Happy Halloween/Happy Nevada Day (for those who celebrate)

 If I could bottle up the energy at the school the past few days, my mom could stop worrying about me drinking caffeine.

I could drink that instead.

Here's hoping we survive the day (and tomorrow, which will be worse).

It is happy to be around happy and excited children though.  It's contagious and even though Halloween lives at the very bottom of my favorite holiday list, here I am, sort of excited right along with them.

I helped decorate the hall a little after the faculty meeting.  We don't enter into things lightly.

(Speaking of the faculty meeting, I got a shout out--and the gift card that goes along with it--from Maren, who had been testing ML students in the classroom next to mine for the past two weeks.  She said she wanted to give me a shout out because she had eavesdropped on me the whole time and "it was hilarious."  I'm not 100% sure how to feel about that, but hey, I got a gift card.)

Also, besides being beside themselves with excitement, my students have been delighting me.

One was looking for a book recommendation and he had just finished reading Christopher Mouse and loved it.  I showed him the Beverly Cleary shelf and handed him The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I told him a 30 second book review and a huge smile spread on his face and he grabbed the book and went straight to reading it.

Adam gets bonuses at work and I never do, but I felt like I did in that moment.

Here are some other good things:

At the faculty meeting, we were asked to submit names of students who could use some extra holiday love. Being part of a school that cares so much about their students and families makes me happy.

At the end of the day, my students were coloring Halloween pictures and I played Ghost Girl for them which is my very favorite song of Emma's.  They were stunned.  They said things like, "Wait, you know her?!?" and "Is that actually her singing?!?" and, "She made this song up?!?"

They are a very easy crowd (but it's a good song, says her mother).  

Some of them walked over to look at my family picture on the wall, suddenly more interested in Emma.

They make me laugh and often I have to suppress it like when a girl came mournfully to my desk and asked in an injured voice if she could go to the wellness room.  (And the Academy Award goes to....)

I asked her why she wanted to go and she paused and then said, "I can't remember."

I told her to go sit down.

The final thing delighting me is that I got an email from one of my room parents and she said they had the entire Halloween party handled and hopefully I could "just sit back and relax."

Usually the Halloween party feels like juggling flaming torches, so I will take it!

Fear and outrage; us and them

I had a conversation with a friend who shrugged like she didn't care when I said that if the district split, there wouldn't be the educational resources for children in the district that there are now.  She didn't care and I was effectively stunned into silence.

I strive to be informed about the presidential election, but it leaves me feeling depleted and often revolted.

Adam and I were talking about the fear and outrage that is dished out in the media from both the left and the right.  It is discouraging and bears very little resemblance to the country we thought we grew up in.

There's a lot of us versus them and very little we the people.  Most people I know are like me and don't want to align with us or them, but here we are.

So after school yesterday, my team and I cut out pumpkins and hung up Halloween decorations in the hall (I have two former college basketball players for teammates which comes in handy, I must say.)

We talked about ways to make the holiday fun.

We planned lessons and graded the math test we'd given.  

We sent texts and emails to parents.

In short, we did what we could.  We'll keep doing what we can.  It's all any of us can do.

That, and be kind.

I am constantly telling my students, "Just because someone does something wrong, doesn't mean you should do something wrong."

I hope I have the fortitude for the next month.

We survived it

Yesterday was...a day.  I don't even know.

I had traffic duty and then a parent waylaid me in the office to find out about the field trip and then another person stopped me and then my student whose birthday it is wanted to walk and talk with me and all the while I was wading through people to get to my classroom.  

Matt was there when I got there and said, "There are kids outside."

I said, "I'm coming!"

(They aren't going to die if they wait three minutes outside.)

The kids were all keyed up and one student threw a tantrum because of their field trip group.  (Also threw their desk.)

We got everyone sorted and got the lunches sorted and went for the buses and someone forgot her jacket, so I had Miriam watch my class and we went back for it.

It was 9:00 AM and I was already looking for my serenity!

We got to the field trip, at the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point.  They always love it and everyone behaved pretty well.

In with the butterflies, one of my boys said he wanted to leave.  His tone of voice told me that he was terrified.  I took him outside the enclosure and a few more students wanted to go too, so we watched through the window.

Three of them decided after a while to go back, but my little buddy stayed with me and flinched every time a butterfly came close to the window.

We finally got everyone gathered up when it was time to go and we headed to a park.  They had to eat before we let them play.  One of my students had two full-size Hostess cupcakes, a sleeve of powdered donuts and a quart-size bag bulging with candy for lunch.  He had two large sugary drinks to wash it all down.  I had already eaten my sandwich, but I gave him my orange, which he happily took.  (I offered to peel it.  Even still, my children are more inclined to eat an orange if I will peel it.  He wanted me to peel it.)  His lunch explains a whole lot.

It's a new big park in Lehi and it was a lot of fun.  And fraught with injuries.  Kids were crying and limping right and left and it was up to us to parse out who was actually hurt.

One kid had hit his head and was bleeding and an enthusiastic chaperone went to her car and had some  bandages she wanted to stick on his head, which would have stuck in his hair.  I vetoed that.  I had him sit by me for a few minutes and then he was good to go again.

At the end, one of Miriam's students was wailing because she had lost her glasses.  Alissa and I both wear glasses and we sent out students back into the playground to find them.

Miriam stood there nonchalantly waiting for us.

Finally we decided if she didn't care, we wouldn't either.  We gathered everyone up again and the glasses were on the bus all along.

One of my girls wanted to sit by me on the bus, both on the way and on the way back.  We chatted about Halloween and scary movies and her brother (who used to be my student) and her primary program.

She was quiet, looking out the window, as we drove back to the school.  She suddenly turned to me and asked, "How do people who paint His picture know what Jesus looks like?"

I said that was a good question and I think they made their best guess.

She said, "Hmm, OK."

The minute we got back to the school and everyone needed to use the bathroom and get a drink, we were supposed to go to the 1st grade Halloween program.  We hightailed it to the gym for the program and then back to class to celebrate the birthday in the few minutes before school was out.

In our haste, there was a kerfuffle in the line behind me that I didn't see and I had to go to the office after school and identify just who shoved who.  Luckily no one was badly hurt.  

A fifth grade teacher happened to be in the office while I was watching and gasped at them shoving each other to the ground.  I said, "Lucky you!  You'll get them in two years."

She said, "I'll retire by then."

I told her nice try, but she was too young.

When it was all said and done, I just wanted a nap, but we had to plan next week and realign our literacy groups and I had to meet with Matt to go over my observation.

Mondays.  I'm telling you.  I felt dysregulated when I got home, but we had YEN and YEN is fun.  We ate a delicious dinner (it's always delicious) and played a few games that no one really cared too much about winning, but were fun.  We dabbled in political talk, but not too far.  We mentioned our children, but not too much.  We mostly just talked and it was just the antidote I needed for my day.

Weekend

 Friday night I hosted my connections group.  It's basically book club without books.  Emily and Jamie and Janelle came and I loved visiting with them.  Neither Emily nor Janelle are at Bonneville anymore so it is nice to catch up with them.

Adam helped me set up for the party.  You've never seen anyone arrange vegetables with that kind of precision.

Saturday morning Adam went and helped someone move and I went to CVS and got shingles, flu and Covid vaccinations.

The lady checking me in raised her eyebrows and said, "Wow.  All three."

The lady administering the shots was getting all ready and I asked, "Was this a mistake?"

She said, "Well, I just hope you don't plan on doing anything tomorrow."

Gulp.

I started feeling kind of weird in the afternoon.  My joints got a little sore and my head was a little floaty, but I was OK.  

We went to the Jordan River temple with Carolina and her fans.

I loved being there with so many people I love.  

On Instagram (where I swiped the picture from Marianne), she said that this must be what heaven feels like and I agree.

After the temple we went to Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner and the guy in charge was the least customer-is-right person you ever met.

He said he didn't have room for us.  We said, "We are OK being at separate tables."

He said, "You say that, but then you'll move the tables."

We promised we wouldn't.  Adam became the ambassador talking to him.  We had to stand off to the side until the entire group had paid, then he led us to the back and reinforced that we weren't to move tables.

In the line, he chided Robert for using the wrong plate.  Robert didn't know what to do with the wrong plate he was holding (put it back in the pile of plates?) so he held onto it under another correct plate.  The guy was waiting for him at the end of the line and said, "I told you you couldn't use that plate."

Robert said, "I didn't know what to do with it."

The guy said, "Give it to me."

Later, most of the people had left and Marianne, Robert, Emma and Adam and I were lingering and chatting.  The guy came up to us and said we needed to leave because people were waiting for the table.

Wow.

If you didn't think someone could take a pizza buffet restaurant that seriously, you were wrong.

I slept OK considering my sore arms woke me up whenever I moved, but I woke up feeling awful.  I was nauseous and achey.  I kept thinking, "Maybe I'll feel better after I take a bath."  But then it took me a very long time to have the gumption to take a bath.

Adam sent me the link to watch church from home, which I appreciated, but I missed going to church.  We were gone last week too and I like going to church.

I spent the day thinking, "OK, I'm feeling better," and then realizing, "No, I'm really not."

I better not get shingles or the flu or Covid!

By late afternoon, I was feeling more like a person.  Emma and Mark came over and I had heated up some Costco soup, so it was very fancy.  Mark had a new Nerf gun that he had won as a prize.  I said, "What is your life like?"

He just smiled.

Adam had been at church from 7:00 until 5:30.  He had tithing declaration and meetings and I appreciate him and how much he serves.

We sat around and visited and told Mark not to shoot us.  Then we played dominoes.  It was a different domino game than we had ever played and I read the rules, which doesn't ever happen and here's why.

After the first round, Mark read the rules and then we played it the correct way.

We played a few rounds and at one point someone said, "Are we keeping score?"

We weren't.

We're very uncompetitive (except sometimes Emma and me with word games).

Then we played Pass the Pigs.  It's so nice to have our kids over on Sunday evening.

Yesterday I talked to Braeden and Anna and QE and she was zooming around in her crazed I-didn't-have-a-nap-but-I-still-kind-of need-one state.  She was running a circle around Braeden and Anna and singing at full volume, "I love Mama she loves me, I love Daddy yessiree.  He loves me and so you see, we are a happy family!"

Braeden said, "Pray for us...."

If they lived close by, my Sunday evenings would be peak Thelma.

Grateful Friday

 Yesterday I put this on my door:

I saw the idea and bought a little Teachers Pay Teachers set.  I asked my class to help me remember the books I'd read to them so far this year.  I wrote the titles on the book covers.

It made me very happy that they remembered a lot of the books that I had forgotten about!

(It also made me happy that the set came with plants.)

I will keep adding to it as the year goes on and I read more books to them.

I am constantly preaching to them that I am teaching them math (trying to at least) because they will use it all the time as adults.  To that end, I presented them with my problem.  The shelves were two inches tall, the books were nine inches tall.  The door below the window was 38 inches.  I had them help me decide how far apart to place the shelves.  (I gave them guidance because we haven't even learned division yet.)

I love my little corner of the world.  Sometimes it is sheer chaos and sometimes it is aggravating, but sometimes it is downright delightful.

I'm grateful for room 108.

Man, no wonder I don't know what 9 x 9 is!

 Yesterday I went to Trader Joe's after school to pick up a few things for my Connections party on Friday.  I decided to name my quarterly gathering I have with my teacher friends Connections because it needed a name and I want to stay connected to them.

The guy at the check stand said, "Third grade teacher?"

Pointing to my Third Grade Crew t-shirt, I said, "How did you know?"

He said, "Lucky guess."

Then, like people often tell me, he said, "I remember my 3rd grade teacher."

I was prepared to hear some warm and cozy memory and he said, "She was pregnant and we had subs all the time.  All we did was watch movies.  It seems like we watched movies every day."

I said, "That's terrible!"

He said, "Yeah, I loved it at the time, but now I think, 'Man, no wonder I don't know what 9 X 9 is!'"

I don't show my students movies every day, but sadly some of them might emerge not knowing what 9 X 9 is.

Yesterday I had a little knot of students playing with something under their desks.

I said, "Put whatever you are playing with on my desk."

One of them sheepishly asked, "All of them?"

I said, "Yes."

Why they had four of these pens between them under the desks is beyond me.

At recess, I broke up the band.  I moved desks, like I do.

They had been in class a full 30 minutes when one of the chatty kids almost fell off her chair, because she was so startled by the quiet girl sitting next to her.

"How long has she been there?!?" she gasped.

"Since recess," I said.  "I moved desks."

It made me feel better about them not always picking up what I'm setting down.  I'm trying. 

It isn't always a me problem....

(And I need about twelve more quiet girls to slip next to students.)

When Tuesday is a Monday

 Yesterday I woke up with a headache, which is no way to live.

If you noticed the format was wonky on my blog, it's because my computer went a little haywire.  I was typing and the cursor started moving on its own and deleting things.  I did all the things, turned it off and on, turned wi-fi off and on.  It was crazy.

Adam, on his way to high stakes meetings, offered sympathy but was too busy to help.

It finally stopped being so wacky, but when I tried to fix the weird spaces, it freaked out again.

So far so good today.  Hopefully it will last.

At school, my computer (different computer) wouldn't connect to airplay so I couldn't cast my screen on the board.  It seems like that wouldn't be as vital as it is, but some of our curriculum is only in slides that I show on my computer. 

I was thwarted.

My students were all shouting Harry Potter spells at the screen to try to make it work.  (8 year olds shouting Harry Potter spells isn't as great for headaches as you might think.)

During my prep, I found the innovative learning coach who truly is one of the most helpful people I know.  She said the same thing happened to a second grade teacher and what finally fixed it was climbing up on a chair and unplugging the AppleTV and then plugging back in.

So then it worked.

The day improved, but my headache did not.  (Can someone show me how to unplug and plug back in?)

Monday night we had fruit and cheese and crackers for dinner, which is truly one of my favorite meals, but I decided to go to the store and get actual groceries after school yesterday.

I did my shopping, but was stymied at the checkout.  I've had the same PIN for my debit card for a few years and I entered it wrong and then I couldn't remember the right way (still with the headache).  I was at Winco and they only take debit cards, so I didn't know what to do about my recalcitrant brain.

I finally entered the four numbers in the right sequence.

Also at Winco, I ran into a Bonneville family.  One of the girls, a sixth grader who wasn't in my class, said, "Hi Mrs. Davis!"

It made me feel better.

The takeaway is to say hello.  It just might be the lifeline a person is looking for to lift them out of a Tuesday that is feeling a lot like a Monday.

Home

We made it home!  

There's snow on the mountain and we turned our heat on.  The season changed while we were away.  

We had meetings at school yesterday and everyone caught up on their fall break adventures or misadventures as it were.

One teacher had stuff stolen from their driveway and another has a mouse she can't catch.  A teacher got married and another moved her two kids into the same room and no one slept all weekend.

We sat huddled around computers, setting goals and discussing, discussing, discussing.  At one point, Alissa suggested we take a walk.  So we went outside and took a lap around the school, which was good to revive our tired brains.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

I keep thinking about the beautiful art we saw in Fort Worth and Dallas.  It was dazzling in both its variety and beauty.  

We talked at school about our why.  Why do we do this?  

It is hard to articulate, but for me it's connected to that art.

We are all so different and we all have our masterpiece to give the world.

I was talking to a kindergarten teacher and we both foremost want our students to feel safe.  Then loved.  Then we want to teach them the curriculum.

I want my students to feel like they can do things.  

I want to empower them to create their own masterpiece.

Weekend

 Friday Adam and I headed to Waco.  I wanted to go to the Silos and it was worth it.  Everything was beautiful.  

I loved walking through the shops and just seeing all the pretty things.

I sent this to our kids.  It was an I Spy game of where Adam was taking a meeting.

Emma returned this zoomed in picture.

We went to a hotel Chip and Joanna Gaines had renovated and had lunch in one of the restaurants.  It was delicious and also beautiful.   This was one of my favorite parts.  I could have spent the day there, curled up with a book.

We stopped off in West, TX for kolaches.  Adam wanted to get some for his friends.  Our next stop, of course, was Buc-ee's.  

It was my second time going there, but it was equally impressive as the first time.  It's a whole cultural experience.  I told Adam that if you grew up stopping at Buc-ee's on road trips and then you moved anywhere else, you would always be disappointed wherever you stopped.

I was the kid who never found their name on anything at a gas station, so this was exciting:

I didn't end up getting the t-shirt, but I got this little tray.

I straightaway took a nap when we got back to our hotel room (against all conventional wisdom a nap in the 4:00-5:00 hour is my favorite) and Adam did a little work.

One of us works harder than the other one on these trips....

The alumni party was at the Fort Worth Zoo.  It was getting dark and we didn't go around too much, but we saw the giraffes, which was fun.

We met up with Wes and Scott, two of Adam's colleagues, and the three of them had already arranged to leave early and go get tacos.  They saw their boss and one of them said, "We'll go whenever you're ready."

He said, "I'm ready."

So they hopped to it and we headed out.  Adam always rents a minivan for just such a time as this.  He loves driving people around.  He'd be a great Uber driver.

We went back to Velvet Taco and had a good time.  We dropped them off at their hotel (with the kolaches) and Adam dropped me off at our hotel and then he went back to the alumni party to help get Hootie sorted.  100% not his job, but he is always the good guy and I'm lucky to be married to someone like him.  Also, can we talk about Hootie?  It's the Sprinter van we took to Seattle a few years ago.  I kept calling it Hootie on that trip and Adam was not super enthusiastic about the name, but it stuck and now I hear all these people talking about Hootie and I feel like I have left my mark on the world.

It's the little things.

Saturday morning Adam was up and gone well before I woke up.  They hold two commencements in the day and I stayed in the hotel during the first one, happily with my book and embroidery.  I tried a little family history, but I was in the 1700s and clueless.

Adam picked me up and we checked out of our hotel and went back to the arena where the second commencement was already underway.  We got merrily waved through all the security checked back entrances and they moved cones so Adam could park in the loading dock area.  He had already made friends with all of them in his easy way.  A peek into the commencement team's job is pretty incredible.  One graduate had a broken shoe and they were on it, figuring out how to help.  Another graduate had her name wrong.  An employee came up to Adam and explained the problem and asked, "Do you know where Megan is?"

Adam said, "I will go look."  I was left with the graduate and nervously hand wringing employee and the guys watching all the screens behind the stage.  Megan showed up and whipped out an index card and pen from her bag and talked to the tech guy to change it on the screen.  I texted Adam, "They found Megan."

He later told me, "I had no idea who Megan was.  I'm still learning names.  I was going to try to find her picture on my phone."

I still loved his helpful posture.  It is one of his defining characteristics.

We chatted with a few more people, then found some seats and listened to a bit of the graduation.  I felt this swelling inside me when they had all the masters candidates stand.  I did that!

It is always very inspiring to go to the graduations.  One of the speakers talked about his wife picking up all the slack with their four children while he worked on his bachelors degree.  He said his whole motivation was those four children.  He said, "Now I don't wear work boots and overalls to work.  I'm business casual."

Everyone cheered.

Wes told us later that when he was handing out diploma covers, one of the graduates had the sash that indicated they were the first generation in their family to graduate college (43% of the graduates were!).  Wes said, "Congratulations on being the first generation."

The man said he was also the first high school graduate in his family.

Wes told him that he had changed his whole family.

I can see why those guys like working at WGU so much.

On a WGU high, I bought a sweatshirt.  One of the guys selling the shirts asked, "Who's the graduate?"

I said, "Me!"

We left the graduation and went to the Kimbell Art Museum.  It was amazing.  I love a good art museum.  I feel taller after looking at art.

Adam said, "Wes and Scott have to see this!"

He was going back to the graduation anyway to tell his team good job.  He left me at the museum.  I wandered around happily.

They returned and we only had a few minutes before we were taking them to the airport.   Like the teacher, I showed them the Michelangelo and Donatello.  I showed them the Monet which was one of his first exhibitions.  

I love art.

After dropping them off, we checked into a different hotel in Dallas.  It's kind of strange and not as nice as the photos online suggested, but it's fine.

A change is as good as a rest.

We went on a quest for New Haven style pizza in Garland.  They had a two hour wait so we opted for Tex Mex instead.

Today we're heading home and tomorrow I have early meetings at school.

Back to reality.

Grateful Friday

Fall break is going swimmingly.

I am grateful to be able to spend time with Adam exploring a new city.  That is my favorite.

Yesterday morning he worked and I did a little bit of training to be a mentor.  (I never asked to be a mentor and I have all these online courses associated with it and it's a pain, but that's a rant for another day.)

I also did a little embroidery and read.

We had lunch at Chicken Salad Chick with something like 18 varieties of chicken salad.

I used the bathroom and was so delighted with the signs, I took a picture.

I sent Adam to the men's bathroom (it was labeled Chick Magnets) to see if they had signs in there.

In the afternoon we went to the arena where the graduation will be held.  He introduced me to the commencement team and they were very nice to me.  They even gave me an all access pass which went straight to my head.

Adam did a walk through with them and I tagged along and it is a huge undertaking.  I think they are having about 1400 graduates.

One of Adam's employees, Liz, is an enthusiastic Texan and she had created an evening for us.  We picked her and another guy up at their hotel and went to the Stockyards.  A woman from the events team told us, "You have to go watch the cattle drive at the Stockyards!"  and a woman on the commencement team said, "You have to go watch the cattle drive at the Stockyards!"

We assured them we were going.

After all that build up, it was very anticlimactic.

About five cowboys drove about 15 longhorn cattle down the street.

Maybe if I had never seen cattle or cowboys it would have been more exciting.

One thing I noticed was that they all held their reins like Texans.  When I was growing up, my dad would tell me not to hold my reins like a Texan.  So based on that sample size, I guess it's a thing.

We walked around the Stockyards.  There were touristy souvenir shops and high end shops and lots of boots and hats for sale.  It was like Disneyland for Texans.  It was a fun vibe.

We met more of Liz's team and had dinner at a BBQ place.  We lingered and visited for a long while.  

Then we got ice cream.  A guy stopped me on the street and said, "Where did you get that?!?"

I pointed him to the ice cream shop.  Solidarity.  

We left the young to stay and go to the honky tonk and Adam and I gave Liz (who's about our age) a ride back to her hotel.

We're not the staying out late crowd.  Solidarity.

We talked to Braeden and QE and then Emma, which was nice.

Hoping Mark is still among the living.

I love being with Adam.  I love seeing him in his work element and learning more about what he does.

I'm grateful for this life.

Fall Break

Good morning from Fort Worth, TX.

Adam and I flew here yesterday.  I vacation where WGU has events and there's a graduation this weekend.  (I considered graduating because WGU graduates can graduate anywhere, but I decided I was not looking for the hassle.) 

We left from Provo.  Adam is the very king of cutting it close at airports (I'm not, Mark calls it exposure therapy for me).  The ladies at the TSA checkpoint lectured us about being late and then the flight hadn't even begun boarding.

Adam said he wanted to go back and say, "See?!?"

-We rented a car (not from Avis, thank you very much) and stopped at a Starbucks to use the wi-fi for a meeting Adam had.  I stayed in the car and called my mom.

My first time in the Dallas/Fort Worth area besides just being at the airport, it was kind of hard to get a sense of it.  Water towers, mega churches and lots of trees covering the city.  That's about what I saw.  

We checked into our hotel which is the same kind we stay at in California and it reminded me of QE.  The carpet is the same in the hall and it reminded me of her happily bouncing down the hall saying, "Off we go!  Off we go!" because we were heading to the pool.

We walked in the cool evening and I was wearing a denim jacket and it was the first time since last spring that I really needed a jacket and I was glad about it.  We explored a bit and liked what we saw.  Our destination was Velvet Tacos for dinner, which Adam had been to before.  He said we would do a taste test between there and Torchy's a different day.

But then Velvet Tacos was so good, he said, "Never mind, we don't need to go to Torchy's.  This is better."

I said, "Then let's come back here."

I would very gladly get that salmon taco again.

We walked back to our hotel and stopped to use my bird ID app because there was one spot where the trees were brimming with loud birds.  They were great tailed grackles and I googled it and a collection of grackles is called a plague.

I hope the grackles don't find out about that.  It might hurt their feelings.

Today, Adam has some work stuff and in the afternoon we are going to the Stockyards with one of his teams.  

I brought my embroidery.  Like I told Marianne, "Tell me you're a middle-aged woman without telling me  you're a middle-aged woman."  Turns out you can fly with scissors if they are under 4 inches.

Game changer.

Moms

Yesterday my mom commented on my blogpost:  I think your hair is lovely.

Most days it decidedly isn't, but my mom wouldn't believe that.

It reminded me of a conversation I had with Braeden a few weeks ago.  He was telling me that he got his courage up and asked one of his mentors what kind of university he could expect to get hired at, based on his work in his PhD program.

I said, "You should have just asked me."

I honestly didn't know why he needed to ask anyone else.  I know that answer.  Anywhere on this planet would be lucky to get my boy.

Braeden said, "I didn't ask you because you would have said I could get hired anywhere."

I said, "Well, you could."

I could tell Braeden didn't believe me any more than I believe my mom.

Here's the thing I always tell my kids though.  (It's a quote from the show Community that used to be on TV.)

Anyone who spent 9 months inside of me isn't good, they're great!

And if mothers think their children are amazing, it's just about quadrupled for grandmothers.  If QE ever needs a shot of confidence, I hope she asks me.

Because that girl's future is so bright, I need sunglasses.

Curly

 One of my students sat across my desk from me yesterday and asked, "Is it hard to have curly hair?"

Did she mean, "Is it hard to live up to expectations?"

Maybe she meant, "Is it hard to achieve curliness with your hair?"

Or, "Is it hard to walk around looking like that all day?"

Probably she meant the last one.  Sometimes I glance in the mirror partway through the day and I think, "Is that my hair?!?"

Every day is a new adventure.

Weekend

 Saturday morning I woke up crying from my dream.  That's an illustrious way to begin a day (or a blogpost).  I was dreaming that Braeden was leaving home.

I told Braeden about the dream and he said, "Usually when you wake up from a bad dream, you can feel relieved that it was only a dream, but not that one."

Nope.

The reality is that not only has Braeden left home, but his equally traitorous siblings have as well.

Sunday night was no better on the dream front.  I dreamt that my friend, Jamie, and I were in an elevator at school (there isn't one) and there was some kind of malfunction and the elevator tipped over and ended up upside down.  When we were finally rescued, Jamie went to the hospital, but I went back to my classroom because I had left my class alone (while I was joyriding in the non-existent elevator?).

When I woke up from that dream, I realized that the headache I had in the dream was not in fact from being upside down, but from the bump I got on my head when we landed, because I hadn't stayed upside down.

Slowly, it dawned on me that it had been a dream.

I don't know what any of this says about my mental state, but I remember very few of my dreams, so when I remember them, I guess I blog about them....

Besides my wacky dreams, we had a pretty good weekend.  A highlight for sure was going to the Orem temple with Mark to do baptisms.  He baptized and confirmed me.  The temple was beautiful and I loved the way I felt when we were inside and I loved being there with Mark and Adam.

Being in the temple with my children feels like all my dreams (the good kind) are coming true.

Adam and I, after careful deliberation, picked out a new Christmas tree for the living room.  We wanted it fairly tall and quite skinny (but not too skinny) with warm white LED lights.  Knowing what you want so specifically makes such hunts easier and harder, but we finally ended up with what we think is a winner.

I will love festooning it with red and white and straw ornaments.

Speaking of trees, when we were talking to Braeden and QE on Saturday we told them that we were on the hunt for a tree and QE said she wanted a pink Christmas tree.  I sent her this picture.

Braeden said she said, "Another one!" which is exactly what she says whenever I read her a story.  

I told Braeden, "Get the biggest aluminum Christmas tree you can find, Charlie Brown.  Maybe painted pink! Do something right for a change, Charlie Brown!"

I don't think he'll listen to me.

At church on Sunday, Adam got up to close the meeting and said, "Part of my responsibility as bishop is to correct false doctrine when it is taught in sacrament meeting."  There was the slightest intake of air in the room.

Adam continued, "Reddick said the bishop must hate him because he had to speak and he is teaching the lesson in priest's quorum, but the opposite is true."

I think I was the only person in the room who knew Adam well enough to not have a mini panic attack, thinking he was actually going to correct false doctrine right there in public.

Our ward choir resumed practicing yesterday and I went in solidarity with Emma because it means so much to her when people go to choir.

There were four of us who showed up.  We struggled through one of the songs and the choir director said, "That was pretty."

The accompanist, who has what no one would consider a poker face, shook her head no and said, "Maybe it will sound pretty eventually."

It took all my self discipline not to start giggling because I knew I would never stop.

Later in the afternoon I caused chaos on Family Search by messing up some merges.  I couldn't recreate what I had done because I hadn't written down ID numbers in my haste (I always write down ID numbers, but I was rushing because it was time to get ready for dinner).  Silly sad Thelma.  It felt even worse because it was Marie Louise's family I was messing with.

Our dinner guests came and we had a nice time.  After they left, Adam cleaned up the kitchen and I called a Family Search helper.  I explained my folly and she said, "Oh, I know.  I have been there."

So kind.

It made me want to be like that, even when people are hasty with merges on Family Search.

Grateful Friday

 A few days ago I was in the hall, stapling up haunted mansion that had multiplication arrays for windows, like you do in October.  My stapler jammed and there was a bent staple stuck up inside and I couldn't get it out.  It had happened once before and I took the stapler to my dad's shop.

Riley and another custodian were walking down the hall.  I approached them just in time to hear Riley say, "God knew if I could read, I'd be unstoppable."

I have no idea what prompted that conversation....

I said, "Hey, do you have any tools to dislodge this staple."

He whipped out a big pocketknife and had the errant staple out in seconds.  

***

Tabor and my dad went to The Home Place to try to find out where the mice were getting in.  Tabor said he likes figuring out things like that.  I told him I was extremely grateful.  We talked on the phone a few times and texted and he told me my dad had a plan.  He said, "You know how it is when he has a plan.  I think you are in good hands."

My dad and his plans usually work out.

***

Yesterday some UVU students training to be firefighters came to give a presentation to the third graders.  The leader of the group came up to me and said they needed the teachers to fill out a paper for each presenter, kind of a teacher evaluation.  The dear boy (he was a big strong firefighter in training, but I felt motherly) had a faltering voice as he humbly asked me to fill out the paper and his hands were positively shaking.

The three trainees looked at the third graders, sitting on the gym floor chattering and bouncing in excitement, and they seemed unsure how to get it started.

In my best teacher voice, I  said, "Bonneville."

90 children, in unison, said, "Broncos" and then were immediately silent.  (It honestly doesn't always work that smoothly.)

In a weird role reversal where firefighters have my undying respect and appreciation for doing something I would never be brave enough to do, they were looking at me like, "How did she do that?"

They did a great job in their presentation.  They had several kids come up to the stage and demonstrate stopping and dropping and rolling and show me an 8 year old who doesn't love that!

It has all left me feeling grateful that we're all so different.  I don't think God prevented Riley from learning to read or he would be unstoppable, but I do know that He gave us each these diverse talents and interests and I will gratefully spend my days with the rambunctious third graders, knowing other talented people are doing their bit to make my world better.

What a good plan! 

For what ails you

 I guess angst is the flavor of the week.  I was in a sort of bad mood when I met Emma at IKEA yesterday (a mood that was not improved by the craziness of 5:00 I-15).  I started telling her about all the things while we walked and admired things.  I kept interrupting myself to say things like, "Look at that pretty pillow!"

And then I would say, "I don't need any more pillows!"

"But look at that one!"

Then Emma would stop to point out something cute and eventually I got out all my tale of woe, but after seeing so many lovely things, it fell lessened.

Emma got some plates since hers are breaking right and left and she got a few other kitchen needs.

The main event for both of us was the Christmas stuff and a lot of it was out of stock!  How is the temperature still in the upper 80s and IKEA is sold out of their Christmas stuff?!?

(I'm over temperatures being in the upper 80s btw.)

There was lots of pretty wrapping paper and since I use my calendar pages as gift wrap, I for sure didn't need any wrapping paper.

(I came home with five rolls.)

They did help my mood.

I enjoyed being with Emma.  We ate meatballs and chatted the whole time.  We decided I'd just buy the stuff and she could pay me back so we'd be more efficient at the checkout.   I told Emma she was in charge of figuring out the money.  I handed her the receipt and she said, "Oh."

All of our Christmas stuff (which was the bulk of what we bought) was all labeled Vinterfint....

We rounded numbers and made good guesses and checked a few item numbers and it would have been way easier to pay separately.  I still enjoyed our time.

I love adult Emma.  (I loved kid Emma too, but adult Emma is easier.)

I talked to Marianne on the way home and between the two of them, I felt considerably better.  I am ready to go back and try again.

(Also, I got some cookies at IKEA so I don't need to stop at the store to get a treat for activity day!  Winning all around!)

If I could just keep my desk clean

 I get tired of having the same conversations at work about the same things.  Complaining without offering solutions.

I'm guilty of the same.

I get tired of my messy desk.  I am endlessly tidying it and it feels like several small bombs are detonated throughout the day.  I am mid grading a stack and then something else interrupts.  Someone hands me papers to distribute.  They get added to the pile.  A student needs help so I shove everything aside and invite them to sit down.  I lose the copies I had prepared for different lessons.  

I create systems and the systems fail me.

I am tired of the state/district/school giving me more to do.  Take this canvas course, fill out this form.  

This is turning out to be sort of like yesterday's blogpost, because happy things happen too.

Emma sent a text that warmed my little heart.

Sometimes I just marvel at how lucky I was to get these kids.

And then there's Follow Him.  That podcast makes my day every time I listen to it.

I am grateful for our pleasant non-hurricane weather.

Good and bad.  Frustrating and lifting.  Mostly I'm just gloomy because I miss Adam.

Every rose has its thorn

 

Thorn	Rose
Adam is in Dallas.	I’m going to Fort Worth with him next week so I told him to get it all warmed up and figured out for me.  (He will.  He is an excellent tour guide.)
It was a Monday–no prep time, science chaos, all the Monday things.	It won’t be Monday for a whole week.
The news is wearying.	Braeden texted us pictures of QE entranced by conference and dancing along to the Tabernacle Choir.
I wish we could go spend some time in Starr Valley.	We have lots and lots of autumnal travel right now, which is fun, even if it is keeping us from Starr Valley.
My to do list always feels long and growing.	My master’s degree is DONE and I even turned in all the paperwork so I can get my lane change, which is the whole point!
Life can be trying.  That is all.	I’m still remembering the feelings of hope and purpose I felt watching General Conference.  It is such a blessing in my life.  I loved that all of us checked up on each other at school yesterday, “How was your conference weekend?” and “Wasn’t it great?!?”
I miss Adam.	I had dinner with Mark last night (Mark Monday).

Weekend

 October conference weekend is my favorite and I enjoyed every bit of it.  I caught up on sleep and laundry, which was good.

Emma and Mark came over Saturday morning.  I made Christmas ornaments for my students while Emma worked on a puzzle next to me.

We were kind of in a turf war for table space, but we cooperated.

After the first session, we piled in the van and got lunch and went to Costco in search of a Christmas tree for our living room.  Adam convinced me that we were in Costco and the tree I was looking at was way bigger than it seemed.

I eventually believed him.

We found gluten free pizzas which they've been without lately so we bought four boxes.

We stopped at Trader Joe's and filled our cart with treats and wonders.  I got pumpkin soup and pumpkin crackers and pumpkin joe joes and GF pumpkin pancake mix.  Mark doesn't like pumpkin and I told him that it's because he's youngest and all the good genetic material (that liked pumpkin) was taken up.  Adam told Mark he did, however, inherit all his wit and charm.

So there's that.

We enjoyed two more sessions of conference and Adam made pork chops and roasted vegetables for dinner.

After eating we had a music night that stretched for over an hour.  Emma instructed us to pick a song that "took us on a journey" and another that was a "danceable bop."  We texted our ideas to Mark, he played them and then we guessed whose songs were whose which wasn't even a little bit hard.

Then we kept saying, "Play this song!" 

We told stories about which songs mattered to us and why.  We talked about what they reminded us of.  We danced in goofy ways and sang along to the songs.  I gave them an anthology of the cassette tapes I cherished in the 80s.

Adam invented music night about 15-20 years ago and like most things he invents, we love it.

Sunday morning we had the GF pumpkin pancakes, which is the one pumpkin thing Mark likes.  We received the sad news that Adam's uncle David had passed away and were comforted with words of faith and peace from listening to two more sessions of conference.  

I'm sad conference is over.

I feel like the help and answers I was seeking were found.

Between sessions we talked to Braeden and went for a walk at the Pleasant Grove cemetery.  It's a beautiful spot to walk.  Catching glimpses of the Mt. Timpanogos temple through the trees as you walk through the cemetery feels like exactly what anyone could want.

A lovely weekend buoyed me and bolstered me and I'm ready for another week!

Thrilling Thursday

 That's what we're calling it.  Usually we have Fun Friday, which is a short bit of free time if they got their work finished.  

We don't have school on tomorrow (we have a teacher work day which is about the best thing that could happen to me at this point--I am so behind the times!), so we're having the free time if you got your work done today.

Thrilling Thursday.

Also, this is my grateful post for the week.  On Thursday.   I may not be up to it tomorrow.

I have day 2 of parent teacher conferences tonight and then I'm going to Provo where Emma is performing at an acoustic night at a coffee shop on Center Street.  If you're thinking that doesn't seem like my scene on a school night, you would be right, but Emma is my scene.

Here are some things I'm grateful for:

• surviving this week, I mean so far....
• my BYU practicum teacher-- I REALLY like her.  She is a natural and so nice and easy to talk to
• General Conference weekend--I love it.  I'm looking forward to a spiritual feast as I hear from our leaders.
• All the help and support I get at school
• The parents that came to parent teacher conferences and come read with me.  I know they love their children, but I also love their children and it makes me feel good when their parents show up.
• The fact that my unpacked suitcase is being patient.  Ugh.
• My autumn playlist.  I have one for every season, but my autumn one is my favorite.
• We've had perfect weather days.  Actually, they could be a little cooler, because I'm ready for sweaters, but they've been pretty great so I am grateful.

I think I can I think I can

 Day one of parent teacher conferences is in the books.  It was overall very good.  Sometimes meeting parents is very enlightening.  I'm just going to leave that there....

The one student whose parents I really wanted to talk to didn't show up.  That is something you can count on.

In other news, I had a concerned student in the lunch line yesterday.  They were having corndogs (which is concerning because they are gross).

He said, "Teacher?  Is there corn in corn dogs?"

I explained that the breading around the outside is made with corn flour.  I asked, "Have you ever had corn bread?"

He had not, which isn't super surprising since his parents are Mongolian.

He pondered that for a minute and then asked, "So...are there dogs in corn dogs?"

I assured him there are not.

English is tricky.  I'm surprised any of us are doing all that well with it.