A new look!

Jesse was suppose to have her braces taken off on April 5th. However, last week the orthodontist office called to see if we wanted to bump the date a bit. It seems many people did not take spring break into account when making appointments so they canceled.

She has been enjoying the freedom: DOTS, gummies, caramel, etc.

We've been doing a bit of college research for Jesse over the weekend. Looks like she'll be applying to a couple of places south of us. South, as in Florida. {sigh} So far away...and not in-state. Oh well. We also did some investigating on what she needs for application. Her portfolio is a high priority over the next few years.

Chloe is already thinking she'll attend USC for business so she can run the dairy goat farm successfully. I have been looking for a local goat farm to see if she can do some volunteer work, but so far I haven't found the right fit. We are not giving up though.

How many changes in 24 hours?

I am closer to being able to talk about taekwondo. I am not positive if I can open up about everything, but I will say the wheels are in motion.

Last night when I got home from taekwondo, I saw where Dr. Dial has passed away. Dr. Dial was bigger than life on the Pfeiffer campus. He was over the science department and not a man to mess with. He had a photographic memory and made sure each and every student knew it. I had dinner one night at his home. A night I'll never forget. It was his son's, Tory's, birthday. Tory invited me to dinner. Nervous would not to begin to explain how I felt that night. But I was honored to be the only outsider at dinner for Tory's birthday. In my mind, Dr. Dial will always be bigger than life.

A good friend of mine got some bad news last night. Okay, that does not begin to cover the news, but it is her life and I will not reveal things here. However, she and her family have been on my mind all day.

So, not everything is mine. Meaning not everything I've listed directly effects me. But each one does effect me. Each, in its own way, promotes my brain to work in overdrive. Poor John has had to go from one subject to another almost sentence by sentence with me today.

Life is always changing. Sometimes others change our lives for us, whether we want them to or not. Those changes are harder, but you still have to pull yourself up by the boot straps and keep going. There is something positive in everyday we just have to be open minded enough to find it.

A moment to type

I have a moment while Jesse and Chloe finish math, so I thought I would type a bit.

School is going well. (Just as I said that Chloe dropped her pencil behind her, no stretching allowed :) ). Anyway, school is going well these days. I was going to use a science book from a friend for last semester but science didn't get done much last semester. I now have them on the schedule they were suppose to do originally (I'll get your book to you soon Julia). I think Chloe is going to have a blast doing science. She really was looking forward to studying the solar system this semester. We aren't there yet but we will be. We are going to make a few days of school on John's working weekends. Those days will be filled with just science and math. So, one day they will be happy, the other miserable. :) Math is no longer Jesse's favorite subject.

I have to say her math is really getting harder. I am amazed what they put in a fifth grade math book these days: beginning algebra, multiplying and dividing with fractions. I don't remember doing those in fifth grade, especially the algebra!

Rehearsals are going well. I missed Tuesday's, but I was told it went well. Tonight, they both have to be there. I believe they are going to do a run through of the first half of the play. It will be the first time we will "see" Tink #2. It should be fun! I am going to sign-up to help during the shows. I think I am going to try to be a "child wrangler", as Mr. Jerry calls it. I believe I am better suited for that job than others I could choose from.

Many of you (most probably) do not know I spent some time of my own in the theatre during my college years. I have loved the theatre since I was Chloe's age when I saw my first production at our local high school. I was fascinated! While I longed to do something in high school, I did not have the personality for it. Wait. You have to understand (for those who did not know me then) I was a completely different person then. I was hiding. I was hiding for many reasons, that took me a long time to deal with. Anyway. I loved the theatre...until they fired our director. He has replaced by a poop head. Yep, I said! So, reluctantly I left the theatre shortly after John G. And I have not been back, until now.

I'll get back to my point now. Tuesday night I went back to TKD to teach. I was completely myself there. I love being there. I love that I was missed by "my kids". I love talking to the parents. I am comfortable there. I told John later that night it was funny, twenty years ago I would have been more comfortable in a theatre than a dojo. Now, it is just the opposite. I don't feel myself when I am at the theatre now, though myself does come out when it needs to correct the behavior of a child.

All-in-all, I think this theatre experience has been good for the girls. It took them out of their comfort zone (TKD) and put them into something brand spankin new for them. And they are enjoying it. I believe they are going to take a homeschool theatre class in March/April. They are still thinking about and discussing it with John, but it is looking probable.