Snowshoe #11--Millcreek Canyon

February 26, 2011

My friends Kathy, Linda, and I went snowshoeing up Millcreek Canyon during the snow storm. We went to the Pipeline Trail and part of Grandeur Peak.

Here are some pictures from the hike:

It Finally Came!

March 3, 2011

My certificate finally came yesterday! But...look closely:



Did you notice they spelled my name wrong?

I did...so I called them today and they apologized and said it would take ANOTHER 3 WEEKS to get my new one! How crazy!

But--they did congratulate me!

Oh well! So--I'm almost legit!

In the meantime, what do you do with a certificate that is spelled incorrectly?

Snowshoe # 10--Guardsmen Pass

Thursday, February 24, 2011

My friend Shannee and I decided it was time to go out and snowshoe since we both didn't have to work and we both have the gear. So--we went up to Gaurdsmen Pass--one of my favorite places to snowshoe!

Me with my snowshoes

Shannee

Gaurdsmen had some pretty nice snow when we were out. It was definitely better than what was lower down in the canyon. It was beautiful--and a little cold. The storm was moving in while we were out.

Snowshoe # 9--Doughnut Falls

Thursday, February 10, 2011

My friend Eric and I decided to get out and snowshoe one night after work. We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and decided to snowshoe Doughnut Falls.

Couple things--it was dark. And it was cold. Eric's thermometer read 0 degrees. It got a little colder before we were done.

Eric walking through the trees.


When we got to the falls, we climbed up and found this. The falls were covered in snow--so all we could do was peak in and see the falls from the hole. It was kind of cool to see.

But, I finally made it to the falls--only took me three tries this winter!

National Boards Hill Day

February 11, 2011

Today I had the chance to go to the Utah State capitol building and have the senators and legislators in the house of representatives applaud me and the other newly passed national board teachers for our hard work. I think today I realized how much legislation does affect my job--and how important it is for me to maybe take part in protecting it. I may have found something new to motivate me in life...we'll see...

But in the meantime--I still feel like I'm some member of an elite club or something bizarre. And really--I just feel average. I don't do anything more than any other teacher--all teachers deserve to feel important and respected.

A Bitter Sweet Change

January 30, 2011

Yesterday I woke up with the feeling that something good was going to happen to me. I got up, met my parents for lunch in Salt Lake, then decided to go test drive some Jeeps once again.

I have been looking since about November. A friend of mine from college, Jeff, works at Hinckley Dodge up in Salt Lake. I have been testing a few of the newer Liberty's for a while because my 2003 was getting up there in miles (168,000 to be exact), and I just don't know enough about cars to hang onto her much longer I'm afraid. She was still working well, but it had been 5 years with her, and I felt maybe it was time for something new. I had a feeling in me on Saturday that I would find it.

Jeff and I wandered around the lot for a little discussing payment options of what I could afford. I'm really not that wealthy--I'm a poor teacher after all. But, we decided to check the used lot to see if there was anything there worthwhile. We found one!

I had tested about four others with Jeff, but they all had severe cosmetic detail issues or were missing the "sunroof" or other features that I loved about my Jeep. I knew I'd find the best one when I wouldn't feel sad about leaving my old one. Today was the day.

We found me a 2008 Jeep Liberty Limited--it is probably the nicest thing I have ever owned. It has only 24,000 miles it and it is leather interior and full of fun fancy features. It is also black--which means I'll have to clean it more often...but I think I'll be okay with that. I saw the sunroof and the low miles and it was love at first sight. Once I was in, Jeff and I knew we'd found a winner.

Here's a quick shot of her at my parent's house in Idaho. She is a lot of fun to drive.





And in memory of my old Jeep, here's a few pictures of her. I will miss her--but we had some great memories!

I had taken her to many mountain peaks in the area--she was a great little off-roader.

This was her at her 100,000 mile mark. We celebrated that day!

I think this change will be good. I feel really good about it--until I see my monthly payments go up and the insurance too...good bye spontaneous shopping!

Snowshoe #8--Mineral Fork Night Trip

January 28, 2011

Eric and I finally made our nighttime snowshoe trip happen! And we drug Linda along too! It was great--here's some proof!

Eric teaching us about snow hoar...

A close up of the snow hoar.

Linda admiring the snow hoar

The trail we hiked...I don't think we made it very far.

Some rolling snow stuff...

Eric says this was some mining thingy...


We crossed this little bit of creek--it was a little intense...but fun!

Linda and I after we crossed the creek.

Some bunny footprints

I was testing my camera out to see if it would get a good shot.

Eric knows so much about snow--he was getting ready here to show us the layers of the snow so we could learn about how it packs. I feel I gained a lot of knowledge from Eric.