23 October 2016
Dear Loved Ones,
Random hugs, regular “I love you Mom”s, and ready laughs---Chick is back and it is wonderful. Wonderful.
I’d forgotten how much he hugs. Anywhere, any time, and, apparently, for any reason—I can be concentrating at the computer, slaving over the stove, laboring on laundry, working at the warehouse (….I actually don’t work at a warehouse…just wanted to see if you were paying attention…) when two strong arms circle me from back or side and give me a gentle squeeze. Fun! Our boy is a hugger. More often than not his hugs are accompanied by a sweet “I love you Mom.” I love you too son. And I am so glad you are home.
Tanah was home Monday and Tuesday of this week also. Thank to her taste and my money, Chick is now a well-dressed hugger. She took him shopping, an act of mercy that helped him secure stylish clothing and helped me preserve my sanity. (Clothes shopping tends to drive me crazy.)
He wore some of his new clothes on his date last night. Yep, yep, yep….the man is courageously jumping into waters that he actively avoided before his mission. He has another date coming up on Wednesday. Whaaaa-whoooo!
Grace had a date last Saturday to an event she called “Stake-ies”. Her preferred escort was not available the night of Roy High’s Sadie Hawkin’s Dance to Grace turned Saturday’s multi-stake dance into an alternate Sadie Hawkin’s experience. And it was a good experience for all involved.
Our Grace makes things happen. Her financial literacy teacher gave the class a worksheet that instructed them to compare and contrast banks and credit unions. They had access to computers and were instructed to “fill in EVERY blank on the worksheet. Find the required information. No excuses.” Grace spent ten minutes searching online before deciding that enough was enough. Pulling out her phone, she punched in a credit union’s number.
“Good afternoon,” said the lady pleasantly. “How may I help you?”
The class went dead silent (while the teacher grinned widely) as Grace procured the required information. In five minutes she the assignment was completed.
“Why spend hours searching for information online where there is someone working at the credit union who is paid to be nice and who has all the answers?” Grace asked rhetorically as she told us the story. She also said that it was amazing how many friends she had in that class when her phone conversation ended.
I was in charge of OPA’s after school detention on Monday and I did NOT make any friends. About 15 students were required to serve time with me after school and about 12 of them respectfully accepted their fate. Exactly three—a 9th grader and two 7th graders, none of them my students—were horrible. Horrible. Disrespectful, disobedient, almost demonic….it was bad.
Detention is not supposed to be pleasant. I let students do homework (some teachers allow them to do nothing except stare at the walls, floors, or ceiling) but I expect them to stay in their seats and be totally silent; it is not a social hall. These three could not/would not do that. Up out of their seats, uttering snide comments, asking asinine questions, making mouth noises, tapping with feet or hands…. To say that they were uncooperative would be a significant understatement.
Fortunately for me, two of the miscreants created their own torture. About five minutes into our hour together they expressed a desire to go to the bathroom. No. “ I need to go to the bathroom.” Sorry. “I really have to go.” Too bad. “I am going to wet my pants.” Okay. “I really, really need to go.” Bummer. “I am going to pee.” Okay. I have no problem with that. You can pee….right here in your seat. But you cannot leave. They were pretty much in agony by the end of the hour. [When I told Joe Drago the story he said I should have turned the faucet on and let water run next to them…I wish I would have thought of that…]
The third non-angel was not torturing himself and his attempts to torture me were largely succeeding. Playing nice was not working for me. Time to change tactics…. I picked up the phone, rang the school secretary and said, “May I please have the phone number for Kason’s parents.” The room—Kason included—went silent. “Yes,” they heard me say “please give me the cell phone and work phone number.”
After disconnecting with the secretary I immediately called the parent. “Hello, Melissa?.... This is Teresa Hislop from Ogden Preparatory Academy and I have the dubious pleasure of having your son in detention today. He is having a really hard time being respectful and appropriate. Would you mind talking to him and helping him understand the importance of respectful, appropriate behavior?....... “ When she indicated her willingness to talk to her son, I called him to the phone.
Yep, yep, yep….I did not make any friends that day…..
Lance makes friends wherever he goes and he recently re-connected with a friend, a former teacher of his whose grandchild attends Syracuse Arts Academy. The friend told Lance about some fossil beds in Sardine Canyon. Lance loves fossil hunting, I love Lance and Miles loves McDonald’s breakfasts and Subway sandwiches(we had to bribe him with both to get him to go with us willingly) so the three of us took a trip up the canyon during Fall Break.
We took canvas bags, rock hammers, and Zorro. Zorro rolled in feces (which earned him a ride home on the truck ved and a hose-and-dish-soap bath in the back yard when we got home), Miles loved pounding things (“I really had fun Mom—I am glad I came”), and Lance found two, large fossil-laden rocks that have joined the rock collection that lines our driveway. We all contributed specimens to the canvas bag as well; fossilized coral, shells, and even a trilobite. Good times.
Good times indeed! Great times actually. Great job (except detention and parking lot duty), great friends, great family, and a great God whom I love and who loves me.
Teresa
Dear Loved Ones,
Random hugs, regular “I love you Mom”s, and ready laughs---Chick is back and it is wonderful. Wonderful.
I’d forgotten how much he hugs. Anywhere, any time, and, apparently, for any reason—I can be concentrating at the computer, slaving over the stove, laboring on laundry, working at the warehouse (….I actually don’t work at a warehouse…just wanted to see if you were paying attention…) when two strong arms circle me from back or side and give me a gentle squeeze. Fun! Our boy is a hugger. More often than not his hugs are accompanied by a sweet “I love you Mom.” I love you too son. And I am so glad you are home.
Tanah was home Monday and Tuesday of this week also. Thank to her taste and my money, Chick is now a well-dressed hugger. She took him shopping, an act of mercy that helped him secure stylish clothing and helped me preserve my sanity. (Clothes shopping tends to drive me crazy.)
He wore some of his new clothes on his date last night. Yep, yep, yep….the man is courageously jumping into waters that he actively avoided before his mission. He has another date coming up on Wednesday. Whaaaa-whoooo!
Grace had a date last Saturday to an event she called “Stake-ies”. Her preferred escort was not available the night of Roy High’s Sadie Hawkin’s Dance to Grace turned Saturday’s multi-stake dance into an alternate Sadie Hawkin’s experience. And it was a good experience for all involved.
Our Grace makes things happen. Her financial literacy teacher gave the class a worksheet that instructed them to compare and contrast banks and credit unions. They had access to computers and were instructed to “fill in EVERY blank on the worksheet. Find the required information. No excuses.” Grace spent ten minutes searching online before deciding that enough was enough. Pulling out her phone, she punched in a credit union’s number.
“Good afternoon,” said the lady pleasantly. “How may I help you?”
The class went dead silent (while the teacher grinned widely) as Grace procured the required information. In five minutes she the assignment was completed.
“Why spend hours searching for information online where there is someone working at the credit union who is paid to be nice and who has all the answers?” Grace asked rhetorically as she told us the story. She also said that it was amazing how many friends she had in that class when her phone conversation ended.
I was in charge of OPA’s after school detention on Monday and I did NOT make any friends. About 15 students were required to serve time with me after school and about 12 of them respectfully accepted their fate. Exactly three—a 9th grader and two 7th graders, none of them my students—were horrible. Horrible. Disrespectful, disobedient, almost demonic….it was bad.
Detention is not supposed to be pleasant. I let students do homework (some teachers allow them to do nothing except stare at the walls, floors, or ceiling) but I expect them to stay in their seats and be totally silent; it is not a social hall. These three could not/would not do that. Up out of their seats, uttering snide comments, asking asinine questions, making mouth noises, tapping with feet or hands…. To say that they were uncooperative would be a significant understatement.
Fortunately for me, two of the miscreants created their own torture. About five minutes into our hour together they expressed a desire to go to the bathroom. No. “ I need to go to the bathroom.” Sorry. “I really have to go.” Too bad. “I am going to wet my pants.” Okay. “I really, really need to go.” Bummer. “I am going to pee.” Okay. I have no problem with that. You can pee….right here in your seat. But you cannot leave. They were pretty much in agony by the end of the hour. [When I told Joe Drago the story he said I should have turned the faucet on and let water run next to them…I wish I would have thought of that…]
The third non-angel was not torturing himself and his attempts to torture me were largely succeeding. Playing nice was not working for me. Time to change tactics…. I picked up the phone, rang the school secretary and said, “May I please have the phone number for Kason’s parents.” The room—Kason included—went silent. “Yes,” they heard me say “please give me the cell phone and work phone number.”
After disconnecting with the secretary I immediately called the parent. “Hello, Melissa?.... This is Teresa Hislop from Ogden Preparatory Academy and I have the dubious pleasure of having your son in detention today. He is having a really hard time being respectful and appropriate. Would you mind talking to him and helping him understand the importance of respectful, appropriate behavior?....... “ When she indicated her willingness to talk to her son, I called him to the phone.
Yep, yep, yep….I did not make any friends that day…..
Lance makes friends wherever he goes and he recently re-connected with a friend, a former teacher of his whose grandchild attends Syracuse Arts Academy. The friend told Lance about some fossil beds in Sardine Canyon. Lance loves fossil hunting, I love Lance and Miles loves McDonald’s breakfasts and Subway sandwiches(we had to bribe him with both to get him to go with us willingly) so the three of us took a trip up the canyon during Fall Break.
We took canvas bags, rock hammers, and Zorro. Zorro rolled in feces (which earned him a ride home on the truck ved and a hose-and-dish-soap bath in the back yard when we got home), Miles loved pounding things (“I really had fun Mom—I am glad I came”), and Lance found two, large fossil-laden rocks that have joined the rock collection that lines our driveway. We all contributed specimens to the canvas bag as well; fossilized coral, shells, and even a trilobite. Good times.
Good times indeed! Great times actually. Great job (except detention and parking lot duty), great friends, great family, and a great God whom I love and who loves me.
Teresa
 While Lance was finding fossils of shells, |  coral. |  and impressions of shells, |
Miles was destroying things,
 and I was taking photos of leaves and.... |  |
...of spiders....
 |  |
...and of butterflies...
Actually, this butterfly showed up in our backyard. The greatest things are found at home, right? RIGHT!!!!
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