School is back in session

The 2009-2010 school year has begun!
I have a class of 14 very talkative, loud, and silly 11 year old boys. And 12 very quiet, cute, and shy 11 year old girls. It is going to be a very interesting year!

My amazing husband did my name wall again this year and of course I have all the other teachers jealous of how awesome my wall is.


Back to school night was Tuesday night and boy was it the best back to school night ever. I have Josh Osmond in my class. Yes, that is the son of Donny and Debbie Osmond. And yes, Donny did come and hang out in my classroom for 30 minutes. It was really fun to have him there and he and his wife are such a great pair. I will be watching him on Dancing with the Stars!

(You can see Donny in the back left of this picture)

This week at school has been really fun outside because we have the nation paragliding show happening in our school back yard, it is amazing! It is like a movie outside every recess. You should see the students just stare at the mountains in awe of the whole show!



Here is the para-glider that was low enough for a good picture. The rest of my pictures they looked like little dots in the sky.

So get ready for another fun and fun filled story year! Mrs. Strong is back in action!

And the year was 1990

The Rust Family

I would just like you to take note of the hair styles of my Mama and I. I was in 4th grade in this picture. The house in the background was where I grew up. This is proof that NJ is green.

My Beautiful Mother

There has and always will be one person in my life who knew me better than anyone, who knew my faults, my weaknesses, secrets, my joys, and my favorite things and this person was my mother. She has always been that person in my life who always found time to talk to me on the phone, to take time out of her day at work to hear about mine, to teach me about life, to show by example what a caring person should really be like.
She was an angel. She was my mother. She is now my angel.

My mother passed away last Monday, August 3rd, 2009, after a 8 month battle with Cancer. I have been back and forth this whole summer from Utah to New Jersey to be by her side, and to be with my Dad and brother, Brandon. Then in July, the 19th actually, I flew to NJ with no return flight. I was going to be there no matter what every day while she fought for her life that we knew was so close to ending. I would never take this time back, it was worth it. It was worth every moment, every scary event that happened. She was a fighter. She always made sure everyone else was okay, even when you knew how much pain she was in. She was so loved. But she will live on. She will be in my heart and in the heart of so many who thought as my mother as their angel as well.

Everyone has a Karen Rust story. This became more apparent when I sat in her hospital room each day as people came to see her. Then at the viewing when over 500 people came to share their condolences with my family I got to hear their "Karen" stories.
It is an honor to be her daughter.

Everyone shared in the smile she had when she walked in the room, everyone will remember her as a caregiver, a nurse, a runner, a friend - but for me she will be my mother, my angel.

Here is her obituary from the paper - and it is amazing to read.

I love you mama, you are beautiful.

July in a nut shell

July has been a crazy busy month. It has been a month of baby blessings, trips to California, house working, Disneyland, and fun times. Yes there was work to be done, a classroom to set up, some art to be worked on - but July was a great month.

Zachary Owen Messmer's baby blessing. He is such a cute and happy baby. He looks a lot like his brother Brandon, and has the smile that can light up a room!




Will and I had his nephews here visiting and we had a blast. Andrew and Michael played a lot of video games with Will, ate a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, played a full game of risk on the 4th of July, and just had a good time staying up late for a good week straight. (Getting back to chores and real life was hard - mowing the lawn vs. Mario Kart - there is no comparison.)

Will and I worked on the house. Well, to be honest Will did a great job working on the house doing "Man work" as he likes to call it. I can't wait to paint!


We went to Disneyland and boy that was a day to remember. It was the best trip to Disneyland we have ever had. We got there at 7am, did all the main rides by 10am, and then thought what to do? So we did things like walk around (slower than the morning rush) into all of the stores, did the slower rides, and bought the best book ever "Where are the hidden Mickey's? Yes, this is the ticket to the park! We searched, got special treatment in lines, and met Dave our new friend who made us "HONORARY DISNEY CITIZENS FOR THE DAY!" It was awesome we got pins and everything, plus he told us a huge secret but to find out you need to go talk to Dave and get a pin...

THE PIN

California was great! Being with Will and his family in Riverside was a blast and we miss them already.

THE FOLLOWING MIGHT BE TO GROSS TO LOOK AT - BE AWARE!

Today I woke up, went the the gym, came home and found Will in the living room looking perplexed. The tub won't drain. So I went in the bathroom and sure enough, it was clogged. I got down there and pulled the nasty stuff out, but still didn't change the problem. So I was getting ready to go get some liquid plumber when I heard the weirdest sounds ever coming from the tub. Yup you got it - black sick smelly stuff was shooting out of the tub. I screamed, Will yelled and we hand to call the plumber!
Nice guy...but he said he has not seen a case like this in 10 years! WOW!
(I didn't take pictures at the beginning, so these pictures are tame)




This Video is for Grandma!

"Where's Mrs. Strong?"

Mrs. Strong was spotted in New Jersey.
I was on a flight from Newark, NJ to Ontario, Ca - with a stop in Salt Lake and guess what? There in the bathroom in Newark I heard "Mrs. Strong, Mrs. Strong!" And yes, smiling and so excited was one of my students from last year.

So...like "Where's Waldo?"...where will Mrs. Strong be spotted next.

I promise I will have pictures up from The 4th of July week up soon.

The Lehi Rodeo and Baby Noah

This is going to be one of many posts this week. Will's parents are in town for TWO baby blessings, the fourth of July, and some quality family time. Andrew and Michael Pettit are also here visiting and spending some serious boy time with their Uncle William. There will be a lot of Mario Kart playing going on!
Last night we went to the Lehi Rodeo My first rodeo ever! It was three words: fun, thrilling, and honestly very entertaining!

Today, June 28th, was Noah Matthew Strong's baby blessing. It was so fun to be with family for this special day!

RODEO PICTURES

Bailey Strong
Hayden and Uncle William

I married an artist, when he goes to a rodeo he sketches The Rodeo!Andrew, Hayden, and Matthew
Bailey and Michael
BABY BLESSING PICTURES
Aunt Katie with Baby Noah
Michael with Baby Zachary (his baby blessing is next Sunday)
It was a big month for new babies in the family!
Noah and his family: Dad (Matthew), sister Bailey, Brother Hayden, and Mom (Stacey)
Hayen, Bailey, and Brooklyn hiding under the table.Grandpa! Bailey's glasses are to small for you!
Girly pictures!

My latest addiction

So I have to confess - I have a secret addiction...I love the show "I'm a celebrity get me out of here." Yes I watch it every single night, I look at people.com and tvguide.com to get the latest and greatest news on the show.
If you have not watched it, wow, you are missing out on a treat. Basically they have taken these "C" list celebrities and placed them in the "jungle" in Coasta Rica. They participate in challenges, eat very little, and talk about how famous they are for 1 or 2 hours Monday -Thursday. They do have a reason for being out there, they are raising money for a charity of their choice. The "King or Queen" of the jungle gets 10,000 extra for their charity.

So am I wasting my time at night - yeah a little - but if you ask Will it is pretty funny entertainment and it does grow on you! I think you should check it out, next week is the final week!

Get hooked it is soooo worth it! and you can watch previous episodes on HULU!

(And if you get hooked, vote ONLINE for LOU he should be the "King" of the jungle)

June 4th, 2009

I fall in love with William all over again everyday. He is the most generous, caring, patient, loving, and humorous person I know. I love how he can make me smile on the worst of days, how is caries around a huge sketch book and asks "Can I take it into the restaurant?" How it takes him at least 30 minutes to truly wake up in the morning, and how he knows I would rather get The Jetson's on DVD rather than roses on the last day of the school year! He is my best friend, and the best husband in the world.

We met at Canyon Crest, fell in love with the help of some very interested 6th graders, and were married on June 4th, 2008. The year has been amazing. And I love falling in love with William each morning all over again.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of William and I.

William and I at Disneyland a 6 weeks after we started dating.

William and I the weekend we got engaged.

William and I on our wedding day at the Salt Lake Temple.

William and I at Disneyland during the STRONG family reunion.

William and I on the bus to Salt Lake with 80 very loud 6th graders.

The final cut...6th grade style

Today was 6th grade graduation. It was a hard one for me because I am very attached to this group of students. They have been through a lot with me this school year and I owe a lot to them for making me smile on a daily basis.
Will gets a huge award today for being such a supportive and amazing husband. He was at school with me the whole day. Helped do the music, slide show set up, clean my room, file my grades, count attendance, and all the little things that I needed help with.
Will also surprised me with the First Season of THE JETSONS on DVD. Wow! This was better than flowers for sure! The Jetsons are the best cartoon show ever. I would wake up everyday in elementary school and watch two episodes for 6am to 7am before I had to get ready for school. I know every line, to almost every episode, and still Will doesn't mind me saying the words out loud while we watch.
What a way to end the school year!


Will and I went to Thanksgiving point on Monday, Memorial Day, to walk around in the beautiful weather. I have some pictures to show how amazing the gardens are at this time of year!