TWO cool things!!

Let me set the stage for cool thing # 1:

When my brother Josh was in middle school and I in high school he started talking about this girl Melanie. She was five foot nothin' and solid as a rock, a gymnast with hopes of competing on the Olympic level someday. Soon the two became inseparable. She was at our house constantly. She came from a home that, at the time, was not so stable. We had a bunch of kids and two parents that were around most of the time. She truly became part of our family. Eventually Melanie and her mom both converted to Mormonism and were baptized. We all spent tons of time together.

But it was young love, and as young love often does it ended in some heart break. It seemed like a good time for Melanie to move north to the Seattle metro area where her father lived and where their bigger schools had the gymnastics program our little rural school didn't have. Not too long after that Josh was killed in a car accident. It was as difficult for Melanie as it was for our family. We all mourned together.

There was a time, after I was married and away, that Melanie actually lived with my family. I can't remember if it coincided with her elbow injury or not, but that injury effectually ended her gymnastics career.

At some point she started lifting weights and realized that she was super talented at that as well. There is much more to this story but the end result is this: She, Melanie Roach, is in Beijing right now preparing to compete as the #1 ranked female weight lifter for the US. They spot lighted her on the Today Show (click to see) this morning. She will be competing this Sunday at Noon Eastern and you can see it on NBC. Set your DVRs and pray for this awesome woman to succeed! Also go to Google and type "Melanie Roach" and see all the video clips, news stories, competition footage, etc. She is truly amazing!

Cool thing #2:

When I was a freshman I was really sick (that is not the cool part) and had to drop out of my first semester of high school. When I was ready to head back to school the recommendation was that I do it slowly. So for two class periods a day I walked to an elementary school that was close by and helped in a third grade class. My specific assignment was to work with some kids that needed some one on one or small group help and so that is what I did. It was awesome to see these kids and the strides they made. They just needed some extra time more specific to their individual needs. At that point I knew I wanted to go into special education. Of course, the fact that I had two younger siblings, in another elementary school receiving this same type of help also fueled my decision to go this route with my education.

I went to college for a couple of years before I started having kids. I got lots of generals out of the way but never got far enough to declare a major and start a program. And as the kids came my entire focus transferred to them. So much that I essentially forgot what I would choose to do once I would someday be in a situation to work outside of our home.

A couple of years ago I had to meet someone at the kids' school. She asked me to meet her in a specific classroom and so I did. As I walked into that room I saw her sitting at a table with two kids, working with flash cards helping them in that small group setting and all of the sudden this flood of memories came to me. I remembered helping those kids and it was like waking up from a really long nap. All of the sudden I just remembered what I wanted to do. The funny thing about it is that each of my three kids who had been in this school had all received at some point this kind of help. And yet because I was so focused on the help I was giving them at home the thought of working from inside the school never crossed my mind.

I have always wanted first and foremost to be a mom. And suddenly I find myself at a cross roads. My baby is headed to kindergarten this fall and so I am faced with 8 hours a day with an empty house. But here is the cool thing. A positioned opened up at my kids elementary, the school I have been PTA President for the last two years, the school where many of the teachers and staff have become my dear friends. This position is that of Educational Assistant. I was offered the job to do exactly what I saw that friend doing that day. I will be working with kids who just need a little extra boost, some one on one or small group interaction. I will go to school with my kids. I will come home with my kids. And I will have the privilege of being a help to other kids who need a little extra. I am so excited! I am so blessed! This is going to be a blast!!