Enzo the dog, part II

Enzo Part Deuce (hehehe, deuce)

 Enzo is perhaps the greatest dogs that ever existed. He is such a handsome little guy who loves to play, and he is also a big fan of curling up and cuddling. Yesterday we tried out the harness and took him for a walk. I figured he would make it to the end of the driveway and then want to head back, but not Enzo. We walked for about 1/2 a mile which for a 3 lb. dog with tiny legs is equivalent to marathon.

We've noticed that he likes the outdoors (as evidence by taking a flying leap at the glass door, ouch) and likes to nibble on toes. He is a persistent little guy, after many attempts he was able to hurdle the small step from the deck to the kitchen.

Meet Enzo

Meet Enzo!

Here is our little guy! We pick him up on May 7th. He is a cockapoo, and we are so excited to bring him home! Let the puppy-proofing begin!

End in sight (sort of)

My journey with National Board Certification is about to hit a significant milestone - the dreaded March 31st deadline. I will be mailing a carboard board to San Antonio, Texas. The contents? My worth as a teacher. Well, not really, but a heck of a lot of work. About 100 pgs. of work and 2 DVDs of taped lessons that prove (hopefully) my master teaching. I have cried, screamed, and pushed through the work (sounds like child birth). Evan has been patient & supportive every step of the way. I have had a few friends that have been my cheerleaders through the process providing me with encouraging notes and laughs to alleviate the stress. I hope to pass the 1st time, which is not the outcome for most candidates. Even if I don't, I know that I can do something this difficult, which is lesson I needed to remind myself of. I feel like I've gained a greater appreciation for free time which I will have in abundance after March 31st. Upon mailing my package, I will hit another significant milestone - turning 30 on April 3rd. So, what will I do to celebrate? VEGAS! More to come on that adventure...

Ha, it's been just a little while since I've posted last, ehh? Well, this school year is in full swing. I'm blessed with an AMAZING group of students who are brilliant and so much fun to teach. This year I am trying for National Board Certification in Lireacy Reading- Language Arts for early and middle ages (3-12). It is a HUGE undertaking, and any encouragement is appreciated;) In Septmember, we moved into a new townhouse and we feel so blessed living there. It is a wonderful spot for hosting friends and we learned come Halloween we get quite a few trick-or-treaters. In late September, Evan completed his first full lengthed triathalon and I cheered him on. It was truly an impressive event to watch! As of last week, Evan and I are now "bigs" in the Big Brother/Big Sister program for a former student of mine. We are excited about this opportunity to serve an amazing young man! Hopefully, more posts soon. Until then..........

Boulder...weird; home....good

I know that there is a tagline for Austin, Texas - "Keep Austin Weird," but have they been to Pearl Street in Boulder on a Saturday night? I have been to Boulder several times, but this time it made what happened at the New Belgium Brewery look mild. All I can say is - drum circle and a funky aroma (an aroma that was also present in our hotel)....makes for good people watching. We saw a gang of people on tricked out bigwheels, street performers with fire and unicycles, violins, pianos, and interesting interpretive dancing. It was a fun experience, but now we are headed home and driving through our beloved Kansas once more. We are contemplating a "Marcus" drive which involves driving 24 hours because we miss our bed so much, but we'll have to see what we can do. This trip has been an amazing experience. We have seen things that we never dreamed we would see, and I feel priveledged that we did. We have gained a new appreciation for the many landscapes of the U.S., and in the coming years we hope to explore more. What will be next? San Fran? Portland? Seatle? Alaska? Key West? New Orleans? Vegas? Or, should we think internationally? We have wanderlust. I wish I came up with this phrase, but I didn't. All I know know is that we have it. We love going to places where no one knows us. It's only then that you truly have the space to be fully yourself because no one knows you enough to pigeon hole you. I believe travel helps you to explore your many facets. I love it, and we have enjoyed rubbertramping across the U.S. In the words of Ozzy, "Mama, I'm coming home."

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons

It has been a while since I've had cell phone and internet service, but I am back! I don't think I have ever felt more in the middle of no where than my time in Wyoming. I must say, I've enjoyed it. After we left the ranch, we headed up to Yellowstone. It was very busy up there!! There were tons of traffic jams around the park due to a bear, elk, or bison sighting. Some of the highlights from Yellowstone were: West Thumb gysers, Old Faithful, Lake Yellowstone, Grand Prismatic Springs, stanging on the edge of the lower falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and also coming out of the cabin in the morning to see a bison 50 yards away grazing. Bison were everwhere! One day we were stuck in a traffic jam and realized it was because a bison was walking in the middle of the road, yeah, I could have touched it, but didn't want to get gored. We definitely learned a lot (I know we are nerdy teachers). About 1/3 of the trees in Yellowstone were burned in 1988 due to a fire, and you can still see some of the effects. In addition, there is a rampant beetle plague that is effecting the conifers throughout Wyoming. It was pretty sad to see so many dead trees:( We also had a "it's a small world" incident. Evan was talking to a lady at the front desk, and she mentioned she was from Maryland.....and her ex-husband lived n Severna Park (where Evan is from)......and one of her good friends worked at the church that Evan attended in high school. The Grand Tetons were a nice change of pace. It was far less crowded, and unbelievably gorgeous! The cool thing about the Tetons is that there are no foothills. So, it's like "bam" mountains! We started of with a yummy dinner and a huckleberry (a big thing out there) margarita in the Jackson Lake Lodge with an amazing view of the Tetons from the 50ft. high windows. The cabins that we stayed in at both Yellowstone and the Tetons, were well, rustic. They were built in the 1920s and not much was changed since then. It was a fun experience, but I'm not ready to go pioneer or anything. The next day we drove around the park and went to Mormon Row which is the sight of one of hte most famous pictures of the Tetons. We will post pictures, I promise it just takes forever with the mobile broadband. In closing, I have a random phenomenom Evan and I have been contemplating. Why did we see so many temporary tags on cars in Wyoming? There were tons! Is there a big car sale that we should know about? Are rental companies now using these tags now? Was there a big car heist? All in all, Wyoming gets two thumbs up. The people are tough as nails, and you have to be to live through their winters and stand up against that wind.

Wyoming the Wild and Windy

On our last day in Estes Park, we went up Trail Ridge Road which is the highest continuous highway in the US. The road is inside the Rocky Mountain National Park, and it is a wonderful place to spot wildlife. We were fortunate enuogh to come across a big herd of male elk which was amazing! After our time in Estes Park, we drove to Tie Siding, Wyoming home of the Wiles's ranch. Once we hit Wyoming the landscape opened up and the wind picked up. You can see for miles and miles. After getting settled and getting a good meal in us (Carol is the best cook in the world), we headed to see the fireworks. Evan and I told the Wiles that we were praying that we would see a moose. The Wiles told us that it's not the best time to see moose, but we were still hopefully. Sure enough on our way to the fireworks, we saw not one, not two but three moose. How about that? First we saw the bull and then further down the road we saw mama and baby. It was amazing!!! After that wonderful experience, we were off to the fireworks in the middle of no where. I was not really sure what to expect. Are they little fireworks? Are we driving into Laramie the nearest town at 25 miles away? Nay, nay these were BIG fireworks set off by crazy cowboys on the ranch....awesome combination. The fireworks were purchased at one of the few buildings in town, the post office. As dusk turned to dark, all I could see of these pyrotechnic cowboys was their outines, which reminded me of the Marlboro man. It was truly an experience, especially the finale. Apparently some of the fireworks were faced towards the crowd by accident, oops. Evan and I ran for cover and made it out unscathed. The next day we went horseback riding on the ranch horses. I rode Joker, fitting eh, and Evan rode Red. Evan did an amzing job for his first time on a horse, and I was pretty proud of myself after controlling my somewhat competetive horse. We finished the evening with a ranch potluck and got to know the wonderful people of this beautiful place. We are truly a part of nature here.