Yes, we are still alive.

Oh dear.
It's been like 3 weeks since we last blogged.

This is just ludacris.
I'm trying to sort out what all has gone on since Thanksgiving. But it's a little foggy in the old memory..so I'll try my best to give you some interesting material.

Well, Courtney and I volunteered to be in charge of costumes for the Christmas program..which is this Thursday. It has been a long journey getting all of the costumes made and organized. We've made several trips to Winslow and Flagstaff searching for the perfect pieces to complete each outfit..and yesterday we made our final trip to Flag in search of a few final items. First of all, the weather has been crazy lately. Saturday, Dec. 14, 2008, will go down in history as the windiest day this earth has ever seen. Courtney and I had to judge a Christmas parade in our village (which in terms of length was equivalent to Kouts parades). It was freezing cold outside, plus the wind picked up all the sand and it blew straight into our eyes. It was most definitely not the most fun day of our lives. We came and our faces, hair, and clothes were coated in an inch of sand. Anyways..we had a sandstorm one day, and the next we had an inch of snow. Thus, it took us 2 hours, instead of 1 hr 15 mins to get to Flagstaff. So, we spent the entire day there and had a successful day of shopping for costumes. We got home and went straight to work on the construction of costumes..and 5 hours later we were done! Yes, we were tired..but it was worth it! This week is going to be super duper busy, so it was a good feeling to check one thing off our list. Friday night we had another sleepover with the Pettengill girls. We watched Wall-E and then..the best part of the night...we had a fashion show! Isabella and Anastasia brought dress up clothes and Courtney and I DJ'd. The fashion transitioned into a wild dance off. I think the Isabella and Anastasia were frightened/confused by our dancing..because we were really breaking it down. Eventually, i guess they decided it just looked like fun..so they joined us. Then, Isabella decided to be the photographer of the party..and took some very funny, but also very unflattering pictures of C and I as we danced to Backstreet Boys and N'sync.

Since we seem to have a trend going of blogging about all the embarassing awkward things that happen to me..I guess I'm going to keep it going.
1.) I took my daily trip to the post office the other day. It seemed like an average trip until a frightening male construction worker opened the door for me at the P.O. and gave me a dirt nasty lingering smile and weirdo eye contact. It freaked me out..but I really didn't think much of it after that..until I walked back out and got into my car..and noticed that he was sitting in his truck..looking at me. So, I put the pedal to the metal and scampered out. But, he followed me dilitgently down the highway..and then when i turned down the dirt road to the mission school..and of course, he was still right behind me. My heart was pounding. I whipped the car around into a parking spot, grabbed the mail, and tried to ignore the fact that he had just parked his truck right next to me. I was walking swiftly...and he said "excuse me." I turned around..and he motioned for me to come over..so I did. Why? IDK. Then he rolled up his window and talked on his cell for a minute and asked me to wait. Again..I did. As I waited, my mind was racing..should I run? scream? cry? I didn't do any of those..just waited patiently. He finally rolled down his window and with his weirdo smile he asked me if this was the mission school..and then said that he was going to be in the parade and he was supposed to meet at the school to get on his float. But I don't believe him..because he was Native American..and the reservation isnt that big..I doubt he didnt know where the school was. We had some odd small talk..he asked me what my name was..I stupidly said it. After a few seconds it was over..and I raced inside and went straight to Courts room and told her everything. To wrap it all up..I didn't see him at the parade that he supposedly going to be in. Anyways..there's a comforting story for you mom and dad.

Last week, the group from ELC came to help Stan and Beth with a few projects on their house. It was fun to hang out with them..we made Tom Gant's famous chili and my doughy (not intentional) cornbread for dinner for them one night..and we helped Beth prepare meals for them the rest of the week.

Decatur's (our precious stray dog) tummy is growing bigger by the day..any takers for puppies yet? let us know!

I'm running out of things to fill you in on..so I'll just tell you our schedule for the rest of the week.
Tuesday-Christmas caroling with our students and fellow teachers at the Hopi Healthcare center, after school we have dinner and Christmas with the Pettengills
Wednesday-1/2 day of school..most likely spend the afternoon cleaning house and packing for home!!!
Thursday-school..then our Christmas program in the evening!
Friday-1/2 day of school filled Christmas parties, gift exchanges, and goodies. 2:00..leave for Phoenix to go to a Michael W. Smith Christmas concert with all the teachers, then stay in a hotel overnight..and finally, fly home Saturday!!!!

I know I've forgetten numerous things..this will have to do for now. It's time for dinner and some recording on Garage Band...We both miss you all and can't waittttt to come home!

See you soon =]

♥
L & C

Happy Thanksgiving!

(^ Our Family Photo)
We had a wonderful thanksgiving and hope that you all did as well! We had 2 thanksgivings today. Our first one, was at Kevin and Anjali's with Stan and Beth and the kids. The food was absolutely delicious! Neither of us could stop eating. We had a wonderful time hanging out with all of them..and to be honest, it felt sorta like home. I got to video chat with my parents, brother and sister in law, and grandma D. today, which was great, minus the fact that the internet wasn't cooperating very well. Anyways, back to thanksgiving. After Kevin and Anjali's, we went over to Betty, the principal's house, and thought we were going to have a meal with them too. But we were seriously mistaken. Come to find out, we were 2 hours late. They didn't tell us that they changed the time..so we missed the meal and walked in feeling really awkward. We played dominoes for 2 hours and then ate loads and loads of desserts!! (my second favorite part of thanksgiving..my first is being with family and friends) Then we took a wonderful group picture, which I will be posting asap. Then we came home and looked at matt and heather's newly posted wedding pictures! (which were amazing...go to www.pictage.com557448) Now, were at Stan and Beth's for the evening, so i thought i would update this real fast.

Funny Stories:
1. Wednesday we went to Flagstaff, and when we got home we had many messages. One of the messages was a scary, scary quiet whsipery satan voice saying "help me..i need your help..please help me!" I think its safe to say that it was the most frightening moment of our entire lives. Who did this? Is this for real? Do they really need help?...we didn't know what to think. Later that night we went to Stan and Beth's and told them about the creepy demon message...and found out that it was STAN! He played a dirt nasty trick on us, but I'm pretty sure he didn't realize he was messin' with the mastas of pranks. We have already begun to plan our sweet, sweet revenge.

2. Get ready for this one. So, on the way home from Flagstaff, I (lauren) had to pee like a racehorse. It physically hurt..and I was beginning to worry that I was going to have a serious accident in my pants..and all over courtney's upholstery. We finally came upon a gas station..but it was a little on the sketchy side..and there were approximately 5 hitchhikers standing right by the road. So we voted not to stop there, despite how badly I needed to use their facilities. As my bladder grew weaker and weaker..we realized I had run out of options. We suddenly came to the conclusion that my only hope for relief was pulling over..and peeing in the middle of the desert. So, I did just that. I pulled over..(keep in mind that the roads were severely busy..cars coming non stop) I knew I had a small time frame to pull it off. I went a ways out into field..but was still within hearing distance of courtney, who had her window down in order to comfort me by singing me the song on the radio (it was pitch dark..and I was scared a snake or something weird was going to jump up and get me). I looked both ways and thought the time was right. After a few seconds, Court stops singing and starts shouting, "THERE'S A CAR COMING!! CAR! CAR!" I looked to the right and saw 2 headlights coming fast..so instead of staying where I was, trying to camoflage myself, or just simply lay down...I stood up in a wild panic, started screaming, and ran all the way to the car with my pants at my ankles. Apparently, the wild panic didn't work, and the car saw me and my white booty. To make the situation a little worse, they gave their horn a few solid honks as they drove by. I think it's safe to say that I have never been more traumatized in my entire life. Court and I laughed/almost cried for a good 15 minutes.

Well, we have Fri-Mon off school..so we will def. be blogging again soon! And we should have some exciting things to report due to all of our free time!

We love you and miss you!

Lo and Court

P.S. For all of you that came here with us in August. Here's Decatur! She has pretty much been living at our house for the past week and is still the cutest dog Hopi has ever seen. We're 90% sure she's going to have puppies... any takers?

Blog Jumbalaya

Well, here we are again..taking forever to update the blog. But we really have been super duper busy. Doing what exactly I can't say..maybe you'll get a taste of our lives from these videos. Above is footage from the big race around the playground (part of our weekly class competitions that Court and I started with Student Council..we also did a jump rope competition)

Since our last post, we've went to Flagstaff for the day with Stan and Beth. It's always nice to get off the reservation for awhile and do something different. So, we always enjoy a good old trip to Flag..in fact, were going tomorrow to do some banking & get a double serving of delicious Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate! We have a half day of school tomorrow and then were off Thurs. and Friday for Thanksgiving.

I (lauren) have been working in the office in the mornings and doing lots and lots of secretarial work. I'm enjoying it..and my favorite part is going to get the mail 2 times a day. I always drive the old mercury to the post office..its giant and has the longest front and back ends known to man. I love it for two reasons..1. I feel like I'm in a getaway car and feel the need to swerve and fishtail around every corner (but don't worry Mom..I don't) 2. It's the exact same car that Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Sandberg had when I was little.. I mean exact..same color, same upholstery..everything..and everytime I get in it..memories flood my heart and soul.

Everyday after lunch, I'm in charge of A.R. (which is a reading program where the kids take tests over the books they read). It's not much work..all I do is type in a password (which is lauren) but the kids watch my fingers with eagle eyes..so I've had to spend some time practicing typing my name faster than the speed of light. After doing A.R., I usually have a few computer classes..and the kids play learning games..and I keep them under control. So, that's what an average day in my life at the school looks like. I think it's very safe to say that I have made it through my first period of homesickness..it was pretty bad last week and the week before. This week has been much better thus far. Courtney and I were both feeling the same thing..I probably had more homesickness..but, we were both just kind of confused/annoyed with the situations we have to deal with at school daily...one thing that lifted us from our unhappy state of mind was talking to Jeff and Andrea. It was just really encouraging and comforting to talk with some of our best friends from home. As you know, for a while I struggled with nightmares and just felt like Satan was trying to intimidate me. For the first month or so, the nightmares were too much for me to handle, but in the last few weeks, I feel like God has given me a new confidence in him. I'm no longer afraid to fall asleep at night, and haven't had a nightmare in long time. All I do is say "in the name of Jesus, Satan get out..and something along the lines of "Satan you can't mess with me..I belong to Jesus" and immediately I feel the peace of Jesus come over me and fill my room. Some of you may know that those phrases aren't new for me, I've been saying them for years..but I've never said them with such unwaivering confidence in Jesus. I've also been working really hard to dig into his word, which has always been a struggle for me. It's getting easier and I'm enjoying it fosho. I have a little more venting to do....I'm not sure how to put it..but sometimes I just question my purpose here. I sit in an office and do officey stuff..I monitor the computer lab...it just doesn't feel like I'm accomplishing much. And I know this is Satan trying to mess with me and confuse me. I also know that God brought me here for a reason..and I guess if the only reason is for us to become best of friends with Stan and Beth, then that will wonderful. But, I do feel like there is something more..and I need to know what it is..so, I'd appreciate if you could pray for me in that area. thanks. Now that I've become Debbie Downer..I'll try to be a little more positive. I am incredibly excited for Christmas Break!!! I can't contain my joy. I have fully immersed myself in the spirit of Christmas. I'm mading new holiday playlists for my ipod, drinking loads of eggnog and hot chocolate, finalizing my christmas list, thinking warm christmasey thoughts, and dreaming of feet upon feet of snow! I love and miss all of you! and Happy Thanksgiving in case I don't talk to you before then!

It's Court Now...

Ok so last week I had the second graders rewrite a nursery rhyme. Like little boy blue or little miss muffet. ^ The video is of Steven.. one of my favorites reading his poem.

Translation: "Little Boy Zackery come blow your nose. The pencil is in your nose."... a young Shakespeare you might say. Second grade has been alot easier this week. I had a really bad last few weeks and the worst of it was probably sunday night. I was just feeling really frusterated with being here and with my students and just tons of other things and I couldn't really explain it even to myself. But earlier that day I had been listening to my iPod while Lauren and I were doing a mass amount of dishes and the song "This is Life" by Laura Woodley came on. There's a part in that song that goes "I come in empty and I leave filled, bring my sickness and I leave healed. Broken hearted you mend every piece, i come in captive and I leave free." and it was like a wap on the back of the head. The whole time I had been feeling crappy ( or "sick") about everything I had just sort of been hoping it would go away and just saying "God I trust you to take this away." When what I really needed to be doing was bringing my sickness to God.. telling him how I felt and actually ASKING him to heal me and my frustrations rather than just wishing it away or assuming it would be gone the next day. So later that night I just kind of laid it all out there for God and asked him to show me my purpose and to show how to love my students and ways to fill their days with joy.. and Monday was one of the best days I have had here... and today was even better. In addition- the korean boy in my class is improving on his english with leaps and bounds. We took a class walk today down to the wash (which is amazing.. me and lo are going to walk down there on thursday and do a little photoshoot for you) and I told them all to take a big rock and throw it in to the wash and he just kept yelling " THROW A BIG ROCK!!!" which lead me to clap and jump around like a fool. He also called me grandma later on... perhaps a setback but at least its english. I think that's about all I have for now and we had a few more videos to post but it isnt working so we'll have to try tomorrow.

Love you all.

Court

Time for and Update!

Ok so we are officially promise breakers and haven't updated again for a week. BUT we are once again at Stan and Beth's so we can squeeze in an update.

Last week... well it stunk. First off there is a big witch craft following here and there were some gatherings early in the week which caused a whole array of freaky things to happen.. if you want more details ask but otherwise I'll just leave it at that. Plus I was teaching 2nd grade and the kids were bad with a capital B. For example: the kids aren't supposed to bring electronics to school for obvious reasons. Anyways... when the kids were lining in to come in for recess, Zackery (the Navajo boy who told be how to butcher a sheep earlier in the year..) pulled a PSP (kind of like a gameboy but way better for all you technologically uninformed) out of his pocket. As soon as he saw that I noticed it I could see the wheels turning. About a half a second later he had some elaborate story about how his mom was mad at him that morning so she slipped the PSP in his pocket just to get him in trouble. I never did get him to admit he was lying and the rest of the day was filled with more lying and lots of whining. Friday night we had a sleep over with Isabella and Anastasia ( Stan and Beth [the missionaries from back home that we are with 24/7]'s daughters). It was their first night away from their parents ever and let me tell you, they came prepared. Both of them brought a suitcase, a back pack, and a sleeping bag, not to mention every polly pocket they owned. It was a wild night and we were in bed by 10.They picked out their own outfits for the next morning. Please note the sun hat.
THIS IS LAUREN NOW:
Saturday we went to Cameron (a place on the way to the Grand Canyon that has a giant touristy store filled with indian items) to do some shopping with the Pettengill's. Overall, it was a very fun day. On the way there we listened to New Kids on the Block and Alvin and The Chipmunks Christmas Carols. The only thing C and I bought was some fudge and jelly. But, I did buy my mom a Christmas present at a little store on the highway. Next to the store in Cameron, there's a really cool motel. It has the most grand courtyard I've ever laid eyes on. It was like a secret rock garden. Of course, Elijah and the girls loved it...it was perfect for hide and seek, running from the "tiger" aka Courtney, and pretending we were in a lush jungle. We took a breathtakingly beautiful picture of Stan, Beth and the kids.
Well..I tried to upload some videos, but they are not cooperating right now..even with stan and beth's supa fast internet. We will keep trying though.

Monday-Wednesday has kind of been a blur as Im looking back on it right now..so I'll tell you what I can remember right now. Monday, Courtney was violently ill..and I MEAN VIOLENT. I'll just leave it at that for Courtney's sake. But, its all good, because she's okay. But, I subbed for her the day she was sick..and Zackery made her a get well card that said " I Live You" and I almost cried because it was so cute. Today, we went to the health club finally!!!!! It was wonderful to burn some calories, pump some iron, and produnce some endorphins. After the health club, we sat on our back patio on folding chairs, listened to music, enjoyed the scenery, and took a video for you guys..but like I said, the videos wont load. So, maybe next time.

Well..that's all for now. I promise we'll get you guys some good videos soon.


Oh one more thing..today on the way to the health club, I was driving, and Courtney was teasing me about my driving skills (it was all in good fun) But, I took it one step too far with my retaliation..I slammed on the brakes to startle her and Courtney flew forward and hit her head on the window! This makes me sound really cruel..but she asked for it! It also may have been the funniest thing I've ever seen..I laughed for 10 minutes straight..and Court did not..until the pounding went away... then we were cool and merrily worked out together.
love,
Lauren and Court





^ One video worked. This is Elijah dancing to Sleeping Beauty: AKA the funniest thing on earth. Enjoy.

Introducing: Norman Rockwell Jr.

So... yesterday we got Directv. I can't tell you how nice it is to watch the news again. Not to mention every other TV show we have been missing in the month and a half we have been here. Well, I was just minding my own business... pretending to do things in the kitchen so I didn't have to awkardly sit in the living room with the installation guy- and all of a sudden Lauren walked in the front door holding this:

Cats are kind of a rarity around here (because the dogs get hungry)... actually this is the first one I have seen the whole time. Apparently he was living in the maintence shop... and John the maintence guy knew Lauren was a sucker for animals of the stray sort... so we sort of adopted it. Our original plan was to let it live inside, have it lay at our feet as we drank hot chocolate, and teach it to meow on command... until we called around to different vets and found out how stinking expensive kitten shots are. Plus.. we would have to get it declawed so it didn't shred the furniture in our house... and that cost as much as oh... say.. a cadillac. Long story short... we built it a house out of a cardboard box ( left over from the cookies Katie Lauer sent us) and Norman(who Lauren sometimes calls Meowsterson...) now lives on our doorstep... except for the occasional times when we can't take the cuteness and bring him inside.

Then today-- we had the day off for veterans day. After saying we were going to work out every day since we've been here, we finally got in the car to go today. When we got to the veterans center (where the workout place is) it was closed. So, as soon as we got home we jumped on our bikes to go for a ride.

As you can see from the video.. it was quite the adventure.. especially when we drove through the village. Picture.. me on lauren's grandma's bike (thank you grandma dorothy), lauren on her little purple mountain bike, and a pack of 5 dogs following closely behind. On the way home it was all downhill..so we didnt have to peddle at all...which was quite nice.

Not much else has happened around here..we have both had some crazy dreams lately. Lauren had one the other night that was quite bizarre. She dreamt that there were babies running across her pillowcase..and she could hear their little feet scurrying above her head. And for some reason it disturbed her..so she had to wake me up and tell me about it in the middle of the night.

There's not much more to tell you guys. We miss you all dearly..and are looking forward to Christmas break so that we can see all of you again!

Remember a few posts ago, when we said we were going to name blog superstars..well we've been forgetting to do that..so we'll try to start that up again. Today's blogsuperstar is..Grandma Dorothy Sandberg!!! Both of us love and appreciate you...and are very thankful that you let us borrow your bike. I (lauren) am looking forward to seeing you on Christmas break! I miss you Grandma playdough cheeks!

Love,

Court and Lauren

Parking Cones, Newsletters, and Highschool Musical.

The past two days have been pretty fun, and also pretty hectic at the same time. Yesterday I found out that the 2nd grade teacher is leaving for good on Sunday. You may remember me saying that I was going to take over 2nd grade eventually- well as of two weeks ago we decided that I wouldn't and would just stay the receptionist and student council sponsor instead.. well thats not the case anymore. She's not leaving me any lesson plans either... so I will just have to wing it on Monday I guess! Prayers are appreciated... and anyone who feels like they are supposed to come to this awesome place and teach 2nd grade should def. let me know ASAP.

Also the gym teacher didn't show up yesterday so guess who got to teach kindergarten PE. You guessed right. Me and Lo got to be referee for some heated hula hoop contests while Lyle stood in the corner and screamed "DONT TALK TO ME!". Later on I did fifth grade gym which consisted of Jack ( the only 5th grade boy) putting parking cones on his head and running into the wall while singing songs from Cheetah Girls. I laughed so hard I slobbered all over my shirt. Lady like aren't I?

Lauren and I have been working on folding and labeling 2,000 newsletters pretty much all week. The other night while we watched the election Isabella started helping us and for some odd reason thinks taping newsletters is the funnest thing in the world. So yesterday she asked uf she could come over and do more. That girl folded and taped 200 of those things in like an hour. We were amazed.

Today was just as crazy. We had Flu shots this morning and the kids all acted as if they had major surgery. So to lighten the mood we brought the camera out to recess with us and got some fun pictures.

One of our favorites. This is Elise from kindergarten.

Tracey and Shosheena from second grade.. they were saying "BEST FRIENDS" in the picture which may be why Shosheena looks angry. These girls are both Navajo. Shosheena is Levander (sheep rider)'s sister.

FINALLY! You get to see the infamous Lyle. I caught him in a happy mood and he thought me being in the tunnel was funny. Hence: getting him to smile in a picture.

Lauren Sandberg: Swing pusher to the stars.

At lunch we hosted a jump rope competition. Quite riveting. 4th grade won with 29 jumps in a row. It was really fun with everyone standing in a circle saying " GO! GO! GO!" a very High School Musical moment. After school we took Isabella with us to get the mail then run Ms. Roy to her house. And now... we are hanging out at Stan and Beth's watching movies with the kids.

I'll end this post with a video of Lauren attempting to climb the climbing wall at recess. I laugh everytime I watch it so I hope you do too.

PS: My parent's bible study group sent us A TON of Snacks for the kids. Our snack closet is full and the kids are loving the snack after first recess. THANKS GUYS! :)

PICTURES!

We are babysitting at Stan and Beth's...and they have internet that actually works so we decided to post some much needed pictures.

This is an amazing chapel in Sedona... it is one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen. This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but you get the idea. ( These are from my first trip to Sedona with the teachers a few weeks ago).
Sedona... beautiful

I made the mistake of saying my high school mascot was a mustang. Betty (the principal) then forced me to pose in front of this statue. People were staring... but I thought of the blog and sucked it up.
The bus me and Lo decorated for the Red Ribbon Parade a few weeks ago.
The kids excited for the parade! The woman in the front seat is Ms. Roy the kindergarten teacher I have mentioned before.

Lauren with Jerrine (Ms. Roy's daughter) and DiLyla- two of our Student Council girls. This is from the night we worked concessions at the basketball game.

Pickle juice with koolaid.. a Hopi favorite. This is Aaron drinking it and crazy Michael in the backround. That boy has some dance moves. They're both in sixth grade.

I hate this picture.. but it's the sake of the blog. By the way.. the koolaid pickle juice- not that bad!

Me, Mom, and Tanner in downtown Sedona last Sunday.

All of us at one of my favorite spots. Oak Creek Canyon.

Sedona, concessions, and winter hats

HOLY COW. We haven't blogged in ages. Sorry about that. I can't even remember what the last thing we updated you on was. I did mention that Tanner and Lori were here..and they have since left. So, I'll go ahead and fill you in on their time here. Well, they got here on Friday and that night we went to Stan and Beth's for dinner and a little Simon Birch. And Elijah entertained us all by singing and dancing (traditional Indian style) as Stan played a beat on his drum. I think Tanner and Lori would agree that he is the funniest/cutest little boy alive. Saturday morning we drove to Flagstaff and spent the day there. We went to the historic disctrict..aka the cool artsy part, filled with coffee shops, expensive boutiques, and bookstores. We shopped around and ate at a delicious little pizzeria. Our waiter there was the spittin image of Alex Otto. After lunch we went to the mall..where we shopped more..and Courtney got her haircut. I talked to my Grandma Dorothy on the phone while waiting for Court..and found out that she's crotcheting me a blanket, which I'm verrrry excited for! Anyways..Courts hair looked good..but her stylist didnt even dry her hair..so she had to walk around lookin like a wet mop. We drove over to a shoe store and the second we got out of the car, our noses were filled with a stench like nothing I've ever smelled before. I can only think of one thing to describe it..old moldy cheesey dog food. We all gagged and sprinted into the store to get away from the aroma. Later that night, we checked into our hotel, watched 27 dresses, absorbed as much news and tv as we could..(because we dont have tv at our house) and fell deep asleep. Sunday morning we went to Sedona. We stopped at Oak Creek Canyon..which is absolutely beautiful. We took a few pictures and shopped for turquoise jewelry made by local indians. I would just like to say that I love Sedona. It seems like it'd be a great place to live..but don't worry, my heart is in Indiana...Kouts to be exact. We ate lunch at a nice restaurant that had giant picture windows overlooking the red mountains of Sedona. It was quite a view..and the food was delightful. Take a wild guess what we did next....yes, that's right..more shopping. Later we got some pistacio gelatto (which might sound rotten..but is actually delicious) Finally, we left Sedona..and I almost forgot to mention, we drove by Slide Rock..which is a rock that people slide down into a stream. Tanner and I vowed to go down it this spring when its warm again. On the way home Courtney put in a classic Christmas cd (made by L. Chatwell) and we all concluded that we felt like we were in a movie..with the winding roads, fall foilage, and glorious mountains..plus jazzy xmas tunes. We reached Flagstaff and had to do some grocery shopping...and after that..we were finally headed back to the rez. We unpacked Court's insanely packed car, and relaxed for the evening. We watched one of the greatest movies ever made..the Chronicles of Narnia..and went to bed. Monday we had school of wcourse..and Lori and Tanner came and helped out with various things. They went to chapel with us..but unfortunately our 2 favorites, Levander and Lyle, weren't there..so they didnt quite get the full experience. Tanner played with us and the kids at lunch. Lately Courtney and I have been in a jump rope phase. We dont do the jumping..but the roping. Usually Zachary, a 2nd grader, does the jumping. We also make up silly jump rope rhymes..like this one.."Muskrat, Muskrat, banana pie, sing me a song and don't be shy!" yes..its weird and doesnt really make sense..but the kids thought it was funny..i think. Monday afternoon we to the Hopi Market..aka a tiny jewelry store..where Courtney bought a cool piece of pottery that she plans to pass on to her grandkids. Then we went to Stan and Beth's for dinner. Lori made her world famous lasagna and garlic bread, which was wonderful. We didnt stay late because they had some serious packing to do. They left early Tuesday morning..and overall, I think they had a good time, and got to experience a little bit of our lives here, as well as the culture of the Hopi.

As for the things that happened in between our last post..and Tanner and Lori arriving..well, I can't really rememeber many of them. But here's a few. Courtney and I had to supervise concessions at the jv basketball game for student council. There was a large amount of chaos involved in getting prepared for this..I can't tell you how many times I ran back and forth from the gym to the school. We were serving what the average concession stand does..inculding giant pickles soaked in red kool-aid (a Hopi favorite). Actually, Courtney and I tried one..and she chugged some of the pickle and kool-aid juice. I caught it on film just for the blog..and then after that all the kids wanted to do it too, which I also documented with my camera..so hopefully I'll be able to load those on here for you. I brought my ipod and stereo to listen to..thinking it might make it a little bit more fun..and it did. We all, including the sixth grade boys, sang High School Musical songs to pass the time. It was hilarious. On the way home, Court and I bought homemade tamales from a Hopi woman who works at the school with us. She was trying to make a little extra money, so we thought it would be a good idea to support her...and try some Hopi cuisine. They were delicious..but I'm pretty sure we're the cause of my stomach troubles later that night. The other thing I needed to update you on was last Wednesday night..we went to a Halloween carnival at Hopi High School. Our sixth grade class had a ring toss booth set up and were raising money for their class trip, so we went to help them out. There were so many people..it was packed tight. We couldn't even take 2 steps without bumping into someone. But we really did enjoy seeing more Hopi teens. It's just very interesting. They are all very into the hip-hop scene. Courtney and I both decided we would've liked to go to Hopi High. Well, I think that's just about everything. I'm sure in the next few days I'll rememeber something that happened and the second I do..I will get on here and blog it.

As for today, not too much happened. The office's dirty carpet was torn out yesterday and today they put tile down..which will be real nice to have. Yesterday, since the office was a mess, Courtney and I took our work to Betty's house and did everything in her cozy living room while watching Full House. It was really fun. Back to today..which was Hat day..neither of us brought a single hat in all of our packing. Court and I were forced to go down to the basement of the school where tons of mittens, sweaters, scarves, and hats are kept..most are homemade and sent to the school from church knitting groups. So we had to pick out hats..both of us have large heads..and just simply look awkward in hats. But we finally settled on knit hats with little pom pons on top. Yes, we looked silly, but we did have exceptionally warm heads. We were both in charge of recess duty..and it was approximately 30 degrees this morning with insanely strong winds. So to keep warm, we taught the kids various dance moves...such as the moonwalk, electric slide, and the running man. It was the funniest thing ever..just imagine 15 Hopi kids surround Court and I as we all dance to keep warm. I would venture to say that it was the best recess they've ever had. Well...that really is about all that's happened around here..it feels good to finally update this thing...but right now I'm hungry so I'm going to go fix myself some Oreos and milk.

♥
L & C

They're Here!

Yesterday, Court's sis and mom, Tanner and Lori, arrived! We are so glad they're here. Last night we took them to Stan and Beth's for dinner and a movie. We also took them to the Cultural Center to buy some sassy Hopi-made jewelry. This post is going to be super short becuase we're getting ready to drive to Flagstaff to do some shopping and then stay in a hotel. Then tomorrow, we plan to hit up Sedona for the day. Sunday night we should be back here..so maybe..just maybe..we'll fully update the blog then. Believe me, we have some seriously funny stuff to write about, we just have to find the time. I just tried for 15 mins to upload pictures for you..but the internet is still failing me.
Well, we're off to travel around the great state of Arizona! I'm sure tons of good blogging material will come from this trip. We will blog as soon as humanly possible!

love,
C & L

Sorry..

I know we promised to start writing every day.. but it's not our fault... our stupid internet stopped working on friday. But now its sort of working enough to be able to post this.

Friday: funny, funny day. I was being receptionist again and Lauren was helping in kindergarten. We were reunited during chapel time which is where the uncontrollable laughing of the day came in. (let me preface this little story with the fact that we have been really trying to crack down on kids goofing around in chapel and all of us had been told to be setting the tone for how we are to act in chapel and not to let the kids be wiggling around and all that jazz) We have mentioned Levander many times in the blog.. you know- the sheep riding 5 year old. Well he sits in the very front row in chapel next to the first grade teacher. Me and Lo were sitting about 3 rows behind him on a bench by ourselves. We were singing along minding our own business and being overly reverent, responsible adults... then we spotted it. Levander was sitting on the first grade teachers knee--- which was bouncing... and we could see his hand waving about in the air... at first it appeared as if he was being very worshipful but once we took a closer look... he was mock sheep riding. I'm talking on hand on the belt buckle the other high in the air just as the bull riders do...and the kicker... he kept mouthing the word "YAH!!" I know you may not be able to get the full picture... but ask me when im home in december... i'll act it out for you.... or maybe i won't but you can always try. So anyways... we lost it. It was one of those silent, shaking, about to burst at any moment kind of laughing... and we kept trying to straighten out our faces but everytime our eyes would glance over the kids and see that lone hand waving in the air... it was useless. Luckily i think we got away with it because i didnt catch anyone rolling their eyes at us or anything.
Then after lunch... Lauren was on "round up" duty which means she dismisses the tables and has to watch over any kids that have to stay in for recess. I didn't really have anything else to do so I just hung out with her. Rico... another kindgergartener..who is a very naughty boy and always in the office- got lunch detention for trying to drink his milk like a dog. We had to put on our sternest faces just to get him to stop taking his shirt off while he was sitting on the bench. Right when we were feeling pretty in charge we turn our glances over his way and he is standing on the bench with his arms wrapped around a dirty steel pole... licking it. We allowed ourselves some short silent laughter and then Lauren got tough... and we distracted him with a game of twenty questions... ok so maybe we aren't as good as being stern as we would like you to think.

This is Lauren now..Courtney's on the phone with her mom (who will be here to visit us this Saturday!). So, I'm taking over. First off, I'd like to apologize for making promises we can't keep..if you recall, in the last post I promised "consistent daily blogging"...well as you can see, that is really happening. Woops. But, we really really will try to do better. I guess I'll pick up where C left off. Friday after school, Court and I decided to stay home and just chill. After dinner (a delicious soup that C and I made together..as we danced to gansta rap) we put in one of our favorite movies, Stand By Me. Midway through the movie, we decided we were so tired/bored that it was time to just go to bed..it was 7:30pm. We slept until 9 am Saturday morning. 13 and 1/2 hours!!!!!!! We both decided that probably won't need to sleep until 2009. Saturday was a b-e-a-u-tiful day. So, we hopped in the car and cruised around the reservation. We stopped at a few stores that sell local artist's work..jewelry, pottery, and sculptures. Then, we went to the Hopi Cultural Center, another place where people sell their artwork...and we're nearly pressured into buying ridiculously expensive Kachina carvings. On the way home, we stopped at a little pull off spot on the winding highway. The view there was amazing. And there's something about the air here..it just seems so fresh and deserty. After our little road trip, we met Stan, Beth, and the kids at the playground. Court and I were tricked into playing "follow the leader"..which actually means Court and Lauren attempt to squeeze into tiny baby slides, get stuck in them, and contort our bodies into very unnatural positions in order to get out. Later we went over to Stan and Beth's, had dinner, and hung out there until 11 or so. I should mention this little tidbit..Saturday night Beth told us a very frightening tale. Not long ago, a friend of her's saw a BLACK PANTHER on the reservation..like a mile from where we live! A PANTHER. So, of course, Courtney and I were freaked out by this..and we now sprint in and out of our house to our car in fear of a giant cat attacking us. In a weird way..I wish we could encounter one of these panthers...it would be excellent blog material.
Now, for the events of today. We went to church with Stan, Beth, and the kids. The church, Sunlight Mission, is quaint and beautiful. I'd get married there anyday. It overlooks beautiful mesas and mountains. And the drive there is something else! The dirt road winds and curves and has a rollercoaster effect on your stomach. After church, we had muffins and scones and minlged with people for an hour or so. Then, we took off to Winslow (remember the Eagles song.."take it easy"...well, its the same Winslow!) which is about an hour away. We ate at McDonald's and then shopped at Wal-Mart (by far the nicest Wal-Mart we've ever been to). On the way home, we stopped for gas, and went inside to get something to drink. On our way out, a scary man raised his eyebrows suggestively, smiled at Courtney, and was in hot pursuit of us. I was distracted by some trucker vests, therefore, I didn't realize what was transpiring. I kept trying to point the vests out to C, but she kept ignoring me and pushing me out the door..after we escaped back to the car, Courtney explained to me how close we were to losing our lives. So, after a long day..we made it home, where we were greeted by a wonderful message on our answering machine from our youth group..we were so sad that we missed their call. But, it was wonderful to hear from them.


We've decided to start giving "shout outs" on here to our faithful readers..so, today's blog superstar is: Andrea Overholt!
From your extravagant hand gestures, and delicous home cookin', to your precious son..plus the one on the way..we love you, miss you, and you better get your High School Musical lovin' booty out here soon!!!

love,
C & Lo

Wow..

it has been way too long since I have updated this thing...and judging by the many people that have been requesting updates I believe a few of you feel the same way. A lot has happened since last time... but I'll just start with last Friday.

I was ( and still am) acting as receptionist... which I LOVE. Anyways-- right before school started the sixth grade teacher, Devon went home sick. So since Lauren was gone that left me as substitute. Also, the men Leon and John that usually do recess duty were gone so I had to fill in for them. Well sixth grade was easy enough in the morning... i only had 3 boys and we basically talked about movies and they stared at my burn scar and asked a billion question about what came out of the blister when it burst. So... at about 10 am the real wildness began. I was the only adult on the playground with 46 children. IT WAS NUTS. The kindergartners were pulling each other around like "ponies" with jump ropes, i was pushing every chubby boy at the school on the swing set, and trying to monitor the monkey bars. Well just as I was giving Lyle a lesson on how to pump his legs so i didn't have to keep grunting and pushing him and looking like a weak weirdo- i heard a thud and a scream.
Alexandra has fallen off of the top of the jungle gym and scraped her face up and (as we later found out) broken her wrist. Someone ran and got another teacher to take Alex inside. As she was walking up to the school she was spitting dirt and blood... and Tracey (the second grade girl in white from the picture of "picture day" posted earlier) thought she was throwing up which caused her to gag and beg me to clean up Alex's spit. After that whole situation was taken care of- the rest of the day was pretty normal. UNTIL- i had to drive the bus home. Yes, you read right. It was more of a big giant van than it was a bus... but these roads are insane... like if their weren't guard rails you would tumble down canyons. I drove the Bacavi route. Bacavi is a really small, really traditional little village up the mesa. Most of the house are stone and look as if you just stepped out of a time machine to the 1800's old west. A lot of the kids that live out there don't have running water or electricity so it was definitely a very cultural experience. Ms. Roy the kindergarten teacher (who is Hopi) lives out that way so i got to take her home too. I love her... she was in a car accident a few years back that left her with a very bad limp, but she doesnt let that slow her down at all- she is awesome with the kids and a big inspiration for me. More on her later.

Saturday... i did laundry and unsuccessfully attempted to master high altitude baking.

Sunday: Wowzers. A very full day. I left the house at about 7:30 am for a staff outing day with Betty and her Husband, John and Judy Warner (another couple working here at the school), and three other teachers. We first went to Oak Creek canyon. BEAUTIFUL. Its near Flagstaff so it was very woodsy and the fall colors were absolutley amazing. After that we headed to Sedona for lunch and shopping. I am proud to say I spent no money. ( Be proud Mom and Dad) It took way too much will power not to buy every piece of turquois jewlery that I came across... but I'm saving up for Christmas presents... and groceries which we have recently found out cost a whole lot more than we had planned for. Let's call it becoming an adult. Anyways... we stopped at coldstone on the way home and got back to the school around 9:30. I was beat.

Monday and Tuesday involved more office work. Tuesday we had student council officer elections which i somehow got roped into being in charge of.. so i had to explain student council to many young children and the tell two people they lost in the race for vice-president...sad. But other than that it was kinda fun because the kids got really into it. Speeches and all. Lauren and I are really excited about being Student council sponsors and are appreciating our experience in StuCo. I left at about 1:30 to pick Lauren up in Flag. I have never been so excited in my whole life. While sitting alone in my house for ten days had been a blast ( not) I was ok with having Lo around again. Lauren's phone died during her plane ride which caused her not to answer my or her mom's calls all day and sent us into a minor panic... but she arrived eventually and we had a little reunion at the bus station... then moved on to Sam's Club. We had to shop for some student council supplies and bought $80 worth of snacks for the school ( curtousy of some new monetary donations HMS recieved from someone in Kansas). Then after Maureen sending us in circles for a good 15 minutes... we found a McDonald's and ate like savage beasts. Next was some desperately needed grocery shopping at our new favorite store: Safeway. CARI- this place has deals that would put your dad's price comparisons to shame. Plus if you get the free membership you get 3 cents off of every gallon of gas at their station. Almost too good to be true. We got home at about 9:30... unloaded groceries... and went straight to sleep.

Yesterday: We cleaned the office hardcore. I'm talking vacuuming, dusting, organizing... the works. I just couldn't take the clutter anymore... and it looks like new now. Then in the evening we made chili and corn bread and took it to stan and beth's for dinner for some good old fashion family time.

Sorry this one isn't crazy eventful... Lauren already updated you on today... which should be eventful enough to last you at least.. the 10 minutes it takes you to read it.

LOVE,
court

A Much Needed Post

Well, its been a ridiculously long time since we last blogged..and I would like to send out my deepest, deepest apologies for that.
I guess I will start by attempting to give you a detailed description of the rest of my time at home..so, let's just go day by day.

Thursday

Jonas and I helped my brother Matt and his fiance Heather get completely moved into their new house. This involved moving heavy objects such as TV's, bookshelves, cabinets, and a couch. By the time we moved everything, we were all dog tired. Later, we helped my mom set up for the wedding rehearsal dinner. The plan was to decorate the coffee shop area to give it a romantic Italian bistro setting..and after 3 hours of hard work, a few shattered light bulbs, and 19 trips to my house and back, the bistro was complete. It looked wonderful and we were all very proud of our hard work. And later after that we went over to my friend Kara's house to visit Marty, Andy, and her.

Friday

We met Marty and Kara for breakfast at the Koffee Kup. After breakfast, we all went to the school to visit some teachers...as all the cool graduates of KHS do. We visited with Mr. Gaff, Mrs. Sanders, Clink, Thurner, Frau, Otto, and Benham...Mrs. Chatwell, if you read this and wonder why we didn't visit..well, you had a class and we didn't want to interrupt. We were all really bummed though. It was really a weird feeling to be back in those hallowed halls of KHS. After our lovely visit back to school, I went with Heather and the other bridesmaids to get our nails done in Valpo. Believe it or not, this was the first time I've ever really had my nails done. I just always prefer to do it myself. The guy who did my nails flirted just a little too much. At one point, after some small talk and learning I was traveling back to AZ in a few days, he told me he would take me to the airport..and I just kinda stared at him..not knowing what to say. Anyways, he created many more awkward/weird conversations. But, I've learned to expect that, because it seems that awkwardness follows me where ever I go these days. So from there, we had the wedding rehearsal followed by rehearsal dinner. Both went smoothly and a good time was had by all.

Saturday (wedding day)

At 10, we went to Heather's to get our hair and makeup done. This seemed to take forever to me. All three of us bridesmaids were insanely tired for some reason and had trouble staying awake all day. Finally, 2 o'clock rolled around and we went to the church. We finished getting ready there. We only had a 2 serious emergencies in the bridesmaid department. Lindsey's dress ripped at the zipper..it was very noticeable..but luckily, Heather's Grandma had a sewing kit on hand and the problem was solved. The other bridesmaid, Holly, sprayed perfume directly on her dress creating a big giant circle wet spot..but it faded enough to not be terribly noticeable. I was so nervous..like the about to get sick kind of nervous. Why, I don't know..the only responsibilites I had were to smile, walk down the aisle, and read a passage from Colossians. Yet, I was freaking out. And it certainly didn't help that I couldn't take deep breaths because my dress was so tight. But, the ceremony was beautiful and simple..and everything went smoothly. We took pictures outside afterwards and then headed up to Valpo for the reception. It was super fun..my dad danced like a maniac. Literally. He had moves that put Michael Jackson to shame. After a long night of dancing and celebration, I spent the night with some of my best friends from high school. It was great to see all of them again. After seeing them everyday at school for 13 years..it's been hard to be away for so long. We made cookie dough and attempted to stay up all night..but by 3 or 4 am, we were all asleep.

Sunday and Monday
We all went to church after a late night of dancing and struggled to desperately to stay awake. Everytime we prayed I had to force myself to keep my eyes open..because I knew if I closed them, I'd be out cold. The rest of Sunday was spent relaxing and watching movies..and then at 6, I took Jonas to the bus stop to head back home to Canada. After that, I met Karley at Youth Group..where we caught up with Jeff and Andrea Overholt..the two best friends/youth leaders ever. Then, Karley and I went to Starbucks and got to catch up on her life at Trinity and my life in AZ. Monday, my parents both had the day off to spend with me..so we went to breakfast, relaxed, and carved pumpkins together. It was a fun last day at home..I won't be back again until Christmas, which is a long time in my mind. But, there's lots to do back in AZ, so I'll be just fine.

Tuesday (the dreaded day of travel)
As you know, ten days ago, when I traveled home I had an interesting day of traveling. I've been worrying about having a repeat experience..where I'd lose more irreplaceable things, get screamed at by TSA at the airport, and infuriate a sassy bus driver. Luckily, it was a much better day than expected. But, I found this funny...my bus driver was the same woman that I upset a week ago..I don't think she remembered me, but, boy did I remember her! A few unfortunate things did happen though. My cell phone went dead...at the worst possible time. I needed to call Courtney, as well as my parents to let them know I had made it. I didn't have time to find a payphone..and I discovered I brought the wrong charger. Oh and my bus to Flagstaff from Phoenix was a half hour late..and I almost hyperventilated as I stood on the curb freaking out, thinking I was never going to make it back. I needed my phone to call the bus service to see what in the world was up..and finally, the bus came..and my heart started beating normally again. I made it to Flagstaff and found out from Courtney that my parents were freaking out..since I hadn't called them..and were convinced I was kidnapped. I immediately called home and reassured them that I was alive and well. From there, C and I went to Sam's Club, the grocery store, and McDonald's for dinner. We made it home around 9:30..unpacked and went straight to bed.

Ok..sorry if this was incredibly disappointing. I tried to get myself into crazy situations..so I could have exciting things to blog about. But, as I'm reviewing this entry..it seems that I failed. But, Courtney and I have both promised to never neglect our blog for as long as we did.

Oh..and I might as well fill you in on today's events. The village of Kykostmovi has truely embraced Red Ribbon week thus far. Yesterday, we all recieved really neat t-shirts to wear in the parade today. Yes, that's right a parade. Court and I got the privilege of decorating the bus (the kids rode in it down "main street" for the parade). Did I mention it was 20 degrees outside this morning? I'm not even exaggerating. After working on the bus for 20 minutes, we could no longer feel our hands..we sprinted inside to get gloves, and then had to go back out to finish it. Court and I were seriously looking forward to this parade, but were informed we had to stay back to take care of office work. We were completely bummed. After the kids left on the beautifully decorated bus, we drove to the post office to check the mail..and were fortunate enough to get to see the entire 3 minute parade! Just like the precious parades in Kouts, it was short and sweet..oh and they wip candy at you. We we're seriously diving and dodging from suckers and candy bars. Back at school, we spent the rest of the day working in the office, doing computer classes, and playing tag at recess. After school, C and I went back to the post office to check the mail again..and then to the Hopi Cultural Center to buy a present for our bff Cari's 21st bday tomorrow! (Happy Birthday Cari!) and I bought a present for my dad's birthday, which is next month. We got home, ate some buffalo wings, put in a movie, and started in on all the blogging we had to catch up on!

Ron, the principal's husband/maintenance guy/adopted grandpa, offered to fix our bike tires, which if you don't recall were mutilated by spikey plants on our first bike ride. So, were looking forward to being able to ride those again some day!

Answer to prayer: Court and I have really wanted to make friends with some Hopi/Navajo kids our age..and we have! There's a girl named Valerie, who volunteers at the school a couple times a week and is also Levander's (sheep riding kindergartner) big sister. Anyways, we hung out with her alot today..and basically, we're best friends now. We might hang out this weekend and she has plans to take us to all the secretly cool places around the reservation. We're really excited!

ok..if i type much more, my fingers may shrivel up and fall off. So, I hope you all enjoy this update..and be expecting consistent daily blogging from this day forward...for the most part.

We miss you all!
Love,
Lo

an update from indiana

I love this blog. I love it so much that I feel the need to update it from home. So, I'll just fill you in on the last couple days..from my interesting day of travel on Saturday, to life in Kouts.

I think it's safe to say that last Friday & Saturday was one of the worst 48 hours of both Courtney's and my life. Now, I don't want to be a negative Nancy..but, I think you guys may enjoy reading about our series of unfortunate events.

I don't even know where to begin to be quite honest.

I'll start with Friday morning. I set my alarm to go for a jog in the morning..but I fell back asleep after the alarm rang. At 6:30, Courtney and I got ready for school and went to devotions at 7:45am. Then, we went to kindergarten to do begin our daily regimen. Ms. Roy, the kindergarten teacher, asked us to decorate a big bulletin board for a project the kids are doing. C and I have become professional bulletin board designers/decorators in these past few weeks. In fact, we're considering starting a bulletin board business, where we go school to school, decorating to our hearts desire. But, don't worry, for now we're staying where were at. Anyways..we got really creative, and used everthing from yarn to chalk. As we were decorating, Leon, a young Hopi man who works at the school, asked us to do recess duty..which means we push kids on the swings for a half hour. It's fun though. For chapel Friday, we had a special guest, named Matt Keller. He's a silly cartoonist from Niagara Falls, NY. The kids enjoyed his presentation thoroughly. After lunch, Courtney and I had computer classes to teach. Basically during that we have to make sure the kids stay on task and answer any questions they have. Now, obvioulsy no part of that was plagued by unfortunate events. Just be patient. It will come.

I almost forgot one special thing..the one absolutely wonderful thing that happened on Friday. We recieved a giant box labeled "cookies by design." Apparently, it had been sitting by the mail boxes in the teacher's room for quite a while. But, we never noticed it! Immediately, C and I ripped it open and were filled with joy to see our beautiful cookie bouquet! It was house warming gift arrangement. There was a cookie tree, cookie house, cookie welcome mat, personalized "Court & Lo" cookie, and last..but most certainly not least..a "Home Sweet Hopi" cookie!!!! I ate the welcome mat one as we watched the newest episode of The Office online...which was a disappointing episode. Oh! I almost forgot..the cookie bouquet was from Katie..were thinking Katie Lauer..or maybe Katie Hauer...not completely sure which one. Either way..THANK YOU! We truely loved it.

Anyways, on with the bad day. So we walked home through asandstorm, which was painful on the eyes and skin. It was extremely windy, like nothing I've ever experienced. We were dreading all the sand that would be in our house..it finds its was through anything..even the cracks in the windows. We made it to the house..and found that we were locked out. Court thought I had the keys..and I thought Court had them. We looked for open windows..and found none. I ran back to the school to ask if someone had the spare keys....no one did. But..our principal was out of town, and one of the teacher's was house sitting for her. Therefore, she had the keys to her house, and we knew there would be spare keys somewhere in there. So..we went through her house searching for our keys..finally found them..and finally unlocked our now sand filled dwelling.

I immediately started packing for home..since I would be leaving Sat. morning. Courtney made us dinner..and burned her hand severely in the process. After dinner, we went to Stan and Beth's for an hour or so, came back and went to bed knowing we had to get up at 3am to be on the road by 4am. We did all that right on schedule. It was interesting driving through the desert for 1.5 hours in the pitch pitch pitch dark..plus it was still sandstorming. But, we made it to the bus stop in Flagstaff right on time. After 2 hours on the bus with 6 interesting people..especially the driver..who was not the kindest soul I've ever met, we arrived at the Phoenix airport. My flight wasn't till 1:20..and it was 8am. I was going to have some serious time to kill. But, I love airports..so it was no sweat. After waiting for 30 mins in a long line to check my bag..I was told that I could only check it 4 hours prior to my flight. I got out of line and sat in a chair for an hour..then got back in the long line to check my bags.

Next, I went upstairs to all the stores/restaurants to get some breakfast, do some serious people watching, and buy a book. I bought a muffin and a smoothie and took off my sweater because I was hot. A half hour later, while I was in a book store..I realized my sweater was gone. I went into panic mode. I retraced my steps 5 times. no sweater. I walked up to a service desk..manned by intense looking cops, and asked for the lost and found. They asked me what I was looking for and I shamefully said,"...um..I lost my sweater..." How dumb does that sound?! I felt so embarassed. They aren't there to find my insignificant sweater..their job is to keep the peace in the airport..stop crime...things like that. So, they took my name and a detailed description of the size small, light green, black pin striped, button up..missing sweater. I decided it was time to go through security and get to my gate. This was my first time to take a laptop through security..and unfortunately, I had never paid attention to the laptop procedure when others do it. I did it all wrong. Thus, some mean TSA lady screamed at me and gave me dirty looks. I hate when I disappoint people..and this felt like the ultimate disappointment (at the time at least). As you know, you have to show photo ID with your boarding pass to get to your gate. So, I did that, and in the chaos of grabbing all my stuff, just stuck my license in my pocket. Unfortunately, I forgot that the jeans I was wearing reject everything you put in its pockets. The pockets just refuse to function as they were created to. And they lived up to their reputatuion by rejecting my license. But, I had no idea that this had happened. All the sudden I was missing a precious sweater..and my stinking LICENSE! I tried not to cry..or get Incredible Hulkishly angry. For the second time in 1 hour, I retraced my steps to find a missing item. I was too embarrassed to go tell the cops that I had now lost my license, along with the sweater. I just said a prayer and kept my cool. I couldn't lose it, not while I was alone, in an airport full of strangers. I wasn't going there. Finally it was time to board the plane! I still had no license or sweater, though. Just as the plane was about to shut its doors, an airport worker ran on and got on the PA system..he said "is there a Lauren Sandberg on here?..I have your license here..it looks like you're from Indiana" I slowly rose to go retrieve my missing belonging. I felt my face get redder and redder..it was the walk of shame. My head was racing..I was so glad they found it..but so mad it had to happen like this..such a public annoucement of my loss. I just kept thinking..I came here today with my sweater, my license, and my pride..and lost all three of them before the day was over.

Anyways..we landed at Midway..I waited 45 mins for my suitcase. Thus far, this day had not gone according to plan...and was about to get a little bit worse. I had to find the Coach bus for NWI and get dropped off in Portage. After 10 panicked phone calls to my mom trying to find the bus..I finally came upon it. After getting on the bus..I realized I accidentally told the driver I was going to Merrillville...ooopsy. I meant to say Portage. This wouldn't be a big deal..but they put your luggage in different places according to your destination..so it was a big deal. I told her of my blunder and apoligzed..she didnt take it so well. This sassy Chicagoan got very mad at me..said some harsh words and eventually said she would take care of it.

Somehow, I made it home alive. My dad picked me up and we went to Wal-Mart, then home to celebrate my mom's Bday.

Since I've been home, I've cleaned the house, cooked, baked, ran errands, and helped Matt move out and prepare for the wedding.

Today, we had family pictures taken by Amber Birky. It was fun. Maybe I'll put some on here when we get them.

This post is insanely long..sorry about that. In case you were wondering..I was a little home sick..and it's good to be back..it feels like I never left. But, I'm looking forward to getting back to AZ and seeing Courtney!
That's all for now :]
love,
Lo

Eventful.

Today was definitely that. I started out the morning working in the office, answering phones, filing things, ect. I actually didn't mind it at all... a little mindless work every now and then is nice. I got to sit in with Betty while we had "Judge Judy- Hopi Mission School Style" with two girls. It was quite the trial. You see.. Shosheena and Amber were both waiting for Mario to get off the swing. As soon as he did they both bolted towards it, Amber tripped Shosheena and it all went down hill from there. So after that matter was all settled, Betty informed me that I will be officially taking over the second grade class ON MY OWN in about 3 weeks. SCARY. I'm just not going to freak out about that for a while... I am pretty excited about it though. I really like that class a lot. Then while I was doing a horrible job at using the paper cutter to cut out attendence slips (tried to cut them all at the same time... bad idea... ended with zig zag edges) A family walked into the office. Apparently they just moved to the reservation from Korea as missionaries the same day Lauren and I moved in. They have two boys Jacob(4th) and Daniel (2nd)..those are their english names anyways... and neither of them speak a word of English. But they didnt really seem scared at all and the Hopi kids really took care of them on their first day so that was really nice to see. I can not imagine being in that situation... how scary!

Yesterday was Shaniqua's 8th birthday and Betty promised her a celebration. So at about 10 am I left the school and went down to the little village market for some pink (strawberry) cake mix, vanilla frosting, and some drinks for Betty and the office manager, Judy. Not to mention I got the perk of getting myself a little something ( Arizona sweet tea if you were wondering...) When I got back from there I ran over to my house, made the cake and brought it back to put in the oven at school so it could be done after lunch. I almost spilled it on my arm 3 times on the way back to school because i kept tripping in sand. I also saw the scariest bug ever. Think: ORKIN man commericials.

More exciting news: WE GOT A VACUUM TODAY! I walked in and Bettys husband had put it in our living room. FINALLY- i am getting really sick of this sand. ALSO I got invited over to the 6th and 1st grade teachers' house tonight for dinner so i am excited to get to know them a little better.

Well I am off to go vacuum and do dishes left over from the speed cake mixing.

ANY TEACHER FRIENDS THAT MAY BE READING THIS: I NEED SOME TIPS! and if you have any material you don't need/ want to donate to the school let me know and I'll figure out how to get it here! Thanks!

Sorry that it has been a few days.

You will all be happy to know I have been barf free for about 3 days now, and as of today I can actually think about food without feeling like I'm gonna relive the other night. I did however attain a new injury on Friday- a giant (well.. ok maybe not GIANT) 3 degree (according to me...) burn on my right hand. I was cooking chicken for Lauren and I... (i cook, we sit at the dinner table with a lit candle and discuss our day.. she kills the bugs...ect.) and right when I wasnt expecting it I got a big old splatter of hot butter all over the back of my hand. I didn't even scream or say impolite words... just pressed my lips together and whipped the spatula across the room ( then ran as fast as I could to Lauren's room so she could baby me...hah). Anyways- it has gone past the big bubbly blister stage and now just looks like a nasty wound. I had to tell the story to about 10 appalled children today.

Lauren left for home on Saturday. Her brother Matt is getting married this coming Saturday and she is in the wedding. While that is super exciting and fun... it does leave me here in the middle of the desert... by myself in the house... with a very small supply of DVD's, and many many oreos. I have now watched all of Seinfeld season 9 and all four seasons of the Office. I have now resorted to rewashing dishes and belting Celine Dion in our very echoey house. This could be a very sad 11 days. I actually dreamt that I heard Lauren whistling the other morning, woke up and thought "What are me and Lauren gonna do today?...... oh wait... she's not here..." and went back to sleep. I know, poor poor Courtney.

I taught third grade today. Let me just say this. I had to teach a lesson on problem solving and never felt so stupid in my whole life. A child fell asleep as I tried to figure out what the heck i was talking about. asleep... like drooling.

A few little things I've been noticing with the kids:

I wear alot of necklaces. The kids come from a culture that is very aware of jewlery and such so I often get compliments on my necklaces. However I am left feeling very dumb when they ask me if my necklace that I bought on clearance from Target is made of the stones from my homeland, and I never know what to say when they ask "Who made that for you.." i think they wouldn't really like it if I said a machine in Columbia.

They are also very confused about my heritage. They have figured out I am not Hopi. And today they figured out that I am not Navajo. And whenever I try and tell them I'm mostly German... they start asking me how to say things in german and whether my grandparents were nazis and when my family settled in Indiana... I'm really starting to wish that I knew/cared as much about my heritage as they do. It's definately not as fun to say that "my people" like tony's pizza and wal mart as it would be to say that my grandmother is in the moth clan (I'll explain the clan thing later... i think I might finally have figured it out) and that she has passed down the art of basket weaving.

Well it's 9:39... and I am usually in bed by now on "school nights" seeing that I have been having anger issues with my alarm clock every single morning.

Please continue to pray for good health and that we ( or I.. until next Tuesday when Lo gets back) can clearly notice opportunities to be more involved with the students parents and the rest of the community. Also (more on this later) Betty, the 67 year old principal who I LOOOOVE just went through her first of four chemo treatments and is still working hard as ever. Please just pray for continued strength and healing for her.

Thanks!


Love,
Court

The day I barfed six times

Yes, that's right. I have officially become a missionary now that I have gotten violently ill. I have been feeling sick ever since we got here pretty much, but it hasn't been anything too bad. I have just been CRAZY tired all the time and have had a bit of a sore throat. Today was a different story however. I had been feeling weird all day... came home and took a two hour nap and then we went over to Jenny's (the 3rd grade teacher) little cottage for dinner with all of the teachers. It was torture. There was the most delicious chicken chili i have ever seen sitting right in front of me and I couldn't even finish half of it. The plus side is that we got to spend a little down time with the other girls and really like them all a lot and we got to see our friend Danielle that we met when we were here in august. Anyways- back to the barf. We all decided to have a bonfire and Lauren wanted to grab a sweater from home so I went with. The second we stepped outside I felt it. You know... the weird watery mouth clammy hands thing that happens when you are just about to lose it. Well we were only a little ways from our house so I tried to run... because barfing 6 times in a toilet is way cuter than doing it in people's yards as you are sprinting with a plate of cake in your hand. Well that just didn't work. I'm talking projectile here. Lauren was trying her hardest to comfort me, but in the true fashion of our friendship she was dying laughing- which is ok because I was too. Anyways we finally made it to the house- Lauren took my clothes and threw them in the washer and I went straight for the old toothbrush. The good thing is I feel better than I have all week. So the moral of the story: Sometimes all you need is a good old throw up.

In all seriousness though we officially have some prayer requests:

Lauren has been having really bad nightmares every night and hasn't been able to sleep.

I have been sick... obviously.

The kids have been coming to school hungry and the school doesn't have the funds to feed them beyond a meal at lunch. If anyone feels like they would like to help out by sending in some healthy snacks (granola bars.. ect) that would be awesome and would really help the kids be able to concentrate better in the mornings.

I think that's it for now. We love you all and miss you. Thanks for caring about what we are up to!




PS Cari- we got your gifts today. We love and miss you beyond words. thanks. we wish you were here.




Love,
Court

The Grand Tour.

The bathroom.
Courtney's cute little bedroom.
The view from outside our half of the duplex :]
Courtney holding a plate of cookies in our overly nice kitchen.





What's left of the giant batch of cookies I baked on lazy Sunday.










Our fridge..yes, those are Office magnets, and that was Pam until I gave her a mustache and glasses. Oh and that's Court and I in stick figure form.


My (Lauren) Bedroom..we have random sinks that are actually quite convenient.



This is our cozy living room. Right out our front window is a view of the school, and beyond that, mesas, tumbleweeds, and the big blue sky.


Here, we have Courtney busily working at her own personal desk.



That's me working at my desk.
Our cute little kitchen table. We're planning on hanging those pictures very soon.

Another Day on the Rez.

Today is wednesday, therefore, a half a day. Usually, we would have a teacher in service, but we had the afternoon free. Courtney and I have been talking about going to the health club that's a mile down the road. It's brand new and absolutely free to anyone. We've said we're going for sure 3 days in a row now. But, everyday when we get home..we just end up getting on our laptops, watching a movie, or taking naps. We decided we're going tomorrow for sure..haha.

As you may have noticed, I added some pictures to some of our older posts. I'm not sure if we've mentioned this yet, but there's this web site called "blurb" where you can turn your blog into a book. Courtney and I are very excited to do that. So, for the sake of turning this into a book in the near future, we decided that we need more pictures on here.

Yesterday, Courtney and I were playing with Lyle on the playground. We have noticed his daily routine, he runs over to the flag pole, tries to climb it for 2 mins, gets absolutely no where, and gives up. Then, he runs over to the monkey bars and sort of climbs them. I was feeling youthful and energized yesterday, so I was goofing around on the bars too. I did chin-ups for Courtney till I got tired, and then decided to grab a bar above my head. I started swinging and just when it felt like i was about to swing all the way over and do a flip, I unintentionally let go. My body contorted into a 90 degree angle. As I flew through the air, I heard my back crack. I fully expected to be paralyzed when I finally hit the ground. To my surprise, I was still able to walk and had feeling in my legs. But, I felt 4 of my vertebrae had been shattered to smitherines (spelling ?). Courtney asked me if I was okay...and I said yes. But, inside I knew something wasn't right. It hurt to breathe, walk, talk, and be alive. I had C pray for it, and I claimed healing in Jesus name. But, as I'm sitting here it still hurts. I guess I'll have to see a chiropractor when I get go home next week.

We had meatloaf for lunch today....i think. Whatever it was, it was harder to swallow than apple cider vinegar. We've officially decided to bring our own lunch from now on. Today was Courtney's last day in 2nd grade. She's unsure of what she'll be doing tomorrow. Betty and Judy (receptionist/computer teacher) are out of town until Sunday, so tomorrow I will be with the Kindergarteners, teaching computer classes, and working in the office. So, I'm guessing C will end up doing something of the same. Yesterday, I also got to explore the resource room, which has tons of art supplies, art instructing books, and interesting stuff. I'm very excited to set up that room for my art classes. Next week when I go home, I'm planning to talk to Mr. Wright to see if he can give me some guidance/ideas for teaching art to elementary students.

I can't really think of any other news...but, Courtney is taking a nap and wants to be woke up at 4, so I had better go do that. And we're having dinner @ 5:30 at Jenny's (another teacher from the school, whose from Michigan, and is around our age..maybe a few years older, but apparently wednesday nights all the teachers have dinner together).

I'm excited to see some of you this week when I come home! See you soon :]

♥

Lauren