It’s funny that this is the challenge to day because I was just thinking about this. At church we talked about letting our talents shine and not burying them. Obviously we are all blessed with some sort of talent. Some of us have “talent show” talents that can be displayed. And others have talents that are part of our personality or a characteristic trait. My husband is abundantly blessed in both areas. He plays the piano BEA.U.TI.FULLY by EAR. Seriously- it’s ridiculous. Check him out HERE. If he’s heard the song, he can play it. It’s awesome and disgusting at the same time. haha Plus he’s naturally a great police officer (Officer of the Year 2010 suckas!), smart, giving, great conversationalist…
I don’t have any “talent show” talents. In fact, I hated talent shows growing up. I don’t sing. I don’t dance. I don’t recite poetry. lol I played sports growing up and was a natural athlete, so sports were fun. I’m witty and use my humor to lighten the mood and be a peacemaker. Those are things that come naturally. I’ve had interests in different things, but never had the patience to stick with them long enough to become good at it. But about 8 years ago I found myself watching a “Signing Time” video that my sister gave me to use with my kiddos. I watched it and fell in love with American Sign Language. 
I bought tons of the videos and worked with Isabel and Taj who were my 2 youngest. I started with Taj when he was over year and he picked up signs quickly. With Livie I started at just a few months old. I’ve talked about ASL a lot on my blog and Rachel Coleman (Creator of “Signing Time”) even commented on this post!! I was stoked!!) Anyway, I’m rambling… My point is that I fell in love with ASL and over the years I have studied it on my own, renting videos and books from the library, and FINALLY took a REAL ASL class in college in the Spring. I love it. I’m NOT fluent- not even close. But I have that desire to be fluent some day. So, for now ASL is a hobby, not a talent. But I feel that it could be a talent and I am taking the time to develop it. Not only that, my oldest sons are both taking ASL in high school so we are able to learn together. 
Here’s my video story from my ASL 1 class. I made an A+. Make sure you turn on the annotations so you know what I’m saying…
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I am almost 1/2 way thru my first semester back at school since taking a 10 year hiatus. And all I can say is: I LOVE IT!!!!! I am taking 13 hours and so far I am loving every minute of it. My fave class is my ASL 1 class. I love learning to use all the signs I’ve taught myself. (Thank you Signing Time!!!) And what’s more fun is I take Tristan with me to the ASL lab I am required to attend. It’s at a coffee house where other ASL and some deaf people come hang out to chat. It’s not “Deaf Coffee” at Starbucks. This is about 95% students trying to learn to converse in ASL. The other day Tristan and I chatted with Hector for about an hour. I suck at reading finger spelled words and he was so patient. Right before we left he asked us our names and if we had “sign names.” We didn’t have a sign name yet since usually (not always) a deaf person “gives” you a sign name. Some see it as almost an initiation or a welcome into the community. However you see it I was feeling extra cool when Hector said he would like to give us sign names! He asked Tristan his hobbies. First he was trying to make a sign with “T” and something with football. When that didn’t work I mentioned Tristan likes to draw. So, Hector gave Tristan the sign of “DRAW” with the handshape of a “T.” Then he asked my hobbies. I said “playing basketball and watching my kids play sports.” He thought a little while. Then he asked Tristan if I always laugh a lot– like I do when I am trying to sign. haha Tristan said that I do, definitely, laugh a lot. So, my sign name is now “LAUGH” with a “T” hand– with one hand, not both. Hector even asked the head professor there, who is also deaf, if our sign names were ok and he agreed and signed our sign names to us. Now when we introduce ourselves, we will fingerspell our names and then sign our sign names. I am STOKED! So is Tristan. I am so glad I get to do this with him. Next year Alec is also taking ASL. Yay!! Oh- and just to brag… I made a 98 on our last test– the highest in the class.
I also have 2 other classes on campus and 1 online. All 3 of them are almost the same thing: Family Economics, Family Financial Planning and Family Resource Management. To be honest I haven’t read more than a few paragraphs out of my books. Most of the stuff discussed I already know just from living life. Even when taking a test I know the answer before looking it up because I’ve been managing my family’s economics and resources for years and years. 
I have a ton of projects to do in 2 classes and I actually really like doing them. I had a group project the other day about food comparisons. We had the class taste test Kool Aid and Kroger brand drink mix, Dr. Pepper and Dr. K, Kraft Deluxe, Velveeta Shells and Kroger Deluxe Mac and Cheese. They didn’t know which was which and voted on faves. I was surprised to see that the Kroger brand drink mix and Mac and Cheese won by A LOT of votes!! Dr. Pepper won over Dr. K though. So… Kroger brand can rock! (Smiths is Kroger in Utah…) Interesting!!
So, over all I am loving school. I have straight As so far, which is something I haven’t done since like 6th grade. I like being on campus. I like planning my future. I am positive I am in the right field of study the more I learn about it. I cannot wait to work in some kind of victim’s advocacy. Oh– and just to add to the excitement: My campus was on lockdown the other day. Some people were freakin’ out. I just made a plan in my head what I was gonna do if someone came in my classroom. I wasn’t going down without a fight!
On a sidenote… Isabel’s basketball team is undefeated. They have their final tournament this weekend. Isabel leads in points, steals, and assists. She is doing amazing and I am so proud!! My dad is coaching her for the 2nd year in a row and I just LOVE watching him coach. He loves it. I feel bad that I’ve run out of kids for him to coach for a couple of years– Taj isn’t sure he wants to play. He is taking gymnastics and I think he’s in love with it. He is excelling. We are lucky because he is the only kid in his class, so it’s like private lessons each week. Livie is in tap and ballet. She loves dancing. She loves the tutus. She loves it. Period. Tristan has decided to concentrate on football. He’s great at it. Alec has decided to concentrate on basketball. I think he is going to get taller because I just bought him freakin’ size 11 shoes– he’s a size and a 1/2 bigger than Sei and Tristan, yet shorter than both. I hope he grows into those boats! I love my family. <3
Sei’s family reunions always consist of a family talent show. In the past Sei has rapped, Isabel has done her gymnastics routine or one of the kids sang a song. This year was my turn… I decided to take one of my hobbies and do something fun with it. I’ve been teaching myself American Sign Language on and off for a few years. I found a “glossed” version of Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” online and taught myself the signs. I had so much fun learning this and I think everyone enjoyed watching it too. (Is Isabel just not SO cute!?)
Livie is picking up new signs all the time: shoes, no, milk, sit, stop, go, jump, hot, wet, all done, signing time and her all time favorite: BATH. Everytime she’s done eating she signs “All done” and then “Bath.” When I get her out of her high chair she runs to the bathroom signing “bath” the entire time. It’s too funny!! But that’s where the fun ends. For the past week everytime Liv has been in the bath, without fail, she has pooped! The bath works as a laxative or an enema for her or something. It’s driving me crazy. I have to throw her in, bathe her as quickly as I can, because if not she’ll poop before she is clean. But, on the upside, Taj thinks it’s awesome to get a bathroom cup and scoop poop out the of the tub. Go figure. I need to teach Liv the sign for poop. Taj used to sign it as he yelled really loudly in church “I need to go poop!!!”
Oh- speaking of Taj and poop, yesterday Taj went #2 in the toilet and when he was done Alec asked “Tajy, did you flush?” Taj said, “No. Don’t flush it! They are my friends.” Alec and I looked at each other like, “What!?!??” I dared ask, “Who’s your friends?” “My poop. They are my little poop friends.” Um, ok…
Hey- you knew what this post was about by the title. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Weekly Muffin Report: Well, I suck. I did run 4 days last week averaging about 3 miles a day. And it felt good. Then my parents came in town, we had a baptism, Taj got strep, etc… and I got off track. But things will be back to normal starting tomorrow and I vow to do better.
Spongebob: Patrick, your
genius is showing!Patrick: WHERE!??!
