Well here is the long awaited start to my teaching career. I began last Monday. The class was finally organized and set up with the help of Cammie, Duncan, and Scott. I am very pleased with it. The children will come on Monday the 11th of August.
I am anxious and quite scared to tell the truth!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Half a century come and gone....
Well, I finally hit the big 50. Looking back over the last 50 years I have so much to be thankful for. I had a tremendous childhood in Montana and have shared close to 30 years with the love of my life. I am the mother to five beautiful children who now have children of their own. I can boast about my 2 awesome grandsons, Noah and Joshua. I am only a few months away from graduating from Arizona State University as an elementary school teacher. And to boot I am enjoying good health. Life is Good!!!
Our big news here is that the Prophet announced that a new Phoenix Temple will be built in literally our backyard. The temple will be in our stake and only a few miles from our home. The completion date is about 3 years. We are anxiously looking forward to being involved in its creation and of course in the blessing of attendance to follow.
Enjoy the summer where ever you are and remember it is hotter here!!! (and its a DRY HEAT) ha!ha!
Our big news here is that the Prophet announced that a new Phoenix Temple will be built in literally our backyard. The temple will be in our stake and only a few miles from our home. The completion date is about 3 years. We are anxiously looking forward to being involved in its creation and of course in the blessing of attendance to follow.
Enjoy the summer where ever you are and remember it is hotter here!!! (and its a DRY HEAT) ha!ha!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Our little miracle has arrived!
I came as fast as I could from Phoenix, AZ to Jackson Hole, WY on Wednesday the 30th of April. By plane, bus, and car I arrived running down the hall of the hospital to see my new grandson who was one hour old. It took awhile for the proud parents to decide upon a name but finally the next evening we have Joshua Duncan Wilcox- born 6:10pm on April 30, 2008 weighing in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and measuring 20 in. long with a 14 in. head, blue eyes and alot of brown hair. He is adorable and very alert. Rebecca is doing great. She was a trooper through the delivery and will be going home on Friday morning. I am so glad I'll get to stay for a couple of weeks and enjoy them.
It is still winter here in Jackson. I drove out to the house late last night in a snow storm and in to town this morning while it still snowed. Luckily I brought a coat and mittens. From Phoenix's 95 degrees to Jackson's 35 degrees I hope I don't get sick.
The hospital is adjacent to the National Elk Refuge so I stepped outside this afternoon and took a few pictures of the elk. I tried to photograph Rebecca's home so that you could get a feel for the "winter." Meeka, their Alaskan Malamut, got herself tangled in her dog run cable this morning on the far end of the run which lies across a little gully. I tried to snowshoe out to untangle her but Eric's snowshoes wouldn't tighten enough on my boots so I had to give that up and just hoof it. What a surprise!! With every step I sunk 2 1/2 feet into the snow (for a person of my tremendous leg length this resulted in snow up to my hips)!!!!!! I was sweating by the time I returned to the house.
Life is good. God has blessed our family with a wonderful healthy little grandson.
I must return to my grandma duties.....hug and kiss, cuddle and snuggle, click and click photos.
It is still winter here in Jackson. I drove out to the house late last night in a snow storm and in to town this morning while it still snowed. Luckily I brought a coat and mittens. From Phoenix's 95 degrees to Jackson's 35 degrees I hope I don't get sick.
The hospital is adjacent to the National Elk Refuge so I stepped outside this afternoon and took a few pictures of the elk. I tried to photograph Rebecca's home so that you could get a feel for the "winter." Meeka, their Alaskan Malamut, got herself tangled in her dog run cable this morning on the far end of the run which lies across a little gully. I tried to snowshoe out to untangle her but Eric's snowshoes wouldn't tighten enough on my boots so I had to give that up and just hoof it. What a surprise!! With every step I sunk 2 1/2 feet into the snow (for a person of my tremendous leg length this resulted in snow up to my hips)!!!!!! I was sweating by the time I returned to the house.
Life is good. God has blessed our family with a wonderful healthy little grandson.
I must return to my grandma duties.....hug and kiss, cuddle and snuggle, click and click photos.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Little Moments like that....
It's just the million little moments that add up to such wonderful experiences. Well, the hundreds of assignments and tests are finally adding up to a much anticipated event. I have been hired as a first-grade teacher for this fall. Since fall semester is my last at ASU and my student teaching time I essentially have a paid teaching job in its place. I took the 7 1/2 hour AZ Teacher Certification tests last Saturday. What horrible long hard tests they were. I feel like a new person!
I will be flying to Jackson Hole the end of the month to spend 2 1/2 weeks with Rebecca and see the birth of my second grandson. Hooray!!!! Sometimes I have to ask, "Does life get better than this?"
Hope you are finding wonderful little glimpses of God today in your life.
I will be flying to Jackson Hole the end of the month to spend 2 1/2 weeks with Rebecca and see the birth of my second grandson. Hooray!!!! Sometimes I have to ask, "Does life get better than this?"
Hope you are finding wonderful little glimpses of God today in your life.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Sunny in the Southwest....
Now is the time when I feel that we live on another planet from some of our family. Rebecca said today they have a "winter storm warning". The snow is falling and they expect 6+ inches by tomorrow. Here in sunny Arizona we reached 93 degrees yesterday and our air conditioner finally kicked in. We couldn't stand the 80 degree temperature in the house on Easter Sunday!!!
We are anticipating a good citrus year. Our grapefruit, lemon, and orange trees are in full bloom and smell wonderful. My garden is looking good. The beans, cantelopes, cucumbers, and carrots are all sprouted. Now, if only I can get some produce before the sun burns them up.
I never realized how much we have adapted to the southwest climate and culture until Rick, Wendy, Kate, and Will Berezay (our family from Astoria, OR) visited with us last week. We introduced them to the desert. I made breakfast burritos with napolita's (tender cactus shoots) and mango salsa. They were surprized how good prickly pear cactus jelly tasted! We bought a few snacks at a Mexican market on our way to have a picnic on the Mesa Temple grounds prior to attending the Easter Pagent. Outside the market I bought a dozen hot fresh homemade tamales (chicken and beef) from a nice mexican woman. We added them to our stash and had a great feast. The pagent was fabulous. It is the largest outdoor pagent of its type in the US. There were over 450 actors clothed in terrific period costumes. It is the story of the life of Jesus Christ. The pagent begins at 8pm and lasts about an hour. In the closing scene, with full angelic chorus Christ ascends high above the backdrop. It is awesome. There is such a beautiful spirit present, it gives you chills. The children were able to meet some of the cast before the pagent and get photos with them. Not many can say they shook hands with Isaiah.
We took them to the AZ Rock and Mineral Museum where they could see a meteroite, copper and all kinds of amazing rocks and minerals from Arizona. Will purchased a very large "Pink Panther" diamond, that he treasures and cares for. (They saw the Pink Panther movie at Jim's just before coming to our house.)
We hiked Lookout Mountain for a panoramic view of the Phoenix valley. I taught them all about the saguaro cactus and our in house biologist, Scott, filled them in on the fauna and flora abundant in the desert.
We hiked the White Tank Mtns. and viewed Hohokam Indian petroglyphs along the trail. Petroglyphs are Indian drawings on rocks that sometimes marked good hunting, or watering areas.
I introduced Kate (10 yrs. old) and Will (7 yrs. old) to the sport of "Letterboxing." It has a rubber stamping connection, of course. First, you google Letterboxing, choose your state, click on a area, and read about any letterboxes (treasures) hidden in the vincinity. I found a letterbox hid at Lake Pleasant. Lake Pleasant is about 20 min. from our house so we printed out the treasure map and headed north. We found the box hid beneath a pile of rocks near the base of a palo verde tree, just to the east of the remains of a two-room Hohokam Indian home on the lake shore. Inside the box is a small notebook, pencil, ink pad, and a neat hand-carved stamp of a stick person holding an arrow. You stamp the small notebook with a stamp of your own, (mine was a jelly bean, the kids had a sun and star stamp) write your name and the date you found the box. Then in your own little letterboxing diary you stamp the letterbox stamp and tell where and when you found it. Lastly, being very careful you reassemble the letterbox and rehide it for the next person to find. We discovered that there are 9 letterboxes hid in the Astoria area so the kids are excited to hone their skills when they get back.
I sure have rambled on here but before I sign off I have to tell you about an awesome movie we rented last night. We highly recommend "The Final Inquiry." It is a movie set three years after Christ's death. The movie opens 33AD with earthquakes, darkness, and natural disasters that occured at the time of the crucifixion. Three years later the emperor of Rome summons a active Roman war general from Germania to go to Jerusalem and inquire about Jesus of Nazereth and the rumor that he was ressurected. The emperor had been gathering evidence that supports the idea that there is a connection between this Jewish rabbi's death and the natural disasters that occured. The movie is created by FOX/FAITH CO. It is a fictious story but based on history and accurate culture, so it gives you a feeling of what life may have been like in the first few years after Christ's death.
We are anticipating a good citrus year. Our grapefruit, lemon, and orange trees are in full bloom and smell wonderful. My garden is looking good. The beans, cantelopes, cucumbers, and carrots are all sprouted. Now, if only I can get some produce before the sun burns them up.
I never realized how much we have adapted to the southwest climate and culture until Rick, Wendy, Kate, and Will Berezay (our family from Astoria, OR) visited with us last week. We introduced them to the desert. I made breakfast burritos with napolita's (tender cactus shoots) and mango salsa. They were surprized how good prickly pear cactus jelly tasted! We bought a few snacks at a Mexican market on our way to have a picnic on the Mesa Temple grounds prior to attending the Easter Pagent. Outside the market I bought a dozen hot fresh homemade tamales (chicken and beef) from a nice mexican woman. We added them to our stash and had a great feast. The pagent was fabulous. It is the largest outdoor pagent of its type in the US. There were over 450 actors clothed in terrific period costumes. It is the story of the life of Jesus Christ. The pagent begins at 8pm and lasts about an hour. In the closing scene, with full angelic chorus Christ ascends high above the backdrop. It is awesome. There is such a beautiful spirit present, it gives you chills. The children were able to meet some of the cast before the pagent and get photos with them. Not many can say they shook hands with Isaiah.
We took them to the AZ Rock and Mineral Museum where they could see a meteroite, copper and all kinds of amazing rocks and minerals from Arizona. Will purchased a very large "Pink Panther" diamond, that he treasures and cares for. (They saw the Pink Panther movie at Jim's just before coming to our house.)
We hiked Lookout Mountain for a panoramic view of the Phoenix valley. I taught them all about the saguaro cactus and our in house biologist, Scott, filled them in on the fauna and flora abundant in the desert.
We hiked the White Tank Mtns. and viewed Hohokam Indian petroglyphs along the trail. Petroglyphs are Indian drawings on rocks that sometimes marked good hunting, or watering areas.
I introduced Kate (10 yrs. old) and Will (7 yrs. old) to the sport of "Letterboxing." It has a rubber stamping connection, of course. First, you google Letterboxing, choose your state, click on a area, and read about any letterboxes (treasures) hidden in the vincinity. I found a letterbox hid at Lake Pleasant. Lake Pleasant is about 20 min. from our house so we printed out the treasure map and headed north. We found the box hid beneath a pile of rocks near the base of a palo verde tree, just to the east of the remains of a two-room Hohokam Indian home on the lake shore. Inside the box is a small notebook, pencil, ink pad, and a neat hand-carved stamp of a stick person holding an arrow. You stamp the small notebook with a stamp of your own, (mine was a jelly bean, the kids had a sun and star stamp) write your name and the date you found the box. Then in your own little letterboxing diary you stamp the letterbox stamp and tell where and when you found it. Lastly, being very careful you reassemble the letterbox and rehide it for the next person to find. We discovered that there are 9 letterboxes hid in the Astoria area so the kids are excited to hone their skills when they get back.
I sure have rambled on here but before I sign off I have to tell you about an awesome movie we rented last night. We highly recommend "The Final Inquiry." It is a movie set three years after Christ's death. The movie opens 33AD with earthquakes, darkness, and natural disasters that occured at the time of the crucifixion. Three years later the emperor of Rome summons a active Roman war general from Germania to go to Jerusalem and inquire about Jesus of Nazereth and the rumor that he was ressurected. The emperor had been gathering evidence that supports the idea that there is a connection between this Jewish rabbi's death and the natural disasters that occured. The movie is created by FOX/FAITH CO. It is a fictious story but based on history and accurate culture, so it gives you a feeling of what life may have been like in the first few years after Christ's death.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Last Great Race
I love watching and following the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. It happens every year. The race begins on March 1st and usually the first finishers arrive in Nome around the 11th.-16th. The last musher in receives the Red Lantern award.
It started three-quarters of a century ago with a serum run from Anchorage to the coastal community of Nome in Northwest Alaska.
There were no roads then between the two communities more than 1,000 miles apart, and there are none today. A train took the serum as far as Nenana. It was carried for the last 674 miles by dogsled. A relay of 20 mushers responded to the medical emergency -- a diphtheria epidemic.
Today the race is over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.
It started three-quarters of a century ago with a serum run from Anchorage to the coastal community of Nome in Northwest Alaska.
There were no roads then between the two communities more than 1,000 miles apart, and there are none today. A train took the serum as far as Nenana. It was carried for the last 674 miles by dogsled. A relay of 20 mushers responded to the medical emergency -- a diphtheria epidemic.
Today the race is over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.
In Like a Lion....
Well, this week we experienced the Arizona version of season change. The beginning of the week was nice, alittle cool in the morning and sunny about in the 70's during the day. Then BANG!!!Friday it is not so cool in the morning and gets up to 86 degrees. We go from nice to HOT in one day. No gradual seasonal changes here. I worked in my flower beds, fertilized the citrus trees, mowed the lawn and had to turn on the sprinkling system again. Life is good.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Rebecca and Eric come home for a short visit
Rebecca and Eric flew home for a short visit last weekend. What an eventful trip. Weather was so bad in Jackson Hole that on the way to the airport on Friday they received a call saying their flight was cancelled and they were on stand-by for a 7am flight on Sat. morning. We were so disappointed. They did get on the plane the next morning and finally arrived at 10:30am on Sat. They then were informed that their suitcase would be on the next plane. Well, it took until Monday afternoon for their luggage to catch up with them at our home, just in time for them to repack and leave early on Wed. morning. We had a great time though while they were here. We took in the Chinese New Year celebration at the Chinese Cultural Center in downtown Phoenix, watched Carl's football team play a game, watch Duncan's football team in a scrimmage, did a lot of shopping, Rebecca helped me with my drawing class, ate tons of delicous food both homecooked and at the restraunts, the boys went target shooting (Eric now yearns for an over/under shotgun like Scott's), had home pedicures, watched movies, and played many card and board games. What a fun whirlwind weekend!!!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Beginning...
Well, I'll give it a try. Here is our family blog spot. We are paddling as fast as we can to keep our heads above water right now. Scott is coaching Duncan's football team, the Yellowjackets until the end of February. Needless to say it has been an adventure. Duncan keeps growing, yea!! I began my last semester of classes in the teaching program at ASU. Student teaching is this fall, finally the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll be 50 years old when I finally arrive at the other end of this schooling. I love my internship this semester. I am in a kindergarten class. I am teaching after school drawing classes through a company called Young Rembrandts. It is alot of fun. Carl was assisting his dad with the football team but then he had a chance to play himself so he took it. He plays safety for the semi-pro West Valley Headhunters here in Phoenix. Two of his high school football buddies are on the same team. They are the youngest players. Average age is 25yrs. old. We've only seen them play once. Should be fun as long as he doesn't get injured.
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