September was wonderful! We got to attend Emily's baby's blessing, and Sterling's baby's blessing. We met Emily, Steve, Cole, and Miles in Washington, D.C. and spent 24 hours there seeing some of the sights and playing in the pool. It was neat to walk on the Mall and visit some of the Smithsonian Institute Museums. We then drove to Emily's house in Philadelphia where we were able to attend Miles' baby blessing on September 4th. Steve did a great job on the blessing, even though he sounded a little nervous. He is a great Dad. Their church was so interesting. There were not very many whole, strong families and Emily's family is a real strength to the ward. We were surprised to hear the closing prayer for Sacrament meeting said from the audience! Caroline looked at me with a quizzical look, then shrugged and went to look for Primary. Emily is a Counselor in the Primary. They were short on teachers that week, so she put me right to work. I got to teach the 4-5 year olds. Cole was in my class and I enjoyed it very much. Their Primary was very small--maybe 15 kids--but the Primary President was a sweetheart. She is the only church member in her family and she works at a women's prison. You would think she would be a tough cookie, but she was as sweet as they come. She gave a thoughtful, well-prepared Sharing Time. Emliy was so thoughtful, as usual! Miles was blessed on Fast Sunday and she knew that we would have to leave in the early afternoon in order to get home so that kids could go to school and Scott to work, so she had bought all the fixings for a yummy lunch on the road. We had piles of delicious deli meat, an assortment of cheeses, fabulous rolls, fruit, cookies, fruit drinks, and chips! She went all out. Thank you, Emily! We were sad to have to leave so soon. We could have used a day or two more with the Bradys. Perhaps Thanksgiving. . . .
Sterling's baby, Elise Abigail, was blessed the very next week, September 11th. We only traveled to Atlanta, but it felt like we had gone much further. Sterling and Jennifer are part of the Brazillian Branch and blessed their baby there. It was interesting at their ward, as well. Everything was said in Portuguese and singing in Portuguese was quite a challenge! Sterling did a great job blessing his little daughter, and then we got to visit a while at their house. It was a real privilege to be able to have the whole family attend both of these baby blessings. Having grandchildren is fantastic!
Liz is so excited! She sees the Bishop in about one hour for her final missionary interview! She has all of her paperwork done and she is ready for the last interviews. She is ready and willing, so get out of town, girl! She has been busy doing Zumba and annoying her little sisters for the last time in a while. She is also my right arm and willingly takes Stacy to Seminary most mornings. Bless her!
Ruth has moved her wedding date to sometime in the middle of December. We don't have a firm date yet, but we will let you know as soon as possible. She and Logan had planned to move to Virginia in January for him to attend Southern Virginia University, but I am not sure that that is still the case. I'll let Ruth tell you more about what she is doing. I am excited about the quilt that I am making her. She chose the colors (blues/mostly turquoise, and some crimson). I am almost done with the top and it is turning out well.
Stacy was the hit of her talent show. She wrote, produced, and starred in Celebrity Jeopardy as Alexis Trebec. Her celebrities were President Abraham Lincoln, General William T. Sherman, and General Robert E. Lee. It was hysterical. I thought I would send along the script.
Celebrity Jeopardy
Categories:
(1) The Two Sides: North or South:
· Who won?
· Which one is more north than the other?
· Which is hotter?
(2) Directions that end with "outh'
(3) Group that won the war:
(4)Slaves:
· What were the people called that worked on plantations?
· Who ran to the North using the Underground Railroad?
(5) The President of the United States During the Civil War:
· He's called "Honest Abe"
· Say, "Abraham Lincoln"
Final Jeopardy:
Draw a Flag.
Script
Host: Hello, Welcome to Celebrity Jeopardy. I am Alexia Trebek. The Categories are: North or South, the President of the US during the Civil War, Which side won, Directions that end in "outh, Slaves (in which every answer will be slaves) and WWI … wait, WWI? they weren't even THERE! ok, We're not going to do that category. Guy with the signs, get rid of these. <he comes over and moves it and reveals WWII> HOLD UP, REALLY!? ok, whatever, just don't choose that one. Now to announce the players for today, we have first, General Sherman from the North <puffing up and having a triumphant look turns to Lee, giving him a nasty glare>… then Abraham Lincoln <lifts hat with letters falling out of it>, and last General Lee <stands upright quickly after having been grabbing letters that have fallen out of Abe's hat>.
Sherman: That's right, I'm from the North the WINNING side, ya old Confederate! <looking at Lee pausing for a minute before looking at a letter sticking out of Lee's coat> <Turning to Abe> Mr. President!! He's got your letters, but don't you worry, Sir, I'll kill him!! <steps forward, sword in hand, Sign guy intervenes and uses his sign to herd him back in place> <Lee jumps forward and grabs his sword and waves it out in front of him>
Lee: I can take you! Come on, I'll show you how to win!
Sherman: YOU? if you were brave enough you would have shown me BEFORE I burnt Atlanta to the ground! haha You should have seen those cowards, running!
Host: OK! For the first round, Sherman, would you please choose a category?
Sherman: I'll take Which side LOST <looking at Lee> … hahaha
Host: No, no, that's not it, how about Slaves for 300?
Sherman: <looking offended> I fought to FREE those slaves. Let them go!
Lee: <buzzing the buzzer> 400!
Host: This is NOT an auction. There are NO slaves being sold. It's a question! …. you know what…. <pausing for a few seconds just staring at him then turns to Lincoln> Abe, what do you want?
Lee: 500! <buzzing>
Host: <glare> No.
Lincoln: All I want is a country that is united and peaceful. <addressing the audience>
Host: Great, but which Category do you want?
Lincoln: The one that says all men are created equal and that every man, woman, and child…
Host: Ok, Got the picture. <turning back to the "camera"> You know what? I'm going to choose the category. Directions that end in "outh" for 400. What direction ends in Outh and begins with an S.
Sherman: <buzzer> The LOSING Side. Hahaha
Lee: At least we're dignified and proper, you wouldn't know what it meant to be a gentleman if it stared you in the face and kicked you in the Keester! <puffing himself up, proud he actually aid all that>
Lincoln: South? Can't we…..
Host: Correct!! The answer was South. Lincoln is now in the lead with 400 seeing as how he is the only one with points.
Sherman: Yea, that's right, Confederate, We're winning… again!!
Lee: No, HE'S winning, not you! <pouting>
Host: FINAL JEOPARDY!
Sign Guy: <sign that says Applause and Cheer>
Host: ok, write down how much you are going to wager and then I'll ask the question. <Sherman starts giggling>Thats creepy. Ok, the challenge is: Draw a flag. I don't care if its Confederate or Union or White.
Sherman and Lee: White! Never!
Host: ok, ok, gotcha, just draw a flag. Goes to each one. Ok, Sherman you drew South as a loser and The North laughing at it. Mature. And you wagered: the South. …. <pause> ok, Next! Lincoln, you drew your hat…. And you wagered Peace. That's risky. Lee you drew…. Oh my goodness! You drew a Flag!! … wait, how did you get those colors? I gave you a black marker. Oh, well, it's a flag, and you wagered… <sigh> you wagered, your gun. You could have won. Oh well, Lincoln, with the total of 400 points, you win!
Sherman: I would have won and it can be arranged! <pulls out gun and aims at Lincoln, ready to shoot>
Lincoln: Not again!
Sherman: <pulls Lincoln down and shoots at Lee>
Lee: <dodges and begins to shoot back>
<Huge fight, with Lincoln crawling away with his hat, in front of hosts podium>
Host: I hate my job. I quit! <Throws prompting cards over shoulder and leaves>
Sign Guy: <Flips up side that says Me, too. And Stalks out>
Lee and Sherman look up and see that everyone is gone and shrug and walk out in opposite directions, then after 10 steps turn around and shoot each other.
Pretty clever, huh? Stacy was VERY funny. She was a tough director, too. She made the boys practice over and over and over while they waited for their turn at the Talent Show. Their skit was the third from the end, so they practiced long and hard. Stacy was dressed in a business suit with her hair up in a bun. She had great facial expressions and kept things moving along. Beautifully done, Stacy!
Rose is in a play at school. She is one of the ancestors in Mulan. She is loving being involved with so many other kids. Rose is being quite the 13 year old. I regularly have to check out her face for signs of make-up. Girls in our house are not allowed to wear make-up until they are 14 years old, and Rose is so good at putting on make-up, that sometimes it is hard to tell whether she has advanced her age or not. She is a sneaky one, she is! She is attending the same one-day-a-week school that Stacy attended last year and is LOVING it. Apparently there is one young man who is also LOVING having her in class. He is about as tall as Caroline, but it is still flattering for Rose to have a not-so-discreet admirer. Ah, the thrill of being 13 and adored!
Caroline turned 10 years old in September. We celebrated by visiting Emily, Steve, Cole, and Miles in Philadelphia. Caroline is loving school, as well. She is attending the same school as Stacy and Rose. She has two wonderful teachers who cause her to think and stretch. She loves having more difficult work to do! I have been happily surprised to find that Caroline is quite a good writer. I am so grateful that she has loved reading all of the great books they require. Some of the books she has read are: Wheel on the School; Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; Call It Courage; Island of the Blue Dolphins; Letters from Rifka; Amos Fortune, Free Man; and Understood Betsy. If you haven't read Understood Betsy, you should. It was written in 1917 by Dorothy Canfield Fisher and it is hysterical. I think all parents should be encouraged to read it. I wish I had read it sooner.
Scott has a new job with a company called Innotrac. They service the warehouses that use the software that was written by Scott's former employer. It is a good job, but it is so far away! The morning commute takes him 2 hours and his evening commute takes 2 1/2 hours. It is brutal! Happily, Scott has been offered a new job with a consulting company. Scott has accepted the offer for the newest job, but he hasn't told the present employer that he is planning on leaving. I do not believe Scott has really decided which job to take. The consulting job would be quite a bit of travel (four days a week), but he would then be 100% home for the other three days. I think the newst job is the best time-wise. You may as well be 100% if you are leaving at 6:30 a.m. and returning at 8:30 p.m. I would rather have him really and truly home for three days. Oh, well. The decision is his. Thankfully, Scott was only unemployed for 6 weeks.
I am teaching math to Stacy, Rose, Caroline, and twin 13-year old boys. I really, really like math. Studying math every single day has sharpened my logic skills. I heard that one good reason to study math was that it developed logical thinking skills. I hope so. I could use some logical thinking skills.
That is all there it for the moment! We will try to write down things as they happen during the month--it is easier than trying to remember a whole month. We love you, each and every one. I am eternally grateful for a eternally growing family. Love to each and all--Uncle Scott and Aunt Chris
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