20, 10, 5, 3, 1, and so on...

I was "tagged", whatever that means, by my friend Leigh to do this little timewarp exercise so here it goes.

20 Years Ago: I was 10 years old, almost 11. I think that was the summer my family went on our first major vacation to Disneyland so Addie and I could perform there with Kids In America. I wore a 3 foot tall Bernstean Bear head that I almost passed out in once. I was taller than everyone I knew my age, or Addie's age, Marty was leaving for his mission in Korea, and my favorite T.V. show was proabably Moonlighting, though I had no idea what it was really about.

10 Years Ago: It was 1998, I was a sort-of Junior at BYU, finally an English major, and working my first summer as a Camp Counselor at Trefoil Ranch. It was one of the best summers of my life where I got paid to sing silly songs, eat all the Thin Mints I could handle, and make some life-long friends. And I learned to ride a horse that summer. At age 20, I had never touched a horse, let alone ridden one before.

5 Years Ago: Let's see, 2003. That puts me in Panama City Beach, FL as a missionary. It is one of the prettiest places on Earth, populated with the some of the best people on Earth. This is where I really became a missionary and learned how a small church branch can band together to change peoples' lives.

3 Years Ago: It was 2005, I had just been a Maid of Honor for the first time (and probably never again--I wasn't very good at it with all those traditional things...) for Holly's wedding, and I was 2 weeks away from marrying Charlie. We had just purchased our first piece of furniture together with a $25 dollar orange couch from D.I. It has finally been retired to my school classroom.

1 Year Ago: Charlie had just quit his job and we spent the month of July 2007, packing our little apartment to move to St. George. We also ate a lot of Noodles and Co. and Apple Spice Junction-- the two restuarants we knew we would miss terribly.

So Far This Year: I have finished teaching at Dixie High School, (I'm off to Snow Canyon in the fall) read 20 different novels, and finally scrapbooked pictures from 2002. I'm now starting the mission pictures which will take forever, I'm sure.

Yesterday: I played with my puppy, went to lunch with Charlie, scrapbooked 4-5 pages while watching Season One of Felicity, and had dinner at Charlie's sister's house. It was a good Saturday.

Today: I went to church, tried my best to teach 3 amped-up six-year-olds about Choosing the Right, did laundry, and played on the computer a little. This Blogging stuff IS addicting!

Tomorrow: I plan to go to the gym, run errands, play with my dog, maye get my hair done, and wait for it, scrapbook.

In the Next Year: I have no idea but I hope it involves finishing the upgrades on our condo, traveling to a city I've never been to (Chicago, New York, Minniapolis maybe?), and taking pictures of cute baby feet. Hopefully my own baby. And no, this is not an announcement of any kind, just a wish blown out into cyperspace.

So now I TAG: Jo, Holly, and Shawnee-- YOU'RE IT!

My 7th Grade Soundtrack...

Two weeks ago Charlie and I got to go see Les Miserables at Tuacahn (think Red Rocks, for all you Coloradoans, except the audience faces the huge red rocks, not downtown). There are only something like 6 theaters in the country licensed to put on Les Mis I guess, because it's that cool. Seriously, it was a wonderful show. The man who played Jean Val Jean was incredible! This cultural experience, besides making me wish I hadn't quit choir, made me think back to my first time seeing it. It was a Kids in America fieldtrip where Addie hit a poor old lady in the head with her program during the baracade scene. And then I got the soundtrack and became the freak 7th grader who used to tease my hair while blasting "On My Own" every morning. It wasn't normal, seeing as it was 1990 and between pop stars, but the rallying anthems of "Can You Hear the People Sing" helped me navigate the rough waters of Laredo Middle School. So because of that it will always be part of my life soundtrack.

I Like To Read...

So my sister said my blog is missing something-- a suggested reading list. Apparently she likes the books I babble about when we get together so I thought I would add a list. Feel free to comment or suggest some books yourself. And just as a warning, I must remind you about 2 things that will explain my random taste in literature. #1- I teach high school so a lot of what I read is what I like to call "research" for my job. And #2- I'm married to a Sci-Fi freak so in order to have intelligent conversations with him that proves we are both English nerds, I read some sci-fi too. So here you go, Cher. Enjoy. (I'll add more later this summer, ok?)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A Holocaust story about a young German girl but with a unique narrator, Death.

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty
3 high school friends in Australia take on secret assignments as they write pen pal letters with some boys from a rival school. A very fast read but fun characters.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I was hoping this book would not say that I had to travel all over the world (Italy, India, Indonisia) to find inner peace because, really, who can really afford that? I was pleasantly suprised. I loved the metaphors used and it was incredibly well-written.

Looking For Alaska by John Green
Sometimes I have a difficult time reading YA Lit with a male narrator because the focus usually is on sex, drinking, and more sex. But this one I enjoyed. It still has those things in it, but in a different way. It also has an interesting theme of studying Last Words.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Same incredible story-telling from the Twiligh series, but a step-up in the writing department. I loved it, and so did Charlie, which is a hard sell.

The Change Series by S. M. Stirling, it starts with the book Dies the Fire
There are currently 4 books in the series about what the world would be like if all of a sudden there is no electricity, no gun power, etc, so the world is thrown back about 200 years. An interesting look at humanity. These aren't really Sci-Fi books but leans more towards that then anything else.

Beautiful, Gorgeous, Wish You Were Here

My parents and sister came down to St. George at the beginning of June for a few days (this was before it became a sauna down here...) so we got to play tour guide. We spent two days wandering around Zion National Park so I thought I would share some pictures. Think of this as an advertisement to come and visit. Beautiful views, cheap hotel rooms, great company-- what else could you ask for? Come on down and visit for a spell.