We had a 3' deep, white Christmas on Vancouver Island with Ron's family. It was very unusual for them to get that large a quantity of snow on the island. The kids were ecstatic, but put it politely, Ron's mum was less than impressed.
These are the gingerbread houses the kids (and I) decorated. I will post more photos in a day or two, we are headed out to Jim & Linda's to usher in the New Year while we wait to pick-up Adam from work tonight.
It has been hectic as usual. This week I made almond roca, two types of Christmas cookies and a bunch of different mints. Most of it is packed for our trip. I did manage to get the family photo together and all the Christmas letters finally went out today.
We are in the process of packing up and preparing for the trek to Vancouver Island for the holidays. We aren't sure where everything will fit in the Suburban yet, as we won't be towing the trailer this time.
We have been getting snow off and on. . .we may have 6 inches on the ground now. It has been bitterly cold all week. The temp has been right around 0 Fahrenheit during the day and -10 or so over night. It looks like we may be travelling into a storm when we leave, so it could be an interesting drive.
I got the springerle dough started today between studying and "sitting" on kids about their own school work progress. There really isn't a whole heck of a lot going on just now.
We went to a business meeting last night and it was very exciting. I am hopeful this opportunity will be a boon for our family.
It was crisp and damp outside today, and felt wintry when Ron and I went for a little walk.
Today was spent decorating the rest of the gingerbread cookies that I baked yesterday, studying invertebrates, counselling kids on schoolwork progress/priorities/time management, and visiting teaching. This evening Ron and I went to the Telus Ambassadors' Christmas party, where they served us a nice turkey dinner. We met with Jim and Linda there. This was 3rd evening in a row with them, I hope they don't get sick of us!!!
It has been snow, then rain, then freezing rain around here over the last few days. The roads have been less than great, but there isn't really very much white stuff on the ground.
I recieved this story in my email the other day, I don't know its origin or how factual it is, but thought it too beautiful not to share.
SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE
It's just a small white envelope stuck among the
branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no
identification, no inscription. It has peeked through
the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas
--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the
commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the
frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie
for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma --
the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't
think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass
the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I
reached for something special just for Mike. The
inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin,
who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior
level at the school he attended.
Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match
against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that
shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them
together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in
their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new
wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed
to see that the other team was wrestling without
headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect
a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team
obviously could not afford.
Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight
class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat,
he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado,
a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, 'I wish
just one of them could have won,' he said. 'They have
a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart
right out of them.' Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he
knew them, having coached little league football, baseball,
and lacrosse.
That's when the idea for his present came. That
afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and
bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes
and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree,
the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that
this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest
thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding
years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition
--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped
youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a
pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the
ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The
envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was
always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and
our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand
with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the
envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toy s gave way to more
practical presents, but the envelope never lost its
allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost
Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled
around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely
got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an
envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined
by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst
to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for
their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will
expand even further with our grandchildren standing
around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation
watching as their fathers take down the envelope.
Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always
be with us.
May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the
season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and
I will be taking next semester off to refill the financial coffers and "ride my broom" with the kids and their school work, as the boy's report cards came in today. They are impressive (and not in a good way!).
It is Nativity time at our church and Ron and I are hosting tomorrow evening. I will try to remember my camera and post some pictures of the more unusual or interesting displays. I baked about 6 dozen gingerbread cookies this afternoon, which we all decorated after dinner. This batch will go to the church in the morning to be distributed (with others) to the visiting choirs and musical groups that perform at Nativity this week.
We had turkey, ham and all the trimmings. Linda brought over her carrot casserole (YUMMM!) and Brussels sprouts and Sandra supplied a Caesar salad.
Last night Ron and I met with Jim and Linda for a viewing of "Quantum of Solace". . .I thought it quite good. I think Twilight is next on the agenda, as the others haven't seen it yet.
Only a couple of days left and a few more loose ends to tie up yet. . .Gotta go work on them again now. . .
Today was the Invertebrate zoology lab final for me. I did he usual, study, study, study, then blank for the test. Ah well, it's done now.
Tomorrow we will have a houseful for Thanksgiving number two. . .we celebrate the Canadian one in October. The kids and I baked 2 pumpkin and 2 lemon meringue pies this evening.
I have a "group project" due Monday night (along with a final) and my drawing portfolio is due early Tuesday morning (neither project is finished yet!!!). Fortunately, after that life gets back to a more manageable level of activity for me until January.
We celebrated with gifts and cake last night, since Ron worked and the rest of us spent the morning at church today. He requested a white cake with chocolate butter-cream icing and a chocolate-lavender ganache filling. It came out pretty well, and I will have to try to recreate it again another time.
We made Kaili's week last Thursday night when I took her to the 10 pm "sneak preview" of the Twilight movie. She is reading through the series for the second time and thought she would have to wait for it to come out on DVD. It was quite the experience. I think there were 10 Y-chromosomes in the theater and about 15 of us over the age of 25. The rest of the auditorium was filled with screaming, chatting, bouncing teen girls. I was a little apprehensive about seeing the film, as I had enjoyed the books so much (film versions can be so disappointing). I was pleasantly surprised. The movie itself was very entertaining, and was fairly true to the book; if a bit cheesy and the make-up needed help. The girls and the almost cult-ish-party atmosphere reminded me a little of "The Rocky-Horror" midnight movies of the '70's. Many of the girls were wearing homemade tee shirts featuring book quotes or character names. In the line-up and while waiting for the film to begin, there was an excited chatter, with everyone talking to everyone else. During the movie, a couple of scenes were verbatim from the book, and I heard girls reciting them with the characters. There were at least two scenes that would not be very funny unless you had read the book; then they were hilarious! Kaili says it is "officially her favorite movie" now.
The weather continues cool and mostly clear here and my schedule remains nutty for anther 10 days or so.
The temp hovered right around 34 degrees today.
The girls had their last gymnastics lesson today. I think the kids will be ice skating with school weekly after Christmas break.
The end of the semester is in sight, but the end of the schoolwork/studying for it isn't quite there yet. . .soon, I hope!!! Hopefully I get to the end of the work before I reach the end of the time!
Just a quick "hello". I have something going every evening this week. . .class tonight, Kaili's Young Women in Excellence presentation tomorrow, baby shower Wed (might not be able to make that one, don't know yet, Visit teaching appt Thurs, Relief Society Dinner Friday. . .Maybe Ron and I will try to sneak at date in Saturday night (we still want to see 007). Adam's 17th is on Sunday.
Still doing the insomnia thing. . . The schoolwork thing is about to hit its crescendo next week. . .Then we'll do American Thanksgiving on Friday. . .(I think I am supposed to dig out our nativities to place in a public display soon too!!!)
Anyway, weather is crisp and all are healthy here so far.
I can't decide whether I love or hate this process. It is very tedious to place thousands of dots on a piece of paper. Especially using liquid ink and pen. It is kinda cool to see the picture form in the dots though.
Last night was another serious battle with insomnia for me. . I was too hot, then too cold. My back was bugging me. Then I was thinking, OK 1 month on the island, (Loud Ron Snore) followed by 2-1/2 down South. This is gonna be awesome, since Ron can actually join us this time. How can we make the trip comfy for the cats, since (Another loud snore) they can't be here alone for 3-4 months. What will we do with the fish. .(SNORE) .I guess he can come too. . . I end-up getting out of bed and working on my English paper until just after 1 am, then watching a subtitled French film on TV until the wee hours, when I finally dropped off.
Today, I got my report bound (as requested by the prof) after failing a quiz in invertebrate lab. Ah well, the lab final is in two weeks, hopefully, I will have it together (and will remember where I put it!) by then.
It was chilly and windy this afternoon on my way home from school.
The photo is the current state of my desk. . .You may be wondering--"How can anyone get any work done in that mess?"
Well, for today, they didn't.
Today was a "do next-to-nothing" day for me. I guess I needed the break. I managed to get on the Wii Fit today for the first time in 26 days. . .YIKES! Hopefully, I will be a little better about doing it again for awhile. I have lost another 1.3 lbs since the last time, I think it is the lowest weight I have been since we started it.
It was another cool, but pleasant day here, and the backyard still looks nice after the kid's efforts yesterday.
Today was a fuzzy morning for me, but I managed to get several loads of laundry done as well as some schoolwork. I expected to get a lot more done than I actually did but oh well. Tomorrow will be another day home from school for me.
This afternoon the kids cleaned up the back yard. I went out to check on them and Kaili decided to show me her "round-off". I showed her mine and Dax uttered a shocked, "I didn't know you could still do cartwheels!" I wasn't quite sure how to react to his reaction, ya know what I mean?
This evening I went to an orientation meeting at St. John ambulance. I will begin volunteering once I get my certifications back up to snuff. (I guess I still don't have quite enough on my plate!)
It was pleasant but cool here today.
It is less than a month to semester's end for me, so things are still piling-up in the schoolwork dept.
Time to get ready to head out now, it's a overcast and a little chilly here today. . .
Things are still the same here, too much to do, not enough time, money and energy to do it all!
This morning I was working on my paper when I realized it was time to take the girls to the gym. We rushed out and I got them there just barely on time. I was headed up the hill to deliver the 'Burb to Ron's job, when I realized I forgot my bus pass and cash at home. OK. . .so now I have to backtrack, pick up my stuff at home, drive across town, drop the 'Burb and since I am now late, I figure I missed the bus that stops 2 blocks from the store. As I am power walking to the mall bus stop, about 5 blocks away, the bus I thought I had missed, passes me. AH WELL. . .on to the mall, where I sit in a huge puddle of water on the bench while waiting for the bus. . .(BRRRR It was COLD). I did manage to make it to class on time, so I guess everything worked out OK. Now, I need to get back to the schoolwork, since I have procrastinated myself into a corner with it.
Good to hear the news from South of the 49th! Let's pray for the Obama family's safety. There are plenty of rabidly bigoted nut-jobs out there. I was very impressed with McCain's concession speech and it sounds like President Bush is being very gracious too. Good for them, let's hope their followers will follow their lead in this too.
Kaili and Ellie decked the house for Halloween last week-end, and the kids carved these pumpkins last night.
Today, Ron and Adam were working, so Adam missed-out on the fun. Dax was reluctant to dress-up, so I told him he didn't have to; he could stay home when I took the girls out. He decided "the unknown comic" would be an acceptable costume. Kaili made a bat costume with a black garbage bag and ears, Ellie and I fell back on the old witch stand-by.
I took the kids to the mall where we met Ron when he got off work, this evening. The girls got quite the haul of candy again this year. When we got home, Dax took the girls around our neighborhood and got his own candy too. We had one very diminutive visitor this year, so I guess our kids still have a monopoly on this street, as far as trick or treaters go.
I gave my 10 minute oral presentation last night. I went pretty well, I think.
This morning I found out I did fairly well on my drawing mid-term and got an A on my portfolio. They also picked one of my projects to display in some show of student work that is coming up.
Still have lots of work piling up on me. I can't believe I have just barely a month of classes left this semester.
I talked to the academic adviser this afternoon. It seems I should just stay the course. She said I can still take any art courses I would like, and apply for a second degree later, if that is what I decide to do.
I have been even more distracted than usual lately. So here is the latest:
On the lab quiz last week, I did 10% better than the class average YIPPEE! The computer corrupted my only copy of the outline I was working on for Monday's presentation (which is STILL in its infancy!). I have a lot to do for my drawing course, but I feel guilty when I work on it, because drawing feels too much like playing to me. I have been really struggling with insomnia, so I am really having a tough time focusing during the daytime. I met with an academic adviser this morning, she felt I was a challenging, but interesting case. We got nothing resolved, but I have another meeting with her next week. It looks like I may have to reapply to TRU and be accepted in the B.A. program next fall. It is all pretty confusing to me, but hopefully, it will all be clarified for me with the next meeting.
Ron and the kids are all doing well and the weather has been pleasant, although it is getting dark too early these days.
Today I woke-up groggy after a hard sleep last night. I had a hard time dropping off last night mulling over my upcoming English project.
The invertebrate mid-term seemed almost too easy today, so I hope I am not being over-confident and setting myself up for a fall. I have no idea what to expect for tomorrow's mid-term, so we'll have to see what happens.
I have an early day tomorrow, so that's it for today.
Today I studied for Monday's mid-term (well, a little) and began getting my portfolio cleaned-up and put together for Tuesday morning. I would still like to complete another couple of sketches and I need to get a "planar analysis self portrait" started. Fortunately Monday's midterm is intimately related to last Thursday's so I have gone over much of it a few times already.
Today has been another very low-energy day for me. It started sunny out, but has gotten cold and grey. Apparently, Ron's day started out very poorly for him. The kids and I are thinking of catching the bus to the other side of town and giving him a surprise visit when he gets off work. Adam gets off 1-1/2 hours later, so Ron is planning on hanging out on that side of town until then. We will probably swing by Wallyworld to pick-up some winter boots for the girls. They both have grown several shoe sizes since last year. . .again! Elizabeth totally skipped Kaili's size from last year, so hand-me-downs won't cut it this time. . .OH well!
Last night Ron and I did a few shopping errands and stopped for dinner at a little restaurant out here in Westsyde called Hermes. I had the lasagna and he had a flank steak with spaghetti. It was very good food and reasonably priced too. The portions were very generous, so the girls and I all had my left-overs for lunch today.
That's the report for today, have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow.
Yesterday's exam wasn't stellar, but I probably passed it. The test anxiety thing is still getting the best of me.I have another mid-term on Monday, followed by one on Tuesday, so I hope can get a handle on the anxiety by then.
I have a lot of schoolwork to do and no inclination to do it at the moment. Of course, it doesn't help that one of the kids keeps luring me into debates this morning, and I am feeling just ornery enough to oblige him (even though it feels like reasoning with a box of rocks would be a better use of my time!).
The last of the 6 goldfish we "rescued" from the front pond has succumbed this morning, I guess the shock of being moved inside was just too much for them.
It is cold and grey out and I feel that way myself today. . .well, gotta go, time to get ready for the bus. Maybe the brisk walk will clear my head a bit.
Today was a beautiful weather day, but I had my nose in the books for most of it. I have a lab mid-term tomorrow. There is a lot of material to cover and I'm not sure what to expect.
Dad called this morning and shared his latest ER adventure. He crushed a couple of fingers in a piece of equipment yesterday, but fortunately, it sounds like he will not have any permanent damage. (Other than scars)
Not much else doin' here.
Kaili made lemon meringue and pumpkin pies pretty-much on her own. I provided a little coaching and the crusts. She did very well, as the lemon pie can be daunting to a new cook.
While at J & L's we discovered that Linda has been playing hookie from blogland as she has discovered "Tetris" and is now hooked. I had to give her a hard time for throwing her friends over for a computer game. She also shared her new coloring with the female visitors. This new colorful version is due to her sojourn into the now filled-in hole. Kaili spent much of the evening calling Linda "Rainbow Bum".
After dinner, the kids did a great job of clean-up. They did this without being asked, no arguing and I don't think they even broke anything. It was a nice change from home. I tried to thank them, but I'm not sure they really get how much appreciated their efforts were.
I'm in for a few extra busy weeks with mid-terms and large projects.
I don't know the origin of this, other than my e-mail, but I thought it a very good explanation-
"Once upon a time, in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each. The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He further announced that he would now buy at $20 for a monkey. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each, and the supply of monkeys became so small that it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him. In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. "I will sell them to you at $35, and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each." The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys. They never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere! Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works."
Stolen from "A Slow Read" who . . .
Borrowed from it Francesca's page..and posted it because she thinks its really important...(and I concur)
If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'
If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.
If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, you're a maverick.
Graduate from Harvard Law School and you're unstable.
Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a constitutional law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United State Senate, representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
If your total resume is local weather girl, 4 years on the city council, and 6 years as the mayor of a town with fewer than 7,000 people, and 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.(Albuquerque has more people than the entire state of Alaska...does that make our mayor 'qualified' to be president too?)
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. (or there are videos of Vice Presidential candidate getting exorcised for witchcraft, you're a fine upstanding Christian)
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.
(Or make rape victims pay for their own rape kits, your a fiscal conservative....and don't forget, if you're a woman, and you don't buy her shit, you're an anti-feminist)
If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.
If your husband is nicknamed 'First Dude,' with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and was once a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA , your family is extremely admirable.
(and who is currently a member of a radical political party, you get to hide that too)
Today was one of THOSE days. . .
1st, Dax was late getting going, so the other kids and I left for church without him. Ron was going to go to work directly after Sacrament meeting, so Dax was going to ride in with him. During church, Ron called and left a message, "The truck won't start, Dax is staying home, I'll take the bus to work." After 4 calls to the house Dax finally answered the phone and Ron had already gone. After another batch of calls to Ron's cell, I finally remembered he had forgotten it in his locker at work last night. After church while the kids and I were having lunch, the power went out. The girls and I decided to go catch the goldfish outside and bring them in for the winter. While goldfish wrangling, my Blackberry went for a swim. Fortunately, Ellie was quick on her feet and pulled the phone out quickly enough that I think it will be OK. I did manage to retrieve Ron from work OK this evening.
Hopefully tomorrow will go more smoothly. We will be heading to Jim and Linda's for Thanksgiving Dinner. . .YUM!
Last night Ron and I went to see "Appaloosa". The cast was awesome and Renee Zelweiger's character was somethin' else! There was a sprinkling of unnecessary "F" words, but on the whole, it was really quite a good movie.
Today was a study day for me. It feels as though I got next to nothing accomplished, but I worked at it most of the day. It was quite cool and cloudy outside.
Ron was at work all day again today. . .
Westsyde had frost this morning, but was very pleasant this afternoon. It was fairly clear skies today, but there was an icy breeze on the other side of town at school. Waiting for bus connections was a bit uncomfortable, I may be digging out my "longies" soon.
Ron and Adam are both at work for the moment and the three other kids are playing Wii fit. I have a pot of tomatoes, sausage, herbs, garlic and scallops on the stove cooking down right now. We are looking forward to covering some pasta with it for dinner.
Ron has been pretty tired, so I'm not sure if we will be going out or staying in for date night tonight. We have to pick Adam up at about 11:30 tonight, whether we go out to the show or not.
I have a few things to pick up for Thanksgiving at Jim and Linda's on Monday, so maybe we will nip out to do that (maybe I'll just do it manana). It still doesn't really feel like Thanksgiving to me for several reasons. . wrong month, wrong day of the week, no extended family around and nobody really talking about holiday plans. It just doesn't seem to be as big a holiday here as it is back home.
Nothing new, terrible or exciting to report here.
Today we dissected squid, then tasted some "baby cuttlefish" the lab instructor had cooked for us. It wasn't too bad, a little on the chewy side.
We are starting to come into mid-terms already, though mine seem to be spread apart fairly well this term. Not much new to report here, we are solidly in a routine for now. . .
The weather has turned here. We haven't had any frost yet, but there is a nip in the air. I got the rest of the tender plants into the house yesterday and brought the watering timers in for winter this morning.
I am still playing a bit of catch-up with school, but it feels like I am making some progress (albeit slight!). The kids still seem to be staying on track better with their schoolwork so far this year too.
The house is still in an arrested state of decay, but I am hopeful we will be able to begin making strides there in the early spring. Ron is going to be adding a new business venture to his list of "to-dos". It looks promising, and some of our friends are doing VERY well with it. With both vehicles still acting up, we will have to see what the finances dictate as far as when we will be spending money on home repair/improvement projects.
I have been adding 10-20 minutes of Wii fit exercise to my 20 minutes of walking to/from the bus each day. It is much less expensive than going to the gym and it is fun too. Time will tell if it helps my back, I think if I keep at it, I will at least drop a couple of pounds.
I still haven't managed to take the camera out and get any photos, but I will attempt to remember today. Time to head out for school. . .
It was another great conference week-end. I will post more as time permits. We spent a lot of time on Wii fit between sessions and it was rainy and cool all week-end. Everyone went to bed early last night and hopefully they will have a productive week in the schoolwork department.
I have a bunch of reading to do for school and it is almost time to catch the bus up the hill now.
Last night the boys headed off to Vernon for a youth dance. Jim and Linda came over and we walked to the local chinese restaurant with them and the girls. The weather was drizzly, the meal was huge and tasty and the company was nice. After dinner, we came home and played on the Wii fit until the wee hours (almost!).
Today was the first day of our two day General Conference for church. We watched the morning session on the internet whle eating crepes in our pajamas. The afternoon session we again watched on the internet sans PJ's and crepes. The kids did an exceptional job of paying attention and taking notes this time, even though everyone was up too late last night. We will probably do a pajama day tomorrow and watch the sessions at home again.
As always, there were some very inspirational talks given by our leadership. The building of 5 more Temples was also announced. The two most surprising for me were the Calgary, Alberta and Rome, Italy announcements. One of my favorite talks was given by Pres. Uchtdorf. He spoke of replacing fear with faith and acting with faith. There was another good talk given about the importance of hope, now that I really think about it, I enjoyed nearly all of the talks and took something of value away from each one. If you have access to BYUTV, I would encourage you to watch at least some of it tomorrow. The sessions are at 10 am MDT and 2 pm MDT. (9 and 1 for us on the west)
The weather has been on the damp side much of the day today, very much needed too!
I'm very tired and getting rummy, so I'll post something that makes more sense later!!!
I seem to have so much more time now that organic is off my plate. I feel bad for abandoning my lab partner, but I feel so much better able to handle the rest of my coursework now. I have a bit of catching up to do (sleep and school), but I should be in decent shape by the end of next week, as far as the schoolwork situation goes.
We were given the assignment to draw at least 50 sketches of people in the next couple of weeks. . .YIKES! We will have live models in class and she wants us comfortable with the basic human shapes first. I have a LONG way to go, but it is sure fun trying.
Today was a quiz in invertebrate zoology lab I was not prepared as well as I would have liked to be, but I don't think I totally tanked! I have two weeks to prepare for the mid-term in that lab. I think I finally figured out why I enjoy bio labs and chem labs make me want to throw-up (literally); I think it has to do with the difference between replicating something (and trying to get a certain outcome) and just investigating something. There seems to be a more relaxed give-and-take in biology and much it is more regimented almost to the point of rote, (yet somehow frantic) environment in a chem lab for me.
The weather started out just gorgeous this morning, but by early afternoon it was overcast and showery, still warm, but damp.
Dinner's on, gotta go. . .
YES!!!!
After a sleepless night and feeling nauseous at the thought of attending another Organic Chem lab today, I talked to my academic advisor. He suggested I switch from a biology major to a general science major. It won't require Org. Chem and all the courses I have now will count toward the degree. It is also a better degree for a possible wanna-be teacher, as it is less specialized. Eric (my adviser and the bio dept head) said a general science degree is more like two minors, so I will get to take something like geology to go with the bio.
I am still going to look into fine arts as a minor too. . .it is way too much fun not to play with.
Today was very warm again. . .70's or low 80's. It was really quite pleasant. The trees are becoming quite striking, I'll try to get a shot soon.
I am enjoying the art class so much I continue to strugge with why I am torturing myself with organic chemistry and research paper writing classes. Hopefully, I will be able to pass these last two "drudgery" courses since I am so close to being finished. . .I have been toying with an art major/bio minor lately. I need to talk to my advisor and see if it is even possible.
The kids seem to be staying on track, but then again, I haven't really been able to watch them very closely as of late.
Ron is still enjoying his job, even though it wears him out.
We went out to the show with Jim and Linda on Friday night. . .Dax and Ellie had the place to themselves as Kaili was at a sleepover and Adam was working. We saw a really funny movie. We continued to laugh and reminisce over doughnuts for quite awhile afterward.
I have two assignments due tomorrow, one of which is finished. The three older kids have a meeting later this evening at church, so I will work on the second one there. Ron and I should be passing in the driveway at around 6:30 since he will be getting home from work about the time I need to leave with the kids. I am having a great time with my drawing course. . .this is a picture of one of my projects.
We are still having very pleasant weather around here, warm days and cool nights.
Fortunately our friend, Mr (or Mrs) Bear stayed out of our trash cans, but several of the neighbors weren't so lucky.
I am still crazy busy with school, and I'm sure I will be for the foreseeable future. I'm not quite caught-up with were I would like to be, but close.
The kids seem to be doing fairly well with their school work and the minimal supervision they are receiving at the moment. As the famous They say, "only time will tell."
The weather is slowly turning toward fall and more and more foliage is getting brightly painted. It is not quite freezing at night, but getting close. Today was cloudy and fairly cool.
Tomorrow morning I have an art project due and I am supposed to present another that is in progress for next week. So far the progress is a blank page taped to a cardboard drawing board. Maybe I will get a few ines on paper before bed tonight, as the bus I need to catch in the am is a fairly early one (7:20).
My husband and children think they are so clever!!!! We now have a new "F" word in our house. I mentioned that everyone was to have the jello with dinner (homemade pizza with a layer of zucchini) because it had fruit in it. No one eats enough fresh fruit around here, so I had put pink grapefruit and peaches in the cranberry flavored jello. Dax pointed out that I had said the "F"-word, and everyone thought that it was hilarious. Unfortunately, they almost view the two "F"-words with the same amount of disdain. I'll teach them to enjoy fruit, if it kills them!!!
I spent most of the day working on a draft proposal for English. I still have quite a bit of work left to do before it is ready to turn in Monday evening. I also worked a little on my Chem lab report and did a little yard clean up this evening.
I was originally planning to be on a field trip for the invertebrate zoology class this week-end; good thing we couldn't afford for me to go. I never would have been able to get the other work done that I need to.
Yesterday I did some schoolwork first thing in the morning then had a short day in class. The remainder of the day was spent grocery shopping with the family. . .so much for Ron's check!!!
After we dropped the kids and purchases at home we went to see "Righteous Kill" with Jim and Linda. It was not my favorite type of movie (very violent, some gratuitous sex), but the acting was excellent and it was an interesting story.
After the show, we met up with Jim and Linda again for a chat at "Timmie's" while Ron and I killed a couple of hours waiting for Adam to get off shift at 11:30.
The weather was warm and humid yesterday. . .
Enough stalling for now, I have a pile of schoolwork to do today!!!!
This is the underbelly of our new neighbor. I have no idea what type of spider he/she is, but we thought it was very striking looking. Its back has horizontal stripes. The whole thing is about an inch or so in size and has the stereotypical "orb" spider web.
Today was spent researching sources for a big English project I have coming up. I managed to do a couple of little sketches, some laundry and make a huge pot of beef stew, and start typing a formal lab report, but nothing else got done on the schoolwork front.
Tomorrow is a light classroom day, so I hope to make more progress on the books. The beginning of next week I have a large art project, a formal lab report, several readings, and a research paper "topic proposal" all due. I'm feeling the pressure crank up. . .
Ron and Adam worked. . .
All in all, a pretty low-key day.
Right now I am at school waiting for my last class of the day to begin. This week-end, we (mostly Ron) managed to get the trailer cleared out and put away for winter. The old dead Ford was literally pulled out of the macadam driveway and parked in the carport. Maybe Adam will start restoring it in the near future(?).
Last night and much of the day today, my inner-child had the matches out. My sleep was really deep, but broken by frequent restlessness; it felt as though I had been drugged. As a result, it has been a zombie day for me all day. Hopefully, I will snap out of it soon, I'm getting even less than usual done in this state. On a positive note, I did mange to catch the bus this morning!
This will be a late evening at school, then tomorrow is an early morning. It will be my first attempt at lugging all my art supplies on the bus. I have a large cloth bag to put my portfolio in and a backpack for the other stuff, so it should work OK, we'll just have to see how it all fits in the seat.
We have been enjoying really beautiful weather the last couple of days, although I have noticed some color coming out on the trees.
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Check these out, some of the animations are quite funny.
Today I totally forgot it was Saint Patrick's Day until I got to school and nearly everyone was in green. Dax reminded me that since it is St. Pat's Day , I am supposed to make Corned Beef and Cabbage like I have since I moved up here. After a quick stop at the store, the pot was on the oil and we will be enjoying it in a few minutes. All of the kids seem to be looking forward to it too.
I spoke to the "tutoring lady" this afternoon. Apparently she called last week. Ron thought she was a friend of ours who goes by the same name and gave me the message as if it were her. . . OOPS! Well, I have an appointment for an interview tomorrow morning (Think good thoughts and send up a few prayers, please). Hopefully I can start to help with the bank balance soon.
At school today, I saw a horned owl sitting in the tree next to its nest. I think there is a live-feed link to a camera trained on the nest on the TRU campus website somewhere. I saw it at http://barabus.tru.ca/paetkau a few days ago.
Time for CB & C now! Hope you had a happy Saint Patrick's Day all.
Last night we watched the Nancy Drew movie with the kids instead of going out for a date. It was nice to be home
Today was spent lazing for most of it. I spent about 15 minutes cleaning up the herb garden in the front, then we returned some movies and took the kids for a cruise at the local mall for an hour or so. We watched a movie with the kids (13 going on 30), then played Wii with the boys while the girls watched TV in the other room.
I had schoolwork to do today, but I was just sapped of energy, so it didn't even get looked at.
It has been unsettled~~ sunny, rainy, and cool the last few days.
Well, that's the report for today.
Time to make lunch, gather my junk together, and get ready for class now. I have 2 quizzes and a physics assignment due tomorrow that I should probably spend some time preparing for also.
Today started with a moderate spring rain. My dad called for another too brief exchange on the phone.
Ron had a few errands to do, so he took me up to the campus for my two classes today. I managed to pass that awful calculus quiz last Friday. I got my genetics mid-term back today and I did alright on it also.
Yesterday was another nice day at church and I got three new books to read once I am through school for the year. I really, really like the song we are practicing in choir.
I am still having "interesting" dreams and having a hard time quieting my mind at bedtime, so it seems like I am tired most of the time. I am really having a hard time staying motivated for school. I will be SOOO glad when the drudgery of physics and calculus is behind me. (of course, then I will be faced with organic chem next year!!!)
After the calculus quiz from the etherworld yesterday, we came home for dinner with the kids. MORE LATER.
Church was nice yesterday, but I had a blazing headache most of the day. Kaili was supposed to teach a primary class and she forgot to prepare it, so we had a minor emergency when we first got there. Fortunately, we were able to catch the primary president before sacrament and get the materials she needed in plenty of time. Last night after dinner we played triominoes and I had the leading score most of the game, so I did a lot of trash-talking with the kids. Of coarse, that means Ron pulled it out to win in the very last round. That was actually very good, as he hasn't won that game in a long time.
We made burritos and watched a movie with the kids for FHE tonight.
Today when I got my calculus quiz back, it was a nice surprise. Somehow I managed to pull off 80%. Then I got a ot so nice surprise with the genetics mid-term. I have NO IDEA how that went as I focused mainly on the steps of meiosis and she did some nit-picky vocabulary stuff and a few interesting (puzzling) inheritance questions
It was grey and drizzly, about 45-50 degrees today and the river is nearly fully melted now.
Ron took the kids to Connie and Neils' house where they rode snowmobiles, tubed and sledded for the day. They didn't get home 'till about 5:30 this evening when the stillness suddenly shattered.
After a quick bite we all went into the family room and played on the Wii and an old computer I brought back from California this winter. The computer still has windows '98 on it, so the kids can play some of their old games again.
This is a photo of our bathroom mirror reflecting its various decorations, Ron at age 14ish, the Cardston Temple, the moon & attendant stars on and on for infinity. . . .
Today was another pretty unremarkable day. It was a cool, sunny day. I Took the bus to school, attended class and rode the bus home. . . .
Now that I think about it, there was an incident on the bus that was pretty unusual. People spend a lot of time complaining about how rude and uncaring some of the bus drivers are. On the way to school, I noticed three young girls get on the bus and they were gabbing and giggling in their little gaggle. Next, the bus driver was asking them questions. After a few confused looks, they realized that one had left her purse at the stop where they had gotten on the bus. At the next stop, our bus pulled over, the forgetful one ran to the bus waiting behind us, retrieved the abandoned item and returned. It struck me that someone picked up her purse for her (presumably without rifling through it) and two bus drivers actually coordinated with each other to get it back to her quickly. It was a little thing, and took lees than a minute, but in this day of automation, voice-mail and bureaucracy it was nice to see some humanity and kindness practiced.
Have a great evening. . .
The last two days have been just gorgeous, but this morning is a bit gray. The snow is almost completely gone.
After church on Sunday, we watched the RM, then had dinner. For those who haven't seen the RM; It is a movie about a returned LDS missionary. He finds a different world when he gets home beginning with his is family having moved while he is away. It is cute and has a kind-of sappy love story in it too.
Yesterday was the first day back at classes for me after the week off. I walked around in a half fog, but all-in-all it was a pretty uneventful day. I did get my genetics quiz back, and I did fairly well on it.
Today is my long day so I had better "get on my horse" and get going now.
Ron and I went to the local home center where we picked up a few new toys with the gift cards he was given at his retirement last year. We added a planer, reciprocal saw and a new cordless drill to our tool collection.
last night after dinner at home with the kids, Ron and I me Jim and Linda at the show to see Vantage Point. It was a very good movie.
Today was puttering day. . .Ron and the boys helped a friend move, the girls and I baked chocolate chip cookies, I helped Elizabeth with a school project, made flan, vacuumed, then Ron, Dax and I built a new kitty scratching post/condo structure. Patchy seems to like the condo part, now we'll see if they actually use the scratching post part;
Tonight we had a "TV Dinner" and watched "While You Were Sleeping" during dinner. The kids had never seen it and I think they really enjoyed it.
Today started out gray, but it turned into a nice sunny day in the 50's.
Today was very laid-back. After I got the second of my physics problems out of the way, we met Jim and Linda for lunch, I'll bet you never guess where! (It starts with a C and ens with o and has ostc in the middle) We got updated on Linda's trip to Las Vegas, it sounded like they had a great time.
We had plans to vacuum and dust, but we ended-up napping in front of the idiot box instead. Not much ese going on, the sun was out again and it was another cool, but beautiful day.
This is the Earth's shadow on the moon. I got this picture of the lunar eclipse last night. Since I can't use a cable release on my camera, I had to do a bit of retouching to get the dual image out, but I think it came out OK for an amateur.
We met Jim and he treated us to lunch at his favorite establishment. Afterward, I got out the scissors and clippers. Everyone got their ears lowered and everyone had a different request. Kaili wanted "side bangs" and a long layer cut, Ellie wanted a "Bob with front bangs", Adam and ron wanted buzz cuts and Dax wanted his short on the sides, but long on the top. He has really gotten into "primping" to the point that I think he is worse than the girls. I think everyone was relatively happy with the results. I shot this picture this evening as the older three and Ron were running out for activities. I don't think my smartie-pants husband thought I would really post it. . .
I wrestled with a couple of my physics problems this morning for a few hours and went through a little of my old financial stuff and did some organizing while Ron ran kids to music and art lessons.
This evening Ellie and I played Wii sports while the others were out for the evening. It was another beautiful sunny day today. The snow is making a quick exit and the river ice is breaking up now. That's my story for today.
Church was nice, Kaili gave a wonderful talk and Adam, Elizabeth and I sang with the choir for the intermediate hymn.
After church, we had 23 for "Mexican" dinner (including our 6). I did most of the food prep yesterday after Ron, Adam, Dax and I wrestled the new (to us) behemoth refrigerator up the stairs. It is really nice to have a decent sized fridge to hold everything now. We only have a little repainting and wall patching to do after the refrigerator "adventure".
One of the couples came over to adopt Spike. The kids haven't really been caring for her as well as they could and I have gotten tired of nagging them about it. We spend nearly all summer away from home, so she doesn't get the socialising she would like (or I would like her to have). This couple have quite a menagerie and they really care for their animals. Matt has even owned an iguana in the past and really wanted another. I felt a little saddened to see her go, but I know she will be much better-off in her new home.
Today was pretty nice weather-wise. The bus ride to school was basically uneventful. At one stop a very loud and fairly obnoxious woman got on. She yelled to some friends at the back of the bus from the front about how she had just been fired from her job so she has the day off now. She joined them, but continued speaking very loudly about how many @#%^ skills she has dude and how @#%# the company is for firing her for using a $%#@ racial slur on the phone with a customer, "but I got lots of skills, dude. I gotta drop off my resume at this place then I can go smoke with ya, dude". . . blah. . . blah. . . blah. It is really nice to be able to plug into the MP3 player and tune out for a bit even if it didn't quite drown out the profanity laced ignorance we were all subjected to.
I got my calculus mid-term back already. Let's just say I passed it but, just barely. As far a math goes, a pass is a pass.
The genetics quiz today was VERY challenging! I think I finally figured most of it out in the end though.
Ron picked me up after school and we gathered the stuff for Sunday afternoon's repast and an appliance dolly. Hopefully we will get the fridge in and hooked up tomorrow early so I can get most of the food prepared tomorrow, then only have to pop it into the oven after church on Sunday.
When I got home, I found the girls all dressed up for the occasion complete with very creative cards they had made for Ron and I. Ron had a very nice dinner all ready, complete with a chocolate cake with cherry jam in the middle. He had also picked up a collector's pin for me in Disneyland and a tote bag, CD and journal at Deseret Books
I am still feeling a bit wrung out and will be glad to stay home all next week, even if I will be doing physics homework the whole time!
Today was beautiful and sunny and pretty uneventful.
I am beginning to get to know a few of my fellow bus riders now, and they are beginning to engage me in conversation now.
I am feeling a bit overwhelmed about the 2 mid-terms tomorrow. I have been working on calculus, but we'll see how much I remember come test time. Physics is covering optics and waves, my two best physics topics last year. He says half of the questions will be conceptual, but he likes to sling the numbers around. I'm not sure this prof. really understands what it means to be not mathematically minded. He has also filled next week's reading "break" with several assignments, OH YIPPEE (NOT!!!)
It looks like there will be about a dozen extra folks here for dinner on Sunday, that will be nice. I'm probably going to make 4 pans of enchiladas (hopefully there will be one left over to freeze for later).
OK, off to the idiot box for the evening, I plan to get back on the studying first thing in the morning, when I hope to be fresh.
Yesterday started with a cool walk and the bus ride to school. Fortunately, I found a different route to ride home so I'm saved the forced march between buses.
I started this morning with a new haircut. I'll post a new picture one of these days so you can see what I did to it.
Today was pretty warm, although it was dark and gloomy for much of the day. I am starting to feel a little bit of panic about the midterms later this week.
Not much happening besides school in my world right now. . .
Yesterday much of my day was spent wrestling with physics problems. I did finally manage to figure them out in the end.
Jim and Linda (complete with her cast) came over and we had tea and cookies for much of the afternoon. It was really nice to sit and chat for a bit and take a break from schoolwork and the routine. Ron, Jim and the boys started to wrestle with the fridge, but we really need to rent an appliance dolly to get it into the house and up the stairs. I am very hopeful it will be accomplished by week's end.
Church was interesting today as I didn't know about 1/4 of the people who are now in my ward. Several of my friends were missing, as they are now in the other ward. It will be good to get to know new folks again.
I have 2 midterms on Thursday (calculus and physics), then a genetics quiz on Friday. The following week is reading break so I won't have any classes to attend. I decided to start my break off with a bang and invite a bunch of people over for a "Mexican meal" after church next Sunday.
Today was very frustrating for me on the physics front. I understand the physics concepts, but I continue to really struggle with the math part of it.
Tonight Ron is playing chauffeur for the youth dance, so he and the boys will be out until late. I asked the girls if they wanted to have dinner out and they chose Dairy Queen. I think they didn't want to miss too much television as they don't get to watch it during the week.
It was snowing again this morning, but we still don't have more than about 6 inches in the front yard. It has warmed up considerably since last week and remains just around freezing.
As you can imagine, we were very glad to see water, even if it came with wind to blow the embers around a bit.
When you have an 'I Hate My Job' day, try this:
On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson and Johnson.
Be very sure you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the curtains and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed.
Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.
Now the fun part begins. Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully. You will notice that in small print there is a statement: 'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson & Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.'
Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, 'I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control at Johnson & Johnson.'
HAVE A NICE DAY AND REMEMBER, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE WITH A JOB THAT IS MORE OF A PAIN IN THE BUTT THAN YOURS!
I woke up with a blazing headache, but fortunately it didn't last too long. I got my genetics quiz back today, I got 14 out of 15, so THAT was great!!!
Other than that today was pretty uneventful around here. On the weather side, it was just above freezing and the wind was calm. The sun was dazzlingly bright this morning.
Well, so much for the bus ride yesterday. It was quite nippy outside. I also stayed home long enough to see the announcement of who was named in our new First Presidency live on the internet. I was so glad to see President Eyering and President Uchtdorf named as the counselors to President Monson.
Ron took me to class, then ran errands for the two hours I was there. On our way home we noticed a column of smoke on the North Shore and were saddened to see it was the Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre. They have some historical artifacts in there and serve a nice udon lunch once a month.
I did really well on last week's calculus quiz (100%), but I think I may have "tanked" on the genetics quiz. . . oh well!!! After speaking to my adviser last week, it seems as though I have about 3 more years at my present pace to get my degree, then another full year for a teaching credential. . . YIKES! I guess I am past the halfway mark at least.
Today was quite windy, but much warmer than it has been. I have had the "crankies" all day and am glad to be home finally. Tuesdays are REALLY long days for me.
Today was filled with BIG changes. As most of you know, we will have a new First Presidency this week. On a local level, we had a special "combined" meeting at church today. The 2 Kamloops wards have been lopsided and getting more so each day. Our primary had 65 children, the 1st ward had 15. We had a very large youth program, whereas the 1st ward essentially had no youth program. The new ward boundaries were announced and sustained this morning. Several of the kid's friends are now in the other ward. I think about 60-70 people went from the second ward to the first ward. The second ward also picked-up a few of the first ward members under the new ward boundaries. It will be very interesting in the next few weeks to see who is in which ward and who is in which calling now. Ron was released as the Elder's Quorum President, but we have been informed the Bishop would like to speak to us as he has something in mind for us. . .
Kaili has really been down with the ickies again. She stayed home in bed all day yesterday and today. Ron and I are both still feeling less than energetic, but we did manage to get the old dishwasher removed and the "new" one upstairs and installed yesterday. It seems to be working just fine. (The kids are VERY thankful to have it in operation). Next, (this week?) we will need to get the fridge installed. Our old one has several broken shelves, besides being far too small for our gang. The "new" one has an ice-maker and water in the door, which will be really nice.
I think I am going to give the bus a try again tomorrow, we'll see how it goes. . .
Ron has had his hands full trying to keep the kids on track with their schooling this week, plus he took them all for immunizations and boosters yesterday. Tomorrow, I am hoping we can pull the defunct dishwasher out and see about getting the one we brought north with us installed, we'll see how much energy we have in the morning.
Hitting the hay, g'night all
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