Ode to a Washing Machine

A marvel, a wonder, a blessing!
Oh, how I long to kiss your cold face!
Without you, I have been lost!
My heart swells with joy to think that you have returned to me!
I pray to God in humble gratitude for your renewed presence.

All poetry submissions that express my feelings about a washing machine are invited. I will send you a personal email to all those who make a submissions. The winner will get a real letter. Okay, I wish that I could write a great poem about my feelings this past week of the great respect I have for a washing machine but I invite all of you to share your passion for writing, poetry, and/or washing machines. Seriously, I have never felt quite so passionate about a washing machine until these past few weeks.

We are still adjusting to this crazy new schedule. I wake up at 5 am to have an hour to meditate, exercise, pray, read scriptures, and get ready. Then at 6 things get really loco. Joshua loves school. Heidi is still adjusting better everyday but has had the hardest time out of everyone. Noah and Elijah are in heaven in their class eating and playing ball all day. It is so fun to hear all of them speaking more Spanish. Noah said "pelota" (ball) today. Heidi and Joshua are forming sentences.

We all look forward to a 3 day weekend this Friday to Sunday. We are going to take the kids to the beach at Monterrico. We will surprise them by taking them to the turtle farm where they will have the chance to return baby turtles to the ocean.

Irma is a huge blessing. She was our washing machine but with a family our size it was more economical to buy a used washing machine. She is an amazing worker and I hope to always have her help. She continues to clean our house, iron, and cook. She makes the most amazing salsa. Yum! Today she made me a huge carrot, cucumber, lettuce salad with lots of lime juice and salt. I wasn't sure that I could eat much but when I tasted it I knew I would have no problem finishing it. Irma, Heidi, and I ate the whole thing! She is adorable. We love her sweet spirit in our home.

I am in heaven finding treasures in the library at the school and trying to share them with the kids. I am reading several books on education (Montesorri, books on teaching abroad and teaching another language, etc) and books on plants and nature since I teach the elementary kids Natural Science in English. It is a real challenge teaching them something in a language that they are still learning but I welcome the challenge.

Today I played the guitar and sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Israel what's his name? style) and the kids loved it and are learning it too. I've always dreamed of doing that. Incorporating music into the curriculum is powerful. So many of the kids just have music in their blood and it speaks to them. It is one of the few things that captivates all of the kids at once. My favorite grades to teach are 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th (okay really 5th and 6th are my favorites...their English is more advanced and they behave better). 1st grade remains a challenge. Any ideas?

It's a small world! Last week our school had the pleasure of receiving training from a Linguistics/Education expert and BYU professor who flew in from Orem, Utah. His name is C. Ray Graham. Ryan and I knew him as Bishop Graham when we first met at church in BYU 15 and half years ago. He and his wife, Bobbi, came to our wedding 11 years ago this August. His training was fabulous!!!! I was in heaven since he taught us about education and best practices for immersion education, etc. I ate every word! He served his mission in Uruguay when it was still connected to the Paraguay mission (where I served my mission) and learned some Guarani (the Indian language of Paraguay). All these years in education he has been able to use Guarani to teach other people how to teach a foreign language. Since none of us (except for me, which I really understand only a handful of words) understood Guarani which was perfect for his presentation. He told us a story in Guarani and showed us how through pictures, action, story, and participation another language can be learned. It was fascinating to see what it is like to learn another language from the students point of view.

The weather here is unpredictable. Today was hot! It gets that way often but then the clouds build up and billow and then let down their load. Sometimes with thunder but always a good pour. It reminds me of the delicious storms we had in Missouri growing up. I loved to watch the storm approach and then sit inside and feel so safe and delight in the sound.

Ryan will need to update photos since I haven't figured out how to add them from here. Please let me know if there is anything specific that you want to know about. I hope all is well with everyone who reads this and everyone who doesn't. We love and miss you all! Until next time....