tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4527140684833843042023-11-15T23:38:57.895-07:00Miss Day's DetailsThe life of Miss Angela Day may be boring, but I'll try to spice up the details.Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-7160924505536033982011-06-20T21:29:00.005-06:002011-06-20T22:09:36.875-06:00First Things FirstAs a new principal I have class lists to make for next year, hold interviews for a new 5th grade teacher, and figure out the teachers' planning time schedule for starters. But there is just something that must be done before all of this... decorating the office! Fortunately I have a budget for such things and let me tell you how much fun it is to purchase things to make your place look nice when it's not your own money you are spending. So I have been working on making my office look just right since I figure I will be spending lots and lots of time in it. I have also made a few improvements in the main office as well. Some of the comments I have heard are that you can tell a female principal is now at Barnett Elementary. I will take that as a compliment I think!<br />So this is what I have been doing since I have been on the job as principal:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eWiG8DjHZRu5_7U85CJObgJCeBTpfICe4g_KGB9csQEqEZBRqftX7kIow2fuZheRsXHHFUZIE3c-hF3KV2Bpksx3VQZG-BQhLI3C5NUPAhnTvkTDGlAIZECiB3Qjsjy5-5Ved0OXZlc/s1600/photo%252817%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3eWiG8DjHZRu5_7U85CJObgJCeBTpfICe4g_KGB9csQEqEZBRqftX7kIow2fuZheRsXHHFUZIE3c-hF3KV2Bpksx3VQZG-BQhLI3C5NUPAhnTvkTDGlAIZECiB3Qjsjy5-5Ved0OXZlc/s200/photo%252817%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620513848703847410" border="0" /></a>A view of my office wall and a little conference table that is part of my desk.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjkjcWVGd_IGowb-3x4BcQtNyiZbFqF1YvwI5J1jFr3B6zFcgkLOHOErLfrnz2my9pE_VvyL1tto5BFmPQquyO0ONzjwy6OAfjFC04JJN6JpF_860e0de8esTYQMEYo-7-MTE6R5GG_0/s1600/photo%252818%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghjkjcWVGd_IGowb-3x4BcQtNyiZbFqF1YvwI5J1jFr3B6zFcgkLOHOErLfrnz2my9pE_VvyL1tto5BFmPQquyO0ONzjwy6OAfjFC04JJN6JpF_860e0de8esTYQMEYo-7-MTE6R5GG_0/s200/photo%252818%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620513855234593666" border="0" /></a>A close up of my shelf, I think it looks pretty good.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8cpYS2qFPAiKxmFyExDczf0foH0L3aEmmPZKvQbV37mZD-uG-kWg0k-vMOpMleUhZ5PUJERoU2wyUmeO7XqJQcupgv6IkGWeEoIvUHbISr1HEgBddZUy8LqF-VN0tyMgtwDjmCRqQVQ/s1600/photo%252815%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8cpYS2qFPAiKxmFyExDczf0foH0L3aEmmPZKvQbV37mZD-uG-kWg0k-vMOpMleUhZ5PUJERoU2wyUmeO7XqJQcupgv6IkGWeEoIvUHbISr1HEgBddZUy8LqF-VN0tyMgtwDjmCRqQVQ/s200/photo%252815%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620513838515059490" border="0" /></a>My desk and comfy chair and the window that looks out into the main office. I also have a window that looks outside too, good times!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_h0dPoq5r4V4mFP7EDUBRd8x9Ue4CWlG5XkoIEgVZr22kkl7qK9pbLpSnN3aqoijSZyjFRk5xx58-088HWOBChkO7aaOfBUl6xozx3zqO_szU4fa-1Hk_q9c3noyaKt0zRNQswbMJ3PY/s1600/photo%252820%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_h0dPoq5r4V4mFP7EDUBRd8x9Ue4CWlG5XkoIEgVZr22kkl7qK9pbLpSnN3aqoijSZyjFRk5xx58-088HWOBChkO7aaOfBUl6xozx3zqO_szU4fa-1Hk_q9c3noyaKt0zRNQswbMJ3PY/s200/photo%252820%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620518040517264050" border="0" /></a> A view of my office looking in from the main office.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyJ00dvumeuiRkjanV3l-R7MUQ925mELvPLFm6IfbNSPImPr_qqDtrFBO75QyLc9HecfH0yy-4gHfvf_W9a0piYX1u3GgVzKiKF1OtMGwkCC-jHWmhj_Dho9P9XcGZ-xaCV6QNEOd_rs/s1600/photo%252816%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyJ00dvumeuiRkjanV3l-R7MUQ925mELvPLFm6IfbNSPImPr_qqDtrFBO75QyLc9HecfH0yy-4gHfvf_W9a0piYX1u3GgVzKiKF1OtMGwkCC-jHWmhj_Dho9P9XcGZ-xaCV6QNEOd_rs/s200/photo%252816%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620513840813848322" border="0" /></a>These are some of the main office cupboards I redecorated. I went with the feel good about yourself theme.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurA3pXk8DwzwIcO4PRFm2aL8xBNHip2dVzssWEBC70wUz0YwkNA35rTUHb2Eanv3NEuTnWOYIGNHyOEl0aiejGLQ0346wOjcBWeGlVKX2Aj2Q4XkU2mkmlHRfZkQNCaJtKjy7IBQeAYk/s1600/photo%252819%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurA3pXk8DwzwIcO4PRFm2aL8xBNHip2dVzssWEBC70wUz0YwkNA35rTUHb2Eanv3NEuTnWOYIGNHyOEl0aiejGLQ0346wOjcBWeGlVKX2Aj2Q4XkU2mkmlHRfZkQNCaJtKjy7IBQeAYk/s200/photo%252819%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620518030689694706" border="0" /></a> These plates will be rehung a lot better by my custodian, I was just putting them up to get the effect and now you can see kind of what this area of the office will look like too!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGfs2DP5SEEBsWdLnx3lwkzwgbxrjRx3cs-OYP3XyhhBfilen5BILJQ0l-Cl1fOjY_FJMzK9dbOu8XIRe6y7wwrX-F1_m0tBcbRAXjen7ERrpP04kfDU1LX2b7Mjo3Qlao0DvHhLfK0/s1600/photo%252814%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zGfs2DP5SEEBsWdLnx3lwkzwgbxrjRx3cs-OYP3XyhhBfilen5BILJQ0l-Cl1fOjY_FJMzK9dbOu8XIRe6y7wwrX-F1_m0tBcbRAXjen7ERrpP04kfDU1LX2b7Mjo3Qlao0DvHhLfK0/s200/photo%252814%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620513832270073586" border="0" /></a>This is the main office wall I also decked up a bit. I am going to put a quote underneath in vinyl lettering to put the finishing touches on the wall.<br /></div><br />I guess if this whole principal thing doesn't work out I can look into a career in decorating!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-51106562229009789482011-05-30T11:12:00.008-06:002011-05-30T11:51:45.752-06:00A Farewell to Miss Day at WestsideKnowing this day would come since I was given the principal job in March, I tried my hardest to pretend I didn't have to say good bye to Westside Elementary. But the last week of school was here and I knew my replacement wouldn't want to share the office with me, so I started to pack. I tried to keep busy that whole week and not think about the fact that I would no longer see all my Westside friends everyday. It did help that a few of my good friends weren't returning either, but still the last day of school was going to be a sad day.<br /><br />At noon the kids ran screaming through the halls out to the buses waiting to take them away for the summer. Then it was time for the closing faculty luncheon where we say good bye to all those not returning. We had a yummy lunch then started to give those funeral like presentations where someone says really nice things about you and then talks about how much they will miss you and everyone is crying.<br />We had 10 such presentations for teachers and other faculty members not returning. Each one was given a book where the staff had written their well wishes inside. Then it was my turn, the best for last. :) My friend and office next-door-neighbor, Teresa, read a poem she had written herself called, "It's About Time," that talked about time for different things in our lives and had given me a gorgeous clock to go with it. Then my dear friend and principal Sara talked about all the great things I did for her and for the school and gave me a present that would help me make critical decisions as a principal... a Magic 8 ball. The grand finale present was something they thought I would be able to use a lot in my new job. I unwrapped the gift to find a megaphone but then they wanted me to open the box to find that my new megaphone had been bedazzled and decorated Barnett Bulldog style! It was fabulous. Then I had to give my little farewell speech and of course tried to be funny so as not to shed too many tears. I just thanked them all for being supportive and for making it such a joy to come to work each and every day at Westside. I feel ready to be a principal because of my experiences at Westside and will never forget that!<br /><br />So my office is all packed up, I had a yard sale and sold ALL my teacher stuff... guess the next thing I need to do is move into Barnett and figure out what the heck I do as a principal!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My good friend and awesome school psychologist, Effie and I with our good-bye books.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQpifGLZte4NcEOK8z9B4aNgPDMfKF6znk3Nvz13K8rnPgiyFhVxQGhNzilglmdcjJyYu-kOcsevDI6PZ6GtmL_yrDX0GAAxzT9qgj7_fOsUIsMGrl2IlkNSN4V-K5Lc2uyWKBsBx-Mo/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQpifGLZte4NcEOK8z9B4aNgPDMfKF6znk3Nvz13K8rnPgiyFhVxQGhNzilglmdcjJyYu-kOcsevDI6PZ6GtmL_yrDX0GAAxzT9qgj7_fOsUIsMGrl2IlkNSN4V-K5Lc2uyWKBsBx-Mo/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612564112637319090" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Super amazing teacher, Vicki and me! Vicki is going to stay home to be a mom so her good bye book is very appropriate for her. Mine is pretty cool too, Imagine A Day! Haha, get it?<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhIcadjf4Y6i4wUjmfBqdxzdIWC3fMffNFJJvoiD2AwuVqYJAhXWCYqLYCGlQ4EFxraIzQMq4dZYDlv711MN2SySF7DzQ3oOhpAAWVP1uCGnWG-SPokjhe624cY8oM-Gowl7kXQ3IJK0/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhIcadjf4Y6i4wUjmfBqdxzdIWC3fMffNFJJvoiD2AwuVqYJAhXWCYqLYCGlQ4EFxraIzQMq4dZYDlv711MN2SySF7DzQ3oOhpAAWVP1uCGnWG-SPokjhe624cY8oM-Gowl7kXQ3IJK0/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612562749141673314" border="0" /></a>Here is the creator of my bedazzled megaphone, Teresa! I know you are all jealous and want to use my super cool megaphone. She may go into business spicing up boring megaphones, watch for it!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhJ4u9BvcEmovBECnj9U_C4ZwrwaskhQXw7QGogH3oNWS1BjoYirXiLRlDRmAzRPNwK2DOab-w-jrT6Negdm4EVfjZ-VkzSvQQNLC7uhK3C-aoUDU_d-yD1GWK1Wpo_F9WkHkZZ7rjfI/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhJ4u9BvcEmovBECnj9U_C4ZwrwaskhQXw7QGogH3oNWS1BjoYirXiLRlDRmAzRPNwK2DOab-w-jrT6Negdm4EVfjZ-VkzSvQQNLC7uhK3C-aoUDU_d-yD1GWK1Wpo_F9WkHkZZ7rjfI/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612562759599040402" border="0" /></a>Dear teacher friends who I will miss! You can't read it, but the sticker on my shirt says, "My principal thinks I'm great!" I'm cool like that.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ-2GU4b2Yo9p777dcXjLF_ML2B7XZvwyucxKDejWpYNtCrslLUhkvGhHUD4h4WhyphenhyphendT6RW5EV4oY-nomG9q47wBl4LG7T6AjJnDoTUfP92nax3DVOwsl9rNzPRKZZVeUQztNfmpXiZ9E/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJ-2GU4b2Yo9p777dcXjLF_ML2B7XZvwyucxKDejWpYNtCrslLUhkvGhHUD4h4WhyphenhyphendT6RW5EV4oY-nomG9q47wBl4LG7T6AjJnDoTUfP92nax3DVOwsl9rNzPRKZZVeUQztNfmpXiZ9E/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612568003785934354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1_7P2eVtF7VfypqVn2er3wYVR1HqeEfGF3Not98yNel1Fi8S79e59_BKnQv2ghP6IPpM7IVlqUcgCzicy1Wj7JbjT6LJGgwMexOtr_Tjw8281LSV6P8QHGcnQd0224_XcVZL1A7tiY0/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+003.JPG"><br /></a>More of my dear teacher friends. Aren't they just so cute?!<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1_7P2eVtF7VfypqVn2er3wYVR1HqeEfGF3Not98yNel1Fi8S79e59_BKnQv2ghP6IPpM7IVlqUcgCzicy1Wj7JbjT6LJGgwMexOtr_Tjw8281LSV6P8QHGcnQd0224_XcVZL1A7tiY0/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1_7P2eVtF7VfypqVn2er3wYVR1HqeEfGF3Not98yNel1Fi8S79e59_BKnQv2ghP6IPpM7IVlqUcgCzicy1Wj7JbjT6LJGgwMexOtr_Tjw8281LSV6P8QHGcnQd0224_XcVZL1A7tiY0/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612567541572744914" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Sara and I with our National Geographic Bee Champion Medals. We are so awesome we won without even competing!<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYTKZMFRveYG-l5xmUUfkMsbKLMSFZfd-MFTmL2qR-AlrSP3cyZ12cd0mpK5lafOAKMKxzxLSt4Y-1OsNQj9wlzxVqv_ynwtu0MM5cRx3QroZx5gOz4nLHliJBPo-ubHnIdQ1NcY1eF4/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYTKZMFRveYG-l5xmUUfkMsbKLMSFZfd-MFTmL2qR-AlrSP3cyZ12cd0mpK5lafOAKMKxzxLSt4Y-1OsNQj9wlzxVqv_ynwtu0MM5cRx3QroZx5gOz4nLHliJBPo-ubHnIdQ1NcY1eF4/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612562760316206210" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">A final picture of the dream team, Principal Sara, Instructional Coach Eric, and Staff Developer Angela. We are showing off my cute shoes because shoes often don't make it in pictures. Don't we just look like fun?<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkZyETPJU6niYQNhELMLibpoiIqFc2FfMYXaL1fjn1xLpgpCBE4iz_Z1nc8A4dA6HtQZCn5VGgXfclwrZAc8O3mVCLQYshLYINKcaBWPn8RX8R0JyV06V_G02QjXSyqaV7QP6Qfa4dXk/s1600/Last+Day+at+Westside+011.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkZyETPJU6niYQNhELMLibpoiIqFc2FfMYXaL1fjn1xLpgpCBE4iz_Z1nc8A4dA6HtQZCn5VGgXfclwrZAc8O3mVCLQYshLYINKcaBWPn8RX8R0JyV06V_G02QjXSyqaV7QP6Qfa4dXk/s200/Last+Day+at+Westside+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612562977632420402" border="0" /></a>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-19785624731220871872011-05-30T10:41:00.005-06:002011-05-30T11:57:58.127-06:00Touring Moab Red Rock StyleOnce upon a time there was a girl named Angela Day who thought it would be fun to train for a half marathon. She trained hard and the day of the race had terrible weather, terrible knee problems, and finished the race with a terrible time. Angela thought she may never run in a race again. Then there was the Red Rock Relay. The Red Rock Relay is a team race where a group of 6 people run two different times, varying lengths, to run all over Moab and surrounding areas for a total of 70 miles. Some friends had asked me a couple times to run with them and with visions of my half-marathon downfall still fresh in my head I tried to say no. Then when I was informed it was a race of fun and they didn't care if I walked the whole thing I decided to say, "Yes!" and I started to train for RRR. Our team, the Running Queens, was made up of 5 cute, seasoned race runners, and me... just cute. :) We tye-died our race shirts, decorated the van all up, and were headed to Moab to show the other teams that the Running Queens would be the Royalty of this race!<br /><br />I was the first runner and was given the easier legs of the race, or so we thought. It was supposed to be around 85 degrees the day of the race so I was glad my first race was in the morning when it was actually a bit chilly. After my first run I had 5 kills! A kill is when you pass someone while running. I was feeling pretty good about my kills until Kelli and Heather ran next and got 13 kills each. Oh well, I was having a great time cheering our runner on from the van, laughing at other Team Names like Running Rockettes (we decided they were our arch enemies), Swoobs and Swass, and Aching Arches to name a few. As the afternoon crept up on us so did some clouds, which were glad about to keep the heat down. While the clouds rolled in, the hills got steeper. Cami and Alicia were the end of our first round of running and they started the climb towards the highest part of the race. Then it was time for my second run. By this time the clouds were thick and while it looked like it would rain it just dribbled a bit, but the wind was moving. My second leg was straight uphill for 2.75 miles. I tried to run it but it was just too steep so I hiked as fast as my legs would go. With the head wind pushing me back I put my head down and just kept going. I also found that with very little air at such a high elevation not being able to breathe also made this leg a little tricky. Luckily the other racers around me were having the same issues as we all ascended up this mountain walking rather than trying to attempt a run. On my final hill of the leg I did manage to run to the exchange point and collected one more kill for a total of 5 on this one too. Kills still count even if you pass people walking! Eventually the storm clouds moved on leaving the dreaded heat for our last three runners. But a little over 10 hours later we all ran to the finish line as a team in our matching tye-died Running Queens shirts! And we got the medals to prove it! Finally I had competed in a race with a medal at the end, just what I always wanted! We added the last few of our kills to the tally on our van for a total of 64 kills, got cleaned up a bit, and headed home after a long day of running, cheering, driving, and laughing all over Moab and the La Sal Mountains. It feels great to say I accomplished my goal very happily this time around and even better to say I did it with friends. A lesson well learned, goals are always easier to accomplish with friends to help you and cheer you on along the way.<br />Go Running Queens!<br /><br />For now go to http://flo-foto.com/photos.php?RaceId=16&BibNumber=66 to see some pictures of the Running Queens. Once I get more pics I will post them on here!<br /><a href="http://http//flo-foto.com/photos.php?RaceId=16&BibNumber=66"></a>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-37355889307687885322011-04-03T20:14:00.005-06:002011-04-03T20:32:18.477-06:00That's Principal Day to You!It's true, I am now a full fledged principal! The first week of March the Nebo School Board approved my appointment as Principal of Barnett Elementary in Payson. I am so excited! I taught in Payson at a different school a few years ago so it is kind of like coming home. It was a whirlwind week once the announcement was made. I met the faculty the next day, headed up to Salt Lake for a conference, had to meet with the Elementary Director, and still find time to complete my current projects at Westside. Not to mention my face hurt from smiling and thanking everyone who was congratulating me. The school is a fabulous school and I have enjoyed getting to know some of the teachers already. Yes, it is going to be hard, yes, I probably won't have much of a life the rest of the year, but yes, I am so ready to be in charge of my own school and have many amazing, great experiences!<br /><br />Here is a link to the write-up my district did on my appointment:<br /><a href="http://www.nebo.edu/frontpage/201103?page=1">http://www.nebo.edu/frontpage/201103?page=1</a><br /><br />And here are some pictures of lovely flowers my roommate Cami got for me to congratulate me and a lovely bouquet my family had sent to my school!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBS1_Zu_z0VY-ROGKiuBsFA6ls-JmI-CG7Nq8vrzR-ou8ROGXcklwDo4BwSGL6kPXqCzmdqhrALA9RqejVGvUULz9nmdClDRT8bs9lAYR_RzU3belcmwIFHCoSNBncgKiq9m71Lrq24EA/s1600/photo%252813%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBS1_Zu_z0VY-ROGKiuBsFA6ls-JmI-CG7Nq8vrzR-ou8ROGXcklwDo4BwSGL6kPXqCzmdqhrALA9RqejVGvUULz9nmdClDRT8bs9lAYR_RzU3belcmwIFHCoSNBncgKiq9m71Lrq24EA/s320/photo%252813%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591549942813446642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1y5pL_1e_7nPInuzw9FUNB6uDmGGEuclu81B4tiDhr06gM-iqQgdffHSklW-ByT9xKtqUtBGzxDc9wkniAf4iwWVdzGICC-qCxfuW2obSDuk_2P2fTJ3tDWa4LH3U1oTvAKQJyLlbL5o/s1600/photo%252812%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1y5pL_1e_7nPInuzw9FUNB6uDmGGEuclu81B4tiDhr06gM-iqQgdffHSklW-ByT9xKtqUtBGzxDc9wkniAf4iwWVdzGICC-qCxfuW2obSDuk_2P2fTJ3tDWa4LH3U1oTvAKQJyLlbL5o/s320/photo%252812%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591549780330185874" border="0" /></a><br />This is my school!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://barnett.nebo.edu/sites/barnett.nebo.edu/files/resize/School%20Picture%20main%20page-500x218.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 218px;" src="http://barnett.nebo.edu/sites/barnett.nebo.edu/files/resize/School%20Picture%20main%20page-500x218.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-82965819591708640972011-04-03T19:54:00.004-06:002011-04-03T20:13:25.932-06:00I Got JimmeredThis year basketball season at BYU was quite entertaining. Jimmer Fredette was the star player on the team and was pretty dang good. Usually after every game I would see at least 20 status posts on Facebook saying something about this Jimmer kid. It is a shame for me to admit I didn't have as much time to watch the games as in years past so I knew of Jimmer and his amazing skills, but didn't really pay too much attention to him. Until that one day... it was a Saturday afternoon and I didn't really have much to do so I decided to sit down, relax, and watch my Cougars play a good game of bball. And then I caught it, the Jimmer Lovebug. The kid could move through a crowd of players, make the shot, and get fouled in the process, then make the free throw. But when he made a three pointer from like 20 feet behind the 3-point line, that is when I fell in love with him. And to top it all off, the kid is cute! So I joined the thousands of other Jimmer fans and posted on Facebook that Jimmer was my new crush. After that I watched all the games I could and was fortunate enough to watch the Sweet 16 game the Cougars were in inside the BYU Men's Basketball Classroom in the Marriott Center. There I sat in the same room Jimmer had sweat in. His name was on the board and I felt at home. This kid is good...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jimmer.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/JimmerfromSanfran.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 763px; height: 457px;" src="http://www.jimmer.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/JimmerfromSanfran.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Look how far back he is! Seriously insane how great his shot is!<br /><br />And he is so cute!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://otrsportsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Jimmer-Fredette.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 461px;" src="http://otrsportsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Jimmer-Fredette.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here I am with some good friends enjoying the game in the Men's Basketball Classroom. They lost this game, but it was still fun to watch my boy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvK6u7b6I8wiPq6B-V04DduexIqP9vLHDpnw5VACLPks5rZ7t5ACurM8yPJQDvdm1iNhfSQAMbv2LCtvB9BgpZelskMNgoYbmzEWq12tKKw_hf6C-RoDJ1uPTkhxi1M5GPkOOAj00kcSo/s1600/IMG_4511a.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvK6u7b6I8wiPq6B-V04DduexIqP9vLHDpnw5VACLPks5rZ7t5ACurM8yPJQDvdm1iNhfSQAMbv2LCtvB9BgpZelskMNgoYbmzEWq12tKKw_hf6C-RoDJ1uPTkhxi1M5GPkOOAj00kcSo/s320/IMG_4511a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591543272076558466" border="0" /></a>Jimmer has won multiple Player of the Year awards, songs have been made about him, phrases have such as "Jimmer Range" and "You Got Jimmered!" are now in everyday conversation. But I think the coolest thing is he is just a good guy! He works hard, loves the game, and was a great leader for his team. Sadly he has a cute girlfriend, but I am pretty sure if he didn't and if he didn't mind that I am like 10 years older than him, we would totally date. :)Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-12856578476517517162011-04-03T19:25:00.007-06:002011-04-03T19:53:25.225-06:00Angela Finds a TalentSo once upon a time a girl named Angela decided she needed a new talent. She searched high and low for something that would appeal to her and possibly help her win over others (i.e get a husband). She considered cake decorating, but didn't want to worry about having to eat all the cakes once they were decorated. She looked into flower arranging, but you have to spend thousands of dollars to become a certified florist. She tried her hand at training for a marathon, but injured her knees. What was this sweet girl who only wanted to make the world a better place to do?<br /><br />Then it came to her, she would learn how to sew! Then she could make cute baby gifts for her friends, make fun purses and skirts for herself, and she was sure knowing how to sew would make her look like the perfect wife. So Angela's super cool mom bought her a sewing machine for Christmas and off she went to the land of Continuing Education to learn how to sew...<br /><br />She learned how to make a drawstring backpack. This one she gave to her little friend, Jacob.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSGfOml1bVnTt3Qzrm9RVLod74arVrjlbwKzC_AihYlMNTUHl4CqxoPX0PfSg1QSbeu8StA8882SoHlcdsBLgl2Q7PnfP0tKonHx-7cYvzqXJWnHFQ2S05XDnDn2Qybz93u4_D_n2H-w/s1600/photo%252810%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSGfOml1bVnTt3Qzrm9RVLod74arVrjlbwKzC_AihYlMNTUHl4CqxoPX0PfSg1QSbeu8StA8882SoHlcdsBLgl2Q7PnfP0tKonHx-7cYvzqXJWnHFQ2S05XDnDn2Qybz93u4_D_n2H-w/s320/photo%252810%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591536233664205730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />She learned how to make pajama pants but sadly they were way too big for her.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo28tU_IlNLu4dd3tJQkK05gkO0KGukg9p4EwcMrtTIkwhzYQ4H84mF6pLd0NqTYE98Awon3rjna5avkN-oeAtHUDeas3jW07O_FYcr44cd1YEs8pw4ghb4RhnNR5GKuDpRkSOXzPFPw0/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo28tU_IlNLu4dd3tJQkK05gkO0KGukg9p4EwcMrtTIkwhzYQ4H84mF6pLd0NqTYE98Awon3rjna5avkN-oeAtHUDeas3jW07O_FYcr44cd1YEs8pw4ghb4RhnNR5GKuDpRkSOXzPFPw0/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591537746379881906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So she gave them to her friend, Mrs. Elephant, they fit her much better and pink was her color.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8KRfMbMkEwlmvC1JaviIcNWKU9axZ_NvE2XAZ0eookMfk3T5GfSoGLBj2B69pHRxiSd9IlujEXTxCHe4YI9MnHFS6cbX2_v99QPNOfWAAJr4jPpkbFbMY4rxpUAnZm6jWUczvXSY2tE/s1600/photo%252811%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8KRfMbMkEwlmvC1JaviIcNWKU9axZ_NvE2XAZ0eookMfk3T5GfSoGLBj2B69pHRxiSd9IlujEXTxCHe4YI9MnHFS6cbX2_v99QPNOfWAAJr4jPpkbFbMY4rxpUAnZm6jWUczvXSY2tE/s320/photo%252811%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591538682968537218" border="0" /></a><br /><br />She also learned how to make an apron. So now that she knows how to sew and has an apron that makes her look like she knows how to cook, this girl should be married in no time and live happily ever after!<br /><br />P.S. Please note my attempt at humor in adding the "get a husband" element to the story. It was simply for comedic effect, I do not believe my new skills as a seamstress will land me a husband. But it would be nice. ;)Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-12368187080519015642011-04-03T19:05:00.003-06:002011-04-03T19:24:13.367-06:00Happy Valentine's Day to Me!<div style="text-align: center;">Ah Valentine's Day, the day everyone gets to tell their significant other how much they adore them. I of course have never had the opportunity. Granted this year I was close, I had a guy give me roses the week before but then changed his mind by the time February 14th rolled around. Too much pressure I suppose. I feel like even if I want to hate this day, I can't really despise the day my parents decided to get married. Who gets married on the cheesiest day of the year? Evidently my parents do and I have to be grateful they did or I would not be in existence today.<br /></div><br />Well this year was even more symbolic of how lame a day it is for those of us who have no one to share our love with. Not only was I a bit disappointed in the "Roses the Week Before Guy" running away, but I had the stomach flu on Valentine's Day, how's that for saying I love you! The plus side was I couldn't go to school that day and see all the flowers come for the teachers and all the kids passing out valentines and going crazy with all the candy they eat all day. The down side, well I am sure you can imagine what the down side is with the stomach flu.<br /><br />Now don't get too teary eyed over my disappointing holiday just yet, there were bursts of love that managed to break through the drab day. Below are the pictures of what did make my Valentine's Day just super!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEVeSaZPxr6Lb3PP5b8Sxkc5n-VCefpjV8x5g5AVbfFSdFLAQCYxfuLhGp1j4dtiR3darx0Qm-T0TC-l3KGq6bt8mp7e0vLdjBQuM5YbhTl8d9WUXB0wZFyGi1FzkM3bJITveT9GfzQo/s1600/photo%25289%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEVeSaZPxr6Lb3PP5b8Sxkc5n-VCefpjV8x5g5AVbfFSdFLAQCYxfuLhGp1j4dtiR3darx0Qm-T0TC-l3KGq6bt8mp7e0vLdjBQuM5YbhTl8d9WUXB0wZFyGi1FzkM3bJITveT9GfzQo/s320/photo%25289%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591531042845953714" border="0" /></a>My friend, Heidi, invited me over for a delicious Valentine feast the night before. I think she sold some of her table decoration designs to Martha Stewart. Super fancy right!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv3EyYSnHl-Kncjjn_kP7YHNpuDg2xzLdtHngPdMSQ87ON8JFw-AZpUBvK8B8yJfV6ev4__Esu8_hkS7JkYHOcUrNaonw5CLWyDtd9LNVlDvcHdiSpCzdCgznNjaiv7tLk-INZXgWf54/s1600/photo%25286%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgv3EyYSnHl-Kncjjn_kP7YHNpuDg2xzLdtHngPdMSQ87ON8JFw-AZpUBvK8B8yJfV6ev4__Esu8_hkS7JkYHOcUrNaonw5CLWyDtd9LNVlDvcHdiSpCzdCgznNjaiv7tLk-INZXgWf54/s320/photo%25286%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591531041730971010" border="0" /></a>My favorite candy, Valentine Sours, are super cheap and super addictive. I was able to build up my Valentine Candy supply and enjoy this yummy treat the whole month of February. Yes I worked out a lot in February too!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />My most exciting Valentine burst of love was a video message from my cute little cousins Megan and Kettner. They may be the cutest kids I know. Have a listen for yourself!<br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzufdr32TtAjtGh7rrpJcCZX-mIA6S8DSLfF8IV2cmg_lBNuRpLPzhY6Q8IjFiuer0vgpCsCWssY5ANd0qiEg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-21848345615840977212011-02-06T18:52:00.004-07:002011-02-06T19:29:43.279-07:00Hockey-A Beastly SportI had the opportunity to go to a Utah Grizzlies Hockey Game with some girlfriends where I discovered a few things about this manly sport.<br />Here are my discoveries:<br />1-Hockey players can be really short and really tall. But they have to be tough! The game isn't really that fun unless the players are picking fights with each other. Who cares about a puck flying a hundred miles an hour into a small net, give me the fights!<br />2-A hockey game is very similar to visiting a county fair. Same type of crazy people, same foods, same crazy people!<br />3-I don't like to think of myself as a violent person but man I loved it when they slammed each other into the wall. My wise hockey knowing friend informed this is called, "Checking" and if I yell, "Check him!" at the next game I attend some guy will be impressed and want to marry me. (Please see #2 to understand why that would worry me.)<br />4-The Zamboni is cool not because it is a big hug machine that smooths ice, but because it is simply fun to say, "Zamboni!"<br />5-Finally, I learned the Hockey has cheerleaders too! They just kind of dance off in a corner where no one can see them, but they are there.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFlctKPvzx3t8YHQN5nn2OIxbD3c0VzZUraS6TKG6k_gtuZTCDf54AkYpnYFS3hY4FFLyCCOpmgm_W9Yr3DpBfxkNdazevBFInQ_U0GJPgGbY0ycii06-VOg2RqA4sCv8imbl0J72X1w/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFlctKPvzx3t8YHQN5nn2OIxbD3c0VzZUraS6TKG6k_gtuZTCDf54AkYpnYFS3hY4FFLyCCOpmgm_W9Yr3DpBfxkNdazevBFInQ_U0GJPgGbY0ycii06-VOg2RqA4sCv8imbl0J72X1w/s320/photo%25283%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570765212726145346" border="0" /></a>One of the bigger fights that the whole teams got into. It looks like a big group hug, and they probably are sharing some loving words while they are all wrapped up together.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD8ZYtNhmYJWIHkXQa_jeuLqPdbcddHGgkGLiELxEPw7aLjIqqWgB62eTfdT25thsBeZ9Sdxd_BVYzqNwCsYtnQ_reQ1E1ISa1JuGV-DJBNlG6zCXYF6YLEj7UOPS8iDuGmhxPBkGCFg/s1600/Hockey+Game+005.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD8ZYtNhmYJWIHkXQa_jeuLqPdbcddHGgkGLiELxEPw7aLjIqqWgB62eTfdT25thsBeZ9Sdxd_BVYzqNwCsYtnQ_reQ1E1ISa1JuGV-DJBNlG6zCXYF6YLEj7UOPS8iDuGmhxPBkGCFg/s320/Hockey+Game+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570765212213739746" border="0" /></a>The referees have a very important job breaking up the fights. That's pretty much the only reason they are there.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK_kAL-P5C0-dvSJLiM5YPmJssPyUb-YaanJTqmJxiwKjtQRz6KV2RQ9BhA5xOrM_lX3lPKw0pjZupzL4HeI1yF2ckiGjoDaVgqtH2fbT_tpsBHDxEEMZNQW9UhFu7ujKw1wxjN6FVfc/s1600/Hockey+Game+007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK_kAL-P5C0-dvSJLiM5YPmJssPyUb-YaanJTqmJxiwKjtQRz6KV2RQ9BhA5xOrM_lX3lPKw0pjZupzL4HeI1yF2ckiGjoDaVgqtH2fbT_tpsBHDxEEMZNQW9UhFu7ujKw1wxjN6FVfc/s320/Hockey+Game+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570765208315283602" border="0" /></a>Yes we look like cute, innocent girls who should be nowhere near a rowdy place like a hockey game, but we loved it!<br /></div>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-80099550389848559802011-01-18T19:05:00.003-07:002011-01-18T19:29:14.521-07:00Yep I Know How to SewI have been looking for a new talent/hobby for the past year. I wanted to try flower arranging but evidently you have to go to floral school for that and I think I paid less to get my masters. I looked into cake decorating but thought that might be too pricey on my hips. So I got into running as my new talent but kept getting injured. And then it came to me....<br /><br />I wanted to learn how to sew. Sure I sewed a dress in Young Women's for a Personal Progress goal but I am pretty sure my mom just did it for me. I also made a baby blanket for my first born child. He/She would know how hard I worked on it because I put blood, sweat, and tears into making that thing. You can even find my blood on the blanket! But this was all amateur stuff. I wanted to learn how to sew cute things! I have several friends that sew cute things all the time and I wanted to be like them. So I got a sewing machine for Christmas and some essential sewing supplies and I was ready. My first task was to sew a patchwork bag from a pattern my friend, Sarah gave me for Christmas. Seemed easy enough.<br /><br />Well two hours later and a lot of "redoing", I was done with the first step! And then came the pleats. Pleats evidently are not usually something a beginner starts with. But my roommate, Cami, who is also a talented seamstress was able to help me through the pleat stage of my project. After two days and quite a bit of help from Cami, I had my completed bag! It is more a summer bag so I won't be using it anytime soon, but it was fun to make. I signed up for a beginning sewing class called, "Ready, Set, Sew" so maybe in that class I will start with some more basic stuff and stay away from pleats for a bit. I must be good though, I have already had a request to sew a friend's wedding dress. That will probably be my next project...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFA8ud3b9KMuMdCym4V05dDwEqEGFEhE-HlaMsOt9oJGoCPONLAdzCZiNfWW-hfJ0MiGlAiFiBbrcKPQxejd4Brqp6FHYm4U9CICIJr00TDYOrJb_IVgUdcIxMlR7MKMtAMSUzFx9BXw/s1600/Patchwork+bag.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFA8ud3b9KMuMdCym4V05dDwEqEGFEhE-HlaMsOt9oJGoCPONLAdzCZiNfWW-hfJ0MiGlAiFiBbrcKPQxejd4Brqp6FHYm4U9CICIJr00TDYOrJb_IVgUdcIxMlR7MKMtAMSUzFx9BXw/s320/Patchwork+bag.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563717292123231986" border="0" /></a>My little display: The finished bag, my new sewing machine, and my first pattern!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0ygTA-WCTwad_H2yUdve8jbXFA5_mQ9_AhGYyr3xLry3wQ3MMd1JhfLFweL8e8uN8p9dNh6YkhSZHjFCc72OsUHkKj2dDZLQOmP-_onafL9wJm2MoXReJnANEw0kmlAAAwe868rs32U/s1600/patchwork+bag+2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0ygTA-WCTwad_H2yUdve8jbXFA5_mQ9_AhGYyr3xLry3wQ3MMd1JhfLFweL8e8uN8p9dNh6YkhSZHjFCc72OsUHkKj2dDZLQOmP-_onafL9wJm2MoXReJnANEw0kmlAAAwe868rs32U/s320/patchwork+bag+2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563717292947970994" border="0" /></a>Patchwork bag up close. I may start my own line of patchwork bags. Let me know if you would like to purchase one!</div>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-57852420198232437122011-01-06T19:44:00.008-07:002011-01-06T20:14:57.674-07:002011: It can only get better!Well I must admit 2010 was not the most exciting of years so I was more than happy to get that year out of the way and move on to what could only be better, 2011. But I didn't want to just sit and wait for the year to hurry and move on, I had to celebrate a little! So on the last day of 2010 I strapped on my new snowshoes and went off with my friend, Suzanne, to explore new land up Little Cottonwood Canyon and make new friends. Well it was bloody cold, my nose hairs froze, and I had a little health issue so we had to turn around earlier than everyone else, but I think we still had fun. I got a new Facebook friend out of it, so that makes it a positive experience right?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvktVcHuSqVpttObIKPemtDqpJcLStPdjx8UzH83TAZOEpyFq1M3j2fDViStNWwQ131DdOc5LpZcTvNaouDUUn4cMBlyghfIs433aoxg5Ia_arwAYFIjD68eBTpsBwai7cnaMrcUlo_g/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvktVcHuSqVpttObIKPemtDqpJcLStPdjx8UzH83TAZOEpyFq1M3j2fDViStNWwQ131DdOc5LpZcTvNaouDUUn4cMBlyghfIs433aoxg5Ia_arwAYFIjD68eBTpsBwai7cnaMrcUlo_g/s320/003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559274557700171538" border="0" /></a><br />After an afternoon in single digit temperatures, the night heated up with dinner at The Bombay House, the best Indian restaurant ever! Lots of fun friends, good food, and a waiter who flirted with us and was half my height, made for a spectacular night. And the fun just kept comin'! After dinner we had a billion parties all demanding our appearance. We tried to get to as many as we could before we said good bye to 2010. We managed to hit three parties and rang in the New Year with a bunch of people we didn't know, good times!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfsyQI53Zk5oYAykJ0qIElTGbgou6UVnDT4jijbQMxuVuh-zCrdteeYQKepDQBWG7b_HKiN3wuYjLeuHl2cntcJ0LdVc6wRChE2oDvdxwAzH8telby-iSN3zX35O7Lp3uCbNUOv6BbGI/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfsyQI53Zk5oYAykJ0qIElTGbgou6UVnDT4jijbQMxuVuh-zCrdteeYQKepDQBWG7b_HKiN3wuYjLeuHl2cntcJ0LdVc6wRChE2oDvdxwAzH8telby-iSN3zX35O7Lp3uCbNUOv6BbGI/s320/006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559274561777401410" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ay33vnMhg-6OtpMExSUisLKP9DlVaDhnewTfsHhRBTbD5Ggc5LvbgjadtXY0bCQu16kQOr-ZDYwjuygs63_9ifasiO-4nAFviojEi9UB0nNZq4mxFI2n-XM71vllDCQ52ciVGPOG4WE/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Ay33vnMhg-6OtpMExSUisLKP9DlVaDhnewTfsHhRBTbD5Ggc5LvbgjadtXY0bCQu16kQOr-ZDYwjuygs63_9ifasiO-4nAFviojEi9UB0nNZq4mxFI2n-XM71vllDCQ52ciVGPOG4WE/s320/007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559274566289589618" border="0" /></a>Suzanne, Mary, and I in the car on our way to one of the many parties we appeared at that night! It is hard being wanted in so many places.<br /></div><br />So we are 5 days into 2011 and I have to say not too much has happened, but I have high hopes! I posted this Mormon Message on my Facebook page but I want to post it here too. I just loved the message of not looking back. I think I do that a lot, look back at what was good and wish it could be like that again. I really hope this year I can look to the future and not live in the past but make each day I am presently living in a great day. I love the idea of agency and how I can decide each day if I am going to have a good day or a bad day. I will admit I chose to have bad days kind of a lot in 2010. But I am looking forward, remembering that 33 is the year for me and I will not look behind thee!<br /><br /><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lrZij9MSTRI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lrZij9MSTRI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="640"></embed></object>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-41322747884097778972011-01-06T19:35:00.004-07:002011-01-06T19:44:41.164-07:00SNOW DAYI realize this post is a tad late, but I still wanted to document the first day in like 30 years my school district canceled school and had a Snow Day! It was the last day before Christmas Break. I was up getting ready to go to school noticing it was quite snowy and I had better hurry since it would definitely take longer than the 10 minutes it usually takes me to get to school. All of a sudden I started getting calls, "Are the rumors true?" I had no idea what they were talking about and right then the radio announced, "Nebo School District is canceling school today!" I was thrilled not to have to drive in the awful storm, but a little bummed they couldn't have canceled like an hour earlier so I could have just slept in. The teachers were calling me a little sad to miss all the Christmas fun that was planned for that day. And of course we will have to make it up, but baby it was cold outside that day and I am glad I got to stay home!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7cGAu6qH942IXU3jC5ijW17OnU7WXuYrzbvmftvKxeHUGt-1b5f_Wt31kAQkJQDe2XeolzB4NhQ5dlj62qC7_7Zj9xvO7_CNwkc2ZI9vFWyUlMN8kKm-nCG6fZBA-8N2w76jsVcK6o8/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7cGAu6qH942IXU3jC5ijW17OnU7WXuYrzbvmftvKxeHUGt-1b5f_Wt31kAQkJQDe2XeolzB4NhQ5dlj62qC7_7Zj9xvO7_CNwkc2ZI9vFWyUlMN8kKm-nCG6fZBA-8N2w76jsVcK6o8/s320/photo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559268429326817394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdnbzNFWz-dvIlMJV4Au9I4tILjGGFF7Gn1TEoeqCwwt-CxCpGCsEjQp2f_Y_eDT0KTgWWAPmnm897376chlZWXAyyWDZQ_Byxi8uS85-LUJ4HpRGUMNQ5wzUG6-8kEJX41b7UnHTjw4/s1600/photo%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdnbzNFWz-dvIlMJV4Au9I4tILjGGFF7Gn1TEoeqCwwt-CxCpGCsEjQp2f_Y_eDT0KTgWWAPmnm897376chlZWXAyyWDZQ_Byxi8uS85-LUJ4HpRGUMNQ5wzUG6-8kEJX41b7UnHTjw4/s320/photo%25282%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559268434007637954" border="0" /></a>This shows the snowfall when I got up to get ready that morning. It snowed for a good four more hours after this, definitely deserving of a Snow Day!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-84292357154446842312010-12-19T18:12:00.005-07:002010-12-19T18:40:45.334-07:00A Very Merry WeekendThis weekend was full of Christmas joy! I attended a production of <span style="font-style: italic;">A Christmas Carol</span> by Charles Dickens on Friday night. It was in a very small playhouse but they sure do a good job of using the space they have to put on an amazing show. The man who played Scrooge played grumpy and mean well and was just as good being giddy and happy at the end, he was cute. I had actually forgotten I had said I would go to the play with some friends so when Cami asked me what time I wanted to leave I was quite surprised to find out I had plans. I had already made plans to sit on the couch and watch television all night, so these surprise plans were much more inviting. To put just the right touch on a wonderful Christmas celebration when we came out of the playhouse, the actors and actresses were singing carols to us as a light snow trickled to the ground. It was very movie-like.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nowplayingutah.com/sites/nowplayingutah.com/images/event/440514575/440514575img1_medium.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 165px;" src="http://www.nowplayingutah.com/sites/nowplayingutah.com/images/event/440514575/440514575img1_medium.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Christmas merriment continued on Saturday morning by attending the Ward Christmas breakfast. It was jolly good fun to sit with friends and laugh and see my cute Sunbeams sit on Santa's lap. That night I spread Christmas cheer by taking care of my friend's dog. We watched the Christmas classic, Transformers 2. (Okay so this would be the part that was not so Christmasy, but I was serving and we should all serve our neighbors at Christmastime.)<br /><br />To finish the weekend off right Cami and I got up before sunrise to make the trek to Salt Lake in the rain, sleet, and hail (well really just rain, but it sounds so dramatic to add the other two) and see the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert featuring David Archuleta. This year with girls of all ages dying to get tickets we were very lucky to get some Sunday tickets. I have to admit after hearing David sing and see his cute smile, I may be a little smitten myself. The MOTAB is always amazing and David has quite the voice. It was a great Sunday morning. I made it back to church in time to spend one last Sunday with my Sunbeams before they head off to CTR 4 in January and I start with a whole new set of unruly 3 year olds to mold. We had a lesson on the birth of Christ and it was so fun to hear my cute Sunbeams tell the story of the birth of Christ and they always surprise me by how much they know.<br /><br />So as I prepare to leave the rain, snow, and cold of Utah behind and have a beach Christmas in Florida, I have to say this weekend did make me feel merry and bright!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32CPB0myYMaJjhXBTSQLSmehnFDwEqAiZeJJADzeb2pWolMXPJ0BCWzudeIuG3t1_2RRCpHwHRLkYnjpSdaDYlAZAmSn6Cu2vWrjs0tb2IOgUddkGfnDfQeoES7kXjPushHCAM4EcZNU/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32CPB0myYMaJjhXBTSQLSmehnFDwEqAiZeJJADzeb2pWolMXPJ0BCWzudeIuG3t1_2RRCpHwHRLkYnjpSdaDYlAZAmSn6Cu2vWrjs0tb2IOgUddkGfnDfQeoES7kXjPushHCAM4EcZNU/s320/009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552570040778587426" border="0" /></a>Rain couldn't keep thousands of people from pouring into the Conference Center to see and hear teen cutie, David Archuleta. Cami and I were there for the MOTAB though, not David. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcGpJA9p4Uz9N7PPRm3Qj3ZPnqiVj-CVC8p9oBfeH4cTNKILAhW4ghG-gHSdi3qolj44iiC4KZiLnvfFdYOoepJBeMNpF4s9xIIhEmkwP2vTGd4SdGV41PH7DFn8fDYVOcKC_2e4rBVY/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcGpJA9p4Uz9N7PPRm3Qj3ZPnqiVj-CVC8p9oBfeH4cTNKILAhW4ghG-gHSdi3qolj44iiC4KZiLnvfFdYOoepJBeMNpF4s9xIIhEmkwP2vTGd4SdGV41PH7DFn8fDYVOcKC_2e4rBVY/s320/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552570032885405394" border="0" /></a>Here we are after the concert! Do you like the new rain-dos we are sporting? It was worth it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1q8VHzjMeorAe-nonuzeteZHIfKUu4D2c3L83PLeRLgiT7lwcfrilIogBvWsi5qMb3BmBzw5Dv_jtXZIO886AK9TWKU1Q6BKolMgYL8QzslPJtdVAFZtxIkRDd1r4ZTQV9Q5O8xuAgs/s1600/013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix1q8VHzjMeorAe-nonuzeteZHIfKUu4D2c3L83PLeRLgiT7lwcfrilIogBvWsi5qMb3BmBzw5Dv_jtXZIO886AK9TWKU1Q6BKolMgYL8QzslPJtdVAFZtxIkRDd1r4ZTQV9Q5O8xuAgs/s320/013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552570043359807938" border="0" /></a>I realize this is a picture of the big screen in the Conference Center but I was too far from the real thing and I just had to capture how stinkin' cute and happy David is!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6snLYIAYi036i_e3-sceBV2OS6DAcJQaVQO8aDmHNILjzbFdp7-0hBeRNXwXmLavnkLwmCtQ_KYGBwDcMxcCaBA80HRMQSaj-2a4CgDFViPuuNadniOdjmcK9UYSl18pq2wGLMXbvPs8/s1600/016.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6snLYIAYi036i_e3-sceBV2OS6DAcJQaVQO8aDmHNILjzbFdp7-0hBeRNXwXmLavnkLwmCtQ_KYGBwDcMxcCaBA80HRMQSaj-2a4CgDFViPuuNadniOdjmcK9UYSl18pq2wGLMXbvPs8/s320/016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552570027463352738" border="0" /></a>Here are my cute Sunbeams! They have tons of energy and the attention span of a fly, but I love them dearly and will miss them!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-43833730980517673602010-12-05T19:47:00.005-07:002010-12-05T20:19:14.791-07:0033 is the Year for Me!I am sure you are all anxiously awaiting a blog about my trip to Greece but that blog will take more time than I have available at the moment, so you are just going to have to wait a little longer. (I do have some pictures and commentary about my trip in a photo album on Facebook to tide you over until then.)<br /><br />I thought I would make sure I document the most important day in all of our lives, my birth! Admit it, your life wouldn't be the same if you hadn't met Angela Day and on November 30th, 1977 my journey towards knowing all of my devoted readers began.<br /><br />I have always enjoyed my birthday, a day dedicated entirely to people paying attention to me, who wouldn't love it? Although, since I have hit the 30s I will admit I haven't been too excited and for some reason 33 has been really hard for me to say, getting closer and closer to 35 then 40! Ugh! Now having just gotten back from Greece I felt that was a pretty great birthday present to myself. The guy that checked me through customs even wished me a Happy Birthday since it was a few short days away, nice huh? So nothing too grand for the real day, dinner with a few friends and a little party after.<br /><br />My principal did manage to announce it was my birthday in morning announcements, so all day I had kids wishing me Happy Birthday and trying to guess how old I was, that was fun. Fortunately no one guessed over 26, man I love kids! Then some good friends and I went to a yummy restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. To celebrate your birthday this place makes you ride a saddle while the whole place sings to you on your birthday, something I was super excited about, but sadly I didn't have time to ride the saddle since we had to get home for my party. Big bummer! ;)<br /><br />At my party I displayed my Greece pictures and some Greece candy for others to enjoy, had a great time laughing and catching up with friends, it was a good time! Happy Birthday to me!<br /><br />Now at the beginning of the day one of my good friends at work asked how old I was to which I forced myself to say, "33." She told me her little motto when she was that age was, "33, the year for me!" We joked about it but the more I have thought about it, the more I really like it. So my goal for my 33rd year is to make the year for me, in all aspects of my life: career, having adventures with friends, serving in my church more, putting myself out there, doing great, crazy, exciting things. So hopefully I will have lots of future blog posts about this year being MY year!<br />And now for some pictures...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYudyE1PSLQUEyvytcUUUWu2Pvr5RmytmMf1FdLjd634ySkffEumK0oB6GY02T9h8HaDSa_w1QxoyfI9e1_3_q31TIL8rHnh2fkCWm85g5IqPBtbYfP0upTF010jdKC8rn7PhZV8KFy9w/s1600/Birthday+2010+008.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYudyE1PSLQUEyvytcUUUWu2Pvr5RmytmMf1FdLjd634ySkffEumK0oB6GY02T9h8HaDSa_w1QxoyfI9e1_3_q31TIL8rHnh2fkCWm85g5IqPBtbYfP0upTF010jdKC8rn7PhZV8KFy9w/s320/Birthday+2010+008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547399365586663250" border="0" /></a>Taylor Lauttner was nice and stopped by work to wish me well on my special day. He stayed all day actually and kept freaking me out every time I walked into my office! But it was a good freak out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq55mJjLUljV3jroj8P-oFJqK39MHUF3zoTy4B09FqGhH-cUo041st5VNMqMJf2pVaPbGPZ_8CgAb_TXA4QRy4PyDrTQkDot96GRY7kYXwwd6UdUI4jK5iDzIM77uGbl28-wSt3iU5mI/s1600/Birthday+2010+009.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq55mJjLUljV3jroj8P-oFJqK39MHUF3zoTy4B09FqGhH-cUo041st5VNMqMJf2pVaPbGPZ_8CgAb_TXA4QRy4PyDrTQkDot96GRY7kYXwwd6UdUI4jK5iDzIM77uGbl28-wSt3iU5mI/s320/Birthday+2010+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547399370445962514" border="0" /></a>Here are Suzanne and I at the yummy restaurant posing with the cute card she gave me. It might just be the cutest card I have ever seen!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpzculp_aSHuG2d0fdcIBS_CHqulYFqNb5iLWr219IrF5qgTVwr9CtH2NPZ5AVqcuGs5ZgsSPEdO7pt-SZzEIemFoOtkCyOSuv3xNyyGm3xCo1N-bLlrVHnu6Pfx2oePUQuq4CE5qga0/s1600/Birthday+2010+011.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpzculp_aSHuG2d0fdcIBS_CHqulYFqNb5iLWr219IrF5qgTVwr9CtH2NPZ5AVqcuGs5ZgsSPEdO7pt-SZzEIemFoOtkCyOSuv3xNyyGm3xCo1N-bLlrVHnu6Pfx2oePUQuq4CE5qga0/s320/Birthday+2010+011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547399378433974546" border="0" /></a>So when you turn 33 you don't blow out wussy birthday candles, you blow out honker candles like this one! It was close, but I blew it out so my birthday wish should come true...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDf0LBpFb24SovfXmHk0W4aJN2RbjyRpAegvsul-0Ir94rs_Aa-ftaiT0VK4Qxmgj6GMMXHTqQidz91u9eNzh36M99zXbOX5vWx3PL2zAW53mJM6gtcIenktsTAwu3Z_Hi4rQRQtp-Zk/s1600/Birthday+2010+013.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDf0LBpFb24SovfXmHk0W4aJN2RbjyRpAegvsul-0Ir94rs_Aa-ftaiT0VK4Qxmgj6GMMXHTqQidz91u9eNzh36M99zXbOX5vWx3PL2zAW53mJM6gtcIenktsTAwu3Z_Hi4rQRQtp-Zk/s320/Birthday+2010+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547399383386586114" border="0" /></a>My friends think I rock! I think they rock too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIXjWju-eZK2ATkKfoBv0Oh8OzyBuqUdwmUur2qnFtrYQGi3wO2I12AqvVOCVuVSuzwlq-iYMFLBy-z7Xhf7z2Glf-C7HRMst5iUY9emM1mtB4QmYPTmRmwMnTc3nrcFDs3la3H0QeYc/s1600/Birthday+2010+015.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIXjWju-eZK2ATkKfoBv0Oh8OzyBuqUdwmUur2qnFtrYQGi3wO2I12AqvVOCVuVSuzwlq-iYMFLBy-z7Xhf7z2Glf-C7HRMst5iUY9emM1mtB4QmYPTmRmwMnTc3nrcFDs3la3H0QeYc/s320/Birthday+2010+015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547399395574665394" border="0" /></a>Here are some longtime friends, cute Dave, Boyce and Suzanne. Boyce and Suzanne are expecting a baby soon and I am still crossing my fingers they name her after me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwaQdan4IQNDgbTkaJ3B06JPskt6I3FMWJmFV7HzeahM8TDe65IoaYaF4HApJ60ym7ptFCKPJd-EKv4W73c8a6YaKi_o12-w2Qrsr8ieDzlZOeyuXhA9yVw532yM9SEwiVeA2VCgTmGg/s1600/Birthday+2010+017.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwaQdan4IQNDgbTkaJ3B06JPskt6I3FMWJmFV7HzeahM8TDe65IoaYaF4HApJ60ym7ptFCKPJd-EKv4W73c8a6YaKi_o12-w2Qrsr8ieDzlZOeyuXhA9yVw532yM9SEwiVeA2VCgTmGg/s320/Birthday+2010+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547400361481545842" border="0" /></a>Lovely ladies that stopped by to say hi and give me a birthday squeeze.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cBSIpqCk-WViXWHEy_H8feHQUlOsrgN4xRPZjv5ulg9A8tH2FpCaGxnC4CX05w8isKqqL8oxQzUVi7hpJ5tGJr-F0yzS8u_fUAphdpFoSQ2LP3eOuv5aDrTlHn5HKtf3WO2CZF_DQZM/s1600/Birthday+2010+018.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cBSIpqCk-WViXWHEy_H8feHQUlOsrgN4xRPZjv5ulg9A8tH2FpCaGxnC4CX05w8isKqqL8oxQzUVi7hpJ5tGJr-F0yzS8u_fUAphdpFoSQ2LP3eOuv5aDrTlHn5HKtf3WO2CZF_DQZM/s320/Birthday+2010+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547400367835891650" border="0" /></a>The cutest roommate ever! Cami set up the dinner, made the yummy cake and all while conquering world hunger at the same time! She is truly amazing!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJJq2Bpisz3wF_FQGAt1y6sA6UqjynzUjINFISm5_yjOLz9fgf7t80qFi3KS2T8wkm2_VN4HWSbWrr64TqNya9G5efZ7R80GK9YLSCU35Ys0i1JYk4Q7K8Jp3jkMT3kERZbA22f_anmk/s1600/Birthday+2010+020.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJJq2Bpisz3wF_FQGAt1y6sA6UqjynzUjINFISm5_yjOLz9fgf7t80qFi3KS2T8wkm2_VN4HWSbWrr64TqNya9G5efZ7R80GK9YLSCU35Ys0i1JYk4Q7K8Jp3jkMT3kERZbA22f_anmk/s320/Birthday+2010+020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547400378057327842" border="0" /></a>My dear friend Sarah had to show up after everyone else had left so she could spend some quality time with just me, she is so thoughtful!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-48298695164979768992010-11-18T22:26:00.008-07:002010-11-19T11:56:24.410-07:00Pre-Thanksgiving StretcherThanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I love the idea of spending a day with loved ones and just eating all day. Plus Thanksgiving dinner has all my favorite food groups: potatoes and gravy, bread, and pie! The funny thing is even though it is my favorite holiday I usually don't spend it with my family because they are too far away. I usually go over to the house of a friend and enjoy some yummy food but it's not quite the same as spending the day with loved ones. Often I will spend Thanksgiving weekend by myself which sounds depressing but sometimes it's nice to have some quality Angela time. :)<br /><br /> Well this year I am changing things up a bit and I am going to Athens, Greece for Thanksgiving! (I'm sure I will have many blog posts about the trip in the near future.) But I didn't want to miss out on the yummy food so I improvised! I organized a pre-Thanksgiving stretcher with some dear friends. Usually we get together to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving for our dear Canadian friend, Sarah. We just got together about a month later this time. Same fun friends, same yummy food, same silly traditions. It was such a great Thanksgiving and I was able to enjoy loved ones, a delicious Thanksgiving feast, and I still get to go to Greece!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqxov3eIYNauGPETkgYZzzZL9nslyf62MFczGItRQgaM2_uv87qgAmv7Yr-rXmm1cwMf5CJYauhC4XL4uOEyPdjVK9_r4bbfq0Dstmc4Fs8er6z-yFIydCD6fxu33OvtG5orzghAH_Iw/s1600/Thanksgiving+2010+001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqxov3eIYNauGPETkgYZzzZL9nslyf62MFczGItRQgaM2_uv87qgAmv7Yr-rXmm1cwMf5CJYauhC4XL4uOEyPdjVK9_r4bbfq0Dstmc4Fs8er6z-yFIydCD6fxu33OvtG5orzghAH_Iw/s320/Thanksgiving+2010+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541128252019839378" border="0" /></a>Boyce is carving the turkey that I baked!!<br />(Okay Cami helped me and there wasn't too much to do to it, but I did take out all the yucky insides and butter the baby up!)<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn6m_ppzKmuu2-8NmsDS_Uxdhn0zG9OJaNxQAH8Q1GmZaarKVvk3U7bvCjADjJBZtGmu4pq9wqFkj-VrxINWCYjwW25mRmswjbb6F7zdEGYXaEeaic8gKgCY6o9hrH-ZASvkkHsy32PQ/s1600/Thanksgiving+2010+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn6m_ppzKmuu2-8NmsDS_Uxdhn0zG9OJaNxQAH8Q1GmZaarKVvk3U7bvCjADjJBZtGmu4pq9wqFkj-VrxINWCYjwW25mRmswjbb6F7zdEGYXaEeaic8gKgCY6o9hrH-ZASvkkHsy32PQ/s320/Thanksgiving+2010+004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541129170935441314" border="0" /></a>Here's the loved ones! One of our traditions is to write what we are thankful for on a slip of paper and then we draw them out of a bowl and read them. Mine said I was thankful for DVR, Zac Efron, and great friends who love me. I really do have amazing, loving friends!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIIumMeJ5YQXRuAHRJvZHKtWkJOgk0hTWBtdS4IKPLioJTAPMxBn2eay3JMZOww1m8VRuKyk7N4gMv3ys8bjhQP_6-zWcyobTYCenLB4OIT_2RJh8xIm6ZpCKn7hNrANVTFq73jSAnKo/s1600/Thanksgiving+2010+005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIIumMeJ5YQXRuAHRJvZHKtWkJOgk0hTWBtdS4IKPLioJTAPMxBn2eay3JMZOww1m8VRuKyk7N4gMv3ys8bjhQP_6-zWcyobTYCenLB4OIT_2RJh8xIm6ZpCKn7hNrANVTFq73jSAnKo/s320/Thanksgiving+2010+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541129351963280066" border="0" /></a>The kiddie table. Although the kiddie table had better manners than the adult table.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLBKDEVxMMsQKgS7jsFOJH36N5wm17NiolxGwwZfX-O3Rek5dQQeMnVU_g86OWwkxE3170M1rQ3SrD8orWj7HWdJiebDICIrtCPqa9CrvY2UNq-1Sghea7tSUoP0SejedJNnf66Tw2mk/s1600/Thanksgiving+2010+007.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLBKDEVxMMsQKgS7jsFOJH36N5wm17NiolxGwwZfX-O3Rek5dQQeMnVU_g86OWwkxE3170M1rQ3SrD8orWj7HWdJiebDICIrtCPqa9CrvY2UNq-1Sghea7tSUoP0SejedJNnf66Tw2mk/s320/Thanksgiving+2010+007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541129632987172818" border="0" /></a>Here is my favorite little turkey, Jacob. We had a great time at the party together and he is just dang cute!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-2455373005411727112010-10-31T18:29:00.001-06:002010-10-31T18:32:11.585-06:00Happy Halloween, I guess...I was realizing the other day it had been quite some time since I had posted anything new on my blog which meant nothing all that exciting had been happening in my life. Well with a weekend of Halloween festivities how could I not post about the great thrills of dressing up, eating lots of candy, and parties, parties, parties! The only problem is I just don't seem to get as excited about Halloween as I used to. It is kind of a drag to dress up at school and you feel like a loser if you don't go to some Halloween social event, so I force myself to do all these things. To add to the pain, I was sick this weekend also. Of course any other person would have said I am too sick to go to another party where I talk to the same people and enjoy the same activities I do at every single event. The only difference is, we are wearing some silly, scary, or stupid get up. But not Angela Day, she is social girl! She will be there rain or shine with a stuffy nose and sore throat, you can't keep her down!<br /><br />I feel like I am sounding a little cynical in this post and while I am trying to convey I wasn't all that thrilled to celebrate Halloween this year, lets see if I can turn this downer post into one of merriment and joy. I had big dreams and plans of being Raggedy Ann (again) this year but my principal supplied me with a much cuter outfit. This year I was a bee, a cute little Honey Bee. At school there were about 10 other little girls dressed as bees. I pondered gathering them all together and taking a picture with them, but then thought I might feel a little silly- the big honker bee with all the cute little bees. Saturday night I went to the big Halloween partay that is thrown for all the singles in my neighborhood every year as a bee and believe it or not, I was the only one! So either I was super creative or being a bee is only for small aged children. Oh well, I'm young at heart!<br /><br />May I share again that while I was not feeling all that great the minute I starting seeing my friends, my attitude changed and it was fun to see all the different costumes. We have this guy in our neighborhood that is like 7 ft tall (he played volleyball for BYU) and he was an Avatar, very clever. Also we had the Obama family visit our party and a whole bunch of other creative ideas, but these two were my favorite. And the best part of the whole night, there was dancing! I love to dance and DJ Dave did not disappoint with some great songs I could rock out to. So while I may have not wanted to go, I am always glad I do. I saw great friends, ate some yummy gummy bears, and got to dance, dance, dance.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXuuak7TTFPKNgKNrrdXywq0kiHs7qJ5IGSdUvuyK_lddCDEDRQcdRmmNrpr1P21-4m36uD7mNOAGjMkSWMG6wdbwmFlK1pFscMdopI_TA09yDyGy9OOJ9J8LYGILS8nf7F3vu5dz-8w/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXuuak7TTFPKNgKNrrdXywq0kiHs7qJ5IGSdUvuyK_lddCDEDRQcdRmmNrpr1P21-4m36uD7mNOAGjMkSWMG6wdbwmFlK1pFscMdopI_TA09yDyGy9OOJ9J8LYGILS8nf7F3vu5dz-8w/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534370213037922658" border="0" /></a> Here I am, Angela the bee! I'm trying out my new camera, thanks parents!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOllLFY6xBrjVXuU22pGMsxUvjubNmEmoL4sFsAR-LzKCRuUnApaC_Y6j918PRwTLGS00cGluMGCmkfbYbVLYfTKhVutl0KnFmITqEEDEXIrXQKLpvrdqdgB2nI8jT_RwEFGJGDk2Zhk/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOllLFY6xBrjVXuU22pGMsxUvjubNmEmoL4sFsAR-LzKCRuUnApaC_Y6j918PRwTLGS00cGluMGCmkfbYbVLYfTKhVutl0KnFmITqEEDEXIrXQKLpvrdqdgB2nI8jT_RwEFGJGDk2Zhk/s320/002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534372000396256802" border="0" /></a>Cami and I arriving to the party, buzzzzz!<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTvrMkOLVapFfov6AfuKI7xsrU3nB4-hiQAjMKx1nb0BAMz8PhgCiGc1WVuIF5yfuAgE3mmDLh3eIZ_UnNkXbctNOowY-gK_S6OIDjeEJ59Ay-Mr8b1Kp_Zm0dCSWEtsXuOlr5wwlo74/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTvrMkOLVapFfov6AfuKI7xsrU3nB4-hiQAjMKx1nb0BAMz8PhgCiGc1WVuIF5yfuAgE3mmDLh3eIZ_UnNkXbctNOowY-gK_S6OIDjeEJ59Ay-Mr8b1Kp_Zm0dCSWEtsXuOlr5wwlo74/s320/004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534370467716477554" border="0" /></a>Suzanne, Candice, and I getting our dance on!<br /></div><br />And now that Halloween is out of the way, on to my favorite holiday... Thanksgiving! Of course this year I will be spending Thanksgiving with the Greeks in Athens, but we will save that for another post. :)Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-38459459760821298122010-09-26T19:49:00.012-06:002010-11-11T01:05:54.889-07:00Brad, BYU, and BearsYes it was a weekend of B's for Miss Day. Saw a little Brad Paisley, saw a little BYU Football, and saw a bear! Well I wish it was a real bear, but it was just a stuffed bear at Cabela's and technically I saw the bear a few days ago, but I needed another B word for my title. :)<br /><br />Now I am not a real concert enthusiast. I would rather spend my entertainment money on vacations or Disneyland where you get like a whole day out of the spendy ticket. But some friends were going to see Brad Paisley and the tickets were pretty cheap so I took the plunge and headed off to the H2O tour. It was at an outside venue and it was a gorgeous fall evening. It did get a little cool when the sun went down, but not too bad. Brad Paisley is one dang good entertainer. He had this incredible screen and the Hi-Def was amazing! He changed to a different guitar like every song and I never did see how he switched. It was magic! He had fun songs, I was with fun girls, it was a super fun evening!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghD_WOgcw3f2ketZhOiyxYzLDV4EGVCQZItuV8FkEf4hj65dlLhGgJEGLi26HYS1zUQz2yOFGzjOUa0CYCjpSmGGNuPPi1zPzB0QLN6rLLCRuaJfpeyfuetz3vEBUMKqevx-w2UxfVkO8/s1600/brad+concert.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521408583301096258" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghD_WOgcw3f2ketZhOiyxYzLDV4EGVCQZItuV8FkEf4hj65dlLhGgJEGLi26HYS1zUQz2yOFGzjOUa0CYCjpSmGGNuPPi1zPzB0QLN6rLLCRuaJfpeyfuetz3vEBUMKqevx-w2UxfVkO8/s320/brad+concert.JPG" border="0" /></a>Here we all are! Brad Paisley's biggest fans enjoying a lovely night out! It did get a little cold, we all enjoyed a hot chocolate to stay warm, but Brad was hot!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC9qAtWEHk9I2Tl8vjcfZbvM4XgpGlbw37D3WmEssP6jw3FP3vwZQddPeZbx3odYfuqtISx7rc0KxPO8v2VMkL9dd1m0qvFxU-r1BlpnhLAFmsqlAmeYMRK-GQSJOmOFzj3TbACHlZQ4/s1600/036.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521430448917622818" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSC9qAtWEHk9I2Tl8vjcfZbvM4XgpGlbw37D3WmEssP6jw3FP3vwZQddPeZbx3odYfuqtISx7rc0KxPO8v2VMkL9dd1m0qvFxU-r1BlpnhLAFmsqlAmeYMRK-GQSJOmOFzj3TbACHlZQ4/s320/036.JPG" border="0" /></a> See the screen was huge! I felt like I was right next to Brad and he was singing right to me even though I was in the very back. He had some super fun graphics for his songs too.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9B334Z2XAr_7fo-t_JZc-7-alHpKolCA3lsBVDUxyns6FVEkBoxk8cqi0dbTnTKzUT6-i7S8kRU_F1X1wQ_AdFMy9L1a6B99hl3-9_TqArhitSAIykGeor2p2gQibkywMU4rP1nwySs/s1600/033.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521410909720785250" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9B334Z2XAr_7fo-t_JZc-7-alHpKolCA3lsBVDUxyns6FVEkBoxk8cqi0dbTnTKzUT6-i7S8kRU_F1X1wQ_AdFMy9L1a6B99hl3-9_TqArhitSAIykGeor2p2gQibkywMU4rP1nwySs/s320/033.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Onto BYU Football... I am loving the Utah weather right now. Gorgeous mountains in the background and gorgeous weather make for a perfect Saturday afternoon Gameday. My roommate, Cami and I went to cheer our Cougars on against the Nevada somebodies. I love going to games and singing the Cougar fightsong, or having the whole stadium chant B Y U Cougars. The weather wasn't too hot, wasn't too cold. It was just a fun day. Sadly the Cougars didn't win, but I did get a free Go Cougars towel and enjoyed all the Cougar fans wearing their blue and shouting at the refs. They weren't the best refs in the world.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9kKPu0WjbKuscM9A8htfpNc7oeJOMW7Pc_p8e32L5ja0GRVoELPX2ud4elwIvqTcrDSr7oJbGN-YRuhsFwLbMVSR9t2Dy3d0SEkkS9oUOiuAEkEcQG_K5LRg1Ok5Mr2bedkPNJyt-lk/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521413044136287058" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9kKPu0WjbKuscM9A8htfpNc7oeJOMW7Pc_p8e32L5ja0GRVoELPX2ud4elwIvqTcrDSr7oJbGN-YRuhsFwLbMVSR9t2Dy3d0SEkkS9oUOiuAEkEcQG_K5LRg1Ok5Mr2bedkPNJyt-lk/s320/038.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here they come! The Cougars take the field as the crowds cheer, the band plays, and the cheerleaders flip for joy! Good times at the LaVell Edwards Stadium.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfbT03Xr7bzT44u80YKFkTmpREYr_VcsQlC_JZL5xcKKf1zr9-QSvvMTWwoUGRLcXSakz-6Q302Wtppn7gockFE4oIeknKGqv9qnpZc2hwIkzle3tSoLePIkUtlwlhOoQr1pihT2RPH8/s1600/040.JPG"><img style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; display: block; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521413049968616962" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfbT03Xr7bzT44u80YKFkTmpREYr_VcsQlC_JZL5xcKKf1zr9-QSvvMTWwoUGRLcXSakz-6Q302Wtppn7gockFE4oIeknKGqv9qnpZc2hwIkzle3tSoLePIkUtlwlhOoQr1pihT2RPH8/s320/040.JPG" border="0" /></a> Cami and I showing our Cougar Pride. Well Cami has way more pride than I do. She wanted to buy a Cougar head and wear it, but I told her I would not sit with her if she did. (Okay Cami didn't really want one, but we saw one, and it was kinda ugly.)<br /><br />And for my final B event... da Bears! For a very long time, I had quite a fascination with bears. I learned about them in a class I had in summer school in 8th grade and ever since then, I have wanted to raise a cub and train it not to kill me and live happily in my home. Well then March of the Penguins came out and I turned my focus to getting a pet penguin instead of a bear, though the thought is still there, just might be a little easier to raise a penguin. So when my friend, Chris wanted to show me around Cabela's, this huge hunting, camping, man loving store, I was more than excited when I saw some bears! They had some great displays of all sorts of animals and while they were probably displaying them as a potential hunt, I just enjoyed seeing my Black Bears up close. I still have a dream of maybe someday having a live bear for a pet. My real friends will work on making that dream come true. ;) Well work on the penguin first, then the bear. :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-UmemUbOr6zMuPCKWZ8ChvPl6nshH2L39ct6wEuBVlxSaor8U2zn8QhT36OPgK1nfjVq3f64SXdF4j6ZPs3dacnKNxSnNOJJH58oMkZaFKuVegYRUkSPzxnOAyfxXLKQ9ylUUZJI-ek/s1600/003.JPG"><br /></a>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-58301623641775237702010-09-26T19:19:00.010-06:002010-09-26T19:49:19.857-06:00Ah the Fair...After visiting the Delaware State Fair with my Aunt Michele last year, how could I not make another appearance at my own state fair? I think I may have a new goal to visit a different state fair every summer. I mean state fairs have high quality entertainment, high quality food, and high quality people! How could you not enjoy the state fair?! This year I went to the Utah State Fair with some friends and one of my friends had her aunt and uncle visiting from Australia. It was their first time in the states and the first thing they see is the Utah State Fair. Candice's uncle at one time said, "This is just how I pictured America would be!" Don't worry they headed off to Zion's National Park the next day, hopefully that will erase their memory of the fried Twinkies, Mullets, and big 'ol belt buckles.<br /><br />After watching a dashing pig race, eating ice cream while I stood in line for a funnel cake, and visiting with all my barnyard friends... I felt sick, smelt like hay, and had one superfun night with my gals!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTSqIpUet232Y4v9G8Rqoc5qhDPvBOlZpZkHMAJxThNLXc1vfNbBTg01-KRvTYPCicpFxhEL4MgEY27TREQrdjhL1f7eVrHPgtmBOZSh432bNEufwV2J70ZBoXJKRYQGQCpmqSpGWmbk/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521400901989159490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTSqIpUet232Y4v9G8Rqoc5qhDPvBOlZpZkHMAJxThNLXc1vfNbBTg01-KRvTYPCicpFxhEL4MgEY27TREQrdjhL1f7eVrHPgtmBOZSh432bNEufwV2J70ZBoXJKRYQGQCpmqSpGWmbk/s320/001.JPG" /></a> Suzanne and I doing the State Fair Dance, gettin' jiggy with it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNIi6sefPrikX5xKht1p_pOZl6Zpn_PQAneYM4p1DqV5aYgYLyf89AZFeNzhV7t6tUenc-aCS3_RiyKZ0sHTE-bZS4SRf-y9NBaLTbSU8US7Pk9uK88soMj7iuQEth0lW7x0CJc44Kao/s1600/002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521401308850043394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNIi6sefPrikX5xKht1p_pOZl6Zpn_PQAneYM4p1DqV5aYgYLyf89AZFeNzhV7t6tUenc-aCS3_RiyKZ0sHTE-bZS4SRf-y9NBaLTbSU8US7Pk9uK88soMj7iuQEth0lW7x0CJc44Kao/s320/002.JPG" /></a> See it's just like Disneyland! Crowds of people all coming together to see that dreams come true at the Utah State Fair.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwBPQq1dZIV9EXEYrlwfLjyiefv9xWV9ggd8_f902bVvc7t_r3Ixcruuvda0fgr56kARNWPmpVux-YmqHUvusd3iWcbuWo_YC0PDK9klj3KEIV-xkfppEac_S7e778t3_jApr2tFW2bE/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521402057632103010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwBPQq1dZIV9EXEYrlwfLjyiefv9xWV9ggd8_f902bVvc7t_r3Ixcruuvda0fgr56kARNWPmpVux-YmqHUvusd3iWcbuWo_YC0PDK9klj3KEIV-xkfppEac_S7e778t3_jApr2tFW2bE/s320/004.JPG" /></a> The big event, Pig Races! You have to get there hours before it starts to be able to see these famous pigs battle it out for an Oreo cookie.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfULhmj9JxEcmgVl_XwhMOwt9dGKGiwJcvQNafrFtFmD4oygw1y2YBy-tfIyFeugquikJLhJPtc5UBGMOYLE2_HUUgkNYOk6NH5vHLVXOGyqSqPWiLTPTs58uckCIXNw0VsrOAW4HBles/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521402515820811282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfULhmj9JxEcmgVl_XwhMOwt9dGKGiwJcvQNafrFtFmD4oygw1y2YBy-tfIyFeugquikJLhJPtc5UBGMOYLE2_HUUgkNYOk6NH5vHLVXOGyqSqPWiLTPTs58uckCIXNw0VsrOAW4HBles/s320/009.JPG" /></a> The food! The line for funnel cakes was so long I had to eat a twist cone while I waited! Not gonna lie, felt a little sick after eating this so called yummy treat.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaQXKFHDVNbwp14cxmQ6jBUjmHj957wEUCUeEN0p2iqp_vBJQdeLFqwmhLJhyphenhyphenU0fvTEuZJ1Juo6YxPvMMwXFMXxMc5bIOpxS0XkHcLn1HP5gQuX-3FF5qnXyIEZfqvWph7oXLLjJYRhA/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521403198896962578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaQXKFHDVNbwp14cxmQ6jBUjmHj957wEUCUeEN0p2iqp_vBJQdeLFqwmhLJhyphenhyphenU0fvTEuZJ1Juo6YxPvMMwXFMXxMc5bIOpxS0XkHcLn1HP5gQuX-3FF5qnXyIEZfqvWph7oXLLjJYRhA/s320/014.JPG" /></a> This girl was the cutest thing at the fair. She is sporting her fancy blue ribbon belt buckle for raising up a mighty fine sheep. That red line on Mr. Sheep means he was sold to be slaughtered. They were saying their final goodbyes. He was a good sheep...Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-55092435743954266202010-09-12T20:27:00.009-06:002010-09-12T21:01:14.393-06:00Lovely Labor DayI think I have moved Labor Day up on my favorite holidays list. I try to be an equal opportunity lover of holidays and help out the ones who may not get the glory Christmas or Halloween seem to get. I am a fan of Thanksgiving, Gumdrop Day, and recently I have realized, I enjoy Labor Day weekend. Did I spend the weekend like I wanted to? No, but I had a splendid weekend nonetheless. I WANTED to go camping and enjoy the beautiful red rock of southern Utah, but no one else was really feeling the desire to go on one more camping trip before the crisp, cold nights begin to settle in. So I stayed in town, and I am glad I did.<br /><br />The first thing to occur on Lovely Labor Day weekend was a wedding reception for a good family friend, Julie. Julie is the youngest sister of my dear twin friends, Jenny and Tami who I grew up with in San Diego. So not only did I get to see the wonderful DeLoura family who I haven't seen for quite some time, but all sorts of people from my ward growing up were there also. Evidently the cool people from Santee 2nd ward have migrated to Utah County, woo hoo! It was so great to see people who loved me and helped teach me the gospel principles I so strongly believe in and follow today. They made me feel accomplished and just as loved as a 32 year old as I felt as a 16 year old. It was great to catch up and hear about their families and see Julie so happy with her new husband. I have come to truly admire Jenny and Tami. They both have such adorable, amazing families and are such good mothers. I hope they will teach me everything they know when I become a mother. It was a gorgeous day!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsw4yd1rS1BuuIisKCpP8riKS8rU3Lhi6XUDv8lrse89St56XNZsGWaCP1UOXieKWju6UhjlERqfaKXjE3euQYS51kU0slPLC08cZMHMWtqWEeY9Ynj04OZYb3rBGgkadu0ERzLIkYJE/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsw4yd1rS1BuuIisKCpP8riKS8rU3Lhi6XUDv8lrse89St56XNZsGWaCP1UOXieKWju6UhjlERqfaKXjE3euQYS51kU0slPLC08cZMHMWtqWEeY9Ynj04OZYb3rBGgkadu0ERzLIkYJE/s320/003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516224578362335218" /></a><br />Long time friends: Jenny, Me, Tami. Don't they look good for having 9 kids between the two of them! <br /><br />On Monday, Labor Day, the warm sunshine woke me up and I felt a strong desire to begin the day with a run. You may remember I have not been able to run for over 3 months now due to a dumb knee injury that occurred while training for a half-marathon. Well the weekend of Labor Day, my injury was gone and I was able to go on a gorgeous, sunny run. It feels so good to run again and while the winter months will cause me to move my running indoors(because I am not that into running that I will do it in the snow), knowing I can try for glory in a half marathon next year makes the world seem better somehow.<br /><br />After my run, Cami and I met our old roommate, Sarah and her adorable kids, Jacob and Eliana for some more fun in the sun at Seven Peaks water park. I have decided going to a water park with little kids is way more fun then with adults. Jacob loves the water and I love playing with him in it. Spending the day in the sun, getting that last sunburn in before the leaves change and a new season is upon us, made my Lovely Labor Day complete.<br /><br />I do love the sun and heat and wearing flip flops and shorts so much. I know I will miss my friend while he is hiding behind clouds and wind chills for the next 6-8 months, but just like the rest of my closest friends, I know my good friend, Mr. Sun will return to my life again someday. I can visit him in Florida for Christmas and maybe I'll have to see him in Hawaii real soon too. But I know he will come back to me and I am grateful for holidays like Labor Day that make me remember how much my friend, the sun means to me.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllFzuKW3Prb1pNqgzETD6o3Ss-RDtYNkWFxSYmIl6UgsPi3cxC42PhynoY998xVXkrt-zUuWGy9PNL9WO6xdOiRSPEcN9J4WhkLmgUdUrEX_gbHWQiVOTIELkh7aACa14EOsof9UG0PI/s1600/005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllFzuKW3Prb1pNqgzETD6o3Ss-RDtYNkWFxSYmIl6UgsPi3cxC42PhynoY998xVXkrt-zUuWGy9PNL9WO6xdOiRSPEcN9J4WhkLmgUdUrEX_gbHWQiVOTIELkh7aACa14EOsof9UG0PI/s320/005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516225288548442946" /></a><br />Jacob and Me taking a break from the water. The boy is a fish, I swear!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTDRWT_h-UPOFaSsTscxMTyruWaDJJa0BRTB2QUviNFzAtRkusVTEVuiL4sPY85ZmezZRMl1JDkOCeV6hDhM9IWuK1-haob_0KTsYH5J1Fbb29eq5La_2qzZSGgKkBIexCbn_Kh-7NUE/s1600/008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTDRWT_h-UPOFaSsTscxMTyruWaDJJa0BRTB2QUviNFzAtRkusVTEVuiL4sPY85ZmezZRMl1JDkOCeV6hDhM9IWuK1-haob_0KTsYH5J1Fbb29eq5La_2qzZSGgKkBIexCbn_Kh-7NUE/s320/008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516225624448493922" /></a><br />Jacob loved taking pictures of everything. Here we are taking a picture of each other! He will be a great photographer someday, book him now for your next family picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2GHn7-BLhc8FAt34WgYSNXC-Fw_5cmyFe41SMKVjB7vHyJc_PIMiogqH4dLJ5-aPwmYoI6CngNtwpcQuPZVXnQtE3yxN7GuWMPasbMUs5PtM-9efb_dsMEOICgu21ksyHlX0eplySIU/s1600/010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2GHn7-BLhc8FAt34WgYSNXC-Fw_5cmyFe41SMKVjB7vHyJc_PIMiogqH4dLJ5-aPwmYoI6CngNtwpcQuPZVXnQtE3yxN7GuWMPasbMUs5PtM-9efb_dsMEOICgu21ksyHlX0eplySIU/s320/010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516226106167211394" /></a><br />This picture was technically taken the weekend after Labor Day but I just wanted the fun to keep going. Some of my gal pals after Stake Conference at Dessert Night!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-11375306731340065912010-08-27T21:42:00.010-06:002010-08-27T22:35:31.579-06:00Catchin' Up<div>Oh the woes of having a blog. Feeling the pressures of keeping it updated and making a post sound witty and charming so those 5 people reading the post will actually be entertained. Sadly this past month has been so busy and with every activity I participate in I find myself asking, "Is this blog worthy?" So now that I have put so much pressure into this very post, enjoy!</div><br /><div>The past month has been focusing mainly on getting a new school year started. I love the school I work at, I love the people I work with, I love the many jobs I do there, and of course I love the kids that attend good 'ole Westside Elementary. So I haven't minded spending quite a bit of time there this summer. So far I have helped new teachers get their rooms ready, I have organized schedules for anything and everything, started pulling test data together for teachers, and the highlight of my first week of school... organized bus schedules. Usually organizing bus schedules isn't too big of deal but when the Bus Shop changes the bus routes almost every day it makes it hard to get the kids home on the right bus. I think we have finally solved the problem, but this week has definitely been memorable.</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6en1zdWAphFrrtx6mLjT0Vm4mv8YDmPY6a8FDz6u4Slc4j4MBgC6sLUZS-UKQFdDp4DNWTpPAumw9ngNvr1nne1fboUCdEuJCjHVWd4QIpXv1eH0UWBrhce97WaT4aS3EsJDhmlIygo/s1600/me+in+my+office.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510312593255460626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk6en1zdWAphFrrtx6mLjT0Vm4mv8YDmPY6a8FDz6u4Slc4j4MBgC6sLUZS-UKQFdDp4DNWTpPAumw9ngNvr1nne1fboUCdEuJCjHVWd4QIpXv1eH0UWBrhce97WaT4aS3EsJDhmlIygo/s320/me+in+my+office.JPG" /></a> Here I am in my office smiling at the job I love on the outside. But on the inside...I am cursing all things related to school buses and bus lists.<br /><br /><div>Even though I lot of my time has been spent at the school I have still found some time for fun. I have hung out with friends at various singles' activities and man I wish I had footage of some of the people at these parties. I overheard conversations about children graduating from high school, someone just got out of their 3rd marriage, saw more grey hair than any other color, and any socially awkard habit you can think of I either had the pleasure of watching from afar or watching right in from me. This is what my life has become! I am being a tad rude I guess but seriously, if I have to go to too many more of these kind of social activities I may just get a cat and stay home on Friday nights.</div><br /><div>Below are some pictures of things I wanted to take pictures of because I was with dear friends doing normal things.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKGDUiSKKTxtZKqVrD4IN95vKWO_GBI_X21f0CUaFJ-UoFwuGPwkhAX2WL6hnHVgEWqGQY-aK894nRDL8DnQgn7pPvlUFCuN8S16xnMZV_9tMzXhMaILhX08DzXPCEqeVGulNiTX_1UY/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510310780532869538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKGDUiSKKTxtZKqVrD4IN95vKWO_GBI_X21f0CUaFJ-UoFwuGPwkhAX2WL6hnHVgEWqGQY-aK894nRDL8DnQgn7pPvlUFCuN8S16xnMZV_9tMzXhMaILhX08DzXPCEqeVGulNiTX_1UY/s320/003.JPG" /></a> This is my friend Anelise rockin' it on stage. It was great to see her in concert!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-zADNTTqPbwqk6XFOlj7ImH0GtPtZB50BRFfJcN1wV8Nlp5lDLg7SiPbl3LZTctOja_-kXQy6h9-vhW8V2SvnAtNGy5Gd1fUrcgKrKYz2udOHzZB4FOH47FRTUFR215ScwrQ8TvoTd4/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510311312812897586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-zADNTTqPbwqk6XFOlj7ImH0GtPtZB50BRFfJcN1wV8Nlp5lDLg7SiPbl3LZTctOja_-kXQy6h9-vhW8V2SvnAtNGy5Gd1fUrcgKrKYz2udOHzZB4FOH47FRTUFR215ScwrQ8TvoTd4/s320/006.JPG" /></a> Anelise's groupies: Liz, Dave, and me. I have such cute friends! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri68HP5yQxLqF6tDdnOYKiDzQjjz3WU-EBiF2qp9afC7LEkIyXZBZnWRhA1XzsI5USLvFpgiBsNRL6-WSYiUxTI6lsrhfyRTs06mKq9-BCSupK5cBXLd1AxcMexwZA7do4FgxgQXnX1M/s1600/sushi.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510311724815077426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri68HP5yQxLqF6tDdnOYKiDzQjjz3WU-EBiF2qp9afC7LEkIyXZBZnWRhA1XzsI5USLvFpgiBsNRL6-WSYiUxTI6lsrhfyRTs06mKq9-BCSupK5cBXLd1AxcMexwZA7do4FgxgQXnX1M/s320/sushi.JPG" /></a> Yep, I ate this! A friend took me to try Sushi for the first time. This is technically the kind he got, but I ate something similar! And it wasn't that bad, I will try some again!<br /></div>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-31698351626211469002010-07-29T17:02:00.014-06:002010-07-29T17:40:17.012-06:00Family Time in FloridaSo I made the annual summer visit to the family in Florida (although I didn't visit last summer because I was in DC, and one summer we were in South Carolina, so I guess it isn't really an annual summer visit). I of course was very excited to see my cute family, their new dog, and maybe it is sad to say, but I was really excited to see the nice pool and backyard that my dad so meticuously takes care of. We did normal family things, BBQ, bowling, lots of movies, walking the dog at night, relax and enjoy being together. I made sure to spend quality time with the pool everyday reading a good book so the pool felt like it was getting family time too.<br /><br />One reason I was really excited to come to Florida this summer is because I wanted to be the first of my friends on the West Coast to go to the new Harry Potter World. I was going to be famous! Well sadly we heard from several sources the lines at Harry Potter World were very, very long and with it being very, very hot I didn't want to be famous for passing out from heat exhaustion in a line for the bathroom or something silly like that. So no Harry Potter World this visit, but my cute mom still wanted me to do something fun so we went to Orlando for a girls' day. We saw my cousin, Corie and her super cute boy, Cody. We did lots of shopping although I had like 6 bags and my mother had none, she is so strong! Then we topped off the day by going to Universal Studios to see the Blueman Group. It was a very entertaining show and had more illusion/magic stuff than I thought it would. That kind of stuff drives me crazy because I sit there and try to figure out how they do everything rather than just enjoy the show. Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed! They had super fun music, comedy, and the best toilet paper audience fight ever!<br /><br />And now, enjoy family time in Florida through pictures:<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CLNx4ylimC27hqYKoqCN4YAi9HgkmRTpP21wOL9KTvAQzvEHdFcR0UqmlhJfXhqqsC3hc0nrsaYjcfnPWywt9_ubR4t_L4wJb7QzpSdPI2K-zF_IOkvvLpQK8-ogd-is-7wy3SW3M7c/s1600/Backyard.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499471367896727218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CLNx4ylimC27hqYKoqCN4YAi9HgkmRTpP21wOL9KTvAQzvEHdFcR0UqmlhJfXhqqsC3hc0nrsaYjcfnPWywt9_ubR4t_L4wJb7QzpSdPI2K-zF_IOkvvLpQK8-ogd-is-7wy3SW3M7c/s320/Backyard.JPG" /></a> This was my daily view. I would sit, enjoy my book and look over at the lovely scenery my dad has landscaped all by himself! He is very talented.</p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq77mJTNHLwBoXIyaT2I5lGA5o1ldgJKRiWOOyGmlZfjgNIR6jqxYrtjhKtW0EiFLne4Mk2foG4MdyG8f4X_DgjOYAnqXA7E7eSokcZ0eMTZpZgLYlmsvcafNltGHIn-xMcECq1kHp2ZA/s1600/Florida+vacation+001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499471744573424722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq77mJTNHLwBoXIyaT2I5lGA5o1ldgJKRiWOOyGmlZfjgNIR6jqxYrtjhKtW0EiFLne4Mk2foG4MdyG8f4X_DgjOYAnqXA7E7eSokcZ0eMTZpZgLYlmsvcafNltGHIn-xMcECq1kHp2ZA/s320/Florida+vacation+001.JPG" /></a> Family BBQ! We got the grandparents, the parents, the brother and his girlfriend. We're all here!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeTUyYyelOtFYA7_VbwrXbn1W5U-Gw7Tmw9rvfxilhyphenhyphenwyj9rDYyEvldxhcl-pLYPvRgpc9RZ_k1yZeQf4dJJQ57YCiadI5lndjCj_7VySnxHy0uU5kRCmxPZP1IyIPaHOmmBZpVgV0tc/s1600/Dad+and+Me+bowling.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499471931556475714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYeTUyYyelOtFYA7_VbwrXbn1W5U-Gw7Tmw9rvfxilhyphenhyphenwyj9rDYyEvldxhcl-pLYPvRgpc9RZ_k1yZeQf4dJJQ57YCiadI5lndjCj_7VySnxHy0uU5kRCmxPZP1IyIPaHOmmBZpVgV0tc/s320/Dad+and+Me+bowling.JPG" /></a> My family all bowls on actual Bowling Leagues and are super good. But with my dad as my bowling coach I was able to beat my mom!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPR9SUzL-TAvj3TyA3uPnulh4I-ABNy7d8pm3M1wlMbCuiHHiht2QIN_NciUM5X6cF0u2ct_j-zKqeP2o_AEf4XApCP72vB0zRtqrOauQVNbepp8bHjBC-ofqbSPzvYQT8UcPZ1_gVw8/s1600/Florida+vacation+017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 237px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499472133206293266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPR9SUzL-TAvj3TyA3uPnulh4I-ABNy7d8pm3M1wlMbCuiHHiht2QIN_NciUM5X6cF0u2ct_j-zKqeP2o_AEf4XApCP72vB0zRtqrOauQVNbepp8bHjBC-ofqbSPzvYQT8UcPZ1_gVw8/s320/Florida+vacation+017.JPG" /></a> This is the new family pet, Rico. My parents insist on calling him my new brother. Lame I know! I tried to call him Mia the whole time because he looks like my old dog. Either way he was a pretty cute doggie!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecugMX8iut01SQU0K6L0RVxgqlcmR-ks1xOYsMpOwzNnleiQtyyiPLMz3j8OpF3zuUlLINVS6hI7tkI1CEUZ738pOd-QOhiaMYob3u3q0my_vGng3jjh2eQm1r0fweHDW4vX2O6uqEQg/s1600/Corie+and+Me2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499472392720820738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecugMX8iut01SQU0K6L0RVxgqlcmR-ks1xOYsMpOwzNnleiQtyyiPLMz3j8OpF3zuUlLINVS6hI7tkI1CEUZ738pOd-QOhiaMYob3u3q0my_vGng3jjh2eQm1r0fweHDW4vX2O6uqEQg/s320/Corie+and+Me2.jpg" /></a> My mom and I got to go to lunch with Corie and Cody. Corie is the oldest cousin so we of course all look up to her. :) And she has one cute little man!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0keU0xlefKsmLNopIfsuAGathR5yEH6gWiuK2nvld9VVI1w4LDuZ40GI3hZi0PCH8h8j4nf4rmZbnZSl8Cc_A8mSyaHUo5AFltyUZbOaccWAg2nRmU782uArPe28NLq0cM5lBi4fHe-I/s1600/Florida+vacation+008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499472582067738114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0keU0xlefKsmLNopIfsuAGathR5yEH6gWiuK2nvld9VVI1w4LDuZ40GI3hZi0PCH8h8j4nf4rmZbnZSl8Cc_A8mSyaHUo5AFltyUZbOaccWAg2nRmU782uArPe28NLq0cM5lBi4fHe-I/s320/Florida+vacation+008.JPG" /></a> Here they are, the famous Blue Men. You weren't supposed to take pictures so don't tell anyone I have this!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hXz74zXSZophSynajHaXO_keLfQcXlfwlMqJCC_-pX1JpsxtrCy0bdnUTQCKGSdXMa7GS9tNmAKSQip5oj2kPxjMSqYw84UXqgX9XIrUb8nuTXTilrqQolWD5D1M-HT6YrYawAZeCLM/s1600/mom+and+me+blueman2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499472753950190850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hXz74zXSZophSynajHaXO_keLfQcXlfwlMqJCC_-pX1JpsxtrCy0bdnUTQCKGSdXMa7GS9tNmAKSQip5oj2kPxjMSqYw84UXqgX9XIrUb8nuTXTilrqQolWD5D1M-HT6YrYawAZeCLM/s320/mom+and+me+blueman2.jpg" /></a> Mom and I after the show. They really did have televisions as heads for part of the show. It was very entertaining!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeFrGT9FeV4UhU9XWM1XKqIFdZYoeWhBCH43u__9Jm5CQTad3jRHGxBbhQ-jSxFnZOfg5sXGwsXtm2zQYgt0QCUnSENDlaR7cIRlu6yaFccj6YSvEz8z_RrzEW_oBERKd9LQUzx6210w/s1600/Florida+vacation+011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499472953826796546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWeFrGT9FeV4UhU9XWM1XKqIFdZYoeWhBCH43u__9Jm5CQTad3jRHGxBbhQ-jSxFnZOfg5sXGwsXtm2zQYgt0QCUnSENDlaR7cIRlu6yaFccj6YSvEz8z_RrzEW_oBERKd9LQUzx6210w/s320/Florida+vacation+011.JPG" /></a> This was the closest I got to Harry Potter World. Kind of sad, but once the excitement of it dies down, I'll be back!<br /></p>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-80978933626397373082010-07-29T16:07:00.004-06:002010-07-29T17:02:00.480-06:00Sometimes Life is Hard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb9xhS4wLdfEBvkurfHdV8iqPAy9VX6zwJGtN55QSjsa9M8goZNsvg7ZcdUo4jLbQlRt9zJwg3rsAl1Hc7ZxmB5HAw022bdd8DWRiA1l_-oZLwlMVg5MQdCYM87mN3qS10xA96YZv0nA/s1600/Florida+vacation+015.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499462948837626562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtb9xhS4wLdfEBvkurfHdV8iqPAy9VX6zwJGtN55QSjsa9M8goZNsvg7ZcdUo4jLbQlRt9zJwg3rsAl1Hc7ZxmB5HAw022bdd8DWRiA1l_-oZLwlMVg5MQdCYM87mN3qS10xA96YZv0nA/s320/Florida+vacation+015.JPG" /></a> I am sure this picture may make the title of this blog somewhat misleading. But I stand by my title, sometimes life kinda sucks even when chillin' in a pool. Let me get personal for a moment and use this post to share that the past few weeks have been kind of hard for me, agency wise. At the moment I am not really a fan of the whole agency idea. I made some judgements and choices that have caused me to lose out on a good opportunity. And when trying to make that opportunity available, another person's agency thwarted my plan. So now when my agency and another person's agency doesn't match up I am left feeling kind of alone. And no matter how hard I may try to convince that person their choice is wrong and my way is right, in the end we all have our own agency and it sure stinks that I can't control other people. You are probably reading this and thinking I sound very selfish. I know, it is a weakness of mine. I of course recognize the many positive outcomes and blessing that come from having free agency, but I am allowed to frown at it everyonce in awhile too right? I guess I can say I have learned a lot from these past few weeks... I have learned that you can miss out on some great things when you wrongly judge others, I can't manipulate other people's agency, focusing on my own happiness and my relationship with my Savior is the way to turn a hard life into a happy one. I have been reading this quote everyday lately and have taken it as my theme for the moment:<br /><br />"Greatness is best measured by how an individual responds to the happenings of life that are totally unfair, unreasonable, and underserved." -Marvin J. Ashton<br /><div></div>Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-63603779452356899122010-07-14T09:34:00.007-06:002010-07-14T10:23:38.126-06:00City Girl Makes a ComebackIt has been a year since this blog was first created to document my summer in the big city. So it is only right I return to the place that inspired my desire to blog one year later. I arrived in Washington DC to the smile and laughter of my dear roommate, Patti and we quickly got caught up on all the important stuff... boys, jobs, boys, and life in the city. The entire evening my DC roommates and I laughed, danced, sang, and were just as silly as the day I had left. It truly felt like I had not just spend the past year away from them. We all just stepped right back into our roles as silly girls.<br /><br />The rest of the weekend we attended a Midsingles Conference and the fact I have nothing to really say about it should give you a good picture of how exciting it was. I did go on a lovely boat ride down the Potomac River, saw some fireworks which were interrupted by plane takeoffs at least 5 times, and ate lots of yummy food. The return to the city wasn't life changing or monumental in anyway, I didn't even touch foot on National Mall ground(feel free to gasp in astonishment). This city girl was more of a homebody this go around and enjoyed spending time with some of the coolest people I know. I didn't become nostalgic about the Trader Joe's Animal Crackers, the traffic everywhere we went, and the fact that Jason's Deli has real ice cream in DC. The Jason's Deli here has ice milk, yuck!<br /><br />I have been asked again if I would ever move to Washington DC. My answer is sadly the same... I love the city, I love the adventure and the shopping, but I love my job here in Utah and I think I would have the same frustrations with my social life there as I do here. So I am a city girl at heart living the dream of a suburbian reality.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/ibuw" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1S7yE3aoI/AAAAAAAAAXA/KTP8nitZoXI/s512/030.JPG" /></a><br />This is what we did all weekend... laugh a lot!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/UqB2" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1S3lQ_efI/AAAAAAAAAWs/AF-3nkB_xqc/s512/025.JPG" /></a><br />An evening on the Potomac River with friends. It was a beautiful evening!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/bIFy" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1TBBIh_9I/AAAAAAAAAXY/6s8ovj0e0oM/s512/036.JPG" /></a><br />The last day I was there we got together for a final lunch. The lunch was so yummy and it was a perfect end to the vacation...food and friends, really all I need in life.<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/rhkz" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1TDH5YWEI/AAAAAAAAAXg/p9Ir1QGi4Bo/s512/038.JPG" /></a><br />This is the Flourless Chocolate Waffle dessert at the Sweetwater Restaurant. It may be the best thing I have tasted ever!! I don't know why it is called Flourless Chocolate Waffle, nothing was "less" about it.Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-28384702374873642142010-07-14T09:11:00.006-06:002010-07-14T09:28:36.380-06:00All You Ever Wanted to Know About a Staff DeveloperYou know the classic question us single folks get asked at every get to know you activity... "So what do you do?" I love saying, "I am a Staff Developer for an Elementary School." And then without fail, "What's that?" Well of course I say technically I am the assistant principal, but there is so much more to my job then being my principal's right hand gal. As the Staff Developer the main part of my job is to run the Title I Program at our school. Because our school population is more than 50% lower income families, we receive Federal Funds to allow for additional staff and support for these students. That's where I come in. I train and supervise all support staff, mentor new teachers, provide professional development for faculty and staff, create schedules, organize playground supervision, and handle anything else that may arise during the day. Are you impressed yet?<br /><br />Well along with all those other things I am required to document the ways we use the Federal monies and support in what is lovingly called THE BINDER. Throughout the year I am collecting documents on Student Data, Parent Involvement, Staff Development, Federal Programs we have at our school, and a whole lot of other stuff. I thought I would impress you all by showing you the binder and helping you to see that I don't just sit around and blog all day at work. Do you feel like you know Miss Day a little more now? <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA4ENfP_9RVfqJTEuuwkQ1qqXL9zCpK49Y4J3VTwDu4gquJRPLhLuKgolkl_B-t843mqWiElQO4ogUkIr1knzjAw-evh0GQ79lJs85t2WLUjtFItEw7tpvbI9X7qyKwvxw773EYMCcSw/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCA4ENfP_9RVfqJTEuuwkQ1qqXL9zCpK49Y4J3VTwDu4gquJRPLhLuKgolkl_B-t843mqWiElQO4ogUkIr1knzjAw-evh0GQ79lJs85t2WLUjtFItEw7tpvbI9X7qyKwvxw773EYMCcSw/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493782941191019938" /></a><br />Front view of THE BINDER<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0BaNdBtPrh07TLZrbai5JPiH3NHnreOjVp4_j3F6YLZSdN4PaRm04JrUB5AV0gmvwuOEGnNzHaFlfEjjRpQUuzVlpRRdKs2jPeVkcIAbZDN3AQCbSJDlF9olLYeZtE63M1_JQL_jBAQ/s1600/photo2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq0BaNdBtPrh07TLZrbai5JPiH3NHnreOjVp4_j3F6YLZSdN4PaRm04JrUB5AV0gmvwuOEGnNzHaFlfEjjRpQUuzVlpRRdKs2jPeVkcIAbZDN3AQCbSJDlF9olLYeZtE63M1_JQL_jBAQ/s320/photo2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493783100954356562" /></a><br />Side view of all the trees I have killed this past year. Is this the biggest binder you have ever seen?!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-9708556613490762712010-07-13T23:48:00.004-06:002010-07-14T09:11:13.899-06:00Stadium of FireThe symbols of summer for me... Sun, BBQs, Twist Cones, and Stadium of Fire. For many years I have watched this grand fireworks show from afar wondering what was really happening inside the Stadium of Fire. What was I missing? I felt like a poor peasant woman watching from outside the grand Colusseum, wishing I could be with the rich aristocrats feasting on fun inside. Well this year I got the upperclass ticket, I was entering the Lavell Edwards Stadium to feast on the fun of Stadium of Fire! I have to admit spending money to see fireworks hasn't really excited me in past years. But this year Carrie Underwood was coming to celebrate July 4th with me. I enjoy Carrie Underwood and feel like we could be friends someday so I decided to put out the money and support my future friend and see the fireworks spectacular on the INSIDE.<br /><br />I was not disappointed, there was singing, dancing, a flyover by some fancy jets, and of course, Carrie. The Osmond Second generation and some piano kids were also showcased at this event, but I was there for Carrie. I am pretty sure the Entertainer of the Year was holding back, but I was entertained nonetheless. I would totally spend lots of money to see her full show.<br /><br />The fireworks were splendid, we had a great view, and of course my friends were a great addition to the evening. I can now join the Utah County throng of millions whose lives have been changed by celebrating the birth of their country through song, dance, and fireworks! There is even a song... Stadium of Fire! Duh(pause) Duh,Duh!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/aEeb" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1R_-7QdJI/AAAAAAAAAVo/9VBoGvPXuqs/s512/013.JPG"></a><br />Here we are getting ready for the big event! Don't we look like we love our country!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/q3ii" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1SCfMyrSI/AAAAAAAAAV0/Nw612mOwdZ0/s512/016.JPG"></a><br />Carrie Underwood belting out the tunes. She is so cute and lovely. I am awaiting her Facebook Friend confirmation. (Fingers crossed!)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/tHQI" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1SDCly6sI/AAAAAAAAAV4/TQRRZ3-j9aw/s512/017.JPG"></a><br />View from the INSIDE! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle!<br /><br /><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/sguD" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_BNlOulDOZKM/TD1SFpmC82I/AAAAAAAAAWE/7f3f28PxX6U/s512/020.JPG"></a><br />The whole gang! We had a BBQ earlier and then the Stadium of Fire. We celebrated good!Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-452714068483384304.post-19112396069263821862010-06-21T21:40:00.006-06:002010-06-21T22:17:48.285-06:00Spending Time with the KiddosThis past weekend I had many opportunities to get in touch with my motherly side. I was able to help my dear friend Sarah with her children again this weekend. Jacob is 2 and has the best smile ever and Eliana is 3 months and also has a dang cute smile complete with dimples. I played with Jacob at the pool on Friday and while at times it was a little stressful knowing Sarah might not like it if I injured her child in some way, more often it was great fun. Jacob took a liking to jumping into the pool from the side and I would hold his hand and help him jump in or he would jump to me. His laughter was contagious and I really didn't mind helping him jump in again and again and again. <br /><br />Most of the weekend I helped out by holding Eliana while Sarah kept track of Jacob. He loves his momma so much and gets the biggest grin every time he sees her, even if he had been crying about something 2 seconds before! So it was a hard life holding a sweet baby, but I muddled through. She started smiling for me and it was adorable. I loved making her smile and laugh in a newborn kind of way. If I was a really excellent friend I would have helped change diapers and such too, but really I am more the I will play with your kids kind of friend, the dirty stuff is up to you.<br /><br />I rounded out my weekend of kids by attending our ward Primary Activity on Saturday morning. I am the Sunbeam teacher now so I helped them rotate through the different Pioneer activities. I adore my Sunbeams and am probably biased but think we have the best primary class. These kids are smart, super cute, and we can keep them entertained for quite some time by playing Reverent Ball. (I can teach you this very popular game if you would like.) They had a blast shaking a jar to make butter, playing Stick Pull with Joseph Smith, and just generally running around the field. <br /><br />So a weekend with children aged 3 and under took me out of my comfort zone a bit since I tend to enjoy children who can read and tie their own shoes a little more, but dang little kids sure know how to love and I love to be loved!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy13WZiaGb2OCwfwcVPLksWxPe5IF4IQcCRRk650OPUDlTkXVInksEX5LBlfjD1FTF7cgyrdEV8mXub2zBqiUs1Zyr3ftuBooo99ywD5UVfq0lb7ZdN7Hil3MMdqpsVOTqpbr6xFYblt8/s1600/sunbeams.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy13WZiaGb2OCwfwcVPLksWxPe5IF4IQcCRRk650OPUDlTkXVInksEX5LBlfjD1FTF7cgyrdEV8mXub2zBqiUs1Zyr3ftuBooo99ywD5UVfq0lb7ZdN7Hil3MMdqpsVOTqpbr6xFYblt8/s320/sunbeams.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485445387773165586" /></a><br /> Three cute sunbeams equals one big smile for me!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOQaXYeW__BlrZ_BVo7zR-Kd60kO8rCiAWhPAJRY2wAAGDz7f6Hbi9r47bbNheWZ_UkSCKmfQoyyNXJb9k0a7NMuZH_NcycNcfySlwYOzDdstlI9fKB0o-blPEJQ39Ym7Yp6IlVzr0sw/s1600/jacob+smiling.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOQaXYeW__BlrZ_BVo7zR-Kd60kO8rCiAWhPAJRY2wAAGDz7f6Hbi9r47bbNheWZ_UkSCKmfQoyyNXJb9k0a7NMuZH_NcycNcfySlwYOzDdstlI9fKB0o-blPEJQ39Ym7Yp6IlVzr0sw/s320/jacob+smiling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485445677989420946" /></a><br />Jacob was playing hide and seek with his mum(she is Canadian so I have to say mum). The best part was she didn't know about the game, but he was being a great hider!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYRETETDRv37I_7G9AqclsHIStFLEhMADV0fIXFlyhIIzaaExsrdab1Z30ENZgvnQLHzUa6dAlyLJ5wCuSrn5VP9ai8yZhP3H2SJtOwIu4FLgBHjHVl69B3jFq7zQGWCQfXiFoEtzDH8/s1600/eliana+smiling.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYRETETDRv37I_7G9AqclsHIStFLEhMADV0fIXFlyhIIzaaExsrdab1Z30ENZgvnQLHzUa6dAlyLJ5wCuSrn5VP9ai8yZhP3H2SJtOwIu4FLgBHjHVl69B3jFq7zQGWCQfXiFoEtzDH8/s320/eliana+smiling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485445997715976178" /></a><br />I know you are all jealous that I spent time with this adorable lady all weekend! You can't see the dimples too well, but they are there.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpI5zV5yJrqM8VB9pr5Zd3VmuAuRba-HMd3deogDSJK7_2Z7JzyMMj8Q6VMbmOPhWMd_PgVIa536pw3Q26yumwNzfaMvAdEBebLOtnpfSiKAid8yC8Vjo-VFZR8-m6bOA0n6zHsEPBaQ/s1600/Eliana+sleeping.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpI5zV5yJrqM8VB9pr5Zd3VmuAuRba-HMd3deogDSJK7_2Z7JzyMMj8Q6VMbmOPhWMd_PgVIa536pw3Q26yumwNzfaMvAdEBebLOtnpfSiKAid8yC8Vjo-VFZR8-m6bOA0n6zHsEPBaQ/s320/Eliana+sleeping.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485446244918554290" /></a><br />I know, I know.Angela Stoddardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13634846874375314787noreply@blogger.com4