Oler Girls Weekend / Passover Dinner

Happy Easter

[caption id="attachment_546" align="aligncenter" width="717" caption="The kitchen seems to be one of our favorite places to hang out. The boys are all talking about farming and business. It was fun to have Joe celebrate with us. I even saw him giddily running around to find clues outside  for the adult Easter egg hunt. It was a hoot!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_549" align="aligncenter" width="717" caption="Everyone filling the eggs for the grandkids Easter egg hunt.  So much candy!"][/caption]

New Pickup

Well, they day that I have been waiting for since I sold my Ranger 3 years ago has finally come!  I have purchased a 2000 Ford Ranger!  I am really excited.  I got the truck for 3k and it is a 4x4 and has 75k miles.  There is an interesting story that accompanies this, however....

When I arrived at SLC to purchase the pickup, I met the Mexican and asked if I could drive it around first.  He agreed and I took it for a drive around the block.  Because he was in an industrial part of town, the roads were gravel with a lot of pot holes.  I never drove the truck faster than 25 mph, but that was fast enough to try the 4x4, radio, feel how it accelerated, etc.  I went back and we haggled price.  I got him down to $3k and I purchased the pickup.

I drove away and got on Bangerter highway and had about 8 blocks to go to get on to the freeway.  When I accelerated to 45 mph, the Ranger started shaking really bad and the steering wheel jerked back and forth.  It wasn't a small movement, but one that made me realize that there was now way I would be able to take it on the freeway.  My heart sunk as I believed that I had just been swindled out of $3k.  I was even more upset that I didn't test drive it on a real road and see how it drove.  I saw a Les Schwab tires on the left, so I went in.  I told them the symptoms and they took a look.  About 45 mins later, he called my name and I asked him if it was serious.  He responded, "is someone playing a joke on you?"  He went on to tell me that there was about 5 gallons of water in the front two tires.  He emptied the water, and everything else looked good.

I paid Les Schwab and got on the road.  The pickup drove like a dream :).  I am not sure how the water got into those tires and I'm not sure that I want to know.  All that I know is that I now have a Ford Ranger![gallery]

Beautiful Moonset

I was surprised to see the moon still shining at 7:30 this morning. I watched it as it gradually sunk lower and lower; it only took about 10 minutes to disappear. I love nature and its beauty. It makes me happy. :)

It's Official, I'm a kitty Lover

Don't worry I'm not as bad as Angela on The Office.  I'm proud to say that I don't have any cat posters in the house.  :)

I thought this was a fun cat video on UTube.

Shan's 31st B-Day

K-so I love cards and I am always so sentimental I want to keep them. However, they just end up in a box and I never look at them. And then I boxes and boxes of "stuff" I never look at. I thought it would be a good idea to record my b-day cards here and then I don't have to store anything and I will actually probably end up re-reading this blog sometime.

This is what JoAnn wrote in my birthday card:

Dear Shan,

We wanted you to know just how special you are to us.  We love you so much and we thank our Father in Heaven for sending you to Jake and the rest of us.  We have needed you in our family and we love you deeply.  Have a great day.

Love,  Dad and Mom

This is what Becca wrote in my card from her:

Happy Birthday!  I am so happy and excited about the news!  (I told her I was pregnant)  You gave me this shirt on my birthday 10 years ago and I have been saving it to give back to you as soon as you were pregnant.  What a wonderful thing to give it back to you on your birthday!

I am so thankful for our friendship!  Heavenly Father truly blessed me all those years ago.  You totally helped me survive my 1st year of college and have been a trusted confidantever since.  I get such strength from you.  Welcome to this new phaze in your life.  What a lucky little one to have you as a Mom!

Love ya,  Rebecca

Teaching Tidbits

Some Incovenient Things:

• Most mornings my door is locked when I get to my classroom.  People are assigned to unlock my door, but inevitablly they forget.  If I am lucky a teacher will be walking in the hallway and can unlock it, if not then I have to walk back to the fron of the building and find the principal or the secretary to let me in.  If I am really unlucky, the principal and secretary will not be in the main office.  Then I am left to wait in the hall by my door until a teacher happens by.  This is especially frustrating when I am running a little late.


• Computer technicians are people who have students in the computer lab for a half hour, in order to give elementary teachers some prep time.  Computer Techs do not have teaching degrees.  The other day the computer technician was kind enough to point out to me that one of my students was using bad technique.  I did not appreciate her "help" / butting in very much.  The kid had his feet under his chair instead of flat on the floor in front of him.  Big deal.  This is one area of technique I choose to let slide, as long as their legs are not crossed and they are not siting on their feet.


• Today I saw a boy picking at a scab and then he ate it.  Gross!  Sixth graders can be so disgusting.