H.O.P. E.

In ARP I learned that hope stands for:
H: Hold
O: on
P: pain
E: ends
Thankfully, I know this to be true because of my Savior Jesus Christ.

Eatting an Elephant

I am learning what it means to take it "one bite at a time." Of course, life teaches me this lesson in multiple ways:

My most recent experience was when my pa told me to come with him to help my sister clean up her spring cleaning debris from pruning her trees and then again to help with her basement remodel project. CHAMPION Thx my Maymers(My nickname for Amy) for more than one opportunity to give back. You're always around to help me. I was frustrated that I could only do it one hand-full at a time and everyone kept raking more of it to me to pick up and put into a garbage can to be thrown in the green waste trailer that they'd rented, but I kept working, even when my 3 year old nephew, Bryce, asked me, "Why are you helping us?"
I continue to get taught this lesson. Something about a "Soul Echo?" Other "elephants" that I continue to "eat:"

-I want to back to school for a Masters Degree in either Speech and/or Spanish.I love learning and working one-on-one with kids, but I'll need to take the GRE to get into a program . . .
_I'm in a 100 mile challenge with my twin bro, Matt; his miles are running and mine are on a reccumbant bike. The first one to the goal, buys Cafe Rio for the other. So, either way I win.
-I told my therapists at Neuroworx that I wanted to do a double or nothing no matter who wins the 100 mile challenge and do a challenge of 200 push ups and pull ups. They're CHAMPION excited and are helping me do modified push-ups and pull-ups, but when I first told my President Pa Baugh about this, he said, "Let's see if you can do one first." Oh, ye of little faith.
-Weekly ARP Meetings
-My "Dailys" of prayers, scripture study and recently added journal entries.
-Weekly temple attendance(I've got two weeks under my belt and love the focus of the "Lord's University" gives me.
-Doing stairs at my parent's one foot on every step instead of stepping on every stair with both feet. It actually feels like i get some where now.

Is Anybody Watching Curtis?

I think I've written about my experience in the hospital cafeteria when I ate something spicy, so I took a napkin an wipped off my tongue.Well, to Matt, it looked like I was trying to eat the napkin. :o So he asked this question to everyone at the table. I just spent two weekends in a row with my Matt and his family. His two girls were constantly asking me this question. They caught me sitting on the front steps of my parent's cabin because I had forgot to bring my cain with me to use to get back up the stairs and me biting my nails because I cannot use a nail-clipper to cut my nails on my right hand. I am glad that someone's watching me, because that means that they care.

Phone-less

Living with my parent's, I get 24/7 access to my President Pa Baugh's wisdom. when I got into trouble on my phone, He quoted scripture, "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and. cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee. that one of thy members should perish, and not. that thy whole body should be cast into hell." -Matthew 5:30. So, I gave him my phone.

Jedi Only sign in the library On My Story Time Seat

My Colester's Baptisim

I was able to baptize him and it felt like it was the reason that I was still alive.

NEVER GIVE U

This is my Life theme right now.

"It Could Be Worse." & " Far From Lonely."

There's no easy way to put this: Lex and I got a divorce after Christmas. I want to defend her. It was because of my infidelity and not because of my handicap. Right after our divorce, we had a family get together for my Maymers' Kyle's baby blessing, so I got to see my GB(Grandma Baugh & not Great Briton(insert eye roll emoji.). That is where the, "It could be worse" quote comes from.This was the first thing that she said to me. I thought that she didn't understand my pain, but I've since, calmed down and realized that she's right. I do have a loving family that continues to carry me.
The second quote in this title comes from my greatest fear about moving back in with my parent's was that I'd be terribly lonely. But, thanks to my Maymers living next door, I'm far from lonely, in fact, up until last week I was her son Bryce's "best friend." Over Spring Break, my Maxwell replaced me.

Milestones Of A Wannabe CHAMPION

It's been far to long. I now walk(my library is "wheelchair-free" for me!) as Mr. Librarian(I should say assistant librarian as I've been "promoted" to read to the kids three times a week and helped train the current librarian. We've got a pretty CHAMPION program, now(If I do say so myself.)). Kids at my school are like kids anywhere: they're honest to a fault and I get asked, almost on a weekly basis, something like, "Why do you walk so weird?" I have to remind myself that they're innocent and are not asking me to be mean. The best is when one of their classmates answers for me and in my defense, something to the effect, "He got in a car accident and used to use a wheelchair here."
Speaking of "milestones," I read this post to my kiddos before I publish it and our Abbers asked me what a "milestone" is? When I explan that it's acheving a goal. I relate it to her being "on point" in ballet. This she understands and wanted me to "toot her horn" here too.

Tradition

Lex's 'Fiddler On The Roof" finished it’s run at Highland mid November. I just don't know if it’s because of where I’m at in my life, but it was an emotional roller coaster for me. It’s hard to pick my favorite musical number, but I do know that it was CHAMPION amazing. I loved the 'Sabbath Prayer' song and felt Tevyye's sincere plea. I laughed until I cried at Model's 'Miracle Of Miracles' number. I was able to go see it three times and each time it blew me away. Lex wrote this in her program, "There is so much to say about this show, what it means to me, my experiences with it on stage in the past, my experiences this year, the characters, the actors, my own life- how on earth could I pack it it all in here?!
One afternoon, the beautiful Karen Anson and I were talking across the open window of her car when she said, "It's not just a Jewish story, it's a human story." These words have resonated in my head for 2 months now, bouncing around, lighting up parts of my brain as they ricocheted from one memory to the next.I find parts of myself in Tevye, conversing, joking and even yelling at a God he believes in and trusts with his whole heart; I watch myself running like Golde from one child to the next, always in a hurry, trying to make things better for her family; I see the hope and happiness and even naievete for a lfe wished for in each of Tevye's daughters; I see a world ripped apart by injustice, fears or blindness, still to this day hurting others because we think that we are better, smarter, stronger; I cling to my own people and the comfort of my own homejust like the members of Anatevka. And so here we all are,"Trying to sctratch out a pleaant, simple tune without breaking his neck" every day of our lives.
This semester the cast has devled into the beautiful story of Joseph Stein, the culture and traditions of the Jewish people, and the history of 1905 Russia, attempting to"play truly"(As Stanislavsky writes) so as to honor the messages presented here. I hope the students, and the audience, walk away from their experience here remembering that each of us are imperfect and each of us are flawed, but each of us hopes and dreams and works day in and day out for something better.In short, each of us is human and this is our story."

As the one funny experience with the show after seeing it for the first time, our Maxwell didn’t want to come see it with me again because he said it was to, "sexist." I’m just curious about what "suexist" means to a fifth grader? I didn’t know that a fifth grader had thoughts like that. I love how Lex explained to our Max about his concerns. She first told him of the setting of 'Fiddler.' In Russia in the earl 1900's this was a reality. Next she asked him how the characters, mainly Tevye change and learn that they are wrong. Finally she asked him if our own situation is like what we're taugh in The Family Proclimation, with me being the primary care giver and her providing for us? He thought about it and said no. Lex's follow up question was, "Since our situation isn't 'traditional' were we bad?
I almost forgot about Lex’s ending. At first, I was so mad that I didn’t get to applause her leads. She ended the musical abruptly, with only one curtain call for the entire cast. She came to talk with her sister about her thoughts on the show and asked excitedly, what she thought about her ending. I’d already voiced my frustration, so our Abbers blurted out, “ dad hated it!” As I though about it, I realized that was the point; I’m not suppose to enjoy the ending and the injustice of what’s happening. The point was, for me, driven home in very poingent way. Kuddos to you, Lex.