August: Small Miracles

Mini Miracle 1: Alpengeist
August began with me and Granger spending a few hours at Busch Gardens. Granger is a really big fan of amusement parks and so it was great fun to be there, just the two of us. Here's the exciting part. For years Granger has refused to ride roller coasters. Our Mom made a brilliant rule that every time he goes to Busch Gardens he has to ride a new ride. So when Granger and I went I handed him the map and he silently sat and traced all the roller coasters with his finger then just said, "Alright, we go this way" and led me to this bad boy: The Alpengeist! We rode the darn thing and the whole time he just sat quietly, then when everything stopped I looked at him and he just smiled and said (more to himself than to me) "I totally liked it!" A small but most exciting miracle!

Mini Miracle 2: Mini Family Reunion
I have two great-aunts who happen to be twins (Doris and Delores). I've been lucky enough to spend lots of time with both of them and I love love love love LOVE them dearly. My Aunt Doe has been living in West Virginia and my Aunt Delores is all the way in Springville, Utah. The miracle here is that both of them were in the same place on a day when I could be there too and it was wonderful! I also loved seeing Aunt Doe's house again as I have so many fond memories there.

Uncle Dell, Aunt Delores and Aunt Doris

The view from her house. So gorgeous. 

Mini Miracle 3: Tennessee
My amazing mother was asked to speak at a YSA conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The mini miracle is that Kathryn and I were able to go with her. We had such a blast having an all-girl road trip and the conference was wonderful. Mom, of course, did a wonderful job and all the presentations were really inspiring.

Cards we made at the service project to send to a local children's hospital. 

We stopped at Davy Crockett's birthplace on the way home. Duh doi.

Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee, this mountaintop, the very mountaintop.

Mini Miracle 4: Kathryn Day!
Knowing that Kathryn's time before her Utah adventure was quickly running out we planned a tourist day. The concept of a tourist day is that you explore your hometown in a way that you would if you were traveling through and experiencing it for the first time. People seriously underestimate Rockbridge County. There are so many fun things to do here and we did several of them.

The bathrooms at The Pink Cadillac Diner. 

We went to the Natural Bridge Zoo. It was actually surprisingly affordable. I've been to the Safari Park and was kinda disappointed. It was pricey and definitely more geared towards children. You absolutely need to do it once, but it wasn't really how we wanted to spend our time (or money). The zoo was a great alternative and we really enjoyed it. I mean, there were tigers and stuff.

This is a picture of us intentionally looking bored and annoyed because we were waiting to do something boring and annoying...

Oh no, wait. We were waiting to ride an elephant. We rode an elephant. Her name was Beautiful and we sat on her and she walked around. Still can't get over that.

I tamed a wild hippopotamus. 

Kathryn did not do as well with the hippo-taming. 

Mini Miracle 5: Granger Whisperers

Granger is the best. Granger is awesome. Granger can be so difficult to teach sometimes. In my family religion is very influential in our daily life. We talk about God and prayer and church consistently and those aspects of our thinking make a huge impact on decision-making and daily actions. Granger has taught my family a lot about how abstract religion can be and how important it is to ensure that your religious beliefs are applicable in practical, consistent, explicable ways. All the abstract aspects of religion are extremely difficult for Granger to understand (don't we all need guidance on some of theologies toughest questions?) and so our little family unit has done our best to make things clear. But man, we needed some back up on a couple things! That's where these guys come in.

Elder Brandon, Granger and his ridiculously long legs, Elder Olsen and Elder Nelson

Not the best photo, but isn't it great to see how comfortable Granger is with these guys? They each had their own role that made their time with our family so meaningful and made them the perfect teachers for Granger. Elder Olsen in particular had a real gift with knowing when to push Granger and when to let Granger teach the rest of us. He was the ultimate Granger whisperer. Elder Brandon seemed immediately comfortable with us and had a way of bringing up ideas or thoughts that really hit home and it was always something none of us had thought of before. Elder Nelson was just about the sweetest guy you'll ever meet and had a knack for keeping us all focused when we got distracted (which we tend to do). They were miracles for our family, and especially for Granger. He has made such strides and needed to see that for himself. Hooray for learning!

Mini Miracle 6: Woods Creek Montessori
This miracle is awesome. I got a full-time job! And I love it. Basically, the director of the school met me while I was picking up some children I was baby-sitting for. She told me to apply for a part-time position that had opened up and once I turned in my application and resume we set up an interview for a Monday afternoon. The weekend before that Monday I got a text from a friend of mine asking if I'd heard about the full-time spot opening up at the same school. So Monday morning I called the director and let her know I'd be interested in the full-time position. Because of that phone call the teacher of the classroom needing full-time support was present for my interview and she and I got along so well that I got the job! I am thrilled and have been there for three weeks now and I love it. I still have some learning to do about Montessori, but for the most part I am really enjoying what I'm experiencing at this great school with amazing co-workers and absolutely loveable children. I am working in the Primary I classroom of 3-5-year-olds and let me tell you, they are hilarious. There's more info and a few photos here: Woods Creek Montessori Basically, it gives me time to teach piano, work on grad school and still pay rent and other bills and feel like I'm doing something fulfilling and productive. This miracle just might earn the Miracle of the Month Award!


So pretty much just another great month. Virginia is green, fall is coming, learning is happening and life is good.

To be continued...