Spanish lessons

Josh took one year of Spanish in high school. The teacher was there for a month or six weeks and then took six month maternity leave. During this time he had two long term subs. When the teacher came back after six months with less than two months remaining in the school year, she was appalled at what the students had not learned. 

I was appalled the whole year. 

Because Josh did not have a full year of Spanish, even though he sat in the class for the full year, I told him he didn’t have to take Spanish II. I didn’t think it was fair. He was one of perhaps five full

Classes of 30 students each that did t get what was advertised. (It’s still a sore spot with me.)

I remember my MTC experience. I had two full years of high school Spanish and felt like we covered that in the first three days at the MTC. 

I want to give Josh a good foundation before he goes. All of my Spanish books are packed away. The dictionaries, 501 Spanish verbs, the two texts I have to learn Spanish and what ever other books I might have. Even my Spanish triple combination - LDS scripture. 

The Gospel Library has become our text. We are reading El Libro de Mormon and I am breaking down the grammar for him. For some reason we started on chapter three. 

We have covered indirect and direct object pronouns, subject pronouns, present tense, preterite tense, imperfect tense, subjunctive tense, conditional tense (briefly), reflexive verbs, and others I can’t remember right now. 

Today we were reading 1Nefi 3:30 and we hit the preterite tense of ir. I have said a few times that ser and ir are irregular. 

He came up with a better classification. 

He said that ir is totally drunk. 

For some reason that delights me. 

Oh no

Boaz went to run out to the car to get his phone. Craig is golfing. Josh and I heard him say, "Oh no! There are two skunks outside our door!"

We got up with our phones to document the sight, but one had disappeared, and I saw one in the act of disappearing in the bushes. 

We are too afraid to try and spook them out. These bushes are the ones on the left of the door. 

Do you see how close they are to the door? We went out the back door and around to be able to look and take pictures. 

Now we are kind of afraid to leave the house. 

Mesa Verde

We live minutes away from the entrance to this National Park/World Heritage Site. It has taken us this long to go. Craig has been to busy to go, and the boys didn’t really want to go. In fact today, they both brought books to read in the car. 

I was navigator and was not doing a good job. We ended up at a place I wasn’t wanting to go. We didn’t purchase ticket for the tour. 

Oh my goodness. If we ticket we could have climbed down and seen this sight up close and personal. I’m determined to go back next week and take the tour. 

This is the Cliff Palace. The most photographed spot in the park. 

At the overlook spot. Notice I carry two pairs of glasses. Reading glasses and sun glasses. I also had my phone out for pictures. 

This is the Square Tower House. It is the tallest structure. This is a do not trespass site. Viewing from the road only. They had to repair the tower, but they did a great job. This site has the kivas as well. 

I adore this picture. Craig took a video of them walking. I took a few stills. 

Looking across the canyon to the Cliff Palace. There are about five other sites nearby in the cliffs. We were joking the smaller sites were for the introverts or the outcasts. But if we lived here, we would probably choose a smaller site, just for privacy’s sake. 

I offered to take a picture of four cute retired people. This is them returning the favor. They were from Connecticut. A long ways away, for sure. Josh had come , seen, and returned to the car to read the last few pages of his book. He said we were a special kind of mean. It’s a 660 page book and he just wanted to be able to finish it. He finally did and was happy the rest of the trip. 

Part of the Sun Temple. A ‘D’ shaped structure with two kivas in the courtyard and a third kiva in the middle of rooms. With a kiva outside the walls. All the doorways have been filled in, so we couldn’t enter and wander. There was a diagram that I should have taken a picture of. Craig said it reminded him of the baptismal fount outside and the two kivas in the courtyard were the Telesrial and Terrestrial kingdoms with the Celestial kingdom in the room more complex part. 

Part of the walls surrounding the courtyard. 

Standing on a rock and looking in toward the telestial kiva. 

The Terrestrial kiva on the left. 

I wish I could have gone in. 

We saw a coyote on the way up, but didn’t get a picture. On the way down we saw this one. I don’t know if it is the same one. 

A fun day. 

Searching

Craig has been working 12 hour days. He has to into a broken system and straighten it out and get it working again. It’s been hard. 

I’ve been looking at houses with the realtor. I’m motivated to find a place of our own, where I can have my kitchen and my bed. Most of the houses are a mess for a ton of money. We have chosen to listen and live in a small community. That reduces options. It is also a trendy area which increases prices. But how do you argue with answers to prayers? I have been discouraged going into houses that are icky or don’t flow well or covered in purple carpet, or is a marajuana grow house, or needs to be torn down and built again. But I did find a house. 

Today Craig and the boys came and looked at it. They smiled and inspected and were able to see themselves there. 

I am so relieved. Now comes the financing, and that is Craig’s job. But the decision has been made. We are excited. 

There are hummingbird feeders along the pouch and many hummingbirds zip around each other trying to claim the multiple spots. We spotted nesting cranes across the draw in the top of a tree. There is the promise of planting berries: raspberries and blackberries. I am envisioning cucumbers and tomatoes and other such lovely vegetables. There is a horse barn. I’m excited to rent it out. How fun to have a horse to watch and make friends with, but not to have to finance. 

It’s a log cabin. It has a great flow and good use of space. There are many great details and it feels so comfortable. There is a little creek that runs through the corner. We are sure deer will come to visit. We are talking about getting a cat to keep the mice away. It would be a good place for a dog. Because of Josh going to Peru, we are joking about a llama. 

I have been trying to keep my excitement at bay for a week, since I first saw it. But now it threatens to bubble over. 

Ethan is home

Josh, Boaz and I drove up to Salt Lake City this past weekend. Craig had to work on Saturday, so he couldn’t go. (He was sad. But when you start off being employed at broken organizations, extra hour at the beginning are a given.) We left on Friday and that gave us Saturday to do some errands. We had a lazy morning and then went shopping. 

Shopping with boys is seriously no fun. They both hate it, but we went to Mr Mac to look for missionary clothes, so Josh was interested. I had talked to Carl that morning and gotten shoe recommendations, so off we went. The shoes were my biggest worry. It’s a walking mission. I wanted quality shoes that would be comfortable and would last a while. 

Ten white shirts; black, gray, navy pants; three colors of socks; the baptismal package: white pants, one pair of socks and a tie; two pairs of shoes; and a pouch to carry his passport later and we were set. I was experiencing a bit of sticker shock, but Josh was excited to have a majority of his shopping list conquered. 

Saturday night we had a nice chatty sibling dinner at Deb’s house. It’s always fun to just talk. 

Sunday I wanted a picture of the three cousins connected to Trujillo, Peru. I stressed until I got it after the meeting. 

Ethan blew me away. He had always been the one to hang back and observe. I was amazed during his talk. He spoke more words than I think I have ever heard him speak in his life. I’ve not been around, true. He explained how his mission had changed him. He talked about his previous confidence being shattered and how he came to rely on God as he learned to communicate. And I was destroyed. I thought about Josh going through all that in a different hemisphere. I remembered how hard it was for me. I remembered the stories Craig told about his mission. I know I want him to go, but tears leaked from my eyes as I thought about him struggling so far from home. 

Once self confidence is replaced by confidence in God, the mission becomes everything we always think it is. 

Here is the picture. 

The process of moving has brought back the beard. But he does have a new haircut. Again he will mourn as he becomes clean shaven some time in the near future. 

I missed Kayla, but got a picture of the cousins. 

Cody won the battle of wills. I did t get him to smile until after I put away the camera. 

I enjoyed watching Josh, and he pulled Boaz along, as he interacted as an emerging adult with his adult cousins. They are a good six years older than Josh. Nicko is tens years older, but he was working and couldn’t make it. Well I guess Raven is just a year older than Josh. And Alysa is maybe two years older, but this group of cousins have all grown up together in Salt Lake City. Josh stepped into the club. 

I am grateful for the family I have. We are weird and broken is places. But we are survivors and our kids are amazing. 

18

I can’t believe it has come. I’ve been watching it creep up on me. I thought I was prepared. I mean he is graduated and has a mission call already. Sunday he turned 18. 

We are living in someone else’s house and my kitchen is all packed away. So I didn’t bake him a cake. But I bought cheesecake. Craig BBQed salmon. We had rice and corn. One of his favorite meals since he was a toddler. 

We attended church for the first time in our small ward.

It was an interesting morning looking for Sunday clothes. But we found what we needed. 

Craig introduced us in his testimony. He got ahold of the ward clerk and our records are now transferred. 

That means that the next steps for Josh are Melcezedek priesthood ordination and going to the temple. 

This weekend we will be in Salt Lake City to welcome home Ethan from the mission Josh is heading to. We will take a picture of the three cousins who have been assigned to that mission. (Ethan’s older brother, Cooper, served there as well.) We will hopefully get the low down on the mission from someone who knows all about it. 

After that we will begin the next huge milestones in Josh’s life. 

He is ready to leave us. His wings are grown and he wants to try them out. 

I still remember his little toe folded under his foot that scared me as I was looking him over when he was brand new. How can that be 18 years ago already?

Scripture - 2 Kings 6

One of my favorite scriptures. 

The stories of Elijah and Elisha are fabulous. Those prophets performed amazing miracles. They had such confidence in God. They lived in dangerous times and always turned to God. 

Sometimes I let myself get discouraged with the way the world is. I need all these scriptural reminders that there are more that are with God’s people than those that are against. I just need to be sure to be with the prophets.