Outer Space Day Camp: How to Build a Darth Vader

What kind of blog is this any way!?  I post my talk from a class I taught on how to be a good mother, the next time I update the blog it's how to build a Darth Vader.  A fitting example of our eclectic life!

It seems like as I go to garage sales and second hand stores, I see a lot of Star Wars themed materials.  In the beginning of collecting items for our Outer Space themed camp, I wanted to find an adult Darth Vader costume.  Dode talked me out of it, explaining that Darth Vader doesn't really teach positive values.  If someone was walking around as Vader at camp, the cubs would all be mobbing him.  So I changed my plan a bit and decided I wanted to have a statue of Darth Vader at camp somewhere.  I looked online for parts of his outfit and everything was way too expensive.  So, I used some improvisation to come up with my homage to Vader.  It didn't cost me much at all!

I already had a dress form I'd picked up at Value Village years ago.  Vader is a big, powerful guy so I needed something to build up his upper body.  I decided football pads would be just the thing.  I started looking on craigslist for cheap pads but couldn't find any.  Then, we went to a fundraising "by donation" garage sale where you decide how much to pay and low and behold, I found a set of pads!  Score!  I had the skeleton of my Vader!

Vader's skeleton

I had a black satin skirt and long piece of material I'd used as a Halloween costume many years ago.

The original costume was called "Abducted by Aliens".  Can you tell  it was a sunny day?  Also featured:  Isaac as a hunchback, Elizabeth as a cat, Willilam as a clown, Miriam as a bee, and Anastaya as a southern belle.

  Isaac had the black leather jacket and I picked up a pair of black leather gloves at Value Village for $2. His outfit was complete.  Just one problem, no head!  I looked online and realized what I needed was a full 360 degree helmet which ran around $100.  That was just too much for a prop at camp.  But, I kept my eyes open and low and behold, another visit to the same garage sale (happens twice a year) brought me the face mask!  The helmut that covers the top and back of his head was missing but I figured I could do something!

Looks a bit naked without that helmet doesn't he!  As I was building him, Elizabeth came out and said, "Some thing's not right!"  She ran inside to find a movie case so she could figure it out.  I went back to the Internet but no one was selling just the helmet.  I let the problem percolate around in my mind for a while and then remembered that I'd purchased a medieval helmet at Dollar Tree and stashed it in my supplies for upcoming day camps.  I dug it out, pried off the face shield and got to work coming up with a pattern for the rest of it.  As Elizabeth sat at the computer doing her school work, I used her as my model.  

When Dode got home from work one night, I showed him what I was working on and we brainstormed what material to use for the 2nd part of the helmet.  I thought about sacrificing my sewing cutting mat to the cause.  We looked at plastic bins but they weren't large enough.  He though about using a thin sheet of metal.  I even considered using thick cardboard but worried what would happen if it rained during camp.  Dode ended up cutting the piece from a 5 gallon bucket that was in our "heading to the dump" pile.  I spray painted it black and we screwed it on.  I was planning on painting the whole thing again a shiny black but I think I like the two toned look.   It doesn't flare out as much as the real deal but I think it looks pretty good for a dollar store helmet and plastic bucket!

I wasn't worried about my original paint job because I was going to cover it.  Now it looks like he's been in a battle on the back!

I attached the helmet/mask to a PVC pipe with a zip tie and shoved that down under the football pads to give him stability.

To make the arms and hands look like there is something inside, Dode stuffed the arms with newspaper and used wire coat hangers to bend them into place.  The wires are threaded under the pads and attached to the dress form in the middle.

This way the arms are anchored to the statue.  

Here he is in all his glory! 

The elementary school my children attend are having a space themed carnival and I lent Vader to them.    He was placed outside the front door and my children were so excited to pass by him on the way into the school.  Dode had big plans to install a light sensor so Vader would talk when you walk by him (the mask I bought says several things when you push buttons) but it looks like that's not going to happen.  It would be cool though!  I had Vader outside while I was working on my initial assembly.  Some of Jacob's friends swung by when he was at work and a few hours later he got a text, "The Vader is very creepy."  It was a windy day so his cloak was blowing in the wind, adding to the ominous feeling!

So, there you have it, a pieced together Vader that cost me less than $20.   Proof that when you let your mind brainstorm about something long enough, you can come up with just about anything!  And, further proof that Dode and I make a pretty good team.  

Mothering: Choosing to Nurture Every Day

I was assigned to give a class at the annual Relief Society Women's Conference in our stake.  (A meeting for all the women who attend one of seven congregations around us).  I was assigned the topic, Mothering:  Choosing to Nurture Every Day.  I decided to post part of my class notes here so that someday, my children will know what I was attempting to do, and will see how often I fell short of my own ideals!

Practical Applications: (the How)
First things first:   The way that makes a child feel most nurtured is going to be different for each child.

• Nurturing changes over the years but your child is never too old to need nurtured.
• Sometimes it feels like what you’re doing doesn’t help but the important thing is to not give up. Miriam had colic for months.  She'd scream non stop.  I'd try holding her, she'd scream.  I'd swaddle her, she'd scream.  I'd walk her, she'd scream.  There were times when I thought to myself, "I might as well put her in her crib, she's just going to scream any way and then I can get something done."  But, I never gave up on her.  I kept trying.   For some reason, we change our thinking over the years and think it’s somehow OK or normal to have a difficult relationship with our teenagers.  Don’t settle for that lie that serves to impair the parent/child relationship at a time when your children may need it most.  Just as I wouldn’t stop nurturing Miriam with her colic, even though it didn’t seem to help, I did not give up on a prickly teenager who seethed with anger towards Dode and me for years.  
• You are your child’s closest example of Christ like love.  Heavenly Father doesn’t give up on us, our children NEED to know that we will never give up on them, nothing they can do will stop us from loving them.  Sometimes, when they're making choices we don't approve of and are acting especially unloveable, I believe that inside they don't like themselves very much and don't feel like they deserve our love.  By continually stretching our arms out to our child, we help them realize that no matter what, they have worth, value, and security in our love and in God's love.
• Sometimes, due to developmental delays or life experiences, your child needs nurturing that might seem too young for their age.  William came to us at almost the age of three.  He had a hard time attaching to us and was constantly "shopping" for parents.  For a time, each night I nestled him in my arms and gave him a bottle of sweet apple juice.  Dode said that as he would look in on us, he looked just like an infant as we spent time "eye gazing".  After a few months, he needed it less and seemed to recognize that we were mom and dad.

These are some of the things I do to try to nurture my children.

1.  Time   Dode and I make time with our children a priority.  We plan for individual time, both fun things and working together.  We've found that we need to plan for it or less important but urgent things get in the way.  Sometimes I don't know what we're going to do but I'll put, "family activity" on the calendar to make sure we have time to play.  

President Ezra Taft Benson said,  “Mothers in Zion, your God given roles are so vital to your own exaltation and to the salvation and exaltation of your family.  A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy.  Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all.  Take time to be a  real friend to your children. Listen to your children, really listen. Talk with them, laugh and joke with them, sing with them, play with them, cry with them, hug them, honestly praise them. Yes, regularly spend unrushed one-on-one time with each child." (To the Mothers in Zion [pamphlet, 1987], pp. 8-9)

Another aspect of time, is meet the child at their pace.  As a toddler, it is a gift of love to run at your child’s pace as much as possible.  For some children, they will always run a bit slower than you.

2.  working together, teaching by example: Like it or not, our children become like us.  As we spend time with them, work with them beside us, serve with them beside us, they learn to do the same.  

3.  Council with your husband: Sometimes Dode has insight into the heart of a specific child, sometimes I do.  By talking together, we are able to talk about things our children may be struggling with, ways to can involve them, interests we can help them develop.

4.  Figure out what makes your child feel loved:  5 love languages- try something from each: touch, time, gifts, service, words of praise

5.  Teach: Take many opportunities to instruct your children about your values, your priorities, and your skills.  

6.  Pray: For and with your children.  We have taken advantage of family prayer to pray aloud for specific challenges our children have.  In that way, we can let everyone in the family know about the needs of their siblings.

7.  Praise:  Point out their strengths.  Let them know how great you think they are, tell them, tell them often, tell others and let them overhear!  Praise should outnumber correction.  Studies have shown that parents commonly overlook 90% of the positive things their children are doing.

8.  Go the extra mile: when your child has a need, help out if you can. 
Little surprises can brighten a day and a heart.

Remember what it felt like to be a child, remember the times you felt alone and misunderstood, remember what made you feel especially loved, act accordingly.  

9.  Let them see you fail!  To our children, we look pretty perfect.  We can read well, tie our shoes, etc.  Learn something new and let your children see you try, fail, and persevere.  Their excitement when you succeed is wonderful for you and them.

10.  Stay in touch with their heart:  Talk as much as you can.  Don't allow them to wear their ear phones in the car so you can communicate.  Send unexpected notes in the mail.  

Nurturing is an attitude
Elder John A. Widtsoe explained: "There is a spiritual meaning of all human acts and earthly events. . . .  It is the business of man to find the spiritual meaning of earthly things. . . . No man is quite so happy, I think, as he who backs all his labors by such a spiritual interpretation and understanding of the acts of his life." (in Conference Report, Apr. 1922, pp. 96-97).

According to Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "The affection and thoughtfulness required in the home are no abstract exercises in love, no mere rhetoric concerning some distant human cause. Family life is an encounter with raw selfishness, with the need for civility, of taking turns, of being hurt and yet forgiving, and of being at the mercy of others' moods. (107A Christ-centered. Home)  "Family life is a constant challenge, not a periodic performance we can render on a stage and then run for the privacy of a dressing room to be alone with ourselves. The home gives us our greatest chance, however, to align our public and private behavior, to reduce the hypocrisy in our lives—to be more congruent with Christ."  (That My Family Should Partake [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974], p. 3).

What about the need to discipline?

President Gordon B. Hinckley:"There is no discipline in all the world like the discipline of love. It has a magic all its own.” (Ensign, June 1985, p. 6.)  “When little problems occur, as they inevitably will, restrain yourself. Call to mind the wisdom of the ancient proverb: ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath.’ (Prov. 15:1.)

Discipline must be tailored to the child.
Brigham Young:  “Bring up your children in the love and [respect] of the Lord; study their dispositions and their temperaments, and deal with them accordingly, never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion; teach them to love you rather than to fear you.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, 1941, p. 207.)

We have one child who if I say, "I'm disappointed in you." will go up in their room and cry.  We have other children who if told the same thing will look me in the eye and say, "Sounds like a personal problem."  Obviously the same approach will not work with both children.

Brigham Young noted, “I have seen more parents who were unable to control themselves than I ever saw who were unable to control their children.” 5With heavenly help, we can learn to respond to frustrations with patience.

Praise more than you correct
Michael Thompson, “Who Will Bear Reproof”, BYU Devotional July 9, 2002
“Now, something must be said about giving reproof: when and how. We cannot script this process. There are no rules, only a few principles. We should give correction far less often than we give commendation and praise. Praise should come often, and it should be specific and concrete. Praise is a way of saying to another, "I'm looking at you. I'm observing you, and I like what I see." When our praise is abstract or general, or if it is shoveled out indiscriminately, it loses its power and becomes flattery.  On those rare occasions when we take up a chastening rod, or offer even a mild caution, we have to be in possession of a lot of other things to go with the chastening. Among these is what President Young called "the healing balm" (JD 9:125). Brigham Young said: "If you are ever called upon to chasten a person, never chasten beyond the balm you have within you to bind up" (JD 9:124­ndash;25).  “I have been in situations where I felt a person needed a gentle correction, but I wasn't in good enough shape to give it: not enough love, not enough charity or commitment toward the other person; not enough trust in the bank to have earned the right. No, in those situations silence or a listening ear is the safest response.”  President Kimball said once:  Jesus saw sin as wrong but also was able to see sin as springing from deep and unmet needs on the part of the sinner. This permitted him to condemn the sin without condemning the individual. We can show forth our love for others even when we are called upon to correct them. We need to be able to look deeply enough into the lives of others to see the basic causes for their failures and shortcomings. [TSWK, 481­ndash;82]


Have a plan
"Sometimes when we correct children, we merely react to the circumstance. The child’s action upsets our plans or our image of ourselves as good parents, and we become frustrated or angry. Action taken with such an attitude is seldom helpful. It erodes the relationship we have developed with our children and lowers their feelings of self-respect. But as we learn to discipline our own feelings, yielding to the whisperings of the Spirit, we can make discipline a learning experience." August 2008 Ensign


By avoiding reacting to circumstances, we can take the time to give appropriate consequences to behavior.  In that way, we stay in control of ourselves and our children have a little time to "sweat" the choice.  They come up and ask, "Do you have a consequence for me yet?"  Instead of feeling let off the hook immediately, they have time to think about what they've done.

Avoid criticism and its twin sibling, teasing.
Elder H. Burke Peterson: “I personally have a hard time with people who say they believe in constructive criticism. My experience does not lead me to believe there is such a thing. My point of view is that criticism had a connotation that does not come from above. I think it is important to note that correction is different from criticism. The Lord discussed correction in his revelation the prophet Joseph Smith (D&C 121:43). He emphasized that any corrections are to be performed when moved upon by the Holy Ghost……Criticism is more judgment oriented than correction, and most of us do not have sufficient knowledge to be critical of others – especially of a spouse and children who are still growing and developing as we are.”

Teasing is a form of criticism.  We see our children do so many embarrassing things.  When we point out those faults through playful teasing, what our children hear is the criticism and don't feel safe with us.  Be the champion of your children and make your home a place of safety.

The burden is on us to maintain the relationship
It is part of our nature that when someone hurts us, lets us down or disappoints us, we want to punish them and give them the cold shoulder.  We feel that they should work hard to re-earn our love and trust after an infraction.  That is not the Lord’s way.  When we are called to give correction to our children, it is our responsibility to rebuild the relationship, not theirs.

Joseph F Smith, reprinted in Ensign, August 2004
“You can’t force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. You may force them to hell—by using harsh means in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be. The man that will be angry at his boy and try to correct him while he is in anger is in the greatest fault; he is more to be pitied and more to be condemned than the child who has done wrong. You can only correct your children in love, in kindness—by love unfeigned, by persuasion and reason.”

Ask for forgiveness when you blow your cool.  It happens, we discipline in the moment.  We give consequences that aren't appropriate or say unkind things.  We give our children a gift of example when we go to them and apologize, explain where we think we did wrong, and ask for forgiveness.


Elder H. Burke Peterson:  "Another misunderstood and misused scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 121:43, which reads, “Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy.”   Perhaps we should consider what it means to reprove with sharpness. Reproving with sharpness means reproving with clarity, with loving firmness, with serious intent. It does not mean reproving with sarcasm,  with bitterness, or with clenched teeth and raised voice. One who reproves as the Lord has directed deals in principles, not personalities. He does not attack character or demean an individual." (Ensign, July 1989, “Unrighteous Dominion”)

I'm a huge believer in proactive Discipline and limits
August 2008 Ensign  "Within the context of a loving relationship, we can teach correct principles without linking them to our child’s negative behavior. We can teach, for example, the importance of honesty before a child ever thinks of stealing. Then if the child ever does steal, instead of becoming upset, we can discuss with him the principle and what he needs to do to repent."

If something is an ongoing problem, can you do something to eliminate the opportunity for that behavior?  In our home, setting computer time limits was a battle.  They knew they only had an hour, but when I'd tell them their time was up, I always got a lot of grief, "I just got on!  I'm almost at a save spot".  We installed software on our computer that automatically logs them off when their time is up.  Now instead of being the bad guy, I can be the consoler.  child, "I was almost at a save spot!"  me, "That's too bad, that must be frustrating."  

Be brief and considerate
August 2008 Ensign  "Sometimes parents must address more serious indiscretions with appropriate consequences. President Faust encouraged parents to use “prayerful discernment” 14 as they select consequences for misbehavior. No matter the seriousness of the offense, the method of correction must treat the child with consideration and dignity. For example, private reproof is generally better than public reproof. Address the specific infraction without dragging previous misdeeds into the conversation. Stay composed. Discuss the behavior rather than label or demean the child. Short explanations of parental expectations generally work better than extensive lecturing." 

I showed the following video which gives me so much hope as a mother.

  Mormon Messages:  Motherhood, an eternal partnership with God (4 minutes)

That video is filled with images of nurturing: hugs, working together, teaching our children, personal and family prayer, playing together, correction, listening, family scripture study

My conclusion:
Motherhood:  CHOOSING to nurture every day- It is a choice!  It takes action, work, a conscious decision to nurture, to love as the Savior would love, to love our children as our Father in Heaven loves us.  If you take only one thing from this lesson that will help you in your role as a mother, your time here will be have been well spent.  Choose that one thing, experiment with it, practice, as you do, you will draw closer to your Father in Heaven and your Savior Jesus Christ, you will become just a little bit more like them those two things will allow you to draw closer to your children.

I've gotten positive feedback from people who attended my class.  Someone even called me on the phone to say it made immediate, specific changes in her ability to nurture her child.  Comments like that made the stress and time to prepare my lesson so worth it.

Additional Resources:

Daughters in My Kingdom, Chapter 9 “Guardians of the Hearth”

The Greatest Challenge in the World: Good Parenting” James Faust, October 1990 General Conference

Disciplining with Love”, Ensign September 1985

“Love, Limits, and Latitude”, Ensign August 2008

Christlike Parenting: Dr. Glen Latham (available at church bookstore and amazon.com)

Land Surveyors of Washington 2013 conference

Dode gets to attend a conference each year where land surveyors from around the state gather to take classes to receive part of their required continuing education.  He's been licensed as land surveyor now for five years.  He still feels like the youngest person at the conference.  The average age has to be upper fifties, if not into the sixties.  He's intimidated by the knowledge base of the other surveyors and not being a very social person, pretty much keeps to himself throughout the conference.  Networking?  Not for Dode, way too intimidating!

The conference was held at the Tulalip Hotel for the 2nd year in a row.  We like when its held there because it's close to home.  Two years ago, it was in Spokane which meant a week for Dode to be away from home.  The year before that it was in Tacoma.  He stayed with his cousin Jenny during that conference in order to avoid a long commute, so again it was time away from the family.  The Tulalip Hotel is just 10 miles from home so it's easy for him to come home each night and he even gets a bit of time here in the mornings!

This year, for the first time, Dode was one of the presenters.  We wrote his class proposal together months ago.  The class he proposed was, "Surveying on an Indian Reservation: Unique Rules, Challenges and Solutions".  We submitted the proposal and waited for the reply.  We weren't sure if they'd even accept the proposal.  Some of the speakers are renowned in the field of surveying.  They fly people in from other parts of the country to give presentations.  Dode doesn't have any fancy titles but I think he's a great speaker.  Dode figured that if they let him teach he'd be speaking for about an hour.  They notified him that they'd selected him as a speaker for a three hour class.  Wow!  That's A LOT more preparation time involved!  They offered to pay him $300 for his class but that would cause problems with his employer.  He's employed by the Tulalip government and they would be paying him for the time he spent attending the conference.  We didn't think they'd look too kindly on him "double dipping".  So, he asked if he could get two nights at the Tulalip Hotel instead. They agreed so Dode and I got a mini vacation for his presentation. 

I was really excited because I've seen a lot of advertising about the four star luxury of the hotel.  Now I was going to get a chance to experience that luxury!  Sharon filled in for me driving children around and keeping everyone on a schedule at home while I enjoyed the mini vacation.  We decided to stay Thursday and Friday nights.  Dode presented on Thursday so we figured his stress would be over and we could enjoy ourselves.  We ended up needing to cut our "vacation" short when I was asked to speak at our Stake Relief Society Women's Conference that started at 9:00 am on Saturday.

Leading up to the conference, Dode kept getting more and more nervous.  A few days before the conference he read the bio's of the other presenters at the conference and saw that most of the other presenters had been surveying longer than he's been alive!  He felt pretty insignificant and inexperienced.  He worried that no one would show up for his three hour class.  As he tossed and turned the night before his class, I don't think he thought a free hotel room was much of a compensation for teaching a class!  I'd purchased him a tie that had a map printed on it for his birthday.  I figured it would be a good "prop" for his presentation.  I also guessed that he'd wear it once for the presentation and since it's kind of showy it would end up in the back of the closet.  I don't know if he's just humoring me or if he likes it, but he reaches for it quite often when he's getting dressed in a white shirt and tie.

It turns out he didn't need to worry about the turn out for his class.  10 minutes before the class began, it was already standing room only in the room.  They ended up switching him out with another presenter in a larger room who didn't get as big of a turn out as anticipated.

Just to prove he's not a professional speaker, he told the audience he had to get a photo so his wife could see how many people were at the class.   He was shaking so bad with nerves that the photo was blurry!  More people filled in the room after this photo was shot.

I didn't attend his class but I think he did great.  Later that night, we were walking in the hotel hall and a surveyor who had been in his class stopped us to tell Dode that his class was one of the things that made him want to attend the conference and that he'd picked up a lot of great information.  He received an email from another surveyor who said Dode's presentations was one of the best ones there.  Dode's boss came by to check out the class with the plan to stay for the first hour and ended up staying for the whole three hour class.  She did run out to go back to her office at the break to grab a camera!

After standing for three hours to teach, he was spent.  He sat at the front for individual questions when the presentation was over.

A very full room listening to Dode.  Dode is the small person in white in the corner of the screen.

Another shot of the room.  See all those bald heads?  They're Dode's kind of men!

Dode wasn't sure how much material he'd get through in the three hours and worried that he'd either finish early or not get through everything he wanted to cover.  It turns out he got through everything he wanted and finished with five minutes to spare.  A three hour class, never taught before, and he finished up so close to the goal!

So, enough about Dode's presentation.  What did we do with our mini vacation?  I showed up at the hotel around 5:45 pm on Thursday.  I picked up a very jittery Dode who had a hard time following a conversation and I decided that in order to protect other drivers, I would drive to the restaraunt we were eating dinner at.  We ate at Dode's favorite restaurant, Bob's Burger.  We both got the same thing, the Aloha burger but I got mine with a veggie patty.  When the burgers arrived, they'd forgotten that I didn't want meat so they had to take my burger back and fix it.  In the mean time, they brought me a plate of jo-jos and onion rings to munch on while I waited.

How many calories are in this monster plate of fried food?

Friday while Dode was busy learning from other instructors, I was busy relaxing in my own way.  I spent about four hours on my math class and an hour in the fitness room.  I attended the awards lunch with Dode where I received my author of the year award.  For the third time, I had the veggie ravioli special.  It must be the only veggie offer the resort has for conventions!

When Dode was finished, we fought the traffic to Seattle to go to Plum Bistro, a vegan restaurant on Capital Hill.  We both had seitan, Dode had a chicken fried steak version and I had a pan seared version.  It was good, but not better than something I could have made at home.  The entrees were $20 each but I'd purchased an amazon local voucher a few months ago ($20 for $40 worth of food) so the total before tip came to just $1.39!  We were within walking distance of an ice creamery that I'd also purchased a voucher for.  I brought along some lactic acid pills and was able to indulge without a tummy ache.  The ice cream shop, Lick Creamery, has a few normal flavors as well as some unique flavors.  

I don't know if you can read it, but one of the sold out ice cream sandwich flavors is "Sweet Potato Bourbon Turkey Bacon".  

I'd read online reviews that M2 was the best of the always changing flavors but they were sold out when we got there.  I had to try "Anistasia" since I have my very own Anastaya!  It had a faint licorice flavor.  I also tried red velvet cracked peper and R-n-R.  I ended up choosing the R-n-R.  It was a Raspberry Ricotta flavor that was really tasty.  Dode got chocolate mint, crazy guy that he is!  The voucher I bought was for 8 cones so we have lots of chances to go back and try the ice cream again.  Dode was pretty surprised when we walked out without paying for anything.  With our cheap dinner and free ice cream, I told him I'm a pretty cheap date!

The hotel is considered a luxury hotel.  The only reason it is a four star hotel rather than a five star is because instead of putting a bathtub in the bathroom, they elected to put in a fancy shower with three shower heads.

I'm glad we don't have one of these at home.  I think our power bill would be much higher!

It's a nice room with fancier artwork and fixtures than a typical hotel room.  

I tried to figure out how to bring Elizabeth down to swim in the pool with me but there just wasn't enough time!

One thing they didn't perfect is noise from the other rooms.  We were stuck listening to someone's music until 3:00 am on Thursday.  But the shower, very nice!  That was just the first night.  The second night, we actually checked out at 10:00 pm and drove home!  The room above us was an invitation only luxury penthouse suites for high rollers at the casino.  I think they had hardwood floors.  There was quite a group of people above us and we could hear every footstep, chair moving around, ball bouncing, and the murmur of their conversations.  I needed a solid night's sleep in order to be ready for my presentation on Saturday so we left the four star luxury of the Tulalip hotel and drove home to the peace and quiet of our humble abode!

When Dode got back to work on Monday, he learned that his boss was really excited about his presentation.  She wants him to take the three hour presentation and chip it down to one hour.  She also wants him to present at the GIS conference (GIS is the field he's currently working in) he'll be attending in a few months and she's got plans for next year's land surveyor conference.  If the land surveyor conference is at Tulalip again, there is no way I'm staying on the 11th floor!

Author of the Year

Back in the fall, Dode submitted one of my blog posts to a magazine called Evergreen Surveyor.  The magazine goes out to everyone in Washington in the land surveying industry.  In early January, we found that they had published my "article" in the winter edition.  I was pretty excited when I found out, but I didn't blog about it because last year the magazine went from a print issue to digital delivery only.  Since I didn't get the thrill of holding the hard copy containing my article in it, I wasn't sure it was a brag worthy event.  Below are copies of the magazine pages.

If they're difficult to read, then click on them, you can zoom in until they're clear.

One funny thing about the way they formatted the magazine, the Jerry Peterson who is discussed in the article is the same Jerry Peterson who has an advertisement on the bottom of the final page.  He's still in the survey industry and still involved in monuments!

Each year, during the annual Land Surveyors of Washington Conference, they give an award for the best author to submit an article to the magazine in the last year.  And, a few days before the conference Dode got an email that they chose me!  I hadn't even known there was an award, just getting it published was enough of a thrill for me.  I was invited to attend the awards lunch on Friday to receive my award.  I asked Dode, "Do I have to pay for my lunch?"  Yes, $25.  So, I paid to receive my award!  We learned about the award on Wednesday and the award lunch was Friday so Dode did some last minute scrambling to buy me a ticket.

I was pretty excited while at the same time feeling a little odd.  I'm not a surveyor, just the wife of one.  The award lunch wasn't really my party.  It would be filled with Dode's "people".  Semi balding white men in button up shirts wearing comfortable outdoor ready shoes.  When I got there, I saw a few other females but we were definitely the minority!

The editor of the magazine, Aaron Blaisdell introduced me by explaining that the award winning author was not their typical author.  He explained that I'm not a member of the industry but that back in the fall, Dode had contacted Aaron and suggested he might be interested in reading one of my blogs that I talked about surveying.  Aaron thought it was publication worthy, so we adjusted a few things (for the new target audience) and submitted it.  As exciting as it was to be published in the magazine, it was way more exciting to learn I was selected as the best author of 2012!

Walking up to receive my award

I was expecting a certificate but instead I received a check for $500!  Wow!  Now I can say I am a published author and I even got paid for it!  Now the dreaming begins.  How to spend the money?!

Mock Trial 2013

Anastaya and Isaac are on the Stillaguamish Valley School Mock Trial team.  Mock Trial is a program sponsored by the YMCA.  The students on the team are given a fictional court case in the fall.  The team divides into two sub teams, a defense team and a prosecution team.  Within each sub team, there are two more divisions, attorneys and witnesses.  They spend months preparing for the competition.

The witnesses are given witness statements that contain all the details of their history that are important to their case.  One thing I've noticed is that the witnesses always have some embarrassing information that could potentially discredit their testimony.  They need to learn their history well enough to answer the questions at the trial and remain true to their witness statement or they risk being "perjured".  The attorneys prepare their questions, opening statement, closing statement, and pre-trial motions.  They learn the rules of introducing evidence into court and they learn different kinds of objections they can make to questions from other attorneys or the testimony of witnesses.  More info here.

This year, Isaac was a prosecution attorney and Anastaya was a witness for the defense.  As the students became better at their parts, they started practicing at the Denny Youth Center in Everett (juvenile court) in the actual courtrooms the competition would be held in.  For 6 weeks, twice a week I would load up the big van with students and take them down to Everett to practice.  While they practiced, I'd either run errands or go to Providence Hospital where I'd log onto the wifi network and do my school work.  Those trips to Everett made for some crazy evenings at home.  Practice was from 3:30-5:30 (held 30 minutes from home) but each time I brought the students back to Arlington I would have to sit and wait for a parent to pick up their child.  There were nights when Dode had to leave at 6:50 and I'd be pulling in the driveway at 6:45, no fun!  I felt a lot of responsibility to load my car up with other people's children and head off down the freeway.  If something had happened, my fault or not, a lot of families would have been impacted!  Thankfully, nothing bad ever happened but I sure said a lot of prayers for safety!

The week of the competition, the students had a scrimmage and four trials to compete at.    Each team, prosecution and defense, were able to compete twice.  The scrimmage we did was with an 8th grade team (Mock trial officially is a high school program).  Our scrimmage was the only competition they'd have.  At the scrimmage, I got to be on the jury.  That was an unexpected bonus!  Usually the jury is made up of trial lawyers volunteering their time to be part of the program.

Inside the courtroom for our scrimmage.  It was held at Tulalip Tribal Court.

That's the same tribe Dode works for.

Sitting at the prosecution desk before the trial started.  The team tries to color coordinate their outfits.  Today's outfits were black and hot pink.

Isaac giving his closing statement.

Anastaya filled in at the bailiff.  Because Anastaya was the bailiff, she got to go back and meet the judge before the trial started, a special honor.  The bailiff is in charge of calling court to order and in keeping track of the time.  Each team gets a certain amount of time for each part of the trial.  When they run out of time, the opposing team says, "Respectfully your honor, the defense/prosecution is out of time."  

The competitions fell on Wednesday evening, Thursday evening, a scrimmage on Friday morning, and two trials on Saturday.  By Saturday, it was feeling like we'd been doing a lot of mock trial!  On Saturday, Isaac's trial (where our team was the prosecution) was up first.  A reporter from the Everett Herald interviewed our team before the competition and sat in the courtroom for the trial.  Isaac even made it in the paper!

photo from the newspaper  

You can read the article  here.  

Here is the text of the article:

By Diana Hefley, Herald Writer

EVERETT -- Isaac Dickson shot to his feet with an objection.

The witness, he argued, is an expert in forensic linguistics, not math. He shouldn't be required to add up how much he was paid to testify against a suspected domestic terrorist accused of trying to blow up a state ferry.

Laughter rippled through the courtroom and Snohomish County Superior Court Judge David Kurtz couldn't stifle a smile. He overruled the objection, but the quick-thinking Dickson appeared to have impressed the judge.

Dickson, 15, was part of a team from the Stillaguamish Valley School that recently participated in the county's Mock Trial Competition. In all, seven teams battled it out in courtrooms at Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett over three days to determine which teams would move on to the state competition next month in Olympia. The trial competition is sponsored by the YMCA Youth and Government Program.

Last fall, teams from around the state were given a fictional criminal case to study, including witness statements, photographs and pre-trial motions to argue. The case leveled charges against a man tied to a militia movement. He was accused of plotting to detonate a bomb on a Washington state ferry loaded with U.S. Navy sailors.

Students took on the roles of prosecutors, defense attorneys and witnesses. They argued the cases and testified in front of seated judges. Their performances were graded and critiqued by local attorneys.

"It's so nice to see kids engaged in something positive," Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Linda Krese said. "They learn a lot about the courts and they take the competition very seriously."

Three teams competed from Archbishop Murphy High School in Everett. One team came from Jackson High School in Mill Creek. Two teams from King's High School in Shoreline competed. The Stillaguamish Valley School, part of the Arlington School District, serves home-schooled students.

This was the third year the Stillaguamish Valley School sent a team.

"I'm really into drama and this is a nerdy way to be into drama," 16-year-old Liz Finch said before Saturday's competition.

Her involvement in the class also has inspired her to pursue a law degree, she said.

"One day I'd love to be able to argue a case to a jury," Finch said.

The teenager said it can be a bit unnerving to perform in front of a judge and attorneys, but it also motivated her to be prepared and strive to stay in character.

Students really learn to think on their feet, said Michelle Marange, the coach for the Stillaguamish Valley School's team.

Saturday afternoon, Finch and Dickson faced off against three defense attorneys from Archbishop Murphy High School's junior varsity team.

Hannah Volsky, Tara Darrow and Ria Hoffman argued that their client was framed by an overly ambitious FBI agent and a government informant who'd been promised money and a job for his testimony.

The lawyers hurled objections back and forth, rattling off evidence rules to support their positions. Dickson at one point found himself up against the clock and pushed his witness to answer quickly in hopes of getting in the evidence he wanted to support the prosecution's case.

"They have improved so much," Marange said during a quick recess.

In the end, Archbishop Murphy's junior varsity team won the trial.*

Finch was named best attorney of the competition, sharing the title with Marcella Carey from Archbishop Murphy and Madison Shinn from King's. Jackie Becker from Jackson was named the best witness.

King's won first in the competition, followed by Archbishop Murphy's varsity team. Jackson's team came in third. All three teams will have the chance to show off their trial skills at the state competition next month.

Walt Potebnya is a private attorney who practices in Snohomish County and volunteered as an adviser for the Stillaguamish Valley School team. He was in the front row Saturday as the teens battled it out.

"It's really satisfying to see the kids blossom," he said. "I don't know if I could have done this at their age."

Dode brought the younger children down to watch the trial for a while.  Miriam and William were pretty bored but Elizabeth thought it was amazing so when Dode brought the younger children home, she decided to stay with me for the rest of the day.  She loved listening to the testimony and trying to decide if the defendant was truly guilty.  When she heard that there was no "correct" answer, she was pretty upset.

After Isaac's trial was finished, we had just 30 minutes to find some lunch in Everett before Anastaya's trial was set to begin.  I had to bring back lunch for Anastaya and I was worried I wouldn't get back in time.  Thankfully, the teams who were using the courtroom her trial was in ran late so she had time to quickly eat a sandwich before she was on.  She played the part of TJ Jones, a member of the sovereign citizen movement, high school drop out, dishonorably discharged vet, bomb making expert.  Her character had a lot of potentially damaging character traits but she was able to pull it off with the right amount of attitude.  She kind of played it like, "Yes, I lied to get into the military, what's your point?!"  TJ's brother was on trial for attempting to blow up a ferry boat.

outside the courtroom

At the prosecution desk Saturday morning.  The colors for the day were dark blue, black and white.  If you look at the photo from the newspaper, you'll see I matched too.  I'm that kind of dorky mom!

Anastaya testifying as TJ Jones.

The way the competition works, it doesn't matter who wins the verdict.  Each part of the team gets points for everything they do.  The points get added up on both sides and whoever has the most points wins the match.  I don't know how the points ended up (we didn't place in the top 4 teams) but we did win the verdict for each of our four trials (two convictions, two acquittals).  So, the students were great with presenting their arguments and questioning the witnesses.

Waiting for the final results.  See that smile?  Only for the camera!  I heard a LOT of complaining as we waited 45 minutes to hear who'd won.

Both Anastaya and Isaac plan to be on the team next year.  Anastaya did a lot of complaining about mock trial in the months leading up to competition, "It's boring! Do I have to go?  We never do anything!"  But, all that tedious work allowed them to have a successful competition.  On the way home she said, "That was fun!  I love competing but I hate all the work ahead of time."   Anastaya thinks she might like to try being an attorney.  I think she could do well if she could keep from giggling.