Will and the Pettit Boys!

Will and I spent some time in Riverside California before and after we attended Comic-Con. Riverside is such a cute little city, there are tons of orange groves and beautiful trees to look at. But the best part of Riverside is Will's family - Will's parents, and older sister Rebecca and her family; Doug her husband, and their 5 boys - Andrew, Michael, Ethan, Jacob, and David.
During the few days that we were there in Riverside there were tons memorable events that happened:
*Ice-cream with TONS of rainbow sprinkles. (Jacob really loved the sprinkles - especially pouring them himself. And I ended up eating most of the ones he poured on his ice cream)
*Watching our wedding video - and I didn't cry this time.
*Having the boys watch me do crunches in the grass - and then having Ethan tell me "Tiffany you need a shower!"
*Talking with Rebecca on the couch while all the boys - including Will played "Smash Brothers."
*Being convinced that staying an extra day and traveling home to Utah on Monday was a good idea. (Good job Andrew and Michael)
*Going to the food store super late Saturday night to make sure that we had all the important ingredients for "Grandmas' pasta sauce."
*Eating really good ice pops!
*Seeing BATMAN again! Talking about BATMAN again! And spending time with Will's parents just talking.
*Going to Church in Pants and "street clothes" because Will and I didn't know we would be staying for Sunday. (I had one of Baby David's blankets to cover my lap)
*Attending "California Dreaming" summer spectacular with Rebecca, Doug, Andrew, and Michael. It was the first huge jubilee I have ever seen put on by the church and it was AWESOME! The best part of the night was watching all the youth run off and on the football field, some lost shoes, some fell, but most of all they were all just being kids and having fun!
*Learning that "duct tape" cures WARTS! (Thanks Doug)
Quotes of the week:
"Tiffany why are you always around William?" -Ethan.
"Tiffany are you here to play with my mom?" -Ethan.
(Ethan is very confused on why I am around all the time now, he can't figure me out - and it is so cute.)

Basically being in Riverside was awesome. It was so great to see how much 5 brothers love and care for each other. Doug and Rebecca really have raised amazing kids and Will and I can't wait to go back to spend time with them!

Comic Con - The place to be if you secretly or not so secretly love being a nerd!

"Am stuck in standstill traffic on the 405, 53 miles north of San Diego, heading toward Comic-Con, and the driver of the white Rav-4 directly to my left is wearing full Heath Ledger Joker makeup. Thank you, that is all."-QUOTE FROM COMIC-CON.

Will and I traveled to San Diego on July 23rd to attend this years COMIC CON in San Diego. It was nothing like I thought it was going to be. There were 125,000 people in a room that was about a mile long and a quarter mile wide. And boy did it feel like that many people, it was so hot in the conference center. I tried to capture some of the best moments - including the 24 hour line to get into see the stars and author of the Twilight. We also got to see the preview to the new Disney movie coming out this fall, BOLT! A must see!

Links to some interviews:
Disney Preview: BOLT
Twilight interview


Here is a view of just how many people where at the convention. It was so packed, this picture doesn't even do justice...






Ghostbusters! They had the coolest costums of the whole week. All they needed was Slimmer and they had it made!







We saw tons of previews to games, movies, and books. That was the best part - feeling like you were really important by being able to view everything before it went public.

These are the lost characters in cute little lego forms!




Will looks so Tough!

In the back you can see the HUGE Iron man statue, it was so cool!






During the Day on Wednesday we went to Sea World! It was fun and really sunny. Will got a bit of a sun burn!







There were HUGE posters of the most famous comic book characters - like Superman, Spiderman, Robin, Hellboy, etc. I just could not believe how big the whole convention was, it was unbelievable.









Here is a video of the crazy amount of people - I hope this gives a better idea of what the week was like!

I GOT TAGGED!

I was TAGGED...

I actually had a fun time filling out these A-Z questions about myself because I was able to add pictures along the way!

A- Attached or Single? Very Attached to the best person in the world.

B- Best Friend? William

C- Cake or Pie? Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean ice cream

D- Day of choice? I love Fridays - last day of the work week...

E- Essential item? My little back pack - I have everything in there - ipod, camera, money, snacks for will...etc.

F- Favorite color? green - hunter green

G- Gummy bears or worms?- bears

H- Hometown?- Hopewell, New Jersey (Pictured below - this is where I used to run)

I- Favorite Indulgence? ICE POPS! (I love them and I eat them all the time, no joke - any season, anytime, any where) and then cheese - I love cheese of any kind.

J- January or July? July - I love being tan, and I love the sun!

K- Kids? Not yet, but of course!

L- Life isn't complete without? My husband, Will is the best!

M- Marriage date? June 4th, 2008

N- Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother. 5 sister in laws, 5 brother in laws.

O- Oranges or Apples- apples

P- Phobia and fears? Nightmares - I have them every night.

Q- Quote?

Mac MacGuff: Look, in my opinion the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what-have-you. The right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your bum. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with. -FROM JUNO.

R- Reasons to smile? Being able to wake up next to Will in the morning, making dinner, being outside in the sun, traveling, The Gibson family, Jake and Kat, nieces and nephews, really good family, supportive friends, good movies, and being in love.


S- Season of choice- I love the Fall - it is perfect - 70 degrees and no snow - yet!

T- Tag 3 people: Nan, Rosemary, Angela!

U- Unknown fact about me- I love old school DISNEY afternoon cartoons - I know ALL of the theme songs! I also know all of the episodes of the JETSONS - no joke every word!

V- Vegetable? corn on the cob

W- Worst Habit? Will would say: chewing with my mouth open when I get tired... I would say: talking to fast when I get excited.

X- Ray or Ultrasound? x-ray I have had over 50 no joke!

Y- Your favorite food? CHEESE and ICE POPS ( I eat 5-6 each day)

Z- Zodiac sign? VIRGO

COMIC CON - Calling all Nerds!

What is the local number to the biggest comic-book convention and nerd location in the world?

http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci08_prog_thu.php

Will and I are traveling to San Diego this weekend to attend Comic Con. It is going to ROCK! I am the official Entourage to the "Funkless White-Girl Press" and I have to admit it makes me really excited.

I promise to post pictures and interesting fact things I came across at the official event this weekend.

So to answer the question...






No number - just pure joy in one of the best places to visit in the country... and yes Will and I will be wearing our batman shirts!
We are nerds when it comes down to it!

Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles

Will and I bought 4 bubble makers for our wedding reception. They are rockin' toys and are so much fun to use. We have taken them out a few times and basically cause havoc on the "busy" streets of Provo. When you let 4 bubble machines go - that make a "gazillion" bubbles - the only thing that is bound to happen is "pure happiness oasis!"

So this past Thursday night, Will and I had Joey and Jason over for dinner. Jason is our 14 year old friend who lives at our place most of the time, and is the coolest 14 year old boy I know! (Hunter you win the coolest girl award) Joey is Will's good friend from Riverside.
Anyways... the boys broke out the bubbles... and that was just the beginning of the crazy night.


That is Jason, Me, and Joey with the "Gazillion" bubble maker!








Then there was this girl... yes a girl... walking home from the library. She walked pasted the bubbles, then turned around, and said "Can I walk through the bubbles?" Of course! She walked and played in the soapy bubbles and experienced the "happiness oasis" that was there on the side of the road that Thursday night.

THE BAND OF BUBBLES

Will and I live across the street from the apartment complex known as Enclave. There was a band putting on a concert for the complex this past Thursday - which happened to be the same night the boys brought out their bubbles. So next thing I know we are all on our way over to Enclave with the bubble makers to "spice" up the concert.

The band played two songs while we were there! The band was not that bad, but the audience hardly moved, or smiled, it was depressing. I felt so bad for them...but at least they gave us a shout out when we came in... and we got some people smiling.





Here is a video of the "Band of bubbles."

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming!

Alfred Pennyworth: Know your limits, Master Wayne.
Bruce Wayne: Batman has no limits.

Wow and Batman really showed that he doesn't have any limits. Last night Will, Jake, Kat and I went to see "The Dark Knight" and it was AMAZING! It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It was dark, scary, spooky, dark, exciting, dark, funny, on the edge-of-your-seat awesome! If you have not seen it yet - go - but don't take the kids. It is not a movie a kid under the age of 13 should see.

The Joker: Where do we begin? A year ago, these cops and lawyers wouldn't dare cross any of you. I mean, what happened?
Gamble: So what are you proposing?
The Joker: It's simple: Kill the Batman.

The four of us have been preparing for this movie for a while now. I have just been introduced to the whole world of "Batman" over the last few months. Jake and Will know EVERYTHING about Batman - and taught me what I needed to know, and would even answer my silly questions. It was cute sometimes they would even laugh a bit because they really did realize that I am not a comic book nerd. I did though learn where certain characters came from like Cat Woman, and Bat Girl. I don't feel so Silly Anymore!

Here is a little time line of the events that lead up to the MOVIE!

Jake and Will made Shirts that we all wore to the movie. They rocked. Each one hand made and had a Unique design. What amazing Husbands we have!






It was really neat to see the shirts come to life! The boys were like little kids, they were so happy and proud of themselves to be making Batman shirts.






Here is a sketch of what my shirt was going to look like.








Here is Will's finished shirt! It rocked!








This is Jake's shirt! It is also way cool.








Now these are TWO HOT GUYS in their BATMAN shirts!

"Perhaps Batman's obsessive behavior gives us a glimpse of what would happen if our little obsessive behaviors became overwhelming. Or maybe his dark side brings out the dark side of every person."



You might be thinking in your head...where are the Wives shirts...when will they get made...gotta be honest we were too...
Don't worry they got done though...and the boys said on multiple occasions "your shirts are so much cooler than ours." So the wait was WELL worth it!

This is Will designing my shirt while watching Christian Bale do push-ups on "Batman: Begins."







This is my completed shirt! It is so awesome!

"The only thing better than being a Batman fan is getting to share it with other people."







This was such a great day! The movie was super, our shirts ROCKED, and the four of us came out of the movie better friends than ever!

90's games

Tonight while Will was playing Zelda on the Wii, I started fishing around the internet...
I find it fun sometimes to look up games that I used to play while I was in school. I really believe that education used to be so fun...I mean lets be honest we had the coolest games back in the early 90's. Think about it...
Oregon Trail, Number Munchers, Logo Writer, Tree-house, old school DOS and Apple II games...this is where learning really took place. Please don't take this the wrong way, I love teaching but there are some days when I wish I could go back to my 6th grade year and play Oregon Trail and get killed by DYSENTERY.

Mexico

When it Rains it Pours and Pours...


It rained and rained on the day of our wedding, then we traveled down to Puetro Vallarta, Mexico for our Honeymoon and it rained 90% of the time we were there also. We did get some great pictures and got proof that it rained most of the time!



Our Hotel was Awesome! It not only was beautiful but it was BRIGHT pink. You drove up the street with tons of other Hotels and BAM - there was our hotel - the pink one!









Another really cool thing about the hotel was it had tons of these cool little animal sculptures. So of course we had to take tons of shots of them. It was fun and they were really neat looking.
Will loved the monkey!





I liked the Giraffe!











There were also these pudgy little men in the front of the hotel, they were like huge chairs. You would see kids playing on them all day, it was cute!











Downtown Puerto Vallarta was a really quaint town. It had tons of street vendors and men trying to sell you stuff all over the streets. Our favorite comments were "Married? To each other?" "Married or just practicing?"





There were these awesome sculptures in the sand that people had built. It was amazing!

(You can also see the rain spots in the camera.)





This sculpture was just soooo cool. It was little women, like the fairies on Sleeping Beauty, climbing up this ladder...so Will had to climb up it too! He is just adorable! One of the reasons I love him so much - he is just cute!








THE ROCKET MAN!

Elton John has been a part of Will and my life from the time we started dating. He was following us...every time we were in the car, at a store, or even in a resturant one of Sir John's songs came on! It was so freaky!

So it was no surprise that outside a Church in Mexico there was a statue of the man!

Picture of the hotels and such...








I loved being down in Mexico and Will and I had a blast. It was a fun vacation and I want to go back someday - and hope that it will be sunny!

Plan Books

A plan book is a very important part of a teachers life. It is not only what goes on during the day, but it is birthday's, events, and lists of EVERYTHING that happens during the school year. When you see a teacher with a plan books you should think through you head: "WOW! That is a lot of important stuff sitting in her lap - she not only keeps track of her own life, but the life of at least 20 others." A plan book is like the BIBLE of the TEACHER!
The other teach that I work with has lost his on multiple occasions and honestly it is stressful for not only his life, but his families, his students, and the rest of his 6th grade teachers! Sometimes I think I should put a tracking device on his planner to make sure that it is always just a few beeps away!
Anyways...the reason I am even posting anything about a plan book is because I started making my own two years ago. It is so much better. I get to organize my plan book the way I want to!
This way I also get to design the cover page and also add anything else I need into my book.
I always put a Calvin and Hobbs comic on the cover. It is for those days when I want to through the plan book out the window - or at a student if the case might be. (I promise I am not violent)
This is the Cover this year and let me just say it is pretty exciting!

Mrs. Strong's Plan Book
2008-2009

Fourth of July!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

The craziest day in Provo all year.
The right of passage for all 12 year old Provo Natives - sleeping outside on Center Street all night to mark your sacred spot for the parade.
A crazy three day party in downtown Provo, marked with TEXAS TWISTERS, HOT DOGS, ICE CREAM, and tons of SHAVED ICE.
The Wii - what more to say than that!
The one month Anniversary of Will and I.

And also the day where these Statistics just blow me out of the water:

Number of hotdogs to be consumed on July 4th: 150 million

Amount of red meat/pork purchased in the week leading up to July 4th: 190 million pounds

Percentage of American households with outdoor grills: 87

Number of places in the US with "independence" in their name: 11

You gotta love the 4th!

Here are some pictures from the day - and what a day it was.

Hunter Gibson - What a great sister I have! And Gibson Sibley - Hunter's cousin, a cutie pie!

The Tank was the best part of the parade!

Underdog!!

MARIO KART Wii

On the night of the 4th we had a little BBQ and a Mario Kart Party. Sometimes it can get a bit out of control. Here is a picture and short video of Jake going CRAZY!

Dry-Bones must be taken down...