Kiersten!

Kiersten - if you read this, need an invite to view your blog!! I'm dying to see what you've been up to! janelletingey04@gmail.com Thanks!!!

Vacation

I haven't posted in a while because I've been on VACATION!! It was wonderful. I drove with my family to a little mountain place in California called Pinecrest. My aunt and uncle have a cabin there, and my family tries to go every summer. I haven't been back there for about 8 years and I missed it so much! I got to see a bunch of places that I used to live, and it brought back a bunch of memories for me! I was so bummed that Kirk was not able to go - he couldn't get out of work and school. But, I'm dragging him with me next year for sure!

This is a picture of the cabin we stayed at which was right next to the lake

And here is a picture of the lake! It is so beautiful.

Here's a picture of me, brother Mitch, and nephew Drew on our first hike


Here's the whole fam - minus Jill.

Brad and I jamming to Jack Johnson in the middle of the forest.
Just hangin' out with Bigfoot at the Strawberry General Store


This is the town of Twain Harte where my family used to live. It was named after Mark Twain and Bret Harte. It's such a tiny town, but we all loved it!

This was one of the house we lived in. I sprained my knee and my ankle at this house!

This is our second house in the area - my step-dad killed a bear in the front yard!!

This is my elementary school! I wish I would have taken a picture of my very first band room :)

Overall, it was a wonderful vacation. It was so great to see my step-sister Julie and her husband Joey again! I hope I get to go back to Pinecrest every summer!

Strawberry Whipped Sensation

So, I haven't really posted in a while because I haven't been doing anything - and I love it!!! School is out for the summer, so I've decided to sleep in, relax, read books, and do whatever I want. It has been wonderful, but not anything that I can really post about. But, I did find this amazing recipe!! It is so easy and soooo yummy. It's also great for summer, and it looks beautiful!

4 cups fresh strawberries, divided
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
10 Oreo cookies, finely chopped
1 tbs. butter, melted

LINE 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Mash 2 cups of the strawberries in large bowl. Add condensed milk, juice and 2 cups of the whipped topping; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.

MIX chopped cookies and butter. Spoon over whipped topping mixture. Cover with ends of foil and gently press cookie mixture into whipped topping mixture. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

INVERT dessert onto serving plate when ready to serve; remove pan and foil. Spread remaining whipped topping onto top and sides of dessert. Slice remaining 2 cups strawberries; arrange over dessert. Store leftovers in freezer.


The oreo crust is what makes it insanely yummy! We served it to a bunch of people and they all loved it! And just a note - it really does need the whole six hours to freeze. Give it a try!!

Leatherby's

A new Ice cream shop opened up in town called Leatherby's. Kirk and I were on a date and we decided to check it out. I could not believe how expensive it was!!! You had to give them an arm and a leg just for a milkshake! So, being the poor couple that we are, we decided to split a milkshake. It took us a little bit to realize how cheesey we looked, but I decided to capture the moment anyway. :)

I love it!

Crazy Nephew

A week ago, Kirk and I were in Boise for our newest nephews - Michael- blessing. Isn't he adorable?


Well, the day of his blessing, his older brother Brennan smashed his finger in the door right before church. He was crying and it was very dramatic. :) Well, after many hugs and kisses from his parents, and a bandaid, he seemed to be doing alright. But, little kids always want to show off whenever they have a bandaid, and Brennan was no different. Here he is in Sacrament meeting showing Uncle Kirk and I his hurt finger. :)
Isn't that hilarious?! We just about died laughing when he showed his "owie" to us!

Beginning Band

Yesterday, my 6th grade Beginning Band had their very first concert ever! We played fabulous songs like When the Saints Go Marching In, and Lightly Row. They were so great! One of them asked me before the concert, "Mrs. Tingey, is it normal to feel like you're going to throw up?" They were really nervous! They played the concert during the school day in front of all of their classmates. Here are a bunch of pictures:


They worked so hard, and I'm so proud of them! Some days I think that I have the coolest job in the world. :)

Mr. Darcy

Growing up, I never even cared about Jane Austen or Pride and Prejudice. Luckily, I had a wonderful roommate in college (Adrian) who introduced me to the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. I have been in love with it ever since!! I've watched it at least a dozen times since - and since it is so long that is no small feat. I think that I fall in love with Mr. Darcy every time!! And who could blame me?!

Now, because I love the movie so much I have been scared to read the actual book. What if I didn't like it?! Could I really claim to be a Pride and Prejudice fan? Well, today I can say that I've officially finished Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and I think that I loved every minute of reading it! What a wonderful book! I know that books are always better than the movies, and that is even more true with this book! So, if you haven't read it, go out and read it. I would like to start another Jane Austen book. I was thinking of Emma or Sense and Sensibility - any suggestions?

My Dearest Hubby

So, today I've decided that husbands are wonderful. Well, I actually decided this long ago, but today I was more aware of those feelings. I had a really long day at school, and afterwards had to spend a million dollars at the dentist office. I was bummed about going home to an empty house because my husband would still be at work, and I knew that our house was a wreck. Well, I walked in to find all of our laundry folded and put away, the bed made, and the house picked up. I was able to just sit, relax, and watch American Idol without stressing about my house! He just seems to always know when it's going to be a long day for me, and does everything he can to make it better! How did I ever get so lucky? :)

Singing

One of the great parts about my job as a teacher is that I get to teach grades 5-12. I only do band with the 7-12 graders, but my 5th and 6th graders I do band and general music with. I love doing the general music classes! We get to sing fun songs, play a bunch of musical games, and in the process I hope they learn a little bit about music. Sometimes it's a little hard to get kids to want to just sit and sing a bunch of songs in a row - so, to make it more exciting I had them sing their songs in a bunch of different ways: tongue out, lying on the floor, backwards in their chairs, and everyones favorite - upside down. The kids thought it was the craziest thing ever! - They are so easy to please :) I just got to sit and watch them attempt these songs upside-down, so I thought I would take a few pictures
The kids had a blast - and they were excited about singing all of the songs we needed to learn!

My Guitar Hero

Okay, so I may have stolen this picture from my sister-in-laws blog, but I just couldn't resist. I have the cutest nephew ever! Here we are together playing Guitar Hero, and he absolutely loved it! He was the cutest thing to watch. He was sticking his tongue out the entire time because he was really trying to concentrate! I love getting to spend time with my nieces and nephews any chance I get.

Favorite Past-time

A new thing that Kirk and I love to do is feed the ducks. We live in a beautiful part of town - right next to the temple and some beautiful water falls. It is a very peaceful place, and we love to go there with a big bag of bread and feed all of the ducks and geese and other weird birds that decide to show up. Kirk took a picture of me throwing some bread - it was dark so the lighting is not very good.

And the backdrop to the water is beautiful - the Idaho Falls Temple reflects so nicely that we took a bunch of pictures last night.

We absolutely love living in this area - especially now that we get to feed the ducks!! :)

Weekend Home

It's always so much fun to go home! We never want to leave once we're there. We had a really great weekend in Kaysville, Utah. It was my Grandma's 80th Birthday Party, and all my brothers and sisters came home for it. Kirk was in heaven because he actually got to golf for the first time this season, and he rode some motorcycles and four-wheelers. I never seem to get any pictures of myself in there because I'm always the one taking the pictures!!

Here's Kirk with my two brothers and my step-dad about to go golfing!

Here he is with his golf clubs Just a side note - Kirk had the best score golfing!!! My brother Brad came in a close second. This is a good start to the golfing season.

Here is Kirk again on the four-wheeler with our nephew Drew. They were trying to do "mean" faces. That's the only way Drew would let us take a picture :)

Here's some pictures of my brothers Brad and Mitch on the motorcycle. Not long after these pictures were taken Mitchell crashed on the motorcycle, and the bike stopped running. Way to go Mitch!!

Here is a little video I took of Kirk on the four-wheeler. He was a little afraid to go up the hill that you see, but he finally got the courage to do it. He was like a little boy when he came in the house and said, "You have to come outside and watch me do this!!" It was really cute.

And I thought this last picture was a very handsome one of Kirk, so that's why I'm including it.

Overall, we had a very nice weekend, and a wonderful break from the grind.