I love a clean car!

Although I love a clean car, mine is often unclean due to the fact that our driveway is part gravel, part dust... And my parking space at school is dust and more dust.

Therefore, I wash "The Swede" every Saturday.

I wish Stu was around to attend to the wheels and rims - they are NOT my favorite.

OOOOh, look at the clouds reflected in the shiny car (I love shiny!)

My "helpers" were not helpful...

Day One of the 2007 - 2008 School Year

The summer is over and students return to school - some happy; others less so.
Here is my 2nd hour math class - the only one I remembered to photograph!

Our students spend lunch recess on the football field chatting, chillin', playing touch football, or simply hanging out under the beautiful August sky.

It's hard to imagine a more picturesque place for recess! 7th grade girls are eager to get back to the classroom!

Getting ready for school!

Preparing the classroom for the start of a new school year is always a bit daunting. You can see Albert peering over one of the covered computers.
During the summer, school supplies arrive which need to be inventoried and tucked away. But soon everything is organized and ready for day one, arguably the most important day of the school year.

Crew barbecue

As the summer starts winding down and some of the hay crew returns to school, we had a good ole fashioned barbecue on the "party patio".Morgan is our grilling specialist. He certainly turns a tasty burger or brat -- not to mention the occasional T-bone.Testing for perfection! Ryan regales us with tales of swathing while Garrett adds his bit. Morgan is the amused onlooker. Behind them are piles of top-soil that look surprisingly like the Ute Mountain!

Cory's ready to chow down

TJ is looking directly into the sun!

45 Things I Love About Summer

Today is the last week-day of summer vacation. I start school with the rest of the teachers on Monday and am mourning the end of summer. Therefore, I am listing the things I love about summer!
1. Waking up after 7 a.m.
2. Robin’s-egg-blue skies from horizon to horizon
3. Eating lunch at Once Upon A Sandwich or Tequila’s or my new favorite, Main Book Company, or even Quizno’s
4. Long walks after the 7 a.m. wake-up (see #1)
5. Reading for fun
6. Rumbly-grumbly thunderstorms
7. Shopping with Erin
8. Shopping with Pat and Nan
9. Shopping with T-Bob
10. Ah, heck, I just love to shop!
11. Staying up late (see #1)
12. Road trips
13. Sisters’ adventures
14. Feeling like I’m caught up
15. NOT multi-tasking
16. The hay-boys who filter through our home
17. Eating outside
18. Morgan grilling burgers or steaks (see #17)
19. Having the hay crew over for a barbecue (see #17)
20. Blizzards from DQ
21. Feeling leisurely
22. Sightseeing
23. Seeing people I seldom see
24. Having dinner with Rick and Cindy after the Iron Horse Classic
25. The fragrance of a freshly mowed lawn
26. Puttering around in the garden or lawn
27. Fresh corn on the cob
28. Tomatoes warm from the garden
29. Tomato sandwiches with tomatoes warm from the garden
30. Golfing, especially when Jody & I team up
31. Coming into a cool house after being outside in the heat
32. My birthday
33. Erin’s birthday
34. Bryce’s, Trena’s, and Morgan’s birthdays
35. How the earth smells after a rain shower
36. The way the Mesas' moods change as the sun slants toward the west














37. Watching softball games or baseball games (or just chatting with friends while games are being played)
38. No clouds near the toe of the Ute
39. Listening to Vaughn tell funny hay-stories (see #17, #18, #19)
40. Flip-flops and sandals
41. Bo-Cat napping on the front porch 42. The long, long sunny days
43. Lingering sunsets
44. Farmers' markets
45. Tan legs

Mom's 90th Birthday

Stopping for a bagel and a smoothy at the Silver Bean makes the trip to SLC soooo pleasant.



This is one of the arches outside of Moab.
I love the drive from Monticello to the I-70 Freeway. The scenery is incredible.


This is the view of downtown SLC from Mom's apartment.








Me, Nan, and Pat with Mom before the 90th Birthday Open House. About sixty people attended the event, and it was fun renewing acquaintances and chatting with seldom-seen relatives. We decorated using vintage photos of Mom - everyone enjoyed looking through the pictures cataloging Mom's 90 years.













This is the cool place we stayed in Park City. What a great location to relax, shop, and eat yummy food!

More pictures of the house

The office is now suitable for two workers.










This is the dining room.
This will be my favorite space this winter - the sauna!










The lower level snack area - actually it started out as a snack area and morphed into a kitchen.

The reading zone.




The family room with a gigantic TV. All we need now is the ZuBag!


Guest room - it's just waiting for you to come and visit.

A Trip to Dallas

My grandson, Carter, is remarkably handsome and intelligent.















His daddy, Bryce, and I visited an aquarium while Erin was at the Mary Kay Seminar. Carter LOVED those fish! Look at his reflection in the glass.














Reaching for the pretty sting-ray.















The Tennesseeans in Dallas with the Pink Cadillac!














Carter and his Nana at the airport.

Summertime

Teachers love summer vacation as much (or more) than their students. Summer is supposed to be relaxing and low-key. Usually...
However, this is the summer of the new house. We broke ground in August 2006, and finally moved in on July 1, 2007.

This is a shot of the wide-open kitchen.



Our living room has huge windows and a rug. As you can see, we have no furniture yet...