2025, January 27-February 2

We are adjusting to some aspects of the new normal with more to follow. 

On Monday, Mike subbed at a school and then shadowed a fellow teacher in the evening class he thought he would be assigned to at PACE (more on that later). He felt a bit overwhelmed by the time he got home. 

Many teachers post inspirational posters and theme their rooms, which Mike appreciates and uses as his own inspiration both personally and for his own potential classrooms.   

Landon woke up with a severely swollen upper lip Tuesday morning. We kept him home from school and grilled him about his "extracurricular" activities the day before. 

Hallie and Mike were both quite tired by end of day Tuesday. Landon got this shot of his mama who was trying to keep warm while watching JoJo Rabbit as part of Landon's history class at school. Perfect satire for the times we're living in. We remember when people knew how to identify and repudiate fascism when they saw it. 

Hallie and her coworkers have had to deal with a chronic water leak and other issues at Starbucks which were finally resolved this week.  

Speaking of resolved issues, after a few days of taking antibiotics and rest, a trimmer Fergus has finally gotten his appetite and energy back. He's gone back to hunting and/or visiting his other family too (we don't really know if there's another family he visits. Mike just feels suspicious, and maybe a little jealous?).

Hallie got Mike the LEGO Tranquil Garden as a "just because" gift that she gave hime right before our anniversary. He decided to build it this week in celebration both of the new job and our upcoming trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. 

Hallie and her Starbucks coworkers found this customer's haircut to be quite amusing. Upon viewing the the photo, Mike wondered whether it might have a practical purpose, like maybe the dude wears a hat or helmet at work. Who really knows? No one asked the guy. 

Hallie has had to endure some pretty cold mornings this week bringing in her students from the cold. She and Mrs. Kelly have a student teacher helping out this semester. 

Mike taught his night classes this week and will start his morning classes next week. His supervisor Sofia asked him if he was willing/able to make a change, so he will switch the intermediate vocabulary-intensive night class he was teaching for an advanced grammar-intensive class starting next week. It's been an interesting week, to say the least. Mike appreciates the setting and nature of the work he's doing. His colleagues and students seem like great people so far. We're working with many immigrants from a variety of backgrounds. They are required to have student or other immigrant visas, but even so, many feel apprehensive about new of ICE activities in the state. Sofia shared a resource, Red Cards issued by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, that works not only for them but serves as a reminder that "all people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution" (despite the current administration and its supporters' actions to the contrary). 

Kai came back on Monday, and we'll have him through most of next week. He's such a cuddle bug! 

On Saturday morning, Hallie, Eliza, and Amanda did a girls' morning out at Rockwell Ice Cream, where they had ice cream for breakfast on National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. They brought home some breakfast-themed pints of the yummy stuff for the boys to sample as well.  

In-shop, they shared a donut sundae made with French Toast-flavored ice cream. 

We love our Canadian and Mexican family and friends, and we don't think that good neighbors start trade wars with each other. To quote the late Ronald Reagan: "Our peaceful trading partners are not our enemies; they are our allies. We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends—weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world—all while cynically waving the American flag." 

We have only 110 days left until we drive to Vegas for the first lego of our Japan trip. Coincidentally, we'll be going by way of Vancouver (hopefully -- assuming this trumped-up trade war doesn't turn into something more serious before then). 

Zeke came over on Sunday afternoon, and it turned into a cook-fest. The boys made nachos, and the nachos were delicious. 

With Mike's new schedule, Hallie's schedule at Starbucks has been reduced a bit so she can be home with the kids. We are all going to be adjusting to the new new. Hallie will hopefully be able to pick up a few extra hours in the floral depart as Valentine's Day quickly approaches. Landon starts orientation at Jimmy John's this next week, and we hope he will enjoy himself.

2025, January 20-26

We had a health scare for the kitty,  Mike and Hallie celebrated our anniversary, and Mike has found a full-time job. 

Eliza often likes to go back and forth from Smith's to visit with Mom at work. Often she is joined by someone, but just as often she goes on her own. She went with Hallie to work on Monday and returned home on her own.  

Tabitha's Way transitioned to its new location this week, and Mike had the chance to help get things stocked on Monday along with many other volunteers. 

He also hit a milestone on Duolingo. What's funny is that he got back onto Duolingo after several years not using it so that Landon would use it for his Spanish class. As it is, now Mike has finished the Spanish course and is learning some conversational Japanese and quick mental math. 

Having passed his CDL permit test, Mike got contacted by Nebo School District Transportation to start his bus driver training next week. He continues substitute teaching and making art in the meantime. 

Mike got a call from PACE International Academy on Wednesday while waiting for Eliza at taekwondo to have an interview on Thursday. The interview went well, and he has chosen to start working there part time next week and full time starting in February. Just as substitute teaching has been a nostalgic callback to his days teaching in LAUSD, he anticipates working at PACE will feel a bit like his days teaching at the Simi Adult School. 

Mike and Hallie celebrated their anniversary in low-key fashion after Mike did an observation at PACE and brought home some carry-out. Think of it as saving some funds as a raincheck for a splurge when we're in Japan. That being said, Hallie surprised Mike with an Apple Watch. There was a bit of drama in that Hallie had the watch delivered from Sam's Club and ended up with the floor demo model (missing bands) in a blue bag set on the front porch. She and Eliza resolved the issue on Friday, and Mike got a new watch at a discount! 

Landon has completed paperwork for his Jimmy John's job and will be starting whenever the next schedule gets drawn up. His friend Zeke works there, and we've had the pleasure of his company several days this week. Landon has decided to improve his diet and exercise routine by eating more unprocessed foods, less junk foods, and with a calorie deficit as he and Zeke work out. 

Fergus started acting lethargic late in the week. 

By Saturday morning, we decided he needed to see the vet. We always get concerned when Fergus starts acting abnormal. Mike thought he might have eaten a poisoned rodent. Everyone gave Fergus their love before Mike and Eliza took him over to Payson Family Pet Hospital for an urgent care visit. After checking him out, Dr. Fillerup gave Ferg a prescription and recovery plan (thanks to the doctor and technician for being there!). Looks like kitty might have an intestinal bug. By Sunday afternoon, Fergus seemed like he was feeling a bit better. 

We had snow for most of the day Saturday, a welcome sight after seeing so little precipitation this winter so far. Next week is sure to bring all sorts of unexpected happenings, hopefully positive ones.  

2025, January 13-19

Bit of a roller coaster week. 

Fergus joined Eliza for her study time in bed on Monday. 

Here are Hallie and her co-workers horsing around. 

An apartment in Ty's complex burned over the weekend, so we had their kitties for most of the week. While we kept them confined to the office, we frequently came to visit. Mia was particularly affectionate.

Sage tolerated the situation. 

On Tuesday, Mike took the first steps in learning how to be a school bus driver. We are leaving no stone unturned and pursuing all possible avenues in the job search. Who knows what windows this route may open? 

In the evening, we surprised the kids by letting them know we have set dates for our upcoming trip to Japan. They were happy to hear the news, especially Landon. Can't you tell? 

Eliza made some watercolor cards in her BUH art class. 

While Landon spent some time in the office later in the week, he sent this picture. Aww! Mia has found a shoulder. 

We had some chilly weather later in the week. Walking the preschoolers to and from class can be a bit challenging. 

Landon never fails to crack Mom up. Here he is doing his food handler's permit paperwork and getting a rise out of her. 

We received some bad news from UVU Thursday when the dean of the college where Mike applied let him know they had chosen another applicant for the position for which he had interviewed. Fall down seven times, stand up eight. 

We had snow over the weekend, and the kids helped Mike do some shoveling. They also chose to take advantage to pummel each other and make snow ice cream.

Kai has returned, and with that so have our routine walks. Fergus joined in a few times. Here he sits, eyes aglow, in one of the trees on our route. Spoooky! 

We watched the Lions fight valiantly but ultimately lose to the Commanders in the evening. The Lions have been a class act this year, and we hope for continued great things for the team next year. 

Hallie had the chance to join some friend for a yoga retreat Sunday morning. 

In the spirit of the season, here are some snowflakes. They keep the students Mike teaches engaged as he carries on his lessons. 

 

2025, January 6-12

Our hearts go out to those experiencing the devastating fires in Los Angeles. Growing up in SoCal, fire season served as a regular reminder that it doesn't take much for everything to go up in smoke. Carly's husband Shad is among the firefighters battling the blazes, and we've traveled through and Mike knows people in the areas affected, so it hits close to home. 

We don't have many photos this week. We're just getting back into the regular-schedule vibe. 

On our walk with Kai on Monday, we greeted the ponies over in the northwest and west fields. 

We've had chilly weather this week with threats of snow but not a lot of accumulation in the valley. It's nice to see the mountains covered in snow even if it means cold breezes on our walks and rides. 

Hallie and Eliza have been looking after Ty and their roommate's cats. Mike joined Hallie on her trip on Tuesday after they took Kai back to his other house for the next few days. 

Landon has decided to make some changes to his diet. Part of this means learning how to prepare fresh meals. Mike taught him how to butterfly a chicken breast so he could pan fry it as part of some other food he was making. L likes to eat pretty late in the day, which isn't always when the rest of us do. We appreciate his independent spirit; it's hard to believe he and Eliza are at a point where they need to develop real outside-the-home survival skills. 

Eliza had art and learned some more drawing skills. She enjoys going on bike rides to the library either by herself or with Dad to get drawing books, specifically those tied to anime. 

On his way to pick up the kids after work on Thursday, Mike came across these pretty tame deer in Elk Ridge. 

Eliza likes mugging for the camera. 

Mike hung the fun little bee ornament she and Hallie had gotten for him from his rearview mirror. Now Eliza wants to call his car the Beemobile (Bee-MO-bee-il?).  

As mentioned above, we have watched on TV as parts of LA have burned in the wildfires this week. We love you and hope the fires are contained soon and that recovery is swift. 

This is one of the many reasons why we let Fergus out to explore the neighborhood (claw, claw, claw). He seems happiest when he can go out for a few minutes in the morning and evening, and then he spends most of the rest of the day sleeping inside. It's tough being him. 😉