Sunday, September 9, 2012
In My Heart
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The Other Man in my Life
This is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jason:
Jason and I were EFY counselors together about ten billion years ago and instantly became besties. We bonded over so many things, dancing being only one of them. Here we are, dancing together, back when I was skinny and cute:
So. We were counselors together for two years and had so. much. fun. We drove from Rexburg to Provo once together and laughed the whole entire time. And he gave my purple Dodge Neon a name - Grimace. I remember he and I driving around Rexburg, listening to his Rent CD. I remember him coming up with the best EFY cheer I have ever, ever, ever heard. Wanna hear it? I knew you would.
We're turbo!
We're spastic!
We're turbo! And we're spastic!
And we're sprinkler heads!
Sprinkler heads!
We're turbo spastic sprinkler heads!
And then you do this sprinkler head dance move. The one where you go ch-ch-ch-ch-chchchchchchch.
At the end of the summer, we went to a photography shop and picked out frames for our dancing pictures. We vowed to be friends forever. His EFY nickname was Showtime, and mine was....Kar. Well, it depended on the week. One week I was Disco Diva, another week I was Karate Hottie...long story. Mainly, I was Kar. Like now.
Anyways, sadly, we lost track of each other. I tried, and I'm sure he tried, but we went to different colleges, and after he graduated, he moved to Japan and has been there ever since.
And this is why I love Facebook - you can find long lost friends. He found me! And I have had the greatest summer getting to know him again. We skype all the time. He puts a smile on my face every time we talk. He's hilarious and very sensitive and kind. He's been exactly what I've needed during this difficult time in my life. He is, quite literally, an answer to my prayers.
This is the first picture I saw of him on his blog:
So what has he been doing? He is an expat (I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence that didn't have anything to do with Ernest Hemingway) living in Tokyo, and he's an actor! He's living his dream. He performs on stage in various plays all the time, plus he does this traveling show. Aaaaand he's on TV. From what I can tell, it looks like he's on this show that reminds me of Kathie Lee and Hoda. He teaches bits of English on the show. He has fans, you guys! He actually has to wear sunglasses when he goes out and about! I told him he's the Japan version of Jennifer Aniston.
He has a blog for his fans. You really should go check it out HERE. He's so good to his fans. He responds to every single comment, and he blogs almost every single day. He always has something sunny and positive to talk about. Just snapshots of his daily life. And he's sunny and positive without being really obnoxious, you know what I mean? He's like, "Look! I have cute ladybugs in my apartment!" Instead of, "Look at how perfect I am and how perfectly I do everything." There's a difference, right? I love reading his blog and seeing what exciting, fun thing he's doing.
Here's one of my favorite pictures from his blog recently:
Jason lives with his partner, who is equally adorable, and I often get to speak to both of them when we skype. I've kept him up wayyy too late too many times, and vice versa. And I love it. That night I was crying so hard, the dear friend who cheered me up when he called me on skype? Jason.
He's the best listener. He totally listens and asks reflective questions and is just so kind. And I love that we can talk about artsy stuff together. I show him the cards I'm working on, and he gives me all kinds of good feedback, and the very first time we skyped, he showed me some choreography from a cruise show he's working on. The other night, he was looking at my facebook page while we were skyping, and he told me I had good lines. That's dancer speak. And I love that we can talk about soutenous and sousous and any other dance-related thing.
He just had a giveaway on his blog, and guess what was one of the things he gave away? Some of my cards that he bought!!! It was fun to see them up there on his blog and peoples' kind responses to them. Once, when we were skyping, he was telling his partner about the cards he bought from me, and he told his partner, "Karlenn is an artist." And I just about cried. He gets me! He really gets me! Hahaha!
He and I are on a mission - to talk Ben into letting Ben and I go and visit he and his partner in Tokyo. Jason and I are of the opinion that I should go "pick up" Ben in November when he's done with his job (like parents sometimes go "pick up" their kids in foreign countries when their missions are done) and that we should head over to Tokyo for a week. We're really working hard to talk him into it. If you talk to Ben, put in a good word for us going to Tokyo, mmmmkay?
Anywho, Jason is just the best, and I thought you should meet him. Oh, and because I want to print my blog into a book, I want to paste what he recently wrote about me on his blog. It's just something I want to have in print for myself. I hope you don't mind:
As you saw from my recent GIVEAWAY, the beautiful cards were handmade by an artist in America. Today, I’d like to introduce her to all of you. This is Karlenn and her husband [he had a picture of us], she is from Idaho. Originally a junior high school teacher, Karlenn has seen many parts of this big world. Having lived in England, China, and various parts of America, Karlenn has an amazing perspective on life, tolerance, and aesthetics. She is an incredible writer (what you’d expect from a caring teacher), and has a really great blog. You can check it out at http://karlennandben.blogspot.jp/ it is witty, caring, and fun. She writes about her family, her feelings, and other things that I always think are interesting. She also has an account where you can place orders. http://www.etsy.com/shop/KarsKards Karlenn is so talented, and can also customize cards for anything. Send her a message- tell her I said hi.
I met Karlenn while we were in college.
We both did the same summer job, and had a great time!! Our paths went
separate ways after the summer was over, but recently we were able to
connect again. This is a picture of us during those days. [he had one of the above pictures right here] (we are the
two on the right- don’t laugh at how young we look. We haven’t aged a
day since this picture was taken!!) She is also a dancer- AND we were
actually dance partners for a while, too!! Here is a picture of us,
again, being silly. [another of the above pictures right here] Thank you, Kar!!
Love ya tons, Jason!!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!
They seem to have had a great day. Sadie has one of Dylan's old teachers who I really like. She's so organized. I love it. They made this puzzle/artwork thingey today:
So yeah. Life is really, really good for me right now. I wasn't sure I'd survive the summer, but I did. Barely.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Naughty Neighbor Girl - A Play in Three Extremely Short Acts
Characters:
Kar: Chubby, grumpy stay-at-home mom
Sadie: Newly-minted seven-year-old girl. Kar's daughter.
Micah: Kar's four-year-old boy with emotional issues.
Hillary: A naughty neighbor girl. Kar hates her. [And no, her name is not really Hillary.]
Gage: Kar's two-year-old boy who is extremely easy-going.
ACT I
Scene i
Flourish. (I've always wanted to say that.) Kar's living room. It's morning. Kar is lying on the couch, snoozing a little bit. She feels kind of crummy. Micah is "nuggling" on the couch with Kar. In a distant part of the house, the front door slams. The sound of dog nails and the jangling of dog tags filter into the living room. Kar opens her eyes in a daze, wondering if her sister and sister's cute little dogs are here for a surprise visit.
Hillary: [Entering the living room] Hi! Is yo daughto hewe?
Kar: Oh. It's you. Um, yeah. She's sleeping in her bedroom. Hey, um, next time, can you knock on the door before you come in? It's kind of rude to just walk into peoples' houses, unless you are a very close family member.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: And Hillary?
Hillary: Yeah?
Kar: You need to take your dog outside. It's also rude to take dogs into other peoples' houses.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: I'll wake Sadie and send her outside to play with you.
Kar walks to Sadie's room while Hillary goes outside.
Scene ii
The kitchen, two seconds later. Kar is cleaning off Gage's high chair tray. Hillary comes walking into the house with the dog again.
Kar: Hillary, you need to keep your dog outside, okay? I woke Sadie up, and she's getting dressed and brushing her teeth.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: She'll be outside in a moment, alright?
Hillary goes outside. Kar rolls her eyes, shakes her head, and finishes cleaning off Gage's high chair tray.
Scene iii
The dining room, a few minutes later. Kar is feeding Gage some yogurt. Sadie, Hillary, and her dog are in the backyard. Sadie and Hillary enter the dining room.
Kar: Hillary, did you take your dog home?
Hillary: No.
Kar: Um, did you leave her in the backyard?
Hillary: Yeah.
Kar: Sweetie, I don't have a fence. She might wander off and get lost. Maybe you should take her home to your house.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary goes into the backyard. She comes in two seconds later.
Hillary: My dog is gone!
Kar: Mmm-hmmm. Probably.
Hillary: You have to hewp me find ho.
Kar: Not my problem. You can go find her. In fact, I see her in the front yard. Just take her home.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary goes out the front door, grabs her dog, and takes her dog home. Kar knows it's wishful thinking to hope that Hillary just goes and never. comes. back.
Scene iv
The kitchen. A few minutes later. Kar is rinsing a washcloth to wipe Gage's face. Hillary enters, opens the fridge, and helps herself to a Capri Sun.
Kar: Um, Hillary, you're supposed to ask before you get something out of someone else's fridge.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: So what should you say?
Hillary: Can I have a Capwi Sun?
Kar: I guess so.
Hillary leaves the kitchen. Kar rolls her eyes and turns the faucet off.
Scene v
The kitchen. A few minutes later. Kar is filling a sippy cup of orange juice for Gage. Sadie, Micah, and Hillary enter. Sadie gets out a bowl and pours herself some cereal.
Hillary: I want some ceweao, too.
Kar: Sorry, Hillary. Last time you were here, Sadie poured you a big bowl of cereal, and you didn't even eat one bite. You owe me, like, a dollar for the cereal you wasted. So you can't have any more cereal at our house.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary, Sadie, and Micah leave the kitchen. Kar starts pounding her head against the counter.
ACT II
Scene i
The dining room, an hour later. Kar is wiping off the table. Sadie, Hillary, and Micah are running around the table. Running to Sadie's room. Running to the living room. Yelling. Shrieking.
Kar: Kay, you guys need to go outside and play. It's a nice day. And you hurt my ears when you yell and scream.
Hillary: We'w be quiet, I pwomise.
Kar: Nope. Out.
Hillary: But I'm hungwy.
Sadie: Yeah, me, too!
Kar: I'll make you some sandwiches, but you have to play outside and eat the sandwiches outside.
Sadie and Hillary: [in unison] Okay!
Scene ii
The dining room, half an hour later. The kids are eating outside. Kar is sweeping her dining room. They all come in, shrieking.
Hillary: Thewe's a bee!!!!
Kar: Then go in the backyard and eat.
Hillary: What if thewe's a bee back thewe, too?
Kar: You'll just have to get over it. You can't come inside right now.
Scene iii
The living room, half an hour later. Against Kar's better judgment, because she knows she will get interrupted ten thousand times, she has decided to exercise. She pops her DVD into the computer and gets started. The kids come in.
Hillary: We want to exocise wif you.
Kar: Hell no. Get out.
The kids shrug and go back outside.
Scene iv
The living room, two minutes later. Sadie opens the back door, shrieking. Hillary and Micah come running in. Kar sighs and pauses her DVD.
Kar: WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?
Sadie: I stepped in dog poo!!!!
Kar: Dog poo? But we don't have a...[and then it dawns on her. Hillary's stupid dog pooped in the backyard when she was there.] Oh my hell. Kay. Sadie, stay THERE. DO NOT COME IN. Let me go get you some clorox wipes.
[Sadie whimpers a little bit, but stays put. Kar appears a few moments later and gives Sadie some clorox wipes to wipe her foot.]
Kar: Kay, Sadie, put those wipes into that garbage bag that has Gage's poopy diaper in it from this morning. I'll take it to the dumpster in a little while.
Sadie: Okay.
Kar: Micah, Hillary, go back outside.
Hillary: Okay!
Kar: I'm going to come out and pick up that poop with a plastic bag.
She leaves for a few moments. She re-enters, you hear her washing her hands in the kitchen, and then she enters the living room again. Kar starts her DVD again. Mid-way into her Level 3 drills (which include about a thousand push-ups), Kar realizes that she has just stuck her hand in some dog poop that was mushed into the carpet. One of the other kids must have also stepped in dog poop and tracked it in.
Kar screams. Long and loud. Pauses her DVD with her non-poopy hand. Goes to the kitchen. Comes back with paper towels and carpet cleaner. Cleans up the mushed dog poop. Goes to the kitchen. We hear her washing her hands again. Re-enters the living room. Leans out the door.
Kar: Okay, you guys. Who else has poop on their feet?
[The kids examine their feet.]
Hillary: Not me!
Micah: Not me!
Kar: [sighing] Okay. Maybe you washed it off by running around in the gra- [She notices that the kids have ripped down tons and tons of the wild vines that climb on her fence and elm trees in the backyard and shredded them all over the yard. She swears quietly.] Okay. Now you guys get to clean up all these shredded vines and leaves and take them out to the dumpster.
The kids: Okay!
Kar swears again, then re-starts her DVD. Again.
Scene v
The living room. The kids come in.
Kar: [Trying to do diamond jumps and not succeeding. Panting hard. Dripping in sweat.] Get out.
Sadie: We want to run outside in the sprinklers!
Kar: Fine. Whatever. As long as you go back outside.
After a few moments, we hear them run into the front yard.
ACT III
Scene i
The front yard. Kar has finally finished her workout. She comes out to see if they're doing alright. Hillary is wearing Sadie's swimming suit from last year. And Sadie and Micah are in their swimsuits. The sprinkler is turned off, and the kids are completely covered in mud from Kar's crappy driveway. She starts shaking visibly.
Kar: Who turned off the sprinkler?
Hillary: I did, because I wanted to pway with the worms. Wook at dis one. His name is Geowge.
Kar: Um, that's nice. Kay. Nobody messes with my sprinklers without asking me first, alright?
Hillary: Okay.
Kar: I'm going to go back in the backyard and turn the sprinkler back on. Then all of you guys need to wash the mud off yourselves in the sprinkler. And then you are all getting dressed into normal clothes. My kids and I have to run some errands. And you, Hillary, are going HOME. [Aside:] I need to figure out some errands to run. I have to get away from here.
Kar disappears for a few moments to turn the sprinkler back on. She reappears in the front yard and is surprised to see that the sprinkler isn't working. She walks the entire length of the hose, looking for kinks. She doesn't see any.
Kar: Hillary, how did you turn off the sprinkler?
Hillary: Well, fiwst I tuwned off the ciwcle thing in the backyawd.
Kar: The faucet?
Hillary: Yeah. The faucet. And then I also twisted the spwinklew in the fwont yard to make suwe nothing would come out.
Kar: Ahhhh. Perfect. Neat. Okay.
Kar fiddles with the sprinkler and finally gets it to spray. The kids gather around to wash off the mud covering every inch of their bodies. Hillary decides it's really funny to make it repeatedly spray her butthole.
Kar: Hillary, you've already washed that part. You need to get your arms and your feet.
Hillary: Okay!
They finally finish up. Kar orders them in to change. They scurry into the house.
Scene ii
A few minutes later, we see Kar and all the kids file out of the house. Hillary runs toward her home. Kar doesn't say goodbye to her. Kar loads the kids into her car. We see her tapping her lips, trying to figure out someplace to go. Anywhere. Far from here. For a couple of hours.
Exeunt. Flourish.
Kar: Chubby, grumpy stay-at-home mom
Sadie: Newly-minted seven-year-old girl. Kar's daughter.
Micah: Kar's four-year-old boy with emotional issues.
Hillary: A naughty neighbor girl. Kar hates her. [And no, her name is not really Hillary.]
Gage: Kar's two-year-old boy who is extremely easy-going.
ACT I
Scene i
Flourish. (I've always wanted to say that.) Kar's living room. It's morning. Kar is lying on the couch, snoozing a little bit. She feels kind of crummy. Micah is "nuggling" on the couch with Kar. In a distant part of the house, the front door slams. The sound of dog nails and the jangling of dog tags filter into the living room. Kar opens her eyes in a daze, wondering if her sister and sister's cute little dogs are here for a surprise visit.
Hillary: [Entering the living room] Hi! Is yo daughto hewe?
Kar: Oh. It's you. Um, yeah. She's sleeping in her bedroom. Hey, um, next time, can you knock on the door before you come in? It's kind of rude to just walk into peoples' houses, unless you are a very close family member.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: And Hillary?
Hillary: Yeah?
Kar: You need to take your dog outside. It's also rude to take dogs into other peoples' houses.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: I'll wake Sadie and send her outside to play with you.
Kar walks to Sadie's room while Hillary goes outside.
Scene ii
The kitchen, two seconds later. Kar is cleaning off Gage's high chair tray. Hillary comes walking into the house with the dog again.
Kar: Hillary, you need to keep your dog outside, okay? I woke Sadie up, and she's getting dressed and brushing her teeth.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: She'll be outside in a moment, alright?
Hillary goes outside. Kar rolls her eyes, shakes her head, and finishes cleaning off Gage's high chair tray.
Scene iii
The dining room, a few minutes later. Kar is feeding Gage some yogurt. Sadie, Hillary, and her dog are in the backyard. Sadie and Hillary enter the dining room.
Kar: Hillary, did you take your dog home?
Hillary: No.
Kar: Um, did you leave her in the backyard?
Hillary: Yeah.
Kar: Sweetie, I don't have a fence. She might wander off and get lost. Maybe you should take her home to your house.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary goes into the backyard. She comes in two seconds later.
Hillary: My dog is gone!
Kar: Mmm-hmmm. Probably.
Hillary: You have to hewp me find ho.
Kar: Not my problem. You can go find her. In fact, I see her in the front yard. Just take her home.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary goes out the front door, grabs her dog, and takes her dog home. Kar knows it's wishful thinking to hope that Hillary just goes and never. comes. back.
Scene iv
The kitchen. A few minutes later. Kar is rinsing a washcloth to wipe Gage's face. Hillary enters, opens the fridge, and helps herself to a Capri Sun.
Kar: Um, Hillary, you're supposed to ask before you get something out of someone else's fridge.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Kar: So what should you say?
Hillary: Can I have a Capwi Sun?
Kar: I guess so.
Hillary leaves the kitchen. Kar rolls her eyes and turns the faucet off.
Scene v
The kitchen. A few minutes later. Kar is filling a sippy cup of orange juice for Gage. Sadie, Micah, and Hillary enter. Sadie gets out a bowl and pours herself some cereal.
Hillary: I want some ceweao, too.
Kar: Sorry, Hillary. Last time you were here, Sadie poured you a big bowl of cereal, and you didn't even eat one bite. You owe me, like, a dollar for the cereal you wasted. So you can't have any more cereal at our house.
Hillary: Oh, okay!
Hillary, Sadie, and Micah leave the kitchen. Kar starts pounding her head against the counter.
ACT II
Scene i
The dining room, an hour later. Kar is wiping off the table. Sadie, Hillary, and Micah are running around the table. Running to Sadie's room. Running to the living room. Yelling. Shrieking.
Kar: Kay, you guys need to go outside and play. It's a nice day. And you hurt my ears when you yell and scream.
Hillary: We'w be quiet, I pwomise.
Kar: Nope. Out.
Hillary: But I'm hungwy.
Sadie: Yeah, me, too!
Kar: I'll make you some sandwiches, but you have to play outside and eat the sandwiches outside.
Sadie and Hillary: [in unison] Okay!
Scene ii
The dining room, half an hour later. The kids are eating outside. Kar is sweeping her dining room. They all come in, shrieking.
Hillary: Thewe's a bee!!!!
Kar: Then go in the backyard and eat.
Hillary: What if thewe's a bee back thewe, too?
Kar: You'll just have to get over it. You can't come inside right now.
Scene iii
The living room, half an hour later. Against Kar's better judgment, because she knows she will get interrupted ten thousand times, she has decided to exercise. She pops her DVD into the computer and gets started. The kids come in.
Hillary: We want to exocise wif you.
Kar: Hell no. Get out.
The kids shrug and go back outside.
Scene iv
The living room, two minutes later. Sadie opens the back door, shrieking. Hillary and Micah come running in. Kar sighs and pauses her DVD.
Kar: WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?
Sadie: I stepped in dog poo!!!!
Kar: Dog poo? But we don't have a...[and then it dawns on her. Hillary's stupid dog pooped in the backyard when she was there.] Oh my hell. Kay. Sadie, stay THERE. DO NOT COME IN. Let me go get you some clorox wipes.
[Sadie whimpers a little bit, but stays put. Kar appears a few moments later and gives Sadie some clorox wipes to wipe her foot.]
Kar: Kay, Sadie, put those wipes into that garbage bag that has Gage's poopy diaper in it from this morning. I'll take it to the dumpster in a little while.
Sadie: Okay.
Kar: Micah, Hillary, go back outside.
Hillary: Okay!
Kar: I'm going to come out and pick up that poop with a plastic bag.
She leaves for a few moments. She re-enters, you hear her washing her hands in the kitchen, and then she enters the living room again. Kar starts her DVD again. Mid-way into her Level 3 drills (which include about a thousand push-ups), Kar realizes that she has just stuck her hand in some dog poop that was mushed into the carpet. One of the other kids must have also stepped in dog poop and tracked it in.
Kar screams. Long and loud. Pauses her DVD with her non-poopy hand. Goes to the kitchen. Comes back with paper towels and carpet cleaner. Cleans up the mushed dog poop. Goes to the kitchen. We hear her washing her hands again. Re-enters the living room. Leans out the door.
Kar: Okay, you guys. Who else has poop on their feet?
[The kids examine their feet.]
Hillary: Not me!
Micah: Not me!
Kar: [sighing] Okay. Maybe you washed it off by running around in the gra- [She notices that the kids have ripped down tons and tons of the wild vines that climb on her fence and elm trees in the backyard and shredded them all over the yard. She swears quietly.] Okay. Now you guys get to clean up all these shredded vines and leaves and take them out to the dumpster.
The kids: Okay!
Kar swears again, then re-starts her DVD. Again.
Scene v
The living room. The kids come in.
Kar: [Trying to do diamond jumps and not succeeding. Panting hard. Dripping in sweat.] Get out.
Sadie: We want to run outside in the sprinklers!
Kar: Fine. Whatever. As long as you go back outside.
After a few moments, we hear them run into the front yard.
ACT III
Scene i
The front yard. Kar has finally finished her workout. She comes out to see if they're doing alright. Hillary is wearing Sadie's swimming suit from last year. And Sadie and Micah are in their swimsuits. The sprinkler is turned off, and the kids are completely covered in mud from Kar's crappy driveway. She starts shaking visibly.
Kar: Who turned off the sprinkler?
Hillary: I did, because I wanted to pway with the worms. Wook at dis one. His name is Geowge.
Kar: Um, that's nice. Kay. Nobody messes with my sprinklers without asking me first, alright?
Hillary: Okay.
Kar: I'm going to go back in the backyard and turn the sprinkler back on. Then all of you guys need to wash the mud off yourselves in the sprinkler. And then you are all getting dressed into normal clothes. My kids and I have to run some errands. And you, Hillary, are going HOME. [Aside:] I need to figure out some errands to run. I have to get away from here.
Kar disappears for a few moments to turn the sprinkler back on. She reappears in the front yard and is surprised to see that the sprinkler isn't working. She walks the entire length of the hose, looking for kinks. She doesn't see any.
Kar: Hillary, how did you turn off the sprinkler?
Hillary: Well, fiwst I tuwned off the ciwcle thing in the backyawd.
Kar: The faucet?
Hillary: Yeah. The faucet. And then I also twisted the spwinklew in the fwont yard to make suwe nothing would come out.
Kar: Ahhhh. Perfect. Neat. Okay.
Kar fiddles with the sprinkler and finally gets it to spray. The kids gather around to wash off the mud covering every inch of their bodies. Hillary decides it's really funny to make it repeatedly spray her butthole.
Kar: Hillary, you've already washed that part. You need to get your arms and your feet.
Hillary: Okay!
They finally finish up. Kar orders them in to change. They scurry into the house.
Scene ii
A few minutes later, we see Kar and all the kids file out of the house. Hillary runs toward her home. Kar doesn't say goodbye to her. Kar loads the kids into her car. We see her tapping her lips, trying to figure out someplace to go. Anywhere. Far from here. For a couple of hours.
Exeunt. Flourish.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Lesson on Teaching About the Priesthood - What I Did
A-al-ri-ghty thennnnnnnnnnn...
Part One - Stories
Kay, so the lesson online gave a suggestion on an effective way to have the students practice teaching each other about the priesthood. It suggested looking up story indexes from the conference editions of the Ensign, having each student read a story, and then summarize the story for the class and tell what they learned about the priesthood from the story.
Here is a list of talks I found on lds.org that have specific stories about the priesthood within them and the links to each of the talks:
1. This is Your Phone Call by Bishop Richard C. Edgley, May 2009
2. The Powers of Heaven by Elder David A. Bednar, May 2012
3. The Power of the Priesthood by Elder Boyd K. Packer, May 2010
4. A second story in the same talk, The Power of the Priesthood by Elder Boyd K. Packer, May 2010
5. Be Your Best Self by President Thomas S. Monson, May 2009
6. Be Ready by President Henry B. Eyering, Nov. 2009
7. The Priesthood of Aaron by Elder L. Tom Perry, Nov. 2010
8. Sacred Keys of the Aaronic Priesthood by Larry M. Gibson, May 2011
It went really well. I unexpectedly had to add another class to my usual class, so instead of having one story per person, I just gave one story to two kids to share. They read it to each other, and one of them summarized the story while the other told us what they learned about the priesthood from the story. The kids found so much meaning in the stories - more than I had found when I read them, and I loved giving them a chance to practice teaching.
Part Two - Grab Bag
One of the things I really love about this pilot program for the youth is that you can tell that people acquainted with the youth really put a lot of thought into the curriculum. They have good ideas for engaging the students. This was another idea straight from online.
Assemble a bag full of items.
Each student pulls an item from the bag and says what that item has to do with the priesthood. Again, the kids were coming up with way more meanings than I had come up with when I was preparing. And they loved this activity. Here are the items I had in my bag and the meanings I thought of if the kids were stumped:
1. An instrument - an instrument in the hands of God.
2. Calendar - home teachers should visit monthly
3. FHE manual - Dad presides and leads FHE.
4. Toy hands - laying on of hands.
5. Picture of teacher - a teacher is one of the offices of the priesthood.
6. Picture of Earth - the priesthood is God's authority on this earth.
7. Book - The Help - the Lord can help you with your priesthood callings.
8. Phone - when you receive a priesthood calling, you are called of God.
9. Keys - Priesthood keys give jurisdiction.
10. Battery - the priesthood is the eternal power of God.
11. "My name is ______" tag - priesthood holders act in God's name.
12. Box elder bug picture - one of the offices of the Melchizadek priesthood is an elder.
13. Hammer - priesthood quorums build unity and brotherhood.
14. Toy house - priesthood holders serve as home teachers.
15. Male restroom sign - male members of the church hold the priesthood.
Part Three
The lesson kept talking about how questions can lead to real understanding in teaching, and as I kept pondering that, I thought of the game of Jeopardy, where your answers always have to be in the form of a question. And I decided to do a little priesthood review game of jeopardy. Here's my board:
I loosely taped each score card thing at the top, and when a kid answered the question correctly, I ripped it off and gave it to the kid so they could keep track of their own points. Way easier than me doing it. The kids really got into it and had a lot of fun. Here are the categories, questions, and answers:
Part One - Stories
Kay, so the lesson online gave a suggestion on an effective way to have the students practice teaching each other about the priesthood. It suggested looking up story indexes from the conference editions of the Ensign, having each student read a story, and then summarize the story for the class and tell what they learned about the priesthood from the story.
Here is a list of talks I found on lds.org that have specific stories about the priesthood within them and the links to each of the talks:
1. This is Your Phone Call by Bishop Richard C. Edgley, May 2009
2. The Powers of Heaven by Elder David A. Bednar, May 2012
3. The Power of the Priesthood by Elder Boyd K. Packer, May 2010
4. A second story in the same talk, The Power of the Priesthood by Elder Boyd K. Packer, May 2010
5. Be Your Best Self by President Thomas S. Monson, May 2009
6. Be Ready by President Henry B. Eyering, Nov. 2009
7. The Priesthood of Aaron by Elder L. Tom Perry, Nov. 2010
8. Sacred Keys of the Aaronic Priesthood by Larry M. Gibson, May 2011
It went really well. I unexpectedly had to add another class to my usual class, so instead of having one story per person, I just gave one story to two kids to share. They read it to each other, and one of them summarized the story while the other told us what they learned about the priesthood from the story. The kids found so much meaning in the stories - more than I had found when I read them, and I loved giving them a chance to practice teaching.
Part Two - Grab Bag
One of the things I really love about this pilot program for the youth is that you can tell that people acquainted with the youth really put a lot of thought into the curriculum. They have good ideas for engaging the students. This was another idea straight from online.
Assemble a bag full of items.
Each student pulls an item from the bag and says what that item has to do with the priesthood. Again, the kids were coming up with way more meanings than I had come up with when I was preparing. And they loved this activity. Here are the items I had in my bag and the meanings I thought of if the kids were stumped:
1. An instrument - an instrument in the hands of God.
2. Calendar - home teachers should visit monthly
3. FHE manual - Dad presides and leads FHE.
4. Toy hands - laying on of hands.
5. Picture of teacher - a teacher is one of the offices of the priesthood.
6. Picture of Earth - the priesthood is God's authority on this earth.
7. Book - The Help - the Lord can help you with your priesthood callings.
8. Phone - when you receive a priesthood calling, you are called of God.
9. Keys - Priesthood keys give jurisdiction.
10. Battery - the priesthood is the eternal power of God.
11. "My name is ______" tag - priesthood holders act in God's name.
12. Box elder bug picture - one of the offices of the Melchizadek priesthood is an elder.
13. Hammer - priesthood quorums build unity and brotherhood.
14. Toy house - priesthood holders serve as home teachers.
15. Male restroom sign - male members of the church hold the priesthood.
Part Three
The lesson kept talking about how questions can lead to real understanding in teaching, and as I kept pondering that, I thought of the game of Jeopardy, where your answers always have to be in the form of a question. And I decided to do a little priesthood review game of jeopardy. Here's my board:
I loosely taped each score card thing at the top, and when a kid answered the question correctly, I ripped it off and gave it to the kid so they could keep track of their own points. Way easier than me doing it. The kids really got into it and had a lot of fun. Here are the categories, questions, and answers:
Priesthood
Jeopardy
Scripture
Chase
100 James
5:14. “Let them pray over him, _______________ him with oil in the
name of the Lord.”
Answer: What is
anointing?
200 D&C 13.
“The Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of __________.”
Answer: What
are angels?
300 D&C
20:46. “The priest's ____________ is to preach, teach, expound,
exhort, and baptized, and administer the sacrament.”
Answer: What is
duty?
400 D&C
84:33. Part of the oath and covenant of the priesthood is to
____________ your calling.
Answer: What is
magnify?
500 D&C
107:19. Worthily receiving and exercising the priesthood brings you
closer to the ___________ of God.
Answer: What is
presence?
Quorums
100 The
Stake President presides over a quorum of ___________ _____________.
Answer: What
are high priests?
200 The President
of the Church and his counselors form the Quorum of the ____________
Presidency.
Answer: What is
first?
300 The Twelve
_____________ also form a quorum.
Answer: What
are apostles?
400 Each ward or
branch normally has quorums of Elders, Priests, Teachers, and
______________.
Answer: What
are deacons?
500 High priests
are also organized in wards, serving in high priest _______________.
Answer: What
are groups?
Duties
100 Deacons
and _____________ are appointed to watch over and be standing
ministers in the Church. (See D&C 84:111)
Answer: What
are teachers?
200 A
______________ assists the teacher in all his duties in the Church if
occasion requires.
Answer: What is
a deacon?
300 Elders are to
conduct ______________.
Answer: What
are meetings?
400 A priest's
duty is to preach, teach, expound, exhort, baptized, and ___________
the sacrament.
Answer: What is
administer?
500 Priests visit
the house of each member and exhort them to __________ vocally and in
secret.
Answer: What is
pray?
The Priesthood
in the Home
100 The
father should lead the family in this spiritual activity.
Answer: What is
family prayer OR scripture study OR FHE?
200 Another
spiritual activity the father should lead the family in doing.
Answer: What is
family prayer OR scripture study OR FHE?
300 A third
spiritual activity the father should lead the family in doing.
Answer: What is
family prayer OR scripture study OR FHE?
400 One of the
reasons we ask for priesthood blessings.
Answer: What is
direction OR healing OR comfort?
500 Another
reason we ask for priesthood blessings.
Answer: What is
direction OR healing OR comfort?
Home Teaching
100 The
earliest priesthood office you can hold to be a home teacher.
Answer: What is
a teacher?
200 How often a
home teacher should visit his assigned members.
Answer: What is
monthly?
300 Leaders in
wards or branches should ______ __ with home teachers to make sure
they're doing their home teaching.
Answer: What is
follow up?
400 Home teachers
can help members prepare to go to the _________ and receive eternal
ordinances.
Answer: What is
the temple?
500 Home teachers
teach the _____________ to each family member.
Answer: What is
the gospel?
Keys
100 The
____________ holds priesthood keys that enable him to preside in his
ward.
Answer: Who is
the bishop?
200 He holds all
the keys of the priesthood.
Answer: Who is
Christ?
300 He holds the
keys for governing the entire church.
Answer: Who is
the President of the Church?
400 He holds the
keys for operating the temple.
Answer: Who is
the temple president?
500 A person
holds the keys only until he is ________________.
Answer: What is
released?
And there you have my lesson. It went really well.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Brave New World of Utensils
Gage has shown more interest in eating like a big kid lately. He doesn't want me spoon feed him his yogurt or applesauce anymore, so I kind of guide his hand to help him scoop the yogurt and direct it toward his mouth. But chunkier stuff - I let him go to town on his own.
He'll usually grab some food:
Put it on his spoon:
And then try to put it in his mouth.
He's so stinkin' cute.
Working with a fork on some zucchini casserole and broccoli salad tonight:
Such a lover. He seriously is the light of my life.
He'll usually grab some food:
Working with a fork on some zucchini casserole and broccoli salad tonight:
The Lesson on Learning About the Priesthood - What I Did
Part One: Ways to Study your Scriptures
The lesson suggested for the teacher to study Preach My Gospel, the part about scripture study, in preparation for this lesson. I wanted to demonstrate the different scripture-marking techniques that Preach My Gospel talks about, so I opened my scriptures to show my students different ways I've marked my scriptures. Sometimes, if there are many points to a main idea in a passage, I'll put little numbers in front of each point. Or, if there's a quote I read or heard in a class that relates to a scripture, I'll write that quote in my margins. Sometimes I just highlight small portions of a verse to get a clearer idea of what that scripture is about.
My idea was just to show them examples of these techniques in my scriptures and move on, but these kids were just loving this. They ended up spending the better part of the hour studying the markings in my scriptures, and writing down quotes or marking things the way I had in their own scriptures. They were really into it - they wanted these little treasures I have found in my life for their own. So the lesson really took us in a different direction from where we had started, but I felt like the Spirit was there very strongly and that the kids really felt it and gleaned a lot from this.
Part Two: Dictionary Exercise
So this lesson talks about studying the scriptures that are about the priesthood. This is one of the activities they recommended: "For example, you could use a dictionary to help them find definitions for the following words from Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–46: dominion, betimes, compulsion, pricks, unfeigned, guile, distill, and scepter."
I didn't have dictionaries for each kid, so I printed off the definitions of each of the above words on a handout for each kid. Each time we came to one of the words, I had them look at their handout and see what the word means, and then we circled the word in our scriptures and wrote brief definitions in the margins. Here are the dictionary definitions I printed off for the kids:
of a needle>
humor from personal loss> c
: to extract the essence of :
concentrate
The lesson suggested for the teacher to study Preach My Gospel, the part about scripture study, in preparation for this lesson. I wanted to demonstrate the different scripture-marking techniques that Preach My Gospel talks about, so I opened my scriptures to show my students different ways I've marked my scriptures. Sometimes, if there are many points to a main idea in a passage, I'll put little numbers in front of each point. Or, if there's a quote I read or heard in a class that relates to a scripture, I'll write that quote in my margins. Sometimes I just highlight small portions of a verse to get a clearer idea of what that scripture is about.
My idea was just to show them examples of these techniques in my scriptures and move on, but these kids were just loving this. They ended up spending the better part of the hour studying the markings in my scriptures, and writing down quotes or marking things the way I had in their own scriptures. They were really into it - they wanted these little treasures I have found in my life for their own. So the lesson really took us in a different direction from where we had started, but I felt like the Spirit was there very strongly and that the kids really felt it and gleaned a lot from this.
Part Two: Dictionary Exercise
So this lesson talks about studying the scriptures that are about the priesthood. This is one of the activities they recommended: "For example, you could use a dictionary to help them find definitions for the following words from Doctrine and Covenants 121:34–46: dominion, betimes, compulsion, pricks, unfeigned, guile, distill, and scepter."
I didn't have dictionaries for each kid, so I printed off the definitions of each of the above words on a handout for each kid. Each time we came to one of the words, I had them look at their handout and see what the word means, and then we circled the word in our scriptures and wrote brief definitions in the margins. Here are the dictionary definitions I printed off for the kids:
do·min·ion
noun \d?-?mi-ny?n\
1
:
domain
2
:
supreme authority : sovereignty
3
plural :
an order of angels — see celestial
hierarchy
4
often capitalized
: a self-governing nation of the
Commonwealth of Nations other than the United Kingdom that
acknowledges the British monarch as chief of state
5
:
absolute ownership
be·times
1
: in
good time : early
2
archaic :
in a short time : speedily
3
: at
times : occasionally
com·pul·sion
noun \k?m-?p?l-sh?n\
1
a :
an act of compelling
: the state of being compelled
b : a
force that compels
2
: an
irresistible persistent impulse to perform an act (as excessive hand
washing); also :
the act itself
prick
noun \?prik\
1
: a
mark or shallow hole made by a pointed instrument
2
a :
a pointed instrument or weapon b :
a sharp projecting organ or part
3
: an
instance of pricking
or the sensation of being pricked:
as a : a
nagging or sharp feeling of remorse, regret, or sorrow b
: a slight sharply localized
discomfort prick
From Wikipedia:
To kick against the pricks is a
quotation generally held to be from the Bible
which refers generally to being stubborn or resistant to authority
to the point of self-harm
and specifically to being resistant to the will of God.
During the time of Jesus, many people
were farmers and used oxen
to till the soil. A prick, or goad,
was a pointed shaft sharpened to a point on one end, much like a
metalworking prick.
This was held up to an ox by the driver in such a way that if the ox
turned in the wrong direction, it would get pricked. Sometimes an ox
would attempt to kick the irritant away, which would only drive it
in deeper
un·feigned
adj \-?f?nd\
noun \?g?(-?)l\
verb \di-?stil\
dis·tilleddis·till·ing
transitive verb
1
: to
let fall, exude, or precipitate in drops or in a wet mist
2
a :
to subject to or transform by distillation
<distill molasses into rum> b
: to obtain by or as if by
distillation <distill whiskey> distill
scep·ter
noun \?sep-t?r\
1
: a
staff or baton borne by a sovereign as an emblem of authority
2
:
royal or imperial authority :
sovereignty
Part Three: Footnote Exercise
Another thing the lesson suggested to do is this: "Demonstrate to the class how using footnotes can enrich their scripture
study. For example, you could help them explore some of the footnotes in
Doctrine and Covenants 84:33–44 or 121:34–46 to help them understand more about the priesthood."
I wanted to go about this in a more organized and prepared way, so I prepared slips of paper for each student. It told them which verse and footnote to look at and told them to be prepared to talk about what they learned from exploring their assigned footnote. Here are the slips of paper, numbered. One for each kid:
- Look at footnote c of D&C 84:33. It tells you two things you can look up in the topical guide. Look up the second one – Priesthood, Magnifying Callings Within. As you scan the scriptures listed, look up a few that look interesting to you. Be prepared to share the scripture you liked best.
- In D&C 84:33, the word “sanctified” is used. To sanctify something is to cleanse something. Look at footnote d. Look up sanctification in the topical guide. As you scan the scriptures listed, look up a few that look interesting to you. Be prepared to share the scripture you liked best.
- In D&C 84:34, the Lord says that one who obtains both priesthoods become the sons of Moses and of Aaron. Look at footnote a. It refers you to D&C 84: 6-26. Read these verses to understand what it means to become sons of Moses and Aaron. Be prepared to give any insights you came across in these verses.
- In D&C 84:41, the Lord seems to say that if you break your priesthood oath and covenant, you will not have forgiveness of your sins. Look at footnote b. Look up the scriptures listed and see if you can find further explanation of this. Be prepared to share any insights you might have come across in these verses.
- In D&C 84:42, the Lord says that he will give his heavenly hosts and angels charge over priesthood holders. Look at footnote a and look up the scripture it lists to get a better idea of what that might mean. Be prepared to share any insight this scripture gives you about what it means for angels to be given “charge” over you.
- Look at footnote a of D&C 84:33. Look up “loyalty” or “worthiness” in the topical guide. As you scan the scriptures listed, look up a few that look interesting to you. Be prepared to share the scripture you liked best.
- Look at footnote b of D&C 84:33. Look up “priesthood” in the topical guide. As you scan the scriptures listed, look up a few that look interesting to you. Be prepared to share the scripture you liked best.
- Look at footnote e of D&C 84:33. It refers you to Rom. 8:11. Read this verse and see what it has to do with renewing of the body. Be prepared to share any insights you had as you read this scripture.So anyways. Like I said, this class went in a different direction than I anticipated, but it was a really good direction. And it's so fun when they take the learning into their own hands and go with it. My students are so spiritual and focused on living righteously. They humble me. I love them.
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