Renewed Red, White and Blue

One of the fun traditions my sisters and I have is the yearly gathering for patriotic pedicures. We missed last year (stupid COVID) and while I could have done my nails at home, 1) doing it alone was nowhere near as fun and 2) my mind was so wrapped up in other far more stressful things that it never even occurred to me until it was long past the appropriate holiday. When I realized that the time had passed, I mourned the missed event as yet another way our lives had been disrupted. I think all my sisters missed our time together as much as I did, because this year we jumped the gun and got our toenail time in a few weeks earlier than normal. We also added the daughters to the occasion which was super fun! Malia got to come with me, and we all created our red, white and blue sandal wearing proclamation of our love of country.
 

Is it sad that looking at my toes makes me ridiculously happy right now?

PAW: Hoe Cakes

As part of our pancake experience, I thought I’d throw in some pancakes from different regions of the U.S. Hoe cakes are cornmeal pancakes popular in the south. They were also common pioneer food. They are thick and crispy, delicious draped in butter and maple syrup. Kevin, Nathan and I like them. Matthew said they are not his favorite but are good. For a kid who doesn’t like cornbread, that’s high praise. And he ate multiple pancakes so that’s a good sign that he does actually think they are good. Malia thought they were weird but ok. Pretty much everything new she tastes gets the “weird” moniker, but she ate them so that must mean they are at least palatable.

Hoe Cakes Rating: three thumbs up and two thumbs sideways, slightly tipping up. 

 

Pancakes Around the World, AKA. Paw: Russian Oladi

With the late start and sporadic school attendance associated with Flex Fridays being a thing this school year, Fridays have become pancake day. Now that school is ending, the flex Friday schedule is a thing of the past…sort of. Next year will see occasional flex Fridays, but we’re not really sure how all of that will work and with three months until we have to deal with it, we’ve all put it on the back burner. Anyway, I’ve liked pancake day and have decided that I want to continue celebrating my love of the griddle cooked delights. But being who I am, I’ve decided to give it a twist for the summer. Instead of just making traditional American pancakes in the many delightful flavors that we’ve come to enjoy, I’m going to feed my fam traditional pancakes from a variety of cultures. As I’ve searched out recipes, I’ve found a delightful assortment of both sweet and savory versions that are enjoyed in various spots around the world. So this summer we are going globetrotting pancake style. I’ve dubbed our adventure Pancakes Around the World which gives us the acronym PAW.

This morning we began our adventure with a taste of Russian oladi, a buttermilk pancake that is quite similar to the pancakes we already know and love. The difference is the smaller size and the fact that they are traditionally served with sour cream. Malia thought the sweetened sour cream was weird and Matthew couldn’t eat it, of course, but Nathan and I thought it was delightful. Add to it a sweet burst from some fresh raspberries, and we had a winner. The leftovers were consumed cold as snacks and that was tasty too. I’ve already told the kids we can make these ones again.

Our first stop on the PAW trip was a success! I can hardly wait to try some more!

Oladi Rating: four thumbs up

 

Glad to be a Grad

Although there were many times when it seemed like high school would never end, Nathan’s graduation day finally arrived. Last year’s seniors were unable to have a normal graduation, so they did a graduation parade instead. The parade was such a success that they did it again this year. The parade was yesterday evening, and although he waffled back and forth, Nathan decided to participate. He wasn’t sure he would since high school has not really been a happy time for him, but ultimately, he decided he was going to participate in all the traditional events that occur at the end of the school year. I think he was glad he did. I was certainly glad. Although his high school experience was not at all what he hoped it would be, I would hate for him to have regrets later in life. So Kevin drove, and Nathan hung out the car window and grinned and I think he enjoyed himself.

We weren’t certain that they would be able to hold a traditional graduation ceremony, and in fact none of the normal venues would allow that, but since this is only the second year our high school has been open, the graduating class was small enough that they were able to hold graduation on the football field. It was enormously hot, but I think that worked in our favor as those speakers who are well known for being long winded kept their remarks short and sweet. Nathan sang with the Madrigals and because he had a solo and the choir sat in the front rows, his was the very first name called. In fact, I’m not sure everyone was even ready because we barely heard his name. But we were watching and were able to cheer him on. He got a good cheer from the other seniors, and I honestly think that caught him by surprise. He has felt alone and friendless for most of high school and those choir people who he expected to be friends with didn’t turn out to be cronies, but he has found friends in unexpected places like physics and ASL. And he is a rather high-profile person at the high school whether he realizes it or not. Faculty, staff and students alike know who he is. He has made friends with the lunch ladies (which I love because most students are not nice to the cafeteria staff) and because of his kindness to them, they have a tendency to give him perks in the form of food. 😉

Speaking of ASL, Nathan earned the Utah State Seal of Biliteracy to accompany his diploma. Let me explain what that means. The state has a program where graduating seniors who are skilled in a foreign language can test to see if they are considered literate in their second language. If they are, they earn the seal of biliteracy which is basically and endorsement on their diploma stating that they are conversant in two languages. It is not an easy test, and it is estimated that students need at least four years of foreign language instruction in order to pass. There are different levels of biliteracy as well: beginner-high, medium or low; intermediate-high, medium or low; and advanced-high, medium or low. Nathan took ASL 1 as a junior, skipped ASL 2 and took ASL 3 as a senior. After only two years, he earned the seal of biliteracy passing at an intermediate-low level. He is one of only two students from his school who earned the seal. I believe the other student passed in French. Of all his ASL classmates from both high schools he has attended, I think there was only one other who passed. Needless to say, we are very proud of him. He has picked this language up incredibly easily and has discovered that he has quite a passion for it. He has a desire to learn more and wants to be able to become involved in the deaf community. I don’t know where this skill might take him, but for now, we are all pleased as punch with his accomplishment!

After lunch, Nathan went bowling with some friends. He opted to skip the grad night party since it was held at Lagoon and 1) he hates rollercoasters and such as they give him headaches, 2) he really didn’t feel safe driving home at 1:00 in the morning and 3) there were not a ton of people he wanted to hang out with anyway. He opted to spend the night at home instead where we celebrated with some delicious chocolate orange cheesecake. Nathan told me to surprise him with the flavor, so I made a creamy orange cheesecake and topped it with a dark chocolate ganache. I made a tiny one sans chocolate for me, and both turned out delicious. And then we watched a movie. So it was a low key grad night, but one that held exactly what Nathan wanted-some time with his few friends, a reason never go to the high school again, and cheesecake. Oh, and there were presents as well. Kev and I gave him a super cool game piece organizer for one of his favorite board games, my mom made him a super cool quilt that featured a piano keyboard, and there were the super dorky graduation socks we gave him on his birthday last week so he could wear them for the big day.

Although high school was not what he hoped it would be for a multitude of reasons, I’m very proud of how Nathan soldiered through. He did his best to be positive at school and while he had to verbal vomit on a regular basis once he got home, he had a reputation for being optimistic and upbeat at school. He was the “student of dreams” for several teachers in that he was so excited and enthusiastic about the topics being taught that he literally radiated joy and was always asking for more knowledge. Not many high school math or science teachers get that kind of enthusiasm from their students. And I can vouch for that enthusiasm because Nathan would come home and draw physics diagrams or physics problems on my white board as he was telling me about what he had learned that day. 😂

While many kids are reluctant to leave high school, Nathan is most definitely ready to be done with this chapter of his life. He has already been in contact with his academic advisor at the university on multiple occasions and for a variety of different reasons, has his schedule planned out, and is looking forward to experiencing college life. He can hardly wait to get started. Now he just has to wait out the summer…

 

The Only Number that is Twice the Sum of its Digits

As of today, Nathan is a legal adult. That means he can vote, join the military and go to jail if he is extra stupid. However, he still can’t get legally drunk. Having said that, I don’t really expect him to do any of those things except vote. He’s a good kid and has a life plan that does not currently involve the military or jail time.

As has been his habit for quite a few years now, Nathan wanted a pretty low-key celebration. Kevin and I took him out to dinner without any of the other kids which meant we got to have a good discussion (one of many as he is the one of our kids that talks to us of his own free will the most frequently) over sushi at Tsunami. After dinner, we returned home where the other kids were ready to give him presents. He received a variety of card games from his siblings. Since he is headed off to USU for a semester of college before his mission, they thought it would be a good idea for him to have his own sets of some of our family favorites. Kevin’s mom gave Nathan a fantastic and very appropriate music themed wall decoration. Kev and I gave him an ASL t-shirt, half in honor of his passage into adulthood and half in honor of his recent earning of the seal of biliteracy (I’ll talk more about that later on). He also got a fun pair of socks to wear then he graduates. 

 

Nathan requested mango cheesecake for the occasion, and I was more than happy to comply. It has been a bit since I’ve created a new masterpiece and it was an opportunity to further my skills with whipped cream and cream cheese. Being the math geek genius that he is, Nathan opted to use base 18 when he put his candles on the cake. (For those of you who don’t speak hard mathematics, that means he put one candle on and called it good. 😜) The cheesecake turned out delicious except for the crust, which was very soggy. I made the cheesecake in advance and froze it, so somewhere in the defrosting process far too much liquid made its way into the crust. It’s a problem I’m going to have to research to solve. But like I said, other than the crust the cheesecake was delicious-light, creamy and full of mango flavor. 

 

Nathan is a great kid. Not only is he very smart, but he’s also very kind. Empathy is one of his spiritual gifts, one that we first became aware of when he was in preschool. He was a pretty wild toddler, not because he was naughty, but because he was curious about everything and wanted to help everyone. He started preschool when he was three and when his teacher called me over to talk with her after school one day, I was sure that he had done something…creative. Much to my surprise, she informed me that Nathan had been finishing his work and then helping the other kids at his table with their work. She was so astounded by his desire to help others at such a young age that she wanted me to know. It was completely out of the blue for me, and from that point onward, I watched my second born with new eyes.

His desire to help others and treat them with kindness has not waned with the passing years. He has such a tender heart that he feels bad about any kind of conflict or confrontation with other people. Kindness is so ingrained in him that sometimes we actually have to tell him that it’s ok to put his needs and feelings before those of his classmates. But this gift of empathy is one that I know will serve him well throughout his life once he is able to find the balance between his own emotional health and that of those around him.

Nathan is also very funny, witty and full of sarcasm. He loves big words, big math, and big music. He finds joy in crazy socks and has tempered the negativity of the pandemic with a fun face mask collection that rivals his sock collection. He is very responsible and organized and has a tendency to be a bit OCD like I am which means I can often understand how he thinks. Unfortunately, he is also a worrier like me, but at least I can understand that tendency and can try to help him deal with the anxieties. When he is happy, his joy overflows and lights up the room. Piano is his happy place and is one of the best ways for him to lift his mood when he has had a rough day. He is a hard worker and is willing to put in the effort required to achieve his goals. Overall, he is a fantastic kid, a great teenager, and an amazingly important part of our family. I’m so glad the Lord trusted me to raise this kid.

He’s with the Band

The band teacher at the high school co-teaches the vocal jazz choir with the choir teacher and through that class, he got to know Nathan and became aware of his piano prowess. The funny thing is, the band teacher taught the early morning jazz band at the middle school last year, so he actually became acquainted with Matthew first. It was one of those rare situations where Nathan was Matthew’s brother rather than the reverse. This teacher loves Matthew’s trumpet skills and is very much looking forward to having him at the high school in another year. He has been trying to convince him to join the high school marching band for a couple of years already (middle schoolers are invited to participate with the high school marching band in our district), but around here we all feel that Matthew should be fully immersed where he is so he’s waiting until he actually gets to high school. Anyway, the band teacher needed a pianist to play for the end of year band concert and he asked Nathan if he would be willing to fill that need. Nathan was glad to oblige and several good photos of him were shared after the event. Nathan really does find joy in his piano playing. And playing for the band allowed him to enjoy the music minus all the drama that has been included in his choir experiences over the past three years. It wasn’t hard for him musically, but it was a chance to help create a bit of musical magic.

 

Finding the Good

Due to COVID, a lot of normal school events were cancelled last year. And since last year was the first year our high school was open, this second year has held a lot of firsts for the school. Among those was this evening’s Principal’s Reception. The event was basically the invitation only awards ceremony for those seniors who have earned top honors in a variety of different ways during the school year. The original plan was to hold a nice dinner like our principal did at his last school, but the district wouldn’t allow that due to COVID. They did get permission to do refreshments though, and they got some fancy ones, so it was still a nice event.

Nathan was selected as the math sterling scholar earlier this year so when we received an invitation, he assumed that would be the only honor he received. However, he was completely wrong in that assumption. He actually ended up being one of the students who was called to the front most often. He was recognized for being the math sterling scholar, a student who excelled in both academics and the arts, the senior who was the top in the math department, and a student who had a 4.0 gpa as well as an ACT score 30 or higher (Nathan got a 31 on the ACT). The school gifted each one of the top award-winning students with a blanket bearing the school mascot/slash logo and when Nathan got called up for his second award that came with a blanket, they joked about there being only one blanket for student. If they had given one per award, I think Nathan might have come home with three…

It ended up being a very nice evening, one that Nathan enjoyed far more than he thought he would. Kev and I were finally able to meet his physics, math and ASL teachers and although Nathan has had a rough year (or three) in high school, the reception helped him recognize that there has been a lot of good as well. He just found the good in different places than he expected. He has loved his physics and math classes and has made some friends there. He helped create an end of year escape room activity for the statistics classes which he loved. His teachers loved it too. It’s not often that you get a student who understands the material so easily and gets so excited about it that he goes home and uses his mom’s white board to explain the newest cool thing he learned in school. He started learning ASL during his time on stage crew in middle school, but I don’t think any of us were expecting him to pick it up so quickly and to love it as much as he does. He took ASL 1 as a junior, skipped right to ASL 3 as a senior, and ended up being at the student at the top of the class. He has stood out as a positive influence and a good example in the school as a whole, something that the admin made sure to point out. Apparently, he has been optimistic and upbeat, something that the school has sorely needed this year, and people have noticed. I don’t think he had any idea how much of a difference he has made, but he has been a source of good in his sphere of influence.

So yes, this has been an extremely difficult year for him. It has held challenges that none of us could have predicted a year and a half ago. He has dealt with a lot of disappointment and discouragement along the way, as well as a good amount of frustration and stress. But he not only survived, he managed to thrive in adversity (though he may not have been aware of it) and has made a difference for those around him. And he has learned a lot both in the classroom and out. Adversity makes us stronger, and I hope that Nathan will be able to see the strength he has gained as he finishes a chapter in his life and prepares to move on to the next one.

 

So Long, Zoom!

Today we were finally able to return to in person second hour church meetings. There are still COVID restrictions in place, but at least we get to go back! While I’m so grateful that we have access to technology that has allowed us to meet virtually over the past year, I’m so glad that I don’t need to teach relief society over Zoom anymore. Let me tell you, that is a whole extra level of stress. Teaching in person is by far my preference.