Dolly

Ever since Dolly got home from the hospital, (first she had a clot in her leg and we thought she would lose her leg, then she had a mini stroke, then she had fluid in her lungs), poor girl, I have been snapping all sorts of pictures of her. Thank heavens Dolly is doing much better. We are grateful for all the prayers in her behalf. Here are some of those pictures.

Sometimes the floor is just more comfortable.

Dolly agrees.
Picture courtesy of Jason.

Test. From my phone.

June 2011

I think I will just insert the family letter I wrote for this month instead of retyping it up.

Dear Family,

It has been quite a while since I have remembered to write a family letter before receiving one for the month, though the credit must go to mom Manwaring for calling and reminding me. A LOT has happened since the last time I wrote. In fact too much has happened since then to possibly write about... However I will say briefly that I had an amazing experience as a first year teacher, and am working hard to make year number 2 a more organized, and thus less stressful, one. As for June specifically, I can’t imagine a more emotionally draining one.

June started out with the end of the school year. I wouldn’t have believed as a high school student, but it is more work for teachers than it is for students. I am glad to say I survived. I am really grateful for a husband who is an amazing support to me in so many different ways!

June 2 was our 5 year anniversary. It was great to celebrate 5 wonderful years of marriage; however it would have been a lot more fun if I hadn’t had to spend 8 hour of it in department meetings. The next week was 10 hours a day of working to finish up data reports, and compiling an inventory list of things in my classroom. On the 9^th we got to have Nathan, Kendra, and James over for a quick overnight visit while they were on their way to Boise for Nathan to compete in a race. The next evening Jason, Dolly, and I left for our “vacation” in Utah. We left Friday night so we could be there to attend the Mount Timpanogos temple with my little brother who will be leaving on a mission at the end of the summer. That was a really nice experience. I am so proud of David, for living worthily to enter the temple and for choosing to serve the Lord on a mission.

The next week I had 4 long days of conferences. Monday and Tuesday I attended the Nutrition and Food Science conference at BYU. Wednesday and Thursday was full of the Utah Association and Family and Consumer Sciences Conference. This conference was a lot of fun. I got to catch up with a lot of the girls I went to school with, and a few of my favorite professors at the Y. While I really enjoyed networking, four straight days of conferences is really wearing.

I was also busy throughout the week trying to help as much as I could get ready for my little sister’s wedding. It is still weird to think of her as a married woman.  She got married on Friday June 17^th in the Mount Timpanogos temple. While I don’t know her husband (McKell Gomm) as much as I wish I did, he seems to bring out the best in Lindsay, so I am happy for her. The biggest project for me while I was there was to finish altering a bridesmaid dress to be modest. It turned out really cute. I will try to post about it on my blog soon.

Sunday brought with it the first Barney great grandkid’s blessing. After that there was a party in a park to celebrate my uncle, who has since deployed to Afghanistan.

Monday I got spoiled by my parents. They helped me pick out a new phone, and then my mom took me out shopping and bought me a brand new outfit for school. They also made us a wonderful dinner before we left. Pain de Gouda has been a family favorite for years.

Monday night we stayed with Kendra and James and we headed back home to Twin Falls on Tuesday.

We found out just after we got home that one of my small cousins nearly drowned on vacation and my Nana just found out she has breast cancer. Worst of all was Wednesday though.

Wednesday, Dolly started walking really funny. We took her into the Vet, and found out she had thrown a clot in her leg. We were really worried about her. But by Friday we were able to bring her back home. A couple days later she had a stroke. That was a really hard time for us. Dolly is part of our family, and we will always love her. Fortunately, she recovered from that as well. We’ve had some good snuggles with her, but unfortunately she is back in the hospital. She now has some fluid in her lungs. We were hoping that we could enlist your help in praying for her. The doctor says she should be able to come home in a couple of days, but we know the power of prayer can work miracles. Below is a picture of our favorite furry friend.

We love you all, and are so glad June is over!

Nicole, Jason, and Dolly Manwaring

End of School

I finished my first year of teaching and survived! I went to the TFHS graduation, and enjoyed seeing so many of my students graduate. I will miss my students! WE had a great year, with 2 wins at culinary competitions, advising 2 clubs, supervising the student run coffee shop and helping students discover their potential!

Valentine's Day / I turn 24

Growing up I always hated my birthday being on a holiday. No one except my family ever seemed to remember. School birthdays were often filled with awkward "gifts" of extra chocolates that were conveniently in my friends' pockets.

I hate chocolate.

...

Fast forward to this past birthday. Every year I have been married I have had the best birthday ever. This past birthday was no exception. School was fun, but Jason really made this year special. He borrowed a DVD on giving massages. After I got home from school, Jason led me to the bedroom which he had set up like a professional massage parlor, and gave me an hour and 20 minute massage! It was really, really nice.

Moral: I love being married!

I got a Job!

Alright, so most  of you already know this, but I got a teaching job! Remember way back when I posted about my "upcoming" interview at O'Leary Middle School in Twin Falls, ID? Well, that interview went really well. I thought I had the job in the bag. I got a call a couple of days later with an Idaho area code, and I got excited. It was not the principal of O'Leary, but it was a principal. The high school (Twin Falls High School) was also looking for a FACS teacher. I ended up doing a spur of the moment phone-interview with Twin Falls High School. I guess the principal at O'Leary had called the principal at TFHS and told him he should call me. I was not so sure I did very well. I hate phone interviews because you can't tell how the other person is reacting to what you are saying. I thought it was nice that he called, but I wasn't expecting it to go anywhere. They next day I felt like I needed to call the TFHS principal and ask if I could come up and meet him in person. So, I made a second trip up to Idaho. This time by myself! This was the first time I had driven for more than an hour with just myself in the car. The most impressive part is that my car had (well still has) no air conditioning. After meeting with Mr. Allen, the principal, and seeing the FACS classroom, I drove down to Hagerman and spent the night with the Hoffmanns. My cousin Heather and I went looking at houses the next day, (just in case).

The next week I interviewed in Bountiful. I was actually really excited about Bountiful, and had almost forgotten about either Twin Falls school. That afternoon I got a call from O'Leary Middle School, and they turned me down. I was a little let down, but I still needed to hear from other schools, and I was OK with it. A couple of hours later I got a call from the Twin Falls School District offering me the TFHS job! I was overwhelmed! I told them I would think about it and ended the call. I was really waiting to hear back from Bountiful, because it is closer to my parents. They called in the next 20 minutes and turned me down. I was a tiny bit disappointed, but not too much. I called Twin Falls back and accepted. And the rest is history. I have taught the past year at Twin Falls High School. I have learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried a lot, grown several grey hairs, and managed to just barely survive my first year teaching. I can't wait for next year!