Great People at Work

As usual, this year I'm surrounded by great people at work. 

SFL Faculty

The School of Family Life had a retreat in St. George during University Week. We drove down on Thursday morning. Once we arrived, we had lunch and faculty meeting. We then checked into our rooms. Dawna Baugh and I were roommates. I really enjoy Dawna's company. She is wonderful. She works hard to help her students. She is very dedicated to helping them succeed. 

After a bit of rest, we met for dinner, then we went to the Tuacahn Outdoor Theater to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" starring David Archeluta as Joseph. I feel very welcomed and valued by my colleagues. They are all very nice. I try to branch out and to talk to those I don't know well. I already know a lot of the women well, but I'll try to get to know all faculty better. I did get to know a new visiting faculty member, Mindy Brown, on the drive down. She and I were in the back seat and tried to get on the waitlist for the return of MoviePass. Natalie drove us down there. 

The show was fun. It's no Broadway, but it was fun. The weather was great. We were worried we'd get rained on, but we didn't. After the show, we had pie for dessert. We got up early and I was signed up for a tour of church history sites in St. George. We got a private, early morning tour of the temple visitor's center. We also visited Brigham Young's winter home and the tabernacle. There is rich history in St. George. The saints who were sent there really sacrificed. HEAT. 

I got to know different people on the way back. I rode in a van that Spencer James drove. At one point in the drive, we all got on our apps to see who was related to whom. Nobody was a close relative, but it was fun to make connections. We also stopped in Beaver to get ice cream. I got home around 4:00.

I also get to work with SFLSA again this year. It's the School of Family Life Student Association and they are great kids. I get to go to presidency meetings and board meetings. I really like associating with these students. They work hard and they volunteer their time for important things. They have goals and plans and are energetic. I love the time I spend with them. I'll miss their opening social this week because I'll be in Lake Powell with the School of Family Life female faculty.

SFLSA Board

Wedding Week

Me, Elle, Karen, Kamiko, Allison, and Kristen

Me, Karen, Debbie, and Kristen with mom and dad at the reception

Couple's dance

I had to miss the luncheon due to work

Kris, mom, Karen, me, and Debbie outside of the Payson Temple. It was a hot day.

Chase Crockett married Bree on September 1. There were a lot of family in town. Lots of Hunters and Crocketts and it was a lot of fun. The bummer was that I had a lot of work that week. I didn't have much time to do things with family. I was able to go to the sealing in the Payson Temple before going to work. Then I taught my first lab for 215, Advanced cooking. After class, I went to the reception. Melia was out of town for the Labor Day weekend. Kamiko and Bekki came to the reception. Kristen came in town. She was Karen's right hand man. She helped all week and it was wonderful to have her in town. Starlyn and Lee came to the reception. Debbie and Mark came. Mom and dad were there. We FaceTimed Allie in. We danced and ate tacos and pizookies. At one time, Bekki asked me to get her a chocolate pizookie with as much hot fudge as was legally possible for the girl to put on it. 

I'll be honest...it was a bit sobering too. I think it was the first extended family (really extended with Crocketts and Hunters) since the divorce. It was strange to not be part of a couple. It was strange to be alone. It's something I'll get used to. 

Dad did a great job. He's slowing down with the recent health issues he's had this year. He is on oxygen. He taught about the covenants in the temple. I got to stick around for some photos, then had to get to work. I'm very grateful for my job. I got to change the signature on my email from Visiting Associate Teaching Professor to Associate Teaching Professor. I'm enrolled in 401K. It feels good. 

Sharing a Student

Fall 2022 Semester has begun. I never think to take first day of school pictures. I get super tired. In fact, I read in my journal from a year ago and most entries mentioned how tired I was. I guess that's the theme for September. At least I know it will pass. 

I was in 110 on Wednesday, meeting my students. I always ask them where they are from, what they are studying, and something interesting about them. I got to the last kitchen - Kitchen 11 - and the conversation with a young man went like this:

"Where's home?"

"Pismo Beach"

"I know where Pismo Beach is."

"You do?"

Yes, my uncle taught at Arroyo Grande High School."

"That's my high school. Who is your uncle?"

"Mike Sears."

"Mr. Sears was my Avid teacher."

I had the student follow me into the dispensary where I have on of Mike's name plaques hanging on the wall. Zach and I had a great conversation about Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande, Halcyon, and the ward there. He is in the same ward as my aunt and uncle, Carolyn and Val Brandt. He is good friends with the children of Blair Mankins, a former student of Mike's who I have known since before we both went on missions. Zach said he's camped on the property where Mike lived and that Mike helped many times with pinewood derbies. I can't believe I have one of uncle Mike's students. We took a photo and sent it to Mike, Carolyn, and Blair. I'm so excited to have this kid in my class. This will probably only happen once in my life. Mike has had a huge influence on my career. He taught me about the 4 F's of being a teacher: Fair, Firm, Friendly, and Flexible. I think I'm pretty good at the first 3. I'll work on Flexibility my whole life. 

Allie and Indy!

My flight arrived in Indianapolis around 2:00 am. Allie lives a short drive from the airport. We got settled around 3:00 and slept until she had to get up to log on for a work meeting. Her apartment is so cute. It's hard to believe she'd only been there about a week. She, like me, likes to get settled. her bedding is adorable, her couch is perfect, her artwork from Paris is adorable, and everything is perfect - so Allie! Allie said that her 13-year old self who had a lime green bedroom would be proud that she still likes color. Her windows look out onto a grassy area, which I used for morning walks. I just walked around the grassy area and the parking lot. One morning I smelled skunk and got nervous. When I got back from my walk and asked if there are skunks in the neighborhood, she told me it was weed. I hadn't considered that. 

Best part of Allie's decor - this BUTTER pillow

Look at the artwork she bought at a tiny gallery in Paris next to the gelato shop. Her couch, pillows, table, rug, etc. It's all so perfect. 

This picture of me visiting Allie's classroom in Spanish Fork to talk about teaching as a profession is on her desk. I have the same photo in my office. TEACHERS!

Dad made this wooden A for Allie to paint when she was little. It hangs on her bathroom door. She said she remembers thinking blue with white and yellow flowers would be so cute. 

I helped Allie put together this shelf and a desk. The pattern behind the shelf is made of cling-on wall decor. So cute for this nook. 

That little ceramic dish is something Mike gave Allie for her desk. A student had made it for him and it was on his desk for years.

Allie took me on a drive around Indianapolis. We found the temple after I got us a bit lost. It's only about 15 minutes from her house. It's close to the mall where she works part-time. She drove me past Pike High School, where she taught last year. She also drove me through the rich neighborhoods and past a VERY expensive private school - Park Tudor. 

The temple is in Carmel

We ran errands to Costco, Target and Trader Joe's to get her stocked up on things. She made yummy food. That girl can turn just ingredients into yummy food. She really has a knack for creating dishes. We replicated the delicious watermelon drink that Bekki and I got at Animal Kingdom. I had figured it out at Kristen's. Allie took me downtown to see a cute home decor store. We also walked through a really cute art deco hotel. We drove past some beautiful war memorials downtown at night. They are beautifully lit. One is the first memorial in the US to the everyday soldier and sailor. It's at what they refer to as "The Circle" in the middle of town. She drove me past the speedway, then we drove in and saw cars driving on the track. I was very excited about that. We got a very greasy carne asada quesadilla late one night. 

Exterior of the Speedway

Speedway Museum

This flag hung in the entrance of the grocery store. We ran into one of Allie's students from last year. She said she had looked for Allie in her classroom and was sad she hadn't come back. 

We mostly hung out all day and just enjoyed being together. The most fun was when she had to be online with students on Friday for 2 hours. It was their first day online with their teachers. I worked quietly in her kitchen while she taught and it was so fun to hear her engage the kids in conversation, even though it's an online school with students learning from home. She used their names, she asked lots of questions, and told them about herself. She's a great teacher and she really likes her job. The curriculum is developed. She doesn't have to take roll. If no students log in to class, she records a lecture and posts it online. It's more pay and they will cover the cost of graduate school. Kinda all the benefits of teaching without the hassles. 

Right before she started teaching 

This is what online teaching from home looks like. 

I got to go to Madewell and meet Allie's mall work friends. We also got delicious Key Lime Pie ice cream. It was so fresh and had chunks of graham cracker crust. It was delicious. Her friends at the mall are very nice. Allie had to work a couple of times, but I just stayed at her apartment and worked on BYU stuff. I had plenty to keep me busy, getting ready for a new semester that starts soon. 

One night, when lights were out and I was falling asleep, I heard Allie gasp. She then told me that she had gotten word that a student from Pike named Bobby Fletcher had been shot and killed earlier that week. That's it. He was found dead at an apartment complex. There is still no suspect. Probably never will be an arrest. It was the first week of school. Bobby was a junior with hopes of playing college basketball. Allie said he was a really nice kid. She told me about his cooking group, what kitchen they worked in, etc. If I remember correctly, he was in a class that happened to be all boys. I'm still thinking about it and it makes me so sad. So senseless and something we don't hear in Utah, but is common there. 

I left Saturday night and got home around midnight. Mel came and got me. It was so sweet of her. I had been gone 2 weeks and just didn't want to spend $150 to park my car. I really appreciate Sierra Trump taking me to the airport and Mel picking me up. I also appreciate Kamiko and Bekki letting me spend the night at their house the night before my early flight. 

It was a good summer of travel, but I was ready to get home to my own bed and to attack my to do list for the school year and for the UAFCS conference that we are hosting at BYU. I'm the president of the organization and Dawna Baugh is in charge of the conference. 

Now that I've been home a couple of weeks, I'm feeling much more prepared for all that is coming in September. I can do this!

Finishing up California

Monday Kristen and I went to lunch with Kim Rose Cassetti, a dear friend since high school. She had just gotten back from Hawaii. I'm so glad we could connect. Tuesday was Doug's last day working at the lab. He stepped down as Chief Information Officer and now works from home as a consultant for the federal government, working with all CIOs at the labs. The 3 of us (Kristen, Doug, and I) have big travel plans for when Doug really retires. We'd like to travel, renting places for at least a week or two at a time, to really enjoy locations. Doug wants to start with Portugal. I'm game! We also think we may explore the US in a similar fashion. 

I was at Kelly and Ben's when Ben finished his fellowship at Duke and I was at Kris and Doug's when he finished working at the lab. Big changes that I was there for. Kris and I went on a walk, then she took me to the airport. I flew to Las Vegas, then to Indianapolis. 

Our flight from Vegas to Indy left over an hour late. I think we were delayed because we had an unaccompanied minor on our flight. He ended up sitting next to me and watching a movie over my shoulder on my phone. His phone had died and he had no way to charge it. I turned on subtitles and he "watched" the movie I was watching. It was funny, but annoying. He was a cute kid with lots of confidence and a good conversationalist for a 13 year old. 

He was traveling from visiting family in California back to his dad's house. His mom had passed away. That's about all I got. 

Flat Tire and Back to School Blessing

The craziest thing happened on Saturday. 

At about 5:00 pm I went in the garage and found a flat tire on my car. I debated about putting the spare on by myself or waiting for Kamiko and Jim Brau to come over on Sunday. My neighbor had taught me how to change a tire and I decided to give it a try. I wanted to leave the garage door so nobody could see me struggle, but it was too hot and too dark, so I was forced to open the garage door. 

I got out the spare tire and the jack and got to work. I had the jack under the car and was starting to raise the car when I heard someone ask if I needed help. It was a Mapleton City police officer driving around the neighborhood in a truck. What are the odds? I told him I wouldn't say no to help. He, like my neighbor, walked me through changing the tire. I feel more confident now that I've been tutored twice in 6 months. We got it done and I made an appointment for first thing Monday morning to get my tire fixed. 

I went first thing Monday morning to Discount Tire. I was the first one there, so it took only 30 minutes. When the guy gave me my car back, he showed me not only a screw, but also TWO construction nails. He said that I was fortunate that the nails went into THE SAME hole. Had they been in separate holes, close to each other, they wouldn't have been able to repair my tire. I would have had to buy a new one. 

What a little miracle for my 2005 Subaru Forester and for little ol' me. 

One of the youth in my Sunday School, JJ Kent, spoke in church on Sunday. He's leaving for his mission in Japan soon. He mentioned the Fano family. I had forgotten that Allie and Melia's former hula teacher is a good family friend of the Kents. I went right back to the cultural hall to look for the Fanos. It was great to see Aunty Maria and her husband, Sal. They are wonderful. We had a nice visit. 

Wearing a new dress I bought at Allie's Madewell in Indianapolis

Kamiko and Bekki came over on Sunday for a birthday dinner. I also invited Melia and the Braus. Michelle ended up being sick, so it was just Jim and Jay. We all had a great time. I made a yummy Korean BBQ Bowl, a recipe I got from my niece Sarah. I also made chocolate chip pound cake and an apple pie. I'd been wanting to try pie in cast iron. Honestly, it was no better than pie in glass. Oh well. I tried it. After Jim and Jay left, Kamiko gave me a back to school blessing. 

I've had a challenging situation with a student who has a 4.0 GPA and is just points away from an A in my class. I looked for hours and couldn't find the points for her. I can't justify just giving her points so she can have the A. I expect a horrible rating from her and imagine she'll tell her kids about her horrible foods teacher. This is the hardest part of my job. Anyway, what I remember of my blessing was:

1. Remember things I've done in past years to make my work easier

2. Make my classroom a safe place for students

3. Realize that students are going through hard times

4. Expect the best of my students, but be patient and kind

5. Heavenly Father is happy with what I'm doing and is aware of me

Remember Divine Help

One theme that has come up this week as we've studied Esther is the fact that God intervenes. The Jews still celebrate Purim as a remembrance of Esther's bravery that saved them from execution. 

I have recently talked to Maria and Melia of my desires and prayers to "remember." I know I have had many experiences where I know I've been guided, for example:

1. going on a mission

2. accepting the invitation to go to graduate school

3. letting Maxine Rowley know I was moving back to Utah

4. teaching 110 at BYU

5. finding a PA for Keenan that knew ADHD and finding a nurse for me that also knew ADHD

6. finding my therapist 

7. selling the American Fork house in 2018

8. listening to the prompting to get divorced

9. finding my house that wasn't correctly listed in the MLS

10. offering to go on study abroad at my own expense to learn how it works

I had an experience just this weekend that solidifies my faith that Heavenly Father is very aware of my life and if I pray to Him and listen, I'll find answers. 

The textbook we're using for SFL 110 is out of print, so it's time to find a replacement. I reached out to the publisher, Pearson, and requested 2 titles that the representative recommended. After a bit of a hassle and delay, I got them. I read one the week before going to Disney World. It's pretty heavy food science, but I think I can make it work. I was hopeful that the other one would be good, so I brought it to California. I was struggling to figure out how to see if it could work. I prayed about it Saturday morning and I had the impression that rather than read it from start to finish, I should pull up 110 and look at the modules. I should note chapters and pages that could work. I then began to read. I got through module 7, but the book was SOOO heavy in food science and organic chemistry that I don't think it will work. That method of previewing the book is the route I want to take with another book and maybe even give the first book another look.

I have another hope. About 2 weeks ago, I was cleaning out my work email. I was deleting so much junk mail. DELETE. DELETE. DELETE. One email caught my eye. I'm sure it's no coincidence. It was an email from a publisher about a foods textbook written by a dietician and a chef. I requested a complimentary educator's copy and it should be in my office when I get back. I'm rather excited to try my new method of testing it, going module by module, rather than chapter by chapter. I'm sure I'll find the right text with God's help. 

I'm grateful for the council to REMEMBER. I have so many experiences where I know I've been guided, whether in my personal life, as a mom, as a wife, as a professional, as a Sunday School teacher, etc. I'm very grateful and I will continue to pray to keep them in my mind and heart.