A Good Man

I like Jacob because...

He was the turkey at my turkey trot.

The kids were obsessed with him.

Owen and Drew fought over who got to cuddle with him.

Thank goodness they knew they couldn't mess with me.

He's great at the spray bottle game.

He teaches kids cool things.

He's cute.

And we're awkward.

 And because I like him.

Mission Accomplished

It's impossible to win these guys hearts over with hugs and kisses

Especially when they have such a cool uncle that plays video games 24/7

Til this beauty came along

 I've been in a Children's Literature class this semester and let's just say it's changed my life.

Somehow, I'm gonna be a Children's author and illustrator.

At least for my own children!

Anyway, I whipped out this old book from my childhood, remembering that it taught me absolutely nothing and it was straight up weird and hilarious.

Max and Briant are my closest in proximity nephews. But like I said, not so close at heart. Not their fault really, I should have known little boys don't want hugs and kisses from their aunts! That only works with the nieces.

I was getting closer to winning them over when I played speed in basketball with them. But they kept beating me so I knew that had to end.

They were over one night, and I started reading this to them.

They scoffed at all the silly situations, laughed at the ridiculous voices I used, and were sucked in to say the least.

We finished the book in two visits, despite my aching voice from reading so much. I kept trying to stop but they begged me to keep reading!

And that's when I felt that rush of joy teachers keep telling me about; to see kids grasping knowledge and loving it.

This book may not be a nonfiction documentary or whatever, but stories are wonderful. And how are kids supposed to learn to love reading unless they start with something they like?!

The cherry on top: I even got TWO hugs from Max that night! Sincere hugs without force on my part...


So moral of the story: read this to your children.
Unless you're one of my sisters, then wait for me to get to read it to them please!

A Few Pictures A Day...

Make up for zero posts in the last 9 months..

Married Friends

  Mrs. Sunderhaus

Mrs. Freeman

Mrs. Neilson

It's kind of a wonderful thing! I love to be cheesy and hear them talk about the blessings of marriage, and see the love between them and their husbands.
It doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would to have friends right and left getting engaged, and married.
Everything seems just right. :)

Life is Life and I Like It

Life is wonderful.

Just to name a few things..

I own a Jeep (officially paid off as of tonight :)).

Raddest wheels on the road.

I love my ward friends.

We have fun in California, Mexico, Flagstaff, and Mesa.

I love the prodigy artists in the classes I get to teach.

Seriously... a 6 year old drew this!

I love seeing my parents walk along the beach.

How am I so blessed to be raised by them?

Oh.. and this guy comes home exactly a week from today!!!

 Sometimes he writes haikus in his letters.

Here's my favorite from a couple of weeks ago.

Four short weeks we'll see

It won't be too long until

You and I are we!

So basically:

The Holidays are coming up, the weather is cooling down.

I'm rereading the Harry Potter books, I'm obsessed with my family.

Cole is learning the ukulele, two of my sisters are gonna have babies! (Candace & Tami <3>

This semester is winding down, and I get hugs from my recess kids everyday.

Institute inspires me more and more every week, with the words of our Living Prophets.

Scholarship money is such a blessing, and Jacob comes home.

I can't see how my future could look any brighter than it does right now :)

(And that's saying a lot because my present is already pretty bright).

fun.

It does come in handy to have the most famous-people-savvy best friend in the world! Skyler won tickets to hang out with fun. at 101.5 and she invited me as her guest! And it was fun! Nate (lead singer, right) does have the dreamiest voice ever but Jack (left) and Andrew (middle) are my favorite personality-wise for sure.

Better Than I

Song of the day, it's from "Joseph King of Dreams". I can't describe how much this song means to me.

Heavenly Father knows and loves me. I must love him back by trusting him. Then all will be well no matter what comes my way :)

My What a Happy Day

Life is just so wonderful! Here's a billion pictures of proof why, in no particular order.

First of all, I haven't been able to get this delightful tune out of my head for days! Soak up the goodness. Fun & Fancy Free.

Check it out, my LAMINATED and OFFICIAL name is on the P.E. office door!! Right under the two P.E. teachers and Student Teacher.. nevermind that mine's the smallest.. I love my job i love my job I love my job. I can't believe I get paid to play with children at recess all day everyday. I think about how blessed I am to have this job everyday on the way home. And it's just a cherry on top that my title is "Miss Martindale" :).

Gorgeous weather calls for nothing other than rollerblading with Skyler. And rollerblading with Skyler calls for nothing other than taking pictures of beautiful flowers in random front yards.

Speaking of gorgeous weather, this boy doesn't seem to be in it in Ukraine.. yes, that is frost on his eyelashes. And his hat (which is originally brown). Nothing like -20 degrees, right?! Anyway, I love this picture and this boy isn't too bad either.. :)

I love my sisters! Shout out to Shauna (3rd from the left) and Tami (far right). They're PREGNANT! I will never get over this excitement, no matter how many nieces and nephews I have. Shauna is on to #4, and Tami is now pregnant with #11 (she was pregnant with twins in this picture last April). CAN'T WAIT!

My 1st official close friend to be engaged, Sydnee! This is a big deal. I am soo excited for her and love her! Syd is one of the coolest girls I am friends with, but she's the best because she's never too cool for anyone. So many good times: from Sydona to our amazing Prom Group, and forever my friend!

What's that? Another engaged friend? Here goes Jessica! She is super in love and I definitely support that. Especially when I get the honor of being a bridesmaid! Some wonderful times with her are Choir Trips and her Big Role in the school play! I have always had a special connection with Jess and seriously couldn't be happier for her :)

One time I got lost trying to find the right field to play ultimate frisbee but it was worth it because I ran in to the Society for Creative Anachronism. They are super intense and wonderful. I'm thinking about joining myself..

My backyard is one of my favorite places on earth. Particularly when our grass is so luscious! And when we put in a new volleyball net! I love this place.

Korean exchange students? Sure why not! Chris & Vicky (their chosen American names) stayed with us for 3 weeks and it was such a fun, cultural experience! Kimchi will forever be the most disgusting smelling food on the planet but other than that, we seriously loved having these guys around! It felt good to have a bigger family at home :) They really fit right in if you couldn't tell..

The Sittons brought me along one weekend to run a 10K Marathon in Sedona! I didn't train at all but i did much better than expected! Here's Sky and I feeling the energy and power of Sedona. Such a gorgeous town.

Woke up on Valentine's day to a mass text from my friend Maeser informing me that I had to tweet about Arizona every hour. #AZCentennial #Protectingthemotherland #AZPride. I truly felt SO much love for my dear home state that day. I even took the time to fine my Arizona name. I love Arizona.

So that's life! Scattered and lovely!