American Tradition Photo Review

Memorial Day Parade in Hayesville, Ohio.

Dander Up

A few days ago, I was cleaning in my front room and I noticed at the front window someone rummaging through my flower beds.  Really?  What is someone doing in my flower beds.  So I rush out the front door, with my dander up ready to ask, what are you doing?

As I whisk the rather stout front door open, and squish the screen door open, I find an elderly woman.  Dander still up, but slightly intrigued I asked, can I help you?  I startled her.  She didn't want to make eye contact, my heart was begining to soften.

I said, I'm not a very good gardner, but can I help you.  She asked a question I couldn't answer and really don't remember now, but I noticed she had a little reuseable grocery bag and was collecting flowers from the village.

She sheepishly snipped a piece of my bleeding heart and inquired about get a purple puff ball (don't really know what it is.)  I went from warrior princess going to defend my helpless flower bed to feeling silly for startling a poor elderly woman who wanted to bring some floral cheer to her home. 

So the next time, I observe someone in my flower bed, I will check to see if it's this woman who helps herself to a little piece of heaven from my garden.  I can let her have her joy without making her feel like she's intruding.  It's the least I can do.

Weekend Road Trip/Sunday Surprise!

Kyle and I found ourselves with no track meet, soccer game, or parent responsibility and decided to travel the 2.5 hours to Marietta, Ohio.  We visited my Aunt Cyndi and scouted out the Ohio River for the raft trip our Boy Scouts will be taking on their high adventure trip.  We talked, planned, worried, discovered, reminisced, laughed and enjoyed each other.  My fears of having adult children soon were relinquished by this trip.  We are going to be OK.  Our life will be able to take new twists and turns down the river bend.  We are still very much in love.  That surprises me sometimes being a product of a divorced home.  Needless to say, I am grateful!

These boys are going to have a total Tom Sawyer experience.  I'm kinda jealous, but Kyle said he would take me for a trip of my own in the future, so I can wait!  Those river views are gorgeous.  They will get to tour a lock system and get to go through one.  They will get to visit a wildlife refuge and lazily fish and float down the river for 4 days.  I think they should all come back rested and relaxed.

While in Marietta, Kyle gave my Uncle Doug and assignment to find us a dive to eat at.  Something we can only experience in Marietta.  Well, they have a "someday to be famous" fried bologna sandwich.  I wasn't feeling it so I order an awesome burger, but Kyle enjoyed his first bologna Reuben.  Cyndi got the regular bologna and gave me a bite, it was good. 

Today I received a surprise at church.  I got called as the 1st counselor in the Primary organization.  I'll be working with 18 mo. to 11 year-old children.  Since we merged as a ward when they redid the boundries in the stake a few weeks back, changes had to be made to accommodate all the new people.  This isn't my first time in primary, actually my third.  The surprise was, I just said to Kyle on our trip, I hope they don't call me into Primary because I work with kids all day.  Plus, I would love to work with the YW and be able to work with Kayla like I do with Kota in scouts.  Well, surprise, I get to work in Primary.....And you know what?  It will be okay, I know it!  I'm excited to get to know all the new people and serving together makes great relationships!

Outdoor Tradition

Each year in sixth grade we bring our students to outdoor school.  Three days and two nights of hiking, challenge by choice courses, campfire and team building activities.  The students learn by hands-on experience.  They get to have experiences only nature can give them. 

Some said they've never been on a hike before.

Some have never had a family-style meal before. 

Some never leave the city limits.

My high school guidance counselor Mr. Jerry Dunlap started this camp.  During the school year it is used to enhance curriculum.  During the summer it is used to give students with learning disabilities or urban settings an opportunity to learn through nature.

It is neat to see the kids trying things and challenging themselves to do things they never would have thought possible.  Kyle said to me today, they are learning and don't even know it.  He is right.  As much as I wish I could always offer this type of learning in the classroom--it is not possible.

I enjoy these tender moments with my students.  They look forward to this all year and it goes by so quickly.  What a great way to end the school year.  I remember going to outdoor school when I was in 6th grade.  It was at a different place, but it still brings back some fond memories. 

The outdoor tradition is one I hope to have for several more years.

Mother's Day Do Over

Sometimes I wonder where all the time goes.  Then you remember that you filled it being mom:

 watching a track meet

taking care of the baby fox, touching up resumes, scheduling and paying for ACTs, etc.

Then I woke up Sunday and went to church.  Ate lunch with my mom and sibilings, and entertained an Elder while another talks with his mother back home.

I asked Kyle at the end of the day, what happened to my Mother's day.  I don't remember getting to talk with my kiddos much.  So when I get home from outdoor school.  I get a Mother's Day do over.

Sylis Chronicles

Looks sweet and innocent...right?................Wrong!  He is still a pup or kit whatever you want to call him.  He causes a lot of mischief, but he's so darn cute it's hard to stay mad at him.

In his first week at our house we went to worrying about him not eating at all, to eating 3 times a day.  We started him on lamb milk supplement and went to canned dog food in just a few days.  When he eats he takes the dish and tries to eat alone.  We have a nail keg turned on it's side with a blanket and he curls up there to rest or drag in his booty.  Whatever he can find to steal and hide away.

He is an escape artist too!  He got out of his cage one night and raided the trash.  He had trash dragged from the kitchen to the living room (inside his nail keg) with a trail the whole way.  The worst part about this ordeal was there was a wrapper from a turkey breast that he really licked clean.  That gave the poor guy diarrhea and he totally made a mess of his cage during the day.

Did I mention house training is not going so well.  I think he peed on every couch cushion I own.  He crawls up on the couch on his own and is so quiet you don't realize he is going....Ugh!  Lots of paper towels and Lysol are being used.  Kota is going to be shampooing furniture and carpets on those days where we are still in school and he is not!

Kota's pet is turning into our project because he is gone a lot.  Kyle's joke with Kota is that we call him Cletus because of his hillbilly roots.  Then he jokes that he is our pet and not Kota's.  Interesting things we do for our kids.  I hope he does well on this senior project....I mean I hope we do well on this senior project.

He really is more cute than tyrant, and we like him more than we are annoyed by his infant behaviors.

Winding Down

This has been my view getting out of the car every evening after work.  Beautiful spring flowers.  They are beginning to fade, making way for the greenery.

The school year is beginning to wind down too.  This year that I said in the beginning was going to be tough, was the toughest year I've ever had.  I'll be glad to send them off to grow and develop under someone else's watch care. 

Kayla and I have until May 31 and Kota if finishing May 23.  It seems weird to me that Dakota will officially be a senior in a couple of weeks.  It seems like a lot of things are changing in life right now.  It seems like months ago I brought my kids home from the hospital, how did they grow so fast? 

Kayla is looking for a summer job and will be going to driver's ed and will be transporting herself around by the middle of August.  Dakota has lined up a second job for summer with a friend from church.  He just told us he would like to play football and soccer this fall.  We thought that would be too much for him and told him to chose one or the other.  (I was thinking football.)  He said, okay I'm going to play soccer.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, but as Kyle said, it's his life and he should choose.  The only benefit is he could do a Friday night temple trip now...I suppose that is a big benefit.

Both kids are going to do a summer soccer league.  I get to move my classroom from the third floor to the second floor.  I have 3 new team members with the consolidation of our elementary buildings.  It will be interesting on how things will work out.  It will be a busy summer.  No time to doddle.  I have a sweet 16 party to plan and senior pictures to do...and lots to move and organize. 

Whew!  It's going to be interesting.  I might need to buy a new pair of tennis shoes, so I can keep up with all the running.  You know when we were little a new pair of shoes always made you run faster...