Vancouver 2010

Did I ever write about the incredibly awesome gift Marcy got me for Christmas?? Tickets to see Women's Curling at the Olympics next month. I am BEYOND excited!!! True to form, as soon as my brother found out, he booked a flight to the Olympics. His exact words were, "I thought I would be the first Wendell to go to the Olympics." Some things never change..... :)

Anyway.... It will be REALLY fun to have him and Leann up here for a visit and to meet them in Vancouver for Curling. And now to the exciting addition... Bryan decided to treat all four of us to tickets to Women's Figure Skating (Short Program) while we're there. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when he told me that... I can, however, show you....

Picture 6: January 6, 2010


It's been on my "Life To-Do List" to go to the Olympics, so the trip will be an awesome, fulfilling experience. I can't wait!!

Pictures-A-Day

Well, I've made it to January 5th and I'm still keeping up with my photos-a-day!! Amazing, right?? :)

Picture 4: January 4, 2010
Two parents and my assistant troop leader modeling our flattering Cookie Costumes. They dressed up as the cookies and handed out their cookie to the girls to sample. Definitely the highlight of the troop meeting last night!!


Picture 5: January 5, 2010
I got home today to find a box on my porch. Curious, I opened it and discovered this wonderful new toy. If you know me, you know that I'm slightly (haha!) OCD, so it may be shocking to know that I didn't already have a label maker. Well, now I've got one, so I bet you can guess what I'm doing tonight...

WE WON!!

I'm so excited!! I was really impressed with Ruffin McNeill's decisions throughout the game. I definitely would like to see him coaching next year at Tech. And if Tech is dumb enough to not hire him, I'd love to see him coaching somewhere!

Picture #3: January 3, 2010
I've been quite a home-body this weekend, so my pictures to start out the year aren't too exciting, and this one follows suit. However, tomorrow is jam-packed with events, so hopefully my pictures will gain interest :)

This is my newest Etsy find - a wool iPhone case with the vintage Apple logo. I *heart* it a lot, and it keeps my iPhone warm!! :)

Alamo Bowl

21-20 Michigan State with 8:53 left in the third....What's going to happen?? AHHH! Come on Tech!

Picture #2: January 2, 2010

I'm pretty bummed about Mike Leach leaving, and I'm REALLY bummed about all the negative attention Tech is receiving because of some doofus football player....Definitely interested to find out what happens. Perhaps Ruffin McNeill will be the next head coach - I think I might be okay with that, it'll certainly keep our defense in line.

A Picture A Day

I tried this a couple years ago, and I think I made it to January 10th or something sadly pathetic...However, I seem to always carry my camera in my bag and my phone has a decent camera, so I'm going to give it a go again. And, now that it's on my blog, it's official, right?? I am going to take one picture a day and document my photos on my blog. Wish me luck!! Do you make a New Year's Resolution? What is it?? Happy 2010!!

Oh, and are you going to say "Twenty Ten" or "Two Thousand Ten" - just curious because this was a topic of conversation at the Girl Scout office this week - busy week at the office, as you can tell....

Picture #1: January 1, 2010
The last ornaments on the tree are these little snowmen bells - I'm leaving them on the tree and leaving the tree up for a few more days.... It went from a "Christmas" tree to a "Winter" tree - Just can't quite get rid of it yet....

Google Search

I followed Stephanie's lead and googled my name to see if my blog showed up, and sure enough, there it was first thing. My bank account got hacked into earlier this year, and I work with some pretty computer-saavy 7th graders...Thus, I've decided to make my blog private. I plan to do this later this week, so e-mail/leave me a comment to let me know if you want me to add you to the list. Thanks! I hope everyone had a great holiday...more on mine once I upload the pictures :)

Holiday Update

When I was younger, December seemed to take FOREVER, but the older I get, the faster the month goes. Geez, I'm really starting to sound like my mother..

So, since my last post, things have not slowed down one bit! I got back from a wonderful trip to New Mexico (minus falling and twisting my knee...again...where, you ask? Not on the ski slopes, not on the hike...in the shower. Go figure!!) and had a busy week of teaching.

I've been working with my classes on a Women's History project. Each girl picked a woman from history and wrote a report about what she contributed to society, then made a poster. The girls L-O-V-E making posters! We also were busy developing curriculum for younger girls. Then, each of my classes got to take a field trip to the elementary school to put their lesson into action. They had a blast! My 6th grade girls developed lessons on honesty and fairness. My 7th grade girls developed lessons on the 5 senses. It was so neat to see them teach, and to hear their feedback - they all said, "I didn't know it would be this hard." HA! This week we're focusing on taking care of your body, eating disorders, and dating violence. We're ending the week with a self-defense class. Hopefully the girls will use it only when necessary and not to fight with their friends - we've had several talks about this in class!

My 7th grade girls teaching the 2nd graders about the five senses.




I went to Pullman, WA a couple weeks ago to visit the Kappa Delta Chapter at Washington State University. I'm officially the Chapter Advisor for the chapter now, and spent the weekend meeting the girls and learning the ropes. I got to stay in the guest room at the beautiful KD house. It was really fun and I'm looking forward to going back.

The KD House


A building on the WSU campus - I passed this on my morning workout in the 8 degree WINDY weather - BRRR!!


Last weekend was spent at Girl Scout Camp River Ranch with 16 middle schoolers. I'm part of a team developing a new program that trains girls to become public speakers for Girl Scouts. We spent the weekend in one of the camp cabins and led sessions on developing speeches, stage fright, positive feedback, and talking to adults. We also went on a "no flashlights allowed" night hike - the girls screamed most of the way - it was hilarious!! I was in charge of the meals and cooking for the trip, which I really enjoyed.

The girls in front of the "Feedback Podium," where they learned to give positive feedback to each other


I'm REALLY looking forward to Friday - TWO WEEKS of no school. I still have to work, but it will be nice to taking advantage of working from home, sleeping in, and gearing up for next semester!!