It Has Been a Week!

Today has been a wonderful day. I had the potential to not be so, however. Utah Power had a scheduled power outage for the entire city this morning starting at 6am and going until as late as 9am. Actually it was quite humorous. I woke up and the clock said 6:05am and I thought YEA! It is already done! Just then the power went off. I got to shower in the early morning light as well as shave. I am sure that didn't turn out so well. But, I guess since I don't have to look at it, it doesn't really matter to me. Anyways...

I guess I can catch you up on the last few days of my life!

Wednesday:

I headed over to Huntington with Melinda Durrant to meet with our group from class. We arrived at 9:30am and worked until class time (4:00pm). we even worked for a few minutes after class. We were working on getting out 6-8 page SINGLE SPACE GROUP PAPER completed as well as the power point presentation that needed to be ready. We got a great start on it! Two of the group members live there so they were very kind and generous to provide snacks and meals for us while we worked.

Thursday:

We reconvened the following morning at 8am and worked until 7pm. Even after all that time, we still only had 4 pages of our paper and most of the power point. It was a little discouraging on how long it was taking to try and make this assignment fit the teacher requirements. We had a great time as a group, and it was nice to work with people face-to-face and not just in "TV LAND" (as the on-site group likes to call us). Melinda and I headed home knowing that we would need to meet and finish off the paper. Which wasn't a big deal We had the basics all sketched out. We went to Wal-Mart (sadly- but required), and then came home. It was nice to see my wife and kiddos even though it had only been one night. However, I do have to say that I enjoyed visiting with my sister (who was nice enough to feed me and let me sleep on her floor Wednesday night...okay air matress for the night). We stayed up fairly late, but I was SO tired from all the early days and late nights that I didn't last long.

Friday:

Ms. Durrant and I met at the school at 8:30am to get the lab ready for the summer school program we created and have been running this summer. After that was over (it runs for two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but since we were gone on Thursday, we moved it to Friday) I headed to Grand Junction with my parents and my 5-year old. We were on a Chest Freezer Mission. It was wonderful to spend the day with my little one. He often feels left out and neglected, so getting to spend almost a whole day with him was AWESOME! He had a lot of fun and was spoiled by grandma and grandpa (of course- although so was I. They got me some new shoes and BOY did I need them- Thanks mom and dad). While we were picking up "stuff" we also got Ms. D a freezer. I was glad to help her out. she has been wanting one, but had no way to get it to her house. Anyways, I also bought MORE PAVERS (I know right??!!?! With the amount of cement in our backyard in the form of pavers we could have just covered the whole yard! lol. But, we finished out a corner of the patio by the clothes line. I don't dare say it is done, as I am sure that we will add to it. But it is done "for now". After getting our new freezer setup and cooling, we headed over to our friends house. He and his family were cooking Korean food for us. The kids had hotdogs and hamburgers. I got to try lots of new things- and I liked them all. The fresh kim-chee about caught my mouth on FIRE! I tried dried seaweed (which tasted really good and earthy), uncured bacon (which tastes like porkchops in bacon form) on a lettuce roll with rice and some kind of red paste, and some wonderful rice-cake soup. I am sure all of those are titled wrong, but I did my best. Thanks Keith- the food was GREAT! After spending sometime visiting, we headed home. Since my wife has developed a painting bug, she had painted our piano room while I was gone to work on my paper. We came home from dinner and set to work putting the room back together. It turned out wonderful. It is elephant grey (although to me it looks purple in the lamp light- lol). It was about 12:00am when we finished. We then set to work moving all our frozen food around. We discovered that we had quite a bit of food that was VERY OLD! I was even able to hammer off the ice build up on our smaller deep freeze we already had. We are very excited to have THREE, yes 3, deep freezers. With that done, we tucked up our oldest son who had been helping us and went to bed.

Saturday:

Phew. Are you as tired as I am yet? Just typing all this is making me exhausted. I knew that I had A LOT to do before Melinda came at 2pm to finish the paper. I was able to wake up and work on many little projects (mounting the magazine rack to the wall, moving the power outlet box (not as big a project as you are thinking- just a box that plugs into an extension cord, watered the lawn, watered the garden, finished the patio corner, and added a new layer of sand grout to the walkway we added earlier this year. Unfortunately, it was 2pm and I still hadn't read anything for class. Oh well. Ms. D showed up and we set to work on our group paper while my wife worked on her Ward Newsletter. Thankfully Melinda is very gifted in the word department. She took what we had and added while I looked up quotations, citations, and internet resources to help beef up our paper. Around 11pm we finally finished. So, if my math is correct this silly paper took us: 28 hours. TWENTY-EIGHT HOURS! OH MY WORD (actually LOTS OF THEM- Over 1500 of them, I believe. After Ms. D headed home, my wife and I went to the church so we could copy the Sunday program (which she also creates weekly) and the monthly newsletter. We finally crashed around 1am.

Sunday:

I made it to all my meetings on time for once and had a good day at church. I was able to get A LOT done with updating the ward calling list and getting the new rolls printed for each auxiliary.

After church I took my oldest son and we delivered the ward's monthly newsletter (actually, my wife is the one who creates those every month- go babe!) to the five families that I am responsible to visit. It was nice to stop by, deliver the newsletter, and chat for a minute or two. I only had to leave ONE letter in the door.

From there I came home and had a wonderful dinner with my little herd. My wife got this amazing recipe for Baked Potato Chowder! Can you say YYYYYYUUUUUMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

And this is coming from someone who DOES NOT like baked potatoes AT ALL!

After dinner we all settled in to our afternoon activities. What did I do (you may be thinking). Well, I tried REALLY hard to read all the articles that are due for tomorrow's class- but I found that I would wake up every ten minutes when my arm slipped on the arm rest- lol. So that didn't work out so well. I finally had my daughter come and play with her littlest pet shops on the floor by me so I would stay awake, and I got my son to come and play POGO by me so I would stay awake even more. In the end I ended up watching my daughter and helping my son. So, I got to spend time with my kids and STILL have to read (which at this point may just be considered a complete loss!- Darn it! lol)

I finally decided I needed out of the house so we loaded up the trooper and headed out to visit my parents. Well, that didn't go so great because they were out of town picking up their new 24-foot party boat (or something like that :) ) So, instead, we went for a drive. We went out Long street for a while (yes, that really is the name of the street, and YES it really is a LONG street!) Then we headed out to the south of town towards the old airport. We tried to drive up "G" hill but the car stalled and we ended up backing down. My poor little trooper just didn't have the guts to make it up the steep road. The kids were freaking out. I was a little freaked out at first, but it all worked out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! From there we took side roads and ended up somewhere in the middle of nowhere. No really, I mean in the middle of now where- like the road kept going, but had to end. The kids wanted to keep going, but I decided that it was time to head back to town. We came back into town and tried my parents again. I had called my mom and she said that they were within an hour. It had been 40 minutes and we figured we would just wait for them. Well... after 40 more minutes, and still no grandma and grandpa, we headed home. Of course, as we were piling out of our car they turned the corner and headed up the road to their house. The kids were bummed. That's okay. We will go tomorrow or Tuesday to see them and the new "toy".

That brings us to this point. I just enjoyed a simple meal and plan to finish this up. (I may read my articles, but most likely I will read my 2009 blog book and catch up on all the TIME magazines and catalogs I have been wanting to look at). I will be so grateful for the next two weeks to come and go. Then my summer classes will be over and summer can REALLY begin! :)

Have a great night!

Later...

Just What I Needed...

I was out cruising blog-land and decided to visit a site of a friend I hadn't been to in a while. What I found was a fantastic reminder of why I do what I do each day. Why it IS okay to be discouraged- just not down and out, and that it is the same in all jobs. Go HERE and read these wonderful words of wisdom.

On a separate note, the wind has blown SO HARD today that I feel like I'm not in Kansas anymore (ok, so I wasn't to begin with, big deal!). It has been a good day so far. I have updated several pages on my bce456.wikispaces.com site, help my son build his derby car (see pictures), watered the lawn, avoided writing a paper for my math endorsement class (I have until next Saturday-and I just really don't wanna do it!), I put togeter a bookcase for my church, and helped my wife shrink wrap her finished wood products (I am trying to get her to do a site so everyone can see how amazing she is- but to no avail), and I have fixed my web browser so it will save my bookmarked pages. Still on the agenda is: To write a college paper that is due next Saturday (I really DO need to get it done), help my in-laws unload thier trailer in to the shed that they brought and are storing on our back lot, have a BBQ, make movie files for all the new announcements for the new school sign, update all my wiki's so they are current, and not go crazy! Oh wait, too late on that last agenda item.

Later...

I'm Really Alive, I Promise!

Greetings.
I have NOT been slacking. I promise. I have been drowning in LIFE! I really could go into all the details, but it isn't that interesting.

School has been quiet this past week. I had a student decide to home school. I miss having the student in my classroom. I like ALL my students a lot! I want them ALL to succeed, not just some of them. I hope everyday that my students know that I care about each one of them, and I want them to succeed!

Life at home has been good as well. The kids are all doing great in school. My two baby boys are growing and learning so quickly, and enjoying being at home with their mom.

I also found out about the master's program. I am going to be going to Price once a week during the school year and twice a week during the summer. They were able to work it out so that I will NEVER have to be on campus. I love THAT a lot! So I guess I am back on track for that.

During the time I last posted, I have also agreed to be the advisor for a community video/filming club. A student that I teach voice(singing) to wanted to start a club at the high school, but based on district guidelines it wouldn't be allowed. So we arranged to make it a "community" club and would allow the students to use my classroom for their meetings. I am looking forward to that.

Today has been good. I sang with my daughter in church, went with my father to speak in a near town in a singles branch, and in a couple hours I am teaching a Teacher Improvement class. So this day will be nice to have done. I still have assignments for my college class and other classes, not to mention I have 6 pages due to the Mailbox before December 1st.

I guess I better get to work on them!

Later...

Play by Play (and other adventures)

Play practice was an adventure today. I was able to get the kids through the whole show twice. That was relief, and it actually went really well. (Aside from one of the main parts being abandoned by a student today). So the understudy is MADLY working through the lines and songs to have them ready for Friday.

I also spent a good chunk of the day at the school planning for tomorrow and writing a lesson plan for Wednesday. Another teacher and I are taking our three executive council members to a leadership conference. It will be fun. This will be our 3rd year going. It is just very tiring as we have to leave really early to make it on time.

Aside from that it has been a great day. I am plumb tuckered out. It is time to sleep. I have a student council meeting in the morning, before which I have to vote. After school I have a parent-teacher conference, then I am helping a person move, then tutoring, and lastly play practice from 6-9:30pm. Then home to sleep and repeat.

I guess I really need to sign off and head to bed.

Later...

Holy CRAP!

Wow! This week has been crazy which has led me to be a blogging slacker! Sorry. I go from school to home (for a brief moment) to the high school for play practice (I am the music director) and then home to do all my school responsibilities and then to bed (with dinner thrown in).
So, I will hit and miss until next Saturday when the play is over. Stay tuned for my life...

Later...

Busy, Busy, Busy...

Okay, I have a million and one things to do and don't want to do any of them. So this is about all I will get to post tonight.

I did want to mention that I got to see a really good friend today that I hadn't seen in 1 1/2 years. So that was a total highlight of the day. It was also a restful day (aside from the fact that my children are driving me absolutely crazy today) WOW!

We also noticed today that we have a spot on our ceiling where it is a seam in the dry wall and the paint is peeling away. I thought maybe water, but there is no dripping or water stains, so it must be the humidity. I guess that will be something else to keep an eye on (and stress like crazy over).

Conference was great today- the parts I could hear over my children- and I enjoyed hearing from our prophets and apostles. Well, I best be getting back to my Mail Box assignment. It is due this weekend after all!

Later...

Ditto and How!

I think that I could really just type the word "ditto" and post it. Today was a whirlwind of activity. I had a teacher from another school in the district come and teach reading to my class. I really liked the strategies that he showed me and my class. For the most part the kids really enjoyed it. I learned a ton. I am looking forward to injecting lots of the things he taught me, but what I really took from today was that I need not be afraid to mix things up more and not to assume my kids can't handle lots of ideas at one time.

After school I got tomorrow planned out (mostly) and headed home. I had to pick up my counselors and head out to a family in the ward who needed us to bring dinner to them. We got it delivered, and then visited a few families. It was nice to get and visit and it was nice to be welcomed in their homes. I love serving the Lord. He truly does bless us when we follow his commandments.

Next came a voice lesson. That was very enjoyable. I have some great voice students. I truly enjoy working with them. It is fun and stress relieving.

Dinner was nice. Again, I love sitting with my sweet family and hearing about the triumphs and struggles of their day. I have such a sweet family.

That brings us to about now. I have a mountain of papers to correct and get into my gradebook tonight, so I better sign off and do that.

Later...

P.S. The picture is one my wife and I took when we went to Texas at the first of the year. I thought it was really funny! Enjoy.

Exactly When Do I Breathe?

Phew...

Today was a day! Made it to school on time. Chalk one up for the family.
School went well. The kids were a bit talkative, but that is to be expected after a long weekend. We had a great day and actually got a lot done. Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I have arranged for another teacher in the district to come to my classroom and do a reading workshop presentation. I am really looking forward to him coming and trying his strategies. His kids ALWAYS test really well at the end of the year so I am anxious to learn from him.

After school, I stayed and planned until after 5 p.m. for tomorrow. It always feels nice to walk away from school knowing that the next day is ready to go.

Came home and had dinner with my wife and kids. That was nice to sit down together and visit about the day and what each child did and enjoyed. I love that reporting from my children. I love to know what they are doing and what they enjoyed about the day.

I then had to jet to a house here in town. The new Home Ec. teacher and her husband are moving into a rental. A bunch of ward members gathered and helped unload their U-Haul in 28 minutes flat. It was awesome.

Headed straight from there to the High School for a board meeting. I am on the executive board of Dream Builders- Hope of Tomorrow. It was informative and we got a lot done. We are trying to get our corporation made into a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our primary purpose is to support the youth of our town by providing them with experiences that will prepare them to face the future by knowing what they want to be and how to achieve it. I am excited to be apart of this.

Headed home and worked on editing a song for a contestant in the local queen pageant. Got it finished and now I sitting here thinking how tired I am, thinking that I don't really WANT to be at the school tomorrow by 7am so I can be at faculty meeting. It doesn't end there either. After school we are visiting families as an Elders Quorum Presidency and then I have a voice lesson. Wahoo... Go me. I also put in a letter of intent to serve on the medical center's board of directors. It was read at their board meeting tonight and filed. Whatever that means.

I guess now that it is 11pm, I should head to bed.

Later...

Labor Day 2008

I know. That makes it sound so exciting, when in reality it wasn't. The good part about today has been that the temperature hasn't hit about 80 degrees. Well, that wasn't the only thing. I was able to mow my parents lawn (that was fun in the rain- I got TOTALLY SOAKED!), was able to finish planning out my day for tomorrow at the school (also had to water the plants in the library), and turn in my letter of intent to serve on the local medical center board of directors. I have helped my sister-in-law add some things to her blog and get it burned with Feed Burner. Now she can have subscribers. Check out her site HERE.

The ladies have had a great day working on their crafting. They have mostly got their projects done. It is funny to listen to them talking about scrapbooking. I am glad my wife has her sister. They get along so well.

Tomorrow is back to school. After school is a board of directors meeting for another organization I am on. I am looking forward to that meeting. I like being involved and knowing what is going on, how to help, and the like. Thursday I was asked to attend a meeting for our local union. That is going to be interesting as well.

Well, I need to type up a letter for my wife's and mine music students. We have changed our policy- Pay a month in advance and if you miss a lesson without 24 hour notice, you forfeit your payment for that lesson. We have had a few too many experiences where we have waited around for a student only to find out that they forgot, had practice, whatever. I agree that life happens, and that is fine, but we need our students to be serious about making it to lessons.

Well, that about wraps up this exciting day!

Later...