JUBILANT

Preschool



is



over!!!!!!!!!

It's not that I don't love the kids,

because I do.

It's not that I don't love teaching,

because I do. I even (sorry for how cocky this sounds) think I do a pretty great job doing it.

Still, I couldn't be more thrilled that I

am



outta' here!

PRESUMPTUOUS

So Jalyn tagged me, right? Right. She also tagged my mother. My mother, however, isn't likely to respond to the tagging, so I'm going to do it for her. Consider it my Mother's Day gift. Belated.
Mom, you can correct (the answers, not me) as you wish.

List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

My mom's 3 joys: My mother would most likely feel stifled and stymied by only getting to list 3 joys, because, although she may seem just a little bit on the serious side in presentation, she is quite a joyful person. She finds joy in so much, and in so many around her. Let's see if I can guess just 3 of them right...
1. Her family. This includes me (well, duh), as well as my other siblings, and my father, of course. Family to my mom comprises an infinite list, with the arrows going both ways, encompassing progenitors and posterity.
2. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Everything and everyone that teaches my mom more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether the scriptures, church leaders, music, a well-done talk, or even a lovely morning, makes my mom joyful.
3. Learning. The new camera, the guitar lessons, the scripture study, the books on tape, the piano practicing, the new patterns, the card games, the board games...my mom finds joy in learning.

My mom's 3 fears: My mom is not a fearful person. She just digs right in and does what has to be done. But I think the following are three things that give her honest angst.
1. Money. And the constant lack thereof.
2. Failure to follow through. If my mom says she will do it, she will do it. Right now. Before it's due. At the highest possible level of achievement.
3. That her prayers aren't answered.

My mom's 3 goals:
1. Going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
2. Losing weight.
3. Paying off debt.

My mom's 3 current obsessions/collections: Obsessions? What qualifies? Obsession seems to denote an element of going overboard, or extremism, and that just simply isn't my mom. There is so much that she enjoys--like fabric or patterns, which she has a literal ton of. And, if we're going by tonnage, then we'd have to count pictures, and shoes, and sheet music, and all her dolls. Anyway, I hereby give myself permission to change the question to read 3 current passions.
1. Taking good--I mean GREAT--pictures, and editing them well.
2. Riding her bike.
3. Visiting her family, or having them visit her.

3 random/surprising facts about my mom:
1. Her name is Gay, and this has never caused her any consternation. Not once has she tried to change it. In fact, she rather likes to say, "Hi, I'm Gay," much to our embarrassment. I will never forget when we had just moved to Ft. Collins, and my mom took us wee chillens to join the swim team. My mom was pregnant with number 7 (Hi, Colin!), and I was in complete, abject, 14-year-old mortification to see my mother extend her hand to the coach and say, "Hi, I'm Gay!" He took one look at her and replied, "Oh, no. You're not."
2. She hates watermelon.
3. She always wins board and card games. Always. Although she usually does this through her own amazing prowess, she has been known to cheat--okay, cheat is a strong word...manipulate is more like it--even her own grandchildren to their "mutual" advantage. (She calls this "strategy," and all in all, it has made them better game-players.)

Please don't be mad at me, Mom! I hope I didn't cross any lines by doing this "for" you, or by giving away any of your inner secrets. I do hope you know how much I love you, Mom. You're the greatest, and I think it would be pretty awesome if I actually did get to be just like you when I grow up!

ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED

Once upon a time, I went to (fake grown-up) Prom with my Prince Charming...

Because My Man is so awesome, he took his sister Denise, too.

We "doubled" with Michael's parents, the beautiful Gary and Marianne, and started with dinner at the most lovely of all restaurants, Tuscany. On the way there Michael made a pronouncement. "In honor," he said, "Of you, the women in my life, I would like to pay for dinner tonight." A few moments later Michael started laughing out loud. "What's so funny?" I asked. "I forgot my wallet," came the reply. "Dad," we heard a few seconds later, "In honor of the women in your life, do you want to pay for dinner?"

Later we headed to Candice and Mike's church, where we were welcomed into "A Night in Paris," complete with cardboard Eiffel Tower, a French Bistro, and dancing all night long.

Ah. I'm in love with my honey.

DONE

With:

Such a strange sensation: there were times I thought, "I've read this before." The book was equally non-memorable the second time through. The best part of the book is the addendum, where you can find a brief synopsis and history of each of Jane Austen's books. That, only, was worth reading.

Not enough pictures!. It was mildly interesting to learn about the history of shoes, although it's pretty self-evident. I wanted to see more shoes. I liked the little tidbit about how the very rich would pay their servants to wear their master's shoes until the shoes were broken in and comfortable. I have a few pairs I would like to hire out. Any takers?

This is a book that Joshua's class has been reading. He has been very excited, in fact, about Book 3 coming out this month. Wonderful Aunt Lori even took him on a date to the Book Launch Party. Doesn't Joshua make a handsome leading man?

I haven't read Book 2 or 3 yet, but the first one was enjoyable enough, and it is fun to have something more to talk about with Joshua. Got milk?

This is one that I listened to on CD while sewing my Prom dress (Prom post to follow at some point). It was very well-done, and a great way to learn a little bit of history. Fascinating to see how seemingly random events can tie in with each other, and fascinating to think that someone put it all together.

It was doubly interesting because I was reading this book at the same time:

Although they're about completely different topics, the two books take place at the same time, and in some ways, the same place. It was a compelling read, if only to find out why the man robbed the train in the first place, considering he was already a very wealthy man. His thievery shattered the notion that crime was only committed by the very desperate and very dumb, due to their need and circumstance. I'm still not sure I understand the man's motivation, but it seems to go somewhat along the lines of "Because I could/wanted to." Kind of the same reason I had for reading these books!

TAGGED

Wow! I've got my first official "tag!" Whoopee! My friend, Jalyn, is the culprit, and I love her for it (and many, many more things).
Okay, here's how it goes:

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

Joys:
1. My husband and children.
2. Doing a job well done.
3. Taking naps.

Fears:
1. People being hurt, inside or out, and a) I don't know how to help them, or b) I was the cause of it.
2. Not following through on something I said I'd do.
3. Not having my family with me.

Goals: This is a hard one. I don't really have any goals. Part of that is because I have a fear of not following through on something I said I'd do, and part of that is because I am just plain lazy. I do what I do and try what I try, and hopefully something fun or good comes out of it along the way, but I am intent on very little. Still, I'm going to answer this...somehow...okay, some goals...
1. Making Lane like me.
2. Going on a motorcycle trip with Michael (it may just be to Provo and back, but still, that's progress!).
3. Fixing something for dinner tonight.

Current obsession:
1. M
2. A
3. C

Random Surprising Facts:
1. I am shy. No one (with the exception, perhaps, of my parents and siblings) believes this, but it is true. Going into new situations or dealing with people I don't know nearly puts me under. This has lessened to a large degree, but I still have to remind myself to "buck up" and just talk to people, and that the lady next to me isn't going to punch me in the face for saying "hi." Well, unless I haven't brushed my teeth for a few days...then she probably should!
2. I pee my pants. A lot.
3. I was once upon a time just positive that I was going to marry Steve Young. I'm not sure just how I thought I would ever even meet the man, and obviously I never did, or poor Michael would still be a lone man in the wilderness...

So, do you feel like you know me better? Did you really want to?
Thanks, Jalyn! It was fun.

GENEROUS

This is what Lane said he wanted to be when the boys and I were talking about kissing girls and I quoted my father who always said, "Remember, kisses are like gifts, not to be given away freely." Ha! That boy cracks me up!

GREEN

Joshua and I got to go on a field trip to (drum roll, please)...the Landfill!

This was the second time I have been to the Landfill. The first was by mistake...when I got lost trying to find Lane's soccer game. I didn't get the scenic tour that time, unless you count driving for ages on rocky roads with nothing but the smell of the area to give you a hint of where you are, as scenic.

The second time around I got to see, and smell, it all.

Big dump trucks doing just that--dumping!

The screened fences had to be built to hold in escapee plastic sacks.

I learned several interesting things on this trip, and was happy to find that my tax dollars really are at work, both in the education arena, and in the waste management area. I am more committed to recycling, and to separating my garbage so that more recycling can be done. Here's an interesting tidbit of info: the Landfill is divided up into 12 sections, each one to be covered and planted with grass seeds as it is filled to capacity. Eventually it will be built up and made into public soccer/baseball fields. Scheduled closing of the Landfill was to take place in 2038, but with the past 5 years of voluntary recycling in Salt Lake County, the Landfill's life has been extended an additional 20 years! Hey, everyone! Let's go green! Recycling really does matter. Our "tour guide" kept encouraging the kids to vote for mandatory recycling programs; that was a bit over their heads. Hopefully they also missed her consistent mispronunciation of the word "aluminum." This woman, who is doing graduate work in environmental sciences, could only say, "Alunimun." And, in a speech about recycling, that word was said a lot.

We also visited the wildlife area across from the Landfill. It really is beautiful, and, as long as the wind blows in a favorable direction, even pleasant. That's a big if, though. The remarkable thing is that this was built at the site of the old City Dump. It was wonderful to see something lovely created from something ugly. Lemonade from lemons, so to speak.

Enjoy the life lesson there, as I enjoyed the day. It was a nice break from the normal routine of things, and I got to spend it with some really great company.

Riding the bus with goofy Joshua and his friend Ethan.

BUSY

Sorry. Eventually I'll catch back up, but it won't be today.
Today I am making a Prom dress (for me! Yes, Michael is taking me to the prom--a ward activity his sister Candice and her husband Mike are putting on this Saturday). Today I am going to Lane's soccer game. Today I am cooking dinner (didn't I just do that yesterday?). Today I did the dishes (didn't I do that yesterday?). Today I switched the laundry loads (didn't I do that yesterday?). Today I finished the ironing (I didn't do that yesterday). Today I am going to buy milk and cereal at the grocery store. Today I am taking my library books--yet unfinished, but on hold for someone else...Curses!--back to the library. Today I might get sheets put back on my bed. That, of course, depends on whether I get another load started right now...guess I'd better go. I promise to write again someday about everything else that's keeping me busy--oh, wait! There isn't anything else, it's just more of this stuff! But not today.