The past two weeks have been remarkably full despite my taking a few days off. Highlights for me have included the commencement of my online data collection for my research project. I am praying that up to 400-500 people will participate. At this stage it is going slowly, but I am optimistic that more people will sign on. Beyond that university has been very slow with little else to do but try to obtain participants.
In the week just gone I ran a workshop for parents on “The Habits of Happy Families”. It went really well, with very positive feedback. I focused on the strengths associated most highly with happiness in personal living: zest, hope, curiosity, gratitude, and love. We discussed ways that families might work as a unit to develop these strengths more abundantly.
Mat drove down for a surf and some Chicko’s. We had some terrific waves, and some terrific food. We love Chicko’s. I’ve joked that if my studies don’t work out I’ll move back to Brisbane and open a Chicko’s store up there. But it’s not very funny. I think if that happened I’d be the most highly qualified chicken shop owner in the country.
The other great pleasure I’ve enjoyed in the past couple of weeks has been riding my bike. I simply cannot get enough. I caught a train to Central (Sydney) one morning with a friend and together we rode back to Wollongong (90 kms). I’ve set a new record for getting to uni. The 10 km trip took 18 minutes 30 on one of my trips this week. It takes almost 15 minutes in the car (and that includes several kms on the freeway) so I was happy with that effort, although I’m anxious to get the time down even more.
I’ve also been blessed with some terrific times with the children and Kylie. Annie Grace, now 15 months old, has finally decided it’s time to walk. She is consistently taking four or five steps and has taken up to ten a couple of times. In the coming weeks before Christmas we are expecting that she will become highly mobile. This may be an issue – she likes to crawl out the door and up the driveway. Once she’s walking Kylie and I might have to start running! Annie is also cutting some serious molars. Her discomfort has seen her recommence her biting habit. There have been a couple of uncomfortable moments in recent days.
Ella Rose has been a little temperamental lately. When she gets tired the tantrums start, and there have been some big ones. However, generally speaking Ella is doing well. Her speech therapist, Alison, is pleased with Ella’s progress as are we. Compared to the therapist in Brisbane, things are going extremely well. Most people can understand Ella most of the time now and Ella is a very enthusiastic communicator, even if her elocution is imperfect. We are also very pleased with her swimming progress. A new teacher seems to have been what was needed. The new teacher is being strict with Ella. She didn’t want to be, but we suggested it was necessary and it is making an enormous difference. Ella has gone from being quite disruptive to a happy participant.
Abbie… this little girl has been a dream in recent weeks. Abbie May is always trying to please us, is quiet and plays well with anyone, and works on any activity quite studiously. She is simply beautiful right now. And Abbie has two wiggly teeth which she anxiously and excitedly wibbles and wobbles all day long.
Chanel participated in her dance concert yesterday. Kylie went along to watch. Chanel is hooked on dancing and struts her stuff around the house all day and night. She wants music on all the time, and is consistently choreographing moves to everything from pop songs, to church songs, and even scripture mastery songs! We get to watch her impromptu “shows” on the lounge room rug several times a week.
Chanel has been a real handful in recent weeks too. Very challenging, and starting to have a lot to say in response to directions, guidance, and comments from Kylie and I. Our nine year-old is growing some attitude and Kylie and I are finding it a new and particularly tiresome challenge. Something new for us to work on…
Lastly my amazing wife, Kylie. I am so impressed with Kylie. While not quite as full-on as me, Kylie has also become really excited about riding a bike. The trip to Bulli and back (from North Wollongong) is about 25 kms and Kylie is riding it a couple of times a week. Her first trip took around an hour and a half, but now it’s down to just under an hour. Her friend, Alissa, is very fit and is studying exercise physiology. Usually when they ride Alissa is not forced to work particularly hard. Kylie was really excited when her last ride to Bulli saw Alissa perspiring. In addition, Kylie’s enthusiasm for riding has led to a couple of her friends buying bikes and doing a regular Tuesday ride. I think there may be up to five or six of them participating in that now.
Kylie went shopping to finalise some Christmas gifts during the past week. After a couple of hours she returned home complaining of tired legs. Apparently she hasn’t had enough shopping practice in the past year! That makes me happy.
And some good news to finish off the week. I have finally had someone called to assist me in serving in the Young Men’s programme at church. He has agreed to teach the Sunday lessons for me, leaving me to concentrate on Tuesday night activities. This is a great burden removed for me. As much as I love teaching, it’s nice to not have to add that to my growing list of responsibilities. It felt great to participate in the class today, rather than having to teach it.
December starts tomorrow, and the countdown to Christmas is on!
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Better Late Than Never
I am amazed at the blessings in my life each week as I sit down and contemplate which highlights to write about here. If only there was enough space for all of them.
Our little Annie Grace has gone from being the quietest and most placid baby we’ve ever had to the noisiest. She loves to squeal and does so with alarming consistency, almost constancy. Her big sisters encourage her by squealing back! It’s funny, briefly, but for old folks like me it starts to get a bit much. Fortunately they know how to stop, and why (except Annie, but we forgive her for that). Annie is enjoying walking around the house holding onto chairs, walls and any other support structure. I’d say that by Christmas she’ll be walking without help.
Ella seems to be having some challenges with her breathing. We’ve been instructed to use a Ventalin puffer and have had some reasonable results, though nothing stunning. I’m not sure I like the use of the medication and am interested in finding an alternative to assist her. During the week I attended her swimming lesson. Ella has the ability to do all that she is asked, but only wants to play. We are trying to find a teacher who can work effectively with her, as the one she has just changed over to is not working out either. We’ve been through three teachers this year for her.
Abbie achieved another milestone at school this week. Level 21 on her readers! We are amazed. The target level for the kindergarten children by the end of the year is level 8. Abbie has excelled at school. We’re also feeling very positive about the good experiences Abbie enjoys socially. She misses Brisbane and reminds us of that quite often, yet she seems to be thriving.
Chanel has also had some positive social experiences at school this week. Her chief antagonists appear to have mellowed, and she enjoyed two play-dates with girls during the afternoons. We’re working with her on developing friendships with some very nice girls who come from excellent families and the plan seems to be working out nicely.
Kylie is enjoying my efforts at enhancing her opportunity for outlets too. She’s now riding two or three times each week down by the beach and LOVES it. And every Thursday evening is spent with friends doing girly things that Kylie could never get me to do.
I’ve made some more progress on my data collection, and in the coming weeks things will really get busy for me. I’m preparing to submit my first article, collect data from up to 500 participants (or more if I can get them), and begin my first significant analysis. I’m praying it all works out as I have hoped it will.
During the week I received a phone call from Chanel’s school teacher, Mrs Burton. She is a lovely lady, but has been absent for much of the school year which has obviously disrupted Chanel’s class to a considerable degree. Having just returned from six weeks of long-service leave she wanted to speak with me about the social and academic concerns we’ve had over Chanel. We had a lengthy conversation with wonderful outcomes. Next year we have been assured that Chanel will be in a class where one or two of the girls that would be of benefit for her to be friends with also attend. She will importantly not be in a class with those who have made the year so challenging for her. We look forward to new beginnings. Importantly, when I hung up the phone, I felt calm and peaceful about the future at school for Chanel. We had been contemplating changing her school, but now feel very able to work through the next year with her effectively.
On Friday afternoon I picked up the young men from church and, with about thirty other members, we drove 5 hours south, through Canberra and Cooma, to Australia’s highest peak – Mt. Kosciuszko. We stayed in cabins overnight and early Saturday morning we drove to Charlotte’s Pass and commenced our ascent. The wind was like walls of ice blowing up the mountain at us. There was snow lying across the path in many places (which was wonderful for throwing at those slower than us). We hiked up hill for 9 kms until we reached the peak. It was awesome. We sought shelter from the freezing wind (the temperature accounting for windchill was only about 4 or 5 degrees Celsius) and ate lunch, took photos, and threw more snow. Then a small group of adults including me set off to descend on a longer, more challenging track down the mountain while the majority of the group prepared for their trudge back down the same path they’d walked up.
The new track was far less accessible, with ups and downs, and many more challenges. There were huge snowdrifts we had to cross, several summits to ascend, and scenery that made the initial hike up look rather drab. It was the most exhilarating experience I’ve had for a long time. Two thoughts and feelings were perpetually in my mind as I hike along the ‘main range’ walk. Firstly I experienced wonder and awe and gratitude for such a wonderful world created for us. A prayer of thanks was in my heart. Secondly I wished that Kylie and the children could enjoy this experience with me. It was wonderful to be there. It would have been even more wonderful to be there with them, and to share it with them. I think we will go back in January as a family and do it.
Sunday brought challenges and blessings. I was asked to drive across town to pick up some boys who recently joined the church. They come from a home that is bereft of many of the blessings that we enjoy. Their father is in prison, and their mother uses alcohol to excess. The boys essentially raise themselves. Just before I arrived I received a call that they would not be coming. I felt annoyed. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I went to their home and faced an intimidating woman who refused to share anything with me that might help me understand the family’s situation better. I expressed my desire to help and support her boys and asked if we might work together. She was aggressive and refused to engage in any kind of meaningful discussion, instead telling me her boys didn’t want to go to church anymore. From around the corner came a retort – “Yes we do” – from two of the boys. With her permission I took one of them with me. We were very late. On the way we talked about motorbikes. He loves them. As we hit the highway we found ourselves surrounded by thousands of them – doing a charity ride. We pulled over and he admired them as they roared past. I was glad to have been able to bring him with me.
Church was ok, but being late meant I missed the most important part of the day. The talks and lessons didn’t invigorate me as they normally would. Perhaps my tiredness from the 10 hours of driving and 6 hours of hiking played a part. Tonight I spoke at a young single adult meeting to about 70 young adults at church. I spoke about living what we believe. I compared David who slew Goliath and was full of faith, and then went on to commit adultery with Bath-Sheba and send her husband to be killed, with Joseph of Egypt who refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife and remained faithful all of his days. We talked about living in concordance with our beliefs and replenishing our faith. We talked about being disciples of Jesus, and repenting. We felt the Spirit of the Lord. I finished my week on a high.
Our little Annie Grace has gone from being the quietest and most placid baby we’ve ever had to the noisiest. She loves to squeal and does so with alarming consistency, almost constancy. Her big sisters encourage her by squealing back! It’s funny, briefly, but for old folks like me it starts to get a bit much. Fortunately they know how to stop, and why (except Annie, but we forgive her for that). Annie is enjoying walking around the house holding onto chairs, walls and any other support structure. I’d say that by Christmas she’ll be walking without help.
Ella seems to be having some challenges with her breathing. We’ve been instructed to use a Ventalin puffer and have had some reasonable results, though nothing stunning. I’m not sure I like the use of the medication and am interested in finding an alternative to assist her. During the week I attended her swimming lesson. Ella has the ability to do all that she is asked, but only wants to play. We are trying to find a teacher who can work effectively with her, as the one she has just changed over to is not working out either. We’ve been through three teachers this year for her.
Abbie achieved another milestone at school this week. Level 21 on her readers! We are amazed. The target level for the kindergarten children by the end of the year is level 8. Abbie has excelled at school. We’re also feeling very positive about the good experiences Abbie enjoys socially. She misses Brisbane and reminds us of that quite often, yet she seems to be thriving.
Chanel has also had some positive social experiences at school this week. Her chief antagonists appear to have mellowed, and she enjoyed two play-dates with girls during the afternoons. We’re working with her on developing friendships with some very nice girls who come from excellent families and the plan seems to be working out nicely.
Kylie is enjoying my efforts at enhancing her opportunity for outlets too. She’s now riding two or three times each week down by the beach and LOVES it. And every Thursday evening is spent with friends doing girly things that Kylie could never get me to do.
I’ve made some more progress on my data collection, and in the coming weeks things will really get busy for me. I’m preparing to submit my first article, collect data from up to 500 participants (or more if I can get them), and begin my first significant analysis. I’m praying it all works out as I have hoped it will.
During the week I received a phone call from Chanel’s school teacher, Mrs Burton. She is a lovely lady, but has been absent for much of the school year which has obviously disrupted Chanel’s class to a considerable degree. Having just returned from six weeks of long-service leave she wanted to speak with me about the social and academic concerns we’ve had over Chanel. We had a lengthy conversation with wonderful outcomes. Next year we have been assured that Chanel will be in a class where one or two of the girls that would be of benefit for her to be friends with also attend. She will importantly not be in a class with those who have made the year so challenging for her. We look forward to new beginnings. Importantly, when I hung up the phone, I felt calm and peaceful about the future at school for Chanel. We had been contemplating changing her school, but now feel very able to work through the next year with her effectively.
On Friday afternoon I picked up the young men from church and, with about thirty other members, we drove 5 hours south, through Canberra and Cooma, to Australia’s highest peak – Mt. Kosciuszko. We stayed in cabins overnight and early Saturday morning we drove to Charlotte’s Pass and commenced our ascent. The wind was like walls of ice blowing up the mountain at us. There was snow lying across the path in many places (which was wonderful for throwing at those slower than us). We hiked up hill for 9 kms until we reached the peak. It was awesome. We sought shelter from the freezing wind (the temperature accounting for windchill was only about 4 or 5 degrees Celsius) and ate lunch, took photos, and threw more snow. Then a small group of adults including me set off to descend on a longer, more challenging track down the mountain while the majority of the group prepared for their trudge back down the same path they’d walked up.
The new track was far less accessible, with ups and downs, and many more challenges. There were huge snowdrifts we had to cross, several summits to ascend, and scenery that made the initial hike up look rather drab. It was the most exhilarating experience I’ve had for a long time. Two thoughts and feelings were perpetually in my mind as I hike along the ‘main range’ walk. Firstly I experienced wonder and awe and gratitude for such a wonderful world created for us. A prayer of thanks was in my heart. Secondly I wished that Kylie and the children could enjoy this experience with me. It was wonderful to be there. It would have been even more wonderful to be there with them, and to share it with them. I think we will go back in January as a family and do it.
Sunday brought challenges and blessings. I was asked to drive across town to pick up some boys who recently joined the church. They come from a home that is bereft of many of the blessings that we enjoy. Their father is in prison, and their mother uses alcohol to excess. The boys essentially raise themselves. Just before I arrived I received a call that they would not be coming. I felt annoyed. I shouldn’t have, but I did. I went to their home and faced an intimidating woman who refused to share anything with me that might help me understand the family’s situation better. I expressed my desire to help and support her boys and asked if we might work together. She was aggressive and refused to engage in any kind of meaningful discussion, instead telling me her boys didn’t want to go to church anymore. From around the corner came a retort – “Yes we do” – from two of the boys. With her permission I took one of them with me. We were very late. On the way we talked about motorbikes. He loves them. As we hit the highway we found ourselves surrounded by thousands of them – doing a charity ride. We pulled over and he admired them as they roared past. I was glad to have been able to bring him with me.
Church was ok, but being late meant I missed the most important part of the day. The talks and lessons didn’t invigorate me as they normally would. Perhaps my tiredness from the 10 hours of driving and 6 hours of hiking played a part. Tonight I spoke at a young single adult meeting to about 70 young adults at church. I spoke about living what we believe. I compared David who slew Goliath and was full of faith, and then went on to commit adultery with Bath-Sheba and send her husband to be killed, with Joseph of Egypt who refused to lie with Potiphar’s wife and remained faithful all of his days. We talked about living in concordance with our beliefs and replenishing our faith. We talked about being disciples of Jesus, and repenting. We felt the Spirit of the Lord. I finished my week on a high.
Monday, 3 November 2008
A good friend
In two days from the time I write this it will be the first Tuesday of November. That will be Melbourne Cup day. It was therefore exactly one year ago on Tuesday that I flew to Sydney and drove to Wollongong for an entry interview to see whether I would like to study here. I remember feeling excited, as though I was almost certain this would be where we would end up. And precisely two months later to the day, on January 4, we were moving into our home here.
This time last year I was preparing to sit my final exams as an undergraduate. We were in QLD enjoying the splendour of the jacaranda trees blooming, feeling the heat of Spring. I was just about to sell my moped and buy my motorbike. It seems like yesterday, and yet it seems like it was years ago. Life has changed so much – I have changed so much – in just one short year. The one constant is the steady flow of (generally undeserved) blessings that enter our lives week after week.
The week started with family home evening at Bishop’s place, with 6 missionaries and about 10 of the young adults from church. What a fun night! We had a ball and were sad to have to leave when Annie couldn’t take it anymore. We learnt a new game. We sit in a circle and sing a German sounding song made up of nonsense words while passing cups around the circle. Anyone who passes the cup incorrectly or drops a cup is eliminated. The kids have come home and haven’t stopped playing the game and singing the song all week, though the words make no sense at all. It’s a game of concentration and while I didn’t personally play, was immensely fun to watch.
This week Kylie finally got to spend some time riding her new bike! Annie has gone on the back too, and loved every second of it. In fact it has been so much fun Kylie has determined to ride twice a week now. She rides about 12 kilometres from North Wollongong to Towradgi and back. Annie hangs on in the kiddy carrier behind – silent, but smiling. Kylie also finally ordered and received her stamps. For her birthday Kylie wanted a stack of stamps for her crafts and card making. The package arrived and Kylie is in heaven. It has been a long time since I have seen Kylie so energised and enthusiastic about things. (Perhaps I should spend money on her more often!)
This week was also Kylie’s first week of having Thursday night entirely to herself. I may have mentioned this in my last entry, but in case I didn’t, I suggested to Kylie last week that she take one night a week for herself. Kylie knows she can take time out when she wants to, but never does. So I have scheduled Thursday evenings as her night out. That may be another reason she’s so excited lately. This Thursday just gone Kylie rode bikes and played racquetball with a friend. Kylie is starting to feel like her fitness levels need a boost.
The phone has rung – Kylie is taking over the writing for me for a few minutes…
And here I was thinking he was just feeling guilty about all the things he is now getting into, with his riding and of love of Surfing. I am constantly amazed at my husband’s ability to read my needs and meet them, and he is right I am feeling more energised and ready to get out and active a lot more…
Annie has now had her third swimming lesson and can’t get enough of a good dunk. She spends the whole time she is out of the water screaming at me to put her under and when she is in the water she is fighting to get loose, so she can go under the water!!!!! I didn’t think it was possible to have a child even more strong willed than Ella, but Annie is living proof you can…
Ella had a treat this week too. In addition to her two days at kindy, her swimming lesson and her speech session, all of which are favourites for her, Ella was invited to a Hi-5 concert at the entertainment centre. She had a terrific time in the front row! Besides that, Ella has been her usual gorgeously mischievous self. Abbie continues to blow me away with her reading. Her articulation and expression is beyond her years. It is so enjoyable to listen to her read.
Chanel is preparing for her end of year dance performance which I am looking forward to seeing on stage in a few weeks. We have seen some huge improvements in her dance moves. I actually think she has great potential, though she will probably end dancing at the end of term and increase her time in the pool now that summer is nearly here.
We have made some progress with our rental situation. Our landlord met with us last week to discuss the decision he had made to increase the rent by $50. He actually wanted to sell the house. We explained that we would love to stay in the house for as long as we could, but that we would do whatever needed to be done to help in the sale of the house, should he decide to go that way. We also indicated that we’d happily sign another lease for 12 months if we can come to an agreement about the rent increase. We suggested that $50 per week was a bit more than we could comfortably manage (by about $45!!!) We just got a call yesterday and it seems that we will possibly be able to continue our stay here. The sale is unlikely to go ahead. This week we’ll aim to re-negotiate a weekly rental price. Moving is an unattractive option to us, so hopefully we can work something out.
It’s Justin back again. I’m off the phone.
It’s been a really intense week for me. I’ve marked close to 150 000 words! That includes 60 lab reports of 1500 words each, and 20 reports of 4000 words. I should be finished the last of them in the morning. I’ll get up early. That’s really been my entire week from Monday to Friday.
Yesterday (Sat) I went for an early morning bike ride. I joined up with a few guys from the local cycling club. We did a 60 km trip around Lake Illawarra. It took about 2 hours, and felt fantastic. I love being on the bike. My legs were a little fatigued by the end of it and it didn’t feel so great climbing up our hill to get back home. Wow – hard work.
I took the kids for a bike ride during the afternoon. The training wheels went back on for Ella. She’s very confident with them, but helpless without them. Chanel now has a previously unridden bike she received from her Aunties. Leah and Rachel received bikes a couple of years ago that they never rode. Chanel loves riding her bike with gears and has mastered it almost instantly. Abbie is moved onto Chanel’s bike. No training wheels. And no balance! I spent an hour running on my wobbly legs trying to help her, but we made little progress. I’m hopeful that a few more sessions will be all it takes, but am concerned my hope will be in vain. Abbie is simply not getting it at this point. Next weekend… next weekend. I’m sure if I keep telling myself it will eventually happen.
Today was a great day at church. A wonderful sacrament meeting. Terrific testimonies. I taught the young men about keeping their bodies free from drugs, and how our scriptures and modern prophets have taught these things for 170 years – much longer than science has been saying it. Then I went home teaching, visiting several families from the congregation to see how they’re going. It was a rewarding afternoon. I genuinely felt as though my relationships with several of the families I visited with were deeply enriched. In particular, Gino and Cherie. Gino received a priesthood blessing from me some weeks ago. He is not a member of the church but his wife is. Gino told me how much it meant to him today. It took him a couple of days to get back on his feet following the blessing, but he has been healthy since and credits the blessing. It felt good to be of service. Gino and I have started riding together regularly too, and a good friendship is growing because of the blessing of home teaching.
Kylie and I had the opportunity to spend almost an hour talking yesterday. The children were playing in the yard with the neighbours and everything was quiet. It doesn’t happen often but it was wonderful. We were talking about our future – very much unknown at this point – and our present. We reflected on the immense blessings we enjoy, and particularly how wonderful it is in Wollongong. We miss Brisbane and our good friends there more than words can say. But we have been welcomed here so warmly. We have developed remarkable relationships at church and elsewhere in a short time, and those relationships are treasured. They’re also a LOT of fun. We’re grateful for so many beautiful people who bless and touch our lives.
This time last year I was preparing to sit my final exams as an undergraduate. We were in QLD enjoying the splendour of the jacaranda trees blooming, feeling the heat of Spring. I was just about to sell my moped and buy my motorbike. It seems like yesterday, and yet it seems like it was years ago. Life has changed so much – I have changed so much – in just one short year. The one constant is the steady flow of (generally undeserved) blessings that enter our lives week after week.
The week started with family home evening at Bishop’s place, with 6 missionaries and about 10 of the young adults from church. What a fun night! We had a ball and were sad to have to leave when Annie couldn’t take it anymore. We learnt a new game. We sit in a circle and sing a German sounding song made up of nonsense words while passing cups around the circle. Anyone who passes the cup incorrectly or drops a cup is eliminated. The kids have come home and haven’t stopped playing the game and singing the song all week, though the words make no sense at all. It’s a game of concentration and while I didn’t personally play, was immensely fun to watch.
This week Kylie finally got to spend some time riding her new bike! Annie has gone on the back too, and loved every second of it. In fact it has been so much fun Kylie has determined to ride twice a week now. She rides about 12 kilometres from North Wollongong to Towradgi and back. Annie hangs on in the kiddy carrier behind – silent, but smiling. Kylie also finally ordered and received her stamps. For her birthday Kylie wanted a stack of stamps for her crafts and card making. The package arrived and Kylie is in heaven. It has been a long time since I have seen Kylie so energised and enthusiastic about things. (Perhaps I should spend money on her more often!)
This week was also Kylie’s first week of having Thursday night entirely to herself. I may have mentioned this in my last entry, but in case I didn’t, I suggested to Kylie last week that she take one night a week for herself. Kylie knows she can take time out when she wants to, but never does. So I have scheduled Thursday evenings as her night out. That may be another reason she’s so excited lately. This Thursday just gone Kylie rode bikes and played racquetball with a friend. Kylie is starting to feel like her fitness levels need a boost.
The phone has rung – Kylie is taking over the writing for me for a few minutes…
And here I was thinking he was just feeling guilty about all the things he is now getting into, with his riding and of love of Surfing. I am constantly amazed at my husband’s ability to read my needs and meet them, and he is right I am feeling more energised and ready to get out and active a lot more…
Annie has now had her third swimming lesson and can’t get enough of a good dunk. She spends the whole time she is out of the water screaming at me to put her under and when she is in the water she is fighting to get loose, so she can go under the water!!!!! I didn’t think it was possible to have a child even more strong willed than Ella, but Annie is living proof you can…
Ella had a treat this week too. In addition to her two days at kindy, her swimming lesson and her speech session, all of which are favourites for her, Ella was invited to a Hi-5 concert at the entertainment centre. She had a terrific time in the front row! Besides that, Ella has been her usual gorgeously mischievous self. Abbie continues to blow me away with her reading. Her articulation and expression is beyond her years. It is so enjoyable to listen to her read.
Chanel is preparing for her end of year dance performance which I am looking forward to seeing on stage in a few weeks. We have seen some huge improvements in her dance moves. I actually think she has great potential, though she will probably end dancing at the end of term and increase her time in the pool now that summer is nearly here.
We have made some progress with our rental situation. Our landlord met with us last week to discuss the decision he had made to increase the rent by $50. He actually wanted to sell the house. We explained that we would love to stay in the house for as long as we could, but that we would do whatever needed to be done to help in the sale of the house, should he decide to go that way. We also indicated that we’d happily sign another lease for 12 months if we can come to an agreement about the rent increase. We suggested that $50 per week was a bit more than we could comfortably manage (by about $45!!!) We just got a call yesterday and it seems that we will possibly be able to continue our stay here. The sale is unlikely to go ahead. This week we’ll aim to re-negotiate a weekly rental price. Moving is an unattractive option to us, so hopefully we can work something out.
It’s Justin back again. I’m off the phone.
It’s been a really intense week for me. I’ve marked close to 150 000 words! That includes 60 lab reports of 1500 words each, and 20 reports of 4000 words. I should be finished the last of them in the morning. I’ll get up early. That’s really been my entire week from Monday to Friday.
Yesterday (Sat) I went for an early morning bike ride. I joined up with a few guys from the local cycling club. We did a 60 km trip around Lake Illawarra. It took about 2 hours, and felt fantastic. I love being on the bike. My legs were a little fatigued by the end of it and it didn’t feel so great climbing up our hill to get back home. Wow – hard work.
I took the kids for a bike ride during the afternoon. The training wheels went back on for Ella. She’s very confident with them, but helpless without them. Chanel now has a previously unridden bike she received from her Aunties. Leah and Rachel received bikes a couple of years ago that they never rode. Chanel loves riding her bike with gears and has mastered it almost instantly. Abbie is moved onto Chanel’s bike. No training wheels. And no balance! I spent an hour running on my wobbly legs trying to help her, but we made little progress. I’m hopeful that a few more sessions will be all it takes, but am concerned my hope will be in vain. Abbie is simply not getting it at this point. Next weekend… next weekend. I’m sure if I keep telling myself it will eventually happen.
Today was a great day at church. A wonderful sacrament meeting. Terrific testimonies. I taught the young men about keeping their bodies free from drugs, and how our scriptures and modern prophets have taught these things for 170 years – much longer than science has been saying it. Then I went home teaching, visiting several families from the congregation to see how they’re going. It was a rewarding afternoon. I genuinely felt as though my relationships with several of the families I visited with were deeply enriched. In particular, Gino and Cherie. Gino received a priesthood blessing from me some weeks ago. He is not a member of the church but his wife is. Gino told me how much it meant to him today. It took him a couple of days to get back on his feet following the blessing, but he has been healthy since and credits the blessing. It felt good to be of service. Gino and I have started riding together regularly too, and a good friendship is growing because of the blessing of home teaching.
Kylie and I had the opportunity to spend almost an hour talking yesterday. The children were playing in the yard with the neighbours and everything was quiet. It doesn’t happen often but it was wonderful. We were talking about our future – very much unknown at this point – and our present. We reflected on the immense blessings we enjoy, and particularly how wonderful it is in Wollongong. We miss Brisbane and our good friends there more than words can say. But we have been welcomed here so warmly. We have developed remarkable relationships at church and elsewhere in a short time, and those relationships are treasured. They’re also a LOT of fun. We’re grateful for so many beautiful people who bless and touch our lives.
The end of October
Exhaustion has taken over my body and I won’t be able to write for long – but it’s predominantly self-inflicted, and it’s a wonderful, satisfied exhaustion and it feels good.
The week began quietly, albeit busily. It was the final week of the university semester so I taught my final classes. My students handed in their assignments in preparation for my horrendous week of marking which commences in the final week of October. I received about 60 x 1500 word lab reports from second year students, and I received about 20 x 4000 word reports from the fourth year students. That is a LOT of marking – and I find marking tiresome, boring, and generally tedious at the best of times.
Tuesday night was Abbie’s birthday party to finalise her 6th birthday celebrations. She had half a dozen friends over for a pizza party after school. The kids made chocolate lolly pizzas, played games, and ate real pizza. Perhaps Ella ate too much because first thing Wednesday morning our little angel was very sick. She stayed that way for the rest of the week.
Kylie picked up her new pushbike on Wednesday. It’s big, red, and shiny – and Kylie is very excited. She’s all ready to go for it now, we just need to get a time when the family can run down to the bikeway and jump on the bikes. Everyone has their bike, we have the bike rack – hopefully it will happen soon.
Friday was a super day. I went for an early surf with a friend. The weather was perfect, the water was clear and cool, and dolphins were swimming with us as we surfed. A pod of about 10 dolphins swam up and down the beach within a couple of metres of us several times during the morning. It was terrific! And the surf was good too. A brief meeting at uni was scheduled. I discovered that I was marking the lab reports too harshly and had to readjust the few reports I had already marked. Then Kylie and I went to the wedding of some friends from church.
The wedding was held at the top of Bulli pass, a treacherous track winding its way down from the top of the mountain range into suburbia at the bottom. The area in which we live is basically a 40-50klm stretch of land positioned between the escarpment and the ocean. To get into Wollongong means going down one of several steep roads from the top of the escarpment into the developed coastal land below. The scenery was beautiful. We stared across the region with wonder, and gazed at the expansive ocean almost as if we’d never seen it before. The view was as good as any that can be witnessed. And as we stared we saw whales breaching about 1 km off the coast! The bride laughed, commenting that she’d organised that at the last minute.
We had a terrific night. I ate antipasto and prawns, steak (a big one) and delicious vegetables. We spent time with good friends, and danced! Even me – but only with Kylie, and only briefly. Nonetheless, it was good fun. Bedtime arrived later than normal though, around 11pm.
Saturday morning I went surfing again! Twice in two days… but to do so I had to leave home before 5am. That meant not much sleep. I surfed with a friend at Thirroul for an hour before jumping back into the car and driving to pick up some of the Young Men. We had organised a big bike ride – of 50 km for the morning. I was tired at the end of the riding. I had also locked my keys in the car. A call to the NRMA solved that problem, but only my pillow could solve my other problem. After I got home Kylie took the children to a church activity while I cleaned the house. When I was done I laid my head down to rest. Annie awoke within three minutes of my lying down. No sleep for me! But to make amends I got another surf in for the afternoon. The waves were the first ones we’ve had in over six weeks so I was determined to make the most of it.
Sunday was a real thrill. We arrived at church 20 minutes early – which is an accomplishment in and of itself. The children were presenting their Primary presentation in our sacrament meeting. It was wonderful. The girls did a great job with their lines and singing. And the 20-plus children on the stand were terrific. Sunday night we ate a roast dinner with friends… roast is definitely my favourite. And then we fell into bed exhausted after late nights, weddings, dancing, riding, surfing, and serving our way through another stellar week.
The week began quietly, albeit busily. It was the final week of the university semester so I taught my final classes. My students handed in their assignments in preparation for my horrendous week of marking which commences in the final week of October. I received about 60 x 1500 word lab reports from second year students, and I received about 20 x 4000 word reports from the fourth year students. That is a LOT of marking – and I find marking tiresome, boring, and generally tedious at the best of times.
Tuesday night was Abbie’s birthday party to finalise her 6th birthday celebrations. She had half a dozen friends over for a pizza party after school. The kids made chocolate lolly pizzas, played games, and ate real pizza. Perhaps Ella ate too much because first thing Wednesday morning our little angel was very sick. She stayed that way for the rest of the week.
Kylie picked up her new pushbike on Wednesday. It’s big, red, and shiny – and Kylie is very excited. She’s all ready to go for it now, we just need to get a time when the family can run down to the bikeway and jump on the bikes. Everyone has their bike, we have the bike rack – hopefully it will happen soon.
Friday was a super day. I went for an early surf with a friend. The weather was perfect, the water was clear and cool, and dolphins were swimming with us as we surfed. A pod of about 10 dolphins swam up and down the beach within a couple of metres of us several times during the morning. It was terrific! And the surf was good too. A brief meeting at uni was scheduled. I discovered that I was marking the lab reports too harshly and had to readjust the few reports I had already marked. Then Kylie and I went to the wedding of some friends from church.
The wedding was held at the top of Bulli pass, a treacherous track winding its way down from the top of the mountain range into suburbia at the bottom. The area in which we live is basically a 40-50klm stretch of land positioned between the escarpment and the ocean. To get into Wollongong means going down one of several steep roads from the top of the escarpment into the developed coastal land below. The scenery was beautiful. We stared across the region with wonder, and gazed at the expansive ocean almost as if we’d never seen it before. The view was as good as any that can be witnessed. And as we stared we saw whales breaching about 1 km off the coast! The bride laughed, commenting that she’d organised that at the last minute.
We had a terrific night. I ate antipasto and prawns, steak (a big one) and delicious vegetables. We spent time with good friends, and danced! Even me – but only with Kylie, and only briefly. Nonetheless, it was good fun. Bedtime arrived later than normal though, around 11pm.
Saturday morning I went surfing again! Twice in two days… but to do so I had to leave home before 5am. That meant not much sleep. I surfed with a friend at Thirroul for an hour before jumping back into the car and driving to pick up some of the Young Men. We had organised a big bike ride – of 50 km for the morning. I was tired at the end of the riding. I had also locked my keys in the car. A call to the NRMA solved that problem, but only my pillow could solve my other problem. After I got home Kylie took the children to a church activity while I cleaned the house. When I was done I laid my head down to rest. Annie awoke within three minutes of my lying down. No sleep for me! But to make amends I got another surf in for the afternoon. The waves were the first ones we’ve had in over six weeks so I was determined to make the most of it.
Sunday was a real thrill. We arrived at church 20 minutes early – which is an accomplishment in and of itself. The children were presenting their Primary presentation in our sacrament meeting. It was wonderful. The girls did a great job with their lines and singing. And the 20-plus children on the stand were terrific. Sunday night we ate a roast dinner with friends… roast is definitely my favourite. And then we fell into bed exhausted after late nights, weddings, dancing, riding, surfing, and serving our way through another stellar week.
Sunday, 19 October 2008
So Many Birthdays
It’s been three weeks since I last wrote. Things have been generally frantic and exhausting, exhilarating and at times remarkably stressful. That included the two weeks of school holidays for the children, and the week just gone.
The holidays started fairly quietly for the children. I spent a day or two at home during that week, but worked hard at uni too. The week was uneventful. In the second week of the holidays it all started though. Kylie’s friend threw a 30th birthday for her. All of her friends chipped in to put money together so Kylie could buy a bunch of “stamping” products for making cards and other crafts. The generosity was astounding and Kylie is finalising her quite substantial order. She was ecstatic about it. There was a LOT of leftover dessert too, including an entire homemade lemon meringue pie that was too good for words. I ate it for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and for dessert as well. My body would have preferred that I be more balanced in my approach to food and I felt ill for a couple of days.
Some friends from Brisbane came to stay for three nights with their three children. We had a great week showing them the sights around Wollongong. We had pristine weather for it and enjoyed their company. We ate lots of Chicko’s too which always pleases the family. Our friends were suitably impressed with our favourite chicken shop.
We drove to Gosford on my birthday (Thurs 9th Oct), stopping to see Nan and Pop Bunt. We always enjoy visiting, and came away with an enormous bag of Pop’s home-grown spinach. I love his vegetable garden! Mum and Dad had gone to Coffs Harbour for a few days and the house was essentially ours (except for my little brother Tim who hung around). That evening I had all of my best mates come to mum and dad’s house with their families for a small birthday party. Ben, Jay, Richard, and Ian all came over. We have a great friendship that has lasted over 20 years now, and continues to be a positive influence in my life. I am grateful for good friends.
Friday we let the kids play with their cousins. Then some friends from Wollongong came to join us in Gosford for a couple of days. We ate good food, stayed up too late talking, visited Terrigal Haven, ate more good food, and enjoyed being in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. As a bonus, on Sunday afternoon before coming home we got to visit with Nanna Coulson on her 80th birthday. It was great to be there, and we would have loved to stay longer. Unfortunately it was a long drive home and the children were starting school the next day. We ruefully rushed out with full bellies and regret for not being able to enjoy our family longer.
The children’s return to school and my return to uni went quite smoothly. I have made significant progress on my writing and on my PhD research. I’ll be running the first round of data collection in the coming weeks and things are really beginning to move very fast.
Annie had her first ever swimming lesson. We get the lesson for about $3 because the three other children are swimming. She loved it, and laughed her way through the 30 minutes. I also got back into the pool. A gym membership was my birthday present and I’m looking forward to improving my health and fitness. My first swimming session caused me considerable tiredness and soreness. There’s plenty of room for improvement.
We received some disappointing news this week too. Our landlord has indicated that as of Jan 1 2009 when our lease expires he would like us to increase our weekly rental by $50. That is a surprising jump – and quite unreasonable. So now we find ourselves attempting to renegotiate our lease or needing to move out. We really don’t want to go through the pain of a move, however his request is entirely unreasonable. Even if it were well within our reach – which it is not – we would still be reluctant to pay so much more. We already pay a fair price for the home, and he assured us when we moved in that we could stay for up to three years without undue increases or discomfort. We have some big decisions in front of us.
Yesterday was Chanel and Abbie’s birthday. Chanel turned nine and Abbie reached her sixth birthday. Chanel had a huge weekend beginning on Friday night with her friend’s 9th birthday party. Then at 8am Saturday morning we had Chanel’s birthday party with a breakfast and bike ride at North Wollongong. Chanel and her friends rode several kilometers north (with me and another father) and returned for a huge fruit platter of mangoes, pineapple, strawberries, and more. Then I cooked bacon and egg rolls on the BBQ while they swam at the beach. That evening Chanel went to another friend’s birthday party! Too much fun. (Abbie will have her birthday party on Tuesday night). I should also add that we got Chanel a little mini ipod (shuffle) for her birthday and she hasn’t taken it out of her ears since we gave it to her. She walks around singing and dancing and strutting all day long.
Lastly, during the last couple of weeks I came across a t-shirt. Someone was wearing a shirt that said “This is the life I have chosen.” At times I often feel like I need to apologise for or justify the life I live, particularly in light of our financial circumstances. But reading that shirt resonated with me. I feel grateful that I can live the life I choose. While there are certain aspects of my circumstances that I would appreciate changing I feel blessed and thankful that I can live the life I do. I feel a profound sense of accomplishment as I reflect on my life and say “This is the life I have chosen.”
The holidays started fairly quietly for the children. I spent a day or two at home during that week, but worked hard at uni too. The week was uneventful. In the second week of the holidays it all started though. Kylie’s friend threw a 30th birthday for her. All of her friends chipped in to put money together so Kylie could buy a bunch of “stamping” products for making cards and other crafts. The generosity was astounding and Kylie is finalising her quite substantial order. She was ecstatic about it. There was a LOT of leftover dessert too, including an entire homemade lemon meringue pie that was too good for words. I ate it for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and for dessert as well. My body would have preferred that I be more balanced in my approach to food and I felt ill for a couple of days.
Some friends from Brisbane came to stay for three nights with their three children. We had a great week showing them the sights around Wollongong. We had pristine weather for it and enjoyed their company. We ate lots of Chicko’s too which always pleases the family. Our friends were suitably impressed with our favourite chicken shop.
We drove to Gosford on my birthday (Thurs 9th Oct), stopping to see Nan and Pop Bunt. We always enjoy visiting, and came away with an enormous bag of Pop’s home-grown spinach. I love his vegetable garden! Mum and Dad had gone to Coffs Harbour for a few days and the house was essentially ours (except for my little brother Tim who hung around). That evening I had all of my best mates come to mum and dad’s house with their families for a small birthday party. Ben, Jay, Richard, and Ian all came over. We have a great friendship that has lasted over 20 years now, and continues to be a positive influence in my life. I am grateful for good friends.
Friday we let the kids play with their cousins. Then some friends from Wollongong came to join us in Gosford for a couple of days. We ate good food, stayed up too late talking, visited Terrigal Haven, ate more good food, and enjoyed being in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. As a bonus, on Sunday afternoon before coming home we got to visit with Nanna Coulson on her 80th birthday. It was great to be there, and we would have loved to stay longer. Unfortunately it was a long drive home and the children were starting school the next day. We ruefully rushed out with full bellies and regret for not being able to enjoy our family longer.
The children’s return to school and my return to uni went quite smoothly. I have made significant progress on my writing and on my PhD research. I’ll be running the first round of data collection in the coming weeks and things are really beginning to move very fast.
Annie had her first ever swimming lesson. We get the lesson for about $3 because the three other children are swimming. She loved it, and laughed her way through the 30 minutes. I also got back into the pool. A gym membership was my birthday present and I’m looking forward to improving my health and fitness. My first swimming session caused me considerable tiredness and soreness. There’s plenty of room for improvement.
We received some disappointing news this week too. Our landlord has indicated that as of Jan 1 2009 when our lease expires he would like us to increase our weekly rental by $50. That is a surprising jump – and quite unreasonable. So now we find ourselves attempting to renegotiate our lease or needing to move out. We really don’t want to go through the pain of a move, however his request is entirely unreasonable. Even if it were well within our reach – which it is not – we would still be reluctant to pay so much more. We already pay a fair price for the home, and he assured us when we moved in that we could stay for up to three years without undue increases or discomfort. We have some big decisions in front of us.
Yesterday was Chanel and Abbie’s birthday. Chanel turned nine and Abbie reached her sixth birthday. Chanel had a huge weekend beginning on Friday night with her friend’s 9th birthday party. Then at 8am Saturday morning we had Chanel’s birthday party with a breakfast and bike ride at North Wollongong. Chanel and her friends rode several kilometers north (with me and another father) and returned for a huge fruit platter of mangoes, pineapple, strawberries, and more. Then I cooked bacon and egg rolls on the BBQ while they swam at the beach. That evening Chanel went to another friend’s birthday party! Too much fun. (Abbie will have her birthday party on Tuesday night). I should also add that we got Chanel a little mini ipod (shuffle) for her birthday and she hasn’t taken it out of her ears since we gave it to her. She walks around singing and dancing and strutting all day long.
Lastly, during the last couple of weeks I came across a t-shirt. Someone was wearing a shirt that said “This is the life I have chosen.” At times I often feel like I need to apologise for or justify the life I live, particularly in light of our financial circumstances. But reading that shirt resonated with me. I feel grateful that I can live the life I choose. While there are certain aspects of my circumstances that I would appreciate changing I feel blessed and thankful that I can live the life I do. I feel a profound sense of accomplishment as I reflect on my life and say “This is the life I have chosen.”
Monday, 29 September 2008
First weeks of Spring
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Waterbomb fights in the backyard for the first weekend of Spring. Chanel and Abbie fighting over the bucket while the neighbour throws one at them!.jpg)
Abbie surveying the damage after letting go of her first couple of waterbombs. 
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Abbie with her best friend, Elissa Thayer, reunited for a visit.
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Annie - living it up - lounging around at the beach getting fed biscuits... this kid has it good! +Spring,+September+2008.jpg)
Abbie with her school friend, Katelyn, at the beach (Nth Gong).
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Abbie missing another tooth. Abbie left a letter for the tooth fairy asking for her autograph! The tooth fairy came and left her a letter signed "Pearl" (which is the tooth fairy's real name, but apparently it's a secret). Chanel couldn't help but notice the similarity between the tooth fairy's writing and Kylie's writing... Does it get any better?
I’m laughing to myself as I begin typing. It’s just on 7 pm Sunday night. The children have had cuddles and are in bed reading stories to themselves before we turn the lights out in a few more minutes (Kylie is reading to Chanel). Ella has just climbed onto Abbie’s bed as Abbie reads. Ella is trying to put up an umbrella while balancing above Abbie. She is so funny!
This past week has been absolutely super. I’m going to try to be brief, but I’m overflowing with enthusiasm and gratitude for the amazing week we’ve enjoyed. Before I go through the calendar of events, it’s probably worth sharing a few priceless funny moments we’ve laughed at.
Chanel has been typing a lot, and is becoming quite familiar with the computer. Whenever the computer indicates that Chanel has spelled a word incorrectly she clicks on the spellcheck function and, instead of looking for the correct spelling, she ADDS her misspelled word to the computer’s inbuilt dictionary! Talk about Little Miss Know-it-all.
Ella has been reading Abbie’s fairy chapter books. Obviously Ella cannot read though. Instead she just stares at the pages of the book and creates a fairy story all of her own. She tells the story at the top of her voice, flicking through the pages as she imagines her own private fairy world. A couple of nights ago I asked her to turn off the light and go to sleep. She turned off the light but kept “reading”. A few minutes later all was quiet. This girl is priceless. We’ve also been pleased with her speech, and this week Ella woke up four days in a row with a dry nappy. She felt terrific. We’ve also had a few wet ones though, so we’re hoping that things are about to improve for her.
Annie has been climbing the stairs most days. Early in the week she negotiated her way DOWN the back step. By the end of the week she was climbing down our staircase. She makes me nervous. We watch her all the way and she is amazing. Very methodical, slow, and deliberate. She’s doing well.
The week was somewhat productive for me, though I didn’t get a huge amount done. The main reason was that I had to give three lectures and that required quite a bit of rehearsal time and delivery time. It is so cool to be lecturing at university. Who would have ever thought this former radio jock would be teaching psychology students at uni? Monday I gave two lectures. One was on the science of attraction and mate selection. It was a fun lecture but the students’ minds were elsewhere (probably asleep since it was 9.30 on Monday morning). The second lecture was a positive psychology lecture about how positive emotions can build resilience and be beneficial in overcoming stress, depression, and anxiety. I spent quite a bit of time talking about savouring and reminiscence. It was a great lecture, and REALLY enjoyable. That afternoon I gave my students an assignment to write a 300-word letter to someone who has contributed significantly to their life. They were instructed to visit that person and read the letter out loud. I’m looking forward to the reports next week.
We had a fun family home evening on Monday night. Tuesday I searched in vain for some surf. It’s been dead flat for weeks. Spring is great for weather, but awful for surfing. Tuesday was also really exciting because some of our great friends from Brisbane came for a visit for a couple of days. Shaun and Elena Thayer brought their three little ones along. Elissa is Abbie’s BEST friend, and they had a terrific time catching up, playing, and generally being in each other’s pockets again. Ella enjoyed the younger kids too, and Kylie and I relished time with our good friends. It was great to see them. We showed them around the ‘Gong on Tuesday afternoon after eating a superb Chicko’s lunch (they were suitably impressed with the amazing food). Shaun left early Wednesday to travel to Canberra. There he participated in an interview to get into medical school. He says he’s unlikely to accept even if they’ll take him though as he has been accepted into the armed forces to train as a pilot. Flying seems more exciting to him than another five years of study and poverty. Fair enough.
While Shaun was in Canberra Kylie took Elena with her children, along with Ella and Abbie (who happily took the day off school) to the park while I watched our sleeping Annie. I also rewrote my lecture for the following day after reviewing it and finding it 20 minutes short. We farewelled the Thayers on Wednesday night.
Thursday morning Abbie visited the dentist and had her front tooth plucked out. She was superb, brave, and pleased to see the end of that tooth. It was the one that has been grey for several years. I delivered my final lecture that afternoon. Another really fun one, on the social psychology of human communication. I spent considerable time talking about the anatomy of an argument and how acceptance can be a greater force for blessing a relationship than the ongoing efforts to “change” someone. The students seemed to genuinely enjoy the lecture which was satisfying for me.
Friday was a big day in the Coulson household. Chanel had the day off because it was the last day of the school term, and Abbie had spent Wednesday at home with Elissa. During the morning Chanel and Kylie spent some time together, before Chanel and I went for a bike ride. We parked at City Beach, Wollongong, and rode almost 6 klms north along the bike track that parallels the beach. At Towradgi (pronounced Ta-rodg-ee) we turned around and headed back to the car. Chanel did an 11.5 klm bike ride – and loved every minute of it.
We returned home for lunch and then Kylie, Chanel, and I had a very ‘adult’ conversation. Because we are interested in Chanel’s daily activities we have discovered that the content of some conversations Chanel is exposed to at school has been quite intimate. For some months I have been telling Kylie that Chanel was nearly ready for “the talk” about “the facts of life”. Kylie has been reluctant, and we both felt that age eight was too young. Based on some conversations we’ve had with Chanel though, we knew if we didn’t explain things to her someone far less helpful and knowledgeable might.
I’m not going to reveal too much, but have to share just a little. The conversation was a wonderful experience and a terrific success. Chanel was embarrassed but when we explained that talking about adult things required her to be suitably mature she really smartened up. Chanel determined the direction of the conversation, and her interest or questions allowed us to know how best to help her understand. She was duly unimpressed to know how babies are made, and cringed at the thought that her parents had no other option when there was a desire to procreate. Worse still, the fact that such an act preceded four babies was almost too much for her! It was very funny.
Chanel assured us that she would find another way to have a baby when she was married and old enough to be a mum. She also pointed out that Abraham and Sarah in the bible had a baby because they prayed, and therefore the physical intimacy wasn’t a prerequisite after all. I hope that she maintains that attitude for a VERY LONG TIME! And I hope that subsequent discussions with her, and the requisite discussions that we will have with her sisters, when the time comes, will be equally positive experiences.
I checked my university email Friday night since I hadn’t been in that day. The Catholic Education Office gave me clearance to use their schools to collect data for my PhD project. It only took them one single day to approve it. What a great result! I was expecting to have to wait at least four weeks.
Saturday morning was terrific too. I went for a bike ride from Wollongong to Bulli and back with one of the men I home-teach (at church we visit people every month to share spiritual messages, help out and so on). He loves bike-riding and was really excited that I love to ride. We had a great time, although he’s a touch older than me and seemed to be less able to ride at my preferred speed. Despite that I slowed right down and enjoyed the company and the ride. I cannot believe how much I enjoy riding my bike! At the end of the ride he commented on the “acceleration” my bike seemed to possess! I laughed and suggested that the bike didn’t have the acceleration – it was my legs!
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After the ride I had arranged to meet Kylie and the kids at the beach, so I farewelled my friend and spent a couple of hours on the sand watching the kids play at the lagoon and having a terrific time. We live in a great place. We returned home at about 10 am. I don’t like the children being out in the sun much after 10 – it gets too hot. The car got a spruce up (badly needed), and the veggies got some attention too. The tomatoes are growing well, and the spinach is unbelievable! The lettuce is going to have to come out though, and the capsicum is growing a little slowly. And I think that I might have killed our chilli plant.
While we worked in the garden the children and I got to see about six sulphur-crested cockatoos strut around our backyard and in the branches of our trees. They are noisy pests to some, but we were thrilled to be so close to such beautiful looking birds.
One of my favourite moments this week was Saturday afternoon. Kylie was at Campbelltown for a church activity and I had all four kids. When it was time for Annie to go to sleep I wrapped her up, cradled her, and fed the bottle to her. The whole time she stared up at me with her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was a moment that could last forever. She looked up at me with perfect trust, and made me feel so blessed.
The highlight of the week, though, was today. Chanel woke me up at a few minutes to six am. We wrote a talk together about Family Home Evening. I gave Chanel a few questions to answer, and they formed the basic talk. She did a great job answering them, and responded really well. I helped her find a couple of quotes, and we inserted the story of Naaman and Elisha. Then Chanel practiced.
This past week has been absolutely super. I’m going to try to be brief, but I’m overflowing with enthusiasm and gratitude for the amazing week we’ve enjoyed. Before I go through the calendar of events, it’s probably worth sharing a few priceless funny moments we’ve laughed at.
Chanel has been typing a lot, and is becoming quite familiar with the computer. Whenever the computer indicates that Chanel has spelled a word incorrectly she clicks on the spellcheck function and, instead of looking for the correct spelling, she ADDS her misspelled word to the computer’s inbuilt dictionary! Talk about Little Miss Know-it-all.
Ella has been reading Abbie’s fairy chapter books. Obviously Ella cannot read though. Instead she just stares at the pages of the book and creates a fairy story all of her own. She tells the story at the top of her voice, flicking through the pages as she imagines her own private fairy world. A couple of nights ago I asked her to turn off the light and go to sleep. She turned off the light but kept “reading”. A few minutes later all was quiet. This girl is priceless. We’ve also been pleased with her speech, and this week Ella woke up four days in a row with a dry nappy. She felt terrific. We’ve also had a few wet ones though, so we’re hoping that things are about to improve for her.
Annie has been climbing the stairs most days. Early in the week she negotiated her way DOWN the back step. By the end of the week she was climbing down our staircase. She makes me nervous. We watch her all the way and she is amazing. Very methodical, slow, and deliberate. She’s doing well.
The week was somewhat productive for me, though I didn’t get a huge amount done. The main reason was that I had to give three lectures and that required quite a bit of rehearsal time and delivery time. It is so cool to be lecturing at university. Who would have ever thought this former radio jock would be teaching psychology students at uni? Monday I gave two lectures. One was on the science of attraction and mate selection. It was a fun lecture but the students’ minds were elsewhere (probably asleep since it was 9.30 on Monday morning). The second lecture was a positive psychology lecture about how positive emotions can build resilience and be beneficial in overcoming stress, depression, and anxiety. I spent quite a bit of time talking about savouring and reminiscence. It was a great lecture, and REALLY enjoyable. That afternoon I gave my students an assignment to write a 300-word letter to someone who has contributed significantly to their life. They were instructed to visit that person and read the letter out loud. I’m looking forward to the reports next week.
We had a fun family home evening on Monday night. Tuesday I searched in vain for some surf. It’s been dead flat for weeks. Spring is great for weather, but awful for surfing. Tuesday was also really exciting because some of our great friends from Brisbane came for a visit for a couple of days. Shaun and Elena Thayer brought their three little ones along. Elissa is Abbie’s BEST friend, and they had a terrific time catching up, playing, and generally being in each other’s pockets again. Ella enjoyed the younger kids too, and Kylie and I relished time with our good friends. It was great to see them. We showed them around the ‘Gong on Tuesday afternoon after eating a superb Chicko’s lunch (they were suitably impressed with the amazing food). Shaun left early Wednesday to travel to Canberra. There he participated in an interview to get into medical school. He says he’s unlikely to accept even if they’ll take him though as he has been accepted into the armed forces to train as a pilot. Flying seems more exciting to him than another five years of study and poverty. Fair enough.
While Shaun was in Canberra Kylie took Elena with her children, along with Ella and Abbie (who happily took the day off school) to the park while I watched our sleeping Annie. I also rewrote my lecture for the following day after reviewing it and finding it 20 minutes short. We farewelled the Thayers on Wednesday night.
Thursday morning Abbie visited the dentist and had her front tooth plucked out. She was superb, brave, and pleased to see the end of that tooth. It was the one that has been grey for several years. I delivered my final lecture that afternoon. Another really fun one, on the social psychology of human communication. I spent considerable time talking about the anatomy of an argument and how acceptance can be a greater force for blessing a relationship than the ongoing efforts to “change” someone. The students seemed to genuinely enjoy the lecture which was satisfying for me.
Friday was a big day in the Coulson household. Chanel had the day off because it was the last day of the school term, and Abbie had spent Wednesday at home with Elissa. During the morning Chanel and Kylie spent some time together, before Chanel and I went for a bike ride. We parked at City Beach, Wollongong, and rode almost 6 klms north along the bike track that parallels the beach. At Towradgi (pronounced Ta-rodg-ee) we turned around and headed back to the car. Chanel did an 11.5 klm bike ride – and loved every minute of it.We returned home for lunch and then Kylie, Chanel, and I had a very ‘adult’ conversation. Because we are interested in Chanel’s daily activities we have discovered that the content of some conversations Chanel is exposed to at school has been quite intimate. For some months I have been telling Kylie that Chanel was nearly ready for “the talk” about “the facts of life”. Kylie has been reluctant, and we both felt that age eight was too young. Based on some conversations we’ve had with Chanel though, we knew if we didn’t explain things to her someone far less helpful and knowledgeable might.
I’m not going to reveal too much, but have to share just a little. The conversation was a wonderful experience and a terrific success. Chanel was embarrassed but when we explained that talking about adult things required her to be suitably mature she really smartened up. Chanel determined the direction of the conversation, and her interest or questions allowed us to know how best to help her understand. She was duly unimpressed to know how babies are made, and cringed at the thought that her parents had no other option when there was a desire to procreate. Worse still, the fact that such an act preceded four babies was almost too much for her! It was very funny.
Chanel assured us that she would find another way to have a baby when she was married and old enough to be a mum. She also pointed out that Abraham and Sarah in the bible had a baby because they prayed, and therefore the physical intimacy wasn’t a prerequisite after all. I hope that she maintains that attitude for a VERY LONG TIME! And I hope that subsequent discussions with her, and the requisite discussions that we will have with her sisters, when the time comes, will be equally positive experiences.
I checked my university email Friday night since I hadn’t been in that day. The Catholic Education Office gave me clearance to use their schools to collect data for my PhD project. It only took them one single day to approve it. What a great result! I was expecting to have to wait at least four weeks.
Saturday morning was terrific too. I went for a bike ride from Wollongong to Bulli and back with one of the men I home-teach (at church we visit people every month to share spiritual messages, help out and so on). He loves bike-riding and was really excited that I love to ride. We had a great time, although he’s a touch older than me and seemed to be less able to ride at my preferred speed. Despite that I slowed right down and enjoyed the company and the ride. I cannot believe how much I enjoy riding my bike! At the end of the ride he commented on the “acceleration” my bike seemed to possess! I laughed and suggested that the bike didn’t have the acceleration – it was my legs!
After the ride I had arranged to meet Kylie and the kids at the beach, so I farewelled my friend and spent a couple of hours on the sand watching the kids play at the lagoon and having a terrific time. We live in a great place. We returned home at about 10 am. I don’t like the children being out in the sun much after 10 – it gets too hot. The car got a spruce up (badly needed), and the veggies got some attention too. The tomatoes are growing well, and the spinach is unbelievable! The lettuce is going to have to come out though, and the capsicum is growing a little slowly. And I think that I might have killed our chilli plant.While we worked in the garden the children and I got to see about six sulphur-crested cockatoos strut around our backyard and in the branches of our trees. They are noisy pests to some, but we were thrilled to be so close to such beautiful looking birds.
One of my favourite moments this week was Saturday afternoon. Kylie was at Campbelltown for a church activity and I had all four kids. When it was time for Annie to go to sleep I wrapped her up, cradled her, and fed the bottle to her. The whole time she stared up at me with her gorgeous hazel eyes. It was a moment that could last forever. She looked up at me with perfect trust, and made me feel so blessed.
The highlight of the week, though, was today. Chanel woke me up at a few minutes to six am. We wrote a talk together about Family Home Evening. I gave Chanel a few questions to answer, and they formed the basic talk. She did a great job answering them, and responded really well. I helped her find a couple of quotes, and we inserted the story of Naaman and Elisha. Then Chanel practiced.
Normally children under twelve don’t speak in sacrament meetings. But because we have a smaller congregation Chanel, aged eight, was asked to speak. She stood at the pulpit and delivered her talk with absolute confidence. She spoke beautifully clearly, gave meaning and animation to her words, and stunned the congregation. An amazing job done by my little baby. Her talk lasted about five minutes, and for the entire five minutes I fought back tears that threatened to spill out of my eyes. My heart was swollen with joy, and I relished the immense feelings of gratitude I had for my precious princess as she talked about our family. This has been an amazing week – one week-long blessing.
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Focused Effectiveness
I want to start this week’s update with a letter Abbie wrote a few weeks back about her family. Here’s how it goes:
My Family:
I have a mum and dad and sisters and me. My mum likes to make food and it is yummy. My dad likes to make me laugh. My sisters like to play with me. My family likes to spend time with each other.
Abbie May brings a smile to our faces and warmth into our hearts. Randomly, and unexpectedly, Abbie will often call to Kylie or I. When we respond she simply says, “I love you”, and carries on with whatever she was doing. She is a joy. This week we got a terrific surprise too. Abbie came home with a list of very big words and proceeded to read them to us. They were the Grade 5 list of words. Abbie is in kindergarten, not even Grade 1. I know I sound like a boastful dad, but we were stunned. She is excelling at school, and despite her high-pitched whining (which she does quite a lot of), she is a wonderful daughter.
The week began for me with ongoing struggles with the cold that seemingly reached out and grabbed me during Winter’s last gasp. Lethargy and weight loss combined to keep me feeling pretty low all week. But I feel like I’m finally back on top and ready to get back into things in top gear again.
I had an excellent week of focused study time for the first time in ages. I wrote a first draft of an article I’m working on; about 4 300 words which was pretty good for a one week effort. The first 3000 words represent my best thinking and I’m so pleased with it. The last 1300 words were a shemozzle (I’m sure I spelt that poorly). But by the time I got to the end I was over it and needed to send it to my supervisors just so I can get some fresh thinking going into it for the second draft. I’m really looking forward to tidying it up and feel like it will be successfully reviewed when I finally get to submit it. I am also making progress on having my ethics application approved, and should be able to start running some research very soon.
I had a pretty serious heart to heart conversation with the administrators at the swimming complex where the girls have their lessons and training. I have been quite disappointed with their progress of all the children and made it clearly known. We got some pretty good attention this week after my conversation with them. And it looks as though there’ll be some fairly significant changes too. Hopefully that means that in the coming months there will be some positive progress.
Our poor little Chanel Lauren is still having an awful time at school. It seems that her former “best friend” is taking enormous delight in dragging Chanel’s feelings through the mud, and the thrill of the kill is even more tantalising because of Chanel’s tender heart. I would love to march down to the school and give that little girl a good talking to, but instead I have to be patient and coach Chanel in how best to work through things. Unfortunately Chanel is not a good student when Kylie and I tell her one thing and her confused and forgiving heart wants to do something else. So Chanel continually attempts to repair a lost relationship, and experiences ongoing pain as her former friend tramples on her feelings. We are glad that this is the final week of school before the holidays. Chanel can enjoy a couple of weeks of respite, and hopefully return to school for her final term with a new resolve, and a new set of friends.
At the end of a wonderful week we decided that we really needed to spend some great family time together. Saturday morning was like a summer’s day. It was HOT. We packed the bikes onto the back of the car and drove to North Wollongong. The bikes never got off the back of the car though. As soon as the kids saw the sand and waves they forgot all about bike riding! We spent a couple of wonderful hours playing on the beach. The water is still like ice, but that didn’t stop any of the kids from getting drenched several times over. We finally returned to the car, exhausted, but entirely satisfied. It was a great morning. That afternoon we had a bbq at a friend’s house. Steak, salad, ginger beer! It was great fun.
After the kids were asleep – and it didn’t take long – Kylie spent some time with her semi-estranged friend. I waited up… and waited… and waited… needless to say, they worked things out reasonably well. Kylie didn’t get home until after midnight. That is SO past my bedtime!
Today was church. Owing to our poor preparations for the Sabbath, we were a little sluggish during the service. I’d like to say that it was uplifting and edifying. Instead, it was a challenge to get through. An absent organist made the singing extra sleepy too! Somehow we kept our eyes open though, and made it through to the end of the meeting block. I was about to take the children home (Kylie had a meeting) when Kylie suggested that the kids stay in one of the classrooms and I baby sit. In so doing I could help out some other folks who needed their kids watched. I agreed. Oops. At one point I was watching 18 children, ON MY OWN! Fortunately a couple of other men came and helped out. We fed 18 children lasagne for lunch. After an hour I was certain that Kylie was going to be finishing things up. Wrong! The meeting went for two-and-a-half hours! Oh boy. It was a relief to come home.
It’s a funny thing, as I reflect on the week’s experiences each week, and consider the highlights and things that have made the week a blessing to me, I can’t help but feel great. Right now I’m super tired, Kylie is asleep in one of the girls’ beds (probably Ella’s), all four of the girls are snoring soundly, and the new week is about to begin. And all I can do is smile and feel grateful that our lives are so blessed. And I can’t wait for the new week to fire up! But first, I need to attack Kylie’s leftover homemade oven-baked cheesecake that’s sitting needlessly in the fridge!
My Family:
I have a mum and dad and sisters and me. My mum likes to make food and it is yummy. My dad likes to make me laugh. My sisters like to play with me. My family likes to spend time with each other.
Abbie May brings a smile to our faces and warmth into our hearts. Randomly, and unexpectedly, Abbie will often call to Kylie or I. When we respond she simply says, “I love you”, and carries on with whatever she was doing. She is a joy. This week we got a terrific surprise too. Abbie came home with a list of very big words and proceeded to read them to us. They were the Grade 5 list of words. Abbie is in kindergarten, not even Grade 1. I know I sound like a boastful dad, but we were stunned. She is excelling at school, and despite her high-pitched whining (which she does quite a lot of), she is a wonderful daughter.
The week began for me with ongoing struggles with the cold that seemingly reached out and grabbed me during Winter’s last gasp. Lethargy and weight loss combined to keep me feeling pretty low all week. But I feel like I’m finally back on top and ready to get back into things in top gear again.
I had an excellent week of focused study time for the first time in ages. I wrote a first draft of an article I’m working on; about 4 300 words which was pretty good for a one week effort. The first 3000 words represent my best thinking and I’m so pleased with it. The last 1300 words were a shemozzle (I’m sure I spelt that poorly). But by the time I got to the end I was over it and needed to send it to my supervisors just so I can get some fresh thinking going into it for the second draft. I’m really looking forward to tidying it up and feel like it will be successfully reviewed when I finally get to submit it. I am also making progress on having my ethics application approved, and should be able to start running some research very soon.
I had a pretty serious heart to heart conversation with the administrators at the swimming complex where the girls have their lessons and training. I have been quite disappointed with their progress of all the children and made it clearly known. We got some pretty good attention this week after my conversation with them. And it looks as though there’ll be some fairly significant changes too. Hopefully that means that in the coming months there will be some positive progress.
Our poor little Chanel Lauren is still having an awful time at school. It seems that her former “best friend” is taking enormous delight in dragging Chanel’s feelings through the mud, and the thrill of the kill is even more tantalising because of Chanel’s tender heart. I would love to march down to the school and give that little girl a good talking to, but instead I have to be patient and coach Chanel in how best to work through things. Unfortunately Chanel is not a good student when Kylie and I tell her one thing and her confused and forgiving heart wants to do something else. So Chanel continually attempts to repair a lost relationship, and experiences ongoing pain as her former friend tramples on her feelings. We are glad that this is the final week of school before the holidays. Chanel can enjoy a couple of weeks of respite, and hopefully return to school for her final term with a new resolve, and a new set of friends.
At the end of a wonderful week we decided that we really needed to spend some great family time together. Saturday morning was like a summer’s day. It was HOT. We packed the bikes onto the back of the car and drove to North Wollongong. The bikes never got off the back of the car though. As soon as the kids saw the sand and waves they forgot all about bike riding! We spent a couple of wonderful hours playing on the beach. The water is still like ice, but that didn’t stop any of the kids from getting drenched several times over. We finally returned to the car, exhausted, but entirely satisfied. It was a great morning. That afternoon we had a bbq at a friend’s house. Steak, salad, ginger beer! It was great fun.
After the kids were asleep – and it didn’t take long – Kylie spent some time with her semi-estranged friend. I waited up… and waited… and waited… needless to say, they worked things out reasonably well. Kylie didn’t get home until after midnight. That is SO past my bedtime!
Today was church. Owing to our poor preparations for the Sabbath, we were a little sluggish during the service. I’d like to say that it was uplifting and edifying. Instead, it was a challenge to get through. An absent organist made the singing extra sleepy too! Somehow we kept our eyes open though, and made it through to the end of the meeting block. I was about to take the children home (Kylie had a meeting) when Kylie suggested that the kids stay in one of the classrooms and I baby sit. In so doing I could help out some other folks who needed their kids watched. I agreed. Oops. At one point I was watching 18 children, ON MY OWN! Fortunately a couple of other men came and helped out. We fed 18 children lasagne for lunch. After an hour I was certain that Kylie was going to be finishing things up. Wrong! The meeting went for two-and-a-half hours! Oh boy. It was a relief to come home.
It’s a funny thing, as I reflect on the week’s experiences each week, and consider the highlights and things that have made the week a blessing to me, I can’t help but feel great. Right now I’m super tired, Kylie is asleep in one of the girls’ beds (probably Ella’s), all four of the girls are snoring soundly, and the new week is about to begin. And all I can do is smile and feel grateful that our lives are so blessed. And I can’t wait for the new week to fire up! But first, I need to attack Kylie’s leftover homemade oven-baked cheesecake that’s sitting needlessly in the fridge!
Monday, 1 September 2008
Annie's Birthday
Here are a few photo's from Annie Grace's 1st Birthday.
Wow! A cake with sparklers. What a great idea since I can't blow out a candle anyway!
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So the cake was for scrunching up and mashing wasn't it? I mean, who eats chocolate? It's so bad for you!
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Do I look like a grown-up now that I'm one?
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Contemplation... I've mashed the cake... should I eat any? Nah...
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Here's the pretty chocolate cake mum made for me to mash up! Thanks mum!
Here's my big sister Ella with her woolly toy. Isn't she a cutie.
Wow! A cake with sparklers. What a great idea since I can't blow out a candle anyway!.jpg)
So the cake was for scrunching up and mashing wasn't it? I mean, who eats chocolate? It's so bad for you!.jpg)
Do I look like a grown-up now that I'm one?.jpg)
Contemplation... I've mashed the cake... should I eat any? Nah....jpg)
Here's the pretty chocolate cake mum made for me to mash up! Thanks mum!Here's my big sister Ella with her woolly toy. Isn't she a cutie.More conflict than normal
Wow! The last day of Winter. How does it all happen so fast? A huge week with so little time and space to fill you in. I’ll start off with some small updates for the family.
Kylie has had a LOT on her plate. There is a series of books that Kylie has begun reading. They are big, and long, and Kylie is addicted. You know how it is when you sink your teeth into a great book! Well, Kylie cannot put them down, which means it’s a real challenge to get her moving on anything other than reading! In fact Kylie was so absorbed that when Ella was having her swimming lesson Kylie kept reading. Annie crawled to the pool! Ella yelled at her teacher, who was trying to instruct her: “Stop!” and then looked at Annie and cried, “Danger!” That was enough to reclaim Kylie’s focus and Annie was fine, though a little wet. Kylie closed the book after that! But we’re getting there. Two of the books are now completed: Twilight, and New Moon.
Kylie also had a rather unfortunate argument with a friend this week. It is always upsetting when relationships are conflict-riddled. This friend is unbelievable to us! We love her and her family, and Kylie and her are terrific friends. However, the possibility of our eventual departure from Wollongong (in a couple of years) is a little confronting for her. As such, a discussion about our possible move in 2010 or 2011 led to heartbreak. Hopefully time will settle emotions and this friend will understand that we can have a wonderful relationship whether nearby or at a distance.
Chanel has had an up and down week. An ongoing conflict with her best friend in Wollongong, Paige, appears to be healing, but the relationship looks unlikely to return to its previous strength. What is it with females and relationships? Boys don’t have anywhere near the interpersonal struggles! What is it going to be like when I have four teenage daughters? Oh no! Our poor little girl has been getting teased at school quite a lot because she doesn’t swear, she goes to church on Sunday, her parents don’t drink alcohol, and any number of other things. It’s heartbreaking.
Chanel also put herself into some serious trouble this week though. A friend was playing with her on Saturday morning, and Abbie was attempting to join in. Chanel did something particularly repulsive and had Abbie repeat it in order to get her in trouble. This was done in front of the friend, so Chanel tainted both of the children. Abbie did get into trouble. But then we realised her innocence. Chanel received a talking to more severe than she has ever experienced. Her friend was at home by this stage so after she apologised to her sister we drove to our friend’s home. Chanel then had the opportunity to apologise to her friend. Then she apologised to her friend’s parents for betraying their trust too. Lessons were learned. I don’t know that I have ever been so upset with one of my children.
I have reflected on that quite a lot. I am grateful that Chanel learned. However, I wonder if I might have been more patient and loving in the experience. When it was over I invited her to write me a letter explaining what she had learned from the experience. She learned three things. The first was perfect. But the second and third items on the list reflected her perception that she learned if she did the wrong thing her daddy didn’t love her. I had to do some more teaching. That misunderstanding was cleared up with a little more time and kindness. I am glad that my Father above is more patient with me, and doesn’t come down so hard on me when I make mistakes – even big ones.
On the bright side, Chanel has begun sharing jokes… endlessly. And they’re terrible! Oh no. I remember when I used to do that all the time. I would walk around the house reading jokes that were completely lame to whoever would listen. Now it’s my turn to be on the receiving end. Oh no!
Chanel, Abbie, and Ella have all been fighting a losing battle with nits for the past month. We have treated, washed, cleaned, combed, re-treated, combed, cleaned and re-treated their hair so many times! We hope that we have finally seen the end of it all. Boys don’t have this much nit trouble!
Abbie and Ella have had a relatively quiet week, not a lot to report. Oh – except that when we pray now Ella has become the prayer police. And we don’t fold our arms anymore. She has us place our palms together in the Catholic way. I’m not sure where she got it from, but if we don’t do it right Ella stops the prayer and insists that we do as she says! It’s very funny. She takes it very seriously..jpg)
Annie Grace celebrated her first birthday on the 30th (Saturday). I cannot understand how my little girl is one already. She is still an angel, peaceful, and a complete delight. Several more teeth have cut through and she is dealing with them beautifully. We love to lie on the bed and watch her play. She sits herself up, then allows herself to fall all the way back. Then we hear her giggle, and climb back up to do it again. She is beautiful.
One of the highlights of our week was an unscheduled visit from mum and dad. They drove down with Paris for Sunday afternoon. We ate vegetable soup… lots of vegetable soup. The kids played and laughed. And we enjoyed our time with mum and dad. Then we had cake! Annie did what all one-year-olds do with their first birthday cake. None of it went into her mouth – it all went into her hair! No surprises for us the fourth time around, but wonderfully cute. She was given some beautiful gifts from grandparents and friends, and I’m sure if she could say thanks she would.
As for my week, I felt like it was a little flat. Tuesday I gave a 30 minute presentation at uni as a “confirmation” of my PhD. It had to be good enough to prove that I have a viable PhD topic and that my progress is satisfactory. I felt like it stank. I’m used to very different presentations. Instead of the receptive audience I enjoy when I usually teach family presentations or church lessons my audience was a bunch of dry, critical-thinking psychological scientists. So without interaction and emotion it was a scientific, dry presentation that even I got bored with. My supervisors assured me that it went well. In fact apparently it went very well. And they felt like I did everything right. On the very bright side, all of the attendees believe that my research has a very strong commercial viability and have indicated that the University will fly me back to Brisbane to attend a conference on protecting my intellectual property and research. So I didn’t like it, but it appears to have gone reasonable well anywayJ.
I took Wednesday off and went to the temple. I felt like I needed the recharge, and it felt good to be there. I miss being 10 minutes from the temple like we were in Brisbane. Down here it’s quite an expedition and takes half a day!
Friday I picked up 5 or 6 of the youth in the ward and went camping. We went to a farm our bishop owns just south of Gerringong. They had a terrific time, ate too many lollies, stayed up too late, played with the fire too much, and generally drove me mad! But it was worth it all… I just missed my family.
Sunday morning began with a rude awakening. Kylie was pushing me out of bed just before 6am. I was still asleep, but was vaguely aware that I was being told to look after one of the children. I got to the base of our wooden staircase. Then I heard a terrible sound. One of the kids was about to be sick. I got up about 4 steps when I heard an even worse noise. It was the splatter of the expelled waste on the stairs. Oh no! Next thing I knew, I was cleaning up an awful, stinky mess. Poor Abbie was feeling terrible. Disinfectant was popular this morning! So Abbie and Annie stayed home from church while I took Chanel and Ella. It was nice to be there, to participate in the meeting.
Sunday, 31 August 2008
YM activities
OK - For the YM of Wollongong Ward, here's the info you need until the end of the year.
UPDATED: 30th Sept 2008
Sept 2 - Duty to God
Sept 9 - Ten Pin Bowling night
Sept 16 - Combined night with YW: Scripture Mastery Prep (with food)
Sept 23 - LDS Movie Night: The best two years
Sept 30 - Cooking night: Risotto
Oct 7 - Birthday Party (Justin): We're playing WATER BALLOON VOLLEYBALL!
Oct 14 - Priests 10km run (in 60 mins), Deacons run 2km run and other fitness
Oct 21 - Mt Keira hike
Sat Oct 25 - 50km bike ride to Thirroul
Oct 28 - Duty to God
Nov 4 - Combined night with YW: Mini-olympics
Nov 11 - First Aid Night (Raff to teach)
Sat Nov 15 - Mount Kosciuscko hike
Nov 18 - Pool night with Duty to God requirements
Nov 25 - Duty to God
Dec 2 - Combined night with YW: Lost in the suburbs
Dec 9 - Jack's codebreaker/puzzle night
Dec 16 - Breakup party at McCalls
Here's the recipe for the Risotto so you can cook it for your families...
What you'll need:
1 large onion chopped finely
2 teaspoons of garlic
1 chicken breast (dice it up)
A little less than a quarter of a pumpkin (depending on the size of the pumpkin) diced up
1 teaspoon of mixed herbs
1 and a half cups of arborio rice
1 litre of water
4 teaspoons of chicken stock powder
What you do:
Cook the onion and garlic in a little bit of oil
Add the chicken until it's cooked
Add the pumpkin pieces and cook them for a couple of minutes
Add the rice and stir it up so it coats everything in the pot for a couple of minutes
Add the water and stock powder and the mixed herbs and bring it to the boil
Lower the water to a simmer and cook it until the water is almost gone (but keep it moist)
Turn it off and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving
UPDATED: 30th Sept 2008
Sept 2 - Duty to God
Sept 9 - Ten Pin Bowling night
Sept 16 - Combined night with YW: Scripture Mastery Prep (with food)
Sept 23 - LDS Movie Night: The best two years
Sept 30 - Cooking night: Risotto
Oct 7 - Birthday Party (Justin): We're playing WATER BALLOON VOLLEYBALL!
Oct 14 - Priests 10km run (in 60 mins), Deacons run 2km run and other fitness
Oct 21 - Mt Keira hike
Sat Oct 25 - 50km bike ride to Thirroul
Oct 28 - Duty to God
Nov 4 - Combined night with YW: Mini-olympics
Nov 11 - First Aid Night (Raff to teach)
Sat Nov 15 - Mount Kosciuscko hike
Nov 18 - Pool night with Duty to God requirements
Nov 25 - Duty to God
Dec 2 - Combined night with YW: Lost in the suburbs
Dec 9 - Jack's codebreaker/puzzle night
Dec 16 - Breakup party at McCalls
Here's the recipe for the Risotto so you can cook it for your families...
What you'll need:
1 large onion chopped finely
2 teaspoons of garlic
1 chicken breast (dice it up)
A little less than a quarter of a pumpkin (depending on the size of the pumpkin) diced up
1 teaspoon of mixed herbs
1 and a half cups of arborio rice
1 litre of water
4 teaspoons of chicken stock powder
What you do:
Cook the onion and garlic in a little bit of oil
Add the chicken until it's cooked
Add the pumpkin pieces and cook them for a couple of minutes
Add the rice and stir it up so it coats everything in the pot for a couple of minutes
Add the water and stock powder and the mixed herbs and bring it to the boil
Lower the water to a simmer and cook it until the water is almost gone (but keep it moist)
Turn it off and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving
Monday, 21 July 2008
A Quiet Sunday
It has been a difficult week for me this week. I have been at university while Kylie has had the children for the final week of school holidays. Unfortunately my efforts at university were lacklustre at best. Easily distracted, struggling to focus, and feeling theoretically bereft. I took time off here and there but it didn’t help me focus at all. By Friday I had enough and took the whole day off. I spent the morning with Kylie and the children before locking myself in the bedroom to read for the afternoon. It was the best study I did all week. I accomplished more in those 4 hours than I had in the four previous days. And I uncovered lots of work to be done. I feel revitalised and ready to pursue my passion again. I also decided I will study at home in a locked bedroom more often. There are far fewer distractions at home than at university (when I’m locked in my bedroom).
During the week we received some new furniture. A former client of my parents had not paid any bills for several years regarding the storage of their furniture. We claimed a King size bed! Wow – they’re so big. Of course, we have no linen for the bed – no blankets, sheets, or anything else. Oops. I got in trouble for that one. Fortunately, a generous friend had a few spare sets she happily shared. And Kylie’s sisters provided us an early birthday present to make up what we were missing. The generosity we have experienced in the past few months has been incredible. We certainly did nothing to deserve it. We feel remarkably blessed. I see a powerful spiritual parallel in relation to the gift of mercy. We cannot earn it, yet we receive it. If we earned it, it would cease to be mercy, but would instead be justice. I digress…
The main reason I wanted the king size bed was because the children climb in at all hours of the night. When we slept in the queen bed, it got quite tight at times. Somehow, this still happens even though the new bed is enormous. That’s because when one of the children climbs in, she’ll snuggle up to me. To give myself room I edge towards Kylie. Then my precious daughter will slide across in an attempt to be closer. Soon enough all three of us are squished on one side of the bed wondering how a king size bed can be so tight! I’ll have to try and put the child in the middle from now on. That may solve the problem.
We met with another psychologist regarding Ella. We feel that we’re chasing our tails a little bit though. I get the feeling that Ella is simply a little more challenging than most children, but that she’ll grow out of it. She is alarming us consistently with her talking and her very mature way of perceiving some things. Of course, she reminds us that she’s only four consistently too.
+July+2008.jpg)
Kylie adds: The kids have had a fairly active week as the school holidays come to a close. There have been play dates galore and long-anticipated time with the neighbours. Chanel and Mary (one of the four girls from next door) even put on another little backyard show for both families. They showed us some ‘death-defying’ tricks on their bicycles. Our neighbours are a doctor and nurse. It is so funny watching them freak out as their children play with our children. Our kids seem to like to take a lot more risks than John and Catherine are comfortable with!
Chanel has been on her newly fixed bike, venturing a little further from the house with each passing day. After her last outing, which left me (Kylie) in a panic we put a stop to her adventures for a short while. Her 20 minute bike ride turned into an hour, with a bump to the head and a slightly bent front wheel! Chanel forgot to use her brakes going down the hill. She collided with a brick letterbox! I think we’ll have to reassess her current route. Perhaps some advanced rider lessons?
Back to Justin: During the past couple of weeks the children watched Peter Pan. They love the story. Several times Kylie and I have heard loud shouting from the children. Upon closer investigation we have found the three girls sitting in a room shouting at the top of their unified voices, “I do, I do, I do believe in fairies.” Over and over again!
+and+Abbie+(5)+July+2008.jpg)
When we visited Gosford a couple of weeks ago my mum told us about the church seminary class she teaches with about a dozen students. As part of seminary classes the students are encouraged to memorise about 25 scriptures – the task is called scripture mastery. Mum found a resource where the scriptures are sung to music and put the mp3’s onto CD for each student. She gave Chanel a copy, and a list of each of the scriptures. Chanel has now memorised half of the 25 scriptures – in one week! That’s more than many of the students! She is a memorising machine. Kylie and I haven’t encouraged her, it’s all self-motivated. And she is amazing. Abbie is even picking a few up too. It’s all Old Testament and Chanel is probably not understanding much of what she’s memorising, but she’s enjoying the process. She even learned the ten commandments verbatim!
+Ten+Pin+Bowling+July+2008.jpg)
Saturday was a brilliant day. After spending some time in the vegetable patch (they’re coming along nicely, much to Kylie’s chagrin) we put the children in the car and went ten-pin bowling. The kids had such a great time. It was a little challenging with all four of them. Ella chased Kylie toward the lane at one point. As Kylie swung the ball back before bringing it forward and releasing it, Ella was right behind her. How the ball missed her head I don’t know. Somehow we got through the hour without any injuries. Yikes. I think we may wait a couple of years before we try that one again!
Next we jumped in the car and went to the home of an associate of mine from the university. She rides horses and lives on a large property. We had our bags and shovels, and were there for the horse manure. While I shovelled, Kylie and the children patted horses, lay in the sun, chased the gorgeous beagle called Bella, and enjoyed the amazing winter afternoon. It was beautiful. I filled six big garbage bags and loaded them into the back of the car. They didn’t smell too bad – while the doors and windows were open. Once we started driving I had to put the windows up though because of the cold and the wind. We hadn’t gone far before the windows went back down again! Yeeha cowboy! It sure was fragrant in the car. To make things worse, Kylie wanted to call in at the shops to pick up a lay-by. We sat in the hot sun in the car waiting for 30 minutes. I can hold my nose and breath for a while, but not that long. It was a relief when we finally got on the road again. I industriously emptied the bags into the soon to be fertile veggie patch and called it a day.
During the week we received some new furniture. A former client of my parents had not paid any bills for several years regarding the storage of their furniture. We claimed a King size bed! Wow – they’re so big. Of course, we have no linen for the bed – no blankets, sheets, or anything else. Oops. I got in trouble for that one. Fortunately, a generous friend had a few spare sets she happily shared. And Kylie’s sisters provided us an early birthday present to make up what we were missing. The generosity we have experienced in the past few months has been incredible. We certainly did nothing to deserve it. We feel remarkably blessed. I see a powerful spiritual parallel in relation to the gift of mercy. We cannot earn it, yet we receive it. If we earned it, it would cease to be mercy, but would instead be justice. I digress…
The main reason I wanted the king size bed was because the children climb in at all hours of the night. When we slept in the queen bed, it got quite tight at times. Somehow, this still happens even though the new bed is enormous. That’s because when one of the children climbs in, she’ll snuggle up to me. To give myself room I edge towards Kylie. Then my precious daughter will slide across in an attempt to be closer. Soon enough all three of us are squished on one side of the bed wondering how a king size bed can be so tight! I’ll have to try and put the child in the middle from now on. That may solve the problem.
We met with another psychologist regarding Ella. We feel that we’re chasing our tails a little bit though. I get the feeling that Ella is simply a little more challenging than most children, but that she’ll grow out of it. She is alarming us consistently with her talking and her very mature way of perceiving some things. Of course, she reminds us that she’s only four consistently too.
+July+2008.jpg)
Kylie adds: The kids have had a fairly active week as the school holidays come to a close. There have been play dates galore and long-anticipated time with the neighbours. Chanel and Mary (one of the four girls from next door) even put on another little backyard show for both families. They showed us some ‘death-defying’ tricks on their bicycles. Our neighbours are a doctor and nurse. It is so funny watching them freak out as their children play with our children. Our kids seem to like to take a lot more risks than John and Catherine are comfortable with!Chanel has been on her newly fixed bike, venturing a little further from the house with each passing day. After her last outing, which left me (Kylie) in a panic we put a stop to her adventures for a short while. Her 20 minute bike ride turned into an hour, with a bump to the head and a slightly bent front wheel! Chanel forgot to use her brakes going down the hill. She collided with a brick letterbox! I think we’ll have to reassess her current route. Perhaps some advanced rider lessons?
Back to Justin: During the past couple of weeks the children watched Peter Pan. They love the story. Several times Kylie and I have heard loud shouting from the children. Upon closer investigation we have found the three girls sitting in a room shouting at the top of their unified voices, “I do, I do, I do believe in fairies.” Over and over again!
When we visited Gosford a couple of weeks ago my mum told us about the church seminary class she teaches with about a dozen students. As part of seminary classes the students are encouraged to memorise about 25 scriptures – the task is called scripture mastery. Mum found a resource where the scriptures are sung to music and put the mp3’s onto CD for each student. She gave Chanel a copy, and a list of each of the scriptures. Chanel has now memorised half of the 25 scriptures – in one week! That’s more than many of the students! She is a memorising machine. Kylie and I haven’t encouraged her, it’s all self-motivated. And she is amazing. Abbie is even picking a few up too. It’s all Old Testament and Chanel is probably not understanding much of what she’s memorising, but she’s enjoying the process. She even learned the ten commandments verbatim!+Ten+Pin+Bowling+July+2008.jpg)
Saturday was a brilliant day. After spending some time in the vegetable patch (they’re coming along nicely, much to Kylie’s chagrin) we put the children in the car and went ten-pin bowling. The kids had such a great time. It was a little challenging with all four of them. Ella chased Kylie toward the lane at one point. As Kylie swung the ball back before bringing it forward and releasing it, Ella was right behind her. How the ball missed her head I don’t know. Somehow we got through the hour without any injuries. Yikes. I think we may wait a couple of years before we try that one again!Next we jumped in the car and went to the home of an associate of mine from the university. She rides horses and lives on a large property. We had our bags and shovels, and were there for the horse manure. While I shovelled, Kylie and the children patted horses, lay in the sun, chased the gorgeous beagle called Bella, and enjoyed the amazing winter afternoon. It was beautiful. I filled six big garbage bags and loaded them into the back of the car. They didn’t smell too bad – while the doors and windows were open. Once we started driving I had to put the windows up though because of the cold and the wind. We hadn’t gone far before the windows went back down again! Yeeha cowboy! It sure was fragrant in the car. To make things worse, Kylie wanted to call in at the shops to pick up a lay-by. We sat in the hot sun in the car waiting for 30 minutes. I can hold my nose and breath for a while, but not that long. It was a relief when we finally got on the road again. I industriously emptied the bags into the soon to be fertile veggie patch and called it a day.
Today I went to church alone. All three of the older children were sick, Abbie particularly so. I was able to concentrate at church for the first time in years! But it wasn’t the same without Kylie and the girls. When I arrived home the house was so quiet. All of the children were resting. It was heaven. Kylie and I worked through lots of things we had been itching to discuss and organise. It felt good. We had quiet time with the kids. As the night concluded I went to our fireplace with some wood left over from a tree which fell one windy night some weeks back. The fireplace works wonderfully. As I sit here enjoying the peace of a Sunday evening, I am basking in the glow of a happy wife, a warm crackling fire, and the quietest Sunday in living memory! I’m sure the children will have plenty of life back in them by tomorrow, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts. Of course, I’ll enjoy whatever tomorrow brings as well. Our lives are so blessed.Monday, 14 July 2008
Photo's from the Winter Break
Strolling at Darling Harbour with Deb & Trev Stewart, Me, and Kim & Mick McCall.
Eating ice-cream on the balcony at Point St, Pyrmont with Annie Grace (10 months) and I.
Kylie and Annie enjoying the sunshine at Darling Harbour.+learning+to+ride+her+bike.jpg)
Ella, getting the hang of riding her bike, aged 4.+at+Swimming+July+2008.jpg)
Ella (aged 4) at swimming lessons, ready to make a SPLASH!
Chanel, helping out with the fish. Terrigal Haven.Winter Break
Two enormous weeks with events galore and blessings abounding!
There is so much to share that I’ll run through it in point form to keep it brief.
+Winter+Break+2008.jpg)
I’ll start with teeth. Abbie finally lost her first tooth! She wibbled and wobbled it so much but was petrified to really pull it in case it hurt. It was so loose we thought it would never give, and then – plop! It finally let go. Abbie was so excited and the tooth fairy was called into action. Just a couple of days later, Abbie lost her adjacent tooth. It was barely loose but practically tumbled out. The tooth fairy took out an overdraft with the bank! Two teeth in one week!
Chanel went to the dentist for her second tooth extraction in a month. Last time it was a dream. This time was not so smooth. I held her hand as she silently wept from the pain of the local anaesthetic needle. The procedure took much longer this time, was more complicated, and caused substantially more pain. This time we had not prayed and Chanel had not received a priesthood blessing. Coincidence? I think not. Plus, the tooth fairy was called in to action again! Oh no!
We received an unexpected visit from one of the ladies at church. Beryl Tolhurst brought around a plate of tantalisingly tasty profiteroles! Wow, they were good. Mmm. Amazing. I have a sweet tooth. She reminded Kylie that even though she’s not family, she’s here and she loves us. Kindness – we’ve enjoyed it so much since we arrived in Wollongong.
State of Origin III was played in Sydney and I got an unexpected invite to go to the game. Murray Stewart rang out of the blue and asked if I’d like to go with him. I didn’t need much persuading! It was a terrific atmosphere and loads of fun. NSW got beaten, and it’s easier to follow the game on television, but I was grateful for the experience. Terrific night! But we arrived home super late.
I have begun a new schedule to enhance and optimise my time. I am in bed early-ish, and rise at 6am. That may not sound too scary, but doing it every day is tough, particularly with multiple wake-ups in the night, and the icy-cold weather, cold wooden floorboards, and chilly house. I read my scriptures before anything else, and then commence the day. My productivity has skyrocketed. I am getting so much done in all aspects that it is remarkable. And the quality of what I’m doing has been great! Plus, I love getting up early. It feels fantastic.
We sat in church last week and were surprised at how reverent the children were being. I noticed that Ella was occupied with something near her face. I watched carefully until I recognised what she was doing. Ella was attempting to put a pencil up her nose! That girl keeps us somewhere between barrels of laughs and the emergency room!
A quick visit to our friend, Deb’s, by Kylie and the girls one afternoon resulted in a funny incident too. As soon as they arrived Abbie complained that she was hungry. Deb offered a piece of fruit. Abbie declined. Deb offered some crackers. Abbie refused that too. “Well, there’s not really anything else I can offer you”, Deb responded. Abbie questioned, “Do you have Weet-Bix?” Abbie gulped down three Weet-Bix for her afternoon tea.
Wollongong is a remarkably windy place. A few weeks ago I mentioned the tree that fell in our front yard. It smashed through the Colourbond fence and flattened the neighbour’s shed. (It still hasn’t been fixed – our landlord is not one to respond to issues in a hurry). Well, I don’t know if we can blame this on the wind or not, but after one of the windiest nights I’ve ever experienced, our letterbox has gone missing! That’s right. Gone! We have no idea how it disappeared. I’m disinclined to think it was drunken louts because had they smashed it, they certainly are unlikely to have meticulously removed the wooden remains. It was screwed in, very well, to the top of a wooden retaining wall. I cannot imagine the wind blowing it away! But it’s gone. Hopefully the landlord will act quickly for us on that one.
The biggest news of the past couple of weeks is that we took around six days off and had a break.
There is so much to share that I’ll run through it in point form to keep it brief.
+Winter+Break+2008.jpg)
I’ll start with teeth. Abbie finally lost her first tooth! She wibbled and wobbled it so much but was petrified to really pull it in case it hurt. It was so loose we thought it would never give, and then – plop! It finally let go. Abbie was so excited and the tooth fairy was called into action. Just a couple of days later, Abbie lost her adjacent tooth. It was barely loose but practically tumbled out. The tooth fairy took out an overdraft with the bank! Two teeth in one week!Chanel went to the dentist for her second tooth extraction in a month. Last time it was a dream. This time was not so smooth. I held her hand as she silently wept from the pain of the local anaesthetic needle. The procedure took much longer this time, was more complicated, and caused substantially more pain. This time we had not prayed and Chanel had not received a priesthood blessing. Coincidence? I think not. Plus, the tooth fairy was called in to action again! Oh no!
We received an unexpected visit from one of the ladies at church. Beryl Tolhurst brought around a plate of tantalisingly tasty profiteroles! Wow, they were good. Mmm. Amazing. I have a sweet tooth. She reminded Kylie that even though she’s not family, she’s here and she loves us. Kindness – we’ve enjoyed it so much since we arrived in Wollongong.
State of Origin III was played in Sydney and I got an unexpected invite to go to the game. Murray Stewart rang out of the blue and asked if I’d like to go with him. I didn’t need much persuading! It was a terrific atmosphere and loads of fun. NSW got beaten, and it’s easier to follow the game on television, but I was grateful for the experience. Terrific night! But we arrived home super late.
I have begun a new schedule to enhance and optimise my time. I am in bed early-ish, and rise at 6am. That may not sound too scary, but doing it every day is tough, particularly with multiple wake-ups in the night, and the icy-cold weather, cold wooden floorboards, and chilly house. I read my scriptures before anything else, and then commence the day. My productivity has skyrocketed. I am getting so much done in all aspects that it is remarkable. And the quality of what I’m doing has been great! Plus, I love getting up early. It feels fantastic.
We sat in church last week and were surprised at how reverent the children were being. I noticed that Ella was occupied with something near her face. I watched carefully until I recognised what she was doing. Ella was attempting to put a pencil up her nose! That girl keeps us somewhere between barrels of laughs and the emergency room!
A quick visit to our friend, Deb’s, by Kylie and the girls one afternoon resulted in a funny incident too. As soon as they arrived Abbie complained that she was hungry. Deb offered a piece of fruit. Abbie declined. Deb offered some crackers. Abbie refused that too. “Well, there’s not really anything else I can offer you”, Deb responded. Abbie questioned, “Do you have Weet-Bix?” Abbie gulped down three Weet-Bix for her afternoon tea.
Wollongong is a remarkably windy place. A few weeks ago I mentioned the tree that fell in our front yard. It smashed through the Colourbond fence and flattened the neighbour’s shed. (It still hasn’t been fixed – our landlord is not one to respond to issues in a hurry). Well, I don’t know if we can blame this on the wind or not, but after one of the windiest nights I’ve ever experienced, our letterbox has gone missing! That’s right. Gone! We have no idea how it disappeared. I’m disinclined to think it was drunken louts because had they smashed it, they certainly are unlikely to have meticulously removed the wooden remains. It was screwed in, very well, to the top of a wooden retaining wall. I cannot imagine the wind blowing it away! But it’s gone. Hopefully the landlord will act quickly for us on that one.
The biggest news of the past couple of weeks is that we took around six days off and had a break.
Day one was Friday. We took the children out of school around 1pm and took them to Auburn. A brief visit with Nan and Pop Bunt was fun. We met my mum there. She took the kids (excepting Annie) back to Gosford with her. Kylie and I (and Annie) drove into Sydney. Some friends own a top floor apartment overlooking the harbour. They plan to sell it and invited us to spend the weekend with them as a final farewell to the property. What a place! We had a terrific evening talking, eating Thai, eating chocolate, eating sweets and ice-cream, eating Krispy-Kreme donuts, and eating just about anything else we could find.
Saturday began slowly with a huge breakfast, more donuts, chocolate, ice-cream etc, and then a walk and a wander through parts of Darling Harbour. We hijacked a tour bus while the driver was away! And generally enjoyed being out with good friends.
Then we farewelled them and drove to Gosford.
The remainder of our holidays included spending lots of time with the kids; taking them to spend time with their cousins; catching up with Nan Coulson & Auntie Jan (who happened to be visiting Gosford); eating good food, including a delectable dinner at The Cowrie; resolving family disputes (ouch – always a challenge); and generally relaxing. It was a nice visit, although less conflict and more relaxing would be great next time.
,+Abbie+(5)+and+Ella+(4),+snuggling+to+stay+warm.+Winter+Break+2008.jpg)
Uni is going great guns! I cannot believe how much I enjoy it. I’m starting to feel some substantial pressure with what I’m doing. The writing has begun in earnest, detailed planning is causing several re-thinks. But things are progressing, I am learning, and despite all of my fears I am pressing on optimistically (and no doubt naïvely).
Yesterday I returned to the temple for the first time in around a year. Dad surprised me by showing up. It was great to sit with him and share that experience. I enjoyed the blessing of being there.
Life constantly provides us with challenges, but it is amazing!
Yesterday I returned to the temple for the first time in around a year. Dad surprised me by showing up. It was great to sit with him and share that experience. I enjoyed the blessing of being there.
Life constantly provides us with challenges, but it is amazing!
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Planting seeds
Last Sunday I was pondering some spiritual things. I have been studying the sacrament lately. I had new insights about the sacramental prayers, and it was exhilarating. I felt grateful for so many blessings and gifts.
I enjoyed initial completion of a major project at uni this week, only 10 weeks early! In late August I am due to submit a report outlining my research and plans for the remainder of my Ph. D. My first draft is now ready for review and I’m extremely pleased. It’s a little long though. I have a 3000-word limit, and I’m currently at 5500. I know, I know. It’s unusual for me to have too much to say! My major focus this week will be refining the project and completing another important document; my ethics application.
For some strange reason (perhaps connected to my bike fall a couple of weeks ago), I ended up with a sore neck this week. I cannot believe how badly a sore neck or back can affect life. It meant more time resting and trying to get better, but only time seems to make an impact on this kind of trouble. Cold and flu, sore hand, crook neck! It’s been a rough time lately. On the plus side, I must be coming out of it soon! And we’ve had the BEST waves of the year in the past fortnight. I’ve missed it all.
During the week we had violent winds. Our house makes LOTS of noises in the wind. There are creaks and rattles, there are what Chanel calls “ghost” noises, and there was the wind itself. I was awoken at around 3.30 am and could not get back to sleep because of all the noise. When I went out into the front yard I saw one of the big trees on our fence line had been entirely blown down. Some of those borer grubs had been into the base and weakened it to the point that it toppled. The colourbond fence was totalled and the neighbour’s shed was crushed too – with all of his stuff in there.
Kylie is getting right into her crafts and things again. I love it when she’s doing those crafty bits. I don’t have a deep appreciation for that kind of thing but I’m gaining one. More than that, though, I have a great appreciation of seeing Kylie deeply involved in something that she loves and can be absorbed in. Kylie’s spent more time on craft than I do surfing! And I think she enjoys her craft as much as I enjoy my surfing. If only I had something to show for all my time in the water! The work Kylie produces is really worth seeing.
We ended up at Bunnings Hardware Store last week looking for some items for Kylie’s crafts. I got distracted while Kylie shopped and ended up in the horticulture section. I have always wanted to have a vegetable garden, and I decided that the time has come. I purchased two trays of seedlings: cauliflower and lettuce. The kids and I got out in the backyard with some tools and got things moving. We now have vegetables growing! This week I’ll collect some cow poo, and we’re getting the composter going too! In a few weeks we’ll plant some silverbeet, leek, and some herbs in the soon to be prepared herb garden. Kylie is skeptical, saying she doesn’t think I can grow anything at all! But… we shall see! When we’re munching on home grown lettuce, and eating Coulson-cultivated Cauliflower I’ll be able to relish it that much more!
I enjoyed initial completion of a major project at uni this week, only 10 weeks early! In late August I am due to submit a report outlining my research and plans for the remainder of my Ph. D. My first draft is now ready for review and I’m extremely pleased. It’s a little long though. I have a 3000-word limit, and I’m currently at 5500. I know, I know. It’s unusual for me to have too much to say! My major focus this week will be refining the project and completing another important document; my ethics application.
For some strange reason (perhaps connected to my bike fall a couple of weeks ago), I ended up with a sore neck this week. I cannot believe how badly a sore neck or back can affect life. It meant more time resting and trying to get better, but only time seems to make an impact on this kind of trouble. Cold and flu, sore hand, crook neck! It’s been a rough time lately. On the plus side, I must be coming out of it soon! And we’ve had the BEST waves of the year in the past fortnight. I’ve missed it all.
During the week we had violent winds. Our house makes LOTS of noises in the wind. There are creaks and rattles, there are what Chanel calls “ghost” noises, and there was the wind itself. I was awoken at around 3.30 am and could not get back to sleep because of all the noise. When I went out into the front yard I saw one of the big trees on our fence line had been entirely blown down. Some of those borer grubs had been into the base and weakened it to the point that it toppled. The colourbond fence was totalled and the neighbour’s shed was crushed too – with all of his stuff in there.
Kylie is getting right into her crafts and things again. I love it when she’s doing those crafty bits. I don’t have a deep appreciation for that kind of thing but I’m gaining one. More than that, though, I have a great appreciation of seeing Kylie deeply involved in something that she loves and can be absorbed in. Kylie’s spent more time on craft than I do surfing! And I think she enjoys her craft as much as I enjoy my surfing. If only I had something to show for all my time in the water! The work Kylie produces is really worth seeing.
We ended up at Bunnings Hardware Store last week looking for some items for Kylie’s crafts. I got distracted while Kylie shopped and ended up in the horticulture section. I have always wanted to have a vegetable garden, and I decided that the time has come. I purchased two trays of seedlings: cauliflower and lettuce. The kids and I got out in the backyard with some tools and got things moving. We now have vegetables growing! This week I’ll collect some cow poo, and we’re getting the composter going too! In a few weeks we’ll plant some silverbeet, leek, and some herbs in the soon to be prepared herb garden. Kylie is skeptical, saying she doesn’t think I can grow anything at all! But… we shall see! When we’re munching on home grown lettuce, and eating Coulson-cultivated Cauliflower I’ll be able to relish it that much more!
A quick update on the children: Chanel is excelling at everything – including driving Kylie and I crazy. She is always organising events, gatherings with friends and so on. She is always wanting to “just make a phone call” or “just get on the Internet” and forever too “busy to actually help out. But now and then she surprises us and does an exceptional job of looking after her sisters (particularly Annie). Abbie, or Fabulous Abulous (or the Abster) has more nicknames than any child I’ve ever heard of. She is tremendous. She is showing courage and maturity in awkward situations (I’ll mention a quick incident shortly), and is doing an amazing job at school. Her reading skills are excellent, and she is performing better than many of the year 1 students (she’s in Kindergarten). Ella is wonderful most of the time. We love it when she is, because when she isn’t – wow, it’s a challenge. And Annie is so full of joy it’s bursting out of her, as you can see in the photo below. Annie is so happy that her smile hasn’t got enough room to show the extent of her joy!.jpg)
Saturday was easily my favourite day this week. Despite the sore hand and neck I committed to having a productive day. It was one of those perfect winter days. The sun shone, the sky was flawless blue, there was no wind – it felt almost like Spring. The kids were up early and playing with the neighbours. I spent a couple of hours on the car: it looks perfect, and may stay that way for at least a couple of days before the kids destroy it all again! I spent a little more time on the garden, picked up sticks from the windy days earlier in the week, and emptied out the unused veggie patch. It’s unused because the previous tenants of this house used the space to dump their kitty litter. It was so toxic that even weeds wouldn’t grow in it! I’ve emptied it out now, and we’ll slowly fill it with potting mix, compost, and cow poo. In no time we’ll have a perfect patch for more vegetables!
+at+Campbelltown+primary+activity,+June+2008.jpg)
All the while, Kylie was being crafty… and loving it. After lunch Kylie took Chanel, Abbie and Annie to Campbelltown for a church activity. Abbie was placed into a team where she knew no one. She felt isolated and scared, but she got involved anyway. Kylie said she was nervous but had a go. I was so proud of my little angel. While Kylie was at the activity I stayed home with Ella. We had so much fun.I put Ella on her bike and we cruised around the top of the hill where we live. There is a small flat section amongst all the hills and Ella had endless fun. She has no idea how to ride, but I wasn’t allowed to help. She did it all herself. Other than a couple of very close shaves I was very impressed with her ability on the bike. We were out for about 90 minutes, and it was so much fun I think we’ll do it again this afternoon after church! Then it was home time, where we did some more weeding, and I cooked dinner. It was a productive family day, and it was the best day of the week.
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