When The Students Are Away...

This has become a summer tradition for Dan and I:

 


After the guys head to bed at night and leave for summer school and work in the morning we sit down and play a few rounds of Dutch Blitz. So far I'm up 6 games to 2. (If I did hastags they would be: hekeepstrying; winnerwinnerchickendinner; dutchblitz; morningritual; whenthestudentsareawaythehouseparentsplay; practiceforthegameswiththegirlsinthefall; solongasIkeepwinning; janaewinsmostgamesweplay hesagoodsport)

Everything's a Competition

This summer we have a house of 8 active high school boys. We made that choice last August before we knew we would be placed with girls. It's been fun, especially for me! The guys will come ask me for various household supplies and I get to defer them to Dan since they are kept in a locked closet in the bathroom. It's been a much better division of labor.

It's also been fun to find creative ways to determine who does various chores in the house. Once night Dan challenged the boys to a game of knock-out (aka lightening) to decide who had to clean up the snack. Out they went to practice their shots. About 20 minutes later I joined them to watch for a bit. It was fun to hear them cheering each other on; "Come on, Mr. you can get him out!" "Hurry!" "Mr. are you out already?"

The beauty of this is that once they all start playing, they will continue to play for 45 minutes or so and they end up tired and ready for bed!

Another time the competition was Tenzi but this time it was for the house chores.

The chores were all ranked from easiest to hardest and the 1st person to the the designated number received that chore. The competition was fierce as most of them wanted an easy chore. Then they willingly headed off to accomplish their chores.

We haven't gotten to eating competitions yet, and hopefully we won't ever get to those.

A Natural Campus

Several areas on campus the grounds crew have left to grow wild. They are interspersed between areas of cut lawns and other maintained grass areas. As we drive from our apartment to our student homes, we get to enjoy the beauty and changes that occur to these areas. Today we finally captured one section we drive by regularly:

The wildflowers and other foliage have been striking. It's mid-July and there is none of the brown grasses we are accustomed to in the west.

I Hate It When That Happens!

Just one piece and the border would be complete!

Time to hunt through all 55 million other pieces to find the 1...grrrr....

We Love Feebies!

Our time here in Central PA has introduced us some new foods; baked oatmeal, shoo fly pie, scrapple, Philly cheese steaks, white cheddar cheese to name a few. One that's become a favorite can be found at a chain in eastern US, Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness. Most of the locations are only open in the spring and summer months. The first day of spring is traditionally Free Rita's Day. They give out free small sizes of their legendary Italian Ice.

Well, as Houseparents, we are all about free activities to share with our students. We split our group into two trips asking the first trip to take care of dinner clean-up so the 2nd group could go sooner. It was a fun dash for a treat, even if it was cold and snowy on the First Day of Spring this year:

Snow Geese Sightings

Last year we had some noisy birds stop on their migration path. They sounded much like Canada geese but they didn't look anything like that type of goose. We later learned that they are snow geese. They are noisy, but very pretty. From a distance a large flock can resemble moving snow on the ground.

We had a couple different groups fly past our house and it was mesmerizing to watch them:

 

(The video might be sound only for some reason. You can hear the geese best after the siren passes.)

A few days later I was running an errand and saw another flock of snow geese on the ground enjoying a meal from the freshly turned earth.

It's been amazing to observe these animals the last couple years.

Pi Day 2015

Well, it's officially a tradition, pies for Õ day! This year was apple crumble and banana cream:

Not fresh crusts this year and made the day ahead so they set better. Both were pretty yummy but I think last year's banana cream pie was better. The girls voted on the flavors and enjoyed this special snack.

P.S. Keep scrolling, more posts have been added to 2014 in chronological order.

Keeping Track

In September, we had an assignment change at work. Instead of being substitutes for 60 Senior Division student homes, we are now assigned to Flex (or substitute) with the same four female student homes. We work 12 days then are off 3. We start at our 'A' home at 2:00 pm and transition to our 'B' home at 2:00 pm three days later, then at 2:00 three days after that to our 'C' home and then onto our 'D' home. We then enjoy our three days off until we start the rotation again.

The change from 12-2 to 12-3 was confusing for us at first and very difficult for others to follow. To keep it straight, I used a school calendar colored our days at each student home and off a different color.

Now that we've been at this for several months, we have it figured out fairly well and don't have to think too hard which home we go to when.

With the assignment change, the number of students we could work with has dropped from about 700 to 48. It may still seem like a lot, but 48 is much more manageable, and we are developing closer relationships with each student. We love our girls and have had a great time getting to know them better and sharing in their activities.

Mailbox vs Sentra

When backing up to check the mail at the student home...

...because you drove past it on the way into the driveway, use caution otherwise it can be extremely hazardous TO YOUR CAR!!! 

Ok, not so bad; I can live with that.

Yeah, not so much with that!

Yes, the all metal mailbox is just fine. It was leaning a little but a slight push and pressing down on the dirt around it was all the repair needed. Our car on the other hand...it'll be going to the hospital in the near future.

So if you see Dan walking everywhere, just know he still isn't allowed to drive the car. I suppose it's a good thing I love him more than my car.

(Yes,I know that I'm behind. Planning to come at the updates from both sides and meeting in the middle so it's not so maybe posts will happen sooner.)

Another Full Summer While Working in PA

This year we decided to work the first half of summer break. As it turned out, it was a good decision since Sid notified us in April that he would be getting married in August. We had three boys most of our time there (a couple came and went with sports camps) and we had a great time with them. Our dinner conversations were lively as one of the guys was working with goats in the Ag Program so his stories were very funny; the goat that refuses to move unless he's carried.

We had a limited amount of money to use with the guys for activities but we gave them the option to select what we did. They wanted to do go-carts and laser tag. We found a discount for a location that had both plus some other activities. Dan and I talked with the guys to decide how to make our money stretch. They opted to do the 1 more expensive activity rather than lots of little activities. We were proud of their decision and had a great time together!

Go-Carts, Laser Tag, Mini Golf, Arcade games...a little for everyone and we all had a great time!

One of the evenings we invited other student homes over for a "make your own calzone" night. It was fun to watch the students interacting together and trying something new. They had a good time laughing and teasing each other as they tried to create a delicious master piece.

One evening Dan and I were playing cards with a couple of the guys. I look over and all three of them are more into their electronics than the game we were playing:

Next time they'll have to put away their electronics so we can really have a game. And by away, I don't mean on the chair next to them.

Of course we caught the fireworks on July 4th. Before they started, we roasted marshmallows, hot dogs, and such around a campfire with a couple other student homes. We do our best to keep our summers full and enjoy every moment.

Winding up the School Year

After Spring Break ended it was back to work for us. We picked up our assignments and kept rotating around campus. We did our best to make the most of the warmer temperatures and longer amounts of sunshine.

May and June finished up with some random things. We made another trek into Harrisburg for the National Step Competition. Some of the Houses we joined last year were here again. We took a home who hadn't been before. It was another adventure. If we go again, we need to bring sack meals. It's a long night and the performances just get better as the night goes on. We left early since the girls we were with didn't believe us when we said it would be long & they needed to eat a big meal before we left at 3:00.

When we returned from the competition the power was out all over town. Our badges didn't let us into the student home; thank goodness for security having master keys that let us in. We gathered flashlights and made the best of the time playing games, visiting, and laughing together until Dan and I finally sent the girls to bed.

Dan's Birthday was approaching so we opted to celebrate a little early on our time off. We were going to head to Texas Roadhouse when Dan decided he would rather somewhere else for his birthday dinner:

Not my favorite but Dan was happy.

He opened his gifts a couple days apart, before we went back to work (on his birthday) and a few days after when the final gifts arrived from an on-line order.

This year we had several girls performing in the Spring Dance Recital so we made sure to go support them. They had been working all year for this concert and they did well! We recognized several faces on the stage and in the crowd; always a bonus to our time at a campus activity.

A couple days after that it was "National Doughnut Day." Dan took some of the boys to the outlet mall and then to Dunkin' Doughnuts for a true celebration. I made sure not to miss out on the fun when I was out and about myself.

Spring Break 2014-Part 2

...our next stop was...

We talked about going to Jamestown and Yorktown but decided to spend our time exploring Colonial Williamsburg since the general consensus was that there was little to do at the other two locations.

We attended our church meetings at the Williamsburg Ward. Before attending, we found out that our niece, Liz had a friend from home serving her mission in the Williamsburg Ward. We made it a point to introduce ourselves to the sister missionaries. She said we looked familiar and we'd taken her home from Liz's house once, plus visited her home ward multiple times. 

I asked her companion where she was from and she said Bunkerville, NV. Well, I knew 1 person with her last name from Bunkerville...Bob. Turns out he is her DAD! He and I were in the same ward at BYU many, many, many moons ago. When she told me who her dad married, I recognized her mom's name too, also from the BYU 160th Ward. Fun to discover that I "knew" both sister missionaries. There might have been connections with the elders too, but we didn't visit with them to ask.

Of course, after the meeting ended, we took a couple snapshots with them to send to family and I emailed the one so she could share it with her parents too.

The sister from Idaho.

The one from Nevada. I'll have to go back to my old pictures so I can better seen the family resemblance.

While touring Colonial Williamsburg, listened to Patrick Henry & George Washington speak, participated in some group portrayals, learned some dances of the day, learned about the impact of slavery at the time, heard and judged some court cases, and enjoyed the warmer temperatures and sunshine. Both of us were even sent to the stocks.

Toured the barrel maker, weavers, woodworker, apothecary, church (that still holds weekly services), several homes, and the shoemaker.

We also visited the dressmaker/tailor's shop. He was so snooty that we didn't bother with any pictures of him, we were afraid that he might be offended and ruin the dress I ordered. ;)

Just outside the colonial part of Williamsburg were other shops that we strolled in and out of. There was a Scottish store with several tartan plaids. Whenever I see a store like that I go search for our family plaid. Someday I'll have a skirt made in our tartan but I have to do some saving before that becomes a reality.

The final portion of our Spring Break was spent closer to our home. My parents came to visit us at our place and we gave them the grand tour!

We headed over to Chocolate World to do some shopping for treats and take the ride that tells about the Milton S. Hershey story and how the Hershey company makes it's famous chocolate. Of course, we really took the tour for the end result, some free chocolate!

The four of us took a trolley tour that goes around town and talks about how Milton Hershey set up the town, where the factories were/are, and tells the story of the Milton Hershey School he started in 1909. Again, the information was great, but the chocolate they handed out along the way was the highlight.

One of our fellow houseparents let us take Mom and Dad into their empty student home so we could give them a better feel for how each house houses 12 students and the houseparents.

Mom and Dad stayed with us and enjoyed the view and our little farm house. Dad later told me that he thought it was a confusing layout; guess that means he needs to come back and spend more time so it feels more comfortable to him.

The last big thing we did was head over to Valley Forge and tour the historic site where the American soldiers camped for winter during the Revolutionary War. None of us had any idea what to expect and we only had a short amount of time to see everything before the park closed. We left pleasantly surprised and want to go back again.

One other thing on our agenda was go get Mom & Dad's paperwork all completed so that they can visit us again and stay with us next time. It's a requirement of the school for background checks to be done if people will be coming more than once a year. It took some doing for Dad to get his finger printing completed so the last background check could be completed. After a few attempts, we discovered that he no longer has fingerprints. Of course, we had a good time teasing him that he was really trying to hide his past from us.

It was an enjoyable few days with them and we look forward to their next visit. Hope it's sooner rather than later.

Does the Milk Drain Clockwise Here?

Milk is ordered for the student homes by boxes of 5 gallons. Depending on the house, it can take a little over a week for 12 students to drink a full box. However, it takes about 15 minutes to drain a full one into the sink...

(We weren't sure how long the milk had been waiting outside prior to being put back into the "cow"so we erred on the side of caution.)

A "cow." (Photo from here.)

Miscellaneous Spring Related Things

Our winter was very wet and harsh to so Spring was a very welcomed change. There were so many beautiful blooming trees around campus and it seemed that they bloomed at the same time:

In order to get these beautiful flowers, rain must fall. I took a student to Walmart and noticed the clouds gathering. I hoped that we'd get in and out before the storm hit...One of us got back to the van without getting wet...

As I was driving towards campus with a student, we saw a person flying around with a parachute on a chair with a motor. (Not sure of the official name of the "sport" or equipment.)  As I was driving a few minutes later I stopped the van to take a picture or two; not great quality but you get the idea of what was being used:

Dan frequently introduces himself as "The Chosen One" or "Your Highness" to the students when they can't remember our name. One day he managed to find himself a scepter-he thinks it helps his case for his titles:

One of our day's off we headed to DC to spend some time in the Temple. The flowers and green was amazing here too:

I smile whenever I see this sign as we head to the DC Temple; it's definitely an attraction to not be missed:

With the warmer temperatures comes the need to collect delivered milk as soon as possible. At one student home we weren't sure when the 5 gallons of milk were delivered so we erred on the side of caution:

I discovered dumping 5 gallons of milk doesn't take very long. Not the best but better than drinking sour milk for several days.

Dan received the following in the mail this spring:

I found it very funny for some reason, maybe because my card is still so far away. The thing that was strange though is that he could have joined at 50, two years ago! Guess needs to update their mailings a bit.

My cooking skills have been put to the test with this new job.Not only am I cooking for at least 14 but I have tried more new recipes in the last year than I think I have in previous years put together! I've even tackled coconut shrimp.

While we were shopping for our new couch, we saw this small plaque and Dan thought we should take our picture with it...The things we do to humor each other...