Blue Moped

We made a run out to the dump this morning. Took some stuff from our house and some stuff from Dan and Amy's house. The little truck handled the trailer like a champ and we had a smooth run.  I got rid of the old sink, the old toilet, the old brick house sign, an old closet door, and then I popped the topper off the truck and tossed it.  Dan had his old topper on the trailer along with several other items.  It was a good trip. 

On our journey we happened to come across a little blue moped that we picked up for free.  It is a little 82 Suzuki and it is going to need a little work done on it but we think we can make it work.  Jack is way excited about it and I am excited to see what we can do.  It would be a sweet little bike for him to cruise around.  We will see what we can do. I think it will be a good little project that will give him some experience in putting things back together and tinkering around.

Speaking of tinkering around, got the go-cart up on stands and started playing with the breaks.  I have to figure out how to get it to stop. Found that a spring was missing on one side and Dan happened to have a spring that we made work for that.  Also adjusted the mechanical discs as well.  I've got them pretty tight right now but that seems to be the only way to get them to grab and actually slow the thing down.  The boys got out and gave it a go.  Jack is fairly good at it now and did well.  Andy is struggling a bit with it.  He really wants to drive it but is lacking a bit of confidence and processing speed when danger arises is not good.  We hit the curb pretty well at one point.  It was one of those moments when you could see it happening, tried to make it stop but were powerless to make that happen.  At one point I pressed the back of my leg down against the front tire in and effort to apply brakes. It didn't work all that well.  He will learn and get it down eventually.

Conference was excellent today as well.  The priesthood session was powerful as President Nelson introduced a change in the Melchizadek Priesthood.  Instead of High Priests being separated out from the Elders, all will meet together in an Elders Quorum. We will see some changes in the coming weeks.  Pretty cool.  The entire session was very powerful.  For a closing song President Nelson invited all to stand and sing Rise Up Oh Men of God.  it was great. 

Results Are In

I have anxiously awaited over the last 21 days for the results of my praxis exam. I didn't note the scores when I took the exam and I was nervous to see how I actually did.  It turned out great. I passed all sections. That feels fantastic. I am grateful for that. Now I need to study for my next one. It is in a week.  Want to do well. 

Enjoying It

For the last 9 school days I have been able to head over to South Elementary to make observations and to participate in teaching.  It is great.  I am really enjoying it.  Next week we will be off but then back in the saddle the following week.  I really enjoy going in and working with the students. Thus far my time has mainly been spent in the special ed room with Mrs. Coonen.  She is simply the best and I feel very fortunate that i get to work with her.  After Spring break I will be in a different classroom but it will be good. I must retire for the evening.  I am feeling the weight of my eyelids. 

An Award for That?

Back on the 16th my blog entry for the day was titled Getting Frustrated.  Indeed I was frustrated at a task I was working on for school.  I was developing a lesson plan that was composed of 5 mini lessons.  It was not my favorite assignment and I was struggling to get it done.  I actually quit working on it that night just for my own sanity.  The next day I got up and went back to work. It made for a long day but I got through it. I didn't think it was the greatest work but it should meet the requirements of the task.  Indeed it did and I passed the assessment.  Today I received a call from my mentor who asked if I had seen my email.  I had not.  I thought she might be calling to let me know that my scores came in for that dang praxis exam but this was not the case.  She told me that I had been given and award of excellence.  Apparently my task submission was excellent and impressed the evaluators who are charged with evaluating such things.  She told me that this doesn't occur all that often and that I should be very proud of this achievement. When I figured out that it was for that mini lesson task I was a little bit surprised.  The reality is I don't do the bare minimum in these tasks.  I take them very seriously and I want to do them right.  I don't want to have to go back and do them again because I missed something. I researched effective mini-lesson plans and put something together that I thought would be beneficial to diverse groups of students.  I guess I did okay. I had three emails congratulating me on the achievement.  Pretty cool.

Oh My Gosh

I just watched a video for the task I will need to complete for my upcoming social studies class.  Truly I am left scratching my head and wondering why they include certain parts in this assessment.  There are literally parts in section B, C, and D where all I have to do is copy and paste information that I have already included in section A.  Why bother?  Why waste the time in doing it all twice?  I don't quite get it.  Apparently these things are designed by people that have a ton of extra time on their hands.  Sweet.  Well, I am beat and am struggling to keep my eyes open. I am going to call it a day. 

In The Kitchen

Did some running around for Brick House this afternoon.  Had to take care of some financial stuff and then ran to the store.  I came back in and began working the line because we had a lot of catering that needed to get done and the restaurant was busy for  a Monday.  Natalie was at an appointment and was going to be late so I knew that we were down one in the kitchen.  I then ended up working for the next few hours as things just stayed busy and work needed to get done.  I went from fryers to making sandwiches and then out to the bus tables.  Not bad.  I enjoy jumping on the line and getting after it. I wasn't intending to spend my afternoon and evening working at the Brick but that was needed today so that is what I did.  It worked out just fine.  It was a big Monday for us and at this time of year we take what we can get.  A big day is taken with smiling faces.  Well, at least a few smiling faces.  I am sure there are a few sour ones when their workload is increased.  We need to be grateful for what we are given and do our best to be wise stewards over it.  There are plenty of restaurants that are suffering through this time of year and sometimes that suffering is worse then what we go through. 

Uphold

Went home teaching this evening after church.  My new companion was out of town so I took Jack with me.  Jack will be 14 in a few weeks and should be my companion shortly thereafter so this was good practice.  We saw the Miners and the Shurtleffs.  Great visits in these homes and Jack did a great job. 

I thought about what I might share in these homes and I felt it would be good to talk about conference next week and the opportunity we will have to participate in the solemn assembly to sustain President Russel M. Nelson as the prophet.  I took a gander at LDS.org to see if they said anything about it and came across a little message titled Uphold the Hands of Our Prophet. It is a good read and shared a message that I thought was perfect for a brief home teaching visit.  The article shared the story of Moses and how when the children of Israel were in battle they were successful when Moses held up his hand.  When his hand fell their enemies prevailed.  As the battle carried on Moses's hands grew heavy and as they began to fall Aaron and Hur lifted them and steadied them.  Moses was upheld by those he served.

We have the opportunity to raise our hands and to uphold President Nelson. We will be able to raise our hands to sustain him as the Prophet in the solemn assembly next week.  We can continue to uphold him by following the direction they give. President Nelson shared this in October 2014 conference:  "Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities.  Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding on us". I quite like that and feel a great love for those who I have previously sustained as prophet.  I have felt that love grow as I have tried to do my part to uphold their prophetic priorities.  I think it is important to recognize our duty to sustain not only with our hands but with our actions. There are times when that can be difficult to do as it may require sacrifice on our part.  We may have to stand alone. Whatever the case, when we follow the prophet and uphold him, the Lord will uphold us.

I shared the story of having President Hunter pass away while I was on my mission and not being able to participate in conference because of the delay in watching it in South Africa.  It took time for the recordings to arrive and I returned home before they arrived and before conference had been broadcast for the saints in South Africa.  When I returned home the folks had recorded conference. I couldn't wait to turn it on and participate in the solemn assembly for President Hinkley.  That was a very special moment for me to stand in the family room of our house on Telegraph St. in Carson City, to raise my arm to the square and sustain President Hinkley as the Lord's prophet on the earth. I look forward to this great opportunity to do the same for President Nelson.  

Busy Day

Had a fine day. Dropped off the new van to pops. Took the borrowed van and loaded it with boxes from the folks garage. Just a bunch of empty boxes for the most part. There were others that were filled with strange online purchases. Anyway, ended up cleaning the garage. Then I took the load of boxes to the dumpster at the brick where I broke them all down and there them away. Good to have that garage cleaned out. Cleaned the old borrowed van and got it ready to return. Well, I can keep rambling but I won't. I am exhausted and it is time for sleep.

Quick Trip

Made a run up to Salt Lake today, well, Sandy anyway. Took the Shuttle to Orem where Dave picked me up and we drove into Sandy where we picked up a mobility van for pops. I drove that home to Cedar this evening. Got back to town a little after 11 and dropped off some cheesecakes to the restaurant. I will deliver the van to the folks in the morning. 

Dave mentioned the other day that I should go to the Jordan River Temple open house while I was up there. That sounded great and I did just that.  That was the first temple I had gone through for an open house prior to its original dedication.  I dont remember much of that experience but do recall driving by a big farmers field on the way there and reading a sign that said "Hey, for sale". At least that is how.  Anyway, we laughed about that one. The temple was magnificent.  Glad I got to go.  Now I must go to sleep. I am wiped out.

Task Submit

For the most part of this week I have been trying to sneak in parts for the task that I have due in my current class.  Tonight I was determined to get it done.  There were several moments when I thought I was going to get up and be done.  I am tired.  Anyway, I sat back down and before I logged off I decided I would do just one more thing.  Pretty soon I was looking at only have a couple of requirements left and I would think "I can be done and will just do these in the morning". Nope, just had to keep going and got them done and turned in.  Well, suddenly I am in panic mode because I just realized the last one of these I did for this class provided an outline that was only a portion of the task. I just followed the same basic outline and am wondering if there is more.  I might have to revisit this old task submit and see if I need to further enhance my document. 

Zombie

I am feeling some of the effects of a very full schedule.  It is 11:30 at night and I have been going non-stop since first thing this morning.  I was trying to get through my lesson plan for my language arts intervention class.  It is coming together but it is a lot of detail and my brain is not fully wrapping around it all at present.  I have some ideas all coming together but getting them in order and typed out is another story.  I hope to have it submitted by tomorrow as I will not be in a position to work on it Friday and really just need to get it in.  I am really enjoying my mornings over at the school though some times I feel pretty inadequate.  It is good to be there learning and gaining experience.  Now, I must go to sleep.  I need to get up in a few hours and am having difficulty keeping my eyes open at present. 

Loving It

Today was day 2 in the resource classroom.  I am really enjoying this.  It is a bit overwhelming to think that I will have my own classroom one day that is filled with students that have special needs but it is also very exciting.  I think about those that work with my boys and I am so very grateful.  I am excited for what I will continue to learn from one of the best in the business. This is an exciting time for me.  It is neat to get out of the books and into the classroom where the teaching takes place. 

I am a bit tired. Life is not slowing down at all but getting busier.  That is a good thing I guess.  I am making progress towards my goals . 

First Day

This morning I made my way over to South Elementary School where I had the great opportunity to make observations in the resource room with Sharon Coonan.  What a great morning.  It was way awesome to participate and see what goes on. Sharon is really quite amazing and just has this great flow to what she does and how she works with these students.  She has a small group first thing in the morning that she works with on some math refreshers and then for the rest of the morning she has a couple of students that come into the resource room.  One of the students I am familiar with from church but I am not able to disclose who that is for privacy purposes.  Anyway, he is way cool. There is another boy that comes in with him who had a traumatic brain injury as a baby.  He is a neat kid as well.  I really enjoyed watching every thing in action. I certainly felt a bit overwhelmed when I thought about how I would need to do this myself but it is great to get this experience when I can sit with one of the best and see how she organizes her day and effectively helps these students learn.  Got to see a token economy in action and saw how these students were rewarded for their efforts and stayed motivated to work because of it. It was cool.  Tomorrow I go back for day two.  Lots more to learn and experience.  I am excited to do be there participating and learning. 

Nice Little Snow Storm

It started snowing last night.  It wasn't super heavy to begin with and I wasn't sure we were going to see much.  By the time I was going to bed it had dropped a few inches and when I got up this morning it had dropped a few more.  That was pretty fantastic.  I was excited to see that as we have had a very mild winter.  We did fast at the beginning of the month for moisture and so far we have had a few storms come through and leave a little something.  That is great. Someone told me today that we are supposed to have another storm come through in a few days.  Grateful for that. 

With the snow this morning I decided I would run over and take pops into the infusion center so that mom didn't have to drive in the snow.  By the time we got on the road the plow was pulling into their complex.  When we got to the main road everything had been plowed and so the streets were pretty clear.  That was good.  The van handled it just fine though I am surprised pops wasn't soaking wet with how much water noise I could hear coming through the side door that doesn't close all the way.  I don't think much if any water actually came through but a lot of noise sure did. Grateful that we have this van to borrow for the time being, even if the sounds of the open road fill the cabin. 

Get Back On

So I was pretty frustrated last night with the task I was working on. I finally quit messing with it and went to bed.  When I got up this morning I went back to the computer and went right back at it. It took me much of the day to get through the entire thing but I finished it.  Now I have another task to complete. It is a lesson plan that is pretty intense but I will get through it. 

Had a birthday dinner tonight for Laura. Went to the Depot. It was a good time.

Getting frustrated

I am trying to write the first of two tasks for my Language Arts instruction and intervention class and it is really getting to be a frustrating experience.  I am not enjoying it in the slightest. I have to write multiple mini lessons for differentiated learning at it is getting on my nerves. I want to scream. I have one mini lesson done, three more to go. Each is for a different group in the class. The whole thing starts to make no sense because it would take me an hour just to get through 4 mini lessons. What does the 4th group do? Do they wait 45 minutes for me to finish withthe first three mini lessons?  This just seems impractical and dumb. Give me a task that is a little more realistic if you want me to gain the experience. There is no way I could do what they want me to do in a real life teaching situation.  Just dumb.  Not enjoying this. Just want to be done.

Snow Surprise

Living in Cedar City we really shouldn't be surprised by weather that turns into something that wasn't expected.  Today we had a pretty good snow storm roll through.  It was actually great to get the moisture as we surely need it.  I was not expecting to look up from the kitchen and see snow falling heavily out the window.  This was the case however.  I don't actually mind the snow.  We certainly need it, even when it comes as a surprise. 

Exemplary

I just passed another objective assessment with exemplary marks.  How exciting is that?  I spent a few hours today going through the course content and a couple of cohorts and decided I felt pretty good about the material.  There was one section of the test that I struggled with but the rest were actually pretty good.  That is nice, especially since I was not all that confident with every question.  I had to use some of my reasoning skills.  Glad to have that part done.  Now I need to dive into the task portion of the assessment and see if I can't get through them also.  Have to get through them.  I don't have time not to. 

Oh Brother

Sometimes I dive into the tasks that I need to do for school and I think to myself "this is just a bunch of busy work".  I'm sure there is a sound reason for it but dang, it really just feels like busy work.  That get's to be frustrating sometimes when you are down on time and just wanted to get through with this stuff.  I took a look at my current course and found that there are multiple tasks for me to complete.  I originally thought it was just one. Now I am staring at two activities that seem to be busy work.  I was hoping to push through this class a little faster, to finish within the week.  I don't know that I will get that done with what I am looking at now.  It's gotta happen though, I've got to be done with the class by the end of the month so there is no time to mess around.  Dang busy work.

Party

Just out pressing forward. Trying to get through the things I need to. I went in and visited with Sharon Coonan today. Working to get things scheduled for my pre-clinical experiences.  I am quite happy that I will be working at South Elementary.  Love those people over there.  It sounded like South has already been talked to about my student teaching in the fall. At least Sharon brought up that I won't be able to be in her classroom in the fall. She told me that I would likely be in with Mrs. Payne who was Andy's 5th grade teacher. She is great. My SPED student teaching will be at secondary level, hoping at Cedar High. 

I did take my pre assessment for my next class and managed to pass. I might try to get that knocked out this week. Gotta try and stay ahead.  It's a party

Impressions

We had our teacher council meeting today. We continued with our study of preparing yourself spiritually.  Blake lead the discussion today. He does a really good job with it and I think all learned some great things today.

One part of the lesson talks about recording spiritual impressions. I record things all the time but I don't know that I am great at recording spiritual impressions. There are many experiences that I have recorded or shared but maybe I need to focus on making record of more of them. Taking time to ponder helps me to recognize the hand of the Lord in my life. 

Tonight the kids and I drove up the canyon. We had a good time. We drove up on top heading towards Duck Creek. 8 years ago when we came up over the mountain we stopped the car, got out and played in the snow.  We stopped at that spot tonight, got out of the car, looked at the snow and then got back in the car and drove down the mountain. On the way down we played a game seeing who could hold a note the longest. I think Andy got to 25 seconds. He worked hard for it so he could beat Jack at 24 seconds.  Natty got somewhere in the teens. It was pretty fun. I managed 49 seconds. Yeah Boy!  Good times.  I surely enjoy these fun family moments together. 

Staying Busy

Just another day. Kept busy the entire time. Hooked up a fryer at the Brick. Worked on cleaning the hood. Made a run up to the folks to get pops in his chair then back to the brick. Had some banking to do, had some shopping to do. Got pops out of the chair later this afternoon. More running around. Oh my goodness, I am just rambling. Time to call it. Busy day tomorrow.

Test Done

I took the big test today. I got through it all in fairly decent time.  At the end I was able to see my results but I had no idea what I was looking for and it wasn't very clear so I didn't pay close attention to what I now believe was my score. I seem to think at least two of them exceeded the cut score for Utah.  It may be 10 to 14 business days before I know. That is a bit frustrating. Well, next time I will know what to look for.  Glad it is done. Time to start prepping for the next one.

About to Die

Tomorrow I have to go and take a test. It is a 300 minute test.  That is 5 hours.  It covers Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science.  I am in no way, shape, or form ready for this test.  I have spent hours today going through and studying the science section - definitely my weakest section as I haven't taken a science course for years. Well, I had my dinosaur class but that wasn't so helpful with the information I need to know for this test.  Brutal.  It is also a subject I haven't had to do a lot of with the kids.  I mean, last minute science projects don't exactly get you ready for this type of test.  I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep because I was worried about this test.  The cost was $170. I looked today to see if I could reschedule. Too late for that. Tomorrow I will be marching towards my death.  I am hoping to pass at least two sections of the test, preferably all 4 but if I walk away with at least two then I only have to pay for and retake the sections I don't pass. In a month I will be back in for the special education test.  I will try to be much more prepared for that one. Life has been extremely hectic and busy lately so finding the time to sit and really study has been difficult. The next several weeks are going to be even more demanding on my time with my preclinical experiences starting in the classroom and the need to get pops into his chair and off to get his medications everyday at the infusion center. I will have no time for anything at this point.  I still have 5 classes to complete before the end of May. Gotta keep pressing forward as best I can. Somehow we will get through. 

March 7th 2018

Exhausted right now. Full day. Just wanting to sleep now.  I managed to get some studying done for upcoming praxis test but I am nowhere near ready for it. I may need to see if I can reschedule that. There is so much happening right now.

Helped to transport padre to his infusion appointment. That took a while. It went well enough.  We were able to get him in his chair and then into the mobility van.  It was good.

I have to sleep. Can't keep my eyes open.

March 6, 2018

I am so tired tonight.  It has just been a long day.  I got my task submitted for my language arts class.  I have no idea how it will turn out but I think it will be fine.  I hope it will be anyway.  I have a test on Friday and really need to spend time studying for it.  I don't know how it is going to go.  I do feel a bit nervous. This is a big test and will have some serious consequences if I pass or fail.  I need to pass in order to be able to teach in Utah.  I need to pass in order to earn my degree.  It is feeling a bit heavy.  Have to keep pushing even though it is hard and I am tired. 

The old LP

The old LP is happening.  It is late so I need to stop because I cannot keep my eyes open any longer.  The old LP is actually Lesson Plan.  I am trying to get it knocked out and think I have put together a pretty good lesson plan. I have a few things left and will finish those up in the morning and then send this thing over.  For now, I must rest.  Have to get up on 5 hours to get the kids going off to school.  Oh my. Get this thing done and then gotta study for the big test on Friday. 

Review

I probably need to go back and review what I wrote last night. I was up late wrapping up a project changing out the kitchen sink. By the time I sat down to write I must have fallen asleep immediately. I woke up around three with my phone in hand. I tried to write something but it is probably nonsensical.

Today was great. Enjoyed church. We had a simple Sunday meal of hot dogs and quesadillas.  I know, not exactly items that get paired together.  It was simple and the kids ate what they wanted. 

We had little Sambo over for a couple hours as Dan and Amy took the Beans to the ER. She fell off the couch and broke her arm. We had a fine time with Sam. He helped me build a fire and helped me bake a cake. 

It was a fine day. I am grateful for my family. Ready for some sleep.

Out

My goodness. It had been a full day.  I had a good one.  Saw pops in saint George.

Passed

Took my assessment for my literature class today. It went pretty well. I passed so that was great. I spent a couple hours studying for it this morning. I felt like I was ready so I went for it. There were a few questions I struggled with but for the most part it went pretty well.  Now I need to knock out a lesson plan for that class and that will be another one down. 

March 1, 2018

Lots going on. Got signed up for my new semester of school today.  I have a full load this semester and I need to get done with it all in half the time.  It is going to be tough.  Hopefully I can start knocking some stuff out.  Actually, I need to knock out 6 credits in March just to stay on track.  I have a good start on one of the classes and hope to get through it in the next few days.  Worst case scenario is that I will take two weeks to get through it but I am going to try and move that a bit faster.  The other challenge is that I have a major test to do in 8 days and I have to study for it.  We will get there, somehow.  Well, not much else to say about today.  I am wiped out and ready for bed.  Lots to do tomorrow.