5th Album, 5th Picture.......80's Style!!

The name of the game is to pick the 5th photo in the 5th album of your pictures on your computer. This is one of my favorite pictures of all time! It was taken at Megan's (Cort's sister) 30th Birthday party! 80's garb at it's finest!!! Dad and I kickin it 80's style!!!

"I Can Ride My Bike With No Handlebars....."

Well, this week wasn't too eventful for us.  Work, school, ya know, the same old stuff.  Saturday was eventful though!  I went to watch my sister-sue, Tayler, race in a Cyclocross race at Wheeler Farm.  Over the summer, she tool up cycling.  She raced in a few races, but started the season a little late and didn't have too much actual "race time", but trained a lot!  

In the fall, most of the racers race in a type of race called Cyclocross.  It is a off road style bike race with mud, rocks, log and barrier jumping, and all kinds of fun stuff.  Well, Tayler was scared at first to do race in these races, but jumped in with both feet and is AWESOME at it!!!  She has already moved up to the top division in the women's races!  Saturday, she took 5th place in the race, which in my book is great!!!  There were a lot of really fast girls that raced, and being this is Tayler's first season, I think she did awesome!!!  Here are some pictures from the race.....

This is my favorite picture of the day!

Barrier jumping.  Some guy kept walking in front of me while I was trying to take these pictures.  It was really getting on my nerves!  This was the best picture I could get.

Tayler is the one in the middle.

The spectators area.

The other moment of note from this week happened Friday.  It was shaping up to be a a regular old Friday at school.  My class came in and were doing their handwriting practice page.  Once they were finished, they came to sit down on the rug so we could start our morning routine.  Garden started singing and doing the actions to the song "Where is Thumbkin", and I thought it was darling!  She told me she wanted to teach it to the class, so I let her come and teach the kids her song.  Well, that lit a fire in all my kids!  They all wanted to come and sing a song to the class.  So, I went with it.  I had a variety of the usual kids songs like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and the ABC's, and even a number from the Sound of Music.  Then, Mark wanted to come and sing for us.  He came up, and as soon as all the kids were listening, he started to sing........the Flobots "I can ride my bike with no handlebars......", and I started laughing HYSTERICALLY!!!!  It was so funny!!!  It is moments like these that keep me sane and remind me why I love my job!!!

Funerals, Good News, Parties, and a Tag!

It has been a while since my last update, and SO much has happened since then!!  We have been busy little bees!!!  So, after much ridicule and harassment about my lack of updates, here it is.  I apologize again for the lack of pictures.  I really am working on taking more.  You'd think with an iPhone, I would take a whole lot more....but I honestly forget.  Anywho.....on with the update!

Well, will start with the good news.  2 Saturdays ago, Cameron received a letter in the mail from the community college informing him that he FINALLY gets to start the nursing program in January!!!  We are super excited about it!!  We've waited 2 1/2 LONG years waiting to find out when he was going to be able to start.  When he initially applied, they gave him the start date of Fall 2011.....at least we didn't have to wait until then!!  He has a lot to do to get ready (booster shots, CPR training, a lengthy orientation, buying scrubs, etc), but we thrilled to finally have a start date.  He was initially shocked, and a little worried about starting so soon, but now that he has had time to process it all, he is super excited.  He has an all day orientation on November 5th, so I hopefully I will have more info to pass on.  

Now, for some not so happy news.  On October 2, my cute little Great Grandma Moss passed away at the ripe old age of 94.  The past year or so, she has suffered several "little" strokes (if you can call any stroke "little") and her body just started to slowly shut down.  She tried to stay positive, but it became harder and harder and she was able to do less on her own.  About a week before she passed away, my family moved her to a facility that was more equipped to give her the care she needed.  It was less than a week later that she passed away in the early evening.  We will miss her a lot, but know she is happy and healthy now, and even standing up straight (she hadn't been able to do that for several years)!  She will be remembered each time I pull something out of the oven and use one of the pot holders she crocheted, or snuggle up with the white afghan she made Cameron and I for our wedding present.  I am going to miss getting my monthly copy if the Ensign from her (that was the birthday gift she has given me for as long as I can remember).  I guess I am going to have to subscribe on my own now.

The second bit of sad news is a real heart breaker.  Many of you have heard me talk about one of the kiddos in my class named Jonah.  He is a darling little boy, but can be quite the handful.  He has been through so much in his life already and is only 5 years old.  Well, last Friday, October 10th, his life became even harder.  After a long battle with addiction and recovery, as well as a bout with cancer, his mom, Amber, passed away after being in a coma for 2 weeks due to a methadone overdose (she was trying to ween herself off of the pain medication they had given her for her cancer treatment).  I was able to attend the funeral on Thursday because it was UEA break.  It was the most heart breaking funeral that I have ever been to. Listening to all the memories people had of her, and hearing how hard she was trying to get clean for her kids, really made me appreciate my family and all they have gone through to make our family what it is today.  I am so glad I was able to go because seeing how happy it made Jonah to see me, made me realize how much impact I can really have on the kids in my class.  I hope that by being there to support Jonah and his family during this difficult time, I have built  a higher level of trust with him (since he has an issue with trust because of his past).

We also have been doing a lot of "partying" the past month.  Our good buddy, Josh, celebrated his 24th birthday on the 10th and we were able to all meet up for dinner and a haunted house in Ogden to celebrate with he and Liz and several other friends.  We meet up at Texas Roadhouse for a delicious dinner and A LOT  of laughs!  Then we headed to the Haunted Hallow for a fright or 2!  It was so much fun!  I wish they lived closer so we could see each other more!  Here are some of pictures from the event (I stole them from Liz's blog....thanks for taking the pics Liz)! 

Josh and Emily

Aren't we just too cute for words?

The Birthday Boy being sung to by the Texas Roadhouse crew!

Liz and Josh at Dinner

 Creepy "Swamp Thing" at the Haunted Hallow.

The other party we've attended this month was for Cameron's Great Grandma Boam.  She turned 94 on October 14th!!  Wow, another Great Grandma who is 94!!  She threw herself quite the birthday bash at her retirement home, Golden Living.  Cameron wasn't able to go because he had to work, and I was only able to go for about half an hour because it fell on a Tuesday night....the night of the dreaded ESL endorsement class!  It was fun to see all the cute little old ladies get all dressed up for the party!  There was a DJ and dancing, and Cameron's Grandparents who are serving a mission in Germany sent a little video to wish Grandma Boam a Happy Birthday!  It was fun!  I hope to be little cute little old lady one day who has the rockin birthday at the retirement community!

So, I have fallen in love with Sex and the City.  I LOVED the movie!!!  It makes me want to move to New York and become a writer!  I had never seen the TV show before I saw the movie, so I decided to add the series DVD's to my Netflix que.  Well, it was a good think I had some spare time this weekend (since I was sick and laid on the couch all day Friday, and it was UEA) I watch the majority of the second season.  Cam and I had watched the 1st season here and there for a few weeks now and liked it, but season 2 really sealed the deal for me!  I immediately added the remaining 4 seasons to my que!  I now know what the craze was all about!

Until the next update......I promise it won't be in a month from now!  Now, on to the tag!!  Liz combined a few into one, so here it is...The Smorgeshborg of Tags!!!

I am: a teacher, a sister, a wife, a daughter, and a friend.

I think about:  what I am going to look like when I am an old lady.

I know:  I picked the perfect profession for my personality.

I want:  to learn to speak Spanish fluently.

I wish:  I could breath through my nose (remember....I have another cold :))

I hate:  to be cold.

I miss:  my friends who are far away!

I fear:  spiders!!

I feel:  content with my life.

I hear:  Sex and the City....the movie in the background.

I smell:  Nothing.....remember the cold?

I crave:  Cafe Rio salads.

I search:  for ways to be a better teacher.

I wonder:  what my future kids will be like.

I regret:  nothing.  

I love:  Cameron and my family.

I care: about my kids at school.

I always:  wear lotion.  I am kind of obsessed with it.

I am not:  the best at updating my blog.

I believe:  all things happen for a reason.

I dance:  horribly.  

I sing:  horribly.

I don't always:  remember to wear my wedding ring.  I love it, but mornings aren't my best time of day!!

I write:  a lot of emails everyday!

I win:  random things.

I loose:  socks.

I never:  fold laundry....that is Cameron's job.

I listen:  to Pandora radio a lot!

I can be found:  a lot of places.

I am scared:  of spiders!  I hate them!!

I need:  a blanket.....I'm cold!!

I am happy about:  everything!  I love my life!!

8 TV Shows I love to watch:

• Sex and the City
  
• John and Kate + 8
  
• The Biggest Loser
  
• Criminal Minds
  
• The Office
  
• Iron Chef
  
• Prison Break
  
• The Cleaner
  

8 Places I LOVE to eat:

• Red Iguana
  
• Cheesecake Factory
  
• The Porcupine Grill
  
• Cafe Rio
  
• Market Street
  
• Z Tejas
  
• Kyoto
  
• Red Rock
  

8 Things that happened this past week:

• I had a little girl poop her pants......twice!  And on purpose!!
  
• I got sick.
  
• I went to a Birthday Party at a retirement community!
  
• I had 2 days off of work (Woot Woot for UEA!!!)
  
• I went grocery shopping.
  
• I went to a funeral.
  
• I learned how to count to 100 in Spanish.
  
• I had dinner with my mom and sister!
  

8 Places I have traveled:

• Maui
  
• Jamaica
  
• Cozumel
  
• Playa del Carmen
  
• San Francisco
  
• New York City
  
• The Grand Cayman
  
• Haiti
  

8 Things I am looking forward to:

• Christmas
  
• My Birthday (Nov. 19th!  Mark your calendar!!!)
  
• Buying a house.
  
• Getting my Master's Degree
  
• Summer vacation!
  
• Going to McCall with the my family in June!
  
• Having kids.....not for a few years!  At least 2!
  
• The Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie.
  

8 Thing I love about Fall:

• Sweaters
  
• The colors
  
• UEA Break
  
• Halloween
  
• My Birthday
  
• Cool nights and warm days
  
• Pumpkin treats (mmm....pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are my favorite!)
  
• Fuzzy socks
  

8 Things I can't live without:

• Cameron
  
• My family
  
• A good book
  
• My iPhone
  
• Lotion
  
• Bare Minerals make up
  
• My FuFu sisters :)
  
• Chapstick  
  

Home Again.....

I know I have slacked on the blog front, but since school started, I have been super busy!  My little kiddos are getting more adjusted to school!  We've had 1 whole day out of 12 where there was NO crying!!  Isn't that fantastic!  I was thrilled with it!  They have come a long ways....which is great because I was REALLY worried after the first day of school.  They know how to sit, line up, get their lunch, and 21 out of 25 of them can write their name without looking at it anymore!!!  I am so excited about it!  Kinda lame, but if you had seen what I started with, you would be excited too!  My Spanish and ESL classes are going well too.  Time consuming, but really worth it.  I have been using my newly acquired Spanish speaking skills a lot!!!

We just come home from spending the week at Cam's parent's house while they were gone

 to New York.  It was a great week.....I saved a ton of gas not having to drive more than 3

 minutes to work!  And Milo (their dog) only managed to chew through 1 pillow!!  So I call that a successful week!  The even surprised me with a fabulous prize from their trip!  When we were in Vegas, my dear little Stacy introduced me to the most delicious smelling perfume....Marc Jacob's Daisy.  Well, Cam fell in love with it too when we were school shopping and bought me a bottle of the lotion to start out with.  I love it and wear it every day.  Now I can wear the perfume too!  They brought me home a bottle of it!!  I love it!!  Stace, I hope you found your Daisy Ring!!!  

I am excited to say that I have officially begun the process of applying to grad school!  If all goes well, I plan to start classes this summer to work of my M.Ed, and reading endorsement.  It is going to be a long 

and slow process, but I am really excited to do it.  I still have to take the GRE, and finish the application for the Education Department, but have completed everything for the University admissions, which is the first step, since they have to admit me before any other

 department can.  A master's degree is something that I have always wanted, and know that if I am going to do it, now is the time because the longer I wait to go back, the less likely I am to actually do it.  Keep your fingers crossed!

The other thing I am incredible excited about that began in the last week is 

The Biggest Loser: Families!  I LOVE that show!!  I know it sounds corny, but it always motivates me to be a better person and take better care of myself.  As the blog as my witness, and all of the lovely readers........in 1 year from today it is my goal to look as close to Ali (the winner of last years competition, pictured below) as possible.  I know what I need to do, and now is the time for me to do it!  I am going to use my blog as a way to track my progress because it will hold me accountable.  I owe it to myself, Cameron, and our families to be the healthiest person I can be.  Like getting my master's degree, now is the time to do it.  I gotta do it for me.  This isn't going to be easy, but will be so worth it in the long run.

More Testing and Fond Memoriesl!!!

I suppose it is time for an update!  I have been super busy since I went back to school!  My first week was full of meeting, which were all pretty good and worth while.  I wish they gave us more prep time to work in our classrooms though.  This week I have been giving my kids the State mandated Pre-Kindergarten screening.  Let me just say how sick and tired of testing kids I am!!  I am going on a month of testing!  Between the Extended Day Kindergarten Placement test and the one now, I am all tested out!  I am beyond ready for the kids to come to school so I can actually teach them!  My teaching assistant, Nancy, has been in this week helping get thing ready for me.  She is a doll and I know will be a great asset to me this year.  Right now I have 24 students in my class, 11 girls and 13 boys which is pretty balanced compared to my classes last year!  I do have 7 non english speaking students which is a new thing for me.  5 speak Spanish, and 2 speak Farsi (they are from Afghanistan and Iran).  I hadn't even heard of Farsi before!  I guess that shows how ignorant I am.  Anywho, I am really excited to get the year underway!

I am working on getting my ESL (english as a second language) endorsement this year.  It will help me with my non english speaking families, and get me some more money :).  That is always a plus right?  It is a year long program and gives me 18 semester hours, so I will be pretty busy.  I am also taking a Spanish class for teachers, which will be great!  It is a 12 week program taught out of Highland High School and will DEFINITELY help me with my Spanish speaking families.  I know it sounds like a lot of extra stuff, but it will be well worth it.  And, the school district is paying for ALL OF IT!!!  I am not spending a penny of my own money, which is AWESOME!!  Just don't expect me to be available on Tuesday and Wednesday nights :).

The other day, I was on my way to Lakeshore (the teacher store) and had a hankering for a fresh lime from Take 5.  Well, to my surprise, it was closed.....for good!  I knew they were closing because the property had been sold to make way for an extended stay hotel, but I though it would be open till the end of the month.  Well, I was wrong.  Take 5 closed it's doors for good after 35 years on August 23rd.  It was kind of sad!  I have many fond memories from my days working there!  Cam and I did meet there after all!   I guess all good things must come to an end.  The food wasn't good anymore, and their employees were kind of scary!!  Take 5's goodness ended after the good people left....which was like 6 years ago!!  Oh well.  So much for Liz and I enjoying one final Take 5 meal!!

Well, I better go and get ready.  I have to be back to school by 6:45  because it is Back To School Night!  Gotta love it.  Sorry for the lack of pictures this time.  I will put up my classes pictures when I get them all taken.  

Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

All good things must come to an end.

Well, today I am headed back to work after a fabulous summer!  I am so excited for a new year and a new school.  I am going to miss hitting up the matinee movies with Cameron on his days off though.  Wish me luck as I embark on the 2008-2009 school year!

Viva Las Fufu!!!!

Well, the Fufu Sisters made it home safe and sound from our AMAZING and much needed Cedar City/Las Vegas getaway!

Our adventures began on Sunday morning at 8 am when we hit the road for our first stop.....Cedar City to see Jaynann and Emma. The drive was not bad at all! Liz broke open the first of many Jones Fufu Berry soda at about 9:30 am. We hunted the night before for our stash since the renowned Fufu Berry soda is often difficult to find. We stopped in Scipio for a snack and potty break, then ended up in Cedar at about 11:30. It was so great to have all of the 5 of us together to meet Emma and see Jaynann in her new role as a Mommy! We played pass the baby for a while, then headed off to Taco Bell (we were trying to relive all of our High School experiences, obviously!) for 7-layer buritos! After lunch, we packed up Emma and all her "things" and headed to the movies to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2..........cause what would a sisterhood weekend be without a sappy girlie movie! It was overall a pretty good movie. We have all now decided we are all going to Greece together someday (Liz told Stacy that she had to get married in Greece)! We said our Jaynann and Emma goodbyes at about 7:30, and hit the road for Las Vegas!

What is there to say about Vegas............it is busy, full of great shopping and food, exciting, and this trip insanely HOT!!! It is August after all! We spent the days at the pool staying cool in the water. It was actually only tolerable to be outside in the daytime if we were actually in the pool. Our hotel was awesome, and only cost us $15 bucks a piece for the entire time we were there (thanks to Josh's cousin who has a timeshare with the resort who hooked us up!)! It was about 2 blocks off of the strip and had a great view of the lights of Las Vegas!

Monday, we showered and headed to the strip to shop fairly early so we could hit the Cheesecake Factory (a Fufu Las Vegas tradition) while we could still order off of the lunch menu. It was delicious! We then went shopping at the Forum Shops at Ceasars Palace. We hit up the usuals......MAC, FAO Schwarts (Stacy has a hilarious video on her facebook page of her and Liz reinacting the scene from Big when they play chopsticks on the giant floor piano), Express, and many more. Of course we had to stop and visit the stores that are EXTREMELY out of our price ranges, but are fun to look at. After Ceasars, we walked up and down the strip people watching and taking it all in! About 10 PM, we decided we were hungry, and went back to the car. We were hoping that Gina, the GPS system in my car (yes we named it on the trip) would help us make a decision on where to eat. Well, she let us down! We drove up and down the strip for about an hour trying to decide on what to eat. Finally, we decided on Strip Burger at the Fashion Show mall. It was ok, but nothing to write home about. The Las Vegas Apple store is at the mall, so we had to take a few pictures of it for Cam.

Tuesday, we again spent the day at the pool, then headed to the Miracle Mile shops at Planet Hollywood. We hit up H&M, Sephora (for the 2nd time), True Religion, and a few others. Then we decided to head back to the hotel to get ready to go out for sushi and hiting the casinos to play a little blackjack! We went to Sushi Roku at Ceasars palace, which was AMAZING! Best sushi I have ever had! It was Liz's first sushi experience so it was a lot of fun wathing her reations to the different kinds, tastes, and textures. During the day we had looked for all of the casinos who offered $5 blackjack tables, and decided to try our luck at O'Shea's because it was right across from Ceasars. We had no luck even finding a $5 table! Then we tried Buffalo Bills....they had 1 $5 table. We waited and waited for the table to clear, but the people never left. So we did. We drove to the other end of the strip and tried Circus Circus, where we were in luck! Liz, Stacy, and I tried our luck...........and well, they were luck and doubled their $40, and well, I lost mine. Lesson learned! It was still fun to experience the whole Las Vegas gambling thing. We got back to our room at about 2 am, and packed up most of our stuff so we could get up and be ready to leave at 8 the next morning. Stacy was going to a museum thing with her mom, so we had to be home as early as possible.

The next morning, we got up a little later that expected, and left Las Vegas at about 8:30 am and began the trip back to the SLC. We had originally hoped to stop in Cedar City for a potty break and to see Jaynann for another minute, but since we were late, that wasn't a possibilty. We did have to stop in St. George to get gas and lunch. Again, we relied on Gina the GPS, and were slightly failed yet again. We scrolled through the nearby restaurants, and choose Artic Circle. Well, it was a little further off the freeway that we originally thought. Oh well, the food was good and kept us awake for the rest of the trip.

We made it back to SLC just after 3:30, bid farewell to our little Texan Stacy (until Christmas :(), then I took Kim, and Liz back home (Liz had another 2 hour drive ahead of her to her house in Logan). We had a fabulous time, and it was sad to see it end. We have other sisterhood trips planned for the future! Here are the pictures from out adventures!

Viva Las Fufu!!

Watch out Las Vegas, here come the FuFu Sisters!!!

You heard right!!  In less than 24 hours the FuFu sisters are headed south to Cedar City to see Jaynann and Adam.....but most importantly Baby Emma, the first of the 2nd generation FuFu sisters!!  After spending the day with the Daly's tomorrow, we are off to Las Vegas until Wednesday!  In the words of Stacy...............Viva Las FuFu!!!

Here it is....Room 13....Mrs. Romero's Class!

Here are the fruits of my summer labor!  My favorite addition to my collection of teacher stuff is my new rug!  I love it....I didn't love having to pay for it.....but I love it anyway!  Anytime anyone wants to stop in to visit me and see the room in person, I am more than happy to open my classroom to visitors.  I am about half way finished with my Extended Day Kindergarten testing.  These kids this year are pretty smart!  I may not have "clean slates" to work with this year! 

What a week....or 2!

After a short sabbatical, I have returned to blogging. Life has been a little hectic the last few weeks......anyways, here is an update on us!

Tayler turned 19 on the 20th of July.....I know I am a little late posting about it, but I have been busy! We celebrated a few times. First with my Mom and that side of the family at my Grandma's house. We had burgers, pasta salad, fruit, and the signature white cake we have every year for Tayler's birthday. It was good times, and helped Tayler get her bike fund going, and since then has earned enough money to buy her pink road bike, and all the biker attire! Unfortunately, I left the camera at home, so we have no pcitures! Then we had the traditional backyard birthday at my dad's house. Meg and Chris (Cort's sister and brother in-law), and Lyle (our good family friend) came over to BBQ with us. It was fun, and yet again we had white cake! We will get her to try a new flavor eventually!

Tayler loves wakeboarding so we went up to Rockport for her birthday. It was a beautiful day, but the water was a little cold....according to Tayler, I stayed inside the boat. My dad and Tayler did all the wakeboarding, while Cort and I stayed inside the boat and soaked up a little some. Well, I soaked up A LOT of sun and turned into a lobster! It wouldn't be summer if I did get at least 1 bad sunburn! Just as we were going to get off the lake, it got cold and rainy, so it was a good thing we were leaving. It was a good time! Cam had to work so he was there in spirit.

Many people know that I am a big John Mayer fan!! So, obviously I was thrilled when Cameron's parents bought us tickets to go to the concert with them! It was awesome!! Colbie Caillat open for him, which was cool because I like most of her music. Lauren was most excited to see her, and even got one of her t-shirts! We went out to dinner before the concert at Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorites! It made for a fun, and yummy night! I will say it was SOOO hot, and it didn't help that I was a sun burnt lobster from boating the day before. It was a good thing they had sno-cones to help cool us off!

Cameron's dad works for Franklin Covey and was able to get us tickets to the game on July 26 and sit in the Franklin Covey Suite! It was almost like a family reunion because most of Cameron's aunts, uncles, and cousins were able to come! It was a really great game followed by the best fireworks show I have seen in a long time! They invited Tayler to come with us since she is such a big baseball fan! She got lots of Bee's memorabilia to send Sean (he boyfriend who is on a mission in Germany). We had a lot of fun talking, watching, baseball and fireworks, and meeting the newest addition to the Boam clan Baby Edward (Tamis and Dale's new baby boy who was only 9 days old the day of the game).

Today is Cody, my step-brother's 14th birthday. Happy B-Day Cody! We had a BBQ at Grandma's house last night. Again, no pictures. We are house sitting for Cam's parents and taking care of their dog while they are in Port Angeles, WA helping Erv clean out some of Granny M's things, and visiting with Karine's sister Jan and her family, so the camera got left at home. I am not used to being a dog owner, and unfortunately a few things around the house have gotten chewed to shreds. Sorry Greg and Karine! We had a few friends over the other night for a BBQ, wow we've been doing a lot of that lately! Josh and Liz were in SLC for a few appointments so we decided to get together. Kim and Nick, and Amber and Brett came over to hang out. We went and got Brown Toppers from Artic Circle, then Josh taught us the ways of Black Jack.....Vegas style so Liz and I don't look like idiots when we play in Vegas next weekend. It was classic! You will have to look at Liz and Josh's blog for pictures though.

My classroom is finally finished, so I promise to take some pictures and add them in the next few days! Back to school tomorrow to do my Extened Day Kindergarten Placement tests....then off to Cedar City to see Emma and Jaynann.....then off to Vegas!!!

Why so serious?

So, we just got  home from seeing "The Dark Knight".  All I can say is WOW!!!  It was one of the most action packed amazing movie I have seen in a long time!!  GO AND SEE IT IF YOU HAVEN'T!!  It is well worth the money, as well as the 2 1/2 hours of your life you will give up watching it.  It is a shame that Heath Ledger died after the filming and can't continue playing his greatest role....."The Joker"!  Can you smell an Oscar in the future?  Only 2 other people have ever won after they have passed on.  Keep you fingers crossed!

There are other fans out there!!!

I didn't think there was another soul on the earth who loves the Food Network as much as I do.....but I was wrong!!  Somehow, I came across a blog devoted to us fans!!  How fantastic is that!!  So, now the Food Network Addict is one of my friends!!!  Oh how I love blogs!!!

iPhone, Logan Adventures, Reunions, and an Almost Finished Classroom!!

Well, Cam and I have had a fairly busy week.  So as you all know, iPhone 3g has officially become a member of the Romero Family.  Last Friday, July 11th was the launch of the new iPhone, and let me just tell you..........it was CRAZIER than I could have ever imagined!!  The night before, our email was buzzing with the customers camping out count, and when we went to bed about 11 PM, there was approx. 100 people waiting in line to buy their phones.  Cameron got up to go into work at 5:30 AM to help get ready for their early open at 8.  When he got to the store around 6, he was SHOCKED to see a massive line of HUNDREDS of people who made their way to the store in the middle of the night, wrapping all the way around the back of the Apple Store.  He was excited about the number of people, but nervous because they told him that he couldn't buy his phone until all the customers had been helped.  Right before they opened the store, one of his bosses pulled him aside and said, "You are the man!  You're the top sales person, and the most excited and willing to help out with the iPhone launch.  How would you like to be the first person in Utah to own an iPhone 3g?"  Needless to say, Cameron nearly peed himself with joy and of course said "YES!!!", and was became the first iPhone 3g owner in the state of Utah!  So cool!!  The Romero/Wiles family are now the proud owners of 3 iPhone 3g's.  Cam's "geekdom" has officially rubbed off on my Dad, who bought one on Saturday night (and yes, there was still a massive line on Saturday night at 7PM!  Dad and I didn't have to wait though, we got VIP treatment and bypassed the line :)  Shhh, don't tell!!).  Greg (Cam's Dad) is almost as big of a nerd as Cameron is, so he had to upgrade his phone as well (he also got VIP treatment and bypassed the line).  So after 2 12 hour shifts selling iPhones, Cameron got Sunday and Monday off to fully enjoy his new toy!!

Some of the other highlights of our week were our trip to Logan to visit Liz and Josh.  The trip was pre-iPhone so Cam drove since he didn't

 have a toy to play with on the road.  It was a lot of fun, and we almost brought home one of Liz's wild kittens who live behind their house, but I don't think Jinx would have enjoyed having to share her house with someone else.  Liz made fajitas (which were delicious!), then we went and got ice cream at Charlie's (Logan's version of Take 5......but MUCH better!).  It was fun to hang out and see their cute little house.  Liz is the crafty gal out of all of us so I am recruiting her to make all my crafts for me.  I am more of a Pier 1 kinda gal!!

For those of you who don't know, I am a Food Network junky!  One of my favorites shows to watch is Diners, Drive Inns, and Drives, which is a show that highlights restaurants all around the country.  They highlight several family owned and operated diners which is interesting to me since my family owns and operates a restaurant (shamless plug for Millcreek Cafe and Eggworks, the family business).  Well, the show has recently visited several places in Utah.

  They visited Blue Plate Diner, Ruth's Diner, Pat's BBQ (all 3 in the SLC area), and the Burger

 Bar (in Roy).  Well, since we had no other plans for the morning/afternoon of the day we were

 making the trek to Logan, Cam and I decided to stop off in Roy and try out the Burger Bar!  All I can say is WOW!!  It was so tasty (not to mention fairly cheap, we both ate for less than $12.00)!!  I would recommend it to anyone passing through the Davis County area!

Sunday night, we met up with a few friends from high school at Katrina and Scott's new home.  It was a lot of fun to get together for a BBQ since we don't get to see each other all that often.  It was also fun to see Katrina's 2 darling little ones.  I hadn't seen Bentley since Kim and Nick got married almost 2 years ago!  He is a doll, and so is little Ezra who is 4 months.  I hope we do it again soon!!

My classroom at Horizon is almost set up and ready to go!  I have spent MANY hours there going through stuff (or as I like to call it 30 year old junk!), and making it my own.  I went over last night while Cameron was out with some of his guy friends, and was finally inspired on how I should arrange the furniture!  Hallelujah!!  I know I should be enjoying my summer and stay away from school for as long as possible, but I need to have the room ready for the first week in August when I am doing the All Day Kindergarten testing, and before I head to Vegas the week after!  I promise I will post pictures of it as soon as it is all finished.  I really wish I would have taken a before picture so I had something to compare it to.

Memories, Memories, and More Memories!

So, I got this idea from my friend Liz's blog and think it is a fabulous idea......I even stole her picture!!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together (it can be whatever, whenever, and can include me and Cameron, or just one or the other). It doesn't matter if you knew me/us a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. After you've written a memory on my blog, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Well, I am terrified and excited for memories to be shared! Have at it!!!

It's Finally Here!!!

iPhone 3g is finally here!!  Cam left for work this morning at 5:30 AM to get all set up!  I have never seen him spring out bed so fast!  Lat night, when the store closed there was a line of about 20 people waiting for their iPhone 3g!  Cam was so excited!  He has to wait until everyone gets a phone who wants one before he can buy his, which might kill him!  Yesterday he went to town on iTunes with the AppStore getting new and exciting applications to down load when his new phone comes home!

Hancock, Fireworks, Teacher Training, and the Count Down to iPhone 3g!!

Cam and I have been incredibly busy this past week!  I spent July 1-3rd at Core Academy.  It is a 3 day professional development for elementary school teachers put on by the State Office of Education and Utah State University.  IT WAS AMAZING!!!  I learned so much about the changes made to the Kindergarten core curriculum, and got so many wonderful ideas to use on next year!  I also got lots of free goodies.....a teachers dream come true!!!  I went with Rachelle, my old teaching partner from Parkside.  We had a lot of fun talking and remembering our little people we had last year.  So many stories other teachers shared reminded us of events we experienced this year whether it was biting, potty training (yes, we did have a child who Rachelle was potty training.....IN KINDERGARTEN!!!), or other memories.  I also got to catch up with my friend Teresa who I went through the teacher training program at the U.  

On the 4th of July, Cam and I went to see the movie Hancock during the day.  I really liked it!  It was really funny!  I was a little sad when Hancock "toned down", cause he did quite have the sense of humor he did when he was a drunk bum on the street.  I am sure that everyone has heard about the strange twist in the movie, and how obvious it was.....well, I must be an idiot because

 I didn't catch onto any of them!  Maybe I am just a little slow!  It's a good summer movie though!  We would recommend it!

After the movie, we went to a BBQ at my Grandparents house.  It was no big production, just my Mom and Wes, my Aunt Shannon, my Grandparents, and Cam and I.  We had hot dogs, and talked for a bit.  It was fun!  I don't see my Mom as much since she and Wes moved to Bluffdale.  It's quite a drive from downtown to Bluffdale, and vice versa, so it was nice to hang out with them for a while.  

About 9, Cam and I headed over to Murray Park to watch the fireworks with Greg, Cam's Dad (his mom was at work, and the kids were out with friends)

.  I will be honest, Murray's fireworks were LAME this year!  I guess they spent too much money on all the pep rallies for David Archuletta and ran out of money for the 4th of July Celebration!!  I love fireworks so it was worth it to me even though they weren't the best.  Murray does need to do a better job training their police officers on how to direct traffic!!!  It was a nightmare trying to get home!!  It was a good holiday!

Cam is gearing up for the iPhone 3g's release this Friday!!  He has been waiting for SO long for

 this! He can't wait to hold his in his hand as soon as possible.  They are gearing up for it's

 release at the Apple Store.  They put up the new iPhone window display today, and had a meeting to talk about the new product last night.  Cam is working from open to close on Friday and hopes to sell as many new phones as he can!!! 

Babies seem to be the topic of most conversations being had since Jaynann had hers, and since Cameron and I hit the 1 year Anniversary mark.  I guess that is when people think you should think about having a family.  For the record......Cameron and I are not planning on having kids for a few years.  Cameron needs to finish nursing school, then we'll think about it.  Neither one of us are ready for that kind of responsibility.  When I think of babies, I think of crying, poop, and more crying (the picture sums it all up!).  Once I get to the point where I don't think that way, then I am probably ready to start thinking about having my own.  For now, I will play with Jaynann's!   Liz posted an interesting website on her blog today.  It was for the Baby Name Generator website.  I thought I would go and see what it is all about.  I put in our last name, then let the baby Genie have at it with generating names.  Whoever decided that these names go well together, had to be high on drugs!!!  

Here are some of the more interesting names for boy babies it came up with for us......

• Winston Emanuel Romero
  
• Talon Bryce Romero
  
• Clarence Michael Romero
  
• Nehemiah Jesse Romero
  
• Tanner Finn Romero
  

And for girl babies..................

• Katrina Zaria Romero
  
• Genesis Isabella Romero
  
• Bridgett Kaylah Romero
  
• Jasmine Jaqueline Romero
  
• Angelina Jannessa Romero
  

Needless to say, I don't think I will be using this site to help me name ANY of my children.  They names are too weird for me!  I am a little more traditional.  It was interesting, but not for me.  Check it out if you'd like.......

http://www.babynamegenie.com