Winning Team . . . . HUNTER!

The Hunter High School Wolverines finally got a win! Yes! The win over Granger was long awaited and well-deserved. Hunter led most of the game, but like last week the opposing team made a comeback. With only a few minutes left it looked like Granger would take the lead. But, a big Hunter defensive lineman intercepted a Granger pass and ran about 60 yard for a touchdown and sealed the win! The boys, the coaches, and the fans were so excited you'd thought they won the Super Bowl.

Willie had a great game. He moved back to right tackle since Michael's (center) foot has healed. The offensive line was the best it's been all season.

It was so nice to be part of the celebration for the winning team!

I am catching up, BLOG world!

September always begins with a celebration, our anniversary, September 1. This year marked 35 years of wedded-ness. We always try to do something with the kids to celebrate. So, Labor Day weekend we (our three-some family) headed out of the Salt Lake Valley, in the new family truckster, toward the Grand Tetons and Jellystone Park. We usually go to West Yellowstone for our anniversary celebration, but this year I wanted to do something different, so we booked a couple of nights at the Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons.

It was a beautiful drive through Parley's Canyon, through Evanston then Woodruff and Randolph, the beautiful Star Valley, and finally Jackson. The Snake River was busy with rafters and kyakers -- and so amazingly beautiful! We walked around Jackson, had dinner at Mountain High Pizza and then off to the lodge. About 10 minutes out of Jackson, I let karl and Willie how there was no TV or wireless access in our little "classic cottage". After the initial shock, they were cool about it. About that same time, we saw three bull moose in a meadow which definitely contributed to a great trip.

The Jackson Lake Lodge is your typical National Park lodge in many ways -- rustic, tucked away off the road in tall pine wooded area. A key feature of this lodge, however, is it's spectacular view through 60 foot high windows of the Tetons. We didn't catch the view until the next morning and it was spectacular! We also saw a cow moose and her baby in the grassy meadow 100 yards or so from the deck of the lodge.

After a late night milk shake at the diner in the lodge we headed to our cottage -- a 3 minute walk from the lodge. Our "classic cottage' was quaint, clean, and 1950-ish with a few updates (compfy matresses and a ceiling fan). When it was time for beddy-bye, Willie wondered what to do -- no TV. So, I suggested we play games --I started out by asking him his favorite color. We both had a laughing attack over that question and then just played some dumb "I am thinking of . . ." games while Karl snored away. It was an awesome late night whatever.

Sunday morning we headed to Jellystone via Colter Bay. We spent the day driving through the park, getting out at key points of interest and ending up at Old Faithful about 15 minutes before its blast off - it always amazes me. There is a new visitor's center at Old Faithful -- very modern and exceptionally fancy clean bathrooms. We also walked through the Old Faithful Inn, sat on the front deck for a few, and watched the people. Willie tried to get to the rooftop of the inn, but couldn't find the secret passageway.

We had dinner back at the Lodge and enjoyed the lobby (wi-fi) for a few hours and then back to the cottage.

We got up early Monday and headed home via the Jenny Lake area. It is definitely one of our "to dos" next time -- a boat trip acorss the lake and a hike back. We made it back home in time for football practice and homework! A great weekend!

Happy Birthday!

My mom's birthday is today! If she were here with us, she would be 81. On any given day, if I allow my thoughts to zoom in on the fact that she is not here, I have to redirect and move on.


Today is a day to celebrate mom's legacy and remember her spirt and zest for life. Not a day goes by without feeling some sense of Mom's love for family, hard work, and the gospel. Our times together in conversation and activity resonate in my mind and heart.

Life is so temporary! Love the possibilities and opportunities it presents through family, hard work, and the gospel, and you will find peace, happiness, and sense of purpose difficult to describe in words on a page.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

First 2 Weeks of School

So, the first 2 weeks of school have come to and end; and so has the month of August. Willie is a junior, 11th grade, soon to be 17, driving to and from school, taking honors and advanced classes, taking aviation, playing football, going to church, and trying to eat and sleep when he has time.

Teachers are piling on the homework. One teacher in particular assigned 200 vocabulary words to be written on the front of 3x5 cards with part of speech and definition on the back of the card. Oh my! In what century do we live 20th or 21st? This is such an old fashioned assignment! This course also comes with worksheets! ARRGGGG!!!!! I'll bet that every student in the class has a "hand held" device and most of the devices are likely to have a data plan. Does the teacher know that the students can google any word in split seconds and find the definition, the part of speech, multiple uses, synonyms, antonyms, listen to how the word is pronounced, and more? I am not sure.

Yesterday, I sat in a meeting with key decision-makers for the school district in which I work. A discussion ensued regarding a new platform for instruction called CANVAS. It is a pretty slick program that lends itself to online everything for classroom teachers -- posting assignments, connecting to online texts, message centers, storage space for student assignments, submitting assignments, assessment, and more. I was actually introduced to the program this summer as it was the instructional platform used for Willie's online PE course. (Yes, he plays football, basketball, tennis, and all those sports entail, but he still needs PE Fitness for Life and a graduation requirement -- a topic of debate for yet another day.)

I asked a really stupid question in the course of the meeting as to the status of the roll out of CANVAS to teachers. I was told that the building principals have the information and they can get their staff on board when they choose. I was also told that the "district" staff over the program will do training on CANVAS at school sites from now until November. Well, those responses didn't satisfy me. I suggested that we blast the information out to all teachers and let those who are techno savvy the opportunity to use it now, today, to make their instructional organization more 21st century now, at the beginning of the year. Granted, we do have a few old duffers in our classrooms, but largely a well-trained ready to go with something new corps of teachers.

This final inquiry of the meeting was met with silence. After some time to process, it was explained by many in the room that doing what I had suggested would only look like "one more thing" added on a teacher's plate; it would be overwhelming and stressful for them; it would be too much to move ahead without the support of the education association; and a few more weighty excuses.

So, my conclusion -- it will be another century or longer before our education system moves into the current century. Years form now students will be searching Walmart (the only place their sold) for 3x5 cards made in China (the only place their made).

I can't get too discouraged because students in one of our high schools each have an iTouch and I read about a new school in Davis County where all kids get notebooks (computer notebooks)!