hello 2011

Well.

Christmas wrapped up to be a wonderful family-filled holiday.  We gifted, we ate, we watched It's a Wonderful Life, we drove from place to place.  We made a mess of our house (but in the most festive way).  Even now as I'm sitting here among the chaos, refusing to grade papers, and listening to the heater clank, I am overwhelmed by what a great season it was, and dazed that it is over already.

2010 has been good to me.  winter: birthday, skiing, olympics. spring: marriage, temple, teaching, seattle. summer: garden, tutoring, hebgen, cali. fall: samuel home, teaching, new york. and winter again: christmas, samuel's birthday, family.

2011 promises good things as well: samuel's graduation, teaching year 2 complete, national parks, hebgen. also, internships?, summer jobs?, artistic endeavors?  time will tell.

I am a resolution making kind of a gal.  Here's the beginnings of my list:

• increase my effectiveness and patience with my students
• exercise regularly
• attend the temple monthly
• organize the "junk room"
• learn how to meal plan
• be generally more adventurous
• live in gratitude daily
• make some new friends

cheers!  I hope 2011 brings you everything good.

happiness and cheer

fun for all at the bowthorpe pj party and candy day at grammy's.

samuel's birthday is today!

it's beginning to look a lot like

CHRISTMAS! (pictures to come).

at home:
lights up around our front door.
nativity on our mantle.
a fresh christmas tree that smells amazing.
new ornaments and a few old ones, too.
the beginnings of a santa claus collection.

at school:
puzzle piece wreaths.
the polar express.
the driedel game.
paper christmas light garland.
ebineezer scrooge.

at play:
brighton ski passes.
bailey gets home on friday. (woot)
family parties.
singing with dad and the 4 B's. 
SLG's birthday on the 22nd
3 weeks off of school

and so, as someone very wise once said: well hoop-di-doo... and dicory dock... and don't forget to hang up your sock!

so much to be grateful for

We arrived home from NY safe and sound.  It was a fabulous trip.  And, without being to mushy or cheesy, I would just like to say that it was such the best to be able to hang out and explore everything with Samuel.  He's great.  Here are some highlights of our trip:

the "de-icing" of our airplane at salt lake international

 delicious bananastrawberrynutella crepe at artopolis

 staying with the wilcox fam, and walking through beautiful columbia university daily

 navigating the subway

visiting lady liberty 

walking the brooklyn bridge 

 best pizza ever at grimaldi's

 samuel's first times square experience

 empire state building

 macy's + oldest escalator in the world

 samuel's first broadway show

 the met!

 frozen hot chocolate at serendipity

 THE parade (dream come true)

 great spot to see santa

 manhattan temple

"don't you just love new york in the fall?" 

the STRAND = 18 miles of books

 safe plane ride home

thankful for:

incredible family and friends

a job I love

warm home

learning new things

books

the holidays

the gospel

happy thanksgiving to you.

new york, new york

WE ARE GOING TO NEW YORK TOMORROW.

in my future house:

this is the coolest thing I've ever seen!  made out of globes!

how could we make one?

post 161: a smattering of thoughts

Have you seen Laura's new blog?  I always miss Lars.  I loved living with such a talented and creative person.  Just a couple nights ago I was thinking about dressing up as old men, complete with mustaches.  Good times, good times.

Holy moly, Parent-Teacher Conferences are next week.  When did those sneak up on me? Yikes.

Samuel made a fire for us tonight.  It is so cozy.  SO cozy, in fact, that I do not want to grade any tests, or work on any plans, or think about work.  I just want to read, or watch a show, or look things up on the internet.  Perhaps I'll make some more plans for our upcoming trip to New York.  I may make hot chocolate.

I'm attempting to convince Samuel to do his Writer's Portfolio for his english class on William Wordsworth.  When I think of Wordsworth, I think of this moment:

or this place: 

We went shopping for Christmas lights last night!  You know what that means...

nothing makes me more content than this:

• watching my students play in the leaves
• getting our garden "winterized"
• baking pie
• sleeping in

happy saturday.

nice to have him around

welcome home, samuel.

you're invited to my halloween party next year

Halloween happened in third grade!  My students were so wired, but we had a great time marching around the school, partying in our classroom, and listening to Bill Harley's Night of the Headless Man.  Costume winners (in my opinion) this year were Austin, who dressed up like Michael Jackson, and Will, who dressed up like a gnome.  I'm sad that I didn't take a class picture-- what was I thinking?!  I do have a few pictures of the party and parade, luckily.  

In other news, my Halloween Party has been changed from 2010 to 2011 because...

I'm in cedar city with Bay!  We have already had many adventures laughing our heads off at IHOP at 11 at night, watching HP #4 (we are having a marathon), and eating frosted flakes.  Today she is taking me on a campus tour, and we will probably go to St. George.  

Have a very happy Halloween. 

for the beauty

thoughts on halloween

Kids remember what their teachers are/were for Halloween every year.  For example, today I was talking with a group of students and, naturally, the subject of costumes came up.  All of these students could remember what their kindergarten, first grade, and second grade teachers dressed up like for their Halloween parties.  Then, of course, they all ask: Miss Brynn, what are YOU going to be? And then I tell them that I am going to be a witch.  That's what every teacher is, they say.  In my mind I'm thinking-- well, obviously not because you just told me that your kindergarten teacher was a princess, your first grade teacher was a parrot, and your second grade teacher was a cowgirl!  Oh those kids.

I really like my homemade Halloween tree.

I would like to have a Halloween party.  Samuel is going to GSA (Geology Society of America) in Denver to present his senior project, so I will be flying solo that week.  So, if I had a party would you come?  I hope yes, because I have big plans to make chili and corn bread, bake delicious goodies, and watch some intense (read: not gory/evil/nasty) movie (perhaps Wait Until Dark?).  I'll probably even make a playlist including gems like Thriller. 

It is so pretty outside.  I love October.

sweater weather

It is 9:17 and I am still in my pajamas.

That's because it is UEA/Fall Break!  It is like having 3 Saturdays in a row.  One of the great things about teaching in Utah.  And boy, am I ready for a long weekend.  A few things I would like to accomplish:
get a haircut
clean my room
do pilates
change my name on my driver's license and credit card
weed the garden and prepare my geraniums for cold-ness
plan a Halloween party
eat apple pie
kiss samuel (we've been married 6 months today!  which... may not seem like a big deal, but it is).
make stew
make salsa
make plans for NY 2010
wear a sweater or two

of the many things I love about fall

one of my true favorites is the macy's thanksgiving day parade.

and this year-- we are going!  plus, it will be samuel's first time to the east coast. 
can hardly believe it.  can hardly wait. 

love list long time gone

• October
• johnathon apples
• third graders
• changing leaves
• making pie
• lyv and millie
• SLG
• the autumn craft shows
• 5 guys burgers and fries
• nutella
• planning trips
• planning parties
• books
• plans that "work" at school
• general conference weekend
• sisters and in-laws
• soft sheets
• hot showers
• bike rides
• sweater weather
• breakfast food
• friends old + new

smile at the rain

I like the metaphor of this picture:

it hangs in my mom's kitchen, and now I have one of my own hanging below my clock.

it's here...

the premiere!  

come to our house for:

delicious food

awesome ambiance

the best show ever (according to Samuel)

7:30 to whenever the show ends

lately

a few things as of late:

went to LION KING with bailey (after much bribery, but it was worth it!)

sang at a benefit concert for Riley and his family

went to training table with samuel (it was his first time).

said goodbye to kaite to a year and a half

planned and executed the 5-year with Joey

celebrated alison's engagement with the old roomies

cleaned my house on saturday (first time since school started...)