Tis a very fast month. It seems that I just sent out February's letter.
Well Michelle is almost done with work she is done on the 25 of April, then she is going to California.
I have just been doing the school/work thing and also was in a Ballet over the weekend yes you read correctly a Ballet, and no I did not wear spandex, I was a soldier and I looked like one of the 3 Amigos but with a goatee. It was Carmen. I knew most of the songs due to marching band. It was fun and hard work.
Well Scott and Kyle are really growing now they are growing out of their pajamas. They really loved Easter because they could take something nice and white and dip it into something and it changed colors, they thought it was so funny how it could do that. They they loved finding the eggs. We went to my sister Valon's house to hide the eggs along with fake eggs with candy and money inside. My parents put $25 dollars in plastic eggs and so it makes it even better. Well Kyle made bank he pulled in almost $8 dollars, Scott got $2.35 but when you are that age either you don't care or you are floored with what you get. It was a great time.
Well I have only 10 more days until I am done with school up here, but that darn ISU is still going so I have to keep doing that class.
Well that is all I can think of so hope all is well with you all and have a great day.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
2008 March: Bates
Our lives this month have been spent around the 60 - 70% mark of the gestational progress bar. We are very excited that the baby is coming along well. Tamara is due June 28th. Her sister-in-law just had a baby girl, increasing our baby excitement/anxiety. That is definitely the most notable thing that we are looking forward to.
Both of our dogs are doing fine. The old one is FINALLY starting to tolerate the young'in, but still has a ways to go before we'd use the word "accept." The young one is potty-trained (except for when we leave him home alone for several hours).
As I mentioned last month, I am now the primary pianist. My skills have been steadily progressing (from gut-wrenching 1 month ago to ear-splittingly-tolerable now). I had a major set back this month though. I broke a finger playing basketball. It was my left pinky- which seems like it would be the least used (pinky of the non-dominant hand). This holds true, as far as I've found, in every area but 2: Playing the Piano & Programming.
Anyone who plays the piano will tell you that your left pinky gets used quite a bit (especially in church settings, because you HAVE to play the Bass line, as there are very few people singing it... especially in such a pre-pubescent setting as primary).
Typing is a little more subjective. People vary from 2-finger-hunt-and-peck all the way down to "separate but equal" finger-key-division-of-labor. I myself am an 8 finger (everything but the pinkies) Jazz-Artist typer (♫♪slide the hands to the left ♪♫ & the hands to the right ♫♪ if you hit the right letter it's alright!!! ♪♫). I don't believe in discriminating between fingers and keys. It really doesn't make sense! You cant send Z to the back of the bus: for Pete Sake, he sits right next to A. I also don't believe in Hunt-and-Peck (mainly because I'm afraid by pounding my index fingers repeatedly into keys, I'll end up having those really old arthritic hands... but JUST on my index fingers).
So, when I type, I don't normally use my fingers. HOWEVER, programming is a completely different matter. "Tab" "Shift" "Ctrl" "Alt" and even on occasion "Caps-Lock" (like if I get really ANGRY at my boss or something) are essential. While I don't always hit them with my pinky, there are certain innate-key-behaviors hard-coded into the souls of all programmers. It's like a collectively shared Muscle-Memory. You can't break it... even if you break the finger it needs. So, no matter how cringing each copy-paste is, I still use ol' pinky.
Well, that was a random tangent.
In other news, Tamara and I have been trying to make our yard not look like white trash. At first we thought it would be enough to get rid of all the discarded diapers, beer bottles, cigarrettes, and other random trash. Little did we know the extent of the white-trashiness!
Apparently our house was founded on an ancient civilization of White-Trashers. For our Purposes we will call them clan "Wonder Bread." From 1 inch to 3 feet buried in our soul is evidence of this clan. From discarded bed-sheets to remains of small animals, the trail is fraught with history.
The Wonder Breads had plentiful breeding, as evidenced by the many brimming Huggies and Luvs. They were a merry sort of tribe, clearly seen by the many bottles of used merriment. The most likely had their fair share of battles, because of the shards of discarded bone and many surrendered teeth.
Anywho- despite this fascinating excavation, we are digging up our entire yard to try to get rid of all the trash, kill of the rampant barley, and plant actual grass that doesn't cut bare feet. So here's hoping!
Other than that I have just been working a lot. Overtime at work and multiple side projects makes Rob a dull boy. Luckily Tamara is fun and comes up with fun out-of-the-ordinary things for us to do.
Here's hoping you all do something Fun & Random,
-Rob & Tamara
Both of our dogs are doing fine. The old one is FINALLY starting to tolerate the young'in, but still has a ways to go before we'd use the word "accept." The young one is potty-trained (except for when we leave him home alone for several hours).
As I mentioned last month, I am now the primary pianist. My skills have been steadily progressing (from gut-wrenching 1 month ago to ear-splittingly-tolerable now). I had a major set back this month though. I broke a finger playing basketball. It was my left pinky- which seems like it would be the least used (pinky of the non-dominant hand). This holds true, as far as I've found, in every area but 2: Playing the Piano & Programming.
Anyone who plays the piano will tell you that your left pinky gets used quite a bit (especially in church settings, because you HAVE to play the Bass line, as there are very few people singing it... especially in such a pre-pubescent setting as primary).
Typing is a little more subjective. People vary from 2-finger-hunt-and-peck all the way down to "separate but equal" finger-key-division-of-labor. I myself am an 8 finger (everything but the pinkies) Jazz-Artist typer (♫♪slide the hands to the left ♪♫ & the hands to the right ♫♪ if you hit the right letter it's alright!!! ♪♫). I don't believe in discriminating between fingers and keys. It really doesn't make sense! You cant send Z to the back of the bus: for Pete Sake, he sits right next to A. I also don't believe in Hunt-and-Peck (mainly because I'm afraid by pounding my index fingers repeatedly into keys, I'll end up having those really old arthritic hands... but JUST on my index fingers).
So, when I type, I don't normally use my fingers. HOWEVER, programming is a completely different matter. "Tab" "Shift" "Ctrl" "Alt" and even on occasion "Caps-Lock" (like if I get really ANGRY at my boss or something) are essential. While I don't always hit them with my pinky, there are certain innate-key-behaviors hard-coded into the souls of all programmers. It's like a collectively shared Muscle-Memory. You can't break it... even if you break the finger it needs. So, no matter how cringing each copy-paste is, I still use ol' pinky.
Well, that was a random tangent.
In other news, Tamara and I have been trying to make our yard not look like white trash. At first we thought it would be enough to get rid of all the discarded diapers, beer bottles, cigarrettes, and other random trash. Little did we know the extent of the white-trashiness!
Apparently our house was founded on an ancient civilization of White-Trashers. For our Purposes we will call them clan "Wonder Bread." From 1 inch to 3 feet buried in our soul is evidence of this clan. From discarded bed-sheets to remains of small animals, the trail is fraught with history.
The Wonder Breads had plentiful breeding, as evidenced by the many brimming Huggies and Luvs. They were a merry sort of tribe, clearly seen by the many bottles of used merriment. The most likely had their fair share of battles, because of the shards of discarded bone and many surrendered teeth.
Anywho- despite this fascinating excavation, we are digging up our entire yard to try to get rid of all the trash, kill of the rampant barley, and plant actual grass that doesn't cut bare feet. So here's hoping!
Other than that I have just been working a lot. Overtime at work and multiple side projects makes Rob a dull boy. Luckily Tamara is fun and comes up with fun out-of-the-ordinary things for us to do.
Here's hoping you all do something Fun & Random,
-Rob & Tamara
2008 March: North
Well March is almost over now. It’s time for another email. Becky and I are still in Poky, still working and going to school, not much has changed.
We had a neat experience a couple of weeks ago for a ward Family Home Evening activity (Single’s Wards make FHE a ward activity). There is a church member in the area here who has been to Israel several times and is familiar with their culture. He came and lead us thru a sample Passover dinner. I guess the real deal takes several hours, so we only did a portion of it. We had 4 little cups of “wine” (grape juice), the bitter herb (horseradish sauce), a sweet apple mixture, and unleavened bread. At one point we had to mix some of the horseradish sauce with the apple stuff to symbolize the opposition in all things, let me tell you, that bite was an opposition to all things good.
Bro. Kirkham also put Jesus’ lost supper in context of the Passover dinner. We learned that it was at the saddest part of the Passover meal, the part where they remember the bitterness of captivity in Egypt, and the bitterness of sin that Jesus told the Twelve that one of them would betray him, and then told Judas to go and do what he’d planned. After Judas is gone the mood changes and the Savior can teach his disciples some wonderful things.
It was a great learning experience. It helped me gain some more appreciation for the sacrament which is how we celebrate the Passover after Christ’s death. It also taught me a little bit about our cousins, the Jews.
We’re getting closer to the end of school. Only 5 weeks left. I can’t hardly wait.
We hope you’re getting along well. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know.
Stewart & Becky
We had a neat experience a couple of weeks ago for a ward Family Home Evening activity (Single’s Wards make FHE a ward activity). There is a church member in the area here who has been to Israel several times and is familiar with their culture. He came and lead us thru a sample Passover dinner. I guess the real deal takes several hours, so we only did a portion of it. We had 4 little cups of “wine” (grape juice), the bitter herb (horseradish sauce), a sweet apple mixture, and unleavened bread. At one point we had to mix some of the horseradish sauce with the apple stuff to symbolize the opposition in all things, let me tell you, that bite was an opposition to all things good.
Bro. Kirkham also put Jesus’ lost supper in context of the Passover dinner. We learned that it was at the saddest part of the Passover meal, the part where they remember the bitterness of captivity in Egypt, and the bitterness of sin that Jesus told the Twelve that one of them would betray him, and then told Judas to go and do what he’d planned. After Judas is gone the mood changes and the Savior can teach his disciples some wonderful things.
It was a great learning experience. It helped me gain some more appreciation for the sacrament which is how we celebrate the Passover after Christ’s death. It also taught me a little bit about our cousins, the Jews.
We’re getting closer to the end of school. Only 5 weeks left. I can’t hardly wait.
We hope you’re getting along well. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know.
Stewart & Becky
2008 March: Robertson
Greetings one and all,
This month was rather busy for us. That is probably the biggest understatement I have ever made. Or maybe that was. Either way, we did everything that we could to keep from losing our minds. The month, at the beginning, promised to be somewhat relaxed, and then we received a phone call from Morgan's sister who is a student at BYU-Idaho saying that she was in the hospital because she was hyperventilating and having minor seizures at church. She said that it was over and she was fine, but a couple hours later, we received another call saying that she was having another attack again. We went over to her apartment, and I (Derik) gave her a blessing. We then took her home with us where she spent the next couple of days. She kept saying that she was fine, but we told her that she had to see a doctor. She said that she was ready to go back to her apartment and to her classes, but within an hour of her dropping her off at her apartment, she called us and we picked her up again. We spent the next few weeks taking care of her at our place, driving her to multiple doctor's appointments, driving her to some of her classes, and being caregivers in general. Her hyperventilating finally stopped, but the tremors never did. She would start shaking uncontrollably every now and then, and it would just make her weak and exhausted. Finally, a specialist was brought in who decided that everything was caused by a bad mix of medication with school stress triggering everything. Morgan's mom came out at that point and stayed with us for about a week to see what could be done. The doctors and her bishop decided that it would be best if she just withdraw from school and go home in order to recover and get more help. She left us and Rexburg with three weeks of school to go.
In the middle of that mess, Morgan ended up doing the flowers for two different weddings one week apart from each other. She had been planning on doing one of them ever since January, but at the very beginning of the month, Morgan was contacted by a girl that was getting married a week before the wedding Morgan was already planning. She stepped up and took the job. As soon as the bride (and mother of the bride) of the original wedding found out that Morgan was doing another wedding, sirens began to wail. Since the two families lived fairly close to each other and many of the same people would be attending both receptions, great amounts of consternation were thrown at Morgan because the bride of the original wedding was terrified that 1) the flowers of the weddings would be similar and 2) that one wedding would take precedence over the other. Phone calls were made and many reassurances went out to the agitated party that things would work out. After many hours of lost sleep, Morgan, with the help of my mom who took the girls for the days of floral production, finished the weddings. She received many compliments from the wedding she just picked up. She hasn't heard anything one way or another from the original, agitated wedding – oh well. She is glad that those are over.
As if flowers for weddings weren't enough, Morgan took a bunch of palm frawns to a Relief Society Luau where she decorated the room with them. The next week she taught a Relief Society enrichment night at our house on floral design. She had about double the amount of women show up that she was expecting, but everything went smoothly, and she had a good time.
I have been busy with my classes and my book. The book went into the printers last week and should be on the shelves of the bookstore by April 4th. The other exciting news in our lives came about a week ago when I was accepted into Grad school at a small Liberal Arts College in Minnesota. We were debating whether or not to go there since they only offer a Master's degree and I want a Doctorate; however, we then received another letter from the school saying that I had been awarded a teaching assistantship. This means I automatically get Minnesota residency, a full tuition waver, and a 10,000 dollar salary to go to school there. So, the end of July beginning August, we will be packing up and starting the move to the banks of the Mississippi to spend the next two years of our lives.
The girls are doing well. They enjoy playing with each other, and they love to laugh and make each other giggle. They have recently picked up the habit of yelling “daddy” or “dada” and get really excited every time I come home from work. It's really cute and I can't help but yell back. Morgan just smiles and shakes her head at her three children as we then chase each other around the floor. I think that I have said everything that has happened to us in this busy month. We are hoping that next month is a little more quiet - if for no other reason than for our sanity. We love you all and look forward to the day when we can see you again.
God bless you,
Derik, Morgan, Kyla, and Daria Robertson
This month was rather busy for us. That is probably the biggest understatement I have ever made. Or maybe that was. Either way, we did everything that we could to keep from losing our minds. The month, at the beginning, promised to be somewhat relaxed, and then we received a phone call from Morgan's sister who is a student at BYU-Idaho saying that she was in the hospital because she was hyperventilating and having minor seizures at church. She said that it was over and she was fine, but a couple hours later, we received another call saying that she was having another attack again. We went over to her apartment, and I (Derik) gave her a blessing. We then took her home with us where she spent the next couple of days. She kept saying that she was fine, but we told her that she had to see a doctor. She said that she was ready to go back to her apartment and to her classes, but within an hour of her dropping her off at her apartment, she called us and we picked her up again. We spent the next few weeks taking care of her at our place, driving her to multiple doctor's appointments, driving her to some of her classes, and being caregivers in general. Her hyperventilating finally stopped, but the tremors never did. She would start shaking uncontrollably every now and then, and it would just make her weak and exhausted. Finally, a specialist was brought in who decided that everything was caused by a bad mix of medication with school stress triggering everything. Morgan's mom came out at that point and stayed with us for about a week to see what could be done. The doctors and her bishop decided that it would be best if she just withdraw from school and go home in order to recover and get more help. She left us and Rexburg with three weeks of school to go.
In the middle of that mess, Morgan ended up doing the flowers for two different weddings one week apart from each other. She had been planning on doing one of them ever since January, but at the very beginning of the month, Morgan was contacted by a girl that was getting married a week before the wedding Morgan was already planning. She stepped up and took the job. As soon as the bride (and mother of the bride) of the original wedding found out that Morgan was doing another wedding, sirens began to wail. Since the two families lived fairly close to each other and many of the same people would be attending both receptions, great amounts of consternation were thrown at Morgan because the bride of the original wedding was terrified that 1) the flowers of the weddings would be similar and 2) that one wedding would take precedence over the other. Phone calls were made and many reassurances went out to the agitated party that things would work out. After many hours of lost sleep, Morgan, with the help of my mom who took the girls for the days of floral production, finished the weddings. She received many compliments from the wedding she just picked up. She hasn't heard anything one way or another from the original, agitated wedding – oh well. She is glad that those are over.
As if flowers for weddings weren't enough, Morgan took a bunch of palm frawns to a Relief Society Luau where she decorated the room with them. The next week she taught a Relief Society enrichment night at our house on floral design. She had about double the amount of women show up that she was expecting, but everything went smoothly, and she had a good time.
I have been busy with my classes and my book. The book went into the printers last week and should be on the shelves of the bookstore by April 4th. The other exciting news in our lives came about a week ago when I was accepted into Grad school at a small Liberal Arts College in Minnesota. We were debating whether or not to go there since they only offer a Master's degree and I want a Doctorate; however, we then received another letter from the school saying that I had been awarded a teaching assistantship. This means I automatically get Minnesota residency, a full tuition waver, and a 10,000 dollar salary to go to school there. So, the end of July beginning August, we will be packing up and starting the move to the banks of the Mississippi to spend the next two years of our lives.
The girls are doing well. They enjoy playing with each other, and they love to laugh and make each other giggle. They have recently picked up the habit of yelling “daddy” or “dada” and get really excited every time I come home from work. It's really cute and I can't help but yell back. Morgan just smiles and shakes her head at her three children as we then chase each other around the floor. I think that I have said everything that has happened to us in this busy month. We are hoping that next month is a little more quiet - if for no other reason than for our sanity. We love you all and look forward to the day when we can see you again.
God bless you,
Derik, Morgan, Kyla, and Daria Robertson
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