So here we go....March was a pretty good month as far as months go! There were certainly some ups and downs! The beginning was fairly uneventful...until March 8-9th. Rachel and I had plans to go to Time Out For Women/Girls in Visalia. Brian was really struggling with anxiety and it was looking like we were either going to cancel or he was coming with us. (We had reservations at a local hotel with Alison and Riley Moon and Candace Hubble.) Well, we came up with some specific plans for him and felt confident that he would be OK, so off we went! It was such an amazing weekend!
This picture is at the Friday night concert with Dallin Vale Bayles. He was such an amazing singer! His performance touched my heart!
On March 11, Rachel had her last ASL beginners class. It was a potluck and I sat in on the class. I had no idea what was going on! But it was so fun! I look forward to taking it with Rachel starting next week!
Also, Rachel has been really struggling at school in many different ways. She was being teased quite a bit for her race/religion, her friendships have gone down, and her grades were slipping. We started looking at different options, and On March 13, we met with the principle of Clovis Unified Online School. It was very interesting, and it sounded like a really good option. So we set up the enrollment meeting for the following week, and prayed about what to do. Brian and I felt good about it, but left it in Rachel's hands. She said she felt good about it as well. So on March 15, Rachel had her last day of school at Reyburn. It was a good day for her, and she felt a little sad, but she also said that she felt like a weight was being lifted off her.
On March 18, Daniel had his choir festival out at Clovis North. He did a great job, and it was fun to watch him perform.
Also, on March 18, Rachel and I started our new ASL class. Rachel definitely knows more than I, and it is fun taking this class with her! On March 21, we officially enrolled Rachel into the Online school and she started doing some of her work online. The next day, the 22nd, we met with her teacher to do an orientation, and then we both understood it better. I think it will be fun for her!
Welcome to Spring Break! We decided to paint Rachel's room! Boy was it ever a project! We painted for two days and then rearranged everything and bought new bedding, curtains, and stuff. We love it and think it turned out great! Love the color!
Sunday, March 31 was Easter. What a beautiful day it was! After church, Daniel and I went to take See's jelly beans to Jody. The first time we went, there wasn't an answer. We came back later and we saw Russ. He looked horrible! He has lost about 50 lbs and proceeded to tell us that Jody had died! We were so shocked and saddened by this news! Russ is barely holding it together! Apparently she got some sort of brain cancer and she died within about a month. It was very emotional for us and for Russ! He is grieving so bad and doesn't know how to handle it. Well, he told us where she was buried, and when Brian got home from his meeting, we went to the cemetary. The office was closed, and we knew there was no way to find her grave. The cemetary is huge with thousands of gravestones everywhere! Well, we drove around slowly for awhile, and then we pulled over towards the back. It felt right. The kids got out and started looking. Brian and I went another direction and slowly walked around. I felt such sadness! I feel so bad that I missed saying goodbye to such a sweet lady! After awhile, Daniel joined up with me and I knew the kids especially wanted to find her. I said a prayer in my heart that we would be able to find it, and when I opened my eyes I started walking and I walked right to it! It was such an amazing feeling! I know Heavenly Father gave our family a tender mercy! It was such a peaceful place! We all felt it!
