Clark Gets Excited

Goings On

We haven't done very many exciting things in the last few months, but here's some things.









I'm 23.










We went to the color festival. Here's the before picture.









And here's after.










Eating Dippin' Dots at Trafalga.










Then we won a giant Krusty with our friends Kory and Marianne. Marianne really likes Krusty, as you can see.






And Clark is doing well. On Monday he somehow climbed out of his tank and fell off the counter and was running around the classroom, but the joke's on him! Now his tank has a lid!

Las Vegas

Last week we got to go to Las Vegas. It was spectacular - we say Lance Burton float a Corvette, The Phantom of the Opera, In 'n Out, One Really Good Buffet (which we went to twice,) and lots of people gambling on the Super Bowl! Here is Brian in the conservatory at the Belagio, celebrating Chinese New Year (the Year of the Tiger) with all the other Asian tourists.












Also, we get to buy a (town)house. Here is a picture of that:

You should probably know that we're planning on getting rid of the satellite dish and black gate-door thing as soon as we close. Hooray!

The Classroom

Here is my room. The wall is red. You can see the Tattletale Frog there on the counter. He listens to all the tattletales that I don't have time/energy for - he's very busy.






Here's my desk and Clark's tank.








Here are the cubbies, the sink, and Clark in his tank.






This is half of the word wall and the books.








This is the calendar wall where we do the whole "today is the fourteenth day of school" thing.

Trip Back East

A few weeks ago we had the "joy" of dropping off a massive truck to some guy in Ohio and driving all the way back. Despite running out of gas in Wyoming (the gauge was wrong!) and fishtailing and having to pass through the Indiana Turnpike, all went well. We go to stop by Kirtland, Ohio and Winter Quarters, Nebraska, too, so - bonus! Plus we ate a LOT and I read a LOT and Brian drove even more.

Clark

"Look what we found in the park, in the dark.
We'll take him home. We'll call him Clark."

- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

This is the classroom pet, Clark. We got him from a turtle sanctuary in Sandy (!). He'll spend his days at the school, and weekends and holidays with us, changing homes like a typical American child. He loves being in the sink or tub, always under a running faucet, and since that's easier to clean, that's where he usually is. We've taken far too many pictures of him because we don't have any kids.














Eating lunch (small deveined shrimp - yummers).














Trying to fit behind the piano. He eventually did it by turning sideways, and now there's a soccer ball blocking the entrance.














Clark likes to stand up, but always on one leg.














Find the turtle!

He likes to stay under the t.v. stand. One day he found some DVDs and a water bottle, which he somehow scooted away from the wall to make himself a fort.




























Clark startles easily:

My New Room!

Bask in the glory that is North Point Elementary.

Here's my new classroom ... somehow, I got a job here, and this is where I'll be teaching first grade next year. It's about a foot longer than most because of where it is in the school, right across the hall from the office and around the corner from the entrance. I'm ecstatic and overwhelmed and, frankly, pretty hungry because I spent all day buying supplies with the district purchase card instead of eating. It's the best.