22 January 2023

 

Helen got some great college news this week. She was accepted to the University of Utah with admittance to the Honors College and accepted to the University of Oregon along with the offer of a $20,000 scholarship. She has 6 more universities to hear from before she'll make the decision where to go. 

Gibson's Mandarin class got ready for Lunar New Year this week by decorating their classroom and the main hallway at school. This is a photo of Jason and Gibson and a few of the decorations.

The Mandarin class also made dumplings. Gibson's teacher, Zheng Laoshi, sent Gibson over to Becky's classroom with a plate of dumplings to share. They were delicious!

Our friend, Masood's, mother died this week. Her sons immigrated to the US from Iran after the fall of the shah in 1979. They brought their mother over in 2001. We knew her as Grandma June, which is what her American grandkids called her. She mostly spoke Farsi and her favorite American phrases were "Thank you" and "I love you." She would smile and nod when we visited Masood, enjoying the company even if she didn't participate in the conversation. Although she was a tough, stubborn woman when she was younger, she mellowed into a sweet, gentle woman as she aged. Her family honored her desire for a Muslim burial, not an easy request in Southern Oregon. Muslims must be buried within 48 hours of death, which doesn't allow for a lot of notice for friends and family. The family held a private burial Thursday morning and met with some friends for dinner later to share stories and memories. Brandan was unable to attend because of prior commitments. She leaves behind a beautiful family and legacy of love. From the left are Kathy, Joe, Becky, Kit, Desi, Zach, Travis, Ari, Holly, Masood, Sahid and Lynne. Grandma June's photo is in the middle of the table.

Our friend, Angel, asked Helen on Friday morning if she could paint a birthday cake for her daughter, Elsa after school. Helen had never painted a cake before and it turns out she is quite good at it. She can add cake painting to her long list of talents. Angel bought edible paint for Helen to use. Elsa had an art themed birthday party. Her friends met at an art studio where an artist taught them how to paint a sunset themed painting, very similar to the cake.