Culletto Family

2011-12-03T07:28:00.004-07:00

Okay, okay. So I gave up on blogging for a while. Well, here I find myself (at 7:00 am on a Saturday) with the urge to update. Mostly, I think, because I got sick of seeing Valentine's wallpaper every time I wanted to listen to the playlist. So, if there's anyone out there who still checks this blog, howdy! Happy Holidays!
Hm... So what's happened since last post?
Well, I'm pregnant! Team blue! Due March 8th, but I think he may come early, but I kind of hope not because I will be teaching up to the 2nd and I don't want to start labor at school, but it would be kind of cool if he came on Feb. 29th to have a leap year birthday. So far, pregnancy has been pretty good--some stomach pains, back pains, and hubby pains (as he deals with my raging hormones), but baby looks good. Mike is excited to "even things up" 'round here.
Mike is working for a software company in Orem. We just celebrated his birthday, and are now looking forward to an early Christmas. We'll be doing it early this year (the 18th) because Arian is leaving for Florida/South America on the 19th.
Arian has also had a busy year--she went on a Disney cruise to the Caribbean, turned 8, and got baptized. Ain't she purty?

Well, that's us in a nutshell! I'll try not to let it be another year before posting again! :)

2011-01-28T22:33:00.002-07:00

We are going private soon so if you would like to be invited to view our blog, please send us your email address to mxculletto@hotmail.com

2011-01-08T14:33:00.008-07:00

Look what showed up in our mailbox today!

It's official, Mike is a university graduate! I'm so proud of him!
To celebrate, he's been building a new computer.

The holidays are over and we're back in the swing of things. We spent Christmas in Montana with Grandma Culletto and Barry and really enjoyed our visit! Santa showed up on Christmas Eve to visit with Arian before she went to sleep!
A few pics:

Montana beauty!
The snow was so deep in some areas, all you could see is the treetops!

Life is moving along again. For me, it's filled with days spent teaching. Arian is keeping busy with school, dance, horseback riding, and trying to stay sane with two parents intent on driving her crazy! :) Mike is of course following every detail of the NFL playoffs. Go Bears!!

2010-11-30T18:41:00.002-07:00

Happy birthday to Mike!!! Or as happy as one can be when buried in schoolwork all day. We decided to celebrate Mike's birthday a day early because of all the relentless demands of his professors. But....it's nearly over! Only a few more weeks until he's done with school--forever (yay!).

We're all looking forward to school being out at the end of this month--me especially (the next 3 weeks are gonna dra-aag). We plan to head up to Montana for Christmas this year, which will be a nice change of scene.

I've been busy with--what else?--teaching. Things seem to be chugging along, and I truly enjoy my job. (Except the waking-up-@-5:30-and-scraping-off-the-car-while-standing-in-a-foot-of-snow-in-8-degree-weather part.)

Arian is doing fabulously. She's in the top of her class for reading, which is kind of funny because she doesn't even really like to read--she'd much rather run around. That's okay though--Mike and I don't care whether she makes her millions (and our retirement fund) with smarts or athleticism--we'll be happy either way. :)

Enjoy the holidays!

2010-10-31T22:29:00.005-06:00

Happy Halloween! Here's our little monster:

This is the first year she hasn't wanted to be a princess. She did refuse the green makeup and fake warts, though.
We had a pleasant Halloween, and even managed to do some trick-or-treating despite the rainstorm.

Things are chugging along in the Culletto household: Mike is struggling with his ethics and values (um... the college course); I had the best Halloween ever, seeing as I slept the day away due to some powerful painkiller meds (I've got one heckuva toothache!); Arian just returned from spending her 7th birthday in Florida, and wasted no time in flaunting her talent of messing up her bedroom in 60 seconds flat. All in all, things are flowing as smoothly as can be expected for people who lead 3 crazy lives!

2010-09-05T09:19:00.008-06:00

Well, as much as I tried to fight it, the cruise did come to an end, summer came to an end, and school started back up again. No fighting Father Time, I guess.
It's a beautiful Sunday morning and I was just about to start my preparations for church when I realized that today is the first Sunday of our time change. Church is now at 1:00, so I'm updating the blog with the extra 2 hours.

Arian is loving school (anything to get her away from "boring ol' Mom and Dad"). She even wishes she could go to school tomorrow on Labor Day. She has a wonderful teacher and does an outstanding job on her school work (naturally--she does have my genes :).
Photos from her first day of first grade

When did she get so BIG?

Mike just started school and is already swamped with homework. But it's his last semester, so only 15 more weeks of homework for him. Of course the real exciting news is that football is finally back in his life again. It's like watching a bear come out of hibernation.

As for me, I've been enjoying how much easier life gets as a second-year teacher as opposed to a first-year teacher. There really is a big difference in stress and workload. My students are all great (so far :) and I really do thoroughly enjoy my job. Really, how many people get to dictate what they are going to do for their job each day? I am so blessed to do what I do.

2010-08-19T19:23:00.022-06:00

We're back!! We had such a fantastic time over the last two weeks! There's no way I could possibly describe it all on a blog--but I'll hit some of the highlights.
We spent an evening in Seattle--it was raining, of course.

Checking in!

Waiting to board the Pearl!

Boarding at last! (Mike was trying for a perspective shot--he's holding the boat.)

Settling right in and making ourselves at home.

The Blue Angels were in Seattle putting on a show on the day we left, so we watched them as we set sail.

Leaving Seattle.

The Crystal Atrium on the Pearl--Mike and I played MarioKart on that screen (we had quite an audience!)

Formal night (or, as we did it, semi-formal night).

Going whale watching in Juneau! I absolutely fell in love with the Humpbacks--this was an AWESOME excursion!

Check out how big his tail is (or "fluke", as we seasoned whale watchers would call it :)

Blow spouts!

Here's a short video of just some of the whaling we did! They're humpback whales! (Sorry 'bout the shaky cam--I was watching the whales and not really paying attention to the camera.)

Visiting Liarsville in Skagway!

Panning for gold--they told us we'd find enough to pay for the cruise (guess we now know why they call it "Liarsville")!

Doing what we did best for the entire week--eating! This was at a fresh salmon bake--yum!

On a mountain ridge in Skagway overlooking the Pearl--you'll probably have to enlarge the photo to see it.

Getting back on the boat!

Glacier Bay!

Our view for breakfast!

Rock climbing on the Pearl while floating through Glacier Bay! (It's higher than it looks--this is on the top deck--already 14 stories up before you begin climbing!)

Sunset in Alaska

Relaxing in the cabin after a long day!

The battle is on: Reeces vs. Cullettos in giant chess. While we played, a Humpback Whale jumped completely out of the water right off the boat!

Visiting a Tlinget Indian village in Ketchikan--very interesting place full of history and culture.

Totem poles!

A cool street in Ketchikan--the river is PACKED with spawning salmon--and some jellyfish too!

We went to a Loggerman show in Ketchikan--the men competed in logger sports like axe throwing, team sawing, and trunk climbing. The scenery at this show was great! ;)

Toasting our departure to Victoria!

Midnight Chocolate Buffet! I couldn't believe my eyes--there was SOOOOOOOO much chocolate!

Our first time to Canada!

Gorgeous architecture in Victoria!

Harbor in Victoria at sunset

Here's something you don't see every day: a violin-playing Darth Vader! That alone made the trip worth it! :)

Happy on the final night!

The final shot on the cruise--saying goodbye to cabin 4549.

After we dropped Ben & Cami off at the airport, Mike and I headed to Montana to spend some time with his family. Here we are just before our rafting trip. I didn't bring the camera down the river; you'll just have to trust me that the scenery was as gorgeous as everything you'd ever expect from Montana.

Well. This is only a handful of the 300+ pictures I took and only features a few of the experiences we had. I learned so much about Alaska's history, wildlife, and people during this trip, I don't think blogger could handle it all! I can't wait to go back! (Right, honey? We're going back, right? :)
BTW: You'll notice Mike is wearing a short-sleeved shirt in all of the pictures and that would be because he didn't even bring a jacket! To Alaska! The first couple of days the temperature didn't even hit the 60s and he paraded around in shorts and a t-shirt exclaiming how fabulous the weather was--so now you all know what a crazy man I married.

In other news, Arian returned from her 6 week trip to Florida, and is doing really well! She seems happy to be home and we are happy to have her. Now we're all looking forward to school starting next week!

2010-08-01T22:46:00.003-06:00

Seven days!!!!!

In exactly one week Mike and I will be aboard the Norwegian Pearl as it sets sail for the inside passage! Thus far, we plan to go whale watching in Juneau, to a fresh salmon bake in Skagway, and on a tour of historical Ketchikan! This is going to be the best vacation of our lives!

A plethora of pictures forthcoming!

2010-07-15T14:58:00.004-06:00

Okay, I know this is supposed to be the "Culletto FAMILY" blog, and the last several posts have been all about Arian, but she's really the most interesting member of our family these days. Sadly, she has left for Florida, where she will spend the next 5 weeks at a summer camp, eating sugar, and undoubtedly perfecting her sassiness.

For those of you interested in the rest of the family, here's a quick update on Mike and me.

Mike has been spending the dog days of summer inside with the thermostat turned down to virtually -27 F, freezing the rest of us so badly we have to walk around in coats and blankets in July. He's also been playing chess, finding every scrap of sports news ever written, and has been trying to match wits with me at Scrabble.

I've been riding my new bike up the mountain on an almost-daily basis, letting the dishes sit for days in the sink while I try to conquer the evil Bowser in Super Mario Bros., and have been driving Mike crazy on an hourly basis with talks and preparations for the CRUISE!!! (which, by the way, is in 23 DAYS!!!!!)

Other than that, we've really just been trying to squeeze in as much lethargy as possible--this fall looks to be quite busy, so we're making the best of being virtually schedule-less while we can. Hope this finds everyone well!

2010-06-27T21:03:00.002-06:00

Arian was in another horse show yesterday and did great! Here are some photos.

I guess that's it for this year's show season, because Arian will be leaving to Florida in just 12 days and will be gone the rest of the summer. We're going to miss her!

2010-06-24T14:20:00.004-06:00

Here are the pics from Arian's Wal-Mart shoot--I think they turned out supercute!

This one is my favorite--love the bare feet, hands behind her back, and cute smile

This is the only one that actually shows her cute toothless grin. (For whatever reason, she's been shy about showing her missing front teeth, so I'm glad we got it recorded at least once for future years.)

Just when I think she just can't get any cuter!

2010-06-15T20:37:00.006-06:00

Two posts in under 10 days!?! No, you haven't entered the Twilight Zone--I just have a lot of time on my hands these days due to summer vacay.
If I'm being honest, it's been somewhat unsettling--I mean, what am I supposed to DO with myself? (I'm sure that by the time school starts up again, I will have mastered the art of lounging, recreating, and all-around slothfulness, and will be dreading actually having to work for my paycheck.)
Here are some pictures of the cutest little frog in the valley! (from Arian's dance show)

Grandma Culletto and Aunt Marsha came down for the show!

She was spoiled at Coldstone after the show.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine!

2010-06-06T09:14:00.007-06:00

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: Arian's horse show pictures!

She rode on Pepper for the show.

She took the red ribbon (2nd place) in a class of six riders--she was by far the youngest! (Yes, I am bragging.)

That rider in the pink is definitely the cutest--don't you think?

Arian participated in a speed event, which she trained for at a walk-trot, but then Pepper decided to speed things up to a canter! Arian handled it great!

She took home 3 ribbons! We can't wait for the next show later this month!

Not only can Arian ride a horse, she can now ride a bike as well!

She picked up on this the day after school got out, and has been asking to go outside and ride ever since!
I am also done with school--YAY! I don't think I've ever loved my job more! :)
Mike has been following Blackhawk's hockey VERY closely, and we're all hoping they pull out a win. Go Chicago!

2010-04-29T20:40:00.012-06:00

I don't handle change very well, and it may be getting worse as I get older. So I know this is totally lame, but I've been kind of depressed since my morning radio show got canceled last week. It was my company during my morning drive, and now I feel so aimless as I randomly punch through the buttons on the control panel.

It's just, there are some things you come to rely on as being constant and never-changing, like the furniture at Grandma's house, Calvin & Hobbes comics, or Mom's chicken broccoli casserole. Even that reassuring feeling you get when you walk into a church midweek, the same way you've done since you could walk, is comforting. These reliable things become even more important as I get older, and the world becomes more and more uncertain and even frightening.

So when the radio show I've listened to for years just suddenly up and disappears without notice, I have a hard time adjusting. Silly, I know, and Mike's going to mock me when he reads this, but I can't help but feel a sense of loss. (Honestly, I think I may have a minor case of Asperger's Syndrome--a disorder that causes people to not cope well with change. And please forego the comments speculating about all the OTHER disorders I could be diagnosed with! :)

Anywayz, just had to get that off my chest.

I'll post pictures from Arian's first horse show soon! (She won 3 ribbons!)

Also, only 23 days left of school! (I don't know whose more excited, the kids or the teachers!)

2010-04-21T20:38:00.004-06:00

I know I'm not the most faithful blogger, but even I get sick of seeing the same post up after a while. So, although I really don't have much to say, here I am.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and we are supposed to be going on a field trip to beautify some of the local parks, but it seems Mother Earth has her own plans for celebrating, which include cold temperatures, wet rain, and probably some wind. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to wear jeans and a sweatshirt I guess, instead of killer heels. (I'm always ordering Arian to give me a footrub after school, but she seems to weasel out of it far too often.)

Here's my funny teaching story of the month: I gave the students a new seating chart to start the new quarter off. One girl was seated in the back, next to the wall. As I'm giving instruction, I see her stand up and walk over to the other side of the classroom. I don't think much of it, because that is where I keep the tissues, and a lot of students utilize those during class. But, as I'm lecturing (and still watching her), she picks up the stapler and takes it back to her desk. Okay, no biggie, she just needs to staple her paper. She does get out a paper, but then she holds it up to the wall and WHACKS THE STAPLER INTO IT, NAILING THE PAPER TO THE WALL! That's the point I finally am forced out of "lesson mode" and into "what-do-you-think-you're-doing?!" mode. The whole class gets distracted when I ask her, and I completely lose control when she answers: "There was a booger on the wall and I didn't want to look at it."

I guess the lesson to be learned is, forget wiping the walls, just staple notepaper over it, and you won't have to look at them! :D
Ya gotta love the mechanics of the 13-year-old mind!

2010-04-10T22:28:00.006-06:00

Yet again, Arian has found her way into the spotlight! This weekend she starred in the show "Life in a Labyrinth" at the Scera Theater.

It just doesn't get any cuter than that!

Also (I hope it isn't too late to post a brag blog entry about this), I just wanted to announce that I came in FIRST PLACE in my college basketball bracket group! I was up against several sports buffs, but I had an infallible strategy: I flipped a quarter for each set of games, and it determined the winner and loser of each game. This very scientific approach proved to be quite successful. Yay Duke!

Finally, I was only able to work out 4 times this week on the Wii. I know, it's pretty sad that it's my first week and I didn't even make it. What's even more sad is that, despite dieting and exercising, I've gained a pound! Right now I'm telling myself that this comes from all the new muscle I'm creating the the "Strength Exercises". (A girl can dream, right?) My favorite exercise is the Aerobics Step Game, because I get better at it every time I do it. Hopefully things will go better this upcoming week.

2010-04-04T22:04:00.011-06:00

Happy spring break to me! My students were so excited for spring break, they gave me a gift: a 6 INCH-high stack of papers to grade (no exaggeration--not needed!). What a great "break", right?

You know, in college, all the professors told the future English teachers they were nuts for choosing English because of the monstrous amount of papers that need grading. I shrugged it off at the time--naivete is bliss!

This week we're beginning poetry. You want a challenging profession? Try convincing 13-year-olds to love poetry. Thank heavens for Shel Silverstein. Here's one of the most beautiful and one of my favorite poems, as told by Youtube:

Also, after some deliberation, I've decided to go public with my weight-loss goals. According to "experts", people stick to their weight-loss program if they tell people about it. SOOO, people, my goal is to lose 15 pounds before August 8th (CRUISE TIME!!). To achieve this, I will be cutting way back on sweets and exercising on the Wii fit 5x per week for at least 30 minutes. I've read a lot of success stories of people who used the Wii fit, so here's hoping!

2010-04-01T09:04:00.010-06:00

I'm so super-excited! Mike and I booked an Alaskan cruise! Come August 8th, we will be basking on the decks of the beautiful Norwegian Pearl!

Jealous much? :)

2010-03-21T19:16:00.008-06:00

I know I haven't updated forever, and decided I oughta tonight since I'm sure everyone wants to know how Mike is doing after his nose surgery. Friday was the big day, and what was supposed to be a 1 - 2 hour procedure turned into a 9 hour-long hospital stay. Mike was under for 4 hours, and basically had all sorts of snips and cuts done. He says he doesn't feel a lot of pain, per se, but with a bunch of odds and ends stuffed up his nose, he sure ain't comfortable. I'm praying he feels ten times better on Wednesday, when he gets all that gunk taken out.
Arian is doing great! She's getting ready for a dance show next month at the Scera theater based on the movie "Labyrinth".
Speaking of movies, I just went and saw "Alice in Wonderland" and really loved it. Alice in Wonderland has always been a favorite of mine, and I told all my students to go see it.

And speaking of students, I can't hardly believe there's only one term left of school! The end-of-year tests are at the beginning of May, and then it's pretty much home-free! :)

2010-01-29T18:40:00.003-07:00

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight is my camera's computer cord. Unfortunately, I don't know where that exactly is. I had some cute photos I wanted to upload, but you'll have to do with just text this time.
Let's see...news....news....
Well, Arian won first prize in the kindergarten science fair! She did a project on ladybugs, and was apparently very poised while six judges grilled her with questions. She is so excited to win her "first trophy", and says she wants to keep it forever--all the way until she is 12 or 13! :) She is also busy learning the choreography for two different dance shows, and has begun jumping her pony during her riding lessons (it makes a mother so proud)!
Michael has lots of school projects; between homework and helping me out with everything he is pretty busy. I am sure that his schedule will somehow mysteriously acquire more time after football season. ;)
I've been busy teaching, of course. We're officially over the year's hump day, so it's all downhill from here!
Happy January 29th!

2009-12-27T20:05:00.008-07:00

Well, I s'pose it's time for another blog update, now the holidays are over. We celebrated Christmas early (the 20th) this year, because Arian has gone to Florida for a couple of weeks.
A few pics:
We had the Thompsons over to help us make sugar cookies!

Christmas morning!

Dad taking on Arian in Connect 4x4.

Mike and Arian picked out some new winter accessories for me--don't they look great with the pajamas?

Arian got a new kitty from Santa--she named it Pearl.

She also got some Dr. Seuss books, and settled right into reading them. She read Cat in the Hat all by herself!

Arian teaching Dad how to work his new Rubiks cube.

Arian met Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the ward Christmas party.

Mike got this incredibly cute shot of Arian--also at the Christmas party.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas! Happy 2010!!

2009-11-27T20:20:00.007-07:00

Happy Black Friday everyone!
Hooray for school breaks! I gotta tell ya, this Thanksgiving break came just at the right time--I think the entire Culletto family was ready for some respite from the grueling hours of schoolwork (Arian excepted).
We kicked it off with a pleasant rivalry ball game at the Energy Solutions Arena.

Unfortunately for some unnamed Bulls fans, their team pretty much had their butts kicked: Jazz 105 Bulls 86.

The happy fans!

Arian is definitely the Jazz's cutest fan!

This late night was followed by an early morning of Black Friday shopping!

Mike doesn't understand why I live for this day, but I had a great time (and spent way too much of course--tis the season!)
Speaking of which, I'd better get back on Amazon--only 29 days 'til Christmas!)

2009-11-01T16:24:00.004-07:00

Well, we've managed to make it through Halloween without gaining too much weight, despite the scarcity of trick-or-treaters this year. Arian was a princess this year (again), and was of course the fairest in the land.

Mike and I carved pumpkins--guess which is whose.

Here is Arian with her cute new smile (sans two teeth)!

Hope everyone is well!

2009-10-28T20:19:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update on life here at the Culletto household.
Michael is still a slave to schoolwork, and his full-time load keeps him plenty busy.
I am just finishing off my first term as a real teacher! It's gone by quickly, but it still seems that June is a lo-o-ong way off.
Arian is officially six! She celebrated the occasion at Chuck E. Cheese.

Now I guess it's on to the next set of parties! Happy Halloween!

2009-09-25T16:23:00.007-06:00

Happy autumn all! School's been in session for a month now, and it seems we are getting into the swing of things.
Mike is (of course) doing well in his classes, though they keep him plenty busy.
I spend my days dealing with 200 12-year-olds, but they're all pretty good kids, so I've enjoyed it so far.
Arian is doing great in her kindergarten class and has made huge leaps and bounds in her reading ability. It's fun to see her be able to sit down and read a book. Her big news this week is that she lost her first tooth!! I can't believe she's old enough to start losing teeth! When did that happen? She was quite pleased though, and is looking forward to future visits from the tooth fairy.
A few pictures of my classroom:
My desk (the picture doesn't do the view justice)

Where the victims--er--students sit.

My other window (where a REALLY fat spider has taken up residence and, consequently, a whole lot of attention).

My homeroom won first place in the school-wide door decorating contest!! We got donuts!

2009-08-30T15:08:00.002-06:00

Arian went to her first day of school! My baby's growing up (despite my protestations). She has been so excited to finally go to kindergarten, and was even more thrilled to learn she would be in Grandma's class!

She has 2 cousins in class with her.

Grandma and Arian on the first day of school.

Mike and I also had our first days of school this past week. I really enjoyed getting to know my classes (though they'll keep me plenty busy) and Mike found out he's going to have a pretty heavy load. So if you don't hear from me on this blog for a while, it's for good reason. :)

2009-08-19T22:07:00.003-06:00

Arian came back from Florida on Sunday just as cute and sassy as ever. There's always an adjustment period for everybody when she comes back from one of her trips, but she's very excited to start school next week. The other day we counted up the pairs of shoes she has in her closet and ... twenty-nine - 29! - pairs. (They all fit her too!)
Today she decided to set up a little yard sale. She picked out a few little things from her room (a plastic necklace, a picture she painted, etc.), made a little cash register, and wrote a little sign: "2 dolers".

The neighbors actually did buy some stuff from her, which made her day. We're glad to have her back!

2009-08-09T19:37:00.010-06:00

The school year is almost here -- aaaah! This fall looks to be superbusy for the Culletto family. Arian is starting school (I'm not sure to feel happy or sad about this), Mike is picking up a full load of courses at UVU, and I am of course ecstatic to begin teaching!
I want to share my excitement for the school, so I'm showing it off! Fort Herriman Middle School -- go Diamondbacks!!

These pictures really don't do the school justice - it's an incredible, spacious, and modern building. My classroom has an amazing view overlooking the Salt Lake valley -- can't wait to get some students in there! It's going to be a great year. :)

2009-07-28T22:52:00.004-06:00

Just a quick update about life at the Culletto house.
Arian has gone on her summer trip to Florida where she is going to a summer camp at the YMCA and learning how to swim.
Before she left she spent a night in Dad's new sleeping bag. :)

Mike has the end-of-semester blues. If it weren't for the virtual football game on facebook, he'd be doing homework all the waking hours.

I am excited for school. For my birthday Mike took me shopping up at Park City for a new teacher wardrobe. I shopped for over 5 hours--the best birthday ever! :)

Lastly, we had a great time celebrating the new Harry Potter film release. The day before we had a HP movie marathon and watched all 5 movies from 11 am to midnight. Then we went over to the theater for the midnight release. I love being a Potterhead!

2009-07-07T10:49:00.011-06:00

We just returned from the Culletto Family Reunion in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, and wow, was it fun! We crammed a lot of stuff in the short time we were there, so I'm posting tons of pics.
We visited Old McDonald's Farm. The kids chased around goats, cows, chicks, sheep, and ponies.

We made it in time for the prestigious pig races. I was cheering on Sonic Sow, while Mike and Arian were rooting for Barbie Q. Mike got this great shot of the home stretch.

We went to play at Storybook Island before cooling off at the pool.

Definitely one of the highlights of the trip was the Motorcycle Museum in Sturgis.

We visited the fire house where Tony works. He gave us all a ride on the fire trucks and tried to do all the of us in by making us spray the fire hose.

For me, the real highlight of the trip was going to the fourth of July celebration at Mt. Rushmore. It was my first time there and was very memorable, what with the crowds, rain, and supposedly incredible fireworks show--we couldn't really see it through the clouds, but it sounded great!

Mike indulged my insatiable appetite for horseback riding by taking Angela and I to a ranch where we went trail riding up through the mountains.

The kids loved the black light golf course.

We had a great vacation, but I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things back here in Utah!

2009-06-23T12:49:00.003-06:00

Great news! I got a teaching job! Finally! I was really starting to worry, even though Mike constantly reassured me throughout the job search that I would find one. This is a huge relief and great blessing. Thanks to everyone for the prayers on our behalf.
I will be teaching seventh grade English at Ft. Herriman Middle School. The school is really nice, and I am super excited!
We spent this past week up in the mountains camping -- waaaay up in the mountains (10,000 feet!). Although we were greeted with some snow, we roughed our way through the night and the next day and night were quite pleasant. Mike really enjoyed the view and we may go back again sometime, but not in June! We did some birdwatching, s'more making, scary story telling, and treasure hunting. Here are some pics:

2009-06-16T21:41:00.006-06:00

Introducing the star of the new hit ballet Odessa and the Titans!

Arian's solo was the highlight of the evening!

(Just kidding -- Arian danced alone onstage before the show started and I snapped her picture.)

More photos of the lovely dancer:

She had a ton of fun and can't wait to dance onstage again!

2009-05-29T10:48:00.009-06:00

Arian and I spent some time down at the barn yesterday. I took my camera along to share the experience with ya'll!

Here's Arian picking out Kimono's hooves all on her own.

Here she is riding.

And finally, after a great ride, here they are relaxing in the field together.

Ain't they just the cutest li'l critters around?

2009-05-19T15:16:00.003-06:00

Arian and I just returned from a trip down to Arizona to see the new Thompson baby. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but I can attest that she is super-cute and very sweet. We had a fun trip (although it got cut a bit short so I could get back for a job interview) and enjoyed ourselves a lot.
Mike did too, apparently. When I got back, I found this picture on the camera.

Looks like someone raided the freezer while the girls were gone!

2009-05-03T17:08:00.003-06:00

Well, it's finally happened! After only 11 short years, I've graduated from college! Wahoo!
I had a fabulous graduation weekend, involving much celebrating and indulging--hey, you only graduate once, right? (with a Bachelors, anyway)

2009-04-13T19:18:00.003-06:00

Happy belated Easter! Easter snuck up on me this year then passed by so quickly I barely felt like we had it. Busy times, I guess. Mike got laid off and things have been a little crazy.
We did make it to a couple Easter egg hunts--both of which I forgot to bring the camera to. The first one was hosted by the ward and when I mentioned that I wished I had my camera, one of the brethren in the ward took these pictures and gave me a copy!

The other egg hunt was at Barnes & Noble, which was nice and indoorsy, which was good considering it poured rain all day.
Arian's been busy dancing and riding her pony -- she's got a trip to Florida coming up next week. Mike and I have been trying to figure out exactly what our plans are going to entail. He's going to school full-time this summer and fall, so that ought to keep him plenty busy!
Can't wait to graduate!

2009-03-26T11:36:00.003-06:00

I finished student teaching yesterday, and I am actually quite sad. I've become quite possessive of my classes; it upset me to watch my cooperating teacher take over teaching the Shakespeare unit. On the other hand, I am definitely ready for my own classroom now. Let the job hunting begin!
In other news, the weather has changed its mind (again) and we're now sitting in the midst of a bunch of snow. So much for all that lovely sunshine I was going to enjoy....
Oh yes, and... ONLY 36 DAYS TO GRADUATION!! WAAAAHHHOOOOOOOO!

2009-03-14T17:34:00.004-06:00

Happy Spring everybody! The weather has finally decided to turn warm and I couldn't be happier! It's even better knowing that I'll be done student teaching in just one and a half weeks and will be able to get out and enjoy the sunshine! Can't believe student teaching has passed so quickly-I'm trying not to think about it being over (it seems surreal). We're finishing up The Odyssey unit, which the kids really seemed to enjoy (thanks, no doubt, to the gory film version we watched alongside the text).
We recently got our tax return and decided to spend it on ... a brand-new kitchen table! (very much needed) So, after MUCH deliberation (Mike is the pickiest table picker-outer you'll ever meet :) HERE IT IS!

Arian got a hold of the camera and decided to do a photo shoot of herself (what a goof!)

2009-02-16T09:10:00.003-07:00

Just a quick post about our Valentine's Day - we had a great one! Mike, as always, spoiled me completely rotten! Arian had a fun Valentine party at preschool, and tonight Mike & I plan on doing the dinner-and-a-movie date thing (yes, we're a little late - school never ceases to swamp our lives!) Arian's been a bit sick, but hasn't let it stop her from running around like a hurricane!
Student teaching continues to have its ups and downs - but mostly ups. I've really been enjoying it. We finally finished up our unit on poetry, and are about to begin a unit on Homer's Odyssey. I spent the weekend reading it, since I thought it might be a good idea to know the story before I try to teach it. :) Hope everyone is doing well!

2009-01-30T20:10:00.003-07:00

For all those who have been wondering, yes, I *am* still alive -- the students haven't finished me off quite yet!
Actually, student teaching has been going pretty well.
Today in class I mentioned the term "oxymoron" but the class didn't know what the term meant (they sure thought it sounded funny though). One girl in the back was raising her hand, so I asked her if she knew what the it meant, and she said, "it's when two terms contradict each other, like 'smart blonde'." Well, I didn't quite know what to say to that!
She looked mortified after she realized exactly what she'd said. I just laughed and moved on.
I've taken on the full load -- all 7 classes! Needless to say, things are quite busy, but I suppose I may as well get used to it now.
Mike has also been very busy as always with school and work and taking care of things around the house.
Arian of course has been doing fabulously with preschool and dance. Her teachers all just love her to pieces, and we are constantly being complimented on what a darling she is.
Hopefully I'll get in another post before student teaching is over, but no promises! :)

2009-01-13T21:33:00.002-07:00

Well, Arian made it back home safe and sound. . .and tan - it's really not fair for her to be so tan in the dead of winter while my complexion remains pasty white. She seems to have had a nice trip.
Meanwhile, I began student teaching. So far it's been going great--2 days down, 48 to go. Mike's been working hard, homeworking hard, and sleeping nil. All just the typical getting-back-into-the-swing-of-things January stuff.
Hope everyone is well! Happy '09!

2008-12-30T13:25:00.006-07:00

Well, Arian is airborne. I decided it would be better for me to be busy doing something other than pacing the floor while we wait for Arian's flight to touch down in Orlando, so here's another unscheduled blog.
And here's Arian getting ready to go on her first solo flight!

And here's me, not ready to let her go (they had to pry my fingers off her).

Before she left for the sunny beaches, we had some fun together in the snow.

We will miss her!

2008-12-25T14:08:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas!! Hope everyone had as nice a holiday as we did (even if it was a bit last minute). Mike decided at about 5:00 pm Christmas Eve that it was time to do some Christmas shopping. So I started dinner while off he went. He returned shortly thereafter, cursing Wal-Mart for closing so early--Lol. I sense a tradition in the making. Still, I got some great gifts! :)
On Christmas Eve, I woke up a little after 1:00 am to find Arian out in the living room examining her loot. I didn't think she'd start being so snoopy 'til she was at least six or seven!
Some Christmas photos:

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-16T20:06:00.011-07:00

No more teachers, no more books! Yay! It has seriously been a relief to finish this semester (in case you couldn't tell by my countdown and incessant whining. :) We finally had the chance to do some holiday celebrating.
We trimmed the tree . . .

Made gingerbread houses with Karen and Rich (and yes, I made the gingerbread from scratch, which might have something to do with why they eventually all tumbled down.)

And went to Arian's Christmas Dance show!

What with the festivities and all the snow that was dumped on us, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-07T21:05:00.004-07:00

Happy December everybody! Nothin' particularly special happened this week, so I thought I'd just do a little update.
ONE MORE WEEK OF CLASSES! This semester has been pretty lo-o-o-ng, and we are definitely ready for a vacation. The homework load has seemed unusually large, or maybe my stress threshold has simply gone done (definitely possible). Anyway, I can't wait for the morning I wake up with nothing due.
Because school's been so crazy, we haven't gotten anything Christmas-y done--no tree, no lights, no festive baking--and I really don't see any of it happening 'til school is out. Mike says we look like the scrooges on the block, but I mostly blame the teachers.
Speaking of teachers, I got my student teaching assignment--Oak Canyon Jr. High. I'll be teaching ninth grade English and 2 creative writing classes. I've met with my cooperating teacher already, and am excited to start, even though it means I'll be spending the break writing lesson plans.
Arian is also doing well--cute as ever. Uncle Ben took some photos of her today:

What a cutie-pie! I still can't believe how big she is. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

2008-11-30T20:33:00.012-07:00

Happy Birthday Mike!!! Don't worry -- I'm not going to reveal how old you really are! :)
We had a fun week, spending most of it in Arizona with my sister Sara. We went down on Wednesday to celebrate Thanksgiving, and by Thursday afternoon Sara was in the emergency room, where she stayed for the next two days.

Poor girl came down with some sort of kidney problem--not a fun way to spend Thanksgiving weekend.
We, however, got to spend a lot of time with the kids! Mike spent the majority of his days wrestling children into submission.

We took the kids to see Santa at the mall

And to the World's Largest Gingerbread Village-
there were some really amazing constructions.

Arian had tons of fun playing dress-up with Amber.

We made it home Sunday evening just in time to catch the game (unfortunately, it turned out to be a bad day for the Bears) and have some b-day cake.

Now it's back to grindstone with schoolwork--only 18 more days to freedom!

2008-11-16T18:54:00.007-07:00

My sister Alexis got married on Saturday! She wanted only the cutest of flower girls, so of course Arian was asked to participate. :) This makes the third time in about a year that these three cousins have been flower girls together, so they're very experienced. It was a busy day, so I'm sharing lots of pics!

Arian "helping" the bride get ready for her big day!

Sprinkling flowers down the aisle

Christian as the world's cutest ring bearer

Dad walking Alexis down the aisle--she looked so beautiful!

The other three men crazy enough to marry into the family

Jacob picked up a nice shiner right after the ceremony

Mike and I at the wedding luncheon

The wedding cake!

The catering at the reception was great--a giant crepe buffet

Cutting the cake

Well, congratulations Alexis and Jeremy! It was a beautiful wedding day!

2008-11-15T20:19:00.014-07:00

For my instructional media class, I had to create a digital story. It was supposed to be educational, directed toward jr. high / high school students, and centered around English. So here it is: my grand debut as a filmmaker!

***In Defense of the Novel***

No, really, hold your applause 'til the end please.

2008-11-07T20:24:00.009-07:00

We just finished our Star Wars marathon for a grand total of 14 hours in front of the tube! Time well spent, I'd say. :) Arian's been prancing around the house humming the Darth Vader theme, so it looks like we've got another convert to the Dark Side.

Some Star Wars humor:

Lol--ya gotta love Star Wars!!

2008-11-01T20:26:00.006-06:00

We had a great time celebrating Halloween this year! We kicked off our festivities with a ride on the Heber Creeper's Haunted Canyon ride.

According to Arian, the ride was "fun and boring"--lol.
(And according to Mom, it must have been scary ...
at least I assume so, since she was squealing so much - Michael)

Arian also taught a family home evening lesson in which we carved/painted pumpkins. Mine is the cat, Mike's is the face, and Arian's is the painted masterpiece.

For refreshments we had caramel apples--yum!

Halloween morning I made jack-o-lantern pancakes--something I just made up on the spur of the moment.

And here is the fairy princess all ready to go! She was quite a bold little trick-or-treater, and with a face like that she brought home a real haul of candy!

The day after Halloween Mike came home singing Christmas songs and ready to decorate the tree. I told him we're going to celebrate Thanksgiving first, but I speculate we'll be hearing Christmas music around the house 'til New Years!

2008-10-26T19:46:00.011-06:00

Last week's blog installment was missed because the entire Culletto family was down with a cold.

While there remain some lingering effects, for the most part we are all doing much better. Good enough to do some partying anyway--Arian turned five this past Friday! She was (as always) overly spoiled. She decided to have a Barbie Island Princess party, to which I agreed--mostly because I thought it would be fun to have one of those Barbie cakes. Aunt Karen frosted it while I did the supervisorial duties. Turned out pretty good eh?

Not only was it pretty, it also sang! It was almost a crime cutting into it.

She had quite a few friends at her party. They had fun hitting a pinata, playing "pin the crown on the princess" and popping balloons outside (thank goodness the weather was warm--you never can tell in October).

After running off the sugar high, they all came in to open presents and watch the Island Princess movie.

Arian's "best present" was her brand new princess bike from Mom & Dad.

All in all, it was a really fun weekend--now to catch up on all that homework!

2008-10-12T18:49:00.014-06:00

Tag -- I'm it! Megan tagged me a couple of days ago, so I guess I'm supposed to write 6 random things about myself (good thing my entire personality is random).

1. I will only eat homemade apple pie -- there's no way to tell if bruised apples were used in commercially made ones, and I hate bruises!

2. I believe everything in life can be applied to a Calvin & Hobbes comic.

3. I love Barbie movies (and, apparently, I'm not ashamed to admit it, but if any of you spread it around, I'll hunt you down!)

4. My dream Halloween costume would be an all-out medieval princess with her valiant steed
(a gorgeous dapple gray with an arched neck).

5. I detest having to read an entire novel and answer ten essay questions on it for a measly ten points (sorry, just had to get that out).

6. I got the highest grade on my accounting test out of all my professor's classes. (Okay, that one was Mike. He needed to be added to this list.)

There you have it -- everything you never wanted to know about me!

**Tag* Sara & Jenette!*
Rules
*Link to the person who tagged you
*Post the rules on your blog
*Write six random things about yourself
*Tag six-ish people at the end of your post
*Let each person know he/she has been tagged
*Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Mike was published in the newspaper today! Check it out here. He wrote this as a reply to an email that's been circulating around, so when the email popped up in the editorals, I sent his response to the editor (without permission--hopefully he's forgiven me! :)

(If you want to see what his letter was in response to, click here.)

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but we had our first snowfall this weekend. :) :( The smiley is from Mike, the frowny is from me. What happened to Fall?--seems like it only lasted a couple weeks, and now we have months of winter ahead of us. :P

Poor thing -- I made her stand out in 30 degree weather just so I could get this picture.

Have a fabulous (and sunny!) week!

2008-10-05T19:12:00.006-06:00

We enjoyed general conference today and yesterday. We were expecially interested to hear about the temple in Italy. Mike said when he was there the church decided not to build there because the law gave the police allowance to enter any building at any time for any reason, so something must've changed. :)

I took advantage of the down time to crochet something that is supposed to resemble a pillow (I always listen better when I have something to do with my hands).

Of course, it was stormy all conference weekend -- Mike's favorite type of weather. I prefer sunshine, but love rainbows. This one was huge -- I couldn't fit it in my camera lense!

As promised, here's a video of Arian dancing! This was taken at the end of class, during free time. Did you ever see such a cute ballerina?

And here she is in her Frankenstein mask!

It's just occurred to me that without Arian, we wouldn't have a whole lot to post! Mike & I had a good week, but again it was mostly just school stuff!

2008-09-28T21:16:00.003-06:00

Autumn has arrived in the Rockies! Here's the view of Mt. Timpanogos from our apartment:
And here's a much more professional photo (I really should have taken a photography class).
We took a drive up the Alpine Loop a couple weeks ago, and it looked just like this. I love living next to the mountains --they're so beautiful!

Arian is loving dance. She actually skipped a class (as per her instructor's recommendation), and is now in one with girls a year older than her. She is doing just great, and can't wait until next semester when she will be in the ballet-only class. (Her class right now covers both tap and ballet). I will try to post a short video some time of her dancing .

Heritage puts on a play every fall so last night Mike took us to their performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was in their brand-new theatre, which was very nice, and we had a good time.

That's about it for for this week! Hope this finds everyone well!

2008-09-22T19:49:00.006-06:00

This week's blog is late because yesterday Mike and I went out to celebrate our one year anniversary! I surprised Mike with a stay at the Anniversary Inn -- the same place we spent a couple of nights on our honeymoon. (Well, sort of surprised him -- I'm terrible at keeping a secret, and may have inadvertently dropped a hint or two -- plus he's way too smart for his own good!)

I booked The Rose Garden suite (pardon the messy bed).

Relax, it's just sparkling cider :)

Between the hotel, dinner, and the flowers and chocolates Mike spoiled me with, we had a wonderful first anniversary! Makes me want to celebrate weekly anniversaries!

(My hair's all wet in this picture, but I had to post it 'cause Mike is just so darn good-lookin'!)

Well, I suppose we are officially no longer newlyweds, but we sure don't act like it and are more in love than ever! It's been a fabulous year, and we're looking forward to many, many more.

2008-09-14T19:46:00.006-06:00

It hasn't been the most eventful of weeks in the Culletto household -- mainly just school, school, school (and I guess we occasionally squeeze in some eating and sleeping).
Today Mike and I celebrated 51 weeks of being married! Just 7 more days until we can officially say we made it a whole year!
Arian's been busy with dance and pony-riding lessons. It'd be tough to say which she enjoys more. She loves to show off the new trick she taught her pony, so I thought I'd share it on video:

His name's Kimono. Aren't they a cute pair? She's just beginning to feel confident enough to ride him solo, without anyone leading her. This week she rode him through some cones all on her own! This was a big step for her because she's been a little nervous since she fell off him earlier this summer. They've made some great progress!

We went to the baby blessing of Thomas Nolan Reece today (isn't he's the cutest!).

Ben and Cami hosted a munch-n-mingle at their house afterwards. The food was great--homegrown vegetables right out of Grandpa's garden!The ever-smiling Mr. and Mrs. Reid made an appearanceBaby Thomas & Dad (Cami somehow evaded my camera, but I'll get her sometime! :)

2008-09-07T20:03:00.010-06:00

Our biggest news this week is that Arian returned from her Florida trip!

She returned cute, tan, and sassy as ever! We are so grateful she had a good trip and returned home safely.

She has started learning some of the kindergarten curriculum (courtesy of Grandma Reece), and has been doing great! She and Dad spend most of their days studying.

Like father, like daugher, I guess!

The new semester started, and already I look like this! School has kept me glued to the books, but Mike seems to have it worse than me -- and he has fewer classes!

On the plus side, I can actually read the board this semester, thanks to my new glasses. I've needed a pair for years, but it took a year of Mike's insistence to finally get me to the optometrist. His plan to turn me into a geek is almost complete!

I have been enjoying my classes and have even found time to squeeze in a yoga class! This is what I learned to do this week:

All right, so maybe it was actually my hands on my head and my feet on the floor, but I have high hopes!

Okay, so maybe the REAL big news this week was that football season started. Let the games begin (see you after the Super Bowl, sweetie!)

Go Bears!

2008-09-01T09:12:00.000-06:00

Our first family camping trip! We went up American Fork canyon, and Arian decided to see what it would feel like to live as a mud person--she was simply COVERED in dirt!

MMMM...S'mores!

Mike surprised me on my 24th birthday with a trip to the Living Planet Aquarium! It was awesome -- my favorite was the octopus (which I probably blinded by taking a flash picture of because I didn't see the "No Flash Photography" sign --oops!)

Here is Arian at her dance recital! It was a western ballet (where do they come up with these things?), and she was a Mexican Princess. She completely stole the show!

Mike and I went to Burley, Idaho for one final summer hurrah! We walked underneath a waterfall!

We also took in some of the local sights on horseback! We had SUCH a fabulous time -- thanks Mike and Marsha!

The Twin Falls temple dedication just happened to be on the weekend we went up there, so it was really neat to attend. I'd never seen a dedication before, and the temple is really beautiful!

FIRST!

2008-08-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

You wanted it.
So here it is!