Put the WIN in Twin!

Thankfulness

2011-11-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I get to eat, be with my family and watch a few games. I prefer college sports any day over professional. What a bunch of crybabies. If NBA players really knew that them making millions of dollars and being greedy buggers is putting huge financial burdens on the cities they play for and stress on businesses surrounding the arenas, they might want to take a harder look at their paycheck they already receive. Which brings me to my list of what I'm grateful for.
Having a job--Not being gainfully employed for awhile was rough. It's so nice knowing I get to wake up everyday and have a great job to go to. I can provide for myself and I'm able to afford the things I need to.
No debt--Graduating with my bachelor's and master's degrees debt free is a wonderful feeling. I love knowing that I don't have someone sending me collection notices. Along with this, I have no car payment each month. I'm able to sock that money away into savings.
Family and friends--I have a wonderful family that always supports me and is always there for me. I love being able to live with Dal and Erin right now. My parents have always been big supporters in my life and Melissa, Eric, Haylie and Mikaela will always give me a shout-out when something great is accomplished. I have great friends that are up for a lot of adventures and laughing and I appreciate them very much.
Coaching--even though I'm not coaching softball for the time being, and it's the sport that I truly love, the kids that I've been able to coach for the last two years have been amazing additions to my life.

A great man

2011-11-13T10:44:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. A great man and friend passed away after battling cancer. David W. Rich was one of the best men I've ever known. Always so happy to see me, he would give me a treat and let me sit on his lap. At the time when I was young, I didn't realize how much good advice he was giving me. He was always teaching and guiding everyone around him and I'm so grateful I was a part of that.

I grew up next door to "Uncle Dave" and was always so excited to see him. Only second to my own father, Papa Jim, Dave was a man in my life that made so many differences. He got my parents to the temple, and was always looking out for us. One of the smartest men I've ever known, he was a great leader at Browning and in his church and family responsibilities and made education very important in his own life and his childrens'. He was always so supportive of me. I remember going trick-or-treating and since he lived next door, he was usually our first stop. Uncle Dave would always have a big candy bar and a big hug for me and Dal every year. One of my fondest memories of Dave when I was older was when he came to my graduation after receiving my masters from the University of Utah (where he did his too). He was so kind and so proud and always let me know it.

At his funeral, there was something very special that I've never witnessed at a funeral. After his daughter Rachel spoke, she mentioned that in the ward that Dave and Betty live in, they will record the sacrament meetings and take them to people in the ward that weren't able to attend. It happened to be a fast and testimony meeting that day and Dave bore his testimony. It was recorded in March, 8 months after he was diagnosed with cancer, and it was one of the most endearing and touching testimonies I have ever heard. Just hearing his voice and his love for the gospel and his family made me realize that he took his trial head on and wasn't going to just give up. He loved life, his family, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the scouting program, being awarded numerous high honors. Dave Rich was an exemplary person and left a legacy for all that knew him. I will miss you very much Uncle Dave. Thank you for being a great example to me always.

School + coaching = no life

2011-11-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that since August, my time has vanished. Pretty much from the first day of school on August 29th, my life has been in full gear. I love my new class schedule this year. Instead of all Lifetime Fitness classes like last year, I have 2 Lifetime classes, a team sports class which wasn't my favorite last year, but is going a lot smoother this year; an aerobic fitness class, which is an entirely new situation for me; and two stress management classes I'm teaching through Salt Lake CC. That class is fun to teach and I'm an adjunct professor at SLCC. Thank you master's degree!
Along with my classes, I am coaching swimming once again this year. It has been a lot tougher because I was basically promoted to be the head coach for the time being. It is kicking my butt everyday. Morning practices 4 days a week that start at 5:30 am and afternoon practices that start at 3 pm and go until 5 pm. In between I'm teaching from 8 am-2:30 pm. I'm exhausted and we still have 3.5 months to go. Being the head coach is a job in itself. Last year I could stay at the school for a few minutes after school to get some things done and show up a little late and it would be fine. Now, I'm trying to beat the kids to the pool so they aren't acting like complete mutants. We share the 21 lane pool at Kearns with West Jordan HS and Kearns HS. It actually works out better than I thought it would, except on meet days. Those are a little tougher. So far, I'm learning a lot more than I bargained for, and if I ever do get the opportunity to be a head coach (hopefully not for swimming) in a different sport, I will be ready to take on anything.
I've made it through one entire quarter and my classes are much better this year than last. I realize that I had too many free days last year with the other teachers, but have now made it so I am my own entity and teaching what I need/want to. My kids are actually really good this year and I'm enjoying what I do everyday. I've said this before, but teaching really is such a great career choice for me. In January, I get all new kids in every single class and I really like being a half-year teacher. I love that I get to meet a lot of different kids each year and get to know their personalities. The wonderful thing about teaching PE and health classes is that a lot of personalities come out and you can really see the good characteristics in kids (and sometimes the bad, but usually not that often).

Summer vacation

2011-08-11T00:48:00.000-06:00

My first real summer vacation since high school has been wonderful. I've been able to spend my time freely with softball, on Utah Lake, in Seattle and Portland, making home improvements, and time in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

In June, I drove up to Seattle and Mama Sue wasn't so sure about me going all the way through in one day. I was by myself but it was honestly not bad at all. I made good timing and had the good tunes playing. I was excited to see my BFF Sara and her family and just had a good time in the Emerald City.

Portland was a lot of fun too. I really do love that area and the softball tournament we played in was good. We didn't play as well as I would have liked, but it was still fun to go to an out of state tournament.

Steamboat is an interesting ski town. There's not much to do there except ski, so in the summertime, it's limited on what it has to offer. We spent a lot of time in the hotel room or at the softball diamonds. At least it didn't take a long time to get to the fields.

Lagoon...it's what fun is, right? I decided to get a season pass this summer--the first time I've ever owned one--and it's been put to use. My sister Melissa is the attendance secretary for Bonneville HS and has the summer off too. It worked out perfectly to get the passes for ourselves and Haylie and Mikaela. They love it so much and it's fun to spend time with them. Haylie likes that she's tall enough to go on the big rides and is glad I'm around to take her with me on them. Poor Mikaela--that kid just isn't tall enough yet to go on them. I know she would go with me if she could though. Haylie's a wuss about Terror Ride and Dracula's Castle, but Mikaela loves them! She's an easy kid to please. :)

And I'm not going to lie, sleeping in is the best! It might be a little hard to get up and be to school by 7 come a few more days, but knowing that I have summer vacation for the rest of my career is magical!

First year

2011-06-05T17:51:00.000-06:00

Whale, I survived my first year of teaching. I learned a lot, now know exactly things I need to do differently, and had a great year. I loved coaching swimming and softball and look forward to another great year starting in August. As for now, bring on summer softball, Lagoon, and the water parks to even out my bad tan lines!

Kids

2011-05-17T08:37:00.003-06:00

Being a teacher and coach has been a very rewarding experience. I get to work with some amazing kids and I'm very partial to my softball girls. Here are a few of the kids that have made my experience very worth it.

Marlee

She goes to Bear River, is an amazing outfielder, and is a funny kid with a kind heart. I've never heard her say anything mean about anyone and she motivates her teammates. I was fortunate to coach Marlee this last fall and she was a great addition to our team. She's graduating this year and heading to college where I know she'll do amazing things.

Calli

She goes to Skyline, can play pitcher, 2nd base, and outfield and has one of the best smiles around. She is always upbeat and helps everyone around her. Always easy going and can take constructive criticism like a champ, Calli excels at motivating her teammates and making the best of any situation. She too is graduating and will be heading to college this fall.

Emily

A swimmer at Copper Hills, and probably my most useful student aide. Emily was my go-to gal when I was deemed "head coach" for about 2 months. She was extremely helpful and has a great personality. She loves the sport and I know she'll make a great coach in the near future.

Ashley

I got to meet and work with Gib last summer. I'm sad I only got one summer with her, but she made it a great one. She's a great leadoff hitter and 2nd baseman and I know she did great things this year in college. One of the sweetest kids I've ever met, and one of the best softball players I've ever seen, Gib definitely gets it done.

Ivy

Ivy goes to Jordan, plays a mean 2nd base but also can play anywhere you put her. She didn't know all the ropes with 3rd base, but made some great plays for us last summer. A switch hitter, she can show the power from both sides of the plate and can even give a good slap when needed. One of the most dedicated kids to the sport, Ivy always gives her all and I know she has a very bright future.

Mom's awesome

2011-05-08T22:09:00.000-06:00

Mother's day is always a treat. I loved when we were younger and they would have the kids speak in sacrament meeting. My favorite was always Erin's talks. She would spell out mother and say what each letter meant. When she got to 'T' it was always for twins since our birthday always falls around the mother's day weekend. We decided to attend our parents' sacrament meeting in Pleasant View and it didn't disappoint with the little ones battling each other on the stand for strongest voice in the primary choir. I was laughing pretty hard and it always makes me reflect on my primary days in Roy. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my life.

Paint the fence!

2011-05-02T12:52:00.001-06:00

I must say that I felt like the karate kid painting this weekend with the family and friends. We decided that the new house could use some new paint and went with a sand motif color that really makes the living room and kitchen a lot warmer. Our kitchen was a pretty awful rusty-red color that did nothing for the counter tops or the cabinets. The color made our kitchen seem really small, but now it's looking a lot bigger with the sandy color on the walls. A long process, but it looks really nice, so it's worth the time.

Reasons to be excited for our new house

2011-04-19T14:49:00.000-06:00

I've never parked my car in a garage. This will be something new and exciting!

Besides when I was at my parents' house, I will have my own bathroom. Good times.

BBQs.

I don't have to worry about roommates crap everywhere and their messes.

Funny Mascots!

2011-04-17T09:09:00.001-06:00

These might be the only times I like mascots. I love the snowman at the beginning!

Holy buckets! She's 5!

2011-04-16T23:39:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday Mikaela! I can't believe this kid is already 5. She is a funny little kid with a set of lungs and has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen in a kid. Always so willing to forgive, Mikaela makes my day! :)

Home owner

2011-04-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

A new Cowles family investment has come into fruition. Erin, Dallin and I have put our funds together to buy a house (the one shown above). It's just time to start building equity for ourselves and having our own space. We're all excited about this and Erin has given me and Dal free reign over the basement for decorating purposes. Fenway and Camden Yard will add a nice touch to the SLC Olympics. We're supposed to close at the end of the month and move in May 1st. Very excited about this new purchase!

Choices

2011-04-08T08:09:00.002-06:00

Besides knowing I get to wear t-shirts and shorts everyday, teaching has been a great career choice for me. I don't ever feel like I'm going to work. I get to teach and coach some really great kids that make big impacts on my life. I have come to the realization that with this career comes a lot of responsibility. I never want to do something that I would lose the respect of my fellow teachers, students and players. I see teachers and coaches make really bad decisions, and kids see it, too. I've always tried to do the right things and when kids are involved in the mix, I try even harder to be that good example. I have good parents and people in my life that have taught me to try and be a good person in every situation. I owe a lot to my teachers while I was in school. They pushed me to be better each day and to be a good example. They expected me to be a good student, athlete and person. This is a big reason why I wanted to go into education and I truly believe this is the best career choice for me.

GC

2011-04-06T08:41:00.000-06:00

This weekend was General Conference. Reasons why I like GC: 1. It means I don't have to go to the church building. I get to enjoy the words from the pulpit in my comfy clothes in my own home. 2. Sometimes the Brethren are funny. 3. Usually there's good food involved. Breakfast Sunday morning at Lacey and Erin's house and dinner with the parents. Good times. I really liked President Uchtdorf's talk on Sunday morning. Just a good message.

House hunting

2011-03-27T01:30:00.000-06:00

So house hunting is a lot harder to be successful at than regular shoe shopping. It seems like houses we've seen and liked either sit on the market forever or get snatched up a lot quicker than we would like. Dal and Erin have spent a lot of time looking for houses in our price range and the location we want. We've decided that it's easier for me to commute since both of them work in SLC which I completely agree with. I'm going the opposite direction out to West Jordan from all the traffic and we really don't want to live west anyway. So far we've put offers on two houses-the first one was a bust because Salt Lake realtors aren't the best at communicating. "What we have here is a failure to communicate." The second offer was put in Saturday. All three of us like the house, location and price. It's a good family investment. I'm excited to be a full grown up and hope everything works out the way it's supposed to. I'm also excited to have summer BBQs. I heart the grill.:)

Swing it like you mean it!

2011-03-24T07:20:00.000-06:00

Softball season is in full swing. Helping coach Copper Hills has been a pretty good experience so far. I really like the girls and I'm learning a lot from them and the other coaches. I've got some pretty sweet apparel, too. :)
Right now, we're on a winning track, which is fun. Our girls are playing with confidence and it's fun to watch good softball. We went down to St. George this past weekend and did well. I got to see a few of my summer girls play and it makes me excited for the summer schedule to begin. So far we've had great hitting with 5 home runs and plenty of doubles. It should be interesting to see how far this Copper Hills team can go.

Respect my authority!

2011-03-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Another fight at school broke out in one of my classes. I was trying very hard to hold back N who easily outweighs me by 70 lbs so he didn't beat the crap out of another kid who is much smaller than him in my class. High school drama is rampant in the halls and I for one don't like being in the middle of it. Hopefully things have simmered between these two kids. I'm printing this picture of Cartman and putting it up in my office. I can't believe how fast this school year has gone. I only have 12 weeks left. Incredible!

Comparison

2011-03-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

So, I'm just as excited as the next person to see someone succeed. However, the way I see it, there might be a little too much overrating going on here. Please see the stats below:

Now don't get me wrong, I think Jimmer is an amazing shooter as I witnessed it firsthand from the 11th row of the Huntsman Center when the Cougs were in SLC. But, Jaycee Carroll is a very good comparable athlete with some better overall stats especially in the rebounding department. A shooting guard that doesn't just sit out on the 3 point line, Jaycee would follow his shot many times for the rebound, because let's be honest, not every shot is going to drop. Two top 25 teams this year from the state makes it fun to watch the tournament and do a bracket.

Ghetto

2011-03-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

So the softball girls at Copper Hills have a very good sense of humor. D is a very funny, outgoing and hard worker for us. She also found the time during tryouts to give the three female coaches new nicknames. You would think I would learn to keep my mouth shut and not say certain things around the kids. I get a lot of junk from the Attitude girls and now CH girls are following suit--which I'm OK with.
I decided it was time to cut my hair last Saturday. It was just time and it was gross. D asked me on Monday at tryouts if I cut it. I replied "Yeah, it was time. It was really ghetto." D then said, "Oh my gosh! Did you just say ghetto?! I'm going to start calling you Bon Qui Qui from King Burger!" At least I'm not alone in the nicknames--Amy is ShaBreefa and Jenner is J-Wow. It's fun getting to know these girls and their personalities. I should really be careful what words and phrases I use around the kids, but at least they have senses of humor too.

Sisters time!

2011-02-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

When I think of some of the best times I've ever had, they always include my sisters. The three of them always cheer me up, support me in my endeavours, make me laugh until my stomach hurts, and give me a lot of crap. Of course, I try to give out just as much as I receive. I love that we're all friends because there were times when we were younger that I wasn't sure one of us was going to live.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Ewee, Dal and me. We're such spazzes. I love that we can feed off of each other and make fun nights out of any occasion.

Snowshoeing

2011-02-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

In my opinion, there is no better way to spend President's Day than out in the cold. I usually ski or snowshoe on this particular day and it was a magical day up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Dal and I used our day off to spend it with Mother Nature. It was such a nice day. The canyon was pretty crowded with all the skiers and snowboarders ready to take on the fresh powder that fell and made for a slow commute. However, it was so pretty with the new fresh snow covering the trees that it was nice to actually see it as we were driving. Buying snowshoes about 5 years ago has been one of the best investments I've made, and a lot cheaper than skiing.

At the beginning of the road off the canyon main road. There was a guy that passed us looking for the falls and we both were like, "You got a ways."

I love snowshoeing so much. Definitely one of my favorite winter activities.

I like this picture of Dal. It looks like she's trying to snowboard, but then again, she was probably just trying to keep her balance. We Cowles girls can get a little off balance and usually can be heard yelling "Whoa!"

An ode to Sue

2011-02-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Today is Mama Sue's birthday, and even though she usually doesn't look forward to this day, it's fun to name off a few things that make me appreciate my mom.

1. She keeps us entertained and even though she thinks we're making fun of her, we're gaining a wealth of knowledge with the things she tells us.

2. She makes some pretty good Sunday dinners.

3. She taught me to be respectful and to put others first in my life.

4. She really does want to learn how to use iTunes. She's almost there!

5. She's taught me to work hard for the things I want.

Thanks Mama Sue for being a great mom and for supporting me in every challenge and task I take on. I love you lots and happy birthday!

SM

2011-02-15T11:09:00.001-07:00

I love going to quality concerts. I try and go to a couple here and there and I've been to quite a few. Last night was no exception with Sarah McLachlan and Friends. She came in 2006 and it was a huge disappointment that I chose Jack Johnson over Sarah. Foolish of me, I was not going to make the same mistake twice after hearing that she puts on a great concert. She definitely has an eclectic following and I remember hearing her in junior high (that probably dates me a little bit) and she became an instant favorite musician of mine. Her lyrics and music just have so much more meaning than a lot of other people. One thing I really liked was that her band was made up of other musicians and song writers and she had no problem turning over the spotlight for their songs and singing back up. Favorite songs for the night--Good Enough, The Path of Thorns, Sweet Surrender, Hold On, Adia and Angel. Melissa McClelland's 'Brake' was really good too.
Definitely a fun concert and worth the money. She played for nearly 3 hours and for me, hearing someone live makes me love the music so much more.

Carnations

2011-02-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Every Valentine's Day, I get carnations from my dad. He buys them for all his girls--Sue, Melissa, Erin, me, Dal, Grandma Grace, Haylie and Mikaela. He's never missed a Valentine's Day and this is the reason why carnations are my favorite flower and I love my dad. He's the best!

Bus woes

2011-02-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

So in the past 6 months of swimming, we've had a total of 5 bus incidents. I don't think there's another school out there that has had the kind of luck that Copper Hills has had--and I'm not only talking about swimming. There are other sports and clubs that have had bus issues. Let me paint the picture for you.

Incident #1--A flat tire for our first away meet, they have to call another bus to come get us so we can get to the meet on time.

Incident #2--We got stranded in Draper because a few windows in our bus were shattered by thrown rocks. That was not a pleasant two hours.

Incident #3--Another flat tire on our charter bus to St. George. We had to wait for about 25 minutes to hit the road.

Incident #4--Bus doesn't start and we have to ride home with West Jordan's swim team from Provo.

Incident #5--Bus is scheduled to leave Saturday morning at 9:30 to Provo for the state meet. Bus driver doesn't check the newly revised schedule and doesn't show up until 11 am. Warm ups started at 11.

So to say the least, we haven't had the best luck with buses. I thought the head coach was going to kill someone. She was livid beyond measure. Hopefully softball goes a little more smoothly. I'm crossing all my fingers and toes for good measure.

Whack!

2011-02-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

So I think I'm getting better at this teaching stuff. I'm breaking my classes into two week sport rotations while adding in conditioning and a few written assignments and quizzes--it is Lifetime Fitness. So my first unit for my new classes was floor hockey. I love this sport so much. It's easy and doesn't take a lot of skill for the kids to play. I don't like to just sit there and watch all the time--it's boring--so I will join in on the fun every once in a while. During one of my classes, I was sprinting down the court to go get the ball and as I was coming back I got whacked pretty hard in the shin by an out of control girl with a hockey stick. I can take a hit--I've been hit in the face with a softball that gave me a little shiner last spring; one summer Dal threw a softball that hit me in the temple and made me black out; during junior high PE class we were playing softball (I'm seeing a bad trend here) and I took a line drive right in the stomach. During student teaching and my floor hockey unit, I got tripped and slid across the court. SAFE!!! So I always laugh when a ball is flying at me and the kids freak out. It's not the first or last time I'll ever get hit.

End of the season

2011-02-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Whale, swimming is ending this weekend with the state meet. I must say I'm excited to be done with it. I've been doing swimming since the very beginning of September and I'm a little burned out with this particular sport. The kids for the most part have been good to work with, but there have been a few days in particular that I've not liked them. It's just a long season. I thought basketball was long in high school, and it is, but swim is a killer. The biggest difference from last year to this year for me is I wasn't teaching last year. Helping Clearfield HS I was subbing here and there and then going to practice. Teaching full time and coaching takes a lot of time. I don't have a problem coaching because it's something I've wanted to do since 7th grade. I'm finding out why a lot of teachers and coaches only do this for a few years, because you go home pretty exhausted at night.
I'm excited to see our kids swim at the state meet Friday and Saturday at BYU. It's been a good experience with some pretty good kids. I'm ready for softball to get fully underway.

Smashing!

2011-02-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've been playing racquetball for the last couple of weeks and now I remember why I like playing this sport so much. The feel of getting a really good, solid hit at the bottom of the wall for a point is always a good feeling. And it's just a fun sport. I always have a good time when I play no matter whom I'm playing with. The only bad thing for everyone I've played with is that person always gets hit. I think out of everyone my roommate Jalayne got the worst of it. I was swinging the racket pretty hard that day and I nailed her right in the back. I've been hit a couple times, a close encounter at the top of my head just happened one of the last times I've played. It was like a bullet that just missed my face and skinned my head. I should probably wear my goggles and look like a nerd--I can handle it.

7

2011-02-07T09:57:00.003-07:00

All through junior high, high school and summer softball, I wore the number 12. I liked the number because of my favorite basketball player, John Stockton. If I were coaching baseball instead of softball I would wear 12 for my coaching jersey. In softball we don't wear uniforms like the baseball coaches do, therefore, I like to wear another number on my arm because of the impression this player has made on me. The number 7 has been on the inside of my right forearm for every tournament since Mesquite in October. I see so much potential in this player, not only on the softball field, but also in school and life. Even with bruised knees, sprained wrists, a hurt ankle, and in pain beyond measure, I know that whatever I ask her to do, she gives me her best effort which is all I can ask for. Even if she's uncomfortable she'll do it because that's the type of player and person she is.
I'm a firm believer that there are certain people that come into my life at just the right time when I need to learn something. These people come into my life and make me a better person every day.

15.5 hours

2011-01-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

From 3 pm Saturday afternoon until 6:30 am Sunday morning I didn't leave my room. I've never been so sick that I've just stayed in my room like this. I didn't respond to texts, didn't answer my phone, didn't check email. I barely responded to Dal when she came in. The other part of this that is not working in my favor is that I'm not thrilled at the possible thought of getting a sub Monday. I already have to get one on Wednesday for swimming. I hate getting subs.

Eclectic

2011-01-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

I think a big reason why I like so many genres of music is because I don't want to get bored with listening to the same stuff over and over. I was in our circuit room today at school. My classes were getting well acquainted with the weight machines and hopefully they're paying close attention because they're going to get a quiz on muscles soon. I had them doing a worksheet to name the machine, tell me what muscles the machine was associated with and their max lifts. I turned on music and set it to 97.1 because that's what most of the class voted on. I always am so happy to return to my office where I have my iPod plugged in playing a playlist or just on shuffle. I listened to the same 6 songs over 3 class periods today. After a while I just get bored with the songs, but then I remind myself that even though I've heard the song multiple times in a day, my kids haven't. Erin described my CD case as eclectic one time. I will listen to it all and having an iPod full of different music genres makes for a pleasant road trip experience. St. George in one week...ah yeah!

All greens

2011-01-24T06:16:00.002-07:00

So I had an early morning meeting with the head softball coach, a parent and a player. Holy buckets, I was not excited to get up at 4 am to be to school by 5 for the meeting. However, hitting all greens and dealing with hardly any other cars on the road made for a very fast and pleasant commute to school. In a way, getting out of bed that early and knowing that I can actually be productive this early in the morning is enticing.

Busy as a bee!

2011-01-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are usually a busy day for me. Especially now that I'm in two sport seasons once again. Swimming is winding down, but we still have 3 weeks left. And softball has begun. I don't sleep in on Saturdays--I don't have time to. It's a good thing that most Friday nights I'm too tired from the week to want to do much, so I try and go to bed early, like 11 or midnight. Kind of pathetic, I know.
Yesterday was no exception to being busy. I had a softball practice at 8 in Layton. I love softball practice for a couple reasons. 1-I get to see the girls, 2-I get to teach, 3-being made fun of gives me a reason to make fun of them, and 4-I get to condition a little bit. After practice, I had to haul it to the U of U campus for a swim meet. The head coach signed us up as a team to time for the University team. I'm so used to changing in my car that I don't even care if people are around anymore. That was the story of my life while I was taking classes at the U. It was actually really interesting to watch a college swim meet and I think it was good for the kids to see it. After, I thought I was off the hook for the rest of the day, but alas, the kids wanted to go to lunch as a team. And where do they choose? Sick IHOP. I'm convinced that high school kids love crappy food. I was zoned out for most of the lunch and was extremely happy that I drove completely separate while the kids took Trax. It definitely took a little longer than I anticipated, but I still got everything done that I needed to. From here on out, my Saturdays are pretty much booked. I'll be ready for my spring break and summer--not going to lie.

Outlooks

2011-01-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I like reading books that give some good insight and makes me think especially with quotes like this from Fablehaven:

"Can you see the power emotion has to distort our outlook? Makes you wonder, did you have a bad day, or did you make it a bad day?" (p. 109)

Back in the swing of things

2011-01-15T17:20:00.001-07:00

After Dal, Erin and I went to the west side for a movie last night, and we had to trek it all the way around the friggin' Valley Fair Mall to get back to Dal's car, I realized a few things--a) being on the west side at night is not prime and we were expecting to hear gun shots, and b) it meant that in the morning I was going to see my softball girls for the first time in about 2 months. I've seen a few of them here and there, but I have truly missed seeing these kids every week. I was so excited last night just thinking about it and our upcoming tournament in the land of George in February. So this morning Dal headed up with me to Layton to do an indoor practice. They had their usual spaz out sessions and were way excited to see each other. It was a pretty good practice for our first time together in 2 months. I just love these kids and I'm looking forward to a great summer of softball and getting my tan back on track. :)

Oldies

2011-01-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

My drive to school in the mornings isn't bad at all. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to CHHS so I have a few options as far as listening pleasures. Sometimes I plug in my iPod because I really hate commercials. Sometimes I listen to KSL just to stay up on my current events. And sometimes I channel surf. Lately I have been on an oldies kick. I love 60s and 70s music, mostly because that's what I grew up listening to being with my dad 90% of the time. He hardly ever changes his car radio from Oldies 94.1 or 530 AM. He too likes to stay up on current events. :)

Oldies never let me down. I don't ever have to question if it's inappropriate especially when I have Haylie and Mikaela in my car. Most of the tunes are feel good music with catchy beats and good lyrics. Some of my favorite oldies bands are The Beatles, The Mamas and The Papas, The Supremes, Neil Diamond, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Oldies are just a good break from the more recent music that usually doesn't have that much substance.

Thieves

2011-01-13T08:48:00.002-07:00

So at school, I have my office which is always locked. Thank goodness. High school kids are not the most honest bunch. And then I have another room that we try to store PE equipment in and our fridge. This room has been taken over by the cheerleaders and it's actually really annoying. Along with all their shiz everywhere, I have my assumptions that they too are in fact eating my food from the fridge. I think I'm right on this, because they, Megan, and I are the only ones that ever go in that room. And I'm pretty sure that Megan brings her own apples and granola and doesn't need to eat my food. I feel like I'm in college again having to mark all my food so roommates won't eat it. And our cheerleaders are not the brightest crayons in the box. They actually left their stereo cart out during my class with a full money box on top. They were more worried about getting ready for the day that they forgot to actually put something away that has the potential of being ripped off by mutant sophomores that don't have any problem taking anything that doesn't belong to them. Oh cheerleaders! This is an interesting group for sure.

Consistency

2011-01-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life that are worth being consistent for. A few things I always do.

1. Always wear my seat belt. I have never got in a car, either to drive or just ride, and not put my seat belt on. I would rather be buckled in than have that feeling of insecurity.

2. I play slow pitch softball every summer. 'Business Time' is a bunch of winners and it's fun to play with people that know what they're doing.

3. I send and receive at least 10 texts a day. Since Erin, Dal, and I have gone to a family plan with unlimited, I use the most by far.

4. Since graduation from USU, I go to at least one Aggie football game, and one Aggie basketball game every year. The basketball game is always better than the football game.

5. I talk to Dallin every day (except when she's out of the country).

6. I check my email every day. Lots of people think email is obsolete, but I quite enjoy getting emails, especially if they're funny.

7. I see my Grandma Grace almost every week on Sunday nights. I have loved going to my grandparents' house every week my entire life.

My newest consistency goal is to avoid sugar for the next year. After a holiday season of way too much candy and many days of feeling icky, I've decided I can do this again. Tara and I did this avoidance a few years ago and I always felt so much better. So far, I'm going two weeks strong!

Splish splash

2011-01-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend was spent in a warmer spot, St. George, with the Copper Hills High School swim team. We attended the Thunder Invitational with 10 other schools and it was actually really fun. I wasn't that anxious to go, but since I didn't have to pay for anything or gas, I felt good about it. I just hate getting subs. It makes me so nervous to leave my classes to be chaotic. Riding the bus wasn't too bad either. The head coach, Taresea, got us a charter bus so that was nice. I wasn't looking forward to riding a school bus to SG. The kids brought a bunch of movies and that seemed to keep them quiet and entertained for most of the time. I was not bothered too much even with Ricardo and Jordan sitting behind me.

The coaches: Cody, Taresea and Darby sporting CH pride.

Darby and Emily. By far my favorite swimmer.

Some of the girls enjoying all the Thunder Invitational has to offer.

Uno!

2011-01-02T00:38:00.002-07:00

Playing games is always a treat for me. I like the random comments that come out of nowhere and at the Cowles house, no one is safe from ridicule. Saturday night was probably one of the funnest nights I've ever had playing Uno with the fam. I didn't really grow up playing Uno and my first real encounter with the game was this summer playing with my softball girls waiting for softball games. Saturday night we had 60s music playing in the background and Erin was giving some pretty sweet renditions that always make us laugh. Mikaela for some reason goes in and out of a Boston accent when talking to us and Haylie shed more crocodile tears than any kid I know because she had to draw a card. Some quotes from the night that make me happy:

"We all survived childhood, she can too!" --Dal about Haylie

"Daddy!"--Darby in a southern accent after my dad gave me the +2 card. Jim always knows how to play a game smarter than everyone else at the table.

"Maybe you should try another pair of glasses." --Darby to Mama Sue. She has about 10 pairs around the house just in case one pair isn't working awesome for her.

"Mom, if you can't keep up, you're out!" --Erin

"I'm fine where I'm at; I want to stick it to Dallin!"--Sue gets really competitive

"Erin's not going to be in the will after this."--Melissa
"Whatever! I'm the only one that makes anything happen for this family!"--Erin

"Put Mom closer to the deck next time. We need handicap access!"--Erin

"Next color will be B-L-U!" --Eric

"Sorry Mama!"--Dal said this about 20 times throughout the night when she skipped or reversed it on my mom. Many death looks came about.

Like I said, no one gets any special treatment. I don't think I've laughed that hard for a while and it was a really fun night to be with the fam and enjoy making fun of each other and not to be all too cheesy, making memories.

Coaching heartaches

2010-12-30T01:54:00.001-07:00

It's always amazing to me how certain things and people affect my life. Right now, I'm coaching swimming at CHHS. This is an easy sport for me to coach because we don't have cuts. You show up and say you want to swim, you're on the roster. Fortunately we have some experienced swimmers that make us competitive at the meets. I've met some really great kids through swimming. At Clearfield, I loved my boys. They were great and I got some pretty good laughs from them. I went into protective mode when I saw heinous girls show up and try to lead them astray. Now being at Copper Hills, I have kids that make me laugh, feel uncomfortable, and a few of them for some reason think I'm the best thing since sliced bread. This is a good group of kids that make me enjoy swimming more than I ever thought I would. Playing basketball in high school, I never thought that I would be coaching swimming during the winter season, but I think I would get too frustrated with basketball.
High school softball starts next week. Try outs aren't until the end of February, but the clinics and conditioning are what I'll be helping with before the actual season begins. I'll be doing swimming and softball at the same time and will be ready to explain my bloodshot eyes as a lack of sleep. :) For the comp team I help coach, we had to make a few cuts for our summer roster. In all, we let four girls go--two that we knew weren't coming back after fall, and two that we debated on. This was extremely hard for me, because one in particular just tugged at my heart before, during and after we released her from the team. The pressure of building a winning team and making a roster that would be contenders at tournaments had mounted after our last tournament in November and based on the success we had in the summer. I was feeling a lot of this pressure come on, even though the season was ending. The hardest part of coaching a team sport is that there is always cuts that have to be made. The backlash from parents is probably the second hardest thing to deal with and has made me develop some pretty thick skin. But even though these are heartaches that every coach goes through, I just remember that I'm not there for me or any payment. I'm there for the kids, to see them develop not only with sports, but with life too. I love watching a kid sprint to the finish to get a new personal best time in the 50 free, or watch a second baseman turn a double play to end an inning, or see a hit go up the middle to score a few runs and the excitement on the players' faces. Those are reasons I coach and what make it worth every minute. The emotional aspect is not something I'm good at dealing with because I don't like showing emotion all that much. With the high school season approaching, I'm hoping to not have too many heartaches, but since this is my first year at CHHS, I think I might be okay. I'm looking forward to the next 11 months of softball and working with the girls that make it something I love to do.

Highlights

2010-12-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

2010 is winding down and I can't believe how fast it went! It just seems like yesterday I was starting open gym softball conditioning at Clearfield High School. As the year is ending there were a few highlights for me.

1. Coaching

2. Winning a tournament and placing 3rd at another this summer with UAW

3. John Mayer concert

4. Meeting some pretty amazing kids

5. Train concert

6. Getting a teaching position!

Merry Christmas!

Total domination

2010-12-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've been playing floor hockey with my classes this week and I must say it's by far my favorite thing to do in PE, even with the boys. My 2nd period class was by far my funnest class. I played with the girls and let the boys hash it out. We don't have enough equipment for everyone in my class to play at the same time, so I have 5 minute games and it's actually a lot of fun to watch. Floor hockey is a great sport for a PE class because you don't need a lot of skill to play, and by some of the performances I've seen so far, I know that's a very true statement.

Christmas miracles

2010-12-20T10:26:00.002-07:00

I always enjoy the Sunday of the week of Christmas. I've been in a couple of wards where the sacrament meeting is mostly Christmas music and yesterday was no exception. Our ward choir sang, the sister missionaries assigned to our ward did a piano and violin number that was stellar, and we have an iTunes celebrity in our ward that played a great rendition of Silent Night on the piano. I like sacrament meetings that are mostly music. I've sat through a couple that have been real snoozers with the speakers. I tend to get a little nervous when a high councilman is assigned to speak in our ward. They don't see the clock that's right in front of them and we hardly ever get out of church on time. But, we have been blessed the last couple of weeks to get out early. We like to think of it as comp time.:) It's a Christmas miracle!
Also, I've decided that after going to church yesterday, anyone, myself included, can live by the 7th chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon. There are so many good things in that chapter.

What do the letters mean?

2010-12-19T12:36:00.001-07:00

I had one of my softball girls ask me to write her a letter of recommendation this past week. I must say, it was fun to write. It was only a few months ago that I was asking for letters of recommendation from past teachers and coaches, and now that I find myself in the position to write some, I like it. It's fun to be able to say all the good things about someone to let potential coaches or institutions know how stellar a person is. I consider myself extremely lucky to work with some very great kids that make writing these letters so easy! On that note, I'm so glad that I chose the career path that I did because I love being in the schools and coaching. Definitely the best case scenario for me.

Oh, that might be inappropriate!

2010-12-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

High school boys. Why would any girl date them? I've gotten used to teaching boys and know that they are much more competitive than most girls and aggressive in my classes! Be aggressive! B-E aggressive! B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E-AGGRESSIVE!! B-E aggressive!
I must say that I don't like all the boys I have in my classes. My team sports class would fall in this category any day that ends in "Y." Many are crass individuals and say whatever they think should come out of a boy's mouth. There is no filter system! Some don't realize that it's completely inappropriate to say things to me as a female teacher. Again, no filter. However, there are the token few that are just really good kids. I have one kid whom I will call "J" in one of my Lifetime Fitness classes. I think he's a pretty funny kid and the other day said to me "Hey Ms. Cowles, I'm your favorite student right?" I replied "You're one of them J." "Oh Ms. Cowles, you're such a sweet thang! And I love your eyes! So pretty!" I always just smile and say, "Thanks J." You definitely know which kids you can joke around with and ones that will give you grief no matter what.
Right now I only have 7 more A days and 7 more B days. I'm so ready to be done with many of my B day kids. I have one girl that I hope to not have any more encounters with while she's at CHHS. Such a punk kid that needs an attitude adjustment probably in all her classes, not just mine. However, I will miss having quite a few of the kids I have now, and know that I will have the same caliber of kids next semester. Regardless, I'm excited to change my classes.

Bad football

2010-12-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

Whale, after reading the Deseret News article that Fred Fernandes would be taking over as the head football coach at my alma mater Roy High, I wasn't shocked to learn a few more things about the football program. Since 1991, RHS football's record is 39-152. Yes, you read that right. 39 wins and 152 losses in 20 years. The shield game between the Royals and the Warriors of Weber High hasn't been in Roy's favor for the last 3 decades. The last time Roy saw the 'shield' adorning the halls of the school was back in 1992. While I was there, I'm pretty sure our team only won 4 games total in 3 years. Needless to say, they need a coach like Freddie to get back on track.
Bad football for me hasn't just been in high school, USU was terrible, T-R-B-L while I was there. They've improved a little bit over the last couple of years, but nothing like it was in the Merlin Olsen days. And now being at Copper Hills, the football program is a struggling one. I would have thought with the biggest population in the state, CHHS could have pulled some wins out this year. There is always hope for next year.

A week of athletics

2010-12-12T09:56:00.002-07:00

So Tuesday night I made a trip to USU for the Long Beach basketball game. It was great, the Aggie crowd was its usual bright spot for the other team, the company was fun, and the drive wasn't bad at all--good conversation and good tunes.

We had our swim meet against Taylorsville on Thursday. They're a pretty small team but they have some fast ones! Definitely gave Copper Hills a run for our money. I also found out about my 9th grade stalker from some of the girls on the team. The scenario is this--we are at the Thanksgiving Invitational swim meet in Bountiful a few weeks ago. I decided to drive up separate because I needed to go to Pleasant View and get my car so I was not on the oh-so-much-fun bus (side note, I'm not a fan of school bus rides. I don't think I've gained any weight or gotten taller since high school, but I don't remember the seats being that tight). Anyway, the kids were really nice and wanted to present us coaches with shirts so I climbed on the bus for it. As I was leaving, it was cold and my car was all the way around on the other side, so I was running. The kids were making fun of me (so weird, I know. It never happens :) and the awkward kid made the comment: "I could watch that all day!" EW gross! And it's completely inappropriate! After the girls told me this on Thursday, I was extremely uncomfortable every time this kid was around me at the meet. I will continue to avoid him.

Friday night was filled with U gymnastics talents on the beam, floor, uneven bars, and vault. According to Ivy, this mock meet was a trainwreck. Ha ha! I didn't think they looked that bad. The announcer was killing me and Dal. I loved when she would start saying something. "Hey fans...." and she managed to get Swoop in on everything she said. I think she may have been the biggest trainwreck of the night and my thoughts were "Are they payin' this lady?!" At least they played good music (minus the spliced Twilight saga, that was just annoying to me).

Another trip to Logan with Erin, Dal, and Papa Jim for the USU-Bakersfield b-ball game. It makes me miss college, such a simpler time. Eating at Juniper take-out before the game, Erin said I needed to eat more like Dal--meaning really fast. "Mmm! that was so good!" And the classic Charlie's after the game for ice cream.

I love this! I always hope that this Big Blue makes an appearance at Aggie games. He fell a lot this time, but it makes me so happy!

Quotes I love to hear

2010-12-11T10:20:00.001-07:00

Megan: "You were like the Chuck Norris of PE teachers!"

Haylie: "Not liking something means you're allergic to it."

Ivy: "You're a trainwreck!"

Erin: "Haylie, we're having a sleepover. you need to calm the hell down!"

Darby: "He's a Canasian!"

Erin: "If Chloe eats it, she'll DIE!"

Ivy: "These birds are trippin' me out!"

Darby: "I'm not an alcoholic!"
Ivy: "Denial."

Evan: "Don't stay at the St. George Best."
Dallin: "St. George Worst?"
Ivy: "St. George Mediocre."
Dallin: "Mine was better."

Darby: "I want to get K-taped certified!"

Darby: "Do I dare go to Walmart today?"
Dallin: "We need to get our Christmas sweaters, too!"
Darby: "We're still getting matching sweaters, right?"
Dallin: "I hope we can find turtlenecks too!"

This makes me so happy!

2010-12-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Dal and I went to the University of Utah Gymnastics preview on Friday night, and I can say they looked much better than these people in this video. This seriously gets me laughing so hard every time I watch it!

High five! Nice!

2010-12-07T08:37:00.001-07:00

Erin showed up to church on Sunday with this gem. We had fun giving friends a special note telling them why they deserved a high five. Good times!
So many possibilities for so many people! My favorites on this list are 'overcame your mediocrity' and 'used your brain.' And I think Dal's favorite for me is 'are employed.' It was a long year for her. :)

Welcome to the Spectrum

2010-12-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

One of the best places to be for a basketball game. I love the dramatic music too.

People N to Z

2010-12-05T11:52:00.002-07:00

I may have to skip a few. A to M was much easier.

N- Natalie Field--my cousin Natalie has always been a great example to me. It was fun hearing about her teaching escapades in Orem and she's always so willing to open her home to family and friends. She's always got a positive attitude no matter what trials come her way.

O- Nicole Olson--one of the best examples to me of getting through tough times and making the best of the situation. Nicole is always so positive and I learned a lot of good things about life from her. One of the best roommates I've ever had.

P- Megan Peck--my teaching mentor at Copper Hills, Megan is always good to bounce ideas off of and keeps things light. Whenever I've had issues she's always willing to help me and talk about many subjects.

Q- Skip

R- Robby Blodgett-- Always good for a laugh and taking pictures. Robby is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and a great dish washer! He gets it and is always looking for ways to improve any situation.

S- Sara Argyle--one of my BFFs that I miss everyday. Sara is so great and is always so much fun to be around. She showed me the highlights of Seattle and we always had a good time in the SLC. I loved playing b-ball and softball with her as she is one of the most athletic girls I've ever seen. She's always good for a Sunday afternoon chat.

T- Tara Bawden Wilhelmsen--Tara is my BFF of firsts. My first sushi encounter (turns out sushi is not that awesome in Hawaii, but I got to be in Hawaii), my first triathlon, my first 'shooting the tube' experience, my first trail run, my first Love Sac Olympics teammate, my first SLC roommate, and my first half marathon running buddy. Thanks Tara for always making me laugh and venturing with me on my firsts.

U- Dave Rich--my next door neighbor growing up in Roy This man is someone who I affectionately referred to as "Uncle Dave" (this is where the U comes in). He is one of the smartest men I've ever met and I loved going over to his house to see him. When my parents moved in next door, he was serving as the bishop of our ward. He passed no judgment, but instead was a great example to all of us and had a lot to do with my parents' eventual reactivation in the church. Now that he is in the fight for his life against cancer, I can't imagine my life without his influence. It's amazing the little things that people say to one another that have the greatest effect on someone.

V- Valerie Leach--I remember meeting Val for the first time at her house. She was roommates with my BFF Sara and she considered herself "antisocial" at that point. :) Val is such an amazing person and example to me. She served as 1st counselor in the RS presidency and then she was called as the president right after. Two years is a long time to be in the RSP. It gets better though. Because of her leadership abilities and kindness, she is now in the stake RSP. I've loved being around Val on any occasion I get because of her wit and I love reading her blog! It makes me so happy.

W- Utah Attitude White--my competition softball team that is always so much fun to be around. These girls keep me on my toes and make me want to be a better person each and every day. I love the laughs, jokes, and how this team has developed into best friends. It's so fun to see their abilities grow each practice and game and I love that I get to work with such great kids. One of the best opportunities for me to teach, learn and laugh a lot.

X, Y, & Z--Skip.

They say it's your birthday!

2010-12-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Papa Jim! My mom always says that we put our Dad up on a pedestal, but if you know Papa Jim, it's not hard to. My Dad has always been supportive of everything I've ever done. I think while I was playing school sports from 7th grade through my senior year, he only missed a total of 2 games. He was a sport during the summers and helped coach our softball teams and was happy to do it. He's always there to help me with whatever mess I've made and has taught me so much. He's always up for attending sporting events and now supporting me in my coaching endeavors. Thanks Papa Jim for being a great dad and example to me! I love you lots!

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of Jim with his girls. Good times!

Best cover ever!

2010-12-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

So this is not the same concert I went to, but I think you will get the gist of what was witnessed at the concert I went to a few weeks ago. Such a great cover of a great song. Brandon Flowers is quite the entertainer and I will definitely be attending the next concert when he returns to the SLC.

People A to M

2010-11-30T21:50:00.002-07:00

I have been thinking a lot lately of people that have impacted my life. Here's a list from A to M and a little explanation why.

A- Annie Draper--I loved my first day of student teaching at Hillcrest JH because that's when I met Annie. The best part was she already knew of me before I fully introduced myself. I went to USU with her sister Heidi and so as I was introducing myself she was already asking me the questions of "Do you have a twin? Did you go to USU?" There was an instant friendship that was built at HJH and I loved eating lunch with Annie and subbing her math classes for her.

B- Brooke Smith--I met Brooke at USU while she was doing her graduate degree there. Dal and I were introduced to Brooke through our good friend Mandy at one of their Thursday dessert nights. Brooke always inspires me to be a better person and has shown me why trying new things is important to keep life fun.

C- Celia Larson--still one of my best friends from high school. I remember meeting Celia in person for the first time at a lame church dance when we were in junior high. She was being sent home for wearing knee length shorts. We were having a hard time figuring that one out. As she was leaving she was being ultra spastic and that's when Dal and I knew we had to be friends. She got me through a rough year of looking for a teaching job. She wanted us to be teaching BFFs as well as she was trying to get me hired at Clearfield HS to work with her. Always one to make me laugh, I have loved every minute of being friends with Celia.

D- Dallin Cowles--my best friend! Dal is that person that always inspires me to get my crap together, to stop whining, and worry about what needs to be done. Whenever I need something answered, Dal knows. She's smart like that. A girl that knows a lot about a lot of things.

E- Erin Cowles--I have the best sisters in the world. Erin is so willing to volunteer me for anything and everything. It's because of her bossiness that I got so involved with the campus at USU and loved every minute of my time in Logan. Erin always makes me want to be better than the day before.

F- Greg Fox--I met Greg in my singles ward and I don't think there is another person out there that is as genuine as Greg. He reads people so well and I loved getting a warm fuzzy at church that said "Twins kick so much ass!"

G- Grace Cowles--my G-ma Grace is one of the funniest persons I have ever met! She says the most random but funny things and is such an amazing woman. The lady has logged over 40,000 volunteer hours at McKay Dee hospital and is always sending thank you cards to people all around her. There is no one better at setting a great example for her family than Grace Cowles.

H-Calli Hodson--one of the best kids I think I've ever met. There is so much good in Calli Hodson. She's got one of the best personalities and attitudes toward life that she just rubs off on everyone around her. And one of the best senses of humor! She can dish out the sarcasm as much as I can!

I- Ivy Cantwell--the kid I think I've learned the most from. Whether it's softball or life in general, Ivy has a great mind. She's smart, shy and quirky at times, and I think that's why we get along so well. One of the best softball players I've ever seen and most dedicated to the sport. This kid is going places.

J- Jez Anderson Robertson--I heart Jez so much! I remember meeting her for the first time at a battle of the bands concert at the fieldhouse at USU and thought to myself, this girl is cool. Jez runs marathons, swings a mean racket when we play racquetball, and is always so willing to help others. Her generosity and kindness are the kind of qualities that make her a great friend.

K- Kathy Schroeder--my student teaching experience was so good and a lot of that can be attributed to Kathy. She was my cooperating teacher at HJH and I learned so much about teaching and life from her. A great example of wanting to be a better teacher every day to become a great teacher.

L- Lacey Blodgett--Lacey's house always has the treats for me to enjoy and the fun times with Just Dance and Rock Band. Lacey's generosity make her one of the kindest persons I know and I love how willing she is to share her home with those around her.

M-Marilynn Brady--I loved working one summer during college with my Aunt Marilynn. We had a lot of good laughs at the law firm and she's one of the best examples to me. I have always loved Marilynn's laugh (affectionately known as the Cowles cackle), because she shares it so often. She sees the good in people and events and is always so willing to help out everyone around her.

Ice...because it works

2010-11-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was going to be an interesting day at school for a couple of reasons. One, only half my students showed up to school because of the Thanksgiving holiday and the GIANT storm that hit the area. The second reason is it took me 45 minutes to drive out to West Jordan, when it normally only takes about 30. The roads weren't too bad and there weren't too many idiots on the roads that early. Since we didn't have full classes, we as teachers combined efforts and had all our classes together in the gym. During my 7th period, Kent, Eddie, Bonnie, and I played against a couple of kids on the volleyball court. I was actually playing well and went for a pass on the side of the court and when I came down I felt a very unstable landing occurring. Some dumb kid left her sweater lying on the ground and I landed right on it twisting my left ankle. I have not experienced pain like that since a church basketball game almost 2 years ago (and thus why I have retired from church sports). I was in serious pain and tried to walk it off. I finally succumbed and got some ice. I was limping around the rest of the day and all of Thanksgiving day, meaning there was no basketball in the church gym after we ate.
My Athletic Injuries professor at USU would point us out in class and ask us a direct question. After avoiding eye contact with Dr. Mildenberger and trying to lie low for most of the semester, he finally stood right in front of me and looked me square in the eye and asked, "Why do we use ice?" As I was attempting to answer, the moron behind me proceeded to give some long explanation that wasn't even close. Dr. Mildenberger pointed directly at me with his dry erase marker and asked the question again. I answered "Because it works." With a smile on his face he replied, "Exactly." I was so relieved to get my turn out of the way and I got one of the easier questions for sure. After that moment, I have never forgotten what that answer means and after telling my kids to put ice on their injuries, I found myself taking my own advice. And it does work. :)

Top 10 to be grateful for

2010-11-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

1. my family
2. my job
3. my health
4. the Gospel
5. my car "Tony"
6. music
7. shoes
8. Wheaties
9. 2% milk
10. Utah Attitude White softball team

How thick can you get?

2010-11-24T11:02:00.001-07:00

So I've decided that I'm very grateful this Thanksgiving season for common sense and my Dad. These two just go together. He taught me to ask questions concerning things that don't seem right, like with my car, affectionately named Tony. After replacing the battery, my car was still having some issues. It wasn't starting and it was frustrating. I went through in my own mind everything that could be wrong: a bad connection to the battery, too much battery acid, or the alternator. I know about all of these because Papa Jim taught me what they are and what they mean. So after taking my car to our mechanic and now driving a well oiled machine, I feel good about the common sense I seem to possess. I bring this up because I've lived with a few girls, mostly in SLC, that just don't ever seem to possess any common sense. The house I live in right now is...old. There's no other way to put it. It's blazing hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter mainly due to the way it's insulated. It doesn't matter how high my roommates turn up the heat, they don't understand it will never warm up. And then one of them decided to email our landlord telling her the furnace was broken, before checking with the other tenants of the house and the actual furnace. It is in fact not broken and it is putting out heat. It's sad that so many girls never take the time to really learn about things that affect them, like their living situations. Dallin cleaned up this mess and told our landlord that it was working just fine and to not worry about it. I'm ready to buy my own house.

So good!

2010-11-18T07:28:00.001-07:00

Brandon Flowers ranks up there with John Mayer and the Eagles for best concerts I've been to. He was amazing and has such a great stage presence. His voice is very distinct and I think that's what sets him apart from other artists. His cover of Bette Davis Eyes was unreal! Totally melts your face off! I've been listening to his Flamingo album and it's good on CD, but to listen to it all live is so much better! I would definitely go and see him again. Thanks Robby for getting the tickets!

Heroes

2010-11-16T10:55:00.001-07:00

Since last week was Veterans Day, we as teachers were asked to have our PAWS class (my 28 sophomores that I will mentor for the next 3 years) write about their heroes. I was so impressed that most of these kids didn't choose movie actors or even sports stars. Instead they wrote about their parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and siblings. I found by reading their papers that the people they listed are people they trust with their emotions and their struggles in life. It made me realize that my heroes are the same people I trust.
My parents are heroes to me because of the moral compasses that they instilled in all their kids. They taught us how to work and work hard for what we want. They are great examples of choosing to be a good person.
My sister Melissa is a hero to me because she works so hard at 3 jobs and I know she's changing the lives of the kids at Bonneville HS helping them get to class on time. :)
My sister Erin is a hero to me because I don't know anyone else in this world that can be so quick to make someone laugh and show kindness to everyone around her.
Dallin is my best friend and a hero to me because of the way she doesn't take anybody's crap! She tells it like it is and doesn't care what people think. She's happy with who Dallin is and is always there to keep me grounded.
Other people that have been heroes to me include teachers that kept me going strong in school making me strive to be the best student I could be. Coaches that pushed me to work hard and understand the game I was playing. The kids I coach are all great examples to me and because of the choices they make everyday to be good kids, they're heroes to me.

Turkey Bowl!

2010-11-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

So our ward does an annual Turkey Bowl in honor of Thanksgiving and football. Thanks to the PE department at CHHS for providing the flags. Just one of the many perks of being a PE teacher. The first year I played, the boys weren't being awesome and I got mad. I don't like when my temper flares, especially at church sporting activities. I think that's a big reason why I retired from church basketball. If the competition level increases, my intensity and temper do as well. I only played one game last season and since I think I only sank one three pointer, I turned to stepping it up on defense. Anyway, back to football, it was a splendid display of athleticism and a lot of jokes. Dal and I had a fun time downloading football tunes for warm ups and pumping up the jam before the other players got there. A tradition at USU during Week of Welcome is Walking Tacos. To quote Shane Sarlo "They're not talking wacos, they're walking tacos!" Basically you take a bag of Fritos, open it, fill it with taco meat, cheese, lettuce, and sour cream and walk away with a delightful lunch. Always a hit at USU. So a shout out to Erin and Steve for planning yet another great ward activity. It's just not going to be the same in January.

Talent

2010-11-14T01:54:00.000-07:00

I love when I see real talent. I see it in my softball girls when they turn triple plays, hit the cream cheese out of the ball, and execute. I love watching my swimmers sprint to the finish and glide through the water. I'm always impressed with the kids at school that I've seen play perfect notes on their instruments. I just have a much greater appreciation for people that can show why they excel at things they love to do. Erin introduced me, Dal and Robby to a movie that has one of my favorite actresses, Claire Danes, in it. It's based on an autistic woman named Temple Grandin (and that's the name of the movie) that develops many functioning inventions for the livestock industry on animal behavior. I am fascinated with the subject of autism. After taking my graduate school classes at the U with Dr. Henderson, I have a much greater appreciation for people with autism. Because of those classes, I was able to work with some really great kids through the U-Fit program on the campus. It was held on Friday nights from 6-8 pm where I worked 1 on 1 with a child with autism developing motor and social skills through swimming, art and gym activities. I learned a lot of patience, the right things to say (because they think so literally), and a new appreciation for parents with children with disabilities. Even though I got the crap beat out of me every Friday night, that was probably one of the best experiences I did for two semesters during grad school. I was so impressed with Claire Danes performance. Not many actors good pull that off and she did a fantastic job! A talented actress that never seems to disappoint me, no matter what role she is playing.

I'm obsessed with this Ingrid song

2010-11-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Music that's worth the time to listen

2010-11-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Lyrics and music have been two things I've been interested in ever since I was in junior high school. I've always liked listening for the lyrics that actually mean something. I think that's why I appreciate musicians like John Mayer, Ingrid Michaelson, Sarah McLachlan, Train and Indigo Girls. I like music that makes you think and relate events to a particular song. When Dal and I are in the car and a song comes on, it's amazing how many times we look at each other and say something like "Take me back to junior high." Or "Remember freshman year at USU?" If I go to concerts it has to be a group or musician that I really like. I think the worst concert I've been to is Yellowcard. I was a junior in college and it just sucked. I was sorely disappointed with the crowd and I wasn't that impressed with the band. My favorite concerts to date have been all three John Mayer's (the second one was by far my favorite because I was with Erin, Dallin, and Melissa sitting on the 5th row. Sisters time!!), Train, Guster, Alice Peacock, Eagles, and Jimmy Eat World. I'm hoping my next favorite concert is going to be Brandon Flowers of The Killers. Robby got tickets to see him on this coming Wednesday night and I must say I'm excited to see what he has to offer. Erin went and saw The Killers before they went on hiatus, and said it was amazing. Now that softball practices have ended for a while, my Wednesdays have been opened very wide.

Getting through the madness of high school...again.

2010-11-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

First off, I liked high school while I was there. But, I would never want to relive it as a student. Being a teacher is very different. Second, I think it's safe to say that I'm happy to get everything that could go wrong while teaching out of the way in the first two quarters. So far I've had to break up a fight in my class, dealt with boys beating on each other with equipment, filled out police reports, a girl telling me she might be pregnant, and another girl getting her hand slammed in a weight machine because she thought it would be a good idea to place her hand between the weights. On the coaching side, we as a swimming coaching staff are now dealing with an alcohol issue. Good night nurse! High schoolers can be such a special breed. Then there are the kids that I really enjoy working with and make my job fun. I played volleyball with my 2nd period class on Tuesday. I forgot how much of a tolerance you have to build for your forearms to not hurt for days after. But I really like that class and it's one I don't have to monitor for the entire class period because the kids are doing exactly what they're supposed to. It's a great way to start my day, besides having 1st period prep.

Car troubles

2010-11-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

Waking up this morning, I could hear the rain outside and instantly knew it was an inside day. We're at the point in the year anyway, but I was hoping for one last chance to do softball outside with my classes today. It seemed to be the one thing they were excited about even though I did not share the kids' enthusiasm for PE softball. It's just so different and someone always seems to get pegged hard with the ball. As I was heading out the door, I had a bad feeling about my car. The last time I got the oil changed the guy there told me that the battery was a little weak and I should probably replace it. I made it all the way down to St. George and back this weekend and then drove it up to Pleasant View on Sunday with no problems. As I loaded all my bags and hopped in this morning, I turned the key and nothing. My first thought was "I should have changed the battery before St. George." My second thought was having to get a sub. I'm not the most comfortable leaving my classes just yet and I've already had two subs this year. I felt bad too because I had no choice but to wake Dal a lot earlier than she ever wants to get up and have her help me jump my car. I made it all the way to school and I think the battery is done. Hopefully I can make it to a car parts store and get it replaced. I think ever since I got my first paycheck, I've had to replace a lot of things on the car. I was fortunate, however, all during my job searching days that I only had to change the oil. A new battery is in today's future.

"Church should be fun for everyone, not just you guys."

2010-11-07T23:00:00.003-07:00

Church is always an interesting and fun event each Sunday. I really like going and most weeks I feel like I learn something new, especially when I pay attention. In Relief Society, our new RS president, Natalie, gave us a lesson on the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. I had to laugh at Erin's comment when Cheryl handed her one, "I don't need this, I'm 31!" But as I sat through the lesson, I couldn't help but think that even though this pamphlet is addressed to the youth of the church, it still applies to me as an adult. While growing up in my ward in Roy, I had a bishop that challenged us as youth to carry a wallet sized edition with us and to this day I always have one in my wallet. As I was reading through the First Presidency's message in the pamphlet, I realized that so much of this applies to me because of my profession. Being a teacher and coach, I have a responsibility to be a good example to the kids I work with. In the message it states 6 specific promises:

1. be able to do your life's work with greater wisdom and skill
2. bear trials with greater courage
3. have the help of the Holy Ghost
4. feel good about yourself
5. will be a positive influence in the lives of others
6. be worthy to go to the temple to receive holy ordinances (pg. 2-3).

The one that really stuck out to me in the lesson was number 5. I know that because of the way I've been raised and the high expectations I've set for myself, I've always tried to put myself in good situations and be an influence for good. Hopefully I've done a decent job of this. Of course there are always things I can work on--always room for improvement. I do love walking out of church feeling like I've been enlightened and learned something new about the principles as well as myself.

Fall closing

2010-11-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

Whale, fall softball finished today in St. George. It's frustrating to me that I'm given so much grief for coaching softball and not being able to make it to every social event planned by friends. When I was asked to help coach back in February, I committed to doing it. I was excited to coach and I knew this was a starting off point in helping me find a teaching job. I've enjoyed my time, and I will miss seeing my girls for the next two months, but I'm also excited to have the short break before high school softball starts up. I'm exhausted and need the time to just think about what I need to do better as a coach. Fall was a little frustrating because I had so many different elements coming at me that I was not fully prepared and ready to deal with--parents, emotions, and trying to balance teaching, swimming, and softball. But I have made it through most of the storm. I think I have a pretty good idea of things I need to do and books I need to read.

Ivy and Darby--Utah Attitude White

St. George tournament

Utah Attitude White Fall 2010

St. George tournament

Discounts that make me happy

2010-11-04T10:10:00.000-06:00

So most people that know the Cowles sisters, know we're die hard Aggies. We love Utah State University and attending anything Aggie related. Dal and I frequented the volleyball games, gymnastics meets, and basketball games while there. Being in the Spectrum gives you a sense of being involved with something magical. Especially with those colorful seats. :)

This leads me to my other favorites to watch. I love BYU volleyball and University of Utah gymnastics. When Dal and I were in junior high we would watch BYU volleyball late at night when they would show the games on KBYU. That was in their real glory days and their national top ten rankings. I still like watching BYU play and volleyball is just fun anyway.

My first real encounter with Utah gymnastics was a meet at USU. I was in college in Logan and when I heard the U was coming to the Spectrum for a meet, Dal and I made sure to not study that night so we could go. Such an amazing program. Dal sent me a text this morning and asked if I would be interested in getting season tickets for Utah gymnastics. A $40 value reduced to $20, to which I replied 'Heck Yes!' And for $20, I'll take a Friday night gymnastics meet any time.

I guess I'll be pulling out my Utah sweatshirt for Friday nights.

Inspiration

2010-10-31T16:45:00.001-06:00

Since 7th grade I knew I wanted to teach PE. I loved sports, and had an amazing junior high school experience. This post is for all those people that have inspired me to become a teacher and coach.

First off, the movies that made me really want to become a teacher.

Clueless because of the comments by Cher to Ms. Stoger: "Ms. Stoger, can I just say that physical education in this school is a disgrace. I mean, standing in line for 40 minutes is hardly aerobically effective. I doubt I've worked off the calories in a stick of Care-free gum."

Never Been Kissed: "You better finish these laps Geller or you're not going to graduate." "You're still telling that lie?!"

Second, the teachers, coaches, and mentors that have inspired me.

1. Ann Schulz--my junior high PE teacher.

2. Jenny Graviet--junior high English teacher.

3. Glenna Lewis--high school English teacher.

4. Michelle Kersey--high school math teacher and softball coach.

5. Dave Hoch--high school softball coach.

6. Kathy Schroeder--student teaching mentor.

And the kids that have made teaching and coaching all worth it so far!

Kenzie, Chandler, Bridget, Maddie, Georgia, Emma, Jenna, Tyler N., Garrett, Tyler R. Calli, and Ivy.

1 down, 3 to go

2010-10-29T08:27:00.000-06:00

First quarter ends today. I have to have my grades submitted before Monday and right now, I've got kids coming in asking what they can do to improve their grade. My first thought is always "Well, you can show up to class and actually do something." I'm having to tell these kids that it's too late and they'll have to do better 2nd quarter.

It's funny for me to look back on my school days and remember stressing out if I didn't do homework or if I wasn't prepared. I was the same way in college. I remember in my Measurement and Evaluation of PE class my professor said something to the entire class about an assignment that would be due the next time, but my partner and I were still outside on the fields cleaning up our teaching project, so we missed the information. Therefore, I was unprepared the next time and he could tell I was upset. After that, I always tried to double check everything.

And we as teachers have the choice of coming in on Monday to get paid for 3 hours of sitting through most likely boring meetings, but not getting paid to submit our grades. I think I shall pass and enjoy the day off. I can get a lot of reading and cleaning done.

Quotes that go a long way

2010-10-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

I love funny quotes that make me laugh. Most of the time, they're quotes that you have to be in the situation to get. A lot of inside jokes occur among the Cowles sisters. A few that got me laughing pretty hard.We had dinner at Melissa's house on Sunday and afterward Erin, Dal, and Melissa played Operation with Haylie and Mikaela. We found out a few things about Melissa's counting inabilities.

"Just go to number 4. 1...2...4."--Melissa

And apparently Erin is a world class surgeon.

"Ewee's operating. You need to give her some room."--Dallin

I hope Dal realizes the patient isn't real. :)

I love eating lunch in Bonnie's room and trying to find the new student quotes that she puts up. The 2 I found very amusing include the following.

"Reading takes up too much time and it's only good for someone who doesn't have a life."

"So...World War 2 was during the 1400s, right?"

Her sophomores were reading The Hiding Place so I'm thinking the girl that wrote this didn't even read the book, or seriously had no idea what was going on.

Trying to run a little too fast for too long

2010-10-24T13:40:00.001-06:00

So I knew it would happen. It was bound to happen. I'm at my yearly sickness and it came on pretty fast. I skipped out on church today. It was only regional conference so I didn't feel that bad about missing. However, I hate feeling sick and sniffling, and sitting at the USU Hawaii football game in the rain probably didn't help my cause. I lasted a good 2 months at CHHS before getting sick so I feel pretty good about that.

Pretty much what it comes down to is that I'm not sleeping as much as I should. I would rather stay at Erin's and play Just Dance 1 & 2 until late than go to bed. But getting up early for school and then going to swim practice and softball practice on top of it makes for a bad combination of my stupidity.

Mutants

2010-10-23T19:56:00.000-06:00

I've had a fun couple of weeks using the word mutant (and I know Ivy has too). I like using this word to describe some of the kids in my classes--mostly the boys--and my swimmers at the two meets we've had so far. It's just a nicer way of saying something or someone is retarded. Some, if not all days, I feel for the head swim coach. She puts in a ton of time and effort to get this program running like a tight ship and I really don't think some kids understand that. Therefore, it's easier to call them mutants and help them understand what we're trying to accomplish, than to let them continue being mutants.

And I must say, after today's softball game, I'm thinking the umpires can be classified as mutants. Usually the guy that was behind the plate doesn't do that bad. His strike zone on the plate was about the size of a stick of Care-free gum and the one in the field was hardly paying attention to the game. That is a deadly combination that makes for a frustrating game. Not to mention the mutant coaches on the other side that decided to run up the score in the first inning. That was awesome. I know my girls didn't make every play, and that didn't help us, but don't be a mutant and run up the score.

I think we've got enough mutants in the world, so my new teaching goal is to limit the number of mutants that leave my class and actually become productive citizens. I'll keep you posted.

Bright spots

2010-10-19T21:15:00.000-06:00

I love these girls! One of the best things that has happened to me is getting an opportunity to help coach Clearfield High School's softball team and meeting Roland. He saw potential in me to coach one of his competition teams and I have loved every minute of it. Starting last spring with Utah Attitude White and continuing into this fall, I have had some of the funnest moments in my life with these girls. Thank you Ashley, Shae, Sam, Margaret, Laramie, Nicole, Raychel, Calli, Shannen, Lauryn, Karly, Megan, Elli, Marlee, and Ivy for being bright spots in my life and for making me laugh at every practice and tournament.

Hike school observations that are funny

2010-09-30T23:31:00.000-06:00

On 'B' days I eat lunch in Bonnie's room. It's a nice break and fun to have a good conversation with someone that knows more words than just "like," "you know," and "um." What I really like about eating lunch in Bonnie's room is her student quote board. Two that made me laugh are the following:

1. "What was Shakespeare's last name?"

2. "What's Tahiti?"

High school kids are funny because some of them really aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. One of my favorite things so far from my class is the quiz I gave them. I wanted them to find out what their maximum heart rate was and gave them the following equation:

220 - your age = _____ beats per minute (bpm)

220 - ______ = _____ bpm --> Max Heart Rate

In place of where the kids were supposed to put their age, one student wrote IDK, meaning I don't know. So sad that these kids don't even know how old they are.

The other thing that makes me fear for this generation is their inability to read an actual clock. If it's not digital they really don't know how to read it. I'm pretty sure I learned how to read a clock in 3rd grade.

Some pretty funny things are said in my classes and in the hallways. I didn't think I would like high school, but it's definitely growing on me.

Heinous boys

2010-09-22T12:55:00.002-06:00

So it's the 5th week of school and I'm getting used to working with boys. My student teaching was all girls which I was completely fine with. As I am now working at Copper Hills High School, my classes are mixed with boys and girls except for one that is all boys. I think most, not all, high school boys are heinous. In my toughest class on B days last Tuesday, I had a fist fight break out in my class. I was amazed at how much adrenaline was pumping through my body when I saw them tangled up punching each other on the ground. I ran over and tossed one of the boys off of the other. Keep in my mind I only weigh about a buck twenty five and these boys easily had 30 and 60 lbs. on me, respectively. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing! I was just waiting for the day that I was going to have a fight break out in my class. Boys punch each other and get it over with, girls are catty and mean and talk behind backs. Oh, I don't miss being in high school. I feel bad for some kids with the abuse they are put through by mean kids.

Also, I had a parent email saying her daughter was all kinds of upset because I marked her tardy...which she was. We give our kids 10 minutes to dress after the bell rings. Ample time to change clothes and go shoot the breeze in the gym before I take roll. I explained this to the parent and it was nice that she was on my side. There are still good parents out there that don't blame teachers for everything.

More stories to come. It's only September...it's bound to get worse. :)

Thanks for not making me labor too much

2010-09-07T19:52:00.003-06:00

It's a good thing Labor Day came as soon as it did after starting school. It was nice to sleep in a little bit past 7 and get some other things done. I spent most of the weekend with Erin. We got take out sushi and enjoyed a night of molding our minds with Alex Trebek. We sucked it up at Mario Bros. and decided to watch a movie instead. It worked out. My BFF Sara was in town from Seattle so it was good to get some quality friend time together at church. Monday was spent in Park City with Mama and Papa Cowles. Thanks for the new parka for the slopes, feeding me and Erin not once, but twice. A great weekend spent with people I love.

Survival of the fittest

2010-09-06T19:13:00.000-06:00

So my first week of school has come and gone. Holy crap! One of the toughest things so far is getting myself out of bed and to school by 7 am. It's not bad in the fact that my contract hours are from 7-3 PM, and I have a prep period both days. I honestly don't think I would ever teach 7 out of 8 periods. To me, it's not worth it.

My classes are actually pretty good. My A days are better than my B days. I have 2 Lifetime Fitness classes, one better than the other, and my team sports class is entirely boys. And I might add that they are not the brightest crayons in the box, but are pretty good. My B days are all 3 Lifetime Fitness classes and huge! I don't know what happened when they were scheduling, but 45-54 kids in a class makes it hard to get to know all their names in a timely manner. I do however feel for the English teachers, they all have 40+ kids in their classes.

I had my kids run, and I use that term loosely, the 1.5 miles that's required by the state. Every time a kid passed me on the track and said how much it sucked, I said, "You can email the state office." I don't think they even know what the State Office of Education is.

So far Copper Hills is a great starting off point for my teaching career. I still believe that ultimately I want to be on the junior high level, but since the business of teaching is so tight, I'll take my chances right now with the high schoolers. And if I can handle an entire class of high school boys, I am on my way!

Not a student

2010-08-13T15:20:00.000-06:00

So last Monday I met my new mentor, Megan Peck. She has been a teacher at Copper Hills for the last 7 years and I feel really good about this setup. As she was taking me around and getting me acquainted with the office, gyms, and other staff members in the school, this was how she introduced me to everyone: "This is Darby Cowles....not a student. She's our new PE teacher." Everyone's reaction was about the same when they saw me walking around with her, they all thought I was a new student to CHHS. I would rather look too young than too old so I'll deal with it.

Playing up to their potential

2010-08-02T00:35:00.001-06:00

This entire week has been filled with softball in Park City. We competed in the Triple Crown World Series and had an awesome tournament. We ended the tournament with a 3rd place finish and a plaque and some great playing. The tournament was Tuesday through Saturday, so needless to say, our girls were tired by Saturday. They played great and it was nice to see some different teams. On Friday we actually got to play in Salt Lake and got to sleep in. We were playing a team from Colorado so it was really surprising to me as I was coaching 1st base that one of the parents said we were at least "7,000 feet above sea level." Maybe if we were hiking and at the top of a peak we would be at 7,000 feet. Being from Colorado and also part of the Rocky Mountain Range I would have expected this parent to be a little smarter. I guess that's asking too much.

3rd place Utah Attitude White

Top row: Coach Darby, Calli, Nicole, Laramie, Shannen, Sam N., Raychel, Margaret, Coach Lennie. Bottom: Sam A., Ashley, Ivy, Brianna, Kaylee, Lashae.

Triple Crown World Series, Park City, Utah

These are my college bound girls. (L to R): Margaret and Shae will be heading to Western Nevada CC in Carson City, Ashley will be going to Garden City CC in Kansas, and Sam will be heading over to California. These four were great for us this summer and I'm going to miss Ashley and Margaret as they reached the age limit and can't play next summer. Sam and Shae will be back next summer as part of our pitching staff.

This has been a great experience for me and I love working with these kids! Next up...Spanish Fork Big Slam.

I owe my tan to softball

2010-07-20T17:30:00.001-06:00

This last weekend was spent in Sparks, Nevada on the turf softball fields. The girls played great and it was a fun softball weekend. Brittany and I were the coaches and both a little nervous to be running everything. I thought it was a great learning experience for both of us and the nerves finally went away.

This was the all inspiring team huddle where I used a few choice words to get the girls excited to play against a ghetto team from San Jose. I think it worked because that was a great inning.

Overall, this experience has been a great learning one for me and I've had an awesome time with this group of kids. It's fun to watch good softball and execution actually happen.

All the Utah Attitude girls at the TC Layton tournament in June. Attitude Blue took 2nd and my Attitude White girls took 1st place. It was fun to put the medals around their necks and see the smiles on their faces.

1st place TC Layton tournament Utah Attitude White--(L to R) Coach Lennie, Coach Brittany, Coach Darby, Leshae, Sam A., Margaret, Shannen, Ivy, Raychel, Brianna, Laramie, Nicole, Sam N., Ashley, and Kaylee.

It was like a total electrical fire! Like the 4th of July!

2010-07-08T12:24:00.000-06:00

The 4th of July weekend was stellar. I didn't have a softball tournament, so I took full advantage of the time off. We started our weekend off at the Real Salt Lake soccer game. The game was great, but the real entertainment was the blowup animal dancers at halftime and before the fireworks started. Classic entertainment!

Darby, Justin, and Dallin enjoying the nice cool breeze at the Real Salt Lake game.

Saturday was a day on Utah Lake with Robby, Tennille, Rafe, Justin and Dal. Utah Lake's pretty gross, but it was a really nice day. Above Dal and Bonnie getting ready to take on the waves and hold on for dear life on the tubes.

My sock line and Bonnie's pink streaks make for a very interesting front of the boat. Those socks have got to go!

4th of July also means BBQs. We had the fam over for some volleyball action, meat, and fireworks. Always a treat.

The Cowles cousins are a pretty tight knit group and we actually like doing things together. Dal, Jeff, Taycina and I went on the Indian Trail hike on Monday morning. Not a bad hike at all and some pretty good views of Ogden.

Cousins time! Darby, Dallin, and Jeff on the trail.

Classy with a capital C

2010-06-30T10:24:00.000-06:00

So we play slow pitch softball on Monday nights. It's fun, we usually have a good time, and we're winners...most of the time. We did get trashed this last Monday night by an overconfident and rude team. I expect the boys to be regular D-bags, but when the girls are total B's, it doesn't say much for their class level. There's usually one team in each league that has to be this way and make the other teams hate playing them. Two boys decided it would be a good idea to slide cleats first into Tenille at second base, and then the girls would never say thanks to Erin for getting their bats. Real classy girls! It's sad because the softball field is where these girls think they're awesome but a good softball quote of the night by Rafe Thompson: "No success on the softball field makes up for any failure in life." Well said Rafe.

It's all about the Grizz. ROAR!

2010-06-23T21:23:00.000-06:00

It's finally happened! My dream of being a PE teacher came true today after a very long and frustrating year of job hunting. I put in over 40 applications and the one position I don't put an application in for is the job I get. I'm ready to get started with a career in teaching and I'm looking forward to wearing my t-shirts and shorts everyday. :)

I'll be a PE teacher at Copper Hills High School in West Jordan and probably be coaching some sport. Swimming, softball, basketball, volleyball--pretty much whatever they want me to coach, I will. Second best part of teaching at CHHS is that I'll be a faculty member with Dallin's mission companion, Bonnie Blackburn who will be teaching English. I hope we have the same lunch and always sit by each other at staff meetings.

A long road filled with lessons on patience and staying optimistic. I'm not going to lie, there were some really depressing days this last year, but I'm now on my way to a career in a field I love.

Show 'em some Attitude!

2010-05-29T18:22:00.001-06:00

So this Memorial Day weekend was spent on the softball diamonds of Clinton City. I'm helping coach an 18U competition team called Utah Attitude-white. So far I like what I see and for this being the first time these girls have played together, they impressed me. We have a lot of talent and now that they've got a few games under their belts, I have no doubt in my mind that we are going to have a great summer. Next up, Colorado.

Ah, you're my best friend!

2010-05-11T14:50:00.001-06:00

I've only not been able to celebrate my birthday with Dallin twice in my life. Today because she is in Argentina and three years ago because she was in Argentina. I wonder if this is going to be a 3 year trend for us. But there is no one I would rather share my birthday with than my best friend of 27 years. People are always funny when they ask if we like being twins. We don't know any different and I think if we would have had the choice we would still choose to share everything.

I love this picture of Dal. It reminds me of her fun personality...and Otto the bus driver on The Simpsons. So happy birthday Dal!

Coaching moments brought in part by CHS

2010-05-10T14:38:00.000-06:00

So it turns out that coaching girls softball for Clearfield High has been an adventure. Playing in a very tough Region 1 consisting of 9 teams (the largest region in the state) has its ups and downs for sure! CHS is struggling in most of the athletics and softball was no exception. I used this experience as a teaching and learning experience for myself. I found things that I would never do with my own program, and things I would strive to do. Because of the struggles we faced, it was hard some days to keep our heads up and avoid the many injuries that plagued this team. I was however, able to work with some pretty special kids that have influenced me tremendously.

Emma was my "assistant" throughout the season. The kid screwed up her knee back in November longboarding and showed up to conditioning in January with a brace on her operated knee and a smile on her face. Her senior season wiped out but still committed to the team showing up to practices.

Jenna was my all-around "I'll do whatever you want me to do Coach" kid. I loved how coachable this kid was and her willingness to learn and improve everyday. Thanks Jenna for being a great kid and always having a positive attitude!

If today is Earth Day, why is there so much trash lying around?

2010-05-01T11:42:00.001-06:00

Earth Day was April 22nd, and to celebrate, Erin, Dal, Justin, Caroline, and I all attended the Train concert at the Gallivan Plaza. They were wonderful. Their predecessors however, weren't so magical. The band "Hey Monday" to me is too much of a Paramore wannabe....and not even close to the talent. So we endured through horrible, sappy high school love lyrics and rhymes that include played and made and waited for a much better band to come on and treat us to a night of magic.

Care's face and Justin texting during Hey Monday sums up the feelings we all had towards this band of no talent. At least we got there a little later so we didn't have to sit through all of their sappy rhyming lyrics.

Erin's boyfriend Pat Monahan gave a wonderful performance and even showed off a pretty ripped upper body. Erin and Caroline were seen chanting "Pants! Pants! Pants!" after the shirt came off. This is Dallin's new drunk, handsy, out of control best friend. The high school girls to the left of us were terrified of him. A very entertaining evening with this character having 7 beers during the evening.

So thank you Train for making Earthest 2010 a huge success and a very fun night. And to those who attended and left all their trash lying around the Gallivan Plaza, I just hope you remembered it was Earth Day and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Back in business at Sunnyside

2010-04-23T09:58:00.000-06:00

The slow pitch softball season has started officially for Business Time. We had our first game last Monday and had a good showing and a W on our record. It's so much nicer being back playing at Sunnyside this year. We are missing out on weekly occurrences of "softball guy" but the teams that play at Sunnyside are so much nicer and not "in it to win it!" We are all a much happier team on the sunny side.

Hello blog, I've been neglecting you

2010-04-13T09:53:00.000-06:00

So, it's true...I haven't blogged in about 4 months. In that time I went to Hawaii with Dal, Brooke, and Dorian and had a wonderful time. I have finished the swimming season at Clearfield, and started the softball season at Clearfield. And I have started my slow pitch season...kind of. After a full night of rain last night, Salt Lake County finally decided to cancel our 9:30 game at 9:10 making all the other teams play in the rain. Whatever works for them I guess. I was actually excited to not have to play last night only for the fact that I had a pretty rough practice at CHS. Last week was spring break for the kids. We still had practice but alas, only 9 out of 23 girls got the memo that we were practicing. I went for Monday and Tuesday but skipped out on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to help Dal in Salt Lake and observe a math class I will be long term subbing. On Tuesday, we played the game "Work Up" and I got trashed! It's been a long time since I've had to swing the bat at something coming faster than 15 mph. Needless to say, all the girls thought I skipped out on practice for the rest of the week because they thought I was embarrassed by my performance. Last night, I was hit in the ankle and in the right eye by out of control thrown softballs. This is added to my wounds of being hit in the hand, both shins, the shoulder, and the calf. I never knew that coaching would be this dangerous, but considering the skill level I'm coaching, I'm actually not that surprised. My friend Justin said I was lucky it was just the ball they were throwing at me since the bats are in such close proximity. Well said Justin. I guess I should have seen this coming since I'm in charge of their conditioning. Payback's a B&*#h! All in all the bruise is pretty minimal and since I don't have insurance right now, I'm considering myself blessed it's not worse than it is. I could have been in Erin's shoes.

Cowles Christmas Extravaganza!

2009-12-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year for our Cowles Family Christmas party. I always look forward to this every year. We start off our night by attempting to bowl at Wildcat Lanes. I think we've progressively gotten worse as the years have gone by, but having a few more inattentive bowlers (all the great grandkids) makes for short attention spans by all. After our attempts to break at least 100 on the frames, we head to a church for food, the reading of The Little Star, and Santa! Ever since I was little kid, my Grandma Grace has read The Little Star (except when she has no voice) as we sit in a circle and pass heinous white elephant gifts. Some years have included cow tongues, a hand candle, disgusting expired food, a classic 1970s tie, and a box of dead birds courtesy of Eric. Now, to save on time we only have the great grandkids do the game and then have Santa come. Grandma's copy of The Little Star has been through the ringer so I've retyped it and laminated it for future use. It is one of my favorite Christmas memories.

THE LITTLE STAR

Once upon a time, God created the heavens and the earth. On the first day God said, “Let there be light,” and He placed all the STARS in the sky—all but one.
This little STAR was hurt, and it began to cry because God had not given it a chance to shine like the others. But when it went to Him and wondered why, God replied, “I’m not ready for you, little STAR; you must grow some more before I can use you.”
Many years went by. Then, down on earth one day, God’s favorite people, the Israelites, escaped from their bondage in Egypt. Their leader was a man named Moses, and he led the Hebrews between the walls of the river on toward the land of Canaan.
God was very happy about this. He said, “I need a million STARS to form a pillar of fire, to lead my children to the Promised Land. Who will volunteer?” The little STAR thought, “Now is my chance to shine—I’ll volunteer.” But when it came to God, He shook His head and told it, “Not yet, little STAR, you must become brighter before I can use you.”
Faster and faster the years passed. All the while the little STAR was growing larger and brighter. “When will my time come?” it wondered.
On the nights when the clouds hid the other STARS from earth the little STAR tried to steal beneath the clouds and light the way of the travelers who were lost and could not find their path home. But each time God would stop it, saying, “I am not ready for you, little STAR; have patience and some day I will give you your chance.”
“How much I am missing,” the little STAR complained, as it watched the bigger STARS keeping their vigil over David as he slept in the fields at night. “How I would like to inspire the poets to write their Psalms as the other STARS do,” the little STAR sighed as the centuries rolled by without a chance for it to shine; but all the while it was growing larger and larger.
Then one day God called to it, “Little STAR, the time has come; I am ready to use you.”
The little STAR began to twinkle with anticipation; what did God have in store for it? As it beamed with satisfaction, God took the little STAR in his hand, and placed it in the sky. “Now shine little STAR,” God said. And shine it did!
While the little STAR was shining, it noticed three wise men were looking at it with exceeding joy, as if it held the answer to some question in their minds. Strange to say the little STAR felt that it must lead them somewhere. It began to move and wherever it went, the wise men followed.
As it glided the sky, the little STAR noticed that it was headed for a town that lay in the distance. The closer it came to the village, the brighter it beamed. When it reached the edge of the town, the little STAR burst forth into radiance which was much more beautiful than any other STAR had ever possessed.
Suddenly it stopped, directly over a stable. And, as it hovered there, the three wise men stepped down from their camels, and they hurried into the stable. “What are they looking for?” the little STAR pondered. From the heavens it heard God’s reply, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Suddenly a wonderful peace came over the little STAR. It knew that soon God would call it out of the sky, for its task was done. But it was happy. It had served its purpose, and it was ready to give way to a great Light, a Light which was the life of men.
And this is the story of the little STAR.

Swim, you fool!

2009-12-17T21:55:00.003-07:00

So this last week we had two swim meets. Tuesday was a disaster against Ogden HS. We were supposed to start at 3, but didn't end up starting until 4:15 because we had no officials, not enough timers, and no one was really that willing to help us out. This is where Papa Jim comes in and rescues his kids every time. I called him and he showed up and helped time my kids with the Ogden HS bus driver. Thanks Dad! You're the best thing since sliced bread!
Thursday went much smoother and we had a great swim meet against my alma mater Roy and Syracuse. This has been a really great experience for me and I love being able to joke around with the kids.

Entertainment

2009-12-13T16:06:00.001-07:00

I've finished my health courses at Weber State and now have lots of time to read what I want. I always like finishing a semester because then I know I am free for at least a little while. Hopefully I won't be in school for the next couple of years. I don't want to be one of those eternal students. Anywho, I did really like the classes and my professors were great. Weber State has some great programs and I would recommend their Health Promotion and Human Performance department to anyone.

In other news...We as Cowles sisters went and saw The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Bahahahahahhaa!! Melissa was getting ticked at me, Dal and Ewee because we were making fun of it. We couldn't help it, there were too many cheesy parts not to. I will say it was better than I thought it would be. That was one of the most painful books I've ever read. The best three pages of the book were the ones that had October, November, and December printed on them. I was expecting this movie to be sappy and Bella just crushed and bland the entire time. At least the makeup was better than the first. I'm not in love with the soundtrack, however. Too many bands jumping on the Twilight gravy train to get noticed but I just didn't like a lot of the tunes. Such a sad day, because I think it could have been better.

Brooke scored some tickets to the Mo Tab's annual Christmas concert and it was a delightful evening with Natalie Cole. She did really well and David McCullough is a favorite among the three of us. I have two lowlights of the night that included a very tacky person sitting behind us actually answering her cell phone in the middle of the performance. Second, I don't think Utahns fully understand what performances should get standing ovations. I've been to many mediocre performances that were not magnificent but still seem to get the standing ovation in Utah. I love the Mo Tab and I think Natalie Cole did a very good job, but probably not standing ovation worthy.

Things I'm enjoying right now....

2009-11-13T20:52:00.002-07:00

1. Being an assistant swim coach for Clearfield HS. I love being around the kids and seeing them improve everyday. I really enjoy the quirky things the boys say and how Stephani insists on using me as her towel giving me big bear hugs after she gets out of the pool. I've learned a lot about swimming, coaching and even went into mom mode at Tooele trying to protect my boys from heinous girls hitting on them. The boys were appreciative.

2. Having big lion hair at swim meets. Our last swim meet was at Layton Surf n' Swim which is a terrible place for a swim meet! I swear the kids were cliff diving from the starts into 4 feet of water. YIKES! And it was 100 degrees under the giant white bubble and 100% humidity which does nothing for my hair. A lot of my swimmers asked me if my hair was naturally curly. No, just naturally roaring in humidity. I now know to not wear my hair down, or long sleeves for our next meets there.

3. I have 3 weeks left of my health classes at Weber State. I've really liked the classes and information I'm learning. I've had a lot of fun in the classes and meeting my fellow students. I think some of them think I'm smarter than I actually am. Having a masters doesn't necessarily mean smarter, just more persistence.

4. Subbing is always an experience that I could probably write an entire book on. So far, it's been okay, I just get a little bored unless I'm subbing for Kathy, but it's still a good learning experience everyday dealing with heinous boys.

5. Music from Colbie Caillat and Train. Colbie was wonderful in concert and Dal told me that Train was amazing. She gave me a copy of their latest masterpiece Save Me, San Francisco and I love it!

6. So glad Thanksgiving is coming up! I love to eat and am excited for homemade pies and football!

Failure is not an option

2009-10-08T11:07:00.000-06:00

Whenever I'm having a rough day and thinking that I've failed miserably at something, I just think of these pictures and I always feel better.

Really? Who didn't think this one through?

It's just so sad. I feel blessed to have coordination.

I think the point of this race is to go over the bar, not under. At least this guy planned ahead and made sure his face didn't make it into the picture.

Spell check is not an option if you don't want to look like a complete idiot.

Fast times in the last month

2009-09-24T10:26:00.001-06:00

So, the last month has been busy. I started classes at Weber State and they're not fully kicking my butt just yet. I have managed to put some other things in the mix to keep it interesting including a Dutch oven dessert night with Dal and Brooke up Big Cottonwood Canyon and the following. Attended the Cheap Trick/Poison/Def Leppard concert with Erin and Dallin.

Attended the Utah State Fair with friends and now consider myself a friend of the animals. I loved the goats.

Dallin loved the goats as well. I was hoping to see a fainting goat, but you can always click on the link and see them.

I loved this! Third place largest peach weighing in at 15.2 oz. But where's this prize winning peach? Signs all around saying not to eat the winning produce. That farmer's going to be ticked!

306 pounds later and this is going to make for a very fun Halloween Jack-o-lantern.

Dal and I made a trip down to St. George for Jez and Sam's wedding. Still plenty hot down south but a nice break. I love this picture of me, Jez, Ashli, and Dal at the St. George temple with Sam so happy in the left hand corner. They're going to make it!

Meach, Kristin, Jez, Dal, Darby and Ashli at the Switchback restaurant for the wedding dinner at the mouth of Zion National Park.

I've also been hired by Clearfield High School as the assistant swim coach and in the spring I'll assist softball. A dream come true! So far the practices have been really good and I'm learning lots. I thought junior high kids were awkward! High schoolers aren't too far behind in that category!

Sweet Child O'Mine

2009-08-28T21:14:00.001-06:00

And I can sing high like this!

Welcome to Health...not Hell

2009-08-21T16:31:00.002-06:00

I'm beginning to see a trend in my life. I can't seem to stay away from school. I feel like an eternal student. This fall semester, that starts on Monday, I will be taking 18 credits from Weber State to complete a health teaching endorsement. Since I'm not teaching this fall, only substituting, I found that this was probably a good time to complete this. Of course PE is my first true love, but I think teaching health could be fun. I see many creative ways to approach the subject and hopefully this will make me a little more marketable when it comes to finding a teaching job. So bring on self esteem building, decision making, sex education (yikes!), and substance abuse prevention. I think I can handle it. I'll steer those kids away from drugs, sex and alcohol!