end of school 2011

Another school year has ended and even now I am starting to prepare for the next. I learned alot this year and was able to make it through PreCalculus and earn my math endorsement. I do enjoy teaching math and have grown to love the middle schoolers. I have big plans for the new year and am looking forward to improving the middle school math program. I still spend most of my day teaching Title I reading classes and feel good about how well this program is working. I have moved my Title I classroom to the elementary building so that I can be closer to those students and have a little more room. It will be nice but right now it is a BIG mess. Thanks to Rocky, Frank, John, and especially Santa (my aide) for doing all the packing and heavy labor. Now I get to try to sort through all the boxes to be ready for summer school that starts in a week. Fun times.

Many of you have probably heard about Doug's heart attack this past April. It was a little bit of a shock but a blessing in disguise. They were able to fix a problem that he has had for a very long time. Now he is doing great in that area. Today, we have been married for 35 years. We have gotten closer in the past few years, so I'm glad he will be around for a few more. He must have inherited Vivian's heart and not his dad Arlo's. He may outlive me, which he says would be the worst thing that would happen to him. Anyway, we have also had some really high winds this spring. This has done some damage to our roof. It has been quite an ordeal trying to find someone to get the work done. It still isn't done but I think we finally have someone that will follow through. Here's hoping. As my mom always says, "If it isn't one thing, it's ten." So, like a roof, marraiges will get damaged and worn over time. It isn't always easy to fix it, but with a lot of work it can be done.

Mother's Day was nice and I was able to talk to almost all of my children. My great-neice, Sierra Garner, was baptized this past month. I was honored that she asked me to play the piano and say the opening prayer. It was a very nice day with family. I want to thank Shannon for taking care of mom when I want to go to the temple or go on a date with Doug or any other crazy thing that comes up. It is such a blessing to have her family so close by and willing to help. We also had Ashlynn's birthday party which was another great day. We are thankful that Amy is now in John's life and they have attended our family get-togethers. Family is important - warts and all! It is my greatest blessing.

Doug, Richard, Beth and I got to see the Moody Blues in concert this past month. It was really AWESOME. Doug and I have tickets to go see a Diamondbacks game this next weekend which we are excited to do. Mostly we are looking forward to our trip to Utah to visit Rachel's family, "Romeo and Juliet" at the Shakespeare festival, and have the Davidson family reunion. Should be a good summer!

Love to you all.

Chelsea, Mom, and I got to spend an afternoon with Anna and Emmett (Vance's little boy) during Spring Break. He just turned two this weekend. We went to Sears and had these pictures taken. He was cute and we had a nice time. We don't get to see them very often so it was a special treat. Spring Break came and went with nothing too exciting happening. The week before my cousin's daughter got married and had her reception in Tucson. We had a wonderful time visiting with my uncle (Mom's brother Jim) who lives in Montana. We even went to my cousin Jim's house the following day.

Mom has had a lot of pain lately because of arthritis and her curved back. Shannon has been very helpful in taking her a few times so I could get other things done. I really do appreciate it. We have been blessed by having Mom stay with us and she seems quite settled now.

This week has been a busy one. On Thursday evening was Family Math Night at the school. It was not very well attended because of too many other activities going on, but it was enjoyed by those that were in attendence. Yesterday, I had to go to Tempe and do a lesson presentation for the last class I should have to take for a while. Thank heavens.

Sunday Blues

It has been a very long time since I wrote on this blog. Life has been very busy and there are many things I should have shared. There was Broadway on the River. This year, I sang "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun" from Annie Get Your Gun. It was a lot of fun and went really well. Thanksgiving was spent at Richard's and was really nice. Mom had a little bit of a hard time with being back at her house and it not being her house anymore. She was mad for a few days. But, now she is very settled and is happy to be here. For Christmas, Rachel and her family came to visit. We had a very nice time and then had a wonderful get-together with most of the family including John at Casandra's club house in Tucson. That was so nice. I have been working towards earning a Math Endorsement and getting through PreCalculus which was a real test for my brain power. I also passed the AEPA teacher certification test for math in January. We recently helped Chelsea buy a house in Tucson that she will be renting to Chris and Emily. It needed quite a bit of cleaning and a little fixing up. We have been working hard for two months and they are now moved in and getting settled. I think that catches up the on the news.

But, I usually sit down to do this on Sunday; and Sunday I always seem to get the blues. I cry alot on Sunday. The blues that is caused because of those in our family that choose to not associate with us. My heart is broken and I ache for the loss of opportunities to be a part of their lives. The only reason I started this blog was to keep in touch with the family that is far away from us. I'm not sure they even care what happens in our lives. We love and pray for all of our children. We also pray that someday that they will be able to forgive us for being imperfect parents.

end of October

It does not seem possible that it is the end of October already. Our lives have been full of work and a tragedy.

This past Friday the tragedy occured with the passing of Suzanne Burns, my sister-in-law. She is a good person that has always served her family well. She opened her home to those in need including two of my sons. She will be missed. We are sad at her passing but comforted that she did not have to suffer too long. She faced this illness with courage and faith so I know the Lord will bless her for her strength and the life she led. When we visited her in the hospital she was laughing and joking with us and the nurses. She was a good example of how we should all face adversity. I hope I can remember this always.

Mom is doing pretty well and enjoys being here most of the time. She really enjoys when she gets visits or calls from her family. She has been going to church with me and getting to know a few of the sisters. Today she mentioned how nice everyone was and that it is a nice place to live. We have hired a young sister from the ward, Ashley Stover Savage, to come and have lunch with her on the days I cannot come home for lunch. Mom has really enjoyed this also. She is doing pretty good most days. We took a trip to Tombstone the other day that really cheered her up because she talks alot about Tombstone and Nogales. We are planning on going to Nogales soon, maybe on Veteran's Day. We had to get her a new pair of glasses because she lost the ones she had before. Doug has been a big help with taking care of her when he is able. He is very good at making her laugh. We spend most of our time together talking about the past but I think it is good she has someone to talk to and be with. We are doing the best we can.

I just barely passed the midterm for a PreCalculus class. This is the last math class that I am taking to complete a math endorsement. It is math that is way past my abilities but when I get a problem correct I feel pretty good and sometimes even shout out loud. It feels like such a great accomplishment. I never was a math whiz but I am now starting to understand a lot more than I even imagined, including imaginary numbers! So by Christmas I hope to be done taking classes for quite a while again. The annual Family Reading Night took place on October 20th and was a big success. This is an activity that I am in charge of at the school. We got a lot of positive feedback and it was well attended. That means I only have two more large functions to get organized for this school year. Last Sunday was our Primary Sacrament Meeting and the spirit was so strong and sweet. The children performed well. I am so blessed to be able to be a part of Primary because it always strengthens my testimony and enjoy the love that the children share with me. The Lord loves each one of us and knows what we need. I am grateful for that love.

That is all for now and hope that this finds you and your loved ones are happy and blessed with all that you need at this time and send you my love and prayers.

changes

Life is full of changes and the past month has brought a few changes in our life. Some of these changes have been more challenging than others, but we are growing with each new experience. I now have a 'new' kitchen that is a wonderful improvement. We just need a new floor to go with the cupboards and countertop.

Chelsea left for Eastern Arizona College on August 19 and we do miss her. We have now become "empty nesters" and on to a new stage in our lives. Chelsea seems to be enjoying it so far. We are also grateful that she is taking advantage of this opportunity to go to college and hope that she will be able to prepare herself for her future. Two days after Chelsea left, we moved my mother in with us. We were able to finish the bedroom for my mother with help from Richard and Chris. Beth and Shannon helped with the move too. Mom is now getting settled into a routine here and seems to be adjusting to us. She has been to the doctor and has been diagnosed with moderate dementia (she scored 15 out of 30 on the test) which is most likely being caused by Alzheimer's. The doctor prescribed some medication that is supposed to delay the effects. She really liked Dr. Mayberry and feels good that she was able to see him. They also X-rayed the knee that has been bothering her. We are very happy that we are able to help her at this time and it is nice to have her here. She has told me a couple of times that she is glad to be here because she isn't alone anymore.

Two days before school was to start, I found out I would be teaching a Pre-Algebra class as well as a 7th grade math class. I had been planning on just having the 7th grade class, which I had taught last year. This means an extra lesson plan everyday. It has been a little challenging but I have really enjoyed and feel good about how things are going so far. I'm still taking classes to finish qualifying for a math endorsement and pass the certification test. So, work is keeping me busy but I am very grateful to have a good job so close to where we live. I am very blessed.

Mom and I took a trip to Thatcher two weeks ago to take Chelsea some more of her things. It was a nice visit and we also got to see Landon Kartchner which was a real treat. We also took a trip to Tucson to visit with George and Suzanne. Our prayers are with them as they deal with their health issues. It seems that the Lord has been watching over all of us, even through all of our family's trials. On Labor Day weekend, we were able to procure some good corn from Alexander's and green chili from Brother Bryce to make some tasty green corn tamales. Richard and family came down to help and we had a very enjoyable day. Today we ended up just relaxing. Looks like the changes have been taken in stride and we are better for them. Hope all is well with you and yours.

summer screeching to an end

Summer weather is still here but my "summer" is about to end. We have been very busy for the entire month of July. It started with the end of summer school party at the Benson pool. We started our trip to Utah with a stop at the Diamondbacks game on Saturday. Thank goodness the tickets were free because the game was awful. Spent a lovely Sunday in Oak Creek where we got a nice rest. We enjoyed "Much Ado About Nothing" on Monday evening at the Shakespeare Festival and got a wonderful welcome on Tuesday from the Newswanders. We laughed, played, ate, watched "Eclipse", swam, ate, went to the zoo, visited Elaine and Roger, ate, went to the Ogden temple, talked, and ate. Joseph's baptism was very nice and we were so glad that we were able to be there. On the way home, we stopped at Cedar City again. I went to see the musical "Great Expectations" and that evening we all saw "Macbeth" after a great Oriental buffet for dinner. What a wonderful trip!

The second half of the month has been appointments, cleaning, and two wonderful family memories. I was able to be with Shannon, Josh, and the girls for their sealing in the Gila Valley temple. What a special day. I was happy and proud of them. Then last Sunday, we had a nice dinner with John, Amy (his girlfriend), Alex (her daughter), and even Caitlin. We had a lovely visit and they promised we would do it again soon. He is so much happier than I have seen him in a while.

We have decided to have my mom move in with us. Sooooo, we are doing so major cleaning and fixing up to get ready for her. Chelsea has really done her part as well as Richard and Beth came to help. Things are really starting to shape up. Tomorrow, Bary Judd is coming to fix the cupboards and put in new countertops in the kitchen. I am so excited.

Life has been busy and promises to continue to be more of the same. We are looking forward to the birth of Lillian Marie, Chelsea leaving for EAC, and anything else the Lord sends our way. We send lots of love to all of our family and friends.

testimony

I've been wanting to write something but haven't been able to gather my thoughts very well lately. I think I might be on brain overload. I am taking all these math classes, summer school started, and worry about my mom has made me almost dizzy from not being able to keep a thought in my head for any length of time.

I started to write on Sunday but I was feeling very emotional and sorry for myself so I figured that wasn't going to do anybody any good. The last couple of days, everytime I would start I decided nobody would really care whether I wrote or not. Finally, this evening I went out and watched the sunset and enjoyed the beautiful summer evening that we are blessed with here in St. David. It truly is a blessing. It gave me a chance to reflect and have a moment of peace. I am so grateful for my testimony of the gospel that keeps me going even when life is not going the way I would like. I guess that is what I needed to remember. So, even when it feels like no one else cares, I know my Heavenly Father loves me. I want you all to know that I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His church on this earth.