SURELY YOU COULD DO A LITTLE BIT MORE?

Lemme "Esplain"
I'll clarify the issue by my experiences at the free county fair on Saturday.

Experience 1: I had my 4H rabbit club shirt (from Jackson County/Altus) on since we went to see the rabbits showing Saturday morning. Someone asked me that, since Grady County/Chickasha didn't have a rabbit club, why didn't I start one up?

Experience 2: This one was seriously out of the blue. We were looking at the awarded displays (you know, sewing, art, photography, etc.), when, around the homemade goodies, a man I don't know from Adam asked me if I'd put something in the fair. Nope. Why not? How about next year? I bet you'd win!

The animal shelter needs volunteers; the foster kids group needs parent; the women's shelter needs helpers. Etc., etc. Don't get me wrong; I sympathize with a lot of these causes (except the animal shelter. I can't feel guilty when my allergies preclude assisting).

But....I AM TOO BUSY! Seriously. Even attending the fair as I did took precious time I could barely spare. I've had people ask me if maybe I shouldn't get a full-time regular, daytime job. Between a dearth of vehicles and everything else I have to do (studying, caring for family, taxiing others around, etc.) there's just no way. I am exhausted and dizzy just trying to get done what I need to.

Typical Day Schedule
This takes into account schooling for some, jobs for others, and everything else in between:
Seminary in the early morning. I pick up a student, and afterwards I take her to school. Then I get home and get ready to teach one or two VK classes. Analiese started college this week, so she goes off to USAO MWF and then will be working for Braums TTHS.

I snuck this pic when she wasn't watching Tuesday. She looks so cute in her pink cap!

She's walking to USAO because I may be teaching classes when she needs to leave (first class for her is 9:05). Braums is across town, so I have to take her. Ken works Monday - Friday. So far it's early in the morning (like 3 a.m.), but may change later. Jonathan works Walgreens at various times between 9 am and 9 pm.

I have VK, Seminary, and tutoring study in between. That's right; it's now a trifecta. I am a reading/writing tutor (at the request of local EPIC teachers). I have to prep for that as much as the others. If you think about it, it means I now have 2 part time jobs. Mind you, they're contract work. I'm the boss. But I get what I get. I'm going to advertise in the library on their posting board this week. It's right next to the big room where the EPIC teachers meet with students and parents. Perfect spot!

Then, there is the housekeeping stuff in between. Meals, shopping, laundry, cleaning. And any other appointment or service that can be squeezed in between.

You tell me, when am I supposed to go work? And how do I get there while still getting others where they need to be?

New Things and Ending Things
Analiese had her first day, training, at Braum's on Tuesday. She worked Thursday and Saturday at Taco Bell, for the last time. She's getting paid more and from others who've worked there, Braum's is really good about working around school schedules.

Friday, she started at USAO. At first, we thought she'd have to walk (2 blocks east, 12 blocks south) by herself because I had classes. But, they cancelled, so I walked with her that first day. Thankfully, our heat wave broke Wednesday night, and the walk wasn't too bad, especially in the shade.

This Mississippi kite kept "talking" to me as I walked past it on my way home!

The street we went down, that runs behind the campus, has a median with a walking path. It was a nice walk.

We left in plenty of time and got there about 20 minutes before her writing class started.

My collegiate, ready for her first class! Gushy momma!

One of her fellow seminary students is in her writing class, and another is in her college math class. (I've been a little nervous about her math class, but she came out of it smiling and saying she actually understood what was going on. Blessing!) It's at 12:20, so she has a lot of time in between. It's too much of a walk to come home, but she takes a lunch and can study for classes or EPIC in the student center or the library or go work with a tutor if she needs it. She's very independent. She was going to walk home Friday, even with me having a 1 pm tutoring appointment at the USAO library. But my appointment cancelled, so she came home with me in the van.

Yep, I already have one tutoring student. They were coming for beginning meetup and evaluation, but forgot. I guess I ought to call my students the day before to remind them. When they sign the contract, it states I will charge them for no-shows less than 24 hours. Hopefully that will help. Part of my busy-ness this week has been prepping my tutoring bag and forms, etc.

The Fair
Not being in 4H anymore, we aren't that involved in our local fairs. But we still love to go! Our sister missionaries set up a booth offering free Bibles and Books of Mormon along with pamphlets and lots of conversation. I went Thursday (I brought them TB lunch instead of feeding them dinner later) and hung out for a couple of hours with them and a newer sister. We had some great conversations together and with people checking out the booth. I couldn't stay much longer (see my schedule), but I enjoyed the time I had!

Sister Bullock shows off their scripture display!

I saw that they had the set up for the rabbit show for Saturday. So I told Analiese later that day that - if she got the cages cleaned Friday afternoon/evening - I would take her to the fair Saturday morning before she had to work at TB to see the rabbits. She did, and Ken went with us. We had to move fast through the other exhibits so we could see the buns, but we did and enjoyed them very much. They had a lot of Dutches (very popular, almost too much) and some English and Mini lops. There was one Mini Rex, a youngster named Charlie. I showed his little girl owner how to hold him right for showmanship before the judge. Her mom appreciated that and I got a chance to show off and snuggle with a baby bun!

During our rush through the halls, I'd found a Tupperware vendor. Now, I have three lids from those cereal-type containers (long and tall) that have nearly completely disintegrated. I've been told for years that I have to contact the company directly and send it in. I didn't want the hassle, but I still hold on to the stuff. The gal at the fair said she'd take care of it for me! Score! My new friend!

So after Analiese got off of work, we went BACK to the fair. The rabbits were gone, but we had more time to spend enjoying things. We got to see some heifers,

Wendy, this was the sweetest little gal. You would have loved her!

talk to some of the bank vendors (we need to make a change) and just enjoy chatting up people! Analiese saw a couple of her friends from "Mary Poppins," which was her favorite part.

Ken caught the girls on the midway!

We also got there in time to help the sisters take down their booth and transport things back to the church. I asked them how the whole weekend went, and they said they'd had good responses. It was a very successful weekend for them and the other missionaries that came to help!

We ended up having a late dinner and I stayed up too late working on things that had to be done before Sunday & Monday, but we hadn't done much fair stuff in a long time. It was good!

CONSTANT CHANGE

Seminary
School in the Chickasha District started on Thursday. (Don't ask me why.) That means Seminary started Thursday, too. Two new students graced my class, so we are back to six again. This year, I have only one senior.

I was a little more anxious than usual for my first day. My CES director asked all of his teachers to (basically) throw out the first lesson and instead focus on the scriptures and the Savior. Set the tone for the rest of the year. So I was winging it - as much as winging it could be for thinking and studying and praying about it for weeks could be!

I had the worst day on Wednesday. Headaches and struggles and arguments and misconceptions. I eventually realized, the Adversary was working hard to prevent Seminary from starting off right. So with a lot of humbling and talking and praying, I tried to get things straight. Seminary isn't for me; it's for the kids. I owe them my best!

So, Analiese and I left for Seminary the next morning, stopping only to pick up another student. This year, I have to transport her there and to school. No one else can take her (legitimately, I checked). She doesn't mind being a little earlier than the others, so we're square. It just really means I need to be on my game time-wise, getting her to school (the high school is only four blocks away from our house). She's in band and I can't get her there late!

It happened. It went okay. I felt somewhat comforted by the way things went. I did have a student (newbie) who kept saying "I don't know" when I asked some of the deeper, searching questions. I just said that hopefully, by the end of the year, there would be a lot less "I don't knows" and some deeper testimony instead!

VIPKid Repercussions
The downside to Seminary starting was having less time to teach for VIPKid. Usually, I would open up classes as early as 6 a.m. Now, I only do an 8:30 (they don't go later, because it is night in Bejing) a.m., with a possible 8:00 a.m. priority booking (regulars only) and a few evening openings. This further encourages me to be on time with Seminary and transportation!

This is hard, because is means some of the regulars I gained in the summer won't be able to use me now. It's especially bad with the cute littles I have. I already have had one parent remark that it is unfortunate that I can't teach at that time. So sad! But, I believe strongly in Seminary, so that is the sacrifice I am willing to make!

The company had an app update this week, which always makes me nervous. For every good new feature, something seems to get messed up. There were some fun updates this time: when I give a "high five" to the kids, it puts a sticker that reads "high five" on the screen. Also, in the chat section, I can put some Dino stickers for good reading, pronunciation, etc. The most interesting one was the teacher filter. This softens out some of the wrinkles and under-eye bags/circles. The only downfall I've noticed is that, when using some of these new tricks, my video feed will freeze and I'll have to go out and come back in. Crazy!

My whole laptop froze on me one day this week. I couldn't get it back up in time for a class and got docked as a Teacher No-Show. No bueno! For the future, we've downloaded the VIPKid app on Jonathan's laptop and another one, so we have two backups. Just in case!

Braum's
This was the first place we had dinner at in Oklahoma when we moved here six years ago. Okay, it was the one in Altus, but it's a chain. They have really good ice cream (they own their own dairy) and also serve burgers, chicken, etc. One of my graduates has worked there the past year, but she quit because she's leaving for college this week. Analiese wanted out of Taco Bell, badly, and heard from the other gal about how good it was to work there. Last week, she applied online. Thursday of this week, Ken took her over to talk to a manager (at non-busy times) to see if she could expedite the process.

She stayed in there for quite a while and returned...with a new job! So she gave her notice at TB (we believe in the courtesy of a two-week notice) and she starts at Braum's on Tuesday of next week. She also starts her classes at USAO on Friday. That girl's going to be busy! This, in turn, means I will be as well!

FEELIN' HOT HOT HOT

Seriously Summer
The temperatures have been outrageous here. 105, 107, 108 all amped up by the humidity. Our house A/C is struggling to keep things cooler (currently the thermostat reads 82), but we are running fans, too, along with using ice bottles for the rabbits and an occasional ice pack for one of us. Sleeping is horrible, because it doesn't get any cooler. Jonathan sometimes sleeps on his floor because it's not as hot as his bed.

And I'm in Summer Slug mode. I try to get what I can done in the cooler hours of the morning because, come mid-afternoon, it is nearly impossible to move or do anything. Cooking has become a hated chore. I've done all I could to have lighter, cooler meals this week. If any cooking needed to be done, it was done in the morning. For example, we had chicken salad sandwiches with the sister missionaries on Thursday. I cooked the chicken in the morning. I had made french toast for dinner Wednesday evening and nearly drown in my own perspiration! We've had salads and sandwiches, anybody have any other ideas?

Buggy
All the insects are out joining the hit heat parade. Cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, wasps, etc. So far, they've left the inside of the house alone, but there are plenty outside. The toads, who love the convenience of the shaded part of the house where the A/C moisture is released as water into a trough, have had a daily feast of creepy crawlies. Let them.

We have friends at church who have been caring for beehives. This week, they harvested 25 lbs. of honey. Wow! Considering what it takes just to make a small amount, this was a huge take! One of my graduated students, however, got stung four times on her leg on the side of her knee. Made my interest in a beekeeping hobby flag seriously!

Keeping Busy
Of course, VIPKid is still an ongoing thing, though classes have slowed some as families enjoy their summer in China, too. Some aren't, though, in Shanghai where a typhoon has blown across, disturbing, destroying, and causing all sorts of troubles. I don't know for sure if I have any students near that area, but I wonder and hope they're okay. Once, I had a student taking his class at his married sister's home far from his own because of storms. I could see the window behind him, dark, wet and stormy. We had all sorts of technical issues that night, but most of all, I was concerned for him.

He's one of my regulars and I dearly love our classes. He's smart and funny. It's sometimes hard to get through a lesson because he chats so much. But he's never disrespectful. His parents continue to give me 5 apple ratings; I think they like the fact that he's having conversations in English. That's one thing that Chinese parents want: that their children can speak English naturally in a conversation. He's not shy! He cracks me up constantly. The other day, we were talking about growing (aging) with a picture of a girl going through the stages of life: baby, toddler, child, teen, mother, grandmother. After that, he wrote the word RIP. I laughed so hard I choked. He likes to joke about sharks and zombies, too. Whatever sentence or story we're working on, he's bound to include them in it. When I see his class coming up, I always feel brighter.

Besides VIPKid, I am prepping for Seminary, which begins again next week. I have a few things left to do: finish the bulletin board, set up the room, label the journals, fidgety stuff. I also need to work on the two lessons for this week (school starts Thursday). The first one is all on my own, no manual. Bro. Sturges asked me not to, but instead to have my students focus entirely on a study of the Savior. That Jesus Christ be at the center of everything we think, read, and study from this Fall. To be honest, it was already in my heart and mind. I just hope and pray I can do it right. For the kids.

I had a short meeting with the parents & students after church today. They want the time to be a little bit later. I want to have the time I need to study and teach and talk with the kids. We are going to start at 6:25 for now. We'll see how it goes. But we have to start right on time. We need to set up our class with a hymn, prayer and devotional to have the Holy Ghost with us.  If they can't do that, it'll have to be 6:15 again. This year, I'll have to give one of my students a ride to and from school. She had a ride last year, but that student graduated. The other students coming are driving themselves: one with his brother in the small cab of a pick-up. The other is driving with his sister and his parents are nervous enough about that to begin with. So, it's up to me. I certainly don't want to stop this girl from coming; I'd do pretty much anything to keep her in Seminary.

And (there's more!), I will be starting up my tutoring business with EPIC Charter School. I have an appointment next week with one parent about her son's reading & writing difficulties. I will admit, I'm a little nervous. This kid has a bunch of issues (ADHD, Autism) and possibly is dyslexic or dysgraphic. He could be beyond me and I have to figure out of I can handle it or not. I've been studying up on dyslexia (reading disability) and dysgraphia (writing disability) this summer...I bet you're wondering when I found time. But I'm not really trained for it. Especially with all the other issues. Pray for me.

Keepin' Cool
Beyond that, I don't have much else to say. No pictures, because nothing was photographic IMO. Analiese & I did go to a RS Ice Cream Social Saturday and had a nice time there. I had (per request) made a Church History game (Jeopardy) to play with the sisters and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Back to the grind, or more of it! Have a great week!

PART DEUX - TMI EDITION

"What? Another two week blog? What is up with you, Michele?"

I am currently laboring under the belief that travel is not good for us, because after another trip - this time to Arkansas to visit family - we all came home sick! Talk about eating up my summer time!

Arkansas
We went on the last Thursday of July, a four 1/2 hour drive (much better now!) with all of us taking turns at the wheel.  That's right - FOUR drivers! Analiese took the third turn; this was her first time driving on the highway! She found it intimidating enough without Statler and Waldorf sitting behind her (she'd insisted I ride up front), heckling and making totally unnecessary comments. Seriously, I was about to kill them both, or at least find socks to stuff in their mouths! Jonathan was the worst, freaking out at anything he felt she should be doing better. Like, driving too close to the right of the lane. She stayed in the right lane for the most part and, being nervous about the cars to her left, crept a bit close to the right. But the the highways had ridges (to wake up sleepy truck drivers) that let her know when she'd gone too far. Not worth sweating!

She had a hard time getting up to traffic speed; it frightened her. So I incrementally had her creep up to 70. She did it, eventually, and found it not too difficult. The worst part, though, was the road construction and sluggish traffic. The tight concrete barriers made it hard for her to judge the space between them (no brushes, just a lot of slowing) and anticipating braking traffic had us all on edge.  She was glad to switch places with me on the last leg of our trip, and was a little shaky for a bit. But she did fine; it was her first time!

We were warmly greeting by Ken's family: His grandparents and his Uncle Mack. (Aunt Laura was out of town at the moment at her grand-daughter's basketball tournament). They were ready to feed us off the bat, but we'd stopped after Jonathan (#2) drove and had lunch. Instead, we spent the afternoon talking and relaxing. Ken & Mack went out to look at a horse that needed shoeing. Later, they took Analiese on Mack's ATV for a bit of driving around the front pasture. We had a little of Grandpa's ham and fresh corn for dinner. Some of us spent the evening watching rodeo with Mack while some went outside to hear the tree frogs and see the fireflies. So pleasant!

Back porch

Horse in the back pasture.

I had made snickerdoodles earlier that week to take with us for the family. They said I didn't have to, but I wanted to. They are always so kind and generous to have us over; I wanted to show my appreciation. I know Laura likes sugar cookies, and figured these would be good, too. Well! Mack loved them! I was a little afraid Laura might never get to try one! And he let me know whenever he had one. Apparently I made the right choice and now I don't think I can ever go back without bringing more cookies!

Jonathan awoke Friday not feeling well. Uh-oh. We thought it was something he ate and he was careful all day. Ken had gone off with Mack to have breakfast with Mack's buddies; Jonathan and Analiese slept in. I got up leisurely, had some cereal, then went out to the back porch to read and enjoy the cooler morning. They have bird feeders up and I could see the bluebird, cardinals, doves, and hummingbirds. They also feed the squirrels, in different spots in the hope they'll leave the bird stuff alone! I could see the deer off in the pastures; they come closer to the house (they eat the corn the squirrels spill on the ground!) if no one is outside. I even saw a few cottontail rabbits. It's a lovely place to sit and think in the morning! Eventually, Ken & Mack returned, and the grandparents came and joined me. Just being able to visit was worth the trip.

They took us to lunch at Brown's - a catfish buffet restaurant.

I've been there before and I like it, despite the fact that I am not good with fish - cooking or eating it. Their tartar sauce was wonderful and I had about four pieces of fish! Aunt Laura made it back from her trip and joined us there. The afternoon was nice with more talking, another farrier trip (Ken & Mack), more rodeo-watching, and games I played with the kids. We ate more of the ham at dinner and Grandpa spoiled me with some Blue Bell Peaches & Cream ice cream for dessert. That's what summer tastes like! Then we had an evening of Western films and talk on the porch outside with Laura as the sun set. I believe this what a real vacation should be. I felt so at ease!

Friday into Saturday, I slept well! I didn't get up until 7:30. The kids were up by then, so I suggested we take a walk around the property. We walked past the stables and visited the one horse they currently have,

went around Mack's blacksmithing building,

and circled the front pasture where Analiese had rode the ATV. She showed us Mack's little deer hunting shack in the trees and a small creek by the edge of the property.

We walked down the road and past the stock pond.

After that, we toured the grandparent's trailer where they live, just outside of the main house.

Grandpa is the chef for the family and already was busy cooking for the mid-day meal (they eat the big meal mid-day, then just eat lighter in the evening). He made an enchilada that I liked fairly well, as did Jonathan. Ken & Analiese didn't, but then, it had onions and pepper in it.

I got very dozy that afternoon, but managed not to take a nap so I would sleep well that night before having to head out and drive on Sunday. Grandma Louise, in the evening, took Analiese & I to Chick-Fil-A for peach milkshakes (I had established my love for peach two days earlier) and we had a little ladies time out. It was enjoyable.  We got to hear lots of her experiences working for the telephone company. I really felt like this trip was a greater bonding experience and I loved being with all of them!

That night, Ken took the kids and Laura to a local Wattaburger (not the chain) and brought back food. At ten o'clock at night. I ate a burger and onion rings and it's a wonder I wasn't up sick all night. I managed to sleep and be fine. But...

Ken & Analiese woke up SICK! At first I thought it was maybe food poisoning, but Jonathan and I would have been sick, too. They were both so wiped out; Analiese had to wait to have some clothing washed that she'd been ill in, and they moved very slowly, in stages.  We didn't even bother with lunch, even though Grandpa had made a delicious-smelling pork roast. Jonathan & I packed up everything, loaded the van, and took the sickies home!

With a stop at Dollar General first. For water and Gatorade and medicine and two cheap buckets, one of which came in very handy during the ride home. Ken and Analiese basically slept most of the way home. Jonathan and I did the driving. We got home in short time and arranged the sick ones in the house while we unloaded. What a trip!

Aftermath
We now figure Jonathan had the flu first that Friday. His case was VERY mild and short-lived. Not everyone was so lucky. Analiese was still a little floppy Monday and Ken still had mild symptoms by then. Then Tuesday came...and I caught it. Hard and bad. Seriously. In the middle of my 6:30 class, I had to get up and leave (big no-no) to walk a few paces and vomit in a bucket. It was awful. I came back to the desk pale, tears streaming down my face, barely able to talk. I got the IT people on and said I had to leave. They said it'll be a Teacher Cancellation, do you really want to do that? (Eye roll here) Yes. I managed to get my act together and survive for a 7:30 class (I know, I'm crazy), but I was down after that. Bed, sleep, for hours. I got up at 2:30 to set up for the evening and next day's classes, went back to bed. Analiese woke me close to 5, would I be able to sleep tonight? I got up, told her to fix herself hot dogs, and suffered on the sofa. Ken came home from work bearing crackers and ginger ale.

Please note: I am omitting all of the time I spent in the bathroom. Being very sick. Being in the tub or shower cleaning up the sick. You don't want me to paint that picture!

Other than teaching, I was out of it through Thursday. By then, I was down to a headache and neck ache. Also, whenever I coughed, sneezed, or laughed (because  even when I'm pathetic, I can see the humor in things), my rib cage hurt. I had strained a lot of muscles the past couple of days! I managed to fix dinner for my family, and left it at that. I didn't feel remotely human until Friday. And, when my CES director came for a visit, I thoroughly Lysoled the livingroom for him. Because I would be all kinds of evil to want to spread that flu around. As it was, I heard Laura and Mack caught it. I feel just terrible, but having no idea where it was contracted, cannot say if we brought it to Arkansas or caught it there. I just keep praying the grandparents don't get it! No one is going to want the Typhoid Boltons to come visit them!

Seminary is around the corner
So....with the CES visitor, it means Seminary is restarting soon (August 15th). I spent the weekend (outside of classes) working on the classroom (clean up, organize, reset) and on lesson schedules. I also had to talk to families and students and work out particulars in between Church meetings.

We're doing the 4 Gospels in the New Testament through the end of the year. Then, in January, we'll start up the Book of Mormon to be in synch with the whole church for the Come Follow Me program. Logistics are still being figured out, but I'm feeling good about it all. There's a great article in the August Ensign explaining the blessings that could come from Seminary joining the Come Follow Me schedule. I recommend it.