October

October was a very busy month. My parents were here for 8 days at the beginning of the month and we crammed in as many activities as we possibly could.

We went on a little hike to enjoy the fall colors as well as the first snow in the mountains.

We attended a session of General Conference. We were able to sit really close and Mitt and Ann Romney happened to be nearby. 

We had a ladies night and went to the Josh Groban concert.

We attended the BYU homecoming football game.

We also spent a lot of time with family, enjoyed eating out, and celebrated Sarah's and Grandpa Neilson's birthdays. It was fun but horribly exhausting at the same time. 

The next week I had fall break and was excited to have no set plans and looked forward to having some time to myself. The first day of break, I sprained my wrist in a boxing class which has been a bit of a challenge. It didn't stop me from doing what I wanted however, and I still went golfing on Thursday and Friday. I was also able to sleep in, hang out with friends, have a complete lazy day, and enjoy some time to myself. It was exactly what I needed. 

The rest of the month has been busy to say the least. I celebrated Fall to the fullest with corn mazes, haunted houses, movies, hot chocolate, football, and pumpkin spiced foods.

Work has continued to be busy as well. I am back to teaching full time after having a student teacher and I already forgot how tiring it is. The students are full of energy and a little crazy. I am so grateful for this time of year where we get quite a few breaks because I don't know how I would make it! The students do keep me entertained though. They say the funniest things and I am constantly amused with the stories they tell. They are very creative and I love watching them participate in our activities. I am thankful for their hugs and "thank you's" as they leave the gym as well, and feel that although very difficult at times, I have a pretty fantastic job.

September(ish) Wrap-Up

The past couple of months have been busy, busy, busy! I have had more work this school year than ever before but so far, school has been going well. I have a student teacher until the end of October and although it is awesome not having to teach all of the time, it is a challenge and a little stressful making sure she gets a good experience and knows everything she needs to. She is doing really well though and has great ideas to help me become a better teacher as well. I don't have any super exciting teaching stories yet except that my Ipod touch got stolen at one of my schools. It happened on my Birthday of all days as well. I'm pretty sure some students know exactly what happened to it but won't confess. I've just considered it a loss by now. Fortunately I was able to get a project funded through Donors Choose where I received an Ipad mini the very next day but I'm still disappointed that a student would take it.

Work has kept me extremely busy but I have been able to squeeze in a few fun things over the past month or so.

 I went to the State Fair with a few friends,

 squeezed in one more delicious shaved ice before the end of summer,

enjoyed a good birthday,

went to a Luke Bryan concert where Georgia Florida Line and Thompson Square opened,

and went up to snowbird to ride the tram and walk around Oktoberfest.

Now I am enjoying the glorious fall weather, watching General Conference, and getting ready for a week with my parents here. Should be fun!

Home

About a week ago I came back from a much needed trip home. I spent an entire two weeks there which I haven't been able to do for nearly five or six years. It was a wonderful trip. I got to play, work, eat, and spend time with my family. It also was a time for me to completely put my life in Utah on hold and enjoy being home. 

The first week was spent with just my parents and it was quite productive. I worked on a few projects that you can see on my previous post, rebuilt a fence in our pasture with my dad, visited with my grandma, did some yard work, and had plenty of time to enjoy being with my mom and dad. Sometimes I get frustrated with the fact that I am not yet married or have kids but I probably wouldn't get to enjoy times like this with just my parents if I was. I truly treasure these times and am thankful to have a wonderful home and family that I love and can always go back to.

The second week was a lot busier. It was our Pioneer Day celebration and we also threw a couple of family reunions into the mix. We had 11 people staying at our house which is always fun, adventurous, and a little challenging. I loved it!

Here are some things we did:

We went to the mountains a couple of times.

This is up at Terrace Resevoir

 And this is near Trujillo Meadows

(Notice all of the poor dead trees because of the beetle kill this year-Sad!)

We participated in the Pioneer Celebration by watching the parades and going to the demolition derby.

We had a dinner picnic thing with the Miller family but I don't have any pictures that are worth posting.

We also had a little Frederiksen reunion which I do have pictures of. 

 

All of the Frederiksens that came:

 My Grandma's family:

 7 of the 20 Miller grandchildren:

I did enjoy a couple of days home after everyone had left which was also nice. Now I'm back in Utah and relishing my days of relaxation before going back to work in two weeks!

Feeling Crafty

One of my goals for the summer was to do some DIY projects. I love working with tools and building things so I picked three projects that allowed me to do just that. It was also nice to express my crafty side for once. 

All of the ideas came from Pinterest but I didn't follow any instructions. I saw what something was supposed to look like or had the basic understanding and then just went for it. I think I did quite well and can't wait to get my hands dirty with another one!

Project #1-Simple Yarn July Wreath

This took about an hour and was super simple. You wrap yarn around a foam wreath and add stars. That's it! I found some foam glow-in-the-dark stars that worked perfectly.

These next two projects were done in Colorado at my parents house. They had the tools and the space. I also had about 4 days of down time before lots of family came in for the Pioneer Day celebrations so it was perfect.

 

Project #2-Barn Wood Flag

We knocked down an old shed a few years ago and the leftover wood was perfect for this project.

I found the pieces I wanted,

 cut the boards,

 spray painted,

 then connected the wood with wire and added the stars.

 I did one for myself and one for my mom.

 

Project #3-Card Table Redo

My parents have a couple of card tables and chairs that have been used and abused so with some spray paint, new vinyl tablecloths (so you can easily wipe them clean), and a staple gun, they went from this...

 to this...

This one is my favorite. I was proud of my color/pattern choice. I may just take it home for myself.

I think I have accomplished my goal. I even enjoyed it so much that I will start my search for another. 

Any ideas? Let me know!