Anti-Spirit Day

Morgan has been out at BYU band camp this past week.  She really likes her sousaphone section this year.  We haven't heard much from her.  I know they work hard and work all day and that she falls asleep as soon as possible.  The other day was "spirit day" and everyone was supposed to wear school colors.  Apparently the sousaphones are "anti-spirit" so they wore red.  Morgan said it is the first and last time they will wear red.  Notice some of the shirts - like (gasp) Utah an Ohio.  Morgan found her shirt at Deseret Industries (the church's equivalent of Salvation Army).  What is more "anti-spirit" than Communist Russia?

Pre-Friday Night Lights

We are setting nicely into our school routine.  I'm still running ragged, trying to play catch-up everyday.  I teach many different classes and it just takes a lot of preparation.  I get new students everyday and so there are changes to be made to grade books and seating charts.  The girls are powering through - lots of homework, Seminary, dance, etc.  So we had our first football game on Thursday night.  It was a preseason game - not only does the football team need a practice game, but the cheerleaders, dance team, and band all appreciated the practice, too.  (Apparently there are 65 freshmen in the band this year!!  HALF THE BAND!!)  Maddie was pretty nervous for the game and extremely excited.  

The big concern was the weather.  It has not just rained for 40 days and 40 nights, but stormed and poured and deluged.  No one has been able to practice outside.  Everyday right as school ends, the heavens open up and the amount of water makes it seem like it isn't really raining, it is just all water in the air.  I know that most of you are suffering in horrible drought conditions, but we just can't imagine that.  Yesterday as I left school and it was blue sky, it seemed strange and unfamiliar.  Anyway, we were very worried about the weather for the game.  The skies were gray, but the rain stayed away and it wasn't even horribly hot.  At one point, a big gust of wind came through and then it got comfortable!! 

Travis has taken on the roll of "Mat Dad Chairman".  The cheerleaders need mats on the track (we don't have a rubber track) to do their stunting.  I have three mats and so I need 3 dads/game to roll the mats out there.  Travis enjoys getting them all ready and he knows the drill.  We have to let the band march by before the mats go out.  Mike and Linda are great helpers and developing into great friends.

 Even though I'm busy with the cheerleaders, I get a chance to watch my own kids dance.  Rozzie and her bestie Nora are starting their 3rd year together on the team.

 It is very exciting to see them all out there.  Our last principal made the dance team get green pants two years ago as our colors are green and gold.  The girls hated the pants, thinking they looked like asparagus or green beans.  With the new principal in place, the coach ordered black pants and no one thought twice about it!!  It is exciting to have Rozzie up on the front line as one of the officers for the team.  Maddie is on the back line with the freshmen, but lots of fun to have her out there.  Here is a picture showing their awesome skill of levitation:

 This is my coaching staff:  Janae (JV coach), Cortnee (Choreography), and me!!  Janae was part of Fleming Island's first graduating class and is now a 3rd grade teacher in the county.  Cortnee is hired out by the team.

 And here are the Maddie's - both freshmen.  Maddie really likes high school and says that it is way different than junior high - in a great way.  Her schedule is pretty sweet, too.  She has science, English, and math for her first 3 classes, then she goes to band, yearbook, and PE.  It was nice of me to get her PE last so her hair stays nice all day!!

Next week is big with a pep rally and a big county rival for the football game.  Stay tuned and I just might post more dance pictures.  (Oh...great...more of the same...)  Thanks for humoring me.

Time to Fly the Coop

Morgan headed back to Provo on Friday.  She got up at 3:30am to catch a 7am flight.  She was thrilled with the fact that she didn't leave Jacksonville until 4:00pm.  She could have slept in a bit.  She got everything figured out and switched her shuttle reservation.  She arrived in Salt Lake City at about 9:30 and took the shuttle to Provo.  She couldn't get into her apartment at 11 at night, so she was able to procure a safe place to stay with someone she knows from Jacksonville, although this friend wasn't actually at the apartment at the time.  Funny thing is that we know so many people in Utah now, but things just didn't match up and she had to figure a few things out on her own.  She was homeless and foodless for a day, but she used her time wisely and went to the bookstore to get her books before the crowds arrived.  Travis put in a call to his cousin Daniel who lives in Provo, and Morgan made it over to her apartment after all.  She called and got all her boxes delivered from storage.  This is where it is nice to have a male cousin living in the same apartment complex - Paul came over and helped her move boxen.  Then, after wedding dress shopping, Katie came by and took Morgan (and Paul) grocery shopping.  Morgan called me from the store and by all accounts, they were having too much fun grocery shopping.  I can guarantee that I don't have that much fun at the grocery store.  She is now home with food.  I can rest well.

Thanks to all of you who helped her out.  Holly, it was so nice of you to continually check on her throughout the week and help find a place for Morgan to stay Friday night.  Now comes band camp on Monday!!

The remaining children are doing well and survived week one without any mishaps.  Maddie is adjusting to Seminary life very well.  Travis and I are glad to have graduated from driving to and from Seminary!!  I was grateful for my first weekend.  I did a little work at home so I am slowly digging out from the "start of school" madness.  It looks like it will be a great year for all of us!!

First Day 2012-2013

Today was the first day of school!!  I started my 5th year of teaching.  Everything went very well.  I feel that I know what I am doing in my English classes, but my Design class stressed me out.  I didn't teach level one last year so this is all new and I don't like new things.  All went well, but I'm tired.  I am not used to talking so much and so loud for so long.  One poor little girl, a freshman in my 5th per Design class, came in during 4th period, so I sent her to her English class.  Her English class went to lunch and so she came to 5th period late and then we had lunch and she was so confused.  She was near tears.  I sent her off to Guidance to get it straightened out.  She'll be fine, but for the moment, it was just too much.  It was a lot for me, too and now I'm ready to go to bed.  

Anyway, this morning was pretty exciting.  First off, Patrick caught a cicada and I couldn't figure out what the loud buzzing sound was outside.  He looked at me through the window and I noticed he had something in his mouth.  He spit it out and there it was all buzzing and flitting around.  They playing went on for a few minutes.  Then the buzzing stopped.  Patrick lost interest after it stopped buzzing and flitting...It is still on the back porch.

The girls were up early making themselves beautiful for the first day.  Maddie is a freshman now.  She looked adorable in her lavender polka-dot skinny jeans.  After school she came to my room and I asked how her day was.  She gave me a quick but earnest hug.  My asst. coach, Cortnee, looked at me and just laughed.  The hug sad so much:  I liked it; it was great; it was tiring; there was so much; I'm so glad to see you; I'm so glad it's over.  

 Rozzie was part of the junior pack that got t-shirts together.  This has become a school tradition for the juniors and seniors to wear class shirts on the first day.  The seniors also make and hang banners in the courtyard.  So Rozzie blinged out her shirt with her friends and they all dressed to match.  Everyone wore headbands they decorated with puffy paint and jewels.  They put their nicknames and class (2014) on it.  We have always teased Rozzie that her hip-hop name would be Raw-Z, which is pronounced "Rozzie".  She was pretty happy driving off to Seminary today and ready to park in the junior lot.

 Here is Maddie prodding Rozzie with a banana.

 They even have a class together this year - yearbook!  Plus, they'll be in dance together.  So now all our kids are high school and older.  We all survived and had pretty good days.

The next milestone is on Friday when Morgan leaves for Utah and her 2nd year of college!!

Post-Summer Blues

I haven't posted in a long time.  Not because I don't want to, but nothing noteworthy has happened!  After arriving home from Girl's Camp, I put the house back in order and started working on little piddly projects.  It was great!  I finished a pillow that I had started a few years back.  I caught up on Maddie's scrapbook.  I made dinners.  I just got stuff done.

We also watched the Olympics.  Here is a case of Nature vs. Nurture.  I remember as a child, watching some Olympic coverage and hearing about amazing athletes.  I dreamed of a world where these athletes had never heard of each other and never left their countries.  The Russians trained in Russian villages with Russian coaches and came to the Olympics every four years - their only connection with the outside world.  They all loved each other and cheered for each other.  I don't know what I was watching, but that was my understanding.  So I was wrong.  But through it all, I developed a love for the Olympic games that has never diminished.  This love has only increased as the years have passed.  Even when I know the outcome, I will sit and watch it all until midnight.  The curious element is the passion that my children have developed for the Games.  WOW!! From the Opening Ceremonies to the very end tonight, they have been glued.  Rozzie mopes around the house, frustrated that we didn't get her into a sport in which she could have become an Olympic athlete.  She forgets that she was on the swim team.  She has a trampoline in the back yard that she could practice on.  She can join track.  Her dreams of glory are fading as she quickly ages.  So, the question remains:  Was it Nature or Nurture that instilled in my children a love for the Olympics?

Surprisingly, Travis isn't that interested.  He finds some of it interesting and will join us in watching some of the Games, but mostly, the sports fan of the family shows relative disinterest.

Maddie and Morgan played their violins in church today.  They played "How Great Thou Art".  I posted the rehearsal on facebook; it isn't great, but you get the idea.  They did a wonderful job.  Maddie had a mental block on a section that repeated last week that reduced her to tears, but she worked through it and did well today.

I started back to school last week.  I had many 13-14 hour days.  I still have a little more to do tomorrow, but I'll be all ready for students on Tuesday.  I like my schedule:

1st Per:  English III
2nd Per:  English III
3rd Per:  English IV
4th Per:  Planning
5th Per:  Fashion/Design
LUNCH
6th Per:  Fashion/Design

I have a feeling that my days will fly by!!  Maddie starts high school on Tuesday; Rozzie starts her junior year.  Seminary starts on Tuesday, also, with Br. Collard as the teacher.  Morgan heads out to BYU for band camp on Friday.  We have loved having her here for a few weeks and we will miss her a lot.  She has been a busy knitter, knitting hot pads and dish cloths for her and me!!

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer!!