Off to school we go!

When Seth was little, he was so jealous because it seemed to him that everyone else got to go to school, while he was stuck home with me. It was true! Luke and Shulamith were in high school; Isaiah and Eli were in elementary school. I taught one evening class at Skagit Valley College, so even I got to go to school! Seth thought "school" must be the most exciting place, and he felt terribly cheated that he couldn't go.

Fast forward 20 years, and it's surprising how many of us are still in school. 

Seth began his junior year at Utah Valley University this past week, majoring in sociology and minoring in criminal justice. Turns out he likes school as much as he thought he would when he was a toddler and too young to go. He loves his soc classes, but this semester, Intro to Criminal Law might be winning the "favorite class" award. 

Cutest college student!

Eli also began the school year this past week, teaching 4th grade at Ridge View Elementary in Herriman, about 2 minutes from their house. He has 24 kids and teaches in a portable classroom because this school is growing like crazy! "So far, so good," he reports. "Kids seem nice."

Cutest 4th grade teacher!

Shulamith is teaching two classes at SLCC, both ENGL 900, developmental reading and writing. She has mostly taught night classes in the past when Matt is home, but now that her youngest is in morning kindergarten, she is teaching four mornings. I'm so grateful she has been able to be home with all her kids through their pre-K years; it's been a sacrifice for her and Matt but absolutely worth it!

Cutest college instructor!

I don't have a picture, but Luke works as a psychologist in the Maryland Public Schools, so he's technically still in school too! 

Finally, my fall semester began this week at both UVU and SLCC. Sad that my UVU classes are opposite days from Seth's, so we won't ever see each other. I have three classes at each school for a total of six, which is ridiculous. (Emily, I know you are saying "Why did you do this to yourself again? Last fall you said you would never do this again?") I don't know the answer; I truly don't. I want to go to the Holy Land and I need money to do that? That's the best I got.  Anyway, all six classes are ENGL 1010: three face-to-face, two hybrid, and one livestream broadcast. I already feel overwhelmed by it all, but ready or not, here we go.

Final hair and makeup check before first class!

Education is important in our family. Gerald and I set a goal long ago to help all five kids through their undergrad degrees as much as we possibly could, assuming they chose to go to college. They did. We now have four college graduates (bachelor's degrees) and one PhD (Luke), and Seth is halfway to his bachelor's. Hooray!

And in other news related to education, our amazing President Biden just forgave $10,000 of student loan debt for Isaiah and even more for Eli's wife, Amanda. We are so grateful! We don't hear a lot about him; he's not up in the middle of the night bullying people on social media. He's just hard at work, doing what he said he'd do, making positive change for middle-class Americans. Very possibly the best president in my lifetime.

And there you have it, our fall 2022 back-to-school report and pics. 

Vegas mini-vacay, reimagined!

What happens when two moms take three kids ages 10, 8, and 5 to Las Vegas for an end-of-summer fling, and one of those kids has ADHD, but his mom leaves his medication at home because she is so focused on bringing all his Type 1 Diabetes equipment that she forgets the ADHD pills?

Chaos. 

Pure chaos.

And also, loads of loud laughter and fabulous fun.

(Mixed in with the chaos.)

Shulamith says this photo best represents the essence of our trip, as she holds Swen in a death grip, haha.

If you ever go to Vegas with kids, I highly recommend the Hilton at Resorts World . It's located on the north end of the strip, so a bit far from many of the fun attractions; however, the inexpensive bus passes work great, so it doesn't really matter where you are. You can easily get wherever you want to go. This hotel is only a couple years old and so nice. Here is the view from our room on the 54th floor:

The best part about this hotel is the pool, or rather pools. There are five of them! Lots of shallow areas for non-swimmers and one pool with spray park features for kids. For parents, there are lounge chairs that are literally immersed in water. Not even kidding. You sit in a comfortable lounge chair, and your legs are under water. So cool (both literally and figuratively)! I didn't get a picture of these amazing chairs, but here we are hanging by the pool:

We rode the bus down to the south end of the strip to visit two favorite places: the Coke store (fountain Diet Coke on ice, anyone?) and the M&M store. We all got bags of assorted M&Ms, including caramel, fudge brownie, mint, pretzel, crispy, and of course peanut and regular. 

The Vegas mini-vacay was definitely reimagined from when Shulamith and I go by ourselves. For example, we didn't go to any shows, and she didn't get to gamble away her usual $20. However, you can be sure we still ate all the Vegas food we like. Had to feed her kids McDonald's because they don't like good food, but we enjoyed Gordon Ramsay's Fish & Chips.

We also ate our favorite crepes from the New York - New York Hotel, and we discovered a new favorite treat: Siegel's Bagelmania. These bagels weren't quite as good as the ones we ate in New York City but a close second. Finally, we ate our standard yummy street tacos from Taco del Gordo.

I think Kennedy's favorite thing was watching the high wire flyers at Circus Circus. When I asked her if she would like to be a trapeze artist, her response was, "Yes! But no." That makes perfect sense, Kennedy. Here we are waiting for the act to begin:

I only got one airport photo, but I need to post it to document the adventure and to prove we did it! Two moms, three kids (one missing his ADHD meds) and a 2-day, fun-filled trip to Las Vegas.

One day I'm sure I'll put it away. But not yet, I guess.

On my desk sits a nondescript, brown, men's wallet. One day I'm sure I'll put it away. But not yet, I guess.

It is my dad's wallet, exactly as it was the day he passed away 43 years ago, the contents just as they were back then. I had not seen the wallet in all those years, until recently when my brother mailed it to me. He was looking through some old boxes, hoping to find pictures of our dad to show his kids. He found a few, but this wallet was the best find of all! 

He asked me if I would like to keep it safe for the next 43 years. Uh, yes!! I have so very little that was my dad's. A few snapshot photos, along with a professional picture of him with his coworkers on his fire department shift, are pretty much it. I was overjoyed when Tom found this wallet and asked me if I'd like to have it; I am so grateful.

"Is there any money in it?" my kids all wanted to know. Nope. Its contents are pretty much what you'd expect: a few credit cards, his insurance ID, pictures of Tom and me, a handwritten note with the address of his best friend in Tennessee, and a small 1979 calendar with the three fire department shifts identified in red, blue, and green. My dad was on "A" shift (red) for a long time, but later in his career switched to "B" shift (blue). Our lives were in many way determined by those fire shifts; holidays and other celebrations had to be adjusted to the days he was off.

There is something profoundly meaningful about holding onto a physical object that he held in his hands every day. I keep picking it up, caressing the soft leather, then setting it back on my desk. I can't seem to put it away.

I loved him very much and I miss him every day, but the memories are many. And now, I have this wallet to hold in my hands, just like he did.

One day I'm sure I'll put it away. But not yet, I guess.

"...to mourn with those that mourn..."

This morning in my Gospel Doctrine class, we discussed what it means to "mourn with those that mourn" (Mosiah 18:9), as we read about how Job's friends show up to comfort him in his suffering (Job 1:11). We talked about the covenant we've all made to do this very thing and how we might improve! It occurred to me that no one does this better than Shulamith's daughter Kennedy, who entered the waters of baptism yesterday and took her first step on the covenant path, leading back to her Heavenly Parents and her Savior. 

It was a joyous occasion!

Kennedy had looked forward to her baptism for a long time. She picked out a pretty dress and a wreath of flowers for her hair. She chose her favorite hymn and invited the special people in her life to attend. More importantly, she began to learn what it means to be accountable for her actions. Her parents taught her about the covenant she would make when she was baptized and what it means to "stand as a witness of God" and yes, to "mourn with those that mourn." This last part comes naturally to Kennedy. Whenever someone is sad, she feels that sadness, and she'll do anything possible to help. Her heart is kind, her willingness to extend grace, unyielding. I hope she always lives like this, so near to the One who taught ultimate kindness and grace. I hope maturity and the woes of mortality don't ever tarnish that spiritual gift that overflows in Kennedy's words and actions.

Kennedy shared the day with another 8-year-old, a boy from our ward named Joseph. It was equally sweet to see him descend into the baptismal font and begin his own journey on the covenant path, with his family and friends gathered, along with us. Here they were, two precious children of deity, only eight years from having walked with our Heavenly Parents daily. And we could feel it. We could see it in their eyes and in their smiles. It gave all of us who were blessed to attend these baptisms, hope! Hope for the future and hope for humanity.

Congratulations, Kennedy and Joseph! The angels are singing for sure.

Last week, Shulamith and I took some pictures of Kennedy in her baptism dress. Here are a few: