So here we go...
Maren and I were asked to bear our testimonies in church today as new members of the ward…I'm hoping that counted as our introductory talks! Maren was called to be the Laurel (Young Women's) advisor in our ward and I was called as the Elder Quorum 1st Counselor last week. So we are excited to serve in our new ward. After our testimonies were the testimonies of two new converts in the ward, both very different and nice in their own way. The first brother was from Jamaica and was a Rastafarian priest for 25+ years and Islamic for 10 more years after that before joining the church. He was similar to a black-gospel preacher…very loud and powerful. I really liked his testimony. The closing testimony was by Mary from Cameroon, and she told us her entire life story…pretty much literally…needless to say we went way over time!
This week was another STRUGGLE with a capital S for Maren as a third grade teacher. It has been really hard and hasn't been getting much easier…but I know over time she will prevail because she is such a hard worker, doesn't quit, and has the natural talent to be a very effective teacher. There is just a lot to learn and manage on the fly. The main problem has been listening. Lots of disobedience, space cadets, outright defiance and behavior problems. She has about six boys that are real trouble makers that make it hard for the rest of the class. She has called quite a few parents every week and by the third week (last week) she started sending kids to the principal's office…one child's behavior even merited calling the police on Wednesday….um, yeah.
So anyway, it's been a battle of survival for Maren; long days, lots of preparation, and lots of crushing (her spirit). I make the meals, make sure she is fed, and try and keep the house kind of clean. =) On Wednesday she started her university class (how to teach Elementary math) and was able to meet up with her old DC Teaching Fellow buddies and they could all commiserate and swap stories…so she felt much better after that. We also visited her old roommates last night, one of which is also an elementary school teacher in the area, who had a lot of good advice and funny stories…so I'm hoping with that and the spiritual fortification of Sunday she will be ready to do battle again on Monday morning… I'm sure she will succeed and win out in the end…but for now she could use a few extra prayers on her behalf and also on her student's behalf!
We have been really glad we moved into the city because of the close proximity to Maren's school. This week we also bought a sleeper sofa so we can have a place for guests to sleep if anyone wants to come visit!
As for me, work in starting to settle into a routine, after making the transition to a new job and training Shawn in my old job. Fall classes started for me two weeks ago as well. I really like my macroeconomics professor: he is very passionate and enthusiastic and is a great teacher. My econometrics teacher is probably the exact opposite, boring to the extreme. But I will be grateful for the one good instructor.
On Monday I went to traffic court; in May I had received a "reckless driving, passing a school bus" ticket, so Monday was my day of justice. Paul Mickelson, my old Elder's Quorum President, represented me as my lawyer...free of charge! Luckily we got the charged reduced to improper driving (just a normal traffic ticket) instead of reckless (which is a misdemeanor). So I was very thankful for Paul's help. (Thank you Paul!!!!!!)
We went to Les Miserables at Wolf Trap last Saturday – right when tropical storm Harriet (or whatever it's name was) was sweeping through DC. So it was soaking wet…but the show must go on! You can see some people wearing rain coats in the background. It was my first time seeing the musical and it was very moving and powerful. What a great story, such a powerful message of the atonement.
Last Sunday we had Sara Bartles and my Virginia family over for dinner and it was Sara's birthday, so we had a little celebration. Lorna was kind enough to perform a few dances for us while Maren sang Disney princess songs for accompaniment…at the end of each song Lorna would take a deep bow – like the one you see in 
the picture!
the picture! 
