Back to Kieve for a little life guard training

So this week has been an epic week of rescue in the water. Today we learned about using a back board in the water. That was super fun to be a victim and a rescuer. As you can tell by the pictures there are times where we are working extremely hard and times when we are hardly working/observing. As the day wrapped up a large system of thunderstorms rolled in and it was beautiful evening of rolling thunder that prematurely darkened our skies 3 hours early. I had no complaints, I love and appreciate a good T-Storm.

Stabilize the head

Hard at work the Kieve wayStabilizing in a deep water situation

Following the first system of T-storms We went out to the docks and took some dock jumping pictures. What a beautiful place. There are few places in the world that catch my eye more than these beautiful docks (especially on a foggy morning).

Elise is so much better at this jumping thing than I am!!!

Love the docks and lake life in Maine


My sad attempt

High five!

High five in Maine

I finally got it!!!!

Road Trip to Maine 2011 high Fives across America

Yep that is exactly what it is. I still think it could be beautiful if it weren't closed off.

Devils Tower which turned out to be a hidden treasure, so beautiful


After our first night. We thought we would blow away because of the intense wind across the South Dakota Grass lands

High five at Mount Rushmore!!!

Mt. Rushmore is the perfect combination of Art and History, Loved it!

Senaca Falls

The Birth and blossoming of Womens Rights.

I'm not a feminist, but I sure believe that Men and Women are both great and deserve to be treated that way.

World War II evidence of LOVE

"Is Love Alive?" This is a question that is asked by many the world wide. There are so many who have experience the pangs of a broken heart. So much of love and trust is lost today through poor relationships, both romantic and of a friendly nature. So many find it hard when they have been let down, forgotten, cast aside, or misused to have the desire to open their heart again. The odds of belief in love seem to decrease when the heart is hurt on repeated occasions.

There have been occasions when I myself struggled to believe that "love is alive". This year in particular I have lost two good friends to misunderstanding and miscommunication. One a family friend of 10 years. It is funny how it can take so long to build a friendship and yet it can crumble so quickly with a few unfortunate events and misunderstandings. I have been slow to desire friendship or any sort of deep relationship following these losses. I think that is okay and maybe an indication of how I cared for them. I think I would rather be accused of loving and caring too much rather than loving to little.

Fortunately I have been showered with kind and patient people who have helped me rebuild the broken walls of my heart. I have been given so many opportunities to serve others and to help them. To me this is by far the best medicine to help repair the pangs of the broken heart, whether it be romantic or the pains of a lost friend. This blog is about one of the opportunities that has renewed my hope that "Love is alive", both Romantic and that of Friendship. In the following pictures you will see pictures of two people. They have dedicated their lives to each other for 64 years (65 this coming February 14th).

"Rich"

"Ginger"

These two people are my grandparents. Sometimes it is easy to ask, "How in the heck do two fantastic people meet, get to know each other, and find that they love each other?" particularly when there are so many things that can bombard our lives and the love between two people. What brought these two together was World War II. He grew up in a small town in Arizona and she lived in the bay area of California. A tragedy such as war allowed their lives to collide and allowed a love to bloom. This was not so uncommon, as their were many love stories that blossomed out of the war times, but not all lasted as long as 64 year of marriage and 68 years of friendship and love. Many love stories of WW II were short and fleeting while a good many ended early due to the tragic death of a loved one in the war.

The Salt Lake Temple where they were sealed for Time and all Eternity


Their wedding day February 14th, 1946
The pile of partially prepared letters next to the trunk they have been stored in for 69 years.

These letters are the evidence of the friendship that was built over while he was here in the states a year and the 2 years they were separated by the Pacific Ocean. Sure they had a friendship and loving commitment to marriage before he left to serve, but how many could and did remain faithful and continued to grown in friendship and love daily as they did. Not many! In total there are nearly 1000 letters between the two of them. Each of them wrote around 480 letters during the two year period.

This Christmas and last we spent sometime trying to preserve these letters. We came prepared this Christmas with two hundred plastic sheets and 250 separators that were acid free so that these beautiful words of love could be preserved. As we worked we quickly realized that we drastically underestimated the number of letters there were and the amount of space it would take to contain them all. Come to find that we will need 300 more plastic sheets, 250 more separators and 10 more binders to fit them all. Well, we got a good start and it was a lovely experience. I was reminded with physical evidence that "Love is Alive"

Grandma hard at work on the letters.

Me working/reading the enchanting letters.

Grandma hugging her letters and remembering those romantic words.

Grandpa next to a portion of his pile of romantic words.

1/3 of his letters preserved.

less than 1/3 of Grandma's letters.

The remaining 2/3 to finish another trip.

One book of 100 letters and most are 2-3 pages each.

Aren't they so beautiful

I am going to show a couple of my favorites. I have not read them all, but I chose a few key days, like Christmas to read and share with any who need a boost on love. I will try to get back in here and transcribe them so they can be read.

Christmas 1944

Christmas 1945

A lock of hair she sent him... Cute!!!

"Ginger" December 1945

The result of their enduring love.

Their three children and posterity.

A Sweet little Christmas Card "Ginger" sent Rich.

Thanksgiving...just the beginning of my list

Thanks giving- We are reminded by the Lord that we should not only keep the commandments, but keep them with thankfulness in our hearts:

“And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance.” With the blessings promised, “…Inasmuch as ye do this, the Fullness of the Earth is yours…” “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even Peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.”

I am thankful for:

1.

The rustle and rattle that gold colored grass makes with the slight push of the wind.

2. Fleece and down blankets.

3. New excellent shoes to run in.

4. The ability to run and run fast and hard.

5. The ability to breathe well and the ability to keep that in check without medications.

6. The opportunity to play the part of a defender in football and soccer, and the lessons it has taught me about life.

7. New Soccer shoes that helped save my toenail and help me feel like a stellar player.

8. Soccer. It has helped rebuild a lost confidence.

9. My soccer team and the patience they have with me as I learn the complete rules of soccer one mistake at a time.

10. My soccer “coach” Stephanie, who helps me know where I should be on the field and when. She is verbal enough that enough that I can adapt and learn as I go.

11. Crunchy leaves. I love walking down the street and stomping hard on the leaves and finding that they are crisp and dry. The sound they make sends a surge of joy up my spine.

12. My Family.

13. That we can all be living in the same valley, but yet still have our own lives and homes. It has brought us closer together.

14. My Dad is alive.

15. The little things my dad does now that make me giggle and not cry.

16. The way my dad’s illness has brought us closer together.

17. The extra food that my mom brought me this fall when ends weren’t quite going to meet.

18. The extra fun food my mom brought when I was struggling.

19. The temple and the beautiful promises that are made there in.

20. The temple and the solace that is felt from life’s storms with in it’s walls.

21. The beautiful light that radiates from the temple.

22. The beautiful images of paintings to create that come to my mind when I look at the temple.

23. The opportunity to be with family and at peace in the temple.

24. The scriptures and the word of the lord to teach me directly as I search them.

25. The boldness in the scriptures that helps me know what I can change and repent of that I might be more happy now and in the life to come.

26. The words of a Prophet of the Lord, which teach me what I need to know, and that fill my hunger for what I need at this time.

27. General Conference and the blessing I have to hear them in audio and read them in print in my hand. Not many in the worlds history have had such a blessing at their finger tips.

28. Trials, that I may understand the hurt and pain of other people and have empathy for them.

29. Trials, that they change me.

30. Trials, that I may not be the cause of pain which other people have brought to me.

31. Rice Flour and the Thai people for creating the most delicious rice noodles

32. Gluten Free almost anything I want.

33. Gluten Free menu’s at restaurants, like that of real Pizza, Mmmmm.

34. Corn tortillas and the many Casadilla’s that I have eaten with them.

35. A Happy and more healthy stomach.

36. Kitchen Aide mixers, they really are a cooking dream and make baking gluten free bread so much easier.

37. Sunsets that look like the sky is on fire.

38. The subtle purple color mixed in with the orange during a sunset.

39. Laughter

40. Snow

41. A car that functions and can, despite it’s smallness and simples, carry such wonderful things as Kayaks.

42. The opportunity I had to learn to Kayak, and to do it often while I was in Maine.

43. Maine and all the joy I had there.

44. Maine and all the things I learned about life and love there.

45. Maine and all her natural beauties that took my breath away nearly every day.

46. A lovely old beautiful home to live in.

47. Beautiful glass windows that sparkle and reflect the colors of the rainbow all over our living room floor.

48. For the way Katrina and I converse in a lovely lisp that makes me laugh so hard.

“We cannot predict all of the struggles and storms of life, not even the ones around the next corner. But as persons of faith and hope we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and THE BEST IS YET TO COME”

Poetry

Poetry has an important place and profound affect in the school I am teaching at. I have noticed that it not only has a profound affect on my students, but it also affects me. Some days are long, hard, and intensely emotional, but other days are so rewarding, exciting, and worth all the time spent there. One of my students comes to me often to share the poems he writes as an outlet to the intense feelings of his heart. Sometimes they make my heart well up in tears. This particular poem just caught the feels of my heart today. I told him that I would publish his work anonymously on the internet today. Simple, but profound to me, Here it is:

"I can't believe the things you've put me through,

Why do I love you the way I do.

Will I have to change that to always be true."

~Anonymous

I went into the woods

"I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived... I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."

~Henry David Thoreau

I went into the woods a little over a week ago and it made me homesick. Funny that I could get homesick while living in my own home town. The homesick I talk of is more of a "Maine-sick", the kind of homesick for a job I loved, that I would do for the rest of my life if I knew that I could guarantee that I would get by. I love the kids, l love making a difference, I love serving them, I love the comrodery that comes with a crew that plays in the woods together.

Into the deeps canyons I go this weekend...

The ride to work

THE RIDE TO WORK

I love my drive to work. I have always said that I would prefer to drive 30 minutes on a country road to work over driving 15 minutes on the freeway. I enjoy that kind of driving time so much more. There is nothing quite like the smell of manure and skunk. Surprisingly I can take them pretty well.