Time Warp

We're back! Actually, we've always been here, I've just been neglecting our poor blog since my discovery of pinterest. If you don't know what it is, check it out. You will either thank me for opening a world of possibilities or curse me for the imminent addiction. Or maybe a little of both. So..... here's what we've been up to!

August: To celebrate/commemorate the ending of summer, we cabin-ed (too luxurious to say camped) in Gatlinburg with some good friends.
September: I whipped my students into shape. :) Here they are executing perfect restroom behavior.

I went with my girlfriends to Atlanta for a baby shower and Ikea Trip.
October: We both had fall break at the same time, so we spent a few days in Atlanta

...highlight of the trip was the Atlanta Aquarium and the whalesharks!Brian turned 27 and all his birthday wishes came true! (Costco cake and Wicked Tickets)


November: We had a fantastic Thanksgiving with friends! Somehow, the only picture I took was of the place settings...

December: Our Christmas break started with a bang (or, rather, a crash) in Tucson when Michael crashed his bike and suffered a minor concussion and 3 fractured vertebrae. It is a huge blessing that he is ok and only needs to wear a neck brace for 3-6 months.

Brian was cast as "Joseph" in the traditional Oldham Family Christmas Eve Nativity Story thanks to his newest and biggest fan, Carrie (who played the part of Mary).

We went to a UofA Basketball game (Go Wildcats!)

Brian constructed a Gingerbread-stadium. Well, technically speaking, it was made of graham crackers.
We got to spend New Years in Oregon-- we enjoyed the beautiful real tree, playing with neices, and dancing to Wii games with family (I'm so bugged I didn't get any photo evidence of that)!January: Brian gave me the BEST birthday present EVER: a teddy bear that is almost as big as me. Coupled with a warm blanket and the books Stacey gave me for Christmas, I was in my version of paradise.

Natalie Fight

My sweet 14 year old girls at Mutual (youth activity night):

M: Hey Natalie, I like your cardigan.
S: Oh yeah, well I like her necklace!
M: Well, I like her hair!
S: I like her shirt!
SJ: Well, I like her PERSONALITY!
E: Well I like her... spirit and...TESTIMONY!

Aw.....They totally made my night! I am so blessed to hang around with these amazing girls.

Voracious

This year I am trying out a new way to teach/manage literacy called "The Daily Cafe." We have a C.A.F.E. Menu board that we keep our strategies as we learn and use them (C for Comprehension, A for Accuracy, F for fluency and E for Expand Vocabulary).

This week one of the strategies that I was teaching that would help our fluency was "Voracious Reading: the more we read, the more we learn." To introduce it, I was going to have the kids act out some animals who eat voraciously, then connect that back to how our brains should be "hungry for books" and we should just read and read and read and never stop, just like these "voracious" animals.

Great plan, right?

Well here's how it went:

Mrs. Wright: Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to please close your eyes. Now, imagine a BIG dinousaur in your mind (a few muted shrieks and giggles). Imagine what that dinosaur looks like when he is eating. Now, open your eyes and show me what that dinosaur looks like when he is eating.

Students: 3 just stare at me, and the other 18 all start slowly working their jaws around, like a cow chewing it's cud.

Mrs. Wright: Friends, I want you to think about a FEROCIOUS dinosaur! How does a T-Rex eat it's food?

Students: Same slow chewing motions with a few growls.

Mrs. Wright: (Thinking fast). Ok, ladies and gentlemen, let's try a different example. Um... Put your hand on your head if you know who cookie monster is....

The cookie monster analogy worked a lot better.

Four Days...

In four days

... I will become "Mrs. Wright" again.

… I will be nervous the whole drive to school because I have "First Day Jitters."

... I will have pencils sharpened and new office supplies handy.

… I will begin the new journey with 24 (give or take a few) smiling (I hope) faces.

... I will have 24 crazy new names to remember. (I wonder how many apostrophe's this year...)

… I will lay the foundation for reading, writing, math, and friendships.

… it will be the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Memphis

I'm a little behind on the times (you'd think that since it's summer I'd have more time.... not the case), but Brian and I went to Memphis 2 weeks ago to see the Broadway musical "Beauty and the Beast."

If you haven't been to Memphis, don't go. No offense to you if you live there/love it. But it's dirty and run down a little scary. Now that we can say we've gone, we probably won't go again.

That being said, we did have a fun time just being there for 1 day.


They love Elvis in Memphis!
This is as close as we got to "Graceland"-- Elvis Presley's home. Tickets were $18 each and parking was $10! We did a drive-by of Elvis' private jet.
The Pyramid was closed due to flooding. :(We spent most of the day on Mud Island, where they have a wading river that is replica of the Mississippi River scaled down to .5 mile. The cool water felt so good on such a hot day!

Brian crushing the mini dam.

Drying off.
We ate at "Gus's World Famous Chicken." It was rather good, if a little spicy.


After walking down Beale Street (just to say that we have), we went to the theater for Beauty and the Beast.

Brian's Beard Bio

Brian's medical school class had a "Beard Growing Contest" right before their final exam of 1st year. It lasted 3 weeks.

Here is Brian before the contest started:After week 1:
After week 2:
After week 3:
Hairy BEAST! EEEEeewww.
Apparently he named his beard Veeachislahv (since I nixed it as a potential name for our first-born). I guess he was rather attached.
He was a finalist (top 3) in the competition, but lost to a gorilla.

Then he shaved it off bit by bit.



And we're back to the sweet soft-faced Brian that we all know and love!

Smooth Criminal Dueling Cellos

I must be on a video kick... I got this from my brother (an amazing Cellist himself). I just can't stop watching! These guys kick some serious trash! (While trashing their bow hair....)