Hi Everyone,
[Edit: I was released from my calling as 2nd counselor in the Relief Society presidency last week. I've known about it for a couple of weeks, but didn't talk about it on this blog since it wasn't announced at church yet. I've been in the presidency for 3 years, and served as the 2nd counselor for 2 1/2 years, so I suppose the time was right for a change. It was good timing as it happened on the same day that Ben was called to be Elders Quorum President, but my feelings have been very mixed about the whole thing. I've love this calling, but it has absolutely pushed me beyond my comfort zone on a regular basis. It's good to feel important and needed, and a little disorienting not to have a calling. It's also nice not to have a calling for a little while. :-) I'll really miss the close association I had with the other women in the presidency and with the women on my committee. Will I have any friends anymore? :-)]
I think I did my very last ever 2nd counselor related task last night. I made a poster and attendance and food sign-up sheets for the November activity that my committee and I had planned. I emailed them to the new counselor, and that was that! I will miss so many things about this calling, but I am also quite happy not to have to make a hundred phone calls and stress about asking people to participate and figure out how to make it to the church to decorate before hand and keep track of receipts and stay up all night the night before to make sure everything is all set to go and then analyze and over-analyze how things went and did we get enough people coming, and was it worth their time, etc., etc., etc. Today at church I happily signed the attendance sheet that I had made, signed up to bring a topping for our potato bar, and then passed the clip-board on to the next person. What a strange feeling!
I have no calling yet. In Sacrament meeting, one of our Gospel Doctrine teachers was released, and a new one was not called, so I am REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hoping I am not being considered for that calling. I know callings are supposed to help us to learn and grow, but that is one calling I am petrified of, and I really don't think I would do well. I need to go and find some wood to knock on for the next 10 minutes. :-)
This past week was pretty good. My van is back from the shop, and fixed, although over the last couple of days the brake/ABS lights have gone on randomly while I'm driving, which was one of the problems it was having before getting repaired, so I'm wary. Maybe it's just residual "issues" getting worked out with the new part? I hope so. When we picked it up from the shop and drove it home, I was very annoyed to find that the right blinker was still blinking abnormally fast-- something it had started doing just a couple of days before taking it into the shop. I thought it was an electrical issue. After we got home I googled "turn signal blinking too fast" and lo and behold I discovered that cars are wired for the blinker to go really fast when one of the lights are out! Who knew? (Don't tell me if you knew that.) So for FHE last week we went to O'Reilly's and Ben showed the boys how to change the brake lights. I'm sure I could have come up with some spiritual analogy, but I didn't. :-)
Tuesday was such a busy day. Since I didn't get my car back until Monday night, we rescheduled Joseph's flute lesson for Tuesday evening. So Mosey, Joseph, and I left at 3:45 to take Mosey to speech. Joseph hung out with me during his session. (Another clinician is supervising Mosey's therapy right now since his previous one is on maternity leave. He's also a (mostly) former stutterer. So interesting to talk to other adults who stutter! I don't really define myself as a stutterer too much anymore, but there will be elements of my character that are forever shaped by those formative experiences growing up, and there are situations still that bring up all those old feelings. I've actually found myself using some of the techniques Mosey has been practicing in speech in certain situations for myself!) Afterward, we quickly swung by Burger King to get the boys some food (did you know BK now carries veggie burgers?? Awesome!), and then not-so-quickly sat on the freeway in 5:30 rush-hour traffic until we got to Ben's work where I dropped Mosey off and then got back on the freeway in rush-hour traffic to take Joseph to his flute lesson. Then we got back on the freeway and sped as fast as I dared back home in time to take Joseph to the scout pack meeting that night where he and Brigham got their Bear and a few other patches and pins and whatnot. Then finally back home at around 8:30 to supervise bedtime and last-minute cello practicing before having my final 2nd-counselor-related meeting with Judy. Phew!
On Friday night we had a pizza party for our art group. We had 12 kids here eating pizza and watching The Sound of Music. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how well many of the kids did in maintaining their interest over that 3 hour movie. There was a lot of gun and sword fighting upstairs during some of the slower scenes, but I believe everyone saw enough of the movie to follow the plot. And it was so fun to hear all those kids singing along with "Do a Deer." I also realized having a pizza and root beer float party for 12 kids 3 hours after the house is finished getting cleaned is probably not a great idea. I spent 2 hours after the party cleaning up again. :-)
The mom of 4 of the kids in our art group finally had her baby this past week-- 10 days late and 10 lbs! Mosey was disappointed when I told him she wouldn't be bringing her baby to the party. I can't wait to see him. I love babies (especially big fat baby boys just like my Mosey) and I wish I could have had a few more.
Last night was our ward's fall festival. We had it at a park out in Steiner Ranch instead of at the church, which was being used by the other 2 wards for their joint Trunk-or-Treat (still feeling a bit rejected that Anderson Mill ward was pointedly not invited...) It was good, though, because more people probably came than would have anyway because of it not being 30 minutes away for the Steiner Ranch folks. And other people at the park joined in with some of the games the Youth set up, and for the Trunk-or-Treating, so it was a missionary opportunity to boot!
The boys' red-coat costumes were a hit. They do look so cute together. The boys have been wearing their costumes non-stop this past week. So funny to look around and see red-coats working on math and spelling. But the fact that the boys so clearly enjoy these costumes makes it worth the effort it took to make them.
On the way home, we stopped at HEB to get pumpkins to carve on Monday, as well as our traditional pineapple and watermelon. My 3 red-coats were also a big hit at the grocery store. :-)
I'm still looking for a new violin teacher for Brigham. Why is this so hard? The lady I really want is all booked up. I need to find out if she has a waiting list. There are a couple of other teachers that teach out of the violin shop down off of Lamar and they look promising, but then I'd have to drive down there every week. There's another violin shop really close by, about 3 minutes away, and there are 3 teachers that teach from there, including one I'm very interested in. But the studio is on the 2nd floor of this cool little mediterranean-architectured office building which I'm pretty sure does not have an elevator. Maybe I'm wrong, I need to check that out. It's going to be awkward in any case quitting from the guy Brigham's taking from now, and I'd rather not have to do that again if I can avoid it, so I want to make the right decision with this new teacher. I think I will schedule 1 trial lesson with 3 of the teachers I'm looking at and then hopefully be able to make a decision. Joseph wants to try another flute teacher. I'm really torn on this. His current teacher is a very nice person and an outstanding flutist. He came to Joseph's piano recital last year, and has been very supportive and encouraging and kind to Joseph. But Joseph is the first beginning student he's ever taught, and I wonder if there are things a more experienced teacher could be teaching Joseph more effectively. Also, his teacher is French and while he speaks English, his accent is heavy and sometimes his word choices are awkward, and Joseph doesn't always fully understand him. But Joseph is too shy/embarrassed to say when he's not understanding. I think those things combine to make lessons stressful for Joseph. But I really like this guy! There aren't any other male flute teachers around, and while I know that isn't a huge deal, it was definitely a plus. And he is such a very nice person, and as far as I can tell a really good teacher. I don't know. I have a trial lesson scheduled with a teacher that lives a lot closer by, so if we do switch I guess I can tell Francois that it's too far to drive every week. Why do I feel guilt like this? Joseph is my primary concern, not Francois.
Well, that's it for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a challenge keeping the boys focused on schoolwork. They were dismayed to realize that Halloween is not a no-school holiday. :-)
Love,
Gabrielle
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