Teaching Begins
August and September seemed to continue my "tough months" streak. It had been so long since I taught school that it really was like I was starting all over again. I was teaching a new subject at a new school and with 14 years since my last teaching job I felt like a brand new teacher. Also, my life had changed dramatically since teaching last. I now had two kids, lots of animals and a large house and property that I was accustomed to taking care of without a full time job. Needless to say, teaching school again has been an adjustment. I still am not feeling totally like I am capable of being a good mom and a farmer, serving well at church and excelling as a high school teacher all at the same time. I do feel better now (December) than I felt in August and September though. Maybe I can figure it all out eventually.
I was able to get into my classroom at the beginning of August. They stuck me out in a little relocatable room. It has its advantages and disadvantages. I like that I am able to get into my classroom anytime even on weekends. It made setting up and getting ready for school easy. Since I live so close to school I can just run over and do something quickly if I need. I think if I am offered a room in the building next year I might decline. I guess it would depend on where it was located and what room it was. For now this seems to be working for me. This is what my classroom looked like when I got it. I have since added my own decorations and touches, but I have never taken pictures since I made it my own. When I walk in this room each day, I am going non-stop with so many other things and taking pics is never on my mind. Maybe sometime I'll remember to take another picture of my classroom.
The boys had to fend for themselves for over a week while I went to new teacher trainings at the district and professional development days at school. All the trainings and meetings with no work time was absolutely overwhelming. They told us literally a million things we needed to be doing, but gave us zero time to actually do any of those things. We had only one day without meetings to get everything ready to start school and then it was the first day!
Mark took a picture of us on our first morning of school. Getting up so early for the boys was a challenge. It was so early for them that Timmy forgot what grade we was starting. We were supposed to hold up the amount of fingers for the grade we were starting in this picture. Brian and I are starting 9th and Timmy is starting 7th. Timmy thought he was still in 6th apparently. Our new routine for getting to school was Brian and I drop Timmy off close to his bus stop at 7:00 AM and then we go to school together. If Timmy misses the bus he has no way to get to school, so it has been a bit of a stressor for me, but we are all adjusting. Brian and I get to school right when I am required to arrive at 7:10 AM. He leaves his running bag in my classroom and heads to his classes in the same building. Back when I taught before, I would always get to school way earlier to make sure I was all ready for the day. Now, having the time with my boys in the morning takes priority. I am so glad I can get Timmy to the bus and be with them both in the morning. This is the main reason I wanted to teach at our school.
I knew this first year back was going to be hard. I had been a new teacher before. It is so so hard to begin teaching. I was very shocked though at how difficult my students were. The demographic at our school is so very different than I had experienced before. Student behavior and the lack of support these kids get at home was new to me and I found it quite challenging. I have also been told that studies have shown that the age I was teaching was the age most affected by the pandemic. On top of this, the administration was brand new at the high school. All of it together made for a pretty rough first few months of teaching. It was well into October before I felt somewhat okay about things. I am just so grateful those first months are over. I know my students now and I am learning how to best teach them and help them. I have truly grown to love them. I actually am finding myself missing them now over winter break. I never would have guessed I would feel this way a few months ago.
A New Family Member
While school was starting here, Luke and Sunny (Mark's brother) in California were working hard to get their sweet baby boy born safely. After many days of difficult induced labor and a scary emergency C-section, he came into the world. However, he had aspirated meconium and one lung had a tare in it. He was in the NICU on full oxygen and for a bit things were not looking good for him. We prayed and prayed and hoped from Utah. We were so relieved when we heard baby boy was going to be okay. Mark's mom had been in California with Luke and Sunny for weeks, but couldn't do much to help them at that time as she was not allowed in the hospital. However, she was great help later when they were all able to come home. It was a rough start for that little family and it was hard for us to watch from so far away. But we are so grateful for this beautiful little miracle in the Hsiao family and so glad they made it through some pretty tough stuff.
Both Luke and Sunny lost their fathers in 2022. The thought that they could lose their baby boy in the same year was just too much. I haven't prayed so hard I think ever in my life. While I was praying super early in the morning, waiting for an update on baby, I did feel a distinct feeling of peace and comfort that things would be okay. Heavenly Father is there. He hears us. He cares for us.
Life Happenings
During August and September Brian was fully into his first cross country season in high school. Turns out he is a pretty good runner. He ran so many miles and it was time for some new really nice spiked shoes for races. Salt Lake Running Company was a good place to get them.
Brian has really enjoyed being on the team. His coach is amazing and his teammates are really awesome too. Most are great examples and have become some of Brian's best friends.
Brian ended up killing it on his first race. He became the 7th man on the varsity team for his second race and switched off throughout the season running both varsity and junior varsity. Pretty cool accomplishment as a freshman. It has been such a great experience for him. I'm super proud of his hard work.
Here he is moving in to pass those big varsity runners in front of him. Go Brian!
All that running makes Brian hungry. Both Brian and Timmy are growing crazy fast and they eat...so...much...food! Anyone who sees them eat is shocked those little bodies can put so much away. I am still shocked when I watch them eat and I see it every day. It has been a challenge for me to get them enough food while teaching as well. I am so exhausted after school. Most week days I pick up food from somewhere and then we eat out big on the weekends. Sundays are the only day I plan and we really prepare a meal. I am just not going to stress about it and maybe get back to trying to cook more meals in the summer. Maybe.
See those huge plates of food here? I am pretty sure we ate all those plates clean and I remember ordering more to take home. The food intake is quite ridiculous. And sometimes it feels like all the money I am earning at my new job goes straight into our stomachs. But our family seems to have our best memories surrounding food. We love to eat together and our happiest times are when we are together around a table of amazing food.
After eating out one Saturday we stopped by Mark's work for him to get a few things. It's always fun to get a good family shuffle board game in while there.
At home after four years of sleeping in our tiny guest bedroom in our basement, we decided to finally finish our master bedroom. As you see this is a huge undertaking. No wonder we left it like this for 4 years. Luckily our contractor friend has had some time to help Mark with it. We are on our way to having a pretty nice master suite!
Labor Day weekend arrived and we were able to go up to the Flaming Gorge area to our friend's cabin for our yearly tradition. It is always such a relaxing and needed getaway. Mark and Kevin are always so cute together out paddle boarding around the lake.
This year the Cooke's had a brand new puppy we got to enjoy. She is the cutest!
Brian especially was excited to play airsoft while there. They had some great games. I didn't play this year. My wrist was still struggling a bit and after my first month of school all I wanted to do was lie down and rest all weekend long. So that is what I did. I would rest inside, then maybe eat some food, then go rest outside, then enjoy time chatting with our friends. That time was so nice and needed.
Back at home our other friends invited us to their really nice private box suite to watch the Utah football game. It was so fun.
I think Brian only enjoyed it though because he could look down and smile at his BYU socks he insisted on wearing. I was busy watching everyone around us to make sure he didn't get beat up or something for wearing BYU gear and a blue shirt in that stadium of red. Luckily the U fans aren't that bad.
One weekend Mark made so much pork belly burnt ends in his smoker for a big stake high priest dinner. We were very surprised how much all those old people loved it and ate it all up. Here is some of what he made getting ready to be smoked.
One night we met our friends Jim and Kathrin, from Washington D.C., for Thai food and games at our house. It is always so nice to see them when they visit!
My Grandma Joyce turned 99 at the end of September! Her kids took her to the aquarium for her birthday. I love her so much!
Timmy and Mark finished off September by splitting a whole lot of wood to sell. Brian was so busy with school and cross country that he really turned the wood selling business over to Timmy.
