Cats

I always thought it was funny to see videos of cat bugging people while they were working on their computers. I never thought that it would happen to me, but today it happened. Every once in a while Dale will come and meow at my feet while I'm at the computer. Normally I pet him and then he goes his way. This time he wouldn't stop, so I picked him up. He took that as an invitation to walk around the computer desk. After smelling a few things, he sat down on the desk with his head on my arm. He wanted attention and he wanted it now. I gave him some and the next thing I know he's asleep. He made it hard to work on the computer. 

I did try to go back to what I was doing and he didn't seem to care at all. He got up rotated and found a better spot, curled up in the crook of my elbow. He sleep there for over an hour while I continued what I was doing one-handed. He made me laugh, but I'm not going to lie, I kind of liked it.  

Arcade

Gabbi came home the other day asking if she could go to the arcade with Jeffery and two other friends. She really wanted to be able to go by herself, but after talking it over with Ben, neither of us thought that was a good idea. We made a compromise with her saying that she could go, but we would be going also. We would give her her space, but it would not be a date. She agreed and let her friends know. I'm not sure what they thought about that, but they didn't really have a choice if they wanted her there.

When it was time, we headed out to the arcade. We were supposed to meet them there at 5:30. When we got there, Gabbi sent Jeffery a text to find out where they were, but when he responded he said that his friend hadn't come to pick him up yet, so we decided to go and get a bite to eat while we waited. We went down the street and got some Chick-fil-a and then came back and ate in the truck while we waited.

When we were done eating, they still weren't there, so we went inside to check the place out; we had never been there before. They had a mini-golf course, a skating rink, laser tag (which looked like it wasn't up and running), a food court, and of course the arcade. The boys were bugging about just standing there not doing anything, so we went ahead and got them an arcade card to play a few games while we waited for Gabbi's friends. 

By the time they finally got there, Ben and I decided to take the boys to see a movie while Gabbi and her friends stayed and hung out in the arcade. I put some extra money on Gabbi's arcade card and then told her that we'd meet her back at the counter when our movie was over. She happily agreed and ran off with her friends while we went to the movie. 

We took the boys to see the movie American Underdog. It's a true story of the football player Kurt Warner. I was afraid that it wouldn't interest the boys at all. William got restless about halfway through, but overall they both did pretty well. The movie was good too. I liked it a lot. Reminded me of Remember the Titans. When the movie was over, we walked over to meet Gabbi.

When I got to the lobby with the boys, Jeffery told me that Ben and Gabbi had gone back to the arcade to return a golf ball. I wasn't sure why, but said okay and goodbye and went outside to meet them at the truck. It turns out that one of the friends went to an area that was employees only and they were asked to leave the arcade about 20 minutes before we came out of the movie. Gabbi felt really bad, I just felt bad for her. It wasn't her fault but because she was with them, they were all asked to leave. We told her not to worry about and then all got in the truck to head home.

Frost

After a few months here I have been exposed to all sorts of weather, but overall have been lucky. Being in the south we were told that there wasn't winter here. So far that's true, no snow, but I can't say that it's not cold. We have had some chilly mornings and days where I don't take off my sweatshirt, but still no snow. I am okay with that, but this morning surprised me. I guess it's as close to snow as we are going to get.

It rained last night and with how cold it was this morning, it actually looked like a dusting of snow was on the ground even though it was just a thick layer of frost. The kids couldn't believe it and honestly, I couldn't either.

NIM

Ben really wanted to do something as a family. We talked about a few things we could do, but then I reminded him that we would be down one member. Owen was invited to a birthday party and would be gone most of the day. We still decided to go out and have some fun without him though.

We decided to go to the NIM; National Infantry Museum. Gabbi wasn't happy about our activity choice, but with it literally on base (just outside the gate), we couldn't pass up seeing it at least once. So after Owen headed for his party the rest of us loaded up in the truck and headed to the Museum. Ben had been there before, but I don't think he's actually walked through it. The NIM is where they hold all the OCS graduations. 

Once walking into the foyer we were greeted by a volunteer. She asked us if we had ever been there before and William happily told her that we hadn't. She then told us about the museum and the best way to experience the different exhibits. She then gave the kids a sticker and a map and we walked in. We first went through the major wars seen in our country's history over the last two centuries. I was at a loss for words reading about each war and seeing the casualties. 

Once we were done with that exhibit, we went to the exhibits that explain the different schools that are located here on post; the OCS, Rangers, Infantry, Airborne, etc. They showed different uniforms from each and over the years. They had explanations of some of the things required from every soldier that goes through these programs, and so much more. They even had a special 9/11 exhibit on loan to the museum. It was hard seeing and reading all the placards without crying. Gabbi asked me why I was crying and all I could say was that I actually remembered this, I didn't read it in a history book.

After we were done with the special exhibits, we headed downstairs to see what we had left. Once downstairs we came to the exhibit Era of the Infantry. There were four rooms on each side of the room each covering a different era. We could have spent another hour going through each room but decided to save that for next time. We took a look at the Hall of Valor honoring those who have been recognized for their sacrifice in the service of our country.  

We finished our tour in the family gallery. It had pictures of families in the different times of a soldier. It was hard to walk around that room without crying. There were pictures, notes, encouraging words, etc. I couldn't help see myself in some of those situations. I just hope that we will continue to be up with the task as we continue along this journey.

When we were done, we headed back outside and went for a late lunch early dinner.

Honor roll

Gabbi came home from school today with a certificate. She happily showed me that she was on the honor roll for the 2nd quarter. She like Owen got all A's and all B's. We were so happy to see that she was doing so well. She had a hard time last year and I worried that that would carry into this school year, but I was happy to see that it hadn't. She's doing very well and now has a certificate to prove it. Hopefully, she keeps it up and we see another one of these before the school year ends. 

News

2 days later I was watching the news while the kids were getting ready for school and was surprised to see a story about the event that we had gone to on Monday. I was even more surprised that they had shown some images of the audience and there we were. They showed me with William on my lap (you can only see the edge of his coat) and Owen sitting next to me. I told Owen and he couldn't believe it. To prove it, I waited to watch it again the following hour when they air the news again. When the story came back on, I took a picture to show him when he got home from school. 

When he did get home I showed him the picture and he couldn't believe it. He said he wanted to tell all his friends that he was on the news. I just laughed.  

MLK celebration

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and there were celebrations all over GA and AL. Ben was asked to say a prayer at one of the celebrations. It was hosted by the Mayor of Columbus and a group called The Dream Lives Program. I'm not exactly sure what their group does, but I heard multiple times that this event is one of their big ones during the year.

The ceremony started at 6, so we had dinner early and headed out. We first went to the Prince Hall Masonic Temple where the events evening would conclude. We met the Mayor and some of the workers/volunteers helping with the event. We even saw some news reporters that the kids got a kick out of. After clarifying a few things, we walked over to the old theater where the event was starting. 

Once there we waited for it to start. People slowly started showing up, including a high school marching band. When things were ready to go they handed out some candles and started the event. They talked about why we were there and what the purpose of the evening was. When it was time, they called Ben over to give a prayer for the event. When his prayer was over, the Mayor said a few words, and then everyone's candles were lit for the walk.

The marching band started playing and everyone followed them on the walk back to the Masonic Temple. This was a walk that Martin Luther King Jr. did during some of his time in Georgia. Once back at the Temple, we went inside and found a seat. When everyone was inside, they started with the program. They started with a welcome, they had a choir sing a few songs, the Mayor said a few words, they had an enactment of the I Have a Dream Speech. Last, but certainly not least, they ended the program with a keynote speaker; Professor Brandon Fleming.

The reenactment was pretty cool, but the keynote speaker was amazing. He shared his own life's experience of how he became who he is today. His experience is also talked about in his book "Miseducated." It opens with a devastating scene from 2010 when he had deliberately overdosed on pills in an attempt to kill himself. He said, "I could not seem to die." His cocaine-addicted stepfather had regularly beaten him and his siblings, and by the age of 14, he had fallen in with gangs. Cousins in the Bronx schooled him in gang life. He said that he was a bully, He'd beat up the kind of kids that I mentor today.

It goes on to say that He hated everything about school and never finished reading a single book. He said, "I gave my teachers the middle finger." He scored in the lowest percentile of the SAT, but his basketball skills carried him to a University in Virginia. He then injure his knee and dropped out during the first semester. 

With his Mother being deployed for a year, he moved from house to house, crashing wherever he could. He worked on an assembly line in South Carolina where he worked 10 hours a day. He said his life seemed hopeless so he tried to end it. He then used his Mother's G.I. Bill to re-enroll in college. He said "teachers had always just promoted me forward in school because of basketball, so I was operating in college on a middle-grade education. I had no idea how to read or write."

He said that his delinquent impulses surfaced again and he began to cheat. He tried to turn in a plagiarized essay. It landed in the hands of his Professor and when she asked to meet with him, she said that she wasn't going to fail him. She wanted him to redo it. He said that he never had a teacher show him any compassion before. He said she became vulnerable with me, sharing about her own battles, it was those that pierced my wall.

He said that he acted out once more saying that he wasn't a scholar and tried to leave her office. He said that she embraced him, then began working with him after school. She introduced him to Malcolm X and other Black culture writers. He was inspired and eventually joined the University's debate team. That brought him to his next endeavor. He noticed some kids on the verge of dropping out and he sat with them and studied debate every Saturday for a couple hours. His group grew in numbers and these kids were even moving up in grades and some even to the Honor roll. After the success of his group got out, he was recruited to work as a teacher. He said that his teaching style would be different than he got, "We must love our students before we can teach them."

In 2017 He went on to work for Harvard as the assistant Debate coach and realized that there weren't many people "like him" and wanted to change that. He pitched a program to take inner-city students, work with them, and then bring them to a prestigious debate competition held at Harvard. These kids have won year after year and have gone on to prestigious universities across the nation. It was an amazing story and he had a way of sharing it that just hooked you in. He was very charismatic and had our entire attention. Even the boys seemed to be enthralled in his experience. 

When he was done speaking they finished the night was a song, a prayer, and light refreshments. I was apprehensive about dragging the kids to this, but I'm glad we did. I hope they got something out of it like I did. 

Sacrament

Owen was super excited and very nervous to go to church today. He would be passing the Sacrament for the first time. Even though they had talked about how it all worked out, he was nervous and felt like he would mess it up. I told him to find Bro. Reynolds, once we got to church to double-check what exactly he was supposed to do. I was happy to see that Owen wasn't the only one that was unsure and nervous. The Deacons all had a sit down to go over where everyone assigned places were. When they were done, Owen came over and sat down.

Owen told us where his assigned area was for today and William asked if we could move. I asked him why and he said that he wanted Owen to be able to pass the sacrament to us for his first time. It was sweet and we moved to the side that Owen would be passing to. Owen got a smile on his face when he heard that. Even though they argue, they have each other's best interests at heart. 

Owen was antsy the entire time during the talks. Every time someone was done speaking, he asked me if it was time for the hymn. Every time I told him no, he was bummed. It was kind of funny, but sweet all at the same time. When it was finally time for him to go up, he did so with his head up high. You could tell how excited he was to pass the sacrament for the first time. After the prayer was said, it was fun to watch the boys. All of them were new except for 1 and they were all having a hard time figuring it all out. I couldn't help but have a smile on my face watching them correct themselves and each other on where they were supposed to be. Overall, everyone received the sacrament and the boys did a good job.

After church was over, I asked how it went and he didn't have many words. He said good and that next time he'd do better. It's only a matter of time before they all get the hang of it.

Temple trip

Today was a big day. It's the first time Owen would be attending the temple and the first time that we have been to the Atlanta Temple. Both were excited for this first. We met at the visitor center at 9:30 and made arrangements for all the kids in each of the cars. I rode with Bro. Reynolds to be the second adult. Once everyone had a seat, we took off.

It took us almost 2 hours to get there. Once there we took a quick picture in the front of the temple and then headed into the baptismal font area. When we walked in we were greeted by two workers who had each of us check in with our temple recommends. Once we were all checked in they took our count and then walked us back to a room for instruction. We had 4 kids who were here for the 1st time so they had a special presentation for us. Once that was over they one by one took the kids back to get ready for the ordinances.

I was able to go into the font area to watch my kids perform these baptisms for those who have passed. Owen, you could tell wasn't sure what to do, but was given help all along the way. He looked so tiny in the font when it was his turn. After 5 proxy names, he walked out of the font with a huge grin on his face. As he walked back to the locker room he gave me a thumbs up. When he was done changing, he came into the waiting room for the confirmations and I asked how that was. He just smiled and said awesome. It's hard to describe the feeling, but it is as he said, amazing.

As the kids finished baptisms they changed and were taken in a few at a time into the confirmation room to finish the ordinances they had started. When Gabbi was done she came over and sat next to me. I asked her how it went and she said it went fine. She's gone a few times before and she said it was all the same, but glad she got to come.

When everyone was done and ready to do go, we loaded up in the cars and headed to Costco to get some pizza. I was so looking forward to the pizza. We haven't been to a Costco since we moved here and have missed it. Even the kids said they were excited about the pizza. When we got inside I went and placed the order while the kids tried to get some tables. Slowly as people left we were able to get enough tables for all of us to sit down and eat. When it was ready the kids did just that. I couldn't believe how much they ate. We had about 25ish people there and between all of us, we ate 6 of their giant pizzas. Not one piece was leftover. 

When everyone was done eating, we got back in the cars and headed home. It was a crazy ride home. A storm was coming in and they were preparing the roads. They had a team of plows going down the freeway dropping salt. Since the ground wasn't wet at all, it was hitting the road and bouncing up and hitting the cars. It was loud and insane as they hit the cars. Bro. Reynolds tried a few times to get passed the plows, unsuccessfully. Finally, on his 5th attempt, he was able to get past them and back to normal freeway speeds and were back to the visitor station in no time. For our first time at a temple outside of Utah, it went great and I would say a good experience for all of them. 

Cats

I was in our room folding some laundry and heard a funny noise. I wasn't sure what it was or even where it was coming from. Then that noise turned into a growl and at least I knew what it was. I went in search to see what was going on and found Chip in the closet. He was growling at his own reflection in the mirror that hangs in our closet. I couldn't help but laugh. He didn't care though, he wanted to make sure he kept an eye on that "other mysterious cat" in the closet.

Honor Roll

Today was a celebration of all the hard work that the students have done during the second quarter. They recognized all the students in the 4th and 5th grades in 2 categories; all A's and B's and all A's. Owen wasn't sure what award he was getting, but couldn't wait to see when he brought home the invitation to watch the presentation of the awards through a zoom meeting.

Once the meeting started that started with the 4th grade and went through each class. Slowly but surely they made it to the 5th-grade classes. Owen's class was the last class to present the awards. Ben and I waited patiently to see what Owen would be receiving. Then finally she called his name and presented him with an all A's and all B's honor award. He looked happy with the award as he walked up to be given his certificate. 

When he got home he pulled out his certificate to show me. He said that he was so close to getting all A's and hoped that next quarter he could. I told him that was a good goal to work towards and he went off to get started. 

Deacon

The day has finally arrived. Owen has been talking about it for months now and today is the day. He's receiving the priesthood and being ordained to the office of a Deacon. He seems too young to me. He's a young Deacon since his birthday is at the end of the year, but he didn't care about being young, he was excited. It was to happen during young men's today. Sadly Ben couldn't make it because he wasn't feeling very good, but if Owen wanted to go to the temple this weekend it had to happen today. We let Owen make the choice and he chose to get it done even though Dad wouldn't be able to be there to do it.

So today during young men's (after his interview with the bishop) I and the other parents of the boys being ordained gathered in the high priest room where they meet for young men's. They talked a little bit about the priesthood and the blessings that come from it. When they were done, the boys then came up one at a time. Owen was ordained by Bishop Burgamy and Bro. Reynolds. When the prayer was done, he had a look on his face that was complete happiness.

After church, he was able to pick up his certificate for his priesthood ordination as well as his personal use temple recommend. He again had that look of complete happiness on his face and couldn't wait until Saturday for his first trip to the Temple.