Well we are nearly two months into the new school year and yet you have likely not heard a peep from me. That should not be construed as meaning that nothing exciting has been happening in our family. The truth is, in fact, that things have been quite exciting.
Of Frying Pans and Fires
For those of you with a working knowledge of Mormon culture, it will have some meaning when I say that after nearly four years (and a grand total of five bishoprics) I am no longer a counselor in a bishopric. I was released in early September so that I could become a Seminary teacher.
And for all of you who have no idea what the heck I am talking about, here’s a little rundown. A Mormon congregation, or ward, is led by a three man team called a bishopric. A bishopric is composed of a Bishop, who is the guy finally responsible for the ward, and two counselors, who work with the Bishop in the administration of the ward. To be in a bishopric is both terribly difficult and terribly rewarding.
A Seminary teacher is simply a youth instructor. Mormon high school students are offered the opportunity to attend an early morning religion class, called Seminary, prior to heading off to school. Our Seminary begins each day at 06:20 so that the youth can be on their way to school by 07:05. Seminary is held every day that there is school. I’ve been a Seminary teacher now for about 2 months and I can say with complete honesty that it has been both terribly difficult and terribly rewarding.
If you ask if I prefer one or the other, I would probably choose Seminary teacher because I do love to teach. As far as the difficulty of the two assignments, being in a bishopric was challenging because there are just so many people to be concerned for, but being a Seminary teacher is hard because I need to have a lesson prepared for almost every day. The spiritual benefits of both assignments are significant. Regardless of what I am asked to do I find that service in the church helps me to feel closer to my God and better about my contributions to this world. I haven’t figured out if I’m in the frying pan or the fire, but I’m sure I’ll be pulled out just as soon as I am “done.”
Michael Buble` in Concert
Last May was our 15th wedding anniversary. As a present for Mindy I bought us a pair of tickets to see Michael Buble` (MB) when he came to 
We actually ended up with very good seats in my opinion. We were on the left side of the stage, on a level such that we were looking slightly down on the show. The venue was quite nice and I was surprised by the reasonable prices that they charged for food.
The show was sold out, but there were still empty seats when the lights went out. During the opening act, people continued to arrive and fumble their way to their seats. That’s really too bad because the opening act was amazing! It was an a cappella group from
When the curtain went up and MB came out the crowd was remarkably restrained. There was polite applause, but nothing too raucous. I’m not sure if it was a cultural thing, or if it was just because most of us there were middle aged adults. MB made a point that his shows are attended primarily by women, but that the men that were there would get extra points for coming with. I, myself, thought that he was delightfully entertaining. He was funny in a self deprecating way and charming too.
MB was backed by a band that was composed of musicians that were both talented and engaging. They were actually quite a large part of the show and there were a couple of times where the band was allowed to take the spotlight altogether with MB. The effect of that is that MB comes across as being humble, kind, and down to earth. It may be that it was all for show, but I sure felt convinced. There were a couple of times where the band was allowed to take the spotlight altogether with MB.
Overall the entire evening was wonderful. It was a very happy memory that Mindy and I made, and it was all the better because it was just the two of us. I’m just glad that she’s still willing to date me!
Like Pulling Teeth
We have known for some time that Mose would require extensive orthodontia, but his need was not as pressing as Sara’s, so we delayed starting his while Sara went through the first part of hers. Earlier this year we decided to get the ball rolling for Mose also. We took Mose to the Orthodontist, who made molds of Mose’s teeth and took some x-rays. The first thing that needed to be done was to pull some teeth.
In fact it was not just some teeth, but 6 teeth altogether, 2 of which were permanent. We received a referral form from the orthodontist to go back to the dentist for the extractions. I believe that the purpose of the referral form was to be certain that the correct teeth were pulled. Mose was certainly nervous about this whole thing. He has never been fold of pulling his own teeth and the idea of getting a shot first, then having some teeth pulled was not at all appealing.
Well we made the appointment with the dentist and when the day came, Mindy took Mose in fully expecting that he would come home with at least 3 less teeth than he left with. Well that was not to be as they left the referral form at home and our good dentist declined to take a chance on which teeth the orthodontist really wanted out. Strike one.
We made another appointment with the dentist, but by this time Mose had had plenty of time to imagine what a terrifying and horrible experience this was going to be. Mindy took him in to the dentist, expecting again that Mose would come home with at least 3 less teeth than he left with. Well that was not to be this time either. When the dentist did the first injection, Mose quickly lost color, his breathing and his heart rate changed, and the poor dentist probably thought for a moment that he was about to lose one. After monitoring Mose for an hour or so to be certain that he wasn’t about to drop dead, they sent him home, teeth intact, with a recommendation to see a “specialist.” We’re still not absolutely certain if Mose’s reaction was to the Novocain or to the needle, but we are certain that this was strike two.
We next made an appointment to see the specialist, Dr. Dr. Schwartz. I still don’t understand why in
Some people would have given up after the third strike, but we remained determined to reduce the number of teeth in my son’s mouth! I, myself, liked the idea of general anesthesia, so we made a return appointment to see Dr. Dr. Schwartz. I picked Mose up from school (again) and took him to the Dr. Dr. They began with a tranquilizer of some sort that was supposed to help Mose relax. It didn’t really help much and I suspect we may have received a placebo. Next they hooked him up to an IV, a process which Mose REALLY didn’t like. And finally they knocked him right out. I left the room at that point so that they could pull his teeth without the hovering father watching. When the Dr. Dr. came to see me about 15 minutes later he said, “We…we…we decided to pull 8 teeth instead of 6.” I suppose I looked rather surprised, so the Dr. Dr. explained that there were two baby teeth not on the list that were so loose that they nearly came out anyway. So I guess in the end we came out ahead. It took us four tries, but in the end we got a bag with 8 teeth in it instead of just 6.
Mose is recovering from this event rather well. Chewing is a bit complicated because of the large gaps between his incisors and his molars, but several permanent teeth are already visible trying to grown in. It won’t be too long before everything is back to normal, mouth-wise. Of course at that point we’ll probably be putting on braces. I sure hope it’s not like pulling teeth.
Spock is Dead
Our good friends Cari and Ken Bargamento are in the process of moving to Spanish Fork,
We watched the first movie a couple of weeks ago. It was OK, but there were a lot of shots just looking at stuff and not a lot of action (read that ‘violence’). I told the kids that the second movie would be much more to their liking. We watched the second show the next week and the kids really enjoyed that one, especially Sara. At the end of the second movie, though, Spock dies. Sara was very firm on the idea that Spock was not “really” dead because I had spoken about Spock learning to cuss in the fourth movie. I insisted, however, that Spock was indeed dead.
As a father I feel it is my responsibility to show my affection for my children by teasing them mercilessly, and the ‘Spock is dead’ was a delightful teasing opportunity for Sara. Every time I saw her I would casually remark, “Spock is dead,” to which Sara would respond with ever increasing enthusiasm, “but he’s not permanently dead!!!” One night I kissed her good night and as I walked down the stairs I simply said “Dead.” Sara shouted back “NOT dead!” And we continued going back and forth until I was nearly to the basement (remember, Sara lives at the very top of our house).
After several days of enduring this abuse, we finally had an opportunity to watch the 3rd movie, “The Search for Spock.” During this movie Spock is miraculously restored and at the end of the movie he is as alive as he has ever been. The movie was quite enjoyable, but the best part for me was a while after the movie was over as Sara and I discussed what we enjoyed about the movie. I put my arm around her and in my most fatherly voice said “See, I told you Spock wasn’t ‘really’ dead.” Poor Sara almost came unhinged. I myself cannot remember a tease that was so well set up and so well executed. Sara and I laughed ourselves silly and it still makes me smile to think about it.
Almost Speaking German
Cory is now in the second year of a German Immersion program. At school, half of the curriculum is taught in German and the other half in English. Cory’s teacher is a delightful, kind, and talented person and we feel that this experience has been very good for Cory. I confess, though, that I sometimes wonder how much he is learning. Lately there have been a couple of events that have demonstrated that he is, indeed, learning something.
Several weeks ago Cory’s class took a field trip to a Farmer’s Market. The primary purpose of this trip was to provide the class with opportunities to speak in German with native speakers. Each child was given a list of things to ask or do, some of which seemed surprising difficult. Cory accomplished everything on his list, even to the point of buying seedless grapes from one of the vendors. It makes me quite proud!
We recently had another event that demonstrated that Cory is indeed learning some German. The receptionist at the orthodontist’s office does not speak very much English. This makes a simple task like making an appointment rather difficult. The last time Sara was in to see the orthodontist, Mindy was trying to make a return appointment, but didn’t understand what it was that the receptionist was trying to convey. Cory did understand, though, and said “She wants to know if 3:30 would be OK.” Mindy then said yes and everything was set.
Mose has been in a German class this year and seems to be learning quite a bit also. I worry that this might not be a good thing, though. The other day Mose and Cory were doing homework at the dinner table when Mose casually remarked to Cory, “If we both learn German well, we could speak German to each other.” The implication being that Mom and Dad would not understand. I guess I need to work harder at picking up the language!
Zig-Zagging Thoughts
I keep waiting for the day when I wake up only to discover that I no longer like living in
