May 2021

 All of us are on our way to being fully vaccinated.  Steve and I are fully vaccinated.  Jeremy has his second shot in a couple of weeks and Nick got his first shot on May 1st. They have also opened up vaccinations for the 12 and up crowd and Avian is excited to get their vaccinations done soon.  Doing our part!

Also noteworthy, I FINALLY cleaned out the truck.  It was time and needed to be done so badly.  Jeremy and Avian also helped so we ended up cleaning all four vehicles.  They all needed it desperately.  We got dumped on with rain the following day, but it was worth it!

May 2nd was Fast and Testimony meeting and Brother Fife, from the High Council, was in our ward.  He bore the testimony I needed to hear.  He talked about his family and how they are all making decisions to be on their own paths and some of those decisions have taken family members away from the Church.  He told the story of a gentleman from the ward where he grew up.  This gentleman was getting a lot of questions about how he could stand that his children were not following the gospel path.  Instead of getting upset and yelling he just calmly looked them in the eyes and said, "My family may not be perfect, but they are perfect for me."  Brother Fife said he has never forgotten that and now that his children are older and making their own decisions he thinks about the saying often. It helps him make sense of everything that his going on.  I really needed to hear that because my family is far from perfect, but they ARE perfect for me.  

May 3rd Nick found out the NTI discontinued their Nissan program due to the face that Nissan is not paying their master mechanics a living wage.  NTI wants their graduates to be successful so... He is super disappointed.  He has been given the option to switch to another masters course and is taking time to think about where he wants to go next.  

I spent the day in the classroom because there were no subs available.  I am not complaining because I miss seeing the kids.  They are so much fun and make the day go by a lot faster.  Avian applied for a summer job at LNC.  

Steve and Nick got the wooden posts in place for Nick's work out area in the backyard.  

It is going to be a great area when it is all done.  

May 4th I was back in the classroom helping teach the book "Speak".  It was what I had taught when Mrs. Locke was out on maternity leave a couple of years ago so I already knew exactly what she needed me to do.  

That night was the Band Banquet.  We pulled it off this year with an incredibly short timeline.  We didn't know if we were going to be allowed to have one until about 6 weeks before the event.  Mr. Scaringelli, myself and a small committee pulled it off and it was a huge success.  Right before we were supposed to set everything up, the sky opened and it dumped rain for about an hour.  Luckily we were having it under the canopy at the middle school so the rain really wasn't that big of a deal.  I am glad the rain stopped though because it can get loud with rain pummeling the canopy roof.  Because of Covid and the new regulations for group gatherings we had every family bring their own dinners if they wanted to.  This was nice because in the past it has been $25 a person to have a catered dinner at a local restaurant.  This made it so that some families were not able to attend the banquet.  This year we had a HUGE crowd and everyone really liked the laid-back atmosphere.  We have started a new tradition for the band banquet which is exactly what Mr. Scaringelli was hoping to do.  The night was a huge success!

We kept the tradition of the slide show as that was one of the seniors favorites parts.  I am collecting band pictures for the slide show for Avian's senior year so there will be pictures of all their years in  band.  

We had 150 people attend.  That is a new record, thanks to the  new and improved open format for the night.  

May 5th was on a Wednesday this year so there were no students in the building which was a the perfect excuse for a Cinco de Mayo teachers lunch!  LNC is a great school.  I love working there. 

Nick made his decision to switch to the Mopar Master Mechanic track.  His counselor told him that he would do well in this program and there were a lot more job opportunities upon graduation.  Nick is feeling better about the change now as well.  

May 8th I proctored the SAT.  Wow!  This test makes proctoring the EOG seem like a cake-walk!  It was intense!  We all survived though.  

May 9th was Mother's Day.  I got to Zoom with my mom and sisters and then was treated to dinner and two cheesecakes!  Steve and Avian had gotten me a salted caramel cheesecake and Jeremy got me a mango keylime cheesecake.  I think it is my new favorite.  So yummy!    Jeremy also got me a pony!  Nick made sure I was pampered with candles and bath bombs and I also got some Kohl's money.  It was a good day.  

May 10th, the craziness continues!  Someone hacked the Colonial Pipeline and gas prices are skyrocketing if you can even find gas.  It will all calm down eventually, but people have gone crazy!  Last year they were hoarding toilet paper.  This year they are filling up plastic bags with gas.  Yes, you read that correctly PLASTIC BAGS!!!!!  My oh my!!  I am just concerned because Nick drives so much between school and work that I hope he can find gas when he needs it.   Addendum:  we found that going for gas first thing in the morning (5:30ish or late at night were your best bets for success).

May 14th Avian spent the evening at Lea's birthday party.  It was fun for all the friends to be back together after so long being apart.  

May 17th Avian got their first Covid shot and Jeremy got his second shot.

May 18th let the EOGs begin. I was on hall duty and I walked A LOT.  Coach Brown tracked his steps and he did 5 miles so I am going to say I did about the same.  

Dr. Graham pulled me aside during one of my loops around the school and told me of a new position they had open for the following year and she thought I would be perfect.  It is an MTSS specialist who will work with the kids who are struggling and don't have 504s or IEPs in place.  It is basically what I had been doing all year this year minus the Zoom.  I told her I would think about it.  Wow!!

May 19th Nick called me to tell me he had gotten a speeding ticket.  I told him not to worry too much about it and we would talk when he got home.  WELL, when he got home and I found out the ticket was for doing 87 in a 55 zone I flipped a little bit.  Thirty-two miles over the speed limit is HUGE!!  He could have his license taken away.  He could be kicked out of UTI for this.  We had a big, long talk about going the speed limit NO MATTER WHAT!  It didn't matter if everyone else was going really fast, he needed to go the speed limit!

I also had gone to the chiropractor that day and found out that I have arthritis in my thumb and tendonitis in my elbow and shoulder.  He worked me over, adjusted my neck and back and gave me some exercises to do.  Hopefully this will help the pain go away and improve my functionality.  

May 21st I accepted the job at LNC.  I still didn't have the specifics of the job, but that seemed unimportant because I will get to work with the kids and help them improve academically.  Lee Koch, one of the new subs this year, would be able to take over my two long-term positions I had on the calendar.  It felt right.  

I also contacted the lawyer that had handled Jeremy's accident all those years ago and he said he would take the case but it wouldn't be simple because of a recent law change that was causing a backlog of cases in court. Normally he would be able to go in early and argue to get the speed reduced and finish off the case early.  Now he would have to wait until the court date which would likely be pushed back for as much as a year.  This may actually be a good thing because it won't show up on his record until the case has gone to court and hopefully he will be graduated by then.  I hired Ryan and we will hope for the best.  

May 22nd we spent the day power washing the side of the house and weeding the front gardens.  It looks A LOT better now.  

May 23rd Jeremy came home from work really happy.  He had gotten some recognition at work in the form of a promotion and raise.  His boss told him they are trying to create a full-time position and Jeremy would start training for the position along with a raise effective immediately.  

Avian started working at LNC in the tech department collecting computers and Ipads over the last week of school.  They are excited to be earning some money this summer.  

Steve started working on a cigar box guitar for a friend from high school who had seen all Steve's woodworking projects on Facebook.  It is going to be a fun project.  

May 27th Nick got another Student of Course pin.  This time it was for Automatic Engines which is one of the hardest courses at the school!!!! 

May 28th THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!  Nick got his second shot.  SUMMER IS HERE!!!  LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

The fifth grade tie-dyed shirts as an activity and wore their creations on the last day!

May 29th we needed to get out of Charlotte for a little bit.  Since Nick and Jeremy were working, Steve, Avian and I hiked up Crowder's Mountain.  It was a great hike with a lot of beautiful scenery and not too difficult of a trail.  We went up with easier trail and came down the rock trail.  It was a blast.  Going up there were 300 steps and the trail coming down was call Rocky Ridge if that gives you any idea of the kind of adventure we were on.  

There were a ton of cool rocks. 

Boy tree?

Another cool rock

The lichens and moss were dripping off some of the rocks. It was super cool. 

Slick rock.  It looked like a slide. 

The stairs were tough but the view was worth it.  

Snackin' at the top.

Adding to the rock tower on the way back down.  

May 30th Nick needed to get out of Dodge so he and Steve drove to Wilmington to enjoy a day at the beach.  It was a much needed break since Nick has been working so hard at school.  Avian and I stayed back in Charlotte to go to Grace Licastri's graduation party.  It was fun to watch the kids hang out together since they haven't really gotten to see each other this year.  

May 31st was a do whatever you want type of day.  Steve worked on the guitar.  Avian worked on some art.  Jeremy worked at the bookstore.  Nick and I built a retaining wall for his workout area.  We were all happily exhausted at the end of the day.  

April 2021

 April started off in a really weird way.  Avian and I needed to get some things from Walmart so we drove over only to find that the Walmart was closed. Both entrances were blocked off.  Something big has to happen to close a Walmart.  Sure enough, on the news that night they showed footage of a disgruntled employee that had driven his car into the Walmart and caused all sorts of damage. Luckily he chose a time when there were not a lot of people in the store and very few employees as well.  This pandemic is really messing with peoples' minds .  

April 2 I gave a violin concert for Mom for her birthday.  She wanted the Braham's Lullaby and I hopefully gave a good performance.  I am still new at the violin thing and am trying to get better.  She, of course, loved it because that is what mothers do and that is why we all love our mothers so much.

April 3 was the first day of General Conference.  In between sessions we sent to the Gibson Antique Mall to walk around and well all the cool booths with things for sale. It was a cool place and there were a lot of things that sparked memories of my childhood .

April 4 everyone had a day off (MIRACLE) and we decided to head to Blowing Rock.  It is so relaxing to be in the mountains.  Blowing Rock is a favorite location.  There is always something new to see.  This year is was Ruth the cat.  The gift shop always has cats around, but Ruth is new and just a kitten so she was really playful.  The kids loved playing with her.  As the kids get older they are more interested in the history of things so we visited the small Blowing Rock museum and looked around for a bit.

Such beautiful views.  

We have a Weenig family joke surrounding Big Foot so I had to take a picture of this shirt.  

Avian on top of Blowing Rock

Family picture on Blowing Rock

Back at home I need to stretch my legs from the long drive.  I ended up crossing walking paths with a former neighbor, Carolyn Spence, and we walked together so we could catch up.  Back at home I fixed an Easter dinner for the family and watched the second session of conference.  It was a perfect conference/Easter weekend.

April 6th started with a morning walk.  The temperature is perfect in the mornings and since were on Spring Break, I didn't have to be in to the school bright and early.  That afternoon Avian and went in search of new pillows for the three kids.  All of them were still using pillows from when they were small.  It was time.  AND Kohls was having a pillow sale.  WIN-WIN.  We were also in search of the perfect pair of shorts for Avian.  We ended up at the mall and found several pairs that they thought would work out splendidly.  We did a little grocery shopping and ended the say with sushi.  

April 7th I took my annual trip to the dermatologist.  This year he found two lesions he thought were suspicious.  His new weapon of choice is nitrogen.  It stings pretty good for a couple of minutes and then turns into huge blisters that eventually pop taking off the top layer of skin.  All in all it is better than having him cut a piece out of me.  After the dermatologist I introduced Avian to Scrubbing Bubbles as a new method of battle with the scum in the kids' bathroom.  It was awesome. Avian LOVED them and the bathroom is nice and clean.  Take that soap scum!

That night we had the Cuillard's over for an empanada dinner.  It is always fun spending time with the Cuillards.  They are what we call good people.  

April 9th Steve and Nick finally to the tree stump out of the back corner.  Nick's workout area is starting to take shape.  

It was a lot of hard work, but it will be worth it in the end.  

April 10th Steve and Avian wanted to go on a road trip.  They decided that Asheville was the perfect destination and had a great day looking at antique shops and goofing off.  

April 11th they ended up going back because one of Steve's wood contacts in Waynesville had some spalted maple discs for an amazing price.  They took the truck this time so they could haul the wood home.  

April 13th Jeremy fixed Brazillian stroganoff for dinner.  We also found a website with all his favorite recipes from his mission.  

April 15th Nick got his first Student of Course pin for Nascar II and now he has been bitten by the bug and studies really hard for all his courses.  

Proof that I finally got the mozzarella to work. It was a lot of work and I definitely need to practice it more.  

April 16th Avian took on the project of custom making a sweatshirt from one of their favorite video games.  I was a day-long process and involved taking a sweatshirt apart and dying the different parts different colors and then sewing it all back together.  

Dying the different parts

Rinsing everything out.

The finished project.  It turned out really well.  Several of their friends want one now.  

April 22nd I got to go hang out with Misty Ball at their new house.  I was so excited to see her after being apart during the whole quarantine time.  She is always so much fun and the time flew by.  

April 28th - school is really busy as we approach the end of the year.  So much is going on.  That night we had a Relief Society activity.  I was in charge of  coming up with 5 different cards the sisters could make for their ministering sisters.  We mailed them out in an effort to reach some of the sisters who have been difficult to contact.  We found that some of the addresses were not correct and are working on finding the sisters so we can visit them.   Avian came and helped since I couldn't be at all five tables at once.  Makayla Gilbert also came and presented the ward missionary plan for using social media to spread the gospel.  It was a fun night. 

April 29th was the Concert on the Green.  It was amazing to see everyone all together to cheer on the band for their final performance (only performance) of the year.  

Knight Watch marching in to open the show. 

Waiting for the cue to start playing.  

This was Avian's first year with the high school band and they loved every minute of it.  

March 2021

 

March 4th I got my first Covid shot.  It was a smooth drive-through process!  Happy to be doing my part to slow the spread!

Avian got "Most Improved" at the volleyball banquet.  They are already looking forward to next season.  Steve is excited to have volleyball in the family again.  

March 9th was insane at school.  There were a lot of issues with students and parents and lost lunches and...

Steve is still adjusting to his new job, but loving every minute of it.  The president of the company calls him just to check in and see how he is doing and they end up chatting for a bit.  It is a refreshing change. 

Avian taught the Young Women how to start a fire using char cloth.  There were a lot of OOOOOs and AAAAAAs.  Avian loved every minute of it.  

March 12th I met Allison Matthews at the Clark Creek Community Park to play a little pickle ball.   It was fun and I sort of got the hang of it by the third game.  My knees were not ready for the pounding they took, but I will play pickle ball again because it was so much fun.  

March 13th was Project Garden Box day.  Steve and Avian spent the day building the garden boxes I have been wanting for quite some time.  Avian volunteered to help out because my knees were so sore from the pickleball that I could hardly walk.  Still worth it.  

They are going to be gorgeous.  I am already planning what to plant!!

March 14th I got to go to a baby shower for a coworker, Nicole Pirella.  It was fun to spend the morning with the ladies from school.  They always make things amazing.  Back at home we walked to the local 7-11 to get fruit pies for Pi day!  Sometimes math is cool, when it involves pies.  

Pi Day at the local 7-11

March 16th I got to spend the day in 7th grade doing a Digital Citizenship class on self-image and building others up.  I really love being with the kids.  Their insights into life are inspiring.  

The boy went and got their taxes done all by themselves.  They are growing up so fast.  

March 17th I played some Beethoven on my violin for Dad.  I didn't totally mess it up so I will call it a success.  I love having my violin and I love that it makes Mom and Dad so happy that I am playing it again.  

March 19th Charlotte was under a tornado watch.  The thunderstorm and rain were intense.  Thank goodness it was just really windy and no tornados.

March 21st we decided to go for a family walk.  We fed the duck (frozen peas, not bread), saw two loons and watched a heron catch a fish.  We used to go on this walk all the time when the kids were little.  They had forgotten how much they like to be out in nature and enjoying the walking paths in our neighborhood.  

This picture brings back memories of then the three of them were little.  

March 22nd, the mozzarella failed but I succeeded with the homemade yogurt.  It is so creamy!

Avian finally finished with book cover painting for the library.  They have been working on it since Covid shut things down a year ago.  They are getting better with every painting.  This picture was featured on the Lake Norman Charter website.  

March 25th I had my second Covid shot and then went to the church to help with our drive-through Relief Society Birthday party.  It started pouring rain right before the activity was supposed to start, but the women still came and we still ate cake!!   It takes more than a little rain to keep these women down.  

March 26th I was not feeling so hot.  The second Covid shot is the one that really makes you feel yucky.  I had a headache and body aches and I was so tired.  I was also incredibly thankful for Tylenol which kept me going!

Avian had a great time at Keagan's party that night.  The Coffey's had rented the whole theater for a movie party and it was super fun.  There are some perks with all this Covid stuff.  The theaters are so desperate for business that you can rent the whole theater for pennies compared to pre-covid.  We will take the perks where ever they come.  

March 27th we filled the gardens with our special mixture of dirt and they are ready for plants.  We also got the area where the garden had previously been all seeded so the grass can start growing back.  Avian really helped with this.  They wanted to see it through to the end.  It is gorgeous and I love it.  Nick started working on prepping the back corner so he can turn it into his workout area.  We needed to remove the stump from the dead tree.  He enjoyed the hard work.  It was a good workout.  We took a break from all our work to go visit the Arias's and see their chickens.  Nick got to hold on of the chicks and now I think he wants one as a pet.  Back at home, Nick made quiche for dinner.  It was a great day.

March 28th I spoke in church about what Easter means to me.  I didn't think I was nervous until I was at the podium and my legs would not stop shaking.  I eventually got then under control and I must have done a decent job because there were several people who texted me to tell me they really liked my talk.  I posted the talk below if you wanted to read it.  The story I mentioned is the one about the handicapped boy who didn't put anything in the plastic egg  his primary teacher gave him because the tomb was empty.  It is a great story if you haven't read it.  

March 29th Jeremy fixed Zupa Soup with gourmet breadsticks for dinner.  I was also named as a Knight of Honor at school.  What a great way to end the month.  

What Easter Means To Me

 

As a child I always looked forward to a new dress, an Easter basket full of candy and getting to sing in sacrament meeting.  As a youth I loved that the world was getting warm again.  The crocus were starting to burst through the previously frozen soil and the grass was the most amazing color of spring green.  OHHHH and all the baby animals – bunnies and chicks!!!  The promise of something better coming.  As I have spent the last week reflecting on these feelings about Easter from my past I realized what Easter has truly meant to me all along.  Let me explain.  I find quite frequently that life’s lessons can be summed up with music – particularly primary songs sprinkled with a hymn or two. 

1.                      . Whenever I hear the song of a bird

Or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by our lilac tree,

I’m glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heav’nly Father created for me.

2. He gave me my eyes that I might see

The color of butterfly wings.

He gave me my ears that I might hear

The magical sound of things.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:

I thank him rev’rently

For all his creations, of which I’m a part.

Yes, I know Heav’nly Father loves me.

 

I often go on “Heavenly Father loves me” walks just to appreciate everything He has created for me.  He formed this world so that we could come down here and experience life.  That never ceases to amaze me!

 

When I was in 9^th grade I had a seminary teacher who strengthened my understanding of Easter and what it truly means.  We were studying the New Testament and he had time it so that the lessons about Christ’s last week on earth, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday lined up perfectly with the actual calendar.  We reenacted many of the events from that week.  He even brought in a traditional Passover meal for us to sample.  The thing I remember the most clearly was the day he brought in a landscaping beam, some landscaping nails and a hammer.  As we talked about the Savior making his way to Calvary carrying his cross he asked each of us to come and try to lift the landscaping beam.  It was incredibly heavy and took two people to life completely off the ground.  He then pointed out the actual measurements of the cross would have resulted in something approximately 4 times as heavy as what we just lifted and waited for that fact to sink in.   He then invited each of us up to take a turn hammering the HUGE nail into the landscaping beam.  The whole time we were all taking our turns he was telling us about the nails going through the Savior’s hands and feet.  When it was my turn I remember the hammer feeling extra heavy.  My first swing was really weak because I thought the hammer would do most of the work.  My teacher asked me to take a second swing and put some OOOMFFF behind it.  I did and I can still remember the sensation of the reverberation from the wood, through the nail and up my arm and into my heart.  The full weight of what the Savior had done FOR ME hit me full force.

 

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

 

In the April 1992 conference Elder Marion D. Hanks told the following story.

 

Read the story from the book

 

This has turned into a fun tradition in our family.  Every year in the kids’ Easter baskets there is always and empty egg that says “He is Risen” to remind them that Christ overcame death so that they can return to live with Him again.

 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, as always, has the perfect words to sum up Easter means to me.

That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.

 

.  To sum it all up, Easter reminds me of the person I should and can be – not in a reprimanding way, but in a comforting way.  I have potential.  I am a daughter of God!  I am important to Him! 

 

4. I am a child of  God. His promises are sure; Celestial glory shall be mine If I can but endure.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me.  Help me find the way.  Teach me all that I must do to live with Him someday.