Caribbean Cruise

We recently spent an entire week in the Caribbean on a Cruise with my mom’s whole family.  There were 19 of us altogether and it was a blast.  There was more food than we could possible eat, even for Deric.  We played in the on board water park complete with water slides.  There was always something to be doing.  I enjoyed chilling on the deck with a book.  We stopped in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Island, and Cozumel, Mexico.

In Jamaica we did a lot of shopping.  It was fun to drive through the city.  They drive on the left there and our driver said that to remember which side to drive on, just think, the left side is the right side and the right side is suicide.  We passed a KFC and he said that instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken they call it Keep the Fat Coming.

In Grand Cayman we went to a sea turtle farm.  We saw hundreds of turtles.  Some were over 300 pounds and others were much smaller.  We got to hold the yearlings.  They don’t feel anything like you would expect.  After the turtle farm, Dad and I went snuba diving and Mom and Deric went shopping.  Snuba was so cool.  We got to see a ship wreck and thousands of fish.  Some were 3 feet long and others were smaller than my little finger and everything in between.

In Cozumel we had a brief flashback to Honduras because it poured rain for a while.  We went snorkeling when the rain let up.  We got to see sea cucumbers, sea horses, and lots of other fish.  After we were done with that we ate lunch at a restaurant on the pier.  The food was delicious.  Then we did even more shopping.  It is a good thing I like shopping because we did a lot of it everywhere we went and even some on board.

That’s it for now.  Pictures will be coming soon.

Substitute Teaching

Felycia had her first experience with substitute teaching.  She taught 7th grade reading and language arts.  My first thought was, "I hope you didn't have to do a spelling test, because she is not good at spelling."  She had quite a funny thing happen, though.  The boys flirted with her all day and kept asking her how old she was.  Since she is only 21 and doesn't even look that old, they kept telling her that she looked so young and she had to be in her 20's and not any older.  She just kept asking them if it mattered.  She doesn't want to sub in middle school very often, but she'll take what she can get at this point.

Positions for next fall opened today.  Felycia has been working on her resume and the application.  Everything has to be turned in by next Monday.  If she makes it to an interview, she will know by March 8th and then the actual interview will be on March 25th.  Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.  We already have plans to go shopping for a new 'interview outfit' while she is home for spring break.  Her long term position starts on April 8th if not sooner.  The school has already put in the request with the sub service and Felycia has accepted it.

Deric is still going to UNLV and taking an online class at CSN.  He is still working and staying busy with church callings and hanging out with friends.

Conrad's iPad disappeared during Mutual a few weeks ago.  He is trying to see how long he can go without it.  I have told him he is welcome to take mine for meetings and church, but he is okay using pen and paper for now.  If he can wait until April, we are all eligible for new phones, too, and we will make the trip to St. George to make our purchases.  The store is nicer, the people are more helpful, and the sales tax is much less.

I have been working on uncluttering the house.  I just take a small place in the house and clean it each day.  The dining room looks better, and I've started in my bathroom.  One drawer or cupboard at a time.  It's a long process, but it is nice to see something completely done in very little time.  I've also been getting rid of craft supplies and half done projects.  While I was sick, I couldn't concentrate long enough to do a big project, so I started using up yarn making granny squares.  I have a cute little afghan just waiting for its final border.  That will be done this week.  The girls at work have asked about scarves and crochet flowers so I've gathered up my completed stuff and taken it to work.  I made $45 last week and I'm taking more stuff tomorrow.  This is just stuff that is already done and just in boxes and bags in the garage.  I'm glad to get rid of it and if I can make some money in the process, all the better.

I have a second blog called Food, Fabric, and Fibers.  I post recipes we love and crafting stuff I've had fun making.  Most of my craft projects lately are coming from Pinterest.  I have to admit, I am totally addicted.  I have to limit myself in how much time I can spend in one sitting or I lose track of hours in the day.  I've found and tried some great recipes, too.  Check out my other blog for more info.

February Update

March is fast approaching so it is time for an update about what is going on in our family.

I haven't been up to much over the last two months.  I am finally going to start substitute teaching this week.  I would have started sooner but I couldn't start until after orientation and it was postponed a couple of times.  I am really looking forward to getting back into a daily schedule where there is actually stuff to do.  For anyone who thinks it would be great to sit around with nothing to do day in and day out, it is not nearly as nice as it seems.  You will start to go crazy after a little while.

Things in Vegas are still a lot like they have been.  Mom, Deric, and Dad work.  Deric goes to school and hangs out with friends, Dad is busy with church stuff and Mom has plenty to do with all the projects she has going.

Last Sunday Dad recieved a special scouting award.  As a descendant of a member of the Mormon Batallion, he should have been eligible for this award when he got his eagle but they didn't know about the award at the time.  The rules for recieving this award have changed making both him and Uncle Reid eligible.  They now have the cool buffalo skull slide that is much too nice to actually wear.  It is even nicer than the ones Deric and Isaiah got when they got their eagles.

I think that is it for now.  I will be sure to update again next month.

More from Ohio



Carson

Here are some more photos from Ohio.  When we got there on Tuesday, we went straight to a benefit show for a teacher who had been in an ATV accident and ended up with a serious brain injury.  Carson, Hillary, and Logan all performed.  Carson started off the evening by singing the Star Spangled Banner.  Logan played the piano.  Hillary sang in a small group and with Madrigals.  They did a silent auction and had all kinds of goodies to eat and some yummy hot chocolate to keep us warm.  It was a nice program.

Hillary (2nd from Left)



Logan












On Christmas Eve (early afternoon) the fog started to settle in around my parents house. It got dense enough that we couldn't see across the street to my sister's house. It was pretty cool.

 

My dad has chickens.  They get about 18 eggs every day.  Every time someone was ready to eat, my mom said, "Do you want an egg?"  It kind of got to be a joke.  It was funny when my nieces would just drop by and say, "We forgot to get eggs.  Can I get some from your fridge?"  Hillary made something like 25 Pumpkin Rolls that she had taken orders for.  She used quite a few eggs for that project.  We benefitted because she brought a few to us to eat.  Great bedtime snack with a mug of hot cocoa.  Thanks, Hillary.

I learned something new with my camera.  I think I finally understand aperature and how to use it.  This was just a test shot to see how it works.  It allows me to focus on something up close and blur the background.  It seems to work well.

 This is what we woke up to our last morning in Ohio. Nearly 6 inches of snow and it was still coming down pretty good. The first photo is my parents backyard. I lucked out that a flock of birds flew right through my shot.




 I love the second picture of the red barn. It's across the main road from my parents house. Dad says that in the summer you can't even see it because the trees are covered with leaves.


The last picture is Lake White. It's hard to believe that I actually took this shot from a moving car with the window up on our way to the airport.


 

I had visions of a great family picture in the snow during our trip.  It never snowed enough until the last day so I didn't get the photo shoot I wanted.  This is right before we got in the car to head to Columbus to the airport.  Thanks to my mom for taking the picture.  It shows how much it snowed overnight.

We had a great time spending time with family.  We have decided that it is more fun to be at our own house on Christmas morning so if we do this kind of trip at the holidays again, it will be before or after Christmas.

Photos from Ohio

Felycia promised photos from Ohio when she posted last week.  I've been sick all week and this is the first day I have even turned on the computer.  The couch and television have been my friends because I haven't had energy to even eat.  I'm feeling much better now so I'll post what I have already taken off of Felycia's camera and then more when I upload all of the photos from my camera.

This was the view outside my parents' back door after the first snow we saw.  The cardinals are so pretty in the snow.  Their red feathers stand out so well.  Deric took these pictures through the window.  It was sooooo cold there.  I think we have brought the cold back with us because it's freeezzzing in Las Vegas now.
More photos later.

Ohio

Okay, so I failed.  Things were so crazy last month that I didn't get around to writing a post.  Between finishing my student teaching, moving out, and going to Ohio, there wasn't a lot of extra time.

We spent Christmas in Ohio.  We left on the 18th and got back on the 29th.  It was strange not to be at home Christmas morning.  It was also a lot of work.  Everything had to be ready for Christmas before we left.  Then we had to decide what would go with us to Ohio and what would stay in Las Vegas.  In the end, most of the gifts went with us.  After that, we had to make sure they would all fit in the suitcase and not weigh too much.  We all enjoyed spending Christmas with family but I don't think we will spend Christmas away from home again.

While we were in Ohio it snowed three different times.  The only time it stuck enough to play in was the morning we left to come back to Las Vegas.  We learned that it is best to stay home in a snow storm when we were in a car accident the first time it snowed.  No one was hurt but it was really inconvenient and cold.

We took quite a few pictures while we were in Ohio but my mom has all of those.  Since I am back in St. George, I can't post any of them.  Maybe she will get around to doing it eventually.

Now, an update about what is going on in our family.  Not much is new with Dad.  He just got two new counselors in the bishopric so he will be spending time get them up to speed.  Mom has a new blog she is working on.  It is call Food, Fabric, and Fibers.  I bet you can't guess what it is about.  She is posting recipes and finished sewing, quilting, and crocheting projects.  She is having a lot of fun share things she has made.  You can find her new blog at www.foodfabricandfibers.blogspot.com if you are interested.  Deric will be attending UNLV this semester.  He will also be taking a Spanish class at CSN to finish up his Associates Degree.  As for me, I moved in to my new house this afternoon and am still looking for a "big girl" job, as my parents call it.  The school district has a couple of full time positions open that I am applying for.  Hopefully, I will have a job soon.

That is all for now.