10.31.09

Trick-or-Treat!

Well, I had a great night...I LOVED seeing all the kids in their costumes. I have to say that of all the faces I could see tonight, I recognized 95% of them from school. It was fun waiting for the kids to recognize me. I heard a number of "Ohh...Mrs. Jensen!" or "Mom...that's my computer teacher!" as they ran toward the curb. I also had a great surprise of seeing a former student. I didn't even recognize her...she had changed so much from 4th to 9th grade.

Several weeks ago I found a cute wig with curlers, so I had to go with a different costume than my usual witch/scientist. I had a robe, Broncos shirt, sweat pants, and fuzzy slippers...there were a few "What are you for Halloween?" questions at the front door. If I would have been thinking sooner, I would have said, "I'm a teacher after three snow days...we just stay in our PJs!"

Happy Halloween everyone!!

P.S. - I can't post the official "after" to yesterday's post due to the current voting process that is taking place.

10.30.09

before...

Tonight is the night...pumpkin carving! Chad and I are headed to the Kenyon's house where the knives will come out! This will be the first time we join in the "creating contest" and we have been informed that the competition is tough...but I think Chad and I are ready!!

10.29.09

Location, Location, Location

In the matter of two weeks we have gone from sandy, white beaches and beautiful turquoise waters to cold, white snow drifts and white-out conditions.

I'm thinking the sun deck on the Turks & Caicos Explorer II looks much more inviting than the Jensen's back deck.

Enjoying our 2nd snow day in here in Douglas County!  If it's like this in October, what will winter bring?

10.28.09

Snow Day...in October!?!

I thought my eyes were deceiving me this morning at 5:15...the district was closed!  (I had to check many sources prior to jumping back in bed.)

I enjoyed the day - catching up on this blog...I hadn't posted since late July.  :o(  I was beginning to get in trouble...from several people, including my mother!

One photo is from the AM - not a ton of snow.  The second is the burning bush - had to do some brushing off of trees/shrubs in the backyard.  I loved the contrast between the red of the leaves and the white of the snow.

10.27.09

Sunrise

Even though I miss the early sunrises in the fall and winter, the late ones sure are beautiful.

10.21.09

Welcome Back to Colorado!

Well, the sun and sand couldn't last forver!!  Today was a sad day...had to move in the cushions from the outdoor furniture and stack it up for the winter.  :o(

10.17.09

CSE Underwater

At school we have a bulletin board to showcase the locations our CSE shirts visit.  I took my t-shirt with us to Turks & Caicos and soon realized that a photo on a boat in the middle of the ocean would be boring.  I decided to put my shirt on over my wetsuit...had a little explaining to do when the other guests on the boat were just looking at me.

I had hoped to get a shot with a shark over my shoulder, but that didn't pan out.  :o)

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.16.09

Not a Shark

Okay, we did some other fun creatures...other than sharks.  :o)  We saw several turtles...they are always fun to watch and swim with.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.15.09

Another Shark

I said that we saw a lot of them...here's another.  I thought about bringing one home, but I don't think the neighbors would let me keep it in their pool.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.14.09

Up Close and Personal

It was great getting to see the Grey Reef Sharks so upclose.  There were a few that made me nervous, but it was very exciting.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.13.09

Head-On

An underwater head-on takes on a whole new meaning!

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.12.09

Angels & Memories

Even underwater you can find angles (or grey angelfish). Today was bittersweet. One year ago today, my friend and colleague Tonya passed away. Tonya was on a family vacation in Hawaii. It was freak and tragic accident. One of the toughest things for me about Tonya's death is that the ocean, the one thing I love and so enjoy, is what took her from us. I remember Tonya greeting me with her wonderful and contagious smile every morning. Tonya will live on in our hearts and memories forever.

10.11.09

Shark on Reef

Sharks are amazing creatures.  I particularly liked how the sun reflected off their them.

The sharks on this trip came closer than the other ones...they were within arms' reach and on every dive.  There was no type of chumming going on.  These sharks were simply interested in us.

10.10.09

Chad & His New Friend

One of the reasons we wanted to go aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II again was because of the sharks we had encountered on several of our dives.

And we weren't disappointed the second time!  On this particualr dive we ended up with three different sharks that circled around both Chad and I.  I captured the still photos...Chad captured the video.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.09.09

The View for the Week

Fall Break has officially begun and we are headed to Turks and Caicos.  Our morning started early and a little white-knuckled.

The weathermen were forcasting a little snow.  Things didn't seem bad until we got a few miles down the interstate...black ice and LOTS of it.  On our drive to the airport (which usually takes 45 minutes) we saw 5 different rollover accidents.  Fortunately we made it to the airport in one piece and on time for our flight. Deicing at DIA took an extra 1 1/2 hours, but our layover in Atlanta gave us enough of a buffer.  After grabbing a snack we boarded the last leg of our journey and actually arrived early in T&C! 

These two photos were the views Chad and I had for the week.  We were aboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II.  We were on this same boat two years and had a wonderful trip.  On the last trip there were 18-20 people on the boat...this week, only 6...it was AWESOME!

The first picture is of the dive deck and the second photo is of the bottom of the boat...took it while on our safety stop.

You can view more of our trip photos here:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38245&id=1343482331&l=6239004057

10.03.09

1st Birthday

On October 1st, my nephew celebrated his first birthday.  I can't believe how the year flew by!  Both sides of the family got together to celebrate with lunch and birthday cake.

Matthew found a new present opening technique - good thing it wasn't breakable.  I have also included a photo of the amazing cake that my sister made.  She had a great mentor - my mom made cakes like this for us every year.

10.02.09

A New Visitor

We typically don't see many Blue Jays here in Castle Rock, but one showed up today!  I think they are beautiful.  I hope to get a better photo of one this fall or winter.