i’ve been thinking about the word “today”. I’m sitting on my little couch with my favorite Morgan sitting in the recliner across from me and I’m thinking that today was a good day. “today” brings back memories already etched in my mind of blue skies over Pacific waves, cool breezes through our windows while we drove, and always the joy we both get of seeing other vanagons. We want them all. Any kind of vw bus or vanagon or anything remotely hippie to drive we want to buy and bring home, or at least meet the people driving them and chat and share good things with them. We usually do the latter. Not much buying happens so we settle for making friends on the go. So we drive through tiny seaside towns and on the freeways and we watch green hills go by and look at each other and smile and think “today is a good day.” Sometimes today is a word i look at with regret or disappointment as i realize opportunities missed to share or love or be a friend. But mostly in the evenings when i think about today, I’m thankful.

we had a good weekend around Pismo. we stayed in this interesting place called the Inn at Avila Beach. They serve pie and ice cream every evening, and pizzas at four pm. the rooms are spanish style with hanging beds and jacuzzi tubs and tile everywhere and courtyards and random staircases to get out to your rooms. it was more of a b&b than a hotel. i think we would go back. yesterday we did some driftwood searches and watched the waves and looked at beautiful people walking by while we ate ice cream. I met a man who used to live in Breckenridge, CO (my dad used to live there) and he told me he used to be a bouncer at Downstairs at Eric’s, which is our favorite place to eat in Breck. What a small world. we discussed our favorite kinds of pizza from Downstairs at Eric’s while he sold me some handmade items from his shop and i left with the promise to tell Eric hi from Tad if i got back to Colorado again before he did. We also saw this seal with a baby. Literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The baby seal was on the mamas stomach with its arms around her neck and they were paddling along. I sort of want a seal now. We got home this evening and Jons and Ja came over for nachos and ice cream.

We have had such a busy week and it’s been so fun! Last wednesday we went to Terry and Deana for supper with Jenn, Audrey, and Kendalls. Then Thursday I was trying to organize supper for us and Levi and we got invited to Waylon and Beth’s so we just brought Levi along. on Friday evening we had a family deal at school for David May’s birthday. Went to Jons for coffee after. Last Saturday evening we went to Justins with Brents and Jons. We went early and made ciappino for supper, which is this wine or seafood based brothy sauce stuff which we used with mussels, crab legs, shrimp, scallops, and calamari. You can basically add whatever seafood based item you’d like. Anyways, that with sourdough bread topped it off and it was pretty awesome. Not for the faint of heart or non seafood lovers. Sunday for lunch we were invited to Perrins with Jesse&Tia. In the evening after church Levi came over to make more Italy plans. It’s getting closer!! Wednesday evening was Grandpa Orville Koehn’s 80th birthday party held at the Arnold Barn so we went their and helped celebrate with the Koehns. Thursday was the 100th day of school so my class had a cereal party and brought 100 of something if they chose to. Friday the school divided into teams and ran 100 miles. Luckily we have over 100 students so they only had to run a mile each. Some of the moms served cupcakes and irish sodas afterward.

We have another busy week this week with various things going on and I’m sure all of you do too. Have a safe week. Thanks for the texts:) cheyenne

it always seems like i should write “dear diary” like i did when i was young because sometimes i feel that’s what I am doing:) it also feels like I don’t have much to write about at this point in January. We decided since it was revivals every night that we’d try this Freshly service that you order fresh healthy meals from. They were kind of expensive but we ordered a few of them so I got out of cooking a couple nights!

Last Friday evening we had a couchsurfer couple come for night! Yay! It’s always tough to make sure the house is cleaned up and their bed made but it’s so worth it. They were a couple our age from France and they had been riding bike through south and central america for the last year and 3 months. They started biking in Argentina and stopped at several orphanages in different countries to spend time working with the children and now they’re on the final stretch before they fly home to France. We took them out for pizza Friday evening and they had breakfast with us before they left Saturday morning. It was so inspiring to talk with them!

Last Sunday was church mostly with lunch at folks with Justin&Shenda, council in afternoon, and after church on the evening we went to jenn and Audrey’s, my coteachers, with ben&ang and perrin&nikki. Trudi was out visiting from Nebraska so we spent a fun evening there at the teachers.

We had no school Monday and Tuesday for report cards and parent teacher conferences, a teacher favorite of course. Mine started Tuesday at 9:20 and finished around 3:20 so it wasn’t too long of a day. The school board wives bring lunch so that makes it an even easier day for us. We worked helping ja a couple evenings in his house so John Martin’s could move in this weekend. Wednesday night was communion at winton.

We and Jalen left Friday evening and drove through to madis house in scio. We went to Mike and Vals for an amazing brunch Saturday morning and then madi, ja, and us drove to Portland and spent the day there. It was such a cool day. We explored a skate park under an overpass, shopped vintage and outdoor stores where Morgan bought hiking stuff, had some famous Voodoo donuts, and tried some coffee houses. Voodoo Donuts is a place where all donuts are possible. We tried an m&m donut, a vanilla bean, a vanilla frosted with fruit loops,and a maple bacon. For their complete menu check out https://www.voodoodoughnut.com/ .

In the evening we met lanae, ceejay, and Devin for supper and coffees. It was so happy to spend the day with madi shopping again♡. Sunday we hung out mostly and left this morning after a quick stop at school to see madison’s kids. We drove to Crater Lake after we left which was so beautiful and there was quite lots of snow around.

Now we are continuing home through beautiful mountains with snow and trees covered with fog and still lakes. We’ll get home late with the three of us back at work in the morning.

My after Christmas/revival goal is to be more hospitable…give more of myself…maybe some of you have ideas on how to help me with that! I feel somewhat inferior with my cooking skills and having to come home and make food after school. I’m just uncomfortable enough in the kitchen that it worries me to have company on school nights so if any of you have recipes or ideas for me, send them over! Have a good week!!

Well, we’re home from Christmas. Life is back to normal and we’re all caught up on sleep I think. Fortunately our revivals started last week so we can start the cycle again! A quick overview of our Christmas: we spent around 3 days with the Bronson family at Camp Cedarwood in Manitoba. It was a huge lodge with rec rooms, a snow slide, catered meals, a skating spot cleared on the lake, etc. It was a very good time being with family and catching up with the cousins. I was sick so i honestly dont remember all of it so thats frustrating. From there we went back to Micah’s and spent a couple days there with just Morgan’s family. Morgan and I flew out to Denver on Christmas Day where Mom and Madison picked us up. We ate our little Christmas lunch at Tony Roma’s on the way home. We spent about a week in Center with Mom, Madison, Marks, and uncle Mike’s. It was so so fun to be back with my family. Except for Dillon’s were in Michigan with Renae’s family so I missed them terribly. We flew back to California on the 2nd and both had work the next day. Morgan actually left at 5 the next morning for an LA job with dad and I had school.

We were talking about 2018. What a year. We started it off in Belize and Mexico with my family for New Years. In March us and Jalen went to Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Germany and toured around and saw such cool stuff. We camped in the vanagon at Bishop and Santa Cruz and Yosemite random times. Morgan was on a strike team and went to Cambodia..I started teaching..mom, Madison, and I taught teachers prep in PA and met dillon’s for a weekend in Washington D.C…my family came to visit us…grandma jul, grandpa Gary’s and rhoda somehow ended up visiting us too!..we spent time in Kansas City together when madi donated her kidney…and we ended the year together in Canada and Colorado. What a time to be alive♡

Last week was full with Morgan working and school and different evening plans. Friday night our revivals started with Fran Toews from Scio and Bruce Dirks from I think it’s Windsor, Colorado. Ballico is also in meetings now. It seems like after Christmas sickness is here and I’ve had students missing off and on all week so it makes for less people at church in the evenings and lots of catch up work. Report cards are this weekend but due to missing students I’m not sure when I’ll get mine finished up! One great thing is that during meetings the school board wives or different mom’s, I’m not sure how this works yet, bring supper to the teachers after school which is honestly awesome. Occasionally there will be enough for both Morgan and I so it takes care of a supper for us and it sure helps out!

We were supposed to have the ministers over Friday night for supper but they didn’t arrive in the area in time so we had them for Sunday breakfast instead with chorizo breakfast tacos and fresh oranges from our trees! The sermons have been absolutely awesome. Justification by faith, compassion, charity, forgiveness. Simple messages that are so what I need.

It seems like this post is pretty random but hopefully next week it will be more back to normal. Keep Winton in your prayers and Morgan and I also. Seems like Satan is trying so hard to discourage some of our friends and in turn it burdens us. have a good week..cheers to 2019!

it’s definitely that time of year. the stockings are hung, the California mornings are foggy, and the school related things, as of yesterday, are all finished! So. Last Friday Morgan and I left right after school and drove to Fresno airport. We grabbed a bite and then at 7 flew to Seattle! We drove out to Olympia and stayed night there Friday night.

Saturday morning we drove to meet a customer and followed him on a half hour drive into the country to do some surveying for him. He is a wealthy Turkish man who owns a Turkish restaurant in Olympia and needed surveying done for possible irrigation of a beechnut orchard and kiwi vines. Morgan and I spent the day out in the Washington countryside driving around and surveying. The land was so so pretty with small rolling hills, lots of trees, and old stone houses with little lanes running to them. It reminded me of when we took the train through France. We finished up there and Mahmet had told us to come to his restaurant for “real” Turkish food so we drove back to Olympia. His restaurant’s name is Mediterrannean Breeze so we told the hostess a table for two but Mahmet waved us back and took us to a special table right by the grill where we could see what was going on. It was a very classy, upscale place with the traditional low Turkish style tables and chairs and just an overall classy romantic place. We weren’t sure what to order since we haven’t tried Turkish food before necessarily so we told Mahmet to surprise us with what he wanted us to try because he was super excited we were there. He told us he’d start us off by bringing cold appetizers, so shortly, a plate came out with six different styles of dips; bruschetta, artichoke dip, and rice mixture wrapped in grape leaves were some of them. Wed barely finished some of that plate when he brought a hot appetizer plate which had lamb wrapped in grape leaves, feta stuffed spring rolls, and a bulgar roll stuffed with lamb. Everything is top quality at this place and they have their own lamb butcher and also import everything straight from Turkey. Then he started with the main course with several plates coming out containing lamb sausage wrapped in pita covered with a tomato sauce, chicken shish, lamb patties, and beef steaks that absolutely melted in your mouth. Then mahmet insisted we try the rice pudding, Turkish coffee which was thick and sweet, and the pistachio baklava. When it came time to pay he told us it was on the house!! It was absolutely amazing. We left there so full and drove back to seattle for night.

Sunday morning tony,tara,Ethan, and Olivia met us at Pike Place Market and we spent awhile wandering through there while it rained incessantly and the water puddled on the cobblestones and you couldn’t tell where the sky met the sea. I’d been to seattle once but Morgan hadn’t been so it was cool to see what he thought of it. We bought ourselves some brown pottery shallow soup/coffee cups at the market and watched the men throw fish and ate hot samosas. Of course we had to hit my favorite French bakery and get apricot filled croissants and macarons and hot chocolate. It’s called Le Panier if you want to visit Seattle😁 We walked down by the water and had lunch and then went to Evo to look for ski stuff. Tony’s had the idea to go to the Panama Hotel for tea so we met there next. I dont know if any of you have read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but it’s a story about the Japanese being taken to internment camps and this Panama Hotel was where many of them left their belongings and their belongings are still in the basement of this hotel. Your view into the basement shows suitcases and shoes and different items that are from someone’s life in a different era. It’s very sad, really. Here is the link if you want a good read! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_on_the_Corner_of_Bitter_and_Sweet So we had tea there which was very neat in this old rickety hotel with cozy chairs and lots of different kinds of tea. Then we said goodbye to Tony’s and headed for my favorite place ever which was a little holiday market in the loft of a building and it was all handmade, homemade amazing stuff. We follow a couple online called Drifters Fish who are from alaska and catch and smoke and sell all their own salmon and they just happened to be in seattle at this market so we got to meet them! They also drive a dark red vw bus with a beautiful wreath on the front. So we walked around and met the 12 or so vendors and ate goat cheese and wild salmon and herbs on toast and it was delightful. Then away we went back to the airport and got home around 1130. Such a fun weekend! It’s so much fun travelling at Christmas when the airports are decorated with lights and trees an all things pretty.

Tuesday night was school faculty supper at Steve and Diane’s where they served us ribs and other amazing things. Thursday evening was the school Christmas program in Atwater at the civic center. All went well, my students did awesome obviously, only one child got sick, and some of us went to Applebees afterwards since they dont do anything after the program, which I think is a shame. I have good memories of getting popcorn balls and candy bags at least! Friday morning we played games and opened presents. I got Starbucks gift cards, a basil plant, some money, and various other gifts. From my students I got the coolest thing ever! They gave me a Rosetta Stone subscription to learn another language and I’ve always wanted to do that so I’m so excited! Friday evening was Santa night at the fire station so Morgan was there all evening and I stopped in for abit to eat candy canes and have cocoa and talk to Santa who was a bilingual Mexican this year due to us living in Little Mexico.

This morning we packed like crazy and I hate leaving my house a mess so i did some minor cleaning. Joe’s picked us up at noon and we are now on our way to Manitoba with a couple stops on the way. I’m going to spend my time going across the barren plains of the western USA watching cooking videos, eating puppy chow, and discussing our italy trip and summer plans with Morgan. Sounds fun right? Last time we went through Wyoming we saw A. a bewildered moose. B. that was literally it. So I wish each of you a happy safe Christmas. If anyone’s going to be around Rosewood, Greenland, Whitemouth, or Center, Colorado, in the next two weeks, let me know cuz I’d like to see some pals! Merry Christmas!

It’s been ridiculously long since i’ve written. Thanksgiving has come and gone and so has my favorite best funniest family. November 21 we left around 10 am and picked up Mom, Madison, and Ann (part of the breakfast club, mom’s coteacher, basically family) from the airport around 1. We did some shopping and drove around abit waiting on Dillon’s to fly in at 7. It was so so wonderful to have my little family all with me again!!

Thanksgiving Day was the 22nd. We spent the morning making food and talking mostly. Honestly, my table looked like it was from a magizine when it was set. I was briefly proud. We had sous vide steaks, mashed potatoes, marshmallow sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pies. We DID find out that if you forget to put Karo syrup in the pecan pie and take it out when its done baking, you can actually just scrape the filling out, put it in new crust with the syrup added and rebake it and it’s perfect. Twice Baked Pecan Pie we called it. haha After lunch we did a small gift exchange and played games and relaxed. The 23rd Madison and Mom made a yum breakfast. After breakfast we loaded up and drove up to Sonora. It was absolutely pouring but we went to a Christmas Fair there with lots of stuff for sale and little foods and people singing carols. We slogged around and it was a grand time. Then we did some shopping on Main and got coffees at Eighty One Coffee. Saturday the 24th was San Francisco day since Ann and Dillon’s hadn’t been there before. We did the usual tourist stuff mostly. Pier 39, ate lunch on Fisherman’s Wharf, street performers, went down Lombard Street were just some of the stuff we hit. Sunday the 25th we went to church in the morning and to Kevin and Yolanda for lunch. We spent the afternoon there playing games and relaxing. We kids went out for coffee later and Ja took us on a “where the less fortunate hang out” tour of Merced. In the evening some of our friends stopped by folks’ and played games with us. We left early Monday morning and dropped Ann and Mom at the airport. Since Madi didn’t leave until 6 and Dillons flew out Tuesday morning, we went to Alcatraz for the day which was really interesting. I’d never been there before. There was actually a former Alcatraz inmate there at the bookshop signing books for people. We dropped off Dillons and Madi early evening and came home to our empty house. Sad of course.

Wednesday was a swell day. Instead of doing a Christmas gift this year, we decided to put on a supper for our parents. My students brought extra clothes and stayed over after school. They decorated the tables with Christmas lights, black tablecloths, red and black napkins, birch logs, and tea lights. They helped mix up BBQ meatballs, gourmet potatoes, Ceasar salad, and cornbread muffins for supper. They had already decorated sugar cookies for dessert earlier in the week so those were for dessert. After supper they put on a little skit of the Christmas story and sang a couple songs. It was absolutely darling and I was very proud of them of course!

Friday evening we went to Waylon and Beth Jantz for a Pollo en Crema meal ticket supper and also Morgans best food. Les&Alice, Ben&Ang, Ashton, and folks in law were there! Saturday morning was the Winton Fire Dept fundraiser breakfast so Morgan was busy until mid afternoon with that. I stopped there and then went to Shenda’s and laid on the couch petting the pug and reading The Alchemist. Morgan picked me up and we went to help folks in law serve a supper and then we went back to Justin’s for supper. Sunday morning church and to folks for lunch. In the afternoon we drove up to Papa Roger’s cabin (they were gone sadly) to see the snow which is my best thing ever. We drove around abit and enjoyed the scenery and it was truly such a fun day.

Today, back at school in full Christmas mode. Tomorrow we are practicing program for the first time so it’s quite exciting for the students. I’ve been feeling sort of sad the last couple days. Maybe a pre-holiday low? Is that a thing? It’s another Christmas, another birthday Dad isnt here for, another season where you shop for Christmas gifts and find yourself writing “Dad” on the list of people to buy for because you forget he’s not here. It’s tough, honestly. I’ve been questioning alot of things lately too as a result of the low mood I’m sure. Friday my heart literally ached in my chest because i was just so Sad about my Dad. Anyways. Wishing you all a safe week. I’m sure its super busy! xo chey

Friday morning: We read that the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, has exploded overnight and left thousands of people homeless. Morgan calls one of the shelters and makes plans to bring a load of things they’re in need of. Dad in law sends around the quick alert for Winton and Ballico to bring towels, clothes, quilts, and pillows to a drop off spot. With the help of Sherri Giesbrecht and Morgan, we take my class on a clothes drive to their houses and pick up donations. Then we go to Walmart to buy towels and pillows and toiletries with donated money. Several of my students selflessly ask “can I donate all of my money?” Morgan and I leave after school with a borrowed van absolutely stuffed to the brim with donations.

Friday evening: We drive to Chico, where most of the shelters have been quickly set up. We smell smoke most of the way, but the dense fog of it hits us about 30 miles from Chico. The headlights we meet coming on the road are orange and muted and we can faintly see that its burned along the highway 99. The 99 has been closed all day but reopened now although the roads off of it are blocked with police vehicles and National Guard Humvees. The town of Chico at 9 PM is like a ghost town in a thick, pea soup smoke that turns everything into shadows and there is ash floating down on our windshield. We navigate to the Elks Lodge and arrive to find complete disarray. Tables have been set up to hold the clothing and items donated, while people rummage for a few articles of clothing or pillows to help them through the night. Everyone is wearing masks and we are given a box to pass out if we see people that need them. Its chaotic. We decide to take a bunch of the blankets and hand them out so we find parking lots full of vehicles with people making makeshift beds inside. We pass out blankets to many people who come to our vehicle and accept with such thanks. Most of them look dazed and humbly accept anything we have to offer. It’s supposed to be 35 degrees tonight but we know there isn’t a place to sleep other than the van so we park with others and fall sleep in the back of the van to the smell of smoke and sadness and loss.

Saturday morning: We grab breakfast and decide to go to another shelter with the rest of our donation load. This shelter is much more basic and has no donations at all really so they are super excited about our stuff. We haul everything in and then put on nametags to volunteer where we’re needed. We start with just organizing the few clothes there into neater piles. A few women sitting close to me discuss whether or not some of their neighbors made it out of the fire alive. They sound matter of fact. Morgan goes to build Legos with some little kids he sees wandering aimlessly and I talk to the people. I’m scared to. I don’t know what I’ll tell them. But the Pastor at this place says “Cheyenne they just need someone to listen.” I visit with several people and brush a ladies hair because she’s shaky. She’s maybe 50. We start talking abit here and there and once she starts, words pour out. She’s alone because her husband is in prison. They’ve lost everything and he doesnt know it yet. She repeats several times that she has nothing left and her friends who live near her are on the missing persons list. Then she describes leaving her house. The power was out and she had five minutes to leave her house so the only thing she grabbed was her purse. The smoke outside made it hard to breathe and see where to drive but she managed to get to the main road but traffic was backed up for miles. She looks at me and has tears in her eyes. “I lost my whole life ” she says again. She continues with her story, and I hold her hand because there’s nothing else to do. She sat in traffic and watched people run out of gas, push their car off the road, and start walking. She saw the fire come up on both sides of the highway and fire trucks hose down their cars so they wouldn’t catch fire. She watched as the tar filling the little cracks on the interstate caught fire and started vehicles on fire. She lost her parents wedding rings, family heirlooms, her and her husband’s birth certificates and passports and all the keepsakes her children made her in school. She talks about her cat too. “I know she’s a cat but it’s just another thing I don’t have,” she tells me. Then she starts crying. She doesnt know where to go or what to do and has very little money. I sit and cry with her because she is only one of so so many who are exactly where she is. We hug goodbye and I tell her God will provide somehow. Funny she says. I actually have been thinking this morning about how everything has a reason. God has a plan. I admire her spirit. Morgan and I leave at noon. Our seats have ash on them and I’m losing my voice because of the smoke. We talk on the way home about how blessed we are to have our friends and family and a church to stand behind.

Now we pray. 42 people have been burned to death. Thousands of lives turned upside down. We hear some congregations may send money to us and we will buy gift cards to take up to the fire victims in a couple weeks. It’s the least we can do.

Another 10 days gone. We got home at 3 in the morning the 24th from KC. Morgan slept off his Cambodia and KC trips on Thursday and I was at school, of course. Friday evening we happened upon some meal tickets to a hot dog roast at Dean and Torey’s so we spent a relaxing evening there around the fire with friends.

Saturday morning was a work day at Benny&Sharilee’s. They recently bought a house that needs quite a bit of work so a crowd of people went there early Saturday. I slept in and regained sanity and then pulled “that” move and showed up just in time for lunch at Benny’s. haha. In the evening we went to Jesse&Tia’s barn for the annual fall supper for couples and youth. Soup was on the menu; beef stew, sweet potato and peanut, and white chili to name a few. After supper there was a skit and we all sang off the projector for awhile. I always love harvest suppers!

Sunday we were invited to Michael&Valerie for lunch which was so awesome! I have their son Logan in my class so its always cool to get to my students houses during the year.

Wednesday there was no school so we teachers could prepare for the school meeting taking place Wednesday evening-Friday noon at our school. After a busy day we had supper with everyone arriving at church. Abby Schmidt, who I taught with at Grant, NE, and Scott Boeckner, a good friend, stayed nights at our house. Scott actually was the adventurer and stayed nights in the vanagon on our yard! It’s been getting pretty cool during the night but he apparently survived. Thursday was school meeting all day. Shawn & Bernice were here from Grant and it was so fun to see parents of dear former students! In the evening there was an open meeting and the school kids had two songs. I must say I wasn’t mad, just disappointed at their apparent stage fright or lost voices. I felt like it was mostly teachers singing and students being terrified. Shawn Becker had a tremendous talk “What is Your Why?” Milton Giesbrecht gave the example of us grilling a steak and seasoning with garlic and rosemary to make a delicious food but the next morning when we make pancakes, we don’t use garlic and rosemary because itd taste bad. He likened it to the point that each child/teacher is different and you cant have the same expectations for each one. You have to find out about them and accept the different “seasonings”.

Friday at noon we all had lunch at church and everyone went their separate ways. We went out to ASIP coffee with Abby and Scott before we left. Later afternoon Morgan and I left for San Francisco to pick up Madison! YES she actually decided to come here for a couple days and recuperate before heading back to Oregon. We ate supper at this amazing burger place that rivals Five Guys actually. If you need a cheap place to eat near Pier 39, definitely consider this! https://burgershack-hamburgerrestaurant.business.site/ We spent night at a hotel with a beautiful view of the bridges and Pier 39.

Saturday morning we walked to Pier 39 and grabbed breakfast before walking to the Ski and Snowboard Swap. Morgan got a new coat and some goggles. We walked around there awhile and went to Pier 39 for a lunch of clam chowder. We’d brought a wheelchair so Madi rode around because she still isn’t feeling that good and is still in some pain. I will admit we didnt let her health affect our picking on her. Haha. In the evening we went out for thai food with Ja and got coffees.

Monday&Tuesday madi slept and relaxed at the house. Wednesday evening we took her to the plane in San Fran. Or we tried I should say. Got to San Fran only to discover she flew from Oakland 🙄 we managed to get her to the right airport in time though! My school kids drew names for our class Christmas do they’re pretty pumped. We have a busy month ahead of us with Christmas program planning, parent Christmas supper, my family coming for Thanksgiving in two weeks, and various other projects. My class is putting on a Christmas supper for their parent gift this year so the decoration committee is deciding a theme and various other committees are also virtuously organizing. They cant wait!

How do other wives teaching school (or any other full time job) deal with the busyness? It seems like I have no spare time for buying friends birthday gifts or baking muffins for a new mom or making that favorite meal of Morgans or any of the virtuous things I feel obligated to do as a wife and teacher. Maybe someone has some good time management tips or ideas to make my life less hectic. It’s pretty organized which seems odd because it’s so hectic. I know its confusing. Since this blog is definitely honest why quit now…So since I started teaching I’ve felt like a really poor wife and friend just because my time is so filled with school which I DO love! When I do get a free hour I want to spend it selfishly writing or drawing or sleeping so how do I find the balance

Anyways. Have a happy week full of that thing called courage that occasionally escapes us in those discouraging times. Chey

Of course I’m like a record that keeps saying I’m busy but it’s too true. Last week got sort of long with Morgan away so I’ll list some highlights if I can remember. Saturday the 13th I went to San Francisco to a street food festival. It was sunny with a cool breeze from the bay and so much street food. Tacos, Haitian food, crepes, smoothies, desserts, bbq. I tried different stuff that was all so good. And there were many people wandering around eating and it was truly relaxing. Then I drove around and checked out a recycled goods place and a bakery.

I cleaned house, fed chickens, did laundry, taught school, and tried to get stuff at school ready for a substitute teacher. Thursday was national chocolate cupcake day so one of my students brought cupcakes for the class. I’d made some I was going to bring but I took them Friday instead. For art we had a scavenger hunt around the school yard.

Saturday evening was the school fundraiser at school. They served chili and cinnamon rolls, veggies, and had a coffee and tea bar along with cookies. They also had a sweet treat place set up with cotton candy and candied apples and different things that make children full of frenzied sugar energy. There was a program with singing after supper so the school had a couple songs. And, since this is california, we had the evening outside and it was beautiful and not windy. After the program I left for San Francisco. I flew out at midnight for Kansas City and got in there Sunday at 10. Mom flew in at noon and we grabbed lunch and went to the hotel since Madison didn’t get in until midnight. Mom had booked the hotel for us right across the street from KU Hospital so it was very handy to be able to walk 10 minutes and be where we needed.

Monday aunt nada, tori, dillon’s, and Bruce’s arrived along with Darvins and most of their family so we all went for supper to Red Robin. Our crowd mostly relaxed and tried to catch up on some sleep.

Tuesday morning at 5 we were up and downstairs at the hotel ready to walk over to the hospital. Madi went into surgery around 8 and came out of recovery later in the afternoon. Since we were such a big crowd the nurses gave us a big private waiting room and that’s where we spent most of the day. After surgery madi and darvin were moved to the 6th floor. Madi was in lots of pain and couldn’t breathe very well so it was quite stressful. Mom spent a lot of time not on the room and Bruce and dillon sat by madi trying to calm her down for hours. In the midst of this I went to the hall for a phone call and I looked up and my love Morgan was coming down the hall towards me♡ I was so surprised!! So we all cried because we were so happy to have him there. They had flown back to San Francisco and he had waited 2 hours and caught the flight for KC so he’d been on a plane 20 out of 24 hours! I felt bad but also not really because it was so so good to have him with us!

Today, Wednesday we spent at the hospital. Darvin is already walking around but madi had a tough day so she took a few steps but that was all. She finally slept today which is just what she needs. And we flew away home at 630 this evening and got I to san fran at midnight. Home by 3 and I teach school at 830 so its gonna be a couple days where I feel like the students don’t learn much. I hated to leave madi when she wasn’t doing totally great yet so I’m worried my mind will be elsewhere. I am so proud of her that she did this for Darvin. Its amazing how it has already helped him! Thank you for your prayers♡ here is madi’s caring bridge page if you’re interested. https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/madisonkoehn

Thinking of each of you. And my friends from dewberry and around who have lost a special friend recently. You are in our prayers.

Surprisingly, I’ve discovered that although California mostly has less seasons than most, they do have fall. Im happy about it. Nights are cool and days only around 80 mostly and it is beautiful. I’m settled into school as much as can be hoped for, I guess. I seriously have an amazing class with lots of spunk and enthusiasm so it makes for interesting times. Today we sang at Grace Home since a class goes once a month. Another really fun thing we started…i signed up for a monthly subscription to a thing called SnackCrate. Once a month a box is shipped to me that is filled with different kinds of snacks and drinks from a different country. Our first box we got Monday full of processed snacks and very interesting things from Japan so each student wrote a fact down about Japan from the World Book and throughout the day we tried the snacks. So they are all super enthused about our next box, wherever it comes from!

Last Wednesday evening around 8 we went to Levi’s and nabbed him to go with us to Turlock for sushi. We had just picked him up when we got word that Jalen had been out riding bike and got T boned by some little man. So we went over there and sure enough he was talking with the police. He was lucky he went onto the hood and not under the vehicle and it left us all relieved and a little shook up. We still went to eat sushi because it solves alot of problems.

All the teachers went to Jen and Audreys house for supper Thursday night. We are in charge of some things for the teacher meeting here at the end of the month so we did some brainstorming and it was fun to hang out away from school for a change. Also Jen and Audrey made these amazing open face enchiladas that had yum stuff to stack up and then topped off with a fried egg. What? you may be saying. But it was so so good.

Saturday was my love Morgan’s birthday so we met some pals at Jantz Cafe for breakfast. Then we came back to the house and tried to be responsible and clean the house before Clark&Nicole, of Glenn, who are truly darlings, arrived. In the evening Morgan and I helped folks fry catfish for Bryce&Savannas night before supper and then went to ball.

Sunday was Bryce’s wedding which was very nice of course. Lots of people. After lunch Clarks and Zane&Lindsey stopped over for a couple hours before they headed home so it was quite fun to make new friends and connect. It seems like being married gives me a spot to hang out with Morgan so i meet less people so I’m very happy to continue expanding my cool people circle.

Monday night we went out to La Sonrisa for supper and then I headed to school board meeting. Morgan played basketball too so I watched for a bit after the meeting. Then we went home anddd *dramatic pause* WE BOUGHT TICKETS TO ITALY!! Since I have set breaks it’s easy to plan trips so we decided to go to Italy over spring break because tickets were cheap. And Levi is coming with us! I’m so excited even though yes I realize its a ways off. So if you’ve got good travel tips for italy, let’s hear them!

This morning at 11, Morgan, Ja, and Dad flew out of San Francisco to Tokyo and then on to Cambodia where they will spend the next 11 days working on a job there. So tonight i am relaxing at home and waiting to hear from them when they arrive in a couple hours. I’m debating what to spend the weekend doing..and I just got word from the school board that I can go to my sister Madison’s kidney donation surgery on October 23 so i’ll see if that works out. Please pray that everything continues to work out for her and Darvins surgery. This week I realized again why i teach school in the form of…a student raising their hand to tell me i looked cute haha…a 100% spelling test grade for one of my kids who worked s.o. hard for it…a surprise Starbucks drink on my desk when I arrived on the morning I overslept. and so much more of course:) have a good weekend.

hello dears. i told Morgan yesterday that this has so far been the busiest year of teaching school. I think it’s because i always feel like i have other obligations besides school to worry about. Anyways, I run from teaching to recess to bathroom to gulping lunch and cramming the students with work. Then the day’s over and i work at checking and cleaning up and planning until i finally go home where i make fresh dinner rolls for supper and fresh strawberry jam and a huge supper. haha except for the last part about supper. I feel like doing nothing when i go home. luckily, Micah and Kandis are out visiting so we have had supper plans lots the last week!

Last Thursday night we went to Justins for supper and actually it was an early surprise party for my birthday! Melissa and children, Jake&Hannah, Jon&Alicia, and James&Jenn were there and we had awesome ribs by Jon and it was a very cool evening.

Friday night was Parent Teacher Meeting at school. We had supper with the family before Morgan and I went to school. It basically was just discussion about different school related topics before the parents come to your classroom and see the room and visit with you about whatever concerns they may have.

Saturday we slept in. We drove to Uncle Marshalls at noon for “Farm Day” which is where he and Grandpa fire up old engines and the Model T and give rides. Everyone goes and has lunch and spends the afternoon and then have supper. It was a fun day and quite hot out.

Sunday for lunch we all went to Jon Luke& Jamie’s for lunch. Their house is very cool and has a great view, or it will in spring when its green. We went and worked at school for several hours and then went to folks for supper and evening.

Monday morning at 2:30 am Morgan, Ja, Dad, Joe, Micah, Ralph and I left for Sausalito to go deep sea fishing! Yes. I teach school. But in my defense, I didn’t take off for our first anniversary soooo. Anyways we drove to the place of departure and left the dock at 6 i think. I’d been deep sea fishing before and hadn’t been sick but I was still worried about it so I really took precautions and was glad I had. The water was choppy going out but by the time we came in at 4 it was smooth sailing. We each caught 2 good sized salmon with the biggest being 37 inches and 28-30 pounds so it was a really good time of course!

Wednesday night Morgan and I went out for supper to olive garden to celebrate my birthday so that was wonderful of course.

Thursday was my birthday! Pretty normal day with cards in the mail and my class moms brought a party in the afternoon. Morgan worked late so I worked at home getting ready for the weekend!thanks all of you that texted me. This week st school we had fall week so every day I had a little activity for the class. Tuesday they had to guess how many candy corns were in a jar and the winner got to keep it. Wednesday they guessed how much a pumpkin weighed. Thursday we had hidden candy corns around the room that they counted. Friday was a box of things they had to feel and guess what was in the box. They all loved it I think!

Friday after school we went and picked rhoda up from Fresno. She’s here for a restaurant meeting until Tuesday so it is so awesome having her here at our house! Folks and the family came over for supper Friday night and we did pie irons on the fire. Hated to tell micahs goodbye:(

Saturday we shopped in turlock and met one of rhodas friends for lunch at 10 East which is so yum. I wrote out place cards for the wedding at winton Sunday. We went out for supper with steve&leann in the evening.

Have a happy week!🙂