Ready for Winter Semester 2023

Kamiko texted me earlier this week, asking if I"d like a blessing for the new semester. I went this afternoon for that blessing. He gave both me and Bekki blessings, then we had pizza. Here are a few things I remember from my blessing:

1. Don't let one difficult student bother me. Remember the dozens of the silent majority, for which I am making a difference. The one student doesn't matter. 
2. The women with whom I work look to me for leadership. I can do it. 
3. It may not feel like I'm making a difference in my students' lives, but I am. 
4. It might be a difficult semester, but I will do it. 
5. I have learned much from the past 2 difficult years of teaching. Keep learning. 

He blessed Bekki with the knowledge that her students know her pedigree and to remember that she is a strong woman. It was a great evening with the kids. We also played Yahtzee. Then I went to Starlyn's to watch the latest Hallmark movie. I love the Hjorths. They are great friends/family. 

I've been wondering about my social life and if I need to work harder on that, but nothing came up in my blessing, so I'm going to keep focusing on work and know that the Lord has a plan for me in all aspects of my life. 

Look at that table! Adrienne and Bella. All the 80's bright colors, candy, chips, goodie bags, etc. The kids are in for a treat!

Look at those cute kiddos, ready for a fun party

Earlier this week, I found myself at Adrienne Murray's house, helping out. She was my student over 14 years ago, when she was pregnant with Bella, who just turned 14. Her husband just had knee surgery and she's pretty overwhelmed with life as a mom of 5 busy kids. I went to wash dishes and help out. She mentioned that Bella's party was last night and that she was ordering pizza from Costco, which would have required her to drive 15 minutes to Orem or Spanish Fork. I remembered I was going to a wedding reception in Alpine last night, so I picked up the pizza and dropped it off on my way to Alpine. I was happy to help. I also got to help her with last minute touches. I got Patrick, her husband, some pizza and a drink before I left. I also got to help get drinks for all the kiddos. Adrienne had really worked hard to set up the table for 20 teenagers to enjoy their 80's themed murder mystery party. 

Kathy Gray, freshman roommate, and me

I taught both of these kids of Kathy. Her daughter now lives on a mini farm and has 2 kids. Her son is a pilot for executives. So fun to catch up. 

Then I headed to Alpine. My roommate Kathy Gray was in town for her daughter's wedding reception. I had taught 2 of Kathy's kids. It was fun to see her and to see her kids. I had a nice visit with her. She and her husband live in Arizona. 

We start the new semester tomorrow. I'm ready. I've worked really hard to organize all of our foods classes and to train our new and newish faculty. We've worked really hard on our syllabus and on knowing how to help our students. I'm encouraged. Here we go.