28 is Great

The day went well. Thus far I have received one very awesome home made NYC skirt from my mom-in-law, Celene Dion ticks, and souflet dishes (yippee). I have even been famous for a week as my name has remained on the Burger Bar marquee (thanks Matt and co.). I subbed a class last week and, after I introduced myself, the kids said, "Wait, you're that Mrs. Had, the one at Big Bens?!?!" It was like I was an American Idol. They asked me what I did to get on the marquee and I told them I'm just a really important teacher... and I buy a lot of hamberguesas.

I also got to spend $200.00 of my school's money at the book fair! No birthday correlation, but it made for a nice day. How many books does 200 smackeroos get you? Enough to last me about a month! Here I am, having shopped to my hearts content. I spent two hours at the book fair rationing my money.


The biggest Birthday news, however, comes from Quinn. He must have spent a million-zillion hours making me a 30+minute video slideshow of our year in New York. It is AWESOME and, of course, I'm ready to move back right this minute. I'll try and post it to the blog if anyone wants to see it. My favorite part are the "mug shots." If you visited us while we were there, you know what this is about! FYI: we are planning our dream house floor plan around those mugs.



There's more: Our friends Jeremy Young and Megan Hatch got hitched this Saturday and I officially started my rudimentary wedding video business. O.K.- it's still in the works, but this is my 2nd wedding video production and it's pretty fun. Maybe I can quit teaching someday and survive off a lucrative wedding video career! Here's some pics of me filming the wedding (glorious day) and one of my favorite little nephews [PORTER] and Matt.

Happy Birthday to Me

Mrs. Hutchins' class made me a crown so I thought I'd show you. I've been wearing it all day and I'm not sure I'll be ready to take it off tomorrow.

Birthday Wishes:

-New Car Insurance
-Oat Meal Cake
-Massage from Quinn (including but not limited to feet)
-New House
-Jimmy Johns for Lunch

Birthday Goals:

-Stop being so cynical and fatalistic (especially so Quinn isn't embarrassed to tell people about our blog)
-Finish my novel and contract an agent
-Focus on others
-Sell Condo
-Be delightful
-Ignore a realist's perspective
-Excercise

When did life turn into 2008?

Anyone still writing 1999 on their checks besides me? Here's the skinny: It's not that I don't like people, and friends, and social activities... I'm just weird. This year has been completely overwhelming for me and by the time I get to 7 pm all I have the energy to do is sink into my couch and watch American Idol. I'm sorry, maybe I'll be different next year or if I ever have a kid. I'm just so tired all the time and I can never really shut my mind off all that's on my plate, no matter who I'm around or what I'm doing. 200 kids walk on top of me everyday I often think being a mom will be the first time I have a chance to breath finally be a real person (oh no, here comes the masses of comments from all the moms out there who can't wait to tell me otherwise).

Excuses subdued.... Quinn has started posting. This is a new development so I think some encouragement will be in order. I've got to mention this little tidbit about his last post though: After Quinn wrote about Joe Torrey, serious, literal tears started streaming down his cheeks. No joke, this kid was down right emotional about it. Classic. I don't know if he would want everyone knowing, but I say you've got to give it to passionate people no matter what it is that consumes them.

I wrote a book this weekend. Okay, just the first 5 chapters and prologue, but I'm quite excited... and nervous. I never thought I'd be one of those people who didn't try something just because they didn't want to deal with the possibility of failing. I've told myself that it doesn't matter if the thing gets published, I'm just writing it for me... but we all know that is hogwash, besides, I have a mountainous, horrific, mortifying mortgage to pay off (speaking of that, does anyone want to rent, lease, or buy our condo?). I'm thinking of posting a chapter for anyone who wants to read it and tell me if it's totally wretched or has promise.

St. George is seriously cool... not a cool as New York, but narly none-the-less. How do I know? I attended the main street block party with Meree, Porter, and Bronsen last Thursday. It was a miracle that I didn't have to teach dance, so I made the best of it and snuck doown just before the new Office episode. The new park is awesome and I ran into my favorite student in the world: Codey (downs from DMS special Ed). Can you believe he graduated a year ago? I'm getting old. He remembered me and that my birthday was this month. That kid is amazing.
(p.s. I'm turning 28 tomorrow)

Mom and I went to a recording studio and laid down some tap this weekend. Is was fun and, might I add, a bit humbling. Since I've been teaching beginners for three years, I didn't realize how brilliant mom was and how crappy I'm getting with no practice. She is amazing. You should read her bio- She's practically famous and no one in SGU would even know it!

Ode to Joe!!

So, the new baseball season has started but it's just not the same without Joe. As we speak, the Yankees are playing the Red Sox on ESPN and I am writing this Blog (1st time). Don't worry everyone, I am still a die hard Yankee fan and that will never change but man I miss that old man!! I miss seeing him in the dugout, I miss seeing him hobble out to the Mound and his stoic look on the bench. He's been like a father figure to me these last 12 years. It's been a good ride Joe. Good Luck in L.A. (the Dodgers are now my 2nd favorite team).

Mrs. Hadley and the Formidable Talent Show

Today I have met bravery. As author Scott Westerfeld would put it: the talent show was quite "nervous-making." Mostly it was when I looked up and saw M. H. in the bleachers, Pesky little 9th grader that is nothing but trouble, pain, and agony to a teacher or any respectable human being with a soul for that matter. He's the type of kid that would slam me with a rotten egg bomb in the middle of my pull back sequence.... But, to my great pleasure, the little sluggers were good to me. They actually stopped talking while I danced (a first in SCMS assembly history), and they even cheered and clapped. I also may have detected a few "I Love You Mrs. Hadley's" from the rafters. Quite the surprise after 3rd period today when I almost creamed more than a few of them. They can be so vicious to an English teacher and then, in the same breath, turn right around and make her think she could hang in there and survive another day or two. Luckily, a day or two is all I have left. Folks, we've entered the 20's as far as days of school left... and I have the feeling, come June, I'm really going to LOVE my job!

What have we been eating? this is the ethereal question posed at our house. I really don't know what we eat, because I don't go to the grocery store, and we've certainly cut back on eating out as of late. Maybe this is why I am so proud of my killer turkey sandwich. The fact that making a turkey sandwich is considered extreme cooking at our house may clue you in to how dismal the delectable resources have become at the Hadley house.

Nothing out of the ordinary. My aunt Debbie died. I've been babysitting alot... ykhtg, Quinn thinks he is going to buy a fishing boat, and I dressed up to finish Farewell to Manzanar at SCMS. My students says it's dumb I do it, but I can tell they like the costume factor. Speaking of costume factor:

I made the school talent show. If you want to come and see me brave the student body in fishnets, it's tomorrow (Wed. April 16th, @ 1:45 pm).