On being single in a family oriented church

I came across a dialogue on the somewhat skewed mission statement of a singles ward somewhere in the church. Check it out here . It inspired me to share the following story:

Thirty-some years ago my friend and I were “kicked out” of the singles ward in Cambridge because we lived outside of the Stake boundaries. Our Stake had no singles ward. The first Sunday we attended our family ward we were just a little bit late and I’m sure everyone noticed us - two obviously single young women. It happened to be the Sunday that the RS was speaking and they had chosen a young mother, a middle aged mom and an older woman to speak. When they saw us, they realized that they hadn’t covered all the bases and all three of them awkwardly inserted into their talks that RS has a place for the young SINGLE woman who ISN’T MARRIED YET. I’m glad I had a friend to laugh about it with. And bless them for wanting to include us!

Steve's Blog and Vlog

Stephen is preparing for a Japanese proficiency test and has both a Blog and a Vlog of new words he is learning there in Okinawa. Check them out:

Steve's Japanese Blog

Fw:

My friend sent me one of those positive, uplifting, reinforcing, cute, sappy forwards about how wonderful it is to grow old. I would usually just read, smile and delete. BUT today I am still recuperating from Saturday. Saturday I found myself at a nursing career fair competing with people much young than I. I would go as far as to say I was the oldest person in the room. I was waiting in a long line, watching other people as they interviewed. It was open; I could see what was happening. There were a lot of these open interviews going on in a very crowded conference room. So I watched and saw the interviewers laughing and chatting with the candidates, taking their time. The interviewers were doing most of the talking. I couldn't hear much, but it looked like they were recruiting, trying to sell their hospital, their department. When my turn finally came, I got the cold treatment. No positive chatter, no encouragement. I did not match the profile they were looking for and it was ever so obvious. It probably would have been a good idea to do more than one interview - there were 13 or 14 possibilities - but I was out of time as well as extremely discouraged. So no, I did not find the forward amusing and I will not send it on to seven friends. Today I don't feel so great about growing old.

They Froze to Death

My 5th great grandparents died on March 5, 1813 in Trenton, Maine. Back in the summer of 1969, I discovered their common tombstone in an overgrown cemetery. On it was engraved, “They froze to death returning from a visit”. He was 69; she was 72. I had a great time that summer doing research on my family, tracking tidbits of information and discovering forgotten graveyards. They can be a great source of information.

I love cemeteries. I visit my son’s grave here in Dallas and find it peaceful just to be there. When he died, my mom planted a rhododendron at our camp in NH in his memory. That was over 17 years ago. It is still there and very beautiful.

My dad was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the family plot in Carlisle, Massachusetts. I have ancestors in that cemetery going back to the 1700’s and I love to visit when I am in the area. I think there are 5 or 6 sets of grandparents of various degrees of greatness there as well as numerous uncles, aunts and cousins. Bill’s parents were cremated and are interred in the wall of a chapel in an Episcopal church. I would rather visit a graveyard.

Processed People

I have the DVD "Processed People". I had the trailer posted here but it took too long to load so the link is below. It is worth watching! If you are in the Dallas area and would like to borrow it, let me know.

Processed People

Off to SLC!

Tomorrow morning, Bill, Emma and I will fly to Salt Lake City. We will rent a car and drive down to Provo and stay with our good friends, the Harlows. Then on Wednesday, Emma will enter the MTC. So our time with her grows shoreter and shorter. Today Sarah and Loren drove over from Ft Worth to spend the day with us. James and Melissa are here as well. On Sunday Emma got to talk with Stephen in Japan for 30-40 minutes, before getting set apart Sunday night. She has had a good dose of family. As a missionary she will serve for 18 months with no vacations or trips home. We will get 4 phone calls - 2 Christmas calls and 2 Mother's Day calls. We will miss her, but we are very excited for her too, as she begins this new phase in her life!

Flu Shots

So, I have made a brief foray back into the world of working people. I have worked a few flu shot clinics. Last Thursday I gave a little over 100 flu shots at a clinic for Citigroup in Irving. It has been fun to get out and meet new people and make a little money, but I suppose I need to get a real job. At a hospital. I thought the nursing degree (BSN) and the RN would open many doors, but I was mistaken. Without that hospital experience, no one wants me. I am afraid of 12-hour shifts that stretch into 14 or 15 hour shifts. I am in good health, but I am not young.

Population Fluctuation on Sycamore Street

The population of young people in our household has been in a state of flux. In June, Stephen left for Japan and Emma for Minnesota. From no kids at home in July we got Emma back in the middle of August at almost the same time that Joakim arrived. Then a week later we got Annebeth. We were stable at 3 during September. Then Rene came to visit for two weeks in October and we were up to 4. Last Saturday we went down to two when Rene went back to Germany and Annebeth finally got permission to move in with her new host family. Just in time for James and Melissa who will be driving from Idaho Falls to Dallas this weekend and staying with us for... as long as they want to! So we will be back to 4. But then Emma will be leaving for her mission three weeks from today, bringing us down to 3 again. And then when Sarah starts her rotation at Childrens Medical Center at the end of December, we will have her for a few days. It keeps life interesting!

Emma's Going On A Mission!!!

Can you guess where? Here's a hint:



She reports to the MTC in Provo on November 19th. Exciting times!

It was the best of jobs, it was the worst of jobs.

"It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." I sacrificed the best of jobs because I could not bear to go back to the worst of jobs.

Habits and Shoes

I have heard that it takes 30 days to establish a new habit. While I was living out of a suitcase for 30 days, I had only 3 pairs of shoes to wear. I've been home for a week now and just realized that I've been wearing the same 3 pairs of shoes since I got back, even though there are plenty more in my closet!

Here We Go Again

Today I got approval for two exchange students to attend the Arts Magnet for this coming school year. One is a dancer; the other is a violinist. They both are excellent candidates for Arts. I'm sure they will enjoy their year. I had been trying to find another family to host one of them, but more and more I am growing attached to both of them, even though we have not yet met. I'm not sure which I would want to give up. I had thought we would keep Joakim, the Swedish boy, and find another home for Annebeth, the Danish girl, but I find myself feeling excessively picky about who would be acceptable. And as I discovered with Rene and SeWon, it is often easier to have two than just one, especially when I have no kids of my own at home. We have Emma now, but she will probably leave in another 2 or 3 months for her mission.


UPDATE: Joakim arrived on August 15th and Annebeth arrived on August 22nd. Here is a picture taken at DFW on the 22nd:

Better Than Chocolate

Blasphemy to some, maybe, but there are a few edible treats that I find better than chocolate. Mighty Mango fruit juice smoothie by Naked is one. Expensive, but worth it! Panda brand licorice with herbs is another. As with anything so delicious and tempting, a little goes a long way... or should. I've found that overindulgance can spoil even the most delectable of treats. I may come back and add to this list. I recall using the phrase "better than chocolate" in reference to other favorites that slip my mind just now. I've eliminated anything with butter - like artichokes or lobster, since I'm trying to eat vegan. Do you have a favorite treat that's better than chocolate??



OK, I just thought of another. Fresh raspberries, right off the bush. Last week, when we were in New Hampshire, Sarah, Loren and I drove to a farm at the end of Tuftonboro neck and picked raspberries and blueberries. I probably ate nearly as many as I saved! And I recall thinking 'better than chocolate'.

Time to Make a List

One of my goals for the next few days, besides staying out of the heat, is to get my house in order. We hope to host another exchange student this year, and YFU will want to make a home visit. I'm not sure we would pass at this point. I've been up since 7:30 or so and have accomplished very little. SO it's time to make a to-do list.

I've been trying to get my 2 students approved since mid-June, but people have been on vacation, Arts has no principal and the people who are there don't want to take responsibility. In the meantine, these kids cannot get a visa because they do not have a school placement confirmed.

HOT HOT HOT ... Hazardous Weather Outlook

Heat Advisory!! I left beautiful, cool New Hampshire to come home to this. It was rainy and cooler than usual in NH, but a bad day at the lake in NH is better than almost any day in Dallas in the summer. I do not handle Texas heat very well. The above images are from the NOAA website. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of orange suns on NOAA for the next month or so.

Bullets

While I was in PA, Bill was awakened one night at about 3 AM by the sound of gunshots. He got up to investigate, but it wasn't until morning that he found a bullet hole in the dining room window and a bullet lodged in the wall. That hole is at about the level of my heart had I been standing near the window, or my head had I been sitting at the table. Later he found a second bullet hole that went through the outside wall into the pantry, through the pantry wall into the laundry room and through the wall over the laundry room door. That's right - three entry holes and three exit holes from the same bullet. He found the actual bullet on the family room floor. It's amazing that nothing in the pantry was damaged or broken... and lucky no one was hurt. People are so thoughtless and stupid. Random bullets can and have killed.

What a slouch I am!

I am being a Camp Nurse in Pennsylvania!. So much to write about and yet I don't. I finally have a day off today, so maybe after breakfast. Ill catch up.

It's Over!!!

Yesterday was my last day of school. I had volunteered to go to Anne Frank on Monday and Tuesday but the Powers That Be dictated that I stay at TJ. Because the HS students were having finals, they were only at school for 2-4 hours each day. So I read books and gave out a few bandaids and did some research on the computer. Meanwhile at AF the clinic was crazy and I could have been of real help. At least I got to be at AF for my last day. I have 3 days of staff development during June that count towards next year. Other than that, I am free until August 18th! - Yes, I signed a contract for next year, but I have not yet been assigned to a school. So things are up in the air and I shall be, at least casually, looking at other possibilities.

Shakespeare and Company, Paris

Emma the bohemian is staying at this icon:
In exchange for about 4 hours of work per day, she has a bed in the bookstore and uses the public showers. Soon she will be going to the south of France to stay at her second organic farm. Ahhh, to be twenty and unafraid!! I did a Google entry for Shakespeare + bookstore + Paris and got a lot of hits. Like this and this and this.

Life

Things have been happening in my life... but I have been in such a funk [1 a: a state of paralyzing fear b: a depressed state of mind] that I have not been able to persuade myself to write. I have wanted to, but I have let the negative overshadow the positive. For five out of seven days each week things are fine, but I feel like I am not handling the other two days very well. Bill told me today that it's easy to tell which school I have been to by the kind of mood I'm in in the evening. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. TEN more days and maybe, hopefully, I'll get a reprieve.



My dear, lovely Emma is in France now - WWOOFing! She begins her adventure at Chateau de Sacy (pictured above), a little north of Paris. The AA flight from DFW to Paris had plenty of space and by one of those strange flukes, her high school French teacher was on the same plane and they sat together! I was not worried about her getting across the ocean. I was more worried about her making her way on her own by bus, train and wit from the airport to this small village 40km to the north. But she managed it. And she has been using a prepaid calling card to call home. That seems to be working well. She will be in France for about 7 weeks, staying and working on 2 different farms. My sister has also been studying French and liked the idea so much that she is going to go WWOOFing too! She is interested in cheesmaking and found a farm in the Pyranees that makes cheese. So since I have been studying Spanish, maybe I should go to a farm in Spain???