We have been cranking out the work as we are preparing for their arrival. We have had to move furniture, wash a ton of laundry and bedding, deep clean dusting, move wardrobes, etc... (As I type this, I still have some of that work to do, but I knew if I didn't sit down while I was thinking about it, it just wouldn't happen. That's why you have that awesome little feature of 'schedule your post' right?!)
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| copyright: Karen Larsen photography (Me, this week!) |
Here are some of the nutso things that have happened this week. I don't remember if I told you or not, but this year in seminary, the students have to pass an 'elevated learning assessment' each semester. Typically, you would present all the material and the exam would be given at the end of the term. I felt like we needed to take ours in March. It was kind of weird, but they provide a study guide, so we just went over that one day and I taught the things the kids needed to know to pass the assessment. We took it and they all passed. So I wasn't so sure what the big deal was. Before I gave the exam, I started to question myself about it and thought about changing the timing, when the Spirit said, "What were YOU told to do?" So I went ahead and followed my impressions and we took it in March.
About two weeks after we took the exam, one of my students had shoulder surgery on his right shoulder and hasn't been able to write for the last three weeks. Another of my students was hospitalized for more than a week and has missed a ton of class. These two students are very reliable and valiant kids. They do their work and they show up for class. If we had waited to take the assessment, it would have been much more difficult for these two to pass because of things happening to them in normal life. I am SOOOO glad I listened and did something outside of the norm and that we took it in March! Crazy, huh?
The other strange thing that happened yesterday was that some lady's car broke down right outside my house. I saw her sitting in the car and trying to turn the engine over when I was leaving to pick up the kids from school (2:30 p.m). I thought, "I should just see if she needs a phone." I offered and she was grateful because her phone was turned off. She made a phone call. They couldn't help her. She didn't want to call anyone else. I left to go and get the kids and told her that if she was still there I would help her when I got home. She was still there when I got back. I offered to let her use the phone again and come in and wait for the tow truck or whoever was coming to help her. I didn't have any jumper cables. She was sure that was all she needed. She knew Drew had ours in his car, so she just decided to sit there and wait for him to get home from work. (Sometime after 5). I thought it was strange that she would just sit there and not make any effort to fix anything or get assistance from anyone. After two hours of her sitting outside my house, I realized, "yep. She's just going to wait for Drew." Lovely. The last thing my husband will want to do is try to figure out how to help her after he gets home from work, when he didn't take any lunch. I decided to call one of my neighbors to see if he was available and could help her. He was and he did (4:30 pm). Her car did not start even after he tried to jump start it. I didn't think it would. But true to my nice neighbor's form, he offered her a ride and took her home. She just left her car in front of my house and is suppose to try and fix/move it today.
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| copyright: Karen Larsen photography |
I took our neighbor fresh, homemade bread to say 'Thank you!'
It just struck me so strangely that she needed help. She needed to do something, even if it was to just get home, but she was content to just sit there and do nothing. I wondered how often any of the rest of us have a need or a responsibility but because we don't want to, or we don't know how, or we don't know what to do, we just sit there, wasting valuable time, dismissing offers of assistance. I am going to be thinking about that for a few weeks deciding if I do that in any areas of my life.
The other crazy thing has been finding someone to manage my S day responsibilities for seminary. Of course, as luck would have it, S day is the same day I have to drive 10 hours to go down and get the boys and get back. I have been diligently looking for a sub for two weeks. I asked about 7 people (couples) before I found one of them who could help out. I ended up getting one sub for seminary that morning, another to manage S day and then a third to help out with S day (at the same time I am also subbing for our youth Sunday school teacher, I might add). So life has been just a little bit crazy at our house.
Sometimes I look at my life and I think, how do people expect so much of me? Then I look at what I do and I think, geesh, they just think I can manage all of it. But I am human and I cannot! And the truth be told, most of them don't see all that I am doing so when they want someone to help them out they just think, "Oh I bet Carin could help me." I have to practice the art of saying 'NO,' which I don't like to do. But I have to. It is hard for me.
Well, I am going to run. There is a lot more crazy that I could share with you, but I had better go and start putting some of it away and organizing the rest of it :-) Have a great weekend!!
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| copyright: Karen Larsen photography |
On tap for us: temple trip for the youth, birthday party, baptism, pinewood derby painting, planning youth Sunday school lesson, enjoying big boys (maybe they will mow the lawn!!)
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