Just Like Mom

Even Before my hair started turning white, I would pass a mirror and see mom’s reflection in myself.  It seemed more apparent with white hair – not that mom always had white hair.  I don’t think she let it go white until after I had gotten married and moved out.  I miss my mom.

I remember some quirky things that mom always seemed to do – like complain about having to use construction detours.  She would refer to having to “drive clear around the world”.  It made us laugh.  There were many things that she said that would put a smile on my face.  She wasn’t even trying to be funny which made it all the more humorous.

Often Jenna will laugh at things I say the same way I laughed at mom.  It doesn’t bother me.  Progressive has several commercials that state, “We can’t prevent you from becoming your parents . . .”  Well, good.  Both of my parents were rather awesome people and I am grateful when others compare me to them.  They are wonderful examples and staples of my life.

Mom and dad both wore glasses.  I remember how blind my mom was without them.  I couldn’t understand how she could not see a clock above a pool for example.  She would merge from the water and ask me what time it was and the clock was just right there!  Now I understand.  Many things are blurred or out of vision when I don’t have my glasses on.  

 She would be wearing her glasses whenever she would gravitate to any car that somehow resembled the color of our own.  We would search for the car in a parking lot and she would often go to cars that weren’t ours.  We would tease her about it.  Now my Jenna and Roland tease me when I head toward cars that aren’t even the same model.

I think of my mom often.  I have followed in her footsteps in many ways.  I love my mom.  Whenever I find myself doing some of the quirky things that I remember her doing, I think of it as a compliment that I am so much like her in more than just looks.

Taking in the View

          I’ve seen many landscapes in different view

                   from my friends houses

                   Medford pear orchard

and during drives beyond city limits

and touring the coast or McMinnville

            

I have missed some views

such as the solar eclipse two years ago             

but the skies were filled with smoke

from the fires that had burned that year

          I have missed seeing stars

due to the heavy clouds and rain

though my view of the sky has been

spectacular this year

Fog can be eerie –

not much of a view when

it envelops us

  

I’ve seen both nature and manmade

                   I watched a person above a cherry picker

reach up into a McDonald’s sign. 

That was interesting.  

Never had seen anything like it before.  

A bit freaked out at the       

mass size the “M” appeared to be.

I have viewed different works of art

including paintings and quilts. 

I have had the opportunity to view

“dressed” vegetables

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have

to view pictures online to see family members

who are so far to see each day in person

I am grateful that daily quotes

that uplift and remind me

that I am a child of God and

His point of view matters more

than what any human may think

There is definitely a different point of view

with each religion and scripture read

          I appreciate the differences

My favorite point of view for book reading

is first person. 

I like the creative approach that some authors

have used,  such as

the “Dear Mr. President” series.

R.J. Palacio’s “Wonder” or

Rob Buyea’s “Mr. Terrupt”

in which several characters take a turn

at telling the story – written in first person

and different points of view.

One of his characters likes what he refers to as “one dollar words”

which is another way to view

spelling and math combined

I have gone on countless job interviews

and Jenna was able to interview Bill

for an assignment last year

She has also used a creative approach to book reports

          by pretending to interview         

a character from whatever book       

she may be reading.

I have always tried to review my work

before I’ve turned it in. 

Our county newspaper is called

The News Review. 

Jenna had her picture taken and

put on the front cover on

                      August 8 this year.

Decorating Pics

As mentioned in the last post, the skies darkened before we were through:

Roland had purchased "candles" to place in our windows.  

They will turn off after six hours

Jenna fell twice.  I don't know why she finds that amusing

Cell phone does not have the same sophistocation

as does some of the cameras I have owned

I thought the reflection of the tree in our window looks cool

as it appears the tree is really inside of the house.

We stopped decorating not only because it was dark but

The three adjoining cities will put on a light parade each year

on the second Saturday in December.  

I've taken several pictures in the past; this is the best I could do this year.

This last one was taken yesterday when we put the balls on.

I will have to get a picture of our finished product later on

Next we have our non-traditional advent wreath which I thought we would decorate with Christmas festivities.  Jenna decided to go for a more unique approach adding things that may not have anything to do with Christmas but may find a use for later on.  And so here we are from Dec 1 to Dec 15.  First the naked wreath:

Day 1: plastic dinosaur

day 2: granny square stocking

day 3: a plastic "diamond" from YW excellence
Aladdin theme "Diamond in the Rough"

day 4: book lamp

we tried turning on but the picture did not turn out as well

day 5: Believe

day 6: deer head

day 7: plastic container and snowflack on the booklamp
(so that it doesn't blend in with the door)

day 8: fairy doll

day 9: rubber star

day 10: match box ice cream truck

day 11: orange sunglasses

day 12: whoops, the wreath had fallen. Some ornaments
rearranged.  and dust puppy added

day 13: fish shaped blush brush

day 14: owl covered hand sanatizer

day 15: Elmo

And here is my little elf ready for school this morning  

Almost There

Written Satuday

Last year we were the

only house on our street

to put up Christmas lights

and decorate our yard. 

This year everyone

started yard decorations

early. 

Our roof was being fixed

and then it rained. 

Until late today we were

one of the few houses

on our street that wasn’t decorated.

We appeared to be "bah humbuggers"

but we are really not.

Our roof is finally finished

I had noticed on Wednesday

that the flatbed trailer was gone

– the one Roland insisted remain at

our house until the job was complete.

It rained all day yesterday.  Sometimes

the rain felt like snow.  I was

doing crosswalk duty again. 

All students had been ordered to

go to the gym after lunch.  I would

much rather stand out in the

rain then be in the overly loud gym.

It was nice today.  I didn’t even

wear a coat. Roland wanted to go to

Winston to look for a coffee table.  He

took me with him.  We were gone for

a long time.  It felt long. 

I was afraid it would be dark before

we returned. We had promised Jenna that

we would decorate the outside.

We did get home before dark but

did not finish with the lights until after dark.

Jenna and I plan on finishing with

big bulbs after we return home from Church.

Facebook Questionnaire

(Because I am too tired to come up with a fresh post right now)

What was the last thing you put in your mouth? My toothbrush

Where was your profile picture taken? The picture on my facebook page was taken at Granger 14^th Christmas party eight years ago

Name someone who made you laugh today –  initially answered at 6:00 a.m.  I hadn’t laughed up until that point.  Jenna offered a family prayer at 6:10.  She mumbled like a shy kid reciting something in front of class.  Good thing God has radar hearing.

How late did you stay up last night? I went to bed before 9:30.  I fell asleep before 10:00

If you could move somewhere else, where would it be?  Tillamook maybe, or closer to the coast. Never been to Astoria.  That would be sweet.

Ever been kissed under fireworks? I’m certain that Roland has kissed me under the fireworks

Which of your friends live closet? Jenna and Roland

Do you belive ex’s can be friends? Yes but it depends on the ex/situation.  Like with Roland and Maleficent.  Someone who doesn’t like his or her self can’t really be friends with anyone. She’s a user.  Using people is not being a friend.

How do you feel about Dr. Pepper? I can tolerate one once in a while.  It is definitely NOT the coolest drink on the market.

When was the last time you cried? a couple of days ago I knocked over the coffee table glass panes.  It was an accident, but it still made me cry.  I don’t even like that coffee table.

Who was the last person you took a picture of? Jenna, who is by nature a fantastic selfie taker, just couldn’t seem to capture all that she wanted on some funky costume creation.  She handed me her tablet and asked me to take a picture.  I don’t even know how it turned out.

Was yesterday better than today? I hope not!  Today has to be better at the middle school than was at the elementary school yesterday.

Can you live a day without TV?  I can live my entire life without TV.  I do watch it because it’s there, but I doubt I would miss it if it were removed.

Are you upset about anything? I am.  Roland woke me at 4:00 in the morning and I wanted to sleep.  I think I offended him which in turn upset me.  I couldn’t even go back to sleep.  Roland got up and seemed to be sulking.  Jenna (who doesn’t normally watch TV) had the TV blaring.  I’m still not fully awake.  I need to read the scriptures so until I am no longer upset.

What’s Different?

            I was in a 6th-grade math class yesterday.  The instructor had put a similar illustration on the board – only the dimes and nickels were laid out in the same manner.  And three or four of the pennies were shinier than the one that is in the center of the pennies in the above illustration.  The instructor asked which set of coins was different and why?

            The first answer was logical for a math class.

            “The dimes are different because all of the other coins add up to 25 cents.  Five nickels make 25 cents.  25 pennies make 25 cents.  A single quarter makes 25 cents.  But five dimes make 50.”

            The instructor asked what might be some other possible answers.  It was interesting what answers were provided.

            “The pennies are different because Abraham Lincoln is looking in a different direction than the other three presidents”

            “The quarter is different because it’s all alone and the only one not divisible by 5 to get a whole number”

              “The pennies because they are a different material or color”

            The pennies also looked newer in her illustration whereas the quarter looks to be the newest in mine.

            I don’t think any of them stated that the nickels were different for any reason.

            My favorite answer was the dimes – not because they added up to a different number but the logic behind a different students answer.

            “The dimes are wrong because they look to be the same size as the nickel and that ain’t right”

            The experiment was to listen to and understand one another as we each have different points of view but there are things that we can learn if we will focus on ration or logic of others and not be so focused on only one way of looking at it.

            I thought that was an interesting concept for a math teacher to share as there is only one correct answer in math.

The Drug Called "Sugar"

For those who have followed Corey's (calls himself Cody) blog but stopped because he did, I have a post he shared to facebook and I have his permission to repost to my blog:

I'm addicted to sugar.

When I say that I don't mean it as a joke. I really have a problem and it affects my health in a negative way.

I love the taste of sugar and I eat way too much of it. I have great difficulty resisting sweets and when I do eat sweets I overindulge (why eat one brownie when you can have six?).

And yet, I am fully aware of how terrible my sugar consumption makes me feel. I sometimes have little energy, I will often just not feel very good, and what's sad is even when I don't feel good I will still indulge in sweets that make me feel even worse. It's like an alcoholic turning to drink or a smoker who can't seem to kick the habit even though he knows he's slowly killing himself.

My mom was diabetic. I myself have been diagnosed with being prediabetic three times and then I'm "good" for a while until I get my sugar level down.

From January from September of 2017 I successfully cut the majority of sugar out of my diet and was eating much better. I felt better, I had more energy, I lost weight. It was good. But still hard. The first three days I stopped eating sugar cold turkey I felt horrible...probably because my body was so used to the constant influx of sugar and I was going through some sort of withdrawal. But I succeeded.

Then I went on vacation and fell off the wagon and haven't ever been able to get back on.

Every night I go to bed and think, "Things gotta change. I've got to eat better." In the morning I wake up with the best of intentions. But I see something sweet and my will power dissolves. And then I eat one thing and want more, even as my nausea is telling my tongue to stop. After I stop feeling terrible, it's hard to remind myself how terrible eating sugar will make me feel.

I don't particularly enjoy exercising, although I try to motivate myself to do so. I fluctuate between anywhere 199 and 216 lbs continually, depending on how diligent I'm being in my eating habits, but it's like everything I crave are the things that aren't as healthy for me.

I only write this because I am aware that I have a problem and maybe if I put this out there I can be more accountable. I see friends of mine who I know have had eating and lifestyle challenges. Some have been more successful in working on those challenges and others still struggle. I just want you to know that if you struggle with your weight and diet, I am in the same boat. And if you have managed to turn the corner and live a more healthy life, what was the turning point for you? How do you stay motivated to eat well and exercise?

Anyway, I just felt the need to put this out there.

Light of the Ward

Yesterday was National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  I noticed the flags lined up and down the bridge as we made our way to the Ward Christmas party.  

We had a brunch this year.  A 10:00 morning meal is great for so many reasons.  Breakfast.  Everything is catered.  No setting up of tables, decorations and so forth just to take it all down again (at least not by the ward members) no responsibilities of signing up to bring a dish in addition to reminder calls and a hodgepodge assortment of food.  I think the greatest plus is that it is light enough to see where we are driving.  The light invites.  Driving in the dark often seems so dismal.

Roland had been asked to play Santa Claus who hasn’t been a part of any ward Christmas that we have been a part of in Oregon.  Roland had memorized a speech about how our focus needs to be on Christ rather than Santa – for Santa wants to worship Christmas in a righteous way and that is why he gives – to follow Christ’s example.  I don’t remember his word-for-word speech, but that was the gist of it.  On Saturday he had spent a good amount of time (not to mention money) looking for bells to announce his arrival.  But when we arrived at the center, he learned that the costume didn’t fit.  At the last minute someone else was given that position.

There were eggs, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes for breakfast.  There was also a program put on by the primary and young women of the ward.  Excellent food.  Excellent company.  Roland ended up driving Jenna and her friend back to the house without me and I ended up catching a ride from somebody else.  But I couldn’t just leave.  I had a friend drive up all the way from Medford.  There were things on her mind that she wanted to share.

At 2:00 there was a primary baptism.  One of the girls had been a sunbeam in my class when we had moved into the ward almost four and a half years ago.  What I thought was most awesome about the baptism was seeing two sisters stand as witnesses for the baptisms.  It is my first time seeing that since it was revealed (see here).  The sister next to me said she wished she could have taken a picture.  It was truly a sensational moment.

We were told that there were some paper hearts on a back table.  We (the congregation) were asked to write notes on hearts to give the girls so they will remember their baptism.  I don’t remember anything about my baptism and had desired to provide them both with as many details as I would like to have in regards to my own baptism.  The hearts were small and I had written tiny – perhaps too tiny.  They also have pictures that have been taken to commemorate the day.  Perhaps my notes will make more sense alongside the pictures.

I had a brain freeze as I wrote - thinking how awesome it was for one of the newly baptized to have both of her grandmothers stand in as witnesses for the baptism.  She is such a special spirit.  I love watching her sing.  She knows all the words and really puts her heart into it.  Her grandmothers witnessed the baptism for both girls.  What a treasure.  

Jenna and her friend had decorated the tree and were watching “A Muppet Christmas Carol” when I returned.

At 5:00 we were scouring for a table at Pizza Palace.  We told the missionaries that we would meet them there.  We had chosen believing that the light parade would be last night, but that will be next week.  Yesterday was the lighting of the Christmas tree.  I don’t know who conducted this year.  The event was supposed to start at 4:00.  It has been cold and wet outside ever since.  Jenna had wanted to go but decided that she would rather eat pizza with the elders.  She really enjoys their company – especially one that she dubbed Elder Connecticut, but he told her not to call him that.  I told him that she preferred it as it has more syllables than his last name – which he understood.  They both feel that long words are more fun to say.  She asked if she could call him “Elder Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia” which he agreed to. 

We parted ways before 7:00 as they had another appointment and we had to get Jenna’s friend back to his house.  I listened to the rain fall as I typed this so I could post it this morning.

Crosswalk Workout

                It was quite dark yesterday morning even between 7:00 and 7:30.  I was able to drive myself to work yesterday as my shift didn’t start until 8:30 and the elements had lightened by then.  I thought that Roland might have to drive me today as my shift started an hour earlier, and probably would have had him take me in if I hadn’t gone with him at 6:00 this morning when he dropped Jenna off at the church.  The darkest part of the commute was getting out of my neighborhood onto the main drag. 

            I had given myself 20 minutes for a 6 minute drive and so I had plenty of time.  Yesterday I was in the detention room (or in-school-suspension as it is called at that particular school) but today I had crosswalk duty which I have only done at that school one time before.

            Crossing guard duty does not seem that big of a deal as those who use the road are familiar with the crossing and will slow down or stop four lengths back even if I am just standing on the sidelines.

            I remember one time Vanna White had been given the opportunity to ask questions about others’ research about her job.  One of the questions she asked was “How Many Miles Do I walk in a given week” or something like that.  The panel did not have an answer for that one.  But I did think about her position of turning letters (back when she turned the letter and not just touch it to reveal the letter).  I don’t know how long the walk is from the first letter to the last as opposed to the crosswalk. 

            There seemed to be more traffic the first time I subbed for this particular shift than there was today.  Today had almost a ghost town feel to it – and unlike last time when the air became warmer throughout the day, today seemed to get colder.

            I cross the students three times during the day.  First thing in the morning when they walk up from the cafeteria (or bus stop) up to the school.  Second: during lunch to the cafeteria and back  Third: after school lets out and students are walking home or to the bus stop.  Students are allotted so many minutes before the bell rings or before the bus leaves.  It’s important to keep them crossing.

            The busiest part of my day is walking students back and forth during lunch.  The first time I subbed, the gym was closed and all of the students remained on the playground.  Today the gym was opened and there were more that crossed than remained on the playground.  I learned some students crossed who weren’t supposed to.  Somehow there had been some who had sneaked into the main building.  I did not get in trouble, though.  The staff is always so happy to see me.

            I am pleased with the amount of students who take the time to say “Thank you” as I walk them across.  How great those two little words can sound.  I’m grateful for their kindness. 

            Other than doing crosswalk duty, I haven’t felt very useful.  One instructor is showing a video.  The other has chrome books which are basically small laptops.  I am a foreigner to having students sign on anything electronic.  I feel as useful as a tampon dispenser in a men’s restroom.

            I will be at the school next Friday but not in the room where they are trying to sign in.  I will be back in detention or ISS.  It hasn’t been a very tough job thus far.  The first time I did it, the most “problematic” student was really quite helpful in guiding me through what was unfamiliar territory. 

            I enjoy the variety I’ve been able to experience through subbing.

Weather Perdition

Cold and Freezing Fog.  Does that mean a solid fog that can't be driven through?  Interesting.

For driving safely in "freezing fog" conditions, see here

Let Your Light So Shine

                Light of the World Calendar suggestion for yesterday was to think of someone who is an example of Christlike service and showcase the example on social media.  For the most part, I think most of the Christlike examples I know would not wish to be showcased on social media.  My dad was such an example who preferred to remain behind the scenes and not have others glorify his acts.  He liked to go about things quietly and remain unnoticed.

          I’ve mentioned Josh Norton’s name in a few of my assignments.  He was the lifeguard manager when we first moved to Myrtle Creek.  Last year he became the city recorder.  He doesn’t mind the social media – I don’t think.  Josh is a great guy who is quite the go-getter and has done so much in bringing the community together with activities and showcasing community members.  When he is not serving Myrtle Creek, Josh travels to third world communities to assist with making things better.  Currently, he is in the peace corps and loves serving those he meets.  There just aren’t enough words to express how Christlike his actions are.

          There is also a couple in our ward who had involved themselves in the ministry program long before there was an official ministry program.  Though I have referred to them as Frank and Marie Barone at times, I have also referred to her as the “Florence Nightengale” of our ward.  She does so much for so many people – though at times her actions may seem a bit overbearing – just as Bob’s intentions were always Christlike, the results or methods he used weren’t always received or done in a Christlike manner (see here) 

          We all have flaws.  There are those who strive better than others.  There are those who follow Christ’s example.  There are those who love others unconditionally.  There are go-getters.  There are quiet background people.  I think Christ was more of a go-getter.  I think he made things happen, told jokes and stories and was fun to be around.  I also believe that there were many activities that he did in a quiet manner.  It’s important that we allow Him to shine through us by our example

        For more about Josh see here and here.