Friday, August 28, 2009
Beautiful
Week one down and I LOVE MY JOB! I love it! I love being in a classroom and listening to discussions of topics with such a vast array of view points. I love the air of excitement and apprehension that accompanies the first day of school. I love the convergence of the outgoing personalities and the timid observant minds. I love the new friendships forged, the creation of enemies, lovers, future ex-lovers instantaneously set into motion in the air.... the palpable air. There is nothing more exciting than overhearing discussions about various issues and texts.... hearing students' perspectives and insights. I love those first introductions where students are so eager...vulnerable...willing to open up their experiences to the scrutinizing eyes of others. I think it is beautiful...moving...breathtaking. If I get to spend the rest of my life on a college campus, I will be completely fulfilled (career wise I'm talking people). I love it. It is remarkable to find so many individuals with experiences unique to only themselves and watch as they discover that they are so different, and yet, utterly the same. Because even though our experiences are different, our hearts and minds are not, if only in their similar complexities that make them so very different. It is so powerful, so poignant, so beautiful!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
She Swims...and Other Adeventures
Xiana is fearless! When we go to the lake she gets her water wings on and then walks solo into the water until she can no longer touch and then swims around in delight!
Garrett came with us several times this summer.... home sweet home!
The only problem is that she sticks her mouth in the water a lot... and when I reprimand her she says, "I blowing bubbles mommy" and then blows bubbles to reinforce her scam.
I'm sure many of you have seen this picture on face book, but I love it! I know it looks like she is WAY up there, but she's not as high as she looks. And even if she is, she is a thrill seeker and I want to cultivate that particular characteristic :)
We went over to this little cove at Zepher and seriously had a photo shoot :)
I love this picture which is the product of Brian balancing my camera on a rock and then hopping on over... pretty good!
I didn't notice at first, but you can see the shell in the air if you look really close.
Okay, so last blog I said that I would revisit my shooting escapades and now, I will! So this is a picture of me shooting (actually I am only pretending to shoot for the picture :) We went out in the hills behind my parent's house to shoot clay pigeons. I have done this a few times in my life like 10 yrs ago but without any success. I had no hopes of shooting anything and thought I would be pretty amazing if I shot even one "bird" (hunter lingo) hehehe. It turns out I am really awesome, that or I have an incredible teacher because I shot like 10 clay pigeons and 6 in a row! It was really fun!! It would have been fun anyway, but it was so-much-more-extra-awesome to actually hit something!
Here is Xiana with her crazy hair and please note the ear plugs in her ears and the guns next to her. She looks like a hillbilly in training (which she most certainly is not!) Still, I find this picture to be hilarious.
And finally, here Xiana is at Chuck E Cheese riding a horsie. The pizza sucks, but the games are great!
Garrett came with us several times this summer.... home sweet home!
The only problem is that she sticks her mouth in the water a lot... and when I reprimand her she says, "I blowing bubbles mommy" and then blows bubbles to reinforce her scam.
I'm sure many of you have seen this picture on face book, but I love it! I know it looks like she is WAY up there, but she's not as high as she looks. And even if she is, she is a thrill seeker and I want to cultivate that particular characteristic :)
We went over to this little cove at Zepher and seriously had a photo shoot :)
I love this picture which is the product of Brian balancing my camera on a rock and then hopping on over... pretty good!
I didn't notice at first, but you can see the shell in the air if you look really close.
Okay, so last blog I said that I would revisit my shooting escapades and now, I will! So this is a picture of me shooting (actually I am only pretending to shoot for the picture :) We went out in the hills behind my parent's house to shoot clay pigeons. I have done this a few times in my life like 10 yrs ago but without any success. I had no hopes of shooting anything and thought I would be pretty amazing if I shot even one "bird" (hunter lingo) hehehe. It turns out I am really awesome, that or I have an incredible teacher because I shot like 10 clay pigeons and 6 in a row! It was really fun!! It would have been fun anyway, but it was so-much-more-extra-awesome to actually hit something!
Here is Xiana with her crazy hair and please note the ear plugs in her ears and the guns next to her. She looks like a hillbilly in training (which she most certainly is not!) Still, I find this picture to be hilarious. 
And finally, here Xiana is at Chuck E Cheese riding a horsie. The pizza sucks, but the games are great! 
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Battle Mountain y'all
All my life I've heard rumors that people actually live in the tiny mining towns covering the state of Nevada, but these tales were set in a category similar to that of Tahoe Tessie and Big foot. Alas, I have come to discover that the rumors are true. People do, in fact, live in these small towns. I spent the weekend in Battle Mountain (I am not even going to insert a joke about the abbreviation because I'm quite positive they have heard them all) and learned first hand, from the natives :) what goes on in said town. I will admit, I have driven past Battle Mountain roughly 100 times in my life without ever giving it a second thought, or blink for that matter. Yet after spending some time there I am convinced that there is great beauty in all of these towns (even if some of them seem creepy--Goldfield anyone?) When arriving in town Brian pointed out the mountains and reminisced about countless childhood and adolescent memories accompanying the mountain range. From a distance, however, they seemed brown and, well, let's be honest... boring. Surprise!!! When we got up on the mountain.... this is what greeted us....
Who would have thought that the brown and boring mountain contained such beautiful greenery? There was also all kinds of wildlife (though aside from the cows and bulls I mainly had to take it on good authority that there were antelope and deer---not to get sidetracked, but did you know that the plural of deer is deer? No? Well, now you know:) We spent the day on this mountain and I never got bored...not for a minute which, as I previously mentioned, leads me to be suspicious about all the boring looking mountains in this state.
Of course a trip to Battle Mountain would not be complete without guns...I mean beautiful as it is, it is still a redneck town.
I can't say I was a very good shot with these guns, but I can say they were fun to shoot! (more to come on my ever enhancing gun shooting ability)
I pretty much look awesome shooting that gun... although I should probably be pushing my chest forward and my rear back, right babe?
Brian's brother was an excellent sport about humoring me and taking pictures of us. Plus, good photography skills must run in the family because he did get some good shots!
So this is the shack that Brian convinced his daughter the ghost of Old Man Someone ( I can't remember his name now which you would think was amazing considering his presence on this trip) lived in. Apparently this ghost was the source of all kinds of pranks and amusement over the years.
This was our first pit stop on the mountain. Again, I beckon you to notice that this mountain is, in fact, GREEN!
Still beautiful and even though it was a cold weekend, the clouds added to the ambiance making it really perfect.
I really wanted to jump in to this water hole... and I will someday, but it was pretty darn cold. Please notice sweatshirts.
We were planning a trip to Elko to go to Brian's dad's company party (kind of a mouthful). We woke up Saturday to rain galore. We contemplated skipping the outdoor picnic (mind you this was August!) but eventually forged ahead and drove the hour to the park. It did rain...hard. In fact, while we were eating very delicious food, our plates were filling up with water faster than we could empty them. But..... I am so glad we went because it was so. much. fun! Also, it was kind of a bonus that the weather was 0h-so-crappy because we got to enjoy all the awesome activities line free!
My strained face in this pic is quite telling. This was hard. Seriously hard. The first time I ran forward the rubber band pulled me right on my back. Then I got the hang of it, but I never made it farther than I am in the picture.
This bounce house was one of many. I thought that it was a good selection because it had a cover over it but.... it didn't matter. By the end of the day it was a water house just like all the rest. So we let the kids get sopping wet and then stripped them down for the trip home. Brian's nephew is a trooper and I wish I had a picture of him but a description will have to do. He appeared for most of the day as if he was emerging from a swimming pool fully dressed. I know that I exaggerate, but this is not a hyperbole. It was quite hysterical and looked like a lot of fun!
At this point we were still wearing shoes and socks. Suffice it to say they were a little wet and needed to be removed.
And here we are before church on Sunday. I know I know, we're cute :)
Brian's madre and the girls eating a snack and hanging out. This was seriously such a fun trip. I felt so welcomed by Brian's family and really had an enjoyable time!
The last day of our trip Brian took the kids on a "treasure hunt" and I use the term "treasure" in the very loosest of terms. Where do you go treasure hunting you ask? Oh to the local landfill!!! This is seriously funny. But, to be clear, it is a very OLD landfill so it's not like stinky garbage and cigarette packs. It's more like 60-yr-old coke bottles and laudanum containers. There were also a few tires and a toilet :) But for the most part it was glass....old glass. The kids had a blast and even got to catch a horny toad. Xiana insisted that she get to hold it, but it kind of scared her and she ended up dropping it from really high up... poor little toad.
I LOVE this picture. Seriously, it looks like an ad or something... I don't know what it would be advertising, but cute, right?
See, I told you there was a toilet!
And that sums up the first of what I hope will be many trips to good old Battle Mountain.
Who would have thought that the brown and boring mountain contained such beautiful greenery? There was also all kinds of wildlife (though aside from the cows and bulls I mainly had to take it on good authority that there were antelope and deer---not to get sidetracked, but did you know that the plural of deer is deer? No? Well, now you know:) We spent the day on this mountain and I never got bored...not for a minute which, as I previously mentioned, leads me to be suspicious about all the boring looking mountains in this state.
Of course a trip to Battle Mountain would not be complete without guns...I mean beautiful as it is, it is still a redneck town.
I can't say I was a very good shot with these guns, but I can say they were fun to shoot! (more to come on my ever enhancing gun shooting ability)
I pretty much look awesome shooting that gun... although I should probably be pushing my chest forward and my rear back, right babe?
Brian's brother was an excellent sport about humoring me and taking pictures of us. Plus, good photography skills must run in the family because he did get some good shots!
So this is the shack that Brian convinced his daughter the ghost of Old Man Someone ( I can't remember his name now which you would think was amazing considering his presence on this trip) lived in. Apparently this ghost was the source of all kinds of pranks and amusement over the years.
This was our first pit stop on the mountain. Again, I beckon you to notice that this mountain is, in fact, GREEN!
Still beautiful and even though it was a cold weekend, the clouds added to the ambiance making it really perfect.
I really wanted to jump in to this water hole... and I will someday, but it was pretty darn cold. Please notice sweatshirts.
We were planning a trip to Elko to go to Brian's dad's company party (kind of a mouthful). We woke up Saturday to rain galore. We contemplated skipping the outdoor picnic (mind you this was August!) but eventually forged ahead and drove the hour to the park. It did rain...hard. In fact, while we were eating very delicious food, our plates were filling up with water faster than we could empty them. But..... I am so glad we went because it was so. much. fun! Also, it was kind of a bonus that the weather was 0h-so-crappy because we got to enjoy all the awesome activities line free!
My strained face in this pic is quite telling. This was hard. Seriously hard. The first time I ran forward the rubber band pulled me right on my back. Then I got the hang of it, but I never made it farther than I am in the picture.
This bounce house was one of many. I thought that it was a good selection because it had a cover over it but.... it didn't matter. By the end of the day it was a water house just like all the rest. So we let the kids get sopping wet and then stripped them down for the trip home. Brian's nephew is a trooper and I wish I had a picture of him but a description will have to do. He appeared for most of the day as if he was emerging from a swimming pool fully dressed. I know that I exaggerate, but this is not a hyperbole. It was quite hysterical and looked like a lot of fun!
At this point we were still wearing shoes and socks. Suffice it to say they were a little wet and needed to be removed.
And here we are before church on Sunday. I know I know, we're cute :)
Brian's madre and the girls eating a snack and hanging out. This was seriously such a fun trip. I felt so welcomed by Brian's family and really had an enjoyable time!The last day of our trip Brian took the kids on a "treasure hunt" and I use the term "treasure" in the very loosest of terms. Where do you go treasure hunting you ask? Oh to the local landfill!!! This is seriously funny. But, to be clear, it is a very OLD landfill so it's not like stinky garbage and cigarette packs. It's more like 60-yr-old coke bottles and laudanum containers. There were also a few tires and a toilet :) But for the most part it was glass....old glass. The kids had a blast and even got to catch a horny toad. Xiana insisted that she get to hold it, but it kind of scared her and she ended up dropping it from really high up... poor little toad.
I LOVE this picture. Seriously, it looks like an ad or something... I don't know what it would be advertising, but cute, right?
See, I told you there was a toilet!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A pool is a pool
Brian invited Xiana and I to tag along to his brother's house to watch his niece and nephew. They have an above-ground pool so we planned on swimming until..... this happened. Apparently there was a hole in said pool because this is what it looked like. Nevertheless, a pool is a pool and you would never have guessed there was only about 2 inches of water based on the endless entertainment this "pool" provided.
The hand holding was utterly unprovoked. When we were at the park they just held hands and walked across the field... what little flirts!
The hand holding was utterly unprovoked. When we were at the park they just held hands and walked across the field... what little flirts!
A resume, a prayer, and a business suit
Pretty much since the day I arrived back in Reno I decided that I never wanted to leave again. Nevertheless there weren't any real job and I was losing momentum fast. I had a promising job prospect in Colorado which is where Larissa is (which would have been wonderful) but it is not Reno and I did not want to leave. So.... I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. My dialogue with God went a little something like this:
me: I'll do whatever I'm supposed to do and whatever is going to be best for me and Xiana, only please don't make me leave Reno. Okay, I guess that's not really fair because I know you won't make me do anything so I'm deciding... I'm going to stay here so please make it work.
At this stage in my dialogue I really felt like I just needed to make a decision because I know that's how prayers work. You decide and then you pray about whether or not that decision is right, right? Next I began to feel like either way would be okay but.... still no job and no prospect of one. I applied for every secondary position that was posted (which was minimal at best) and then I began trying to determine if I had any right to turn down a job with the economy the way it is, if I got hired in Co. Who am I to turn down a job? And isn't that an answer? Then, on a whim I emailed one of my old professors at UNR and asked for a recommendation to the composition dept. I really thought it was futile since, like other states, Nevada has just taken an abysmal hit in higher education. Then I started to second guess myself. Was I just determining the answer that I wanted independent of any divine counsel? Was I looking so hard for the answer that I wanted that I was blinded to the answer that was? I hoped not! Then (choir of angels awwwwwww) the very day that the job was posted in Co I received an email requesting an interview for UNR. Coincidence? I don't think so! Elated I called Larissa to tell her my good news and discovered that my liaison at that school had quit. Coincidence? I don't think so! Then I reviewed the posted position and discovered that it was nothing that I was looking for at all which filled me with relief, though I was still quite anxious given I had no concrete job. Still, I felt like the Lord was confirming that my decision to stay was correct. Or it was a tender mercy on my behalf in response to my heart felt begging to stay near my parents (to say nothing of my budding romance :) Either way, things were really starting to fall into place for me. So on Tuesday, with a resume, a prayer, and a business suit I went to my interview and..... I got the job! I'm pretty sure words would do a great disservice to the gratitude that I feel, not only for getting a job, but for knowing without a doubt that the Lord is ALWAYS mindful of both my needs and my wants and that He allows me agency to choose while simultaneously blessing me for heeding his counsel... and attempting to find assurances that it is indeed, His counsel :)
me: I'll do whatever I'm supposed to do and whatever is going to be best for me and Xiana, only please don't make me leave Reno. Okay, I guess that's not really fair because I know you won't make me do anything so I'm deciding... I'm going to stay here so please make it work.
At this stage in my dialogue I really felt like I just needed to make a decision because I know that's how prayers work. You decide and then you pray about whether or not that decision is right, right? Next I began to feel like either way would be okay but.... still no job and no prospect of one. I applied for every secondary position that was posted (which was minimal at best) and then I began trying to determine if I had any right to turn down a job with the economy the way it is, if I got hired in Co. Who am I to turn down a job? And isn't that an answer? Then, on a whim I emailed one of my old professors at UNR and asked for a recommendation to the composition dept. I really thought it was futile since, like other states, Nevada has just taken an abysmal hit in higher education. Then I started to second guess myself. Was I just determining the answer that I wanted independent of any divine counsel? Was I looking so hard for the answer that I wanted that I was blinded to the answer that was? I hoped not! Then (choir of angels awwwwwww) the very day that the job was posted in Co I received an email requesting an interview for UNR. Coincidence? I don't think so! Elated I called Larissa to tell her my good news and discovered that my liaison at that school had quit. Coincidence? I don't think so! Then I reviewed the posted position and discovered that it was nothing that I was looking for at all which filled me with relief, though I was still quite anxious given I had no concrete job. Still, I felt like the Lord was confirming that my decision to stay was correct. Or it was a tender mercy on my behalf in response to my heart felt begging to stay near my parents (to say nothing of my budding romance :) Either way, things were really starting to fall into place for me. So on Tuesday, with a resume, a prayer, and a business suit I went to my interview and..... I got the job! I'm pretty sure words would do a great disservice to the gratitude that I feel, not only for getting a job, but for knowing without a doubt that the Lord is ALWAYS mindful of both my needs and my wants and that He allows me agency to choose while simultaneously blessing me for heeding his counsel... and attempting to find assurances that it is indeed, His counsel :)
Disney House
Okay, so all I have to say is forget about Disneyland when you live in the general vicinity of the Tolmans.....seriously! Xiana and I have been the fortunate recipients of several play dates at this magical abode. The play room occupies roughly every toy ever known to mankind (or childkind) and the backyard consists of trampoline, a small junkyard of kids automobiles, a swing (that can be very dangerous so watch out) and a little pool. Needless to say, Xiana has found her heaven on earth, her oyster, her bliss. And.... fortunately for her (but more fortunately for me) Kate has agreed to watch Xiana for me whilst I rejoin the working forces. This means that Xiana will get to play at the Disney house every week!!! I am so filled with gratitude.
Just hanging in the chair.
The only thing that can accentuate the joys of a trampoline is a sprinkler... check check
Xiana and Charlie play so nice together. Here they are dumping buckets of water over their heads repeatedly. The other day Xiana was talking about Charlie and she said, "Charlie fen" so I asked "Charlie friend?" "No!" she said, "Charlie friend!"
See what I mean about the automobiles....the kids couldn't even fight over whose turn it was!
This is one of Xiana's favorite. She calls it "my puter mommy"
3 swimming beauties
"trampoyene"
Just hanging in the chair.
The only thing that can accentuate the joys of a trampoline is a sprinkler... check check
Xiana and Charlie play so nice together. Here they are dumping buckets of water over their heads repeatedly. The other day Xiana was talking about Charlie and she said, "Charlie fen" so I asked "Charlie friend?" "No!" she said, "Charlie friend!"
See what I mean about the automobiles....the kids couldn't even fight over whose turn it was!
This is one of Xiana's favorite. She calls it "my puter mommy"
3 swimming beauties
"trampoyene"
Tristin's Birthday!
After Tristin's bday party Xiana and I went over to her house for pizza and play time. Tristin got dress up clothes which the girls were momentarily interested in. However, as soon as we got them dressed Xiana said, "clothes off." We had to hurry and snap pictures before they de-robed because they were so cute!
Pretty little wing-ed princesses
Xiana and Tristin play so nicely together. They are polar opposites which enables them to really get along.
Her party started at the fountains where I didn't even have time to get Xiana's suit on before she was drenched....I know, what a shock!
Happy Birthday Tristin!
Pretty little wing-ed princesses
Xiana and Tristin play so nicely together. They are polar opposites which enables them to really get along.
Her party started at the fountains where I didn't even have time to get Xiana's suit on before she was drenched....I know, what a shock!
Happy Birthday Tristin!
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