Banjos and Bellyaches

Enjoy the picture of the banjo! Over and over and over and over and over and over again!

My internet connection at home is kinda on the fritz. Yes, you do get what you pay for and I do not pay very much. Like nothing even!

I bought a banjo. No, I do not know how to play the banjo, but I do plan on taking lessons this next year. That picture takes place in my new bedroom. That is my blue accent wall. No, it is not a Scottish accent wall...it is Austrailan, can't you tell. It took me many long hours to get that painted and I intend on spending many quality hours in that room. Hours spend well...like sleeping. Which is something I should be doing right now but instead I am trying to get all my pictures to publish and only one will. Life is hard. Don't worry, I will find a way to get you a true virtual tour of the place. Too bad my school district thinks that blogging is evil as well as any site that lets you publish pictures...or else this would totally be a piece of cake to get done. I have learned that I really am not a fan of censorship! They might as well burn all the books in the schools' libraries too because I am sure they could offend somebody!

School is school. We are slowly getting into the swing of things....for example, today, after one whole week with students, I finally got to calmly help a student get his act together. I can truly see when things are getting to normal when they start to act up. I didn't know if I was up for the challenge, but don't you worry, teacher Alice was right there waiting to go to work. The little twerp with the bad attitude perked right up after a good talking to! Go me!

I do love my new Freshmen. They are going to be a good group again. I really do like my job. My roommate was right, after a little time I get right back into it and can handle it mentally. I love that about me!

I miss my mom. Is that okay to admit on a blog? I hope so. I sure had a good time with her this summer and sometimes it is hard to be back here all on my own without a built in social entitiy. But I am slowly getting back into the swing of things here too and making myself get out and be social.

Well, I guess it is well past the bed time, and I will be very tempted to read a bit in the fourth Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!

Have a great day or night or midmorning!
A

Back to School BBQ!

Friday was the staff picnic. I took Daniel from our secretary Liz, so she could get food. He was very funny. He didn't quite know what to do with me. Eventually, he warmed up and actually tried to get my food. I fed him whipped cream which pretty much he wore. Cute pic though huh? It rained. Nice picnic!

This is a quick post because I am on the way out the door to Freshmen Orientation. Seriously, where has the summer gone. I took the sunset pics on my porch last night. It truly felt poetic. Like the sun was setting on my summer. Kinda sad.

Well, I better be off. Being late on the first day isn't the best idea! I hope this school year is survivable. I have Dish Network...it just might be! Too bad I will never see the light of day or ever leave my apartment. hehe!

I Made it Back to Utah!

Well, I am writing this from a familiar place, my dining room table. Of course, this won't be my dining room table for long but that is okay. Change is inevitable.

It has been a hard adjustment this time around. I do not want to be here and have a bad attitude about everything. My roommate, Mary Beth, told me not to worry too much about this because I seem to be like this the weeks before school every year and that after the first week of school I become normal again and like my life. So, I am banking that will happen again this year.

I spoke in church today. It was interesting because I always write the full talk out and usually read it word for word. Today that did not happen so I felt like I was very disorganized but sometimes it is good to say what you really feel in your heart. Talking in church isn't my favorite thing, but I am glad I was able to. Preparing the talk helped me in so many ways see how blessed my life is, and to have that realization right now is good for me!

It is nice to be around friends again. I really did miss all of them and forgot how wonderful and hilarious they truly are. Last night, I had Nicoitalia's pizza for the first time since being home and it was divine. My dad would have not liked it because it was deep dish. But boy, do I love my BBQ chicken pizza. Leftovers today were so very scrumchious! I bought rootbeer to go along with the pizza and it made me think of home and The Claridge. I already miss my little bar, bizarre! People around here kind think that is strange, but that is okay too! (the party my mom had for all the Claridge regulars was a fun way to say goodbye! Pat had on great glasses don't you think?)

While traveling through Kansas I was able to see Morgan and her new baby, Spencer. I pretty much held him just like in that picture the whole 24 hours I was there! :) I love babies. I also played with Henry and we were friends. In fact, he cried when I left. That made me feel special. He would attack me while mooing with his new cow puppet I bought him! Very good investment.

The Lasts of Summer!

Well, the summer is coming to a quick end. It is weird to have so many lasts as I get ready to leave on Monday. Tonight my mom and I went to The Claridge and had our last trivia fix. It was very fun because we didn't get there until late so we were there when it was kinda dead. We were able to talk to the bartender for a while and she is a very neat girl. I like the people of Rhinelander. We also played with Jim, who has been my biggest competitor this summer. It was good to be there again with him.

This week has been busy and fun. Today, I went and visited with Marla and Kim. Marla had a little picnic for us to all gather at. The pictures of Ty and Jesse come from that. I love that kid. Jesse tried not to get in the pictures but he just wasn't trying hard enough! It is always hard to say goodbye to all my friends here.

I took my nephew, Kristofer, to a Milwaukee Brewers game. Such a good time. I was reminded of how much I love live baseball. It was a good game even though the Brewers lost. It was pretty close up until the end. We had a major adventure after the game because we almost ran out of gas. Only .28 gallons were left in the tank. I was so worried we were going to run out in the middle of a bad part of Milwaukee. Kris took it well; I was freaking out! Glad we got some. I got to spend a little time with my sister in Madison when I took Kris back. I sure do love my family members...again it was hard to say goodbye!

Tuesday we had an awesome softball game. We were down by a lot 11-18 going into the last inning...but we came back to within one. Unfortunately, we still lost 17-18, but it was the best lost I have ever had. It actually felt like we had won. Amazing. Great way to finish the season. It was also hard to say goodbye to all my good teammates!

The wedding last week was an adventure. It was so good to see my family members at the party. My aunts and uncles are all so very fun to talk to. I enjoyed having a fancy dinner with them and their humor. My cousin Corey had a good time and it was a good wedding. Glad I was able to get to it. Seeing my Grandma Rita was a very good thing too. She is one of my favorite people on the planet. Good stuff.

I will be traveling to Des Moines, IA to see my brother on Monday. Tuesday, I will be in Kansas to see my friend, Morgan's, new baby. Then I will stay somewhere in Colorado on Wednesday and hit Provo on Thursday. Road trips rock! Okay, so this one is long when I am alone but it will be good to see people!

I hope everybody is great and that the state of Utah is ready to have me back...because even if it isn't....here I come!

Later,
Alice