The Walkers

It took me all morning, but I think I've finally figured out how this contraption works. Notice the buddy list, the music, the wonderment? The sad thing is, that I have all my textbooks in front of me that need to be turned into lesson plans for classes that start in less than three weeks (ahhh!) and I can't stop fiddlin' with this blog! Talk about procrastination! It's actually a classic pattern for me... whenever I have something really important to do, a myriad of before-meaningless projects suddenly gain precedence. So - today I'm blogging instead of learning Debate (those who can't do, teach, right?), and in all likelihood, tomorrow night my house will be spotless but my brain will still be empty. Oooh... unless I get really ambitious and start reading New Moon because I'm dying to find out what happens to Bella and Edward! Not to mention Harry Potter and co. Crap. I'm so screwed.

I totally stole this photo from Laurel's blog but I'm in love with it! Isabel is almost six months old now and she's adorable. She's so fun to play with, "talk to," and show off when I tote her around town. The only problem is, that every time I take her to Smith's, I run into my students who are thick enough to think she's mine. But one girl did tell me she was "like, cute enough to like be in commercials and stuff". Hmmm... what do you think Laurel?

Brad and I just got back from a week-long trip in Washington DC, visiting our friend Travis. That's right, I'm claiming him as my friend too. Our days were spent traipsing around town getting blisters on our feet and bruises on our bodies (I got caught in a metro door... who's surprised?), and our nights were spent watching episode upon episode of Entourage . Where has this show been all my life? This is the ceiling of the big dome in the Capitol Building. No picture can do this justice! Brad and I agree that this was the best tour we went on... every little detail of this building was stunning. Thanks to Senator Hatch, we were able to get tickets to the Capitol, the Library of Congress, and the White House, where we met President David Palmer. Haha just kidding. But really, he's the best fictional president this country has ever had. Here's Brad and his first love at the Nats game. We owe Travis big time for sacrificing a few days' work at his big shot govern...

This picture is kind of old... but I just have to show off my cute niece Ava. She was fascinated with this fountain on our last trip to California. (That's Jessalyn's hand holding onto Ava's shorts - it was hard keeping her dry.) We're going out again next month, so I'll get current pictures of both Ava and her baby brother Koben soon.

This summer we had the amazing opportunity to go to Oahu with Brad's parents, his sister Andy, and her friend Hillary. We got to stay in a beautiful beach house right on the coast near Laie. We did all the "touristy" stuff... Hanauma Bay, the Polynesian Cultural Center, Waikiki, the Dole Pineapple Plantation, Diamond Head, and of course, Matsumoto's (shaved ice with ice cream in the bottom... yummy). But my favorite thing was probably touring Pearl Harbor. It's definitely eerie seeing the sunken ships and memorabilia in the museum, but it has such a tranquil, respectful atmosphere. Anyway - it was a fantastic vacation full of great memories we'll never forget. Thanks for inviting us Allyn and Marsha!!

This April I finally graduated from UVSC with a Bachelor Degree in English Education. I'm still getting used to being "done". Sometimes I get these feelings of anxiety in the evenings when I have nothing to do - I feel like I'm supposed to be writing a paper or reading something important for homework. But I guess I just traded in doing my own homework for grading my students' homework... tough break.

For 23 years I have stubbornly refused to participate in countless social avenues I considered frivolous, namely: video games, J.R.R. Tolkien, daytime television, Pampered Chef parties, chatrooms, MySpace, scrap booking, and American Idol. Given my slightly cynical outlook on technology and my elitist attitude toward anything "trendy," I naturally scoffed at the concept of a blog. (It too closely resembled scrap booking and I’m pretty sure it’s BFF with MySpace.) But, my friends, I have caved. I am happy to admit that I have recently joined the ranks of the technologically savvy, the artistically fulfilled, the perpetually connected, blogging community. Plus, I have a hobby. And I’m truly sorry if I’ve offended any fans of the items listed in the first paragraph. I still love you and I’ll never make fun of Gandalf to your face.