Hey you!

Well it's been awhile. I am sitting in my new appartment, sunshine flowing in from the three 5 ft windows that grace my living room walls. This place is absolutely amazing. Claw foot bathtub, original hardwood floors, freshly painted (adobe) walls. I am eating Special K with a handful of raspberries, ahhhhhhh, summer is here. One window shoots a view off to the north east of the mesas and red rocks, the other to a huge Catholic Church bell tower. I'll have to get some pictures posted soon! I only have a few boxes left to unpack...
This has serously been a great year for me so far, and we are only halfway done. Travel has been a common theme. I was in Winnipeg for the new year, Cancun with my bff Kristen in February, Florida in March with Tara, Rachel, Shawna, Cassie, Chelsea, and Heather, Phoenix in March, Vancouver in April with Katy (nevermind Cali, Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, Colorado and New Mexico for the drive there), I hit up Mesa Verde and Telluride, Colorado, last month, and this summer proves to hold more adventures for me!
Yesterday I did a triathalon. 375 yard swim, 12.4 mile bike, and 3 mile run. I can still move today, and it was actually pretty fun. I killed the swim, my bike was decent, but the run... I am not a runner. I ended up doing it in an hour and 36 minutes. Not too shabby for my first go of things.
Well I best be off walking to church. Big soccer game this afternoon, and great book to read!
Happy Sunday! and cheers to summer!

I (heart) February

I can't believe its taken me this long to post my annual I Love February and Everything Pink post. Probably because I have just been having so much fun this month, barely a moment to sit down.

I wore - pink, purple, or red every day up until February 14th - it was great fun.

The first weekend I went on an awesome off-roading/caving/wolf adventure, that left my car covered in lumps of mud.

I was training for a quadrathalon that I competed in on Feb. 14. It is basically a 42 mile race up a mountain to the summit at 11,301 ft. I have never been so cold in my entire life. Check out The Outdoor Journey for a sweet explanation of the race. Basically that mountain kicked my ass.

Now I am working towards the Dawn til Dusk mountain bike race, and the Shiprock Marathon. We'll see if I can keep up with the training.

My 26th birthday was awesome. Katy and I went for drinks after my class, and I also had a White Trash Bash the weekend before.

Saturday I am heading to Cancun for a week with my bff Kristen. I can hardly contain myself.

Then on March 4-8th I fly to Florida for a get together with my roommates from college.

No February blues going on here. Bring on the sun and the beach.

The worst part is that I have a list a mile long of all these crafts and DIY ideas, and no time to sit down and do them. Hopefully by the end of March things will start to settle down.

Happy February!

Latest and Greatest Quotes of the Week

Seriously, one of the best things about teaching first grade is just talking and listening to the students. Getting into their little heads. Listening to their ideas. They are very impressionable, and also they believe anything, I mean ANYTHING, you say. Gotta love it.

This convo came right after Christmas vacation, after I had been back in Canada. I had nothing to do with where he got his ideas. He came up with this all on his own...
Student: I think that in Canada, dogs are so hungry that they eat little kids.
Teacher: Why would they be so hungry?
Student: Because no one feeds them.
Teacher: Why wouldn't they feed them?
Student: I think they don't like them.


During a spelling test...
Teacher: Number three. How do you spell boots. B-oo-ts. Miss Van Dorp is wearing boots.
Student: and fancy boots too.
Student 2: I like your boots.


I always have pencil sharpener problems in my classroom. This child is picking up on that.

Student: Are you gonna keep that new pencil sharpener?
Teacher: Nope, I was just borrowing it.
Student: Well I wish, I wish the whole school was full of pencil sharpeners swimming all over.
Teacher: I would love that.
Student: Then we could do whatever we wanted.
Teacher: What would you do?
Student: Chopper blades. Engines that blades. Bladle. Do you know what a bladle is? Its spins. Pshhhhhhhsshshhs. It has really. It has blades.

10 minutes later...

Student: That penicl sharpener there doesn't work?
Teacher: Nope
Student: Well how can you make it work.
Teacher: I can't, its broken.
Student: Well why don't you just buy a new one.
Teacher: Because I don't have any money.
Student: Well why don't you get a job that earns you some money.
Teacher: Yah? Like what kinds of job?
Student: I dunno, a Walmart job, all kinds of jobs. Buidling fences. Like being a cop. Being the job of a police man won't earn you money. But you can protect yourself.

McDonalds Addiction

I have come to the realization as of late, that I have a problem. Well I have lots of problems, but more specifically I LOVE McDonald's. I could (and often do) eat there every day. Nothing will compare to the height of my addiction in high school. Since then I have cut down and I think I have done pretty well. I usually try to eat at McDonald's as often as possible. The desire does not always occur when I drive by (well sometimes those golden arches just call my name), but more of "I am so hungry nothing will tantalize my taste buds as much as a ____________. That blank can be filled in by pretty much everything on the menu except the Big Nasty (Extra) and the McNasty (McRib) sandwiches. My favorites include the fries - not to be beaten by anybody, cheese burgers, double cheeseburgers, McNuggets, Big Mac, McChicken (NOT the spicy one) and of course the Fillet 0'Fish. My mouth is watering just thinking about all this deliciousness.

In high school my bff and I ate at McDonald every single day. I am not exaggerating or trying to over-dramatize the situation. We literally ate there every day. Two cheeseburger meal super-sized with coke. My daily ritual. I still think I am going wake up one day and be 300 lbs.

Most recently I indulged myself in the McDonald's twice in one day. A feat that does not occur that much, but often enough to think of how disgusting I am. I was in the Denver airport, landed at gate 91 in the United terminal. Usually I then have to hike to like gate 2 to catch my next flight (right by McDonald's mmmmmmmmm). Not this time. My next flight was to leave from gate 87. This was definitely a first. I checked my watch and decided I had enough time to hike my ass over to the food court (a mere 80 or so gates) to indulge myself in an Egg McMuffin and hash brown (I leave this unplural because it is literally one big hash brown). Sorry I can barely control myself right now. Then when I landed in Albuquerque I had to do another McDonald's stop to fill my dinner hunger. A great day. And no, when I go to bed my sheets don't reek of french fries.

The only thing worse that eating McDonald's twice in one day would then be when I can't decide what to order. This is when I order a McChicken, Cheeseburger, and a Filet o'Fish, and then proceed to order two drinks so the drive-through attendant won't think all the food is for me. Sad days.

I have few friends in my life that share my same love - and moments with those friends at McDonald's are true treasured experiences. My bff Kristen of course shares my love, as does my aunt, and my college roommate Margriet. There is nothing better than sharing McDonald's with those you love.

I apologize to anyone who vomited during the reading of this post. I do not apologize for those who instantly drove to McDonald's to order something McDelicious.

I read that in Malaysia McDonald's have McDelieveries. Sounds amazing. Looking into moving to Malaysia. http://www.mcdonalds.com.my/mcdelivery/how2order.asp



All I can say is two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun (try saying that as fast as you can - fun times).

My handmade Christmas

I had decided to give all handmade gifts this year for Christmas and it ended up turning out great. My only exception were books. But come on, books are a great gift, and I purchased them at a small local bookstore.

So here is the breakdown:

For my dad - a handmade belt from a local saddle/shoe shop City Electric, as well as the book Uncle Ernies Guide to Old Time Rodeo. The book is written by a local guy who has done a lot of work with Tony Hillerman. My friend Chuck also did the layout of the book. The pictures in the book are these awesome watercolours also done by a local Navajo man.

For my brother and sister-in-law I got this print from local photographer and friend Chuck. Its a picture taken up in the Cibola national forest of some aspens in the snow. Totally awesome and it looks amazing in there purple and grey living room! (sorry for the glare of the flash in the photo)

My mom got books, books, books, and more books. Her favorite thing. Oh and whoops - pajamas. I didn't get those handmade :(

I also got my sister-in-law and her mom these awesome magnets from my friend Marcy @ Signs of My Life. She has her stuff up on ETSY - definitely worth checking out.

My aunt and my sister-in-law also got a set of these 4 handmade reusable grocery bags made by yours truly. They took forever but it was so rewarding when they were done. I was thinking about selling them... but then I'll have to find cheaper fabrics, cause after the time I spent and these fabrics there is no way I could make any money on them.

My niece got this 'bunting,' also made by moi. Its about three meters long and is hanging up in her playroom right now. She loved her 'flags.' My nephew got one of those towels with a hood. Made by one of my neighbours.

My principal and his wife got flatwear carriers made by a friend from college - Brielle of Pony Up Design (also on ETSY).

Overall it was so much fun making and looking for homemade gifts. I also had fun wrapping them in brown paper and all sorts of fun ribbons. I love Christmas and I love gift giving.