Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Come to D.C. with me!
I said that I would never do this . . . but it was far too tempting. If I get 15 kids to sign up, I can get a free trip to Washington D.C. And if I get 30, Chris can come with me. But right now, it is not looking so good. We have 6 signed up. So, if you or anyone you know is interested in traveling to Washington D.C. from April 5-10, go to this site and register. The trip number is 30247. Come! Come! It will be fun! The cost is only $1861, which I know sounds like a lot, but really isn't. You only need to deposite $99 to register!
Just a few more days
I am having one of those "I don't want to be at work" kind of days. But I guess that I will just have to power through. If I could have it my way, I would be at home and in bed. But I guess since I am here, I might as well get some stuff done. One thing I have to look forward to is that tomorrow my class is going on a field trip and I will get to stay back with the kids who can't go. Those days are always kind of cool and really laid back. Plus the kids will leave at 1:30pm and we will have our weekly core team meeting.
One thing I am really looking forward to is going to the temple on Saturday. Carter (Tina's younger brother) will receive his endowment in preparation for his mission. Carter will be serving in the Carlsbad California Mission where he will preach the Gospel in English. I am excited for him because I served in California and think he is just going to love it. Way to go Carter!
Another thing I am really looking forward to is going to Atlanta for Christmas. For the past couple of years my parents made it a point to visit their children who live in Utah (there are three of us out here: Matt, Nathan, Tina, and me). Sadly, they have not been able to make the trek this year. My dad took a lot of time off during the Spring for my wedding and for Matt's graduation and, if he wants to take time off during the Holidays, can't use any vacation between now and when all of us come home. It is sad, however, the upside is that Tina and I will be home for the entire Christmas break. We will miss saying goodbye to Carter, but will do that before we take off. All this just makes me wish my parents would retire and move closer to where we are.
I am also looking forward to finishing the last of the Raymond E. Feist books I checked out from the BYU Library. There are four in the series and I am a little more than half way done with than the fourth. This is the first time since reading Lord of the Rings I have read something that was not a stand alone book. While they are not the greatest when it comes to literary value, they are lots of fun and the story is kind of cool.
Well, I really need to get some stuff done before the kids get here. I will write again soon.
-Chris
One thing I am really looking forward to is going to the temple on Saturday. Carter (Tina's younger brother) will receive his endowment in preparation for his mission. Carter will be serving in the Carlsbad California Mission where he will preach the Gospel in English. I am excited for him because I served in California and think he is just going to love it. Way to go Carter!
Another thing I am really looking forward to is going to Atlanta for Christmas. For the past couple of years my parents made it a point to visit their children who live in Utah (there are three of us out here: Matt, Nathan, Tina, and me). Sadly, they have not been able to make the trek this year. My dad took a lot of time off during the Spring for my wedding and for Matt's graduation and, if he wants to take time off during the Holidays, can't use any vacation between now and when all of us come home. It is sad, however, the upside is that Tina and I will be home for the entire Christmas break. We will miss saying goodbye to Carter, but will do that before we take off. All this just makes me wish my parents would retire and move closer to where we are.
I am also looking forward to finishing the last of the Raymond E. Feist books I checked out from the BYU Library. There are four in the series and I am a little more than half way done with than the fourth. This is the first time since reading Lord of the Rings I have read something that was not a stand alone book. While they are not the greatest when it comes to literary value, they are lots of fun and the story is kind of cool.
Well, I really need to get some stuff done before the kids get here. I will write again soon.
-Chris
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Weekly Roar 10/4/09
Tina and I are glad that one week has come to an end and that another is beginning. We are excited because this week marks the last full week of work before we go up to Idaho to spend the UEA break with Mom, Dad, Casey, and Uncle John and Aunt Lisa. I guess that both of us will just hunker down and tough it out until next Wednesday afternoon when we will get in the car and head for Idaho Falls.
Tina and I enjoyed General Conference. One thing about the conference that has really made me happy is how quickly the sessions have been uploaded to LDS.org. And, as if things could not get any better, the Priesthood session is now available for download. I think this is great. It will make putting them on the old iPod so much easier. I plan on working my way through the sessions starting tomorrow morning on the way to work.
After months of talking about it Tina and I are going to work at the Provo temple. We were interviewed and set apart on Friday afternoon. While we are both very busy, working in the temple will bring great blessings into our lives. Tina feels that this is the only chance we will have to do this for quite some time. She is right. Once the kids come along we will not be able to work as temple workers for a long time. I am looking forward to learning more about the temple. The downside is that Tina has forbade me from working in the cafeteria :-)
On Saturday I filled out two applications to graduate school. Right now I am seriously considering the University of Alabama and Clarion University of Pennsylvania as my top two choices. I am going to apply to a third and possibly a fourth school and then see where the chips fall.
Right now I am leaning towards Alabama. One reason is the program's cost is very reasonable. Another reason is the mascot. A huge Elephant can destroy anything. In all seriousness though, UA is very respected and I have heard that their program is top notch.
This week we are going to get a new calendar to count down the days until we go to Atlanta for Christmas. Tina says I am in charge of that. Right now there is just over two months until we hop on that plane and head to Atlanta for two weeks. It will be good to spend time with the family, especially with our nephew Jack and the greatest miniature schnauzer in the world, our little friend Ebby (Tina wants me to clarify that Ebby is not her friend and that I am one of those "weird dog people" to which I say, "Dogs are people too!").
Well, that's about it from the Rusch's. We will see you next or so.
Chris
Tina and I enjoyed General Conference. One thing about the conference that has really made me happy is how quickly the sessions have been uploaded to LDS.org. And, as if things could not get any better, the Priesthood session is now available for download. I think this is great. It will make putting them on the old iPod so much easier. I plan on working my way through the sessions starting tomorrow morning on the way to work.
After months of talking about it Tina and I are going to work at the Provo temple. We were interviewed and set apart on Friday afternoon. While we are both very busy, working in the temple will bring great blessings into our lives. Tina feels that this is the only chance we will have to do this for quite some time. She is right. Once the kids come along we will not be able to work as temple workers for a long time. I am looking forward to learning more about the temple. The downside is that Tina has forbade me from working in the cafeteria :-)
On Saturday I filled out two applications to graduate school. Right now I am seriously considering the University of Alabama and Clarion University of Pennsylvania as my top two choices. I am going to apply to a third and possibly a fourth school and then see where the chips fall.
Right now I am leaning towards Alabama. One reason is the program's cost is very reasonable. Another reason is the mascot. A huge Elephant can destroy anything. In all seriousness though, UA is very respected and I have heard that their program is top notch.
This week we are going to get a new calendar to count down the days until we go to Atlanta for Christmas. Tina says I am in charge of that. Right now there is just over two months until we hop on that plane and head to Atlanta for two weeks. It will be good to spend time with the family, especially with our nephew Jack and the greatest miniature schnauzer in the world, our little friend Ebby (Tina wants me to clarify that Ebby is not her friend and that I am one of those "weird dog people" to which I say, "Dogs are people too!").
Well, that's about it from the Rusch's. We will see you next or so.
Chris
Friday, October 2, 2009
It's suddenly fall
I love living in Utah. One reason I like living in Utah is that Utah has four distinguishable seasons. It is nice to experience all of them in their fullness as opposed to Georgia which only has two; middle of August and pollen.
Having the seasons is nice. My only complaint is here they do not gracefully transition from one to another. It's like the last day of summer rolls around and the temperature is therefore obligated to drop fifty degrees. It is quite the shock to the system to have months of summer weather with temperatures in the 80s and 90s and then abruptly wake up one morning to a blistering 38 and have ice on your windshield.
The only thing I am asking is a graceful period of transition where one season gradually departs giving to its' incoming brother or sister. That's all I want. I want a slow transition from Summer to fall without being shocked into having to break out the sweaters and the winter coat overnight. Is that too much ask. I think not.
Having the seasons is nice. My only complaint is here they do not gracefully transition from one to another. It's like the last day of summer rolls around and the temperature is therefore obligated to drop fifty degrees. It is quite the shock to the system to have months of summer weather with temperatures in the 80s and 90s and then abruptly wake up one morning to a blistering 38 and have ice on your windshield.
The only thing I am asking is a graceful period of transition where one season gradually departs giving to its' incoming brother or sister. That's all I want. I want a slow transition from Summer to fall without being shocked into having to break out the sweaters and the winter coat overnight. Is that too much ask. I think not.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Nirvana
Once again, I have reached what I like to call "grading nirvana," meaning the period when all grading is over with. Forever. Or, until tomorrow morning. Seriously, I am going a little crazy with the FOUR PREPS AND TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY STUDENTS that I have. I found out today that there was a study that showed that classes are much more effective when they are small. Duh. Even though I reached nirvana a tad late (I was supposed to do it Friday, but there was NO WAY!), I feel really good reaching it! Oh, I just remembered that I have a stack of tests to grade. Sigh . . .
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Weekly Roar
I (Chris) have a new goal. My goal is to post at least once every week to our blog. It shall hence forth be named the weekly roar. It will be more or less an account of the interesting and not so interesting things we have done during the past week, or so, depending on how I am feeling what I feel like writing about, so here goes.
Well, the weather is changing here in Provo. It is the middle of September and for the first time in months I got out a jacket. We were heading out the door for the Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band concert in Orem when Tina wondered out loud if she needed a jacket. She decided she did and I decided to grab one as well. I wasn't sure if I needed it but was glad I decided to follow my wife's lead because it did get a little chilly. Not blisteringly cold mind you, but cold enough to be glad you had a good sweater with you.
The change in weather also makes me happy because it means that it won't be much longer until I will be able to break out the sweaters Tina's father gave me at Thanksgiving. Over the years he had amassed an impressive collection of sweaters that he can no longer wear. So, at Thanksgiving he gave them away. I cam away with a lot of them and Tina can attest to the fact that I love them and am excited for the weather to turn cold so I can wear them again.
Tina and I have been pretty busy with work. While my job is pretty intense while the kids are at school, Tina has the tougher job. This year she has four preps for four different classes. She is teaching two regular history classes and two gifted history classes with all that comes along with that. I saw the number of papers she had to go through and grade this weekend and could not help but feel for her because there was nothing I could do to help. So, I folded the laundry. I guess in a round about way that helps.
Our families are doing well all things considered. I have not yet convinced my parents to come out this fall to visit. I would really like to see them before Christmas, but based on the way that my dad's travel schedule is looking I am not so optimistic. I guess I can live with waiting a little over three months to see my family. Thankfully Tina's family is nearby and we will see them frequently as Carter and Colby are in school at the BY academy, Matt and Nathan are close by, and we are going to make some trips home to Idaho Falls as we feel the need to scratch our itch to get out of town.
Yesterday and today were stake conference. I like stake conference. Partly it is because instead of three hours of meetings come Sunday we only have to endure two hours. It is a nice break. Also, we were blessed to have a general authority come to our conference. I liked him. Anyone who frequently references Truman Madsen is okay by me. In all seriousness he was very good. Some of the things he said really caught my attention but I will not go into those here.
Well, that is about it. Tina and I are looking forward to Monday and Friday nights respectively. Tomorrow night (Monday) we are going to have dinner and family home evening with Taylor and Katie up in Lehi. On Friday night we are going out with some other couples in the ward to celebrate a birthday. Speaking of friends, I am really excited that my old friend Ryan and his wife Liesl will be moving to somewhere in the Provo/Orem area. I don't know where they are going to move, but once they come down here it will be so much easier to see them. I am excited because now I will have someone who will be excited to go with me to the comic book store.
So there you have it. All the goings on of the Rusches from my perspective.
Until Next Week.
Well, the weather is changing here in Provo. It is the middle of September and for the first time in months I got out a jacket. We were heading out the door for the Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band concert in Orem when Tina wondered out loud if she needed a jacket. She decided she did and I decided to grab one as well. I wasn't sure if I needed it but was glad I decided to follow my wife's lead because it did get a little chilly. Not blisteringly cold mind you, but cold enough to be glad you had a good sweater with you.
The change in weather also makes me happy because it means that it won't be much longer until I will be able to break out the sweaters Tina's father gave me at Thanksgiving. Over the years he had amassed an impressive collection of sweaters that he can no longer wear. So, at Thanksgiving he gave them away. I cam away with a lot of them and Tina can attest to the fact that I love them and am excited for the weather to turn cold so I can wear them again.
Tina and I have been pretty busy with work. While my job is pretty intense while the kids are at school, Tina has the tougher job. This year she has four preps for four different classes. She is teaching two regular history classes and two gifted history classes with all that comes along with that. I saw the number of papers she had to go through and grade this weekend and could not help but feel for her because there was nothing I could do to help. So, I folded the laundry. I guess in a round about way that helps.
Our families are doing well all things considered. I have not yet convinced my parents to come out this fall to visit. I would really like to see them before Christmas, but based on the way that my dad's travel schedule is looking I am not so optimistic. I guess I can live with waiting a little over three months to see my family. Thankfully Tina's family is nearby and we will see them frequently as Carter and Colby are in school at the BY academy, Matt and Nathan are close by, and we are going to make some trips home to Idaho Falls as we feel the need to scratch our itch to get out of town.
Yesterday and today were stake conference. I like stake conference. Partly it is because instead of three hours of meetings come Sunday we only have to endure two hours. It is a nice break. Also, we were blessed to have a general authority come to our conference. I liked him. Anyone who frequently references Truman Madsen is okay by me. In all seriousness he was very good. Some of the things he said really caught my attention but I will not go into those here.
Well, that is about it. Tina and I are looking forward to Monday and Friday nights respectively. Tomorrow night (Monday) we are going to have dinner and family home evening with Taylor and Katie up in Lehi. On Friday night we are going out with some other couples in the ward to celebrate a birthday. Speaking of friends, I am really excited that my old friend Ryan and his wife Liesl will be moving to somewhere in the Provo/Orem area. I don't know where they are going to move, but once they come down here it will be so much easier to see them. I am excited because now I will have someone who will be excited to go with me to the comic book store.
So there you have it. All the goings on of the Rusches from my perspective.
Until Next Week.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ah, the joys of home ownership
So for the last little while, our tub has completely grossed me out. The caulk has been what I call gross-o. I have explained to Chris that there is a difference between "gross," which just means that it looks nasty, and "gross-o," which mean that it completely makes me want to gag. Our tub was gross-o. We went to Home Depot and got the supplies needed. Then we took off the gross-o caulk, and replaced it with good caulk. It now makes it so that I can shower without gagging, which is always a good thing! The best part is that we had a gift card to get the supplies, so we did not even need to spend money on the venture!
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