An Adoption Moment

It happens all the time but I will describe to you a clear example of what we affectionately call "An Adoption Moment". Of course because I am who I am, need to give you some details to set it up.

BH's preschool is also a primary private Christian school for kids up to 8th grade. Because the principal is a great friend of mine, she often let's JM go on their field trips. This is great for JM to hang out with other kids, and for us to bank some school time.

There was a zoo field trip this last Friday. Because JM is not a student, and for liability purposes, we have a strange identity on these trips. I go as JM's chaperone, and I also help chaperone the other kids. It works out.

The zoo plan was for all of us to be given our tickets, passes, parking passes, etc. at the school, then meet at a designated location at the zoo when we all got there. No problem. I got all our tickets, etc. My ticket said "chaperone" on it and JM's said "student".

And we step up to the ticket person and hand her our passes, and she says, "So...you're his chaperone correct?"

Aside here....it may be hard for others to be in my brain. I am so used to having my kids be who they are, and what color they are that about 98% of the time, I forget how we look to others. I am serious. I know that is hard to believe, but most of the time I forget that we stick out like crazy in public. This was one of those moments.....

I look at the gal (because I have forgotten what we look like) and I say, "Yes......". She let's us in, of course.

I look at JM and I say, "Did you see that?" He said no. I told him, "She doesn't realize you're my son. Remember people don't know you're adopted and we don't look alike. Isn't that funny? She thinks you're a student and I am a helper or a teacher or something." He laughed with me.

We shared it with some of the other kids later and they giggled with us.

How I handle those moments as an adoptive parent with shape how JM handles those when he's older.

You Know You're In The Tropics When.....

You find a huge cockroach in your box of Cheerios.

Tourons??

What is a touron? It is the cross between a moron and a tourist. Where did I learn this term? From working three summers during high school and college at a tourist attraction. I have seen tourists do really silly things and I have seen tourists even do really dangerous things.

Today, as a tourist, I witnessed a touron in action. Enjoy the pics!

We saw a sign along the freeway for "Wailua Falls 4 Miles" so we turned to go see them. As we arrived at the lookout, we couldn't see the falls but were greeted by this sign. I am not sure which is more disturbing the message or the bullet holes. And then I turned to my right and saw this touron.....

This touron is standing on the rail and it is at least a 100 foot drop to the bottom of the falls. I have nothing to say to this.
He is being such a touron! Nothing else fits.

Here is the stunning view he was looking at. I took this picture without standing on the rail.

We're Not 20 Anymore

What adventure befell us today? Total fun! But we're going to pay for it tonight and tomorrow. On the east shore of Kuaui there is a very beautiful river, the Wailua River. It is a calm, deep river. Several movies have been filmed on it because of it's resemblance to southeast Asia.

What did we do? We didn't take a kayak tour, like others we saw did. All we did was rent a kayak, grab a map and went. After just about killing each other because when paddling in a tandem kayak you must work together we finally got going. Yes, we wound up in the bushes more than once. So we paddled to a swimming hole complete with a rope swing to make new footage for "America's Funniest Videos". We also stopped at a place called Fern Grotto, which was a sort of naturalized botanical garden.

Then we went to another spot, where we hiked a mile plus to a place called "Secret Falls". It was the total breath taking water falls you always imagine in Hawaii. That was quite a hike with lots of roots and rocks to hurdle. Once we got there, it was worth it. Then we hiked back, kayaked back, and grabbed some food. One bummer. The digital camera lost it's charge before the Secret Falls. I took pictures with a disposable camera, so you'll need to wait until those are developed.

But in the meantime, enjoy these. Again, click to really enjoy. We'll be popping Advil like candy and lounging by the pool.

Opaeka Falls. To the back of us is the Wailua River.

The Wailua River. We paddled up to as far as you can see and to the left a little ways.

The Fern Grotto.

Hiking to the Secret Falls.

The swimming hole. Do you see the rope hanging on the left?
The hubby took one swing off of it. I took two. That was enough.

Hawaiian Grand Canyon

This is Waimea Canyon, and this is breathtaking. I can see why it's called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. The panorama is best seen when you click on it to make it bigger . The colors of the red rocks against the bright green foliage is amazing

This was further up the canyon. We can say we were there.

Now here you'll find out a bit about me. I have this genetic "thing" that is funny at family get togethers, but not on days like this. My dad, uncle, brother and myself all suffer from this. In fact there is a "funny" story my dad and I can share from when we took a helicopter tour four years ago. It's funny now, but wasn't then.

We get motion sick.....really easily. So the windy, twisty, back and forth, bumpy road ride up to this canyon almost did me in. It was actually miserable going back down the mountain, not up, which is great, because I got to enjoy what I was seeing. Going back down, I just wished we were "there" sooner rather than later.

Best cure for motion sickness in Hawaii. Stop at the beach and soak your toes in the surf. All is well.

The East and North Shore

Today we took the state highway from our hotel and went as far north as we could go. To literally where the highway stopped. It stopped at Ke'e beach, where we snorkeled and laid in the sun. I love love love to snorkel. It doesn't take much to do it, and it so cool to see the fish that come right up to you.

Here are some of the cool pictures I took with the panorama feature on the digital camera. It will come in very handy on this trip since so much of this island is panoramic.

What have I liked so far? This is not the commercialized, over populated, over run, typical Hawaiian island. I felt the same way when I was on the Big Island four years ago. This island is so natural and untouched, it's hard to figure out when you've arrived where you want to be. The signs are incredibly limited. You can easily miss turns and locations if you don't pay attention to the landscape. We found a place today by looking at the map and realizing we passed a mountain and would be coming up on a community.

Tomorrow, the south and west side. We'll see where the road takes us. We are having fun, and truly enjoying the laid back, simple lifestyle here. Plus there is no bad view anywhere you look. Click on the pictures to make them bigger, much better that way.

The Kileua Lighthouse is at the tip of the point to the left. All the white dots in the canyons are birds. This is also a protected bird sanctuary.

This is US Forest Service land. Why the farms then? There is a cooperative agreement between taro farmers and the Forest Service. Taro farming, since it's done in shallow ponds, promotes water fowl environment. Since taro farming has fallen off in recent years, so has water fowl populations. This way the farmers can use the land, and the Forest Service promotes conservation. Sustainability working well. Plus it's a great view.

This is just a beautiful sunset we stopped to take a picture of.
The land you see is a farm. Simply a great view.

Extracting Yourself From Life

We did it. It was the most difficult time I have ever had going on a trip. I travel enough that I know the few days before leaving are the ones that are the hardest. Extracting myself from life's obligations to actually go.

I did a so-so job this time. But I am gone.

We are in Kauai right now. My husband is snoring so oddly it woke me and and freaked me out. Seriously, it sounded like meowing kittens and I had the horrible thought I was either still home (that would be a nightmare) or there were kittens in our lanai! No. Just the exhausted hubbie.

What we have done so far. We realized our lanai has a full kitchen and wasn't ready when we arrived. No problem, we went out to lunch and had some great fish and chips (for the hubbie) and fish tacos (for me).

We headed to a grocery store and bought food so that we had snacks and a few meals on hand so we wouldn't be eating out for all our meals. I appreciate this as I sit here at the breakfast table with my Cheerios and coffee.

After our trip out, we got to our lanai. The hubbie rested and I explored. The beach is very close, like a hundred yards away, but it's very rough surf. I won't be swimming in it. But I love to walk along it. I sound like a sappy love song, I know. But I love love love to walk along the beach. I have walked myself so far away from a starting point before by the time I got myself back I was hurting. Walking on the beach, we all know, is a little harder on the muscles than just walking on the level ground.

I got back to the lanai, and got ready for the luau we signed up for. It was beautiful. It was done at a family owned tropical garden. We saw all kinds of birds, animals, flowers, fish, etc. We feasted on kahlua pig (luau pig seasoned with salt and cooked in the ground), beef, poi (ick), papaya, and mai tai's--of course.

Then we watched a performance of all kinds of traditional hula. It was interesting as they explained all the influences of Hawaiian dancing. There is Japanese, Chinese, Tahitia, New Zealand and of course, Polynesian.

Anyway, I thought I'd share one comical thing that is everywhere in Kauai. Chickens. Child of God was correct. They are everywhere. And we awoke this morning to God's alarm clock, roosters crowing.







From our travel book:

"OK, so you don't normally think of roosters as hazards. And normally they're not. These guys are wild in many parts of the island and can be charming. But our roosters have proliferated since Hurricane 'Iniki freed so many back in 1992, and they are particularly stupid here. They don't seem to know when they're supposed to crow, so they do it all day long just to cover themselves. (Probably for liability purposes) If any of these two-legged alarm clocks are near where you're staying, you may find yourself waking up real early."

This Just Has Me Spinning a Bit

Years and years ago, when we adopted JM, some words were said to me that still ring in my ears today. I have to tell you this so you understand the point at the end.

We adopted our oldest son from Houston, TX. When we flew down to Houston to pick him up, I remember sitting in the adoption agency in Texas waiting for his foster parent to bring him to us. He had been born about 3 weeks before and she was caring for him after he was released from the hospital. So we chatted with the adoption worker.

This agency does have a kind of specialty in placing African American (AA) children with families. I don't remember how it happened, but we got onto the subject of race. I remember telling her that where we live in the Pacific Northwest, it really is laid back in terms of race. It's just a strange enough place that even if my family seems weird to someone else, they also seem weird.

And she said this, which are the words I hear repeated in my head a lot, "The majority of our AA children we place with families in the Pacific Northwest. You have to remember this is still The South. People still get burning crosses in their front yards here." We went onto to talk about that even if a white family wanted to adopt an AA child, most of the time they don't want to invite that kind of attention. It made me sad.

Jump ahead about 2 to 3 years. My hubbie is actively looking for a PhD program and finds a potentially good one in Louisville, KY. We talked about whether we would sell our house or rent it, how long it would take, etc. The words repeated themselves in my ears again, and I reminded my husband, Kentucky was part of the south. We needed to take the racial temperature of what it would be like if our colorful family went outside and played ball in our front yard or walked in the grocery store or the mall. I asked him to talk very candidly to the director of the program about what are racial attitudes like in Louisville. I also had the idea of all of us flying out there and walking around, and seeing the tone of the stares in people's eyes. Isn't it a shame we had to and still have to think that way?

I have an AA friend who has explained to me that she actually does that to this day. If she travels for her work, she asks around to see what the racial climate is for her work, and decides what places to visit or museums to see based upon that. Again, crying shame.

This is where I got rattled in the last few days. A woman who lives on the coast of Oregon, and her adopted AA son got the nice little gift last weekend of a burning cross in their yard. Click here for the link.

It is so sad. The one light at the end of this....the neighbor who said, "If the law doesn't drive them out we will." It's a town of 200 people, I am sure someone knows something and at the very least, it won't be tolerated.

That woman in the interview could be me, and it just shakes me a bit. The repeated words came back, "there are still burning crosses in people's yards."

Yes, there are.

Lengthy But Worth It

Okay, when Rob Kremer speaks on this whole Connections Academy (CA) ordeal, I listen. He writes well, gets to the point, and is clear. Plus, he is just a nice guy. Here is his response to one of our Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) parents who asked him to spell out the funding smokescreen that some representatives are making. I know his response is long but hey, it had my attention the whole time and truly spells out the money flow of ORCA compared to regular public schools, as well as the difference in education quality.



"Senator Johnson:

I spoke with Paula Foster today about your recent phone conversation with her about SB 767. Thank you very much for taking the time to call her.

Paula relayed to me the questions and concerns that you have surrounding virtual charter schools in general and Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) in particular, because she thought I might be able to provide some answers and information that might address your concerns. I have worked with Connections Academy as a consultant since it got started in 2005, and I have worked on behalf of charter schools in Oregon since 1997.

Paula said that your number one concern was about the financial transparency and accountability of virtual schools, especially given the state's budget struggles. I'll separate my comments on this into two general categories: 1) Financial reporting requirements - Do we know where the public funds go?; and 2) Are we getting good value for the public funds spent on virtual school students compared to other types of public schooling?

1) Financial Reporting and accountability

Virtual charters have very rigorous financial reporting requirements. Prior to the start of each school year, a budget for the coming year is prepared, approved by the ORCA board, and submitted to the Scio School District. The budget gives clear detail where all the funds will go - teacher compensation, other staff, curriculum materials sent to homes, technology, and the management fee paid to the service provider, etc.

Also, as a charter school, ORCA must provide monthly financial reports to its sponsor as specified in the charter contract. For ORCA, the monthly reports include balance sheet, income statement, detail of every financial transaction, reports on student count and calculation of ADMw, accounts payable and receivable.

In addition, ORCA has an annual outside financial audit conducted by a municipal audit firm. The audit is public information (I'd be happy to provide you with the most current one.)

Finally, ORCA has an annual evaluation conducted by an outside evaluator. Last year it was conducted by the Portland State University Center for Student Success. This evaluation looks at lots of issues other than financial, but it is very
rigorous, and includes a site visit by a team of professional education evaluators.

Given all these reporting requirements and evaluations, I don't think it is an overstatement to say that there is more detailed and comprehensive publicly available information about ORCA than for any public school in the state. No other type of public school to my knowledge has both an annual audit and an annual outside evaluation.

Nevertheless, one recurring comment from the State Board of Education and from the Senate Education Committee has been complimenting ORCA on providing additional detail on its operations whenever asked. And if you would like to see anything not listed above, I am sure they would be more than happy to provide it.

2) Is ORCA delivering good value to the taxpayer?

It is roundly acknowledged that ORCA's students are doing very well academically. There is almost no dispute on this - the State Board of Education and the Senate Education Committee both complimented ORCA for its results.

The question of the level of funding, however, has been raised. It is absolutely fair to ask the questions: Is it a lot less expensive to teach students in a virtual environment? And is the funding that ORCA receives (90-95% of ADM) generating a windfall for the for-profit service provider?

First, I want to point out that ORCA's funding level of 90-95% comes to about $5,800 per student in all-funds spending. Brick and mortar schools in Oregon spend far more than this - the average all-funds spending in Oregon is in excess of $10,000 per student. I have pasted below a table with the per-student spending figures for three school districts in your Senate district. These districts all happen to be a little below the state average in per-student spending, but they are still well above what is spent by ORCA.

So ORCA is delivering a product that is indisputably succeeding academically, and doing it for a total cost per student of roughly 60% of the statewide average cost.

The reason for the cost difference is not too hard to discern: virtual schools don't have debt service associated with facilities costs, nor do they have transportation costs. The student/teacher ratio in virtuals is higher, of course (roughly double) but virtuals tend also to not have as many non-teaching professionals on staff. The cost savings from the higher student/teacher ratio is offset to a large degree by larger expenditure on curriculum materials and technology associated costs.

So ORCA, like other virtuals, spend considerably less per-student than "brick and mortar" public schools. Yes, they are funded at almost full ADM, but as you know, ADM constitutes only about 60% of the total revenues to Oregon school districts. Virtuals must survive solely on their ADM funds.

That said, another question that has come up repeatedly in hearings is whether the for-profit service providers that partner with virtual charter schools are enjoying a "windfall" at the expense of the Oregon taxpayer. Some people have objected to public funds going to for profit corporations to pay for their educational services.

In reality, the public funds that go to the for-profit service providers who partner with virtual schools is no different than funds school districts spend on curriculum, technology, school construction, materials and supplies of all sorts, and various types of outside consultants. In all my years dealing with education issues, I have never once heard anyone ask whether any of these for-profit companies were receiving a "windfall" because of the business they did with school districts.

In the case of ORCA, the payments to the for-profit Connections Academy LLC is for specific supplies and services that are negotiated at an arm's length. Each enrolled student receives several boxes worth of curriculum materials each year – texts, hands on activities, science experiment materials, etc. These are purchased from Connections Academy LLC, just as any school district would purchase its curriculum from a for-profit textbook provider like Harcourt Brace.

Similarly, ORCA buys its computer systems from Connections. Recently, one of the ORCA board members who works in computer supply put the ORCA technology purchase out for a cost comparison, and found that what Connections Academy LLC was charging was quite a bit better than available through regular supply channels.

In 2006, a study was commissioned by the Bellsouth Foundation looking at the cost of virtual schooling. It found that the per-student cost for a full time virtual school depended on the quality of the program (not surprising) but that the cost range was about $7,500 per student for a high quality program, down to about $3,650 for a lower quality program. Here is a link to the study: http://www.inacol. org/resources/ docs/Costs& Funding.pdf

I realize this has been a long response to your concerns, but I wanted to be comprehensive. I'd be happy to talk with you personally about any of the information I have provided. In summary, I will say that ORCA is probably the most scrutinized, most accountable and most efficient education delivery model in the state of Oregon.

Thank you for your time, and your thoughtful consideration.

Rob Kremer

Below is the cost comparison between the Columbia County districts and ORCA. Capital projects funds were not included in the comparison, but debt service was included. To include them both would be double counting.

Per-Student Spending Comparison
Ranier, Scappoose and St. Helens School Districts


Rainier SD 2007-08 Actual Expenditures (From ODE web site)

Fund 100 - General Fund $9,096,432.00
Fund 200 - Special Revenue Fund $1,668,824.00
Fund 300 - Debt Service Funds $339,687.00
Fund 400 - Capital Projects Funds
Fund 700 - Trust and Agency Funds $181,375.00
$11,286,318. 00
October 1 Enrollment, full time students 1170

Spending per student $9,646.43

Scappoose SD 2007-08 Actual Expenditures (From ODE Web site)

Fund 100 - General Fund 15,754,525
Fund 200 - Special Revenue Fund 1,906,377
Fund 300 - Debt Service Funds 547,035
Fund 400 - Capital Projects Funds
Fund 700 - Trust and Agency Funds 54,736
$18,262,673. 00
October 1 Enrollment, full time students 2145
Spending per student $8,514.07


St. Helens SD 2007-08 Actual Expenditures (From ODE Web site)

Fund 100 - General Fund 27,922,463
Fund 200 - Special Revenue Fund 3,775,384
Fund 300 - Debt Service Funds 3,135,136
Fund 400 - Capital Projects Funds
Fund 700 - Trust and Agency Funds $0.00
$34,832,983. 00
October 1 Enrollment, full time students 3527
Spending per student $9,876.09


Cost per-student for ORCA: $5,800.00"

Spanish 101

As we approach the end of our first year of virtual schooling, it's getting creative. We have completed JM's curriculum for Social Studies, Science, Math, Art and PE. When I saw on the daily schedule this was coming down the pike, I asked his teacher if we could sign up for an elective, and she said "of course" (you can't if your student is struggling or has outstanding issues of some kind).

The hubbie thought we should do French, because that is his favorite language. I disagreed. Why? When was the last time you met someone on the street speaking French? However much you agree or disagree with the politics of this land, it is very helpful to know Spanish. I, on the other hand, took 3 years of Latin in my early years. And the same question applies, when was the last time you saw someone speaking.....

For the past month we have been working pretty dilligently on Spanish. I am learning it too, and kind of enjoying it. This class is all online. So it's listening to little recordings of someone telling a story and inserting Spanish words (a lot like Dora the Explorer shows). It also is worksheets. Culture lessons on Mexico and Spain. We also get a Power Point presentation from JM's Spanish teacher and we go through those as well.

One thing I have noticed....I have to drill the vocabulary into my kids' head. So today as I am drilling the words for colors into JM's head, BH joins in and, surprisingly, is picking it up fast.

BH likes to be quizzed in his Spanish colors and has asked me several times today, "Ask me my colors!" And here is my car conversation with BH while JM had his piano lesson:

Me: What is the Spanish word for "yellow"?
BH: Amarillo (that double "l" is a /yuh/ sound remember, BH said it right)

Me: What is the Spanish word for "blue"?
BH: Azul.

Me: What is the Spanish word for "green"?
BH: Verde

Me: What is the Spanish word for "white"?
BH: Hmmmmmm........hard.

It is actually "blanco".

Finally Some Coverage

Here is a Eugene, OR news report on virtual schools. Finally one of the bigger markets is saying something in this state.

The Best Broccoli Salad for Summer

This is one of those recipes where I totally feel like Rachel Ray. I find myself saying "A fistful of this...a handful of this....a bunch of this...." If you don't cook like that, honestly, you can do that with this recipe and be fine. This is the recipe that is repeatedly asked of me to bring somewhere.

Broccoli heads, enough to cut up and fill a salad bowl. Usually four big heads for me.
One red onion, or a sweet onion of some kind
A handful of raisins
Then your choice of a handful of sunflower seeds or a handful of bacon crumbled up.

Chop all of this up and put it in a bowl.

Dressing:

Equal parts of mayonnaise, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. Whisk well until emulsified. Then taste. It should be fruity, tart, and sweet. You should also have about 1-2 cups of it to coat your salad. Pour over your broccoli mixture.

This salad tastes better if you can chill it for a few hours and the flavors can combine.

Two things I do....if I am in a hurry, I'll buy prepackaged cut up broccoli, and pay about $5-$6 dollars at Costco for it. I also buy Costco's crumbled up bacon in their salad/condiments aisle. However, if I am broke, paying about $2 for four broccoli heads seems more reasonable. Also if I am at a store that sells bulk foods, I will buy just enough sunflower seeds. I don't buy containers of them because then the containers sit in my cupboard and go rancid. Enjoy!

New Category

Okay have you ever been watching one of those coming of age movies of young children back in the sixties or seventies, got grossed out by something, but it was understood as a rite of passage of childhood? I feel that way when I watch movies like "Stand By Me" or "A Christmas Story".

New category for the blog today.....gross things my kids do. I will not share things that they would be mortified and ashamed of. I am sharing those things my kids will look back on and feel like I do when I watch those movies. Nostalgia, and a little grossed out. Boys are great for this! They do the ickiest things!

I am going to warn you, most of these will come from my oldest son, JM. He has the "slob" gene. BH has the OCD gene and cleans up after himself and gets grossed out. But he is capable of doing gross things.

Icky Boy Thing #1

JM is sitting in the schoolroom drinking juice from a Shrek glass. He sets it on the floor, and puts his bare foot on the rim of the glass. The feet that have been all over the house, into the backyard and on the trampoline. You guessed it....he picks it up and drinks some more.

Icky Boy Thing #2

JM goes to the bathroom, flushes the toilet, then licks his fingers.

Icky Boy Thing #3

Puts underwear on backwards and wears it all day like that. Ouchy!

That should be a good start to our new category. The list will be updated as needed.

Happy Mother's Day

I wasn't sure what to write here. Again since this blog is dedicated to adoption, how do I pin that down and celebrate all that motherhood encompasses? Especially that unique side of that which comes with adoption. I struggled last year with the same thing, although I was out cold on narcotics since my back was one big spasm for a week.

And then I saw this article this morning. A small journal entry from the actress, Nia Vardolos. She is known for her famous role in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". She also recently adopted a three year old gem from the foster system.

Click here. If you're an adoptive mom, grab a tissue first.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hawaiian Happy Times

Okay, what is going on with our Cancun trip?

History here, I rep for a great company. I really do. I have done the candle thing for nine years and have very few if any complaints. I love what I do and I have a blast doing it. Every year my company gives away a nice, warm, tropical vacation to those of us who earn it. This year, I earned my seventh trip. These are trips of a lifetime. People save for years for the kind of swanky, five star, luxurious locations I have been to.

Cancun--and not just Cancun. The Moon Palace resort, known for every room having an inlaid hot tub on marble floors. Nice huh?

Well, until the swine flu came along right after my company bought all 2,000+ airline tickets. The trip was canceled by my company. Yes, my company is out over a million dollars in lost airline tickets. They also have upset people on their hands who have earned this trip and want something.

For my two cents, I am not upset at all. Several of the very few swine flu cases have come out of Cancun. While I certainly am not afraid of getting it, I certainly don't want to invite it either. Plus, what if (ten days ago, this was the scare when these decisions were being made) they send all 2,000+ of us to Cancun, and suddenly the airport closes because this level five hysteria hits massive levels.

I think this is so interesting, and I am not sure who is to blame, how a week later, it's all calmed down. The World Health Organization (WHO) is suddenly quite silent after making this thing so hysterically serious.

Anyway, we, candle people in my area, were told we would get a cash reward about a week ago. Great! How much? Don't know, we'll get back to you. In the meantime, the hubbie and I cruise travel websites for ideas. It was actually quite cool.....it was the whole "where would you go if you could" scenario. It was fun to dream a little and look at possibilities. We honed in on Hawaii for two reasons, it's warm and we don't want cold. Forget Canada, sorry. Out of country travel to like the Bahamas was out of the question just in case the swine flu got more scary. Plus, the U.S. government was recommending at that time no international travel. Plus we live on the west coast and it's quite the easy flight for us.

So we dreamed. Now what to choose? Again, we were excited, but held back until we saw what kind of funds we would have. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew my company wanted to be fair, but they had also taken quite the financial hit already.

Got the news Tuesday. Are you sitting? The bottom line.....$3,600 cash reward.

That is more than enough to pay for a very swanky place, flight and car rental. So now where? After much consideration, a small poll on Facebook amongst the friends (thanks to you who voted!), and google, we decided on Kuaui. It is the "off the beaten path" part of Hawaii. Quieter, less tourists, more paths to hike, and natural scenery.

Huge huge thanks to my company. Here is the breakdown after booking the trip today.

Two of us at a swanky lanai castle/plantation place, airline tickets, car, luau, and trip insurance--$2,583. That leaves us with plenty of funds to pay our babysitter while we are gone. We always pay her a few hundred dollars. It also pays for extras while we are there. So if we want to shop, go kayaking on the river, take a tour of a sugar plantation, etc. it won't be out of our budget.

I am so grateful to my company. Time and time again, in big ways and little ways, I see them take care of their reps. It is a company with heart, which is not often seen these days, and I appreciate it so much.

Get ready for the travel diary beginning May 23rd. I will hopefully take the laptop and insert the photo disk a few times.

Just Read the Headlines to Understand My Position

I have had to defend myself, or present my/our position on school so much lately. I know by putting myself out there and being vocal about it invites the scrutiny. Honestly, I enjoy it, and it shines light on the issue of why we virtual/homeschool our kids.

But truly, if you're a two parent household where you're both engrossed in your careers and you think your kids are at a good school, please think twice. I am not asking you to give up your careers, the mortgage, etc. I think all of us as parents need to hold schools accountable for what happens to our kids moment by moment. I think we need to pay attention. Ask the hard questions that will get you labeled as a problem parent. Ask the questions that linger in your mind but you think might be a little intrusive. Bricks and mortar schools have custody of your kids longer than you do, you have the absolute right to know.

However, you don't need to pay attention too much if your local news outlet does it for you. Here is why my kids, good Lord help us if we ever have a daughter, won't be going to public "bricks and mortar" schools. Click here.

And Centennial School District is considered one of the better ones in our state.

God help any coach who decides to snuggle with one of my kids in the back seat of a car. His job would be the least of his worries.

Media Competition

This article appeared this morning in our local liberal rag. Click here. Photo is courtesy of The Oregonian. Please read it, it's fascinating watching a liberal publication talk about conservative issues. They are pro-online charter schools.

One huge thing to notice, the response from the lobbyists against online schools. "We're not going to wait until [online charter schools] are out of control." Okay seriously? This isn't methamphetamine or the swine flu; a scourge to be eradicated. This is school, and a fine one at that.

A translation of what he is saying is this (no, I am not being sarcastic, this is true), "We want to stop this before our union dollars that are spent on unionized teachers leaves our reach and goes to a public school that isn't unionized." That is what he really means.

Okay, guess what? In lieu of this huge article that has both camps whirling this morning, guess who called me while I sat in my dentist's chair this morning?

The local NBC affiliate that blew me off three times last month. They want to meet with me now. Huh....interesting.....I called her back. I'll keep you posted.

Stupid Criminals

I am not going to put a link, I am going to copy and paste this story, and give credits to our local NBC affiliate for the story. Go ahead and read it, and I have a few questions at the end about this:

"MCMINNVILLE, Ore. -- McMinnville police say they cited a Salem man with drunken driving twice in one day.

In both instances, police say, 52-year-old Carl Elton Reeves was driving the same pickup and stopped near the same state liquor store.

Police say they first stopped Reeves at 11:05 a.m. Friday after he ran a red light. He was released into the custody of his grandmother and his vehicle had been impounded.

A while later, authorities released the pickup to another party on condition Reeves not drive it. But he did. A tow company employee saw Reeves take the wheel and called police.

Police spotted Reeves' pickup and followed it back to the state liquor store, where he was cited again.

The second time around, Reeves was booked in the Yamhill County Jail on $6,250 bail."

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Question, how does a 52 year old man still have a grandmother?

Question, I didn't know that 52 year old men were released to the "custody" of grandparents. I guess it is true, once a parent always a parent, even when your child is close to being able to get a senior citizens discount.

Comment, I guess this man never learned the words of wisdom "make your parents proud". That does apply to grandparents as well. He's 52, so I don't see that happening soon.

Good gracious, there is so much wrong with this world, and this story just assured me that any rose colored glasses I have need to stay off my eyes.

Remembering Rwanda

For those of us old enough to remember Rwanda, I am ashamed to say, I don't really remember. I am a small part of the international community that didn't realize what was going on. I blame myself a bit for it, I blame the media a bit as well. Who I really blame for not fully realizing what was going, and choosing to ignore the outcomes that were happening right before their eyes--the U.N.

Why am I bringing this up out of the blue? The Rwanda genocide happened over a 100 day period, during this time, fifteen years ago. I have a good friend who has traveled to Rwanda, I believe before the genocide of 1994 to do relief work. As most of us, when we travel to a place like that, it becomes special in our hearts. She has been so sweet for the last several days to communicate to her friends "Remembering Day XXX".

Again, I am embarrassed to admit, I don't even know basic details of the genocide. It all started with an airplane being shot out of the sky that had a prime minister on board. The plan was in place already to conduct the atrocities, but the assassination was the pulling of the trigger that started the whole mess.

What happened during that time? Over one hundred days, an estimated 1 million people were slaughtered. An estimated 250,000 women were raped. Millions survived, and live with the aftermath.

I won't give the one hundred day time line because my ignorance wouldn't do it justice. I am still educating myself. As a Christian, I feel a deep need to pay attention. So, I am hoping my little heartfelt recognition of these one hundred days does something to bring awareness of this horrific genocide. I also realize genocides tend to happen when people are not paying attention (ie Vietnam, Bosnia, Germany, etc). All of them have in common, the rest of the world wasn't paying attention. Specifically, those in power weren't paying attention. Those who could actually do something to make a huge difference in the outcome. In Rwanda's case, in my little opinion, the U.N. owes a lot of responsibility to what happened.

But if you want a really great resource to educate yourself, here is a great website that gives a very brief detail of the history of Rwanda's genocide. Click here.

Here is another spot on this page that gives a brief outline of the one hundred days. Click here.

Also, here is where your heart will break and also swell with joy. Stories of the survivors. This website is a great tribute to these people, their will to survive, and to continue on with dignity. Click here.

And so let me put it out there....I remember today, day 26.