Gathering Graces 10/30/2017

*I always love the little snippets of conversation I have with people.  I started talking to a woman in the hotel elevator, and she was from Canada, and here to attend a Travel Writer’s conference.  She was sharing what an interesting city she thought  Portland was, and said, “I saw a young man with lots of piercings sitting on a bench out on the street reading “Wuthering Heights”. 

*I heard some very inspiring messages today at the conference.  The speaker at breakfast, Dr. Joyce Brown, talked about how we as college access professionals were people in the lives of our students who were agents of hope.  I also went to a session talking about “The Senior Year Cycle” and all the things students who are college bound need to do.  My other morning session was called “Voices of Rural Schools: The Impact of Caring Relationships”.  This woman was a school counselor at Newport High School in Newport, Oregon, and she shared about her thesis for her doctorate, and how is was based on how students who had one person in their life that they had a caring relationship with were more successful in college.  It was really good.

*The lunch speaker was Denise Juneau, who was the Montana State Superintendent of Schools from 2009 to 2017.  She also shared her story of growing up in Browning, Montana, and how her parents always expected her and her siblings to attend college, and not only better themselves, but better the world around them.  She had a wonderful story to share.

*In the early evening, a group got on a bus that took us to the MODA Center so we could experience an NBA game.  We watched the Portland Trailblazers play the Toronto Raptors.  We were in the very top row of the center.  But it was fun, and an enjoyable experience to be a part of a professional basketball game. 

Final Score:  Toronto 99, Portland 85

*As we were waiting for our group to arrive to head to the basketball game, the hotel was doing a promotion called Silent Disco Headphones.  The hotel lobby had a table of headphones.  If you wanted, you could put the headphones on, and choose between three types of music to listen to, and start dancing.  It was completely free.  There were people in costumes outside on the sidewalk dancing away.  Hotel employees were all moving to the beat of the music on the headphones.  There was a DJ set up in the hotel lobby playing the music, but you never heard any music, because it only came through the headphones.  Who knew this was even a thing???

*When I arrived back at the hotel, I enjoyed talking to Paul on the phone, and listening to how the kid’s days went, then it was time for bed.

Gathering Graces 10/29/2017

*Today I did a whole lot of sitting.  Most of today was spent in a Gear Up regional meeting at the Hilton Hotel with coordinators from North Idaho talking about a variety of things.  It was a great meeting, and it was great seeing all these people I only see a couple times a year.

*When I got back to the hotel, I started in on a project I have needed to get done for a while.  After I have spent time interviewing each senior, I am summarizing what we talked about, making up a to do list, and emailing this to the student and their parents.  This evening I got most of the write ups done for the female students. It felt really good to get such a chunk of those done.  But, again, lots of sitting.  At one point, I did take a break and walk down the street and get some dinner.

*Paul called later in the evening, and it was nice talking to him about his day, and share with him about mine. 

*Not the most exciting day of my life, but it was very productive.  The weather in Portland was a little more drizzly this morning, but it did get a little bit nicer by the afternoon.  It was still cloudy, but not as rainy.  Still lovely, though.

Gathering Graces 10/28/2017

*I got up in plenty of time this morning to finish packing, do some things around the house, and head out the door in plenty of time to get to the airport for my flight to Portland this morning.  I stopped at McDonalds and got breakfast and a coffee.  As I was lifting up the coffee, the lid came off and I spilled it in the drink holder and beyond.  I pulled over in Cataldo to try and clean up the spill as best I could, but realized I would need quite a few paper towels.  So I waiting until I arrived in Coeur d’Alene, and pulled into a gas station, and soaked up all the coffee.  So I am glad I left early for the airport!!

*I  arrived at the airport, made it easily through security, and had a nice flight to Portland.  I took the train into downtown Portland.  As I started heading toward where I thought my hotel was located, this nice young woman asked me where I was headed.  I told her, and she gave me directions, and a map of Portland.  She mans a little kiosk right where you get off the train, and it was very helpful.

*Our new counselor at KHS, Dan Lucier, has a daughter who lives in Libby, Montana, and she is also a Gear Up Coordinator, and she would be attending the meetings I am attending.  He hoped we would have the chance to meet while we were both here in Portland.  After I received directions to my hotel, I ended up behind two women who were headed the same way I was going.  At one point we started talking, and we all realized we were there for the same meeting.  One of the ladies asked where I was from, and I told her Kellogg, Idaho.  Guess who the lady was???  Yes!!  It was Dan’s daughter!  She was so nice, and we had a brief conversation, and I hope we get to visit more while we are here at the meeting.

*The weather here in Portland could not be more beautiful.  It is warm and the colors on the trees are magnificent.  After checking into my cute little boutique hotel in downtown Portland, (and experiencing the nicest hotel staff ever), I ventured outside to find a bite to eat and enjoy downtown Portland.  I forget how much I enjoy being in a large city.  I love the hustle and bustle.  I love to people watch.  I love the energy.  Today was the perfect afternoon in Portland to experience that wonderful Portland vibe.

*I texted my niece Jenn that I was checked into my hotel, and ready to head her way to join her and her family for dinner.  She told me what train to get on, and I rode the train toward her house, and again enjoyed the whole train experience, and watching the beautiful views through the train window.  Jenn picked me up at the station, and we went to her house.  We visited for a while, and then they took me to one of their favorite places to eat, Rock Creek Tavern, where I enjoyed a roasted beet salad, and a delicious seasonal cranberry and tangerine hard cider.  It was nice enough that we ate outside.  It was fun being with Dave and Jenn and their kids Peter, Ella and Iris.  I saw their oldest daughter Grace when I first arrived, but she was off to a birthday party for the evening.  It was a very lovely evening.

*Today Dad would have been 87 years old if he was still alive.  I marvel that he has been gone for 21 years.  I marvel that he was only 65 years old when he died.  I realize that, with the grief I feel over Mom’s passing, I am also grieving Dad’s passing.  I don’t think I really took the time to grieve over Dad.  I was a young mother living in Meridian.  My kids were 5, 1 and 9 months when Dad died.  Paul’s grandfather Paul Taylor, who also lived in Kellogg, died two weeks before Dad died.  I remember feeling overwhelmed.  I remember feeling sad.  But I don’t remember going through a grieving process when Dad died.  I think it is happening now, because I am not only grieving the loss of my parents, but the loss of a certain family structure that we will never have again.  Happy Birthday, Dad.  I think of you often, and I have a renewed sense of loss for your passing.  But that is okay.

*I got on the train after visiting with the Schrams and rode it back into the city.  I talked to Paul on the phone for some of the train trip.  I arrived in downtown Portland and walked to my hotel, and had a nice relaxing evening. 

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Gathering Graces 10/27/2017

*It was up and at ‘em, and off to Coeur d’Alene for a 9 a.m. doctor’s appointment.  My P.A. moved to Coeur d’Alene, so I had to go visit and establish being a patient at her new clinic.  The visit was fairly routine except for the fact that my blood pressure reading was low.  But she didn’t seem too concerned.

*After my appointment I went and did some shopping.  After shopping, I drove along Coeur d’Alene Lake and parked and just sat and looked at the lake for a while.  Before I left town I stopped and grabbed something to eat.

*When I arrived back in Kellogg, my sister-in-law Debbie asked me to stop by her house.  I did, and we visited for a while.  Christy stopped by, and I visited some with her as well.  But the driving and shopping made me a little tired, so I came home.

*I was amazed at how our Tricolor Beech tree in the backyard seemed to have turned color overnight.  Days ago the leaves were green.  Today, they were a beautiful mixture of yellow and orange.  The tree looks beautiful.

*Paul got home after work and took a little nap before he got in the car and headed to Moscow to be with Cosette, Molly and Travis for Dad’s Weekend.  They all went and saw a hypnotist show after Paul arrived.  Apparently Paul was hypnotized.  I can’t wait to talk to him about the experience.

*I cleaned the kitchen, did laundry and packed for my trip to Portland tomorrow.  Clark and Sadie joined me on the bed, and we all went to sleep.

*Yesterday I shared about another brush with grief.  I share these things because I hear from so many people who appreciate me sharing about my journey, and I also hear their stories as well.  I believe it strengthens both writer and reader.

Gathering Graces 10/26/2017

*Grief manifested itself in an unusual way tonight.  It was at rehearsal for the show.  I felt like I messed up on a song, and this frustrated Paul.  When we got home, we didn’t talk for a while.  When we finally took time to talk and cry, we realized the whole interaction at rehearsal was caused by the grief we share regarding the loss of Mom.  But we realized that the two of us had not had the chance to cry about  together.  And talk about it together.  Last night gave Paul a chance to share with me how hard it was last weekend moving furniture down the front steps of Mom’s old house, because it reminded him of taking Mom down those same steps in her wheelchair.  And he shared other things he has experienced and felt since Mom has gone.  It was a strange evening.  It was a hard evening.  But ultimately, it ended being the exact evening it should have been.

*KHS had a blood drive, and I donated blood.  They asked if I wanted to donate double red blood cells, but my hemoglobin count was lower that it should be to do that kind of donation, but I was able to donate whole blood. I received a fun shirt for my effort. But it left me feeling a little off all afternoon.  I came home after work and laid down for a while before heading to rehearsal.  Paul made a delicious dinner of steaks and steamed clams to help me get my energy back.

*I finally figured out what I would be wearing during the upcoming show, and took them to the theater so I could practice changing clothes tonight.  I think what I picked to wear will end up working well.

*Another absolutely gorgeous day in the Silver Valley.  The sky was blue, and trees were colored, and the sun was shining. 

Gathering Graces 10/25/2017

*I felt like I never stopped all day at work today.  I was in classes with seniors, I had a meeting about College Application Week, and really didn’t get much of a lunch break.  It was nice to leave about 2 p.m. so I could go home and let Sadie and Clark outside before making it uptown for my hair appointment.

*No more crazy hair for a while.  I am now one color....all brown.  I guess for me that is a little crazy, since I haven’t had it all one color in quite a while.  I wanted one color for the upcoming show at the theater.  I have another appointment in December.  Who knows what my hair may look like for the holidays???!!

*I came home and relaxed for a little bit before rehearsal, then drove up to Wallace.  They were working on lighting tonight, and it was nice to have lights on stage and to see what it will be like for the different transitions.

*When I arrived home, I heated up some minestrone soup that I had made a while back and got out of the freezer earlier today, and it was so good.  I need to make this soup on a regular basis.  It was the soup I made one day during April’s retreat in Italy last summer.  It is a really great recipe!!

*We had some good laughs as we listened to Molly, Travis, Zoe and Cosette recap their days, and then headed to bed.

Gathering Graces 10/24/2017

*I arrived at KHS as students and staff were making their way to the KHS gymnasium for an assembly called Fight the New Drug, where the speaker gave a research-based presentation on the harmful effects of pornography on the brain, relationships and society.  To find out more about this click here.  I would like to share my friend Simon Miller’s post from Facebook that he shared about this event:

As a parent of 4 girls, one of which is a teenager, I am very grateful that Kellogg High School and Kellogg Middle School had the "Fight The New Drug" presentation in their schools. I was very impressed with the speaker and the message, particularly the scientific research and digital components.
However, I'm equally as appalled at the amount of push back (putting it politely) this received when announced on their respective social media pages and the ever so fantastic "Silver Valley Rants & Raves" community. Instead of attending the FREE dinner and presentation in the evening, many chose instead to spread false info, make false accusations, and freak out. I didn't realize so many were so defensive when it comes to something I assumed (wrongly) was universally accepted as wrong and harmful. Go figure.
If you didn't go to the free event at KHS, I encourage you to check out the movement at their FB and web pages. Thank you Kellogg High School and Kellogg Middle School for making this happen. 

*I, too, was appalled at the backlash that came about from the advertising of this event.  I think the people that surprised me the most were the young women defending pornography.  Pornography, whose sole purpose is to objectify women, and make them appear as something they are not.  I liked how the presentation showed how it is harmful to relationships, because men start looking at women as body parts, not human beings.  A large majority of the porn people see shows violence toward women.  And the more you watch this happening, the more you think it is okay and acceptable.  Wake up, young women.  Pornography is not a safe way for young men to explore their sexuality.  It is a multi-million dollar industry who use often lure young women like yourself into sex trafficking situations, drug them up, and make them perform in the films for their own profit, with the women rarely seeing any of those profits.  I know of countless stories told to me personally of men whose family life has been destroyed because of porn addiction.  Check out the facts for yourself. 

*My hope that, as the young people heard this presentation yesterday, that it starts conversations about the topic.  Or it gives them a new perspective on the subject.  That is how change is going to happen.

*The rest of the work day went well.  I got to the theater, and some of the board members were gathering to help stuff envelopes for our annual Silver Star mailing that will be mailed out soon.  Keith Mckay came to work on lights, and gave some great feedback regarding sound and how things looked on stage that was very helpful during rehearsal last night.  Things are coming together!!

*We returned home, and listened to how Zoe, Molly and Travis’ day went, and then got ready for bed.

Gathering Graces 10/23/2017

*I woke up this morning, and was dragging.  I did not feel like getting up and walking, so I texted Nikki and told her as much.  I felt like I needed to ease into my day.  I still got up at the same time...I just eased into it more.

*I thought about what made me tired, and later in the evening Paul was retelling a weird dream he had last night to the girls, and then I realized I had experienced one of those moments that people tell you is going to happen when you least expect it.  All of a sudden I am in bed, I turned the lights out ready to sleep, and the tears start flowing.  Perhaps it was being with my siblings at dinner, but I spent a good ten minutes or so weeping in bed over the loss of my mother.

*The morning at work was a little crazy.  We had a National Honor Society meeting during homeroom, and we drew names for our raffle drawing.  That went well, and the raffle was a success, and the students all had great prizes they donated to the raffle.  Then we moved right into the poinsettia sale.  The NHS members will be selling poinsettias for the next two weeks, 6 inch pots, either red, white or pink for $10 a piece.  This always is a good fund-raiser.  Once we are done with this fund-raiser, I don’t think we will need to raise anymore money!!

*Afternoon at KHS was a little calmer, and I got ready for the next day, and headed home.  When I got home I finally sat down and worked on a project I was finally able to complete, now that I received all the information.  That was a load off my mind, and a nice thing to check off my “to do” list.

*The weather was beautiful when I returned home from work that I took Sadie outside and walked around the backyard, and Clark showed up.  He likes to race around the yard, and he climbed up into one of the trees in the side yard.  I asked him if he would stay up in the tree so I could go get my camera.  Well, he jumped down, but then he went and sat on a bench.  At that point I thought, I am just going to go get my camera.  Once I had camera in hand, he climbed up in the Linden tree and let me take quite a few shot of him.  Then he ran over to the Beech tree and lounged under the tree on the white bench that surrounds the tree.  It was fun having Clark as my model this afternoon.  Here is one of my favorites from the “photo shoot”.

Clark the Tree Hugger....he is quite the environmentalist.

*We grabbed leftovers for dinner and headed up to the theater and had a really good rehearsal.  I am finally getting a feel for where I should be during songs, and what I will be doing.

*Returning home, Zoe called and we had a nice visit about lots of different things.  It was nice talking to her, and talking about her upcoming visits for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

*Before we knew it, it was time for bed.

Gathering Graces 10/22/2017

*Before I headed to church I got the ribs out of the fridge and rubbed some salt, pepper and smoked paprika into them, and put them in the crock pot so they could slow cook all day for our family dinner tonight.

*I also put the ingredients together for the Ramen Cabbage Salad that would be served as well.  It is good to put this salad together early so the flavors all blend by the time you serve it. 

*Paul preached at church this morning, and he did a very good job talking about how we share God’s love through relationship with God and with those around us.  He also talked about Truth, and how, as Christian, we can’t be objective all the time seeking Truth, because how can you be objective when faith and hope are involved?  As always, I enjoy hearing Paul share the message on Sunday mornings.

*After church I was visiting with a friend and she was sharing how she enjoyed reading my blog each day, and liked to read how a normal person and a normal family function in dealing with problems and situations, because her family situation at the moment is anything but normal.  It made me chuckle, thinking I am poster child for normalcy....ha! ha! 

*Some of the ladies of our church had a retreat on Friday and Saturday and shared about what a wonderful time they had at the retreat.  I did not go, because I knew Saturday was the only day I had to get the work at Bill and Debbie’s house done by moving furniture out, and this Saturday was the only Saturday I had to get the yard cleaned up.  I believe I made the right decision.  But I so appreciate the other women who went sharing about their experience and how God touched them in many ways over the weekend. 

*Much of the afternoon was spent preparing food for tonight’s family dinner.  First I started working on the Honey Apple Upside Down Cake, my first try at making a white sugar free, white flour free dessert.  Instead, I used a brown rice flour, and honey, maple syrup and raw sugar were the sweeteners.  The cake turned out really good. 

*Next I brought out all the root vegetables I would chop up to prepared roasted root vegetables.  This included chopping carrots, a rutabaga, a turnip, a beet, a sweet potato, two regular potatoes and a butternut squash.  I found out in the midst of dropping a piece of raw butternut squash on the floor that our dog Sadie is a big fan.  She probably ate four or five pieces of raw butternut squash while I was fixing this dish.  I put all the veggies in a bowl and put in the fridge until it was time to roast them.

*I relaxed for a little bit on the couch, then cleaned up the house, set the table and finished the preparations.  Christy arrived a little before 5:30 p.m.  Everett wasn’t feeling well, so he was unable to come.  Christy came bearing the gift of two potted mums from our local ACE Hardware store.  They were giving them away for free, so she picked up some, and brought over two for me to put out front.

*Bill and Debbie arrived a little while later.  We warmed ourselves before dinner with some mixed nuts and a apple brandy hot toddy, then moved to the table and enjoyed the ribs, vegetables and salad.  And later the dessert.  I served the meal on the Candlewick dishes I got from Mom...their first time being used in my own home.  These dishes help create a very beautiful table.  The fire Paul made also created a very cozy atmosphere.

*We had great conversation around the table.  After Christy left to check on Everett, Paul and Debbie did a little guitar playing lesson before Bill and Debbie departed for the evening. I look forward to our next dinner at Christy’s house on November 5th.

*My feet were hurting a bit this evening, so I soaked them in some Epsom salts, and lavender and peppermint oils, which helped bring relief.  Then it was time for bed.  Paul and I listened to our daughters share about their days, we told them about ours, and then it was time for sleep.

Gathering Graces 10/21/2017

*Today was everything I hoped it would be, regarding getting projects done.  What a blessing to have a day like today.

*Paul and I told my siblings that we would arrive at Bill’s house around 9 a.m. for “furniture moving day”.  We borrowed Everett’s pickup truck and first loaded it with a dresser, a bed and a few other smaller items.  We also loaded our car with some things to go to our house as well.  Paul and I drove over to our house, unloaded our vehicles, and then headed back to Bill and Debbie’s house to move a desk over to Christy’s house.  Mission accomplished.

*Paul then loaded up the pickup for a “Dump Run”. First he went and got rid of the cardboard at the recycling receptacles.  Bill had also given us some of their recycling.  In the meantime, Bill swung by our house, and picked up some items to be donated to St. Vinnies in Osburn.  Paul ended up making two dump runs, but got it all accomplished.

*Later in the afternoon, Bill had started emptying the storage closets upstairs in his house.  This was full of odds and ends, and Christmas decorations.  So I went over and got some more archival items, some Christmas items, and a few other things, and brought them home to be put away.  Paul also loaded up the pickup, once again, with some of the lawn furniture from the backyard, which now of a new home in our backyard.

*In the midst of all this, Paul gathered all my flower pots and put them under the benches of our beech tree so I could pull out the flowers and empty the pots to store them for the winter.  It was so sad pulling up the pots this year, as many of the  flowers were still blooming beautifully.  But the top of our compost pile looks lovely!!

*After getting all the pots emptied and stored, my worked turned toward my raised beds. This involved pulling up all the plants still growing in the beds, and emptying a bag of potting soil and a bag of manure in each of the five beds and stirring it in to the existing soil so it rests over the winter, and will be ready to use for planting in the fall.

*I was amazed at the harvest I got today from my garden.  I picked one small zucchini, some Swiss Chard, a few tiny carrots, one small red potato, some tomatoes, a sunflower, and a small bowl of raspberries.  I took all but the sunflower and raspberries and cut them up and stir fried them in olive oil.  I added some salt and pepper and garam masala seasoning, giving it a bit of an exotic Indian flavor.  At the end I added a dash of red wine vinegar to the veggies.  In another pan, I fried some cut up Andouille sausages.  I dished up the vegetables in two bowls, added the sausage on top, and it was one delicious “final harvest” meal. 

*After dinner, Paul suggested we go downstairs and tackle a couple of the boxes we had brought over today of Mom’s things.  So we unpacked and put away some dishes.  We added boxes of photographs and papers to the “Woolum family archives”, a closet in our house now dedicated to anything related to family history.  And I went through a box of coffee mugs and sorted which ones I wanted to keep to put up in our basement kitchen area by the Keurig machine.  The others will be donated.  Again, a very productive evening.

*We got all our outside work done before the rains came, and the rains came and didn’t stop.  Paul had chopped up a bunch of wood, and made a fire.  It felt good to sit by the fire, and listen to each daughter share about their day, and to feel the warmth of the fire on our achy muscles. 

*On so many levels, this was a really good day.  As I write these words, the words from one of my favorite songs from the musical Godspell keeps going through my mind.  It is the song All Good Gifts Around Us. The lyrics are below, and you can listen to the song here.

All Good Gifts Around Us

We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand..
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain...
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain...

All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love...

We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest, our life, our health, our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts!

All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above..
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love..

I really wanna thank you Lord!

Gathering Graces 10/20/2017

*Today was one of “those days”.

*It started out innocent enough.  I wrote on my blog, and got paperwork together and filled out so I could drive to Wallace, our county seat, and get the title on Mom’s car transferred to Paul and myself.  First, I needed to go by Bill’s house and sign some papers and get Mom’s death certificate.

*So that ended up being fine, and I drove to Wallace.  I found out from the very cheerful and helpful clerk for the Shoshone County DMV that some of the papers I had filled out online were not needed, but I did need Bill to sign the title as Mom’s legal representative, and that I needed to bring the certified letter that proves this, so they could make a copy.  So I headed back to Kellogg.

*In the meantime, I had received an urgent message from Paul who needed his Idaho teaching certification turned in to the District Office today. 

*I stopped by Bill’s house and had him sign the items he needed to sign, and got a copy of the certified letter needed.  I left his house, and when I arrived home, I realized I had left my purse at Bill’s house.  Back to Bill’s house to grab my purse.

*Upon arriving back at my house, I cut up some vegetables to roast that I would be taking to book group.  I started looking for the big envelope Paul’s papers were in.  The last time I remember seeing them, they were in his office on his desk, in a very specific place.  But they were there no more. I looked, and went through piles, and I could not find this big envelope.  “Ok Lord, help me find this envelope!!”  I decided, what the heck, let’s look on my desk in my office.  Well, after going through items in a pile, there it was.  Whew!!

*My vegetables were roasted, put into a dish, and put in the backseat of the car.  I stopped by the district office on my way out of town to drop the very important papers off, and they were closed!!  They are never closed.  But today all district office employees were gone.  I assume they had a special lunch together somewhere.

*As I left the district office, and turned to get onto the highway, and heard a sound, looked in the backseat, and there were roasted vegetables on the backseat, because some had spilled out of the dish.  I pulled over to the side of the off ramp, and scooped up what had spilled out.  Now my hands were very oily from scooping vegetables.  So, I drove to the Smelterville exit, took the exit, got back on the highway, headed back to Kellogg, got back home.  Cleaned up the mess in the backseat.  Salvaged the vegetables that were unharmed in this mess, and headed back to Kingston for book group. 

*Fortunately, book group was lovely.  As always, we had a wonderful spread of food on the table, great conversation about the book we read, Hillbilly Elegy, and about life in general.  As we sat at Mary Gail’s table, four white tail deer came traipsing into her yard.  Debbie shooed them off, know the damage they would do to Mary Gail’s plants in her yard if they were allowed to stay.

*So, back in the car and back to Kellogg, where I dropped off the papers to Cindy at the District Office, and talked to Terry about some Gear Up business.  Then I traveled back to Wallace and took in my papers to the DMV clerk, and, mission accomplished.  The car is now in our name, plus it is registered with new licence plates and we are good to go!!

*I returned home, and shared with Paul about my day.  I told him he should call our insurance agent to get this car on our insurance.  He did, and around 5 p.m. she was knocking at our door, handing us our proof of liability paper to have in the car, and also noticing our new roof, which means we get a discount on our home owners insurance, which she will put in the works on Monday.

*After sharing about my day with the girls, Zoe commented, “once you spill roasted vegetables on the back seat of the car, it is pretty much your car now.”  How true...how true!!

*One highlight of the day was the fact, amidst the flying back and forth around the valley, that I could look at the beautiful fall colors throughout Shoshone County.  As I was heading home at the end of the day, I pulled into the Silver Mountain parking lot and took the photograph you see up above.  I am always in awe of the beauty of the fall colors in my little town.

Gathering Graces 10/19/2017

*Lately the temperature has been in the high 30’s when Nikki and I have walked in the morning.  This morning, it felt like we were having a heat wave.  It was in the high 40’s, and it seemed very warm.  Amazing what 10 degrees warmer can feel like. 

*It was nice having a morning that didn’t seem so rushed, since I didn’t have to be to school to meet with anyone early.

*During homeroom I met with the NHS officers to prepare for our NHS meeting on Monday.  Monday we are drawing tickets for the raffle prize winners, and also starting our poinsettia sale.

* A couple nights ago Zoe posed a question to Paul and I about why we let her as a child watch the movie Poltergeist, and not Titanic.  My only defense was....”I don’t know....we were just weird.”

*It was coffee day at KHS today.  Some of the students have started preparing coffee and delivering it during homeroom on Thursday.  This is the first day I have been able to participate.  It was fun seeing Austin’s smiling face at my office door as he came to deliver coffee.

*I loved the fact I could come home and make a meatloaf sandwich for lunch today.  Bread, some brown mustard and meatloaf.  One of my most favorite sandwiches in the world!!

*After sixth period I had a one on one talk with a senior, and hopefully it helped a bit get his future plans clarified.

*Paul grilled some steaks for dinner, with some bleu cheese on top.  Yummy!!

*And we were off to Wallace for rehearsal.  We picked up Jesaray at her house uptown, and off we went.  We were able to make it through all the songs tonight.  It was really fun, except there were a couple times I kind of forgot I was suppose to be singing a verse on a song.  Oops!!  Good thing we still have two weeks until opening night.

*I came home and spent some time writing thank you notes to send to people, and called it a night.