Wow! I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted anything. I am alive and well in Blanding! School has started and is going full swing. I tell you what, this is the real deal. They always say that the first year is the hardest--and I sincerely hope it is true. Despite teaching being a beast of a challenge--I find, on those days when I have well thought-out lesson plans, that it is also so very fun! There are great students--with incredible potential. I feel like we are getting to a place where we are more and more comfortable with one another.

Blanding, in and of itself, is perfect. It is a charming little town in the middle of no where. The people are friendly, outgoing, and open-armed. I love the calm and quiet of it all. My little apartment couldn't be more perfect--it is small, but with new floors and carpet, and has splashes of red all over :). I find that it is a sanctuary and a blessing. (Note: this isn't a picture of my house, but one just a few minutes down the road. Isn't it beautiful?)

Well, I am not feeling overly poetic or creative tonight, so I hope you will forgive me, since I need to finish my plans for tomorrow and can't spend more time here. I promise the next blog will have pictures of my apartment! Just know that I am alive and well.

Star light, star bright

This past week has been a whirlwind of events that have led up to a life that still doesn't quite seem real. I feel like I have always lived here--and yet everything is so new. Saturday my parents and I drove down and in an amazingly short amount of time were able to unload the little Uhaul and set up house. I am living in a two bedroom apartment that is part of a four-plex. All of the units have been completely remodeled and are beautifully done. It is just the right size for me, my bookshelves, and a rocking chair (and a few other things--but those is the most important). All week I have been in the thick of getting things ready for school to start (next Thursday) and setting up life in Blanding. I have already met most of my neighbors, and after attending our ward party last night, I am making friends with all of the widows in the ward :). So far everything seems to be running smoothly, and I have been busy enough not to be too bored or terribly lonely (thank goodness for cell phones and books!). I apologize for not posting any photos, but I am still working on getting wireless internet... only occasionally am able to find something that lets me log on at all. Once I have my own internet, I will upload photos of my apartment and the town. In the meantime, here is a peek at my favorite experience so far in Blanding...
A few nights ago I rocked in my chair until the dusk took over my living room and the only light came in through the open balcony doors. Quietly, I snuck down stairs and into my car, unsure of where to go. I went down 100 E--a road that eventually becomes a dirt road and leads towards the blue mountains. As soon as the lights from town disappeared over the hill, I found a place to pull over. I got out and sat down in the dirt next to a tractor--and marveled. It was breathtaking. The stars twinkled and shimmered and sparkled. Some stood out brilliantly bright and diamond-like. In the depths of a cloudless nights sky, others hung back, quieter, farther, dimmer. But they all glistened. As I sat with my head tilted back the crickets, in one endless, breathless rhythm pulsed their music through the air and dogs barked in the distance.

Wide Open Spaces

"Where are you going?" someone asks. "I'm moving to Blanding," I say. Invariably the corners of my mouth twitch upward and often, I break out into a full grin or chuckle. Blanding. A remote location in southeastern Utah; at least four hours from anywhere. "Why?" they say with a hint of real concern mixed with the surprise. What could possibly posses me to mover there? A valid, if not good and puzzling question. I am 24, freshly graduated from BYU, and completely unknown to anyone in that southeast edge of life. (Although, I know all sorts of people related to someone's cousin's roommate who grew up there. I am on strict command to find and befriend Truman and Aida, the Palmers, and I don't remember who else...) So the question remains: why would I make such a venture? As anti-climactic as it sounds... I don't know. I really don't. I could tell you all the gory details of meeting Kip at the BYU teacher fair, driving down in a snowstorm to interview, the internal moral dilemma that hovered conference weekend as I was given three days to decide. The nitty gritty of it is that I am thrilled to be escaping the land of Walmarts. Wide open spaces. A place out west. A small town that will drift off to sleep around nine. A blanket made of stars. Oh it sounds good to me! Ok ok, so the romantic ideals of the Dixie Chicks may not be the most valid reasons, but there is a ribbon of truth to it. I am going to be the 11th and 12th grade English teacher in a small town off the Indian reservations and just up from the four corners. I am taking a step into the dark, a giant leap of faith. I am breaking the mold of expectations and creating my own. I ultimately have no clue what I am getting myself into. It will be my own little adventure.

The Straight Facts

Blanding: 3,162 people
Square miles: 2.37
Miles from Provo: 282
Miles from the nearest Barnes and Nobles: 286