It's That Time of Year!!!

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Boys and Loofas?????

So I was at my friend's house yesterday and noticed in his shower two loofas...one is his and one is his roommate's. I have three brothers and they have never used loofas...I thought only girls used those! So we had this big debate about it and I just couldn't believe that guys would actually use something like a loofa...it just seems so girly!!! Then I texted all my guy friends (including cousins) and the results were....of the 15 guys I texted, two use loofas. Two said they don't use a loofa (but one would if it fit his personality) and the rest have no clue what a loofa is (the best response--is it something I eat? or does it keep me warm?)! So am I just out of the loop? Why do guys use loofas?? Is that normal???

I'm Loved and In Love....

I've had a pretty rough go of it the last week or so, and there are several people who have checked in on me, been there, etc and I am so grateful for those who boosted my spirits in various ways. There are a couple people who went out of their way to do so...

Moose and Candy--my mommy!!!
Rose and pumpkin Choc. Chip Cookies--Brenda and Branson!
Late Thanksgiving Dinner and Cool sailboat card--Kristine!

THANK YOU!!!!



Yes....I never thought I'd say this...but....I'm in love with a vampire....there! I said it! I saw Twilight tonight. Despite what I've heard, I really liked it and thought the movie was very well done and very tasteful. It is definitely a movie I would go see again and own...and Edward isn't too bad either...I'll be honest, he grew on me! :P

Tournament Champions!

My U11 team won the Dixie Invitational down in St. George. We were 4-0, we came out with scoring 12 goals and four shutouts! The girls played awesome. I was really proud of them.

Halftime!



Me and my assistant coach, Brent after our tourney win!


Tournament Champions!!!!!


Me and Brent with our ball...we were given a ball and all the girls signed it. :)

Cambodian Killing Fields....and I'm complaining about what????

I am in St. George with my little U11 team. Tonight we all went to dinner. We waited for over an hour for our food. There's a girl on my team who is Cambodian and I sat next to her mom at dinner. We talked a lot about her experiences in Cambodia as she was growing up, living there during the time of communism and when there were the "killing fields." She said that they didn't have very much to eat (one bowl of water with some rice thrown in), she still has nightmares of people chasing her...basically, the Cambodian killing fields happened in the 1970s. This group took over a major city, forced 2 million people out into the countryside where they worked 12-14 hours a day. They killed off anyone who was "different," educated, or would not give their loyalty to the group doing all the killing (I don't know very much about this, but I read a little about it so I was more knowledgable of it). Basically, its the Cambodian Holocaust. Close to 2 million people died. As I sat there listening to her, I just thought about how blessed I am. What do I have to complain about? I have a loving family, I live in a free country where there is peace (for the most part), I don't have to walk around wondering whether or not me or my family will survive the day, I have enough food to eat, I have a roof over my head, I have a stable job....what do I have to complain about? I am so blessed.

MLS CUP 2008!

My friend, Eric, and I drove down to California after coaching at ODP tryouts all day...this is our food for the drive down....I know...its disgusting, but it was sure good!

The game was at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Columbus Crew (APPLAUSE) vs. New York Red Bulls (BOO!)


I saw my goalie coach from college, Bob Ammann, who is probably one of best coaches I have ever worked with!

My friend, Kass, and her husband, David, went with us to the game. You know...a soccer game is a whole lot more fun when you're with people who know what's going on! :P

Me and Eric--thanks for going, Eric! It was a blast...and thanks for NOT taking any candy and junk food home with you...I have now eaten it all, you terd!

The MLS Cup was awesome! Columbus Crew won...woo hoo!!!

I Love the Temple!

I participated in a temple session at the Newport Beach temple today with my good friend, Libby Gaines. I love the temple! Answers come as clear as day, it's just an amazing place and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to go often and take a break from this crazy world and from my crazy life!!

Random, Boring...um...facts? I don't know what to call this!

Saw this on two of my cousins' blogs...so...here we go!!!

8 T.V. Shows I Watch(ed?)--listed in no particular order
1. Everybody Loves Raymond
2. Home Improvement
3. 24
4. Um...Disney Channel??
5. The Hallmark Channel--only when they have those sappy holiday love stories on
6. The News...so exciting
7. Any good movies that are on??
8. America's Next Top Model...its actually pretty cool.

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:
1. Prepared my primary lesson
2. I REALLY cried for the first time in weeks (but don't worry, I'm o.k. now)
3. Taught primary and had one of my little primary kids explained to me what communisim is...don't ask me how that came up, I don't remember
4. went to my friend's house to study
5. I read over 100 pages and wrote an 11 page reading journal--it took me 6 hours to do
6. My friend made me dinner and a pizookie--THANK YOU--he never looks at my blog, so I'll make sure I tell him later...but just in case!
7. Finished my homework in the nick of time
8. went to sleep

8 Favorite Places to Eat (this is an easy one!)
1. B.J.s Pizza!
2. In and Out
3. Rumbi
4. Cafe Rio
5. Subway
6. TGI Fridays
7. My mom's house--come on, she's freakin' amazing!
8. Wendy's!

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:
1. MLS Cup Finals in L.A.! Go Columbus!
2. Going home for a few days
3. Sleeping in!
4. Spring soccer season
5. Going to the temple some time this week
6. TWILIGHT!!! FOUR MORE DAYS!
7. U11 team's Thanksgiving tourney
8. um...more soccer??

8 Things on My Wishlist:
1. Pet a tiger
2. Go on a hot air balloon ride
3. Pay off debt
4. See a soccer game in another country (preferably someplace cool)
5. Go back to Israel
6. It would be nice to get married to someone who loves me for me, and who has the same values, goals and standards as I do...obviously there's more to that list, but that's good for now.
7. A massage or a pedicure...I just need to go get one!
8. Build a snowman or go sledding--for some reason, I can't find anyone to do that with me...oh wait..there's no snow yet!

I tag anyone who wants to do this...its actually kinda hard!

Way to Lay an Egg

May I preface my title by saying that the friend I went to the game with thought it would be a most appropriate title since that's pretty much what Real Salt Lake did on Saturday night.

New York Red Bulls 1 Real Salt Lake 0

It's so sad...I think Real Salt Lake hit the post 4-5 times and they had several opportunities to score...oh heck, it was a sad and disappointing loss. So New York won the Western Conference finals and they will be playing Columbus Crew this Sunday in the MLS Cup Finals. I will be routing for Columbus! I am not a big fan of the New York Red Bulls.

I went to the game with my friend and his parents. We had a blast despite the loss!





My next post will probably be of the MLS Cup finals since I am going!!!!! Woo hoo!!!

Interesting Facts....

These facts come from a member of the LDS church who pulled some of these statistics together. I also took the liberty to look up some things and found some interesting information about the cultural and religious diversity for voters who were in support for Proposition 8...its pretty interesting. We Mormons could've stayed home and the thing still would've passed!!!!

1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.

2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.

4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.

5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.

6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.

7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.


8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).


9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8.It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.

10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.

11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDSChurch is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.

12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.

THANK YOU ELTON JOHN!!!!

"I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," John says. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off.

"You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

Click here for full article:
Freydkin, Donna. Elton John: Where Prop 8 Went Wrong. USA Today. 12 November 2008

In the Face of Hatred

The link to this story entitled, "In the Face of Hatred," is written by an LDS police officer whose jurisdiction area includes the Los Angeles temple. The events that have been occurring because of Prop. 8 has given me several mixed emotions, as I am sure people on both sides have had. It saddens me that our society has come to this kind of extreme where one small group, who was outnumbered in votes by other religions and ethnic groups, is taking the brunt of the anger of the losing side for the majority of the people speaking out on an issue. The LDS Church peacefully supported their religious beliefs, as other religious and ethnic groups have done on this issue...California has voted on Proposition 8...the people have spoken. What I love about this article is it shows no disrespect or condescension towards others, it simply tells a story from a person on the front lines, who also reminds both sides how we should responding to each other in times like these.
P.S. Click on the article title to read the story.

Coaching Opportunity!!!!

Definition of ODP (taken from utahyouthsoccer.net): "US Youth Soccer’s ODP is a national program that has been in existence since 1977 and is considered the finest soccer program in the country. ODP is designed to identify and develop talented youth soccer players throughout the country to represent their state association, region and the United States in soccer competition. ODP is offered as a compliment to club programs as an additional resource for player development as they prepare for state, regional, national and international competitions."

Yesterday I received a phone call from the father of a goalkeeper I have been training for the past six weeks. She has been on the state ODP team for Utah for the last three years. One of the coaches approached her father at tryouts and told him that he has seen huge improvements in this goalkeeper and wanted to know what she had been doing. The father told the coach that she had been training with a new goalkeeper trainer, and he proceeded to tell this coach about me, the kinds of sessions I run, etc. So the coach asked the father get me on the phone right there on the spot, and the coach asked me if I would be interested in being on the ODP goalkeeping staff for the state of Utah! Now, I'll be honest, I am NOT a big fan of ODP...the politics involved just irritate me, but any coach knows that you're an idiot if you turn down an opportunity like this when it presents itself. I am very excited. I don't know how big ODP is here in Utah, but in California, it is HUGE. The coach told me that he needs to talk to the head honcho and the Director of Coaching to finalize everything, but I am to report to tryouts next week. I have two very good friends on the goalkeeping staff, so it will be fun to work with people I know and network with coaches I don't know!

Proud New Owner of....

That is right! I bought a 2008 Toyota 4runner! My DREAM car!!!! It came with the tow package, alloy wheel package (which I really have no clue what that entails except I know I have 17" rims which is kinda exciting), and it has a sunroof! And...I got it very well under the MSRP and invoice prices. This is not a pic of mine, but its a similar model and the same color!!! It's freakin' AMAZING!!!!!

Oh so scholarly....

Here's a discussion post response I wrote for my grad school class. The teacher responded to another student asking her how she could help students learn through discovery on clear cut concepts, here is how I am responding to that post (you have to read all the way through to get to the "scholarly" part):

"I think there are ways to help students be curious about "clear cut" concepts. For example, when working with homonyms and homophones, I give my students a story about the princess and the pea, except, I change some of the words (ex: pea vs. pee) giving students the option of which "pea/pee" they should use. If the story were entitled the Princess and the Pee, it completely changes the meaning. Students explore which word is correct and why. Obviously, because they know that the story Princess and the Pee is not about urinating, they know that the word "Pee," which means to urinate is incorrect and should be changed to "Pea" the vegetable. Students immediately discover that the wrong word is being used."

Um...yeah...that totally deserves an A....it doesn't even relate to "clear cut" concepts, but it just sounded good! Woo hoo! Yeah for scholarly people!!!!

Proposition 8 in Plain English

A very simplistic explanation of Prop. 8 that anyone can understand. See the right side of this page and the post from October 21st for more information, facts and details on this important decision that California will be making on Tuesday.

MLS Playoffs!!!

I went to the Real Salt Lake vs. Chivas USA MLS playoff game today with my friend, Eric, who is also a soccer fanatic! It was awesome...why wouldn't it be...its soccer! RSL scored in the 90th minute, which was almost a miracle considering that the goalkeeper for Chivas is a BEAST!!! GO RSL!! They just need to beat or tie Chivas to move on! The MLS Cup finals are in Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center...hmm...maybe I'll have to make a special trip to CALI!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Back to Being student

I have started a Masters program! I'm doing it online through Grand Canyon University. I applied last Monday and started the 2nd half of Fall term on Monday. My program is a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instrucion with emphasis in Reading. I am scheduled to finish in October 2010!!

Prop 8

If Prop 8 fails to pass, teachers (even against their own consciences and moral values) will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

Please let me preface this by saying that I respect those who choose to live the homosexual lifestyle. I have several friends and former teammates who are gay and lesbian. Though I do not agree with how they live their life, I do respect them as people. I have received much information on Proposition 8, which is being voted on in California in a couple weeks, and quite honestly, if I am teaching my children in my home that homosexuality is NOT acceptable or aligned with our beliefs and standards, I do not want them learning that in schools. As a teacher, I would not be able to teach something to my students that I feel is morally wrong, even if that means I lose my job. No teacher should ever be required to teach anything that goes against their moral values. If my students choose to live that lifestyle, that is their choice...I will not try to change them, but I will not teach that same-sex marriage is acceptable when that is not in alignment with my standards or beliefs.

Many people have made the argument that Prop 8 is about "gay rights." They don't know the law well enough to make that argument...


Current Law: Under California law, “[D]omestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law…as are granted to and imposed upon [married] spouses.” (Family Code §297.5)

As stated best in an email I received today:
"Domestic partners in California have all the rights of married spouses. There are no exceptions! Prop 8 will NOT take away any of those rights. Prop 8 is not an attack on the gay lifestyle. Prop 8 is all about protecting the ideal of marriage."

Another RSL Game!

Alrighty, I went to another Real Salt Lake game with my friend Tim. It was so much fun! Two red cards and Real Salt Lake won 3-1 giving them their first playoff birth ever!!!! I bought 2009 season tickets...it will be something to get me out of the house besides teaching and coaching!!!! :)

State Semi-Finals!!!

Lone Peak Girls' Soccer is back in the Final Four! We beat Skyline and Viewmont 2-1 to advance into the semis. We play Brighton next Thursday!!!

Newspaper Article: Lone Peak vs. Skyline--1st Round of Playoffs
Newspaper Article: Lone Peak vs. Viewmont--Qtr. Finals

Photo Tag

So I saw this on Marianne's blog...she tagged anyone...I'm on fall break, I'm bored, I should be in bed....so...what the heck...

The rules of this tag are that you open your picture files. Choose the fourth file then the fourth picture in your file and then tell us about it.



So sad to say that there are no actual "pictures" in my pictures file other than clip art or things of get off the internet because I save all my pictures on an external hard drive. So this picture is from a clipart search and I came across it while looking for the "perfect" soccer picture to put on a little card I made for my U11 players...but guess what its a picture of...TITAN STADIUM--the stadium where I played soccer in college at CSUF!!!!! I LOVED playing in this stadium....it was my second home for four years. I ran the stairs to get back in shape after my knee injury, I spent many hours of blood, sweat, tears...all part of the package and I miss it! I tag anyone who wants to do this!!!!

Inaugural Real Salt Lake Game at Rio Tinto Stadium!

My U11 team got tickets for the first Real Salt Lake game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy! We sat behind the north goal....four rows from the field!!! It was AMAZING!!!!!

Beach Wedding!

My friend, Kass, married her best friend, David, yesterday at Salt Creek beach down in Laguna (California). It was such a fun day! I flew down from Utah in the morning, went down to the hotel where we girls got ready. Someone was there to do our hair and makeup, then we headed over to the beach. As we were walking down to the beach, when surfers and boogie boarders were coming up from the beach, they would jump in a picture with Kass, or with the three of us girls (bride and bridesmaids). It was way fun, the whole atmosphere was just cool. The weather was perfect and the whole night was just a ton of fun! I loved being there and being a part of it all! Congrats to David and Kass!

Needed Breaks and Overcoming Fear of Heights!

I am sitting in my cousin's cabin up in Bear Lake. It is awesome up here! So peaceful. I came up last night to take a much needed break. It's been AWESOME! Thanks to Karen and Troy, and to Aunt Joyce for sharing their cabin with me so it was possible for me to get away for a matter of hours!!!! Last night I watched the full moon rise up over the lake and this morning I woke up early enough to watch the sunrise...it really puts things in perspective when you can simply sit back and enjoy something as simple as those two acts of nature...it reminds me of the little blessings Heavenly Father grants us each day to remind us that He loves His children and is very aware of them. I will be heading back to Alpine tonight after making a stop in Tremonton for dinner with my friend's parents! YUMMY!!!!!
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Over Labor Day I went to see my mom in Oceanside. When I walked into the bedroom I would be using, I found this basket of flowers with the dolphin balloon! It was a nice warm welcome and a great, relaxing weekend at the beach!
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For professional development, the faculty at Lone Peak spent the day at Camp Williams. I am a professional development team leader this year, so I had the opportunity to lead my group through the team building activities and make parallels to teaching and collaborating. In the morning, we did team building games and ended it off with repelling! I am deathly afraid of heights! First I repelled down the wall, then I tried the free repel. The guy holding my rope at the top told me to step on the ledge....I looked down to see nothing but the ground below and I said, "there's no freakin' ledge!" And I was literally freaking out! The ledge was 6" below where I was standing, but you basically had to feel it out because you couldn't see it! Once I found it, he told me lean back and to lower my head below my feet...yeah....right! Anyway, I did it! Our secretary, Sue Faux, was on the other rope. I actually liked the free repel better than the wall!!!! Needless to say, I don't think that's something I would do again voluntarily!!!!! In the afternoon, we went through a series of scenarios where our team had to perform certain tasks in a "combat situation." Out of the entire faculty, we only had three minor injuries and about 6 people get completely wet...it was a lot of fun.




This is one of the Army guys...um...I don't think I'll be trying that anytime soon!