Home away from home

View from the door

Front corner of the room

View from the students' desks of me saying "Put that cell phone up before I confiscate it!"

My desk is in the back left corner

Here are some pictures of my classroom, where I spend most of my waking hours. Now when you are wondering what I am doing at that very moment you can visualize a location.

School starts Monday

It seems like school just ended, but sure enough, I will have 130 new kiddos in my class on Monday. I spent the last 3 days up at school preparing and I am ready. Bring it on!

New job, new wheels

Chad wanted to show the floors of the car

I'm in most of these pictures too, since Chad had the camera and it's "technically" my car

This is how the back seats fold up on the wall, although they can also be completely removed

Note to self: close doors before driving

So last week when Chad and I were in Phoenix for my AP Institute Chad found out that he got the job with Airevac as a flight medic. Yay!!!!!! So that was Monday...and then we realized we needed a second car. Chad and I have gone almost an entire year with one vehicle and it has worked out pretty well, but we are at the point where we need two cars again. So after I got finished with my class every day at 3:30, we would go car shopping until pretty much the dealerships were closed. In 114 degree heat that can be a little exhausting. If you are interested in the whole story about how we got our car I will tell it to you another time, but since most of you probably don't care a wit I'm just posting pictures. Let me just preface this by saying that I have loved Honda Elements since they came out a few years ago and pretty much had my mind set on one. Then I'll say that in all of Phoenix we found about two used Elements at dealerships that were in our price range, one of which smelled like an ashtray. We did not get the ash tray. So here are pictures of our new car which I love. If you want to know more about it you can just give me a call sometime.

Climbing Granite Mountain

Man, I loved that tree

On the top...pretty tired

Me viewing our nice little town

Peeking through a tree that burned in a forest fire around 30 years ago

Pictures, as promised. The reason they're mostly of me is because Chad was practicing his photography skills and had the camera most of the time. I particularly liked the shot he took of the agave plant so I included that as well.

Playing catch-up

Chad really did help paddle, he's just posing at the moment.
I headed up the front of the boat.

Apparently, the ducks don't like to be chased.

Okay, well quite a few things have happened in the past couple of weeks so now I am trying to play catch-up. Here are a few pictures of us paddling on Lynx Lake here in town (thanks for letting us use your canoe, Alan) and the above post will be pictures of climbing Granite Mountain. Alan's parents went with us, and were very impressive on the hike. I believe it was around 9 miles for the whole trip, and much of it was boulder-hopping and climbing. Way to go Alan's parents!

Bonnie & Dad at Erin & Josh's house

Kellen playing

Well, right now Chad is up at church doing something with a jackhammer...I think they are putting in a sprinkler system and new sod. So I am up here at the library posting to the blog. On Sunday we will head to Phoenix (where the high today is 115...yikes) for the Advanced Placement Institute I will be attending until Thursday. Here are some pictures dad sent of Kellen & Bonnie from his recent trip to Texas.

What else are sisters-in-law for?

Next on "What if they mated?" Shawn Montandon and Elvira

I noticed that Emma "forgot" to post any pictures of this monumental performance (Or was forbidden to do so). I think that Chad used some sort of Jedi mind trick on Shawn because otherwise I can't see him doing this, but it was hilarious. This is just to give you a visual to go with Emma's story. You're welcome, Shawn!

Chad & Lesley about to go off the zipline.

Chad & Elle being silly

Shawn, Elle, Emma & Lesley on top of Johnson's Mesa (Chad was on duty back at camp)

The very first fire of the entire summer

Shawn saying "gig 'em!" before he swings

Here are some more pictures from Blue Haven. The picture of Shawn, Emma, Elle & me on top of Johnson's is interesting because we got up there after having to change a shredded tire on one of the other teacher's trucks. I guess that will teach us not to borrow things from other people.

Where did the summer go?

Chad getting ready to swing "Superman Style"

Lesley, mid-swing

Chad & Elle on our porch

Elle & Callie, the camp cat, on our porch

Our humble abode for our two weeks at camp

We got home from Blue Haven last Friday evening and I just realized I have about 2 weeks until I go back for inservice at school. I can't believe the summer has flown by so fast. We had a great time visiting with Chad's grandparents in Lubbock, and we also got to see Brandi and Keith, her fiance. Brandi and I decided it has been almost two years since we saw each other. So it was really good to catch up with her and talk about their upcoming wedding in August.

Then, we went to Amarillo for a couple days for Matt's wedding which was also fun. After about an hour at the reception we decided we needed to leave if we wanted to get to Blue Haven at a decent hour--luckily we gained an hour on our way there and got to Blue Haven around 10:30 p.m.

Our time at Blue Haven was fun. Chad was especially busy as the camp nurse. I had a little more freedom since I was only "nurse's helper." It sounds made up but it was harder than it seemed. We had a good time with Shawn, Emma and Elle and seeing other Blue Haven people that we hadn't really spent any time with since we were counselors. We both were asked to do devos for the 4 7th and 8th grade cabins (split up by boys and girls) and we also squeezed in a little time at the challenge course. They've got this huge swing now and a zipline which we both did. It was a lot of fun. Of course now I'm going through Blue Haven withdrawal, which you think would have subsided now that I'm almost 25 years old, but no. Here are some pictures of our time at Blue Haven.

Chad is on his way to Phoenix right now for an interview with a company called AirEvac. He is interviewing for a flight medic position opening up here. Please keep him in your prayers.

I think that's about it for now.

Last post for a while

Hey guys, This will probably be my last post for a while. Chad says the blog has too many words and not enough pictures (which he could DEFINITELY add to if he wanted to join in!) so I'm posting a couple pictures of us from the Bluegrass festival we went to this weekend.

Look how excited Chad is about being at the Bluegrass festival.

This picture could be from anywhere...

...so this picture proves we were there.

We leave for Lubbock tomorrow and will be at Blue Haven by late Saturday night. I have heard an ugly rumor that there is now wireless internet at Blue Haven, so I might be able to post while I'm up there, but I've always liked the fact that you are pretty much cut off from the outside world while you're up there, so even if the wireless thing is true I don't know if I'll use it. We'll have to see. Anyway, that's it for now. We'll be back in civilization around July 14th, so check back then. Keep us in your prayers as we drive quite a bit in the next few weeks.

Now's the time!

Well, it's almost time for us to leave for Blue Haven. This reminds me of the days when I was a camper and I used to solicit mail from everyone I knew about a week in advance so I would get mail up there. As many of you know, the mail service is very slow. For those of you who are interested in sending Chad and me mail while we are at Blue Haven, the address is:

Chad & Lesley Montandon
c/o Camp Blue Haven
HC 81, Box 304
Las Vegas, NM 87701

I used to get letters at the end of the first week I was there from my mom saying stuff like, "I don't really know what to write about since you're still at home and you know everything that is going on. Cricket says hi and misses you." Which wasn't really true because our cat, Cricket, really couldn't care less about me since I used to pull her tail and chase her when she was a kitten. But it was the thought that counted.

Our trip will begin next Tuesday when we drive (allllll day long) to Lubbock, spend a couple days with family and friends there, and then make our way Friday to Amarillo for Matt's wedding. Chad is a groomsman so I'll have to occupy myself somehow while they are doing male bonding stuff which includes picking up tuxes, playing golf, the married guys giving Matt the straight dope about what being married is like, etc. Then Saturday night after the wedding we'll be driving to Blue Haven late into the night and will be there for the next two weeks. It should be a good time. So, you won't see any more blog posts on here after Monday but I should have some more pictures to post in a few weeks, including some of our lot in the Blue Canyon that we intend to build a cabin on someday!

Back in Arizona

After my trip to Texas Dad, Ginny & Mackenzie came to visit me in Arizona. The picture of dad and me is in Sedona at a place called Chapel of the Holy Cross and the picture of just me is at the Grand Canyon.

Pictures

I'm attaching some pictures from my trip...here they are.

I pulled out the camera and Kellen automatically said "Cheese!" Think he's been trained?

The other pictures are Kellen's first trip to the movies, me holding Bonnie at Bonnie's first trip to the movies, Kellen's first try at Vietnamese food (he liked it), and my dear friend Emily with her 6 month old son, Tobin.

I'm back...again

Hey everyone, my adventures with seeing my family are over and I am now back in Prescott. I have some pictures but I am up at school and don't have time right now to upload them, so look for them later. I've had a very busy few weeks seeing my mom, grandparents, Erin, Josh, Kellen, Bonnie, Sara, Emily & Tobin, and Dad, Ginny & Mackenzie. This past week was spent in Sedona with dad and we made little day trips to places like the Grand Canyon, Wupatki ruins, Sunset Crater, Montezuma Castle & Well, etc. After being in Texas for a couple weeks I forgot how much stronger the Arizona sun is and got a little bit of a burn after being at the pool for only about 30 minutes...oops. Yesterday everyone else got to go see some really cool petroglyphs while I was holed up in the hotel with a stomach bug--not a very fun way to end the vacation. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to see everyone on my side of the family and some friends too. Chad comes back home today and got to see most of his family as well. Our next trip will be in about a week and a half, for 2 1/2 weeks to Lubbock, Amarillo, and Blue Haven. I'll post pictures soon.

This is the life

Sorry it's been a few days. I know for some of you, whether or not I post on my blog is really the deciding factor on whether or not you have a good day. So, in case you're one of those people, I thought I'd let y'all know what I've been up to the past few days. Friday was my last day at work, and I didn't waste any time getting to Texas to see my family. I flew in Saturday and Chad picked me up at the airport and I've been visiting my mom and grandparents since then. Sunday we took a quick trip to Tulsa to see some long lost relatives I'd never met before (my grandmother's brother J.R. and others) and I got to see my good friend Sara. She is teaching math at a junior high in Tulsa and also doing yearbook. We laughed a lot sharing stories about our students and our adventures as first-year yearbook advisers. Sara is a lot braver than I am though--she's actually doing yearbook a second year. Good job Sara. Anyway, on our way back we were close to Shawn and Emma so we dropped by their place for a quick visit. Elle served tea in tiny little cups and I read her a few books, then we were on our way. Since then it's pretty much been shopping and eating at good restaurants. Today we went to two art museums and that was pretty fun. Sorry for the lack of pictures lately. By the way, both of my sisters-in-law succumbed to the pressure of blogging and the links to both their blogs appear to the right. I probably won't be posting as many pictures of the kids now that they have their own blogs to post. I'll be visiting Erin, Josh, Kellen and Bonnie next week, and also my friends Emily and Matt and their son Tobin, so look for pictures of all of them soon.

By the way, I have been sleeping until 10 every morning. I'm liking this summers off thing.

Sigh of relief

Well, it's over. My first year of teaching has officially passed. It's funny--I get mistaken for a student every once in a while, but today I got mistaken for a high school student twice at places off campus. I know that someday on the last day of school when I have a lot more years of teaching behind me I will think back to the day I finished my first year and the waitress at Chili's asked me if I was graduating from high school that day.

It seems a little anti-climactic to me--how quickly everyone, students and teachers alike, goes their separate ways. I have been counting down to this day for so long--one of my senior yearbook editors teased me all year that she was supposed to be the one counting down, not me. Now that it's over, it's a little weird. I'm not sad though--I know I'll see most of my old students around campus next year, and it will be good to see 150 new faces in the fall. The best thing about teaching, I have decided, is that there is always a new beginning, and there is always an end. I get to reflect back on what worked this year and what didn't, both with my teaching and my classroom management, and start over fresh in the fall. Until then, I get to enjoy eight weeks off seeing family and friends, going to Blue Haven and relaxing. I've decided it doesn't get much better than that.

The mischievous one

Every couple weeks Emily sends a picture of Riley getting into some kind of trouble, usually involving Josey. Here is a picture of her latest antics. That's lip gloss that Grammie gave Riley for Christmas that Riley is putting on Josey.

The countdown is on!

Okay, it is officially the last week of school. This Saturday I will be in Weatherford...I'm counting down the days! Here is a little breakdown of Chad's and my summer plans in case anyone wants to know when we will be where.

Wednesday 5/24-Saturday 6/17: Chad will be in Texas and Arkansas for his independent study paddling trip with Tyler Junior College
Saturday 5/27-Saturday 6/10: I will be in Texas visiting my mom, grandparents, Erin & family, and some friends
Saturday 6/10-6/17: Dad, Ginny & Mackenzie in Arizona
6/27-6/30: Lubbock
6/30-7/1: Amarillo for Matt Green's wedding
7/1-7/14: Camp Blue Haven
7/24-7/27: AP Summer Institute in Phoenix
8/2: Back to work
Sometime in late August: Chad goes back to school

So as you can see we have a fun-filled, busy summer and we are excited about getting to see so many family and friends and getting to go to Blue Haven. If you see any open dates there and want to come see us in Arizona, feel free! We love to get visitors.

3 more days of school...

Elle, Kellen and Bonnie

Here are some recent pictures of Elle, Bonnie and Kellen. Kellen got a taste of his first popsicle...Erin cleverly gave it to him while he was in the bathtub.

Oak Creek...not for the timid

Here are some pictures of our backpacking trip in Oak Creek Canyon. Like I said before, this hike was a little different than what we expected--for example, visualize wading or swimming through freshly melted snow, and that is what the water crossings were. I was timid at first (not quite wanting to get wet and cold...and look at that nasty green stuff we had to cross through!), but after a while, we just jumped right in. I tried to pick just a few pictures that show the landscape and also show a fairly close view of us. It was hard to decide which ones to put in here--we had a lot of really good shots.

I'm baaaaaaaaaack

Sorry for the little hiatus...things have been just a little crazy here lately. Last week was yearbook distribution at both campuses, and now that that's over, my life has settled down. You know I'm pretty busy when I don't have time to blog. Friday I took the day off, and Chad and I, along with Alan, Alan's friend Laura, and Caleb Montandon (Chad's 2nd cousin) went on a little backpacking trip along the west fork of Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona. It was beautiful and the weather was great. The hike was only 14 miles over two days, which seemed fairly mild at the time we were planning for it. But with all the boulder-hopping and crossing water that was sometimes over my head, I was extremely worn out and sore by the time we rolled back into Prescott Saturday night. We took lots of pictures which I will post soon.

The number of days left in school is down to single digits. Finals start next Tuesday (which reminds me that I need to finish writing my final exam), and then teacher check-out is next Friday. The very next day I leave for Texas to visit my family, which I'm really looking forward to. Chad will be in Tyler and then Arkansas for an independent study with Tyler Junior College. Okay, I'll write again when I have those pictures to post.

Cute kids...

In response to Erin's comment in my last entry, Kellen now calls me "Sey." You know, like Lesley, but without those pesky L's. This was especially exciting because yesterday I was talking to Erin and she asked Kellen if he wanted to talk to Aunt Lesley and he said, "Sey?" I got so excited. Then I talked to him and said, "Kellen, it's Aunt Lesley," and he said "Sey" again, and then I said hi and he said hi back. A few days ago he pointed to a picture of me and said Sey also, so I'm pretty pumped that my little nephew now knows who I am. That's probably the part that makes me the most sad about living far away, is that all our babies are growing up and they might not know who we are. But I have to say to our siblings, y'all are doing a great job of pointing to our pictures and telling those kids about their Uncle Chad and Aunt Lesley!

Another cute story...and Emily, correct me if I get this wrong, but a few weeks ago, right after spring break when we had seen all our nieces and nephew, Emily was driving around in the car and Riley saw a dark-headed, slender guy walking along the street and pointed at him and said, "Uncle Chad!" I thought that was so cute.

By the way, in another response to Erin's comment...I don't need to watch American Idol to be happy (although I do love American Idol). Who needs American Idol when you have a channel that shows two episodes of Dr. Phil and two epsodes of Oprah every single day? And let's not forget Deal or No Deal...(yuck.)

I guess that's enough typing for now, back to grading quizzes. Chad comes home tonight! Yay!

The yearbooks are coming! The yearbooks are coming!

Just got a call today from my publisher's rep that our yearbooks are on their way. Now, I know this is probably not very exciting for most of you, but it's my blog so nanny nanny boo boo. Our scheduled ship date was this next Monday, but they ended up going out today. Since my yearbook kids were so good about sending in all their deadlines early or on time this year (with me, of course, on their tail every minute) it means we get the books early. This is just one more sign that the year is almost over, and I have almost completed the milestone of finishing my first year of teaching--which of course, "they" say, is always the hardest.

This year will also close the chapter in my life of being the yearbook adviser at Bradshaw Mountain High School. Although this was a positive experience for me where I learned a lot, it was also very stressful and at times took over my life--even when I should have been focusing on the other 4 classes that I teach. So, I am taking at least a year off from advising a yearbook to get some more teaching under my belt, and then when I feel really comfortable with that I might consider advising another publication. Deciding to give up yearbook has made me realize how great the students are that I have worked with this year, and I will miss them. But I am looking forward to being able to come home and spend time with Chad, focus on my English classes, and best of all, not wake up in the middle of the night because of a bad dream about yearbook. Yes, that has happened many times this year (the latest one: we got all our yearbooks and the publishing company had put a big fat X over each student's school picture).

That's about it for now. We officially have 15 school days left, not including weekends. Not that I'm counting down or anything.