From Sophie

Sophie sewed these beautiful hearts herself, and she did it weeks ago, and gave them to us for Christmas, with the wonderful note. I don't even have words to express how much I love them!

Christmas Day

We've been having a wonderful Christmas! Sophie seemed to love everything Santa (and Mom and Dad) brought her and Jada, our cat, also liked her toys. Steve made french toast and bacon for breakfast, with his new apron on and had to open the windows because of all the grease...yum!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Happy Holidays!

We've been having fun getting ready for the holidays! Sophie is a whiz at decorating cookies, no shortage of icing and sprinkles.

We went to a reading of The Polar Express and loved it! We helped with it last year and helped again this year and it is such an easy and nice way to gather with other families and listen to a wonderful story. The kids love coming in their pajamas, sitting on the floor and hearing the story. After the book there is hot chocolate and cookies for everyone and the kids get their own bell to take home. It's done at The Whittier Center, which is a really cool Logan spot!

Abe Summed It Up

I am without a religion, have been for some time. I saw this quote by Abraham Lincoln and felt it summed up where I am right now:

When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. ~Abraham Lincoln

Different Online Addiction

I wish I could say that I haven't blogged because I've been so busy with life, but the reality is, I'm on Facebook and catch-up with people that way and I spend way too much time on it!

I'm usually writing on here about the weird things about Utah, and I do have a story to follow that line...will write at the end...but there is one thing about the dominant culture that I admire and am trying to emulate: healthy living.

I don't mean no smoking (I don't do that anyway), no drinking alcohol (I believe a glass of wine now and then is a good thing), or no coffee (shown to prevent breast cancer), but I believe a big trend of the LDS Church has been to reduce the amount of sugar one eats.

I am about 30-40 pounds above my ideal weight and have been so for far too long. I don't like the way I look, the way I feel and I am doing myself a disservice by continuing some bad habits: eating junk food mindlessly and not exercising consistently.

Monday I took the plunge and I have not binged since then, which for me is HUGE. I have to be careful, because sometimes I'll go overboard, meaning, I won't eat enough, then I'll get grumpy and figure it's not worth it. I'm trying to follow some friends' habits: eating less carbohydrates and sugar.

I feel really good, have lost 3 pounds and find myself realizing my triggers. When I feel stressed, bored or tired, I want to eat...a lot.

Ok, now for the Utah story. We went to Salt Lake today and stopped by Build-a-Bear. They had this missionary outfit for a Missionary Bear and I said to one of the salespeople, "That's kind of weird." He asked, "What do you mean, weird?" I guess he could be right, but if you go to a Build-a-Bear in Rome, do they have a Pope Bear? In Pennsylvania, do they have Amish Bear? In Russia do they have Atheist Bear? That's why I thought it was weird.

Homemade Toys

Here are two of the Pokemon stuffed animals and PacMan ghost that Sophie and I have made. We hand sew everything, so it takes awhile, but it's quite relaxing. We've had a few threads pop open, but that just means they're being well-loved!

Science Fair and Field Trip

I love being the parent of an elementary school child! Fortunately, Sophie now allows me to volunteer in her classroom (she went through a period in kindergarten in which I was not to come at all, because she said she was too sad when I left) and I even work at her school, so I am there a LOT!

The Science Fair was Wednesday evening and Soph did a report on cats...third year in a row. We are the kind of parents who really try to let Soph do her own thing, with just a few suggestions and most of those she tosses aside. Her poster was great, lots of Sophie drawings of a variety of cats and we found out that lions only kill about 15 animals per year, much less than many domestic cats. I have photos, but can't find the cord that attaches to the computer. Sorry, Mom.

Today was the third grade field trip to see a production of "A Christmas Carol" at Utah State University. We walked up to campus, which is not an easy feat given the big hill to get there, and I did my best to not interfere with Sophie's time with her friends (she gave me a little talk about this last night). The play was very well done and the kids were a fabulous audience. I do think one of the other parents who went along took a little nap during the show, but I can't blame her...you gotta catch some shut-eye when you can.

My favorite part was on the walk back, when one of Soph's friends said he really liked, "Screech." I asked, "Do you mean Scrooge." He said, "Oh yeah," but for those of you who grew up in the 80's, you know about Screech and Saved by the Bell...I appreciated the reference.

Trying a New Perspective

It happened. Again. I was having a really cool conversation with someone, talking about different cultures, experiencing life in a big city vs. a small town, our educational system and when I said I had to run, after 30 minutes, he did it. He asked if he could give me some literature from the LDS Church for me to read. I felt my heart sink. This is actually only the 2nd time this has happened since coming back to Logan, and I've prepared myself. I said to this person what I said to the other person...sure, I'll read your literature, if you'll read mine. To the last person I gave a book on Buddhism. Not sure what to give this one.

Here's the thing. At first I felt crushed, like we'd had this cool conversation and all he wanted to do was convert me. Then I tried to look at it from a different perspective. I love sharing things I'm excited about, including my beliefs. We were discussing different cultures and I did mention that I'm not Mormon, so I'm hoping this person just saw it as a way to share something cool with me. Part of me realizes he was trained, as a missionary, to convert those non-believers, which makes me sad, because I don't want that to be how people see me. I am a believer! I believe in helping out one another. I believe in questioning everything around us. I believe in learning from others who share very different views...I'm not always good at practicing this belief, but I do believe in it. I believe there may be a god, there may be a heaven, that the Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Mormons, Sufis, Methodists, Catholics may be right, but no matter what, if there is a god, that god would not punish me for not declaring myself "something". A god who is able to do what we proclaim a god to do is not a god which bothers with labels.

I'll feel better about all of this if the person really does read what I give him and really uses it to question his own beliefs, as that is what he is asking me to do.

Halloween...Utah Style

My friends in Michigan tell me that trunk-or-treating is taking off there and my neighbor said they do it in Colorado too, but I have to believe that Utah is able to have the most trunk-or-treating events because there are sometimes 4 Mormon churches per block. Trunk-or-treating consists of all the neighbors driving theirs cars to the nearest church parking lot, and passing out candy from their trunks.

The first year we were back in Logan, 2006, we resisted doing trunk-or-treating. We felt it was anti-Halloween, because it took away from the joys of trick-or-treating. We decided to give a try last year and found the best fit for us: trunk-or-treating AND trick-or-treating. We like trunk-or-treating because we can mingle with the neighbors and the kids all see each other. We like trick-or-treating because it's the way Halloween is suppose to be!

After trunk-or-treating, most people go back home, since they just saw the neighbors in the church parking lot. We take Sophie to another neighborhood, by the university, and let her do trick-or-treating, too. She had some friends with her yesterday and they had a blast! I'm not sure why that neighborhood doesn't do trunk-or-treating, but we're sure glad they don't!

Steve said people kept telling him they were glad to see him at trunk-or-treating. This makes us giggle, because everyone in our neighborhood knows we're not Mormon, but we're certainly not against having fun!

UH-OH

Sophie was doing her homework last night and commented that she had spelled buy wrong. She said, "It's b-u-y, not b-y-u. That's a college." Oh dear, we've been in Utah long enough for her to know about BYU?

Book Recommendation

I am currently reading "The Year of Living Biblically" and it is hilarious! A. J. Jacobs is the author and as the title suggests, he tries to follow the Bible as literally as he can for one year.

The book has parts that make me laugh out loud, most of which are his wife's reactions to his undertakings. Jacobs also visits various religious groups to find out how they respond to certain teachings in the Bible.

What I think the book points out is that the Bible is not to be taken literally. It is a teaching tool that was written many, many years ago, which means there is room for interpretation and in my opinion, room for reevaluation. What was the law of the land thousands of years ago should not necessarily be the law of the land now. If there is a God, I think God expects us to be intelligent enough to question what any person or book states and if a person or book is wrong, to be willing to stand up to it.

No matter what a person's religious views are, I think they'd like Jacobs's descriptions of the reactions of New Yorkers as he attempts to live Biblically for one year.

Welcome to the World, Nolan!

My sister had her baby today and I just wish I could be there to offer support and of course, to hug the little guy! Nolan Joseph Battista was born this morning and I'm sure he's just as cute as his big sister, Ashleigh, and big brother, Ryan.

There are times when living 2000 miles away from family comes in handy, but there are times, like these, when it really, really stinks. So, to all my nearby friends who have babies, I might have to hug and cuddle them as if they are surrogate nephews or nieces.

Congratulations to my sister and her hubby, Michael!

Angry

I am so angry right now, about Proposition 8 in California. I just don't understand trying to keep loving, consenting adults from marrying. Just yesterday I was reading 2 books from the book fair at Soph's school, "Henry's Freedom Box," and "Rosa." Both are about equal rights for all persons. Here we are in 2008 and we're still trying to create a separate and unequal society!

The following article is what I would write, if I wrote so clearly and eloquently:

Do you remember the day you got married? Of course you do. Or if you're not yet married, it's a day you might look forward to as one of the best days of your life.

Now imagine that the law prevented you from marrying the person you love. That's what would happen to 100,000 California couples if Proposition 8 passes.

Proposition 8 would take away from one group of people one of the fundamental rights in the California Constitution - the right to marry the person of one's choice. That's wrong and unfair. Equal protection under the law is the foundation of American society.

Same-sex couples are our neighbors and coworkers. We are taxpayers and members of the community. We want to get married, care for each other, and be responsible for each other just like any other couples. The law shouldn't treat anyone differently, and the government shouldn't tell people who they can or cannot marry.

Society changes, attitudes change, and traditions change. At one time, the traditional definition of marriage gave all the rights to the husband and none to the wife. At one time, interracial couples could not marry. No one suggests that we should return to those definitions of marriage. But one tradition that I would like to preserve is that the Constitution is for ensuring rights, not for taking them away.

Proposition 8 is about civil marriage. Clergy have always had the right to refuse to perform or recognize marriages that conflict with their beliefs. And the state has never mandated teaching about marriage in schools. Proposition 8 is not needed to protect children or religious freedom. On the contrary, Proposition 8 would eliminate the right of clergy to perform same-sex marriages if they so choose.

Proposition 8 does not "protect" marriage. The institution of marriage is strengthened when all loving couples can enjoy it.

Proposition 8 is also bad for the economy. Spending on same-sex weddings is expected to contribute nearly $700 million to the California economy over the next three years.

Domestic partnership is not the same as marriage. If your loved one is in the hospital and only family can visit, saying you are married means you belong with that person. There is no confusion, no need to explain your relationship.

Domestic partnerships don't provide the same dignity, respect, and legal protections as marriage.

When I married my husband last June, it was a joyous ceremony. Friends traveled from as far as the East Coast and Europe just to be there. When I became a domestic partner, no one took notice.

We shouldn't use the Constitution to eliminate fundamental rights for any Californian. Please vote 'no' on Proposition 8.

Charles Landau lives in Nevada City.

It's Such a Good Feeling...To Know You're Alive

I think my posts will now be titled after songs, like that show. What was that show?

It's been a good day. Soph has 0 cavities and I wasn't embarrassed by how much scraping the dentist had to do. Mom, you'll be happy to know I packed the toothbrush and toothpaste to have Soph do one final brushing before going in. Soph practiced her piano pieces 8 times each. It is a gorgeous, fall day outside. I had an exhilirating discussion with one of my enrichment groups at school. Life is good! I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I'm determined to appreciate this day!

Love Will Keep Us Together

The title is such because that song has been in my head, not sure why, and I can't think of a way to title the thoughts I'm about to post.

We had our first MLK Commission presentation at our school today and it coincided with a conversation I had yesterday. First, to find out more about the MLK Commission and its Adopt-a-School program, visit their website: http://community.utah.gov/MLK_commission/adoptaschool/index.html.

The conversation yesterday was about being non-Mormon in Utah and do I feel treated differently. My answer to that one would depend on the day. Most days I feel great about living here, I love the education I'm experiencing, as well as feeling I might be broadening some people's minds. Other days I feel angry. Sometimes I think that anger is justified (see coffee maker not allowed in school post) and other times I think that anger is an irrational reaction on my part.

Today I sat through the 3 presentations that Michael Styles did on behalf of the Adopt-a-School program and as I listened I vacillated between feeling really excited and feeling worried. Excited because of the enthusiasm of the students and hearing them talk about issues they obviously deal with in their lives. Worried because I know there will be adults who think we should not be talking about this kind of thing in a public school. What kind of thing do I mean? Differences.

Why do we shy away from talking about things that are so obvious? I think it is because we don't want to offend others, right? Or is it because by talking about such things we have to really look at ourselves and question our own beliefs and actions. Do I stereotype people based on race, religion, socioeconomic status? Yes. Have I been proven wrong? Absolutely! Am I trying to learn and be more open to other ideas? Yes, but it does scare me sometimes, because I feel comfortable with my beliefs and it is hard to fully accept another person who believes differently than I do, because by accepting them I might be saying I could be wrong!

So I like to go around saying I'm open-minded and accepting and tolerant and all those wonderful things that one is suppose to say, but I'm not always and I know that and I appreciate it when people feel comfortable to talk about what they believe. Thank you.

This probably wouldn't happen in any other state

Soph's friend just asked her if she knows who Joseph Smith is and Soph said, "Who?" Her friend then started singing about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young...la la la. She said, "They're prophets." My child (and this is one of the reasons I love her) then asked, "Do you know who MoMo is?"

Since we're on this topic... I attended a debate against an atheist and a theist the other day at USU and I was telling Sophie how it is her friend's dad who is the athiest. Soph asked, "Why doesn't he believe there is a god?" I told her I didn't know and she should ask him. She guffawed, "Mom, I can't ask him about religion!" Hey Soph, don't you know we're in Utah! If you can't talk about religion, well, then you can't talk about the big ole elephant in the room.

Turn that Volume WAY UP!

Sophie's school does this really cool thing to reward students for positive behavior. It's called The Flight of the Owls and the students, and staff, absolutely love it! Sophie was one of 10 students who got to participate this time and I couldn't have been prouder!! Her exclamation when it was over was, "That was deafening!" Being allowed to run in the halls with the whole school cheering is a really cool thing.

What you do in Logan for fun!

This is a special video for my nephew, Ryan. The apartment building across from us was torn down. Now we're anxious to see what's going in its place!

So Utah

This is the view from a trail above our house, which Sophie, her friend and I walked along today. On the way back to our modest, 1800 square foot house, we passed our neighbor's 14,000 square foot home and a truck was just pulling out of the driveway, after only pulling in the driveway a moment before. The driver then pulled over and spent a minute gazing at the home. When we walked by, I could see into the truck and there was a man driving and 2 women, both dressed very similarly to the women from the polygamist compound in Texas. The women's hairstyles were identical to the women from Texas and so I concluded that these were indeed, polygamists. I then wondered if they were scoping out the 14,000 square foot residence, hoping to set it up as a future compound or if they were wondering if it already is a compound.

I've been to the residence and can say with certainty that it is not a compound, of any sort. A family of 4 lives there, one mom, one dad, but perhaps if they decide to move someday, we'll end up with some very interesting neighbors!

Darn It Woman! Pay Attention to ME!

Ahhh, I have been spending far too much time on the computer and not enough with...the cat! She is exerting her dominance over the monitor.

New Blog Features

I've been inspired to add some things to my blog...and, since I'm only working part-time this year, I have more time on my hands!

Check out the left side and be sure to cast your vote in my poll (especially if it's for Obama...ha).

Also, see the Jones Soda website, I really like their numbers!

That's My Girl!

Today I was helping Sophie with her homework. For spelling, the students are given words each week that follow a pattern. This week the pattern was the long u sound with the silent e and short u that is vowel-consonant-vowel. After writing her words, Sophie is suppose to write what she learned from the sort. When I asked Sophie what she learned, she said, "Nothing." I pointed out the patterns and then suggested she write something about the silent e, long vowel, no e, short vowel. She looked at me and responded, "I didn't learn that. I already knew that." So, on her paper she wrote, "I didn't learn anything new." I love that she is so honest.

Mondays

The first photo is one I took this morning, the moon was amazing, though it might appear more amazing without the wires in the way. The second photo is of a park we like to walk to behind our neighborhood, across the river. Look at that view!

We had a funny morning, Sophie and me. We were cutting it close and of course after I kept nagging Sophie to get ready, I realized I couldn't find my car key. After a frantic few minutes searching, I finally declared that we would have to walk to school. We are fortunate to live only a mile away (with gas prices the way they are, we should be walking everyday...but that just doesn't happen yet) and it is a pleasant walk. Once I realized we were going to be really late, I decided we might as well enjoy the walk. Soph and I chatted, told stories and got over our Monday grumpies. Sophie also had the chance to practice her reading skills, because someone had posted on their fence a lovely, handwritten note that read, "Clean up your dog sh&*!" Oh, and yes, Sophie read every word out loud.

This led to a discussion of bad words and why someone would write that word instead of a more appropriate word. We've had the bad word discussion before and Steve and I try to follow Spalding Grey's parenting advice: there are no bad words, just bad times to use them. I'm sure many people would disagree, but really, sometimes nothing else will suffice but a good, loud...well, you can fill in the blank. Also, a word itself isn't bad, it's how it's used. I've often used "bad words" as a humorous declaration, as I would, "Wow, that's great!" I know not to use such a declaration in the company of certain people, and certainly not at work, but I think that replacing some words with "more appropriate" words actually draws attention to how ridiculous the speaker is.

I also think it is good to be creative with language. My mother-in-law says, "Holy buckets!" which I find myself often saying and Mrs. Bauman, my first grade teacher, used to declare, "Heavens to Betsy," which might sound silly nowadays, but sometimes that's just the sentiment one needs.

This does not mean I want Sophie walking around using "foul" language, in fact, I have criticized those who are not smart enough to find other, more intelligent words. I just try to be realistic. Sophie will say "bad" words...heck, she said one today, though she was just reading it and I don't want her to feel guilty for something that is perfectly normal. I also just want her to close the door to her bedroom when those words are aimed at me!

I want to end this post by noting that I did not use any "bad" words when I could not find my car keys...or if I did, I muttered them, out of earshot of my child...and look what good that did!

Proven Wrong...Again

I had to go to Ogden for job training this week and since I'm horrible at arranging child care (picking up Soph from school) and neither of our cars are trustworthy right now, I decided to be all whiney about the training.

After my good friend, Natalie, agreed to take Soph from her school to Steve's school I decided I would go to 2 out of the 4 days of training. I felt I didn't need to go to the other 2 days because I'd done all the things that were being discussed.

Well, I ended up going the 4th day and it was good and I got some helpful materials and I was a big whiner for nothing! Darn.

Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah is the author of "A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier," and he came to Logan last night for a book signing and lecture.

I anticipated having to be disclipined to get through the book, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It's difficult to read at times, not because of Beah's style of writing, but because what he writes about are the horrors he faced as a soldier in Sierra Leone, Africa, at the age of thirteen. He writes very factually about what he went through right before the war, during the war and then a bit after, when he was rehabilitated through a program run by UNICEF.

The lecture this morning was thought-provoking, inspiring and humorous...Ishmael has a wit about him that makes him instantly likeable. He spoke of what happened once he came to the United States and the importance of education, a valuable topic considering he was talking to about 1600 incoming freshman of Utah State University.

The final question during the Q&A was about Ishmael's personal views of God and religion, especially poignant in Utah, and his answer summed up my own beliefs: there is a God, but one doesn't get to that God through organized religion. Applause broke out, and I'm sure it might not have been such a moving statement in other towns, but in this town, religion is a huge topic and unfortunately, a huge divider.

I am so glad I attended this lecture and I look forward to attending more community events like this in the future.

Budget...Tourist Attraction

This is a photo of the set-up for our game of Car Rental Agency, inspired by our lengthy visit to Budget at the Philadelphia Airport. Sophie is an observer and she took everything in while we waited in an exceptionally long line and went through the process of renting a car. She duplicated the experience at home, complete with cars lined up in the parking lot and customer service representatives (played by Pokemon action figures). I couldn't resist getting in on the action and made each representative their own cubicle and if you look closely, you'll see the benches for those customers (again, played by Pokemon action figures) in the waiting area.

As always, it doesn't matter what attractions you take your kids to, how much money you spend on those attractions or how famous those attractions may be. Grab your local phone book and find the nearest car rental place (listed under auto rental in our phone book) and take your child there. The memories are just waiting to be formed!

Nine years ago

Nine years ago Steve and I were married at the First Presbyterian Church right here in Logan, Utah. One of my memories of that day is reaching him after walking down the aisle and seeing him sweat and thinking he must be really nervous, which I thought was kind of sweet. The truth is, we were getting married in a church without air-conditioning and Steve was wearing a wool kilt, so the sweating was a result of being hot, not nervous.

We've been through a lot in nine years, including living in 3 different states, having our daughter, job changes, graduate school, being broke and now, finally, feeling like we've settled down.

Steve is my best friend and I know I'll never have him fully figured out, which I love. He is truly a separate person from me, but he's chosen to share his life with me, and that makes me just a little bit giddy.

File Under Depressing

My African Quotes Calendar reads today: "Live patiently in the world knowing that those who hate you are more numerous than those who love you." Bummer.

Back Home Again

We had a lot of fun in Pennsylvania and of course all the things we planned to do just didn't get done! No Liberty Bell, no trip to NYC..just a lot of hanging out with family, which was definitely worth altering our plans. We did get to Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, the Herr's Factory and a trip to the Kennett Fire Station, so I feel Sophie got some cultural exposure (yes, Herr's is culture).

Sophie has 5 cousins in PA, Abby (12), Andrew (11), Ashleigh (8), Brandon (7) and Ryan (4). Playing with them was at the top of Sophie's list of priorities and a few sleepovers insured a needed vacation after our vacation, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I did get a chance to see an old friend, from way back in middle school, and it was great catching up. She leads a completely different life than I do, so it was fun to hear her adventures. She lives in Philadelphia, goes clubbing until well after midnight, while I'm out here in smalltown Logan, trying to keep my eyes open past 10:00 p.m.

We also visited Keith and Stephanie in New Jersey, saw the college where Keith is an assistant professor and we stopped at Whole Foods, so I could get my fix. They bought a really cool house and are in the process of fixing it up, built the same year as our house, 1953!

I am also pleased to report that every time I told someone we live in Utah they responded with, "Oh, it's beautiful out there!" instead of, "Why?" Utah is beautiful and it's got its quirks, but so does every place. It will be a bummer not to hear people say, "I'm running to the Wawa for a hoagie," but in exchange we get to hear, "Oh my heck!" and "What ward are you in?" and we know we're back home!

Hangin' in PA with the COOL PEOPLE

I am in Pennsylvania hanging with my very cool niece, Abby, and very cool nephew, Andrew. If they sent me digital pics, I'd put them on here!!

Blog Envy

The Dean of Students at Trinity University, David Tuttle, told me about his blog today, so I pulled it up and I officially have blog envy. Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://trinitydean.blogspot.com/

It just looks like everyone is having so much fun, and the truth is, I worked at Trinity and people are pretty much having that much fun.

Stolen from Brooke's Blog!

Ok, I left a comment on Brooke's blog and I guess that means I've committed to doing the same activity...here it is:

1) In the comments section, leave a memory that includes you and me. Even if you don't know me that well, write about something that you remember.

2) If you have a blog, I will do the same on your blog! (If you don't have a blog, I highly recommend starting one, it's very therapeutic!)

That's it...I think. I don't remember Brooke's blog stating this, but if it's a memory of me being a jerk, please pick a different one, ha! :)

Fandemonium...Again

I'm unsuccessfully trying to upload the photo of Sophie with Jonathan Crombie, who played Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables and of whom I am a HUGE fan! We took Sophie to The Drowsy Chaperone, a hilarious musical starring Jonathan, in Salt Lake yesterday. Of course after the show I had to ask if it was possible to meet Jonathan and was told he might come out the back alley. Sophie was too scared to join me in the alley, so she and Steve huddled together while I basically accosted everyone, asking when Jonathan would be out.

I was not at all prepared for how insanely cute Jonathan Crombie would be in person and I just kept staring at his green eyes while mumbling unintelligble things. Oh, and here's the best part. My sister, Teresa, with whom I watched the Anne shows, and I always say, "I'm sorrrrry Anne," as Gilbert did in the 2nd Anne show and Jonathan actually said, "I'm sorrrry," to me (this is when I stupidly asked if he could wait while I went to the car to get the camera).

So, another episode of fandemonium, as Steve calls it, struck me. I love meeting celebrities and I really don't care how ridiculous I come across. Oh, I will not be able to "use" Sophie though, she's on to me. She did not appreciate how I kept telling people that I wanted to meet Jonathan because my 8-year old daughter is such a huge fan! It didn't work either..well, it did in that he was super sweet about meeting her, but when it came time to take the photo and I flung my arm around him, he said, "Uh, I should stand by her (Sophie)," and he got as far from me as he could.
I apologized to Sophie later and she so diplomatically said, "Well, maybe I will be a big fan someday!" Or maybe it's just more fodder for the therapist...how her mother used her to meet celebrities. Ah.

Back in the High Life

The '89 Volvo Station Wagon was purchased during Steve's graduate school days in Ann Arbor (it was actually purchased from a professor in East Lansing) and it made the journey with us to Texas, but since living in Utah we've had it out of commission. I didn't want to spend the money to register and insure it, but now that gas prices are so high, why not? Ha ha. There really is never a rhyme nor reason to how we do things.

Here's what is funny to me about the old Volvo wagons. When we lived in Ann Arbor, they were all over the place. We moved to San Antonio and we may have been 1 out of 3 families who had one in the 8th largest city in the U.S. We took a trip to Austin, the only liberal place in all of Texas and it was like an old Volvo wagon reunion, which made us realize we should've moved to Austin, not San Antonio. In Logan there are a few of these beauties, but I'm not sure they are as appreciated here as in other, liberal towns. Too bad I didn't have time to get my Hillary Clinton sticker on it before she dropped out!

Hiking and Kool-Aide Stands

My friend, Natalie, and I went hiking up Green Canyon yesterday and I realized how fortunate we are to live amongst this beauty! Sometimes I feel like I'm on a permanent vacation, going biking, hiking, and then it hits me that I get to live here and it feels pretty cool.

Soph and her friend had a Kool-Aide stand yesterday. Sophie is trying to make $11 to buy a stuffed unicorn, which has put her in a bit of a frenzy. She was determined to sit outside at the stand "during rush hour," but there really isn't a rush hour past our house on a Saturday. We finally have summer weather here and I'm sure we'll have many more Kool-Aide stands...so if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by! She did give a complimentary cup to our neighbor who didn't have any cash on him and had just finished taking the ACT...I thought that definitely deserved a free cup of Kool-Aide!

Jada

Here is our cat, Jada, hanging out in the linen closet. I grew up with dogs and am still not use to the ways of a cat and that they will explore every nook and cranny, much like a toddler.

Library

Sophie opened up a little neighborhood library today, with cards, a summer reading program and everything. It's been quite an event, not exactly quiet as one thinks of a library, but most libraries are not run by 8 and 6-year olds (her neighbor friend).

School's Out For Summer!

It was so great to see the kids cheering and throwing backpacks in the air when they were dismissed at noon today. I love working at an elementary school and sharing the enthusiasm of the students.

The kids also got to meet their new teachers today and we are very pleased with Sophie's 3rd grade teacher, she is super nice, calm and very organized...things lacking in Sophie's home environment! I got to take a group of 1st graders down to meet their new teacher and it was a lot of fun.

I feel a bit down with the end of the school year, which I guess is normal, although I'll still be working during the summer. I think it's the end of my routine that bums me out. I don't handle change well.

We are looking forward to some fun things this summer: going to Bear Lake, playing at the park in the cool evenings and visiting my family back east. I love early mornings and evenings during the summer in Utah!

Well Said

I went to the graduation of South Campus today, the school where Steve teaches. I loved the speech given by one of the students. He was very matter-of-fact when he said that his biggest motivation was all the people who told him he would never amount to anything, couldn't accomplish anything, etc. and what he would say to them now is, "In your face." I love that, because it's honest. This is how people feel and to disguise it beneath flowery language doesn't give it the weight it deserves. This student thanked those who played a big role in encouraging him: Nev, a teacher at SC, and his parents, but he acknowledged what was real in his life, a bunch of naysayers who put him down, for whatever reason, and now he can say, "In your face."

Yummy Sandwiches

Tiffany Vail made completely decadent sandwiches for our teacher luncheon 2 weeks ago and today I made them for lunch. They weren't quite as good as her's, but still really, really good. Here's the recipe:

Melt 1 cup butter and 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce over medium heat. Pour in 1-2 tsp onion powder.

Put together ham and swiss sandwiches on dinner rolls (she used poppy seeds on the rolls). Pour sauce in sandwiches and over sandwiches. Cook for 10 min at 350. Be sure sandwiches are tightly closed.

I try not to eat pig products, but for this I did...not sure it would taste the same using turkey. Steve loved them so much he wanted them again for dinner.

Summer

It has been hot this weekend and yesterday the slip-n-slide came out. Sophie and the neighbor kids had a blast slipping and sliding and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while sitting in a pool of water. We probably reached our quota of water for the year and although I applied sunscreen to Sophie twice, she still got a sunburn. Ugh.

When it gets this hot I think back to when Sophie was a baby and we didn't have air conditioning in Michigan, so in the afternoon I would fill the tub with cool water, plop Sophie in it and sit in the bathroom and read...for hours. We don't have air conditioning here either, so we'll be getting creative again. At least if you sit in the shade it's pretty cool, no humidity in Utah.

The Heritage Festival went well, I think. I was so stressed that I could barely pay attention to what was going on, but the feedback has been positive. My goal is to only tackle big events with a strong committee. I tend to like to take over anyway though, so I need to learn to let others do their thing without feeling threatened.

Soph and I've been playing Pokemon today and I must say, I'm now enjoying it, because I'm winning.

Gardener's Market

Steve and I were quite pleasantly surprised when we visited the Gardener's Market last year for the first time, it's about twice the size of the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market. Yesterday was the first market of the season. We got some yummy gouda cheese, handmade lotion and a lemon pastry. Sophie had a few dollars and she bought some knit bears, rubber ducky soaps and her last dollar was spent on making this cool bracelet.

We're hoping to take the pears from our tree down there and let Sophie sell them from a wagon. Our 2 apple trees are too new to bear fruit, but when they do, we'll add them to the selection.

I took Sophie and her friend to a play last night, "Greensleeve's Magic" put on by the local children's theater and it was very well done. The girls seemed to really enjoy it. I was impressed with the young people's abilities to memorize so many lines!

Life in Logan is good...local markets, plays, and Steve and I love our jobs...who knew Utah could be so cool.

Stress

I am completely stressed right now. I am behind on some things, scrambling to put together other things and trying to remember all the things I'm suppose to be doing. Ugh. And why is it when we have 50 tasks that are out of the ordinary we still have to deal with the ordinary in addition to the out of the ordinary.

I took some great photos the other day too, to post on the blog, but of course the memory card wasn't in the camera. Why didn't the camera tell me? I am officially mad at the camera, playing me in that way, thinking I had some really great photos and there was nothing, nada.

Back to stress. I tend to forget that other people may also be stressed, which the people around me are right now. It's testing week at our school, which makes it feel like a tomb. I would love to see a giant walkout during testing week, but more than that, I'd love to see politicians teach a first grade class, a class that has not been prompted to be on their best behavior, and after a week see if they can still sleep at night without increasing the salaries of our teachers.

Happy May Day...from Utah

This is what it looks like outside our window this morning and yes, it is May 1!

I went to a volunteer conference in Provo, Utah (land of BYU) and had a wonderful time. I learned a lot of great things, met some really neat people and made a few connections that will hopefully benefit our school.

The other women I went with were a lot of fun to hang out with and Tuesday night we walked around the town and had dinner at an Indian restaurant that was fabulous!

One thing I was impressed with from one of the workshops about conflict was how the speaker talked about conflict being good for a workplace. He stressed that you don't want to work for someone who doesn't allow for conflicting views to be voiced and that someone who tries to constantly maintain the peace isn't really benefitting the corporation. I was glad to hear that, because I feel like I cause conflict all the time at my workplace!

It's good to be home, I just wish it were a tad bit more like spring outside.

Big Scott News and Flat Stanley's Adventures

My little sister called tonight with very big news, she's having another baby! This is #3 for her and her husband, Michael, so congratulations to all of them and especially Ashleigh and Ryan who will be big siblings. Yea! The only bummer for me is, Val and Mike always wait until the baby's born to find out the sex of the baby and I am not that patient! I respect their willpower though.

We took Flat Stanley out on the town today and even went for a hike with him. I had to carry him in my backpack, so it's a good thing he's made out of paper. We also took him to the university and got a photo of him in front of the LDS Temple...to outsiders it looks like a castle from Disney World, maybe to insiders too, I don't know.

Have You Seen This Family?

A bit on the dark side here, but I'm hoping that someone who reads this blog will be able to identify this cute family! There are 2.5 members missing from the photo, but that makes it even more fun...surprise Brooke!

The bike rodeo (where this pic was taken) was a lot of fun. Sophie pretended to be a car to make it more challenging at our station.

We had soccer this weekend, a visit from Steve's parents and movie night at Adams. A busy, but really fun, weekend. Oh, and Steve and I went on a date and about 5 minutes into it I was hit with a stomach thing and we made it as far as Steve's work where we camped out until I was able to muster enough strength to go to Borders for coffee. That lasted all of 5 minutes, so we came back, I hit the sack and I'm thinking it must've been something I ate, because now I'm fine!!

Coach

I agreed to coach Sophie's soccer team after I was told nobody else would do it...nothing like a little pressure to persuade me. Our first game was last Wednesday and I had no idea what I was doing, but we won, 2-1. Our second game was Saturday and I knew a bit more, but we lost, 6-3. Maybe Orwell was right, "Ignorance is bliss."

As I tell my girls on the team, the most important thing is to have fun, though when I ask them, "What is the most important thing?" they still respond, "To pass!" or "To kick the ball!" I am definitely having fun and learning a lot, such as I will probably lose my voice after every game because I'm a screamer...I'm not yelling at the girls, I'm just really excited. I really don't like sports, in general, but I found myself calling out all kinds of sports terms during the last game and I'm feeling like I'm discovering a new side to myself, the coach side.

This is the side of me that runs up and down the field along with my girls, energized and motivated by their efforts. This is also the side of me that believes good sportsmanship is more important than a higher score, but who also likes getting the higher score. This is the side of me that is focused on the game, which is unbelievable since my attention span with sports usually wanes after 15 minutes.

I'm even setting up drills and jotting things down for tomorrow's practice, ready to focus on some areas that were tough during our last game. What is this thing going on? I hate sports! And yet, I can't help myself, it's really, really fun.

Sunny Days

We got back in Logan just in time to enjoy beautiful weather. I actually got a sunburn from being outside yesterday, which makes it look like I went somewhere exotic for our spring break, ha!

Sophie, her friend and I went for a bike ride to campus yesterday where the girls played in a shady spot and I sat out in the sun, not smart on my part. My friend, Natalie, was out walking so headed over to where we were and it was absolutely wonderful hanging out with her. She's very down-to-earth and has a refreshing perspective on things. We differ in a lot of ways, which makes our friendship even cooler, I think. Natalie's the best!

Today we had soccer and afterward, Soph, her friends and I headed to the playground adjacent to the school. A couple of students were there and we got into a long Pokemon discussion. One boy said he wants to go to Colorado, where I learned to play. I think he imagines it as a type of Disney World, but with all Pokemon stuff. He kept asking, "What state was that where you got to play Pokemon?" Funny how kids perceive things.

Oh, on our bike ride to campus I overheard Sophie say to her friend, "I love the time we get to spend together," and I am in awe. I don't think I ever felt comfortable enough to express myself that way to a friend until, well, recently! Sad, but true and how cool to witness my own daughter's open display of affection.

Home

We just got home from a wonderful trip to Craig, Colorado, where Steve's parents live. We relaxed, read, played Pokemon, watched movies and took a daytrip to Steamboat Springs.

Here is a photo of me with Bosco, a fabulous dog we met in Steamboat Springs. I walked into a shoe store and there he was, lounging on the floor. He is the absolute best dog ever! He's the kind of dog you lean back against while reading a great book.

The second photo is a shot from the balcony in the Albee's house, a shot of Steve, Sophie and Grandma playing Pokemon. Soph spent quite a bit of time teaching Grandma and me Pokemon, and oy, I'm thinking if the child can keep up with all the rules of that game, she's ready for calculus! Crazy.

T-shirts, Books and a Movie

My sister, Teresa, has more t-shirts coming my way, from Northeastern University and Boston Conservatory...cool! My sister is definitely an advocate for higher education and she has a lot of resources that I don't. I wore my Brandeis University shirt last Friday and everyone I ran into needed help with the pronunciation. It's Bran-dice.

I read "Swallow the Ocean," by Laura Flynn and it was really good. It's a memoir of her experiences growing up in the 70s with a mother who has schizophrenia. Flynn's mom was a loving, attentive mother until her disease took over and their lives became chaotic and even violent.

I'm now reading Sudhir Venkatesh's "Gang Leader for a Day" and it's very compelling. Excerpts from his study were in "Freakonomics," which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm hoping to see Juno over the break, it's playing at the "cheap theater" in town (movies for $3!). I've heard great things about it and would like to see it before it's put on DVD. I watched "Patch Adams" last night, got it at the library, and liked it, but kept wondering how Robin Williams can have so much energy! I have a cold right now that is knocking me off my socks and the only energy I can muster is in bursts of 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. I feel a 10 minutes burst coming on, so I'll attempt to do the dishes!

The Great Coffee Conundrum

I brought a coffee maker to work and in less than 2 hours of being on, I was asked to turn it off. I won't go into the cultural components of it here, if you're interested, you can look up information about typical Utah beliefs and whatnot, but, there is a great article on WebMD listing the benefits of coffee: http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food.

I am worried about raising Sophie in Utah and keeping her informed of what is normal in the world outside of Utah, but I also feel strongly that there are enough people in Utah who need us to speak out for them. What makes this all so silly really, is that coffee should not be something that causes this much controversy, and I'd love to know how many public schools in America have a coffee maker in their faculty lounge. Really.

College Support Update

Today I received a box of items from M.I.T.: 2 water bottles, a bundle of pens, postcards, booklets and a t-shirt. I am so excited about sharing these items with my students and appreciate the generosity of the school.

I have received 9 t-shirts in all, from: Southern Connecticut State University, Brandeis University, Florida Atlantic University, Rowan University, Keene State College, New Mexico State University, Muhlenberg, Vassar and M.I.T. and a pennant from Brown. Oh, and from Dr. Keith Pecor, a t-shirt from The College of New Jersey! I'll need to extend school to get them all worn by the end of the year.

It's nice to know there is support out there for us "little people."

Formal Raking

Steve raked leaves today, leaves that have been buried under snow the last 5 months and I just think it's fabulous that he wore a tie for the occasion.

Best of INXS

On Sunday, yes, Easter, I just couldn't pass up a deal for a Best of INXS cd for only $7.99. We put it on in the car and I felt like a teenager again, hanging out with my best friend at the time, Crissy Ciliberti. Sometimes Crissy and I would drive around and listen to INXS or we'd hang out in her bedroom for hours, as I think only teenage girls can do. Crissy had a poster of INXS on her wall and her mom pronounced the band's name "Inks," which made us roll our eyes and snicker...such ignorance, ha. Those were the days when I would spend all my hard-earned money from my afterschool job going to concerts in Philadelphia: Duran Duran, Faith No More, Depeche Mode, The Cure...taking the train into Philadelphia was an adventure in itself.

Now I have my own eye-rolling child and yet it amazes me how a smell, a picture or a song can transport me back in time and I feel like that 16-year old again. I would never want to relive that time period, but it's nice to know I can retain some of that excitement for adventure and that feeling that anything can happen.

Sophie's pick from The Best of INXS? "Original Sin," which she sings along to, piping in when she knows the scattered lyrics. It's nice to have a break from her favorite Phish song, which is the most hardcore song they have, and it cracks me up, because Sophie seems like such a quiet, introspective child....sometimes.

Grumped Out

It was a beautiful day today and Soph enjoyed using this jumping toy, you spin it around your leg and jump. I've been grumpy today, I hate it, and have not wanted to be around people. Steve and Soph are at the neighbor's right now, while I'm hiding out...about to finish watching "August Rush."

I did go to Global Village today and pick up some Easter gifts for Soph. Global Village is like Ten Thousand Villages, the items are made by artists in other countries and the money is returned to their country. It's my favorite store in Logan. Above are the gifts I got for Soph. The chocolates are fair trade, the bear bag was made in Guatemala, by Ruth and Nehomi, and the cross was made in El Salvador. I've written about not being religious, but I want to explain to Soph that Jesus means all-kindness to us, as depicted on this cross. The bell was made in India and I'm going to hang it in my office.

Friday

Today I got my first 2 t-shirts in the mail: University of Maine and Southern Connecticut State University. I am so excited to wear both of them, but I think the one from SCSU will grab more of the students' attention, because we're the owls too.

I just think it is really cool for universities and colleges to take the time to send me a t-shirt and to support our students. Today I wore the Princeton shirt our friend, Keith, gave us, which is getting quite worn...time for a new one.

Soph and her friend had a snack stand today and sold really old candy and fruit snacks to people (very reasonably priced though) and my favorite was when the couple visiting from Georgia pulled up. I loved their southern accents, though I have a tendency to start imitating people and then I think they think I'm making fun of them...and I'm not! I want to have an accent so bad!

I went out to dinner with friends from work and it is such a hoot (continuing the owl theme here) to share stories about our work. They are really great women and we can have differences of opinions on things and still get along, such a nice concept!

I keep forgetting that Sunday is Easter. Religiously, it doesn't mean a lot to us, but I'd like to celebrate the newness of spring and maybe come up with our own ritual. We hide the eggs and candy and now make cascarones (really big in San Antonio), but we're simply duplicating what our parents did., minus the cascarones. I think we need to find meaning in the holidays and celebrate in a way that corresponds with our beliefs...I just feel so lazy!

Quest for T-shirts

Steve and I have a pretty good collection of college t-shirts, so I decided to start wearing a different one every Friday at our elementary school, which is a Title I institution. I sent out some emails over the weekend to various university presidents and I got my first response today. Dr. Cheryl Norton, at Southern Connecticut State University, emailed that she would be "pleased and proud" to do this. Yea! The other cool thing is that their mascot is the same as our mascot, the owl.

Also, Dr. Keith Pecor from The College of New Jersey has agreed to send a t-shirt, but we sort of have an in with him...he's Steve's former office mate and best friend from the University of Michigan. Thanks Keith! Keith has also increased our collection with t-shirts from Princeton, Rhodes College and University of Memphis.

My goal is to increase our students' awareness of the options they have in higher education and to make college part of their vocabulary. I am so happy that my first response was so positive. It's great that universities want to help our students out.

Also, Loteria Night was Friday Night and with over 220 people there I think it was quite a success. I had a lot of fun, when I wasn't stressed about how many prizes we had left.

Totally Frivolous Post

I used a cotton swab this morning, not a Q-Tip, but a generic cotton swab and I was assured again that sometimes it is worth the extra $1 - $2 to get the name brand...ouch. This doesn't mean in every case the name brand is better. I actually prefer the store brand of instant oatmeal to the name brand and the store brand of 2-bite brownies, they are decadent. Maybe it's with products of the personal hygiene nature that one should not skimp: toilet paper, band-aids, soap; although, I buy face cleanser that is generic and find it equally smelly and eye-stinging as the name brand!

I do not really come from discriminating tastes...my father would take us to the local diner over any 5-star restaurant anyday, not that there were any 5-star restaurants in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, but if there were, we'd still dine at the Machikanee Cafe. My mother also drove a very loud and vibrating red station wagon that still had hay in it from the previous owners and told us to pour soda in the engine when it stopped working...generic soda, of course. Perhaps if we'd used Diet Coke that car would still be running!

Face Cards

My previous post was about the "evils of face cards," but I deleted most of it after feeling I was giving a false representation of the local culture. What I wrote was that I took some cards to school for the students to use after their spelling tests and was told that the face cards (jack, queen, king) had to be taken out because some people considered them evil. I was baffled.

I spoke with the principal yesterday and found out that no, the cards are not forbidden at the school and yes, there may be some parents who do not want their kids playing with the face cards. I can go along with that. I also found out from a good friend that although some people may have forbidden their children to use cards, most families use them and playing card games is not considered evil. Sounds like the situation in any area of the world, there are those who go over the top, those who disregard every rule and most of the population resides somewhere in between.

The rest of my post was about growing up and being forbidden to use any devices that predicted the future, such as a Magic 8 Ball and to this day I want one, but just can't bring myself to purchase one. I've been to fortune tellers, palm readers, tarot card readers and have played with a Ouija board, but I do not put faith in those things, they're just good fun.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Steve and I were looking at old photos today and this is one of my favorites, because not only is the image of Soph looking in the toilet priceless, but it appears that the bathroom was actually clean!

Play-Doh, Pen Twirling and Loteria

I have been making Loteria cards for over a week now for our Loteria Night at Adams. Loteria is like Bingo, but uses images instead of numbers and it is in Spanish. I found a kid-friendly Loteria game online, so printed off the 64 images and have been cutting them and gluing them to cardstock. I'm sure there's a faster way to do this task, but all the time I spend on it counts toward my Americorps hours and since I came late to the Americorps game, I'm in desperate need of filling my hours.

I wasn't feeling well today, so instead of making Sophie and her friend playdough, I purchased Play-Doh and Soph and her friend seemed to have a great time. Thanks Aunt Teresa, for all the cool cookie cutters...we've had them since Soph was 3! I did have to sniff the Play-Doh...ahhh, totally therapeutic. I also think making playdough is therapeutic, because it goes from being a gloppy mess to instant solidification and it is really cool.

Pen Twirling is what I heard about on NPR on my way home from a meeting. It is now considered a sport and there is a world competition, which I would love to see. The competitor featured on the show was talking about the tricks they do and the lingo sounded like that of the snowboarder culture, which my husband was a part of years ago. Pen twirling, playdough playing...maybe Sophie could get a scholarship in the latter someday!

Wisconsin vs. Utah

Sophie asked for a story today, one from when I was little. I told her about getting our allowance on Saturday morning and heading out to buy candy...at the liquor store. Steve thinks that's the funniest thing, that my siblings and I would head on down and amongst the beer and vodka we'd find our Jawbreakers and Wacky Wafers. That was life in Wisconsin, more bars than people, haha.

In Utah things are slightly different. The big articles in the Sunday paper are about some small town deciding to sell beer on Sundays and for weeks after, people write in voicing their opinion on such a controversial matter. Afterall, in Utah there are more churches than people, haha.

Growing up I wasn't aware of the "bar culture," my parents didn't take us to bars and other than the occasional glass of wine with dinner, they weren't big drinkers. I wonder what Sophie's perception of her childhood in Utah will be. We aren't part of the dominant culture, but it doesn't seem to affect her daily life. If I had stayed in Wisconsin, in the small town where everyone turned out for the Friday night football games, would I have the same interests I do now? Neither of my parents were from Wisconsin, and was that a bigger factor than my environment? I know it's both, I'm just dying to fast forward 10 years from now and hear Sophie's take on her childhood in Utah. One thing I know, she won't be sharing stories with her kids about buying candy at the liquor store.

Learning

I got a new book today at the library, "Painting Chinese." Here is what is written on the jacket:

What does a man nearing seventy do to keep himself engaged in the world around him? Esteemed educator and National Book Award winner Herb Kohl decided to try something new. While walking around San Francisco, Kohl happened upon a painting studio. He had dabbled in painting and decided a class would provide just the inspiration and instruction he needed. On a whim, he signed up. When he arrived for his first lesson he was surprised to learn that the class was in Chinese landscape painting. He was even more surprised to see that his fellow students were all Chinese and between the ages of four and seven.

I'm excited to read this book, though I have to finish "The Geography of Bliss" first.

My father and oldest sister truly exemplified for me the joy of learning, for no other reason but to acquire a new skill, different perspective or to gain knowledge. Learning for learning's sake.

When I was nine I told my sister, Teresa, I had learned how to sign the alphabet in school and she excitedly asked me to show her. I did and she practiced until she got it too. I was so pleased to be able to share with my big sister something that I knew and she didn't, but more than that, I was affected by her enthusiasm over the acquisition of a gained skill.

My father use to take us to obscure museums (Peshtigo Fire Museum) and on factory tours and I remember his genuine interest in whatever information was conveyed. He actually read the plaques next to the displays! Like Herbert Kohl, he also took a painting class when he was 40-something, because he wanted to.

Maybe this love of learning is why I enjoy working at an elementary school. Yesterday I got to read a book about rhinoceroses and both my student and I were astounded by the facts presented...rhinos weigh 8000 pounds! Children will vibrate with excitement over a newly acquired skill or from learning something that is really cool. It's as if the world has just been opened up to them and I am so thankful to be along for the ride.

Sophie the Theologian

When Sophie is not running, or perhaps she philosophizes (real word?) while running, she is pondering the great religious conundrums.

This is the conversation that took place in our car yesterday:

Sophie: Mom, ever since I was 3 I've wanted to be Jewish.

Me: Ok.

Sophie: But I also want to be Christmas people.

Yes, our beliefs may coincide more with that of Judaism than Christianity, but, our greed demands we celebrate all holidays in which gifts are bestowed upon us.

Rainy Day

Sophie worked on her art project for the AVA's Art-O-Rama show for children, using pastels. She also played outside, in the rain, today.

I finished the book, "Tested" and am now reading "The Geography of Bliss," by Eric Weiner. He uses a quote from Henry Miller, that I love, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

This is our new door knob on the front door. The one before was a bright gold. We are slowly making improvements to the house, though it feels like we make small disasters along the way too.

While at the grocery store today I had something happen that has happened a few times since my return to Logan. I smile at someone and they say, "You look familiar." The woman today is someone I've seen around town and I actually thought she might be somebody I went to high school with in Pennsylvania, she has a "Unionville" look. I actually spotted her in the store before she saw me and made the connection, she was a waitress at The White Owl, the bar I went to (we won't say frequented) when I lived here before. We chatted about our daughters, both 8, and how she is an aide at her daughter's elementary school...sounds familiar.

My life here before and my life here now are about 180 degrees different, thank god. I really don't spend time with anyone from my past, though there are a couple I will see and chat with. I don't think it has much to do with them, it's me. Even though I'm back in Logan and pass old haunts everyday, I don't want to become that person I was before, well, except for the good stuff.

Thanks Steve!

Steve, Steve's friend (slightly confusing), gives Steve (my husband), a ride home nearly every day and we greatly appreciate it. We are a one car family and when Sophie and I get out of school/work, it's nice to just head home or wherever we're going, and not have to arrange our schedules to pick up Steve...though that sounds kind of heartless.

I also appreciate that Steve has such a great friend. I am not a believer in married couples doing everything together...there are some things my husband is interested in that just don't hold the same interest for me, and I'm sure he would say it goes both ways. You also just need a different perspective from time to time and the person you're married to has a lot invested in what you say. It's hard not to overreact, ok, it's hard for ME not to overreact.

Plus, I like Steve (the other Steve), because he's really funny and keeps us entertained with what's going on in his life. I won't say any more than that...yet.

Lunar Eclipse

We are going to head out tonight to check out the lunar eclipse, 8:01 p.m. MST. This is very exciting for us!

When Sophie was 2 years old, we took her to the big telescope at the University of Michigan during an astronomy club gathering and I can still remember her marching right up to it and declaring, "I see Venus!" We haven't been completely consistent in encouraging Sophie's love of space, and maybe she's not even really interested anymore, but fond memories and reading about the lack of science in education nowadays makes me want to see the eclipse tonight, as a family. All I can say is, everyone BETTER have fun!

I've started tossing around the idea again, of getting a children's museum going in Logan. Last year Lisa and I were researching it, but her move took some of the wind out of my sails, oh, and someone else in town told me he was working on bringing one that included an IMAX...way out of my league! With all the rigor of NCLB, it would be nice to have a place where kids could explore, hands-on, the wonders of the world around them. Oh, and a warm place to go during these long winter months!

Book Recommendations

I just finished "Helping Me Help Myself," by Beth Lisick and it was hilarious! I actually laughed out loud a few times. The book follows Lisick's year-long journey of testing out a variety of self-help programs: Stephen Covey's 7-Steps, John Gray's planet analogies and my favorite, her time on a Richard Simmons's cruise to lose. I want to read her other book, "Everyone Into the Pool," but our local library doesn't have it. Sigh.

I am now reading "Tested" by Linda Perlstein and it is about a school in Maryland that went from really low test scores to high test scores and the struggles faced trying to maintain the high test scores.

As the book states, a lot of what is instructed now is scripted and to deviate from the script is frowned upon. It is sad to see creativity, questioning and even independent thought pushed aside because there is too much to cover for such frivolity.

When I'm working with the kids, especially in kindergarten, I often think of a CEO trying to conduct a meeting with these students as their employees: one is swiveling around in their seat and humming out loud, another is making monkey faces about 2 inches away from their face, one gets up and starts spinning in circles and my favorite, one starts meowing because today, they are a cat. Then I wonder, why do teachers make a fraction of what these CEOs make? At least the CEOs get free coffee and pastries at their meetings, oh and slightly more comfy chairs than that which is suited for the body of a 5-year old.