tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84763346131247294482024-03-19T10:02:35.615-06:00Life is Good!Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-88852629515455598842009-08-29T09:58:00.004-06:002018-12-04T09:43:04.196-07:00Masa laa Ch'ool! Guatemala Summer 2009I had the amazing, eye-opening, life-changing opportunity to go to Guatemala this summer for a humanitarian project. Singular Humanitarian teamed up with Choice Humanitarian for the largest expedition Choice has ever seen. There were 90 of us, and it was a huge success. We were in the remote Polochic Valley in the small villages around the mountain. Some of the activities we were involved in were teaching in the schools, teacher training, building a middle school, putting in a water system, building a school kitchen, medical/dental clinic, Rural Health promoter training, midwife training, finance workshops, etc. I spent most of my time teaching, interpreting for the medical clinic, and building the middle school. I even got to help clean teeth!<br />
The people there speak mostly Q'echi'. I tried to learn as much as I could in the short time I was there. Mostly phrases like "You are Crazy" and "You are my friend." The kids at school taught me "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."<br />
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I was so touched by the warmth and kindness of the Polochic people. They were grateful and generous. I was very touched by the whole experience. They have so little physically but are so rich in love and goodness. What a BEAUTIFUL people they are!<br />
<a class="l" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q%27eqchi%27" onmousedown="return rwt(this,'','','res','1','AFQjCNFiyt2UPlmQaduejVvrSm98RD_fsw','&sig2=OIbAvThGnvVrcVwstVLOnA','0CAkQFjAA')"><em></em></a>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-63239999283109756232009-06-28T19:51:00.000-06:002009-10-31T10:38:24.983-06:00Summer 2009 (Part 1)<span style="font-weight: bold;">I love to see the Temple</span> (June 2009)<br /><br /><br /><div style="width: 480px; text-align: right;"><embed src="http://static.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf?rssFeed=http%3A%2F%2Ffeed259.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fhh312%2Fhakedrake%2FOquirrh%2520Mt%2520Temple%2520with%2520Ewings%2Ffeed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?showShareLB=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/embed/btn_geturs.gif" style="border: medium none ;" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The summer began with a two week nanny job for a family whose children attend the school where I teach. The highlight for me was taking the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. I learned some great lessons from those kids and their experience at the temple.<br />5-year-old Ryder was so reverent and respectful in the temple. He walked around with his arms folded and whispered the whole time. He had a special experience at the temple, and I wrote down some of the things that he said.<br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">In the temple:"This is so awesome!"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Afterward in the reception hall: "That was cleaner than ever!!"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">"Did we earn this?!"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">In the car on the way home: "I don't feel like saying any bad words...I hate when I say bad words, bad words are bad!"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">"If we earn it, can we come to the temple again?"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">"Can we come to the temple tomorrow?"</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">"I'm SO happy that you took us to the temple...Thank you for taking us to the temple, Miss Carrie!"</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"> I was touched by his sweet impressions in that very sacred place and his tender feelings on what a privilege it is to visit the house of the Lord. We could all take a lesson from sweet Ryder.<br /><br /></span><br /></div></div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-40143574466522833502009-06-25T10:33:00.007-06:002009-07-26T22:11:42.653-06:00"But He was asleep"<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteNDcqK11TkkK3W1f1mNIQ3ljr5QKB8RGSFU5obLo0r2b6FOscN88cZ-8z3wdW1Vv6S75nhlrDwlq5cBR4qlTe3plGC7y82mQDicUepihGCMwrL-OD6UGQ2GVIRyoTISr7iqUVq8zWqEK/s1600-h/Christ_Walking_On_Water_by_Benjamin_McPherson.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteNDcqK11TkkK3W1f1mNIQ3ljr5QKB8RGSFU5obLo0r2b6FOscN88cZ-8z3wdW1Vv6S75nhlrDwlq5cBR4qlTe3plGC7y82mQDicUepihGCMwrL-OD6UGQ2GVIRyoTISr7iqUVq8zWqEK/s320/Christ_Walking_On_Water_by_Benjamin_McPherson.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351307607306609762" border="0" /></a><br /></div> <br />I taught the lesson in Relief Society a couple of Sundays ago. As I pondered and thought about what message the women might need to hear, I consulted with the Bishop as to what he would like each sister to know. He said, (in my summary), that he wished each sister would realize how completely cognoscente the Lord is of each of them. His tender mercies are over us. The blessings don't always come in the form we think they ought, but they always come.<br /> <br />The following is a video I made for my lesson. Sometimes we feel like the Lord is "asleep" in our lives, and that He has forgotten us and His promises are not sure. However, God ALWAYS fulfills his promises as we are obedient to his commandments. What a powerful concept. "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, <i>they come" <span style="font-size:78%;">(Jeffrey R. Holland An High Priest of Good Things to Come</span></i><span style="font-size:78%;">. October 1999).</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='360' height='298' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dydpK56vmz1QgLbwn6bVcX5yOfduJRafHMWD0y6Dv6RYhom-RxLUfsMU9z1BwnaYEDTElleuTpHlmAnlm9THA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-7052178512384258362009-05-15T20:23:00.003-06:002009-05-15T21:03:38.142-06:00The Secret<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I love this video. I showed it to my class at the beginning of the year, and we talked about making this year our best. I truly believe each day we have is a miracle. Make it your best one so far.</span><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9916SAjWLDNyZMNKzuz7ghq-cZDUEiz0sEjZYHz-7l2Blo6KDHTCV_9eTGr5_4_TTv-TL-BZnxGxFJV5kjA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Life is like an old time rail journey...delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-80965247706346179312009-05-09T10:49:00.003-06:002009-05-09T11:21:29.608-06:00Three is a Magic Number<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Presenting the Kids Village 2008/2009 Music Video.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I made this with my class. They had such a fun time!</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywJtlNUiH6M6hBaqnpqqH7B7r8xOpmKZ7EA5dJNBOWCyIvLAzgSS94RZnjJNh4mp3dysbZrbkY3tm6W_xR8g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-61772770316114326332009-03-16T22:07:00.005-06:002009-03-16T22:33:08.640-06:00All About MeThis is a video I made to show at our orientation meetings at Elderhostel. Everything you ever needed to know about Carrie. Presented by the students at Kids Village 2007-2008. The following information my or may not be 100% accurate. Enjoy!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywDWkJNkgw0FABk5wv2tqOO4YnVNHAZLyC9qepo4EiZe8H_FKV6GC-2bVjMF2xgXmQDNeSxErQMQM91tcSIQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-33611394487855890262009-03-15T19:32:00.002-06:002009-03-15T19:42:20.365-06:00Living with others in Peace and HarmonyToday in church we talked about living in peace and being peacemakers instead of quick to be offended. I was really touched by this video by President Gordon B. Hinckley.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naqX9iYE0V0">Lessons I learned as a boy</a><br /><br /></div>When given the choice to tease or to uplift, I hope we choose to be the kind of people who make others feel good.Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-76794390204542692742009-01-19T20:00:00.008-07:002009-01-21T20:15:12.309-07:00Oh where oh where has my little blog gone?It's been quite some time since I have paid any attention to my blog so here is the update January 2009 edition. (Reader's digest version).<br />November 2008- Thanksgiving was spent at my favorite family (The Porter's) house. I love them. They are like my 2nd family.<br /><br />After the Porter's in Vegas I headed out to my dear friend Kathy's wedding. Kathy and James are the PERFECT couple. It was such an honor to be at their temple sealing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8COb8aK7ye2IkgLndgn7oGe16LOZylGKUcnj8C81S5zsnnwNz1uWclWBPZpWX-LbajZYg4Cm0yuCXXgMGTooq_HuwiorS2pT5tjh4Km8hbvRGWJKHmvWs2-TzwmS-lgHT_ec62YsXbKIi/s1600-h/IMG_5557.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8COb8aK7ye2IkgLndgn7oGe16LOZylGKUcnj8C81S5zsnnwNz1uWclWBPZpWX-LbajZYg4Cm0yuCXXgMGTooq_HuwiorS2pT5tjh4Km8hbvRGWJKHmvWs2-TzwmS-lgHT_ec62YsXbKIi/s320/IMG_5557.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293206477794162770" border="0" /></a>Christmas was spent in Arkansas with my Mom, and Brother and Sister-in-law and my favorite little girl (my niece Calie). It was a great visit. I also got to meet my mom's significant other, Bob. He's a great guy. While I was there, I also got to see my friend Courtney who lives there with her adorable family. Her son Noah is sooooooo cute. That was a fun bonus.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDxpL2tJ9izZtvkjdt-1o4ZVD5X23IIh3HMnxRWiaNYZO3dHuAfIliEMrvHKwdO7IGiSjk7uvLkJXWoAKn1u5qwOH4bAlyNA1tSLqK01Ko33kqsNtCSivwUUS5gOQT-wDlzTpbizbl5lx/s1600-h/IMG_5764.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDxpL2tJ9izZtvkjdt-1o4ZVD5X23IIh3HMnxRWiaNYZO3dHuAfIliEMrvHKwdO7IGiSjk7uvLkJXWoAKn1u5qwOH4bAlyNA1tSLqK01Ko33kqsNtCSivwUUS5gOQT-wDlzTpbizbl5lx/s320/IMG_5764.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208578864617842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3joVTyeZDekA9-Hvgo0OGNpv7no_VCct1Xb98hAARUzU4Jp6vz1eZ7mID-Py3nUrwkD9ONVh8bmcvf10IprJsCv3xZrhYP4WiVbxyfwiflKPxSLYk9I-HT3rLsM-0uXRhRnFTsh8no-O0/s1600-h/IMG_5838.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 352px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3joVTyeZDekA9-Hvgo0OGNpv7no_VCct1Xb98hAARUzU4Jp6vz1eZ7mID-Py3nUrwkD9ONVh8bmcvf10IprJsCv3xZrhYP4WiVbxyfwiflKPxSLYk9I-HT3rLsM-0uXRhRnFTsh8no-O0/s320/IMG_5838.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293218223484471522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVCOVk_XCnN14n9_n9_dpMYeoy5s18_zrSWJCSAV1HUeWG9jMOzLgnjZeA5E_rru2XGCXSx90ARFi_SqsAXKnQVxafh7tpFoXz48w0cQvIa0VDSW4eLCiH1pry36hx7HwDpthsDKSiwjt/s1600-h/IMG_5805.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVCOVk_XCnN14n9_n9_dpMYeoy5s18_zrSWJCSAV1HUeWG9jMOzLgnjZeA5E_rru2XGCXSx90ARFi_SqsAXKnQVxafh7tpFoXz48w0cQvIa0VDSW4eLCiH1pry36hx7HwDpthsDKSiwjt/s320/IMG_5805.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208596919993090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZP3GhLIWs0gStvwMns3Du5RLtsummESfIiYW2rlruWw9mqEKcY1bjfb8S-KzensQ7R_Rcuhziwdt6rrqnlnniFSnA4X97xrpcwm0fVYgZlaWgKlfg2A7ypCjL2yhe4-NxDgD8ghnIFeE/s1600-h/IMG_5809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZP3GhLIWs0gStvwMns3Du5RLtsummESfIiYW2rlruWw9mqEKcY1bjfb8S-KzensQ7R_Rcuhziwdt6rrqnlnniFSnA4X97xrpcwm0fVYgZlaWgKlfg2A7ypCjL2yhe4-NxDgD8ghnIFeE/s320/IMG_5809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208598771786610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC4PI8kLBjRRFhsKkoufrJaOI-k4KYfcyUOqAneUW0OpBNxYRALV8HOEg3dEnOosYhWGRvsjoNAK9lywTPWm-blZg7a1JHymKhCzjNM48hlkUxxF8_YXFiLWiFUbOjJWdsDG4Sh6HZMq9/s1600-h/IMG_5786.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhC4PI8kLBjRRFhsKkoufrJaOI-k4KYfcyUOqAneUW0OpBNxYRALV8HOEg3dEnOosYhWGRvsjoNAK9lywTPWm-blZg7a1JHymKhCzjNM48hlkUxxF8_YXFiLWiFUbOjJWdsDG4Sh6HZMq9/s320/IMG_5786.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208584487962098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rnGhgReuP5c2cHW5P4hSBiatZz2LnLkKTGzVCf2SikwmBFQxuMhbVg4Doby3KoCg906p-_Y39Y-C3RMdHZGklawy3x2SVIJVMMEqIPINeTC71g0OQ5hssHBkpy71gkMRcQi9l2C-UUMv/s1600-h/IMG_5794.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rnGhgReuP5c2cHW5P4hSBiatZz2LnLkKTGzVCf2SikwmBFQxuMhbVg4Doby3KoCg906p-_Y39Y-C3RMdHZGklawy3x2SVIJVMMEqIPINeTC71g0OQ5hssHBkpy71gkMRcQi9l2C-UUMv/s320/IMG_5794.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293208591662332722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />After some technical difficulties involving air travel, I came home to Utah on Dec. 26th. My friend Kris and I ran an Elderhostel ski program for grandparents and their families that came to Utah to ski over the holiday. We had a good time. Some of the highlights included snowboarding for the first time, spending time with a good friend, meeting new people and seeing families interact, and playing Family Feud one night at the hotel. We rang in the new year with the Grandparents and families. They had a lot of fun.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlLSUdtDrSWH4YOXi-zzCuhrzjrDErMzpnokf6wlrNw3eAaoUI_Us-bFXHQEQNHtWHeqAq6NHSmedc1qB0UAUUP5v8S4If-z5McvogS1zcICimSddcg7s6ZgRfRp0V0q0TR1o0jz4On6L/s1600-h/Elderhostel+Ski+Program+with+Kris+092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlLSUdtDrSWH4YOXi-zzCuhrzjrDErMzpnokf6wlrNw3eAaoUI_Us-bFXHQEQNHtWHeqAq6NHSmedc1qB0UAUUP5v8S4If-z5McvogS1zcICimSddcg7s6ZgRfRp0V0q0TR1o0jz4On6L/s320/Elderhostel+Ski+Program+with+Kris+092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293946681288647570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtsEhV93CO5_amfW9MbCQakM7KEJwsNCLBmxSm-mHwwTl96eYs1X4duMmUdJDtty08A1sbbIPf5Reph7hqCRE1rdG47JqLbZ1S1oQq_wNJk8WZGxBbu6na8ocUf9ztCnTW6No8SMr4BH-/s1600-h/Elderhostel+Ski+Program+with+Kris+055.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtsEhV93CO5_amfW9MbCQakM7KEJwsNCLBmxSm-mHwwTl96eYs1X4duMmUdJDtty08A1sbbIPf5Reph7hqCRE1rdG47JqLbZ1S1oQq_wNJk8WZGxBbu6na8ocUf9ztCnTW6No8SMr4BH-/s320/Elderhostel+Ski+Program+with+Kris+055.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293945657303336994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My friend Jorge came to visit from Puerto Rico. It was so good to see him. We went snowshoeing one day and toured temple square in the freezing cold.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5_l8thuUQ0PgGsvARI1fQLI9pRb89ssf7tCEgX_yZhyF9uhKdFkebiyeTkZkdYlVIc75jNRdB4xDT1xYNb4J5s3lHfJKi29tH8sm5uGW3Pyf-mbx7-WLAHR1tYZ3HKuXBG-sa9V1IgF_/s1600-h/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+043.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5_l8thuUQ0PgGsvARI1fQLI9pRb89ssf7tCEgX_yZhyF9uhKdFkebiyeTkZkdYlVIc75jNRdB4xDT1xYNb4J5s3lHfJKi29tH8sm5uGW3Pyf-mbx7-WLAHR1tYZ3HKuXBG-sa9V1IgF_/s320/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293222475342050642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OyW3pJZt7Sjy3o1eeedPPU35gN7SxxJhyphenhyphenKvlSFqKT-JEFP4Sn3tvEuiKstGoDg9ABkpyhk0D1QklYAj_YI90fy742FshR2wA27bdvXJj_J5agpVOpnlAd1nzyMZ7ZW_wnD4DLmWei80q/s1600-h/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+020.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OyW3pJZt7Sjy3o1eeedPPU35gN7SxxJhyphenhyphenKvlSFqKT-JEFP4Sn3tvEuiKstGoDg9ABkpyhk0D1QklYAj_YI90fy742FshR2wA27bdvXJj_J5agpVOpnlAd1nzyMZ7ZW_wnD4DLmWei80q/s320/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293222468652918690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPNDW7IskQ6C6qy6VXlT8BfzIJ5cCE0awtYIWNzsQdR0bRZ-tJvMgrI-gt8aV-AxRAWOpXlJds_51lhVYRgstjAM3DidCKpgnmnDox2RyTHAiOlpTwDbnI7XlphmRAuqAFl5ZOWpxX4dC/s1600-h/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+013.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPNDW7IskQ6C6qy6VXlT8BfzIJ5cCE0awtYIWNzsQdR0bRZ-tJvMgrI-gt8aV-AxRAWOpXlJds_51lhVYRgstjAM3DidCKpgnmnDox2RyTHAiOlpTwDbnI7XlphmRAuqAFl5ZOWpxX4dC/s320/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293222465353150370" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzY_qsOBSehYUDp__EzC7vEG1dfpm9trCXoNYdXypFiCjZK_52-jZO_BTrHW5U4Stms1_sLPqnokTp0LxolGyOoBe7QuQ5_yX-41384Y-BBhNfvvQypIe5MNj94AdcMW5A92i6OYBsleX/s1600-h/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVzY_qsOBSehYUDp__EzC7vEG1dfpm9trCXoNYdXypFiCjZK_52-jZO_BTrHW5U4Stms1_sLPqnokTp0LxolGyOoBe7QuQ5_yX-41384Y-BBhNfvvQypIe5MNj94AdcMW5A92i6OYBsleX/s320/Snowshoeing+and+Temple+Square+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293222459011340354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />My mom got engaged this past weekend! I'm happy for her.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQw7TGMsUm6JClKRekp0NCjimVig0MZkO54npspmBgqnHCXCFKoUfJJQfi2ANBUsLvFEYlKo6V9jEBKo9eWrSe2vQjdj-65itY_MGRsE3SW-CRr77Uj1JBOPKIQ2YQyXRM9He1HjPj7PY/s1600-h/IMG_5734.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQw7TGMsUm6JClKRekp0NCjimVig0MZkO54npspmBgqnHCXCFKoUfJJQfi2ANBUsLvFEYlKo6V9jEBKo9eWrSe2vQjdj-65itY_MGRsE3SW-CRr77Uj1JBOPKIQ2YQyXRM9He1HjPj7PY/s320/IMG_5734.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293947251247579730" border="0" /></a><br />I bought a plane ticket to Guatemala. I got a really good deal. I am joining up with Singular Humanitarian on a Humanitarian project in August. I am so excited!<br /><br />This week I learned to cross country ski while working for Elderhostel. I love grandparents!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIDzBFoQZgIEp32_lgfNXWfmm-spLEpNHl-sXqMB1szhWdaJjckqoplzt_Ag5vNBvCf-K1xpitZ2wgHXho4UVpUSQS4pRfj5yRTQnyUw51s6KU1_es00GWEFT2itIM0OySW-nKO6TL-h8/s1600-h/Snowball+videos+and+Jan.+Elderhostel+026.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIDzBFoQZgIEp32_lgfNXWfmm-spLEpNHl-sXqMB1szhWdaJjckqoplzt_Ag5vNBvCf-K1xpitZ2wgHXho4UVpUSQS4pRfj5yRTQnyUw51s6KU1_es00GWEFT2itIM0OySW-nKO6TL-h8/s320/Snowball+videos+and+Jan.+Elderhostel+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293942622391325410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXBPo8-ecU_glUx0dprPMVpqKJqRb7kLPOBlyfwQir4fK-IKKdXV8Nwg7NH4j6LW2dqk616Qm2Xwc8yAYXhyphenhyphenchlMB_UCMwVnRzwnNtOLraeTP-hXZyT-Q8Hu77Rwk_EtfIOuOz2EK0MnJ/s1600-h/Snowball+videos+and+Jan.+Elderhostel+022.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXBPo8-ecU_glUx0dprPMVpqKJqRb7kLPOBlyfwQir4fK-IKKdXV8Nwg7NH4j6LW2dqk616Qm2Xwc8yAYXhyphenhyphenchlMB_UCMwVnRzwnNtOLraeTP-hXZyT-Q8Hu77Rwk_EtfIOuOz2EK0MnJ/s320/Snowball+videos+and+Jan.+Elderhostel+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293942615859609298" border="0" /></a>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-8597486856044117382008-11-03T17:48:00.004-07:002008-11-03T21:11:00.642-07:00Happy Belated HalloweenThis was too cute not to post. Every week I give my class a new poem to memorize. This is one of my students, Emily, performing the poem "Fraidy Cat," by Matthew M. Fredricks. She is such a doll.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyb4UCux87EnTM4Vni7PpRkufPtXFw3rC4XQIHhtlFQjqxd9bwQStalVe7Xlv7wpkswseboG9NWl092ReWWQA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-35411811159089761662008-10-21T21:55:00.004-06:002008-10-21T22:11:59.759-06:00More Prop 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01scp04-akUh7Zrwoscj9LiTc0KOIUB7EEpkmuQacyIZSp-Uzub6rKX1sCXwpEG-4FVcpLF6gOlJyP9F8blrBYoQbVMmCsQRFaTBBFZUcAKJrSb8YBAxuxEU-l8hDTTOmGth_tgSHtm6U/s1600-h/Prop+8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg01scp04-akUh7Zrwoscj9LiTc0KOIUB7EEpkmuQacyIZSp-Uzub6rKX1sCXwpEG-4FVcpLF6gOlJyP9F8blrBYoQbVMmCsQRFaTBBFZUcAKJrSb8YBAxuxEU-l8hDTTOmGth_tgSHtm6U/s320/Prop+8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259823364403866274" border="0" /></a><br />Here is an NPR article on some of the consequences of redefining the definition of marriage. If you live in California, vote yes on prop 8!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91486191" title="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91486191" target="_blank">When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash : NPR</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.icontribute.us/protectmarriage/initiative/fieldtrip">Yes on 8 video</a>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-77876555262025302412008-10-09T23:00:00.009-06:002008-10-10T16:41:46.480-06:00Proposition 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRxt5PKTRx5wP2svWn0SZ083BRuFEdedsbDhHLl4cVYtk36hyphenhyphen11exnC_ttm25tSye-_tUfQdMP0Y00eF3arc_20za97GZY8rNQxNqbX-WFKdYeynhbyXeCy-c9KrnBYqzoHt4JVdv4cUb/s1600-h/Holding_Hands.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 339px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRxt5PKTRx5wP2svWn0SZ083BRuFEdedsbDhHLl4cVYtk36hyphenhyphen11exnC_ttm25tSye-_tUfQdMP0Y00eF3arc_20za97GZY8rNQxNqbX-WFKdYeynhbyXeCy-c9KrnBYqzoHt4JVdv4cUb/s320/Holding_Hands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5255406343425915858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's not very often that I get involved with political things, however this is something that I feel strongly about.<br /><a href="http://www.protectmarriage.com/"><br /></a><a href="http://www.protectmarriage.com/">www.protectmarriage.com<br /></a><br />If you live in California, you should Vote Yes on Proposition 8 to keep marriage only between a man and a woman. If you do not live in California, encourage your California friends to vote yes on Prop 8.<br /><br />I'd like to make it clear that, for me, this is not about discrimination. I don't deny that people have agency to make choices for their life. This is about legally preserving the definition of marriage as it is in God's eyes and as it has been since the beginning of time.<br /><br />Most of the following information I got from a website I read and from a conference on the subject.<br /><br />Six Consequences if Proposition 8 Fails<br /><br />1. Children in public schools will be taught that both traditional marriage and same-sex marriage are okay. This will cause serious problems for parents that want to pass on their heritage, beliefs, and values to their children. This would also include changing the way that sex-education is taught in schools.<br /><br />2. Churches will be sued if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings that are open to the public. Do you want your Church to change their religious beliefs because of a law? True doctrines that were right yesterday can’t be changed and made right to day, because God in never changing. God was always perfect and will be always perfect.<br /><br />3. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government agencies to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has already closed its doors because of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Preventing the Catholic Church and others from acting as they see morally right will cost the tax payers millions more to do the same job. Not to mention, think of all the children that could have been placed in good Christian homes and would be denied the opportunity.<br /><br />4. Religions that sponsor private schools and which provide housing for married students will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if it runs counter to church doctrine, or lose tax exemptions and benefits.<br /><br />5. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government. It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage.<br /><br />6. It will cost you money. A change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits. Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money, your church contributions – that will have to be spent on legal fees.<br /><br />If we don’t act by Voting Yes on Proposition 8 then millions of people and their descendents will lose core religious beliefs and priceless heritage.<br /><br />Vote YES on Prop 8Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-31689077585119243802008-09-08T22:54:00.002-06:002008-09-08T23:12:22.053-06:00Roomies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yPk4PF925_W2npi95jx5Cr6Za2N6LqwA9i8e2KqChQ3vgIp8FrOpO1e3Y6hxBYHb9E3_KLdem1cIAhL8BKD2HuoVFOKFRZhs4_mqaO-GFlEcTwp8yec4Fjlaj26Mxx8qogVLVWeJulSG/s1600-h/Roomies,+Margie%27s,+and+Navy+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yPk4PF925_W2npi95jx5Cr6Za2N6LqwA9i8e2KqChQ3vgIp8FrOpO1e3Y6hxBYHb9E3_KLdem1cIAhL8BKD2HuoVFOKFRZhs4_mqaO-GFlEcTwp8yec4Fjlaj26Mxx8qogVLVWeJulSG/s400/Roomies,+Margie%27s,+and+Navy+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243884909234716882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> Here is a shout out to my current room mates, Vicki and MaryAnn. They are the best. I love them, and I love where we live.<br /><br /> The other night we got to talking about how many room mates we have had since we graduated. We decided to see if we could remember all the ladies we have shared a home with throughout the years.<br /><br /> I left everyone else hanging in the dust in this contest. I'm not sure I should post such things here, but counting my mission companions and the 12 girls I shared a room with when I was on my Freshman study abroad program, I have had a grand total of...drum roll please.....<br /><br /> 64 room mates!!! (22 of which I had as a Freshman!) So, for all of you who have had the privilege of living with me, I say thank you. Without you, I might not have the collection of random mugs that I have today. ;-) J/K Love you girls!Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-30364528958921561492008-09-03T23:53:00.006-06:002008-09-04T00:11:28.947-06:00Forever YoungSince I've already updated briefly, I figured I can now bore you with silly little details from my every day life. Recently my friend Kathy moved out of my apartment, and my friend Vicki moved in. With the move, we've been making some home improvements. I bought a new desk and put it together myself (with the help of my trusty assistant). My roommate, MaryAnn, informed me that it is a rule that you wear the hardhat anytime you use a tool kit. So, here you have it.... my home office construction gear, documented.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6-Y6gRXOc-q5d9gxZ5zbTRbGEX3g_SDIAnBiWrRvpGy7ubIeD2hYhrWGPwZzXSOcK7w8182DNsaJ7ysb83vfftLFwZFhHPwT79TnGZ-nmc0D_oX8QVMNA8zmkOD-EA0oXq6v8EQxdmqt/s1600-h/IMG_4820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6-Y6gRXOc-q5d9gxZ5zbTRbGEX3g_SDIAnBiWrRvpGy7ubIeD2hYhrWGPwZzXSOcK7w8182DNsaJ7ysb83vfftLFwZFhHPwT79TnGZ-nmc0D_oX8QVMNA8zmkOD-EA0oXq6v8EQxdmqt/s200/IMG_4820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242041601801965554" border="0" /></a>I can't decide if I look more like one of the village people or a bobble head gone awry. Ha.<br /><br /> <br /> One of the other home improvements we made was having our carpets cleaned last Saturday. We moved all of our furniture into the kitchen (which made it sound like a sound proof recording studio). While the carpets were getting cleaned, the roomies and I hit the pool for the last time this summer. After they were all clean, we waited for the carpets to dry; and waited, and waited, and waited. When the night came they were still wet and we could not move the furniture back into the bedrooms. Because of this, Vicki and I got the privilege of sleeping in the kitchen and dining room. My mattress ended up underneath the kitchen table. So, I decided that if I had to sleep under the kitchen table, I was going to do something I hadn't done since I was 10.....BUILD A FORT. So along the theme of forever young, I repeated one of my favorite childhood past times and I built a fort out of the kitchen table to sleep under. Here's the proof:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEd_AA9hXoDGRMaYTr7sp7ZslFwQU4QPHwUE66DWk0hJvzt4GxQKvjZxV2md0wZtPxof1DH-9B3QxJCMp-KIWc2BkO-xF5ascuc9GJ42YADqVutK5O7FTRp9X5kRmyZs0X55yAaiF9e__/s1600-h/IMG_4968.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAEd_AA9hXoDGRMaYTr7sp7ZslFwQU4QPHwUE66DWk0hJvzt4GxQKvjZxV2md0wZtPxof1DH-9B3QxJCMp-KIWc2BkO-xF5ascuc9GJ42YADqVutK5O7FTRp9X5kRmyZs0X55yAaiF9e__/s320/IMG_4968.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242043206334291650" border="0" /></a><br />Moral of the story: When life forces you to sleep under the kitchen table, build a fort.Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-3623190167652833962008-09-01T14:59:00.026-06:002008-09-02T23:04:22.366-06:00Summer Days Slippin' Away...Well, my friends, I am finally writing an update of the summer. Summer has come and gone and I am back to teaching. Highlights from this summer:<br /><br />1. Going with my best friend Vicki as she went to the temple for the first time. This was so special to me. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5WHA5kNU0cDRZY5dkFqeRTX6jQwnfZS4bSx5brXPqDBaB69X3KndTpNSSKakqtaSJfOJCW8cnVeYASgrZ6mpGyvaWMWWwNpgm4uTN9Hk5n0Wr9kq9rC4vxtNxtdjyRBKBhYRxQP5XHs2/s1600-h/memorial+day+family+and+concerts+154.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5WHA5kNU0cDRZY5dkFqeRTX6jQwnfZS4bSx5brXPqDBaB69X3KndTpNSSKakqtaSJfOJCW8cnVeYASgrZ6mpGyvaWMWWwNpgm4uTN9Hk5n0Wr9kq9rC4vxtNxtdjyRBKBhYRxQP5XHs2/s320/memorial+day+family+and+concerts+154.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241179876390937586" border="0" /></a>2. Visiting my family in Arkansas. My Niece Calie is getting so big! As an added bonus, I got to go to the Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban concert. (June 2008)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdFKxvZC0suGnC-k_mG9BSprEDP-UpKqbcvn_ohuM7Yr3qy8A_xSxAMw_pS23vNW7-HoNMrmOW6lF_2LYmbVBLNgy5cGk-Lrj-wl-0xHo9NCIejyEtN3n1YdWERt7j4ha5-ysNbHeM3rx/s1600-h/memorial+day+family+and+concerts+186.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdFKxvZC0suGnC-k_mG9BSprEDP-UpKqbcvn_ohuM7Yr3qy8A_xSxAMw_pS23vNW7-HoNMrmOW6lF_2LYmbVBLNgy5cGk-Lrj-wl-0xHo9NCIejyEtN3n1YdWERt7j4ha5-ysNbHeM3rx/s320/memorial+day+family+and+concerts+186.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241216964165518226" border="0" /></a><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrCss2VqsjeO64qXx9f9VetnzCA7T3g4BtULmfxYla2QO66a1c_vyoLGxFhopVK6FWVQX2zXGiYkj38YkxTw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />2. Working for Elderhostel for 7 weeks this summer. (June-August) What an INCREDIBLE experience. I met the most wonderful people from all over. Each week we lead a group of 26-50 people around Utah doing activities such as: Ropes course, Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point, hiking Timponogos caves, 7-Peaks Water park, hot air ballooning in park City, Olympic Park, Park City Mountain Resort, Stewart Falls, Sundance, Temple square (We had some awesome experiences here, Heber Creeper, and Floating the Provo River.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ccZV9u4MMdNQHPS2pXHIyQYvBKmFWxHRsCRJs9ouUxUy5y97Fmx31wgB8EI69n4Hx93AAIBHQXNnGux00cYHxbtKRy5cpIRMEoDWTb0QNlhWF_b_HXvZ917SZgmhuqNWObzXraziICbc/s1600-h/IMG_4708.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ccZV9u4MMdNQHPS2pXHIyQYvBKmFWxHRsCRJs9ouUxUy5y97Fmx31wgB8EI69n4Hx93AAIBHQXNnGux00cYHxbtKRy5cpIRMEoDWTb0QNlhWF_b_HXvZ917SZgmhuqNWObzXraziICbc/s200/IMG_4708.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241594230827292418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TKu0_CQ-codU0NY-PoA0Y-eCO10jw1j9xQTrH1q31hpGXF8Lmq7wFLgDssoLG8c9e_wxIRy_6L51oGaFJM5R0khj318-E0OVkZ2ebAhOLMm3F-EnKyaeoPVKlJIrueFYVS6BaXL6dyIJ/s1600-h/Elderhostel+2008+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TKu0_CQ-codU0NY-PoA0Y-eCO10jw1j9xQTrH1q31hpGXF8Lmq7wFLgDssoLG8c9e_wxIRy_6L51oGaFJM5R0khj318-E0OVkZ2ebAhOLMm3F-EnKyaeoPVKlJIrueFYVS6BaXL6dyIJ/s200/Elderhostel+2008+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241593386382500450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb4OodCoT2ulNvfhBmxYmNCNYzHQOvUlmdEaYILCbFAg3AGYrUTtUAlD9DoGYgSQiBmW-eyklRkkID81ugjqt-34bY7sHBa3QnSaKVDK0zfALKzyWbeeLjfhvn7MdW0W6qpK1GpKmqqrk/s1600-h/Elderhostel+2008+184.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb4OodCoT2ulNvfhBmxYmNCNYzHQOvUlmdEaYILCbFAg3AGYrUTtUAlD9DoGYgSQiBmW-eyklRkkID81ugjqt-34bY7sHBa3QnSaKVDK0zfALKzyWbeeLjfhvn7MdW0W6qpK1GpKmqqrk/s200/Elderhostel+2008+184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241592745563293698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQkvdMphjaWBkiA4Q4ObXrXfw5qsSyU7bgqIS64U8qB2EhpuNbuXUZ5QygA7CaTvoJ6h1_OMYJVSjSoYHCBb6o864MFvsGQTuK-jKQn8Y2MRRbPrgS-WNOatTjNpx7kYlSi9TweQWNGZ2/s1600-h/Elderhostel+2008+100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 308px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQkvdMphjaWBkiA4Q4ObXrXfw5qsSyU7bgqIS64U8qB2EhpuNbuXUZ5QygA7CaTvoJ6h1_OMYJVSjSoYHCBb6o864MFvsGQTuK-jKQn8Y2MRRbPrgS-WNOatTjNpx7kYlSi9TweQWNGZ2/s200/Elderhostel+2008+100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241622811717914834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HREThXNyA431PTY_7v3FCaHQH69sKqeJa8P9TL-Sm5ImMJVd49borYWNDYwekmlZWpK-ku70tDmmxsPdm1Ci8ZhLkJQRKyeXT4im0d85zD3ARtqFR2c21Poo1fLcFPmKYIAo5xTUJ-Fs/s1600-h/Elderhostel+Week+1+and+2+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HREThXNyA431PTY_7v3FCaHQH69sKqeJa8P9TL-Sm5ImMJVd49borYWNDYwekmlZWpK-ku70tDmmxsPdm1Ci8ZhLkJQRKyeXT4im0d85zD3ARtqFR2c21Poo1fLcFPmKYIAo5xTUJ-Fs/s200/Elderhostel+Week+1+and+2+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241624359849826466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2U11m-sNtmmMDTMbDFDi21wROS15dCo4IWb7sMYiQqlQKb8YElL9Ipnzp5wU6_FWc7bVSkcHOar2jO9L1S50oCF1f6QMtDa2sckXmj3Ixfli9O7QWeNtE5UPTURXRNinGsKiBfqMQE1Z/s1600-h/Elderhostel+2008+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2U11m-sNtmmMDTMbDFDi21wROS15dCo4IWb7sMYiQqlQKb8YElL9Ipnzp5wU6_FWc7bVSkcHOar2jO9L1S50oCF1f6QMtDa2sckXmj3Ixfli9O7QWeNtE5UPTURXRNinGsKiBfqMQE1Z/s200/Elderhostel+2008+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241592726163898722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />3. Going to the Stadium of Fire in Provo for the 4th of July. This was such a patriotic experience. I'm proud to be an American. (And to top it all off, the blue man group and Miley Cyrus came and performed with Glenn Beck as the MC).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLz2DHIUDRaQfynFUhieLQX8K4Bbf5Q3ZzHW22L5oiGNG8bMZ3kdlZJGOMTS60GbscU8MF1nilcgac0xlor2wlMt5rX8rG4AVWZRavtTXEyPepZ19MbYwwnkuA_51ruK6U_OgetiZCUPI/s1600-h/Week+of+July+4th+048.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLz2DHIUDRaQfynFUhieLQX8K4Bbf5Q3ZzHW22L5oiGNG8bMZ3kdlZJGOMTS60GbscU8MF1nilcgac0xlor2wlMt5rX8rG4AVWZRavtTXEyPepZ19MbYwwnkuA_51ruK6U_OgetiZCUPI/s320/Week+of+July+4th+048.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241240557270457218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />4. Visiting my friend Amanda and meeting her baby Savana for the first time (out of the womb). Amanda and I were friends in Highschool when I lived in Idaho. We were also room mates at Ricks College our Freshman year. She just moved back to Utah from Hawaii this summer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOl0d29PTj7rgggtxrZNOo6CaxuVjhMVTJ1SQ6_Kr6jm6hU8__RsjrP9RK94zB9YQwJw-i9seCoRQ-UuGamIDJdf-ttBrI8-EaDjDGpGZIkbByUPWd_FCjy6c1_cLhAkfQZ01iSmEZ6ce/s1600-h/Week+of+July+4th+019.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 195px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOl0d29PTj7rgggtxrZNOo6CaxuVjhMVTJ1SQ6_Kr6jm6hU8__RsjrP9RK94zB9YQwJw-i9seCoRQ-UuGamIDJdf-ttBrI8-EaDjDGpGZIkbByUPWd_FCjy6c1_cLhAkfQZ01iSmEZ6ce/s320/Week+of+July+4th+019.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241251815320122626" border="0" /></a><br />5. Brian Regan show at Thanksgiving Point<br /><br /><br />6. Jack Johnson concert at USANA amphitheater.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwGf0CByTRzA8w8VVs4siQZZfJ7mSnq3-AqGqBM1RZzpbTDIU8ttW_mftWRYTJ1BJlcJBEeqsr3YxbH2WAR1Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />7. Boyz II Men concert and the Scera outdoor shell in Orem (August 28, 2008). This was probably the best concert I have ever been to. I was not expecting just how fun it would be. Talk about a blast from the past. I am a born again Boyz II Men fan!<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzfgdU8Tj3F2ewyCzY9-iZ4grFfpnIlEzdhBK3MA9FggeIyPsaqWEibOF5y1GkuCxTDvlN4IkiqkMvJVcCG' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-26168256889976569502008-05-23T16:38:00.006-06:002008-05-23T17:12:42.143-06:00Kids Village GraduationAnother year has come and gone! I can hardly believe it. By the energy level of my students at school, it is apparent that the end of the school year has arrived. After this weekend, only 4 more days of school. My kids had their graduation program last Wednesday. I gathered the class around to give them one final pep talk before they performed. As I had them all sitting there looking at me, I was overcome by emotion and I began to cry. It kind of caught me off guard. I told them that no matter what happens in life, or where they go, I hope they always remember that Miss Carrie loves them. Instantly they got up out of their chairs and shouted "Group hug." Next thing I knew I was being swarmed by a bunch a wiggly, adorable, 2-4th graders. I sure do love my class.<br /> I'm attaching our (first ever) Kids Village Music video along with the slide show that I made. I struggled finding the perfect song, for the slide show portion, that encompassed how I felt about these guys. After prayer and a lot of thought, I was lead to the perfect song. Enjoy!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxnDFIMDkoCb1OCcQlJRxGAe4NyqpeT3zr4Xh1y5I2X8Zv2POcMO9rCh-t07N04Mw7bW2O1Iknf1z2rJbm0Gw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-73678798902670389882008-04-25T00:42:00.012-06:002008-05-08T19:54:33.450-06:00Puerto Rican Paradise!Wow, It's been a while since I last wrote! We just had spring break and my best friend Vicki and I headed out of Utah and hit up beautiful Puerto Rico for 8 days. (April 10th-18th) We went with Vicki's Brother, Scott and friend Leanne. We were able to stay with a friend of mine who lives in Puerto Rico (Jorge Hernandez). Jorge and I served in the same mission.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div> Puerto Rico was incredible!! Some of the trip highlights included the following:<br /></div><div>*A sand dollar throwing competition on the beach. All was fun and games until my hand had a hit and run with Vicki's sand dollar. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193076785387199666" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UmEce4kj8xb4RSJmznW21rVBJ2OuGtloTkOgTssrQPm9mjS_wxtx_SQHytCuLg8ankgpDSbZGyIl6WZj7GGzxQfPClRtX5G0ecLSjECMyd_WDT55d6Q4nRvxKQJm3M3EGArvaCXyReIB/s200/IMG_2473.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193076789682166978" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqHBReGaS-A6Vkcc0-rAyPMZncKUWEI3CF5k_7ZT9JvaSrBx-RzDI1qlMdM85OY5Kv6OzuKnvt33c9vJNz-7CRMqctntNmFwX76c2FpztJYR5j2KlvIzjVy7MUeGGksS3WJzPPPtTsvDon/s200/IMG_2476.JPG" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193076781092232354" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6vl1i3PzVI67WrWXFuDBhs-o8pN92qNP_8_vyT8EeungOx5DUTUaMdpgFtEdsZ_SApULfcXl9vYRzU9asmsM2dDMtIDDbR90Mk48b-iWBNM_-e9XgrWiuPxfg7gtblPiMY9n2DkiB0OY/s200/IMG_2474.JPG" border="0" /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFAHuphyphenhyphen2ZxD_pvwlz4rtIaYXOgXByHig8HIRCnVGncmfutsCGv76y23-nbewYXstIzCS9KHszxfZpKU_zuEdJ3ouEOspk0-UpnocSP5HuXL6wYnHnG1N5sTPhnxt0H-BUTZ0820SjOVX/s1600-h/IMG_2483.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193080637972864258" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFAHuphyphenhyphen2ZxD_pvwlz4rtIaYXOgXByHig8HIRCnVGncmfutsCGv76y23-nbewYXstIzCS9KHszxfZpKU_zuEdJ3ouEOspk0-UpnocSP5HuXL6wYnHnG1N5sTPhnxt0H-BUTZ0820SjOVX/s200/IMG_2483.JPG" border="0" /></a>*Going to "Las Justas" (The track/dance competition of all the universities). Puerto Ricans are certainly spirited. You would have thought we were at the world cup and not a cheer/dance competiton by the way they cheered and celebrated.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyRWTG5o9sGR7nzyUX6Sxg8PVvrgIYCsCmpmUelqB-fh2W6kveSXb7npnPN7rpQy3pFsW0C0ELSq2o02r7Jlg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div></div>*Salsa dancing in Old San Juan. I danced with this 70 year old grandpa. It was great.<br />*El Murro<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzx9FcLhUT0vPAhKN_G2MloCK_sZzFWyFEzj1484Hz5ZJN5Xx0JjnivGAoM08uSFdHSlmQaBr2hpZg-yKwBp698pQvdIFr3xQNWU6Cnpc2Uj92OHp8o8CxXHVtpFbVafnoonFMC-gZgTSR/s1600-h/IMG_2557.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzx9FcLhUT0vPAhKN_G2MloCK_sZzFWyFEzj1484Hz5ZJN5Xx0JjnivGAoM08uSFdHSlmQaBr2hpZg-yKwBp698pQvdIFr3xQNWU6Cnpc2Uj92OHp8o8CxXHVtpFbVafnoonFMC-gZgTSR/s320/IMG_2557.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198177658511984818" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div></div>*Attending church in Spanish and singing all the beautiful hymns in Spanish.<br />*El Yunque rainforest.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUWJ6EidH-Uizr0aeSgKyIX73oMVANy1D34yu0UOJ2ui5AWG-z-dnPeOJqx9Ve0cHHyKXVIi3ZyCAZKpGKZd9bPl6MgG3vRwzroqYdLz1NvGVCli5i9dnfnhOAdU8sFJDy1ZsnMnm_wzh/s1600-h/Puerto+Rico,+Baby+Scott%27s+pics+341.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193084529213234514" style="width: 179px; height: 213px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjUWJ6EidH-Uizr0aeSgKyIX73oMVANy1D34yu0UOJ2ui5AWG-z-dnPeOJqx9Ve0cHHyKXVIi3ZyCAZKpGKZd9bPl6MgG3vRwzroqYdLz1NvGVCli5i9dnfnhOAdU8sFJDy1ZsnMnm_wzh/s200/Puerto+Rico,+Baby+Scott%27s+pics+341.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193082802636381490" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFi1IXqrWc1FvmIOxVjjti4IQd-7srVh6LHCZGxnZnTi3AW21gLJoO25csT2fqX1nWeipKWbtLIkaNettHLAi7fmPRwh6HY5TfbylpCQ5_-tsDXT4mwwquBdSO0vi6fu1G27y3OP5AkA3/s200/Puerto+Rico,+Baby+Scott%27s+pics+306.jpg" border="0" /></a><div><br /><br /></div>*Collecting beautiful shells as well as finding a "Concha garden" full of beautiful concha shells.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z_W0KCw7yFKpOwGhfoyDv3xlbv44dr4XdVWVJLNskouxo1WQ-0eO6vWz7E64kUUuz6Y0ymP72P6yAAE6_FWg4OgdrxgDjfREEliLhPH4qEoPhD-oXbLt6fwRd-TbXQMxYYMyY1_ODz2z/s1600-h/Puerto+Rico,+Baby+Scott%27s+pics+360.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193084520623299906" style="" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z_W0KCw7yFKpOwGhfoyDv3xlbv44dr4XdVWVJLNskouxo1WQ-0eO6vWz7E64kUUuz6Y0ymP72P6yAAE6_FWg4OgdrxgDjfREEliLhPH4qEoPhD-oXbLt6fwRd-TbXQMxYYMyY1_ODz2z/s200/Puerto+Rico,+Baby+Scott%27s+pics+360.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>*Kayaking in the bioluminescent bay at night on the Island of Viequez. It was incredible to see the plankton light up like that. It was like swimming in a magic glow stick!<br /><br /><div></div>*The Island of Culebra. We spend 2 days here. This was by far my favorite part. The island was amazing. Small unspoiled environment. White sand beaches, crystal clear turquoise warm water, beautiful reef and snorkeling, hiking, palm trees, etc. We practically had the whole island to ourselves. There was no one on the island. At almost every beach we went to, we were the only ones. Even the huge popular beach (flamenco) had only a handful of people on it. It was the perfect time to go. We snorkeled, drank pina coladas, hiked, explored, etc. I even saw a baracuda and picked up my first star fish. We hadn't planned on spending the night on this island, but once we got there we knew we couldn't leave, so we made friends with the life guard on the beach who helped us get a place to stay and a good deal on our rental car extension. We didn't have anything for sleeping over. It was a great adventure. We stayed at this cute little place called La<br />Hammaca. It was so great the whole thing.<br /><br /> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dycV6yolPc7mdrzgl-0mFvSXfsLmDdxQnI59jp_9zjuSB1v4vhnEhekTbsLxLvnHziKVmat4GP90urfn0gibA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div>*The boat trip to Monkey Island. We called up Captain Paco who for $40 took us out for the day on his tour boat to Monkey Island. It was such a blast. I got to drive the boat, that was exciting. The girls tried some fishing off the back of the boat. We became our own concha/maraca band and jammed to the music. It was a blast. Paco was so fun. We got out and snorkeled and collected TONS of starfish off of the ocean floor and put them in the boat and got pictures with them. We snorkeled over a ship wreck and that was pretty cool. There were tons of fishies. Then we parked the boat just off the shore of Monkey Island. There are 1,200 monkeys on the island. They use them for scientific studies. We saw HUNDREDS of monkeys. It was so cool. What a memorable, incredible experience.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOk0w0sjDNUoujPZh36pXHwSUYJuG6hyphenhyphenuPSk-QOD4Zs406tqaMPKjb8yUOzctFvsGaXiM2Ul-96IOpK1fAoZ1JHAVmAhqUXd4w37JDNOMejcjwzRV1YJWnHn5O11zaRyO43CUmPWpU0ki/s1600-h/IMG_2868.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOk0w0sjDNUoujPZh36pXHwSUYJuG6hyphenhyphenuPSk-QOD4Zs406tqaMPKjb8yUOzctFvsGaXiM2Ul-96IOpK1fAoZ1JHAVmAhqUXd4w37JDNOMejcjwzRV1YJWnHn5O11zaRyO43CUmPWpU0ki/s320/IMG_2868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198175841740818594" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div>*Pina Coladas. I learned to LOVE these. Everywhere we went we were asking for Virgin Pina Coladas. It turns out that Puerto Rico is the birth place of the Pina Colada. We drank 9 or 10 while in puerto Rico. As soon as we got back to Utah, we went to a latin market and bought the stuff to make our own at home.<br /><br /><div></div>*On the day we were to come home we missed our flight by 10 minutes. After a lot of drama and tears and a threat to have to pay a $568 penalty, we finally got a flight out later that day on a better airline with only 1 layover and it didn't cost us a penny. <div></div><br />The whole trip was incredible!! I'm sure I've said that like 3 times. I wish you could have all experienced it too!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-48178600756722838842008-02-20T00:32:00.005-07:002008-02-20T00:50:55.634-07:00"Miss Carrie, will you marry me?"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-jmDVKdYuaOIM3DEAuCj3JCBv17m47ZybKMuC4s4rTPW2OU6ufToqV7Uaxlg0-d2n-u1_QTI9gi-TApLxJZi5jxnEovQrbYDG6uuCXBkUbGEW1hqnCDmxRzheKipD4RMttrb9jBCDMjI/s1600-h/IMG_1903.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR-jmDVKdYuaOIM3DEAuCj3JCBv17m47ZybKMuC4s4rTPW2OU6ufToqV7Uaxlg0-d2n-u1_QTI9gi-TApLxJZi5jxnEovQrbYDG6uuCXBkUbGEW1hqnCDmxRzheKipD4RMttrb9jBCDMjI/s320/IMG_1903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168962610183187298" border="0" /></a><br />Today was back to the old grind after a long (yet far too short) weekend. But just when I thought I didn't want to be back at work, one of my students goes and does something to make me smile.<br /><br />Today, seven year old Cameron (the knight in shining armor pictured on the right) came up to me at the end of math and said, "Miss Carrie, I want to ask you something." I leaned down and he whispered in my ear "Will you marry me?" Which was followed by a big smile and a sparkle in his big blue eyes.<br /><br />I laughed and said "Cameron, I think you're a little young for me...maybe in 10 years." Then I said, "well, let's see, how old are you?" He stood up straight and said, "I'll be 8 this year" (His birthday is not for another 9 months ;-) I said, "Well, I guess 10 years is too soon. How about 20? If you still want to marry me in 20 years, Cameron, you're on."<br /><br />He smiled as he bounced away and said, "Great, I'll start planning the wedding rehearsal"..."and the cake"..."and the ring." I asked what kind of ring he would get. He then responded "I don't know, I probably won't even marry you...you're too old for me."<br />The whole conversation made me laugh and I remembered why I love working with kids so much.Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-76633916389063584672008-02-18T00:43:00.003-07:002008-02-18T00:57:45.035-07:00Weekend of Love<div style="width: 480px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w259.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/hakedrake/b5d9528c.pbw" height="360" width="480"></embed><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/hakedrake/?action=view&current=b5d9528c.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: right;" /></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?action=slideshow" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="border-width: 0pt; float: right;" /></a></div><br /><br />What do you get when you stick two crazy girls in a car to Las Vegas on Valentines Day? You get the Road trip of love, followed by the weekend of Love. <br /><br />Vic and I drove down to Vegas for the long weekend. We officially termed it the road trip of love because of several reasons. <br /><br />First, we both wore red and valentine's apparel. Second, we ONLY listened to love songs on the whole trip down. It was amazing. Third, we only were allowed to eat pink, red, white food. (And some brown for chocolate). Fourth, we brought with us some items of love including the following: One heart to heart conversation game. One magic "Date Ball," The book "Mars and Venus on a Date," and we placed gel hearts on Vicki's car windows. On the way down we stopped off to visit our friend Jason in St. George. It was fun. Great times. <br /><br />I can't tell you how great it was to get away from the grey skies and snow of Provo. I have to remind myself that I chose to live there. Vegas has been sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60's. <br /><br />We enjoyed our time shopping, eating, working out at 24-hour fitness with Vicki's sister, reading, running errands, and going to the stratosphere and Bellagio water show (my personal fav). <br /><br />Last night after going out for Thai food with the Porters, we went down to the strip and rode the "Big Shot" on the stratosphere. It was nuts. I have never screamed harder on a ride before. They shoot you up in the air and when you look out all you can see are city lights below you. Talk about a rush. <br /><br />Today has been such a relaxing Sunday...first one of those in a while. That pretty much sums up the weekend of Love. I hope yours was equally exciting.Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-25989024199920464442008-02-08T00:27:00.001-07:002008-02-08T00:33:13.361-07:00Hinckley Challenge<a href="http://http//www.hinckleychallenge.com/charting.php?uid=18283">http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/index.php?clear=true<br /></a><br />Someone came up with the brilliant idea of reading the Book of Mormon in 97 days to honor President Hinckley who lived 97 years. My room mate went and bought us two cheap copies and we have embarked on the adventure. This time I am looking for the theme found in 3 Nephi 27:27. Characteristics of the Savior. If we are to be like Him, we must really know Him.<br /><br />This is so you can monitor my progress with me:<br /><a href="'http://www.hinckleychallenge.com'"><img src="'http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/generated_new/3/scriptureSmall_18283.png'" border="'0'" /></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-81674633893105784042008-01-30T17:14:00.001-07:002008-01-30T17:14:29.948-07:00Life is Good!<div style="width:320px; text-align: center;"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" src="http://w259.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/hakedrake/ff01320c.pbw" height="240" width="320"><a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_logo.gif" style="float:left;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh312/hakedrake/?action=view¤t=ff01320c.pbw" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_viewshow.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a><a href="http://photobucket.com/redirect/album?action=slideshow" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/album/slideshow/wrapper_getyourown.gif" style="float:right;border-width: 0;" ></a></div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-9599669871319490602008-01-30T00:00:00.000-07:002008-01-30T00:50:12.371-07:00We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyVv8OSuZHyUWYOP43C-SXiP8zJTFZWmKSJQkNNy4vlVAfx_sbSBNdpZsuKgseoaZtWpE7QcEQ5smAqMv5wx9h1ROBdC4s6OUe8EUtt07VSoHO4E-qJBccUqLwVYBEPFFdoMSRuWg6vtP/s1600-h/hinckley.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyVv8OSuZHyUWYOP43C-SXiP8zJTFZWmKSJQkNNy4vlVAfx_sbSBNdpZsuKgseoaZtWpE7QcEQ5smAqMv5wx9h1ROBdC4s6OUe8EUtt07VSoHO4E-qJBccUqLwVYBEPFFdoMSRuWg6vtP/s200/hinckley.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5161173571061297074" border="0" /></a><br />On Sunday January 27th "Our Prophet" passed on to the other side of the veil. He will be missed greatly. I will always remember "My Prophet" who has guided me through my adolescence and helped me to follow the Savior. I am profoundly grateful for his life and example.<br /><br />At his passing, some of the members of the Quorum of the 12 said of President Hinckley: “We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. However, we cannot but rejoice in his reunion with his beloved Marjorie, with his parents and other family members who have gone before, and with the prophets of God, both ancient and modern, among whose eternal ranks he now stands. As the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles we echo the voice of the Master, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant. … Enter into the joy of thy Lord.’ ” I second their <a href="http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/church-leaders-pay-tribute-to-president-hinckley">statements</a>.<br /><br />This is a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQh2p9hCN_8">Video </a>tribute to him. It contains some of my favorite memories of President Hinckley. His testimony of the savior given in his conference talk titled "My Testimony" and it also contains the video clip from the time I went to General conference in October 2006 and everyone stood in reverenced awe as we cried our way through the hymn "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet."Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-12075486890043462882007-12-01T23:51:00.000-07:002018-12-04T09:44:52.351-07:00Winter PleasuresToday was the best December first that I ever did have. Picture this: falling snow on a beautiful<br />
winter day; a beautiful Christmas tree all lit up in the corner of the living room; a digital fireplace<br />
crackling on the television; Christmas music painting the air with Christmas nostalgia; a<br />
"coco-motion" brewing creamy hazelnut hot chocolate, pumpkin waffles, and a fantastic group of<br />
dear friends. Does winter get any better than this? I attest that it cannot.<br />
<br />
Just to continue the December dream day we went out with a group of friends and experienced<br />
what we like to call "Snow-boating." It is when you tie a rope to the back of a car and sit on a sled<br />
and go for a joy ride in snow filled parking lots. It was a blast. These are the moments life is made<br />
of. I love simple pleasure Saturdays.Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-52237582323778988002007-11-29T07:26:00.000-07:002007-11-29T07:27:36.864-07:00Things are getting a little "Elfy" around here!Check this out. I made it of my dearest friend Vicki and myself. Warning: The following material may not be suitable for flattery.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9629314668">http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9629314668</a>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-33707172905409323292007-11-03T09:20:00.000-06:002007-11-13T23:05:10.826-07:00That doesn't mean it's not the truth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3gfNjWvbl0HwRP7YhUwy0IC5ku3MnHRkjdnpMOUept5wVKvmbwig70wnzxHo0XnpnGDVrPmJyBE6bW_1V5BYw3T75_nsJDc1hkpDnUjd6ia3O7QSXF6pLZp3iA2vvADI2IfXdIaKhrZE/s1600-h/Ratatouille.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128635992911834226" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3gfNjWvbl0HwRP7YhUwy0IC5ku3MnHRkjdnpMOUept5wVKvmbwig70wnzxHo0XnpnGDVrPmJyBE6bW_1V5BYw3T75_nsJDc1hkpDnUjd6ia3O7QSXF6pLZp3iA2vvADI2IfXdIaKhrZE/s200/Ratatouille.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So, I went to see Ratatouille last night. Cute show. I recommend it. I love finding truth in any given situation in life, and the movie has a one-liner that I just loved. It was my favorite. It said, "I know this sounds insane, but, well, the truth sounds insane sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's not...the truth." (Linguini) <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ratatouille#Linguini">http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ratatouille#Linguini</a>. I began reflecting on that. It really is true that the truth sounds insane sometimes. For example, to many people the account of Joseph Smith sounds insane. Joseph was chosen to be the prophet of the restoration and was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ as they restored Christ's true church to the earth. However, regardless of sounding insane, that does not change it from being true. For more info. see: <a href="http://mormon.org/">http://mormon.org</a>. Of this experience, president Gordon B. Hinckley said, "I’ve recently been in Palmyra, New York. Of the events which occurred in that area, one is led to say: 'They either happened or they did not. There can be no gray area, no middle ground.' And then the voice of faith whispers: “It all happened. It happened just as he said it happened.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Testimony,” Ensign, May 1998, 69). The truth does sound insane sometimes, but that does not change it from being the truth!</div>Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8476334613124729448.post-6328872529175200162007-10-20T21:57:00.000-06:002007-10-20T22:12:03.235-06:00The wide world of blogging<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.filmmagic.com/images/tnm/11471028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.filmmagic.com/images/tnm/11471028.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I'm sitting next to my long-time friend, <a href="http://curriculumvitae-don.blogspot.com/">Don</a>. I'm madly in love with him, and he doesn't know it. (That last message brought to you by Don's <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">wildest </span>dreams).<br /><br />Anyway, Don has inspired me to delve into this mysterious world of blogging. So, here I go. My first attempt.<br /><br />Moral of the story is that you can all blame Don for getting me started on the Wide World of Blogging!!! :) ---- And yes, he is the one on the left!<br /><br />Wish me luck! (on blogging, not Don)Carrie Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13480820762993567071noreply@blogger.com0