And that's how Wacky Wednesday began

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast on my way to school, so I knew I had my phone.  Kind of like how Ebeneezer Scrooge knew Jacob Marley was dead....

I put my phone in my bag, dropped my lunch off in the fridge in the teachers' lounge and went to my classroom.  I pulled my water bottle out of my bag and reached for my phone, but it wasn't there.  I searched all through my bag.  Nothing.  I went back out to my car and searched there.

No phone.

I was puzzled.

My only idea was to check my lunch bag.  It has a zipper top and it had been partly unzipped so I'd zipped it up before I put it in the fridge.

And sure enough, there was my phone.

This is the kind of hard hitting news I text my family with.  Katie aptly called it Wacky Wednesday, which is my favorite I Can Read books of all time.  So I'm going with it.

In other news, mothering skills transfer into teaching.   In our family, Adam has a Dad Voice that could stop them in their tracks.  I would hiss insistent words quietly in their ears during things like church.  Both were effective.  They would (mostly) straighten up and fly right.

At our first assembly of the year yesterday, Hannah's class was being kind of naughty.  One boy kept turning around and messing with kids in my class.  She kept telling him to stop.  He kept doing it.

I walked over to him and enthusiastically whispered to him, "Do not turn around to my class again, do you understand me?"  

He understood.  He didn't turn around again.

Sometimes it isn't pretty.

We have our ups and downs, but things are going OK.  My students are much more academically balanced than last year's class.  I feel like I have more bandwidth to help the ones who struggle.

I'm reading them Nim's Island and they love it.  Reading to children is my love language.

I also am constantly entertained by them.  

In math we had a word problem that involved okra.  No one knew what it was.  I explained that it was kind of like a pepper, but not spicy or hot.

One of my Hispanic kids asked, "So what's the point of it?"

These are kids who bring a bag of spicy Taki's to school for breakfast.  It better be spicy if they are going to value it!

The Jorgensens!

Monday night we met at Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner.  I had initially invited them to our house, but Janet generously talked me out of it and I let her, having been gone all weekend and then all day.

I saw one of my students at Pizza Pie Cafe, who had missed school, eating dinner with his family.  I marched up to the table and told him I'd missed him.  "Where were you?"

Crickets.

"Will you be there tomorrow?"

Crickets.  

I smiled at him and his mom who also had a deer in the headlights look.

(He was at school yesterday.)

It was so fun to meet David and Shari's son!  What a cutie.  Like I told them, we are BIG fans of grandchildren.  10/10.  It was fun to see all of them even though I am over and over shocked by how old "the littles" are because they aren't that little.  It's the same way that David and Hans were shocked seeing Mark because he was about ten when they left home.

Leif's wife Mariel, who is Ecuadoran and lovely and kissed us all on the cheek in greeting and farewell, had the idea to take a picture.  The lighting is weird and it's not a great picture of any of us, but I love it just the same.  I love their family!

Leif and Mariel, David, Inge, Britta, Adam, Freja, Mark, Emma, me, Janet, Hans, Eric and Kyoshi.  May our families live on the same cul-de-sac in heaven someday!

When it seemed Pizza Pie Cafe had had enough of us, we reconvened at a nearby park until I broke up the party because I have to go to bed early and wake up early.

Leave it to me to ruin an evening.  I loved spending time together though!

A day in the life

Every morning lately that I've walked into my classroom, it has been a toasty 64 degrees.  It warms up to 67 by the time I am going home.

Friends, that is cold.

I complained before school started that my classroom was 84 degrees.  The bottom line is, we have no control over any of it.  The HVAC does what the HVAC wants.

One of my students told me a dramatic tale of a car crash his family was involved in on Saturday.  He said it happened by Chick-fil-a and the nice people there gave them food.  His mom was injured.  I didn't like that one bit.  I worry about my students enough without adding possible car crashes to the list.

A student, whose brother just started 7th grade, dropped the bombshell that students in junior high do NOT have recess.  That was shocking and unbelievable.   They wanted to know how many years were in junior high and high school.  Just how long would they have to survive without recess anyway?

My students were working on their computers and I called a group of students back to my desk for extra practice on some math.  I was head down, focused on my small group and a girl across the room said, "Um...teacher?"  She pointed to a boy next to her who I had never seen before.  He was sitting at a student's desk (the owner of the desk was at my table) and merrily tapping on the computer. I walked over and realized the stowaway was a kindergartner.  I said, "Who is your teacher?"  He told me.  I said, "Do you know where your classroom is?"

He said, "Yep!" and he skedaddled out of the room.  I followed him down the hall and watched him go into his kindergarten class.

I told a few other teachers about it and everyone knew which student I was talking about.  I am guessing he is the Ramona Quimby of the school.

One of our vocabulary words was discovery, so we laughed about the discovery of a kindergartner we had made earlier.  Another vocabulary word was education.  We talked about learning and the difference between just going to school and getting educated.  I mentioned college because a lot of them don't have anyone in their lives talking to them about college.  One of the girls raised her hand and asked softly, "Did your kids go to college?"

I told her that Braeden and Mark are still in college, but Emma graduated.  She thought a moment and raised her hand again, "Who paid for college?  You or your children?"

An 8 year old worried about paying for college.  I explained about scholarships and grants and I told them that it might take some figuring out, but they could all pay for college somehow.

A girl spilled her water bottle.  As in water was spreading out all over the desk.  She raised her hand to tell me.  It doesn't occur to them to get up and get some paper towels and be quick about it when they spill some water or need to throw up.  When they just want to pop out of their seat for no good reason, they have zero qualms.

We got paper towels and mopped up the spill.  She said her pants were wet.  They were barely wet on one side.  I said, "Good news, we are in a desert and they will dry fast."

A few minutes later she raised her hand to tell me they hadn't dried yet.

Awhile later, I got the same report.

After still longer, she raised her hand to tell me her pants were dry.

It is an exciting time, I'll tell you.

When I opened up the door to let my class in from lunch recess, one of my very hardest students from last year ran up and threw his arms around my waist.  

When they go home in the afternoon, some of them want to hug me, they all want to say good-bye.

See you tomorrow Teacher!  Good-bye!

It's not a bad life.

Weekend

We took a brief trip to Nevada over the weekend. Adam has been fighting a cold so we left later than originally planned on Saturday morning.  I wanted him to sleep as long as he could.  Mark came with us and Emma joined later.  We had a nice trip.  I drove about half of the way and we listened to more of the 13 Minutes to the Moon podcast.  It is fascinating.  We listened to the episode that described the Apollo 8 mission and heard the recordings of the awe the astronauts felt when they saw the Earth.  They tried to make sense of their place in the universe.  That reflection led them to, unexpectedly to anyone back on Earth, read Genesis aloud on Christmas morning.  They said it was their message to the world.  

So picture me driving across the Salt Flats with big tears rolling down my face.  It really got me.  

Adam did some yard work and I did some inside work.  After I had swept and wiped off the counters and made beds, I went over to Olivia's and my mom and I helped her work on the graduation quilt she is making for Ruben.  We rolled one side which is such a good feeling!  I enjoyed sitting with them and talking.  I think sitting together and doing some work like that is one of the most pleasant things to do.  I would have been really great in Jane Austen's time as a lady of the manor sitting around doing handwork in the ornate drawing room.  Except no indoor plumbing would have been problematic.

We all had dinner at my parents' house.  Ammon and his kids were there as well as Edgar and their boys and Marianne and Robert.  (Olivia had a stake dance to attend.)  I love spending time together and then going back to our little house. 

Sunday morning I got dressed for church and then put on tennis shoes--because I have seen big snakes in the orchard.  I went out and picked a few crabapples for my children to sample (and also two apples from the "Big Tree House" tree--there are only a few broken boards left of the treehouse that used to soar above the orchard except it really isn't that tall as an adult).

Anyway.

I went inside and took a bite of one of the tiny tart apples.  Mmmm.  I said, "This tastes like my childhood!"  Then I noticed there was a little worm inside.  Emma and Mark lost interest very quickly in trying one of the apples.  I ate them all the time when I was a kid and we would play in the orchard.  We just ate around the worms.  

 

As a bonus at church Marcos and Marianne both spoke.  I told Marianne, "I didn't know you were going to speak!" The meeting was all about the report of their youth conference and Marianne is the young women president.

She said, "Well I didn't really know I was, they had said maybe."  Leave it Marianne to give this poised seemingly well thought out talk extemporaneously.  She's a wonder.  I always think it.  Olivia is too.  Ruben was ordained an elder after church and Olivia and Edgar have such a great family and I am always impressed.

After church we convened at Marianne's to celebrate my dad's birthday.  My mom had frozen cherries off their tree and pulled them out to make pies for the cherry pie fete.  Besides pie we also had roast and potatoes and rolls and salad which was pretty much Sunday when I was growing up and I loved it.  When my dad was slicing the meat, he pointed out the end cut and said, "This is for you, Thelma."  The night before I had blanched at the sight of my pink hamburger.  I like my meat well done!

We headed home and Emma and Mark rode together and Adam and I rode together.  Emma sent us a cryptic text.  (She is the master of the cryptic text.). She wrote:

You're going to wonder and the answer is Weezer.

There was a Weezer concert at Saltair apparently and traffic was BACKED UP from Salt Lake.  

I was grateful when we made it home.  Now for another week of school! 

Grateful Friday

I am grateful to make it to Friday!  It was not an easy week.  On top of the all the Mark moving out feelings, I had a migraine, Adam was on a business trip and school was kind of hard.

I feel like I have a lot to be grateful for though:

Mark seems happy with his classes and apartment.

My migraine went away in time for school, which felt kind of like a miracle!

Adam is home!

We are going to Nevada this weekend.  We are going to celebrate my dad's 75th birthday!

I appreciate my team.  Miriam and I create content and say, "Do you want a copy of this?"  The answer is always, "Yes, I do!"  It's nice to be in this together!

Yesterday I had my students solve a math problem and I wanted them to show me their work.  One little guy who often stops everything to throw his arms around me and tell me he loves my class, proudly showed me his paper.  I said, "OK, I see some good thinking, but I don't see the answer."

He said, surprised, "Oh, you want us to find the answer?!?"

Kind of revolutionary, but yes.

They always make me laugh and what's not to be grateful for about that?

Markie Mark

Yesterday I met Mark at the doctor's office for an appointment.  He was tested for allergies.  Every mother thinks their child is exceptional and it is true!  Mark is so off the charts allergic to so many things that another doctor came in to gawk.  We could have sold tickets.  Everyone was amazed.

Which is exactly what you are after at the doctor office.

Last time we were in Nevada, he was super allergic.  Turns out he is most allergic to all kinds of grass, horses, sagebrush, maple and box elder trees (which we have in our yard there).  So pretty much Nevada and Utah are problematic….

The grass allergy was the worst one (they give you shots if whatever scale they measure is 7-9 and he was 40).  Mark said, “And my parents make me mow the lawn!”

The doctor said, “What?!?”

After, we went to UVU for convocation.  We got there early and Mark said, “Want me to show you where my classes are?”

I said, “Didn’t we already see them a few weeks ago?”

He said, “Well it is the only thing I know.”

He is cute.

The students sat in one spot and the parents sat in another.  It was loud which is not exactly what I was looking for after a day at school, but I was happy to be there for Mark.  I think he is going to like UVU.

Surviving the days

When my uncle Demar and uncle Joe were 11 years old and 9 years old, my grandparents put them on a bus in Virginia with their saddles.  They rode the bus to Starr Valley, Nevada.  

They were 9 and 11.

I am around 8 year olds turning 9 every day and that astounds me.

I keep reminding myself of that story because I am feeling all the feels about Mark.  These words by Kelly Corrigan resonate:

Any parent with an ounce of self knowledge will agree that parenting is a multi-decade exercise in recalibration.  In our house we are either grossly overreacting or, just as unsettling, underreacting.

I do both too much and too little but maybe I just need to remember Joe and Demar.

(Yes, it was a different time.)

They did it though!  They survived!  My grandparents were champions at letting their kids be independent.  

I'm over here just trying to channel Harvey and Margaret Dahl!

In other news, the honeymoon is a little bit over with my third graders.  They are chatty.  Oh so chatty.  I taped a chart to each desk yesterday.  If they get five stars, they can get something in my prize box.  I will mark the stars with my red pen and x them out with a black sharpie as needed.

It isn't my first rodeo.

For example, I was making copies and so was Tyler, the courageous only male teacher.  He said, "Have you always taught at Bonneville?"

I said, "A long time ago, I taught at American Heritage School.  You were probably not even in elementary school yet."

He said, "I'm 32!"

I said, "I'm 50."

He said, "Oh."

The sky is falling!

The latest from Henny Penny....

Yesterday we started a weather unit in science so I took the opportunity to show them a news clip of Hurricane Hilary.  Real time weather happening!

I explained a few things.  1) Hurricanes weaken when they are on land because they get their power from warm water. 2) Here is where the hurricane/tropical storm/rain are heading and here is where we are.

In other words, we're fine.

I showed them on a map how we were on the edge of the storm and I pointed out that it was indeed a cloudy day.

About an hour later it was drizzling for about 5 minutes.

Some of them freaked out.  "A hurricane!  It is heading this waaaaaay!"

I reiterated that we were fine.

***

Mark moved out yesterday.  I felt low key sick all day.  I worried about all the things.  I had a little pity party about diabetes + celiac disease.  Everything is harder/ more expensive/ more complicated for him and that is not fair.

It isn't.

And I'll miss him.  When a child leaves a bedroom, they also leave a hollowed out space in my heart.  I hate it.

I feel a little like Henny Penny myself.  I need someone to pat me on the head and tell me that we are actually fine and the hurricane is not heading this way.

Weekend

Adam has decided it's time to create a spreadsheet to map out the Mariners' path to the playoffs.  (You've never met someone so optimistic about something:  Adam + the Mariners.)  It happens every summer; Adam sets himself up for disappointment.  

But who knows, this might be the year!

We did all the Saturday things punctuated by me seeing one of my new students in Walmart which made me happy.  I love weekends and I also love seeing my students on weekends.

My Swatch watch randomly started working!

I bought it I think when I was a freshman in high school (it's an antique by now!).  I loved it then and I love it still.  I hadn't worn it for decades, but I wanted to.  Adam got me a new band for Christmas and I took it to have the battery replaced and it worked about 30 minutes and then it stopped.

Apparently fixing a Swatch isn't something just anyone can do (that's what the watch repair guy told me).  So it's been sitting on my desk, waiting for a trip to Las Vegas because Adam told me there's a Swatch store there and he would take it next time he has to go for work.

Sunday I was sitting at my desk, working on my lesson and heard it ticking.  Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!  We'll see if it keeps working!

I taught Sunday School.  I survived it!  It still makes me nervous.

Mark is preparing to move to his new apartment this week.  I'm trying not to let it stress me out.  It is not easy to have your babies leave the nest, even when they aren't babies.  It also has made Adam and me both feel a little melancholy.  

It's a problem of liking your kids.  It's not fun to have them leave.

Grateful Friday

Things that happened yesterday:

A student threw up.  When Riley came with the big carpet cleaner it smelled AWFUL because it hadn't been used recently (?) and we took clipboards and pencils and decamped to the library while the smell dissipated.  (I didn't need anyone else throwing up.)

A student emptied the contents of his desk in a rage.  I made a deal with him that if he would work for a little bit, he could play with Legos.  Then he found out I only have Duplo Legos and he was back to rage.  I borrowed some Legos from Miriam and stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought myself some Legos.  It is survival of the fittest out there.

We did a "candy factory" activity where they had to count a big pile of candy.  I divided them into four groups and they each had candy.  The point of the activity was for them to discover that counting by tens and hundreds was the way to go.  It was all going along pretty swimmingly.  One student snuck some paper and was folding origami (he's pretty amazing at it actually).  I took the paper away.

He felt guilty.

At the end of the activity when we finally learned we had 443 pieces of candy (from the bulk bin at Winco!), I gave them each one piece.

He said morosely, "I don't deserve a piece."

I told him he did.  He's such a cute earnest little guy.  He wears his polo shirt tucked in tight and is always respectful.  

From the What have I done?!? department I handed my students this page.  It was kind of a fun little filler activity if we needed it before recess.  

I can't even tell you the disaster it was.  Everyone wanted to tell me all the answers.  I said, "You don't need to tell me, just write it down."  I said that twelve million times.  I explained what siblings are for those that didn't know and then they all wanted to tell me the names and ages of their siblings.  They all wanted to tell me about their plane trips and if they hadn't been on a plane, we needed to discuss that.  Also, some of them are planning trips.  They wanted to know how to spell the months for their birthday.  I said, "You don't need to write the month, just the number of the day."  

Do you want to know how many phones we have?

Do I count my first name or my last name or both.  What about my middle names?  

They wondered what even is a lucky number.

Just no.  Just turn it in.  Just let's forget this unfortunate chapter of our lives.

Never has so much time and angst been spent on something that doesn't matter at all!

After school, Jordan, a 4th grade teacher came to talk to me about her class.  She doesn't have all the same students I had last year, but she has enough of them.  I gave her empathy and strategies that sometimes worked.  She said, "I've never seen anything like it."

I said, "I know."

I also said, "I'm so sorry."

She said, "It's OK.  I'll be OK."

And she will.  I was OK.  I survived it.  We have each other to turn to in our times of peril.  And as I chatted with Jordan, so many of their struggles are 100% not their fault.  They did not choose their train wreck home lives.

I'm grateful to work at a place where the teachers care so much.  I'm grateful my new class is so far easier.  I'm grateful it is Friday.

(This is exhausting.)

Another thing I'm grateful about?  FaceTime calls from Braeden.  Last night they called and QE saw me and asked, "Boppa?"  I told her he was still at work.  Then she said, "Nana!" like it was exciting so that made my day.  I read her The Wheels on the Bus three times because she kept saying again and who am I to deny that girl anything?

1 down, 179 to go

One of my favorite things that happened yesterday was when a girl raised her hand and asked, "How many more days are in this school year?"

I told her and her shoulders sagged.  Sorry....

They crack me up.

At one point we were talking about the difference between tattling and reporting (although I benefit a lot from the notorious tattletales that third graders are, so I don't want to discourage it too much).  When I asked the difference between the two, a boy raised his hand and told me that his brother uses his mom's old iPod that she doesn't need any more.

OK...

They tell me the most random things and we just roll with it.

A boy asked me what I was.

"What I am?"

"Yeah, what are you?"

"A teacher?"

"But what are you?"

I said, "Do you mean where is my family from?  I'm American, but my ancestors are from England and Sweden."  (Other places too, but I wasn't really interested in pulling up Family Search.)

He said, "But where were you born?"

I said, "Nevada."

He said, "OK, you're Nevadan.  I'm Fijian."

Phew.  I'm glad we got it settled. (And if he had led with I'm Fijian, what are you, it would have saved a lot of time!)

They filled out an All About Me paper and one of the spaces said, Places I've Visited.

A few of them said, "I've never been anywhere."

I said, "It doesn't have to be somewhere really exciting."

A girl wrote Costco on her paper.

Also, I answered how long until lunch 4,678 times.

They are super cute.  They are way better behaved than last year's class (at least on day 1--there is a honeymoon period so behaviors may crop up later).

I loved seeing my former students and getting hugs and smiles from them.  I told them all that they had great 4th grade teachers and were so lucky.  

At lunch one of my former students sought me out and said, "Some of our friends are not listening to the teacher."

Not surprised. (Also no longer my problem.)

I saw the train wreck that was those newly minted 4th graders going to lunch and it gave me a little PTSD.  They just can't be quiet, keep their hands to themselves, anything.  They can't.

My class is more girls than boys and I think that helps settle the behavior a bit.  I read to them and spelled words for them and listened to their summer adventures.

3rd grade is a happy place!  Here is our team.  Miriam bought us matching shirts!

I was glad that Hannah, the intern, had a good day and was so happy after school.  She said, "I can't believe we're going to do this again tomorrow, though."

Yep.  The days will keep coming.  Eventually, the stamina will kick in for all of us.

First Day!

Today is the day!  I'm excited and not nervous which is a nice feeling.  I have plans and I have such cute students!  I'm looking forward to getting to know them.

The AC is mostly better.  It was cool in the morning yesterday and heated up as the afternoon wore on, but before it was hot in the morning and heated up as the afternoon wore on, so this is better.

I am staging a one woman campaign to get an ELMO projector thing (technical term, I know) for my classroom.  Every other classroom in the building has one.  I have been harassing both Matt and Riley.  Sometimes at the same time.  They finally told me  it is in the reliably unreliable electrician's hands.  I asked what I could do to nag him.  I said, "I'm really good at nagging." (I could have given our children's names as references.)

Matt wouldn't give me any help that way though because he has a whole line up of projects for said electrician and doesn't want me to jump the line.

Bureaucracy is alive and well.

Riley refused to believe I didn't have outlets on my fake walls.  I didn't think any of the fake walls had outlets.  He insisted they did.  He pulled everything away from my walls to check for outlets.  I said, "I promise I don't have outlets!"

Then he made me go with him to the 4th grade classrooms to see that they have outlets on their fake walls.  Sure enough.  My classroom is the only one that doesn't.  

I keep getting confirmation that I have the worst classroom in the building.

So that's fun.

Yesterday a skittish little girl and her mother came to my classroom.  The mother said, "They told us we can't interrupt you, but we couldn't make it last night.  Can she just look at the classroom?"

I assured them they could indeed interrupt me.  (What am I doing anyway besides arguing with Riley and labeling everything that is holding still long enough?)

I showed her where her desk is and where she lines up in the morning.  While I talked to her she timidly pranced from side to side.  Every time I'd ask a question, her little voice would falter because she was so nervous.  I told her that I'd taught her brother.  Her other brother was in my classroom a lot last year as a third grader too.  She said, "The boys said you have pennies and...a Skittle machine."

I do!  I told her that the kids at Back to School Night didn't get one, but I'd give her a penny.  I showed her how the machine worked and she was thrilled.  Maybe a little less scared.

Candy will do that.  

And I will keep buying more.

Janelle stopped by with gifts and it was so good to see her and I don't know how I'm supposed to do this without her.  

I miss her, but I love my little school and I love being a teacher and Back to School is my love language.

Heating up

Yesterday started at Timpanogos High School for a celebration of our "cluster" which is the schools that feed into Timpanogos High School.  Lining the halls to the gym where the meeting was were cheerleaders and student council leaders and high school athletes, all in various Timpanogos garb, cheering for the teachers.  (There were pom-poms.) I don't think I'd ever make it as a celebrity (no one is asking) because I felt silly walking through all the cheering.  We had a meeting and then reconvened at our school where we had another meeting and a training and worked in our classrooms and the AC is broken in my side of the school.  

Which is sad.

Apparently the district is on it, but excuse me if I have...trust issues.

We had back to school night and I met most of my students.  Some of them were nervous, some of the parents seemed nervous.  Some of the mothers didn't speak English and their older sons (who were my students) were there as kind of the interpreters and I worried later that I talked to the sons too much and not the mothers. Some of them came with confident older siblings who knew me and acted at once protective and annoyed with their younger siblings.  A few of my former students came in to greet me.  That made me happy.  I texted Clarissa that I need her to help me with the islander names because I pronounced one and the mom corrected me and I tried again and it sounded right to me and she said, "Well, it's OK."  I can't hear it!

It was 83 degrees in my classroom and it's kind of hard to have a lot of hype in that circumstance, but I tried.

A girl (young woman--I need to recognize that once you're in your twenties you aren't a "girl") came in with a family and she looked so much like Erin's daughter.  (Erin my college friend).  It was a little bit chaotic and a lot hot, but I made my way over to her and asked, "Are you Brinley?"

She looked a little taken back that I would know her.  She said, "Wait...are you...Thelma?!?"

We took a picture and I sent it to Erin:

I didn't get much of a chance to talk to her but I gathered she is a behavior therapist in training and was there to help one of my students.

What a small world!  It was really fun to meet her.  I do have a knack for recognizing people I've never met and freaking them out a little, but Brinley was very easy to place.  I showed Adam the picture and he said, "She does kind of look like Erin."

This is Erin and me in our freshman dorm room.  We got in trouble for that hammock, but we were happy together!  We are friends for life!  Maybe hammock subterfuge binds you together.

The minute back to school night was over, I fled the school.

Here's hoping they have the AC fixed.  Soon.

Weekend

We had stake conference this weekend.  It was really great + it meant I hardly saw Adam all weekend except when we were sitting next to each other during stake conference. (So that was less great, but I'm grateful he serves so well.)

Emma went grocery shopping with me instead of Adam.  She's good company.

I talked to Braeden and Anna and QE and she is a little climber and about to give those kids a run for their money.  She'll look at the phone and say Nana and then walk away in complete disinterest.  I know who you are; I've got to be on the move.

I'm teaching Sunday School next week and being distracted by school has (almost) made me less nervous.

Paul, Paul, Paul.  I read verses like this in Romans and I don't even know.

Adam said that I should say in my Sunday School class:  So I know what this means.  What do you think it means?

And maybe I shouldn't blame Paul.  Maybe it is a translation issue.

I have back to school night today.  I'm looking forward to meeting my students.  I have a little bag of Starbursts for everyone with a note attached:  I am bursting with excitement to be your teacher!

And I am excited (maybe bursting is overselling it, but it went with the candy).  I'm going to let them choose their desks and it may only last five minutes on the first day of school (it depends), but we will start with that.

Every year back to school gets a little easier.  I know more what I'm doing and I know to expect the unexpected.

And also I love it.

Grateful Friday

Sitting in meetings all day = tiring.

Using my teacher brain that has been on vacation = tiring.

I'm also having a good time.  It is exhilarating to collaborate and get new ideas and set lofty goals and tell each other, "We can do this!"

It is fun to look at my class list and see their darling pictures and get excited.

I'm enjoying getting to know our new people.  Matt is great and so is Holly.  She is the new facilitator so will work a lot with us since we have an intern on our team.

I'm so very grateful for Adam.  He supports me in a million little and big ways.  Emma and Mark are good too.  Mark is oh so gentle with me when I'm stressed and he knows it.  Emma listens to me and gets it.  I haven't made dinner this week and they are why.

On top of all that, I'm reading a good book.  (Slowly, I don't have a lot of time for reading right now....)

I'm grateful for sunshine and blue skies.  I'm grateful teachers can wear jeans this year to school.  I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon.  I am reading it between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year and I love it.

Somewhere over the rainbow

 My classroom is coming together!  I love it!  It's wonky and weird with fake walls and 70s vibes, but it's mine and it's cheerful.

(Our new principal, Matt, said he walked through the school. "You all have been keeping DI in business since 1977!"  He was not wrong.  We have a lot of old stuff.)

I refuse to let my rainbows be a political symbol.  I just like rainbows.

We sat in meetings for most of the day yesterday and I hate sitting all day.  We went around the room and introduced ourselves and Matt wanted us to tell two "life highlights."  A lot of people said their awesome/wonderful/amazing children were a highlight.  When it was my turn, I said my children were sometimes wonderful, but my granddaughter was always wonderful.

Two teachers are brand new mothers and they both got a little teary when they talked about their babies.  It made me so grateful that I was able to stay home with my (sometimes) wonderful children.

Mark and I pulled out the box of dishes that Braeden used in college.  We are adding a few things to the supplies.  Here's hoping Mark cooks more than Braeden did.  

Time just marches on.

Does this count?

I don't have much to say or time to say it, but I seriously consider that Marianne and probably my mom will wonder what is up if I don't post.

I'm busy is what's up.

I did have a good day yesterday.  I worked in my classroom in the morning and then I spent the afternoon with Mark.  We talked about college menu ideas (gluten free!) and we went to UVU and located his classes.  I tried to make progress on his allergy shots but we were stymied.  

Apparently you've got to want them.

I took a walk with Clarissa and Liberty.  Liberty is joining our ranks and also we're walking less often because these are busy times.

But I blogged!

Dashing through the blood borne pathogens

Tis the season.

Yesterday found me in my classroom, working on stuff while I clicked through the mandatory district training.  Dashed through it, if you will.

It's hours of content every year, but a lot of it is repeats and the good news is that I am rocking the quizzes.

I am struggling to relearn how to be a person/mother/sort of homemaker while I am also a teacher.  Summer slide.

It's fine.  I'll have a few come aparts.  I'll recover.  I'll figure it out.  It's fine.  (It will be.) 

Weekend

 Friday I met Adam and Emma after work.  I reluctantly handed the keys of Joan over to Emma.  "Be careful!" I said about twenty times.  She had never driven Joan before.  Mark has driven her a few times (one unsanctioned when I was out of town!).  I'm a little territorial + I have trust issues based on the long scratches on the sides of our children's cars.

Emma texted she made it home safely.

Adam and I headed to Nevada.  For a romantic anniversary dinner we went to an Arby's drive-thru that was connected to a Love's truck stop.

We're fancy.

We listened to our audio book and chatted and held hands and I was perfectly content with my sandwich and sharing fries with Adam.   We got to our house about 8:00 and spent the time setting things up--sweeping flies, making the bed, setting up the internet, etc.  

First things first I always check the mouse traps and the last several times they have been empty and I'm very grateful.

There was a terrific lightning storm and cool rain and I slept well with the window open.  It's such a restful place!

Saturday I walked with my sisters and mom and did some yard work.  I cut down a variety of willows that was encroaching on the lilacs.  Sorry willows, the lilacs win.  I pruned the mock orange and tried to do something about the flower beds.  I didn't make much progress.  There is a comical amount to do and we just chip away at it and it's fine.  We went to my parents' for lunch.  I took my cross-stitch because Olivia said she was going to bring her embroidery.  My mom had an afghan she was working on and we were an industrious little group.  Marianne went home for a nap then returned with her laptop and she joined the work party.

Adam and my dad were having their own work party.  They repaired the water heater and then Adam installed our new dishwasher.  That is an exciting addition to the house!  I told Adam I was impressed he knew how to install a dishwasher.  He said, "I don't!" But he figured it out and I was impressed.

It was getting hotter as the afternoon went by and my sisters wanted to go swimming.  I said it wasn't hot enough.  Then it kept getting hotter.  I said I didn't have swim clothes and Marianne went home and got some for me and we went down to Boulder Creek.  We laughed a lot and it was so fun to be together doing something we did so often growing up.  It's been decades since I've done that!

It's not deep but it's refreshing and deep enough you can float for awhile.

My first friends!  I love being with my sisters.

Also on Saturday we were at the site of our wedding reception 28 years earlier to the day.

There's a lot to love about this picture.  One thing:  Adam is wearing my dad's suit because he forgot his.  I need to work on that front flower bed to make it look more like how my grandma had it.

Grateful Friday

 

Today is our 28th anniversary.

When Braeden was a preschooler, he famously told me that I was "a lot to listen to."

So...it's not that I don't have words.  It's that I don't have adequate words to express how I feel about being married to Adam for 28 years.

Grateful is a start.

Adam makes me feel safe and loved.  He is a good provider and an even better dad. QE adores him.  Adam takes me on adventures and makes me laugh and tells me interesting stories.  He's the smartest person I know, full stop.  Adam is endlessly selfless and generous (sometimes I lecture him about needing to at least put himself on the list of people he is taking care of).  

I am grateful that he is a faithful priesthood holder and that he is all in with his church service no matter what it is.  He is a very busy stake executive secretary to a very busy stake president.  He told me the other night this calling would have broken him 15 years ago.  It would break me today.  It is hours and hours of unseen and mostly unacknowledged work and he just does it.  Then he stays up late to spend time with Mark.

Not just in church service, but in everything, Adam is salt.  I read this in Jay Shetty's Think Like a Monk and it absolutely describes Adam:

(Radhanath Swami) told us to be like salt and pointed out that we only notice salt when there is too much of it in our food, or not enough.  Nobody ever says, "Wow, this meal is the perfect amount of salt."  When salt is used in the best way possible, it goes unrecognized.  Salt is so humble that when something goes wrong, it takes the blame, and when everything goes right, it doesn't take credit.

Adam is salt.

I feel like the luckiest girl that 28 years ago we started a family together.  There's no one I would rather spend forever with.

Wow

 Yesterday was another school day.  We worked hard making plans and copies and moving furniture and all the things.  I took almost 12,000 steps and I think my Fitbit now recognizes that summer vacation is over.  I crossed exactly one thing off my list (because I decided not to do it right now).  I should have put all that other stuff on my list so I would have felt a sense of accomplishment.

In the late afternoon, we were working in our own classrooms and the sky got really dark and the wind blew and then it started to rain.  Really hard!  In the low spot outside my classroom, there was about 6 inches of water.  Miriam and I stared out the window, kind of shocked.  Miriam said she didn't think she'd ever seen so much rain.  I had.  (Connecticut.  Florida.)

Still.  It was a lot of rain for the high desert!

I started to think maybe I would just have to live at the school because I was not going out in that.

As it started to taper off a little (and become just a regular rainstorm), I saw a bunch of teenagers running around the playground in swimsuits.  When I left the school, I saw even more kids, in swimsuits, congregating at Bonneville Park.  They were so joyful and exultant running around in the rain in the middle of a hot summer that it made me feel joyful on their behalf.

We had had the same weather at our house.  Our full big garbage can was on its side (luckily nothing had scattered too much).  Our wheelbarrow was far across the lawn.  

A change is as good as a rest.  I was happy to see the storm clouds and happy around 6:00 when they moved on and blue sky returned.

This morning it is rainy again and all I have to say is, take that fire season.

School daze

I know how to spell days. 

Except I came home in a daze.

Yesterday was my first day back at it officially.  I had collaboration with my team.  Sitting in a meeting all day is always the worst, but sitting in a meeting where there is so much going on and we are all acting like caffeinated squirrels heading off on tangents was exhausting.  We each had a to do list going.  I had to start a second column on the back side of the paper.

There was a lot of, "Oh yeah.  I have to do that!"

School starts two weeks from today and it will all get done.  Or at least the most important stuff will get done. (This is the mantra I keep telling myself.  0% chill is where I'm at.)

Monday night we had a BBQ hosted by one of the teachers, Tiffany.  Our new principal, Matt, was there as well as our two years ago principal, Jami.  I was standing next to Matt and his wife when Jami greeted Matt.  After Jami left, Matt turned to his wife and said, "That's everyone's favorite principal...for now."

It told me everything I need to know about Matt.  He is comfortable in his own skin and not worried about whether we will like him.

And it makes me think we will like him.

Another thing I liked?  I wrote the aquarium to find out about scheduling a field trip.  They responded and signed the email, "Best fishes."

I love people.

Communication is hard

Yesterday I spent some time in my classroom--and I need to spend a lot more.  It doesn't help that I keep deciding to move stuff around.  I am what I am.

Clarissa and Mark came to help me and we got the desks all situated and I stopped and chatted with my friends and it was a good time.  After they left, I was still doing a few things and I had some stuff to put in my prize box.

It was crawling with ants!  It was kind of horrifying.  At the end of the school year, I had put a few wrapped suckers in it but I guess they weren't wrapped enough.  Also, my prize box is one of those IKEA cardboard boxes with a lid.  I emptied it out and borrowed some ant spray from Miriam and cleaned everything (threw away the suckers!) and I also got rid of the scented crayons because maybe they were appealing to ants?  I am going to trade out the box for an airtight plastic tub with a lid.

When I got home, Mark and Marek were in the basement.  I said, "I had a traumatic ant experience!" (Because I like to exaggerate.)

Mark said, "My aunts are your sisters...."

I explained to him what happened and he didn't give me any degree of empathy but then Marek said, "That sounds terrible."

I thanked him for validating me.

I had told Braeden that I would be home in the afternoon because we wanted a phone conversation.  I was home closer to 2:00 PM so I texted him

My dad had compressed vertebrae in his back earlier this summer and I'm pretty sure I could have caught him then.  I don't know if he's all the way healed, but I'm glad I don't need to worry about him getting away from me.

I talked to Braeden.  He said they had taken a family picture with the Carlson's before they left Utah.  The photographer first of all didn't endear herself to Braeden because she kept referring to him and Mark (Anna's dad) as Handsome as in, "Stand over there, Handsome." Then she made lots of sounds to try to get and keep QE's attention.  QE pointed at the photographer and said, "No no no no no!"

Man, I love that girl!