School is here!

      SCHOOL IS HERE!
   The day we thought would never come is finally here.  We spent the last week and a 1/2 doing all the required pre-school counselor meetings, placement testing (both girls), orientations (one for each girl + separate for parents for each girl), computer roll out and instruction class (for Emmie)... for a total of 6 days spent at the school (most of the day).  Girls and I did most of it while Adam finished up business in Singapore.

Emmie after her computer roll out class!  The picture says it all!

       FINALLY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 8-14-14
   Lacie had a good morning but Emmie's went from bad to worse.  She didn't have her schedule OR her locker, which totally stressed her.  Her assigned buddy to help her around school didn't show up.  So they scrabbled around to find someone to help her and ended up grabbing just some random student that looked like they knew where they were going and what they were doing to be assigned to help Emmie.  The high school is in two parts, two towers of 4 floors each- that doesn't count the other buildings they use on campus .... Music Department, Dance Department, cafeteria, library etc.  There is no way, even with the tour she got last week, she was going to know where to go.  She also found out that even though she re-took the math placement after studying for a week, it was not going to get her into the class she wanted.  This means she will not get to take mandarin at school.  This is what devastated her the most.  Emmie feels strongly about learning Mandarin.   (Good news is our personal tutor, Amanda, is going to let her join our lessons that we take on Tues and Thurs.)  All this made the girl who never cries tear up a bit.  It made me so sad to watch her climb the four cases of stairs with a girl she didn't know to go off to a day that was not going to be what she had planned.  She was nervous but excited for this day.  Now reality was here and not to mention she was the only Blond in the 100's of kids headed to class!  Lacie on the other hand met up with a girl she met at the orientation last night and walked down the hall with her.  Entering into her new room as she always does with total confidence.  She was still very nervous but very excited to have a male teacher.  She says she thinks he is like Mr. Fackerell. (who she was really looking forward to having in 5th grade)  Her teacher's name is Mr. Tim Martin. Only downer today was she was missing her best friend Elsie, whom she has gone to school with everyday since KG. For myself, I was a bit melancholy.  It is the first time in 17 years that I am not teaching preschool or have little ones at home.  Both girls came back from school happy.  I am especially happy Emmie knows how to bounce back from disappointment.  She did miss her friends, especial at lunch!  It was nice to text a few of them before she left for school.  She wore a bracelet that one of her dear friends made for her. It makes her not lonely and put a smile on her face.  Emmie did meet one of the only other blonds during her free period in the library.  As Emmie quietly sat by herself in the library an older girl (blonde!) walked up to her and asked where she is from.  When Emmie said Idaho she asked if she was Mormon.  Emmie thought that was an odd question since lots of people who live in Idaho are not Mormon.  She said she was and the girls said so was she!  They had found each other.  Two of the 8 youth in our ward had found each other in the sea of dark-hair Asians.  Her name is Rebecca and she is senior and has been here for 3 years.  Emmie says she reminders her of her dear dance buddy Hunter.  Rebecca declared she has been waiting 3 years for a blonde friend, now here she was.  Tender Mercy.


                          

 We met 2 families up at the school this morning from church. They saw us and came over for a chat. Two other families have either invited us for dinner or a family outing to the beach or water park. Unfortunately we had all these pre-school appointments to make and couldn't go. It was nice to be invited! SO glad everyone is back on the island!  Life will be easier for the girls now.  We won't be the only ones at church!

  
   Received the results of my endometrial biopsy and colposcopy on Thursday.  Adam was still in Singapore so he listened in on speaker phone.  We wanted to hear it together good or bad.  Bad news first.... I will have to return in 3 months for another pap. Depending on those results I may have to schedule a hysterectomy while I am home those 2 weeks for Christmas.  I really don't want to do one here.  Bad news is I have acute and chronic inflammation of the cervix.  Good news... The Endometrial sample of my cervix showed no malignancy.  Bottom line, I have to be seen every 3 months to make sure there is no change because the irregular glandular cells change faster.  Big relief.  No Cancer!  To celebrate and to have a date-night together after Adam came home from Singapore we climbed the mountain behind us. It was straight up the mountain! Like a million stairs! At the top are a few restaurants. We went to the Night Fever Restaurant- which sounds a bit odd but really the food was great and the view breath-taking (literally- after so many steps in the jungle mountains!). It was beautiful and a nice way to celebrate.  We are both hugely relieved.

View from the top of mountain and the outdoor restaurant we ate at.  SO pretty!

Spider we found right next to the path.  The body is the length of Adam's thumb!  YIKES!

   We are settling into our life here.  Girls are both back dancing.  Emmie even went to the movies and dinner with new friends from the ward on Friday night. They called her up and said they were all meeting at the school and then would walk to the movies- (everything is so close!). So there were a bunch of girls and a couple guys - all from the ward. They went to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and ate dinner at the Dairy-Queen (which by the way... doesn't serve anything but ice-cream!). They walked all over the place, but had a great time and it was one of Emmie's first forays into teenage independence here in Taiwan. (Very hard for this over protective mother!).  The seminary opening social was this weekend as well- which was a lot of fun. There are 10 students this year which is 100% increase from last year. Lots of new kids.  This Sunday, the Batteen family was invited to speak in Sacrament meeting. We all spoke, including Lacie. The girls wrote and prepared their own material and both girls did amazing. Our topic was our Faith in Jesus Christ and how we can strengthen our faith by overcoming challenges. What a great topic for a new overseas adventure!  Adam and I received callings in church today.  Adam is the Young Men's president and I am the Sunday school teacher for all the high school/ seminary age kids. (about 12 of them).  Later, we went to dinner at the Klomp's.  Jeremy and Tami Klomp have been here for 3 years already and have 1 more to go. Jeremy is in the air-force and serves as the Elder's quorum president. It was very enjoyable. Good food and great company. We are enjoying getting to know people here. 

   Things are taking on a more normal routine. Lacie has friends at school and looking forward to developing those friendships.  Adam and I took a drive while girls where at school to get more familiar with the area we live in.  One of the things that is easier then living is Singapore is this time we have GPS to help us get back home.  Last time we just had to remember, go on faith and drive till we found our way back again- praying the whole way that it wouldn't take all day.  I have even started driving a bit.  We walk mostly because things are so close, but yes I too am driving now. Watch out little scooter-dudes!!!

  Here are a few Taiwan moments..... Yesterday a man decided, while waiting for the light to turn, that he would urinate in the gutter drain in front of Lacie and I.  Nice!  Lacie says she is scarred for life!  I didn't see the whole thing go down or I might have had to say something.  Not that he would understand me.  Or at least grab Lacie and hide her.  Adam took me to lunch on the first day of school, while waiting for our food in the food court of a nice mall;  I looked at Adam and jumped.   There was a cockroach climbing up the front of his shirt.  He just calmly brushed it off and squished it with his shoe. Then we ate our lunch! I guess that's just years of being exposed to stuff like that... nothing phases Adam! (Plus Adam says it was just a tiny one... about the size of my little pinky! Not small in my book.)

  Missionary Moments..... Our Mandarin teacher is a sweet girl named Amanda.  I really like her.   On Tuesday Adam had to take a work call during our lesson.  She asked if she could look at the pictures on our wall.  So we left the table and walked up close to the frames I had hanging.  Amanda commented on our family pictures and liked them very much.  Then she asked what the others were.  I had hanging with our family pictures "The Family Proclamation to the World" and "The Living Christ".  She asked what they were.  I told Amanda it was how we felt about the family and our responsibilities as husband and wife, mother and father.  The other was how we felt about Jesus Christ.  She read them and said "Very nice, I like." "You have good family."  Then we went on with the lesson.  On Thursday when she came back the first thing she did was ask where she could get a copy of the "Proclamation" and "The Living Christ".  I was going to make a copy for her, but Adam said to just give the whole thing to her. So I took the frames off the wall and gave them to her. I felt bad because they were super-glued together after falling off the wall and cracking while we were gone in Singapore. (Got too hot in our condo for the hooks to keep sticking to the wall.)  It just felt like the right thing to do.  She was thrilled, so I carefully wrapped them up in some of the packing left from the move and she happily put them in her bag.  She is becoming a dear friend.  I enjoy her personality.  How can I not share what is so dear to us?  Adam will just have to get another one when he returns back to the US the next time. No problem!

8/14-8/22