School News

The school life is in full swing around here, and so far so good. Here is what's new for all of our scholars:

Yay for Audrey who is going to be in the school musical. She has a part in the ensemble, and one speaking line. She also has committed to staying after school FIVE NIGHTS A WEEK until November. On top of the two nights she was already supposed to be staying after for debate, that is a lot of long days. She isn't thrilled with being in debate, but I'm making her stick it out. I tell her one day she will be glad she did it. I don't know if that is really true. I just know that I wish now that I had done debate in high school. I was never brave enough. I was terrified of having to speak in front of people. Now I see all the benefits of learning something about public speaking earlier rather than later in life. Whether or not Audrey will feel the same way remains to be seen. But I'm the  mom and so I won that debate. See what I did there? Debate. Do you get it?
Also, Audrey is taking honors everything and AP something else. Don't ask me for details, I am only the mom.  Honors and AP are something else I never dared to do. Not to mention the fact that I was too lazy. And as if all that were not enough,  she is still working at Lagoon every Saturday through Halloween. If she survives the next six weeks, the rest of her life will be a piece of cake, I think.

Will is taking a concurrent enrollment drawing class with a sketchbook that he says is as big as Olivia. He wanted to drop out of that class after the first day, but it's three college credits for 40 bucks, so he decided to stay in, with a just a little nudging from his mother.  He is also taking some AP and honors classes, including calculus which impresses the *&I^ #% out of me as I never in my life made it much past geometry. He works at Arby's a couple times a week,is taking piano lessons, and spends more than his fair share of time shuttling Audrey around while I am at work. He has already been sick twice since school started. Not a good omen. Also, he did not obey my command that he go to homecoming this year. He has promised however, that he will attend at least one school dance before the year is through.

Olivia is finishing her first school break. She starts back again on Monday after three weeks off. Year round school is the worst idea ever concocted. That is all I have to say about that. Also she has to read 20 books this year. They have to be at least 150 pages each, but if they are over 200 pages they count as two books. Or some dumb rule like that. Maybe I'm just getting old, but it seems like school gets dumber and dumber every year.  Olivia however, seems to be thriving in spite of it all.  She takes piano lessons too and is riding her bike everywhere.

Mitch has started his second to last quarter at Weber State. If all goes well, he will graduate this spring. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. He has started applying for jobs, and has even been to California a few times for some testing. It worries the heck out of my mommy heart to think of my boy as a policeman, especially in California and especially with all the craziness surrounding cops these days. But he has worked hard enough for it, and I hope he finds something that he loves. And if he winds up moving to California, that will be all the more reason for me to visit there regularly.

Alisa is in her second semester of her master's degree. She sends me pictures of her assignments that she does well on. She has professors that write lots of nice comments about how amazing and smart she is, which I already knew, but it's nice to see it in writing. She is teaching too, and likes it, which is a good thing since that is her chosen profession.

And then there is Duncan, who is about to start a new chapter in his life and education as well. He is waiting eagerly for his service mission call to come in the mail. We got all the paper work in a few weeks ago, and he should be getting his official call any day now. It's a pretty cool story on how that opportunity all came together for him, after a long long time of waiting and wondering, and when all is set, I will write about that.

Piper the dog is not in school, but she should be. She needs some obedience training. She always likes to try to be the big boss around here and we have to be careful to keep asserting our dominance and putting her in her proper place as the low man on the totem pole. She loves us all dearly and really wants to keep us all safe by being in charge of everything that happens around here. We just keep reminding her that she is at the bottom of the pack. But the only person around here she is really afraid of is Belle.

And that's about all she wrote as far as the students among us. Dan and I are just busy being students at the game of life and making all our dreams come true. You know, dreams like eating and having a house to live in. We are getting a nearly-all-expense paid getaway to beautiful St. George in a few weeks though. Well, it's really a work trip for Dan and a getaway for me. But I'm sure having me along to harass and annoy him will make it seem like a vacation for him as well.