Paul climbed to the top of a rocky lava flow on Sunday. We had beautiful weather. 

These are the four fish (one is hiding behind) that I caught on Friday. I caught two more on Sunday bringing my grand total for the summer to seven. 

Rebecca and I clean fish like real backwoods mountain women.  

I looked back at my list of things I wanted to accomplish this summer just to see how I was doing.

List of things I want to do this summer:

1. Garden (paul has this one covered although I sometimes feel guilty about not doing my fair share of gardening)
2. Eat most meals outside (it hasn't really been warm enough yet)
3. Go for a walk every day (failing in this category)
4. Learn to fish (check)
5. Read a book by a new author (Jamie Langston Turner)
6. Learn to sew (I am going to start working on this any day now)
7. Convince Paul and my landlords to let me get a dog (the next best thing, Dexter)
8. Train my new dog (We have been trying, but Ozzie is not a good influence)

So far, so good. I still have a good month and a half of freedom before I go back to school, and to tell you the truth, I am starting to get excited about September. I'm hopeless - I miss school!

Interesting fact for today:

Chehalis has it's own oxygen bar. Paul and I predict it's demise will take mere months. We'll keep you updated.

For the past year I have been driving a wonderful car. Mainly wonderful because it was free. I like that little word, FREE. A few problems with the car though: freeway driving was just a little scary, my dear husband faithfully changed the spark plugs ONCE A MONTH, I had to add oil every week.
One time one of my student's told his mother that "Mrs. Robinson really needs a new car". This little car has been in our family since 1982, handed down through the generations, starting with my great grandma, who moved to a retirment center years ago and no longer needs it. It will be passed from me to my little brother Dan who is coming home from Mexico in August. It's a good thing he is a mechanic.
I took the liberty of posting a personal add for him a few months ago (in fact he has ignored my attempts to find him a mate despite my success (I will press on no matter what!)) I have something to add to the personal add: Owner of a steel grey 1982 Honda Civic! Bring your own romantic music ladies because there's no radio to distract you from getting lost in his eyes...

Goodbye little grey car, I will miss you.

Extreme car makeover: BEFORE 

Extreme car makeover: AFTER 

Paul works on making a canoe rack for our truck. 

I just attended a Kindergarten Workshop for three days. What? you say. School during summer? Yes, I could actually get paid more if I take classes to further my education, and I need all the help I can get. One of our assignments was to go with our team to Dollar Tree, Big Lots, and Goodwill to find cheap and useful things for our classrooms. Let me tell you the dollar tree is my new favorite place. I also found a giant Clifford and a Dr. Suess game at goodwill. I won some free things as well and got lots of good ideas for my classroom next year.

Before you criticize a co-worker, walk a mile is his shoes. This way, when he gets angry, he'll be a mile away and barefoot.

I love best friends! My friend Sarah emailed me a test to take to see where I stood on the "type A, type b" scale. Turns out I am actually a "type b" personality. I am glad because the actual definition of a "type a" personality is quite scary. I don't think Paul is a "type a" either, though he definitely has some more obsessive tendencies than I. Do you know that he won't drink water from the bathroom sink just because it's in the bathroom? I fill my water glass from the bathroom sink all the time.
Something else I found out: I am of "average" intelligence! Hallelujah!
I will try to post the websites where you can take both the personality tests and the IQ tests. Let me warn you, they are addicting!

Our landlords got a new puppy, Dexter.  

Coming soon: EXTREME CAR MAKEOVER

We have been in Portland for the weekend and inevitably we run into old acquaintances, hear the latest news, etc. Upon hearing some happy news about another couple, Paul exclaimed, "hey, they stole our life." Indeed, at one time our goal was to end up exactly as they are living right now. For two rather "type A" personalities this can be rather maddening. What is more maddening however, is that we can be pretty sure that the life stealers actually stumbled upon our ideal life.
We are planners, list makers, consumer report readers, note takers. We are both first born children. Being this way comes in handy. People think you have it all together, and you usually do. What freedom we can find in stumbling though, in not knowing what the future holds. We are confident beyond a doubt that God has us in his palm.

arial view of our garden 

Anyone want to move to Kansas? They're giving away free land!

http://www.kansasfreeland.com/

I decided to change the format of my blog because my profile and information kept showing up at the bottom of the page. My friend Alysun had the same problem and I noticed that when she changed the format her profile popped back up to the top of the page. How does everyone like it? You can post a comment at the bottom of each post.

Warning: Before you view the pictures I have posted today, Paul asked me to remind you that he is married, and no matter how much you are tempted by his buffness and good looks, he will not answer your letters or phone calls.

Stand back ladies, he's all mine!

This morning Paul and I woke up as usual. As I was going about my morning routine I noticed that the house was strangely quiet. I found Paul outside, still in his pajamas (he calls them sleeping shorts) spraying for bugs. So dedicated! 

Look at that farmer's tan!  

I have a box of canned peaches sitting outside out backdoor on the railing because I have no more room in my cupboards. This morning Paul went out the backdoor (our backdoor opens to the inside of the barn) and there was a baby barn swallow in the box. I put on my garden gloves and took it out and it flew away. Well not really away but to some far corner of the barn where it will learn to divebomb us when we are coming and going to our cars. 

This is a red fox we saw at Mt. Ranier on Wednesday. He was only about three feet away from my car door. Actually he was so close that I was a little scared and I started to roll up my window. 

We did not go to Yosemite after all. We took a day trip to Mt. Ranier and it satisfied out outdoor cravings for a while. We want to go back to Mineral Lake in the town on Mineral, Washington to fish. Actually we would like to live in Mineral, Washington (population 250) someday. Paul and I bought fishing liscenses for the first time this year and so far we have caught one fish and boken one pole. We are about seventy dollars into this (liscenses, poles) and have one tiny little fish. My brother Daniel reminded me that most people don't really fish so that they can eat fish, they fish because it's a great hobby. He said this one time when I complained because I didn't catch anything one day. I guess this is true but I still like to think that I will eat enough fish this summer to come out on top!
So our sister in law, Anna, has inspired us to start our own business. She has started her own making _____(I won't tell because I don't want anyone to copy her idea). Paul is struggling to find a job this summer because the job market around Lewis County just really stinks. We decided to try and sell some of his pictures. We'll see how it goes. He has some really, really good ones and everyone is always encouraging him to sell them. We are in the process of learning how to use photoshop.
I am absolutely loving this summer break thing. Tomorrow we will garage sale (I always missed the good friday sales before school got out) and help out my brother (Pastor Kyle) at a youth group event. It's so nice to have time to do things that you enjoy doing. Before you get jealous remember that before school got out I was working like crazy! I will be working even more like crazy next year with kindergarten AND first grade. So I will enjoy this time now. I think I may be making up for lost blogging so pardon my longwindedness.

Penguin at the Point Defiance Zoo 

Paul on the steps of the capital building in Olympia where we took a tour. 

Today I used a new recipe for dinner. It was a chicken with a honey mustard glaze. I like to hear what Paul's opinion is about new recipes because sometimes I won't make them again if he doesn't like them. It doesn't hurt my feelings at all, really. He always tells me the truth and this time he said it was just an O.K. recipe, not really outstanding. I like that he tries to say something positive, though. This time he said, "It certainly is a very colorful recipe, honey." I love him!

School is finally over and the long days stretch out before me. September seems so far away. I am on my fourth day of freedom and have not yet run out of things to do (and I do count daily naps as something to do). Paul is not faring so well. He is a much more action driven person for which being AT home means that you are NOT out doing something marvelous and wonderful in the wilderness. We were in Portland this last weekend and did some fun things. I was able to try some goat's milk ice cream from Whole Foods. I have an allergy to cow's milk which keeps me from eating two of my favorite things - cheese and ice cream. I recently found out that goat's milk does not effect me in the same way. It was actually heavenly and did really taste goaty at all, though Paul swears he can tell a difference. Both Paul and I love to try different kinds of goat cheese, this may sound a little fancy schmancy to you but Paul started snacking on my goat cheese behind my back one time when there were no other snacks and has developed a taste for it. We went to Mosaic, our old church and saw all of our friends. We went out to lunch with our friends Kara and Jason. We stocked up on groceries from Trader Joes. That was Portland Oregon.
We were discussing going to Yosemite tomorrow, but is seemed a bit spur of the moment. Paul just said, "let's go". I don't know where we are going.

8 more days of school left!!!!

Our baby tomatos - Stay way WILD ANIMALS! We are not wanting to spend the money to put up a fence but want bunnies, deer and the LIKE to stay away. Ozzie (our dog) is not really very smart and likes to pull out the popsickle sticks that we use to mark our produce. Any hints? 

Farmer Paul planting our garden! 

Here is a clip of Napolean Dynamite on Letterman:

http://gprime.net/video.php/napoleontopten

He just so cool. Gosh!

Single christian male seeking woman who will cook, clean and bear children in exchange for fishing lessons and auto maintinence. Send Picture! 

This is the view out my classroom window. I'm not quite sure what it is, but the digital camera doesn't quite do justice to the extreme "yellowness" of it. It's quite beautiful!! 

Paul's Grandpa Smith came to my classroom when he visited a few weeks ago. The pink scarf is my reading scarf that Paul made him wear.  

This is where we stayed over Spring Break in Seaside. 

Polly - our polyphemus moth 

I caught my first fish!! Paul and I bought liscenses last week and I caught a rainbow trout the next day!!! It sure was tasty. 

I love this week. Why - you say? Because it's National Teacher Appreciation week. All week there have been yummy things in the teachers lounge and today I got a plant and two difference Starbucks gift cards. One of my students gave me a gift today and said, "because it's Teacher Day." All day the kids kept saying things like "happy birthday and happy aniversary" because they knew it was a holiday but they couldn't remember which one.

Oh boy where have I been? Let me recap the last few weeks for ya:

1. I've been to a Kindergarten Conference. Yes, kindergarten teachers from all over Washington met in Seattle for a conference. I was a little skeptical, as I like to think I don't fit the puppet-toting, embroidered-seasonal-vest-wearing stereotypical image of a Kindergarten teacher, but it turned out that there were a wide range of people there from the stereotypical to the grumpy (please pray that your child does not get one of these very GRUMPY kindergarten teachers) including many that were my age. I stayed with Sarah, Paul and princess Kelina on Alki and they took me to Spuds, my favorite restaraunt anywhere, and we stayed up watching a girl movie. It was pretty great.

2. My chicks hatched. The whole class was "yellin' with fun-ness" as one of my children so aptly described. I don't really remember if I blogged about my chicks. Three weeks ago we started some eggs in a portable incubator in my classroom. This is probably against many fire codes. Well, to make a long story short three weeks later they kind of finally hatched. I say kind of because none of the chicks that I put in my incubator actually hatched, so we pulled a switcheroo on the kids and replaced them with some that one of my cohorts put in her incubator at home at the same time. It was a great success, they never noticed. We had five Aracona chickens. We may have ducks next week. I love the miracle of life. I think that my kids respect life much more now than they did before. It turned into an entire school project because of course every class had to come see them. I will try to post pictures.

3. I had to say goodbye to the one student in my class who was the absolute hardest to say goodbye to. We went through some rough times in her life together this year and today she had to move away.

My co-worker, who teaches first and second grades was using the restroom in the teacher's lounge when she heard:

"Teeeeaaacheeeerr.........Teeeeaaachhherr.......(she tries to ignore).......Teeaaachheer......."
It became aparent that the student would not give up so she said, "You are just going to have to wait."
"Teacher I finished my spelling words. Can I go to recess now?"

Teaching is in many ways like being a mother. At least we can use the bathroom in private in our own homes, which is more than some mothers can say.

Our friends Jeff and Alysun have a blog now (well really just Alysun):

www.petersparadise.blogspot.com

Check it out. For my family, Jeff was a groomsman in our wedding.

While coloring today I praised one of my students for his skills at staying in the lines. He looked up at me and said, "Teacher, it takes a true artist to make a masterpiece."

polyphemus moth 

"Teacher, there is a butterfly on our ceiling!" Yes, indeed there was a HUGE moth on our ceiling. I immediately ran to check our cocoon (the one I almost threw out a few months ago) and sure enough, there was an escape hole in the top. We have a slanted ceiling and the culprit had conveniently chosen one of the highest points in our ceiling to hang from.
The janitor in our school is one of the best janitors in the world. She was able to find a butterfly net AND a bird cage to put the moth in (bird cage? you say, yes it's that BIG!). It has been such a great experience for us. In two days, our polyphemus moth, or "Polly" has laid eggs on the sides of the bird cage. I'm unsure about what to do with the eggs, but I'm thinking I want to keep them and try to hatch them. Really, the fact that this moth even has reproductive capabilities is a miracle (I mean a real miracle) because this cocoon was shaken to death every day by kindergarteners who "just wanted to see if it would scratch". Pictures to come!

"Teacher, (holding up a lego creation) this is an old fashioned tool that was made in the 80's."

-Kindergartener

When I lived in Portland there were 43 Starbucks within 5 miles of my apartment. Sheesh! I looked it up. I don't usually look these things up but I am sitting here in the library of PCC Rock Creek waiting for Paul to get done with his classes. I think I'll go to B&N.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/roger/QueryTips.php3?tip_AttractionName=egg&tip_State=WA&Submit=Go

Click above to see yet ANOTHER of my favorite quirky attractions in Lewis County. Winlock has an EGG DAY every year. They have an egg parade and serve egg salad sandwiches. By the way, we will be hatching a chicken egg in my classroom after spring break.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==1385

Click above to see one of my favorite Lewis County attractions. This YARD BIRD used to be in front of a department store. The store used to have "phone book" sales. They would post pages of the phone book in certain departments and if your name was on the page in that department they would give you a percent off anything in that department. It was great fun. Yes, our phone book is that small.
My parents told me that at one time there was a yard bird that you DROVE UNDERNEATH to get into the parking lot of the store, but a suspicious fire burned it and a new one was built. Tall tale? who knows.

Paul convinced me to repel down our stairs, I'm in "training". 

The silly dog that we live with likes to play dead, even when no one is watching. 

"Teacher, there's a bad bug in my belly."

What a BLESSING!
Paul and I spent a few days at the beach, where my parents have rented a time share condo. Such a great break from school. Pictures later. At home we have the WORST free internet in the world, my excuse for the lack of blog lately.

There are certain rules I like to follow when I eat out:
1. Try to stick with the ethnicity. For example, never order a hamburger at an Italian restaraunt.
2. Never eat food from a gas station. Even if there is, for example a burger joint inside of a gas station, don't eat there.
3. Whenever possible, try to eat as a place where the food is made in front of you, like Subway or Taco Del Mar.

The other day my coworkers were telling me how wonderful this Mexican restaraunt is that just happens to be inside of a gas station. Right away I said, no, thanks! that's NOT for me. But they ordered in from the place the other day and it did look REALLY good. So Paul and I went the other day. Past the snacks and the slushies all the way to the back of the store. It did not feel right to me! I do not like it Sam I am, I do not like to eat in gas stations. But it was great and clean and wonderful and Paul liked it. Sometimes when you move you end up doing things you would not normally be inclined towards, and are surprised when they turn out to be wonderful. This is now what we do when we want to go out at night: go to eat at the gas station, go over to someones house, not the normal myriad of things we would have had to choose from in Portland. The other day Paul and I were snickering about something stupid that someone had done:
"What kind of person DOES that?" said Paul.
"Psh, city people!" I said.

It's Paul's Spring Break this week and he always finds interesting things to do. This afternoon when I came home from work I found him repelling from the top of our stairs.

"Gross, stir fryed vegetables in very yucky sauce."
"I think that's teriyaki sauce."
"Whatever."

-Adventures in Odysey