Tuesday, November 9, 2010
18 jul awards
these are going to be a bit out of order until i get them caught up...just posting one today
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
pay days
this morning i got one! a pay day that is! (actually, i got two of them!)
i just got an e-mail from jenni that says it all: "Thanks for teaching me to be a good writer. Thanks for always being willing to edit my papers to death and helping me learn :). It has helped me along the way and continues to help me now. We got a paper back and our CFA's were talking for about 15 mins about how they marked it up a lot to correct a lot of errors and such and how we need to be professional writers. Then we got our papers back and the comment on mine said, "The writing is professional and thoughtful, and well revised and edited. It was a pleasure to read a basically error free paper".
pretty cool, huh?! but to appreciate this you must catch a glimpse of jenni's freshman and sophomore years at college. jenni emailing papers to me, requesting an editor's eye. usually at midnight. ha! not really. more often at 1 and 2 am. we divised a system of sending copies back and forth with coded highlights to keep track of changes, comments, and recommendations. those were some late late nights. sometimes i couldn't see straight, so i'd get up at 4:30 to continue giving feedback to what she'd written thru the night.
but then something happened. it's called her junior year. no more late nights. i probably only saw two papers that year. i enjoyed the restful nights. i enjoyed even more reports of how teachers frequently asked to keep her papers...as examples of what they were looking for, for future classes.
i have to admit, there were times those first two years where i wondered if i was just helping her get a better grade. i mean, by college, can you really change or improve a writing style that much? but one day some very big things suddenly sunk in. like comma usage! the OVERusage suddenly disappeared! strength of content increased. fabulous conclusions finished her papers with 'pow'! and i realized that all those 2 am's were worth it!
i haven't seen a paper now for 2 1/2 years. (except ones i've requested to read out of pure content interest). so today's e-mail about the comments on her paper was a definite pay day for this mom!
oh...but i mentioned two pay days, didn't i? well, maybe jenni was listening to elder holland saturday morning. i just have to say, the second pay day clearly outweighed the first.
oh...and p.s. you're welcome!
i just got an e-mail from jenni that says it all: "Thanks for teaching me to be a good writer. Thanks for always being willing to edit my papers to death and helping me learn :). It has helped me along the way and continues to help me now. We got a paper back and our CFA's were talking for about 15 mins about how they marked it up a lot to correct a lot of errors and such and how we need to be professional writers. Then we got our papers back and the comment on mine said, "The writing is professional and thoughtful, and well revised and edited. It was a pleasure to read a basically error free paper".
pretty cool, huh?! but to appreciate this you must catch a glimpse of jenni's freshman and sophomore years at college. jenni emailing papers to me, requesting an editor's eye. usually at midnight. ha! not really. more often at 1 and 2 am. we divised a system of sending copies back and forth with coded highlights to keep track of changes, comments, and recommendations. those were some late late nights. sometimes i couldn't see straight, so i'd get up at 4:30 to continue giving feedback to what she'd written thru the night.
but then something happened. it's called her junior year. no more late nights. i probably only saw two papers that year. i enjoyed the restful nights. i enjoyed even more reports of how teachers frequently asked to keep her papers...as examples of what they were looking for, for future classes.
i have to admit, there were times those first two years where i wondered if i was just helping her get a better grade. i mean, by college, can you really change or improve a writing style that much? but one day some very big things suddenly sunk in. like comma usage! the OVERusage suddenly disappeared! strength of content increased. fabulous conclusions finished her papers with 'pow'! and i realized that all those 2 am's were worth it!
i haven't seen a paper now for 2 1/2 years. (except ones i've requested to read out of pure content interest). so today's e-mail about the comments on her paper was a definite pay day for this mom!
oh...but i mentioned two pay days, didn't i? well, maybe jenni was listening to elder holland saturday morning. i just have to say, the second pay day clearly outweighed the first.
oh...and p.s. you're welcome!
Monday, September 27, 2010
higher education
there is something amazing about how much we learn, the second time around, in our pursuit of education. the thing is, sometimes i think it's the pursuit of supporting our children's education that merits the greater higher degree.
for example, i became an expert oceanographer this weekend, thanks to a project cole had to do for school. we read a lot together, and then i read even more, to learn all i could to then translate it into simple 3rd grade terms. and off to school he ran this morning with all the components he had created for a project he needed to assemble at school, and notes to help him create an informative essay in class. i closed the front door after the routine morning calls of "bye! i love you!" ..."love you, too!" and returned to the table and the remains of his project preparations, and picked up one of the books and just kept reading. this is cool stuff!
a couple weeks ago i was into entomology! cole caught a dragonfly. and suddenly we couldn't learn enough about them. we read, researched and sat engrossed in youtube videos of dragonfly nymphs emerging from their life underwater, to break out of their old skin and become the dragonfly we're most familiar with. well, mr. dragonfly died. but not to worry, two days later cole caught a praying mantis, and back to the internet, insect books, never before watched insect movies in our home library, and pet store we went, learning all we could learn. we sounded like bug nerds, and i LOVED it!
you know those little scout advancement pins boys put on their moms? well, there should be accompanying pins or certificates or diplomas or caps and gown for moms who do it all again...and again...relearning on new levels the many things their children need to learn...and surely much better than we ever did the first time around!
p.s. i do think i'll still leave the math pin for mark, however.
for example, i became an expert oceanographer this weekend, thanks to a project cole had to do for school. we read a lot together, and then i read even more, to learn all i could to then translate it into simple 3rd grade terms. and off to school he ran this morning with all the components he had created for a project he needed to assemble at school, and notes to help him create an informative essay in class. i closed the front door after the routine morning calls of "bye! i love you!" ..."love you, too!" and returned to the table and the remains of his project preparations, and picked up one of the books and just kept reading. this is cool stuff!
a couple weeks ago i was into entomology! cole caught a dragonfly. and suddenly we couldn't learn enough about them. we read, researched and sat engrossed in youtube videos of dragonfly nymphs emerging from their life underwater, to break out of their old skin and become the dragonfly we're most familiar with. well, mr. dragonfly died. but not to worry, two days later cole caught a praying mantis, and back to the internet, insect books, never before watched insect movies in our home library, and pet store we went, learning all we could learn. we sounded like bug nerds, and i LOVED it!
you know those little scout advancement pins boys put on their moms? well, there should be accompanying pins or certificates or diplomas or caps and gown for moms who do it all again...and again...relearning on new levels the many things their children need to learn...and surely much better than we ever did the first time around!
p.s. i do think i'll still leave the math pin for mark, however.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
m.i.a.
i realize that several are wondering if i have abandoned the whole blog thing all together. so this is just a quick note to say...nope! just been on vacation. actually, the biggest deterent to posting here - and uploading weekly awards has been that the hard drive that my pictures go on was finally filled to capacity. and my sweet husband wanted to do work on my computer before installing a new drive. but that finally happened this weekend! so i can now FINALLY upload pictures from the summer. i have temporarily put some on his computer to make room on my camera. but haven't had easy access to any to do awards. so i have just kept lists for our awards this summer - and plan on putting them in print format, and up on this blog - once everyone gets back to school.
for now, i'm enjoying having everyone home for the three short days that jenni will be here. then i will probably be an emotional mess when she and brittany leave on thursday to go back to byu. i have LOVED having brittany home this summer. she brings so much personality and laughter to our home. and i love really catching up with who she is and where her heart is...in person. may i say that i couldn't be prouder of her.
sunday she received her patriarchal blessing. what an experience it is for a parent to hear the Lord pronounce His vision of her and her mission in life. wow. that's all. just...wow! and i realize that while it was great timing for her - taking that fresh with her back to school, it was aweful timing for me - having such a spiritual experience together, seeing your child as a fully developed adult spirit - as lifelong potential, charges, and blessings are pronounced. that's a parent's payday, if there ever was one. realizing that you knew all along that they were an incredibly special spirit, and then having the Lord tell them the same...and more! a sweet experience, to be sure. but then... to have them leave. well, it's all feeling very unfair. and hard. and sad. and - so exciting - for her - all at the same time!
hmmm...i think i'll close before i have to run for a kleenex!
oops! too late!
for now, i'm enjoying having everyone home for the three short days that jenni will be here. then i will probably be an emotional mess when she and brittany leave on thursday to go back to byu. i have LOVED having brittany home this summer. she brings so much personality and laughter to our home. and i love really catching up with who she is and where her heart is...in person. may i say that i couldn't be prouder of her.
sunday she received her patriarchal blessing. what an experience it is for a parent to hear the Lord pronounce His vision of her and her mission in life. wow. that's all. just...wow! and i realize that while it was great timing for her - taking that fresh with her back to school, it was aweful timing for me - having such a spiritual experience together, seeing your child as a fully developed adult spirit - as lifelong potential, charges, and blessings are pronounced. that's a parent's payday, if there ever was one. realizing that you knew all along that they were an incredibly special spirit, and then having the Lord tell them the same...and more! a sweet experience, to be sure. but then... to have them leave. well, it's all feeling very unfair. and hard. and sad. and - so exciting - for her - all at the same time!
hmmm...i think i'll close before i have to run for a kleenex!
oops! too late!
Monday, July 19, 2010
snapshot of the past month...
well - so much for getting those awards posted...what was i thinking in my last post? they'll be up...sometime!
i'm back after running non-stop for the past 4 weeks. so much has happened - have to capture some of it here...
first week...
i'm back after running non-stop for the past 4 weeks. so much has happened - have to capture some of it here...
first week...
- left home before school officially ended - to utah for tyler & bethany's wedding
- spent a sweet evening with the whole family together the night before the wedding
- wedding/sealing in salt lake temple - pure bliss!
- loved picture taking on the temple grounds. especially loved that jenni & brittany were asked to be bridesmaids along with bethany's sister. really meant a lot! (our girls LOVE their uncle tyler!)
- reception at 'the point' at the huntsman center in slc - way cool location (what a view!) for an over-the-top fun time! tyler & bethany...so in love! dj enlivened the whole night. won't ever forget him bringing out his own 'village people' (including cole) to act out ymca! such a happy day/night/beginning for a sweet new family.
- went to manti & saw the manti miracle pageant friday night (made us all miss oakland temple pageant)
- went to sl temple with rochelle to do baptisms on saturday
- played and shopped with all the girls - while the boys hit hill af base museum & the mega surplus store
- spent time with brian & shelly & fam on sunday (i LOVE family!)
- went to yw camp with rochelle. a really big deal for me, since i was a faithful camp leader who never missed camp for years and years...but haven't been back since rochelle was born.
- and...went as a counselor (which i swore i'd never do again) (silly me) with the sweetest most awesome 7 girls at camp! really! 7 level 1 girls (5-11 yr olds / 2-12 yr olds) who can only be described as PERFECT!
- good for me to be there again, at the same camp i grew up going to, and finally breaking the run of missed years there. so fun to share with rochelle. especially good for me to build and strengthen adult relationships (a very big void in my life)
- left a day after returning home from camp for idaho for two weeks.
- boating the first day...cole blowing us away with his awesome disk surfing skills...the rest of us having fun tubing
- the rest of the week was reception prep by day...and game playing every night!
- thursday - went to temple with tyler, bethany & rochelle. tyler baptized me - over-the-top special for me! rochelle did work for a woman who only two nights before had appeared to her friend in a dream asking for her work to be done!
- friday - jenni & friend, angie, arrived - and we headed off ice blocking!
- idaho reception...exquisitely beautiful! and fun! complete with cotton candy (tyler's only request) and horse-drawn surrey/carriage rides for the kids (and us big kids, too!)
- fun fireworks show from evan after the reception
- britt and jenni went home to be working girls again
- rochelle headed off to horse camp which she has dreamed about and saved for for the past year (actually, she's been dreaming about it all her life!) a week with HER OWN HORSE, 18 other horse-lovers, 4 counselors & an awesome director. yes...she is already planning to return next year!
- cole and i just hung around idaho for the week, living in a much quieter mode the week AFTER all the partying, and after half the family was gone.
- cole went fishing with gpa - and caught a 14" rainbow trout! (along with some perch and croppie)
- had fun helping bethany set up their new first home/apt. loved getting to know her better, and realizing even more why she is the perfect eternal partner for our ty.
- drove home alone with cole - kind of a fun experience and sweet time to have together
- picked up rochelle at the airport and listened to story after story of horse heaven!
- dove right into life at home with a swim meet less than 10 hours after getting home! (amazingly - rochelle dropped her time in 2 of 3 events and cole dropped time in one of his events - pretty impressive since rochelle hadn't worked out in a pool for 3 weeks and cole in 2!)
- loving being home, especially having a husband again!
- blown away by the growth in our garden (but that's a story for another post)
- planning lots of fun for the california half of our summer!
- boardwalk / beach trips / bonfires / outdoor movies / caverns / boating / hikes / bike rides / swimming parties / weddings (lots of them!) / sf / summer concerts / bbq's / game nights / back yard campouts / craft corner / water candles / tie-dye / sewing / water parks / homemade ice cream / outdoor theatre ... and more!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
back from 'vacation'
well, i knew it would happen. it does every year. i skip a week of awards. then i get behind. then i scramble to catch up, which seems to happen the same week i have too much on my plate. then i leave town, and finally my kids start to say...'what about our awards?'.
i like posting awards weekly on our blog - because, besides being a great way for family to keep up with our life, i know others are checking in periodically looking for them. it has kept me on my toes to not get behind. but...well...ha! now you all get a glimpse into carlile reality.
reality is, our routines aren't always exactly...routine. our reality has also been about sharing some great times with family these past few weeks - which has kept me from the computer. and reality is...i like that break! a lot sometimes! but reality is also my commitment to document our life happenings, accomplishments, and joys...eventually...even if not in the actual moment. so i will be posting the past month's worth of awards in the next few days.
the truth is, i am excited to get them done, as we've had some great times, super accomplishments, and the happiest of happy celebrations that we want recorded for sure! so...stay tuned!
i like posting awards weekly on our blog - because, besides being a great way for family to keep up with our life, i know others are checking in periodically looking for them. it has kept me on my toes to not get behind. but...well...ha! now you all get a glimpse into carlile reality.
reality is, our routines aren't always exactly...routine. our reality has also been about sharing some great times with family these past few weeks - which has kept me from the computer. and reality is...i like that break! a lot sometimes! but reality is also my commitment to document our life happenings, accomplishments, and joys...eventually...even if not in the actual moment. so i will be posting the past month's worth of awards in the next few days.
the truth is, i am excited to get them done, as we've had some great times, super accomplishments, and the happiest of happy celebrations that we want recorded for sure! so...stay tuned!
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