Fiesta Bowl Parade

So cold in Phoenix today! It snowed yesterday! The mountains up north are white tipped. I have never seen that before. It was 39 degrees at the meeting site for the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Myself and the 4 other ambassadors tried to amuse ourselves and keep from freezing to death before the parade started. Then, the unthinkable: they asked me to remove my coat for the duration of the parade so everyone could see my shirt and Wells Fargo logo. Out of gratitude, I obliged. The parade really was a blast. I was so uplifted by the amount of people who cheered in support of education. An absolutely wonderful morning. Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Morning; Traditions Part 2

Gratitude envelops me as I think about Christmas. I am so grateful for the traditions we have been building in our family. We have so many meaningful and fun traditions in the McAdams household. Christmas morning is no different. Every year, we wake up early (by vacation standards) at 5 a.m. or so to watch Luke 2 or some other church video. This year, as we watched Luke 2, the Holy Ghost again testified to me that Jesus is the Christ. After the video and discussion of the true meaning of Christmas, we retired to the dining room for traditional donuts and chocolate milk.

After breakfast, it was time to open stockings!

The kids had some "cool" gifts this year that they were really excited about. Brandon now can join the ranks of those who break bones (I hope not!) as he learns to ride a skateboard. He will be especially prepared for his first big scout hike with his camelpack and new phone.

Tyler loves his new camelpack, phone, and Razor.

Brooke will be working out with her new iPod and arm band to carry it. Her hair will be luxuriously pulled back with several new hair ties and barettes.

Overall, we had a wonderful Christmas giving, receiving, sharing, serving, and remembering.

Christmas Traditions

On the 23rd, we made soap to deliver to people in the ward. The best forms were the bugs. They are so cute!

Later that evening,
Cassidy came over to visit. We ate dinner together and followed tradition by playing games. We played Phase 10 and Taboo.

We had our annual talent show on Christmas Eve. Tyler engaged us all while demonstrating his mastery of the saxophone.

Brandon presented his acting talent in a video from his performance in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

h

Brooke touched our hearts with her violin rendition of Jingle Bells.

Then Don brought the true feeling of Christmas to our hearts as he sang a hymn called "Ring Out Wild Bells."

Grandma Nita taught a lesson while she read a short story she authored called "Kelsey's Secret."

Since it's most likely that my family won't get to hear me deliver any of my speeches, I spoke to them as if they were an audience and delivered "High Expectations."

Student Council Holiday Party 2010

We held the party at our house this year. We had a potluck dinner outside on the patio...the food actually was pretty edible this year. In years past, the food didn't pass the test. We had everything from macaroni and cheese to homemade tamales and enchiladas. There were desserts galore. Then, we had the white elephant exchange. The pet rock and pong game were among the hits. After laughing at th

e white elephant ideas, we had a rock band session and then more dessert. Finally, we sat back down for the gift exchange. Favorite gifts were the iTunes and Cold Stone gift cards along with the movie Despicable Me. I have yet to see that one. I haven't been to see Harry Potter yet either. Oh! I can't believe I forgot to mention the full size cut out of Edward Cullen...that was fought over by many and ended up in Jake Guerrero's hands...He says he is going to put him in the passenger seat so he can drive in the HOV lane. Silly Jake, tricks are for criminals! Then, some former students came by at the end of the evening to round out a great time with student council old and new.

Cardinals suite, compliments of the University of Phoenix

Wow. What a day! Don and I got to go down on the sidelines of my first NFL game: the Cardinals vs. the Rams. We had so much fun! We watched the teams warm up with Bobbie O'Boyle/her husband (she is the executive director of the Arizona Education Foundation), Joy Weiss/her brother (she is the 2010 Teacher of the Year), and the president of the University of Phoenix and his family.

When I arrived on the field, I discovered Nate Borquez and his papa were working (DPS officers). Nate is Ken Whisenhunt's official escort/guard.

Then, we were escorted up to the suite where we lavished in food/drink and wonderful company. Too bad the Cardinals lost the game, but we had a wonderful day!

Drunk Driver

As many of you know, we were hit by a drunk driver a few weeks ago. We kept quiet on the Internet until the case was settled. The driver pled guilty this week to extreme DUI and will serve some time.

I am so thankful that none of us were badly hurt. I know my Father in Heaven was watching over us since the driver hit us going about fifty miles an hour.

We have so much to be thankful for this year: our family, the justice system, our health, and for all the blessings we have received. Don echoes my sentiments and would add that the punishment he was hoping for was granted; that way, hopefully the driver will never hurt anyone else again.

Be a good friend and never let a friend drink and drive.