I finally let Allison drive me a few times.  She is always eager to hop behind the wheel.  Jeremy takes it much more in stride letting her drive everywhere.  This week Allison finished up her online Financial Literacy class and did a very relieved happy dance.  She has not enjoyed that class at all.  I on the other hand thought it was full of actual useful information!  She and I got to go see LaLa Land together and I thought how grateful I was to have a daughter who is willing and wanting to share such things with me.  She loved all the tap numbers and is busy practicing away for her play in the garage tapping away, wishing we had heat out there.  We had New Beginnings this week and she helped do one of the rotations.  I was just beaming with happiness in her ability to stand up and bear her testimony.  She did say on the first rotation our bishop was in the room, on the second it was a member of the Stake Presidency and she said in the third with her luck the prophet was going to walk in.


For my birthday we all drove up to Cheesecake Factory and everyone (but Jeremy) picked out their own slice.  In case you think I am mean, Taylor and I split one, he really did eat half of it!  Birthday was awesome as I had so many family and friends think of me.


Spencer and Jeremy did a late night when Jeremy was given tickets to see BYU basketball vs Gonzaga.  They had a great time marveling at how tall and how big a beard one player could wear.  Spencer had his first date Saturday night taking an awesome girl, Kaley to Sweethearts Dance with a group of friends.  They rented an archery range for the day date followed by Sodalicious.  Then at night they did photos with Jeremy, dinner at Macaroni Grill, dance with lots of mosh pitting (Spencer swears his date wanted to), and JCW's for shakes.  He had a great time and has been sleeping all afternoon to make up for it.



Spencer started attending the archery team at school and has discovered more of a social life.  He learned he could leave school with friends to go get pizza for lunch.  I asked him what happened to the lunch he brought and he replied that it was long gone by lunch time.  He lives by Hobbit rules - first lunch and second lunch whenever possible.  Met Spencer's doctor this week and he is told just to keep up meds and he is doing great. 

We had the Hall's over for Superbowl Sunday.  Ate way too many wings thanks to Jason and had a great time hanging out.  Watching football is incidental for me but talking, visiting and eating yummy stuff is wonderful.

This Sunday we had Stake Conference.  As part of it our Stake President and Elder Worthen (BYU Pres) came to visit us.  They were very kind and loving and just wanted to make sure we felt of their love for us.  I always feel like deer in the headlights a bit at visits like those.  Never quite know what to say.  Besides which its either true, or it isn't.  And if the gospel is true than we just trust the path we are on because we know the destination, put our heads down and get on with it - with as much joy as possible.

Student teaching is going well.  11 weeks left, 5 down.  I had my first observation this week which went pretty well although I have a long list of things to improve on!  I also had parent teacher conferences which made for a very, very long day.  No one does well with 12 hour work days, no one.  I think school should start late the next day and all teachers should be given brownie sundaes.  On Friday I got to take my class to Olive Garden for a 3 hour field trip.  We have been learning and practicing restaurant skills for a month now and it was fun to put them to use.  One boy ate I swear 10 breadsticks and a pizza.



With parent teacher conferences I only got to go to Robyn's and Tayor's.  Both are doing well.  Spencer and Allison I just have to trust their grades posted online are telling the true story and emailing the teachers.

Jeremy met with the oncologist this week.  Blood test numbers are low but normal for being on his medication.  Won't look at a CT scan till summer.  For now just suck it up, stick it out and wait.  Can't do anything for the pain as its all pressure related so he is trying hard to eat small meals, mostly plants to keep his digestive system as empty as possible so there is less pressure on the tumor.  Some days are great, some days not so much.  They did prescribe some sleep medication which he can use a few times a week and I am hoping getting some sleep in will help the pain.  I know I feel much better when he sleeps better at night.