Wednesday, June 22, 2011

CNN FAIL


One of these things is not like the other. Do you see it yet??? Nice CNN. Really nice.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

TX

I took a trip to Austin. An extremely over-due trip to Austin. Over Memorial Day weekend I flew to the Texas to visit Heather. I met up with Sarah and Jessica as well and we had a grand (all be it sweaty and humid) time. Saturday started off with a meat lunch at Rudy's. Delicious. Later we went and toured Lake Austin. Nobody told me that Texas could be so green. We spent the day on a boat and the night at a delicious restaurant on the pier. I had never been so happy for cool, evening temperatures. Well, maybe Egypt was worse. But still, TX was hot.

On Sunday we did some worshiping and driving tours of the Austin area. We drove all the way around the Lake Austin area. After getting home we got to do Satin Hands and Satin Lips with Heather's Mary Kay genius mother


Unfortunately, Monday was the day to go home. We ate lunch in downtown Austin near the church streets. Mormons, Jews, Baptists, Scientologist, etc. More religion than Utah! Then it was a fun drive up to Houston for our departure. It was a VERY short trip but ever so wonderful to see Heather in her natural Texan environment.





Sarah, Heather, Jeff, and myself hanging out on the lake















Touring the trailer foods district of downtown Austin. Cupcake from a trailer? Yes, please.















What was the name of my cupcake you ask, MICHAEL JACKSON! Of course I chose that one.
















Darling Sarah enjoying some Rudy's BBQ sauce.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

TOPAZ

My first class this summer was a course on Topaz. I learned so much from the professors, the field trip, the internees, and the darling 442 soldier.

In this picture I am standing in block 22 of the Topaz Relocation Center. Over 11,000 Japanese were "evacuated" from the east coast and sent to this location. The barracks, mess halls, hospitals, and administration buildings were removed from the site in 1946 and sold, mostly to farmers in the Delta area for barn storage. Over 100,000 total Japanese were forced to live in camps just like Topaz. I didn't learn about Topaz until I was in college and I am finding that's the trend for most people. Why is this something that is not taught in American History???

What one of the barracks would have looked like. They each had about three beds and one stove. The Japanese had to bring their own belonging or make what furniture they could out of scrap wood.

Lisa and I with the darling Nelson Akagi. He was a soldier in the 442 regiment during WWII. His unit, made up of Japanese American citizens, were considered enemy aliens but became the most decorated unit in American history. He was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

THE ONLY LIE

My dear Grammy was the sweetest and most innocent lady that ever walked this earth. One of my favorite stories about her is the one lie she told. I mean SHE ONLY TOLD ONE LIE EVER! She lived 83 years and only told one lie!!! And she wasn't lying about only telling one lie. She was so ashamed she ever told it. Here is her one and only:

When she was in junior high she struggled with history (this is the reason she told me the story in the first place, because I love and teach histor
y). Her teacher was not a very kind woman and in Grammy's words, "was not the best at getting me to understand information." By that, she meant she was a sucky teacher. She had a big history test that she was so nervous for. She didn't know how or what to study, so she just didn't. The day of the test came and she was so upset about the possibility of failing that she told the teacher she was sick and needed to go home. She didn't want to take the test so she lied about being sick.

That's it! That is her one lie!!! Can you believe it? Can you believe I am even related to a woman that pure and wonderful?

Grammy @ the age of her "lie"

Saturday, June 4, 2011

SUMMER SCHOOL

Lindsay loves to comment that teachers don't really get three months of summer off. It really bothers her. Imagine how much it bothers me! School ended yesterday but I didn't even get home until 11:00pm. I have all day meetings at OJHS on Monday and Tuesday. I have a Topaz class for 3 days, Utah Geography class for 5 days, department collaboration meetings for 4 days, a physical geography course for 5 days, and I go back to school on August 16. Total week days this summer = 51. Total week days I have "summer school" = 20. That means my total free summer lovin days are: 31. THAT IS ONLY 1 MONTH!!!!!!! I will be in "summer school" longer than my students who failed my class will be in real summer school. Sick. Nobody told me that teachers are actually busy in the summers. Rude wake up call. I better live it up those 31 days.