Free Handbags!

I stole this from Daleen's blog--but I looked at the handbags that were on this website and they are cute! They are giving away free ones on the day of their opening in a drawing, so anyone can register to be drawn!

Check out their site:
http://www.handbagplanet.com/

The Roses...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I went to the Bountiful Temple today--and they had beautiful roses! I love the roses! I really think I'm going to have a garden someday--I just don't know if I'll be good at tending the roses...it's a lot of work!



My friend Bryant came with me as well--he'd never been to this temple before, so we were having a memory. He was able to get this neat picture of the Angel Moroni.


The Bountiful Temple is definitely one of my favorites! I think all of them are (ask my kids at school--I say the same thing about childrens books and math...they say, "Miss Merritt--everything is your favorite.").

Thanks Bryant for going to the Bountiful Temple with me! It was fun!

Looking out the window...

After conference on Sunday, my parents decided we would go for a ride. I decided this is where I get my crazy passion for driving and loving to go on drives. I remember when I was young going on drives with them and just watching the world outside my window...it was amazing to me then how many animals we'd pass or thing I'd see. It still is amazing to me today...

Pics of my Idaho Drive (it's a desert out there--but I still think it's beautiful!):




The world is such a big place--and I love to see it all...and experience it. That's what I've learned in life so far--you can't just watch it go by, but you have to experience the small moments...

HaLlOwEeN!!!

I was helping my mom (or watching her) decorate her new house for Halloween this weekend. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays--it's not my favorite--but a favorite! Let me tell you why...

My Grandma Merritt loved Halloween. It was her favorite holiday I think (she loved all of them, but she always went way out for Halloween.) Her house was full of spooky noises and she always had a lot of decorations up. She always had the exciting lawn decorations (not the big blow up kind either.). My Grandpa loved her so much that he would decorate the whole house and outside.

Halloween reminds me of my grandparents. I miss them.

Happy Birthday and Halloween Grandma! I love you!

It's Autumn!!!

Monday, September 29, 2008

I have been subbing 5th grade this whole week, so I came home Monday exhausted. I climbed into bed and I got a text from Bryant--we decided to go for a drive and see the fall leaves changing colors. We drove to my favorite canyon--Butterfield Canyon.






The leaves are all yellow, orange, red, and brown. And my hill is absolutely gorgeous!

I love the fall!

Happy fall, ya'll!

Fine Dining--The Grand Lux Cafe

Saturday, September 27, 2008

After playing at the Hoover Dam, we decided to go play on the strip. We were hungry, so we went wandering trying to find a place to eat. We finally stopped at the Venetian. We ate at the Grand Lux Cafe. They were great--but it was a little slow waiting for the food--but once we got it, it tasted fantastic!

I shared an order with Barb--we ordered Indochine Shrimp and Chicken--a Chinese Indian meal that had some curry spice in it and chicken and shrimp. It was yummy--and perfect for sharing. Then, I ordered dessert--Strawberry Shortcake with ice cream and fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yum! It was Barb's birthday that weekend, so we celebrated by singing to her over the cake.

The Massive Strawberry Shortcake

After dinner, we wandered the strip and people watched and checked out the gardens at the Bellagio. They were all decorated for fall! It was beautiful!


We got home late--and finished off our conference the next day. In all--it was a fun trip and I am glad I went. I think I rediscovered my purpose in life...I'm on the right path I think!

The Hoover Dam

Saturday, September 27, 2008

I was in Vegas for a leadership conference for school--and I learned some great things while I was there. But, it also had it's dry moments. My school flew us there and we stayed at Hyatt Place--I had my own king bed and everything all to myself! It was great. But, our conference was on Friday from 8-5, Saturday from 8-5, and Sunday from 9-12. It had good things, but those days were long. So, Kyle Hansen, my principal proposed an idea...

As you can tell, we were actively engaged...

Saturday was breakout session day--meaning there were 4 classes for us to choose from and attend in the morning and then attend in the afternoon. He decided the nine of us should divide and conquer in the morning session, then, we should ditch the rest of the afternoon...we did...

So--we rented a van and headed out to the Hoover Dam. I have never been there before, so this was a new adventure!

The beautiful long van--Kyle's wife Karen went and picked it up for us and she picked us up! We were so lucky she came along on our trip!

We got to the dam area and it was magnificent. I have so many pictures of it that I think I'll have to make a slide show just of my Vegas trip. I'll post my favorites here though.


Did you know a lot of people sacrificed their lives to build that dam? No one knows exactly how many, but it is a tribute to them--the magnificence of it all...To learn more about the Hoover Dam, click here: Hoover Dam Info



We had some great bonding moments in Vegas--here's a great shot of almost all of the teachers there with us. Paul (from 6th grade) had gone off with his family that afternoon--but all the rest of us got in order by grade:
Mary Tipton (Kindergarten), me (1st grade), Ruth Ann Taylor (2nd grade), Jamie Ault (3rd grade), Jodi White (4th grade), Jenn Hebertson (5th grade), and Barb Yost (our assistant principal--Kyle took our picture...)

Thanks Kyle for the fun day! We needed that break--I think it did more for us than attending those meetings longer than we did!