Good Medicine

Thank you so much for calling this evening. I really appreciate the update on Dad's health. It sounds like you are working with some very good doctors, and I sure want to hear how Friday's appointment goes. I've put it on my calendar, and you will be in my thoughts and prayers for a good doctor and accurate information.

Mark and Julia both had aches, sniffles, sore throat, etc. last week. I was nice about it, but felt smug, as usual, because I was feeling just fine. Thanks for the good genes, Mom! Then today after work, I noticed that my throat was starting to hurt. A lot. Rats.

Mark had to run another errand, so I went over to Freddies and stocked up on my favorite remedies. Zinc lozenges for sore throat, echinacea tablets (boost the immune system) to take twice a day, and Theraflu sinus and cold medicine.

And the most important medicine--a bag of Hershey's Nuggets. Hahaha! Remember how we used to stop for "medicine" on the way home from school, stopping at the little store in Avila?

I've "dosed" myself, and I'm heading off to bed early tonight. I had planned to grade papers, but they can wait another day.

Have fun at the "meeting" on Wednesday!

Relief Society Conference

Went over to the church to watch the women's session of General Conference last night. It was really wonderful. There was a beautiful spirit, and I loved President Monson's message. If you'd like to see it online, the link is here. The rest of General Conference will be next weekend. I'm not sure what time it will be on the BYU channel - if it will be local time (9:00-11:00 AM and 1:00-3:00 PM), or if it will be Utah time (8:00-10:00 AM and 12:00-2:00 PM). If you can catch the conference, I know you will enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and the messages are always so good and uplifting.

Before the broadcast at the church, we had a soup dinner at church. It was fun to sit and visit with the sisters and catch the spirit of the evening.

Friday night we went out to dinner with David and Holly, for a late anniversary outing. We had a fun evening at Gustav's, a German food restaurant over by the intersection of I-205 and Sunnyside Road. Arora and Ender were very well behaved.

This evening Josh, Sarah, and Kat are here at the house for a visit. Since Mark and I aren't (yet) allowed to "supervise" Julia's visits, we have a family friend, who is an elementary school principal, over for the evening while the kids are here. The judge set it up that Julia has parenting time with the kids on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Ironically, Julia can't be on her own with the kids, but she's the one who has to set up who is supervising. I am so grateful for our good friends who are willing to give up their time to help out, so that Julia can have time with her children.

I still don't have a lesson plan ready for tomorrow, so I should sign off and get some planning done. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow with Dad's appointment, and look forward to any updates. Love you!

The time is too short

We'll be putting Mike and Maddy on the plane tonight. We are treasuring every moment with Maddy and Mike while they are here today.

Julia and Maddy "dancing" to "Soul Sister," one of Maddy's favorite songs, on the computer.

Hold a Good Thought

I'll be heading off to DHS this morning after my 1st period class, to attend a meeting with Mike (came into town late last night), Julia, and Jayesh. Hoping to make some progress in the overall situation. I keep reminding myself that baby steps are ok, too. Not my preferred speed, but I'm not in charge here. Hold a good thought for us!

Recent Maddy Photos

Mark and I were able to spend a whole hour with Maddy and Julia last Tuesday. Here are some photos.

Yummy Garden

Mark and I had a delicious dinner the other night. The highlight was roasted beets. Have you ever tried them? I washed and peeled them. First I quartered them, then tossed them with a little olive oil and salt. Then I roasted them in the oven for about an hour. They are SO GOOD that way!!! I never knew how much I loved beets before!

Our whole meal was from our garden! Clockwise from the beets:
Roasted beets, cherry tomatoes and pear tomatoes, stuffed green pepper (you can barely seen any pepper under the chicken stuffing), sauteed chard, green beans. (OK, the chicken stuffing did not come from the garden. But everything else did.)

We felt so healthy and full after that dinner!

Worn Out

We had good visits with all the kids and grandkids, but I am worn out. Lots of little people, meals to fix, toys to put away, schedules that happened at the last minute and changed a few times along the way. I don't mean to complain, but I guess I'm doing it anyway. I know I need to be grateful for the precious times with the family--they are few and far between, for some of these family members--but having everyone at once gets overwhelming at times.

Here's a sweet moment with little JJ West and Arora Mayer. These are the kinds of images I want to remember!

Palshikar kids will be here soon for dinner, so I need to get that underway. It will be nice to have a couple more days off before we really have to go back to school!

Back in the routine

It's been nice to be back in our routine this week. We work with some really good people. The teachers are really getting on board with incorporating literacy in all parts of the curriculum. I sort of have lessons planned for the first couple of weeks. Classes are huge - I'm up to 40 kids in one period - yikes! Sad but true, I know some of them will begin dropping out after the first 3 or 4 weeks. I have juniors and seniors in Oregon Lit this term. It will be nice to teach that course again - it's been a couple of years since I've taught it.

Julia has volunteered to help the English teachers score writing papers this fall. I think it will be good for her to have a professional / volunteer connection along with everything else in her life. The English teachers will really love having the help.

Angela and Tim arrived about 3:30 am this morning. They slept here at our house for several hours, but they will be staying the rest of the time at a motel. Angela took the kids to the zoo, and Tim started his interviews with the other doctors in the clinic this afternoon. Tomorrow Mark and I are taking Angela and kids, and also the Palshikar kids, on a hike in the Columbia Gorge. We're calling it the "super twins hike." This may be the only time for these cousins to be together for quite a while. I'm sure the older kids will be a good help with their younger cousins.

Julia will be spending the weekend with a friend, and staying out of the family drama. Maddy finally got to see her primary care doctor yesterday, after 6 weeks, and sure enough, he confirmed that she has actually lost weight since she went into foster care. The DHS caseworker and the CARES doctor have been saying that she was gaining weight, but it isn't true. Their case is becoming more and more difficult to prove, as their "evidence" is largely based on hearsay and assumptions.

Polly and kids will come into town tomorrow afternoon or evening, and they will stay here at the house. Eric is staying home to get more lessons planned.

Joshua and Hillary will also come into town tomorrow - not sure what time. They will be staying with Nathan and Ashley.

Mark is taking the group on a canoe outing on Saturday - whee! I count 7 adults, 4 children, and 3 babies (too young to be in the canoes). They'll go for some low-key paddling at the Clackamette Cove - calm water, and nearby. That's too many people for our two canoes, which is just as well - adults will need to take turns waiting on shore with the little babies. Meanwhile, David invited me to go on a hike with him and Arora that morning, so I will be having a more peaceful experience. Mark is a little jealous. :)

Polly will head home on Sunday, and Mark's kids will be spending time with each other and their mom, so Sunday should be pretty normal for us. We're hoping to have the Palshikar kids over here for dinner. Angela and Tim head home first thing Monday morning, and Josh and Hillary leave on Monday or Tuesday, so we should be able to get some more work time in on Tuesday. With the leadership roles we have at school (me with literacy and Mark with technology) it's hard to get everything ready for our own classrooms on these work weeks. Everyone else needs us to help with things.

Wednesday will be just the freshmen, for their orientation day, so we really only have 2 days of school with students next week.

I'm thinking of you and Dad with his tests this week. Sure do love you!