Last Day of January

        I finally finished the assignment I started research on Monday. It was supposed to be at least 800 words.  I had 810 to transfer to APA (that stands for American Psychological Association - common for formatting essays for colleges and often more importantly viewed by the instructor than the content) and had changed some of the wording as I was proof-reading and making certain I had and was able to add a few more words which total up to 856 - which is good, considering at least 40 of those words are really reference name and date.

      I have one problem with four parts to finish up for my assessment.  It is very time consuming and only worth 50 points.  I think it should be worth more for all the time I have to pour into it.

Abbreviations

          I remember when I was on my mission, and even now, we were (or are) told to stay clear of using abbreviations or initials to describe something that unless you are a member of the Church and are already familiar with the lingo, most non-members are not going to get that RS stands for Relief Society, YW stands for young women, etc. 

         

          I know I have been guilty of this in my blog - abbreviating.  Occasionally I do try to explain myself or refer to sites that will.  Back then (on my mission) the top initials used were D&C meaning Doctrine and Covenants (which is not what the majority of the population will think D&C means;  even many active church members I had met would first think of Dilation and curettage) and GA for General Authority.

          I suppose I appreciate the advice more now to steer clear from using abbreviations without interjecting the full meaning at least every now and then.  Currently I am taking my last accounting class.  My last one!!!  Talk about being initial happy.  The Church never had anything on the accountants as far as initial goes . . . and yet it seems there are always more initials to be had.  What a pain in the . . .  well, you know.  GAAP, IFRS, FSA, FASB, LIFO, FIFO and now a brand new one to my ears GASB - come one people !!!!  Why, you ask, have I never defined any of these?  Really?  My brain is so confused.  When I talk about my traumatic experiences with accounting, I want the reader to feel my confusion.  When I use the initials without explanation, don't you feel confused?  And even if I defined them, I promise, it does not make any of them any more exciting.  Accountants are boring!  Okay, maybe not all accountants, but the subject certainly is.  I think reading a math text book is more exciting.

          So why I am I even majoring in this, you ask?  I was hoping to straighten up my own personal finances and I've gone to tell you, NONE of those initials apply to anybody's personal finances.  They all have to do with business.  Early on I had learned that "accounting is the language of business"  - maybe that's why I hate the term "business" so much.  Why is it that I am having so much trouble sleeping?  Seriously.  You would think this stuff should put anybody in a coma for a year at least.

          To all of my readers who haven't been familiar with any lingo I've used in regards to the Church, my apologies.  I will try to do better.  For all of my readers who may not be familiar with any of the lingo I've used in regards to the accounting classes that have caused me attitudes of frustration, welcome to my world.  It's unforgivable lingo . . . but I'm certainly not the one who came up with it.  I think it was invented by those who are in a state of comatose.   Why would you purposely wish to make yourself sound dull?

Oh, and just for the record.  YW was the only Church term that spellcheck did not recognize.  Only two of the boring accounting abbreviations were recognized.

Take a Breath When You're Upset

Good Advice.  
If something is bugging you, 
don't yell or scream.  
Leave the house, 
office, 
space, 
whatever.  
Take a walk.  
Clear your head.  

Take a breath.

I was able to shed Rabbit!!!

       On July 27, 2012 I had created this post comparing my husband, his children and I to the personalities of the 100 acre wood and had dubbed myself as Rabbit because he is always so uptight.  He may have mellowed a bit from Walt Disney's animation to computerized animation used in the 2018 movie "Christopher Robin".  But as the focus was not about Rabbit but only made a brief appearance along with Owl, Kanga and Roo, it's hard to say.

          I, on the other hand, am a lot more mellow.  I haven't been uptight since moving to Oregon.  I feel free.  I don't feel trapped.  The wonders of breathing clean air.  I'm not as organized as Rabbit - though I would like to be. I still don't care for gardening - though I do eating produce fresh from the garden.  We failed at having a garden in 2018, but should be back on track this year.

          I don't know which character I would compare myself to now.  I don't think I'm even a part of that story anymore.  I have moved on. I am not only in a different chapter, but a different book as well.  We all are, I think.

          Roland is still has several traits that are like Kanga. The apron strings have finally been cut from the boys - though he will still put it on if requested.  Still a child magnet. Still the parent.

           Jenna doesn't tackle me the way she did when I nicknamed her Tigger.  She has taken on several traits of different hundred acre wood characters.  She can be playful and easy going.  We don't see Eyore a lot, but when we do, the personality is not there for long.

          We all have moved on.  We have grown.  We have made a difference.  And will continue.

Dash #786 Jenna's Beloved Dog

This is Ernie in the middle. 

I purchased him when I had worked for Snelgroves ice cream store in Salt Lake City.  He has a music box inside of him.  When wound up, he will play the tune "Teddy Bear's Picnic".  I brought Ernie into my marriage.  I think he sat on a shelf until after Jenna was born.  I would play the song for her.  She loved putting her hand on Ernie's belly when the music played.  She loved feeling the music play.

This is how Hi-Five may have appeared at one time.

strange name, I know.  I will explain how we got his name, but first allow me to back up to the day when Hi-Five joined our family.  Jenna and I had been visiting with Aunt Gertrude who often purchased items just because they were on sale.  It was rare that any family member would ever visit  and not be offered to walk away with some material object be it a sweatshirt, stuffed animal, collectible doll or rocks (see this post) 

We had Ernie with us, and Aunt Trudy went and got Hi-Five because she thought they both had cute faces and Ernie's face had reminded her of Hi-Five - although we hadn't picked out a name for him until much later. 

Aunt Trudy wanted Jenna to have the dog.  He had a lot more fluff at that time.  Often it was hard to see his eyes because of the fluff.  At first, Jenna didn't want anything to do with it.

This is what Jenna was wearing
the day she received Hi-Five

It was several months before she warmed up to him and then couldn't bear to live without him.  Hi-Five went EVERWHERE that she went.

Hi-Five wasn't given his name until after Jenna had learned to walk.  She has always been smart and would retrieve things from her bedroom if we mentioned them - or else she would lead me to what she couldn't retrieve (like the growth chart on her door)

I had taught her how to give a high five sign

and one day I said to her,  "Give me a high five!"

She disappeared without attempting to slap my hand. When she returned, she was carrying her beloved dog that Aunt Gertrude had given her.  She gave it to me.

"Oh, is 'High Five" the name of your dog?"

She said a few words at the time, but was really not much of a talker then.  But with a few more questions, I decided that she was in favor of calling the dog Hi-Five.  I am the one who chose the spelling.

Jenna loved that thing ragged.  I made sure it stayed clean, but it didn't always look it.  Aunt Trudy tried replacing him with another stuffed dog whom Jenna's oldest sister, Francine,  had named Graham Crackers because of his color.  Jenna called him "Crackers".  She dragged both Hi-Five and Crackers with her for a while, but did not ever love Crackers (or any other stuffed animal) as much as she loved Hi-Five.

Crackers came with a kerchief around his neck

I would allow her to take it into most stores that we would go to - except for second hand stores though many might have rejected him if he had ever been mistakenly donated.  I tried to cover up his mishaps with clothes. 

I even gave him a haircut and told Jenna that his fur would not be growing back.

You know how some mothers have to wean their children from favorite blankets? I was determined not to have that problem and had given Jenna a different blanket every day - sometimes several times during the day.  It never dawned on me that a stuffed animal would become her "security blanket"  and I don't know why.  He was never soft in my opinion.  Over the years he felt more coarse.  I would have thought he would feel scratchy to Jenna, but she really did love it very much.  Maybe even more than balls or rocks.  We had reached a point where she just couldn't sleep without him.

  

When we moved from Kearns to West Valley, Hi-Five ended up living in the shed.  I told Jenna he could not live in her room unless she took care of it.  He moved with us to Oregon.  Currently he resided in Jenna's room. Throughout the years, he has gotten more shabby.  He's been restuffed twice.  Roland had even purchased a heart to go inside along with the stuffing the last time.  As I told Jenna, his hair did not grow back. 

Hi-Five today January 2019

Routine in Education

                It is so hard trying to get back into the swing of school assignments etc. after a holiday weekend or vacation.  For the last three years I have had classes at the end of the year for two weeks before the winter vacation (or Christmas) and am expected to finish the next two week after the New Year.  I'm certain it's equally hard on the instructors.  Perhaps even more so.

                So on MLK day, I was to start a new class (my last accounting class folks.  I had miscalculated before and thought this would be two more.  But I was wrong.  Hallelujah!).  Didn't do much for it on Monday as we had invited a few friends over to eat pizza and play games. The lectures don't happen until Tuesday at 6:00 MST and so I decided I would just wait before posting to my discussion.

                On Tuesday I did some research for my discussion post, but had failed to even look at the assignment - which included three videos which I could have watched.  All three together were just over two hours.  But I couldn't make the time for them on Wednesday.

                Unlike the last instructor from my last class, this one will let the class members know what is expected on the assignment, discussion and so forth and will actually go over sample problems with us.  My last instructor would show a power point and proceed to read every single slide.  Never covered the assignment or expectations.  It was boring.  I stopped watching his lectures.  What a waste - even for insomnia.

                I do seem to be having some issues with the program itself - like when I try to explore the instructor's bio, I get this:

                               

 

               When I use an alternative to find said bio, I get this:

What??!? That doesn't tell me anything!

                Fortunately he introduced himself in the introductory discussion which isn't mandatory for students.  I am so grateful that I wasn't assigned my last instructor as I have had that happen before.  I've had several instructors several times in a row.  There were three instructors that I've had three times and one that I have had four times.  I hadn't even realized that until recently.  I knew I had him twice, maybe three times. 

                Thus far the class feels more like a management class rather than an accounting class.  The class will end on February 18 and then I will be left with just fun classes - although I am not entirely certain about the class I'll be taking in May.  I saw something there just a few weeks ago, but it is no longer there.  I don't know if the University changed its mind or if the class has been illuminated or what the deal is.  Thus far there are five classes which appeared in the 2016 catalog but I have not taken.  There are also four classes that I have taken that were not part of the 2016 catalog.  I did write down the name of the class and may be somewhere on my desk.  I should know by February 18.

Dash #632

Would you rather give a talk in church or bungee jump?

            I don't know if I have ever had the desire to go bungee jumping.  I remember when my brother, Patrick, did it.  I can't remember if I thought I would like to do it also.  Probably not.

            I remember when Patrick made the jump, he did it backwards. He said it was easier if he wasn't watching himself fall.  Even if I did have the desire to do it then, I definitely don't right now.  I doubt I'd be relaxed and would probably break my neck when the rubber band yanked me back to where I had fallen from

            I think it's funny that the above question compares the thrill of bungee jumping to giving talks in church.  Some people find that both are terrifying.  I rather enjoy giving talks and don't seem to have opportunity for doing it much in sacrament meeting.  I do get to speak at RS activities sometimes.  Last night I delivered a the parable of the talents with a modern twist with Gabrielle, Amy and Stephanie (see here).

            In answer to the above question:  give a talk, most definitely.

I Have Anosmia - Two Scientific Word Definitions

        Ageusia is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. This disorder can be triggered by many factors such as nerve damage or vitamin deficiency. Ageusia is sometimes confused with anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell.*

        My sense of smell has become dulled over the years - I would guess due to allergies.  My mom's sense of smell had been dulled as both of her parents were smokers.  I would rather lose my sense of smell to allergies than an example I learned about quite recently.

        One of the science instructors in the school district was telling about a classmate she had gone to school with.  He was a jock that wanted to prove his "macho-ness" by smelling an acid - a very foolish move on his part, for when he inhaled, the acid burned the insides of each nostril and he hasn't been able to smell since that time.

        It's kind of cool to know that my loss of smell has a scientific name.

                                                                            

* retrieved from wikipedia

Froot Loops and Pacifiers

                On Sunday Danny had set up the Monitor so that our Valiant class could watch "No Ordinary Shepard" here.   She passed out Bingo cards and Froot Loops to use as markers.  There were various pictures or words representing shepherds, sheep, the baby Jesus, prayer, love, peace, etc.  that would be mentioned in the video.  All that we had to do was listen and watch in order to mark.

            I smile whenever I see Froot Loops as I think to a time when I was watching my niece who would sometimes be rewarded with Cheerios.  For those of my readers who may not know,  Cheerios is like a staple of LDS parents with tykes.  The Cheerios are mostly for keeping the little ones quiet during the meetings.  Sometimes it works, but not always. 

            I did not have the Cheerios that she may have been used to, but had given her Froot Loops to tie her over.  It appeared that in her mind she was eating the most delicious Cheerios that she had ever tasted.  The actual Cheerios that she was given at Church did not measure up to the cool tasting "Cheerios"  that were in my cupboard.  Truth is, I don't even like Froot Loops.  I suppose they make an okay snack when they are dry.  But I think they are disgusting in milk as they become mushy tasteless circles surrounded by sickenly sweet blue liquid that no tastes like milk.

            I remember attending a baby shower several years ago.  One woman had brought her baby who was walking but still sucking on a pacifier.  One of the favors that each guest had been given were candies (white Lifesaver and a pink jelly bean) made into the shape of a pacifier.  They were cute. 

            I remember the baby taking the real pacifier out of her mouth and inserting the jelly bean.  Her eyes lit up.  Wow!  It was small but definitely the best tasting pacifier that she had ever had in her mouth.  So good in fact, that she wanted to share.  She kept on extending it out so that other people could have a taste.  She didn't use words yet, but I could see it in her eyes, "You've got to try this.  It is so amazing."

            I knew if I posted the bubbled syringe trigger here, I would be able to think of more triggers that make me smile.   

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

          Martin Luther King was born on January 15, but as with so many Federal holidays, his birthday or MLK day is celebrated on the third Monday in January.  

The first year for this nationwide holiday was on January 20, 1986.  I happened to be on my mission at the time, but I do remember receiving a letter from my mother that the holiday had been created after quite an ordeal here. 

          Whenever I think of MLK day, I think of my sister, Kayla, who (according to mom) was ecstatic about having the day off from school as it was her birthday.  Mom said Kayla felt that the holiday was designed especially for her.  Funny.  

My niece, Ellen, thought it was for "milk" day and will celebrate MLK with dairy products here.

          MLK was designed as a day to promote equal rights.  Many have been encouraged to volunteer their services for citizen action here.  How blessed we are to have this reminder as "we all have a dream".

         

My Baby Girl

                I can remember my mom taking pictures - many pictures.  She wasn't much of a photographer.  But she did her best to preserve memories by taking photos. 

Patrick, my cousin Michelle, me and my cousin, Ross

Corey with Grandpa Ralph

many of mom's photos make it seem
like the background was her focus

The painting (or at least parts of it) above
has made it to several photographs

brother Patrick, me, Corey's head, Great Grandma, dad
 behind her, great aunt who recently past holding Kayla

Kayla and Corey at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Canada.
We do not know the people in the background.

I must have picked that up from her and added to it - so I would take pictures of material things as well as people. 

Patrick with his oldest two Ellen and Kimball

I love this picture of Biff reading to Jenna

when Jenna was in 6th grade

Roland at Umpqua River

Riddle Library

graham cracker houses

                After a while my mom no longer took mounds of pictures.  She relied upon me to take the photos - which I did.  Neither of us had ever attempted taking selfies.

Kayla, Anna and my mom

Christmas in July 2009

                When we first got to Oregon, I took hundreds of photos. 

Over the years they have all seemed to blend together.

                 Both Jenna and I had taken pictures to enter into a contest here in town.  The winning photo would be made into a postcard.

I took this one - the boy found a rock we had
left on the trail.  I thought he was cute about
finding his "treasure"

This is the one I selected of the many that Jenna had taken

                Neither of our photos won, but I was later contacted for permission to use in the Myrtle Creek calendar.  Jenna brought home a brochure last night.  The brochure gives a calendar outline of community activities.  On the cover is the picture that she took.  I am so proud!

                Now it's Jenna's turn to hold the camera and take millions of photos - including selfies

and my turn to sit back and let her.