Help in the Gulf

Oil Slick from Rig Explosion Reaches U.S. Coastline

It’s times like these that I wish I had money. I wish I had it so I could help. I’ve been watching the news a lot lately and it kills me to know that there’s all this trouble in the Gulf of Mexico and I can’t be there to help. If money wasn’t an issue, I’d be on a plane to Louisiana in a heartbeat; just as I would have been on a plane to Haiti or Chile when those disasters happened. Since I can’t be there, I’ll have to settle for spreading the word and doing the little I can. If you live close to those coastal areas and you can afford to spare some of your time, help. I found this list of organizations on CNN where you can find some ways to help.

MacJam Success!

A last minute call from Papa Joe resulted in an awesome night! Our Canadian friends Shane and Heather hosted the first ever MacJam tonight. We got a call from Dad this afternoon inviting us over to S & H's home to jam with a few people. Seeing that we didn't have any other plans for the night and Eli hasn't had a good jam session in awhile, we agreed.

However, when we got to S & H's house we were greeted by their youngest daughter who was handing out flyers. The flyer was to announce the order that the performers would be playing and we quickly noticed Eli's name on the list! So much for jamming! There were already 30 people sitting in the house listing to Devin sing about plankton abuse.

Eli and I high-tailed it around the back to the basement where he held a secret, mini-rehearsal. It's been awhile since E performed for anyone, so he wanted to make sure he could still play. Just in case you were wondering, he can. He sounded great. He played three songs- When You Say Nothing at All (which he did with Christie, my dad's cousin), Rodeo Clowns, and She Will Be Loved.

It was great to hear him play again. Not to mention to hear S and Dad and Christie sing. Love it! I'll try to take video at the next MacJam, so you can share in the pleasure of listening to Eli (and everyone else) perform.

Dad and Christie

Devin (who sang of Plankton & Child abuse)

S - our host

Wrinkles

I was sitting down in a temple session yesterday when I observed something so very interesting. The elderly woman sitting in front of me had the most defined wrinkles I have ever seen on anyone! I’ve never really sought after someone’s wrinkles before. I just happened to notice. The wrinkles made a deep criss-cross pattern across the back of her neck. Because I am currently going over geometry with my students, they crossed to form a perfect looking rhombus. As she moved her head around the wrinkles undulated with such familiarity. I was entranced. I could not look away.

As I became familiar with this woman’s wrinkles, I began thinking. I wondered what this woman’s story was. How old was she? What types of things has she experienced? Was she married? Was her husband still alive? Was she content with the journey her life has taken her on? Is she where she expected she would be? I know those are a lot of questions to ask from a few wrinkles, but it kept me thinking.

I saw a few more ladies that day. One looked like she had carried a quite a load on her shoulders and she was slightly stooped from the weight, but there she was with a light in her eye and a dazzling smile. I just wanted to run up and hug her. Another woman walked around with her lips pressed in a tight line, worry wrinkles plain on her face. I wondered what she was going through.

It made me wonder what stories my wrinkles will tell when I’m older. I’ve been thinking about the different pathways my life has offered. So much has happened in a relatively short amount of time. There have been so many twists and turns; my life could have easily ended up in a completely different place. If I would have chosen door 1 or door 4, my life could be the complete opposite of what it is now.

I’ve had my heartbroken a couple of times; that’s just another storyline of life on my face. I’ve lived through struggles and trials. Those events that have been etched and worn into my life made me who I am and they help me feel more. I don’t think I could love and appreciate Eli as much as I do now without those other events. I’m not saying that I couldn’t love Eli without those other things happening and I wouldn’t volunteer to go through all of it again, but I’m thankful for all the learning.

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be in life and I’m happy with my place. I have an amazing husband who I love more than anything. I am so lucky to have my best friend by my side when I lay down at night. My day starts in the best way possible because he is by my side in the morning. He lets me listen to bad 80s music. He lets me color in my coloring book. He lets me sing at the top of my lungs and dance and doesn’t laugh at me too much when I want to watch Saturday morning cartoons. I have 3 fantastic, four-legged family members (I wish they were two-legged, but in time) that greet me when I walk in the door every day. I have a job that I love. I have a home. I live close to family. Of course there are other things that I want, but I don’t need anymore than I have.

I hope that when I become “elderly” that I have beautiful wrinkles that show I’ve lived a wonderful life.

Age is Strictly a Case of Mind Over Matter...

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter! Recently I've been feeling older (not that I'm old at all), but last night reminded me that it doesn't matter! E and I went to a surprise party for a friend of ours 30th last night at a place called Jump On It! It's a trampoline gym and it's pretty, dang cool!

We got there 20 minutes till J showed up with his family. There was a ton of family and friends there. I got to meet a lot of E's friends from the mission in Peru. I've been hearing so many stories about them all over the past four years, it was nice to be able to put faces to names (although I did meet quite a few of them four years ago). We mixed. We mingled. We ate food from L & L Hawaiian BBQ. Just as a side note: L & L is good, but if you're ever in St. George eat at Honolulu Grill - you won't regret it.

After all the time spent hanging out, J FINALLY showed up. When you're waiting to surprise someone, it feels like forever until they show up. He was so surprised! His kids were so excited that they were able to surprise Dad. J really is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and it was so cool to see all his friends and family celebrate him.

It's amazing what people can do on a trampoline. I never grew up with one, so I stuck to bouncing around and off the walls, but some people are daring! I kind of want to take a trampoline exercise class because by the time I was done, I was totally spent. Which was good because it was present time!

A few years back - because the times were kind of tight - J had to sell his motorcycle. He was telling us that he cried because he had to give it up. His wife (who is amazing) tracked down the guy they sold it to and bought it back. She had it hidden at the gym and started it up. The noise was deafening. As soon it was rumbling, J got a HUGE smile on his face. He was so excited to have it back! It's nice to see your friends so happy.

Either way, I have to say, it really doesn't get better than spending time with friends and family and being a kid!

It's Going to be an African Daisy Day

These are the flower seeds that one of my favorite students (I'm not going to lie, I have some) gave me today. It's amazing how things pop up unexpectedly and at the exact moment you need them. This one almost brought me to tears...

Dear Mrs. Adams,

You are an amazing reacher! YOU ROCK!!! You have taught me so much! You have helped me developed into that young woman I am! I know if I follow what you have taught me, I will be successful!

Love, G

This note (which I love all of the exclamation marks, by the way, because she talks exactly like that) was accompanied by this note (which makes me think it was a YW activity):

Teacher Seeds

Students are like seeds

you plant in the soil.

Each takes patience,

nurturing and toil.

You are a great teacher.

You do your job well,

planting seeds of knowledge,

Just look at us to tell.

Now plant these seeds

and over each one fuss,

so they'll grow up bright

to remind you of us!

YW activity or not, I like it! Today is going to be a good day!

Questions for Answers

Geez Becca. You ask such thought-provoking questions! I’ve been giving your question a lot of thought. I talked it over with Eli and I think that we’ve reached our opinion, but I think I have to ask you, what do you think?

I think there are two definite answers. I don’t know if my lost thought counts as an answer, but it’s definitely a suggestion. First, I think it’s okay to tell your child “I don’t know.” It’s good for them to know that parents don’t always have the answers to every question. For me, this is probably the least helpful of the options though. It would be the simplest answer and definitely the least time consuming, but I think in that quote I wrote before, this would be the disservice part. Again though, I don’t think every question has to have a definite answer.

The answer I think that would provide more experience to your kids would be your second answer, “I don’t know, but let’s find out together” In this situation your child knows it is okay not to know the answer and it could be fun to find out. There are so many different resources available to find out answers. How much fun would it be to ask your grandparents questions? How about taking a fieldtrip together and going to museum or the zoo and asking an expert there? What about teaching (at an appropriate age) how to use the internet to find answers? I personally LOVE going to the bookstore and finding answers in books. And don’t forget, even if YOU know the answer, help them find out the answer. There’s nothing wrong with a little hard work.

And then when your child gets to know all of these options, how much fun would it be to say, “I don’t know. How about you find out the answer and I’ll look for the answer and we’ll compare!” I know it’s kind of cheese-y, but honestly, I think it’s a great way to teach your child research skills, but also a way to encourage their curiosity. And that way, when they get to be old, like me, they might find something else that interests them and they can make a career or it. or they make an awesome new discovery.

I (in my opinion, of course) think these are some good ways to encourage curiosity. And let’s face it, we don’t have all the time in the world to satisfy every question, but I think it’s important to help them find answers to some of their questions. That way they know that their questions are not dumb or are important and that they can find answers on their own.

Daughter of Sintin

Apparently this is the time to move. Within the past two weeks, I've had one student move and two students move in. That puts my class count at 31. I'm not going to lie. My student that moved out is a sweetheart, but a little socially awkward and always caused trouble. One of my new students that came is a sweet, shy little girl. It was a nice break.

And then this past Tuesday, I got my 31st student. I met Mom on Monday after school. These were the first words out of her mouth (with a chuckle, I might add), "Hi! Good luck with R!" Great. I love it when parents start out with that. She brought him to class on Tuesday. I shook his hand (it makes kids feel more grown up) and he smiled at me. Not 2 minutes later he was interrupting, throwing stuff, putting his hands in other students' desks, a nightmare. After lunch he was 25 minutes late to class. I had 5 students tell me that he was bragging about leaving school. What a mess!

I sat R down and told him how things were in my class. I told him that I would never lie to him and I would always treat him with respect. I expected the same in return. We respect each other's time, property, etc. That seemed to sink in because the next day was a lot better.

R is still getting used to the routines in class and so, understandably, he forgot to turn his math notebook in. I decided I'd grab it for him so he could get create for the work he was so diligently working on in class earlier. I grabbed the notebook and found this where his quiz should have been (Italics added for clarification, in case you need it):

My Techer is the daughter of Sintin [Satan]

take a good look around/this is my class room/ I know it's H**/it's becaus my techer is the daughter of Sainten/ She turns around and she shaks my hand and I say F*** you/ Now go back to H** you Demon

I walk up to the front of the class/ and I say F you/ you guys like to be in H**/ So I walk to Mis. Adams/ I say Hay you Demon go back home to the firey pit of H***/ You can kiss my A**/That's why humeas [humans] are the top of the food chain

I will tell you what to do/ you will bow down to me/ because I am the tru king of H***/ All of the kids at school call me Hades...

And I'll just leave it at that. It goes on for another five pages or so. I'd say that this kid has a few troubles at home. And here I was thinking that he was working so hard on math. I'm really not up for this, especially with three months of school left. Needless to say, I'm meeting with his dad today to figure out if we can get this kid what he needs. A little discipline, a little respect, and a listening ear. He's crying out for something; I just don't know what.