Thankful Thursday!

Today I am ever thankful that I can be "STOOPID" and still be okay!

We did not teach swim lessons on Halloween so our Y lessons are a bit off.  This week was Week 2 for Tuesday lessons, but Week 3 for Thursday and Friday lessons.  If I had remembered that, everything would have been fine, but because it was Week 2 on Tuesday, I assumed today was Week 2, too.  

On Week 2 we give the parents "Parent Letters" (you have to wonder who thought up that original name!) and my Thursday ones were missing this morning, save one for each class.  Thinking maybe they got mixed up with a different day - and wondering why anyone would want to steal them!?! - I looked through Friday's papers and my parent letters were missing there, too, save one from each class.

Now I know I wrote one out for every child I had weeks ago and I went into a tizz!  I ran into the office and asked Noah, the boss man, to grab me the parent letters I needed for today.  He thought it was an odd request, but went with the flow.  

It wasn't until I handed out my very last parent letter to my very last parent today that she said, "Oh, I don't need one.  You gave me one last week."  And then it hit me and I felt ever so dumb!  Thankfully, I am a daughter of the Most High King and it's okay to make silly mistakes . . . I apologized to the boss man, too.

The Hardest Thing . . .

. . . about working at the Y is that we are mandated reporters.  Today I spoke with Dakota County Child Protection, Hennepin County Child Protection and the Burnsville Police. 

Maurinho

Jacques Marie Elodie

Thankful Thursday!

Ever since I started swimming at the Y, I've been swimming with Dean, currently age eighty-five.  And since I've been swimming with Dean, I've got the stories down pat:

• "I'll swim over here with the guppies; you swim over there with the sharks."
• "It's Valentine's Day.  After I swim, I'm going to get my wife a single red rose.  Just one.  And take her out for dinner."
• "It's fishing opener.  I'll be out with the boys next week so I won't be swimming."
• "I swam another hundred miles.  I'll get my (100-Mile Swim Club) t-shirt and a marker and put the right number down on that shirt."

Unfortunately, we found out late last year that Dean was TOTALLY deaf (not like we didn't already have a clue!); however, he was getting hearing aids that, of course, he could not wear in the pool so we still yelled with him.

Fortunately, he was the most crooked, kind, slow, friendly swimmer in the lap lane and no one really minded.  

So when Dean disappeared this fall, none of us (his lap buddies) knew where he was and all of us hoped he had not died.  The buzz was, "Have you seen Dean?" and no one had. 

I am thankful that Dean came swimming this morning.  It turns out that he got what he calls his "defibrillator" and had to stay out of the pool for five weeks.  Then he gave me the Dean punch line, "Yup, they said the battery was only good for fifteen years, so when it stops I'll be 100 and that's long enough." 

Dean, we're thankful you're back and you're well!  Hugs to you! 

 

Happy 18th Birthday, Micah!

While we driving out to Crown on Monday morning, I was texting everyone we knew, asking them to text Micah on Tuesday in order to wish her a "Happy Birthday!"  She had no idea what I was doing!

She got home from school yesterday and said, "Mom, I kept getting texts at school all day yesterday wishing me a 'Happy Birthday!'"  Score one for Mom!

Her favorite text came from her "big brother" Ben Utecht who she bonded with in Ukraine this summer.  "Mom, Ben just sent me a text!"

Oddly enough, she wanted to go to Applebee's for dinner - never mind that she had spent eleven hours there this weekend working!  When her manager found out we were there for Micah's birthday, she gave her a free meal and her co-workers sang the Applebee's birthday song to their "apple buddy"! 

Tour de Colleges

Since it was the end of Micah's first quarter this past weekend, she had Monday and Friday off - time to look at colleges!

SOUTH CENTRAL COLLEGE

Friday afternoon found us at South Central College in North Mankato, looking into their culinary arts program.  Micah's greatest desire is to open her own peanut/tree nut free bakery.  We were both impressed with the program and the instructors; however, I'm positive that in an earlier life this college was actually an elementary school!

CROWN COLLEGE

Monday morning we went over the river and through the woods to Crown College.  Talk about warm, friendly, welcoming people!  It's a small school - around 500 students and we kept saying, "It feels like we're back on the ship!"  Well, other than we weren't floating on water, but the similarities were boundless - from the dining room to the snack area to the weight room to the dorm rooms - it really looked like we were back on the ship!  Why this college is my favorite choice is that they were WILLING TO WORK WITH US and Micah's peanut/tree nut allergies so that she could have a successful college experience.

NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

We took the definite scenic route from Crown to North Central, getting lost downtown numerous times!  We went through areas I haven't seen in years.  When we finally found the college and a spot to park, it turned out Administration really wanted us to park in a North Central parking lot (I was on the phone with them at the time) - easier said than done.  We finally found a spot to park in in our fourth lot!  At that point, I think we were both ready to turn around and head home, but we stuck it out and interestingly enough, North Central was one of Micah's favorite's.

So, we have no answers yet.  We'll continue to apply and get paper work in and maybe do some return visits . . . stay tuned!