Greetings from Utah

Today I write from cloudy yet warm Riverton Utah. We are staying with Anika Ferguson and her family. Anika and Heather are really close friends, and their family seems like an extension of ours. While we have been here, we have seen the Family History Library (where I found some information on some of my great grandparents), shop a little, walk around Temple Square, visit the Brigham City and Jordan River temples (just took some pictures on the outside), and visit the Living Planet Aquarium. It has been a nice break so far, and we are looking forward to seeing the Hogle Zoo, visit Chad Robinson (an old mission companion), and do a live session at the Salt Lake City temple. Barbara has been loving the Fegusons. She acts as if they have always been there. Incidentally, today is Barbie's 9 month mark! She has developed very nicely. No crawling yet, but lots of scooting and rolling to get herself around. She has a great sense of humor and is loving to eat "real" food. She is becoming quite the little person, and we are loving every minute we have with her.

Back home things are fine. Annie is getting older, and I often am reminded that the day is soon coming that my faithful companion will pass on. It is sad, but it will not be the first beloved pet I will have lost. Work is going well, and I have another student teacher who is doing a phenomenal job. Last week we had the annual ski trip for the school, and it was an absolute blast. Even though I do not ski, I had a lot of fun and relaxation at the lodge.

Along with work comes the latest news from the government that they are freezing the salaries of teachers in the non-charter public system for the next three years. That seems a bit of a problem, but I must admit that this time around, government cuts do not worry me as much. The last time that there were cuts in Alberta, I ended up in Radville for three years. Then there were cuts again and I was at Thunderchild for another two before heading back to Alberta. Each time that there were cuts, the province was actually doing well financially. This time around, money is definitely tight. I am OK with the idea of having my salary frozen, if that is what will happen with FFCA. The way that I see it is that my school board has been absolutely wonderful to us teachers ever since I arrived here. They have always worked hard at getting us the best salary possible. They know many of us by name and vice versa. We are more like a family, so if they are to say that they cannot find it in the budget to give us a raise this year, then I know that they truly cannot. During hard times it is important for everyone to pull together. I know that I am not speaking for all teachers or even all teachers within FFCA, but I can say that this budget I am perfectly fine with the economic shortfalls. I feel safe in my job and I am happy where I am.

Today's Top Ten List: Things I Wish I Could Change But Know I Cannot
10. Ads on the radio. Too many dumb and boring ones. Makes me switch to the I-Pod.
9. R-Rated movies. There are so many really good looking movies that when I check the rating on them find out that the F-bomb has been dropped too many times, or there is a sex scene that is nowhere close to necessary for the story's plot line.
8. Students who will not see the value in pushing themselves or challenge themselves. Not all are like this, thankfully, but there are too many who honestly do not push themselves. They are content with mediocrity and less than their potential. Sad.
7. Ads at the beginning of a movie. I like going to movies so I don't have to sit through 15 minutes of commercials in an hour. Well, movie theatres are no longer solace from such advertising. They hit you all at once at the beginning. Of course, the upside is that you can now be 15 minutes late for the movie and have not missed anything important (except possibly a good seat)
6. Drivers in Calgary. There are so many nuts and nitwits on the road it drives me crazy! People who think that speed limits are suggestions and then glare at you for driving the limit.
5. Olives. I HATE OLIVES!
4. Pets getting old. See above for my thoughts on Annie.
3. Ads on Youtube videos. Really? I have to wait 30 seconds to see my silly cat video and sit through a car commercial? Yes, ads bug me a lot these days.
2. Politicians, or more precisely, political parties that will never cooperate with each other. I have often felt nauseated by politics because they will only criticize each other. Opposition parties rarely seem to offer anything of substance to each other.
1. Uninformed opinions. Yes, I know that some would point out that all I have to do is inform these people and their opinions can change. Trouble is that all too often these opinions are so deeply entrenched that there is no informing them. For example, a person is dead set against any type of gun control. No matter how well you may argue a point, they refuse to even consider your different position.