March Bullets

Can't believe the month of March is nearly over.  Time is flying!  Here are some recent events and happenings in my family this month...

• My quest for a full-time elementary teaching job has begun...I had two interviews this week at two local elementary schools: Snow Springs in Lehi and Thunder Ridge in Saratoga Springs.  The interviews were very different from each other, one very formal with a room full of administrators and teachers, the other much more casual and conversational with just the principal and vice principal in the room.  Many of the questions were similar...What is your management style?...How will you modify your teaching to reach struggling or advanced students?...How will you encourage parental involvement?...Are you familiar with the state core standards?...What do you know about balanced literacy?...What is your goal with respect to professional development?...What can you bring to a team?...Why should we hire you?...etc.  Both interviews lasted for about 30 minutes, and I felt good about them both. I was prepared and confident, but I have no idea what they are looking for or what they thought of other candidates before and after me.  Now comes the worst part...waiting for their decision. Ugh!
• Kent is also looking for new career options.  The world of high school sports is never without drama, and lately there has been plenty.  Mark Dubois, head basketball coach at Bingham High School, was fired from both teaching and coaching for embezzling basketball funds.  What??!  Kent had no idea, this news took him completely by surprise. It was all taken care of very quietly and without media attention since Coach Dubois agreed not to fight it and to simply resign.  Kent applied for the job, but the Bingham athletic director told him that the administration wants a clean slate and will hire someone completely unrelated to last season.  Wow.  Life is sure full of unpredictable twists and turns.  This week Kent met with the Lehi High School head basketball coach and the principal, no word yet.  He has a few other options to pursue, but knows that he does not want another year of teaching at one school and coaching at another.  Stay tuned.
• Speaking of high school sports, the soccer season is in full swing.  Braden is the team captain and right now their record is 3-2-2 (three wins, two losses, two ties).  Braden had a rough start to the season, in game two he collided with the goalie and ended up with a deep thigh contusion.  He could barely walk for about a week and had to miss three games.  There is nothing he hates worse than standing on the sidelines.  But he is back now and playing great.  He even scored a goal in last week's game against West Lake--that doesn't happen much for a defender!  Region play begins next week, he says he and his team are ready.  Go Lehi!  So exciting!
• We are proud of Rachel who is counting down the days until her wedding.  She is working at TWO jobs and is a full-time on-line student at SUU.  Between working, studying and spending time with her fiance, she has very little free time, and we don't see her much.  July 10th will not come soon enough for her.
• Spring break is here!  We have a week off from school!  We are going to Sundance for a couple days of skiing and family fun time.  My brother is the director of lodging and got us a great deal on a cabin and ski passes.  The rest of the week will be spent shopping for a missionary suit, shirts, socks, ties, shoes, etc.  Such a long list of needed items!  I am looking forward to checking them all off.

So that wraps up March!  We are excited for the weeks and months ahead, and all the many changes coming up soon for our family.  We are grateful for blessings, trials and challenges that keep us humble and help us to grow.  Life is good!

Called to Serve

Opening the big white enevelope...

Dear Elder Smith:  You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  You are assigned to labor in the HONDURAS TEGUCIGALPA mission.  You should report to the MEXICO MTC on WEDNESDAY, JULY 24.  You will prepare to preach the gospel in the SPANISH language.   

Friends and family gathered for the big moment...

First hug for mom...

And then Dad.

Cute cake for an important occasion.

 

Lots of food on hand.

Proud family.  We love our missionary!

Gluten Free

We have always known that Stefanie has a sensitive tummy.  She would complain of stomach aches way more often than either of our older two.  Within the last year it had gotten much worse. She missed school so often we became worried about her attendance and grades.  Sometimes her tummy hurt so bad she would not eat anything all day, had no energy and would just lay around.  It was happening at least once or twice a week, sometimes more. We finally decided she needed to see a doctor, we wondered if she had an ulcer.  One day in December after she hadn't eaten anything for two days I had an impression that it could be an allergy.  That thought hit me out of the blue, and I started doing research.  I read books and articles and talked to a few friends who had children with allergies.  The more I read and learned, the more I suspected that it might be gluten.  We decided to put her on a gluten-free diet for a few weeks to see if it made a difference.  That meant no bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, pretzels, pancakes, waffles, tortillas, cakes, donuts, pies, cookies, muffins, bagels, pizza or anything made with wheat. Stefanie was very willing and cooperative, thank goodness, because I could not have forced this diet upon her, but she was tired of feeling sick, and ready to try anything.  The difference was immediate and dramatic.  No more stomach aches!  It was quite remarkable.  On the few occasions that she sneaked a cookie or accidentally ate something with gluten the pain quickly returned.  We are convinced.

So I want to share some things I learned.  Much of my information came from this book:

• Dr. Davis explains that wheat is no longer the healthy staple of our grandparents.  In the last 50 years, wheat has been drastically, genetically altered to provide the greatest yield at the lowest cost.  It has been transformed into an unrecognizable ingredient which is the cause of a broad spectrum of health and digestive problems.
• No safety testing was conducted on the new genetic strains that were created.  So intent were the efforts to increase yield, these products were released into the food supply without consideration for health risks.
• The average American consumes 133 pounds of wheat per year, the equivalent of half a loaf of bread per day.
• Some experts think as many as 1 in 20 Americans may have some form of gluten sensitivity, but there is no test or defined set of symptoms. The most common are stomach problems, headaches and fatigue, but many symptoms have been loosely linked to gluten intake, making it difficult to study. 
•  The foods recommended by Doctor Davis are: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, cheese, meats, eggs, yogurt, legumes, rice, and other non-wheat grains.

So this has been our experience for the last three months.  It has been a real challenge to cook meals that we can all eat together as a family, but we are figuring it out as we go.  Fortunately, there are many gluten-free products on the market, nearly every grocery store has an entire section, including gluten-free breads, cookies and pastas.  They are expensive, but we are grateful for the option.  Also, we have discovered that many restaurants have a gluten-free menu.  Stefanie has been very dedicated, although she gets frustrated sometimes.  But I am proud of her, and grateful for her good health.  The sacrifice is more than worth it.

Career Move

Well, the time has finally come.  After much thought and consideration I have made the decision to leave my part-time music specialty job behind, and pursue a full-time teaching job in a regular classroom for next school year.  I have absolutely LOVED my job as music teacher.  This is my seventh year in this position and it has been more than wonderful. It actually brings tears to my eyes when I think about moving on.  Ugh!  What am I thinking?? It will be so very hard to leave, but becoming a "real" elementary teacher has been my goal for as long as I can remember. I truly feel that the time is right to pursue my dream of full-time teaching.  Also weighing in on my decision is the fact that there are over a thousand children in my school, and every single one of them pass through my little classroom each school year. I feel such fondness for each of them but I don't have the opportunity to really get to know them and develop an emotional connection with them.  I want that, and to REALLY feel that I am making a difference in their education and learning.  Not to mention that with a missionary to support soon, a full-time salary would be a blessing.  So there it is!  Time for a change!  As if there weren't enough changes going on with my family right now!  The last few weeks I have been busy updating my resume, preparing for interviews, and collecting documents for my on-line application, including several letters of recommendation.  Here is one my principal presented to me today.  Makes me smile!

 

Mission Papers...

...SUBMITTED!!

And now the waiting and guessing games begin!

Pink Balloons

It has been a really hard week at school.  A sweet little first grade girl named Dani passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Monday night.  Her class came to music every day this week, several of her classmates broke my heart as they sadly told me that their friend had died.  It was impossible for me to hide my tears.  Two of Dani's siblings attend my school, her 6th grade sister, April, was a member of my Christmas chime group this year.  On Tuesday morning the principal sent an email to the entire staff telling us what had happened and giving direction on how to answer possible questions. A group of moms came to school on Thursday afternoon with pink balloons for each of the kids in Dani's class to write little messages to her, then they took them outside and released them.

 

Last night I attended the viewing.  Dani's sweet body looked so beautiful, just like a little porcelain doll.  Not sure if I should have gone, I wanted to be strong but broke down the moment I began speaking to her mother.  It was comforting to see several members of the faculty and staff and many of her classmates from school, we were all quite overcome and couldn't speak much to each other. What a powerful reminder that life is fragile, and that each of these little people I see every day at school are so very, very precious.