Geographist

Thanksgiving week is upon us!  Time to kick back and relax a bit, spend time with family, and remember how much good there is out there.  There's so much that deserves our gratitude! Sunday - We got to take the new car to church for the first time, and for once the kids were fighting over the right to sit alone in the third row seat.  After rolling back home for lunch, we decided that an afternoon trip to the grocery store was needed in order to prepare for the upcoming family feast.  Good thing we were given a gift card with the purchase of our new car!  Curly and I took some time to catch up a bit on The Mandalorian before I wrapped up the day by finishing a work project that probably took up too much of my weekend. Monday - With all of the girls home for the day, Girly and I were the only two with plans.  Orchestra rehearsal had been moved back from Tuesday evening to Monday because of the holiday week, so we adjusted her cello lesson to a daytime affair...

A third handful of weeks has come and gone, and the upcoming week off should give us plenty of time to reflect on what's worked and how we can improve.  With all that has been going so well, however, this Thanksgiving is going to be an easy one to celebrate in our household. Sunday - Off to church to start off the week, and I was able to throw some candy out to all the kids in our class who brought their own Bibles with them.  It's good to reward good behavior with sugar or chocolate, right?  We got Girly back at church from her weekend at high school retreat and a friend's house, and she promptly got a runny nose.  Ah, kids and their germs, such a lovely combination.  Consequently, it was decided that Sunday night activities (in this case, youth choir) weren't going to be such a good idea, so we saved a few miles of commuting by staying home.  That would turn into something of a theme this week! Monday - Whirly and I didn't end up having the house to ourse...

Time is getting short before holidays start to fill the calendar.  This week was full of events and news, but at least none of it was because of the weather! Sunday - Our 5th grade Sunday school class had their highest attendance week yet, with 18 kids showing up in person.  That would've been a good number for us before the world got weird so it's nice to see.  I still find it somewhat interesting to try keeping their attention when physical activities are limited but they do pretty well staying engaged even after I've been talking for 45 minutes.  It was also interesting to see who else was a little pink in the cheeks from the hours spent in the sun at the family fun day less than 24 hours before.  Our crew was going to try out a nice little burger joint for the first time (I have a co-worker that loves the place and they finally opened one nearby) but I pulled into the wrong parking lot by mistake and somehow we ended up going for a pretty well-known chain se...

I always find it interesting when the school curriculum echoes real world events, or when lessons in one subject remind us of what's been taught in another subject earlier in the year.  So this week, as we've been learning about "Presidents and Precedents" in our heritage studies, the nation took to the polls to vote.  That didn't have any direct effect on our schooling, however, even though the local public school kids got the day off.  So for us, it was business as usual. Sunday - Our 5th grade class continues to show strong attendance numbers as families continue to show up in greater numbers.  I've been teaching the kids about the Bible during this month's unit (good Sunday school topic, huh?) and this week was about whether Scripture is unique compared to other "holy books".  After snagging some tasty pasta at one of Houston's more kitchy Italian restaurants, Buca de Beppo, I started the process of trying to sell Mrs. Geographist's p...

This week was, in a word, different.  Lots of events, quite a few miles driven as we criss-crossed our way around town (and beyond), and trying to keep up with school, work, and important appointments. Sunday - The week started out much the same as any other, with our usual church service and Bible study hour.  It seems like class participation, at least among 5th graders, is gradually increasing as we had our best turnout to date.  Certain events transpired to derail my participation in the orchestra recording session during the afternoon, however, so I won't be part of this year's Christmas presentation.  That's really a bummer because I think it breaks a run of about 13 or 14 years straight at this church.  But at least I'll still get to perform with Girly at our adopted church on the north side of town where my in-laws are members. Monday - Mrs. Geographist and the two older girls were off early to their respective campuses to begin a new school week.  ...

This turned into quite a musical week, and not just for me.  It seems like more and more around our house is revolving around music - lessons, rehearsals, band, and choir. Sunday - I really do enjoy teaching 5th grade, especially during years like this one as Curly and her friends have all made it into our class.  These kids are something else, and I'm glad the adults in charge have allowed me to stick around this age group for the past seven years.  Now that we're back in person, I was finally able to pull out one of my favorite lessons - "What does the Bible say about itself"?  Each year during the first few weeks it's my goal to share a memorable lesson that'll serve to ingrain something into their minds while also helping establish raport with the group.  This topic is perfect - I bring a backpack full of items that Scripture compares itself to, including a hammer, lighter or matches, honey, silver, flashlight, and seeds.  But the one thing they love be...

This week's entry is fairly significant for me, because it marks the 100th published post on this website.  Whether you've seen every single one of them or this is your first time hitting the site, thank you!  This week was quite a roller-coaster, full of ups and downs, beginnings and endings. Sunday - This was a day we've been waiting for: the return to teaching Sunday school in person!  We had nine 5th graders join us this week in person, while a few more opted for the online option to remain virtual.  It was so incredible to see these kids in real life and to take the time to teach them properly.  It's been my opinion that in the scramble to keep everyone physically healthy we've done a major disservice to the spiritual well-being of those who needed a church family the most.  Speaking of physical health, I got to address my own after returning home from lunch.  My foot still wasn't feeling right, so I went on a visit to the ER.  A few X-rays l...

The final week of the first quarter is upon us.  Hard to believe we're already halfway through the first semester!  Sunday - My last time playing the cello on stage for a few weeks was also my first time to attempt playing with a face shield instead of a mask during church.  I found the results to be better physically, but it was necessary to shift it around to the right to keep from running the thing into my fingerboard.  Once we returned home it was time for our final online-only Bible study with our 5th grade class - next week we go back to teaching in-person for the first time since March 1.  The older two girls are heading into exam week, which turned out to be a great time to have Curly practice her clarinet for us in advance of her playing test.  I love hearing these kids make music! Monday - There always seems to be an extra bit of early morning chatter among the girls when big tests are in queue (especially Girly when she thinks high school is out ...