Cheiko Okazaki and Ribbon Snakes

Hello!
Wonderful "fireside" tonight...the youth group leaders at church occasionally get different people to give inspirational talks to the teenagers in our church congregation.

A few weeks ago they started announcing tonight's youth fireside: a back-to-school topic night with the main speaker being Cheiko Okazaki. She's an amazing woman, a teacher for 23 years, a principal for 10 years, served 7 years in the General Presidency of the Youth organization of our church, and 7 years in the General Presidency of the Women's organization of our church (Relief Society).

She's written 8 books, one of which I have ("Lighten Up!"), and I used to just LOVE to hear her speak in "General Conference".... every 6 months we have a church conference, where we get to hear inspirational talks by leaders of the church from Salt Lake City. It's broadcast by satellite so if you get the channel, you can watch it on your t.v., or your computer if you have the Internet. Back in the early 90's I found her very upbeat, entertaining, and inspirational.

Well, as they would announce this fireside talk, I always assumed it would be a pre-recorded video talk, or a satellite broadcast, somehow...but today as church ends, Frank looks around the room and says, "Hey, isn't that Chieko Okazaki on the back row?" I look, and sure enough, there she is! (Here's an Internet picture I found of her...even though I think of her as a celebrity, I did NOT run home and get my camera!!)

I did bring back my book, though, when I brought David to the church for the fireside. She very graciously shook hands with people at the end, and even agreed to sign my book. Next month she turns 83, for Pete's sake, and she still fills her calendar with speaking assignments all over the world.

At the beginning of her talk she pulls out a Yo-yo, and proceeds to Walk the Dog, Rock the Baby and do Round the World. Here's this 83-year-old woman, flipping a yo-yo around at the pulpit. It was a fun way to get everybody's attention. (And it's hard to keep a teenager's attention!) It was a great evening.

Meanwhile, at home last week: Teresa is our resident "critter expert"--she loves to catch critters around here, including frogs, beetles, and unusual moths. And while she and Kara just LOVE the neighbor's cats, the girls also often "rescue" small animals from being the cats' playthings. Mice, moles, toads. This week it was a baby chipmunk one day...

Then a Ribbon Snake, a type of Gardner Snake. She's been wanting to get a snake, actually, so we let this one be the experiment. She put it in an aquarium downstairs, and she's tried to feed it feeder fish, worms, and crickets. Then we read online that it COULD be not eating because it's getting ready to sleep for the winter...? Hmmm. I'll keep you posted on how this one works out.

Happy Week! Kari

Claim to Fame

Hello!

Just had to share our first (and probably only) published newspaper fame!

Kara's elementary school, Claypit Hill, has a vegetable/flower garden, that some students started last spring. They started plants from seeds, let them grow in cups, then transplanted them outside. The garden has "evolved" over the past few months...parents have donated plants and flowers, then materials to put a wood casing around it. This garden needed caring for over the summer, when the students were not there every day to water and weed.

David was involved in a volunteer group during the summer, where the coordinator found multiple opportunities for high school students to serve different local organizations in different ways. He liked the outdoor projects, including clearing trails with the town Conservation Committee, and weeding and planting for Gaining Ground, a working farm that supplies food to shelters in the region.

So when this elementary school garden came up, as needing watering and weeding over the summer, and it also happens to be just a mile from our house, David put up his hand. Then he asked if his younger sisters could help too, and they said of course.

We went each Monday morning, for about 2 months, to water and weed the corn, beans, cabbage, marigold, and pumpkin plants. The teacher who started the garden wanted to put an article in the local paper about the garden helpers. And she asked me to take a photo for the paper.

So here is the article about my kids working the garden this summer (first time they were in the paper), AND this is the picture I took with my camera--the first time I have had a photo published!

You can click on it to enlarge, if you want to read the article or see the picture better. David even has a quote! It was a fun project. We go back to school Tuesday. Have a great week! Kari