It's a Boy!

Bry and Amee and everyone else except Tanner had bets on a girl, but the ultrasound clearly showed that our next grandbaby is a boy.  He'll be here at the end of May or first part of June.  They have about four months to wrap their heads around a son, make plans, and pick a name.

Funeral

I attended a funeral today for a man who believed in Bigfoot, shot a bear, caught a sturgeon, and wore fluorescent lime fleece pants on all his outdoor adventures.  He also was a spiritual man and an amazing father to ten outstanding kids.  Five of the kids go to my school, and the youngest one (Fanci) is four.  Benny is in my math, writing, and science class.  This is a strong family, but how do you go forward?  I'm grateful that they have a deep faith and a lot of support from family and friends.

The services were in Paul, a small farming town just passed Burley.  Seven of us from school made the 2 1/2 hour trip.  We had a hard time finding the Ebenezer Congregational Church.  There must have been five churches in a town that's only about five blocks long.  The pastor was the kids' uncle, and the funeral was really beautiful.  We all came out of the church completely drained though.  It was good to see all the kids and give them hugs.  (I love their names:  Benny, Ivy, Summer, Dexter, Glorie B., who goes by her middle name Belle, and Fanci.) 

We stopped at the Garden or Eden on the way back for lunch, Excedrin, and snacks.  For such a sad occasion, we really had a very nice time being together.  There were four teachers and the principal in the car I was in.  We talked about our religions, families, and backgrounds.  I found out my principal's father was a criminal and Lora's husband was beaten in an armed robbery when he worked at Wendy's.  We got to know each other better and we like each other even more.  It was a beautiful day.

Indexing Kick-Off

Our ward is going to try to index 10,000 names in the month of July.  Terry is in charge.  That meant he had to figure out how to do indexing, get information from the stake family history consultant, hold meetings, and run the computer and projector today at the fifth Sunday combined meeting.  I think we're going to smash the 10,000 mark, but it might be harder than I think to find the time.  Brent did over 500 names this month and Terry did over 250.  I keep saying I'm going to help, but haven't taken a half hour to learn and get started.  I might need the whole month of February to geared up, but I'm sure the three of us will be good for at least 1,000 of those names.  Hopefully we can find 40-50 ward members that want to help.  The youth are going to be involved.  They chose the month, because the last week is Spring Break.  They're use to cramming at the very end.  I might join with them.

How Did This Happen?

It's Ty's birthday.  How can he be 20?  Ever since he was 12 he's been trying to be 2 or 3 years older.  When he was 14, he'd tell me he was practically 16.  When he was 15 and driving, he would tell me he was practically 18.  Now that he's not a teenager anymore, I think it's kind of freaking him out.  He's wondering how he got so old.  He's still anxious though.  He wants to spend a year kicking around South America with his friend, be finished with graduate school, play Frisbee in Korea, return to Nepal, help people, do nothing, make money, and be smart.  I want him to do all that too, but mostly, I just want him to slow down, enjoy, date a nice girl that's kind of like me, and take care of his spiritual self. 

This birthday though did find him slowing down - his knee is bothering him.  He is getting through some school.  He's playing Frisbee in Eugene which is closer to Korea than Boise, and even though he's not making money, I sent him some for his birthday.  He needed clothes so I folded the bills into little origami shirts and pants.  Hope he likes them.  They'll be late.

DONE!

I finished my report cards this morning and turned them in for the principal to read over and sign.  It has been a crazy couple weeks.  The server has been up and down, but mostly down.  They kept moving the due date back, and I kept losing motivation, but today I'm finally DONE.  They don't go home until next Tuesday.  I couldn't face another weekend with grading and report card work.  This weekend, I'm free.

Engineering Extravaganza

It was a field trip day.  We went to the Engineering Extravaganza at BSU.  This is a perfect field trip for sixth graders.  You begin with a presentation on space travel and physics by someone from the Discovery Center.  It was interesting and entertaining.  She had everyone involved.  Then our classes are divided up and they move to different centers in the engineering building where engineering students give the groups information and answer questions.  All of the displays are very hands-on.  There are always 4 or 5 kids that are definitely going to be engineers.  They are all over this trip.  Those that aren't going to pass algebra, enjoy it too.  This year they made cheese out of milk and vinegar.  It wasn't too bad.  They pedaled a bike to power light bulbs and a blow dryer, sat in a dune buggy, learned about wind tunnels, computer gaming engineers, and the big highlight - rode a Segway. 

Why Am I Blogging?

I started this blog a year ago this week.  I had thought about blogging for a long time, but it was listening to an address by Henry B. Eyring, given at a genealogy conference, that finally got me started.  He spoke of keeping a record for his children of daily examples of God's hand in the lives of his family members.  I wanted to be more aware of that myself and I wanted to keep a record.  I like journaling.  I wanted to jot down things that I'm thankful for too - a gratitude journal.  As I look back, it's easy for me to get caught up in the day-to-day and often that's not spiritual, and often I'm not grateful, but I still like what I've recorded.  Although there is a two month gap, I'm recommitting to blog.  I hope that gradually more spiritual thoughts and gratitude will appear here, because I'm trying to become more aware.  (I'm also going to try to go back and fill in the gap.)

A Silent Movie

I met my friend Lydia to see The Artist this afternoon.  I predict that it will win the Academy Award for best picture.  I don't know what will be nominated.  I've only seen one other movie this year, but I think this one should win.  I do not love this movie, and I was not emotionally pulled into the story, but you can't help but be enthralled with this movie.  You watch every second to see how they're going to do the next part, and they do everything in a beautiful, clever way.  This is a black and white, silent movie.  Three words are spoken.  It pays homage to old Hollywood.  How can the academy members not vote for it?  Besides, the dog in it is adorable, and I did fall in love with the leading lady, whose name I don't know, but I think she's French.  Her name in the movie was Peppy, and it fit.  Besides being more beautiful and more talented than a young Natalie Wood, she was adorable, charming, vivacious, and peppy.  I can't wait to see her in something else and hear her talk.

Peppy Miller - AKABerenice Bejo

Big Announcement

I finished grading the 85 research reports last night!  What an ordeal!  The kids handed them in before Christmas but I ignored my bulging backpack and just enjoyed vacation.  Since being back in school, I've thought of every reason to procrastinate.  I just couldn't make myself plow through them.  But, the deed is done.  I read every word.  Marked on every page.  Filled-out a rubric for each, and gave thoughtful comments.  It took over 20 hours.  If I didn't have report cards to do, I'd feel free!

Report Cards, Not

Today is the end of the semester and report cards are due on Monday.  For elementary teachers who have to fill in many, many Es, Ms, Is, and Ns, plus write comments, it is many hours of work.  To that end, the district makes this day an early release - students go home at 1:15 and we have time to work.  Not this time.  I had already launched a complaint because all night on Wednesday, the server couldn't handle the load.  Today, of all days, the server was down all day and I'm sure all techies were scrambling.  Nobody could do anything with our grade program. 

So, instead of working on report cards, we had a scary 45 minute staff meeting about the levy.  We all have work to do.  If it doesn't pass on March 13th, many of my friends will no longer be employed.  I might not be employed, and the amazing schools and programs that Boise School District has, may not endure.  It won't be good for the kids, or the community. 

It Snowed, and Snowed, and Snowed!

Finally!  The snow started coming down at about 6:30 AM.  It didn't stop all day.  It was beautiful and exciting.  The kids kept watching out the window as it piled up inch by inch.  They went out at recess and made giant sculptures and snow forts.  They came in freezing, wet, red, and happy.  At about 4:00 it started warming up and the snow turned to sleet, then rain.  It rained all night and the next day.  Now it's gray and slushy, but Bogus is open, we have a good snow pack, and all the worries that came with a dry winter are over.

New Friend and Colleague

My new student teacher started yesterday.  She's going to be amazing.  She's already so capable.  She's spent the first couple days just watching and learning names, but she is ready to teach.  It's so great mentoring and team teaching.  An extra pair of hands, an extra head, and an extra body help too.  Last semester's student teacher was a wiz at the computer, organized, and on top of all grading.  We decided at one point if we had just one more teacher in the room, we could stay on top of everything.  I think Kathleen and I are going to be able to do it.

It's also interesting getting to know a new friend and colleague.  Kathleen is an army brat that has lived all over, including six years in Germany and several years in Korea.  She's half Korean and can read, write, and pronounce Korean words, but she doesn't understand it.  Crazy.  Both her and her husband served as officers in the army, and were deployed to Iraq for a year each.  Now they're both out and working on their family.  She has a three and one year old.  He works on the big power windmills.  They live on 5 acres in west Boise with two horses and a pony.  We both do Pinterest and will be talking about gardening and crocheting. 

Happy Anniversary

Terry and I have been married 14 years.  We're still in love and very happy, but the celebration has to wait.  Terry has visits that he had to do tonight, and I wanted to go to book club, so we celebrated separately.  Maybe this weekend we'll go out to eat.  Maybe it will be two weeks, but we will celebrate, and we are happy.