16 September 2012

a little hiking


So, I was kind of depressed to see a rock climbing area with all this spray paint. I might come back, but I am not sure.


 Here are some lovely ladies that I went hiking with in the Blue Hills of Massachusetts.


 The view of Boston from the top of a 496 ft. hill.


 Boston sunset


20 February 2012

maine road trip

To kick off my February break, Tiffany (my roommate) and I decided to go spend a couple of days in Maine. Neither of us had been there before, so we were excited to see what Maine was like. Surprisingly, driving through the wooded roads made me think of Montana in a way no other New England state has. While there, I got to stay with my friend Shannon from school. We did the typical toursity things: walking through the art district in Portland (not Oregon :) ), exploring the shops, visiting a lighthouse, and walking along the coast taking pictures.

The grand moment of the trip was splurging to sample Maine lobster. Now, I have had lobster tails twice in my life and eaten crab upon occasion, but I have never received a plate with two (yes two-there was a sale and so it was cheaper to get the two than just one) vivid red lobster staring intimidatingly up at me. The waiter gave us our dishes, briefly showing us the crackers and bibs. Just as she started to walk away, she turned and said, "You have done this before, right?" We sheepishly shook our heads, so she walked us through the steps of collecting the meat from these clawed crustaceans. It seemed a little out of place to make a complete mess of our table in a fancy restaurant, but after the initial shock, eating lobster was entertaining and rather tasty. I definitely had a sense of accomplishment after completing the meal.

The trip was lovely and it was great to get out of Boston for a couple of days.

Pictures!!















13 February 2012

children's story

so here's the deal: I am teaching a character education lesson this week, and I wrote an accompanying children's story. I am still editing it, so if you have a moment, read it and suggest any changes. Thanks!


Sam and Nutty

Sam yawned and stretched his fuzzy little squirrel paws, blinking against the early-morning sunlight. “Only seven more days…” he half-muttered, considering rolling back over for a few more minutes of sleep.

Suddenly, his tail shot up and he let out a tiny squeak. “Seven days! Why, that is only one week! There is so much left to do before they arrive. Nutty and I need to get busy.”

Slipping along the dewy branches while munching on an acorn, Sam headed toward his best friend, Nutty. Nutty was curled into the fork of a tree branch, using his fluffy gray tail as a pillow. As quietly as possible, Sam aimed his chewed-on acorn at Nutty’s head.

Ready….Aim….

“Just what do you think you’re doing?”

Nutty had cracked one eye open and was staring directly at Sam’s cocked hand.

“Shoot!” Sam groaned. “You are always so fast—you catch me at everything!”

Nutty just grinned. “So, why are you waking me up so early?” Nutty asked.

“The Squirrel Prince and Princess are coming in just one week. We have to prepare our gifts and decorations for their arrival. It’s tradition.”

“That’s right!” exclaimed Nutty. I completely forgot they were coming so soon. What are you going to make?”

Sam thought for a moment. “I think I will weave a blanket to give as a gift.”

“That’s a great idea, Sam! I want to build and decorate an archway for the prince and princess to walk under as they arrive. I will also give them slippers they can wear while visiting our area of the forest and a decorated bowl they can bring back to the Treecastle.

Sam hesitated a minute before saying anything. “Don’t you think that might be too much to make before next Saturday? We still have to go to Tree Training and Acornology.” Sam was also a little afraid that the prince and princess might like Nutty’s gifts better than his own. But he wasn’t about to say anything.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Nutty asserted. “I can work fast and make everything with time to spare. The squirrel prince and princess will love it.”

Sam wasn’t completely convinced, but figured Nutty would make it work somehow.


Over the next few days the squirrel friends raced from leaf to limb to trunk to ground and then back again, collecting the materials they needed for their gifts and then piecing them together. Nutty quickly finished his bowl over the weekend, setting it aside to focus on the more complicated arch and the delicate slippers. Sam carefully searched for the perfect yarns, strands, and cloths, testing out different color combinations and arrangements for his blanket.

Each day, Sam and Nutty’s friends would beg them to play Snatch the Oak Leaf or Flying Leap, but the squirrels kept focused on their tasks.

By Friday morning, Nutty had hurried through his final gifts while Sam was still carefully weaving his colorful blanket.

“I finished all my gifts! You should hurry up and finish too so that we can go play,” Nutty tried to persuade Sam.

“I want this to be the best blanket I have ever created,” Sam replied. “Don’t you think you should check out your gifts one more time and make sure they are ready?”

“I’m sure they are just fine. I have been working hard and really want to play Bird Chasers.”

“Suit yourself,” Sam said. “I will see you in the morning when the prince and princess arrive.”

“Sounds great!” Nutty called over his shoulder as he scampered away.

Sam worked until sunset on his blanket, carefully sewing his name into the reds and blues in the corner once he was satisfied with his work.

Saturday morning dawned cool and clear. All the squirrels of South Forest were chattering with excitement for the prince and princesses arrival. Decorations streamed from the branches, adding colorful festivity to the forest. Directly in front of the tree where the prince and princess would stay, Nutty’s arch of leaves and branches looked incredible.

Sam and Nutty squashed together at the front of the crowd, eager to glimpse the prince and princess. A slight gasp rippled through the crowd when they saw the prince and princess approaching in their royal cloaks and crowns. Just as they were walking through the arch, it emitted a creaking sound of splintering wood. Standing beside Sam, Nutty whispered a soft, “Uh oh!” and watched helplessly as his arch collapsed in a scrunch of twigs, knocking the crown off the head of the prince.

Fortunately, the prince was not hurt, just a little rattled after the collapse. He and the princess went up into their tree to rest until dinner.

For dinner, all the squirrels gathered at the banquet branch for a meal to honor the royalty. The princess walked to dinner carrying a decorated bowl.

Nutty nudged Sam. “Look! She is going to use my bowl for dinner! I knew they would like my gifts!”

As the waiter poured soup into the princess’ bowl, she let out a shrill cry. “Ouch! This bowl is leaking all over my lap!” The princess stood up and hurried back toward her tree to change out of her soiled outfit. As the prince scrambled to catch up with her, one of his slippers broke, sending him sprawling. He almost flew clear out of the tree!

Nutty just buried his face in his paws. “I worked too fast! All my gifts are ruined!”

That night, the forest got very cold. Not expecting this sudden freeze, the prince and princess were grateful to have a softly woven blanket to keep them warm through the night.

The next morning, Sam was quietly asked to join the prince and princess before breakfast. He was exited, but also a little apprehensive.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Sam questioned the prince and princess while sitting down.

“It is about your blanket,” the king stated solemnly.

Oh no! thought Sam. Something is wrong with my gift too!

Sam started to explain, “I’m sorry! I should have worked harder—”

“Shh…” hushed the princess. “You don’t need to apologize. This is one of the finest blankets we have seen. It kept us warm all night long. Despite all the mishaps on this visit to South Forest, we know that at least one member of the forest takes pride in his work. You created a blanket that you can be proud of. Because of your excellent work, we would like you to join us to work at the castle in a couple of years when you finish at Treetop High.”

Sam was thrilled with the offer and honored that the royalty had been pleased with the time he put into making the blanket. He couldn’t wait to go work at the castle.

When Sam went tell Nutty about his news, he found him hiding down by the river.

“Why are you hiding from everyone?” he questioned.

“I am so frustrated with my gifts. I wanted to please the prince and princess, but I had the worst luck ever!” he moaned.

“Well…” Sam replied, “Was this all about luck or was it about hard work?”

Nutty was quiet for a minute, staring at his fuzzy toes. “I guess, maybe, this wasn’t about bad luck. Maybe I should have spent more time in making my gifts. I just wish I was as dedicated as you.”

Sam glanced over at Nutty. “Sometimes I wish I had as many cool ideas as you.”

“Really?” Nutty’s eyes got a little brighter.

“Really. Maybe next time, you can help me consider more ideas and I can help you stay focused on making them well.”

“I’d like that,” Nutty said.

“You know,” Sam pondered, “It’s just like Grandma Squirrel is always telling us. You can plant an acorn in a minute, but it takes a decade and a lot of sunlight before you can sit in its oak branches.”

26 December 2011

o holy night



This Christmas, my sisters, my mom, and I sang O Holy Night for a Christmas Eve service. This is one of the run-throughs during practice and is fairly decent.

During the candle-light service, we completely missed the key change. We stopped the song, refound ourselves with the piano and then finished singing...not quite the ideal performance. It was frustrating to spend several hours practicing just to mess-up in front of the live audience. However, Jesus did not come save a perfect world. He was not born to come along and say, "Good job! Keep up the good work!" [Insert thumbs-up]. Being reminded that I am not perfect, even when it is a small thing like missing a key change, helps me keep my mind on the big picture.

21 December 2011

christmas pics!!!

It is Christmas in Montana! I am home for the holidays and having a fantastic time with friends and family. Here is a photo-journey of locating the perfect Christmas tree and decorating the house!

 Should we get this one?

 The perfect tree!
 Cutting down the tree.
 Hi!
 Going back to the truck.
 Lunch time
 The tree is safely in the house.
 Untangling the lights.
 Lighting up the tree.
 The ornaments are ready to put up.
 Jacki behind the tree.
 Mom putting up ornaments.
 Dad, "Where should this one go??"
 Jaime adding to the tree in between getting ready for winter ball.
 Putting up my contributions.
 Jordan is decorating too!
 The angel!
 Jordan and Jaime got side-tracked from hanging beads.
 Jordan is putting up stockings.
 I love decorations!
 Mom is setting up the nativity scene...
...while dad is sampling Jacki's Almond Roca.
 
The wrapping station!!

We are having fun so far! More pictures to come!

11 December 2011

5%

Why is it that the last 5% of a job seems to be the most difficult? I am down to one paper and one exam (and the exam I just need to show up for). When these are completed, my first semester of grad school is over. Done. Finished. I can finally sleep. Yet I find myself cleaning instead of working on the paper. Cleaning? Really? I want the satisfaction of checking this paper off my google tasks to-do list, but my motivation tank is depleted. And I even like the subject. It is just that the last segment of a job is the put-your-head-down-and-just-get-through-it kind of work. It's like when I hiked up to Warren Lake this summer with my dad and sister. We had already climbed over Cutaway Pass and had a steep set of switchbacks before we could set up camp. Part way up the trail, I simply did not want to move a step forward. I knew that the view from the top would be beautiful. I was sure that once I had climbed to the lake I could sit, rest, eat a clif bar and rehydrate. That last bit of hiking was grueling. But I did it anyway. Like a certain individual has told me on a number of occasions (*cough*Dad*cough), "You can do anything for a short period of time. You can even stand on your head for a short period of time." In less than seventy-two hours I will be at home in Montana with family. I am not sure that I could actually stand on my head for that long (I usually get a headache after about a minute...and it wouldn't really be helping me finish this paper...), but I know that I can finish this semester well during my last couple of days of 2011 in Boston. Even if it means logging out of facebook so I can chip away at a paper.

21 September 2011

a lesson from a children's book

From The Tale of Despereaux (If you haven't read the book yet, you might not want to read this post)

And then the princess took a deep breath and put a hand on her heart.

I think, reader, that she was feeling the same thing that Despereaux had felt when he was faced with his father begging him for forgiveness. That is, Pea was aware suddenly of how fragile her heart was, how much darkness was inside it, fighting, always, with the light. She did not like the rat. She would never like the rat, but she knew what she must do to save her own heart. 
 Occasionally a passage in a children's story will strike me as meaningful and applicable beyond the children to whom the story is read. This is one such passage. The Tale of Despereaux is a beautiful story of a mouse finding courage in his circumstances and of light encountering darkness and changing different characters in the process. People are not naturally good. There is a bent aspect to our nature that fights against attempts to do the right thing, a darkness that wants to keep the light far away. Yet there come pivotal moments when we can choose to follow the light, God's light, and overcome this darkness. As we live daily, making one choice at a time, we can learn to protect our fragile hearts.