I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.

School has started. I am on week two. My students are wonderful, and I only have 13 of them! It is glorious.
I have a new dog. His name is Wylie Armani. He found me. He doesn't bark, and likes to cuddle. He kinda stinks, but we are working on that. Stella Van Pomplemouse and Banks Van Fleuf Meister, my cats, do not enjoy Wylie, but they like him better than Ruby Van Iderstein (my dog who I had for a week and then she ran away).
I also have a new friend. His name is Andrew. We have been doing a lot of cool stuff lately. He is from MI, which is kinda lame, but other than that he is pretty cool.

Summary of sweet events as of late:
Cara is back! So I am no longer alone in my home.
A whole group of us went cliff jumping last weekend = awesomeness.
I went to the 87th Annual Indian Inter-Tribal Ceremony. Paul McCartney was there.
Andrew and I went to a sweat lodge yesterday = extreme sweating and intense Navajoness.
I went treasure hunting with Paul and Andrew on Saturday. I found three treasures.
I made four batches of nanimo bars.
My soccer team got bronze medals.
Paul, Andrew, Carrie, and I went up to visit Mr. Swets in the fire tower. Its high. You can see a lot. The moom was cool.
I saw Pinapple Express. My favorite part was at the end when Dale and Saul are feeding Red, and he's goes "it's just like I am a baby, num num num num." I think its the facial expression and the moment, cause the quote sounds lame now that I read it. Andrew's favorite part was when Saul comes in with his crazy guns and yells "fuck the po-lice."

I could write 500 posts about all the cool stuff I have been up to lately. But then you might get jealous and then hate me. I don't want that to happen, so there is a small sampling.

Pictures to complete the post, pictures are always fun.

Hiking

cliff jumping

standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ, incase you couldn't read the sign...

my new puppy, Wylie

third place, meh

two kids in their fancy dress at Ceremonial

Paul and I mowing down some cream puffs

The Pinapple Express

That's all.
Hágoónee'

(more pictures can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012093&l=ac6ef&id=148300936)

Friends are God's way of taking care of us.

Apparently I haven't posted since May, that's pretty lame. Almost as lame as Jeff writing a blog and then not writing anything cause "his fingers are sore from instant messaging."

Frick my summer is almost over. Well at least its been a super sweet summer. I am stuck around New Mexico for the most part. I spent a week up in Alberta. I had a cousin's wedding, and then got to catch up with some old Dordt friends. It was pretty much awesome. Then I headed to Manitoba for a week and half. It was great to see family and my bff Kristen again. Kristen and I headed out to her cabin for the weekend and spent some time relaxing and ATVing. I filled the rest of my time, shopping, seeing family, and just relaxing.

Summer in Gallup has been wonderful though. I just feel so blessed to be living here. I have a great community of friends and they are just awesome. I have been mountain biking a lot, heading up to the forest for barbeque's, and just enjoying the company of friends. It is hard being single here, cause, I am basically the only one who is single. All my friends are married, most have kids, but I always feel included and I just feel blessed to have them all in my life. It is a cool place here, this town.

I have been dog sitting for some friends all summer. It'll almost have been for 9 weeks when they get back. Now I want to keep their dog forever. He is a beautiful golden retriever. I went to the Humane Society to get a dog. Well the dog ran away last week. So that was that. Oh and they banned me from adopting their pets, cause "I lost one of their dogs." Didn't know they could be so picky. Now I am looking for a golden retriever puppy. Exciting, I know.

School starts up here in 3 weeks. Hopefully I get some more camping in by then. I have been doing as much outside as possible. I basically haven't watched TV since April, and I have read a ton of books instead. Life is good.

Here are some pictures from my summer adventures:

Lily and Maggi (my 3 year old bff)

Erica, Audria, Naomi, and Lily

My cousin Tamara, my mom, and I shopping on Whyte Ave. in Edmonton

Wedding Ceremony

Cousins with the Groom, that's only 1/3 of us...

Hanging out with Greg, Russ and Steph on Canada Day

My cousin Adrian and I at the water park in Edmonton

Kristen and I heading out on our ATV adventure

My nice clean quad, after burying it in 4 feet of slime

So there is a little update of my life. I should be in bed, but the lightening and thunder is great right now, so instead of sleep I watching and listening to the rain. Ahhhhhh... Mmmmmmmm smells good too!

10 teaching days left...

One of my co-workers is studying to get his U.S. citizenship, and I have been quizzing him on these ridiculous questions he has to answer.
Yesterday I asked him: "what is the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?"
One of my students goes: "the Titanic"

Abundant Sunshine

Things are so sunny and wonderful around here. I am keeping busy with the abundance of activities available, plus I have amazing friends. I love this place. I am staying here for the summer, and that has me excited. Although I am making a two week trip to Edmonton and Winnipeg around the end of June, also exciting.

Four weeks of school to go - 16 teaching days! I have a whole class of little buggers and they drive me crazy. They are pretty hilarious though. Especially a couple of them.
Some classroom quotes for your entertainment.

Julian: Miss Van Dorp, when you were living on a farm did the farmer have teeth?

Jayson: female?
Me: its like girl
Jayson: whats guy then?
Me: male
Jayson: oh its like mail man.

Jayson: your just like a kid.
Me: why?
Jayson: cause you can do all kinds of things like a kid, like stretch your leg all the way over there.

Jayson: whats that patty?
Me: its a rice cake.
Jayson: no its a rice patty.
Me: no its a rice cake.
Jayson: no cause its not covered in all that stuff that is goodness.
Me: icing?
Jayson: yah icing, and there are no sprinkles and stuff.

(I have a six foot bull snake that lives under my house)
Jayson: Miss Van Dorp, did you put that snake under your house?
Me: no why would I do that.
Jayson: you should call animal planet so they can fix him up and then you can bring him to us and put him over there.

Me: I am so excited for summer.
Elijah: I am gonna go to Six Flags this summer.
Jayson: Yah, well, I am gonna go to eight flags!

In Heaven there is no beer, thats why we drink it here!

I had a great weekend.
Basically I was just happy it was the weekend.
The only good thing about my week was that I am now going to be selling my earrings at store downtown. Its called the Makeshift Gallery. It works sorta like a Co-op. You pay a fee for the year, work 10 hours a month, and then they take 15% of sales. Not bad. They are pretty pumped about me joining, and they love my stuff. I was pretty nervous going in, so that was a good confidence booster.
Friday night my friends Subtle Groove were playing a St. Patrick's day show. It was pretty much awesome. We all danced the night away, and I drank my fair share of shitty green beer.
Saturday, I did nothing. Nothing at all. I sat on my ass all day. Went to Arby's for supper, and then watched Dan in Real Life = excellentness.
Today I went to church, and then hit the mountain bike trials with my friend Tim.
Tomorrow I am taking my class to see Horton Hears a Who. I am not sure who is more excited, me or them. I also cannot forget to wear green, I have no desire to have kids pinch me all day. I hate being pinched, about as much as I hate people shooting elastics at me. Ahhh I hate that.

Stella and Banks are ready for St. Patrick's Day.

Banks is vicious, watch out. Its the leprechaun in him.