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Yes, I hope you don't have any more back troubles in your household, Viv! I'm glad Jim's back home (no pun intended). Poor Jim and Sarah. I hate when the pain starts to kick in after an injury or surgery. I hope he only has to wear the brace for 60 days instead of 6 months. Tell him to take his medicine like a good boy, take it easy, and let the healing progress so he doesn't have to leave his armour on any longer than necessary. :)

Well, the fat hit the fire in good ol' Duchesne. We caught the pranksters... and now one of the parents wants to bring assault charges against James because he grabbed one of the kids by the arm in our neighbor's yard. Can you believe it?! They claim that they weren't pranking us, but they were some of the same kids who had. This particular group was part of the cross country team, and they'd bragged about pranking us to Carina on the bus when they went to the Regional Meet. James had told Carina not to tell me. And he was right about the truck that we photographed; that was the "getaway" car for another group of kids. One of the kids last night told me that pretty much all the kids in Duchesne High were pranking us.

Anyway, after Carina's State Meet (she came in seventeenth, and the girls' team took second overall--but this pretty much puts the damper on that), we were exhausted. James and I were downstairs trying to catch up on his grading when suddenly Marilee and Emily came down the stairs in a panic. They'd heard a pounding, and they thought it was the pranksters again. Apparently what had happened was a group of cross country kids and their friends (including the granddaughter of James's principal and daughter of the elementary school principal) decided to pound on the French doors of our neighbors. The sound was so loud that the girls thought it was our house. We came upstairs and saw a truck parked in front of our neighbor's house in the same location that we've seen the getaway cars before. James walked down and saw the kids hiding just beyond our fence, in the same location they hide when they prank us. He grabbed one boy by the arm. The kid squirmed, so James grabbed him again, and the kid fell and tripped (hence the threatened assault charges--it was the cross country coach's son). He got up again and James asked him to come back to our house. So he walked back with James (and James never touched him again). (The one good thing is that one of our friends was dropping off the neighbor boy whom the kids were pranking, and he saw what happened, so the police are going to call him for his statement as a witness. And our neighbor Bobby saw the kids in his yard last night, so he called me to find out if we'd been pranked, and when I told him what had happened, he said he'd have something to say to the police about kids trespassing in his yard. He also said that he found out kids have been calling for permission to use the swing on their big Cottonwood tree in their front yard, then going over to our house to prank us. He said he'd called several parents about it telling them that he doesn't appreciate his yard being used an excuse to do mischief to us.)

Anyway, James dropped the mischief-maker off at our house (and although he was embarrassed to be caught, he wasn't apologetic at all--obviously, since he went home and cried to mommykins about teacher harassment). I visited with him while James went back for the other kids. All he had to do was talk to them, and they came, not wanting to leave the boy. Two of the boys were actually sorry and apologized to James before they left. The rest were just irritated that their fun had been messed up. The girl (who was driving; she's also the student body president, not just the granddaughter of James's boss and daughter of the elementary school principal) was especially upset and tried to come up with every excuse she could think of. She had a little brother to pick up at the church, she said. I told her that actions had consequences, and if she'd been in something like a car accident, she would have been detained a lot longer than she would with us calling the police. I offered twice to let her call her mom to let her know she was going to be late picking up her little brother (who was with mom at the church, incidentally). She declined both times.

While waiting for the police, I offered them cookies and visited with them about the cross country meet. I also gave them a quick little lecture. I told them I knew they were good kids and that they didn't mean to hurt people, but they needed to realize that sometimes their actions could hurt people, and continuing to run around causing mischief could eventually lead to something out of their control. I told them they'd scared my kids and that several times when we'd been pranked I was up with sick kids or exhausted and their actions had pushed me beyond my limits. I also showed them the video camera and told them that we'd been recording all of the pranks for the past nine months. I also said that behaviors like this was the reason we were leaving Duchesne. James suggested they spend their time coming up with positive things that they could do for people anonymously instead of doing unkind pranks (and we could see their eyes glaze over--I have no hope for this town).

Then the police officer came and had them all write down their names, ages, and birth dates. He had them call their parents to come pick them up outside our house, then left. A few minutes later he called to tell us that the kid had accused James of "tackling" him in the neighbor's yard and that the parents might bring charges against us. A few minutes later he called us again to tell us that, yes, sure enough, the parents were upset at James "attacking" their child. And that's where we are.

Hoepfully we won't have to fight a legal battle. If so, I guess we'll have to get a lawyer and take it to court. But we'll bring all of our video footage and all the records we've been keeping the past number of years. It's so frustrating. We did everything we could to avoid conflict. We pulled Conner out of school so the principal wouldn't have any more excuses to hound us. James has done everything the principal has asked him to do. But they followed us to our home! We're not even allowed to sleep at night, and for that we're being punished?

I was up all night. I think I dropped off about 4 AM, and got up again at 6 AM. I spent much of the night praying that I would be able to forgive the people who had done this to us. I'm deeply hurt, but ironically, I see their side, too. It is impossible for these people to recognize that "harmless fun" isn't always perceived as harmless. Somehow part of their brains just can't fathom that, they've been steeped in traditions like this for so long. So I'm just waiting, praying, and trying to survive until we see the silver lining on this black cloud. I don't know what will happen. Sometimes God lets people do bad things, but I also believe that trials like this can teach us something. And I believe that he's as unhappy with the situation as we are. I'm also trying to see the mini miracles that God sent to help us. Our friend didn't have to turn around and come back after dropping off the boy. Our neighbor didn't have to call us this morning. But they did. So I'm just going to get through this one second at a time.

There is one bright spot. James actually found another job at BYU-Idaho he'd like to apply for. He wasn't going to look at it because we'd decided to stick with high school jobs, but a persistent little voice in the back of his mind kept telling him to read the description. So he did, and he wants to apply. It's in the education department, as a real teaching position--no administration this time. It's for a teacher trainer, and part of the responsibilities would be to work with principals to set up student teaching. The job requires someone with high school teaching experience. It wants someone who is willing to implement technology into the classroom and someone who wants to be innovative in teaching students. As a side note, BYU-I mentioned that they'd really prefer a person with a doctorate, but because it's so hard to find applicants with doctorates, they'll settle for a master's degree (!!!!!!). The job would mean moving to Rexburg, which we're okay with, and the job doesn't start until next August. I'm a little afraid to have James apply because we've been rejected so. Many. Times. But you know, we've been struck down so many times and gotten up again, I guess one more time won't hurt. We're already battered and bruised enough. What's one more, right? :) James figures if it doesn't happen, we'll still have Plan B in the high school realm, and we'll get the rejection in plenty of time to go on with our plan to resign in the spring and start hunting for jobs. Plan C, of course, is just leaving immediately and trying to find a job anywhere in the middle of the school year, but we hope it won't come to that.

Sorry for another lengthy venting post. ;)

Poor Jim! I don't know what I'd do if I had to be in a brace for six months. But I'm grateful he's still able to walk. The thought of him falling off the roof just made me sick. I kept thinking about Kim's brother.

I can understand a little of what Kim goes through. Now that Conner's home all day (which is going very well, by the way), it's hard to put off the things I used to do when the kids were all in school. I told James the other day I felt like I was back to being a mommy with a baby or toddler (although Conner is obviously more self-sufficient, plus he pitches in around the house to help me). But when you have a family, that family has to take top priority. I've been impressed with Sheralee and Viv, who have older kids, are still willing to sacrifice for them when the need arises.

The addresses in Utah are laid out on a block system running from a central location. It was begun by one of the presidents of our church, Brigham Young, waaaay back in ye olden days. :) The Salt Lake temple is the central location in Salt Lake City, and the roads are laid out kind of in a grid, with streets running north-south and east-west. So from Temple Square going north, you'd call the road 100 North, 200 North, etc. It's the same for the other roads. Our roads start from the highway that runs through town, I think, but with the same philosophy. It's kind of handy, because you can go anywhere in the state and find where you need to go by looking at where the addresses intersect. It's easier to see on a map. Of course, some of the names get changed to regular names, or we get roads that don't run in a straight line, but the basic idea still works.

I hope your trip to Hamburg isn't too stressful, Jenny. I hope you're on your way to a job that will fit all of your needs and be perfect for the company you decide to go with, too. I hope you asked them at the interview about their stance on fitness programs. :)

They caught the kids who did the vandalism. One goes to school with the girls (or did, until this incident), and the others graduated a few years ago. They were known to be trouble-makers. I keep hoping this will change the community's attitude about the "harmless pranks" kids do around here, but I doubt it. We're still running our camera every night, and we keep our porch light on. And yes, Sheralee, we have a good idea about when we're leaving (squeal!). James is going to start applying for high school jobs in the spring. We were so busy looking at colleges that we forgot how highly qualified James is at the high school level. With the push toward online learning happening in Utah, he's in a perfect position to step into a program like that. Even if he begins as a regular high school teacher again, with his education he can pretty much teach anything; he just needs endorsements, which should be a breeze after his doctoral studies. He likes teaching at the high school level; he just doesn't like our situation. There is also a push for the arts to be integrated back into learning, which is his expertise, so he could do a lot for the state of Utah. He's already attended a conference where a number of people showed interest in his dissertation. And he still has the BYU-Idaho job, so he does get to interact with college kids. So that's what we're looking at for next year. We'll start with Utah, then Oregon, and if something doesn't come up in either of those two states, we'll consider other options. But this is our last year here. We're going, one way or another.

Nancy, how are your friends' (the ones who were in the accident) kids doing?

Oh, I can imagine how you felt when you saw that place Kimber, how exciting to have somewhere as your dream home. It's great to have a direction and goal to work towards. I really look forward to your photos. I hope to get time to visit the blog. We are at my sister's (Lavella) and are driving to Toowoomba to get a few things so David can do a couple of little repairs for them. So I'm making use of the 40 minute drive to try to catch up on here.

That's great that your cough is finally gone Lesley. I'm still coughing although I'm not sick anymore. Yikes! 3 weeks Lesley?! I'm so excited for you! Also so excited that you will meet Jenny, you're going to have an amazing trip. I'm glad you think you will come to Cinque Terre. It would have been great if everyone could do it but we will just have to do it again when you're ready :)

Enjoy this time at school Viv because it will be gone before you know it!

Have a great time in Cologne Jenny, I thought it was a pretty place but as I said before, everywhere in Europe is beautiful.

I better go, I haven't finished reading the last couple o pages but I best help David find his way to Bunnings :)

Oh, Viv, I'm so sorry your computer crashed!! That just sounds like a total nightmare. I hope you don't lose your files.

I saw you just posted some pictures to your blog- I'll have to go check them out!

So sorry to hear you've been ill for so long, Lesley! Yikes. I hope you're feeling better.

I'm glad Jacob's hand is healing up, Sheralee. And I meant to say as well that you looked SO serene in that selfie- I'd have never thought you were dashing back and forth to hit the timer on your camera. hahaha. Nice job!

Well, Sheralee, if you ever want to go to Cinque Terre, I've spent the last week building up a solid friendship base with some of the locals and I have an open invite to return whenever I want. :-) My super fabulous stonemason friend owns a bed & breakfast (which he built all by himself!! EOE) and it's GORGEOUS and overlooks the sea. It has 4 little suites that would easily fit all of us in... and I could get us really good price on the rooms... just sayin'.:-D AND there's a fabulous little restaurant in the piazza where we could go which also looks out onto the sea. Ohhh.... I just fell in love with the place. So if anyone wants to go back with me, I'm TOTALLY in.

I've been trying to get through the rest of these dumb pictures- I wish I had never done all of these bracketed exposure shots- they're just totally out of control. I can't figure out what's happening anymore.

LOL, LOL, LOL! Love your coat story. Tell Michael you need to come to the outlets for another coat and we'll have a good shopping spree! You are a riot, Princess Quiet Evening (not!). Are you going to pack all 3 coats?

I had to go back 3 pages to read all these posts! You ladies were busy while I was out playing with the kids. I'll have to try and find my ya-ya name. I hope it's not too far away or buried somewhere impossible to find!

Sheralee, our subs (relief teachers) don't get paid very much. I think it's about $78 a day. It's been that amount since I was subbing back 22 years ago! I suppose if you want the flexibility of time or you're retired and just want a little extra it's ok but it's a hard job to do.

Hey- do you guys remember me?? :-)

I got my review done- but I tried to keep it general. I hope I did it right. I'm SO excited for Candice. Very, very cool!

So... oh my gosh, ok. What's new with everyone?! I've just been caught up in my crazy life. I haven't hardly touched my camera in months. I can't seem to motivate myself to go out and take pictures of anything lately. :-( I haven't been on here either. But at least I got my apartment reorgnized (FINALLY). The weird thing is that it doesn't look much different than before. hahaha.

Let me see... what else? Work is the same as always, but I've been up to Hamburg more often. My co-worker quit on Friday!! Very scandalous- so now that means I'm the only aerospace manager for my company in southern Germany. No pressure or anything. GOL. He and my boss had been at each other's throats since before Christmas so I guess it wasn't a big surprise that he'd finally had enough.

Things outside of work are going alright. I still go out with Shaun the Ref sometimes- that's still fun. We went out in the city last night and he somehow managed to break his front tooth... never a dull moment. gol.

I will make a concerted effort to be a regular here again!! :-) I miss the chit chat with you guys.

Lesley, you have been busy! I'm glad Declan's graduation was lovely, and sorry you lost the rest of that cake! We're looking forward to hearing that interview!

Congratulations to Catherine on her job! Will she finish the unpaid internship, then, or give her notice and move on?

I hope your parents have a safe and lovely trip.

Christmas at the beach sounds wonderful!

Does anyone else find it just a little ironic that Doug was giving Becky a hard time trying to prove that he won't be on standby to help her out with kids when her schedule requires it-- but then he needed Viv to stay longer because he couldn't get to the kids on time because of an unexpected delay? :-)

I'm really happy you had fun with the boy though, Viv. They're all lucky to have you there.

I agree; if you're going to do a lot of walking, I'd leave the telephoto. Is that the Beast? I've forgotten the names.

Well, James got the results from his exam today. He has to do a slight revision. He got a perfect score on one of the questions (the hardest one), but he has a couple of minor things he needs to change on his other two questions. I burst into tears the moment he told me (I have been more stressed over this than I realized), but he's upbeat about it. He says he'd rather be in a program that makes him rise to a high level than one that lets him slide for not doing his very best. He doesn't think it will take him very many hours, and he has until next Thursday to turn it back in.

I'll add my vote to the others in telling you to go on the camping trip, Lesley. The photography sites alone would be worth it, and if you have guides, they'll know the terrain. :)

We had our two snowfalls in December, which then stayed on the ground throughout our sub-zero temperatures. :D It's beginning to melt a little, but I guess we're supposed to get some snow this weekend, too. The Salt Lake area has had more snow than we have in amount of precipitation that has fallen. Ours just never melted, but there wasn't much in the little bit that fell. And it has been dry, not snowball snow. :(