Where are the Allens?

We're home from our 30 days leave. Michenna has started 2nd grade and is loving it! She told us today that her teacher is going to start giving her harder daily work, because the 2nd grade work is too easy. I just thought, "Yep, that's my life. Trying to keep up with an insanely smart 7-year-old."

I was browsing the family blogs and I noticed that Mel had tagged me. Thanks, Mel. I enjoyed my trip along memory lane.

How Time Flies

20 years ago…
1. I was starting 6th grade at a brand new elementary school about 1 mile away from our house.
2. I was playing violin in the school orchestra.
3. I was on the Safety Patrol (with the cool red belt and the stop sign).
4. I, too, was innocently taking piano lessons, NEVER dreaming that the simple act of doing so meant that I could predict my church callings FOREVER! :)
5. I had the meanest English teacher in the entire world – who taught me more about grammar than anyone else had or has. I need to thank her for making my academic life so much easier.

10 years ago…
1. I was positive that I would NEVER get married because boys were such flakes.
2. I was starting my fourth year at BYU, and looking forward to my position as a German TA (teaching 1 section of German 101), because it meant I DID NOT have to work in Food Services/Veg Prep anymore!
3. At some point in 1998, my uncle took me to buy my first car – a Nissan Altima.

5 years ago…
1. I was about to send my husband of 6 months off to Officer Candidate School.
2. I finally had the opportunity to be a full-time stay-at-home Mommy.
3. In June 2003, I took a group of students on a 12-day tour of Germany.

3 years ago...
1. We were living in Florida, and cleaning up the mess from Hurricane Dennis.
2. We had an impromptu vacation to St. Augustine, also courtesy of Hurricane Dennis.
3. I was a traveling piano/organ teacher.

1 year ago...
1. We moved to Guam in April.
2. Spencer left on his first deployment in June.
3. I started lifting weights.
4. I was planning the Fall Festival for the elementary school.

So far this year I…
1. Have sent Spencer off on his 2nd deployment, and welcomed him home 6 months later.
2. Have taught the Sunbeams at church. (Hooray for non-piano callings!)
3. Have volunteered in Michenna’s 1st and 2nd grade classes.
4. Have played a mad scientist in order to teach simple science to 1st graders.
5. Have shown my younger brother around the island.
6. Have foolishly agreed to plan the Fall Festival again this year
7. Have started teaching piano lessons again.
8. Have flown back to the States and been absolutely thrilled to stand in a Target store.
9. Have introduced Michenna to the joys of long road trips. (Except now there are portable DVD players and MP3 players, and the AC works well no matter how hot it is outside. Plus we don’t camp along the way, and that changes the experience.)
10. Have continued weight-training.

Yesterday I…
1. Substituted for a PE teacher for about 2 hours.
2. Went to Michenna’s Open House to “meet the teacher”.
3. Went grocery shopping.
4. Taught piano lessons.
5. Sold my treadmill.
6. Made BLTs for dinner, because Bry got me hooked on them again. :)
7. Played Wii Sports after Michenna was in bed.

Today I…
1. Got up early so I could go lift weights before I went to the school.
2. Volunteered in Michenna’s class (making edible art; it was great).
3. Worked on the booths for the Fall Festival and realized that an indoor football toss was just not a good idea.
4. Taught piano.
5. Made stroganoff for dinner.

Tomorrow I will . . .
1. Work out on the elliptical at the gym.
2. Go to the school and work on the booths for the Fall Festival.
3. Teach piano lessons.
4. Make baked potatoes for dinner.

In the next year I will…
1. Watch Michenna turn 8 and be baptized.
2. Enjoy having Spencer here until it is time for him to deploy again, and then we will keep in as much contact as possible.
3. Start working on my Master’s degree – as soon as I figure out what else I want to be when I grow up.
4. Teach piano lessons.
5. Have a baby?? (I can dream, right?)

I tag Mom and Tracey.

When we learned that we had been assigned to Guam, our first thought was, "What and where is Guam?" We pictured Guam as a small, flat island, with little to do and see. Over the past year, and especially in the past 4 weeks, we have discovered that, though it is a small island, Guam is certainly not flat and there is too much to do and see! My brother came to visit, and we tried to show him the entire island. It didn't work. However, my brother took a plethora of pictures and is allowing me to post whichever ones I want to use. :) After looking through the pics, I no longer wonder why Michenna's new favorite colors are blues and greens. I think you'll see what I mean.

I can't remember the order of exploration, so this picture tour starts at the northern tip of the island, at Ritidian Point: