FINALLY!

June 20, 2012

After some major problems with my email account, and having to link to another account thru a temporary account, and Caleb's MAJOR encouragement....I DID IT!  I managed to reopen my blog!!!  Now if I could just understand why we had to change it around in the first place, we would all be more knowledgeable!

However, who knows....it works again.

This week has created some challenges in getting Cooper down to the MET for her dance intensive, getting Cymbre to girl's camp, and getting attacked by a bird in the Target parking lot, and meeting up with the homeless man I have befriended.

Cooper has been dancing in a dance intensive downtown at the MET for two weeks now.  Last week I had to drive her everyday, which meant that Cymbre had to ride along too so that we had 3 people in the car for the HOV lane.  Cymbre wasn't too impressed!  However, she was a good sport.  It takes an hour and a half to do the round trip when we leave at 7:30 am in the rush hour traffic.  So to reward ourselves one morning we went and got donuts for breakfast.  We were sitting at the table eating our two donuts when this older couple came in.  The woman asked us if they could join us, and they looked pretty safe, so I said yes.  BIG MISTAKE!  While they were friendly enough and asked Cymbre what her summer plans were, I wasn't sure we were going to be able to break up their conversation with us in order to get Cymbre to girl's camp on time.  The lady was carrying on about how her grandson was going to boy scout day camp, and it was far away, and her son had to drive him there and then go back for him, and why can't they just sleep over?  Then we had to hear about how they come for donuts and coffee every morning, and if you buy the cups the store will refill them for free.  The man was setting up the coffee cups, buying donuts, and arranging a napkin as a table covering in front of his wife all the while she was talking.  We finished our donuts, and Cymbre was looking at me like.....Mom, how are we going to get out of here?  I just picked up our trash and stood up and said to the lady...We've really enjoyed talking to you but we really must get her things packed in order to get her to girl's camp, so we must say our goodbyes.  Cymbre looked at me, stood up, and started walking to the car.  On the way out, she was like....Mom, I was really thinking we were never going to get away from her.  And when I looked back into the store, they were changing tables anyway....after all that set up effort.  INTERESTING......

So now, Cymbre is safely off to girl's camp until tomorrow morning when I have to drive a carload home.  It's another 2 1/2 hour drive each way....

Cooper and Hannah have one more day of dance downtown....thank goodness.  I don't know how many more days Hannah's mom and I can deal with all that traffic every morning! And we have alternated doing the driving. Today, I was almost run off the road by a guy who just decided to take over my lane while I was still using it.  Needless to say....he heard my horn for a long time!  AND I kept my lane....just saying.  Score one for the carpool Mom!!

Then another day, I had gone to Target to pick up a few things, and parked near the entrance to the store.  I walked under this tree next to my car, and the big black bird swooped down and starting attacking my head!  I didn't do anything to it....guess it doesn't like people walking under the tree.   Anyway, I beat the thing with my umbrella and he flew away with some very ruffled wing feathers!  I walked away with messed up hair, and a scratch bleeding on my head!  When I texted my grandson about what happened, he told me that I didn't need to worry as birds don't eat people....so I asked him what about my bleeding scratch...did it deserve a hug....he just said a sleepy....okay.   So now I am hoping that because I came home and washed the scratch and put neosporin on it that I won't get some strange bird disease!  So I guess if I start chirping and flying away, someone needs to tie my foot to the ground and call someone!

Another day this week, I went to Walmart to pick up a few things that I didn't get the day before because when I was in the grocery store, the weather caused the power to go out.  When that happens, the store has about 20 minutes that they can check people out before they loose their back up generator.  So I just paid and left.  So when I came out of Walmart, I went to make the turn to go home and stopped at the light.  There was the homeless man who I have befriended and fed on many occassions.  I still don't know his name, but he recognizes me when he sees me.  He came up to the car, said hello and I told him I had something for him.  He said since it was Monday, he could only take $100's.  I told him he was in luck....I was giving him 400 pennies.  That was all the one dollar bills I had in my purse.  He just smiled, took the money, and I wished him a wonderful day.  He turned back and said...I can always count on you.  Interesting, because it is weeks between when I see him each time, but yes, when I see him I either drive around the corner and bring him some food from Wendy's or Taco Bell, or give him some money.  I have been known to sit on the street corner and eat with him.  I don't know his story, but I do know he is a friendly, well-mannered man who has a wonderful smile even though his teeth are rotted and black.

My Sunday School class thinks I am a lunatic for feeding him, let alone sitting there and eating with him, or giving him money.  But I just wonder, how do I know that isn't the Savior?  And if it is, do I really want to be found not helping him?  I don't ever really miss the money I give him or spend getting him food.  And he isn't like some of the people who stand on the corner and beg for money...you just get the feeling that he really is homeless and in need of someone to help him out.  So sue me, I help!  My girls even recognize him when they see him, and they say mom there's that man we help.  So it can't be all bad, they have at least learned something.

Two weeks ago the lesson in Sunday School was about pride and humility.  So during the lesson, I was telling the kids that pride can really get us in trouble.  Then I told them that when I died I wanted to be in charge of the lightning bolts.  They all got really big eyes!  Then I said that I could really use them to get back at some of the people who have really irritated me while I was here on earth.  Then I told them that I really SHOULD NOT feel like that.  Because it was pride talking.  I shouldn't feel like I was better than anyone else, and could use lightning bolts to get even with them.  So now there is a running joke in my class regarding....don't make Sister Flanagan mad....she's going to be in charge of lightning bolts!  Guess I got their attention!

And this week, the lesson was about Alma teaching the people in Ammonihah.  It talked about how they were so mean to him, and how they spit on him and cast him out.  But while he was on the road leaving the town, the same angel who had previously appeared to him to tell him to quit trying to destroy the church appeared again to him.  This time the angel told him to return again to Ammonihah, and to tell the people to repent.  So I told the kids the story, and then asked them if they thought that Alma thought when the angel came for the second time.....NOT you again.  I'm not doing anything wrong.  What do you want this time?  Well, that set them all laughing!  But they laugh at me all the time anyway.  They think they have a crazy teacher.....but they do listen to what I say.  Anyway, we then continued the story about how Alma went back into the city of Ammonihah, and met up with Amulek.  Then I showed them a box and told them that it had a hula dancing monkey inside.  I didn't show it to them, but asked who believed me.  Only a couple out of the 18 sitting there.  So I called up a boy, who I know tried to put things over on the others all the time, and showed him what was in my box, and told him to tell the class what it was.  He looked, and then told them it was a hula dancing monkey.  So then I asked them how many believed me now.  Well, more than half the class.  SO, then I talked about how come they believed two of us saying the same thing even though I said the same thing when I was speaking alone?  Then I established that the Lord ALWAYS establishes His word in the mouths of two or more witnesses.  Then I finished the story of how Alma and Amulek went about teaching the people in Ammonihah the same gospel principles.  And this time, some of the people believed them.  However, it was Father's Day and I didn't remember to take them treats, so now they think I need to repent and bring treats this week.....will I ever get one up on these kids?

On that note, I think I will go see if that homeless guy is still on the street corner and share a burrito with him.....I could use some blessings today!!