My Country 'tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty

Well, I just finished a heart-wrenching book:

The story is so interesting and I really enjoyed getting immersed in the country of Afghanistan, which I'm sad to say I knew/know very little about. The story is moving and often makes me angry that there are men who do not believe that women are their complementary equals. It also reminds me how fortunate I am to live in this extraordinary country. Even with its many flaws, America is a blessed nation. I am grateful to have been guided to this country and to have the freedoms that I enjoy.

Verdict: 4 stars. It was a really good book, even though it was bittersweet. And, once I got about halfway through I stayed up late to finish the rest in one night. I now want to know more about the various countries I once lumped as the "Middle East."

So what are you reading? Any new recommendations?

Sisters

What a whirlwind couple of weeks!

I went down to Las Vegas with Emmett to be with my dad and sister after my dad's sister died. It was so great to see family and to be together. This picture is Four Generations (two trees): Grandpa Rocky (my mom's dad), my dad Charles, me, and Emmett. Grandpa was recovering from a vertebrae injury and we had a little church service with him on Sunday.


After such a fun time in Vegas, my big sister couldn't get enough of me :D so she decided to come and visit us in Boise!! Some of the week's highlights:

• We went sledding on a hill that was much too fast and steep for my sister's nerves or my hamstrings.
• We divided and conquered at the movies -- the girls went to Enchanted (Audrey and I love Enchanted!) and I took Spencer and Emmett to the Water Horse.
• We bought really cool kites at Costco and found out that if you run fast enough they stay up. That lasted about 5 minutes.
• We went to Sephora and found out that natural minerals from the earth are a lot more expensive than chemicals created in a lab. But we told each other we look much younger now and bam! sale.
• We had a blast. I'm so lucky to have such a great sister!
  

Today was Spencer's last basketball game. He loves playing and is a great little defender. Their team was undefeated and he made his FIRST basket!!!! Whoohoo. I was worried he would go the whole season without making a shot, but he got one at the last minute.

Why do people hate the French?

Think of all the great things they have given us:

Crepes
Monet and Renoir
French Bread
Debussy
French Fries
Cute little berets
The Louvre
Madeline
French Kissing :ooolala:

AND...

Audrey and I had a little pedicure session today and decided to do matching French manicures (anyone know why they're called French Manicures?)

So...What's your favorite French thing?

Let is snow, Let it snow, Let it snow...

There are some new pictures on our Picasa website from our Winter activities. The snow is beautiful and so much fun. However, I think I'm ready for the snow days to be over... We've made snow caves, snow men, snow ice cream, snowboard hills, and snow angels.

In other news, I've got to start training for the swim part of a triathlon! My sister-in-law Maren, Cash's colleague Susan, and I are putting together a team for the Emmett triathlon. Anyone else out there up for the challenge? :best Napoleon Dynamite voice: I'm pretty sure my synchronized swimming days will totally help me blow everyone else away. Actually, yesterday I found out exactly how long the swim will be and I just about peed my pants. Either that or I coughed.

Should I be held responsible for your incompetence?

Best Student Comment from my teaching evaluations:

"When I walked in late I had to walk to the back of the class in front of everyone and it was embarrassing."

I'm so sorry.
This is one of my favorites from Despair.com (having a bad day? read these. it's sort of like watching Jerry Springer...a little reminder that things could always be worse).

It says: "It takes a lot less time and most people won't notice the difference until it's too late." Except, for her, everyone noticed...

And Cash says *I* can't keep a secret...

Well, Cash came home yesterday pretty proud of himself because he bought my Valentine's Day present. Well, this is pretty amazing because 1) it's not February 13th and 2) because it was January!! Cash is known for a lot of things, but finishing before the deadline is not one of them. So, I'm very proud of him. He gets 200 gold stars.1

Anyway, I know because he called me from work asking about my shoe size. So, I'm really hoping he ordered these beauties. :sexy purring:

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1 Cash and I both use a gold stars as a teaching tool. I tell my students at the beginning of the semester that they can earn gold stars (i.e. great group work = 10 gold stars). If they earn 1,000 gold stars they can earn a letter grade. Obviously, it's just a gimmick and impossible to earn 1,000 gold stars, but the students get into it and it becomes a running joke throughout the semester. They start asking for gold stars (or deducting from each other for cell phones, etc.). It's fun.