Let's Go....

The world we live in is continually heading toward chaos. This week a protestor lost her life because she was opening taunting an ICE agent then used her vehicle to charge toward the agent. What did she think would happen? Media is painting the event as a poor mother of 3 killed in the line of action by big thugs who had guns and used them. Personal video reels from other witnesses show a different story, not seen on major TV outlets of course. The president of Venezuela was taken hostage in a razor sharp attack by our military. Justin sent me an analysis of the event that was very astute. Essentially, Venezuela was openly welcoming terrorists and providing banking opportunities and fake documentation. They were permissively allowing and welcoming very bad characters into their country. A gang fight broke out at a funeral outside an LDS chapel this week, two killed. Some low life characters entered church buildings to engage in sexual acts during youth activities in Idaho. Then there is Somalia, it’s a bad situation. The list can go on and on. To quote Phillip, “Just bring it on Jesus!” Everett said, if this is the constitution hanging on a thread then that thread must be Jesus because He is the only one strong enough to hold it together. 

Amelia is back in Rexburg. Cara picked her up around 9 am for the 5.5 hour drive. She made it in time for the audition for Bella Voce, the BYU-I women’s chorus, at 2:20 pm. The wait was another hour or two…good thing she made it on time! LOL. School started for her on Wednesday, she was almost late due to a hair style malfunction. Ha ha. Clare and Mia got their grocery shopping done and are all unpacked for the new semester. As of 4 pm on Sunday the 11th, Amelia turned in her missionary paperwork! The countdown begins! She just needs to schedule her own endowment temple session. That girl is on FIRE! The boys 3-d printed a bust of Amelia for her to take to college. I’ll just say the bust has quite a bust. Amelia hid it inside a Christmas tree decoration in her dorm. 

At home we spent Monday resting, cleaning, and just being home. I was too tired to start packing up Christmas. Danielle Young texted me late Sunday asking if I had time to take family photos on Monday because Caedon was leaving for the MTC on Tuesday. She had a lady lined up but she kept cancelling their appointments or suggesting they do photos in a random pasture. I had time and was very happy to help out. It started raining and rained for a good two hours. The girls took a fun bath with Josie’s 100 bouncy balls. What else do you do with 100 bouncy balls? They bounced rather impressively inside the empty bathtub, that sprouted the idea for a bath. Danielle was about to just stay home in PJs, NOPE on a ROPE. I saw the sky was lighter toward Celebration Point and the rain was slowing down. By the time we arrived around 3:00 the rain stopped and the sky was gorgeous with dark clouds and scattered sunshine. Evelyn and Josie came with me, it was an excellent reason to get outside and explore. Josie was ready with her binoculars! Family photos checked off, we enjoyed the scenery until the sun set behind the plateaus. It was a bit cold but not cold like January should be. Josie now wants an Atlatl weapon for her birthday. My sweet girls set up a spa to pamper our feet. The bath bomb I chose turned the water a deep shade of red. We all have pink stained feet for the moment. 

Tuesday brought school and work. Blech. The entire week felt off with the schedule all wonky. I started my students on CodeHop, a platform that teaches computer science and coding. I love that most of the work is completed with slideshows and starter code, all I have to do is teach and manage the behaviors. 

Evelyn got two new songs to learn flat picking for the upcoming fiddle/guitar competition! She is learning to flat pick Devil’s Dream and Come Thou Fount. She already has half of Devil’s Dream memorized. Andrew had her call and respond to learn the notes. It’s a bit difficult to learn at home because it is all based on mirroring. Josie chose 6 songs, three that she already knows (Edelweiss, Swallowtail, Arkansas) and got 3 new songs. She was able to play all 6 songs the first time! She has to memorize, work on bowing, staying in tune, and rhythm, but goodness, I was very proud of all her growth. Evelyn wants to start piano again, she has quite a desire to play. 

Phillip and Everett worked on setting up some plugs and lightbulbs that work with Alexa. Phillip named Everett’s light bulbs: Everett’s Lighty Bulbs. That means whenever Everett wants to turn the lights off or on with Alexa he has to use that entire phrase. It’s funny to watch his level of frustration, which is now a laughing point. Phillip will run into Everett’s room and yell, “Alexa turn on both Everett’s Lighty Bulbs to dance mode,” then run away. The most irritating light show commences, Everett squeals on the floor as he tries to turn of his “Everett’s Lighty Bulbs.” Last night I walked by Everett’s room and overheard Phillip and Everett telling Alexa about the might and prowress of their farts. Their farts were so powerful they robbed a bank, Alexa said the only thing they robbed was their home of peace and quiet. Burn! Those two crack me up. 

The weekend went by way too fast with a full day of school on Friday. My buddy McGrath decided to be “ill” that day, no surprise there. Mr Riggs helped with the cafeteria. Oh my gracious, the students were quiet, the tables quickly cleaned, and for the first time in 2 years it felt like I was not alone in the cafe with 150 students.  Saturday groceries. My grocery/menu app is not working like it was, I can’t order groceries through the app and the important buttons are covered by other shortcut buttons on my iPhone. I feel crazy complaining about such a small thing, but the app is what I rely on for menu planning and grocery lists. I worked on taking down Christmas from the living room area. A bit at a time might make the task more reasonable.