My rant for the day

I.N.C.O.M.P.E.T.E.N.C.Y

has been the story of my life this week and last.

Erik's math teacher has been number one on my list since Christmas. Erik is a smart kid who has pulled straight A's all year except that he never brings home any homework. I mean NONE. So when I confronted him about it, he told me he finishes it in class.Okay, for starters shouldn't homework be done AT HOME? These are assignments that don't take the entire class period to finish. He's done in 10 minutes, turns it in, and then sits for the rest of the period.

So I gave him and Kiersten an assignment to time their teachers to see how long they actually lecture versus classwork time. Erik's math teacher? Thirty minutes, and the remaining 40 minutes is spent doing what? Well, apparently Mr. Math Teacher likes to leave the classroom for sometime, play practical jokes on other teachers in their classrooms while he should be in his own classroom, and sit at his desk, perhaps facebooking, killing bad piggies, texting?

We asked Mr. Math Teacher around Christmastime for a recommendation for a math book to send with Erik for those times when he got done early and needed something extra to work on. Mr. Math Teacher told us not to worry about; he'd find some stuff for Erik. Well, that's happened a few times in the last 2 months. I won't even tell you what his creative writing teacher is like.

Because of all this we are seriously considering pulling him and possibly Nate and Ashlyn out of public school and putting them in the charter school. I've got to believe that better learning goes on there than what he's getting at the junior high. And I'm thinking I need to meet with Mr. Principal to discuss what is happening in the classroom.

But that's got to wait while I deal with our mortgage company and an escrow check that hasn't made it to our insurance company on time and who is now threatening to cancel our policy.

So what is the point of an escrow account if THEY can't even pay our insurance premiums on time. Please just let me handle my own life, my own finances. I assure you I would have had that check in the mail, on time, and it would have taken me 10 minutes. As is, I've now spent two days and at least 3 or 4 hours on the phone trying to sort the whole thing out. And the sad thing, there is still no resolution in sight and we are up against a deadline next week.

Apparently they sent the check to our agent, who hasn't seen it at all. So because there is a check floating out there in limbo, they are fighting us on issuing a new check.

Surely, there is someone COMPETENT enough to put a stop payment on the first one and reissue a new one.

I hate my mortgage company and I really despise lazy teachers.

Two American icons

Last weekend on our way home from St. George, we detoured through Saratoga Springs to see Angie and Jacob's new house and then continued on around the mountain instead of heading back to the freeway.

The drive took us through Fairfield where I spotted this in the local cemetery right off our route:
Hit the brakes!

Turn around.

We needed a closer look.

How cool is that. He's perched right next to an American flag.

Around the cemetery we drove just watching him until we got a little too close for comfort and he took off . . . 

to find his mate.

Where is your pond?

Nothing spiritual in life is ever a coincidence.

--Elder Russell M. Nelson

Summer Garden, Russia

Re-dedication of Russia to missionary work

July/August LDS Living magazine

My goal for this year is to be more still that I might see more of the Lord's hand in my life.

It seems that this week I have seen his hand as I've come across several articles online in regards to my quest for the year. The world might say it is merely coincidental, but I believe Lord needs me to put more thought into how I might be more still.

Several days ago I read a story where Elder Craig Zwick (prior to becoming a general authority) tells of an encounter he had with President Packer. The following excerpt is taken from President Klebingat of the Ukraine, Kiev Mission since I can't for the life of me remember where I read the story.

[I]n 1983 while owning and operating a large construction company [Elder Zwick] received an urgent phone call from President Boyd K. Packer. Serious floods had entered the Salt Lake Valley and President Packer related that unless something was done he would lose a bridge behind his house that he had built with his sons and grandsons. The force of the water and floating debris were putting increasing pressure on the bridge and time was short. When arriving upon the scene Elder Zwick was met by President Packer who was dressed in his gardener’s clothes and wearing a baseball cap, and walking towards him Elder Zwick could sense the power in that servant of the Lord. The tempest was everywhere with trees lodging under and over the bridge causing such noise as to drown out any conversation

After giving instructions to his men to save the bridge Elder Zwick was invited by President Packer to join him on a short ride in his golf cart to a more secluded part of the property. Stopping by a still pond in a very serene setting with the noise of the floods far enough away President Packers said: “This is where I will spend the month of July pondering my role as the acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve. This is a place where revelatory privileges will be mine.” Then, turning to Elder Zwick, he said,

“Brother Zwick, where is your pond?”

Elder Zwick then bore testimony that this was a very powerful moment and even while the tempest was raging President Packer was concerned about the need for personal revelation.

Elders and Sisters, where is your pond?

Do you have one?

Do you go there often?

Are you receiving personal revelation?

Make sure your pond is beautiful and serene and that one can tell by your foot prints that you go there frequently. 

And my second "coincidence" of the week was a video by Mary Ellen Edmunds that she put together for Time Out for Women. The theme for this year is Higher and every month the presenters will be issuing a challenge for the coming month. The challenge this month is think on purpose. To think deeper, think higher, think more often, to do more pondering and meditating than we normally have time for. She suggests taking 10 to 15 minutes every day.

Well, I have been trying to be have more stillness in my life this past month. But it's proving to be a little difficult with my little shadow constantly by my side. In fact as I write this now, he's sitting on my lap. And for me to pray, I've resorted to running to the bathroom, shutting the door, and turning OFF the light so he can't find me.

My stillness goal this month is to find my own "pond" where I can be by myself. I'm sure if I take this to the Lord, he will help me find a suitable place.

Dear Mr. Groundhog

Dear Mr. Groundhog,

I understand your cousin Phil in Punxsutawney made some people very happy over there when he made his appearance this morning. But you, Mr. Groundhog, out here in the west, didn't fare so well.

I know you're just doing your job, but I'm really not in the mood for six more weeks of winter. It's been pretty harsh already with snowstorm after snowstorm, über cold temperatures, a driveway that refuses to thaw out creating a dangerous path to my front door, fog, an inversion that refuses to leave, and freezing rain. Yep, that's right. Freezing rain. I've never experienced that before in my life and frankly don't ever want to again. It sure made my commute to the junior high that morning a little less than ideal.

Mr. Groundhog, most winters I manage to make it outside at least a handful of times to go for a run. Not this winter. If it wasn't snowing, it was super cold. And even if I dared venture out in the cold, the air quality was horrendous. But this morning. Ah, the morning. I got to go for my run and loved every footstep of my three miles. The sun was out. The air was crisp, not too cold. I'm pretty sure I skipped part of the way.

But now back to your job. Couldn't you just stay in your hole until um . . . maybe next Thursday or Friday. Mr. Weatherman says those days might contain a few more clouds. How about I come knocking when we need you to appear and not cast your shadow.

Deal?

Thanks,
Someone itching to get out of the house

Job shadow

As a 7th grader, Erik is required to job shadow someone for a day. He really thinks he's going to the NBA one day and I tell him he really should have a back up plan. So after doing Lego League last year, he thinks maybe an engineer or computer programer might be a viable option.

Erik has been fascinated with his Uncle Jordan's line of work as a game developer for Poptropica, which is pretty popular with kids ages 7 to about 11. Technically this was supposed to happen last Wednesday, but I refused to  chauffeur him to Logan when the weather decided we needed just a tad bit more snow. He wasn't too thrilled at the idea of sitting with his dad all day as a retirement specialist for CUNA Mutual Group. And he was less thrilled about following me around the house. I kind of wished he had chosen that option. I could have definitely put him to work.

So we regrouped and went today. But that meant I had to pull him out of school and he got a freebie on Wednesday. With a little bit of time on his hands Wednesday afternoon, he whipped up some chocolate covered pretzels. Got to love a kid who likes being in the kitchen.

When I picked him from "work" today, he was in the middle of playing the Xbox they have there for when they need some down time. Jordan had him try out the new island that's going to be released soon and he got to create his own Poptropica characters and island. Who knows, maybe one day we'll see one of them on the site.

This job shadow was a huge success. I'm not sure if it will take over the NBA as number one, but it's at least a close second.