The Seven of Us

I am ready for a vacation!!  Have been for  month! Today 5 of my anatomy students, all seniors, dropped my class.  They were my favorite 5, too.  It stinks.  I know that it's not personal--they all have other classes they want to try that are opposite anat--bu tit stinks.  Really a bummer for next semester. I am SO. glad. it's almost Christmas!!  

All week long: padres here, cooking, cleaning painting.  House warm, neat, and cozy when I get home. Work getting done on the new house.  Treated to Pizza Hut.  Soon it will end. NO fun! Really, I feel extremely blessed.  I am grateful for the parents I have. They love me. THey watch over us.  They pray for us. They are interested in us.  They have spent many, many weeks and months here and they have developed a great relationship with their grandkids.  My kids all love them and look forward to having them around.  When my parents come to visit, they come to work.  I don't know that they've ever come expecting a vacation. (Which is good.  I doubt they've ever had one while viiting us! Sure, our lives were a little more relaxed when we were able to just sit back and watch the kids play all day.   But even then, they had to deal with less-than-ideal accommodations in our busy home.  Their bed was on the couch and break...

Today is October 6, and it's been exactly two months since I showed up for my first official day of school   meetings.  I think it's been the fastest two months of my life.

I start teaching a week from today.  Yay!!  I've had enough meetings.  There are a few things I don't know how to do, but I' m anxious to get started.  

Well, here I am... Mid-July of my 39th summer on earth.  I guess to Heavenly Father that's nothing. But there is a lot going on.  I was hired to teach science in Holyoke just two weeks ago.  I start on Aug. 6th!  Yikes!  I lost a lot of work time by not knowing what I was doing right away, and by waiting on the administration , etc.  I am feeling very very pressured to get my prep Done. And, I 'm anxious   to see how the classroom feels and get started.  I will be teaching Biology and Bio II and anatomy  and 7th grade science.  The biology is overwhelming me.  I have not had much time to look at it and I don't remember it...at all.  Yikes.  I am scared--but I know that with hard work and Heavenly Father's help I will be okay.  I just have soo much to do.  Complicating things, I am having serious pain with my scapula and trigger points that developed from sleeping on a bad mattress for two years. I wish...

This is how Kenna spends her free time in the summer!  (Today was the first time she used the fan.  She paid Isaac $1.05 to go get it!) 

It's Taylor's birthday on Friday.  She is at Disneyland today, although she's actually in Cali for the national FBLA CONFERENCE.  She worked hard, raised every bit of what she needed for the trip, and hopped on the plane with 22 other kids yesterday. And she sat by a boy. (His name is Elliott.  He is like a son to me, connected to our family by several different threads.  The first and most enduring thread is Taylor.  They have been friends for a long time, and he watches out for her, and I think he likes her, but right now I am just thankful that he is her friend.) Yes.  And today I was remembering some things about Tay when she was small.  I remember her dressing herself in trash bags and making Tay soup.  She created woven placemats from iris leaves and put an old white curtain over her head for a wedding veil.  She was always singing--often songs from the little Mermaid  or Mary Poppins, but almost as often  they were songs s...

Taylor was named the Star Farmer of the Haxtun FFA Chapter this year.  Basically that's the most outstanding FFA student in the chapter.  She was also the ost outstanding student in Accounting I, Coffee Cart, and World History.  Way to go, Tay Tay!

Years ago, when I was a younger mom and knew a lot more in theory and a less in practice, I saw a book entitled "A Day Late and a Dollar Short".  I was disgusted.   As if I want to read about how to be late and poor, I thought. Sixteen years later, I still haven't read the book.  I'm not poor, but I'm not wealthy, either.  I do feel like I'm always late, though--generally because I set silly, unrealistic deadlines  for myself in order to keep from being truly late. Anyway, I have been working on a post about Marco Island and it's two months overdue.  So, in the meantime, I'm gonna brag about my kids. Taylor is working her tail off to fund her trip to Anaheim for national FBLA.  She is doing well.  I was proud of her for qualifying and am even more proud of her for working so hard to pay for her trip. I am also dying inside--just a little death, but dying nonetheless, because she will be gone on her birthday, and when I think of th...

Boisterous boys Awesome skies Sacrifice squeeze Earthy clay Bombs of white All night long Launching toward the Lights

Yesterday I received a call from my friend/mentor/superintendent, Darcy Garretson.  I was not hired for the junior high science position.  I had expected her news.  Here's why:  Prior to last Tuesday, I felt like I'd landed the job. Darcy had called, concerned but optimistic, five days after my interview to see if I'd be interested/able to enroll in school in order to complete my licensure requirements.  A few days after that, we met to discuss the likelihood that I'd just complete the seven credits I had remaining this summer, which meant I'd be free to enroll in the Alternative Licensure Program this fall.  Darcy was visibly excited about that and asked me to write a letter to the school board explaining my plan. I left her office that Wednesday euphoric:  I had a LOT of work to do, but I probably had a job. The following Tuesday afternoon I was driving into town, thinking about dinner and wondering what chaos would greet me at home when s...

April 17, 2012  Aaaahhhh...where to begin? We have been home from Florida for two weeks and one day.  It feels like a month.  In fact, the last week feels like a month.  I'm applying to teach in Haxtun.  I am fully prepared not to be hired--the application and interview process alone will be great experience for me--but I am working my tail off to put together the best application that I can.  It's a process.   Simultaneously, I'm working hard to wrap up things with the sumer activities committee.  Today I went to Holyoke and asked the trustees of the Heginbotham trust for funding.  Now that that's done, I can focus on my chem test on Friday, balance the checkbook, and finish my lesson for Sunday.  Then I have a talk to prepare for next week.  I'm looking forward to better weather and more sun to propel me through this!  Yikes....but fun. April 25 More to add...a couple of weeks ago I contacted Laura Knode, ou...

Just after Christmas, my parents left NY for Marco Island, FL.  They first went to Marco Island two winters ago (before their mission).  While there in 2011, they met another retired couple playing softball at a park.   My parents got together with Bob and Rita and some other couples and played softball. They stayed in touch and when they finalized their plans for this winter, Bob put my dad in touch with the people in charge of Old Man Rec League softball in Marco.  Dad filled out paperwork, was approved, and joined a team.  My mom is a true-blue baseball fan and former competetive softball player ( the result of growing up with four older brothers, one of whom was a baseball fanatic), so all of this ball playing suits her just fine. On non-game days, my parents often take their pitching machine to the park. It's fun to see them enjoying themselves during their retirement.  I'm happy they have the opportunities they do. But I d...

This is my cousin, Andrew Droddy, with his mom, Suzanne.  I haven't Andrew (in person) since 1989. (Or Suzanne.) Funny how twenty-some years changes things.  Add caption

      Taylor's Prince Charming...  for about 18 months now.   It's crazy.  I never expected (or wanted) teenagers who were dating someone steadily.  But, I got one. And ya know what? They met at Youth Conference. Not sure I love the fact that the Church was doing the matchmaking.   I do, however, love the fact that Quincy is a nice, friendly kid.  He puts up with our family. He is kind, sensitive, and treats Taylor like the Princess she is. He calls and asks us if he can take her to special events before he buys tickets. He's a hard worker. He's planning to go on a mission. We know his family.   Time will tell what happens to these lovebirds.  But for now, suffice it to say, they're smitten. Totally smitten.    

Life can change on a dime.  In an instant, a loved one can be killed, a poor choice made, or something life-changing said or done. On Friday I felt like my life changed almost instantly.  Actually, something happened that has the potential to change my life. I was walking into the school for an accountability committee meeting when Darcy Garretson (our superintendent) pulled me aside and said, "I just want to give you the heads up that we're going to be advertising for a full time high school science teacher for next year."  I think my mouth dropped open.  I just stood there--I think for so long that Darcy felt she needed to offer an explanation, because she clarified that Alan Nall, my chem teacher, isn't getting enough science taught because he's acting as a part-time administrator and he's always having to deal with student issues during class time. (Or he's gone at meetings.) So.  What does this mean for me? Time will tell, but I ma...

This was Isaac and Corbin's favorite part of Christmas! Jared's mom always has things for the kids to do.  A few years ago there were tons of toys and video games.  Sometimes the horses are nearby.  Recently the four wheelers have been a big attraction.   Isaac and  Corbin spent most of their time at Grandma Sally's place riding these.  We were there 4 days--one of which was Christmas--and I think they each logged a full three days of "driving".  Although this picture is of Ike, Corbin also drove the small four wheeler on his own. He felt soo cool!   (The older kids also did a little four wheeling-- and a little driving. This place has a circular drive that loops around the house; it became a practice track for Caleb and Kenna, who each made a few laps in the suburban. )     The older kids also did a little four wheeling-- and a little driving. This place has a circular drive that loops around th...

When we arrived in Washington Jared's mom was at his sister Janna's house in Port Orchard; Janna had gone into labor the day we left.  Janna has her babies at home and his mom wanted to be there. Actually, it was a good thing; we needed to spend some time with Jared's dad and stepmother anyway.    Here's Isaac when we arrived.  The grass there stays green most of the winter.     On Sunday afternoon all of Jared's local siblings (that's six) came to Dad and Rosannes.  Here's Corbin getting to know his cousin Aleeah, who is 3 1/2.  They were having a discussion about the ice machine. Here's Taylor with her Uncle Matt.      Caleb kept a slew of younger cousins entertained .   The seven siblings (Jon, Jared, Steven, Beth, Becky, Josh, Matt) with their dad.   

While  in Washington for Christmas we visited the Basin City cemetary, where Jared's mom's parents are buried.  His grandma, Teddy Tenney Coffey Cottrell, died on December 8.  We had wanted to see her once more, but we missed our opportunity.  Anyway, Jared had been to this cemetary a couple years ago when his grandpa died (actually, that was in June 2010).  I hadn't seen it until this trip. I really loved the inscription on this rock at the entrance to the cemetary.   I don't know a lot about the Columbia Basin project, but I have tried to imagine what it would've been like to move there in the 1960s. The people who did so were truly pioneers; until then, there was no water and very few residents of the area.  Lots of church members moved north because of the farming opportunity. Today, fifty or so years later, there is a temple in the tri-cities and in Jared's little farm town there are two huge wards (people there have a L...

We normally stay home for Thanksgiving, and this year (2012) was no exception.  We invited the Elders (Lane and Lopez) and we also had Taylor's boyfriend Quincy here (his family went to New Mexico, but he had to stay and work.  His boss at Miller Feed and Landscape depends pretty heavily on him.) We had our normal meal (potatoes, gravy, stuffing, turkey [we also had ham since we were feeding a lot of people], strawberry jello "salad", fresh cooked cranberries, and tossed salad).  Then we hung around and talked and ate pies and played games.    The Elders were a blast.  Because of our busy fall schedule it had been awhile since they'd been to our home, and we enjoyed getting to know them and seeing that they were so relaxed.  They made us laugh.  We asked a lot of quesion (about Rhode Island, speaking spanish [I asked Elder Lane if he spoke Argentine espanol or if he spoke like a European or...yah.  I like...

I need to post about Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I decided to add these first. I purposefully didn't post very many sports pictures from last fall; sometimes all of the sports photos begin to look similar.  Then I found on Caleb's fb wall and felt that it was worthy of the blog. This is Caleb after coaching his team of 6-7 grade friends (and fellow teammates) to a victory in this year's junior high football Toilet Bowl.  The TB is held every year at the end of the junior high season. It's just an intra-squad game; the teams are composed only of sixth & seventh graders. The eighth grade boys are the coaches.  Every player is given a nickname, which the announcer uses throughout the game.  One year Caleb was "Cuddles" and another year he was  "Reverend". (We never knew why. Maybe because people started praying when they saw Caleb the running back heading toward them?  He is twice as large of some of the kids he pla...

There have been times when I've felt that I work hard.  I have five kids who need to be fed, clothed, shopped for, transported, taught, hugged, loved, disciplined, laughed with, sent to bed, woken up, encouraged, lectured, corrected, and loved. All of that is work. (I listed love twice by accident, but I left it there on purpose.)   On the other hand, on the occasional summer days that Jared wakes up at 4:15 so that he can work for 14 hours and still get to Bishopric meeting, I feel lazy.  Still, I've always believed that moms are entitled to stay home with their kids. That's a great  way to live. Being  home when kids are little is just so ideal.  Sure, there are hard moments; three kids under age four was hard for a couple of years, as was having two kids in diapers, waking up several times each night with a baby, and having kids who tease, fight, don't listen, won't nap, etc.  Little kids who are impatient and per...