And the collar still pops!

I'm the student council advisor this year at the middle school. It's lots of work, but lots of fun too. This week is 8th grade week, so we're having dress days each day this week. Today is Decade Day--meaning wear clothes from your favorite decade. So, of course my decade is the 80's. And guess what? I still have some clothes I wore in H.S.

Plus my hair remembers how to do "The Claw" (or "The Awning", if you'd rather)

How many of y'all had a shirt like this? I have a picture somewhere of my freshman (college) boyfriend and I wearing our Coke shirts. His was short sleeves with peach on the top and mint green on the bottom. My roommate had a red and white one. I borrowed from both of them.

While these jeans aren't technically from the 80's, they are from Gap, and they're pegged, so I'm calling them authentic.

Emma wore my old parachute pants and my Gag Me With A Spoon t-shirt. Love the headband, Lu!

Rendezvous

We had a great time at the rendezvous this past weekend. The girls had a fun time exploring and making new friends. There were more than 70 participants, half of them children. We had to sew and sew and sew to get ready, but I think the experience for the kids was certainly worth the effort. Brock made some killer food!!! The weather was gorgeous, and the trees were colorful. We had a great time!

Here's the fam standing in front of our tent. I was shocked when I saw this picture because EMMA IS NEARLY THE SAME HEIGHT AS ME!!!!

Maryanne and Jane

Sarah and Kate

Rachel

Jane was stung by a bee/wasp/hornet something-or-another on Friday morning. The poor girl's cheek looked deformed. It's better now.

We camped next to our friends, the Wrights. There were lots and lots of kids.

Emma

Kate

Emma, Kate and Sadie, our neighbor

Jane

Rachel and Sam

A fabulous potluck dinner. Brock made a wonderful ham and bean dish in a dutch oven. The food was seriously great.

It was a fun time. If anyone wants to come with us in the spring, I think we'll do it again. Now that we have the clothes for our kids, all we need is plates, utensils, washtubs, a water jug, benches, bedding, a fire pit, fire tools . . . I suppose this will be a work in progress for quick some time.

He might be the queen

I have a crazy 6th period class. The problems are tri-fold:

1. The boys outnumber the girls two to one
2. There are six class clowns (and only four corners)
3. It's the end of the day and the students and I are all tired

So earlier this week, four of my six "spirited" students were taking up the four corners, and one was in the middle of the room, surrounded by the quiet kids. That left me one more, very energetic, extremely intelligent, highly distracting boy. I couldn't figure out where to put him. I moved him all over the room, very strategically, of course, trying to figure out the perfect place for him. He just didn't fit anywhere! Finally, I was just tired of trying to strategize, so I moved him to the desk on the side of the room--the one that is purposefully isolated from the rest of the class. It worked, so I actually considered keeping him there, until . . .

The next day. He came to me and begged me to put him back with his peers. I said, "Billy (not his real name), why don't you show me where you can sit without getting into or causing trouble." I handed him my seating chart. He looked at it. He sat in his desk. He studied, scrutinized, even strategized.

Within a minute, he came back to me with the chart and said, "If you move this student here, this student here, and this student here, I can sit here." He seated himself in the front row, closest to me and moved all his distractions (and followers) to places where they would likely be okay as well. Then he said, "Man, this is like chess or something!" (can I get an AMEN?!)

And he's been better ever since!

Ya gotta love 8th grade boys. (In a totally teacher/student sort of a way, of course!)

I think I have a new BFF!

One of my students just brought me a note--from Emma! I'm not sure if I should get after her for writing a note during 4th or if I should go out and buy twinner outfits for us to wear to school tomorrow.

I've been tagged--my first time ever! How about that. So here is it:

8 TV shows I love to watch:
(I don't watch much T.V., so I'm going to start with the present and work my way back through time. We'll see if I can make it clear back to Miami Vice)
1. American Idol
2. The Simpsons
3. Saturday Night Live
4. CSI
5. Oprah
6. Friends
7. Seinfeld
8. Days of Our Lives
(Miami Vice would have been #9)

8 Favorite Restaurants:
(this changes all the time--so here's the as-of-now list)
1. Chez Brock
2. The Athenian
3. Virg's
4. Cafe Rio
5. The Merry Piglets
6. Jeremiah's
7. Peach City
8. Greek Souvlaki

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Ate Brock's delicious biscuits and gravy (he had to get up mighty early, see #2)
2. Took Emma to violin lessons (6:45 a.m.!)
3. Taught school
4. Stayed after school to tutor some struggling kids
5. Listened to Jane reading Nancy Drew
6. Helped Emma with her pitches on the violin
7. Watched Kate raise her eyebrows on every staccato note she played
8. Sat in Cody and Kari's kitchen with Brock where we had some homemade grape juice and a pleasant conversation while the kids played

8 Things I'm looking forward to:
1. Brock getting a teaching contract
2. Emma getting her braces off
3. A decision from the judge
4. UEA
5. Halloween with all six girls (our first time!)
6. This weekend with no girls (it's nice to have a quiet weekend sometimes)
7. The presidential election
8. The Holidays!

8 Things on my wish list:
1. A front yard
2. A second bathroom
3. A teaching contract for Brock
4. A straight front tooth (I had braces for 4 YEARS!)
5. More time with our children
6. To be a published poet
7. To have my old runner's body back--just because I was so fit I could do anything
8. Enough time in the day to actually run. I can't seem to force myself out of bed any earlier than I already do--and night time just plain doesn't work for me.
(Ugh! This list is not parallel! Oh well.)

8 People I Tag:
I really don't think 8 people read this blog, so I'm not going to do this one. I'm a rebel that way! :)

Mrs. Cheney's Students Write

Last week was character analysis week in Mrs. Cheney's 8th grade language arts class. I invited students to choose their favorite character from a book, movie, story, fairy tale, t.v. show, etc. I was pretty sure Edward Cullen would be the most analyzed character among the girls, but who knew Sponge Bob would be so highly regarded among 8th grade boys. Actually, it doesn't surprise me at all, but it does illustrate the disparity of maturity levels between 8th grade boys and girls quite nicely.

So, here are some highlights. If you happen to be one of my students who has happened to stumble onto my blog, please know I love you all and I am in no way making fun of you. I think you write cute things that make me smile. I like to share my smiles with others.

• From a paper about Bella Swan: "She is positive, but also negative. She is generally happy except for when she’s not. Mostly people like her or they don’t."
• On Edward Cullen: "There are three things I know for certain one Edward Cullen is a vampire, two some part of him thirsts for my blood, and three I was inexcusably in love with him." (In quotations at the beginning of the paper) Here is the real quote from the book jacket: "About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him-- and I didn't know how dominant that part might be --- that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." I don't know about you, but I think "inexcusably" is a much better fit.
• "Sponge bob square pants is a show directed by David Hasselhoff." (To be fair, I think he DID make a guest voice appearance in one of the episodes.)
• "Ariel is the kind of girl that likes to go to the sheriffs when she is not supposed to." Oh that Ariel is a naughty mermaid! I think it's supposed to say "surface" instead of "sheriffs"--another example of the joys of spellcheck.
• Bart Simpson's nemesis--"Si-jo Bob"
• And my personal favorite from an essay about Snow White--"I am uncertain whether or not they even verbalize before they get married. Even so, they apparently have a happily ever after." She goes on to conclude that "Snow White has respectable intentions, but she is quite needy and is very high maintenance, just like all the rest of the Disney Princesses." This essay made me want to write A + + + + + + + + + + + all the way across the top of her theme with my most dramatic flourishes for all the class to see . . . *sigh*

mmmm, mmmm goooood!

My 8th graders are at it again!

From a spelling quiz:

The word was mediocre. The student wrote "meatyogurt".

During a grammar quiz I asked students to write three concrete nouns. One student wrote:

"cement, cinder block, granite"
Some kids have to be so literal.

Another kid wrote:
"twinkie, hemlock, cyanide"
I'd love to know what's going on in this kid's head. Or maybe I wouldn't . . .

Coming attraction: Mrs. Cheney's Students Write

Finished!

We finished our quilt! Brock pieced the top about eight years ago. He started quilting then, along with the help of some friends and family. Life got crazy and the quilt got put away for a time. We got it back out last year, and we finally finished it on Tuesday. It is fitting because it is a reproduction, down to the fabric and design of the quilted wreath, of an antique pioneer quilt. So here is our toast to the Utah Pioneers!

Hooray!

Good news! I'm not dead!

We've just been so busy with our adventures that there is no time for the blog.

We tried to climb Ben Lomond the Saturday after school was out, but it start snowing so hard we had to turn back. This is a lovely view of Ogden Valley with a nice blanket of mist.

The next week we went camping at Payson Lake. We nearly froze our butts off. This is a nice little area in Payson Canyon called The Grotto. It is an absolutely stunning little waterfall that falls into a little cavern in the rock.

The chickies did a great job enduring the cold. There was still snow in our camp--the second week of June! Crazy times.

The sun shining on The Grotto

Emma competed in a fiddle contest in Weiser, Idaho--my home town. She did a great job and had a fun time. Brock and I LOVED all the live music. This is a national competition, so the musicians are really top notch quality.

Towards the end of June we gave Ben Lomond another try. This time we made it. This is a pretty little spot on the way up. It is a 16 mile round trip hike.

Brock at the summit.

Pretty wild flowers on the way back down.

I thought the paintbrush was especially vibrant.

The first week of July we went to two family reunions. The first was for my family. We camped at Upper Payette Lake near McCall, Idaho. This is Kate getting reading to jump off a cliff into the ice-cold lake.

And here's Emma.

This is a waterfall above the lake. This is my niece, Stephanie and Kate. It was a beautiful area. And much warmer than the Payson camp-out. But there was still snow on the ground in the camp area. Crazy.

The second reunion was with Brock's family. We went to Newport, Oregon and stayed in condos on the beach. This is the bulb in the historic lighthouse in Newport.

Da Cheney Boyz.

The cousins playing on the black-sand beach below the lighthouse.

Brock on the beach. There are a bunch of seals on the rocks behind him.

Kate checking out a tide pool.

Jane touching a sea anemone.

Emma checking out a huge starfish.

That red thing is a crab hiding under an anemone. The purple things are starfish.

We thought this one looked like Patrick.

Jane really enjoyed holding small crabs.

It was pretty cold, but we all had fun playing in the ocean. The kids all went completely under. Brock and I got up to our necks or so.

Look at all those star fish!

I'm not sure what this thing is--it is like a starfish but has a lot more legs. This guy was hanging out in a tide pool upside down. Those little yellow things are tiny leg things that move him around. They were all just waving in the water--helpless as can be. The kids begged Brock to pick it up and move it to a safe spot, right side up. It was purple of the other side. I don't know why I didn't get an after shot. Oh well.

The second week of July was girls camp for Emma, so the rest of us went on a little nature hike.

The columbine was blooming--and thick, thick, thick.

Isn't it pretty?

We also saw some sego lilies. It's the Utah state flower. Pioneers used to eat the roots.

We are now in our second week of no kids at home. Last week we spontaneously packed our backpacks and headed for the High Unitas. We hiked into this beautiful high lake filled with cutthroats. As you may be able to tell by the green of the lake, it gets very deep very quickly. It was great fishing. This lake, Priord Lake, is about 10 miles into the Uinta Wilderness area.

Brock pointing to a fish.

This is a pretty stream that connects Priord Lake to Norice Lake, where we camped.

A lovely sunset.

Norice Lake. This is a pretty shallow lake, but there were still fish. Brock had fun fishing the stream that feeds this lake.

It was pretty marshy all around the lake, which makes the place a glorious color of green. It also makes the place a perfect breeding spot for mosquitoes. We stayed two nights here instead of the three we had planned because the mosquitoes were so thick. But despite the nasty little bloodsuckers, we had a great time fishing, nature gazing, and eating the fresh fish fry from our little campfire. It was a grand adventure.

We've managed to hike about 70 miles this summer so far. We're hoping to fit in another 30 before we give up the freedom of summer and head back to school. The next peak on our agenda is the Pfeifferhorn. We're also planning on Timpanogos this summer. If any of y'all wanna join us, just let me know! We'd love to have you along.