Where did November go?

I knew I hadn't blogged in some time, but I didn't realize the last time was clear back in October!

The semester is basically over. I just have to enter the grades online. This was a really good semester. I wish I were teaching Public Speaking again. I felt more in control of things this semester than last, which was a terrible mess, and would like to apply what I learned. Besides, it will be a lot more work teaching a course I haven't done before. I will be teaching "Introduction to Speech Communication" on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

We had a nice Thanksgiving,long ago! Kevin's family and LeeAnn's family and I all went to Chuckarama, which is a big buffet. It works for us, although we all roasted a turkey and did some other things the next day so we could have leftovers! And we went to see "Tangled", which is a really good movie.



I have put up a few Christmas decorations, including the tree. I don't know if I'll get any more out, but I probably will. I'm missing the sight of several of my special Christmas things. And I came home this afternoon to find a beautiful Christmas centerpiece arrangement from David and Katie and family.



My Uncle Ralph has had some health problems and a procedure on his pacemaker and defibrillator, but seems to be doing OK. And I had a nice long visit with my "new" Aunt Katie in Florida, who has been quite ill but slowly getting better.

Sarah was kind enough to schedule me in on her hectic visit to Utah for a friend's wedding. We had dinner at Cafe Rio and I got my first real look at Charlie. And how Eli has grown! Always so fun to see her little boys. Wish I were closer so I could do more grandma things with them, but I know they get lots of "grandparenting" from David and Katie and Alice. I love being able to see photos of them all on Sarah's blog.

Well, it's getting to be count down to Christmas. Maybe I'll have something exciting--in a good way, of course--during the holidays to blog about next time!

Went to London, didn't see the Queen, but saw the Queen's Castle

Ina and Magdalena in back "garden."



Magdalena



Ina and Magdalena having lunch at Harrod's

This last week I had a wonderful time in London with my "German daughter" Ina (Isermann) Lacher and her daughter Magdalena. Ina's husband, Germar, is a German officer assigned to NATO for 3 years, so they are living in a NW suburb of London, Pinner. When Libby and I were in Munich last year we were just a week too early to see Magdalena. But this was better than seeing a newborn, anyway, because at 16 months, she is so delightful! She looks so much like her daddy.

Ina treated me to the play "Wicked" at the Apollo for my birthday present, which I have wanted to see forever. There were missionaries there that afternoon, so it was fun to talk to them in line and waiting for the play to start. Our little excursion before the play was to Harrod's, which is always a treat. I don't think I've ever bought anything but food there, but it is a feast for the eyes to be in such a beautiful building. Negotiating the tube is always a challenge in London, simply because there are so many closures, especially now that they're trying to "spiff up" things for the 2012 Olympics. And they don't have lifts at all the stations, so Ina ended up having to carry the stroller with Magdalena in it up many stairs! Grateful for escalators wherever they were.

On Sunday I went to Sacrament Meeting at the Hayes Ward in Ickenham, only about 10 minutes from Ina's home. They were so warm and friendly! Quite a good sized group for that little corner of London. They even had to open the overflow section! Parking lot was under the building, chapel 2 floors up from ground level. I wished later I had stayed for all the meetings, but I really wanted to spend as much time as possible with Ina.

Ina really misses her mother, who was such an angel. It was nice for me to answer questions she has about kids and parenting and that sort of thing. She is really a sweet mother, and I had nothing but compliments for the way she is teaching Magdalena. She is expecting another baby in March; too soon to know the gender. Oh, and I got to hear about the lovely British National Health Service...But there are some good services for mothers and children, which I wish we had here.

Tuesday we went to Windsor Castle. I had never been there in spite of my numerous trips to London, so it was a nice treat. At Ina's house I fell in love with scones and clotted cream, and must now try to make it at home. I have never particularly liked scones because they're so dry, but put cream and jam on them, and wow! She misses--and so did I--the wonderful bread that you get in Germany. And the little bakery just around the corner where her dad buys fresh rolls every morning.

The new BBC production of Sherlock had been on the telly a few months ago so Ina bought the DVD and we watched all 3 episodes. I really liked it, but I think it's a good thing I can watch it on Masterpiece again starting Sunday, as the plots are rather complicated, and I didn't follow everything...Oh, dear, that really makes me worry about my brain!!

I have been asked to teach a different class at UVU next semester. It is the one I was going to do this semester that didn't carry. I think one a semester is enough for now, although if I could have gotten 2 sections of public speaking that would have been doable.

Libby wrote on her blog about our visit to Uncle Ralph Halterman a few weeks ago. My October has been filled with travel, and with stake and General Conferences and various other things, I haven't attended my Branch for about 2 months!! But I'll be teaching Sunday School two weeks in a row.

I'm thinking I'm mostly over my travel passion. At least for now!!

Deliver Us From Evil

I recommend a somewhat depressing but insightful and informative book by M. Scott Peck called "People of the Lie." It's a very interesting book by the man who wrote "The Road Less Traveled."

It explores the concept of evil on a personal basis; exposes the character and motivations of Satan; and compares Satan's behavior to the characteristics and behaviors of individuals around us who can therefore, by their similarity to Satan, be accurately described as "evil." Need to control others, a lack of empathy for others, and extreme self-centeredness (it's all about me!) are key characteristics of evil people. It is not necessary to be a robber or murderer or adulterer to be an evil person. While most of us probably know and/or associate with very few people who could truthfully be described this way, there are more than we may realize. And to be a sinner, which we all are, is not necessarily to be an "evil" person.

Evil is not a nice thing to consider; we would much prefer to avoid thinking of anyone in those terms. But when the Savior prayed, "Deliver us from evil", to what or whom was he referring? He obviously recognized that evil is not an occasional danger. He mentioned "temptation" separately, so it doesn't mean that. To protect ourselves from evil we must recognize what it is. And it isn't just a guy in a black hat!

A Secret Revealed

Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) and Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks)

OK, I admit it. I have a major crush on Christopher Foyle. Who is Christopher Foyle? you might ask. If so, you obviously are not a devotee of Foyle's War on PBS. Apparently the first several seasons were finished and the viewing public put up such a howl that the writer and producers (BBC) gave us 3 more which aired on Masterpiece this last spring. I saw a couple of those, then ordered everything from Netflix and now I am so sad because I have seen them all! What do I do now? I guess I need to buy one of the seasons so I can at least watch him every once in awhile. I wonder if there's a way to find out which one he has the most screen time in.

If you are a fan of Foyle's War and have an opinion (facts would be even better!)of which season he was most visible, let me know. I can't afford to buy the whole set (about $200) but one season might be worth my investment!

The GOOD NEWS is that the series ended with Foyle going off to America to find a character from one of the early episodes, and there is much pressure to produce some more under a modified title, such as "Foyle in America" (Or something much more creative, I'm sure.) So I'll keep my fingers crossed that they get the funding. The script writer (Anthony Horowitz) is a busy guy and also writes the Midsomer Murders, which I also enjoy, and there are a lot of them to watch! But Foyle's popularity should be a big incentive.

(My children and grandchildren can be happy because at least this character is appropriately close to my own age, which according to them is very important!)

New semester, more fun!

The fall semester started at UVU last week, and I must say I'm having a lot more fun this time around. For one thing, I am not in pain! Yes, folks, for the first time in several months I am actually walking normally, not groaning every time I stand up, or whining about life in general! It's wonderful!!

I was going to teach a second class, Introduction to Speech Communication, but it didn't get enough students. I was fine either way--if it carried, I'd have some more $$. If it didn't, I would have more time and less stress. So this works for me! I'm going to be able to have fun with my Public Speaking class, and it seems to be a good group of students. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I'd rather teach in the morning, but this is nice for a change.

I guess I must have left my flash drive in the classroom last Tuesday, as I can't seem to find it. I was hoping that maybe in this fairly high standards environment someone might have turned it in to the communication office or left it in the classroom. But I bought a couple of new ones. They are really handy!!

Busbyberkly had her 9th birthday this week. She was so tiny we didn't know if she would even live, and here she is, a darling, bright, vivacious little nine-year-old. Praise God for this wonderful blessing!!

I don't have any photos to post. Sorry. My blogs are mostly boring stuff!

Update Overdue, but....

Yes, I know it has been a long time since I updated my blog, but to tell the truth, I have nothing but whining to put on it, so I don't really want to bring anybody up to date on anything in my life.

Well, maybe except I will be teaching 2 classes at UVU starting this week. I will have Public Speaking again and I have been asked to teach an Introduction to speech Communication, which is more up my alley, on Fridays only. So I will have Public Speaking on Tues and Thursday afternoons and Intro to Comm on Friday mid-day. The only thing that is freaking me out--and it is--is that I really hurt a lot and I don't know when it's going to get any better--maybe never, actually, and the thought of walking to and from class and teaching, and trying to prepare lessons while I'm in pain, is overwhelming to me. I am not a happy camper to say the least!

The best thing lately is that Leah came on Saturday (yesterday) to spend a few days with me. (She was with Julianne for a week before that.) I'll take her to the airport on Tuesday morning. I always enjoy being with her. We have a great time. Tonight we went to a Petersons Cousins party, which are always a lot of fun. I know I have written before about how nice it is to be with Leland's cousins, who are active in the Church and can share experiences from the past as well as what everyone is doing now. It is so strengthening to be surrounded by family members who are well-grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have to be at physical therapy by 8:30 in the morning. My PT wants me to start doing water aerobics. I told her I "don't do water." She very heartlessly said, "Well maybe you need to start!" Leah has been going to water aerobics for many years and is convinced that is one reason she stays so healthy. I think she's probably right. My little temper tantrum of "I don't want to" didn't go over too well with my PT. Leah is saying we will go get me a suit tomorrow. But wait---not so fast! I do plan to look at the AF Fitness Center schedule when I finish here and before I go to bed.

New Blog Post is Overdue

Just returned last night from 3 days in beautiful Montana--Paradise Valley accurately named. Lots of fun with cousins and two elderly aunts who may not be around for the next Shadoan reunion. We cousins, the next generation, will need to decide if and how we want to continue the connections. With the social networking sites and other electronic media making communication so much easier--if we use it--and the next generations feeling very little loyalty to our generation and the generations before, we may have to discover a new way of maintaining our family identity.

Our reunion was abruptly and violently cut short right after we all got our plates filled in the pot luck lunch. A windstorm like I've never experienced before hit us, and people grabbed the tent poles trying to keep the tents from collapsing. It was so strong that it bent the aluminum frames and would have collapsed on the various occupants if we hadn't been able to get out in time. And then the rain hit, hard, torrential rain. Very rare in Livingston, Montana, and certainly unusual to have wind and rain like this in a Montana summer storm! The tables holding the food collapsed and mothers had to grab their little ones to keep them from being blown away. We all retreated to our cars and sat, soaking wet, until the rain let up enough for us to even drive away. My, my, an unforgettable reunion!

I appreciate my Shadoan pioneer family. They first came from France, arriving in Virginia in 1750. David and I visited the area when we were in Richmond a few years ago. Then they spread into Pulaski and Green Counties in Kentucky, from which my grandparents went to Montana after the turn of the century. They are good people and the (now) very large family--probably 300 or more descendants--has been very much blessed by God. Very few tragedies in the more than 100 years since John and Retta Shadoan set up housekeeping at a sawmill near Clyde Park, Montana.

I have to add that it is very exciting to see how the Spirit of Elijah has worked in this family to turn their hearts to their fathers and motivate them to do family history work among the living descendants. In the past there has been significant hostility toward the Church from these devoutly Christian people, who are exemplary in their service to the Lord. When the time is right, probably on the other side of the veil, they will see how they have participated in the important sealing work of eternal families. I know my mother has been very busy on the other side. This Shadoan family history was her passion in the last years of her life, and she could see little progress on this side of the veil. She has now been joined by most of her generation of Shadoans, and many other family members have been sealed just in the last couple of years through work that my sweet David did.