AUNTIE ANN'S AWESOME ADVENTURES (formerly Miss Mitchell's Fabulous Fifth Grade): February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

#thedress

SO, LAST THURSDAY, A GIRL POSTED A PICTURE OF THIS

DRESS ON TUMBLR, AND ASKED HER FRIEND,

"WHAT COLOR IS THIS DRESS?"

ONE SAID BLUE & BLACK.

THE OTHER SAID WHITE & GOLD.

AND THEN, IT HIT SOCIAL MEDIA!

EVERYONE KEPT SAYING THE 2 DIFFERENT COLORS.

OF COURSE, A HASHTAG HAD TO BE ADDED . . . #thedress.

I THOUGHT THE WHOLE THING WAS BIZARRE.

UNTIL . . . I SHOWED THE PICTURE TO MY MOM.

SHE SAID IT WAS BLUE & BLACK!

SHE WAS OBVIOUSLY WRONG!

BECAUSE THE DRESS IS WHITE & GOLD . . . EVERYONE CAN SEE THAT!

THAT'S WHAT I SEE!!!

AND THEN, SOMEONE EXPLAINED IT ALL SCIENTIFICALLY,
ABOUT HOW THE BRAIN SEES COLOR,

BUT I COULDN'T FOLLOW THE EXPLANATION.

APPARENTLY THE DRESS IS BLUE & BLACK.

HERE'S WHAT I SEE . . . WHITE & GOLD.

(THAT'S WHAT MARIE OSMOND SAW.)

APPARENTLY, THE MIDDLE DRESS IS THE ONE POSTED.

SOME, LIKE ME, SEE THE WHITE & GOLD ON THE LEFT.

OTHERS, LIKE MY MOM, SEE THE BLUE & BLACK ON THE RIGHT.

THIS PICTURE ACCOMPANIED ONE EXPLANATION.

I LOVE HOW THIS PICTURE GOES BLACK AND FORTH!

AND THEN, I SAW THIS HYSTERICAL MEME:

NO EXPLANATION NECESSARY.

#theotherbluedress

Friday, February 27, 2015

#ichoosetostay

#LPFamily

#scattersunshine

#LPSeminary

These are the latest hashtags in social media.

It's been a rough week at Lone Peak High School...the high school

that my school feeds into.

1 suicide.

2 attempted suicides...one was a brother of one of my students.

There are an average of 2-3 suicides at Lone Peak each year.

Several attempts.

Not to mention drug overdoses.

The students were all coming out in droves on social media.

With the hashtag, #ichoosetostay...students were giving all

the reasons of why they chose to live.

#scattersunshine was when a Lone Peak seminary student posted a scripture.

Other schools were posting their support for Lone Peak.

Here's my post.

#ichoosetostay It's all about being "Auntie Ann!"

#LPFamily

R.I.P. MR. NICHOLES

Doug Nicholes was my junior high principal.

He was also in my ward.

His older sister, Sydney Thomas, carpooled with

my mom, and they are great friends.

He was also the principal at the old Alpine Elementary,

as well as the kindergarten teacher.

He was so kind and helpful.

He will be missed!

February 25, 2015 12:00 am

Douglas E. Nicholes
1929~2015
Douglas E. Nicholes, 85, loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, well known educator and friend to all, passed away after a long illness on February 21, 2015. He was born October 8, 1929 to Howard and Hope Nicholes. He married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou Devey, May 2, 1952 in the Salt Lake Temple. They were blessed with two sons and two daughters: Douglas D. Nicholes, Anne [Floyd] Huxford, Richard [Danette] Nicholes, and Lisa [Blair] Waldron. They have 14 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Douglas attended schools in American Fork graduating from American Fork High in 1947. He received his Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree from Brigham Young University.
As an outstanding educator, Douglas loved his work as principal and knew every childs name and their brothers and sisters. One year he had to learn 800 names. He won many awards for his service in the education field. In the community he served as American Fork Library Board Chairman and City Recreation Committee Chairman. He also worked with the Boy Scouts and was a Silver Beaver. Doug was Santa to many children in the community.
He was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and served in office of the chaplain in Alaska. Douglas served an LDS mission as a young man in Hawaii, and later served as Stake Sunday School President, Stake High Councilor, Bishop, served in Provo and Mt. Timpanogos Temples and as Stake Patriarch. He and Mary Lou were Ushers on Temple Square, Hosts at Joseph Smith Memorial and Missionaries for the International Affairs Office in Washington DC.
Douglas is survived by his wife, children, sister Sydney Thomas and sister-in-law JaNae Nicholes. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Tracy, Frank [Carol] and Ross.
The family offers a special debt of gratitude to Dr. Doug Mower and all the caregivers during his final months.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 28, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at American Fork LDS 23rd Ward chapel 680 North 350 West. A viewing will be held Friday, 6 to 8 p.m. at Anderson and Sons Mortuary and Saturday, 9:45 to 10:45 at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Please share a memory on andersonmortuary.com.

A WARM FUZZY FROM JOSH

Tommy Heaps posted this great photo on Facebook.

This was my 4th year of teaching...1983-1984.

These kids were GREAT!

I even taught one student's two boys!!!

(Boy, could I rock the mullet!)

Row 1: Joshua Frazier Adrienne Compton Shelley Phipps Annette Reichert

Andy Wastell Jason Hewlett Michael Benson

Row 2: Tommy Heaps Tim Healey Mindi Anderson Braden Barnhart Jeff Smith James Jackson Marylynn Smith Trevin Rasmussen

Row 3: Miss Mitchell Debbie Vance Steve Kellman Eric Murdock Jerusha Bateman Mike Lake Jared Deane Sue Miller (deceased) Mr. Olsen

Row 4: Alena Hatch Matt Forte Joshua Boswell Jared Tadje Aaron Turpen Sarah Garbett Nicole de Paula Stephanie Shire (Jennifer Tolman moved in later)

And sometimes, out of nowhere, you get something like this:

Joshua T Boswell Just in case I've never stated it publicly... Miss Mitchell wasn't just a great 5th grade teacher, she was the WORLD"S GREATEST TEACHER.

God put her in my life at a time of great distress and turmoil. She was always happy, always loving, always encouraging. No doubt I'd be 10x the knucklehead that I am now without her amazing influence in my life.

Thanks Miss Mitchell!!!

This not only made my day...it made my year!!!

Josh was the 2nd of 3 Boswell boys that I taught.

I remember 2 very funny incidents about Josh.

We were doing our "Pyramid Building Contest" for P.E.

I was helping a group, by being on the bottom.

Josh came up to me, and said, "Miss Mitchell. Your button

is undone." Then he said, "If I couldn't tell you...who could!"

The other one cracked me up for 29 years.

I had a copy of the Declaration of Independence on my

Revolutionary War bulletin board..

After that year, I took it to be laminated at the District Office.

When I put it up the next year, there at the bottom, under

the signatures of the Founding Fathers, in pencil,

was a tiny signature of "Boz."

This was a nickname he liked to go by.

Because he wrote lightly in pencil, I'm sure

he figured that I would just erase it, and all would be well.

Every year when I would put it up on my bulletin board,

I'd just chuckle, and remember this wonderful kid!

Also, towards the end of my teaching career, I went in

the lunchroom at Clear Creek when we arrived.

And there was Josh. He was being chaperone

for a nephew in another class.

Joshua now lives in Missouri, and is a

counselor in a stake presidency.

He has 11 children!!!

A "Proud Miss Mitchell Moment!"

Shauna Hunt took this picture!
It is in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

A LIFESAVING "PROUD MISS MITCHELL MOMENT!

Kyrsten was in my class a few years ago.

She struggled a little bit academically...but she really shined in ballet!

She was in the "Nutcracker" when she was in my class.

Sooooo proud of this accomplishment!!!

Draper City Police Department

February 23 ·

Congratulations to Brent and Kyrsten McCormack for receiving the "Lifesaving Medal". From the medal citation - "On November 21, 2014, an 83-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s, wandered away from the Draper Rehabilitation Center. Numerous members of the Draper Police Department and Unified Fire Departments, including search and rescue dogs, searched the surrounding area for hours. The Police Department issued an Endangered Missing Person advisory and asked for the public’s help. Brett & Kyrsten McCormack learned about the missing woman and remembered seeing a woman matching the description walking on 12200 S. Brett & Kyrsten returned to the area and located the woman in a back yard, wet and tangled up in a barbed wire fence. It is unlikely that anyone would have found the woman before morning as it was an unusually bitter night. The Unified Fire personnel on scene believed the woman would have been seriously ill or died if she hadn’t been found before morning."

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

BEAT LA! BEAT LA!

I DON'T WEAR MY

"BEAT LA" SHIRT VERY OFTEN . . .

BUT, WHEN I DO, I EXPECT THE

JAZZ TO WIN!

LOST BY 3 AT THE BUZZER.

AND WE HAD AN APPEARANCE BY BOOZER!

GREAT "GIRLS NIGHT OUT"

WITH LORI!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

NICE TO KNOW

IT'S ALWAYS FUN WHEN YOU GET YOUR MONTHLY

ENSIGN AND YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO WROTE AN ARTICLE,

OR THEIR PHOTO IN IN IT.

THIS IS THE GREGORY FAMILY.

BRYSON AND HIS WIFE, MICKELLE, BOTH

GREW UP IN ALPINE. I TAUGHT THEM WHEN WE ROTATED.

I TAUGHT BRYSON'S BROTHER, BRONSON.

I TAUGHT MICKELLE'S SISTER, BROOKE, AND BROTHER, MATT.

SHE CURRENTLY JOB SHARES WITH ANGIE MARTINEK AT FREEDOM.

I HAVE FOLLOWED THEIR BLOG FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

THE STORY IS NOT THEIRS, BUT THEIR KIDS

WERE THE SAME AGE AS THE KIDS IN THE STORY.

AKOY IS THEIR OLDEST. HE'S IN KINDERGARTEN.

I LOVE THE TOYS HE'S PLAYING WITH.

LILY IS PROBABLY 3, AND GRAHAM IS 1.

THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN IN OCTOBER.

WHAT A FUN THING FOR THEM!

TAYLOR + NICK

WHEN MY STUDENTS GO TO COLLEGE,

THEY TEND TO OVERACHIEVE IN ANYTHING THEY DO!

TAYLOR IS A FORMER STUDENT OF MINE.

SO DELIGHTFUL!

SHE SPENT LAST SUMMER IN WASHINGTON D.C. AS

AN INTERN FOR SENATOR MIKE LEE.

SHE IS SPENDING THIS SEMESTER STUDYING ABROAD

IN LONDON.

IT WAS BRITAIN'S "FASHION WEEK."

TAYLOR RUNS INTO THIS GUY.

NICK JONAS.

YES, THAT NICK JONAS OF THE

JONAS BROTHERS.

HE'S NEVER HAD HIS PICTURE TAKEN WITH SUCH A CUTIE!

(AND THE PHOTOBOMBER WISHES SHE WAS TAYLOR!)

DRAPER TEMPLE OUTING

On Tuesday, February 24, Cathy, Jane, and I had an outing

to the Draper Temple.

After, we went to Guadalahonky's for lunch.

Temple Selfies

JR. JAZZ PRESTON

JAYCIE'S JAZZED

ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, JAYCIE WAS ABLE TO GO

TO THE UTAH JAZZ VS PORTLAND TRAILBLAZER'S GAME.

SHE TOOK GRANDMA DIXIE'S PLACE.

PAT AND DARWIN WERE UP FOR THEIR GRANDSON'S FUNERAL.

KARL, JAYCIE, JOHN

HAHAHA . . . DO "U" THINK HE WILL "RISE & SHOUT?"

JAYCIE IS BIGGER THAN LIL' BEAR

BEAR CLIMBS THE LADDER

THIS HAPPENED

JAZZ BOOTIES FOR CIERRA'S TWINS

RYKER CAN REALLY ROCK THE JAZZ BOOTIES!

HOW I LIVED WITHOUT . . .

SHAYLA

Click on this link to check out my great niece
on the governor's official website!

http://photos.utah.gov/index.php?album=Photos%20from%202015/February/02.17.2015%20Basket%20ball%20with%20Legislature%20and%20Lobbiest&image=GOV_4237.jpg

Shayla loves the game "this much!"

"Basketball Mark"

I got a text from my niece, Camille, the other day, with the above link.

When I clicked on it, there on the Governor's website,

was Shayla!

She had gone up to the Huntsman Center to watch her

dad play basketball!

The governor, lieutenant governor, and their staffs

played basketball against the lobbiests and the legislature.

Shay was taking pictures and got the picture of the night with

the governor getting a "behind the back pass" and making a basket.

Everyone was wishing they had got it on film.

Shay walks up saying, "Daddy...look what I got!"

She had captured the moment and saved the day!

They even posted her name on the website!

Shayla is 8 years old.

When I was 8, I knew that Calvan Rampton was

the governor of Utah, and that was it!

Shay always gets to hobnob with

Governor Herbert

and

Lt. Governor Cox.

SO LONG, FAREWELL . . . ENES HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

"So long, farewell

Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell

Auf Wiedersehen, adieu

Adieu, adieu

To you and you and you."

This is a great song from

The Sound of Music.

Enes Kanter had a rough game the day before

All-Star break.

He demanded to be traded.

He's a restricted free agent, meaning...if he's

to stay with the Jazz, any team can make an offer,

and the Jazz must match it.

If not, he leaves...and we get nothing.

(They did this last summer with Gordon Hayward.)

We basically got draft picks, and the rights

to a European player.

Enes has had to split time with our

"Rising Star," Rudy Gobert.

On the trade deadline day...Kanter is gone.

So is Steve Novak. Novak probably did not want to go.

Oklahoma City is now their home.

It didn't take the Jazz long to get rid of all

signs of Enes.

Rudy has now emerged.

And

Enes has left the building.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

HOW DO YOU RUN A STATE?

Every governor and Lieutenant Governor have a staff to help them with the job of running a state. Here are the staffs of the governor and lieutenant governor for our state of Utah, with a couple of surprise staff members!

Governor's Staff

Justin Harding Chief of Staff
Michael Mower Deputy Chief of Staff
Jacey Skinner General Counsel
Cody Stewart Policy Advisor
Kristen Cox Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Marty Carpenter Communications Director
Wesley Smith
State and Federal Relations Director

One of my kiddos! He is a member of the governor's staff,

based in Washington D.C. I taught him in the early 90's.

Ron Gordon Executive Director, Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice
Tami Pyfer Education Advisor
Alan Matheson Environmental Advisor
Benjamin Onofrio Staff Attorney
Fran Stultz Executive Assistant and Scheduler to the Governor
Cherilyn Bradford Boards and Commissions Director
Austin Cox Constituent Services Director
Tiffeni Wall Assistant to Chief of Staff
Caroline Slater Communications Specialist
Aimee Edwards Public Information Officer
Shannon Simonsen Administrative Assistant
Ashlee Buchholz Administrative Assistant
Judith George First Lady Scheduler
Carolynne Loder Governor's Mansion Manager
Susan Deakin Administrative Assistant
Atong Deng Receptionist
Fran Fish Receptionist
Mark Eddington Lead Speechwriter
Katriina Adair Correspondence Coordinator
Jenni Royster Office Manager

Lt. Governor's Staff

Look who's listed first on Lt. Governor Spencer Cox's website!

Mark is married to my niece, Camille.

They are Shayla's parents.

I was looking on the Lt. Governor's website, and looked

up his staff.

In my last year of teaching, it was a Presidential election year.

He came and taught my class about voting, and even brought

two machines for the kids to vote on!

(Not the real candidates)

I also saw him at the FFVF at Valley Forge Heroes luncheon

earlier this month at Little America.

As a board member, I had to pay $30 for the lunch.

Mark was free.

He has a very interesting job!!!

(Especially on Election Day!)

As an interesting side note, Mark was born November 17, 1979.
Reid & Laurel, his in-laws, were married on November 17, 1979!!!