NAUVOO - THE LATE ADDITION

A Week After The Trip?

Yep. Truth is, on the last day of our trip, I started getting sick. By the time we got home (midnight Friday), I was in full-blown sinus infection. Thankfully, Ken had the foresight to urge me NOT to book classes for Saturday morning. Still, Saturday evening classes loomed horrifically, until Ken & Jonathan gave me a priesthood blessing. I was able to get through. But this past week has been full of tissues and phlegm and tickling throats. Even now.

The Journey

We assembled with the youth of our Stake at the Stake Center in Norman on Tuesday, July 9th at 10 p.m., ready to board and be off for Illinois by 12 p.m Yes, you read that right. Midnight.

They had us meet with our groups before boarding the buses. Our group, the purple group, had thirteen assorted young men and women. Only three were from Chickasha: Analiese, and two girls from my Seminary class. Nearly all the rest were new to me. One other girl had been one of my online students over a year ago. I was excited to have her!

Two Hundred teens, some-odd adults, 4 tour buses. They allotted two buses for the girls, and two for the boys. Ken & I were assigned bus #4 with a group of young men. The adults were boarded before the youth and given our own set of seats (two) to ourselves, with the exception of one father with his disabled son. This was a guard against liability issues. The guys weren't always super-cooperative about this with some of the men, but they left me alone. There were only two sisters on our bus: Me and the sister working with meals. She was way at the front. I was near the back; my reasoning being that access to the bathroom would be better. There may have been some regrets on my part by the end of the trip!

The view from my seat. For twelve hours.

I knew the girls' buses would be giggly. But the boys buses weren't quiet sanctuaries, either. My experience gave me a taste of what Scout Camp must be like. To be honest, I kind of liked being with the guys for the most part. Yeah, they could be goofy, braggadocian, and fascinated with all disgusting bodily functions. But I saw intelligence, kindness, and spirituality in them and their conversations. The future may not entirely be lost on the next generation (ha-ha). 

But, oh! I was exhausted. There was NO way for any comfortable sleep, even in my two seats. The journey was excruciating and I think I may have slept 30-60 minutes the entire time. The boys weren't talking the whole time and some even settled down to sleep. Many had their phones out; there were outlets and wifi on the bus. We warned them, though. Our schedule was going to be rush-rush-rush. There was no down time until bed Wednesday night. 

I understand this plan for two reasons. One, wear 'em out and they'll sleep through the night and cause less trouble. Maybe. Some got cranky and were probably more trouble than they could have been. Second, some of these kids may never get another chance to see these Church sites. I believe the leaders were trying to give the youth as many experiences as they could fit in. Trust me, it was tight!

Day One

So, I watched the sun rise. I saw us cross the Mississippi river. At one stop for gas, the drivers kicked us all out of the bus. I had Ken walk me through the convenience store/restaurant, to move my aching bones. I had brought medicine, a massaging pillow, what have you. Nothing was up to the task!

Nauvoo, in case you didn't know, means "beautiful" in Hebrew. I believe it. It's lovely and I wish I had had more time there!

Joseph Smith's Grave (RLDS property)

I would like to have taken more photos of Nauvoo than I did, but our crazy schedule didn't give me a lot of time. There was historical Nauvoo, as owned by the Church (with a little bit owned by the  Community of Christ - aka RLDS) and Nauvoo proper, the place where people lived and shopped now. We drove through town, past the temple

Temple view from the Visitor's Center

, and up to the Visitors' Center. The grounds are beautiful, and the landscaping had me admiring - quickly - though I really wanted to look closely at it all. They are still working on restoring buildings, it's amazing how much there is/was!

In the Visitor's Center, they showed us a film about the Restoration. I have seen this film many times, but it still has the power to move me. According to Analiese and some other youth I heard later, this was one of the great spiritual experiences for them.

We had lunch in the Women's Garden (for those of you in CA, it is the actual statues of women, life size or bigger, instead of the small ones in front of the LA Temple Visitor's Center). The day was already heating up and we gathered our group

These are our Purple People!

(we had a third adult, another brother from a different ward, to help us) as we decided where we were going and what we wanted to see. 

Everything was fascinating! I love history!

Analiese makes the bear climb the rope at the Pioneer Games

Two of my girls try stilts

At the print shop

Printing press

Huge families...small kitchens

Sod houses and root cellars fascinate me.

My brick from the brickyard!

Older couples and sisters serve as missionaries at Nauvoo. Resting at one point, I asked one sister a lot of questions about what it's like to serve there. She told us that the older sisters would sew their dresses...to fit! They picked out the fabric for the dress and apron, and the sister sewed them up - two dress and two aprons! They serve in Nauvoo nearly all year round, except in winter, when there isn't many tourists. Then, they are sent to serve in other areas proselyting (one sister had gone to North Dakota). They never work in just one area of Nauvoo, but move around. They study the historical information for their next day's assignment every evening. Wouldn't a historical mission be cool?

Nearly all of our dining on this trip was done alfresco (or in the bus on the go!). Wednesday was Domino's pizza in a picnic area near the pioneer games.

Nearby were the fairgrounds and the pageant arena. We spent some relaxing time as the sun began to set, in the comfort of the shade. There were pioneer crafts,

Ken works on a rag rug

more games, and music with dancing. They had bagpipes, accordians, violins, and brass instruments. They taught dances, too. Analiese -who loves to dance - learned the Highland reel!

Why all this emphasis on British things? Why, because of the British Pageant, a salute to the Saints in the British Isles: their conversion, their faith, and their willingness to do everything they could to reach Zion and receive their temple blessings!

The temple is behind the stage!

I thought the boat set was really cool

Excuse the blurriness, there's a lot of motion and dancing!

At the end, the temple lights up!

It was an amazing pageant. When all the local missionaries came up at the end to sing "Called to Serve," I got very emotional. It was a thrilling moment and many memories came rushing back!

After the pageant, we got on the buses for an hour drive to Macob, Illinois. There we went to Western Illinois University to stay in the dorms. The leaders had mercy on we group leaders, we stayed on a different floor from the youth: the boys had one floor with men leaders (non-group) and the girls on another (ditto). Despite being so dead tired, Ken & I both took showers to wipe off the sweat & grit of the day (my socks were filthy) and to relax us for sleep. We'd only get about seven hours before we had to get up, have breakfast, and get on the buses for the next events!

Day Two

Despite dorm conditions (weird mattress, floppy pillows), Ken & I slept solidly through the night. We felt a bit better (yesterday was such a stretch) as we rearranged our stuff for what we needed (yesterday, we had to carry more stuff than we wanted because of lunch and schedules) and headed downstairs. Outside (told you!) they were grilling breakfast burritos. Apparently, the Stake RS had recruited some ward RS's to make a bunch of burritos (all kinds - sausage, potato, brisket) and put them on dry ice for the trip. I would not have wanted to be on the food crew for the trip; that was a lot of physical and brain work! Coordinating alone would be crazy. And I saw how much food they loaded into the buses' storage areas!

The day would start with another bus trip (we got tired of that really quickly) to Carthage. Our whole group was too big to go into the Visitor's Center and the jail all at once, so they put us in our color groups (Purple People!) and we visited the grounds while we waited.

The window on the second floor is where Joseph Smith fell out of when he was shot & killed.

Entrance to the jail and the family quarters

While we waited, a group of missionaries in period clothing played instruments (including the sweet potato, guitar, violin & mandolin) and sang hymns and songs of the time. This is a 3-6 month service mission that you have to audition for!!! Two of my group girls are very talented in this way and they both expressed they'd love to do it! They would be awesome. The Spirit was so strong with the music!

Once inside the VC, we were shown a short film about Oliver Cowdery meeting Joseph Smith and the translation of the Book of Mormon. Then, they showed us a clip from a conference talk by Elder Holland and his testimony regarding the martyrdom. This was the same clip I showed in Seminary, and it was no less powerful now. In fact, more so, because after that testimony, we were taken into the jail.

The Jailor's family lived on the first floor!

Seven children...where did they put them?

This second floor room was the Jailor's and his wife's. He let Joseph, Hyrum and others stay up here for safety.

This is the window.

A somber room to be in.

We managed to get a (partial) family photo!

We drove back to Nauvoo to the picnic area for a hot dog lunch and a little more sightseeing. (I actually fell asleep on the bus and didn't wake up until Ken roused me.) Our kids, a couple of whom had been to Nauvoo before, wanted to go into the town proper. You know, shopping. Frankly, I was too tired to care and Ken wanted to see the Fudge shop he's spied from the bus. Oh, but it was a trek and half to go from the lunch area to the town...up hill!

Best thing...we walked past the temple! So Beautiful!

This was fun! Drinks with pioneer names!

Yeah, I love these girls!

Brigham's Beverages was the highlight...even over the fudge. They mixed sodas or lemonade with fruit syrups and gave them funny pioneer-ish names. Like the Parley P. Pratt - Pepsi, Pineapple, and Peach! Analiese & I had the Midwife - Dr. Pepper with cream and raspberry puree. Wow! That was so refreshing (remember - heat & humidity!). Ken had the Holy Heber - lemonade with different fruit syrups. Analiese said we need to come back every year to try a new one each year...it would take 30 years!

The hike down the hill wasn't nearly so bad. Except we had to hustle, because we were running late. We'd only had an hour and a half to go into town and a good bit of it was getting there! Then, back on the buses and quickly to the dorms for a shower and change into church clothes. After that, we headed to the nearby church building for dinner, a testimony meeting, and a dance.

They served us smoked turkey, brisket (my fav!), beans, potato salad, and cobbler for dessert. Cherry, blueberry and peach - what a conundrum! I ended up with cherry. I make peach often enough, that I wanted cherry (it's not a sacrelidge).

The testimony meeting was amazing. It was a small chapel, so the adults all had to go in the choir loft. A lot of kids from our group bore their testimonies. And more guys did than the girls! I never would have guessed that! Still, I was moved and grateful to hear of all the truths they had learned these past two days (Carthage had really moved them). They still had one more...what more could they gain?

I spent most of the dance out in the foyer. It was dark, loud, and hot in the cultural hall. I went in for a small moment to support a shy group member and then to dance with my husband. We tried hard not to pay any attention to Analiese who danced...a lot. On her own, with others, in groups. That kid loves to move! Some boys asked her, some she asked. She's not shy.

We all went back to the dorms at ten, and I was grateful for the adult floor. Because the kids were allowed to stay up until midnight playing games. Ken & I slept in peace!

Day Three

We were up at 5:45 a.m. (The kids wanted to party last night?) to head down to grab a sack breakfast and load up buses by 6:15. I didn't bother with a shower; a quick wash up was enough. I did, however, wake up with a sore throat. I was looking for juice, water, anything to keep my throat going.

It was a four hour drive south (heading homeward) to Independence, Missouri, with only one short break for refueling. The buses separated to two difference historical sites in Independence. We went first to the VC there, but had a picnic lunch outside first while half of our two buses went in first. 

Some of the interactive exhibits reminded me of the Mormon Battalion monument in San Diego

Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration

We didn't stay long in the VC...we were running behind schedule. We had to swap out with the other two buses and head to Liberty Jail. By then, I wasn't feeling well and Ken suggested I stay in the bus. But when would I ever come here again? So, I went in.

Liberty Jail had been an interested study for me this past year in Seminary as we studied Doctrine & Covenants. Sure enough, a display there labeled the experience as a prison temple. It had refined Joseph there; he came out a man changed deeply and spiritually.

Four-foot thick walls with rocks in the attic area should anyone try and escape through the roof.

The bottom level had only one small access through the floor.

It wasn't high enough for tall men to stand straight. There was little light and air and only dirty straw to sleep on. It was mid-winter and they had little in the way of heating, food, and blankets.

 The next leg of our trip was a 4-hour drive to Kansas, where we would stop at a park and have dinner before heading back into OK. You would think these kids, hustled about constantly these past few days, would have sacked out on the bus. Nope. They were full of energy...and mischief. It was funny, but impossible to rest.

Then came the news. The park we were going to was on FIRE. Crazy! But another wonderful thing about the gospel, is that we are all over and the same. Someone in our leadership found some sister missionaries who opened a local church building for us. We ate outside, but used the facilities within. Just before we headed out again, they bore their testimonies of why they were serving to us. Cool!

We made it back to Norman and then home (after delivering a few kids) by some time after midnight Saturday morning. I just dropped everything and went to bed (by then, I was really feeling poorly). Time enough to deal with it all after some sleep!

AFTERMATH

I was a real mess Saturday morning. I got up sometime between 8 and 9, started some laundry, and went back to bed. I slept until 2:30, then realized I'd better get up and prep for my classes that night. I went back to bed again after that and slept until 4:30-5, when Analiese woke me up, concerned I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

I had Ken and Jonathan give me a blessing so I could get through my classes (I had a singing one!) and dutifully taught. My VV class, I did a Milli-Vanilli act in part of it (lip synch). Then, back to bed.

Sunday morning, I had to play the organ in church. I went, played and stayed for Sacrament meeting, and had Ken take me home. To sleep.

The sinus pain and trouble didn't last too long, but I've had drainage and a tickling throat all week. Some of my classes found me coughing. I drank a lot of water. At the dentist Wednesday (fitted for a crown), I warned them that I was draining sinus gunk. So awesome. Not.

Would I go to Nauvoo again? Yes, I didn't get to see everything and I'd like to take my time. Would I go in summer? Yes and no. Yes, because I'd like to see the Nauvoo pageant and no, because it was hot, humid and dusty. Would I go with the youth and drive for hours on end in a bus? NEVER. This was much harder on all of us (Ken & Analiese included) than we realized. I recognize and appreciate the opportunity for what it was. I was glad to have it. But I don't think it could happen twice and me survive.

BRING FORTH JULY!

What Makes America Great?
Within the last year, I've had some interesting experiences with people from other nations. I have learned so many wonderful things about them and where they come from. But I've also learned - from them directly or indirectly - why America is so wonderful.

Take Victor, who was in our home for such a short time, but continues to stay in our hearts. He was born in the Ukraine, but later moved to Russia. The reasons we thought he was here in the US were simple: he was a journalism student who wanted to study here. But, as it turned out, it was much more. He was a political refugee, in a way, having left Russia where his pro-American, pro-conservative, anti-Putin values had put him in danger. Here, he was able to continue his schooling, while representing the issues of the Russian press to the people of America and the world. Free speech and free press, things we take for granted here, are not known in Russia. Currently, he is in Washington D.C., enjoying all the wonderful experiences there and having a truly joyous Independence Day. He knows what that truly means!!

You knew I was going to talk about China, right? I love my kiddos (for the most part, see below), and I am fascinated by the culture and history there. I would love to visit China one day, partly for the sights, partly because I want to go hug my kids! But, as you know, China is even less free than Russia. As a teacher, I am not allowed to talk about religion or politics, which I get in part, but also, my faith is a big part of my life and I cannot share it. That makes me sad. Even more so, was the inability to be able to completely describe the 4th of July to my students. I said it by it's date, not it's true name, and was able to talk about it being a holiday that celebrates America's birthday. And about the fireworks and hot dogs. I was sad that I couldn't mention the real meaning of the holiday and why it was important to me. And while I'm sure a good bit of the adults have a better idea about America than I can express, the "cultural exchange" they are always talking about is really hobbled.

So, what makes America great? We are free! Free to talk, free to think, free to even disagree. I am thankful to be able to live in the land of Lehi's Promise. May we live righteously to ever maintain that freedom!

VIPKid Week
I had more outpourings of love from students this week. The best was from my little Rose (I'm using their names now. There are hundreds of thousands of students and plenty of repeat names. There is no way for you to know exactly who I'm talking about). She is a sweet, shy girl who started out rather disbelieving in her ability to speak English. I've been working hard to shore up her confidence (and increase her volume - she speaks very softly and has no microphone headphones!) She has been really blossoming (pun not intended) and is happier and less hesitant in our lessons. When I got her note, I nearly cried. I know it's probably a standard, push-button answer, but that she sent it...that was heartfelt.

Another note came from my crazy boy, Andy. He's the one who rolls off the chair laughing at me. Keeping him on track and not goofing all the time has been a challenge. But I know he likes me and he's doing well.

Other great students are Ivy (my exclusive who's had to become not-exclusive because I've been to busy to teach her as often as she'd like) who blows me kisses every time I see her. Then there's King (yes, King), who cracks me up (remember the shark comments last week?). He will explain absolutely everything he knows about the slide in front of him. Really, other than a little correction of pronunciation, I do very little. He reads and teaches himself. Quite proudly, too. I think he likes to show off for me!

Now, with my troublesome kids (WHY must they be regulars, too?), I've put my foot down this week. Shirley, my playful chatterbox, just wasn't cooperating...and booking me three times in a week! I made this sign

in very simple English that I know she can understand (she's a smart cookie) that I refuse to teach when she's misbehaving. It confused her at first, but I think she's catching on. Our second lesson with the sign had her cooperating better!

The other issue this week was Jojo, who books 3-4 times a week. Jojo is a handful in her own right, and clever, too. But when younger brother is added to the mix - all Chaos ensues. She did try, bless her, to lock her brother out of the room this last time. But grandpa pounded at her door until she opened it, smacked her, and yelled at her. Then he pushed brother into the room and closed the door. Yes, I saw the whole thing and it broke my heart. Brother, nonplussed, played and got in the middle of the lesson, scribbled on the screen and distracted his sister. This is no way to learn.

But that wasn't the worst in that lesson. At the end, he stripped from the waist down (the kid is only three, so I wasn't horrified) and I got to see all of his glory. Then he got his sister to leave her lesson and play with him. I tried to get them back, but at 25 minutes, I left. And then I issued a ticket. This is more than just feedback to the parents and the Learning Partner. This is telling the company that something is very wrong. Within a couple of hours they responded. They have spoken to the parents and the LP (hopefully this works because anything I've said has gone unnoticed) and deleted the video. I hope this means they've done more than just address the nudity. We shall see. Jojo is booked in the future!

My file box of lessons (not students) taught. Getting full!

New Neighbors
No, not humans. Not this week. Instead, all sorts of things have been making an appearance outside of the home. We've had lots of frogs and I've given up naming them (too many).

Analiese called him Skunk because of his stripe. Better this Skunk than the actual ones!

I invite them to fill up on flies and "skeeters". Also, I think we had a katydid that hung out all afternoon Saturday on my back window screen.

Ken, out doing yardwork one day, spotted a cottontail bunny, but it ran off before we could document it. We are near a wooded area, so these critters are not unheard of. There have been plenty of butterflies, as well, with their pretty, fluttering wings. And the birds are a colorful show. On the 4th, on the way to the Branch BBQ, Analiese and I spotted an oriole! That yellow is so amazing! Plus the scissortails and kingbirds are out flashing their colorful selves as well. Plus, our summer evenings have been featuring fireflies, too. Despite the heat, summer can be so interesting!

Pom's widdie bunny butt. And all the poos.

FINALLY

Drying Up
Nearly the end of June, and the rain has ceased. Puddles and ponds are drying out. I actually have to water my plants!

Fun thing happened when I went to water my plants on Saturday morning. Under the herb planter boxes, I found a frog sitting there! We've seen quite a few this year; Jonathan found half a dozen while mowing the other day! I decided to call this fella Spot, because he had a big white spot on his little brown back! He was maybe two inches long? Still, I welcomed Spot to our garden and encouraged him to stay and eat bugs for me.

Our other bug hunters, the Mississippi kites, are all over the power lines in front of our house during the morning hours.

They glide all over the field across the road and our house, too. I did see one with a rather large bug in his beak the other day. Go for it, guys, I'm rooting for you!

I drove to the City Thursday (more on that later), and encountered several bugs on my windshield both coming and going. The worst was a juicy dragon fly who ended up on my wipers. Trying to get it off, the thing smeared across the windshield. Ugh! My van is in terrible need of a wash!

OKC Marathon
Not really, but it felt like it. After my morning classes on Thursday, I took a quick shower and drove up to the OKC Stake Center for a Seminary meeting. Are there other meetings closer to me? Yes, even on online. But they are during the early morning when I am teaching. This was at 10 a.m., well after my last morning class.

I have to say, it was spiritually worth the drive. There were six teachers and our "boss," the CES director. We had such a wonderful, spiritual discussion over Mark 5. We read and shared and learned so much from one another. For example, one sister had visited Israel as a youth. She learned about Jairus' daughter and the meaning of what Christ said to her. I was so touched! I learned how enriching understanding some of the Hebrew and Greek meanings could be. Also, referring to Old Testament prophecy or reading the later testimonies of the prophets only strengthened the message of Christ's life and mission.  The amazing thing at the end was our CES director. He said that all of the doctrines and principles we'd discussed were true, but not in the lesson manual. BUT...that was okay! We need to be more in touch with the Spirit and our students' needs than to follow the manual rigidly. I was very inspired. I will try harder this year to lean on the scriptures and the Spirit more and just use the lesson as a side help, if needed.

I'll be joining them again the 1st of August and really look forward to it. It was such a wonderful group to work with.

I got back mid-day, so Jonathan could take the van to work. However, during the evening, I was picked up by the sister I MS to and we went back to OKC to the airport. She was leaving to go work at a Mom convention in Portland OR, while I drove her van back to her house - full of her six kids - and watch them until Dad came at 9:30 and drove me to my home (with all six in tow). Driving someone else's vehicle was interesting, but it did have some cool bells and whistles. For one, when I plugged my phone into the van's port, it hooked the phone up to the display. The GPS from my phone showed up larger than life and talked to me over the van's stereo! Plus, I could play my music through it, too!

Interestingly, it had a back up camera, and a sensor that let you know if you were going out of your lane on the highway or too close to an object. I thought, "Maybe I need this for Analiese to learn to drive on!"

SIDE NOTE: Analiese made dinner by herself for the Sister Missionaries because of my trip to the airport. She made BBQ cups and even bought ice cream sandwiches for dessert. She was very attentive to their needs. They thought it was awesome!!

VIPKid Week

So long, so many hours, even on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings! I blocked out Thursday, of course, because I was going to the airport (see above), but Friday and Saturday were completely booked. I AM SO TIRED!

Some of it isn't the amount, but the type of student. I've had several new-new students (new to me, new to VIPKid). For one, it was her first lesson...ever! Patience is the name of the game. Also, I've had a bunch of Level 1 classes and Voice of VIPkid classes. Those take more energy and for some reason, come at the end of my day. Saturday night I had two VVs and a Lvl 1. By my last class (I had five in a row), my voice was very squawky!

Then, there are the troublesome kids. It seems terrible to say, but there are some kids I wish I could drop! These are the ones that the parents don't seem to care if they doing anything or not. I'm just their 25 minute entertainment/online babysitter. They don't cooperate, or have a sibling that interferes. Grandpa looks in...and ignores everything. I don't give them 5 stars. No change. It is frustrating and exhausting.

SWAMPLAND

Did I Move to the Bayou?
This has got to be the wettest year on record for Oklahoma. It seems to rain every other day! Just today in church, someone said the forecast is for it to rain for the next ten days! What is ten days? July! Seriously? Anybody got an ark?

Our drains and sewer systems in town cannot take it. Not only is there street flooding (the curbs looks like rice paddies, with grass growing in the muddy water!), but the city's water supply is disgusting! It smells like the swamp...and tastes like it, too. Ken says for no one to drink fountain drinks in town, the water going through their "filters" is not good. I tried a taste - uck!

I filled a sink with water to clean with the other day. The water was not clear, more like yellowish! And taking a shower means coming out...clean?  Puddles do not dry out and are growing algae in them. The only ones enjoying this mess? The mosquitoes! Should I worry about West Nile? Or malaria?

This morning, before church, it was pouring down rain. A dozen Mississippi kites were miserably sitting on the powerline across the street. They looked so bedraggled, poor dears!

And, yes, it is still warm. Like 90's and low 100's. I walked out of the house Saturday to take Analiese to work and immediately my hands felt sticky, like they needed to be washed. It was just a side-effect of the humidity. Don't even ask me about my hair!

Cute Kids
For the most part, this job is fun. The getting up early, the staying up late...not so much. By Sunday, my complete day off, I am exhausted. But, gotta go to bed early, I have a 5:30 wake-up for a 6:00 class!

I have some very bright kids. A couple of them really like to converse, which is a wonderful end-goal of the program...to be able to completely converse in another language! One of my clever boys cracks me up all the time. This week it was our lesson on animal movements (gallop, slither, crawl, glide, etc.). Every time we got to talking about fish swimming, he changed the topic to sharks eating the swimming fish. By the end of the class, we were racing each other to find ways to include sharks in our conversation!

I had a couple of Voice of VIPKid (VV) lessons this week, too. Saturday evening, of course, when I am the most tired. But, hey....  I had the most adorable four year old girl singing with me about slicing food (Food Ninja Song - yeah, let's encourage kids to slice knives crazily). She loved it! We sliced pizza, bread, apples, and...onions! She had a hard time wrapping her head around that word; I don't know why. Still, at one point I came to prompt her to say the word. She had forgotten. I waited and then she said: "Food!" Oh, I laughed so hard. She was so stinkin' cute!

I get a few rough ones, too, that make it hard. Hard on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. One of my regulars keeps playing and goofing off. I finally gave her a four star rating. I've left notes for her parents and the Learning Partner that she needs some supervision (she's in her room alone, with toys, paper, scissors (she likes to cut up stuff), and a phone to play with. This lesson, I'd had it.

Then, I had a young five-year-old who's parents rode him during the whole VV lesson. These lessons are supposed to be fun and casual. Nope. Dad was the worst: yelling at the child, and grabbing him, trying to make him face the camera and do the stuff. I can usually persuade most little ones to do something, but they're not expected to necessarily do it all for these lessons. His mom did a bit of prodding, too, when Dad couldn't take it any longer and stomped off. Still, poor kid.

Though, I have to wonder. A lot of these kids are under so much pressure (as are their parents) to perform. I've had super tired kids, sick kids, kids who are eating breakfast/dinner while taking lessons (this is hard because I need them to talk so I can hear their pronunciation). They have to shove so many things into their day: when do they have time to be children?

I also got my Trial certification Plus this week. VK offered it to me: pass the quiz and you're good. I didn't have to do a mock class. I don't know when I'll be teaching trials, though, because I heard the Trials Plus isn't completely up yet. Maybe they just want to be ready when it is. The trials are for parents and kids to check out the company and see if they want to book classes with us. If they sign up after my class, I get a bonus! And, they could decide they want me to teach their child!

The Perils of (Children) Driving
Analiese is working on it. Though, she drove me and Jonathan to the library this week, stressing our hearts. She kept wanting to drive on the curb. I realize, it takes a bit to spatially recognize where things are in relationship to the vehicle, but oh boy! Jonathan drove home afterwards. I don't think my anxiety could have taken another ride home.

Jonathan came home from work Friday; he had taken the van. Now, I have to admit: the City Works department in Chickasha has been pretty annoying lately. I've had to drive around them to the left, nearly on the median curb on one street, because they've parked one of their trucks so far into the road. Jonathan apparently had a similar issue that day.  Only, he misjudged how much room he had and gouged a nice long line on the side of the van. Purely cosmetic, it doesn't impede any of the vehicle's functions. And I guess he got the brunt of the blow. But, oh, did he come home upset! He was certainly worried about our reactions. I will proudly say I was mostly sympathetic, though when I saw the damage I told him he was going to have to show his father himself and take it like a man.

To Ken's credit, he, too, took it calmly. Consequences? May be some externally, but we'll support Jonathan as much as possible. At home, all I said is that he could take Dad to work early Saturday and Sunday morning.  Which I'd wanted him to do anyway. He punished himself enough. He fumed in his room for quite a while.

Single Solitary Photo

PomPom looks at me adoringly/expectantly?

A VERY QUIET WEEK

Nothing to Do? Ha!
That wasn't why my week was quiet. I had plenty of lessons to prepare and teach. I had plenty of housework to do, that's never-ending. I had paperwork to fill out and get signed for the upcoming Nauvoo trip. Ken and I spent nearly a whole day in OKC going to the temple (first time in two years!!! Hooray!!) and visiting the Penn Mall. I had a Seminary broadcast to watch from SLC and a dentist appointment for a root canal (ugh).

Nope, things were quiet because my girl was away at camp. We got a walk in on Monday, but she left early Tuesday morning while I was busy teaching (poor planning on my part). If you only knew the conversations and little things we constantly do together side-by-side.... You'd understand why there was a hole in my life for three days.

Ken had some days off, we could do things together. Jonathan was off a little. We talked and stuff. But my daughter is my pal. We work on stuff side-by-side (literally, our desks for school and seminary/VIPKid are right next to each other). We have our daily walks, which are helpful more than physically, and we have discussions that range through absolutely everything. And, of course, we fawn over our rabbits together. So it was abysmally quiet. I know, you're thinking, what will you do when she grows up and moves out. Probably go into a deep depression. Poor Ken.

I thought of her throughout the week. I'd see fun things on Facebook and message them to her to look at later (we do NOT take phones to camp). At the mall, I saw a t-shirt with an anime character on it she liked; I took a picture of it.

I don't know what it is; I only know shy likes it!

We splurged and bought three French macarons - lemon tart, rose, and lavender-honey -  because I was curious to try them. I waited until she got home so we could sample them together (strangely, we liked the floral favorites, rose being the one we liked best).

Analiese did the same: she brought me home a bracelet from the camp theme, a pink floral lei (maybe I could use it for one of my classes) and some good-n-plenty's to share, cuz we both like licorice. So, busy at camp though she was, she was still thinking of me, too!

I cannot begin to say how thankful I am that we are close. Her relationship is one of my greatest prizes and pleasures!

VIPKid - The Process
This week, my Exclusive Student (ES) had class - and her birthday - on Thursday. I had a party hat on and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She showed me some of her cake and her gifts. I told her I had a gift for her, too. She looked at me quizzically. I told her that I was working on certifying in level four so I could continue to teach her past level three. She was so pleased! She's almost done with level three and I know she wanted to continue with me!

This week I had several new students, but some of them were REALLY new...to VIPKid. As in, the first or second lesson EVER new! As in, "I don't understand a lick of English" new! They were more challenging; I had to use more gestures. I don't know how much they got out of it!

People have been curious about how all this works, so I'm a gonna' explain how I do things. The day before the lesson, I prep. I look through the slides, to see what props I'm going to need. I have a card file for each lesson (I make them up as I go along) with all the information of vocabularly, grammar, sentences, props, etc. I make a little post-it with the student's name & date of the lesson, plus the reward I'm going to use on it that I attach to the card.

I also go into my Feedback Panda app, which keeps track of my students, their birthdays, the classes I've taught them, the rewards I've used, the feedback I've given, etc. I can connect between them and VIPKid to enter new lessons in. With it completely filled out, I can transfer feedback to the families on VIPKid directly after the lesson quickly!

Then, my props prep really begins. I lay out the cards for the next day and pull reward and props (folders and toys) that I need for each lesson. I have cookie sheets that I use to put the items on to keep them separate from each other.

Some days, I have more lessons than cookie sheets! And yes, the tablet is a part of the lesson!

The day of the lesson, I just pull the sheet I need for the student coming up, and I have it ready.

Lesson day routine goes like this: I get up (for morning classes), put on my orange VIPKid shirt, and go out and turn on the laptop. I have to plug it in to the power (don't want to go out between lessons!), plug in to the ethernet (wifi is not strong enough), and plug in my external camera and headphones with microphone. I have an extra light hanging from a hook over the desk that I turn on (good lighting is a must!), and make sure VIPKid and Feedback Panda are up. I go put on my British red lipstick (Revlon's name, not mine), click on the classroom on VIPIKid, make sure my sound and video are working and...AWAY WE GO!

It sounds like a lot (when you write it down), but trust me, things run smoothly when I do all my prep. I can teach with confidence knowing I have everything in place. Sometimes I forget or skip a step...and then there's trouble! Half the time I forget to plug in the ethernet and then wonder why I have IT issues. The other day I forgot my lipstick! My students need to see my lips for pronunciation help!

I'm So Bad
I hardly took a picture this week at all. I did the one for Analiese from the mall, and just took the lesson ones now so I had something to show. Not that I didn't have things I could photograph, I just didn't remember to do it!

DRIVER NUMBER FOUR

Watch the Roads!
She couldn't go Monday; she had work. So Tuesday afternoon, I took her to take her permit test. Which she aced. There's 60 some-odd questions, but after you pass 15, you're done. Her permit test was at a different location than actually receiving a permit, so we went to the Tag Agency afterwards. Card in hand, she was ready to go!

She drove around the block a couple of times for me, fearful of using the accelerator. The brakes, however, were no issue. She drove for her dad the next day, a little further (near the police station!) and braved the accelerator.

My plan is, when we go somewhere, for now...to let her drive residential. For example, when she gets off of work at Taco Bell, I drive through the college, park, and then have her go the rest of the way home. When she gets smooth enough, then we'll try larger streets.

We still need to schedule her first driving lesson with the school in Norman. That's one thing I keep forgetting.... Maybe I'm just not ready to go back there for another day's stay.

BTW, we had a special Family Home Evening this Monday for our young drivers. Thanks, Jonathan, for the idea!

Walking, walking, walking
Analiese and I still have our morning walks, even with Seminary out for the summer. After my last morning class, we go out and tread the neighborhood. I don't like to go out and do it any later than 9, because the day heats up quickly. And with the rain...it gets so humid! We did get rained on, once, but Analiese had the foresight to bring an umbrella.

We were visited not only by the Mississippi kites this week, but also a turkey vulture! There's been a lot of squished squirrels on the roads here, so I imagine he is a full bird!

Kites - they are bug eaters!

Vulture - big bird

Analiese dictates the direction and length of our walks. No pass around the park pond here! We may go several blocks east, then south before we move west toward home again. We talk a lot about things, look at houses and yards and express opinions, and make discoveries of all kinds. This week, we found the most amazing flower garden! I had to take all kinds of photos. Sometimes, I wish the people would be out so I could talk and admire their work with them!

Asparagus

VIPKid Notes
This was an interesting week. They had the dragon boat festival at the end of the week, but not all the kids celebrate that. Apparently, it's very regional. I was going to attend a workshop on it, but I forgot they use EST and I came in on the end of it. Wikipedia had to tell me what it could, so I had some idea.

I had one morning where I taught six classes - three hours straight teaching. I find my voice fading in and out as I get to the last one. And why does the last one always have to be the energetic, singing one? By the end of three hours, I need a sedate older student!

Not all students have classes in their home. This week, one of my regulars was in a restaurant with her family...all of them had to say hi! I also "drove" home with them as they left! Once I had one take class in her car on a road trip. The signal doesn't work well going through tunnels!

I had a student show me up, too. I was teaching the irregular plurals for some animals: goose-geese, fish, fish, mouse...mice, right? No, he kept telling me that it was mouses. He's very verbal and conversational, but I kept telling him, nope, in English, it's mice. He kept insisting that on the computer it was mouses. I thought it was some game or wiki or something he referred to. Finally, it struck me...he meant a COMPUTER mouse. I picked mine up to show him and he grinned and nodded emphatically. Okay, Jason, you win - mouses! He was rather triumphant during the rest of the lesson. Of course, on top of that, he beat me at our game!

Pom is my Chinese ambassador. My students all focus better when she comes to visit!