School

The first "week" of school is officially done. It has been fun, but I am SO tired. I came home on Wednesday and passed out with my head on the newspaper.
I have such a cute bunch of kiddos. They really are awesome, and I wouldn't just say it. They are kind, sweet, and they must think I am the queen or something because they hang on every word that comes out of my mouth. However, when I was teaching a reading lesson yesterday, I looked at them and they (OK, some of them) were literally face down on their desks. As a trained pro, I couldn't really laugh, even though I found it incredibly funny.
Also, I have told them that they never want to make me upset enough to use...the TEACHER FACE or TEACHER VOICE. I don't yell in class, or really ever even raise my voice, but sometimes I will get agitated. On those occasions, I always say, "If you think that was bad, you should see the real teacher face, or voice." In all my years of teaching, that has always been enough to make them mind their manners, but these kids want to see it. I even went and brought some of my kids from last year to tell them about it. Of course, they still didn't believe it, of course those students really didn't see it either.
I just thought of something, getting up at 5--OK, 5:28 and eating, then going walking could be making me tired. I was going to say scripture study, but my scripture study right now is consisting of "Discussions on the Book of Mormon." It is quite informative.

My summer vacation

Here is a brief report of girls camp and all the other fun events of the summer.
We took our 14 young women to Paris Springs campground the last week of July. This had been, up to that date one of the hottest, dryest summers in the history of Idaho. The trip down was uneventful. We stopped the the Paris Tabernacle to connect with our pioneer heritage and to have lunch. I think that we were among the first tours our guide had performed. He was doing his best to tell us all the historic features of the building, like that the ceiling was designed and built like an inverted ships hull. It was fascinating. Our favorite story was about the beautiful Indian princess Mountain Fawn. It happened that good ole Peg leg mangaged to get in good with the local tribes, so much so that he won the hand of our fair maiden. They lived happily ever after, right up until Peg Leg was given a second wife by another tribe. The two women didn't like each other much, seems like Peg was quite the catch, and wife number two killed the beautiful princess. Her tribe buried her in the mountains with her horse, her dog and two bags of gold. The tour guide said that no one has been able to find that gold.
After the tour we went to find the campground. We worked hard and got the tents set up and it started to rain, and it rained like in Noah's day. It wouldn't have taken 40 days to flood the earth if it rained like our first day of camp. The second day it rained. We were able to go to Bear Lake, and even though it was freezing, the girls managed to find fun. On the way back, it rained. It stopped eventually and we had fun around the campfire singing songs and telling stories. The next morning it looked like it might rain, but it didn't until after we moved camps. Yes, we moved camps. I won't get into it, but I maintain that if your email verification says you are in camps 1,2 and 3, you can assume that is where you are to camp. But no, says Mister Forest Service Guy, I actually paid for the camp they call 12. And no, says MFSG, we cannot stay, other campers will be arriving soon for camps 1, 2, and 3. So we moved everthing up the road to another, more beautiful camp. Thankfully, there was only minimal complaining, I tried not to, but . . . After we made new camp, it rained. Then the moose came, then it rained. We decided not to go back to Bear Lake, but to try Minnitonka cave instead. It was delightful. Cold, but fun and slightly claustrophobic for a girl like me. But the inquisitive mind I have was soon engaged in the interesting sights DEEP inside the cavern. I did not have a good feeling when they showed the fault line that runs through that area. Then, we went back to camp where we had a fabulous dinner and testimony meeting, and then, it rained.
The one good thing about camp is that it made some memories. I just hope they were good ones.
**The Parties**
Last Monday we hosted a party for our former bishop who is moving to Helena to be a social worker. They are taking a huge leap of faith in moving. I don't know if I could do it. Anyway, it was a potluck dinner, that is my version of a leap of faith. About 5 pm I started getting nervous that we would have 20 desserts and 0 main dish casseroles. It was close, but it worked out OK. I believe that a good time was had by all, and Rozla got 50.00 for not crying.
Saturday and Sunday was my little Oram reunion. Almost everyone from our family was there, and it was so much fun. It was laid back and we mostly just visited and ate, but it was more about just being together. My grandparents were so pleased that so many made the effort to come. I called my cousin Cody to do a few photos of the whole group, he did so much more. Almost every family had potraits done and he did the group thing. One of the favorite parts was when we had to call the neighbors to come and help with the 14 or 15 cameras family had brought. One of my neighbors was trying to figure out 3 cameras at once. I wish I had a picture of that.
And tonight we had our yearly block party. I just love my neighbors. They are such good people, we just barely got in the house from visiting with some of them. I feel so blessed to live here.

The walking has been fun, but just in passing, I need to say that the most disturbing thing happened at the greenbelt on Saturday morning when I was walking alone. An elderly man, who we see pretty often, was walking his dog. He stopped on the track just in front of me so I asked him if he was OK. He says 'huh' so I get in closer and ask him again, and he acts like he is going to shake my hand, but he patted me on the butt. My first reaction, after making a hasty retreat was, "He's just an old guy, he probably didn't mean it." But after I walked about another mile, and I could still feel his nasty hand on my bottom, I said to myself, "Self, he totally knew what he was doing." I have been receiving advice to report him, carry pepper spray or that I should have gone back and smacked him. The kind of disturbing thing is that a man who was at our block party tonight, and who is a grounds keeper at the golf course, described the violater of my personal space.

I have been going to the school many days a week, and I fear that summer is almost over. I am actually glad, I am so ready for fall. The cooler days, school, colorful leaves, warm soup, sweaters, the fair, shorter days. . . I wax wistful.