MO Memorial

This is what we are looking at for Missouri.
Wed June 4th @ 4pm
Carthage Chapel (corner of Fairview and Allison)
1338 E Fairview
Carthage, MO 64836

There will be something in the Joplin Globe.

Service in Utah Address

Ive just been made aware that the address I posted was slightly wrong and not coming up on mapquest. Here is another address that should work. Thanks Nicole! I will hopefully know something about the MO service later today. Check back this evening.
Lehi 16th ward
600 S 500 W
Lehi, UTAH 84043

Viewing

The viewing is going to be from 12:00-1:45 before the funeral at the same location in Utah. Still dont know about MO.

Change in UT service

The Utah service has been changed...
Time has been changed to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. The location is:
Lehi 16th Ward
500 W 650 S
Lehi, UT
Could those of you who have been helping me get this out repost this change for me?? Ill have to get back to you about the viewing time. THANKS!

Update

Well, not really an update. I just wanted to let everyone know that the service are scheduled for 11 on Saturday, 9 for the viewing. I still keep forgeting to find out where! It looks like Wed for the MO service but thats not set in stone yet. My husband is coming in from Iraq today so I probably wont be able to post any updated info until later tonight. And I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all your love and support. Aaron always joked that she didnt have any friends but HOLY COW!! Ive been in front of the computer and on the phone since Saturday because I cant keep up with all of them! I think shes laughing at me.....

Utah Services

There will be a service in Lehi, UT on Saturday at 11am. The viewing is at 9 am before that. I dont know the location but ill update this as soon as I can. I dont know about the MO one yet.

Nicole

I know there is a thread on Baby Center. Ive been trying to post but my account never lets me. Would you mind posting her blog address on it again so people can get info about the services as I put it up? Plus maybe let them know that Im cking it often so if they have any questions they can either email me kwinters_425@yahoo.com or leave a comment. Id hate for someone who wanted to show their love for her to miss it because I cant post on a thread. Thanks.

Overwhelmed!

First, I would like to thank everyone for their comments and support. Im overwhelmed with many things right now but mostly for the outpouring of love that has been shown to our family. Arrangements ARE being made but please be patient. Apparently people dont die on holidays or weekends so nothing can happen until tomorrow. Then Cameron will make some decisions about where and when things are happening. From what I understand there will be a funeral in Utah (Lehi I think) and then there will also be some sort of memorial service in Missouri. As I mentioned before, nothing is final yet but hopefully tomorrow I will have something else to tell you. All I can say now is that we are all dealing differently and the best we know how and we definately feel the impact of your prayers and blessings that we dont even know yet are being showered upon us.
Please check back tomorrow and hopefully I can tell you more.

I very painfully regret to inform you....

Aaron passed away in a car accident yesterday, Saturday May 24, 2007. While she will not be continuing her blog I want to make sure those who are close to her know of the incident and the services. I dont know much about the accident. She was finally heading to Utah to start her new life in her new house, with her little family. They were in an accident and life flighted to Denver, CO. The boys were shaken, bruised, and knocked around a little but they are with their daddy now and no longer in the hospitol. Mallory suffered some pretty good injuries, quite a concusion, she has no memory of the accident (which is why we dont know much) her short term memory is shot, and her leg is pretty messed up but hopefully she will be out of the hospitol soon. Her baby is a medical miracle at this point. The doctors said they dont know how she survived. They are just monitoring the heart beat and making sure it stays strong. I will post information about the services as soon as I know more.....thank you.

Krista Patrick (sister and friend)

Review through pictures...

Each of these things probably deserves its own post, but my life is crazy busy right now...This whole moving while trying to wrap up the school year thing is unbelievably busy and stressful. And, I am really tired. So, although I am shortchanging the following events, know that it is really because of time constraints, not lack of importance. This is what my house looks like right now--add to that a lot of NOT packed stuff, and the general living with three kids mess...well...it's not pretty.

While Cameron was here we celebrated Levi's first birthday officially--he really turned one the week before Cameron got here, but we pretended his birthday was really a week later so his daddy could be here for the cake and cuteness.

That and Cameron REALLY loves chocolate cake. Levi didn't make a big enough mess so Cameron had to show him how it's done. :)

CONGRATS MALLORY! On Thursday, May 15, Mallory graduated from high school. Her class is the biggest class ever to graduate from WCHS. I am really proud of her for getting through these last couple months!

Ok, because I am NOT in the mood to try to fix this picture--my stupid computer wouldn't save it after I rotated it. Who knows why!? Anyway, this is Levi thinking he is such a BIG boy because he can climb on the big boys' bike and rock back and forth now. Of course, he had a hard time getting off. That's what happens when your legs are only like 11 inches long.

Have a good week, all!

The damage...

These are pictures of what is left of the home of one of my students. Her family was able to salvage many things, but the house itself is obviously a TOTAL loss. I believe she told me that this was her sister's bedroom. The ironic thing about tornadoes is how seemingly random the damage can be--I ran into one of my student's dads today and he was telling me that he had three gas tanks out at their farm, an empty one, one with about 300/500 gallons in it, and one with 1000 gallons of diesel. The empty one didn't move. The 300 gallons flew about 40 feet and turned upside down, draining fuel everywhere. The diesel?? 1/2 mile down the road. It was the same in these pictures--Heyley's bed remained MADE, but they found her math book in the pond. Her computer was destroyed totally, but her camera was safe under her bed. She is not my only student to lose her home last weekend (May 10), but she was kind enough to give me some of her pictures. I have several who are just trying to get through the rest of the week. I never realized, until today, that much as they "total" a car, they also do that with homes. I had never thought about it like that before. This is the air conditioner and her mom's room.
View loking as if toward the front porch (I think...)
Debris EVERYWHERE
Another exterior view of the house--you can't even tell that there used to be a roof at all!
I wanted to post this so those who have been asking how things have been can see exactly what things have been like. We just barely got phones back at our school today. The internet has been down all week, and we probably won't get it back before the end of the year. There was some damage at the high school. We have lots of kids gone. It has just been a mess. Pray for these families. Please. This poor little town didn't need anymore devastation!

What a weekend!

I will post pictures tomorrow...mostly because I am too lazy to find the cord for my camera so I can upload the pictures. Anyway, I will have pictures of Cameron, Levi eating birthday cake (yes, he is ONE!!), and maybe some tornado pictures.

As far as I know, there is still going to be school tomorrow. I haven't heard anything differently, but I HAVE heard that there is a LOT of damage. This is a link to a video of THE big tornado while it was still near the border of Oklahoma and Missouri. http://www.fox14tv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?clipId1=2474599&at1=Station+1&vt1=v&h1=Home+video+taken+of+tornado+near+Chetopa&d1=54833&redirUrl=www.fox14tv.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=&playerVersion=9&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.fox14tv.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp%3FclipId1%3D2474599%26at1%3DStation+1%26vt1%3Dv%26h1%3DHome+video+taken+of+tornado+near+Chetopa%26d1%3D54833%26redirUrl%3Dwww.fox14tv.com%26activePane%3Dinfo%26LaunchPageAdTag%3Dhomepage%26clipFormat%3D&rnd=83264762
I have heard several reports that there is a LOT of damage in Granby. The good news is that the storm seems to have gone right between the high school and junior high--although that means nothing to anyone else, basically, that means that the storm cut through a VERY rural area, which means there is a lot LESS damage than there would have otherwise been. I am so grateful for that. So far, I haven't heard of any of my students who are hurt or homeless, but tomorrow may be another story. I did hear that one of my student's grandmothers lost her home completely. There are also some people in the ward in Granby who had their homes almost totally devastated. In times like this, it is important, I think, to remember how truly blessed we are.

Although the tornado has been on my mind a lot these past couple days, I do feel like it is really important to post some other things as well. Like...CAMERON CAME HOME THIS WEEKEND! We hadn't seen him for almost 6 weeks, so that was really really nice. Samuel, especially, was SO happy. Both boys were so excited to see Daddy. I, of course, was thrilled. I hated that I had to take him back to the airport today...but knowing that we will hopefully be pulling into Utah two weeks from today made it easier. It isn't going to be another HUGE long time before we see him. Our family will be back together soon. It was wonderful to see Cameron. It made me realize just how much our family needs each of its members to feel complete and whole. I love him so much! I am so grateful that I have him in my life.

I went to Silver Dollar City with my students on Friday, and I will try to post about that later.

Last, but not least, I want to wish everyone a happy mother's day. I didn't have a terribly fabulous day, what with Cameron leaving, and the tornado destruction (I fully admit that I am NOT affected by this in anywhere NEAR the same way as people closer to it, but it's still on my mind, and I am really concerned.), and Samuel being a rotten little thing...but I am still, despite all of that, grateful to be a mother. I love my boys. I love them even when they are horribly disobedient and cranky. They remind me of my strengths and, for sure, my weaknesses! It is humbling to be faced with teaching moments each day. I am trying so hard to be more patient with them (especially Sam) and not yell as much. I am trying hard to have our home be a place of peace and comfort and a place where all the members of our family feel safe and loved. Because they are loved. I hope they know that.

I am grateful for MY mother. She is the most fantastic woman I know. I didn't realize that growing up, although I never felt ungrateful for her--I always knew I had a great mom, I just didn't know HOW great. My mom is a wonderful example. She never gets offended...no matter what completely stupid thing someone does. And she is nice to everyone...even when they definitely don't deserve it. She never makes me feel like I am less. She tells me I am doing a good job...even if I know I'm not totally doing my best. But...my mom also tells it like it is. If I am being stupid, usually she tells me. If I need to do better, I hear that too--but always in a way that makes me want to do better, not resent her. After my dad died, my mom was such a good example to all of us...she has been an example of patience, and grace, and ultimately is someone that I would be proud to be compared to. I used to hate when people would tell me I look like my mom...or that I sound like her on the phone, or whatever. But now...I am honored by that. My mom is amazing, and I hope I can be even half as great a mother to my boys as she has been to us.

Just another day in paradise...

We are doing pretty well here. Nothing much is happening, which means that a LOT is happening! We are pretty much in crunch mode as far as this move goes, but I am having a really hard time getting anything done. I am having a really hard time getting any motivation to work on stuff once I get home from work too. I am so tired after my days with junior high kids. Then I want to spend time with my boys. Plus, I have to maintain some semblance of life around here. I am just hoping that Cameron and I can get quite a bit done this weekend.

Speaking of...I am SO EXCITED that Cameron is coming home on Friday. I miss him so much. The boys miss him terribly too. Tonight Samuel got really upset (he got woken up from an already very short nap and was really REALLY cranky), and just started screaming for "Daddy...where are you daddy? I need Daddy!" I almost cried. What am I supposed to do when that happens? It's not like I can make Cam magically appear. At least he will be here Friday. And at least we won't be separated like this ever again...as long as I have anything to do with it, anyway. It's awful. We need Cameron around. He does so much for our family, and it's killing us all that he isn't here with us.

Today at school I was really upset with some of my students. They found a baby bird outside, and basically decided to use it as a hacky sack. Now, I realize that it is ultimately "just a bird", but really...I was almost ill over the way they were acting. It didn't mean a thing to them. In fact, I was informed that it was "just a da*% bird, so quit freaking out. You're being stupid!" Yeah. These kids totally have respect for the sanctity of life and anything other than themselves. I was so mad I didn't even know what to say. I know it's "just a bird", but it's a BABY bird. It is small and helpless and scared...and it didn't do ANYTHING to them. I can see killing a mosquito (guilty) or the million ants in your house (guilty) or even deer/turkey hunting and eating the meat (guilty sorta)...but a small, defenseless baby?? What is WRONG with these kids? I just don't understand. I probably never will. I just hope I make it the last 11 days of school without going crazy!

There isn't a whole lot else going on. A quick update: Levi is officially OBSESSED with dumping the formula out of the cans. He has done it THREE times now. Plus once at the babysitter's. Tonight we were at the church for an appointment I had, and he totally dumped about a third of a can out--the can was in my bag. Then, when I took it away, he threw a HUGE fit, and tried desperately for at least 15 minutes to get the can again. It is hilarious...if it weren't so darn annoying.

Official coupon shopper!

That's me! I went to Walgreens and spent about $35, but I got $38 in Walgreens register rewards (basically free money), so I feel like I definitely came out on top. I got diapers (Huggies) basically for free, and a LOT of dishwasher soap. I am not quite the pro at couponing that some people are, but I feel like I struck a nice balance between buying things I would really use, and still saving money. So I am pretty proud of myself. Now if only those boxes would pack themselves!

In totally random news...I have decided that I REALLY like avocados. I ate one on a salad yesterday and tonight. I love it on sandwiches too. So if anyone ever asks you to name a random thing you know about me...I love avocado.

School has been a little wild lately. I realized today that I will be signing papers on my house in THREE weeks. That means that I am moving in NOT VERY LONG! AUGH!

I am going to be a bum tonight. I am going to get a milkshake (from the freezer), watch TV, and sit on my rear for a little while. Good night!

Lots of pictures...

First things first...Cameron sent me flowers this week. Isn't that awesome!? I got home from work on Tuesday and there they were on the counter. At first I thought Thomas had sent Krista more flowers (he has done it once or twice since going to Iraq), but nope...they were for me! They looked much better before I snapped this picture, since this picture was taken AFTER I went to the grocery store...while I was at the grocery store, Benjamin and Samuel got my kitchen shears (do you see where this is going?) and cut the tops off most of the flowers. I was able to stuff most of them back into the foamy stuff and make it look pretty nice again, but not quite the same. I was SO MAD at the boys for doing that...I cried! But, kudos to my amazing husband for sending me beautiful flowers and really brightening my day...it had been a long one.
This is Mallory. She is going to hate me for putting a picture on my blog of her without her makeup and in her pjs, but I don't care. She is staying with us for awhile...isn't she cute?! We are excited to have her here. Levi loves her...she and I have decided it's because she gives him food.
And now for the REAL reason I am posting tonight...

The boys and I went for a walk tonight. When we got home, it was still really nice outside, so I told the boys they could play for a little while. They REALLY played. In the dirt. A lot. I was in the office trying to get my scrapbook stuff organized and packed (yippee--it's almost done!)...and THIS is what I found:

Not only was there a LOT of dirt and mud involved...there was pineapple too.
This is Sam's most common expression lately...one of disdain mixed with defiance and "you're boring me, but what do you want?"
I think Ben was the instigator of the dirt incident. Doesn't he look so handsome with his glasses though?

Why our education system is broken:

I could sum this up in one sentence, but I probably won't because I am better at ranting. Anyway, today I am sitting in our weekly faculty meeting (this one was just for the 5-8 teachers), and at the end, my principal is relating a story of how he had "made a mistake" that got his butt seriously chewed out. Ok, fine. Right? Then he made this comment: "Should we have to hold their little hands? (Remember--JUNIOR HIGH KIDS, not kindergarteners or even 3rd or 4th graders--kids going to high school next year. Kids who drink, have sex, smoke, do WAY harder drugs than I was even imagining in COLLEGE.) No, we shouldn't. But get used to it folks. We're in the hand-holding business."



Umm...WHAT?? Yeah, last I checked, I didn't sign up to be someone's glorified babysitter. I didn't work my butt off to get through school so I could pass kids through the system when they don't do SQUAT!! I guess I mistakenly thought I am in the business of education and teaching our children to be independent thinkers. How are they ever going to become independent thinkers if we are coddling them and GIVING them extra credit and accepting late work (from MONTHS ago, no less)? Anyway, there have been at least a million different examples of garbage like this happening this year. And I can't do anything about it. I am going to have to stand up for myself on the thing that happened today, because ethically, I just don't feel like it is right, and I REFUSE to put my morality on the line for some punk kid who has been sitting on his lazy butt all year, and now that we are less than three weeks from the end of the school year, and it looks like he might fail 8th grade, his mommy is jumping in and getting special favors for him. Sorry, I will do a lot of things for my students, but sacrificing my integrity is not one of them. I will stay after. I will give them their missing work a thousand times. I will accept late work from the first day of the quarter on the last day of the quarter. I will exempt them from a quiz if they were gone and we didn't get it made up in a timely manner. I will help any way I can. But I will NOT hand over my morality. I will NOT put MY integrity on the line just because some kid is finally MAYBE (not counting on it--since we are in the handholding business) going to have to face the consequences of his actions.



Today was a really awful day. It started off badly and it ended badly. Another teacher ripped me apart in front of the whole staff. I had to deal with this late work thing. I had a kid freak out on me in class. Overall...not cool. And then to top it off, my money transfer of Cam's check didn't come through, so my bank account is overdrawn. And it's Levi's birthday tomorrow, and I didn't have a chance to do ANYTHING for his birthday yet. Not even buy a little cake or anything. Part of me wants to hold off celebrating at all until next week, since Cameron will be here, and part of me says that's not his birthday, we need to do it now. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. Scratch that. Tomorrow WILL be a better day, if for no other reason than that I already expect the majority of my students to act like idiots, and the ones that don't, are always good. My only concern is that I am going to have to tell my boss that I am not going to do things his way regarding that one specific student. I just can't do it. It's going to be really hard to do since my lack of words to the principal about it today probably made it seem like I was ok with things and that I agreed with him, but really...I am not a spontaneous person. I need to think about things. And after thinking about this (and talking to my husband and brother), I really think I am making the right decision. I don't even really feel bad about it, since the kid will probably have his grades altered anyway. But if they get altered, it will not be by me.