Field Trip

My friend Elizabeth B. and I took a day trip to Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg,MD. It is about an hour and a half from our houses. It was a nice drive out into the countryside of MD. I had never been to that area of MD before so that was nice. It made my heart sing to be out in the country again.

When we arrived in the town, we drove around and checked out the town which was SMALL, there was one bar ( of course) a market with a deli in it and an ice cream shop, and a hair place called the "hair garage" . We drove around the outskirts of the town and stopped and took some pictures, one guy had a cut-out deer that he was using as target practice in his yard.

We stopped for lunch at Battlefield Market. They had a piece of posterboard up with hunters pictures on it and where they shot what and when and under it in styrofoam bowles they had the shells that they shot them with.. and you could buy some just like it there...I thought WOW.... seriously WOW.... oh my goodness...

There menu had most of the things after them named after people from the civil war... of course....

When we went in there was a really skinny guy that was wearing a U of MD hoodie and a pair of old skinny jeans and old no name brand sneakers talking really loud to another guy but IDK that the other guy was talking back to it was mostly like this guy was doing a monolouge. I mentioned what he was wearing because he was talking about how rich he was and how so many women wanted him for his MONEY... I thought do they now??? and how there are a LOT of gold diggers out there that all want him for his MONEY????

He also said a lot of women don't want to date him because they are intimidated by how good he looks and they just can't handle themselves around him because he makes so much money and he is so attractive at this point I laughed out loud very loud because I thought REALLY??? REALLY??? and he said some people got to make fun because they don't like themselves so they got to put others down... I am glad he does not have that problem because he thinks VERY well of himself...

I got a steak and cheese sub it was SO GOOD!

After we ate we headed over to the battlefield, we were able to get there in time to watch a movie about what took place at this battlefield. I am so glad that we did because as we drove around and saw the sights it really enhanced our trip.

I got us some Jr. Ranger booklets and as we drove around we had to do an activity geared toward kids age 9-12. That was also cool we really learned a lot.

So after the movie we drove around on the driving tour there were about twelve stops and at each of them we got out and walked around, some of them we walked on a little trail and took pictures. Spike was with us so he really enjoyed walking around.

Since we had seen the movie it added a whole other element just knowing what happened at these places.

There was a tower to climb, up cannons to take pictures with, trails to walk on. The Burnside Bridge site was really crowded. You will have to go to FB and check out those pictures.

Something I learned was the confederate soliders were VERY outnumbered at the Burnside Bridge they were up on a ridge and there was only 500 of them, and they held back 1500 yankee's for FOUR hours...??? like how is that even possible. I mean those Southern boys must have hit someone with every bullet they fired...This battle was a draw, so many people died at it that no one won... It was sad knowing that where we were walking so much death had happened...

We paused several places to pay our respect to the soliders,

After the Battlefield, we went to a little ice cream place called Nutters we got the LARGEST brownie sundaes EVER... YUMMY!!!!!

and after that ... we drove home WHAT A GREAT DAY!!!!

Field Trip

In Feb. When there was still snow on the ground I went to Great Falls National Park in Great Falls,VA http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm There is a link. When I was a teenager I went here ALL THE TIME... When I was driving there currently I was SCARED.. scared that I had to go 66-495, scared that I had to go on winding, twisting back roads. I thought I DROVE ON THESE WITH MY FRIENDS WHEN WE BARELY KNEW HOW TO DRIVE???? what the??? like did our parents KNOW or CARE??? but I made it there. I forgot that I had to pay... they let me in anyway which was nice..There are things as pretty in UT and ID that you don't have to pay for I guess because Great Falls is MUCH closer to DC it has became a National Park.

Spike and I walked around and went to the overlooks, we walked down some of the trail until I stopped seeing peoples footprints I kept getting in really deep snow so I turned back, There were a few other people there with dogs and lots of people there taking pictures. I have some that I posted on FB.


So Spike and I had fun and it is only 20 minutes from my house, I can go back sometime :)

storytime

So since I Lived in Centreville, and I was getting PRETTY DESPERATE to find a JOB! I started calling daycare-pre-schools in Centreville.

I called one and asked " are you hiring?" She said no but you can come in and fill out an application. I said OK and was about to hang up when the lady said so will you come and do that today at three? So I went with my resume and I was worried because on my resume my mission is on there and it says California Ventura Mission 99-01 teaching people the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The lady looked at it and was like "are you a Mormon? I said yes she said GREAT! I love Mormons! She said that she had only met 2 but she liked them both.... THANK YOU TO WHO EVER THEY ARE!

She said she had nothing for me then but in a couple of months I could run the after-school/summer camp program.

I sent her a thank you email. She then emailed me back and asked me to come in and "try-out" that was then post-poned for almost two weeks because of SNOW...

When I finally did go in. My first day there a lady put in her two week notice and I got hired.

I am so grateful for my job! I have a class of two and three year olds there names are
1. Ben
2. Samantha ( who will be moving up to the bigger class on Mon.)
3. Jillian
4. Evan
5. Tyler
6. Chet
7. Landon L.W. ( who had his last day I think on Fri)
8. Ava
9. Charlie
10. Brooke ( who is moving up to the bigger class on Mon.)
11. Aleks
12. Lucas
13. Landon T.F.
14. Jaylen

These kids really brighten my day every day! The things that they say the love and fogiveness they have is astounding to me :)

so that is my class I have a co-teacher that I work with Shafeg, she is WONDERFUL! and I am grateful to know her and work with her.

This job does not pay a lot but is SUCH A GOOD FIT FOR ME, I stay busy all day and my mind is always planning things which just works out great for this job!

see things do really work out!

storytime

So when I got here to Northern VA. I thought that I would have a job JUST LIKE THAT!!!.... I really really thought that... but I did not know I was also going to get in a car accident and all that stuff either...so here is the story of how I got my job

my friend Elizabeth told me that I could get a job with her cold calling people and selling them things, the company is kind of like monster.com or careerbuilder, where you pay for us to post on that website..I thought well cool I am good at selling things and I am good at talking to people I CAN DO THIS!!!

So first I got a call on the phone and had a phone interview... He then called me a WEEK later and told me to come in for a real interview, so I go in and I am there for TWO hours like I did not know I was suppossed to bring a lunch... I interviewed with the manager who kept asking me the SAME questions REPHRASED .... THEN when I thought I could not take that ANYMORE they put this lady Frances in there with me who one minute was joking with me then the next minute going off on my one minute talking to me about American Idol next minute all serious... then I had an interview with the manager again... I thought WOW....

Then I WEEK went by... A WEEK!!!!!!!!! and they called me again and said that I had to have ANOTHER interview, so I went back and interviewed with that guys boss and then I thought OK they will for sure hire me now... but they told me that they wanted to speak to my manager at Qwest, I said managers at Qwest don't do that, they have a 1-800 number they told me that if I REALLY wanted that job that I would be able to GET THEM ON THE PHONE WITH MY MANAGER FROM QWEST... I thought really??? wow??? so I sent them an email and gave them SIX references and the 1-800 number. I thought if this is not good enough then I DONT KNOW WHAT IS???? like freak fingerprint me or run a background check on me if you are so concerned with me REALLY.... Heather told me that things like this are normal in VA that sometimes you have to have lots of interviews... I said well I don't like it.,.. They also told my friend Elizabeth that they were worried about hiring me because I seem like a very moral good person and they were worried because there are a lot of trashy people in their office and what would I do if someone sent out sexual emails cause people there do that a lot... I thought um??? I JUST WANT A JOB! if people there want to be TRASHY and send out TRASHY emails OH WELL I JUST WANT A JOB!!! but I realized I did not want THAT JOB!!!!

So I just told them NO THANKS!

I went to a job fair one day in Chantilly and there were about 3000 people there...that is it and I stood in a line for one hour to just see booths that said that I could be in the National Guard or if I had 50 grand extra in the bank then I could buy a Allstate franchise I stood in one line for 20 more minutes just to be told I could apply for jobs at the Washington Post online like REALLY, yeah I could not figure that out on my own I am glad I stood in this line for 20 minutes...

I applyed at a daycare almost to Manassas and all the people that worked there were wearing skin-tight,low-cut clothes that looked like you would wear them in a nightclub.. and it smelled... so I didn't want to work there....

THEN I FOUND MY JOB!!!! which I will right about SOON!!!!

Field Trip

OK So I am really into this park in Chantilly,VA : Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. I have now been there three times and if I was not so broke I might have been there more...I went there during the snow storm.. I all ready wrote about that. I went there again when the snow was melting. There were a lot more people and dogs there that time. Spike and I did close to the same hike that I did with the kids. the pond was still partially frozen and it was really pretty.

I went there a couple of weekends ago in the rain and the mud and it was EMPTY....there was a boyscout troop there but they were leaving... I walked around and looked at some historic buildings. I HAVE TO GO BACK THERE AND TAKE PICTURES!!!!! I MUST I found a trail called The North Loop Trail it is a mile and very easy, it was muddy and the only other people that were on it were two Korean women ( I found that out when I asked them to take the above picture of me and Spike. ) They were so scared of Spike they really thought that he was going to bite them, they said how you know he does not bite... I said I just know ... but he does JUMP!!!! I love the picture that they took of me and I am grateful that they did even though they were scared of the little boy :)

I am going back there this weekend to do that loop again and I am going to add the wild turkey trail in which is just a quarter of a mile :) The ladies said that they go aroun' and aroun' that trail it is good for you. I thought what a cool idea !:)

It is sad that such a beautiful place exists in such a highley populated area but only me and two other ladies and my dog were there even though it was rainy and muddy..

This time Spike and I saw two herds of deer too!:) they were running through the woods..

Holiday

For President's Day 2010 I did.... NOTHING!!!!! there were not that many kids at my job so my boss sent me home.... The next day I did have the kids color and called it a Declaration of Independence and read about Thomas Jefferson... but that is about all... oh well maybe next year...

Holiday

For Valentines 2010 I did.........NOTHING... I went to church for only one hour because that is all they had because the roads were still "bad" and .......other than that... yeah...I did NOTHING......oh well maybe next year right??? ( I did eat heart-shaped pizza at Beth's house) but... as for in the date area ... nope...

storytime

so another one of the days when it was snowing SO HARD. I went over to my friend Beth's I have lost so many things with my move from Utah that I had to borrow a snow scraper from someone on my street but I borrowed one and got out of my parking space and headed down the road. There were not many people out just me and some trucks and a few REALLY stupid people in cars that I still have no idea how they even got out of where ever they were... so I am driving on Rt. 28 and all of a sudden my windshield wipers just broke...so it is snowing really hard there is snow on the ground and the roads are not paved and now I can't really see but I thought well I can't stop now and I don't want to go to my mom's house because I have Spike with me so I am driving and hoping to see when I accidently take the exit and get on the toll road.. I was like OH MY HECK I did not plan on this?? I don't even KNOW where this part of the toll road GOES?? like um?? 1. I have no money with me. 2. I have no idea where I am?? I have never had to take this part of the toll road anywhere...so I get off on some Ashburn exit where the road name looked somewhat familar but I only slightly know Ashburn because the Ashburn that I knew when I lived here is VERY DIFFERENT than the Ashburn that exists today... so all of a sudden I am in Ashburn I got out a few times and fixed my windshield wipers but to no avail... one of those times I dropped my cell phone.... I had no idea though... so then I got back in my car and promptly drove into a big pile of snow... a guy came and just backed me out, I just could not see to do it and gave directions to Sterling and said I could come over to his house and hang with him and his family if I wanted to do that instead of going to Sterling...

So I am driving and drive into snow AGAIN... some other REALLY REALLY nice guys had to come and help me and another guy had to help them because I guess a blazer weighs more than a jeep... ANYWAY those guys were going to Sterling and so one of them helped me drive my car and to Sterling. I think I must have been in shock because I let one of them just drive the blazer and Spike and I rode with the one in the jeep which writing this now makes NO SENSE!!!!!

I also want to say that while I was waiting to be pulled out of the snow.. Spike pooped right there on Waxpool road...

So I got to Beth's complex and there was NO WHERE TO PARK because the snow was so high every where so those guys parked me at 7-11.

I realized I lost my phone which sucked... and I did not have a car because my windshield wipers were broken so um YEAH...

A guy from HS Shiloh came and got me and gave me and Spike a ride back to Heather's where we were snowed in there...

YUCK I hate being snowed in and I hated it even more with out a phone or car YUCK!!!

field trip

ELLANOR C. LAWRENCE PARK!!! ( in the SNOW!!!)

so one of the days that it snowed really hard I took Gabby, Lony, April and Spike to Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly,VA. This is a very large park that has a historical area and trails and other things, The kids had a lot of fun in the nature center. They each bought an egg that when we got home they put in warm water and it hatched into either a rattlesnake or a dinosaur. We walked a MILE in the snow with it snowing and snow on the ground there was one other lady there with her german shepard and the lady running the visitor center and a man jogging and THAT WAS IT!!! :) we walked around by the historical buildings and I took the kids pictures with the old buildings, we also walked from the visitor center down to the pond, the kids had so much fun on the way there and I let Spike off his leash when we got to the pond and he went swimming, Even though there were signs every where to be careful, Lony fell into the pond all the way up to his chest.... I heard April shriek LONY!!!!!! He asked me to leave him at the pond and come back and get him but I told him that since he was soaking wet and it was cold the best thing would be to keep walking so that he would stay warm...

Later when we got back home I asked all the kids what there favorite part of the day was and Lony said " when he fell in"....

I guess all is well that ends well

you can't tell but we are all wearing matching hats I bought us at the asian grocery store too:)

SNOW

In Northern Utah and by Northern Utah I do not mean anywhere S. of Box Elder or Cache County.... and if you live South of those really?? you think you are Northern Utah NO WE ARE WE ARE NORTH OF YOU SO BE QUIET!!!... anyway in Northern Utah, it snows a lot... so it snows everyday from October to April.. there is always snow on the ground..and I had to drive to work and the thrift store in it every day even if I had to get up and clean off my car for an hour, even if It took me an hour to get to work... then they don't care you still have to go.. that is all that is it... In Virginia..........if the news says it MIGHT snow of there is a chance of snow... well, people FREAK and that is an understatement... So it snowed here in Decemeber people freaked then it snowed here in February.. and people FREAKED here are some examples
1. ALL that people can talk about is HOW MUCH SNOW THERE IS....... this is a boring conversation... like um OK? you don't want to move anywhere where there is always snow...
2. People constantly take pictures of how much snow there is and post them online.. like that is interesting...
3. when I was a nanny in Orem,Utah there were some days that I had to clean off my car several times a day like when I went to work, then when I took Anneka to pre-school, then when I picked her up.. then when I went home... the snow would be coming down so hard that I had to clean off my car all those times...
4. once when I worked at a care center in Mapleton,Utah it was snowing so hard so fast that I could not get my windshield cleaned off and it was dark and cold and I considered spending the night... my boss told me NO that I had to clean it off!!! and I called Chris and cryed all the way home..
5. People here use terms like "snowed In" like they want to be "snowed in"
6. my car froze shut so many times last year that a couple times Vern had to give me rides to work...
7. the news makes you more PARANOID they tell you to go out and stock up on food... like YOU NEED TO! YOU MUST! like um shouldn't you all ready HAVE FOOD???
8. the never plow the roads here and people don't drive on them
9. Fairfax County Public Schools were closed for over TWO WEEKS finally they had to ask the parents to come and help clear the sidewalks they still had not done it...
10. Church was cancelled for 3 weeks!!!!!!!!! CHURCH!!!!

I am so grateful that my parents bought me a blazer, one of the snow days I drove over to Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly, one of the snow days I drove to Beth's but mostly for better or worse... I was snowed in...