Back Home

Well we made it back home after our whirlwind trip to Tennessee.  Our original plans had us scheduled to arrive sometime today.  It is probably best that we left early.  The transition from traveling out east and back to traveling out to Pullman is less stressful this way, although we still have a lot to do. 

Yesterday we celebrated Bonnie's 18th birthday by taking her out to eat.  Earlier she had informed me that her friends celebrated their 18th birthdays by sky diving or going on a cruise.  I don't know who these friends are but I gently informed her that none of those things were going to happen. Heck, I would love to go on a cruise myself, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  

Today we return the rental van and do all of our last minute shopping.  Bonnie would like to get a coffee pot, some food, and odds and ends to make life tolerable in the dorm...yes, dorm.  The school is refusing to allow Bonnie to live off campus.  They stated that since she got her AA through Running Start it doesn't count as having a Junior status and since she is eligible for student loans she can't claim a financial hardship.  As infuriated as I am we have no choice but to move her into a dorm.  On the bright side, she was able to secure a single room in a women's dorm so we feel much better.

I admit that sending our daughter off to school is going to be hard.  Is she ready yet?  Is she strong enough spiritually, mentally, emotionally?  Time will tell.  Yet, most of us did a lot of growing up when we left the nest and tested our wings.  It is just hard to push our chicks out of the nest,

Last Piece of the Puzzle

We finally got everything settled for Bonnie's housing at WSU.  Sadly, the school is refusing to let Bonnie to live off campus at the Rock.  For some reason, because she received her AA through Running Start they won't give her junior status.  They still view her as a freshman and must live on campus.  So, the other day Bonnie sat down and applied for a dorm room.  Today we learned that she will be living in Regents Hall which is a women's dorm.  She also got a single room which she is excited about.  Although living in the dorm will but a strain on her finances she has a place to live and we know where we are going next Saturday.  Next Saturday?!  Wow...the time is going so fast!

Prep Day

Not much going on except the usual, normal Tennesssee activities, I.e. shopping.  There are so many stores here within a few minutes drive that we always try to check them out.  Mom found a store where we can get Birkenstocks for $30. That is a steal.  In case you don't know, Birks are $100 sandals.  I love them and was given a couple of pairs early this year, but checked out the store regardless.  Mom ended buying Bonnie and I both a pair of shoes.  We then hit Burlington Coat Factory where Bonnie stocked up on some school clothes.  I even got a few more blouses to wear.

Today has been prep day, as mom and I have been working in the kitchen all day to get ready for all of the family that is scheduled to arrive tomorrow from Indiana and Florida.  On top of cooking we have been cleaning the house and doing final preparations.  Shortly we have one more shopping trip to get plates, napkins, and cups, then we wait.  

A nights rest makes all the difference

It is hard to believe that we have been here now for 24 hours.  Yesterday was hard because everyone was so tired.  The kids did better than Todd or I because they slept off and on the whole trip.  Have you ever been so tired you felt sick?  That was me.  I finally went to bed at eight and slept a solid ten hours.  It was wonderful.  Today us girls are going shopping!  Dad has taken Todd to meet Harold Coker's son, Corky to see if he can help Todd find a hood ornament for his 1955 GMC truck.  The Cockers are big in antique cars and known nationwide.  The boys are having fun playing on the Wii.  I guess playing it on a 54 inch tv is more fun than playing it at home.  

Road trip

We are on the road to Tennessee.  It is a 40 hour drive and we decided to do it without getting a hotel. We have been on the road for 25 hours so far.  According to Garmin we should arrive by 5:30am tomorrow.  To make the journey we rented a van.  It's a brand new Chrysler Town and Country with a built in dvd player, wireless headphones,  multiple usb jacks that has everyone plugged in. The boys even brought the Wii along.  Of course the kids have decided to fold up and stow away the middle seats and spend the trip laying on the floor. 
Breakfast at Wall Drug this morning.   A little break, ahem, in Murdo, South Dakota and now somewhere on Iowa.  Cant wait to get to TN.

The Wall Part 2

The  forms came off today.  It is so exciting to see everything taking shape.  We have to wait now for the framers which won't show up til we are on vacation.  In the mean time, we will busy ourselves with cleaning up the area.  All of that dirt is our crawl space and no one wants to be crawling around down there with rocks and concrete pieces in your way.

My Eyes Hurt

Have you ever had that experience when you could not find something?  You search and search.  You retrace your steps. You try as hard as you can to visualize what you possibly could have done with the missing item that you eyes actually hurt?  Well, that was me last night and early this morning.  I could not find my keys.  Anywhere.  I retraced my steps.  Tried as hard as I could to figure out where I possibly could have laid them.  I looked in the trash,  I looked throughout the van, even in the ignition.  Inside the house I tore apart all of the couches, looked through drawers, under furniture....nothing.  I could not figure it out.  My thoughtful husband told me to go to bed and I would find them in the morning.   At about 5am I woke up and remembered that the first thing I did when I came home yesterday was sit down at the couch to talk to my daughter.  My keys have to be in that area.  When I finally crawled out of bed, showered, and went down stairs to make breakfast, I was greeted by Brian.  I asked him again if he had seen my keys.  He promptly walked into the living room and a few seconds later emerged with them.  They were under the end table. Ugh!  

The Wall

Because we are building into a hill, the back and side wall have to be re enforced with concrete.  It was quite impressive to watch the crew work as they scooted across the wooden frame and guided the concrete hose along it.  Now we wait as the concrete sets.  In a week and a half/two weeks the framers will show up and do their magic.  By the time we get home from our vacation, we should have the exterior up.  

Taking Shape

The foundation forms are set.  Today the crews return to build the back and side wall forms.  By this weekend they should have the concrete poured.  

Finally Free

Little did I know that less than twenty four hours after my last post so much would happen.  On Monday, July 6 Todd spent the evening tamping down the dirt in the foundation forms hoping it would pass inspection for the concrete pour.  That, however, was the least of concerns.  At 3:30am  Tuesday morning Todd's mom called to inform us that his dad was declining and the family needed to come in.  Todd's dad had been in the hospital since Wednesday evening as his alzheimer's had progressed and his aggression had increased to the point that he could not be managed.  911 was called and after five hours in the ER he was admitted to the hospital.  The doctors began the task of finding a medication that would help control his aggression but for whatever reason, his body shut down.  The whole family filled his room, shared stories, sang songs, and by 6:45am Don Ells went home to be with the Lord.  It was a sad yet glorious day.  He was free from the disease.  The burden of caring for him was lifted.  The worries for his well-being and for Susan's well-being were over. 

Tuesday was a blurr.  Todd and I finally got home sometime after eight, fixed breakfast and tried to figure out what to do with our day.  I managed to go into the church to take care of immediate concerns.  Todd and his brother, Mike, spent the morning at their moms house.  After lunch Todd and I had to go back to Wenatchee to sign the final papers on our construction loan and went out to dinner to "celebrate the finalization of our loan" and to regroup from the day.

Life goes on.  Wednesday was spent recapping Kinderfest with the Chamber.  I remembered we left all of the leftover cupcakes in the downtown gazebo basement.  oops!  Thursday the boys and I got dress clothes and went Costco shopping to get ready for Vacation Bible Adventure and the memorial while Todd monitored the concrete guys pour the footings for our house.  Friday was a quiet day with Bonnie working, Bryce spending the day with his friend and Brian hanging out at the river.  I tried to get all of my cooking that needed be done for the next two days done.  Saturday the VBA crew from Shoreline arrived and now they are doing final preparations for a week of VBA.  Sometime in all of this we will continue to help Todd's mom with the Memorial Service preparations, food preparations for the service, and decorations for the memorial table. 

In short, we are emotionally and physically exhausted.  Yearning for a break.  A mental, emotional break more than a physical break.  Seeking peace in all of this chaos.  In two weeks all three kids go to camp.  Maybe then Todd and I can find that quiet place.  Until then we will plug on.

Forms, tamping, & digging

Prepping the foundation forms for concrete.

Bonnie added some beauty to the property while Todd and the boys began work on the wood shed.

Ready for forms

With temps near 100 Todd worked hard all day to get the foundation ready for forms. Crews are supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Almost Ready

Todd has been digging out our foundation for almost a week!  His goal today is to have it all level and completed.  Crews are supposed to show up on Saturday to set the forms for the foundation.  It is really happening!  Of course, we are still waiting on our loan to be finalized but all we need there is for the review board to sign it, then we sign it and we are off!  

Our big hurdle last week was to prove to the bank that we were not in a flood zone even though FEMA said we were.  Fortunately our appraiser acknowledged that we were not in the flood zone and the bank accepted his word which is good because it was going to cost us $1200 to prove otherwise.  

We are all getting anxious.  A big part of me wants to start looking at tile and cabinets and counter tops, but I am going to be patient and wait for our contractor to tell me when to look.  In the mean time, I am keeping busy getting ready for next school year.  So much for a summer break.  I picked up my curriculum earlier this week and have begun making lesson plans, schedules, syllabuses, and power points.  I will be teaching 5/6 science, 7/8 science, Biology, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2.  I also got my class list.  Right now my largest class has 6 students and my smallest class has 4 students.  Each class is 40 minutes.  Crazy as it might sound, I am very excited.  I already know half of the students and most of the teachers.  This feels so right.  The peace that I feel is overwhelming.  It just makes for one very hectic, busy summer.  

Alzheimer's

How does one describe what it is like taking care of someone with Alzheimer's?   Today is my day to take care of my father in law.  I never know what to expect but one thing I know is that if I shower him with love, smile, gently hold his hand, and rub his back we get along fine.  But if you try to force him to do anything get ready for a fight.  So I don't argue, or force I just go with whatever he says even though nothing makes sense.  

Today he is being a bit ornery since he has decided not to eat.  I fixed his lunch up when he gave me the littlest hint that he might eat, but after two bites he got up and has been wondering around the kitchen ever since....sigh....

Time

I finally have some time to write. Most likely I will be concluding this blog at the end of this year.  I just can't find the time to do it anymore.   To give you an update....this week Bonnie and I have been at Washington state university for orientation.  Today is the last day. In just a couple of hours she will register for classes and will be all set to attend this fall.  August will be insane as we strive to drive to Tennessee and back before dropping Bonnie off for school.

In other news. .. we are still looking at building our house. Yesterday we finally got our building permit and septic permit. Now all we need is our loan.  The bank said our home is in a flood zone and therefore need flood insurance. However we are not and are trying to prove otherwise without spending lots of money and fighting FEMA.   The bank appraiser has appraised the home for more than we are borrowing and has confirmed that we are not in a flood zone. Hopefully that is good enough for the bank and the loan will go through today or Monday.
Tomorrow a group of friends from over the mountains are coming over to help us get the land ready to build on.  They told me not to worry about preparing for their arrival which is good since I haven't been home for a few days and won't be home til late to night.
In all the stress of managing the church,  preparing for Bonnie to go to school, vacation and prepping to go back in the classroom is weighing heavily on Todd and I. I see no rest this summer. I see no rest this year.  Trying to keep my focus on  God and lean on Him for His strength because I need it.

Final Band Performance.

Digging the foundation

It's begun...

It's been a while

I just read my last post and wanted to assure you that all is well.  I did get a chick flick to watch over the weekend and highly recommend it if you want a good romantic comedy.  I watched the movie, Austenland.  It is a story of a gal who is obsessed with Jane Austen novels, primarily Pride and Prejudice and is looking for her own Mr. Darcy.  She ends up going to a resort in England where everyone pretends that they are in Victorian England and relives the life of Jane Austen's Elizabeth.   

In other news, the final preparations are underway for our family Bible conference.  After co-op Bryce and I will be picking up the supplies needed, I.e. Paper products, food, cleaning supplies, etc.  Friday everyone is gathering at the church to to do the  food preparations.  I spent yesterday painting doors while others gathered to do more weeding in the flower beds and sprucing things up.  Add to all the church preparations are all of our property preparations as we near the day that we can finally start to build.  Our goal date now to pour the footings for the foundation is July 1st.   Our contractors goal for completion is Christmas.  

The days are packed and I wonder when there will ever be a break.  I miss those care free days when we can just enjoy life, but those days are very few right now.  My poor house has been so neglected, but I hope to make time tomorrow to get it somewhat presentable.  Thankfully the boys vacuum and clean bathrooms daily for their morning chores.  

So here goes....

I just need a good cry...

For whatever reason, my husband would say its hormones, I feel off.  I mean, everything is bugging me.  Everything.  My day started off wrong to begin with.  Todd got upset with me about something and even though he apologized, more than once, it set the tone for the day.  No sooner did I arrive at church when I got a phone call from the elderly couple that I help needing my assistance.  An hour later I arrived back at the church feeling guilty that once again Bryce has been left on the back burner.  Sigh...not long after I got back, I got a phone call from another elderly lady telling me about this awesome program her grand kids are in and it would be great if we approached our school to get the same program here. Another sigh...pressure....I explained that although I agree it is a great program I don't know if we could put the time and energy to spear head it.  It is a common thing that people often approach the pastor or his wife to share something they are passionate about and want us to implement it, but today of all days it just didn't sit well with me.   During the course of the morning we did manage to get all of Bryce's schoolwork done, the bulletin was printed, and all my church duties were completed.  Of course, I got a short lunch break then back to my couples house to take the wife to her hair appointment.  Finally home and trying to turn my attitude around.  What I really need is a chick flick so I can have a good cry, then all will be right with the world.

Firewood

Todd took the day yesterday to get firewood for the coming winter.  Firewood season will be short this year since we had very little snowfall during the winter.  Already the woods are dry and once the temps begin to climb we will be in full-fledge forest fire season and the woods will be closed to woodcutters. Everyone is very concerned that this will be a bad fire year.  So, Todd has to taken advantage of the time now to get all the firewood that we and his parents need.  Todd doesn't go up by himself.  Instead, he goes with his dad's long time friend, Danny.  Danny is a 65+ bachelor, railroad retiree who knows every inch of the Wenatchee National Forest,and is the best woodcutter to have beside you when you are out in the middle of nowhere.  Plus he has all the tools available to make it fun and easy. Todd will probably need to take at least four more trips to make his wood quota.  Hopefully, he will get it all before the month is over.

Apple Blossom Parade

Once again it is Apple Blossom Time.  Last year Bonnie was in the parade with the Leavenworth float.  This year it is Brian's turn marching with the band.  I was so impressed with him.  Brian's job was to keep the cadence going throughout the whole parade and signal the band what song they were playing by whatever beat he played.  He never stopped playing for the whole hour long march. He was pretty nervous about the whole parade but was excited that he made it through.  He told me that hearing The Beat Goes On band cheering him on at the end gave him his second wind.  In fact, after it was all said and done he ran over to them to say hi and thank you. Band has been the highlight of this school year!  

The Beat Goes On

The high school band was invited to join the Beat Goes On band at the gazebo in Leavenworth last night.   Brian and his friend Caleb were the only band members who showed up.  They didn't realize they would be playing the whole one hour set with the group. Lol...but that is what happened.   Poor Brian.   They didn't have any music for him so he had to figure out a beat to go with. It was a great experience for both boys.

A Banner Day

Yesterday was a banner Day for Bonnie.  First she got to wear her new uniform to work.  I would love to get a job in town just so I could wear a dirndl.  Lol....   In the afternoon Bonnie had an interview for a scholarship she had applied for.  We didn't know what to expect but walked down to City Hall for the interview.  In short, we found out that the scholarship was not for high school students but for non-traditional students, I.e. Those who have been out of school for a while and wanted to return.  However, the organization was so impressed by Bonnie that they decided to give her a financial gift of a thousand dollars and asked for her to attend their meeting later this summer.  What a blessing!  After we got home Bonnie went online to check out her WSU account page and found that she has $14000 in grants and scholarships from the state.  This doesn't include her DYWL scholarship nor the gift she received today.  She also has several other scholarships she is waiting to hear back from.  In short, next years tuition is paid for and over half of the following year.  Yes, it was a Banner Day for this high achieving, hard working daughter of mine.  I am so proud!

Peace

This week has been anything but peaceful, so it was refreshing when the other night Todd and I went for a walk along the river.  Nothing bad has been going on, just a lot of busyness.  It started when at 4:30am Sunday I got a call from the elderly couple I help take care of.  The husband had taken a bad fall and was certain that he had broken some ribs.  He asked if I would come out and stay with his invalid wife while his son took him to the hospital.  Fortunately, nothing was broken but he was very sore, so I hung around long enough to get his wife out of bed, showered, and to the breakfast table.  I eventually made it to church, which was followed by a counseling session, a hospital visit, and Bible study.  For the rest of the week he has asked that I come over every morning to help him get his wife ready for the day, which means my day starts off an hour earlier than usual.  Monday after tending to them, I rushed home to pick up Bryce, then we headed to church to set up for a medical team that was using our facilities for the day.  Shortly after they arrived, Bryce and I left because it was my day to take care of my father in law, no sooner did I get to his house, then I was called back to the elderly couples house to deal with a situation.  Todd who was monitoring the church, came over to deal with his dad, so I could deal with the couple.  Once that crisis was under control I was back at my in-laws and Todd was back at the church.  Once I was done there it was a made dash to the church to relieve Todd.  It was his day off, by the way...sigh....Finally at five Todd relieved me again so that I could go home and get supper ready.  Thank goodness for crockpots!

Yesterday was better as we didn't have as much on the schedule.  Although our time at the church was spent cleaning up from the medical team and setting up for our AWANA Awards program.  Somewhere in all of this we are trying to get school done. Bryce was wanting to work on his treehouse at the property especially since I told him I found a bunch of plywood in the grandparents basement. We managed to cart all of it to his treehouse, before heading back to the elderly couples house so I could make the beds, then over to another widows house to pick up a bunch of stuff.  So in reality yesterday was pretty busy as well. 

Today is no different.  Morning help for the couple, co-op, shopping at Costco, finish setting up for AWANA, then the final awards program.  I wish I could say the rest of the week is going to get better, but it is not.  Actual, Sunday afternoon might actual be somewhat free.  I think I will schedule in a nap.

Progress

We are starting to see some progress on the property.

Bryce driving the backhoe to get some dirt for the tire wall.

On The Brink

It's co-op day again.  Time to catch up on reading and blogging while Bryce is in class.  Right now we are on the brink of many changes.  For one, Todd is meeting with the septic guy to verify what kind of septic system we need for the property and how much it will cost.  Eek!  Praying for a good perk test.  

The next big precipice we are standing on is concerning school and work.  As Bryce nears high school I have become more and more apprehensive about his future schooling.  While the older two went off to the local public high school, I do not feel that is the best option for Bryce.  So, do I continue to home school him or put him in an online school, or enroll him in our local Christian school.  Todd and I have opted for the third choice, Upper Valley Christian School.  It is a small school of 35 students K-12.  The next big problem is tuition.  The answer...UVCS has asked if I would teach science and math either part time or full time.  I have said yes.  So in short, this is most likely my last year to home school and next fall Bryce will go to school and I will go back to teaching.  In reality, it won't be a big change for me.  I will be teaching out of the same curriculum that have used with my own kids and teaching multiple levels of math and science like I did at home.  The only difference is I will have more kids to deal with.  If they want me part time the church has agreed to let me open the church office in the afternoons so I can teach in the mornings.  If I am asked to go full time then the church will find a new secretary.  In short, all of this will answer many prayer concerns such as, Bryce's education, financial needs with the new house, etc.  So as we stand on the brink of so many new changes I am excited.  Excited to see everything come together.  Excited to see my kids growing, changing, maturing.  Excited for the future.

Metal Shop

Brian sent me this picture today from his metal shop.

Metal shop is a class I know Brian should be enjoying but he has a classmate that has been intent on making Brian's life miserable.  From elbowing Brian every time he walks by, to pushing him out of line, or sabotaging Brian's metal shop locker, life in class has been miserable.  There have been a lot of talks around the table of how to deal with this obnoxious classmate.  I have found myself furious and very " mother bearish" but also mindful of this is why my son is there ...to learn how to be a Christian in an ungodly world.  It sounds like things are dying down.  Apparently the other students are becoming more aware of the bullying and are stepping up the pressure on the other kid to stop it. It was nice today to hear Brian excited about class for a change.

City of Tyre...I mean...Tire!

Yesterday, the kids and I joined Todd out at the property to help him sort through tires.
Did you know that with this awesome property that we have purchased, we have been blessed with hundreds, that is not an exaggeration, hundreds of tires.  Big tires, small tires, fat tires, skinny tires....more and more tires.  (I feel like Dr. Seuss is whispering in my ear.)  The BIG dilemma is what to do with all of these tires.  We could hire someone to haul them away.  We figure that would cost us over thousands of dollars...i have done the math...OR we can get creative.  We have opted to be creative.  However.....if you want some....PLEASE...PLEASE...feel free to come over and take some.  Believe me, we won't mind.  Our creative idea for our awesome tires is to build a retaining wall. 

Todd has built a dirt ramp to the back "yard" behind our soon-to-be constructed house, however, to make sure it doesn't wash out he is going to shore it up with a tire wall.  Which brings me back to last nights project.  The kids and I went out to the property and sorted the tires.  After sorting them we had to haul them over to the ramp sight and stack them up according to their size so that Todd can then place them and fill them with dirt and build the wall.  Oh...just to add more work and to make it easier to fill each tire, Todd is also cutting the rim off each tire so that the dirt will go in easier and we can pack it tighter.  It is a LOT of work, but we hope it will pay off in the long wrong.

Although the kids weren't too excited about traveling out to the property to work they made it a lot of fun.  Before long the tire puns were flying.  "Mom, I didn't know that we lived in the city of Tyre."  or "Mom, this is soooo TIRERING.!"  "Mom, I am all tired ou."  lol  Glad they made it fun. 

Prepping the site

We are getting closer and closer to building our house.  We have had to delay the process a couple of months because we changed builders.  Our previous builder was not returning our calls or listening to us.  When he notified us that he was going to change our price by $20k because he failed to understand that we were still going to build in the hill even though we were not going to have the basement garage, we fired him.  I was worried at first, but we have signed up with a local builder that we know personally and is going to give us what we want and a few extras all for the original quote the first builder gave us.  Last week we met with the architect who will draw up our new house plans. The new house will be very similar to the old house plans with a few alterations.  I am excited, nervous, but excited. All of the changes give Todd more time to prep the land.  He has the initial hole dug.  Now he needs to push back the top layers of dirt away from the house to make it safe for construction. He also is putting in a dirt ramp so that he can drive the back hoe up to the yard area behind the house.  We are so thankful for the backhoe that my father-in-law had.

Speaking of my father-in-law, I have now taken on the job of caring for him on the days my mother-in-law volunteers at our local community cupboard.  So far things have gone well.  This past week, he did "snap" towards the end of my time with him.  I had to call Todd to come over to defuse the situation.  It was very sad, but now I know what Susan goes through and I am wiser on what Not to do when I am with him.  Susan wants me to get certified for in-home care so that I can get paid at a higher rate, so it looks like that is what I will be doing this summer.

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On the property

Bryce was on spring break last week and spent some of his time helping Todd on the property.   Todd added new lights to the backhoe so he could dig at night.

Wednesday

I noticed my last post got cut off...sigh...that's ok...it was more of me venting, unloading,  dealing with my pent up emotions..,,.

Life is slowly getting back to normal.   Bryce and I are once again at co-op although today is our last day for this quarter.  We get two weeks off then he will have one more quarter before summer break.  I have had hopes of continuing with this group next year, but a Leavenworth home school mom has asked me if our church will host a Classical Conversation co-op next year.  If that works out, we might join them, but there will be a lot to consider such as will they have enough students for Bryce's grade, teachers, etc.  of course, there is a possibility of me teaching which will pay for his tuition, etc.  

On a totally different topic, Todd and I signed the papers with the bank to start the construction loan process...eekkk!!   Exciting....Scary....  The next step is for the bank to appraise the land and verify that it is a good investment.  A geological survey was done last Saturday and they gave us the green light to proceed.  This Saturday Todd will start digging out the hill.  A church member has offered his CAT to help with the excavation.  Of course, as always, when you make a big financial decision everything falls apart.  Our vans transmission decided to act up and this time Todd is just too drained to deal with it. It is not like he has spent every weekend for the past three months fixing things on the vehicles, so we are letting the pros fix it...cha...Ching!   Oh well.  Thank goodness for tax refunds.

So here we are....praying for guidance one day at a time concerning parenting, schooling, vehicles, housing, ministry....

Sunday

It is technically Sunday even though we have not gone to bed yet from Saturday.  The girls are taking their showers now so they can sleep in little bit before hitting the road at 7:30am.  I'm waiting for everyone to get back to the room so we can go to sleep.  I screwed things up today. Everything has been going well on this chaperone thing til this evening.  While waiting for dinner the kids got a game...an game with situational events that are let's say "crude", "crass", "inappropriate".  Anyway the other chaperone who is a pastor...aren't these kids lucky to have a pastor and a pastors wife for chaps....decided not to prevent the game unless it crossed the line.   I listened to the conversations from across the room and didn't like what I was hearing, more than that though I was more disappointed that my son chose to play with the group instead of hang out with the other PK and his dad.  It was getting obvious that I was uncomfortable with the game and when one of the kids couldn't read a card because the situation on the card was too embarrassing to read out loud, the other chap told them to put up the game and I agreed with him.  When the kids started to argue I got a little stern and make it clear to put the game away.  Here is the thing, both chaps said put it away but they are mad at me. Mostly because I let it show that I disapproved of the game.  What still makes me mad is that the two kids who are mad at me are two "Christian" kids who serve as counselors at the local bible camp and are part of the praise team for Young Life.  Anyway,  I feel like I have been shunned and I am trying to figure out how to deal with that as well as how to approach the whole situation with my son.  This is why he is in public school.  To learn how to be a true Christian in a lost, perverted world.  To be a light of Truth, decency, honesty, uprightness, but if he hangs 

Day Two

Its another day in Moscow,  Idaho at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival.  After eating breakfast at St. Mary's Catholic church we sat in on several performances performed by area high school students.  It was great to hear these young people play.

Our group then split up where two of the students and I broke off from the group to attend a workshop on campus led by Stefan Harris, talk about musical prodigy.  Wow. ... amazing artist. I am a music lover not a musician.   I am out of my league but I am enjoying the company.  

Shortly one of our own students will perform for the judges then off to dinner and finally two more concerts before heading back to bed at midnight.  

Wow, what an amazing weekend.