Liz, Hubby and I went for a walk tonight and Liz taught me some tricks for nighttime photography! It was cold and wet but it made my heart happy.

Here are a few pictures I took today.

My Christmas Wishes!

Three things I wished for:
*extra time off to make up for last year
*good health
*lots of snow

I got them all! I even went to the doctor to get my first ever comprehensive physical. Even though I still have the weird heart arrhythmia, I'm in pretty good shape. And since we had the entirety of last week called off from school due to weather, I got an extra 50% Winter Break! That's a great deal. (It's not free, however - in mid-June I will be cursing the snow when we have five extra days, I'm sure.)

It's been many years since I've seen this much glorious snow. Most of you know I'm an Idaho girl so winter isn't winter without a nice thick layer of it. That's one of the few things I actually miss from Idaho/Utah. I really really love the snow. Really. So the last few years I've put up with the rain and appreciated the dusting we've gotten. But this week! Right now, there's a good 6+ inches on the ground - in Newberg. There's much more in McMinnville. I'm tempted to fetch a sled and head down there but I'm afraid Hubby will chain me to the house if I try to drive out there. My argument is always that I got my driver's license in December in northern Idaho, so I'm a pro, right?

Unfortunately, Newberg does lie in a valley and the only way out to civilization (i.e., away from Newberg or McMinnville) is up a big hill and that thing is pretty icy and I don't trust other drivers, so we've been pretty much holed up down here.

In other news, the skunkies have been delighted to have James and I at home this week. This is Toby sleeping in. He's a bedhog.

And Aroma likes to squeeze herself down the front of our shirts. She just dives in there and she'll wiggle her way in regardless if you want her there or not. One time I tried to give her to James and she dived inbetween the buttons on the front of my shirt, and clung on when I tried to pull her out. It's hilarious and adorable.

And since it's been snowing nonstop, I haven't taken my camera out for fear of it getting wet. So these were taken from the stoop this afternoon, when we still only had about 3-4 inches.

Oh, I put my paintings up at 3rd Street Pizza, and the manager bought one on the spot for $130. Sweet! I is happy. Oh and also there are only six days of school left until Christmas break! And one of my students brought in his python. It's still a baby, so it's just about two feet long, but he was adorable.

This week is our art auction to fund raise for the New York Trip - which, coincidentally, I have put on indefinite hold, as I was doing 10 times as much work as the kids, who have totally dropped the ball. At any rate, we already had announced the art auction, and I'd already painted four paintings and printed 60 pictures for it, so we're doing it anyway, and holding on to the money for another year or so until the kids decide that they'll do the fundraising.

I was out dropping fliers by businesses on 3rd street in McMinnville, and I ran into one of our most fantastic parents. She was going the same place I was - 3rd street pizza. (3rd St Pizza is a fah-bulous pizzaria that has a movie theater with tables so you can take your food in there. LOVE it.) She got the manager out, who happens to be a friend of hers, and the manager said she could put the fliers out, and then mentioned how her walls were bare because the artist who was supposed to drop paintings by flaked on her. "Oh, you need paintings?" I asked. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "I will bring some paintings by!" I replied. And so, tomorrow after school I'll be taking her some of my work, and some of Liz's work (hopefully), and I'll be praying that the other artist doesn't drop off his paintings too soon. How much should I put them up for? Just last week, James and I were pondering the ridiculously high price some of them were asking for. $275 for a painting of a clown holding a pig? Scary! Wish me luck.

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am thankful for...

...delicious food that Hubby made! He pampered me with awesome turkey, homemade pumpkin pie (and crust made by scratch!), stuffing made from scratch, and the best gravy I've ever ever had. I contributed the cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, and the mashed potatoes. Oh, how delightful! I'm stuffed!

I am also thankful for good weather last weekend. It was so sunny and warm that I went to the beach. Not only wasn't it windy (like it always seems to be), but I didn't even really need a jacket. Many pictures were taken.

Those are sea lions out there! Unfortunately, it was back-lit, so I didn't get a lot of quality pictures. At least, none that I don't have to correct in Photoshop. None of these have gotten the treatment yet.

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It's that time of year again...

Hubby and I are hoping I don't get sick again this holiday season. I'm jinxed, I tell you. Help!

So far, though, I'm feeling pretty good, and I even avoided a nasty cold that Hubby had. How I avoid such things when I'm the one with the compromised immune system is beyond me, especially with the number of students who have been ill. That place is a Petri dish.

School's going great though. I mean, the students are getting antsi (sp?), but that usually happens around the holidays anyway. We also just got done with our first quarter. In another two weeks we'll be 1/3 the way through this school year. Man, is it flying by.

I have a silly friend at school this year, too. Liz is the technology/art teacher, and we both strongly believe in being absurd. There is much absurdity that is keeping me sane this year.

Speaking of absurd: yesterday, in one of my science classes, I gave the kids a 5 minute break between two activities. One of the particularly understated kids walked out of the classroom, and 30 seconds later walked back in... with a taco. A perfectly formed, un-bitten taco. Mind you, my classroom is rather isolated from the rest of the school, and there's only one other class nearby, and few students. He just walked back in holding the taco, looked at me, looked at the taco, then said, "If Stephani didn't want her taco stolen she shouldn't have given me her locker combination." Then he ate it. ...Tomorrow when he's in class again, I'm hiding a taco in my classroom to procure at just the right moment. ...And I guess you guys might not think that was such a funny story, and maybe it's just one of those you-have-to-know-the-kid-and-you-had-to-have-been-there situations, but that incident has kept me going now for two days.

The Edgefield

Hubby and I will be celebrating our 3-year anniversary this Wednesday! Since it's the middle of the week, we did the bulk of our celebrating this weekend. Neither one of us had been to McMenamin's Edgefield, we thought it would be a nice place to check out.

It used to be a workhouse for the poor; at one time it employed and housed 600 people! The facilities were beautiful, and of course they've given it the McMenamin's touch - everything is painted with murals, quirky and beautiful details, and fun little niches. It's quite a large complex - there's a vinery, a brewery (of course), a few restaurants, a theater (we saw The Dark Knight again for $3), a venue for music - the works.

I would have taken more pictures, but a) it was a little rainy, and b) I got food poisoning. I don't want this to taint anyone's opinion of McMenamin's, because they make all their stuff from scratch (not processed), so there's a bit higher chance that that could happen. It just sucked that it did. So, we had to cut our trip a little short. Sadness.

creativity

I've been feeling a surge of creativity lately, probably because school isn't stressing me out as much. I need to do some painting this weekend for sure, since we have the art auction coming up, but for right now photography is doing a pretty good job of keeping me busy. I just love how everywhere I go now, I look for things that I wouldn't normally notice - how can I make the most everyday, mundane things exciting or beautiful? It's helping me be optimistic about the whole world around me. :)

America, I believe in you!

Yay!!!!

It's been a while since I've had a healthy faith in America. Thank you, voters, for resurrecting my faith and hope!!!!

I feel:
hope
joy
relief

*I was excited this morning when I discovered it wasn't too cloudy out to take pictures. I finished the book I was reading, then headed out - only to realize I'd forgotten to take my medicine, and before I'd taken 10 shots I was too sick to continue and had to come home. Then, it got cloudy. I was upset.

*Last Friday helped confirm Laurie and I's suspicions that I am a magnet for student trouble. A fight was in the midst of breaking out (shoving but no punches yet) a few yards from my classroom, so I broke it up. It's funny how my mind goes directly to my de-escalation and restraint training from Northwest. Sounds totally cheesy, but if you play mind tricks on them it works. I broke this particular one up by telling the bigger kid just how much I care about him.

*James and I have had a totally relaxing weekend. I read my books, and he got a new game. Also, we watched Interview With a Vampire, which neither of us had seen in a while. Funny, because I just finished the Twilight series again, and I realize how much of Interview Stephenie Meyers ripped off. I'm a little disappointed.

*Totally not ready for school this week, but I keep reminding myself that I have a four-day weekend after that. Woot! James and I have anniversary plans, which pleases me immensely.

Halloween, MACA style

So, to raise funds for the kids going to New York in the Spring, we hosted the MACA Halloween party. This meant that I did most of the planning, but I was impressed by how much the kids did. Fun times were had by all! It was a really great turnout, we made lots of moolah, and we all got to see the principal play Guitar Hero.



















As a tech arts school, we of course had to do some techy things. We have a covered outdoor area, and we projected The Ring on one of its walls. I forgot how creepy that movie is. And yes, it's only PG-13! Also, we hooked a Wii up to one of the projectors in the Media Lab, and also had two PS2's playing with Karaoke and Guitar Hero. We did it arcade-style - 25 cents per turn. Also, we had purchased a fusball table the weekend before at the Rummage Sale (what a nightmare last week was - definitely not worth the $250 we got out of it), and we set up a Ping Pong table in there as well. In my classroom, the kids decked it out with two strobe lights (thank goodness no one had a seizure), four black lights, a lazer light, and some good dance music. We also sold homemade goodies (cookies and almond roca), soda, candy, and even had a smoothie station! We sold out of many items.
For legal reasons, I can't post pictures of some students, so to play it safe, I only included one. This is Tiffany, the Smoothie Guru.
































Andrea the dinosaur, and Liz the nerd. Liz and I drove all the way to Fry's on Wednesday evening, JUST to pick up the pocket protectors.



















Laurie (the Principal) also gave me a Walkie Talkie so we could be in constant communication.
Percentage of real communication: 22%. The rest was just playing. Felt like old times (NBHC), only I got one of those real heavy-duty industrial Walkies, so I felt even cooler.
It was a desperate hope of mine to be out of the building by 10:00 (party ended at 9). I was more than pleased that all the cleaning was done by 9:45! It was marvelous.

Here I go with the sensitive topics...

I've been having roughly the same conversation with different people for the last month or so, and I finally just decided to blog about it, because what better way is there for me to make my opinions publicly known without the risk of actual face-to-face conversation? Also, I can delete comments, which makes me feel like a wizard. So, that said...

I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I learned a lot of important lessons going to church, and that upbringing definitely had a great influence on who I am today. My parents, also, taught me that I should a) think for myself, and b) value education. They also taught me that I should be compassionate. So I went to BYU, and I read my scriptures, and I went to church, all the while fighting against some of the ignorance that is present when any ethical or religious group congregates. I could accept that - people are people, and entitled to their own opinions. And I was okay with the Church's position that homosexuality is morally wrong, but that it's not okay to persecute or insult or tell other people what to do or how to vote. I felt okay affiliating with it because the Church leaders themselves had always encouraged its members to "search, ponder, and pray" about what is right, and to act on that - instead of telling its members what to believe and leaving no room for personal meditation.

That changed a couple years ago, when the Church publicly - and from the pulpit - began getting political. It is now the practice of its leaders to tell its members how to vote on an issue, not that they should get involved in what they believe is right. And instead of choosing a side on, oh, really important, valid, and urgent issues like health care or poverty or mental health or child abuse or education - you know, things that affect every single person in this country - they choose an issue regarding the rights of a person to make a personal decision. A decision that has no impact on me or my family whatsoever. An issue that very nearly crosses the line from "morality" to simply "hate". Who cares if two men in Connecticut love each other enough to want to make a legally binding committment to each other? Really?

And I've heard the "preservation of family" argument as well - but you know what? Show me a perfect family. Show me any statistics at all the provide evidence that gay marriage a) adversely affects other families, or b) gay couples divorce more often, or c) children being raised by gay couples more often grow up to be totally messed up, or God forbid, homosexual themselves. Show me any evidence of that at all and I will agree to listen to your case. The "One-Man-One-Woman" argument also leaves out families with one parent, or step-parents, or grandparents raising kids, etc. etc. Um, Jesus had a stepdad. Who remembers that? There are all sorts of families in this world, and what makes one successful and another not is compassion, love, and patience, not who Daddy is attracted to. Studies show that if a child sees love and compassion between his parents (gay or not), that child will continue those positive habits (gay or not). There are plenty of problems between "traditional" families - why not start programs to improve those relationships? Oh, I dunno, improve healthcare so counseling is more available? Parenting lessons? Improving the welfare system to support one-parent families while not enabling those that take advantage of it?

Phew. That was difficult to write. And, I'm sure, difficult to read, for some that know me well but were not aware of my thoughts.

That being said, I present you with this list by Facebook's group: "Gay Marriage Killed the Dinosaurs"

Top 17 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong

17. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

16. Gay culture is a new fad created by the liberal media to undermine long-standing traditions. We know this is true because gay sex did not exist in ancient Greece and Rome.

15. There are plenty of straight families looking to adopt, and every unwanted child already has a loving family. This is why foster care does not exist.

14. Conservatives know best how to create strong families. That is why it is not true that Texas and Mississippi have the highest teen birthrates, and Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire have the lowest. This is a myth spread by the liberal media.

13. Marriage is a religious institution, defined by churches. This is why atheists do not marry. Christians also never get a divorce.

12. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why our society has no single parents.

11. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

10. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

9. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

8. Gay marriage should be decided by the people and their elected representatives, not the courts. The framers checked the courts, which represent mainstream public opinion, with legislatures created to protect the rights of minorities from the tyranny of the majority. Interference by courts in this matter is inappropriate, just as it has been every time the courts have tried to hold back legislatures pushing for civil rights.

7. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because "separate but equal" institutions are a good way to satisfy the demands of uppity minority groups.

5. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

4. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

3. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

2. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

1. METEORS and VOLCANOES.

Help!

As many of you know, I am planning a trip with 12ish students to New York City this upcoming Spring. I will be teaching an Art History and Appreciation class, and it's those students who will be coming with me to tour the Met, the American Museum of Natural History, Wall Street, Chinatown/Little Italy, NBC, Ellis Island, and other places in the city. Most of these students come from less-privileged families, and especially since the economic crisis has developed, these families have no funds to spare. So, we're doing a lot of fundraising. Some of the things we have in the works:
*Online silent auction of artwork. Right now, there are just photographs, but there will be student artwork in the coming weeks. Check it out!
*HUGE rummage sale, benefiting both the MSD After School Program and the New York City trip. We've got SO much good stuff so far! It will be the weekend of the 17th/18th at the MACA campus, if you're a local and want to check it out.
*Halloween party! Outdoor movie, video games, bake sale, costume contest, the whole works. Oct 24th for MACA and MHS students.
*Donations and sponsorships. If you or your company would like to become an official sponsor, drop me a line! We're begging for any and all donations. The Merri Artist in McMinnville became our first official sponsor on Friday, with a large donation of paint and canvases. Woot!

So, James and I headed up to Bremerton, Washington to attend his grandmother's memorial service. It was a beautiful service and I feel like I really got to know his grandmother, even though I'd only met her twice.

For those of you who don't know me well, I have few cousins. On my Mom's side, I have seven first cousins, all female. If I ran into them on the street I bet only four of them would recognize me. (I know this, because one of them actually introduced herself to me before. In college. I'm not naming names.) On my Dad's side I think I have two - again, both girls, but don't ask me names. I've never met them before, and I've only met my Uncle Dennis once. (I've heard it's probably better that way.) Anyway, since I only have female cousins that I hardly spend time with, the idea of male cousins seems foreign to me. A lot of James' cousins are guys, and a lot of them are around our age. I kept thinking, "which one of their wives is James' cousin?" Also, keep in mind that James doesn't look a lot like his family, so I can't rely on THAT comparison. So, I studied a cheat sheet in the car ride up, doing my best to remember names. I think I did pretty well!

Even though it was a sad occasion, I had a wonderful time getting to know many of his cousins and aunts and uncles that I previously hadn't met. I really enjoyed spending time with people who adore James almost as much as I do, and it's no wonder that he is as fond of his family as he is. Really, there's a lot of love in the Wright family... and it was so nice to feel like a part of that. His cousins and aunts and uncles embrace me as their own, but not in an awkward cultish kind of way - they are real people with genuine hearts, and I'm so grateful that I'm a part of that!

In other news, I've been spending some quality time watching CMT. That's "Country Music Television," for all them fancy folks out there. No, it's not because I've developed a strange obsession with Brad Paisley or something. Or even Kid Rock. (I am NOT making that up, Kid Rock has a video getting airtime on CMT. Parallel universe?) CMT now airs Nanny 911, a show where proper English nannies (one is Welsh, though) sweep in, spend a week with a horrifically disfunctional family, and try to minimize their problems. It's always the parent's fault, of course, and it raises my blood pressure every time I watch that show, but I can't turn away! And usually one of the parents does a really great job, and the other one is totally clueless and gives in to their kids' every whim, and all hell breaks loose. Then Nanny establishes rules and the parents are always SO SURPRISED when little Johnny responds to them. "Golly-gee, Molly Sue fell asleep when we turned the tv off in her room and made her sleep in her own bed! Imagine that!" It gives me hope that I'd be a good parent, 'cause I'm pretty sure this teaching gig is hammering in the basics.

I did get a request to post more pictures of Michelle and Samantha's wedding. Click here to go to my Flickr page, and browse away!

Please Vote!

I need some feedback, so please vote on which picture either: sucks the least, or that you like best. The poll is on the right-hand side. And please, give some constructive criticism (you may comment anonymously!). (I do sometimes adjust lighting/color in Photoshop so if you'd like any of that to change, please say so!