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Hello there

2011-10-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

I posted earlier today and it didn't take, so this is more of a test than anything.

Jude will be one on Saturday!!

I can't believe it!

Moab 2010

2010-06-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

We took Parker and Drew to Moab. We had a fabulous time. I'm more than 20 weeks pregnant. We're having a boy!! He's been kicking up a storm today. His ultrasound pictures are so cute. I'll try to scan one soon!!

Moab 2010

2010-06-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy

2010-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm almost 18 weeks pregnant! I have been feeling the baby move. It is so amazing. I have my ultrasound May 26.

Fundraising Bears

2009-09-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Dave asked me if the company that makes the bears manufactures only for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I said no and started listing all the charities they include. He then asked me about PETSA (pronounced pizza). I asked him what that was and he said "People for the Ethical Treatment of Stuffed Animals". My husband is sooo funny. So now we are going to tell people they can adopt a bear for $10 from PETSA. All proceeds will still go to the LLS!!

Quilts

2009-09-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

My sisters and mom made me a lovely wedding quilt, and Danae made a lovely one for me as well! I am so honored and touched by their hard work and love! Dave likes the quilts too :).

Our Marriage Ceremony

2009-09-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

Oh yes!!!

2009-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

I just remembered I have a blog. Don't give up hope. I may just create a real post sometime soon.

My birthday and other exciting things

2009-06-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

First things first!! I'm engaged to David Scott! I'm marrying him August 3rd!!! I'll write more about that later. I quickly want to post this picture of cake. I came home with two pieces yesterday. Kelly made it for me and my class for my birthday. Delicious lemon pound cake. Just today, I was in Kelly's class telling everyone I was so excited to come home and eat the cake. They didn't know this, but I didn't come home last night, so I wasn't around to feed Mario breakfast. He took matters into his own hands and raided my cake!!

More later. I'm in a hurry to go clean up my house!!

Countess Dracula

2009-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I were at a concert at a church where her nephews were performing. We sat down for an informal photo session. When I saw this one I said, "I look like Dracula!" That was my immediate thought, but I didn't know why!!!! Upon more careful observation, we noticed my coat collar. My severe hairdo doesn't help either. Now I just need to photoshop the collar on the other side.

St. George and Las Vegas

2009-03-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that spring break is over. Three days is not enough! I went to Las Vegas. We stopped in St. George and stayed with Kim and Jason on the way. Highlights of the trip were going to Trader Joes, seeing the Beatles Cirque du Soleil, and finding a diamond pendant on the sidewalk. Oh, and the warm weather was nice too. :)

2009-03-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from today. Edie gave me a lovely cookie that she got at Backer's Bakery in Salt Lake. I gave Mario a bath today (he climbed up onto my back and would not get off! I still had my clothes on and they got soaked because I had to pour water over my back to rinse him off) then we went to Mi Rancherito. El Mexsal, that is. My mom and dad came too. My dad brought the cat food that he had picked up for me the other day. Thanks Dad!

Hello again

2009-02-25T07:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging because I've been spending my time on facebook. I have to admit, I really miss the blogging world. I like knowing that either people who really care about me are checking out my blog for the most part, or no one is. Either way I don't have to worry that practical strangers are reading about me. I suppose that's my fault because I added too many "friends" on facebook. Blogging is also better for keeping a personal history, I think. Don't give up on me. I'll be back.

Mario, My Superhero

2009-01-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Press play to see my cute and crazy cat.

New Year's Eve

2009-01-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve I went to the Spaghetti Factory with one of my good friends then met Edie, Naui, Laura and all kids and my mom and Ken at the Provo Towne Center. The Zambranos got mohawks. Laura had Ollie and we couldn't find them so I didn't get to see much of him. I went home and had a lovely midnight dance. We missed watching Anderson Cooper but I saw the recaps the next day.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

I was just kidding about the form letter :). On Christmas Eve, Edie, Naui, Addy, Ollie, Elena, Paolo, Ken, Cynthia and I ate dinner with my mom and dad at their house. Ollie said during dinner, "I would just like to announce that this is the best food ever!" I spent the night here at my mom and dad's, then on Christmas I gave my mom and dad each a bar of soap and they gave me the most beautiful Turkish Evil Eye bracelet. (My mom had already shown it to me because she was so excited about it.) Here's more information about the Nazar. http://www.nazarboncugu.com/default.htm. My mom and I went to the movie theaters and saw Doubt and Valkyrie, then my dad joined us for Yes Man. I met up with my friend Tina and her mom at JC Penney this morning and bought a sweater to wear to the party I'm going to tonight. I'm exchanging gifts with my "friend" tonight. I got him a lift ticket to Sundance, a book, and a $10 i-tunes card. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! To my loyal readership, THANK YOU!!!

Christmas Letter

2008-12-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for my online Christmas form letter.

Yoga Baby

2008-12-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Tree Skirt and Farmer's Markets

2008-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

On two totally unrelated notes, I found the Turkish swag I usually use for a Christmas tree skirt. It was in my office this whole time. Also, shame on me--I bought myself something at the Provo Farmer's Market today. If you don't get a present, you'll know why.

Invincible

2008-12-13T13:55:00.000-08:00

Kelly, You might appreciate this. After we went to the Christmas Chorus concert my 5 year old nephew said he really liked it and that the choir was invincible. We were all impressed by his word. We asked him where he had learned it, and he said he made it up.

Do I have a lookalike?

2008-12-13T13:54:00.001-08:00

I've been told I look like Tammy: http://breedermdphd.blogspot.com/. What do you think?

Confusion

2008-12-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

I got so confused today. There are two slacker boys in my listening/speaking class. Neither of them was there on gift-exchange day (secret Santa). They both showed up today and in class I made arrangements for one of them to come get his gift (from another student) which I had taken to my office. We planned to do this after graduation. The other one told me he needed to take the final early because he was leaving for his country on Monday.

Sooo, after ESL graduation, the gift one came up to me and asked if he could come to my office. I thought he wanted to take the test (which I hadn't even prepared yet!). I said now was not a good time and to come to my office at 3:00 (when another young woman was taking the final early). He said 3:00 was not a good time for him and that 4:00 was better. I said okay.

So at 3:00, the other guy and the girl came to take the test. I was a bit confused. I asked out loud, "Are three people taking the test?" I gave them the test, ornery the whole time because I thought I'd have to do it all over again in an hour (play cds for the listening test). They left, then the other guy came. I was still thinking I was giving him the test!! He told me he was just there for his present.

I went to the gym later that day and started laughing really hard when I remembered how mean I had been to him at graduation--telling him he had to come at 3:00. Poor guy. All he wanted was his gift.

And why am I so confused? Fatigue is my only excuse.

New Neighborhood

2008-12-02T13:51:00.001-08:00

Here is Mario checking out his new Provo neighborhood. Yes, I moved to Happy Valley. I never thought this day would come! I should have my internet set up at home again tomorrow so I can update my blog a little more often. Really it should wait until I finish this semester. Anyone want to help me grade papers :)?

The Contortionist

2008-11-20T05:59:00.001-08:00

Obama Baby!

2008-11-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

All I can say right now is that I am SO happy right now. Yeah Barack Obama!!!!

It's Just the Hair

2008-11-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

Addy dresses like this everyday. The only difference is the hair.

Names

2008-11-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

I always learn my students' names. That is not to say that I remember all of them when a semester ends--but at least I know who my students are when they are in my class. This semester has been particularly hard. I have a Myung Hee, Myung Ho, Kyung Hee and Kyung Min. I have a Hye Yun and a Yun Mee. In one class I have a Maria, Mariana and Marianella. Try getting all of that straight :).

Salad

2008-10-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

Patricia told me about this salad:
spinach,arugula, sweet peppers (in season), dried blueberries, chopped almonds or walnuts, grated carrots, finely chopped cauliflower, feta. Dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar or lime, honey, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Pix, Finally. More Later.

2008-10-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

13.1

2008-10-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

I walked my 13.1 miles (and more) today. I feel pretty good right now! That's why I love half marathons :). We walked from Union Square, down by Fisherman's Wharf, through the Presidio and up near the Golden Gate Bridge, then down through the Golden Gate Park to the finish. One memorable moment was walking by a lovely young survivor doing the walk herself. I spoke to her and she spoke to me so naturally, kind of like we had known each other forever. I also saw the cutest curly haired little girl who was also a survivor. I took a picture, so eventually hopefully you can see!

I walked along with Tonya, Kate, Gayl and Diane.

At the finish line, a fireman in a tux handed me my Tiffanys sterling silver finisher's necklace. I love it. Just a short update. I'm going to pack up now so tomorrow I can focus on some grading!!

18 Million!

2008-10-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

We went to the Pasta Party last night. We raised $18 Million collectively!! Wow! I'll write more later....

San Francisco Day 1

2008-10-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm so confused. My pictures aren't uploading. I can't figure out why?! Help!

It's been a fun day! I went to sleep last night (this morning!) at 3:15 and woke up at 4:15, so who knows what has been powering me today. My dad took me to the airport bright and early. The team flew into Oakland then took a Team in Training bus to our hotel in San Fran. I had finally met my two mentees, Coleen and Amy, and they are two of the lovliest women you have ever seen. I'll take their pictures tomorrow so you can see them too. I happened to arrive at the airport around the same time as them. Poor Amy's sister slept in so Amy had to drive herself to the airport and park there.

At 10:00 we went to the race expo in Union Square. We got our race numbers and heard about the wall and poster where it shows the names of the 20,000 participants in this year's race. I have forgotten how much money we have raised collectively, but you can be sure I'll include that in tomorrow's blog. It's millions!! I sat at the oxygen bar and got a manicure at the expo--very relaxing.

I was hanging out with Sue, my roommate, and I'm getting to know her a little more. Her brother-in-law runs a cable car, so after eating some pho at the food emporium below Bloomingdales, we rode the cable car up and back down towards Fisherman's Wharf. We didn't have a lot of time to look around there but I'll go back. I'm on a quest for some knee-buckling champagne truffles and seashells :).

I did do a bit of shopping today. I got cute socks and tights at Nordstrom and a race shirt, bag and socks at Nike Town.

It's weird, a lot of the people here (especially the women participating in the race) look familiar to me. I don't know if it's because I see the faces of the incredible women in my life in the faces of the women here--but I am just in awe of the hard work and dedication that is represented in all these fabulous women! I wish I could learn all their stories and reasons for being here. It's pretty amazing.

I do this all in memory and honor of Anthony. Love you Anth.

The Lazy Blogger

2008-10-14T06:55:00.001-07:00

I think I'm going to do it. I think I'm going to move to Utah County. I'm not sure if I'm going to rent or buy yet, but I think I'll head down soon--like by the end of the month. The commute is wearing on me finally!

Elena's birthday was the day before yesterday and Paolo got blessed. He fell asleep during the blessing. It was so cute seeing Naui hold up a groggy almost one-year-old baby after the blessing. Edie and I had been wondering what he was doing because he was so quiet!

The day before, we went to Gardner Village to celebrate Nena's birthday. We took the hay ride with the witch and ate Edie's homemade Chili. It was quite fun but oh so cold.

The picture of my new Ann Taylor LOFT find is for Kelly, and anyone else who likes fashion :). For some reason, I just love this little jacket.

I leave for San Francisco on Friday morning! I will be walking a half marathon in honor and memory of Anthony. Thanks to everyone who donated and supported me in this effort!!!

Weddings and Crazy Cat Ladies

2008-09-17T16:12:00.001-07:00

Before I left for Peter's wedding this morning I spread out all my new fundraising bears. When I came home, Mario was in the midst of all of them. So cute. Pete and Kendra's wedding was beautiful--outside near Log Haven, then with a luncheon buffet in Log Haven. Their friend Ethan wrote an amazing poem that he sang. The vows they wrote to each other were precious, especially Kendra's. Marcie looked radiant (so did Jill), Ted looked great and Bonnie and Tom were the happiest parents around. I'm so thankful for the blessing in this family's life following Marcie and Chris's great sadness. I love the Hansens!! P.S. The pictures are in nowhere near the order I wanted them in. Oh well!

Henna

2008-09-07T07:53:00.001-07:00

The other fun thing I did yesterday was get a henna tattoo. I think it turned out pretty well. And speaking of Henna, I am going to have my fundraising spa night September 26. Features: henna tattoos, temporary tattoos, pedicures, massages a la Caroline, yoga, aromatherapy, food, raffle items including new men's clothing from JC Penney and Chipotle burrito vouchers... Please put this on your calendars.

I Can't Freaking Wait

2008-09-06T22:27:00.001-07:00

I bought Elena the cutest outfit at the Peach Days Festival in Brigham City today. I cannot wait to give it to her!!

Kids and kitty

2008-09-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the promised first day of kindergarten photo of Ollie. Last night I babysat Paolo and Elena at my house. On the same day I took Ollie's picture, I was squeezing Lolo's cheeks to try to get a good shot of his one tooth, but last night he smiled the most natural smile to show off his tooth in all its glory. Elena was a doll last night. And of course, Mario cannot be left out.

I sold John Stockton

2008-08-31T20:25:00.000-07:00

I sold John Stockton to a guy at the Farmer's Market. We haven't closed the transaction yet but I promised to save it for him. We'll finish the deal on Wednesday. Thanks to Heidi for helping me with bear sales! And thanks to Travis Tanner of Tanner Frames for framing John Stockton. And thanks to Trent Nelson, the photographer.

John Stockton Poster

2008-08-27T10:03:00.001-07:00

I posted an ad on Craig's List about an email auction of the John Stockton Poster, and I'll be updating current bids here. There are no bids as of yet. All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Silver Lake

2008-08-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

I went up to Silver Lake with my Turkish friends and others for a nice walk and late lunch. I brought raspberries--they were a big hit! I was so excited when I saw that Hulya had made my favorite Turkish dessert, sekerpare. Actually there are 3 Hulyas. Imagine that! The one walking with her husband is Ayse, and the other women are Handan (sp) and Alexandra (from Russia). I haven't learned all their husbands' names yet. I hope to get to know them all a little more because they are so fun and delightful! They are havinga baby shower for Hulya 2 Thursday night so I'll have to see about that (it's Anthony's birthday and I would love to go to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival to honor him.)
My dreams of having a Turkish life were re-ignited yesterday when I got an email from Erkan...

Random Photos From the Week

2008-08-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

I visited Edie's family on Monday because they were leaving for Denver that day. Ollie turned 5 this week. Elena laughed so hard at the picture of herself with the sticky face. The other cute little girl is one of my student's daughters. Not hard to tell which student because they resemble each other so much. The same silly putty I fashioned the rose from also got caught in Mario's fur. He had to have a little haircut. My students put on a performance of Sherlock Holmes. Some of them also graduated from the ESL program. Those students applauded me in class today and one of them said that I would forever live in his mind. Things are good. Goodnight!

Mirror Mirror

2008-07-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

I just made a mirror for Elena. I first started making these mirrors after the one that Terumi gave me finally wore out. Terumi was a Japanese exchange student we had many years ago, and one of the loves of Anthony's life. The blue one is Elena's.

The Secret

2008-07-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

How many of you have read or seen the Secret? This is the idea about the Law of Attraction. Our lives our manifestations of our thoughts, so all we have to do is think about what we want--put that intention out to the universe, then it will come to pass. We will attract those things to us. Now, I'm not sure how much of that I believe. Certainly I think it is better to be positive than negative, but I think the idea of the Secret can cause people guilt and frustration if things DON'T manifest. I suppose that people who believe it whole-heartedly would say there's still a lack of faith. I decided to try it a bit today. Before I left my house to do some errands I said I wanted to run into somebody that I really wanted to see. I ran into my friend Jenny Hunt. I worked with her at ELI before she left to have twins. It was so fun seeing her and her children!

So, it worked. But how do I deal with one of the most problematic areas of my life right now--my smoky apartment? If I simply say I want to live in a smoke free environment--put that out into the universe-- how do I keep myself from feeling frustrated and upset when I do smell smoke? Do I keep complaining to the management and working on the solution (which might include forcing them to let me break my contract and move) or do I just trust now that it will all work out? What do you think?

I have a friend who has kind of lived parts of her life by doing the opposite of the Secret--imagining the undesired. I think her life is going pretty well! I'm confused! And I'm kind of turned off by all the mention of wealth and material things that you can get if you figured out the Secret. I need to hear from those of you who've read the book or seen the movie.

July 24

2008-07-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Edie, Addy, Ollie, Elena, and Paolo spent the night on the 23rd. We took Marcie dinner, then played with our silly putty and tried to hunker down for the night. Nena went to sleep at midnight, then Addy and I watched a movie. Then next morning I made pancakes. Go to chiggyzam.blogspot.com if you want to read the full truth. Then I went to This Is the Place State Park with Liz and Adama. Adama is a former ELI student. He actually lives in my apartment complex. He's from Burkina Faso. Stay tuned for my next post: I'm going to write a little bit about my apartment.

It's in the Bag

2008-07-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have an obsession

2008-07-21T21:15:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking today about how I hardly gave the full story about my love for Sting. Then tonight, I was looking through old teaching files and realized I'd actually composed a paragraph about Sting as an example (I can't say it's the best paragraph, and it STILL left out some of the truth (good thing--I wouldn't want my students to get the completely wrong idea. I wonder what they thought when they read this paragraph and how it fit into my lesson plan.))

Anyway, it goes like this: I think it is safe to say that I have an obsession for the singer Sting. I have all his CDs, and I listen to them regularly. I have been to see Sting in concert at least 5 times. I don't care how much the tickets cost, I always to to see Sting when he is in town. When I was living in Turkey, I was lucky enough to see Sting play in Istanbul. My obsession extends beyond listening to Sting's music. I have actually had several dreams about him. One time, I dreamed that I was in a yoga studio with Sting. In the dream, I asked him if he would make an instructional yoga video. He said he would think about it. Whether I am listening to Sting by day or dreaming about him by night, I definitely have an obsession for him.

Funny, huh? What I didn't tell the student is that I had a dream that Sting was my teacher, and that he was teaching with his shirt off. I don't normally share that much in a blog, but hey--I'm still on the post concert high!

The Police

2008-07-21T08:57:00.001-07:00

As you can see, we went to the Police concert on Saturday night. Naui and Addy were there too. We had lawn seats, which was tough, since I've seen Sting several times where I've been close enough to see him without binoculars. And I was teased twice with closer seats (3 if you count trying to call into 103.5 when the sirens sounded). Ah well. I might be the only one there who's actually seen Sting in Istanbul. All that said, we had a really fun time and the concert was great. It brought back so many memories. I had the biggest crush on Craig Hogan when I was 13 or 14, and Every Breath You Take was Our Song. Ha Ha. Thanks to my siblings who turned me on to the Police when I was but a child!!

Pretty Princess

2008-07-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

I had to steal this picture of my niece off my sister's blog because it is so cute. Ollie is in the background too!

For Cuteness' Sake

2008-07-16T16:37:00.001-07:00

Last night I was with my four-year-old nephew Ollie. I said, "Who loves you?" He replied, "You, and everybody who likes my cuteness."

Please Critique

2008-07-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Riding on the bus and trax train for my 90-mile roundtrip daily commute has given me time to reflect on my ultra-green mother, who seemingly came by it naturally! She was a baby during World War II, thereby not experiencing the Great Depression. Were there enough vestiges of hard times as she grew up to make her the way she is? I’m not sure, because I certainly don’t know anybody quite like her. I can only hope to be half as ecologically friendly as my mother.
As long as I can remember, my parents have had two cars, but they never drove like they had two cars! I distinctly remember my mom consolidating errands, saying, “I’m only going out one time today.” During my childhood, gas was a precious commodity to her. If we were driving downhill, she would shut the engine off, put the vehicle into neutral, and let gravity (physics?) do its trick. She valued every last drop of fuel, even to the point of running out of gas. I remember waiting with several of my brothers and sisters in our vehicle while she walked to the nearest gas station, probably with the youngest of the kids in tow.
We learned very young how to make use of public transportation. One family story claims I actually fell asleep on the lap of a stranger on one of the buses in Salt Lake City in the early 70s.
My mom also conserved energy in our home. I don’t remember ever having a clothes dryer. Hanging clothes out on the clothesline in our basement or backyard was as big a part of my childhood as playing with neighborhood friends. Several winter mornings I would put on not-quite-dry icy jeans, figuring my body heat would dry them out eventually.
My mom kept our thermostat at 58 degrees in the winter, day and night. Our kitchen and family room were the only rooms that had open heater vents, and they were blocked off from the rest of the house with a slatted wooden door and a long, heavy canvas curtain. I remember huddling over the heater vent with a baby blanket every time the heat turn on in order to capture what warmth I could. If any of us complained about the cold, we were promptly given a chore to do, which my mom assured would quickly warm us up. We learned not to complain! Despite one of my brother’s friends declaring that our house was the coldest and darkest one he knew, there was a lot of happiness in that house. Instead of frequently shuttling us to our friends’ houses, we learned how to be each other’s best friends.
We could laugh together when my mom would collect the toilet paper off the trees that we had been T.P.eed with, put it in paper sack, and place it in the bathroom for us to use!
My mom and dad became the owners of my beloved brother’s Cadillac when he passed away of cancer. My mother values this car for many reasons—mainly because it belonged to the baby of our family—and because she knows that although this was a good vehicle for my brother, is it a real gas guzzler. She takes it out on rare occasions, preferring instead to use a combination of bicycle, bus and train.
My dream someday is to be able to show my future children this old relic of a car, which will probably still be running due to its low mileage and say, “This car belonged to your uncle, and then to your grandmother.” It ran on something called gasoline, which you can now only get at gas stations few and far between.” I’ll then point out all the people on bikes, electric buses and trains, and tell them to breathe the fresh air, and to thank people like my mom who paved the way for a greener earth.

Orange

2008-07-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Elena found my mirror and orange lipstick and put it on herself. She already had orange nails, so I told her to put her fingers by her mouth. This was the pose she decided on. What a cutie.

The Fourth

2008-07-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July. I love the one with Elena's arm around Ollie. She is so affectionate! The lovely ladies are our friends from England: Lucy, Meg, Amy, their mother, and some of their children. They all live here in Utah now!! My mom made a quick visit to the parade before heading up to Midway with Ken to look at my dad's art exhibit there. Addy and his friends sold snowcones.

Right now, all our thoughts are with my beloved cousin Marcie, who lost her baby girl while giving birth this weekend. My heart aches for her and her family. I love you Marcie.

FUNdraising

2008-06-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

On September 14th, I am walking a half marathon in Maui for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My minimum fundraising goal is $3700. I'm selling these darling bears as part of my fundraising campaign. By the way, welcome to my new blog :)!!