intelligence

It is the end of another month and, as always, the time has flown by so fast it is a blur. Dad and I lucked into tickets to see a Broadway in Tucson production of "Fiddler on the Roof". We got to sit with Rob and Shella Brubaker which was a lot of fun.

This morning I had one of those moments when I really felt inspired. I usually think of myself as an intelligent person but today I realized that I'm really not so smart after all. As most of you know I am teaching a middle school math class. We spent one day this past week doing an activity measuring circles and finding out that circumference divided by diameter equals pi. So, we discussed the formula to find circumference and area. Then we spent another day measuring the area in different ways to get a better understanding of circles. I was supposed to be teaching these kids but only this morning I finally put it all together and it made sense to me of why the formulas work. I'm pretty good at putting the numbers into a formula and getting the right answer but now I realize that I don't always understand what I'm doing. Finally the thought came to me that you can liken this to living the gospel. Sometimes we have to just keep plugging the numbers into the formula before we get a testimony or have the Spirit teach us what we need to know. Also, I think that 'book smarts' does not always equal intelligent thinking. I can get good grades on a report card but often don't know how to use that learning very well and just having a testimony of the gospel does not get you to heaven. You must live it everyday.

To all those that I love...

For the past three weeks I have made doughnuts for breakfast. It reminds me of when all the kids were home and I was learning how to make dough. Many times we had "stones" instead of "scones". I finally broke down and used Jeanine Judd's recipe which is in the ward cookbook and they have turned out perfect each time. I wonder why I was so stubborn not to try it sooner. I guess it is hard to admit how dumb I am sometimes. The biggest thing is that it has made me miss my kids alot. I want each one of them to know how much I love them. I did make lots of mistakes as a mom and as a human being, but I did always love my children and want the best for them. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all of you.

birthday and a bee

Tuesday my youngest child turned eighteen. It is hard to believe she will be graduating this year and moving on to college in a few months. I have really enjoyed spending time with her. We didn't really do much to celebrate her birthday but we will take her into Tucson tomorrow. Dad took her in to get her permit on Monday and then to let her practice driving. This turned into an adventure. They went out on Airport Road outside of Benson and she ran into a road sign. She hit it hard enough to activate the air bags and someone called the Sheriff's Department. So, we ended up with 3 sheriffs, an ambulance, and the fire department investigating what had happened. It was a slow night and she gave them all something to do. Reminds me of Tracy's accident that happened right after she got her permit. We had to tow the car home. It was the silver Metro that we had been fixing up to give to her. Oh well, maybe it wasn't a terrible loss.

On Wednesday was the school's Spelling Bee which I am in charge of directing. This is such a fun activity of which to be a part. The young girl that won has won for the past three years. She won the Cochise County Bee last year and went to the State competition. I hope she will do well this time also. I am so proud of her because she was also one of my second grade students from five years ago. I am so glad to have a job I really enjoy and can see the growth and development of many wonderful children in our little town. It is nice to feel a part of the lives.

back to school

It has been a busy week as Chelsea and I returned back to school. My niece's husband, Josh Garner, has been doing some projects here at the house. This is a real blessing for us and for them as well since he is out of work at this time. Chelsea was having a little trouble with her mouth after her wisdom teeth surgery so we had to make a run into the dentist. It ended up that she just needed to clean her mouth a little better. Chelsea and I both needed to go to Cochise College-Benson Center to take tests, so we got that done. I had a doctor's appointment that confirmed I have officially lost 9 pounds in three months since I was checked last but my bad cholesterol was up. So I need to keep working on my weight and what I am eating. I also squeezed in visiting teaching on Wednesday. We spent some time with my mom on Saturday. After we had lunch, we went to Park Place mall and saw Megan in the shop where she works and then ran in to Shannon, Josh, and Hailey. My mom really enjoyed this outing. Then Chelsea and I went to visit Emmett and Anna. He is a cute little boy and we had a nice visit. On New Year's Day I damaged the ring finger on my left hand. It is still a little swollen and tender so I didn't play the organ today but I think it will be better by my next turn to play. Love to all and have a nice week.

Details of December

2009 is over and I haven't written for over a month. Our December was busy like everyone else. On Thanksgiving, my little dog Ginger ran off and so we got a new dog named Sheba. She is mostly German Shepherd and about 10 months old. Chelsea had a show choir performance which was really good. She looked beautiful on stage and did very well with the choreography. They also performed in Benson for Christmas on Main Street. Doug had the hearing for disability insurance on December 12 and his lawyer said he did a good job. We still have to wait for a couple more weeks to learn what the decision will be. The wheels of government(justice) turn very slowly. I am going to work towards a math endorsement to be more qualified to teach middle school math. So, I've started taking math classes online. We had a very nice trip to Logan for Christmas. We had a little bit of a harrowing trip on the way up but smooth sailing on the way home. We experienced a white Christmas and a lot of fun with the grandkids and getting to meet little Eden. She is beautiful. We also spent time with Trent's family which is always enjoyable. When we got home Chelsea had her wisdom teeth removed. It went very well and she is healing now. I guess that brings us up to date and we are looking forward to the new year. Hope it brings good things for all of you. (I will try to post some pictures later.)

conference and dreamboy

This week I spent three days in Phoenix at the Title I Mega Conference. As with most of these meetings, there were some good sessions and poor sessions. I did get to spend some time with my neighbor JoAnne Nyquist and Debbie Darby who both work in Tombstone. That was a nice surprise because I usually end up completely on my own which isn't bad but it was a nice change. I did get to go to the temple on Tuesday evening, which was good.

Last night was the Dreamboy dance here in St. David. Chelsea continued the tradition that Rachel started by inviting one of the foreign exchange students. His name is Amp and he is from Taiwan. She was so excited which was really cute and said she had a great time. I still haven't figured out how to move the images so you can see the pictures above.

performance and talk

Last night was "Broadway on the River". I performed two numbers; "Everything's Comin' Up Roses" from Gypsy and "Hernando's Hideaway" from Pajama Game. I think it went very well and as always I had a lot of fun. Dad said it was a toss up between me and a harp duet for the best performance, but he might be prejudice a little. I had two couples from the musical theater class dance a tango behind me as I sang "Hernando's Hideaway". It was great! I'm so grateful that Richard and Beth brought my mom. Today, Dad gave a talk in sacrament meeting and he did very well. He really does know how to give a good talk. That's about it from here for now. Love to all!