Boring

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, it is just that we haven't been doing anything!  I (Emily) only have 12 days of school left until summer :)  I really don't think that I have EVER been more excited for summer- I guarantee I want it more than the students.  As for my summer plans- I plan to do nothing!  We have lots of fun trips planned for the summer, and as the teacher I have to go to trainings and be there a few weeks earlier than my students anyway.  I figure nobody will hire me for 2 months!  Best part of being a teacher is that even though I won't be working, my paycheck will still come!

Zack decided to take a few more weeks to study for the MCAT and now will be taking it on June 17th.  Please keep him in your prayers and your fingers crossed for him.  His school at BYU has been over since the end of April but you would never guess that since he is at school studying all day for the MCAT.  He has been taking practice tests like crazy and is doing very well.  I know it will pay off when he takes the real one!

This weekend I was able to throw a baby shower for my good friend Shauna.  She is having a little boy in June so we decided it was high time to shower her with some gifts!  We went with the theme "She's about to POP!"  I found it on a website and loved the idea.  Here is a picture of the food:

Everything we served had to do with the theme.  We served: POP tarts, POPsicles, soda POP, POP corn, blow POPs and bakerella's fabulous cake POPS.  Definitely a different menu for a baby shower but fun all of the same.  We played some really fun games including matching celebrity couples with their babies and guessing the circumference of Shauna's belly- I won!!  It was pretty fun :)  Here is a picture of me, Shauna, and the great girls that threw the shower with me.

One Year Ago...

A year ago today, I was in China.  My first month there was very difficult for me.  I remember walking around the city one night with Zack, and bursting into tears telling him how much I wanted to go home and how I had no idea how I was going to be able to survive 3 more months of that!

By the end of our summer, I didn't want to go!  Zack and I say everyday how much we want to go back!  We are so lucky to have been able to see so many wonders of the world and that I was able to live in a different culture.  Here are some photos from our first week there!

This is a really cool map that was in the Korean airport.   SO close to landing in China, yet so far away....

Here's Zack trying to get internet at our apartment for the summer.  (No, it did not work- stinky internet cafe's for us!)  We lived at the corner of Jiaozhou Lu and Wuding Lu, in the Jing'An district.  It was a great place!  We were right in the center of Shanghai- close to many malls, temples, and subway stations.  We LOVED living there.

Here is the view from our balcony.  We would her bells and horns at all hours of the day!  Traffic there was insane!

This is Haibao, he is the mascot for the World Expo in China this summer.  He was EVERYWHERE!!  If you ask me, he should be on an add for toothpaste, but he is still pretty cute.  Zack and I would love nothing more than to go to the expo this summer, so if anyone has a plane ticked to China for us- don't hesitate to call!

This is Zack and I at Bali park, which is right across the street from the Jing'An temple.  It was beautiful and we were very lucky to live so close to it.  Grass is a rare commodity in China, so it was nice to always be able to walk around there.

Zack found his FAVORITE food from his mission in Japan.  It is called Okonomiyaki.  Basically has a lot of mayo and dried fish scales.  Not my cup of tea, but whatever makes this boy happy!

Yes, unfortunately another favorite past-time of ours was eating at McDonald's.  Hey, it was the cheapest in the world!  This is me on our 3rd day in China not so impressed with the drink size in their large combo.  It is equivalent to the kiddie size in the US.

Westlake High School

Today I got a GREAT phone call!  I applied a little while ago to work at Westlake High school.  I interviewed last week and I felt very good about it- wouldn't change a thing!  Today they called to let me know that they would like me to teach there next year!  I told them YES :)

Here is some more info. on the job:
-I will be teaching Clothing 1&2, Foods 1&2, and Interior Design
-This school is BRAND NEW.  This school year is its first.  Which means ALL new labs and sewing machines :)
-High School (grades 10-12)
-Alpine School District
-The only downside is that it is a little far away (it is in Saratoga Springs) but it will be WELL worth the commute!

I can't wait!!  Go Thunder!

Arrgh Matey!

A friend of mine emailed this picture to me a few days ago and it was just to good to not post!  A few months ago my friend Anna had a 'girls only' birthday dinner.  A bunch of us got together to eat at Pirate O's.  It was a little overpriced but fun company and a great atmosphere.  We had fun being kids again with our pirate hats and playing arcade games when it was over.  I blew all my money on a bunch of fruities :)  Thanks for having us Anna!  It was a great night!

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was busy but fun!  Friday night we went out to dinner with my cousins!  We went to eat at India Palace.  A great little indian place on center street in Provo.  It was delicious and we had a great time!  After eating we watched Avatar.  Zack and I STILL hadn't seen it (because lets be honest, on face value alone- it looks so stupid!).  Zack really liked it, I thought it was ok.  I liked it but I would never feel the need to sit down again to a movie that is 2 hrs. and 45 min!  It was a fun night. 

Saturday my whole family got together for a 'farewell' meal to say goodbye to Ryan and Becky.  They will be moving to Colorado next weekend and we are really going to miss them!!  We ate at Bonsai Grill in Sandy.  I had never been there before but it was so good!  Zack loved it of course because it was Japanese food.  

Sunday was my niece Alison's blessing.  It was fun to be with the family for two days in a row! 

You can call me President

because I have just been called as the Relief Society President of my ward!  It is a little humbling and overwhelming but I am also really excited to be more involved in my ward and with the sisters in it.  I remember being newly-married (yes, I realize I STILL am newly married, but compared to some of these 3 month couples in our ward, I'm a veteran!) and feeling like you all the suddent had no friends except for your husband and the transistion was a little difficult.  How do I make friends with married people?  Uh...can we have your number?  There is an episode of King of Queens where Doug and Carrie hang out at Home Depot by the paint to make cool new married friends...and I completely identify!  It is a different time and I hope that while I'm President that I can make friends with all the girls and that I can help foster activities and other things where they can meet other girls too!  It will be a lot of work with a ward that changes over people every 4 months- but I know I can do it with the help of my great Bishop, awesome counselors/secretary, and of course my Savior.  Wish me luck!  And comments, suggestions or ideas will be appreciated!

In other news....Zack has his last final tomorrow and he is home free from school until August!  We are really excited for that.  He will take the MCAT on Thursday May 27th and my last day of school is May 28th, then we are off to St. George for Memorial Day weekend!  I only have 6 more weeks of school :)  Technically 5 since the last week is full of short days and 7 Peaks!  I am probably more excited than the students are!  Otherwise we are just having a grand old time and are loving this warm weather!  

Guess who came to visit!

That's right- the Easter Bunny!! 

Emily got lots of jelly beans, candy, gummi bears and of course a chocolate bunny!
Zack got sour patch kids, beef jerky, mixed nuts and a pack of 'plackers' to floss when he's at school!  He loves flossing so much!  Ha ha.

On Friday night we dyed Easter Eggs with the Phillips!  We had a fun time wrapping them in tape to come up with cool patterns and designs. 

The rest of the weekend we have enjoyed relaxing at home listening to the messages of our prophets.  We have heard lots of great messages about our Savior and his atonement.  Its been a great weekend!