*I am not sure what happened. Probably the beginning of the school year. But I am getting a lot more bookings for classes all of a sudden. Which is great!! I am loving this new gig!!
*This morning I taught a cute little guy named Jeremy. It was a special class for some training I did. He was a great little student. Tomorrow I am scheduled to have five different classes from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
*Today at the mine tour I met a woman who just reached an important milestone in her life. Idaho was the final state of all 50 states that she had visited in her lifetime. She now lives in Florida, and her daughter lives in Illinois. She only had Montana and Idaho to go, so her daughter encouraged her to visit the final two states. The daughter accompanied her, and they stayed in Whitefish, Montana, and came over the border, and spent the day in Wallace for their Idaho experience. They had a wonderful time, and loved Wallace, and it was fun talking with them.
*After work Paul and I went to Nancy Hanks house to do some voiceover work on the movie we recently completed. At some point her operating system crashed on her computer, and she lost some audio files that needed redone. It was fun visiting with Nancy, as she shared her vision for film making in the Silver Valley.
*My bookings have really picked up this week with my VIPKID students. This morning I had two classes booked. One was a “no show”, and one was with a girl named Rui Xin. We had a good time. This evening, I also had a class with Elsa. She was fun, too. I am really enjoying getting to “meet” all these different students, and teach them a little bit about speaking English!
*The Huckleberry Book Club started back today with a gathering at Sue’s house. We had read “Educated” by Tara Westover, the woman I saw speak in Moscow on Monday. It was fun sharing about the talk with the group, and we had a great discussion about the book, education, and catching up on our lives. Next month we are reading a Pulitzer Prize winning biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder called Prairie Fire:The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. I am looking forward to this book, despite the fact (much to the chagrin of some of my friends like Kellee Crall Mills, Christina Curry, April M Lee and Stephanie Bauman Broaddus), that I have never read one of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books. I tried reading one to Molly when she was younger, but just couldn’t get into it. I really never watched the television show much either. I know enough to identify some of the characters in the show, but that is about it. It sounds like this book tells the “real” story of what life was like on the prairie. I love books like this, that teach part of history that I am usually unaware of, or only know part of the story.
*Even though the temperatures are feeling more fall like during the day, the late afternoon/early evening temperatures have been quite pleasant. I went out and picked some flowers, and collected another batch of rose petals, and loved smelling the wonderful fragrance of those rose petals. Smells can evoke strong memories, and the rose petals remind me of my Grandma Woolum’s house and yard. She must have had some fragrant roses around her yard. I love that Paul and I can still eat outside and enjoy a pleasant meal on our patio.
*I headed to my downstairs classroom after dinner to prepare for my 8 p.m. class, as well as my 5:30 a.m. class for the next morning. I am figuring out better how to prepare, and I am getting used to the trial classes, so those are easy to prepare for now.
*For the past two years, my sister-in-law Laurie has told me about this podcast called The West Wing Weekly. It is a podcast hosted by former cast member Joshua Malina and his friend Hrishikesh Hirway. Starting back in March 2016, the hosts do an episode-by-episode discussion of the show The West Wing. I have watched the entire series (all seven seasons) between five and ten times. I recently started it again. This time, I will do it by watching an episode, then listening to this podcast. Right now, as of September 11, 2018, they are on Season 5, Episode 14. I look forward to finding a new way to watch and appreciate my favorite television drama series.
*It was fun to bike down to the Silver Valley Farmer’s Market tonight with Paul and check out what was going on, and get some visiting in as well.
*As always, we greeted Erin Nansel and got some hugs. She is the beer and wine server for Radio Brewing. We visited for a bit, and talked some about Karlie’s wedding.
*As we were parking our bikes, we ran into Vonda Inglis Schuld. It was fun getting hugs from her and hearing about her summer adventures driving through Canada and up to Alaska and back. It was sure nice catching up!
*It was also nice visiting with Diannah Fields-Brown. Her husband Travis was providing the live music tonight at the market. Travis has performed for years in the Silver Valley, and this is the first time I have heard him perform. He was wonderful. Diannah said he has around 150 original songs to sing. I really enjoyed his music.
*KHS teacher Terry Anderson was selling his famous hot sauce, and Paul bought a bottle. I think we had a bottle in the past, which is now gone, so Paul was happy to purchase another one, since he loves his hot sauce.
*Another favorite booth of ours is “Booch so Rad”. When i twas warmer, I would usually purchase one of the Kombucha Popsicle. Since it was a little cooler this evening, I decided to purchase two bottles of Kombucha. We purchased Orange Spice and Peach Basil. Check out Radley’s Facebook Page “Booch so Rad” to find out about this young entrepreneur, and his business. And it is wonderful that his whole family pitches in to help sell his kombucha, since he is busy at football practice on Thursday evenings. Tonight I saw his mom and dad, Josh and Ari McDonald, his grandma Jennifer Zjawinski Mcdonald, and his aunt Sarah McDonald (with her adorable baby), all there helping out!!
*April Muhs was another person I visited with for a while. We talked about her “trunk sale” and a variety of other topics.
*It was also fun running into Cathy Jerome, the mother of one of the seniors I worked with last year, Chase Jerome. Chase is a student at North Idaho College this fall, and is loving college, and his mother could not be more proud of him!! It is so exciting to get reports on my former Gear Up students, and how they are doing in school!!
*My morning started off down in my basement classroom. My 4 a.m. class was a “no show”, but I enjoyed teaching Stella during my 5 a.m. class. This was the first time I had taught a student who was already a part of the VIPKID program. She was a nice girl, and I enjoyed teaching her. My class bookings are increasing, which is very exiting. I participated in another VIPKID workshop tonight, which helped me gain a lot of good information.
*Today was the first day I actually felt like I am a person now who works from home. My day started out at about 4:30 a.m. going to my “classroom” in anticipation of teaching a student a Trial Class for VIPKID at 5 p.m.. The student was a “No Show”. The nice thing about “no shows” is you are suppose to stay in the classroom for at least 15 minutes unless they change your information on the class to “Finish No Show”, and once that is done, you can leave. All of my “no show” classes, I have been able to leave after five minutes, and still get paid at least $4. Then I went back to bed for a couple more hours, and got up to start my day.
*I had an online workshop scheduled for 7:30 a.m. through VIPKID. We also needed a part replaced on our new furnace, so Robert Paul from Flame Heating came and replaced that this morning. I had built a fire this morning to take the chill off, then turned on the furnace once the fire died down. I am curious to how much more efficient our furnace will be this winter.
*The rest of the day was spent working on VIPKID material. I watched a lot of videos and prepared for another certification for teaching another level of student. I love having the ability to spend some time each day preparing to teach better once I am in the classroom.
*I had bought a container of little bay shrimp from Costco on Tuesday, and decided to use some of them in a dish for dinner tonight. I found a recipe online called “Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp” which I modified based on the ingredients I had on hand. I substituted cream for half n half, Swiss Chard for baby spinach, and fresh tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes. Then I made some Zoodles to pour it over. It was unbelievably delicious. If you would like to try this recipe, you can find it here.*
*Rehearsals for the fall musical Men on Ice that Paul will be performing in this November at the Sixth Street Theater began tonight. While Paul was at rehearsal, I continued working on VIPKID information, and went downstairs to get ready for the following morning’s scheduled classes.
*This morning I woke up and quickly got ready and left the Rinaldi home where I was staying. Nothing and nobody was stirring as I departed.
*I drove over to Starbucks to order my Breve, and added my special powders to the coffee to start the day. I texted Coco, and asked if she wanted to join me on a walk through the University of Idaho Arboretum. She said her and Taylor would love to. So I departed Starbucks, coffee in hand, and drove to the arboretum. The walk did not disappoint. I got some wonderful ideas for flower combinations for my garden next year, and some beautiful photos. I also enjoyed seeing the majestic Blue Heron perched in the middle of the pond. Here are a few examples.
*After walking through the arboretum, I drove to downtown Moscow to meet Christy, Dawn and Debbie at Bucers, my favorite coffee shop in Moscow. It was a pleasant surprise to run into Lee A. O'Bryan and her son Owen at the coffee shop. Dawn also enjoyed seeing her, because Dawn’s brother is married to Lee’s mother, so Lee is her niece. I enjoyed an Americano with some half n half and sugar free vanilla syrup. We sat out front of the coffee shop and visited with Cosette and Taylor. Then it was time to depart.
*I drove solo on the way back to Kellogg, because I needed to stop in Coeur d’Alene and make a few stops. In enjoyed continuing to listen to Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr. First was Petco for some dog and cat hip and joint treats, and a new collar for Clark the Cat. Then I went to Costco to pick up a few items. Then to the liquor store to buy some vodka to make a new batch of limoncello, since my stash is almost gone. (I did pretty good, though. It lasted about two years or more!! I also have some huckleberry liqueur and raspberry liqueur that is almost ready to bottle as well.)
*It was good to be home, and know I won’t be going on any more trips, at least for a few weeks. Paul had got out some lamb chops for dinner, and we also had a lovely green salad, and some grilled white acorn squash. It was delicious!!
*I spent a little time preparing for my scheduled trial class for 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. Then it was time for bed.
*After saying goodbye to our wonderful host Laurie, we loaded our packed bags into the Chevy Colorado, and headed to the Boise International Airport. We dropped off the rental truck, and went and printed off our boarding passes at the Southwest Kiosk. We made it through security and proceeded to our gate.
*Out flight was, again, not really full, and it went very quickly. We landed and went to the parking garage to find our car. When we left the garage, I told Paul to take advantage of the free car wash you can get for parking in the garage. We did, then made our way through the pay lane, and we were on our way. I slept pretty much the whole way home, which made it quite a quick trip!!
*We got home, and all the animals were pretty clingy. Clark, who usually bolts for an open door, did not budge. All the animals hung out by us pretty closely. I unpacked, then repacked, because I was off again on another adventure. I would be driving to Moscow this afternoon to hear the author of the book Educated, Tara Westover, speak at The University of Idaho.
*Christy and Dawn left a little earlier in the day for Moscow. I picked up Debbie at 2 p.m. and we drove to Moscow. We arrived in time to park, and head to the restaurant Maialina Pizzeria Napoletana for our 5 pm reservation. Soon Christy and Dawn arrived to join us. Even though it is famous for their pizza, I decided to order the Bistecca Tagliata, a flank steak prepared medium rare and sliced. It was accompanied by truffle oil-lemon dressed arugula, parmegiano reggiano and evoo (extra virgin olive oil). It was delicious and the perfect amount of food. Everyone else enjoyed their choices as well.
Bistecca Tagliata--Cut Steak
*After dinner we drove to the U of I Bruce Pittman Center to hear Tara Westover speak. (Bruce Pittman, who the building was recently named after, was sitting four seats down from me.) Molly and Cosette joined us for the talk, and really enjoyed it as well. (I will share some separate thoughts on the book Educated and this talk in a separate blog post.)
*After the evening talk was done, we drove to Nectar to join some friends and talk about the evening. It was fun to spend some time with Christy, Debbie, Dawn, Beverley, Terri, Kenton and his wife Gerri. It was a beautiful evening out sitting around the fire on the outdoor patio.
Christy, Kenton, Gerri
Bev, Terri, Christy
Debbie and I
*As the evening was winding down, I said goodbye and went to my friend Jill’s house to spend the night. Her son Steven let me in, and it had been a long day, so I went straight to bed.
*Paul and I packed a lot of things into this weekend, and Sunday was no exception.
*We headed out from Laurie’s house around 8:30 a.m. to Le Peep in Meridian for breakfast with Molly, Travis, Cosette and Taylor. They all arrived shortly after 9 a.m., and we all had a delicious breakfast. Zoe would be joining us later after she taught Sunday School at church this morning.
*We celebrated two different occasions this morning. Last Wednesday was Coco’s birthday, so she opened up her birthday present from Paul and I. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, and she said kitchen items, decorations and clothes. That is what she got!!
Happy Birthday Coco!!
*We also celebrated Molly and Travis’ second anniversary, which is Monday. The second anniversary is cotton, so they received some cotton-scented candles, and some Cottonelle!!
Happy Anniversary Travis and Molly!!
*After breakfast, Zoe arrived and we headed across the street to Lucky Perk to have some coffee and tea before the Moscow crew drove back home.
*Goodbyes were said to Molly, Travis, Cosette and Taylor as they drove off toward Moscow. Paul drove Zoe’s car, and I drove our truck back to Laurie’s house. Now it was nap time. I think I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow, and I was in one of those really hard sleeps when Paul woke me up around 2 p.m. to we could go check out some apartments Zoe is interested in renting in Nampa. We drove to Nampa with Zoe, and the first place had two apartments that will become available in a couple of weeks. They looked promising. She showed us another one, and it did not look as promising. We are praying all goes well, and she will get to rent one of the apartments.
*I was in need of fluid and caffeine, so we stopped at McDonalds and I ordered an unsweetened ice tea. Boy did that hit the spot. I felt much more refreshed after drinking that down.
*We drove back to Meridian, and stopped at Paul’s parents house for a visit. They were not there when we first arrived, but drove up shortly afterwards. They had gone to get some ice cream cones. We had a really nice visit with the both of them, and enjoyed spending time with them this afternoon. Karlie and Daniel were flying to Hawaii today for their honeymoon, and that led to Burt and Pat sharing stories about some of their adventures when they traveled to Hawaii three different times to celebrate their wedding anniversaries.
*Then it was off to Kevin and Linda’s house. Laurie joined us. There were some things that needed sorted and put away, so we helped with that a bit, then we ordered some dinner, and ate together, along with Kennadie, a young woman who lives at Kevin and Linda’s house. After dinner, everyone was dragging a bit, so we knew it was time to get back to Laurie’s house.
*We said our goodbyes to Zoe. It was so nice to be able to spend the day with her. Then we went inside, and Laurie and Paul went for a run, and played a little ping pong, and soon I knew it was time for bed, because we had to leave for the airport by 6 a.m. the next morning.
*What a wonderful weekend. I loved that it was the type of wedding that family and friends all chipped in and helped where it was needed. Yes, it was tiring. Yes, it was hard work. But that was the beauty of it all. A community of loved ones surrounding Karlie and Daniel as they were married. It was amazing to be a part of this weekend.
*Paul, Laurie and I were all up early to prepare for a day of helping set up for Karlie and Daniel’s wedding, and later attend the wedding.
*Paul was up the earliest. His brother Kevin showed up to pick him up at 6 a.m. so they could drive to Boise and pick up the pastries for the wedding, prepared at Big City Coffee. When he returned, I woke up and we were off to Black Rock to get coffee.
*Laurie and Paul headed to Kevin and Linda’s house, and eventually both made it to the venue to start work. I had some computer work I needed to do, so I arrived stayed at Laurie’s house a while longer, then arrived at Juniper Ranch around 10 a.m. It was so fun helping transform the grounds in to Travel and Adventure themed wedding that Karlie and Daniel envisioned. All around the grounds, there were old trunks, suitcases, books, globes, maps, and suitcases to accentuate this theme.
*Sometime after noon we all headed out, to return to do some finishing touches on the tables. Paul and I made a quick trip to Fred Meyer, then returned to Laurie’s house and both took a nap. Then we got up and got ready for the wedding.
*It was a wonderful evening celebrating my wonderful niece and her new husband. The evening was absolutely beautiful. I had fun seeing and visiting with lots of people. All our immediate family was there. Molly, Travis, Zoe, Cosette and Taylor, so after dinner, we enjoyed dancing the night away on the dance floor.
*We arrived back at Laurie’s house sometime after 11 p.m., and it was shortly after that, we all faded fast and headed to bed.
*This morning was early, but not for teaching a class. Instead Paul and I drove to the Spokane International Airport to catch our flight to Boise. We are travelling to Boise to attend our niece Karlie’s wedding.
*We had a nice flight, that was not very full, and we made it there about five minutes early to Boise. We decided to rent a car for the weekend, so we went to the Enterprise Car Rental desk, and Jesus set us up with a Chevy Colorado truck. He thought we might like to have a truck to use for the wedding weekend, and we said why not. Here is our “ride” for the weekend.
📷
*We stopped at my new favorite coffee shop in Meridian, Black Rock, which is near Laurie’s house, where we will be staying. Then we headed out to Juniper Ranch, which is the wedding venue out in Caldwell. Paul, Laurie and I spent most of the morning unloading chairs, and setting them up.
*Paul took a break from chair duty to climb on top of Linda’s dad’s fifth wheel to clip tree branches as they drove in to the venue. Here he is once they made it through the tree clipping project.
Success!!
*We took a break in the afternoon and went to Laurie’s house to eat lunch and take a break with Laurie and Kent. Kent and Paul headed back out to work on more projects. Laurie and I made it back to the venue for the rehearsal and dinner. Zoe, who is a bridesmaid in the wedding, showed up shortly after we arrived, having made it through the Boise afternoon traffic.
*The rehearsal and dinner was wonderful. I had some nice visit with both my sister-in-law Robin and my sister-in-law Michele. Paul, Laurie and I returned back to her house. Paul and Laurie went for a run, and I went for a walk, and saw this beautiful sunset. Then we spent the rest of the evening having a great visit. But when the clock turned 11 p.m., it was time to go to bed.
*I started off the morning teaching a cute little six year old named Elsa. She was in China. I was in my basement. I think this gig is pretty cool!!
*Around 8 a.m. I hopped on my bicycle and rode to Sam’s to meet my friend Kellee Crall Mills for breakfast. We had a great visit getting caught up on each other’s lives, and hope to meet up again soon.
*I went home and started getting ready for our trip this weekend. But my early morning wake up calls got me a little tired, so I did doze off and on throughout the morning.
*We have some friends house sitting this weekend, and taking care of the pets, and so I spent some time finally getting my office space cleaned up a bit, because that is where they will be sleeping. This has been on my “to do” list since last spring. It was so nice to have that project done.
*Tammy McMorrow recommended I read the book Four Season in Rome by Anthony Doerr. This book is a memoir about living in Rome for a year with his wife and his newborn twins. I have it as an audio book. I spent a large part of the day listening to Doerr’s adventures in Rome, and I loved comparing his life there with some of my experiences when visiting Italy.
*I had planned to attend the Silver Valley Farmer’s Market, but had been kind of tired all day, so decided against it. Paul got home a little late, because he had to prepare two days of work for his sub in his class, which took a while after school. We both finished cleaning up the house after we ate dinner, then turned in early, since we would be leaving for the airport around 4:30 a.m. for our plane trip to Boise for our niece’s wedding.
