a great vacation

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Wow; it's been a great vacation. 6 days without the kids... it's probably a first for us in our married lives. Last night JE and I wept as MC spoke to us, asking us when he was going to see us again. For a moment, I thought JE was going to ask me to cut our trip short. We do miss them so much. We also value the boost to our relationship that this trip has given JE and I.

There has also been value to our rest. We've enjoyed coming home and simply laying in bed, reading some books or watching a movie. Our vacation has not been without work, however. The impetus for our visit to Buena Vista, VA has been to attend this year's LDS Eastern Home School conference. It has been wonderful attending this 3 day conference, learning how to improve teaching our children. We have also learned how to be better parents and a better couple. We are excited to implement the things we have learned.

JE and I are using what has been called the Thomas Jefferson Education system. One way to describe its implementation is to talk in terms of parent/child responsibility. Parents are responsible to cultivate relationships, create inspiring environments and be prepared to appropriately respond. The Thomas Jefferson Education system provides much insight into how this is accomplished. The child's responsibility is to educate themselves from the environment created by the parent. Ultimately, children will become scholars, truly educating themselves, however, a young child will not be prepared to do this, so parents select items from a good curriculum and then allow the child to select which of those items to pursue and the pace at which they will educate themselves.

This is a radical shift from many of the public education systems today which dictate what a child learns and a time frame in which to learn it.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

It is so beautiful around here. There have been several times that I've fancied how wonderful it would be to live around here. I'd just have to find a job that would support my family. Buena Vista, VA appears to be in a valley in the Blue Ridge mountains. Looking around one can witness several layers of mountains, each a different shade of blue. I feel inspired to simplify my life so that I can more often enjoy the creations of our Heavenly Father.

We spent time at Montecello yesterday, Thomas Jefferson's home. Throughout the conference, many speakers refered to Thomas Jefferson and his life and the difference he made in this country. I felt impressed of the importance for me to know our fore fathers, to understand what they went through and what exactly they did so that I can enjoy a rich life in a country that provides the means to live the Gospel as Heavenly Father would want his children to. These men were not perfect, but I feel their desires were pure and they did the best they could, God filling in the missing parts with what some would call good fortune. As a citizen of the United States, I feel a responsibility and desire to know more about these men and what they did.

It's evening now. JE and I have really enjoyed these past 5 days; the time has been very theraputic. We spent some time thinking about what we learned during the conference and how we will apply it in our home. First and foremost, we will be working on the relationships we have with our children, with each other and with Heavenly Father. We attended church with the Buena Vista ward, all three hours. It turns out that one of my previous BYU CS professors is the bishop of that ward, Bishop Whitehurst. Then we rested when we got back to the hotel. Later on, we ate dinner and took a swim. It turns out that our 72 hour kits were quite old; even the fruit juice tasted firmented, so we went to Ruby Tuesdays.

I spent a good chunk of the afternoon finishing Harry Potter (book 6). I have been able to put so much time into reading while we've been here. My next book will most likely be a biography of Thomas Jefferson that we bought when we visited Montecello yesterday. I'm looking forward to my personal quest to learn more about the history of our country.

I am ready to get back home so we can be with our children again. The break has been nice, and it's been just about the right length of time. JE and I have received advice regarding our relationship. We will start setting aside 1 week a year to take a vacation without the kids and three other times during the year to take off for the weekend. I can see how it helps JE and I to bond closer and to get a larger perspective on how things are going with our family and with life.