The missing piece of my heart

Long ago in a land across the great waters our ancient father had a dream.

In his dream the Great Spirit came to our father and carried him away on wings of fire.

The spirit told our father he would lead him to a new land

- A place of bounty, a promised land -

For he had walked in truth and light all seasons.

And so it begins. . . It is the story not just of my people, but people throughout the ages.

There is a time and season for everything.

Seasons of Faith and Prosperity,

Pride and War,

Forgiveness and Rebirth.

I have reached the season in my life when I attended a reunion for a group I danced with in college. (The first time). It showcases the dances of the cultures of Polynesia and the Islands of the Sea, the Latin cultures of Central and South America, and the Native cultures of North America. Being Mexican, I was part of the Latin Section. Okay, so yeah, I am not what comes to mind when you think of a Mexican. You see someone darker, maybe with a bit of an accent.

Those things aside, my DNA, and my importantly

MY HEART

are Mexican.

The problem with not looking Mexican, is the Mexicans don't include you sometimes. And as I live where my husband grew up (and he is not Mexican) I haven't had the opportunity to embrace the culture I so dearly love and so greatly miss, not to mention expose my children to these things.

So, yes. This reunion was important to me.

Thursday night we attended the evening performance of the current group with a smattering of Alumni included. Friday we attended a luncheon. I hadn't seen anyone I knew at the evening performance. There was 40 years of Alumni and their families. That didn't surprise me. However, there were several who knew me and recognized me at the reunion. That did surprise me, though it should not have.

This is Janie Thompson. She started the group. She is almost 90 and is spunky and fiesty and talented. She directed the group for many years.

After Janie, Ron Simpson directed the group. He is a record producer.

After Ron came Randy Boothe. Randy was not only my director, but he also was one of my advisors as an MDT Major. He was also my voice teacher for several years. Sometimes I wonder if he still thinks I am that high-maintenance co-ed. What a pain in the hiney I must have been!

After Randy came Janielle Christensen. She is still the director.

All the directors spoke, but Randy is more of a 'hands-on' type of guy. He writes a lot of music; a lot of music I have sung. I didn't realize how much I missed being spoken to through music until this day. This is how Randy always communicated with me. . .

I can't tell you how many times I have sung this very song. I can't tell you how it makes me cry with happiness. All I can say is it is, with the beats of the drums of the Native, Latin and Polynesian cultures; it is the beat of my heart.



After the luncheon, there were pictures. They split us into 5-year increments. I'd give the year, but you wouldn't believe me since we all age so well . . .

After pictures we went to a Fireside given by the current group members. I remember those days. These are not fully-constructed firesides. You are told as you get there who the speakers will be that evening. Then the speakers are told what they will be speaking on. As scary as that is, it is a very good thing. Things are always better if you speak from your heart.

They spoke to my heart, they filled my soul. I can say they did that for Tacey and Dallin as well. Both of them were wiping away the tears. McCade. . . not so much.

Ah, well. Can't reach everyone.

After that came the Children's Workshops. I figured McCade would get back with the program at this point in time; he got to wiggle instead of being trapped in a chair.

Tacey was ready to go in the Polynesian section.

It was during this I realized why I hold my hands the way I do when I dance; even to this day.

I have Hula Hands.

Even though I am not Polynesian.

It was fun to see the kids of all the Alumni glimpse what we all spent an important part of our life doing.

They had the kids perform for us, but didn't leave them hanging. They helped them as they performed.

And I would like to point out that MANY of the parents there are as camera-obsessed as I am.

(Isn't that kind of funny? They look like paparazzi.)

Tacey did a simple Modern Hula. Then the boys did a Haka which is the Maori War Dance.

That is McCade in the back.

That is Dallin in the back.

They did a horrible job of standing close together so I could get good pictures.

They also stood in the back line all the time.

I guess they think they are tall.

Next the Native section taught an Alaskan Indian dance about daily life.

Next came the Latin Section. See those feet? Those belong to my kids. They were the only feet that actually did it right.

I guess the years of Tap Lessons will pay off!

They learned a Polka from the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Again, they are not together and they are in the back.

Again with the beautiful, wonderful helpers.

But all is not lost. As you can see from this picture, they had a camera crew there all weekend.

Yes.

I bought the DVD.

I will cherish it; for many reasons.

This is McCade's 'Haka' Face.

Since it is a War Dance,

the point is

intimidation.

As it was explained to them you make a Haka Face as follows:

Make your eyes as wide as you can so you look crazy

then stick out your tongue like you are trying to lick the floor

Scream really loud.

Dallin's 'Haka' Face.

The final thing was to learn the Traditional Indian Sign Language.

Before I get into the song, and how important it is let me make a comment about this picture.

This is where the bad attitudes came in.

It had been a long day.

It had been emotional.

It had been very snowy.

But this was,

of all things,

the thing to learn.

But you can see the bad attitudes in the eyes.

Later that evening while we listened to a CD with 'Go My Son' on it,

they were singing at the top of their lungs and doing the sign language.

Mission Accomplished.

Go My Son

Go my son, go and climb the ladder.

Go my son, go and earn your feather.

go my son, make your people proud of you.

work my son, get an education.

work my son, learn a good vocation

Climb my son, go and take a lofty view.

From on the ladder of an education.

You can see to help your Indian nation.

Reach my son, and lift your people up with you.

Isn't that what we have all been told?

Go, do your best.

Do your best for yourself and your family

because you would not be who you are without them.

Go do better for those that come after you.

After that we went to Brick Oven for Pizza.

As we tend to eat at a lot of PIZZA PLACES.

They did like this one a lot.

It is a Provo institution.

The Homemade Root Beer was also a big hit.

So was this guy.

No, it wasn't that Tacey thought he was hot.

(She didn't)

It was that he made AMAZING things out of balloons.

Tacey got Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Pretty darn amazing, right?

Mac got a Giraffe. No surprise there. It was simple.

So simple the guy really didn't want to do it.

But he did.

Props to him.

Dallin got an Alien with a Ray Gun.

Pretty Darn AMAZING!

The next day the Alumni performed.

All of this will be on my DVD.

The Alumni Banquet, the evening performance of the current members, the Luncheon, the fireside, the children's workshops, the Alumni Showcase and the devotional.

All will be treasured.

As I said; this made me feel like my heart was whole again.

These cultures, these people are my brothers and sisters.

How I miss them.

Danielle

Back in February. . . .

Back in February, (yes, I am still trying to catch up. . . )

Dallin received the rank of Star at a Court of Honor. I am seriously proud of his accomplishments. He is a hard working Scout, and fully anticipates having completed his Eagle by the time he is 14. All of my Grandpas would be so proud!

This is the 'Ah MAN! Mom has her camera. I know she is going to take a ton of pictures. I hate it when she does that. It is SSSOOO embarrassing' look. I get it a lot from my kids.

He is a really amazing young man. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. . .but that is a different post. Let's just say that as I think about his disabilities I wonder how much MORE he would accomplish if his ears and brain worked together better. I found him watching a movie with the subtitles on yesterday. He did that because it was hard for him to hear it all. . . and still, at the age of 12 he has straight A's, all advanced classes, plays numerous sports, is responsible in his home and church responsibilities, I could go on and on and on . . But as I said, that is a post for another day.

Tacey had set a goal to make a couple of quilts. I have a pattern that is easy, and forgiving, so I paid for the fabric (fabric=not cheap)and she began to work.

This project took a lot more time than she had anticipated.

In fact it was much more difficult on the family than anticipated.

She did work very hard. She spent the Super Bowl cutting the squares of fabric. Then she began working on a Thursday afternoon. She worked all afternoon Thursday, all afternoon and night on Friday, all day and night Saturday and then all Sunday afternoon.

Finally, it was DONE!

There was blood, sweat and tears.

(Not just hers. . . as her frustration had an effect on the entire family).

There was even a moment when she yelled at me and said;

"If you would have just done it FOR ME, like I TOLD you to, then I wouldn't be having this problem right now!"

Yep.

And she is still alive.

Go Figure.

And no, I didn't do it for her.

I refused. . .

this was HER goal and she needed to do the whole thing herself no matter how much it hurt the rest of us!

It made me think of my Heavenly Father . . . how often am I saying;

'Well, if you would just DO IT FOR ME I wouldn't have a problem!'.

I wonder if watching me mess up in my life is as painful for him as watching Tacey was for me.

The blanket was for her best friend. No your eyes don't deceive you. Her best friend is Nathan, a very tall young man who was going in for surgery the next day. He needed his whole foot/ankle reconstructed. A Basketball injury last year was much more serious than his parents EVER dreamed, and so his hard-fought-for position on the JV Basketball team turned into a series of games dressed in street clothes on the bench. It was sad, indeed.

He did love his blanket though!

His Mom sent pictures right after surgery with him using it.

And the our family lived through it!

Danielle

Blue & Gold 2011

Another year, another Blue & Gold Banquet.

This one I approached with a bit of sadness . . . it was the last one. It is hard to believe Cub Scouts is over. I officially became a Cub Scout Mom in October of 2006, now in February of 2011 I have no more Cubs. In a way it is a relief, but it is also sad to see it go.
I am really proud of the boys; they were the most decorated Cub Scouts I know. They worked really hard in their scouting programs.
So this Blue and Gold was the last cake. I talked McCade through the cake batter; but he did it himself. I made the frosting, but he frosted them himself. I did put the numbers on, but the CONCEPT for the cake was ALL his. The theme was 'Turn Back The Clock'. I think he did a great job!

As I look at this I remember the exploding volcano cake, the fireworks cake, the dragon cake, the American Flag cake, the 'Don't Tread On Me' cake, and the checkerboard cake with this final Blue & Gold clock ending our run. That's a lot of cake.

He is a very Handsome Cub Scout . . . last time to wear the Shirt that has been through so many Day Camps, Scout Sundays, Pack Meetings, and Den Meetings. So glad it is washable.

McCade earned his Arrow of Light. It is the Highest Rank in Cub Scouts, and is the ONLY Cub Scout award that can be worn on the Boy Scout Uniform. His buddy Connor also earned his Arrow of Light, so got to have their ceremony together.

(In keeping with Church Policy, there are no open flames, so they were battery powered lights).

The Arrow points the way to the path of truth. Follow this path and grow to be a strong and honest Man. The Sun lights the path so that you may never lose your way. The first candle represents Wisdom. It does not mean superior knowledge, it means putting right use to the knowledge you have. The second candle represents Courage. Courage doesn't mean you meet danger without fear; it means you meet danger in spite of your fear. The third candle represents Self Control. Self control does not only include you temper, but control and direction in all things you do. The fourth candle represents Justice. Justice is the practice of dealing fairly with others without prejudice or regard for race, color or creed.

The Fifth candle represents Faith. It is believing in something you can't physically prove is true. The sixth candle represents Hope. Hope means to expect with confidence. Always hope for better things to come. The seventh candle represents Love. There are many kinds of Love; Love of family, love of home, love of your fellow man, and love of God & Country.

To live by these virtues is to live a life that is successful and joyful.

The Arrow of Light is an award he has earned the right to wear for his entire life.

I think he was more excited about his cupcake though. . .

McCade's 11th Birthday

Today is St. Patrick's Day!

But that is not what this post is about.

As I said before, I am a bit behind. So, here is all about McCade's Birthday.

Mac's birthday fell on a Sunday this year; Sunday is a busy day around here. Church takes several hours and sometimes there are other things. (This year we were participating in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor.)

So, we spread the Birthday Festivities over several days.

On Saturday we took McCade out to eat at his Favorite Restaurant; Chuck-a-Rama. Yep. An all-you-can-eat-buffet. I guess there is more than one reason he thinks Las Vegas is the best city in the world! Dallin did the best job at eating our money's worth. I think he ate for several people. It was nice not to have anyone complain about the menu! Everyone could get basically anything they thought they wanted!

Sunday I made sure he had his favorite food for dinner. Well, some form of it at least! His FAVORITE thing is Pizza. I made homemade Pizza Pockets; that way everyone gets whatever they want! Hhhhmmmmmm. . . I see a theme. . .

McCade asked for a Peanut butter - Chocolate cake. So that is what he got; *sigh* gotta love the double digit candles!

He wanted to light his own candles; heck, we let him. He is a Boyscout! I figured as long as there wasn't any lighter-fluid around he would be fine.

We must need to work on his wind-power. It took two tries to get the two candles out. HAHA!

Shane always takes it upon himself to buy the 11th birthday presents for the boys. Well, to be more accurate he took care of Dallin's and now he has taken care of McCade's. Shane picked up the traditional present on Monday. McCade almost waited patiently.

But was sufficiently excited when he saw his present to make his Dad's day!

A little about McCade Right Now:

1. Your hair? brown
2. Your Mom and Dad? you're one of them
3. Favorite Food? pizza
4. Favorite Drink? Mountain Dew
5. Biggest Dream? earn video games back
6. Hobby? it would be video games if I could play them. . .
7. Fear? Tie: between Snakes and Heights
8. Where you want to be in 6 years? playing Basketball
9. Something you aren't? Dallin
10. Your Mood? Happy
11. Favorite TV show? America's Funniest Home Videos
12. About your life? Hard, Good at times, Tiring and fun
13. Missing Someone? Larry
14. A place you go over and over? Bed
15. Collector of anything? Giraffes
16. Wanted superpower? Shape Shifting
17. First thought when you wake up? I'm Hungry
18. Any bad habits? Beating up my brother
19. Bad habits that drive you crazy? Not doing my homework right away
20. 3 best personality traits? friendly, kind and animal lover
21. 3 worst personality traits? messy, drama king and easily bored
22. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? Be smarter
23. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? be a shape shifter, be rich and more wishes
24. If you HAD to change your name, what would you change it to? Mr. Cool
25. Favorite song? Can't Buy Me Love by the Beatles or Life is A Highway by Rascall Flatts
26. You get in trouble for: Not doing my reading
27. Ninjas, Pirates or Aliens? Ninjas. Why? 'cause I wanna flip like they do.

For the record; McCade got an unacceptable grade last quarter in Math. Part of the punishment for less-than-his-best performance was that he lost all access to video games. He's hoping that this weekend he has earned them back.

I did take him shopping for some new church shoes and some new clothes a week later. He has become very concerned about how he leaves the house recently. I am hoping that continues!

Happy Birthday Mac!


Danielle

3.14 pi & pie!

I have had lots of thoughts recently. . . so many Blog Posts to catch up on. I have lots of excuses for not accomplishing this task yet;

1. Hard Drive on Laptop died a very quick, yet painful death. Thank Goodness our computer Doctor is AMAZING and saved all but a few few files stored in its memory.

2. Laundry

3. As it was in the process of dying I was afraid to empty the camera with all the pictures THIS YEAR so far. I take a lot of pictures. There was a high probability an amazing picture or two could be lost! I couldn't risk losing them by loading them onto a sick computer.

4. When the new hard drive came to live in my computer it took HOURS to download all the pictures and video.

5. Laundry.

6. Basement still under construction

7. Laundry & Dishes

8. 3 kids; one who is now driving herself around in her *amazing* car, one who always needs to be taken to the Library, and one who cannot be left to his own devices. . . although when I do allow that I usually get a good giggle.

9. The Refrigerator went to sleep for 3 days. Used all my blogging time walking to the outside fridge and freezer getting the stuff I needed to feed my ravenous 12 yr-old.

So, I made a BIG decision. Start where I am and slowly catch up. So, chronological this is not. Entertaining and informative? I hope so.

There has been a lot said recently about the silent stalkers of Mormon Mommy Blogs. I guess I also fall into that category; as a blogger as well as a stalker. I bet you could find Mommy Blogs from every religious affiliation; not just Mormons. Basically the articles say we are a bunch of women who have taken society has told us and decided to do the opposite; put off our careers but not our families. Actually be proud of being a Wife and Mother first. If that is how I am labeled, then I admit it; guilty.

I am the Mom that drives the kids to school and WATCHES them walk inside. I am the one that knows all of their teachers on a first name basis, as well as the secretaries and principals. I am the Mom that checks all the homework. I am the Mom that drives to and watches almost every dance lesson, football practice and basketball practice. I am the Mom that fails to make her kids do the chores they should; its just easier than the tension I feel making them do it right. I am the Mom that runs with the dog as often as possible. I say it is for the exercise; it is really for the peace and quiet. I have to have 30 minutes a day without Disney Channel ringing in my ears. I am last to bed, and second one up. (Hubby grew up on a Dairy farm. How does one compete with that?) I bake my own bread because it is cheaper. I make brownies from scratch because Brownie Mix is too expensive. I want to eat more salads. I am the Mom that knows all of my kid's friends; most of them think I am cool. I am the Mom that writes nasty letters to idiot-politicians. (I write a lot of letters). I am the Mom that volunteers ALL THE TIME. I am the Mom that sees the lines around my eyes and wishes I still look like I did 10 years ago. I am the Mom that refused to believe that my children are mediocre. I am the Mom that expects my kids to ALWAYS do their best. I am the Mom that will move everything to provide my child an opportunity to try something they are interested in. I am the Mom that wonders what kind of career I will find waiting for me when my kids are gone, and what I can do to prepare for it.

So yea. According to society I have it all backwards. Yep. It's okay. I'm cool with it. Heck, I even have the teenager stamp of approval.

So, what is an overly-busy mom to do?

Well, today I made waffles for breakfast (the kids ate the waffles, I am only allowed unsweetened oatmeal). Got everyone ready for school, got myself ready for school, woke up the lazy doggie and made him go outside to do his *business*, cleaned the kitchen, handled all last minute financial crisis (MOM! I need lunch money!), dropped them off and unloaded my stuff into my classroom all before 7:50am.

Then I taught music to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, with a break for lunch. (yep, more kids. See why I exercise?) Lunch turned into a discussion with one of Teenager's friends about the merits of Debate vs. Sports championships in the long run. Lean Meat on homemade wheat bread; no mayo all the while wishing it had lettuce and tomatoes.

After school there was a meeting with the High School Choir Teacher, a tap class, beauty treatments for dance pictures, personal driver to and from Piano lessons and the library.

Next was on to the current holiday.

I was informed at breakfast that today was pi day (3.14 as in March 14th). Smartie-pants gifted child was pretty excited about it. SO what is an overly busy Mom to do? Well, she pulls the left over Mashed potatoes from the Sunday Night Dinner from the fridge. Nope, not enough. Must peel and boil more. Did that, mashed them. Added them to the leftovers. Then made trip to the store for other NECESSARY pi-day supplies;

Chicken Pies and Mashed Potatoes for Dinner.

And the bonus Fruit Pies for Dessert.

Yep, on SALE for $0.59.

All fully microwaveable.

Went to the trouble of heating up the Chicken ones, but for Dessert everyone was on their own.

HAPPY PI (PIE) DAY!

My excuse? It was cheap, easy and festive.

I seek after these things.

Danielle

hold out a little longer. . .

I have taken video.

It is Basketball video.

It stars the kids.

I have not had the time to upload it from my camera, then put it on youtube in the restricted format, then post it on the blog

but

never fear

I will do it.

Not today.

But

it will happen.

Danielle

I did not elect this idiot. . .

I have been on a major soapbox this week. I am sorry. My kids can recite to you all of my points and why they are absolutely, 100%, undeniable, completely verifyable truth.

Well, maybe it IS technically just my opinion, but that does not detract from the fact that it is still

TRUTH.

I spent a good deal of time emailing this letter, or abreciated copies of it, to the entire State Board of Education, all of my State Representatives, and the local newspapers. I was going to send it to all of my local schoolboard members, but I see most of them on a regular basis (small town) so they already know how I feel. Or they have wives that are Facebook friends and/or follow this blog.

So, yea, this is another forum to annoy those who love me with my only true perspective on this situation.

Much has been said about Superintendent Luna’s proposal for educational reform. Discussions are heated in both directions, as they should be. Indeed, when considering the basic right of free education for our children, it is a very emotional issue. As I look at a few key areas of Mr. Luna’s plan, I find myself becoming emotional in response to what I feel is a basic lack of understanding on Mr. Luna’s part.

Let’s preface this by saying that I am fully aware that there have been major economic issues effecting public school funding. I have seen class size in our local schools increase, I have seen necessary services for students cut; all of this done as there was no other option. However, the basic structure of what constitutes a useful education has remained intact. Mr. Luna’s plan has several aspects that attack the basis of this structure putting our children at risk.

I am the parent of a High School Student. My child does well academically; there has not been a GPA below a 3.897 since the fourth grade. My child also participates in a significant amount of extra-curricular activities in both private and school forums. Being attentive parents my husband and I, in conjunction with our child, decided that enrollment in an online course would allow more time in the current class schedule. In addition, satisfying a graduation requirement online would allow more time for electives that will aid in college acceptance. This began our struggle with an IDLA online Physical Education course.

The idea was a good one; the time spent in sports and other physical activities outside of school would be used in place of attending a regular Physical Education class. However, this has not been the case. My child, who regularly appears on the Honor Roll, cannot raise the grade in the online course above a 78%. Why is this happening? Well, I can see several reasons.

First of all, the web site is not clearly constructed. When my child ‘logs on’ and accesses the class, it is not uncommon for the required reading to be inaccessible on the website. There seems to be an inordinate amount of technical difficulties. In addition, it is not always clear whether or not there is an assignment attached to the readings. We have also found that the link to the assignments is difficult to find within the layout of the website. My child is as literate in technology as most students are. In addition, a long running history of academic excellence shows responsibility when it comes to coursework, yet I continually receive notices from the online instructor informing that several assignments are missing. Searching for the links to these assignments usually takes longer than the completion of the classes themselves. We have also had frustration as live chats are scheduled, but we are not notified in a timely fashion; I have opened my email in the evening to find a notice that a chat had been scheduled for earlier that day. As of now, all of these chats have been scheduled when my child is at school so attendance would not been possible even if we had been notified in enough time to attend. This is also reflected in the grade.

Second, the lack of personal contact makes communication difficult, if not impossible. It is quite often my child has a simple question on an assignment. If this type of question arose with a traditional classroom, there would be a simple answer and work on the assignment would continue. In the online class, if there is a question my child and I find we are guessing at what the teacher’s response would be. Yes, the teacher is available by email, but even a speedy email response takes 12-18 hours. Yes, the teacher has provided us with a phone number, but as my child is extremely active the time usually spent working on the online class is on the weekends and extremely late in the evening. I do believe the teacher has done the best possible job within the given framework, but I have found that there is truly no substitute for personal contact. Yes, I am aware that a significant amount of college coursework is offered online. However, when you attend a University such as ISU, and participate in an online course, the professor is available during their office hours for this personal contact. This is not the case with the IDLA course.

Third, it is my belief that given the logistical difficulties within an online class situation, requiring student to take two online classes per year will prohibit students from achieving adequate academic levels to go to reputable Universities, much less attend these Universities on necessary scholarships. If a student who has a long history of high academic achievement is unable to succeed in this forum, what is going to happen to the average student? Or the student that is in need of an IEP?

The right to a free education is the right to learn those skills necessary to perform as a meaningful member of society. Those skills are different for each person. Within a traditional classroom setting, with a reasonable number of students, a good teacher is able to address those individual needs. In an online class a teacher is no more able to access the needs of a student than they are able to access the needs of someone sending them junk email. Distributing laptop computers to all students opens unregulated access to a virtual world where persistent dangers lurk. The computers at the schools are highly filtered, providing protection to the students. It is the responsibility of the parent to regulate the use of the internet at home: if the internet is even available. However, any student with access to a mobile, unmonitored computer is compromised. Mr. Luna’s plan would expose all High School students to dangers they may not be aware of, and are not equipped to handle.

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Luna will abandon his plan, as it is clearly not in the best interest of our students. No one benefits from increased class size. No one benefits from a lack of inter-personal communication.

Well, perhaps someone does. I am certain those companies that provide these online courses will profit, and as Mr. Luna has accepted a significant amount of campaign funds from these companies I am sure he will profit as well. Nonetheless, my current High School student, and my two other children who will enter High School in 2013 & 2014 will find that Mr. Luna’s plan has been to their detriment.

Sincerely,
Danielle Matheson
Shelley, Idaho

For those in need of translation, IDLA=Idaho Digital Learning Academy. IEP=Individual Education Plan.

I have attended many an IEP meeting. I have to go to them and discuss all sorts of issues with the Speech Therapist, the school councellor, and several of Dallin's teachers every year as they renew 'the plan' to help him with his speech. It is amazing the amount of paperwork necessary to provide 20 minutes of speech therapy once a week.

Many students are on an IEP. If they have any sort of learning disability that requires an aide to pull them out to help them beyond what is offered in the classroom it is addressed in an IEP. An IEP is NOT eco-friendly. My last one was 12 pages long.

Well, now that I have once again stood upon, and stepped down from my soap box I will temporarily be quiet.

But it will only be temporary.

Danielle