The Queen of Completely Useless Information

Yup.  That's me.

Did you know that Gaston's little side-kick in Disney's Beauty and the Beast is named LeFou?  And did you know that le fou is French for 'the fool'?  And the candlestick character is named Lumiere because that is French for 'light'?  And the reason Disney chose French words for the characters is because the original story of Beauty and the Beast is French?

More importantly, did you care?

I didn't think so.

Did you know that flotsam is floating debris of a shipwreck?  And that jetsam is floating debris that was jettisoned (thrown overboard) in an emergency situation to try to lighten the load of a ship in danger of sinking?  Did you know that Disney named Ursula's evil twin eel henchmen Flotsam and Jetsam?

Again, I'm pretty that info isn't very useful, either.

Did you know that originally, after the big 'Y' was whitewashed on the mountain above Brigham Young University, the letters 'B' and 'U' were going to be added to complete the initials of the school?  Something put a stop to those plans (thank heavens I don't remember what halted them!), so the 'Y' stands alone.  Did you know that the 'Y' on the mountain is why locals and alumni alike refer to the school as 'The Y'.

Yeah.  More useless info.

Did you know that when flush-able toilets were first installed in Seattle, they had to be built on high pedestals or on upper floors of buildings because the city was sitting on a tidal flat and the incoming tide would back the sewers up if there wasn't enough water pressure (achieved through gravity) to prevent it?  And did you know that when the city burnt to the ground in 1889, it was decided to rebuild the city streets at the second floor level to raise the city above the tidal flat and permanently 'fix' the toilet problems, but that building owners rebuilt on their existing foundations.  So, streets were one floor above building entrances and sidewalks!  For a while, ladders had to be used in order to cross the streets.  Eventually, though, new sidewalks were built on the second floor level and new entrances created.  So the second floors became the first floor and the underground sidewalks became covered 'boardwalks' with underground shops you could visit.  The new upper sidewalks even had translucent glass tiles installed at intersections to create skylights for the underground sidewalks.  In the end the underground sidewalks were abandoned all together.

Why do I need to know all that?  When is that going to prove useful in my lifetime?

Did you know that the machine that resurfaces the ice on an ice rink is called a Zamboni machine, and that the Zamboni company has a 'near' monopoly on that particular job globally?

How do I even know that one?

My mind seems to latch onto and keep the most random facts.  I wish my mind would latch onto and keep the stuff I actually WANT to remember!  Like how to speak French.  I used to be able to.  Not so much anymore.  Or the names of my students?  Or how about remembering scheduled events that I am supposed to attend?  Yeah, that would be GREAT!

Oh well.

Say, did you know that Steamboat Springs was named that because the first settlers noticed that the hot springs closest to town made a whistling sound that reminded them of the steamboat whistles back east?  And in 1908, blasting for the new railroad going through town accidentally silenced the hot springs forever.

And did you know...

Personal Progress

I have been exercising a lot lately.

You are probably thinking, 'Well, duh!  You'd have to, to get ready for the races you signed up for!'

I finally found my motivator.  I just have to financially commit to a race.

I am not willing to waste the money I spent, so I have to prepare for the race.

After more than 7 months of increasing exercise, I have not lost any weight.  Inches, yes!  That makes me VERY happy.  But, I wish I could lose weight, too.  I am still 30 lbs over my goal weight.  And, yes, my goal weight is completely aligned with standard age/weight charts and doctor recommendations.

It really is about what you eat.  I have to give up sugar.

I don't think I can give it up entirely.  But I need to quit the obvious culprits.  Soda.  Ice cream.  Chocolate.  (Except dark chocolate!  70% cocoa would be alright)

Still.  I look better than I have in a long time and it is time to celebrate that!

It is still a work in progress.  After all, I have a long road ahead of me to Ironman.  But I feel like I have a good start!

2011/2012 Lacrosse Season Kick Off Party

Tonight Bill and I went with Will to the high school lacrosse 'kick off party' at the home of another player.  All the coaches, the advisory board, other parents and players met for a BBQ/Pool party.  Parents sat around on the deck or in the grass of the yard while the boys all piled into the pool.  Bill and I were glad to see several other parents that we have known from other parts of our lives and had an enjoyable time visiting.  I met a couple of other parents, too.

Will obviously had a great time, too!  I think the home owner was having a mini heart attack over the shenanigans happening in the pool.  What did he expect, though, with 20+ 14-18 year old boys?!?  They were jumping off the top of the slide, skim surfing across the surface on boards, jump/diving through a floaty ring and doing just about anything else daring that crossed their minds.  In other words, they all had a ball!

Practices start September 8th.  I am looking forward to seeing Will play again!  He played lacrosse in 7th and 8th grade, but didn't want to play in 9th grade.  I think it was because he was made goalie of the "A" team in 8th grade.  The goalie is the unofficial team captain and has to be ready to take a lot of pressure from his team mates.  He didn't mind the severe bruises he got when blocking a goal.  He was proud of them, in fact.  He just couldn't handle the pressure of letting the team down when a goal was scored against him.  It took all the fun out of the game for him.  I watched him get so upset with himself when the team lost and there didn't seem to be anything I could do to cheer him back up.  He looked at it as a personal failure, rather than a team result.  So, I am glad he has decided to come back to the sport in a defensive position... but not as goalie.

There is a lacrosse team tailgating party planned for one of the high school home football games.  I'm sure he'll have a ball at that!

Oh, I hope he has fun!!!

Mondays are for ME!

Hey, before I ramble on about today's topic, I just have to say, HIP-HIP-HOORAY!  BILL HAS GONE BACK TO WORK!!!  The doctor signed the medical release allowing him to return to work!

*****

This Fall we lost 500 of our students to a new elementary school the district built nearby, bringing our total population from approximately 1,200 to a number in the 700 range.  Because of this, we lost a lot of teachers (who transferred to the new school or elsewhere in the district), and specialties were reduced from four to three.  Because of the drop in student population, we receive less funding, which in turn, reduces the contract hours the principal has to offer to me.

I was on a 3/4 contract and was very happy with it.

Now, I am on a 6/10 contract.  From .75 to .6.  I calculated that between reduced salary and increased medical insurance premiums, I will be making between $5,000 and $6,000 LESS this year than last year.

That stinks.

However, the reduced contract was achieved by eliminating specialties on Mondays.

I now have Mondays off!

There is the silver lining in this nasty storm cloud on my horizon!

Today was my first Monday off.  I was really looking forward to finally finding out what it would be like to be a 'stay at home' mom!  Of course, when my kids were pre-school aged, I did stay home with them.  Ever since they have been old enough for school, however, I have been at work while they have been at school.  I always envied the ladies who had a quiet house all to themselves.

I have had all summer to think about what I should do on my Mondays.  I came to the conclusion that it should be filled only with things that I want to do!  A day dedicated to me!

That may sound selfish, but, actually...

First thing after seeing the kids out the door, I headed off on my 13 mile bike ride on the trail that loops to the canyon and back.  I was hoping to get a really good time on it.  I knew I would have to deal with the 3 main obstacles on the course... a stretch of unfinished trail in the middle, a large road construction zone to cross, and the monster hill.  Unfortunately, I also had to contend with A LOT of joggers!  Apparently all the pedestrian exercisers come out in the morning.  I simply couldn't blast past them going full speed.  Trail etiquette required that I slow down and warn people when passing.  In the end it took me over an hour.  Phooey.  I'm looking forward to cooler fall weather when I can trail ride mid-day.


When I got home, I decided that I wanted to tackle some weeds while it was still cool and shady out.

Before...

After!

I will admit, I think the mailbox looked better with all those weeds below it.  Sort of rural chic.  Not to worry, though.  They will be back before you know it!  Also, that power pole smells strongly like the piers in downtown Seattle.  It is such a flashback for me every time I pull weeds next to it!

After showering, I decided that I wanted to get some home improvement done, too.  So I put on my old painting pants.  You know the ones!  The 'I don't want to ruin any other clothes, so I'll just hang onto these and use them every time I have a painting project!

Of course, mine are now two sizes too big.  Ah well.  I can paint and hitch my pants up at the same time.  I am talented that way.

My original plan was to clean off and paint the laundry room window sill.  

That turned out to be a bust when I discovered that the sill hadn't been caulked, yet, and I couldn't find the caulking gun.  After searching for over an hour, I called Bill.  He didn't know where it was, but promised to bring one home from work.  So sweet of him, but that meant that the window became a project for next week.  I needed something to do, now!

I decided it would be a good time to do some touch up painting to cover marks on the walls.  The walls in the basement have been collecting scuff marks for about 3 years now.  It was time to do something about it.  And there were spots that we simply never got around to finishing.  So...

...here are the before and after shots!

Laundry room towel rack.  The marks came when I accidentally dropped the clock while trying to hang it.  Oops.  I did touch ups of the walls near the kids' bedrooms, too, but I didn't take a picture of that.

Laundry room ironing board cupboard trim.  I painted before the ironing board was installed and missed a spot.

When the folded laundry cupboard was initially installed, they put it in the wrong spot and I made them move it.  That left some holes in the wall that the workers spackled over, but that I needed to repaint.

The most glaringly unattractive spots in the basement!  Originally, we planned to keep going with the renovations to the main floor as soon as the basement was completed, so I didn't finish painting the transition.  However, the downturn in the economy forced us to postpone indefinitely the rest of the house renovations.  But the transition remained unpainted.  Not anymore!  I still need to paint the trim work on the stairs, but that can wait until next week when I do the laundry room window.

By the time I was done with the first layer of paint on that last project, the kids were walking in the door from school and I was starving!  So, I had lunch before finishing the second coat of paint.

The 'ME' part of my day was over.  I drove Will to get the gear he would need for lacrosse, which will be starting up this week.  Then I picked Bill up from work (he gets his work truck back tomorrow) before coming home and baking cookies for tomorrow's lacrosse party/parent meeting.

I was even able to watch one episode of Star Trek: Next Generation before heading to the pool with the family for an evening swim.  I know, I am a Trek geek.  At the pool, Helena was frustrated with the rest of us because we all wanted to swim laps.  I can't be in a pool and not swim laps!  Really, what else is a pool for other than SWIMMING?!  But still, I think everyone had fun.  The hot tub sapped my energy and now I am forcing myself to finish this post so I can go to bed and return to my normal life of working while the kids are at school.

It is funny, because I got a lot done today, but I didn't consider it 'work'.  It was just the stuff I wanted to do!  Truthfully, though, I don't think of my job as 'work', either, because it is also stuff I want to do!

I like my life!

Church

I am Mormon.

A better way to say that is to say that I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Most of you probably already know that, even if you aren't all that sure of what it means to be a Mormon.

Essentially, it means that I am a conservative, evangelical Christian.  On the spectrum of Christian sects, Mormonism is not as conservative as the Amish, or even the Jehovah Witnesses.  Still, by mainstream American culture, I am quite conservative.  Not a fanatic, though.  Within the basic structure of my religion, I'd personally probably be seen as a moderate.  You know, like Catholics.  Some are Orthodox and follow the tenets of Catholicism strictly.  Some are moderate and attend Mass fairly regularly, on holidays especially, but don't fuss themselves if they fail at Lent.  And some are 'Catholic' because their parents had them baptized as a baby, and that's about it.  I'd fall somewhere in that middle section when it comes to being a Mormon.

Here is what a typical sabbath service might look like for me...

Upon arrival, we usually take the same pew we always sit in, on the right side (as facing the pulpit), directly behind the boys that pass the sacrament.  Our name is not on the pew, but it might as well be.  Everyone in the congregation has a spot where they usually sit.  The pew behind us is always taken by a young family with three kids 5 and under.  Of course, if we ever show up late, we have to find somewhere else to sit, but you get the basic idea.

The meeting starts with a hymn and a prayer, followed by announcements of a general nature about things going on with the congregation.  You know, condolences that so-and-so's grandfather passed away yesterday, congratulations to such-and-such family on the adoption of their new baby this week.  After this, any business that needs to be conducted is taken care of.  Baby blessings, for instance.  Or sustaining/releasing people from callings.

Our church has no paid clergy.  Everyone in the congregation, from the Bishop, to the Sunday School teachers, to the organist, accepts their position voluntarily as an act of service.  The job you serve in (if you choose to accept it) is a 'calling'.

After business is done, a Sacrament hymn is sung.  This is supposed to get the congregation mentally prepared to partake of the Sacrament.  It is a time for everyone to get reverent.  Here is where it can get entertaining.  Remember the family that sits behind us?  The one with three kids 5 and under?  Ever tried to get kids that young to 'sit reverently'?  Yeah.  Ain't gonna happen!

Last week, the young mother (let's call her Mary), who is dealing with all three boisterous young offspring alone since her husband is out of town, has some 'Gushers' fruit snacks to keep her kids quiet, but uses them as leverage by telling the kids they can have them... after Sacrament.  So, during the Sacrament hymn, Mary's oldest pipes up (a little too loudly) "I want a Gusher!"  Mary successfully distracts him by pointing out how the 'big boys' are preparing the Sacrament trays as we sing.

The bread is blessed and passed to the congregation by the boys.  Once child #1 and child #2 have had a piece of bread, they both start clamoring for the promised treat.  Again Mary has to shush them, reminding them that they still have to have the Sacrament water.  Oh, the agony!  Sacrament lasts an eternity to a 3 or 5 year old!

The water is finally blessed and passed around.  Now they are certain they can have the Gushers and start loudly reminding their mother that it is time!  But, no!  Sacrament isn't truly over until the boys finish serving EVERYONE and sit back down with their own families!  There was near mutiny in the pew behind us upon hearing that final blow!

Once the eternal Sacrament is finally over, the kids settle down with their promised treat... for about 2 minutes... the time it takes a preschooler to consume a little package of Gushers.  Then the fun truly begins.

Sacrament is followed by a speaker or two, chosen in advance from the congregation and assigned a gospel topic to focus his/her remarks upon.  Then an intermediate hymn that might be sung by the congregation, the choir, a small group, or a soloist.  A final speaker is then followed by a closing hymn and closing prayer.  Speakers range from fascinating and inspiring, to insipid and boorish.  You never know in advance what you're going to get.  You can be sure of one thing, though.  None of them will keep the interest of the kids in the pew behind us.  They are practically climbing the walls by the time the final hymn is sung.  Mary is not alone in trying to keep little children relatively quite during Sacrament service, either.  The same little melodrama is being repeated ten fold throughout  the chapel, which is full of families with young children.  Our Sunday services can be rather noisy affairs.

Poor Mary!  She always apologizes to us, certain that we have been unable to 'find the spirit' in the meeting because of the distraction of her kids.

Truthfully?  I love it!  They are so entertaining!  Not to her, I'm sure.  But I find little kids to be completely ingenuous and incapable of guile.  You know exactly where you stand with them.  I still get what I want from the speakers and I get the entertainment of listening to her kids, too!  I used to have little kids, too, you know.  Things were no different back then and I have been in her shoes.

Incidentally, this week, the Dad arrived with all three little ones in tow. Before the services started, the Dad stepped away for a moment with the littlest one.  When he got back, child #1 loudly proclaimed, "Look, Dad!  I opened it" while manically consuming ... a package of Gushers!  Dad's distracted response?  "That's great."

Ha!  One small victory for preschoolers everywhere!

After Sacrament meeting, it is time for Sunday School.  That's right.  Church is not over, folks!  Sunday School is broken down by age, with adults attending Gospel Doctrine class.  Sunday School lasts an hour.  After Sunday School, there is one more meeting.  The men separate from the women and attend gospel centered classes taught with special attention to gender specific needs.  Let's face it, men and women are not the same, no matter how much we want to say it is so.  Equal, yes.  Same, no.

Today we skipped everything following Sacrament service.  It was enough of a victory to get both our teenagers to come to that meeting with us, that we called it a day and went home to play board games together.  I don't feel a bit guilty about it and we had a great time!

By the way, both of today's speakers were pretty good.  The first one, a young man preparing to leave on a mission for the church, used a great analogy that went something like... 'in matters of style, swim with the current.  In matters of principle, stand firm as a rock.'

Words to live by.

Unexpected Heroes

I have struggled with depression lately.  Life has not been going well, to say the least.  It seems like the old adage "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" is being fulfilled in my life.  I won't go blow by blow through the list of things that have been tearing me down lately, because, really, who wants to write down all the things that have them depressed?!?  Besides, if you have been following this blog, you already know most of it.  The two most recent things, though, came right on top of each other yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon I discovered that my teaching contract has been reduced by more than I had been lead to believe last spring.  So I will be making even less than I had anticipated.  That comes as an extra blow on top of our current financial situation.  It also is a psychological blow, because I have to wonder how much the district actually values me if they are willing to slash my income so drastically while the administrators making these decisions make six figure salaries.  It is very easy to cut the budget when you don't personally know the people whose lives suffer for that decision.

The second setback came when I got home from work in the evening and found out that the Expedition broke down yesterday.  The day before school starts.

We only have two cars.  I drive the Alero and the kids use the Expedition.  Bill has a work truck... at least when he is working and not recovering from major surgery.

Ah!  I felt like the Universe has it out for me!  Or like God is picking on me.  I do not have the patience of Job, it seems.  I really had a hard time finding anything to feel good about last night.

Do you remember that cheesy song from the musical 'Annie'?  "The Son Will Come Out Tomorrow"

Bet your bottom dollar!

So, today my brother-in-law, Craig, came over to our house and fixed the Expedition for us!  He has a traveling auto repair service business.  I could count on one hand the number of times I have seen him without grease all over his hands and/or clothing.  Years ago I was self absorbed enough to be critical of that.  I snobbishly looked down on him for not being more neat and tidy in his appearance.

You know what?  Today Craig is my hero!  He was the answer to my unspoken prayer (because I was too mad at God to pray).  He spent a working day at our house putting our car to rights simply because we are family and he had a way to help.  He will probably never know what a burden was lifted from my heart this afternoon, thanks to him.

And after my heart felt not quite so heavy, I was able to look back on the other heroes who have been quietly helping us through this sinkhole we have found ourselves in.

My niece, Kristy, gave us a 'Bountiful Basket' the week after Bill got home from the hospital.  'Bountiful Baskets' is a local phenomenon/business.  It is a kind of like subscribing to a dairy delivery, only it is local produce instead of dairy.  So Kristy brought over a whole "basket" full of fresh, local, organic fruits and vegetables at a time when I wasn't sure of our grocery budget.  We ended up only needing to buy bare basics at the store that week.

My sister-in-law, Crystal, and her husband, Jeff, took us on that fabulous week of adventure to Steamboat Springs that took my mind off of things for a while, then insisted we keep all the leftover groceries from the trip!  Again, I had a stocked fridge!  That was really incredible!

My sister, Kirsten, and her husband, Paul, volunteered to pay Will's lacrosse fees for this fall since that isn't on the 'need' budget list and would have had to be cut until the finances are back to where they should be.  That was one I agonized over because I hated the thought of Will missing out.  They also bought dog food for our dogs and have had us over to dinner.  My brother, Erik, and his wife, Deanna, have also had us over for dinner several times and/or brought dinner to us.

Bill's work, ESP Excavation, worked it out so that Bill could receive some of next year's vacation pay to help us meet our bills.  Thanks, Liz, for taking care of that!

When one of the line items on Bill's physical therapy bill got rejected by the insurance, the PT, Russ, told him not to worry about it and just crossed that item off the bill altogether.

The manager at Rubio's, Eva, gave us our dinner for free last week, just because she was glad to see us.  And today, our friend, David, gave Bill a gift card for Rubio's as a thank you for taking care of their dogs while they were away.  Another date night paid for!

It is very easy to get sucked down into a vortex of depression when you think of all the things that go wrong in our lives.  What is more amazing, though, is the number of people in our lives who quietly step in and smooth the way when the going gets rough.  Each one of these people stepped in and became an unexpected hero at a time when I needed it most.

Thank you.

Ironman Dreamin'

So, a couple of days after my 'big' triathlon, I am not sore at all and realize that I didn't push myself hard enough in the race!  I could have had a better time in all three events, I think.  Definitely a better time in my transitions.

I want to do more triathlons!  However, I can't do any more this season, because with Bill still recovering and not back to work yet, I can't splurge on entry fees right now.  So, I will have to content myself with training for next spring.  After talking with a couple of old friends on Facebook, I have set a goal to complete an Ironman in the summer of 2013!

Ironman is the original triathlon.  It originated in Hawaii, when a pro runner and a pro swimmer got into a discussion about who was more tough, endurance runners or endurance swimmers?  The discussion evolved to speculate about endurance cyclists, too, so the idea was suggested to combine all three of the top endurance distances into one monster race.  The Ironman was born. 

An Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike course, and a full marathon (26.2 miles).

I know!  I am completely crazy!

Still, I am going to train and train like crazy for the 2013 Coeur d'Alene Ironman!  As part of my training, I plan to run the 2012 Utah Valley full marathon next June.  My friend, Jen, said she'd much rather do an Ironman than a marathon, but the marathon was on my bucket list first, so it is only fair that I cross it off before I try for the bigger goal.  How funny!  It used to be that running a full marathon WAS the big goal!  Now it is just a stepping stone to something much greater.

In the meantime, I plan to do a couple of Olympic distance triathlons next summer, and will probably repeat the Saratoga Springs Sprint tri as well.  Maybe I'll even to a half ironman, if I can be ready for that!

Saratoga Springs Triathlon 2011

Yesterday, Bill and I drove over to PowerTri in Lehi to pick up my race packet.  I was feeling really inadequate, since everyone else in the line was SUPER fit!  Fortunately, on the morning of the race, I saw other people with less than perfect bodies and I felt much better!  The packet contained my bib for the run, a pink wrist band for me (which the officials at the store put on me) and a matching wrist band to stick on my bike.  That is to make sure that bikes don't get mixed up or go missing.  No worries with my bike, of course.  I am racing on my really old mountain bike.  No one else there would want to be stuck with it!  There was other stuff in the packet, including final info, but that was pretty much it.  Timing chips were being handed out at check in the morning of the race.

I was so excited and nervous last night that I had a lot of trouble falling asleep!

I woke up this morning at 6:00 am.  That would be early for me on any day of the week, but is super early for a Saturday!  Bill and Will also got up, as they were going to come and cheer me on.  I wanted to get out to Pelican Bay Marina, the start of the race, by 7 am so I could get all set up before the pre-race meeting at 8:15.  There was also the issue of parking.  Although there were some girls at the top of the marina road saying that the parking lot was full, we found that not to be the case and had no trouble finding parking.

I checked in and picked up my timing chip which was water proof and worn around the ankle.  Then I had my number 'tattoo-ed' to my right arm, hand, and calf.  They also 'tattoo-ed' my age onto my left calf, I guess so I wouldn't forget how old I was and which heat I was supposed to be in?  I can sort of understand the reasoning that it would prevent cheating by starting in an earlier heat... if half the runners weren't in wet suits, preventing officials from seeing the age tattoo anyways.

After checking in, I headed over to the transition station to set up my bike and gear.  Only athletes were allowed in (the area was closed in with temporary orange plastic fencing) and there were people at the entrance to verify that the pink wrist bands on athletes and bikes matched each other.  I had watched some YouTube videos about gear arrangements for transitions, so I got everything arranged just as if I knew what I was doing.  I chose what some would consider a bad spot, if speed was the deciding factor.  I was really just looking for a place where I wouldn't feel crowded.  So, I chose an end of a rack next to the sidewalk, rather than a spot close to the center aisle where you could get a quick transition.  Then there was nothing to do but wait.

We walked down to the boat launch... where the race would start... to see the water conditions and where the buoys were placed.  I was kind of relieved to see that they were closer than I had expected!  Erik and I had been swimming much farther out in our practice swims on the lake.  The lake didn't look too bad, from where we were standing.  They had to reposition the buoys before the race began, though, because they were drifting in the wind and current.

Erik arrived not long after that, and we spent some time with him while he got checked in and situated in the transition area.  His family was there to cheer him on, as well.  I also saw a former student and her mom, as well as two of my co-workers.  One was volunteering, the other was cheering on her husband and son in the triathlon.

The pre-race meeting was short and to the point.  He reminded us we were following USAT (USA Triathlon) rules, told us the swim was clockwise so we stayed to the right of the buoys, and explained the group start.  The start of the race was broken down into heats, based on gender and age.  All the timing chips were started at the beginning of the first heat, then each heat started exactly 2 minutes later.  My age group was the fifth and final heat, so my final time at the finish line had to have 10 minutes subtracted from it to be accurate.  My brother, Erik, was in the first heat to go out (men; age 30-39) and like I said, I was in the last heat.  They ended up combining women; age 40 and up with women; age 29 and down because my age group was such a small group.  I think there were only about 10 of us!  At first, when I realized we were such a small group, I was excited because that would mean no crowding at the start of the swim, so I was bummed when they decided to combine the groups.

It was a deep water start, which meant swimming out to the starting 'line' at the end of the dock.  The group that was 'at the starting line' was arranged in the water on the left side of the dock, while the next group of racers swam out next to the right side of the dock to be prepared to get on the starting line quickly, since there were only two minutes between starts.

The water felt cold when I first got in, but it is amazing how quickly you can adjust to that and I no longer even thought of the temperature of the water the rest of the time I was in it.  I did not use a wet suit because I don't own one.  Our combined group was pretty large, and I hung back to the back of the group so I wouldn't get run over.  Next thing I knew, the starting horn had gone off and the race had begun!

My friend, Doug, told me that if I was worried about crowding in the swim, I could just hold off for 5 seconds after the starting gun and then it would be less chaotic.  I fully intended to do that... all the way up until the moment the air horn went off.  Something in me just couldn't hold back!  So I gamely flailed about with everybody else while struggling to find clear water to swim in without hitting or being hit by arms and legs.  It really wasn't too bad.

Half the swim was within the calm marina water.  However, I knew instantly when I had passed the shelter of the jetty.  The swells hit and slowed me down considerably.  I didn't know it at the time, because I was so focused on just fighting through the waves myself, but apparently the waves posed a serious problem for several racers, who had to be helped by the kayaks lining the course.  I did see a couple of people hanging off of kayaks, but Bill said  he saw a lot of that happening.

I wish I could tell you how I did in the swim.  I have no idea what my times in the individual events are, since the race results printer died before my results were printed.  I will say that I felt pretty good about my swim.  I had to rest and do a breast stroke several times and I didn't swallow as much of the lake as I thought I might.  Especially with those waves!  Once I rounded the buoys, the waves were actually helpful and I think I sped up.

After the swim, I had my first transition.  I know I could have gone a lot faster there, but I really just wanted to catch my breath while I put on my bike shoes, helmet, and sunglasses.

There is not a lot to say about the bike portion of the race.  It was on gently rolling hills that were not too challenging.  I never had to go below my middle/middle gears on any of it and I stayed in my top gear for most of it.  I passed about 5 people, but was passed by about the same number of people.  I will say that no one with a mountain bike passed me, but I did pass some people on road bikes.  I felt pretty good about that.  My bike training route is 13 miles... first uphill, then down.  I think that helped me prepare a lot.  It was a beautiful course, following the lake shore for 6 miles, then backtracking on itself to return to the marina.

One transition left, then off on the 5K run.  Ah!  Starting the run was the hardest part of the race for me!  I was tired and just didn't want to run 3 miles.  I will admit walking the uphill portions of the run, so I am sure my run time is embarrassing.  The run wound through the neighborhood next to the marina, so the houses and yards were understandably pretty to look at while I was running.  One home owner and his family were out in their driveway with their hose turned on, spraying down any runners who wanted it.  Oh, I wanted it!  It felt so good!

I finally finished the race, with an unofficial time of 1 hour 38 minutes.  I am anxious to see the online postings so I can see my official times on all the segments of the race.  Down at the food station I found my son, Will, helping out!  No one asked him to do it, he just pitched in where he saw a need.  It turns out that the woman in charge of the food station was another parent from my school.  She told me what a wonderful kid Will is.  She hadn't known he was my son or that I was in the race, but that she really impressed with him.  That makes me very happy!

Sorry for such a wordy post, with a lack of pictures.  I forced my camcorder camera on Bill before the start of the race and he is unfamiliar with how it works.  He would have rather used his cell phone camera, then I am sure he would have been more successful at taking pictures.  He thought he had taken tons of pictures, but the still pic button is fickle and none of the shots actually took.  The only other downer to the day was the fact that my daughter, Helena, missed the race.  She is house sitting for my sister, Kirsten, and accidentally overslept and missed it.

Now, will I do another one?

ABSOLUTELY!  I had a ton of fun!

Update:  Official times have been posted!  My total time was 1:40:05.  8 minutes were supposed to be subtracted for the fifth heat, not 10.  Ah well. 

My results were (in minutes:seconds):
swim 15:46.3
first transition 2:36.7
bike 44:49.9
second transition 2:55.8
run 33:56.3

I know these times wouldn't be very impressive for some, but I am happy with them as a base line to start from and plan to do better next time!

Kumbaya

Today was the district wide employee celebration.  It was held in Utah Valley University's McKay Events Center (or whatever it is called these days).  That is because the school district I work for is so freaking HUGE!  There are over 6,900 employees serving over 66,000 students!

Oi!

Those are figures that don't mean much to me on a daily basis.  After all, I don't see all those people!  I serve on a faculty of about 30-50 people and teach about 1,000 students (actually, down to 800 this year)  It is only once every 5 years or so, when the district administration pulls us all together for one of what my brother-in-law calls a 'Kumbaya' meeting that the staggering numbers become a reality for me!  The district brought us all in from our various schools across the valley in 123 buses.  123!  They filled the parking lot!

Paul calls them 'Kumbaya' meetings because the purpose of the meeting is essentially a beginning of the year pep-rally reinforcing the administration's confidence that the district employees will make a positive impact in the lives of the children whose lives we will touch.

There are 8 clusters in the district.  A cluster is a high school and all its feeder schools.  I teach in the Westlake cluster.  My kids attend American Fork High School in the ... you guessed it ... American Fork cluster.  All the high school cheerleaders and student council members were at the celebration to represent the students we serve and to complete the pep-rally feel.  They tossed prizes into the stadium seating and I raked in a frisbee, a water bottle, a pom-pom, and a t-shirt.  I gave the t-shirt away since it was the wrong size for me.  What can I say?  We had excellent seats!  I saw Helena's friend, Brayden, there.  He is the AF High student body president this year!  I said 'hi' to him and I even think he remembered who I was.  Not bad for dissociative memory.

So.  We had lots of fun and now we have lots of 'pep', too!  Let the school year begin!

Crayon Snobs

Every spring I inherit piles and piles of crayons from the other teachers in my school.  Kids leave them behind when going off to summer vacation, and the teachers order new sets for next year's students.  That leaves all these perfectly good crayons for me!

Because of this interesting phenomenon, most kids are 'crayon snobs'.  Every year I get some kids wanting to know why I use 'worn out' or 'broken' crayons... and do I have a crayon sharpener?  I have even had kids tell me a crayon was 'all used up' because the part protruding from the paper wrapper was used up.  It seriously never crosses their mind to PEEL THE WRAPPER BACK!  I have also had kids tell me they simply don't want to use it unless it has a pointy tip.

What do I do about it?  I use polite terminology, of course, but essentially I tell them to 'suck it up, Buttercup!  These are perfectly good crayons, you don't need a sharpener, and we don't waste in this classroom!'

So, the one supply I have never had to order?

CRAYONS!

The Separation of Home and School

Everybody knows about the separation of Church and State.  But do you know about the separation of Home and School?

Today the kids picked up their textbooks from school.  Helena only has two!  However, one of them is a college level art history textbook for her AP Art History class.  If you have ever seen one of those, you will know that it is a gargantuan sized beast of a book!  It is probably over 5" thick.  And, it looks a whole lot like one that I already own.  Different author, though.

You see, I took Art History in college.

When she got the book home, she spent some time leafing through it and made some comments of interest about some of the pictures in it.  I made the mistake of pointing out what I knew about the pictures or the history connected to them.  Right away she told me to knock it off and proclaimed that she was not going to tell me a thing about the class because she didn't want my two cents about any of it.

And here is the interesting thought (at least, to me)... I have never been able to teach my kids anything.  Kind of ironic, since I am a teacher!  I have some skills in the realm of visual art and there is A LOT I could teach them... if they would let me.  Actually, I am licensed and qualified to teach every subject matter from first grade through eighth grade, but when the kids were younger, they always told me that I was 'doing it wrong' when I tried to help them with homework.  When Helena started taking French, I wanted to help her, but she pushed me away.  If either of my kids are struggling with any subject in school, they would rather keep struggling than let me help them.

And why is that?

I remember sitting at the dinner table when I was in elementary school, struggling with my math homework.  My dad sat down to try to help me with it, but he had a different method of solving it than the teacher had taught us.  Or maybe just a different thought process and way of explaining.  I was sitting there desperately trying to remember what my teacher had said, and Dad was just confusing me!  I didn't want his help because it wasn't helping me at the time.  I wasn't willing to let him be the teacher.  I wasn't willing to open my mind to a new way of thinking about the concept.  And, I didn't want to spend the time learning a different approach, I just wanted to quickly get the homework done so I could be free from it!

I also remember my mom hiring another woman from our church congregation to teach me to sew.  My mom is a master seamstress and just didn't have the patience or inclination to deal with a raw and clumsy beginner.  I never did gain any more than the most rudimentary skills in sewing.  I didn't really want to.  My mom was just so good at it that it was HER thing.  I didn't want any sorry thing I had built to be compared to the masterful heirloom pieces my mom was producing.  So I didn't even try.  I think Mom was disappointed that none of her daughters shared her passion.

So, I DO understand why my kids push me away when it comes to homework, and why neither of them expresses an interest in learning visual art skills despite having the latent talent lying fallow and uncultivated within them.

It's the separation of Home and School.

I am the Mom.  Not the Teacher.

Isn't That Just the Way It Is?

Yesterday, I was cranky.  There is no denying it.  I complained and vented about an issue that has been bugging me for a LONG while.

Today, the kids joined Bill and I in working on my classroom; placing all the tables, chairs, and various other paraphernalia in its place.  They did it without a single complaint.  They did it cheerfully.  When we got home, Helena mowed and trimmed the yard.  Without being asked.  Then I remembered that she often mows the lawn without being asked.  She says she likes to do it.  Will came and joined me in pulling weeds in the back yard.  Without being asked.  Cheerfully.  I remembered that he has been known to do that occasionally, though not often.

Do I feel like a jerk for complaining?

No.

OK, maybe just a tiny bit.  But, sometimes you just need to vent, you know?  So thanks for being my outlet!

On another vein, this morning I intended to go down to the high school to pay the kids' class fees so they can pick up their textbooks from the book depository.  I called in advance with a question, and I am so glad I did!  The secretary answered my question, then advised me NOT to come in at the moment, because the school server was down and they couldn't process the fees.  They were having a phenomenally BAD day!  I called several times throughout the morning, but they never did get back online.  I sure hope they get it straightened out by tomorrow!  We are chomping at the bit to get the kids squared away with books and a parking pass.  School starts in just over a week!  Ahhh!

Last Full Day of Summer

At least, it is for me.  Tomorrow I will head over to the high school to arrange payment of the class fees for both of my kids.  They will both be at the high school this year.  Weird!  After that, I'm dragging my entire family off to my classroom to put the furniture all back in order.  With the help of three other pairs of hands, we can get it done in just a few hours and we can return home to have a 'half day' of summer.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I will be at my classroom on my own, setting up my schedule, lesson plans, and materials.  Thursday is my official first contract day with meetings all morning and work in my classroom all afternoon.  Friday is a full meeting day.  Monday will be meetings, then open house in the evening followed by the first day for students on Tuesday, August 23rd.

We have had a very frustrating summer, and not just because of Bill's accident.  In some ways I am glad for it to be over.  That brings me to the almost title for this post...  Stay with me, I promise it will tie in...

The Crucible

When a young person joins the Marines, Boot Camp culminates with an hellish ordeal known as 'The Crucible'.  Wikipedia defines it like this; 'The Crucible is the final test in recruit training, and represents the culmination of all of the skills and knowledge a Marine should possess.'  Our oldest son, Matt, went through it when becoming a Marine.  It is the final test, so to speak, before graduating from boot camp.

I feel like the teen years are the 'Crucible' of parenting.  A final test before graduating to the next phase as a parent of adult offspring. 

When my kids were little, it didn't take much to get them to do their chores, or to obey.  Either they were willing and happy to do it, or they were easy to coerce with a bit of applied discipline.  I remember times when they were thrilled to work right along side mommy, and other times when the threat of losing their favorite toy for the week was all it took to get them to clean their rooms.

Now that they are teens, the job of parenting is so much more difficult.  Every once in a blue moon they will be happy and helpful when asked to help out around the house.  Most of the time, however, when they hear that four letter word, "WORK", they shut down, roll their eyes, mutter darkly under their breath, and then proceed with what they were doing before you talked to them and the work doesn't get done.  Taking 'toys' away sometimes has the desired result, but isn't as effective as it used to be.  And, truthfully, I am tired.  Tired of being the one in charge.  Tired of being the one who feels it is necessary to live in a clean (ish) environment.  Tired of the 'them vs. me' attitude I get from them on the topic.  Tired from all the years of being responsible for the health and well being of the many rather than just looking out for number one. 

So much of what I do for them is so behind the scenes that they no longer even see me serving and helping them.  They just take it for granted that food will always be plentiful, towels will always be cleanly folded in the linen cupboard.  The house will always be cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and well lit.  The cars will always be available for use and will always have gas.  Instant entertainment in the form of computers, TV, and other media are theirs to enjoy.  The dirty dishes can always just be piled up in the sink and mom will always wash them.  Mom will always be there for an instant source of $ should need/want come up.

Am I sounding a bit down?

I am.

My children are not workers.  They will not willingly lift a finger to help.  Spontaneous acts of goodwill are few and far between.  I have to throw in this caveat and say that Helena is known to actually clean spontaneously, sometimes even with a charitable attitude.  But sometimes she points it out to me as if to say 'Look, Mom, I am making more of an effort on keeping this house clean than you are!'  She then looks at me as though I am a slothful person for not keeping it clean on my own.  Grr!  I know the house is not as clean as it should be, little missy!  But I am not willing to be the house elf slaving away at constantly cleaning the messes of all.

Where does all this angst come from?

From church classes.  Today's lesson;  "Family Responsibilities"

Church is supposed to lift you up and bring you closer to Christ.  Today's lesson just felt like a brow beating; pointing out all my many failings as a mother.  Not that that was their intention, of course!  Oh no!  The lesson was supposed to reaffirm things we already know, like parents are supposed to lead and guide, children are supposed to honor and obey.  That was a fail.  The lesson was sugar coated with not one mention of what to do when your child gives you the look of death and storms out of the house because you dared to insist on obedience.

Sorry this post turned into such a downer.  I am confident that all will be well in the end.  No matter how much we screw up as parents, most people seem to turn out alright in the end.  All I can hope for is that my children will survive their childhood and all the parenting mistakes we made.  That they will discover that "WORK" is not a four letter word.  And that, someday, they will be parents themselves, struggling to do the right thing by their kids and realize at that time that we were only human, after all.

The Return of Date Night

We have been unable to go on a 'Date Night' ever since Bill's accident, for various reasons.  First, he was in no condition to go anywhere.  When he started feeling better, we had to watch the finances very carefully!

This week, we were finally able to go out on a date!

Bill took me on a very short little hike to a waterfall up some minor canyon above Salt Lake City.  He could probably tell you its proper name, I can't.  To get there, we had to drive up into the gated communities to the East of the city and 'hike' through a neighborhood to get to the trail head.  That was a new one for me!  Usually the trail head is already a bit out of civilization to start with.  This one was right between two very large homes.  Weird!  Still, it was AMAZING how quickly we left civilization behind.  In less than a 1/2 mile all city sounds had been replaced with the beauties of nature.  LOVE IT!

 I was very annoyed when I downloaded the photos and realized there as a smudge on the camera lens!

 The 'end of the trail' led us to this beautiful little waterfall/grotto.  I say 'end of trail' like that because there was an extension to the trail above and possibly to the top of the falls, but it was so steep... with so much scree on the trail... that we decided it was better not to risk it.

Still, when I turned around, I found Bill climbing in places he really shouldn't have been, considering he is only a few weeks out from destroying his elbow!  I watched him splay himself against the rock face, working carefully on getting back down with the limited use he has of his right arm.  I sometimes think he is completely crazy!

After the hike, we drove back down to our local Rubio's restaurant.  We haven't been in several weeks, obviously, so when Eva (the manager) saw us, she must have been very happy because she gave us our meal for free!  It is really our 'hang out'.  If you are looking for Bill and I around dinner time on a Friday evening, try Rubio's!  And, I have to confess, later in the evening, Bill took our son, Will, back for dinner, as well.  We did pay for that one!

You must conjecture from this that our finances must not be too dire, if we are willing to eat out.  We are still not out of the woods, but we are able to meet our bills enough to be able to have one evening out in the midst of it all.

I am looking forward to our next date!

Bragging Rights

My Dad forwarded this e-mail to me and I just felt like sharing with the world.

Ivar,

I just absolutely LOVE the sailing photos.  Thanks so much for sharing them.  Sailing with Will was a joy.  He's a great kid.  You must be proud.

Blessings,

Sandy

I LOVE hearing good things about my kids from perfect strangers!  Of course, I think my kids are wonderful... every mother does!  But it is really great to hear it from other people, too!  Way to go, Will!

 

Arm Update

Here is the 3 week x-ray of Bill's arm.  He is out of all casts now and in physical therapy.  Since the injury involves a joint, the doctor doesn't want to keep it immobile longer than absolutely necessary.  The longer it is in a cast, the more it will freeze up and lose mobility.

So now Bill is free to get his arm wet and to do the exercises his PT gave him three times a week.  Bill is the most determined person I have ever known and I am sure he'll regain full range of motion.  The doc and the therapist were both surprised at how much he can move already, so that is a good sign.  Bill intends to return to work in two weeks... cutting the down time by a week.  I am torn because, of course I want him back at work, our budget demands it.  However, I worry that if he pushes too fast he'll re-injure it and we'll be worse off than before.

I think Bill should keep a little laminated copy of this x-ray in his wallet to show security whenever he plans to fly!  What do you think? 

Sorry for the Short Intermission

Really, I am!

My computer accidentally got destroyed when some soda spilled.  One of my friends said "See!  Soda is bad!"  Yup.  If it doesn't kill you, it will kill your computer!

The death of the computer was the second bad luck event... as you know, they come in threes.  So...

One,  Bill destroys his elbow, requiring reconstructive surgery and 5 to 6 weeks off of work with no pay.

Two, I destroy my computer.  I took it in to technology, where it was pronounced dead.  I just received the replacement yesterday, though I still have to pay my portion for it.  Fortunately, my principal was understanding and agreed I could pay later when Bill is back to work.

And, of course, Three...  The Alero failed its safety inspection on all four tires.  Its registration was up at the end of June, so we've been driving on expired plates.  You can get away with that for a month, but after that, cops tend to hand out tickets.  When August rolled around, we couldn't put it off any more.  We had to 'buy' tires.  But, of course, with Bill not working, we couldn't afford the tires.  Grrr!  Here is the moment where I am grateful for that curse, credit.  We had to put the tires on account... again expecting to pay once Bill is back to work.

Anyways, the reason for my long absence from my blog is the lack of this computer.  We do have a PC laptop, but with four people wanting access to one computer, I just decided I'd rather wait; especially since I am a Mac and PCs just frustrate me.

But, I am back now!  Click on the title at the top (The life and times of the Watson clan) to load my full blog.  Then you can find posts covering events I missed blogging about over the past couple of weeks!  I will date them according to when they happened, not when they were written... sort of.

I'm glad to be back!

Sailing

My dad is a sailor.  For as long as I can remember, he has had a sailboat.  He tried to teach me how to sail when I was a kid, but I made a poor sailor.  All the different ropes (which are called 'lines' on a boat) just confused me.  It made me nervous and Dad unhappy, so he gave up.

Thankfully, my son wants to be a sailor!  He fell in love with the whole idea years ago when my dad took him out sailing.  So, a couple of years ago, I sent Will off for a summer adventure of learning to sail with his grandpa.  He enjoyed it so much that I decided I needed to send him every summer!  We all went as a family last summer, so this summer was the next opportunity for Will to have his grandparents all to himself.

He left last Wednesday, in the middle of our trip to Steamboat Springs.  I'll recount that in the Steamboat Springs post, though.  He came home just last night.

While learning with his grandpa, Will had the opportunity to meet some members of the Peninsula Sailing Club and try out their little 14' sailboats.  He made such an impression on a lady named Sandy, that she invited him to join them in their annual Seafair regatta (sailboat race)!  Honestly, though, my dad paved the way for that in advance of Will coming.  Still, it was an exciting opportunity for Will and I know he loved every minute of it!  There were four races, his boat placing second, third, second, and second respectively!

Will is the one in the yellow life vest.  This is in the Puget Sound off of the Brownsville Marina, not far from Bremerton.

All of these sailing shots are incredible!  My dad was the photographer, taking pictures from his own sailboat, which was not in the race, being a bigger boat.  Such great pictures, dad!!!  Really!

I love this one!  Will's boat is in second place in this shot.

I am so glad Will got the chance to go sail again this year!  We hope to find him his own small boat next summer for the lakes down here.  But I still want him to keep going back to his grandpa for more practical lessons and experience!