Feeling Sixteen

The last few days have been a flashback of 2003 for me.  I have found myself sitting in my pop's recliner eating popcicles, sleeping solo in my bedroom, eating dinner and not having to make it, and hanging out with girl friends.  I flew back to Utah for some job interviews, well allow me to correct myself, ONE job interview.  I am hoping for more, but apparently having a small Asian lurking around your school trying to pass out her resume is as desirable as having me pass out dubies to the kids.  My dear friend Holly and I are off to be groupies and watch Chem's band (a boy from high school and former band-mate of Danno's).  This week seems like a wonderful week of nostalgia, family, and friends.  Wish me luck on the jungle hunt for a job!

Going WAAAAAAAAAAAY back

Being here in Virginia and pretty much alone most of the day gets a girl thinking. Lately I have been thinking about how funny my life is and much of it is tied somehow into Danno. So, here is little insight into our lovely love.I am in the front row folding my arms reverently and Danno is being escorted off the stage by his father. (Note: One of my besties Suzi is concentrating very thoroughly on the far left)

Danno and I began at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start.
Miss Jackie had a charming little preschool where she nurtured young minds, but ultimately we only remember cinnamon toast and sitting in the table with the hole in it. That is correct! We started in preschool, but needless to say, we didn't date until a few years after that.
Sadly, Danno and I didn't meet again until middle school where my first impression of him was, "Man! That kid and I have the same vest on." Twas a lasting impression. We were awkward brace faces together and shared little waves and smiles in the halls but nothing ever came of it. I was painfully shy and awkward looking as my body went through several waves of ugly. Danno had identity crisis issues as he identified himself by duct taping his shoes, waving Canada flags, and bleaching his hair. Middle school is rough fellas. My dear friends Cassie and Annie were in love with my future boo and spent their time driving by his house in hopes of catching a glimpse of his toned...braces?
We got through middle school and I started coming out of my tween funk. High school brought fizzies and jitters as the world of dating opened its pearly gates. The first one at those gates was Daniel Alan Champion! It happened, oh yes it did. As my first date, my parents were on high alert. They admired his promptness in getting me home on time and proclaimed, "We like that boy. He's nice." From then on its history.
Silly high school moments swirled in and out of our pseudo-relationship but ultimately, he came home from his mission we watched Transformers and held hands. Now we are committed to only holding Champasaki hands.

we love it.

Living La Vida Loca...Clearly

So here I am in our Virginia apartment as a cool breeze wafts through the house. Here are some of my favorite things about our new address as of late:

• Everyone has an accent and some can't understand my "Utah" talk.
• I was informed by my co-workers that the "mountain-folk," such as the kind you find on My Big Redneck Wedding, only come into "town" on the weekends and they deluge the mall. Apparently I have toothless, cheap, camouflage folks headed my way at the Valley View Mall. I'm STOKED. In case you aren't sure what these people may look like... I was also informed that the men sit outside of the store because we aren't a taxidermist/Gas Station/Walmart.
• I was informed by my boss that Southern Virginia is a large producers of Daddy's Moon Shine, or "magic water." This truly is a magical place.
• It is beautiful here. This is just outside of our apartment. We cannot believe how green it is!

From Graduating to Virginia!

Wow! It has been a long time since I last checked in via the blogging system. Our life has changed significantly since the last post. First, I finished my student teaching (thankfully) and graduated on May 2nd. It was surreal and magnificent all at the same time. I am looking for a job now because I'm a competent member of society with a degree! Woot!

On May 3rd we loaded up the Protege to the tippy-top and headed out east! Our friend BJ followed us too.


Our first stop was in Grand Island, Nebraska. It was flat and fairly boring along with an aroma of stank that left me dry heaving and Danno laughing at me. Unfortunately, no pictures were captured of sweet Nebraska

We then drove, drove, drove, and drove until we ended up in St. Louis. We walked around down town, past the Cardinals stadium, and to the arch. It was the highlight of our drive and Danno was particularly marveled with the grandeur of the arch. This jazzed him for his future career of

building/designing/civil engineering. There was a plaque that described how it was built by a civil engineering team. We also crossed the Mississippi and gave a hearty shout out to Huck Finn.

Four days later, after a slight tire complication and a few calls to AAA, we arrived in Roanoke! Sleepy and car-crammed legs led us up to our Pebble Creek apartment where we passed out!













Here we are playing "throw the rock in the beer can" as we wait for AAA to rescue us.