Today's Dreams. Tomorrow's Adventures.: The Good Life

Once again I haven't updated in a few weeks. Part of that reason is because I haven't felt an urge to write about anything, and the other part is that I haven't been taking pictures, which is a major factor in blogging... at least for me.

Lucky for you, I did steal pictures from other blogs (thank you Dad and Allison) so you can see a bit of what I have been up to lately.

The past few weeks have contained three main things: reading, tennis, and children.

Lets start from the beginning.

READING:
About two weeks ago, Becca invited me to go up to her cabin with her, just for the day. She warned me that nothing super exciting would take place while we were there. We were just going to go on a quick four wheel ride and then lounge around, read, and act like we were elderly. I was thrilled to hear this. I know it's strange but Becca and I (I think I can speak for her here) have this strange excitement for our later years. You know, the ones where you retire and buy a farm and live in a cozy house and read all day :) We seriously talk about our old-age years quite often. Probably not normal.

Anyway, a large portion of this day at the cabin was dedicated to reading, something we don't do often. We were serious about it though, so we stopped at the library on our way out of town to pick up some good books. I was a little hesitant to decide on just one book to read-- the last thing I wanted to do was ruin our quiet day at the cabin with a bad book choice. But finally, after a long search and a quick lesson about the Dewey Decimal System, I found a book that I have always been interested in reading. Not Without my Daughter. I opened the book right when we got in the car and read it all the way up to Island Park. Within ten pages, I already knew that I had done a supreme job on my book choice. To say the least, it did not disappoint. In fact, it fulfilled all my dreams concerning the quiet day of reading at the cabin.

Lets just say that I have not been able to put this book down, and I recommend it to anyone who likes these kinds of things.

So relaxed.

My view as I read.

There is just something about these windows...

The view of the lake.

That's not all we did though. Like Becca said, we also went for a ride on the four wheelers. This ride turned out to be a trip to Big Springs, which I was not opposed to at all. The scenery on the way was so pretty, and we even spotted wildlife! That's always fun! I have always loved this place and how pretty and peaceful it is.

Even though I have been to Big Springs a lot in my life time, I have never actually gone into Johnny Sack's Cabin. But this time I did! It was so fun. I love going into old places like that. It reminded me of when I walked through all the old houses in Nauvoo.

By the time we headed back, it had started to drizzle. I didn't mind. Rain makes everything prettier. It was a great little ride, and we made it to the cabin just in time for pizza and some reading. There's nothing like a nice quiet day at the cabin.

Me and Becca enjoying the ride.

Becca getting ready for the ride home.

Johnny Sack's Cabin was so pretty in the rain.

TENNIS:
The following week, I enrolled myself and my dad in a tennis tournament. I played mixed with him, and doubles with Becca. I was a little hesitant to sign up because I knew it would keep me so busy. The tournament would start every day a few hours after I got home from work and would end around ten thirty at night (if you stayed to watch others play, which I did.) That basically meant I would only have 2 hours each day to be at home. I originally said no, but with some pressure and persuasion from my friends I signed up. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I was glad that I got to do it! It reminded me of my old high school tennis days with all my friends watching each other and hanging out afterwards.

I was surprised to see that me and my dad went so far. To be honest, I thought we would be out pretty fast (sorry, Dad) He hadn't played all year, and I am never much help... but we actually did really well. In the end, we ended up losing to the Duque's, and to my friends Tanner and Annie. It was tons of fun though, and I am glad that I got to play with him.

Becca and I also had lots of fun playing together. We ended up getting second in the tournament. Turns out that doesn't mean much though. We played our final match two days after the tournament was over. We lost and then walked off the courts and carried on. There wasn't even anyone there to report our scores to. Haha... That just goes to show how serious the Whoopie Days Tournament in Rexburg Idaho is :)

Along with the tournament, I have also been doing my USTA league, which is always fun. I love it when I get to be glared at and questioned by older feisty women tennis players :) Seriously, it's fun. And to be fair, they compliment more than they question.

Me and my dad pretending like we beat the Duque's. We fooled everyone!

CHILDREN:
Work is going great. I am so thankful to have a job right now, and even more thankful that I am enjoying it. The kids I work with are so funny and cute. They say lots of funny one liners. The other day a little girl bounced around the room squealing, "I love Jesus! I love Jesus!" over and over again after seeing a picture of him in a locket that I was wearing. This locket brings a lot of excitement and curiosity. After one little boy saw the picture I got the whole run down of the resurrection and what Jesus does from a three year olds perspective (oh Rexburg.) Lots of kids also don't know who Jesus is... so to them he is referred to as my friend "Jesse." The other day I told a little boy not to pick his nose. He quickly responded by saying, "No, it's okay. My mom says I can just flick em."I took a mental note to stay out of his line of fire. The next day, I caught him again and told him again not to do that. He looked at me and said, "No, my mom says I can just wipe em on my pants." Okay... what are parents teaching their kids these days??

The best of all their little sayings is that they call me the "Little Courtney." There are two Courtney's that teach on the preschool side. Without any outside influence, my class decided amongst themselves that I am the little one :) We are both about the same size... so I guess I just got lucky. I don't mind at all. In fact, for that, I will show them my magic finger! (The trick where you slide you index finger off by using your thumb.) They think I am the coolest person ever when I do that.

Despite their compliments, I also have to learn how to handle their brutal honesty. One day as we were eating lunch I overheard my name in a conversation that was going on between three boys. As I listened the only sentence that I heard was this: "Miss Court has a big nose!" What do you say to that? I looked at them and said in a playful voice, "Are you talking about me??" They all looked at me and started giggling as they shook their heads up and down. I put a grape in my mouth and said, "Well yes, it's true... I can't argue with that one." The conversation carried on without a second thought.

It's okay. I'm at peace.

My favorite thing to do with them right now is to take them on a walk around the block. There is a lot of building construction going on, so there are tractors and trucks all along the way and they cannot get enough. I always let them sit on the grass across the street and watch for a few minutes before we head back. They always wave to the tractor drivers, and once he even honked at us after doing some obvious showing off for the group of wide eyed kids across the street. I have a feeling that by the time this summer is over, those tractor drivers will be very used to having an audience.

The biggest and best news of all concerning work is that water days have finally started. This is when we get to play outside in the water all day. All the kids and teachers wear their swimsuits and chase each other with squirt guns and run through the sprinklers and stuff. It's a lot of fun... but for some reason I am the only teacher that they chase with their squirt guns. Probably because I am the only one that will actually chase them down and give them what they deserve! :) I love the kids I work with. I love my job.

Along with work, I have also been coming home to Evelyn, Jack, and Addy for the past month. It was so fun to have them here for such a long time, and I'm sad that I was so busy and didn't get to see them for as much time as I had wished. To try and make up for it, I took the day off of work on Friday because it was their last day here. Allison and I watched them all day, and we went to the park, had a picnic, played in the water, and watched Tangled. It was a great time with three cute kids! I'll miss them!