I'm baaaaaaaack!

I can hardly believe it, but I'm sitting here in my own little apartment typing this post on my computer. I have so much to say about the whole ordeal, but that's a different post. Mostly I'm just giddy to be back blogging. I've really missed it.


There are definitely more posts to come, but for now I'd like to share 4 things, maybe 5...

1. This weekend was General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I've been treated to a two day spiritual feast. I was moved to tears often and the messages and lessons I've been taught this weekend have strengthened my resolve to be a better person. I realize that I've allowed myself to become very spiritually lazy over the past year or so, and it's time to make some changes. I recieved answers to prayers I'd yet to utter, and I know that I want to be a better person than I've been. The highlight of the two days was, for me, Elder Holland's
talk. His testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon has inspired me to begin reading and studying The Book of Mormon from the beginning starting tonight. I'm going to attempt to finish by Christmas. We'll see how it goes.


2.I've agreed to teach an extra class this year. This is one of the only extra duty assignments in public education that is actually worth the money they pay you, but it is tiring. I get my first extra payment this next Friday, and I'm looking forward to it. I've decided that to celebrate I'm buying myself a TiVo. I know. I dream big.

3. My sister Christy and I have begun planning our super fabulous vacation for summer of 2010. We have some ideas, but welcome any input. I know that a certain Nashville bus tour is under consideration, at least for me.

4. Jim and Pam are getting married this week. So, don't bother trying to call Thursday, October 8th between 9 and 10 pm pacific time. My phone will be off. I will be living vicariously through my two dimensional friends and squelching the desire to scream "Don't marry her Jim! You love meeeeeeeeeee!" at the top of my lungs. (I love you John Krasinski, and I forgive you for robbing me of those two hours.)

5. I have a new t.v. obsession: It's an appropriate title because it fills my heart with glee each an every week.

That is partly because of the super FAAAAABULOUS musical numbers like this one:



and partly because of this man:



Matthew Morrison, who is both adorable and incredibly talented. What makes him so special? Maybe it's his curly hair, or his cute smile, or the way he dances when he's singing "Gold digger", or the sweet earnestness of his character, or, or, I just don't know. I just know that I love him. I'm sorry Toby. I do.

So there you go. I think this post is my blog in a nutshell: from the sublime to the ridiculous. What can I say. I'm complex. I'm deep. I like cute boys.

Well, I can now just up and die of happiness...

Awhile ago I wrote about the wonders of the new BBC television series Robin Hood. I waxed poetic about the fun story lines and cute boys and related the sad news that I do not, in fact, have BBC America, and therefore have to wait until each season is released on dvd.

I thought that would be all I'd have to say on the subject,(on this lil' ole' blog anyway) but I was wrong. Ohhhhhhh how I was wrong.

Because, you see, in series three not only is Richard Armitage



back playing the evil (yet yummy) Guy of Gisborne,

and cutey pie Jonas Armstrong



as the cheeky, yet righteous Robin

but new to the show is,


wait for it.....





My boyfriend Toby Stephens playing Prince John!!!!!!!!!!

And I will love him, even though he wants to kill adorable little Robin Hood.


So let's get this straight. In a British show that I already love, I get to watch



him, and



him, and (be still my beating heart)





him?

As my friend Ricci put it "There could be absolutely no plot and this would still be the best show on TV."

Damn. I'm going to have to get BBC America.

It's all over but the wearing of silly hats...

I went to my final class as a master's student at UNLV tonight. I turned in my sub-par paper, went to dinner with my friend Becky, and it's over. I can scarcely believe it myself. If I so choose, I will not have to ever go back to the UNLV campus after next Tuesday when I walk in graduation.

A couple of my professors want me to start working on my doctorate, like yesterday, but I am looking forward to a little while of just being a teacher, member of the AVID Training Cadre, and teaching professional development classes for the district. (I know. I don't know how to say no) I'm looking forward to coming home after school and reading books FOR PLEASURE again. I'm looking forward to naps and summers spent trying to fill my time.

I know that I'll feel a little lost in a couple of weeks when this all sinks in and I will start looking for ways to fill my time. I've been considering a couple of things....



First of all, I've lost all of my excuses for not working out, and I'm tired of being fat and feeling like crap. I really want to get on this one.



I could pick up an old favorite: cross stitch. That way I could become "The Cross Stitcher of Light". Watch out everybody, you could have one of these babies heading your way.



Maybe I'll pick up a new skill? I've actually thought about this one, but don't know where to go about learning, since I don't learn skills too well from books. We'll see. I'd love to be able to knit, even if it's just scarves.



and I haven't scrapbooked in two years. Almost two years exactly. Of course, the scrapbooks I'll be creating will be Austen: The Early Years. I swear, any day I'll be dressing him like a baby and pushing him around in a stroller.



I could get down to business and write that book I've always thought about, but if I do that I might as well consider climbing this:



'cause it sounds like the same amount of effort to me.

What I'd love to do is go back to England and stalk this guy:



But I don't have the money.

Any suggestions?

4 Things, Maybe 5

1. Quantum of Solace was only ok. But Daniel Craig did things for polo shirts that I thought impossible.



2. Bronx Mowgli Wentz? Really?! Did they lose a bet or something?

3. This week was American Education Week, and a teacher at my school always gives the kids an assignment to choose a teacher to write a thank you card for. I got about 6 this year, and they were really sweet. One in particular said that I was the most inspirational teacher she'd ever had. It made me cry and feel all warm and tingly inside. It's nice to know you make an impact.

4. I'm through fighting it. I'll go and see Twilight. I'm sure it will benefit from abridgement. I think I can handle two hours of on screen teenage angst. I deal with the three dimensional version every day.



(Robert Pattison and his handsome hair don't hurt the cause. Of course, in my heart he'll always be Cedric Diggory.)


5. I realized that I haven't mentioned my boyfriend Toby for awhile. Hey everyone, I love Toby Stephens!

A Dying Breed...

I was watching the Today Show, well, today,(Clever title, they've got there, init?) and they had a little story about the fact that natural redheads will be extinct in 100 years. There's a guy who is so upset about this that he's set up a website to stop this from happening.



The idea of red heads becoming extinct has me depressed. Of course, my natural color is not as red as the current shade I'm sporting, but this saddens me. WHY?? Because I loves me some red headed men. I know, I know. Most of you are saying "WHAT?!?!?" because you've all been brainwashed into believing that all red headed men look like this:



Or This:



But let me chime in on this one for a little bit. I went to college believing this lie. Then came HIM. I don't know HIS name, I never have actually spoken to HIM, but I will tell you that I could describe to you every single inch of HIS BEAUTIFUL face. HE was the most gorgeous creature I had ever lain eyes on, and he had red hair. He was a fellow student at BYU, and because the stars were aligned, or because I needed to rethink my stance on red-headed boys (developed because of the aforementioned and a boy in my ward growing up who was a HUGE dork and thought everyone picked on him because he had red hair. . . FYI, P.W., we picked on you 'cause you were a whiny weenie who couldn't take a joke, but if you need to blame it on your red hair, be my guest), I somehow managed to see him on campus nearly every day for the first two years of college. We never had any classes together, had no friends in common, and I never discovered his name, but I loved him with a love as pure and true as it is possible to feel for a person you've never actually spoken two words (or even one) to.

At first, I thought it was an abberation, but I've realized that, yes, there are some uggos out there with red hair, but when a red headed man is hot, he's hotter than any other. You can disagree with me, you can laugh, but you can't change my mind on this one. Nope. Nuh Uh. Don't even try.

And in case you need some convincing, there's always my boyfriend Toby Stephens:



OR.... Delicious Damien Lewis:



Mmmmmmm. Let's look at that again, shall we?





Soooooooo.... if you know of any hunky red headed men, I don't mind if you turn up your nose. . . just send 'em my way.

Whew! Now I Feel Better

Don't worry my love, you'll feel better soon. I'll make dinner, clean the apartment, and rub your feet when you get home. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Love,
Toby

Thankful...

I've decided that for the last few weeks of 2007 I'm going to post about the things that I'm thankful for. I'm not going to rank them, 'cause I'm not actually a ranking kind of person. Really. Just ask me what my favorite book, song, or movie is and you'll get a lot of hemming and hawing and then a list. I just can't narrow these things down. So, ahem. . .

Things I am thankful for 2007 edition:

*I was born into a family of spectacularly witty and intelligent people. Really. You should read our emails some time.

*My parents live within easy driving distance and have a REALLY comfortable guest bed. That bed is better than my own.

*Toby Stephens is alive and decided to be an actor so that I can see him whenever
I want!


* I have friends who love me enough to create "The Man Plan"

* I teach some of the most spectacular people on the planet.

* I don't have to pretend that my nieces and nephews are cute.
See exhibits A, B,and C:


(I could go on and on, as I have 10 nieces and nephews, but I don't want you to be jealous)

Have I mentioned lately

that I love Toby Stephens? No? Ok.

Hey Toby you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind. . .

I'm showing part of the Masterpiece Theatre version of Jane Eyre to my students today. I don't normally show movies as it's a real waste of time. (Newsflash to everyone who thought your teacher didn't know that in high school. . . they showed you movies more for themselves than for you. . . I promise) However, we administered the PSAT on Wednesday and that meant that one of my classes didn't meet for block day this week. I didn't want my classes to get out of sync, so I'm showing Jane.

For those of you who don't know, a new version of Jane Eyre was made last year starring the absolutely hunkalicious Toby Stephens. My friend MaryAnna and I watched it together last year and I had to control my impulse to squeal with delight every time Toby appeared onscreen. He's so scrumptious, in fact, that I tracked down every last movie he's been in on Netflix and even (ooooooh the shame) went on fansites where the other crazies like me refer to themselves as "Tobettes". Yes. Tobettes. This is my sad, sad, tribe.

FYI: the miniseries is really good (not just the Toby parts) and I highly recommend it.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I brought in clips from two different film versions so that my students could compare, contrast, and evaluate their effectiveness. Several of my female students came up to me with stars in their eyes and whispered reverently "Who was playing Rochester in the second clip?" I happily told them it was my boyfriend Toby (if only he knew. . . I know he could love me.). One of my male students said he thought Rochester was too handsome, but the girls and I said we were ok with that.

(I have a couple of girls who were in love with Rochester before they ever saw Toby, so I'm feeling ok with things. One of them has even drawn little hearts with Mr. Rochester + Maggie in them. This is perhaps the cutest thing I've seen in my 9 years as an English teacher. Talk about connecting with literature!! I told her she wasn't alone, that women have been falling in love with bad boy Edward Rochester for over 100 years.)

Today when I told them we'd be watching Jane, those same girls came up to me and asked, "We're watching the one with the HOT Rochester, right?" Of course!!!!!!

This is why I love my job. I get to watch Toby Stephens in the name of education. I wish I could explain my Johnny Depp posters (Yes, I have two posters of Johnny in my classroom) with as much dignity.