Holy Cow, Christmas Is Here!

I don't know why, but Christmas seems to come faster and faster every year. As always, I'm not even near ready. How about the rest of you? I did get my tree up on Thanksgiving weekend though. That is like the first time ever! When I worked at the flower shop, I was usually so burned out on decorating at work that I never got up the gumption to put up my own tree until the week before Christmas. Since I didn't have to do that this year, and I had the weekend off, I thought "Why not? There really is no reason not to."

The Old Tree and the New Tree

I also splurged on a new Christmas tree. It was definitely about time. We have been using a hand me down tree from Griff's grandma for the last ten years. It was a pretty tree, although not very tall, and is probably over 30 years old. Last year it dropped more needles than stayed on and we decided that it was time to retire it. I had Beth order me a 7 and 1/2 foot Jackson Pine. It is really pretty. The boys were really excited to decorate it too!

I have to explain that decorating the Christmas tree has developed a funny tradition at the Thayn house. We have a basement, but it is just storage. Thus, we only go down there twice a year (for the most part). As a result, it is full of spiders. A few years ago, I was dragging all of the decorations up by myself and I was a little freaked out to go down there. I'm not scared of spiders, but we have seen black widows down there and I didn't want one slipping down the back of my shirt or crawling up my pant leg while I was concentrating on other things. I came up with this clever get up to solve the problem. I put on a hoodie to protect my neck, tucked in my hoodie to protect my midsection, and tucked my pants into my socks to protect my legs. Mostly, we just dress this way to laugh at each other--Tiger thinks it is hilarious. Here is a picture of him in his "Spider protection gear." (Griff thinks we are stupid!)

Anyway, I bought a few new ornaments and we had a nice evening decorating the tree. I thought it turned out really pretty, but it needs a few more things. I'll have to add some next year. I think I'll hit the after Christmas sales to see what I can pick up for really cheap.


I was really glad that I got my tree up when I did because we spent the next weekend in the hospital with Derek. He got a cold, and with my kids that usually means an asthma attack. We just couldn't get this one under control and his oxygen dropped too low. We spent about 4 hours in the ER Sunday morning but his levels just wouldn't come up. The doctor decided to admit him, so we got a $4000 slumber party complete with IV and oxygen tubes. He was better by Monday evening though, thanks to good care and a priesthood blessing.

He was really funny when they were putting in the IV. Through his sobbing, snot, and tears; he kept repeating "It kina hoots mom, it kina hoots. Mommy, it kina hoots, I need a band-aid." (This kid loves band-aids). The nurses were really good to him. After they bandaged his entire forearm, they gave him some stickers of Lightning McQueen and Mater to put on his wrappings. He was thrilled because that was the biggest and best band-aid ever!

After recovering from that, we settled right into getting things together for Christmas. Griff and I went shopping last Saturday in Provo and I took the kids to see Santa at the Library on Wednesday. Tiger was more excited to go see Santa this year than he ever has been. Derek just wanted to run around and throw books on the floor (he hadn't had a nap). Tiger stood in line while I tended Derek. Heidi came with the girls so he didn't have to stand there very long by himself. Before we went in, I asked Tiger what he was going to ask Santa for and he told me, "I think I'm just going to ask that our family has the best Christmas ever this year." (AW!! Melted his mother's heart =D). Before anyone starts thinking that he is the most compassionate and caring child you've ever heard of, let me tell you that he was being a smart alec and quoting from his new favorite Christmas Movie on Nickelodeon: Merry Christmas Drake and Josh! He actually asked for a Skateboard, Guitar Hero World Tour, and a college size football. Now that sounds like my Tige! Fortunately for Santa, he forgot most of his list because he got nervous.

Now we are just waiting for the big day to come! Yep, December 19th--ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS! For those of you that are confused, that is the day we get out for Christmas Break. I am looking forward to 14 whole days of Christmas Vacation Bliss. No lesson plans, no barfing kids, no bathroom breaks, no "What time is recess???," and most of all--no waking up at 5:00 am. I just hope I can survive this week.

Last but not least, it snowed for the first time on Saturday which really adds to the excitement of the season. Good old Carbon County snow--it melted as soon as the sun came up! That will probably be all we get all year!

Well in the spirit of the season, and in case I don't make it back until after Christmas:
Merry Christmas to all,
And to all a good night.

See you next year!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

This college football season was an exciting one for my family. Griff and Tiger were able to go to four of the BYU games and I got to tag along for one. It is always so much fun to go. Cougar fans are some of the most passionate around!

These are pictures from the last home game of the season.


With the coming and going of the season, Tiger has developed quite a fascination with the game of football. He has started watching both pro and college games with Griff whenever they come on. If you know Tiger very well, he is not one to "sit" and watch TV. He watches, but he "plays" whatever happens to be on. So, as they "watch" the games, Tiger runs around mimicking the plays. Soon enough, he has Derek wound up and the two of them are making Superbowl-worthy passes and receptions as they run around my circular house. (It usually ends with me screaming at them to "stop before they break something" and Griff hollering at them to be quiet. That is usually followed by stomping off and the muttering of "you guys never let me do ANYthing, uhh!!!)

Not only do I get to watch this play-action unfold in my living room, I also get a play by play explanation of the actual game by listening to the conversations that take place between "the guys." Tiger is trying to learn the ins and outs of the game, so he is constantly asking questions about what is going on. When his patience holds out, Griff enjoys sharing his wealth of knowlegde with his son.

But, eventually all good things must come to an end. The college season is wrapping up and the NFL is about halfway over. After the superbowl, I guess we'll move on to baseball. GO YANKEES! I guess I'm going to have to hide all the bats!

Hubby Tag--Thanks Mal

It took me a while to get to this one, but I couldn't pass it up!


What's your husband's name? Griff

How long have you guys been married? 11 1/2 years--June 14, 1997

How long did you date? I don't know? 2 years or something. I was still in high school when we met. I think we started dating like halfway through my sophmore year.

How old is he? OLD! He'll turn 34 in a couple of weeks. (thanks for reminding me that his birthday is coming up. He hates it when I forget!)

Who eats more sweets? Definately him.

Who said "I love you" first? I really don't know!

Who is taller? Griff 6'2" me 5'6"

Who is the better singer? Definately me. He couldn't carry a tune if it had handles. It's really funny because he just kind of yells the words to his favorite songs. We like to listen to hard rock and Metal at our house though, so it really doensn't matter too much. Anyone can yell along with Metallica.

Who is smarter? Well, 5 years of college better be worth something here, but he would totally say he is smarter. I'm sure his side of the disagreement would sound something like "Book smart doesn't matter, it's common sense that counts and you don't have any of that!" HA HA! He's such a comedian.

Who does the laundry? He does most of the time. I used to do it before I went back to college. Now I just work all the time.

Who pays the bills? Griffie, but I make more money now =)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If this means when you are laying down sleeping then it's me. If your standing at the foot of the bed looking at it, then it's him.

Who mows the lawn? What's a lawn? He weed wacks twice a year and then tills everything up in the fall. Let's just say we aren't going to win any "yard of the month" contests anytime soon!

Who cooks dinner? Wendy's, Taco Time, China Buffet, Little Caesars, Subway, KFC. It's a miracle we don't weigh 500 pounds!

Who drives? Depends on where we are going. Mostly him if we are together.

Who's the first to admit they are wrong? Well it sure as shit ain't me!

Who kissed who first? Griffie--I was too shy.

Who asked out who first? Griffie again, I was too shy. I met him because my friend starting dating his friend (I really don't even know how they met??) and I went down to Melon Days in Green River with her and a bunch of other friends to watch the softball tournaments. The first time I saw him, I thought he was really old--like 40 or something. But it was from a distance and the sun was setting so the bright light made it hard to see. He told me later, after we had been together for quite a while, that when he noticed me there with all of my friends that day, he knew he had to ask me out. It took him a while, probably a month or so later, but he did and now here we are--I've spent nearly half my life with him!

Who wears the pants? No one if he gets his way ;)

I tag- Heidi, Kelsey, Mom, Nat, Rachel, and Makette

On the Road Again

Some of my fondest memories of my dad come from the times when we were traveling. Saturday, as I drove up to the BYU game with Griffie, Heidi, Kevin, Dad, and Tiger, we had a short discussion reminiscing about what that was like.

He would often say things like:
"Quit kicking my seat"
or
"Sit down on that seat! Do you know what would happen if I had to slam on the brakes?!?" (That one was usually followed by an abrupt SLAMMING of the brakes just to prove the point. I remember going flying into the front seat on several occasions.)

Many of you may remember this sweet ride! (Though this is not the actual car.) I don't even think it has seatbelts.

"Don't chomp on that ice!" was another recurrent command. If any of you know the Jensen's very well, chomping is a crime punishable by death! Especially crunching the leftover ice from your drink in the close confines of the little brown dodge.

Try to picture this brown and not with that old guy standing next to it. I'll see if my mom has a picture of the actual truck on her computer and post it later. If not, I'll take one of it sitting out in the backyard--deader than a doornail.

We would also play fun games on long trips like the Licence Plate game or the Alphabet Game (we knew where every sign with a "q" and a "z" were located in the Salt Lake and Utah Valley.) I remember one time we played a game kind of like "slug bug" but you got punched when you read the billboards out loud. Heidi, Kevin (the brother) and I were on the freeway with my parents and I bet I had slugged Kevin in the arm about 20 times between Provo and the Point of the Mountain. I was pretty good about keeping my mouth in control (for once) and got by with very few attacks upon myself. (BUT, boy oh boy, was I ever good at talking trash to rub it in to everyone else just how good I was at this game.) When I did finally slip up--Kevin let me have it with the full force of his revenge--right in the side of the arm. I had a bruise for a week. My dad laughed so hard I thought we were going to crash. One of his motto's has always been "Well, you deserved it!" Honestly, I didn't think my brother had it in him.

Another time-filling activity was to sing songs like "Leo the Lion" or "Eddiecuchiecatchacamma" or "I'm Going Crazy, Why Don't You Come Along" to name a few. That was always a good way to entertain five kids and keep them from whining the entire trip. It also kept us from getting to silly. You know what happens to the noise level when children get silly!

As well as taking us on family trips, Dad would occasionally take one of us with him on the longer trips when he had to go paint signs out of town. He needed the help (he always paid us well!), but not as much as he needed the company. Another fact about my dad is that he loves to listen to talk radio. On these sign painting trips, we would always listen to KOAL or KSL 1160. After a long day of working, we would head home and it often worked out that we were just in time for the CBS Mystery Theater. To this day I absolutely love to listen to those stories.

I was actually inspired to do this post several weeks ago when I was helping a colleague find some resources on the internet and I stumbled across a few websites that stream old radio shows like Mystery Theater. The nostalgia began taking me down a road seldom traveled triggering a chain of thoughts that reminded me of my time with my dad. The trip to the BYU game took me there again and I couldn't let the opportunity pass to let my dad know how much I love and appreciate him. He has been a great parent and has also taught me that kids remember the silly times, the comfortable times, the times spent laughing and playing, and most of all--the QUALITY time. Thanks for 30 of your best years dad!

High School Tag

I feel left out now so here it goes! I think I'm about the last one to post mine. Funny how just about everyone went to CHS. GO DINOS!



1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? Only Jared Peirce for a little while but then I met an certain "older guy" with red hair and the rest is history.
2. WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? A tuna can! Primer gray, 2 door Nissan sentra--I don't know what year.
3.DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Yes
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? Yes, but I was a really good girl compared to all of my friends. Actually, I was usually the designated driver so I ended up just hanging out a lot. It is really eye-opening to be one of a handful of sober people in a room.
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? Nope--I was a MEAN GIRL! All 95 pounds of me!
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Sophmore Band--I played the oboe. I finished out my senior year in retard choir with all of my friends who needed a fine arts credit.
7.WERE YOU A NERD? Nope, I don't think mean girls are considered nerds :)
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Nope again!
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? No, but I spent my share of time after school working off u's for tardies and truencies. If I was in high school today, I would probably be in DT. My sophmore year, I missed an entire quarter of seminary. We actually took off to Provo once--I don't know if my mom knows about that one :)
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? Only the FIGHT TEAM FIGHT, UH part. I could probably play it on the clarinet though.
11.WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? I think you had to actually go to class to have favorite teachers! Probably Mr. Gressmen.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? By the heaters! It was bloody freezing everyday. After my friends could drive, we usually went to subway.
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Carbon High School.
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLOR'S? Dinosaur, blue and white.
15.DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? We didn't have homecoming when I went there. I went to PREF once with Jared and Prom once with Griffie.
16.IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? Not in a million years. 17.WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? I remember being relieved that it was over.
18. WHERE DID YOU GO YOUR SENIOR SKIP DAY? I don't remember. (No, that's not why I don't remember) I think I spent the day at work.
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Nope
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SCINCE THEN? Do you really even need to ask??????? This is a ridculous question--of course everyone has!
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? OOPS! I already answererd this one. Griffie my senior year.
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? It was two years ago and I missed it.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? I worked at the original Milky Way and at Mont Harmon and an office aide. When the Milky way closed for good, I got to take a couple boxes of popcicles home. One of them was an entire box of long pops (for those of you who don't know, they are only the best popcicles ever made!). Griff and I were living in the family motel at the time and my freezer broke. They all melted! It was one of that saddest days of my life :(

My Husband, The Comedian

I have mixed feelings about our new president-elect. I don't know that I like him, but I really don't not-like him either. When it all comes down to it

this country is going to become an OBAMA-NATION!



Do you get it????

Pyzam

I guess I'm not the first person that this has happened to (my mom did it too), but I tried to use one of the templates from that pyzam website and it wiped out my whole blog. Now I am having a hard time posting anything, I can't get my blog roll to work right, and anytime I try to load a page more than once everything freezes up. It has been very frustrating and I just wanted to share with everyone so that this doesn't happen to yours too.

I lose everything. . .

I don't know what my problem is, but I put items down in random places all the time and then have to hunt for them. My keys are the worst. The stupid thing is that we have a hook right by the back door to hang them on. Another is my cell phone. The other day, it fell out of my pocket at Heidi's house when I sat down in her chair to change Emma's diaper.

My lastest blunder is an $860 prepaid visa card that has my legislative money allotted to buy classroom supplies. If I don't spend it, I have to pay it back. I really hope that it slipped under the seat of my car!!! Wish me luck! and maybe this time I'll learn my lesson.

The People's Champion

You knew he reminded you of someone--
You just couldn't quite put your finger on it.

Smoovies

Growing up just down the street from a 7-11, Heidi, Kevin and I developed a taste for Slurpees. We would ask my mom all the time if we could ride our bikes to the gas station and get one. Most times she just said no, but occasionally she would improvise and make slurpees of her own instead. All of us would get a turn to put one of the ingredients into the blender (1 packet of Kool-aid, 1 cup sugar, ice, and water) and then we would sit down at the table and enjoy or frozen treats. Mom saved some money and the kids were happy.

This was always one of my personal favorites. When I got a little older, I would make them for my younger siblings and we would spend a few minutes of our day sitting down to enjoy them. I remember one time in particular I was feeling like being nice (that didn't happen very often) so I made up a batch to share with everyone. I poured some for each of us into a glass and when we sat down to eat them---they stuck to our tongues! I have never tasted anything so horrible and what a sensation to have the ice bonding to your tongue. (If you haven't figured it out yet, I used salt instead of sugar! Now I know what an icy sidewalk feels like!) Everyone forgave me and we made a new batch. Sometimes we still laugh over it.

Since I have become a mom and an aunt, I have been the one to spoil my kids and nieces and nephew with this tasty treat. (Yes, I always make sure to use sugar!) It has been a fun tradition that has developed over nine years. Every time the girls or Cadance and Gauge come over to my house, we make "Smoovies." Each one of them takes a turn doing a job, they make a huge sticky mess all over my counter, and we laugh and tell jokes and act silly. For me, it is a little nostalgic--but mostly it gives me something special that the kids look forward to when they come and visit.

I LOVE VOTING!

My first experience with voting in the general election was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience.
My senior year of high school, I worked as an office aide at Mont Harmon in a work study program. I remember one day in particular, Mrs. Neeley asked me to run some stuff back to my dad in his office. When I got there, my dad was visiting with his long-time friend Brad King. Brad was getting a campaign together to run for the State House of Representatives at the time and was there to ask my dad to be a delegate for him at the upcoming democratic convention. My dad introduced me as I walked in as "his daughter that would be 18 soon and voting for the first time in November." Brad's face turned into an almost sarcastic smile and he said (jokingly, I think) "you should come and be a delegate for me!" My dad jumped right on the band wagon and before I knew it, I had agreed.
That was an experience I will never, ever forget. I started out on the grass roots level by attending the precinct caucus meetings. I had to be nominated by someone at the meeting (it was my dad, he he) as a delegate to attend the State Democratic Convention and then that motion had to be seconded. Once that had taken place, they had to take a majority vote within our precinct. My dad and I were both elected as delegates. . .the next step was off to the state convention.
A short time later, I was headed to Jordan High School with my dad and Uncle Bill. At first everyone congregated in the massive auditorium to hear speeches from the candidates on the state level. I was in awe the whole day. It was sort of like being at teen idol or boy band concert, but everyone was OLD!!! The speeches were exciting and so full of energy, it was hard not to jump on the band wagon. I wanted to vote for every person there! Once all of the candidates for state offices had been presented, we broke up into our districts. This was where my job as a delegate was important. We moved into the band room at the high school where all of the democratic candidates in our district presented their agendas. I didn't understand the point to all of the speeches, because I was under the impression that every delegate there already knew who they were voting for. Anyway, after all of the speeches were over, the delegates went to the polls to cast their votes.

On the way out, Brian Mullahy (a reporter from channel 2 news) caught my eye. I was gawking at how short he was in real life when Bill and my dad noticed him too. I said, "Isn't that guy from channel 2 news? Look how short he is!" and before I knew it, Bill was yelling out to him "We have the youngest delegate in the state right here!" and pointed to me. I felt my skin start to get hot and my face turn red and wanted to bolt for the door, which wasn't that far away. Bill started to laugh at my reaction and luckily the reporter didn't hear him. We all walked to the car laughing about the experience of the whole day.

To this day, every time I go to the poles I get the same excited feeling in my stomach that I felt that day. I love to listen to political speeches and research the candidates and items on the ballot. This is the fourth general election I will be voting in and even though the candidates for president are not the cream of the crop, I am just as excited as ever.

Click here to view the

Utah Voter Information Pamphlet

I'm too impatient to wait for it to come in the mail, so I looked it up online. It's not really exciting this time around (no gay marriage or public school controversy) but still worth reading to be informed when you get to the polls.

TAGGED--Forever ago and several times over, but . . .

6 Quirks

1. I hate using the same kind of shampoo all the time. For example, I used to buy Pantene, but I could never buy the same formula twice in a row. I tried them all: moisturizing, volumizing, texturizing, straightening, intense damage, and so on and so on. Once I had tried every kind of Pantene, I moved on to Dove and tried all of them. Now I have moved on to Herbal Essences. So far I have tried the purple for intense damage, the orange for frizz, and just the other day the red--for long hair.

2. I am obsessive when it comes to computer stuff. When I make a Word document or a PowerPoint or something, I obsess over it for hours. Everything has to be just right--down to my choice of font. Fonts are another area where I am insanely compulsive. I have downloaded hundreds off the Internet. What's really stupid is that I never even use half of them, but I might someday. (That's the teacher in me!!! )

3. I am a grammar freak when it comes to writing. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors drive me crazy. I apologize in advance if that makes any of you self conscious.

4. I hate baths. I hate them so bad, Derek hasn't even had one in, I bet, six months (That sounds really bad--yes, he is clean! Both of my kids take showers and have done since they could stand up). All I can think about is all of the goobers that are floating around in the water. However, for some reason swimming pools don't bother me--go figure.

5. Anytime my mouth opens, there is some wisecrack or sarcastic comment flying out of it. I think the part of my brain that is supposed to keep the "open mouth-instert foot" phenomenon in check is missing and I find myself having to apologize quite often.

6. I love to watch Soaps. I catch General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and The Young and the Restless whenever possible. Luckily, DirecTV has Soapnet so that I can conveniently watch them at 8, 9, and 10 PM. However, since I've gone back to working full time I haven't been able to keep up as much as I'd like. I think that this quirk stems from the fact that I like drama, but don't have enough of my own to share. Well, not the juicy, gossipy kind anyway.

I tag six people who read this that haven't been tagged and want to participate!!!



8 things...

8 T.V. shows: As mentioned above--GH, Y&R, DAYS, Lost, Law and Order, Without a Trace, CSI (Las Vegas, not those other stupid ones, I absolutely can't stand David Caruso) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (Yes, I still love cartoons)

8 Things I did yesterday: Asked 2nd graders to be quiet, asked 2nd graders to be quiet, asked second graders to be quiet, yelled at second graders for not being quiet and made them stay in from recess, asked second graders to be quiet, sent 2nd graders home threatening that next week they better be quiet, enjoyed the quiet of my classroom after the kids went home for the weekend. Did I mention I hate friday?

8 things I'm looking forward too: Christmas vacation--17 whole days! YAY! My next paycheck, the Twilight movie, Halloween, buying my kids some new clothes, my first year of teaching to be over, and going to bed in a few minutes.

8 things I wish for: My first year of teaching to be over, that we didn't have to choose between McCain and Obama (dumb and dumber), to start some much needed home improvment projects, a new wardrobe or at least a bigger one, that I had a maid and personal chef, that there were just a few more hours in a day, a million bucks, and that my family is healthly and happy.

8 people I tag: Tiger, Kira, Annie, Sarah R., Hannah & Rye, RaeLynn, Autumn

So, my Mom told me this story. . .

. . .when I got to her house this afternoon to pick up my kids. She said that she had a presidency meeting at the church (or something like that anyway) and it was just her and Derek at the house today, so she packed him up and took him along. The meeting was in the Young Women's room and mom stopped at the nursery to pick up some toys so Derek would have something to play with while they were there.

I guess that after he had been sitting on the floor playing for a few minutes, he suddenly got up and hurried over to my mom's side and started hugging her like he was distressed. As he tried to climb up on her lap, he kept whimpereing "scary guy" "scared" "go away" while he was looking over into the corner of the room. The odd thing is that they were the only people in the building and the door of the room they were in was shut. There was absolutely nothing there that even resembeld a "scary guy." Mom put him up on her lap and he just kept eyeing the corner of the room suspiciously and repeating "scary guy" and "go home now." After a couple more minutes, he climbed down from mom's lap, stomped over to the corner he had been eyeing, stuck his finger out like he was scolding someone and yelled--"business!" (He likes to tell people to mind their business when he is mad at them or he wants to be left alone. Funny thing on other days, really odd today.)He ran back over to my mom and just kept insiting that it was time to go home.

My mom could tell he was freaking out over something, so they ended the meeting early so she could take him home. When I asked her what she thought it might be, she had no idea; just that he was acting really wierd.

My thought was "I see dead people. . . all the time."



I don't really know what the heck was going on, but it creeped me out. I remember when I was little and things used to scare me like that. It made me think--What things used to scare you when you were little? All of you Bates siblings should have some interesting "ghost stories" to share with us. 'Tis the season.

Happy Halloween Game!

Try this little Halloween game that Tiger and I came across tonight!!! It's just some fun to add to the spirit of the season. After reading all of your blogs, it seems like this time of year is a favorite for all.

Get your own Scary Prank Toy at pYzam.com

And then this, just to make you feel better about yourself!!!



Sorry everyone--What can I say. I have a twisted sense of humor!!

Tiger also wanted me to mention that there is a new funny video of him. Check out "Future Rock Star" on my side bar.

Beware the Z-Lob

So, I have spent the last week trying to get this backdoor trojan virus off of my computer. After a lot of research and several anti-spyware programs later, I think I've done it. I would like to share this information with my friends and family in case you ever experience this on your own computer.

Last Sunday, about 11:30, I sat down at my computer to finalize my lesson plans for the week. I wanted to look for a power point presentation online that I could use to show my kids to teach them the format of a Friendly Letter. I typed these exact words into my google search bar: "Friendly Letter Power Point." I got some promising hits, and started clicking away.

The next thing I knew, I was getting Windows Security virus alert windows popping up everywhere telling me that my computer had been infected with backdoor trojan that was a very serious security risk, so I clicked on them to see what the problem was. Well, that opened up the can of worms and before I knew it my AVG and Spybot alerts were going crazy. My computer froze because of pop-ups and I had to restart. When it booted back up, I had some pretty nasty icons on my desktop and my internet explorer pages just kept on opening themselves. in a matter of 30 minutes, I had 30 windows open that I couldn't close.

Those were my symptoms. The cause--Z-lob and Tibs. I read in one article that they are numbers 4 and 5 on the top ten worst viruses of 2007. They are the kind that montior your browsing activity and send out your information and passwords to. They are pretty serious and hard to get rid of.

If this happens to you---absolutely, do not click on those first warnings. They look like they are Windows Security, but their not. That is how the virus loads onto your computer. Just hit the back button or close your browser page and run a virus scan with your own trusted programs. AVG would detect the files, but not remove or heal them, I had to use Spybot to do that and it took several scans. Ad-Aware was able to find the files that Spybot couldn't. The infected link I clicked on was www.jc-schools.com (don't click there! I'm not even sure that is the right address). There is another program called SpyHunter that cannot be trusted. It says that you can download the software to scan your computer, but you have to pay for the Trojan removal tool. This is a scam too. When I downloaded this program, my Spybot picked it up as Malware. I read another article that companies like this will create the viruses to sell more software. I don't know if that is true or not, but don't buy any software. You can heal your computer for free.

This is what I did. I run AVG AntiVirus software from Grisoft as well as Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy on my computer all the time. I had to run several scans from each program to clear out all of the infected files, which ended up being more that 30 files in all. I found a good video clip on Youtube that walked me through the process to check for the infected files in my regristry, and end the processes they were rinning as well. I also downloaded an antivirus program called Avast! and ran another scan. The best part is that all of these programs are free.

So far, everything seems to be running normal again. I really hope the problem is fixed and that none of my important information got lost. What did I learn from this? Always back up your important files (pictures, documents, etc), use trusted programs, and don't be so eager to click on everything! Good Luck! and I really hope that this information is completely useless to you!

Have a great day!
Kerstina

ABC Tag

Thanks for the tag Rachel. I love tags!

A-Attached or Single: ATTACHED
B-Best Friend: Griffie
C-Cake or Pie: Definately pie! MMMM. . . meringue! (my mom and sisters will get that one)
D-Day: Is there such a thing as night? I don't get any sleep anymore.
E-Essential Item: My Computer. I'd be lost without it
F-Favorite Color: Green
G-Gummi bears or gummi worms: both! I love gummi everything
H-Hometown: PRICE, UTAH
I-Indulgences: Blogging, Reese's Peanut butter cups
J-January or July: JULY, I get summer vacation now!
K-Kids: The 2 cutest boys ever!! Tiger and Derek
L-Life is incomplete without: My family. All of it, not just Griffie and my boys.
M-Marriage Date: June 14, 1997
N-Number of Siblings: 4
O-Oranges or Apples: ORANGES
P-Phobias or Fears: Losing my kids in a public place.
Q-Quote: "I didn't get my letter to Hogwarts, so I'm moving to Forks to live with the Cullens." (Thanks Rae, I totally stole that one from you!)
R-Reason to Smile: When people fall down--but that usually results in uncontrollable laughter on my part! hehe
S-Season: Fall; I love the colors, the weather, the holidays, and falling back into comfortable routines.
T-Tag Three: Kelley, Annie, Rae (I don't know who has and hasn't been tagged)
U-Unknown fact about me: I like Jackie Chan movies.
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Meat: (in my best caveman voice) ME EAT MEAT! MEAT GOOD! VEGGIES FOR WIMPS!
W-Worst Habit: Picking my pimples in the bathroom mirror.
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: x-ray. Ultrasounds just look like you're watching the snowy channels on the TV.
Y-your favorite food: Tomatoes, mexican food
Z-Zodiac Sign: Leo

Tiger's Most Hilarious Moments

Hi I'm Tiger and watch me!

True Blue BYU! Generation Two!

When Griff was a little boy, his parents used to buy BYU season tickets almost every year. Being the football lover that he is, he has remained a true blue BYU fan all of these years. Since we have been married, we have gone to a couple games and it is fun to listen to him reminisce about games he attended, championships he watched, and all of the awesome quarterbacks that made it professionally. It is funny to go to the games with him because he is so passionate about "his" teams. It cracks me up when he starts cussing at the team (yes, he has been known to drop the f-bomb) and all of the people (who are only capable of mustering up a really loud "darn-it") all turn and look at us with bug eyes and white faces. At any rate, he loves football and he loves BYU and it is something fun that we can do together.

Well, my father in law decided that this year he would upgrade his season tickets from two passes to four, so that more of us could attend. Yesterday Griff took Tiger to his first real football game! They went up with Grandpa Griff, Uncle Chris, and Cadance and apparently had a really great day!

Tiger's Reaction:
MOM: What was your favorite thing about the football game?
TIGER: The claws dad bought me.

MOM: What else did dad buy you?
TIGER: Well, the claws are for me and Derek. He bought me a hat, a football, some nachos, some ice cream shots, Frazzle, popcorn, and Grandpa bought me a t-shirt.

MOM: Did you eat anything besides junk food?
TIGER: I had some water.

MOM: Did you watch the game?
TIGER: Ya! I actually did. It wasn't like when we go to football games here and we have to sit on the grass and I just run off and play with Ryan. The game was really cool. Only whenever they scored a touchdown I couldn't see it because everyone would stand up and cheer.

MOM: Did you and Cadence get bored during the game?
TIGER: No, not at all. Cadence was like obsessed with Cosmo, you know that cougar. And she would cheer every time he came around. She watched for him the whole game. I just played with the claws. I would like hold them up and wave them around and stuff. There was this one guy who got mad and threw his and one of the football players picked it up. I wanted to do the same thing and get an autograph.

MOM: Did they win?
TIGER: They KILLED them. The score was 41 to 17. We left early because they were winning so much. Well, it was only like five minutes early. Me and dad wanted to play catch by the car while we waited for everyone else to come. Oh guess what happened when we were walking out to the car. You know that like box thing outside of the stadium? (I actually had no idea what he was talking about here, but I nodded anyway) When we were walking past it we heard this like really loud POP and dad thought it was fireworks or something but when he looked up, there were sparks flying everywhere.

MOM? What was going on?
TIGER: Well, dad said that a car must have hit the power lines or something cause they were shaking and stuff and there were sparks flying out of them like two times. Dad grabbed my hand and said "come on" and we started running for the car. It was kind of scary.

MOM: But the game was good huh?
TIGER: Ya, the second inning was kind of boring so me and Cadance just watched Cosmo. (In football they have quarters Tige, innings are in baseball) Oh, yeah. Well in the third quarter, they didn't play very good and they kept fumbling the ball and stuff. We almost lost, but then they did better and won.

MOM: Did dad swear a lot?
TIGER: Only when they did bad stuff that made him mad. He was mostly good.

MOM: Well, did you have a good time then?
TIGER: YES! I can't wait until I can go again next week!

(Unfortunately, next week is an away game! We'll try to get him up there at least one more time before the season is over!)

First Week of School

Well, I really don't know what to say about my first week of school. It has been an education--how's that for irony?

I don't know if it was because we started so early or what, but my kids are quite the little chatterboxes. They are great though and are really growing on me even after only four days. I didn't know if I was going to like second grade, but now that I'm here I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it. The kids are not as independent as I'd like, but what they lack in that department, they make up for in personality. I do have to say though that my enthusiasm is waning from my lack of sleep and 18 hour days!!! I just can't seem to catch up. I love the kids, even as hard as they are to manage 24 at a time. Right now I really just feel like I'm in a dozen different places at once. There is just so much to remember and do and know and . . . . My brain can't take much more. Not to mention trying to balance a full time job and taking care of a household.

So, I guess what you are all interested in hearing is the juicy stuff. Where do I start? Let's see (It's really not that exciting),

Monday actually went pretty well (either that or I've already completely blocked it out.) I was really nervous and as some of you may know, one of the traits passed down through the Bates family is loose bowels from nervous tension. (At least I think it comes from the Bates') Tiger teased me all the way to school that I was going to "poop my pants all day" Thank God (I literally did) my nerves calmed pretty quickly. Nothing a little PEPTO couldn't fix.

Tuesday, was a different story. I had two kids chasing each other around the room with yardsticks (don't tell my principal!) and another that fell and skinned his knee and chin on the playground (came in from recess bleeding everywhere). Oh yeah, and I had a grandma come after school asking if I put her grandson on the right bus because he didn't get off at the right stop. Personally, I think that after they get on the bus, they're no longer my responsibility. I asked him before he left me if he knew what he was doing and he said he did. What does he know, he's only seven!

Wednesday, I really didn't have any lesson plans for the afternoon, so I just made up a bunch of busy work to fit between all the pre-assessment stuff. That is going to be funny when I correct it! I don't think any of them were paying attention to the tests. Later in the afternoon, we did this team-building activity/get-to-know-you game called two truths and a lie. Let me tell you, they aren't very good at lying. One kid put "I like toast" down to try to fool me. Oh, well, they had fun and we got to know each other. The highlight of the day was when our new cubbies came. It was like Christmas. They are way bigger than I expected. I don't have any room to put them on the floor and they are too tall for the kids to reach on the counter. Oh yeah, I had 9 out of my 24 kids "pull-a-card" for misbehavior. Here comes Viola Swamp (from Miss Neilson is Missing for those of you who have never read it.)

Today went better than any other day this week. I didn't have to holler as much. My principal came in to chick on me for the first time since Monday. That's always a little nerve racking. All in all, I think I have to say that it was a success. I know I made the right choice for a career. I couldn't be happier. It was so satisfying at the end of the first day to hear "my kids" say—"you're the best teacher ever." I've been waiting a long time to hear that! I'm excited to get doing into the year and figure out how to do this teaching thing right.

My next challenge is going to be Back to School Night and Parent teacher conference. PEPTO anyone???

Mom Tag

Well, Derek is too young too. Since he is so very two the only answers we got were "NO"

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Tiger: NO!

2. What makes mom happy?
Tiger: When I come home from school with a smile on my face. (He started at a new school this week and is having a hard time adjusting)

3. What makes mom sad?
Tiger: Me having a bad day

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Tiger: by poking me in the back (as I'm prodding him to answer the question, hehe)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Tiger: I have no idea. An idiot, especially when you were a teenager. (He's so nice)

6. How old is your mom?
Tiger: 30

7. How tall is your mom?
Tiger: 7'3"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Tiger: Read Twilight (too true!)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Tiger: Teach, fart, and cry. (He's taking this very seriously)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Tiger: For reading Twilight more than anyone else in the world.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Tiger: Making me cry

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Tiger: Cooking (he really hit that on the head)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Tiger: Teach 2^nd grade

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Tiger: "Not hers" (he's right, I really hate cooking). "Really, I don't know. Watermelon?" (Not even close there)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

Tiger: She helps me when I'm in trouble.


16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Tiger: "Popeye, because you try to be manly. It doesn't work out very well."

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Tiger: Ride bikes, scouts, I don't know. (He's just not cooperating. That should really say "pretty much everything.)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Tiger: We have the same eyes.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Tiger: I don't have my ears pierced. Dang those buns are hot! (hehe! He's talking about his dinner, not his mom)

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Tiger: When she holds me in her lap.

Thanks for the tag! That was fun. I tag: Mom (Kelley), Heidi (if she ever gets her blog going), and Jessica. Everyone else on my blog list has either been tagged or doesn't have kids old enough to respond. Hope to see your answers soon.

School Is Starting Monday

So, school starting on Monday is a really big deal for me this year and I feel no where near ready (and here I am blogging instead of writing lesson plans)!!! I am really excited, and a little nervous. I have spent almost every day down at the school the last two and a half weeks, but I leave every day feeling like I did nothing. I finally got my class list today. I'll have 23 students. That's not as big of a class as I was expecting, so that was a relief.

I love being a teacher. Not to sound too cheap, but everyone is totally willing to donate whatever you think you might need in the name of education. Friday, another new teacher and I went down to one of the local carpet stores to pick up a 6x12 remnant they said they'd donate to us and write it off on their taxes. I was excited because the rugs I was looking at buying were $500 or more. Yikes! I think it may be a remnant of the carpet Grandma Bates bought for the basement. I'll have to go out and look at it again to make sure!

Anyway, this is kind of a big event in my life and I wanted to share my progress with everyone! Here is what my "work in progress" of a room looks like. It's coming, slowly but surely!

Memory Tag

Memory Tag:

Here are the rules :

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

So, I just finished reading Breaking Dawn. . .

and I'm ever so curious as to what you all thought. Post a comment when you're finished and we'll discuss it. Here are some links to online reactions:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/031606792X/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_helpful?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=&showViewpoints=1&colid=&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending



Friday, Heidi called around to every store in town we could think of that sells books to see what the deal was with the midnight release. Well, because we live here in the little podunk town of Price; the only store that was supposedly selling the book at all was Wal-mart. They were very cranky, obvioulsy we weren't the first to call by any means, and they answered sharply "No! It won't be out until we open Saturday morning at 6:00." That was good enough. We headed down bright and early leaving our kids and husbands at home sleeping soundly. We would have at a good three or four hours of reading time before they got up. I finished it this morning!

P.S. I'm going to post my reaction in the comments so if you're sensitive to spoilers, don't read past this point! I hope you enjoy(ed) the book!

What's Up With The Thayn's???

Since I don't get to see many of you anymore, I thought I should catch you up on life as we know it. We've all been staying pretty busy with work, school, kids, and all the other day to day stuff.

Griff has been working as a brick mason for the last year, and he really likes it. He has been able to work on some pretty amazing homes in the Carbon/Emery area. There is really a lot of expansion happening in our neck of the woods! Other than work, he is pretty much a stay-at-home guy. Channel surfing is his favorite activity. :) All joking aside, on the rare occasion that he does get some free time, and the weather is cooperating, he hits the golf course.

As for me, I am taking a "well-deserved" summer vacation! I don't think I've really had one since I started working at the age of fifteen. I graduated on April 23rd from Utah State with my Bachelor's Degree and will start teaching 2nd grade at Creekview Elementary here in Price on August 18th. One of the perks of being a teacher is that I will have summer vacation again! Unfortunately, I have been working for so long now that is has been kind of a hard adjustment to have so much free time.

Not that hard! I managed to go camping three times, spend a day at Huntington Lake on the wave runners, read the Twilight Series-twice, attend Cub Scout Day camp and two family reunions, and, most importantly, spend some time with my kids. That has been good for all of us because I haven't been able to do enough of that in the last five years. I even penciled in a little bit of time to clean my house.

My Kids are just kids. Tiger will turn nine on August 7th and is heading into the fourth grade. He will be starting at a new school (I moved him when I got hired at Creekview), which makes him nervous. As far as hobbies, he is a typical boy. He enjoys skateboarding and riding his bike, watching Nickelodeon (especially Avatar), reading fantasy books, and playing with cousins and friends, among other things.

Derek is sooo. . . very 2! His favorite thing to do is boss his older brother around! I don't know if I'm going to survive it. He is a big tease! I can't imagine where he gets that from (he he). He lives in his own little world and isn't too concerned with others around him--unless Emma (Heidi's youngest) is in the picture. They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies! Mostly, they are just two!

I Guess I Should Explain. . .

the background. I am not crazy and I don't have OCD! I was checking out that "cutestblogontheblock.com" and this background was the first one to come up. In anticipation of the release of Breaking Dawn this Saturday, I couldn't resist! I'm just glad that most of you are fans too--so you completely understand.

P.S. I'll be expecting posts from all of you as soon as you finish the book. PLEASE NO SPOILERS if you happen to finish before me. I have to wait for a copy to ship from Barnes and Noble.com. I can't wait to see what you all think!
(Bella better become a vampire in the first few chapters!)

Getting Started

Well, I guess I'll join in on the fun too. I do have a thing for all of this technology stuff.

Bare with me while I get things set up!