husband of the year

occasionally on this blog, i have selfishly given myself the wife of the year award. (see here and here). however, today the tables have turned. my wonderful husband has officially won husband of the year.

here is why....

This week is "Career Week" in Social Studies. A few weeks back, I sent a letter home to my students' parents asking if anyone would come to our class and share about their career. However, I only managed to get a response from one parent. So, I turned to my only other local option....my husband.

He kindly obliged and came and corrupted 20 kindergartners into thinking they want to build cars and motorcycles when they grow up. He did an awesome job and the kids LOVED him.

A few funny kindergarten comments....

Wes walked in the room. Before he even opened his mouth, one of my boys said, "YOU ARE AWESOME!"

Wes: "When Mrs. Bryant and I moved to Yuma...."

Student: "Wait, you call her Mrs. Bryant too?"

Wes: "All the time."

"Mrs. Bryant, your husband is much more handsome than I expected"

vintage fridges, drive ins, and taco trucks

i've been a little lazy at keeping our oregonian families updated on our life in the desert. here are a few things as of late....

1.we bought the sweetest vintage fridge.

(Note to Norris Crew: sorry for not listening to your advice about not buying vintage fridges. it was just too dang cute...and cheap...$40)

2. we went to the drive-in movies.....in march!

the "chilly night" felt like a typical summer oregon night.

3. we tested out yet another taco truck. so freakin' delicious

4. here's just a shot of the beauty i see every morning on my way to work. such a beautiful way to wake up.

(p.s. my cell phone camera hardly even does it justice.)

feliz presidents day

I am so thankful that I married a boy who refuses to sit on his butt for longer than a few seconds. Wes is always in the mood for fun adventures and thankfully the long President's day weekend provided plenty of adventure for Los Bryants.

Saturday AM: A bike ride to downtown Yuma for a Mardi Gras Festival and some good ol' cajun food.

Saturday PM: We headed down south to San Luis, Arizona to the "Taste of San Luis". However, it was a little less exiting than we expected, so we just crossed the border into Mexico for a some din-din at our favorite "chicken place". (Yes, we just call it the "Chicken Place" since it doesn't even have a sign on the door).

Sunday: Desert Picnic with the Norris Crew. That's right, I think it is fair to say that Wes and I officially have some friends (woohoo). We rode dirtbikes & rhinos (I still don't know why these golfcart-like things are named after an African safari animal) around the desert. So different from what we'd be doing in Oregon in February. Enjoyable nonetheless.

I'm sure our holiday festivities would've made the presidents proud. So our adventures are for you....George, Abraham, and the rest. Feliz President's Day!

traditions

for those of you who might not know....i LOVE traditions.

One of our many traditions is our annual taco truck Valentine's day date. Nothing says classy and romantic than sitting curbside eating food made inside a truck.

The V-day taco truck tradition started back in 2008. It was our first year dating. We were new at the whole "being romantic thing" and we accidently went out on an incredible fancy (and expensive) date just days before Valentine's. Therefore, in our very own Los Bryants style, and on our first Valentine's as a couple, we dressed up, skipped the fancy restaurants, and enjoyed a nice meal at a taco truck in the Seattle. And so, this year, the tradition continued yet again here in Yuma. Can't you just imagine us in 60 years? We'll be the cutest little 80 year olds, sitting curbside and enjoying some taquitos and Mexican coca-colas. Awesome.

Here's a look down memory lane.....

2008-Seattle, WA

2009- Undocumented

2010- Seattle, WA

2011- Eugene, OR

(Welcome to Oregon....we had to eat in the car due to rain. This was the only picture I took.)

2012- Yuma, AZ

laughter and quinceanera

Well, yesterday was yet another first for Los Bryants, attending a quinceanera. Technically, I (McKenzie) have now attended 3 quinceaneras, it was Wes' first, and our first as a couple.

Last night, we made our way down to the good ol' Ejido Islita to celebrate Damay's quinceanera. For all you major gringos out there, click on this to see what a quinceanera is.

Anyways, it was a wonderful evening, full or delicious birria and bullriding. Wes makes me laugh nearly every day with his ridiculousness, but for some reason, last night he made me laugh harder than ever when he jumped on that mechanical bull. Perhaps it was the way he jumped on the bull and tipped his cowboy hat to the crowd. Perhaps it was watching 50+ Mexicanos laughing and cheering on the gringo, shouting "Weslito" or "El Hueso". Or perhaps it was the way he held on to that bull so stubbornly and rode it like a motorcycle. Or perhaps it was because he set the record for the night for the longest ride. Whatever it was, I laughed so hard I think I peed my pants and cry-smeered my make-up all at the same time.

Moments like these make life so memorable. Felicidades Damay en tu 15 años!

the relativity of sunshine

I stumbled across this old gem of a video Wes made last April. So crazy to think that a day of sunshine was such a big deal back in the day. Don't get me wrong...we miss our family and friends, like crazy, but being spoiled by sunshine every day makes our adventurous lifestyle (skating, surfing, biking, hiking, etc) so much easier.

Moral of the story: Please come visit us and soak up some sunshine and enjoy the video.

teacher talk

Today was my 100th day as a teacher. Can you believe it!?!?!?! 100 days! My kiddos and I have managed to create quite the classroom environment. We have laughed, cried, and everything in between.

My kiddos have made so much progress in 100 days. Its amazing to think back to day one, where I was simply happy to keep my head above water. Now my kiddos can read, write, and wipe their own tushies (ok, I've never had to help with that last thing, thankfully).

I AM SO PROUD TO BE THEIR TEACHER (even if they occasionally drive me bonkers). They make me laugh every day and remind me that teaching is the most rewarding, yet ridiculously difficult job. Somehow, through it all, I absolutely love it.

In order to celebrate our 100th day, we did plenty to celebrate (brought 100 things, made 100 Fruit Loop necklaces, 100 day crowns & glasses, etc.). The funniest thing of the day is that students were encouraged to dress like they were 100 years old. My outfit was quite classy (ahem...ridiculous). Hopefully, they'll think back to kindergarten days and tell people they had a crazy teacher who dressed up like an old lady just to bring a smile to their face.

So, to my Room 3 Superstars, I LOVE BEING YOUR TEACHER. Thank you for enduring being my very first class.

Love,

Mrs. Bryant (or should I say Grandma Bryant?)

after the shot above, wes thought it was crucial that I show off the shoe/sock combo that topped off the outfit. man, i'm ridiculous