Chess Champ identified by sniffles

On Friday, May 23, we had a reading party at our school. I set a goal for the students to reach, and everyone who did participated in a reading incentive party sponsored by the PTO (parent teacher organization). Those who made the goal got pizza, popcorn, candy, and a movie. Everyone took home some cash, and others took home an IPOD shuffle. For those who didn't make the reading incentive party, which was about half of the kids, had to sit in a study hall. Normally, we would make the study hall as miserable as possible. However, for this instance, we decided it wasn't fair to punish the kids just because they choose not to read. Instead, we let them listen to their IPOD's and we played games.
Because I had absolutely no interest in watching a scary PG13 (since when do we show PG 13 movies at a junior high building without sending notes home???), I volunteered to watch study hall. One of my students decided to play me in chess. I accepted the challenge (mostly because participating is better than just watching which can get boring). The game began and I found myself extremely confused at the logic behind his strategy. I am not the best chess player; I've only won about half the games I've ever played. At this point, I had no idea why he was moving pieces the way that he was moving. This kind of scared me because he is a smart kid and was very confident in his moves. I then thought that he must be really good, and has a massive plan of destruction just waiting for me.

I tried not to let it bother me, and kept playing with the best strategy I have (mostly just make sure my best pieces are not taken by a careless move.)
Before I knew it, I had captured all of his pieces besides his King, and I still had 2 rooks, 2 bishops, and a couple of pawns left. Despite this, I still was not in a position to put him in checkmate, and he was annoying enough to keep moving his King back and forth. After 3 additional moves, I exclaimed "check!" "Wait!" I proceeded to see his possible moves, and then yelled "BAM!!! CHECKMATE!" I jumped out of my chair and started the victory dance. All the kids in the room looked over at me and said, "she's as bad as one of the kids."
I take my chess victory with great pride, and I can now chalk up one more win for me! I'm above 50% now!

We did have a wonderful day at the temple today, and ran into some friends from our singles ward back at Utah State.

The second explanation to my title took place today at the temple. Bruce has recently been called as a veil worker at the St. Louis Temple. I went through my first session today alone since he has been called. Right before it was time to go through the veil, I sneezed 3 times. As I approached the veil, of course, I had the sniffles. I was able to identify the person on the other side of the veil as Bruce by his fingernails.
Before I said my name, I sniffed. After the session, I asked Bruce if he knew it was me on the other side before he actually saw me. His response, "I knew it was you when you sniffed right before you said your name."
I'm not sure how to take this. Either I am extremely predictable as to when I will sniff and when I won't, or I have a very distinct nose and accompanying sounds.

I should probably go with the latter.

May all of you possess a quality or sound that will help your spouse identify you before they can spot you is my wish to everyone.

Girls Camp! Here I come!

We had stake conference on Sunday. On Friday night, we had a message on our answering machine from President Allan, the second counselor in the stake presidency. He didn't specify who he wanted to talk to, but he wanted Bruce and I to come in on Saturday at 2:30 to "talk" with him. I originally thought the message said Bruce and Brittney. I was teasing Bruce that he was going to get called to something else because his name came first. If I were getting called, my name would come first. When I listened to the message a second time to catch his phone number and call to confirm the time, I heard that he really said Brittney and Bruce. Okay! I thought. I can always be wrong about my name order thing and it could still be for Bruce.
When we got to his office, his first words were, "I hope you are not nervous about this, because we are really excited!" He was looking straight at me when he said this. Immediately I knew that I was going to get a new calling. He then proceeded to explain the procedure behind calling sisters to stake callings. Then the calling came.

I have been called as the assistant stake girls camp director. When he first mentioned this, I honestly had to control myself so I wouldn't start doing cartwheels on the high council table. I must admit that I am extremely overjoyed.
I absolutely LOVE girls camp, and I miss having that opportunity to go. Our ward just got a new Young Women's presidency, and I was secretly hoping to get called to the presidency just so I could go to girls camp. I guess this is just as good - I get to be partially in charge of girls camp, AND even better that my calling only lasts this summer! I will be released in August after camp. I think it's a pretty good deal!
I am extremely excited, and Bruce was much relieved that the calling wasn't his. The stake counselor did manage to tell Bruce that he has a lot of work still to do in his current calling.

This does mean that I now hold 3 callings, and the counselor didn't guarantee that I would be released from any of my other callings because this was not a "Sunday" calling. That's okay!
I enjoy playing the piano so being the accompanist for the ward choir is really no big deal, and Primary is the most entertaining part of attending church. I love it! I teach 4-5 year olds. I have once heard it said that church would be so boring if it weren't for Primary. I would have to agree. I find myself laughing all the time over the things these kids say.

The point is... I am looking forward to (with great anticipation) girls camp this summer. It should be a blast, and I am excited about my calling!

Kentucky!

I decided to include some of the pictures we took while in Kentucky. Back in November, Bruce was given an award/scholarship from the National Jersey Association. The annual banquet/ awards ceremony was in Louisville. It had a fancy name, but was mostly an animal science exhibit. Since it was only about 4 hours drive from here we decided to go. Bruce' parents and some of his siblings came as well. Jenifer, Luke, Rachel, and Camille all earned an award for owning cows with high milk production. That was pretty neat. Unfortunately, we didn't do anything super cool (although Bruce would disagree), since it was only a weekend. In fact, I've never been so bored in my life during the Jersey champion cow show. Bruce loved every minute of it, looking at "beautiful" cows.
I did find it quite humorous how much time and money is spent in "grooming the cows." Some even put make up of some kind on their cows. It's like a beauty pageant for Jersey's (and every other kind of cow).
I can tell you what. I'm glad that I am not judged on my rib line, legs, and udder (because I probably wouldn't win any contests).



The pictures in my slide show are how I kept myself entertained during the down time. This particular exhibit was meant for kids under the age of 8, but as you can see it works for those over the age of 8 as well.

I know Bruce would be upset, if I posted about cows in Kentucky, and didn't include a picture of one, so.....
Bruce takes great pride in Blake's cow Kendra. His parents even named a daughter after her. Bruce is in the middle. Aren't we glad that he has grown up a little?

Here the family is deciding if any of these heifer's are worth purchasing.

Needless to say, it is kind of neat to mention I've been to Kentucky. In case G-pa is reading this, I definitely won't leave you out. Here is a picture you might enjoy!

The winning horse

Busch Stadium and More.... (without the alcohol)

So... I' m not sure how or why my superintendent continues to approve some of these field trips we are going on. On Tuesday of this week, I went with the 7th graders to St. Louis. The P.E. teacher (Mr. Richards) planned a P.E. field trip which included 1) a tour of Busch stadium (home of the Cardinals), and 2) a tour of the Cardinal museum, and bowling hall of fame. Since I don't own a T.V., I haven't watched professional baseball for a long time, therefore I am out of the loop when it comes to the best teams and stars. However, I must admit that Cardinals fan or not, the tour of Busch stadium was a highlight of this week. They started by telling us about their field. I have been around and played on a lot of fields. I was dying inside to just take either a swing of the bat or a pop fly or grounder on that field. The Kentucky blue grass was one of the best I've ever seen. They take care of that field as if it were a child. They water it everyday, and mow it everyday, and it looks nice. They have layers of sand and rock underneath, so it drains extra water rather quickly. The tour guide mentioned that it could rain leaving inches on the field, and in 20 minutes, they are ready to play baseball.

Notice the beauty of that grass all you baseball fans.

We went through all the different ritzy box offices, and he sounded more like a ticket salesman than a tour guide because his famous words were, "for one price, you get a seat in this area, and all you can eat and drink." Some of the places were pretty fancy, and I don't personally know anyone that can afford that kind of wealth. He even made it a point to show us the area which costs $28,000 a year to sit in. They make you commit for 10 years, and you watch all 42 home games. WHEEEW! That's a lot of money, I think I would rather buy a car or a house since you could over 10 years time. I don't know anyone who can just whip that out of their pocket.

Next, we got to go to the press box, where the radio broadcasters sit. People say it is the best seat in the house, what do you think?

This is standing up in the press box.

This is sitting down in the broadcaster's chair.

Yes! I think that would be the best seat in the house, besides of course from the batter's perspective.

But, the coolest of all... we really got to go down on the field (we couldn't walk on the grass, otherwise the grass police would come arrest us), and go to none other but.... the dug outs

We are walking into the dug out. I (the picture taker) am standing on the same stair that the star Albert Pujoles stands. Pretty cool huh!

This is the field view (pitcher's mound) from the dug out

All the happy 7th graders ready for the game. We even sang "Take me Out to the Ball Game" to make it official. Notice some of our cub and Yankee fans in the midst. We did have a few of those.


Here we are, walking around the field (so as not to get arrested) on our way back from the dug outs.
Right behind home plate. You can see everything. The field, the stands, and the famous gateway to the west with all the buildings. This picture is worth many memories.
Our tour guide talked about the history of the Cardinal's logo, and how it has changed over time, as well as famous players and their retired numbers. He talked about the wealth of baseball cards. I should probably pull mine out again, and see what I have. Of course, I am so out of the loop, I wouldn't know if I had a card worth a million dollars or not.
The cardinals have won the world series 10 times. Every time they re-design the trophy, the Cardinals win. Here is the trophy from 2006.

The baseball questions you get asked when you live in Central Illinois are actually quite humorous. The classic... Are you a Cubs fan? After answering no. "Oh' then you must be a Cardinal fan"? As if they are the only two options. When I mention I'm not partial to any team (besides the Yankee's... I can't stand them...even though Babe Ruth is cool!, and so are his candy bars), they think how could you not like the Cards? (or Cubs). Why doesn't anyone ever mention the White Socks? They're from Chicago too. Are they inferior because socks are something you wear on your feet?

After all of that fun, we went over the to bowling hall of fame. Did you know that bowling first started in ancient Egypt. They really didn't have anything to do, so they started throwing a heavy ball to knock over "pins." In France, it started outside. People became lethargic( because they wanted to bowl rather than attend to their duties), and greedy (they began gambling on bowling), that King Louis XIV started indoor bowling. He outlawed bowling because of people shirking their duties, but he still wanted to play. He and his magistrates started playing indoors, in churches, and other "private" areas - hence bowling is more of an indoor sport.
Finally, we were able to bowl 4 frames in the bowling hall of fame.
I did manage to get a strike in one of those 4 frames. It was the last one, and they didn't let me bowl again, so I ended up getting a whooping 35 points in 4 frames. I guess that's not too bad - I didn't get any gutter balls at least.
While there, I saw the coolest car, and I can imagine myself driving one of these down the highway. Here's my old bowling joke - if I owned this, I would go rolling down the lane!
Hopefully, I'll always have a "spare" tire, just in case!

Until your next strike! Go Bowling! :)

Spice of Life

I guess this is one of the things I do to occupy my time when Bruce is gone... (either at Father's and Sons camp out with his buddies, or at meetings for church or our community) I can take tests to try and define myself. I think it's funny how some people describe me. Sometimes I wouldn't even get that same impression of myself (which could be either good or bad). But I guess if I had to be a spice of life... I might as well be one that I actually use in my cooking. Oregano goes good with almost anything (I should take that as a compliment)! Hooray!! :)

You Are Oregano

You are charming, funny, witty, and smart. You love to party - and people love to party with you. You are always friendly and warm. You are able to help people get along.

What Spice Are You?

I guess I really am a princess of some kind

I saw this little quiz on my cousin in law's blog. Thanks Kori. I thought I would try it, just to see if someone really could figure me out. After all, I can't even figure myself out half of the time, how do I expect someone else to figure me out. According to this, I really do have some common sense... maybe I should tell that to my dad, and he might change is mind about me having no IQ. :) I guess as I read the profile, I can see that I do like some adventure and excitement, and I sure hope that I touch people's lives for the better (or the worse is possible, and sometimes pleasant). I'll tell you one thing.... I sure wish I could sing like Disney princess' - you bet I would be on that stage as a performer (a secret ambition, but not likely)


You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

I guess these little quizzes and things are good for me. It will give me something to think about besides that I have 14 school days left.

Spring Time

The weather here has been a little more than strange. One day, we have nice sunny warm weather, and the next there is snow or a night freeze in the forecast. We have had nice sunny weekdays, and freezing, thundery and rainy weekends. I guess that is good for our garden, but why can't we just have spring. I must say that I do enjoy seeing the blooming trees outside. The pictures here are the trees I see as I walk outside my front door. I sure hope that spring is really on its way and it will be here to stay.

Hannibal Trip

So... It has been a while since I have posted anything. The reason being, I don't really know what to post. I don't feel comfortable enough posting my deepest, darkest thoughts and inspirations for the whole world to see. I mostly reserve my posts for funny things or memorable things that happen to me. As you can see.... that isn't very often. I try to find funny incidents, but sometimes they just don't happen as often as we would like.

On Friday, May 2, I took my 7th graders to Hannibal Missouri. We just finished reading the book Tom Sawyer, so we went on a field trip to see the Mark Twain boy hood home and other Tom Sawyer paraphernalia. We also went through Mark Twain's cave, which was pretty neat. After the cave, we went to the fun park where we had loads of fun.
Bruce came with me as a chaperon, and he, of course, is the one who started the splashing during the bumper boats activity. Needless to say, it's a good thing I told all the kids to bring an extra change of clothes; otherwise we would have had an extremely wet bus ride home.
This field trip ended up being a long day, as we didn't return until close to 11:00 at night. We had a few issues with cell phones, but other than that, the kids were generally well behaved.
I am anxious to go back to Hannibal this summer, hopefully for a teacher's conference so I can enjoy the sights, displays, and exhibits at the museum. Unfortunately, when I was trying to keep track of 37 different kids with different agendas (all of them wanting to rush through the museum), I didn't see all there is to see. But.... for the rest of us, enjoy some of the pictures here. On this field trip, it was funny to see some of the kids interact (or not interact) with their parents. I had 7 parents come along. It was also funny to see them interact with Bruce.
Most of them have met Bruce before, and they always tell me in class that they want to tell Bruce all these things. Yet, when they see him in person, they suddenly get scared and very few of them actually talk to Bruce. Others are now scared of him. I don't know how anyone could be scared of Mr. Bruce.

Enjoy the pictures.
I am now down to 19 school days left, and I will tell you one thing - I am rejoicing. I can't wait to get rid of this 8th grade class - they are most of the time good kids, but a little too much to handle. I guess its their age.