Warmth to Hold On To

When loved ones die, especially if it’s unexpected, many of us heavily rely on the blessing of memories and stories that we’re left with. Recently I learned a story about my Uncle Karl, who’s been gone nearly 17 years. It’s strange…I guess I figured I’d heard it all. After the accident, Karl’s bishop had asked some of his friends and ward members to write letters to the family, which is where this story comes from. Sometime before Karl died, he had dropped out of BYU, giving him more free time than his roommates. One roommate wrote that he was very stressed with school and was overwhelmed with a paper that he needed to research, but couldn’t find the time to get to the library to do so.

This guy came home from a long day at school to find all the books he would need to write his paper. Karl had gone to the library and brought them all home for him.

It's a Full House

You've heard me bark about how big my ward is. Massive. 90 kids in the nursery, 2 Elders’ Quorums, etc. So you can imagine what practice for the Primary Program was like yesterday. The mandatory practice. Chaos. Utter chaos. 300 kids. Three hundred kids. All the chairs on the stand were full. Rows of folding chairs were set up. And the first 3 rows of pews were full of Sunbeams. Chaos. I sat towards the back to watch the rehearsal, never so glad to not be in Primary. But I wouldn’t mind getting back to it after the program. Since there’s so many kids, and since the Sunbeams are so little, these 3-year-olds are to STAND ON the PEWS during a song. Do you suppose that they were reverently standing on the pews? No! The pews somehow morphed into trampolines. During the song Scripture Power, the Sunbeam boys would put their fists in the air and jump valiantly when they got to the chorus. I went back and forth between pitying the Primary presidency, to thinking that they were absolutely nuts. But then it happened. Magic. While all the older kids stayed sitting, the whole Primary sang I Know My Father Lives while the little Sunbeams stood and reverently signed. I shrunk down in my seat, trying to hide the tears. It was fabulous. These little ones, not much more than babies, signed the song, closely watching the chorister for what to do next. And when it was over, the pandemonium returned. But for just a brief moment they were angels.

PS As if there wasn’t enough chaos, the real Primary program is tomorrow; when the kids will be completely hopped up from all the candy they get this afternoon at the ward Trunk-or-Treat. Hello! Scheduling conflict.

A Funny for Your Day

Courtesy of one of my special ed students... Did you hear about the dyslexic devil worshipper? He sold his sold his soul to Santa.

All in a Not So Summer's Day

I don't know about you, but I am just NOT ready for winter. So not looking forward to the cold. I'd rather wear summer clothes year round. So enjoying fall is taking a little bit of effort. My decorations are out...little Halloween characters are perched on the piano and are hanging on the wall. Everyone in Utah is also trying to also enjoy fall, as we found them ALL at Thansgiving Point yesterday. Fortunately it wasn't too crowded to have fun at the petting zoo.

This pose of Sir Isaac's was not staged. He refused to "get dirty" by touching any of the animals and the whole place was too stinky for him. At one point I threatened that we weren't leaving until he did pet an animal.

If it hadn't been for the man and his daughters giving away kittens in the parking lot, Isaac wouldn't have touched anything. Yes, the kittens were precious, Maddie begged, Maddie pleaded and Maddie cried. But we didn't come home with a kitten.

Cabella's (David's house of worship) is right across the freeway from Thanksgiving Point so how could we not go?! Ugh.

As if someone was trying to hit me from all sides, just after I used all my strength and common sense to refuse the kitten, there...in the parking lot of Cabella's...as cute as could be...Yellow Lab puppies.

I'm normally very logical about the whole puppy refusal, especially after the whole Benny the Psycho Dog episode, but these boys were so cute.

Maddie picked one up and when I reached out to pet it, he reached out and wrapped his paws around my arm. She handed him off to me and like magic he melted into me and wrapped his paws around my neck. He loved me.

He had the brightest, greenest eyes. David asked if he should run to the ATM for the $200 puppy fee. Maddie asked "mom, are you sure you don't have ANY hundreds on you?!"

Fabulous that she would think I EVER do.

Alas, we came home without a kitten OR a puppy. Though this morning I'm wishing I had caved on the kitten. I miss having a cat.

Happy Autumn. Enjoy the stupid fallig leaves. We're forecasted to have snow these week. I'll be curled up with a mug of something hot.

A Soggy Saturday Story

Yesterday was pretty special. We drove up to Salt Lake City (which is quite far) to see some of my students compete in the Special Olympics. After we got there we found that the game time had been changed and ended up missing out. But the bigger reason we went up to SLC was to go to the cemetery. What? Not how you would spend the rainy afternoon?

David's mom had asked us to go find the graves of her uncle and grandparents. We were astounded to find even more.

We found prophets and many other historical church figures buried at this cemetery. It was amazing. The kids even enjoyed looking for names.

We were successful with finding David's family headstones, and we were surprised to have even found Nana's mom's grave.

The cemetery was beautiful and it was huge. There are many names that we didn't find. So I forsee another visit to the cemetery so that we can find the graves of amazing people like Sister Hinckley, Brigham Young, and other prophets, just to name a few.

Once Bitten Twice Shy

I've not said much about the new job. I think it's taken me these last few weeks to process it all, sort out my feelings, and wonder why in the world I chose Special Ed. Let's get this out of the way: I chose it so that I could be off when my kids are off. So that I can be home with them in the afternoons, and so I will be with them on all the holidays and silly teacher this and thats. Some days I come home from work feeling useless and ineffective. Somedays I come home feeling like I've changed the world. Yesterday was a major set back. This hairy image before you is my arm:

I was attacked by one of my sweet students yesterday. She bit me (yes bit me) in attempt of getting out of PE. But after serving her sentence in the timeout room (where she visits often) we marched her to the gym, teaching her that hurting the teacher is not the way out. It's not the first time she's marked me. The bruise finally faded on my arm from when she pinched me, again trying to get out of PE.

I was immediately sent to the office to fill out the proper paperwork and found a sympathetic staff and a furious principal, not with me of course.

My next stop was to the workers comp clinic. Yes, it's just as miserable of an experience as it sounds. Let me just tell you that they're idiots; the nurse lost the vein and tried to find it with the needle in me during my blood test, I had to remind them to give me the tetanus shot, and then she couldn't remember which shot she gave me. But that's not all, I still need a series of blood tests to rule out HIV and Hep A&B (hello! I live in the land of the Mormons, I think I'm clean), and I have to get Hep A&B vaccinations.

So stay tuned for when I come to you crying when I get my first wee paycheck at the end of October and need to be reminded why I took this crazy job.