A New York Minute

New York was beautiful this weekend! I met up with an old roommate Traci and later with a childhood friend Jenni Mae and it was fantastic!

Traci, her roommates and I at the Manhattan Temple

Beautiful murals in the subway

We enjoyed riding the Staten Island Ferry each day

NYC skyline

I just love Traci

Jenni Mae's little cutie Megan

Her other little cutie Jane

We went on a walk to Central Park. The Park is definitely my favorite place in NYC!

We all had a great time on the carousel.

Love the Muirheads!

One of the greatest women in the world!

More of Central Park

Can anyone say "The Apprentice"

My friend Map. The two of us hung out for a while, it was a very Prehistoric, non-Smartphone moment for me.

The 9/11 Memorial was extremely peaceful

Waiting for Hugh Jackman! AAAAAH!

We were standing so close to him, it was amazing!

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree prep

I was so exhausted that I took a nap on the floor while we waited for the Staten Island Ferry

View from where we stayed on Staten Island

View from the front seat of the second story of the Megabus bus.

All in all it was a great trip to NYC to see some wonderful friends.



Remember That Time We Stormed the Castle...and Other Adventures

One of the best things to happen to me lately was a weekend trip to rustic Connecticut to see 2 of my favorite people, Ammon and Monica Hepworth.

Ashley and I joined the two of them in their newly bought house on 2 acres and went back in time to our BYU days at the BC.

Back of the House

Front of the House

The Awesome Fire Pit

And it wouldn't have been the same without 3 very magical objects.

The Ta-Da Cape, The Viking Helmet and The Lightsabers.

Let the adventures begin!

More magical moments!

(in no particular order)

Date with Elmo

Ashley really really loved this sweater

I could sit here the rest of my life and be content

Tamara Lil' One Gordon

Hotstuff

I am a lover of clouds

Coolest swinging bridge ever!

You can see that I'm pretty excited about it!

'nuff said

our fuzzy friend that Ashley saved

a great little house

Awesomeness!

Connecticut River

Same Same But Different

Bonfire time

Leather Jacket = Strong Chica

Maybe I'm scared? No, I really wasn't. It was one of the most peaceful moments sitting out in the woods looking up at the stars and staying warm by the fire.

Hotdog Roast

Engulfed in the Ta-Da cape

Love these ladies! Let's do it again soon.

p.s. Thanks Ash for providing a lot of these pics taken on your fancy camera. Wouldn't be a trip without your fabulous pics!

We need us some Mountain Men

One of my most favoritest people in the whole world, Kim Walters, was back in town for a few days and I got to spend a few glorious hours with her tonight. And of course we had to sing. Here's Kim's original and brilliant song, "Mountain Man."



Doesn't Kim's talent just blow your mind?! Well these two gals are on the search for some wood choppin', flapjack flippin', muscley mountain men! If you see any, let us know!

p.s. I found this amazing double rocking chair that's got my name on it. Now all I need is my mountain man and a nice porch and I'm set!!

At the End of the Day...

Today ended my first full week of working in my elementary school. And what a week!! Although it's been extremely exhausting and at times trying...

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

• an earthquake couldn't tear me away from that little 3rd grade class.
• even when a child sasses back to me and says, "talk to the hand," he'll be giving me a big hug before he leaves.
• waking up at 4:45 in the morning everyday is worth it to see their smiling faces.
• having my feet go numb on a daily basis won't kill me, it will only make me stronger.
• having a 3rd grader tell me that he's almost as tall as me brings a smile to my face.
• connecting with my kids on a personal level makes me the happiest person in the world.
• walking the preschoolers and pre-K kids to the bus reminds me that even though I'm not a mother yet, I have a school full of darlings to make my own.
• hearing a student sweetly raise his hand and say "Miss Woolley" makes my heart melt.

This school year is going to be amazingly difficult but extremely rewarding. Pray for me!