What Can We Do To Make Your Stay More Comfortable?

Today the students at my school filled out an anonymous survey about how they feel about different aspects of the school, their teachers, and their education. It was a multiple choice style survey with a couple questions at the end that had a place to write in an answer.

I enjoyed glancing at their written-in answers to the question:


What do you wish were different about your school?

About half the kids wished for air conditioning. I can't blame them, I wish for it every year too.

Here are my favorite answers:

I wish there was less work and I didn't get in trouble as much (The second half of that sounds like a personal problem)

I wish I didn't get lunch detention because I cut in line at lunch (Again with the personal problems . . .)

I wish the people in it were different (I'm sorry we don't live up to your standards)

I wish the food was better- throw it away after a week (Do they think there are leftovers after feeding almost 1,000 people a day?)

How could you not love these kids? Or is the question: how COULD you love these kids?

Back in the Saddle

After a 3 year hiatus from skiing due at first to sore knees and then to pregnancy I decided to give it another go. Ian and I went skiing at Brighton on Valentines Day. We met up with some friends about halfway through the morning and had a blast. The mountain welcomed us with great snow and a beautiful sunny day- it's good to be back.

At the top of Great Western

Ian right before heading down a slope too steep for me- he's way more adventurous (i.e. reckless) than I am.

An absolutely beautiful view of Heber Valley from the top of Snake Creek. I love the low hanging clouds.

Aven Makes a Finnish Friend

L-R: Missy, Addie, Lisa, Lauren, me, Aven

Last night I got the opportunity to go out to dinner with Missy, a friend and former co-worker with whom I shared my first three years of teaching art. We were joined by fellow fine arts friends Lauren and Lisa and by our beautiful babies.

Missy moved to Finland almost 2 years ago so that her husband could attend graduate school and is in town visiting family and friends. We have kept in touch and I often miss sharing the visual arts program at my school with someone so hardworking and dedicated. I don't know that I've ever gelled better with a co-worker.

It was really great to be able to meet her baby, Adelaide, who is about 3 1/2 months younger than Aven and has the cutest chubby cheeks I have ever seen. Since she was born in Finland she gets the benefit of dual citizenship- how cool is that?

Thanks for carving out some time to spend with us Missy! Maybe next time our cute babies will be old enough to play together. Good luck on the 25 hour return trip- you are much braver than I!

Aven's First Art Opening

We recently had the opportunity to attend the opening of Jamie Wyeth's "Seven Deadly Sins" at the Salt Lake Art Center. The Brandywine River Museum describes this series as "a major exhibition of new works inspired by a traditional concept of human transgressions. With characteristic imagination, Wyeth has depicted the Seven Deadly Sins in a series of paintings with raucous, scavenging seabirds as emblems of human failings." I loved the concept and thought the paintings were beautifully done.

This picture of Jamie Wyeth standing amid his exhibition at the Salt Lake Art Center was published in the Deseret News. I read an article about Jamie Wyeth in an art magazine about 10 years ago and was really intrigued by his method of really getting to know his subject and completing many studies before beginning a final work. When he was commissioned to paint a portrait of JFK after his death he watched hundreds of hours of video, interviewed his closest friends and family, and did drawing after drawing of his brothers in order to get to know JFK good enough to be able to paint a portrait he felt represented his subject. After researching Jamie Wyeth I learned about his father, Andrew Wyeth, who was a famous American painter, and his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth, a famous illustrator. I have been a fan of this family of artists ever since.

Aven and I standing in front of "Inferno", the painting that first inspired the "Seven Deadly Sins" series.

Listening to the artist speak. Aven was a great little audience member, even though it was past her bedtime.

It was very cool seeing the artist in person. he had great stories and was very funny.

Visitor's from the far east.

My best friend Trevor and his new wife Dilyafruz (Dee) recently stopped by for a visit, which is kinda a big deal since they live in southern China. Trevor moved there a few years ago to teach English and met Dee, a native of Uzbekistan, while there. They got married just last summer on an island in the south China sea. This is the first time I have met Dee and it was great to finally meet her. She had some trouble getting a travel visa for the states; they thought she was going to try and stay in the country for some reason. They flew over for a month long visit although they only stayed with us in for a couple nights. They are off visiting Trevor's dad in Montana right now and we will see them again for a couple nights before they fly back to China. Last time Trevor was in the states for a visit I didn't take any photos, so I'm glad I remembered to pull out the camera this time.

Trevor and Dee in front of the Temple. Dee really wanted to see Temple square since it's famous and all. Although we did get accosted every time we lingered in one place for too long. I was also told that the end of the world is nigh and I better repent and get back into the church before it was too late, Cara was told she better join so she can save my soul or something like that.

Dee loved our little Aven.

Here's all of us on our front porch dead flowers and snow shovel included at no extra charge. :)

Questions and Answers

I have a new Special Ed. student in one of my art classes. A para-educator accompanies him to class everyday and helped him fill out this questionnaire by writing his answers for him. How could you not love this kid?

Memories

I got the chance to spend some time with my two oldest friends, Michelle and Rachael, this last Saturday and it brought back a few memories. It has probably been several years since I have been with them both at the same time. I've known these girls since I was 4, Rachael was 3, and Michelle was 5. Their family lived across the street from mine in West Jordan. After about 25 years in that neighborhood my mom moved to Sugarhouse and their parents moved to Erda- truly the end of an era.

Rachael is married with 4 little ones and Michelle is getting married in just a few short weeks. It's so comforting to feel such a strong connection to the past. There are so many people who have been a part of my life in one way or another that I know I will never see or cross paths with again. Those parts of my past seem to fade away. Seeing old friends like Michelle and Rachael, even if it's not very often, seems to refresh my memories and keep them alive: The "drug free club", selling candy we'd bought at the Holiday Oil in front of my house for a 5 cent mark-up, playing every sport possible with the sports fanatic boys who lived next door, riding our bikes up the dirt hill, decorating the whole house in ribbons to make a My Little Pony castle, and a million more, of course.

Me, Rachael, Michelle

In 1989 my parents got brave enough to take my two friends to our Flaming Gorge cabin for the weekend. You gotta love how all three of us are wearing those horrid pleated pants that were so popular back then.

Even back then we were total babes.

The weekend we took them to the cabin we were visited by a black bear who walked along the railings, eating little pieces of pancake we had left out for the birds and chewing on the corners of our American flag. If I remember correctly Rachael was pretty scared.

It's always nice to be re-visited by such fond memories.

Christmas Video

I tested out our new camcorder that we got for Christmas, Enjoy.

Aven's First Christmas

I am finally getting around to posting some pictures from Aven's first Christmas . . .

Wearing a gold bow and a darling white outfit given to her by my Aunt Ann.

"Performing" at her daycare Christmas pageant. She was mostly interested in eating the garland hung around the edge of the stage.

Opening presents Christmas morning.

Eating presents Christmas morning.

She made out like a bandit.

Ian made me delicious dairy-free cupcakes as one of my presents- yum!

The day after Christmas we drove down to my dad's house in Redmond. Here we are standing in his backyard. It was very cold but very beautiful.

We certainly enjoyed having a baby to share Christmas with this year- what a joy.

Christmas Surprise

No harm done!