now, however, is a rare moment where it has returned back to normal. I don't know how long this will last, but before I lose them forever, I thought I'd upload some pictures. Here they are, in no particular order.

From an air mattress box. Sleep soundly on a crisp Belgian waffle.

At Nordstrom Rack, trying to find a new outfit. Russ was helpful and found me the perfect one. When he held it up to me he said, "Just close your eyes and picture...Friday night, just got paid. Now open your eyes."

At the craft store. Any small animal wearing an Easter bonnet is a perfect recipe for hilarity.

Last summer when I taught reading, one of my 7-year-olds stayed late after class, waiting for her mom to pick her up. Russ came to get me and entertained her by drawing on the board. He drew all kinds of animals for her and she said she wanted to draw a lion. This is what she drew and we thought it was precious.

Midvale Middle. I took this picture right after my first interview.

My new haircut, sitting in the weird ugly chair that came with our first apartment.

A nightly occurrence: Russ rubbing my feet while he watches ESPN.

My good friend Alli's little Evie. She's a lot older now but I loved her squishy cheeks when she was a babe.

Probably the worst picture ever taken of either of us.

Beautiful BYU campus in the fall.

My coworker Craig smashed his face into one of these things and then stuck a chocolate Kiss in there too. Weird.

I absolutely love finding smiley faces in weird places, like the top of a toilet paper dispenser.

My favorite picture EVER. Russ loved the Easter aisle at the grocery store, and became especially attached to this little guy. I think he would have bought him if I hadn't objected.

Les Misérables

2011-03-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching this musical with my French III class.

Loved every second of it, even though I've seen it a thousand times before.
My favorite time I saw it was in London with Russell.

Sobbed like an infant. Then and again today. And every other time.
I can't watch it without getting emotional.
I don't care that my students think I'm a weirdo.
Now I have to see it live at the Capitol Theater this summer.
Have to, have to, have to.
No more buying Girl Scout Cookies and cardigans.

America is My Country, but Paris is My Hometown

2011-03-05T19:35:00.001-08:00

I can't even tell you how delighted I am to be going back.
With my love.
To the place where we fell in love.
In six weeks.
Never mind that the only food we'll be eating between now and then is tree bark.
It's totally worth it.

Skirt

2011-03-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

I recently acquired this gem from D.I. At least, I think it's a gem. When I wear it I try to convince myself I look like this Burberry model:

But sometimes I second guess myself and think I look like sort of a weirdo:
And other times, when things get really bad, I feel like my long skirt makes me look like a pioneer woman:
And for some reason, these pictures are doing little to comfort me.

Unfair

2011-02-18T19:30:00.001-08:00

This is what I look like right now, except my duvet is black, there are lots more dirty Kleenexes on the dresser, and my hair is longer and much more limp and straggly.

I feel like death. There's a knife in my throat, I keep coughing, my eyes are watering, and my nose is runny yet plugged and feels like it's about to crawl off my face. Also, I've been blowing and wiping it so often that there's a sick red scab under it.

It's 8:45 on a Friday night and this is so unfair. I have a three-day weekend ahead of me and I can do nothing more than sit in bed and drink Airborne and watch Princess and the Frog on Netflix. Russ is at the gym without me. I'm lonely and sad. I've been sick for the last week and a half, and every time I think I'm at the cusp of getting better, another one of my sweet students sneezes in my face.

I guess the bright side is that I have three days to recuperate, and hopefully I'll be back to my perky self by Tuesday morning, bright and early, when I go back to teaching. That's what is most important. Right?

Wahhhhh!

A House Divided

2011-02-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

Last night, in the middle of a heated argument, Russell stopped me and said, "Hold on a minute. I think I know why we're fighting. It's come down to the U and the Y, hasn't it? We're a house divided. We're fighting because of your Cougar Pride, aren't we?"

This comment struck me as especially hilarious, as I think it will to all those who know of my total apathy for BYU Athletics, and sports in general. I have zero Cougar Pride. I don't know any BYU athletes and (gasp!) I don't watch any football games. Or any other sport games. Ever.

Obviously, he was just trying to distract me from being angry. And for a split second, because of how ludicrous it was, it worked. Well done Russ.

Why I Do What I Do

2011-01-21T09:20:00.001-08:00

Today marks the end of 2nd quarter for the school year. It's hard to believe that I am halfway through my first year of teaching. It has been so fun and exhausting and stressful and fantastic and horrible and amusing. Kind of like being married. Haha.

I have a lot to celebrate about my first half. I feel like I've grown immensely and improved significantly as a teacher. In some areas, however, I have regrets and would definitely do things differently if I had the chance. The beautiful thing about teaching? Every day I have the chance to make a change, to try something new, to implement a new method. And by using a trial-and-error system, I keep getting better and better.

The best part about my job: My kids. I love their hilarious perspective of the world and their raw honesty about everything. They make me laugh every day.

Some of my favorite things I heard my students say that I don't want to forget:

"You look like you're sixteen. I thought you were a student."

"Who's single? Wait, where did that come from?"

Me: "A girl in another class lost her French-English dictionary. Has anyone seen it?"
Student: "You're just asking us that because we're Mexican."

Student (sees me maneuvering through the crowded lunchroom with a tray of food): "Hey Teacher, how would you like it if I threw that all over the floor?"

Me (trying to get students to guess the meaning of la colle, which means glue): "It's something you used a lot at school when you were little."
Student: "THE BATHROOM!"
Me: "No, you used to eat it."
Student: "GLUE!"

Me: "We're having a class party tomorrow, and you're welcome to bring some..."
Student: "French wine? You can't have a party without it."

Me: "I want you guys to respond to Pierre's letter in French, talking about your life and what you like to do."
Student: "You want me to respond with personal questions? How do you say none of your business?"

Student (sees me before school with no make-up on): "Woah, Teacher, you look really tired and sick."

Student 1 (copying down a sentence from the board): "Qu'est-ce que tu fais...pour...sport.."
Student 2: "Russell's a poor sport."

Our 2010

2010-12-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

I've decided to go public again. My friends keep telling me their invitation to view this blog has expired. Lame. So come one, come all, check out the awesome happenings of the Lees. Apparently I don't care anymore if everyone in the world wants to creep around and read Russ & Aub.

This month's post is a recap of our year.

January

We moved into Nana's basement and I started student teaching at AF Junior High. I had no idea all the challenges and hilarity that were in store for me when this picture was taken on my first day. We got called as primary teachers.

February

Russ made me a spectacular dinner for Valentine's Day and I learned that I love sweet potatoes. We watched a lot of cool old movies with Nana. I loved student teaching.

March

My good friend Spencer Ring came back from his mission and we had Asian Night, where we ate a ton of Japanese food, talked about Japanese culture, and made a huge mess of the kitchen. It was awesome, but it would have been even better if Tiffani-chan had been there.

April

I finished my student teaching and graduated from BYU. Russ was so supportive and the best cheerleader I could have asked for.

May

I went to San Francisco to train for my summer job, and Katie joined me at the end. We had the best time. I celebrated my 23rd birthday with strawberry pie.

June

While the rest of my family was in Disneyland, Russ and I watched this puppy. I started teaching for the Institute of Reading Development and Russ started working at the airport.

July

We lit sparklers, went swimming, and went to a ton of parades. All month long. It was fabulous. Happy Birthday America.

August

We hiked Timp. Twice. It was hard. We moved to Salt Lake and I started teaching at Midvale Middle. It was hard. We celebrated our 2nd anniversary at the Pie Pizzeria. I spend a lot of money on cardigans - a teacher can never have enough.

September

We went to a lot of farms and drank a lot of cider. Russ turned 25 and we bought a couch. I began to regret those bangs.

October

We carved pumpkins with Jared and Elle, and then spent Halloween watching Teen Wolf and eating pizza and hiding quietly when kids came to the door because we forgot to buy candy for anyone but ourselves.

November

Our car was rear-ended and we got an awesome rental car for two weeks. Russ worked hard at school and I worked hard at not strangling any students. We had a lovely Thanksgiving at the Lees.

December

We got to go to the Christmas concert with David Archuleta and loved it. We had a really fun Christmas with my family in American Fork. Russ finished his finals and we both enjoyed two weeks off. We filled the time with parties, movies, ice skating, caroling, eating, staying up late, sleeping in late, roller skating, and Limbo. I liked all of it except Limbo. We bought a car.

Things we are looking forward to in 2011:

Me finishing my first year of teaching
Having the summer off - I still can't believe that's going to happen
Spring Break
Saving our money and going on cool trips
Russell's sister Erin's wedding to Sam
Giving talks in church on Sunday

Update

2010-12-03T08:45:00.000-08:00

Why is it that I impatiently wait for others to update their blogs, when I spend so little time doing so myself? Embarrassing.

Since my last post...

We got rear-ended and our car was thankfully totaled. Goodbye Jetta, I won't miss you and all your unreliable ways. We are now in that awkward stage where the insurance company can't justify us keeping the rental car while we search for a new one. So we take Trax everywhere. I love public transportation and I think it is grossly underused in Utah. I also like listening to the weird crazy bums that choose to sit next to me and lie about being a Marine in Afghanistan, an undercover cop that protects the homeless, and Dallin H. Oaks' nephew. Plus I get to stroll through Temple Square on my way home and it's so pretty, all covered in lights.

I pulled out our box of Christmas decorations last night and was disappointed to find that we only have three items: a small nativity scene from Diane, a Merry Christmas pillow sewn by Katie, and a Happy Holidays wall hanging I bought from Bed Bath & Beyond that got chipped in our moving process. We don't even have a tree! That is my goal this weekend: find a tiny tree and lights and ornaments to go on it.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving in Logan. My favorite dish was Konrad's creamed corn topped with Parmesan cheese. We went to the Nutcracker ballet and I loved it. I watched White Christmas for the first time and slept in till 11 every single day.

My experience in the classroom is getting better and better. My students are hilarious, and if I focus on that instead of their negative qualities, I am happier and it sustains me through the day. Yesterday a boy came in with Funyons. He had them opened only about ten seconds before their stench reached my nostrils and I ordered him to finish the offending chips in the hall and then throw them away out there. HA. But the smell lingered. Kids were complaining loudly and opening windows and then one kid named Eduardo said, "I'll take care of this, Madame Lee." He pulled a can of Axe body spray from his backpack and proceeded to spray it in every nook and cranny of the room. I don't know which smell was worse, the horrendous Funyons or the overpowering Axe, but it sure made my day.

Retail Therapy

2010-11-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I didn't have time to shower and put on ugly clothes, including a turtleneck that attempted to suffocate me all day. I got stuck teaching calligraphy as a homeroom enrichment, and it's so boring I almost put myself to sleep. I dropped my lunch tray on the ground, scattering chicken teriaki everywhere. My chocolate milk exploded on me. The vice principal came in to observe my class. My students were absolutely rotten without a second thought to my sanity...or authority for that matter. I yelled at them and then felt worse. Russell couldn't pick me up until 6:00, which means I was stuck at the school in my ugly uncomfortable outfit by myself, correcting a mound of papers and watching reruns of The O.C. online.

But.

Then he picked me up and was sweet to me. He took me to get some dinner and then we went to a shoe store, where he let me get a pair of shoes I have wanted for a long time:
Bahahahaha. Just kidding. I got Oxfords, but I can't find a picture of them on the web.

But I LOVE them.

How Was Your Halloween?

2010-10-31T08:48:00.001-07:00

Ours was perfect. We slept in until 11, went to the gym, and ate a late breakfast at Village Inn. We redeemed some coupons for free cookies and put up drapes in our house. We went to the grocery store and saw some appalling costumes. We had pizza and apple cider while watching "Teen Wolf."
The absolute best part is when Scott locks himself in the bathroom and is horrified by his sudden wolfish appearance. His dad comes to the door and tells him to open up and after awhile, he opens the door to see this:
So unexpected, and so hilarious.

If It Weren't For Him...

2010-10-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

...I would still think that Chuck Norris was a character from a tall tale, like Paul Bunyon.

...My feet would never get rubbed.

...I wouldn't open my phone during the day to find texts like this: "I'm listening to Les Mis music and crying like a fool" or "Baby!" or "My boss isn't here and the riffraff employees are getting dangerously belligerent."

...I would never have such animosity for ESPN.

...Our toilet would still be clogged.

...There would be no one to eat all the weird leftover food I don't want.

...I would never know about great music like Sigur Ros and Arcade Fire and Pinback and Band of Horses.

...I wouldn't be such a harsh critic of movies.

...I would never have jumped off a bridge into the River Seine.

...I would never feel so loved.

Help

2010-10-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Russ approached me tonight and said, "Our babies are going to be malnourished and have scurvy and bow legs if your diet is just Ramen and fruit snacks."

I had no retaliation, because he's right. Not about the scurvy, but about my pathetic diet.

Those who know me well know that I can't cook. Really. My mom is an excellent cook, and somehow none of her skills got passed down to me. I've been married for two years and I can count all the meals I have made on one hand.

I need to be better. So I am asking you, if you have any pity, to send me your recipes. Easy ones. So easy an idiot could make them. That's what I am in the kitchen. Just to be sure, I asked Russell, "I'm not that bad am I?" and he said "I plead the fifth."

If you have anything good and easy that is more healthy than Ramen, email me at aubreylee21@gmail.com.

Thank you ahead of time.

Private? Good Idea

2010-09-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

You know you need to privatize your blog when lots of your students mysteriously know way too much about your personal life.

Leave a comment with your email if you'd like to stay informed on our lives and still enjoy my once-a-month update. Haha.

Because no blog post is truly complete without a picture, here's one of Sammy.
Love him.

New

2010-08-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

August has been a busy month for the Lees. Have a looksie:

I got straight bangs cut. Except for that weird identity crisis 2 years ago when I dyed my hair brown, I haven't changed my hair in about six years, so that's been fun.
We moved from Pleasant Grove to Salt Lake City. We live in a cozy little apartment on Capitol Hill. Here's a picture of our living room, the only presentable room in our house. Russ re-energized our bookshelf with some blue spray paint and some sweet tree art. He's quite talented. Having our own space again is fun, but we really miss Nana. Russ got a new bike. He rides it all over town and lets me take the car.
My feet have been killing me all summer, standing all day long, so I bought some old lady Naturalizers. The first day I wore them, they gave me sores and blisters. I am at my wit's end. I have tried all sorts of Dr. Scholl's inserts that have not helped at all. What am I doing wrong?I finished my summer teaching job with the Institute of Reading Development. It made for a challenging, hectic, and busy summer. I got really good at communicating with parents and keeping six-year-old tantrums to a minimum. I learned a lot and it provided me with tons of practice for what I do now....Which is run my own classroom. I started teaching French last week at Midvale Middle. I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. It was a crazy first week and I am still learning so much, but it really is a dream come true.I already have papers to go through.
My in-laws blew up this picture of the Eiffel Tower for my birthday. It is the most awesome decoration in my classroom and all my students love it.
It's such a delight to see my name over the door every morning when I walk in, even though the janitor went a bit hog wild with the hot glue gun.

I Don't Get It

2010-08-12T21:29:00.001-07:00

This picture makes me feel so weird.

WHY is Khloe a giantess?

Who in the world gave this bizarre family their own TV show?

And why am I even talking about them at all?

Love & The Bachelorette

2010-08-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Katie got me into this season of "The Bachelorette." I watched every episode and thoroughly enjoyed all the drama, the cheesy one-liners, and especially the wussy weatherman.

I wish the dates weren't so outlandish, like being whisked away to a heart-shaped island or flying in a private helicopter over Icelandic volcanoes. Honestly. The way you get to know someone is by by seeing them in everyday situations. I realize this is coming from someone who fell in love with a boy while sitting on the top of the Arc de Triomphe and eating nutella crepes, but I have also loved cooking with that boy and scrubbing mold together off the nasty bathroom walls of our first apartment and going through the McDonald's drive-thru and watching him hold babies and having fun chats about nothing in the middle of the night.

I like Ali and think she is adorable. However, I am incredibly sad that she felt compelled to get so much plastic surgery after the season. Her bottom lip is suddenly enormous, her cheekbones are high and her jaw is much more pronounced, and her nose looks like Michael Jackson's. Why, why, why?

I am happy she chose Roberto, and I hope they last. Katie was annoyed that she didn't pick Chris, because she doesn't think Roberto is in it for the long haul and Ali will be unhappy eating empanadas for every meal. Oh my.

And can I just say how glad I am that she didn't choose this guy?'
Look at that shirt, and he's definitely wearing lip gloss. Woof.

Inferno

2010-07-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

My senior year of high school, I read Dante's Inferno in my Literature class. One of the fun assignments we had to do during the unit was write a short essay detailing who we would put in hell and what punishment we would give them.

I can't remember who I put in hell, but I do recall my punishment: having a terribly bad sunburn all over their body, AND being in the worst stage of it, which is violently itchy and totally unbearable, AND not being able to scratch it at all. And the punishment is that they have this agonizing feeling 24/7. AND they are outdoors and the sun continues to mercilessly bear down on them as they bake alive in the heat.

Is there anything worse? I submit that there is not.

I do this to myself every summer. I think I am being really careful with the sunscreen, but then I do a crappy job or forget to reapply after getting wet. I am currently in the most painful stage of my sunburn, where scratching is the only relief and yet it makes it a thousand times worse. My chest is smoldering. My legs are seared. My shoulders are char-broiled.

I always tell myself that next time will be different. Well, this time I am serious. Next time I will wear SPF 200 on my idiot pasty skin. I will lather on three coats, just to be sure. And I will wear a sunhat and a caftan as well.
Ahhhh, sweet summer.

Facelift

2010-07-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

Russ insisted that we change the blog. Drastically. I don't know why he cares, since it's MY blog, and he doesn't have any clue what I write on it. But he does have an eye for design, and I have to admit, it looks a lot cleaner.

What do you think?

Goods & Bads Of Our Summer

2010-07-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Good: I like teaching. Most of my classes are enjoyable. I get to teach a wide range of people: my youngest students are 4 years old and my oldest ones are in their 60s.

Bad: A classroom full of 10 and 11 year olds = my worst nightmare. HOW does the elementary school teacher handle all their fickleness and insecurity and restlessness? I will never know.

Good: I have Sundays and Mondays off, so I can teach our Primary class, take four-hour naps, have dinner and play games with my family, and take my little sister to the pool.

Bad: Russell works two jobs, and we never have the same days off. I work all day every Saturday, which means I miss out on all kinds of fun things. And Russ has had to work a lot of Sundays, so our Primary kids ask me if he has gone apostate.

Good: I drive on the freeway every day to get to one of my teaching sites, and the car is nice, air-conditioned, reliable, and it runs as smooth as a baby's bottom (Thank you again Lees).

Bad: Katy Perry's "California Gurls" comes on the radio every ten minutes. I absolutely hate it. It's just classless debauchery. I feel ill every time I hear it come on and that perv Snoop Dogg's slimy voice murmurs, "Greetings, loved ones." EW.

Good: My family is in Disneyland this week, so Russell and I are house sitting and puppy sitting. It's fun to have a whole house to ourselves. We've been doing a lot of grilling too.

Bad: Sammy chews on our feet at 5:15 in the morning.

Good: Russell's airport job means that he can bring me home Cinnabon several times a week.

Bad: I can't think of a single bad thing about that situation.

Look What Came In The Mail For Me

2010-06-20T20:21:00.001-07:00

Oh No

2010-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

I am in a state of utter panic.
I start teaching tomorrow. Three classes. Tomorrow morning, I will be staring at a room full of 4-year olds and their parents. I am mortified.
I have a million things to do and it feels like I have suddenly run out of time. My nerves are shot. I've been running around like a chicken without a head. I burst into tears when I opened the fridge and discovered we were out of milk this morning. Russ was all too glad to leave me in a frenzied heap this morning and scoot off to his cool new job at the airport.
I have to go to the store and buy paper and Scotch tape and crayons. I have to print assessment and attendance forms. I have to get a map to Salt Lake Community College so I don't get lost. I have to read through the lesson plans so I don't sound like a blubbering fool tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
A blessing will probably help. And a back rub. We'll see if Russ will comply.

June 3, 1995

2010-06-03T19:43:00.001-07:00

Fifteen years ago today, I was baptized by my dad. It was a beautiful day and I still remember the wonderful feeling I had. These pictures are dated and hilarious, but precious to me all the same.

I Left My Contact Lens In San Francisco

2010-05-31T17:51:00.001-07:00

Yes I did. I dropped my contact lens on the blue carpet of the hotel floor and never recovered it, so I spent two whole days squinting like One-Eyed Pete.
I was in Novato, California for four days, training for my summer teaching job. On the last day of training, my sister Katie flew in and we spent the weekend in San Francisco. The weather was unbelievable and we had the best time. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. We figured out BART. We walked along Pier 39 and loved the sea lions. We ate clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. We rode the Powell Hyde cable car through the city. We went shopping in Union Square. We saw Lombard Street. We got a ride in a rickshaw. We got lost in Chinatown. We had the hotel pool and hot tub all to ourselves. We took a ferry around Alcatraz. We drank hot chocolate at Ghirardelli's. And we loved it all.

Birthday Freebies

2010-05-17T13:25:00.001-07:00

I am a cheapskate, which means that naturally I have taken full advantage of all free things. A week before my birthday, I signed up for all sorts of birthday clubs and emails. Here's what I have gotten so far:

A free meal at Noodles and Company
A free scoop of Baskin Robbins ice cream
A free "Like It" bowl of ice cream at Cold Stone
A free gourmet burger from Red Robin
A free Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's
A free meal at Tucano's
A free meal at Mimi's Cafe

I sort of feel like the Artful Dodger. But whatever. I love birthdays, and free food.
I had a really fun birthday. I'll post some pictures later.

Graduation

2010-04-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I graduated from BYU with a Bachelor of Arts degree on a cold, drizzly day last week. All my family came to support me and I felt wonderful, despite the fact that my gown was designed to fit a beluga whale and my cap was designed to fit a watermelon.

My aunt Lorie graduated from law school. I saw her at Commencement the day before.

Here I am walking down the ramp with an empty diploma cover, smiling because I saw Russell clapping furiously for me.

Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs made it.
My family! Love them all.

I can't believe I'm a college graduate. I have loved, loved, loved my time at BYU. Some of my favorite experiences from college are:

My freshman year in Helaman Halls.
Professor Grierson, Professor Ostenson, Dr. Lee, Dr. Erickson, Madame Thompson, and Brother Fluhman. Best instructors ever.
Devotionals.
Making new friends.
Asiago cheese bagels from the Cougar Express.
Ernestly Chocolate ice cream from the BYU Creamery.
Amazing roommates that I still keep in touch with.
Pilates, StepKardio Fusion, and Yoga classes. Made me start to enjoy exercising.
Some hard times with not-so-amazing roommates that forced me to learn things about myself as well as be more patient with other people (including people who insist on cooking spicy Asian food at 2:00 in the morning and stinking up the whole apartment for hours, making it impossible to sleep, let alone breathe).
That one football game that I went to. On second thought, forget it. I was bored out of my mind and cranky and sunburned and left an hour early.
The BYU Games Center, where I worked as a desk attendant since fall semester 2006.
The Harman Building, where I worked as a Human Resources assistant for a year and a half.
Earning a 4.0 GPA two times in a row my last two semesters.
Paris Study Abroad, fall 2007. Changed my life in so many ways, and got me a husband too.

Third Time's A Charm

2010-04-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that after two completely poopy interviews, my third one was highly successful and I have landed a teaching job at Midvale Middle School! This fall, I will be teaching French 1, 2, and 3 to grades 7, 8, and 9 and I couldn't be happier.
Don't worry. My next post will be chuck full of cute pictures of graduation.

I'll Miss It

2010-04-16T21:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the BYU Language Fair with 30 of my French II 9th graders. They participated in all kinds of activities including a knowledge culture bowl, spelling bee, reading and writing exams, and learning about Madame Guillotine. The best activity was the choir. I led them in singing "Dirait On" and they sounded incredible. Later we found out that our choir won second place out of about 20 schools! I was thrilled and swollen with pride. My meager directing skills must not have been a total bust. Move over, Mack Wilberg.
Here we are in the courtyard of the JFSB, squinting in the sun and deliriously happy to be second best. I love these kids.
Here I am in front of the school. I can't believe I was a student here. I used to dread coming here, as my days were filled with loneliness and desperation. My best friend went to a different school and I roamed the halls awkward and alone. Just me and my training bra and retainer and khaki overalls. I would have given anything for people to notice me, to shout my name in the hallway and give me a high-five. My, how the tables have turned. My second experience at the junior high has been much more positive and such a boost for my confidence and self-esteem. I can't walk down a hallway without someone yelling "HEY, MADAME LEE!" at the top of their lungs. They like me. They really, really like me. I'm popular now. People know me. They think I'm funny and cool. I feel like Josie Grosie, like I got a second chance at the whole school thing. And this time, I had the time of my life. What a comeback.
This is a giant card that they made and signed for me before I left. Have I mentioned how much I am going to miss these kids? I still think about them all the time. I won't ever forget any of them. I'll always be thinking about them and hoping that they're living up to their potential and excelling in school and going to college and being kind and responsible. And I hope they all invite me to their weddings. Is that too much to ask?

What Is True Love?

2010-03-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

True love is when he brings home New Moon from Redbox.

True love is when he splits a mango chicken salad with me at Costa Vida, even though he'd rather have his own giant beef burrito, because he knows I love that salad and can't eat the whole thing by myself.

True love is when he goes shopping with me and waits patiently while I try on a million pairs of shoes and then tells me I look beautiful in all of them.

True love is when he picks me up from the junior high every single day and greets me with a smile and a kiss.

True love is when we go to the gym on Wednesday night at 7:55, and there's only one treadmill left with a TV screen, and even though there's a basketball game on, he lets me have it so I can watch American Idol.

True love is when he makes me dinner - pork chops, sweet potatoes and a green salad.

True love is when he rubs my feet while we watch Titanic.

The End Is Near

2010-03-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

This Friday, March 26th is the end of my student teaching. It has been such an enjoyable experience in so many ways. At the same time, it's also been difficult and tiring.

I recently had all my students evaluate my teaching, saying both good and bad things. Here are some of my favorites:

GOOD

You are hilarious!

You are always really happy and positive.

You interact with us so well on a personal level.

I love how you get to know the students so they're not just things.

You try to make the lessons fun, even when they're boring.

You teach in a way that helps me remember it.

You don't make me nervous to speak in French.

BAD

You never wear your hair up.

Your handwriting is too small.

You are a little spazzy.

You talk too fast.

You never have pizza/donut/ice cream parties.

We don't play enough games.

We don't take enough naps.

I love all 200 of my students. Even the ones who would rather nap than memorize French vocabulary words.

I formed a small choir of about 16 kids and I'm teaching them a French song that they can sing at the BYU Language Fair in mid-April. It's a slow, emotional, romantic number called "Dirait-On" (which means "So They Say"). It's a beautiful song and I am absolutely floored that the students are so musically capable. I'll be leading the song and counting out the rhythm and motioning for the tenors and basses to come in and one boy will say, "No, Madame Lee, you're not counting right. We need to come in earlier. That's an eighth rest, not a quarter rest." Wow. Okay.

I have begun the delightful process of searching for a teaching job in this poopy economy. I've had one interview so far and hopefully I'll have several more. Russ and I will be moving to Salt Lake sometime this summer, so I am looking for a school as far north as Syracuse and as far south as Provo.

I am so delighted to have a Spring Break this year. I haven't had one in five years. Unfortunately, I will be spending April 5-9 working at the bowling alley and looking for a job and creating a Teacher Work Sample and training for my summer job, but through all of that I'll have a song in my heart and a jaunt in my step because there's NO SCHOOL! Take that BYU.

Speaking of BYU...I am graduating in a month. I can't believe I'm old enough to do that. I ordered my cap and gown as well as 200 invitations, a keychain and souvenir tassel, and of course a stole of gratitude. Okay, I'm joking about everything but the cap and gown, which I only ordered because it was mandatory. I was dying of laughter when I read the size options. It said "Check one of the above: 1) 400-500 pounds, 2) 300-400 pounds, or 3) under 200 pounds." Seriously?

Virtue and Moir

2010-02-23T15:30:00.001-08:00

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are hands down, for me, the best thing to happen to the Olympics this year. Their performance last night was stunning and moving and beautiful. It was the most romantic moment I've ever seen. On or off ice. Kudos to Canada for winning the gold on this one. They completely deserved it.

Long-Lost Engagement Pictures

2010-02-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

Found these on my dad's laptop today. They make me smile.

Summer Job, English Snob

2010-02-18T14:53:00.001-08:00

I got a job! I'll be spending this summer as a teacher for the Institute of Reading Development. I will teach reading to kids from first to eleventh grade at different locations in Salt Lake, Ogden, West Jordan, Bountiful, and Murray. They reimburse me for gas. I'll teach two five-week sessions and they're sending me to California in April for in-person training. I start in May and finish in August. After hearing from so many graduated friends about how ruthless the world is and how difficult it is to find work, it feels really good and reassuring to know that I'll have a good job after I graduate in two months. TWO MONTHS! I'm thrilled to have found a job where I can teach reading skills and strategies and hopefully instill a love of books in young people.

Here's something hilarious. Last week, Russell was up late trying to peer review some papers for his English class. People had to pick a controversial topic. I decided to help Russ review them and I picked up a paper and the title said, "Why ban the Gentle bread of pit Bulls? Then Why not Kittens as well." This kid's chief argument was: "I love Pit bulls and I know they'd never purposefuly try to hurt any one. They have never tryed to hurt any people without being provoked. It's their Owners fault if Pit Bulls are vicious animalls. People who target pit Bulls are miss-taken." Perfect title, seriously flawed argument, atrocious writing, and such a joy to make fun of.

I am an English snob. It's the one thing I do well and I consider grammar blunders a source of humor. Especially when they are made in a public setting (See my earlier post on Cake Wrecks). I also love this website, which highlights the general public's tendency to erroneously surround words with quotations in order to create emphasis. WHY do people do this? How is it possible to confuse it's and its? Or there and their and they're? How can people write the sentence I made three pie's and feel okay about themselves? I'll never understand. Ever. On the other hand, I'll never understand economics or politics or the motivation behind watching an entire four-hour football game. Everybody's got different strengths and interests, and it's a good thing. Skills I wish had made it into my list of strengths: basketball, making crafty things, holding my breath underwater, and dancing like they do on Step Up 2: The Streets.

Glad Tidings

2010-02-15T11:04:00.001-08:00

Russ and I got called to teach Primary (CTR 6B, to be exact) in our ward. Yesterday was our first time and it was a treat.
We just barely got the manual and didn't have any time to prepare a lesson, so Russ and I had them take turns saying their name, their favorite food, their favorite animal, and their favorite scripture story.
One redhead boy was restless and poking his neighbors until Russ looked at him and said, "What about you? What's your favorite food? You look like a corndog eater." The little boy clapped his hand over his mouth in shock and looked astounded that Russ had guessed that. "You're right, I LOVE corndogs! How did you know?"
One girl with curly brown hair and wide blue eyes said, "My name's Cara and my favorite animal is a horse and I can whinny like one too and my favorite scripture story is when Ammon cuts all those guys' arms off because it fills my soul with glad tidings."
A treat indeed. I love this calling already.

Thoughts On A Friday Night

2010-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday and I had the day off. It was Professional Development Day at the junior high and since I am by no means a professional, I was not invited to attend. I've had a great day. I slept in, went swimming at the gym, organized our bedroom, cleaned our bathroom, did laundry, wrote a unit test for my French 1 classes, and went to dinner with Russell at Macaroni Grill. The best part? Tomorrow is Saturday!

I had so much fun at dinner with Russell. I always have fun with him. It's hard to believe that we have been married already for a year and a half. I can't remember what life was like without him. I feel like I've known him for a long, long time.

My brother Daniel is making chocolate chip cookies as I sit here blogging and waiting on the world to change. He just said to me, "It's weird to think that in a way, there's sort of an unborn hen in this cookie dough." Who thinks about things like that? Like how many chicks actually get snuffed out so we get eggs that are full of yolk instead of hen?

Here's a hilarious book I just read that I would recommend: Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The perspective (through the eyes of a 9-year-old) is unique and the writing is fresh and original. I've never read anything quite like it. I loved it.

Here's another book that I recently read that I would not recommend: Nicholas Sparks' The Choice. I loved A Walk to Remember and was expecting a story of that same caliber. Sadly, this book did not measure up. It was nerdy and sappy and utterly predictable. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, girl has a boring predictable boyfriend and must make a choice to be with the adventurous, risk-taking boy instead. Then they get in a car accident and girl goes into coma for 3 months. Boy makes a choice not to pull her plug, girl luckily wakes up and all's well that ends well. Really, Nicholas?

In my spare time, I've been working a lot of shifts at the BYU bowling alley. It's a nice, easy job to have, sitting on a stool and spraying shoes and cranking tunes. Last week, however, was not so nice. Some guy told me something was wrong with his lane. I went over to him and told him not to bowl while I walked down to the back to fix it. I was walking in the gutter and halfway down the lane and what do you think he did? He bowled. And it was fast. And it went in the gutter. And it was stopped by my heel. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life and I wanted to march over to him and punch him in the gut and yell at him for not only being a poor listener but also a crappy bowler and to get out and never come back. Instead, I hid in the back for a while, writhing in pain. To get back at him, I never fixed his lane and I managed to hobble to another exit and sneak out and hide in the bathroom until he went away. The fool.

I'm going to go enjoy those cookies now. Over and out.

The One You've Been Waiting For

2010-01-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

For all four of you who read my blog regularly, I have finally found some time to sit and tell you about what I've been consumed with for the last month, every day from 7:30 to 3:00. Student teaching. It is wonderful and embarrassing and exhilarating and frightening all at the same time.

My cooperating teacher is awesome. He is patient and understanding and helpful and creative. I love to watch him teach and then I try to copy all his techniques. He is a fantastic teacher and his students love him.

The junior high kids are a treat. And a nightmare at the same time. Some of them are jewels. They come in quietly, sit quietly, have their homework completed, answer correctly when I ask them questions, and then leave quietly. This is only a select few, however. Most of them are loud, rowdy, and obnoxious. And they are constantly testing me to find out where my limits are. I don't even know where my limits are. I can't remember anything about what I learned in Classroom Management. I'm scared to death of sending someone out in the hall and being met with defiance. Luckily this has not happened yet.

I have been almost stampeded to death three times.

The kids come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Some of them are three feet tall, and others are seven feet tall. I cannot get over the huge disparity between the maturity level of the 7th graders and the 9th graders. 7th graders like to make weird noises with their mouths and put their feet up on other students' desks. I don't get it.

The students are most attentive when I tell them personal stories. So I have resorted to racking my brain every night and trying to come up with hilarious anecdotes that can somehow tie into my lesson. They also love when I drop things or forget what I'm talking about or trip over the cord of the overhead projector.

Because my voice must be at a higher pitch and decibel level for most of the day every day, I have a sore throat and a hoarse voice. I think I need to invest in a megaphone.

I have been team-teaching for two weeks now, and on February 2nd, Groundhog Day, I take over the classroom. Total domination. I am feeling apprehensive and underprepared, but I'm also excited to take on the challenge of capturing kids' interest for 80 minutes at a time.

I am now slipping words like "Bonjour classe" and "S'il vous plait" and "Ca va?" and "Oui" into my normal conversations. I was working at the BYU Bowling Alley last night and a guy came up and asked me if we had any open lanes. I started to respond with "Oui, et combien de personnes avez-vous dans votre groupe ce soir?" before I realized who I was talking to. Embarrassingly enough, this happens now on a regular basis.

I'm always amazed to see that when I teach, the students actually do learn. I present a new grammar topic, and then we do lots of practice, and then they can do it for themselves. I try to make it fun and interesting and something they can connect to. Facilitating learning is an incredible process to be a part of. Teaching is a frustrating at times, but it's so rewarding to see that students' knowledge has been expanded.

I guess that's all I have to say about student teaching for now. I'm having a fun time learning the kids' names and who they are. I'm being stretched in ways I never thought I would and I think and hope it's making me a better person. Certainly it's making me more patient. I'm happy to report I haven't thrown any erasers at any heads yet.

Cake Wrecks

2010-01-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

I have recently stumbled upon this website and I find it highly amusing.
Bahahahaha.

Cornflake Wreaths

2010-01-18T21:05:00.001-08:00

I have made these stupid cornflake wreaths about five times in the last two weeks. I am obsessed with them. Mine don't look as cute as this picture, though, because I don't waste time decorating them. Sometimes I do blue, pink, or purple wreaths, just to shake things up.
If you want to make them, follow the same recipe as Rice Krispie Treats. Except add cornflakes instead of Rice Krispies, and food coloring, and shape them into wreaths. They are divine and you won't be disappointed.

I'm Going To Have Nightmares

2010-01-06T20:26:00.001-08:00

Russell and I just watched The Dark Crystal. I am already scared of Muppets. Everything about them and their Muppet ways makes me feel uneasy. This movie was absolutely terrifying. Jim Henson is a total creep. How on earth did Russell and his siblings watch this as young children? Be warned. If you stumble across this film, know that its freaky bizarreness is not for the fainthearted. That is all.

Highlights Of 2009

2010-01-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

2009 is over. All I can think about is how much I love the way I write the number 9, and how sad I am that that opportunity will not come near as often as it did.
Some of my highlights in the last year include:
-climbing to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos for a second time
-seeing my best friend get married in the temple
-visiting Canada
-turning 22
-reading a lot of good books
-going horseback riding
-celebrating our first wedding anniversary
-trying yoga for the first time and enjoying it
-conquering the stick shift
-moving out of our first married apartment
-earning my first 4.0 GPA in college, then earning another one the following semester
As I think back on 2009, I am flabbergasted at how fast it came and went. I am determined to make 2010 last, and enjoy the special moments just a little bit more.

Joyeux Noël

2009-12-27T18:01:00.001-08:00

For us, December has been the most bustling month of the whole year. We both finished up busy semesters. This was my last one at BYU! The day after finals ended, Russ and I moved into my Nana's basement. That was a hectic and exhausting experience. Russell did all the moving and I did all the cleaning.

This is the Allenbach Christmas party that was held in the basement three days after we moved in. Russ and I helped Nana put up Christmas decorations and set up tables and chairs. She says we are a blessing to her. I think she is a blessing to us. Living with her is so great. She's so easy to be around and kind and accommodating and Russ and I are happy and comfortable there.

Since school got out, we've both been working full-time. We're exhausted and don't sleep in very much, but we're grateful for the extra money.

We went sledding with my best friend Melissa and her family up at Tibble Fork. She has a really sweet niece and a hilarious nephew that were so fun to sled down the hill with.

Let's talk about the Navidad! We had a beautiful Christmas with the Lee family in Logan.

Brian and Mary-Jane came home from Texas and joined us for a formal dinner on Christmas Eve, complete with Christmas crackers and crowns and prizes and what-have-you.

Auntie Carol also came up and made us all chuckle with her crown-turned-Batman mask.

We braved the bleak Logan winter night and went out caroling. We delivered these adorable Santa Pants filled with peppermint popcorn.

We had a shepherds' meal late Christmas Eve. This is a Lee tradition that I was excited to be a part of this year. It was so fun! We dressed like shepherds and watched a Nativity movie while eating unleavened bread and drinking sparkling cider out of wooden flasks.

Diane made us all matching jammies to wear on the special night. She's awesome.

Christmas morning was so fun. Russ and I unknowingly bought each other the same jacket.

The day after Christmas, we drove down to see my family and their favorite Christmas gift...a puppy named Sammy.

He's the cutest thing I have ever seen. I am not a dog person in the slightest and yet I find myself baby-talking him and cooing when he hops around and pounces on stuffed animals. See how close I am holding him to my face? What am I doing? Who have I become? How can you resist a face like that? Do you think I can complete this paragraph in questions? Do you dispute that I have just accomplished that feat?

Everybody is obsessed with this dog. He even received a green and blue argyle sweater for Christmas. Can we say favorite child?

We had a wonderful Christmas and we're now enjoying the rest of our winter break before Russell goes back to school and I start molding 15-year-old skulls of mush into sculptures of the Eiffel Tower. Or die trying.

Too Good To Be True

2009-12-08T14:25:00.001-08:00

I promised myself I'd be on a social networking hiatus during this busy time of final papers and tests, but I absolutely can't resist posting this jewel from the Best of Police Beat:

"November 25, 2005: An unknown person used a washable wipe marker to write obscenities such as 'poo-poo' and 'poo' on a black Denali parked in Heritage Halls."

This is the funniest thing that I have read. Ever. Ever.

My Thoughts Right Now

2009-12-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, a girl sitting by me in class asked to borrow a pencil. I searched through my bag and found my one and only mechanical pencil that I keep when I need to take a test. At the end of the period, I turned back to her and she had all her stuff packed up and was about to leave when I asked her for my pencil back. Awkward, but it is my only one. She reluctantly handed it back to me and I stuffed it in my bag, mad that I felt stupid about asking for my own pencil back. I pulled it out again today to use it on a test for my flexibility class. No matter how many times I clicked and clicked, no lead would come out. I took a closer look and discovered that the entire top of my precious mechanical pencil had been chewed and was now mangled and busted. Definitely not ideal.

Know what else is not ideal? Walking outside to find that your car, which has up to this point been nothing but a total lemon and a thorn in your side and needing expensive replacements far too often, has rolled down the driveway and crashed into the neighbor's tree.

Sometimes, while I'm walking around campus, I'll remember something funny and I'll start smiling uncontrollably. Today I thought about an apple that I saw at my family's house. It was on the counter and it had three tiny chipmunk bites taken out of it. Katie looked at it and said, "Mom, this is what happens when you give Emma a whole apple to eat."

Why hasn't it snowed? What is going on? I can't even listen to Christmas music because it feels like September. It's definitely cold enough in the mornings, but then the afternoons are just sunny. It's the first week of December and Timp is bare and still conquerable. I feel weird.

Moving is not a fun experience, but it is a good opportunity to get rid of some crap you've been holding onto for years. I am a very sentimental person and I have kept every birthday card anyone has ever given me. I just can't throw them away. It was only when I moved to BYU as a freshman that I finally found the wherewithal to chuck all my old notes from junior high that were folded in crazy ways and had "For Your Eyes Only!!" written on the front in pink glitter pen. Russell can't believe all the weird things I have kept and stashed away - little horse keychains, my old retainer, twelve best friend necklaces that Melissa has the other half to (as if just one necklace wouldn't have made a clear enough statement), magazine cutouts of Heath Ledger that I taped to my locker in tenth grade, a stack of burned CDs with songs from cool artists like Jewel and Matchbox 20, old bookmarks that I made in Young Womens...making this list is making me feel quite lame. It's also, however, filling me with some wonderful memories.

I got to ride my uncle's horse when we went to his house for Thanksgiving. It made me remember how much I want to have a horse of my own someday. I think Russell is okay with this dream. I think he will also be okay with being the official pooper scooper.

Life Is So Good Right Now

2009-11-23T12:34:00.001-08:00

I saw New Moon on Thursday night at 12:45 A.M. What a joy. I did not go with Russell. If you read the post below, you'll know why. When I throw all my scruples and judgment and intellect to the wind, I actually enjoy these movies quite a bit. This one did not disappoint. My favorite part was driving to the theater with Ellen and seeing all the obsessed Twilight teens wearing cheap vampire makeup and eating Cheetos while wrapped up like burritos in their down comforters and laying in the parking lot. Some had been there for HOURS. Come on, people.

I think all my raving about shirtless Native Americans this weekend was starting to perturb Russell. He went to the gym on Saturday and worked out so hard he threw out his back. What is he, 65? Okay, actually he just pulled a muscle. He spent the whole morning yesterday lying flat on his back while I nursed him back to health with Ibuoprofen and hot water bottles. Luckily he is back to his spry and chipper self. And don't worry, I'd take him over any werewolf, any day.

This past weekend we played with both the Logan Lees and the American Fork Allenbachs. We went to Audrey's high school play. She had a solo and was fabulous. We ate yummy food and braved a snowstorm. I don't know if I'm ready for snow, but it's definitely beautiful. We went to my cousin Wade's wedding reception. Mazel tov. I watched Groundhog Day for the first time. We played Balderdash, that dictionary game. My favorite made-up definition: "Muntjac: a rare condition which causes the feet to corrode into a fine powder" (written by Daniel). Or maybe "Lekvar: A springboard mink trap used by fur traders" (written by my dad). Or maybe "Serry: A disease leading to the rapid yellowing and pickling of the liver" (written by Katie). Hilarious.

It's official. We're moving. It all happened so fast. We listed it online and within a day or two, an engaged couple came to see our apartment and then bought the contract. We're leaving right before Christmas and moving in with my Nana who has generously offered her basement to us. Along with a bedroom and tons of storage space, there's a piano and a fireplace and a huge plasma screen TV and a pool table. How could we refuse?

We're spending Thanksgiving at my uncle's house in Midway. It's nestled in the mountains and definitely has that "over the river and through the woods" feel to it. I can't wait to visit with my extended family and play games and eat myself into a food coma.

Narnia

2009-11-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, Russell will go to the gym at night. I don't like being left alone, especially when it's dark out. I don't like the quiet and stillness that sets in. It makes me nervous. So I turn on the television for company while I do homework or pilates.
A few nights ago I watched "The Chronicles of Narnia" while Russell was gone. I love this movie. I have crushes on both Peter and Edmund (never mind that neither of them is older than 15 probably) and I love Aslan the lion and the whole Christian allegory. I try to forget that that creepy goat man with weird patches of hair all over his bare back is James McAvoy.
Russell came home right in the intense battle scene and started making all sorts of comments like, "I bet the guy in the yak suit thinks doing this movie was a huge mistake...I bet he never admits to his friends that he's in this movie" and "Wow...James McAvoy...really?" and "Is that beaver seriously wearing chain mail?" Of course I refused to answer him. But yes, if you must know, that beaver was wearing chain mail. It's a battle after all. And then Lucy started going around and healing people with her little bottle of medicine and Russell was like, "Where did she even get that?" And I said, "Santa Claus came to Narnia and gave it to her, remember?" And he just stared at me.
Moral of the story: If your husband is realistic and practical like mine, and what you are watching might be mocked relentlessly, wait by the window to see when he gets home so you can quickly change it to something age-appropriate.

Pen Pal

2009-10-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have a pen pal named Tiffani Hengen. We made friends when we worked in the same office two summers ago. She has graduated and moved to Arizona, but I love keeping in touch with her. Why? Because the things we write to each other are pure hilarity. Here are a few gems that I have found on a particularly slow afternoon at work (these are in no particular order and are not necessarily part of the same conversation):

Tiffani: You know how there are ads on the side for Gmail and Facebook that are supposed to be "highly targeted?" One of mine says: "Provo Blasting: Provo Explosives, the demolition experts." Wow.

Me: I hate paying for food. I am deliberately ignoring all these stupid hopeful BYUSA candidates trying to hand out stupid stickers. I refuse to pay attention to them or acknowledge their presence, much less promise to vote for them, unless they start promising me free food! Honestly...does anyone care about having more places to plug in their laptops or more Latin Dance clubs? No. We just want free food. Give it to us or we aren't voting for you. This is what I'd like to say to them, but I am too busy ignoring them by pretending to be on my cell phone so I don't have to take a yellow flyer.

Tiffani: Did you hear about Facebook reserving the rights to everything you write/upload on their site, even after you close your account? I was scared to think about that. I still am scared, actually. They're creepy. What are they planning to do with all that information besides sell it to the highest bidder?

Me: We're basically eating raw onions and boxed soup for every meal.

Tiffani: We need to find a good movie to watch since the International Cinema has insisted on playing nothing but gong shows this week.

Me:I guess I could try to putter Russell's car to my house. I have a bad feeling about driving that car on snowy roads. What I really need is a one-horse open sleigh.

Tiffani: I would die to have some chic outfits. My collection of BYU shirts and sweat pants never worked for me (or anyone except Bronco Mendenhall).

Me: I got 100% on my Religion Midterm! Never mind that most of the questions were like this:
In his conference address, which one of the following is NOT one of the solutions Robert D. Hales listed to solve a marital argument? A) Apologize B) Repent C) Improve D) Divorce.

Tiffani: So you're getting Russell a big canvas for his birthday? I didn't know he was an aspiring artist! It goes along perfectly with his passion for wild animals.

Me: Friday night was our ward's chili cookoff. People brought chili, cornbread, and cobbler. I just brought myself and snuck up to the food and loaded up a plate.

Tiffani: So Gabe is coming for the weekend and you have to entertain him while Russell is at work? Does he like to watch movies? "One Man's Treasure" is showing at the Varsity Theatre. Does he like girls? Take him to Heritage Halls/Creamery on Ninth and let him have a go at the freshman girls while you practice the piano in one of the basements. Are none of those ideas working? Just keep all the blinds closed and it'll stay dark in the house and he'll sleep in really late and by the time he wakes up, he'll see a note on the table from you that reads: "HELP YOURSELF TO WHATEVER FOOD YOU FIND. I'LL BE BACK AT 5:00."

Tiffani is a perfect pen pal to have and her emails always brighten my day. We are on the exact same humor wavelength. I have been silently shaking with laughter at my desk while rereading these. And besides writing funny things back and forth, we catch up on each other's lives, which is so much fun. Tiffani, I miss you, but I love you as a pen pal. I hope you're not offended that I put these up. Thanks for your friendship, and for all the laughs. I hope there's lots more.

Good News

2009-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

I taught my first French class today. At American Fork Junior High, my alma mater. It was a 30-minute lesson on French Cuisine. It turned out better than I expected (I think I expected to cry or wet my pants or run out of the room). The 9th graders were pretty nice to me and I tried not to take all their hormonal rambunctiousness too personally. They're just teenagers, after all. I brought some French baguettes for them to try in order to bribe them into complacency. They liked that (the bread, not being bribed into complacency).

The weather is beautiful today. The first bite of winter is in the air but while it's cold and crisp, it's also sunny. I work in an office with a huge window and when I look out it, I can see Rock Canyon looming in the distance, bright with the sun but enveloped in fog. It's beautiful.

Halloween is in two days. I hate Halloween because of the masks and gore and pranks and creepiness and death-related themes, but I am excited to have fun with friends and family. Russ and I have almost narrowed down what we are going to be. It's between two giant pumpkins (harmless and sweet, my idea) and Hitler and Stalin (weird and creepy, his idea).

And the best news of all...I drove myself to the school. Yes, people, I have finally conquered the stick shift. And I've only been with a guy who drives one for two years. Baby steps.

Family Pictures

2009-10-26T12:20:00.001-07:00

Family pictures are always an adventure. One minute you're frantically running around the house like a lunatic, trying to put on earrings and makeup and do your hair in a flash while yelling at your family members for putting on ill-fitting or unmatching shirts; the next minute you're shivering to keep warm and cursing under your breath; the next minute you're smiling pleasantly as if absolutely nothing has gone wrong.

We had a good time though. I love my family.

Triumph In The Face Of Tragedy

2009-10-14T18:34:00.001-07:00

Just three days after woodwind instructor Heather Christensen was killed in a tragic bus accident, the American Fork High School Marching Band took the field at the Lavell Edwards Stadium. They dedicated their performance, entitled "The Greatest Generation," to Christensen and fallen World War II heroes.

American Fork was the last band of 25 to compete in the Rocky Mountain Regional Band Competition. They received a standing ovation from an unprecedented audience of nearly 8,000 people and the first-place prize in every category.

But that day wasn't about winning, for the band members or for anyone else. It was about coming together as a band and as a community to celebrate the life of this wonderful person who had sacrificed so much for her students.

The performance was a so fitting. For the final movement, the colorguard members changed quickly out of their blue jumpsuit uniforms and into all-white outfits. They then arranged themselves across the field and stood with their arms extended, tiny white crosses spread across the wide green field. It was truly a moving sight and a perfect tribute for Heather and for the WWII soldiers.

My brother Daniel is in the percussion pit. He plays the marimba. He has loved his experience as part of the marching band. I used to think marching band did not embody more than B.O., braces, and nerdiness. I have come to realize that it is a place where diverse kids can come together and make friends and play music and develop an identity. It is a place where they learn teamwork, discipline, leadership, and technical skill. This tragedy has given the students an opportunity to draw even closer together. I could see that in their show. Tuesday night was a performance unlike any I have ever seen, and one I will not soon forget.

Lately

2009-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's time for another picture overload.

Russell and I went to a really fun study abroad reunion...

Katie, Mom, Emma and I went to World of Dance...

We celebrated Russell's birthday with friends at the Bohemian restaurant...

We enjoyed a comfy Conference weekend at my house...

Katie, Daniel, Emma and I visited our old elementary school...

And of course, we're enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

Neat

2009-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

A recent Princeton study proved that people taller than average lead better, happier lives than short people. Tall people report more enjoyment, less pain, and significantly less sadness.
The study also suggests that tall people have more chance of success and wealth.
The average man is 5'10". The average woman is 5'4". Russell is 6'4'' and I am 5'9''. Although this means that we will have giant yeti children, it also obviously means that we are going to be rich, happy and successful. Yesssss. I wonder if this study was done just to boost our egos.

I Love Birthday Dinners

2009-09-24T20:04:00.001-07:00

I also love blogging when I am supposed to be writing a 10-page concept analysis.
Who comes up with assignment names like that anyway?

Happy Birthday Russell

2009-09-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Today is Russell's 24th birthday.
Russell is good-natured. He is so easy to be around, and his sense of humor couldn't be better.
Russell is an incredible story teller. He gets really into it and I love hearing him laugh and watching his eyes light up.
Russell is a good student. He is diligent in studying and doing his homework. A few days ago I found his binder with all his notes in it. Along with all the class notes, he had written hilarious things in the margins like, "Okay, why do people think it's okay to wear pajamas to class?" or "Wet braids = sick."
Russell always does the dishes without being asked or reminded. He just does them so I won't have to.
Russell will go out and buy me ginger ale and Curly Noodle soup when I'm sick. He takes care of me.
Russell is an inspiration for me. He wakes up early every morning to go to the gym while I stay in bed an extra hour. He loves being healthy.
Russell always does his home teaching. He loves the gospel.
Russell is patient. He taught me to drive a stick shift, even though it was a near impossible task, and I screamed at him quite a bit.
Russell is nice to my friends. He cheerfully comes on all the double dates that I plan for us.
Russell can always make me laugh. When I am having a crummy day he'll pick me up from school and sing to me and tell me funny things and make me feel happy again.
Russell listens to me. He cares about my goals and aspirations and wants me to succeed.
For all these reasons and a million more, I love this boy. He means the world to me.

Unpleasant

2009-09-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about one of the most unpleasant things in the world, which I experienced last night. I was peacefully sleeping, dreaming about having a conversation with one of my co-workers. In the dream, I started to feel my throat tighten and my breath contract and suddenly, I woke up and sat straight up in bed, choking and coughing. Russell started mumbling so I ran out into the hallway and coughed and coughed and coughed it out, into a pillow, until I finally calmed down and caught my breath again. Then I lay awake for several hours, afraid of falling asleep again and choking to death.

Why does this happen? There is nothing worse than being jolted awake in the middle of the night by a coughing fit. I would feel comforted to know that this happened to other people. Russell seems to think it's a figment of my imagination, which it definitely is not.

While we're talking about unpleasant matters, let's talk about the idiot Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat representative from New York. He is one of the many Democrats in Congress who are challenging a bill passed in 1996 called the Defense of Marriage Act. This is what Nadler said about the Act, which defines marriage as between a man and woman and instructs states and the federal government not to recognize same-sex marriages:

"Today, we celebrate the first step toward overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, and sending that ugly law back to the history books where it belongs."

Excuse me, Nadler. That ugly law is what keeps society stable. Only a man and a woman together have the natural biological capacity to conceive children, which also is the only way to keep society running. Strong families are where children learn moral strenths, traditions, and values. While governments did not invent marriage, throughout the ages governments of all kinds have recognized and affirmed marriage as an essential institution in preserving social stability and perpetuating life itself. I am scared to think about living in a society in which my own government refuses to recognize that.

My testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and the apostles who lead it is stronger now than ever before. The Family Proclamation was given in 1995. President Hinckley gave this reason for its issue: "The family is under attack. All across the world families are falling apart." That was almost fifteen years ago, and think of how much more the importance of marriage and family is being undermined in our society. It's sickening. I guess the most that any of us can do is hold fast to what we know to be true and live the best we can, despite the fact that the world really is going down the crapper.

So Far This School Year

2009-09-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

So far, I like my classes. My favorite is flexibility, where we take a 15-minute power nap every day. Russell likes his classes too. His favorite is international relations. We are thankful for financial aid that helps us go to school.

In the spirit of all the warm weather lately, I wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts yesterday and got drenched in the rain. So today, I wore a turtleneck and a cardigan and jeans and it's actually quite sweaty and hot outside. Blast.

Russell and I recently saw Julie and Julia and it was delightful. I'd recommend it to everyone.

I took the PRAXIS exam for French content knowledge last Saturday. It was expensive. This test measures my understanding of French and makes sure that I know enough to teach it. My favorite question was:
In which of the following countries do the natives NOT speak French?
A. Cameroon
B. Haiti
C. Ivory Coast
D. Vietnam

Unfortunately, not all the questions were this easy. Most of them were really difficult. I hope I passed.

August

2009-09-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

August was a really fun and busy month. Here's what we did.

We had a fun time when Gabe came to stay for a weekend.

We went to Aspen, Colorado with the Lee family to visit
Brian and Mary-Jane.

We love them.

We celebrated our anniversary by going back to where we were married a year ago and doing an endowment session.
Then we went horseback riding.
We hiked Stewart Falls.
We also hiked Timp with my dad.

I am incredibly sore from that experience and proud of myself for not succumbing and renting a wheelchair to get around campus on the first day of school.
Russ and I are sad to see the summer end, but glad to be students again! It's only the second day of school and I'm already busy. I love all my classes. This is my last semester here before I start student teaching for a French class in January. Weird. I remember thinking student teachers were really old (and boring) when I was in junior high and high school. I can't believe I am going to be one. Russ is still pursuing a Political Science degree and he loves it. We are working hard and keeping busy and happy.

Life's Full Of Hilarious Contradictions

2009-08-26T09:05:00.001-07:00

In the summer, I can't wait for fall and winter. But in the winter, I long for spring and summer.

I never run into the people I really want to see, and I always run into the people I do not wish to see at the most inopportune moments.

I gripe about homework and can't wait for school to be over, but I am terrified to graduate and enter the real world.

I look forward to payday, but then as soon as it comes, my money disappears - spent on dumb necessary things faster than I know where it's gone.

When I read a really good book, I can't wait to finish it, but at the same time I want it to last forever.

I do not like exercising and I try to get out of it whenever possible, but I love the feeling of shaky legs after a really long run and sore abs after pilates.

I love the lazy feeling of having nothing I need to do, but I hate the bored feeling of having nothing to do. That's why...as much as I have enjoyed the drowsy leisureliness of summer...I am really looking forward to the bustling industriousness of being a student again. I love school. I thrive on structure, challenge, accomplishment, and deadlines. I love new notebooks and binders and gluesticks and markers and mechanical pencils (even though the only new thing I really need is a notebook). I love the excitement in the air on the first day of school. I love the vitality brought to the campus by those eager and overzealous freshmen students who honestly have no idea what they're in for. I love the fact that the first day of school is when we all get excited and try to break out our fall wardrobes, even though it's still 95 degrees outside. I love it all. I can't wait for August 31st.

It's Been A Year

2009-08-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

August 21, 2008 was a perfect day. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

This past year has been more challenging, more rewarding, more difficult, more hilarious, and more wonderful than I ever thought possible.

I'm so glad Russell came into my life. He is my truest friend. What a joy it is to know I'll have him as my companion forever.

Blackberry Pie

2009-08-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

My dad went to Seattle this weekend. He picked blackberries and then brought them back and my mom made a delicious blackberry pie. The hand-shucked berries couldn't have tasted better. I am eating the leftover pie at work today. It's a good day.

Russell Gets A Gold Star

2009-08-13T10:46:00.001-07:00

My husband is adorable.

The other night, my mom and sisters Katie and Emma came to visit our apartment. They brought tidings of joy in the form of fresh garden produce! Emma brought her new toy with her: a little white teddy bear dressed in a tiny denim dress and headband that my mom had made. They left and four minutes later, we heard a pounding on our door and it was Emma again, close to tears, asking us if we had seen the little jean headband. It had fallen off her bear. Mom and Katie had their cell phones out and were combing the grass and bushes. I couldn't find it in our house, but I promised Emma that we would look for it outside the next day. Katie told me later that Emma cried all the way home.

The next morning, I came into the kitchen and found Russell sitting at the table, writing a letter. He told me excitedly, "I found the headband! It was under the couch!" He was writing Emma a little note. Then he put the note, the headband, and a stick of gym in an envelope, addressed it to EMMA GRACE ALLENBACH in huge block letters, and asked me to mail it. He said, "Do you remember being nine years old, and getting mail with your name on it was the best feeling in the world? I think she'll just love this."

I just gawked at him. I mean, it was beyond the call of duty. Most guys probably would have flung the headband in my direction and said, "Hey, I found that thing your sister was looking for." He totally went out of his way and took the time to put this letter together and make it a special surprise that will mean the world to my little sister. Of course, Emma is already obsessed with Russell as it is, because he plays soccer with her when we visit on Sunday afternoons and everyone else just wants to take a nap. He is always so sweet to her.

I love Russell for being so kind and thoughtful. I know he'll make a great dad someday.

Four

2009-08-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Target
2. Shade Clothing
3. BYU Games Center
4. BYU Division of Continuing Education
(How convenient that I've only had four jobs in my life.)

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Amélie
3. Glory Road
4. The Princess Bride

Four places I have lived:
1. Seattle, Washington
2. Logan, Utah
3. Paris, France
4. American Fork, Utah

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. America's Next Top Model
2. Snapped
3. American Idol
4. Seinfeld

Four places I have traveled to:
1. Calgary, Alberta
2. London, England
3. Maui, Hawaii
4. Washington D.C.

Four people who email me regularly:
1. Tiffani
2. Katie
3. Melissa
4. People Magazine

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pudding cake
2. Grilled pineapple
3. Fettucine Alfredo
4. Waffles

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Paris with Russell
2. American Fork with Katie and Daniel
3. A beach in California
4. Florence

Four things I am looking forward to this year:
1. Hiking Timp at the end of the month
2. My last semester at BYU
3. Thanksgiving with my family
4. Shepherds' Meal on Christmas Eve with the Lees

I have to admit, this was pretty fun.

Big Plans For August

2009-07-31T15:12:00.001-07:00

Summer is far from over. We have a month left before school starts, and we are going to jam-pack it with fun things! Our plans include hanging out with Russell's best buddy Gabe this weekend, going to Colorado to visit Bri and Mary-Jane, celebrating our first wedding anniversary in some fun and creative way, playing with family, attending some wedding receptions of our study abroad friends, ransacking all the farmers markets and yard sales we can get to, enjoying fun nights out in Salt Lake City, and hiking to the top of Mt. Timpanogos with my family. Well, with everybody except Katie. Anyone who knows my younger sister knows that she would rather get her gums scraped than climb a mountain.

I Appreciate Good Writing

2009-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading Abraham Verghese's Cutting For Stone. Katie gave it to me for my birthday. It's taking me some time to get through because each sentence is heavy with brilliant literary devices, beyond vivid imagery and incredibly expressed ideas. I am relishing every line and trying to take it all in.

Here are some gems I've found, so you can get a small taste of what the entire book is like:

As the good abbess watched the two waving figures on the ship's rail recede to white dots, she felt a twinge of apprehension. Whaf if by their blind obedience to her grand scheme they were being condemned to a horrible fate? "The English missionaries have the almighty Empire behind them...but what of my girls?" She wrote that the seagull's shrill quarreling and the splatter of bird excreta had marred the grand send-off she had envisioned. She was distracted by the overpowering scent of rotten fish, and rotted wood, and by the bare-chested stevedores whose betel-nut-stained mouths drooled lechery at the sight of her brood of virgins.

She sat sideways looking out. She saw a gray dart below - the shadow cast by the plane on the ocean. A giant fish she imagined was swimming just below the surface of the sea, keeping pace with her. The water looked cool and inviting, unlike the interior of the plane, which had grown less steamy but was still thick with the mingled scents of the human freight. The Arabs had the dry, musty smell of a grain cellar; the Asians contributed the ginger and garlic; and from the whites came the odor of a milk-soaked bib.

Good writing, eh? (Yes, just because I went to Canada I think I can start talking like them.) I love authors that aren't afraid to push grammar principles to unexplored areas. I love the spice and flavor provided by varied sentence structure, appositives, and delayed adjectives. I love sentences rich with detailed descriptions. This spring, I took ENG 329, Teaching Grammar in High School, and it was surprisingly one of the most enjoyable classes of my BYU experience. I began to realize the value of grammar instruction in school. I learned ways to teach grammar to students in fun, interesting mini-lessons. I discovered that grammar, when mastered, has the potential to greatly enhance writing, not only in its correct usage, but also in the very breaking of its rules.

Now, any time I read anything, I read it more closely and delight more fully in the creative construction of mind-blowing writing-which, I won't ever forget, first and foremost comes from applying correct grammar principles.

Oh Canada!

2009-07-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Russ and I just got back from a trip to British Columbia and Alberta with his family! Despite cold and rainy weather, we had a blast! I guess that's America's way of slapping us for leaving her soil on her birthday.

Here's Konrad and Russ securing our luggage on the top of the car. They did this often.

Our first stop was Spokane, Washington, where we enjoyed 4th of July booths, outdoor music, and plenty of carnival food. Nothing not to like about this city!

The first difference I noticed in Canada - their Golden Arch has a cute little maple leaf in it!

We had fun swimming in our aunt and uncle's pool. Pay no attention to all the black make-up under my eyes.

Alison and I at Glacier National Park - the mountains were breathtaking!

Russ and I went for a walk in Golden. I was really afraid of being attacked by a bear, but the scenery was gorgeous!

Takakkaw Falls - the second-highest waterfall in western Canada. I looked it up and Takakkaw is derived from the Cree word for "it is wonderful". Yes, it is.

Beautiful Lake Louise! The water is green because of rock flour that is carried into the lake by melted water from the glaciers. Very cool.

How convenient that this official-looking Mountee was waiting for us to take a picture with him!

Downtown Calgary has a much more impressive skyline than Salt Lake City.

We went to the world-famous Rocky's Burger Bus. Russell the carnivore finally met his match at the self-proclaimed "home of the meat orgy." He ate himself sick!

We ate lunch with some of the Lee cousins that live close to Calgary. It was fun to meet new family and visit.

We went to our cousins' house and they live by a manmade community lake. It was beautiful!

Audrey and I got a rowboat ride. It was really fun.

The most hilarious road sign we saw on our drive home. For 5,000 years, Indians used this cliff to drive buffalo off and kill them.

We stopped at the Cardston temple on the way home. The temple was gorgeous and very unique. I'm happy that families are forever.

Konrad and Diane, thank you so much for the trip! I'm so happy we had the chance to go. I loved Canada and I hope to visit again soon!

How to Win an Argument

2009-07-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Dave Barry, 1981
Make things up.
Don't just say: "I think Peruvians are underpaid." Say: "The average Peruvian's salary in 1981 dollars adjusted for the revised tax base is $1,452.81 per annum, which is $836.07 before the mean gross poverty level."
NOTE: Always make up exact figures.
If an opponent asks you where you got your information, make THAT up too. Say: "This information comes from Dr. Hovel T. Moon's study for the Mumford Commission published May 11, 1982. Didn't you read it?"
Use meaningless but weightly-sounding words and phrases.
Memorize this list:
-Let me put it this way
-In terms of
-Vis-a-vis
-Per se
-As it were
-So to speak
You should also memorize some Latin abbreviations such as "Q.E.D.", "e.g.", and "i.e." These are all short for "I speak Latin, and you do not."
Here's how to use these words and phrases. Suppose you want to say: "Peruvians would like to order appetizers more often, but they don't have enough money."
You never win arguments talking like that. But you WILL win if you say: "Let me put it this way. In terms of appetizers vis-a-vis Peruvians, they would like to order them more often, so to speak, but they do not have enough money per se, as it were."
Only a fool would challenge that statement.
Use snappy and irrelevant comebacks
You need an arsenal of all-purpose irrelevant phrases to fire back at your opponents when they make valid points. The best are:
-You're being defensive.
-You're begging the question.
-Don't compare apples and oranges.
-What are your parameters?
This last one is especially valuable. Nobody, other than mathematicians, has the vaguest idea what "parameters" means.
Here's how to use your comebacks:
You say: "As Abraham Lincoln said in 1873..."
Your opponent says: "Lincoln died in 1865."
You say: "You're begging the question."
Or
You say: "Liberians, like most Asians..."
Your opponent says: "Liberia is in Africa."
You say: "You're being defensive."
Compare your opponent to Adolf Hitler.
This is your heavy artillery, for when your opponent is obviously right and you are spectacularly wrong. Bring him up subtly. Say: "That sounds suspiciously like something Adolf Hitler might say."
You now know how to out-argue anybody.