As of late...

It has been a hectic month. I am now 3 1/2 weeks into the school year and have little time for much of anything besides school stuff. I figure I work 10-12+ hour days every day. I don't even want to imagine  how it would be if I had to come up with EVERY single lesson I taught instead of having them scripted. Yikes! I bring stuff home with me tonight, and I'm all...er... mostly caught up on grading. But grade reports aren't due for another 2 weeks so I'm golden, right? Probably not. But I really don't feel like it today. I might get to it later tonight. Anyway, I've got dinner started in the oven and have a few minutes, so I thought I'd take a minute to update whoever cares on our lives as of late.

Like I said, I'm 3 1/2 weeks into the school year. I've already had a nasty cold that one of my lovely students so graciously gave me. That was like week 1. Not even kidding. Then I missed half of Friday of week 2 to go home for my grandpa's funeral and then spent the next week feeling behind and totally out of it, even though I graded papers and worked on stuff the whole way up and back. Other than feeling behind, week 3 was pretty uneventful. But week 4... Week 4 has been quite the adventure. Monday afternoon I started losing my voice, and by the end of the day it was pretty tired and sore, but my class could still hear me. Yesterday, my voice was almost completely gone and it hurt to talk. My kiddos were very kind and, since they like being teacher, I took every opportunity I could to rest my voice and have them correct the work or whatnot that the students could do while I just directed it. Plus my instructor (aka full-time aide) was super helpful and taught part of the class. Today I woke up with a cold and no voice. Fantastic. I was tempted to call in and just sleep it off and rest my voice all day, but then decided it would be in the best interest of my students if I did go and just teach through it, since I only have 5 vacation/ sick days all year and have already used 1/2 of one. I had my instructor start the class out and direct the first 15 minutes of the day, but I had to teach the rest of the day, because Wednesday is our short day, and therefore the hour that she's in the classroom while I teach is her prep time. I had to teach my reading group, which came out barely more than a whisper. And math was a joke. The kids on the back row could hardly even hear me. Thank goodness it was our short day and I got to end 2 hours earlier than usual! Needless to say, my poor husband is living with a very silent wife right now. And I told my mother not to call me...not because I don't want to talk to her, but because I physically can't. Right now I'm just praying that I'll be able to make it through the next 2 days of work so I can rest my voice all weekend long. (Which, btw, is a total bummer because I love to talk and sitting in silence is driving me crazy!) But, I'm totally loving my job. I've got a good class. Like every class, there are the kids that totally push my buttons, but I love 'em anyway! And the totally amazing ones kinda make up for the stinkers in the mix :)

Jeff has decided to switch majors. He just wasn't happy doing exercise science, so he decided it would be best if he withdrew for the semester and just worked full time until next semester. So, he's working full time. And makes breakfast every day and keeps the house clean and does our laundry and the dishes and makes the bed and cleans up my messes that I leave around so our house is presentable 100% of the time. What a great husband! I am SO grateful for this, because by the time I finally get home from work after an almost 11 hour day at work and with a bag full of things to bring home and work on here I'm exhausted and we're lucky to get a home-cooked meal before bed. What a great man I married. And he still finds time for his video games. Like now. The house is clean, dinner is in the oven, and his wife can't talk, so what better to do than play on his Wii. And I feel that he totally deserves it after all that he does. How did I get so lucky to catch a man like him? Or better, how did I trick such an amazing man into marrying me? Anyway, he has now decided to go into Communications with an emphasis in Advertising. And discovered that he will probably be able to graduate faster than he would have if he'd stuck with the Exercise Science (with all those Math and Science courses that had to be taken in order and always filled up before he could register progress was slow-going). He seems to be much happier and super excited for this new adventure, which in turn makes me much happier and super excited.

We still like our ward. We've been called as ward missionaries with a focus on less-actives living in our apartment complex. We're super excited about that, and it really came as an answer to prayer because we were praying for opportunities to get to know people around us and have missionary experiences. We've also had the wonderful blessing to speak in church...which probably means we're off the hook for a good, long while :) This last Saturday we drove to Manti, making 10 Utah temples we have visited this year. When we started dating, we made a goal to attend every temple in Utah by the end of the year. Well, we have an appointment to attend the Brigham City temple in a few weeks, and the week after that, during my Fall Break, we are going to drive down to Monticello and attend the temple there. We will have attended all 12 operating temples in Utah (with plans to attend Ogden soon after it is re-dedicated, and the Provo City Center and Payson temples soon after they are dedicated), plus the Idaho Falls, Rexburg, Las Vegas, and Newport Beach temples this year. And we might be ambitious enough to drive to Twin Falls and attend that temple and we'll probably go to the Boise temple open house in November when Lance (my brother) has his State Swim Meet (Yeah, he's THAT awesome!! Qualified for at least 2 events, and is total BOMB in the water!!)

So yeah, That's us in a nutshell. Hope all of my readers...not that there's many of you, but yeah...are doing well!

Until We Meet Again

This afternoon, about 12:30 pm a great man crossed over to the other side of the veil. My grandfather, Jack Boyd Thompson was known and loved by many. I am so grateful that I grew up living only 5 minutes from him and could see him on a daily basis. I have so many happy memories. I learned many things from him, and he was such a great support. I don't remember him ever missing anything as I was growing up. He wrote me almost weekly while I was on my mission. On the wall of my apartment, I have 2 sconces and a shelf he made. He also helped my dad make my cedar chest. I am so grateful for those and will treasure them forever.

His health has been going downhill the past little while. For the most part, the changes were very gradual. He started walking with a cane, and stopped doing his woodwork and working in his yard. Then he was put on oxygen. They moved to Fairwinds (an assisted living home for those reading this who don't know).  He wasn't feeling well enough to be able to go to the temple for my sealing, which at the time broke my heart, but he did go to the reception that night. That is a memory I will always treasure. Those pictures are priceless.

Jeff and I were able to go home last weekend. He took a definite turn for the worse while we were there, and all our time with him was spend in either the ER or a hospital room. But I am so grateful for that time when I was able to see him one last time and say goodbye.

I texted mom after sacrament meeting this morning (and Jeff and I finished our talks) asking if she had any updates on Grandpa. She texted me back and responded that he would be gone within 24 hours. They made the decision this morning to start turning down his oxygen and giving him morphine. She called me 15 minutes later to say that she was on her way out, and that he would likely be gone before she got out there, and he was.

Mom told me that he went very peacefully, and that he looked very peaceful. He was ready to return home. He left with a long list of people to find, including his first wife and eternal companion, his parents, grandma's first husband and 2 little babies she lost, dad asked him to find his dad and tell him that he loves and misses him. 

I know that he is happy now. Yes, it is hard to say goodbye, but it really isn't goodbye, but rather "See you later." I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge I have of where he is. I will see him again someday, and will be with him forever.

God be with you 'til we meet again, Grandpa. I love you.